The Book Nook

Hello all, I thought that since the only thing that is any fun to do in the cold is curl up with a book, I decided to start my new little blog series. I have decided to keep track of the books I read this year by putting little tidbits on my blog. I am hoping this accountability will encourage me to read more and (my main problem) read a little more quickly. Here are a the last few I finished up 2009 with.

The Tsarina's Daughter by Carolly Erickson - Mrs. Erickson is one of my favorite historical fiction writers. This is the first book of hers that I have read that deals with Russia however. I have had a fascination for years with the family of the last czar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his family. All of them were murdered in 1918 during the Russian revolution. This book puts forth the idea, what if one of the daughters had survived. Many books have used this idea with Anastasia, but never Alexandria, like this one does. It is very dramatic and exciting with a smidge of romance mixed in. Even though you know how the real story ends, you will still be caught up in the this good read. I give it a strong A

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith - OMG I discovered these books after I started watching the new tv show that is based on them. The books are SO much better. The show is good in its own right, but the only thing is has in common with the books is the names of the characters. They don't even look the same. Now please don't get me wrong, I adore Twilight and will be forever in love with Edward Cullen, but I must admit that The Vampire Diaries are at least as good and in many ways better. The female characters especially, Elena and her best friends Bonnie and Meredith are very strong brave young women. They are no one's victims and do a very good job of taking care of the drama themselves. Without the girls, none of the boy would stand a chance. This is very different from a weak and danger prone Bella. There are 4 books in the original series, The Awakening, The Struggle, The Fury and Dark Reunion. They are all pretty short quick reads. Recently the author has started a new series that is a continuation with the same characters. The first of these books is call The Return, Nightfall. I have it and it is the next book on my list to read. The second book in the new series comes out sometime in February I think. For all my friends that adored Twilight, these are a must read. A+++

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch - This is the book I chose as our book club selection this month. I don't want to give too much away here before everyone has a chance to read it. It is pretty short and is a super fast read. There are some very memorable characters and it is quite funny at times. Overall I give this one a B-.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe - This is my newest book that I started the other night. So far, I ADORE it. It switches back and forth between a current day Harvard Phd candidate named Connie who is starting her dissertation in history and Deliverance Dane, her ancestor that suffered during the Salem Witch Trials. It is very mysterious and I am totally hooked. I will tell you more about it when I finish. One fun thing I have discovered so far is that mandrakes, like the ones in Harry Potter are very real. They have been used for centuries and are mentioned in great literature throughout history. My new little fact for the week I guess.

I hope everyone is reading something fun too. I would love to hear about what everyone else is reading. Have a super weekend. Let's all try to survive the cold !!!!!

January Begins with a J

Ok, so here I am keeping to my word and actually blogging for 2 days in a row. Right it down folks, because lord knows how long I will keep this up. So in honor of the new year I bring you J and all its fun.

Jaime - of course I would have to start the letter J with her. I have known J for quite a long time now, it will be 10 years this spring I think. Wow, time has really flown by. We didn't get along all that well when we first met. I am weird and Jaime doesn't do meeting new people very well so it took us a little while to warm up to one another. Now, I love her like a sister. I was so proud to be in her wedding and be around to see little Noah come into this world. Though she doubts herself, Jaime is one of the strongest, hardworking people I know. I am amazed at her ability to work, go to grad school and take care of a husband and child all at the same time. Love you bunches J, I aspire every day to be a little more like you, and hope I never make it on your "disappear" list, LOL LOL.

January - as I covered yesterday, this is my least favorite month of the year. Maybe because it so cold and drab. I just have to spend a lot of time chasing off the mulleygrubs this time of year.

