Things I will do in 2012

in random order

1.       I will read 20 books

here are just a few.....

2.       I will get more sleep

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3.       I will exercise at least 4 times a week

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4.       I will lose 15 pounds

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5.       I will find ways to spend more time with my husband



6.       I will enjoy my children more



7.       I will write more letters, on stationery!

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8.       I will engage a more grateful existence

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9.       I will see more than one movie

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photo credit for Iron Lady

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10.  And perhaps the most important of all, I will spend more time in prayer with GOD...

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beautiful book covers

these are beautiful

Jillian Tamaki

Penguin Threads Deluxe Classics

book covers

for

Penquin USA

the link!

they won't be out until

October 2011

but aren't they gorgeous!!!

Things I Love

1. this book
2. this beach
3. this tea
4. this state
5. these kind of trees
6. this perfume
7. this color of blue
8. this cookware

    9.these little girls

     10.  my husband

Books

The second hardest part about doing a blog is deciding what to write about next. I tend to ramble on too much, and what might be of interest to me, could most certainly be of no interest to anyone else. I gave a lot of thought to what my post would be, and kept coming back to the same thing......BOOKS.

When books popped into my head, it was followed by the color brown. I am not sure why that image found its way into my brain, but probably because when I think of books, I think of dusty brown books; those that sit idle on a shelf somewhere. But then I also thought, when was the last time I saw just a dusty, old brown book?

Reading was a favorite past time of mine when I was a little girl. I would climb up in a tree or sit somewhere and read for hours. As the years passed and the ability to find the time to do so drifted away, I found that for many years I didn't read at all! In 2006 when I began writing poetry, I found my desire to read disguised as "doing research" for sentence structure, and use of language. Miraculously my passion for reading returned. With two little girls, that is not an easy feat! But, in 2010 I managed to finish 8 books! A victory!

Today I am going to share those with you:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - An American classic about a young girl's coming-of- age at the turn of the century. This is the story of Francie Nolan.

East of Eden - A brilliant book by John Steinbeck, this book is an epic tale of good versus evil with many biblical references and parallels.

Pride and Prejudice - A timeless satire on English manners, this book follows the lives of the Bennet's.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Pulitzer Prize winning author tells the story of lawyer Atticus Finch's defense of a black man charged with the rape of a white woman and explores adult attitudes towards race and class in the Deep South in the 1930's.

Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers retells the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea set in the California Gold Rush era.

Plainsong - National Book Award Finalist Kent Haruf writes the story of a high school teacher struggling to raise two sons alone; a pregnant teenager, and two elderly brothers. Set in the High Plains east of Denver in the small town of Holt, Colorado, these characters come together.

A Voice in the Wind - (Mark of the Lion Series book #1) This Francine Rivers book tells the story of a young slave girl and her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of Rome.

An Echo in the Darkness - (Mark of the Lion Series book #2) After a bitter tragedy, young Marcus Valerian is led by a voice from the past into a journey that is forever life-changing.

and currently reading:

The Secret Life of Bees - A story about young Lily Owens, and a black woman named Rosaleen, who acts as her "stand-in" mother.