Monday stuff

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend.

This past week I have been grateful for:

*My family

*A cookout at work

*A weekend doing relaxing things (ie: not work)

*A little scrap time

*Reading a fun book

*Rum & Coke

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On a Cubs note....Kerry Wood (one of my favorite players) announced his retirement this weekend. I'm sad to see this era ending but glad he knew when to call it quits. I hope he & his wife keep up their charitable work in Chicago.

Thanks for the memories, Kid K!

Photo from chicagotribune.com

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3:30 pm: My observation for today:
If the full moon makes people act crazy, the solar eclipse has made people STUPID!!!!!  Good grief!

Have a super week!

Quick post - blog hop

Here's a link for: Chick Lit Blog Hop    "Hop" on over, check out their blogs and leave a comment for a chance to win an e-book.
Also, each author has an italicized word in his or her post - collect all 34 words and e-mail them to:   CLABlogHop@aol.com   before midnight on May 20, 2012 for a chance to win a Sephora gift card.
Join the fun!!!!!!!

My favorite life reminder!

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work everyday some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.

I have read the book by Mr. Fulgham several times. I love it!  I find that those things you learned in kindergarten hold true all through life.
 
Thank you for the book and reminders, Mr. Fulgham!!!

Monday gratitudes

*Mother's Day well wishes
*A gorgeous day on Sunday
*Some scrapbooking time (photos to come...)
*Our rose bush about to bloom
*A pretty week (weather wise) ahead

Drama ensues

I am surrounded by it!!!!!! 

But I classify drama into two categories - funny and not-funny.  Funny usually has to do with something crazy going on at home.  The not-funny is usually related to work something or other...

Not-funny:  Girl arguments at work and snide comments. Annoys me to death!!!!  Seriously, sometimes I wonder how old the people are that I work with.  My new motto:  I show up and shut up.

Funny:  DD sitting grumpy at the kitchen table on Tuesday morning and when I ask why she's grumpy, she says (with a VERY dramatic sigh...) "You don't love me anymore." (and turns her face away from me - seriously, this girl need to think about getting into acting!)
Oooooookay....I can't wait to hear this...  "Why don't I love you?"
"Well....IF you loved me, you wouldn't make me go to the dentist today."
Ahhhhh...the root of the problem.  "Well, I make you go to the dentist because I DO love you!"
She looked at me with a quizzical look and says "It doesn't seem like something you would do if you love me."
I sigh quietly, shake me head and give her a hug.
She did finally get over the grumpies and did GREAT at the dentist. (She even happily declared that she got to watch TV while they did her filling and impression)

May you have a drama-free weekend!
Thanks for stopping by - HUGS!

Friendship

"Make new friends, but keep the old..."

I think we've all heard this. The older I get, the more true it becomes for me.

In this day and age, it's easy to "meet" people on-line and get to know them. I have had the honor of meeting some wonderful people on-line in different forums, message boards and blogs. Some of them I continue to be in contact with them, others have gone by the wayside.

Do I still treasure my elementary school/junior high/high school friendships?  ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!  I am still friends with many of my school classmates.  Are we as close as we used to be? I don't think so - we don't see each other as much as we used to and we all have our lives/kids/work to deal with.  We keep in contact as we can though. Do I treasure my on-line friendships?  YES!!!!!  Many of these ladies know quite about my life and are "shoulders" to lean on.

I think that ALL my friendships I have had over the course of my life - no matter how short or long they may have lasted - have all helped shape me and how I handle different relationships. 

I hope everyone has treasured friendships in their lives!

Wordless Wednesday

July, 2007

Monday gratitudes

*A nice family weekend
*The blessing of modern technology
*The flowers blooming
*Family and friendship

Read these...

 

On Folly Beach
by Karen White

I gave this 4 of 5 stars

From the publisher:

Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it's the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own...

To most people, Folly Beach is simply the last barrier island before reaching the great Atlantic. To some, it's a sanctuary for lost souls, which is why Emmy Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly's Finds, hoping it will distract Emmy from the loss of her husband.

Emmy is at first resistant. So much has already changed. But after finding love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree in a box of used books from Folly's Finds, she decides to take the plunge. But the seller insists on one condition: Emmy must allow Lulu, the late owner's difficult sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from its back yard.

For the most part Emmy ignores Lulu as she sifts through the love letters, wanting to learn more. But the more she discovers about the letters, the more she understands Lulu. As details of a possible murder and a mysterious disappearance during WWII are revealed, the two women discover that circumstances beyond their control, sixty years apart, have brought them together, here on Folly Beach. And it is here that their war-ravaged hearts can find hope for a second chance...

