Page After Page

Year of Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:16:00 +0000

Happy Sunday to all!
I am happy to say that life is slowly returning to normal after our traumatic weather week, documented here! I actually was able to get my car out of the driveway today and was able to get out--after being housebound since last Monday! Oh the freedom!
Now, I am all tucked back in my house and listening to a Frank Sinatra cd. I love those old standard classics. :)

On to the knitting news--

I got my semi-mystery KAL mitts all caught up and am awaiting the final clue, due out next Thursday which will close up the thumb gusset.

I am so pleased with this project and can't wait to wear them. The pattern will be free for a while on her website, so you all should go take a look.

I think I am still on a mitts roll, because I plan to cast on another pair--this time using a ball of yarn I won, way back last Fall from Keri and using this pattern.........called Pixie Warmers

I also have the yarn and needles to start this project...

.....if not this week, then real soon! It will be for my little 2 year old Grandy, Adelaide. I think she will be adorable in it.

And to top it off, I think I will be starting this dishcloth---the Ballband Dishcloth. I think I will do it with some variegated blue Sugar and Cream. I have had this pattern on my list to do ever since I joined Ravlery, two and a half years ago. :)

That is all from me--I hope this next week finds you all healthy, warm and full of knitting/crocheting joy.
*smiles*

Ice, Ice, Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:33:00 +0000

It has been a bit of a traumatic weather week up here in Seattle-and just for the record, regardless of what some idiotic reporter from the LA Times has to say, Seattlelites are not wimps. This has been a dangerous storm.

We had off and on snow showers Sunday through Tuesday night, which is when the big snow finally hit. We received 7 inches of snow in about 8 hours. Then, 12 hours later the freezing rain/sleet arrived and were treated to an ice storm, the likes of which we have not ever seen. Trees and branches were falling right and left throughout the neighborhoods, each one sounding like a gunshot. While other trees tried like crazy to hang on to their branches.

We have a beautiful 30 foot ornamental plum tree in our front yard which I love. Aside from the great shade it provides the front of our house (including our bedroom) in the summer--I have very fond memories of purchasing that tree, the first such purchase for our new house. All four kids were still little people and we had a fun crazy time planting it.

Today--it did not fair well as it became encased in a layer of ice which probably has reached 3/4 of an inch thick. There are at least 3 major cracks in the upper trunk and we are not sure it will survive or even what shape it will be in when all the ice melts. I am just sick over this and so sad.

9:00 AM

12:00 PM ( starting to bend over)

3:00 PM ( topmost branches are touching the ground)

8:00 PM (emergency pruning when my husband arrived home from work)

Other Photos:

Dishcloth Challenge 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:28:00 +0000

I am joining Ruth, in her dishcloth challenge this year. My aim is to get 1 done every 2 weeks--but since I have been snowed in, and now iced in, I finished one this week, after finishing one just last weekend.

Today's cloth is in honor of the winter weather which has kept me housebound all week. First we got 6 inches of snow and now we have a 3/4 of an inch coating of ice over everything. I decided to knit up Snowflake by Moniboo Designs yesterday. I used a blue Sugar and Cream cotton, with size 7 needles. While I am not usually a fan of picture cloths, this one just seemed appropriate!

In this picture you can see the freezing rain that is hitting the window, the pussywillow tree in the window, encased in ice, and in the far left side you can see branches from my ornamental plum tree bent down to the ground. I so want it to stop raining and the temps to warm up! They were hoping we would be above freezing y 2:00 PM, it is 1:45 and I just checked. We are only up to 30! I think the storm warning is about to be extended!
Go visit Ruth to see her beautiful cloth for the week---truly a work of art!

yArN aLoNg: sNoW

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Today I am joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along where you take a picture of what you are reading and knitting...then share.

The biggest news in my little corner of the world is sNoW!

Little old Seattle does not get big winter snow storms every year, but today, we did! My suburb has received close to 5 inches of snow in the past 6 hours and it is oh-so-beautiful.

Now, marching on to the yarn and books!

I am reading 2 books right now, and am not really far into either of them yet. That being said, I so far like them. The first one is called Entwined by Heather Dixon and it is on my Kindle. Retold fairy tales hit the reading spot sometimes, and this is one of those times--it is the retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
The second book is Fancy Strut by Lee Smith. I have loved everything I have ever read by Ms. Smith and this is no exception. Her books have such a warmth and depth of character development in which I so easily lose myself. (click the book titles to see more information on them)

On my needles are my mystery KAL, Winter Buzz Mittens. Mine will be fingerless, and this Thursday the last clue is being given out. After 3 years of knitting, I think I can finally say that I feel fairly comfortable using the magic loop method. The only thing I really need to get down is how to unknit with this method when a mistake is made. I am using Cascade 22o worsted weight yarn and I cannot say enough about how wonderful this yarn is to work with!

