Exciting News!

I have a new website!  http://www.lauraodom.com
It will be replacing this personal blog and is divided into different sections according to topic.
Check it out, and let me know what you think!  I will be working out kinks in the next week or so.

Poem

This poem used to hang in my mother's kitchen in an embroidery wall hanging.
It was brought back to my memory today...

"Cleaning and scrubbing
Can wait 'til tomorrow.
For babies grow up,
We've learned, to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs.
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby
And babies don't keep!"

Grocery Shopping.

So, my best friend and her husband have been vlogging (you can check them out HERE) and she seems to think that my life should be vlogged as well.  There are two huge flaws with this, however,:

1.  I do NOT like the way I look on camera.  That's why I'm always behind it.  Plus, there's no photoshopping away double chins in a video.  I don't know if I can live with that.

2.  Despite what my well-intentioned "bestie" may believe, my life is just not all that interesting.

Case in point.  Here is a video documentary of my unloading the groceries...

Now, we do have some yummy stuff coming up this week on the menu...

Tonight - Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches

Tomorrow - Crockpot Mexican Chicken tacos, corn on the cob

Thursday - Chili Mac

Friday - Sausage, Zuchinni & Yellow Squash casserole 

(yummy recipe from my new fav Amish cookbook)

Saturday lunch - Frito Pie wraps

Saturday dinner - Beans & Cornbread

A book meme

Favorite childhood book?
The Troll Music, Mr. Pine's Purple House, Pickles the Firecat, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

What are you reading right now?
Stop Being Sweet Notebook

What books do you have on request at the library?
None

Bad book habit?

Buying books instead of checking them out

What do you currently have checked out at the library?
None (See Above)

Do you have an e-reader?
I use IBooks on my iPhone.

Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
One at a time

Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?

Not that I've noticed

Least favorite book you read recently?
?

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
The Lucky One by Nicolas Sparks

Can you read on the bus?
I don't ride the bus, but probably could read if I had to.  I read on the subway on our trip.

Favorite place to read?
In bed on a rainy day

What is your policy on book lending?
Even though I do hope books are returned, I typically only lend them if I'm okay with never getting them back.

Do you ever dog-ear books?
Not fiction books.  I have dog-eared recipe books.

Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
Only textbooks

Not even with text books?
see above

What is your favorite language to read in?
English

What makes you love a book?
Enjoyability, complexity with good resolution

What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If it made an impact on me

Have you ever read a self-help book?
yes

Favorite cookbook?

Currently one I picked up in Amish Country

Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Bible

Favorite reading snack?

Depends on my mood

If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Latin

Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Hmm... Intimidating like hard to get into or content?  Not sure.

Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
same

Favorite Poet?
Alfred Lord Tennyson

How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
none

How often have you returned book to the library unread?
very infrequently.  If I do check a book out, I read it.

Favorite fictional character?
Anne Shirley

Favorite fictional villain?
Unknown

Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Easy reads - popular fiction

The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I am always reading something...

Name a book that you could/would not finish.

Founding Mothers

What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
The kids

Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Anne of Green Gables

Most disappointing film adaptation?
Gone with the Wind ~ left so much out!

The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Probably over $200

How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Not usually

What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
I don't do this very often.  If it's just SUPER hard to get into, I guess I might.

Do you like to keep your books organized?
of course

Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I used to hoard them, but recently I've gotten into giving them away

Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
no

Name a book that made you angry.
Angry?  I remember not liking "I know this much is true" but not being able to quit reading it.

A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
The Twilight Series

A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Can't think of one at the moment

Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Anything by Nicolas Sparks

RED

Some RED things that caught my attention online...

Yellow

A selection of random yellow images I found on the web...

     

Blogging from the new laptop...

So, we went on vacation in July/August & when I came back, my laptop had died.  I took it in and it was the "logic board", which basically meant it would cost $700 to replace.  On a 2 year old laptop.  I think not.  But, being me, I drug my feet on purchasing a new one mainly because I hated to spend the money on it.  But with three people working at the studio all trying to use one desktop, I had to give in eventually, and earlier this week, I became the owner of another MacBook Pro.  Supposedly I should be able to get my "stuff" off the other hard drive still, but that hasn't happened yet.  All in due time, I guess.

However, after spending the past two days installing programs and hunting for license keys, I am beginning to enjoy having a functioning computer again.  For one, I was finally able to download and play with the pictures from my vacation.  Yay!   I did some quick tweaking in photoshop/bridge, then loaded them into iphoto, made a cool keepsake book, and even ordered it.  Can't wait to see how it turns out.  I'll have to give a report when it does.

So, I still don't have access to my old hard drive yet, so I'm not sure where I left off on my Project 365 or when I'll be able to retrieve the pictures.  For now, I'll just share some favs from my trip: