The catchiest song you will hear this year

Love, love, loving this!

All Treats, No Tricks

No one ever comes to our house to trick-or-treat. I think it's mostly because I live in a small condo community with retirees. The last couple of years I have been able to go to Trunk n Treat with Sabra and her kids, but this year I'm staying in Phoenix to watch the dogs while my mom goes to California for Maggie's 2nd birthday. Anyway, to get to the point, I wanted to do something fun that involved candy and I came across a really cute blog in which Hershey's bars were used as the "body" of a bat and a mummy. I quickly found some black card stock, googly eyes, and white crepe paper. I figured I would make them for my employees. They have been doing such a great job lately. I try very hard to make sure they know this and even though it's not a lot, I hope they enjoy!







BTW, I thought tracing and cutting out all of the bats was a pain, but in fact, wrapping the mummies was more tedious. Mostly I did this over a couple of weeks while watching tv. I think they turned out super cute.

My two funny finds

So I found the first one while hanging out in Barnes and Noble looking for something to page through while I had my Starbucks "nectar". It's actually pretty creepy! The vampire stalks the kids and hides under their beds and follows them around and finally they include him in their games and the mom befriends him too and they all sew capes to wear and it's really bizarre. The next time you're in a bookstore, look for it and just peruse the pictures. It's really worth it.

Secondly, this little gem of a "book" was shown to me by Robert while we were checking out a new bookstore in our area. I immediately took a picture of it with my phone and forwarded it to my book dept. supervisor and my sister. This is wrong on so many levels, it exhausts me just thinking about it. Why are we teaching The Notebook in school? I mean, that's the only reason to have a Cliffs Notes guide for it, correct? Disturbing! Plus, I'm just loving the pic of Nicky Sparks on the cover. What marketing genius came up with that one? As my sister, Sabra said, wow...on so many levels, wow!

Yeah, that about sums it up.

A "Snow" day in Phoenix!

The overcast skies were a welcome relief on Tuesday morning. With temperatures still over 100 degrees most of this past week, I started wondering when the Arizona summer would start winding down. For the past couple of weeks, I'd been hearing fantastical stories from friends and family in other parts of the country about the leaves changing colors and sweaters coming out at night. Not here in Phoenix. The A/C was still on high with no relief in sight.
But the little bit of rain on Monday turned into the great storm of Tuesday. It started with a bit of sprinkling. Nothing much to speak of. Then the wind started. And the rain fell harder. At work, we have a number of skylights throughout the sales floor and back room. Within a minute, the sound of hail pellets drowned out the overhead music and the storm was in full effect.
Customers and employees alike gathered at the front of the store to watch nickel sized hail blowing in and covering everything in sight. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. This Phoenix "snow" piled up on windshields, the sidewalk, and all along our storefront. We even had to shovel "snow" away from the back doors in order to open them. The second wave came a few hours later, with more hail and eventually a beautiful double rainbow.
With the parking lot, streets, and freeway flooded, the commute home begged to be horrible, so I turned off the radio, rolled down the window, and drove home with the excitement of autumn just around the corner.

After a delightful trip to Southern California with my sister, it was back to work and the desert. Because of the heat, most activities have to take place indoors or near a pool. Well, we have been night swimming because it is way too hot to get in the pool during the day and seeing lots of movies. In the last two weeks, I've seen:

*Cyrus
*The Kids Are Alright
*The Girl Who Played with Fire
*Inception (twice)
*Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

All of them were actually really good. I've also been hanging out with an old Yuma friend, Peter. He introduced me to the best Chinese restaurant I've been to in forever and now I'm a regular. The cute lady who owns the place calls me "Kitty" in a sweet Asian accent. It's my "Cheers" moment! She loves Twilight and Edward and she and her husband love cooking great, fresh food. What a find! Peter also cooked me a great meal one night and we watched "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". I loved it! Hysterical.

Last Saturday, Robert and I went to the Rollerderby. This has become our once a month fun time event ( I mean, what guy doesn't like hot chicks in short skirts on skates? lol) Needless to say, it is a great time and nice and air conditioned in the Coliseum at the state fairgrounds. Here's a couple of pictures:







If you're unfamiliar with Rollerderby, rent Whip It and see what it's all about. It is really a fun time!


Well, here's hoping the upcoming week is productive and awesome. I am having car problems again and the check engine light is on. Also, I'm trying to decide if I should go visit Joan in Maryland in September or if I should have a party for my 35th. I have been inspired by some really cool blogs I've been reading to throw a Wonderland themed event. Loving the idea. I guess it will all boil down to money and what happens with my car. I'll let you know. Have a great week!

Making Me Happy This Week:

What I've been reading:

I am notorious for reading multiple books at a time. I often start a new book hopeful that it will hook me and keep me turning the pages. Most often, I find another book that sounds interesting before I am really sucked into the original book, and the cycle continues. I am currently reading 3 books, probably giving the most time to Women Food and God. I really want to like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but it hasn't grabbed me yet. Perhaps I spoiled it by seeing the movie. I want to spend some time at a monastery this year, so I started reading the Cloister Walk. Again, very interesting, but not a fast page turner. I am getting ready for vacation in San Diego and the must have book (so I am told) is The Passage, so that is what I plan on reading during my down time. I am told it is the "crack book", meaning it is highly addictive and impossible to put down. Sounds good to me!

My Day In Pictures:

Brightening my day...

Three little pairs of shoes with a teeny tiny price bringing a smile to me and to everyone else who finds them. Hint: Target. Clearance. Six bucks a pop. :)

A different kind of list:

I got this idea from a really great website called OPERATION NICE. Of course, I loved the idea so I sat down with a pen and some markers and my great (ha,ha) artistic skill. Not quite a masterpiece, but definitely a thought provoking activity. My list of things I LOVE TO DO includes:

• Learning new things
• Read
• Day Dream
• Visual Merchandising
• Travel
• Solving Problems (especially work ones)
• Spend time with Sisters
• Write Letters
• Window Shopping
• Buy Books
  
• Play with Ginger
• Craft
• Stopping to smell the flowers
• Listen to Music
• Decorate
• Dinner w/Friends
• Collect
• Catching Sunsets
• Plan Parties
• Watch Movies
  

Below is the original:

My List:

Today is the day to

dream of trips to France & Italy, celebrate, write letters, believe in more, read books, buy flowers, take a walk, discover something new,
take a compliment, let go, love your dog, plan on dessert, think up new ideas, say sorry, compliment your mom, rock out, have a picnic, stare @ clouds, catch a sunset,
use your camera, turn off the computer, take a dip in the pool, laugh til you cry, buy new shoes, shave your legs, feel GREAT, eat well, plan a trip & a dream,
finish something that is still unfinished, smile @ a stranger, tell someone you love them, BE the example, believe in others and yourself, know it is never too late to start.

What a GREAT idea:

I've been spending a lot of time reading other people's blogs looking for inspiration. When I came across this, I just loved it. It makes me want to have a better outlook on life and explore all the great gifts around me. My next step is to make my own list and start doing the stuff I keep wishing to do. How about you?

Easter 2010 in Yuma!

I had a lot of fun hanging out with my nieces and nephews. They are truly fun and sweet kids. I know it's been a while since my last book blog, but I am having trouble finishing anything. I've started 3 of the Kurt Wallander mysteries, Olive Kitteridge, and last night I started The Help. That will probably be the first one I finish, so I'll let you know. Vacation time is coming to a close and I've not read enough, but what am I gonna do at this point? Anyway, hope everyone had a beautiful Easter. Let's enjoy this Spring weather before the heat sets in!

The Buzz

This weekend's read. I actually purchased this at one of our Tucson stores a couple of months ago. I had never heard of it, but the words inside the front flap intrigued me:

"We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice. Two years later, they meet again. The story starts there. Once you have read it you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how it unfolds."

Having finished the book, I can honestly say this statement was completely unnecessary and an obvious marketing ploy. So, job well done. I bought the book and read it.

The story is about a refugee girl, Little Bee, who has ended up in England looking for the white couple she encountered two years prior on a beach in her native Nigeria. It is a story of loss and sadness. A story of hope and survival. It received fantastic critical praise when first released and while I enjoyed the way Cleave wrote the book by alternating the narration of each chapter between Little Bee and Sarah, the English woman from the beach, the story overall was lacking something. I liked the descriptive thoughts of Little Bee but I didn't buy some of the changes the character goes through once she is in England. The scenes between her and Lawrence (Sarah's married lover) just annoy me and honestly, Lawrence is a throw-away character (plot-filler). I also was pissed at the ending. I wanted a more substantial, concrete ending. There is no written resolution, only what you as the reader plug into these character's fates, so that was a disappointment. Overall, I would recommend this book, but I can't guarantee that you won't also be disappointed. And if you don't want to read it, you can always wait for the movie. It will star Nicole Kidman and starts shooting in 2011.

This week's book...

So a few years ago, I bought "Winner of the National Book Award", a novel by Jincy Willett. It sat on a shelf in a bookcase for 5 years, until one day in ended up in my "to be traded in" pile. And away it went, onto a shelf in the store for another customer to enjoy. I haven't thought about it since. And then last week, during another meeting, I asked my go-to's for a book suggestion and Jincy Willett was it. I remembered having owned and then trading in the book just recommended to me, so I figured I'd just go back to my store and buy it again. Well, when I went to get a copy, her more current offering, "The Writing Class", jumped out at me as more interesting for the mood I was in. So, home it came with me. I have to admit it was slow going at first. A page here, five there. But after the first couple of chapters, I couldn't put it down. So last night and today was spent devouring this witty gem. The book follows a group of wannabe writers all attending the same writing workshop taught by a once critically praised author who has seen better days and hasn't published anything in ages. The mystery starts from the first class as the students start receiving curious, if not mean, critiques of their writing. Then odd things happen: a Ted Bundy mask, missing classmates, crude drawings, and whispered phone calls. Then a murder (or two) and the whodunnit is in full blown mystery mode. The characters are well written, the humor is a bit dry but I laughed out loud, and you just can't beat the tension created as the class struggles to figure out who the culprit is. A review listed on the jacket of the novel says: "The Writing Class is alternately funny, sweet, and suspenseful. It's a mystery written for book lovers, and books like this are what caused book lovers to fall in love with books in the first place." -The Buffalo News

I couldn't have said it any better!

Lots and lots of reading!

So this week I read three books. I don't know what it was, I was just really in the mood for reading. The first book is the one mentioned in my previous post. A great read, you should definitely check it out. The second book was "The Girls from Ames". I just loved this book. It was like secretly reading someone's diary. Filled with laughter, some tears, and all heart. What I most identified with in this book was the bond between all the women. While I don't have close "friends" from childhood that I still stay in touch with, I have my three sisters. As we have grown in age, we've become great friends, as well as sisters. I know we each have our own lives, friends, worries, responsibilities, families even, but we are always there for each other; whether to lend an ear, offer a laugh, or pick each other up when we fall. I totally recommend this book to all you ladies out there. And to my sisters, if you are reading this, keep an eye out. A copy is coming your way soon.



The third book I read this week was "Case Histories". I have seen this book hundreds of times in the store. It is always on the shelf, we always take it in, and I have always been curious about it. Someone recently told me they heard it was good and I finally checked out a copy from work. It wasn't what I thought it would be, although it was a good read and I would recommend it. It only took me two nights to read and kept me turning the pages looking for more answers. The ability of Kate Atkinson to weave together so many characters, time lines, and plot points and keep them all straight, for both the reader and the story itself, completely amazed me. The only complaint I had of the story was that I wanted more intrigue, mystery. This is really a book of character sketches disguised as a murder mystery, but the "case histories" are so well written that the lack of surprise revelation can hardly be held against the book. It is really that well written. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I rather enjoyed it. Any suggestions for what I should read next? Let me know.

I just finished...

During a recent meeting in Tucson, I asked my friends and co-workers for a few fiction suggestions. Normally, I read non-fiction or whatever teeny bopper series my sisters suggest ;)
But I don't read a lot of fiction. I try, but I usually give up after 35-40 pages. This is not to say I don't ever read, I read every day, I think I just pick the wrong fiction titles. Sarah, Katy, and now Marshall are all great resources as I have liked pretty much everything they have suggested, so I think I will stick with their recommends for a while. Anyway, Marshall suggested "Then We Came To The End", which was quickly seconded by Sarah. I found a copy at work, started reading, and couldn't put it down. 400 pages, 2 days. If you have ever worked in an office or with a group of people you might not necessarily be friends with out in the real world but spend countless hours with at work, you will probably like this one. Think "The Office" in book form. Some drama, some comedy, and a couple of laugh out loud lines thrown in. Definitely worth your time.