Blogging

Wow! I can't believe it has been over 2 months since I posted anything on this blog! I have been reading, I've read several books in that time actually. I've also been crafting, not quite as much as reading though. :)

I think I'm trying to use blogging as a way to strengthen relationships and friendships with people and I am not getting much satisfaction from it. This blog is hard to keep up because I am always worried about one thing or another that someone may or may not think/feel about me. I'm incredibly insecure in my relationships (except with you mom, I totally know where I stand there, thanks).

I started this blog as an actual book club where we chose a book for a month to read and then discuss. I didn't get a lot of feedback, but it was getting a few of us "together." I think I'll try going back to this format. I will choose if no one wants to offer suggestions, but please feel free to volunteer to "lead" a discussion (choose a book and present questions/discussion).

Starting with October we will read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I will post questions for discussion toward the end of the month or by the 1st of October for sure.

So, join me if you'd like. I'll try not to take it personally if don't (though I make no promises) :) The blog will still have a little bit of everything (I'll soon be adding recipes to the mix), but I'll be heading a discussion for the book of the month once again.

Fairest ****-

I guess I just really like fairy tales.  Fairest is another book by Gail Carson Levine (author of Ella Enchanted which I loved).  I don't think I liked this quite as much as that one, but I really did like it.  A lot.  

Its the story of Aza, a girl who was raised by an innkeeper and his wife in the land of Ayortha.  In this land two things are valued above all others, singing voice and beauty.  The innkeeper and his family love her just like their own, despite her looks- Aza is ugly.  But she has a voice that almost makes up for it... almost.  Through circumstances she ends up going to the castle for the King's wedding.  The bride is from another land and a stranger to their customs.  Aza ends up in a tough position with the queen demanding things from her that she feels she cannot refuse, leading to trouble.  

I really loved this story.  I loved Aza.  I could empathize with her from the very beginning.  I loved her family and her relationship with them.  So often in books people have incredibly strained relationships with at least one member of their family and I found this refreshing.  I loved the kingdom of Ayortha, such a happy place.  I really liked the supporting characters.  The new queen even was made sympathetic, which is quite amazing.  There was romance, intrigue, friendship, adventure.  There were even some characters mentioned from Ella Enchanted that I loved so much.  That was a fun surprise.  It was a great book!  Its another young adult novel which made it an easy, quick read.  Very fun for anyone from about 8 and up, I'd think.  

Four and half stars for being a delightful, fun story with setting and characters to match.  I loved it!

Chocolate and Water Don't Mix

My craft this week is less a craft than a home-making tip... I have this DELICIOUS recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce that I made last night. I've made it before, but it has been a really long time- probably before we knew our oldest boy was allergic to milk.  Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips- semi-sweet or milk chocolate

2 Tbsp butter

1 can evaporated milk

Melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave, stirring frequently until smooth.  Add the milk, gently whisking it in.  Microwave in 30 second increments until it is thick and glossy.  It was thicken more as it sets.  Serve warm over ice cream.

So for our date last night, we had a fairy tale theme because I'd borrowed Ella Enchanted from the library to watch.  We were stuck at home, due to scout camp and girl's camp falling on the same week.  We carved soap and told tales about our carvings.  E's was a crystal ball and mine was a tower.  Then we played Pictionary with an "Enchanted" twist.  The person drawing didn't know what they were drawing, they had to do as they were told and figure out what it was.  There were three rounds; 1 where we could both see, 1 where the one drawing was blindfolded, 1 where the person giving direction was blindfolded.  It was great fun!

Finally, while we were watching the movie (which is very, very different from the book I loved so much) I made a treat "fit for a king"-- really I just wanted an awesome banana split.  I made the hot fudge sauce and the chocolate totally seized up!  It was like curdled chocolate, and I'd even bought the nice Guittard milk chocolate chips!  So I tried to mix the milk in to smooth it out, and it smoothed out, but it was the consistency of milk, not hot fudge.  What a bummer!

So I figured out the reason... I used margarine instead of butter because I don't buy butter since the allergy diagnosis.  I didn't even think about it, but margarine's second ingredient is water.  I knew that water would do that to melted chocolate, but I neglected to consider the water in margarine... so learn from my mistake and if you're ever melting chocolate with a fat- you can use butter, you can use shortening,  you could probably even use oil- never, never, never use margarine!

