Owner: Christy's Book Blog URL:www.christysbookblog.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:21:27 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: An off the cuff discussion of the books I'm reading and my thoughts on life. Site statistics:Click here
The River Queen 2007-06-10 15:09:00 Several tornadoes ripped through Wisconsin on Thursday night, including an F-3 that destroyed much of an area about 30 miles north of us. The forecasters had been predicting disastrous weather for days, and as the urgency reached near-hysteria, I had Doogie put a couple of blankets and flashlights in the basement just in case. Jesse and Molly took down all of our birdfeeders and hanging planters, but we didn't receive so much as a raindrop. Dad, who lives 8 miles away, had pouring rain while the sun shone brightly. It was an off mix of weather, and we are very grateful that we ended up with just some strong winds. The Red Cross is up there trying to help people put the pieces of their lives back together, but it's a poor area of the county. Even the local newspapers couldn't manage to drive up and take pictures of the devastation. This is a picture of the storm before it made it this far north. Mia is with Mom today while Jesse works on his homework. I'm lazing about reading and en Read more:River
, Queen
Murder in Chinatown 2007-06-09 15:54:00 I don't think the weather can get any nicer than this. It's in the high 70s with a steady wind and little humidity. Mia's playing in her swimming pool in the front yard. She's alternating between being a mermaid and a mama duck. Jesse's raking the lawn trying to pick up all the pieces of aluminum left behind by the roofers. I think it's safe to say that we can never walk barefoot on the lawn again. There are so many pieces, and some of them are the size of confetti. I'm sitting on the glider on the front porch between loads of laundry. Tonight we're going to have a bonfire in the new firepit and make s'mores. Tomorrow we're going to try out another church. We're going to the church where Jesse was confirmed, but he and his family left over ten years ago. It has a lot of his family history there: they have up pictures of every confirmation class for the last 70 years or so.Murder in Chinatown
by Victoria Thompson is the latest entry in the Gaslight mystery series. I've falle
One Step Over the Border 2007-06-14 15:57:00 The EF-3 tornado that swept through about thirty miles north of our area was so destructive, it's path can be seen from space. This picture is from NASA's home page. The thin diagonal line going up near the center is the path of the tornado. It did millions of dollars worth of damage and knocked down tens of thousands of trees, mostly pine. A woman I spoke to at the library today said that she traveled through the area about two hours after it hit and the smell of pine was overpowering.Molly has turned into a glow in the dark lobster. While I took Mia to the doctor yesterday, Molly went swimming at the beach. I thought she had applied sunscreen before we left home, but she forgot. So she spent four hours unprotected in the sun. She's wearing a halter top today with a wet towel draped across her back, and I'm applying layers of lotion every couple of hours. She gave me a nice compliment today. Today I put on the quarterly conference for pastors at the hospital, and organizing it alw Read more:Border
, One Step
A Good and Happy Child 2007-06-13 21:25:00 It's tough being the mother of a 13-year-old girl. Molly who is absolutely lovely and very thin regularly spends time picking herself apart and thinking she's fat. She'll come in and complain about the size of her thighs or the curls in her hair. I try to reassure her, but I feel like my words fall on deaf ears. She compares herself to her size 1 and 3 friends and thinks that at size 5, she's too big. If it's not her weight that she's worried about, it's being labeled as a prep. This is such a tough age for girls. They compare themselves to each other and always come up lacking somehow. Molly's curls are the envy of other girls, while she wants nothing more than stick straight hair. I don't know how to reassure her when she thinks that nothing I say bears any weight because I'm her mother and always think she's beautiful. I mentioned it last week, but I can't help but tout it again. She's writing a blog, and I'm impressed with how smart it is. While she may lack in punctu Read more:Happy
