So, I'm obviously not a dedicated blogger and I'm finding it hard to find time to read the blogs I do enjoy, but here I am today on the eve of Easter.

Have a massage appt in a couple of hours at a place not far from my home.  I've been there a couple of times and like the convenience, plus it's very low-key.  Groupon was offering a 20% off coupon for spa and beauty purchases this weekend, plus I had a $10 referral credit from when my friend Leanne signed up with Groupon.  When it was all said and done, I paid $45 for my Groupon which includes an hour-long massage and a 50-minute foot ritual.  I've never experienced the foot ritual, but I'm sure it'll be bliss.

Speaking of deals, I just want to say what a fan of Aldi I am.  When Aldi first came to our area a few years ago, I went out of curiosity and have to say I wasn't that impressed.  Something made me go back and am I ever glad.  The prices there are just unbeatable, plus it's fun to discover what special product is on offer for a limited time.  I also realized I like shopping there because there isn't all that price and product comparison stuff to worry about--there's pretty much one choice of everything and you either want it or you don't.  And I've found the quality of just about everything to be just as good as national brands. 

Yesterday, I found fresh asparagus at Aldi for the first time.  It was only $1.69 for a 1 lb. bag.  My husband and I are going to have it with our Easter ham along with some mushroom risotto.

Not having the kids over tomorrow.  We've been so busy lately with one thing or another that we really just wanted to have the afternoon to ourselves to do some more things in the yard and take care of some boring stuff like figuring out how to protest the hike in our homeowner's taxes.

Went down to San Antonio a couple of weeks ago to see Dad & Jill and look at some things I might want to have.  Dad & Jill decided a couple of months ago to move to the Army Retirement Community in San Antonio and they are doing so on the 28th of this month.  It didn't give any of us much time to go through the household, but Greg met me in San Antonio and he cleaned out both attic spaces and took a few things back to League City with him.  I'm going to go back next Saturday when the packers will be there and make sure the things I want are left untouched.  John-my-husband will drive down the next day with his truck and we'll pack up and drive back the same day.

I'm taking an antique secretary that Mom bought, I believe, back in the 70's.  I'm pretty sure it didn't belong to Dad's family, but it's been with our family for probably 40 years.  Anyway, I was going through the drawers in it two weekends ago and found a lot of old letters, including the one Dad wrote to Granddaddy asking for Mom's hand in marriage and the ensuing reply.  I also found a few letters that Granddaddy wrote to Mom--I never knew what a heartfelt writer he was!  There're also lots of letters that Mom wrote to Mommom & Granddaddy when she was teaching in Kitizingen and after she and Dad were first married.

Looked through a lot of old pictures too and saw some items that I'd completely forgotten about and the whereabouts to which Dad has no idea.  For instance, Mom used to have a wallhanging that had actually been the chairback of a chair from Communist China.  It was porcelain with an Asian design and inlaid in wood.  And then there was a really elegant porcelain figurine of a Japanese woman in a black kimono playing the koto.  I wonder if she got broken?  Jill says she doesn't remember either thing.  I would have brought back both of those things.

Anyway, Dad & Jill have hired packers and movers as well as a service that completely unpacks everything, places the furniture and even hangs pictures.  And then they have a lady who will sell everything they don't want in an estate sale.

I have to say it was hard to look around the house and realize it's been 23 years since Mom & Dad built it.  Dad's kind of let it go and it's definitely the right decision for him & Jill to move.  But I really missed my mommy looking through everything.  I will just never get over losing her.

Well, the morning is already getting away from me and I need to eat before I go to my massage.  Plus, I'd like to squeeze in a few pages of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

Watched a very touching German film last night called "Jenseits der Stille" or "Beyond Silence". It's about a hearing girl born to deaf parents who rely on her to be their liaison to the hearing world. She finds it hard to separate herself from them when it is time for her to make her way in the world. Anyway, it was beautifully done. Highly recommended!

Yay! Some brilliant person finally uploaded all of Series 3 of "William & Mary" on youtube. I watched the first two series a few years ago on DVD, but Series 3 has not come out on DVD in the U.S. I absolutely loved this show and I'm so excited to see it to its conclusion.

