Sunday Synopsis: November 28, 2010

Wowza, Wowza, Wowza!!  It has been far too long since I have posted, hasn't it?!?!  The last couple of weeks have been so chaotic that I simply have not had the chance to write here on the blog at all.  It all started a couple of weeks ago when I got horribly sick . . . I ended up with a high fever and some sort of crud that put me out of commission for at least three days.  When I started feeling a bit better, family started to arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday and since we don't see family that often, we were just having fun with them!  And, of course, on top of that, all but one of our family members has come down with something while they were visiting as well.  We simply could not catch a break!!

My in-laws left yesterday and my parents are leaving first thing in the morning and Tuesday afternoon.  It has been so good to see everyone and spend time with them for Thanksgiving.  It will also be nice to get back into the swing of things though and not feel like my home is a constant cluster of clutter!  I have always had issues with cluttered space and with four people staying with us the past week in our tiny home, every nook and cranny has been stuffed with something or filled with toys and games from the kids playing.

Considering the chaos around my house, I have been able to get a good chunk of reading in.  I decided to pick up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for a quick re-read.  No matter how many times I have read this book, it still becomes one that is hard to put down!  I should finish that one in the next couple of days and then plan to pick up A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle for my book club next week and then probably Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones thanks to Kristen at We Be Reading!  She has been raving about DWJ and even sent me a copy of this book to get me started!  I can't wait to dig in . . . afterall, her blog is one of my worst for growing my TBR pile!  :)

Since I have been away for so long, I am once again (or shall I say still?) behind on many posts and reviews.  I am really hoping to begin working on catching up during the month of December.  I have also decided to work on a few challenges again for 2011 and will be posting about those in the next couple of weeks as well.  Thanks for sticking with me during yet another short absence and be watching for much more to come in my book-ish world!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (for all my American friends) or at least a great weekend for those who are international!  And, here's to a great, productive week to come!

Did you have a great (holiday) weekend?  What is on your current reading list this week?

Fairy Tale Fridays: The Ear of Corn

Special Thanks to my Personal Faery Friend for the Button Art: Ye Olde Faery Shoppe 

This week's short selection of The Ear of Corn by The Brothers Grimm was chosen in honor of the upcoming American holiday, Thanksgiving.  Though the tale is told with a tad negative spin, the true message behind the tale is to be thankful for what we have been given for it can easily be taken away.  In the case of the Grimm's story, it was corn that was taken away because of the lack of appreciation for the abundance of the food.  The Lord simply left what we know now for the chickens to survive!  

With not only this tale and the upcoming holiday in mind, I do believe it to be important to remember what we are thankful for on any given day of the year.  It does not have to be secluded to just the fourth Thursday in November.  We typically can remember at the end of every day what we can appreciate in our life . . . even if it is simply that we are going to bed to start another day!  In our household, during the entire month of November, we actually write down one thing every day that we are thankful for and deposit it into a "Gobbles of Thanks" can that my son and I decorated a few years ago.  Though we only take note of our appreciation in writing for a few weeks out of the year, this tradition helps remind us that we can be thankful for something every single day.  I believe that the Grimms may have felt the same way after reading this short!

What are you thankful for today?  Do you have a similar Thanksgiving tradition in your home?


P.S. Don't forget to submit something for the Fairy Tale Food & Fun Challenge!

UPCOMING TALES:

Friday, November 26th:  FTF Thanksgiving Break featuring special food and fun!
Friday, December 3rd:  Snow White and Rose Red by The Brothers Grimm

Friday, December 10th:  The Snow Man by Hans Christian Andersen

Friday, December 17th:  The Elves by The Brothers Grimm

Friday, December 24th:  The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

Reading Log Roundup: The Ultimate Edition

I have not posted a Reading Log Roundup in far too long!  Therefore, for this round, I am just going to share a long list of books (in no particular order) that we have been reading!  Next week, I am hoping to be back to the regular edition!

