Friday, August 26, 2011

Book Count Update

26. The Fourth Hand-John Irving
27. Rebel Women of the Gold Rush-Rich Mole
28. 10 Things Jesus Taught About Women-Susan Hyatt
29. A Prayer For Owen Meany-John Irving
30. The Lake of Dreams-Kim Edwards
31. The Smoke Jumper-Nicholas Evans
32. So Brave, Young and Handsome-Leif Enger
33. When God Was a Rabbit-Sarah Winman
34. Just Another Indian-Warran Goulding
35. The Tommyknockers-Stephen King
36. Extreme Vinyl Cafe-Stuart McLean

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Well, just a quick post while Landon sleeps-because we don't know how long it will last! I finished 'The Memory Keepers Daughter' by Kim Edwards-pretty good; slightly depressing. Now, I'm onto the Robert McCammon trilogy (which I've read two of the books previously but the third came out recently and I want to re-educate myself) starting with Speaks the Nightbird Part One and Two. It has always been one of my favourites. Dave is into his third week at the Credit Union and is loving it! I think he'll nail it and move up-he's very smart. I'm doing good; the days are weird not being at work, but every once in awhile I go in to see patients. The kitchen is coming along nicely too and it's awesome seeing something come out of what it was-I'll have to post before and after shots once we're done. And Landon is great-growing rapidly and always keeping me busy. Plus, he's tres adorable! More at a later date.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Howdy guys!
Well, my reading slowed down a bit as I started in on rewatching my Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman series! I love that show! But I did finish 'The Scarlet Thread' and it was pretty decent. I tried reading a book about good ol' Swan River that I got from Dave's parents but I couldn't make it through it, so now I'm onto 'The Memory Keepers Daughter'...it's caught my attention so far! I'm also learning to multitask with a baby better! I even knit a cool dishcloth with a butterfly imprint on it and my puzzle making is slow but steady-I work on it whenever I can get the baby to nap!
And Dave got an awesome new job full-time at the credit union which gives us evenings and weekends together. I've also been busy planning my gardening for the summer-in fact my early sweeding in indoor pots is next week already and I may actually have the income to do an overhaul on my yard.
As well, Landon and I arwe going out West in May and we're excited! I think that as much as Dave will miss us, he'll be happy to have time to hhimself. But I'd better blast since the baby is fidgeting! He's great, by the way!

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Well, I've been just flying through the books! Landon is teething and growing like a weed so he's eating alot! I finished the 'Twilight' series along with the novella 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner' which was so so, followed by 'Riding Lessons' by Sara Gruen. It was a very good read, but I'm discovering that she is one of my favourite authors. I then read the sequel to 'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood', 'Ya-Ya's in Bloom' by Rebecca Wells and it was okay; probably not one to keep in the bookshelf, though and am now on to the 'Scarlet Thread' by Francine Rivers. It's caught my interest so far so I think it won't be long before my next read.
Everything else is good; Dave just celebrated his 24th birthday and his parents were here a week ago-had a good visit; things went off without a hitch and we had a very fun bowling night in honour of Dave's birthday. Landon of course is great and cute as ever!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Book Update!

Hey! Just thought I'd give a book update: I finished reading 'The Divide' by Nicholas Evans and also 'The Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers' by Xiaolu Guo and it was interesting. It was written in broken English from the perspective of a Chinese girl coming to England to learn English. It's very philospophical and very interestingly written. Then, I decided to reread the 'Twilight' series again because I picked up the adjoining novella about six months ago called 'The Secret Life of Bree Tanner' and I didn't want to read it until I had reacquainted myself with the first four books. I'm already through 'Twilight' and almost done 'New Moon' again and they're just as good as I remembered. I can't wait to eat them up again and start the novella. Anyhoo, not much more to report-Landon is awesome; he eats alot though! But he's generally a happy boy and I am learning how to do things with him present like puzzles and household stuff. But, unfortunately, he is about to eat shortly so I should jet-have a great day all!

