Book Review: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I used to be a Jodi Picoult fan.

I LOVED her book

My Sister's Keeper.

I liked her book

The Pact.

And then I felt like

I just could not find another book I liked by her.

I started and failed to finish several of her books.

Sing Me Home intrigued me, though,

because the novel came with music and you all know

that I love music.

So, I bought the Nook version,

downloaded the songs

and was excited to see if I would like this story.

I didn't.

It is not that the story itself was bad...

it was a bit heavy on the religious and gay/lesbian rights soap box,

but it was that I felt like I KNEW how the story was going to end up.

I feel like Jodi Picoult has one roadmap for her novels 

and once you have read one or two of them,

you know the route like 

you would know the route to your favorite hang-out...

You can get there with your eyes closed.

To be honest, I found this novel boring.

I found the characters to be underdeveloped

and the story line predictable.

I found the soundtrack horrible.

And I was sad that I paid for it to be on my Nook.

I did add some quotes from the book that stuck out to me

on my quotes page if you like that kind of thing,

but that is about all I got out of it...

some quotes.

I suggest not wasting your time with this one.

I am now reading 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

and I am liking it so far.

It has more character development in the first chapter

than this book ever did in the whole novel.

Think of Eternity

This winter I went to Codorus State Park

in Pennsylvania to hike and have a bit of me time.

I noticed on the trail map a little cemetery and

it piqued my interest because I love cemeteries.

I love to look at the tombstones and think about 

what kind of people are buried there and 

what kind of lives they led.

I wonder if people still visit the headstone

or if these people are long forgotten...their legacy lost over time.

I love family history.

It fascinates me to see the lineage that I come from,

which is probably why I love the show

Who Do You Think You Are?

I was not disappointed when I found

this quaint

in-the-middle-of-nowhere

cemetery filled with very old tombstones.

I didn't want to disturb the scene,

so I left the snow partially covering the headstones,

just as I had found it,

but plan on returning soon for another hike

so I can see and read the full tombstones.

My favorite that I was able to read so far

is the last one pictured above:

Remember man as you pass by

As you are now so once was I

As I am now so must you be

Therefore, think of eternity.

A good reminder of the fact 

that all of us are headed to the same place...

to be returned to the ground.

Ashes to ashes.

The Year of Me Project- Week 12- I've Got Nothin...

I knew this would eventually happen...

I knew that sometime during the year 

I would hit a week where it was just

IMPOSSIBLE

to fit in me time.

At first I panicked and felt like a failure

like I did when I had to shut down the Project 365 last year...

after all, I did set this goal for myself.

And then it dawned on me that me time should not

be a burden or a stress.

So what if I didn't get it in this week?

Life happens.

It is all about moderation.

If I don't get time to myself beyond the grocery store one week

it is not a big deal.

What is a big deal is if I stop scheduling time for myself 

all together and take a back seat in my own life.

And that is what my goal was this year...

to be more cognizant of my want and my need

for more personal time.

As long as one week without time doesn't turn into

two and three and four weeks, 

then I am good.

And besides...this weekend I will make up for 

my lack of time this past week.

I will be going out BOTH nights with my husband

and my friends, so in the end it all equals out!

Ladybug knows how to charm a horse...or three.

Ladybug practicing her form when jumping.

It has been a heck of a week.

I am glad it is Friday.

Would you believe they are calling for snow here on Sunday?

Yes, I heard the collective groan...I hear ya.  

I just need spring to arrive so I can open the windows

and air out this gunky germ infested house.

Lysol is the scent of the day here at These Nine Acres.

Mother Nature, for the love of God, please send some warmer temps our way!

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Not So Super Supermoon

Sorry I have MIA for the past couple of days...

First I was sick (and am still recuperating) 

and then T1 had her surgery today to have 

ear tubes put in and her adenoids removed.

(She was amazingly brave and did very well!)

So, just a quick picture of the "supermoon"

we had the other night...

it didn't look so super from These Nine Acres.

