Ladies' Goodsreads: December

 

A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens

Cruel miser Ebeneezer Scrooge has never met a shilling he doesn't like. . .and hardly a man he does. And he hates Christmas most of all. When Scrooge is visited by his old partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, he learns eternal lessons of charity, kindness, and goodwill. Experience a true Victorian Christmas!

*A fairly short read. Go ahead and leave a comment about the book too. :)

DIY Gift Bows

Gift bows and bags cost a lot when you add up how many gifts you wrap each year, so why not make your own things if you have some extra time.  I like to make a bunch at one time and have them on hand during the year.

I like to buy Dollar Store brown paper in a roll (some have cool flower vine designs on them) and use that with newspaper/magazines made into bows for the top. Here's how simple it is.

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1. Find a sheet of paper you can cut into 3/4 inch wide strips at least 9 inches long.
   (It helps if the paper's design is somewhat plain or one color)

2. Cut the strips as follows: (this is a smaller, easier version I make, than the movie's below)

• Three strips: 9 inches
• Three strips: 8 inches
• One Strip: 2 inches

3. Now all you need to do is click to watch this movie to do the rest, because it helps to see.

And they turn out great. Although I think the easiest way is to just use a brad, instead of using all that glue. Just go buy a cheap big box of brads. :)

*Ideas from greenbacksgal.com

GRATITUDE: A Life of Thanksgiving

Our brother just sent this to us this morning so I thought we'd share it, being that it's Thanksgiving month, and a good reminder to count our blessings...

1. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more fortunate than the one million people who will not survive this week.

2. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.

3. If you can attend a church or political meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, then you are more blessed than three billion in the world.

4. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in your pocket, then you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

5. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Click here to watch a short video about Living in thanksgiving daily.
What else can you be grateful for?

*Create your own goal from this topic.
Here's an idea: Why not make a "I'm thankful for..." list, or better yet, share with those around you how grateful you are for them and why....

Ladies' Goodreads List --2012

Here's the list for our 2012 monthly Goodreads books. (subject to change)
Feel free to read them whenever during the year and post comments on them during the month they're posted on.

JANUARY
The Goose Girl
Shannon Hale

FEBRUARY
North & South
Elizabeth Gaskill

MARCH
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee


APRIL
Siddartha
Hermann Hesse

MAY
Truman
David McCullough


JULY
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
MaryAnn Shaffer, Annie Barrows

AUGUST
Nuture Shock
Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman

SEPTEMBER
The Kite Runner
Kaled Hosseini

OCTOBER
The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield
or
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson (short read)

NOVEMBER
The Glass Castle
Jeanette Walls

DECEMBER
The Note
Mike O'Mary

Ladies' Goodreads - November

The Undaunted
Gerald N. Lund

This is a story of those who created a settlement to serve as a buffer between the established communities of Utah and the lawless frontier of the Four Corners area.

Their challenge will be enormous— but the biggest part of it just may be getting there in the first place. Skillfully interweaving historical figures and events with fictional characters, Gerald Lund takes us through the Hole in the Rock and over miles of uncharted country that even today is impassable without all- terrain vehicles. His account of the adventure, romance, and sacrifices of these undaunted pioneers will resonate with readers who love a good story as well as those who want to better understand the incomparable legacy and unconquerable faith of those valiant Saints.

**please comment on your thoughts about the book and/or the pioneers' journey, determination and faith to overcome the "impossible....."