My Spring (and Possibly Summer) Bag

I have a thing for purses. I have a thing for shoes too but I'm addicted to purses, bags, totes, you get the idea. I saw this cute little tote and it screamed Spring,happiness and girly to me. Of course, the fact that it's pink automatically makes it girly but it's just so cute! I LOVE this bag but I almost didn't get it. I was afraid it wouldn't be big enough for the stuff I carry in my bags on a regular basis; it is, though! The big brown truck delivered my bag this evening and I immediately switched my necessities from the black satchel I was carrying to this adorable cutie. A nice thing about the size is that I will be forced to keep it clean and organized. There is no extra room for junk and clutter. My daughters saw the purse and immediately ewwed and awwed. My oldest asked if she can have it when I'm done with it. LOL She knows me well and I told her yes but she'd have to share it with her sister.

Teaser Tuesday's

Teaser Tuesday's is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read -
Open to a random page -
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Odd as it may sound, the Gernab allowed - and even encouraged - artistic and cultural pursuits among the Channel Islanders. Their object was to prove to the British that the German Occupation was a Model Occupation."

Teaser from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Musing Monday's

Musing Monday's is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

This week, Rebecca asks:

Do you – or are you even able – to do other things while you read? Do you knit, hold a conversation, keep an eye on the TV? Anything?

If I am really into a book then I find any and every opportunity to read it. If I am watching one of the few shows I regualarly tune into on TV - then I read during the commercials. Usually I'm helping my daughter do homework while I make dinner. However, if she is done and otherwise occupied then I will read my book while stirring, sauteeing (not sure if that is a proper word, sorry) or just waiting for water to boil.

I also carry a book with me everywhere I go - without fail - and read it whenever possible. If I'm by myself and arrive early to get my daughter from school, I'll sit in the car and read a few pages. I read in checkout lines, waiting for a teller at the bank or even waiting for coffee at Starbucks. Of course, this is all assuming I'm alone. If my younger child is with me - then forget it. The book stays in my bag because she keeps me constantly hopping; and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Oh, another time I read is when my husband is driving. Now that my daughters like 'reading' their own books or playing in the car - I'm free to read, as well. My husband wants to listen to talk radio so I get to read. He just rolls his eyes at me. Hey, he knew he was marrying a bookworm. I make no apologies for my addiction. LOL

Some Books Need the Right Time

I have just started reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows. This is the third time I've gotten this book from the library but the first time I'm actually reading it. I'm only 20 pages into the book but liking it so far. I've heard people say that some books just need to be read at the right time. For me, this is quite true with this book. The first time I got it from the library - I ran out of time and had to return it without ever cracking the spine. The second time I got the book - it turned out I simply wasn't in the mood to read it. This time, i was determined to read the darn book and started it right away. The time is right for me and this book because I am going right back to it once I'm done with this blog post.

Review: The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron

The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron is the latest First Look selection from Barnes and Noble. The book is set to be released on May 11, 2010. This book is rich in detail and beautifully, accurately describes the woods of Maine.

I don't want to do the book an injustice - so here is the synopsis from bn.com:

Set in the wilds of Maine, this is an explosive tale of an estranged son thrust into the hunt for a murderous fugitive—-his own father.

Game warden Mike Bowditch returns home one evening to find an alarming voice from the past on his answering machine: his father, Jack, a hard-drinking womanizer who makes his living poaching illegal game. An even more frightening call comes the next morning from the police: They are searching for the man who killed a beloved local cop the night before—-and his father is their prime suspect. Jack has escaped from police custody, and only Mike believes that his tormented father might not be guilty.

Now, alienated from the woman he loves, shunned by colleagues who have no sympathy for the suspected cop killer, Mike must come to terms with his haunted past. He knows firsthand Jack’s brutality, but is the man capable of murder? Desperate and alone, Mike strikes up an uneasy alliance with a retired warden pilot, and together the two men journey deep into the Maine wilderness in search of a runaway fugitive. There they meet a beautiful woman who claims to be Jack’s mistress but who seems to be guarding a more dangerous secret. The only way for Mike to save his father now is to find the real killer—-which could mean putting everyone he loves in the line of fire.

