it's the simple thing's in life that make me happy ...

relaxing in the states ...

... my photos as jewelry ...

... & i had to have these ... 

... excited to explore this book ...

... seeing the hubby in 4 days!

books make me happy ...

i can't believe we're already 2 weeks into 2011 ... i feel like time is flying (but then i can't believe i'm in my trimester either) ... anyways here are my first two reads of 2011 (there won't be any spoilers):

1. Mark of the Lion ~ Suzanne Arruda

2. Winter in Madrid ~ C.J Sansom

Mark of the Lion is the first in a series, the lead character is one Jade Del Cameron & it's very much in the realm of an Agatha Christie who done it. Jade is your stereotypical bold, adventurous, stubborn, outspoken, beautiful heroine setting out to solve the dying wish of her WWI pilot friend. The book is set against the wonderful African backdrop & whilst a little predictable in places it was highly enjoyable & an easy read. I will be continuing the series, something light that draws you in & leads you off into a colourful world of safari, & post WWI colonies, with some great characters (if a little stereotypical at times). Like i said Agatha Christie esc! 

Winter in Madrid is set against the backdrop if post civil war Spain in 1940. The rest of Europe is at war & here we watch as the past collides with the present in a historical thriller. There are spies, suspense & some powerful observations of the human race. The backdrop of Madrid was incredible, & the historical context new & refreshing. Any book that teaches me as i read & leads me to looking up all kinds of things on the internet can't be a bad thing right? The characters were well written & whilst you could see what was coming round some corners other twists came as a total shock. The book is "gripping" in the words of reviewers & left me with more questions than answers. 

books make me happy ...

As some of you might have guessed i like books ... & when i say i like books i mean i love books. My home is over flowing with them, i honestly don't think there is a room in our house that doesn't contain at least one. Anyways my friend Andrea Despot wrote a post about her favourite reads of 2010 & well obviously i had to check out all the ones she loved to see if there was something new & pretty & shiny for me to enjoy. Naturally there was ... so now i'm continuing the trend & sharing some of the books i enjoyed the most in 2010. 

The Swan Thieves - The Postmisress - Ansel Adams an Autobiography

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Middlesex - The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society

Invictus - Her Fearful Symmetry - The Crimson Rooms

The Lace Reader - The Cellist of Sarajevo - An Expert in Murder

What books did you love in 2010? Thinking it's quite possible i may update you weekly on my reads ... would you like that? something a little different. 

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

spending a wonderful thanksgiving & birthday with some of my favourite people ...

hubby gave me hours of quality viewing ...

& you can really never have enough ...

how badly do i want this ... 

finally got our first snow!!

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

being a day late with this post so i could include some things ...

a great giveaway (not that i'm biased) ...

buying something for the nursery ... 

loving this book (thanks to miss andrea for getting me to try it again) ... 

it's a boy!!

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

my first blog post in what feels like forever ... 

having a wonderful vacation with the family ...

getting my house back after the family leaves ... 

i read this ... & this ... & this ... 

the bump is growing! 

it's the simple things in life that make me happy ...

packages in the mail from a wonderful friend ...

making my hair pretty ...

discovering a new author to love ...

lazy summer days ...

only 4 more shifts & then i'm on vacation!

1/100

I have never been good at "still life's" ... i photograph things as i find them instead of creating an image. So when i came across the "100 project" it sounded like a wonderful idea. 100 still life's in a year & for me personally much more feasible than the 365 project. It's forcing me to think a little, use what's available & create an image from nothing.

So here's number 1!