Giveaway!

I've been gone a long time again!  I'm such a lazy blogger.  Or I could just pretend that I've spent all this time working on these babies:

Cute?!  Yes!

Fun to make?!  Yes!

Three buttons each?!  Unfortunately, yes.

I hate sewing on buttons.  It's my least favorite thing.  But these turned out so cute that it was (almost) worth it.  Maybe I can figure out a way to do them without buttons . . .

Anyways - you can win these cute pink garden boots (and a bunch of other awesome products) from my good friend Dana who owns The Spotted Owl, an online store selling eco friendly baby supplies.  She also carries my goodies.

To win, check out her Facebook page.  You'll need to like her page and then check out the photo albums.  Click on the one titled 1000 Fan Grand Opening Giveaway and look at the first photo in the album - instructions are listed there.

And good luck!

The Granny Hex

When I was little, the weight of my blankets was crucial.  The heavier the better and I was always piling more and more onto my bed.

My favorite blanket was a blue granny square afghan my mom made when she was in high school because even though it was fairly small, it was really heavy.  And the best thing about it was that it was actually made out of granny hexagons!

So when, in my search for great granny square patterns, I came across this . . .

Granny Hex

. . . I was pretty excited!  It brought back a bunch of fabulous memories and was just the comfort I needed on such a rainy, dogless day. 

I think I'm gonna start a hex right now!

Disappointment And The Resulting Boredom

Well, in predictable fashion - our adoption fell through at the last minute.  And I really mean the last minute.  I actually drove the 45 minutes out to where she was to pick her up, only to basically be turned away.  So no dog for us today.  Only a house full of unused dog supplies.

And since I had planned to take the next four days to acclimatize our new addition, I now have nothing to do.  So you guys gotta help me!  Any crafts you wish you had time to make?  Recipes you always wanted to try?  Anything that can take my mind off of this huge disappointment would be greatly appreciated.

Woe Is Me

First of all, let me all remind you that I'm still sick.  I think it's the flu or strep throat or something because I don't have any cold symptoms.  Just a sore throat, achy muscles and a mild fever.  It's really the achy muscles that's getting me though.

Anyways, I hope you will all pity me.

And this whole dog adoption thing is turning me into a ball of stress.  I don't want to get into too many details here, but I'm honestly completely exhausted with this whole process and I'm soured to the point where I don't think I will adopt a dog again. 

While there is definitely something to be said for adopting an older dog who's already trained, I honestly think it would be easier and less stressful to buy a puppy from a breeder and spend a year training it and then another year going through the adolescent phase.

Sorry for the downer.  I'm hoping that all will go as planned tomorrow and I won't be sick and then you can all enjoy the fabulous photos of our new pup and I will be back to my cheery old self.

In the mean time.  Humbug!

Wash Hands After Reading

Well it finally happened.  After almost two years of being illness-free, I caught a cold.  I've been in bed all day on one of the sunniest days we've had all year.  What a nuisance!

Hopefully I'll be better tomorrow because I need to go shopping for dog supplies!

Also, I think I'm going to crochet our new pup her very own granny square blankie.  Do you have a favorite granny square pattern?  If so - pass it along - I'm gonna make it with a variety of square designs.

Now go wash your hands before you catch it, too!

Fingers Crossed . . .

Well - I've been away for a while.  Too long.

Mostly because I've been working on this new project.  My boyfriend and I have been looking for a dog for a few months now and for the past week or so we've been going through the adoption process for this Formosan Mountain Dog currently named "Sam" or "Sitka", depending on who you ask.

And what a process its been!  Which is why I've been AWOL - it has pretty much been taking up all of my time and mental energy and I haven't been feeling up to writing anything - until now.

This morning we met with a volunteer from the organization - The Penny Foundation - and it sounds like it's all good to go.  So without getting my hopes up too much, as far as I can tell we'll be taking home our new family member on Wednesday. 

So wish us luck!

And help us find a name!  Because honestly, we don't care for either of her current names.  Here she is:

I'm thinking Suki. 

How H.P. Lovecraft Made My Day

This past week has been full of ups and downs!  I'm looking forward to a new week - maybe one less emotionally draining.

Anyways, I thought I would share one of the ups with you.  I got requests from two friends/friends of friends for crochet work.  One of them requested this for her cousin's new baby due in November:

And one requested this:

While the first one is an adorable bear costume I made several months back for a photographer (Nikki Scott) - the second one is not something I completely understand. 

