Shiny Layers

One year ago you entered the world.  Your entrance was relatively quiet, quick, and with minimal fanfare.  Heart tugging lyrics from The Cure sauntered in the background ... or was it Tom Petty? The overwhelming anticipation of your arrival has blurred our auditory recall so we'll never really know for sure which 80's pop tune enveloped us at that moment but it doesn't matter.

You showed up.  You accepted your admittance to the human race.  You came to do what we are all here to do: live, love, laugh, learn, try, fail, hurt, heal, hope, believe.

Feel.

You began your life in the best way I can imagine.  Curled onto my chest for the better part of an hour.  The weight of you like an anchor pinning my soul into place once again. Centered and at peace I could breathe deeply and wholly for the first time in nine months.  The outside simply went away and it was just you and me kid.

The last year has been pure joy watching you grow.  A treasure.  I have inklings of who you are. Little glimmers of your spirit that shine through.  Flirtatious eyes, wicked grins, insatiable curiosity, and tender touches.  But like most babies in the first year you mostly remain a mystery to me.  The fact that I truly don't know you yet is simply thrilling.  You are like a surprise gift with multiple layers of wrapping, each tearing off to reveal another beautiful wrapping, shinier and with a different pattern than the last.  It's like Christmas morning every day but I have yet to uncover the actual gift. The complete gift of you.

More than anything this year has been about what you have done for me.  How you have redirected me. My heart is much bigger now.  It has more rooms for feeling and reflecting. You've stretched my old sense of time and space and things are not so fast anymore.  I move slower with you, savoring. I drink in your sweet breath.  I listen longer.  I watch longer. I laugh longer.  I sense a present moment more easily and stay to linger in its rarity.  I breathe more deeply.  I stop.

I feel.

I needed these things in my life.  I needed something to catch me, hold me, and ground me.  I needed a new pair of little eyes to peer into mine and remind me to put more pressure on the brakes.  To give myself permission to amble through these tender years, admit and forgive my shortcomings, sing and dance my praises, reach out and grasp those who really know me, and explore who I truly am.

Nothing is perfect and I'm learning that I don't want perfection.  Good days, bad days, I'm a work in progress, learning as I go and that feels right.  Freeing.

So thank you sweet boy, for bringing me back to my path.  Let's walk it together.

Hello Goodbye

Well would you look at that?  I haven't posted since February and the year is almost over.  The reason for my MIA status?

New baby.

Hmm.. I suppose he's not actually "new" anymore.  It has been ten months after all.  Bah.  I don't need to explain.  Any parent out there understands that when a new bugaboo is added to the mix there is less and less and less time for mommy (and daddy).  Thus, the blog (and many other interests) gets pushed to the waaaay back corner of the broom closet.

I ain't complaining though.  My little guy's smile is the best hobby I've ever had.  The blog will always be there.  But that angel face will one day turn sour with middle school attitude and hoard itself in a bedroom listening to gangster rap.

Oy.

Despite having practically zero time to myself I managed to hold on tight to my two favorite escapes: music and books.  That's all I need to keep rolling.

So without further ado ... my BEST OF 2014!

An interesting playlist.  I noticed a few things: 

• There are almost no women on my list (minus the vintage crooning of Kate Davis).  This kind of irks me but whatever.  I like what I like. 
• Mostly new artists.
• Some heavy hitting back-to-basics rock songs (the world needs more of these).
• A lot of these tracks were released within the latter part of the year so they're still very fresh.
• Any song that has the lyric, "Gonna take you to the sugar shack" has me SOLD.  Come on.  You know that's so dang good. (*listen to Electric Man above*)

Okay.  Now books.

I need to preface this portion by sharing that I had lofty reading ambitions back in January.  I declared through Goodreads that I would read 25 books this year.  I guess I forgot to factor in the reality of having two kids and that lounging with a book in the middle of the afternoon was simply a thing of the past.  Regardless, I refuse to give up on books.  I just can't.  But my pace is considerably s-l-o-w-e-r.  