My review:
I loved the characters in this story and the writing style of Ms. White, between present day and WWII era.  The story of love and sacrifice was wonderful.

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Five Fortunes
by Beth Gutcheon

I gave this 4 of 5 stars

From the publisher:
Witty, wise, and hope-filled, "Five Fortunes" is a large-hearted tale of five vivid and unforgettable women who know where they've been but have no idea where they're going. A lively octogenarian, a private investigator, a mother and daughter with an unresolved past, and a recently widowed politician's wife share little else except a thirst for new dreams, but after a week at the luxurious health spa known as "Fat Chance" their lives will be intertwined in ways they couldn't have imagined. At a place where doctors, lawyers, spoiled housewives, movie stars, and captains of industry are stripped of the social markers that keep them from really seeing one another, unexpected friendships emerge, reminding us of the close links between the rich and the poor, fortune and misfortune, and the magic of chance.

My review:
I loved the cast of characters and how their lives all entertwined at camp and in their "everyday" lives after they had departed camp.  It was a wonderful, touching story and well written.
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Girl in Translation
by Jean Kwok

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars!

From the publisher:
When Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day, Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the more difficult truths of her life like the staggering degree of her poverty, the weight of her family's future resting on her shoulders, or her secret love for a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition. Kimberly learns to constantly translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.


Through Kimberly's story, author Jean Kwok, who also emigrated from Hong Kong as a young girl, brings to the page the lives of countless immigrants who are caught between the pressure to succeed in America, their duty to their family, and their own personal desires, exposing a world that we rarely hear about. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, Girl in Translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an American immigrant-a moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation.

My review:
I had some reservations when one of my reading groups picked this as a monthly selection.  But this book sucked me in immediately! It was a coming-of-age story of a Chinese-American girl as she dealt with what life was like for her & her mother in the United States. I laughed and cried through this one. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

I apologize for the delay in getting book reviews posted - I will certainly try to be more timely with these!!!!

Book Review: Dancing Naked in Dixie

by Lauren Clark 

Her website:  Lauren Clark Books



artwork from goodreads.com

From the media sheet:
The Story:

Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fastforward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.

With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she's offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.

Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia's story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?

My review:
5 stars out of 5

I was fortunate to get an ARC of this book!

What happens when a big city journalist gets sent to a small Southern town on an assignment she's dreading? Chaos, surprises, hilarity and good ole Southern hospitality. I loved Julia from the start, she's my kind of gal - busy, disorganized and honest to a fault. Shug and the Jordan family struck me as the stereotypical Southern family and I am ready to go visit them.  The characters were wonderful in this story. The story was engrossing and enjoyable.

This book makes this Yankee long for Southern hospitality. :)

Thank you, Ms. Clark for asking me to preview this book, I feel honored. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to see what you write next!
 
 
Dancing Naked in Dixie is set to be released May 21, 2012.  I hope you'll pick it up!

Tales from the Library, part 5

Happy May!!!!

This installment of Tales I would like to call: 

Mom Embarasses Daughter

As I stand at the circulation desk (with my back to the patrons) I hear:
"MOM!" (in an panicked voice) "You can't get those!" 
Hmmmm....this sounds interesting, I think to myself. So I casually turn around (I hate to miss something good, you know!) and see mom and probably her junior high age daughter standing at the desk. Daughter is wearing "that look" (you all know the one...) and you can read EVERY thought going through her mind.

Mom says, very calmly, "I can and I am."

Now my curiosity is KILLING me. So I peek at the items in question and take a quick peek at daughter who I am pretty sure is thinking... 'if anyone from school sees this...'.  The items being checked out?

OMG - I was mentally dying laughing (any maybe choking on my laughter a little...)! 

Barry Manilow - ok; Michael Bolton - yeah, not cool.

So the whole time they are getting their items checked out, the daughter is dancing around nervously and mom is taking her time.  (We all worked very hard stifling our giggles while they were there - even though I'm pretty sure mom knew we were about bursting!) They finally collect their items and head out and the parting comment we hear daughter say is, "Well you are NOT going to listen to those while I am around you!" 

Mom's response?  "I am going to listen to them on the way home."

That did us in at the desk, we were all dying laughing.  And we heard the exasperated sigh from daughter then.

Ahhhhh - it's the little things that make you laugh!

Monday gratitudes

*A nice weekend
*A job that I love
*My family
*The chance to read an ARC of an upcoming book
*Taking a walk and playing "tourist" in our town

TGIF!!!!!

After a long, rather emotional week - I am glad to see it coming to an end. I'm looking forward to the weekend.  I am working at the "book place" tomorrow and so far, have nothing planned but perhaps a trip to the laundromat on Sunday.  Maybe I'll get some movies watched and reading done.

