Life is still continuing to get more and more frustrating. Things (that I still can't talk about yet) are progressing in directions we'd rather not have them go and I'm just trying to hold on for dear life. I'm still feeling a bit tossed and turned, but I'm slowly getting a better handle on things. It's not perfect, but hey... what in life is?
I've realized recently just how much I've missed blogging. I miss that interaction, that letting things out, that blogging gave me. I don't know if I'm ready yet to come fully back from hiatus - I still have way too many things to get caught up with before I feel comfortable un-hiatusing (is that even a word? Probably not), but I know that I have been missing it. So I may do a bit more hit and miss posting rather than my regular features. It'll be keeping my hand in.
We finally got our camera back a couple weeks ago (after it unceremoniously decided to take a swim in the washing machine). I've been taking quite a few pictures lately because of it and I'm pretty proud of some of them. It's funny, though. We went from not having any cameras that we could lay our hands on having three. Yep. Three. We have the new one that took a swim and then was able to be fixed, the old one that decided to lay low in a seat pocket in the van, and Teddy's new camera that he won at the Easter Egg Hunt. The only one that's been getting any use has been the Failed Swimmer, but I suspect the other two will be moved into rotation quickly.
I haven't been doing as well keeping up with SparkPeople as I'd like. Heck, I haven't been as good about keeping up with ANYTHING as I'd like. Though I am getting caught up on swaps, so that's one good thing. I've really got to find a method that works for me. I have my Weekly Chore calendar, and that helps with the chores but actually fitting everything into my schedule for the day... that's where things get rough. I hate the thought of actually writing a schedule. Especially since things get FUBARed on a regular basis when I make specific plans. But I don't know what other choices I have. If anyone has some great organizational ideas, I'm willing to listen!
I've been up visiting my Dad fairly regularly at the hospital. He's doing fairly well, and for that, I'm glad. He's on the rehab floor, which means they're doing everything in their power to get him back up and independent. He still has some good days and some bad days, but that's to be expected in the early days. I loaned him our netbook so he can get online while he's there. He has an Android, but the smaller screen doesn't seem to be working as well for him. The netbook is still small, but not nearly as small as his phone. I keep wanting to do more for him, but I don't know what else I could do. Daughter guilt, I guess.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a great day for me, according to Rich and the boys. Teddy's been looking forward to Mother's Day for about a month, because he wants to spoil me a bit. I love my boys! From what I've been told, I'll be allowed to sleep in as late as I want. I don't have to do anything if I don't want to. I'll be having eggs benedict for breakfast (my favorite breakfast). I'll be having bacon wrapped filets and bay scallops for dinner (which have been in our freezer for a bit, thanks to manager's specials at Kroger). I'll get to watch Doctor Who and listen to The 39 Clues all day if I want. It really is going to be my day. And I'm kind of looking forward to it. Because I'm going to let everything else go. All the worries, all the fears, all the frustrations. Just... poof. For one day, I'm going to pretend that the world is shiny and bright rather than a little cloudy.
I've got a busy week ahead, but that's par for the course. The day I'm looking forward to more than any other, though, is Friday. Teddy will be graduating from PDO. They've got a ceremony and we get to take pictures... and it's going to really sink in a little further that my baby is starting kindergarten in the fall. I picked up a graduation card and a neat frame for him. I'm planning on getting one of the pictures of him in his cap and gown printed and I'll put the frame up in his room. I know he's pretty excited about it. I think we all are.
I've got a couple more posts that I want to share tonight, so I'm off to get those posted. Keep an eye out for Recent Geekery and Recent Photos, coming soon to a Sanity's Overrated near you. (Though, honestly, it's almost midnight so I should be getting to bed. But at least I can sleep in tomorrow!)
And a lot less fun than the other options.
Showing posts with label swapbot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swapbot. Show all posts
07 May 2011
Swap-Bot - My Life Photo Essay
One of the swaps that I've been delayed in getting out is Your Life Photo Essay. Between camera issues and life issues, I'm more than a week late on this swap. I've spent a couple hours trying to make a nice presentation for this, only to find that the file I've created is too large to e-mail and too large for Google Docs to like. So, and I really hope my partners are ok with this, the only option that I could think of to get the presentation to them the way I want is to put it up here. So without further ado, my Life Photo Essay!
While I love our apartment - partly because of the large two bedrooms upstairs, downstairs is a bit cramped. Our kitchen, in particular, is really small. I was only able to get one decent shot of a portion of it - because it really is a one butt kitchen.
The previous summer, we had a more traditional vacation. We took a trip to visit family in the Northeast, though even that was a combination of vacation and visit for something specific (namely, my mom's wedding). We had a fantastic time with Rich's family in NJ and my family in NY. Here's one of my favorite shots from that trip.
First, I'm really sorry for the delay in getting his together. As I'd PM'd you earlier, I had camera problems, followed by personal problems. But now I've got everything together, so I'm hoping that you'll enjoy taking a glimpse into my life through the following pictures.
First, let me introduce you to my family. My husband, Rich, is my biggest supporter and the best man in the world... at least to me.
Love that Smile!
My oldest son, Teddy (who is 5), is a huge Pokemon fan (as he'll tell you right after he tells you his name) and my little geek.
Pete, my 2 year old, adores his big brother and tries to follow in his footsteps. He's even started memorizing Pokemon and their moves so he can have battles with his brother.
He's a boy's boy alright.
L to R: Pete, Teddy, Rich, in front of the World at Bicentennial Park, Nashville, TN
Now for some of the pictures that I'm actually supposed to be sharing. First, I'll take you through bits and pieces of my home.
I can't take a good picture of my home, per se, because we live in an apartment. We are in a town home style apartment, though, so I've got a bit of a front area... more than I would in a flat, anyway. Here's our front door:
Our nice little entry way. Love sitting out in the evening.
Sticking with outside, here's a picture of our mailbox. It's at the other end of the row of town homes that we live in, and is the perfect height for the boys to help get the mail.
I'm not sure why the empty box below ours is always open...
My husband is the cook and he'd just finished making a yummy herbed rice for dinner.
I also don't have a separate crafting area. It's one of my wishes for when we get a house of our own (some day). For now, though, I do most of my crafting on the dining room table.
It's set more for dinner than for crafting at the moment.
I do have a designated craft shelf, though. A majority of my crafting supplies reside on this bookshelf, though I still have some to go through in a three drawer cart that I used to use.
I try to keep as many things in bins or boxes as possible so Pete doesn't have a heyday.
Now to head into my wider world - the places I enjoy away from home.
First, here's the way I get around Nashville
As you can tell, it's been through a bit. Teddy calls her Vanny and loves to decorate her with stickers.
We've cut back on going out to eat lately, trying to save money and be a bit healthier. But when we have the money, we love to go to this local restaurant. Raz'z has a wide variety of food and are incredibly kid friendly. They've even taken our kids back to show them the kitchen, on one of the slower nights we were there. (Though, I'll be honest - I went with my second favorite place because I wasn't able to get downtown to get a pic of my favorite Romantic restaurant - The Melting Pot of Nashville)
They were even featured on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate
Since we've cut back on eating out, I've been spending a lot more time here, picking up groceries. Kroger is a chain store primarily in the south. I'm pretty lucky that this particular store (where 90% of my grocery shopping is done) really close by.
The boys love it because they give free cookies to kids.
Getting away from grocery shopping, I love to shop for other things as well. And one of the best places, in my opinion, is Big Lots. They're a clearance store and they have everything from discounted groceries (non-perishable) to craft supplies to clothing to furniture, and everything in between and beyond. It's just a great place to browse and find who knows what. I have to be careful when I go there, though, or I could easily drop $50 to $100 a trip!
This isn't one of the usual Big Lots that I go to, but it was the closest one I could get a picture of at the time.
I'm not religious, so I didn't want to get a picture of the church Rich and the boys go to. And it took me a little while to figure out what I would choose. Then it dawned on me that I do have a place that I go to regularly for quiet. And it's going to sound weird, but here goes: It's Starbucks. Yeah. Starbucks.
See, I'm a stay-at-home mom with two preschoolers. My husband works 3 jobs (fulltime job as a bio-safety officer, teaching one or two nights a week and tutoring 3 nights a week). I spend a majority of my time with my boys, all by myself. And they're rambunctious boys who know just which buttons to push on Mommy to make her a bit more insane. I don't have a group that I can get together with or any other regular time to be an adult. But what Rich does let me do is go to Starbucks every couple of weeks. I have $20 a month that I put on my Starbucks card for a drink and a pastry. I also bring along my netbook and my MP3 player. And that's where I go to decompress, to relax and find my center. It may not be a traditional place for meditation, but it's what works for me.
Iced Chai Latte Frappachino, please.
Now for the last bit of this photo essay. I'm actually going to share two pictures with you for my last vacation. The first wasn't really a vacation, per se. We actually had to travel to New Jersey
This is from a rest area in Virginia Southern Virginia in snow.
At my Mom's wedding, me holding my baby.
I hope you enjoyed taking a look at these pictures! I really enjoyed putting them together for you (and my blog readership, it seems. :))
25 April 2011
Kiwi's Blogger Follower Swap #5
I don't have a lot of time to update right now - we've got a very full medical day planned. But I do want to introduce you to the people that will (hopefully) be commenting here. I've joined another Blogger Follower Swap, and my new followers will be posting a comment here to let me know they've stopped by. Welcome to my new readers! And I can't wait to get to know all of you!
