Books of 2011

SOOOO I just realized that I have a HALF COMPLETED list of books from 2011 on my sidebar....what a loser I am sometimes.  I always have great intentions, but then life happens and the kids eat cat poop, or break my glasses in half, or dump nutella all over my floor, or unroll a roll of toilet paper and then try to flush it down the toilet.  AND THEN I forget all about my little blog and keeping it up to date.  SOOO although it is OVER a month behind schedule (and mostly just for me), here is the list of books I read in 2011.  I must start out by saying that last year I read 39 books and this year only 25....BUMMER!!!  I guess having kid # 2 took up a little bit of my spare time:) 
* =  my favorites!!

1. The Amish Midwife--Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould
2.  The Wildflower Bride--Mary Connealy
*3.  Heartless--Anne Elisabeth Stengl
4.  Slay It With Flowers---Kate Collins
5.  The Linen Queen--Patricia Falvey
6.  Journey To Riverbend---Henry McLaughlin
*7.  Wench---Dolen Perkins-Valdez
8.  Real Simple Solutions---Real Simple Magazine
9. 365 Activities You And Your Toddler Will Love--Nancy Wilson Hall
10.  Baby Love--Norah O'Donnell
11.  The One Minute Cleaner--Donna Smallin
**12.  A Distant Melody---Sarah Sundin
**13.  A Memory Between Us---Sarah Sundin
14.  Something Borrowed--Emily Giffin
*15. Nowhere Carolina--Tamara Leigh
16.  The Girl In The Gatehouse--Julia Klassen
**17. The Forgotten Garden---Kate Morton
18.  Rachel's Secret---BJ Hoff
19.  Where Grace Abides---BJ Hoff
20.  Beside Still Waters---Tricial Goyer
21.  Love Finds You in Pedleton Oregon---Melody Carlson
*22.  The Shape of Mercy--Susan Meissner
**23.  The Tea Rose--Jennifer Donnelly
**24.  The Winter Rose--Jennifer Donnelly
**25.  The Winter Sea---Susan Kearsley

A book every 2 weeks isn't bad, but to keep myself sane, I am going to aim for 40 in 2012:)

A little of this and a little of THAT!!!

SOOO first things first....I took the week off from weighing in.  I had a CRAFTING RETREAT this weekend and so I decided to enjoy myself rather than counting calories.  I will weigh in again next week and see what harm I did my eating catered food and LOTS of candy:)  Who knows...maybe the dozen chocolate chip cookies I ate last night will ACTUALLY eat the fat cells...I am not a scientist, but it could happen!!!

Speaking of my retreat...I am already looking forward to next year.  I had  a BLAST!!!  I was hoping to get a quilt top done, but only finished 2/3 or the blocks.  I did get a sideache from laughing and a headache from staying up until 2 in the morning.  So  I guess I was a little productive:)  I also used my sewing machine...which was a big step since I have been a NON sewer for WAY too long.  I cannot remember the last quilt I worked on (sad I know), but I DO know that I got the fire started again and I will NOT be taking a long break again for a WHILE!!! 
ANDDDD last but not least...the first completed book of the year!!! 

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.  This is the 3rd book in her ROSE series.  I FLEW throught the first 2, but this one took me MUCH longer to get in to.  Her writing was as good, but I was not LOVING the characters.  They ALL had a bad side, so I had a hard time choosing who I would root for.  I didn't even know WHO I wanted to end up staying together in the end...I actually hoped for a few of them to die so that I would not have to hear about all of their troubles any more.  BUT all in all despite my disgust with the character's choices, I would give a thumbs up. 
This book was about Seamie...the last brother in the Finnegan family.  He made an appearance in book 2 where he climbs Kilimanjaro with the girl he loves(Willa) and then she falls and destroys her leg, which later has to be amputated.  She blames him for losing her leg and leaves him in Africa.  THIS book picks up when he returns to London and SHE is at Mt. Everest. He is moving on with his life (and his pregnant wife) when Willa returns to London for her father's funeral.  Everything goes down hill at that point for EVERYONE.  Everyone is telling lies.  Everyone is sneaking around.  EVERYONE drove me nuts!!!  PLUS WWI is about to break out and there are spies and mobsters running around making trouble.  If you have read the Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, you should for sure pick up where you left off and read the conclusion of the story.  It is nice to know what has happened to ALL of the other characters that we have gotten to know in the other books.  Now it is time to MOVE ON and find a new book to leave on my nighstand for 2 months:) 

Good Reads!!!

You know how they say that you cannot judge a book by its cover.  WELLL sometimes I think that is crap.  I ALMOST always judge a book by its cover.  If I hate the cover...I leave it at the library. This time my TIME HONORED test of picking books by their cover SERIOUSLY paid off.   I found a WHOLE series of books that I like. 

First off, THE TEA ROSE by  Jennifer Donnelly. 