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Well, being a mother definately takes up a lot of time-especially now that Landon is awake alot and wants to hang out with someone constantly! But, he is currently having a wicked awesome nap on the couch with his face smushe on a pillow (but still able to breathe!). However, I do have time to read alot and am still on schedule! I finished Olive Kittredge and it was okay; nothing I'd read again. I also finished John Irving's The Cider House Rules and it is AMAZING! I recommend everyone read it. I am now almost entirely through Nicholas Evans 'The Divide' and it's pretty good, but I had very little doubt considering the last new books of his were incredible (he wrote 'The Horse Whisperer').
Mom came and visited for almost two weeks and was here for her fifty first birthday which I made a camo cake for-it was fabulous! And, she bought me a horde of new books to add to my collection so I'm stocked for the next few months! It was also handy she was here because I had to go in for an emergency D and C almost two weeks ago and I needed someone to watch Landon because Dave worked nearly twelve hours and I had to be put under. But, I'm okay now,they just had to remove some left over placenta from my delivery. Gross, I know. Anyhoo, on that lovely note, I'd better jet. Lots of love!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Well, I'm still working on my third book; it's called 'Olive Kittredge' and it's by Elizabeth Strout....it's good, but probably something I won't read again; also making it difficult to get through it as fast. Dave's also been off all week which makes it hard to read through because we're always involved with eachother in some way. But next week is his long work week, so I'm positive I'll get a lot of reading done! Also, having a baby is very time consuming! In a good way of course.
But, he is very well behaved-yesterday, we went to Yorkton and did a little shopping and he slept all the way there, all the way through our trips into stores and didn't wake up until we were half an hour from home! It makes being normal so easy.
The resolution thing is going slowly but surely-for once I'm not doing that Allison thing where I chide myself for not sticking with it to a T. I think for the first few weeks, it takes a bit to get into a rhythm. I've slipped from the healthy eating once or twice but at least I'm not overeating when I treat myself! And I worked out today with Dave before he left for work-I'm a little tired, but I get to sleep in tomorrow. It'll be a late night for sure because we are going to Bill and Crystals for supper and we always end up shooting the breeze until ten or eleven o'clock at night and then we have to come home and get Landon to sleep which always takes a few hours.
Also, Dave and I are working on a short story project and did some work on that the other night. It was nice; just the two of us on lap tops in the living room with our son propped up on pillows beside Dave.
Anyhoo, my plan for the day is to start planninig my garden, finish tidying the house and maybe get the next kitchen cupboard ready for painting-but only if Landon lets me! If not, we'll settle down with a movie.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Ha, ha! A new post after two days! Not too bad at all! Well, the getting in shape thing is going okay! I worked out two days this week for forty minutes each-not as hard core as I'm used to, but my stitches have just recently healed...and I had a couple days of calorie confusion; I had myself adjusted to a 1300 calorie plan but was constantly hungry so when I looked up calories burned during breastfeeding, I wasn't too surprised that you can burn a whopping 500 calories a day! Which means, that knocks down calories injested to only 800, and if I work out and burn 200, that knocks me down to 600-not enough! No wonder I was soo hungry, and having trouble keeping to my set goal. I couldn't help 'overeating' because I had no calories left! Landon is taking them all away after I consume them. So, now I feel much better and not so bad when I don't work out because I can still get in shape; just slowly. I need to have some patience!
Also, I decided that I want to try and read a book a week this year (a huge goal, I know but I've already finished one and started another in 8 days) and have finished 'The Mistress of Nothing' by Kate Pullinger, which by the way, was excellent. It's a story loosely based on true events and I highly recommend it as a read, so I won't go into too much detail about it, so if someone decides to pick it up, they won't know what to expect. I'm now tying into 'Water For Elephants' by Sara Gruen and it's turning into a really good book. I like this new goal...firstly, I have time to read while nursing Landon because sometimes I sit with him for an hour or so (he's a very hungry little guy!) and secondly, I have a habit of collecting books and never having time to read them so now I can finally make my way through my fifteen or so unread titles.
I will keep you posted!
Also, I watched Moulin Rouge today-I forgot how much I love that movie!

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Happy New Year!

Wow, suddenly, I've become an insanely terrible blogger! I miss the times when we all avidly posted, keeping ourselves in touch with each other's lives! Well, as you all probably know, I am entering 2011 as a Mom! My son was born at 12:04 am on December 13th and we named him Landon Hugh William Sommerville. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 15 1/4 oz and was four minutes away from being due on his due date! He is an absolutely beautiful boy with lots of hair (which is now turning a dark blond) and perfect hands and feet. He hardly ever cries and is growing like crazy; he's almost too long for his newborn sleepers and he's only three and a half weeks today. I'm very excited to celebrate my first real Mother's Day because last year, when I was pregnant, it was still all a big secret and the Dave got me a card to celebrate our coming arrival, but now I can celebrate my new stature with everyone!
As always comes with the New Year, I've got some resolutions that I'm hoping to accomplish! Here's my list:
1. Get in shape for summer-it's gonna take some hard work to get rid of my 'baby' belly, but I'm up for it! I've started a guideline on Spark Nutrition which lets me outline all the foods I eat and tells me how many calories I've ingested, breaking it down into carbs, fat, and protein and then comparing it to what I should be taking in. It also allows me to to track my workouts and how many calories I've burned.
2. Learn the guitar or piano, or both; whichever comes first-I'm waiting on being able to purchase a cord for my electric guitar that can connect it to the amp and then hopefully, I'll be on my way!
3. Write more-I want to see one of my books at least get sent away to be reviewed by a publisher, even if it gets rejected; which, from what I've heard, is very common but at least I'll have made that first step.
4. Start oil painting again-Dave has bought me a beginner set and some canvasses, but I have to decide what I want to paint. I've been starting to get more artistic, painting a few ceramics during the holidays but this is where I can really see how artistic I can be.
5. Blog more and communicate more with my friends-via email letter or phone but it must be done; I miss you guys!
6. Finish house renos-This is becoming the bane of my existance, especially without money! But, we've been known to do it on a tight budget before so we just need to get going; and learn how to work around a baby's schedule!
7. Create a backyard paradise-I've got my seed order ready from P.E.I and brand new Gardener's Journal with references and plot outlines. I'm very excited and hope to share my ideas online!
8. Hone in on my relationship with Jesus-this keeps coming up; and though it is technically last on the list, does not mean it isn't the most important and I want this not only for myself, but so Landon can learn about God and His love through me. I can only accomplish this by being devoted to being an open vessel to Him (as I wrote about in my last prayer blog).
I will keep you all updated on my achievements as well as other goings-on in my life (as part of my fifth resolution and as an attempt to become better connected to you guys! I'm very excited about this and hope to see some more posts soon.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

I apologize for my being on hiatus for the last few weeks but with the upcoming arrival, I'm afraid my life has been one big leap at getting these house renos done in time! And my friends, time is running out! I am in the last month of my second trimester which means, four more months to go! But, it is exciting! We felt the baby moving by eighteen weeks, about a day after the ultrasound in which we got to see close up our little bundle of joy! And two days ago, I saw it move. My belly actually shifted. Now, I can't stop watching it! Unfortunately, my camera battery is dead so no current picks or video; which I hate...but hopefully we'll get it up and running by the end of the month. Mom is coming down for a couple of weeks today and that's pretty exciting-we have so much fun together and an extra pair of hands helping me out is just what I need. Dave and I are just about done renovating the bathroom, I just need to do a few touch-ups with some paing and we need one side of edging for the bathtub and we're pretty much done! Which is a relief because we have so muxh to do (and pay for) before we can get to the nursury-so please wish us luck! Other than that, everything just goes on like before; with a few changes to our daily routine to prepare us for being too busy to know what to do with ourselves! But, as all of you know, I'm happiest when I'm running in four different directions so I think I'll be okay.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Man's Best Friend

I want to make a comparison if I may...firstly, let me begin by saying that only those of you who are especially fond of animals may get anything out of this but that I hope that those of you who aren't may find some truth anyways.
I have always loved animals; I am more fond of them than I am of most people; they are more honest, respectful and good than I could ever hope to be. I have three cats and they are my world. My husband has already taken the back seat to them unfortunately, but I don't think he notices because he has become overly fond of them himself. I tend to treat them like my children and talk to them gently. There are times when I scold them but I often find myself profusely apologizing afterward because my intention was only to stop them from doing something harmful to themselves. I worry about them when I'm not home to protect them and I stay awake through the night when they're ill to make sure they get better. My favourite times are when they come to me just to be with me and they're content just to be sitting with me. I love them because they aren't judgemental or hypocritical...they are with me because they want to be and that is what makes me happy.
Just recently my thought was that I am reflecting God's love in my own way when I'm with my cats. Imagine, God looking down on all of His children and how ernestly He hopes for our well being and guides us to His utmost to keep us from harm and how He's happiest when we sit in His loving arms and simply trust Him and enjoy just spending time with Him. Imagine what He feels when one who doesn't believe in Him, finds they're way into His arms. It would be like us, getting the chance to interact directly with a wild animal. Has that ever happened? It's elating and breathtaking and exciting and at that moment, one of the most beautiful miracles we've ever known. That must be what God feels when we go to Him. Isn't the fact that He just looks at us and smiles so very comforting? And all He wants in return is for us to be like our pets are to us, trusting, loving and loyal. My cats have no doubts about me; they trust me to heal them when they are sick, love them when they are misbehaving, feed them and keep them warm and be there when they need me the most. I believe that they never second guess my actions and would never begrudge me under poor circumstances. This is who we need to be for God; His loyal and loving companions.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

