Here is a list of books I read in 2013. I only made it to 85, not quite reaching my goal of 100, but I still think that's a pretty good showing for the year. You can always look at Goodreads for my ratings and reviews of these books. *Edenbrook is on the list twice, I read it and then recommended it and it was chosen for Book Club, so I read it again, thus I'm counting it twice.
(Looking at the date of my last post I guess 2014 goals will be to blog as I don't journal except here!) 1. The Shuttle 2. Letters From A Woman Homesteader 3. Out Of My Mind 4. Very Valentine 5. Brava, Valentine 6. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks 7. Little, Big 8. The Shoemakers Wife 9. Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mom 10. The Language of Flowers 11. The Handmaids Tale 12. Midnight in Austenland 13. Little Bee 14. Keturah and Lord Death 15. The Great Gatsby 16. Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand 17. The Irish Princess 18. Entwined 19. Ahabs Wife 20. The Cellist of Sarajevo 21. The Paris Wife 22. A Moveable Feast 23. I'm A Stranger Here Myself 24. I Rode a Milky White Jade Horse 25. Sarah's Quilt 26. These Is My Words 27. The Star Garden 28. The Doctrine and Covenants 29. Seeking Persephone 30. Friends and Foes 31. Miss Read - The Market Square 32. Devil in the White City 33. The Magicians's Assistant 34. My Name is Red 35. The Kiss of a Stranger 36. Trains and Lovers 37. A Lantern in Her Hand 38. A Breath of Eyre 39. The Countess Below the Stairs 40. Between Shades of Gray 41. The Sea 42. The Bell Jar 43. Edenbrooke 44. An Unlikely Match 45. Year of Wonders 46. Reached 47. Visions of Glory 48. The Art Forger 49. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy 50. Edenbrooke 51. Endurance: Shakleton's Incredible Voyage 52. Admirals Penniless Bride 53. Cheaper by the Dozen 54. The Wednesday Wars 55. Okay for Now 56. Moloka'i 57. Cotillion 58. The Ocean at the End of the Lane 59. The Sense of an Ending 60. Courting Miss Lancaster 61. The Kitchen House 62. Ida B 63. True (Sort of) 64. The Princess Academy 65. The Tutors Daughter 66. Hattie Big Sky 67. The Snow Child 69. Cinder 70. American Gods 71. I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You 72. The Lady of Bolton Hill 73. The Orchid House 74.The God Of Small Things 75. Code Name Verity 76. The Selection 77. The Elite 78. Blackmoore 79. The Silent Governess 80. The Book of Mormon 81. A Visit From a The Goon Squad 82. Scarlet 83. The Apothecary's Daughter 84. Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy 85. Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover
I have been so busy making it through the holiday bustlethat I really haven't had time to post the finished product. I still haven't had a chance to decorate like I want in each area but I thought I'd slowly start showing where I'm at so far...
I don't really have a style... I just designed what I liked and what made me happy when we built and I picked things out. I wanted the house to be what I like and not be too worried about what was trendy right now. I wish I could afford an interior designer, but all in all it turned out pretty good without anyone to hold my hand.
Master Closet
Cowie/Columbia Millworks did closet and moldings in all house
Wall color is Benjamin Moore Aspen White at 50%
Trim Color Benjamin Moore White Dove
Chandelier - Overstock
Master Bathroom
Love the self closing lids on all my toilets!!