07 April 2011
New Blogs That I've Found Through the Swap-Bot Blog Friends Swap
I love finding new readers, being introduced to new concepts and learning new things. So I pretty regularly join Blog swaps over on Swap-Bot. This is the latest round of wonderful partners that I have discovered from this swap.
Asexuality, Unabashed is a blog written by an asexual woman about her asexuality. It's a fairly new blog, but I'm finding it very interesting to learn about a subset of sexuality that, unfortunately, had never crossed my mind. I look forward to reading what else she has to share in the future.
With a Camera & a Bible is Christine's blog with a little of everything. She's posted some of her wonderful pictures and scans of some truly amazing letters that she picked up because "I'm nosey [sic] and wanted to see what the letters were about." She even scanned them. Definitely going to enjoy following her journey.
Patricia's Fabric Art is a showcase of some fantastic artwork on a variety of mediums. I love blogs that show their creativity. Sometimes it spurs me to creativity of my own, while other times I just love to bask in the talent of creative people like Patricia.
Postmarked with Love is a blog that reminds us of the lost art of letter writing. She posts some pictures, but most of it is the written word - some her own, some quotes or poems that she enjoys. I love that she has the postage rates listed on the right hand side of her blog. Anyone reading it won't have an excuse of "I don't know how much a stamp is" any longer!
In My Life is a photography blog with very little comment. Heather puts some fantastic pictures up! My favorites are from last October, when she took some beautiful bird pictures. I may not like going near them, but I do love to look at them from someone else's lens. This blog isn't updated incredibly regularly, but you can find more from her in a blog that she share with friends called We Heart TV. They all share comments and critiques on the shows that they watch. It's a fantastic read!
I'm actually pretty amazed that I didn't come across any blogs that I was already following. It generally happens with me (which is great because it means I get to share them again), but this time out five new blogs to follow! I hope you enjoy them too.
Asexuality, Unabashed is a blog written by an asexual woman about her asexuality. It's a fairly new blog, but I'm finding it very interesting to learn about a subset of sexuality that, unfortunately, had never crossed my mind. I look forward to reading what else she has to share in the future.
With a Camera & a Bible is Christine's blog with a little of everything. She's posted some of her wonderful pictures and scans of some truly amazing letters that she picked up because "I'm nosey [sic] and wanted to see what the letters were about." She even scanned them. Definitely going to enjoy following her journey.
Patricia's Fabric Art is a showcase of some fantastic artwork on a variety of mediums. I love blogs that show their creativity. Sometimes it spurs me to creativity of my own, while other times I just love to bask in the talent of creative people like Patricia.
Postmarked with Love is a blog that reminds us of the lost art of letter writing. She posts some pictures, but most of it is the written word - some her own, some quotes or poems that she enjoys. I love that she has the postage rates listed on the right hand side of her blog. Anyone reading it won't have an excuse of "I don't know how much a stamp is" any longer!
In My Life is a photography blog with very little comment. Heather puts some fantastic pictures up! My favorites are from last October, when she took some beautiful bird pictures. I may not like going near them, but I do love to look at them from someone else's lens. This blog isn't updated incredibly regularly, but you can find more from her in a blog that she share with friends called We Heart TV. They all share comments and critiques on the shows that they watch. It's a fantastic read!
I'm actually pretty amazed that I didn't come across any blogs that I was already following. It generally happens with me (which is great because it means I get to share them again), but this time out five new blogs to follow! I hope you enjoy them too.
30 March 2011
Things on my mind, and other minutiae
This week has been a bit of a maddening one. It started with finding out that Teddy had strep and needing to miss Story Time because of it on Monday. Then Rich getting sick on Monday and being home for three days. Granted, I love having my husband home, but not when he's sick. He's feeling better tonight and managed to make it to his night job, teaching at the University of Phoenix. But he's still not 100%. He think's he'll be ok to go in to work tomorrow. If not, he's going to need to make a stop at his doctor's office. I'm still praying that it doesn't happen.
Yesterday, I managed to get outside into the beautiful weather for awhile. The kids were being whirlwinds and Rich needed sleep, so I grabbed my Swap-Bag and Folder, pushed the kids out the door and went to Kids Country over at Two Rivers Park. It's one of the boys' favorite parks and they beg to go there all the time. So they were glad to be there and I was glad to get out of the house. I'm hoping the weather is nice enough to go to one of the other parks tomorrow as well (since today, the weather SUCKED!) There was another little boy there, about Pete's age, and both boys had a great time playing with him. While they were playing, I was working on my "10 Things I Love About Any Child(ren)" swap. I've got the first one written up and just need to copy it to the second letter, then they'll be ready to go in the mail as soon as partners are assigned. I worked on one of my journal swaps as well. I tried getting up and taking a few pictures of the kids, but I think the camera is on it's way to being replaced. I got a couple good pictures, then it refused to stay on for me. Every time I'd turn it on, it would shut off. Grrrr! Replacement is in the cards. (And anyone with a good suggestion for a replacement, please let me know? It's been about 4 years since we last bought one.) But I felt productive, and that's a major plus.
Today, I had a few errands to run after dropping the kids off at PDO. I had to run over to the boys' pediatrician so I could pick up Teddy's shot records. While I was over there, I figured I'd do a trip to Michaels WITHOUT the kids. So much calmer! And I found a lot of cute things, many of which were on the clearance rack. I picked up several more journals while I was there too. They are so much cheaper than other places AND they are already decorated (which will be a big plus in some of the swaps that I belong to). I got things for 2 of the Ultimate Year of Happy Mail swaps that I'm doing and those are going to be ready to go tomorrow. I'm going to try to take pictures of all of them before I send them off, if the camera will let me. From there, I had to register Teddy for kindergarten (which I posted about on my last post.)
Since Rich was feeling better, we headed out to P.S. Noodle Pot for lunch. I've been there several times with Becca, but Rich just had to seethe with jealousy until today. It's a decent Thai place with a pretty good lunch menu. I have a tendency to get the Chicken Pad Thai, because I'm just addicted to it. And Rich had to agree that, yes, P.S. Noodle Pot is a place we'll need to go to more often. The only problem there today was that their card machine was down so it was cash only. Luckily, there's a bank in the same center, so we were able to get cash. But it seemed to be a theme for today.
Since we had time to kill, we headed over to Rick's Comic City. The good news: they had a lot of goodies that I wanted to pick up (more than I could, financially). The bad news: their boxes are full so I can't get them to pre-order titles for me. And I don't know of any other comic shops in the area that I could go to. I'm going to try to get there bi-monthly though, so I could keep an eye on boxes in case one frees up. There's another one down in Murfreesboro, but that might be a bit further out for me. We'll see.
I did manage to pick up a few things that I wanted, one of which I'll be able to review here for my 100 books in a year (the graphic novel Green Arrow: The Sound of Violence). The big win, though, was the Doctor Who Meets Jack the Ripper comic that I picked up. I've been wanting to get it and was so glad to see that Rick's had it. Yay!
For dinner, we decided on Sonic. Wednesday's are Wacky Sack Wednesdays there and the boys LOVE getting them. So Rich and I decided that it would be an acceptable dinner, since he was going to have to leave at around 5 to get to Murfreesboro and set up for his class. Every drive-up that I drove to had the screen offline, but I thought that it was just their external credit mechanism that was down. So I placed my order and figured I'd give my card to the girl when she came out with the food. What no one told me UNTIL she got out there was that they weren't able to take any cards. I asked her to hold my food and that I'd run down the street to the bank to pick up money. Instead, she trusted me with the food and told me to just come back with it. I dunno if she recognized me as being there regularly or what, but I was honored with the trust that she showed. So I hurried to the bank and came back to pay her. With my change, she gave me two chits of a free medium sized drink. That's one of the reasons I love this Sonic. They really are great people.
The boys are pulling me into the living room to watch something on TV, so I think some time away from the computer is a good idea. I'll either be reading comics or writing in journals or something of that nature. They go to bed in 45 minutes and Rich doesn't get home until 10:30, so I suspect I'm going to have some really great Alone time tonight with (hopefully) a lot of things getting done.
Have you ever noticed that a lot of the things on my mind turn out to be "How I spent my day?" Not good, not bad. Just a thing. Maybe one of these days I'll write more interesting things...
Yesterday, I managed to get outside into the beautiful weather for awhile. The kids were being whirlwinds and Rich needed sleep, so I grabbed my Swap-Bag and Folder, pushed the kids out the door and went to Kids Country over at Two Rivers Park. It's one of the boys' favorite parks and they beg to go there all the time. So they were glad to be there and I was glad to get out of the house. I'm hoping the weather is nice enough to go to one of the other parks tomorrow as well (since today, the weather SUCKED!) There was another little boy there, about Pete's age, and both boys had a great time playing with him. While they were playing, I was working on my "10 Things I Love About Any Child(ren)" swap. I've got the first one written up and just need to copy it to the second letter, then they'll be ready to go in the mail as soon as partners are assigned. I worked on one of my journal swaps as well. I tried getting up and taking a few pictures of the kids, but I think the camera is on it's way to being replaced. I got a couple good pictures, then it refused to stay on for me. Every time I'd turn it on, it would shut off. Grrrr! Replacement is in the cards. (And anyone with a good suggestion for a replacement, please let me know? It's been about 4 years since we last bought one.) But I felt productive, and that's a major plus.