I only read 11 books.  But damn.  That's pretty good considering my reading window is from 10:45 p.m. to whenever-my-lids-droop-and-I jerk-awake-sending-my-book-flying-onto-the-floor.  I swear that happens every night.  It's quite sad.

Here's what I loved: (oh and by the way, this is not a Best of 2014 list because most of these books are older)

This Life is in Your Hands by Melissa Coleman

A haunting (I still think about it) memoir of Coleman's unorthodox upbringing on a homestead during the 1970's.  Compelling, poetic, sad, beautiful.

Bloom by Kelle Hampton

Love her blog.  Love her book.  Love her voice.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Stupid, dry humor but deliciously funny and naughty.

The Martian by Andy Weir

The sci-fi book for NON sci-fi people (like me).  I'm so glad I branched out of my comfort zone for this one.  It was superb.  I smell movie rights...

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson

This is my non-fiction pick.  I'm actually still reading it and if I finish it before the year ends then that makes my total 12 books, not 11 - YEAH!  I'm turning into a history geek as I get older and I find this time in America fascinating.  Bill Bryson could write about galvanized steel pipe and I would read it.  He's that good.

Okay.  I think that's enough nerd talk for one post.  I don't want to overdo it or anything.

P.S. What made YOUR lists this year?  Share.  I'll talk to ya.

Delivery Room Tunes

I'm not a big regrets person.  I try not to go there.  I think it's a bit useless to dwell on all the ways you could have changed your past.  It's much more empowering to focus on ways you can change your future.  

Getting too deep?  Must be the maternal hormones talking.

Anyhoo, the reason I bring this up is that I do have a tiny regret regarding the birth of our first baby.  It's not so much a regret but an "Oops!  We totally forgot about that!" moment.  Why we did not think to incorporate music into the birth of our baby girl is so very strange.  Strange because anyone who knows us knows that music is a big part of our lives.  No, a huge part of our lives.  Music is a daily pulse that runs through our house, our souls, and yes, our babies.  I won't even begin to discuss the lyrics my 3-year-old knows by heart that are older than me.  We dig retro.

(photo courtesy of Google Images)

So here I sit, awaiting the imminent arrival of our second child, our little boy, and I immediately think, "This kid is SO gonna have a life soundtrack."  I'm not "missing a beat" ... this time.

The past week or so I have been painstakingly adding and removing and adding again to this playlist.  I have to remind myself that it's really more for me than lil' babe.  And I'm being 100% selfish with the selections. If I invited my husband to add his preferences I would be grunting my way through a string of jazz fusion diddies lasting at least nine minutes apiece.  No thanks.

(Did I forget to mention that our "music pulses" vary greatly across the musical spectrum?)

Bottom line:  The pusher gets to be the picker.

I heeded two simple rules when creating my playlist:

1. I must genuinely love the track and feel something when listening to it.
2. Each track should have some sort of relevance to the occasion.  For instance, I love Stanglehold by Ted Nugent but something tells me that wouldn't be exactly appropriate for this event.  Wait ... on second thought...     

The one track that sums it all up and I have deemed as my favorite?  Mr. Sam Cooke, Bring It On Home To Me.  I think I will forever think of my son when I hear that beautiful, soulful tune.  

Smiling.

PS:  What was on your delivery playlist(s)?  Favorites?  Any special songs that remind you of your lil' bean(s)?  Please share!!

DIY Gift That Brings Smiles

I mentioned in my last post that it was a very DIY-ish Christmas.  Not only did my hubby create the mother of all Barbie houses for our daughter but I got on the bandwagon too and decided to go all homemade for the grandparents' gifts.

I found a fast and easy little project on Pinterest that seemed to be gaining popularity as I had seen a gazillion posts on it.  Decorating cheap ceramic ware with Sharpies and baking the pieces to set the ink.  The possibilities are endless!  I knew that I wanted to try this project with my 3-year-old and create some special keepsakes for the grandparents.

