Christmas Cookie Chronicles: Volume 1, Issue 1

So, I've decided to blog about my Christmas baking escapades.  Every year, my mom spreads the Christmas joy by baking cookies and giving them away.  I plan on doing the same, only on a much smaller scale (I guess there is a bonus to not knowing many people here in Colorado.)

Since my work schedule is hectic, I had to begin somewhat early (well relatively not so because my mom started like 3 weeks ago) with cookies that would store well.  I hope to have made about 10 to 15 different kinds by the time I start giving away plates.

So, where did I start?

I think it would be only fair to my husband to start with his favorite cookie, the Mexican Wedding Cookie (aka Mexican Wedding Cake, Italian Wedding Cookie, and Russian Tea Cakes.) Most have likely tried one of these before.  It's basically shortbread with ground nuts rolled and baked into a ball, then rolled in powdered sugar.  I'm not fond of them because I don't fancy pecans but Jon can down many of these in one sitting.

I used my favorite lady's recipe and I think they turned out well.  Here is a picture of the small tin I allowed for Jon (some are already missing.)  If you make these, you can freeze them before you roll them in powdered sugar.  Bring them out when ready to serve and roll away (the cookies in the picture were rolled once, but I suggest twice to make them look nicer.)

Today I made one of my favorite Christmas cookies, spritz (also called pressed cookies.)  These are the cookies that you make with a cookie press and they come in various shapes.  I can remember these being made for Christmas since I was very young.  I also remember my mom getting really angry with the cookie press, so much that I have been making them for her for the past couple of years.  The picture below shows the snowmen holding trees (yes, they're snowmen, not something dirty) and my family's traditional pink flowers.

Anyways, these turned out nice as well, so I'm very slowly on my way to having enough varieties to make a proper cookie plate.

More to come...

Quick Update

-Well, I took the plunge and CHOPPED my hair. I think a good 8 inches came off and my hair hasn't been this short in about 8 years. I think I'll get pictures this weekend and post them. I didn't show one ounce of emotion when I saw all of the hair on the ground, although, it's been very weird to not really have much hair to run my hands through (well, I'm sure my hands would have gotten stuck anyways from all the tangles.) Jon likes it too, so that's a plus!

-Another Christmasaholic and I have been assigned to decorate our pretty library at work for the holidays. And we have money to spend. This could get dangerous.

-Thanks to Camille, I'm finally thinking about Thanksgiving dinner now that we're only a week away. Thus far, all I've gotten has been the small turkey. Since we're only cooking for ourselves, we have a small lineup:

• Turkey
• Homemade stuffing
  
• Green Bean Casserole
• Smashed Potatoes
• Homemade crescent rolls
  
• Pumpkin chiffon pie

So, very basic, but we will also be decorating for Christmas that day, so I'll live vicariously through reading about fellow bloggers' Thanksgiving dinners.

Other than the above, I've been a YA reading fool. Good thing my job coincides with the literature I prefer!

Taking a Rest

So I've only worked a whopping two days this week.  I worked around 60 hours last week and we had Veteran's Day off, so I've had a few WONDERFUL days at home.  The dogs sure seem to appreciate it at least.  

While I've gotten minimal housekeeping done (I'll be doing plenty this weekend) I have managed to get around to some baking, which has been woefully sidelined since I have moved here.  First up was making my very own pumpkin puree which is surprisingly easy.  I could have used the canned stuff, which is honestly just as good, but there is immense satisfaction in making your own.  From that, I froze a couple of cups to make a pie for Thanksgiving, and with the rest I made some wonderful pumpkin butter.  I got the above two ideas from a co-worker, and Jon and I are very happy campers now. 

Well the butter is useless without bread.  I've been in to bread making lately and made some simple white bread.  This stuff is heaven and I highly recommend it to anybody.  Bread making is so easy with the mixer and I look forward to experimenting more when I have another week like this in the future.  

I hope to bake some more this weekend, including making what shall be the beginning of CHRISTMAS BAKING!

