I thought it was about time for me to post another "What I've been reading" for the year of 2009. I'll put the ones that got 5 stars in italics. There's lots of good 4 stars in there too. The scale is:
1 STAR. Did not like at all
2 STARS. It was ok
3 STARS. I liked it
4 STARS. I really liked it
5 STARS. It was Amazing
And here we go:
January:
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky 4 STARS
The Art of Growing up by Veronique Vienne 3 STARS
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 3 STARS
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer 3 STARS
Running with Angels by Pamela Hansen 3 STARS
Maus I and II by Art Speigelman 3 STARS
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin 3 STARS
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 5 STARS
February:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 5 STARS
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff 5 STARS
Mutiny's Daughter by Ann Rinaldi 3 STARS
Sold by Patricia McCormick 5 STARS
An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina 5 STARS
Book Crush, Book Lust and More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl 4 STARS
March:
Monkeys by Susan Minot 4 STARS
Blindness by Jose Saramago 4 STARS
April:
The Ox-bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark 2 STARS
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner 3 STARS
Visual Chronicles by Linda Woods 5 STARS
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman 4 STARS
A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren 4 STARS
My Last Supper by Melanie Dunea 4 STARS
84 Charring Cross Road by Helene Hanff 4 STARS
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch 3 STARS
May:
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt 4 STARS
The Art of Being a Woman by Veronique Vienne 3 STARS
Do you Believe: Conversations on God by Antonio Monda 2 STARS
Who Moved my Cheese by Spencer Johnson 2 STARS
June:
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson 4 STARS
Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts 4 STARS
I was a Really Good Mom Before I had kids by Trisha Ashworth 2 STARS
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines 2 STARS
July:
A Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks 3 STARS
The Shack by William P. Young 2 STARS
Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin 4 STARS
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 4 STARS
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 4 STARS
August:
The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman 2 STARS
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 2 STARS
September:
Almost French:Love and Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull 4 STARS
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson 2 STARS
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 5 STARS
October:
Geekspeak How Life + Mathematics = Happiness by Graham Tattersall 5 STARS
Tales of a Female nomad by Rita Golden Gelman 2 STARS
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs 3 STARS
90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper 2 STARS
November:
The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank 2 STARS
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss 4 STARS
Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman 4 STARS
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck 5 STARS
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 4 STARS
December: (almost finished with these two, I'm thinking 3-4 stars maybe)
The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Not done, will have to finish in 2010:
Dough: a Memoir by Mort Zachter
Home Comforts: The art and science of keeping house by Cheryl Mendelson
Yes, that's 55 books if I counted that right!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
9 years!
I'm finally getting caught up with my October posts. Vivian's birthday was Oct. 16th, but we were going to be gone to California then. So, here she is opening a present from her Grandma before we left. We had pumpkin pie that night to celebrate.
Then at Aunt Marie's house in California we celebrated with my favorite, Ice Cream Fudge cake, which I'll post the recipe below in the comments. Just substitue the coffee ice cream for whatever flavor you like best! It's the ultimate in indulgence.... Anyways, this was the day that Vivian spent being sick, and therefore the in her pajamas picture.
Then here she is on her ACTUAL birthday, she chose this pink donut for breakfast:
And here she is at the park, which by the way, she's wearing her present she recieved from her Grandma up above, a new outfit!
Here she is with the cake she chose in California, she picked it because it had 9 cherries on top, and after all, she was turning 9 years old!
Then, we get back home. I had promised her a birthday party with friends, but I couldn't do it until Halloween day, since I'd be in training the next two weeks late every night. So, we finally set it to go to Pirate's Island with just a few of her friends. I wasn't up to the whole invite everyone over that you know and have a "Masquerade" party that she really wanted. But she did get the mask she's wearing from Aunt Marie for her birthday, perfect for her pink Princess Masquerade costume which she wore for Halloween too.
Vivian and the "face painting" we had done at the party. These were mermaid scales and glitter they all had done on their faces.
The girls with all their booty from the party:
Vivian opening presents, she sure knows how to pose!
And each girl got a bag full of jewelry that I found 75% off at the Target Dollar Spot, seriously good deals!
Happy Birthday Vivian, you are seriously the light of all of our lives!
Then at Aunt Marie's house in California we celebrated with my favorite, Ice Cream Fudge cake, which I'll post the recipe below in the comments. Just substitue the coffee ice cream for whatever flavor you like best! It's the ultimate in indulgence.... Anyways, this was the day that Vivian spent being sick, and therefore the in her pajamas picture.
Then here she is on her ACTUAL birthday, she chose this pink donut for breakfast:
And here she is at the park, which by the way, she's wearing her present she recieved from her Grandma up above, a new outfit!
Here she is with the cake she chose in California, she picked it because it had 9 cherries on top, and after all, she was turning 9 years old!
Then, we get back home. I had promised her a birthday party with friends, but I couldn't do it until Halloween day, since I'd be in training the next two weeks late every night. So, we finally set it to go to Pirate's Island with just a few of her friends. I wasn't up to the whole invite everyone over that you know and have a "Masquerade" party that she really wanted. But she did get the mask she's wearing from Aunt Marie for her birthday, perfect for her pink Princess Masquerade costume which she wore for Halloween too.
Vivian and the "face painting" we had done at the party. These were mermaid scales and glitter they all had done on their faces.
The girls with all their booty from the party:
Vivian opening presents, she sure knows how to pose!
And each girl got a bag full of jewelry that I found 75% off at the Target Dollar Spot, seriously good deals!
Happy Birthday Vivian, you are seriously the light of all of our lives!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Mr. President
So, while we were in California, if you are from a family of CONSERVATIVE Republicans, the thing to do is visit the Reagan Library. Kalel was so funny, when we got there, he wondered when we were going to check out books. I had to explain to him, this was more like a museum
Of course, the kids favorite part was getting a tour of Air Force one. Did you know Ronald Reagan LOVED JellyBelly's, and had them all over the airplane in little jars. He didn't allow smoking on the plane, so this was to help those that needed something to chew on too, I guess.
Walking down the hall, I saw this lifesize picture of him:
And I LOVED this Collage:
I had to get this picture of a gift from Imelda Marcos to the Reagans, kind of cool, the mother of pearl chair:
And I LOVE old pictures like this. This is Nancy Reagan as a child, and I didn't know that both her and HER mother were actresses.
This is a picture of Keilani outside with this "REAL" piece of the Berlin Wall.
And they had this fake wall up that children on field trips can come and color on, once a week, they paint over it, and we arrived just as they were doing so.
I'm a sucker for a good quote:
And my favorite part, coming out and seeing THIS in the parking lot! It was before Halloween after all. I'm SO doing this next year, it's just a tshirt over the seat, and then a mask on top of the headreast!
Of course, the kids favorite part was getting a tour of Air Force one. Did you know Ronald Reagan LOVED JellyBelly's, and had them all over the airplane in little jars. He didn't allow smoking on the plane, so this was to help those that needed something to chew on too, I guess.
Walking down the hall, I saw this lifesize picture of him:
And I LOVED this Collage:
I had to get this picture of a gift from Imelda Marcos to the Reagans, kind of cool, the mother of pearl chair:
And I LOVE old pictures like this. This is Nancy Reagan as a child, and I didn't know that both her and HER mother were actresses.
This is a picture of Keilani outside with this "REAL" piece of the Berlin Wall.
And they had this fake wall up that children on field trips can come and color on, once a week, they paint over it, and we arrived just as they were doing so.
I'm a sucker for a good quote:
And my favorite part, coming out and seeing THIS in the parking lot! It was before Halloween after all. I'm SO doing this next year, it's just a tshirt over the seat, and then a mask on top of the headreast!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Malibu Beach
Here's the pictures from our stop at the beach in Malibu, I love driving down that coastal highway and seeing beach after beach, and the BEACH HOUSES! Yeah, I could see myself living there. Well, anywhere with a beach really!
Ken wrestling with his brother:
Vivian loved it the most, she's the only one that would submit to getting buried:
I had to take a picture of this, her money in her pocket was getting soaked so I had to put her "birthday" money in her shoe.
Ken and the kids had fun digging a hole, and I never knew you could find water just a foot under the sand, kind of cool! And muddy....
Ken wrestling with his brother:
Vivian loved it the most, she's the only one that would submit to getting buried:
I had to take a picture of this, her money in her pocket was getting soaked so I had to put her "birthday" money in her shoe.
Ken and the kids had fun digging a hole, and I never knew you could find water just a foot under the sand, kind of cool! And muddy....
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
This wedding
So, we went to California to see these two get married:
Kens brother, and now his wife Erin, AMAZING.
It was held at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, beautiful setting, I'd love to go back and explore that area someday.
Unfortunately, Kalel was sick on the day of the wedding:
So, he spent most of the day sitting like this:
It was fun to meet up again with people like this: Who's wedding we were just at in LGB a year ago!
and this dude from the Philippines, hi JASON!
The girls looked as beautiful as ever, I had fun shopping for their dresses!
Keilani obviously looked like she was over 21 as they kept offering her champagne.
Ken said the boys look like UPS drivers, I said, I don't care, I like the brown, and hey, we have a Halloween costume for next year if we can convince them that UPS drivers would be a cool thing to be:
I spent most of the night out here on the balcony with the boys, since laying down was the rest that Kalel and ZANE needed. But that's ok, it was really a magical place to be, I'd love a balcony like this in my future dream home!
Here's Ken looking good in his best man's outfit:
And a few other favorite pics:
It was a beautiful night, I wish Erin and Mike the best in life. (and can't wait til they start making babies, HA HA!)
Kens brother, and now his wife Erin, AMAZING.
It was held at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, beautiful setting, I'd love to go back and explore that area someday.
Unfortunately, Kalel was sick on the day of the wedding:
So, he spent most of the day sitting like this:
It was fun to meet up again with people like this: Who's wedding we were just at in LGB a year ago!
and this dude from the Philippines, hi JASON!
The girls looked as beautiful as ever, I had fun shopping for their dresses!
Keilani obviously looked like she was over 21 as they kept offering her champagne.
Ken said the boys look like UPS drivers, I said, I don't care, I like the brown, and hey, we have a Halloween costume for next year if we can convince them that UPS drivers would be a cool thing to be:
I spent most of the night out here on the balcony with the boys, since laying down was the rest that Kalel and ZANE needed. But that's ok, it was really a magical place to be, I'd love a balcony like this in my future dream home!
Here's Ken looking good in his best man's outfit:
And a few other favorite pics:
It was a beautiful night, I wish Erin and Mike the best in life. (and can't wait til they start making babies, HA HA!)
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
What's been up
I sort of got lost there for a bit. I spent the last two weeks of October in training at work until 2AM for a new Reservations System. Now that I am done, I look back on that time as a blur. I was a walking zombie. Seriously, the kids would ask something of me, and I'd be all, "HUH?" I got a bunch of frozen meals for them to eat like Stouffers Lasagna, because even when I was awake during the day, I wasn't really "all there" to deal with things like dinner and Carpool. Ken stepped in a lot and took over for me, thank you Ken.
I've been busy collecting more books I hardly have time to read, lol! I discovered the Orem Library puts all new books out for their book sale the 1st day of the month, and have gone back both days to "collect" books. Then there's always paperbackswap and swaptree where I swap out my old books for new ones on my wish list. Here's my most recent new stack:
As for the kids, Zane has been as crazy as ever. I can't say enough how much I love still having a 3 year old "baby" around. The oldest children you can't wait for them to grow up. But the youngest ones, you just ENJOY to the fullest.
If you look real close you can see where the boys have their little leaf "nest"
Then, just for fun, my most recent acquisitions.
A picture frame from Rodworks, yeah, ignore the 2 girls in the picture, I haven't found the perfect 5x7 to put in there:
And then, you know when you find something you just LOVE, and you HAVE to have it. I saw an ad for the store Tuesday Morning that they had the Autumn Leaves line in, and I just had to go check it out. The girls at Archivers know how much I LOVE this paper line, see, I even have this organizer made with the paper in my office/scrapbook room. (made at Archivers)
So, when they had this tote, I had to get it....
and this one, because you never know when you might want a smaller bag with a little bit of wicker:
and then this one, what if you just want black and white, no red!
And guess what, they were all no more than $8.00 each.
Coming up next, pictures from our vacation to Cali, Vivian's birthday and more happenings from October.
I've been busy collecting more books I hardly have time to read, lol! I discovered the Orem Library puts all new books out for their book sale the 1st day of the month, and have gone back both days to "collect" books. Then there's always paperbackswap and swaptree where I swap out my old books for new ones on my wish list. Here's my most recent new stack:
As for the kids, Zane has been as crazy as ever. I can't say enough how much I love still having a 3 year old "baby" around. The oldest children you can't wait for them to grow up. But the youngest ones, you just ENJOY to the fullest.
If you look real close you can see where the boys have their little leaf "nest"
Then, just for fun, my most recent acquisitions.
A picture frame from Rodworks, yeah, ignore the 2 girls in the picture, I haven't found the perfect 5x7 to put in there:
And then, you know when you find something you just LOVE, and you HAVE to have it. I saw an ad for the store Tuesday Morning that they had the Autumn Leaves line in, and I just had to go check it out. The girls at Archivers know how much I LOVE this paper line, see, I even have this organizer made with the paper in my office/scrapbook room. (made at Archivers)
So, when they had this tote, I had to get it....
and this one, because you never know when you might want a smaller bag with a little bit of wicker:
and then this one, what if you just want black and white, no red!
And guess what, they were all no more than $8.00 each.
Coming up next, pictures from our vacation to Cali, Vivian's birthday and more happenings from October.
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