More Wordless Wednesday

More Wordless Wednesday

Still trying to figure out how to use it though.

More Wordless Wednesday.

Scribbit is still hosting the Winter Bazaar. This month's theme is Christmas (of course). Here's my contribution.

This was Martha inspired. I made 4 of these a couple of years ago in 2 different sizes. They look great on a mantel.

Looks like snow, doesn't it? I found this on a hilltop while hiking. The name makes me think of Santa.

More Wordless Wednesday

I'm not sure what kind of berry this is but it can't be edible because the birds won't touch them.

More Wordless Wednesday

Happy Halloween!

Do you use any of the online book-cataloguing sites, like Library Thing or Shelfari? Why or why not? (Or . . . do you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking to?? (grin))

If not an online catalog, do you use any other method to catalog your book collection? Excel spreadsheets, index cards, a notebook, anything?

You like free stuff, right? Here are 2 Christmas related contests:

First, Booklogged is giving away Christine Kringle. All you have to do is leave a comment. Ends on Dec 5th.

Noel is here. He arrived late last night and woke me up several times. The radio is reporting a few blown off roofs and trees down in the streets. He's trying hard to rip the gutters off the house and my poor little tree is having a hard time. The wind is making me cranky.

Hurray! I just finished Great Irish Tales of Horror a few minutes ago. A perfect read for Halloween. Lots of spooky stories from great writers. Arachnophobia was a particularly good one. There's a story for every taste, from the realistic to the silly.

So I'm officially done the RIP2 Challenge. Here's how I did:

• The House on the Strand by Daphne DuMaurier
• The Thirteenth Tale (was an alternate for 20th Century Ghosts) by Diane Setterfield
  

I'm feeling like a lazy blogger today. I have things I can blog about but can't get into it. So, I'll use this meme from Dewey to inspire me (hopefully).

Other Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made On had a great idea. Our blogging friend Bookfool (Nancy) is unable to keep up her blog and her Wahoo Wednesdays because of some health issues within her family. So Chris decided to Wahoo Wednesday himself in her honour.

Gourdie says Wahoo!

Wahoo for Bookfool! Hope she's able to Wahoo soon herself. We all miss her.

After standing outside in the cold for 2 hours watching the Santa Claus parade with my daughter, she looked up at me, red nose and all, and said, "I loved the parade. It was fun." I'll forget my frozen fingers and toes but that will stay with me forever. Making memories with my girl is one of the highlights of motherhood for me.

Luis Von Ahn, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University is putting the collective intelligence of internet users to good use, and he's doing it in a resonant way: games. Von Ahn devised two easy online games, The ESP Game and Phetch that put active users together in an internet version of charades. One person sees a photo and tries to give clues for the others to go out and find it.

Caught a post over on adverblog about the launch of a new social networking site for your virtual self, Koinup. The site allows you to connect all of your virtual world experiences in one network- your activities from Second Life, World of Warcraft, The Sims all in one location, where you can post content of your adventures (video of a recent SL trip for example) and browse through the virtual lives of the sites other members.

Well, I bit the bullet and bought that artificial tree. I have to say it looks good. A little see through in parts, but pretty when it's all lit up. I miss the smell though. I even bought a juniper wreath for the smell but it hasn't been working. I'll come up with something.

This week there wasn't a lot of book news out there that caught my interest.

Beer and fries in Denver

Not really, but...

I was breezing right through this month. Topics were flying at me from every which way- until today. I couldn't think of a thing to post about. I think I've run out of things to say. [Gasp!] So let's see, what can I talk about?

-I've got a good bite out of my Christmas shopping. Of course, I have the hardest ones left to buy for.
-I had the sudden urge to paint something today. Not art, window ledges.
-I'm struggling with Bleak House.
-I'm enjoying Chocloat.

Since it's the beginning of November, I think it's a good time to see how I'm progressing with my reading challenges.

• RIP 2 Challenge. 4/4. Done. Hurray!
• The Something About Me Challenge. 4/10. This challenge ends December 31. Epp! I better get on that.
• The TBR Challenge. 8/12 (2/5 Alternates). I don't think I'm going to finish this one. It ends December 31 as well.
  

Stephanie at Confessions tagged me for a meme. This one requires relying on ones memory. Oh boy, not always reliable.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Getting ready for my first Christmas in my first house!
2. Working at the Dollar Store (Worst Job Ever)
3. Enjoying being engaged
4. Meeting my baby niece-to-be who I ended up being a nanny to
5. Driving an old Bronco (my man won it at a police auction)

International Children's Day coincides with Children's Book Week. I don't know if this was on purpose or not but it certainly brings to children's literacy around the world. I recently read this article about declining reading skills in the US. There was a lot of information in the report sited in the article but one ray of hope appeared regarding 9 year olds:

The true test of a marriage happens during the Christmas season. My husband and I are just two boring white folks. You’d think combining our traditions wouldn’t be complicated but Christmas emphasizes our differences. It’s funny the things we hang onto from our childhoods. Remember that Friends Thanksgiving episode where Monica has to make different styles of potatoes to please everyone? I know one couple who makes two different batches of cabbage rolls. A cabbage roll is a cabbage roll, right? Not so.

Since this week is TD Canadian Children's Book Week (Nov 17-24) and I have a child, I thought I'd write a review of a book we both enjoy.

Poppet Coco arrived in the mail last week.

The way her head is tilted, it gives me the impression that she's a bit of a diva.

Gourdie ought to know better.

Detective investigates suspicious disappearance: man-eating couch.

Ten days left! Have you bought anyone books for Christmas? Planning to? What's on your wishlist?

There are a few book links this week. Here we go!