Blah day but awesome coupon codes!

Bah, migraines. Saps one of all strength and creativity. So it's a good time to pass along a bit of savings to all of you.

You've noticed, I'm sure, that I've monitized the old blog, trying to raise a bit of cash for the dusty coffers. Anyhow, along with that comes a lot of info on offers, sales, etc. Most recently, I received these awesome coupon codes from Alibris:

Save $2 off $20 of your favorite books, music, and movies when you use coupon code FREEDOM on checkout at www.alibris.com. This offer expires April 5, 2011.

Save $3 off $30 of your favorite books, music, and movies when you use coupon code BOUND on checkout at www.alibris.com. This offer expires April 5, 2011.

Save $5 off $50 of your favorite books, music, and movies when you use coupon code ILLUSTRADO on checkout at www.alibris.com. This offer expires April 5, 2011.

Save $7 off $70 of your favorite books, music, and movies when you use coupon code ANGELOLOGY on checkout at www.alibris.com. This offer expires April 5, 2011.

Save $10 off $100 of your favorite books, music, and movies when you use coupon code SOLAR on checkout at www.alibris.com. This offer expires April 5, 2011.

Save $15 off $150 of your favorite books, music, and movies when you use coupon code CLEOPATRA on checkout at www.alibris.com. This offer expires April 5, 2011.

If you've never shopped Alibris, it's worth taking a look. Their prices are often discounted and they stock or will help you find out-of-print and used items. I go there sometimes and put in all of the Alice Starmore books and Rowan magazines and dream that I have the money for all of them.

If you've been yearning for a new read, now would be a great time to get one!

The return of my Muse

Last night I was up until around 3 am writing a flurry of words in my journal. I'm not much of a journaling person, but words and phrases and sentences kept bombarding my thoughts so much so that I had to write them down. It seems that my writing muse has returned with a vengeance. I can only attribute her return to one thing - I opened up a book and started reading.

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I was so out of balance that I hadn't even opened a book since before Christmas. Now I realize that reading not only transports me to new places but also ambushes me with new ideas. It seems that no matter what the book, from Chick Lit to Proust, Winnie the Pooh to the Little Prince I am left with something to ponder, something that sticks with me, seemingly forever. And I don't even have to Like the book (although I gave up the idea that I hac to finish books that I didn't like a long time ago), they still fill me to the brim.

And now I am bursting at the seams.

It's no wonder we all long to put words to paper. What an amazing legacy to leave behind! I had not realized until this week how often an idea from some long ago read novel creeps into my thoughts, and again, even form books that I dreaded reading (The Red Badge of Courage pops to mind - fine book, but for me was like bamboo under the nails torture). Yes, I want to leave something like this behind.

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So now I am in a full fledged book orgy. Reading everything I can get my hands on - 600 page thrillers getting read in 3 days, meatier tomes causing me to stop an reflect and dog ear pages that I want to return to later on. So tell me, as I'm not up on what has been recently published, what should I read? I'll read a little bit of everything (except for scary, gratuitous violence). Give me some suggestions and a reason to pay off the fine on my library card!

Book You Need To Read: A Word to the End Time Church by Georgie Newman

When Bring It On! Communications sent me a copy of Georgie Newman's "A Word to the End Time Church" to review I was a bit hesitant about the book. I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of end time theology, as the bible clearly states that no man shall know the time that Christ will appear. My hesitation was quickly wiped away as I started to read this wonderfully written, insightful book.

Georgie Newman is a layperson with no formal education in theology but she possesses an incredible gift for interpretation and teaching the Bible. The first section of her book, How Well Do You Know Him?, is a straightforward introduction and explanation of Christianity. Though this book is written for Christians this section is invaluable; the section on How to Hear God answered a lot of questions I have been asking myself for years. I was also fascinated by the discussion of the rhema and the logos (the two ways in which God can speak to us): logos is a systematically written or laid forth, like a sermon or the Bible while rhema is described as a word, an utterance, a pouring forth of a message from the Holy Spirit. It is those messages that we receive in our hearts and souls from God. There is also instruction on how to determine whether words that we receive are, in fact, from God, and what we should do when we receive rhema from God.

In the second section of her book (Are You Ready?), Georgie Newman challenges the reader to take a close look at their faith walk. While a case is made for the fact that we are living in the end times, this is not the theme of this section; rather, we are reminded that as Christians we are instructed to live our lives as if we are always living in the time of Revelation. The reader is asked tough questions such as "Are you standing on solid ground?" and "What do you really believe?" and given guidance if they find they are lacking in certain areas. This book probes all areas of the believers walk and implores the reader to make change where it is needed.