Before diving right in I decided to do more research on the effectiveness of using just plain ol' Sharpies.  I'm so glad I delved further into the topic because I read quite a bit of disappointed responses that included, "This didn't work for me!" or "I followed your directions exactly and when I washed my plates, the ink came right off."  I decided right then that I would not be using regular Sharpies.  The only way to ensure a stay-put image is to use the more expensive oil-based Sharpie or the equivalent.  Works great!

First we made plates.  I colored my daughter's thumb and pointer finger with the black marker and pressed onto the plates to make the bellies.  I added arms and legs and let her take over with the heads.  A polka dot border kept things simple.

Next, we made matching bowls.  Again, my daughter was in full control of making the faces (it's her specialty) and I covered the rest.

Materials Used:

matching plates and bowls from the Dollar Tree

Sharpie Oil Based Paint markers in black, light blue, and red

(Warning - the red ink turns magenta after baking but still looks pretty)

rubbing alcohol and Q-tips (for erasing mistakes)

How We Did It:

1. First I removed all stickers from the plates and bowls and rinsed any dust/dirt off.
2. Colored my daughter's thumb and pointer finger and pressed onto plates to create the "bellies."  She added the heads and I finished the rest. (Warning - the marker dried VERY fast on my daughter's skin so I had to work quickly in order to get a decent print onto the plate.  Some turned out better than others but I'm one who prefers slight imperfections on homemade items.  Endearing.)
3. Made the matching bowls but with no thumbprints.
4. Placed dishes on baking sheets and put into a cold oven (not turned on).
5. Set oven to 350 degrees.  When heated, bake for 30 minutes.
6. Turn oven off and let cool without removing dishes.  Remove dishes after oven has cooled.
7. I let our dishes sit overnight before hand washing them.

These would make great candy dishes if you didn't feel comfortable eating off of them.  Although my mom called me the next day to proudly announce that she and my dad had already enjoyed their breakfast on the dishes and loved every minute.  

Score.

A DIY Christmas Surprise

For some reason, Christmas 2013 had a major DIY flavor.  This is not at all a bad thing.  In fact, in my little humble opinion, it's better.  Much better.  Unless you have a problem with managing your time.  Then a DIY Christmas becomes one hairy stress ball.

Let me back up a bit...

My 3-year-old daughter has recently hit her Barbie Alcoholic Phase.  She drowns herself in all things Barbie for hours on end.  I would be lying if I said I didn't play any part in introducing her to the blonde-headed bombshell or that I don't partake in Barbie binges that occur in our house on a daily basis.  In other words, you could call me the enabler.  And I'm okay with that.

The one item that was missing from my daughter's pinked out fantasy world was a Barbie house.  I think we can all agree that you can't really play Barbie without a tricked out pad.  It's just not right.  I remember how important the Barbie Dream House was when I was a wee one.  My heart still aches for that awkward three section plastic contraption.

God, I loved this thing.

(photo courtesy of Google Images)

Thus began the Doll House Project of 2013.  It was going to be the "big gift" for Christmas.  You know, the Red Rider BB Gun hiding in the corner type of gift.  I'm going to be totally honest here and admit that my part in all of this was actually pretty easy.  I simply logged onto Pinterest, found my inspiration, and then coerced my husband to build it.  Oh yeah, and I picked out the paint colors.  Whoop-de-doo.  Therefore that big hairy stress ball landed right in my husband's lap.  I really felt for the poor guy.

Plans and construction began shortly after Thanksgiving.  TOTALLY enough time, right?  Negative.  We should have started the monster back in August.  But what are ya gonna do?  As mentioned before, the inspiration came from this Pinterest link.  It's pretty apparent that this smart couple indeed had started construction in August because their doll house has stairs.  Stairs!  My hubby and I thought, "To hell with a staircase.  Barbie can levitate to the upper levels for all we care." But really, we knew we just didn't have time for things like stairs. Sheesh.

