Thoughts of a Grasshopper

I read this book this morning. It takes about 2-1/2 hours so it is a really quick read. I cried several times in the book, laughed a little and loved the letters and how they helped this family, mostly the mother, heal from the loss of her husband the previous year. It was nice to read something that has the magic of Christmas and the excitement for the kids and yet focused so much on the real meaning of Christmas. It was touching to learn who it was that gave this family the gift but also the final gift the family received was beyond touching.

Yet another book that I really enjoyed. As I read the book, knowing I was seeing the movie Friday night, I wondered how they would fit certain parts of the book into the movie because quite a bit of the book were thoughts Lily had. They did fit a few in but for the most part, they were left out. I went to the movie with two friends, one of which read the book a long time ago and the other has my copy to read now. Both enjoyed the movie but there were parts they questioned, like kneeling on grits and asked what that was about during the movie. They don't enlighten you during the movie, but show the end result on Lily's knees. Like any movie they altered parts of the book. The movie is worth seeing but I definitely preferred the book. The book starts off with Lily, a 14 yr. old girl, looking at some things her mother had that she kept hidden by a peach tree in the orchard. Her father comes out after her in the night and we get the first impression that he is quite harsh w...

This book is fabulous. It takes place in various locations over a couple of years at the beginning of the Iraq war weaving together 3 stories. One story is based on a CIA agent, another on a Kurd fighter and the third story is based on two soldiers in the Special Forces. Each story is rather fascinating and unfolds showing their point of view and/or experiences of Iraq and the people, fighting and tragedy of what was endured under Saddam Hussein. The book itself reinforced more what I hear from those that have served overseas than what the media portrayed. There were some interesting ideas in the book I hadn't considered. All in all, a great read and one that I think my husband would even enjoy.

This is a card I made before I was down with sciatica for a month. I've been off pain killers for a week now. I still feel a lot of discomfort, but I'm able to function without anything, which is nice and better for the baby. This card is as close as I could get to one on SCS . I had the scallop frame surrounding the image, but it seemed to big with the ribbon. I didn't have the wheel but have ordered it since. I don't know how I didn't see it when I placed the original order. Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Floral CS: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, WW Ink: Chocolate Chip Misc: markers, DD, ribbon In the summer I started a book, Eat, Pray, Love and only made it through 2/3 of the book. I loved the first section, the second seemed to drag and I put the book aside to read the Twilight series. I was reminded of the book recently in a conversation and decided to finish it. The end seemed to move quickly enough. The one thing I appreciated about the book was h...