Reading Challenges Update

I realize it has been awhile. And now you are getting two posts in one day :)

Even though I haven't been blogging, I've still been keeping up with what I have been reading. Here are the additions for this year since my last update:

44. Fat Chance, Deborah Blumenthal - good
45. Finger Lickin' Fifteen, Janet Evanovich - good
46. Smoke Screen, Sandra Brown - ok
47. Atonement, Ian McEwan - bad - I hated this book.
48. Drums of Autumn, Diana Gabaldon - fantastic
49. Bet Your Bottom Dollar, Karen Gillespie - good
50. Sanctuary, Nora Roberts - good
51. Good Grief, Lolly Winston - good
52. 92 Pacific Boulevard, Debbie Macomber - ok
53. The Fiery Cross, Diana Gabaldon- good
54. A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Diana Gabaldon - good
55. An Echo in the Bone, Diana Gabaldon - good
56. Bed of Roses, Nora Roberts - good
57. Certain Girls, Jennifer Weiner - good
58. Kindred in Death, JD Robb - fantastic
59. REREAD - Twilight, Stephenie Meyer - fantastic (yes I read them for a 2nd time this year)
60. REREAD - New Moon, Stephenie Meyer - fantastic (yes I read them for a 2nd time this year)
61. REREAD - Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer - fantastic (yes I read them for a 2nd time this year)
62. REREAD - Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer - fantastic (yes I read them for a 2nd time this year)
63. Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah - good
64. Can you Keep a Secret - Sophie Kinsella - fantastic
65. Barefoot, Elin Hilderbrand - good

So I'm definitely NOT going to make it to 100 books this year. Good thing I didn't sign up for the challenge. Not that it matters, I didn't complete some of the challenges that I DID sign up for.

Chunkster Challenge - FAILED
Deadline: Nov 15
I was supposed to read 5 books by the deadline. I only read 2 from my original list. I substituted another 1 from the list because my original was to hard to find. And just ran out of time on the other two. I read the following for this challenge:
1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - decent book overall, but very depressing. Took me FOREVER to get through cause I kept stopping.
2. The Moon Below - decent book - I think my hopes were too high
3. Substituted An Echo in the Bone (most recent Outlander book) for History. Couldn't find History anywhere. Echo was FABULOUS - started out slow but then the ending picks you up, throws you across the room, and then slams the book in your face. Yes it is that crazy.

Romance Reading Challenge - COMPLETE
Deadline: December 31
1. Bridget Jones' Diary - good
2 Bed of Roses - good (substitue for The Reluctant Widow - our library didn't have it, but I still want to read a Georgette Heyer novel)
3. On a Highland Shore - good
4. Vision in White - good (The Awakening was nixed. Couldn't get through the first chapter)
5. The Princess Bride - EXACTLY like the movie - good

Outlander Challenge - FAILED
Deadline: Release of An Echo in the Bone
Hubby and I were listening to these on audio (btw, Hubby loves the books). We were getting them from audible.com, but they didn't have the last 2 books in an unabridged version, so I had to wait for them at the library, and it just seemed to take a lot longer. I did finish the 6 book about 2 weeks after Echo came out, so that isn't too bad.

Chick Lit Challenge - IN PROGRESS - 1 book to go

Book Vs Movie Challenge - IN PROGRESS - 5/6 books to go
It doesn't look like I am going to finish. I have watched 4 of the movies, but only read 1 of the books. EEP.

Look for my postings on the 2010 challenges that I will be signing up for soon. Here's hoping I do better next year.

Book Review: Can You Keep a Secret

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really really enjoyed this book. I had heard of the author before, but hadn't read any of her books. This was a pretty fast read for me. I had several literal laugh out loud moments (one was late at night and I woke up my husband, who was quite irritated). I seem to have a thing for books about British women. So far I've read several books where the main character is a British woman, and I've loved all of them. This is a fun, entertaining, captivating book. I highly recommend it.

View all my reviews >>

I know its been awhile since I've posted, but I found some motivation. :) This blog is giving away a KINDLE if you post a book review. Go to this site for more info:



Book Supplied by: Lexington Public Library :)

August is PROJECTS month

So at the begining of the month I was looking at my long to do list and trying to think of ways to get out of it. :) I tried some mental encouragement to try and get motivated. I decided that if I looked at some of the things that I needed to get done as "projets" instead of just a long list, I might get more excited. Of course that wouldn't apply to everything on the list, but it would knock out a good chunk. So I sat down and wrote out a list of all the projects that could be done. And I added some fun projects to the list to help with the motivation.

Here is my list:

1. Recipe Organization (fun project)
2. Filing (to do project)
3. Clean/Organize office (to do project)
4. Organize scrapbook stuff (fun project)
5. Clean out garage (to do project)
6. Paint (to do and fun project)

I have a good start on the first three projects. I decided to put all my recipes into OneNote. I have one notebook for the "Keeper" recipes and one notebook for the "Recipes to Try". This way I can get rid of all the printouts and torn magazine pages that I have. And man, I have a lot. I thought I was almost completely done with this project, and when I was looking for something by my cookbooks I found a whole new accordian file with more in it. Thankfully, a lot of these have been from the web, so I can just find them on the web and copy them. That way there hasn't been a lot of manual data entry.

I'm also being mindful of my previous goal to get healthy. I haven't lost any more weight, but I also haven't gained. I walk with Brodie almost every night (except for recently because the poor guy has been sick with one thing or another). I've added the Wii Fit into my routine as well. It is almost embarassing to admit how sweaty I got on that thing. I don't know if it is because I don't feel like I'm excercisng, but feel like I'm playing a game, but I'm always surprised at how flipping sweaty I get. Brodie is hilarious cause he doesn't quite understand what Mama is doing, and sometimes he comes and steps on the balance board, or tries to catch my feet when I'm doing one of the excercises.

2009 Book Reading Progress

So I'm playing catch up and realized it would be a good time to list the books I've read in 2009 so far. I didn't join the 100+ Reading Challenge this year, but I'm still aiming for 100 books. I don't think I'll make it. We'll see. These are books started and finished in this year. So far the list is:

1. Suite 606, JD Robb
2. Trace, Patricia Cornwell
3. Blue Dahlia, Nora Roberts
4. Black Rose, Nora Roberts
5. Red Lily, Nora Roberts
6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Joanne Fluke
7. The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, Hester Browne
8. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski
9. Celia Garth, Gwen Bristow
10. Into the Wilderness, Sara Donati
11. Promises in Death, JD Robb
12. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
13. The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory
14. Cradle and All, James Patterson
15. Pop Goes the Weasel, James Patterson
16. Lost Souls, Lisa Jackson
17. Digital Fortress, Dan Brown
18. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
19. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
20. On a Highland Shore, Kathleen Givens
21. The New Yorkers, Cathleen Schine
22. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
23. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
24. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
25. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
26. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
27. The Summons, John Grisham
28. The Princess Bride, William Goldman
29. Dragonfly in Amber, Diana Gabaldon
30. Short Change, Patricia Smiley
31. Vision in White, Nora Roberts
32. The Shack, William Young
33. The Moon Below, Barbara Bickmore
34. HP and the Sorcerer's Stone, JK Rowling
35. HP and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling
36. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling
37. HP and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix, JK Rowling
39. HP and the Half Blood Prince, JK Rowling
40. HP and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling
41. The Villa, Nora Roberts
42. Voyager, Diana Gabaldon
43. The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield

Okay, now that I have the list out, I'm not nearly as far behind as I thought. I'm not halfway through, and we are already in the second half of the year, but I should definitely be able to catch up. We have instituted NO TV MONDAYS at our house, and that should free up some reading time. Woot. I know it is pathetic, but lists make me happy.

Hiya Randomness

• Things are moving along swimmingly. You can blame mafiawars and farmtown for so few posts. :) I'll try to be better.
• My husband would like you to check out his blog. He is writing as a fictional character. It really can be quite hilarious. Its too hard to describe. You should just check it out. :)
• We tried an experiment last night that went well. We decided no TV for the whole night (unless it was an exercise dvd or the Wii fit). I have noticed that we are both feeling kind of lethargic, and letting some stuff slide, so I thought one night a week without tv is doable. We have DVR, so if there is anything on Monday nights that we want to watch, it is being recorded. We learned how to play a new card game, cleaned the kitchen, made dinner (and actually ate it at the table instead of in front of the tv), walked the dog, did the grocery shopping, listend to music, read a little bit and played skipbo (chris is a menace at that game). The night was very enjoyable, and seemed to last a lot longer. I think we will try and continue the expermint next week.
• Brodie is getting HUGE! I'll try and upload the most recent pictures later this week. Don't get me wrong, I love my cats. Baggins was the first pet that was "mine". But I'm telling you, this dog brings us so much joy (along with a bit of frustration, this is true), and we just love him like crazy.
• I have a long list of projects that I need to be working on. However, the rest of the weekends of the summer are quickly filling up.
• I need to blog about our trip to Wisconsin. I think we will move there one day.
• The weather in KY is AMAZING. We are loving it. I hate hot weather and would be happy if it never reached above 80.
• I'm horribly behind on my reading challenges. Trying to catch up. :)

back

So I haven't updated in ages. Again, one of those things were if you put it off, it just becomes harder and harder to do.

So here is a very brief update, with the hopes that once I get the ball rolling, I'll fill in the blanks. :)

* We got a bulldog puppy!! Named Brodie.

* Weight Loss is going well. I feel really good, and am walking (with the dog) about 3/4 of a mile to a mile everyday. We've only missed 2-3 days since we got him (begining of April).

* Emotionally, I'm in a really good place right now. Definitely had some healing in that area.

* Chris is off school for the summer. Definitely need some clarity and guidance with the whole school situation.

* Have some great FO (finished objects) to show off (a lace scarf that is amazing, if I do say so myself)

* Some book updates (but not as many as there should be)

* We are going on a road trip/vacation to Wisconsin, the Land of Cheese. :) Super excited and pumped.

Thats all for now. That way I can say that I updated. :)

Weekly Weigh In

So I'm going to try and be accountable to posting my weekly weight loss. I'm a day late posting this, but I was down 6.5 lbs at yesterday's weigh in.

The first few days were a little rough as I got used to following weight watchers again. Particularly because I didn't have much in the house in the way of healthy snacks. But I made it. I do feel a different sense of purpose this time around. And I succesfully made it through a wedding without any of the appetizers or wedding cake. I know that I could have if I wanted, cause I had the points. But for me it was a discipline thing. I didn't want to fall into my normal trap of "giving in" and enjoying too much because it was a special occasion. So I just removed the option to go overboard by not having any. I don't think I will always have to do that, but until I feel like I have the self discipline under control, I just have to avoid.

Lunch Experiment: FlatOut Pizza

I decided to try something new at lunch today, so I thought I would make it a blog post. Heh. It was kind of fun. Disclaimer. I am not a great cook. I fail more than I succeed. I'm also not a great photographer. This was strictly for my entertainment. :)


I've seen a number of people mention FlatOut breads when they are talking about low points recipes. My Kroger only had one kind (the sun-dried tomato variety), so that is what I got. Imagine pita that has been stretched out.

First things first, the ingredients.


hmmmm, something is missing here . . . oh yeah, the cheese! For someone who is known as the cheese-eater, you wouldn't have expected me to miss the cheese. By the time I remembered, I had already started cutting up the ingredients. Too late for a re-take.

Step 1. Bake a single piece of FlatOut bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.


Step 2. While baking, chop up the toppings.


There's the cheese. :) I used 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/4 of a red onion, and 1 roma tomato. I saved the rest of the toppings for tomorrow's lunch.


Step 3. After the bread has been cooked for 7 minutes, spread the spaghetti/pizza sauce over the bread as close to the edges as you can get. Sprinkle with cheese and then toppings.


Step 4. Return to 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.


This is the finished product:

It doesn't really look that different from the pre-cooked version because there are so many toppings.


All in all, it was quite tasty. And only 7 points for the whole thing. Which is about what my Lean Cuisine meals usually end up being. But this was a lot tastier.


Now I just have to figure out some other things to use the FlatOut bread for . . . .

100+ Reading Challenge Completed

So I've finally finished the first reading challenge I ever signed up for. Unfortunately the page for the challenge is no longer functional. When I signed up I interpreted it as you have a year (from when you sign up) to read 100 books. They have recently changed it to a calendar year. Which is fine, I'll sign up soon for that one and try to finish 100 additional books by the end of 2009. But I really wanted to finish this challenge before I started calculating for another. I honestly didn't think it would be that difficult for me to finish because I love to read. However, I did struggle with it a little. I seem to read in spurts. I'll read a lot for a few weeks, and then really pull back if nothing sucks me in. So I had to really focus on finding interesting things to read. I did discover a few new genres and a few new authors that I really like. I don't feel like I'm stuck in a rut anymore with what I read. There are still a few books (usually series) that I will continue to re-read regularly, but it won't happen as much anymore. There are too many great books out there that I have yet to read. The books in RED are re-reads.

Without further ado, here are the 100 books that I have read since April 1, 2008. I'll leave up widget on the side with the full list for a little while before I take it down to make room for the next one.

1. Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch by Haywood Smith
2. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
3. Educating Caroline by Meg Cabot
4. Monster by Frank Peretti
5. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (audio)
6. Point Blank by Catherine Coutler
7. The Hollows by Nora Roberts
8. HP & the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
9. HP & the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
10. HP & the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
11. HP & the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
12. HP & the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
13. HP & the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
14. HP & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
15. Size 14 is not Fat either by Meg Cabot
16. Big Boned by Meg Cabot
17. The Woods by Harlan Coben
18. The Last Jihad, Joel Rosenbergl R
19. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
20. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
21. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
22. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
23. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
24. The Stork Reality by Malena Lott
25. Daring To Dream by Nora Roberts
26. Finding the Dream by Nora Roberts
27. Holding the Dream by Nora Roberts
28. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
29. Eleven on Top, Janet Evanovich
30. The Host by Stephanie Meyer
31. Twelve Sharp, Janet Evanovich
32. Midnight in Death, JD Robb
33. Naked in Death, JD Robb
34. Survivor in Death, JD Robb
35. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
36. Divided in Death, JD Robb
37. Glory in Death, JD Robb
38. Lean Mean Thirteen, Janet Evanovich
39. Good in Bed, Jennifer Weiner
40. Born in Death, JD Robb
41. Innocent in Death, JD Robb
42. Creation in Death, JD Robb
43. Strangers in Death, JD Robb
44. Morrigan's Cross, Nora Roberts
45. Dance of the Gods, Nora Roberts
46. Valley of Silence, Nora Roberts
47. Purity in Death, JD Robb
48. High Noon, Nora Roberts
49. Remember When, Nora Roberts & JD Robb
50. Devil's Own, Sandra Brown
51. The Little Lady Agency, Hester Browne
52. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
53. Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow
54. Scarlett, Alexander Ripley
55. The Husband, Dean Koontz
56. Queen of Babble, Meg Cabot
57. Tribute, Nora Roberts
58. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Lilian Braun
59. Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich
60. Midnight, Dean Koontz
61. Queen of Babble in the Big City, Meg Cabot
62. Salvation in Death, JD Robb
63. Little Lady, Big Apple, Hester Brownea
64. Wicked
65. A is for Alibi, Sue Grafton
66. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, Meg Cabot
67. The Pagan Stone, Nora Roberts
68. Candy Cane Murder, Joanne Fluke
69. The Danger of Candy Canes, Laura Levine
70. Candy Canes of Christmas Past, Leslie Meier
71. Divine Evil, Nora Roberts
72. Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson
73. Play Dirty, Sandra Brown
74. Birthright, Nora Roberts
75. A Murderous Yarn, Monica Ferris
76. Son of a Witch
77. Ritual in Death, JD Robb
78. Love Endures, Mary Blayney
79. Cold Case, Ruth Ryan Langan
80. Wayward Wizard, Mary Kay McComas
81. Trace, Patricia Cornwell
82. Blue Dahlia, Nora Roberts
83. Black Rose, Nora Roberts
84. Red Lily, Nora Roberts
85. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Joanne Fluke
86. Candy for Christmas, Joanne Fluke
87. World Without End, Ken Follett
88. The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, Hester Browne
89. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski
90. Celia Garth, Gwen Bristow
91. Into The Wilderness, Sara Donati
92. Promises in Death, JD Robb
93. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
94. The Constant Princess, Phillipa Gregory
95. Cradle and All, James Patterson
96. Pop Goes the Weasel, James Patterson
97. Lost Souls, Lisa Jackson
98. Digital Fortress, Dan Brown
99. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
100. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon

A Vow to Myself

I want to have a baby. I realized shortly after my miscarriage that I needed to lose more weight before we tried to get pregnant again. Even though I am relatively healthy, I am very overweight. Even though many overweight women have babies all the time, I realized for myself that I needed to give my body the best shot possible. I know I won't be at my "ideal" weight before we try again, but I need to weigh less than I do now. However, I have struggled a great deal in the last seven months to actually lose weight. I've not been able to stick with any thing for very long. I've tried to examine my reasons (excuses) and I just can't figure it out. Is it partly because if I think that if I lose the weight and we get pregnant again, I may miscarry and have to go through this again? Therefore if I don't lose the weight, we won't try and then I won't have to deal with another miscarriage. Maybe partly, but I don't think that is it completely. Is it because maybe I really don't want to have a baby deep down inside? I don't think that is it either. Is it because I don't think I can do it? Is it because I may be depressed and don't want to admit it? Is their just one reason? What reasons do people have for not losing weight? Trust me, I've tried them all on, and no one excuse fits perfectly.

So I started to think about all the promises and goals and lists I've made. Wondering where I was going wrong. What do I need to do differently. I came to the very blunt realization that I have all the tools, I know what works, and I need to stop getting in my own way. So I decided to make a vow. I thought about one of the other "vows" that I have made, and the symbol of that vow. My wedding ring is always with me. A symbol of the vow that I made to Chris. I realized that I don't even THINK about breaking that vow. So why do I break the promises that I make to myself? So I decided to make a vow to myself. And use the same kind of symbol. And just like my wedding vows, I'm doing it publicly (here). I think there is something in making a public vow that brings an extra sense of accountability. So maybe this is corny. I feel serious about it. I got a plain band at Wal-Mart. I said the vow out loud, and I'm putting it here for people to know.

I vow to do what it takes to get healthy. I will follow a healthy eating plan and a healthy fitness plan. No more putting it off. No more reasons to not try. No more excuses.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2009 COMPLETED

I have completed this challenge a few days earlier. I got kind of bogged down in the last book, but it finally came through. Doing this I discovered that I like historical fiction that is about an actual time period better than historical fiction about an acutal historical figure. In other words, I like the made up characters set in a real historical event/period.

Celia Garth (5 out 5 stars) is set during the American Revolution. One of my all time favorite books. I also found out that it was recently re-released, so I went ahead and bought it instead of waiting for it from the library.

Into the Wilderness (4 out of 5 stars) was quite good. It is set in 1792. It was a little slow to start, but once it started, it kept my attention without any problem. The begining felt a little stiff, but the kinks were worked out soon enough.

The Constant princess (2 out of 5 stars) was okay. I've enjoyed the authors other books about Henry VIII, but this one (about Katherine of Aragorn) just didn't hold my attention like the others. She used a different format (some in first person, some in third) and when it was going back and forth between the two, it didn't feel very smooth. Plus, since I had already read the other books (The Other Boelyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance) I already knew the general story.

when you least expect it

So I ran out to get the mail today in barefeet as Chris was pulling into the driveway. As I pulled it out of the mailbox, I saw a large catalog/magazine deal. As I looked at what it was, I felt a stab go right through my heart. It was a baby registry catalog from Target. I was very intentional about canceling all my web subscriptions that had to do with being pregnant (even though I was only signed up for a few weeks), so that this wouldn't happen. Apparently I forgot one. And besides that I would be almost 8 months pregnant right now. I would hope that I would have registered already.

Anyway, that got be to thinking about what my due date would have been, and what I'm going to do on that date. Part of me hopes that it will just go past without me thinking about it. But I'm not thinking that will be the case.

Promises in Death by J.D. Robb

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love all of the In Death books. They are all about a homicide cop, Eve Dallas, in NYC set in the future (2050+). The author has done a great job of creating this future world, with tons of little details that just make it came alive. JD Robb is a pseudonym (SP?) for Nora Roberts. So some of the scenes are quite steamy. And some of them are kind of graphic, because she is a homicide cop.

But there have been a lot of books in this series, and sometimes the storylines feel a little familar. The main plot in this story was solid. But the best part of this book was the character interactions. She brings in a lot of the secondary characters, and there are TONS of great little scenes. I swear, I wish they would make some of these into a movie. Not a made for tv deal, but a real feature movie. I truly had some laugh out loud moments. And it felt like the main character grew a lot personally in this book. If you have never read any of the In Death books, you probably won't get the same impression of this book. Because you have to know the background of each of the minor characters to reallly understand what is going on. You'll still like the book. But this book was definitely a payoff to all the longterm fans.


View all my reviews.

Green Smoothies

So awhile ago, I posted about green smoothies, and how much I loved them. Unfortunately, I have gotten out of the habit of making them. I enjoyed sleeping in way too much. However, I'm trying to add one healthy habit a week into my life, and this week it is breakfast. I just happened to have all the ingredients, so I decided to make them this morning.

I started with these ingredients:

Normally I would use a fresh banana, but I had a bunch of bananas that were about to go bad, so I cut them up and froze them, and I actually like the way the smoothie turned out with the frozen bananas. That is about 2 handfuls of baby spinach, 1 small glass of water, and 1 apple cored and sliced, and about 1 banana (peeled and cut into pieces).

First you put the spinach and water in the blender. I kind of stuff the spinach down in the bottom, because I have a cheap blender, and it doesn't always get all the stuff blended smoothly. I use the liquefy option. It just takes a few seconds. Then I add the apples (usually in 2 batches - again, cheap blender). Few more seconds on liquefy. Then I add the bananas. The banana adds a creaminess. You can also add ice or more water at this point. Chris tends to like them a little thinner, so I added some more water.

And then you get this:

Yes it is green, yes it looks a little bizarre. But I can tell you that I can't taste the spinach. The banana and the apple provide almost all of the flavor. And I don't know what exactly it is, but I have some much more energy during the day after I have one of these. Chris is even a believer (mostly - he still thinks it is a blog fad, but he agrees that they really work). There are tons of combinations out there. The other ones that I have tried are kale instead of spinach and rainbow chard instead of spinach. I've also added frozen berries instead of the apple. But then they are purple smoothies. :) The kale and rainbow chard combos had a different flavor (and texture), and I think I will have to work my way up to those over time. I think I need a better blender to try kale again. It didn't liquefy as well.

The place where I first learned about green smoothies was Happy Foody. She has some great ideas (and inspiration) and even a link to a video on how to make them. Just google Green Smoothie, and you will find a ton of resources. Particularly on peoples blogs. If you try one, let me know!

New Blogs

I found a few new blogs that I thought I would let you know about.

The first is Eightcrazy The Blog. I found it through Tip Junkie. Tip Junkie is one of my dailies that has all kind of great ideas from other people. They have everything from decorations, to organizing ideas, to food, and beyond. Anyway, they posted this link to a post on Eightcrazy about a fantastic craft idea. I won't say much more about it, because I plan on buying the stuff for this project tomorrow, and I'll blog about my success (failure).

The second is Our Best Bites. I haven't made it very far into this blog yet, but one of my weaknesses are food blogs. I want to make everything I see. So far, I've had some luck, and a few not so good choices. Anyway, I found this blog today (through Eightcrazy) and I started looking, and immediately knew I was sunk. I plan on trying a a few of their recipes soon.

Celia Garth

Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorite books, by one of my favorite authors. It is set mostly in Charleston during the Revolutionary War. Gwen Bristow does an amazing job of portraying strong women as the main characters. There is a thread of romance in the story, but it isn't the primary focus of the story. I've learned (retained) more about history from reading some of Bristow's books than I have from my history classes. :)

My other favorites of hers are Jubillee Trail and Calico Palace.

View all my reviews.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I just finished this book. I had picked it up on a whim at Joseph Beth. Part of my whole plan to expand the kind of reading that I did.

I think I'm to close to it to really identify what I thought about the book. At one point, I had to stop reading it for awhile because it was too depressing/hard-to-read/sad/emotional/somthing. But then I picked it back up yesterday, and couldn't put it down till I finished it.

The author is a wonderful story teller. And it is definitely worth reading. But it makes you think. Sometimes about stuff that you don't want to think about.

The Little Lady Agency and The Prince

The Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very fun book. I liked the first two books in this series a lot, and this one is a great addition.



This is a story about an English girl who sets up her own "Little Lady Agency" where she acts as "sort of a freelance advisor for single men who need a bit of help keeping everything running smoothly. You know, all the things girlfriends do for free" (but not that). In this one, she has to tackle a playboy prince who has to reform his act.



Anyways, a very good read. Fun and easy to read. Definitely has laugh-out-loud moments and I even teared up a time or two.


View all my reviews.

Paisano's Italian Ristorante

Chris and I decided to do our Valentine's Dinner early this year. The past few years, it has been a pain trying to go out to eat ON Valentine's Day. We don't usually celebrate too much, we just try to go to dinner.

Chris had class till 7 last night, so I just hung out in Lexington after work, and he met me at Coffee Times. We decided to go someplace close by, and I suggested Paisano's Italian Ristorante, because we had never been there, and it looked cute. It was delightful!!! If you have never been, it is one of the nicest Italian restaurants in Lexington. The prices were very reasonable, the food was delicious, and they had a ton of variety. We had 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert and one beer for around $38. That is incredible!! And the dessert. AHHHHHH. We shared a tiramisu, and no joke, it was the best that we have ever had. It was just amazing. It wasn't just Chris and I who thought this either. We heard the couple at the table next to us say the exact same thing. The ambiance was very cozy, and the service was great. The rolls they served with the meal were very yummy. I had the Baked Cannelloni stuffed with chicken, spinach and cheese with Alfredo sauce. Very very tasty, and enough leftover for lunch today. Chris had the linguine with clams, and he seemed to enjoy it as well. If you don't have plans yet for Valentines Day, I definitely recommend trying out this place. You won't regret it!

They are located at:
2417 Nicholasville Rd # 3Lexington, KY 40503
(859) 277-5321

Movie Review: New In Town

Chris and I went to see New In Town last week. It is absolutely hilarious. We both loved it. One of the funniest movies we have seen in a long long time. It is set in Minnesota. Renee's character is an executive from Miami that comes to this butter plant in Minnesota to downsize the plant. I don't want to spoil any of the storyline, so that is all I'll give you about the storyline. It is a heartwarming movie, that is filled with hilarious situations.