Why I'm Like My Mom : Issue 1

So, most women experience this revelation as they get older.  I'm not sure why it's always such a shock to me that I'm just like my mom.  I have people tell me often that we're alike in many ways, but it always surprises me because we we're more likely to argue than my dad and I. Lately though, our similarities have been very apparent and I figured it would be a good topic to blog about.  So I'll post our random, and what I think are quirky, similarities at various points in the future.

So what is the subject of our first similarity?  SALES which lead to HOARDING

So I'm shopping in the grocery store this evening and I suddenly have four pounds of unsalted butter in my cart.  Now, I already have two pounds at home, and I will need more butter over the next month because (again continuing my mom's tradition) I will be making cookie trays and will need the butter.  The butter was on sale though for about half of what is normally charged and I was in a state of absolute GLEE over it.  I know I would have done the same thing though if I didn't need the butter.

I remember "cataloging"/taking inventory (I should have known I would become a librarian) of my mom's pantry growing up and constantly complaining that she had, for example, 5 bottles of ketchup (and didn't even realize she had that many.)  She would tell me that she got the items on sale and would store them away for later use.  

Perusing my own pantry and seeing the multiple cans of crushed and diced tomatoes (I use them a lot) and canned pumpkin, all purchased on sale, I realize that I am very much like her and should slap myself on the wrist for ever criticizing her purchasing habits.

 

October Books

The name of the game for October books was censorship. First, the nationwide Big Read was going on, and my library was a participant. Second, the first weekend in October was the conclusion of ALA's Banned Books Week.  All of these books (actually, I'm unsure about Ender's Game ) were challenged in libraries.

First up was our choice for the Big Read, Ray Bradbury's  Fahrenheit 451.  I read this book in high school and thought it was "alright."  After reading it a second time, my opinion still stands, mainly because this tiny tiny book took me a whole month to read!  Anyways, the book is about a world where fire fighter start fires instead of suppressing them.  It's about a world where books are banned, not simply challenged, but banned.  The main character, Guy Montag is one of the firefighters, but his life is forever changed when he meets his strange teenage neighbor.  From here, Montag begins to question his world, and the reader follows his decisions and expected consequences.  The book is really good, but I enjoy reading more about Bradbury himself since he has led such an interesting life.  I can't believe he wrote this book in a matter of days.  I think this book took me so long to read because a colleague and I ended up presenting at a children's literature conference on the novel and censorship.  Even then, I found it tedious at times.

I've been meaning to read more Judy Blume forever (ha) and finally picked up the pre-teen favorite Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret.  This book is great.  I can remember being 11 going on 12 and worrying about much of the same things.  Reading it at twice the age makes the book a bit more comical, but I think almost any girl can identify with Margaret and her thoughts and feelings.  I'd recommend this book to any female.

Next up was another challenged book that I had previously never heard of, although it did receive a Newbery Honor, called Olive's Ocean.  Also, after reading it, I failed to see why it was in the top 10 for most challenged books for 2007.  It's about a girl who visits her grandmother during the summer with her family.  One of her classmates, Olive, was killed in a bicycle accident and had written that the main character was one of the nicest people in her class, although they did not have much contact.  As the summer goes on, she experiences a few firsts (kiss and heartbreak) and also figures out a way to pay tribute to her fallen classmate.  Overall, I thought it was a very good book, but fail to see why a kiss is worthy of challenging a book.

I had recommended His Dark Materials to a friend, who ended up loving the series.  Watching her read it for the first time made me want to pick it up again as well.  I think Lyra is one of the most well rounded characters in modern young adult literature.  The worlds and imagery Philip Pullman creates are beautiful.  The Golden Compass, which is actually my least favorite of the three, is about a fierce girl named Lyra who lives in a world where a person's soul is represented by an animal companion.  She also lives in a world where children are being taken by people called "gobblers" and nobody knows exactly what happens to them other than they have something to do with the mysterious "dust" which is definitely not something that one sweeps.  I feel very strongly about this series and most everything that he writes.  Just because I don't agree 100% with his religious philosophy (which is usually misunderstood and incorrectly reported anyways) doesn't mean I can't read his books, find some common ground with them.

