Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 2 of 5 stars (It was okay)


SUMMARY (Source)
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.


MY THOUGHTS
I liked the concept of this novel, however, the love-angst and wolf-riddle were a little drawn out for my liking.

View all my reviews

My New Sewing Table

I feel like an official sewer right now. That's right, no more kitchen table sewing for me! I just came back from picking up a used sewing machine table from Kijiji. It was $20. I'm so thrilled - especially as it is exactly the one that I wanted and I was considering paying much more money from Sears to get one that wasn't as perfect as this one.

This one was sitting in the seller's basement, unloved. It smells a little funky but I thought a nice coat of paint in a fun colour (perhaps lime green or deep red?) would make it a nice accessory to inspire me and my new creations.

What colour would you paint this little beauty if it were you?

These photos are from the Kijiji ad. It will be much less crammed under stuff and more adored in MY house.

Oh, and since the table needs a home, I am going to put it in our spare bedroom in the basement. The same room that I am planning to slowly going to turn into a craft room ...

Redecorating Urge

I work from my home. I get a lot of time to look around and see things that I would love to decorate or reorganize or purge! There is nothing like dreaming and envisioning what to do for our home - especially after inspired by projects done by blogs I follow. To the blog owners who are dedicated to redecorating homes, I ask you ... how do you find the time to sand, paint, and think up your projects? Do you get your hubby's approval or are they easy-going and don't mind coming home to a completely new room redone? I am itching to do a backsplash in my kitchen, something with my main stairs and my daughter's bedroom needs to be princess-if-ied. My son's room could use some furniture repainting but where to find the time?!

Travis's Quilt

I've been working on this project since about May. It is the first quilt I have ever attempted. I decided that Travis (2 years old) needed a quilt for his bedroom from his mommy. He has a queen-size bed. I wanted it reversible for different decor options as he grows older. I made the design up myself and I'm pretty pleased with the results. Here ... let me show you ...


This is what the room looked like before ...



This is the back of the quilt. The design doesn't go with this particular decor but it's an option for the future.

And here is the top view. Don't you love how the border matches the curtains? I found it while on vacation and only went by memory as to the colour of the crutains. I think I did a pretty fine job with the match, if I do say so myself!
Now I need to add a more masculine bed skirt (is that an oxymoron?) and get him some darker stained furniture that will match the headboard. Baby steps. First I have another quilt to finish and it has a November deadline!

Link Parties I've posted my quilt ...

Metamorphasis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Make It for Monday @ Cottage Instincts

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

Market Yourself Monday @ Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Craftastic Monday @ Sew Can Do

Made By You Monday @ Skip to My Lou

Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Anything Related @ All Thingz Related

Menu Plan Monday ~ September 20-24

Here is another Jenny Craig 1200 calorie menu. You don't have to buy the Jenny Craig meals to plan your own versions!


Monday

Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup strawberries
Snack bar
Turkey Burger, Beets
Peach
Turkey with gravy, 1/2 cup vegetables
Lemon Cakes

Tuesday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Turkey Burger, vegetables
Fruit
Chicken Fajitas, 1/2 cup vegetables
Cookies 'n Cream Cheesecake

Wednesday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
1 Can Tuna, Crackers, Cheese, vegetables
Fruit
Pork Chops, 2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 cup vegetables
Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bar

Thursday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Turkey Burger, vegetables
Fruit
Chicken Fettuccini, 1/2 cup vegetables
Yogurt Dream Bar

Friday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Chicken Stuffed Sandwich, vegetables
Fruit
Rising Crust Pizza, 1/2 cup vegetables
S'mores Bar

Saturday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Meatball Stuffed Sandwich, vegetables
Fruit
Turkey with gravy, 1/2 cup vegetables
Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bar

Sunday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Turkey Burger, vegetables
Fruit
Chicken Breast, 2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 cup vegetables
Yogurt Dream Bar

Check out Org Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday ideas.

Vampire Academy - Book Review

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SUMMARY (Source)
Two races of vampires walk our world. The Moroi are alive and wield elemental magical, while the Strigoi are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway--a half-vampire with poor impulse control--is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors...

MY THOUGHTS
I liked that there were two types of vampires and their guardians (who are half-vampire, half-human). It added a new level to a typical vampire story. Written for a teen audience it was good as an adult easy read too.