I think part of the reason that Chris and I loved it so much is that we both really long for that fictional small town community. Those perfect little towns where there are community gatherings, beautiful downtowns, everyone knows everyone, etc. We have both lived in small towns, but haven't found one that works like that yet. Oddly enough, I have felt really pulled towards Wisconsin and Minnesota lately. I think we will have to plan a trip there to see if my day-dreams are just my imagination, or if it is really that great.

World Without End by Ken Follett

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book, and its companion (Pillars of the Earth), are two of the best books I have ever read. I love to read, but these books have completely captivated both my husband and I. We listened to both of these books on cd. They were both narrated by John Lee (who did a fanatsic job). They are incredibly long, but totally worth it. My husband and I are both sad that they are over.


View all my reviews.


****edited to add: There are a number of graphic scences in this book. There are a number of very uncomfortable scenes. There are sexual scenes, as well as very violent scenes. Definitely for adults. Wanted to make sure you all were aware of it if you decided to read this book.

Working From Home

For those of you that don't know, my employer recently decided to start a work-at-home pilot program for my team. They picked two of us to test it, and I was one of the lucky two! This has been in the works for well over 6 months, and I had been not-so-patiently waiting for it to start. The first few days were VERY stressfull, because when we had a problem, it was hard to determine if it was us, the computer, the connection, the secure line to work, the program, etc. As we have gotten to be more familiar with how it all goes together, it has been much smoother. We still have a few kinks, but they are being addressed. Hopefully it won't be long before the rest of our team is working from home as well!

Right now, I work from home 4 out 5 days. On the fifth day, I go into UK to work. It has actually been nice, because the one day that I'm at UK, I get to get out and about, and see people, and run any errands after work. Plus, we found out that our offices will be moving offsite, so when that happens, I won't have to worry about paying for parking anymore. My job is exactly the same. I'm tied to my computer via my headphones, and I troubleshoot over the phone all day. But now, I have a window and comfy clothes, and a relaxing envioronment. Positives all the way around! It has actually already been a benefit to UK as well. One day a few weeks ago, UK lost power for 5+ minutes, and the rest of my team weren't available to answer calls because they didn't have electricity, but since I wasn't there, I was able to keep answering calls from the rest of UK that didn't lose power. :) So far my stats are staying high, and I'm able to answer just as many calls now as I did before.

EW's New Classics Books Perpetual Challenge

So I'm joing my first perpetual challenge. Meaning no deadline. I've posted this list before, but I wanted something more official to remind me to read books on the list. :) Hence, the challenge.

The list of books, and which ones I've read can be found here. I've currently read 3% of the list (how sad). My personal goal is to have read 15% by the end of this year.

Book vs Movie Challenge 2009

I think this will be fun. It will be easier to do a comparison review than just a plain content review. The rules are:

Read a minimum of 6 books that have been made into movies and then watch the movie. Write a review of the movie and be honest about whether or not you think the film-maker was successful in translating the book to film. You must both read the book and watch the movie within 2009.

Right now I'm going to read/watch the following:

1. The Time Travelers Wife, Audrey Niffeneggar

2. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis

3. Prince Caspian, CS Lewis

4. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer

5. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

6. Nights in Rodanthe, Nicholas Sparks

Outlander Challenge 2009

Found this one when I was browsing sites to find books for the Chunkster Challenge. I forgot that the next book in this series is coming out in the fall!!

I've read this series three times through. I think for this challenge, I'm going to try to listen to it on audiobooks. I've been enjoying listening to audiobooks a lot lately, and I've heard that Davina Porter is a really good narrator of these books.

The deadline is just going to be prior to the release of An Echo in the Bone.

2009 Chick Lit Challenge

Yes, before you say anything, I think I am going a little challenge crazy. But its all good. Hopefully next year there will be a baby so I won't have as much time to read! Got to get it all in this year.

Challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31. You have to read at least 10 chicklit books. The books can overlap with other challengs (yea) and you can change the list at any time.

I'm going to spend some time looking at other people's lists and then I'll do another post with my list. When I have a list, I'll add a widget on the sidebar with my list and status.

*** edited to add my books

1. Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah

2. The New Yorkers, Cathleen Schine

3. The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, Hester Browne

4. Certain Girls, Jennifer Weiner

5. Bridget Jones' Diary, Helen Fielding

6. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman

7. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells

8. Barefoot, Elin Hilderbrand

9. Wish Club, Kim Strickland

10. Can You Keep A Secret, Sophie Kinsella

Romance Reading Challenge 2009

Going to join the Romance Reading Challenge. I seem to like to do smaller themed challenges that fit in nicely with the huge volume challenges. That way I get some variety.

This one should be pretty easy. Read (and review!) 5 novels between Jan 1st and Dec 31st 2009. It is okay to change the choices. For right now my choices are:

1. Bridget Jones' Diary, Helen Fielding

2. The Reluctant Widow, Georgette Heyer

3. On a Highland Shore, Kathleen Givens

4. The Awakening, Kate Chopin

5. The Princess Bride, William Goldman

I haven't read any of these before, and they all come from reccomendations from other bloggers and/or bestseller lists.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2009

I'm going to join the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I put it off too long last year, and was SCRAMBLING to finish by the end (but I did!).

Here are the rules:

* Read 3 historical fiction books in 3 months from 1st Jan 09 - 31st Mar 09.

* Historical fiction will be counted as anything set or written prior to World War II. This will include classic novels, time travel novels or anything you feel fits the genre.

My books will be:

1. Celeia Garth, Gwen Bristow
2. Into the Wilderness, Sara Donati
3. The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory

Update on 2008 100+ Reading Challenge

So when I signed up for this challenge, I read it to mean within one year (365 days) not in one calendar year. And since this is more for a personal challenge than a prize or whatever, I'm sticking to my original plan. I'm already up to 81 books, so just 19 more. As soon as I'm done with that, I'm planning on joining the 2009 100+ reading challenge. And that one has to be done by the end of the year. :)

2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Definitely want to join this challenge. While I do support our libraries, I'm mostly doing this to keep my budget in line this year! More motivation to get to the library instead of buying books. :)

I'm going to do the third level, which is to read 50 books from the local library in 2009.

Guidelines:

1. Join anytime, just don't start reading your books prior to 2009.

2. The last day to read your books is Dec 31, 2009.

3. They can be audios, downloads, children's, YA.

I will list the books here. I don't currently have anything out from the library, but hopefully I will soon!

1. The Little Lady Agency and the Prince - DONE

2. Into the Wilderness - DONE

3. Practical Magic - DONE

4. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - DONE

5. On a Highland Shore - DONE

6. The New Yorkers - DONE

7. Bridget Jones' Diary - DONE

8. The Summons - DONE

9. The Princess Bride - DONE

10. The Moon Below - DONE

11. The Villa - DONE

12. The Thirteenth Tale - DONE

13. Fat Chance - DONE

14. Atonement - DONE

15. Bet Your Bottom Dollar - DONE

16. Good Grief - DONE
17. Sanctuary - DONE
18. The Fiery Cross - DONE
19. A Breath of Snow and Ashes - DONE
20. Certain Girls - DONE
21. Firefly Lane - DONE
22. Can you Keep a Secret - DONE
23. Barefoot - DONE
24. Pride and Prejudice

Chunkster Challege '09

Time for me to sign up for some new challenges!

I've decided to do the "Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big?" option. Which means I need to read 3-5 "chunksters" over the next 10 months.



The rules are as follows:

• A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction)
• No audiobooks
• Start anytime (signups end March 1st) after signing up. You must complete your reads before or on Nov 15th.
• Short Stores and Essay Collections will not be counted
• Books may crossover with other challenges

Edited to add my books:

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski, 576 pages

2. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolover, 576 pages

3. History, Elsa Mornate, 600 pages

4. The Moon Below, Barbara Bickmore, 624 pages

5. The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins, 720 pages

Fall Into Reading Challenge Wrap Up

I did NOT read all the books on my list. Granted, I had a huge list. I read 10 of the 40 books I listed. I read 9 additional books during that timeframe. So basically, I read half the number of books I expected to read, but only 1/4 of the books that I picked. I really enjoyed picking books that I was going to read for the challenge. Part of the reason some of them didn't get read, is that they weren't readily avaialable. I didn't make it to the library as frequently as I thought I would. I also picked some of the books that were more of a "challenge" for me, and I found that I couldn't read them as quickly as I normally do. Or I couldn't get the motivation up to start them (or continue). I've discovered that I need a good mix of "edifying" reads and "pleasure" reads.

I think my favorite books that I read this fall were the Queen of Babble books by Meg Cabot. I've read a few of her other books, and I just really enjoy her style. I ended up listening to these on audiobook, and I also really like the person who read the books. I've been through a lot the past few months, and I found that I needed fun, upbeat, light books that could distract me. Not to say that these books were "fluff", because they weren't. One of the reasons that I love to read is because I can "escape" into the story.

I would definitely be interested in more challenges sponosored by http://callapidderdays.com. :)

I read the following books from my list:

1. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
2. Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley
3. Calico Palace, Gwen Bristow
4. The Husband, Dean Koontz
5. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Lilian Jackson Braun
6. Queen of Babble, Meg Cabot
7. Little Lady, Big Apple, Hester Browne
8. Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich
9. Salvation in Death, JD Robb
10. The Pagan Stone, Nora Roberts

I also read the following books that weren't on my original list.

1. Wicked
2. Queen of Babble in the Big City, Meg Cabot
3. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, Meg Cabot
4. Midnight, Dean Koontz
5. Tribute, Nora Roberts
6. A is for Alibi, Sue Grafton
7. Candy Cane Murder, Joanne Fluke
8. The Danger of Candy Canes, Laura Levine
9. Candy Canes of Christmas Past, Leslie Meier

whew

no work for 9 days. and for once, we aren't traveling for the holidays. we really have a rather open schedule. i think we need it to recover. from everything. work, school, the miscarriage, the wisdom teeth, the weight loss that isn't happening. everything.

i do have a lot of "nothing" planned though. i'm going to admit failure on the reading challenges, and start some new ones. i'm going to play with my blog settings. i'm going to find a bunch of new books to read. i'm going to spend the next 9 days doing nothing that i don't want to do, and everything that i do. (don't worry, i want to do some good things like exercise, etc) i'm not going to feel guilty about anything. my spirit will heal. i will feel good about myself and my life and everything in it. it is refreshing. all around.

Real Simple Holiday Card Quiz

In the most recent episode there was a holiday-card quiz. I need some motivation to get my Christmas cards out on time, so I thought I would take this quiz over the next month and see how I do. I'm pretty sure I will fail miserably, because I haven't sent out cards regularly for the past few years. At any rate, I think it will be fun. If you want to do this with me, go ahead an post a comment. If we get more than 10 people to join, maybe I'll have a fun prize for the winner. We'll keep a running total and then on Dec 31st, I'll declare a winner!

"When the season's greetings start rolling in, tally up the points for each card you recieve and check your holiday karma"

Gain Points when you recieve cards from:

• Dentist, insurance agent, hairdresser, dry cleaner, mailman +0.5
• Your own mother +0.5
• Another Relative +1
• Friend via e-mail +0.5
• Your boss +1
• Friend you see at least once a week +1
• Above, with reference to an inside joke +3
• Long-distance friend, devoid of any personal message +2
• Above, with personal message of at least three lines +5
• Anyone who includes a handwritten personal note of more than five sentences +5
• Long-lost who hasn't been heard from in 20 years +10

Lose Points when:

• Card and envelope are same piece of paper -1
• Signature is imprinted rather than handwritten inside card -2
• Photo is of a helpless pet in a holiday costume -3
• Your name is spelled incorrectly -4
• Card plays annoying music that you can't turn off -4
• Card is the same one you recieved last year -6
• Return-address label was provided by charity to which sender may not have actually contributed -7
• Family newsletter contains words such as gallbladder, spleen, and gout -8
• Family newsletter is from ex who is (not so) subtly gloating over his recent wedding and cushy new job -10
• Long lost friend who hasn't been heard from in 20 years asking for money or a place to live -20

Bonus Points:

• Gilded envelope +0.5
• Handwritten return address +1
• Card in which all family members appear to have signed their own names +2
• Newsletter or family photo in card +2
• Card with moving parts +3
• Extremely clever handmade card +4
• Oversize card requiring extra postage +5
• Card sent from foreign country +6
• Newsletter with humor at progeny's expense +8
• Card with check, cash, or gift certificate +20

Even if it is just me particpating I will post my scores periodically :)

Monday Morning Chaos

My brain is all over the place this morning. I have about 30 things that all need to be done in the next 48 hours, and some of them are very time consuming. Some of them are completely frivilous, but are still things I want to do. Right now I'm too scattered to get a good hold on things, so I thought I would grab the closest and easiest one and start on that, and then once I feel good about getting one of them knocked out, I'll start on the rest. Make sense? Probably not.

Hopefully later on today I will post a Christmas Card Challenge that I got from a Real Simple magazine. Since 3 people read my blog, their probably won't be much participation, but I thought it would be fun to do anyway. I SUCK at sending Christmas Cards, so this challenge is my motivation. (see how I manipulate myself?!) :)

Later.

Getting back into the swing of things

Sorry, this will probably be another lame-o post. So very much has happened (don't worry, Chris and I are still happily married) that it is hard to get it all out. I'm sure I will eventually write more about it, but for now, I'm just trying to get back to "normal".

Chris and I are at our Coffee Shop in town. We thought it would be a quiet place where we could chat and just connect. Apparently every teenager in town had the same thought, because it is freaking loud and annoying in here. I don't think we will be staying very long. Right now, Chris is chatting up the waitor (we went to college with him).

