Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

What's in a Bookstore?

I went to my local Barnes and Nobles today to get a gift certificate for a family member and I spent most of the time leafing thru the new arrivals. I love the Christmas themed books put out for the holiday season and the cutesy ones for the whole family. One was about a cat and why they feel the way they do, another was a whole list of favorite YouTube links to the best of the best videos. I mean who wouldn't be interested in checking that out? And Donna VanLiere has a new one out that is suppose to be another book turned into holiday classic....I wanted to purchase so many of the books that I almost forgot why I went in there....sheesh.....I love book stores, theres no doubt about it...I just cannot wait to see if anyone bought me any of the ones I was googling over....but of course we all know unless we list them on our "wish list" that the ones chosen for us may not be the ones we wanted, but then that could be a good thing, as we may find a new author just that way....

As you all know I am a Mary Higgins Clark fan and absolutely love her books and she has not disappointed us and has come out with a new one for the holidays that I sure hope I find under my tree...and it is written with her daughter Carol Higgins...

It is about a group of employees who go in together to purchase a lotto ticket that wins, but them find out the person who was suppose to but it never did..or did he? Mary Higgins Clark's favorite characters Alvirah Meehan, the amateur sleuth, and private investigator Regan Reilly are visiting the town where the mystery is at....its a fast-paced holiday caper that will keep you glued to your chair in front of the fireplace on these cold winter nights....I sure plan on doing that as soon as I get the book! :)

Now back to what's in a book store? Well books of course.......now you already knew that one didn't you???

Happy Thanksgiving

My Christmas Gift-Along List

I got this idea from over at Niki's blog to list my URL with her to get more traffic and also keep track of my projects....since it requires reading I thought I would add it on this blog for some good reading...

What this “along” project is: Gift-Along is a blogroll collected with fellow gift-making bloggers. Blogrolls help blogs gain exposure and many times new regular readers. Every week, or few weeks, blog a post with your up-to-date gift-making list and photos of finished projects. Of course, some gifts will be top secret I imagine if you would prefer to keep something on your list hidden from possible recipients. Feel free to snag my image (right click–> copy image location) to use in your ‘08 GAL posts, and don’t forget to link back to this post so other may find this GAL as well!Your gift list can be of anything handmade; felt crafts, knit/crochet, sewing, you name it! The purpose of this gift-along is to get blogging crafters in general together.

My current gift-making list:

• a book crochet ....J
• crochet wine bottle......Lori
• sew apron western........Mary
• sew apron pig......Sandy
• kids apron set sew.....Ashley
• crochet birthday hat......group
• crochet apron for red hats gift
• sew bag for corvette club gift
• sew cat apron ....Gail
• sew apron cat......Alane
• sew apron bird houses....Lori
• crochet veg and fruit with flowers basket....Alane
• crochet small ????....for crochet group
• ?????????????? for red hats group members [something small]
• ?????????????? for Amanda

If you’d like to join this gift-along and want to register your blog URL, please do so in a comment over at the A-Team. 2008 GAL blogroll:

Happy Crafting great idea Niki

We Have A Winner

Congratulations goes out to fbartlett!!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 27
Timestamp: 2008-11-01 17:22:54 UTC

She was out lucky winner ....

unfortunately we had to exclude "4cope" as there was no email or blog to follow, sorry!

Confirmed:

fbartlett.................. yes and mailed

Songs The Wizard of Oz and Thanksgiving Memories

Almost immediately after the Halloween, we turn our thoughts to Thanksgiving. The chill is even in the air here in So. CA with a little rain. Boy did we need that. One of my earliest recollections of childhood Thanksgivings comes from watching the Wizard of Oz on an old TV, black and white, in the parlor area of my favorite Aunt's house. My mom and dad and Aunt Mary and Uncle Harry would be in the kitchen laughing and yelling playing cards. It was a Sat night ritual for them and for me it was watching the the WOZ. In grade school we were making pilgrim hats and learning holiday songs to sing at one of our usual assemblys we had for the holidays.

A couple songs I remember - occasionally fragments will pop into my head - are Over the River and Through the Woods, which always reminds me of feasting, and We Gather Together, the quintessential “pilgrim” hymn.