Score! I've come up with five more books that I read last year for a total of 61. There's one kind of lame paperback mystery that I can't remember the title of... I borrowed it from Vicki B. who is in my bookclub; we had seen the author at a roundtable the Bedford Library had hosted in 2009.

Speaking of the Bedford Library, the new facility will be opening on February 5th--can't wait to check it out.

Also, just found out that "Lark Rise to Candleford" will be ending on February 13th. Doesn't give the writers much time to tie things up...

Have just spent the last hour or so writing down every book I can remember reading last year and came up with 56. Perhaps thinking I had read 90 books was over-estimating a bit much. If I think back to the last time I remember counting all the books on the list I lost, I want to say a number in the 70's rings a bell.

Every book I've checked out of the Bedford Library I can see because I can opt to keep track of everything in my online account. For Hurst and Euless, I went back and plugged in every letter of the alphabet and the auto-fill, or whatever it's called, showed all the books and authors I'd searched for and that helped a lot. If Euless offered the same ability for patrons to keep track of everything they'd ever checked out, that would've helped me a lot because I checked out most of the books I read last year at the Euless Library.

Anyway, I feel a bit better now. Somehow, keeping track of what I've read is important to me as I grow older. I guess it shows what I do with a good chunk of my life. And if I didn't succumb to the lure of the internet so often, just think how much more I could read!

Right now, I'm reading Stylized by Mark Garvey and At Home by Bill Bryson.

So, it's only been about two years since I last posted...Guess I decided to post today because I'm a bit distraught about losing the list of books I read in 2010. I had it in "My Documents" on my computer and even though I'd thought to back up all my mp3 files, for some unknown reason, it never occurred to me to back up My Documents.

I don't even know if I could begin to remember all the books I read last year. I was on quite a tangent for awhile and I'm pretty sure I ended up with close to 90 books.

I tried a few of the free file recovery programs that are available, but none of them even came up with any .wps files which is what I used for my booklist. Big sigh....

Even though it's still February, some of the trees, bulbs, and vines are starting to bloom here in North Texas. The familiar aroma of honeysuckle was wafting in the air when I pulled into the driveway after choir practice last night and it brought a big smile to my face. Sure enough, the honeysuckle vine draped over my back gate was already showing its yellow flowers and giving off its heady perfume.

So today, I'm thankful for the five senses and the pleasures that smelling, seeing, touching, tasting, and hearing can bring.

Read an article recently about people who have "an attitude of gratitude" living better and happier lives. So, I'm going to try and write regularly about things for which I'm thankful.

Right away what comes to mind is being employed. There are so many people without a job right now, including my younger brother, that I need to thank God daily that I have a job and one that is currently not threatened.

I am also thankful daily for the gift of song and for my love of reading and all the avenues available to me to obtain just about anything I'd like to read, including my favorite, the Public Library!

Currently, I'm reading The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure by Catherine Blyth. I'm only a few pages into it, but already I feel as if the book is speaking right to me because my conversation skills are sadly lacking. They've never been great at the best of times, but I feel as if they continue to deteriorate.

I'm also reading The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti by Annie Vanderbilt which is about a woman spending the summer in the South of France writing her memoirs as part of a healing process. I've only just started it as well and should spend the afternoon really getting into it; I fear I've been a little distracted each time I've picked it up.

Just added a widget to my site. Not sure if I know what I'm doing....

I'm here to state my displeasure over the customer service at audiolunchbox.com--or the lack thereof. I've used audiolunchbox in the past but recently, I tried to download an album that had empty files. I successfully downloaded two other albums from the site, but this one album just didn't have anything in the files. After two emails to customer service, I still haven't heard anything nor was I sent a replacement file or credited back the points I had used. I will totally not use this site again. For much, much better customer service and a better site overall, I steer you over to emusic.com. I've been happy a customer there for the last couple of years and was pleased that when I had a download problem, I received immediate and courteous help.

Cold, rainy day today and I had to call in sick for my trip. I've been battling a cold since New Year's Day and thought I would be well by now but I woke up hacking at 5:30 this morning, so I guess I'm not quite over it.

