Viking Vampires

I love them. Well one in particular, Eric - oh yummy Eric.

Of course now those of you not in the "know" are shaking your head in befuddlement thinking I've gone off the deep end I suppose.

Tomorrow, the 5th, the ninth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris releases. Being the good, Eric (and Sookie) loving fan that I am, I preordered Dead and Gone from Amazon.com. To my great surprise and happiness it arrived TODAY - a day early! Woohoo!

I checked the mail around 11:30AM and found my very pretty new book waiting for me. I hurried to put Anya down for her nap (no I didn't put her down earlier than normal - it was time). And settled in to read while Jadzia and Inara watched Gummi Bears and ignored me for the most part. I don't always get time to read during the day but I must have put off a vibe to Jadzia and Inara because they found plenty of enjoyment in each other. Around 230, Anya woke up from her nap so I had to put Sookie aside for a few to feed her and tend to all the kids. Then, I resumed reading - although I was interrupted more often now that Anya was awake. Can't fault her too much, she is only 10 months old - I dare say she doesn't understand the draw of a good book (particularly the newest release of a favorite series) yet.

In spite of kidlet interuptions, I finished the book just about 5PM. So not only did I get it in my little hands before it's official release; I finished it before then too. It was a good installment and by no means lacking in my favorite Viking Vampire. As with so many things, the long wait was rewarded but I still can't wait for the next book! Which is some ways a way I think. But it's not like I don't have some 200 other books on my TBR to read.

I won't give away any plot here since I know at least a couple of my readers are Sookie fans.

Reading Challenge Week 2

Week 2 of my reading challenge has concluded and I read the following this week:

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Damsel Under Stress by Shanna Swendson
Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson

Did you notice a bit of a trend there? This past week was Sookie week in prep for Dead and Gone. I wanted to refresh my memory on all things Sookie for the new book. Then I finished those early enough in the week to finish off the Katie Chandler series by Swendson. All good books!

So my totals came out to 10 books and roughly 3.4 lbs read for the week. Rock on!

I'm Still Here

I know it's been quite on the blog front this week but I wanted to at least pop in and let you all know I'm still here. Deep in "Sookie Week" as I call it. Book 9 of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books releases May 5th and in preparation, I'm rereading books 1-8 to refresh my memory a bit. So this week is all about reading lots and lots of Sookie.

Love y'all and will catch up soon!

Biggest Loser Reading Challenge

As I mentioned previously, I signed up for a reading challenge to try to slim down my massive to-be-read pile. Today was the "Weigh in" for the first week.

Individually I read 8 books equaling 4.2 pounds according to Amazon.com weights! In an average week I normally read 3-4 books so this is an awesome week for me! I can only hope I can keep it up through the rest of the challenge.

My team (4 people) read a total of 21 books equaling 12.59 pounds and we came in second for the week out of 10 teams. I'm thrilled with the results and look forward to the rest of the challenge.

The books I read this past week were:
An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan
Duty and Desire by Pamela Aidan
These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz
White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Silver is for Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

The Pamela Aidan books have already been received by a new reader (shockingly enough given the fact that they were sent Media Mail) and at least 3 others will be mailed out this week I hope.

8 down...180 some odd books to go...

Jane Austen

Jane Austen is where I turn when I've had a particularly harrowing day/night. I either pick up one the books and read a few chapters or I put in one of the movies to watch and just relax. There is something about Jane Austen's writing and stories that seems to bring me back to center.

Last night was one of those nights. Bluto and Gimli were rampaging around the house - possibly stirred up by the rain that was in the air. Anya was screaming bloody murder and pushing away from my arms even as I held her (because she was screaming bloody murder on the floor too). Jadzia kept wandering over to see what I was doing instead of cleaning up before bed and Inara kept trying to climb in my lap as I was trying to keep Anya from flinging herself into the wall or something in her fit. I would have collapsed right then if I didn't think that I'd be assaulted by two dogs and three kids right from the start.

Already on a thin thread, Jadzia finally comes to say she's done cleaning and I immediately see she's left a half dozen toys laying the living room. Done...uh huh, RIGHT! As I'm pointing out things to clean up, my neighbor rings the doorbell thus setting off the dogs and restarting the screams of Baby Spawn. She looks as harrassed as I feel so the meeting is thankfully brief and I return to the Spawn and dogs. Jadzia picks up the rest of the stuff and we head upstairs for the bedtime routine. Inara thinks it would be AWESOME to run up and down the hall while I'm attempting to get her ready for bed and Anya thinks screaming will make it all go faster.

I finally get the older two to bed and then set about getting Anya down for the night. This would have been easier if the dogs weren't still a little wound from the door bell previously. So in addition to their hallway races, they are occasionally letting out yips and barks just to make my night extra special. Finally I get Anya asleep and down, I give Bluto some food, attention and then let him outside and fall into the couch with my copy of Pride and Prejudice firmly in hand. After about 45 minutes of reading, I feel re-centered and less likely to strangle the first living thing in sight (namely Bluto probably).

Jane Austen is the new yoga - at least for me.

Reading Challenge

I joined a reading challenge on Paperbackswap to read as many paperbacks as possible over the next 5-6 weeks so if I'm a little sparse in posts - that's why. After the kids go to bed (which is when I typically blog), I now jump right into reading to get as much time as possible. I fully intend to come back and post and then go to bed reading without thinking about it. :)

40 Books!

At the beginning of the year, I set my goal to read 80 books in 2009. Tonight, 3 months into the years, I've completed 40! I'm already halfway to my goal. I suspect I will have to reconsider the goal as I get closer to reaching 80.

In January, I completed 12 books.
In February, I completed 14 books.
In March, I completed 14 books.

Well done me :)

Reading Challenge Update

Goal 80 books in 2009
January: 12 books
February: 14 books

Total so far: 26

Milestones

This will be a blog that covers lots of little updates so be warned.

Remember my reading challenge? I challenged myself to read 80 books in 2009. I read 12 in January. Today I finished book 21 so I'm over a quarter of the way to completing my challenge and February isn't even over! I may need to up my challenge number a bit? Ya think? In case you're curious these are my 2009 reads:

1) Sex and the Psychic Witch by Annette Blair
2) Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire by Michele Bardsley
3) Because Your Vampire Said So by Michele Bardsley
4) Wait till Your Vampire Gets Home by Michele Bardsley
5) Hex Appeal by Linda Wisdom
6) The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair
7) Charmed and Dangerous by Candace Havens
8) Gone with the Witch by Annette Blair
9) Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
10) Charmed and Ready by Candace Havens
11) Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
12) Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine
13) Real Vampires Get Lucky by Gerry Bartlett
14) The Host by Stephenie Meyer
15) Competition's a Witch by Kelly McClymer
16) She's a Witch Girl by Kelly McClymer
17) Real Vampires Don't Diet by Gerry Bartlett
18) Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
19) Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber
20) Vampireville by Ellen Schreiber
21) Dance with a Vampire by Ellen Schreiber

I also started hosting my very first game on paperbackswap.com. If you don't frequent PBS, this really doesn't matter to you but it made me happy to do it.

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A couple weeks ago, I decided to stop fighting Inara on her naps. While I felt she still "needed" the midday nap, she was getting more and more resistant to it and I'd usually find her playing instead of sleeping. So one day I just didn't put her down for one. She got irritable about an hour or so before bedtime but she made it. The first week or so was the hardest but she's adjusted well and I think she sleeps more soundly at night. She used to wake up a lot crying a bit then would go right back to sleep - while that still happens, it's not as frequent. She also goes to bed easier most nights now since she's more tired. While some days she could probably use a quick recharge nap, I think it was the right decision - although I miss those times when both she and Anya would be napping so it was just Jadzia and I playing.

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Anya is spending more and more time on the floor and out of my arms! As a result she enjoys being on her tummy more and playing. She's also started to roll, wiggle and move some. While she has not started crawling yet, she seems to be thinking about it - today she even attempted to get to her knees like she was going to but couldn't pull it off. Despite the lack of crawling she can get a good three feet from where I put her down on her mat! I put her down on the mat in the living room today and found her almost to the trashcan in the kitchen area! Some time I'll have to stare at her to see how she does it exactly. She's surprisingly mobile for a "non-mobile" baby.

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Okay, that's all my updates for tonight! Have a great day!

One month.

It's one month into 2009.

In a couple days Robby will have been gone for one month out of twelve.

I have made 40 blog posts in the month of January!

I read 12 books and started number 13 in the month of January!


And I haven't filled up the gas tank in the van since Robby left. On the one hand, I'm saving money, on the other hand it's a sign that I don't go anywhere.

Point of No Return

I stayed up way too late reading last night. It was already 1am when I hit the point of no return. You know that point in a book where you have to finish, where every chapter leads you into the next by a cliffhanger and there isn't a conclusion until, well the conclusion of the book. Often it's the last 50-75 pages or so. With this book it was the last hundred. As I said, it was already 1am when I hit that point. It was almost 3am when I finally turned off the light and went to sleep. But I finished the book so that makes 8 for the year.

When I read Breaking Dawn the first time (and the second for that matter), I hit that point around 1am then too. I didn't go to bed until 3am then either. The funny part is that the second time, of course I already knew what happened and how the book ended but still, I hit that point and I just couldn't put the book down until I was done with it.

I burned dinner a smidge tonight because Robby called. They were leaving Kuwait for Iraq - I'm not sure when we'll get to talk to him next so I was glad he called. We got cut off mid conversation though but that's okay. Always good to hear his voice regardless.

A Modge Podge

Hey you, look to left! Down, down a little further, probably need to keep going....see the clocks? Yeah I added those today. There's a 13 hour time difference between Hawaii and Iraq. If you ignore the AM/PM part it doesn't seem like much difference at all. Oh and the pesky different DAYS sometimes. I thought they were cool and I don't always remember what time it is there so handy - for me at least.

On to more important - er interesting, well different topics! So remember how I told you about Jadzia napping and NOT peeing in her bed. This girl can sleep through anything so I was mightily impressed by that yesterday. She still wears a pull-up at night for that reason. Well this morning, about an hour or so before they normally wake up, she starts crying. I figure she's still sick and achy so I stumble my way toward their room and she cries out "I have to go potty!!" through her tears. Now they have bunk beds and Jadzia sleeps on top. We've impressed on her MANY times not to come down unless one of us is there just in case so I'm (or my sleep) is a victim of my own teaching. I watch her come down and off she goes to the bathroom. Of course Inara is awake and watching all this and I'm beginning to hear the stirs of Miss Anya in the other room and Bluto has picked up on the fact that we're awake and is whining downstairs. By the time Jadzia returns from the bathroom, the whole house is awake so there is no hope of returning to bed for even an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Shame really.

As much as I really wanted that extra sleep, this event could be a step in the right direction toward night-training Jadzia. She's been day-trained for a year and a half now and I've just been waiting for her to shows signs of waking up to potty instead of sleeping through it. I think this was my sign. I can only hope her bladder learns to sleep an extra hour though.

A few hours later, Anya was down for a nap and Jadzia and Inara were playing happily so I laid down on the couch to relax for a few (since I knew the moment I tried to relax too hard Anya would wake up or some such thing). First Inara came over carrying a Goldfish box -a box that is woefully empty. The almost two year old does not understand that there are no Goldfish in the box, nor are there any in the house. Tears and screams are produced in an effort to make Mommy magically produce Goldfish. I flunked magic class so obviously that doesn't work. Somehow, I convince her to take something else and I can return to relaxing. Then Bluto comes over. You see, the dog is intrigued by anything at his face level, which, when laying on the couch, is me. Yeah, doggy slobber is surely one way to interrupt a good veg. After shooing him away a couple times he seems to get the message and stays away. Back to relaxing - and that's when Anya wakes up, and the door bell rings. At the door, thankfully, is my neighbor bearing muffins which makes the kids happy and distracts the dog who follows them around hoping for a handout or a few dropped morsels. Have I mentioned how much I love her?

P.S. Jadzia and Inara seem to be mostly on the mend illness wise. Still mildly feverish and cranky but tolerable.

I finished my 7th book of the year today and am on to book 8!

Books, books everywhere

As you all know by now - I love to read. Eight months ago I had no TBR pile (to be read) and had to make a book store trip usually to get my next book. I wasn't reading as much then either which is probably why I didn't keep a "stock" so to speak. Now, thanks mostly to PaperBackSwap, I have books and more books.

Most books I trade on PBS for new books but I have a few on my keeper shelf. Some of those include the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast, the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, Queen Betsy series by MaryJanice Davidson, anything by Jane Austen, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and various other individual books.


Now these are my TBR shelf, which is minimal compared to some from what I understand. In picture one I have several Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series, various MaryJanice Davidsons, the Vegas Vampire books, Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books 2 and 3, a bunch of Annette Blairs, Kim Harrisons Rachel Morgan series and several others! Picture 2 has some of my historical fictions, straight fictions, classics, science fictions and some more paranormals.

This, of course, doesn't include the almost 200 I have on my wishlist on PBS that I haven't gotten yet. So as I said, books books everywhere!

I've lost it...

And by "it" I mean the remote to the cable box. I know you all were thinking I meant my mind weren't you? Admit it. Well I hate to tell you this but I lost THAT a long time ago. I do have three kids after all - three young kids.

But back to the cable remote - we have three remotes for the downstairs "system"; a TV remote for the TV itself, a cable remote for the cable box and a DVD remote for the DVD player (duh right?). Beyond that we also have the XBox controller, the Wii remotes, etc. Well I've lost the cable remote. I have NO clue where it's gone which scares me. I moved the couch last night only to find every missing toy, a couple of kids bowls, random papers and a lot of dog hair that has slid under it. Since I'd already gone through the hassle of moving it; I took the time to clean it all up so now it's clean under the couch at least. But, no remote. I haven't found it IN the couch either. I'm a little nervous that perhaps little hands have gotten a hold of it and ferreted it away somewhere.

As a result of my under the couch adventure - Jadzia and Inara seem to think it's Christmas all over again as they dig through the small box of wayward toys that were recovered last night.

So, anyone out there know where my lost remote is? I had to change the box by hand last night to watch Grey's Anatomy - oh the horror ;)

Oh and I've failed in my book-a-day attempt; shocker eh? I have barely read in the last three days partially because of tiredness and partially because it hurts to sit up in bed now (grr!)

A book a day?

Okay, so it's not a record I can keep up but I think I'll get 3 for 3 tonight. I read Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire on the 4th, Because Your Vampire Said So on the 5th and I'm about half way through Wait till Your Vampire Gets Home now, I'll probably finish it tonight after the girls go to bed.

These are all part of the Broken Heart Vampires series by Michele Bardsley. In Broken Heart, Oklahoma - a vampire goes on a biting spree. Before he's stopped, he bites 11 single parents changing not only their lives (or un-lives?) but the whole town. Suddenly Broken Heart is the catch-all town for all of parakind....assuming they can all get along of course. And how likely is that?! It's a good light series with an interesting twist on normal vamp books - how many vampires are parents after all?!

Personal Reading Challenge 2009

I love to read; it's a passion I've always had but don't always dedicate the time to do. Around the time Anya was born I picked up several new books to help with my hospital stay. In September I joined paperbackswap.com at the urging of my friend Kisha. Oh and I read the Twilight series in there two - I promise this is all significant. Reading Twilight put me on a vampire kick, which I turned to Kisha's suggestions which got me started reading the Sookie Stackhouse series, Queen Betsy and Anita Blake (among others but those were the first). I bought all of the Sookie series new before turning to and joining PBS. Through PBS I found tons and tons of new books and series to read and now have a whole bookshelf full of books to keep me entertained.

In 2008, I read 55 books I think (I wasn't keeping specific track so I'm not totally sure, might have missed one or two in there). I didn't start really reading a lot until June. So my personal reading challenge for 2009 is going to be 80 books. I think I can read even more than that but this is my goal. I've already finished two and started number three!

Why am I telling all my non-existent readers this? Because this blog will have a whole lot of different types of posts, including posts about books I've read occasionally. So I'm warning you in advance to expect them.