If you're wondering, that's my handsome boyfriend in the photo sporting a special request he made of me this past winter - a Cthulhu ski mask.  Odd, I know, but according to him - something that has potential to be incredibly popular.

And it turns out that he was right.  Because today, one of his coworkers mentioned that he'd like one as well.  Go figure.

So now I've got two projects to work on that I actually know people are going to buy!  Huzzah!  This week is looking up already :D

Fingernails

Now that I've spent a couple of days hocking my wares all over my blog, I thought I would take a moment to talk about fingernails.

When I was little I hated having my fingernails cut.  I remember my mom chasing me down with a pair of clippers and her exasperation when I would scream and cry as if in pain.  I would let my nails grow as long as possible, hoping she wouldn't notice them - but as is typical of moms, she always did. 

Looking back it seems odd, but at the time I absolutely hated the feeling of that flesh right under the nail touching anything.  Not the nail bed, that's giving me the willies just thinking about it, but that part of your finger tip that doesn't touch much of anything when there is a great big long nail on top of it.  And I hated the feeling of my nail getting squished and sort of flattened out during the nail cutting process. 

Now things are quite different.  Now I hate a totally different sort of weird feeling.  This time it's the feeling of having any length to my fingernails at all.  You know that white crescent at the end?  The lunule, it's called.  My nails never have that for very long.  I cut it off as soon as it starts to make an appearance. 

The reason being is that I hate the feeling of having soft nails - like after a shower or doing the dishes - because I'm paranoid that I'm going to touch something and the nail is going to bend right back.  Just even writing about it is giving me the willies.

So from hating to cut them to obsessively controlling their growth, fingernails have been the lifelong bane of my existence.  And as I'm typing this, I'm noticing a little half circle of white developing there on the end of my fingers.  I gotta go.

A Brown Thumb Gets Its Bloom

As I've mentioned before, I have a great talent for killing plants.  It's not something I'm proud of.  It's not even something I come by honestly as most of the rest of my family grows a pretty mean garden.  I think the problem is that plants don't tend to complain when they're dying.  They just sort of quietly turn brown.  So imagine my surprise when I went to the window and noticed this:

That's right.  Not only is my hoya not dead, but it's thriving to the point where it is using its precious resources to produce flowers.  This is very exciting news in my world.  Very exciting news indeed.

But what's a little bit ironic is that this is the only plant in the house that doesn't have a name.  I specifically gave my other plants names because it seemed like a good way to make the sort of connection which would facilitate my remembering to water them.  The hoya slipped through the cracks in this regard because I didn't expect it to grow at all.  However, both Pete and Samuel are on their way out - it's really only a matter of time - so perhaps there is some sort of bad luck attached to naming plants....

Case in point:  Audrey II

Preview - Purple Flowers Redux

So I made these yesterday.  And they were hugely popular!  And by hugely popular, I mean all my Facebook friends seemed to really like them and a few of them actually reposted the Etsy link on their own walls.  Plus, they got 127 views on Etsy and quite quickly - the most views of anything in my shop.

I was a bit surprised because I made them thinking the colour combination was a bit much.  But turns out people like their colours "a bit much".  Who knew?

So, based on a recommendation for another colour combo - I made another flower bootie.  Here is a sneak peak:

As I'm sure most of you know, with Etsy, timing is everything.  So these won't be posted on Etsy until 6:00 pm PST.  So if you like them, stay tuned!

UPDATE:  The Etsy posting is now available.  Check it out!!

Ballet Flat Style Booties in Turquoise and Purple

Pink and Purple Flowers?! Ummmm Yes Please!

In an effort to do at least one creative thing a day, I made these.  I love pink and purple and when I was finished making the booties I felt they needed a little bit extra.  So I whipped up some matching flowers as well.

Yellow Bear makes an appearance in these photos too - he's looking handsome as always.  Anyways - the hockey game is on, so this post will be short.  If you like the booties enough to buy 'em - you can pick 'em up here:

Ballet Flat Style Booties in Pink and Purple with Flowers

A Bracelet With Polka Dots *GLEE*

My latest creation which was actually created weeks ago is now available on my shop.  And the best part?  I've lowered prices on all my crocheted jewelry - so check it out!

Here's some photos:

Blue and Black Bracelet with a candle

Blue and Black Bracelet peeking out the window

Blue and Black Bracelet up close and personal

Blue and Black Bracelet takin' 'er easy

This bracelet was SO much fun to make because I love polka dots - they are my favorite pattern.  I decided to do the crochet parts in a square motif to contrast with the circular dots.  I'm lovin' it.

Actually, even though I did a lot of bracelets with the crochet parts in white, I really like the black.  Remember this beauty:

I think the black creates great contrast - what do you think?

You can find both of these guys at my Etsy shop:

Crochet Bangle Bracelet in Blue and Black

Crochet Bangle Bracelet in Yellow and Black

Walking Ain't Half So Bad

Yesterday was the annual Run Up for Down Syndrome.  My gorgeous friend Heather and I have done it every year for the past 4 years and it's always a blast!  And the past two years my wonderful boyfriend Dennis has won the thing *beams*. 

This year Heather and I both had issues with our knees and decided to walk it rather than run it.  In past years it has taken us about 30 minutes to complete the 5Km run, and I wasn't really looking forward to walking that distance just because I thought it would take too long and I would get bored. 

But lo and behold, it was actually a lot of fun.  So fun in fact that I walked another 5Km this morning.  I never thought I would enjoy walking as fitness just because I usually like to do really high intensity stuff and get it over with as soon as possible, but bootin' it all over town for an hour actually felt great.

What do you guys like to do for physical activity?

How Meal Plans Saved Me From Myself.

Alright that's IT!  No more unnecessarily lazy, non-posting days.  Starting today. 

Today I gotta talk about groceries.  You might be surprised to learn that I have a slight problem with anxiety.  And I mean slight - nothing debilitating to be sure.  But one of the things that used to set off my anxiety pretty severely was grocery stores.

I'd show up with a half-assed list of things I couldn't forget (granola bars, milk, deodorant etc.) and then promptly become overwhelmed by 80 different brands and flavors of spaghetti sauce, and torn between the cheap produce and the organic produce while simultaneously trying to figure out what I was going to eat for dinner the following Thursday.  I couldn't think.  I couldn't breathe.  I couldn't function.  I had to get out of there!

This happened every week.  And I rarely had anything to eat in my house except granola bars, milk and deodorant.

And then I discovered meal plans.  They seem like a lot of work, I know.  And kind of stupid.  Because how are you going to know what you'll feel like eating on Friday when today's only Sunday?  But you just gotta do it.  Meal plans saved me and they can save you too (plus, if you put lasagna on Friday and you want to make it on Tuesday - who's to say you can't switch days, right?)

So, all you have to do is sit down with your favorite recipe books, pick the dishes you're going to make and write down the ingredients you'll need from the recipes.

My boyfriend and I like to do it together every Sunday morning.  We'll decide on recipes together, and then I send him to the kitchen to check whether we have the stuff while I make the list.

To do the list, we use a smart phone app called Grocery IQ.  It's free and the best part is that you can sync with someone else so that when you check off Apples on your list, it gets checked off the other list too.  This way you can split up at the store and get things done quicker.  I recommend it if you and your shopping partner both have smart phones.

Anyway, so now when I go to the grocery store I don't have to think about anything because I've already thought about it in the comfort of my own home.  I can just mindlessly grab things off shelves and check them off lists.  Sure I fret about organic vs. non-organic and I usually send The Boyf to the pasta sauce aisle, but believe it or not, I actually enjoy grocery shopping now. 

And we eat healthier. 

And I have one less thing to be anxious about.

If you don't already do meal plans, try it for a month.  Trust me, it'll be awesome.

Blah.

Okay so it's been a while since I've posted anything substantial. 

I think I have a case of the post-vacation blues.  In case you're wondering, that means the reason I haven't posted about anything is that I haven't done anything worth posting about. 

For example - nobody wants to hear about napping, eating cereal and surfing the interwebs.  I haven't even crocheted a single thing since we've been back!

Any ideas on how to get the motivational mojo moving?

Hawaiian Food. And Why I Don't Eat Mexican.

As I've mentioned - I love Maui.  I've been trying to pin point what I liked best, but it's basically impossible on account of everything about that place is unbelievably awesome.  So rather than picking a favorite, I'll just talk about food.

We went to a lot of restaurants while we were there.  I had so much incredible pineapple and coconut it was like a dream come true.  I had pulled pork and fresh mahi mahi and umbrella drinks out the wazoo!