How I Became A Pirate by Melinda Long & David Shannon

The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens & Susan Stevens Crummel

Let's Celebrate Halloween by Peter & Connie Roop

Aladdin & the Magic Lamp by Jordan Horowitz 

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Dino Pets by Lynn Plourde

I'm a Caterpillar by Jean Marzollo

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Honey ... Honey ... Lion by Jan Brett

Nobody Cares About Me by Sarah Roberts

Me Hungry! by Jeremy Tankard

Who Will Haunt My House on Halloween? by Jerry Pallotta

Harry and the Dinosaurs at the Museum by Ian Whybrow

Mouse's Halloween Party by Jeanne Modesitt

Have you read any of these books?  What have you been reading with your child(ren)?

Sunday Synopsis: November 14, 2010

Has it really been another week already?  Whew!!!  I have no idea where the time goes these days!  I have all these great and brilliant plans for things to post and when I sit down to write, I end up writing my Sunday Synopsis!  I do believe that things are finally beginning to slow down enough that I can get back into posting more regularly, though we do have some big things coming up in the next couple of weeks.  I guess time will only tell.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!! :)

Here is the one post I did get posted this week:  Fairy Tale Fridays:  The Three Brothers.

And, don't forget about my current Fairy Tale Friday Challenge going on now:  Fairy Tale Food & Fun.  I may just have a special prize for one of the participants!!!!

Oh, and if you haven't seen this fun list, I highly recommend you check it out:  The 50 Most Hated Characters in Literary History.

And, last but not least, I wanted to share with all of you the big things that are coming up in the next couple of weeks . . .

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 comes out on Friday!!!!!!!!!!  Who is planning on going this weekend?  Me, me, me!!!!!
2. We will be hosting our very first combined family Thanksgiving dinner next week with family beginning to arrive on Monday!  After being married for 10 years, it's about time we celebrate this holiday together and we are so excited to see everyone!!!  In fact, we may be doing #1 with family once they arrive, too!!

Now, I will admit that this list is not necessarily in order of importance . . . okay, maybe it is!!!  

Anyone else excited about the release of Harry Potter?!?  I know that I'm not the only one out there!!!

Fairy Tale Fridays: The Tale of the Three Brothers

Special Thanks to my Personal Faery Friend for the Button Art: Ye Olde Faery Shoppe 

This week for Fairy Tale Fridays, we are reading a tale in honor of the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 . . . "The Tale of the Three Brothers."  This tale was actually featured in J.K. Rowling's little supplemental book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard that makes an appearance in her final chapter of the seven-part magical series, featuring the now infamous, Harry Potter.

Image Courtesy of Wikia

Moving back to the tale at hand . . . "The Tale of the Three Brothers" highlights the story of three brothers, just as the title implies.  The brothers, being magical, use their talents to create a bridge across a river to get to the other side.  Unfortunately, Death blocks their way because that river was to take their life.  The brothers make a deal with Death to pass by . . . the elder gets an indestructible and invincible wand, the middle gets a stone that will bring back the dead, and the third gets a cloak that ultimately, hides the youngest and wisest from death until his due time.

The moral of the story is pretty obvious in this one . . . use your brains, not your braun!  The youngest brother uses wisdom to avoid an early death.  The older two actually bring death on themselves, tragically too early.  However, there is much more to this story to any and all Harry Potter fans out there . . . BUT, I am not going to release those details to avoid the spoilers!  I encourage you to read The Tales of Beedle for Dumbledore's own thoughts to add to the subject, and of course, feel free to come on back here to share your thoughts.  With this one, I just ask that you note any spoilers that may be on their way!

Are you planning on hitting theaters for Part 1 of Deathly Hallows in one week?!?

UPCOMING TALES:
Friday, November 19th:  The Ear of Corn by The Brothers Grimm

Friday, November 26th:  FTF Thanksgiving Break featuring special food and fun!

