Just A Bit Obsessive With Kindle Preorders...

I do buy a lot of books for my Kindle...but even I was surprised at my Kindle homepage a day or two ago...apparently every single book that I had preordered months and months ago was published on Dec. 28th!!!

With shock and awe I had purchased 10 books in one day!!!  Actually...I think they all downloaded in about 10 seconds...and...incredibly...I bought 2 the night before!!!

Is this a Kindle record?
Should I be proud?

Lucky me!!!

Today Is My Baby Brother's Birthday...

Ok...so he isn't actually a baby brother...but today is his birthday...Happy Birthday To My Brother Jim!!!

I think about his birthday today because when we were all at home...we had Christmas...and then three days later we had another party and more presents...for him...and cake!!!  I think I loved his December birthday more than he did. When he was really little I remember my mom laying him down on her bed and asking me to watch him so he wouldn't roll off...of course I got distracted and he rolled right off of my mom's bed and I thought I had killed him...he was fine.  He was such a pain to me as a baby brother...he would not take his afternoon nap unless I read him a story and sat with him...his favorite book was a huge green book of many different stories and poems...and I had to read to him...he would not fall asleep in his room...he took his nap on our front screened in porch on the glider and I had to help my mom out by sitting on the glider with him and reading to him until he fell asleep.  I remember this as pure torture...his favorite story was called "Quack, Said Jerusha"...this was the story of a mother duck and her babies...it rhymed and I know I read it to him every single day.  Once he finally fell asleep I could read my own stash of books...but I couldn't leave him until he woke up...my best friends in all of the world lived two houses down...and after an hour of Jimmy napping...they would begin to gather on our front steps to await his awakening...so we could resume playing.  One time we put him in an old baby carriage in their garage.  He slept soundly there for 2 hours while we jumped rope in the driveway.  I thought this a rather wonderful solution until my mom found out and I wasn't allowed to put him in there again...ever...hmmm.

Once he got to be a little bit older...I still sort of had to watch him...but he just sort of followed us around and played our games with us and was cute and funny and fun to be around.  My best friends only had girls in their family so having Jimmy hang with us was different and fun for them and fun for Jimmy, too. 

My baby brother Jimmy is all grown up now...he is an engineer...he travels the world...he has a wife and two daughters in college...sadly...he barely remembers Jerusha and napping on the glider and the girls he played with in our neighborhood.  But...he will always be my baby brother and I really don't even mind that I can still recite every single verse of Quack Said Jerusha...even in my sleep.

Thoughts Of Christmas...

Presents have been opened...and are stacked neatly...to be put away soon...and Christmas Day is done...the upcoming week promises lots of snow and lots of comfy days and nights filled with reading and games and football and relaxation.  I don't really want to change anything that we do...I love the way we prep for the holidays...it is fun and traditional. I love the way we play in the week following Christmas.  I like when things in my life stay the same without too many major changes.  I miss not being with my brothers and sister at Christmas but it is just overwhelming to try to get together for this holiday.  We are my father's children and we all love being in our own cozy houses at this time.  When my mom and dad were living...not too long ago...we were always there...all of us.  We played in the snow with babies and toddlers...we went to movies...we had New Year's together.  It was hard to leave.  Now it is hard to go back.  The little town that I loved and grew up in just feels sort of empty without my mom and dad.  My mom and dad would wait patiently for us to all finally get there...and when we left they would follow the car out of the driveway and stand there waving.  Now my sister Paula waves good bye to us from her front door and some other family lives in my parents' house.  Other people sleep in my old bedroom and play in the yard and sit on the front stoop. I hold on to the memories because that is what I do.  Once upon a time my mom and dad were young and strong and here.  Then...they got older and older and more and more frail and they aren't here any more.  But I know that they live on in all of their children.  I cherish and hold on to that.   

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Soulmates?

I am writing just a brief review of Matched. This was truly a wondrous book filled with beautiful thoughts and words and meaning. It reminded me of the Hunger Games but no one in Matched ever went hungry. Rather…food was prepared and delivered in portals…hot and steaming and ready to fulfill all dietary needs for each citizen. Clothes were chosen for each citizen and everyone wore the same thing…no shopping allowed. Cassia…one of the main characters…lived a regulated life…as did her family, her friends, and almost every other citizen. Their time was regulated, their studies were regulated, and their leisure was regulated. Citizens were classified as anomalies or aberrations or normal. Infractions of rules were not tolerated. Citizens followed government directives. All of this was done to preserve this existing society. All of this was done in order to prevent this society from totally falling apart.

Illnesses were eradicated, family size was regulated, and by the age of 16 you were matched to your perfect match…in a once in a lifetime ceremony…no questions, concerns or anxiety…your match was the perfect one. You lived your life until you were about 80…and then you were eliminated in a humane and peaceful manner.

It was amazing…this book…I was lost in it…and it was fascinating to see bits of this society begin to crumble as Cassia struggles to understand why her match may not really be her match. Ky and Xander are also fascinating characters within this novel…both are crucial to Cassia finding just a bit of strength and struggling to decide who her true match should be.

Again…I loved this book…it was quietly addictive. And of course it ended with questions so I am sure there will be a sequel.



Monday And Setting the Pace For The Week...

Windows are washed...I have been so busy that I forgot to even blog about it...Saturday was a marathon " Let's get Christmas out of the bins and into the house" kind of day.  It is sort of a slow process because things have to be taken off of shelves and hutches and mantels in order to fit all of the Santa's and Snowmen...we were wiped out by the end of the day but we were done...lights are on, tree is done and this week should just be idle shopping and going out to lunch and seeing movies...and just having fun.  We are going to a holiday show and I want to see the lights in Hershey...we have certain traditions that must be followed...I really don't bake tons of cookies but I do make really yummy buttery sugar cookies that you have to cut out and bake and sprinkle with crystally sugar flakes...we are staying at home...my husband is exhausted...he needs sleeping in and long leisurely mornings with newspapers and tons of freshly brewed coffee.  We are going to Simon Pearce for Christmas Eve dinner...it is on the Brandywine River and it is beautiful...we will sip martinis and talk about what we will do on Christmas Day...I always buy new pajamas for both of us...a set for Christmas Eve and a set for Christmas Day...yummy flannels and neat long sleeved tees for him and soft stretchy tights and oversized comfy Victoria Secret sleepshirts for me and on Christmas morning we will zip off to Church...a beautiful old one that we love and come home to bagels and lox and creamed cheese and either champagne or Bloody Mary's...and open presents and be thankful that we have each other and life is good.