the road goes ever ever on

Tuesday, Top Ten and a Teaser: Book Club

2012-01-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

top ten hosted by the broke and the bookish
tuesday teasers hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
Tuesday intro's hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

This Weeks Top Ten . . . Recommends for Book Club

I've been participating in a book club for the last 3 years and have read a wide variety of books. These are my ten favorite reads over the past three years.

1. Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza

2. Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
3. We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese by Elizabeth M. Norman
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. Remembering Isaac: The Wise and Joyful Potter of Niederbipp
7. Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
8. Jim the Boy and The Blue Star by Tony Earley
9. Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
10. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

This weeks intro/teaser comes from "Tinkers" by Paul Harding winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2010), PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize (2010). I haven't finished it but it would probably make a good book to read for a book club.

"George Washington Crosby began to hallucinate eight days before he died. From the rented hospital bed, placed in the middle of his own living room, he saw insects running in and out of imaginary cracks in the ceiling plaster. The panes in the windows, once snugly pointed and glazed, stood loose in their sashes. The next stiff breeze would topple them all and they would flop onto the heads of his family, who sat on the couch and the love seat and the kitchen chairs his wife had brought in to accommodate everyone. The torrent of panes would drive everyone from the room, his grandchildren in from Kansas and Atlanta and Seattle, his sister in from Florida, and he would be marooned on his bed in a moat of shattered glass. Pollen and sparrows, rain and the intrepid squirrels he had spent half of his life keeping out of the bird feeders would breach the house."

How about you? Would you keep reading?
.

I went to my goodreads page to get a copy of the cover of this book and all my covers are blank! Goodreads sent me a notice during the week that Amazon was pulling out but I had "0" books to worry about saving. I don't know about you but I kind of liked having a picture of the covers in my table.

Poetry: Read More/Post More Challenge

2012-01-31T00:15:00.000-07:00

hosted by Regular Rumination

Today as I was browsing my google reader I noticed that Jillian was participating in a group that was reading more/blogging more about poetry. Jillian posted some wonderful information about Emily Dickinson. I was interested because I also started reading the works of Emily Dickinson this January (unaware of this group). I’ll try doing some studying about her and I’ll continue reading her poems during the month of February and then make a post about her then. The group is posting about poetry on the last Tuesday of each month this year. I’ve never really studied poetry much so I don’t know a lot about it but I do enjoy the sound and feel of it.

When I was a little girl my mom had a set of “Childcraft” books. One contained the poems of Mother Goose and the other was “Storytelling and Other Poems”. I still have both books though they are much worn. I loved reading these poems that were also stories so I’d like to share Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This poem was always one of my favorites I loved the rhythm of it—almost like horse hooves pounding the pavement, and I could always feel the hushed silence in the words and the need for speed. I probably learned to love the history behind this famous ride by first becoming familiar with the poem. I did commit this poem to memory and did a recitation in class probably when I was in 4th grade. It has always stayed with me.

Paul Revere’s Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)

LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year. 5
He said to his friend, ‘If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—
One, if by land, and two, if by sea; 10
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.’

Then he said, ‘Good-night!’ and with muffled oar 15
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar 20
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,
Wanders and watches with eager ears, 25
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore. 30

Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry-chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made 35
Masses and moving shapes of shade,—
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town, 40
And the moonlight flowing over all.

Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night-encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel’s tread, 45
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, ‘All is well!’
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread 50
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,—
A line of black that bends and floats 55
On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse’s side, 60
Now gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle-girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry-tower of the Old North Church, 65
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry’s height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, 70
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns!

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark 75
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat. 80

He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, 85
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.

It was twelve by the village clock,
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer’s dog, 90
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.

It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock 95
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon. 100

It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze 105
Blowing over the meadows brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed.
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket-ball. 110

You know the rest. In the books you have read,
How the British Regulars fired and fled,—
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farm-yard wall,
Chasing the red-coats down the lane, 115
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm 120
To every Middlesex village and farm,—
A cry of defiance and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, 125
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Book Review: Punish me with roses

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Punish Me With Roses

Juliet Moore

See book information at Amazon.com

image via Amazon

Reasons I read this book:

It was a free download for the Amazon kindle.

I was in the mood for a light-hearted Gothic romance.

This book advertised itself as patterned after "Victoria Holt" books and Victoria Holt was one of my favorite authors--back in the day.

Reasons I liked/disliked this book:

I didn't like this book very much. Even if a book is free and is an "e" book only it shouldn't contain as many grammatical and spelling errors as this one did. I had to do quite a bit of decoding to make sense of some of it. (Inserting left out words/rearranging sentences). The character sketches shifted a lot as well. The author tried to make her heroine a typical "Victorian era dependent on her man type of a woman" but often in the same sentence or paragraph she turned her into a "modern era--shall I say--a hussy". If you are an author you just have to stay true to your original character sketches and your time periods in order to make the story believable.

I hate being negative and can usually find something good to say about most books I read. I will say it was light-hearted and it was a romance, but I'm not recommending this book.

I'll share one of the passages that just made me gag.

"Victoria looked at him with her familiar scared doe expression, but Mary was cynical. "Do you really think our father is just going to confess to you?"

"Alex stopped pacing, "Our dear father may not confess, but he will answer every one of my direct questions. Then I'll know if he's lying to me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I have to be." He looked at Victoria. "I have a lot riding on this than you know." He ran out of the room.

At this point in the story Victoria (the heroine) and Alex (the hero) are madly in love with each other and instead of taking her in his arms and confessing his love--He ran out of the room. Like a pansy. I'm sorry. It just cracked me up.

This reminded me of a time that I had a date with a boy. When he came to pick me up and we were walking out the house to get into his car my little poodle mix dog came running towards him barking ferociously (she was harmless). He grabbed my shoulders and ducked behind me so I could save him. Really! I couldn't believe it! Needless to say I never went out with him again. The guy in this story kind of reminded me of him.

Quotography: Wildlife

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

(a buck in velvet)

photo by

Wednesday Writings: To Be or Not To Be?

2012-01-25T16:15:00.001-07:00

Mama Kat's Writers Workshop

Prompt #1. Return to work after baby was born or stay home? How did you make your decision?

I'll give you five reasons why I chose to stay home . . .

OK the dog is a bonus, but I raised him from a pup and he died when he was 17.

For me the choice to be a stay at home mother was a natural choice. I just didn't think there was anyone who loved my children as much as I did. I was too excited about motherhood to even be frightened by it. I knew I wouldn't do everything right, but everything I did I would do because I loved them. I didn't want to miss a thing either. I didn't want to pick my kids up at the end of the day and have somebody else tell me they took their first step or said their first word. Motherhood is a wonderful experience and I wanted to experience it all. I've never regretted my choice to stay home and raise my children. I've never even felt "unfulfilled" or like I missed something. I am my own boss. I plan my own day. I have plenty of "me" time and best of all I am surrounded by people who love me even when they are irritated with me. I don't think I could even find a better work environment if I tried. But of course you don't get paid for being a mom . . . so someone has to be willing to work hard and bring in the funds it takes to raise a family. Fortunately for me Mr. J was that person, sometimes working up to three jobs. We just felt it was the right thing to do. It may not work for everyone but it worked for us. Being on the back-side and looking back I can definitely say I made the right choice.

How about you? Stay at home? Or back to work?

Tuesday, Top Ten and a Teaser: Anything Goes

2012-01-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Top Ten hosted by the Broke and the Bookish
Tuesday Teasers hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading
Tuesday's Intro hosted by Dian at Bibliophile by the Sea

Today's Top Ten . . . is a Freebie!

Last week I listed 10 books I'd recommend from a favorite genre of mine, Gothic Fiction. Today I'd like to expand that and recommend some books from a genre that evolved from Gothic called New Gothic Romances.

Gothic Romances of this description became popular during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, with authors such as Phyllis A. Whitney, Joan Aiken, Dorothy Eden, Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, Mary Stewart, and Jill Tattersall. Many featured covers depicting a terror-stricken woman in diaphanous attire in front of a gloomy castle, often with a single lit window. Many were published under the Paperback Library Gothic imprint and were marketed to a female audience. Though the authors were mostly women, some men wrote Gothic romances under female pseudonyms. For instance the prolific Clarissa Ross and Marilyn Ross were pseudonyms for the male writer Dan Ross and Frank Belknap Long published Gothics under his wife's name, Lyda Belknap Long. Another example is British writer Peter O'Donnell, who wrote under the pseudonym Madeleine Brent. Outside of companies like Lovespell, who carry Colleen Shannon, very few books seem to be published using the term today.

I was hooked on reading Gothic Romance during my Middle school to High School Years. My favorite Authors were Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt and Phylliss A. Whitney. Here is a list of books I remember reading.

Victoria Holt

Mistress of Mellyn (1960)
The Queen's Confession: The Story of Marie-Antoinette (1968)
The Shivering Sands (1969)
On the Night of the Seventh Moon (1972)
The House of a Thousand Lanterns (1974)

(as Jean Plaidy)
Royal Road to Fotheringhay* (1955) (first published as by Eleanor Burford)
The Captive Queen of Scots (1963)

Phyllis A. Whitney
Window on the Square (1962)
Seven Tears for Apollo (1963)
The Turquoise Mask (1974)
Spindrift (1975)

Mary Stewart
Madam, Will You Talk? (1954)
Nine Coaches Waiting (1958)
My Brother Michael (1959)
The Ivy Tree (1961)
The Moon-Spinners (1962)
This Rough Magic (1964)
Airs Above the Ground (1965)
The Gabriel Hounds (1967)
The Wind Off the Small Isles (1968)

today's teaser/intro comes from "Punish Me with Roses" by Juliet Moore. She seems to be trying to write in this same style (New Gothic Romances)

1836, England

The beggar trudged through the snow, his threadbare coat's failure to block out the worst of the weather obvious from yards away. When Victoria Clavering saw him, she shivered and had to resist the impulse to pull her cloak tighter around her body. Seeing his worn out clothing and downtrodden walk reminded her of all she still possessed, even after the untimely death of her parents. It was Christmas and the beggar was truly alone. Victoria just felt like it.

How about you? Would you keep reading this book based on the opening paragraph?

Book Review: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

2012-01-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

image and information found at goodreads

Reason for reading this book:

This book was this months read for my book club

My thoughts.

Dear Son:

I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week's uninterrupted leisure in my present country retirement, I sit down to write them for you. To which I have besides some other inducements.

These are the opening sentences of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. I like how he just started out by assuming his son would like to know a little something about him. He also rambled on and on with little or no punctuation. Sentence or paragraph structure or chapter breaks. There is one break from where he left off and then took it up again many years later after a friend asked him to finish. He never did write about his experiences during the revolutionary war.

I enjoyed getting to know Benjamin Franklin from his point of view. I was most impressed with his bright inquisitive mind and his ability to solve problems. I was also impressed at the many things he invented and the groups he organized.

The thing I was most impressed about was his personal creed. He adopted 13 virtues that would lead to perfection and kept an accounting in a ledger of his daily activities. He set a personal goal to achieve perfection in this life--and he believed it was achievable.

But, on the whole, tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it;

Overall I liked this book and would like to read a biography about Benjamin Franklin that tells more about what he accomplished in this life.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes.

three reasons review

Book Review: The Unidentified

2012-01-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

The Unidentified

Rae Mariz

Image and Information for this book found on Goodreads

Reason for reading this book:

I purchased this book for $.99 as the Kindle deal of the day on 1/10/2012. The book description was intriguing.

My thoughts:

I'm not sure I liked this book. I'm not sure it was even a good book. I'm not sure I even felt like it was well written. But it was strangely fascinating in the fact that I think this might possibly happen in my lifetime.

The story for the Unidentified is set in a High School and the characters are High School age. The public education system has failed and is now privatized. The school is actually a re-purposed shopping mall. The object for the “sponsors” who run the school is to watch for students who are “trendsetters” and brand them. As a result the student body is continually trying to “sell” themselves in order to get ahead in school. The thing I found most uncomfortable is how the kids were in a totally “screen oriented” world. They were all given as part of their educational experience—a smart phone and a lap top. The “sponsors” and parents could track the kids through the GPS chips in their devices and they also had access to live-streaming of all their network conversations. Basically it was a high-tech prison where kids were exploited for the purpose of selling product; a very creepy scenario. I didn’t like the fact that characters didn’t really have “names”. They had tag names that they used in the virtual world. Most of the dialogue was also “text” speech. It left me confused as to what was really happening--but in the end it fit the story. The story is told in the first person by the main character, kidzero. By the time I got to the end of the story—I had sorted out who was who and what was happening. And I did like the ending very much.

Would I recommend this book?

