Saturday Snapshot 12/18/2010

Gingerbread Fun house and Carousel

Every year the resort in town hosts a gingerbread house contest.  This one was my favorite.

What I Want

I've been meaning to do some kind of wish list here, but with work and school and the kids I haven't had the time.  So now, even though Christmas is less than 10 days away, here is my list:

Hot Topic has this cute hat/scarf/mittens all in one at their shops, but I don't see it online.  They have buffalo, dogs, bunnies, etc, but I love the leopard.  Fun AND practical.  $34.99

Bath and Body Works  These cute socks are infused with shea (which smells amazing) and peppermint.  They're also available in other scents and infused with lavender or vanilla.  A steal at $5.

        


Homedics Squishy Pillow
I love these pillows.  My last one ran into an tragic accident with the vacuum and I haven't been able to find another Homedics brand until now.  They're $9.99 at Bath and Body Works and only $8 with the 20% off coupon Bath and Body Works always sends in the mail.






Barnes and Noble





I love making lists and I love music.  It seems like my life has a soundtrack.  This book looks like a lot of fun.  $16.95.


Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books.  I'm trying to convert all my paperbacks into nice books like the ones in this collection that Barnes and Noble has.  Last year I got the works of Jane Austen.  This year I want Alice.  $19.99




Lush

$34.95 a sparkling gold star filled with 6 of the Christmas bath bombs.  I got one a few years ago and the star was silver then.  I've kept it and I'd love to have the gold to match.  Not to mention the bath bombs are the best! 




I'd also like a ceramic hair straightener but I don't know much about them and I'm open to suggestions on which brand is good.


That's my wishlist for this year.  What are you hoping to find under the tree?

2011 Debut Authors Reading Challenge

In 2011 I am participating in the Debut Authors Challenge  hosted by The Story Siren.  I plan to read 12 books by debut author’s with books that come out in 2011.  For full details on the challenge and a list of books coming out by new authors in 2011 check out The Story Siren blog.

The books I am planning to read are:

1.        Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

2.       Vesper by Jeff Sampson

3.       Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

4.       Wither by Lauren DeStefano

5.       The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney

6.       Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

7.       Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton

8.       Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

9.       Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer

10.   The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

11.   Half-blood by Jennifer Armentrout

12.   The Coven’s Daughter by Lucy Jago

  I will update here as I read the books.

One more day of school....

One more day of classes for this semester and then I will be on to update with my reading challenges for 2011 as well as some other fun posts.  In case I don't get on before Christmas, Happy Holidays everyone.

Gold Canyon Winner

A winner has been chosen using random number generator.  The winner is

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

32 

Timestamp: 2010-12-17 04:58:54 UTC

Which is:

Arianah Watts said...

I follow you on twitter as arianah_00 #2. Arianah_00@hotmail.com

November 27, 2010 7:27 PM

I will be emailing Arianah to claim her prize.  If I don't get a response another winner will be chosen.

Congratulations Arianah!

P.S. If anyone can tell me how to make the little Random Number embed thing show up in my post I'd really appreciate it.

Gold Canyon Candle Scents/Products that Will be Out of Season in January

The following Gold Canyon Candle items are seasonal and will be unavailable beginging January 1st.  Be sure to place any oders for these items by the end of this month.

HERITAGE LINE:

Gingerbread House
Mrs. Claus’s Kitchen
Peppermint Bark
Pool Towel
Christmas Presence
Coconut Lime Verbena
Cozy Christmas
Days of Christmas
Juicy Pear
Orange Mango
Orange Vanilla
Pink Lemonade Spritzer
Cinnamon Garland
Cozy Cabin
Kings Myrrh
Sleigh Ride
Water Garden

BELLA LINE:
Lilac
Apple Spice
Birthday Cake
Cinnamon
Pool Towel
Cozy Christmas
Fresh Orange
Love Struck
Pineapple Coast
Cozy Cabin

SPECIALTY CANDLES:
Pink Sugar Cookie

TEALIGHTS:
Apple Spice
Birthday Cake
Cedar Woods
Citrus Garden Herbs
Cobbler on the Roof
Cozy Christmas
Cranberry Orange
Fabulous Fudge Brownie
Fresh Orange
Holiday Wreath
Mulled Cider
Pineapple Coast
Quiet Moments
Sparkling Apricot
Vanilla Latte
Warm Apple Crisp
Warm Welcome

VOTIVES:
Apple Spice
Cinnamon
Cozy Christmas
Fresh Orange
Lilac
Love Struck
Pumpkin Pie
Sleigh Ride
Sugar Cookie
SCENT PODS:
Candy Corn
Cinnamon Garland
Citrus Garden Herbs
Coconut Lime Verbena
Cotton Splash
Cozy Cabin
Cozy Christmas
Days of Christmas
Gingerbread House
Juicy Pear
Mint Mocha
Peppermint Bark
Pillow Talk
Pool Towel
Refresh
Revitalize
Serenity
Sleigh Ride
Vanilla
Vanilla Latte

FRAGRANCE OILS:
Cozy Christmas

Gold Canyon Candle Scents/Products that are being discontinued in January

The Spring catalogs are out and there are many new and exciting scents and products.  Be sure to check the website after January 1st for the new items.

Gold Canyon Candles is discontinuing many scents/products.  Please review the list and if they're discontinuing any of your favorites be sure to place an order by the end of the month as this will be your last chance.

I will also be posting a list of items that will be out of season, therefore, unavailable for an unknown span of time beginging January 1st.

HERITAGE:

Heather and Hyacinth
Jasmine
Marigold
Rose
Tangerine & Spice
Vanilla
Cotton Splash
Fresh Denim
Currant
Grapefruit Splash
Sunrise Tangelo
Spruce & Citrus

BELLA:
Spruce & Citrus

BOUTIQUE CHIC:
Amber & Vintage Bouquet
Powder & Violet Fleur
White Sage & Rose Noir
Woods & Vanilla Romantique

CAFFE VELLUTO:
Mint Mocha
Vanilla Latte

COMFORTS OF HOME:
Citrus Garden Herbs
Cobbler on the Porch
Living Room
Pillow Talk
Quiet Moments
Warm Welcome

SOY CANDLES:
Refresh
Revitalize
Serenity

SPECIALTY:
Iced Bayberry
Roasted White Peppercorn
Sugared Vanilla Bean
Candy Cane
Candy Corn
Brown Sugar Spookie
Cider Brew
Pumpkin Pie


TEALIGHTS:
White Sage & Rose Noir
Woods & Vanilla Romantique

SCENT PODS:
Amber & Vintage Boquet
Currant
Fresh Denim
Grapefruit Splash
Heather & Hyacinth
Jasmine
Living Room
Marigold
Powder & Violet Fleur
Spruce & Citrus
Sunrise Tangelo
White Sage & Rose Noir
Woods & Vanilla Romantique

How Well Read Are You?

This list was compiled by the BBC and includes classic and contemporary titles that if read would make you well read. I love doing this kind of thing


According to the BBC, most people have not read more than 6 books found on this list.

Instructions:

•Copy this list.

•Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety.

•Italicise the ones you started but didn’t finish or read only an excerpt.

•Tag other book nerds.

•Underline the ones that you have but haven't read. They are probably in your TBR stack/on your shelf at the back because someone said you should read them.

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien

Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

Harry Potter series – JK Rowling


To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee


The King James Bible

Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell

His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman

Great Expectations – Charles Dickens


Little Women – Louisa M Alcott

Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy

Catch 22 – Joseph Heller

Complete Works of Shakespeare

Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier

The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien

Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk

Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger

The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

Middlemarch – George Eliot

Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh

Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

David Copperfield – Charles Dickens

Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis


Emma -Jane Austen


Persuasion – Jane Austen

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis


The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres

Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden

Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne

Animal Farm – George Orwell


The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving

The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins

Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery

Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood

Lord of the Flies – William Golding

Atonement – Ian McEwan

Life of Pi – Yann Martel

Dune – Frank Herbert

Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons

Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth

The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

Brave New World – Aldous Huxley

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon

Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck

Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov

The Secret History – Donna Tartt

The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold

Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas (en francais)

On The Road – Jack Kerouac

Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy

Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding

Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie

Moby Dick – Herman Melville

Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens


Dracula – Bram Stoker

The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett


Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson

Ulysses – James Joyce

The Inferno – Dante

Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome

Germinal – Emile Zola (en francais)

Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray

Possession – AS Byatt

Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

The Color Purple – Alice Walker

The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro

Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert (en francais)

A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry

Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White

The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton

Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad

The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery (en francais)

The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks

Watership Down – Richard Adams

A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole

A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute

The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas (en francais)

Hamlet – William Shakespeare

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

Les Miserables – Victor Hugo (en francais)


I have completed 35 and read portions of several others. How many have you read?

