Raymond Khoury

I read Raymond Khoury's "The Sanctuary" and "The Sign" back to back, even though they don't share any of the same characters. They're both thrillers and page-turners.

"The Sanctuary" deals with a search for a life-extending elixir and the ethics involved with presenting it to the world if found. "The Sign" deals with how technology-induced phenomena could be used to manipulate people's religious beliefs.

While being very entertaining, the books did have (in my opinion) important messages and were very thought-provoking.

Dora Links Dolls

My nieces are getting Dora Links Dolls from my sister for Christmas, and I had no idea what these are. But I wanted to get them accessories to go with them.

I found them at Toys R Us and then looked up the doralinks.com website to learn more. I would've absolutely loved this when I was a preteen.

My favorite doll then was a Chrissy that had adjustable-length hair. When I was older, my grandmother dressed it for me and I still have it (somewhat) carefully preserved. Maybe I'll post a picture (I know, I know, I'll add this to my list of pictures to shoot and post.)

I'm in no way affiliated with Toys R Us, Mattel, or Dora the Explorer

Maker's Mark Tour

I enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving with my family this year.  And for Black Friday, instead of shopping, we decided to tour the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto, KY.  I've always wanted to visit so we trekked there and it was worth the drive.

Firstly, it was beautifully decorated for the holidays.  My favorite parts of the tour were the still house and the fermentation room.

Afterwards I got to dip my own souvenir bottle in the red wax to seal it.  That was very fun and something I'll treasure.

Computer on TV

I was so happy that we figured out how to hook up my laptop to our big screen tv. Several of the Louisville games were on espn360 this week and I didn't really want to be stuck watching them at my desk. Plus, I wanted to be able to work on my rag rug during the games.

(The rug is really coming along well. I promise you pictures soon.)

Paula Marantz Cohen

While I was looking for Christmas movies the other night, I stumbled on the P&P movie, so I decided to read "Jane Austen in Scarsdale". It's a modernization of "Persuasion" where Anne is a high school guidance counselor.

Of course it's a love story, but I also enjoyed the whole explanation of the college admissions process that Anne battles for her students. We'll be going through that soon as my son applies to colleges, and I vow to NOT be like many of the parents she describes in the book.

Snowglobe

I love Christmas movies, and seeing them on ABC Family is just ideal for me. So I saw part of the "Snowglobe" movie and was entranced. I didn't get to see the whole movie, but I found it at Sam's Club so I was able to watch it.

It's a delightful movie about family and wanting the holidays to be perfect. This theme really spoke to me 'cos when I was little, Christmas was so simple and magical. So I keep trying to remember that as the holidays get hectic with planning and presents.

Louisville vs. Arkansas

Tonight I get to see the Louisville Cardinals basketball game on ESPN. I love watching basketball but it drives me nuts, too - I guess I get overexcited. College or NBA, it doesn't matter - I still get kinda hyper.

Last year I found that it was much better for me during basketball season if I was working on a project during the game, so I started crochet and fabric projects which I frequently share with you on this blog.

This year I'm working on a 3' x 5' fabric rug which is coming along very nicely. I'll post pictures this week so you can see it.

MyPoints

I talk about My Points alot since it's one of my favorite rewards programs and I love redeeming my points for Amazon certificates so I can buy books.

I've been a member since about 1999 (or so) and it just continues to get better. I've been doing some of my Christmas shopping through My Points so my rewards will add up faster.

There is a referral program if you're interested in joining but you don't get a unique link to use. To refer someone, you need to send them an email invitation which is the only drawback that I have with it. (But if you're interested, I'd be happy to send you an email).

Origami (1st Try)

As soon as I get my latest MyPoints gift certificate (in the mail), I'm going to buy a book about fabric origami boxes. I'm fascinated by the idea of being able to stiffen fabric and fold it to make gift boxes and maybe even purses.

These are just 2 attempts using 6" x 6" origami paper to make a cup and a gift bag (from this tutorial). But I think they could be enlarged and could make really cute big bags from fabric.

As always, I'll let you know as I make progress.

The Vampire's Assistant

My daughter and I finally saw "The Vampire's Assistant" movie this week.  She'd been begging to see it and has started reading the Cirque du Freak books.

I didn't want to see it and was hoping that she could go with one of her friends. But none of them wanted to see it (or see it again) so I told her that I'd take her. I was pleasantly surprised that it was better than I expected.

I really wanted to thank the review at Surviving My Tween Girls 'cos that reassured me that it was not too PG-13'ish.

No Sew Bag with Zipper (2nd Try)

I'm getting the feeling that this may take several tries before it looks the way I want, but I won't subject you to every single iteration.

These are better.  I actually used duct tape for the handles and to line the fabric, and I really like the glossy look. (My daughter does, too).  I put the zipper in the one on the left using glue and duct tape.  I still have more work to figure out zippers, though - they're tricky.

But I got this cool blue, red, yellow, and beige duct tape so I'm set to keep trialing and erroring until I get them right.

No Sew Bag with Zipper (First Try)

I have really wanted to try the no-sew bags and made my first attempt this evening.  I'm using the Jodi Kahn book as my template, and it's completely my fault that the bag doesn't look like hers.

I keep trying to merge 2 different designs, and inserting the zipper is going to take some practice for me.

I've never been handy with a sewing machine but I think I'll be able to use the stapler and duct tape method, so I'll keep practicing and will let you know how it goes.

The nice thing is that I can just take out all the staples and start over !!