 There is no REAL way to summarize this book because it has SOOO much going on in it, but here is a wee bit about it.  It is about Fiona, who is POOR and lives in Whitechapel, England (during the time of Jack the Ripper), in the early 1900's.  She works at a tea factory, but saves some of her earnings to SOMEDAY own a tea shop with her boyfriend Joe.  Sadly, things start to go badly and Fiona loses just about everything and everyone who is important to her.  She is forced to flee to America with her little brother and begin a new life.  Things start to look up in America, but I don't want to ruin it for your:) 
Keeping with my new RATING system from last year...this would not be a G-rated book.  I am thinking it would be pushing the PG-13.  There are a couple of reasons....1.  These people are poor, working class, Irish and English folks.  They use the typical OLD SCHOOL working class, PUB typle language.  Got me???  There are also a few parts where you might need to cover your eyes...AKA skip a few paragraphs.  ORRR not...UP TO YOU:)  I knew that going into this book, so I was not surprised or turned off by the writing, but YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

 I guess I forgot to mention that I LoVeD the TEA ROSE.  LOVED!!!  There were parts where I was LIKE...Nuh UH, they did not just kill him off!!!...BUT all in all I loved the story and the suspense. SOOOO I read the second book in the series...THE WINTER ROSE.  I also loved it and could not put it down...although I must asmit that the cover didn't do as much for me:)  This book focus MORE on Fiona's brother and Doctor Indiana Selwyn Jones.  India is a lady doctor (one of the first...when things like that were JUST NOT DONE).  She leaves her RICH parents, goes to medical school, and decides to work in Whitechapel helping the poor.  She meets Sid Malone, a notorious criminal and instead of hating his guts she....kinda likes him.  He is sort of a Robin Hood...stealing from the rich and helping the poor.  Some of my favorite parts of this book...their travels through Africa, mountain climbing on Kilimanjaro, and of course the suspense.  AGAIN....Not a G-rating...just sayin. 
If you are a Historical Fiction fan and if you like a little romance mixed into your History...AND you don't mind a little RISK-AY in your reading then I recommend this (even though I swore off RISK-AY in 2011...shhh!!). 

My last read of 2011 was THE WINTER SEA by Susanna Kearsley.  I REALLY liked this book too.  AND it was PG, so I guess I redeemed myself.  This book is HARD to explain, so here goes.  There are TWO different stories told.  Story One is told by Carrie in modern day.  She is an author who is drawn to a Scottish castle as the setting of her next book.  She begins to feel VERY connected to the story, almost like the caracters are TELLING her what to write.  Story TWO is about Sofia (the main character in Carrie's book).  She is living in 1706, IN the Scottish castle.  Get it????  The stories are very intertwined and JUST when you get drawn into one character's story....you get switched back to the OTHER.  This was a GREAT book....I LOVED the history, the romance, AND the Scottish accents:)

I am toooooo tired to sludge through last years book and whip up my LIST of 2011 completed books, so that will be a post for another day...Hopefully tomorrow!!!

My most recent reads...

Although I have not been POSTING about reading....I have actually finished a few books in the last few months.  Some good, some not so good and some GREAT!!!!  Here is what I have had on my night stand..

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN by Kate Morton.  This book was FANTASTIC.  I can honestly say (and remember I am an English teacher) that this is the most well written book I have read in a long time.  I LOVED IT.  It took me forever to read because it is big and thick and full of twists and turns, but WELL WORTH IT.  I cannot even begin to explain the main gist of this book...to much going on.  It switches back and forth between the past, the present, and the WAY past.  It jumps through generations in order to answer all of the questions.  The main question being...who is Nell and where did she come from...and why???  As a toddler Nell was found on the docks in Australia and adopted by a local family.  She does not know where she came from or why she is alone.  This book travels through time to find out WHO SHE IS.  Many times you think you know...and then WHAT???  You have no idea.  I loved the mystery of it.  And seriously you cannot figure out the answers unless you read the whole thing.  LOVE THAT!!!  I have also read The House at Riverton by Kate Morton and loved it also. 

Next I read Rachel's Secret by BJ Hoff.  I am not sure why I end up picking so many Amish books, but I just find their culture just so darn interesting.  In this one, Rachel is an Amish widow.  One night she gets a knock on the door and it is a white man with a gunshot wound and a black man.  They end up being conductors for the Underground Railroad and the whole thing causes problems in the quiet Amish community.  Rachel ends up having feelings for the man (which is a big no no!!) and outsiders begin causing problems for the Amish; barn burnings, verbal abuse, and finally kidnapping.  This was an OK book.  I am always interested in the Underground Railroad, but there was not enough about it in the book for me.

Of course that did not stop me from reading BOOK 2, Where Grace Abides.  Jeremiah stays in the community but cannot socialize with Rachel because he is not Amish.  More problems arise and MORE love problems.  Again...ok but not a great book.  I have not read the 3rd installment and am not too sad about it.