Gold Canyon Candles GIVEAWAY!!!!

Gold Canyon Candles is the original 2-wick candle company. There are two safety wicks to burn evenly and prevent tunneling, thus eliminating wasted wax. Gold Canyon Candles are made to burn longer and maintain their scent while scenting every room of the house. GCC has over 600 products and 100 different scents. Here is a sampling of some of what GCC has to offer:

 Tea Light Snow Bell

A beautiful holiday tealight holder to liven up your holiday table.  $14.48

Heritage 16 oz Candle

Comes in over 60 fragrances and has a burn time of 120-140 hours.   $15.98

I'm currently burning Mulled Harvest, "a traditional autumn scent that captures boiling spices on the stove mixed with apples, berries, brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and pumpkin."  Also perfect for this time of year: Pumpkin Pie, Gingerbread House, Iced Bayberry, and Mrs. Claus's Kitchen.

Pod Warmers

GCC Pod Warmes are easy to use, come with an automatic timer

and come in a variety of styles to fit any personality.  Use with

scent pods which come in over 80 fragrances.

 Gold Canyon Candles also has fragrance oils, soy candles, room spray and skin care.

Gold Canyon Candles is having a sale from now til Monday, 11/29/10. For free shipping with orders over $75 enter HOLIDEALSHIP at checkout. For free shipping AND $5 off orders over $95 enter the promo code HOLIDEALSHIP5. For free shipping and $10 off orders over $125 enter HOLIDEALSHIP10 at checkout. For free shipping and $15 off orders over $175 enter HOLIDEALSHIP15 at checkout.

I am giving away a 16 oz Heritage Gold Canyon Candle in the scent of the winners choice.  Retail value of $15.98.  The winner will be chose by random number generator on December 15th at 11:59.  Winner will  be notified by email.  In the event I don't hear from winner withing 48 hours a backup will be chosen.  Winner will be posted here as well.  This giveaway is only open to people in the United States.

Mandatory Entry



Go to Gold Canyon Candles and tell me what scent you would choose if you win.  Make sure that you leave a way for me to contact you if you win.  This entry must be completed before any bonus entries are counted. 

Bonus Entries

5 extra entries go to Gold Canyon Candles and sign up for my mailing list.  Come back here and leave a comment with the email address you signed up under.  (Leave 5 seperate comments for this entry)

15 extra entries go to Gold Canyon Candles and purchase any item, then come back here and let me know you ordered.  (Leave 15 seperate comments for this entry)

1 entry go to Gold Canyon Candles and come back here and comment with something you learned.

1 entry go to Gold Canyon Candles and tell me another item that I haven't posted here that you'd like to have.

2 entries follow  my blog on Google Friend Connect (leave 2 seperate comments for this entry)

2 entries follow my blog with Networked Blogs (leave 2 seperate comments for this entry)

3 entries for subscribing to my blog (leave 3 seperate comments for this entry)

2 entries follow me on twitter engelsigh and comment with your twitter username (leave 2 seperate entries for this entry)

1 extra entry tweet about this giveaway and come back here and leave a link to your tweet.  This can be done once a day.

1 extra entry for any of my other posts you comment on and then come back here telling me you commented and where.

5 extra entries, make a blog post about this giveaway and comment with a link to your blog (leave 5 seperate comments for this entry)

3 extra entries post this giveaway to any giveaway site or mr Linky giveaway event.  Post the link to the event (leave 3 seperate comments for this giveaway).



Pickle Lip Balm

A pretty well known fact about me is that I love pickles. Yum! I even sometimes eat pickles for breakfast. I have fond memories of the dill my grandmother grew in her garden.

