Mailbox Monday

What's in YOUR mailbox today?

From Paperbackswap:

Red Lights by Georges Simenon

It is Friday evening before Labor Day weekend. Americans are hitting the highways in droves; the radio crackles with warnings of traffic jams and crashed cars. Steve Hogan and his wife, Nancy, have a long drive ahead—from New York City to Maine, where their children are in camp. But Steve wants a drink before they go, and on the road he wants another. Soon, exploding with suppressed fury, he is heading into that dark place in himself he calls “the tunnel.” When Steve stops for yet another drink, Nancy has had enough. She leaves the car. On a bender now, Steve makes a friend: Sid Halligan, an escapee from Sing Sing. Steve tells Sid all about Nancy. Most men are scared, Steve thinks, but not Sid. The next day, Steve wakes up on the side of the road. His car has a flat, his money is gone, and there’s one more thing still left for him to learn about Nancy, Sid Halligan, and himself.

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: NYRB Classics (July 18, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590171934

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West

A quintessential American heroine, Eliza Birdwell is a wonderful blend of would-be austerity, practicality, and gentle humor when it comes to keeping her faith and caring for her family and community. Her husband, Jess, shares Eliza's love of people and peaceful ways but, unlike Eliza, also displays a fondness for a fast horse and a lively tune. With their children, they must negotiate their way through a world that constantly confronts them-sometimes with candor, sometimes with violence-and tests the strength of their beliefs. Whether it's a gift parcel arriving on their doorstep or Confederate soldiers approaching their land, the Birdwells embrace life with emotion, conviction, and a love for one another that seems to conquer all.The Friendly Persuasion has charmed generations of readers as one of our classic tales of the American Midwest.

Paperback: 228 pages
Publisher: Harvest Books (September 8, 2003)
ISBN-10: 015602909X

The Honest Scrap Award

I received The Honest Scrap Award from Marce at Tea Time With Marce! Thank you so much, Marce!


The rules are for me to list ten truths about myself:

I love the rock group Kiss and still listen to their music

I always water down any juice that I drink - including orange juice

I love books about dysfuntional families

I love peppermint ice cream

I own 20 pairs of pajamas - I'm addicted to them

I love rainy days

I cry when I hear wedding vows

I'm saving for a condo at the beach

I still have a stuffed toy and blanket that I was given the day I was born

I love really scary movies

I would love to pass this award on to anyone who wishes to play and list ten truths about themselves.....It was fun!

~More 1996~

1996 was a year for BIG changes.

Mark accepted the Program Director job at the radio station on Cape Cod. He left Florida in January to begin work, and to find a place for us to live. In the meantime, I had decided to make a career change from office work to pet grooming. I began training with a pet groomer who had a shop close to our house. I still worked at Sun Paging Monday-Friday, then trained for grooming every Saturday. I began my training in September 1995, and finished in February 1996. Mark was coming to get me, our pets and our furniture in March for the big move.

It's been said that moving is as stressful as experiencing a death in your family, and I wholeheartedly agree. It took us 3 days to get from Fort Myers to Hyannis. I was so stressed out it was unbelievable. The first day on the road, we drove 13 hours straight, and made it to Hampstead, NC to spend the night with Mark's father. That day was stressful enough to make me beg and plead with Mark to see if we could stay with his Dad a few days. The next day, we drove again almost 13 hours to spend the night at Mark's sister's home in New Jersey. During that days drive, Mark and I got separated at a toll booth at the beginning of the New Jersey Turnpike. Mark was driving the Ryder truck. I was following in my car. We chose separate lanes to go through, and then I lost sight of him. I got over on the side of the road and tried to reach him on the walkie talkie's that we had. No luck. I got off the next exit, and all that there was was a convenience store with black iron bars over the doors and windows. I had to actually be buzzed in. I was crying and hysterical. The guy working there was nice, gave me a map of how to get back on the turnpike and told me I'd find my husband, not to worry. I get back in my car, my 3 cats are crying, I'm crying. I finally make it to the right exit, then go the wrong way AGAIN and end up in Perth Amboy NJ which was a scary looking place at night. I called his sister, and she came and got me. We were leaving our dog, Snoopy, with her until we could move into our house up there.