Over the River is the newer of the two, written by Lydia Maria Child, remember her? She was kind of the Martha Stewart in her day. It originally appeared in a book of poetry, Flowers for Children, Vol. 2, in 1844.

Over the River, and Through the Woods:

Over the river and through the woods,

to Grandfather’s house we go;

the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,

through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the woods,

to Grandfather’s house away!

We would not stop for doll or top,

for ’tis Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river, and through the woods-

oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose,

as over the ground we go.
Over the river, and through the woods

and straight through the barnyard gate.

We seem to go extremely slow-

it is so hard to wait!
Over the river, and through the woods-

when Grandmother sees us come,

She will say, “O, dear, the children are here,

bring a pie for every one.”
Over the river, and through the woods-

now Grandmothers cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

How many of you remember that one?

How about We Gather Together it is considerably older, written in the 17th century, but translated into English only in 1894.

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;

he chastens and hastens his will to make known;

the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:

sing praise to his Name, he forgets not his own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,

ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;

so from the beginning the fight we were winning:

thou, Lord, wast at our side:

all glory be thine!
We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,

and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.

Let thy congregation escape tribulation:

thy Name be ever praised!

O Lord, make us free!

Some Book Reviews:

I searched over at Goodreads and found a critque on this book "Thanksgiving" book by Janet Evanovich

October 31st 2006 (first published 1988) by HarperTorch
256 pages
isbn 0060598808 (isbn13: 9780060598808)

What is it about:
When Megan Murphy discovered a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attractive to stay mad at for long. Soon the two are making Thanksgiving dinner for their families.

Since I love Thanksgiving and I like Evanowich's book I may get this one.

This next one is a real interesting one. I have not read anything by this author before either.

published 2006 by HarperCollins
416 pages
isbn 0060094435 (isbn13: 9780060094430)

What is it about:

Richard Bausch calls this, his tenth novel, "a love comedy with sorrows." The story is set in the small Virginia valley town of Point Royal, where several of Bausch's other novels and many of his stories take place. It is 1999; predictions of catastrophe blare on the radio, and religious fanaticism is everywhere on the rise. The millennium is approaching.
Oliver Ward and his divorced daughter, a young policewoman named Alison, and Oliver's two grandchildren become involved with Holly Grey and Holly's aunt Fiona, elderly ladies with a marked propensity for outlandish behavior. Holly's son, Will Butterfield, and Elizabeth, Will's second wife by that name, have been happily married for ten years but are about to discover how fragile happiness is.
And in the middle of all of them is an old priest, Father John Fire, who is a good man, thinking of leaving the priesthood. He is called "Brother Fire" by everyone who knows him, after the famous words of Saint Francis when confronted with the burning brand with which he would be martyred. Close to both Holly and Fiona, Brother Fire also has a part to play in the rapidly unfolding family drama.
Thanksgiving Night is a touching and empathetic portrayal of family$#8212;the one we have, and the ones we make. The people who populate these pages are flawed, wounded, stubborn, willful, scarred, often wildly eccentric, and all searching, in one way or another, for love. 1006

Bloggy Givaways Carnival Contest Scary Readers Bloggy Giveaway

This is "Carnival" week for the "Scary Readers Bloggy Giveaway". I will be giving away "3" yes "3" scary books this week in honor of Halloween. Remember, you don't have to be a blogger to win.

So, how can you win these Scary books? You must enter the giveaway in three ways

These are "3" scary books, Terry Brooks, Running with the Demons, and Jay Brandon's, Predator's Waltz, and the 3rd one Marissa Piesman's, Unorthodox Practices. Each one a little has some mystery, thrills, and scare tactics involved in the plot. You will love them or be scared by them...

3 ways to win......You MUST do #1 to be eligible to win the prize. After that, #2 and #3 are optional ways to gain extra entries. Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Each person can earn up to 3 entries.

1. Leave a comment below and tell me if you are going to go out "Trick or Treating" this year and what your costume will be or was? Then leave a comment with your name, link, and/or email.
2. You may also leave a comment below about one of the most scariest books you ever read and why you liked it and who is your favorite scariest author. Be sure and leave a link to you or your email. Feel free to grab one of "DaBookLady's" buttons from the sidebar if you like.