I wouldn't recommend it for everybody but if you would like to try something different and are open to scenario's for the future you would probably like this.

three reasons review

Quotography: Sadness

2012-01-23T09:09:00.002-07:00

Describe the sound of a moist waffle falling onto a hot griddle.

Oooh the family loves my made from scratch waffles. The batter "slops" onto the iron, and they "hiss" as the steam rises from under the lid. Then they "slurp" as they soak in the hot syrup. The kids smile and say, "mom, you make the best waffles ever." And I agree, I do.

waffles

and

photo's by

edited in picnik online editing service

which is super easy

for people like me

who use a little point and shoot

and who don't get how to use photo shop

Sadly

picnik, a small company--that hooked up with a big company (google)

is shutting down

(proving that bigger is not always better)

Any suggestions for a place I can go to do easy photo editing?

Friday Night Sew in: Welcome Winter Snow Friends

2012-01-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

For this month's Friday night sew-in I'll be working on quilting a quilt panel.

About six years or so ago my sister bought this wonderfully soft flannel and asked me to make a rag quilt for her daughter so she could give it to her for her wedding. The panel consists of 15 blocks featuring different "snow friends". The fabric series included co-ordinating flannels the same as the trim around each block. To make the rag quilt I cut each block out of the panel and interspersed them between blocks of co-ordinating fabric. It turned out so cute and welcoming. The flannel was so soft and the construction of a rag quilt just begs a person to wrap themselves in the soft cocoon. I was very pleased with it as was my sister and my niece. My sister gave me this left-over fabric (a double panel) and my intention was to do something with it. I stuck it in a drawer and it has been there ever since. Recently I purchased a new dresser for my bedroom, shifted the old dresser upstairs. Rearranged the fabric that was in bins and found that I had no place to put this ready to be made quilt. The choice was obvious . . . put it on the frames and quilt it up. I've been working at it here and there and have finished quilting three rows of blocks. I hope tonight to finish up the remaining two rows--and possibly tomorrow if it works out sew the binding on. And after that I plan to use it at nights when I'm reading in my recliner.

* * * * *

The result

I finished one row on Friday night and then worked on the quilt all day Saturday--I finished all the quilting!

I quilted around each block with large stitches using crochet thread

I decided to use a blanket stitch around the edge instead of putting a binding on

The finished quilt

folded up on the arm of the recliner

in use

I'm warm and cozy while reading my kindle

Thanks to my sis, for giving me the leftovers from the quilt!

Wednesday Writings: Notes on a Dog's Life

2012-01-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Prompt #2. List the names of five dogs from your lifetime.

Write about why one sparks a stronger memory to you than the others.

My dad hunted lions (the Rocky Mountain variety). This meant that we had a lot of dogs, hound dogs. At one time my dad had a pack of 17 hounds. By the time I was old enough to remember dad had stopped hunting but still had three of his favorite hounds, Judy, Betsy and Red.

Judy and Red were red-bone hounds and Betsy was a blue tick. Judy and Betsy supplied us with a batch of puppies a couple of times a year that my siblings and I adored. We loved and spoiled and played with them until they were about 8 weeks old and then my dad would sell them or give them away. Red was one of Judy's pups that dad hung on to.

Red was a superb hunting hound, a loyal friend and had tons of personality. Dad loved to retell the story of the night Red saved his life. They had been out hunting; it snowed and made it impossible to get off the mountain. So Dad found a ledge with cover, built a fire and settled in for the night. They had been tracking a large lion for most of the day and that big old tom cat doubled back and caught Dad and his dogs on that ledge. Red fought like a lion himself and soon the cat limped away. Dad and Red caught up with him the next day.

Another story that Dad and Mom liked to tell about Red was the day he ate a bushel of pears. His belly was so big and hung so low to the ground that he could hardly walk.

Red--the day he ate the pears

The thing I liked best about Red was that to me he seemed to be less a dog and more a person. Red dogged our footsteps. Everywhere we went, he went. When we rode our bikes he loped along at our side big ears flapping up and down with each bound. He loved joining us in a swim in the canal at the top of the lane. He joined in our horse races as we galloped across the field. He was one of us. On warm summer days Red would stretch out on the lawn and we would lay our heads on his belly, using it for a pillow. The most unusual thing about Red was that he would smile when he was happy and he laughed—out loud. As children we would take feathers or grass and tickle Red until he guffawed. It was hilarious and one of the things I remember most fondly about him.

My dad retired from hunting, but Red never stopped. Every few weeks or so Red would disappear; we knew where he was--hunting. Sometimes he’d bring home a bit of his quarry, and sometimes he came home with a snoutful of porcupine quills. He didn’t enjoy it when dad got the pliers out and pulled those barbs from his tender skin. But it didn’t deter Red. In a few weeks he’d head out again, out on the hunt.

I remember painfully the day I got off the bus and there was no Red to greet me. My dad had sold him to a man who trained hounds to hunt. Years later I asked Dad why he had sold Red instead of keeping him until he died. Dad simply said he wanted Red to be happy doing what he loved best—hunting.

me at the age of 4 in front of our house with Red

Let’s see the prompt said to list 5 dogs you remember. Since I’ve already mentioned three in this story, here are two more dogs that meant a lot to me in my life.

me at age 14 with my dog "Pottyetta" given to me by my boyfriend for Valentines--he named the dog!
My mom hated the name. She was absolutely mortified everytime I stepped outside and called for her.
I adored the dog, she was so loveable and cute.
(gotta love those boots--they were my dads *hehe*)

Trapper Dog--the dog I raised from a pup between child #4 and #5. I claim he was as much work as a child. He died when he was 17, I was very sad.

Tuesday, Top Ten and a Teaser: So you've never tried . . .

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by the Broke and the Bookish
Teaser Tuesday hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
Tuesday Intros hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

Top 10 . . . books I'd recommend to someone who doesn't read Gothic Fiction

Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story".

I would recommend these Victorian Era Gothic Novels:

1. Villette--Charlotte Bronte
2. Jane Eyre--Charlotte Bronte
3. The Phantom of the Opera--Gaston Leroux
4. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--Robert Louis Stevenson
5. Wuthering Heights--Emily Bronte
6. A Long Fatal Love Chase--Louisa May Alcott
7. The Pit and the Pendelum--Edgar Allen Poe
8. Northanger Abby--Jane Austen
9. A Christmas Carol--Charles Dickens

And one I plan on reading this year that I have never read

10. Alice in Wonderland--Lewis Carroll

Today's teaser/intro comes from:

The Unidentified

by

Rae Mariz

"X PRESS

If reality TV cameras were installed in my high school, they would be focused directly on the Pit. That's where all the drama plays out.

Or wait, they've probably got cameras there already. All the security cameras from when the building was a mall, before it got converted into a school, before it became a site for the Game."

How about you?
Do those opening sentences make you want to read more?

Book Review: Songs for a Teenage Nomad

2012-01-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Songs for a Teenage Nomad

Kim Culbertson

Kindle Edition, 256 pages
Published August 5th 2010 by Sourcebooks Fire
ASIN: B003YFJ5CW.
Awards: 2008 Ben Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Children's/Young Adult Fiction, the Silver 2008 IPPY medal for Young Adult fiction

About the book:
What is the soundtrack of your life?

After living in twelve places in eight years, Calle Smith finds herself in Andreas Bay, California, at the start of ninth grade. Another new home, another new school…Calle knows better than to put down roots. Her song journal keeps her moving to her own soundtrack, bouncing through a world best kept at a distance.Yet before she knows it, friends creep in—as does an unlikely boy with a secret. Calle is torn over what may be her first chance at love. With all that she’s hiding and all that she wants, can she find something lasting beyond music? And will she ever discover why she and her mother have been running in the first place?

About the author:
Kim Culbertson is the author of the teen novels Songs for a Teenage Nomad (Sourcebooks Fire 2010) and Instructions for a Broken Heart (Sourcebooks Fire 2011). She believes books make the world a better place and likes to be on the look out for books she really connects with and loves. Kim has been a high school teacher for twelve years. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Northern California foothills, where she often finds her own soundtrack pop up over the speakers of unlikely places.

image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:

"Inside my dreams sits a song, way back in the shadows. It calls to me, and I wait to know it in the daylight, wanting to pull it like taffy from the haunts of my mind. Somehow, my memories begin with this song. I can't seem to put an image to it; it's a memory blurred and swirling, with no shape . . ."

This is how the story begins. I was totally taken in by the beauty of the prose. Calle, the main character of the story goes on to explain . . .

"It's my song journal. I started writing down memories I get from songs. I hear one, mostly older songs, and I write down the memory it brings. Like glimpses of my life as I remember it. Snapshots."

This lets the reader know what the format of the book will be, I thought the concept very creative. I liked the flow, feel, voice, plot and characters in this story. The story mostly dealt with the overwhelming problems experienced by Calle, Sam and Cass and how they came together to support each other as good friends should.

I really like the whole music journal thing. The author says at the end of the book:

"Many people have songs that make them think of a place or experience in their lives. Perhaps the song reminds them of a trip they took, or of a sport they played, or of a friend who is important to them. Music is an important part of our culture, and one that is also deeply personal."

She then includes guidelines on how to create your own song journal. I think this is something that would really appeal to young people. It appeals to me too--a fun way to look back through life and capture moments in time.

Even though the subject matter was somewhat sad, the book had a good feeling to it.

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book review blogs @Barrie Summy

Book Review: War Horse

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

War Horse

by Michael Morpurgo

Kindle Edition, 176 pages
Published September 1st 2010 by Scholastic Press (first published October 1982)
ASIN B00457WZEI
series War Horse #1

About the author:
Michael Morpurgo is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the war, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were awarded an MBE for services to youth. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

image and information courtesy of goodreads

My thoughts:
A couple of weeks ago Mr. J, some of our family and I had made plans to go see the new film "War Horse". A couple of days before our planned viewing I came across a very nice review of the book by Stacy Nyikos . She recommended reading the book prior to viewing the movie. I didn't know there was a book so I was a little late to read it before viewing the movie--but I did read it afterward. I found it didn't really make much difference, the film followed the book fairly closely.

I was taken by surprise when I began the book to discover that the horse, Joey is actually the narrator of the story. The story begins with his birth and follows him through the events of his life and the people he came in contact with. The most epic portion of his life comes when he finds himself sold to the military and he becomes part of the English Cavalry during WWI. The story is written for young readers and although it deals with the horrors of war it has a way of presenting them so as not to be overwhelming.

My favorite part of reading this book is that it reminded me of when I was a young girl. I grew up on a farm and we always had three or more horses and a shetland pony. The neighbors also had horses so as a result I spent a good portion of my childhood riding. When I wasn't riding my sister and I had some Breyer horses we played with. I also went through a phase where I read a bunch of stories about horses that I've never forgotten.

Here is a list of some of the stories I remember reading as a girl:

Black Beauty
Born to Trot
Misty of Chincoteague
My Friend Flicka
Thunderhead
National Velvet
El Blanco
High Courage
Big Red
Blaze and Thunderbolt
A Filly for Joan
The Outlaw
The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt
Justin Morgan had a Horse
King of the Wind
Brighty of the Grand Canyon

Did you read any of these stories, or do you remember some other horse stories?
And . . .
if you enjoy these types of stories you would certainly enjoy reading War Horse.

Quotography: Winter

2012-01-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Thursday's Tiltles: Mostly Talmage and a little Franklin

2012-01-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

James E. Talmage
author of Jesus the Christ

I’ve heard of James E. Talmage all my life and knew at some point he had been an apostle in my church. His books are widely used in our studies. I did a little reading during the week to get better acquainted with the author of Jesus the Christ. I will refer to him as Elder Talmage as that is appropriate.

Elder Talmage grew up in Hungerford England where he became aware of and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was 10. His family then left England and came to America to be with other members of the Church. Elder Talmage enjoyed the sciences and eventually became a geologist. He was also an assistant principal at the Academy (BYU) and the president at the University of Deseret (UofU). He was a highly educated man holding all kinds of degrees to numerous to list here but I was highly impressed. He also taught at many universities across the country.

He married May Booth and they were the parents of eight children. He was called to be an Apostle in 1911 and served until his death at the age of 70. He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.

I read a number of brief bios about him, the abbreviated bio at goodreads seemed the best organized.