What do you have planned for the weekend? I hope it's a great one for you!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, Day 3

KNIT & CROCHET BLOG WEEK 2012

Day 3, Today's topic:
Your Knitting Or Crochet Hero
Blog about someone in the fibre crafts who truly inspires you. There are not too many guidelines for this, it's really about introducing your readers to someone who they might not know who is an inspiration to you. It might be a family member or friend, a specific designer or writer, indie dyer or another blogger. If you are writing about a knitting designer and you have knitted some of their designs, don't forget to show them off.

My response:
I would say that I have two yarn arts heros. (In no particular order...) First, would be my great-grandmothers - both of whom crocheted. There were many afghans in our house while I was growing up that they had made. I taught myself to crochet in junior high when scrap yarn came into our house from them. Second would be my sister. She taught me how to knit - she's an amazing knitter and I LOVE looking at her projects. (She also sews a lot too...) You can check out her blog here: CHEESE PIRATE. She's amazing! If you are on Ravelry, you can check out her profile to see her projects: CHEESE STICKS ON RAVELRY. I hope to someday aquire the talent she has in her pinky finger but won't hold my breath on it.

Thanks Grandmas and Sis for the inspiration!!!!! You are all amazing!

Post tag: 3KCBWDAY3

Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, Day 1

KNIT & CROCHET BLOG WEEK 2012

Day 1 topic:

Colour Lovers
Colour is one of our greatest expressions of ourselves when we choose to knit or crochet, so how do you choose what colours you buy and crochet or knit with. Have a look through your stash and see if there is a predominance of one colour. Do the same with your finished projects - do they match? Do you love a rainbow of bright hues, or more subdued tones. How much attention do you pay to the original colour that a garment is knit in when you see a pattern? Tell readers about your love or confusion over colour.

My response:
In reviewing my completed projects...most of them seem to be done in neutral colors. The exception seems to be baby blankets. I guess I am finding that I need to explore more into the world of color. (another goal to work toward...)
As far as the attention paid to the color the original pattern is done in...I would say that I look at the pattern color and see what others have done with that pattern, sometimes it doesn't look right with a certain type of yarn or color (in my opinion!).
I adore "colorwork patterns" (ie: patterns knit or crocheted with multiple colors) but I have not had the nerve to try them.

Tag: 3KCBWDAY1

Best dressed dolls

Ok, so maybe not the BEST dressed dolls, but dolls with more clothes!!!!

DD has had me slaving away at the sewing machine...here's what I've gotten done so far and there are more outfits cut out.

The jeans, coat and beret (in next photo) are from McCall's M6137

This outfit is from the American Girl Store - my mom bought it for DD - it is really cute!

The polka dot dress (left) is from McCall's M6370 and the nightshirt (right) is from McCall's M6137

Thanks for taking a look!

I did get some scrapping done today and will get that posted at a later date. Most of the next week's posts will be devoted to Knit & Crochet Blog Week - feel free to stop by if you are interested.

Have a great week!

A cropping I will go

Looking forward to a scrapbook crop tomorrow. I'm going with my mom to a friend's, who hosts them. (I don't think I've been to a crop in about 2 years...)

Hoping to get a start at our San Fran/Hawaii trip scrapbook.

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

April, 2012

Knit & Crochet Week

KNITTING & CROCHET BLOG WEEK 2012 TOPICS

I need to start preparing these for next week. I hope you will join in the fun! If you do, please let me know so I can stop by your blog! :)

Scrappy stuff

Following are some misc scrap projects from the past couple of years. Thanks for looking!

A pictoral catch up

Attention yarny craft friends: I hope you will join me in participating in KNITTING & CROCHET BLOG WEEK 2012. I participated last year and loved it. I hope you will join in for at least a day of it.

DD & my mom at American Girl Place - we had a GREAT time!

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For my birthday, we went hiking - it was a very enjoyable day!

DD thought this was a "huge waterfall"

Spring reflected in the lake

We spent a day of DD's spring break in Springfield.

Here are my two "weenies" at Cozy Dog Diner (birthplace of the corndog) - I do have to say, it was a GREAT corndog!!!!!

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My 52 photos in 52 weeks project continues:

WEEK 9 - work

WEEK 10 - down

WEEK 11 - sign

WEEK 12 - door

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I'm hoping my Cubbies will come around here - it's been a rough 4 games so far. Good thing it's a long season!

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I will try to get some book reviews up soon. I know I'm WAY behind on those....

Also, I will get the doll clothes I've sewn posted soon too.

Wow!

