31 of 31 YAY!!!

FIRST LINE FRIDAY...First lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny?

"If it had been raining twenty miles west of Dallas on April 1, 1934, H.D. Murphy probably wouldn't have become the most famous dead motorcycle cop in America.
Go Down Together
The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde
Jeff Guinn

I love "what if" sentences. Although I know the premise is false but it gives a sense what what is to come. And, obviously, with the subject being Bonnie and Clyde, it won't be good.

I'm probably like most people, I know the "legend" of the Bonnie & Clyde... mostly from the "romanticized" movie version with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The truth of their story is far from that. It did, however, launch them into infamy.
From Publishers Weekly...
"Starred Review. Journalist Guinn (Our Land Before We Die), in this intensely readable account, deromanticizes two of America's most notorious outlaws (they were never... particularly competent crooks) without undermining the mystique of the Depression-era gunslingers. Clyde Barrow, a scrawny kid in poverty-stricken West Dallasin the late 1920s, stole chickens before moving on to cars, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Buck. In 1930, he met 19-year-old Bonnie Parker, and during the next four years Clyde, Bonnie and the ever-revolving members of the Barrow Gang robbed banks and armories all over the South, murdering at least seven people. Bonnie, who fancied herself a poet, wrote, Some day they'll go down together, and they did, in a Louisiana ambush led by famed ex–Texas Ranger Frank Hamer. With the brisk pacing of a novel, Guinn's richly detailed history will leave readers breathless until the final hail of bullets."

Wow!! I did it. I blogged every day in July! There were only a few days when I think I rambled... just to write something on that day. I may do it again... not soon, though. Thanks to everyone who read and commented during July. I love to read the comments. Please keep commenting if you read something interesting... or something maybe not so interesting :o)

Not only did I blog every day in July but my good friend, Lori at http://lori-thequeensnewthrone.blogspot.com/, did too! Hey, Lori...WE ROCK! Congratulations, my blogging buddy :o)

I did notice that I'm concluding my month of blogging every day with my own "First Line Friday". It's kind of karma, I think.


My bag today was my big Zebra handbag. M carried a cheetah print bag. It was like our own little zoo...lol.

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My Favorite Reads is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books every Thursday. What a great way to read reviews of books that were mainstream (or not!) a while back but have faded off the radar of what is "hot" right in the land of literature. You should also check out Misfitandmoms blog at misfitandmom.livejournal.com as she is blogging about forgotten gems as well.


The Family Name by Jan Washburn. It was a Whitman hardback book that I read in the 1970s. If you're around my age and were a young girl at the time, you probably remember the Whitman books.

The Family Name was about a girl named Kathryn Drews whose nickname was Ryndy. I was convinced that I would name a daughter that... I loved the name so much. She had three older sisters who were all very talented in some area. Ryndy didn't really feel like she fit in as she didn't have a unique talent. She and her best friend, Gloria, nicknamed GoGo or Go, are involved in a boating accident. Ryndy is injured. At the hospital, she meets a little boy whose older brother she has a older brother she has a crush on. With her entire family, GoGo and the new boyfriend (whose name I've forgotten) watching her, she wins a very important swim meet. All's well in the end as she realizes that she has lived up to The Family Name. I loved this book so much that I would put slash marks on the front page every time I read it. I can't remember exactly how many there were but I would venture to say more than twenty. I have no idea where this book is right now. It might still be at my Mom's house in a box somewhere. I should really look for it as I'd liked M to read it.


I carried my black Dooney & Bourke Donegal Crest satchel today. It's one of my favorite black bags... but then, I have a lot of favorite black bags :o)

29 of 31

This is the forecast for our area tomorrow. I love it! Even the weather girl :o) said it was like October weather. I'm so ready for it to be October. We haven't had a really hot summer, yet. We haven't even had a 100° day. I've said it before but I'm ready to wear my fall wardrobe. Today and tomorrow's weather are just teasing me. It felt like fall today. It was cloudy, cool and rainy. As a matter of fact, I just finished a cup of hot tea.