Finally, I have been meaning to read the sci-fi YA classic, Ender's Game for a while.  It's a total boy book, but it had me hooked from the beginning. It's about a 6 year old boy named Ender Wiggin who is chosen to go through training to save the world from the alien buggers.  He is placed in school to learn combat, and moves up in the ranks very fast.  He is constantly manipulated by his superiors to the point where a good majority of his classmates do not like him at times. Does Ender persevere, or does he crack under pressure?  This book was written in the 1970s and is way ahead of it's time. The gaming systems are similar to present day  video game systems.  There is also a system similar to the internet.  I loved this book, and heard it is one of Card's best.

November should be a decent reading month.  More His Dark Materials and maybe a classic... should be fun!

 

Survey

I was tagged by Ashley…

1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:50

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds, although Jon has given me my only diamonds, so they mean a lot to me.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I think Wall-E (for the second time) back in July

4. What is your favorite TV show? Doctor Who and Jon and Kate Plus 8

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? I think I have cereal the most. Sometimes I make waffles or pancakes, sometimes Jon makes something, and sometimes I drive to the Loveland Chick-fil-A (thank goodness they have them in CO) on my way to work

6. What is your middle name? Sue

7. What food do you dislike? Raw tomatoes, cooked carrots, eggplant, squash, cantaloupe, kiwi… probably a lot of things that are good for you

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? I honestly like classical music and Breakfast with the Beatles on Sundays if we’re running errands

9. What kind of car do you drive? 2004 Honda CR-V (Wonda—yes, deliberately spelled differently)

10. Favorite Sandwich? I tend to think sandwiches are best when they are made by somebody else, so whichever one I am not making…

11. What characteristic do you despise? There are many behaviors that I find annoying, but I’m fairly certain that I despise deliberate and (sometimes) petty hatred.

12. Favorite item of clothing? Is it sad to say house clothes because they’re comfortable?

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? There is a very large running list that Jon and I have created, but NZ tops it.

14. Favorite brand of clothing? J. Crew

15. Where would you retire to? I’m not sure, but I know I would not retire to Florida

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Not sure… I always seem to be working on my birthdays.

17. Favorite sport to watch? I don’t watch sports.

18. When is your birthday? April 2nd

19. Are you a morning person or night? Definitely morning

20. What is your shoe size? 8 – 8.5

21. Pets? 2 dachshunds!

22. Any new and exciting news you would like to share with us? I was accepted into a Colorado Libraries’ Leadership program

23. What did you want to be when you were little? I remember the following: dog trainer, paleontologist, teacher

24. How are you today? alright

25. What is your favorite candy? I love candy… but Jon and I really love gummy stuff and M&Ms. My favorites are Swedish Fish and Peanut Butter M&Ms

26. What is your favorite flower? dahlias

27. What is a day on your calendar you are looking forward to? Christmas. Rather, the day we get our tree and decorate the house!

28. What is your full name? I have a very unique full name. This is especially so now that I am married… not going to display

29. What are you listening to right now? Matthew speaking to me.

30. What was the last thing you ate? Halloween fruit snacks… yay for toddlers trick or treating at the library!

31. Do you wish on stars? Shooting stars yes

32. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Hmmm… cerulean?

33. How is the weather right now? Sunny and warmer than expected for Colorado at this time of the year

34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? A girl from Evans, CO

35. Favorite soft drink? Root Beer

36. Favorite Restaurant? Danthai back home in Georgia

37. Real Hair Color? Dirty blonde… yuck!

38. What was your favorite toy as a child? Rub-A-Dub Doggy! And My Little Ponies

39. Summer or winter? I like it all… but mostly the change of seasons

40. Hugs or kisses? I am not a touchy person… hugs

41. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla

42. Coffee or tea? Tea. Earl Grey please…

43. When was the last time you cried? My wedding reception when my cousin did her maid of honor speech

44. What is under your bed? Feathers and likely something that was dragged there by Quincey

45. What did you do last night? Jon worked on a cabinet set he’s building in a nook leading down to the basement for all of our entertaining stuff that we can’t fit in our kitchen. I wrote thank you notes and made dinner. I also read a few chapters of Philip Pullman.