I realize I may have a problem, but when I see an Amish girl on the front of a book I just have to check it out.  BESIDE STILL WATERS by Tricial Goyer was my next read.  This was another OK, but not great book.  This book starts when an Amish family traveling home gets into a horrible accident.  Their buggy is hit by a Semi Truck and their 2 daughters are killed.  The mom, who is pregnant goes into labor and delivers a little baby girl.  Born on the day of  her sisters' deaths, Marianna always feels like she has to fill up the void left by them.  She tries to be perfect.  When she reaches marrying age, her parents decide it is time to move out of the community and go to Montana.  Although she love a local Amish boy she goes with her family.  They have to learn to live in the Amish community in Montana, which is NOT as strict in their beliefs and rules as their old community.  Marianna socializes with BEN, a local by and starts to fall for him.  She then has to decide whether to go back to her home and her Amish boy, or stay in Montana and deal with her feelings for Ben.  THEN right at the end you find out their is a book ....bummer.  I might have to go find it and see how it all turns out:)

This next book jumped off the shelf at me because of the title; LOVE FINDS YOU IN PENDLETON OREGON.  As soon as I saw Pendleton, I had to read it.  Sunny is the main character.  She is an out of work professor, Native American, and model.  She heads to Pendleton for a modeling shoot during the ROUNDUP and decides to look up her ancestors while she is there. I loved reading about the Roundup, I liked the stuff about Native Americans, but the love interest in this book was WAY OUT THERE.  It was one of those things where when it ends you are like...WHATEVER.   I am all about happy endings and chic lit, but I don't think anyone finds their true love and is ready for marriage in one week.  SOOO on that note, this book didn't do it for me. 

I really enjoyed this last one.  THE SHAPE OF MERCY by Susan Meissner.  Lauren is a super wealthy college student who tries to act NOT SUPER WEALTHY.  She lives in the dorm, goes to a state school, and wants to get a job.  She decides to take a job transcribing an old journal for Abigail, an older (also wealthy) lady.  The journal is from a young lady (Mercy) who lived during the Salem Witch trials and gets accusted of being a witch.  I liked learning about the witch trials and thought this book was pretty entertaining.  A good mix of past and present.  Speaking of present....my son has stopped sleeping AT ALL, so I may have a few (hundred) books to add to my list soon.  BLAHHH!!!

Bookmobile!

Did you guys have the bookmobile growing up???  I used to love to climb on that big old bus and find new books (or the same old ones again).  We have the bookmobile in our neighborhood, but I am not sure of the schedule....so we just go to the boring old library.  BUT someday I want Emersyn to walk up on the Mobile Bus filled with goodness and be amazed.  Anyway...I love the library (although it is not as adventursome as the Bookmobile) and have found a few good reads lately.

First off, SOMETHING BORROWED by Emily Giffin. 

 I will just preface this by saying this one was probably pushing the PG13 radar.  If you don't mind some adult language mixed with a lot of adult content....than no worries.  IF you do mind...than not for you.  Anyway....this one was hard for me to read.  I am sure you are familiar with the premiss because it is now a very popular movie.  There are 2 best friends (like the kind who have been best friends for their whole life).  One is the hot popular friend who is REALLY NOT THAT NICE.  The other is the nice cute sweet friend who gets trampled on by the mean girl.  Anyway....long story short...nice girl starts having an affair with mean girls FIANCE.  I know that is so NOT COOL!!!  My problem with this book is that I have a moral issue with cheating, so I didn't know who to root for.  I was also not sure if the fiance was using the nice girl or if they REALLY loved each other.  It was all just a little creepy to me.  Sneaking, lies, cheating...not my thing.  I thought it was well written and the author is funny.  AND I for sure understood the good friend/bad friend relationship, but I had a hard time getting past the whole CHEATING with an almost married man thing.  Yep....that is that. 

Next, NOWHERE CAROLINA by Tamara Leigh.  I recently found out this is a number 2 in a group of books, the first one being LEAVING CAROLINA.  I did not read the first (but I am now) and it doesn't seem to matter what order they go in.  Just some of the same characters.  Anyway...this one cracked me up...BIG TIME!!!!  If I wrote a book (which is right up there on my bucket list), I would write like Tamara Leigh.  FUNNY LADY!!!!  This book was about Maggie, who used to be the cool girl, head cheerleader, not nice, high school dream girl.  NOW she is a much changed and grown up mother of a 12 year old.  The problem....she is not sure which of 3 men is DADDY to her daughter.  She had a rough couple days I guess you could say.  She is now living a good Christian life and has changed her ways, but her daughter is getting teased for  the fact that her mom doesn't know who....well you know.  SOOO she goes on a quest to find out which of the 3 is the winner.  To add flames to the fire, one of the daddy contenders moves back to town.  He is the one she hopes is the winner and who she actually had feelings for (and still does), but she begins to lie and sneak around and freak everyone out.  GREAT FUNNY BOOK!!!   My favorite 2 parts of the book...1. Maggie has a word of the day calendar and tries to fit the word of the day into her DAILY conversations....pretty funny for the English teacher still hiding inside me.  AND 2. They way Maggie prays.  Sometimes she mutters a prayer like..."oh crap God please don't let my daughter find out I was a big fat floozy."  Cracked me up....although I am sure it is very improper:)  

 Finally, THE GIRL IN THE GATEHOUSE by Julie Klassen. 

