Obsessing

I admit it - I tend to obsess about things. For example - Blogger has a new template design. For the past two nights I have been playing with this darn design on my family blog trying to get it to look just the way I want it to. It's driving me crazy because each template I think I'm going to like ends up looking just a little bit strange to me. I'm starting to annoy myself. Does it really matter all that much if it isn't perfect? Why, why am I obsessing about the way the blog looks? I'm not a vain person and I'm trying to teach my kids that self worth comes from inside. So again, WHY am I being ridiculous about the way the blog LOOKS? I have no decent answer for this and have to say that I did finally sigh and click off of the other page. However, I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up designing something for it on my own because I just don't quite like it well enough the way it is right now. Like I said - I'm obsessing.rant

Schedule

It took 90 minutes to get my kids to sleep tonight. I realize that I need to adjust their schedule before school begins in a couple of weeks. Here's the hard part - this means adjusting my schedule, as well. I am not a morning person. I never have been and honestly don't know if I ever will be. And guess what? My children are not morning people either. Nor is my husband for that matter. We are a family of night owls.

Of course, we all know school happens during the day and starts early in the morning. If my children (and even myself) don't get enough sleep they are cranky and very ill-mannered. This will make all of miserable and I don't want that. How sad to send a tired, cranky child off to school and expect tham to do well and focus. I don't think it's possible. So, a schedule overhaul is a must at my house. Including my own schedule. I'd like my children (and yes, my husband and I) to get plenty of sleep, wake up happy in the morning, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush their teeth and get out the door without a lot of drama and hysterics. Is this possible or am I being naive? Can I turn my nocturnal family into morning people just by schedule adjustments? I certainly hope so and will know for certain in a few weeks.

Much Better

What a difference a day makes. Cliche? Absolutely but so true! Nothing substantial has changed (unless you count my mood LOL) but some very important things have been realized. And, quite importantly (at least to me) an action plan is in place. Yes, I am definitely the kind of person who needs to see motion. Just hearing words doesn't make me feel better. This is true even for myself. I'm a planner and a doer (is that a word?). I can not sit around and just take what the world dishes out. I have to have some say in the matter. Okay, stepping off my soapbox. I just wanted to say that I feel a lot better.

Off Kilter

This is one of those nights when I don't really know what to say. While thinking about what to write for this date's post I just decided to be honest. I feel off kilter tonight, a little crappy and not quite right in my own skin. Does that even make sense? In other words - I'm signing off to go read my book and fall asleep. Hopefully I'll feel like myself again by morning.

Dinner and a Movie

Tonight I had a dinner and movie date with my husband. It was quite nice to get out and actually have an uninterrupted conversation with him while having a meal. Then we went to the movie theatre and saw Inception with Leonards DiCaprio. My mind is still reeling over the movie. It's a trip and a mind-bender, to say the least. My husband and I both liked the movie quite a lot but it left me with a bit of a headache. I don't even want to say anything about the premise of it because I don't want to give anything away. I definitely recommend the movie if you like crazy things that make you thing and wonder 'what if'; mixed in with crazy, Matrix-style action sequences.

First Time

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This weeks pondering:

What is the first book you remember reading? What about the first that made you really love reading?

The first book(s) I remember reading are the Dick and Jane series. I learned to read with these simple, but sweet stories about a brother and sister and their dog Spot. I was in first grade. The beautiful thing is that now my daughter has been reading this series this summer - and yes, learning to read.

There are two books that I read back to back when I was a little girl that made me fall in love with reading. They are Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. I read these books with my Grandma at about age seven, maybe eight, and I was completely swept away in the adventures of both stories. A lifelong pleasure, thrill and need for reading were born.

Photography

I love, love, love pictures. And I LOVE taking pictures. I would definitely say that photography is a hobby of mine. I take a LOT of pictures, mostly of my family but also of my friends and just whatever catches my eye. We recently took a family trip to San Francisco and I just HAD to have photos of the streetcars. I don't know why I find them so visually interesting but I do.

Deeply, Desperately Teaser

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!

Teaser from page 1:

Justifiable homicide might be hard to prove, but my had-it-up-to-hee brain was giving it a hearty stamp of approval as a reasonable defense. Because if reporter Preston Bailey didn't stop peppering my client with annoying questions, I might have to strangle her.

Not only are these two sentences on page one, this is how the book starts! I was laughing out loud. Believe me, if you read the first book (Truly, Madly) you'll understand why our heroine Lucy feels this way.

