Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

5.19.2013 - Seventh Anniversary

2013-05-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

They say there is a thing called the seven year itch.

Our days are not without challenges and with one little one and one on the way we sometimes have to remind ourselves to take time away together.

But an itch? Nope. There is no where and with no one I'd rather be.

Seven years of marriage have been a blessing and I'm constantly grateful to have a partner, best friend, confidant, and lover in Scott. I have a feeling--with the new baby on the way and new ventures we are embarking upon--that our eighth year of marriage will be a crazy and wild one!! Of course with lots of love, laughter, and plenty of that insanity.

5.19.2012 - Sixth Anniversary
5.19.2011 - Fifth Anniversary
5.19.2010 - Fourth Anniversary

My Life Is [not] Perfect

2013-05-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

My life is perfect.

Reality....

No…no it's not. And I would find it kind of hard to believe that anyone would view my life as perfect, but I have received comments—joking comments—such as "I can't be friends with you, you do way too much" or "You make me feel bad about myself with all the stuff you do" or "How do you have time to do everything you do??" And some of these statements are from family members! Once a comment is made I can laugh, twice I can shrug it off, thrice I kind of just want to permanently ignore you for making me feel bad about myself for "making" you feel bad about yourself. But I can't tell you how many times I've looked at another person's life and felt a twinge of envy at the perfect little package presented with a beautiful (and probably designer) bow. Or how there have been times when I've jokingly said, "Ugh! I hate her!"

In the past few weeks I've seen many mentions to the illusions (or delusions) that Pinterest creates**. One article from Today Moms mentioned that in a recent survey 42% of surveyed moms feel bad or have a lowered self-esteem after they browse Pinterest. Momastery recently wrote about Pinsanity and I've seen similar mentions here and there about Facebook making folks feel badly about their own lives because they see the beautiful and gorgeous and sunny lives that others lead. Social Media and blogs are a slippery slope towards skewed perception of reality because we mostly see the shiny rather than the failures. Why would we want to post our imperfections for all to see? Isn't it easier to post the picture perfect?

Recently a friend showed me an acquaintance's photo journal of her daughter's third birthday. It was beautiful and clever and adorable and picture perfect. My first reaction was to feel bad that I don't have the creativity to pull together something like that and my second reaction was to scorn her for having too much time. And then I harkened back to the times when others have made such comments to me and immediately felt sorry I had internally criticized this complete stranger and internally criticized myself.

I have so many thoughts about social media and these rising articles I don't know where to begin. I try to paint a realistic picture of my life for you, my dear readers, but I also know that I sometimes edit. I don't tell you when I'm depressed or when I'm feeling badly about myself. I don't post about my dirty bathrooms or the fact that I haven't cooked a decent meal in how long? If you've been around long enough or follow me on Twitter you might be able to read between the lines, but generally I try to focus on the good rather than the bad all while trying to remain truthful. I'm guessing most of you try to do the same. On the other hand, if we don't discuss our difficulties or stressures or even sometimes our failures then we are potentially missing out on a very strong and reliable support system. Maybe this is why I usually take the approach of writing "I'm thinking of doing XYZ so tell me your suggestions!" rather than "This is how you do XYZ and Why" (although I envy those who can write with such authority on a subject). Where's the balance between showing the positive and showing real life?

I don't have the answer regarding balance but I have thought about Internet Envy quite a bit.

At the end of the day, it is important to keep a few things in mind when measuring your life against someone else's. You'll hear me say this time and time again, but what we see online is merely a snapshot of someone's life. We don't see the tears or the sadness or the failures that might have led up to the perfect picture. We don't see how a person's life is lacking or how someone's circumstances are wildly different from our own. We only see what people choose for us to see, just as we choose what we want other people to see.

We also need to keep in mind our own limits. Do you even want to throw a Pinterest party for your child? Or read 400 books in a year? Or bake cookies every day? Or cook completely from scratch including possibly raising some chickens? If the answer is yes, then think about how you can prioritize to fit these things in your life (although you truly are crazy pants if you want to do it all). If the answer is sort of then pick out details that are manageable and will not cause you stress. If the answer is no, then move on and don't criticize the other person for wanting to throw a Pinterest party. (And by "Pinterest-party" just think something that you might see in a magazine spread). I admit that at times I take on too much in my life--this is a personality trait/flaw that I absolutely own up to. But I've also had to learn when to take a step back and when to not let the details stress me out. Of course this is always a work in progress for me.

Finally, measure yourself against yourself. Or don't. It doesn't matter whether you measure yourself against anything at all. Do what makes you happy or what brings joy into your life. Focus on the beautiful pictures that you have or the beautiful things that you have or the beautiful things you created rather than the failures or set-backs or disappointments. Certainly it's natural to compare oneself with others and it's natural to sometimes feel lacking or down, but we need to spend more time focusing on the good in ourselves and the good in others. I didn't mean for this post to end up being a cumbaya-let's all hold hands post, and it probably won't stop me from envying others every once in a while, but every day I will work hard to appreciate myself for who I am.

[**and for the record, I don't think that Pinterest is evil--heck I run a challenge based off of it--but it makes me terribly sad to see that folks are using it to weigh their self-worth].

What tips do you have for keeping Internet (or real life) Envy at bay?

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami

2013-05-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Author: Haruki Murakami

Published: 1994 Pages: 607

Genre: Fiction (translated)

Rating: 4/5

In Short: Toru Okada, a thirty-something unemployed guy, leads a fairly mundane life until his and his wife's cat goes missing and his whole world is turned upside down.

Why I Read It: After I read and loved Kafka on the Shore a few years ago I started seeking out other works by Murakami. This one sat unread on my shelf until Ti from Book Chatter offered up a #Winditup2013 readalong over the past six weeks.

Thoughts in General: It's absolutely impossible to succinctly talk about what goes on in a Murakami novel (at least the two that I've experienced), but what happens in the book isn't what is important. You've heard the thought that the journey is often more important than the destination, and for The Wind-up Bird Chronicle this is absolutely true. Murakami weaves together several threads throughout several decades and even throughout several dimensions of reality, and as a result Murakami creates a world that operates by its own rules. I've heard people describe reading Murakami as "dream-like" and I agree--much of the book takes place during the everyday happenings but all of a sudden the events will fluidly slip into a reality that is questionable but somehow acceptable.

I don't want to go into much more detail but The Wind-up Bird is intriguing, interesting, thought-provoking, fast paced, mysterious, complicated, multilayered, open to interpretation, and touching. It has been a long time since I've been so pulled into a book and read it at every chance I can find. The chapters are short and there were enough cliffhangers for me to read just one more chapter--just one more chapter. If you're wondering about why I didn't rank this one higher than a 4/5: I did feel that Wind-up could have been a good 100 pages shorter, especially near the end of the book. At times it felt as though Murakami was reaching and stretching for a conclusion to his own story.

Some bits from the book:

"It was a narrow world, a world that was standing still. But the narrower it became, the more it betook of stillness, the more this world that enveloped me seemed to overflow with thing and people that could only be called strange...and everytime the wind-up bird came to my yard to wind its spring, the world descended more deeply into chaos" (125).

"OK, then, enough of this thinking about the mind. That's why I'm here. To think about reality. The best way to think about reality, I had decided, was to get as far away from it as possible--aplace like the bottom of a well, for example" (231).

"I feel as if my every move is being controlled by some incredibly long arm that's reaching out from somewhere far away, and that my life has been nothing more than a convenient passageway for all these things moving through it" (503).