"A Word to the End Time Church" is a compelling, thoughtful book written by a woman who is clearly a messenger of God's word. I found myself unable to put it down and was forced to ask myself questions that I had been avoiding regarding my faith. It is a highly recommended book and one that I am sure I will be returning to many times in the future.

Book Information:
Title: A Word to the End Time Church
Author: Georgie Newman
Non-Fiction
150 pages
Suggested Retail Price: $14.99
VMI Publishers, published 2009
ISBN:1-935265-02-4

Wise Prince

Enter for a $40 CSN Gift Card! Drawing Thursday! Click HERE.

All grown-ups were children first. (But few remember it).

I am very fond of sunsets. Come, let us go look at a sunset...

"Where are the people?" resumed the little prince at last. "It's a little lonely in the desert..."
"It is lonely when you're among people, too," said the snake.

Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Only children know what they are looking for.

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"What makes the desert beautiful," says the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well."

"That is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you're truly a wise man."



"People where you live," the little prince said, "grow five thousand roses in one garden... yet they don't find what they're looking for..."
"They don't find it," I answered.
"And yet what they're looking for could be found in a single rose, or a little water..."
"Of course," I answered.
And the little prince added, "But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart."

All photos We Heart It

Another vintage book

This book is a copy of a limited edition of books that Andy Warhol put out entitled "15 cats named Sam and One Blue Pussy." I Know what you are thinking but yes, it is a play on words - after all, this is Andy Warhol we are talking about! There is no narrative to the book, just pictures, so that is what I'm giving you today.

Enjoy your weekend!

My journey with Proust

So, in light of all the Proust discussions, I have decided to read Remembrance of Things Past. And to read it slowly and let it tumble around in my head - not like the mad dash of college when it had to be read by such and such date and , My God, how am I going to read all of this???!!!



Perhaps I'll take you on a journey with me. Perhaps you can come along with me.

Oh, and here is the grave upon which the Madeleine was placed. It's in Pere Lachaise cemetery and you should visit it sometime. It is amazingly beautiful, full of feral cats (including a ginger tabby who bit me on the nose that I named Mr. Puddintaine) and lush trees, and higgeldy piggely cobblestones. You'd also be able to see the final resting places of Heloise and Abelard, Chopin, Poulenc, and Modigliani, oh, and that rock star from The Doors. AND, you'll be in PARIS!



I love cemeteries. I suppose I should save this for a Wednesday post, but I do love them. I don't find them creepy, I find them peaceful and quiet and beautiful. I wasn't prepared for how beautiful Pere Lachaise would be. I snatched a few photos off of photobucket to prove it to you.


lpk89


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BlueBloodGirl


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Toulouse-Lautrec: The Art of Cuisine

So I thought I'd share some of my treasures with you. This cookbook by Toulouse-Lautrec and Maurice Joyant is one of my absolute favorite books. It is filled with art by the artist and is, most definitely, a serious cookbook. Toulouse-Lautrec was apparently well known for hosting lavish dinner parties and this book was a result of his gourmet prowess.



The book is supposedly filled with Toulouse-Lautrec's most requested recipes. A delightful thing about the book is that most pages also are illustrated by the great artist. Here, a recipe for Roast Turkey for a Shooting Lunch:



Dindon Roti Pour Dejeuner de Chasse
"For a 14 lb. turkey use 1 lb. each ground beef, veal, and sausage meat and 1/2 lb. chestnuts. If no boudin (blood sausage), chop turkey liver and 3 chicken livers, sauteed, plus 1/2 lb. extra sausage meat."

Each section (game meats, desserts, vegetables) is introducted with a full color painting:



And then there is my favorite section, Ultima Ratio Finis, which includes recipes for Grasshoppers Grilled in the Fashion of Saint John the Baptist, Saint on the Grill, and Ancient Recipe.



Saint sur la Gril
"With the help of the Vatican try to procure for yourself a real(!) saint.

Treat him as St. Lawrence was treated on August tenth, A.D. 258. When you have whipped him, lay him on the grill over a big bed of charcoal. Like his predecessor, if he is a real saint, he himself will ask to be turned over in order to be grilled to a turn on both sides"

This is one of my favorite books and believe it of not, Amazon has a few copies of it. The new copy is $75.00, but the collectible copies sell for much less. Here's a link of you are interested. I promise that if you are an art lover and/or a cook, you will get hours of enjoyment from this amazing book!

I Love: Old Books

One of my favorite spots to waste away a day is a musty, crammed to the rafters used books store. I love the dust. I love the way the books feel when you open them, the slight yellowing of the pages, even that slight smell of mildew that comes from a long stored treasure.

Walk into a store like this with me and count your day gone. I will not be leaving soon. Who Knows what treasures await?



