No rest for the weary

I was talking with one of the other teachers at preschool the other day and we both agreed that the stretch of school from January till about the middle of March is the doldrums of the school year. There isn't really any holidays to look forward to, the weather is usually lousy, you're constantly fighting off sickness, and the routine of the school year is monotonously boring.

Speaking of doldrums, our bathroom project is still ongoing. It's at the stage where there is still a ton of work to be done but you're too far into it to stop! James has de-popcorned the ceiling, stripped all the wallpaper, de-molded the wall and spackled about a bajillion holes. (And just in case you're wondering about *my* contribution to the project, I cleaned up all of the stripped, molding wallpaper, plus the light fixture that got broke in some overzealous de-molding.) Now comes the hard part- all of the sanding! He also discovered yesterday that the toilet tank is leaking, so we'll need to install a new toilet. *sigh* I just know we're going to work for years on this house and get it just the way we like it, and then we'll move.

In other news, my eyebrows are out of control and James desperately needs a haircut. Thought you ought to know.

A Haiku For James

A Series of Haikus, Composed in Honor of James



Has a man ever
deserved a promotion more
than him? I think not.

Noble leaderman-
Steering his crew straight and true,
fair powerdercoaters!

Dues? Thirty-four bucks
a month. Joining the union
finally pays off.

Five-Thirty: work starts.
So early, but overtime
makes it all worthwhile.

No more blue jumpsuits
with paint and grease. It's polo
shirts and khakis now.

Six days and counting...

I'm pretty sure I'm ready for January '09 to be over and done with. This month has been way too eventful for my liking! However, it seems like life is headed back to normal (whatever THAT is!).

Things were turned a little topsy-turvy as the repair work on the house commenced. We are SO LUCKY to have good friends who were able to do everything that needed to be done: Jason, who called James up and said "Let's take care of that trampoline!" and Nick, whose company actually did the roof replacement, porch repair and took care of the tree. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Nick and his crew pulled up bright and early Monday morning and started ripping off the old roof, making way for the new, much improved(!) roof!







Within a few hours, the whole roof was stripped and ready for the new roof! I couldn't believed how FAST they worked. They almost got the new roof on by the end of the day, but they ended up having to come back the next morning a finish up.





While all of this was going on, James decided to get going on a project we've been planning for awhile- doing something about our bathroom AKA The Pit of Despair. Here it was before:




Here's what it looks like NOW:




This is the area behind the door. There used to be a full-length mirror there. (Aside- somehow we didn't notice this mirror until AFTER we were all moved in. The open door always covered it. The first time James took a shower in the bathroom, he started the shower with the door open. I shut it at some point during the shower, and when he was done, he drew back the shower curtain and was greeted with a shot of himself in the mirror! To say he was a little startled would be putting it mildly. Good times!)


Anyway, there was a bit of mildew behind the mirror, but more importantly we discovered the home of all of the ants that seem to invade our bathroom every spring and summer!

All of those dark lines are ant tunnels. There doesn't seem to be any ants in residence at the moment, so James is going to whatever needs to be done to insure they don't come back!

So at the moment, we only have one bathroom in livable condition, but at least everything outside is shipshape and shiny!

The new roof looks lovely...



The part of the tree that was on our property has been removed...(After five attempts to talk to the weird neighbors about the tree we washed our hands of it. I predict the tree will still be there a year from now!)



...and now instead of three columns on the front porch (The one to the far left was completely knocked loose in the storm- it fell off a few days later! Luckily it wasn't structurally necessary to the porch!)...


...we now have two! (Which James still needs to paint.)


Now that all of THAT is over and done with, I'm ready to think about other things...paint colors for the bathroom...finishing a book on the physiology of sex that I started a week ago...our garden...Valentine's Day...what I'm going to make for dinner tomorrow...you know, the normal stuff!

Jed! JED!!!!!!

This is SO YOU!!!!!

(It might be me, too. What do you think??)

Books, books and more books

A friend sent me this survey. It made me laugh and laugh as I was filling it out. It's a survey about "Books as Ex-Boyfriends". It's a little on the salty side a times (let's give it a PG rating), but it's quirky fun, I think.

The one who seduced you and messed you up and broke your heart in a million pieces and laughed about it:
That would be the Outlander series. Oh man. I got half-way through the second book before I called it quits. Just...no. I loved the premise, but there was a scene that pushed my squick meter to 11, and if it hadn't occurred 550+ pages into a 600 page book, I probably would have stopped reading.