The next day, we drove to New York, to stay with my dad for a night. I would be leaving my cats with him to care for. I remember we left my Dad's and got on I95. We stopped right over the CT border to get some gas. I got out of my car and told Mark that I was going any further. "Just leave me here," I begged. "At this gas station?" he asked. I cried, moaned, shook. I couldnt' go another mile. Except, I did. Off we went, making the 4 hour trek to The Cape. For those of you who are not familiar with I95, it is an audobon. People MOVE. And if you don't get out of their way, they will flash their lights at you, honk their horn. Finally, at 11:00pm we were in Hyannis. The radio station was putting us up at a motel until we closed on our house. We had stayed at this motel the previous summer, and I had liked it. I fell into bed exhausted.
The next morning the first thing I did was open the curtains in the room. When I did, there was a brick wall staring me in the face. Nice. Also, the room did not have a kitchenette. It would be a MONTH before we closed on our house. How were we going to eat? We couldn't afford to eat every meal out. I felt myself sinking into a deeper and deeper depression.

As it turned out, a couple that my father knew lived in Brewster. They had a separate apartment in their basement, and kindly offered for us to stay there until our house was ready. In the meantime, I was offered a job at a veterinary clinic, in the kennel. I was promised that a grooming position would be coming open soon, but did I want to work at the kennel in the meantime....I accepted, and went to work for the most wonderful people; Pleasant Bay Animal Hospital in East Harwich. My kennel work lasted a month, then I moved into the grooming room. I loved it. I groomed so many different breeds of dogs. My employers were kind and thoughtful. I was happy.

Our house became available the second week of April. Mark's sister brought Snoopy up to his new home. We went to NY the next weekend and picked up the cats. Maybe....finally.....I was going to be able to have some peace in my life.

What about you? What were YOU doing in 1996?


Snoopy had NEVER seen snow before! Kate loved the fireplace!
He was one HAPPY Samoyed!

~Flashback 1996~

Economics

US GDP (1998 dollars): $7,661.60 billion
Federal spending: $1572.41 billion
Federal debt: $5207.3 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars): $35,492
Consumer Price Index: 156.9
Unemployment: 5.4%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.32

U.S. Events

F.B.I. arrests suspected Unabomber (April 3).

Valujet crashes in Everglades; all 110 aboard killed (May 11).

747 airliner crashes in Atlantic off Long Island, N.Y.; all 230 aboard perish (July 17).

US budget crisis in fourth month (Jan 3).

Entertainment

Jazz great Ella Fitzgerald dies.

Gangsta rapper Tupac Shakur is shot four times in a drive-by shooting. He dies six days later at age 25.

Movies

• The English Patient, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Shine, Sling Blade

What were YOU doing in 1996?

What did YOU Find Today?

Tear Down the Mountain by Roger Alan Skipper

Product Description:

In their tiny, secluded mountain community, Sid Lore and Janet Hollar are misfits: Sid because he wasn’t born here, Janet because she can’t satisfy her Pentecostal church’s demand to speak in tongues. The two drift together and get married, and soon the optimistic, independent newlyweds vow to forge their own reality. Appalachian life, however, proves difficult: family and friends die or move away and Sid’s work-related injuries make it impossible to earn a living. As his enters a rut of odd jobs, bar brawls, and dog fights, Janet discovers new worth — and a hidden talent for destruction. Just when they don't think they can sink any lower, the "superior" outside world discovers their mountains, their lake, their forests, and their “rednecks” — which brings new problems. Incisive prose, vivid characters, and a compulsively readable narrative make this novel about lives cramped and cornered by economic and cultural forces a stunning debut.