The Poacher’s Son is a sterling debut of literary suspense. Taut and engrossing, it represents the first in a series featuring Mike Bowditch.

I will admit that there were times while reading the book that the protagonist irritated me greatly. He seemed chilish and hot headed to me. However, he is forced to grow up rapidly and while learning more about him - I was able to understand and cut the character some slack.

Paul Doiron is a native of Maine and the editor of Down East: The Magazine of Maine. I think these facts are what enabled Mr. Doiron to write this thrilling book in such a unique and under explored locale.

I look forward to reading more by Paul Doiron in the future. I congratulate him on an impressive first novel.

Food Revolution

I am getting this post in just before midnight. I'm glad I didn't fall asleep without doing it. March is nearly over and I haven't missed posting here yet. I'd rather not muck it up this close to the end.

I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution with my husband tonight. I was absolutely disgusted to learn that chicken nuggets are made with all the trash parts of the chicken: skin, bones, connective tissue, giblets. YUCK! Thank God we don't feed that crap to our kids. It makes me all the more certain that I will continue packing lunches for my kids rather than having them eat the lunchroom crap. I feel sorry for the kids who are eating that processed junk. How is it that our schools are even allowed to serve such nasty, nutritionless garbage to our kids? Would you like to see the food in our schools improved? Sign the petition, get involved and let's all be a part of The Food Revolution!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

Addicted to Books

I was in Barnes and Noble tonight. I love, love, LOVE going there but it so hard to leave without a huge bag of new books. Mind you, I often leave with nothing but it is very hard for me. I'm a very frugal person and unless I KNOW I will re-read a book or pass it on to family or friends - I look for the book at the library before purchasing it.

I LOVE having books in my possession, though. When I go to the library - I ALWAYS come home with books. Always. Books for me and books for my kids. And I'm happy to say that recently, my husband has started adding to the library loot, as well. I can't imagine a world without books in it. That's just a horribly depressing thought.

I've never had a drug addiction (thank God) but I am most certainly addicted to books. There, I've admitted it but I DO NOT want help for my addiction, thank you very much.

Books I Keep Hearing About

There are several books that I keep hearing about that have my curiosity greatly piqued. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (which I do have on hold at the library), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (which is on my TBR pile), Under the Dome by Stephen King (whose books scare the crud out of me) and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. These are just a few of the books but I hear/read about them constantly. I have a feeling I'm going to be reading most (if not all) of these books sometime this year. I have to appease my curiosity more than jump a bandwagon. Not that I have any trouble with jumping on board for a ride with a great book.

What books do you want to read due to the fact that you keep hearing about them?

Book Club - YAY

I used to belong to a book club in real life. Well, due to life changes and expectations it understandably fell apart. I met my friend G through this book club and I am thankful that we have stayed in touch. Over the past - about eighteen months, wow - G and I have spoken many times about putting it back together. However, this hasn't happened because of real life responsibilities. Again, very understandable.

I am happy to say that a new book club will be forming soon; with G, a couple of other friends and I. It may seem a little silly but this is something that makes me very, very happy. I love and adore my family. They mean everything to me but I also love books. I love reading books, writing books, and yes, TALKING about books! I'm looking forward to once again sharing this passion with friends who feel the same way. And I admit that I am also looking forward to a guaranteed, once-a-month night out for myself. Is that selfish? I don't think so. I believe honoring what is important to me as an individual ultimately helps me to be a better wife and mommy.

A Couple of Things

First, I want to say that I am so excited because I get to see Deb in 23 days! I can not wait! Miss you so much, chica! We are all looking forward to seeing all of you.

Second, I loved Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last night. I think he is amazing for caring so much about the health of the children and starting this revolution. I cried last night while watching the show because the people he's dealing with at the school in W. Va. are so hard headed. My God - they actually thought that processed crap they were feeding those kids was all right! Gross! That kind of crap is EXACTLY why my kids won't ever eat from the school cafeteria. Unless, of course, it really is overhauled and they'd be eating properly and nutritiously.

