An Unexpected Message

Today is a Professional Development Day in our school district, so that means no school for the boys, and I had sooo been looking forward to sleeping in just a little, not too much because it is garbage day, and they seem to hit our street first, but a few extra minutes were sounding like bliss last night when I went to bed.  I woke up at my normal time after a horrible night's sleep (or lack of sleep) and I had a raging headache.  Partly from the lack of sleep, and partly from my neck which seems to be doing weird things lately.  In a desperate attempt to keep the headache from moving into migraine territory, I shuffled down the stairs, put on a pot of coffee and downed a couple Advil.

Normally, a morning with no-one else up is a joy.  I can get a lot of work done when no-one is up to interrupt me.  With the headache raging, I opted to skip firing up the computer and torturing my eyes with the glare of the screen and decided to curl up with a no brainer book.  I'm a firm believer that no brainer books are a great thing to have on hand.  They can offer entertainment without the need to really think.  When my mind is a busy place, a no brainer book can help soothe.  Since I don't really have to think while reading, it allows the other thoughts to sort of mellow and somehow they sort themselves out a bit while I lose myself in a book that requires no deep thinking.

I recently purchased a book on my Kobo (see here for my thoughts on my Kobo)

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 "A Winter Wonderland" by Fern Michaels, Holly Chamberlin, Leslie Meier, and Kristina McMorris.  

It contains four novellas about the holidays.  When I bought it, I was planning on saving it for December when I know I'll be busy and be craving something easy to read.  But I opened it up this morning, and soon found myself lost in one of the stories.  The last story in the book, "The Christmas Collector": by Kristina McMorris was a cute little story about Jenna Matthews, an estate liquidator, who doesn't realize she's at a crossroads in life.  She's used to clearing out other peoples stuff, sorting, purging, and donating what isn't worth anything, and selling what is.  She prides herself on having no clutter in her life, and doesn't understand why people hold on to items that seem to have no intrinsic value.  It is alluded to that her mother is a recovering hoarder, which sort of explains Jenna's attitude and approach to her job.  As the story goes on, it sees Jenna working on an elderly woman's estate, and she finds a box of pictures from WWII which spurs a side story I wished the author would have followed up more on.  I found that part rather appropriate for this time of year, with Remembrance Day this weekend.  And though it was a side line to the main story, the information I gleaned from that, has given me an even deeper respect for the women who served in our military so long ago, who weren't always recognised for the heroines they are.  Who weren't always given the respect and recognition they should have had.

What really got me though was Jenna's personal journey to discovering the power and the value of a memory.  And the understanding that sometimes, those pieces of junk are priceless to their owners, not because of their monetary value, but because of their history and the memories attached to them.

I was looking for a quick read that wouldn't require any deep thinking.  Something that didn't have an intricate plot line to follow.  I got my wish on the plot line, but the meaning in the story left me really thinking. I am a huge believer in clearing out the clutter, and for a long time now I've approached dealing with sentimental items with the belief that the memories will always be there, even when the item is gone, but I don't often think about the tangible feeling of recapturing a memory by looking at photos, or by holding an object.  The items in our homes, the items we hold dear, tell our story.  They hold memories, that maybe we won't recall until we see that item, or hold it in our hands.  What about when we grow old and our memories become fuzzy with age?  Will holding that object, looking at the old photo, faded with time, help us recapture something we've forgotten?

On the other hand, where do we draw the line?  How do we choose what to keep and what to let go?  How do we know what memories will be important?  I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I think that the next time I start sorting stuff, I'll be thinking them in the back of my mind.  My easy read was an easy read, but it left me really thinking about the intentions behind the clearing clutter.  It gave me a new perspective to view things through.  And it gave me food for thought for when it comes to adding to the items in our home, and most especially when it comes to the upcoming holiday season.  I think this year, the gifts I give will be chosen with much more care and intention.

If you're looking for an easy, short read, this book is a good one.  There is more to the story than I've shared here, I didn't want to spoil the whole thing.  Who knows, maybe you'll take something different away from it.

