Hootin' and Hollerin'

I've reviewed another children's book. Yippeee!

I'm still testing the waters with this writing gig, so any feedback is greatly appreciated. In the meantime, I'm having fun posting content for books that I'd be reading anyway. The litmus test is, if a book gets the "read it again!" from the five-year-old, I'll give it a write-up.

Bink and Gollie: Opposites attract, even in friendship

I have review up at examiner.com for this fabulous children's book, Bink and Gollie. Thanks for taking a look.

Home Ec Flashbacks

My mother-in-law gifted to me these lovely publications from a thrift store: a 1979 issue of Simplicity's 76 Great Gifts and a 1986 Wilton Baking and Decorating Yearbook. Inspiring....

"Disco devotees will enjoy the newest attire--a sequined bowtie for him or her."

Remember these wall hangings?!

I wonder if this Fabric of the Month Club still exists? Let's write them at PO Box 402098, Miami Beach, FL 33140

Oh, yeah.....

I've always wondered what to do with the top of a fresh pineapple....

There really are some timeless tips in these, er, artful books. Embroidery stitches, how to make a flower petal with icing. I can envision the terrycloth exercise mat tutorial as an updated Yoga mat. And, who knows, maybe sequined bow ties will be making a comeback??? {Wouldn't it be funny if I made all the projects and blogged about it, a la Julie & Julia? ha ha ha}

Found Book

ounting Rhymes. Amazing what you find when you go through the bookshelves in your own home. The pages were so worn and yellow (but smelled, ah, terrific) and the cover was falling off, so I decided to frame it. I think I will go back and paint the frame white....

Frog/Toad

Lesson learned: I will never again judge a book by it's cover, or discriminate against amphibian main characters. The Frog and Toad books are adorable! Short, sweet stories of friendship with just the right amount of mood and humor. We have the collection, which consisits of about 15 stories - Kennedy asks for her favorites by name. She knew about these books from school. (And to think my batrachophobia almost banned this children's literature from my house for eternity!) I was even able to read some at the dinner table the other night - RIGHT BY MY FOOD. What if this is the first step in overcoming my fear of frogs?!?!? Face your fears, and all that, right Frog? Right, Toad?

“Irreverent and captivating.”

That about sums it up, thanks Amazon.com. Heather Armstrong, blogger extraordinaire, made an appearance last night at Austin’s BookPeople for a reading and book signing for It Sucked And Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita. When Turner volunteered to pick up Kennedy from school so I could go, I almost cried myself! I thought: I can mosey on down to the book store, have a cup of coffee, browse around, maybe pop in to Anthropology next door, get some much needed alone time….. No. By the time I fought traffic, purchased the book, and realized that this was an EVENT, with wristbands, lines, and hundreds of mom’s vying for the best seat in the house, I decided to just grab a folding chair and sit and wait. Luckily for me, I sat next to someone with a kindle and got to stare enviously at this strange new contraption. Everyone around her was oohing and aahing, asking for a better look. It was pretty slick, I must say.

I digress….. So, at 7 p.m., Heather is intro"dooce"d (ha ha). She came down the stairs, big-belly-pregnant with her hubby, Jon, by her side. I think that surprised everyone, and it was really nice that he came. It made the reading that much more entertaining watching the two of them interact in bizarre Armstrong fashion.

First she read a passage from her book about sex after vaginal birth. (Hysterical.)

Then she read her favorite blog post from the past year, about slapping sheep butt. (Cute.)

Then there was an audience Q&A which lasted about 45 minutes. Some of the best questions: Do you feel like a celebrity now? She said sometimes, when she’s recognized in her hometown of Salt Lake City. When I met her at the signing table, I said, “You know you’re a celebrity if you’re on Oprah!” She looked so humbled, like she didn’t want to believe it, but its true! You & I aren’t on Oprah and probably never will be, right? She was also asked some writing questions, like how do you come up with content. She said writer’s block is hard, physically painful even, and that music helps. As for her awesome photography, she revealed her house is usually that clean, but sometimes she photoshops out dog hair and has been known to trim her dog’s nails this way as well. That’s what’s so endearing about her – you’re left wondering what’s more bizarre: that she spends half an hour digitally removing her dog’s toenails instead of just clipping them, or that she openly admits to doing so?

A Little Novella

Just a little book I picked up and started reading. 817 pages. I think it's funny that that books are essentially my life outside family and work, yet I haven't posted anything about them here on BTAIM yet.

I'm 423 pages in, and it's starting to get good again. There was a weird shift from family drama to agriculture and communist drama. Now it's back to the romance.

I find it easier to keep the characters straight by aligning them with people I know in real life. I'll protect the innocent though....

Side note: when I mentioned I was reading this fun little Oprah selection (I had completely forgotten about her endorsement, by the way, until searching for an image of the cover art) to my Russian friends they admitted to not having ever read it themselves. One got about half-way. I have to finish. I will finish. Eventually.