Today, I had a few errands to run after dropping the kids off at PDO. I had to run over to the boys' pediatrician so I could pick up Teddy's shot records. While I was over there, I figured I'd do a trip to Michaels WITHOUT the kids. So much calmer! And I found a lot of cute things, many of which were on the clearance rack. I picked up several more journals while I was there too. They are so much cheaper than other places AND they are already decorated (which will be a big plus in some of the swaps that I belong to). I got things for 2 of the Ultimate Year of Happy Mail swaps that I'm doing and those are going to be ready to go tomorrow. I'm going to try to take pictures of all of them before I send them off, if the camera will let me. From there, I had to register Teddy for kindergarten (which I posted about on my last post.)
Since Rich was feeling better, we headed out to P.S. Noodle Pot for lunch. I've been there several times with Becca, but Rich just had to seethe with jealousy until today. It's a decent Thai place with a pretty good lunch menu. I have a tendency to get the Chicken Pad Thai, because I'm just addicted to it. And Rich had to agree that, yes, P.S. Noodle Pot is a place we'll need to go to more often. The only problem there today was that their card machine was down so it was cash only. Luckily, there's a bank in the same center, so we were able to get cash. But it seemed to be a theme for today.
Since we had time to kill, we headed over to Rick's Comic City. The good news: they had a lot of goodies that I wanted to pick up (more than I could, financially). The bad news: their boxes are full so I can't get them to pre-order titles for me. And I don't know of any other comic shops in the area that I could go to. I'm going to try to get there bi-monthly though, so I could keep an eye on boxes in case one frees up. There's another one down in Murfreesboro, but that might be a bit further out for me. We'll see.
I did manage to pick up a few things that I wanted, one of which I'll be able to review here for my 100 books in a year (the graphic novel Green Arrow: The Sound of Violence). The big win, though, was the Doctor Who Meets Jack the Ripper comic that I picked up. I've been wanting to get it and was so glad to see that Rick's had it. Yay!
For dinner, we decided on Sonic. Wednesday's are Wacky Sack Wednesdays there and the boys LOVE getting them. So Rich and I decided that it would be an acceptable dinner, since he was going to have to leave at around 5 to get to Murfreesboro and set up for his class. Every drive-up that I drove to had the screen offline, but I thought that it was just their external credit mechanism that was down. So I placed my order and figured I'd give my card to the girl when she came out with the food. What no one told me UNTIL she got out there was that they weren't able to take any cards. I asked her to hold my food and that I'd run down the street to the bank to pick up money. Instead, she trusted me with the food and told me to just come back with it. I dunno if she recognized me as being there regularly or what, but I was honored with the trust that she showed. So I hurried to the bank and came back to pay her. With my change, she gave me two chits of a free medium sized drink. That's one of the reasons I love this Sonic. They really are great people.
The boys are pulling me into the living room to watch something on TV, so I think some time away from the computer is a good idea. I'll either be reading comics or writing in journals or something of that nature. They go to bed in 45 minutes and Rich doesn't get home until 10:30, so I suspect I'm going to have some really great Alone time tonight with (hopefully) a lot of things getting done.
Have you ever noticed that a lot of the things on my mind turn out to be "How I spent my day?" Not good, not bad. Just a thing. Maybe one of these days I'll write more interesting things...
27 March 2011
What a Weekend!
This weekend has been a mixture of productiveness and frustration.
It started at 5:30, Saturday morning when Teddy came in to tell me he'd thrown up in his bed. I'd really hoped the sick was over because he hadn't had a fever Thursday or Friday. But when I took his temperature after stripping his bed, he was back up to 103. I immediately had him take some ibuprofen and told him that yes, we could stay downstairs. I got the laundry started and played around online for awhile while Teddy played Pokemon on the netbook next to me. Pete came down after awhile and I got the boys something to eat, then Rich came down around 8:30. Teddy seemed to be back to his regular self, but we kept an eye on him anyway.
Saturday is our usual library day, so we headed down to our favorite branch to pick up our holds and anything else that caught our attention. The boys each got kids graphic novels (Spiderman and Spidergirl) and a few DVDs to watch this week. I had my copy of Dexter, Season 4, Disc 3 waiting for me, along with several other books I was waiting for. My To Read list just keeps getting longer and longer!
From there, we headed over to Golden Corral for lunch and then Big Lots for some shopping. I decided that part of my Swap-Bot organization would be a binder with my current swaps. I'm putting print outs of the relevant details of the swap into sheet protectors and then I can use a dry erase marker to make notes. The paper, once it's finished, will be used for scrap paper as I work out creations that I'm trying to do. I'd thought I had a binder and sheet protectors at home, but I can't find them. Big Lots had 1" binders for $1 and 20 sheet protectors for $1. I also picked up one of their paper craft goody bags for $2. More stuff to use as extras when I send swaps or for my own crafting. The boys, as per usual, were all over the store. Hey, it's what they do.
Even though I'd had grand plans for cleaning when I got home, I ended up napping instead. I could barely keep my eyes open! Rich came to wake me up at around 6 so I wouldn't sleep through supper and I'd be able to sleep at night. He'd made a yummy roast chicken with stuffing and corn. He's such a great cook and I'm so lucky he doesn't mind cooking!
I managed to get several of the swaps done as well. I've got one that's getting mailed tomorrow, that I finished writing last night. It's a very long letter describing my Friday for one of my swaps. I didn't think I'd done so much until I wrote it all down! I hope my partner likes the letter! While I was writing, Rich and I were playing more Fate of the World, which is one TOUGH game. It actually frustrated both of us, so we started playing Galactic Civilization II. Much easier on the stress level than watching the world explode under your watch over and over.
This morning, Rich and the boys let me sleep int until 8:30. Rich said Teddy's been a little warm, but that was it. He gave him some tylenol and ibuprofen, just to be on the safe side. Turns out he was lucky he did (more about that later).
When I came downstairs, I decided it was time to tackle the piles of laundry that needed folding. Three bins later, I was finished. Rich brought the bins upstairs for me, and I just need to put them away (which I haven't done yet, bad me). Got another load of laundry into the washer so there was progress there.
While Rich and the boys were at church, I had planned on playing a little solo Gal Civ. Instead, I started working on a character for a play by post game by the creators of one my favorite past play by post games (Tazlure's creators, for those curious). It's a steampunk game and we're currently getting ready for a play test. I'm still working through my character, but I'd say that I'm about 75% done before showing it to the mods. I got stuck on something I wanted to talk out with Rich, so I switched to work on another swap - the Book Log swap. The original swap was to send a list of all the books we've read within the last 15 years, plus a second list of the books or series that we wanted to read. For those of us that read a lot, it would have been a HUGE e-mail, so the coordinator of the swap said we could do favorites, or the last couple of years or something of that nature. I chose to list the books that I've read since October - all 60 plus of them. I included links back to my blog here so they could get reviews if they wanted. Then I listed 15 books and series that I have on my need to read someday list. I left off the ones that I have at home, because they are ones that I know I'll be reading.
Rich called after church to make sure I was ready to go out for lunch. We hit Shoney's - which was incredibly packed. I mean, it's packed on Sundays because of the after church crowd anyway, but this... this was insane! We didn't have to wait too long at all for a table, though, so that was a plus. The food was pretty good (as usual) and Rich and I spent some of the time getting our menu together for the week's suppers so we could put our grocery list together. Grocery shopping afterwards was it's usual joy, fun and excitement thanks to Peter deciding to run all over the store and Rich finally putting him in the cart and me buckling him in. For almost the rest of the time through the store, Pete screamed and cried. Oh, to be a 2 year old and have the whole world resting on your shoulders!
We got home and picked up the mail from yesterday, only to find a letter from Unemployment saying that I had been denied because I hadn't worked enough in the past 5 quarters. Which, since I've been unemployed for over a year, is a no duh. I'm supposed to be on extended benefits. So tomorrow, I'll be making a phone call to find out what's going on. I'm hoping that it's just something that got sent out from the first thing the guy that helped me get onto extended benefits tried. But I'll find out tomorrow.
I finally got around to putting together the bookcase that I bought for my crafting stuff. It fits nicely in the dining room, which is where I do most of my crafting anyway. While I was finishing it, we got a phone call from Teddy's doctor - he's got strep. When we took him on Thursday, the quick test said no but the longer test came back positive. The doctor was pretty surprised because his throat didn't look that bad. But we needed to get him on antibiotics as soon as possible. She called in a script for amoxicillin to the Walgreens down the street from us (since our usual pharmacy at the university wasn't open). I took a run down there to pick up not only the medicine but new toothbrushes so Teddy wouldn't reinfect himself (and I needed to get a new one for Pete because he needs whatever his brother has).
I came home to Rich getting ready to make dinner - leftover roast beef gyros. Teddy didn't have any - or anything else for that matter since he'd gotten sick again, and Pete ate a little pita and meat. I had two gyros. They were fantastic (but as I said above, my husband is a fantastic cook!)
I'm not sure what the rest of the night has in store. I need to get more of the book reviews finished since I've got my 1st quarter book log swap due by April 4. So I might work on that while Rich is playing Gal Civ (thanks to 2 computers). I may try to do Swap-Bot Saturday or Silent Sunday (but probably not). I may start trying to migrate and organize the things for my new crafting book shelf. I may fold more laundry. It's still too early to tell.
Tomorrow's going to be a homebound day. The doctor told us that Teddy will still be considered contagious until he's been on the amoxicillin for 24 hours. But I've got lots of things I can do around the house. Hopefully my boys will help me but even if they don't.... I'm determined to do what needs to be done and not let myself be sucked into the evil that is my online world. (Ok, not EVIL, but definitely not productive to getting things done offline!)