46. What are you afraid of? Standard Poodles, Checking the bathrooms at work before closing, hamburger helper, and a long list of real worries

47. Salty or sweet? I have an enormous sweet tooth

48. How many keys on your key ring? I think 4

49. How many years at your current job? 3 months

50. Favorite day of the week? Any day that Jon and I have off and we can hang out

51. How many places have you lived in? 1. Lilburn, GA 2. Athens, GA 3. Bloomington, IN 4. Snellville, GA 5. Fort Collins, CO

52. Do you make friends easy? I have become painfully shy, and I suspect that I always have been, so no.

53. What is a pet peeve? I have many, but none important enough to list.

54. We all waste time. What do you do that wastes the most time? The computer is hands down my biggest waste of time

55. Are you a nerd? I’m a librarian. hmmmm

56. Fiction of nonfiction? Hands down, fiction…

57. What is something that you miss? I need to write a blog about how unsentimental I am. But I do miss being within driving proximity of my mom.

58. Have any hobbies? Reading, baking, cleaning house. I hope to expand into other crafty endeavors soon.

59. What is something you're passionate about? I think if I have to narrow it down to one thing it would be intellectual freedom.

60. What is something you've learned from your current job? I have learned that I enjoy reference much more in a public library because people appreciate you help a lot more than frantic university students.

Tag yourself!

Reading

Sigh... one of the things I miss most about Georgia is reading. I was fairly steady here in Colorado until I started my new job. I now work a completely different schedule from Brenau. That combined with a bit more upkeep at home and 2 four legged friends to watch has severely limited my reading time. I can read during lunch breaks and sometimes I sneak in a chapter at home, but lately I've been finding myself drawn to the television, mainly because Jon is there and I want to spend time with him. I'll blog later about my "large family obsession" via The Learning Channel.

Anyways, I'm doing my best at the moment. I started Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho but the size frightened me, so I put it down. I recommended the His Dark Materials series to a friend here in Colorado and witnessing her reading it for the first time (she loved it by the way) made me want to read it again as well. So, I'm reading the series again and loving it. Also on my list are other YA favorites like Ender's Game and Small Steps (I liked Holes, but heard that this one isn't as good.) I have skipped Tale of Two Cities as my Dickens read for the year and will substitute it with A Christmas Carol during December. I also still need to read 2 other classics to complete the Classics Challenge, since I will not be able to finish R.I.P this year (very sad.)

Overall, I'm trying, but I'm much worse at balancing life and reading than most people. I'm very jealous of those of you who can and would like to know your secrets, because I'm obviously doing a very poor job with my time!

Making the Switch

Since people were very generous to us during our wedding, we were not only able to put enough money in the bank to be able to pay off our New Zealand trip (currently scheduled for November 2009) but we were also able to get one of these bad boys. We were planning to finance one as our Christmas present to each other, but we had enough cash to pay it off at once.

We're very excited. We both used Macs a ton in graduate school and I have been lusting after one for three years now. In fact, I was going to get one when I graduated, but my need to save was far too overwhelming at that point (it still is, but we splurged.) We got many congratulations in the store and I now feel like I've joined a new exclusive club or something.

Jon and I hope to become proficient at this machine, so wish us luck!

I'm Back!

I've decided to make the effort to blog more.  What is the point of having a blog if I don't even post?  In my defense, I've been trying to get used to a new state, job, and planning my wedding, which is now over, so I have time to write, or do I?  I have quite a bit to talk about.  I tend to lose interest in long blog entries, so I might be writing several small one topic blogs over the next few weeks.  Some of these topics shall include the following:

-My dogs

-Wedding

-Obsession with large families

-Books and reading (or lack thereof)

-Upcoming events

-Christmas obsession

I would like to blog about other things like work and politics, but just know that my work schedule is far more busy and full of professional development than I expected, and I chose a long time ago not to campaign, although I have enjoyed reading some interesting/informative posts (and some of the sometimes harsh comments) on blogs.  I commend you all for taking advantage of the first amendment (as a librarian, I defend this right everyday), but for now, I shall remain neutral.  

