Pin it and Do it Progress - May 2013

I had big plans for May. I swear I did! So far I've finished five pins and put a few more into motion, which doesn't feel like much, but I keep reminding myself that there's still a few more days left in the month. Nevermind that we'll be out of town for most of Memorial Day weekend. So it goes, right?

May Pin it and Do it has been mostly success so far with a few ehhhhs and one not entirely complete.

Chicken Black Bean Corn Rice Casserole from Tasty Kitchen. Elle loves rice so I was hoping that this would be a good way for her to eat her rice but also get some other goodies as well. I knew it was a gamble as she likes corn and chicken on their own but is sometimes skeptical of things all thrown together. I thought the recipe was really tasty and a nice variation on another recipe I make frequently, but four cups of rice was waaaaaaaay too much so I'll cut back next time. Definitely a keeper!!  Original Pin.

Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast from Six Sister Stuff. I'll spare you my picture. This turned out tasty, but the cook time is only 6-7 hours and since I'm gone for at least 10 during the day I cooked it overnight. I was also cooking potatoes at 450 in the oven so the roast dried out a bit when I reheated it. The flavor was great but next time I'll use a tenderloin cut rather than rump. Original Pin.

Oh, The Places You'll Go Book from Lisa's Workshop. This is one of the very very first things I pinned. The idea is that you pass the book around to your child's teachers to sign and message and then gift the book upon graduation. So basically this is another 16 years in the making for Elle. I bought the book a while ago but finally finally took it to her prior teacher this week. Elle just moved up to the next age group and her teacher and I both had tears in our eyes when I asked her to sign a message and pass it to the other couple of teachers Elle's had.  Original Pin.

Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries from Minimalist Baker. I pinned this one after Maria made them for the last Pin it and Do it. I'm almost embarrassed to show you my picture. :) Issue one was that I was lazy and cut these with my food processor rather than by hand. So they burned in half the time that they were suppposed to cook. Issue two was that I used Chili Powder instead of Chipotle because it was what I had on hand and I hate buying spices for just one recipe. They were OK but I ended up tossing them after I snacked on them a bit throughout the day while they were drying. I'd try it again with just the brown sugar and handcut. Original Pin.

Fried Rice from Food.com. Ok, totally guilty of looking this one up and pinning it after I made the recipe. Elle DID eat the peas out of this one and I'd definitely make the recipe again. Obviously since I pinned it...  Original Pin.

Honey Sesame Chicken (Slow Cooker) from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. Also pictured above with the fried rice. I made this one after JoAnn raved about it during the February Pin it and Do it. Very very flavorful though the ingredient list is rather robust. I made this right before Scott was going out of town so I actually froze the leftovers and hope that they hold up! Would definitely make again. Original Pin.

Urban Lattice Quilt Pattern originally seen on Freshly Pieced and mostly referenced from Me A Mom? blog. And I feel a bit sheepish including this since it's just an idea at this point, BUT since I referenced the pins multiple times this month in order to buy the fabric, I'm counting it! Below are the fabrics for Baby Billie Jean's quilt. I can't wait to cut them but I'm trying to resist until I work a bit more on some of my current projects. With 14 weeks left I should get cranking, though! Original Pin.

Any Pinterest successes for you lately? I don't browse Pinterest for ideas very often but I do find it very very helpful as a bookmarking tool for websites that I want to be able to find and reference quickly. 

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

Under the Dome...aka #Domealong Readalong

Remember how I mentioned a while back that we tossed around the idea of a readalong of Under the Dome after seeing the promo of the new TV series during the Super Bowl?

Well.

After a bit of chitchat on twitter yesterday--none of us really sure what was going on as Ms. Fizzy is on blog hiatus--Natalie of Coffee and a Book Chick took the reigns and is going to lead us in a readalong.  So go now! and sign up!