This book reminded me of a classic British novel...like Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice.  It was set back in the day and ALL about proper and improper.  Mariah (the main character) had been sent to live in her aunt's gatehouse because of an indiscretion that has caused her to be shunned by society ( you have to read it to find out what naughty thing she did).  Her aunt dies and she is forced to try to earn some money to pay her rent, so she decides to sell some of her novels (did I mention she was an author???).  Since novel writing was about as bad as prostitution back in the day, she tries to keep it all a secret and writes under a pseudonym.  Of course the new tenant in the main house is a hunky man...thus the necessary love interest...but he is trying to show his OLD love that he has moved up in society and is in fact equal to her family so they can be married.  It is an interesting story about right and wrong and lost and found reputations.  Nice sweet simple old fashioned book. 

AND just for fun....a children's book to add to the mix.  We read A LOT of kid's books over here and LET'S BE HONEST....SOME suck.  BUT when you find a good one....it is REALLY GOOD and should be shared.  I loved this one.   BIG WORDS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE by Jamie Lee Curtis (yep the Activia lady).

I love making little kids smarter....because then they will be smart BIG kids.  This book uses big words and makes them cute and fun.  Now Emersyn likes to add those words in to her life sometimes...not always correctly, but at least we try.  Who doesn't wanna hear their 3 year old say INTELLIGENCE in a sentence???  LOVE IT!!!!

HAPPY READING:)

Hitting the Books!!

I finally got back into the reading groove this month after a LONG time away.  I have started off strong though with a few good ones.  The last two books I read I REALLY REALLY enjoyed.  They are right up my alley actually. Love stories that take place during WWII.  Just so you know...that SCREAMS Jessica :)

This is a 3 book Christian series called THE WINGS OF GLORY by Sarah Sundin. I have read the first two so far.  Book 1, A DISTANT MELODY, is about a very wealthy girl (Allie) who is engaged to her father's business partner(unhappily) when she meets a military pilot (Wally) at her friend's wedding.  They hit it off and she "forgets" to mention her boyfriend.  They write back and forth from the war and each tells lies to the other and to their friends and family.  They both get caught in multiple lies and have to sort through to the truth. I kinda loved it...not gonna lie.

Book 2, A MEMORY BETWEEN US,  continues on with Wally's brother (Jack) now being the main character.  He is a pilot in the war and gets shot.  He meets Ruth, a nurse in the hospital who REFUSES to date.  She is an orphan who is working hard to send her money home to her siblings so that they can stay out of the orphanage.  She does not want the distraction of dating, plus she has some horrible things from her past that keep her from making friends or having relationships.  Although Jack takes it slow to try to win over Ruth, he cannot compete with her terrible memories.  He has his own demons to get past, AND is trying to make the decision about whether to become a preacher when he returns home.  Drama Drama Drama.  I am ready to read book 3 about the 3rd brother.  It is called...

BLUE SKIES TOMORROW.  I love the mixture of History and Fiction.  I cannot get enough of WWII.  I know it was a horrible time, but it sure makes for some good reading:) 

 I am off to the library website to reserve book 3!!!

Fact OR Fiction???

I have never been a big fan of non-fiction.  I am more of a historical fiction kinda gal.  BUT the whole fiction thing takes a bit of time and a few more brain cells than I have available at the moment.  I need something that you can jump in and out of and skip around in. PLUS I kinda like this little thing called LEARNING.  So I have started to check out a few non-fiction books from the library.  

I started with BABY LOVE by Norah O'Donnell and Chef Geoff Tracy.  This book was a good start for me to begin learning about making homemade baby food.  It DID have a few good recipes and tips, but it also had stuff that was WAY beyond me.  Like Baby Couscous.  When my kid is ready to eat couscous, I will probably just feed my kid what I have made us for dinner.  PLUS I don't even know what Flaxseed is, probably not going to figure it out just to make some yummy apple pie like baby food.  Just my opinion.  I am not a chef. I would have rather had more BASIC recipes...just my opinion.  Overall good information though...

   Next up, THE ONE MINUTE CLEANER by Donna Smallin.  It claims to give you 500 tips for cleaning smarter and not harder.  I need all the tips I can get.  This was a quick read.  Just brief little snipits about cleaning.  Perfect for reading while feeding the baby or during a 5 minute break from....feeding the baby again;)  It had great info about alternative cleaners and different ways to lift stains and odors.  It also gave some good tips on getting your house cleaner and more organized so that it is EASIER to clean.  Who doesn't want that??  I plan to read her other book...THE ONE MINUTE ORGANIZER....sounds like someone we need to hire at our house.

