Monday, December 30, 2013

Lucky No. 14 Reading Challenge


more info here


And yet another challenge!  I'm still picking out my books....

The Categories:
  1. Visit the Country:  Under the Tuscan Sun
  2. Cover Lust:
  3. Blame it on Bloggers:  The Happy Ending Book Club (hat tip to Shelleyrae from Book'd Out)
  4. Bargain All the Way:
  5. (Not so) Fresh From the Oven (2013):  Allegiant
  6. First Letters Rule (Letter J):  The Joy Luck Club
  7. Once Upon a Time (pre-me):  
  8. Chunky Brick (500+ pages):  Winds of War
  9. Favorite Author:
  10. It's Been There Forever:
  11. Movies vs Books: The Help
  12.  Last Freebie:
  13. Not My Cup of Tea:
  14. Walking Down Memory Lane:

Sunday, December 22, 2013

USA Fiction Challenge: State by State in 2014


Very excited about this one, folks!  The challenge is to read a work of fiction set in each of the states.  As I complete a book, I'll post it here with a link to my review.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Washington DC
Delaware
Florida:  Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa:  A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Monday, December 9, 2013

2014 Ebook Reading Challenge



I've chosen to participate at the CD level which is 10 ebooks.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

The Color Coded Reading Challenge 2014



I had a hard time finding "brown" books.  I'm really eager to see what others have chosen for that color...

Blue:  Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall   my review
Red:  The Red Lory by Dave Newell
Yellow:  The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles by Martin Gayford
Green:  Green: Book Zero by Ted Dekker
Brown:  The Walnut Tree by Charles Todd
Black:  Black by Ted Dekker
White:  White by Ted Dekker
Orange:  Five Quarters of an Orange by Joanne Harris
Stripes: Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Sunday, December 8, 2013

MOOC Addiction


I love to learn.  Yes, I know...I'm nerdy.  I just finished my third mooc and I'm addicted.  MOOC = Massive Online Open Course.  I've taken courses on Data Management for Clinical Trials, Diabetes Diagnosis and Management and Epidemics.  Here are some of my favorite places to look for moocs:



Coursera (by far my fave!)
iversity
edX
Canvas Network (some courses are not free)
OpenLearning
Udacity
FutureLearn

These are new sites I have yet to try.  I think Saylor and Alison offer self-paced courses.
Allversity
Saylor
Alison

If you know of other mooc sites, please let me know!

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Full House Reading Challenge


Hosted by Book Date




  • From the local library:
  • Best read so far in 2014:
  • From my wish list:
  • Set in a different country:
  • Published in 2014:
  • Issue I think is important:
  • Setting I would like to visit:
  • Suspense/Crime:  Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
  • Contemporary:
  • More than 400 pages:
  • Reread:
  • Review persuaded me to read it:
  • Free Choice:
  • Published before 2013:  A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
  • Book with an animal in it:
  • Won or borrowed:
  • Historical Fiction:  Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall
  • Less than 200 pages:  Tinkers by Paul Harding
  • Non Fiction:  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayer
  • Author new to me:
  • Book from a series:
  • Free or very cheap:
  • Published in 2013:
  • Paranormal/SF/Dystopian:
  • I love the cover:

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Mental Illness Advocacy Reading Challenge 2014



I so appreciate this book challenge, seriously.  Addressing the stigma that people with mental illnesses face is important.  I have committed to the "Advocate" level of this challenge which is reading 12 books.


  1. Darkness is My Only Companion by Kathyrn Greene-McCreight
  2. Voluntary Madness: Lost
  3. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
  4. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison
  5. My Alien Self: My Journey Back to Me by Amanda Green
  6. Devil in the Details: Scenes from am Obsessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig
  7. Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
  8. Nowhere Near Normal: A Memoir of OCD by Traci Foust
  9. Bent, not Broken by William Potter
  10. Compelled by Tim Blue
  11. Is it Weird in Here, or is it Just Me? by Rod Whyte
  12. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman

My Reviews:

  1.     







  2. Bent, not Broken by William Potter


  3.   

Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014


This challenge should help pull me out of the dystopian young adult genre I seem to be stuck in....

Book List:
  1.  Award Wining:   Tinkers by Paul Harding
  2.  True Crime (Nonfiction):  Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
  3.  Romantic Comedy:  The Corset Diaries by Katie MacAlister
  4.  Alternate History (Fiction):  Without Warning by John Birmingham 
  5. Graphic Novel:  Suggestions????
  6. Cosy Mystery Fiction:  Brush with Death by Juliet Blackwell
  7. Gothic Fiction:  Red Lory by Dave Newell
  8. War/Military Fiction:  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Bowers
  9. Anthology:  Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
  10. Medical Thriller Fiction:  Harvest by Tess Gerritsen
  11. Travel (Nonfiction):  Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
  12. Published in 2014:  Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
Reviews:




Monday, October 21, 2013

Catch Up Post

I've been super busy and honestly forgot that I was even trying to post here.  So, here's a quick update on life and my Project 99:

First and foremost...I have completed a goal!!  # 23-- Donate blood!  And here's the proof...



#81  BEST Nurse Program--ditching this goal because I think the effort I have to put into this is crazy.  May possibly check it out at a later date, but as of now....it's being replaced by another goal yet to be determined.

#91  Take a MOOC -- Just finishing up "Data Management for Clinical Research" at Coursera.  Last week started another course:  "Epidemics".    I'm addicted.

#1  Changed cookbooks because the one I was using was no longer inspiring.  I switched to one of the Biggest Loser cookbooks--have no idea which one it is but I made "Loser Fish Tacos" with "Orange Cilantro Coleslaw"...yummy, yummy!



 #35  Read 125 books -- Just checked this out on my kindle:


Need to recheck this out.  (I want this book for Christmas..hint, hint)


Need to recheck this one out too.  


Joined other ladies in the latest (in)courage Bloom book club . We'll be reading "A Million Little Ways" by Emily Freemen.

And then there's this stuff:

Jack finally decided the Diva Dog Bed was ok...


Belle made me a TARDIS cake for my birthday.  The center did not get done so she filled it with icing!


Pinkie Pie aka Bella Donna (named by a patient's mom) holding down the Beta Blocker cheat sheet because she cares. 


Belle and I folded a bazillion neon cootie catchers for an 80's party.



Done for now.




Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Clouds, Soundscapes and Creative Genius


Feeling encouraged to slow down and take time to notice the clouds.  

Geophony, Biophony and Anthrophony = Soundscapes  I loved the grunting sea anemone!  And the beaver...break my heart.


The source of my creative genius is God.  

Monday, July 8, 2013

#1 Cooking Through a Cookbook

I have chosen the "Glycemic Index Cooking made easy" by Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell and Joanna McMillan Price as the cookbook I will cook through for two reasons:  I wanted the cookbook to be random and I found this cookbook for 50 cents at the thrift store.  I think this may have been a infomercial type book...


Orange Muesli--quick, easy and YUM!


Tortellini and Ham Salad--basic pasta salad that can be freestyled using whatever you have in the fridge.  The recipe called for 2 cans of artichoke hearts but I only used 1 and it was plenty.  I'm not sure I'm an artichoke heart fan.  This was nothing special. 


Marinated Eggplant Slices with Herbs--tasty but seriously, I liked the broiled eggplant BEFORE the marinade happened.  I won't make this again, but I'm glad I tried it because I had no idea broiled eggplant would be so tasty.  Kids would not touch it.  

#3 Daily Photos (two weeks worth)

Week of June 24, 2013
 

Thankful that Jake and Emma gave me a break and wrangled the kids one night at VBS. 


On-Call Weekend 

         
Pete leaving for work--first day back after seven off.


I like Belle's ponytail.  It flips!


Jake ate a tongue taco.  Belle tasted it. GAG!


See the tongue bumps?!  



Week of July 1, 2013


Reminds me of a drunk octopus.


We sent Jake to Haiti on a missions trip this week. 


Walrus Pete at PF Changs


Tiny bathroom in Asheville hotel


Mom trying to figure out how to google "mola" 


Yes, there are some days that we are that busy at work...


Thursday, July 4, 2013

#93 TED Talks 2nd week

Joel Selanikio: The surprising seeds of a big-data revolution in healthcare


Rives: The 4 a.m. mystery

Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Nervous and Excited!


They're going to Haiti at the end of the week.  I've been praying for these two for awhile now...praying that God will keep them safe and that their hearts will be touched.  I'm nervous but sooo excited!!

Sunday, June 30, 2013

#99 Soap Making with Belle

So, we headed out Saturday to gather up soap making supplies.  Ended up spending a lot of money.  Played around with what we had available to us locally.  We both decided that we enjoyed the process but would like to try higher quality bases, colorants, smells, etc.  We started with the Melt and Pour process.  I would like to make some embedded soaps using clear glycerin.  Belle's still considering what she will try next.


Goat's Milk Glycerin and Shea Butter Glycerin



Desk drawer divider which I broke trying to get soaps out.  I've added this to my shopping list. 


We were disappointed in the liquid colorant.  


I didn't have enough base to make a loaf of soap, but I did have enough to make fudge-like soap, sigh.  And an ombre egg....


Belle did a lot of layering.  Her soaps turned out great!


This was my favorite layered soap.


Sunday, June 9, 2013

Short Stories Week 2

Sticking with Roald Dahl this week because I found The Collected Stories of Roald Dahl pdf online.  I do think I would like a hard copy of his works though.


The Way Up to Heaven --  You should never make someone late, for reals.
Parson's Pleasure --  Ahhh, you get what you deserve!
Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat --  Things can certainly backfire on you....
Georgy Porgy --  Can't stop singing that Hall and Oates song, "Maneater"!  This one may be my favorite so far...
Genesis and the Catastrophe --  Birth of a bad, bad baby
Edward the Conqueror --  Since I have never liked cats, I'm gonna side with Edward.
Pig --  This one disturbed me. 


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Loooooong Day and On Call

This on my face:
Ole Henriksen's "Feel the Difference Face Mask"
I love this stuff, for real.  In fact, I love most of this line...

And this going into my face!   I love this stuff too.  It has little coconut bits in it...so yummy!

Monday, May 27, 2013

Port Wenn


I finished the last season of Doc Martin and I already am missing Port Wenn.  I think I shall visit one day...

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Short Stories Week 1

Project Short Story over at Books on the Nightstand.  It's a year long project and like usual, I'm jumping in late!  This week I chose stories written by Roald Dahl because I overheard Belle talking about The BFG.


Beware of the Dog -- fed my World War II addiction
The Landlady -- spooky
Man From the South -- made my fingers hurt
Lamb to the Slaughter --  Sneaky Mary!
Poison -- one of my fears...made my skin crawl
Royal Jelly -- you are what you eat
William and Mary -- "It's a funny thing, the brain."


David Walliams'  Genius of Dahl