Published works :
First Book of Nature (1888)
The Domestic Science, a Book for Use in Schools and for General Reading (1891) online 1892 second edition
Tables for Blowpipe Determinations of Minerals (1898)
The Articles of Faith: A Series of Lectures on the Principal Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1899) online
The Great Salt Lake, Present and Past (1900) online
The Great Apostasy Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History (1909) online
The Story of Mormonism (1910) online 1920 seventh edition
The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and Modern (1912) online
The Philosophy of Mormonism (1914)
Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to the Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern (1915) online
Latter-Day Revelations: Selections from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Deseret Book Company (1915)
The Vitality of Mormonism, Deseret Book Company (1919) online
Sunday Night Talks by Radio (1930)
The Parables of James E. Talmage, comp. Albert L. Zobell, Jr. Deseret Book Company (1973)
The Essential James E. Talmage, Signature Books, Salt Lake City, 1997, ISBN 1-56085-018-3

(wikipedia)

The first week Mr. J and I read Chapter 1 or the introduction which included the Historicity of Jesus the Christ and the scope and purpose of the present treatise. Sounds a little intimidating right off the bat doesn't it. Elder Talmage is an intelligent man and he uses language that he is comfortable with which is language that will stretch my intellect I hope. Elder Talmage states at the beginning of the introduction:

No adequate biography of Jesus as Boy and Man has been or can be written, for the sufficing reason that a fullness of data is lacking . . . The purpose of the present treatise is that of considering the life and mission of Jesus as the Christ. In this undertaking we are to be guided by the light of both ancient and modern scriptures; and, thus led, we shall discover . . . that the word of God as revealed in latter days is effective in illuming and making plain the Holy Writ of ancient times.

In Chapter 2 Elder Talmage discusses the role of Christ in the preexistence. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I already knew and understood every point he discussed. After reading the second chapter I’m not feeling as intimidated by the work. Elder Talmage has simply gathered together teachings from the scriptures that teach us about different aspects of Christ and organized them in a manner that these characteristics can be studied closely, one characteristic at a time.

So as we get ready to read Chapter 3—The Need of a Redeemer, I am feeling more excited than nervous.

I've also been reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. I really like it. Benjamin Franklin was quite a remarkable fellow. I like how forward thinking he was. When he saw something that needed to be done he set about doing it. He was a great organizer and very capable of pulling things together. Did you know he started the library system? He also organized the community police system and an effective community militia. He also organized a fire fighting service to help prevent homes from burning which I guess was a real threat to communities back in his day. Buildings were wooden and close together and a whole town could go up in minutes. But I am most impressed with his model for character improvement. Did you know Benjamin Franklin had a goal to be a perfect person and came up with 12 virtues that he desired to perfect and a plan for achieving perfection? He added a 13th virtue when an associate told him he was a proud man. Benjamin Franklin evaluated his actions daily in a little notebook that he carried on his person. He said towards the end of his life that he knew he had not achieved perfection but he was a better person for trying.

Wednesday Writings: Is That So?

2012-01-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Writing prompt # 1. Write a poem inspired by the last conversation you had with your child.

I wrote down a conversation I had with a little girl in my grandson’s class on Monday. I found it amusing. My intent was to write a poem but then I read in Wiki-how that prose (ordinary speech used in everyday speaking) could become poetry just by breaking the conversation into natural breaks creating a rhythm in the words. So I took a stab at it--

Are you Bear’s grandma?
I am Bear’s grandma.
Some grandmas have gray hair.
Yes they do.
My grandma doesn’t have gray hair.
How nice.
Some grandmas wear glasses
I like your glasses
Why thank you sweetie.
Sometimes Bear is mean to me.
He is?
You should tell him to be nice.
I do.
He’s still mean to me.
(sigh—
my oh so loveable grandson
Is mean
To girls)

more stories at Mama Kat's
Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Tuesday--Top Ten and a Teaser: What's Out Next?

2012-01-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

top ten hosted by the broke and the bookish
Tuesday teaser hosted by miz b at should be reading
Tuesday intros hosted by Diane at bibliophile by the sea

Today's Top Ten . . . Author's I wish would write another book

1. I've been waiting for a followup novel of P. G. Holyfield's Murder at Avedon Hill

2. I love Kathryn Stockett's style of writing and the depth of the story in The Help and would love to read something more by her.

3. Lief Enger's "Peace Like a River" was a beautiful book and I discovered this morning he has another book out "So Brave, Young and Handsome" released in 2008 . . . After reading the final page, don't be surprised if you find yourself shaking your head and murmuring, Wow. What a good book.″—Peter Moore, Minneapolis Star Tribune

4. I would love to see something new from Jamie Ford. I loved his debut novel "The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet."

5. I'd like to read more from Suzanne Collins author of the Hunger Games Trilogy. She does have a series for children--the Underland Chronicles--that I could read.

6. I discovered Kevin Alan Milne last Christmas when I read "The Paper Bag Christmas". He's got three more novels out that I would really like to read.

7. Syrie James has six novels out and I've only read one, so I'd like to read more of her.

8. Susanna Kearsley is also an author who I'd like to read more of. "The Winter Sea" was a wonderful story.

9. I really enjoyed Tony Earley's books about Jim the Boy. He has three books out that I could read.

10. And even though I've read 7 out Shannon Hale's 10 books I am looking forward to the release of Midnight at Austenland due out this month.

Today's intro/teaser comes from

Cinder and Ella

by Melissa Lemon

If you drink water and breathe air, then you have heard the story of Cinderella. And, if you drink water and breathe air you have heard it . . . wrong.

How about you?

Would you keep reading this book based on the opening paragraph?

Book Review: Cinder and Ella

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Cinder and Ella

Mellissa Lemon

Kindle Edition, 280 pages

Published October 27th 2011 by Cedar Fort, Inc.

ASIN: B0060N7NK6

About the book:

After her father's disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn't long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself. What Ella finds there starts a quest that will change her life and the entire kingdom. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other, and one you'll never forget.

Image and information courtesy of goodreads

About the Author:

Melissa Lemon holds that her greatest achievement is being married to a wonderful man and having three amazing children. In addition to mothering and writing novels, she taches music lessons on the piano, cello, and guitar. Meliss is a graduate of the University of Utah. She and her family live in Kaysville, Utah. (from the book)

My thoughts:

“If you drink water and breathe air, then you have heard the story of Cinderella. And, if you drink water and breathe air, you have heard it wrong.

There was no fairy godmother, no glass slipper. There was no wicked stepmother or wicked stepsisters. There wasn’t even a prince, at least not in the way that you might think. And if you’re expecting everyone to live happily ever after, you may end up being disappointed . . .”

My nine year old granddaughter had just finished reading "Cinder and Ella" and read this opening passage to me and told me, “Grandma you should read this book, it’s really good.” I told her I would and so I began thinking I was in for a rewrite of the original fairy tale.

I don’t know how far into the story I was when I began to have a nagging thought that kept reoccurring. This was a re-written tale but it wasn’t Cinderella. What was it? And then I realized. This was a re-write of the plan of Salvation. For those of you who are not familiar with this phrase it is a doctrine taught in my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) This plan teaches us where we came from, why we are here on this earth and where we will go when we die. The author penned a good story based on this doctrine and I enjoyed reading it.

When I was finished I had a good conversation with my granddaughter about the plan of Salvation. I asked her if she had recognized the elements of the plan in the story. We discussed the characters and who they represented. It was quite enlightening for both of us and I enjoyed the conversation more than the story.

read more about the Plan of Salvation here

Quotography: New Year

2012-01-09T01:04:00.000-07:00

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.

~Bill Vaughan

Shhhh . . . we have a secret at our house.

We are on Mountain Time

so we watch the ball drop at Times Square at Eastern Time

The girlies three think they've stayed up and rang the new year in

and Grandma and Grandpa still get to bed at a decent hour.

Photo's on Friday: Cheer

2012-01-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning

(haunted by dreams of death)

feeling rather gray inside.

I found this quote on facebook and thought I'd post it here

(with a picture of course)

Now I think I'll leave this place and go look for someone I can bring some cheer to.

photo story friday

Thurdsay's Titles: Reading Plans for 2012

2012-01-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of burned out on reading challenges so this year I've decide to challenge myself with some things I really want to do.

List of books read in 2012:
I'll be linking in each week at 52 books in 52 weeks although I'm only committing to read 42 weeks

Self-Challenges:

Clean off my kindle--I'm challenging myself to read from my quickly growing library on my kindle, I'll try to clean it up or maintain it. I can't guarantee I won't add to it because I'm a succor for free books and daily deals. I'm beginning with 102 items. (2/month)

Read from my stars--for the last two years as I've browsed my reader I've starred reviews of books I want to read and recipes I want to try. So far I haven't done either so my list just gets longer. As I was cleaning out the list I had a thought occur to me that it might be fun to read those books and when I get to the recipes make the recipes and review them as well. (1/month)

Margot Recommends--Margot at Joyfully Retired has reviewed some great books that I want to read. I want to read her top 5 recommends from her Award Winning Posts.

Series Challenge--I'm challenging myself to read a few new series and to keep up on a few I've started

Read-a-longs
(I'll join as I find some groups that are reading something I am interested in)

Biographies--read two

Non-fiction--read one

New to me Authors:

Inspirational Reading Goals:

I have a goal to read 4 books that are based on LDS doctrine (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) As one of those books Mr. J and I are reading "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage.

RS book club
(reading and participating in book discussions with my book club)

Ensign Readers Challenge: Two articles/week on Sunday mornings:

Thursday's with Talmage:

This week Mr. J and I began reading "Jesus the Christ"--A Study of the Messiah and His Mission according to Holy Scriptures both Ancient and Modern by James E. Talmage One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1922)

from the preface:

The author of this volume entered upon his welcome service under request and appointment from the presiding authorities of the Church; and the completed work has been read by and is approved by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve. It presents, however, the writer's personal belief and profoundest conviction as to the truth of what he has written. The book is published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After reading War and Peace last year and discovering I could read a massive volume, learn from it and still enjoy reading lighter materials at the same time--I decided to tackle a book I have longed to read for many years. Jesus the Christ was written 90 years ago by a man ordained in our Church hierarchy as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. His commission was (and continues to be via this great work) to bear witness of the truthfulness and divinity of the Messiah. He was commissioned by the First Presidency of the Church to write this book. It is referred to often in our lesson manuals and missionaries are encouraged to study it in preparation to serve and to continue their study while serving their missions. I've always wanted to read it but I have been intimidated by the sheer size of the volume and the language. Elder Talmage was a very intelligent man. Obviously I'm still feeling a little intimidated by it so I asked Mr. J if he would join me and that way we could discuss the book and share our thoughts and feelings as we go along. I don't know if I will post about this book every week like I did with War and Peace--maybe just an update now and again would be better. And I'm not sure we can even finish it in a years time. There is no time table or schedule for this reading. But we have begun, and I am excited about the journey. If any of you have read this book or would like to read along with us I'd be delighted for you to stop by on Thursday's and share your thoughts.

Wednesday Writings: Guess who's coming to dinner

2012-01-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sooooo . . . . this morning I checked my email to see what prompts mama kat had dished up for us this week. I slowly read through the prompts turning over in my mind words that I could write. Prompt #1) Tell us about something you punched. Hmmm . . . I remember that time I punched a boy in Jr. High for knocking me down the stairs and I was wearing a dress. He ended up being my brother in law. Prompt #2) Top Trends of 2011 I want to forget . . . already forgotten. Prompt #3) Your life is being turned into a movie . . . ummm my life wouldn't make a good movie, skip this one. Prompt #4) Your (mother-in-law) is coming over in two hours . . . think about what's in your kitchen. Now quick, what's for dinner. My first thought was if my mother-in-law stopped by at dinner time I could open a can of peaches and make some toast. Easy peezy. But then my heart stopped. I checked the calender--it is January 4th. Mama kat reminded me inadvertently that I am having company for dinner in just a few hours time. On Sunday I signed up to feed our local missionaries. It isn't a big deal, I feed them off and on all the time. It's a little like playing dinner roulette for them. You see every night they eat at someone's home so they may get roast beef, or spaghetti every night. Anyway I digress, I'm off to the kitchen to see what I have.

sausage

roasted Mediterranean vegetable medley

tomatoes and beans . . . oh and some pasta on the bottom shelf

I think that sounds like I can make

The Pioneer Woman's Roasted Vegetable Minestrone

yummy--it sounds good to me.

I just love shopping at home :)

I'll post pictures of the finished product later.

Thanks for the reminder Mama Kat.

While I'm cooking I'll tell you a couple of stories about a few other times I fed the missionaries. One of my favorite stories was when I signed up to feed the sister missionaries. I actually talked to them the Sunday before they came and they both told me they would love to have hot dogs. Nobody ever fed them hot dogs. I thought great! Hot dogs are easy. So that's what I fixed. That evening when the sisters arrived for dinner one of them had gotten transferred to a new area and so I had a brand spanking new sister missionary for dinner. She was from China and had only been out teaching for two days. She had never had hot dogs before and to be polite she ate the whole thing. She hated it. How could I tell? Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she forced herself to chew and swallow. It was so sad.