Some time ago doing a pickle lip balm search (yes, I was actually searching for pickle lip balm – I had gotten pizza flavored lip balm from My Lip Stuff – it’s gross, lol). In my searching I re-stumbled across Archie McPhee & Co. They have pickle lip balm, pickle soap, pickle flavored mints, pickle gumballs, pickle floss, and a ton of other pickle items.

Additionally they have bacon lip balm, nacho lip balm, and corn dog lip balm. They have Thanksgiving gum balls that taste like turkey, cranberry and pumpkin pie.

They are also the home of the crazy cat lady action figure.

I’d love to try some of their weird flavored items. How ‘bout you?

New Books

So far today has been a good day. I cleaned out my pantry this morning and got rid of everything that was expired. The Lions Club did a food drive today, which was my incentive for cleaning the pantry. After dropping of the goods, we headed to a used bookstore that opened 8 months ago, that I wasn’t aware of until this week. SCORE! I was able to bring in 2 boxes of books that have been sitting in the closet for months, while I waited for Bookmans to reopen in Flagstaff (still hasn’t happened yet). After the book store we went to the Disabled American Veterans thrift store to peruse their massive book selection.


My findings are:

The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner) by Jill Conner Browne

When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice

Grave Surprise (Harper Connelly Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris

A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray

Wuthering Bites by Sarah Gray

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Countdown (Eve Duncan) by Iris Johansen

The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne

Bandits by Elmore Leonard

A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs

Exit to Eden by Anne Rampling

Nightwalker (Dark Days, Book 1) by Jocelynn Drake

The Association by Bentley Little

The Rook (Patrick Bowers Files, Book 2) by Steven James

Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

The Devil's Playground (Morgan Kingsley, Book 5) by Jenna Black

God Save the Sweet Potato Queens by Jill Conner Browne

The Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, or Dead by Jill Conner Browne

The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook
Not to mention baby got six books off my trades and his parents got some too. I’m set with books for a pretty while.

Tonight we go to baby’s parents’ house for ribs. Dinner with family is the perfect way to end an already good day.

NAU trip

I made the long drive up to NAU to meet with my academic advisor. Baby’s dad went with me. We went to Olive Garden for lunch. They have the best salad and bread sticks. Yum!

The campus is beautiful always, but this time of year it was especially lovely. There are so many trees, and the leaves were in various shades of red, orange and yellow.

I arrived early for my appointment so I was able to check out the campus a little bit, including the bookstore. The campus was hopping as its homecoming weekend. I really wish that I had gone to college and lived in the dorms and did things more the traditional way. Don’t get me wrong, I loved most of my professors at my community college. I also didn’t know what I wanted to be at that age. Yet still, I feel like there are things I missed out on by starting university life at 30 as opposed to 18.

My meeting went well. I don’t have much longer to go. Even if I go part time I should be able to graduate in 2013. I have a few classes to fulfill Arizona requirements, but everything else I’m going to be taking now is all related to my major. I’m well on my way to a career in Social Work.

Mmmmmmm.... It's time for pumpkin pie!

This must-have Gold Canyon fragrance is a traditional holiday favorite and is available in both Heritage candles and Scent Pods. The perfect gift for your family and friends or your Thanksgiving dinner host!

Order your Pumpkin Pie candles and Scent Pods online now!

Breast Cancer Awareness Candle

Gold Canyon Candles is donating 10% of all sales of their special 16 oz Pink sugar cookie candle to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Monies go to breast cancer research, education and prevention. The candle has a burn time of 120-140 hours. If you'd like to help the cause you can buy a candle here.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Finished:


Tithe - Holly Black

Valient - Holly Black

Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith

Currently Reading:

Ironside - Holly Black
Shiver - Maggie Stievfater

She's Not There - Jennifer Boylan Finney

Next in line:

Hourglass - Claudia Gray
 
Burned - P.C. Cast & Kirsten Cast
 
Tempted - P.C. Cast & Kirsten Cast

69 out of 100 books read for 2010 so far

January


1. "Breathless" by Dean Koontz 337 pages

2. "Back Roads" by Tawni O'Dell 338 pages

3. "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult 387 pages

4. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold 328 pages

5. "Sandcastles" by Luanne Rice 336 pages



February

6. "Intoducing Jung" by Maggie Hyde and Michael McGuinness 171 pages

7. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell 579 pages

8. "Promise Me" by Harlan Coben 487 pages

9. "The Scarpetta Factor" by Patricia Cornwell 492 pages

10. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer 629 pages



March

11. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer 754 pages

12. "Evermore" by Alyson Noel 306 pages

13. "Relentless" by Dean Koontz 356 pages

14. "Marked" by PC Cast & Kristin Cast 306 pages

15. "Four to Score" by Janet Evanovich 338 pages

16. "High Five" by Janet Evanovich 317 pages

17. "Betrayed" by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast 310 pages



April

18. "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris 312 pages

19. "Wake" by Lisa McMann 210 pages

20. "Wings" by Aprilynne Pike 294 pages

21. "Pretty Dead" by Francesca Lia Block 195 pages

22. "Ink Exchange" by Melissa Marr 325 pages

23. "Blue Moon" by Alyson Noel 289 pages

24. "Chosen" by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast 307 pages

25. "Dark Angel" by L.J. Smith 240 pages

26. "The Chosen" by L.J. Smith 224 pages



May

27. "Soulmate by L.J. Smith 240 pages

28. "Wicked Lovely" by Melissa Marr 328 pages

29. "Uninvited" by Amanda Marrone 204 pages

30. "The Summoning" by Kelley Armstrong 390 pages

31. "Wondrous Strange" by Lesley Livingston 327 pages

32. "Evernight" by Claudia Gray 327 pages

33. "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 563 pages



June

34. "Need" by Carrie Jones 306 pages

35. "Divine Misdemeanors" by Laurell K. Hamilton 333 pages

36. "Huntress" by L.J. Smith 240 pages

37. "Black Dawn" by L.J. Smith 240 pages

38. "Bite Me" by Christopher Moore 309 pages

39. "Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold" by Francesca Lia Block 229 pages

40. "The Gum Thief" by Douglas Coupland 275 pages

41. "Darklight" by Lesley Livingston 310 pages

42. "Untamed" by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast 338 pages

43. "Shadowland" by Alyson Noel 339 pages

44. "Flirt" by Anita Blake 171 pages

45. "Stargazer" by Claudia Gray 329 pages



July

46. "The Awakening" by Kelley Armstrong 358 pages

47. "The Hanged Man" by Francesca Lia Block 137 pages

48. "Wasteland" by Francesca Lia Block 150 pages

49. "Guarding the Moon" by Francesca Lia Block 182 pages

50. "Violet & Claire" by Francesca Lia Block 169 pages

51. "The Waters & The Wild" by Francesca Lia Block 113 pages

52. "Ruined" by Paula Morris 309 pages

53. "Fade" by Lisa McMann 248 pages

54. "RV There Yet?" Diann Hunt 309 pages

55. "Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony" by Eoin Colfer 385 pages

56. "Most Love Black" Kelly McClymer 167 pages

57. "Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List" by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 256 pages



August

58. "Hunted" by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast 323 pages

59. "Bullet" by Laurell K. Hamilton 368 pages

60. "Oh, My Gods" by Tera Lynn Childs 264 pages

61. "Tell All" by Chuck Palahniuk 179 pages



September

62. "Maximum Ride: Schools Out Forever" by James Patterson 412 pages

63. "Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment" by James Patterson 440 pages

64. "Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson " by Mitch Albom 224 pages

65. "Fragile Eternity" by Melissa Marr 389 pages

66. "You Say Tomato I Say Shut Up" by Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn 261 pages



October

67. "Tithe" by Holly Black 320 pages

68. "Valient" by Holly Black 313 pages

69. "Tantalize" by Cynthia Leitich Smith 311 pages

2010 Book Recommendation Challenge

I'm taking part in the 2010 Book Recommendation Reading Challenge. The list of books to choose from can be found here. I am going for the Level 5 challenge which is to read 20+ books from the list

My books are posted here as I read them:

1.  "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer 629 pages
2.  "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer 754 pages
3.  "Marked" by PC Cast & Kristin Cast 306 pages

2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge

I'm taking part in the Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge. The goal of the challenge is to check out and read books from your local library. I agreed to read 50 books from my local library.

My books will be listed here as I read them:


1. "Evermore" by Alyson Noel 306 pages
2. "Marked" by PC Cast & Kristin Cast 306 pages
3. "Four to Score" by Janet Evanovich 338 pages
4. "High Five" by Janet Evanovich 317 pages
5. "Betrayed" by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast 310 pages
6. "Dead and Gone" by Charlaine Harris 312 pages
7. "Wake" by Lisa McMann 210 pages
8. "Wings" by Aprilynne Pike 294 pages
9. "Pretty Dead" by Francesca Lia Block 195 pages
10. "Ink Exchange" by Melissa Marr 325 pages
11. "Blue Moon" by Alyson Noel 289 pages
12. "Chosen" by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast 307 pages
13. "Dark Angel" by L.J. Smith 240 pages
14. "The Chosen" by L.J. Smith 224 pages
15. "Soulmate by L.J. Smith 240 pages
16. "Wicked Lovely" by Melissa Marr 328 pages
17. "Uninvited" by Amanda Marrone 204 pages
18. "The Summoning" by Kelley Armstrong 390 pages
19. "Wondrous Strange" by Lesley Livingston 327 pages
20. "Evernight" by Claudia Gray 327 pages
21. "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 563 pages
22. "Need" by Carrie Jones 306 pages
23. "Divine Misdemeanors" by Laurell K. Hamilton 333 pages
24. "Huntress" by L.J. Smith 240 pages
25. "Black Dawn" by L.J. Smith 240 pages
26. "Bite Me" by Christopher Moore 309 pages
27. "The Gum Thief" by Douglas Coupland 275 pages
28. "Darklight" by Lesley Livingston 310 pages
29. "Untamed" by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast 338 pages
30. "Shadowland" by Alyson Noel 339 pages
31. "Flirt" by Anita Blake 171 pages
32. "Stargazer" by Claudia Gray 329 pages
33. "The Awakening" by Kelley Armstrong 358 pages
34. "The Waters & The Wild" by Francesca Lia Block 113 pages
35. "Ruined" by Paula Morris 309 pages
36. "Fade" by Lisa McMann 248 pages
37. "Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony" by Eoin Colfer 385 pages
38. "Most Love Black" Kelly McClymer 167 pages
39. "Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List" by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 256 pages
40. "Hunted" by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast 323 pages
41. "Bullet" by Laurell K. Hamilton 368 pages
42. "Oh, My Gods" by Tera Lynn Childs 264 pages
43. "Tell All" by Chuck Palahniuk 179 pages
44. "Fragile Eternity" by Melissa Marr 389 pages
45. "You Say Tomato I Say Shut Up" by Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn 261 pages
46. "Tithe" by Holly Black 320 pages
47. "Valient" by Holly Black 313 pages
48. "Tantalize" by Cynthia Leitich Smith 311 pages
49. "Ironside" by Holly Black 323 pages
50.  "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders" by Jennifer Finney Boylan 300 pages
51. "Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson 405 pages
52. "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater 392 pages
53. "Hourglass" by Claudia Gray 339 pages
54. "Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side" by Beth Fantaskey 354 pages
55. "Siren" by Tricia Rayburn 344 pages
56. "Prophecy of the Sisters" by Michelle Zink 343 pages
57. "Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls 272 pages

List of the Day - Places I want to go we go back to Florida for vacation

1. Cakes by Caroline for a white cupcake with white icing. Her cupcakes are to die for and only 50 cents each.

2. Disney - I'd like to go with my parents or my brother or a small group of people - because Steve won't ride anything fun.

3. Moon Under Water for their curry - nom nom nom.

4. The Dali Museum

5. Tijuana Flats for a Tijuana size vegie burrito with Thai chili sauce

6. Thai house - their panang curry and vegetable soup are the best (even if I will probably have to use my epi-pen to eat it)

7. Caddy's on the beach - what can be better than a day of sun, drinking rum runners while listening to tropical music on one of the prettiest beaches of Tampa Bay?



8. The Indian Market in Pinellas Park - I'm out of rosewater, I'd love some of those pistachio donut ball type of things, and I'm out of henna.