3. You may enter a second time by posting about this giveaway on your blog by linking to DaBookLady's Reading Life and be sure to leave a comment below with the link

Good Luck! Giveaways open all week till October 31st 12:01 PST.

Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

For even more fun giveaways this week, visit the Bloggy Giveaways Canival.

Limitations: This giveaway is for anyone with a mailing address within the U.S. and Canada. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

If you'd like to receive reminders about our giveaways, you can subscribe to DaBookLady (for free!) in the right sidebar or via e-mail. You can also learn more about the DaBookLady here.

Have fun!

Where to Find it All???

What a great site..IndieBound is a site to talk about your favorite bookstore and give it your support...do check out this wonderful place of voicing about your book stores....

Be sure to check out the wonderful artwork here.

And if you want to find a book or anything about them be sure to visit "BookDaddy" a wonderful place with a wealth of info....

And to find out what's happening in So CA book world be sure to check out The Book Scene

Creepy Cute Crochet Review

I was sent this wonderful crochet book to review. It is by Quirk Books' "Creepy Cute Crochet" and it was released last spring. I loved it....It has so many [20] cute "creepy"designs especially for the Amigurumi lover. The patterns are easy to follow with loads of pictures and you can tell the amount of experience it takes to make each one as they are rated. Since I love Halloween it was a perfect little treat for me. If you are interested in some cute little monsters, nijas or little spooky crochet beings, then this is the book you'll "die" for. [no pun intended]

The animals are really cute just like the title portrays with a little "creepyness" to them. :) very small and I especially liked the vampires...yeeks!! There is even some humorous writings listed.

I highly recommend it for any crochet creepy animal lover as a "must have" pattern book for your crochet library...I know I love it !! Around $14.95

Craft Books and More

I have seen a lot of Japanese felt books posted on blogs, like Suzie Can Stitch, be sure and scroll down and see the cute magnets of the tea pot and eggs. they are adorable and my fav! Flickr is alway a good place to find these books to look like a lot of fun, especially since the projects seem to be quick, easy, and inexpensive. :) You can purchase many of them right from Ebay.

I have also seen many cute projects that I want to try. I have so been not only an avid reader but also a crocheter, but lately have gotten interested in crafting in other areas. My friend "P" has been showing me her MANY crafting "WIP" and also finished ones and I am hooked! I loved some of her ideas, like Tea Bag Folding.....wow is that a great one for making and using on your cards. There are quite a few blogs out there with the "tell how" and also lots of books like,

These craft books interested me since I am married to a dutchman. :) from the Netherlands. They were published sometime in the 1970s and are very similar to a lot of the American vintage craft books. I love just about everything about them and it all seems very current.
Looks like one of the books is on dolls and the other two, Nieuwe Borduur Ideeen and Borduur Met Plezier have lots of embroidery projects and a few patchworks, pincushions, and butterflies
and even some kids' artwork to textile transformation with the cutest squirrel! Stuff for babies too!
I just love using felt and the books are numerous to give you some great ideas. Just Google and have fun!

Walking with Dinosaurs

I went to see them and WOW....

Happy 4th to all my Online Friends

DaBookLady will be taking the summer off and will be returning in September, however please leave any comments here and I will be periodically checking in. Or email DabookLady

So Many Books and Not Enough Time

Today and all week I have been going down to the grassy area over looking the beach and sitting in my lawn chair an reading. I am reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen I am really enjoying this enchanting book about 2 sisters and a small town with lots of history and a special garden.

The weather has been perfect. In the 80s and the beach is thriving with families since school is out. I love it there as I can not olny read with the sound of the ocena in the background but I also get to people watch, another "fav" thing of mine to do. :)

The chattering of the kids playing and frolicking in the water and the water pounding on the pilings of the pier are a great back drop of noise level while reading.

It is peaceful and yet populated with scattered faces of sheer happiness of the summer month's fun to be had.

I do so love this time of year.