We went to the library today. Our favorite librarian was there and recommended some great books for both J and M. She and J have very similar taste, but now... she and M are enjoying the same kids of books. She recommended Gilda Joyce: Psychic Investigator to M and she LOVES them and is very excited to read Gilda's latest adventure. They talked me into reading the first one, so we checked it out and I promised M I'd read it.


My bag today was my huge brown woven tote. I've noticed that I hadn't carried it in a while. Maybe it's because it matches a pair of my boots and I think of it as more of a cold weather bag. However, it was kind of cool today :o) so, why not? I love this bag.

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I LOVE Teaser Tuesday.
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

"She spent the next ninety minutes floating around the vast chasm of the Internet. She searched out Moriarty and Foo, discovering that both of them were dead."
page 444
Careless In Red
Elizabeth George


There is nothing about Elizabeth George's novels that I don't love. She is a flawlwess author who created Thomas Lynley... what more can a reader want? Her series is a perfect combination of mystery, setting and, above all, characters. Everyone I know who reads these books agrees that the main chacracters absolutely drive these novels. The central relationships between Thomas, Barbara, Helen, Simon and Deborah are complex yet so real with emotions that are ones we all feel. It takes a very talented writer to create a mystery series that is read almost more for those characters than anything else. That said, however, the mystery that is the basis of the story is always intriguing and meticulously plotted. It's really not my intention to try to solve it. I read Elizabeth George to appreciate a great author and her ability to craft a superb novel.


My bag today was a red and pink bandana tote bag. The handles looked rather odd in this picture but when all my things are in it, it fits fine on my shoulder.

27 of 31

I have absolutely no idea what to blog about. So, I'm just going to type and see if anything good happens.
I'm not reading anything so intersting that I want to write about it.
The kids and I saw Night at the Museum 2 today. It was good but not as good as the first one but then, sequels usually aren't, are they?
We had an early dinner at Panera. We all had our "usual"... we're really kind of boring in that way :o)
I saw someone I don't like and hadn't seen in a while. I was kind of hoping never to see her again.
I only watched the last half hour of The Bachelorette. I will watch the After the Final Rose tomorrow night, however.
There's a new show on FOX tomorrow night called "More To Love". According to the FOX website... "the new dating competition show from Mike Fleiss ("The Bachelor"), follows one regular guy's search for love among a group of real women determined to prove that love comes in all shapes and sizes.". Yes, I'm going to watch it.


My bag today was my Kathy Van Zeeland cheetah print bag. M, my Fashion Girl, wanted me to carry it. So, I did!

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One of my favorite shows is Two and A Half Men. I probably shouldn't admit this but sometimes, we let the kids watch it. It's definitely not the most appropriate show but it so funny. This is M's favorite scene. She will, literally, walk around the house saying "Squab, squab, squab, squab, squab, squab, squab...". Well, you get the idea.


Another favorite is Friends. I'm sure I've seen every episode multiple times but this scene is, by far, my all-time favorite. Truthfully, I can pretty much recite this scene word-for-word. I love the dance Chandler and Joey do at the end.


Dirty Sexy Money is one of my guilty pleasures television shows. It's like Dallas and Dynasty for the 21st century. And Donald Sutherland is the star! I was sad to see it cancelled but happy that it was brought back to conclude. This is the original pilot episode intro. It's cheesy and over-the-top and I watched every episode.


Speaking of inappropriate shows (for the kids not for me). I don't let them watch Sex and the City but I love it. This is probably my favorite scene with Samantha... maybe my favorite scene, period. It's so sweet and I believe anyone who is in love would do the same thing.



I carried my purple Vera Wang hobo bag today. It matched my purple jewelry. I had a bracelet that was made of hundreds of small pieces of amethyst. Well, it broke. Because, I'm not a crafty kind of girl, I carried it in a Zip-Loc bag in my purse, thinking I'd take it to Michael's and have someone show me how to fix it. One day, I had a customer who was wearing the most amazing jewelry. She said she made it herself. I showed her the sad, little pieces of my bracelet and asked her how to fix it. She offered to fix it for me. She called the next day to tell me that she couldn't put it back together the way it had been. Would I care if she made another piece out of it? And what metal did I wear? I wear both but with purple, I always wear silver. A few days later, she came back with not only a bracelet but earrings and a necklace! Are you kidding me?!? It is GORGEOUS!! I get so many compliments when I wear them...especially at work because I wear a lot of black. The best thing... her name is Kathy. It was Karma! This picture is not the best because it's from my cell phone but you can see what a beautiful job she did.

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It's Blog Hop '09 and I'm joining the party!.
Thanks to Pensieve and Musings of a Housewife for hosting!
It's basically a great time to get to know other bloggers. So, add your link and start hopping!

So... welcome to my blog! As you can see, I'm at the tail end of my experiment to see if I can blog every day in July. So far, so good! Don't worry, though, I'm only numbering the titles through this month. I'll go back to actual titles when my experiment is over. My friend, Lori, at lori-thequeensnewthrone.blogspot.com is joining me in this quest to blog every day for a month.

I'm going to bullet point some important things that you might want to know...or not :o)
~ I'm Kathy.
~ I just started this blog in January... mostly because some of my online friends, including Lori, had blogs and who was I to be left out?!?
~I'm having so much fun with it. I love changing the backgrounds as well as just writing it. I'm sure you noticed the blog title. Those are three of my very favorite things. I've tried, in most blog posts, to include pictures of handbag I use each day. Most women have a lot of shoes... I have a LOT of bags.
~I've been married for 21 years to J and we have two children. J... my son, not my husband, is 13 and will be in 8th grade. M... my daughter is almost 11 and will be in 6th grade. I use their initials as much for privacy as I do because I'm just lazy like that.
~Although, I do consider myself a stay-at-home Mom, I have a (very) part-time job that I really like.
~We live in a suburb of Denver and I think it's the one of the two greatest places to live. The other being Kansas City :o)
~I read a lot. I've worked in a bookstore and a library and loved both jobs! I'm in two book clubs and was wonderfully surprised at the whole book blogosphere. It's like the mothership has called me home.
~As you've probably also guessed, I adore all things Bon Jovi! The band and the man :o)

I'm not sure what else I should say. If you want to know something else, just ask.

Today, I carried my Dooney & Bourke Medallion Satchel. It's so colorful and I have the matching wallet. I didn't switch wallets today, though, sometimes when I carry that bag, I do. I know that's a little OCD but it looks great tgether.

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Three years ago, on July 24, 2006, my Dad passed away.
Yeah, I really hate July 24.

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My Favorite Reads is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books every Thursday. What a great way to read reviews of books that were mainstream (or not!) a while back but have faded off the radar of what is "hot" right in the land of literature. You should also check out Misfitandmoms blog at misfitandmom.livejournal.com as she is blogging about forgotten gems as well.


My Favorite Read today is The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.

From Library Journal
In 1888, Fiona Finnegan and Joe Bristow hoard shillings and pennies so that they can marry and open a shop. But Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of London's East End, and poverty threatens from the shadows. Setting the story in motion is the murder of Fiona's father, a dock worker whose union activities angered his tea-company boss. Fiona and her younger brother must flee to New York City to avoid their own murders. Through hard work and luck, Fiona and her beloved Joe prosper on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Misunderstandings and mistakes keep them apart as they build separate lives and incredible fortunes. Children's book writer Donnelly effortlessly takes her narrative through slums and high society while intertwining a number of subplots without tangling them. Both major and minor characters capture and hold interest and sympathy. Although the number of Fiona and Joe's near encounters stretches the imagination, readers will forgive the tease once the lovers' reunion and Fiona's revenge for her father's death converge in an action-packed ending.

This is the perfect BFB for lovers of historical fiction with a great mystery thrown in. I read it a few summers ago, mostly at the pool and LOVED it!

The cover is stunning! I tend to gravitate to covers with women on them. The woman on the cover is Fiona and she is Victorian perfection. If you look very carefully, you can see jars of tea behind her. There is also an author blurb from Frank McCourt (the author of Angela's Ashes) who recently passed away.

The novel has a female main character who is strong yet not a cariacture. She propels the story, not allowing the events to carry her. She is not perfect and, because of that, her actions and thoughts don't always insure the outcome that some authors would write for their heroine.