The old flame you don't see very often any more but whom you still really enjoy getting together with for a few drinks:
Anything by Rosamunde Pilcher. I don't re-read her books all that often anymore, but every once in awhile I'll go through The Shell Seekers, September and Coming Home all in a week. And it's always so satisfying!

The mysterious dark gothy one whom you used to sit up with talking until 3 a.m. at weird coffee houses and with whom you were quite smitten until you realized he really was crazy:
1984- Man, I probably read that book at least a hundred times while I was in high school. It's still a classic, but reading it over and over again cannot be good for your head. :P

The one you spent a whole weekend with and who drank up all your liquor, and whom you'd still really like to see again although you're relieved he doesn't actually live in town:
Twilight. I literally spent two days in bed reading the first two. I liked the third and I was (somewhat) satisfied with the final book, but I'm really, really glad the hype has died down. I don't think I could take much more of the extreme "These are THE BEST BOOKS EVER!!11!1!1!" (they aren't) and the "These books are damaging to women and girls!!!111!!!" (they don't) opinions.

The steady:
Lucy Maud Montgomery. I never get tired of her books. Never, ever, ever. It's been a 20 year love affair, and I see it lasting till my dying day.

The alluring stranger whom you've flirted with at parties but have never gotten really serious with:
I'm embarrassed to day it, but, Jane Austen. I've read all of her books except Perusasion and Lady Susan. I enjoyed all of them immensely. I've just never re-read them. *blushes*

The one you hang out with and have vague fantasies about maybe having a thing with but ultimately you're just good buddies 'cause the friendship is there but the chemistry ain't:
Anything by Meg Cabot. I've read many of her books, and I own several, but I feel like I read them out of obligation sometimes. Avalon High keeps me reading her YA books, and Every Boy's Got One keeps me reading the adult books.

The one your friends keep introducing you to and who seems like a heck of a cool guy except it's never really gone anywhere:
Shannon Hale. I've read Austenland and Rapunzel's Revengebut that's it. I enjoyed it a lot, but I've never gotten around to reading anything else.

The one who's dated all your friends, and you keep looking at him and thinking, "Him? How the heck did he land all these cool babes?":
The Golden Compass. I just don't get the love. I got ten pages into the book and put it down and promptly forgot about it. I hoped seeing the movie back in December of last year would make me want to pick up the book again. Nope. Even my girls weren't impressed, and they usually love that type of movie and want to read the book.

The one your friend has fallen for like a ton of bricks and whom she keeps babbling to you about on the phone for hours, and you'd be happy for her except you just know it's going to end badly:
The Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire sereies- Eight books in and the author has been very hit-or-miss. Book Nine is due out in May, and I've already read the first chapter, and it didn't really impress me. I just don't have a lot of cofidence that Harris (the author) is going to find a satisfactory conclusion to her series.

The one you repeatedly cheat on your steady with:
Harry Potter. I re-read these books almost as often as I do my LMM books.

Looking Ahead

I'm jealous of people who travel (for fun) on a regular basis. We make plans for vacations that just never seem to happen. Our last "big" vacation (i.e. out-of-state and lasting for more than a day) was back in 2004, when we went to Utah for a week. Since then it seems that we've had some huge, major expense that has eaten up any extra $$$ we might have had that could have gone towards seeing a little more of our state/country/continent/hemisphere/world.

2005: Bought and new(ish) car, moved, had a car accident completely destroying new(ish) car, bought another new(ish) car
2006: Bought a house, had gall bladder surgery, Isabella broke her arm and had major allergy testing
2007: Put any extra money into new house, had plans made and hotels booked for Spring Break but had to cancel when a very close family friend died, started paying for one set of braces
2008: Continued putting extra money into house, began paying for second set of braces

We realize that these are conscious choices we are making to pay for one thing instead of another, and I am grateful that we at least have the money to pay for (most) of this stuff. So we try to stay content with daytrips in-state visiting friends, taking advantage of the state park systems and programs they offer. But it's not the same as looking forward to something you really, really want to do!

James and I talked about and we decided that we wanted 2009 to be different. So we went ahead and made plans. Paid the money. Ironed out the details. And now we have TWO things to look forward to!

1- My good friend Adriana is coming to visit in April. She's visited once before, and we *adore* her. She's three weeks older than me, and is the yin to my yang. Twin souls seperated at birth. She's James' second wife. I can't wait for her to get here!