Paperback: 220 pages

• Publisher: Soft Skull Press (September 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933368349

Summer Session by Kelly L. Frey, Sr. & Kelly L. Frey II

Product Description

Scott Greenwood was the golden boy in his small Texas town. But his life changes forever when his family is killed and he has to move to New England to live with his cold and distant aunt. Left to his own devices, and with the guilt of his possible complicity in his family’s death, Scott finds his new life inextricably intertwined with Stewart Academy, the elite prep school that overshadows his new home. Life’s lessons come hard as Scott attempts to fit into this unfamiliar place. He finds himself involved in all of the intrigue, deceit, and legendary pranks of the unforgettable characters that populate the world of the ultra-rich and extra-ordinarily talented prep school ranks—an unimaginable journey that culminates in the climax of the Summer Session.

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc.; 1st edition (June 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595342183

~Book Review - Swimming Naked by Stacy Sims~

Product Description:

As an adult, Lucy Greene lives hard and slips the clutches of any emotional commitment. She’s an incredibly appealing young woman who wields a bone-dry sense of humor as a shield and promiscuity as a weapon. But when she arrives in overheated Florida to take care of her cancer- stricken mother, Lucy finds herself in strange new emotional territory that can only be understood by a frank assessment of the past. Lucy unfolds the painful memories of her childhood—including a freak accident that occurred one fateful summer at the family lake house, after which her father seemingly disappeared and her mother moved forward on a very different course. Amid bitterness, self-doubt, and exasperation, it is Lucy’s one treasured memory—a midnight swim with her mother—that reminds her there is grace in her graceless world, a fact that helps her to forgive her mother and, ultimately, let her go.

Uplifting but unsentimental, compelling and remarkably moving, Swimming Naked is an unforgettable debut that will resonate with daughters, mothers, and anyone who’s ever searched her past in the hopes of finding a future.

My Thoughts:

I always seem to enjoy stories about dysfunctional families, and this book was definitely enjoyable.
Lucy Greene grows up with a psychotic sister, an "absent" mother, and a father who disappears when Lucy is just 10 years old.
Lucy's mom devotes all of her attention to Lucy's sister, who has a mental breakdown when she is still in elementary school.
It is when Lucy is 30 years old, that her relationship with her mother and the rest of the family is put to the test. Lucy's mom is dying of cancer. And Lucy is the only one available to be by her side during her last days.
Lucy wants nothing more than to run away from everything. While she sits with her mother, she replays her childhood in her head...and realizes what matters most in her life is right before her eyes. Is it possible for her to make peace with her mother before it is too late?



VERY GOOD!

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Plume (February 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452285607
• ISBN-13: 978-0452285606

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Product Description

“One Good Dog is a wonderful novel: a moving, tender, and brilliantly crafted story about two fighters—one a man, one a dog— hoping to leave the fight behind, who ultimately find their salvation in each other. Susan Wilson’s clear and unflinching style is perfectly suited for her story that strips away the trappings and toys we all hide behind, and exposes our essential need to give and accept love in order to thrive.”—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Adam March is a self-made “Master of the Universe.” He has it all: the beautiful wife, the high-powered job, the glittering circle of friends. But there is a price to be paid for all these trappings, and the pressure is mounting—until the day Adam makes a fatal mistake. His assistant leaves him a message with three words: your sister called. What no one knows is that Adam’s sister has been missing for decades. That she represents the excruciatingly painful past he has left behind. And that her absence has secretly tormented him all these years. When his assistant brushes off his request for an explanation in favor of her more pressing personal call, Adam loses it. And all hell breaks loose.

Adam is escorted from the building. He loses his job. He loses his wife. He loses the life he’s worked so hard to achieve. He doesn’t believe it is possible to sink any lower when he is assigned to work in a soup kitchen as a form of community service. But unbeknownst to Adam, this is where his life will intersect with Chance.
Chance is a mixed breed Pit Bull. He’s been born and raised to fight and seldom leaves the dirty basement where he is kept between fights. But Chance is not a victim or a monster. It is Chance’s unique spirit that helps him escape and puts him in the path of Adam.

What transpires is the story of one man, one dog, and how they save each other—in ways they never could have expected.

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312571259
• ISBN-13: 978-0312571252

What are YOU waiting for?

~Book Review - Grace by Richard Paul Evans~

From the back cover:
She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her.