Bottom [Several] Line[s]: Perhaps it won't surprise you that I recommend The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with reservations. Murakami's writing isn't straight-forward and I'd venture to call him a Post-Modern style writer. While the writing itself is not difficult and the pacing of the book is quite fast and easy to digest, the larger pictures and themes can be very difficult to sort out. Wind-up Bird is one that will leave you thinking about the book for days and I'm not sure that one can fully come to any conclusions about the plot without conjecture or speculation. I love this type of open-ended writing because I don't need closure when it comes to books but I can see how it could leave readers wanting or feeling unsettled. I do recommend The Wind-up Bird Chronicle but I know it is not everyone's cup of tea. As a small disclaimer, there is a fair amount of sexual content and a small amount of graphic violence.

Have you gotten lost in the mind of Murakami? If not, do I have you interested or running in the opposite direction?

On A Day To Myself

2013-05-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

With Mother's Day around the corner, possible Mother's Day gifts have been on my mind. I don't normally ask for much in the way of gifts and since becoming a mother one of the things that has popped into my head is "time to myself." But then I immediately feel guilty for wanting to spend time by myself on a day that is celebrating my bond with my daughter? And if you are a mom of small children and have never wished for some time alone, you are a saint and I commend you for your selflessness. I also wonder if you are human? I'm rib-nudging a little bit here, but all the same...to have a day all to myself. Sigh.

Sometimes on the weekends Scott will lovingly say "Why don't you go do something for/by yourself?" and my reply is usually, "But everything I want to do is here at the house!" And please don't take this little post here the wrong way--I love spending time with my chickpea banana and I love spending time with Scott. In fact I mostly get annoyed when he hangs out with his brothers on the weekend instead of me! *pouts* And oftentimes if Scott does take Elle to run errands and gives me the house to myself, I start calling frantically after a few hours wondering where the heck they are and when they're coming back.

But alone time. A day to myself. Sigh. It sounds so absolutely luxurious.

And what would I do with a day to myself?

1. Work on my Christmas Quilt. I swear once I finish all those blocks I WILL work on Scott's. It's just his is scary because I don't know how. Whine whine.

2. Read a chapter or two from a book

3. Go for a walk/job (I would listen to Lady Gaga Pandora station)

4. Visit some blogs and write a post of my own

5. Bake some cookies and possibly a big batch meal to freeze

6. Paint the laundry room while listening to my audiobook (ok, this one's a stretch)

7. Project Life

8. Grab some Starbucks (half caff, non-fat caramel latte, thankyouverymuch)

9. Watch a movie in bed while sewing hexes

10. If I'm being honest - probably take a nap (though my non-pregnant self would not likely do this)

With time spent taking a nap and time wasted on twitter, I could probably only do three or four of these things in a day, but I imagine this day to myself to be super-duper productive. And it seems to me that this post could have alternatively been titled "Things I Like To Do."

What would you do with a little bit of extra YOU time that you didn't have to share with anyone else?

April Was... May will be...

2013-05-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Here--I'll sum this post up for you in one sentence: April went too quickly and I'm betting that May will too. WHY TIME?? WHY ARE YOU SO CRUEL??

April was a really busy month for me and my family and sadly my blogging has suffered. May will also be pretty busy--Scott will be gone for a week on business, then we have our seven year wedding anniversary, and then it's Memorial Day Weekend and then it's June Oh My! I've been feeling pretty good --not quite as energetic as I remember being in my second trimester with Elle--but I feel good (I'm at 23 weeks).

However, I've been fairly lazy the past few weeks in between various activities. By the time I'm done putting Elle to bed, it's almost 8:00 and I just want to read for a few minutes and then watch Law and Order SVU (I have quite the backlog of episodes) while I work on my hex sewing. I think my brain is subconsciously telling me to get my lazy in now while I can! Mostly I'm not fighting this.

In April...

We celebrated Elle's Second Birthday, participated in World Book Night, and I spent most of my downtime making hexes. We also took our first camping trip! We headed a few hours east where we met up with my mom, brother, sister and their families. The weather was perfect and we had an amazing time. Yes, we were in a camper. I totally pulled the pregnancy/toddler card on that one! ;) You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it. Then you can see that apparently when I cast, both of my feet come off the ground. I don't know why either... And yes, Elle's chair is camo. #highclassrednecks

In May...

Other than the activities listed above, I'm sure May will include a lot of hex sewing while watching Law and Order. However, these are the things I'd like to work on this month (I'm ignoring the fact that we're already a week into the month)...

Crafting/Sewing: *mumbles under breath: project life* After working my tail off on the Christmas quilt last month, I'm pleased to say I only have 16 small quilt blocks left! In a perfect world I could get this done in three partial days of sewing. Too bad I can't machine sew while lying on the couch watching SVU. And since Scott will be gone for a week this month, I really really really should finish his quilt to give him next month for his birthday/father's day. But I'm just not ready to Free Motion Quilt that sucker.

But in the most exciting news, I've found a pattern and material for Baby Billy Jean's quilt! Big thanks to Hannah for troubleshooting this with me and helping me find the pattern!

It's delicious, right? The bottom fabrics are backing/binding

Reading: Finish up The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (yay!) and read Orphan Train for my book club. My work book club is reading Great Gatsby and even though I listened to it last month I'm tempted to read it as well. It's one of those that I've read a handful of times but always always feel like I could have grasped more! In terms of audio, I have no idea. I have a serious backlog, though, so I'm sure I'll find something! What's the best audio you've listened to lately?

Cooking: Ha! Oddly enough I haven't had a very strong appetite the past few months. I keep waiting for the hunger to kick in, but it hasn't yet. Sweet tooth on the other hand... Or really really cold things like popsicles and Sonic slushes. But for the small amount of time that we'll be all home at the same time in the evenings, I'll probably switch between previously prepared meals in the freezer and things I've pinned to Pinterest for #PinItDoIt. And perhaps one of these days I'll make cookies with Elle since it's been a few months...

Fried Rice and Sesame Chicken. Will post links to pins later...

Blogging: My goal is to actually blog with some sort of consistency. But who knows. I'm finding blogging (and all the various tasks involved) to be very overwhelming these days. I am looking forward to Armchair BEA at the end of the month, though! Have you signed up yet?

Other than that I'd really like to go to the zoo before it gets too hot, but in looking at the calendar, I just don't know when we'll squeeze it in this month.

What does your May look like? Are there any big projects that you're itching to complete?

Favorite Baby Board Books - Sunday Salon

2013-05-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday night and Scott is out cavorting around and I so so so wanted to just curl up on the couch and watch some SVU while sewing my hexes together. This seems to be my routine these days. Sometimes the thought of blogging is overwhelming. I love the comments that I receive from you all but it's hard to not feel guilty about not being able to respond in a timely manner (if I even get that far) or even still returning a visit to your blog. And I know what you're going to say because you've said it to me before--but there it is. So, I've just spent the last hour re-reading the comments you've given me over the last two months so that I can wipe my email clean and hopefully start fresh. How do you keep up???

Anyway.

I pulled the books pictured below from Elle's room several weeks ago in hopes of writing this post. Sadly we're on our way to outgrowing the baby board books and starting to get more into the picture books, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. Notice I said "my" favorites rather than Elle's favorites. I started reading many of these books to Elle while I was on maternity leave and I didn't know what else to do with a baby all day. While I think she could probably take or leave some of these books, I enjoy reading them.

In absolutely no order--12 of my favorite board books for babes and the very ridiculous and subjective reasons why I like them.

