I will try!!

I am not sure I will be able to keep up...but I am very excited to try!!!
Here are the details...

The 100+ Reading Challenge will be hosted here this year. Here are the guidelines:

1) You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading your books prior to 2009.

2) This challenge is for 2009 only. The last day to have all your books read is December 31, 2009.

3) You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

4) If you don’t have a blog, please join our Yahoo Groups.

5) When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your 100+ books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.

6) All books count: children’s, YA, adults, fiction, non-fiction, how-tos, etc.

7) Feel free to post in the comment section or on Yahoo Groups your monthly progress as well as your favorite books that month.

You can sign up here....J.Kaye's Book Blog

A Long Time Coming

I have not posted in a long time now....I wonder if possibly I am not cut out for this! Possibly this will be my New Years Resolution. I just finished reading (or I finished a few weeks ago) Nora Ephron's I Hate My Neck, it was hilarious, and one of the recommendations of the author is to journal/write everyday. I do believe that writing everyday would help me to sort out my thoughts and possibly just get my creativity flowing.

Alas, I had a fantastic holiday with my family. The gifts were overwhelming as usual, but having five days off in a row to spend around the house--loving my husband and hanging out with my in-laws was the best gift I could have asked for. I was a bit sad to have to get back into the swing of things this morning, however on my way to the airport (to drop of my in-laws) at 4:30am, I was listening to NPR and there was a story about the air-raids on Gaza---after listening I could help but be thankful (as I always try to be) for my incredible life. In the end, I am fortunate to have a job to return to, let alone a job I love.


That is the wrap-up, I will try to post more, if only for me and no one else.
Enjoy the day!

Shopping and Dinner

Again, a fairly productive day. Thought is Saturday, I got up at 7am, went for a walk, cleaned, made breakfast and decorated the house all before 9:30. Though this is probably no small feat for many people out there, I felt pretty good about myself. After that...I was on the road by 10am for my "shopping extravaganza". I went to ten stores (I refuse to go the mall...to overwhelming) and met some girl friends for lunch. I got almost all of our (my husband and I) shopping done and am feeling MUCH better about the upcoming holidays.

And next....dinner with my husband!!! I am so excited for a meal out, we are just going to a local pub---but honestly I can not remember the last time we went out for dinner...and the baby doesn't even arrive until March!! Alas, I am excited to sit, talk and enjoy delicious food.

Morning

I got up at 5:15 this morning...much better. I have been so rushed in the morning, and truthfully, I need to start getting up earlier so that I can a.)be more productive and b.) have some relaxing time prior to work. I know it is not New Years, but this is a resolution on mine.
Enjoy the day!

Thankful

I spent the last few days at my parents house surrounded by my loved ones and comfort. I have a great deal to be thankful for, below is a my "short" list.
1. I have an amazing husband who supports me and loves me unconditionally.
2. I have a large family (both mine and my husbands) who loves me and supports me.
3. I have a beautiful home, a job I adore, a reliable vehicle and all the necessities of life.
4. I am going to be a mother, and my husband a father.
5. I live in a fantastic area, it is very safe and family oriented.
6. Myself, my husband and my family is healthy and happy. Health is a blessing.
7. I have the luxury of worrying about what to buy people for Christmas--my worries, though at times seem overwhelming, would be quite underwhelming to most of the world.
8. I have a wonderful life.

Challenge--I like it!

I like this----I try to read lots of books, however considering how busy I am getting....listening to them on CD (now that my car actually has a CD player) will be a great way to get through some of my "must reads" (which I will be posting later).

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Animal Farm
3. Great Expectations
4. One of the Charlie Bone Series (my students all read them)
5. I will keep this updated!

Saturday

Pretty boring day thus far...and I am ok with that. I was able to sleep in a bit, which for me means 6:30, not 5:30. Had a warm breakfast, got a hair cut and ran some errands. The rest of the day I have spent trying to stay warm and contemplating cleaning. Vacuuming needs to get done, but for some reason I loath the vacuum.
Later, the hubby and I are going out for dinner with his boss and some other co-workers/friends. I only hope I still fit into something slightly cute....I am going to have to break down very shortly and wear my maternity clothes!

What This Outfit Says About You

You are a confident person. You don't need a certain outfit to feel good about yourself. You prefer to stay casual. You rather speak for yourself than have your clothes speak for you. You are energetic and adventurous. You are up for anything, and you love being surprised. You are often cheerful and optimistic. You approach life with curiosity and an open heart. Your high end fashion designer match: Chloe Your must have accessory: A funky red bag

The Outfit Test

Love, Stargirl

So possibly I am to old for adolescent literature, however I loved this book by Jerry Spinelli. It is the sequel to Stargirl, and while I am not usually big on "sequels" (think home alone 2) I really enjoyed this book.

In Love, Stargirl, Stargirl is a bit more grown-up (16) and not quite as eccentric, though she is still her own person. She is trying to figure out how to find and maintain happiness in her new home in Pennsylvania. In her quest to find happiness, she makes a new best friend (a precocious 6 year old) and collects a random assortment of companions who all have their own eccentricities (an agoraphobic, 11 year old tomboy, an elderly man who sit by his wife's grave every day, etc). Along with her new cast of friends, Stargirl also finds a new "like interest", a young man named Perry who is as handsome as he is rebellious.

The book is written in diary form, Stargirl is writing the "worlds longest" letter to her one and only true love--Leo. Throughout the letters Stargirl tells of her trials to find happiness intermixed with her longing for Leo and confusion over her new "like".

In the end, I wish more people were as caring and assure of themselves as Stargirl, this is an excellent read for anyone who is wondering where there place in the world lies or who is struggling to find happiness in the "little things".

Though this book was written for 13 to 16 year old girls, it made me laugh, cry and thank the world that I am who I am.

Enjoy!

Today

I figured I would try this out. I read lots of blogs....so why not make the attempt? Its a quiet morning, I have had my coffee, done some laundry and caught up on some much needed reading. What can it hurt? Plus in approximately 20ish weeks I will be home with a baby, maybe blogging will connect me---or at least give me a creative outlet.