Another time I fed the sister missionaries I looked in my freezer and found some deer steaks. I don't usually fix game for company but it was available. So I fixed a dish my mother made all the time. A layer of venison on the bottom and a layer of sliced potatoes and onions on top, sprinkled with flour and paprika and then beef broth added up to the potato line. It is a yummy dish that we like very much, I wasn't sure how the sister missionaries would like the venison. The moment of truth arrived. I was astonished as one blond haired, blue-eyed Swedish sister ate serving after serving after serving. She cried out in astonishment that it made her homesick because her mom made the same dish. She asked me where I had gotten the reindeer meat . . . .

One of our favorite moments with the missionaries was when a young man from Spain dined with us. My husband served his mission in Spain so the two swapped stories--in Spanish--true Spanish from Spain. It rolls off the tounge like music. I couldn't understand them but it was a pleasure to listen to them and watch my husbands face as he lived in the past for an hour. At the conclusion of the meal this young man (who was also a concert pianist) insisted on giving us a mini-concert in payment of the meal. It was a pleasurable evening all the way around.

* * * * *

Well the missionaries arrived a little early so they set the table while the grand kids entertained them with conversation about the events of the day . . .

1. A dog got the duck and bit her in the bum and broke her leg, mom was with her at the vet getting her fixed up. She'll live.

2. Little Bear was playing wall ball at scouts last night and collided head first with another boy and then fell forcefully to the floor. He spent the next couple of hours vomiting and ended up in the emergency room where he had a cat scan to see if he had a concussion--and then he started going from the other end. It was an expensive way to find out you have the stomach flu.

3. Katie the daughters dog who is just barely hanging on to life developed an infection, the doctor gave her an antibiotic and says she'll live. The family is divided on whether they are happy about that or not.

(Yeah, we were off to a great start--but hey the missionaries were laughing so all was well)

One missionary was from Texas. He has a twin brother on a mission in Indiana and a grandmother on a mission in Paris who also previously served in India. The other missionary was from Salt Lake City (2 hours away from here) but lived previously in Mexico.

The soup was good. I didn't get any pictures until I was cleaning up. There was only one bowl left so I guess that means they liked it.

Oh and just as dinner was ending sweetings came up from the basement with a bright orange Popsicle stuck to her tongue . . . .

Mama Kat posted about some trends she'd like to forget

funny stuff

Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints serve voluntarily for a period of 1-2 years teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Young men serve at age 19, young women at age 21. Retired couples also volunteer to serve. Read more about missionaries and what they teach at Mormon.org

Tuesday Top Ten: New Reads Ahead

2012-01-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Top Ten hosted by the Broke and the Bookish
Tuesday Teaser hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
Tuesday Intro's hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

Today's Top Ten . . . Books I am looking forward to reading in 2012

Nothing really jumped out at me when I saw the topic today . . .

so I checked my kindle to see what I had waiting for me

1. Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore--I think a new book is due out soon

2. The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood--this was a kindle daily deal a couple of days ago and I snatched it right up!

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

4. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

5. Wings by Aprilynne Pike

6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (it looks like she has a second in the series too)

7. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

8. The Genesis of Shanarra Series by Terry Brooks

9. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

and one book that hasn't been released yet

10. Midnight at Austenland by Shannon Hale

Today's intro/teaser comes from the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Dear Son:

I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week's uninterrupted leisure in my present country retirement, I sit down to write them for you.

Would you keep reading this book?

I will--I think Benjamin Franklin quite an interesting fellow.

One interesting fact I discovered not too far into the story:

"I was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back."

Benjamin Franklin was the youngest of 13 children.

2011 Reading Wrap-up

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

In 2011 I set a goal at the beginning of the year to read 65 books, after my mother fell and broke her leg I changed it to 60. I ended up reading 62 books, just 3 short of my original goal.

Challenges

Challenge #1--Finished

Take Another Chance Challenge 3 hosted by Jenners at Life with . . . books. This is my favorite challenge, and I did finish all 10 challenges.

1: Staff Member’s Choice: The Help
2: Loved One’s Choice: The Hunger Games Series
3: Blogger’s Choice: Life From Scratch
4: Critic’s Choice: Princess of Glass
5: Blurb Book: Peace Like a River
6: Book Seer Pick: The Tiger Rising
7: What Should I Read Next Pick : River Marked
8: Which Book Pick: The Uncommon Reader
9: Library Thing Pick: The Graveyard Book
10: Pick A Method (Public Spying): The Winter Sea

Challenge #2--Finished

Show Me The Free Reading Challenge hosted by Unread Reader

The challenge was to read at least twelve (12) legally obtained e-books (in any genre) which I got for FREE for on my kindle. (the thing that makes this one challenging for me is that the free books are not always that great to read) I read 13 free kindle books.

All my books were downloaded from Amazon.com

1. A Dog Named Slugger downloaded 12/30/10
2. Heidegger's Glasses downloaded 12/30/10
3. Villette downloaded 3/29/10
4. Millie's Fling downloaded 3/18/11
5. Invisible downloaded 12/16/10
6. A Midsummer's Nights Dream downloaded 12/30/10
7. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume One downloaded 2/16/2011
8. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume Two downloaded 3/25/2011
9. The Apothecary's Daughter downloaded 1/9/2011
10. A Cottage by the Sea downloaded 4/5/2011
11. Life From Scratch downloaded 2/16/2011
12. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight downloaded 9/3/2011
13. Crossing the Bridge downloaded 8/17/2011
14. The Canterville Ghost downloaded 10/20/2011

Challenge #3--Finished

e-book reading challenge hosted by The ladybug reads.

1. Enna Burning
2. River Secrets
3. Forest Born
4. The Automatic Millionaire
5. A Dog Named Slugger
6. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
7. Heidegger's Glasses
8. The Tiger Rising
9. Christ and the New Covenant
10. Villette
11. Half-broke Horses
12. Princess Academy
13, The Hunger Games
14. Catching Fire
15. Mockingjay
16. Millie's Fling
17. The Yellow Wallpaper
18. Monster High
19. The Ghoul Next Door
20. To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
21. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
22. River Marked
23. Three Cups of Tea
24. Three Cups of Deceit
25. A World Without Heroes
26. Invisible
27. A Midsummer's Night's Dream
28: The Winter Sea
29. Mark of Royalty
30. Princess of Glass
31. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume One
32. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume Two
33. The Apothecary's Daughter
34. Halt's Peril
35. The Emperor of Nihon-ja
36. Shirley
37. No Time Left
38. How to Slay a Dragon
39. Lectures on Faith
40. A Cottage by the Sea
41. Peace Like a River
42. The Far Horizon
43. The Help
44. Life From Scratch
45. The Graveyard Book
46. The Uncommon Reader
47. Prayers For Sale
48. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
49. Crossing the Bridge
50. The Canterville Ghost
51. Austenland
52. The Last Letter
53. Stars
54. Letters from Father Christmas
55. A Little Book of Christmas
56. War and Peace
57. Broken Things to Mend
58. The Reindeer Keeper
59. An Irish Christmas
60. Christmas at Harrington's
61. Dakota Christmas

100% e-book reader!

All the books I've read were e-books. So I'm giving myself a prize!

Challenge #4--Finished (but not very challenging--I read 18 books from the fantasy genre this year)

I enjoy the Fantasy genre and this is a perpetual reading challenge hosted by the true book addict and has a dedicated web page
1. Enna Burning
2. River Secrets
3. Forest Born
4. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
5. Princess Academy
6. The Hunger Games
7. Catching Fire
8. Mockingjay
9. Monster High
10. The Ghoul Next Door
11. River Marked
12. A World Without Heroes
13. Mark of Royalty
14 Princess of Glass
15. Halt's Peril
16. The Emperor of Nihon-ja
17. How To Slay a Dragon
18. The Graveyard Book

Challenge #5--Finished (My goal was to read 10, I read 16)

Just for Fun hosted by Dollycasa's Thoughts.

1. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
2. Princess Academy
The Hunger Games Series
3.The Hunger Games
4.Catching Fire
5.Mockingjay
6. Monster High
7. The Ghoul Next Door
8. A World Without Heroes
9. A Midsummer's Nights Dream
10. Mark of Royalty
11. Halt's Peril
12. The Emperor of Nihon-ja
13. How To Slay a Dragon
14. A Cottage by the Sea
15. Austenland
16. Letters From Father Christmas

Challenge #6--Finished (I like this challenge because it encourages me to try new authors)

The idea behind this challenge hosted by Literary Escapism was to find new authors that I've never tried before. I read books from 29 new to me authors. My favorites from this list are starred.

1. A Dog Named Slugger--Leigh Brill
2. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane--Kate DiCamillo*
3. Heidegger's Glasses--Thaisa Frank
4. Half-broke Horses--Jeanette Walls*
5. The Hunger Games Series--Suzanne Collins*
6. Millie's Fling--Jill Mansfield
7. The Yellow Wallpaper--Charlotte Perkins Gilman
8. Monster High--Lisi Harrison
9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--Jamie Ford*
10. Three Cups of Tea--Greg Mortenson
11. Three Cups of Deceit--Jon Krakauer
12. Invisible--by Lorena McCourtney
13. The Winter Sea--by Susanna Kearsley*
14. Mark of Royalty--by Jennifer K. Clark
15. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume One and Two by Elizabeth Gaskell*
16. The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
17. How To Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen
18. A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware
19. Peace Like a River by Lief Enger*
20. The Help by Kathrynn Stockett*
21. Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford
22. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett*
23. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas*
24. Crossing the Bridge by Michael Baron
25. The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
26. The Last Letter by Kathleen Shoop
27. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
28. The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward
29. An Irish Christmas by Melody Carlson*

Challenge #7--Progress made (I finished the Bayern, Hunger Games and Rangers Apprentice Series)

I looked for a challenge for reading serials--but their requirements were to read just one book out of a series. So I challenged myself to catch up on series I'd started* and to also try some new ones**.

1. The Books of Bayern (books 2, 3, 4)*
2. The Hunger Games Series (books 1, 2, 3,)**
3. Monster High (books 1,2)**
4. Mercy Thompson (book 6)*
5. Beyonders (book 1)**
6. Ivy Malone Mysteries (book 1)**
7. Ranger's Apprentice Series (books 9, 10)*
8. The Journals of Myrth (book 1)**

Challenge #8--Finished (Reading classics for the summer)

The Classic Bribe hosted by Molly at "Quirky Girls Read"
1. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume One

2. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume Two

3. Shirley

Challenge #9--Finished

52 books in 52 weeks hosted by Robin. The Challenge has a dedicated web page. The challenge ran from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. Book weeks began on Sunday. This challenge was much more difficult than I expected. I had to really plan out my reading to make sure I had a book to link in each week. It also meant reading on holiday weeks or reading ahead. It made me feel very burned out at the end of the year.

2011

Week 1: (Jan. 2) 1. Enna Burning, 2. River Secrets

Week 2: (Jan 9) 3. Forest Born,, 4. The Automatic Millionaire

Week 3: (Jan 16) 5. A Dog Named Slugger, 6. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Week 4: (Jan 23) 7. Heidegger's Glasses

Week 5: (Jan 30) 8. The Tiger Rising

Week 6: (Feb 6) 9. Christ and the New Covenant

Week 7: (Feb 13) 10. Villette

Week 8: (Feb 20) 11. Half-broke Horses

Week 9: (Feb 27) 12. Princess Academy

Week 10: (Mar 6) 13. The Hunger Games

Week 11: (Mar 13) 14. Catching Fire

Week 12: (Mar 20) 15. Mockingjay

Week 13 (Mar 26) 16. Millie's Fling

Week 14 (Apr 3) 17. The Yellow Wallpaper

Week 15 (Apr 10) 18. Monster High, 19. The Ghoul Next Door

Week 16 (Apr 17) 20. To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

Week 17 (Apr 24) 21. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Week 18 (May 1) 22. River Marked

Week 19 (May 8) 23. Three Cups of Tea

Week 20 (May 15) 24. Three Cups of Deceit

Week 21 (May 22) 25. A World Without Heroes

Week 22 (May 29) 26. Invisible

Week 23 (June 5) 27. A Midsummer's Night's Dream

Week 24 (June 12) 28. The Winter Sea

Week 25 (June 19) 29. Mark of Royalty

Week 26 (June 26) 30. Princess of Glass

Week 27 (July 3) 31. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume One, 32. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume Two

Week 28 (July 10) 33. The Apothecary's Daughter

Week 29 (July 17) 34. Halt's Peril

Week 30 (July 24) 35. The Emperor of Nihon-ja

Week 31 (July 31) 36. Shirley

Week 32 (Aug. 7) 37. No Time Left

Week 33 (Aug. 14) 38. How To Slay a Dragon

Week 34 (Aug. 21) 39. Lectures on Faith

Week 35 (Aug. 28) 40. A Cottage by the Sea

Week 36 (Sept. 5) 41. Peace Like a River

Week 37 (Sept. 11) 42. The Far Horizon

Week 38 (Sept 18) 43. The Help

Week 39 (Sept 25) 44. Life From Scratch

Week 40 (Oct. 2) 45. The Graveyard Book

Week 41 (Oct. 9) 46. The Uncommon Reader

Week 42 (Oct. 16) 47. Prayers For Sale

Week 43 (Oct. 23) 48. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Week 44 (Oct 30) 49. Crossing the Bridge

Week 45 (Nov. 6) 50. The Canterville Ghost

Week 46 (Nov. 13) 51. Austenland

Week 47 (Nov. 20) 52. The Last Letter

Week 48 (Nov. 27) 53. Stars: Reflections on Christmas

Week 49 (Dec. 4) 54. Letters from Father Christmas, 55. A Little Book of Christmas

Week 50 (Dec. 11). 56. War and Peace 57. Broken Things to Mend

Week 51 (Dec. 18) 58. The Reindeer Keeper

Week 52. (Dec. 25) 59. Christmas at Harrington's 60. An Irish Christmas 61. Dakota Christmas

62. The Book of Mormon (a yearly reading)

Read-a-longs

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy a year long project hosted by Jillian at a room of one's own. She has added a tab at the top of her page with all posts connected to the War and Peace Read-a-long.