So I found a new time waster today. It is called Forgotten Lands - First Colony. It is one of those cheapy computer games. Kind of reminds me of Age of Empires without the armies (at least so far). I like the planning/strategy/building part of Age of Empires, but I always get decimated in the army aspect of it. Speaking of computer games, I've barely got to play any of the Sims 2 games like I wanted. My stupid computer just wasn't fast enough. And now they are getting ready to release Sims 3. Guess it is just going to pass me by completely. Does that mean I'm grown up now? Probably not.

Chris has to go into the studio and work this weekend, so I'm trying to decide what project to work on. I can either do the office, the garage, or the master closet. I would really like to paint the guest bedroom, but there is too much prep for that, so I don't think I would actually have time to start it. I think that will be a project for the week that I'm off for Christmas. That and baking cookies. My goal is to make 12 different kinds of cookies this year. Pretty impressive considering I normally only make 2 or 3. I'll try to get some pictures of the whole process and put them up here.

Speaking of pictures, I do need to get some of the updated pictures on my flickr page as well. I literally feel like the world has been on pause since the middle of august. It all kind of passed in a fog. I think that is why I've been so sensitive lately, is that I'm starting to feel like myself, and so I'm starting to feel all the stuff that was just numb before.

Chris is back with the coffee, so my time on the computer is up.

Update: Fall Into Reading Challenge

Life has been nuts. Still dealing with everything, but I'll try and post more on that later. I want to get back into blogging, and the best way to do that is to just start. So, a nice easy post. :)

I am enjoying the Fall Into Reading Challenge, because I get to look forward to reading specific books. I've also found it a challenge, because I keep getting distracted by other books that I come across. So while I've read 9 of the 40 books on my list, I also read 3 others that weren't on my list. :)

So far I have read the following from my list:

• Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell - great read as usual. Probably one of my favorite books. I've re-read this multiple times, and probably will continue to reread it over the years.
• Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley - again, great read. I have to read this after Gone with the Wind. I'm definitely one of those people that like to see some redemption in the end. I have to admit there are times when I want to race ahead to the parts where Rhett makes an appearance. But I also like to see the character of Scarlett evolve and grow up.
• Calico Palace, Gwen Bristow - one of my favorite pieces of historical fiction. Gwen Bristow is a fantastic author. I've learned so much American History from her books (and actually retain it).
• The Husband, Dean Koontz - my very first Dean Koontz book. I was pleasantly surprised. I expected more of a "horror" book, but it was actually just suspenseful. Which I like a lot better. I have been told that this book is a little different than his other books though.
• The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Lilian Jackson Braun - this was recommended because of my love of cats. I did find this a little bit of a tedious read. Enjoyable, but not captivating. I've been told they get better, so I may try again with a later book in the series.
• Queen of Babble, Meg Cabot - fun, light and chatty. I listened to this on a weekend road trip. Definitely made the time fly by. Even better, there are two more books in this series. I love it when I get invested in the characters, and I know there is more in the story in the follow-up books.
• Little Lady, Big Apple, Hester Browne - another book that is fun and light. Twists and turns and romantic drama. The author has a great "voice".
• Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich - another favorite author. I love Stephanie, Joe and Ranger. And Lula, Grandma and Mooner. She writes the best characters. My husband and I listen to this series on audio books, and we ALWAYS laugh like crazy. I've heard that some people were critical of this book, but I really enjoyed it.
• Salvation in Death, JD Robb - latest in the Eve Dallas books. This one felt a little different but I liked it. It was a tricky topic (involving Catholicism). I'm not Catholic, but I felt like she was very respectful in how she explored the topic. I was a little reserved at first, but I think she did a great job. And she setup some background for the next book. :)

I have also read the following (not from the list):

• Queen of Babble in the Big City, Meg Cabot - great follow up. Really good book, and fun to listen to. My only issue is that I felt like they changed the boyfriend character too much. He didn't seem at all of a commitment-phobe in the previous book, and that is the main "problem" that this book focuses on. But it was still a great book.
• Midnight, Dean Koontz - a little more of what I expected a Dean Koontz book to be. Still not gory, which I'm happy about. But I definitely couldn't read this one before bed without having disturbing dreams. And he makes a great analysis of human-engineering (whatever the term is for messing with dna to evolve the human race into something "better"). I did enjoy this book. My boss recommended this one to me.
• Tribute, Nora Roberts - great book. I love Nora Roberts. This did remind me a lot of another book I read by a different author (Looking for Peyton Place by Barbara Delinsky). Same concept.

Pregnancy Reflections

For some reason my pregnancy has been closer to the front of my mind the past few days. I'm usually able to think about it without immediately crying (or even crying at all) lately.

I made it to church this past Sunday for the first time since things got rough. I had tried to go the week before, and I made it in the door, and then started crying hard enough that I didn't want to stay. Something about being around a big group of people who know you and love you, just made me too emotional to get it under control. Ah well. This Sunday was going okay, I only got teary-eyed a few times, but I held it back and got it under control. Made it until the 2nd to last worship song, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a very pregnant woman sit down in my peripheral vision. Lasted about 10 seconds, and then I started bawling. Got it together by the end of worship. It was good to be back in church, and I felt like it was a "hurdle" that I had to get past. God and I have had plenty of conversations throughout this whole thing, but not in a "corporate worship" setting.

I've been thinking back on all my thoughts while I was pregnant. It wasn't nearly as easy as I had thought it would be (the actual being pregnant part). I started having symptoms well before I knew I was pregnant. I was nauseous off and on for the first 2 weeks, and then pretty much every day after that. Not ever enough to throw up, but enough to feel like crap. I was exhausted come evening every night. I had the most amazing sense of smell ever. I could smell EVERYTHING. It wasn't like it was bad smells, I could just detect smells way before everyone else. Plus the crying jags out of nowhere. Of course, there were all the other things (cramping, spotting, bleeding) that I am attributing to the pregnancy not going well, so I won't count those as symptoms. Of course, I would have all those back tenfold if I could still be pregnant, and will actually be excited to feel them again when I get pregnant again. I'm still not sure how to do this next time and not be flipping out the whole time expecting it to happen again. I'm kind of waiting on some revelation as time goes by. My OB says it will be natural to be worried it will happen again, but I don't want to be paralyzed by fear, which is where I am right now. Hoping that subsides as time goes by.

I have still been having "episodes" at night. I've always had problems sleep talking and/or walking (to a much lesser extent). However, almost every night I have had some kind of sleep talking/crying etc that wakes Chris up. A few nights he said that I was crying/whimpering in my sleep and he couldn't get me to calm down or wake up. Another night he woke up to me pacing in front of the bed for 10 minutes, and couldn't get me to lay down. I talked to the doctor, and he gave me some sleeping pills (the ones that start with AMB****) but they actually made it worse. Chris said I was up 4-5 times instead of just once. I don't remember any of these at all. If I take tyl.enol pm I seem to sleep through the night, but I feel very foggy in the morning and have a rough time getting going. They have been getting less lately, so I'm hoping they will go back down to normal on their own within a few more weeks.