It looked like a regular ole' full moon to me, 

but then again I didn't see it as it came over the horizon

do to where we live.

We have lots of hilly terrain here and I live in a valley 

surrounded by lots of trees.

So, I didn't see it until it was high in the sky and looking

not so super.

Have a good one, everyone!

Two Things I Discovered...

about shopping with your daughter this weekend:

1.  Shopping with your daughter at Wal Mart is a very good idea.

There are so many dorky people there

that you do not seem nearly as dorky to your

middle school daughter as you did before stepping into the store.

For instance...my wardrobe was not nearly as

embarrassing to her after we bumped into a lady

wearing capris with socks and open toed sandals.

and

2.  Shopping with your innocent middle school daughter

in the floral department is NOT a good idea.

Why?

Because she will want to know what those

long things with the fuzzies on them are called,

which in and of itself is not a bad thing...

but asking in front of three teens working there

IS a bad thing.

When I told her Pussy Willows

the two boys and one girl worker

turned bright pink and bursted into snickers and snorts.

And then your daughter will want to know why they are 

acting so wonky over Pussy Willows

and you will have to explain that 

teens find nicknames for certain body parts

 amusing and embarrassing.

And then she will want to know WHAT body part

and then that will start a whole other discussion

about slang and body parts.

And then I am right back to being 

a gross, disgusting, dorky parent again.

And I thought I was making progress.

*sigh*

The Year of Me Project- Week 11- This Little Piggy

Newly pedicured piggies hangin' out on the front porch swing.

Every spring when the temperatures start to rise 

the robins reappear in the yard,

and the daffodils start to sprout,

I know it is time to bring out the flip flops.

Ever since I was a kid I've hated shoes.

I prefer to be barefoot.

Well, there was the one time when I squished a slug

between my toes while playing flashlight tag while barefoot...

but besides that, I prefer to let my feet go au natural.

However, since I am a grown woman and 

it isn't seen as "decent" for me to run around barefoot,

the next best thing is flip flops.

I live in them from the spring until the fall.

But, before I can bring out my favorite shoes,

I have to treat myself 

(and those who will be looking at by bare feet)

to a pedicure.

After a long winter of being cooped up in thick socks

and boots, my piggies need some attention in the worst way.

So, yesterday I spent my me time enjoying a spa pedicure.

And now these little piggies are ready for the flip flops.

Now all I need is a tan so my feet don't look like they are glowing. :)

P.S.  Over the weekend I added a book review 

and some more quotes to the 

pages bookmarked on the tabs above.  

Check it out if you have time.

Pain Is a Good Thing?

I had the worst day yesterday.

I was up the night before with the twins

so sleep was not forthcoming.

I woke up in the morning to a refrigerator that had died overnight

and so now I had a wet kitchen floor and spoiled food.

I had a dentist appointment that went bad...

a simple crown replacement turned into a 

full-blown, painful root canal of a molar.

All of this on St. Patrick's Day...a day that should 

have brought me good luck.

But this post isn't about complaining and bad news.

Yes, the day did start off horrible, but as I was lying in the dentist chair,

I had a revelation of sorts.

I suppose it is from my budding interest in yoga,

but instead of lying in the dentist chair cringing and 

stressing myself out further than the situation called for,

it occurred to me that I was thankful for the pain I 

was feeling at that moment.  

That pain meant that I was alive and well 

and that my body was working correctly.

I knew the pain was temporary and I knew

that this uncomfortable feeling would eventually

go away, leaving me more appreciative of 

feeling well...of being pain free.

So, instead of dreading the rest of the 2 hour long process

of the root canal, 

I became remarkably relaxed and comfortable in the fact

that pain was ok. 

Being uncomfortable was ok.

And when I was on the way home,

I felt such joy that in fact my body 

was doing its job...giving me the signals it should

to let me know that something was wrong with my tooth.

I rolled the windows down in my car,

felt the sun on my skin,

saw the fields of green beginning to grow,

heard the robins chirping,

and the warmth in my heart that all was well.