It started at 5:30, Saturday morning when Teddy came in to tell me he'd thrown up in his bed. I'd really hoped the sick was over because he hadn't had a fever Thursday or Friday. But when I took his temperature after stripping his bed, he was back up to 103. I immediately had him take some ibuprofen and told him that yes, we could stay downstairs. I got the laundry started and played around online for awhile while Teddy played Pokemon on the netbook next to me. Pete came down after awhile and I got the boys something to eat, then Rich came down around 8:30. Teddy seemed to be back to his regular self, but we kept an eye on him anyway.
Saturday is our usual library day, so we headed down to our favorite branch to pick up our holds and anything else that caught our attention. The boys each got kids graphic novels (Spiderman and Spidergirl) and a few DVDs to watch this week. I had my copy of Dexter, Season 4, Disc 3 waiting for me, along with several other books I was waiting for. My To Read list just keeps getting longer and longer!
From there, we headed over to Golden Corral for lunch and then Big Lots for some shopping. I decided that part of my Swap-Bot organization would be a binder with my current swaps. I'm putting print outs of the relevant details of the swap into sheet protectors and then I can use a dry erase marker to make notes. The paper, once it's finished, will be used for scrap paper as I work out creations that I'm trying to do. I'd thought I had a binder and sheet protectors at home, but I can't find them. Big Lots had 1" binders for $1 and 20 sheet protectors for $1. I also picked up one of their paper craft goody bags for $2. More stuff to use as extras when I send swaps or for my own crafting. The boys, as per usual, were all over the store. Hey, it's what they do.
Even though I'd had grand plans for cleaning when I got home, I ended up napping instead. I could barely keep my eyes open! Rich came to wake me up at around 6 so I wouldn't sleep through supper and I'd be able to sleep at night. He'd made a yummy roast chicken with stuffing and corn. He's such a great cook and I'm so lucky he doesn't mind cooking!
I managed to get several of the swaps done as well. I've got one that's getting mailed tomorrow, that I finished writing last night. It's a very long letter describing my Friday for one of my swaps. I didn't think I'd done so much until I wrote it all down! I hope my partner likes the letter! While I was writing, Rich and I were playing more Fate of the World, which is one TOUGH game. It actually frustrated both of us, so we started playing Galactic Civilization II. Much easier on the stress level than watching the world explode under your watch over and over.
This morning, Rich and the boys let me sleep int until 8:30. Rich said Teddy's been a little warm, but that was it. He gave him some tylenol and ibuprofen, just to be on the safe side. Turns out he was lucky he did (more about that later).
When I came downstairs, I decided it was time to tackle the piles of laundry that needed folding. Three bins later, I was finished. Rich brought the bins upstairs for me, and I just need to put them away (which I haven't done yet, bad me). Got another load of laundry into the washer so there was progress there.
While Rich and the boys were at church, I had planned on playing a little solo Gal Civ. Instead, I started working on a character for a play by post game by the creators of one my favorite past play by post games (Tazlure's creators, for those curious). It's a steampunk game and we're currently getting ready for a play test. I'm still working through my character, but I'd say that I'm about 75% done before showing it to the mods. I got stuck on something I wanted to talk out with Rich, so I switched to work on another swap - the Book Log swap. The original swap was to send a list of all the books we've read within the last 15 years, plus a second list of the books or series that we wanted to read. For those of us that read a lot, it would have been a HUGE e-mail, so the coordinator of the swap said we could do favorites, or the last couple of years or something of that nature. I chose to list the books that I've read since October - all 60 plus of them. I included links back to my blog here so they could get reviews if they wanted. Then I listed 15 books and series that I have on my need to read someday list. I left off the ones that I have at home, because they are ones that I know I'll be reading.
Rich called after church to make sure I was ready to go out for lunch. We hit Shoney's - which was incredibly packed. I mean, it's packed on Sundays because of the after church crowd anyway, but this... this was insane! We didn't have to wait too long at all for a table, though, so that was a plus. The food was pretty good (as usual) and Rich and I spent some of the time getting our menu together for the week's suppers so we could put our grocery list together. Grocery shopping afterwards was it's usual joy, fun and excitement thanks to Peter deciding to run all over the store and Rich finally putting him in the cart and me buckling him in. For almost the rest of the time through the store, Pete screamed and cried. Oh, to be a 2 year old and have the whole world resting on your shoulders!
We got home and picked up the mail from yesterday, only to find a letter from Unemployment saying that I had been denied because I hadn't worked enough in the past 5 quarters. Which, since I've been unemployed for over a year, is a no duh. I'm supposed to be on extended benefits. So tomorrow, I'll be making a phone call to find out what's going on. I'm hoping that it's just something that got sent out from the first thing the guy that helped me get onto extended benefits tried. But I'll find out tomorrow.
I finally got around to putting together the bookcase that I bought for my crafting stuff. It fits nicely in the dining room, which is where I do most of my crafting anyway. While I was finishing it, we got a phone call from Teddy's doctor - he's got strep. When we took him on Thursday, the quick test said no but the longer test came back positive. The doctor was pretty surprised because his throat didn't look that bad. But we needed to get him on antibiotics as soon as possible. She called in a script for amoxicillin to the Walgreens down the street from us (since our usual pharmacy at the university wasn't open). I took a run down there to pick up not only the medicine but new toothbrushes so Teddy wouldn't reinfect himself (and I needed to get a new one for Pete because he needs whatever his brother has).
I came home to Rich getting ready to make dinner - leftover roast beef gyros. Teddy didn't have any - or anything else for that matter since he'd gotten sick again, and Pete ate a little pita and meat. I had two gyros. They were fantastic (but as I said above, my husband is a fantastic cook!)
I'm not sure what the rest of the night has in store. I need to get more of the book reviews finished since I've got my 1st quarter book log swap due by April 4. So I might work on that while Rich is playing Gal Civ (thanks to 2 computers). I may try to do Swap-Bot Saturday or Silent Sunday (but probably not). I may start trying to migrate and organize the things for my new crafting book shelf. I may fold more laundry. It's still too early to tell.
Tomorrow's going to be a homebound day. The doctor told us that Teddy will still be considered contagious until he's been on the amoxicillin for 24 hours. But I've got lots of things I can do around the house. Hopefully my boys will help me but even if they don't.... I'm determined to do what needs to be done and not let myself be sucked into the evil that is my online world. (Ok, not EVIL, but definitely not productive to getting things done offline!)
22 March 2011
Updating To Do Tuesday on Wednesday
Today was a major kickass day in the Swap-Bot department. Other than the one swap that never reached it's destination, I have gotten all my past due swaps out! Or rather, they'll be mailed out tomorrow. I haven't had as much time online because of it, but that's ok. There's always tomorrow.
I've got quite a bit to update my readers about, including:
Swaps that I'm working on
Swaps that I'm thinking about running
New Organizational Tools
Time with my kids
And anything else that comes to mind.
Also, now that I'm caught up on swaps, I'm hoping to do my updates for book reviews as well. After all, I use those for part of a swap as well.
In the meantime, give me comments. Tell me something. Point me toward a website or blog or article you think I'd enjoy. I want to hear from YOU!
Now, since it's almost midnight in AmberLand, I'm headed off to bed. PDO for Pete tomorrow, but Teddy's been sick so he gets to stay home. It should be a good Mommy/Teddy day.
I've got quite a bit to update my readers about, including:
Swaps that I'm working on
Swaps that I'm thinking about running
New Organizational Tools
Time with my kids
And anything else that comes to mind.
Also, now that I'm caught up on swaps, I'm hoping to do my updates for book reviews as well. After all, I use those for part of a swap as well.
In the meantime, give me comments. Tell me something. Point me toward a website or blog or article you think I'd enjoy. I want to hear from YOU!
Now, since it's almost midnight in AmberLand, I'm headed off to bed. PDO for Pete tomorrow, but Teddy's been sick so he gets to stay home. It should be a good Mommy/Teddy day.
21 March 2011
Figuring out my day
Teddy was running a fever of 101 again this morning, so we didn't go to Story Time. However, I did go to the store so I could pick up juice for him to drink (and other things for me to drink). I picked up a couple things for a kids swap that Teddy's involved in and got a Walk at Home exercise DVD. Grabbed lunch too.
I managed to do my workout (only 1 mile walking, but it was power walking, so it was good) and get in the shower, get my kids and my lunch and get a few updates done. I know that I've got more updates to do and quite a few blogs that I want to read. But... strange as this sounds, I don't really want to spend a lot of online time today. It's weird because usually I love updating my blog, being online, etc.
Instead, I think it's going to be a Swap-Bot day. I've still got several journals that I need to work on, some paper airplanes to make and a few things to package up and send. So it'll be productive time. And I can watch Dexter at the same time (since the boys will be napping).
Of course, there's a part of me that wants to nap as well. Bad night's sleep last night. But it just means that (hopefully) I'll be able to sleep better tonight if I stay awake through the day.
Off to read stories and put my little ones to bed.
I managed to do my workout (only 1 mile walking, but it was power walking, so it was good) and get in the shower, get my kids and my lunch and get a few updates done. I know that I've got more updates to do and quite a few blogs that I want to read. But... strange as this sounds, I don't really want to spend a lot of online time today. It's weird because usually I love updating my blog, being online, etc.
