Pictures from Christmas Eve

This is the picture everyone will want copies of...

The stars of the show:

Big brother protects his camera:

Oh my, what's this?

Yes, he did dust his present off:

The dollar toy was the hit of the night...

A pretty tree it was...

Funke, Cornelia - Inkspell

I devoured book two of the series this weekend as well. It was hard to put it down even for short breaks.
In this book the characters from the "real" world get to visit the book's world and see how the story has progressed 10 years after the book was finished. The author goes too and is astonished that his story has gotten off track. His characters have grown and changed and some have even died. Another "good versus evil" battle ensues and we are left knowing the third book will decide the fate of Inkworld's future.

Funke, Cornelia - Inkheart

In book one of The Inkheart Trilogy, one of the main themes is how reading books makes them come alive in our minds. Two of the main characters bring people from a story into the "real" world and this first book is about struggling to get the bad guy back into his own story.

I love the way Funke describes reading. It is exactly how I feel when I read a well written story. It comes alive and I can imagine myself within it so easily. This is definitely a great young adult fiction read.

to blog or not to blog

I suggested to both my mother and my sister that I stop blogging now. The blog has fulfilled its original purpose - to teach me how to use a blog so that I could show mother how to use hers better, so there is really no reason to continue. However, they both assured me that they want me to go on. Mother likes the pictures and recipes and Holly likes the book reviews and pictures as well. Plus she likes to keep tabs on me. Hmm...maybe that's a good reason to shut it down. Crazy, stalker-family members.

In the interest of keeping everyone updated on my ever-so-exciting life, here's what's new:

I am reading "A Short History of the Twentieth Century" for my book club at work. It's actually quite a good book...though a lot to digest, so I'm only reading 20-30 minutes at a time. Non-fiction reading is quite different from fiction reading. With fiction I get absorbed in the story and have been known to skip entire paragraphs to continue with the story's thread. With non-fiction I read carefully to absorb all of the details.

The non-fiction book I started yesterday is "Inkspell". Another young adult fiction book. This one is more fantasy than romance (like the Twilight series was). I only just began it last night, but I'm already quite caught up in the story, so I'm sure I'll continue on through to the conclusion of the trilogy.

Christmas is just three days away, and, in my family, we open presents on Christmas Eve afternoon, so I have even less time to finish things up. Happily, I am mostly done. I have made five of the six Christmas Goodies (there's a post below with details on family favorites). Tonight Kevin and I will make the Rosettes. I have just a few more presents to wrap. And one more trip to the grocery store to buy buns and butter and clementines...which I am bring to the Wednesday feast (along with the goodies, of course).

Tomorrow I have a follow-up appointment with the doctor who removed the mole by my eye. I am hoping that he will tell me I no longer have to wear the little bandage. It has been a long month of trying to keep that part of my face from getting wet. Plus, I haven't been able to wear mascara. Oh, the horror!

I work today, tomorrow and half of Wednesday. Also of note, I have my annual work review tomorrow...so I'll need to finish up that paper work today. I always have to come up with goals for the coming year. Every year I try to get something like "come to work every day and not kill any co-workers" on there...but, apparently, they expect that of everyone, so it can't be a goal. Sigh.

Personal goals for next year are also bumbling around in my head. I'll post more on those closer to the new year. Last year I set a goal to learn to make sushi. And indeed I do now make a wonderful batch of vegetarian sushi.

rj

Morris, Gilbert - When the Cat's Away

I finished this book on Saturday morning. It is a Christian fiction book. I liked the story, though I didn't remember enough from book two to connect all of the details. Perhaps I should have re-read book two before this one...but then I'd probably have needed to read book one as well. Anyway, it finished like there might be more in the series, so I'll have to be on the lookout for that...maybe then I'll re-read them all.
rj

Meyers, Stephanie - Breaking Dawn

I finished the last book in the Meyers' series this weekend.
A lovely ending to the story. I've read a lot of reviews...both good and bad about the storyline and the author's writing skills. I thought the story flowed very well and I didn't notice any problems in the writing. Maybe that's just me though. I got into the story and stayed there until the end...

rj

The Christmas Play

Jordan was in a church play this weekend. He was a wonderful shepherd. It was difficult to get good pictures...the lighting was slightly off for my camera. Here are a couple that turned out okay...

After the play, I tried to snap a picture of Jordan and Henry together. In one picture I have one of them looking at the camera...and in the other it's the other one looking. Sigh. Cute though.

Two more...just because they are so adorable...

Meyers, Stephanie - Eclipse

I read book three of the Twilight series this weekend.

I really liked it. And I liked the ending. I hope book 4 doesn't mess it up. At the end of book three all is set up for happily ever after. Hmmm...why do I get the feeling book four is going to take some of that away.

Ah well, I won't know until I read it. I have it on order and it should arrive on Wednesday. Good thing too as I have a few things that need taking care of in the next couple of evenings. So, no time to read anyway.

Robb, J.D. - Salvation in Death

I do so love J.D. Robb books. Lt. Eve Dallas is such a great, strong character. And Roarke is hot. A dream guy that she is perfect for. A little mystery thrown in and a girl couldn't ask for much more.

on a week of routine

A very routine week it has been. Nothing particularly new to post.
The area by my eye where the mole was removed is healing well.
Winter has come and snow is on the ground.
I have been in a pain flare all week.
I have not slept well.
Coffee is still delicious. No caffeine after noon though.
I've found a new game that I like to play on MSN. ScrabbleBlast! My high score is now 1840. Beat that!
Work is normal. No big projects this week.
The cats are clingy.
I read. I eat. I sleep. I knit. I watch t.v. (I bought seasons 4, 5 and 6 of Monk.) I work. And I try to distract myself from the pain flare.
Ah, whiny me.

rj

Meyers, Stephanie - New Moon

I read book two this weekend. My only wish is that there had been more time with Bella and Edward...there was a big chunk of the book devoted to another storyline. I didn't like it. But maybe it proves important in book three.
My friend told me that books 1-3 are very good and that I won't like book 4. We shall see. We shall see.

Patterson, James - Cross Country

I was a little disappointed with this book. Alex Cross is one of my favorite characters, but this book read more like a commentary on the political upheaval in Nigeria than a mystery. There wasn't really any plot. Just a chase.

I actually almost stopped reading it half way through so that I could move on to the second book in the Twilight series, but I stuck it out...and now it is done.

If he writes more of them, I hope they are better.