February Snippets

February was a short, but busy month!  We packed a lot in!

 

Claire and I did a MASSIVE re-organization of her American Girl Doll clothes.  Each outfit is now nicely housed (with all accessories, etc.) in its very own gallon Ziploc bag and stored standing up in the pink bin in the photo.  Now she just needs to learn to put everything back where she got it when she plays with her dolls! 

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year!  David spent an entire week celebrating Chinese New Year at his preschool.  They did all sorts of fun stuff, including making this fancy headpiece.

 

This little guy can go to town on some corn on the cob.  Unfortunately, he doesn't get much actual corn off the cob and into his mouth.

 

Claire has 3 loose teeth.  They have been loose for months.  Will is giving them a little wiggle to move things along!

 

Brother love!  I still love to dress my boys alike!

 

We sent some Valentine's Day goodies over to our missionary friends in South Africa.  (They were delivered via a mission trip group from our church.)  They loved all their little goodies and we loved putting together their "love" package.

 

 

Here are their girls in their shirts.  It is summer there so they can wear short-sleeve tees in February.  I'm not real sure why Target thought we could here in the USA?

 

It was actually warm enough to play outside one Saturday and Claire and our neighbor Kate had a fun time outside with their AG dolls.

 

 

While the kids played outside, I sat outside with them and read Sparkly Green Earrings.  Melanie, or Big Mama as she is know on her blog, is one of my favorite bloggers and I read her blog as soon as I sit down at my computer each day.  Her book was absolutely a pleasure to read.  And right now, the Kindle book is only $5.  I read this book in 2 days ... it was that good!  You will laugh, you will cry, you will wish Melanie lived next door to you, you will be glad you read it!

 

 

Luke has taken to undressing himself lately.  This is how I found him after his nap one day.  He had gotten himself into quite the predicament!  Not sure you can tell but the shirt is the ONLY thing he is wearing (pull-up and pants are off too).

 

Claire and David discovered Fun-Dip.  David got several packs as Valentines at school.  They both really liked it ... I mean, what's not to like about colored sugar?

 

While I was away on a girls' scrapbooking weekend, Will and his parents took the kids to a sports fest sponsored by a local radio station.  They had lots of fun and ran into several business and local sports team mascots.  Will would not let them get their picture taken with Smokey (UT's mascot).

 

Will and Claire got to go to a Vanderbilt basketball game one night.  We are thankful for friends who share their tickets with us on occasion!

 

David has to entertain himself while I work on MWF afternoons.  One day, he worked every single puzzle in our school room. 

 

Meme (my mom) has a birthday in February so my sister and I took her to lunch one day to celebrate!

 

That is all for February!

 

(And now, for one brief moment in time, I am caught up!)

30 Books in 2013

30 books in one year?

That is a lofty goal for someone who only finished 17 books in 2012.

But 30 books a year is about 2.5 books per month, which seems doable.

This is my list.  There are not 30 books on it.  I'll leave some room for extras since I am in 2 book clubs and I never know what will be chosen by the group from month-to-month. 

Here is what I am planning to read in 2013.

Fiction
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
A Casual Vagrancy by J.K. Rowling
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (re-read)
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walker
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Peony in Love by Lisa See
Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
My Antonia by Willa Cather

Non-Fiction
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle (releases in February)
Love Does by Bob Goff
No Other Gods by Kelly Minter
Unglued by Lisa Tyrkhurst
The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells (re-read)
A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon by Sophie Hudson (releases in June)
Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference by Clay Travis
BossyPants by Tina Fey

2012 Book List: Part II (June-December)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This book was recommended to me by many.  It was excellent.  A World War II story from the perspective of a German child who learned to read during the war and shared that love of books with a young Jewish man who was hiding in her family's basement.

