Currently Reading: A Pug's Guide to Etiquette

So technically I'm not reading this book "currently," but I wanted to dedicate a post to it. I got this book in Chicago and quickly had it read within the first hour of the train home.

I love pugs. They have amazing personalities and they're so stinking funny.  My family was blessed enough to have one in our lives for about 6 years. 

Edgar chose us. He just walked up to my mom in the driveway one day, followed her into the house, and stayed. He was the best dog with the goofiest habits. Edgar had a lot of health issues and, unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to him this past winter. It was one of the hardest days ever and I still miss him so much. But he's still with me. Literally. Sometimes I still find his hair in random places. :) I love those little reminders.

I think that's why I love this book so much. It's sweet, funny, and all of it is true. Some of the things reminded me so much of Edgar. Definitely tugged at my heartstrings.

If you have an affinity for pugs or have ever owned one, you need to read this book. It will make you smile and appreciate what an awesome dog you have.

Currently Reading: One Thousand White Women-The Journals of May Dodd

I've been taking my time reading my current classic, The Count of Monte Cristo. While I'm enjoying it, I just felt like I needed something easy and interesting to read as I've been more on-the-go recently. I found One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd at Target the other day and it sounded good.  It's a fictional novel set in the 1870s, narrated through the journal of a young woman who was committed to an insane asylum by her rich family. She left the asylum to participate in a secret government program in which one thousand "civilized" white women became the brides of Cheyenne warriors as a part of a peace treaty with the whites. I started reading it yesterday and only got through the first chapter, but I'm loving it. Side note: I've always been intrigued with Native Americans. I was an "Indian squaw" for Halloween three years in a row and I'd carry my baby dolls around in a papoose my mom made me.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Pinterest Project: Yarn Pom-Pom Bookmarks

Rather than do work on this rainy day, I opted to go to my parents' house and raid my mother's craft closet. I ran across some of her old yarn and remembered this project that's been on my to-do list basically since I've joined Pinterest.

Yarn Pom-Pom Bookmarks!

 

While I did take pictures to post as I was making these, I would highly suggest using the link above for directions if you want to make one yourself. :)

 

What you need: 

     *yarn
     *sharp scissors

 

Directions:

1) Measure out and cut a 15ish inch long strand of yarn (the bookmark tail) and an 8-10 inch strand (to go around your yarn loops later)

 

 

2) Grab your ball of yarn and hold the end piece like so:

 

 

 

3) Start wrapping the yarn furiously around your fingers (about 90 times for thin yarn, 50 times for thicker yarn). *Beware: the tips of your fingers will turn purple and go numb if you don't do this part fast enough.

 

 



 

4) Once you're done wrapping, carefully slide the yarn off your fingers and lay it (loops up and down) across the shorter strand you cut earlier.

 

 

 

5) Tie the string tightly around the ball (then I cut off the excess ends)

 

 

6)  I sort of skipped ahead on the pic above but then tie the longer strand to the  piece you just tied around the middle of the ball so it should look like this:

 

 

 

 

7) Then slide your scissours through the loops on each side and cut to make the pom-poms!

 

 

You will neeed to trim the yarn afterwards because it'll be uneven. The above picture is after a little trim. Just be careful not to cut off the bookmark tail!

 

Then enjoy!

 

These could probably be trimmed more, but I like them a little wild.

 

Bucket List: Read all the B&N Classics

I've always had an infatuation with reading. During my grade school days, I LOVED when it would rain so that I could stay inside during recess and read. Lame, huh?  That might explain some of my social awkwardness. :) I definitely preferred book order delivery days to, say, trick-or-treating for Halloween.

In middle school I became intrigued with classic literature. My dad (who rarely reads) told me about his favorite book -Great Expectations- so I biked to the local public library, checked out the Charles Dickens classic, read it in a matter of days, and was hooked.

I didn't have a lot of extra time in college for pleasure reading. But after grad school, I made a trip to Barnes and Noble and picked up one of their "Classics" book lists. Shortly after, I made my first official bucket list and it included "Read all of the Barnes and Noble Classics." There are a total of 186 books on this list. I've also added a few modern classic literature books to another list such as 1984, Catch-22, etc.  I started to tackle the B&N classics list the summer of 2010. Because I frequent thrift stores with my clients, it's become my personal quest to find all of these books for my own little library. Of the 186 books on the classics list, I own 141 and I've read 34 of them. I have a long way to go, but hopefully I have a long life ahead of me to accomplish this bucket list goal. I'll feature some of my favorite books on the blog along the way.

What is your favorite classic literature book?