The Host ***-

I was conflicted as I read this book.  The first 150 or so pages were awful (for me), so bad that I just about put it down and stopped reading it.  However there are very books that I feel that strongly about so I plodded on.  I knew it had to pick up because I knew a lot of people who read it and loved it.  It did.  The story and characters became a lot more interesting and fun to read, BUT I had already been tainted by the difficult beginning it made my enjoyment less fulfilling.  That and a few other reasons to be discussed below are why I didn't give this one 4 + stars.  

I'll try to give  short overview, but its kind of complicated, so it will be simplified.  Its the story of Wanderer, a Soul.  Souls are alien beings that invade a host species, they've taken many planets and recently acquired Earth.  Souls invade with the belief that they can make the world a better place.  Once the humans figure out what is happening, many put up a fight and go into hiding to preserve themselves. Wanderer is placed in a human host that is a fighter, Melanie.  The two exchange thoughts like conversation (or arguments) throughout the majority of the book.  Melanie's thoughts, memories, and feelings become Wanderer's; yet Wanderer is still herself.  If that doesn't make sense to you, sorry, its the best I can do.  Very, very simply that is the premise.

What I liked:  I really liked some of the supporting characters like Jeb (he was probably my favorite) and Jamie.  Once they became involved in the story I started caring about what happened to Wanderer and Melanie.  I liked the suspense in parts of the story, and I liked that it wasn't overwhelmingly suspenseful throughout.  I liked parts of the romance, mostly just the willingness some of the characters showed to overlook some things, the way that the love became unconditional.  

What I didn't like:  The beginning.  I also thought it way. too. long.  I wanted Ms. Meyer to get on with it at times.  I realized that it has basically the same plot points as the Twilight series; a group of people living a separate kind of life from the rest of society.  A newcomer finds her way into the group and tries to fit despite her differences because of love.  Everything gets wrapped up neatly in the end.  Granted that could maybe be said for many authors, maybe I just haven't read enough authors multiple works to recognize it.  I wasn't wild about the end, either.  

Maybe I didn't want to like it for various reasons.  I don't know.  All I know is that I enjoyed this one, but I was annoyed by a lot while reading it.  So, there is my short review.  If you LOVE Stephenie Meyer then you'll probably love this too- if you can past the first 150 pages.  If you were indifferent with Twilight, you may like this.  There is less (though I don't know how there could NOT be less) infatuation, lusty description in this one.  I know that turned a lot of people off Twilight.  If you hated those ones for the writing style and whatnot, you'll probably feel the same way about this.  

It was good, not something I'll be reading again anytime soon, but good.  Three and a half stars for the supporting cast and fun mid two thirds of the tale.

Dining Room Crafts

I have been trying really hard to get my house decorated in a way that I love lately.  My dining room has been a work in progress for a while now and I'm making some serious progress, though I admit these pictures are not the final product.  In an effort to achieve my goal of posting a craft once a week, I decided to post these nonetheless.

I have had this painting for about 6 years and FINALLY got around to framing it!  I went to Goodwill and found a great frame and mat, I painted the frame to match the molding in my dining room and voila!  I had a beautiful piece of artwork for my dining room.

The next step was to find some fabric for a project I decided would be a quick, easy, cheap way to add interest to my walls.  All I needed was some embroidery hoops, some craft glue, and lovely coordinating fabric!  I'm really happy with how these turned out.

The next phase of my wall was a bit harder to come up with... I had a lot of ideas of what might work, but wasn't ready to commit to any of them, until I found a great little shelf for under $6 at Ross!  Then I knew a cute little teacup with flowers would be perfect to tie it all together.  The trouble was, I only had a teacup with sunflowers and blue gingham.  That didn't go with my wall at all!  My first solution to this problem was to use some scrapbook paper to cover the design on my cup, but paper doesn't mold to cups very well... so as I was trying to figure out how to make it work I noticed my fabric (from the hoops) laying on the table and thought, "That would work perfectly!"  So I got out my craft glue again....  