Anyways, I have the afternoon off, so maybe I'll post on one of my topics sooner rather than later!

I'm Married...

YAY!

Hmmm...

There are quite a few things/people (don't worry, you're 99.9% likely NOT one of them) on my "suck it" list currently, but time is definitely number 1 because it's truly getting the best of me.

I wish there were more hours in the day!

Mission 101 August Update

Confused?

Accomplished:
31. Host some form of a get-together once per quarter.
Had friends over for Labor Day
36. Watch the original Star Wars trilogy.
Now seeing the prequels (not as good)
43. Do not commute to any job more than 30 minutes, unless our financial independence relies on it. School would be an exception.
Just barely accomplished this one
61. Dog-proof the house.
72. Have at least a part time job by October, whether it be as a librarian or something else.
Currently a work-a-holic
79. Attend church more often.
99. Find a good and safe place to board the dog(s) when traveling.
Right now, they're set to go to the breeder when we get married.


In Progress:

10. Continue to pay bills in full and on time.
11. Continue to stay credit card debt free (neither Jon nor I have ever been in cc debt) and continue to only use cards for what we can afford.
16. Continue to contribute any small amount to the high interest travel fund.
17. Stay insured for health and dental even if unemployed.
18. Do not impulse buy books because they'll likely be donated within the year anyways.
24. Practice new cooking recipes to become a decent cook and not focus so much on baking.
25. Get used to high altitude baking.
29. Get a dog and successfully train and socialize it. (TWO!!!)
33. Watch all Doctor Who DVDs available on Netflix.
52. Eat red meat at the most twice per week, preferably less.
56. Never leave dishes unwashed.
84. Read 100 classic novels that I have not previously read. (2)

Failure:
45. Eliminate coffee to very special occasions and drink only tea for caffeine needs.
I drink coffee a lot more now than I did in Georgia. It only has skim milk added though, so I don't worry too much
46. Drink only one soda per week.
Yeah, we have some nice root beer in the house...

Book Review: Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley
Date Originally Published: 1818
Start Date: August 27th
Completion Date: September 4th

Frankenstein is yet another classic novel that I have been meaning to read over the years. I initially knew enough about the book to know that Frankenstein is not the monster himself, but the creator of the monster. However, I had no clue of the novel's eloquence and emotion.

Most people know the story of Frankenstein. A man with a vision creates what he hopes to be the perfect human out of inanimate materials. When this creation comes to life, Frankenstein realizes that the new human is so ugly that he is terrifying. Confused and hurt by his creator's (and others) repulsion, the monster has a difficult time comprehending his new body, emotions, and not to mention language acquisition (could you imagine being born adult?) The monster develops a deep revenge for his creator and vows to follow him throughout events in his life and even seeks to murder Frankenstein's family and friends. By the end of the book, many lives are in peril and the novel serves as a reminder that nobody should mess with mother nature.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. First, I admired the eloquence of all the characters, even the monster (to the point where I find myself sympathizing with him at certain points.) The book is beautifully written and the plot evokes some beautiful imagery and emotion. Second, Frankenstein is indeed the modern retelling of the Prometheus myth. He discovers something initially thought to be great and wonderful for society, but in actually many horrors come with his creation. Frankenstein himself, like Prometheus, also suffers consequences for his actions. Third, I think it's great that a classic novel was written as a result of friendly competition between great writers/poets when they were stuck inside during an unusually cold summer.

Most people have read this book, but I highly recommend it if you haven't gotten around to it yet.

August Books

I've somewhat given up on reading more than 3 books per month with my new life in Colorado. It's a sad, but true revelation and I should be happy that I'm even reading 3 at this point. I've already reviewed one book, but here is a recap of the others.