And that, 

my friends,

was lucky.

So, I guess I owe a thank you to St. Patrick

after all...

Here is hoping your day was a great one 

and that the weekend is special.

I want to wish my handsome eldest son,

a wonderful Happy 14th Birthday tomorrow!

You bring such joy to my life and I am proud to 

have the privilege of raising you!

I love you so much, Ty!

xoxo

Road Trip!

This past weekend I was so excited to take a road trip to Ohio

with one of my closest friends, photographer Jodie Otte.

We had a royal blast on our 7 hour trip to and from 

our destination...the Kalahari Resort.

To prepare for the trip, one must first stock the front console

with the necessities:

I couldn't take any pictures on our way to the resort

because there was a massive rainstorm that dumped about 4 inches of rain

along our path the whole way.

We watched the temperature steadily drop as we headed north

to Sandusky and sure enough as we parked the truck

and were unpacking it, 

it started to snow.  

By the next morning, this is what it looked like

outside our resort room window.

I didn't take any pictures while we were at the resort either

because we were so busy 

that I didn't have a chance. 

So, on the way home, I seized the opportunity to

stick the camera out the window 

and snap a few...

Apparently the area of Ohio where we were is very swampy...

I have no idea what waterway this is, but it was pretty going over the bridge.

On the way to Ohio it was raining so hard that we could hardly see in front of us.

So, when we started seeing signs that said 

"Remove Sunglasses" and "Stay in Lane"

we were a bit stumped as to what could be coming...

And then, out of the gray wall of rain, we saw the side of a mountain...

thank God there was a tunnel through it.

On the way home, we were actually able to see the tunnels 

before we got there, so I snapped a picture.

As giddy as we were all pumped up on caffeine and sugar,

signs started taking on a whole new meaning...

This is a sign a middle aged, gravity stricken female does not want to see...

it just seems to be taunting us.

Yes, sign makers, we are aware our curves are descending

thankyouverymuch.

And yes, they are quite slippery when wet if you must know.

And seriously...who doesn't have gas?

Especially when you are eating all of those crazy restaurant foods

when you are on a road trip.

We don't need a sign to remind us.

Apparently the residents of Breezewood (haha)

are in need of Beano.

Just sayin'.

Hey, you can't blame me for channeling a bit of Beavis and Butt-head, can you?

Seven hours is a long time to be cooped up in a car...

even when you are with one of your best friends.

The Greatest News Ever!

I am happy to announce that we FINALLY have an 

adoption date

for our two little ones!

We can call them our own,

officially,

on 

April 8th!

We will be meeting with the judge that day

so he/she can sign the final papers.

Until then I still have to keep their identity a secret,

but soon I will be able to share their adorable faces with you.

Thanks to everyone who has been such a support 

during this exciting (and at times trying) time

in our life!

xoxo

The Year of Me Project- Week 10- Nook Books!

I am the first to admit when I am wrong.

And people, I was wrong.

I SWORE I would never, ever 

in this lifetime, 

buy an electronic book reader.

I love the smell of a real book...

the texture and weight of it in my hands.

The satisfaction of turning the page and

placing a bookmark to see the progress I've made.

I didn't think I could ever enjoy reading an 

electronic book because it wasn't

anything that a real book was.

But, I was wrong.

Last week I visited my aunt, who is a voracious reader,

and she showed me her Nook.

She told me everything she loved about it and she let me

try it out for a few minutes while I was there.

I fell in love.

I had to have one.

I felt like I was hopping the fence and 

joining the enemy by admitting how much I was impressed

with the Nook,

but I had to do it.

I went and treated myself to a Nook.

I bought one at Wal Mart and haven't put it down yet.

And the best part?

I don't have to buy every book I want to read.

Because the Nook works with my local library's

e-book system, I can download

and "borrow" books still from the library.

I get the free e-books for two weeks on my Nook

and then it disappears when the lending period is up.

That little piece of information sealed the deal for me.

I couldn't get over the fact that I would have to pay 

for each and every book I wanted to read,

but knowing I can still borrow from the library

the deciding factor.