Today I will be working on a dishcloth, and a charity blanket I will be giving to a pediatric interim care facility which cares for drug affected newborns.

Until later--one last snow shot for you--

Kindle Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:07:00 +0000

Hello from chilly Seattle.
Today was a snow day, and tomorrow very likely will be also! I have done a ton of knitting, and browsing around Amazon, Netgalley, and Books on the Knob looking for reduced and free books for my Kindle. Because goodness knows, I need more books! Maybe because my actual physical book shelves are full to overflowing, I feel the need to fill up my wonderful reading device too?
Does anyone else have this issue?

Some of my more recent acquisitions include:

Three Girls and Baby by Rachel Schurig
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell
Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell
Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell
Pie Town by Lynne Hinton
Whistlin' Dixie In a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton
Margaret Thatcher, A Life by The Editors of New Word City

Some of the above were free, some were 99 cents, some were $1.99, and a few were a little more than that.

Now I am finding that I really need to organize things better with more specific "Collection Folders" and need to have a better plan. Some of these and others I have are for challenges, some are Christmas, some are biographies and memoirs.

How do those of you with E-readers organize your books?

Year of Projects: snowy edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:34:00 +0000

Happy Monday, fiber and bookish friends!
It is a cold and snowy day here in the greater Seattle area, and I must say, the snow is beautiful.

We don't get snow every year, receiving just a little bit in 2010, and none in 2011. So, the snow falling down right now is happy news for some and a headache for others. We don't have terrific snow removal in our cities, and the whole Seattle area is built on hills--lots and lots of hills--so you can imagine the headache for some. We have a huge storm being tracked to arrive tomorrow night into Wednesday, and if it develops I am pretty sure there will be a snow day from work! Perfect for snuggling in and having a day devoted to knitting and reading.

I have been working furiously on my mystery KAL from KnitPurlHunter.com, and I must say I am loving this mitten pattern very much.

I will be making mine fingerless, so after the last clue comes out this Thursday, it won't be long before I have them finished. I feel so much more confident with magic looping, especially after completing the Grandy's mitts which I shared last week--no real problems yet, but this Thursday's clue will involve taking the thumb gusset stitches off the holder and fixing that up a bit-this holds the potential for being problematic for me, but we shall see! I am using a Cascade worsted weight yarn, called Midnight.

I also finished my first dishcloth of the year!

In case you missed it, I am joining Ruth from Ruth's Little Leprechauns in a little dishcloth challenge. She is aiming for a dishcloth every week while I am aiming for one every 2 weeks. This dishcloth is called the Double Bump cloth and while it was extremely easy, produces a striking finished project. I am planning on starting my new one today, and will share it on Thursday.

That is all the knitting news from chilly and white Seattle....until later....
*smiles*

sAtUrDaY sNaPsHoT

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:10:00 +0000

I love this little red head so
Christmas joy in a 2 year old's eyes

The Bungalow

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:50:00 +0000

Book: The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
Finished: January, 2012
Pages: 320
Challenges: What's in a Name 5, Out Do Yourself, A-Z 2012,

From Amazon:

In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.

A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.

From Me:

Sarah Jio is my kind of author.
I sang her praises last year when I read her first novel, Violets of March, and I tip my hat to her again today after finishing The Bungalow.
What I found between the pages of her latest offering are exactly what I was expecting from her:

Great character development
Historical setting, richly described so you feel you are there living it
Lives that intersect
Two story lines--one present, one in the past
Passion and love, but none of that steamy stuff that ruins a book for me
Mystery, intrigue, plot twists
Relationships gone bad
People doing the right thing
Sadness, happiness, bitter sweetness, joy
and in the end...a resolution that leaves me feeling glad I took the time to read the book

This was great book to curl up with on the couch, under a blanket, on a gray, chilly January day. As I read the last 75 pages today, my world, full of stress and cares, and a raging case of pink eye, all but disappeared from my mind. I was instead transported to Bora Bora, and France and New York, and ultimately back to my beloved Seattle.
If you need to escape, even for just a little while, might I suggest taking a little peek into The Bungalow?

Year of Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:19:00 +0000

Happy Sunday!
Another week has flown by and I have been a busy little knitter. I have committed the month to getting some mitts done, and my first ones are completed. I worked hard on them, and even though there are tons of mistakes in each one, I feel like I really learned from the mistakes. By the end of the 4th little mitt, I felt like I finally "got' knitting in the round with magic loop.

These darling little things are the tiniest items I have every knit before. The purple ones are for 8 month old Amelia, and the gray pair are for 2 year old Adelaide. I hope these keep their little hands toasty while keeping those busy little fingers free to be busy!

Now, I need to get busy and cast on my mystery mittens--this KAL is always open to new people who want to join. I need to put in a little plug in praise Michelle (who designs the KAL's) as she has the best/ most clear technique videos I have ever seen. You should check out her list of available tutorials for the next time you are looking for knitting advice when it is midnight and too late to call your friend for help!

Ruth, from Ruth's Little Leprechauns has challenged herself to knit a dishcloth a week--and I hope she doesn't mind, but I think I am going to join her-except mine will be probably 1 every 2 weeks due to time constraints. I would love to see a little pile of dishcloths sitting in a basket waiting for me to use or to be given away as a gift.

Here is my first one of the year--it is called the Double Bump Dishcloth. I am using a Sugar & Cream stripe for this one.

I am hoping to knit up the DW Darrell Waltrip Dishcloth next.

One of the perks of knitting for me, are the specialty tools which are sometimes needed. My favorite being stitch markers. I needed a little brightness in my dark dreary January, so I ordered this set of stitch markers and it was like getting a bright, cheery, little garden when I opened them.
Aren't they delightful? I can't wait to use them!

Another piece of excitement is that I won a give-away from Knitspiring this week! I will be getting a Knitscene magazine, a skein of Madelinetosh yarn and an adorable little knitting thank-you note. In fact, I think it is so cute I may never send it, but frame it instead! Thanks again Kepanie.

That is all the knitting news for today--I hope to get around to all the other YOP blogs for a visit this evening.

*smiles*

sAtUrDaY sNaPsHoT: big news

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:04:00 +0000

They are engaged!
July 28th, 2012 is the date.
My son Andrew, and his fiancee Alyse

yArN aLoNg

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:58:00 +0000

Ginny from Small Things, hosts a weekly event called Yarn Along. Here she encourages us to share what we are knitting and what we are reading all together in a tidy little post.

Lots and lots of knitting this week--on the needles are 2 little projects. The multicolored yarn is my first dishcloth of the year--my goal being to knit 1 every 1-2 weeks so I can have a little stash of them on hand for myself, or for little last minute gifts~ This pattern is called Double Bump and can be found on ravelry, here.

The little tiny bit of gray is the beginning of Lyddie's little fingerless mitts. I have started these over about 5 times, but I think I am on a roll now. Knitting with Magic Loop has always been challenging for me. I am hoping to get a couple pairs of these done for my NaKniMitMo mitten challenge for January!

I am reading The Bungalow--written by a local author and one that I am quite engrossed in. Check out the raves for it on Amazon!

A-Z 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Edited 1/4/12: Great news!
Someone is actually hosting an A-Z Challenge, so I don't have to do it on my own! :)
Kristen from Strawberry Splash Reviews is hosting-and I am scooting over there right now to sign up.

~*~*~~*~*~***~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~
Because I have not seen the A-Z Challenge being offered again this year, I am challenging myself. This has always been one of my favorite challenges, and one I have been participating in for several years.

I will be reading Titles only--

A.
B. (the) Bungalow
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S.
T.
U.
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z.

National Mitten Knitting!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:05:00 +0000

Yes!
Even knitters have a NaNoWriMo (novel writing) month like the writers.

Only ours is called NaKniMitMo--(must be a Ravelry member to see link) and it involves knitting mittens during this typically coldest month of the year.
Mittens are easy.
Mittens are fun.
Mittens take very little yarn.
Mittens are very useful.
Mitten patterns in the free category abound!

I already planning on knitting fingerles mitts (it doesn't get that cold in Seattle) this month--2 pairs for myself, and 1 pair each for the GrandGirls. You can see my plan in this post....

If you are so inclined, come join us! :)

Today--

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

(photo by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe)

Christmas is put away-down to the last gift and stocking stuffer.
Laundry for the week is busy churning away in the machines.
Work starts back tomorrow, after 7 whole business days off.
Now, I am sitting here listening to the rain on the skylights, contemplating my yarn and trying to decide which to use to make my GrandGirls their little fingerless mitts.