I roughly cut the fabric to the width I wanted.  The first step was to glue down the top edge, so it was a  finished edge.  The next thing I did was glue down each side's edge. After that was done I put a strip of glue along the top of the teacup (not quite the rim) and attached the fabric.  
Once that glue had a chance to set, I attached the fabric at the bottom of the teacup.  I did the two side pieces first, overlapping as needed to follow the contours of the cup.  Then I glued down the opposite side, so like starting at 3:00 and then doing 9:00.  Next I did 6:00 and 12:00 and then filled in the rest as needed.  I smoothed the bottom by adding a thin layer of glue over it all, so it laid flat.  
After the bottom was glued I lightly glued the sides under the cup handle.  Then all that was left to do was add flowers.  I tried just letting them sit in the cup without anything holding them up, but they looked pretty ridiculous, so I added dry beans to the cup and "arranged" the flowers and leaves.
The wall is coming together quite nicely, though I still am trying to figure out the best way to add balance.  I really want a clock in the room.  What do you think?  Would a standup clock that is taller than the flowers work well on the shelf?  In place of the candlesticks or in addition to?  The side with the hoops is long and narrow and the shelf is wide and short, what would you do to make it balance?
This picture is blurry on the top right corner of the art because there was a major glare and I tried to fix it with these results... not great, but luckily you can see what a lovely piece it is in the top photo.  My mom's cousin painted it and gave it to me at a family reunion.

The Spiderwick Chronicles ****

Recently, I read all 5 books of The Spiderwick Chronicles to my 6 year old boy.  I give them 4 stars and B would definitely give them 5.  He absolutely LOVED these books, which made my enjoyment of them so much greater.

The story is about Jared Grace.  A 9 year old boy who moves into a rackety old house with his twin brother Simon, his sister Mallory, and his mom because their dad just left them.  The house belongs to their mother's "aunt" Lucy, who is in the loony bin because she stopped eating.  Jared discovers a Field Guide that was made by Lucy's father, Arthur Spiderwick.  

The Field Guide has fantasical pictures and descriptions of faeries; brownies, trolls, ogres, boggarts, goblins, elves, and dwarves.  The house is even being cared for by a brownie (who, when upset, becomes a boggart) named Thimbletack.  The faeries can only be seen with "the sight" or if they want to be seen.

It is a great adventure story. Things I loved about it:  I really loved the reality of the relationships with the family.  I understood the anger that Jared felt and how easy it is to lose control.   I really appreciate it when  a children's book is really appropriate for children and this one was, for the most part.  I liked the descriptions and pictures of the different creatures, I felt like I could really see them, and I don't generally picture things as I read.  It was a good experience.

What I didn't like:  The only thing that I really struggled with was the kids lying.  I feel like I shouldn't be exposing my kids to these kinds of examples where they get away with bad behavior with no real bad consequences.  

It was a delightful set to read with my kids.  We have since spent countless hours playing Spiderwick Chronicles at home, we each wield a fencing sword and take on goblins and trolls and sometimes even an ogre.  Loads of fun!  4 stars from me, 5 from the 6 year old.  

Just FYI, the movie was SO incredibly different I felt like it shouldn't have even had the same name.  It was hardly even "based" on the books.  I felt like such a book snob as I watched it (same with Prince Caspian).  Just not even close to as good.

Woa!

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I last posted on this blog!!!  I have been reading and I've been crafting, but I guess I haven't been blogging much.  Well, that all changes right here, right now.

I finally got my sewing machine running after it quit mid inseam on Halloween.  It was a silly, easy thing to correct, too!  My sis-in-love Jeni always has a curse or two for her bobbin and now I can join her.  My bobbin thread was wound around itself (sort of) and that is the only reason I haven't sewn anything for 7 months!  

However, since I figured it out... I've been sewing a lot!  I just added a girl's skirt, a sword pocket, and 2 purses to my shop (check it out!).  I sewed some new pillows for my couch (per Jeni's advice, thanks Jen!) which I LOVE!  

My sewing projects have been really simple because I've been starting with finished edges.  My new favorite place to buy small pieces of fabric... Pier 1!  They have adorable napkins with patterns I can't find elsewhere.  The skirt, a purse, and my pillows were all made with napkins.  Isn't that fun?

