Avatars

I really should be making dinner, but instead I've been making Avatars! LOL.

Check 'em out!



That was one I just saved... Here's one I made myself!...



Pretty neat, huh?

Okay... Now I've really gotta go make dinner! :-P

Excited!

I'm so excited! Apparently, my kids' school librarian will be doing some barcoding and such this week, and she needs help ... and they called ME! So, all day Wednesday I'll be playing Assistant Librarian!

To me, this is really great. It is a step in the right direction toward my future goals! I hope to be a Librarian some day (or, even just work in a bookstore -- or, better yet, OWN a bookstore!), but every bit of experience/practice now helps! :-D

Yay!

Movie Review: "Must Love Dogs"

This was another great movie! I laughed a lot, and was quite moved by several scenes. The literary references sprinkled throughout made me want to go out and find the book (that the movie was based on). :o)

Recommended!

Rating: B (enjoyable)

Movie Review: "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights"

This was a fantastic movie! I love the Latin beat, and I love movies about dancing!
I found myself identifying a lot with Katie... She starts out super-uptight, and yet has an inward longing to be free enough to dance Cuban-style. I loved the quote that said something about being free enough "to be whoever you want to be in that moment".... or something like that, anyway. A great movie!
And it even had some Spanish with English subtitles! I loved that I can now understand a bit of it without having to read the screen! :-D Yay for Spanish lessons! :D

I'm starting to wonder if I have some sort of Latin American history, somewhere in my genes. I'm dying to be fluent in Spanish -- it's one of my life goals -- and I adore the music and dancing ... Hmmm... ;-)

Highly recommended!

Rating: A+ (excellent!)

House Plans... (Dreaming)

I've been dreaming of bigger houses a lot, lately, and I happened across one that's PERFECT while searching online the other day!

I got it from here: Cool House Plans.com.

Here's the exterior...

(Isn't it beautiful? I love the covered front porch!)

Here is the main floor...

The only thing I would change would be that the Dining Room would be the Library instead. We could eat in the Nook off the kitchen ...I don't really have a lot of use for a formal Dining Room. :-?
I love how, for the most part, it's open-concept. I love the fireplace that goes from the living room into the family room! And, I can totally picture the rounded stair railings in a nice Oak! :o) All my kitchen cabinets will be Oak, too, of course. ;-)

And, here is the Upper Level...

I think this house is absolutely perfect! There's even an extra bedroom for guests! :-)

Ahhh... Some day....

Reflections...

Do you ever look back on your life and see the choices you've made and wonder what life might've been like had you chosen the other option? I've made a lot of twists and turns in my life, and every so often I look back and wonder if life would've been better or worse had I not picked the doors I did.

Don't get me wrong! My life is richly blessed by God, despite the screw-ups I've made. I've got a loving husband, and two beautiful children, a roof over my head, a great yard, and the best inlaws! :o) My family members are all healthy, and relatively sane (;-P), so what do I have to complain about? Nothing. But, it doesn't stop me from reflecting...

But, every time I get to doing this, I always end up back at the same conclusion: I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I've learned sooo much more from the choices I've made than I would've had I not made them. And, how could I live without my children? They're my world. :-?

So, life is grand. Sure, I could use a bigger house (preferably with an extra room for my "Personal Library"...), but that's another story for another time. ;o)

Book Lover's Game!

Trivial Pursuit Book Lover's Edition by Hasbro

This is a game I MUST own some day!

Up and Coming

I've been itching, again, to host another Pampered Chef Kitchen Show, so I e-mailed my favorite consultant (who moved away last year), and she'll be hooking me up with someone in my area.

I'm excited! I love getting FREE kitchen tools! And, The Pampered Chef has such GREAT products, too! I use mine every day! (Can you tell I used to be an Independent Kitchen Consultant, myself?) I totally love the products! They make preparing dinners sooo much easier. And, the clean-up is no longer such a problem!

This time around, I'm hoping to get the Small Oval Baker (I just got a new Toaster Oven and those fit PERFECTLY inside it!), and I'd like a new Veggie Peeler, and a new Mini-Scraper/Spatula. I'd also LOVE to get some of their cookbooks! They've got some really awesome recipes!

My show will probably be in March. Maybe February, though. I'm still deciding.

---

The other day, a friend of mine (who reviews books for a ton of different places) said that one of the places she reviews for is looking for new reviewers. She passed the ad on to me, and I'm thinking I'm going to apply!

I've been reviewing books for both First Look (HarperCollins, Canada) and for Bethany House Publishers and neither of those pay for my reviews (other than the FREE books, and I'm certainly not complaining about that!) But, I'd love to write and get paid for it, ya know? So, this new place does pay -- not a lot, but it's a start -- and I'm thinking I'll give it a go, if they'll hire me. Keep your fingers crossed for me, 'kay? :o)

Dental Visit

My son and I had to visit the dentist, today, for our regular check-up. I was all good. Then I got the news...