Eric and his family recently relocated to Utah from California; his mother and disabled father, his little 10 year old brother Joel, and himself. The year is 1962. He is a typical 14 year old. He rides his bike, goes to school and has an after school job at the McBurger Queen. He and Joel build a clubhouse in their backyard. They fix it up as their place to go to get away from life....their fun place to play board games and checkers. Little did they know that their clubhouse would become something much more than a playhouse.
One evening while Eric is at work, he finds a girl digging through the dumpster, looking for food. He offers her food and a place to stay temporarily - his clubhouse. Unbeknownst to Eric, meeting Grace will have a strong impact on the rest of his life.
Grace has run away from home, and Eric offers his hospitality and friendship. While Grace is staying in the clubhouse, she and Eric form a tight bond... They fall in love.

My Thoughts:


I chose this book for my Christmas Reading Challenge, and I am glad that I did. It reads like a autobiography. It is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale of a fourteen year old boy, falling in love for the first time. He rescues Grace, who has run away from home and her abusive step-father. Grace and Eric fall helplessly in love with each other. Grace lives in Eric's clubhouse behind his home. He keeps this a secret from his parents. Only his little brother Joel knows that Grace is there.
When the word gets around that Grace has gone missing, Eric must continue hiding Grace for her own safety.
The story is considered a Christmas story partly because it takes place close to Christmas, and because Grace can see the future in the flame of a candle, similar to the Christmas story of The Little Match Girl.
This is the first novel that I have read by Richard Paul Evans. I loved it, and definitely want to read his others.




VERY GOOD!

# Hardcover: 336 pages
# Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (October 7, 2008)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1416550038
# ISBN-13: 978-1416550037

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: * Grab your current read* * Open to a random page* *Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page * BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

~I stood looking at her, her nose wet with snot, her eyes red and swollen. I exhaled, then spoke in a normal voice, "Get back inside, someone might see you." pg. 226, Grace by Richard Paul Evans.~

What's YOUR teaser today?

~More 1995~

The year 1995 brought with it some changes....some welcome....some unwelcome.

The radio station that Mark worked for was being sold. The general manager/owner also owned stations in Vero Beach, FL and Cape Cod, MA. Mark was offered positions at either station. We visited Vero Beach and I really liked it. It was a quaint little town by the ocean. I would have been happy there. Mark accepted some temporary work there. He would stay in Vero Beach for the week and come home on the weekends.

We went to New York that July to visit my father. While we were there, we took a two day trip up to Cape Cod, to visit the station there, and see the area. We stayed in Hyannis and it was so pretty! All of the shops and flowers and tree-lined streets, the Cape Cod style houses...we fell in love with it immediately. We returned to Florida, and planned our big move to Massachusetts.

In the meantime, my supervisor and dear friend at work, found out that she had breast cancer. She had had a baby in 1994, and had felt the lump soon after that. She thought that it might have been a clogged milk duct, and left it at that. She and her family were having trouble with their health insurance at the time, and I remember her telling me she didnt' want to go to the doctor to see about it. I begged and pleaded with her to go, as did her husband and her parents. When she finally did go...it was very bad news. Julye was 35 years old, married, with two small children. She was terrified. The day she went in for her biopsy, all was quiet at the office. Everyone was on pins and needles...none of us could concentrate. When her husband called to let us know the results, all of us cried....every single one of us. Todd told me that Julye wanted to see me, and bring her some work that she had. She was in shock, as we all were. Her daughter was jumping around playing, her son was just a tiny thing, crawling around on the floor. And there was Julye...sitting in a recliner with a huge bandage around her chest, talking to me a mile a minute....rocking in that recliner so fast, as if it would take her away. I took her the work, she hugged me and thanked me. Life at the office after that was sad. Julye was the type of person that was upbeat all of the time. She was funny, loved to kid around, and she loved everyone....and everyone loved her. She was the only supervisor that I have EVER had that would thank me at the end of each day. The first time she did it, it took me by surprise...I was leaving and she said "Thanks, Mis!" "What for?" I asked, perplexed. "For being here today and doing a great job.", she answered. She was the best supervisor anyone could EVER hope for.

