And the Total is:

I have been blessed with parents who instilled in me a great love of reading. Ever since I can remember, I loved books. From dad reading "Hide and Seek with Grover" in Grover's voice, to wanting to host a 'read a thon' when my friends complained about being bored during summer vacation, to feeling like I was the only person in middle and high school who read for fun. I read a lot, and a couple years ago, after being introduced to Goodreads, I decided to see how much I actually do read. Sadly, the Goodreads goal setter/reading tracker just hasn't worked for me (or my mum) so I decided I'd keep track here on the blog. 

This year I read: 

55 books, 24,439 pages

In 2013 I had set a goal to read 13 book every quarter, and I reached that goal, no problem. I didn't quite match that goal this year, thanks to many wonderful life events that I am so happy were able to occur. So as an added bonus, I tracked how many pages were read as well. I'll keep it up in 2015 and see if I can beat either book total or page total. Stay Tuned. 

2014 Books

  

1. The Woodcutter by Kate Danley (344) : Goodreads Review : Buy it on Kindle, only $3.99
2. Remember Dippy by Shirley Reva Vernick (176) 
3. The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau (268) : good inspiration book, not a how to guide ;)
4. The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson (A Repairman Jack novel) (448)  : this one was 'revised' recently and it was glaringly obvious at times what was 'revised' in it. Originally it was written back in the eighties, and it still had a lot of eighties details, then all of a sudden someone was listening to an iPod.... I wish they had left it unrevised. People who read are smart. They're not going to wonder what a Walkman is. 
5. A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin (288) 
6. The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (388) 
7. Willow by Julia Hoban (329)
8. The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony Audible audiobook version
9. Legacies by   F. Paul Wilson (A Repairman Jack novel) (448) : Note on  my previous note. This novel came 10 years after the first one. So now it makes sense that the first one got revised, however, I still feel like it would have been fine to not revise the first one and just set this one in the same time frame.... Still loved it though.
10. The Revenant of Thraxton Hall: The Paranormal Casebooks of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Vaughn Entwistle (336)  - advanced reader copy 
11.  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis- audio version. I really need to get a hard copy of this book. It's one of my favorites! 
12. Death in the French Quarter by Kent Conwell (214)
13. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball (376)
14. Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (435)
15. Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (416) 
16. Cold City by F. Paul Wilson (368) 
17. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (545)
18. Dark City by F. Paul Wilson (368) 
19. Conspiracies by F. Paul Wilson (416)
20. Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (484)
21. Out of Range by CJ Box (320) 
22. Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout (304)
23. The Puzzle of Piri Reis by Kent Conwell (272)
24. The Eye of God by James Rollins (410) 
25. Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (306)
26. Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey (336) 
27. The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson (400) 
28. In Plain Sight by CJ Box (224)
29. Altar of Eden by James Rollins (398)
30. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (552) 
31. All the Rage by F. Paul Wilson (512) 
32. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ( 391) *Angsty teen romance warning
33. Death Without Company by Craig Johnson (271) 
34. Free Fire by CJ Box (368) 
35. Far Far Away by Tom McNeal (384) 
36. Pines by Blake Crouch (309)
37. Wayward by Blake Crouch (322) (Unfortunately the author falls in love with the F-word in this book)
38. The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (420)
39. The Last Town by Blake Crouch (285) (Continues his love affair with the F-word.)- Loved and hated the ending of this. It's one of those books that leaves you satisfied, but also frustrated.... if you know what I mean. 
40. 'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy by Leslie Langtry (325)  ( I read this for a book club, otherwise I don't think I would have found it. It was GREAT!) [And I'm super happy this book club is not a Jane Austen love fest like all of the other 'book clubs' I've participated in.]
41. Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck (360) --- Warning: Christian Romance. I got through it but I got really sick of the "I'm saving my kiss" "What does God want me to do" junk. (Sad, I know. I'm a Christian but I don't like it when people are all in your face about it. Plus, not everyone thinks and feels the same way I do, but in this book that's what it was like. EVERY PERSON was asking the main character what she thought God wanted, and to follow God. Ugh.) Having said that, I did like the plot and kind of wish there was a second book so I could keep being 'friends' with the characters. 
42. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (272) It seemed longer... in a bad way. 
43. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (232):   This was a fun, quick read (for a grown adult that loves reading... for a child it might take them a little longer to get through it). First off, don't go into this thinking it will be like the movie because it wasn't anywhere close to what the movie was like. The only thing in common was that in both Ella wants to break the curse of being obedient. I will not comment on which was better (the book or the movie) because I liked both of them. 
44. White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast 13) (368)
45. Divergent by Veronica Roth (487)- So I decided to read this to find out what the big deal was about these books. To be honest, I have that freaky Twilight Zone feeling that I've read them before, but I can't be sure because they are too recent for me to have read them already... Still a little unsure what the big deal is about them. 
46. The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell (328) 
47. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (525)
48. Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell (336)
49. Blood Trail by CJ Box (320)
50. The Castle Behind the Thorns by Merrie Haskell (332)
51. Kindess Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson (288)
52. Allegiant by Veronica Roth Goodreads review  (526)
53. The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (408)
54. Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen (326)
55. How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy (196)

