Fall Into Reading 2010 Challenge

I LOVE FALL!!!

Everything about fall is wonderful...the crisp, cooler air; the smells of baked goods; new soup recipes; leaves; the colors...I could go on and on.  But one of my new favorite things about this time of year is the reading challenge at Callapidder Days.  She does reading challenges in the fall and the spring, so I'm guaranteed at least 2 seasons to get some serious reading done.  Well, as serious as it gets now that I'm a mommy and a wife! ;)

On my list for this Fall Into Reading Challenge are the following:

I will be visiting my sister-in-law in DC and my dad just finished this book, so I thought it would be a good prep to go see the Iwo Jima memorial.  I've read 4 pages or so to just get a feel for it and oh...my...goodness!!  I am hooked already!

I've also already started this one because I got it from the library (I was #60 on the waiting list! So I had no idea when it would come).  So far it is very interesting, but not sure if I'll be able to finish it or not because I didn't start it til a few days ago and I only have 2 days left to finish it.  We shall see.

Again, already started this one (I really had a hard time getting into any one book for a while, so I had a few on the go!), only a few chapters in, but good so far.  I have to admit though that any time I read a book about the Plain life, there is a certain appeal to it.  

I had this on my list last fall and never made it to even opening the book...or if I did, I certainly can't remember it now! :)  Looking forward to reading another Joyce book.

I heard about this book in a class in college, finally bought it from a yard sale or something, and have yet to read it.  It will be interested to see what it says since it's about "getting by" in America with poverty-level wages, and things seem even harder for people now, 9 years later than when the book was written.

Super excited about this last book in the Mark of the Lion series!  Finally got it from my friend 2 Sundays ago and hoping to be able to use it as my "reward" for finishing my other books.  Though I'm not sure it can wait that long ;)

I am also going to add into this challenge that I want to make a point to read more to Gracie and to read my Bible more consistently.  I think that the colder months lend themselves to reading because it feels so comfy and cozy...and just plain RIGHT!  

I'd totally encourage you all to join me in the challenge.  It starts today, but you can post your blog entry for a while I believe.  It's just nice to do something that is for ME and to know that there are other people who are doing the same.  It makes me a much nicer mommy and wife I think :)

I Heart Faces "Smirk" Challenge

The challenge at I Heart Faces this week is "Smirk."  This is as close as I could get!  It's actually one of my favorites of G because nobody was really paying attention to her, we were all just kind of chatting and she took advantage of it by getting the last little bit of daddy's chocolate "crumbs."  This sweet look is one of "Yes, I got caught, but no, I am not sorry cuz those Cadbury Buttons were gooooooood!"


















To look at more entries, visit

I Heart Faces: Photojournalism

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is photojournalism.  This man sitting on a bench in the farmer's market in San Francisco absolutely intrigued me.  I just kept wondering about his life and who he was.  And yes it is the picture from my post about San Francisco.  I liked it so much that I put it up two out of three entries :)

Check out more entries here:

I Heart Faces "Beach" Challenge

It's been a while since I've entered a photo in an I Heart Faces challenge, but I have a boatload of pics from our recent trip, so thought I'd give it a shot, since the theme is "Beach."

Sweet lil guy thought that the sand was pretty tasty!  He definitely is ALL boy!

Catch more entries at 

Mushrooms and Musicians (or, Why I Love San Francisco)

I love San Francisco.  I could go to the same places every time I go and never grow bored.  One of my favorite places is the farmer's market on The Embarcadero.  

It's got food.

It's got music.

And it's got a whole lot of random photo ops.

        

    

It's the most inspiring place I've been.  I love to walk around and people watch (as you can tell by my pictures of random strangers!).  You meet all types there and there is a feeling of "Whatever you want to be, you can be.  Whoever you want to become, you can become."  I love it.

We have a lot of pictures of San Francisco.  A LOT!  So I tried to challenge myself a bit by taking different perspectives of the "same ol'" things or just different "things" in general.

Coit Tower, bridge

House on the way to Lombard street

Alcatraz (that's the blurriness in the water there ;))

Sea Lions on the Pier

Not sure what this is actually called, but it's one of those special memory places.

Golden Gate Bridge

Isn't it a beautiful city?!  Seriously, every time I go I am inspired and I actually feel like it is going to be part of our future.  I'm not necessarily sure in what capacity, but I know that God's going to use my love for this city for Him.

Spring Reading Thing Wrap Up

I FINISHED!!!!!  I finally finished a reading challenge!!  Which means that I can cross off number 81 in 101 in 1001, which was to "Do everything I plan to do in a book challenge."  Of course, I finished the last book LAST NIGHT at 9:30, in my true procrastinator way, but the point is that I finished, and I feel darn good about it!  


Here are the books I read.

Yep.  Still love it :)  I was kind of surprised that I liked it so much as a kid, but there ya go :)

Very fun book.  You could totally see what the end was 3 miles away, but there were some surprises all throughout, which made it interesting.  Very clean, which I loved, and a sweet love story, both between Emily and Jonas and Emily and the Lord.  

Wow, I was not expecting this to be so intense.  It definitely showed this mother's love, how powerful it can be, and how worth it it can be.  Very good.

Why in the world do people obsess over Edward Cullen when Mr. Darcy is CLEARLY a better choice?!  Beautiful book, so glad I finally read (well, listened to :)) an Austen book.  I definitely see more in my future!

Oh goodness, still love love LOVE this book as well.  

I love the way that Oz and Roizen explain our bodies in easy-to-understand terms and illustrations.  Some yummy recipes too!  I love seeing a "just take good care of yourself" book instead of a "only-eat-carbs-or-protein-orgrapefruit-or-candy-bars" diet book.  Loved it.

This was probably one of the best books I have EVER read!!!  Be warned though, you will HAVE to read the 2nd book as well, and I am assuming the 3rd.  It took me a loooooooooong time to get past the first 50 or so pages (mostly because there were so many names and I kept getting interrupted so I would forget where I was and couldn't find my place again) but I am SO GLAD I did!!!  Absolutely beautiful.  And again, I have to say, waaaaaaaay better than Twilight!  It gripped me much more than a bunch of vampires and werewolves, partly because it could have been a true story.  I find myself wanting to tell people about something that happened in the book, and then realize that it wasn't real life!  I totally recommend this.

Alrighty, guess that wraps it up!  Thanks Katrina for putting on another wonderful reading challenge!

Thrifty Awesome-ness

My mom and I went to a huge community garage sale a few weekends ago, and we found ourselves at the home of a man who formerly had an antique shop and still dabbles in, um, antiquity?!  Anyway, we got to talking with him, and my mom mentioned that she had bought some stuff from him before...so he let us go into his shed in the back where he kept all the rest of his stuff!  He said we could take a look and buy whatever we wanted, he would give us a great deal.  The place was immaculate, perfectly organized...beautiful, blissful.  I wished that I had brought my camera because it was just so breathtaking!  And then these little beauties caught my eye:

Aren't they beautiful?!  I fell in love with them instantly and my mom suggested I ask him how much they were.  I kind of brushed it off cuz I thought I couldn't afford them.  And then something in me said, "Hey, if you don't ask, you don't know."  I think it was my mother-in-law ;)  So I asked and he said he'd give all 3 of them to me for...are you ready?!  Are ya?!....  FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!!!!  I plunked down the money and was on cloud nine for the rest of the week.

It's the simple things in life, isn't it?!