She came into my office one morning, and shut the door....big tears rolling down her face. In her hand was a chunk of her hair. It had begun falling out. I cried with her. I was angry and sad....why did this have to happen to such a beautiful, wonderful person?

She told me once that when she went to get her chemo, that she was very very cold. Her chemo days were Fridays...she went, and came home and collapsed for the rest of the weekend. Fridays she came into work before her treatments, and always wore a t-shirt that us girls got her that said "No Hair Day"....she went without her wig on Fridays....she wore a soft terrycloth turban.

I wanted to do something special for her that Christmas, that involved everyone in the office. I bought a soft button down sweatshirt jacket, and all different colors of fabric paint. I had everyone in the office choose a color of paint, dip their hand in it, then place their handprint on the jacket and write their name underneath. When we presented it to her, I told her that all of us were praying for her, and helping her to stay warm. I can't describe that moment. I will always remember it.

Julye Rae Kagan lost her fight against breast cancer on June 7th, 1997. She left behind her loving husband Todd, and two children Jacqueline, age 7, and Justin, age 3. She left behind many people who loved her....she touched many lives so many different ways. I will never forget her. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her.


What were YOU doing in 1995?

~Flashback 1995~

Economics

US GDP (1998 dollars): $7,269.60 billion
Federal spending: $1519.13 billion
Federal debt: $4921.0 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars): $34,076
Consumer Price Index: 152.4
Unemployment: 5.6%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.32 (as of 1/1/95)

EVENTS

• Criminal trial of O. J. Simpson opens in California (Jan. 24).
  
  
• Scores killed as terrorist's car bomb blows up block-long Oklahoma City federal building (April 19); Timothy McVeigh, 27, arrested as suspect (April 21); authorities seek second suspect, link right-wing paramilitary groups to bombing (April 22).
  
  
• Los Angeles jury finds O. J. Simpson not guilty of murder charges (Oct. 3).
  
  
• Pope John Paul II visits US on whirlwind tour (Oct. 4-8).
  
  
• Million Man March draws hundreds of thousands of black men to capital (Oct. 16).

• Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia dies.

Movies

• Babe, Braveheart, Leaving Las Vegas, The Usual Suspects, Dead Man Walking, Pocohontas
  

TGIF!

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Product Description From Amazon:

A compelling, often hilarious, and unfailingly compassionate portrait of life inside a women's prison, by a Smith College graduate who did the crime and did the time. When Piper Kerman was sent to prison for a ten-year-old crime, she barely resembled the reckless young woman she was shortly after graduating Smith College when she committed the misdeeds that caught up with her. Happily ensconced in a New York City apartment, with a promising career and an attentive boyfriend, she was suddenly forced to reckon with the consequences of her very brief, very careless dalliance in the world of drug trafficking. She spent 15 months in prison, 13 of them at the infamous women's correctional facility in Danbury, CT, which she found to be no "Club Fed." There she not only gained a unique perspective on the criminal justice system, but also met a surprising and varied community of women living under exceptional circumstances. In Orange Is the New Black, Piper Kerman tells the dramatic story of those long months locked up in a place with its own codes of behavior and often arbitrary hierarchies, where a practical joke is as common as an unprovoked fight, and where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. Revealing, moving, and enraging, Orange Is the New Black is a bold and wholly original entry in the canon of prison literature.

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (April 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385523386

What did YOU find today?

Booking Through Thursday - But What About Me?

What’s your favorite part of Booking Through Thursday? Why do you participate (or not)?

I enjoy expressing my opinion about things. The questions are fun! I also like to see what everyone else has to say. I love talking about books!!

What about you?