For the first time in months, there is nothing on my needles!~ Everything is completed, and the lovingly stitched gifts have been give to their recipients. The last one being the hat for my son--I just plain ran out of time before Christmas, but finally finished it last night at 1:00 AM and promptly bestowed it upon him! (Lucky he is 26 years old and did not mind waiting!)
I plan to start a mystery mitt KAL which starts this Thursday, and this pair will be for me! I have purchased a Cascade Yarn, midnight, 220 worsted wool--isn't it pretty?

Cascade Yarns is a local company with a great variety of yarns to choose from. It always makes me feel good when I purchase one of theirs.

I am also mulling around the idea of doing some dishcloth knitting every week or two. I love the idea of having my own stack of new dishcloths at my disposal. and having a stack on hand to give as gifts. Anyone else doing that? There are so many patterns that I find it kind of exciting to get going on it!

In the book department I am reading The Bungalow, a very cozy read-and I better get crackin' on it if I am really serious about improving my reading totals for 2012!

Year of Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:53:00 +0000

I am back!!! Happy New Year!
I have not posted a real Projects post since the first part of November and I have missed it and all of you dear readers.

I am so excited to say that I have finished 14 projects since July from my list! I have to admit that my original list has been altered a bit, but for everything taken off, something new was added. It was a bit of an ambitious list to start with, given my low years of experience and not so quick knitting speed. I will be adding a couple of things for the Grandys, but also probably taking a couple of things off too.

Today, I am finally showing off my Shaelyn Shawl which I finished back in November but had never gotten around to blocking. I LOVE it! Next week I will be blocking my Triplicity Shawl and hope to show you in my next update post.

I am also showing off the little Boheme vest (with modifications) which I made for 8 month old Amelia. She will look so sweet in it.

I am planning to start some of these little mitts for my Grandys, starting these mitts for myself, and I will be starting the Mitts/Mitten KAL, designed by Michelle at Knit Purl Hunter and sponsored by Skacel, the US distributor of Addi needles. It will be a busy Mitt month for me I think!

Again, Happy New Years to you. My wish is that 2012 brings you all nothing but good things!
*smiles*

As the year winds down....

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:35:00 +0000

Christmas is over and the New Year will begin in just a matter of a couple of days.

People are beginning to de-decorate their homes, (me included), and settle in for the long winter still to come. Taking the Christmas decs down is always bittersweet--the house feels so bare and less cozy, yet it feels more organized. Speaking of organization, I have been doing a fair amount of that also--cleaned out the pantry, organized yarn, cleaned off book shelves (which resulted in a bag of books for the donation station), cleaned off and reorganized my kitchen counters and picked up our bedroom. Tomorrow, I hope to finish some thank-you note writing and some small sewing projects--bless Pinterest for all the new fun ideas I have found. :)

I decided as I packed away my holiday decor, that I would leave a few things out--just to maintain a bit of that wintertime cozy---

This little counter used to hold the mail and all kind of paper junk. No one liked how it looked, so we figured out a new mail storage spot and I added this little bit of cozy to my kitchen!

My husband suggested we leave this twinkle light swag up for the winter, which makes me all kinds of happy, because twinkle lights make me smile!

Even though I had to clean all the cedar boughs off my shelves and mantle--I decided to keep a few in water on the shelf--it just feels a bit like the holidays with out all the holidayish stuff!
Are you leaving stuff out too?

Many bookie bloggers are doing their end of the year stats posts, and normally I do one too. But not this year. My completed reading for 2011 was a bit paltry compared to other years and really I am alright with that. The thing which demanded equal time from my pool of free time, was knitting. I learned a lot of new techniques, met lots of new people, and finished many projects.

I will tell you my favorite reads of 2012--there were several and they are listed in no particular order:

The Tower, The Zoo and the Tortoise
The Weird Sisters
Minding Frankie
The Violets of March
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
A Lesson in Secrets (Maisie Dobbs)
Prayers For Sale

My page total was somewhere around the 8,500 mark--which sounds like a very pathetic amount compared to so many others--but it is what it is and hopefully next year will be a bit more productive!

And my completed challenges for 2012? Not so great either. I got so far behind that I kind of quit keeping track-but I did post the other day several for 2012 that looked do-able for me. I was really hoping Becky from Becky's Book Reviews was going to host the A-Z challenge, but I have seen no mention of it. I might just challenge myself to do it on my own as it is always kind of fun to make the books fit!

Are you tallying up stats? Are you surprised by your totals?
Happy New Year and happy reading!