Technically the readalong begins tomorrow (Saturday May 25th) but I'm in the middle of Orphan Train for book club next week and am listening to The Omnivore's Dilemma. Once I've finished both of those I'll duel read/listen Under the Dome for the readalong.

Nat asks us a few questions...

Show us your copy! Audio or print?
Both. But phone and ereader are in the other room and I'm the lazy.

Have you read Uncle Stevie before?
Yessiree! I actually think I might be going through withdrawals as it's been a few months?

What are you familiar with about Under the Dome or Stephen King?
I am familiar with NOTHING about Under the Dome. The trailer that I saw was a teaser so I honestly have no idea. And I won't watch any trailers until after I've read the book. Don't want anything coloring my thoughts!

What are you looking forward to?
OH I just can't freaking wait. Seriously--the prospect of a Stephen King readalong has me all excited. I've missed my #along crew and I hope that you'll join us. Twitter tag will be #domealong.

And Pax--we need to iron out the details for The Talisman!

So what do you say?? Join us??? *beamswithdelight*

Audie Solo Male Narration Nominees - #ArmchairAudies

Did you know that there are awards for Audiobooks? Every year the Audio Publishers Association sponsors The Audies for the year's best of the best in audiobook recording. In anticipation and during the buzz of the nominations, LitHousewife has created the Armchair Audies for listeners who want to pick a category (or two or three) to judge for themselves. I loved watching the buzz last year but was still fairly new to audiobook listening. This year I decided to play along by listening to the Solo Narration Male category.

I would louuuuurve to write y'all up a post on each of these audiobooks, but I know that if I do that then this post will never happen. Mostly I still have a tough time writing about audiobooks--listening to audiobooks sometimes feels like watching a season of a TV show rather than watching a movie. The plots are more drawn out than if I had read the words of the book. Does this happen to anyone else? I love audiobooks and I'm so grateful for having started listening to them, but I can't seem to write about the experience in the same way I can reading paperbooks. #endramble

Title: The Absolutist 
Author: John Boyne
Narrator: Michael Maloney
Audio Length: 8 hrs, 36 min

In Short: After The Great War, Tristan journeys to his friend Will's family to deliver a package of letters written during the war. Through flashbacks, Tristan remembers the events that lead up to Will's death and the secrets that are deeply entwined in those events.

Thoughts in General: Confession--I listened to this audiobook out of order. When I got to the end of the audio with two sections left I realized that it downloaded from the library out of order. The audiobook moves back and forth in time so it didn't seem strange to have large jumps in time. I did end up listening to the book in full--just not in the published order. All in all I found The Absolutist a captivating listen and would certainly read it again in print. In the correct order.

Note on the Audio: Michael Maloney's narration is at times quiet and subdued but the narration also contains a vast emotional range and perfect pacing. For me Maloney's exacting narration of The Absolutist was the winner of the group.

Title: Beautiful Ruins
Author: Jess Walter
Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini
Audio Length: 12 hrs, 53 min

In Short: An Italian hotelier who takes in a frail American actress; a bigtime movie producer looking for the next big thing; a fed-up assistant looking for a way out; an author with a story to tell; a troubled young man yearning for the right path--All these intricately intertwined over five decades.

Thoughts in General: I really enjoyed the unfolding of all the threads in Beautiful Ruins but by the end I found myself wondering what the point of the book was. The journey was wonderful but I had a tough time caring about the destination. People really love this book, though... Think it's one of those that I might have appreciated more in paper?

Note on the Audio: Where the story and development lacked, the narration shined. Edoardo Ballerini brings Beautiful Ruins and the cast of characters to life. Ballerini's Italian accents are spot-on (though I did have some troubles believing the British accents) and each character was nearly perfectly depicted. Beautiful Ruins and Edoardo Ballerini provided an excellent listening experience.

Title: Being There 
Author: Jerzy Kosinski
Narrator: Dustin Hoffman
Audio Length: 2 hrs, 51 min

In Short: Chance has never left his sheltered home and garden, but when his caretaker passes away he is suddenly thrust in the real world as an all of a sudden philosophical/economical phenomenon.

