WORD OF THE WEEK

Today's word that I picked from the fish bowl on my desk

is...

jolly
1.  full of high spirits  2. extremely pleasant or agreeable

notes from a liar and her dog

Notes from a Liar and Her Dog

By Gennifer Choldenko

Synopsis from Goodreads:  For Antonia MacPherson, lying is a way of life. It's what works best when you are a weed in a family of roses. No matter what she does, her mother thinks she's wrong. Her older sister, Your Highness Elizabeth, (as Ant calls her) says Ant's best friend, Harrison, stinks, and her younger sister, Katherine the Great, takes notes on Ant's bad behavior to report back to their mother. The only family member to whom Ant admits to being related is Pistachio, her dog. A clever, resourceful and very funny liar, Ant sticks to her own moral code that gives Pistachio and Harrison precedence over all other living creatures. But when a concerned teacher sees the truth behind Ant's humor and lies, it seems Ant and her mother may be in for a showdown

What I think: Out of all of Ginnifer Choldenko's books, this is my favorite.  The story is laugh out loud funny AND it is really touching.  Without giving too much away, I got a bit teary in parts.  Ant is a character you simply have to root for.  Plus, I just love the title.

paper dolls

I loved playing with paper dolls when I was little.   My sister and I had a book filled with the paper dolls, paper clothing and a little paper stand.  We'd carefully rip out pants, shirts, skirts and jackets making sure we didn't lose the tabs.  Miranda and I needed those tabs to fold around our doll figures.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover Grace Lin (a fantastic children's author) had posted a free paper doll template on her blog.  These paper dolls are from her children's book "Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same".  If you are interested in downloading the dolls go to: www.outergrace.blogspot.com

I sure had fun coloring mine!

WORD OF THE WEEK

Today's word that I picked from the fish bowl on my desk

is...

discreet

1. having or showing discernment or good judgment in conduct and espiecally in speech  2. unobtrusive, unnoticeable

holiday cheer

Yesterday, I started thinking about Holiday cards.  I usually feel inspired to make my own cards but I didn't have any ideas.  So, I put on a little music to get myself in the mood.  "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by Vince Guaraldi (my very favorite Christmas album).  Now, with the sound of the piano in my office, I spread out a bunch of supplies on my desk.  Card stock, markers, pencils, watercolors, photos, glue, glitter and little silver stars.  Here's to the beginning of the Holidays!

WORD OF THE WEEK

Today's word that I picked from the fish bowl on my desk 

is...

protagonist
1.the principal character in a literary work

'tis the season

I love this time of year.  It's a time where I catch up on my reading list.  During Thanksgiving break, I read "The Help" by Kathryn Sockett (loved it), "Hector and the Search for Happiness" by Francios Lelord and now I am half way through "Keeper" by Kathi Appelt.

My most recent reading got me thinking about my very favorite books.  Even though I enjoyed all of my Thanksgiving reads, I don't think of any of them will become a forever favorite.  Here are some of the books that I will never forget.

FAVORITE BOOK WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID "A Light in the Attic" by Shel Silverstein (When I was 9 years old, I memorized a poem from this collection called "Clarence")

FAVORITE BOOK WHEN I WAS AN OLDER KID "Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

FAVORITE BOOK IN VERSE "Love that Dog" by Sharon Creech

FAVORITE ADULT BOOK "Griffin and Sabine"by Nick Bantock

FAVORITE TITLE "The Liars Club"by Mary Karr

FAVORITE CLASSIC "The Old Man and the Sea"by Ernest Hemingway

FAVORITE BOOK ABOUT WRITING (tie) "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott and "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg

FAVORITE BOOK FOR ARTISTS "The Artist's Way" and "The Vein of Gold" by Julia Cameron

What are some of your favorite books?