The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling 2007-06-18 18:56:00 Today is the first day in my blog tour for Gone With the Groom by Janice Thompson. Below you'll find a plot teaser. Tomorrow I'll post an interview with Janice, and on Wednesday I'll post my review of the book. You can sign up all week for my contest to win a copy of the book, all you need to do is leave a comment explaining how you and your SO got "your" song. Here's what I'm looking for: Jesse and my song is In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. We've had a few songs over the course of our relationship. Only Time by Enya was our grand march and By Your Side by Sade was the first song we danced to at our wedding. We loved both of those songs, but for the last song at our wedding reception, the DJs played In Your Eyes. It was perfect for us. Jesse's nickname for me has always been Luv, and the song is about the hard parts of love, passed the in love phase. It's about when everything else in my life is awful, you are the one thing that makes it sane. I still tear up when I hear it on t Read more:Prayer
, Group
, Rolling
The Good Guy 2007-06-16 21:23:00 I went rummage sale-ing yesterday, and I made the most amazing find at a church rummage sale. I found a vintage white cast iron patio set with four cushioned chairs and a glass-topped table. It was in terrific condition and only $40! I called Jesse at work to ask his opinion, but he didn't answer, so I called him on the cell, and he still didn't answer. After two more tries, I gave up and called the one person who would definitely tell me to go for it: my mom. Two very nice men helped me load it into the van, and I drove very carefully all the way home (after stopping at another two sales that just happened to be on they way). Jesse was pleased with my purchase (yay!), and it's set up under the cedar trees in the yard. The picture is of the three kids goofing around as Jesse tries to take their picture on it. You can see Molly's sunburn and Mia's ballerina skirt. I also came across two ironstone pitchers at a sale for a song. Mom has a large collection of them, but she won't shar
In the Tenth House 2007-06-21 15:36:00 I didn't make my salon appointment today; I had to reschedule for tomorrow. I'm having a massive flare-up of my RA, so I'm spending the day in bed reading, or at least I'm trying. My body needs the rest, but my mind sees clutter in the house and wants to do something about it. I'm compensating by blogging, at least then I'm doing something. Doogie and Mia spent the afternoon playing in the sprinkler outside. The weather is beautiful today. Another ferocious storm blew over us last night. We got hit with 1/2" hail and 60+mph winds. The winds from a storm earlier this week broke my new windchimes. This is the kind of weather I love: mid-70s and sunny during the day, colorful and loud storms at night. I'm joining a new blogging community called wismoms (Wisconsin Moms). I'm not sure of the format yet, but I'll give more details as I get them.In the TenthHouse
by Laura Dietz is a literary thriller full of twists and turns. Ambrose Gennett, respected alienist in Victorian London,
Gone With the Groom 2007-06-20 18:46:00 Today I tried to embark upon a new adventure. Molly went to a salon in Green Bay this weekend and got the most adorable haircut. I've always been more of a CostCutters kind of gal myself, but I've been frustrated with my hair for some time. I normally have naturally curly hair, emphasis on the CURL. But being on prednisone for so long, my hair has straightened out and become very fine. With my curls, I couldn't get a brush through my hair, now my hair is almost baby soft. It also started falling out in spots. Thank God, as I'm weaning off of the steriods, it's coming back and getting a little thicker, but it's very frizzy, and I'm in desparate need of a coloring touch-up. After seeing how wonderful Molly looks, I called the salon and made an appointment for the works today. I've never been in an upscale place like this, and I can't for the life of me understand why they hide the front desk around a corner (it's not exactly in the front is it?) so that a newcomer feels like an
Janice Thompson Interview 2007-06-19 22:02:00 Happy Tuesday! Today is the continuation of the Gone With the Groom blog tour. Remember to enter the contest in the comments to win a free copy of the book! Here's an interview with JaniceThompson
, author of the book.1. What book is coming next?There will be three more Annie Peterson mysteries after this one: PUSHING UP DAISIES, THE PERFECT MATCH, and CATERING TO DISASTER. In PUSHING UP DAISIES. They will all be released as part of the new mystery line at Barbour Publishing (Heartsong Presents Mysteries).2. What book are you working on now?I just turned in a Heartsong romance titled WHITE AS SNOW – about a young woman who can’t stand football. She lives in the Pittsburgh area, and eventually (of course!) falls in love with a professional football player. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Why, you ask? Because I’m not a football fan! Figure skating, yes! Gymnastics, of course! Football. . .are you kidding?3. What book are you reading now?I just really a really funny book by R