Abandoned (sad, I know):
White is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi: This book had really high scores/ratings on Goodreads. And I cannot figure out why. It was horribly written, IMO. I do know that new wave/ 'prose'/ modern art folks will like it. But I got just past page 80 and couldn't bring myself to continue. At that point I was yet to identify a plot. And the narration kept jumping around so even if there was a plot, there was no way to find it between jumping back and forth between the house (yes the house) talking and the girl talking. I think the grandma and mom may have added a word or two here and there... Anyway, not the book for me. 

Beginnings and Endings.

Several years ago I had a Young Woman's leader who told us about an afghan that she had in her home. She was getting ready to move into their first home and her mother asked her what colors her home would be in. She told her mother. Unknown to my leader, her mother then went out and bought the supplies to make her an afghan to use in their new home. Her mother began that afghan.
Unfortunately, her mother passed away before she was able to complete the afghan. A member of the church stepped in, and again unknown to my leader, took the partially finished afghan. She put a label on it where it had been stopped that read something to the affect of 'made with love by your mother'. This lady then went on to finish the afghan and delivered it to my leader.
Great story right? I loved hearing this and have thought for years how wonderful it would be to be able to give a service as precious as that to someone. To be able to ensure that they got what their mother, or grandmother, intended them to have, even if they were unable to complete it themselves.

When an opportunity presented itself to me a few months ago, I didn't have to think twice about helping out.  A lady from my ward approached me with two nearly finished Christmas stockings in hand. She explained to me that one of the other ladies in the ward had lost her mother over the summer. This mother had made Christmas stockings for all of her children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren. She had two great-grandchildren arriving soon, and so the stockings were made. However, the names were not decided on yet, so that part remained blank on the stockings. None of the family knew how to knit, and were feeling a bit lost and disappointed that Great Grandma had left stockings for these children, but the stockings were 'incomplete' and no one could finish them. I took the stockings, and got the names of the children, and finished the stockings.I feel like maybe I was able to provide a good ending for those families and that they will feel like Great Grandma was able to have completed the work she set out to finish. (In more ways than just knitting.)

The completed stockings, with one provided to me so I could duplicate the writing.

In light of this, I had wanted to make stockings for myself and my husband. One co-worker pointed out that I would need to make one for each child we would have to which I responded "duh". Sometimes I get a little deep thought-ed (if that is such a thing). And I really enjoyed that I was able to provide an ending for one family, while providing a beginning for another. I loved making our stockings! I am so very grateful that I have been blessed with the talents I have that center on the home and family, and am ESPECIALLY grateful that I had an opportunity to use those talents to serve a family in need of the comfort a simple name on a stocking could bring.

My husband's stocking: He wanted "real Christmas colors"

My stocking! I wanted to tip my hat to my wonderful Scandinavian heritage and chose colors that I not only like, but could maybe be considered traditional Scandinavian-ish. 

Super Awesome Mega Giveaway

If you haven't visited AND liked our Facebook Page, now is the time.

In December I like to do an end of year Fan Blitz. IF we reach 100 fans by December 31, I will do a Super-Awesome-Mega Giveaway. If you like the page, you can enter the giveaway ;) The catch is; WE HAVE TO REACH 100 FANS, or the giveaway will not be Super-Awesome-Mega.

Here's some previews of what may be included in the giveaway:

December Means PHD's!

Being in grad school doesn't leave much time for myself these days. So when December rolls around and my classes are done, I find myself with 4 whole weeks of nothing. This is a time I look forward to all year long.

This year I am spending this time working on all my PHD's and stashbusting. PHD? Aren't I supposed to be on break? Yes, yes I am. In the crafting world PHD means "Project Half Done". And the stashbusting, well. I need to pay for school before I can pay for new yarn and fabric for myself.

On my List this Year:
Christmas Stockings for my new husband and myself
A new Pair of Gloves for myself using the sKNITches yarn, "New Tradtions" dyed to match UT's colors
Finishing up the Noro Blanket

Then systematically working my way through the remaining yarn in my stash until I either run out of ideas or I run out of yarn.

I have several 'quilts' that are partially done as well, that will hopefully be finished up too. And the fabric stashbusting, well... I have some things I've been meaning to make for myself (some skirts, a new dress shirt) and the rest can just become what it tells me it wants to become.

Keep an eye out here, our Facebook page, and on the Etsy shop for updates. (Previews and maybe even a Super-Awesome-Mega Giveaway)

Pinterest Adventures: Jello Fruit Snacks

This is a first of hopefully many Pinterest Adventure posts. I know a lot of people do them and the humor in it is that real life doesn't always translate to pinterest level products. However, I really think it's nice to see that someone else, a "normal" person, was able to somewhat successfully do something found on Pinterest.

(If you have any pins that you would like me to try out first to work out the kinks, just let me know!)

Picture and Recipe credit goes to Six Sisters Stuff blog: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/06/homemade-jello-fruit-snacks-recipe.html

This pin caught my eye because it said Homemade fruit snacks. I love fruit snacks, but being a graduate student, and a newlywed, fruit snacks are not in the budget. So of course I thought I'd be able to have fruit snacks if I made them at home. Sadly, the ingredient list at the time would have cost about the same amount as a box of fruit snacks, so I just let it sit.

Then, I decided I really really wanted to try it. I went to Kroger and found out that Kroger brand gelatin was on sale for only 39 cents a box. So I grabbed a couple on the last shopping trip, and waited for a weekend.

First off, it says to "sprinkle the gelatin" into the water. This didn't work. The gelatin clumped up all gross and kind of stayed that way on the first go around. The second time though, I whisked it in like I would with gravy mix. Whisk constantly while slowly pouring the powder in. It worked better, but not perfectly. Maybe it would work better with brand name gelatin?

Next, I poured it into a mini ice cube mold, the ones with the silicone bottom so you can pop the ice out easier? I had difficulties trying to decide how full to fill them though. This is the first go around when I filled them up pretty much all the way. I ended up not filling every one up. And ended up with some monstrously big fruit snacks. 

My second go around, I filled them to where the silicone part ended. I had enough to fill up this mold, and if I had a second mold probably about half of that one. Since I didn't have a second mold I used my husband's gun shaped ice cube mold. Got two guns out of it too. 

The tutorial instructed me to let the fruit snacks "sit" for "at least 20 minutes". Ok. Good, I could do that. I wandered off to Netflix a show. When I came back, they were still really soft and I couldn't get them to come out of the mold. 

