OttLite Giveaway!!

Hey all you crafters, quilters, knitters, readers -- and all the rest who just like to see better! The Ottlite company has generously donated a Wing Shade Floor Lamp for a giveaway on my other blog, Quilting on a Budget. You don't have to be a quilter to find this amazing lamp of great use to you, so head on over and check out the giveaway. As they say in Ohio -- "Someone's gotta win -- might as well be you!" Good Luck!

Distinctly Three Years Old

It's time for a quick stint at our "vacation house"... and before you'all think we're swimming in richness and can afford a second home -- we rent. But we do rent the same wonderful house on the same wonderful lake from the same wonderful lady each time we go, so honestly, the house feels like home. Jeff and I could throw what we need for three days in one overnight bag -- an extra pair of jeans, a clean pair of underwear, a clean shirt, a toothbrush. But we're taking three year old Mr. Brayden with us and the entire packing situation changes completely. Still in diapers at night and often waking up wet - so there's diapers, wipes, extra jammies and t-shirts. There will be snow and mud available for his playing pleasure - so there's extra outfits, sweatshirt jackets, winter jackets, boots and shoes and lots of extra socks. Oh, and he's on the tail end of another stint with his bronchitis - so there's the breathing machine, the inhaler, the medicine, the kleenex. We must keep Mr. B. occupied so he doesn't ravage the house - so there's the tricycle, the remote control car, puzzles, books, crayons, and matchbox cars galore, plus a few DVD's in case it rains. There's no taking Mr. Fussy Eater out to eat at restaurants, so I have to pack food as well. He made his own menu up for me yesterday -- Toast for breakfast, Spaghettio's for lunch, cheese sticks and fruit snacks for snack, and Chicken Nuggets for supper. And of course we'll need apple juice, bottled water and box drinks, as well as some real fruit. I'll pack things to keep him busy in the car, things he can play with outside, things he can play with inside, plus his camera so he can take photos for his blog. And because his cuteness never ceases, we'll have to pack our camera and video camera as well. Mr. Brayden and I have been having disagreements about his drinking habits lately. Mean old gramma doesn't think a 3 year old needs to be drinking Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke or any sugary, caffeine laden drinks. Our conversation went like this yesterday. Mr. B: I don't drink Pop anymore, Umma. Me: You don't? Mr. B: No, and I don't drink Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke either. Me: Well, that's good. Mr. B: I like juice and I like water. Me: That's good. That's what you should drink. Little boys don't need caffeine and sugary stuff. Mr. B: I know. So I don't drink it anymore. Me: Well, I'm very proud of you. Now I'm thinking the conversation is over and I've actually won the battle. After a few minutes of quiet (I believe his conscience was getting the best of him), came Round Two of the conversation. Mr. B.: (And I swear, he said all this in one long sentence without breathing between words!) But I drink Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke at MY house!...just not at your house because it's not good for me at your house, but it's good for me at my house and I really like Dr. Pepper and Mama says it's OK for me to drink it a little bit at my house, but I don't drink it at your house because your rules are your rules and Mama's rules are Mama's rules and I just have to go by your rules at your house but at my house it's OK but I just take little sips not big sips just little sips. Me: (Silent, but giving him that "Gramma" look....) Mr. B.: But I like juice and water better than Pop, Umma. A little while later we're at the McDonald's drive-through for a pick-up of the All Holy Only Food He Eats Beloved Chicken Nuggets. Just as I arrived at the order speaker thingie, from the back seat, I hear "Why can't I talk, Umma?" I didn't understand what he was asking me, so I put in the order for the chicken nuggets, and suddenly a little boy's loud voice is shouting from the backseat - "AND I WANT CHICKEN NUGGETS WITH CHOCOLATE MILK - NO POP! UMMA DOESN'T WANT ME TO HAVE POP! SO I WANT CHOCOLATE MILK!" He just makes my heart smile with his good intentions. See you'all again towards the middle of next week...

My Bookshelf

I don't often talk about books here on my blog, but I am an avid reader. Two years ago I kept track of every title I read for the year, and the number was a surprising 276. Despite that number, books for me are more about quality, not quantity. I rarely read a book twice with few exceptions -- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Happiness by Will Ferguson, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey and Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Evidently those are my favorite books of all time, as I've read each several times. Now there's a new title to add to that short list. I returned to page one of Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle (Harper Collins, publisher) as soon as I finished the last page, and read it all over again. This is an unusual story of Mirabelle Zielinski, age mid-60's, and her relationship with her husband, her three adult children, her friends, and her self. Mira's oldest daughter feels unappreciated and unloved by her own husband and children; Mira's son looks for love in all the wrong places, when the right place is within arm's reach; and her youngest daughter refuses to grow up. As Mira faces life-changing health issues, the reader realizes that those personality traits she has difficulty accepting in her children, are the very traits that Mira must recognize and deal with in herself. I am passionate about reading writers' first books. "Real Life & Liars" is Kristina Riggle's first novel, and it left me immediately hoping she writes many more. Riggle creates a line of characters with whom any parent of adult children can connect, and realistic glimpses into what we all, on the threshold of this age group, don't want to think about -- health issues. While dealing with serious issues, Riggle does so with a sense of humor and a sense of caring. Truly a remarkable read. AND MORE BOOKS ON MY BOOKSHELF I just finished Mixed Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin (although there is not a trace of Jon's writing in this book, so I'm not sure why his name is listed as author!). On a score of 1 to 10? Two. I didn't learn anything I haven't heard on the show before, and the writer-Kate seems like an entirely different person than the show-Kate. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the show!) The book makes Jon seem far more decisive and in-charge than what the show portrays. It felt like one was made up, but I don't know if it's the show or the book. I'm glad I borrowed it from the library and didn't pay big bucks for it. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich - Oh yeah. Love her books, love every single character in her books, love the fact that she is one of the few "instant" bestselling authors who doesn't run out of things to write. Scale of 1 to 10: 8. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives by Guy Fieri. A favorite television show and now a favorite cookbook. I may just have to buy this one. All those mouth-watering homestyle recipes you see on the show -- along with behind-the-scenes comments by Guy -- wrapped up into one enjoyable read and cookbook. Scale of 1 to 10: 9 Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons. Another of my favorite authors. This is possibly one of her best works to date. Set on the coast of Maine, it's the story of firsts -- first love, first traumatic event, first enemy, first loss. I found it just a wee bit slow to start, but after the third chapter, I couldn't put it down. Scale of 1 to 10: 8 Secrets by Jude Devereaux. This must have been my lucky week, because this another book I thoroughly enjoyed. The library's description of this book: "Having harbored an unrequited love for a man she met in childhood, Cassandra impulsively breaks an engagement to become the now-widowed man's nanny, but realizes that her chance for winning his heart is threatened by dark secrets." At times, some of the "dark secrets" were a bit hard to believe, and the twists and turns were a bit too evident before they actually arrived, but overall a good read. There's just something about Jude Devereaux's writing style that appeals to me so much I can overlook the negatives. Score of 1 to 10: 6+ What I got at the library today: Blackwood Farm by Ann Rice Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani Oh, and "The Poky Little Puppy" in both book and CD form -- but that was for Mr. Brayden's reading pleasure (though I loved reading it again after all these years!) What are you reading today?