I have so many good books that are intriging me at the moment and looking over them I see there is not enough time to actually read them all. So I decided to list some of here in the sidebar and then read them in that order. I have such a time trying to decide which one to read and then I find another in the store or get one as a gift and "poof" my whole decision is interrupted and I am confused once again as to which to choose.. :(

Lets see if this little organized list helps me go through some of my books that are piling up everywhere. Now to try and stay out of the book stores!!!! hmmmmmm

What's in a Story?

Every novel is a long, involved, fictitious story that is intended to entertain or instruct the reader. In order to better understand a novel one should understand that it starets with a setting adds charachters and then gets into a plot.





One viewer has decided that women are the readers. A couple of years ago, British author Ian McEwan conducted an admittedly unscientific experiment. He and his son waded into the lunch-time crowds at a London park and began handing out free books. Within a few minutes, they had given away 30 novels.



Nearly all of the takers were women, who were "eager and grateful" for the freebies while the men "frowned in suspicion, or distaste." The inevitable conclusion, wrote McEwan in The Guardian newspaper: "When women stop reading, the novel will be dead."



McEwan's prognosis is surely hyperbole, but only slightly. Surveys consistently find that women read more books than men, especially fiction. Explanations abound, from the biological differences between the male and female brains, to the way that boys and girls are introduced to reading at a young age.



One thing is certain: Americans—of either gender—are reading fewer books today than in the past. A poll released by The Associated Press and Ipsos, a market-research firm, found that the typical American read only four books last year, and one in four adults read no books at all.
A National Endowment for the Arts report found that only 57 percent of Americans had read a book in 2002 a four percentage-point drop in a decade. Book sales have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way for the foreseeable future.



Among avid readers surveyed by the AP, the typical woman read nine books in a year, compared with only five for men. Women read more than men in all categories except for history and biography.





"Reading requires incredible patience, and the ability to 'feel into' the characters. That is something women are both more interested in and also better at than men," says Brizendine.
Rekindling the Reading Magic.



There are exceptions to the fiction gap. More boys than girls have read The Harry Potter series, according to its U.S. publisher, Scholastic. What's more, Harry Potter made more of an impact on boys' reading habits. Sixty-one percent agreed with the statement "I didn't read books for fun before reading Harry Potter," compared with 41 percent of girls.

I believe with my own reading that I can drift into a new world of any book I am reading giving me the escape I may need for that particular moment. I relate to all my charachters and feel either their joy or sadness. Books warm the heart and ecery story being told can be as complex or simple as the next with still a point to made across each page the reader.

New Books On the Shelf

I got some new books to brag about...1st my wonderful swapping friend over at BABEs DaBookLady Swap sent me this great read, "Anna Katrina" by Leo Tolstoy. It is about a russian girl in the 19th century I cannot wait to dive into it. Opera's Book Club special...

Then i got from Amazon 2 ordered books I have been wanting "A is for Apron" and "The Apron Book" both excellent reads about the history of aprons and how to make them and love them. And as an apron lover I am I am diving into each of them with a fine tooth comb. They have so much info that I can not digest it all....

The other find I have is called "Black Cat, Black Dog" by John Creed....this book is another one of those spy reads, but beware this is brutal and complex and a real thriller, my favorites!!!!

Monday's Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window... I see the squirrel scampering up the front tree, that I have named "Chi-chidee" and watch the neighbor's walking their cute white lab on one of its daily walks. Molly's owner walks her everyday and since my computer is in front of my office window I am able to watch as the dog friendly neighbors walk by with their dogs.

I am thinking... of going to the post office and mailing some letters and finishing the lining in my bags and cutting out my apon for the Apronista swap I am in this month, I am also thinking about whether I should plant the grass seed in the yard today or not?

I am thankful for... my family, friends, and my health. I am glad to have such a wonderful hubby who is so handy that he put up our new back door on Sunday in such a jiffy and it looks beautiful

From the kitchen...hot tea, oatmeal with cinnamom and toast and sugarless jelly

I am wearing... a pair of blue flowered shorts and tourquois top with flip flops, my hair is pulled back with a lobster clip and wearing my favorite "Adias" spray cologne that my DH gave me for my "B" day. :)

I am creating... several new bags for my online store, my Etsy shop, and also for Christmas presents. Yes I am already thinking about Christmas. Am I organized or what...