So, OK, enough of my babbling.  In an effort to be more diligent to this blog I am hoping to post a weekly book review and a weekly crafting project.  Let me know if there's project you'd like to see... even if I have no experience with it, I'm willing to try just about anything and I'd be happy to let you know what works for me and what doesn't.  Until then...

Five Quarters of the Orange ***

While scanning friends' book reviews on goodreads.com, I added Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris to my "to read" list.  One of my friends just happened to notice that addition and brought me her copy to borrow (thanks Susan!) and I just finished it today.

After I finished I was reading some of the praise the novel had been given and the review from the Philadelphia Inquirer summed up exactly how I felt about this book.

 "Harris makes us care about her characters, that alone makes this a novel worth ready.  Her particular skill, however, is for sensory detail... Her prose reads like poetry, and it is a physical experience to fall into her imagery."

The book is about Framboise Simon (I had no idea how to pronounce this and it drove me crazy throughout the book.  Her nickname is Boise and it felt wrong to say it all western US country when its a lovely French name).  She tells the story from her 65 year old self perspective.  Much of the story takes place during the German occupation when she is 9 years old.  During this summer some tragedy takes place and Boise's mother is held responsible, thus changing the lives of her and her siblings, as well as the entire town.

The story unfolds, quite slowly, layer by layer as Boise reads through her mother's scrapbook of recipes and ramblings/journaling.  At first I didn't know what to make of the characters, not sure if I wanted to like them or sympathize with them.  I eventually did come to empathize and also like many of them.  But what is really amazing about this book is the storytelling.  Its amazing how intricately the story is woven and unfolded.  And even more amazing is the sensory detail.  You can taste, smell, and feel so much reading this novel.

However, with all that said I don't feel like I can recommend this book to anyone.  It is (like so many other "grown up" books) rated "R" for language and for some pretty dark things happening.  It is also very sad.  Some of the reviews were that it was "sweet" but I think its more like a downer sprinkled with some sugar throughout.  The downer didn't really get me down, and like I said I was able to empathize with most of the characters so I was able to enjoy it.  I really, really hate the language though.  Seriously, don't recommend a book to me if it has a bunch of swearing, I'm better off without it.  Perhaps you think this childish of me, but I am a firm believer that swearing is never necessary to a story.  As an actor, I was always able to convey the emotion without needing the language to convince the audience I really felt that way.  Authors can (and should) be held to the same standard.  When I read to Bryant, if there is a cuss word I just skip it, I don't replace it because there is generally absolutely NO need for it.  OK, I'll get off my soap box now.  

All in all, the storytelling was so well done that I was able to enjoy the book and I give it 3 stars.  I think I may have to stick with Young Adult fiction and some safe classics... darn those modern "grown up" authors.

Ella Enchanted ****-

I loved this book!  It was great.  I didn't know anything about it (if that is the way you prefer to read your books, don't read the rest of the review just know that I loved it), I just picked it up at the library because I thought I'd heard from a friend that it was  a good one.  I didn't know it was a Cinderella story, I didn't know she was "cursed" with obedience, anything.  

I have to say the reason I loved it so much was because Ella herself was so lovable.  It didn't feel contrived or beat into my head repeatedly that she was clumsy.  She was so much fun, I would definitely want to be her friend.

I love, love, loved her mom.  She is exactly the kind of mother I wish I was!  I wish we had been able to enjoy her more in the story, but her effect on Ella was consistently evident in the story.

I loved the relationship with Mandy!  She was so down to earth.  Just had a real solid head on her shoulders, I guess living a full, long life will do that to some people.  What a blessing she was to Ella.

And, of course, I loved the relationship with the prince.  How could you not?! It was fun, real, clean, everything that I remember about my courtship with my honey.  Pure delight!  I knew it had to end happy, but I seriously had no idea how it would get there.

The story was a Cinderella story, but it had such original twists to it that it seemed fresh and new.  It took me only 4 hours to read and I wished it had been longer.  I wanted to keep on enjoying all of the characters for days and days.  If you have a daughter any age over 7 probably, I would guess she'd love it too.  

I give it 4 1/2 stars because I loved it, I could probably read it again today and still enjoy it.  I have not seen the movie, I've heard mixed reviews, but we'll probably check it out from the library on watch it one of these days.  I don't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did the book, but it is so rare that I do that it comes as no surprise.  I'll try to let you know how we like it...