So,not much more interesting is happening...I've got a killer sore wisdom tooth in the back of my mouth which makes it almost unpleasant to eat anything! But I've got new shoes so that makes it much better! I also finished 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' by John Boyne...very good and crushing! The ending I never saw coming! I am now going to sink my teeth into 'Beatrice and Virgil' the new book by Yann Martel, one of my favourite authors EVER! I am tres excited about that! Unfortunately, that's all that's going on so I'll sign off.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Catching Up

Alright, I've finally made it through a few more of my CDs: Bach's 'Brandenburg Concertos', 'Violin Concertos', 'Goldburg Variations' and 'Organ Masterpieces'. They're all fantastic and oh so familiar...he truely is a genious. The Cold Mountain Soundtrack-even if you don't like the movie, the soundtrack is a must...so good! The Killers 'Hot Fuss'-wow, it's like listening to the radio in 2003! It's not great but it brings back good memories! Collective Soul 'Greatest Hits', 'Youth' and 'Afterwards'-what can I say, they are one of my fave bands...the make me happy. The Raconteurs 'Broken Boy Soldiers'...it's good but probably couldn't listen to it over and over again. Satin Doll (a collection of instrumental big band era songs) is one of my favourites. I think of the Andrew's Sisters and smile!

Also, took a break from reading 'Perfume' to read Belva Plain's 'Homecoming'...I was disappointed! All of her stuff is so good but this is a donation book for sure.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Affirmations Ten and Eleven

Ten: I am beautiful when I walk barefoot in the grass and dance like a child in the sun. I remember how it felt to be a child...so young and carefree, so innocent and inspired. I will try my best to find the child within me-she is there waiting to make amy world a better place.
The task: Write a story about one of your fondest childhood memories and post it.

Eleven: I am beautiful when I reach my hand out to others. I am most successful when I am surrounded by my friends. I will create friendships that are built on companionship, support,and unconditional caring...True friendshop is a beautifier fo mind, body and spirit. It coompletes my life and makes me beautiful.
Task: Contact someone you've lost touch with.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Affirmation Day Nine: I am beautifl when my mind and my body are in harmony. My body is my responsibility, and it is up to me to treat it with care. I will listen to my body and respect its wishes. I am my body and my body is beautiful.
Affirmation Task: Today's task is to put passion into everything you do...if you aren't going to be thrilled doing it, don't do it. Concentrate on the things that make you happy.

Friday, April 02, 2010

I published my poem to a website from I believe Affirmation Day Four...it's about Jesus; something I care strongly about. I posted it at http://www.poetry.com/poems/one-dark-night/14339060/-you can check it out.

Behind again

Hi guys-wow this reno thing takes up too much time! Ok, yesterdays affirmation is as follows:
Day Seven: I am beautiful when I am honest with myself and others. I will take time to get to know myself better-to experience my emotions, appreciate my body, and reconnect with my spirit. This is my time to acknowledge my hopes, dreams, and desires. This is my time to discover all the beauty I hold within me.
The goal for this affirmation is to sit down with yourself and make a list of the things you wish you were doing differently or the things you wish to improve (not for others, but solely for yourself) and then add ways of changing them. You have the power to actively work towards them (on my resolutions blog, I've been doing this!)

Day Eight: I am beautiful when I see every day as the best day of my life. I will not dwell on past circumstances. I will keep focused on today and be fully present in the moment...I will ask myself, "What will I do with all that the world offers me?" And my answer will be: great, marvelous, fabulous things that only I am capable of doing.

Today's task is to take one painful thing of your past that consumes your thoughts and is an unecessary dwelling, write it on paper, and bury it. Send it officially to rest. Then, do something great that you haven't done before.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Forgetful Me

I totally forgot to post my affirmation for the other day!
So here is Affirmation Day Six: I am beautiful when I speak the words that are in my heart and stand up for what i believe in. By speaking up and being present, I am makinig a contribution to the world. My voice is powerful and significant and beautiful. My voice deserves to be heard. I am beautiful when I am passionate about things I do. I wasn't born just to take up space; I was born to make a difference. I make every day count, even if it's just in one tiny way...Everymorning I wake up. I have a choice of what is to come. I coose to be beautiful by leading a beautiful life.
The task for this affirmation is to write something that can be published; a poem, and editorial, anything that you are passionate about and send it away to a paper, a publisher-anything where people will get the chance to read you words and know how powerful you are in your convictions!

Day Seven affirmation:
I am beaufiful when I make lemonade ou of lemons. I accept that some days will be harder than others. The rainy days teach me to appreciate the sunshine. They help me to grow stronger, wiser, braver, and more beautiful. With one deep breath at a time, I will move through today into tomorrow...and every day will be the best tomorrow yet.
Today's task is to simply try yoga...it's a great way to reconnect with you body, mind and spirit. And it really relaxes you and puts you in a good place!