Next on the agenda, Real simple SOLUTIONS.  I love this magazine, so when I spotted the book I grabbed it right off the shelf.  I REALLY love the photos.  So clean and lovely.  This book (and the magazine) has great little tips for organizing and cleaning.  Actually solutions for everything...how to clean your hairbrush...the best way to ripen tomatos....easy decorating tips...you name it.  I also love that the pictures explain the process....easy and fun to look at.  This book really reads like a magazine.  I recommend!!

And last, 365 Activities You And Your Toddler Will Love.  This was one of those books where you think....I know how to play with my kid...I don't need a book.  AND you are right.  BUT this book did have some fun little activities that I will try.  Like songs with hand motions.   Or little craft ideas that I would not have done.  It is always nice to have a new fun idea floating around up there.  PLUS it is a good reminder to ACTUALLY do things with your little ones besides feed them, bathe them, and watch Dragon Tales with them.  I would say this book is geared more towards younger toddlers, 12 months to 2 years, but it did have some good activities and simple science experiments that would work with those crazy 3 year olds too. 

Happy Reading (and learning)!!

WHAT???

While in the hospital this past week I had a few hours to crack a book.  Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.  I have wanted to read this book for a while, but never caught up with it.  This is one of those books that leaves you wondering how you NEVER knew that you NEVER KNEW about something.  In this case slavery.  Something I thought I knew about, but realize...I didn't.  This book follows 4 slave women who meet each year under strange circumstances.  Their masters bring them to a vacation resort in the North to spend the Summer together.  YEP---TOGETHER.  Each of these women are slaves AND mistresses to their masters.  If you want a happy go lucky book...THIS IS NOT IT.  It is sad and filled with times when you think...rEaLLy????  Points when you wonder how things could have ACTUALLY happened like this in the United States.  I would recommend this book if you like to read to learn and be moved and touched in a way that you can never go back.  I do NOT recommend this book if you have a weak stomach or do not want to read about rape, abuse, humiliation, abortion, and death.  There are no steamy sex scenes, but there are lots of horendous acts of abuse that are hard to read through.  This book brings up questions and issues that stay with you after you have finished reading.

For example, how can you have an affair with a women, father 2 children with her, and then chain her to the ship that is taking you both to your Summer vacation resort home???

OR

How can you sell off your own children to another plantation and never see them again????

OR

How can you treat someone as a lover AND a piece of property.  A friend AND and an amimal???

Slavery is one of those NON-talked about subjects in many History classes.  It is a big black mark on the history of the United States.  We like to sit back and judge the horrors of Germany during WWII and forget about the equally horrific treatment of the slaves right here in our own backyard.  I am glad I read this book.  I am glad I have been reminded about the terrible treatment of these slaves so that I can remember to be kinder to others.  I am glad that I have opened my eyes a bit so that I will NEVER forget to open my heart.

Good Reads

It has been OVER a month since I read anything, but I am planning on getting some MAJOR book time while we are sitting in the hospital this next week.  I am prepared with a little bit of HUNGER GAMES.  Yes I am the only person in the world who has not read them yet.  Here are the books that I read.....who even knows when.  Let's see what I remember...

 First there was Journey To Riverbend by Henry McLaughlin.  This was Christian Lit/Western.  The main gist is that the main character comes to a small town to carry out the dying wish of a young man he had met. He meets an ex-prostitute who has turned her life around.  Then there is a kidnapping, a posse, an attempted rape,  some gun fights, and lots of drama.  This was a pretty good book.  At times it was a little TOO preachy for me.  I am all for morals, but I don't need to be hit over the head all the time with them.  Overall it was a good read though.  Who can you resist a good prostitute story=) 

Next, The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey.  I was not sure I was going to make it through this one.  The beginning was a bit slow.  I stuck it out though and this one was pretty good.  This book takes place in Northern Ireland (sigh).  Oh how I wish I could go check it out there.  It seems like an amazingly beautiful landscape.  Anyway...Sheila is a POOR girl who works in a linen factory.  She lives with an abusive uncle, crazy aunt, bi-polar mother, and adopted refugee child (escaped from war and a brothel).  Intrigued so far???  She participates in the pageant for LINEN QUEEN and wins the title and cash.  She is determined to run away from home with her winnings, but sadly for her there is a war on (WWII) and she cannot leave the country.  She is once again stuck in her horrible life.   Then a group of American soldiers are posted in her town.  There is war, love, death, pregnancy, mental disorders...you name it.  The only warning I  have about this book....Irish language.  Although the swear words are spelled a little different, they are still there.  If you are not into that...then this is not a book for you.  

