Book Review: NPR American Chronicles: First Ladies

Title: NPR American Chronicles: First Ladies
Author: NPR
Format: CD
Reading Dates: 24 Mar 2015 - 26 Mar 2015
Rating: *****

What a great score from Library Thing Early Reviewers! I'm a big fan of NPR and a big fan of history, so this compilation of stories about the First Ladies of the US was a win/win for me. Cokie Roberts acts as the guide through the three discs, providing context for the stories in the introductions. It's one thing to hear these stories by themselves as they were produced over the years, but it's quite another to hear them told one after the other. The eras and situations in which these women found themselves may have all been different, but somehow the strength and dignity of each woman shines through. And oh, Mrs Harding, why have I never heard this story before??

Eggstravaganza Surprise!

It's a couple of weeks before Easter, and you know what that means – Eggstravaganza!

It's all day today, Wednesday the 25th, until 6 PM at Klein United Methodist Church.

And by popular demand this year we are selling-- drumroll please – book folding kits! You get instructions, a pattern, and an RDCB of your choice, all for just $30. 

Come see me!
(6 Apr 15 - If you missed Eggstravaganza, you can order the Book Folding Kit on my Etsy shop.)

I have never understood...

Bean Verbs

This one is for all my grammarian friends. I call it Bean Verbs.

Ha! Ha! Ha! Get it???

Aren't people who laugh at their own jokes just too much! Sorry, not sorry. :)

Sad Guitar

Remember those hearts I made for Valentine's Day? Well, I think I have a crush on book page mosaics now.

I also have a crush on sad guitars.

Sad guitars, you ask? Yeah, like the ones Karen Carpenter used to sing about. Or George Harrison. Or Brian Pounds.

So book page mosaics + sad guitars = this new creation.

It's a lot bigger in size than those 8x8" hearts were. This baby measures in at 30x15".

I used the same combination of book pages that I used for the hearts for the face of the guitar, but the other parts needed some color, so I used some RDCB pages with pictures for the sound hole, bridge and pick guard. It was fun going through pages trying to find just the right colors to use in my "palette."

.

I've got stacks and stacks of pages that are primarily black. But the cool thing is that when I tore them into pieces, the edges are white. I thought it was such a neat effect on the neck of the guitar. They almost look like frets.

So sad guitar = happy Stephanie. I've got tons of ideas for new mosaics now, and I can't wait to get started!

Mid-Century Madness

Everybody is complaining about the weather. In Houston we aren't getting the snow that everyone else is, but it is downright gloomy. So gloomy, in fact, that this weekend Captain America said, "Hey, you wanna go to the antique mall?"

I know, right?!?

After checking his forehead to make sure he didn't have a fever or anything, I said, "Heck yeah!" Our antique mall is 85,000 square feet of goodness and it would be possible to spend several days happily perusing the aisles, but I knew I only had about an hour before Captain America woke from his hallucination that he liked antiques and made me leave.

I actually ended up getting a whole 90 minutes to play, because it turns out our antique mall has great hot dogs, so that kept him busy for an extra few. By that time I had picked out these beauties. Aren't they spectacular!

The best part of the deal was that the blue decanter was on half price and we didn't even know it until the gal rung it up on the cash register. Score! 

And so, we walked toward the front door--Captain America with his arms full of a box of glass and me with a face full of smile. But wait! What was that in the front window?? 

Oh. My. Goodness. How did I miss that on the way in? It's orange. It's mid-century. It screams "Stephanie!" AND it was the same price as half of the blue decanter, which basically meant it was free, right? (Someone check my math. Wait...don't.)

So we got them all home and look how fabulous they look together. They make the shelf pop!

Heck, they make the whole wall pop!

Speaking of popping. The other day I was in Barnes and Noble and found this book. Check out the pop of color on the cover. I had to have it! It also was screaming, "Stephanie!" (Did I say Captain America hallucinates? Well, maybe it's me. Don't judge.) 

The book is meant to be used as a coloring book for adults. Apparently that's a thing now--and it could totally become my thing, because check out the cool shapes inside. 

I became so inspired that I grabbed some book pages and my paint pens and got this. 

And then I took my markers...wait I don't think I ever told you. Guess what Captain America got me for Christmas. THIS!! Isn't he fabulous??

So I took those and my white paint pen and made this.

And when you add a frame and a little glass, these guys take me to my happy place.

Book Review: Stoner

Title: Stoner
Author: John Williams
Format: Audible
Reading Dates: 31 Jan 2015 - 13 Feb 2015
Rating: *****

I was about halfway through Stoner when I realized how much it reminded me of The Bridges of Madison County. They both are stories that aren't action packed or driven by mystery, but in the end they pack an emotional punch as you realize the enormity of a simple life told in a simple way. 

Stoner is a farm boy who comes to the University of Missouri to learn farming only to be taken with literature and never leaving the college, choosing a teaching career over that of a farmer. He takes few risks in life and almost all of them after careful deliberation. He makes mistakes, but makes no excuses. He gains no great reward or honor during his life, but neither does he end up a derelict. He lives his life with a quiet, slow dignity that carries him through until the end.

Robin Field does an excellent job with the voices on this recording. Spot on.

Recommended!