It's April! March literally flew by. Thanks to the anonymous "fan" who requested a new post and got me going again...

I had a nice day in Chicago with my mom and daughter last week. We went to American Girl Place as DD's Christmas/birthday gift from my mom & dad. I'm not sure if DD or mom had more fun! :) She got another doll and picked out a couple little things.

We had a nice day last Saturday. We went hiking at two of the state parks (2 of the 3 for my 2012 goal...). It was a cloudy, chilly morning. With the unseasonably warm weather, the nature was out and there were quite a few people on the trails. We had a picnic lunch in the van then the sun came out for our afternoon hike. (I'll post pictures soon!)

I've been busy sewing the past few weeks - lots of doll clothes to make... I've enjoyed it for the most part (don't get me started on the doll dress I'm working on now...) I'll try to get some pictures of the clothes up soon.

I'm still working through my 52 photos in 52 weeks project for this year. The Knit & Crochet Blog Week is coming up at the end of the month - so I plan to participate in that also.

I'll close for now and try to get pictures up soon!

Have a Happy Passover and/or Easter!

Serenity

I may have found my zen.

Baseball!

Laugh if you want, but I find it relaxing. I know there are those who say, it's a boring sport; it's so slow. Hence, why I find it relaxing.
I came home for a bad afternoon at work, hubby had the Cubs spring training came on. There were Len & Bob calling the game with the crowd noise in the background, the crack of the bat hitting the ball. Ahhhh... I felt much better after a few minutes.
Do I get excited and wound up about a game? Yes. But I still find it soothing.

Play ball!!!!!
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PS: The London Olympics are 126 days away! We are all looking forward to them at our house.

Wisdom

The older I get, I find that pieces of wisdom and insight come from many unexpected places, things and moments. Yesterday, I experienced a moment of wisdom from our daughter (who is sometimes wise beyond her years...).

We went to the zoo yesterday (it was a PERFECT day! - sunny, slight breeze, almost 80) and the animals were all outside and the plants are budding and blooming. More than once, our daughter said a couple of times, "Do you hear all those birds?" I think there are still sounds that amaze her.

Since she got her hearing aids two years ago, the birds are something she can hear now (a sound that she never heard for almost 6 years!). It's one of those things we took for granted. I will never forget the first time she heard them, she got to call me from school to tell me she could hear birds tweeting. I cried and laughed when she told me, then told my co-worker who did the same thing. It's amazing the little things we sometimes take for granted!

As we were walking around the zoo yesterday, she was armed with her camera, she said to me at one point - "I am glad that I can see. If I can't hear everything, that's ok, but I would have to be able to see everything." The wisdom of an 8 year-old, and I think I agree with her. It amazes me how sometimes a small comment can get me choked up.


Disclaimer: I don't share these stories for reasons of sympathy or pity - I'm not sorry she has a profound hearing loss (anymore than a parent feels for their child who isn't "normal"). I share these stories because they are part of our lives and I find that sometimes when something is 'new' to her, it reminds me to step back from my crazy/busy life and take in the 'new' and 'small' things that are around me everyday and appreciate that I can enjoy them. I hope you will, too!

This guy...

Believe it or not.... was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society a couple of weeks ago.
We are very proud of him!

23 days

until the Chicago Cubs opening day!!!!

Here's to a decent season...

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On another note...

You know it's going to be a good day when you leave the house with your slippers on and you don't realize it until your hubby yells out the door "You have your slippers on!"

Are you sure it's not Monday???? (thank goodness, it's NOT!)

In case you didn't know...

I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My "baby" brother and his wife are expecting - 2 days before their 1st anniversary. Exciting!!!!!

The baby gift ideas are running around in my head....

Websites

Check out the websites of 2 of my favorite artists:

Expressions by Emily Rood
Phil Rood Illustration

Not that I'm counting...

but....

123 days til I see my man

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me from my hubby!

52 in 52

A collage of the first 8 weeks of my 52 in 52 for this year. I am really enjoying this project!

Picture heavy

Happy March!!! Wow this year is flying already....

We took the kids to Disney on Ice for DD's birthday. This is what I get when I ask for a "nice picture" of the two of them.... I guess I have to settle for this as my "nice picture"
Tiana's story (Princess & the Frog)


Cinderella & Prince Charming

Rapunzel & Flynn Rider flying

M & M

Finale - all the Princesses and their Princes

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We all went to our first rodeo. We all had a GREAT time!!!!

She bragged to everyone that she met "real cowboys" (I think she was a little smitten with a couple of them). DH told her that the table better stay between her & the cowboys! :)

And pre-season baseball games start today!!!!! A month until regular season starts...