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips
Come In and Cover Me by Gin Phillips

Both of these books were inspired by a recommendation from my high school English teacher.  I'll let you read her review.  (It's way better than anything I could ever write.)  I was able to get both books from the library and liked them both very much.  The Well and the Mine was a quick read.  It took me about 100 pages to get into Come In and Cover Me, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

A bestseller and probably the most page-turning book I read this year.  I couldn't put it down.  I even read it on my phone at my nephew's birthday party when I was close to the end because I couldn't wait to find out the ending.  You may not like the ending (I really didn't care for how it ended) but it is a thriller nonetheless.  I've heard they are making a movie and Reese Witherspoon plays Amy (the wife).  Can't wait to see that!

Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

We read this in our LifeGroup at church and it was really good.  It will really change the way you think about prayer and change the way you pray. 

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Art Stein

This book was interesting and narrated by a dog!  For those of us who grew up with family pets, it was interesting to see the narrator's loyalty to his owner and insight into the lives of those around him.  And this sad story ended on a happy note so that was good.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik
This was a book club pick that I previously read in 2004.  I loved this book when I read it the first time, so I decided to read it again before my book club meeting since I didn't remember many specifics about the story.  I'm so glad I did!  It was just as good the second time and I had forgotten a lot!!  (Think Desperate Housewives without all the unrealistic drama!)

Little Reader: Our Favorite Board Books

Luke loves books.  More than my other kids did at this age.  When we tell him it is time to go "night, night" he runs into his room and gets a book out of his book basket.  Anytime we try to rock him, he reaches for a book.  "Book" was also one of his first big boy words.

Will reading to all the kids after bathtime one night.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is Luke's favorite book.  We read it every single night.

 

Many times, he will sit and look at books in the floor while I am doing school stuff with the big kids.  This book is a Fisher-Price Little People (lift-the-flap) book.

Some of our other favorite board books are:

Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen

Jesus Loves Me by Debby Anderson

Jesus is With Me by Debby Anderson

I'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words by Michael Frith

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

Belly Button Book by Sandra Boynton

2012 Reading List (Jan-May)

I've been reading a lot this year.  And staying true to my informal New Year's Resolution, I have not purchased any new books!  (All have come from the library or PaperBackSwap.com.)

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain
This book tells of the love affair between Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley.  They lived in Paris during the roaring twenties and kept company with the likes of Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald (and other great artists from that time period).  Think of the recent movie "Midnight in Paris" starring Owen Wilson (which I have yet to see).  I really liked this book a lot!

The Hours by Michael Cunningham
I have never seen the movie starring Nicole Kidman, but the book was excellent.  The author intertwines the story of Virginia Wolf (beginning with her suicide and moving backwards) with two present day females, who are having similar struggles (not with suicide necessarily, but with the possibilities in their lives).

Great House by Nicole Krauss
This was a book club book.  Only 3 people in my group read it and no one liked it.  I was attached enough to see how it was finished.  This story revolves around a stolen desk and the lives of people that it passes through.  I had a hard time keeping up with the different story lines.  Some intersect with others and some are connected merely by the desk.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
This was an excellent book that I had a hard time putting down.  I really want to see the movie "Capote" now.
 
Here is the book description from Amazon.com:

"On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence."

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
I cheated and listened to this book on tape so I could finish it in time for book club.  Loved it!  But highly recommend the paper copy instead.  (And I was wrong before.  I did purchase this book on iTunes-with a gift card leftover from Christmas-because there was a super-long waitlist at the library and I couldn't get it on Paperbackswap and I had to read it for book club.)

FYI ... for those of you living on another planet ... this book is about a 9-year-old boy living in New York City struggling with the death of his father post-9/11.  I would really like to see the movie now that it is on DVD.  I think the story about the boy's grandparents is equally intriguing.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
This book was really good and a quick read.  It is about a Harvard Psychology professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's at age 50.  This book is totally told from her perspective.  It is interesting to see how the disease causes her brain to deteriorate over the course of the novel.
(Genova is a Neuroscience professor at Harvard so she knows her stuff!)

The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo
I read this book in 2 days and that is a record for me.  (We were on a weekend trip when I read it, but I could not put it down.)


Here is the book description from Amazon.com:

"Rebecca never felt safe as a child. In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him—with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca’s father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family’s kitchen . . . And Rebecca’s life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family’s faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness."

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Swan House by Elizabeth Musser
A coming of age story during 1960's Atlanta.  There is a sequel called "Dwelling Place" I have yet to read.  This one was a page turner for me.

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
I love reading Andrews in the summer.  This book is set on the Carolina/Georgia shore and the characters hail from Savannah, Georgia.  This book was slow to start but then turned out to be quite the page turner at the end.  Overall, good read.

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew
I read this book upon the recommendation of my former high school English teacher because she said if you liked The Help (which I loved) you would like this book.  And I did.  In fact, I think I liked it better than The Help.  Read recommendation here.

Currently on the bookshelf (in progress):

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I've been reading the next two books for a while.  They are both good, I just always get sidetracked with something else and never pick them back up.  I am determined to finish them this summer!

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews 
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Have you read anything good?  Any books I should add to my "to read" list?

2011 Reading List

I started my booklist for 2011 here.  This is the rest of my reading list for the year. I read a lot more this year than I did last year.

I think that is due to my Kindle. (It could also be that I am really tired and like to get in bed early just to "chill" and end up reading a lot.) I also think it is because I've found some good stuff to read this year. Last year I was kind of on a bad roll of reading several long, slow, boring books and kind of lost interest.

Maximum Faith by George Barna: We read this book in our class at church.  While the book itself is not an exciting read, the premise, the ten steps along our lifelong faith journey, is a very interesting one (and accurate I believe).

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews:  This book is still in progress.  I lost interest about half-way through.  I'm usually a big fan of Andrews and quickly read her funny books, but this one just didn't do it for me.  I like it enough to try and finish it but I'll certainly put it down to read something else.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand:  It literally took me all year to read this book, but it was totally worth it.  I started it in January upon the recommendation of my sunday school teacher and many others.  It is a long book and after prison camp, after prison camp, after prison camp, I kind of got bogged down.  When I picked it back up to finish in November, it did not disappoint!  An excellent read for sure.

The Hunger Games, Girl on Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins:  This trilogy was a fun easy read.  And I'm not sure how I am going to make it until March to see the first movie.  The trailer looks excellent.  We read the first book for bookclub and then I very quickly read the next two books.  My hubby read them too.  The third book was a little slow for me and the ending of the series was a little disappointing and unbelievable, but overall, I give the series a big thumbs-up.

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell:  I picked this book up on a whim and read it quickly.  It is an interesting tale ... realistic but somewhat gory.  Maybe you saw the movie last year?  I did not.  (On a side note, this is the first Kindle library book I checked out.)

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo: Another bookclub pick.  I read this book in about 2 hours on the way to an Alabama football game.  Very good.  If you ever doubt that heaven is a real, physical place, you should read this book.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett: I have several of Patchett's books on my "to read" shelf thanks to Paperbackswap.com.  This is her newest release so I had to purchase it on my Kindle.  Totally worth it though.  Think big pharmaceutical company, crazy researcher/doctor among natives in Amazon rainforest, and secret drugs.  Interested?  I look forward to reading more of books.

The Paris Wife: A Novel by Paula McLain: I have about 50 pages left of this book.  I checked it out from the library and couldn't get it finished before I had to return it.  (I haven't figured out how to renew Kindle books from the library.  I am back on the waitlist to get it again.)  I love this book.  The period in which it is set (the roaring twenties) and the characters Hemingway and his wife encounter are very interesting.  Although this book is fiction, the lifestyle portrayel is accurate I think for writers and artists in Europe during that time period.  I have picked up other Hemingway books to read, including A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises.

Vision in White (Book 1 of The Bride Quartet) by Nora Roberts: This book was a easy read.  I've never read Roberts before but she writes a lot.  This book is about 4 BFFs who run a wedding business, each one doing a different part of the business (photography, flowers, etc.).  Each book in the quartet is about how each girl finds their own wedded bliss.  I liked it enough that I want to read the rest of the series, but not enough to run out and buy them, so I am waiting for my turn at the library.

2011 Reading List ... so far

I usually do a mid-year reading list, but this year hasn't exactly been "the year of the book" at our house. When I started making my list, I actually have read much more than I thought. Most of them were book club selections, but I read a few "my choice" books too.

Choosing to See by Marybeth Chapman. Wife of my all-time favorite CCM artist, Steven Curtis, this book chronicles their life together, including the tragic loss of their adopted daughter, Maria. This book is kind of depressing, but it also very real and touching. I cried many times while reading this book and read several passages aloud to Will because they rang so true about how Christians struggle and deal with loss and tragedies (whether great or small). I highly recommend it. But keep the Kleenexes close by. (On a side note, this was the first book I read on my iPad/Kindle app.)

Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Wells. I read this book upon the recommendation of one of my all-time favorites blogger picking it for her online book club of sorts. See discussion here. I really liked this book a lot. The Glass Castle, Wells' own memoir is one of my favorites, not only because she has an awesome life story, but because she tells it so well. HBH is an autobiography of sorts about Wells' cowgirl grandmother (kind of a prequel to her own life story). I highly recommend this book for a quick, easy and entertaining read

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Now that I think about it, I think I read this last year, but we discussed it in our book club this year. I'm right. I did.

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. This book is still in progress. I'll keep you posted.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. This one is still in progress too.

The Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. I love all things Emily Giffin. Her books are typically quick, fun reads. I read this one quickly because I borrowed it from a friend and wanted to return it before it got buried in the deep, dark depths of books known as my "reading list". This one hit a little more close to home with the husband of a seemingly perfect couple (with two small children) having an affair and almost destroying his family. It did have Dex and Rachel (from the famed "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" books that are my favorites by Giffin) as minor characters in the story, which was fun.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I read this book in one full day at the beach. The weather was cloudy and iffy so I sat inside on the balcony and read while Luke took his morning nap and then David took his afternoon nap. I did not like how the story ended and did not buy the modern day comparison between Sarah's life and the life of the narrator (whose name escapes me at the moment), but I thought the true historical story of the German Nazi occupation of France and rounding up of thousands of French Jews was interesting and something you don't typically learn about in your high school history lesson on WWII.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. This book was just okay. I've read too many stories about childhood best friends who have a major tiff only to reconnect many years later at some drunken high school reunion. But, it was an easy read and the story kept me interested enough to keep the pages turning.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. Everyone should read this book. I read it in two hours while we were driving to the beach. As a christian, this book solidifies what I hope heaven to truly be ... a place of splendor to spend eternity with God the Father and God the Son and a reunion with our loved ones who have gone on before us.

Radical by David Platt. I love how simply Platt lays out his "radical" ideas about the true calling of a christian. And I agree. Over the past year, our Sunday School class has really tried to convert our thinking to a global worldview and focus on spreading the gospel to those who have never heard it. This is a radical idea in our present-day culture where the focus is always on me, me, me.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I started reading this book back in January and it was really good. The store is about an American soldier in WWII, who survived a plane crash over the ocean only to be captured/rescued by the Japanese.) I read it avidly. I remember sitting at the table feeding Luke in his high chair and reading it on my ipad it was so good. It was a page turner. And then it kept going and going and going and I had to put it down. I thought if this poor guy gets sent to one more POW camp ... I had forgotten about finishing it until a friend asked me about it last night at church. I really need to pick it back up.

What have you read in 2010?

I started my 2010 book list here.

Sadly, I don't have a lot to add since then. Here is the rest of my list with several books still "in progress".

The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steigg Larsson

These are the second and third books in Larsson's trilogy about Lisbeth Salander. I think the second book is probably my favorite of the three, although I am only about halfway through the third book. It has not been the page turner for me as much as the first two were, which is why I haven't finished it yet. Don't get me wrong, it is still very good and I am excited to see how the story ends, but it is not something I am willing to stay up late and read (and lose sleep over).

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

I think that anybody who has children should read this book. It is a very interesting look at the successful elite and how they became successful (hint ... its a combo of very hard work and discipline mixed with some opportunity and pure luck).

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout

Nobody that read this in my book club liked this book. I have read about half of it and plan on finishing it. It is almost like a collection of short stories about people who are all connected to the main character, Olive. We liked the short stories themselves, but didn't really love Olive.

The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

I've read about one-third of this book. I like it. I just didn't have time to finish it for my October book club and started reading our November book (which I did manage to finish).

Radical by Steve Platt

I've only read about 4 chapters of this book, but so far, it is AMAZING! I don't know anybody who has read this book and not been compelled to change their lives.

Reading List for 2010 ... in Progress

So now that this year is more than halfway over, I thought I would post my reading list for the year (so far).

In no particular order ...

(1) Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This book is great. It will make you examine your walk with God. It calls us to truly give up our plans/goals/dreams in life to pursue God by serving others. You cannot read this book without experiencing a great change.

(2) Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah. Several people recommended this book to me. I really liked it. It recorded a friendship between two girls that started in Jr. High and lasted a lifetime. It reminded me of some of my own friendships at different points throughout the story. I have already received two other books by Hannah via paperbackswap and can't wait to read more of her works.

(3) The Girls from Ames by Jeffry Zaslow. This book was like a documentary about 11 girls from Ames, Iowa who were best friends (and a clique) in high school and still remain friends today (20+ years later), despite the fact that they are now spread all over the country. I found it a little unbelievable that 11 girls would have such a tight-knit group and remain close over so many years, but this book is based on a true story ... I liked reading the chapters about each individual girl and how they intertwined with some of the other girls in the group. However, I did not really care for the male author's research and commentary about "female friendships" and the insights he had regarding same. Maybe its because I'm a female and I get this.

(4) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. This book was a little slow going at first, but it ended up being a great story. I love historical fiction and this book was set in the 1940's during WWII when many Japanese-Americans were herded into internment camps. I feel like this little bit of our great country's history is often over-looked in the average high school history class and most of the girls in my book club group did not know a whole lot about it. I highly recommend this book!

(5) The Guersney Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society by Shaffner and Barrows. This book was another great work of historical fiction set during WWII (in Europe). It is not the typical concentration camp harrowing story that you typically associate with WWII novels, but a rather uplifting story of a group of Guersney islanders who were living under Nazi occupation. While there are certainly sad parts of the story, I love how this group of very different people draw together over books (whether it be poetry or cookbooks) to help them survive the tough times in which they found themselves.

(6) I Will Carry You by Angie Smith. Anyone who likes to read blogs has probably run across Angie Smith's blog before. She is such a moving writer, who can bring you to tears and uplift your soul in the same sentence. Even though I had read the story of Angie's Audrey on her blog, the book offers a more detailed version of that story along with biblical truths the guided Angie and her husband Todd through the journey of loving and losing their precious daughter shortly after her birth. Keep the tissue box nearby.

(7) Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. This book was a nice and quick read. A good vacation read as I would call it. The story had some unexpected twists and turns and was intriguing enough that I read the entire book in two days (and I wasn't even on vacation). It is about a girl growing up in small town, Georgia who dreams of being anywhere but that small town ... you can probably figure out the rest.

(8) Feathers From My Nest by Beth Moore. I read this with my Wednesday night group of girls at church (we "hang out" while our kids are in choir). This book was just a collection of stories from Beth about bringing up her girls and then letting them go. I love Beth Moore as a writer and a speaker. She made me laugh and made me cry. She made me realize that my children are only young once and I need to cherish every moment of their little lives.

(9) Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank by Celia Rivenbark. I read this book while we were driving to Orlando last week and I cannot count the number of times of laughed out loud. Poor Will, who was stranded in the car seat next to me, had to listen to me read sections of the book to him that I thought were funny. Rivenbark is a southern humorist who shares her thoughts on child-rearing, marriage, celebrity and other such humorous topics. This was a fun easy read that is such to produce a few chuckles from anyone.

(10) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. I am almost finished with this book. I have stayed up way to late reading it the past few nights. I read a good chunk of it while we were driving home from Orlando. (I love reading in the car ... thanks to my sweet hubby for driving all the way home.) I like this book so much that I have already ordered the other two books in the series to read next. The characters in this book are great and Larsson does a good job of making them come alive on the page.

2009 Reading List

I took a little unplanned bloggy break to celebrate Christmas and go to Las Vegas with my in-laws to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. This was our second trip to Vegas this year (which was totally unplanned). You can read about our first trip here. We had fun and did a lot of different things than we did when we went in June. I hope to get some pictures up soon, but I am not going to stress out about it because I have a TON of stuff to do tomorrow.

Anyway, at the end of the year, I like to do a little "here is what I read this year" list. Sadly, the list is not very long this year. I hope to do better in 2010! My list from the first half of the year is here. From that list, I did finally finish reading "Blood of Flowers" (on the plane ride home today). It was not as good as "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and it ended kind of abruptly, but it was still a good read and I am glad I finally finished it. I also read:

"Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham. This book is about an ex-NFL football player, who goes to Europe to play in the Italian football league. Like most of Grisham's non-legal fiction, the subject matter and the story was not very interesting to me. I think my husband would have liked reading it. It did make me want to visit Italy ... or at least go eat some yummy Italian food.

"The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff. This story tells two parallel tales of polygamy. One from Brigham Young's infamous 19th wife who divorced him and caused quite the controversy in the Mormon church and the other from a modern-day murder mystery that took place in a polygamist-cult. Although fictional, this story is full of accurate history about the founding of the Mormon church (beginning with Joseph Smith) and Ann Eliza Young was a real person. The modern-day mystery is also very compelling and kept me up late at night reading to find out "who done it." I look forward to reading more of Ebershoff's historical fiction.

"The Same Kind of Different as Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This book is based on a true story and very inspiring. It is about an affluent couple who began working with a homeless shelter in Fort Worth, Texas and helped changed a city. It will make you want to be a better person. It will change the way you look at the homeless population. It will make you want to make a difference in someone's life.

"Lost and Found" by Carolyn Parkhurst. This book is set around an Amazing Race-type reality show competition. There was quite a cast of characters to say the least, but most of them were pretty stereotypical I thought. It was a quick read, but not a great one. If you like reality TV competitions, you will probably like the book okay.

"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. This book is set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 during the peak of the civil rights movement. It is about black maids and the women they worked for. I had heard great things about this book and it did not disappoint. This is the fastest I have read a book all year.

A is for Apple

I picked up a couple of books about APPLES for Claire on our last trip to the library. She is learning about APPLES this month at school. We have lots of APPLE art on our fridge.


This was a cute book and apparently Apple Farmer Annie is quite the cook. There were several recipes (with apples of course) incorporated into the story. I told Claire that we would make something with APPLES while David napped on Saturday afternoon. She did not let me forget!

We decided to make Applesauce Cake because ... I like cake and I had all the ingredients. The book also had recipes for Applesauce and Apple Muffins.

Claire is looking at the pictures to tell me what we need. A bowl, a spoon and APPLES of course!

Supervising the mixer.

Sifting the flour. (This is my great Aunt Flora's sifter and one of David's favorite toys.)

Stirring the batter ... two spatulas are better than one.

All done. This really was a good cake. David ate a whole piece for his snack. Claire wouldn't touch it. She ate the cake batter and thought it was good, but didn't want anything to do with eating the baked cake. Go figure ... that means more for me! And yes, my counters really are that messy. The kitchen island seems to be the collecting point for all the junk that comes in and out of our house. Next time, I will tidy up before I take a picture!

Applesauce Cake

1/2c. butter

1c. sugar

2 eggs

1-1/4c. flour

1/2t. baking soda

1/2t. salt

1t. cinnamon

1/2t. nutmeg

1/2t. allspice

1c. applesauce

2/3c. raisins (optional)

Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs; beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and spices. Add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce. Stir in raisins. {Claire vetoed the raisins} Pour batter into 9-inch greased tube pan. Bake at 375* for 45 minutes or until browned. Cool; spread with butter frosting (2T. softened butter, 2c. confectioners' sugar, 1t. vanilla and 3T. milk: cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add milk and stir well. Frosting should be smooth and easy to spread.)

For your reading enjoyment ...

What? No pictures? I love to read. I used to read a TON. That, of course, was B.K. (before kids). I had my nose in a book all the time.

Now, I barely manage to finish one book for my monthly book club group. Much less read anything extra.

Here is my reading list for the first half of 2009.

"New Moon", "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" by Stephanie Meyer. Books 2-4 of the Twilight series. The first book, "Twilight", was probably still my favorite of the four. You definitely need to read the entire series though.

"Marley and Me" by John Grogan. This was our book club book for January. It was good, but I got busy and never finished it. I figure I can always watch the movie, even though I heard it is a little different from the book.

"The Shack" by William P. Young. This was our book club book for February. I think every one should read this book. It didn't "change my life" as many people say it did for them, but it did make me think about the holy trinity from a completely different perspective and re-evaluate my relationship with Christ.

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. This was our book club book for March. Only 3 people read it. Myself not included. I read about half of it. It was good, but I didn't finish it before our book club meeting and it got laid aside so I could finish other books.

"Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos. This was our book club book for April. I finished this book on the plane trip home from Vegas. Its about finding love in a very unusual way ... the love of a child and the love of a friend.

"What Remains" by Carole Radziwill. This was our book club book for June. I finished this book on the plane out to Vegas. If you like reading gossip magazines, this book is for you! It is filled with an inside look into the life of the Kennedy's-specifically the JFK, Jr. and Caroline generation. It is written by the wife of JFK, Jr.'s cousin, who is the child of Jackie Kennedy's sister, Lee (who married a European prince). It chronicles their short marriage, her husband's battle with cancer and the plane crash that took the lives of JFK, Jr. and his wife.

"Blood of Flowers" by Anita Amirrezvani. This was our book club book for May. I missed book club this month. This book is still in progress. It is about the life of a young Iranian girl who becomes a rug maker. It is supposed to be very similar to "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khalid Hosseini, which I LOVED.

"The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs. This is our book club for July. It's an easy read so far (about halfway finished now), but its about a group of ladies who meet every Friday night at a local yarn shop in NYC to knit. As you suspect when a group of women get together, there is a lot more than knitting going on at these weekly gatherings!

2008 Reading List

I love to read. One of the most relaxing things to me is to lay down with a good book ... on the couch ... on the beach ... on the back porch. Wherever really. Here lately, I have been doing a lot of reading in the car. It is the only time that both the kids and Will are otherwise occupied (with the DVD and radio) and don't need my constant attention. Here is my reading list from the year (in no particular order).

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury. A christian fiction book about a NFL-quarterback and his long lost son. A sweet story, but slightly unrealistic.

Annie's People series by Beverly Lewis. This trilogy about the Pennsylvania Dutch includes The Preacher's Daughter, The Englisher and The Brethren. I love reading about the Amish community. Maybe it is because my mother grew up down the road from the Mennonite community in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. I remember seeing their horses and buggies coming down the road anytime I visited my grandparents.

The Other Women by Jane Green. Green writes a lot of popular chick lit books and I had never read one before. I picked this one up used and read it while we were in Disneyworld. It was a funny, but a typical British romantic comedy (think Bridget Jones). By the way, the other woman was the lead character's mother-in-law. I'm not ruining the book by telling you that.

Someday and Sunset by Karen Kingsbury. These are the final books in Kingsbury's Sunrise series, which is the third series (and books #13 and #14) about the Baxter family. These books are a little cheesy and sometimes unrealistic, but they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and really suck me in. I love the Baxter family and I am sad that the series is over, but I'm a little relieved to not have to read about them anymore!

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. This is such a funny book and a great read for the holidays (and a quick read-I read it in 2 days). I also read Savannah Blues and its sequel Savannah Breeze by Andrews in my book club this year. Andrews is a great southern humorist and all of her stories take place in Savannah, Georgia. I can't wait to read her other books. They are waiting on my bookshelf for 2009!

Other book club books for 2008 included Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane, Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson and The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. Snow Flower was definitely my favorite on this list, which is a book about the art of Chinese foot binding. I love reading about the Asian culture as Memoirs of a Geisha and The Bonesetter's Daugher are some of my other favorite book club reads. The Double Bind was also a great read that is loosely based on The Great Gatsby, one of my fave high school summer reads.

Pop-culture drew me in to read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I hope to see the movie before it leaves the theaters, but I am guessing I am going to have to catch it on On Demand or rental. I am currently reading New Moon, the second book in the Vampire series. I hope to finish it before the end of the year.

My bible study group read What Happens When Women Say Yes To God by Lysa Terkhurst and Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. Say Yes was a great book although we all thought Terkhurst seemed a little cheesy. However, each of us had what we called a "Lysa Terkhurst" moment during the course of the study so we thought maybe she was on to something after all. Sacred Parenting is a great book about how parenting shapes us (the parents) as individuals and a great read, but I do not recommend using as a bible study book. It did not lend itself well to group discussion.

I am still trying to read Mary by Janis Cook Newman, my book club book from October and November. When I didn't finish it in time for our group discussion, I kind of moved it to the bottom of my reading stack. Hopefully, I will finish it in 2009 because it is a very interesting fictional account of the life (and "insanity") of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Book Club Buddies

Last Saturday night, I had the rare chance to get together with all of my girls from book club (minus Jessica J.) and their spouses outside of book club. We were celebrating Claire's (in the center) 30th birthday. I think she is the baby of the group and the last big 3-0 hooray for us. From left to right we have Kelly, Marianne, Holly, Claire, Me, Suzanne and Colleen. These girls have really been a core group of friends to me and I can always count on them if I need anything. I am very thankful for their friendship.

My book club group started in August 2003 and Marianne, Holly and I were in the charter group. Holly is one of our founders. We have lost of few good people along the way to new towns, other committments, etc. We do not typically have very academic discussions about the books we read, but it is nice to read a book and get together for a little "girl time" each month.

For those of you who are readers, here are some books I liked and disliked that we have read over the past 5+ years. (I cheated and peeked at Melissa's list on her blog because she was in our book club for a long time before she migrated to another book club.)

Likes:

"The Time Travelers Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger

"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arther Golden

"The Bonesetter's Daughter" by Amy Tan

"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See

"The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khalid Hosseini

"Lucia, Lucia" and the Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani (I've read all of her books and they are wonderful)

"The Other Bolelyn Girl" by Phillipa Gregory

"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

"Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" by Lorna Landvik (another favorite writer that I have read everything she has written)

"Cane River" by Lalita Tademy

"The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

"The Double Bind" by Chris Bohjalian (this book puts an interesting spin one of my favorite classics-The Great Gatsby)

"Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers (this book is a tear jerker. I read it in one day-I could not put it down)

"My Sister’s Keeper" by Jodi Piccoult (I am NOT a fan of Piccoult, although she typically writes about current controversial issues that are big sellers, this book I liked)

Dislikes

"Wicked" by Gregory Maguire

"The Mermaid Chair" by Sue Monk Kidd (her first book, the Secret Life of Bees, was great)

"The Ten Year Nap" by Meg Wolizer (I did not finish this book after reading 100 pages and that is rare for me. I always finish books, even if I don't like them.)

"Paradise" by Toni Morrison (This is probably a modern-day classic, but I just thought it was weird)

"Goodnight Nobody" by Jennifer Weiner (All of her other books are classic chick lit books, which I loved -think "In Her Shoes" - but this one was just not good)

UPDATE: I am currently reading the following:

"Creative Correction" by Lisa Welchel

"The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian

"Mary" by Janis Cooke Newman (our book club book for October/November)

"The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck (a classic I was inspired to re-read by my high school English teacher. Check out her book blog.)