Read my posts here

list of characters, wikipedia, an in-depth review of the work,

The Great Patriotic War (1812), Molly's posts,

Villette by Charlotte Bronte read-a-long hosted by the unputdownables for the months of February and March.

discussion posts posted on Thursday's

my review of Villette

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford April read-a-long hosted by Molly at the Bumbles

read my review here

Personal Reading Goals

Goal #1--Achieved

My goal was to read 4 books that are based on LDS doctrine (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

1. Christ and the New Covenant

2. To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

3. Lectures on Faith

4. Stars: Reflections on Christmas

5. Broken Things to Mend
6. The Book of Mormon

RS book club
Goal #2--Progress made (I read 5 out of the 7 books read in book club)

1. The Automatic Millionaire

2. Half-broke Horses

3. To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

4. Three Cups of Tea

5. Stars

Ensign Readers Challenge: Two articles/week:
Goal #3--Progress made (26/52 weeks)

Week 1--The History and Heritage of Relief Society, New LDS.org, Receive the Holy Ghost

Week 2--The Grapefruit Syndrome, Because of Your Faith

Week 3--Gospel Learning, Consecrated Life,

Week 4--Things That Matter Most, Obedience to the Prophets

Week 6: A Greeting, A Small Stone

Week 8: Faith the Choice is Yours, Let there be Light

Week 9: Agency, Our Very Survival

Week 11: Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching: A Work of Ministering

Week 12: Learning to Forgive,

Week 14: It's Conference Once Again. The Sabbath and the Sacrament, Become as a Little Child, Follower's of Christ,

Week 15: The Atonement Covers All Pain, LDS Women are Incredible, Opportunities to do Good,

Week 16: Guided by the Holy Spirit, Face the Future With Faith,

Week 18: Guided by the Holy Spirit, Establishing a Christ Centered Home, Testimony,

Week 19: Testimony, Desire, Finding Joy through Service,

Week 20: Hope, Opportunities to do Good

Week 22: Sacred Keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, Hope, The Second Coming

Week 23: Keys of the Priesthood, Your Potential,

Week 25: Learning in the Priesthood, Priesthood Power

Week 28: Waiting on the road to Damascus, More Than Conquerors

Week 29: Work of Welfare, The Essence of Discipleship

Week 30: The Spirit of Revelation, The Holy Temple

Week 31: Blessings of Marriage, As Many as I Love

Week 32: The Lord's Richest Blessings, What Manner of Men,

Week 36: Called to be Saints, The Miracle of the Atonement

Week 37: An Ensign to the Nations, At Parting

Week 38: The entire September issue of the Ensign

I fell short in this challenge--I'll try again next year

Goal #4--Achieved
I had a goal to read one biography or memoir

1. A Dog named Slugger

2. Half-broke Horses

3. To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

4. The Life of Charlotte Bronte Volume One and Two

Top Ten Reads of 2011

1. Christ and The New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland
2. To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton
3. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
4. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
5. Austenland by Shannon Hale
6. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
7. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
9. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
10. The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell

This was a pretty challenging year for me reading wise. I felt I expanded myself intellectually through the read-a-longs and the more difficult reading material I chose. I also felt I increased my spirituality through my reading as well.

Photo Story Friday: Top Ten Blog Posts (from this blog) of 2011

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

10. Monday Movies: It's All About the Giving

9. Friday Night Sew-in: Girls Night Gowns

8. Thursday Tidbits: Advent Candle

7. Monday Movies: Heavy

6. Monday Movies: All About the Facial Hair

5. Monday Movies: Changing

4. Book Analysis: The Hunger Games Trilogy

3. Monday Movies: You Better Do Some Explaining

2. Saturday Sundries: Book Love

and the number 1 blog post of the year . . .

Book Review: Monster High

if I can believe the stats on the blogger dashboard my Monster High Birthday Party has had 1800 pageviews since April! Who knew! It was a surprise to me too!

What was your most viewed post of the year?

Tuesday Top Ten . . . books of the year (for me)

2011-12-27T08:23:00.002-07:00

hosted by the broke and the bookish

This weeks top ten . . . . books I've read this year

I've read 62 books this year and after browsing the titles I've picked these for my top ten reads this year.

#10

The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Austenland by Shannon Hale

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton

Christ and The New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland

Book Review: Dakota Christmas

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Dakota Christmas (Kindle Single) by Joseph Bottum

Kindle Edition, 20 pages
Published November 30th 2011
ASINB006GP07GU.

About the book:

A memoir of childhood Christmases on the South Dakota plains. By turns sweet and comic, sentimental and serious, Joseph Bottum's "Dakota Christmas" is an instant Christmas classic. In this beautifully written account of the mad joys and wild emotions of Christmas for children, Bottum captures the universal spirit of the season even while he recounts his memories ...moreA memoir of childhood Christmases on the South Dakota plains. By turns sweet and comic, sentimental and serious, Joseph Bottum's "Dakota Christmas" is an instant Christmas classic. In this beautifully written account of the mad joys and wild emotions of Christmas for children, Bottum captures the universal spirit of the season even while he recounts his memories with a sharp particularity that brings them alive for readers.

my thoughts:
I liked this book--the author just rambled around the prairie sharing stories. It was fun, but not memorable.

Book Review: An Irish Christmas

2011-12-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

An Irish Christmas

by Melody Carlson

Kindle Edition, 192 pages
Published September 1st 2007 by Revell
ASIN: B001I91QIC.

About the book:
For Colleen, life is spinning out of control. She just lost her husband, and her relationship with her young adult son Jamie is crumbling. Should she confess to him the secret that has been haunting her for twenty years? Jamie has a few secrets of his own. When he announces his plans to join the military, Colleen decides it's time for the two of them to take a trip together--to Ireland. The truth they discover there could fulfill both their dreams in a way neither ever thought possible. An Irish Christmas is a captivating story of love, deception, and secret passions, from popular and prolific author Melody Carlson.

About the author:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

Image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
I downloaded this book for two reasons. One) I had just finished "Christmas at Harrington's" by this same author. I enjoyed it so much I was certain that I would enjoy other books written by Ms. Carlson. Two) As I browsed the list of books available by the author this book "An Irish Christmas" caught my eye. I've always wanted to go to Ireland and I love Christmas. So I thought this would be a win/win/ for me. I was right. I like the way Ms. Carlson writes. Life is not peachy but her characters are made of stern stuff and weather the storms of life with courage. I liked how the story evolved and wrapped up as Colleen and Jamie discovered Ireland, themselves and each other.

Book Review: Christmas at Harrington's

2011-12-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Christmas at Harrington's

by Melody Carlson

Kindle Edition, 192 pages
Published October 1st 2010 by Revell
ASINB004071VLG.
*note--it says in the information that this edition is in Norwegian, but mine was in English

About the book:
Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life after false accusations landed her in prison, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret? This tender story about fresh starts will charm readers as all of Melody Carlson's Christmas offerings do. Full of redemption and true holiday spirit, Christmas at Harrington's will be readers' newest Christmas tradition.

About the Author:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
Christmas at Harrington's is a tender Christmas story, without being overly sentimental. It seems that all the movies and books at Christmas tend to focus on someone who is down on their luck and then everyone pitches in to help them out or someone rescues them. It was refreshing to read a story about a woman who took care of things herself in a quiet, confident manner. I liked the book so much I immediately downloaded a second book to read by the same author.

Thanks to JuJu at Tales of Whimsy for the recommendation :)

Wedensday Wanderings: Christmas Wishes

2011-12-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

“The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the enchanted ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed.

“The rest of Harry’s Christmas presents were far more satisfactory. Hagrid had sent him a large tin of treacle fudge, which Harry decided to soften by the fire before eating; Ron had given him a book called Flying with the Cannons, a book of interesting facts about his favorite quidditch team, and Hermione had brought him a luxury eagle-feather quill. Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley and a large plum pudding.”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 12 pg. 212

We are having a "Hogwarts Christmas" in celebration of our epic journey with Harry Potter (seven novels, eight movies, and fourteen years). The pictures on the card are this year's ornaments of the grandchildren. They are all dressed like Harry Potter.

I hope you all have a "magical" Christmas

Tuesday Top Ten and a Teaser: Dear Santa

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

top ten hosted by the broke and the bookish
teaser tuesday hosted by miz b at should be reading
tuesday intro's hosted by dianne at bibliophile by the sea

Today's Top Ten . . . Books I'd like to find in my Christmas Stocking

I'm totally hooked on the kindle and this year I have not read one paper book. Sadly the switch has broken on my kindle and I "need" a newer model. So Dear Santa, here is what is on my wish list this year.

and maybe if you don't mind

(for the grand kids--so they can read their books in color, play some games, watch some movies)

(maybe for a couple hundred dollars--how else am I supposed to pay for the stuff that goes on items one and two???)

I do want some real, hold in your hands, smell the pages books.

I've wanted them for a long time now.

(A leather bound edition of "The Hobbit")

(A leather bound edition of "The Lord of the Rings")

ummm . . . I think that is quite enough,

I promise I've been good.

And now I'd like to share two introductions from some Christmas stories by Melody Carlson.

"The slate-colored sky matched Lena's spirits as she springed toward the bust stop. "Don't be late," Mrs. Stanfield had warned earlier. "The bus leaves promptly at 5:15 and there won't be another until tomorrow morning."

"Christmas at Harrington's"

Colleen May Frederick--Spring of 1963

"I felt certain I was losing my son. Or perhaps I'd already lost him and just hadn't noticed. So many things had slipped my attention this past year, ever since Hal's death. But lately it seemed I was losing everything. Not just those insignificant items like my car keys, which I eventually found in the deep freeze beneath a carton of Green Giant mixed vegetables, or my favorite pair of calfskin gloves, which I still hadn't located. But it seemed I was losing important things as well. Or maybe I was just losing my grip."

"An Irish Christmas"

How about you? Would you keep reading?

Book Review: The Reindeer Keeper

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Reindeer Keeper

by Barbara Briggs Ward

Kindle Edition
Published November 9th 2010 by Wheatmark (first published October 15th 2010)
ASIN: B004BDP5AW.
literary awards: Honored as a Mom's Choice Awards Gold Recipient in Adult Fiction 8/11 .

About the book:
Abbey senses something special about the little man tending to the reindeer who, along with a century-old farmhouse, a barn full of animals, and fields abounding in woods and pasture, was a gift to Abbey from a stranger. Abbey and her husband, Steve, move in just before the holidays. They have been together since the '60s, eloping when Steve returned from Vietnam. Now with Abbey’s cancer in remission, they’re looking forward to their boys coming home for Christmas. Turns out this Christmas proves to be more magical than anticipated as Abbey realizes an understanding never thought possible through the rekindling of a belief rooted in childhood. Of course it's who delivers this gift on Christmas Eve that gives Abbey and Steve the strength to face their greatest challenge.

About the Author:
Barbara Briggs Ward is the author/illustrator of The Really, Really Hairy Flight of Snarly Sally and Snarly Sally's Garden of ABCs. Her projects include illustrating And Then There Was Hope and The Brain Reigns for the New York State Office of Mental Health. She has been a featured author/illustrator on Mountain Lake PBS in Plattsburgh, New York, and Target's Book Festival in Boston and New York City. She has been published in Highlights for Children, McCall’s, and the Crafts Report.

