Books...to read or not to read

I love different types of books , I love cook books, picture books, travel books, and of course reading books. It is the reading books I wish to discuss. I am always trying to find a new good book to read, there is almost always a problem with that though. I have found if the book is amazing I can't put it down (so I am up all hours of the night reading or I start dreaming about). So the problem comes that either way I don't get enough sleep when I start a new book.

Another thing I have been trying to do is step outside my comfort zone. I have a type of book I like to read and a type of author, so a lot of the books are very similar and sometimes that just gets boring. But I have found it is the safest way to go for me.

The reason it is the safest is because if I ever try a new author or a new style I end up regretting it. For example I got this book the other day from the library. I knew who the author was and THOUGHT it might be a good read. Well unfortunately for me it wasn't so good (in my opinion). It would have been good if it didn't have all the swearing and and other slightly graphic things in it. AND the unfortunate thing was I still read the whole thing. (It was "good" enough to keep me turning pages). But then it makes we weary in reading other books. In fact the other book that I got by the same author I took back without even opening it. (didn't want to chance it)

I realize that I am possibly too sensitive to these type things because I can't stand some of the "best seller" books, but everyone else loves them. So whats a girl to do? Is there a thing online that tells you ratings of books? I did a Google search (not an extensive one) and it seemed the rating was focused on what people thought of it. What I want is like what they have for the movies. And I want to read a book at an adult reading level - obviously kids books are "g" rated. I don't want to read kids books (unless it is to a kid). But I would love something to tell me what to expect. I think it is possible to have a good book that doesn't have filth, gore, graphic details and or profanity. Am I alone in this?

Chefs who want to be Pampered :)

So most of you know...well as far as I know most of you know I LOVE to cook. It is one of my most favorite things to do. If only I had more supplies and more room to cook in. Oh and of course more people to cook for. (just me and my roommate for now).

Because I love to cook I also love to get supplies for cooking. One of the places or products I like to buy from is Pampered Chef. So yesterday I was invited to a Pampered Chef party and man do I love the products, and the food that they make at these parties are YUMMY we had this very good chocolate strawberry cake...made in the microwave. (it only took like 10min.)

A while back I had decided I would start selling this Pampered Chef stuff, but never really got around to it...until yesterday. Well what I mean is that yesterday I decided to get the kit to start selling it. DON'T worry! If you don't want to buy anything or have a party I will not stop talking to you, or try to make you feel bad. I understand. However if you would like to purchase any products OR have a party I would LOVE to do one for you. You just have to let me know and I will be more then happy to coordinate a time with you. I can also do catalog parties so you can do those when and where ever you want. I am all about making it easier for you.

Once I get really going I will also have a website of products and different things so you can order from that TOO. This is going to be my "second" job so now I can chose my hours and not have to worry about stressing so much to do another job.

Autumn

I love autumn. I love the cooler temperatures and the changing leaves. I love the different scents that start to come (pumpkin spices, Cinnamon, nutmeg etc.) I love the crunch of the leaves on the ground when you step on them. (I probably wouldn't love that as much if I had to rake those leaves.) I love the crisp air, I love that people don't look at me like I am crazy when I want to drink hot chocolate all the time (I LOVE hot chocolate). I love the way the mountains look. I love wearing sweaters and knowing it is for good reason (not just that the air conditioning is too cool for me.) I love the sun not rising so early in the morning that it wakes me at 6am EVERY day. I love the fall decorations. I love getting ready to start the fireplace. The only thing I don't love about Autumn is that it is usually WAY to short. The transition seasons never last long enough. I am going to enjoy while I can.

Ordering pizza in 2010

Gosh this better NOT happen.

AMAZING!!!

I got this and figured I would share...I think its interesting.

The Year Was 1908.....

THE YEAR 1908 This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1908. One hundred years ago.. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 : The average life expectancy was47Years. Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower The average wage in 1908 was 22 Cents per hour. The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year . A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME. Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. ' Sugar cost four Cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen Cents a dozen. Coffee was Fifteen cents a pound. Most women only washed their hair once a month, and usedBorax or egg yolks for shampoo. Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people fromentering into their country for any reason. Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke The American flag had 45 stars. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30! Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea Hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.'( Shocking? DUH!) Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help. There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

Sleeping....or not

So most of you know that I have a hard time sleeping. It ranges from either not being able to fall asleep to falling in and out of sleep to having horrifying nightmares that wake me or just having so many dreams I don't feel like I have slept. So a new quirk to my "sleeping" pattern has happened and so since I am once again not sleeping (can't fall asleep right now, been trying for a couple hours) I thought I'd share with you.

With my in and out of dreams nights they are so vivid and real that sometimes the dreams even take place in my bedroom so when I wake up it takes me a minute to adjust and really wake up (because I am in fact in the room that the dream was happening in) and no longer see the crazy thing I was dreaming. Examples - for me to have to stare at my sealing until the crazy web thing above my head disappears (because it was never there) or for me to stare at my bedroom door to make sure it really is still closed and there is no man standing in the doorway, those are all acceptable (not acceptable as an enjoyment, but acceptable because I don't leave my bed...or I didn't used to leave my bed) and I could sometimes get back to sleep sooner.

Yes that is the new quirk...I have in fact gotten out of bed to check or fix whatever it was that was "wrong" in my dream, only to REALLY wake up at the end of my bed "looking" for the "problem" and realize that the said problem wasn't REAL. Hopefully it won't happen again and REALLY hopefully I won't ever leave my room if it does. YIKES! Maybe I should have my roommate start putting obstacles in my path to leave the house so I can't get out. :)

It is fascinating! I know. Its hard to believe that sleeping could cause me so much grief, or trying to sleep would. Sleep is supposed to be great...at least that's what I have been told. Maybe I obsess over it too much and that is why I have such a hard time with it??? Hmmm I don't know.

Anyone else have similar problems? I hope you don't. I really think that sleeping is an amazing thing...although if you aren't sleeping maybe you should let me know so when I have another night like this I can call you and maybe we could go get coffee...oh except I don't drink coffee, and that probably wouldn't help me to sleep anyway. HA!!!

*Don't forget I am writing this at 12:30am ish so sorry if it doesn't make sense...

Speakerphone

Oh how useful the speaker phone is, especially if you are busy doing something and still want to chat with a friend or family. Well tonight I had an experience that was enlightening as well as useful. So I don't know how many of you have used the said speakerphone to talk to lets say your whole family who is together and you can't be there. My sister Tammy had my family over at her place to celebrate my other sister Pam's birthday. (everyone except me...darn living so far away) So I called Tammy's place to see how it was going and they put me on speakerphone so they could have me sing happy birthday and they could all here my voice (they love me). That was all sorts of great until....more then one of them were talking at a time...then I couldn't understand ANYTHING that was being said. This is NOT the first time that has happened to me...and it is frustrating. So MY conclusion is speakerphone is great...except if you are trying to hear more then one person talk, especially if they aren't patient enough to let the other person stop talking. I'm not sure if it is the distance of the voices that jumbles the words or what it is. I think anyone who is interested should check this out and let me know if they get different results. If its the same result well then I am pretty much a genius...even if someone else figured it out before, because they didn't tell ME.