Brooke Fraser songs
Shadow Feet lyrics

Christmas Wish List

I don't believe in Santa Claus (never have), but writing a Christmas wish list is really hard.

I have to do this for our Kris Kringle gift exchange at work, and I'm really struggling to think of 3 things to put on the list. Well, I can easily think of 3, but only one particular person in the office would know what I was talking about.

Last year one of my wish list items was a gift certificate for a book shop - that's what I got, but I was very disappointed with the selections at my local store and it took me over 6 months to use the thing.

Then there's the family list. I buy most of the stuff I need during the year, and if I tell them a particular book, it ruins the surprise because I know what's coming.

Today's Writing Prompt: Writing

Today's Writing Prompt: Writing
If you had the opportunity to write as a career, what would you write?

If I could write as a career I would write children’s books. Books were always very important to me as a child (and still are). I’m not skilled with drawing – can’t do it at all – so I’d need an illustrator.

I hadn’t really thought about this before - that is not until I read the ‘One Minute Writer’ Writing Prompt for the day. In a way its stirred a desire in my heart that I didn’t even know was there.

Excuses, Excuses!

more animals

NOW!!

more animals

This is totally like my sister's cat. When she wants attention in the morning she does what I call 'circuits & bumps'. She jumps on my bed, then walks down the length of it to the bookshelf I have at the end, climbs on the bookself, then jumps to the floor, knocking as much suff off the top of the bookshelf as she can on the way down (whatever will make the most noise on the way to the floor is her preferred target). This is repeated until I get up and do something about it.

TitleTrakk Blog Tour with Fantastic Fall Giveaway Contest

Welcome to the 1st ever
TitleTrakk.com Blog Tour!

This week we're chatting about:

The Fantastic Fall Giveaway Contest!

Just in time for the holidays, you could win over $335 worth of books, cds and dvds!

Sponsored by our friends at:

The Grand Prize Winner will receive:

BOOKS:

Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark
Rachel's Secret by BJ Hoff
Beach Dreams by Trish Perry
Playing God by Michelle McKinney Hammond
White Soul by Brandt Dodson
The Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka
Finding Marie by Susan Paige Davis
The Power of Praying Through the Bible by Stormie Omartian
A Man After God's Own Heart by Jim George
Evidence for Faith 101 by Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz

CDS:

Wake Up! Wake Up! by Everyday Sunday
Rock What You Got by Superchick
Sunday by Tree63
Houston We Are Go by Newsboys (Live CD/DVD)
Nothing Left To Lose by Mat Kearney
I Am Free Worship Collection
Salvation Station by Newworldson
Not Without Love by Jimmy Needham
Pages by Shane & Shane
Colors and Sounds by Article One

MOVIES:

Love's Unfolding Dream
The Ten Commandments Animated
Between the Walls

But that's not all!
We're giving away even more!

During this blog tour (November 10th - 16th) we'll be drawing 2 winners daily from the contest entries to win an additional free book or cd!

Visit the TitleTrakk.com Contest page today to enter the contest and place yourself in the running to receive the Grand Prize, plus all the daily prizes! Deadline to enter is November 17th.

About TitleTrakk.com:
Founded in 2006 by Tracy & C.J. Darlington, TitleTrakk.com is an interactive website spotlighting Christian books, music & movies. Updated weekly, we feature author and musician interviews, album and book reviews, music videos, movie reviews and interviews, book excerpts, surveys, polls, and fun contests. Learn more: http://www.titletrakk.com/

I'm just putting this on my blog because there may be someone out there who wouldn't know about it otherwise. I found out about it on a friend's blog. Thanks Rel!

Wallbeagle

I know just what Snoopy means. I always seem to be a wall-flower, never the one asked to dance.

Ok, so what I mean by this for me is that I've never had a boyfriend, never even been on a date, never really been asked out. SIGH!

I guess it will happen sometime. Meanwhile, I'll just have to ...

WAIT!

7 Random Book Related Facts About Me

Rel over at Relz Reviewz tagged me for this 7 random facts meme, with a twist! The 7 random facts have to be book related facts!

So here goes! I hope others will join in the fun!

1. I have loved books since before I could read. As a toddler I would "read" to anyone who would listen, and often "read" to my dolls and teddies.

2. My Mum used to review all the books that I read before I was able to read them to make sure they were OK. She doesn't do that now because I read a lot more than she does and she doesn't like all the genres that I read.

3. I don't like reading science fiction or fantasy books.

4. I'm not actually sure how many books I own. I have books from when I was a child and teen in boxes in our shed, and my bookshelves are currently overflowing - 2 stacks deep in places.

5. I mostly read Christian fiction, with a few classics thrown in, plus a biography now and then, and a bit of non-fiction.

6. I generally only have one fiction book that I am reading at a time, but I usually have several non-fiction books partly read at one time (I have tried to reduce the number this year and finish a few books that I have been in the middle of for a long time).

7. I rencently discovered that I enjoy hearing books on CD. It started when I was trying to find a good book for my Auntie who can't read at the moment, but loves books.

Care to share any random facts about yourself and books?

Strange places to get a drink

more animals

Public holiday activities

Tuesday was a public holiday for the Melbourne Cup. I have absolutely no interest in the cup, except that because I live in the Melbourne metro area I get a day off work.

I guess you could say that my public holiday activities started the evening before. My sister, K and I were at a bit of a loss to know what to do in the evening, and she suggested we do a jigsaw puzzle. I had this one that I had started on months ago and really wanted to finish, so we got it out and worked on it for a couple of hours. Mum and my other sister, A, also put a few pieces in, but as you know jigsaws are addictive and you just want to keep going until they are finished. So I was up late, because I just couldn't stop. However, I did stop without finishing it that night.

When I got up the next morning A had done some more of it, and K & I ended up finishing it at about 11am.

By the way, the picture is of a painting by Andres Orpinas.

K & I had also decided that we wanted to go somewhere in the afternoon; for a walk and for afternoon tea. Bacchus Marsh was our place of choice. Mum & I had gone there Cup Day last year, but K couldn't come that time. I didn't mind going again because I really enjoyed it last time.

At the last minute, Mum decided that she wanted to come as well. So the 3 of us set off just before 2pm.

The photo to the left is of the first part of the Avenue of Honour as you come into Bacchus Marsh. The trees are Dutch Elms, and each one represents a soldier who did not return from the 2 World Wars. Some of the trees are being replaced because they have died, but the lady at the information centre told us that each replacement is a clone of the original. Further along the Avenue of Honour the tree arch looks better, but to get the photo you have to stand in the middle of the road and that is too dangerous because the road is quite busy (Mum & I tried it last year).

The route into town also takes us past the house where my Dad lived when he first came to Australia from England as a child. It looks a little rundown, but it's still there. The church where my Grandfather was a minister is no longer there - instead there is a shopping plaza.

After stopping at the Information Centre for advice on the best walks, we ended up going to the Peppertree Walk along the Werribee River. The walk takes you along one side of the river, across a ford, along the other side of the river and finally across the road bridge back to your starting point - 2.9 km in all. Along the way we saw moor hens, rabbits and other birds. We were told that if you take the walk in the early morning you can a platypus or two as well (actually the lady we talked to has seen 7 in one morning)!

This is one of the photos I took of the river on the way back to our starting point.

After our walk we had a yummy afternoon tea at The Jolly Miller, a bakery/cafe, and on the way home we stopped at one of the many fruit & vegetable shops on the Avenue of Honour, selling both local and interstate produce.