The setting is, mainly, Victorian London. I have developed a true of love of novels set in this time period and London is a bonus as I have visited there and can really picture some scenes.

There is the Jack The Ripper subplot that is woven into the story so believably. It's not an afterthought... like the author decided to add it because the story took place during that time. This novel would have worked well without it. With it, however, the suspense is palpable. The story moves on at times without a mention and then, something happens to bring that subplot back to the forefront. It's really a great plot device.

The love story between Fiona and Joe is another wonderful subplot and as the course of true love never runs smooth. There are obstacles that they must overcome but, again, it's written so well, that it's not cheesy and overdone.

This book is the first book in a triology. The second novel is The Winter Rose in which Fiona's brother is one of the main characters. While it's a great novel and I would recommend it, I still enjoyed The Tea Rose more. The last book in the triology is The Wild Rose, which will be (hopefully) published in late 2010. I haven't been able to find any plot information about it. I do think, however, the plot and the main characters are alluded to in The Winter Rose.


I carried my "Am I too old to carry this?" peace sign bag today :o) I've decided that it's just too fun not to carry. So what if Im too old! I'm younger than I will be the next time I carry it... lol.

M is at my Mom's tonight and my husband was working late so it's just J and me. We hit our very favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. We had our usual :o) He had Nachos Supreme Carnitas and I had a chicken taco and a guacamole tostada. Our very favorite waitress, Janette, was there, too. She even asked where J and M were. We love her! She knows what we order... does that mean we go there too much? Probably, but it's so good! She buys Girl Scout cookies from M. It was great just to hang out with J. He spent most of the dinner trying to convince me why he, instead of his sister, should get my phone when I upgrade. I've told him if he gets it, he'll be the one paying for texting. Since he's basically a miser, I thought this would turn him off but, I think, the teenage boy in him won out. He is more than willing to fork out the cash :o) I haven't even decided yet if I'm going to upgrade. My husband suggested having the kids bid on the phone... cash, extra chores etc. Not a bad idea, really.

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My Waiting on Wednesday is Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. I know it went on sale yesterday. I received an email about a month ago informing of a giveaway. I was to text Twenties Girl to a number for a random drawing. Well, tonight I found out I won via a text to my phone. So, now I just wait for my copy. I love winning book giveaways.


My daughter is so much like me. Case in point... she asked me if she could start a blog. I allowed it because I will control who is allowed to read it. So, we set one up with a cute title. I showed her a couple of free blog background sites and she spent the rest of her computer changing her blog background. I change my blog background frequently. While I was looking at those same sites, I found a few more :o) Just what I need... more blog background sites. I really like this new background... it's very vintage and has handbags on it. I will definitely use this one a lot.

Today is the last day of my week of posting videos. I have two that I really want to share and can't decide so I will share them both. The first one is the theatrical trailer for the movie, "Rebecca" directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It's my favorite movie version of this great novel. Thanks to MisfitandMom at misfitandmom.livejournal.com for telling me about a great site with all things Dumaurier....dumaurier.org


The second video is my favorite Bon Jovi song. The chorus is my phone's ringtone when my husband calls. You can say it... awwwwww :o)

 

My bag today was my rocker chick bag. M chose it because we had lunch with my friend, L and her daughter. She is three years older than M and her fashion icon :o) She has a very ecletic style that M, very much, wants to emulate. It doesn't hurt that M gets a lot of hand-me-downs from L. She even wore a top and carried a bag from the last batch of clothes. She loves the bag. It's made from candy wrappers. It's so colorful and perfect for M.