Friday, December 3rd:  Snow White and Rose Red by The Brothers Grimm

Friday, December 10th:  The Snow Man by Hans Christian Andersen

Sunday Synopsis: November 7, 2010

This week, I have spent a great amount of my time in catching up, both at work and at home.  I am finally caught up on laundry, household paperwork, and my many work emails.  My personal emails are another story, but I am slowly getting through them.  I really should have been working on them more this weekend along with scheduling some posts, but I simply have preferred to just read and relax!  I have finally finished The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, completing The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest yesterday afternoon.  I really enjoyed this series and hope to have my reviews of all three books posted this week!  I also started The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson last night.  It's a very quick read and I should be finishing it in the next couple of days.  I'm hoping for some great reading time this week!  The days are getting shorter, the air is turning cooler, and both are very conducive to reading.  I always thought that I did more reading in the summer months, but I am coming to discover that the colder months are more my reading thing!  Now, let's hope that these cooler months will help me catch up on my reading challenges because the deadlines are coming close as you will see below and I have not gotten very far since the last time I did a check-in!!

• Take Another Chance Challenge (.5 of 6)
• 2010 Audiobook Challenge (7 of 20)
• 451 Challenge (1 of 4)
• 2010 Young Readers Challenge (11 of 12)
• 2010 A to Z Reading Challenge (11 of 26)
• 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge (16 of 50)
• 2010 100+ Reading Challenge (40 of 100)
• Flashback Challenge (6 of 6+)
• The Stephen King/Richard Bachman Challenge -- Perpetual Challenge

What are your reading plans this week?  Do you find your reading picking up this time of year?

P.S.  Don't forget to check out my new Fairy Tale Challenge!!!

Fairy Tale Fridays: Fairy Tale Food & Fun Challenge!

Special Thanks to my Personal Faery Friend for the Button Art: Ye Olde Faery Shoppe 

This week for Fairy Tale Fridays, I've decided to take a little different route thanks to inspiration from Melissa of Imagination Soup!  Instead of reading a specific story this week, I have instead created a challenge for the next couple of weeks to share your fairy tale food and fun!  Here are a few ideas . . .

• Did you or a loved one dress up in a fairy tale character for Halloween this year?  If so, share some pictures of your creative costume!
• Have you ever participated in a fairy tale party?  How did you celebrate?
• What kind of food would you serve if you were hosting a fairy tale party?
• Are you feeling really ambitious?  Then, come up with your own fairy tale recipe, share some pics of the creation and the step-by-step recipe!
• Cook, fabricate, or develop your own unique take on the title, Fairy Tale Food & Fun!

In case you are in need of a starting point, here are a couple of fun links to get you started . . .

• Enchanting Edibles Make a Fairy-Tale Feast @ Taste of Home
• Fairy Tale Parties & Make Believe Fun @ Disney's Family Fun
• Maybe your library will have a copy of one of these . . . The Fairy Tale Cookbook by Sandre Moore OR Fairy Tale Feasts by Jane Yolen (Yolen actually has a whole series of cookbooks called Fairy Tale Cookbooks!)

With another crazy week of trying to recover from being gone for so long, I have not yet had the chance to actually fulfill this challenge myself.  BUT, you and I both have time!!  I encourage you to get those creative juices flowing and challenge yourself to a little fairy tale food and fun.  When you do, come back here and leave a link and I will highlight ALL entries in the Thanksgiving Special of Fairy Tale Fridays!!

DEADLINE for submissions:  November 19, 2010
UPDATED DEADLINE:  Wednesday, November 24, 2010

UPCOMING TALES:
Friday, November 12th:  "The Tale of the Three Brothers" from The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Friday, November 19th:  The Ear of Corn by The Brothers Grimm
Friday, November 26th:  FTF Thanksgiving Break!
Friday, December 3rd:  Snow White and Rose Red by The Brothers Grimm