Bloggity Summer Camp: Trying New Things

Evenin' Humble Readers...

Today at Bloggity Summer Camp, Camp Director Calliope has asked:

"When was the last time you tried something new? What was it and what was the result? Have you ever done something just so that you could blog about it?"

I have to admit this topic made me laugh.  I mean, not only am I second cousin to a hobbit, but I'm also a Lutheran, so I don't take to change and adventure very well.  I mean, there is a certain amount of truth to the old joke, Q - 'How many Lutherans does it take to change a lightbulb?' A - 'Change?!?!' 

So, in trying to think of something new that I've tried... I confess I'm coming up a bit dry. 

There are a few little things from the last year or so, but they aren't very exciting. 

• My Beloved and I started tracking our family trees in the last year, but we haven't made much progress yet.  I'm stuck at my maternal Great-grandfather.
• There was the blanket I knitted for Ginny.  I had learned how to knit many many years ago (I actually took it as an elective in junior high school), but it was the first time in more than 20 years that I had picked up knitting needles.  I'm impressed that I not only remembered the basics, but that I actually finished the blanket.
• I conducted some experimentation and have found a pretty good recipe for pizza crust.  It has beer in it!  Yum!
• I guess this whole SAHM and parenthood thing is pretty gosh darn new, too. 

I would have to say that I haven't tried new things simply to blog about it.  But as soon as something new or exciting or adventurous happens, I start composing a blog post about it in my head. 

I do have something new looming on the horizon.  I have ordered some Zumba workout dvds and I'm hoping to find them motivating.  I guess we'll see!

On the Nightstand: The Premier Edition

Good Morning Humble Readers...

I hope you all are having a great week.  I'm totally digging the Bloggity Summer Camp that's being led by Calliope of Creating Motherhood.  It's been a ton of fun so far and we're only a few days in.  There's still plenty of time left, so sign up!  (My Summer Camp post for today will be up a little later)

But this post is something different.  A few posts ago I mentioned a couple of regular features that I wanted to institute here at the hobbit hole (the first being 'Foodie Fridays'), and this is the second.  Once a week, probably on Wednesdays, I will post about what books are on my nightstand and what I think of them.  This will not only help my bloggity mojo, but keep me reading as well.

Today's edition is going to be a little on the long side, but I've recently finished or started several books.

Helen Keller's Teacher by  Margaret Davidson (4 out of 5 hairy hobbit-toes)
This was a favourite of mine when I was in fourth grade, and then miraculously I just happened to see it at the library on a reshelving cart, and I couldn't resist picking it up.  This was probably the closest thing to the first biography I ever read.  The story of Annie Sullivan, the woman who broke through the darkness that Helen Keller lived in, is told in an age appropriate manner.  I remember it was the first time I ever read about tuberculosis, the Irish potato famine, and poor houses.  Re-reading it now, as an adult, I was surprised at how the mental images that I had as a child when I read this book came flooding back.  A great story of over-coming obstacles. 

DogTown: Tales of Rescue, Rehabilitation & Redemption by  Stefan Bechtal (3 out of 5 hairy hobbit-toes)
I was really excited when I saw this book on the shelves at 'my' store.  I loved the show 'DogTown' about the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah.  The show chronicles the stories of dogs that have been rescued from the direst of circumstances (dog fighting rings, puppy mills, and death row at other shelters) and are given all the medical care and rehabilitation they need to hopefully find their forever homes.  And if they aren't able to be adopted out, then they will have a forever home at Best Friends.  The thing with the book that I found very disappointing was that it was all stories that I had already seen as a fan of the show.  There were a few added details, but it was just an expensive hard-cover repeat.  Really the only bonus for me is knowing that part of the proceeds of buying the book go to Best Friends.

How To Woo A Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries  (4 out of 5 hairy hobbit-toes)
I really love Sabrina Jeffries.  She's a great author, and she writes in one of my favourite genres... historical romance.  Granted, her books are a little closer to bodice-rippers than other historical romances I read, but they are fun and light.  This one is the third in the Hellions of Hampstead Hall series, where 5 siblings are forced to seek out marriage partners or lose their inheritance.  Set in regency England, the story was a tad formulaic, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Fall of Giants by Ken Follet  (5 out of 5 hairy hobbit-toes)
I love this book!  I'm not quite finished it yet (about 200 pages out of 1000) but I am enthralled.  This is the first in his Century Trilogy.  The story begins in 1914, and follows four or five families from Wales, England, Germany, Russia, and the US through the lead up to and the duration of World War One.  I will admit, although I knew the basics, I have been fascinated by the political events that led to the start of WWI, as well as all the other contemporary political issues (women's suffrage, the Russian Revolution, etc) and am so enjoying how Follet has woven a great story around these events.  I'm excited to see how he handles the rest of the 20th century.  I know that not everyone enjoys these epic historical sagas, but I think they're great. 

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley  (4.5 out of 5 hairy hobbit-toes)
Alan Bradley is one of my favourite newer authors.  It doesn't hurt matters that he's from my hometown!  This book is the third in the Flavia De Luce Mysteries series.  Flavia, a precocious trouble-making 11 year old, has a habit of finding dead bodies around her tiny village in late-1940s England.  This time around, a travelling Gypsy fortune teller is found mortally injured in her caravan and Flavia manages to get herself wrapped up in the case.  Meanwhile, the family situation becomes perilous as they are in danger of losing their crumbling family estate.  These books are all funny, smart, and I think they would be a great read for anyone 9 to 99.  (The first two are called Sweetness At The Bottom Of the Pie, and The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag... CHECK THEM OUT!!!)

Waiting in the wings... The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett by Colleen McCullough and Standing In the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg. 

What are you reading these days?

Bloggity Summer Camp: My Birthday

Howdy Humble Readers...

It's been a long sunshiny day here on the flatland.  And I'm not complaining!  Tomorrow it's supposed to get into the upper 20s or maybe even low 30s for us here.  (That would be the upper 80s for you fahrenheit folks).  That's a bit warm for my taste, but I'll take it!

Today at our awesome Bloggity Summer Camp, Camp Director Calliope has asked...

"What do you prefer to do on your birthday?"

Hmmm... Honestly, I don't really have a particular preference.  I don't have a favourite restaurant or something that I simply must do on my birthday.  I do like to have a quiet day, with family and a few friends.  Sleeping in is a nice thing, and a nice dinner, maybe at somewhere new.  But really, so long as I have someone to say 'Happy Birthday' to me, someone who recognizes that this is a special day for me, that's all I need.

My birthdays haven't always been fun days for me.  There's a history of angst and turmoil around my birthday (My half birthday has always been so much better).  My birthday is in September, and it always seems to be a time of transition and change.  Some of these changes haven't been the easiest to get through, so if I can have a mellow day I am super thankful. 

If I can just have a quiet day, and maybe a little chocolate cake... that's all I need.

Bloggity Summer Camp: I'm An Adult?

Hey Humble Readers...

Today at Bloggity Summer Camp, our awesome camp director Calliope has asked...

"What has most surprised you about being an adult? What have you learned about yourself through blogging?"

When I was a wee little hobbit, I had this idea that once you were an adult you knew what life was all about.  That you had figured it all out and that maturity just sort of happened.  And oddly enough I associated that with having kids.  Any time I met someone who had kids, I almost always assumed that they were older than me. 

At least I did until a few years ago... but that's another saga that you're all too familiar with. 

But seriously, anytime I meet someone who has kids, or seems like they have it all together, I always assume that they're older than me.  However, now that I'm closer to forty than thirty, I'm coming to realize that there is no magic switch that makes you feel like an adult.  It just happens over time.  One day you wake up and you realize that you have a mortgage, bills, and aging parents. 

As for blogging... I think the biggest thing that I have learned from blogging the last couple of years is that I have a voice.  I have a story to tell, and it's worth listening to (reading).  And that when your story is heard by just one other person, you aren't alone. 

Bloggity Summer Camp: My Guilty Pleasures

Howdy Humble Readers! 

I hope that you're all having a great long weekend, on both sides of the 49th parallel.  We had a lazy Canada Day on Friday, and spent yesterday visiting with family who were out camping nearby.  Ginny was, as always, the belle of the ball, being passed from person to person and charming everyone along the way.  Today is a typical Sunday, with church and then grocery shopping in the afternoon. 

So, today at Bloggity Summer Camp, our camp director, Calliope, asked a great question... "What are your guilty pleasures?"  What a fun question!

Immediately, when I think of guilty pleasures, I think of food.  Of those things that I rarely allow myself because I know I just shouldn't.  Things like chocolate peanut butter cheesecake, perogies & sausage, and dill pickle flavoured potato chips. 

But I don't just find guilty pleasure in food.  I subscribe to four or five magazines and I purposely wait until all of them have arrived for the month before I read them.  Then, on an afternoon when the house is clean and the wee girl is either asleep or otherwise pleasantly distracted, I take my time perusing the pages of home, fashion, and foodie magazines.  If I come across a recipe that I want to try, I tear it out and add it to a binder I have in my cook book cupboard. 

And my last guilty pleasure, or at least the last one I'm going to share with you all today... ;)

I love love love taking a really long super hot shower.  I can just stand there under the water forever, letting it beat on my head and on my back and shoulders.  This is why I always have Beloved take his shower first... I would hate to use too much hot water and not leave him enough. 

So, what are some of your guilty pleasures? 

And don't forget, you can still sign up for Bloggity Summer Camp!  Just stop by Creating Motherhood and join in the fun!