Jewelry - If you have ever seen me, then you know I love me some shiny things. I have been this way ever since high school. I was totally miserable at the grocery store because I couldn't wear rings or bracelets because they got in the way. I have WAY more jewelry than one person should. I could probably wear different stuff everyday and go on for weeks without wearing the same thing twice. I am not a snob about it though. I would wear million dollar earrings with a $5 necklace from Claire's. I know what I like and just like to mix it all together. But rest assured, no matter how much I have own, it will ALWAYS match, lol

Jane Eyre- Wow, this is one of my all time favorite books. I consider this to be the first "real" book I ever read. When I was in the 9th grade I was totally absorbed in all those teeny series books I used to get from Scholastic, like Couples or Cheerleaders or something like that. So Mrs. Smith told assigned us a book report and I knew better than to try to pick several pages of literary commentary out of Sweet Valley High so I went in search of something new. Initially, I admit I checked Jane Eyre out because I loved the gold embossed dark red leather cover of the copy in our school library. When I read it, I totally fell in love with this sad little girl and her search for herself and her romance with Mr. Rochester. Gotta love the Bronte sisters for some dark gothic romance. I highly recommend it. I consider it one of the essentials of mine.

J.K. Rowling - I think if I was ever privileged enough to get to meet Mrs. Rowling in person, I would fall to my knees and do a very poor Wayne's World imitation of "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy" !! LOL LOL In my mind, authors don't come any more gifted or brilliant. When you read Harry Potter or watch the movies and to think that this whole wonderful world and all these characters came out of her imagination, even if you aren't a fan, you have to respect her talent. She is, in my opinion, the greatest living author today. I can't wait to read whatever she comes up with next. But wow, can you imagine the pressure. I mean seriously, how do you follow up on Harry? The stress must be incredible.

Ok, so there is my rambling on the letter J. I will try my best to keep up the new fond blogging habit. I will be thrilled if I can manage once a week at least to keep on the lookout for me. Have a great weekend. Happy 2010 !!

Auld Lang Syne

Hello strangers. It has been WAYYY too long since I did a blog. I figured New Years Eve was as good an opportunity as any to start back up. I could give a million and one excuses for not blogging but they are all just that.....excuses. One of my goals for next year is to do a much better job with it. I enjoy it a lot and I find it to be very cathartic.

I must confess, New Years is my LEAST favorite time of year. I have always found it to be unbearably sad. I usually find myself crying at some point on New Years Eve or New Years day. It is just the most depressing time for me. I don't really have a good explanation for why that is. I guess for me, the end of the year is a time to reflect on everything you have done and too me anyway, nothing is ever enough. I fight with feelings of failure every day so this time of year just makes it so much worse. I know on the rational side of my brain that I have so many wonderful things to be thankful for and have been blessed beyond measure. It is the funky side of my brain that I have to fight with. I think tonight I will find some foolproof way to make me happy, maybe a Harry Potter marathon or something. Or maybe I will watch Twilight. What better way to spend this evening than with my favorite vampires, LOL LOL.

I also have a HUGE problem with making resolutions. I hate the word. Again, I just feel like if you label things as resolutions, then they are doomed to fail. So I prefer to call my aspirations for new year my GOALS. Everyone needs a goal right?? My goals are fairly simple. I want to become healthier. I am not going to get all wrapped up in losing x amount of weight or making it to a particular size. I just want to feel better, whatever that takes. I also want to make more times for the things I love. I tend to put off things I enjoy doing because I feel like there is something else more important. I really want to work on my scrapbooking more, especially the old family pictures I have. It is so important to tell all the stories. I also want to strive to be a better friend. Sometimes I feel like I am too selfish, getting all wrapped up in my own nonsense. I want to do a better job this year of showing those I love how special they are to me.

Ok, so that is enough of my melancholy ranting for today. Tomorrow, I hope to jump back on with my alphabet blog with the fabulous letter J. I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve. God Bless !! :)

The I's have it !