Wall Color Benjamin Moore Aspen White 50%
Trim Color Benjamin Moore White Dove
Cabinetry - Guymon & Thomas - BM White Dove
Countertop - River White Granite
Sinks by Kohler
Faucets - Rohl in Polished Nickel
Tile Manhattan Marble in 12x24, stacked, and basketweave
Vanity Lights - Ferguson (match to restoration hardware)
Some households seems to go through certain things faster then other people do. In our house these are the things we seem to go through at alarming rates... 1. ihome radio/alarm clocks: For some reason we go to set the alarm and it has decided to magically stop working. It is so annoying and I have a couple sitting around cause I hope they will just as magically start to work again. 2. printers: The day after the warranty or extended warranty passes... my printer will break down. I don't buy the top of the line professional printers but I certainly don't buy cheap printers either! For some reason we seem to go through printers every two years! Right now I have so much I NEED to print -- job charts, new year goals, etc. -- and I have my printer sitting unable to get rid of a stinking print error message. If I could find out how to take it apart to clean the print heads I think I could fix it...but I usually wait until there is an urgent print need which necessitates me running out and quickly purchasing a new one. NOTE: We are getting close to that NEED as a science project is coming due. 3. socks: Bless the new house and the dance room and it's constant use... but my girls are going through socks like... like... toilet paper. I have resorted to telling them to wear mix-matched, one yellow and green stripe with another in pink and orange polk dot cause we can get one or two more days in the dance room out of them. See if you are confused, if they do turns right footed the hole starts there first and the left sock can be washed even though the right has failed and thus one more day of use!
4. Clementines: I cannot keep them on my counter! But I seem to have no problem with finding the peels there!
This is our girls "FIRST" alarm clock. It is battery operated and can be moved around to whatever spot feels right without worrying about an outlet close by.
Right now it is the property of the third child and is a prequel to an ihome which docks the itouch/ipod. This clock is inherited from the older child along with an ipod shuffle.
Unfortunately... I have had to remove the clock from the third child and it isn't even her fault. See, my recently turned "sleepy" 12 yr old seems to turn off the ihome each morning, or just switches it to music and happily drifts back to sleep. I have the alarm clock across the room but she has that little remote (which she hides from me) so she just turns it off with that. Now, I can go switch on the light, yank back the covers, sing, shake and yell her name to wake sleeping beauty...
but I am also trying to raise an independent, self-sufficient child who can take care of herself and doesn't need a mother hounding her to get up, complete her homework or get to an activity on time --- or whatever it might be.
So in the interest of the above mentioned reason...
It has become necessary to remove the above mentioned alarm clock from child number 3...
And hide the clock in child number 1's bedroom with it set to 6:30am. That way (here is my brilliance)child number 1 has to get out of bed and search for it.
The clock has been behind a temple picture on the dresser, under the bed, under a dresser, behind a American Girl doll collection and beneath a chair.
Now there is a rolling alarm clock that turns on and rolls off the dresser and away but who needs that when a brilliant mind is at work?
So... hopefully after 21 days, a habit will form and my sleepy 12 year old will automatically get out of bed when she hears the alarm instead of turning off the alarm and me trying to drag her out of bed.
It's a WIN-WIN!
My next question to answer is why all 12-year old's suddenly become "sleepy" when one is getting 10+ hours of sleep while I can survive night after night on 5? Imponderable? Maybe.
I will not be as long winded as my last review. I just wanted to point out that makeup is amazing! It can take a man like this...
From a movie like North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (set in England not the civil war one)... and turn him into this...
I had a hard time reconciling during the movie because the actor and voice I knew did not add up to the picture that was before me. I cannot wait for the next movie... DECEMBER 13, 2013
I know lots of people have been to Les Miserables and their are lots of opinions about it but here is mine... for the little it is worth.
See it.
See it on a big screen where you are surrounded by the screen and powerful sound.
The last sentence was in response to Erik who said he didn't care if he just saw it on DVD when I wanted him to come with McCall and I. Now part of that may be he was the babysitter since Calla would be gone but still...
Wrong answer!
He will not get away with that.
I actually worked it pretty well, saw it with friends, saw it with daughter, (I did cover her eyes in one particular spot), now I need to go back with my cute hubby.
Firstly, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway BETTER get Oscars. Or I'll boycott! I will!
I think they did an amazing job acting and singing. I'm sure haters can find something wrong with their acting or snobs might state that they are not "classically trained singers" but this was a MOVIE. I give that it was a MUSICAL MOVIE but you sort of have to walk the line between the two. In a movie with a camera in your face and acting the character with every emotion on your face picked up by the said camera, which zooms in a LOT closer to see expression and emotion then a stage audience can, it has to be very different from the stage where you have some linear footage and heavy make up between you and your audience. I guess Hugh would know, he's done both.