So, for the next 23 days our nightly conversation went something like this (on repeat):

Me: Soooo... how's the project going?
Hubs: (Sigh) I'm getting really nervous about this.
Me: (Playing dumb) Really?  Why?
Hubs: I'm afraid I won't finish in time.
Me: (Lying) Oh I'm sure if you work on it a little every night you'll finish in time.

Fast forward to December 23.  Whilst complaining about all the imperfections (paint, roof, sanding) my husband declares that the hairy stress ball is complete or as complete as it's going to be.  And I'm relieved because things were getting a little scary there for a while.

What started off as a hairy stress ball turned out to be one of the most adorable things my husband has made for our daughter (homemade gifts began a year ago with a vintage kitchenette but that's another story).  My heart swelled when I saw the finished house for the first time all stuffed with hideous plastic furniture.  It was perfect.  I knew our daughter would be rendered speechless and I couldn't wait for Christmas morning.

Project complete

Materials Used:

plywood

Behr paint

scrapbook paper

Happy

All the other gifts were left in the dust ... for about 20 minutes.

My mom had a small stove that was made for her when she was a little girl and she's kept it all these years. My older sister played with it.  I played with it.  My daughter has played with it.  And if the stars continue to align, her daughter or son will play with it.  It was important to me that my husband take his beautiful handiwork and put it to use toward things that can be handed down just like mom's stove.  I have no doubt that this Barbie house will become one of those cherished family treasures.

My husband may have developed a few ulcers along the way and he is so not the type to boast about his creations but I know deep down he's proud and glad he took the time to make this beloved toy for his little girl.

Hairy stress ball .... so worth it.

Just Can't Get Enough: Best of 2013

It was a great year for music.  In my humble little opinion, these are the best tracks released this year.

I cheated and chose six instead of five.  I just couldn't kick any of them to the curb.

1. I Love You by Said The Whale:  This song simply gets back to the basics of a great rock song.  The retro feel is always a bonus for me.  A+ all the way.

2. Closer by Tegan and Sara:  I adore these two sisters from Canada.  They really know how to keep it fresh.  A perfectly concocted track with memories of the 80's.  I can't say no to that.

3. Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell: It's about time someone grab Nile Rodgers and allow him to take everyone back to the delicious groovy sounds of Chic.  I'm a huge Chic fan and a huge Daft Punk fan so the marriage of the two is a slice of heaven.

4. Neon Eyes (Into the Deep) by Saints of Valory:  Moving melody.  Beautiful vocals.

5. Pompeii by Bastille: My daughter requests this song every time I cue up the music in our den.  She loves it and sings along.  She's only three and she seriously has an ear for great tunes.  The drums are killer and take center stage.

6. Follow My Feet by The Unlikely Candidates: Another moving track by a very promising new band.  Catchy with great lyrics and a haunting melody.

What are your favorite songs from 2013?
Do share!

Gender Reveal

Yikes.
Looks like I've been snoozing on the blogging as of late.
I have three good reasons for that:

1. I'm currently growing a human being inside of me and I'm tired.  And completely brainless most of the time.
2. My 3-year-old does not take naps anymore (thank you in advance for your condolences).
3. Managing to complete a load of laundry, scrub a toilet, and/or shower and dress for the day has taken precedence over lounging in cyberspace (refer to #2).

With that being said, I do still love to blog and I have a lot of posts piled up in my head. I'm just not sure how/if they'll ever touch ground.

But enough of me whining.  Let's get on to the true meat of this post.  Gender Reveal Parties!  They really seem to be all the rage nowadays and I took my turn with throwing one a couple months ago.

I suppose it goes without saying that after the glowing attention thrown at the birth of a first born child there's not a whole lot of pomp and circumstance with subsequent babies. No showers, no new stuff, no endless spans of time to plan, decorate, reflect, glow.  Heck, the kid won't even have a baby book filled out for him.