 Then there was Slay It With Flowers by Kate Collins.  This is the 2nd book in the Flower Shop Mysteries.  My library does not carry the first book (but does carry the next 10 or so), so I started with number 2.  It doesn't really seem to matter...each one is a story on its own anyway.  This book is about Abby, a law school dropout turned flower shop owner.  She is helping to plan her cousin's wedding, but ends up trying to find a missing groomsmen and THEN solve a murder.  This is a silly mystery book....think Janet Evanovich.  If you are a Stephanie Plum fan, this is SORTA like that (but not quite up to the same level).  If you subtract the OVER THE TOP funny and the tad bit of dirty from the Staphanie Plum books, you get this book (there is even an ex-cop love interest).  Still good, but not sure I would read 16 in a row (mostly because there is no Ranger).  I will probaby at least give number 3 a shot.

This next book is a kid's book, but I loved it so much I thought I would share.  It is Miss Lina's Ballerinas by Grace Maccorone.  If you have a little girl, this book is perfect.  It has all the good stuff....ballerinas, rhyming, counting, and a lesson about accepting others.  Oh and it is kinda funny too.  You see there are 8 little ballerinas Christina, Justina, Edwina, Betina, Sabrina, Katrina, Marina, and Nina (ha ha) who dance it 2 lines of 4. 

 They dance all over town and are a perfect set (2 rows of 4).  BUT then Regina joins the group and all is a mess.  No more rows of 4. 

What do they do now????  Miss Lina explains how great 3 rows of 3 can be.   AH HA!!!  All is well with Miss Lina's Ballerinas.  It is so cute and sweet.  I have renewed it 3 times and must now take it back to the library...not for Emersyn, but mostly just because if I have to read books for HOURS each day to a picky 3 year old I MIGHT AS WELL ENJOY IT!!!

Happy Reading Ya'll!!!

A New Year of Books

I got a pretty slow start on the reading this year.   I waited until April to start reading again....I have been a BIT busy=)  I finally decided...hmmmm...if I am gonna sit in a rocking chair and feed Kiddo for 24 hours per day (may be a high estimate), why not read while I am doing it???  Sometimes I read and sometimes I watch Gilmore Girls.  It is a rough life I live here!!! 

BOOK 1, The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould. 

Since a good part of my reading happens at 2, 3, 4, 5 in the morning, I needed something easy to follow and that did not take too much brain power.  No Crime and Punishment or Wuthering Heights for me these days.  This book was great.  The main character is an adopted child (now an adult), who wants to find her biological mother after her adoptive parents both pass away.  She is a midwife, and so she heads to Amish country to get the answers.  This book is a bit of a mystery.  You keep getting clues about her family until you are able to piece the whole puzzle of her past together.  I LOVE learning about the Amish culture.  I find it super interesting.  At one point she breaks up an underage drinking party where a bunch of Amish kids are throwing a bon fire...in there dresses and bonnets.  I love that.  I can just imagine driving a horse and carriage to a kegger.  FUNNY!!  Anyway.  This is a cute book.

Book 2---Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy

My mom gave me this book to read.  It was a very typical Christian Western story.  Love and guns and horses OH MY!!!  Again...good for a non-thinking book.  The main character is a cowboy who is in love with a wild women.  She has been raised by Indians for most of her life and lives like a Native American.  They have a few mishaps in the book and have to fight against some cattle thieves/Indian killers.  Cute little happy love story.  Not gonna win the Pulitzer.

Book 3--Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

This book was labeled as a Christian book, but I think they got their stickers mixed up.  This was CLEARLY a fantasy book.  IF it is a Christian book, it must be a VERY deep metaphorical book that I did not understand.  Anyway.  After getting over the fact that it was about dragons and far away lands, I kinda loved this book.  It was TOTALLY different from what I normally read.  I am not really a Sci-Fi fantasy kinda gal---Yes I read Twilight.  BUT this one kept me hooked.  The main character is a Princess who is beginning to get suitors.  She is trying to find her true love when her kingdom is attacked by a DRAGON.  You heard me...a dragon.  It all goes Fantasy-ey after that=)  I liked everything about this book EXCEPT...the last page which read....THE STORY HAS JUST BEGUN....Coming soon....

ARGHHH a series.  And lucky me...this one was just put out, which means the next one is probably  a year away from coming out.   Darn those dragons!!

Anyway.  I may have started of slow, but then 3 in about a week.  NOT TOO SHABBY!!!

2010 Book Review

I am still alive.  some days I do not feel like it...but alive I am!!!  I have spent VERY little time in my craft room and almost zero time sewing or doing ANYthing very productive.  BUT the last couple of weeks I have FINALLY gotten back to reading.  I REALLY like looking back at what I have read in 2010, so I want to make another list for 2011.  BUT I need to finish off last year FIRST. 

