[free printables]

Oh yeah, I used to keep a blog... :)

I doubt anyone even visits this blog anymore but I thought I'd share this printable just in case someone happens to find it and can use it.

Do you have a book lover on your Christmas gift list? Perhaps give them a stack of book labels as a gift?

Have you read any good books lately?

I highly recommend A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman if you haven't read it yet. 

[Ove!]

Loved, loved, LOVED this book!! Pure awesomeness!

Did I mention I absolutely LOVED this book?

[need something good to read?]

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Intriguing. Captivating. Touching. A great love story!

Loved it!

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Sweden's own Forrest Gump. Such an amusing story! Horrible swearing throughout the book though! I struggled to give four stars to a book with so much swearing but the story made me chuckle so much that I had to. One day when I reread this book, it will be a more enjoyable read then because I crossed off all the swear words. 

To see all my book reviews, click here.

Do you need something good to watch too?

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Loved this cute movie filmed in a tiny Canadian Maritime harbor.

[help for parents]

My husband and I waited what seemed like forever until we were able to have our daughter. We truly appreciate being parents and rejoice that we have that blessing in our lives. That being said, there are times when your children try your patience to the limits. Children don't come with an instruction booklet attached to them and there are times when you just don't know how to help them to listen to you, etc. This book came to me at a time when I felt like I was talking to a tree when trying to get our daughter to get ready for school, or to brush her teeth, etc. I have truly enjoyed this book and it has helped me see some of the tough parenting situations in new light, offering me suggestions on how to keep my cool in those situations.

This book was written by a Latter-Day Saint and it does have some religious quotes on it. But I feel it's a book that has much wisdom to any parent who wants to improve his/her parenting skills and who doesn't want to be a nagging, impatient parent.

Here are just couple of quotes from the book:

Dr Goddard tells about his childhood experience with his aunt Mary and Uncle Grant:

"Every summer they invited us to come visit them. I'm not sure why. We added to their burdens and weren't asked to help with chores, yet they seemed to genuinely enjoy us. And they tolerated our antics without visible chagrin. When I crashed Uncle Grant's motor scooter with no injury to me but no benefit to the scooter, he merely laughed. When Alan and I dragged back to the house after we narrowly avoided burning down all of southern Utah, Aunt Mary simply turned on the sprinklers to cool us off."

It is easier to be a part-time parent than a full-time parent. But even so, think of this quote and relate it to your role as a parent. None of us are perfect and I do believe that our children are trying their best. Dr Goddard says: "When we understand that our children are doing the best they can in a big, confusing world in which they often feel awkward and powerless, we... can act redemptively. When a child falls short because of lack of wisdom or experience, we can teach rather than punish."

Think about it! When we do get impatient with our children, our response greatly depends on how we are feeling overall, prior to the incident that seemed to cause the impatience.

Anyways, much wisdom in this book. Many things to make you ponder about your own actions and what makes you impatient. I wish the mere reading the book would make you into a super patient, gentle parent. But it does take work and conscious effort to put things into practice. But at least there are things out there to help us in our efforts to become a better parent. 

My advice is that we need to ensure that everyone in the home gets enough sleep. It's so super easy to become irritated and impatient when we are tired. I have noticed that our daughter's diminished listening and crankiness is usually caused by few late nights in a row. Children need so much sleep. It blows my mind sometimes when I see parents out and about late at night with their little ones. I always hope that it's an exception rather than a rule in their lives. We can't expect children to function well if we chronically let them stay up too late. So often, the general crankiness in a home could be avoided if everyone gets enough sleep.

And remember, one of the most important words for even parents is the word "sorry". Our children need to hear that each time we have been impatient and cranky with them. We need to live what we teach.

[book & movie review]

An enjoyable story of Italian immigrants making a new life in USA. Loved it.

So cool that after so many years of not speaking Italian (I used to know all the basics), I could still understand the Italian words in the book.

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Ok enough story to keep you reading but I wanted more out of it. I won't put it in my pile of "will read again one day" books.

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Won't go in my "will read again one day" book pile. Enjoyed the last part of the book the best. The topic of the book was a bit too dark and depressing (ghosts, demons) for me. But good enough for three stars, I guess.

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Salve for my romantic soul. More clean, romantic books please! I liked Edenbrooke better. Blackmoore has a dark streak to it.

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What can I say about this book? It was good, not great. It talked too much about food but if you enjoy talking/hearing about food, then this book is for you. It's supposed to build up into a great spiritual discovery, but to me, it fell short and there wasn't enough to add any great insight into my life. Maybe if I didn't already have such a strong spiritual foundation, I would have received some new thoughts on the subject. You can pretty much divide this book into thirds: one third is about food and what to eat while driving through the States, one third is about eastern spiritual thoughts and one third is about describing scenery during the road trip. I almost gave this book two stars but decided on three because at least it is a clean book and that's half the battle nowadays. Not a bad book but don't expect anything amazing.

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R rated. :( 

I was so disappointed in this book as I enjoyed the author's The Hypnotist's Love Story. Boo for swearing and filth!

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Two women begin correspondence with each other during WWII. Loved reading about their lives. Beautifully written.

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This movie would be perfect for today's Martin Luther King day. It is mind-boggling to me when people think they are better than someone else, just based on their race. This movie hit home too because it is only so recently that the black people have had their rights in the USA. We take it for granted but we should remember what was still happening in the world not that long ago. And if we think racism is gone for good, well, that's just not true. It still exists in many forms around the world. So sad!

There was one part in the movie that I did not agree with and that was when they compared what happened to the black people to what the Jews went through in WWII. Even though the crimes against black people were beyond horrible, what happened to them should not be compared to the Jewish Holocaust. They weren't systematically slaughtered by the millions.

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Such a good movie! Loved it!

[Need a good book to read?]

I really enjoyed this book.

A lovely historical novel about 1920’s USA and what a woman’s life might have looked like back then. Well written.

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Happy Friday everyone!

[more book reviews]

The white people are coming and they are taking over the land. To help the integration of the two complete different people, the U.S. government agrees to send one thousand brides for Cheyenne warriors. So starts the journey of May Dodd and her fellow female friends into the unknown.   

The story is quite intriguing and there are great varieties of characters that keep you entertained as the story unfolds. There were many humorous parts that made me laugh out loud.

Caution: I would rate this book R as there are some explicit scenes and one portion of the story is disturbing.

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Two completely different teenagers form a strong bond in the 1970’s that lasts a lifetime. Ups and downs of life at times separate them but the friendship endures and evolves. A glimpse to two women’s hearts and lives. 

There was enough substance to keep me interested all the way through. Some bad language throughout the book.

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A professional hypnotherapist meets the perfect guy only to find out that his ex girlfriend stalks him.

What more do I need to say? I found the topic so refreshing and interesting. A highly entertaining read!

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“There were a few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he’d never do: He’d never leave New York City, never give his heart away after barely surviving one failed marriage, and never become a parent.”

Well, never say never, right? Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

I kept thinking I had read this book before. Certain aspects of the book seemed so familiar to me yet the story kept going to a totally different direction than I anticipated.

Another good book from Nicholas Sparks. Not great, but good.

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[I'm back! In case anyone noticed I was gone. :)]

Yes, we have been on a vacation and I have totally ignored my blog. I actually didn’t even have access to the Internet during our vacation and to my surprise; it was a nice break from it all. We drove down to California (added 6,400 kilometers to our new van), doing things along the way. I read many books and here’s a review of the two I liked the best.

Imagine a society where you are pretty much guaranteed great health, to have a successful marriage, to live until you’re 80, etc. Sounds good, right? Here’s the catch: You just have to give up one thing – your freedom to choose. Doesn’t sound that great anymore, does it? For example, you might be matched to someone who will become your perfect spouse, but you’re in love with someone else. Someone you shouldn’t be in love with and can’t have.

Loved these books! I can’t wait to read the third one in the series. I look forward to the movies they’ll make of these books. If you liked Hunger Games, you’ll like these books too.