I got a thin wooden box from the Hobby Lobby and painted it a cooper color. We are going to use it as a memory box for the pregnancy. I know it didn't last very long, but I know that I will never forget the dates in my whole life, and I think it will help to have them written down and recognized. I'm hoping that is another step that will help me feel a little more settled. Something tangible to hold on to and/or put away.

Reading back over this post, it may seem like I'm not doing as well as I am. I'm at least able to spend enough time to get my feelings down in writing. Before I couldn't even get that far. I was definitely allowing myself to feel, but I was mostly keeping it to myself and Chris. I told Chris the other night that I don't feel like I have anything left to give anyone but he and I. And I'm okay with that for right now.

***I didn't make it through this post without crying. But they are less painful tears, and more cleansing.

Reading Challenge: Fall Into Reading 2008

So, I've decided to do another challenge. With everything that has gone on, and is going on, I find myself oddly busy and free at the same time. I have a lot more to do at the house, and yet I have a lot more time to spend as I please. I don't have a lot of time to commit to outside stuff, because we never know what the school load will be for Chris. So I'm going to "try" and get the rest of the books out of the way for the 100+ Reading Challenge. So the Fall Into Reading 2008 is a perfect compliment to that challenge. It officially starts on Sept 22 and ends Dec 20th. My goal is the followng 40 books:

1. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
2. Calico Palace, Gwen Bristow
3. Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley
4. Into the Wilderness, Sara Donati
5. A Whistling Woman, A.S. Byatt
6. The Husband, Dean Koontz
7. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, Lilian Braun
8. Queen of Babble, Meg Cabot
9. The Shack, William Young
10. Little Lady, Big Apple - Hester Browne
11. The Little Lady Agency and the Prince, Hester Browne
12. Certain Girls, Jennifer Weiner
13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates
15. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
16. Bridget Jone's Diary, Helen Fielding
17. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolover
18. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
19. Atonement, Ian McEwan
20. Holes, Louis Sacahr
21. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
22. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman
23. The Last Days, Joel Rosenberg
24. The Ezekiel Option, Joel Rosenberg
25. The Copper Scroll, Joel Rosenberg
26. Dead heat, Joel Rosenberg
27. Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich
28. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
29. Storm Front, Jim Butcher
30. Salvation in Death, JD Robb
31. Suite 606, JD Robb
32. The Pagan Stone, Nora Roberts
33. Eragon, Christopher Paolini
34. Eldest, Christopher Paolini
35. Brisingr, Christopher Paolini
36. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Rebecca Wells
37. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
38. The Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien
39. The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien
40. The Return of the King, JRR Tolkien

* Authors in purple are authors I've never read
* Books in orange are books I've read before

Hollow

A lot has happened since I last posted. We drove back from GA on a Sunday (Aug 10). I had suspected that something funky was going on with my cycle because my period hadn't really started. I had already taken a pregnancy test before we left for vacation, and it was negative. However, I took another test when we got home. To my great surprise, it was positive. I was unbelievably happy and surprised. Since I hadn't been expecting this, I hadn't thought of a way of telling Chris. He was getting ready for bed, and was watching TV in bed. I just walked in and turned the TV off and handed him the test. All he said was WOW for about 5 minutes. There were tears and laughing and smiles.

So I was happy pregnant for about 2 days. And then I started having some spotting and cramping. On Thursday (Aug 14) I went to the ER and then did an ultrasound and some blood work. We were there almost the whole day. They were able to see the gestational sac, and it looked like my HCG level was good. I just took it easy the next day, and then on Saturday went back to get a second blood test. I was still spotting a little bit, but not a lot. But on Sunday morning I started bleeding much heavier and passing clots. We went back to the hospital and went to Labor and Delivery Triage. They did another ultrasound, and blood tests. My levels were still going up, and they could still see the gestational sac. They said it was too early to see a heartbeat, but wanted me to come in later that week for a viability ultrasound on a more sophisticated ultrasound machine. On Wednesday I had a follow up appointment for the ER visit with my OB. They did ANOTHER ultrasound, but didn't see anything new. But the doctor told me that he suspected that when they got the blood work back, it would show that my levels weren't going up like they should, and that I was probably in the middle of a miscarriage. I had been bleeding some everyday since Saturday night. Needless to say I was devastated. My doctor told me not to give up yet, but he wanted me to be prepared. But he called me that night to say that my levels were still going up appropriately. I went to the viability ultrasound that Friday. They could still see the gestational sac, and measured a fetal pole about 2 mm. They also were able to see a sub-chorionic hemorrhage right next to the gestation sac. They suspected that this is what was causing the bleeding. The baby wasn't big enough to measure a heartbeat yet, so they scheduled me for ANOTHER viability ultrasound the next Friday. At this point, my emotions are just all over the map. I had started the grief process only to have some give me hope. I didn't want to get too excited, and then have that pulled away at the last minute. I had all the normal pregnancy symptoms (nausea, soreness, tiredness). Which made me hopeful.

On Friday August 29th I had another viability ultrasound. I had actually had my original "screening"appointment at my OB the day before, and they had taken another blood sample. At the ultrasound they checked the results of the blood work, and my hcg levels were still going up, but not nearly enough. When they did the ultrasound, they could see that the gestational sac had collapsed. My doctor came in and told that I had had an incomplete miscarriage. I could either go home and let it finish on its own, or they could give me some medicine to finish the process. I went ahead and got the medicine. I had been dealing with this for so long, the idea of it going on any longer would make me crazy. I needed some closure so that I could start to deal with everything. Friday was invariably the longest day of my life. So much pain emotionally and physically.

Since then I have had some okay days and some bad days. I'm trying to just let myself feel everything without judging myself. I haven't really gotten angry. It is mostly just extreme sadness and frustration. I have been having some nightmares, so I'm thinking about talking to the doctor about sleeping pills. I haven't really been able to think very clearly about the future. I know that we are going to wait at least a few months so that everything can heal appropriately (emotions and body).

Most of the time I'm just feeling kind of hollow.

New Pictures on Flickr

I've updated some new picutres (FINALLY) to my flickr site. I have the pictures from our North Carolina vacation and the picutres (as they happen) for the Georgia vacation. We are spending some time down at the "Property" (as everyone refers to it) in a small town in GA. Chris' family owns it jointly, and it is a cabin-esque building on a pecan orchard. It is very peaceful and laid back down here, but it is also flipping hot. Hopefully we will have a nice relaxing, peaceful long weekend.

Super Duper Excited about the Olympics starting TOMORROW. I forgot to set the DVR before we left, so I hope to catch quite a bit of the events this weekend.