Instead, I think it's going to be a Swap-Bot day. I've still got several journals that I need to work on, some paper airplanes to make and a few things to package up and send. So it'll be productive time. And I can watch Dexter at the same time (since the boys will be napping).
Of course, there's a part of me that wants to nap as well. Bad night's sleep last night. But it just means that (hopefully) I'll be able to sleep better tonight if I stay awake through the day.
Off to read stories and put my little ones to bed.
17 March 2011
Grand Plans and all that crap
I had all these wonderful plans of being blogductive today and what happens but life throws me curve balls. Teddy's still not feeling 100% so he wanted a lot of Mommy time. Rich was home early so I got to spend time with him. The boys wanted me to be in the living room with them and, while I was trying to do things online, Peter decided to sit on Mommy's lap. This makes it 10 times harder to type anything. Got the boys to bed a bit late. I have a headache that's busting my brain. And then I came downstairs to find that a swap that I'd spent a lot of time on back at the beginning of the year got lost in the mail and the person never received it. So now I have a 1 on my profile and I'll be making her another one. I have no problem with making her another one... it's going to take a bit of time, but she definitely deserves it. I just wish she'd contacted me first.
So, Rich and I are going to beat on some peasants (he had a bad night teaching too) and call today a wash. Tomorrow will be better. And at least I've gotten all my e-mail swaps out today and most of the rest of the swaps are journal swaps. Tomorrow, I can focus on those. When the day is new.
G'night, all. And hopefully, I'll be back to catch up on some things as soon as I can.
So, Rich and I are going to beat on some peasants (he had a bad night teaching too) and call today a wash. Tomorrow will be better. And at least I've gotten all my e-mail swaps out today and most of the rest of the swaps are journal swaps. Tomorrow, I can focus on those. When the day is new.
G'night, all. And hopefully, I'll be back to catch up on some things as soon as I can.
100 Readers Questionnaire
This is another of the swaps that I did recently. 100 questions about what you like to read, how you like to read, when you like to read... and just about any other reading questions you can think of ! I hope you enjoy checking out my answers.
001) What book are you currently reading? I have a tendency to have several books going at the same time. Right now, I’m down to 2 (I just finished two others over the last two days) plus one audio book. I’m reading Batman: Year One, the reboot of Batman in Graphic Novel form and Beyond Reach by Karen Slaughter. The audio book is one our whole family is listening to, The 39 Clues: One False Note by Gordon Korman.
002) How many books, on average, do you read a year? If I had to guess, I’d probably say close to a hundred, maybe more. I’m actually keeping track this year through book reviews in my blog and I’m up to somewhere around 60 since October (I’m a bit behind on that too. :))
003) Do you belong to any book clubs? No, but I’d like to. The problem is that my husband teaches and tutors in the evenings and I neither of my kids are in school right now, so that shoots out daytime meetings as well.
004) What genres do you read (EX: fantasy, romance, biography)? If it’s well written, I’ll read any genre. And I actually go through phases where I’ll be in the mood for a specific genre for awhile and then switch to something else. Right now, I’m in the paranormal romance/mystery/graphic novel cycle. But if you were to look at my bookshelves or my reading log at the library, you’d find a lot of fantasy as well.
005) Do you order books online? Sometimes, if it’s something that I know I’ve been looking for. More often, I get books out of the library or browse at my favorite UBS or the library’s monthly book sale.
006) Do you own an e-reader? Which brand? Nope. I haven’t had much desire to. I like the feel of a book in my hand.
007) Do you prefer your books to have happy or sad endings? I actually enjoy both. Any book that makes me feel some kind of strong emotion is one that I want to read over and over again.
008) Do you read mostly at night or day? Lately, it’s been at night before bed. It’s hard to focus on things when my 2 year old and my 5 year old are fighting. But over the last couple of days, I’ve been sick in bed, so I’ve gotten a lot of reading time.
009) Do you ever trade books? If so, at a store or online? I do sometimes, usually at my favorite UBS (Used Book Store... forgot that above). They give a decent amount of money and/or store credit.
010) Do you like classics? Have a favorite? Classics is a tough definition. I think of SE Hinton’s The Outsiders as a classic, but I’m not sure if others do. However, I do like Shakespeare’s comedies.
011) Name your 5 favorite authors. Kelley Armstrong, Kay Hooper, Karen Marie Moning, Keri Arthur, Neil Gaiman and Peter David. Yes, it’s 6. But I honestly couldn’t narrow it down more than that.
012) Do you own a current library card? Do I ever! It’s currently maxed out at 25 books. Granted, several are audio books from the 39 Clues series, and some are my kids’ because they forgot theirs in the car... but most of them are still mine. :)
013) Ever had to pay a library fine? Sadly, yes. Sometimes I’ll be a bit late getting things back, and my kids have managed to lose 2 different CDs they’d taken out. Still not sure how that happened. But we had to pay for those.
014) Do you frequent used bookstores? Yes, yes, yes! As I mentioned above, I often get books from either my library’s monthly book sale (and you never know what you’re going to find from month to month) and a local used media store by the name of McKay's. They’re about warehouse sized and over half of their store is dedicated to books.
015) Have an Amazon "Wishlist"? Actually, about 6. :) One is for books that I want, another for DVDs, another for music, another for ones that don’t fit in any of those categories, another for things my husband and I jointly want and the final one for things for my boys.
016) Do you keep your books in shelves? Yep. And in boxes under the bed and in piles that haven’t made it back to the shelves. I have books EVERYWHERE.
017) Have any books on your coffee tables? Not at the moment. It’s too dangerous of a place with a two year old around.
018) Ever wrote an author or publishing company? Not really. Though I have mentioned things to authors on their Facebook or Twitter feed.
019) Do you subscribe to any magazines? Which ones? Parents and GameInformer. I’m a big reader of both.
020) What are your favorite magazines? Probably GameInformer. I’m also a big computer gamer and I like to know what’s happening in the world of gaming.
021) Do you read the morning paper? What section do you read first? Nope. I used to get the paper but I found that, rather than reading it, it was piling up in my apartment. I didn’t need to waste the money.
022) Name your most favorite childhood books. Books from my childhood? Umm... We Can Jump by Barbara Williams (this one is so far out of print, I had a hard time finding the author) and the Little House on the Prairie series. Of the ones that I read to my boys, Where’s My Cow? by Terry Pratchett, Raindrop Plop by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and anything by Sandra Boyton.
023) What 5 books would you take to a deserted island? Tough one. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, because it’s a long read. Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong because it was the first of her books I’d read. Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman, because I’d have a long run of excellent graphic novels to read. And I think the other two would be new books that I’d had someone recommend to me. That way, I’d have a chance to read both old and new.
024) Ever play the card game, Authors? No. I need to look it up, though.
025) Do you know what manga is? Do you read any manga? I know what it is, but I’ve never gotten too much into it.
026) Name your favorite mangas. N/A
027) Do you read poetry? Yep. And write some occasionally.
028) Name your favorite poets. Robert Frost, ee cummings and Laura Redden-Searing.
029) Do you read biographies? Yep. I love to find out the person behind the profile.
030) Do you prefer autobiographies to biographies (or no preference)? No preference, really. I’ve read some great autobiographies (Sean Astin’s There and Back was very enjoyable to me) and some great biographies (nothing coming to mind at the moment) so I read both.
031) Do you prefer to see the movie or read the book first? Generally read the book, though it has a tendency to ruin the movie for me. Reading Starship Troopers before watching the movie had me fuming by the end of it. I regularly say it should have been called Bug Mutants from Outer Space because it sure wasn’t Starship Troopers. And I hate the way they butchered Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Grrrrr.... But occasionally, I’ll see the movie then realize that it was based on a book and go looking for it.
032) Shakespeare: Do you prefers his sonnets, histories, comedies, tragedies or pastorals? Comedies. Twelfth Night is one of my all time favorites.
032) Do you read in language other than English? No. I can read a very little spanish, but not enough to read mroe than a children’s book.
033) Have you ever stolen a book? From the store, library or other? Never intentionally. There’ve been times when the book didn’t catch on the check out machine and I didn’t realize it. And there are times when I’ve borrowed a book from a friend and lost touch with them before getting it back to them.
034) Do you remove the dust jackets when reading a book? Not generally. They make good bookmarks, depending on the size of the book.
035) Do you read fan zines? Nope. Don’t even know what ones might be out there.
036) Have you ever written a book? Are you writing one now? No. I’ve tried and failed. I learned that my forte is more in short stories or poetry than novels.
037) Is the "smell" of the book important to you? To a certain extent. If it’s been in a house with smoke or is moldy, I can’t have it around. I’m asthmatic and it makes it hard for me to read a book when I’m concentrating on breathing.
038) Do you ever write? What genre? I used to write quite a bit of poetry. Right now, most of my writing is in the form of online role-playing game posts. I’m part of two games that keep me pretty busy and help keep my writing form up.
039) Do you buy books for gifts? If I know that the person I’m giving them to will appreciate them, definitely. And for baby showers, I almost always buy books.
040) Do you loan out books to others? Had a bad loaning experience? I do, though really only to my best friend, Becca. We even go so far as to loan each other library books, trusting that they’ll be returned in time (and there haven’t been any problems yet). I got burned on two loans - once when I let a good friend my first two hardcover Harry Potter’s and the second when I loaned a friend my first Wild Cards novel. But I don’t really hold it against them much. In both cases, we drifted apart.
