In love

OK, I have to blog about this so I can add another entry to Dandy Giveaway... but I also just realized that I can't live another moment without this product!!!!!

One of today's giveaways is from a company called Blush.  They make an amazing product called the "topless undershirt" that you can wear under the shirts that are too short or over the jeans that are too low!  No more gapping!  Yay!  You can watch a demo here.  If only I had money... I think I'd buy one in every single color and pattern! 

OK, off the soap box now!

Audio Book Snob

Hello.  My name is Shauna and I am an audio book snob.  It's true.  I have favorite book-readers, and those that make me so crazy that I can't possibly listen to the book any longer!  

My most favorite reader is Barbara Rosenblat because of her amazing ability to do a different voice for every character.  She narrates the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters (among others) and does a FABULOUS job!!!  And if you've ever read the series, you'll know that's no easy task!  Each book has dozens of characters.  And the series spans many years in which many characters grow up, while others will appear in one book then be gone for 4 or 5 books then reappear!  And Ms. Rosenblat does it all flawlessly!  I have gotten on my library website and looked up her name and gotten books just because she is the narrator!  The accents, the inflections, the dialects, and personality she puts into each character's voice are amazing and make each person in the book unmistakably distinguishable from the others!  I think this is a crucial skill for narrators of books with a lot of dialog! 

Some of my other favorites are John Keating who narrates the Ranger's Apprentice series and Patricia Conolly who read The Star of Kazan.  I love listening to any audio books that take place in Germany just because I love the way the names of the people and places sound!  I am also a big fan of full-cast recordings... but used in the right way.  I am listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society right now, and I love that each letter-writer has his or her own specific voice that matches their personality and where they live!

Not to be mean or anything, but I really didn't care for the narrator of The Hunger Games books, or the Twilight series, and though I liked the voice of the Harry Potter narrator, the way he read Hermione's lines gave me a twitch!

OK.  That's all.  (I think... those last two paragraphs were added after I typed my sign-off!)

Meme Me

My friend Jenni Elyse is participating in a blogging meme from Froggarita's Bookcase, and I decided to join in on the fun! Pretty much, a meme is a list of questions that you answer about yourself. But here in the bloggiverse weird names are a must, so without any ado, here is my meme.

The only rule is that you can’t use the same answer twice.

1. What book is next to your bed right now?
2. What is your favorite series?
3. What is your favorite book?
4. Who is your favorite character?
5. Who do you think is the best villain?

1- Well, I'm pretty sure half the library is next to my bed because one never knows what book may strike ones fancy at night. Here's the list: Finnikin of the Rock, The Name of the Wind, The Children's Book, The Shifter, The Help, Scriptures, Mater's Shapes, Just What Mama Needs, and Duck for President.

2- My favorite series? Currently it's The Hunger Games series, but some of my all-time favorites are The Lord of the Ring Trilogy, The Westmark Trilogy (by Lloyd Alexander), and Harry Potter. (Twilight deserves an honorable mention. It will always hold a special place even though I am thoroughly sick of it now. Because of that series I have made 24 of the best friendships I have ever had with some amazing women!)

3- My favorite book? Probably Jane Eyre with close seconds going to Rebecca and To Kill a Mockingbird. Oh, and Gone With the Wind, and Keturah and Lord Death, and The Blue Sword, and The Giver, and The Truth About Forever, and The Book Thief, and Bark George, and There is a Bird on Your Head, and Falling for Rapunzel... oh for the love, just go look at my Shelfari account!

4- My favorite character award goes, hands down, to Grandma Dowdel in A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck! (Go read these books if you haven't! They're fast, easy, and guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!)

5- I think the best villain is Lady Catherine De Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice. She is just the sort of pompous old windbag that I love to hate! Oh, and even though they're technically not villains, I cannot stand Angel Clare from Tess of the D'Urbervilles, he is such a horrible hypocrite, or Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, he is a wife beating, dog hanging, grave digging psycho! And the creepiest villain awards go to Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca and to the combined efforts of Grace Poole and Mrs. Mason-Rochester from Jane Eyre. (Does that technically count as repeating an answer? Meh, I don't really care!)

Sorry, I was probably supposed to narrow all these down to just one choice each, but as Danielle from the movie Ever After said, "I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens!"

Random Fun-ness!

YES!!!  I have found a new way to waste time and money!!!  But it's sooooo cool!

Here it is... ZAZZLE!  They have a bunch of cool t-shirts and gifts and stuff that you can customize!!!  Here is my favorite...

SHOES!!!!!!  And, yes I DESIGNED THEM!!!!  (using this cute graphic that I found online... and I promise I'm not stealing the image because there is no way that I could afford these absolutely adorable shoes.  *sigh*)

But go ahead!  Have fun designing all kinds of stuff from shoes, mugs and t-shirts to invitations and postage stamps!

What would you customize?  and how?

(too bad I can't get a marketing fee or free products for this great plug for their company!!!)

Mmmm... Cookies

My friend Debbie asked on Facebook what are people's favorite kind of cookie. And I've been craving some ever since I read her post!

There are so many delicious kinds of cookie and my goal is to, someday, try them all. Well, not really, I actually have met a few kinds of cookies that I didn't like. I'm not a huge fan of really crunchy cookies, or anything with nuts, or crackers masquerading under the title of cookie.

My two favorites are my grandma's oatmeal raisin cookies and my college roommate's chocolate chip cookies. They both are moist and tender and not too sweet.

If you would like the recipes here they are:
Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Amber's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Enjoy!

Ok, switch to your "Shauna voice"...
I have recently become a huge fan of The Cadbury Egg Cookies!  Thanks to a fun book club and a great friend!  Now I will make millions of them and get super fat!!!  (if only I could get off my lazy butt long enough to cook!)

A "green" project

Don't you hate it when you splash bleach on your shirt???  Especially when its one of your favorites or brand new... as in this case.  Dang it!!!  Well, I figured since it was already ruined, I'd try my hand at fixing it.  Here's the result.  Not too shabby!  I dipped a paintbrush in bleach and went crazy.  Then for fun I added some sparkly fabric paint.  Try it on your next bleach disaster!

Good Monday Morning!

Well, our fun week of spring break #3 is over.  Now everyone is back into the swing of things.  And despite the tons of help I had from my wonderful husband, there is still plenty to be done today.  We folded about 6 baskets of laundry on Saturday (and got them all put away!!!).  But what do I have staring at me today??  Oh yes, another 6 baskets full of clean, unfolded laundry.  Don't you hate that???  Oh yes.  But I'd rather fold laundry than wash dishes or clean bathrooms.  Laundry was always my favorite chore growing up... because I could sit next to the washer and dryer while they ran and read a book and I was still "working" on my job!  Still, reading and laundry go together for me... I get books on CD and fold while I listen!  It's the best of both worlds... being productive and entertained at the same time!!!



What's your favorite chore or your nemesis chore?  And how do you motivate yourself to get them done??