View all my reviews

Ava's First Day of Junior Kindergarten

I mentioned here about the strange staggered entry our school systems have for first-time kindergarteners. Today was the first full day for my little Ava. Apparently the bus was supposed to drive her to school this morning, however, it didn't show up so Daddy drove her to school. He reported that when he dropped her off she barely kissed him before running off to school. Meanwhile, I was fretting that I provided her with enough food and that we didn't forget anything.

You've already read about how excited I get over the first day of school. Ava's first full-day was no exception. Last night found me ironing labels onto underwear, pants and shirt and sticking food container labels onto everything I prepared her to bring for her two snacks and lunch. My parents were laughing when I indicated how much food I packed for her but I recall as a child being really hungry at school and the child shares my snacking ways. After the fantastic job of packing everything for her, the one thing I forgot or didnt think of was to put her drink inside a plastic bag. Apparently her drink lid lifted and it soaked everything in her bag before she even got into school. How could I not have thought of that - especially when I put her snack in bags of bags?! I was so organized (or so I thought). Tomorrow you can bet everything will have been double-checked for labels and triple bagged! (I know I might still forget something but I'm trying).

With all the confusion, and while waiting for confirmation from the bus company after this morning whether or not she would indeed be bussed home, we forgot to give Ava directions about how she was to return home. Just as hubby (Scott) was leaving to pick her up, I got a phone call from the school telling me that Ava was in the office and nobody had picked her up. When I indicated she was supposed to be on the bus, her teacher told me she didn't put her on because Ava was ADAMANT that her daddy was coming to pick her up. Luckily I was able to catch Scott before he pulled out of the driveway and re-directed him to the school. Good for Ava for being so determined in what she believes is the truth. On the first day of her new school too. I think that takes some guts. I'm secretly proud of her (and snickering when I think about what she is going to put this poor teacher through. It's not just me!).

I'd say this was a pretty good first day of school and I'm glad there were some chuckles as we are working to figure it all out. Now let's hope tomorrow goes smoother as it is officially the first day on the bus!

First Day of School

Yesterday morning I woke up with back-to-school jitters. I've no idea why - I'm not going back to school and my daughter only starts for one hour this Thursday. Maybe it is because summer officially ends (in my mind) when school starts. Perhaps it is that I wish I were going to school myself in some sort of course OR maybe it is all those days as a child playing teacher that I wish I were a teacher. Whatever the reason, this time of year brings about a certain excitement and anxiety that I cannot explain. As the kids start getting older and going to school for real, none of this 1 hour nonsense, I think I'll really start to feel sentimental and probably won't sleep the whole night before.

How do you feel about Fall and the start of school?

Menu Plan Monday ~ September 7-13

On Jenny Craig this week, here is my 1200 calorie menu. You don't have to buy the Jenny Craig meals to plan your own versions!

Tuesday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Meatball Stuffed Sandwich, vegetables
Fruit
Chicken Fajitas, minimum 1/2 cup vegetables
Lemon Cakes

Wednesday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Pesto Pizza, Salad
Fruit
Chicken Pasta Parmesana, 1/2 cup vegetables
Chocolate Walnut Brownie

Thursday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Turkey Burger, vegetables
Fruit
Chicken Carbonara, 1/2 cup vegetables
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Friday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Meatball Stuffed Sandwich, vegetables
Fruit
Rising Crust Pizza, 1/2 cup vegetables
Chocolate Cheesecake

Saturday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Chicken Sandwich, vegetables
Fruit
Meatloaf, 1/2 cup vegetables
Chocolate Walnut Brownie

Sunday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Chicken Stuffed Sandwich, vegetables
Fruit
Turkey with gravy, 1/2 vegetables
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Monday
Cereal, 1 cup milk, 1 fruit
Snack bar
Turkey Burger, vegetables
Fruit
Chicken Fettuccini, 1/2 cup vegetables
Chocolate Cheesecake

Check out Org Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday ideas.

What's Your Favourite Art?

When considering art, I appreciate landscape art. Especially photography. I love a beautiful landscape juxtaposed against a man-made item or the way the photographer sees something through the lense that a normal eye would not easily recognize. It takes my breath away every time.

http://www.dsexls.com/

karltaylorphotographycourses.co.uk

online-digital-photography-course.com

outdoorphoto.co.za

gisphotographic.co.uk

How about you? What is your favourite art or piece of art and why?