I know I had other random things I wanted to say but my tired brain just went blank. LOL I guess it's time for me to get off the computer.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

This show starts in about ten minutes here and I am really excited to see it. I am conscientious about the way I feed my family - especially my daughters. However, I know that there is room for improvement and I am hoping to learn some cool stuff from this show. Plus, I just think it's extremely admirable that Jamie Oliver is trying to raise awareness and make the world a healthier place for everyone but again, especially the children. I'll come back and write my thoughts on the show after I've seen it.

Garage Sale

Oh my gosh! It has been a long, long time since I've been a part of a garage sale. And I've never done one as a married woman with children. Holy crap! The work involved with one is really not worth the outcome. I keep telling myself it's nice to be more organized and have an idea of what we really want to get rid of and what we want to keep. And while this is true - I really don't want anything to do with another garage sale for a long, long time - if ever!

It was dirty work getting ready for it. It was a lot of work setting up for it. Then our daughters started seeing things they really didn't want to let go and my husband let them bring their stuff back in the house. People drove by but only a few stopped. And only one person actually bought anything. Yes, only one. And did I mention that it was friggin' H-O-T today?

So, while I am glad to be more organized - I'm not interested in another garage sale. I'm more than happy to make a donation to the Goodwill.

Still So Sleepy

I have actually been to bed already tonight. Then I woke up and remembered that I hadn't posted yet for the day. So I dragged my sleepy self out to post this boring crap. Wow - I can't turn off the competitiveness even when the challenge is only with myself. Is that a good, bad or really annoying thing? Something to ponder and babble about for another time.

Sleepy

I am so, so tired. Going to bed now and thrilled that tomorrow is finally Friday. Even though I have to get up way too early on Saturday; at least it'll still be the weekend.

Word Count

I am ever so pleased to report that the writing is going well! I haven't tallied the word count from my various stories but that's all right. I've decided that I need to stop stressing about word count! From now on, the only time I'm going to get my panties in a twist about word count is during November - when I do NaNoWriMo. Also if my future (hopefully near!) book deal requires a certain number of words - I'll pay attention to it. Otherwise, I'm not worried about it anymore. I truly believe harping on the word count was effecting my creativity. And by effecting it - I mean bringing me to a grinding halt. Silly, so, so silly.

Now, I'm back to my writing! YAY!!!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read -
Open to a random page -
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye is brain candy at it's delightful best. Becca and Rich claim to thoroughly dislike one another. However, they are thoroughly attracted to one another and thrown together in a most inconvenient - or so they think - way. I'm enjoying this book and laughing out loud while reading it.

Teaser, from page 94"

"There were three women helping me pick out the applesauce. I got the organic stuff." He held it up to show her. "I couldn't find the breadcrumbs, though."

Musing Monday's

Musing Monday's is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

Today, Rebecca asks:

"Do you have a favourite picture book, either from your own childhood, or reading to you children?"

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks.

This is a wonderful question. As a mom to two young daughters - I read a LOT of children's books. I love it - as do my daughters. It was hard picking favorite books based on illustrations because there are so many that are just beautiful. However, a few of our favorites are: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, The Runaway Bunny illustrsted by Clement Hurd, Flower Fairies: Stories From the Garden illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker and Room on the Broom illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

My girls are very artistic and just as interested in the illustrations in the books as the story itself. I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler but I have a deep appreciation for the artwork and drawings of others. This selection of books is varied in the type og illustrating but all are exceptionally well done.

Happy Sunday

I only did a tiny bit of writing and reading today. Instead, I spent the day with my husband and daughters. The girls played outside a LOT; while my husband and I alternated playing with them and prepping for our upcoming garage sale.

I'm half looking forwad to and half dreading the garage sale. While I like purging our home of the unnecessary or outgrown items - I'm also not wanting to deal with the filth of actually going through the garage. Oh, and our storage unit, which we will be getting rid of - thankfully. I want this stuff to be done. I'm the one who has been pushing (okay, nagging) for it but I'm still dreading it. I know I'll be so pleased when it's all done, though.