I am going... to be home most of the week and plan on working more of finishing all the loose ends on my bags and aprons.

I am reading... Phillip Margonlin's "Lost Lake" a true suspenseful book that I started on my trip to the mid-west last week. It is a real thriller.

I am hoping... to start a walking regime to increase my daily exercise

I am hearing... the birds chirping as it is feeding time for them....and Bob on his computer typing up his newsletter, and Lifetime channel is drumming away in the background

Around the house... it is like a symphony with the birds and the evening crickets beginning their nightly song. The moon flowers are beginning to open up for the evening and the water lilys on the pond are starting to close. Foxy is jumping around wanting me to take her for a walk and the phone is ringing.

One of my favorite things... is to sit out by the pond and feed the Koi and watch the mosquito fish jumping around trying to catch an insect that dares to land on the water top. The waterfalls sound is soothing and the relaxing atmosphere sets a tranquil moment in the yet busy day of life.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Tuesday I need to go and pick up some more top soil for my plants, and then finish my seeding the back yard bare spots, Wednesday, I need to read a little and change the sheets on my bed and get Bob to help me add the new dust ruffle, Thursday I have a lunch date with my good friend Terri, and Friday we will be leaving for the weekend for the cabin in the mountains for a long deserving restful weekend.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

The pond in my yard where I spend so many happy hours.

And one of my friendly squirrels getting one of his previously buried peanuts to munch on!

If you would like to join in on th efun of the "Simple Woman's" blog. Go there and join in on the Monday fun! Visit her at http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

Friday Fill Ins

1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to go on a roller coaster, go into a cave, or jam into a crowed room! I am too clostrophobic for any of these feats.

2. Watching all the sparrows splashing in my pond reminds me that summer is almost here!

3. I cannot live without my yarn, a good book, and my computer. Sad I know, but I am an online junkie, then I crochet or knit a bit, and then I settle outside on my favorite chair with a good book.

4. Taking a cake decorating class and ballroom dancing are two things I'd like to try.

5. When life hands you lemons squeeze them out and move forward to find the apples.

6. Helping my Dad build our summer cabin when I was 9 yr old, actually I just carried him the nails, but it was the closness with him I enjoyed the most as my favorite childhood memory.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner out, tomorrow my plans include planting my new assylums and Sunday, I want to go down to the beach after church!

I got New Reading from Nashville

I can't wait to read the Red Hats book, and the Polar Shift I hav ebeen wanting for some time now. Can you believe that Krogers had these beautiful hard cover books for only $1.50. WOW....

I wanted to share some of my Mom's day surprises...Bob took me away of course, and then bought me yarn at Hobby Lobby and also earrings and a T-shirt to match at Grand Ole Opry. John, my son, got me a beautiful card and a chimes glass ball statute holder for my garden.....Lori my daughter is coming over Sat to see me..... :)

Booking Through Thursday on Friday

I was late.. :(

Do your reading habits change in the Spring? somewhat I guess, I usually like lighter fun books and ones with happier endings.

Do you read gardening books? oh yes indeed and I have a greenhouse [small one]Even if you don’t have a garden? More light fiction than during the Winter? yes yes Less? Travel books? yes Light paperbacks you can stick in a knapsack? I always have them in the car and in my bags and in the trunk so I can go to the beach with them
Or do you pretty much read the same kinds of things in the Spring as you do the rest of the year? no but I do still read a good thriller to keep me tingling with excitment...hmmm I think I may be a bit strange???

Look What Came Walking Down my Street?

I had to post this cute little mama and her chicks. I was sitting in my office and glanced out the window and tada...there she was just a waddling down the sidewalk..lol....

Now I here are some future reads..I just got the two "eat, pray, and love" and Anne Lamott's "Blue Shoe" from a book swap and I am excited to start. Plus I got the "Not your mama's Crochet" book and I want to read that one too as it has a lot of hints and ideas.

Then in my Apron swap I got the "Chocolate for a Women's Dreams" book another one to read while nibbling on some dark chocolate...yummy!!