My son is being scheduled for an Orthodontist appointment because: 1) his upper jaw is underdeveloped, and 2) his teeth are coming in wrong and it's wrecking the spacing. He'll probably need braces and an appliance. :-?

At first I was a bit panicked thinking it's going to cost a fortune! You hear parents complain about having to spend tons on their kids' dental work, and how their kids' mouths are "worth a bunch". :-? But, then I had to thank the Lord for the benefits supplied by my husband's workplace! (whew!)

So, time will tell. I suppose it's not *that* big of a deal. It could always be worse, right? But, it's still a little worrisome.

My Books Wishlist...

...with thanks to Cliff1976!

My Wish List:

New Blog for my Book List!

Last year I used Geocities (Yahoo!) to keep a book/reading log. It was a bit of work, but I liked being able to say "I have a website!" LOL.

This year, I've decided to use a Blog for keeping track of what I've read, so I made up a new one this morning: Mizbooks' Reading Log.

I think I'm becoming addicted to Blogging! I keep thinking up new excuses for making up more sites! LOL.

Honestly, though, it's much easier than using Geocities, as far as keeping it for a Reading Log. And, I like that I can put the covers of the books on my blog, too, without too much hassle! Book Post is the greatest tool I've found to get those book covers and links up on a blog! I only wish I remembered who told me about that! :-?

Anyway. Be sure to check out my newest Blog, and let me know what you think! ;o)

WWW... 01/12

WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW?

Currently reading GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell for discussion with my one online Book group, The Book Spot.

WHAT DID YOU JUST FINISH READING?

Recently finished THE LAZARUS TRAP by Davis Bunn. I rated it an _A_, as it was excellent! Hard to put down!

WHAT WILL YOU BE READING NEXT?

Probably "FINDING ANNA" by Christine Schaub. It's a Bethany House review book, and I've got quite a few of those waiting to be read and reviewed, so I need to do that soon!

New Year - New Beginnings

Music playing currently: Hilary Duff's "Metamorphosis" (from her "MOST WANTED" CD).

Well, the holidays are finally over, and I'm starting to slow down from the high. New Years' Eve went off well -- another evening spent eating steak, seafood stuffed mushrooms, and salad, and then watching 2 movies before seeing the Ball drop (in Times Square) on TV. :o)

Today, I took down my (artificial) tree. Usually I leave my Christmas decorations up for an extra week or so, but since there's no snow outside at the moment, I thought it'd be better to get the tree and other decorations put away out in the garage now. :-?

I made out like a bandit this Christmas (as seen in my previous post)! And, a couple of days ago I went to Wal-Mart and picked up 2 more things with the money I'd had left over....

"SAVE THE LAST DANCE" - DVD
"MOST WANTED" by Hilary Duff - CD

The movie is my all-time favorite! And, for the CD, I was going to get METAMORPHOSIS, but this one had all the songs I wanted, anyway ("COME CLEAN", "SO YESTERDAY", and "FLY"), so it was good. And, I'm thrilled 'cause it's got a few others that I'm really coming to love! I love Hilary Duff's music! :o)

This past week I've been extremely busy with getting all of the paperwork together for my one online group, Book-a-Week. Reason being, I'm the Bookmark Exchange Coordinator. Everyone who signed up and reaches the group's goal of reading either 52 or 100 books in 2005, will get a bookmark from another goal-reaching member. I make up the lists of who reached the goal, and who sends bookmarks to whom. Lots of fun! :o) I read 55 books in 2005, so I'll be getting my bookmark, again! Yay!

The group is also starting to accept new members, again, today. They only accept new members between January 1st and February 21st of each year, so it's gonna get busy in the next week or two. :-) I'm looking forward, though, to meeting all the new people, and to my TBR mountain growing yet some more! :-P

I'm excited to start off the new reading year -- I've already gotten several chapters into one of my new books, "THE LAZARUS TRAP" by Davis Bunn. It's pretty good, even though it took a few pages to get what was going on. LOL.


I already posted my reading goals, but for the record, here are my other goals for the year:
(**And, note that I no longer call them "Resolutions" because I don't reach them unless I call them goals -- even then it's still a challenge! LOL**)

[Spiritual]
* read my Bible daily
* spend at least 10 minutes daily in Quiet Time with God
* memorize 1 Scripture verse per week
* continue attending church & Bible study
* work on character traits (integrity, trust, love, forgiveness, mercy, etc)

[Physical]
* release 11# to get to my goal of 122#
* drink 2-3 bottles of water DAILY
* keep using my Walk Away the Pounds DVDs every Monday/Wednesday/Friday (in other words, walk 3 x per week)
* tighten flabby areas via strength-training, etc.
* keep following the THIN WITHIN principles to maintain my weight-release, and to stay healthy

Here's to a wonderful year!!!