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[book reviews]

This book is about two sisters running a farm in Texas. House guests, coping with a serious illness, a young girl's outlook on things… Those are some topics of the book. If you’re interested in old movies, then this might be a book for you. I’m not into old movies and all the dialogue about them was boring to me.

The book wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. Just an ok read. I’ll only give it two out of three stars as I kept wishing I hadn't bought the book.

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The aliens have come and have attacked the earth in waves. What happens during the fifth wave?

This book kept me interested all the way through and I didn't regret buying the book. It was quite grim at times but that is to be expected of books about alien invasions, right? 

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[kinda sorta possibly a freebie]

How to use my freebies.

Trashy. One out of five stars. Enough said.

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[a good summer read]

I enjoyed this book by Sarah Pekkanen. It's the first one I've read from this author.

The story is about a couple who starts their marriage poor but the husband makes millions with his company. Their relationship has suffered due to husband's long work hours and commitment to his company. One day the husband has a heart attack and dies for just over four minutes. When he wakes up, he's a changed man. The wife has to decide whether she wants to accept the change and continue the marriage. 

This book made me think. What would I do in this situation? What really matters in life? Would I be able to make the right choice?

I recommend this book but do so with a warning that it does contain some bad language & taking God's name in vain. But the book touched my heart and I thought it's a great summer read. I'll give it three out of five stars.

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ps. I purchased another book by this same author and I'm disappointed. Seems a bit trashy. 

[couple of books I've read lately]

I recently read this book about people living underground in a huge silo due to toxic air on the earth. The book was intriguing as you tried to figure out why the people were in the silo etc. It was great to find a book with no swearing in it. Not! First you think there is no swearing but the more you read, the more swearing there is. Due to the verbal assault, I had a hard time enjoying the story as it continued. I think this book is actually a series of books. I'm pretty sure I read more than one book but wasn't paying attention to it as I read them as eBooks. The book will make a good movie one day. I just hope the movie will be PG rated.

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This book is a story of a teenage boy who has Asperger's. Jacob is fascinated by solving crimes and ends up being accused of murder himself. You get to peek in on a family with a single mom who has two teenage boys, one with special needs. You get an idea what it can be like when someone in your family has Asperger's. There are quite many funny parts in the book and the story captures your interest nicely. 

That being said, once again I didn't enjoy the verbal assaults throughout the book. I really can't stand swearing anymore and it's painful to read so much swearing. I kept crossing out the swear words so that I can lend the book to my friends without them having to read the swears. Plus I don't have the greatest memory so one day I can reread this book without the swearing. I did enjoy the story otherwise and kept thinking one day they will make a movie out of it.

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[four out of five]

Loved this book! So uplifting, touching and beautiful!

Four out of five stars!

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[a bit of this & a bit of that]

An evening in downtown with friends: The Finnish a cappella group Rajaton's concert.

Sielu huokaisi kuunnellessa taas suomeksi musiikkia. Jussi on edelleen ihan jees. J

Some more pictures of our new home. This one shows our white laminate flooring. Wide planks. So easy to keep clean.

  

Africa’s new morning spot is on the love-seat in the dining area. He can recharge his solar energy in the morning sun.

Close-up of the kitchen counter top. Laminate called “brushed aluminum”. More my style than the various granite counter tops out there.

Floor to ceiling wardrobes in the master bedroom. Four sections. Covers the wall opposite from the bed. We do have a walk-in-closet too but a chunk of it will be taken out eventually to make room for a larger bathroom.

Curtains for the family room.

A place for my rings by my kitchen desk.

Mmm! Naan pizza. I have shared the recipe previously. Me lovey!

And here are the March 2013 Project Life journaling cards. 

I just finished this book. A World War II story from a young German woman’s perspective. Adds insight to what life was like for the ordinary Germans during the war. These WWII books are hard to read but I find it’s important to remind ourselves of what happened so that history will never repeat itself. It's unfathomable to think that some people can be so evil. 

The book is well written and even though the subject matter was the horrible war, there was much beauty in the book. Reading the book made me think about what is most important in life. What would I do in such a situation? Would I have the strength to hold on to my values and morals?

Four out of five stars.

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Happy Monday everyone! J