041) Do you take books with you when you're out and about? If I’m without my kids, yes. I will usually bring a book to read when I’m waiting for an appointment. And when I walk, I usually have an audio book keyed up on my MP3 player. The only exception is when I go to Starbucks. Then I bring my netbook so I can get some online work done.
042) Have you eBayed any books? A long time ago, I think. I bought one that I couldn’t find anywhere else. But generally, I prefer Abe or Half.com for used books.
043) Name your favorite literary characters. Morpheus from Sandman, Paige Winterborne from Women of the Otherworld, Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie, Riley Jensen from Keri Arthur’s Riley Jensen series... I’m sure there are more, but those were the first that came to mind.
044) Do you buy bookmarks? How many do you estimate you own? Generally, I don’t buy them. I come from the “use what’s around” school of bookmarking - the hold slips from library books, cards that I got for birthdays or mothers day, receipts. I do have a few bookmarks - maybe 10? But most of the time they’re already in use of something I’m reading.
045) Do you use bookmarks or other items to keep your place when reading? As I mentioned above, I usually use other items. Because I read anywhere, I use whatever’s handy.
046) Do you own any pop-up books? Which ones? No, because my youngest son is too hard on books. Pop-ups often get the pop-up portion torn off when I’m not looking.
047) Have you ever tried making a book yourself (book binding)? No. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d have the patience for it.
048) Belong to any online groups like LibraryThing or Title Trader? I’m on GoodReads as adpaz, but that’s it. (I think.)
049) Do you keep a list of books you own? I’ve tried, but I usually have books in so many different places that I can’t get them all.
050) Ever accidentally bough the same book twice? *laugh* On many an occasion. Particularly books by Mary Higgins Clark because I can never remember which ones I own and which I don’t.
051) Do you own any book totes? Do you use them? I’ve got one that we got for our summer reading at our local library. Sometimes I use it, but more often I use grocery totes.
052) Favorite Book chain Store? Barnes and Noble. I like having everything there that I could want, plus having a discount card. And they have a fantastic kids’ section that we like to go to when we’re there, partly because the one that was near us (but was lost in the Flood here in Nashville last May) had a train table that my boys loved.
053) Name 10 authors you feel every child should read. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sandra Boynton, Anne Frank, Shel Silverstein, EB White, Lloyd Alexander, CS Lewis, George Selden, Robert O’Brien, Roald Dahl... there are more, but these are probably my top 10.
054) Ever had a book autographed by the author? Yep. One was purchased for me by a friend (it was by Diane Carey). The other, I actually got signed by Peter David at Philcon in 2003. Seeing as he’s one of my favorite authors, it was a real thrill for me.
055) Ever go to a poetry reading? Who? Nope. Mainly because I haven’t looked for any/hadn’t heard of any.
056) Do you like to read mysteries? Do you figure them out before the end? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I’ll sometimes just get an insight and other times, the way the story is written gives it away.
057) Have a favorite mystery author? I’m not sure if I have one favorite. I love Agatha Christie, but I also really enjoy Kay Hooper and Karin Slaughter.
058) Do you own any miniature books? Just one - a tarot guide.
059) What type books make up the majority of your library? Probably fantasy. Both my husband and I are huge fantasy fans. But there are also a lot of children’s books, several humor books (my husband’s) and quite a few mysteries.
060) Quote a favorite line from any book. “As I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had two things on my mind - Paul Newman and a ride home.” - The opening line from The Outsiders by SE Hinton.
061) What genre(s) do you dislike reading. I’m not as big of a fan of westerns. I’ve read a couple I liked (Lonesome Dove, for example), but generally they don’t hold my interest. I also don’t care too much for horror because I have an overactive imagination and horror makes it harder for me to get to sleep.
062) Did you ever pay over a $100.00 for a single book? No, and I honestly don’t think I ever would either. I’d worry about reading and ruining such an investment, and I’m a big believer in books being made to read, not look at.
063) Name your 5 favorite books in your collection. Another tough one. I can’t pick one book out of some of the series, so they’ll be named as one. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Tiger Burning Bright by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton, the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, the Wild Cards series by George RR Martin and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.
064) Do you read non-fiction? Yep. Not as often as I read fiction, but I do like to pick up a good non-fiction book on a topic that interests me. (The Book Lust books by Nancy Pearl are BRILLIANT!)
065) Do you take books with you on vacation? Definitely. Audio books for the drive (usually something kid-friendly) and paper books for me to read at the end of the day.
066) Do you put bookplates inside your books? No. I’ve never really thought about it.
067) Do you prefer gift books from others to be inscribed or not? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If it’s a particularly thoughtful gift - like the Collected Sherlock Holmes that I got from my best friend in High School, I like having the inscription to look back on and remember.
068) Do you own any bookstore discount membership cards? Not anymore. I let my Barnes and Noble one lapse when the nearby store closed.
069) Do you like to read aloud? Do you? Yeah. I read to my boys at nap time and at bed time. I love to put myself into the stories.
070) Do you look up words in the book you don't know the meaning of? If I can’t figure it out by context clues, I do.
071) What books do you feel influenced your life? The Mists of Avalon. It was one of the first books that I read with a feminist bent and it shaped my pride in being a woman. I know there should be more, but I can’t think of them.
072) What book(s) have you re-read the most? The Tyler series - a Harlequin series that came out about 10 years ago. It’s a mystery/romance series that I actually spent time hunting down the remaining books for. The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. The Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hickman.
073) Do you list which books you've read anywhere (like a journal)? On my blog, Sanity's Overrated. I do reviews of them. I also keep a list on GoodReads, though to be honest, I’m behind on both of them (though I need to catch up because I’m part of the Book Log for 1st Quarter, 2011 swap and I use those as my reviews for the books that I read.)
074) Do you think any books should be banned? Which ones? No, I don’t. Even books that are no longer relevant or speak hateful things can teach us something by example - the example of how NOT to be. And books from our history, like Huck Finn are products of our time. As much as we may be ashamed of those times, they are a part of us and we can’t pretend they didn’t happen.
075) Do you think anyone should rewrite another author's original work? Not generally, no. If the author hadn’t finished it before death and they’d been in collaboration, then I can see a case for it. Otherwise, no.
076) Do you enjoy reading plays? Do you like to see plays on stage? I love to read them and I love to see them. I was a theater minor in college.
077) Have you ever performed "Reader's Theater?" No, it’s not something I’m familiar with.
076) Ever burned a book? Was it because of content or other? Never, ever, EVER. And I can’t see me doing so intentionally in the future.
077) Do you prefer paperback or hardback? Usually paperback. They’re easier to carry around to read and I can snuggle with them in bed easier than I can a hardcover. But there are some books (like the Harry Potter series) that I started in hard cover and continue to get in hard cover so the series matches.
078) Do you have a library room in your house or apartment? I wish! I’m hoping that when I get a house of my own, we’ll have a room or nook or something we’ll be able to turn into a library, but for now, I’m in a two bedroom apartment without a lot of extra space.
079) Do you buy mostly new, bargain, or used books? Mostly used. It’s better for my budget, which means I can buy more books overall.
080) Do you read your library books at the library or at home? At home. In the library, I’m usually chasing around my 2 year old, trying to stop him from getting on every computer in sight.
081) Have you ever defaced a book? What was the circumstance? Only once, and that was because it was a book I used for a class. I loved the book, but it made it easier for me to find things I needed for my reports if I highlighted passages and made notes in the margin. The thought kills me now, though.
082) Do you read folklore/myths? Yep. I love to hear how folklore and myth differ not only from area to area but by author.
083) Favorite mythological figure? Morpheus, God of Dreams. Granted, much of my view of Morpheus comes from the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman.
084) Read any books where an animal(s) is/are the main character? Aside from the children’s books that I read to my boys, there’s a Harlequin series called Fear Familiar. Familiar is a cat detective, incredibly smart and a bit of a matchmaker and wiseguy. They’re part of Harlequin’s Intrigue imprint and they’re so fun to read.
085) Name a favorite animal featured title. Familiar Christmas.
086) Do you believe the adage: "If it's in print, it must be true!" ? Of course not! I’m a big reader of fiction and I can see how easy it would be to nudge things from fact to speculation to outright fiction. It can be like a big game of telephone, sometimes.
087) Do you sometimes stop reading a book? What's the reason usually? Usually it’s because I’ve run out of time to finish reading it and it’s due back at the library with no renewals available. Very rarely, I won’t finish a book because I just couldn’t get into it.
088) If you could own any one rare book in the world which book would it be? I’m not sure, honestly. I don’t even know which ones would be considered rare.
089) As a child were you ever caught reading after bedtime? All the time. My parents regularly came in to tell me (for about the fifth time) to turn out the light and go to bed.
090) Do you own a book light? No. I’ve tried them but haven’t been able to find one that I like. Instead, I have a touch lamp on the headboard of my bed that I put on low when my husband goes to sleep.
091) Estimate how many books you own. 500? At a guess? I’m honestly not sure because we sold a lot before Christmas so we had money for presents.
092) Have you ever borrowed a book from a bookmobile? Nope. Not sure where there are any around here, and I’ve never been in a hospital long enough (or without one of my own books).
093) What book have you recommended the most? A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This was the one I defaced in college, but it’s one of the best books ever.
094) Is it important to you that your friends are well-read? Yeah. I don’t intentionally refuse friendship with someone who isn’t, but I tend to gravitate toward people who are like me.
095) Do you have a person that you enjoy discussing your reads with? Who? My husband and my best friend, Becca. With Rich, it’s usually trying to get him to read a book I think he’ll enjoy when I’m finished. With Becca, it’s usually comparing notes.