When I was a child, I found a medical textbook from the 1800's. "Chill Blane" was a diagnosis. So was "Histrionic Female."

Perhaps I will find a new addition to my ever growing Wonder Book and My Book House collection. I read these over and over again as a child, somehow parted ways with them, and am slowly reacquiring them.



In Paris, a French biography of Marcel Proust (that I can't read as my french is not good enough) with a beautiful red leather cover. This the same day I placed a Madeleine on his grave site.


jleeson21, photobucket

In New Orleans, the complete Remembrance of Things Past to add to my Proust obsession. In England, first editions for my mom's Miss Read collection. The journals of a Country Doctor. A cookbook by Toulouse Lautrec in which "Grilled Saint on a Stick" is an entree.

My great grandmother's copy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and Tennyson's poems. My mom's High School year book.


StarGazer806, photobucket

I Love Old Books.

My Inspiration Book

If you are looking for the yarn Give Away, it's here.

I love magazines. Love them. One day a few years back, I noticed that my pile of magazines in the corner was getting unmanageable, so I came up with the idea of cutting out the pictures that I liked and recycling the rest. I've been doing it ever since.



I have fun with my Inspiration book. Sometimes I make little collages and other pages are sentimental. Mostly, it is full of images that strike me in some way.





I have this daydream about my book. It is that someday some famous designer will move to Marysville (yup, it's a daydream) and they will become great friends with me and want to decorate my house. I will be able to pull out my book and say "this is what I like" and I will have the most amazing, unique house!





I do think it's important for people who are artistic to keep something like this. It helps us to understand what our true aesthetic is. Before I started keeping this book, I really didn't know that I was such a fan of muted colors (blue in particular) and that I loved primitive pieces and things that remind me of the Heartland so much.







So that's a little look into my Inspiration Book. If you don't already have one, start one of your own. Over on Bloom there is a great post about her scrap books. Get thee a book and start to paste!

The Knitter's Book of Yarn Is Mine!!!

A quick post, in which I must share with you that I got "The Knitter's Book of Yarn" by Clara Parkes for Christmas. I have been scheming up ways to buy this book, despite the initial $40 price tag because I LOVE IT (incidentally, Amazon has it for under $20 now, so buy it! You will not be disappointed. It is a book of pure knitting genius)! In fact, many moons ago, I wrote about it in this here blog, lamenting my ethical obligation to take it back to the library.




I briefly considered buying it and writing it off as a business expense (I do, after all, run a recycled yarns business).

I thought I could buy it and chalk it up to my addiction to cashmere.

The idea of buying it and hiding the receipt from my husband briefly surfaced, but this is just too duplicitous for me.

So I asked my mom for it, and, on Christmas, I got it! I have been having trouble putting it down. I want to make everything in it, and I read the same chapters again and again. I seriously think that we knitters need a 12 Step Program. But since we don't have one, I shall love my book (and dream of the day when I can afford "The Knitter's Book of Wool."

I really don't feel like writing today. I've been reading all of these "writer's inspiration/method" books and they say that I should sit my butt down and write anyway. SO I'm taking published author's advice and doing a post.

It's not that I don't have anything to write about. I'm in the midst of making an adult sized William's hat so that I can work out the crown decrease and publish a pattern for it (my first published pattern!) I've been knitting so furiously over the past few days (4 new scarves, now this hat) that my right thumb feels sprained and my left hand is going numb when I knit. I think I'm giving myself carpal tunnel syndrome from knitting! But I have to say that the scarves are pretty good for using 35 needles and el-cheapo and recycled stash yarn. My daughter wants all of them.



Just a few of the scarves, and not the greatest picture, but you get the idea. I often use two different but coordinating yarns to create a chunky one. Also, you can use novelty eyelash and metallic thread yarns to other yarns to give them depth and that added zing. I'm knitting the hat with a recycled angora/wool maroon tweed. It looks so earthy and man-like (at least a man wouldn't cringe at the thought of wearing it).

I've also been refering back to a book that I have found endlessly handy from the moment that I branched out and started designing things myself. I know that there are a million stitch libraries out there, but I really like "Super Stitches Knitting" by Karen Hemingway. It has over 300 stitch patterns, and I've never had a pattern in mind that I wasn't able to locate in this book. I also like the way the swatches are photographed - like they are live works on the needles. I have a few other stitch libraries, but this is the one that I always come back to.



On the domestic front, Collin and Kendall were home sick today. They had a cough, sniffles, and Collin had this prickly rash all over his body. They slept for hours while Will and I chilled out in my room watching Spongebob and knitting and eating popcorn (or "pacrn" as Will likes to call it). Lovely day, all-in-all, especially since the kids seem to be better and are headed off to school tomorrow.