There was one restaurant that we kept walking past on our way to other restaurants.  For some reason my boyfriend didn't want to eat there and we ended up walking right past it most days.  I don't know why he didn't seem interested because the whole premise of the place is that you take your seat on the patio and instead of having concrete or tile or something on the ground, there is soft white Hawaiian sand under your feet.  I mean - what a great idea! 

Eventually I convinced my boyfriend to take me there.  And let me first say that the whole sand thing turned out not to be as awesome as I'd thought.  Don't get me wrong, it was still a whole lot of fun but it made the tables and chairs all wobbly and I don't think the waitresses looked very stable either.

But that would all have been forgivable if it weren't for one tiny detail:

That's right.  Every dish had cilantro in it.  Even the ones that didn't explicitly state that they were full of cilantro were just laden with the stuff.  And this happens every once in a while.  You sit down at a restaurant unknowingly subjecting yourself to the whims of some crazy chef who thinks that cilantro is the new basil or oregano or rosemary or any number of fresh herbs that don't taste like feet and now your meal is ruined.

And you know, I'm not generally a picky eater.  In fact, I've spent most of the last 10 years of my life learning to like foods I would previously have turned my nose up at.  I love mushrooms now when I used to think eating one was like chewing on a rubber tire.  And after years of telling fast food cashiers "No pickles and mustard" I actually enjoy pickles now and will pick them off my friends' burgers and add them to my own.  And a nice Dijon is quite pleasant - although I'm still working on that bright yellow stuff.

But cilantro I can't even tolerate.  Can't even choke it down.  And never mind trying to pick it off.  That stuff lingers!

For years I thought I hated Mexican food.  Every time I ate at a Mexican place I would leave dumbfounded.  Meat and cheese and lettuce and tomatoes, wrap it up and sprinkle with hot sauce - how can you go wrong?  How could I possibly not like Mexican food?  What is going on!?  Many years later I was able to make the connection between the vile little green weed and that horrible taste and I haven't been to a Mexican restaurant since.

And I know I'm not alone either.  It turns out cilantro is just one of those things - one of those flavors that some people love, others don't really notice and the rest of us gag over.

Just ask these guys:

www.ihatecilantro.com/

Maui Adventures - A Teaser

Well, we made it home safe and sound.  Maui was incredible.  I'm still trying to figure out how I can feasibly move there.  I get the feeling there isn't a big market for crocheted clothing down there, though.  I'll have to think on it some more.

I'm completely exhausted from traveling and still trying to adjust to the time difference.  Okay so it's only 3 hours, but I'm a wimp.  What I'm trying to say is, here are a few photos to hold you over until I have the time and energy to write more.

My first day at the beach.  Check out the little girl bailing on her butt in the background.

Just enjoying a windy, windy day.  Actually, it was windy there every day.

Craggy trees and craggy rocks. 

An Inukshuk in Hawaii!  Who'da thunk it.

Red sand at the red sand beach.  Which was really more of a red sand tiny cove.

At some point there was a woman selling pineapples from a van.  $7 USD.  But the best seven bucks you'll ever spend.

 Stay tuned for more stories, adventures and photos from Maui.

What I'm Packing

I'm going on vacation today.

I won't get back until next Saturday.

I'm going to be in Hawaii.

I couldn't be more excited!


These are the books I'm bringing:

Killing Yourself to Live:  85% of a True Story - Chuck Klosterman

Naked - David Sedaris

And the bracelet I'm wearing to the wedding?  It's pictured below.  For the colors, I was inspired by this cute little french restaurant we visited in Nanaimo a few weeks back.  I'm loving the blue and red with white details.

And I also made a quick case for our new camera!

Because why would you buy one when you've got a little leftover cotton yarn and a great big fabulous button?

I don't know whether there will be internet access on the beautiful island of Maui.  It is just so remote.  They may not even have electricity there!  Or . . . we might be too cheap to pay the hotel for a wireless internet connection.  Either way, there may be a lack of posts for the next week.

The good news is - there might be some AWESOME posts when I get back.  So stay tuned . . .

Aloha!

Minestrone. Not Mediocre.