The last two books I read in 2010 were from the same series, THE KINGDOM AND THE CROWN.  I read the 1st book a while back and decided to continue on.  These books are FICTIONal accounts of the life and times of Jesus Christ.  Book 2 followed many fictional characters as they accepted Jesus as their Savior and began to join him.  Jesus is a character in the book, along with the 12 Apostles.  It is great to read the events of the New Testament (healings, miracles, teachings, etc), in an easy to read manner.  It combines all of the gospels too, making the timeline flow in a way I had never known. 

Book 2, BEHOLD THE MAN, is not as easy to read.  This book continues to story of ALL of the characters, but it focus on the last days of Christ and the death of Jesus.  Even though it was a great experience to read through these events and learn more about the Savior, it was hard to take at some times.  Sometimes I had to put the book in time out and take an emotional break.  It may have just been been because I was pregnant though =)  If you are a Christian, these books are amazing.  I would recommend them to anyone.  I think we can all stand to learn more about Jesus, and these books help make it easier. 

SOOO the grand total for the year, 39 books.  Not bad!!!  Here is the final list. 

* = a book I would recommend

*39.  Behold The Man---Gerald Lund

*38.  Come Unto Me---Gerald Lund

*37. Simply Sara--Hillary Manton Lodge

*36. Somewhere a Song---Judith Pella

*35. She Walks in Beauty--Siri Mitchell

34. Sixteen Brides---Stephanie Grace Whitson

*33. Written on the Wind--Judith Pella

32. Morning's Refrain--Tracie Peterson

31. Dawn's Prelude---Tracie Peterson

*30. Plain Jayne---Hillary Manton Lodge

*29. Bound----Sally Gunning

28. Lavender Morning---Jude Devereaux

27. The Best Of Times---Anita Stanfield

26. Angels Fall---Nora Roberts

25. Honest Illusions---Nora Roberts

*24. Splendor---Anna Godbersen

*23. Envy---Anna Godbersen

*22. Rumors---Anna Godbersen

*21. The Luxe----Anna Godbersen


*20. Sarah's Key---Tatiana De Rosney

19. The Queen's Governess---Karen Harper

18. The House at Riverton---Kate Morton

17. Twilight of a Queen--Susan Carroll

16. The King's Grace--Anne Easter Smith

15. Days of Gold---Jude Devereux

14. Crocodile on the Sandbank---Elizabeth Peters

*13. Graceling--Kristin Cashore

12. The Heiress--Jude Devereux

11. A Knight In Shining Armor--Jude Devereux

10. North by Northanger----Carrie Bebris

9. Mistress of the Sun---Sandra Gulland

*8. I Heard That Song Before--Mary Higgins Clark

7. Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich

6. Plum Lovin'--Janet Evanovich

5. Key of Valor--Nora Roberts

4. Key of Knowledge--Nora Roberts

3. Key of Light--Nora Roberts

2. No Place Like Home---Mary Higgins Clark

*1.The Writing On The Wall----Dean Hughes

maternity sweat pants--MUST HAVE!!!

Long time no blog huh????  Well as the count down to baby gets closer, my desire to do....ANYTHING gets smaller and smaller.  I have a feeling that in a few weeks it will disappear all together.  BUT I must say that this latest endeavor has been my BEST IDEA EVER!!!  For me that is....it may not have ANY use for you, but I thought I would share anyway.  I may have mentioned this before, but I get ENORMOUS pregnant.  Not the cute litte basketball belly disappears before you leave the hospital pregnant.  OH NO....I am talking almost double in size, unrecognizable as the same person BIG.  Like cannot go into public without people asking questions big.  In the last 2 days I have had a little boy at the mall point at my belly and ask(ever so politely) "WHAT do you have IN there???"  AND a little old lady in a scooter at the grocery store asked if I needed her to help me grab something off the shelf.  YES pregnancy for me is a VERY humbling experience.  That being said....I will get back to the topic at hand.  SWEAT PANTS. As a stay at home mommy I try to avoid wearing sweats EVERY day, but as a huge pregnant about to give birth mommy I am pretty much in them all the time.  BUT they are not as comfy for me for 2 reasons.  1.  I have a c-section scar that gets rubbed by them because they sit right under my belly....not fun.  AND 2.  I sometimes end up looking like this nice gentlemen....

Not Pretty!!!  ALSO...I remember after my last c-section I had a hard time finding things to wear that did not hurt my incision.....SOOOO really long story a little shorter.....I decided to hack up my sweats and make them into TRUE maternity sweats (with a full belly panel).

If you have managed to read through that monster story and are interested in your own maternity sweats.....here is what I did.

