Book Meme

This should be fun!

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why? I don't usually care. Paperback usually means cheaper. :) If it's hardcover, I do have to take the paper outside off. It bugs me.

2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it…The Book Nook. It would be next door to The Cookie Nook. You could buy a cookie and go read a book. What could be better?

3. My favourite quote from a book (mention the title) is…From Eat, Pray, Love: "In the end, what I have come to believe about God is simple. It's like this--I used to have this really great dog. She came from the pound. She was a mixture of about ten different breeds, but seemed to have inherited the finest features of them all. She was brown. When people asked me, "What kind of a dog is that?" I would always give the same answer: "She's a brown dog." Similarly, when the question is raised, "What kind of a God do you believe in?" my answer is easy: "I believe in a magnificent God."

4. The author (alive or dead) I would love to have lunch with would be ….C.S. Lewis

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survival guide, it would be…The Bible. It sounds so goody-goody of me, but it's the only thing I've re-read and enjoyed the second time as much as (or more than) the first.

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that….Something that holds them open on a table. I didn't think it was a necessary gadget until I tried to type the quote above. :)

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of….My elementary school library. I used to check out a book about Christmas around the world. The book was ancient and I was one of only two people to ever check it out. I'm not sure why I loved it so much! I guess I just loved Christmas that much.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be….Anne in Anne of Green Gables.

9. The most overestimated book of all times is….Harry Potter series. I'm sure the books are good (I have read the first) but it seems like a lot of hype.

10. I hate it when a book….ends before I'm ready for it to!

Tag to whomever sees this next! Corinne or Lisa!

Meet my new best friend!

His name is Mr. Clean. I've never been a fan of his cleaning products, as I tend to go for generic store brands. However, all of that changed today. He entered my life with fairly new product called "Magic Eraser" and I promise I will always have one of these truly magic products in my house. Let me explain.

This morning, Jackson and I were doing some random chores around the house. Now, when I say we were BOTH doing chores, I really mean that I was doing things, and Jack was right on my heels, undoing everything for me. Fantastic! At one point, he discovered some stickers in our bedroom, so I let him sit there and go crazy with the stickers while I did something productive without his help. At one point, things got eerily quiet in our bedroom, so I decided to check on the sticker boy. As I entered the room, I was met by Jackson, black sharpie in hand, and this:








You've got to scroll down a little bit so that it's a surprise............... :)














I almost threw up. I must have yelled, because Jack started crying. So I held him for a while, explaining that it was my fault for leaving him alone and that his artwork was really quite good. After we both settled down, I tried to remove the marks with a variety of household products. When none of them worked, I googled "removing permanent marker from wood furniture." And voila! There were tons of sites that claimed the magic eraser was exactly what I needed. Since we needed a couple of other things at Cub, Jack and I ran a quick errand. And there, on the top shelf of aisle 15, was my new man, in all his shiny bald glory:
I grabbed it and the rest of our shopping list and skedaddled out of the store. After getting Jack in bed, I started in with the magic. (By the way, the picture only shows half of the mess. I wanted to get it close up. The dresser is double wide, and he got both sides very nicely). AND BOY WAS IT MAGIC!!!! I just about cried, it was so amazing. It hardly required any effort on my part. I don't know what the sponge is made of or what is in it, but I was absolutely amazed. Here is the SAME dresser after Mr. Clean's help:

Aren't you just amazed? Seriously, I feel like I should call the company and do a commercial! :)

What Jackson WON'T be wearing this holiday season

So, a couple of years ago I ordered a pair of clearanced flipflops online from J Crew. Ever since, I have been on their e-mailing list. I recently discovered that they have a kids' clothing line called Crew Cuts. I got an e-mail about some of their "holiday looks" today, and I just want to share with you a single little boy outfit.

Here is a cashmere cable knit sweater for $98.

Of course, he'll need a shirt to go under it, so this is a classic dress shirt for $36.50 (for a limited time, it's on sale for $28.50).

And plaid pants for $185. I don't think I've ever spent that amount of money for a pair of pants for myself.

Obviously, he'll need some shoes, and what better than these loafers for a mere $88? (We'll use our own socks, since theirs are upwards of $9/pair).

If it happens to be cold, he'll also need a jacket. Here's a leather number for $350.

For a grand total of $757.50. So THIS is where the celebs shop for their kids. Heaven, help us!

Bucket List

Dan and I saw the movie "Dan in Real Life" last night. Great movie! I would highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed.

We also saw some great previews for upcoming movies, including one that looks like a sure award-winner called "Bucket List." In it, two cancer patients, played by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, escape from the hospital and take a trip to cross things off their bucket list---the list you make of things you want to do before you die (or, kick the bucket). So it got me thinking about this concept of a "bucket list," and I'm wondering how many people have them. I decided to start one. Actually, I started one as a joke when we flew to Connecticut in September. You know those tacky catalogs in the seat pocket in front of you--Skymall? I decided that I wanted to order something out of that catalog before I die. It was a joke, but of course it was crazy enough to make it to the "real" list. :) So, start yours. And tell me what it includes!!!

And no, I'm not sharing mine here. You'll have to invite me to lunch and tell me to bring it with.

Erin :)