Now, to close out the weekend, I'm going to watch Up in the Air with my husband. I hope it's a great week for everyone!

Broke the Writer's Block

YAY!! The writer's block is FINALLY gone! This makes me insanely happy. Granted, I still haven't written all that much but the point is that I'm actually writing again! And I have ideas flowing in my head. New story ideas and direction for the existing novel.

Thanks Deb, the stuff you sent me the other day worked like a charm! Love ya!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I fell in love with these books in 1999; before the movies, before the series was even complete. I went to midnight release parties; first on my own, then with my husband and the last two with my child(ren).

As much of a fan as I am - I have never read all seven books back to back. In fact, it's been a good eight years since I even read the first two or three books. And suddenly, this week, I am in the mood to read all the books, from beginning of series until the last page of The Deathly Hallows.

I'm 42 pages into The Sorcerer's Stone and already my love for these books is flourishing again. J.K. Rowling is a truly gifted writer and I am so glad she gave the world these books. I very much look forward to sharing them with my children as I continue to love the world of Harry Potter.

Grey's Anatomy: 6-17 Push

While there were definitely brilliant moments in tonight's episode, overall it left me feeling a little frustrated and letdown. For me, this has been the problem with this season of the show. Most of the episodes are like this now. I see glimpses of its former glory but mostly the show is unrecognizable. The next episode airs in two weeks and I'm not bothered by that at all. Whereas, I used to have fits over having to wait a week for a new episode.

And my major grievances with this season: Where the hell is Meredith's storyline? And where the hell is the Meredith and Derek interaction/storyline? Ellen Pompeo's maternity leave is done - give her a storyline for the love of God! What is wrong with ABC and Shonda Rhimes that they are wasting the sublime talent of Ellen Pompeo on a measley amount of lines in each episode. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that she stood up to Owen on Cristina's behalf tonight. Best friends have their best friend's backs, period. Other than that bit of dialogue and a few other lines in the episode, she had nothing. And WHY are we not seeing her and Derek's life together? It's so stinking frustrating!

I did love Mark tonight. I feel so sorry for him. He finally wants to grow up and have a family and he can't catch a break. Although it did look like Teddy was interested there at the end. I actually like the way they are together.

Callie kicked butt tonight, too. I enjoyed her being the stable one and giving sound and grown-up advice. So sad, her wanting kids and Arizona not wanting them. It should be interesting to see how that plays out.

Wicked Writer's Block

Last week I said I'd have 25,000 words written by today. Well, now it's time for me to just laugh at myself because I am nowhere near that goal. The thing is though, I'm not laughing, not one little bit. If anything, I want to cry in absolute frustration! I have no idea what the heck my problem is but my writer's block is wicked bad! I don't know how to get out of this writer's funk. I can't concentrate at all when I do try to write and the few ideas I do have feel super weak. Great, now I'm being whiny, too. Fabulous.

A friend gave me a book called A Writer's Space: Make Room to Dream, to Work, to Write by Eric Maisel, Ph.D. I am going to read this book and hopefully it will inspire me and get me back on a positive writing streak.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read -
Open to a random page -
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins is the story of Lucy - a young widow - trying to live her life and find love again. I'm almost done with the book. The book is all right and in fact I have laughed out loud a few times. I find Lucy a little annoying, though.

Teaser, from page 173:

"Are you mad at me?"
"I'm not mad at you," Ethan says wearily. It's one o' clock in the morning and we're waiting for me to be discharged from the Emergency Room.

Musing Monday's

Musing Monday's is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

This week, Rebecca asks:

"Do you prefer books with a dust jacket? What do you do with your dust jacket while reading? Leave it on or take it off?"

(Question courtesy of Kim from Page after Page)

I'll read anything I'm interested in - regardless of wheter it has a dust jacket or not. However, the dust jackets are annoying to me. They get in my way and I'm always concerned that they'll get damaged. So, I just take them off and place them on top of my bookshelf while I read the book. Once I'm done with the book, the dust jacket goes back on. And if I want to keep the book - it goes into the correct alphabetical place on my bookshelf. Yes, I alphabetize the books I keep - by author's last name. I fully admit and embrace the fact that I'm a geek. LOL.