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I LOVE Teaser Tuesday.
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
"Jake went around his oversize mahogany desk and sat down in the high-backed chair. He waved her toward the black leather chair in front of him."
page 131
Ladies of the Go
ldfield Stock Exchange
Sybil Downing

This is one of the books I checked out last week. It's a good book but it's nothing special. I feel bad saying that because obviously the author worked hard on it. It's just not a book that is so compelling that I can't wait to read it. I'll finish it and probably read other titles by the author but it's one that I will put aside for something "better".

~~~VIDEO EDITED OUT AS IT CAUSED PROBLEMS WITH MY BLOG~~~
This is news footage from our storm last night. There are varying opinions if a tornado actually touched down. The area that they are talking about is a few miles north of us. It was hit pretty hard. We, literally, must have missed the damage by blocks. We had absolutely no damage. I noticed, on my way to work, that starting about four blocks from our house, there was heavy damage...trees are stripped of leaves, the streets are green from all the leaves and fourteen hours after the storm, there are piles of hail in the medians. It was pretty wild to see all this damage so close yet our neighborhood is completely unscathed.



My bag today is a black hobo with sequined flowers. I wore plain black to work today and carrying a bag with a little "bling" was a great finishing touch.

20 of 31

Today's the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin becoming the first humans to land on the Moon. I watched it on television, according to my Mom but I have absolutely no memory of it as I was just a little girl.

In honor of that historic feat and because I'm posting a video every day, here is my favorite quote from my favorite space movie, Apollo 13. Everyone knows and quotes the famous, "Houston, we have a problem." and while that is a great line, I find this one so much more inspiring. It might also have to do with the fact that I ADORE Ed Harris.


I just had to take a twenty minute break from blogging because there was a freaking tornado WARNING!! I can't believe it! All of the sudden, the weather became very violent. It started hailing and was so loud. M was in bed, my son is at my Mom's and my husband was coming home from a late meeting. I was watching Sex and the City when they interrupted with a tornado warning for our area. We live right against the foothills and it's VERY rare that we have tornado warnings, especially at night. Wow! I woke M up and made her go to the basement. I called my son, who, of course, was still on the computer at my Mom's, told him to wake Oma (my Mom) and go to the basement. The storm was moving very quickly towards her house (about seven miles east of us). According to the radar map on the news, the purple shaded part was the most dangerous part of the storm. Guess where that was centered... yep, right over our area! I can not believe this! As fast as it moved in, it moved out. It's actually quiet here now... and smells really clean. We're all safe now and watching the news.

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. I am expecting another book in the mail and was surprised to receive There's Something About St. Tropez by Elizabeth Adler.I could not remember why I received it and there was no note. Then I remembered that it was a giveaway. I receive an email every morning featuring part of a new novel each day for a week. Suzanne, the host, will offer giveaways every now and then. I guess I won one :o) I've never read this author so I'm looking forward to reading it.


After M and I dropped J at my Mom's, we went to Target. Every year, we sponsor a child through our church. We provide a new backpack, school supplies, new socks and underwear as well as an "first day of school" outfit and a gift card for a new pair of shoes. We've done this for years and, although, J used to be excited to help, he's kind of over it now. M still gets excited (yes, we're geeks. We love to shop for school supplies) so she and I went shopping. We have a 4th grade girl this year and M knew exactly what she would like. We had a blast and bought some very cute items.


My bag today was my Vera Wang black satchel. It's one of my bigger bags but it fits all my stuff as well as the book I'm reading. What else do I need?

19 of 31

I am both sad and excited today. Sad today because Tom Watson lost The British Open. He missed an 8 foot putt to win and sent it to a 4 hole playoff with Stewart Cink. I'm a fan of Stewart Cink (and I loved his chartreuse green ensemble), and on any other Sunday, I would have loved to see him win his first Major. Today, though, I, along with most of the golf world, was rooting for Tom. Both men showed what a gentlemen's game golf really is... unlike another player who was seen throwing his clubs in frustration and didn't even make the cut.

I am excited because Design Star premiered tonight. YAY!! I am addicted to the show and have waited months for Season 4. It was a great episode but, unlike the previous seasons, I don't have an early favorite. In one commercial for the show, Vern says something to the effect of "It looks like a rainbow threw up." I can't wait to see what's he's talking about.