As promised here is my minestrone:

I have made minestrone enough times that I don't use a recipe anymore.  You don't really need one because it's the easiest thing ever.  Here's what I threw in mine this time:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 zucchini
1 tomato
1 red pepper
A couple of handfuls of green and yellow beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups of homemade chicken stock
A few dashes of thyme, marjoram and rosemary
1 cup of little pastas - I like orzo, but you can use whatever shape you like.  You can also break spaghetti into smaller pieces or use quinoa even


So that's my recipe.  All you really need to do is chop everything up into bite sized pieces, sautee the onions and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat until they're soft and add the other veggies.

I like to add the spices before I add the really wet stuff (stock and tomatoes) and let them sweat in the pot for a minute or two.

Once the spices become fragrant you can add the tomatoes, beans and chicken stock.  You should simmer on low for at least 20 minutes, but it doesn't seem to matter if you simmer longer.  Just make sure you put the pasta in near the end.  Small pasta usually takes about 7 minutes to cook.

I have a love of soups.  This is probably my favorite one because it's the only time I ever enjoy eating vegetables.

What is your favorite soup recipe?  I am always on the look out for new and interesting soups.

The Laziness Catches Up

I knew this day would come.  The day when I'm sitting on the couch staring at the beautiful sunshiney day outside the window and doing nothing about it.  At this point it has become clear that it is not possible for me to be productive, every day for an extended period of time if I have no real obligations. 

So I'm resorting to Facebook polls.  That's right - if you go over and "Like" my Facebook page Reeja Roo's Fibreworks, you can vote on what you think I should spend my day doing.

It may be a cop out - but without some motivation from others, perhaps I can get a project finished today!  Or at least go outside for once.

Mmmm Orange . . .

In case you missed seeing my bracelets on here - I've got a new one for ya!

This was made with one of the new ties I bought a few days ago as well as some lace weight yarn I got from Michaels.  They finally started carrying more than just worsted weight, acrylic yarn so I have somewhere nearby to shop for supplies.  If anyone knows of a yarn store in Burnaby or New Westminster so that I don't have to drive all the way out to UBC to get decent yarn I'd love to hear about it.

Tuesday Already!? Here's Some Stock.

I've been struggling to come up with something to write about.  I'm so excited about our impending trip that I can't really think about much else.

But I did eventually think of something.

On Sunday we went grocery shopping like we always do.  Chicken breasts were on sale, but you had to buy them with all the skin and backs attached - those nicely prepared boneless, skinless chicken breasts were twice the price.  So being thrifty (read: cheap) we bought the boneful, skinful ones.

I'd like to take this moment to say that I'm the world's worst butcher.  Or maybe I'm the best?  Because I totally butchered those chicken breasts trying to get the backs off!  But in the end, I succeeded and ended up with a pile of bones that looks like this:

Ew.  So now what?  There's still meat on there and stuff so I shouldn't waste it.  Then I'm thinking about how I'm trying to cut back on sodium and how I was going to make minestrone on Wednesday and even though that store-brand chicken stock has 20% less sodium than they normally put in it, it's still quite a bit of salt.

So I'm gonna make stock.

Step one is really just get some bones.  Easy enough, I should think.

Step two is to cut up some onions.  Oh and here's a tip:  Cut your onions on a cutting board over the stove top (make sure the elements are off!) and turn the exhaust hood on.  This cuts down on the crying part quite a bit.

Now you're gonna heat up a great big pot.  I used to always heat my pots on high because I thought that would make things go faster.  I just ended up with burnt food every time.  So now I turn it down a bit.

Waiting for pots to heat up is boring.  So you can take this time to eat some fruit salad.

Great!  Now we can add the onions.

Oh yeah, there's canola oil in there, too.  Now we wait for the onions to get soft.  Probably 3-5 minutes depending on whether you have the heat cranked or not.

Now's a good time for some more fruit salad.

Ok!  Now the onions are nice and soft so we're gonna transfer them to a bowl and put the chicken backs in the pot to brown.

 Ew they're so gross!

Once they're brown, add the onions back in.  Now this is gonna cook for 20 minutes so that the juices from the chicken can seep out.

While the chicken is seeping, boil some water.  It helps if your kettle is cute and red.

Okay, so once the chicken is done seeping, add the water to the onions and chicken backs and throw in a couple bay leaves.  Then simmer on low for another 20 minutes.

Eat some fruit salad.

Then just drain out all the large bits by dumping everything through a colander or whatever.

Ok and that's it.  I don't have a picture of the final product because my boyfriend was home by then and I was distracted by telling him about my awesome day and how I made my own chicken stock.  I'll post a picture when I make the minestrone.  How's that?