You will need:

sweats that fit (even if the waist band is snug)

an old t-shirt that fit before you were pregnant (needs to have some spandex in it)

sewing machine and maybe a serger

about 15 minutes

First, I cut the waist band off of my sweats...try to keep track of the front because it is lower than the back of the pants....this will help the panel hit in the right spot. BTW.....sorry for the blurry pictures.  I allowed my 2 year old photography nut help take the pics...she is still learning:)

 Next, I cut the bottom off of an old t-shirt.  I cut right under the arm pits because I wanted a long panel and my shirt was pretty short....you might want to measure how long you want your panel and cut accordingly. You will be using the BOTTOM hem of the t-shirt as the TOP hem of the panel, so cut with that in mind.  The shirt needs to have some spandex in it so that it streches, but does not stretch out.  I used one of my old favoriteTarget t-shirts that has the double layer in the front (anybody else have these in every color and go back every spring for more???)  I also know that GAP t-shirts are nice material to work with....but not cheap to cut up sometimes:)

 Next, turn your pants inside out and put your t-shirt tube down into the pants (right sides touching).  SOOO your bottom hem of your shirt should be DOWN in your pants and your raw edge should be lined up with the raw edge of your pants.  Then line up your side seams on both sides and pin.  This will make your panel match up to your pants and not look so HOMEmade. 

 Then, find as close to the center of your tube as possible and pin that to the center of your pants.  Next, try to match up the edges and pin.  You wanna spread the shirt evenly around the pants (although they might not match up perfect) so that you don't get huge pleats.  You may however have to stretch it here and there and have some small pleats....no biggie. Then I just sewed around the top edge with a 1/2 inch seam.  And finally serged around that seam with my serger to make it even more sturdy.  If not using a serger I would zig zag around the edge or double stitch your seam.  Maybe it is just my enormo tummy, but I need my panel to be EXTRA sturdy.  My self esteem could not handle a belly panel ripping off right now....just sayin!!

 VOILA...just turn your pants right side out and you have the most comfiest pair of sweats you can imagine.  I now have 2 pairs and seriously as soon as my other sweats get out of the wash I will be doing this to everything I can get my little hands on. 

Good luck...and btw...I won't judge you if you make these for your not pregnant self either..shhhh it will be our little secret;)

Toddler Bed Sheet Fix

SOO this  post might not apply to Anybody but me, but if you have EVER been woken up at 2 in the morning with the words "MOMMY COME COVER ME UP!!!!" screamed at you, this might be important information for you. 
Recently Emersyn has been upgraded to a toddler bed---because baby boy is gonna need the crib soon (CRAZY).  Now I WISH that she was a great sleeper, but she has always been a BIT of an insomniac.  I can probably count the amount of times she has slept through the night  in the past 2 and a half years on one hand---SERIOUSLY!!!  This is just my latest attempt to keep her in her OWN bed and quiet through the night.....Here goes.
Since TOP sheets are new to her, she tends to continue ending up with a bed like THIS...

THEN she wants to be tucked back in.  SOOOO I decided to add a bit of elastic to the bottom of the to sheet to keep it in place.  WORKED LIKE A CHAMP!!!

What you will need:

40 inches of 1/4 inch elastic

a toddler top sheet

about 25 minutes

BTW: I used THIS tutorial for fitted sheets from MADE to get myself started.  I basically followed her lead, but only on half a sheet.  ANYWAY...here are my steps.

First:  I  cut an 8 inch by 8 inch section out of the bottom two corners of the sheet.  WARNING!!!  Make sure that when you do this your TODDLER is NOWHERE in sight.  Otherwise you may have a full blown freak out because you are cutting Tinkerbell.  Just saying...

Next:  You will be making the pockets on both sides of the bottom of the sheet.  SOOO take the edges, right side together and sew your pocket.  It should look like this.  Cute huh????

I serged off the seams...JUST CAUSE I CAN---YAY!!!!  (did I mention I got my serger??)

THEN:  You wanna measure half way up the side of your sheet.  I did this very scientifically by folding the sheet in half and placing a pin at the half way point.   Then fold over the edge (starting at the pin) to make your elastic casing.  Fold all the way around the end and back to the other pin.  I just tapered off after the pin for looks sake. Iron really well.  I made my casing about 1/2 inch so that I could take a bigger seam (just easier than tiny) and fit my 1/4 inch elastic in. 

After that: Sew all the way around (from pin to pin). This is the easiest hemming ever because your sheet is already hemmed and has no raw edges---yay!!!

Finally: Use a safety pin to insert your elastic into the casing.  I left mine peaking out on either side (and hold on tight) so that I could sew it down.

FINALLY:  Sew two parallel sets of stitches to keep the elastic in place.  I went back and forth five or six times just to be safe.

TA DA!!!  You have a half fitted flat sheet....

How cool is that???  Now I only hope it keeps her little body LOCKED inside ALL NIGHT LONG:)

I tried to get an after picture, but Super Toddler could NOT wait to try out her new big girl bed.

Clearly I left her dirty and bedragled while I worked on this sheet.  I have never claimed to me Super Woman right???

Check it out...the sheet didn't move!!! SUCCESS!!!  Now I am tempted to elasticize the comforter too...just sayin!!!

I REALLY wanna sleep through the night for one more month until ALL sleep stops in our house....wish me luck:)