The Telling Tales

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Hosted by Bex over at An Armchair By The Sea.

I am in for the Level 1 and plan to read Twisted Fairytales – retellings or modern interpretations of fairytales or myths. For inspiration, look here.

Some books I would like to read:

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz
I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
Except the Queen by Jane Yolen
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
Goose Girl by Shannon Hale ( on my Kindle)
The Book of a Thousand Day by Shannon Hale
Godmother: the secret Cinderella story by Carolyn Turgeon (I own)

The Telling Tales Reading Challenge 2012

Rules:

· Challenge runs from January 1^st 2012 to December 31^st 2012. You may sign up to participate at any point between these dates.

· Any genre counts as long as it is related to fairytale, folklore, or mythology in some way. If you’re not sure if it counts – as long as you can make a case for why it should, then it does!

· You can re-read books for this challenge as long as the reviews you link are written during 2012, and the challenge can also overlap other challenges.

· Whatever you read must either be a version of a fairytale or myth, or contain fairytale or mythological characters, settings, or sequence of events.

· Every month there will be update posts either here or on my sister’s blog. Please link up your reviews for that month on this post.

That’s it!

Now, the important bit.

The Categories

These are the levels:

Level 1: Read 5 books

Level 2: Read 10 books

Level 3: Read 15 books

Level 4: Read 20 books

Level 5: Read 25 books

You can sign up for any level, and choose to read either purely the categories listed below, or to participate in the Mix n Match category, or the Adaptation Amalgamation category, or all of them if you're that brave!
Mix n Match – Exactly what it says. Sign up for a level and pick that number of books from any or all of the other categories.

Outdo Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Because I only managed to finish 28 books for 2011, I figure it would not be hard to complete this challenge! I am going for the highest level- "I'm on Fire!" which will require me to read 16+ more books--and really, I should be able to break the 50 book yearly total mark.

1.The Bungalow

Details: Hosted by The Book Vixen

Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime.
The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:

Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

2012 TBR Pile

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:00:00 +0000

I am choosing the "A Friendly Hug" level, which is 11-20 books for the year. I am already committed to 12 books with my Mount TBR challenge so this will be do-able for me. The lovely ladies hosting this one will be holding monthly link up posts with a unique theme, mini-challenges and the chance to win a prize, with a big prize chance at the end of year. I am putting the rules in the bottom of this post, per the sign up instructions, but you really should hop over there and sign up and read all about it there.
Go on.
You know you want to!

This TBR challenge is being hosted by a whole slew of people!
See!

Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

Challenge guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry.
If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL.
You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

Reading Challenge Addict

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

I want credit for the challenges I am doing, and while I am only gearing up for the 2nd level, consisting of 6-10 challenges, I know I will join a few more throughout the year--
Let the games begin

Here is the link to my challenge page for 2012--there the buttons can be found for each of them. Click the button and be transported to that individual challenge page!

This challenge is being hosted by Cheryl and Gina and this what they say:

We're not making this a difficult challenge, actually, it's going to be very simple!

This challenge will begin on January 1, 2012 and end on December 31, 2012.
Write a starting post joining the challenge and outlining your challenges.
Track all of your challenge accomplishments - good & bad.
Stop by to join us in the mini-challenges, updates & extra giveaways throughout the year.

Easy, right? Who wants to be in on the fun? What else will we be doing? We'll have giveaways for our participants to enter and unannounced special drawings for commenters on the site so be sure to leave your email address with your comment! Are you ready? Sign up here to enter:

Join us to stamp out our addictiveness to reading challenges -- or just help us find more & enjoy our obsessiveness.

Mount TBR

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:52:00 +0000

Hosted by Bev over at My Reader's Block
You all really should be joining too because I know you have one.
We all do.
The every growing Mount TBR!

I will be joining at the Pike's Peak level--12 book from my shelf. I will probably read more than that but don't want to get locked into a level that doesn't give me some wriggle room for new finds!

Bev says:
I don't have a TBR shelf. Oh, no. I have "Mount TBR"...possibly a whole mountain range.

With that in mind, and having read Susan Hill's Howards End Is on the Landing (where she spent a year just reading from her own shelves, I've decided to create my own TBR reading challenge and plan to concentrate on reading primarily from my own books this year. And you're invited to join me in knocking out some of those books that have been waiting in the wings for weeks....months...even years.

Challenge Levels

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 25 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 40 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2012.