And, you can actually lend and borrow books

with other Nook readers!

So, my dear Aunt and I can borrow 

each other's books from the Nook!

My Nook came with three of my favorite classics installed already...

Pride and Prejudice,

Dracula,

and 

Little Women.

I have already downloaded samples of two books

I was interested in...

Little Heathens

and 

A Wolf at the Table.

I already read both samples

and am ready to purchase them both!

I will be sure to write a review of them

when I finish reading the entire memoirs.

So far, I love them both!

So, for this week's Me Time,

I went against my long standing refusal to 

go to e-books and bought a Nook...

and read my heart out!

Greetings From Snowy Ohio

Hello everyone!

Greetings from Northern Ohio...Sandusky to be exact.

I am staying at the Kalahari Resort here in snowy Ohio,

which is kind of ironic considering the resort is all African themed.

Here I am staying in "Africa" and I look out my window this morning and see this:

4 inches and counting.

And this:

and this:

I guess it is better to see this rather than the massive floods

we are having back home.

I just talked to Brian and he informs me that the stalls of our barn

are under water right now.

Oh, joy.  

Wet manure.

Um, yeah...I will stick with the snow.

Sending out wishes of well being to all of those

being threatened by natural disasters today...

floods, snow, tsunami, earthquakes.

I haven't heard the news yet 

(I have been too busy here 

to turn on the television),

but did notice that on Facebook many of you

are discussing recent natural disasters.

Stay safe, everyone.

See Without Seeing

The other day I had to go to the eye doctor

and have my eyes dilated.

I hate having my eyes dilated.

I am one of the freakish people whose eyes

stay dilated all day and it takes a good 12 hours for

my sight to return to normal.

I knew I was running out of images to share with you

so I decided to take a few when I got home from the eye doctor.

How did I take the pictures if I couldn't see?

I put my 5D on the green square *gasp*

and just pointed the camera in the direction I wanted it to go

and pushed the shutter.

It was a freeing experience for sure.

The funny part about it was that I couldn't even see the 

screen on the back of the camera to see whether or not I 

had actually captured something!

So, I had to wait a day and then look and see if I had gotten 

anything worth sharing.

All of these were taken in auto mode

just holding the camera out in front of me 

and pushing the shutter.

Some of the images worked better than others, 

but it was a fun experiment anyway.

The next step is to try and shoot in manual mode

without using light meter and see how well I can 

train my eye to know how fast the shutter should be

and how wide the aperture should be.

I am the first to admit I rely on the meter way too much.

On a different note, 

I will be out of town starting today until Saturday.

I am traveling to Ohio for a photography conference held by the 

Ohio PPA.

Jodie Otte, my good friend, is speaking so 

I am going with her to support her and to learn from other

photographers as well.

I may try to blog about it while I am there,

but I am not sure how much time I will have,

so no promises!

Also, I wanted to let you know I now put

a Shelfari shelf on my Books tab

and I also added a new tab to the top

entitled "Quotes" where I am collecting

some of my favorite quotes from books and other places.

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday- Learning to Love Myself

And because I love all of you too, here is the texture I used on top of my self portrait.  Feel free to click on the image and download the full size version to use as a texture.  No redistribution, please.  A link back is appreciated.  

Have a wonderful Wednesday :)

Keep smiling!

The Year of Me Project- Week 9- Books, Glorious Books

Well, a day late and a dollar short with posting

my "Year of Me Project" post this week,

but at least it is getting posted, finally!

This week me time was very difficult to come by.

I am finding as the weeks go on and life gets busier

it is more and more difficult to return the attention

back to myself and make sure I make time for me.

This week was no acceptation.  

With a bout of strep throat (I finally got it),

a back that has been out for over a month now,

and a crown that fell off my back tooth,

it was a frustrating and sickly week.

I still found time for myself by stopping by the library,

picking up a book I have been wanting to read

and reading it all in one weekend!

This may not sound like an accomplishment

to most people

but it is for me because I am such a slow reader.

I am not a bad reader...I love to read and I am good at reading,

but I read slowly.

So, finishing a book in one weekend is amazing for me.

The book I read was called Half Broke Horses

by Jeannette Walls.

She is also the author of one of my favorite books...

her memoir,

The Glass Castle.

So, the moral for myself for this week was

to squeeze out time for myself even if it is in little increments,

even when it seems the world is against me.

Perhaps that is actually the best time to 

focus on self...

when everything else seems to be falling apart.

Speaking of books, I am in the process

of starting a "Book" page to list the books

I read this year.

I will write a short review of each one

and will link back to the Amazon site

so you can take a look if you are itching for

a book to read.

I am doing the same for movies.

A lot of people ask for recommendations for books

or movies, so I thought this was a fun way to keep 

track of all that I have watched and read this year.

Have a great day, y'all!

Inspiration

For those who have known me for some time

you already know that I love quotes.

In my new found love of the yoga principles,

I came across some quotes by Buddha that 

I think make a good extension of yesterday's post about mudita.

I hope these wise words of Buddha inspire your weekend.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. 

He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the 

intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

I will see you back here on Monday!

Come Sit With Me

Come sit with me and we can chat.

We can chat about things that are important 

and things that are not.

Brian had a conversation with Ladybug the other night

while taking her to her riding lessons.

Ladybug was in a foul mood and when Brian

asked her why, she expressed that she was jealous

of some of her friends.

Some of her friends have more material things

than Ladybug.

Some of her friends are better at sports

than Ladybug.

And some have just the right hair or the right clothes.

I know all of these things are important to a middle school girl,

but it got me thinking.

What I want most for my kids is for them to be happy 

and content with themselves, their lives, and their futures.

It bothered me that she is jealous because of how she

perceives others' lives to be.

I wasn't sure how to approach this with her

without seeming like I am lecturing her.

It was one of the many days where parenthood

seemed like an abstract concept and left me

at a loss for how to explain to an 11 year old

that jealousy does not help her achieve happiness in life.

And then...

I came across Yoga Journal magazine at the library.

I grabbed a couple of them because I am considering 

purchasing a subscription to it and wanted to 

make sure I would like it.

I sat down this evening during quiet time

(when everyone at These Nine Acres was either 

reading, doing puzzles, or playing games)

and opened the magazine.

The article that caught my attention was titled

"I'm So Happy For You...

Take Delight in the Good Fortune of Others to Create More 

Happiness for Yourself.

The article is very long, but basically it was explaining the

meaning of mudita.

Mudita is the third of the yogic teachings on love.

It is the ability to take active delight in other's good fortune.

The enemy of mudita is jealousy or envy.

All of us, at one time or another, have been

jealous or envious of another person.

Envy is painful.  

Can you remember a time when you were jealous

and how horrible and sad it makes you feel?

Envy does not diminish the joy of the other person you are jealous of, 

but it does destroy your own happiness.

Think of it this way.

If you are truly joyful when others have success

or good fortune, 

imagine how happy you could be.

If you are happy

every time something good happens to someone else, 

your heart will be filled with joy and happiness many times a day!

The next time you catch yourself feeling jealous or envious,

reverse your thinking and try to feel genuinely happy

for the other person.

Instead of wallowing in your jealous envy and being miserable,

you could be filled with joy.

Now that is worth the effort, don't you think?

I am planning on reading the article 

to Ladybug today and talk through it with her.

It may not sink into her pre-teen brain right now,

but I will at least be planting the seed in her mind

that when she feels jealous, she should instead

be seeking joy in the other person's accomplishments and luck.

Since I am not too adept at explaining lofty concepts,

here is an article about mudita from the Yoga Journal.

If you are interested in reading more about it,

or if I just confused the heck out of you,

please read the article that was written

by a much more articulate person than myself!

Thanks for stopping in and sitting a spell with me.

It was fun chatting with you.

Have a wonderful Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday- A Little Basketball