Top of My List

Musing Monday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading! This week’s question:

"What book tops your TBR (to be read) pile right now? Is it something you own, or something you have to borrow, or something you’ll be purchasing? Why do you want to read it so badly?"

There are two books at the top of my TBR pile; Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson.

Deeply, Desperately is the second book in the Lucy Valentine series. I read the first book and found it charming and delightful. I have been eagerly anticipating the follow-up, which comes out on Tuesday.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the third and (sadly) final book in Larsson's Millenium trilogy. I have this book but have been waiting to read it. I'll finally be starting this one at the end of the week - once I've finished Deeply, Desperately.

I am thoroughly excited to read both books.

Ultimate Blog Challenge

The premise of this challenge is to create thirty-one blog posts during the month of August. I've heard of similar challenges. In fact, I made myself post every day in March. It's not easy but it was so rewarding at the end of the month. It was gratifying knowing I'd stuck with my writing/blogging goal. Was every post brilliant and witty? Well, no, of course not. Some of the posts were quite obviously fillers but the challenge was at least met.

During the month of August I am taking on this challenge again. However, this time, I am joining a network of people doing the same thing. So hopefully, I'll get some cool ideas and meet some other bloggers/writers. Thanks to my friend Julia at Freelance Writer Blog for posting about this challenge.

Book Reviews

Musing Monday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading! This week’s question:

Do you review books? If so, for who? If not, have you ever thought about doing so? Why, or why not?

Oh, book reviews. When I started blogging, I thought it would be so easy to review books. I mean, I love to read them, talk about them, share them with people I lnow. So why not write reviews for the ones I read? Why not, indeed. In reality - I am kind of lazy about writing reviews. It seems the only books I review are ones that I have committed to reviewing, such as the selections I've read through Barnes and Noble's First Look program. Otherwise, I just haven't been reviewing the books I read. I keep telling myself I will but then I don't. I'm lazy about reviewing. I really need to try and be better about it.

Reading Amidst Noise

Musing Monday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading! This week’s question:

"Can you read amidst distractions? (tv, others talking, sporting events, etc"

Yes, I can read while other things are going on around me. I don't always choose to do so but I can when I want to. I grew up in a house where the television was always on. I learned very quickly how to block out the TV and read my book. It drove my parents (most especially my father) nuts! My husband also likes to have television (or music) going almost all the time. And I almost always prefer a book; so most definitely yes, I can read with distractions.

Oh, and I quite like taking some me time and going off to Barnes and Noble or Starbucks to read my books. I lose myself in the story and the surrounding noise doesn't bother me. Writing is an entirely different story, though. I can't get any writing done amidst noise and chaos. I'm not sure why it's different for me but it is - and I'm off on a tangent. LOL

Thank Goodness for Bookish Friends

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This weeks pondering:

"Do you have friends and family to share books with? Discuss them with? Does it matter to you?"

Yes, thank goodness I have friends to share and discuss books with! I am in a real-life book club with a few female friends and love the book discussions we have. I also love the guaranteed girl-time that book club creates.

I have to agree with the 'thank God for the internet' sentiment, as well. I have several friends that I keep in touch with through e-mail and blogs that have given me wonderful suggestions for books. As I hope I have for them. I love the fact that books (good and not-so-good ones) bring people together - whether in-person or online. I am forever grateful to my bookish friends.

You Want to Love a Book - but Don't

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This weeks pondering:

Name a book or author that you truly wanted to love but left you disappointed. (And, of course, explain why.)

Musing Monday's this week was about hyped-up books and I feel that this post ties in with my response to that rather well.

There's a little book called The Help by Katryn Stockett that seemingly everyone loves. Yes, I say 'little' facetiously because this is one of those books that it seems everyone is talking about. There are so many reviews of the book and every one I've read or heard is full of glowing praise. My friend G loves this book. She went out and bought it after having checked it out from the library to read. She bought it 'just to have it on her shelf'. The thing is - I completely understand the desire to have a book you love so much. Often, G and I have very similar taste in books but not this time. I have tried to read The Help twice and can not get into this book. I want to like this book but I find the thrashing of the English language in the beginning of the book absolutely annoying! I understand that Stockett is writing the way her character most likely would have spoken at the time - I get that but still it grates on my nerves.

This is a perfect example of why I generally try to stay away from reviews. I had super high expectations for The Help and twice have started it and taken it back to the library. Maybe it just hasn't been the right time for me and this book. That's happened to me before. I tried to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society twice and was bored silly. Then I tried a third time and completely fell in love with the book. I honestly believe a book has to be read at the right time in a persons life - but that's a post for another time.