Book of the Week: The Salt Garden

This week's book!  The Salt Garden by Cindy Martinusen is a great book. Set in California around the year 2000 or so, this book actually follows the experiences of three different women. Sophia, a reclusive writer in her 70s, and Claire, a newspaper reporter in her mid-20s meet. Together they research Josephine, a woman who survived the 1905 shipwreck of the Josephine (named for her), which sank under mysterious conditions. It was a really fun read and made me wish I was in a lighthouse overlooking the Pacific Ocean!

             

Nerd Day!

Today I showed my true roots! Nerd activities only. Magoo and I started strong with church, and followed up with a pretty serious bout of train choo-chooing after.

I read a new book this afternoon, and L.O.V.E.D. I.T. I'll put up that post tomorrow or Tuesday! Anyway, that was the first and last nerd activity for the day.

I found this sweet Lassie puzzle in my parents' basement last night and put it together this afternoon.

                                 

I am SO not a puzzle person, but this one was only 100 pieces, so it was definitely the way to go! Anyway, this particular puzzle had me all excited so I decided to put it together in ten minutes or less, and whipped out a stopwatch. It took me much longer than that!! :( But I love the picture!  Magoo has some pretty great artwork in his room, and this would fit right in there. I should find a vintage Lassie photo to frame for his art wall.

After a viewing a short game of broski vs. canines living room hockey, the fam packed up and we went out to watch The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. So, just to be clear here, I grew up with J.R.R. Tolkien's books. My father read multiple book series to my siblings and I as a pre-bedtime ritual since before I can remember, and the Lord of the Rings series made the list of books read by dad. I loved the books, and didn't want to see the first movie they made back in 2002 or 2003, whenever they started the movie franchise, because I was afraid the movies would ruin the books for me. However, after watching the movies, I absolutely loved them!

I was disappointed that Peter Jackson chose to split The Hobbit into three movies, because it required a lot of deviation from the books to come up with enough material for three movies. That said, I (after not really enjoying the first two Hobbit movies) really enjoyed the final movie!

It was more because of the tradition of seeing the movies with my family. I've seen each of the movies in theaters with my dad, and initially with my brothers, as well, though they haven't been in the area during the hobbit movies yet. This movie was really special because I was able to see it not just with my parents, but also with my younger brother, who will be deploying in a few weeks. Plus, it was really neat to be able to say I had seen both trilogies in theater with my dad, especially since they were based on books of which I have such great childhood memories!

Dog hockey photo, so that no one would be deprived.

                    

       

Book of the Week: Halos

Last week's book of the week was Halos by the author Kristen Heitzmann.

It was definitely not one of my favorite books, nor is Heitzmann one of my favorite authors. The story seemed a little flat, the characters too stereotypical, and overall, not too interesting. I have, in the past, enjoyed another one of her books, Freefall, which I would definitely recommend in lieu of Halos!

Christmas in Connecticut..I wish!

Merry Christmas from the Midwest!

Magoo and I!

Magoo and I had a pretty special Christmas this year, with our family visiting, plus we were able to make it to the extended family Christmas for the second year running. Yes!

It was (and still will be) a pretty busy week, but he is loving every minute of it, and so am I! Uncle Slimmy came last week and will be here through the early part of January. Magoo was SO EXCITED when he arrived last week, and we are enjoying every minute he is with us, as he is deploying for another nine months at the end of January. Two sets of Magoo's aunts and uncles came for the week, and spoiled him (and still are spoiling him), and the final set will be arriving in a few more days.

With all of the family around, and special mommy and kiddo time, this Christmas was pretty great!

Opening Christmas Eve presents.

New jammies for Christmas morning!

Here is a list of Magoo and my "bests" for Christmas 2014!

Best present (Magoo): cool vacuum that spins confetti around in it's cylinder when you switch it on.
Best present (Me): my grandmother's "motherhood" ring with my uncle, aunts, and mom's birthstones in it (though Magoo was pretty generous this year, and his gifts came in pretty close, particularly a sweet pair of gloves that will keep my fingers and my new ring pretty warm).

Best present given (Magoo): some pretty stellar photo prints for his grandma and for his grandpa's work office.
Best present given (Me): either the Thomas & Friends train set for Magoo, or the stationary sets/fountain pen for one of my sisters.

Best food (Magoo): sweet peas in couscous
Best food (Me): pork tenderloin

Best song (Magoo): Heat Miser song from The Year Without Santa Claus (1974)
Best song (Me): Same!

Best beverage had (Magoo): almond milk (until he sees me drinking my tea)
Best beverage had (Me): Sleepytime tea

Best tree decoration (Magoo): Thomas train engine ornament
Best tree decoration (Me): Little sparkly Santa Claus shaped picture frame ornament featuring Baby Magoo's face.

