Scaifea's 2013 Challenge - Thread 2

Welcome to Thread #2!

Last year, I started each thread off with a photo from my Mythology course files; this year I thought I'd take inspiration from Paul's threads last year and share photos of places I've lived and interesting attractions thereabouts.
I couldn't find any satisfactory photos of my primary or secondary schools, so instead I offer you a link to a youtube video of the 1991 Northview Marching Knights performing our version of Les Mis (I'm one of those who are making all the racket in the drumline (third snare on the left, in fact). We won the state finals that year and were pretty proud of our silly selves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBDD6chxypQ

Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 10-12 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there too):

1. A library book. In Library of Congress call number order. So, yes, from the beginning of the library's shelves. Crazy? Or crazy like a fox?...

2. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

3. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m working through a few different lists:
a. Newbery Winners list
b. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
c. Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids
d. The CYOA books

4. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

5. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

6. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

7. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA lists (combined, in chronological order)

8. For this category, I cycle through 7 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. Stephen King's bibliography (in chronological order)
d. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
e. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. The NEH Timeless Classics list
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulizer list (in alpha order by author)

9. A bath-time book: I read aloud while Tomm gives Charlie his bath.

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-Criss Cross (Newbery award list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington Goes to Town (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Books Read:
JANUARY
1. Little Mouse Makes a Mess (CYOA series) - 7/10
2. The Very Lonely Firefly (gift to Charlie from The Ladies Who Live Next Door) - 7/10
3. Lots of Bots (present to Charlie from Santa) - 8/10
4. The Tower at the End of the World (Bellairs bibliography) - 9/10
5. Wall-e (present to Charlie from Santa) - 8/10
6. Eve (present to Charlie from Santa) - 8/10
7. Mo (present to Charlie from Santa) - 8/10
8. Aboard the Axiom (present to Charlie from Santa) - 8/10
9. The Whistle, the Grave and the Ghost (Bellairs bibliography) - 8/10
10. That's Not My Pony (public library book) - 8/10
11. Feet Are Not For Kicking (public library book) - 7/10
12. Was It a Good Trade? (public library book) - 6/10
13. Checklists for Life (christmas present from Tomm) - 8/10
14. The House Where Nobody Lived (Bellairs bibliography) - 9/10
15. Toy Boat (public library book) - 9/10
16. The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (Bellairs bibliography) - 9/10
17. Oh, What Nonsense! (book off of my shelves) - 7/10
18. Little Panda Gets Lost (CYOA series) - 8/10
19. The Light at Tern Rock (picked up from the library sale shelf) - 6/10
20. Greetings from the 50 States and How They Got Their Names (picked up from the library sale shelf) - 7/10
21. A Grand Old Tree (public library book) - 9/10
22. Valentine Surprise (public library book) - 8/10
23. At the Back of the North Wind (1001 Children's Books list) - 6/10
24. Llama Llama Home with Mama (public library book) - 8/10
25. The Tale of Desperaux (Newbery award list) - 9/10
26. Llama Llama Mad at Mama (public library book) - 9/10
27. Llama Lllama Misses Mama (public library book) - 8/10
28. The Hunger Games (Parent & Child list) - 10/10
29. Happy Valentine's Day, Curious George! (public library book) - 8/10
30. Cranberry Valentine (public library book) - 8/10
31. The Water Babies (1001 Children's Books) - 6/10
32. Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! (Charlie book) - 8/10
33. What the Ladybug Heard (public library book) - 8/10
34. The Kettles Get New Clothes (public library book) - 8/10
35. Paddington at Work (Charlie bath-time book) - 9/10
36. Catching Fire (Parent & Child list) - 9/10
37. Little Boat (public library book) - 6/10
38. Clink (public library book) - 9/10
39. Mockingjay (Parent & Child list) - 9/10
40. Gossie (public library book) - 8/10
41. Kira Kira (Newbery award list) - 7/10
42. Gossie & Gertie (public ibrary book) - 8/10
43. Little Kangaroo's Bad Day (CYOA series) - 8/10
44. The Lightning Thief (Parent & Child list) - 6/10

Charlie looking pensive with is Handy Manny hat on:

And the new Bonus Question:

What’s the worst song to get stuck in your head all day long?

Hi Amber! For me, the worst songs to get stuck in my head are ones I don't know the words too, especially when that is a result of not speaking the language spoken by the vocalist. It's very odd to be mumbling random nonsense in your head all day, but I do it from time to time...and occasionally as a result of having a song stuck in my head. :P

CHARLIE IS ADORABLE SQUEEEE!

I've had some of the songs from Chicago stuck in my head for a couple weeks, since we re-watched the movie. What annoys me about that is I really like those songs, but once they're stuck in my head I begin to lose my affection for them!

The worst song to get stuck in my head is a country song! when I was working in the nursing home the lady I sat with had a country station playing softly all day and I always went home with a horrible twangy song in my head!

Worst song? Whatever one is super-popular and overplayed at the moment. Like Gangnam Style, although I think that one is on its way out now, finally.

I get "Donde Esta Santa Claus" stuck in my head year-round. It's pretty much the worst thing ever.

Stephen: Oh, yes, that is bad. I hate not knowing the words to songs.

Samantha: I'm afraid I can't give you the bonus point - that's cheating!

Linda: Yes, but better than having songs you *don't* like stuck, no? I haven't seen that movie since, well, since it came out, but I remember liking it. I should add it to the netflix queueueue...

Chelle: Yes! Agreed. My brother-in-law listens to country, and I still have a couple of those songs rolling around in my head from when we visited them right after Christmas. Yuck. Something about beer for breakfast...? Ugh.

Laura: Can you believe that I haven't even heard that song? Somehow I am completely out of the loop, not that I'm complaining, mind.

Nora: Ha! Nice.

Samantha: Oh, there you go - excellent choice! So much so that I think I'm stuck with it for the rest of the day...

"Well done, sister suffragette!"
Which leads to Bowie and Suffragette City. Sigh.

Man the weather has been so crazy lately! It was steaming hot a few days ago and now it is rainy and so cold today! How has the weather been for you? I hope more stable because I hate bringing Sammy out in this chill but we went to do our tax return today.

Melissa: Am I right in remembering that you're down south somewhere? Up here in WI, we've been cold cold cold for the past few days, but at least the sun is out!

Samantha: *snork!*

"It's the riiiiiiight tiiiiiime of the niiiiiiiiiiiiiiight
the stars are waaaaankin' aaaaaboooooove
it's the riiiiiiiiiiight tiiiiiiiiiiime of the niiiiiiiiiiiight
for makin' luuuuuuv"

Stuck since 1980. Help. Help please.

I had Feliz Navidad stuck in my head for weeks during Christmas.

>16 richardderus: How do stars wank? Do I want to know?

Yep I am down in South West Louisiana :)

>2 scaifea:: oh, he looks so grown up in that pic, with his jeans on.

Richard: Oh, you poor thing. Are you still publishing that almanac, by the way?

Morphy: Oooh, ouch!

Joe: *snork!*

Melissa: Excellent! Are you getting cooler-than-usual temperatures down there?

tiffin: Sigh. I know. He looks great in jeans and a t-shirt. He's going to have his pick of the ladies, I think, although I try hard *not* to think about that just yet. I already hate every tart he's going to date. (Kidding! (But not really.))