Unfortunately, it is hard to complete with the sound of this...
Anyway, I thought they both (Anne and Hugh) were great and I sure wish I had an ounce of their talent.
I heard of a tiny blip of criticism of Annes over wrought crying in the film. All I can say is I suppose those persons criticizing have lived a spotless life. I have not. I can understand weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for sin. They obviously have not and therefore have never felt the breathlessness, the hyperventilation of realizing your life is far from what that eternal light that is calling to you from within. As the lovely curls and pink dress tried to imply in the factory, Fantine was pure and happy and she made one bad choice, as a very young girl, to a youthful boy who was having some fun one summer with his friends. That choice lead her down a horrible path. She was so in love and he acted the part well. He promised her a lovely life and then ran away. He abandoned her.
Jerk.
I liked Annes tears and I liked the sobs. They sold me. They sold me that Anne read all 251 pages of Hugo's unabridged words on Fantine. Anne understood Fantine. That is what her tears spoke to me.
Most of the other actors I thought were amazing too. Sure Eponine was a BIT too happy after receiving a bullet to the abdomen. Yet she is stage trained so here we go again walking the line. She probably has to grin from ear to ear on stage so the audience can tell she is somewhat happy to see Marius safe at this point. The second go round as I watched I tried to imagine endorphins kicking in and maybe that was why she was so happy.
NOTE: If Eponine looked familiar to you, you probably saw her with the GREATS from the 25th anniversary special with amazing talents like the original Valjean, Colm Wilkerson (who incidentally played the Priest in the movie - you saw him if you listened to the video above). Or maybe you were lucky enough to hear her in London West End as she played the part of Eponine on stage.
Amanda Seyfried, sorry, I sort of struggled with. Darn. I really liked her in Mama Mia as do all my four girls. I do prefer the parts and songs of Eponine to those of Cosette, so I guess her parts just don't grab and pull me. I though Amandas voice, while pretty... well I just didn't LOVE her. I will admit...after reading all 1376 pages of Hugos unabridged book, before seeing the Broadway version again when it came to SLC two-ish years ago, I have become a bit of a Les Mis purist. In my teens I loved Cossette. When I saw the broadway play in high school I waited in anticipation for this castle dreaming girl to grow up on stage, but after reading what Hugo wrote, I like her less. That is not the same as saying I do not like her, or Marius, but the couple comes off much different in the unabridged Hugo then on the stage.
Russell Crow did a great job. I'll give him a pat on the shoulder for attempting the role. Yet. I really struggled with Russell Crow. There were two problems I felt... while he did a "great job", his vocals were not strong. Plus, I didn't feel he understood Javert well enough. I wish the director could have pulled him out of it and helped him come to life.
In the song Stars he was not able to carry the song like he should have, or NEEDED to. And then at Javert's Suicide, I waited for that powerful climax of note combined with lung power and it never came. Disappointing. It should have shook one to the core. You should have felt in in the hollow of your heart. Now, one might say he is not a classically trained singer. You're right. And I just wish they could have pulled it off because I really like Russell Crow and wanted him to be completely successful in the part. But again it was kind of disappointing.
As far as Crows acting...I'll go back to being a Les Miz purist. I didn't wade through Hugo's Battle of Waterloo to not come out with a proper understanding of this story and it's characters! Javert was not a bad man and I think in the movie he comes off that way. Javert was a good person. He just never understood gray. He only saw black and white, wrong and right. I think they tried to bring that aspect in when he places the medal on the Gavroche (the boy), who is actually the Thenardiers son, and Eponine's brother, but that one act of the medal didn't sell me on the Javert that Hugo wrote. Crow had a hard time making me feel and believe in that character. Up on the bridge I didn't feel how torn or racked with turmoil Javert was, facing a blurring of the course he had built a life around, a confusion of what defines good and evil.