2- In June, we are doing a combination camping/staying in a cabin trip to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. This beach is just beautful, and the campsite and cabin are right on the beach. The cabin was only available for one night, so we decided to camp out a night or two before our cabin reservation so we could extend our vacation.

It's not a lot, I know, and we're not even going anywhere new or far away. But it's given us something to look forward to and that's priceless.

In the middle of history

I didn't expect to tear up as much as I did.

I was so happy that my girls watched the inauguration at school. I was so proud of them for understanding the significance of the day. I was proud that they didn't mind watching it again with me when they came home from school. I was proud when they started reciting(!) lines from the inaugural poem.

I was touched listening to the beautiful musical selections, especially the John Williams arrangements of "Simple Gifts".

I was moved by the prayers of Rick Warren and Joseph Lowery. Even though they use a different language and tone than I do, they spoke the hopes and goals I have deep in my heart for our country.

For the 44th time, our country had a peaceful transition of power, and I am proud to be an American.

For Isabella, Who Keeps Us On Our Toes

I changed my Facebook profile picture the other day, and Katheryn asked me who drew it. Well, the story behind the picture is too good not to share.

When she was in first grade Isabella's art class at school was studying the work of the artist Grant Wood (of American Gothic fame).


The art teacher told the children that they were going to draw their own picture in the Grant Wood 'style'. Isabella was *very* excited about this project, and was even MORE excited when her picture was chosen to hang up in the main hallway of the school.

I went up to the school at the first ooportunity to see her picture. Amid the pictures of 'Grant Wood' dogs and cats and people, Isabella had chosen to draw Grant Wood Vampires.



Complete with blood dripping from the teeth and "crazy eyes".

Someday, I'm going to have the picture framed because it is just too good NOT to frame! For now, it's my Facebook profile pic, and it makes me smile everytime I see it.

I'm still alive

1. Well, pneumonia is no fun, but I'm starting to feel human again. It's a constant 'two steps forward, one step back' kind of thing. I'm too sick to do much of anything, but not sick enough to spend ALL day in bed. So I'll load up some laundry, then lie down for a bit. Load the dishwasher, lie back down. Read a book, take a nap. You get the picture.

2. Dealing with insurance is no fun, but everything seems to be resolved and *fingers crossed* repair work will begin on the roof today. If not, then on Monday at the latest.

3. I really, really love and appreciate my husband and children. They have been amazingly patient and helpful and kind over the last two weeks, and I am a very lucky woman.

4. James and I have got into The Office this season. Holy cow- that show is uncomfortably hilarious! Grey's Anatomy has gone so far downhill over the past two seasons that it's a relief to laugh from 9pm till 10pm. 30 Rock continues to rock, and I was so happy for their Golden Globe wins!

5. After seeing The Unicorn and the Wasp I decided to explore the world of Agatha Christie. I started A Murder is Announced last night, but I would love any suggestions as to which work I should pick up next.

6. Finally, Friday Night Lights in back TONIGHT!!! I'm so happy I could cry. I've managed to avoid any spoilers so far, but from what I've heard this season is just as good as Season One (which was the most absolutely perfect season of television ever).

And the other shoe falls

1. The insurance adjuster came and did his thing today. We're still in a holding pattern while he "crunches the numbers" and "looks at his chart", and we should hear from him "in a few days". Thanks. Nothing like specific details!

2. I do, in fact, have pneumonia. I woke up this morning unable to breathe. James took me to the docotr who proceeded to give me a breathing treatment and shot some steroids in my rear end (making me feel like a crazy crack fiend and providing James with endless amusement as I could barely hold a cup I was so jittery) and a prescription for antibiotics. I was also given explicit instructions that if I didn't feel better in 24 hours then they wanted to see me again, and we would discuss an extended visit to the hospital. Fabulous.

3. Other than that, everything's just spiffy!

Stupid Me

From the annals of "Be careful what you wish for..."

I thought long and hard about my word for the year before I made my choice. I realized that choosing CHALLENGE was a bit like praying for patience (and we all know what happens when we make that mistake!), but I thought I knew what I was doing.

*insert maniacal laughter*

Twelve days into the year and EVERYTHING is proving to be a challenge so far.