To read or not to read...

I've been in a reading standstill the last couple months.  I've started a couple books but, aside from the books with Bryant  and the books I listen to as I run on the treadmill, I haven't finished one in ages.  I'm not sure what I've been doing with my time... let me try to remember anything valuable that I've been able to complete in my reading abstinence. 

I covered the seats on our barstools chairs! That was exciting.  You know how kids aren't always the cleanest eaters?  Well, my kids are especially messy I think.  These chairs were covered in cute stars and stripes fabric, but trust me, it wasn't cute by the time I recovered them.  Rather than have to go through that all again, we put a plastic covering over each seat as well.  Now I can wipe them clean after the kids make a mess and the fabric stays nice and lovely.  It was a very easy project that only took an hour or two.  I wish I had taken a before picture so you could see what an improvement it is, but the after shot will have to do.

I also made some chore charts for our family.  I am always making lists of what needs to be done each day.  I had the idea remembering the checklist I see on the bathroom wall or door in public bathrooms.  There is a detailed list of what needs to be done at specific times and when its done, the person checks it off or initials it.  So, I made my own checklist.  However, mine had to be cuter than those boring and plain checklists that gave me the idea.  Mine needed to be cute, to make me smile as I look at it and eager to go back to it day after day, hour after hour.   As you all know, I need all the help I can get.  So I did a scrapbook type page chore chart... here's hoping I can find someone to laminate...

I've been making a bunch of hairbows too.  A friend asked about doing them on snap clips, so I tried making a couple... I don't have a very good selection of ribbon yet for these, so they are all the same scheme.  But I like some of the things I tried... I especially like the leaf on the flower, but my favorite is the bow, I think it turned out really cute.  

And finally I have been crocheting.  In fact, for Christmas I was able to make hats for my nieces and nephews that turned out super cute! (If I do say so myself) ;)  I asked my SIL to send me a picture of them all wearing them, so hopefully I'll be able to post that soon!

So, I guess I've been doing lots of other productive things... OK, I've done some not so productive other things too.  What can I say LOST is back!!!!  I seriously love that show! If you have been watching you need to call me so we can talk about it, I think my brain exploded with last week's episode!  And it felt so good! :)

Because you just never know...

I saw this giveaway on a friend's blog and HOLY COW!  it would be so incredible to win! So I thought I'd better blog about it too!

If you want to enter the giveaway too just visit this link and leave a comment after visiting bumbleride's website (you can get there from the link provided, as well all the details of the giveaway) telling what you love about bumberide.  For 10 additional entries in the drawing, blog about it.  

Here's good to luck to us!

For the Love of Reading

My oldest boy was having a hard time adjusting to school, I was getting notes nearly everyday from the teacher at the beginning of Kindergarten.  I was at a loss of what to do, but had some recommendations from friends to try a reward system.  He and I had recently started reading together Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and that was just what I was looking for.  

We decided that if he kept his clothespin at the top of the line during school, then we would get to read together.  If he moved his clothespin, he had to go to bed at the same time as his brothers with no reading.

The system has really worked for us.  We have read a lot of books together too.  I love that it is teaching him to love reading even more than he did before.  He sometimes feels he gets picked on because he's the oldest... this provides a special "treat" for that same title.  I also love the special time it is for the two of us.  I hate it when I miss it and Daddy gets to read with him.

So far, since August, we have read 

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Holes
• The Goose Girl
• The Wizard of Oz
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

We started The Chronicles of Narnia after our Christmas vacation.  We are reading them in chronological order of the story and he is enjoying The Magician's Nephew.  We read one chapter each night and we love it!

One of his Christmas gifts was a set of Ready, Freddy! books by Abby Klein.  They are chapter books with about 90 pages about a first grader named Freddy.  My cutie has started reading these aloud to me and we're on chapter 4.  I can already see a huge improvement on his reading skills.  His dad was reading with us one afternoon and kept looking at me in shock when he would read words like "Frankenstein," "continued," and "instructed."