Instead of feeling like Javert LACKED emotion, I wanted to see that Javert suppressed GREAT emotion to act dignified and uphold morals and standards of goodness. He fought to overcome his circumstances and to live an honorable life after being born into nothingness. He fought for good. He was religious. He loved God. He wanted to do everything right. To him people were like STARS. Constant... they didn't change, they were good or bad. Again, no gray. No changing.
Okay enough of the misunderstood and misrepresented Javert.
The Thenardiers. WOW! What fun and I think they did a GRAND job of showcasing how low and just how filthy they were. There was no way to delve into the MANY other awful acts of that couple (Thenardier was with Marius father when he died at Waterloo and was horrible then and never changed), but I think they tried to show how rotten they were, granted taking a few liberty's to help modern day movie go-ers understand how deprave they were.
My Mom commented how the Thenardiers seem to always get the biggest applause. It's true. When they come on stage we all smile and cheer! In some ways they steal the show. And I think it is comical that those who are criticizing the movie and its cast, well, you don't hear anyone criticizing THEIR singing??? Have YOU??? And it's not because they are good singers.
Just as Joseph Smith Jr. corrected his foolishness in "falling into levity" and "associating with jovial company", but not commiting any major sins mind you... it's funny how easy it is to like such awful characters. Sort of the Billy Joel, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners and die with the saints."
Now as a PURIST there is not one likeable or laughable thing in the book about Thenardiers. But you would have to then fault the play, and you have to sell tickets SOOOO make them funny! I thought they perfectly cast Helena and Sacha, people who could play the role the way it needed to be played and I'm sure they had a lot of fun while at it, but I would not say the actors were STRETCHED! They were definitely type cast.
So my final analasys?
If you cast a singer for Eponine, people will criticize the acting.
If you cast an actor for Marius, people will criticize the singing.
You cannot win!
So go with it.
When I asked my 12 yr old if she liked the movie or
Broadway play better she responded... "They are so different, I really liked both...but I
understood the story a lot better in the movie and now it makes more
sense."
She is so wise and I love her for that.
You cannot compare a movie to a play. Or a play to a book. Or a book to a movie.
Just like you cannot intelligently compare an apple to an octopus.
So what do I say?
Sit back and just enjoy it.
Enjoy that for 1/10 to 1/18 of the price people ANYWHERE, EVERYWHERE can get a glimpse of one of the most moving and epic musicals and story.
This story changes hearts. It shows what compassion and charity do. How it changes lives.
This movie has brought the message to a whole new audience.
And maybe, just maybe, those who never would have seen the play before will go see it and enjoy the differences of seeing it live on the stage.
And maybe, just maybe, those who never would have picked up the book, will do so and read one of the greatest novels.
I have been so busy getting settled and then with the holiday season I just have had no time to blog!
I am so excited to blog this but I couldn't do it until after Christmas...
Each year I change the way my girls exchange gifts. I have these little Christmas bucks I designed and printed on cardstock and when they do something good or do an extra job or two, they earn a buck. then when it is time to go shopping they get to roll over that money into actual dollars to purchase gifts for the family.
(please insert some teeth on Elizabeth - poor kid has lost them all in front!)
This year I decided, MUCH to late in the season, to have the girls hand make their gifts to one another. It sounded great, but I realized as I tried to execute this that it took a LOT more involvement from me.
Which was OK! We had a lot of fun working together on these projects.
I gave some help but I really tried to have the girls do the work on their own as much as I could.
Look at how cute these turned out.
Stella made this for Elizabeth...
Claire made this for McCall...
Elizabeth made this for Claire...
(I sewed the stamps and velcro on - but Elizabeth is pretty good on the sewing machine. It would be cute to have three lines on the address but I just didn't have any more patience to watch her do the third line.)
And the cutest thing ever...
McCall made this for Stella from wool felt...
(I helped stitchalongside McCall in the interest of time...and I ended up taking over stitching the hair on.)
A good mix I tell you is a sweet truffle with bits of candy cane. Every Christmas, my friend Paula drops off the most delicious handmade truffles. I look forward to it every year. Not only are they wonderful but her presentation is also simple amazing. Yes, she is one of those who can compete with the best Martha has to offer. The lovely little round truffle rolled in candy cane is always the first to go. Oh wait, I guess I should clarify here. You may have just pictured my family calmly selecting a truffle while we sit around laughing, Christmas music playing, maybe a fire glowing, and the candy cane ones selected first by our little family.