About the illustrator:
Suzanne Langelier-Lebeda is an award-winning graphic designer/illustrator. She earned national awards for art and publication design as a coordinator of publications at the State University of Potsdam. Her illustrations for this book were delightful and I enjoyed them very much.

Image and Information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
Staci at Life in the Thumb read and reviewed this book last Christmas. I liked her review so I bookmarked The Reindeer Keeper for holiday reading this year. Staci said, "What you should do before reading this book: Make sure the Christmas tree is up, snow is blowing outside, you have nowhere to be for a few hours, a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, blanket, comfortable chair, and a beloved pet sitting on your lap. Open book and get lost in the magical world that you will find within the pages of The Reindeer Keeper." Well I followed her instructions to the tee, mother-nature even cooperated by providing a blustery day. The story was unique and had a magical quality to it. I did feel that the author placed Santa in a role that suggested he was akin to Deity-so that bothered me a bit. But other than that it was great. Thanks Staci for the recommend.

Photo Story Friday: O Christmas Tree

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Prompt #1. Have you decorated your Christmas tree? Share a favorite Christmas ornament.

(Originally scheduled for Dec. 7th, but I bumped this post to participate in the Virtual Advent Tour)

Oh boy, when I saw this prompt right at the top of the list I didn't even look at the rest. I love Christmas and I love Christmas trees with lots of lights. So yes, I've put up my Christmas trees--that's right, my trees. I love each one so today I'll give you a little glimpse of all six trees.

A few years ago I purchased a nativity set made by Willow Tree. I love the simplicity and earthiness of it. A beautiful nativity set like that was just crying out for a host of angels in the heavens singing hosannas to the newborn king.

So I put of trio of alpine pines in the corner next to the piano that held the nativity set. I covered it with rusty stars, gold wooden glittery stars, wooden candles and lots and lots of angels. It really is quite breathtaking, the picture just doesn't do it justice.

The large tree is covered with snowflakes, and snowmen. One year when I was shopping at a craft store I came across large dinner plate, salad plate and dessert plate size acrylic snowflakes. I just had to buy them! Every year I've added another snowflake until my tree is now a regular blizzard.

I've also added some glitzy words, clear balls filled with a little bit of plastic snow and . . .

. . . snowmen!

That's four trees for me so I decided my grandchildren needed a tree just for them. Their sweet little faces are featured in ornaments they have painted. The rest of the ornaments are all toys. The tree just begs to be played with. They decorate it and undecorate it about a hundred times during the holidays.

my favorite ornaments from mom's pink Victorian Christmas tree--pink acrylic doves with dangling hearts.

This year I've added a new tree. My mom loved Christmas just as much as I did (I think I inherited that from her) and I inherited the duty of divvying up the Christmas ornaments when she passed away in October. I think I did a pretty good job of being fair about it all but I did keep my favorite ornaments off the tree for me--and I kept the whole set. I also brought home her "Dickens's" era carolers that she stood on her fireplace hearth every Christmas. They now have a place in my home. That makes me happy, and I think my mother is happy as well.

Wednesday Writings: In Search of the Baby Jesus

2011-12-14T14:47:00.001-07:00

This week for writer’s workshop I chose prompt #3 “Your Nativity Scene”. In parenthesis she said that this prompt was inspired by a post at "Confessions of an Average Housewife”. The post was quite touching. She shared how she set her nativity set out and let the children play with it just as she had as a child. If a piece was broken she repaired it with glue and it went back into the scene. I was really touched how she said that the tiny baby Jesus was always coming up missing and so they were always searching for Jesus. I think that is a very fitting sentiment, especially for this time of year.

My mother had a small plastic nativity set for us kids to play with while I was growing up. As I recall it had a crèche, Joseph, Mary, the tiny baby Jesus in a manger, a donkey, and a cow. We played with that little set until all the color came off and they were basically flesh colored plastic pieces. I remember my children playing with the set as well but I don’t remember at what point she stopped putting it out at Christmas time. When we were cleaning out mom’s cupboards after she passed away in October I came across a little box. I said to my sister, “I wonder what’s in here?” I opened the box and to my surprise there was the little nativity minus the crèche! I was so happy to find this little treasure that I kept it for myself.

This little memory I had of playing with the nativity year after year and becoming acquainted with the story as I recreated it over and over in my play was so precious to me that it was something I wanted my children to do as well. One year Avon offered a nice little rubber set that I purchased and my children played with it for years. Every night before bed we would count the little pieces and put them in their can; three animals, three wise men and three members of the Holy Family. This way we have hung on to every piece for many years. Now the grandchildren enjoy playing with the set.

A few years ago I came across a beautiful nativity set manufactured by Schleich. It was pleasing to look at as well as child friendly. I purchased the set and quite a few of the farm animals to go with it. The grandchildren love playing with this set. They recreate the story of how Mary and Jesus became parents of the Christ Child and how people and animals gathered round him to marvel at the miracle. The baby Jesus is very tiny and is not attached to his manger so we keep him in a little bag and every time the children pick up their play we make sure baby Jesus is tucked safely away. Sometimes he comes up missing and we too have to search for the Baby Jesus.

For most of my adult life I waited to buy me an “adult” (and by that I mean hands off) Nativity set—I waited for the perfect set that spoke to me and expressed my feelings of Christ and the miracle of his birth. The first time I saw the Willow Tree Nativity set I knew I had found the set I had been looking for. I love the earthy elements and simplicity of the design. I love how the figurines in the set are each separately and uniquely showing their love for the Christ Child. I love how it speaks of peace. Every figure expresses love and humility and exhibits grace. I think one would feel that in the presence of God.

Now when I look at this beautiful set and gaze at Mary’s face turned towards her babe, and when I watch my little granddaughter place the baby Jesus on the floor and gather the animals around him, I will be reminded of the need to search for the baby Jesus not only during Christmas but every day of my life.

What kind of Nativity set do you have in your home and what feelings does it evoke in you?

mama kat's post is a must read today

hop on over and enjoy hers and many more

Tuesday Top Ten and a Teaser: What to give?

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

Top Ten hosted by the broke and the bookish
teaser tuesday hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
Tuesday Intro hosted by Diane at bibliophile by the sea

This weeks Top Ten . . . books I would like to give as gifts

Well I've been busy shopping and I've only purchased one book to give as a gift

. . . if you think you can keep a secret I'll tell you.

Monster High 3

Where There's a Wolf There's a Way

by Lisi Harrison

my grandaughter is gonna flip!

This weeks intro/teaser comes from "The Reindeer Keeper" by Barbara Briggs Ward. It is a story about a woman named Abby and her family and the special gift they recieve at Christmas time. This is the opening paragraph from the book:

"Abbey read obits as if they were short stories. To Abbey, they were. This queer obsession began years earlier when she'd sit at her father's desk in the funeral home and clip obituaries from the local newspaper. There'd be a copy for his files and copies for the family. The ones for the family were always clipped a little more neatly."

How about you, would you keep reading?

Book Review: Broken Things to Mend

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Broken Things to Mend

by Jeffrey R. Holland

Hardcover, 230 pages
Published September 17th 2008 by Shadow Mountain (first published January 1st 2008)
ISBN1606410245 (ISBN13: 9781606410240)

I purchased and read the kindle version of this book

About the book:
Most of us feel broken at some time or another. We face personal trials and family struggles. We get discouraged and downhearted. Many are enduring conflicts fought in the lonely foxholes of the heart, feeling their lives may be broken beyond repair. In this extraordinary book, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s characteristic good cheer and brilliant insights offer the surest and sweetest remedy of all. He invites all readers, not just the poor in spirit, to come unto Christ and receive “the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the majesty of His touch.”

This collection of some of Elder Holland’s most memorable recent talks inspires us to maintain hope and to rivet our attention on the one Person who has the power to heal us. Broken Things to Mend provides a stirring reminder that, if we come unto the Savior, He will make us whole.

About this author:
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 23 June 1994. At the time of this call, Elder Holland was serving as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, to which he had been called on 1 April 1989. A native of St. George, Utah, he has spent most of his professional life in Church education. He received his bachelor and master degrees from Brigham Young University and a master degree and Ph.D. from Yale University. From 1980 until his call as a General Authority in 1989, Elder Holland served as president of Brigham Young University. He is a former Church commissioner of education and dean of the College of Religious Education at BYU. Elder Holland is the author of several books, one of which he co-authored with his wife, Patricia. They were married in 1963 and are the parents of three children and the grandparents of 12 grandchildren.

image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
Elder Holland, an apostle in my Faith-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is one of my favorite speakers and authors. His insight, knowledge and tender way of teaching never fails to touch my heart. I learned many things while reading this book about the Savior and how the power of the atonement can be used to heal broken hearts and give faith and courage to help one face the challenges of this life.

Monday Meme: Snowflakes

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Sew-in: Christmas Apron

2011-12-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

I made me an apron (from sew simple patterns) to use during all the holiday cooking.

and a matching pair of Pot Pinchers from Vanilla House Patterns

I'm in a hurry . . . .

family is coming tomorrow!!!

I'm cooking the Pioneer Woman's Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

Wild Rice

Green Salad

homemade dinner rolls

Holiday Ribbon Jello

Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Week 49

2011-12-08T00:30:00.000-07:00

Week 49

Second Epilogue Chapters 1-12

I can’t believe I read the whole thing!

Yup, I did it! 1392 pages are now behind me!

The Second Epilogue was really hard to get through, my mind wandered . . . .

Tolstoy gives a final essay on his feelings of mans relationship to God. He concludes basically that man is nothing without God and no single man is responsible for any great historical event. These events are caused by many little events that accumulate into one big event.

But I already knew that before I started reading this novel/historical document.

Sooooo . . . What did I get from reading this book?

1. I learned that I can read multiple volumes and keep track of what I’m reading. Before joining this read-a-long I had never read more than one novel at a time (excluding scriptures, which I read continually). This year I read War and Peace one day out of every week. I read a novel every week, I read a doctrinal book on Sunday’s and I read my scriptures. Plus I read “The Life of Charlotte Bronte” for about four months. It was a work that required thought and concentration as well. So I feel that during the year this experiment improved my brain capacity and gave me the ability to compartmentalize my reading. I plan to continue this practice and tackle more titles that have previously left me feeling a bit intimidated.

2. I learned a lot about Russian History. My favorite chapters were the ones about the wolf hunt and the ones about the Battle of Borodino.

3. I learned a lot about Napoleon—He was an evil man. As I read about him and read Tolstoy’s reflections on men who consider themselves great I looked back through History at men who have this same failing, and yet people flock to their banners ready to do their bidding. I don’t get how these men have such sway in the hearts of their fellows. It is beyond me.

4. I still feel robbed of a great romantic moment—but I guess that is fitting with the message Tolstoy wanted to put across. Love and a successful marriage come when two people who through the small events that happen over the course of their lives truly have a great romance . . . it seldom happens all at once as it is often portrayed in romantic novels.

Will I read this again?
Never

(that's not to say I didn't like the book, I just won't ever again invest the time it took to read it, once in a lifetime is enough for me)

I've been posting once a week about my journey through this book . . . there are 48 more posts you can browse.

Jillian at A Room of My Own began this read-a-long in January and plans to continue it until June for those who are still reading, or just starting. She invited her readers to stop by here for my last post. Please feel free to share any thoughts, observations, likes, dislikes, advice, favorite moments . . .

As for me, I’ve ordered the mini-series to watch, I think it will be like putting frosting on the cake. Surely the film version will have that great romantic moment the book was missing.

Won’t it?

Book Review: War and Peace

2011-12-08T00:00:00.001-07:00

War and Peace

(Complete Version, Best Navigation, Active TOC)

by Leo Tolstoy

Maude Aylmer (Translator)

Forward2 (Editor)

Kindle Edition, 1392 pages
Published November 11th 2010 by Forward2 (first published 1869)
ASIN: B004C058OW
language: English.

About the book:
At a glittering society party in St Petersburg in 1805, conversations are dominated by the prospect of war. Terror swiftly engulfs the country as Napoleon’s army marches on Russia, and the lives of three young people are changed forever. The stories of quixotic Pierre, cynical Andrey and impetuous Natasha interweave with a huge cast, from aristocrats and peasants, to soldiers and Napoleon himself.

In War and Peace (1868-9), Tolstoy entwines grand themes - conflict and love, birth and death, free will and fate - with unforgettable scenes of nineteenth-century Russia, to create a magnificent epic of human life in all its imperfection and grandeur.

