All About MEme Monday...Read It and Weep!!

Me likey this Monday's theme: books. Me likey lots. So, here goes.

(From the one and only Supah's Blog: You know Oprah Supah asks the tough questions ...

What are you currently reading?
When do you find the time to read?
Where do you do most of your reading?
How do you choose what you read?
From where do you get most of your books?
What do you do with a book after you've finished reading it?
What are your book (reading) quirks?")

I love to read. LOVE to read. For as long as I can remember, I have loved books. As a child, my preference was for Golden Books. My very favorite one was "The Ginghams: The Backwards Picnic". I passed my love of Golden Books onto my kidlets, and thus we have a very large collection of the golden-spined books (some dating back to the 40's).

As I outgrew the GB's (ok, so who ever really outgrows those books?!), I started in on "bigger" books. My favorite? "The Clumpets Go Sailing". From there I graduated to chapter books, with Beverly Cleary topping my list of favorites. Oh how I wanted to be Ramona Quimby. I read the Babysitters Club series, and I also liked the Sweet Valley High books. I loved the classics like Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, The Little Princess, Pippi Longstocking, The Secret Garden, and The Wizard of Oz (I consider myself lucky that my copy of the book was my great-grandfather's - from 1906). Some other favorites were Behind The Attic Wall, Wait Til Helen Comes, and The House of Dies Drear.

When I entered my teen years, V.C. Andrews' books were my crack. I read everything she wrote, with My Sweet Audrina being my fave. When I outgrew her (which didn't take long because I read so fast), I started reading more chick-lit. The first time I picked up a Louisa May Alcott book, I was in heaven, and An Old-Fashioned Girl is still one of my very favorite books. I gave myself whole-heartedly to Ms. Alcott, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Margaret Mitchell (and then of course Alexandra Ripley), and Daphne DuMaurier. I also started reading romance novels. I found that Danielle Steele (my Gramma K. would give me hers) books were quick and kind of fascinating to my 14 year-old brain. Belva Plain's stories were also entertaining.

I discovered my Dad's bookshelf in the late 90s. John Grisham, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Mary Higgins Clark, Robert James Waller, Michael Crichton, and Patricia Cornwell replaced Danielle Steele and the rest of the romance novelists. And then James Patterson arrived on my radar. Wow. JP became my crack. I would stay up all night to finish the books. Mr. Patterson also brought some of his colleagues along - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Lee Childs, Ted Bell, Dean Koontz, Tami Hoag...the list can go on and on.

The point of the above rambling? I love to read!! Books are my escape. I love being able to lose myself in their pages. In the last 12 months, I would say that I've read easily over 20 books. Probably more. But definitely not less. In the last week, I have flown through two books - Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon and The Green Mile, and I started his Different Seasons book last night.

I am lucky that my kiddos still "nap" and go to bed early, so I do most of my reading while they're in bed. Which is why I get as many books in as I do. It also helps that I read fast.

My favorite place to read is on the couch. Cuddled up in my Snuggie with a warm mug of tea. Or a cold beer - it all depends on how the day went. But I'll read anywhere - bed, standing in the kitchen while stirring dinner, in the tub, on the toilet. The only place I can't read is in the car.

I judge books by their covers. Not going to lie about it either. If the cover looks even remotely interesting, I will grab it. Sometimes I'm disappointed, but sometimes not. I don't use the media-driven Best-Seller lists. They are grossly overrated, and I don't want to read what the masses are reading. Sure most of what I read end up being on those lists, but I don't choose them from those lists. I tend to stick with one author for a while...if I like one book he/she has written, I hunt down the rest of his/her works.

The majority of the books I read are usually borrowed. I steal them from my brother's book shelf, my Dad sends a box up from FL, friends give them to me, and every so often I will hit up the library. If I fall in love with the book, then I buy it. I'm a re-reader. The Twilight series? Took me 4 days to read. 2 weeks later, I re-read them. Jane Eyre? Gets re-read every summer. My Jane Austen Favorites (Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibilities) have been read at least 3 times each.

What do I do with books after I've read them? Usually pile them in a stack next to my bed. If I've borrowed them from a friend or family member or the library, I return them. But if they're mine? They get stacked. Or boxed up. Or borrowed. There are books all over this house. If they're my favorite books - the ones I can't live without - they get put on a shelf in my room. Austen, Alcott, Meyer, Frank, King, Bronte...all in my room.

Reading quirks...let's see. I can never find a bookmark, so I use whatever's laying around. Usually a Vera Bradley tag...or a receipt. Sometimes I use strings that I pull off of my shirts. I love the snapping sound that a brand-new book makes when you first crack the spine. I also love the smell of fresh ink. I will never own a Kindle or any other "reading game" for that reason - it's just not the same. When I lose myself completely, I tend to talk to the characters. I yell at them, laugh at them, cry with them...and I'm usually oblivious that I'm doing it.

And now that I've discussed my love of books, I'm going to go read while my kids are still occupied in the playroom. Happy reading!!

Nutshell

The last few weeks have been insane. So to sum up, here's life - in a...

I finally caved...I read (then re-read because they were so freaking good) the Twilight Saga!

We got our tree...and the kids loved it!

We made a gingerbread house...the dinosaurs loved it!

I celebrated my birthday...Snuggies are awesome!

The kids had all kinds of school festivities...Gabriel was abused after one of them, and ended up in the ER.

Christmas was a blast...the kids got far too much loot!

In an effort to use up some of the mountains of yarn around here...I started making hats.

Turns out that Elliott can't see...so she's now wearing glasses.

And there you have it. The last few weeks in a nutshell.

Post-It Note Tuesday!!

Monday Meme...Lap Sitting!!!

I've been slacking in my Memes lately...and I apologize. So...in an honest effort to stay on track (and because I know you all have missed me so much) - here's my Monday Meme!!

Supah Woman herself would like to know whose lap (aside from Santa's) I would like to sit on. Obviously the first person that comes to mind if Jonny P. But...that's not very interesting. So...here's my list. In no particular order.

Hugh Laurie. 'Cause no matter what he's in...he always looks good. Even when he looks like absolute shit.

Robert Pattinson. But only when he's portraying Edward Cullen. When he's not all pasty and clean-shaven, he's just not as tasty.

Gwen Stefani. Not sure if it's just because she's the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on, or if it's because she's married to Gavin Rossdale.

Josh Halloway. Holy. Hotness. I want to be lost on a deserted island with Sawyer. F Jack.

John Krasinski. Words fail me...

So. There you have it. 5 laps I would rather sit on than Santa's. Me also likey Hugh Grant, Mark Harmon, Matthew Macfadyen, Colin Firth, Mark Addy, Kate Walsh, and Hayden Christensen.

Conglomeration

Things have been crazy around here for the past few weeks, and I just haven't had the time - nay, the interest to post. My intentions have been good...but when I sit down...the mood leaves. So here's a random conglomeration of thoughts and stuff...

* I went to the movies for the first time in, oh...7 years. I'm pretty sure the last thing I saw in a theater was "The Scorpion King". When I was a teenager, I loved going to the movies. Now? I just don't care. I would rather sit in the comfort of my own home to watch something that will potentially not be all that exciting. But I wanted to see "Julie and Julia" - and since my ticket was only 75 cents, it was well worth it!!

* Thanksgiving was fan-f***ing-tastic!! Seriously one of the best holiday weekends of my adult life. I got to spend time with all of my family and Jon's. It was wonderful. The kids got to play with all of their cousins, and I got to go shopping alone with my Mom. (My MIL kept my kiddos overnight while Jon was at his family's hunting cabin with his brothers.) It was just an absolutely awesome weekend!!

* I've been reading like a crazy woman since we've been home. In the last six days, I've read five books. The reading frenzy began with the third volume of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series. It ended with the four Twilight books. 99.99% of my friends had read the books and I was tired of being harassed...so I caved, and borrowed the books from my SIL. And holy poop!! They were freakin' awesome!! I read all four books in four days...and I want to read them again!

The only problem I have with actually having read the books (aside from the fact that there aren't any more in the series) are the thoughtless little jabs at my overwhelming glee. Since I get little to no free time to myself, I use books as my escape. Every time I pick up a book, it's like a wee little vacation - just for me. No kids, no hubby, no laundry, no dishes. The books I like to read (that aren't classics) are thrilling...graphic...attention-catching. Quick reads that I can totally lose myself in. I love Patterson, Koontz, Childs, Preston and Child, Rice...my list can go on. And after writing those names, I realize that I like to be scared when I read (which is weird since I loathe horror movies). I like books that take me out of my safe little world. The point I'm trying to make here is that my choosing to read a sudden pop culture phenomenon doesn't make me a moron.

* Ok...so it's December. How in the hell did that happen??

* My husband just asked me if I was blogging about his balls. I told him no. But I guess I lied...'cause here I am. Blogging about his balls.

* For the first time in 19 months, Janna has an ear infection. Her tubes are doing their job - the goo is leaking out of her head instead of settling in behind her eardrum. And it's disgusting. She'd been talking about her ears bothering her for a week or so, but she wasn't clear on whether or not it was her ear...or her earring. And since she didn't have a fever, I didn't think anything of it. On Wednesday, I noticed some rusty-greenish colored goo leaking out of her ear. I thought it was just ear wax (the Girl is the Ear Wax Queen), but I called anyway because she also had a nasty cough. Dr. Y. took one look at the ear and said, "Nope. That's an infection." By the time we left the office, the other ear was leaking, too. Good times!!

This afternoon as I was wiping her little ears clean, I realized that this wasn't the first time I had seen goop drizzling out of her ears. It's happened twice in the last few months. But because she wasn't complaining and she has a ton of sticky ear wax, I didn't think anything of it. So...if this infection doesn't clear up in the next couple days, I will be calling the ENT to make absolutely certain that her tubes are in place - and that they look like they will be in place for the rest of cold/flu season.

* I had my parent-teacher conference with Gabe's Kindergarten teacher today. It went well!! Mrs. V. is fantastic. I couldn't imagine a more perfect fit for The Boy. She's completely aware of his strengths and his weaknesses...and she works with all of them. The first words out of her mouth when I walked into the classroom were about how much she enjoyed having Gabe in her class. And it wasn't just lip service. She truly enjoys him...and that means the world to him. And to me, too. Since he's way ahead of the curve for everything they're working on, she's going to send home some extra things for him to do. She also gave me some great ideas for activities Jon and I can do with him to keep him on his toes.

* Jon just asked if I was blogging about him farting on the cat. Ummm, sure. I told him I hoped the cat scratched his previously mentioned balls.

* I'm trying to get in the holiday mood, but the weather isn't helping. I know I shouldn't complain about the fact that it's been 50+ degrees up here. But shopping for a Christmas tree without a coat on in Upstate NY is kind of depressing. But we managed, and Janna picked out her "perfectly wiggly Kiss-miss tree" this morning!! Well...that's what she calls it. I 'll post pics eventually. It looks gorgeous!!

That's about all I've got. Seacrest out.