Calling all gardeners...

Please visit my personal blog if you are a gardener...I have a question for you!

Thanks for your help!

BBC 100 Book List

I read this list on The Orchard blog. I always like seeing lists of books for ideas on what I might want to read next! Tricia at The Orchard counted how many she had read from the list, and mentioned that most people, according to the BBC, would have only read 6 out of the list! I highlighted the ones I read in blue. I counted 24, some of these I read a long time ago..most of the french titles, they would have been required reading while I was in school in France. I would love to read those again, as an adult, and so many other titles that I haven't read!!
How about you? How many have you read?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (in french)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola (in french)
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (in french)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (in french)
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (in french)

podcasts and music

I just discovered podcasts a few days ago.

You might be wondering why I added a photo of Orion with this post, but it is related to the podcasts!
I walk our puppy every morning and every evening, for close to one hour each time. Most of the time I am by myself with him, and so I have gotten into the habit of bringing Adrienne's ipod with me and listening to music.

I noticed a few days ago a series of podcasts on Harmony Fine Arts blog, downloaded it and listened during one of our walks. I also found out about Creative Mom Podcasts. I enjoyed both, but I thought, there has to be a lot more to choose from out there!

I am curious and interested in finding out what your favourite podcasts are and if you can share some links for podcasts about home schooling, teaching our children, or being creative...anything that is interesting really! Maybe there is a podcast about history or science that you would recommend..

About music..I haven't really thought much about music for myself over the last few years. I have given more focus to the music that my children listen to and to music connected to our homeschooling (classical music for example).

I have tried the free selections from Starbucks, those little cards with a code for a free download on itunes. Some of them have been nice surprises. I have never been too picky with music, even growing up, I enjoyed a wide variety of music, but I just haven't given much thought about it over the last decade!

Again, I am curious to know what is on your mp3 player? What do you enjoy listening to, just for yourself?

new beginning

I have created a new blog to host all my creative experiments.

Serendipity will keep going, for all homeschooling and family "stuff", and of course Book Sharing Monday, but if you are interested in following my adventures in sewing, quilting, photography, art in general, then come and visit, bookmark or add to your google reader my new blog:

my create corner

Thanks!

Alice in Wonderland and Johnny!!

One of my all-time favourite stories is Alice in Wonderland and I do have something like a school-girl crush on Johnny Depp... so I am soooo looking forward to watching this next March. I always love Tim Burton's work too.

I ♥ rainbows

the video is a little blurry..the autofocus kept focusing on the rain drop, and the wind is a bit loud..but i ♥ rainbows! and this one was full and you can see the faint outline of a second one!

First race of the year!

Last night I ran my first race of the year. It was a night time (around 7pm) 5 km race with many participants, almost 1000! The weather was hot but the course was great, a bit of forest, fields, a tiny tunnel...very nice. My time wasn't amazing, 33:16, but I was pleased since I didn't run much of this past winter. Now I am looking forward to more races over the summer and fall!

Update on my medical drama...

If you read my long rant post ten days ago "How I wasted a perfectly good Tuesday morning..." , it is time for an update! This time it won't be a rant, but it does leave me a bit uneasy...

So, to go back to my story, the following day I arrived at the clinic to get my blood drawn between 2 and 3 pm. The technician lets me sit down in the chair, and then gives me a funny look. Not again, I think..This is a different technician than the day before, so she doesn't know my story. She does tell me that she is sorry but is not able to complete the whole test requested. The first part she can do and have it delivered, but the second blood test requires freezing and she doesn't have a freezer. My jaw just drops. She continues to explain that I need to go to to the city and get my blood work done at the lab there. WHAT??
I didn't know what to say, so I think I might have been just starring at her for a few awkward moments, because she started repeating the instructions and giving me the address of the lab. I asked her if she had a minute so she could hear my story. She did, so I went on! She felt really sorry for me by the end, and called the lab to find out when the best time would be for me to come in, without having to wait too long. Now was the perfect time. Great, I drove over to the lab, found it, and got the blood work taken all within about five minutes. I was so glad to have this done and over with, I forgot to feel dizzy!!
The three days it took for my blood work to get properly done (can't those lab people/nurses just read the whole requisition and advise their patient properly the fist time..grrr) and this past week waiting for the results have been stressful to say the least.
Yesterday, I was scheduled to see my doctor for the rest of my yearly physical, I am a huge wimp when it comes to that, but I thought at least I might find out the results of this blood test. Our family doctor is new to us, but I like her already, she is just an easy to talk to type of person. Anyway, she comes in and starts prepping her stuff for the physical and I ask her if she received results from the second blood test. She looks at her paperwork and says ...
"ah yes! you know I think there is something wrong with this."
Oh great I think..what is wrong??
"you know" she keeps going "I really think they made a mistake on your first test, from the clinic. Your platelets were very low, around 30 (I think she said), which would mean that me poking my finger on your arm would basically cause you to bruise, and which is why I sent you for further tests, because that is way too low. But the second test, at the lab, shows your platelets around 170, which is perfect. There can't be such a difference in the levels between only a couple of days"
I asked her which test she thinks is the right one, and she didn't even hesitate to say the second one.
I have perfect platelets. It was a medical error. Don't get me wrong, I am relieved there is nothing wrong with me, but it doesn't make me very confident in the medical world..which I never was to start with...(but that's another story).

