What's in a name challenge.

I know I've taken on a lot of reading in the new year, but this challenge intrigued me and I thought it might just push me to read that pile of books I keep dusting. So here it goes. If you're interested in joining us the info is below. Have fun.

The What's in a Name Challenge, hosted for its first two years by Annie, was the challenge that pushed me over the edge and got me into blogging. I've always had a soft spot for this one.

Annie, a young teenager, has decided to relinquish her hosting duties for this challenge. I just can't let it go. I hope people can find a place for this in their challenge schedules. There's a lot of room for flexibility and it's only six books!

Picking the categories was harder than I thought it would be. For inspiration I turned to Annie's challenge blog. Last summer, she asked participants to suggest categories, and people came up with some great ideas. I stole many of them.

So here's how it works: Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
4. A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
6. A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.Other Things to Know

* Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
* Books may overlap other challenges.
* Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
* Creativity for matching the categories is allowed.
* You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
* You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.
* There will be a single prize at the end of the challenge. Readers who complete the challenge and write up a wrap-up post (or wrap-up comment) are eligible. I'll figure out a way to make it international.






So here are my choices:

1. A book with a food in the title:

Crocodile Soup

2. A book with a body of water in the title:

Lady in the Lake

3. A book with a title in the title (queen/pricess)

the Constant Princess

4. A book with a plant or tree in the title:

The Blue Dahlia.

5. A book with a place name in the title:

Out of Africa

6. A book with a music term in the title:

Captain Corelli's Mandolin

How honest are you?

I received this award from Annette and it is a fun activity to share ten little HONEST tidbits about me...I didn't know how difficult it would be to come up with new stuff that I could just put out there... I am suppose to pass it on to seven others, but am more inclined to offer it as a challenge. It really is more difficult than you can imagine.

1. I love being a mom. Even though it's REALLY hard sometimes to let them grow up.

2. I have a very difficult time throwing away old things, even if everyone thinks it's just junk.

3. I'm glad that I can speak up for myself and others without being embarrassed.

4. I'm never ashamed or myself, my home(in any state, including the people living in it), my choices and most of all my faith.

5. I just need to know how to do things, like paint, make jewelry, knit, even if I never do it again or for profit, I love to know how it's done. And I'm so grateful when someone shares their secrets of "how to"with me. I hope I never make them feel like I'm stealing.

6. I feel very honored that my brother-in-law (M.S.) cares about me and mine the way he does, he sure doesn't have to, he goes way beyond his marital promises to my sister.

7. Even though my place of residence is often untidy, I have a terrible hang-up about Newspapers being all over the place, and the recycling not just so.

8. I think I'm honest, and caring about others feelings but I'm having a very hard time holding my tongue sometimes, Is that lying?

9. I try to be sensible about some cleanliness issues,and I'm not hung up on "Clean". However I cannot sleep in the same pajamas more than once without feeling icky and no one sleeps on MY pillow.

10. I know I'm weird and I'm o.k. with that.

11. I had to add a number. I absolutely hate when you're at a lovely dinner, at your own home or someone elses, and it's a major rush to clear the table and SCRAPE the dishes so you can stack them and take them all in one swoop. I believe the point of gathering for dinner intimate or extended family should be to spend time with each other, surely we all have enough to eat. Sharing a meal is a very intimate experience, as I see it. You don't sit down with strangers to eat. And then after spending many many hours planning and preparing the meal, we scrape it all off so it looks like garbage, just so we can clean up and get rid of our company faster. I even try not to do the dishes, I like to be with my company, the dishes will be there when they leave. Now that's just me, maybe I'm wrong. But if you come to my house for dinner or lunch or breakfast I'll be sitting with you and not doing dishes.

Now I'm supposed to link in 7 bloggers to do the same. I don't have the heart to do that. So please choose yourself and join the fun.

I just cannot turn down a challenge!

Well I just copied and pasted Carmi and Leslie, so the way the cops say it, two or more is a gang. So I've joined the gang, I'm not promising 10 pounds, but I need to keep my cholesterol at bay. So I'm not sure what to eat anymore. Salads just don't do it for me, no meat, cheese, or eggs. Fish has too much mercury. I guess it's going to be borscht and pierogi. Now that's a diet eh!. Good luck to us all, in our new healthy weight, don't get too skinny (fat chance of that) and enjoy your food. Pick healthy choices. I think I might pull out my Canada Food Guide requirements with some adjustments. I've neglected my diet and my family's diet lately so, maybe it's time to do the cooking thing again. I will not be posting the + or - I don't own a scale.