The boys went to Georgetown Lake to fish and brought home a Colorado Rainbow Trout. It was grilled and it was delicious! While they were gone, M and I went to Panera for dinner. We sat on the patio and talked about sixth grade. She is very excited and is already planning her "First Day of School" outfit :o)

My floral handbag was my choice today. I love the way it looks with my outfit. I wore a black blouse with white and multicolor threads throughout, white walking shorts, black espadrilles and multicolored beaded earrings (for which I get a ton of compliments and that I bought at a coffee shop... lol). It's my favorite summer outfit.

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One of my all-time favorite movies is That Touch of Mink. I absolutely ADORE Cary Grant. He epitomizes every thing a gentleman should be. I watch this movie every time I see it on television. I also have it on DVD and have been known to watch it as I soak in a bubble bath. I found the original theatrical trailer. It's perfect!


I've said before that my husband is an avid golfer. So, this weekend, we've been watching The British Open. I'm originally from Kansas City and am very excited to see that a local boy, Tom Watson, is leading and could win tomorrow. Besides being from my wonderful hometown, he's 59 years old... not that old in real life but in golf, he's considered a "Senior". I mean "Champion"... they changed the name. It will be nice to see him win The Claret Jug. These pictures are from the first three rounds of The British Open. Notice anything?!? He's wearing PURPLE in all the pictures!! I love purple!! I hope he wears purple on Sunday... much better than seeing Tiger's red.




My handbag today was my rouge Dooney & Bourke satchel. I was telling a girl at work how great it looked for its age. We were working together again today so, I brought it in to show her.

17 of 31

FIRST LINE FRIDAY...First lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny?

"The music room in the Governor's House at Port Mahon, a tall handsome, pillared octagon, was filled with the triumphant first movement of Locatelli's C major quartet."
Master and Commander
Patrick O'Brian

This first line really sets the mood. However, I just assumed that, because this novel is about the British Navy, the first line would be a bit more "seaworthy" :o)
Not that I'm disappointed, I've been wanting to read this series for quite a while. I know that sailors aren't always at sea, so, I'll assume this is a "goodbye" ball for the officers before they set sail. Am I correct? I'll let you know.

I checked this book out at the library. We went today for no reason...well, of course, the reason is to get books. We had no books on hold to pick up, no list of new titles and no new titles by authors we love. We just roamed the stacks. Besides Master and Commander, all of the books I picked up were titles I had never heard of. I just picked titles that sounded interesting. Don't worry, Lori, I'll blog about them tomorrow :o)

Lori suggested that I post a video every day. I agreed... but only for a week. The video for today is one you've probably never heard of and if you have, you've probably forgotten about it. Why is it important enough to put on my blog? I'll tell you after you watch it. It might take a minute to load but, in my opinion, it's worth watching. It's "Day by Day" by The Hooters.

The Hooters - Day by Day (Nervous Nights Music Video) from Hooters Music on Vimeo.

The reason it's important enough to share on my blog is because my sister is in it :o) She and her friends were waiting in line at the concert (in 1986) when a limo drove by. They went up to it, knowing it was the band. Someone in the car was filming and, voila, my sister (the blonde in blue), became an overnight sensation. Okay, not really :o) We didn't know that she was even in a video until she watched it on MTV. If you watch the video, you can see her from about :56 to about 1:03. Yeah, that's my little sister :o)

Today, as we ran errands... gas, car wash, library, shoe shopping and, of course, Happy Hour at Sonic, I used my Liz Claiborne black and white cheetah print hobo with deep red patent trim and handles.

16 of 31

Bon Jovi - Livin on a Prayer


Why am I posting this freaking awesome :o) video to my blog? Is it because it was voted by VH1 as #1 of The Greatest Songs of the 80s? Is it because Jon was so cute... and even better looking now? Is it because I think everyone who reads my blog should watch it? Is it because "Tommy & Gina" are the 80s version of Romeo & Juliet (well... without the tragic ending)?

The answer is YES... to all of the above! But mainly, because of the lyrics in the chorus...
We're half way there
Livin' on a prayer
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear
Livin' on a prayer

I'm half way there... I'll make it- I swear.
I've made it half way through a month of blogging every day. I'm kind of proud of myself. Sometimes, it's easy to think of something to say. Sometimes, not so much.