Best movie (Magoo): Thomas & Friends Christmas Adventure
Best movie (Me): A Christmas Story


Anyway, the whole week (month, even) was a total success, and I loved every minute of it with him! Now to start celebrating his birthday. Holy cow, it's coming up fast!!

Merry Christmas and Much Love from this kid and me!

Book of the Week, Aug-Dec, '14

Since I've been away from the blog for the past several months, I have a ton of books I've read for the book of the week challenge, that I've not posted about. To simplify matters, I'm just going to list the books that I've read over the last few months here.

The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer: Artemis Fowl, Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code, Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception, Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, and Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex. I really loved this series! Also, I hadn't realized until just now as I was double-checking the titles to type them up, but there's an eighth book, Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian, which came out in 2012. Looks like I've got another one to read during my Christmas vacation!

I also read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, one of my all time favorites from sixth grade reading class.

My mom has a book series about Cheney Duvall, M.D., with the setting in the U.S. in the years immediately following the American Civil War. The authors are Lynn and Gilbert Morris, and I'm a big fan of them, as well! That was an eight book series, which I am following up with a three book series about Cheney and her husband. The first series was about Cheney as a single woman. So I'm halfway through the second book now!

I also read the third book from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, Voyager. I read the first two of the series over the summer, and I must be honest, I am not such a fan of the series. I don't care much for the style or some of the frequent themes within the books.

Last, but not least, I really enjoyed an Agatha Christie novel, Ordeal by Innocence last week. Agatha Christie is such fun! I have a good friend from early in college that had an Agatha Christie obsession, and he always insisted that I list all of the characters in the story and rank them in order of who I thought was the guilty party, on down to the least likely to be the murderer. Oh my gosh, it drove me crazy!! I did that a little bit with Ordeal by Innocence, though, just to see how good my guess was as to who was the the murderer, and it was actually pretty fun!

Shirley Jean

It's been two months since I wrote a post on here, and while I wish I could say it is because I've been busy, that's not the reason.

Shirley Jean Beier

My grandmother died in September. She was an enormous part of my life growing up, and I am who I am today because of her.

Grandma showing the cousins some love.

                        

Grandma was possibly the strongest, definitely the most hardworking and generous woman I have ever known in my entire life.

1992

                           

While she had a very hard life with some extraordinarily painful experiences, she never focused on herself or the difficulties she endured; rather, when faced with hard situations, Grandma always looked beyond herself to do what she could to help others.  

Boone Grove Christian Church, 2011.

                                     

She was such an incredibly selfless person. 

Sue, Sherry, Shirley, and Mike, 2010.

                            

And vivacious! Holy cow, my grandma rocked!!

Grandma and Grandpa Max at a square dancing convention.

                                 

Off to the B.G.H.S. Project C.A.R.E. dance, 2000.

                                   

I am blessed in that I spent the first half of my childhood living 50 yards from her, and the second half of my youth was spent a 10 minute drive away. 

Grandma and Grandpa with Beck and Snider cousins.

                              

My mom and dad were young parents, so my father was working to establish himself in his practice, with my mom working in his office to help him get started while I was very young. 

Celebrating Grandpa Max's 90th, April, 2014.

                           

During this time, I spent Saturdays and most weekdays with my grandparents, raking leaves, coloring one of an endless sea of princess coloring book pictures, or eating fig newtons together while we watched Kristi Yamaguchi skate.

Christmas, 2011.

                           

I am so incredibly grateful that my grandmother spent the last four and a half months of her life living with me and with Magoo, and I am grateful that he was able to know her and love her, and that she was able to know him and love him. 

Meeting Magoo for the first time, 2013.

                                       

Friends!

                                        

Magoo is so young, but he still talks about her, goes in her room to climb on her bed, and gets excited when he sees pictures of her. 

Christmas, 2013.

                                        

I know his only memories of her will be the ones that he thinks he remembers because he has heard the stories so many times, and that is hard for me. 

April, 2014.

                                       

I wish he could have known her the way that I did, but he won't, so I will share her stories and love with him. 

                          

June, 2014.

                                       

He will always know how extraordinary she was and how blessed he is to have such an amazing, Christian woman as a part of his personal heritage.

       

Magoo's favorite past-time was piling his books in a slippery stack on Great-Grandma's lap!

                                    

Thank you for showing me how to see the world with a more gracious viewpoint, and for teaching me to be kind and honest, no matter the cost.

                               

                                 Really, is there a better Grandma anywhere?

                                                       

I love you, Grandma. Happy birthday.

 Shirley Jean
(11.29.27 - 9.20.14)