9. The Globe for Chai Tea and to see what weirdness is going on.

10. Italian Village to have pizza with my brother - it's our thing.

11. Greek Village for Tzaziki and Greek salad and to expose Steve to Greek food since he has never been.

12. Ybor City, the Castle and that little dive bar we went to last time. Hopefully we can talk Josh into driving so we can both have fun.

13. To see Courtney to get some highlights.

January Lush Trip

I went down to my local Lush New Years Day hoping to get some of the holiday goodies. Unfortunately they were out of almost everything. I had to buy a gift box in order to get the bath bombs that I wanted. I ended up getting the Happy Bathday gift which came with Think Pink, Avobath, Big Blue, Blackberry, Honey Bee and Butterball bath bombs. The the buy one bar of soap get two bars free promotion was still going on and I got Father Frost, Chox Away and Vanilla in the Mist. I also got Celestial Moisturizer and Sakura and Waving Not Drowning and Vanilla Fountain bath bombs.


Fortunately we made an impromptu trip to Vegas later in the month and SCORE!!! According to the sales associates there, people don’t do Christmas shopping on the strip and they had tons of goodies left (minus the soap – that was all gone). My first night there the buy one get one free on all holiday items was still going on. I was able to get the last two Stardust giftsets at the buy one get one free price. The gift set includings Snow Fairy shower gel (one of my favorite scents), Snow Fairy solid perfume, Candy Cane bubble bar, Star Luxery bath melt, Double Fast Luck emotibomb, Fairy Tail sugar scrub, and Angel’s Delight soap. Snow Fairy is pink and shimmery and smells like candy floss. It’s only available around Christmas.

The store was having a party the next day and I bought more of each of my favorite bath bombs, helping hands cream, Ultimate Shine solid shampoo, To Be Jolly gift (Mr Buttterball, Cinders, and Ice Blue) and Tis the Season (Snow Cake and Lil Lush Pud) gift (the gifts were still buy one get one free), Aquamarina face cleanser, Jungle, two free Dreamtime melts and samples of I Love Juicy, Big and Daddy-O. I went back my last day and bought a bottle of Daddy-O. Oh, and I had a 15% off coupon!

I love Lush because they are handmade, organic, natural, and vegetarian. Their products feel great on my skin and hair. Not to mention the products are beautiful to look at and smell great. They are well worth the money, and the special trip I have to make to buy them.

National Just Read More Novels Month

I took part in FOMA's National Just Read More Novels Month . My books read are:

1. "Breathless" by Dean Koontz 337 pages
2. "Back Roads" by Tawni O'Dell 338 pages
3. "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult 387 pages
4. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold 328 pages
5. "Sandcastles" by Luanne Rice 336 pages

November and December Book Logs

November
60. "206 Bones" by Kathy Reichs 308 pages
61. "Chopping Spree" by Diane Mott Davidson 304 pages
62. "Skin Trade" by Laurell K. Hamilton 486 pages

December
63. "Life on the Color Line" by Gregory Howard Williams 285
64. "The Hollow" by Jessica Verday 515 pages
65. "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman 588 pages
66. "Three to Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich 344 pages
67. "Girl Interrupted" by Susanna Kasysen 168 pages
68. "My Friend Leonard" by James Frey 357 pages
69. "Maus" by Art Spiegelman 159 pages
70. "Maus II" by Art Spiegelman 136 pages
71. "The Tao of Pooh" Benjamin Hoff 158 pages
72. "Deal Breaker" by Harlan Coben 343 pages

Diane Mott Davidson is a new author for me. She's a quick read and her books are fun. The newest Anita Blake book brings Edward and Olaf back into Anita's life. The story isn't as good as some of the older ones, but still a good read. I always love reading Kathy Reichs.

Had to read "Life on the Color Line" for school, but it was an interesting read. I love Janet Evanovich and she is also a new author for me this year. I love James Frey, even if his stories are possibly fabricated. The Maus graphic novels were a great read but very disturbing. Harlen Coben is also a new author to me and I love him! I will be reading more of him in the new year.

I got new books!

I got a big stack of books to read in the new year. I've been looking forward to reading most of these for a while.

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

2. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

3. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

4. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer

5. Breathless: A Novel by Dean Koontz

6. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

7. Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell

8. The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell