Monday, December 31, 2007

2008 TBR Challenge

I can't think of a better challenge to join than the 2008 TBR Challenge. I started a few books in 2007 that just didn't engage me. I do want to get those books read so that I can weed out the ones that I don't want to keep. If you'd like to join this challenge, visit the TBR Challenge Blog for details. Also, I will be giving away a lot of the books on this list as I read them so keep your eyes peeled for that.

  1. The Real Lincoln by Thomas Dilorenzo
  2. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
  3. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
  4. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom *Completed 1-18-08*
  5. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
  6. Club Sandwich by Lisa Samson
  7. A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist
  8. The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers
  9. Waiting for Morning by Karen Kingsbury
  10. Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (I started this one but got side tracked)
  11. Leota's Garden by Francine Rivers
  12. Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock

Alternates:

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A Moment of Reflection

I happened upon this over at Adventures in Babywearing.

This Month...

The Thing I've Been Working On The Most:: Putting away Christmas decor and weeding out some old toys and clothes, preparing for the New Year

TV Show Worth Watching:: I can't wait for Lost to come back on at the end of January! For now, Pushing Daisies is pretty interesting. It's much different than anything I've ever watched.

The Christmas Present I'm Loving: Bath & Body Works lotions and soaps, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader board game that my mom got the girls :-o) It's fun!

My Favorite Blog Entry From This Month: Not sure if this means from my own blog or from another. I'll go with my blog. My favorite entry is "Happy Birthday To You" in honor of my youngest daughter's birthday.

Blog I Am Always Visiting:
Females Against Feminism , There Is No Place Like Home

Movie I’ve Seen (In or Out of a theater): I Am Legend, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Star Dust, Amazing Grace

What I'm Most Looking Forward To Next Month: Setting aside a whole day to craft with my best girlfriend Jenny. We are going to have a craft day each month in 2008 and my goal is to make EVERY single gift I give next year. No commercial gifts if I can help it!

Feel free to share what you're into, too...



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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Leave It To Aunt Kat

Y'all know my baby girl had a birthday yesterday. Well, my birthday is today and I had hoped to scoot on by without mentioning it. However, when I came home from church today, I found this sweet little poem in my inbox from my favorite Aunt Kat. I wish all of you could know my Aunt Kat. She is such a wonderful person. She's a sweet, fun, thoughtful, person with a great sense of humor. She's a great cook and is excellent with sewing. I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful person in my life.

Here's the poem she sent. Thanks Aunt Kat! I love it!

'Ode to Sonya'
( tune to 'Mary's Boy Child")

Long time ago in Dryden, Virginia
A little blonde haired girl was born
Sonya Denise her mommy named her
Destined to be surrounded by Money and Fur.
Little did she know
Her money would be Cookie Dough
and the Fur would be from her Cats
But not a child was more loved by her Aunt
And if you ask me why
I'll tell you I can't
Because the reason lies in my heart.

And for inquiring minds, I'm turning 34 and thankful for every year!



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Got Pens?

Looking for the perfect gift for your co-workers? Why not purchase some of these promotional pens ? They make the perfect gift for any occasion. They come in a variety of colors and styles. The best part is that you can personalize them! Who wouldn't love a personalized pen?

These pens are also great for family reunions, fund raisers, conferences, or seminars. PensRUs offers discounts on large quantity orders. They offer fast shipping and right now you can save $25 off of your $250 order. Want to see a sample before ordering? No problem. Fill out the online form and request a sample beforehand. So what are you waiting for?

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Happy Birthday To You

At Grandma's ~ Christmas Eve 2007

Guess who is turns 9 years old today? You guessed it! My baby has a birthday today. In honor of this special day, I want to share nine things about her.

  1. She has a beautiful singing voice
  2. Her favorite color is pink
  3. She loves girly things (hairbows, nail polish, etc.)
  4. She loves animals
  5. She's a left-handed computer whiz (she once tried to sign up with e-Harmony! LOL!)
  6. Her favorite thing to eat is her grandma's mac 'n' cheese (she always reminds me that mine is not quite as good as granny's)
  7. She is an excellent speller
  8. She is a great help around the house
  9. She has the most southern accent you will ever hear!

Holding a reindeer Webkinz ~ Christmas Day 2007

 

With her new Liberty doll (from Vision Forum) Christmas morning 2007

Happy Birthday my baby!



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In Need of New Luggage

When is the last time you took a trip? Was it a long trip or a short one? When I take a trip, I over pack. I'm not sure why I started doing that. I guess I just want to be prepared in case of emergency. When hubby and I went to NY last year, I packed so much that I could not have put one more item in the suitcase. I always hide when it's time for him to pack our luggage into the car. I just know when he lifts my suitcase, he's going to ask what all I've packed!

We've never been the type of family to take a week long vacation. We've always taken long weekend trips. I think the longest trip we've been on, as a family, has been about four nights. We take several of these short trips every year. 2008 will be even no exception since my hubby has decided to start competing in bagpipe competitions. Because ours took such a beating on the trip to NY, we'll need to purchase new luggage sets for these travels. His first competition is in February, in Charleston, SC. I'm looking forward to his ventures in this area because I know how much he loves playing the pipes. I will not be able to go on every trip with him but I hope to accompany him on quite a few of them. I love going to new places and seeing all of the things it has to offer. How about you? Do you travel? Do you like to travel? If you could go anywhere, where would it be?



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Friday, December 28, 2007

Separating My Material

At the suggestion of a friend, I have decided to separate my homeschooling information from my other blog material. When I started this blog, it was primarily to keep my family and friends, in other states, informed about what was going on with us. I will continue to blog here regularly about our family and various other things. I will use my new home, My Thousand Loves, for homeschooling material. I've just started posting over there and so I do have a few random posts up right now. From here on out, you can go over there to read about our homeschooling adventures, successes, and of course, our failures. I hope to share some things that will be helpful to many, like book reviews, curriculum reviews, as well as all things pertaining to the journey of homeschooling. I hope you'll join me! In fact, head over there and enter to win the children's book I'm giving away.

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Send Free E-Cards

Looking to send free e-cards? Look no further. Here's where to get the month2month free eCards . This year, Month2Month teamed with Toys for Tots to raise money for needy children. For every e-card sent, Month2Month donated money to help buy toys for these children. The e-cards available are absolutely free and are fully animated. There are many beautiful cards to chose from and I liked several of the 2008 New Year cards. Since the new year is upon us, go check out the e-cards and send a few while you're there. It's a lot of fun and for a good cause!

Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Bill Grein
Marine Toys for Tots
V: 703-640-9433
F: 703-640-0917
wjgrein@toysfortots.org
http://www.toysfortots.org

Steven Marcus
Month2Month.com
V: 914-933-2638
F: 501-325-9147
smarcus@month2month.com
http://www.month2month.com

Marines Toys for Tots Needs Last Minute Help
Quantico, VA. December 21, 2007 / PR Newswire – The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is making a nationwide last minute appeal for more toys. Since time is critical as they go into their toy distribution phase this weekend the Foundation is encouraging people to make cash contributions because it allows them to purchase the toys they need to fill in gaps and match the remaining needs.
One novel way to get cash immediately into the hands of the Marines is to send lots of holiday eCards to everyone you know. Month2Month.com, a free eCard website has agreed to contribute up to $50,000 when their cards are sent and received.
Bill Grein, Vice President for Marines Toys for Tots, said: "Cash contributions are critical for us at this time because we can purchase the toys we need and can place them where they are needed most at the last minute. It will help us close a gap in many areas where the economy, toy recalls and even bad weather have caused us to come short of our goals so far. We urge everyone to take advantage of this wonderful offer from Month2Month."
John Aslanian, CEO of Month2Month.com said: "We are expecting to have 1 million cards sent in the next few days that could result in a contribution of up to $50,000. We know that for some the economy might be putting a crimp in their generosity. But what this can do is to save them the cost of buying cards and the postage. We are asking everyone to send these cards, even if they already sent other cards, to help make this a merry Christmas and happy holiday for many more needy children."

Month2Month.com cards are all produced by top-notch artists working in a loft studio just outside of New York City. The cards show great care in design and detail and often take weeks or months to complete. They are all professionally animated often requiring hundreds of frames to get the motion to look smooth and flowing. Month2Month.com is a privately held online greeting company founded in 2005. The site offers free high quality online greeting cards and can be found at http://www.month2month.com.
This year marks the 60th anniversary for the Toys for Tots tradition of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. In 2006, Toys for Tots delivered more than 19.2 million toys to over 7.6 million children.



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