November Booking IT

The days are getting darker and busier but this is the time of the year when I just need to read. Reading is my guilty pleasure and one I always seem to make time for. I am linking up with Life as Mom Booking IT.  Over at Life as Mom they are sharing their favorite books from 2013. I am not quite ready to do that.

Oh my this book hooked me, The Girl You Left Behind by Jo Jo Moyes. 

France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard’s portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer’s dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything—her family, her reputation, and her life—to see her husband again.
Almost a century later, Sophie’s portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting’s true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is—putting Liv’s belief in what is right to the ultimate test. - description from Amazon 
I so engrossed in the Sophie story that I didn't want to switch  to the present day and Liv.  You just want to know what happened to Sophie but I got over it.  However, I really enjoyed this one.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Gilman is a travel book/coming of age book.

In 1986, fresh out of college, Gilman and her friend Claire yearned to do something daring and original that did not involve getting a job. Inspired by a place mat at the International House of Pancakes, they decided to embark on an ambitious trip around the globe, starting in the People's Republic of China. At that point, China had been open to independent travelers for roughly ten minutes.

 Armed only with the collected works of Nietzsche, an astrological love guide, and an arsenal of bravado, the two friends plunged into the dusty streets of Shanghai. Unsurprisingly, they quickly found themselves in over their heads. As they ventured off the map deep into Chinese territory, they were stripped of everything familiar and forced to confront their limitations amid culture shock and government surveillance. What began as a journey full of humor, eroticism, and enlightenment grew increasingly sinister-becoming a real-life international thriller that transformed them forever.- description from AmazonAt the beginning I wasn't sure if this was a book I wanted to continue.  I was just kinda irritated with these American travelers but as this adventure unfolded I became more engaged in the story.  I don't know how I would handled my friend/travel partner coming mentally undone.  Once again, I am reminded of the kindness of strangers and how I have been a recipient so many times.

Lastly, I read The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz.  This book made me hungry.  I found David's observations about Parisians interesting. 

Long Over Due Linky Love

Saw this the other day - Not sure of what to think about it

Slow weekend, need some blog reading material.  Well, below are some interesting links and completely random photos.. You know you want to click.

14  habits of miserable people - As we head in the season of thankfulness just some things to contemplate.

Got a barky dog very interesting post from tails a wagging  on that behavior and the way to correct that behavior.

An update on the Hana Williams trial and what the result was for her adopted parents. Rest in Peace dear Hana.

Stunning Snowflake Photos made with a $50 lens McGeyvered to a Point and Shoot Camera.

I also wanted to share what 31 days of Blogging Series that kept me coming back . I was really drawn to the Too Awesome to Categorize category a lot but my picks are from all over.  LOL Here are just a few.

Planting Sequoias -  31 Days of Lists
Book Diaries - YA Book Reviews
31 Days of Renovating a Farm House - Peace of Home

Word of the Year

Did you know Selfie is the word of the year?  Well in honor of that word, we had a little selfie fun.

Stitch the Teddy Bear stole my phone and took a "Selfie".  He is our resident alternative to Elf on the Shelf and regularly engages in Stitch Mischief.  Here is one of his adventures. I guess he is gearing up for the holiday season

Cody - with the beginning of a mustache

Charlie

This proves I have ENTIRELY too much time on my hands.  I actually helped my pets take selfies.  I have deep issues.

Project Life Tuesday- Week 44 and Week 45

I am ACTUALLY linking up on a Tuesday to The Mom Creative Project Life Tuesday.  It is a miracle, people.

Week 44 brings us to Halloween and all the hoopla surrounding it.

Here is the journaling

October 27th - November 2nd

 We started the week with pumpkin carving.  Of course, Kevin had a theme.  One of his pumpkins farted so that made one pumpkin have a gas mask and the other pumpkin vomit.

 We had the traditional pumpkin shaped pizza for Halloween.

 Charlie really wanted to jump out of the bushes at trick or treaters. He did manage to scare two girls. Who then wouldn't come up to the house to get some candy until I came out. I think they were thinking, "Weirdo".  This however made his Halloween. He also went trick or treating and Tigger went to.

 

Week 45, the highlight was Charlie's Veterans Day Program.  He played in the 5th grade recorder ensemble.  They played amazing grace.  The Veterans of the American Legion were there as well and did the gun salute.  IT was a really nice program.  Some 5th graders read the poem Heroes as well.  Which I included part of the poem.

 

 

Celebrating 42

I posted the above picture as my profile picture on Facebook for my birthday.  I turned 42 yesterday despite my sister trying to lower my age by a year and my mother making me a year older. Mrs Epi brought me the cake below. I was blown away.  It looks a lot like the cake in my profile picture.

I had a great day.  My hubby left me a puzzle to figure out what his gift was.  That was challenging. (My brain is OLD) He also took me to breakfast

I got some great gifts and cards from my parents, sister, and Nanna and Pappy including flowers from my Dad.  Thank you!

I also got this INCREDIBLE quilt from Mrs Epi. It even has a squirrel print.

I am so lucky to have all these wonderful people in my life.

Project Life Tuesday: Week 43 continued

I am linking up with The Mom Creative- Project Life Tuesday.  As usual I am linking up on Wednesday. 

We had a busy week 43 and on Oct 26th we attended a special themed geocaching event - GeoZombie Run.  It was held in Lynden, Wa.  We had a blast finding geocaches and doing various zombie related tasks. We even had a zombie hunting permit.

On the 27th, we finished finding some of the GeoZombie geocaches especially the one called, Head to the Hills. In the last cache was an unusual trinket. Some of the journaling below:
It was a super creepy doll.  The doll actually said, " You dropped me and I broke. That made me very angry." I can honestly say that is the MOST UNUSUAL thing we have ever found in a cache.

Supplies
Project Life Cobalt Edition
Photo Protector Design G

Dollar Store Snowflake Clothespin Ornaments

Sometimes a idea overtakes me.  I saw a clothespin snowflake on pinterest. Pinerest is kinda craft crack.  I also have a thing about snowflakes.  Last year, I made GIANT Popsicle Stick Snowflakes. But when I saw the clothespin snowflakes, I said I could do that.  This is the result.

 

 

 

My youngest also got in the act.  This is a great project for kids who can use glue guns. Charlie added a lot of washers and nuts from his dad's stash of hardware.  All of it is glue gunned on.  Charlie's have a lot of bling.

Materials
Clothespins- dollar store
small clothespins - JoAnn's
Washer set - dollar store
glue
gluesticks
glue gun
various findings - buttons, doodads, shiney bits

Honoring Our Veterans

My youngest son, Charlie, got a chance to go with his class and several other classes to the cemetery to participate in a Veteran's Program.  Charlie played Amazing Grace on the recorder.  It was a really nice program. 

The American Legion Honor Guard was there as well. 

Project Life Tuesday - Weeks 41,42, and 43

Well, I am once again posting Project Life Tuesday on Wednesday.  I am linking up with The Mom Creative.

The weeks 41 and 42 were really slow around our house.  I have older kids and it was pretty much life as usual.  So I decided to combine these two weeks.  The overall theme was DONUTS.

My son, I quoted as wondering out loud if chocolate donuts are a performance enhancing drug.

Week 43 was a busy week.  We finished up a REALLY big geocache challenge and we also got to enjoy the fall color. I made some leaf rubbings and use them as part of my date page. In the picture of all of us together, we are holding arrow sticky notes that have the name of every Washington State Park we visited - all 53.  This picture was taken on Camano Island.

Supplies Used
Photoshop Elements
Project Life: Cobalt Edition - Journal Cards
Photo Protector Design G

Squirrel Moment # 1004

Oh I am a magnet for this kind of sighting according to Mrs Epi. 

Yes that is a giant fish on top of a car. I guess the car is actually a advertisement for prop 522.  Usually when I see these kinds of displays, I think "kook" not vote for something.  So, they might want to rethink how they spend their money.

Head for the Hills

Last Sunday, we headed for the hills outside of Everson, Washington .  We headed on South Pass Road to Paradise Valley Road.  We didn't do this series of geocaches during the GeoZombie Run.  It was really a beautiful  drive. It also a great road to test your shocks on. OH it tested my internal shocks as well. 

Charlie at a guardrail cache



I love it when the cache is SO OBVIOUS!

The fog was rolling in.  I love the ghost trees in the background behind Charlie in the picture below.

When we reached the last cache in the series way a top the hill. This is what we found.

It was a super creepy the doll.  The doll actually said, " You dropped me and I broke. That made me very angry." I can honestly say that is the MOST UNUSUAL thing we have ever found in a cache.

I can't resist a good fungi photo.  These scaly mushrooms on this tree caught our eye.

Out of the Bushes- Halloween 2013

Charlie the Werewolf
Halloween 2013

Well, I only had one child dress up for Halloween.  The 15 year old wasn't into it. My  11 year old really wanted to jump out of the bushes at trick or treaters. Our house is a little bit off the beaten track so we don't get huge hordes of kids. He did manage to barely scare two girls. Who then wouldn't come up to the house to get some candy until I came out.  I think they were thinking , "Weirdo." This however made his Halloween.  Charlie also went trick or treating to a few neighborhood houses.  We took Tigger, the dog, who was quite exhausted by the whole experience.

***edited to Link Up to The Mom Creative Halloween Costume Link Up