- Dealing with the damage to the house from last week's weather; multiple phone calls to multiple people about multiple things; playing the waiting game and hoping for the best
- Feeling miserable from a cold I just can't shake (What does it feel like to have pneumonia??)
- Trying to get a refill on Isabella's allergy medicine; coordinating phone calls and faxes between the doctor's office and mail-order pharmacy we are required to use; dealing with a screw-up that should have never happened in the first place

Sometimes I feel like if I fail one of these challenges I'll get voted off the island. (Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad thing! ;D)

Answer: Gone With the Wind

Question: What happened to your trampoline, fence and a quarter of your roof shingles?

About 4 AM Wednesday morning, we had a pretty crazy line of storms move through the area, with winds in excess of 60 MPH. The noise (and corresponding power surge) was enough to wake us up, scare us half to death, wake the girls up and head to our bedroom closet. It was all over and done with in less than ten minutes, at which point we went back to bed and tried (in vain) to go back to sleep before the alarm went off at 5 AM. A brief survey of the joint before the girls and I left for school showed me that our back patio furniture and basketball goal were all blown over. Since Wednesday is also our trash day, there were quite a few blown over garbage cans and a lot of litter blowing around, as well as a bunch of shingles in the front yard, but that seemed to be the extent of it.

I pulled into the driveway about 1:30 that afternoon. I had planned on staying at school that day to work on some things, but I'd been fighting off a cold/flu bug and just wanted to get home out of the cold and wind.

Our neighbor from across the street (actually they are catty-corner from) us came running over as I was getting out of the van as asked if I was missing something. Thinking some of our patio cushions might have made it over that way, I asked what she had found. Her reply?

Our trampoline.

This is the view from where the trampoline ended up, looking back at our house, where the trampoline had come from. It missed our house, our next-door neighbor's house and cars, the catty-corner neighbor's house, vehicles and shed.


But it totally took out two of their fences.




On the other hand, our fence was barely nicked.




See those plastic steps in the above picture? Those were the steps the girls used to get up and down the trampoline. Didn't move an inch. And see that window in the house? That's the window to the girls' bedroom. The trampoline was right outside of that window.

Yeah.

So after getting over the trampoline shock, calling James, then calling our insurance agent ( who is 1) asuper nice guy and 2) a preschool parent, so YAY for personal connections!) who said he would be over in 20 minutes, and then calling several friends who happen to be IN THE BUSINESS I started trying to get things cleaned up a bit. Which is when I noticed this:





Remember our really weird neighbors? That would be THEIR tree crushing our fence. (In my defense, I didn't notice this right away because it was hidden by our shed.) I added it to the list of things to show the insurance agent when he got there.

(Since then, James has gone over a few times to talk to the people about the tree removel, but so far they have refused to answer the door, even though their cars are their, lights are on and James can hear the TV! So we're just going to take care of the part on the fence and our side of the property and they can deal with the rest!)

To make a long story short (too late!) we need a completely new roof, since there was too much damage.





The insurance adjuster will be out on Tuesday to look at everything, but our agent says he should have checks in hand ready to give us to start all of the repair processes. Please keeps us in your prayers that the adjuster is able to do all of this!!

All in all, it could have been *MUCH WORSE* and we're grateful that it isn't. When you consider how far the trampoline went, and how much it missed, well, we are very , very lucky.

Teach Your Children Well

James and I take our children's educations very seriously. As a song once said "...children are our future", and we owe it to them to see they are prepared for life. Today, one of those lessons paid off, as Madeline made a reference to Rico Suave, and suggested that his next blog video should feature him in old, ripped jeans, a leather jacket and a bandana.

*SNIFFS*

I'm so proud of the way they are learning and growing.

Next up: a lesson on Texas Hold 'Em Poker, because you're never to young to know that Four of a Kind beats a Full House.

One Little Word

A few years ago I ran across an idea in a blog I read. The idea was to choose a word that would reflect your hopes/dreams/goals/plans/etc for the upcoming year. It sounds a bit cheesy, but I really like the idea of choosing one word that will bring meaning into my life in a tangible way in 2009. I truly believe in the power of words, and I believe in putting stuff *out there* in an attempt to make *it* happen. That year I chose the word BALANCE, and I was amazed to find myself coming back to that word as the year went on, making changes in my life as needed to compliment that word, etc.

I've been thinking about it a lot, but the word I am going to choose for 2009 is CHALLENGE. I want to accept new challenges with grace and dignity. I want to challenge myself in a way that will help me learn and grow. I want to challenge the norm and the status quo. I don't want to passively let life go by anymore while just marking time.

