Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall…

The last of the herbs and tomatoes from the back porch….of which I take zero credit!

And the first fall batch of monkey bread….of which I take full credit!

It’s officially fall and it’s rainy, but beautiful.  Happy, happy fall!

Book Review #2 - The Glimmer Palace

So, I said  I was going to start reviewing a few more books and then I suddenly got nervous!  What if my reviews don’t have enough depth?  What if they are too simple?  I almost decided right then and there to not post another review.  But, I’m going to keep going….and push past my insecurities….

The Glimmer Palace is the story of Lilly Nellie Aphrodite’s journey from abandonment to silent film star.  The story itself spans the surrounding events of both World War I and World War II.  Throughout the story, the reader gets a wonderful glimpse of German life.  And not just the cookie cutter German life, but the seedy, dirty parts as well. 

This book was beautifully written, poignant and while it doesn’t come across as charged with emotion since the main character herself is rather detached, the depth of feeling is amazing. 

To me, the best part of this book was the chapter introductions.  Each one reflects a “historical” moment in film that alludes to a portion Lily’s life.  Here’s the first one:

“Berlin, a word that chimes in your chest like a bell. Berlin, a place so bright it pulls down the stars and wears them around its neck.  Berlin, a city built on the scattered sand of circuses and the scuffed floorboards of theater spectaculars.  Roll up, rollup to see the living photographs.  Max Skladanowsky and his brother Eugen, still wearing black around their eyes, out of habit rather than necessity, present their electromechanical effects.  The spectacle of the year, the highlight of 1895, guaranteed.

The houselights dim, and the air is filled with the sour taste of hot celluloid and blue smoke form a hundred burning cigarettes.  A blond girl looms up suddenly on a white sheet.  She laughs, a flickery shiver on the taut cotton; she seems to speak but her voice is mute, until quite unexpectedly, a black patch appears where her heart should be and she disappears into the burning hole in seconds.

The audience gasps, and one child chokes on his chewed-up ticket.  The couple in the front row insist it is a trick with mirrors; a woman in a red heat peeks behind the sheet but finds no one there.  And all the while, trickles of kohl from India fall down Eugen’s ashen face as he comes to realized he’ll never again see the girl he left behind in Lubbenau.”

Hope you enjoy!  I’d love to hear what you think of the book!

A few things…

Inspired by Ali Edwards who was inspired by "The Simple Woman's Day Book".

Outside my window…lots of pine trees and gray skies. But this morning, for just a moment, the sun was shining and it was beautiful.

I'm am thinking….I am excited for for everything that's planned for this weekend.

I am thankful for…for being here, right now. For amusing friends who text back and forth with you while you watch a silly television show that she's already seen, and friends who "get" how important it is to be creative and friends who listen even when they're probably tired of listening.

From the kitchen…eMo's chili…with beans

I am wearing…for the first time since unpacking it from the fall, my favoritest sweater

I am creating…stories and layouts in my mind

I am going…to run errands then go home to prepare for this weekend

I am reading…too many things at one time! And loving having options.

I am hoping…for freedom in my heart

I am hearing…one of my favorite songs ever…and the hum of my space heater. I *heart* white noise.

Around the house…I don't want to think about it. It's moldy there (from the deadly deluge of 2009)….and messy.

One of my favorite things…knowing there is a book on tape waiting on me for the ride home.

A few plans for the rest of the week…marking items off of my to-do list, scrapbooking, small group

Happy fall weekend!

Forced Vacation

So, I took a forced vacation last week.  I use the term “vacation” loosely, since I was super sick and did nothing but sleep and watch television for nine days straight, except for the eight or so hours I attempted to work.    But the fog has finally lifted and I realized we are almost two weeks into October and I’ve missed out!   

I became one with HGTV during my “vacation’.  Terribly addicted to all kinds of shows like House Hunters, House Hunters International, Color Splash, Designed to Sell and Divine Design.  I think my absolute favorite is Divine Design….Candice Olsen rocks!  How can she not when she creates rooms like these?

All photos courtesy of HGTV.com

I can’t even choose which is my favorite, except I am especially fond of the living room in the last photo. 

I’m slowly catching up and coming out my design dream world.  This weekend will be busy, but fun.  Crafty time on Saturday (oh, I have layouts to post from the  last time we got together at Laurel’s), church and small group on Sunday (loving our study on Esther). 

More later – and a couple of book reviews too! 

Trying something very, very new here....

I'm at tempting to start posting using Windows Live Writer.   It’s very, very different than Blogger.  But my hope that it will help since I struggle when it comes time to add images, etc.  I’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime, if you notice something is afoot (is that even the correct way to write that?) please let me know. 

In the meantime, here are some super fun things I’ve stumbled across lately.

Chiang Mai Letter Box From Decorative Instinct’s Etsy shop

Orange Leaves Fabric Art Journal from Evalicious – I wouldn’t even want to use it, it’s so gorgeous.

Tree Trimming Trio from Papertreyink.com.  It’ll be Christmas before you know it…and I’m already scoping out card supplies

  

Bella Boulevard – Camped Out – Seriously, this is super cute!  And we have plenty of oppportunities to use this considering how many trips to the R-Ranch our family makes!

Brave Girls Club – I want to go.  Can I quit my day job and just wander from creative event to creative event?