How do you decide what sentimental items to keep?  Do you keep them packed away and waiting for a rainy day of rediscovery?  Do you have a collection of items you couldn't imagine getting rid?  A precious piece that makes you smile when you see it?

Good Reads for Organzing

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so please welcome back the

I read a lot!  As in, normally, I've got a couple of books on the go, plus I spend at least 2 hours a day reading online.  Whether it's some of the fabulous blogs out there, tutorials, news, emails ... I like to read!  (I think it's moved passed obsession into addiction, but there are worse things one could be addicted too!)  One of the great things about reading, is finding those gems of resource.  Those sites or books that are full of useful information; ones you turn to for inspiration or to help find motivation.  Lately, I've had organizing the home on my brain, more than usual, which is saying alot, because I think about this often.  So, I thought I would carry on with that train of thinking and share with you some of my favourite books for organizing the home.  Here they are in order of what I have, what I've read and want, and what I've heard is good, but haven't had the chance to read.

First up, is "House Works" by Cynthia Townley Ewer of OrganizedHome.com

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It's a great book full of a wonderful mix of organizing and cleaning tips.  "House Works" would make a great gift for someone just starting a home of their own, or for someone looking to make changes to their own home.  Tons of ideas, and you can find even more over on the website OrganizedHome.com  This one is in my own library, and I find I look through it when I'm tweaking systems or trying to get a new idea on how to solve an organizing dilemma.

Next up, is a book I've read and loved.  It's topping my list of Must Purchase books.  It's titled "Clutter Rehab" by Laura Wittmann.

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You might know her as the fabulous blogger over on "I'm and Organizing Junkie!"  If you haven't checked out her site yet, I strongly recommend you do.  It is full of wonderful ideas, great tips, fantastic advice, and oodles and oodles of information.  This book was great!  I seriously need to pick up a copy to have, here, at my finger tips.  The book is full of information, tips, and quick little things you can do to not just get organized, but to stay organized.


Next up is my final selection for this post.  It's a book I've heard wonderful things about.  I've flipped through it in stores, and really, am just waiting to get my new library card before checking it out.  I give you...

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As I said above, I've heard some great things about this book, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.  If any of you have, please share your thoughts on it in the comments.  I love the RealSimple website, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to like the book, and I can't wait to check it out.

And there you have it.  My "have", "want" and "must check out" picks for Home Organizing reference books.

Do you have a go to book for Home Organizing?  Have you heard of any that you can't wait to read?  Have any suggestions for other ones I should check out?  I'd love to hear about them!!!!


* All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I was not compensated in anyway for writing this post, or for including these books.  All of the links in this post link back to the authors, their websites, or both.  For information on where to buy them, either check with your local book store, or click on through to the other website for links to where to buy.  *

The One Gadget I Couldn't Live Without!

Alright, be honest, the first thought that popped into your head was "iPhone" right?  Nope, not one of those, infact, I think I could easily live without my POS, WP7.  It's one of those items that breeds love-hate relationships wherever it goes.  (but that's a whole other post)  Actually, the one gadget I could not live without out is ....

my Kobo Touch e-reader. 

I am seriously in love with this pretty little thing.   So, what do I love about it?  Well, first, I love that it was a gift from Travis.  He gave it to me last year for our anniversary.  BEST. GIFT. EVER!!!!  That, right there, is reason enough to love it.  :-)  Onto the more serious stuff though.

I love that Kobo is affiliated with Chapters (Indigo).  Chapters is one of my all time favourite stores.  They have a little of everything,and a whole lot of books!!!  And they're Canadian!  Who could ask for more?  You can also use your Chapters gift card to purchase books on Kobo, which is a nice touch, especially for someone like me who likes to have a budget to work with.

The e-reader itself is really nice.  The quilted back makes for easy holding.  It's light, portable (I purchased a hard cover bookstyle case for it because it comes almost everywhere with me)  and for anyone who enjoys reading outside, you'll love this part too, the screen gets BETTER outside in sunny weather.  Yep!  You heard right, the screen gets better, as in easier to read, when you're outdoors.  FABULOUS right?  That's e-ink screens for you.  And I have to say that, after being affiliated with a Canadian company, the e-ink was the big draw for me.  I wanted something that wasn't backlit, that had no glare, that gave the illusion of reading a book.  The Kobo Touch hit all those points.