What part of spring are you? (quick and fun quiz)

You Are Blooming Flowers

You are an optimistic person by nature. In even the darkest times, you are hopeful about the future. You feel truly blessed in life and can sometimes be overwhelmed with emotions. You have an artist's eye. You are always looking for beauty in the mundane. You have a good sense of aesthetics, especially when it comes to shapes and color.

What Part of Spring Are You?

just for fun on a tuesday afternoon

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are a creative person with a great imagination. You enjoy living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close to you. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards. You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings. At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist. How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

What's Your Personality Type?

Beautiful Colours...or Photo of the Day Part Two!

After I posted my picture of the day, the sky gave me another opportunity to play with my camera...The colours were beautiful, I couldn't resist!

Photo of the Day ~ Dec.11

We rented this game for the Wii this week. Animal Crossing is a fun game that we had played a few years ago on the Gamecube. Dragon, Fairy, Dad and myself all had our own characters on it, with our own little houses, mortgages, etc!!! I thought we would check out the new version for the Wii. This time it's just Dragon, Fairy and I playing it. We are having fun fishing, digging for fossils, picking up seashells and flowers, and selling our stuff to the store or donating it to the museum. It is a fun game, that will probably end up on the Christmas wish list!

Book Clubs!

I have always wanted to be part of a book club, but find it hard to commit to the meetings, with the kids and my husband's schedule. I think I might have found a solution..online book clubs!

I have already signed up to be part of The Well-Read Ladies. It is starting in January, and is organized by Jill from The Well-Read Child. The other one I just found this morning, when I discovered the Simple Mom website. The Sound Mind Sound Mom Book Club also starts in January. There are six books selected (see the list and a quick blurb about each here)and best of all, every title besides one is available through the local library.
I am looking forward to some great reading and discussions in 2009!

Photo of the Day ~ December 9

Santa letters have arrived! Fairy helped Princess by writing her letter and also sent one herself. Today they each received an answer from the North Pole!

Better late than never...

I have had this panel in my pile of fabrics for the last ten years at least...I finally got around to quilting it, and even though I still want to add a little more, it is now hanging on the wall, taking the place of my regular wall hanging for the holidays. I will add little beads and maybe some special buttons, maybe this year or maybe next year. At least it is put together now!

I still can't drink it...

I have been in Canada for 18 years now...but I still can't bring myself to even try this holiday season drink. My husband really likes it, so every year I bring him a bottle as soon as I see it in the grocery store and every year I say the same thing..."Why would anyone want to drink chicken's milk?".

There was a time, when I first moved to Canada, that I relied on the french side of all the products that I came across and this was one that I just never understood. I know it's not chicken's milk, but who ever thought that it was a good translation for egg nog???

I did it! I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!

Yes! I am finished! I am happy to say that I actually enjoyed the journey much more than I thought I would when I started on November 1. But now...I don't know what else to write for this post!!!

A different point of view

I have been wanting to play around with my camera a little...this wasn't in black and white, but I thought it would be fun to take part in this self-portrait challenge from Shutter Sisters. All I had to do was go outside this morning (brr...) and take a picture of myself using the sky for background and another of my feet on the ground. Our grass is still so green!

Novel writing challenge starts today!

I had decided to stay up last night until midnight to start NaNoWriMo, but I didn't make it...I ran in the afternoon, my longest distance so far (12km) and was too tired to make it past 10pm!

This morning, after answering countless times "no, you can't have candy for breakfast", I found a little bit of time to myself. I did give in to the candy after their breakfast! The kids had a few friends over, so I wasn't sure how that would go but I sat down at the computer, looked over my ideas that I had written out in October, and started typing. I had noticed that I could do a word count on the word processor I am using. So after a while, curiosity got the better of me and I clicked on word count...2437 words! Wow! It didn't seem that bad!

Then after lunch, the kids asked to go and play outside with their friends...geez...that was a tough decision! Yes! Go ahead! They need to work out all that sugar anyway, and it's a beautiful day. And I need to take these moments when they come...so back to my desk I went and now my word count is at 4254!

One thing I found interesting is that even though I had a rough idea of the story I was creating, putting the words on paper has changed the story along the way a little bit, and that is what I find interesting, seeing the story unfold right before my eyes. It is only the first day, but I am really enjoying this. I will let you know if I still feel the same way by the end of the month!

Balanced, secure, and realistic..

I did this little quiz just for fun, but was surprised by how accurate it turned out!

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

13 Impressionist, -7 Islamic, 0 Ukiyo-e, -6 Cubist, 6 Abstract and -23 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy