Needles and Pens

So many giveaways, so little time, yet somehow... I. Can't. Stop. LoL These quilters sure are a generous bunch. If you'd like a chance to win, go on over to Brown Paper Packages , and enter the flannel giveaway, in celebration of 100 posts! And stop by Lynette Anderson Designs for a chance to win her new book, Gathering of Crows .

The Book Awards Reading Challenge has come to an end, and I thought I should fess up and post my results: I didn't make it -- but I didn't totally blow it either. :-D Of my original twelve challenge books, I read and reviewed the following: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - Newbery Award 1978 Holes by Louis Sachar - Newbery Award 1999 Mariner's Compass by Earlene Fowler - Agatha Award 1999 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - Pulitzer Prize 1940 The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo - Newbery Award 2004 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - Newbery Award 1995 I also read the following, but never got around to reviewing (and since I likely never will, I loved them both and want to see the movies now): The Color Purple by Alice Walker - Pulitzer Prize 1983 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Pulitzer Prize 1961 So that leaves four challenge books unread, for now at least. It was a lot of fun attempting the challenge. I read some fantastic books that I ot...

The Grapes of Wrath By John Steinbeck © 1939 Published by Penguin Books Ltd. 1940 Pulitzer Prize Winner The Grapes of Wrath , by John Steinbeck, is the story of the Joad family – tenant farmers from Oklahoma – and their migration to California to escape the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Through excellent characterization and a compelling storyline, the reader becomes a part of the Joad family, feeling their excitement and apprehension, the family bonds, their grief, despair and sadness, and their undying spirit to survive and prosper. Among the Joads' personal journey, Steinbeck has woven short, descriptive chapters that portray the bigger picture of the great migration and a changing America. The family farm is becoming a thing of the past. Tractors and big business are taking over in search of bigger profits, and the families that have eked out an existence on these small farms are no longer needed or wanted. They are pushed out of their homes, one by one. Large farms i...

I was tagged awhile back by my friend, Carol, at Giraffe Dreams , to do the Seven Random Facts meme. THE RULES: 1). Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you. 2). Post THE RULES on your blog. 3). Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog. 4). Tag 7 people and link to them. 5). Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged. Okay, here goes... seven (extremely) random facts about me: 1. I’ve read the Bible from cover to cover – once. I’d like to make it a regular habit! 2. Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian. When I was about fourteen, my sister-in-law was a pre-med student and let me help with her lab work. I did my first (and last) surgery, performing an ovaryectomy on a white lab mouse. I’m happy to say, the patient survived. Actual surgery didn’t change my mind, but four years later, the pre-vet college workload sure did. I gave up my veterinary dreams. 3. Everyday conversation triggers music in my head. For example, a simple “hel...