So yeah, if you have to hack up a chicken breast anyway, making stock really isn't so hard.  You might want to add a little salt to yours - I didn't add any (as per above) but I think it would really bring the flavors out.

I based my instructions on the recipes from this site.  I used method 2:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_chicken_stock/

A Blog Post For The End Of A Week

Ok a few housekeeping things:

A bunch of my blog posts are in the wrong order now ever since the big Blogger debacle.  So . . . that's really just to let you know that I honest to goodness did know what day it was when I wrote this.

Actually, I guess that's really only one housekeeping item.

And this is a short post because today was a bit weird.  The sort of day where you have leftover moussaka for breakfast and take a nap at 6:00 in the evening.

Ok here goes.  We're leaving for Hawaii in less than a week.  I can't wait!  It's my first time and I have been looking forward to this trip for about 2 years now.  We're going to a friend's wedding and I basically started saving up for and planning this trip ever since she told me they told me they were engaged.

I got a dress for the wedding, too.  It looks like this:

I however, do not look like that.

The other thing I did was go to the library.  Now I finally have the book that I've been meaning to read for months:

When The Game Was Ours - Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson

I don't know a single thing about basketball.  I don't give a single care about basketball.  But there is something so touching about two grown men, different in every possible way, who share a deep and profound connection.  I can't wait to read this story and learn all about how that connection developed.













Alright, so that's it for now.  I realize this blog has been a little book heavy lately.  I promise there will be more crafting to come.  Like the incredible bracelet I'm going to make to match my dress for the wedding.  And the really awesome idea I've got for some new necklaces and possibly earrings.  Stoke!

Wednesday - What Should I Read Next?

I love books.  But most times, I don't finish the books I start.  My bookshelf is overflowing with books I've mostly read, half read, started or not even opened.  I just love books.

This morning, I stumbled across this awesome website:

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com

Just type in the title of a book you really enjoyed (or in my case, a book whose first few chapters you enjoyed) and it will suggest more titles for you.  This is perfect for me, because now I can buy even more books to fill my bookshelf with and not read.

Fantastic!

**UPDATE**

I just found this!  I think I died and went to heaven:

Original link

*UP-UPDATE*
This site provides another great way to choose your next book based on what you're in the mood for:

www.whichbook.net

Speaking Of Books . . .

Since we've been talking about books, I wanted to share this:

The World's Most Beautiful Libraries!

I'd also like to point out that my very own favorite local building made the list - Vancouver's Central Branch.

Photo Credit:  The Book Wurrm


I have spent many hours in that library - it is indeed incredible inside and out.  Many of the other libraries on the list are phenomenally gorgeous as well.  I might have to add a few of these cities to my must-travel list.

Enjoy!

BAH!

Blogger has been down and a lot of things are missing.  I have lost an entire post about libraries and every single person who was following my blog appears to have disappeared from my friends list.

Help!

My Current Booklist

I just realized I didn't write anything on Wednesday OR Thursday!  What a sloth! *

So to make up for it here is a list of books I currently have active bookmarks in:

Absolute Sandman - Volume 1 - Neil Gaiman

This book literally and figuratively weighs 6.5 lbs (I weighed it with my figurative kitchen scale).  The artwork is breathtaking and the stories are delightfully fantastical.  Last night when I couldn't sleep I read one about dreaming cats.  I recommend the series if you're a fan of comics or graphic novels.  Just don't get the Absolute edition - it's way (weigh haha) too heavy to read comfortably in any position.







A History of God - Karen Armstrong

If you've ever noticed that God seems like a different guy depending on which book of the bible you're reading, this will help you understand why.  As with anyone, the authors of the bible were influenced by the cultural and religious traditions of the communities they lived in.  No matter your religious orientation, this is a fascinating read!










The Alienist - Caleb Carr 

I just started this one.  Well, I just started it for the second time.  I have a tendency to start books and then stop reading them for long enough that I need to start again.  But I'm enjoying it so far!  It's about an alienist (which is apparently olde-timey speak for psychiatrist) who tries to catch a killer.  Maybe I'll write more about it later, or maybe you like the cover so much you'll go out and read it yourself and then you can tell me about it ;)





Okay, now you can enjoy your Friday!


*UPDATE*  - I knew I wrote a blog post on Wednesday!  It's back now.