Erase anything remotely close to what I just described. No, I am not that kind, or kind of person. No, no... I pull rank here and don't even blink over it. Even though I do believe the tag says Peterson's, I just put everyone in their place and let them know these are from MY friend, thus they are for ME. You can go have a candy cane Kiss or red, green or gold wrapped Reese's peanut butter cup or something.
It is very selfish I know. I have a thing with truffles. I am working on that. Since we are talking about truffles... I will now explain the worst thing in the world.
I was at Costco in November and I spotted some truffles which I had not seen before. Candy Cane Truffles. Being they were made of chocolate and had candy cane I figured they were worth a try, so I grabbed a bag. See... we are going downhill.
Unfortunately... they got opened.
Erik threatened to tell me the calorie count one day, as I had eaten four in front of him, but I covered my ears with a "blaa blaa blaa" and repeated with ears still covered "Ignorance is BLISS!" (You may thing I jest but I am very accurately describing the exact scene between us.)
I finished off the bag in a few days. So next trip to Costco, being with Erik, just so I've set the scene and you can picture us... I passed that red and black bag and using reverse psychology, I said to Erik... "Don't buy those! I cleaned out a whole bag almost on my own!" So of course, being the obedient husband and man I love, he grabbed two bags, while I pretended to protest, "Erik! Don't! I'll eat them all." After finishing off my 2nd bag of Candy Cane Truffles before Dec. 1st, I swore I would not be the one to open up the third bag. So they sat for a long time (three or four days - could have been two - it felt like eternity), I finally succumbed at about 2pm and opened the sealed bag.
Mmmmm...
My niece called Monday night as we were headed up to Temple Square. She and my parents were at Costco and looking for the truffles I had raved about (and one of my Mom's friends too) but they couldn't find them anywhere. Next day I phoned to see if they had any luck finding them, but nothing. Wednesday, as I shopped at Costco, I tried NOT to look for them as I circled the seasonal candy square isle for the third time. "If they are out it is just as well", I told myself trying to calm the panic I felt inside. By the third pass I realized...it's true! They are out in Orem and Lehi!
At check out they always ask you if you found everything you needed. I said yes as always and then halted... Don't do it Ashley... stay quite.! It's for the best!
But I didn't listen... "Oh wait!" I said... "You're out of those candy cane truffles." The cart loader turned to look at me with a knowing sympathetic nod. Then the checker yelled over to the service desk. By the time I was handed my receipt, the desk man informed me that there are 147 bags in Sandy but no where else. And they were scheduled for item deletion which means they are not expecting any additional shipments of the product that season. Dang.
I tried NOT to think about this as I left the store, weighted and heavy with this information... but about 30 feet from the exit, next to the water softener, I skirted my cart to the side and sent a text to Erik... "If you happen to be in the Sandy area, Costco has 147 bags of candy cane truffles and that is it, forever and anywhere." Erik's next text was... "Are you OUT? :)"
Ha Ha!
This is what he came home with that evening.
That's 10 bags folks.
A couple had been searching the store like Erik and when they got to the pallet they took 7 CASES of them!
They must be stocking up for themselves too! The Moral: Please avoid looking at my waist this holiday! :)
Do you remember your parent saying something constantly and you either rolling your eyes or just getting plain annoyed with the thought or statement? We all thought to ourselves secretly, "I am not going to be that annoying when I am a parent."
We'll among my many annoying traits, you will very often hear me ask my girls, when they are running to me upset over the actions of another or in the heat of a disagreement involving crying and/or accusations...
"Who is going to be the peacemaker?"
Claire is always the one to change that frown upside down and with a happy smile exclaim...
"I am!"
And she is.
We'll the other day Claire and Stella were in the heat of a debate... or fight... depending on how honest I am being... and I heard some crying and whining so I called down the stairs with that old familiar Ashley-ism #258...