Therefore, there are very few options left when it comes to celebrating the upcoming birth of a second (or third, fourth, fifth...) child.  This is where gender reveal parties make a big splash.  They're a great excuse to celebrate, show off, and give your little bean a time to shine.

We decided to use homemade lottery cards to reveal the gender of our baby.  I found the adorable idea on Pinterest and only made some minor modifications.  So easy.  So much fun.  Great memories.

 First I made some silly props using a mustache and lips.  Guests selected a prop upon arrival depending on their guess.

These were very easy to make (granted I only had to make a couple dozen seeing that my party was small).  I found the mustache and lips on Google images and used them as stencils.  Black and red foam sheets were used along with skinny dowels and some Super Glue.  A no-brainer.

Everyone posed with their props (or cried like my 3-year-old).  The majority of guesses were for a boy ... how did they know???

Next came the actual reveal.  This is the winning scratch off lottery card.  I created these in Word and printed them onto card stock.  See Pinterest link above for directions for making the scratch off paint.  SO.  DANG.  EASY.

A little goody for guests to take home.  Again, stolen from Pinterest like everything else.

Here we are!  Soon the tides will shift and Marly and I will be outnumbered by males in our house (dog included).  We are thrilled about our newest little guy and can't wait to meet him.

Gender reveals can be cute, fun, AND easy!  Which is great for the prego hostess.  

Have you thrown your own gender reveal party or attended one?  What did you love about it?  How did you/they make it special? 

Please share!

Linking Up With...

Fun Friday Blog Hop

I Got Dressed ... For Halloween

Halloween costume ideas are a pain.  I really love dressing up but coming up with a creative concept is not easy.  

I'm typically drawn to an idea that falls into one of these categories:

• Ridiculously off-beat and tacky (ex: my hubby and I dressed up as Jon and Kate Gosselin back in 2009 during their very public divorce - it's still my favorite costume to date)
• Classic with attention to details (ex: the hubby and I went as our nerdy alter-egos, Martha Weinerstraum and Ronald Rickenbacher)
• Retro whimsy (see below)

This year I was on my own with no hubby to complete a dynamite duo ensemble (sniff) and I had another minor obstacle ... a five month prego bump.  Not a huge bump (yet) but still awkward enough to interfere with a regular costume.

I suppose I could have used my bump as the focal point of my costume but painting my belly orange and wearing a basketball jersey is just not my bag.  Instead I tried to think of something I could carry/attach in front of my bump to make it less "center stage" so to speak.

That's when I discovered (after scouring hundreds of images on Pinterest) the Sunmaid Raisin Girl!  Being an American product icon fit perfectly into my retro whimsy category and the basket-o-grapes was a bonus. Sold!  

(see the original Pinterest pin that inspired me here)

Make It!

red bonnet (got mine here)

long brown curly wig - if needed (got mine here)

white t-shirt (got mine here - maternity)

dark blue rick rack trim (got mine here)

fabric glue (got mine here)

any peasant-y looking skirt in white, black, blue, or red (got mine here - maternity)

flats or sandals (mine are old)

basket (my mom's old Longaberger)

fake grapes (got mine here)

thin wire (from our garage)

a box of Sunmaid raisins of course

Only two things required assembly:

1. The Shirt: I simply cut the rick rack trim to fit the edges of the neck and sleeves and secured it using the fabric glue.  Worked great!
2. The Basket: My bump actually gave me an advantage here because I could tie the basket around my waist allowing it to literally "sit" on my belly.  No hands!  I chose a small basket from my mother's beloved 1980's Longaberger collection keeping mind of the weight (lighter is better and less annoying).  I took satin ribbon and weaved it through the basket and tied it behind my back.  Then I secured the clusters of grapes to the basket with thin crafting wire and taped the box down.  An old bandana was placed beneath the items to add more color and detail.