I can see that this skill is giving him confidence in other areas of his life too.  Reading was never my thing as a kid.  I did read The Babysitter's Club books, but that is really about it.  I love giving my boy the variety of characters to relate to and learn from.  I think he can really relate to Freddy.  Last night as we talked about the creation of Narnia, we compared it to the creation of our world by Christ and when I asked him if it sounded similar he said, "its 1 million percent the same!" with awe and wonder in his voice.  

I'm curious what do you to teach your little ones to love reading?  How has it affected their lives? Your relationships? 

The Hunger Games ****

I just read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  It was a book I saw online that sounded very interesting, but I am always worried about reading something without a recommendation for someone who knows what a prude I am. :)  Well, a friend in my ward was telling me a few days ago about this great book she read and couldn't put down... and lo and behold it was The Hunger Games.  She loaned it to me right then and there.

I read a few pages Saturday night, but was so tired I crashed soon after I started.  Sunday I picked it up again and read about 1/3 of it.  Today, I was a terrible mother and a lousy housekeeper, but I finished it!

I really liked it.  It was different from anything that I have read, though it totally fits in the same genre as The Uglies.  I cared a lot more about the main character in this than I did in Uglies though.  I think its called dystopia, kind of the opposite of utopia.  

It was written in first person and I liked that perspective.  However, it was kind of difficult for me to get around the tense it was written in.  It was all written in present tense, as if it is happening and you're getting a play by play from the narrator.  I don't know why I didn't like it, maybe because I haven't read anything written that way before, but I found it hard to enjoy the first portion of the book as I was getting used to the writing style.

The Hunger Games are a tool used by this society to keep them in check.  24 teens are put into an environment and battle each other for weeks until there is only one left.  That one is named the winner and will have a lifetime of fame and fortune.  The Games are televised 24-7 basically, so the "tributes" as the contestants are called are always monitored by cameras.  It was really easy to imagine something like this being a reality show on some twisted network like FOX or MTV.  Each tribute has a stylist and mentor (a previous Games winner) and there is an opening and closing show with fanfare to compare with the Olympics.

As with most books that I love or hate, it all comes down to characters for me.  The reason I really liked this one is that I really, really enjoyed the characters in this book.  The main character Katniss was enjoyable (though at times I wanted to knock some sense into her).  The supporting characters were my favorite though.  I loved the stylist and mentor, Kat's family and friends.  I look forward to the next books in the series for those relationships to be explored deeper.

The ending left something to be desired, but sometimes you expect that with a first book in a series.  That's not to say that I agree that we should feel that way, but author's are sometimes too unsure of their power to lure us back, I think.  It is a Young Adult book, so it doesn't delve too deeply into human nature or philosophy, I think it could be a good book for those kind of discussions, but there isn't a lot of substance in the book to go on.  A lot of the discussion would have to be what people think the people are thinking.

I give it 4 stars.  Its my kind of book and easy to read.  I am eagerly waiting for Ethan to read it so I can talk to him about it.

The Glass Lake **

I read The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy a few weeks back.  I remember seeing it on a list of Stephenie Meyer's favorites and a friend in Oregon read it and liked it, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I must say, that while I was reading it, I enjoyed it (mostly) so it seems weird to give it such a low rating.  I even recommended it to my church book club before I had finished it.  However, as I read to the end and finished I had to retract  my recommendation.

Its not that the book wasn't well written.  Its also not that it was filled with naughty stuff.  Those are two things that will definitely ruin a book for me, this one was extremely well written and would probably be rated PG-13 for some language, sexual content and innuendo.  The thing that made this book impossible for me to highly recommend is the feeling it left me with.  

I am an emotional reader, so I tend to take on the attitude of a lot of what I read.  For example, Twilight made me as giddy as a school girl, which is one of the reasons I liked it so much.  I felt good, happy, and madly in love with the man of my dreams.  The Goose Girl, perhaps my favorite book ever, makes me feel excited about new adventures and like I can accomplish anything every time I read it.  Some books have little to no effect on me emotionally, these books are generally given 1 (or 2 stars at most) because I think the job of the author is to get me to feel something.

Ms. Binchy was  a super storyteller.  She had me feeling emotions throughout the whole book, but toward the end I was too filled with distrust and suspicion to really like the book as  a whole.  

Its the story of a family living in a small town built around a lake in Ireland.  The mother of the family married the father because she'd been left by the one she really loved and so she tells him when she marries him that she won't ever really love him the way he wants her to.  They have 2 kids and when they are 12 and 9 (I think) the mom disappears.  Everyone knew she was unhappy, so its not terribly surprising to the small town.  Although, it is very sad.  The main character is the daughter in the family.  And it covers about 6 years of life.  

The story is interesting.  Its written in short spurts of different happenings in many people's lives.  You will not get bored reading it, though its possible to get confused.  I had a hard time with many of the characters because they were so immoral.  It seemed like everyone was making choices that were purely selfish.  The town is pretty much all Catholic, yet very few behave in accordance with those beliefs or standards.  As I read on, I found myself thinking, 'Is this what people in the world are really like?!'  I like to believe that a majority of people know right from wrong and follow through with it.  Maybe I'm naive, but even if I am, I prefer to shield myself from books that are filled with things so contrary to who I am.  That is why I had to give this book only 2 stars.  It would have been 1 if I hadn't enjoyed the first portion so much, its just that yucky feeling that I still feel clinging to my thoughts, that disappointment I feel in the characters giving way so easily to the natural man.

And the winner is...

Allison!!! 

Congratulations!  I will get your prize in the mail Saturday or Monday because we are on our way out of town.

I want to thank all of you for your support and ideas.  

I will need all of you to email me your mailing address so I can send you your prize for entering the giveaway.  You can send it to kim [dot] woodbury [at] gmail [dot] com.  

Don't forget to check back often.  I hope to a giveaway every month or so on this blog.  

I will also be doing some tutorials on different items... let me know what you'd be interested in learning!

hollidaisy will be getting new items frequently too!  I'm trying to keep the prices low so that purchasing is reasonable for anyone interested.

Once again, THANK YOU!!! I couldn't do it without you!

hollidaisy grand opening and giveaway

hollidaisy is my new etsy shop. Come check it out then enter my giveaway... details below.

To celebrate I am hosting a GIVEAWAY!!! C'mon, I know you like free stuff as much as I do... the giveaway will include a Christmas hairbow, 4 Christmas cards, and 6 Christmas tree ornaments. I would love to have your help in getting the ball rolling and this is a great way to say thank you!

There are three ways to enter the giveaway, but the first thing you need to do is check out my shop. You should probably add it to your favorites so you can check back often since I'll be adding stuff pretty often. And feel free to buy anything you like. :o) After you do that, do one (or more) of these three options...

1. Leave me a comment on this post telling me what your 3 favorite things are in my shop. If you have any great ideas to make it better or something in particular you'd like me to make, you can leave that in your comment as well.

2. Post a link on your blog!!! This giveaway could reach lots of people if you all put it on your blog and then your friends put it on their blogs... be sure if you do this that you leave me a comment on this post telling me. It can be in the same comment as #1 or a different one. You'll get entered in the giveaway TWICE if you put it on your blog! (three times if you tell me what you like)!

3. If you don't have a blog, don't worry, you can still get in on the fun-though you'll still have to leave me a comment. What I would like you non-blogging folk to do is email the news and links to your friends. If you pass it along to 5 friends, you'll get entered into the giveaway. If you pass it along to 15 friends, you'll be entered TWICE!

Everyone who enters the giveaway by leaving a comment (even if that's all you do) will receive a little thank you gift to let you know how much I appreciate your help. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected on Wednesday November 26-that's the day before Thanksgiving.

So, if my math is correct, you have an opportunity to be entered into my giveaway 5 times! But you'll need to be sure you leave me comments telling me what all you've done to help me. I really, really appreciate you helping me spread the word.

Are you ready? hollidaisy here we come!

Grosgrain is the Coolest Sewing blog ever!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

This gal has some of the most fabulous designs and she does a TWO giveaways a week! Isn't that awesome!!! You should definitely check it out.

If you have a little girl, seriously, check her out. She is opening up a shop soon and I know it will be fabulous!

North and South *****

I just finished reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. The author was very highly recommended by my good friend, Dizzie Lizzie. In fact, I believe Liz said that this was her favorite book of all time.

Well, let me tell you, Liz has good taste.