~Book Review - Lucas by Kevin Brooks~

Lucas by Kevin Brooks

From Amazon:
From School Library Journal Grade 9 Up-This beautifully written allegorical tale by the author of Martyn Pig (Scholastic, 2002) stays with readers long after it ends. Set on an isolated island off Great Britain, the novel has it all-love, hate, sin, forgiveness and redemption, and a memorable title character. As Caitlin, 15, relates the events of the previous summer, she recalls with crystal clarity the moment when the mysterious boy appeared out of nowhere. His arrival precipitates a series of incidents that exposes the ugly underbelly of the seemingly idyllic setting. Lucas, 16, is enigmatic and direct, and has the uncanny ability to read people and predict their actions. He lives off the land, and doesn't seem to want or need anyone. The locals don't understand him, and they see him as a threat. Lucas rescues Caitlin from being raped by Jamie, a seemingly upstanding college guy who, with his gang of rowdy, beer-drinking buddies, spreads rumors and innuendos about the stranger. The situation rapidly escalates into an accusation of attempted murder after one of the island girls is brutally attacked. A group of residents abandons rational thought and becomes a senseless mob, seeking vigilante justice. The writing is extraordinarily lyrical. The often-dreamlike quality of island life is juxtaposed with the ever-present threat of violence like the calm before a storm. All of the characters are sharply defined. Lucas, with his mixture of real and unearthly qualities, is unique and unforgettable. This is a powerful book to be savored by all who appreciate fine writing and a gripping read. Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ

My Thoughts:

I was totally engrossed in this YA Fiction novel about a free-spirited boy who suddenly "appears" on a remote island off of Great Britain. Islanders don't take kindly to strangers, so Lucas' landing on the island causes a great commotion. Cait McCann first spots Lucas walking alongside the road, carrying his belongings in a green canvas bag. Cait is riding in the car with her father and her brother, Dom, whom they have just picked up at the airport. When their car passes Lucas, Cait's eyes meet his. She knows that something is going to change. The summer that lies ahead of her will be different than any other summer she has ever experienced.

I don't read a lot of YA Fiction, but I do want to check out Kevin Brooks' other books. I love his style of writing. I had a perfect picture in my head of the characters, of the island, and of Lucas and Cait. Their relationship, albeit strange, is a wonderful new experience for Cait. She knows that she has met someone special and her life will never be the same.

"Lucas" keeps its pace, and keeps you guessing what is going to happen next. The characters are real and likable (some of them, that is) and the story will sweep you up into the island community and living on the coast; the sea and sand, the hot sunny summer days and the violent thunderstorms; and of Cait and Lucas and Cait's dog Deefer, who is also an important character in this story.


VERY GOOD!

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Chicken House Ltd (March 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905294174
• ISBN-13: 978-1905294176

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

Anna looked up at him from her beggar's position on the floor, where she remained attached to my father's legs. It suddenly seemed to occur to her that this boy had watched her in all of her agony. ~pg. 69, Swimming Naked by Stacy Sims

What's YOUR teaser today???

~Over The Top Award~

The awesome Lisa from Lit and Life has bestowed upon me the Over The Top Award! I haven't seen this award before, so I am super-excited to have received it. And...I love the little quiz that goes along with it. Thank you so much, Lisa!

Here are the rules for this award:
1.) Thank and post URL to the blog that gave the award.
2.) Pass the award along to 6 brilliantly over the top blogs (blogs you love!) Alert them so they know to receive the award.
3.) Copy and paste this quiz... Change the answers, ONE word only. (2 are acceptable!)

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? Short
3. Your mother? Dementia
4. Your father? Loving
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? Disturbing
7. Your favorite drink? Margarita
8. Your dream/goal? Beach Condo
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? Reading
11. Your fear? Loss
2. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Tall
15. Muffins? Corn
16. Wish list item? Wii Fit
17. Where did you grow up? New York
18. Last thing you did? Drink Coffee
19. What are you wearing? Jammies
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? Beside me
22. Friends? Loved
23. Your life? Happy
24. Your mood? Content
25. Missing someone? Mom
26. Vehicle? Grand Am
27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? Thrift
29. Your favorite color? Pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Monday
32. Your best friend? Spouse
33. One place that I go to over and over? Work
34. One person who emails me regularly? Cecile
35. Favorite place to eat? Cheesecake Factory

I am passing this award on to:

Cecile at All I Want And More
Kitten at The Bookkitten
Kaye at Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Ah Yuan at GAL Novelty
Creations by Laurel Rain-Snow
Laughing Stars at Stark Raving Bibliophile