Crazies to the Left of Me 2007-06-25 18:41:00 The Locksteins threw a huge party for Jesse's mom Cathy this weekend. She celebrated a big birthday (but I won't give away the number). It was great to see all the cousins running around and playing together, and it's so nice to have the opportunity to catch up with everyone we don't get to see. Jesse has so many cousins whom I love and never talk to enough. I'm still recovering from the strain of the day. Jesse served as the bartender for the day, so now he's thinking up new opportunities to do it again.Jessie from Freedom, WI won last week's book blog with this email: So Michelle's and my song is "my best friend" by Tim Mcgraw. We picked this song when we were moving into our apartment about 4yrs ago. We were taking separate cars out there with boxes to unpack. I had the country station on and was having some fears and reservations going through my mind about moving in together (we had only been together for about 1 month) - Than I heard this song on the radio and it just tot
Love Me If You Must 2007-06-28 16:28:00 I love thrift stores. Where else can you fill your cart to overflowing and not break the bank? I really enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I like digging through the racks and coming up with real gems. Molly has a hard time accepting the things I buy there. She'd rather get something new at Wal-Mart than a second hand item from a thrift store, even if it's American Eagle or Aeropostle. Yesterday I got 2 shirts and a pair of jeans (Tommy Hilfiger) for Jesse, a dress, skirt (Gap), capris (Nike), and 4 shirts for Mia, and shorts, pants, and 5 shirts for me, all for $50.00. Jesse's jeans probably cost that new. I didn't pick up anything for Doogie, because he's in a phase where he only wears T-shirts with smartaleck sayings and jeans. I don't dare buy for Molly unless she's present. Her sense of fashion is very specific (and good), and I don't always pick things she'll actually wear. They just sit in the closet for six months until she cleans it out, and it all goes back to the same th
The Divine Appointment 2007-06-27 23:13:00 The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is blog touring The Divine
Appointment by Jerome Teel this week. If you're a fan of John Grisham or Brad Metzler's legal and political thrillers, you'll love Teel's books.They aren't hiding just one something, but a bunch of somethings..."Small town southern lawyer, Elijah Faulkner is a dying breed...an attorney that actually takes pleasure in fighting injustice by working hard for the little guy. But when he takes on a case to defend a philandering doctor with a pregnant wife in a seemingly open-and-shut murder trial, Eli is not so sure he is on the 'right' side.Back in Washington D.C., supreme Court Justice Martha Robinson has died, presenting an unprecedented opportunity for conservative President Richard Wallace to impact the direction of the highest court in the land. He believes God put him in the presidency for just such a time as this...to make a Divine Appointment. Not everyone is thrilled with the president's nominee, however. And
The Devil's Hearth 2007-06-26 14:59:00 It is to my great shame and disappointment that Russ Feingold is the senator representing me in Congress. I remember when he was running the first time and visited all of the local parades shaking hands. He talked about term limits and how he could change things as an outsider in Washington. It's to my even deeper dismay that I fell for his rhetoric and voted for him. But only the first time, I didn't make that mistake twice. While serving as a senator, he's quickly made himself an insider and a power player doing much for the Democrats, but little for Wisconsin, or for those of us fools who thought he would follow through on his promises. I rejoiced yesterday to see the Supreme Court uphold the decision to allow Wisconsin Right to Life to air ads just days before an election. The WRL says that the ads were focused on issues and not candidates, and the Supreme Court agreed, affirming their free spreech. I know this opens up the kinds of ads we will see closer to campaign time, and Read more:Devil
Remember to Forget 2007-06-30 16:36:00 Jess and I took the day off to relax a bit, after he spent the morning fixing something on the back porch with his dad. We took Mia to an ice cream shop in Cecil for lunch. A "small" twist cone has about 4 inches of ice cream above the cone. A large has nearly a foot. The prices are low, and Mia loves getting pink ice cream for lunch. Then we dropped her off at my mom's for the night. We're going to check out another new church tomorrow, and we'd rather not bring her into a place we've never been ourselves. We took a quick drive out to my great-grandmother's home not too far away. The cousin who owned the home passed away, and his wife is having an auction there next weekend. She isn't selling the house, yet. It's a beautiful old farmhouse with a porch and lots of charm. I have no idea what in the inside looks like. We aren't close with that part of the family, so Mom and I are going to the auction in hopes of sneaking a peek. If she did sell it, I would love to be able to buy Read more:Remember