What I would do differently:

Add an apron!  I was running short on time and didn't want to pay $20 for an apron or take the time to sew one.  But it would have been really cute to have had a red or blue apron against my black skirt.  Next time...

And because I knew you'd REALLY want to see these...

John and Kate Gosselin - Halloween 2009

John and Kate Plus 8 - Halloween 2009

Martha and Ronald - Halloween 2012

Hidden America

After tying up your garbage and walking it out to the curb, do you really think about the people who handle it beyond that point?

When rinsing those delicious blueberries and thinking about how great they'll taste in your cereal, are you ever wondering about the hands that picked them for you?

Are professional cheerleaders just a bunch of dummies with killer hair and rockin' bodies?

When you pull up to the pump every week do you realize how dangerous it was for the team of riggers to obtain that oil for your car?

Jeanne Marie Laskas's Hidden America explores these forgotten questions and more in her interesting and humbling inspection of the jobs that keep America running and those that most have completely taken for granted.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for various reasons.  One being that it completely made me feel stupid.  Why would that be enjoyable?  Because it opened my eyes to essential elements of my country that I had not given much thought prior to reading this book. Although uneasy at times, I actually felt better knowing the truth behind so many jobs that are the glue that holds our everyday needs together.

Laskas explores about a dozen professions including air traffic controller, truck driver, beef rancher, and gun shop owner, just to name a few.  I found almost all of these profiles to be enlightening and worthy of knowing more about but there are a few that are still resonating with me.  My favorite profile was the last chapter where Laskas visits a landfill in California.  Garbage typically isn't something the average person likes or wants to think about long-term.  However, there are engineers out there who have a true passion for trash and devote their entire lives to figuring out how to solve our 50 year dilemma called, "Hey, where are we gonna put all our crap for the next 50 years?"  "Garbage men" so to speak, are not just some dirty guys who weren't qualified to work a "cleaner" job but individuals who are invested in taking care of a huge problem that we ALL have: waste. They take those unsightly bags out of our lives and deal with an issue that most of us don't seem to want to think about ... but we should.  I learned that these professionals are actually environmentalists who care about fixing and prolonging the health of our planet. And they do all this day in and day out without us even giving a moment's thought to the whole scheme of things.

Laskas engages readers not only into the professional workings of each job but the personal lives that ARE the jobs.  The common thread found throughout each job profile is passion.  There was so much devotion pouring from the pages of Laskas narratives that you couldn't help but feel grateful that these people exist for your benefit.  Many of these professions hold a "lifer" mentality where the employees somehow contain the job qualities in their blood and want to work till the day they die.  Laskas captured the pride behind these hidden jobs and proved to readers that there is so much more to what meets the eye.   

Quality Rating: (out of 5 stars) 

Just Can't Get Enough: September

Yikes!  I skipped my August playlist and am barely making it for September.

This is totally a slack in blogging and NOT a slack in jamming.

I'm always jamming.

Take a listen to what's tickling my ears this month.

1. I Love You by Said The Whale:  I'm a new listener to this band but dang, how awesome is this retro-esque track?  So very, very awesome.  Gimme more.

2. Out of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums:  Still not sick of this song.

3. 365 Days by ZZ Ward: I could listen to Ward's voice all ding-dong-dandy day long!  She's brilliant.  Need to see her live

4. Hold On by Alabama Shakes:  This one's not getting old for me either and it's definitely filling up my monthly gritty soul requirement.

5. Hearts Like Ours by The Naked and Famous:  Recycled 80's pop/new wave elements = Happy Brookey (me).

Whatchya Listening To???  Don't be shy ... SHARE!!!

We Got Dressed ... For the First Day of School

Don't get too excited now.  This was the first day of our Parent-Tot class.  My little Miss Sassy Pants may look like a Kindergartner (and act like one too) but she's barely just starting her academic career. Nevertheless, it was a BIG deal for us both.