Before I even conscientiously chose that word challenges were already being made and accepted. Things clarified for me today after church, when James and I were talking about a few things that will start happening in the next few months that will take our family in an exciting-but-scary new direction, and we know that the challenges will be great. We're not quite ready to talk about it yet, but we will as soon as some things fall into place.

So...what about you??

Fondue, Part Two

Three days into 2009...What's the verdict so far? It's okay, I guess!

Our New Year's Eve celebration was low-key; fondue, followed by Phase 10. James and I used the Christmas break to teach the girls how to play our most favorite card game. We had planned to set off some (small) fireworks, bu we nixed that plan after the wind caught some major sparks from my sparkler and set fire to the grass! James, who had gone to work that morning at 6AM, was asleep by 10:30, so that left me, Jed and the girls to polish off a bottle of sparkling grape juice.





Jed pretty much ate his body weight in shrimp.



I bought an authentic, pre-packaged Swiss cheese fondue from Publix this year. I'd always wanted to try it, just to see how it matched up to the homemade fondue we've done in the past that was tasty, but had some texture issues.

It was...not good. At all. Lesson learned. So I was glad we also had sweet-and-sour meatballs along with The Pioneer Woman's Spicy Shrimp to eat. Not to mention strawberries, apples and peanut butter crackers for dipping in the chocolate!




On Thursday we headed back over to Tifton for Ally and Ryan's reception. (And to watch Georgia beat Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. Go Dawgs! :P) The reception was lovely and the food was tasty, and it's always nice to visit with our families (both blood and church) over there. Auntie Helen asked if the girls could stay with her for a few days, so James and I came home that night sans kids. James ended up being put in charge of his shop for the week, so he was back at work all week. I've cleaned and rearranged and finished my lesson plans through February. The girls are coming home this afternoon, and I'm glad because I always miss their faces when they're gone!

Tomorrow we all get new classes in Primary, which will be exciting. Madeline is moving up into the Valiant 11-12 class, which is the oldest class in Primary, and it makes me feel old. Isabella is also moving up into Senior Primary, which makes me feel older! I'll have three new Sunbeams, which will be a lot of fun. I'm sure it will be a very different class then the past year when I had eight. I will miss being around those sweet children, but I'm sure I'll love the newbies just as much.

A Year of Reading - In Review

Since 2005, the only New Year's resolution I've made is to read 50 new (to me) books. To make any other resolutions is an exercise on futility because I am a weak-willed individual. :P Besides that, the average American adult only reads five books a year, and I figure that I should do my part to up the score. ;)

2005 was the first year I kept track of what I read and when I read it, and I was surprised to see when December 31st rolled around that I had only read 19 new books! It actually wasn't until last year that I reached the goal, with book #50 (Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry) being finished on New Year's Eve. So how'd I do in 2008?? (Starred items denote non-fiction works)

January
The Hundred Dresses – Eleanor Estes
The Penderwicks – Jeanne Birdsall
Emma-Jean Lazarus Feel Out of a Tree – Lauren Tarshis
*Mosaic – Amy Grant
*America (The Book) – Jon Stewart
*The General Book of Ignorance – John Lloyd and John Mitchinson
Rebekah – Orson Scott Card
Charlie All Night – Jennifer Crusie
Shotgun Wedding – Maggie Osborne
*Life Artist – Ali Edwards
Pollyanna – Eleanor H. Porter
Princess on the Brink (#8) – Meg Cabot

February
*Imagined London – Anna Quindlen
Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
The Man of My Dreams – Curtis Sittenfield
*Team Moon – Catherine Thimmesh
*A Walk Through the Woods – Bill Bryson
Size 14 Is Not Fat Either – Meg Cabot
Big Boned – Meg Cabot
Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
*Made From Scratch – Sandra Lee

March
Avalon High: Coronation #1: The Merlin Prophecy – Meg Cabot
Princess Mia – Meg Cabot
*Anchored in Love – John Carter Cash
Queen of Babble in the Big City – Meg Cabot
*Baseball As America – National Geographic
The Truth About Forever – Sarah Dessen
*Feasting on Asphalt – Alton Brown
Just Listen – Sarah Dessen
Beware a Scot’s Revenge – Sabrina Jeffries
*The Sound of Music Companion – Laurence Maslon

