Castle: Medieval Days and Knights (A Sabuda & Reinhart Pop-up Book)

We bought this book at the incredible price of FOUR DOLLARS. I have no iea why Amazon has it listed twice at two different prices - both hardcover. I literally stumbled across it while topping up an order using a gift card we got. This book is seriously awesome. A nice overview of the highlights of castle life with stunning pop-ups. The architecture of the pieces will keep adults occupied, while the detail given to the illustrations is just amazing. There’s even a miniature working catapult inside. Seriously! This book is so great, I would have paid full retail for it, so that’s saying something. You can see some pictures of Emma reading it here on Flickr.

We also bought The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World, over which Meaghan and I fell headlong into like with. It’s like your best girlfriend, dear to your heart, is giving you the advice you *must* know if you are to move up in the world. It’s an adorable book, well-suited for young ladies of historical leaning towards upstart young authoresses. More for entertainment than serious study, it’s lightheartedness doesn’t detract from the stalwart advice within.

I was unpacking books yesterday, which really is not as simple as it seems. I mean, you’d think it was simple, like:

- open box
- remove books
- place on shelf.

But no.

It’s more like, open box, gasp to myself, roll eyes or go “Hmmm.. that’s where that went…” followed by removing some book sthen standing bewildered while I figure out what shelf to put them on, use my other hand to cram previously shelved books off to the side and hopefully wedge the new handfull of books in.

The sad part is I have read almost every book in the house at least once (or skimmed enough to tell you about it) and yet we all still have the compunction to go visit our friendly librarians every couple of weeks.

Today is one of those days.

I find myself surrounded by boxes and stacks of books, yet nothing to read.

At some point there will be pictures. And it will be scary. I was commenting to Melissa earlier about the amount of books we have. Yet I could barely purge before we moved. There’s ten bookcases in the house and not enough shelving to hold them all.

What a horrible problem to have.

My aunt Glenda wrote a book! Actually, she wrote it a while ago (last year I think) for a contest and she won. They had a big ceremony and book reading at the governer-general’s house and everything, which we missed because I had just come out of the hospital. She did send a signed copy though and it holds a place of honour with all our other signed-by-author books.

We give it two paws up. The only down side is the cat in the book is not black, like Portia is. Portia was the inspiration for the book.

I’m sorry to say that it’s not available on Amazon, and it was a limited print run, but they are doing a second printing, so that’s a good sign! Because she was the contest winner, a copy of the book will be given to every new mom in the province, as part of the Early literacy program. (I still have the books and the bag they came in when Emma was born.)

You can get the book from:

The UNB bookstore
Westminster Books

I’ve been reading the book, No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog
by Margaret Mason. I found it at the library, on the New Books shelf, which is always.. skimpy shall we say, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I really like this book. No, I really really like it. I even have it on my wish list so I can BUY it now. (or some kind soul can buy it for me.) Funny, full of good ideas or new spins on things I’ve done. Plus there’s the added bonus of the author making my blog list for me.

This is the kind of book I can put on the shelf and flip through every few months or so. I mean, I’ve had this blog for seven years. That’s like, forever in internet terms.

Dang it. These people who are far more organized than I am, writing books and stuff that I could have but didn’t. Oh right, I was busy raising the kids….

Anyway, if you’re into blogging, it’s a nice book to have on the shelf.

So, I’m feeling kinda better today, which is good. Housecleaning is underway, and boy is there lots to do. Good thing I am a great overseer. My honey is coming home tonight, which is great.

I kinda feel okay now, even better than yesterday, depsite running aroudn, being tired and being awake for two hours in the wee bit of twilight. I promise that I am not overdoing it, and am going slow and stopping when things feel all twingy.

It’s really weird - you wouldn’t think that a “minor” procedure would know you down so much, but it does. It’s only considered minor because the doctor doesn’t have to open you up first. It kinda felt like childbirth, without any of the good parts. My insides are still weirded out, probably some sort of trauma response I’m guessing.

Anyway! Onto the fun stuff. I’m dumping all in one scattered post or I’d make 3 or 4 seperate ones.

Salvation Army haul:
- two vintage dresses
- two vintage nightgowns
- 6 books
- a game and storybook for Emma
- shirt for Sarah
- two retro bathing suits for Meaghan. And they FIT.
Grand total $11.

Library haul:
- paid my fine. Oops. Ah well, I figure it’s for a good cause. At least they’ve had a ton of new books show up.
- grabbed a YA novel for Sarah since they all waited in the van.
- 6 handstamp romance novels, 3 purple covers, 3 red
- a book on forensics
- a book on beading
- a book on blogging, which I was surprised to see
- a canadian humour novel
- a couple other mass market paperbacks, one chick lit for sure

I think that was it. Two bags, but I didn’t have to bend over to lift them, so it was okay. It should last me a week or two.

I also shuffled some boxes around in the attic last night, looking for stuff, but I got Sarah to lug some downstairs for me. I’m getting her to lug a bunch back UP the stairs today, after we’ve sorted stuff out. I thought I would feel worse, but overnight I only had weird twinges, and today I feel much more recovered, so it can’t have been that bad.

I think I’m gonna go have a nap again though.

My grandfather sends me a check every Christmas - he’s 90, he can do that. Also, my grandmother left instructions which he follows to the letter. Anyway, for my portion and Ron’s we got a 512MB card for our camera. It will store something stupid like 800 pictures.

For the girls, we blew the rest on books today.
Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt
Forever in Blue: the Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
Happy Valentine’s Day, Little Critter!

And then we went to the thrift store, where I was not thrifty AT ALL. But I did get Emma a Little Mermaid comforter, a new shirt for Ron, an embroidered pair of green jeans for Emma, another single-serving teapot, a fancy butter dish and… can’t remember. All for eight bucks.

Sarah bought a whole huge pile of t-shirts. Wonder why?