Sunday Smile

Happy Halloween!

Flat Tire Friday

I'm happy that I have a husband who can come change my flat tire.


I'm sad that I have a husband who won't let me stick around to take photos of his work.

Happy Friday!

Thursday 13: Brought to You by the Letter "M"

Idea from Alisha at Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander.


1. Magazine – I just signed up for a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens. So excited for my first issue!

2. Magnet - My favorite on our fridge:


3. Matte – The finish I get on my photos.

4. May – My middle name.

5. Manicure – I’ve never had one and I have no desire to have one.

6. Merlin – Crickett’s doggy dad.


7. Metric system – Hate it with a passion.

8. Milk – I once baby-sat for two girls who drank it with their popcorn.

9. Mittens – I had to get out the mittens and winter coat yesterday.


10. Muffins – My favorite are corn muffins.

11. Mushrooms – I love them but Mitch hates them so we don’t use them in our cooking.

12. Mussels – Had them once and will never have them again – disgusting!

13. Mute – I mute commercials; this drives Mitch crazy, but I just can’t handle the noise.


More Thursday 13!

Worst Book

Hilltopper asked: What's the WORST book you've ever read?

The one that came to mind right away was Sleeping Beauties by Susanna Moore, a book sale find from a couple of years ago. I read this unfortunate novel back when I felt I needed to finish every book I started. Why I was ever so foolish, I'll never know. I now understand that life is too short to fill it with books that do nothing for you.


So, I want to hear from you guys. What's the worst book you've ever read?

Thursday 13: Brought to You by the Letter "L"

*Idea from Alisha at Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander*


1. Label maker – I could have way too much fun with one of these!

2. Labyrinth – I had a large wood version growing up. I was not very good at it.

3. Lap – I love when Crickett curls up in my lap and cuddles with me while I’m doing homework.

4. Laughter – I once had a boyfriend tell me I laughed too much.

5. Legs – I often only shave up to my knee. I’d like to say this is because I’m too busy to do all of my leg, but it’s just pure laziness. I hate shaving.

6. Lettuce – I do not like it on or in my food, but I enjoy salads.

7. Librarian – I think this would be one of the greatest jobs in the world.

8. Lighthouse – Beautiful structures. How much fun would it be to live in one?!

9. Lilac – I love the smell of lilac trees and bushes. Mitch and I planted (and by planted, I mean I picked out the type of tree and Mitch did the dirty work) a Japanese Lilac Tree in our boulevard in May.

10. Lists – I LOVE making them! (Obviously!)

11. Lollygag – I’ve been known to do this occasionally. I even earned the nickname “grandma” from a cousin.

12. Lotion – I like using baby lotion because it doesn’t dry out my skin. Plus the scent is wonderful.

13. Lunch – My least favorite meal of the day. I really, really don’t like it. When I’m home I never know what to eat and when I’m working, I always default to sandwiches. Bleh!


More Thursday 13!

A Failed Hug

Setting: Holly is in the kitchen making lunch, Mitch is in the office working at the computer. Holly runs into the office and gives Mitch a hug.


Mitch: What's that for?

Holly: Because I love you.

Mitch: What did you do?

Holly: Nothing!

Mitch: No, seriously, what did you break?

Fall Book Sale 2010

I think this fall had to be my best library book sale to date! I got 35 books for $2.00. That, my friends, is approximately 5.7 cents per book. I'm thrilled about the books I got, too. I found several classics and a lot of other notable books. I've never listed the books I got at a sale before, so I thought I would do it this time around. I'm always curious when certain books hit my shelves and I thought you book lovers out there might be interested as well. Let me know if you've read any of these and what you thought!

1. Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews
2. Bird-Eyes by Madelyn Arnold
3. Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard
4. Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton
5. Written by Herself, Volume II edited by Jill Ker Conway
6. Hello Goodbye by Emily Chenoweth
7. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
8. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
9. A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
10. Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
11. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
12. Every Good and Perfect Gift by Brenda Jernigan
13. Educating Waverley by Laura Kalpakian
14. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
15. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
16. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
17. Jewel by Bret Lott
18. Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
19. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
20. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
21. Middle Age by Joyce Carol Oates
22. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
23. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
24. The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
25. Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen
26. Cordelia Underwood by Van Reid
27. The Speed of Light by Elizabeth Rosner
28. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
29. The Education of Mrs. Bemis by John Sedgwick
30. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Apparently I thought this book sounded awesome because I threw another copy into my bag.
31. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
32. The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
33. Ageless Tear by Linda Gale Vettel
34. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
35. Native Son by Richard Wright

Sunday Smile

Snapshot Saturday:

falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly
~John Bailey~

15 in 15 (on the 15th!)

I was tagged by Caity!

Rules: Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

Here is my list!

1. Watership Down by Richard Adams
2. Saving Gracie by Carol Bradley
3. Ender's Game (and then the rest of the series) by Orson Scott Card
4. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7. The Green Mile by Stephen King
8. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
9. The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
10. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
11. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
12. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (and the others in the series) by J.K. Rowling
14. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
15. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

What books would make it onto your list?

Trying to Find the Perfect Bar

Christmas 2009 featured The Best Dip Contest.

There were a lot of wonderful entries and the competition was fierce. My family is made up of incredible cooks and bakers (obviously I don't fit in) so it was a hard decision to make.


The winning dip was a corn dish made by my cousin Grace (which unfortunately I didn't try). We are so serious about our competitions that we even have a crowning ceremony!


Christmas 2010 is scheduled to be The Best Bar Contest. Now, I'm not looking to win this competition (it seems like an impossible task), but I would like to give the other participants a run for their money. Problem is, I have yet to find the perfect recipe. While there are many bars out there that sound delicious, they just won't be able to compete with the desserts my family is capable of creating. This is definitely a strong area for many of my aunts.

So, my dear, sweet blog friends: help me find an amazing bar recipe. I have about two months to prepare (and we all know I'll need it), so start sending me your ideas!

Charlie's Angels

A friend recently tagged me in this photo on Facebook.

Obviously, I didn't understand his instructions.


It's great to have your confusion caught on film for all of eternity.

Sunday Smile

Snapshot Saturday: October's Party

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"~

Friday Finds

Stuff No One Told Me was one of the "blogs to note" the other day. If you haven't seen it, go check it out - great stuff! Below is one of my favorites.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, mom! Have a wonderful day!

Water and Exercise

Whenever my sister or I complained about ANY ailment when we were growing up, my mom's response was always: "Drink more water and get some exercise." In fact, she's still saying it. Yesterday during breakfast, my sister and I mentioned we were tired so she gave her usual advice.

Now, what did I see on MSN this morning?



Okay, mom, you're not completely crazy.

Sunday Smile

Snapshot Saturday: Colors of Autumn

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
~George Eliot~

Friday Finds

All I can say is: It's awesome that someone started "I Found Your Camera."