Daddy Calls Me Doodlebug and Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants by J.D. Lester
Premise: Silly nicknames that parent animals give their babies
Why I like them: Because I can read them in a singsongy voice and I have a thing for nicknames. :)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Premise: Caterpillar eats a lot!
Why I like it: Because it's fun to read through the list of food on Saturday and each food has holes in the page so that I can name the foods while pointing with the babe's finger.

Moo by Matthew Van Fleet and Brian Stanton
Premise: Each full page features all of the names for a particular animal. With touchy feely things.
Why I like it: The squeaker included for the rubber duck. Incidentally Elle likes this too.

Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

Premise: In the great green room there is...and let's say goodnight to them!
Why I like it: The old lady whispering hushhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton

Premise: Barnyard animals love to dance around
Why I like it: Elle's first board book and I louuuuuurve singing this one.

The Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton

Premise: So many animals play instruments in the most awesome Christmas parade!
Why I like it: Actually Elle likes this book more than I do. She still requests it in May. I should probably hide it for next year...

Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton

Premise: Mama loves her little snuggle puppy
Why I like it: I have a thing for Boynton books. Enough said.

On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

Premise: The most marvelous and wondrous things happened on the night babe was born
Why I like it: The illustrations, the message, it's just so darn sweet.

It's Time to Sleep, My Love by Eric Metaxas and Nancy Tillman

Premise: Not to be confused with Go the F to Sleep.
Why I like it: Beautiful beautiful illustrations. And sweet message.

Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman

Premise: This one is a flip and turn interactive version that blessedly is still in one piece.
Why I like it: Lots of colors and of course the interaction.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and Lois Ehlert

Premise: An alphabet story.
Why I like it: Singsongy. This makes me wonder if other people singsong books to their kiddos?

You might be surprised to learn that I don't read to Elle every night, though. Instead I sing to her every single night and because I know that I'll sing to her for a good 5 to 10 minutes, I feel too pressed for time to read a book. Why sing rather than read? I don't know--we both enjoy it and it's my absolute favorite time with her. Her current song requests? Row row row your boat (grown) and The ants go marching.

What are your Favorite Baby Board Books?

Pin it and Do it May 2013 Link-up

2013-05-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's May! Don't ask me how--that's just what my calendar says. April went by way too quickly and I feel like I've fallen off the face of blogging a little bit the past two weeks or so. We went camping with my family last weekend, in part to celebrate Elle's second birthday, and while it was wonderful to unplug for the weekend I'm still clawing my way out of email. I have high hopes for May, though! Any month that has 31 days is promising, right?

Along with May comes our next installment of Pin it and Do it. If you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late to join. You don't need to formally sign up at this point unless you want to, but please read the introduction post for some guidelines and tips. The button on my sidebar will bring you back to this post in case you lose track.

To sum, the game is a simple one. Just pick some things that you've pinned to Pinterest and do them! They can be things you pinned a year ago, things you pinned yesterday, and I'll never know if you do something and then pin it. It's just about having fun while doing something new or different.

In the linky below, make sure you link to your permanent url so people can easily find your post--please also include your project. In your blog updates, please link to the pin or actual web address somewhere so that those interested can have access to what you're doing (and give credit where credit is due). Here's an example from a previous round and all the links from the others. If you need help with any of this, please let me know. Don't forget to leave a comment to let us know how you're doing!

Link up by June 3rd to be included in the wrap-up post.

Example: Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity (Cleaning with vinegar)

Happy Pinning and Doing!!

Pin it and Do It: A Pinteresting Challenge - May Sign-ups

2013-04-26T09:44:00.002-05:00

Did you guys miss Pin it and Do it as much as I did? It was a much needed break and I surprised myself by continuing to use my pinboards for inspiration. This marks the one year anniversary since Pin it and Do it started. If you're new to the game, the premise is simple: Make or do the things you've pinned to Pinterest. You can pin things during the challenge (or even expressly for the challenge) or they can be things you've pinned a year ago!

Pin It and Do It: A Pinteresting Challenge

The Details:
1. To participate you will choose your level and then make (or do) that amount of pins during May 2013. Challenge ends May 31st.
2. Report back on your Pin It and Do It success. On May 1st I'll post a linky for you to link up. Ideally this will come in the form of a blog or tumblr post. Or you can post about it on Facebook or Flickr if you don’t have a blog or tumblr. Or create a board on Pinterest for this challenge. If none of the above, report your success in the Wrap-Up Post comments.
3. Anyone is welcome to join. If you need an invite to Pinterest, let me know your email address and I’ll send an invite.

The Levels:
Timid Pinner: 1-3 Pins
Pinterested: 4-7 Pins
Pin Obsessed: 8+ Pins

Some Pinterest Etiquette and Courtesies:
--If you create a pin from a post, make sure you are pinning the true URL of the post and not the main website so folks can easily find the link again.
--When you create a pin, try to include the website in the description of the pin.
--Do not include the entire recipe or instructions in the pin description.
--If you embed a pinned picture on your own blog, make it clear that it is not your original picture--a link back to the original blog post is always appreciated.

And other little tidbits...this does not have to be a food or crafting challenge. Saw an interesting photography lesson? Click! An outfit you'd love to put together? Yup! Organizing idea for around the house? Go for it! A workout Regiment? Kick butt! Really this challenge is endless--you just need to tell us what you pinned and what you did. Make sure to note the original pin wherever you complete your wrapup (or if you do progress reports) to give the originator credit and make the pin easy for others to find.

Sign up below and help spread the word! I'll be using #PinitDoit on twitter:

The challenge officially starts May 1st, but feel free to get started early if you can't wait.

Happy Pinning and Doing!

Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

2013-04-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Little House in the Big Woods
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Published: 1932; Pages: 238
Genre: Children's Chapter Book

The Short of It: Little House in the Big Woods is the first installment of the Little House on the Prairie books. It details one year in the life of the Ingalls family in Wisconsin and is focused on Laura, the middle of three children.

Why I Read It: Once upon a time Lisa of Books.Lists.Life was holding a readalong for Little House in the Big Woods. I'm super late to the party.

Thoughts in General: I'm going to let Lisa's questions guide this post but I did want to start by noting this is my very first experience with Little House in any way. I've heard friends talk about Laura Ingalls Wilder with much adoration but we didn't read her books growing up and I never watched the TV series. I had no idea what to expect going into this book (shocking, right?) but I didn't realize it was going to be quite so (ahem) simple. It took me much longer to get through the first 238 pages (with big font and pictures) than I expected and I don't think I can use the word enjoy in context of reading Big Woods. I feel like I'm letting you down by saying that! Can we still be friends?

Lisa's Questions (don't worry--there really isn't anything I could even spoil in this book)

Was this your first time reading the book? Yessiree Bob!

Were these childhood favorites? No. Maybe Canadian kiddos don't read Little House books? (joking)

What scene stood out the most to you? In the winter the Ingalls family tap the Maple Trees for Maple Syrup. I loved visiting maple farms on school trips when I was little and tasting the fresh maple syrup. In a way this part felt nostalgic for me.

Do you think your children could play all summer with two dolls and some acorns? Is this really a question about whether I think kids are overstimulated? You can't trick me Lisa! ;) As long as Elle had a place to put her acorns, I think she could learn to be quite content.

Do you think kids today like the books as much as we did? As much as our parents did? I'm not sure if my parents have read these either. I'll have to remember to ask. I bet my stepmom did. Personally I love pioneer type things and would probably have eaten this up as a kid and then played Pioneer with my sisters. I'm going to have to have a talk with my mom as to why we didn't read these books growing up. (Had talk with mom. She said it was because she thought the TV show was hokey when she was growing up. Ha!).