It also comes with a few fun features that really appealed to the geek in me.  I can choose from different fonts, change the font size, choose the refresh rate, look up words in the built in dictionary, borrow e-books from the library, and load any DRM free e-pub or pdf book onto it.  This means, that say a blogger I enjoy reading publishes an e-book, in PDF format.  Even if the book is not in the Kobo store, I can purchase it from the blogger, and use Adobe Digital Editions to load it onto my reader.  SWEET!  Love that!

And it has more features.  Like Reading Life, where the e-reader keeps track of wonderful things like, how many books you've finished, how many hours you've read, and what percentage of your library you've gone through.  It will also tell you funny little things like, how many hours you've been reading your current book for, how many minutes per reading session you're averaging, and how many pages you've turned in the book.  (I know, totally geeky, but fun, and it gets better)  Adding to the fun, you can earn awards, little virtual stickers for meeting certain goals.  A little silly, but I can see this having merit for kids who don't like reading.  (and adults who never really grew up.... not saying that's me or anything, but I did happen to notice that I have all my stickers :-) )

Social media plays a huge role in society now, and Kobo jumped right in, and allows to link to your facebook account so you can share your reading experiences with your friends and family.  They seem to really be trying to make reading a social experience, which is kind of neat.  You can have your Kobo account synced through multiple devices, your phone (Android, iPhone, Blackberry) tablet (Android, iPad, Blackberry) and your PC or Mac.  (Not available for Linux yet, but Travis and I are researching ways to get around that) as well as online through the Kobo site.  Best part.... you really can access your Kobo account from all those places, including your library.  You are not confined to just one.  The only thing you need to do, is sync your e-reader with the desktop app to keep it up to date.


Navigating the store is easy, though I will say, it would be nice if it was easier to find the free titles.  The selection is vast and growing for all genres.  You can surf the web on this one, but I don't recommend it.  It's slow, and not very easy to navigate.  This wasn't really meant to be anything but an e-reader.

I know I should tell you somethings I don't like about it, but other than the web surfing being slow, I can't think of any.  Oh, yes I can, they don't have an App for POS WP7, so I can't sync it to my phone :-(  other than that, I'm totally loving it.  It's been my savior during the packing process.  I packed all our books, except for some of Liam's.  Without my Kobo I would go insane.  I have almost 100 books stored on it, and let me tell you, it sure saves space!  lol  Despite all I love about my e-reader, there is still nothing quite like cracking open a good, old fashioned book.  That won't ever change for me.  It just means that I pick and choose the books to purchase a little more carefully.

So, there you have it.  Not really surprising that the one gadget this bookworm can't live without, is her e-reader.

***  Please note that all the opinions found in this post are mine!  I'm sharing this because I really do LOVE my e-reader (ask my husband, my parents, my BFF, my kids... they'll tell you!)  I was in no way compensated for writing this post.  I was not asked to review or share my thoughts on this product.  ***

The Good Ones Never Get Old!

I didn't post one of these last month, because I didn't read anything new.  Not a new author, not a new book by an old favorite . . . nothing new.  Which, at the time, seemed to mean nothing to write about, but oh, I was sooo wrong.  You see, I'm a repeat reader.  I love re-reading books when the mood strikes.  And boy, do my moods ever play a strong role in what I read.  

Lately, with all the changes, I've been feeling really stressed, a little down in the dumps adjusting to Travis being away, and just in need of something to take me out of myself, and preferably something that will make me laugh.  Good thing I have my go to author for just such times.  Her books are witty and full of laugh out loud humor.  Her characters are believable, likable, hate-able, lovable, they've grown and changed as the series has progressed.  Story lines are good, there a few things you can depend on, like the alarming rate at which the main character's cars are destroyed, there will be doughnuts, Tastykakes, and Cluck-in-a-Bucket fried chicken..(Don't read if you have sweet tooth).. if you've read the books, you've probably already guessed that I'm talking about Janet Evanovich, specifically the Plum Series, starring Stephanie Plum.

Newest Book in The Plum Series

They never fail to make me laugh, or at the very least smile.  The main character is bounty hunter who's not so great at her job, but not so bad.  The stories are told through her point of view, and they're told in such a realistic way that you can easily see yourself in Stephanie's shoes.  The cast of characters includes her sometimes partner, ex-prostitute Lula, who cracks me right up.  Her slightly zany grandmother who is a hoot.  Then there are the two men in her life, bad boy bounty hunter, and Stephanie's mentor, Ranger, and cop Joseph Morelli.  Each character is well developed, and they get better and better as the series progressed.  There are other recurring characters too, who add depth and richness to Stephanie's story.  The strength of the characters is one of things that makes this series so great.  Picking up one of the books, is liking visiting with friends.  

I swear I've read the whole series, ALL 18 numbers books, and the 4 "between the numbers" novellas so many times I know most of them off by heart.  It's gotten to the point where I pick which one to read based on what kind of story I'm looking for, because the tone of each one is slightly different.  If you haven't had a chance yet to check out Janet Evanovich's books, you really should.  If you're looking for a light hearted, humorous, mystery to read, this series is the one for you!  I haven't had a chance to check out any of Janet's other books yet, but if they are anything like this series, I can't wait!

I hope this post finds you all having a wonderful day!  Have you read any good books lately?  Do you have a go to book or author?  

P.S.  The first book, "One for the Money" was just released on DVD, staring Kathrine Heigl as Stephanie Plum.  I haven't seen the movie yet.  The reviews I've read were mixed.  The book was great, so if you've seen the movie and thought it was a dud, try the book!

***Please Note:  This is just a personal opinion.  I'm just sharing because I enjoy the books, not because I was asked too. ***

Cause You Know I Can't Resist ...

... A good book, or three!  I love to read!  Books, blogs, magazines.... doesn't matter, I just love to read.  I can't pick a favorite genre, I seem to like them all, or at least I can find books and authors in them all that I like.  lol  So where is this going?  Well, they say to blog about what you love, and so I'd like to welcome you to the first post of my first feature!  I'm thinking this could be a once a month post, about something I've read, or something I want to read, or something else book related.   So, without further ado, welcome to the ...

Have you ever read a book that was so thought provoking, or emotional, or engaging that is stayed with you long after you finished reading it?  I just finished a trilogy that was like that. 

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Now, normally, I don't read Young Adult Fiction, however I've been hearing about these books for a while, and was told that they're a good read, despite being for youth.  (Just so you know, I'm not going to spoil any part of the books, no in depth look at plot or characters, so never fear that I'll ruin story for you)  If you haven't yet read them, I strongly recommend them. Suzanne Collins has done a great job writing for a variety of audiences.  You can read the books, (there are three) and take away nothing more than the story she tells.  Or you can look deeper as you read and find a whole of themes, parallels, and food for thought.  Thought provoking is definitely a good way to describe the story she's told.  I can this book finding its way into high school English classes, there is sooooo there for an English teacher to pull out.  I'm sincerely hoping our teen will decide to read them, because I would love to hear his thoughts on them, and what he takes away from the story.  

I could fill pages and pages with my thoughts and ideas on this trilogy, but instead, I'll just say this:  They're an easy read with a lot to ponder, and I strongly recommend them.  And if reading isn't your thing, Friday is the day that "The Hunger Games" hits theaters.  As with any book to movie transformation, I'm sure that much has been left out, or gotten lost in translation.  As I haven't seen the movie, I can't tell you that for sure. I will say that I noticed a couple of deviations from the book in the trailer for the movie, but they were just little things.  

And that, I guess, is all I can really tell you without giving anything away.  Has anyone else read the books yet?  Are you eagerly awaiting the movie?  And how about the book to movie trend that seems to be so popular now, any thoughts on that?  

I wish you all a fabulous day!!!!