The Kings of New York 2007-06-29 19:29:00 The Democrat-controlled Senate of Wisconsin has passed a bill providing universal health care for Wisconsin residents. It has a tough road ahead of it in the Republican controlled House, for which I am glad. I am fully in agreement that a solution needs to be created to help all of those who are unable to afford health insurance or whose employer doesn't offer it, but I'm concerned about the government having a say over my health care. Already Wisconsin has proven that it is incapable of taking care of those in the Badgercare program. Badgercare provides health insurance to those who are under a certain income level, and participants pay small co-pays, and some pay premiums according to their income, while the rest is state funded. The problem is trying to find a provider who accepts Badgercare patients. A letter ran in last week's Green Bay Press Gazette from a Badgercare subscriber whose child was in desparate need of dental care. The closest dentist willing to take on Badgercare Read more:New York
Wanda Brunstetter Interview 2007-07-06 12:26:00 Well, I had several great entries to the contest, some sweet, some silly, but the entry that struck me the most was from Jen from Marion, WI. Here's her entry: Amy bought a baby goat about 2 years ago as a pet for the kids. The kids fell in love with the goat, named her Sarah, and spent tons of time playing with her. Amy came home from work one afternoon and Sarah was lying on her side in the pasture, unable to stand or move. Amy took Sarah to the vet and was told that she had tetanus and was going to die...nothing that anyone could do to prevent it. Amy, being the softy that she is, told the vet that when people get tetanus, we don't just give up on them...we give them antibiotics and care for them. The vet informed Amy that he wasn't about to waste antibiotics on a goat when he knew that the goat was going to die. Amy found a new vet who gave her the antibiotics and told her how to care for Sarah. Here's what she had to do for a full month: every two h Read more:Wanda
Castaways 2007-07-05 16:33:00 Today is Molly's 14th birthday. She has changed so much in the last year. She went from a young girl who hated makeup, nail polish, pink and all things girly. She was known for her explosive temper. This year she has blossomed into a beautiful young woman who wears makeup and pink (she's still not thrilled with nail polish) and dresses like a girl. She's become someone I enjoy spending time with, her temper is seen only rarely, and even when it is, she has it under control. We got her a cellphone for her birthday; it's prepaid, but she can still text. Half of the original minutes we gave her were gone in two days from text messages. Her pocket is constantly chirping. This may not have been one of my best decisions. The day after she got it she was texting a friend on it, talking to Ian on the house phone, and instant messaging her friends on the computer. That's the picture above. Other pictures are just me being a proud mom. Today we ran into town to drop off packages at the p
A Sister's Secret 2007-07-04 21:03:00 Happy Independence Day! Due to computer breakdowns and other circumstances, the blog tour was suspended for yesterday, but we're back today. I've already had a few entries for the contest, but there's still time to get in your sweet or silly story about your sister in order to win a copy of the book. Just drop me an email or leave it in the comments section.As I've said before, I was an only child (until I was 22, long story), and I think that it really effects the way I interact with the rest of the world. I totally do not get sibling rivalry. Objectively I understand it and its function in the family, but when it plays itself out in my own family, I feel like I'm watching a foreign culture whose rituals and language I don't comprehend. The other night Jesse and Doogie were insulting each other back and forth. It was getting kind of ugly, so I felt the need to step in. When I spoke up, Doogie told me to stay out of it. He explained, almost kindly, that because I didn't gr
Summer of Light 2007-07-10 16:52:00 My new blog is up and running at WisMoms.com, I'm putting fresh material on that blog, so if you want to keep up with my family, you'll have to check out both sites. Today I wrote about Mia and what she teaches me about faith. I'm really excited about being a part of the new site. There are forums for moms on all sorts of topics. and an interesting discussion on politics is getting started. It seems that I'm not the only one who has a hard time deciding between voting on moral issues or more immediate economic concerns. I struggle with this each election day. I know where I stand on abortion, stem cell research, the death penalty and gun control. The problem is that no politician stands the same way I do on all of these issues as well as campaign reform, Social Security, health-care, and tax cuts. Where do we find a politician who will honestly do the best for their constituents as opposed to their own pocketbook? I'm so frustrated with my state governor Jim Doyle. The sta Read more:Summer