So, of course I've been on the computer all morning and I went in search of a biography of Petula Clark. There was actually one published in 1983 and I found a copy for about $5.60 on a site called Awesome Books. It's a great site because it offers free shipping worldwide if you purchase 2 or more items, but even if you purchase only one item, the shipping is cheap! This has become my new favorite bookstore, especially since I can get books which are published in the UK before they even hit the U.S. Check out the site at www.awesomebooks.co.uk. Another great UK book site which offers free worldwide shipping is The Book Depository at www.bookdepository.co.uk. I ordered Cathy Kelly's last novel Lessons in Heartbreak from them (which was, unfortunately, a dud) this past summer and it's still not available in the States. I also recently ordered Dawn French's autobiography Dear Fatty which should be arriving any day now.

Does anyone know where/how I can buy CDs of Cecilia Echenique easily and reasonably priced? I've searched high and low, but am coming up empty. I have the one CD of hers that is offered on iTunes, but she has many more and they aren't easily obtainable. I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

Downloaded Annett Louisan's new album "Teilzeithippie" this past weekend and love it! She's kind of a German Norah Jones. Check her out. Am also enjoying Marie-Elaine Thibert's new Christmas album "Un jour noel".

Forgot to mention that for any "Vicar of Dibley" fans out there, you might want to check out Katherine Jenkins' new album "Sacred Arias". She sings the theme song from the show-- "The Lord is My Shepherd"--on the album.

Okay, so I haven't posted in forever, mostly because I'm too busy reading other people's blogs or watching too many TV series. However, I did want to say that I am going to the Amy Grant "Lead Me On" reunion tour on November 14th in Fort Worth. I only bought one ticket because I don't know anyone anymore who would really enjoy it as much as I. Sadly, my girlfriend Leigh, who enjoyed Christian music just as much as I, passed away from breast cancer about a year and a half ago. In fact, she and I got to see Amy Grant on her free "Legacy...Hymns & Faith" tour about three years ago. We saw her at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie and because we were one of the first there, we got a seat in about the third row. It was a great concert because it was just a couple of acoustic instruments and Vince Gill made a surprise appearance.

Anyway, currently enjoying watching the British mini-series "William & Mary" and reading Alexander McCall-Smith's online novel Corduroy Mansions. Am also reading Rebecca which is this month's bookclub selection.

Amy Grant

Just finished reading Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson. Last month she offered free copies of the book to anyone who agreed to read it and post a review on his/her website. I'm not great with reviews, but here goes....

The story is about a woman named Heather who is a compulsive shopper and who lives in a house with her husband and son that is too big and has too much stuff. This all starts to bother her, especially after she makes a wrong turn one night and winds up at a homeless shelter in a dicey part of town. Soon after that, she lands with her car in a ditch and finds her way to the home of two sisters in their 90's who are still going strong. She ends up staying with them for awhile and giving a lot of thought to her life.

I could very much relate to the anxiety of having too much stuff. While I'm not a total shopaholic, I own too many clothes and too many CDs. (I'm not into iPODS.) Sometimes I wish I didn't have to have the latest style or an artist's latest CD.

I also wish I were more of a giving person. I'm pretty stingy about volunteering my time sometimes.

There are also themes of forgiveness in the novel and I could relate to those as well because I do not forgive easily.

All in all, I'd say Quaker Summer is an easily read novel with much food for thought. The dialog tries to be very hip which sometimes rings true and sometimes seems affected, but I'll admit to enjoying the references to many modern stores and conveniences. I also noticed how much the novel reflected much of what is going on in Lisa Samson's own life which I've been reading about in her blog www.lisasaomson.typepad.com.

This is only the third Lisa Samson novel I've read, but I still have to say my favorite is The Church Ladies.

Does anyone know where in the world Julie Lafontaine is? I'm speaking of the Julie Lafontaine who wrote and sang the song "On A Mission" which is on the album "Lumière du Monde", the official album of World Youth Day 2002. The song was also the official song of "World Day for Consecrated Life" in 2003.

The song is very catchy and upbeat and Julie's voice reminds me somewhat of a young Susan Ashton. I thought for sure by now we'd be hearing more from her, but I can't find anything.

I'm in heaven! I just found out that the "Vicar of Dibley" had a two-episode special that aired on the BBC this past December and both episodes are already on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9GOz6VdiEk&mode=related&search=. Can't wait to view them both.

On the recommendation of B.J. Hoffs, I'm reading Monday Morning Faith by Lori Copeland. It's an easy read filled with all the gentle humor I enjoyed in the Heavenly Daze series.