New Read - A Walk in the Woods

Picture this...I am lounging first on the couch, then reading with the book in one hand whilst I cook with the other, then talking on the phone whilst sneaking a few words from the book...the house is completely quiet....except for the intermittent though frequent gales of laughter that could only be attributed to me - this book is that funny. I am only up to Chapter Three, but I had to toss it aside after laughing hysterically...alone, and rush over to the computer to add this post to my blog.

I'd heard of this book a while back, though I probably never would have picked this up if I hadn't read a previous (or perhaps later) book by the same author, Bill Bryson (a gift from Brenda); I knew the guy was a comic genius. He has certainly not let me down with this book...now I will have to look up other tomes he has penned, all despite the fact that I believe he is a democrat...

Available at Amazon obviously (what isn't?) but I picked this up at the local used bookshop.

Royal Wedding....

I can't believe that I posted about Sun News, and not about the Royal wedding that took place today. I actually don't have a lot to say about the wedding - I did't plan to stay up in fact, though I did tape the channel so that I could watch the next day, however as it began to unfold, I couldn't shut off the television...and so then basically saw the entire wedding live....but for the kiss.

The reason it's so enchanting to me is because it seems that there is a chance that this couple will be happy, and that somehow the tragedy that was Diana is sort of a closed case now with her son married for love.

The one thing that irked me about the coverage, was that whenever Princess Diana was mentioned, it was in the capacity of having been weak and un-prepared for the strain of royal life. I disagree, in that she had the potential to be truly great with her ability to reach out and inspire and care about people...her progress was hindered by the fact that she was not loved by her husband...and her lack of security in that area was her undoing. Had Prince Charles been true; a real husband to her, Diana's legacy would have been quite different, and in fact perhaps she would have been in attendance today to witness the marriage of her eldest son. That's my opinion.

I guess to be fair to Prince Charles...he was more or less coerced into marrying, not for love, but for station...so it was a diaster all the way around. I felt like this thorny issue was skirted by the coverage anyway...I'm sure this catosrophic disaster is what lead to the freedom of William to choose to marry for love, whether from the aristocracy class or not.

New 'News' in Canada

There is a new 24 hour news channel in Canada that is purported to be 'straight talk' that does not traffic in typical left media bias. I heard about this new 'conservative' channel on The O'Reilly Factor. I have been watching the US Fox News channel, which I find to actually be 'fair & balanced', showing both sides (sometimes unfortunately in the form of Alan Colmes ans the like) but often don't know what in the world is going on in Canada for the lack of a fair news channel - now I can watch Sun News airing on channel 177 in Edmonton on Shaw digital cable.

Click on the title of this post for the link straight to Sun News.

Pretty Jewelry Storage

Link: http://www.restoredstyle.com/diy-necklace-storage-solution/

New Etsy Shop!!

My wonderful, long time friend Terry, is opening up her Etsy shop called Jacob's Heart in a day or two. Here is a small sample of the beautiful jewelry that Terry makes, she is so talented! She has made many new pieces to present as her opening offering, so do check her shop out in a few days; she should be up and running any time.

Terry uses only top quality products, sterling silver, Swarovsky crystal, and other top quality beads and components. If you look closely, you will see liberal use of bead caps and all kinds of detailed bits. She is incredibly meticulous in her work. I love everything she makes!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jacobsheart

Bill O'Reilly

I don't why I found this quip from Bill O'Reilly so funny - I don't know if it will transfer to the written word but here goes:

"...and then there's Prince Charles over there, with a propellor on his beanie, saying 'I want wind.'"

Of course this is in reference to the royal wedding and Prince Charles' interest in climate change....I laughed my head off at this, and so did Jared; it went with Bill whirling his finger around his own head. Haha.

AI Again

Ok, I've narrowed it down to Casey Abrams or James Durbin...even though I like them all except Stephano, who is good, but I don't care for his song choices. If it was up to just me, I'd go with Casey but he is a quirky, quirky fellow - I wonder if middle America can vote for him all the way to the end. He plays bass, he does Nirvana, he growls, and he is a jazz/indie/alternative/rock kind of guy. Tonight he kissed Jennifer Lopez, and caused Steven Tyler to use expletives (that were bleeped out)....it was a riot to watch. I don't care how pedestrian it is to watch...this is a guilty pleasure that I love to indulge in.

An Easter Declaration

AI

I know I am the only one that watches AI around here....but I seriously love this season - so many talented, and cool people on the show. I can't even pick a favorite b/c I have a few - but you should check it out if you get a chance:)

Casey, Scotty, James...I predict for the top three (not in that order).

Autism Anthem

By the inimitable Dave Eaton!

General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Here is just one great talk: http://lds.org/general-conference/watch/2011/04?lang=eng&vid=883477030001&cid=7


There were so many excellent talks during General Conference this last weekend - delve in and learn as much as you can from good people who love the Lord and His son Jesus Christ. It's a spiritual feast! Just click on the title of this post (above) to get started!

Or:

http://lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng

Baby Burp Cloths (diapers)

Thank you Linda Anthony for this cute idea- they were so fun to design and sew! They are a sweet gift for a new mom and baby - and very useful! If you are looking for a project that is handmade, but not too crazy for time, then this is it. Mine are shown using organic high quality cloth diapers, but I think there are options! Scraps of cotton, minky, flannel, jumbo rick rack, ribbon etc. can all be used. My very first batch went to my 5th little grandchild, Isabelle, just born on March 17th!

Here are two locations I found for some instructions:

http://www.makeandtakes.com/baby-burp-cloth-tutorial

http://chickpeastudio.typepad.com/chickpea_sewing_studio/diaper-burp-cloth-tutoria.html