Thoughts in General: I liked the premise of this short novella--a simple man who doesn't say much is assumed to be a genius--but in the end Being There didn't do much for me. I might be more interested in the film production, but not interested enough to seek it out.

Note on the Audio: Dustin Hoffman's narration of Being There fits well with the tone of the book--his narration is controlled and matter-of-fact but I found it boring and tiresome. The audio was almost a DNF for me but I had to remind myself that it was less than three hours. It was a long three hours.

Title: The End of the Affair
Author: Graham Greene
Narrator: Colin Firth
Audio Length: 6 hrs, 28 min

In Short: Bendrix grapples with his now ended affair to a married woman.

Thoughts in General: See "Note on the Audio." In sum--I need to read this one with a pencil in hand. I love complex and layered books but struggle with the depth when listening.

Note on the Audio: I'll just come out and say it, Colin Firth's voice is incredibly luxurious and dreamy. This is a book I feel I should read rather than listen because the writing is so rich (and I've since bought the book to read), but listening to Colin Firth narrate for six hours was a pleasure. His narration was subdued but passionate, measured but paced appropriate, and man oh man that accent. #endswoon

Title: The Tao of Pooh 
Author: Benjamin Hoff
Narrator: Simon Vance
Audio Length: 2 hrs, 46 min

In Short: The basics of Taoism as related to Winnie the Pooh and friends.

Thoughts in General: I loved this little audiobook so much that I loaned my library copy to my coworkers and immediately went out and bought the paperbook to have on my shelf and hopefully re-read soon. I loved learning about Taoism but most of all I loved the relations to Winnie the Pooh and the cute little conversations Hoff and Pooh had throughout the book.

Note on the Audio: It is no secret that Simon Vance is a well-loved and highly sought-out voice narrator. Do a search for him on Audible and you'll come up with 463 results. Had this one been longer than 3 hours I think that Vance would have been my pick for Male Narration winner, but I finally had to factor in the duration into my decision. Vance's narration is charming and witty and his character depictions are absolutely delightful and believable. I know that when I read the book I'll carry Vance's voice with me--and that's certainly not a bad thing!


Our group decided on Beautiful Ruins and narrator Edoardo Ballerini as the winner for the Solo Male Narration, but my favorite narration was The Absolutist. I have a sneaking suspicion that Beautiful Ruins will take home the actual Audie Award.

The Audies will be announced May 30th. What was your favorite audiobook in 2012? Was it one that is nominated for an Audie?

5.19.2013 - Seventh Anniversary

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

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

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

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

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

My Life Is [not] Perfect

My life is perfect.

Reality.... 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami

Title: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Author: Haruki Murakami

Published: 1994 Pages: 607

Genre: Fiction (translated)

Rating: 4/5

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

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

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

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

Some bits from the book:

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

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

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

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

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

On A Day To Myself

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

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

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

And what would I do with a day to myself?

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

2. Read a chapter or two from a book

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

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

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

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

7. Project Life

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

9. Watch a movie in bed while sewing hexes

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

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

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

April Was... May will be...

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

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

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

In April...

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

In May...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Favorite Baby Board Books - Sunday Salon

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

Anyway.

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

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

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

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

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

Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

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


Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton

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


The Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton

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


Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton

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


On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

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


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

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


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

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


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

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

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


What are your Favorite Baby Board Books?

Pin it and Do it May 2013 Link-up

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

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

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

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

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

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



Happy Pinning and Doing!!

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

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


Pin It and Do It: A Pinteresting Challenge

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

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

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

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

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



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

Happy Pinning and Doing!

Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Comfort Movies

First...let me show you something:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What movies provide comfort for you?

Prepping for World Book Night

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

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

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

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

Happy Reading!

The Starts of a Garden

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

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

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

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

Not the handyman...

Not really planting...

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

 Look a flower!

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

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

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

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