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Literary Junkies Link-Up

This is the fourth month of our online book club, the Literary Junkies.  However, this is the third time I have participated, simply because I never got a chance to read one of the stories.  But that's okay!


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Here are this week's questions!  Don't delay - link up today!

1. What are you reading now?  Tell us about it.
2. Give us the recipe for a great book.
3. Tell us things you've learned from a book recently.  Did you learn anything about history  Did you take away a deep & profound realization about the world around you?  Or maybe even a beauty tip?
4. What was your favorite book as a child?

My answers:

1. I'm reading Starting from Scratch by Susan Gilbert-Collins.  See the little image in my sidebar?  I've got to say, I'm not impressed.  I actually started this book a while ago, but it was taking so long to get through.  I wasn't interested (which is totally STRANGE for me!)  I put it down to read this month's book club selection.  I decided to pick it up again and finish reading it now, but it's just as boring as I remember it being.  Which is saddening, because it sounded really good!  And I rarely put books down midway through.  I can only remember doing that to ONE other book!

GoodReads synopsis
Why is someone who just defended her doctoral dissertation still wasting her time at her childhood home, two months after her mother’s funeral, making coq au vin and osso buco? Olivia Tschetter, the youngest of four high-achieving South Dakotan siblings, is not returning to “normal”—or to graduate school— quickly enough to suit her family. She wants only to bury herself in her mother’s kitchen, finding solace in their shared passion for cooking.
Threatened with grief counseling, Olivia accepts a temporary position at the local Meals on Wheels, where she stumbles upon some unfinished business from her mother’s past—and a dark family secret. Startling announcements from two siblings also challenge the family’s status quo. The last thing she needs is a deepening romantic interest in a close but platonic (she thought) friend.
But while Olivia’s mother is gone, her memory and spirit continue to engage Olivia, who finds herself daring to speak when she would never have spoken before. Told with humor and compassion, Starting from Scratch explores the shifting of family dynamics in the wake of shattering loss and the healing power of cooking.
2. The recipe for a great book would have to be a short introduction with background on the characters, and an equal mix of action, suspense, romance, and humor.  
3. The last book I read, which was this month's Literary Junkies book club selection, The American Heiress, was a period that takes place during the 1800s.  History has never been my "thing," however, I really enjoyed reading about this time period.  Picturing how lives were lived and how different they lived. It definitely made me want to read more stories based in this time period!  
4. The Monster at the End of the Book was definitely a favorite.  I can remember always reading stories, but this is one that definitely sticks out in my mind.  I do remember reading this a lot!
Happy Tuesday, all!


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Happy Valentines Day & Free Download

Happy Valentine's Day, all!  I'm keeping this post short and sweet, but I wanted to share some Valentine downloads with you!  All you have to do is download, print, frame and display!  They are super easy decorations for your house!



Click here to download Be My Valentine and click here to download Valentines Wishes!  

Feel free to share this link with anyone you wish, but please only share the link to this blog post, not the link to the download page.  Thanks!

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Monday Mingling Blog Hop


One Haole Girl and Southern Sunflowers & Coffee Beans are the two hosts of the oh-so-fabulous Monday Mingling Blog Hop!  It's very simple really, and is a lot of fun!  There are so many great blogs out there and this is a GREAT way to introduce yourself to some of them!

Have a great Monday, all!

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Have you seen a chaise like this?

I know I've neglected the blog lately, and I know this post is super short.  However, there are some good things coming to the blog soon!  Take a look at the caption below this image and help me out if you can!  I'm in the process of designing my new office space!



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Last chance to make a BIG difference!

I'm a first year fifth grade teacher and my students are easily frustrated during math class.  They just don't get most of the concepts that are being taught.  I'm looking for some fun, new ways for my students to learn the material easily!  I posted about this project a few days ago and I just wanted to send a reminder out!  Please click the link above to read more about the project!

Thanks to Donors Choose, I'm looking to raise some funds to gain some new materials that my students can use to reinforce their learning.  I know this will make math fun and exciting and I'm so excited about this!!

This project will be open for the next few months for you to donate to, however, if you can donate by TOMORROW, Donors Choose will MATCH your donation!  All you need to use is the code INSPIRE to have your donation matched!  How awesome is that!!

A gift of any size is greatly appreciated!  Even a five dollar gift.  You may not think it's much, but just think!  I have 77 blog followers.  If HALF of you can give up your Starbucks for a day and donate just five dollars to my project, (after Donors Choose has matched your five dollars), that's more that enough to completely fund the project!

Please consider giving anything you are able to give and then, do me a favor and please pass on this information to a friend!

All you have to do is click here, or go to http://www.donorschoose.org/scarper, and use the code INSPIRE to have your donation matched!

And remember, just like I promised before, if you are a fellow blogger and make a donation of any size, contact me after you have donated and I'll give you TWO months of ad space on my blog!  How awesome is that!

Please, please consider!!



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