Greetings all, sorry about the delay in the new post but it was been a crazy couple of weeks. I decided to have a little mini breakdown last week for some reason. I just couldn't seem to think straight at all. I attribute it to stress and horrible allergies. I had another craft show Saturday at the airport in Hartselle. It started off slow but really ended on a bang. I ended up selling more than I did at the last one !!! I was so excited. The bottle cap necklaces and the hair bows are a huge hit. Now I have 2 months to get ready for the 2 big shows in Cullman. Based on how I have done at these two tiny ones, I have my work cut out for me. I have also set up a flickr account. This is a great way to store photos online. I have created special folders for all the graphics that I have available for order on my jewelry. I only have a few on it now but I hope to have them all uploaded over the weekend. I will also be able to put up pictures of the finished products. This will give everyone an easy way to check out what I do and all the options that are available. Here is the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/purpletreasures/ Be sure to stop by and check it out.
Here are just a couple of quick entries for the lovely letter I.

Ice - I adore ice in all its forms. My favorite is of course the wonderful Sonic ice. I always call it "rat pellet" ice, lol. When I went to London several years ago I learned that other countries do not support my love of a little drink with my ice. Imagine my surprise when I ordered a Diet Coke and got some small juice glass of warm liquid with no ice and a lime slice !!!!!! What on earth???????? I was never for thankful to see the Houston airport just so I could get my first cold drink in a week !!!!!

Italy - This is another place I would really love to visit. Someday I want to go see all the wonderful historical sights in Rome. I would also like to see St. Peters and Vatican City. The great authentic Italian food will be a big bonus too !!!

I can't really think of any more I thoughts. I promise to update again this weekend with some pictures from the craft show and some wonderful words of J wisdom. Have a great rest of the week.

The Hugely Important often Hilarilous Letter H !!

Hello folks, see I did manage to update again within a month. Will wonders never cease?? I am still hard at work on the craftiness. I think I would harder at home now than I actually do at work. I got some great new ribbon in last week as well as some really pretty Christmas print fabric so hopefully I will have some new holiday themed goodies for you to see soon. So without further ado, I bring you the wonderful letter H, my favorite so far I think.

History - anyone who knows me AT ALL knows that I am a history nut. There is a story behind the madness. When I was in the 5th grade I had a really awful teacher who was like seriously 108 at the time. She was tall and super skinny and had these freakishly long boney witch fingers. Not to mention the fact that she was practically deaf too. Well she gave us these horrible assigned seats and I got seated right in the middle of the trouble making rowdy boys. The thing was, whenever anything went wrong, she always blamed me !!!!!! Her punishment of choice was to make me copy entire chapters out of my social studies book. I think I copied that stupid book about 3 times through that year. The funny thing was, as I read what I was supposed to be mindlessly copying, I fell deeply in love with American History. Then when I was in the 9th grade I discovered Henry VIII and his wild self and my "history" was written. Even though I don't use it, my college major was history. I don't regret it for one single heartbeat. I adored every minute of every history class. I still read tons of non fiction history books and am addicted to the History channel. If money were no object and I could do anything in the world, I would go back to college and get my Phd and sit around and write textbooks all day. Some people will never understand my love of history. All I can tell them is that reality tv and tabloids have NOTHING on what real people have done.

House - I want my own house again. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents deeply, but I am in dire straights need of my own personal space. I have considered renting a town house but I just don't want to throw my money away. So my dream is to build my own house, just like I want it. It will have tons of room for people to come over (no more panning off book club and showers to others). Not to mention it would have the most mack daddy, tricked out craft room in the world. I want it to have plenty of room for tables so people can come play. I have been praying about this a lot lately and I really feel like it will happen for me. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday soon. Everyone is welcome when I do !!!!!

Hobby Lobby - I spend entirely too much time in this store. Of course it doesn't help that you can see it from the front lobby of the office, just tempting me to come in. My ultimate weakness is when they put out all the Christmas stuff. I am like a kid in a candy store. I tend to get sensory overload. My head is just too full of ideas. Anytime I can get out of there for less than $50, I consider it a personal victory, lol.

Harry Potter - I could blog on nothing but for weeks and never run out of things to say. They really are some of the most wonderful books I have ever read. I consider "Deathly Hallows" to be one of the greatest books ever written, period !!! They cover every facet of the human experience: love, hate, good, evil, birth, death, forgiveness. I could go on and on. For the critics out there who claim that they are evil and spark satan worshiping or that nonsense, well all I can say is that I feel sorry for you. You obviously have never read them. They are filled with the power of love and its ability to conquer evil. They tell us that good and bad are all determined by the choices that an individual makes. And I am sorry, any book that can spark a love of reading in so many millions of people could never ever be bad.

Hermione - It is just a coincidence that my favorite fictional character of all time just happens to be in the books mentioned above. Hermione is so important and significant for girls everywhere. Here is a girl who is brilliantly smart and isn't afraid to show it. She would never ever play dumb just to attract the attention of some boy. She uses all her intelligence to save the people that she loves most. Not to mention the fact that she is brave and loyal to the death. Harry was the chosen one, he couldn't escape all the danger. Hermione didn't have to be involved. She didn't have to stick around. She did it purely out of the love for her friend. I read a quote by J K Rowling that sums it all up. She said, "I pray all my daughters grow up to be Hermione's. HERE HERE !!!!

I think I have preached long enough about the wonderful letter H. I could go on and on. I still didn't mention my wonderful boss Dr Hardy who gave me a chance when no one else would or my pride in the Harp name. But I don't want to drag on and on. Until I everyone, have a great day.

Neglectful Blogging in the tune of G

Hello strangers. I am so ashamed that it has been over a month since I last blogged. I have just been so stupid busy it is ridiculous. My little crafty business is taking off with a bang. I have another craft show in Hartselle on Saturday 8/29 and I have lined up two HUGE shows in Cullman in November and December. Everyone keeps telling me how busy both of those are. I had better get some more stuff done quick. Also, I have added hair bows to my collection. I have posted several pictures on my facebook and on etsy so stop by and check them out. I really love the Alabama and Auburn ones. They are totally cute. I also have some super cute holiday ones that are almost done. I have also been experimenting and I think I have perfected being able to make my glass pendants with pictures I have taken. That means I will be able to take orders for cute pendants with pictures of your kids or grandkids or whoever. I really think these will make great Christmas gifts. I won't be selling those at the shows, so if you are interested just let me know. I really do adore making all these things but it is really causing me to wear myself a little thin. It is hard to work full time and still get all this done. I have been trying to get more organized and work out a schedule. Hopefully I will get all my ducks in a row soon !!!!!!! I promise to try to be a better blogger too. All of us have sadly been neglecting them lately. Let's get them geared back up folks, lol !!!!!!! Now, here are a few words brought to you by the lovely letter G.

Grape - This is my flavor of choice. When I was little, I always wanted to grape sucker or the grape kool aid. This has not changed. A grape snow cone right now would be just heavenly !!!! Maybe this is where my affection for the color purple comes from. Who knows, but I still adore a big glass of grape kool aid whenever I can.

Guacamole - Wow, I really love this stuff !!!!! The haters of the world thinks it looks gross, but who cares. It is the bomb!!! In fact, I could really go for some from Rosie's right now. Anyone care to join me, lol.

Phillippa Gregory - She is one of my absolute favorite authors. She wrote The Other Boleyn Girl as well as tons of others. She is the best at historical fiction that I can ever come across. I have read just about everything she has ever done and am dying to get a my hands on her new book, The White Queen, that is coming out in September !!!!! She helps me foster my love of any and all things British. You should really check out her work sometime.

Grease - LOVE THIS MOVIE !!!!!! It is funny, this is the first movie that I can remember seeing in a theater. My mom took some kids from church to see it and I tagged along. My mom had an album of the soundtrack and I would get in so much trouble if I tried to put it on the stereo myself. I know every word to every song and still love to watch it whenever I can. I always dreamed of being a "pink lady". Grease will always be the word!!!!!!

Gone With the Wind - Here is another movie that I have watched my entire life. This is one of my mom's all time favs so she would always have me watch it with her when I was little. I have always drooled over the clothes, especially the dark red velvet dress Scarlett wears later in the movie. This is another one that I know all the words too. I can't imagine anyone who hasn't seen it. I watched it again last week for the first time in ages. Good lord, Clark Gable was HOT back in the day. He was totally robbed when the didn't give him best actor for this movie. I was so excited when I found a sheet of the graphics I make pendants out of that was old movie posters. It has a GWTW one and I just had to have one !!!!! The book is pretty good too. But I can honestly say this is one of the few times that the movie is actually better. I would love nothing better than to look like Vivian Leigh when I grow up !!!

Well, I guess that is enough rambling for now. Hope to hear from everyone soon. I promise I will have H up ASAP. Goodness knows, there are some very special topics to cover in that one. Chow for now !!

FFFFFFF

Hello all! I hope everyone had a great 4th. I just had a quiet one at home. I am still working to get stuff ready for my craft show. I know I promised to have more pictures up and I promise I will later this week. So now I am on the wonderful little letter known as F.

Frosty - My sweet baby boy kitty. I miss him every single day. I can't believe he has been gone for 7 months now. I still haven't been able to go visit his little grave that Daddy fixed. I would really love to find one of those little stones that I can put his name on. I have seen them before in some catalog but I can't remember where. I am so grateful that I still have Buffy and Willow. They brighten every day for me.

Friends - Wow, this is such a special topic for me. You know, growing up, I didn't have a lot of friends. I had 1 best friend and a few others but that was about it. I never really felt like I fit in all that well. It wasn't until I became an adult that I found any true blue soul mate sort of friends. I thank God every day for bringing so many wonderful people into my life. And the book club has just added more wonderful folks to my group of friends. I am the kind of person who doesn't use the word "friend" to describe lots of folks. I only give that title to ones I think deserve it. That is why it is very painful to me when I come to realize that someone doesn't deserve that title anymore. It really breaks my heart. I am still working through one of those heartbreaks now.

FSCU - Good ole' Family Security Credit Union. It is so appropriate that I put this right along with the topic of friends. While it was a horrible place to work with some really crazy mean spirited awful people...it also gave me the greatest gift of my 2 dear friends Amelia and Jaime. I don't know how I could make it without them. Through them I have met almost all my other friends as well. So no matter how miserable that wretched place made me sometimes, it is impossible to not give them credit for changing who I am today. And lord knows it gave us an endless supply of crazy stories to tell, lol.

Food World - Wow, this one brings back some really complex emotions. I got my first job ever as a cashier at Food World on April 1, 1992 and stayed there until May of 2001. I met my wonderful friend Cindy there. I had my heart shattered there. I lived and learned, laughed and cried and grew so much as an individual while there. It will always remain a significant period in my life. I can't shop there though... call it post traumatic stress disorder. I know Cindy understands that, LOL.

France - I have a thing for all things French. It goes back to college. I signed up for a course at UNA called Renaissance and Reformation. The teacher turned out to be this incredibly good looking 28 year old new professor. I signed up for any and every class he taught. Since his specialty was French history, I learned tons of stuff about France and became hooked. He really was a excellent teacher. I really want to learn French. That is one of my main goals right now. I think it would help with all the books about French history that I read.

Fan Fiction - This is my latest total obsession. I discovered it about a year ago and can't get enough. For those who don't know, fan fiction is a very broad title for stories that are based on characters from books, tv or movies. I read only Harry Potter or Twilight stories. Some follow very closely with the "canon" story laid out in the originals. Other stories go off in the total opposite direction. There are some that are total garbage but there are many that are really excellent and well written. Yes, there are some that are very....smutty... for lack of a better word. But I only like the ones with a strong story behind them too. Some really have nothing at all to do with the original works, they just use the characters names. I have tons I can recommend if you are interested. But I feel the need to warn you, you will become totally addicted !!!!

I guess that is enough for F. Hope everyone has a super week. Looks like a busy one as usual for me.