096) What book are you most looking forward to reading next? Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning. It’s the 5th (and last) book in her Fever series and it’s waiting for me at the library. I’m anxious to find out how everything wraps up.
097) Do you read horror/thrillers? Favorite horror/thriller authors? Not generally. As I remarked above, I have too active of an imagination to be comfortable reading them.
098) Have you ever made a dish from a cookbook? Yep. Usually baking dishes. My husband does the cooking and he’s made several from a cookbook as well.
099) Do you ever buy any other "how to" books? Were they helpful? Not really. Especially being in such a digital age, I usually find how to’s online.
100) What question about books should I have asked you? I can’t really think of any. Maybe “is reading a family affair?” I’d have to say most definitely yes. My 5 year old is already reading at a 3rd grade level and my 2 year old never wants to miss story time. My husband reads as much as I do. Or, “when did you start reading?” At about 4. My mom told my kindergarten teacher but back then, early readers weren’t a common thing in my school. She didn’t believe that I could actually read until I was reading over her shoulder one nap time. From that point on, I went to the 2nd grade teacher for reading instruction.
002) How many books, on average, do you read a year? If I had to guess, I’d probably say close to a hundred, maybe more. I’m actually keeping track this year through book reviews in my blog and I’m up to somewhere around 60 since October (I’m a bit behind on that too. :))
003) Do you belong to any book clubs? No, but I’d like to. The problem is that my husband teaches and tutors in the evenings and I neither of my kids are in school right now, so that shoots out daytime meetings as well.
004) What genres do you read (EX: fantasy, romance, biography)? If it’s well written, I’ll read any genre. And I actually go through phases where I’ll be in the mood for a specific genre for awhile and then switch to something else. Right now, I’m in the paranormal romance/mystery/graphic novel cycle. But if you were to look at my bookshelves or my reading log at the library, you’d find a lot of fantasy as well.
005) Do you order books online? Sometimes, if it’s something that I know I’ve been looking for. More often, I get books out of the library or browse at my favorite UBS or the library’s monthly book sale.
006) Do you own an e-reader? Which brand? Nope. I haven’t had much desire to. I like the feel of a book in my hand.
007) Do you prefer your books to have happy or sad endings? I actually enjoy both. Any book that makes me feel some kind of strong emotion is one that I want to read over and over again.
008) Do you read mostly at night or day? Lately, it’s been at night before bed. It’s hard to focus on things when my 2 year old and my 5 year old are fighting. But over the last couple of days, I’ve been sick in bed, so I’ve gotten a lot of reading time.
009) Do you ever trade books? If so, at a store or online? I do sometimes, usually at my favorite UBS (Used Book Store... forgot that above). They give a decent amount of money and/or store credit.
010) Do you like classics? Have a favorite? Classics is a tough definition. I think of SE Hinton’s The Outsiders as a classic, but I’m not sure if others do. However, I do like Shakespeare’s comedies.
011) Name your 5 favorite authors. Kelley Armstrong, Kay Hooper, Karen Marie Moning, Keri Arthur, Neil Gaiman and Peter David. Yes, it’s 6. But I honestly couldn’t narrow it down more than that.
012) Do you own a current library card? Do I ever! It’s currently maxed out at 25 books. Granted, several are audio books from the 39 Clues series, and some are my kids’ because they forgot theirs in the car... but most of them are still mine. :)
013) Ever had to pay a library fine? Sadly, yes. Sometimes I’ll be a bit late getting things back, and my kids have managed to lose 2 different CDs they’d taken out. Still not sure how that happened. But we had to pay for those.
014) Do you frequent used bookstores? Yes, yes, yes! As I mentioned above, I often get books from either my library’s monthly book sale (and you never know what you’re going to find from month to month) and a local used media store by the name of McKay's. They’re about warehouse sized and over half of their store is dedicated to books.
015) Have an Amazon "Wishlist"? Actually, about 6. :) One is for books that I want, another for DVDs, another for music, another for ones that don’t fit in any of those categories, another for things my husband and I jointly want and the final one for things for my boys.
016) Do you keep your books in shelves? Yep. And in boxes under the bed and in piles that haven’t made it back to the shelves. I have books EVERYWHERE.
017) Have any books on your coffee tables? Not at the moment. It’s too dangerous of a place with a two year old around.
018) Ever wrote an author or publishing company? Not really. Though I have mentioned things to authors on their Facebook or Twitter feed.
019) Do you subscribe to any magazines? Which ones? Parents and GameInformer. I’m a big reader of both.
020) What are your favorite magazines? Probably GameInformer. I’m also a big computer gamer and I like to know what’s happening in the world of gaming.
021) Do you read the morning paper? What section do you read first? Nope. I used to get the paper but I found that, rather than reading it, it was piling up in my apartment. I didn’t need to waste the money.
022) Name your most favorite childhood books. Books from my childhood? Umm... We Can Jump by Barbara Williams (this one is so far out of print, I had a hard time finding the author) and the Little House on the Prairie series. Of the ones that I read to my boys, Where’s My Cow? by Terry Pratchett, Raindrop Plop by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and anything by Sandra Boyton.
023) What 5 books would you take to a deserted island? Tough one. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, because it’s a long read. Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong because it was the first of her books I’d read. Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman, because I’d have a long run of excellent graphic novels to read. And I think the other two would be new books that I’d had someone recommend to me. That way, I’d have a chance to read both old and new.
024) Ever play the card game, Authors? No. I need to look it up, though.
025) Do you know what manga is? Do you read any manga? I know what it is, but I’ve never gotten too much into it.
026) Name your favorite mangas. N/A
027) Do you read poetry? Yep. And write some occasionally.
028) Name your favorite poets. Robert Frost, ee cummings and Laura Redden-Searing.
029) Do you read biographies? Yep. I love to find out the person behind the profile.
030) Do you prefer autobiographies to biographies (or no preference)? No preference, really. I’ve read some great autobiographies (Sean Astin’s There and Back was very enjoyable to me) and some great biographies (nothing coming to mind at the moment) so I read both.
031) Do you prefer to see the movie or read the book first? Generally read the book, though it has a tendency to ruin the movie for me. Reading Starship Troopers before watching the movie had me fuming by the end of it. I regularly say it should have been called Bug Mutants from Outer Space because it sure wasn’t Starship Troopers. And I hate the way they butchered Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Grrrrr.... But occasionally, I’ll see the movie then realize that it was based on a book and go looking for it.
032) Shakespeare: Do you prefers his sonnets, histories, comedies, tragedies or pastorals? Comedies. Twelfth Night is one of my all time favorites.
032) Do you read in language other than English? No. I can read a very little spanish, but not enough to read mroe than a children’s book.
033) Have you ever stolen a book? From the store, library or other? Never intentionally. There’ve been times when the book didn’t catch on the check out machine and I didn’t realize it. And there are times when I’ve borrowed a book from a friend and lost touch with them before getting it back to them.
034) Do you remove the dust jackets when reading a book? Not generally. They make good bookmarks, depending on the size of the book.
035) Do you read fan zines? Nope. Don’t even know what ones might be out there.
036) Have you ever written a book? Are you writing one now? No. I’ve tried and failed. I learned that my forte is more in short stories or poetry than novels.
037) Is the "smell" of the book important to you? To a certain extent. If it’s been in a house with smoke or is moldy, I can’t have it around. I’m asthmatic and it makes it hard for me to read a book when I’m concentrating on breathing.
038) Do you ever write? What genre? I used to write quite a bit of poetry. Right now, most of my writing is in the form of online role-playing game posts. I’m part of two games that keep me pretty busy and help keep my writing form up.
039) Do you buy books for gifts? If I know that the person I’m giving them to will appreciate them, definitely. And for baby showers, I almost always buy books.
040) Do you loan out books to others? Had a bad loaning experience? I do, though really only to my best friend, Becca. We even go so far as to loan each other library books, trusting that they’ll be returned in time (and there haven’t been any problems yet). I got burned on two loans - once when I let a good friend my first two hardcover Harry Potter’s and the second when I loaned a friend my first Wild Cards novel. But I don’t really hold it against them much. In both cases, we drifted apart.
041) Do you take books with you when you're out and about? If I’m without my kids, yes. I will usually bring a book to read when I’m waiting for an appointment. And when I walk, I usually have an audio book keyed up on my MP3 player. The only exception is when I go to Starbucks. Then I bring my netbook so I can get some online work done.
042) Have you eBayed any books? A long time ago, I think. I bought one that I couldn’t find anywhere else. But generally, I prefer Abe or Half.com for used books.
043) Name your favorite literary characters. Morpheus from Sandman, Paige Winterborne from Women of the Otherworld, Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie, Riley Jensen from Keri Arthur’s Riley Jensen series... I’m sure there are more, but those were the first that came to mind.
044) Do you buy bookmarks? How many do you estimate you own? Generally, I don’t buy them. I come from the “use what’s around” school of bookmarking - the hold slips from library books, cards that I got for birthdays or mothers day, receipts. I do have a few bookmarks - maybe 10? But most of the time they’re already in use of something I’m reading.
045) Do you use bookmarks or other items to keep your place when reading? As I mentioned above, I usually use other items. Because I read anywhere, I use whatever’s handy.
046) Do you own any pop-up books? Which ones? No, because my youngest son is too hard on books. Pop-ups often get the pop-up portion torn off when I’m not looking.
047) Have you ever tried making a book yourself (book binding)? No. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d have the patience for it.