Oh, it's a tie between "It's a Small, Small World" and Barney's "I love you, You love me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkypf1aLi_Y

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsKO_r76kfQ

Good thing I don't have to live with preschoolers, huh?

Roni: Oh god. You've won the prize so far with both of those. *shudder* I refuse to let Charlie watch Barney because I Can Not stand that thing. Same with Spongebob Whatshispants. Nope. Never happening in this house.

How about the (prepare yourself for it!) WiGGLES?

Amber
Our grand daughter went through many phases when she was a wee one. Barney, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, then alas when she was eight she adored Hannah Montana.

Charlie is growing so tall!!!!

Hi Amber- Congrats on the new thread! Love Pensive Charlie!

Roni: Neither I nor Charlie know of these Wiggles of which you speak; now that you've mentioned them, I'll try to keep it that way.

Linda: Sesame Street and Dora are big in Charlie's world right now, and both of those are fine with me.

Mark: Hi there, Mark! I love him, too. :)

I've had a song from the load screen of a computer game stuck in my head for a week. It's the same three bars over and over and over. Gah!

Does anyone else ever have multiple songs stuck in your head at the same time, or am I just weird?

And I have found you.
But geesh, 2nd thread.
I am so behind this year :)

Amber - enjoying the new thread. Charlie looks like he's waiting for Rodin to come and finish the sculpture - be interesting to see what he makes of the cap.
RD - tut tut; Emmeline and Emily will be turning in their graves.

casvelyn: Well, not playing at the same time, but otherwise yes, so either you're not weird or we're both a little strange (and that's a distinct possibility, I suppose).

Pam: Ha! Good to see you! I'm lurking over on your thread, too.

Paul: Poor Rodin has a task ahead of him, I'm afraid - I can't get Charlie to sit still for longer that a few seconds.

Almanac? What have I forgotten? The wool where my brain used to be got wet last night so I only have room for lanolin smells and blasted Jennifer Warnes.

Joe, it's Warnes's accent. Meant to be winkin' but I hear wankin' and I do NOT want to know about the onanistic pleasurings of megaton plasma entities. I suspect I'd never sleep again.

Today it has been in the 50s and tonight the 30s so I believe so.

I am very suggestible, Amber, so I get earworms all the time! The one that I always fall back on is "If I Fell in Love With You" by the Beatles. But I have to agree with Roni, the absolute worst song to get stuck on and continually repeat is "It's A Small World". It's deadly!

Richard: Sorry. Sometimes my brain goes where others fear to go crazy. I called you "poor thing" and you're Richard = Poor Richard = Poor Richard's Almanac.

Melissa: 50's sound pretty good right now; it's 17 here with a windchill of 4. *shivers*

Judy: Oh, but it's the Beatles! I think I'd be okay with them in my head all day.

A standard day on the books today; a little cleaning, a little sewing (finished another shirt for myself and have started another one), and Charlie and I will bake some lemon squares, too. I'm trying to push my way through At the Back of the North Wind, since I have it and another thickish book out of the library now and two on their way from other branches. Regina, if you're reading this, I hope I don't disappoint you (because I know you said you love this book), but I'm having trouble getting into it at all. I'm hoping it (or my reading of it) gets better soon...

I get earworms that last for DAYS - usually which ever hymn is the last in Sunday's church service. But I have to place the third vote for 'It's a Small World' as the absolute worst earworm ever. I made the mistake of riding that ride at DisneyWorld just before leaving the park - I heard that song in my dreams all night! In fact, I still (some mumble-mumble years later) catch this one at the slightest provocation - so I'll probably be hearing it for days from the mentions here. LOL

Riva: I used to play piano for a church when I a teenager, and I'd have hymns floating around in my head all week, too.

Ugh! I love visiting your thread but today I wish I hadn't! I read Roni's post mentioning "It's a Small, Small World" and Barney's "I love you, You love me" and got thinking about kid's songs and now I have this stuck in my head

Chelle: Ha! Sorry. When I used this as a bonus question in my courses, that was sort of the point - to joke around about how afterward we would all have these songs stuck in our heads (we always took 5 minutes or so to talk about their answers), and then next day I would ask them all which of the songs got stuck the worst the day before. Your entry would be sure to be a winner in that category - thankfully I had the presence of mind to mute my laptop before clicking on the link...

Today's piece of hell: "Every Kinda People" by Robert Palmer. Not the whole song, just the chorus with the steel drums.

*anguish*

Richard: Excellent choice! Ha!

Charlie and I made lemon bars this morning; please to help yourselves:

LEMON BARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*does best Cookie Monster imitation*

Hm, Lemon bars - Thank you very much Amber! and new thread, new thread *dance around in circles* with lots of new stuff.

Tune, which got stuck in my head and started to annoy me? It's called the bird dance and is usually played on our Carneval festivities and then I usually end up humming it for weeks afterwards.

Hi, Bianca! I wonder if that's anything like the Chicken Polka...?

Yay, lemon bars! *snarfles*

Amber, I just checked that. Yes, it is the Chicken Polka - something you hear here in Germany quite often *shudder*. Well, also it's definately great fun for little children, because Alex and his friends used to love it. :) However, there is only that much I can take!

Oh my god *drools*

>37 dulcibelle:: Himself loathes and despises that song for the same reason, dulcibelle. Our family earworm is "Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear" sung in a Kermit the Frog voice. One of my lads infected the men's locker room at the Y with it by whistling it repeatedly, which then got it stuck in our heads for weeks after he told us all about it. We were ready to moiderise him. I had open heart surgery and while I was unconscious in recovery, Himself sat beside me and sang it in my ear. The nurses thought he was SO sweet but I knew he was being a divvil.

Oh no, not the chicken polka ... !!!

Joe & Stephen: Help yourself!

Bianca & Laura: *whispers* I kinda like the chicken polka.

tiffin: I like that song, too, really. And I think there must be such a thing as being evil and unbelievably sweet at the same time, because that story fits it.
Open heart surgery? What a brave soul. I'm such a coward when it comes to *any* kind of surgery, but that one sounds big. I recently found out that I'll need surgery on (or rather, in) my neck at some point, although it doesn't have to be immediate. I've chatted with Bianca about this over on her (? I think?) thread, but I apparently have a really rare something-or-other called a lymphangioma. It's super rare in my case because it has appeared after I was already an adult (it's usually something that young children have and even then I don't think it's super common). So rare, in fact, that the doc, when examining me, let out an "Oh, wow, that's neat! Uh, I mean, that's really interesting." Sigh. It's collected tissue within the lymph gland in my neck. Or something. I don't know. But I'm *terrified* to have the surgery. I just get really scared. Sigh.

Well, Amber, when it's life or death, you just go ahead with it (a multiple bypass) so I wasn't scared, just determined. It gave me my life back! We're tougher than we think we are. But that darn song...

tiffin: True. The whole thing would still scare the tuna salad out of me, though, both the life-or-death-ness and the surgery. *shudders*

I was going through some photos today and realized that I haven't posted any of Tuppence for awhile, and since we got some good ones of her in that last big snow I thought I'd share one:

Such a sweet woofenbarker! *schmmmooozle*

Careful, Richard, she pees when she meets new people...

I think I'll say hello from a distance, then.