Southern Lit Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:27:00 +0000

Hosted by The Introverted Reader, Jen

I used to read a lot of Southern Lit, and have accumulated quite the stash which has been neglected in the last couple of years. I am looking forward to digging into that pile and will be joining in at the Y'all Come Back Now, Y' Hear level.

My choices will come from this list:

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Fancy Strut by Lee Smith
Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan Lake
gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
Tending to Virginia by Jill McCorkle
Dixieland Sushi by Cara Lockwood
The Cotton Queen by Pamela Morsi

The nuts and bolts of it:

Read a book(s)--non-fiction or fiction of any genre, adult or young adult--written by an author from the South and set mostly in the South.

Levels:

Level 1--C'mon in the house! Read 1 book.

Level 2--Pull up a seat and stay a while! Read 2 books

Level 3--Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey. Read 3 books

Level 4--Y'all come back now, y'hear! Read 4 books

The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. You can join in anytime throughout the year.

yArN aLoNg

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:46:00 +0000

Ginny from Small Things, hosts a weekly event called Yarn Along. Here she encourages us to share what we are knitting and what we are reading all together in a tidy little post.

I have not been able to get my act together enough to participate in this since October! I was shocked that it had been that long--but here for your reading and viewing enjoyment is my photo for the week:

I am reading, The Bungalow by Sarah Jio--and I just have to say how thrilled I am to be aware of such a great local author. You can read all about my love for her book(s) here, and I am sure that there will be another glowing review from me real soon--well, as soon as I finish The Bungalow. Her books are the kind you just snuggle down and get lost in. If you follow the link above, you will also get to see the book trailer for this new one.

The knitting project is the hat I did not finish in time for Christmas Day for my oldest son. I promised him I would finish it this week--and with this weather we are having, he could really use it. I am using a Cascade aran weight and it is so nice. The pattern is a great one too, called the Regular Guy Beanie--super, super easy!

That is all for now, except I thought I would share a picture that I love of 2 old ornaments that are hanging on our tree--

Yes, I am crazy...

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Edited: 12/28/11
(This challenge was supposed to have officially finished on December 1, 2011, but I have seen no acknowledgement from the host of the challenge since her original sign up post. I want to read some of these books, but tend to put them off--so I am pretending this challenge is still ongoing--I will be changing the list up a bit though)

So for 2012, I am committing myself to reading 6 books off this list! Then next year I will read more. :)
Anyone want to join me? Let me know!

( From February 2011:
Michelle from 3m is hosting Book Awards V. I never finished book awards IV and the challenge blog fell by the wayside for unknown reasons. But I have decided to join again this year, and am using mostly book choices that I had chosen for the 4th challenge. I only need to read 5 of these spread out over 5 different awards. The challenge runs from 2/1/11 through 12/1/11.

Here is my list, subject to changes:

1. Small Island by Andrea Levy
2005 Commonwealth Writer's Prize

2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
2003 Costa/Whitbread

3. The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjeon (1955)
Carnegie Medal

4.A House of Children by Joyce Cary (1941)
James Tait Black Memorial Prize

5. Three Junes by Julia Glass
2002 National Book Award

6. Giliad by Marilynne Robinson
2004 National Book Critics' Circle

7. Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Pulitzer Prize

8. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
2005 Orange Prize

9. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Pen/Faulkner Award

10. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
James Tait Black Memorial Prize (2009)

11. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
Anthony Award (2008)

12. Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala 1975

Booker Prize

13. August by Gerard Woodward

Whitbread finalist for first novel award---2008

14. The Big House by George Howe Colt

National Book Award Finalist 2004

15. Name All the Animals: a memoir by Alison Smith

2004 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writer Award

16. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patrica Reilly Giff (Newberry Honor Book)

17. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Winner of Booker Prize

Read Your Name 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:17:00 +0000

Another fun, low pressure challenge--I missed it last year. I will be reading my first name, Kim.
K.
I.
M.

Victoria is hosting this challenge and this is what she writes:

The challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. That means:

Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. Such as my name: Victoria. the first book's title would start with the letter V, then the next book title begins with I, etc. Make sense? (I hope so!)

Rules/Guidelines:

Whenever you have finished a book for this challenge: If you have a blog, come back here and leave your review link in the Mr. Linky that will be up; for the book you've read & reviewed. If you do not have a blog, please just leave your progress in a comment. :)
The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2012, to Dec. 31st 2012. You may join at any time between Jan 1st and Nov 30th.
Last but not least, be sure to sign up using Mister Linky Below! & If you want to, leave a comment with what name you're going to use and where it came from. :)
The hostess's preference is that you read the books in order!