Scrapbooking

I used to love scrapbooking. It is a hobby I greatly want to get back into. For a series of what now seem like ridiculous reasons - I fell out of the hobby. I went to the bookstore tonight to look at scrapping magazines for inspiration. To my utter surprise - there was only one mag on scrapping on the shelves. A couple of years ago - there were several during any given month. I guess the demise of such magazines is a sad sign of our economic times.

Now I am going to search online for scrapbooking sites and blogs. If anyone has any suggestions - I'd be grateful to hear them.

Clean House

I love a clean house. I know, who doean't? The thing is, with two small kids, it's not often really, really clean. I mean the kind of clean where you'd be willing to eat off of any surface in your home. Not that I would actually eat off of the kitchen floor; but I love that it's clean enough that I can. LOL

Obviously, my day was spent getting my house this clean. Even nicer, my husband and daughters actually helped me get it this clean. Now, if it would only last. Sigh.

Alice In Wonderland in 3D

My husband and I had a date tonight. We went to dinner and shared a pasta and seafood dish that was pretty good. Then we bought candy (jelly bellies for me and assorted sour stuff for him) to take with us to the movies.

We had tickets for Alice in Wonderland in 3D and I was beyond excited to see it. I am a major Johnny Depp fan. So, the first bummer was that we had to settle for crappy seats in the third row from the screen. The second bummer was that while wearing the 3D glasses the color of the movie was darkened. I found it really annoying but didn't complain. About twenty minutes into the movie, my husband said he couldn't stand it. Thank God. We decided to try and see the movie in 2D. We had babysitting already - on a Friday night. Who gives that up easily? Which brings us to the third bummer of the night - no 2D movie at a time we could make. So sad.

All in all, it was great to have a date with my husband. And actually, I was quite thrilled with the dinner out and candy. Which I will now share with my girls. Oh, and the girl at the movie theatre was totally cool about refunding our tickets. This just means that my next date night (or afternoon) with my husband will be to see Alice in Wonderland, but NOT in 3D.

Grey's Anatomy: 6-16 Perfect Little Accident

I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's episode of Grey's Anatomy. I am quite tired right now and need to go to bed. I will be back to babble about why I liked this episode tomorrow.

Wednesday's Writing Web

I feel like I need a kick in the butt to get more writing done. I have been writing this year, but not nearly as much as I'd like. So, this is where I am going to keep track of all things related to my writing life. I'm hoping this will keep me accountable and motivated. Plus, I will hopefully find cool, writing related stuff to share each week.

So far this year, I have written a measley 16,556 words. That so needs to change and become a much larger number. It will. I also need to get back to sending out query letters for my completed novel. I've already gotten a couple of rejections but I want to get back to it. I believe my book is worty of being published. it's a really great and beautiful story. And yes, I do realize I sound a bit full of myself. LOL I have to believe in myself, though.

My goal is to have 25,000 words written by next Wednesday. I believe I can do that; no, I WILL do that! :)

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read -
Open to a random page -
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Fantasy In Death is the thirtieth book in this fabulous series by J.D. Robb. I am never disappointed by a book in this series. This book takes on the world of gaming. Gaming is not something I take part in, so I feel like I'm getting an education on a subculture of our humanity. I love it.

Teaser, from page 122:

"I wasn't even mad at you, not really. I realize I'd hoped to find someone in that search, even if it was one of mine. It would be specific, you see, instead of this vague worryand wondering if I'd have a target."

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page.

This week, Rebecca asks:

How do you feel about books written in a differing format – whether this be journals or letters (epistolary), verse novels, or any other form? Is this something you enjoy? Or do you prefer straight forward chapter prose?

While most of the books I read are straight forward chapter-type prose - I will actually read any format. As long as I like the book - how it's written doesn't bother me at all. I read a book in January, The Letters, that was written all in well, letters, between two people. I liked the book quite a bit and actually felt like the story was a bit more personal and poignant because of the letter format.