I would love to go there again. The kids say that I cannot, absolutely cannot, go again without them! Drats! Now you know that’s gonna be expensive! It sure would be a wonderful experience to get to take them, though! When I think about it, my mind starts going crazy with …’oh, I’d show you guys this and I’d definitely want to take you to that, etc, etc’!!! There are just so many wonderful things there that I would love to experience with them! I think if I did get a chance to go again, though, this time I would want to try to stay in a New York Bed and Breakfast - that would be so cool! New York City and a Bed and Breakfast? Wow! Two of my favorite things - all wrapped up in one! That would truly be an amazing trip!

GO READ A BOOK!

We moved to Alabama last summer, and ever since then, half of my books have had to stay in boxes! What, I ask you, could be more sad, for a Mama Bookworm?

I know I had more bookshelves than I do now, and somehow I think I got swindled out of a couple by the Daddy Bookworm! I know that for one of them, he brought me home a big curio cabinet and said that I could put my angels and my trucks in it if I would give him one of the bookshelves. How he got the other one, I don’t know! He’s just sneaky, I guess! And we couldn’t even bring the curio cabinet with us - it wouldn’t fit on the UHaul truck, so we stuck it in our front yard the day before we moved, and sold it!

So here I am stuck with only two bookshelves, half my books in boxes, and my precious angels and awesome trucks in a box, too!

I was checking out some Studio RTA Furniture, and it is very cool, but, also very expensive! I better start saving up!

GO READ A BOOK!

It is so sad, but, my living room is empty. Truly empty. My ‘office’ is in what is supposed to be the dining room, and right behind me is the living room. So all day I sit here at this desk with an empty room behind me. There was a rhyme to my husband’s reason, of setting up the ‘living room’ in the basement, when we first moved here, but, now, I’m not so sure. We are planning a major remodel upstairs, and he thought it would be better to just go ahead and set up the living room downstairs so that when we were ready to start the remodel, it would be easier to get started. It just is taking us longer to actually get started than we thought it would. So I sit next to this big empty room all day. I am so tempted to just buy some furniture for it, because it is really driving me crazy! I’ve been ‘window-shopping’ (read:internet shopping) some Powell furniture, but, I know I can’t really afford it.

GO READ A BOOK!

I just remembered about a very special book that I have. My mother bought it for me and it is a weight loss devotional book from the Unity Church. I have so many of my things that I still don’t know where they are, as we haven’t been able to finish unpacking - because we don’t have as much room to put stuff here. And I just cannot seem to find that book. It would be really perfect for me to be reading right now, as I’ve really been focusing on getting healthy lately. I am just going to have to dig and dig until I find that book!

GO READ A BOOK!

My grandmothers also taught me a lot about Catholic Saints. The two that I remember the most are Saint Christopher and Saint Anthony. Saint Christopher is in charge of protection and both of my grandmothers had St. Christopher medals in their cars. Saint Anthony is the saint that I call upon - often! And I do mean often. He is the patron saint of lost things. I’m probably not saying that quite right, but, he helps you find stuff you’ve lost. And I am here to tell you that he will help you, and he does help me - often! So many people scoff at the idea of asking him to help when you’ve lost your keys or cell phone or wallet, etc. I’ve even had friends that are practicing Catholics, going to mass every week, children enrolled in CCD, who scoff at the idea. But let me tell you, if you believe in him, he will help you. I’m serious. All you have to do is believe. It’s simple, really! And you can read all about him in the book, Anthony of Padua, Saint of the People, by Jack Wintz.

GO READ A BOOK!

In my earlier post, I talked about my grandmother and I being pen pals. And I mentioned that we would also send each other doodads. Well, it was mostly her sending me doodads, and her favorite thing to send me was religious stuff, mostly Catholic medals. They were almost always attached to a card that told all about each medal, and they remain one of my favorite collections today. I call it my ‘Catholic stuff’. It includes books, and the little lacy thing we girls used to wear in our hair at mass, and lots of Catholic medals, and all kinds of Catholic doodads that my grandmother sent me, and also all of the gifts I was given when receiving the sacraments. Both of my grandmothers were very devout Catholics, and my Grandma Georgia, who lived in Colorado, worked for the Little Sisters of the Poor for years and years. So she was always sending me stuff that she would get from work. All of that stuff is my ‘physical connection’ to my late grandmothers and I just love it!

GO READ A BOOK!

There are many different ways to work online, in the comfort of your own home. I have tried quite a few of them myself. One of those ways is market research, and it can be very interesting - and fun, too! You can do surveys for cash or for points that can be redeemed for gift cards and prizes. You can also elect to receive products in the mail that have not yet been released to the general public. You try those out, and then fill out surveys about your opinion on the new product. One time we got sugar-free cereal - the kids were really excited about that! Ok, not really, but, it actually turned out to taste pretty good. Speaking of the kids, there are also companies out there that have surveys just for kids - and they can be reimbursed for their time with cash and/or giftcards. At one point, those darn kids were making more money than I was! I need to get them signed back up, so that they can earn some summer fun money!

GO READ A BOOK!

I just found a fabulous children’s story on Amazon that actually has me in tears. I haven’t even read the book yet, and I am in tears. The book is called, My Grandma, My Pen Pal and it was written by Jan Dale Koutsky. It tells the story of a little girl and her relationship, through the mail, with her grandmother. She and her grandmother always lived far apart from each other, but, their relationship grew and blossomed through years and years of letters. I can relate to this little girl so much! I had a grandmother that lived in Colorado, and she and I would write each other, and send little doodads in the mail to each other. And as I got older, she was a good, safe sounding board for some of the angst that I went through. She did come and visit, and we would visit her, but, we never lived less than 700 miles apart. But we were so very close. Uh oh - more tears! I cherished our relationship, it was very special, and now that we are living away from my mom, I am going to have to encourage my kids to get out their pens and paper and get writing! The most wonderful relationships can blossom through the mail!

GO READ A BOOK!

Having grown up and spent my entire life in tornado alley, I always wondered what it was like to live in ‘hurricane alley’. I know that in preparation they board up their windows, and often evacuate. It just is so interesting to me to learn about the disasters different areas are prone to, and what precautions are taken for that particular danger. For instance, I was very interested to read about what architects are doing to make buildings more earthquake-ready. But back to the Carolina’s and the hurricanes, I was very curious to learn what it is like to live in a hurricane zone. And I found a great book on the topic, North Carolina’s Hurricane History, by Jay Barnes. It is now in its third edition, and it is a chronological history of the hurricanes that have affected the area dating back to the sixteenth century and working its way forward to 1999. So Hurricane Isabel, which occurred in 2003, is not included in the book. I’m pretty sure I would have to think long and hard before buying NC Waterfront Property. Of course, I guess you could really say that about any area. I know I used to sit and listen to my grandmother’s stories of living in California, and vowed never to move there, either!

GO READ A BOOK!

Every now and then, I enjoy reading horror novels. It’s kind of like that traffic accident that you just can’t stop looking at! I’ll be reading along, completely engrossed, and then reality slaps me in the face, and I ‘realize’ what I’m reading, and I get scared half out of my wits! Crazy, I tell you, it’s just crazy! My husband has a few good Stephen King novels on his bookshelves that I keep thinking, ‘Maybe I should read one of those…’ - but, I know better. With my luck, I’ll be reading it on the day he comes home late for work, or worse, is working out of town! And I’ll freak out, running around locking the doors and closing the window blinds! I just love those books, though, really - I just hate what they do to me! Speaking of Stephen King, though - we were on a drive with the family last weekend through some beautiful Alabama country roads, and we saw a pet cemetery! A real pet cemetery! I looked over at Mark, smirking, and said, “Ooooh, Ma-ark! Pet Cemetery!!” And we both laughed!

GO READ A BOOK!