How to Make Love Work 2007-07-09 16:00:00 To those who read this regularly, you know that I am not by nature a social person. As they say, however; opposites attract, and Jesse is very social. He loves groups of people, parties and everything that goes with it. Because of my RA, we've spent much of the last couple of years hibernating at home. We don't go out; we don't see friends; they don't come over, etc. It's been hard on Jesse, but with the move to the new house, and my conscious decision to stop waiting for the RA to go away and start living life in spite of it, we are making strides to be out and about again. We've suddenly uncovered friends we haven't really talked to much for awhile. I'm letting Jesse plan our social schedule, and the summer is filling up quickly. This Friday we're going to a couple's apartment to hang out and play board games. Saturday we have a housewarming party in the afternoon and a 50th wedding anniversary in the evening. Sunday we're going to church with his cousins and then out
All In One Place 2007-07-07 19:37:00 Today Mom and I went to an auction, which of course means that I now make most lobsters look a pale shade of pink. Somehow I always end up sitting directly facing the sun, and I always forget my sunscreen. Even if I don't buy a thing at an auction, I always come home with a souvenir: sunburn. This time Mom and I had a blast. We used our eBay money and bought waaaay too much stuff. I called Jesse an hour into the auction (he was kind enough to stay home with Mia) and asked him to bring the van. Two hours later I called him again and told him to take out the backseat before he came. It's a good thing the auction ended when it did, because I don't know how we would have gotten everything home otherwise. It was a frustrating day, because the auctioneer wanted to get through everything as quickly as possible, so he through lots of boxes together for one price. When buying a wooden rocker for Mia, I also ended up with several gaudy framed pictures, a footstool past its prime, and Read more:Place
Deeds of the Disturber 2007-07-14 20:11:00 We picked up the girls' pictures today from Wal-Mart. No it's not the greatest quality, but the price is right. Molly looks so grown up in hers. We hadn't gotten them done since she was ten, and when I placed the new one up on the wall, it was a shock. I went from having a young girl on the wall to having a teenager! Mia's pictures were terrific. They did a shot of her sitting in front of a screen that looked like a tea party with teddy bears and dolls. She held a pitcher and pretended to pour it into a cup. Another picture was done against a black background with just a soft spotlight on her face. The studio is going to enter those two pictures into a competition and may use them in their advertising. Everyone always thinks that their child is beautiful, but it's awful nice to hear a stranger agree.Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters is the fifth book in the Amelia Peabody series. Amelia and her husband Emerson, Egyptologists and English gentry, return to England with thei
Wedding Cynicism 2007-07-13 15:00:00 I'm running two reviews today, because the two books are similar in tone and I was frustrated with both of them. They are about weddings and what women do as brides. Although the themes are different, I was disappointed in the cynicism in which they view weddings and marriage. My wedding was near perfect. My one complaint was the weather, but it was an insignificant detail on the whole day. I loved shopping for my dress and ordering the flowers. It was expensive, but worth every penny. We didn't plan our wedding based on tradition or what the bridal magazines said we should do. It was planned to be an expression of ourselves and a way to show our family how much we loved them. I think that most people plan their weddings in the same way, and the way that these two authors treat weddings is a travesty.One Perfect Day by Rebecca Mead is subtitled: The Selling of the American Wedding, and it's clear that's just how the author views weddings. They are a commodity to be marketed and s