April
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat – Bill Watterson
Pardon My French – Cathy Hapka
That Summer – Sarah Dessen
To Wed a Wicked Prince – Jane Feather
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street – Jeanne Birdsall
Bride of Lochbarr – Margaret Moore
*Looking Back – Lois Lowry
*Secret Lives of Great Authors – Robert Schnakenberg

May
*Lives of Extraordinary Women – Kathleen Krull
*For Laci – Sharon Rocha
*Wonderful Tonight – Pattie Boyd
*Why We Read What We Read – Lisa Adams and John Heath
*101 Things You didn’t Know About Jane Austen – Patrice Hannon
*Where To Go When – DK Publishing

June
Lock and Key – Sarah Dessen
The Pleasure King’s Bride – Emma Darcy
Gabriel’s Gift – Cait London
Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day – Gary Paulsen
Tall, Dark & Western – Anne Marie Winston
This Is Just to Say – Joyce Sidman
*House of a Million Pets – Ann Hodgman
*Good Dog. Stay. – Anna Quindlen
The Willoughbys – Lois Lowry
The Cattle King’s Mistress – Emma Darcy
The Bridal Bargain – Emma Darcy
*Condensed Knowledge – mental_floss

July
Practically Perfect – Katie Fforde
*A la Cart – Hillary Carlip
United Tates of America – Paula Danziger
*Born Standing Up – Steve Martin
Dairy Queen – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
The Off Season – Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Girls In Trucks – Katie Crouch
*A Pocketful of History – Jim Noles
*Summer at Tiffany – Marjorie Hart
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched – Meg Cabot
The Pleasure of Her Kiss – Linda Needham
Only a Duke Will Do – Sabrina Jeffries

August
Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
*Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art – Eric Carle
Morning Glory – LaVyrle Spencer
Be My Valentine – Debbie Macomber
*The Four Seasons of Marriage – Gary Chapman
Gossip Girl – Cecily von Ziegesar
To Be a Princess - Hugh Brewster
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! – Laura Amy Schlink
*What To Do About Alice? – Barbara Kerley
*Lucy Maud Montgomery – Alexandra Wallner
*United Tweets of America – Hudson Talbott
*King George: What Was His Problem? – Steven Sheinkin
Forever Rose – Hilary McKay

September
Keeping the Moon – Sarah Dessen
Love Walked In – Marisa de los Santos
Avalon High: Coronation #2 Homecoming – Meg Cabot
*Two Miserable Presidents – Steve Sheinkin
*Unforgettable Fire – Eamon Dunphy
This Lullaby – Sarah Dessen
The Princess and the Hound – Mette Ivie Harrison
*Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography – William Anderson
Getting Rid of Bradley – Jennifer Crusie

October
*U2 at the End of the World – Bill Flanagan
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day – Meg Cabot
The Rich Man’s Virgin – Lindsay Armstrong
Rapunzel’s Revenge – Shannon and Dean Hale
*Harry, A History – Melissa Anelli
*Bloody Confused – Chuck Culpepper

November
The Complete James Bond Encyclopedia
*I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus – Ann Hodgman
*Milk Eggs Vodka – Bill Keaggy
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: The New Girl – Meg Cabot
Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris
*Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer – Warren St. John
Club Dead – Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World – Charlaine Harris

December
Dead as a Doornail – Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead – Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead – Charlaine Harris
From Dead to Worse – Charlaine Harris
The Tales of Beedle the Bard – J.K. Rowling
*French Milk - Lucy Knisley
*No Limits: The Will to Succeed – Michael Phelps
*Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson – Amber Frey
*Home: A Memoir of My Early Years – Julie Andrews
*What’s the Difference? – Editors at mental_floss

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased with my accomplishment this year- 120 books. How I managed to blow by fifty this year when the past three years I've struggled to just get close is beyond me. I certainly didn't have anymore "free" time!!

On the whole I enjoyed most of the books I read. Although, there were a few clunkers:

Girls in Trucks: This book was terrible. It was so bad I couldn't believe how bad it was!! Do not be seduced by the charming book cover and clever title!!!

Made From Scratch- This was Sandra Lee's "autobiography". I admit I read it purely for the snark value, so in that respect it wasn't disappointing! ;) But even with the aid of a ghost writer, this book is a lot like her show on TV- disjointed, confusing and filled with booze.

For 2009, I'll make the same resolution- to read 50 new books. Why mess with something that works???