Would you take a bite of head cheese? Um, no thank you.

How would your family handle three days of enforced togetherness? A week? A month? A month is maybe a long time but my family spends a lot of time together. Much to our husbands' chagrin, I'm sure. This is what happens when three immediate families live within a mile of each other!

What about the songs Pa sang? Am I the only one who skimmed those? I skim all songs/poems in books. I've been told this will serve me well when I finally read Possession.

What other thoughts do you have on the book as a whole? While I personally did not get a whole lot of enjoyment out of reading Little House in the Big Woods, I can see myself eventually getting the boxed set and reading them to the girls when they are older and can sit through a chapter a night or help me read a chapter. I like the idea of these books and think that they could generate fun discussions or even activities with kids, but for personal reading fun? Not so much.

My question to y'all: What are your experiences with reading children's books as an adult? So far I've had trouble getting into many of the books that I didn't read as a kiddo--Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Little House. I wondered if the first two were because I'd seen TV/movie adaptations, but I think there's more to it than that. What do you think?

Oops--a book post on Saturday. It was one of those weeks (I think for everyone). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Comfort Movies

2013-04-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

First...let me show you something:

Found in drafts. Date: June 15, 2011. Awesome.

Ok. Moving on. Yay for being able to cross something off the list!

I am a creature of habit. It absolutely drives Scott crazy that I can eat the same thing for breakfast over and over and over (maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal, if you must know--though this is amended now that I'm a bit hungrier in the morning). I love routine and if a wrench is thrown in my plans you better watch out! I think my proclivity towards habit and routine are part of the reason why I enjoy watching the same movies over and over and over again. They feel comfortable to me. I won't go into the fact that I also love to put on Law and Order SVU to fall asleep at night--I'm not sure what that says about me...

I really got into comfort movies when I was in college and had a little TV with a VCR but not regular cable to watch TV shows. I'd head to Walmart and pick up a video tape for $5 and then just watch the video to death. By the time I moved on to a DVD player I had quite the collection of video tapes. It was painful when my VCR died and I couldn't find another one. It has been a slow slow process replacing my favorite movies over the years, but still, there is nothing I love more than putting on a familiar movie and watching it for the zillionth time. You'll notice a pattern in my list below--I tend to gravitate towards the romantic comedies--probably because they're predictable and I typically know that all will end well. Funny because my taste in comfort movies is nothing like my taste in books!

Part of me wants to explain why I love these movies so much but I don't think I can in anyway that truly conveys my deep love for these movies. It isn't a coincidence that Sandra Bullock is featured in three of these movies and I also have a soft spot for Hugh Grant. The Princess Bride is my absolute favorite since I was 8 years old and I'm constantly surprised by Catch and Release. Say Anything? Ok, maybe not the greatest film and High Fidelity almost made the list, but I just love John Cusack in Say Anything so dearly.

Without further ado...10 of my comfort movies. And I know that you'll give me your comfort movies in the comments and I'll say OMG MINE TOO! but this is the list I'm going with for right now.

My Comfort Movies
1. While You Were Sleeping
2. When Harry Met Sally
3. The Princess Bride
4. Love Actually
5. The Holiday
6. Two Weeks Notice
7. The American President
8. Hope Floats
9. Say Anything
10. Catch and Release

Ok fine--a few more I could (and have) watch over and over--High Fidelity, Runaway Bride, Notting Hill, The Proposal. Hmmm. You know, I haven't seen a good romantic comedy in a while. Are these still being made? Surely!

What movies provide comfort for you?

Prepping for World Book Night

2013-04-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

World Book Night is April 23, 2013. You can read all about it on the World Book Night website, but in short "World Book Night is an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person." I loved reading many of your accounts of passing out books last year and so I decided to crawl out of my comfort zone and pass out books as well.

I went to the bookstore last night to pick up my box of books--20 copies of The Handmaid's Tale. I do find it slightly ironic that I'm passing out this book while I'm pregnant (one person on twitter joked that I should mention that my name is Ofscott), but because of the subject matter I'm having a tough time thinking of places to pass out the book. I had originally thought a shelter or a rehab facility but wonder if the subject matter is too heavy?

I'd love to hear your suggestions on where to pass out the books--especially who you think might be a fitting audience for The Handmaid's Tale. High school kids at the mall or Starbucks? And if you haven't read the book, you definitely need to add it to your list. Margaret Atwood is fantastic and this book was like a gateway drug to literary fiction (I know, a dirty word).

If you've been a World Book Night Giver in the past, I'd love to hear your tips! And if you're going to be participating this year I'd love to hear your plan! If you're not either, then tell me that you're going to go seek out The Handmaid's Tale immediately!

Happy Reading!

The Starts of a Garden

2013-04-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

For years Scott has wanted to start a garden. I'm not really sure why he wanted one, but I've always been resistant and taken the stance that if he wants a garden he can build one and nurture it himself. In other words, if it were up to him we'd wait forever for a garden. It's scorching in the summers and we receive very little rain. A garden seems like so much work for very little payoff.

Was it last year or the year before that he started to read about square foot gardening? I don't remember but he even went as far as to build some planters. We couldn't decide on a good place to put the planters, though, as we have two huge oak trees that block much of the sunlight we receive in our western facing backyard. Our neighborhood handyman took the planters off our hands and that was that.

I quickly forgot about the potential garden until I discovered our local Farmer's Market. I began to lust after the fresh produce that I was seeing not only at the market but from coworkers who were also starting gardens. I was jealous and envious of the homegrown tomatoes and cute little cucumbers that others were producing, especially as I learned last summer that canning isn't as difficult as I suspected. I vowed that this summer I would grow at least tomatoes in hopes that I will be able to put them up for the fall and winter.

The handyman brought back the planter (improved with lovely staining!) and was actually sweet enough to plant the damn tomatoes for me (I might be a little whiny these past few months...).

Not the handyman...

Not really planting...

After a good dousing (which Elle loooooooves to do).

Look a flower!

I'm guessing I will need to stake these little guys as I'm guessing they'll get quite big. My next door neighbors have a few gardens going so I'm going to rely on her for much guidance. But mostly this is the year of experimenting and seeing what works and what doesn't. Who knows! Maybe next year we'll build another planter and try out another veggie!

Do you have a vegetable garden? I would love to hear about it--what you grow, what works well for you, things to avoid.

Every weekend, Beth Fish Reads hosts Weekend Cooking. "Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs." Hope you'll join the fun!

Created by Heather at Capricious Reader and hosted by Chris of Stuff As Dreams Are Made On, Saturday Farmer's Market is "a weekly event that celebrates gardening...local food, ...a recipe that you've created using fresh ingredients or a whole cookbook; and veggies, flowers, herbs and farm goods galore."

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

2013-04-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Me Before You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Published: 2013; Pages: 369

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 4/5

In Short: A Girl and a Boy in a small British town with a castle. I'm sorry what? Here's a link to Goodreads. Honestly, this post doesn't get better until the Bottom Line Section...just warning you! Thank goodness I'm not writing this post for a publisher or author. I'd be fired.

Why I Read It: For book club at A Real Bookstore. Although when it was suggested I quickly agreed because of the buzz this one has been receiving.

Thoughts in General: It was a really fun treat for me as my mom also read this book and attended book club with me. Although she doesn't procrastinate like I do and so she had a head start on the reading. In a text she said that she liked the book but it was simple and predictable. Lovely--I began to wonder if this was another twitter buzz-book that had been way oversold by the early readers. I started the book a week before the meeting and for the first several nights I fell asleep while reading. Mom was right--it was OK but it was simple and a bit plodding.

But then something turned in the book for me and I became emotionally absorbed within the story. I had to read the last third of the book the day of my book club meeting and for the last fifty (yes 50) pages of the book I was a sobbing, heaving mess in Starbucks. Let me tell you about the strange looks that I received from on-lookers. Looks of pity and concern and 'what the hell is wrong with you.' I really wanted to put a sticky on the front of my book that said "emotional read - stop gawking at me" but I embraced the tears and the red face and the small tiny little gasps that escaped from within me.

Do you like how I haven't told you anything about this book? This is why I suck at writing book posts lately. I don't really care to tell you about the book, I just want to tell you about my experience reading it so that maybe you can have the same experience or if know that you don't want to have the same experience you can stay away from the book. I would totally read a book if you told me you sobbed for the last 50 pages in public. I wouldn't even need to know what the book was about--just as I had no idea what this one was about. Thank you for stopping by; I do hope you'll be back.

Bottom Line: I recommend Me Before You. I wish that I hadn't spent the first 150 pages of the book restless but once the story started to come together I fell in love. The writing isn't anything to call home about but the story is complex and the characters all developed nicely. I would also definitely recommend this for book clubs. There is a wealth of topics to discuss and we had several great conversations about the book.

First - Have you read Me Before You? Do you plan to? Thoughts?

Second - How do you feel about early buzz amongst books that make the rounds in the book blogging world? Yes, it's a vague question probably better suited for a discussion post...

Baby Billy Jean at 19 Weeks

2013-04-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

How Far Along? 19 weeks or almost 5 months.

Size of Baby? This week's fruit is an heirloom tomato or mango. Not sure what this really means but baby is about 6 inches from head to rump.

Maternity Clothes? Oh ya! I moved into maternity work pants between 14 and 15 weeks. I was still wearing my regular jeans (rubberbanded) until a week or two ago but comfort finally won out.

Weight Gain? When I asked my midwife if I was gaining enough weight (because right now I've gained half of what I did with Elle at this point), she said I'm right on track and that I should reward myself with a milkshake. She doesn't need to tell me that twice!

Gender? GIRL! 100% for sure.

Sleep? Better! I'm napping less on the weekends than I was but still going to bed fairly early.

Food Cravings? Not really. I find this kind of weird. Food actually doesn't sound terribly appealing at all. Even though I ate my body weight in Easter candy.

What I Miss? Sleeping on my stomach. Or my back. Running at full speed. White wine. Not feeling exhausted.

Symptoms? I've been very lucky--this has been such an easy pregnancy that sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm not just getting chubby. I still have rhinitis at night but I've learned this weekend that Breathe Right strips work wonders for that. The heartburn is starting to get worse, but I'm not surprised about that. And the sciatica pops up every once in a while--apparently bending over to cut fabric does not help this at all. But other than that I feel great. Not 100% energetic but much improved over the first trimester.

Belly Button? Still a weird question. But it'll go away much earlier this time.

Best Moment of the Week? When we got to see little Baby Billy Jean throw her little legs over her head. Looks like we'll have another mover and shaker baby girl! I started to feel movement around 15 weeks and while I don't feel a lot of movement yet I have a feeling I will in the next few weeks.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is if I've told Elle about the baby. Yes, we talk about it a fair amount but even if she knows where to point when we say "Where's the baby?" I don't think she'll get it until that baby comes home from the hospital and doesn't go away. Elle and Baby Billy Jean will be about the same age difference as me and my sister and my mom has reminded me over and over the stink eye that I gave my sister when she came home. Can they ever be truly prepared for their world turning upside-down?

And because the tulips from the Dallas Arboretum are way too pretty not to share:

If you're interested...12 Week Update

So...off to grab that milkshake!

Thoughts on a Sunny Sunday

2013-04-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday!! I really really did plan to do a post on my favorite babe board books (I even dragged them out of Elle's room much to her dismay), but ~~today~~ yesterday was one of those days that was non-stop from the moment we woke up to the moment when I put Elle down for bed. We started the day with a huge car show and then headed to the Dallas Arboretum for the last weekend of the tulip show. It was a gorgeous and sunny day and we came home tired and sunburned but one of us (ahem Elle) did not take a nap. So, favorite babe board books is coming soon...just not today.

Me! Just a few months older than Elle is now.

Listening To: Besides The Sound of Music soundtrack (I'm trying to learn all the words so I don't have to make them up when singing them to Elle as lullabies), I just finished Beautiful Ruins audiobook by Jess Walter and narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. While I never felt pulled by the story, the narration was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend for the narration alone!

Eating: Fruit. Fruit fruit fruit. I made this trifle for Easter (yes, Operation Use My Trifle!) and still have so much fruit left over. Tempted to throw the rest in a smoothie before it goes south!

Watching: Smash. And Grey's Anatomy. I'm not terribly interested in either but then a huge zinger gets thrown in at the end and I feel compelled to watch the next episode.

Reading: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle for the #Winditup2013 Readalong with Ti of Book Chatter. It is seriously so good. There's still plenty of time to join the readalong and if you've been tempted by this book but have put it off because you've been intimidated let me assure you of how readable it is. I zipped through the first book (175 pages) in a week without any effort at all. It's been years since I read Kafka on the Shore (which I loved) and I have forgotten how much I enjoy Murakami's writing.

Making: The Christmas Quilt. That's pretty much it.

Planning: All the things to do before the weather turns too hot. We are thinking about going camping the weekend of Elle's birthday but right now this is just thinking rather than planning.

Feeling: Good! My energy levels are higher and I've been sleeping better at night. Sciatica is increasingly becoming problem and it's becoming more and more difficult on my lower back to bear the weight of carrying around Elle, but otherwise good!

Loving: Desperately. Oh, and pretty sure her dress is on backwards but I didn't realize until halfway through the day. I'm awesome.

Wanting: More time. Always more time.

Thinking: About what I'll do when I'm finished this post. Ok, so it's really Saturday night and Scott's out in the garage working on car stuff with his brother. So do I pass out while watching a movie? Try to read a bit? Visit some blogs? Go upstairs and work on the quilt? I'll probably pass out while watching a movie... (EDIT: 1. It's not sunny today. Boo. Was totally supposed to be. 2. I watched Smash while handsewing hexes and then fell asleep while watching who knows what.)

Looking Forward To: Finding out the for sure gender of Baby Billy Jean tomorrow! I'll be reporting back on Tuesday. I say "for sure" because at 12 weeks my midwife and the tech were fairly certain baby is a girl but it was just a few days too early to know "for sure." Eeeeeeee!!

How's your weekend been so far? Any highlights for you? What are you looking forward to this week?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

2013-04-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Published: 1999; Pages: 213
Genre: Fiction (Young Adult)
Rating: 4/5

In Short: As Charlie enters his freshman year of high school he writes to an anonymous friend his struggles and triumphs with trying to participate with others and in life.

Why I Read It: I forgot all about this one until the movie was coming out late 2012 and so I sought out a copy. And then I forgot about it until it was my work book club's pick for February.

Thoughts in General: The Perks of Being a Wallflower was published the same year that I graduated from high school. Honestly I didn't know that books like this one were available when I was in high school. I read the books that my parents were reading or books that were assigned for class or I had heard of through class (ie classics) or other adult type books I found at the library. I'm not sure what would have changed for me if I knew there were books actually aimed at young adults at the time, but it does make me sad that I missed out on books like these as a teen.

I kind of want to ramble on about the topic of young adult books and reading them as a young adult versus a 30 year old adult, but what I would be trying to say in a nutshell is that Perks brought me back to high school in a wave of nostalgia. Charlie is so brutally honest in his letters and it's easy to see his naiveté and innocence, and while my experiences in high school were different from Charlie's he made me feel what he was feeling and made me remember what I felt 18 years ago. People say of The Fault in Our Stars "It will make you feel ALL the things" but there is a rawness about Charlie and the cast of characters in Perks that I've never felt from the characters in a John Green book. Not to belittle Green because I've enjoyed his books, but Perks WILL make you feel ALL the things. So there.

Charlie and his letters to his friend made me laugh and they made me cry. I ached with grief at some points in the book and cheered Charlie on in others. The novel is incredibly short and the epistolary format makes it easy to devour. Because the book is written from Charlie's point of view, the writing feels a touch rudimentary at times but at the same time stilted and exaggerated. I remember being 15 and trying to fluff up my own writing, but because of this it did take me a while to get into the groove of Charlie's voice. One of the things I appreciate about the writing, though, is that Charlie's growth throughout his year in high school is very visible within the writing itself. I don't read fast enough to have read this in one sitting but I've heard many say they devoured Perks that quickly.

I checked several passages in the book. But this gives you a tiny taste:

"I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and then make the choice to share it with other people. Maybe that is what makes people "participate." I'm not really certain" (169).

Bottom Line: Yes. But hold up…I mentioned above that I read this with my work book club. We were pretty split half and half in our assessment—there were some folks who hated the book and felt that Charlie was a whiner. And I can't help but wonder if this book were written in the late 2000s if Charlie and his friends might be a bit emo. One felt that the book was unoriginal (to which I disagree) and some did not realize that Charlie was a male until quite a bit into the novel. I do have a complaint about a rather large incident that pops up in the end of the book and I'm still wishing this part had been left out of the book. But there were others who loved this book and have read it several times. Bottom line is The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a smart and emotional coming of age story that will stick around with you after you've finished the last page. Just make sure you grab some music by The Smiths to really help you get into the mood of the book.

Have you read The Perks of Being a Wallflower? What did you think? Have you see the movie?

Happy Easter/Spring!

2013-04-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

People. You didn't tell me that it's been four months since I've written an Elle right now post! Ok, so in the back of my head I knew this but I kept putting it off, putting it off, and now at the end of this month she'll be two. Please don't let me get away with not writing a two year post. Remember when I was so good with the monthly updates?

So, kind of a picture heavy post--and trust me I did some heavy editing to break it down to just these pictures. With the exception of the first and last picture, these were taken this weekend. Elle had a blast this Easter. All in all she's had four Easter Egg Hunts and she's become quite the expert. Anyway, I've enlarged the pictures quite a bit--figure that way you don't have to clicky clicky to enlarge (though you can). I promise not to let another four months pass before another update post...

Redbud tree in my backyard. Love these blooms!

At our City Easter Celebration

These are the kinds of pictures I get with Elle when I'm actually not behind the camera...just saying.

Finally getting the hang of "cheeeeeese"

This child was soaking wet by the time she was done! And no, that water isn't warm...

Two out of three of us are actually screaming "cheeeeese"

I hope that you had a lovely Easter holiday and that the weather is cooperating with you (I know that in some quadrants of the world some of you are actually hoping for cooler weather right now!).

Joys of the Picky Eater Stage

2013-03-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Oh the things you say before you become a mother. The "My child will never do that" or "that's not how I will do things" type of comments. For me it was "my kids will not be picky eaters; no way will I cater to them!"

Ha. And if your kid was never a picky eater and would willingly eat anything you placed in front of her, I claim phooey on you and wonder if you might have some memory problems. I might roll my eyes a bit [or a lot] if you leave me a comment telling me otherwise.

Those kids are like sneaky little foxes just waiting to prove you wrong at every turn. Elle was a fantastic eater until she got her first year molars. Ever since then eating has been a hit or miss battlefield usually resulting in one (me) or both of us being frustrated almost to tears. Part of me wants to harken back to the best advice I've received—that nothing is forever and she won't go to college refusing to eat her food—but I don't think this is the same as her napping in her swing.

I now realize that toddlers are like teenagers wanting to claim their independence where they can (don't get me started on picking out clothes in the morning) and that their world is at once a very secure sheltered place and a big large unknown scary place. And I get that kids will go through a phase where they are picky about the food that they eat, even if said kid loved yesterday the food they are refusing today. But at what point do I put my foot down and try to instill well-balanced eating habits? I think we might be at the brink of that age—perhaps a bit too young even—but I also don't want to use the "it's a phase all kids go through" for too long and end up with a picky eater.

If given the choice, Elle would simply eat yogurt (but not Greek yogurt!!), fruit, and cheese. Oh, and junk (but let's not go there). She rarely eats meat, veggies are hit or miss (better if she can eat them as finger foods), and heaven help me with breakfast foods as this girl refuses everything we've given her except occasionally eggs. What kid doesn't like pancakes (with and without syrup)?! Many times she won't even taste the food I've given her at which times I internally (and sometimes vocally) cry "But how do you know you don't like it if you don't even taste it?!" But the true struggle isn't trying to find food to feed my daughter, it's hoping that I won't have to cook two meals in the evening because who has time for that or try three back-ups. Because who has the time or patience for that?

Elle loooooves helping--she'll drag over the chair herself.

So dear reader, commiserate with me please! Offer me advice! (But seriously, hold the comments about what an angel eater your child was. Wink wink). Elle does love to help cook and tasting food as we go along seems to be a bonus (I was able to get her to taste mashed potatoes for the first time the other night this way). But so many times she refuses to even taste what she's offered.

After having a nightmare experience with reading a parenting book when Elle was a baby (Baby Whisperer my ass), I'm loathe to begin now, but I do have French Kids Eat Everything on my list and am willing to take a look at other books you might have loved.

I'm also curious about Kid-Friendly foodie blogs you enjoy. I solicited suggestions the other day and put The Mom 100, Dinner: a Love Story, and Peas and Thank You on my reading list. Someone suggested Weelicious but I couldn't find a feed to subscribe to.

And finally, do you recommend any Kid-Friendly cookbooks? Incidentally I do have The Mom 100 Cookbook and Dinner: a Love Story on my shelf at home, but I'd love to hear of others you enjoy.

Hoping this phase is a short lived one and she won't go to college

Every weekend, Beth Fish Reads hosts Weekend Cooking. "Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs." Hope you'll join the fun!

About Blogging It All

2013-03-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from readers is how I made the move from being a book blogger to blogging about anything and everything. Did I lose readers, gain readers? Did I have to rebrand myself? Was it a struggle? Do I have trouble coming up with topics to maintain a balance? If you've been reading my blog for any number of time you might know much of the story of my blogging and you might have even been around when I finally denounced the title "Book Blogger" for "Just a Blogger" (even though I still consider myself a book blogger at heart…). I don't have all the answers, but I can provide you with my experience.

At the beginning of my blogging I had a personal blog and a book blog. The personal blog was set up to highlight the travels and adventures that Scott and I embarked on and my readership was about 10 folks who were mostly out of town cousins. Conversely my book blog, Trish's Reading Nook, was blossoming at well over 500 subscribers, but as I had gotten to know my readers more fully over the years, I wanted to be able to share aspects of my life that I always felt were intrusive on a book blog. Over three years ago I began Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity and a few months later I finally shut up the book blog and merged my two halves—the personal and the books—into one whole.

How has my audience changed? Have I gained/lost followers?

Ah yes…the question about followers. Let me let you down gently: I almost almost almost have as many subscribers as I did to Trish's Reading Nook. Three years later. Many of my active readers were kind of enough to follow me once I left TRN and many have stuck with me throughout the years. The first year in particular was a big adjustment and at times it felt like an uphill battle trying to regain an audience. I am sad about some of the losses, but I've also gained many readers as well.

In prepping for this post I was asked of the makeup of my audience has changed and I'm honestly not sure. Book bloggers are the most vocal but I think many of the new followers who are not book bloggers tend to remain silent. Silent visitors are great, but as a blogger if I don't hear you I sometimes forget that you're silently reading (post for another day). Regardless, I've said it before and I'll say it again and again. My audience is the best. Seriously you guys are the bee's knees and I'm blessed to have you reading along with me, loudly or silently.

Did I have trouble rebranding myself?

Um well. I never really tried to brand myself in the first place and I'm not entirely sure what this means. My email address is still trishsreadingnook at gmail, so there's a definite disconnect there. Luckily my twitter handle is my personal nickname, so I don't have to worry about that. Maybe you can tell me about branding??

One person asked how I've been able to gain a wider audience and if we'd been face to face she would have seen the blank-eyed stare I was giving her in return. The advice that is most commonly given bloggers is to have a defined blogging subject. I do not. This makes building an audience difficult because basically people stick around because...they like you? I mean obviously you're not learning anything from my stellar (bahaha) book reviews or my awesome fashion sense.

How do I balance my material?

I am very sensitive to the balance of my material on the blog—maybe because I am also sensitive to my audience? Ideally I would write one book review, one Sunday Salon (bookish post), one weekend cooking, and one or two personal posts a week (rambling, crafting, mommying, random random). A little bit of everything. Some months I read more so I am more bookish. Other months I don't read anything so I'm more rambling. Some months I don't do anything so you don't get very much from me. I'm sure you can all assure me that I worry too much about balance!

Do I blog more? Am I more motivated?

Yes and no. First, I LOVE my blog in its current state. Sure there are things that I would like to improve on—I would love to have more time to think of original, thinky personal posts—but I love the freedom I have to blog about what I want to blog about. Blogging is FUN which is what it should be. If we're not having fun with our blogs or we're feeling burdened by constraints (as I felt…self-imposed, of course…as a book blogger), then blogging is tiresome. Who wants to feel that way about a hobby that we spend our free time on? That said, because I am so aware of the balance of my blog, sometimes I do get frustrated when a topic doesn't come to me. I get a lot of blogger's block, but as folks will tell you—I love to overthink evvvvvvvvvverything.

Do I have any other advice?

If you're thinking about making the move to blogging about a wide variety of topics, I say do it. The reception that I've received has been extremely positive and some followers will always drop off over time no matter the blog, so why dwell on that? Personally my favorite blogs are those who go beyond the books and I receive as many, if not more, comments on posts that don't have anything to do with books. Sure books make up a huge part of who we are, but that's not the whole story is it? It is scary and sometimes I wonder what Trish's Reading Nook would have been if I'd continued blogging about books with the same force as I was. But my life has changed tremendously and so my blogging needed to change as well.

More advice? Above all, have fun with your blogging. I truly believe that if you are enjoying what you are doing, this will shine through in your posts and people will keep coming back. Don't get discouraged: it takes time and energy to build audience and you can't expect people to simply come to you. Accept that not every post will be a favorite. I held a reader survey in October and 15% of readers said they'd prefer to see less kitchen/food type posts but when I mentioned this on twitter people were shocked. Some said they'd prefer less family/personal posts, some said fewer Sunday Salons, some less book reviews! Bottom line is you have to blog what you want to blog about and hope for the best. I will repeat this last sentence ten times before I go to bed. ;)

I don't have all the answers, but I do know that bloggers need to do what's best for themselves. I do have to say that I love this little movement of bloggers throwing rules out the window and just doing whatever the hell they want. And there is nothing wrong with a less personal or more topical blog, but if you want more, you shouldn't feel constrained.

I would love to hear your thoughts or questions or rants or raves. If you have experiences of your own, please share them with us.

Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

2013-03-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Vanity Fair
Author: William Makepeace Thackeray
Narrator: Wanda McCaddon
Published: 1847-8; Pages: 809
Audio Duration: 28 hours; 46 min
Genre: Fiction/Classic
Rating: 3/5

In Short: A satirical account of the vanities that consume one's life--or as Thackeray says: "A Novel without a Hero."

Why I Read it: Vanity Fair has been on my shelf for years. Don't judge, but I probably bought it after the Reese Witherspoon movie came out and once upon a time I did read 75 pages or so. When I put it on my Classics Club list, Melissa of Avid Reader's Musings suggested we co-host a readalong.

Thoughts in General: There are many things that I enjoyed about Vanity Fair. The narrator, also the author, provides a cunning and often biting look at society in the early 1800s--everything from education, to dress, to class, to money, to the wars, and even love. There were many times when I laughed out loud, mostly because the narrator shocked me in some way or other. And while I can't say that I liked any of the characters, they did amuse me and I found the overall storyline entertaining.

I feel like I should go into more depth about the book, but unfortunately it didn't win me over like I expected it might. There were definite gems of moments throughout the novel and I did find myself enjoying the reading more than the listening, but there was also a lot of filler in the novel that I didn't really care to wade through. You know--the critical thinky analytical view of society and the message that Thackeray was providing. In a way I almost feel that these types of books are best when studied rather than read for pleasure--at least in my current state of mind. So, a long paragraph of babbles to tell you that there is probably a ton of depth in this book but honestly I just wanted an entertaining read. Dear reader, please forgive me for my brain mush.

From the Book: "the truth may surely be borne in mind, that the bustle, and triumph, and laughter, and gaiety which Vanity Fair exhibits in public, do not always pursue the performer into private life, and that the most dreary depressions of spirits and dismal repentance sometimes overcome him" (211).

Bottom Line: Stay away from classics on audio (this is note to self). I had the same problem with this one as I did with Bleak House--30 minutes of zoning out before I truly realized that I hadn't paid attention at all during my commute. With Bleak House I tried to re-read or re-listen to the parts I missed but I just couldn't bother to make myself with Vanity Fair. Good news is there are less characters than in Bleak House (except those stinkin' Crawleys) and the story was easier to follow. But, my reading/listening was very cursory. Thus I have no bottom line recommendation for you. I felt "meh" but it was probably the way I experienced the book.

A Note on the Audio: Ignore everything I said in the paragraph above. I really enjoyed Wanda McCaddon's narration of Vanity Fair. Her pacing was quick and her tone was playful and witty. She reminded me a lot of Isobel Crawley from Downton Abbey--enough that I actually looked it up to see if they were the same actor. Many of the other narrators available for Vanity Fair are male--as is the actual narrator of the book--but I rather enjoyed McCaddon's performance and would recommend her reading.

And so. It's tough to write a review when you only half paid attention to the book. Not my favorite classic but I do look forward to finding a film adaption to watch--I've heard there's a good BBC version. A big thank you for those who participated in the #YoureSoVain readalong. I hope you all had fun!

Have you read Vanity Fair? What did you think?

Bloggiesta!

2013-03-22T13:29:00.000-05:00

Oh I know. I'm not going to lie--this whole Google Reader thing is putting a serious damper on my blogging. I know I know, what does that have to do with me writing a post about Vanity Fair (which I finished), but that's just how my brain works. SOMETHING'S BROKEN. MENTALLY SHUT DOWN. A slight exaggeration.

So this weekend is Bloggiesta! And while we have house guests for the weekend, I'm still going to try to squeeze in a little bit of housecleaning. Bloggiesta is an event organized by other book bloggers (but open to anyone with a blog!!) to cross some bloggy things off the to-do list. The not fun things like blog formatting and organizing. But Bloggiesta itself is a blast...and there are mini-challenges with prizes!

The List:

Get Reviews by Titles updated. Because I feel guilty whenever someone pops onto this page and I remember I haven't updated it since the last Bloggiesta.
Condense email to ONE page in Google. This means I need to get rid of 100 emails. This takes me approximately five months normally. Half of these emails are links that I've emailed myself from twitter so it is probably just a matter of visiting the link and either deleting or pinning on Pinterest for later reference.
Write my damned Vanity Fair post. Sorry Melissa....
Oh and other things that I've been meaning to do since the first Bloggiesta I did.

In other news--I recently drafted a list of Post Ideas. Do any of these sounds particularly interesting to you? And if you say Ireland/Hawaii pictures I might never talk to you again. :)

Ok, that's all. I don't think I'll be able to swing a post for Weekend Cooking or Sunday Salon but I'll do my best to have Vanity Fair up by Monday.

But...Elle and I had a WONDERFUL time in Salt Lake. I am so so so grateful that we went.

Oh, and I'd love to know what you're doing about the Google Reader dilemma. I've thought about Feedly but you have to install a program. I've thought about Bloglovin but I don't like that you have to click on the post to read the full thing (hello partial feed nightmares!) and the phone app is incredibly primitive. I wish that I could combine (Bloglovin for computer and Feedly for phone) but they probably don't sync with one another, huh?

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!

Up Up and Away

2013-03-15T08:56:00.001-05:00

Today I was supposed to have a review of Vanity Fair for you. But this was me and the chickpea last night cruising through the air on our way to Salt Lake. It didn't dawn on me until we had 30 minutes left of the flight that I could be listening to the last hour of the book. We'll be back home on Monday--it was just an incredibly impromptu trip to visit my grandma while the rest of my family is also visiting.

See you in a few!

Project Life 2013: Weeks 5-8

2013-03-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Remember when I told you guys that I started Project Life and it was going to be a super duper easy solution to all of my scrapbooking problems? Bahahahaha. Honestly I think I have a good excuse given what happened during the last week of January and the first week of February--how do you carry on Project Life when your family's insides are aching?

But I printed the pictures, I even cut them up, and I thought about scrapping...for weeks. Last Sunday, though, Scott took Elle to visit his sister and her kids which gave me the whole day to get caught up with PL. And I did! Except for the last two weeks because I ran out of printer paper. I know, I know.

To review--the little pictures are all from my phone. I've stopped caring if pictures aren't perfect or are a little grainy. Just like life, right? The scrapbooking paper is all from my stash. The cuteness is the chickpea banana. And the rest is life. You should be able to enlarge all of the pictures below to get a better idea.

Week 5 - I was REALLY light on pictures for this week and we didn't do anything of note so thanks Elle for letting me cut up your artwork! (what else am I going to do with it?!).

Week 6. A tough week but we had some bright moments.

Week 7 - I need to get some inserts that have up and down 4x6 slots as this was an add-on and you can tell it's not 12x12. Oh and yes, we hoard fortunes...

Week 8 - Spring is on the way. And yes, a sono picture...I might have done a little editing on the original post as I wasn't quite ready to spill the beans yet. ;)

So yes, in theory this is super easy to keep up with. In reality one needs to keep up with it in order for it to be super easy. BUT I WILL NOT FAIL. IF IT'S THE ONE DAMN THING I DO THIS YEAR.

Off to cut some pictures for the week of February 25th...

The Zebra Said Shhh

2013-03-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Zebra Said Shhh
Author: M.R. Nelson
Illustrator: Tamia Sheldon
Genre: Children's (Publisher: Xist)

Oh hi. So I've never written about a babe book on the blog--unless you remember my somewhat snarky End of Year Survey for 2011 when all I was reading were babe books. When the publicist for Xist Publishing contacted me about a children's ebook I was definitely intrigued. I've never read any books with Elle on the ipad or even iphone. She doesn't play many games on the ipad and I don't really have many apps for her downloaded. No reason why not--other than I don't really know where to start.

The Zebra Said Shhh is a cute little book about a zebra at the zoo who is trying to get all of the other animals to go to sleep. The color scheme is bright primary colors and the wording on each page is simple and brief--definitely important for short attention spans. There are several animals throughout the book and since I have been teaching Elle animal noises, this book comes at the perfect time for her.

This post is part of a tour and because of various circumstances I was not able to sit down and read the book with Elle in time for this post. I have no doubt that we'll have a lot of fun with it, though, especially as there are many animals in the book that she isn't as familiar with yet. It will also be a fun precursor to visiting the zoo once the weather is warmer.

Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher who also publishes in boardbook format. Honestly, I'm just not sure about grabbing the ipad when we're ready to read a book. Perhaps I would feel differently if I had a designated ereader? Either way I'm glad that I can grab this one in a hardcopy version as well!

How do you feel about ebooks for kiddos? Do you have any favorites? Any that are interactive?

Sunday Sunday

2013-03-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday!! I was going to write up a Sunday Salon post but then started to lose steam halfway through the week. By Friday I had overdone it have ended up taking it a little easier since then. Good news is I'm starting to get much of my energy back (you can tell, can't you?), but the bad news is I still overestimate just how much energy I have. Getting there...

For today I thought I'd borrow from Suey and Lisa as I love their Sunday posts. The prompts below are a combination of their posts.

Listening To: I've been on a musical binge lately. Even The Sound of Music. Curious what your favorite musical is!

Eating: I've been trying to eat more protein (per my midwife). This is actually a lot more difficult than I thought as both my breakfast and lunch meals are typically light on protein and sometimes we'll have pasta for dinner so not much help.

Watching: I'm slowly catching up on Smash. Not sure how I feel about this season yet. I started to watch Perks of Being a Wallflower yesterday but fell asleep. It wasn't the movie's fault.

Reading: Last week I finished Let's Pretend This Never Happened and I'm still working through Vanity Fair. Shhhh...I'm losing a bit of steam and really want to start Outlander instead.

Making: If you guessed hexes, you'd be right. Also bundts. Hexes and bundts. Slowly working on the Christmas quilt here and there. And by here and there I mean pinning two pieces of fabric together and walking away.

Planning: A trip to the Arboretum for Dallas Blooms. Hopefully soon!

(from Arboretum website)

Doing: See also "Making." Other than some exercise in the morning, that's pretty much all the doing I'm doing.

Feeling: More energy this week than in many weeks before! I worked out several times this week and hope to continue with next week. I could feel the effects of the week by the end, though!

Loving: The Bradford Pears in full bloom. Not loving the 30 degree nights we've been having but I think we're done with them now.

Wanting: Time to work on Project Life. I have pictures printed for the last five weeks but haven't done the journaling part. A full night of sleep would also be awesome.

Thinking: Heartburn is the pits. Also where are these ants coming from?!

Looking Forward To: Spring weather!

Would love to hear what YOU are listening to, eating, watching, reading, making, planning, doing, feeling, loving, wanting, thinking, and looking forward to.