May I also mention that I'm four months preggers and HATE "getting dressed" (this could pose as a major hiccup for my style posts).  This is the most aWkWaRd stage of pregnancy in terms of body shape.  The baby bump is not quite round, firm, and pretty yet and so clothes are just a complete Debbie Downer.  Are you lady mamas with me here?  And so flowy, loose-fitting tops are my only friends.

On Me:

Top: Old Navy Maternity (old) (similar here)  

Capri Leggings: Target (here) 

On Sassy Pants:

Romper: Old Navy (no longer available) (cute option here)  

Shoes: Target (no longer available in white canvas) ( BUT, we just bought these for fall) 

Fun Fact (not quite): This photo shoot (if you can even call it that) lasted about three minutes total because Miss Sassy Pants tripped over the tripod and scraped her palm. Can you hear the wailing?  

That's a wrap.

Puckering Up With EOS

Fun flavored lip gloss is very nostalgic for me.  I remember as a young girl collecting every flavored Lip Smacker in a small tin container and keeping it on my nightstand.  My nightly (and morning) ritual was to select the next Smacker in my perfectly planned line up so that each gloss was used with the same frequency. Childhood OCD?  Perhaps.

Lip Smackers remained in my use well into adulthood.  I had one in my purse, one in my car, and of course one in my nightstand drawer (sans the ritual).  Then my glossy world got really stale.  My lively Raspberry Lemonades, Orange Crushes, Dr. Peppers, and Cotton Candy tubes were for some reason replaced by a travel sized pot of Vaseline and a couple of Chapsticks.

What happened?

I believe I lost my lip balm mojo.

Then a few months ago a dear friend of mine whipped out a funny little vessel from her purse and applied a fruity scented gloss that triggered my former Lip Smacker obsession.  I was instantly intrigued.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago as I excitedly purchased my first EOS lip balm in the funky container.  I just knew right then and there that I was reviving my lost lip gloss love of yesteryear.  Except this time my gloss is mature like me.  It's organic, hip, and grown-up.  But STILL deliciously fun and fruity!

All I can say is that I feel whole again ... or at least my lips do.  I have this strong urge to collect all the flavors and kick start my nightly ritual.

Are you an EOS fan or have you found a new favorite lip product?  As always, do share!

Inkheart

Last spring a student of mine came to class one day and practically shoved a thick, red book into my chest.

"You HAVE to read this, Mrs. Gira!" Julia pronounced with wide eyes and a shortness of breath.

"What is this?" I asked.  "I've never heard of it." 

"Oh. My. God.  This book IS my entire life.  Just promise you'll read it." 

Well, dang.  If it's YOUR LIFE then how can I possibly say no?  I love when students get excited enough about a book that they feel the need to force it upon me.  An English teacher's dream.

And with that I jumped into the world of Inkheart, where books truly come to life.  It may have taken me a good four months to complete it (things came up like exams, three other books on my nightstand, and raising a two-year-old) but I kept my promise and I'm glad that I did.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is a fantasy novel (trilogy actually) that could possibly rival the treasured Harry Potter series (although in my book, nothing ever could).  However, while reading, I could not stop feeling a strange likeness to Harry Potter.  Not so much in the story line but more in the likable characters and the obvious love that Funke poured into the novel.  I understand there is a big fan base for the Inkheart series and this is not at all surprising.  

Meggie is twelve-years-old and lives with her loving father Mo.  Besides a deep love and reliance for one another they also share a love of books.  Mo makes a living doing what he loves, binding books and Meggie is a voracious reader.  For years, Mo and Meggie have enjoyed their love of the written word and have shared many great stories together EXCEPT for one minor detail - Mo refuses to read aloud to his daughter. No matter how many times she begs he won't do it.  Ever.

As strange as this sounds, Mo has a very good reason for his refrain.  Mo possesses a special power.  When he reads aloud from a book the characters come to life.  They literally come out of the book and into the present world.  As you can imagine this can more often than not be a very bad thing.  Very bad indeed. When Meggie was a baby, Mo read aloud to her and her mother Resa one night from the pages of Inkheart, a story full of old-world characters including nasty, ruthless villains.  Needless to say, Mo's entrancing voice summoned out three fantastical characters - Dustfinger, Basta, and the black-hearted Capricorn.  To make matters even worse, Resa gets transported into the book and they haven't seen her since.

Twelve years later, Mo and Meggie find the mysterious Dustfinger standing on their doorstep and no sooner are they off to find and fight Capricorn in hopes of returning Resa to her family.

Funke's plot is probably every book lover's one true wish - to be able to bring written characters to life (I'm assuming this is why Julia claimed the book was HER LIFE). With an enticing story like this, Inkheart could really do no wrong. Perhaps even stronger than the plot is the development of the main characters, particularly Mo and Meggie.  You feel the love they have for each immediately and therefore are rooting them on the whole way.  My only hiccup with this novel was the length.  It was just too long and it didn't need to be.  Although I was engaged throughout the reading I did feel as though I was being dragged through certain parts. There were a few times when I thought to myself, "Okay.  Get on with it.  I can't wait any longer."  As a comparison to another lengthy fantasy novel, I NEVER felt that way when reading Potter.

Recommended Age: 12 and up (because of vocabulary and style)

Quality Rating (out of 5 stars):

Linking Up With...

Kid Lit Blog Hop

My First Feature and Follow Blog Hop

I'm linking up for the first time with the popular book blog hop, Feature and Follow!  I'm looking forward to meeting other book nerds like me.  So ... let's do this!

This week's Feature and Follow question is: 

If you could only have ONE – one book – for the rest of your life. Don’t cheat…what would it be?

Yikes!

I believe this would be a book nerd's nightmare.

However, this is an easy one for me.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

There has not been a single book out there that has come close to comparing with this classic.  The heart wrenching romance between Catherine and Heathcliff is immeasurable.  Bronte encapsulated the true meaning of soul mates.  This story will forever haunt me.

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” 
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

Nuff said.

Now, let's be friends!

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore

This novel spoke to all the nerd parts in me.

Quirky.  Mysterious.  Cheeky.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan creates a wacky world where old-school collides with new-school. Books versus e-readers.  No-tech versus high-tech.  Maturity versus youth.  Quality versus quantity. Tradition versus innovation. The extremes found within this story were endless and kept my nerd-girl fascinations fully engaged.

Clay Jannon is a web-designer who has lost his job and is looking for something a little more low-key.  He randomly steps into Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, conveniently located next door to a strip club, and his fate is sealed.  However, Penumbra's is no hole-in-the-wall.  With shelves that stretch far into the stratosphere housing a mysterious collection of tomes written in code, Clay can't help but be intrigued.

Taking the night shift, Clay has more than enough time to explore the old bookshop.  He soon realizes that the few patrons who visit the store during his wee hour shift are in fact regulars who consistently come in to request only the mysterious coded books.  Eventually, Clay's curiosity gets the better of him and he devotes his time to cracking the mystery behind Penumbra's secret reader society.

Eliciting the help of his techie friends and using computers to find patterns within the shelves of the shop and among the secret readers, Clay breaks the mystery which ultimately catapults him across the country in an effort to uncover the truth behind Mr. Penumbra, his boss and newest friend.

Robin Sloan created a legitimate mystery while keeping his characters witty and likable.  The mash-up between old knowledge and new knowledge was so much fun and kept me coming back for more.  The climax of the novel reveals the backbone of the story and solves the mystery behind the secret readers' society.  At this point I was expecting a shocking revelation for Clay but instead received a simple, heartwarming message about the power of friendship.  A bit underwhelming but endearing all the same.

Quality Rating (out of 5 stars)

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