After Wuthering Heights, it was time to pick up the last in the Twilight Saga (have I mentioned that I think it's stupid that they call the series a saga???) Breaking Dawn. I've kind of stuck with the series, despite being constantly annoyed with the main character. I do love my vampires though and the imagery of the Northwest is always enticing. Anyways, I won't detail any of the plot because it would really give everything away. I will say that the book has A LOT to take in, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Bella wasn't so whiny and desperate as she usually has been in the previous three books (granted, I realize that teenagers are this way, but it still doesn't mean that I can't be annoyed with her off and on.) I think the series was tied up nicely though and I'm glad that she decided to stop at 4 books. It's best to end well while you're still ahead I suppose.



I've been meaning to re-read some Madeleine L'Engle since she sadly passed away last year. I decided to read the Austin Family series because they always make me feel good and remind me of my childhood. Meet the Austins is a detailed account of the lives of the Austin family told by one of the daughters, Vicky. I think Vicky is one of my favorite characters in literature. She's sweet, but tempered and has many faults. Things get crazy for her family when a friend dies in a plane crash and the co-piolot's daughter is left without a home. The spoiled girl, Maggy, has trouble adjusting to her new temporary home, but eventually settles and dreams of a more permanent situation away from her rich, but uncaring biological family. The plot in these stories isn't the most exciting ever, but sometimes I need something simple and sweet. It was perfect for me as I started my new job.

I'm almost finished with Frankenstein, which I am really enjoying, and then it's on to try House of Leaves if I can stand the scariness!

R.I.P. III Challenge

I'm very excited to enter my second R. I. P. Challenge hosted by Carl. The challenge includes anything mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, horror, Gothic, and supernatural... basically my favorite books. I'm super excited!

I haven't quite decided which peril I'm going to do. Normally, I'd complete Peril the First (4 books) but I know with having just moved, started a new job, and getting two puppies, I'm not reading very much and what I am reading isn't being read too fast. Plus, I'm getting married in October, and I don't anticipate reading much during that month (which is sad, because I love October reading.) Regardless, I'll do my best because I finally live in a state that reaches fall before late November! Anyways, I'm going to try for Peril the Second, but will likely finish Peril the Third.

Below is my list of potential reads:

-Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (I've never read it)
-House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
-The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft
-The Monk by Matthew Lewis
-The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (also to be completed for the Classics Challenge)

It's a short list and most of these are classics, but I bet that they will keep me occupied for quite a while. Thanks Carl for hosting this awesome challenge!

Whirlwind

It's amazing how much my life has changed in one month. On July 16th, I was getting ready to go to bed on the eve of my departure from Brenau. Since then, I've driven across the country, started living with a boy, interviewed for a job, accepted a job offer, began said job (and worked 11 days straight,) lost a grandfather to cancer, got two puppies, and have had absolutely no time to read (I've been on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone since last Monday.)

I've dealt with things as best as possible. My stomach has paid the price of my ruined nerves and I expect to deal with the grief of losing a loved one next weekend when we drive to Illinois for the memorial service. Luckily, some of the change is good and is there to balance all of the sad and stressful events. I wouldn't change living with Jon or the pups for anything!

It has been cold (mid 50s) over the past couple of days due to some needed rain. Today it finally cleared up and I was able to take the dogs out back without my umbrella. The air was crisp and the Colorado sky was so pretty. I think it was my first "zen" moment since I've been here. I felt at peace and happy watching the pups run around, even though the potty training hasn't been going too well today (exceptionally, and I hope that they don't keep this up.) I'm really looking forward to fall here and all I can think about right now is making chili, reading some Gothic novels, and wearing coats and prettier clothes.

I'll take these zen moments when I can get them because before I know it, I'll be back to working on my ever expanding "to do" lists!

New (and very adorable) puppy pictures to come.