I love the pictures you share, but the one of Charlie thinking is just a breath-catcher.

Luxx: Coming from someone with super-adorable wee ones herself, that means something. Thanks!

Some potentially excellent financial news to report today:
-Tomm found out yesterday at his new job that they want to pay him more than the university is offering him (it's complicated (read: I don't fully understand it, which doesn't necessarily mean that it's in fact complicated, but humor me), but essentially the university is 'renting Tomm out' to this company for the semester (although the company has also offered him a full-time job starting after this academic year is over) but the university didn't want the company to pay Tomm what the company wanted to pay him (?!) and the company has found a way to pay him the extra they wanted to.)

-We're off this morning to the bank to look into refinancing our mortgage, since it has been over 6 months from the time we bought the house, and the house was appraised at well over what we paid for it, so we think we should be able to stop paying the PMI on it and possibly also get a lower rate. We'll see.

-I woke up to an email this morning from a friend at the University of Southern Illinois, who says that they're looking into offering online Latin courses and wanted to offer the job to me. WooHoo! I miss teaching Latin a lot, and teaching it from home would be awesomesauce. And a nice extra chunk of change, too.

>60 scaifea:: wow, so much good news! Yay! And Tuppence is a sweetie.

>60 scaifea: Hooray x3!

Wow, good news!

Very good news, Amber.

> Hooray here as well, this news just sound absolutely fab *smile*, especially if that mean that you could work from home :).

I love the pic of your dog, absolutely adorable :)

Wow, I think you all just won the lottery!

Lemon Bars!!! My favorite :)

Laura, Nora, Jim, Judy, Bianca & Roni: Yes! It is really good news on all fronts. We found out that we can get rid of our PMI and lock in a rate on the new loan that's a little over 1% lower than our current one, so in the end we'll be saving quite a bit. And I'm really excited about the online teaching thing. It may start as early as this summer - we'll see.

Melissa: I'm afraid actual lemon bars are long gone, but luckily the virtual version enjoys a continual renewal, so help yourself!

Awesome sauce is right! Sounds great, Amber. We have a neighbor who teaches online from home and she likes it.

That is the greatest part of esharing Amber, you never run out!

Blah it has been one of those down the weather days. Me and the husband are trying to buy our first home and OMG the paperwork they want is insane.

Woohoo! Lots of great news Amber, that's awesome.

Just to be a pessimist, I'll use this time to point out how disappointed I am with these virtual lemon bars. They taste like my computer monitor, and I'm finding them very difficult to swallow. :(

Just put some syrup on it Ape!!

Melissa: Good luck with the home-buying! And, yes, one could build a house just from all the papers one needs to sign.

Stephen: Sorry about the virtual taste. Put some 'real' cheese on them and see if that helps...

23. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald (1001 Children's Books list, 305 pages) - 6/10
Diamond (!? really?) is a young boy who has some extraordinary experiences - he travels at night with the North Wind. Through these travels he learns of the land at the back of the north wind, visits there and comes back home to touch the lives of his family and friends in myriad ways.
Ugh. This was a slog for me and difficult to get through. So syrupy, saccharine sweet, with characters that are flat and dull and a main character, Diamond - I mean honestly? Diamond? - who is so angelic and perfect that I was constantly fighting the reflex to vomit a little in my mouth. And I know that even if I had read this as a child, I would still, even then, have balked at the self-righteous moralizing that comes from the narrator at every turn. Ugh, I say. Ugh.
I think I'm likely in the minority with this one, as it seems to have a place in the cannon of classic and beloved tales, but if so, I'm happy for those who love it while at the same time happy that I'm finished with it!

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-The Tale of Despereaux (Newbery award list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington at Work (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

24. Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
Llama stays home from school sick and gets taken care of by Mama Llama, until Mama gets sick, too, then the two of them take care of each other.
Charlie really likes the Llama Llama books so far, so we'll keep reading them. Cute, but not too cutesy, and the rhymes are catchy and fun.

Ooo ooo ooo! Great news. Online teaching can be both rewarding and difficult, but I say it's worth it 100%. I'm excited for you!

yay xo *happy dance* for all except that North Wind nonsense

Great news about the online teaching, Amber! And you'll never have to worry about getting to work in the snow :-)

Luxx, Richard & Susan: Many thanks! I've excited. I've taught the course for years and honed it until it is just as I want it, and I have all the notes, quizzes, exams and handouts already organized and in two huge binders, so once the initial transition to the online art is done, I think it won't be an overload of work, really. If it turns out to be more than I want, then I'll do it for one semester and then respectfully decline any more. I'm so happy and grateful that I have the freedom and the opportunity to do just that.

Morning Amber- Congrats on the teaching position. I am happy for you! Hope you have a good weekend. It's supposed to get very cold in the next few days. Keep warm.

Congratulations on all the recent happy developments. I'd love to take an on-line Latin course and see how much I remember from my high school days. I did take it for 3 years, and I know it has informed my understanding of language in subtle ways, but I fear I have forgotten everything about cases and declensions and tenses and all.

Mark: Thanks! Next week it supposed to drop below zero for a couple of days. *shivers*

Linda: Brit (weejane) is planning on learning Latin with me at some point and I'm happy to do the same for you, if you're really interested - at your own pace and such and I'd just be there for advisement and to answer questions as you work through the book...

I love online learning from the student end. I'm just about to wrap up a two-year degree in accounting. So I'm very excited for you, Amber!

Morphy: Thanks!

25. The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery award list, 270 pages) - 9/10
Desperaux is an overly-small mouse who falls in love with a princess, is condemned to the dungeon, escapes, and saves the princess from certain doom. And lives happily ever after.
What a lovely little story, cleverly told and wonderfully illustrated. Happily recommended.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-The Hunger Games (Parent & Child list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington at Work (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

HI Amber, just flashing by to wish you a terrifc, cosy and fun filled weekend.

Please, can you do some lovely cooking for me? We won't have a kitchen for two weeks now, because we are redecorating. I HAVE to live now for two weeks on fast food *shudder*. We are going to get on Monday a two plate cooker, but I can't quite see us using it to it's full advantage in a packed and cramped front room.

Bianca: I'd love to cook for you, but I'm afraid it may lose some of its edibleness in the package over to you. Two weeks of fast food? Sounds right up my and Stephen's alley, eh? Do you have a slow cooker? I cook lots of meals with mine and could offer some of my favorite recipes to tide you over for those two weeks...

Unfortunately no slow cooker, either :( I thought you might would say it's right up your and Stephen's alley *grin*. I think I am just going to eat more salads and veggies. However, I am very much looking forward to our new kitchen. It took my mom only "15" years to convince my dad THAT it's about time that we need one LOL. The old kitchen was over 30 years old - imagine that.

Aww to Tuppance! Such a cute face!
Yay to your financial news! Extra money is always a nice thing!! :)

Fast food? That's so bad for you. You should just live off Doritos and candy bars for two weeks. :P

Bianca: Salads, eh? Yeah, I suppose that's probably a good idea. I like a good salad, but never want to make it at home, so I only have one when we go out.

Chelle: She is adorable, isn't she? And too smart for her own good (or for my own good).

Stephen: Excellent advice. But now I want Doritos.

You should have your kitchen redecorated! Then you can buy some.

26. Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney (public library book, picture book) - 9/10

Little Llama gets mad when he has to endure a shopping trip with his Mama, but Mama makes it better when she admits that she doesn't like shopping either and proposes that they do it together and make it faster.
Cute, and still good with the silly rhymes, this entry in the series is a hoot. Charlie loves them, and it must be in part because Dewdney seems adept at addressing issues that toddlers and preschoolers face every day, such as how crappy it is to have to endure a trip to the grocery store. I love that Llama is a typical child, who has temper tantrums and realistic joys and fears. Recommended.

Stephen: I need no such excuse to buy Doritos and in fact will likely get some tomorrow.

Hello! That is awesome news about the finances! So, if you want to send your financial luck out this way that would be great! :)

WillWill really likes the Llama Llama books too! He asked his teacher if he could borrow one overnight this week.

I promise that one day (perhaps over the summer when I'm not coaching) that you can teach me latin on-line. :)

Brit: The Llama Llama books are a great combination of fun for the wee ones and not at all annoying for the mommies.
And I'm serious when I say that I'm ready whenever you are for the Latin, so take your time and just let me know - no rush.

*sending money mojo Brit-ward*

Amber - Thanks! Let's just get started with the Latin. I'll re-read the intro/preface of the book. I was getting hung up on pronunciation before, but I'll try to let that go.

Great financial news Amber and I hope it frees up more cash for Charlie's seemingly inexhaustible supply of bathtime books.
Great photos of Tuppence and, being selfish, of those scrumptious looking Lemon Bars - I'll have a dozen if you don't mind when I make it to the states.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Brit: Excellent! Just let me know when you've re-read the intro and we'll go from there.

Paul: Hope your weekend is coming along nicely, Paul!

Does Tuppence like the snow?

deniro: Yes, she most definitely does. In fact, she loves trying to catch snowballs with her mouth, and I've got a couple of series of shots of her doing just that.

Well, it goes without saying, Amber, that I LOVED your band video! I miss that so much. Funny thing--Craig's high school band was the Francis Howell North Knightpride. You were both Knights!

Congratulations on all the new developments! At least, I think. I'm not sure about the first one, but it sounds kind of positive, so Cool!

Terri: Ha! I wondered if anyone would bother to watch, and I should have known that you would! I miss it, too.

27. Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
This time round, Llama goes off to his first day of school, but is shy and lonely and is sad that his Mama left him there. All is well by the end of the day, though, and he happily tells his mama all about his exciting first day.
This one gets a slightly lower rating only because it's not as relevant to Charlie, who can't understand why any kid would not sad about going to school! Ha! But it would be an excellent resource for little ones who are nervous about going to school or are struggling to get used to the idea.

28. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Parent & Child list, 374 pages) - 10/10
I suspect that there's not much need to summarize this one, so I won't try. What I will say is, Whoa. Wow. And again, Whoa. I knew that people are crazy about this series, but I didn't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. I'm even giving it my very rare 10/10. Yep, it's that good. But why is it so good? It's not as if it's original in it's plot elements - far from it. Heck, the idea of tributes being selected for sacrifice as a way for the ruling people to exert their dominance over the ruled is as old as the hills, or at least as old as the ancient Greek hills: Theseus, Ariadne, the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, anyone? And that old tale even has the complicated love story, too. And it's not as if any of the plot twists surprised me; in fact, I saw all of them coming, and I'm not usually overly astute about such things. So, what is it that makes this book so amazing and made me stay up until 10:30 on a Saturday night (and that's living it up for me) to finish it? Collins can write her some characters, that's what. Amazing characterization. I loved and cared about these people and that's what kept me on the edge of my seat turning pages as fast as I could. Katniss is one of the best female characters I've ever come across - strong, vulnerable, smart, but rash and sometimes confused; in a word, human. And the others are fleshed out just perfectly. Can't wait to get to the library for the next book!

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-The Water Babies (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington at Work (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Morning Amber- I am so glad you loved the Hunger Games. Sometimes with all the staggering amount of hype surrounding books like these, you think you'll be disappointed. Not with this one. The film was very good too!
Enjoy your Sunday. Keep warm.

Morning, Mark! I'm torn about whether I want to see the movie or not. I'll likely put it at the end of our very long Netflix queueueue and the passing of time will make me less critical.

Your review mirrors mine nearly exactly - nothing original, but so well done. Loved it loved it, and glad you did, too.

Your review of The Hunger Games is spot on. I read it because my younger daughter loved it so much, and had low expectations, but really enjoyed it. I haven't read the rest (she has), but thought the movie was good too. You have a point about the passing of time between reading the book and seeing the movie. That was the case for me, so I'd forgotten little details and was unable to quibble about plot points.

Well, holy crap...I guess I have to forget the hype and read The Hunger Games one of these days.

Laura & Linda: Yep, I never would have picked it up myself if it hadn't been on one of my lists, and I'm certainly glad that I did!

I splurged a bit and bought this for myself - I've been wanting a book stamp for ever so long and I love the way this one looks like the prints in my edition of Malory:

#110: Love that, Amber, and I must say it suits you.

Aw, thanks, Stasia!

110> Fantastic! The missus got me a book embosser for Christmas so I could do the same for my own library. Happy stamping!

Wow, the stamp is beautiful Amber and as Stasia said I really think it suits you. When you had it made could you choose from templates the picture you wanted?

@ 110

Oh, lovely!

Gerard & Bianca: Thanks! I bought it from this etsy shop, which has a lot of great-looking customizable stamps:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AsspocketProductions

Thanks, Laura! I'm excited to start stamping!

That's a great stamp, Amber!

Hi Amber! Love your review of The Hunger Games! I loved all three books but the first is my favorite!

Your book stamp is so nice! I usually just write my name in my books but a stamp is a great idea!

What Mark said - I'm so glad you enjoyed The Hunger Games so much, Amber! Me, too. Katniss is a terrific character, isn't she? Thank goodness they picked Jennifer Lawrence for the movie - she does a great job.

Lovely stamp -- what a great idea.

Love the stamp!! :)

I love the book stamp! I might have to get one of my own, if I didn't already own an embosser, which was a gift from the professor I TA'd for in undergrad. I was so enamored with his embosser (which I saw exactly once, the first year I worked for him) that he bought me one of my own for a graduation present three years later.

Roni, Laura, Stephen & casvelyn: Thanks! I've ordered another, different one for Tomm's science books - I'll post a photo when it gets here.

Joe: I've looked at photos of her at Katniss, and she does at least look how I'd want her to look. I may get impatient and jump the movie up the list some, but at least not until I've read the other two books.

29. Happy Valentine's Day, Curious George! by N. Di Angelo (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
George invites some friends over for a Valentine's Day party. He gets curious. Hilarity ensues.
Cute, but not spectacular. Charlie liked it, though, because it's a lift-the-flap book, so it can't go wrong in his estimation.

On the agenda for today:
It's stupid cold today (it's 3 degrees right now, but the wind chill is -16), so we're all staying in. A little cleaning, a little baking (honey whole wheat bread and some raisin bran bread), some sewing (I've finished all the t-shits I'm making for now and I'm ready to move on to making more bags for my shop), and hopefully some reading.

>125 scaifea:: I'm a huge Curious George fan since my oldest loved him and there's still a "shrine" in her room, but I'm partial to the classics by Margaret and H.A. Rey. The new ones seem more Disney-fied.

>126 scaifea:: t-shits. snork.

t-shits - hee hee

Love the stamp. Don't keep books usually so wouldn't be worthwhile for me but sure is pretty.

Ha! I'm not changing that typo - it's too good.

30. Cranberry Valentine by Wende Devlin (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A gruff and eccentric man gets mystery valentines after telling his friend Maggie and her grandmother that he's never received any. He panics, thinking he's got some crazy secret admirer, but finds out that the grandmother - and her sewing club - are behind it all.
A cute and funny little story. I think there must be more in a series, and I may look for them. This one wasn't the greatest picture book I've ever read, but it was entertaining, and Charlie seems to have enjoyed it, too.

31. The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley (1001 Children's Books, 256 pages) - 6/10
A young, ill-used chimney sweep runs away from his master when he is falsely accused of stealing, falls into a river and is made into a water baby by the fairies. Most of the book follows his coming-of-age and eventual transformation back into a human after extensive travels to the Other End Of Nowhere.
Blech. More sappy, sentimental, self-righteous preaching to children. No, thank you. I would have balked at it had I read it as a child and I won't subject Charlie to such brow-beating, either. Much like At the Back of the North Wind, this one is filled with euphemisms and allegories for what happens when a child dies (and there seems to be some weird substitute for purgatory, too, from which one can come back to life?). I don't know if Kingsley is trying to comfort himself about death, as it seems MacDonald was trying to do, or if he's trying to reassure his young readers, but either way, I don't buy it and I'm certain Charlie wouldn't either. Or, at least, this isn't the way I want to teach him about death.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-(awaiting today's trip to the library)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington at Work (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Morning Amber- Bundle up today! If our high will be 10, I can only imagine what your temp will be. Yikes!

Okay, so we watched The Emperor's New Groove with Charlie this weekend for the first time, and he loved it, but now he refuses to drink anything (!) and I assume it's because he thinks he'll turn into a llama if he does. He's been refusing to drink for nearly 2 days and I'm starting to panic (although we've gotten him to eat grapes and oranges and water-filled such fruits) and while I couldn't sleep last night for worrying, I came up with the llama theory, so I'm hoping that's what it is and that I can talk him down from this particular craziness. Just one of the not-so-great parts of having a child with a too-vivid imagination, I think.

Mark: It's -4 here right now with a windchill of -17. Yikes, indeed.

Hhhmmm, but he also drinks his cure. Tell him that Izma went nowhere near his milk.

Luxx: He's drinking again, thank goodness. I assured him that I wouldn't let anyone slip him magic llama potion or anything else that would hurt him. That, plus the threat that he couldn't go to school until he had drank a large glass of water, helped. I told his preschool teacher about the llama drama and she said that this week is healthy week, meaning they're learning about how to stay healthy, and so she said that she would just re-arrange the schedule so that today would be the day they talk about how important it is to drink lots of water. How cool is that? I love the preschool that we chose for Charlie and the teachers there!

>136 scaifea:: that's very cool, being in cahoots with the teacher!

Laura: Isn't it, though? She's an amazing teacher, and clearly loves her job.

*smooch* although I should just smack you one for that Etsy shop link.

Richard: Ha! I'm looking forward to pictures of what you buy...

*grumble* yuk it up Scaife your day will come....

32. Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff (Charlie book, picture book) - 8/10
Mouse makes Valentines for all of his friends, and then gets a big surprise from all of them.
Not as good as the original series, but we in Scaife Manor love Mouse and are happy always to hear more of him.
I picked this up at the grocery store yesterday as Charlie's Grocery Shopping Surprise. I usually go shopping once a week while he's in preschool and when we get home, he usually has a small surprise from the store waiting for him on the kitchen counter (a new kind of fruit snack or a 'fancy' new toothbrush - something small but fun). Yesterday I couldn't resist getting this as the surprise as, again, we all love Mouse.

Well, I did have plans for Charlie and I to run a few errands and then get some lunch somewhere, but last night Charlie came down with a chest cold fairly suddenly, and with the weather being so cold, I don't think we'll do anything but stay cozy inside.

Morning Amber- Sorry Charlie is sick. Bummer. Keep him company and enjoy the heat wave!

Sorry about Charlie being sick! That sounds like what has happened with Hank. Whit took him to the doc's on Monday, he was fine, but now he has a nasty cough. :(

So glad to hear you enjoyed The Hunger Games. IMO, that book is the best of trilogy, so I can't wait to see what you think of them.

I didn't know there was a Curious George Valentine's Day book, I'll have to find a copy for Will. He really likes those books. What is it about that monkey? :)

Hope you have a good day!

Thanks, Mark! I know - it's already 12 degrees *above* zero here this morning! Practically tank-top weather.
I love that Charlie loves school, but since he started, he's had more minor illnesses (colds, sniffles, et al.) than in all of his wee life before. It's inevitable, I suppose, but frustrating.

Brit: I started Catching Fire yesterday and while it hasn't grabbed me quite as much as the first one, I'm still very much enjoying it.

I suppose it's good that he's getting all the minor illnesses out of the way. It strengthens his immune system or something like that, right?

De lurking to say hello. Lemon bars look yummy. Your dog looks lovely.

Happy Day to you!

Morphy: That's my feeling about it, too. It's good for you to get some minor illnesses here and there, and this one seems to be just a cold.

Linda: Hi! Good to see you! Hope you're staying warm in Ohio!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars - they're still warm so help yourselves:

OH MY GOD! :O

Running in to get my share of the Peanut Butter Choc Chip Bars before Steven swipes them all ....

Excuse me for talking with my mouth full. Hi Amber, I hope Charlie is feeling better. I know the drinking problem was serious, but I couldn't help giggling at the phrase "Llama Drama"!

Stay warm.

Stephen: Oh, they're that good. Seriously. And they're super easy to make, too (it involves a cake mix).

Judy: You know you're the mom of a 4-year-old when you immediately think, "Swiper no swiping! Swiper no swiping!" anytime anyone uses the word "swipes" around you. Sigh. And you have every right to giggle - it was pretty funny, if at the same time panic-inducing for me. He's over it now, though, thankfully. Whew!

33. What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A barnyard-full of animals, led by a normally-quiet ladybug, outsmart a couple of robbers and save their farmer's prize-winning cow.
There's nothing all that special about the story itself, but the illustrations are good and the sing-songy and silly rhymes are excellently fun.

34. The Kettles Get New Clothes by Dayle Ann Dodds (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A family of dogs goes shopping once a yet for new clothes, but this time they find that their normal clothing store has been taken over by a fancy french tailor who gets them to try on all sorts of too-fancy outfits. End the end, though, everyone is happy with their new duds.
Slightly weird, but not in a bad way. Like the previous read, nothing special story-wise, but the illustrations are good and the story just silly enough.

Have you shared that recipe before Amber? They look delish.

I don't think so, Laura. I'll post it later today if you're interested.

Mmmm you bet!

35. Paddington at Work by Michael Bond (Charlie bath-time book, 128 pages) - 9/10
In this entry in the series, Paddington sails back home from a visit to Peru, dips his paw in the Stock Market, 'helps' his neighbor with some house renovations, tries out the barber trade, and attends the ballet.
Adorable. We all love Paddington.

36. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Parent & Child list, 399 pages) - 9/10
A sequel that is nearly as good as the original. I was still riveted and could barely turn the pages fast enough. Again, I generally knew the twists before they happened, but again it didn't matter. I honestly can't remember when I've cared this much for literary characters - it's certainly been a long while - and I will miss them indeed when I'm finished with the third book (especially Katniss, who is so brilliantly portrayed that it just makes me smile).

37. Little Boat by Thomas Docherty (public library book, picture book) - 6/10
A little boat sails around the ocean with his friends: a whale, an octopus, some dolphins, birds and other fish.
The illustrations are gorgeous in this little book, which is tragic, really, since the story is non-existent. It's as if the author/artist painted the pictures, then tried desperately (and failed miserably) to come up with a story to go along with them.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-Mockingjay (Parent & Child list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington Goes to Town (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Laura: Here's the recipe for the peanut butter chocolate chip bars:

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil. Mix in peanut butter. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Pat mixture into a 13x9-inch pan.
4. Bake 14-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Morning Amber- We have snow! A nice layer out there now and it's still coming down. Not much accumulation, maybe 2 inches. That I can handle.
I'm glad you are enjoying the Katniss books. Have a good Friday!

Thanks, Mark! We got just a dusting a couple of days ago - I hope yours stops at 2 inches!

>160 scaifea:: thanks a bunch Amber!

You're welcome, Laura!

You're like a chocolate peanut butter pusher. I think that makes 3 such recipes I've found through you!

Ha! Well, I have a house full (read: 2) of chocolate-&-peanut-butter loving men, so it stands to reason...

>160 scaifea:: I love those yummy yet quick recipes for when you just need something with your tea. Thanks, Amber!

Amber, Love and copied the recipe. Does the pan need to be greased ?

tiffin: You're welcome! And you're right - tasty and fast = awesome.

Cindy: No - the peanut butter in the recipe is enough to keep them from sticking, but if you're not convinced it wouldn't hurt them any if you did grease the pan.

Hi, Amber. Thanks for coming by while I was feeling poorly. Those peanut butter bars look wonderful!

OMG! I love you! Thank you for posting that recipe! I think I need to make those this weekend - it's going to be a long one!

Thanks Amber. I didn't think about the peanut butter. I would be afraid it might make the bars greasy on the bottom,if I greased the pan.

38. Clink by Kelly Dipucchio (public library book, picture book) - 9/10
Clink is a rusty old little robot in a robot store, watching all of his flashier, newer friends get sold and taken home. He's about to give up hope of ever finding someone who wants him, when a little boy walks into the shop...
Adorable. I have a definite soft spot for cute little underdog robots, apparently. Sweet story with excellent illustrations - recommended.

39. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Parent & Child list, 390 pages) - 9/10
Whew! I stayed up well into the night last night to finish this one because I just could not put it down. Only slightly less amazing than the first two books in the series.

POTENTIALLY SPOILERISH (not that anyone out there hasn't read these yet):
I liked this one less than the other two books mainly because, by the last 1/3 of the book, I just felt bogged down by all the crazy crap that was raining down on Katniss. I mean, seriously. Give the gal a bit of a break, eh? Oh, and I didn't like the need to make yet another version of the Games in the third book - give that a rest already. And the ending was too much of a wrap-up; I prefer to create the Where Are They In 10 Years part myself - I don't want the author's help with that. That sounds like a lot of complaining, I suppose, but I still think it's going to be hard to beat this trilogy out of the top spot for my reads this year, and it's only January.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-(awaiting today's trip to the library)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington Goes to Town (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Roni & Cindy: You're welcome! Let me know if you like them once you've made them!

Brit: Brit loves me! WOOHOO! Seriously, lady, that just made my day. And I hope you and Whit and the boys all got a good night's sleep last night!

I'm glad I made your day!

I got a decent night's sleep. Mostly on the couch because Henry was in bed with Whit. Then the last 2 hours in bed with Will because he woke up. Henry is sleeping in his swing now - something neither of the boys really did, only when sick. I just feel so bad because Henry feels so miserable and so does Will. The bright side is that Will wants me to read to him more! This morning we read Snipp, Snapp, Snurr, and the Magic Horse; If You Give a Cat a Cupcake; If You Give a Mouse a Cookie; and If You Give a Pig a Party. I can't wait to see what he picks for this afternoon!

It's the worst when they don't feel good, isn't it? We went to the library this morning, and Charlie just started feeling bad really quickly, I could see it in his sad little face, and then all of a sudden he just started crying. Not loudly or anything, just a sad little pathetic cry, with the tears just streaming. So I knew he was getting sick. Little bit of a fever. So, we came straight home and he's wrapped up in his comfy blanket sitting on the couch with his dad playing Mario Galaxy.
Oh, and we love the Numeroff books, too!

Strawberry Pound Cake, anyone?

Yep. Here it is:

Ingredients:
• 1 package strawberry cake mix
• 1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup chocolate frosting (I used a from-the-tub kind, but you could, of course, make your own)

1. Heat oven to 350⁰.
2. Coat 10-inch Bundt pan with baking spray.
3. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil at low speed until moistened.
4. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in chips.
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan 25 minutes.
8. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely.
9. Place frosting in a 1-cup glass measuring cup and microwave on high 10-15 seconds.
10. Stir until smooth and drizzle over top of cooled cake.

OH MY GOD (again)!

Samantha: You're welcome!

Stephen: Yeah, probably not the best thing for that tooth, though.

I think it would be a worthwhile sacrifice.

Stephen: True. And you could just chew with the other side of your mouth, which I bet you're doing anyway at this point.

I've been doing it for nearly a year now, yes...

I love the book stamp. May I ask where you had this made, ie can I get this online?

Happy Saturday!

Linda: I bought it from an etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AsspocketProductions
I've ordered one for Tomm's books, too, in a sleeker design from another etsy shop that I love: http://www.etsy.com/shop/papersushi

Thanks!!!

Oops, Papersushi is closed while they move back to the US. At least that prevents me from finding another stamp I love. I'm thinking I'm going to order this one:

Ohhhh!!! That's a wonderful stamp, Roni!!!

Amber, I liked your comments on Mockingjay. I had similar feelings (albeit rather more vehement) when I read it. But, it's still a very strong trilogy overall!

Linda: You're welcome! Etsy is a wonderful site and I'm happy to help promote the individuals who have stores there any time I can. Small business is important! And I'm not just saying that because I have a shop on there, too. :)

Roni: Yes, I know. I managed to sneak my order in just before she shut down temporarily, but I think it's worth waiting for her to re-open if you like any of her stuff - she's lovely, friendly, accommodating and the service is fast.

Faith: I didn't have to heart to be too tough on Mockingjay because I still so very much enjoyed the trilogy as a whole. Indeed, I found myself lost in thought several times today about Katniss. She's a character who will live with me for a long time, I think.

I'm sorry, does that say Ass Pocket Productions?

Every time Stephen says "OH MY GOD" at one of the cakes, I laugh out loud.

Stephen: It sure does.

tiffin: Me too.

40. Gossie by Olivier Dunrea (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
A little gosling names Gossie loves to take walks everyday in her red boots, until one day she can't find them.
Adorable little book with ridiculously cute illustrations.

I hope Charlie feels better soon! It's amazing how quickly they can go from fine to not! I hooked up our NES last weekend and when Will woke up from his nap yesterday I was playing The Adventures of Link. Usually when he wakes up I turn off my video games, but this was so mild in comparison to what I normally play (AC), that I just let him watch for a bit.

Sorry Charlie is feeling poorly. I also felt Mockingjay was the weakest of the trilogy. Have you read Divergent yet? I liked it even more than The Hunger Games.

Brit: Charlie seems to be better this morning, but I'm not convinced just yet - we'll see how the day goes.

Morphy: No I haven't read that one yet. It's not on any of my lists right now, so it'll probably be awhile before I get there.

Amber, it will be all your fault if I gain 10 pounds! ;) First your Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars and now your Strawberry Pound Cake! I've taken both recipes and now have to decide which one to make first!

Judy: Ha! You're welcome, I think...

41. Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Newbery award list, 244 pages) - 7/10
Told from the view of Katie, the younger sister to Lynne, we follow the sisters (and later their little brother, too) as their family moves from Iowa to Georgia for work in the poultry factories, and through Lynne's illness and then death.
Sigh. I didn't hate it, but I didn't much like it, either. But that could have something to do with my slight funk today (it's dreary and icy/rainy here, and I'm coming down with the cold that Charlie is getting over, so I'm just not in a cheery place right now) and so a demonstrably non-cheery book was not the best choice for today. I can handle a dreary plot if the writing is superb, but I didn't feel that here, either. Overall, just a big Meh.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-The Lightning Thief (Parent & Child list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington Goes to Town (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Hi Amber! Hope you're having a warm Sunday at home with that cutie-pie Charlie.

And the song that gets stuck in my head? The most recent one is "Big Butter Jesus" by Heywood Banks.

42. Gossie & Gertie by Olivier Dunrea (public library book, picture book) - 8/10
Gossie and Gertie are best friends. Gertie usually follows where Gossie leads, but Gossie learns that sometimes it's nice to follow instead of insist on being the leader.
The illustrations are adorable and the story is simple and nice. Gossie and Gertie are gaining new fans in Scaife Manor.

Laura: Good to see you! I'll have to look up your song - it sounds...interesting...

I hope by the time you read this that Charlie is feeling back up to snuff!

Stasia: Well, he still has a cough (or he did last night - he's still asleep this morning), but it's a productive one, which is a good thing, I think. We're just going to take it easy today and not leave the house, so hopefully he'll be well-rested and ready for school tomorrow.

Tomm and I finally got round to watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall this weekend, and, wow, what a funny movie! We're both huge fans of Judd Apatow and all of the people he puts in his movies (Paul Rudd especially, who definitely doesn't disappoint in this one). A little raunchy perhaps (Jason Segal is completely naked more than once and it's not exactly a pretty sight), but it *is* Apatow, after all. Highly recommended for those few who like this sort of thing and haven't yet seen it.

Morning Amber- I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall too. One of my favorite Apatow films. Some genuine heart in there. We are going to have a crazy weather week, (I am on vacation, so I really don't care). 50s tomorrow, teens by the end of the week.
Have a great day!

43. Little Kangaroo's Bad Day by Marcia Lenoard (CYOA series, 18 pages) - 8/10
Kangaroo gets up on the wrong side of the bed and the reader must make choices to help make her day better.
Again, no brilliant writing here, but these are just fun.

Mark: Crazy weather for certain; I don't think such huge swings in temperature can be good for anyone, really. Charlie and I are just getting over colds, but I suspect that this week won't make that any easier.

On today's agenda:
A few small errands while Charlie's at school this morning, then putting together a corn chowder and pan rolls for dinner. I'm in the middle of cutting out fabric to make more purses for my shop - I've decided to prep all the fabric before I start to sew any of them, to see how many I'll end up with in this batch. I'm also hoping to find time to finish The Lightning Thief today. Ugh. Do *not* expect a glowing review.

Oh, and it's *thunderstorming* here. In Wisconsin. In January. Seriously.

Morning Amber- I've been meaning to ask you a question. You always have quite a number of current reads going, at one time: How do you parcel them out? A few pages of this one and then a few of that one? Inquiring minds.

I didn't like The Lightning Thief either. But my nephew insisted that I read the second book, The Sea of Monsters and I'm glad I did. It was considerably better. Just something to keep in mind...

Good morning Amber. I made the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bars last night -- easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

I'm also interested in the answer to Mark's question ...

Mark: I rotate the books day by day and keep them in the order listed in the top post on their bookshelf. So, for example, today is The Faerie Queen day, tomorrow will be The Last Founding Father day, and so on. The exceptions are, 1) whatever Charlie book I'm reading, which I read every day during the day in 1-2 minute snippets as I get a chance (and that's why I get through those faster), and 2) the Latin and Greek texts, which I read a little bit of when I get a chance in the afternoons, if Charlie is watching a cartoon or otherwise entertained. All other books are read in the evening in bed right before I conk out for the night, so sometimes I only get through a few pages a day.

Morphy: Nope, not going to happen. Riordan is not a good enough writer for me to continue, plus I can not abide his flouting of certain points of mythology. I'm the first to defend those who play with tradition mythology, usually, but there are certain things that are sacrosanct (and would have been to the Greeks, too), one of which is that Athene would NEVER have had children. She is a virgin goddess and the Greeks, who had no problem with changing their myths in several ways, would not have abided such a blasphemy, methinks (especially with such mediocre writing and characterization - they certainly wouldn't have abided THAT).

Laura: Yay! I'm glad you liked them!

Samantha: Nope, no shrimp enters this house. As Lorelai Gilmore would say, "I'm aggin it." And, inventive and original? Nope, I disagree. Others have done what he's trying to do here and done it much better.

>216 scaifea: THANK YOU! It pissed me off TO NO END that Athena(/e) had children!!!! I feel exactly the same as you on all points about The Lightning Thief.

Nora: Sing it, sister!

Samantha: It also doesn't help Riordan that I've had 14+ years of teaching classical mythology under my proverbial belt...

Samantha: I didn't mean to imply that you don't know about mythology; I simply meant that, as my field of study (I have a PhD in Classical Studies) and my one-time bread-&-butter (I was a professor of Classics before leaving academia to be a full-time mom), I have a fairly deep understanding of the Greeks and how they used and valued their stories. I'd bet money I don't have that they wouldn't have cared for Riordan's use, and I'll pick the Greeks' side over his any day. They, however, would have loved what Gaiman does with their myths, because he has educated himself on them enough to know how to play with them in the right ways.

>219 scaifea: I might have let it slide if it hadn't mentioned any virgin godesses at all, but mentioning Artemis being a virgin and ignoring the fact that Athena was is just wrong.

Nora: Yes, and I wouldn't have minded so much if Artemis had been the one whom he de-virgined, as she's always a bit of a flirt anyway. But Athene? Please. She's much closer to being a-sexual than female, really, and the idea that she'd have sex with anyone/anything is ridiculous and wrong-headed.

Amber- I am very impressed the way you organize your reading. And you have no problem, remembering what you had read?
I'm a simple kind of guy. A print book, an audio & a GN. On occasion, I'll have 2 print books going but this is the preferred method.