Yeah, so turns out you should let them sit in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This was missing from the instructions. Second go around, golden on this.  However, this did not ease the getting them out of the mold process. Alas, I have no pointers on this part other than be patient, and maybe a little aggressive. They will eventually come out. 

Finally, they do not need to be kept in the fridge after the initial setting. But they do need to be eaten rather quickly ( a couple of days) if you elect to not keep them in the fridge. They will mold otherwise. At least they will if you live in the South like I do.

My last thought: These really aren't like store bought fruit snacks. They are weirdly squeaky (best word I could come up with) and don't taste nearly as good as store bought ones do. BUT if your children are young and you are on a budget, go for it. They probably won't be able to tell the difference.

Abandoned Books

There comes a time in everyone's life where they are reading a book and they don't know why. I used to be the type of person who wanted to finish every book I started, and I am pretty good at it. Sometimes it ends up that I really like a book.

Then, once upon a time, I happened upon a 'rule of thumb' about reading books. (I'd like to say it came from Stephen King, but I can't be sure.) It was advised that you read a book to at least page 50, and if you still don't like it and don't want to know what's going to happen, toss it.

I ran into a book like this over the weekend. I just can't keep going. I powered through and made it past page 80. But I just can't anymore. I wondered how to categorize this book on my book tracking page (see the tab up there that says "Books"?). And decided to add an "Abandoned" list at the bottom of the page. I don't anticipate this category being used very often, but it needs to be there. That way I have some record and won't make the mistake of picking up the same book again....


Much love, to all the books (even the bad ones).

Deal With It

For most of my life I have worked with young children. From babysitting, to being nursery leader, to nannying, and currently as an aide at a preschool. I’m with children all the time. Every now and then a child teaches me a life lesson that really couldn’t be learned from an adult, because it is through the simplicity of having a three year old say something that an adult can’t say without sounding like they are trying to manipulate or criticize you.

A few weeks ago, I was helping some children get their rain boots on so they could go play on the muddy playground. They had already gone out earlier that day, and socks had gotten wet. One child in particular was struggling to get their boots on over their wet socks. The child fussed, and whined, and dropped the boot in frustration. I finally decided to let the child know their options.

“You can take off your wet socks and wear the boots without socks. Or you can just deal with it.”

(I know it sounds harsh… hang in there)

The child looked at me, heaved a heavy sigh for a three year old and said. “Ok. I’ll just deal with it.”

The child then put their rain boots on, and ran off to play on the playground. For the rest of the day, not a word of complaint or discomfort came from that child. They had made the decision to “Just deal with it” and stuck with it.

As I thought about this, a quote from Elder Jeffery R. Holland came to mind: “ No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/the-tongue-of-angels?lang=eng)

As I related this incident to my dad (a freakin’ awesome guy, btw), we talked for a bit about this life lesson. As adults, and teens, and even children,  there is a tendency to put blame elsewhere; To complain, to whine, and to expend energy on not dealing with a situation and getting through it, but rather in complaining about it. In my dad's experience, those that can 'Deal with it' are those that are more successful in life. People want to be around them more, and they get more accomplished in life because they are not expending negative vibes, or wasting energy in complaining about what's going on around them. 

How can we as adults ‘just deal with it’ and in the process improve our lives? I know that for several people they use the month of November to focus on gratitude. They post daily on social media sites something they are grateful for. Unfortunately, quite a few people I know preface their ‘thankful’ post with a rant, complaint, or whine and follow it with “But I’m grateful for…”. While I think focusing on gratitude  is a good practice, I personally feel that if we can reduce the whining, complaining, and blaming in our daily lives we will automatically be more grateful. Because we aren’t drawing attention to the ‘negative’, we are just dealing with it and moving on.

And if we aren’t focusing on the negative, we are able to better see the blessings in our lives. So, whether you choose to post on social media what you are grateful for each day or not, please take a moment to ‘deal with it’, instead of complaining!