Book Review: Wuthering Heights

Author: Emily Brontë
Date Originally Published: 1847
Start Date: July 16th
Completion Date: August 1st

The first book I completed for the 2008 Classics Challenge (well, besides the bonus book) was Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. I've been meaning to get around to this book for over a year now (ever since I read and fell in love with her sister's Jane Eyre) so I'm glad this challenge helped me with my goal.

The novel is not by any means a happy one because it is centered around almost lifelong revenge. Heathcliff, the main character, is a foundling raised by the Earnshaw family who lives at Wuthering Heights. While Heathcliff and his foster sister, Catherine, become quick and inseparable friends, his older foster brother, Hindley, resents him. This is ultimately realized when the children's father dies a few years later and Hindley takes over the estate and forces Heathcliff to work as a hired hand. While this is a blow to Heathcliff's ego, he is more hurt by Catherine's friendship and eventual marriage to Edgar Linton, a neighbor at Thrushcross Grange. After Hindley dies, (at this point Heathcliff has taken over Wuthering Heights because Hindley has taken too many loans from Heathcliff) Heathcliff seems focused only on revenge, and draws mostly himself, but servants and children of all adults involved as well.

I enjoyed this novel, although not quite as much as Charlotte's Jane Eyre (but that's not saying much because I think Jane Eyre is my favorite book.) The complexity of the characters' relationships and the consequences of misunderstandings, the insanity displayed by many of the characters, and even Heathcliff's dark physical appearance create a (to me) beautiful Gothic setting. I tend to love the Gothic though, and I don't recommend reading this book if one is in a paricular bad mood or feeling down.

Overall, I'm glad I read it. I think my next Brontë will be Charlotte's Villette.

July Books

I was able to complete 4 books during the month of July (Wuthering Heights missed the deadline by one day.) For the fourth review, click here.

First up was another Anya Seton novel. Dragonwyck takes place in America during the early to mid 1800s and is centered around a farm girl, Miranda, who happens to have wealthy distant relatives. The rich cousin, Nicholas, writes to her mother giving one of the daughters an opportunity to live at Dragonwyck, a large manor near the Hudson river, as a companion to his daughter. Upon arrival, Miranda's naive notions of both life as a privileged person, as well as life in general, really stick out. Miranda witnesses a profound unhappiness between Nicholas and his wife. Since Nicholas shows her more affection, Miranda develops feelings for her cousin, that are realized after Nicholas' wife mysteriously dies. Miranda is sent home, only to have Nicholas come and pick her up a year later as his wife. Only then does Miranda open her eyes to truly bizarre behavior and events at Dragonwyck. But is it too late for Miranda?

After finishing The Handmaid's Tale, I decided to try some nonfiction (which is a rare event for me.) I saw that Your Own, Sylvia was in one of those "Teens Top 10" lists made by YALSA, so I decided to give it a whirl because I did enjoy reading The Bell Jar last year. Basically, the book is a bunch of free verse poems told by different people involved in Plath's life, or poems by Plath herself. The poems follow her life chronologically. The poems were surprisingly believable and not at all cheesy. I even got the "I'm-a-total-douche" feeling from Ted Hughes after the two had been married for a while. What I really liked about the book were the biographical snippets at the end of each poem. This book was one of those fast reads, and I'm glad I picked it up, if only to read some nonfiction. I struggle with any sort of poetry, but I enjoyed this.

Last, but not least was my very first Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I picked up A Study in Scarlet both because it was the first Sherlock Holmes book, and because my mom had it lying around the house. The book is very short and details the initial meeting of the famous duo, Holmes and Watson, a murder in London (complete with words on the wall written with blood) as well as the origins of the crime which take place in Utah during the 1800s (just when the Mormons were settling.) I thought the novel was brilliant, especially how Doyle included the American back story. I will eventually get around to more of these.


August should begin a month of new classics, as well as children's/young adult rereads. I plan on reading some Dickens, as well as rereading on of my favorite Madeleine L'Engle series, and last but not least a rereading of all the Harry Potter novels in anticipation for the 6th movie.

Mission 101--July 2008

Remember my 101 goals??? Well, this all started for me on the 18th, so here is my in-progress update for the end of July.

Completed:

36. Watch the original Star Wars trilogy. Absolutely LOVED it! I am intrigued by the prequels, but have not heard good things...

38. Go to at least one festival (food, Renaissance, etc.) My parents and I attended Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming and had a blast! We did not see the rodeo though...

43. Do not commute to any job more than 30 minutes, unless our financial independence relies on it. School would be an exception. My new job's commute will be somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes... cutting it close!

72. Have at least a part time job by October, whether it be as a librarian or something else.

In progress:

2. Pick up some form of sewing or knitting and have one project completed. This will likely be "in progress" for a while, but I learned how to crochet! I have a pattern as well. It's a pound puppy, remember those??? But I need to get the basics down before I move on to a complicated pattern, so it's going to be a while.

10. Continue to pay bills in full and on time.

11. Continue to stay credit card debt free (neither Jon nor I have ever been in cc debt) and continue to only use cards for what we can afford.

17. Stay insured for health and dental even if unemployed. I may have a new job, but there will be a gap in my insurance, so I got some individual insurance to cover that period of time.

25. Get used to high altitude baking. NOT EASY!

56. Never leave dishes unwashed.

84. Read 100 classic novels that I have not previously read. I'm currently on number 1. I need to get to reading!


Thinking about it:

61. Dog-proof the house. This needs to happen, and soon!

66. Make a set and realistic house cleaning schedule and stick to it.

Tagged

I was tagged by Camille to do one of these what I would like to call, "Old Folks Quizzes" since it dates back 20 years...

Tag yourself if you want to do it as well!

The Twenty-Year Meme

20 years ago I:

1. Lived in Lilburn, GA

2. Was getting ready to go into first grade

3. Had my mom crimp my hair every day

4. Had a Chihuahua named Currie

5. Played wiffle ball with my brother and dad in the front yard

6. Was in love with my newly pierced ears


10 years ago I:

1. Still lived in Lilburn, GA

2. Was getting ready to enter my junior year in high school

3. Was likely at band camp for my second year on the color guard

4. Had a “country” boyfriend

5. Could drive by myself

6. Was pretty much attached to Adrian, Paige, and Ashley T.


5 years ago I:

1. Lived in Athens, GA, but wasn’t actually living there

2. Was entering my senior year at UGA

3. Was marching my age-out season with Carolina Crown

4. Was about 25 pounds heavier, mind that most of it was pure muscle

5. Was the most tan I’ve ever been

6. Only thought about color guard


3 years ago I:

1. Lived in Bloomington, IN

2. Was working an internship in Quincy, IL

3. Was probably the most miserable I’ve ever been (and I made myself that way)

4. Was getting ready to enter my second year of graduate school to become a super librarian

5. Had just completed Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

6. Had short hair


So far this year I:

1. Have read 39 books

2. Left my job at Brenau :(

3. Have been engaged for 9 months

4. Moved to Colorado

5. Secured two wonderful puppies and am eagerly anticipating them

6. Interviewed for jobs and received one offer


Yesterday I:

1. Met with Jon and a priest to discuss pre-cana

2. Made breakfast for dinner

3. Cleaned out the pantry and refrigerator

4. Asked our breeder 500 questions about the dogs

5. Kind of, not really, watched Magnolia with Jon

6. Forgot to make the bed


Today I:

1. Am in the process of making French bread (haven’t figured out this baking in high altitudes thing yet)

2. Hope to hear from my job about my background check

3. Hope to see pictures of puppies

4. Plan on having steak for dinner

5. Hope to talk to Adrian via email

6. Will pay my credit card bill


Tomorrow I will:

1. Clean something

2. Unpack something

3. Read more Wuthering Heights

4. Take a walk

5. Watch a netflix movie

6. Plan a meal


In the next year I will:

1. Still live in Fort Collins, CO

2. Become a mommy to twin doggies

3. Get married

4. Plan an overseas trip

5. Become more active in both the community and in general

6. Take up crocheting