Her Royal Spyness 2007-07-11 14:14:00 The weather has been hot and miserable for a week now. The temperatures are hovering in the high 80s, and the humidity make air conditioning a necessity. The weathermen keep promising a major cold front moving in bringing thunderstorms following by a 10-15 degree drop in the weather. We've had a few brief storms, but each only seems to raise the humidity without bringing any relief. I wonder about the validity of meteorologists. Where else can you find a job that allows you to be wrong 50% of the time or more and still keep your position? If a doctor had that degree of mis-diagnosis, he's be sued for malpractice and lose his license (at least I'd hope so). I think that part of the fun of having weathermen is our smugness when they are wrong. Well darn it, this time I'd really like for them to be right. My electric bill is going to skyrocket this month from running the AC 24/7.Her Royal
Spyness by Rhys Bowen is the first in a new series starring Lady Georgie, 34th in line to th
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God 2007-07-16 16:52:00 We think we have found our new church home. We visited a few churches and talked about going back to them, but three weeks ago we visited Celebration Church in Green Bay for the first time. Jesse's cousin Adam and his wife Heidi attend there and had invited us in the past. The first Sunday intrigued us, but the music didn't really move us. I missed last Sunday because of my RA, but Jesse, Mia and I made it again this Sunday. Mia enjoyed children's church, and Jesse and I were both moved to tears during the course of the service. His cousins (on the other side of his family) Johnny, Tina and Julie came along, and they all enjoyed it too. You know it's a good service when you get up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning and drive 45 minutes to get to church. I hope that the older two kids like it as much as we do. We really felt the Holy Spirit moving in us yesterday, and I pray that the kids will feel it too. It was wonderful to be in a church where I didn't have to worry about being judg Read more:Women
, Say Yes
One Step Over the Border 2007-07-19 15:18:00 Today I am paying for the fun of yesterday. I'm aching and walking like an old lady. I went to the doctor, and he gave me his regular three minutes. That study that says that doctors interrupt their patients after twenty seconds is entirely true for mine. I feel like he reads my chart and comes in knowing exactly what he is going to do regardless of what I have to say. This illness has left me feeling powerless, and my doctor only exacerbates that feeling. He put me on another new medication at one dosage for two weeks and then a different dosage two weeks later. This means that I paid $55.00 today, and I'll pay that amount again in two weeks. Do doctors even stop to think about the amount of money they are forcing patients to pay for medicines they aren't even sure will work? And he's tapering me off of the prednisone, and I have to keep going even if it gets rough. The same doctor who didn't like me taking vicodin at all, is now telling me to take it to get off of the steroids. Read more:Border
, One Step
Stuck in the Middle 2007-07-18 17:11:00 Ian made it safely to our house last night. Last time the airline lost his luggage, so we were very happy to see both him and his suitcase. Unfortunately the flight aggravated his ear infection, so we were all up until nearly three trying to ease his pain. Prayer and a heating pad finally did the trick. Today we were off to Bay Beach for fun on the rides. Bay Beach is this terrific amusement park that is quite old, FDR actually gave a speech there during one of his terms. The rides are permanent, so they are safe. There are no major roller coasters, but just traditional rides, with plenty of small rides for the little ones. All tickets are 25 cents, and the rides are just one or two tickets each. I spent $20 and that was enough to keep all six of us (Molly, Ian, Doogie, Mia, my brother Jake, and me) happy for over three hours. The pictures today are from our visit there.I've been ordering CDs through the library like crazy! It's been fun remembering songs we love and then getting th Read more:Stuck
A Regimental Murder 2007-07-20 11:15:00 Tonight I'm taking three girls and one boy to the Harry Potter book release party. Pray for me! Just kidding, all four kids are nice, and I'm sure that I'll spend the evening tucked into a comfortable chair at Barnes & Noble reading while we wait for the book to come out at midnight. And tomorrow the house will be silent as Molly has her nose in the book until its conclusion (then I get it!) Many journalists are speculating that this is the end of an age, and I believe that's true. When will this many people be this excited about the release of a children's book? A book that has transcended generations and nationalities? It's enraged some fundamental Christians and thrilled educators that kids are finally reading something. Many other writers have profited from the popularity of J.K. Rowling's hero: Jenny Nimmo, Cornelia Funke, D.J. Raynes and others have seen their books take off as kids look for something to read between HP books. Harry Potter got Doogie to read when nothing
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