About the Author:
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й), commonly referred to in English as Leo (Lyof, Lyoff) Tolstoy, was a Russian writer – novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher – as well as pacifist Christian anarchist and educational reformer. He was the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy family.

As a fiction writer, Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all novelists, particularly noted for his masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In their scope, breadth and realistic depiction of 19th-century Russian life, the two books stand at the peak of realist fiction. As a moral philosopher Tolstoy was notable for his ideas on nonviolent resistance through works such as The Kingdom of God is Within You, which in turn influenced such twentieth-century figures as Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Image and information courtesy goodreads.

My thoughts:
I read this book as a year long project with an on-line reading group. It was a mighty task. I kept a weekly journal of my reading so if you are really interested in what I thought about, experienced and learned while I read please feel free to browse my posts. Thursday's with Tolstoy (2011)

Virtual Advent Tour: Deck the Halls

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

When I was a little girl my mother would take us kids down to grandma and grandpas and we would help them decorate their great big bushy pinion pine tree. The best part was placing grandma’s tiny plastic Christmas village on the sparkly snow skirt under the tree and then lighting it up. My dad’s mother was a resort cook in my younger days but when she finally settled down I started taking my children to her house to decorate her table top Christmas tree with grandma’s treasured antique balls and birds with real feather tails. We did that for many years and my kids and I loved spending this special time with grandma. When my mother’s health started failing and the Christmas decorating became too much for her I would take my kids and the grandkids over to her house and help her set up her trees and other holiday decorations. Mom loved Christmas and had a large home that took many days to decorate. But once it was all done we all enjoyed it as much as she did. It seems that the tradition of decorating the Christmas trees for grandparents has been going on in my life for about 50 years now. So when my mother passed away in October I was feeling sad about the ending of this long standing tradition. But then when I put my trees up on the Saturday before Thanksgiving my daughter and her girls showed up and helped my put up my trees and deck my halls. As I sat back and watched them hang the ornaments on the tree I realized that the tradition hadn’t ended it had just moved down a generation. I was surprised to realize that I am now the grandma my children and grandchildren will associate in their memories with this well-loved family Christmas tradition.

Merry Christmas!

follow the 2011 advent tour

Tuesday Top Ten and a Teaser: Childhood Favorites

2011-12-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

top ten hosted by the broke and the bookish
tuesday teaser hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
tuesday intro's hosted by diane at bibliophile by the sea

This weeks top ten . . . childhood favorites

(beginning with my earliest memories to about age 10)

1. Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

2. The Big Book of Fairy Tales

3. Grimm Brother's Fairy Tales

4. The works of Beatrix Potter

5. The works of Dr. Seuss

6. The Bobsey Twins

7. Nancy Drew Mysteries

8. I went through a horse period and read books like Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead and many more.

9. Charlotte's Web

10. Where the Red Fern Grows

and an extra because I really could go on and on

11. A Wrinkle in Time (series)

Today's teaser is from "Broken Things to Mend" by Jeffrey R. Holland.

"Do our children know that we love the scriptures? Do they see us reading them and marking them and clinging to them in daily life?"

location 194 on my kindle

Today's intro comes from another childhood favorite--

'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

How about you--would you keep reading?

*I read this little story every Christmas.*

Book Review: A Little Book of Christmas

2011-12-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

A Little Book of Christmas

by John Kendrick Bangs,

Arthur E. Becher (Illustrator)

Kindle Edition
Published March 30th 2011
ASINB004UJIR1Q.

About this book:
A Little Book of Christmas was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

About this Author:
John Kendrick Bangs was an American author and satirist, and the creator of modern Bangsian fantasy, the school of fantasy writing that sets the plot wholly or partially in the afterlife.

Image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
This antiquated work was first published in 1912 and contains four short Christmas stories. I listened to them while I baked my holiday pies. The stories were interesting and each contained a main character or characters that performed a good deed at Christmas time. I enjoyed the style of writing, the stories themselves and the little touch of the paranormal. My favorite story was Santa Claus and Little Billee.

I downloaded this book on 12/9/2010

Book Review: Letters from Father Christmas

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Letters from Father Christmas

by J.R.R. Tolkien

This new ebook version of Tolkien's timeless classic presents readers with a plethora of full colour images of the original letters alongside the transcribed text, offering an engrossing multimedia experience.

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.Tolkien's children. Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or some sketches. The letters were from Father Christmas.They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house into the dining-room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house! Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humour to the stories. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and ‘authenticity' of Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas.

This new ebook version of the letters brings Tolkien's creation alive, providing readers with a truly engaging multimedia experience.Due to the number of colour illustrations, this ebook is best viewed on a colour device.

image and information courtesy goodreads

My thoughts: I have wanted to read this book for a very long time and see this wonderful gift that Tolkien gave his children. I did enjoy reading the letters and stories and imagining how it would be to get a letter from Father Christmas every year that was so personalized. What a fun thing for a father to do for his kids. This book, however, in my opinion should not be read on any electronic device if it can be helped. I'm going to get myself a hard cover copy for my bookshelf and share the stories and illustrations with my grandchildren. They were wonderful.

Monday Meme: Christmas Day

2011-12-05T05:03:00.001-07:00

Photo Story Friday: The last First

2011-12-02T15:44:00.001-07:00

Today is December 2nd. This marks the last post of the year for the meme I've been playing called "First of the Month" hosted by Jan at Murietta 365. So when I had a minute today I headed out to Fairgrounds road where I go to take my picture of the valley. I stopped on my way out and took a picture of the hill I stand on from below.

An office complex sits on the hill.

My final picture.

It is a cold and blustery day.

As you can see we are getting some snow up on those mountain tops.

gloomy skies and winter tree skeletons

behind me you can see the higher elevations are already snow covered.

Pinnacle Peak, also behind me--a local landmark

If you squint when you look at the large picture you can pick out a blue tin roof over at the foot of the bench.

That's the house my dad built, and the home my mom made.

The kids call that little bench "Grandpa's Mountain."

My dad passed 6 years ago and mom passed away in October. I've only been out once since we finished cleaning. So today I decided to take the long road home and swing by the house.

Grandpa's Mountain

The house that dad built

unpicked apples in the orchard

the apples are a favorite snack of the deer--as is evidenced by this little pile of digested apples on the lawn under the trees

One night when I was at my mom's house I stepped out onto the porch in the dark and startled a buck and several does as they were passing into the orchard. I don't know who jumped higher--me or the deer. It would make my parents happy to know the deer are back.

On the day of my mother's funeral her great grandchildren sat out on the porch and wrote love notes to her. They are almost faded now. You can barely make out the "I LOVE YOU" with the big heart next to it. On the doorstep it says, "We miss you and love you". When I got out to the house today the wind had blown the chairs off the porch so I gathered them up and set them around on the side porch where they would be more protected from the wind. I found this on the patio door step.

It says, J + E = True Love

J is for Jim, my dad

E is for Ellen, my mom

Thanks to Jan who hosted all year

and for all comments left.

photo's

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Weeks 47 and 48

2011-12-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

First Epilogue

Chapters 1-16

*warning, spoilers*

Sooooo . . . .

If you don’t want to read all 1392 pages of War and Peace you can read the condensed version found in the Epilogue. Tolstoy uses the first four Chapters of the First Epilogue to recap the “East to West and West to East Movement”. In other words he summarizes the whole war.

Now when we left off things with Natasha and Pierre, they both realized they loved each other but Pierre goes off to Petersburg without proposing. Tolstoy about killed me when he took up the story line in Chapter 5:

“Natasha’s wedding to Bezukhov, which took place in 1813 was the last happy event in the family of the old Rostovs. Count Ilya Rostov died that same year and, as always happens, after the father’s death the family group broke up.”

What!!!! I’ve been reading a book all year long, I’ve read over one thousand pages and all I get is, “Natasha’s wedding to Bezukhov”. I was so mad! I was exasperated. Where was the proposal? Where were the murmured confessions of love? Where was the pent up passion? Where was the joy in love fulfilled? Where were the exquisite details of the celebration? Where was the dancing and happiness of Natasha? I was so mad I had to talk to someone about it and unfortunately it was Mr. J. He laughed and said the author must be a man. Grrrrr! A woman needs to rewrite that portion of the book!!!!! I am so serious!

Chapter 7 begins, “In the winter of 1813 Nicholas married Princess Mary and moved to Bald Hills with his wife, his mother, and Sonya.” After Old Count Rostov died Nicholas inherited his debt which took him four years to pay off. But because of this Nicholas becomes a very honest and hardworking farmer treating his wife, children, family, friends and his serfs very well. He is liked very much. I like him for the most part too and think he did well for himself.

After telling of the marriages Tolstoy takes us seven years into the families futures. It is St. Nicholas Day and both Nicholas and Natasha and their families are at Bald Hills to celebrate. Mary is a nervous mother but Natasha seems to be born to it and found her true happiness in motherhood. She has put on some weight but when she looks at Pierre or he looks at her, her eyes sparkle and the young lively Natasha can still be found. They are very happy. I actually ended up liking the fact that Tolstoy didn’t dwell on the young romantic love but instead gave his perspective from characters that had come to know a more mature and satisfying love.

The only one who is not happy is Sonya. The poor relative forced to live with the man she loves and his wife and care for his children because she hasn’t the means to provide for herself. I was shocked when Tolstoy went on and on about how forward and ahead of his time Nicholas was in the kind treatment of his serfs, but here in his own household he treats his cousin like a slave, totally ignoring the fact that he had once loved and proposed to her. Tolstoy even writes a conversation between Mary and Natasha where they say that because of Sonya’s underprivileged status she doesn’t feel things like they do so it is “different” for her. Apparently they feel that it doesn’t hurt Sonya to live there and wait on them. And then Tolstoy never gives voice to Sonya so the reader never really knows how Sonya feels about the whole situation. I’d like to read a spin-off of that little arrangement, it might read that Princess Mary was never quite comfortable in her role as Nicholas’ wife and the mother of his children because the woman whom he really loved lived on the next floor up. I can’t even imagine Sonya being happy at all.

But I will be happy when I make my next post--it will be the last one!

Writers Workshop: Counting down to Christmas

2011-11-30T08:49:00.001-07:00

prompt #3

The first of December is upon us! Describe an Advent Calender

or a special way you count down days until Christmas

When my children were young my sister-in-law gave us an advent calendar for Christmas. It was an Avon product that featured Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus sitting in their cozy cottage over steaming cups of hot chocolate. Santa is looking cheery while checking over the list once or twice. Friendly little critters are gathered around the cottage. Smoke curls invitingly from the chimney. Snow is gently falling in gigantic flakes from the sky and adding to the frosting that covers the roof and ground. I love the little Swedish details along the roofline suggesting that Santa hails from the North Country. Below the picture are 24 pockets each decorated with a pink heart and white Holly leaves. A wee little mouse is the occupant of these pockets. Each day this mouse jumps a pocket (with the help of little hands) and helps the little ones keep track of how many days there are until Christmas. We always start with the little mouse in pocket #24 and move him backward until he arrives in pocket #1. Recently my daughter-in-law asked us why we counted backward. I told her it was because I had five little kids that were always asking, “Mom, how many days ‘till Christmas!”. I would tell them to go look at the calendar and see for themselves. They would soon figure it out and that would be about a thousand less times I would have to answer the question. We’ve counted Christmas this way for about 25 years. At the end of the holiday season I roll up this little calendar made of sturdy cotton until the first of December rolls around once again.

photo by

check out more stories at Mama Kat's

Tuesday Top Ten and a Teaser: Winter Reading

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

hosted by the broke and the bookish
and Miz B at Should be Reading

This year I've been participating in a reading challenge called 52 books in 52 weeks. I didn't realize how challenging it would be to make sure I got a book read every week and quite honestly I'm tired of reading.

This weeks top ten is . . . books in your TBR that you'd like to read this winter.

For December I'm finishing up some books I've started:

1. War and Peace

and

2. Broken Things to Mend

I've read three Christmas stories and started a 4th:

3. The Reindeer Keeper

I've got one free Christmas book on the kindle

4. A Country Christmas

I need one more Christmas book to finish out the challenge . . . any suggestions?

As for January, I think I'll take a long winters nap instead of reading a book--and then I'll look at reading challenges (maybe).

This weeks teaser comes from J.R.R. Tolkiens "The Father Christmas Letters"

"Early this month we had a most awful snowstorm (nearly six feet of snow) followed by an awful fog. The poor Polar Bear went out to the reindeer-stables, and got lost and nearly buried: I did not miss him or go to look for him for a long while."

location 278 on my kindle

Book Review: Stars:Reflections on Christmas

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Stars: Reflections on Christmas

by

Chieko N. Okazaki

Hardcover, 144 pages
Published October 2004 by Deseret Book Company
ISBN1590383532 (ISBN13: 9781590383537)

About the Book: (goodreads)
Bestselling author Chieko Okazaki sheds new light on the familiar Christmas story in her insightful new book, Stars. In her warm and distinctive style, she shares stories, scriptures, and personal memories of Christmas to testify of her deep feelings about Jesus Christ, the babe of Bethlehem who was born under a shining star. "Christ waits to be born anew in our hearts," she testifies. "His star is in the heavens. Wise men and women seek him still."

Let a star guide you this Christmas season.

About the Author: (goodreads)
Chieko N. Okazaki was the first non-Caucasian to serve on a general board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was a counselor in the general Relief Society presidency from 1990 to 1997. She is the author of several bestselling books and tapes. She and her husband, the late Ed Okazaki, have two sons.

My thoughts:

from the book,

"There are challenges that come at Christmastime--many pressures that crowd into already busy schedules, complications caused by the weather, by colds and flu that come with the season, by the fatigue and overload of too many delightful programs and parties to go to, by money worries about presents to buy from a tight budget. These pressures can also make us feel like soldiers under orders, marching to a destination we didn't chose with a task we do not relish. That's not a very happy feeling to associate with Christmas.

Stars: Reflections on Christmas has affected me profoundly. The book was written with a great spirit contained within it's pages. Sister Okazaki brings her knowledge, testimony and experiences with many cultures together and succinctly explains why our Christmas celebrations are important. I thought about this book often through the holiday season and it had a great affect on my thoughts and actions. I enjoyed my Christmas much more because of the things I learned reading this book. Her chapter on "abiding" was the most touching.

"The word Abide has two meanings: one is to stay, to continue, to wait patiently; and the second is to endure unchanged. Abide is a woman's word; it is a home word. So much of what we have to do is to endure, to be consistent, to rest unchanging, to wait, to stay, to dwell to remain. Abiding is not a flashy or a glamorous quality; it does not make a lot of noise or cause a lot of upheaval. But at the same time, it is not a passive quality. Abiding takes tenacity and integrity and a strong awareness of the power of choices. It is a verb."

Sister Okazaki talks of the shepherds that were "abiding" in the fields. "They were where they were supposed to be. They were in the field. The angels knew where to find them." She challenges each of us to abide, to be where the angels can find us. I found this thought to be very comforting.

Reading this book with an open heart will teach the reader many things as well as inviting a loving spirit into your heart and home. This book by far was my favorite read last Christmas so I recommended it to my book club and so this is my second time through. I enjoyed it just as much and maybe a little bit more.

Monday Meme: A Child Again

2011-11-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

photo by

Quotography

the meme I've been playing on Monday

is actually taking a break during December.

But I love Christmas

and there are so many fun quotes to share

so I'm going to post a Christmas quote and photo

each Monday

Monday Meme: Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

I'll be back next week.

photo by

this weeks theme "giving thanks"

link to my previous post about that pettiskirt and where to find it

Book Review: The Last Letter

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Last Letter

by Kathleen Shoop

Kindle Edition
Published April 22nd 2011 (first published February 15th 2011)
ASIN: B004XR50K6.
literary awards: (2011 IPPY Gold Medal Award Winner--Best Regional Fiction (2011), Midwest) .

About the book:
Katherine Arthur's mother arrives on her doorstep, dying, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she would do her best to make a go of it. For Jeanie's husband Frank it had been a world of opportunity. Dreaming, lazy Frank. But, it was a society of uncertainty—a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death.   

Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, and far from the homestead, Katherine has found the truth – she has discovered the last letter. After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all? Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it’s too late?

information and image courtesy goodreads

My thoughts:
I think I may have chosen the wrong time of my life to read this novel. My heart is so tender from the recent loss of my mother and father-in-law that I couldn't bear to read all the hatred and anger contained in the pages of this book. Time with your loved ones is too short to spend it hating each other and becoming bitter because one lacks the ability to forgive. I'm glad there was resolution at the end of the book, but it was awful wading through all the anguish to get to it.

Friday Night Sew-in: Memory pillows

2011-11-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

After my dad passed away we got together to clean out the garage. In a dark dusty corner I found a treasure, two of my great-grandmother's quilts. Sadly they had not been stored but left laying on the floor. They were tattered and filthy but I gathered them and took them home to see what could be done with them. Grandma was a quilting legend, in fact I can't remember a time when I visited her home when she wasn't in some stage of the quilting process. She kept a bag of scraps next to her chair. She would use a template and cut shapes from these scraps of clothing. After cutting the shapes she would hand sew the quilt blocks together and then add the sashings. My grandmother did not own a sewing machine. Once the quilt top was together the frames would go up in the living room and the quilting would begin. My grandmother died when she was 94 and I remember her quilting up to the time she died. I once took a workshop where we sewed a quilt block together by hand. My intentions were to emulate my grandmother and have at least one quilt that I had hand sewn. I made one block. It is hard work and very tedious. I gained an appreciation for my grandmother's sewing skills. Well back to the quilts. They washed up nice, I got the dust and filth out of them. One was in fairly good shape so I kept it for myself. The other was so tattered along the back and the edges but I did manage to salvage enough blocks that the great, great granddaughters in our family could each have one. We had a craft project at a reunion where the girls made wall hangings featuring the blocks.

my youngest daughters wall hanging

I had four blocks left over and put them away in a drawer. Recently with my mother's passing I acquired many treasures and made a guest room featuring these items. One day I was looking at the bed and thought I'd like some toss pillows on it. The idea came to me to use the quilt blocks for the pillows so for Friday Night Sew-in I made 4 pillows.

My daughter wanted the quilt block from her wall hanging made into a pillow

the 3 pillows I made for the bed

The kids are calling my guest room "the memory room"

the second salvaged quilt of great grandmothers lies across the foot of my mom's bed,
the peach quilt was made by mother-in-law as a wedding gift to me.

The quilt squares feature Dresden circles that were hand appliqued

a macro-shot of my grandmother's quilting stitches, can you believe how tiny they are?

the pillowcases are hand embroidered by my mother-in-law

next to the bed I have re-purposed the bassinet that Mr. J made for our babies.
It holds quilts that I have made and others have made for me,
as well as serving as a nightstand

that top quilt took me 9 months to make using a needle punch
and I have never used the quilt because it was so hard to make!

On the other side of the bed is my grandmother's treadle sewing machine.

Believe it or not, I actually learned to sew on this machine!

We used it in our home for many years before we got an electric one.

grandma's treadle

atop the sewing machine sits the "generations" figurine from "Willow Tree"
it features three generations of women with a quilt.
The figurine rests on another of my grandmother's quilt blocks.

treasures taken from the drawers of the sewing machine cabinet

some of my mothers treasures

a duplicate of an ornament from my mothers casket piece

some artwork that I made

a pillow I made when I was 12

the plant stand was my grandmothers,
the arrangement was made by my daughter for my dad's funeral.
It features his hat and gloves.

this photo of my daughter hangs in the room,
I like the vintage feel of it and I think it goes well with everything else.

I also managed to fit my dad's curio cabinet in the room
I filled it with some beautiful glassware
some of it is mine
some of it is my mothers
and some of it comes from my grandmothers

my dad's curio cabinet (he filled it with Ty Beanie Babies)

my friend gave me this little block when my mother passed away this month.
I thought it was made to be displayed in this room.

I enjoy this warm and inviting room as well as all the memories that it houses.

I think my guests will too.

photo's by

view more FSNI projects here

Thursday's with Tolstoy: Week 46

2011-11-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Book 15 Chapters 11-20

These chapters represent a time of healing for the characters in the novel and for the Russians. Kutuzov is honored and given many medals for his service. But the Tsar for some reason decommissions him because he feels he needs another man to wage the new war, the war that will bring Russia to Europe. (I hope Tolstoy isn’t sticking around for that one!). So Kutuzov, after serving long and hard for 7 years gets a much needed rest. The residents of Moscow return and begin to rebuild. One interesting thing that I had never thought of was the dispersal of goods after a takeover like that. Government officials were appointed to gather all goods and disperse them in equality to Moscow residents. It would have to be done or there would be fighting among the city residents. Another thing of interest is that a government official visited with residents and reviewed their landholdings and losses and helped them figure out how they could best recover financially. I had never thought of the terrible logistics of putting an occupied city back in working order before reading this novel.

It is also a time of healing for Mary and Natasha. The Rostov’s have returned to the country and Mary and Natasha have remained in Moscow comforting each other in their grief over Andrew. Mary is busy running the estate and being guardian to orphaned Nicholas. Natasha is not doing well; she is succumbing to her grief.

Pierre has also returned to Moscow. His house has been partially burned but he takes up residence in the unburned portion. He is very ill and suffers for a time with his illness. As he is nursed back to health Pierre realizes how much his life has changed since his experiences in the war. The biggest change in Pierre comes from the peace he now feels because of his faith in God. As Pierre heals he begins to associate with others doing good works and being of assistance. Before the war Pierre was not well-liked by his peers. This new Pierre is very likeable. Many people are found saying nothing but good about him. Pierre realizes that for the first time in his life he is truly happy.

One day Pierre calls on Princess Mary and becomes reacquainted with Natasha. Over the course of several weeks and several visits Pierre and Natasha realize they love each other, Pierre realizes he has always loved Natasha and no other. Natasha’s grief slowly disperses, “something hidden unknown to herself, but irrepressible, awoke in Natasha’s soul. Everything: her face, walk, look, and voice, was suddenly altered. To her own surprise a power of life and hope of happiness rose to the surface and demanded satisfaction. She no longer complained of her position, did not say a word about the past, and no longer feared to make happy plans for the future. She spoke little of Pierre, but when Princess Mary mentioned him a long-extinguished light once more kindled in her eyes and her lips curved with a strange smile.” Ahh, it is good to see bright, irrepressible Natasha peeking out again.

I can’t remember all the details but when Pierre met with the government official over financial recovery Pierre decided to let go of all his properties except the property in Petersburg. Prior to his visits to Natasha Pierre had already set plans for moving to Petersburg. The night before his departure he calls on Princess Mary to proclaim his love for Natasha and his desire to marry her. I’m not sure why he didn’t speak to Natasha about this. Mary relays the message to Natasha, who is beside herself with joy and grief at once again finding love but also being separated from the one she loves.

And that is where book 15 ends—lovers separated once again. Does anybody ever get together in this book?

I doubt you are as excited as I am but there are only 4 more posts until I’m finished . . . . hallelujah!

and here is a little music video featuring Natasha and Pierre.

Wednesday Writings: The Prom Dress

2011-11-16T08:19:00.001-07:00

Prompt #4: Tell us about your Prom dress

Back in the day when I was still going to the prom long dresses were in style so when it was time to shop for school dances mom would take me downtown to the J.C. Penny store and buy me a pretty dress. The problem was that the dress was what we called "Sunday Best" and I would continue to wear the dress to church following the dance. So that kind of took the special feeling away from the dress and made it feel a little too ordinary.

I was young, and excited to be going to my High School Prom. I was going with a good friend of mine that I liked really well. We always had fun together so I knew this would be a fun evening. When I told my mom I was going I also asked if I could have a "special" dress. Well mom knew what I meant so we made a trip "over the mountain" to the big city where she took me to a dress shop that carried formals. She let me try on dresses to my hearts content. I have always loved fabrics, and design, and sewing so this was a real treat for me. My favorite dress was a black velvet. The dress was lined with pink satin with pink satin piping around the neckline and across the empire waistline. The bodice was machine embroidered with exquisite pink rosebuds that stood out starkly on the black velvet background. I WAS IN LOVE!!!

Mom brought me down to reality. The slit in the back of the dress came up to just where my butt cheek came down. That was the least of the trouble because mom could fix that with some slip stitches. What she could not fix was the backless dress and the wide, too low, neckline. I was crushed and somewhat sulky when we returned home without the formal. What we did take home was 4 yards of black velvet, and 4 yards of pink satin--and a promise from my mom that she could produce for me the dress I loved in a modest form that would please my parents.

Mom had magic in her fingers when it came to sewing. She delivered on her promise. Mom contacted a friend of hers who had a daughter that had an embroidery machine. She embroidered those exquisite little rosebuds into the velvet. My mother then lovingly created for me a modest version of the dress I had fallen in love with. I WAS IN LOVE!!!! Not only was I totally in love with the dress but I also loved my mother for taking the time and energy to satisfy my wants but also taking care to see that I was dressed appropriately. Now that is true mother love.

Me and my date at the prom

I still have the dress that mom made me for my prom

the bodice

a not so good close-up of the rosebud

How about you?

Tell me about your prom dress

and then hop over to Mama Kat's and link up.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli