This book was in a bag of books from my aunt. I've read a couple of her novels before and this one left me with the same impression. The story was enjoyable but she does like to make a story far longer than what it needs to be. I'm not afraid of a long book - some of my favorite reads are hugely long. I just want the length to mean something and to me, this novel didn't do it for me. For a free book - it was enjoyable and if you enjoy her style of writing you may enjoy this. As for my opinion: 2.5/5 and it goes into the Goodwill recycle box.
I subscribe to the book of the day email and when I read about this one, it sounded interesting. I picked this one up at the library and gave it a read. I did enjoy it. Essentially it talks about how angry a person would get if someone stole their parking spot and how your perspective would change if it were a cow rather than a person. It then goes into detail about how to change your reaction to things that would normally anger you. I found some great ideas in here. I rolled my eyes at some parts too, but that's just my personality. 4/5
Book 3 - I have no picture before because I don't want to say. No, it's not porn. LOL There are certain books that would best be classified under guilty pleasures and this was one of them. I rate it 3/5. I am reading the sequel now.
Besides the secret sequel, I am also reading 2 other books - hopefully to blog about next week.
Tuesday
Updates to the bucket list...
Let's see...what have I done lately...
* chewed off 9 fingernails. With only one nail left - item 11 seems like a pipe dream. LOL
* read 3 more books. Will blog about them next.
* have a date with my Mom this weekend to learn how to knit
I think next year I'll include something about naps. Those should definitely be planned for....
* chewed off 9 fingernails. With only one nail left - item 11 seems like a pipe dream. LOL
* read 3 more books. Will blog about them next.
* have a date with my Mom this weekend to learn how to knit
I think next year I'll include something about naps. Those should definitely be planned for....
Friday
Real Tupperware VS. the Competition
This is what happens when you listen to your husband while frantically cleaning house for last minute company and stash your dirty dishes in the oven. This is what happens when despite reminding each other not to forget that we've done this - we forget. This is what happens when you forget that you have done this and then turn the oven on a few days later. This is what happens to Tupperware and Rubbermaid when left in a preheating oven for about 10 minutes....
Ahh tupperware....hot but not bendy.
Rubbermaid fail.
Ahh tupperware....hot but not bendy.
Sunday
Organize It
I'm a little lazy when it comes to laundry. I don't want to sort a whole lot so I have 4 groups: Normal wash & dry, delicate wash - no dry, sheets and finally towels. As the dirty clothes/stuff get removed they get put into the correct bin right away (sheets & towels are combined in the bin for purposes of space). This fun sorter comes from Costco!
Gift wrap. I had vague imaginings of having a gift wrap station in my scrapbook room. The roll wrap would be mounted on the wall. There would be a slide out knife block style working surface for wrapping...it was marvelous. As it turned out I own a lot more crafty supplies than I thought and the gift center was put into our closet. Still - things are sorted into their places and it does the trick. The top drawer of the narrow 3 drawer is bows. The middle drawer is gift tags, tape and wrap cutter. The bottom drawer is ribbon and ties. The top drawer of the larger cabinet is tissue paper. The middle drawer is flat wrap and the bottom drawer is gift bags. All roll wrap is off to the side stacked inside a square box. These containers were bought at London Drugs.
Gift wrap. I had vague imaginings of having a gift wrap station in my scrapbook room. The roll wrap would be mounted on the wall. There would be a slide out knife block style working surface for wrapping...it was marvelous. As it turned out I own a lot more crafty supplies than I thought and the gift center was put into our closet. Still - things are sorted into their places and it does the trick. The top drawer of the narrow 3 drawer is bows. The middle drawer is gift tags, tape and wrap cutter. The bottom drawer is ribbon and ties. The top drawer of the larger cabinet is tissue paper. The middle drawer is flat wrap and the bottom drawer is gift bags. All roll wrap is off to the side stacked inside a square box. These containers were bought at London Drugs.
Valentine's Day Cards
Tuesday
A few more books off the list...
I liked this book. It was small like a pocket book and had tons of great colorful pictures. I don't think we ever grow out of wanting pictures in our books! I liked this book because I found myself nodding my head to about 1/3 of the book saying "I already DO that!" which is a great feeling. The only problem that I had with the book is that it told me that I am organized. I'm just lazy and need to clean up more. I don't like that. LOL. I prefer to think that I'm just disorganized. Maybe there a group for me...
I say 4/5 for this book.
I did not like this book at all. I'm sure she meant well and it wasn't all bad. I think I managed to glean 2-3 tips from it. The problem I had with her approach is that she seemed to think that her readers were made of money and were able to run out and buy a ton of organizational products to make everything look perfect. She did say that she has organized for the stars and since they make a hell of a lot more money than me - they can read this book instead. I gave it 2/5 stars.
This book was ok. Learning to live more simply is something that I believe we all need to do. I did find some good lessons in this book but I also found myself wanting more. I think this book could be summed up as a "Living Simply 101" with a level 2 to come? I say 3/5.
Just finished this one today. I found that I couldn't put this one down. I won't say that some parts weren't predictable because they were but it was still an easy and enjoyable read. The vague storyline is that a boy and his Mom live alone. The Mom is somewhat reclusive. Then something happens one weekend that changes everything. I give it 4/5.
My son reminded me that we finished this book last week. I read to him some nights before bed. Our copy is an old old copy that must have been dropped in ink at one time rendering the bottom corner of each page completely illegible. It's a book that I read as a kid and my son chose it from a stack of books that I had brought out.
My son rates this one a 5/5 while I give it a 4/5. Fun and very short chapters which is great for bedtime reading with a 6 year old.
I say 4/5 for this book.
I did not like this book at all. I'm sure she meant well and it wasn't all bad. I think I managed to glean 2-3 tips from it. The problem I had with her approach is that she seemed to think that her readers were made of money and were able to run out and buy a ton of organizational products to make everything look perfect. She did say that she has organized for the stars and since they make a hell of a lot more money than me - they can read this book instead. I gave it 2/5 stars.
This book was ok. Learning to live more simply is something that I believe we all need to do. I did find some good lessons in this book but I also found myself wanting more. I think this book could be summed up as a "Living Simply 101" with a level 2 to come? I say 3/5.
Just finished this one today. I found that I couldn't put this one down. I won't say that some parts weren't predictable because they were but it was still an easy and enjoyable read. The vague storyline is that a boy and his Mom live alone. The Mom is somewhat reclusive. Then something happens one weekend that changes everything. I give it 4/5.
My son reminded me that we finished this book last week. I read to him some nights before bed. Our copy is an old old copy that must have been dropped in ink at one time rendering the bottom corner of each page completely illegible. It's a book that I read as a kid and my son chose it from a stack of books that I had brought out.
My son rates this one a 5/5 while I give it a 4/5. Fun and very short chapters which is great for bedtime reading with a 6 year old.
Thursday
Bucket List Progress
Hey hey! I've added 3 more read to my bucket list and another couple blog posts. I've also posted on my recipe blog 7 times this year already - seems that I set the bar too low on that one!
http://familysquabbles.blogspot.com/
My daughter is almost completely toilet trained. She rarely has accidents during the day anymore and this weekend we are going to start transitioning sleeping starting with afternoon naps. Woot!! I have not changed a diaper in weeks!
I made Valentine Sugar Cookies last week. You can see the picture evidence on the recipe blog. They were tasty and fun because DH helped too. He is a very good dough roller. :)
As for the scrapbook retreat which I posted about below...that's in progress. Registration is Tuesday - Yay!
http://familysquabbles.blogspot.com/
My daughter is almost completely toilet trained. She rarely has accidents during the day anymore and this weekend we are going to start transitioning sleeping starting with afternoon naps. Woot!! I have not changed a diaper in weeks!
I made Valentine Sugar Cookies last week. You can see the picture evidence on the recipe blog. They were tasty and fun because DH helped too. He is a very good dough roller. :)
As for the scrapbook retreat which I posted about below...that's in progress. Registration is Tuesday - Yay!
More Books to Return to the Library
More books to return to the library today!
Picked this one up as a "Bestsellers to Go - One Week Loan". It was due yesterday and I still had half of it left. After the kids were in bed, I brewed a dreamy hot chocolate and curled up on the couch to finish the book.
It was a quick read with a bit of a twist at the end. I'd consider it "beach read" quality and give it 7/10 or maybe 6.5/10. I know that I rated out of 5 last time but I feel 10-ish today. Suspenseful but predictable at a lot of the turns. 2 brothers & a friend make a bet to see who can take home the pretty girl in the bar(named the Wild Zone). Turns out pretty girl has some issues in her life.
I got 2 really good ideas from this book which makes it worthwhile to me. I didn't get enough use out of it to own it but enough to recommend a skim through. I found their tips on work routines and clothing culling to be useful for me. Logical and perhaps easy for some - but still things that I hadn't thought of. Once read though, they had the effect of me slapping myself on the forehead for not thinking of that sooner. Rating? Hmm...6/10.
This was a fun read. Some of the topics were serious while some were tongue in cheek. This one belonged in the "bathroom books" category of life. 7/10
Picked this one up as a "Bestsellers to Go - One Week Loan". It was due yesterday and I still had half of it left. After the kids were in bed, I brewed a dreamy hot chocolate and curled up on the couch to finish the book.
It was a quick read with a bit of a twist at the end. I'd consider it "beach read" quality and give it 7/10 or maybe 6.5/10. I know that I rated out of 5 last time but I feel 10-ish today. Suspenseful but predictable at a lot of the turns. 2 brothers & a friend make a bet to see who can take home the pretty girl in the bar(named the Wild Zone). Turns out pretty girl has some issues in her life.
I got 2 really good ideas from this book which makes it worthwhile to me. I didn't get enough use out of it to own it but enough to recommend a skim through. I found their tips on work routines and clothing culling to be useful for me. Logical and perhaps easy for some - but still things that I hadn't thought of. Once read though, they had the effect of me slapping myself on the forehead for not thinking of that sooner. Rating? Hmm...6/10.
This was a fun read. Some of the topics were serious while some were tongue in cheek. This one belonged in the "bathroom books" category of life. 7/10
Wednesday
Camp Croppin' 2011
Have you heard about Camp Croppin? It's a (mostly) yearly event that takes place in Calgary. It's a fun, action-filled scrapbook weekend!
If you've come from my private blog, you know that scrapbook retreats are one of my favorite things so I am so excited to be going this year again after not having gone to this one in over 5 years.
I didn't really plan on going for sure... I was thinking about it and had sent the link to my scrappy-minded friends. None of them jumped right in and said "Let's Go!" but it was a long time before registration so it didn't matter. Then - out of the blue one night, a scrappy acquaintance sent me a message directly asking if I wanted to go. Commitment happy I dove in with both feet and said yes. I don't know my soon-to-be-roomie very well at all but she is enthusiastic about scrapbooking and that's all that counts. I'm sure we will have a great time!
I have been to Camp Croppin 3 or 4 times before. Is it sad that I've been to so many retreats that I don't remember for sure? Some things that stood out about this one are: Sooo much energy and excitement - the girls putting it on are superb at that! Lots of activities, contests, make n takes and draws going on. Great classes with great product from great companies. I remember one year a class coming out with a stack of patterned paper from the company! The door prizes were plentiful and some of them were beyond belief. Better yet - one of the best scrapbook stores I've shopped in is across the street. The only downside that I saw to the event was the lack of scrapbooking space. This year - they've improved that! By only allowing 200 registrations - there are fewer people to a table and more space to work.
Looking forward to seeing how things have changed this year after being away from this event for so many years. I'm also looking forward to seeing what my roomie thinks about it all This is her first time! I am hoping that my favorite parts of the weekend are still there.
If you are near Calgary or want a road trip, here is where you can find more info:
http://www.scrapbookersparadise.com/camp/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Camp-Croppin-2011/154330164619482
Don't delay though - registration is next Tuesday!!
Want to find out more about the store and learn some techniques? Their blog is right here:
www.scrapbookersparadise.blogspot.com
If you've come from my private blog, you know that scrapbook retreats are one of my favorite things so I am so excited to be going this year again after not having gone to this one in over 5 years.
I didn't really plan on going for sure... I was thinking about it and had sent the link to my scrappy-minded friends. None of them jumped right in and said "Let's Go!" but it was a long time before registration so it didn't matter. Then - out of the blue one night, a scrappy acquaintance sent me a message directly asking if I wanted to go. Commitment happy I dove in with both feet and said yes. I don't know my soon-to-be-roomie very well at all but she is enthusiastic about scrapbooking and that's all that counts. I'm sure we will have a great time!
I have been to Camp Croppin 3 or 4 times before. Is it sad that I've been to so many retreats that I don't remember for sure? Some things that stood out about this one are: Sooo much energy and excitement - the girls putting it on are superb at that! Lots of activities, contests, make n takes and draws going on. Great classes with great product from great companies. I remember one year a class coming out with a stack of patterned paper from the company! The door prizes were plentiful and some of them were beyond belief. Better yet - one of the best scrapbook stores I've shopped in is across the street. The only downside that I saw to the event was the lack of scrapbooking space. This year - they've improved that! By only allowing 200 registrations - there are fewer people to a table and more space to work.
Looking forward to seeing how things have changed this year after being away from this event for so many years. I'm also looking forward to seeing what my roomie thinks about it all This is her first time! I am hoping that my favorite parts of the weekend are still there.
If you are near Calgary or want a road trip, here is where you can find more info:
http://www.scrapbookersparadise.com/camp/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Camp-Croppin-2011/154330164619482
Don't delay though - registration is next Tuesday!!
Want to find out more about the store and learn some techniques? Their blog is right here:
www.scrapbookersparadise.blogspot.com
Thursday
How am I Doing you Ask?
Since I originally started this blog to chronicle my quest to stop chewing my fingernails, I figured that I should update.
My goal was to get my nails to the point where I could get my first ever manicure and I think during my last update I was down to 8 good fingernails with 2 on their way.
*hanging head down* I've regressed.
If I were forced to get a manicure now, I'd have 1 fingernail that is not embarrassing, 5 that are borderline and 4 that are awful. Sigh.
One good thing to report about this is that I've made one of my triggers disappear. My triggers are watching movies, surfing the web and riding in the car (passenger). I've just about crushed the riding the car one. I've replaced it with another manically obsessive habit instead. Isn't that better? Now I madly press my Blackberry's buttons on drives - reading Facebook updates, reading Twitter, reading emails and Google news. My husband prefers this too because I read all of these to him and he gets entertainment while he is driving.
Now if I could just fix the chewing....
Maybe I could replace that with something else...like...hair chewing? Nose picking? Making lip razzberries? Hmm...it requires more analysis....
My goal was to get my nails to the point where I could get my first ever manicure and I think during my last update I was down to 8 good fingernails with 2 on their way.
*hanging head down* I've regressed.
If I were forced to get a manicure now, I'd have 1 fingernail that is not embarrassing, 5 that are borderline and 4 that are awful. Sigh.
One good thing to report about this is that I've made one of my triggers disappear. My triggers are watching movies, surfing the web and riding in the car (passenger). I've just about crushed the riding the car one. I've replaced it with another manically obsessive habit instead. Isn't that better? Now I madly press my Blackberry's buttons on drives - reading Facebook updates, reading Twitter, reading emails and Google news. My husband prefers this too because I read all of these to him and he gets entertainment while he is driving.
Now if I could just fix the chewing....
Maybe I could replace that with something else...like...hair chewing? Nose picking? Making lip razzberries? Hmm...it requires more analysis....
Monday
A Reading Machine
Ok...I'm getting a great head start to the reading part of my bucket list. With the snow that's been coming down, we had no reason to leave the house this weekend and I was able to finish my current book.
Here is what I've read so far in 2011:
I grabbed this one off the shelf at the Public Library. I don't know why the book has the rating that it does. I didn't like it. I would give it a 2/5. It started out ok. It had a quirky idea and had the potential to go somewhere. Somewhere part way through though it seemed to lose itself and become more disjointed. Then the end came - and I hated it. It made me wish I hadn't started the book in the first place.
Whenever I see my Aunt from out of province, she gives me a bag of books for my Mom and I to read before sending them to Goodwill. This book was one of them. It was a quick, light beachy kind of read. I'd rate it a 3/5.
This is the one that I finished this weekend. I had actually seen the movie one night during random channel surfing. It was the Hallmark movie of the week which is one of my guilty pleasures. When I see a movie based on a book, I get the urge to read the book too. I liked this book. It is a slow moving, simple book that takes the reader back into WW2 times. I give this one a 3.5 or 4 / 5.
Here is what I've read so far in 2011:
I grabbed this one off the shelf at the Public Library. I don't know why the book has the rating that it does. I didn't like it. I would give it a 2/5. It started out ok. It had a quirky idea and had the potential to go somewhere. Somewhere part way through though it seemed to lose itself and become more disjointed. Then the end came - and I hated it. It made me wish I hadn't started the book in the first place.
Whenever I see my Aunt from out of province, she gives me a bag of books for my Mom and I to read before sending them to Goodwill. This book was one of them. It was a quick, light beachy kind of read. I'd rate it a 3/5.
This is the one that I finished this weekend. I had actually seen the movie one night during random channel surfing. It was the Hallmark movie of the week which is one of my guilty pleasures. When I see a movie based on a book, I get the urge to read the book too. I liked this book. It is a slow moving, simple book that takes the reader back into WW2 times. I give this one a 3.5 or 4 / 5.
Friday
The Bucket List
This is not an original idea of course but I liked it so I am stealing it.
I made myself a bucket list for 2011. Not like a life bucket list which feels to me like it should be UBER and not a New Year's resolution list which is doomed to fail from the start....but a list of things that I'd like to do this year. I've posted it here in hopes that this will prod me to accomplish some of these things.
I made myself a bucket list for 2011. Not like a life bucket list which feels to me like it should be UBER and not a New Year's resolution list which is doomed to fail from the start....but a list of things that I'd like to do this year. I've posted it here in hopes that this will prod me to accomplish some of these things.
Holiday Cookies
Welcome back! Did you miss me?
Every Christmas our family makes gingerbread cookies. This year's dough turned out a little dry but overall I think it added to the effect we were trying to achieve. This year we used my new cookie cutters that I found at Tin Box: Ninjas and Injury Men.I love the stuff that Fred and friends comes up with.
Every Christmas our family makes gingerbread cookies. This year's dough turned out a little dry but overall I think it added to the effect we were trying to achieve. This year we used my new cookie cutters that I found at Tin Box: Ninjas and Injury Men.I love the stuff that Fred and friends comes up with.
Wednesday
This and That....
Just came back from a whole weekend of scrapbooking and had a lot of fun as usual.
Here is a picture from above of the table that I was sitting at. Since I am taking the picture, you can't see me but you can see the rubble (AKA mounds of scrap stuff) where I was.
This was my third weekend coming here and the only time of year that I see my old University roommate so its a great time to catch up and have fun. Did I mention that cooking and cleaning are not allowed on this weekend? Ahhh yes.
This was my third weekend coming here and the only time of year that I see my old University roommate so its a great time to catch up and have fun. Did I mention that cooking and cleaning are not allowed on this weekend? Ahhh yes.
Thursday
Books of the Day
I am off to the library again today so I thought I'd share what I just finished...
This book was hilarious and a quick read. Both DH and I read it and laughed like crazy. I'm sure we've all seen notes like this around the office or thought about writing them at home.
I have had a few people ask me why I am a happy person most of the time. I've never had an answer for them. I took out this book figuring it might give me some insight into that. I take it as the greatest compliment in the world when someone says that I brighten their day by just being me. :) This book was both insightful and irritating. She interviews 100 truly happy people and investigates what makes them happy people. This book is insightful in that a lot of the reasons she gives for happiness are indeed things that I do automatically. I also like the beginning underlying theory of what constitutes happiness levels. Irritating - in that the book seemed like a shopping channel of excercises and techniques. Once I began to ignore these and just read around them, I enjoyed the book. :) I also know a couple of truly happy people and they ARE a joy to be around. I also know a couple of people who have such potential for happiness and yet they are stalled - THEY need this book.
This book was recommended by my parenting group so I had to request it. My daughter goes to bed at 7 and my son goes to bed at 730pm already but again, I wanted to know the reasons that they say that it's a good idea. They quote a book that I used for both kids bedtime/sleep routines. I found that I couldn't relate to this book except for the bedtimes. :) This book is written assuming that a parent stays home with their children and can follow the daily routine posted here.
Finally - one book that I own.
This one was a fast, fun, great read. It's one of those "beach books" as I call them. Not a lot of substance but addictive, light and fun. :) Highly recommended.
This book was hilarious and a quick read. Both DH and I read it and laughed like crazy. I'm sure we've all seen notes like this around the office or thought about writing them at home.
I have had a few people ask me why I am a happy person most of the time. I've never had an answer for them. I took out this book figuring it might give me some insight into that. I take it as the greatest compliment in the world when someone says that I brighten their day by just being me. :) This book was both insightful and irritating. She interviews 100 truly happy people and investigates what makes them happy people. This book is insightful in that a lot of the reasons she gives for happiness are indeed things that I do automatically. I also like the beginning underlying theory of what constitutes happiness levels. Irritating - in that the book seemed like a shopping channel of excercises and techniques. Once I began to ignore these and just read around them, I enjoyed the book. :) I also know a couple of truly happy people and they ARE a joy to be around. I also know a couple of people who have such potential for happiness and yet they are stalled - THEY need this book.
This book was recommended by my parenting group so I had to request it. My daughter goes to bed at 7 and my son goes to bed at 730pm already but again, I wanted to know the reasons that they say that it's a good idea. They quote a book that I used for both kids bedtime/sleep routines. I found that I couldn't relate to this book except for the bedtimes. :) This book is written assuming that a parent stays home with their children and can follow the daily routine posted here.
Finally - one book that I own.
This one was a fast, fun, great read. It's one of those "beach books" as I call them. Not a lot of substance but addictive, light and fun. :) Highly recommended.
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