My Favorite Reads is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books every Thursday. What a great way to read reviews of books that were mainstream (or not!) a while back but have faded off the radar of what is "hot" right now in the land of literature.

My Favorite Read today is Griffin & Sabine by Nick Bantock. From the publisher's website... "But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. And since each letter must be pulled from its own envelope, the reader has the delightful, forbidden sensation of reading someone else's mail. Griffin & Sabine is like no other illustrated novel: appealing to the poet and artist in everyone and sure to inspire a renaissance in the fine art of letter-writing, it tells an extraordinary story in an extraordinary way."

Although the story is compelling, it's the voyeuristic act of touching and reading their actual letters that take this novel to another level. The reader cannot help but felt intimately connected to Griffin & Sabine. The art is spectacular but it was the prose that compelled me to read it several times as well as the other books in the triology which continue and complete their story.

My bag today is really a totebag but, because I love big handbags, I carried it as my purse (Sorry, Lori... lol). The colors are a bit more autumnal than bags I usually carry in mid July but it looked great with my outfit. I hadn't carried it in a while and had forgotten that there are deep pockets all around the inside. I'd throw things in the bag and they'd end up in the pockets. Yes, there was a frantic search today for my cell phone. Before I found it in one of the cavernous pockets, I thought I had left it in the pool bag... which was at home and I was at the bookstore.

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My Waiting on Wednesday is a little different today. It's not a book or even book related. I've been waiting on a new TV show. It's Dark Blue starring Dylan McDermott. I've been a fan of his since The Practice (I stopped watching it when it became Boston Legal) and loved the show he was in a while back, Big Shots. Of course, like all shows I love, it was cancelled. So, when I saw he was in a new police drama, I was very excited. It is also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, so I have high hopes... which means it'll be cancelled. I think I've been waiting since March. J and I watched it tonight and it was pretty good. I'll definitely watch it again.

After Dark Blue we watched Leverage. This is a new-to-us show. I like the "Robin Hood" premise. I remember Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People. How is it that he looks so good and I'm as old as I am?

I realized today that we've not been to the bookstore in a while...okay, last week...but for, us that's a while. M is spending the night with my Mom. So, we'll go after I pick her up tomorrow. I've trained my children well. They understand what it means to wander a bookstore, to find a new author, to find books to put on their library lists and to more often than not, walk out with a shiny new bookmark... okay, that would be me. J has used the same bookmark since sixth grade.
He was given a Book Bungee bookmark by his teacher. It is really a great design... "The Levenger Book Bungee marks your page and keeps your book safely closed, even in a bag. Place the plastic marker in the book, close the book, and wrap the elastic cloth around the outside. The bookmark can't fall out."
M has a collection that she rotates. I'm the one who gets excited to find a bookmark that means something. Right now, I'm on the hunt for a purple one. Right, Lori?

I carried my beige Dooney & Bourke Sac. I read somewhere that if you put a magazine at the bottom of a slouchy bag, it holds its shape better. I put a copy of Vanity Fair with Angelina Jolie on the cover in the bag. She looks GORGEOUS on this cover... very retro pin-up. I know it's all "smoke and mirrors" but she looks pretty good au natural,too. I guess "being with" (wink, wink) Brad Pitt does wonders for a girl.

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I LOVE Teaser Tuesday.
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

"Three weeks later on monday, August twenty-ninth, Jonathan Raleigh sat in the back of a hired coach and chewed on a fingernail- a nervous habit had acquired of late. I should have written first, he thought."
page 162
The Courtship of the Vicar's Daughter
Lawana Blackwell

The first thing that caught my eye was the date mentioned. That is M's birthday :o)

This novel is the second in a series. I really enjoyed the first one. It was just a light, easy read. Although, it is considered "Christian Fiction", it is not the "beat it into the reader's head at every turn". It's more just a good story with moral and not-so moral characters and how their faith carries them through their life.


My bag today is a really fun summer bag. I kept watching it at Target and when it went to its final sale price. I bought it. The picture is pretty bad but it's an aqua bag with kelly green suede trim.I know suede is more of a winter fabric but it works with this bag. The pattern is a Paisley with siver strands throughout. There is a tassle on the zipper that is made of the fabric of the bag and the suede. I get so many compliments on it and it makes me smile to know what a bargain I got on it.