Mark: I think grad school did that to me - made me able to read several books as once and not get confused or forget things. It had other results, though, too: other than what I read, I have a terrible short-term memory and I'm as absent-minded as a, well, you know...

I thought reading short stories in between books would work but I feel like I lose the flow. Many of the contemporary collections seem to be thematic. I wish this would work, because my SS books are really beginning to pile up.

What? Athena doesn't have sex! Pshaw! She's kind-hearted, cruel, and kick-ass all ruled up into one, but she definitely doesn't have sex...regularly...

Mark: Funny, I really don't like short story collections. It takes me much longer to read one of those and to read a regular novel - something about just getting into the flow of the story and then it's over and I have to start all over again with the next one, I think.

Stephen: Ha! I didn't make the connection before, but Athene is definitely your kind of gal, isn't she? Domineering yet not sexually threatening...

I've never made the connection either, but you may be right. :P

Hm. That's an awesome bonus question of which I have never thought before:

Which of the Greek or Roman gods would you choose as a boyfriend/girlfriend? Explain. Keep in mind that though some of them may be desirable, there would be certain risks involved no matter whom you may choose...

>231 scaifea: Dionysus. Free wine and crazy sex.

Nora: Watch out for those satyrs, though. They're always hanging around him, and they're not very genteel around the ladies.

In one of the later Percy Jackson books, it's explained that Athena reproduces through a meeting of minds, not bodies, so she's still a virgin, and that her children spring from her head like she sprung from Zeus' head. Either way, it's still weird.

casvelyn: LAME! I bet he snuck that in because he got complaints from people. (Sorry, it's just too soon for me and the annoyance is still too fresh...)

44. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Parent & Child list, 375 pages) - 6/10
Yeah, I've groused enough about this ridiculous book. If you're considering reading it, don't. Go read The Sandman instead. Or, hey, how about reading Ovid? Shocking suggestion, I know, but nobody has topped him in 2000 years.

What I'm reading now:
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 26: Continental Drama (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.26)
-The Harvard Classics Five Foot Shelf of Books, Volume 27: English Essays Sidney to Macaulay (library book - call #AC1.A4 v.27)
-Women in Love (Banned Books list)
-Criss Cross (Newbery award list)
-The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1001 Children's Books list)
-The Faerie Queen (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness (Presidential Challenge)
-The Monster of Florence (audio book)
-The Forever Machine (Hugo award list)
-Augustus (NBA award)
-Little Men (NEH list)
-Paddington Goes to Town (bath-time book)
-The Children's Hour Volume 12: Tales of Long Ago (I'm working through this series of old volumes that were my brothers' when they were little.)
-The Look-It-Up Book of Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Our Country's Presidents (to accompany the presidential challenge)
-Vogue Sewing

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1
-A History of Greece to 322 BC by N. G. L. Hammond

Love this:

So true.

Amber - Yes to the strawberry pound cake; YES to 44 books so far.

I actually enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, not so much because they were accurate to the source material, but because they reminded me of my Greek mythology phase in elementary school (somewhere between the horse story and the Star Wars novel phases), during which time I read myriad retellings of Greek myths, tried to read the Iliad, and tried to write an encyclopedia of Greek gods, with biographies and genealogical tables and the like. I didn't get very far, mostly because the genealogical tables were a nightmare and I was a perfectionist and kept having to redraw things. Also, my parents didn't let me use the computer very often, and it's hard to write an encyclopedia by hand in 70-page, spiral-bound, wide-ruled notebooks. But my encyclopedia project inspired me to read my Webster's New World College Dictionary cover-to-cover... twice. I wanted to know about ALL the gods, and they weren't all in the World Book article on Greek mythology, because there were gods mentioned in the dictionary that weren't in the World Book. Somehow it never occurred to me to get books on Greek mythology from the library (informational books, not collections of mythological stories). Besides, "I've read the entire dictionary twice because of Greek mythology" now serves as my random fact about myself for the icebreakers at parties and such, which is nice, because otherwise I'm a completely uninteresting person.

Man your thread moves so fast! I have a hard time keeping up with it. :)

casvelyn: When I was in grade school we spent a couple of weeks on Greek mythology, and that was the beginning of my love with the classics, too. In case you - are anyone else - is interested, the absolute best reference for all things classical mythology is The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology. It goes in and our of print, but if you can get your hands on one, you should. Every household should have one.

Melissa: Good to see you! Hope you're getting more sleep these days!

Paul: I'm afraid that the strawberry cake is long gone, but we liked it so much that I think Charlie and I will be making strawberry cookie bars today. And, yep, 44. 16 of which are non-picture books, which isn't half bad, eh?

Caught up at last...
The snippets of Water Babies that I've read would not make me want to read more - certainly very sentimental and moralising. I was surprised you found George Macdonald similarly distasteful though - but then I don't think I've read At the Back of the North Wind but some of his others, including Phantastes and Lilith which I remember enjoying - these are more adult than children's books, maybe that's part of the difference. It's been years since I've read those too mind you, not sure what I'd think of them now.

Lovely looking cakes - but a recipe that calls for a box of cake mix throws me, since we don't really use cake mixes here or if I could find one in a large supermarket I would not know if it was the right size or had the right combination of ingredients. I get the impression that cake mixes are much more commonly used in the US? Anyway, I should not be even thinking about cakes, as I'm meant to be shedding pounds, not gaining them!

Genny: I've another MacDonald coming up in my lists, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, although, on the other hand, I won't be shocked if I end up not liking it.
And yes, I think cake mixes are essentially an US thing. They are, though, extremely convenient and the results are surprisingly tasty, compared to some other convenience-boxed foods.
(P.S. I'm lurking over on your thread, but haven't had anything intelligent or engaging to add to the excellent conversations going on over there.)

On the subject of cake mixes, I'm mostly a "from scratch" baker but Amber, you've taught me the versatility of a yellow cake mix. Nevertheless, last weekend I found a recipe very similar to the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bars in #160, on Epicurious: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chunk Brownies. Just sharing this as a service to our overseas friends (although American-style peanut butter is hard to come by over there as well). Actually, I think I owe it to everyone to make these and run one of those Coke vs. Pepsi blind taste test things. Or eat them all myself.

Amber, I bet you are the type of person who goes to a movie that is based on a book and goes, "But that's not how it was in the book!" :D

Laura: Thanks for taking one for the team! :)

Morphy: I'm not, really. Most of my classicist friends think I'm crazy for not minding about the movie Troy not being to-the-letter accurate, but, again, I don't think the Greeks would have minded the changes in that movie. And if a living author sells the movie rights to his books, then who am I to disparage any differences that occur in the movie version? And Peter Jackson did Tolkien a favor with his movies, in my opinion - he made the story interesting! Ha!

@ 250

And Peter Jackson did Tolkien a favor with his movies, in my opinion - he made the story interesting! Ha!

Aaaw. Poor JRRT. Though I absolutely agree that Jackson improved some scenes immensely. Boromir's death scene for one. Actually, if I were making a list of the top ten bits Jackson improved, Boromir's death scene would probably take positions 1-3, no problem.

Laura: Yeah, I know, I'm not making new friends with that bold statement, but I get so *bored* with all of the scenery description and all those blasted songs. Gah! Plus, I'm just a big Jackson fan from way back and I love the idea of him making good.