048) Belong to any online groups like LibraryThing or Title Trader? I’m on GoodReads as adpaz, but that’s it. (I think.)
049) Do you keep a list of books you own? I’ve tried, but I usually have books in so many different places that I can’t get them all.
050) Ever accidentally bough the same book twice? *laugh* On many an occasion. Particularly books by Mary Higgins Clark because I can never remember which ones I own and which I don’t.
051) Do you own any book totes? Do you use them? I’ve got one that we got for our summer reading at our local library. Sometimes I use it, but more often I use grocery totes.
052) Favorite Book chain Store? Barnes and Noble. I like having everything there that I could want, plus having a discount card. And they have a fantastic kids’ section that we like to go to when we’re there, partly because the one that was near us (but was lost in the Flood here in Nashville last May) had a train table that my boys loved.
053) Name 10 authors you feel every child should read. Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sandra Boynton, Anne Frank, Shel Silverstein, EB White, Lloyd Alexander, CS Lewis, George Selden, Robert O’Brien, Roald Dahl... there are more, but these are probably my top 10.
054) Ever had a book autographed by the author? Yep. One was purchased for me by a friend (it was by Diane Carey). The other, I actually got signed by Peter David at Philcon in 2003. Seeing as he’s one of my favorite authors, it was a real thrill for me.
055) Ever go to a poetry reading? Who? Nope. Mainly because I haven’t looked for any/hadn’t heard of any.
056) Do you like to read mysteries? Do you figure them out before the end? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I’ll sometimes just get an insight and other times, the way the story is written gives it away.
057) Have a favorite mystery author? I’m not sure if I have one favorite. I love Agatha Christie, but I also really enjoy Kay Hooper and Karin Slaughter.
058) Do you own any miniature books? Just one - a tarot guide.
059) What type books make up the majority of your library? Probably fantasy. Both my husband and I are huge fantasy fans. But there are also a lot of children’s books, several humor books (my husband’s) and quite a few mysteries.
060) Quote a favorite line from any book. “As I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had two things on my mind - Paul Newman and a ride home.” - The opening line from The Outsiders by SE Hinton.
061) What genre(s) do you dislike reading. I’m not as big of a fan of westerns. I’ve read a couple I liked (Lonesome Dove, for example), but generally they don’t hold my interest. I also don’t care too much for horror because I have an overactive imagination and horror makes it harder for me to get to sleep.
062) Did you ever pay over a $100.00 for a single book? No, and I honestly don’t think I ever would either. I’d worry about reading and ruining such an investment, and I’m a big believer in books being made to read, not look at.
063) Name your 5 favorite books in your collection. Another tough one. I can’t pick one book out of some of the series, so they’ll be named as one. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Tiger Burning Bright by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton, the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong, the Wild Cards series by George RR Martin and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.
064) Do you read non-fiction? Yep. Not as often as I read fiction, but I do like to pick up a good non-fiction book on a topic that interests me. (The Book Lust books by Nancy Pearl are BRILLIANT!)
065) Do you take books with you on vacation? Definitely. Audio books for the drive (usually something kid-friendly) and paper books for me to read at the end of the day.
066) Do you put bookplates inside your books? No. I’ve never really thought about it.
067) Do you prefer gift books from others to be inscribed or not? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If it’s a particularly thoughtful gift - like the Collected Sherlock Holmes that I got from my best friend in High School, I like having the inscription to look back on and remember.
068) Do you own any bookstore discount membership cards? Not anymore. I let my Barnes and Noble one lapse when the nearby store closed.
069) Do you like to read aloud? Do you? Yeah. I read to my boys at nap time and at bed time. I love to put myself into the stories.
070) Do you look up words in the book you don't know the meaning of? If I can’t figure it out by context clues, I do.
071) What books do you feel influenced your life? The Mists of Avalon. It was one of the first books that I read with a feminist bent and it shaped my pride in being a woman. I know there should be more, but I can’t think of them.
072) What book(s) have you re-read the most? The Tyler series - a Harlequin series that came out about 10 years ago. It’s a mystery/romance series that I actually spent time hunting down the remaining books for. The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. The Dragonlance novels by Margaret Weiss and Tracey Hickman.
073) Do you list which books you've read anywhere (like a journal)? On my blog, Sanity's Overrated. I do reviews of them. I also keep a list on GoodReads, though to be honest, I’m behind on both of them (though I need to catch up because I’m part of the Book Log for 1st Quarter, 2011 swap and I use those as my reviews for the books that I read.)
074) Do you think any books should be banned? Which ones? No, I don’t. Even books that are no longer relevant or speak hateful things can teach us something by example - the example of how NOT to be. And books from our history, like Huck Finn are products of our time. As much as we may be ashamed of those times, they are a part of us and we can’t pretend they didn’t happen.
075) Do you think anyone should rewrite another author's original work? Not generally, no. If the author hadn’t finished it before death and they’d been in collaboration, then I can see a case for it. Otherwise, no.
076) Do you enjoy reading plays? Do you like to see plays on stage? I love to read them and I love to see them. I was a theater minor in college.
077) Have you ever performed "Reader's Theater?" No, it’s not something I’m familiar with.
076) Ever burned a book? Was it because of content or other? Never, ever, EVER. And I can’t see me doing so intentionally in the future.
077) Do you prefer paperback or hardback? Usually paperback. They’re easier to carry around to read and I can snuggle with them in bed easier than I can a hardcover. But there are some books (like the Harry Potter series) that I started in hard cover and continue to get in hard cover so the series matches.
078) Do you have a library room in your house or apartment? I wish! I’m hoping that when I get a house of my own, we’ll have a room or nook or something we’ll be able to turn into a library, but for now, I’m in a two bedroom apartment without a lot of extra space.
079) Do you buy mostly new, bargain, or used books? Mostly used. It’s better for my budget, which means I can buy more books overall.
080) Do you read your library books at the library or at home? At home. In the library, I’m usually chasing around my 2 year old, trying to stop him from getting on every computer in sight.
081) Have you ever defaced a book? What was the circumstance? Only once, and that was because it was a book I used for a class. I loved the book, but it made it easier for me to find things I needed for my reports if I highlighted passages and made notes in the margin. The thought kills me now, though.
082) Do you read folklore/myths? Yep. I love to hear how folklore and myth differ not only from area to area but by author.
083) Favorite mythological figure? Morpheus, God of Dreams. Granted, much of my view of Morpheus comes from the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman.
084) Read any books where an animal(s) is/are the main character? Aside from the children’s books that I read to my boys, there’s a Harlequin series called Fear Familiar. Familiar is a cat detective, incredibly smart and a bit of a matchmaker and wiseguy. They’re part of Harlequin’s Intrigue imprint and they’re so fun to read.
085) Name a favorite animal featured title. Familiar Christmas.
086) Do you believe the adage: "If it's in print, it must be true!" ? Of course not! I’m a big reader of fiction and I can see how easy it would be to nudge things from fact to speculation to outright fiction. It can be like a big game of telephone, sometimes.
087) Do you sometimes stop reading a book? What's the reason usually? Usually it’s because I’ve run out of time to finish reading it and it’s due back at the library with no renewals available. Very rarely, I won’t finish a book because I just couldn’t get into it.
088) If you could own any one rare book in the world which book would it be? I’m not sure, honestly. I don’t even know which ones would be considered rare.
089) As a child were you ever caught reading after bedtime? All the time. My parents regularly came in to tell me (for about the fifth time) to turn out the light and go to bed.
090) Do you own a book light? No. I’ve tried them but haven’t been able to find one that I like. Instead, I have a touch lamp on the headboard of my bed that I put on low when my husband goes to sleep.
091) Estimate how many books you own. 500? At a guess? I’m honestly not sure because we sold a lot before Christmas so we had money for presents.
092) Have you ever borrowed a book from a bookmobile? Nope. Not sure where there are any around here, and I’ve never been in a hospital long enough (or without one of my own books).
093) What book have you recommended the most? A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This was the one I defaced in college, but it’s one of the best books ever.
094) Is it important to you that your friends are well-read? Yeah. I don’t intentionally refuse friendship with someone who isn’t, but I tend to gravitate toward people who are like me.
095) Do you have a person that you enjoy discussing your reads with? Who? My husband and my best friend, Becca. With Rich, it’s usually trying to get him to read a book I think he’ll enjoy when I’m finished. With Becca, it’s usually comparing notes.
096) What book are you most looking forward to reading next? Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning. It’s the 5th (and last) book in her Fever series and it’s waiting for me at the library. I’m anxious to find out how everything wraps up.
097) Do you read horror/thrillers? Favorite horror/thriller authors? Not generally. As I remarked above, I have too active of an imagination to be comfortable reading them.
098) Have you ever made a dish from a cookbook? Yep. Usually baking dishes. My husband does the cooking and he’s made several from a cookbook as well.
099) Do you ever buy any other "how to" books? Were they helpful? Not really. Especially being in such a digital age, I usually find how to’s online.
100) What question about books should I have asked you? I can’t really think of any. Maybe “is reading a family affair?” I’d have to say most definitely yes. My 5 year old is already reading at a 3rd grade level and my 2 year old never wants to miss story time. My husband reads as much as I do. Or, “when did you start reading?” At about 4. My mom told my kindergarten teacher but back then, early readers weren’t a common thing in my school. She didn’t believe that I could actually read until I was reading over her shoulder one nap time. From that point on, I went to the 2nd grade teacher for reading instruction.
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