I loved this book! I will admit, it was much more difficult to read than what I've been reading lately, so it has taken me a lot longer to finish than normal. That has nothing to do with how much I enjoyed it though. At first I found this strange, but as I thought about it, I realized it was like a bowl of ice cream. On the few occasions that I allow myself that indulgence, I get out a baby spoon. I take tiny bites and eat really slowly, so that I can enjoy it for as long as possible. I could only read this book in quiet moments, rather than when the kids are playing or watching a movie. So, those moments I could steal away it was an indulgence and even though I only got a baby spoonful at times, I savored it bit by bit.

This story is about Margaret Hales. At the beginning of the book she is returning to her home and parents in the southern town of Helstone from her aunt's home in London. She loves her parents very much and I love the way the relationship was built. Her father is a vicar, but develops doubts in his beliefs and feels he can no longer maintain his position in the church and thereby must leave their home. Feeling it would be too painful to be in any country that resembles Helstone he opts to move his family to as different a place as possible, Milton in the north. Milton is a manufacturing town, with all the grit and grime that come along with that. The family are shocked and despaired by the move, but make acquaintances and even friends in the new town that is struggling through its own crisis of a strike.

I loved the way the novel explored so many levels of human thought and emotion, as well as social thought and emotion. The sociology major in me was intrigued by the battle between the working class and the masters and then in the "experiments" that occurred toward the end.

I loved the romance and the admiration that was felt for Margaret. I loved the builing up of admiration and romance within Margaret. I loved the study into the role of women in different classes. I loved the way it was written with chapter titles; I thought I knew what the chapter would entail and then I was surprised as the title would be fitting to another aspect of the story. I loved the theme of faith throughout the book. I loved most of the side characters and the depth they all brought to the tale.

I think most of all, I loved Margaret. I loved the way she started as so good. And I love the way she developed and became better. I love the way she was respected by all for the way she lived and treated others even though she did not fit the "mold" of either the north or the south ladies. She was truly a commendable character and one that I feel better for having "known." She exemplary in so many ways, goodness, virtue, purity, charity, humility. The list could go on. One thing I loved about her was that she was always thinking of how to help others... I also felt very sorry for her in this regard. She would put off her own needs forever if it had been needed of her. She never thought of herself as all of these things but only saw ways to improve. Yet, she didn't really sink into self-loathing either. She was just awesome and in so many ways the woman I hope to be.

Aside from two things this book was practically perfect. Those two things for me are: the dialect of the workers in Milton and the ending. The was the dialect was written was so difficult for me to read and understand. I found myself reading some passages two or three times to gain their meaning. This, I'm sure, is a fault ofmy own and not of the writing. The ending, however was extremely abrupt and there is no follow up to the happiness we hope will ensue. All in all, though I have to give this one 5 stars. From the first moment I started reading it, I loved it. I was anxious to see where it went and I was not only satisfied, but happy as it got there. Five stars *****!

Tag I'm it...

I have been tagged 4 times in the past few weeks... they are all similar enough that I'm just going to do one. So if you're dying to know 7 random things about me, here you go...

• I love cheese! Simply delicious... although not the yucky stinky kind my brother got from Switzerland. Tillamook medium cheddar is the best!
• My closet is color coordinated.
• I love to bake... since I'm not eating treats lately, I have been making the most delicious granola.
• I love children's shows. When I was in the hospital and could watch whatever, I found myself watching Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel. I'm seriously hoping they release it on DVD, it is my favorite! I also will watch Arthur or Cyber Chase over most other shows.
• My house is always a mess. And I usually don't care, as long as its not that messy.
• I used to be a morning person, but now I'm not. I'm not a night owl either, though. I just really like to sleep.
• I'm supposedly training for a half marathon, but I've only run twice in the past 3 weeks. Go figure (just not in the direction I'm hoping for).
• I'm not really into tagging people, so you're off the hook (unless you want to do it).

Auction and Giveaway on My Tiny Star

An amazing artist, Star, is having a giveaway and auction on her blog. All proceeds of the auction go to the NieNie fund. You should definitely check out her work! You can also go to her etsy shop.

I hope to be getting my etsy shop up and running by Thanksgiving, but I've got a lot of work to do. I'll keep you posted on the progress!