Archives for July 2013

Reunited with paperbacks

Books I bought at the local bookstore in Chatham called, Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Books I bought at the local bookstore in Chatham called, Where the Sidewalk Ends.

I consider myself an avid reader who can’t get enough of books. Severals years ago, I remember being on the fence about whether to take the plunge and buy an e-reader or support books and bookstores.  I can’t tell you how much books mean to me except they take a large place in my heart.  I began to realize that my home had been invaded with books. I would read them and not want to let them go. I would donate a few here and there but knew that I would run out of places to store them in my home. Finally I bought my first e-reader it was a Kindle.

I remember still feeling a bit conflicted. So I developed a regular habit of going the library and my local bookstore. I visited the library at least two times a month and went to the bookstore once a week and grabbed a few books and sat in the cafe skimming through them.  I love looking at all the amazing jacket covers. Let’s face it, the people that design book covers are incredibly talented because I am a sucker for a great cover.

One thing that I have noticed is that independent bookstores are becoming extinct and even brick and mortar bookstores are facing hard times.  So when we went on our anniversary vacation, I made it a point to find the local bookstores and make some purchases. I did this with the intention of supporting them and to reunite me with the book.

I now have a Nook HD and still enjoy the portability of my library of books but I am finding balance by buying books on occasion at bookstores.

I look forward to reading these three new books and will be sure to include reviews in Belinda’s Book Nook.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Anniversary Vacation in Chatham

The view from our deck!

The view from our deck!

We spent 4 days in Chatham to celebrate our 12 years of marriage while my in-laws watched the boys for us.  We have had date weekends before but this was the longest time we have been away from the boys together on a vacation since they were both born.  So it was really special and Leao found an amazing place for us to stay.

The beach was a few minutes walk  right outside our place.

The beach was a few minutes walk right outside our place.

After we checked in, we walked out of our room to check out the beach.  My car is on the right that is how close it was to the beach from our place (literally minutes!).

They had these cute wooden chairs all along our private beach.

They had these cute wooden chairs all along our private beach.

On our way down the path to the beach we saw a little bunny who quickly hopped into the grass when it saw us! I tried to catch it on film but it was getting darker and I didn’t get the settings quite right.

This had to be my favorite breakfast while we were there.

This had to be my favorite breakfast while we were there.

We had breakfast at the cutest french restaurant called Celestino’s and I loved all the cool decor and ambiance but I will not lie, I was loving the food. So much so, we went for breakfast again the next day!

A nice couple offered to take a photo of us together when we were out on the beach.

A nice couple offered to take a photo of us together when we were out on the beach.

We went to the beach everyday while there and squeezed in some shopping, sight seeing and even a free concert at the Kate Gould Park on one night.

My selfie because Leao was in the water way more than I.

My selfie because Leao was in the water way more than I.

I took a picture of myself since Leao spent much of the time in the water. I love getting in then getting out and reading on the beach.  That’s me.

Leao coming out for a few minutes to sit with me.

Leao coming out for a few minutes to sit with me.

We had a boogie board which was fun to use out in the water. I used it more than Leao since he is practically part fish!

Tea time

Tea time

Tea at the French restaurant. I just love tea and especially love pretty tea settings.

 

Our last night in Chatham, we had dinner at Del Mar.

Our last night in Chatham, we had dinner at Del Mar.

This had to be my favorite dinner place in Chatham at Del Mar. The decor was really cool and the wait staff was so friendly.

My meal and of course a yummy Cosmo!

My meal and of course a yummy Cosmo!

We had such a relaxing time and the accommodations were so nice. I feel blessed to have had such a great experience with Leao.  The kids had a great time with their grandparents and we got to truly relax for a change. What more can a girl ask for?

The beauty of this trip was that we got to put our “mom” and “dad” roles on the shelf and just be.  We  talked a lot and relaxed while taking in as much nature as possible. I grew up on the Cape and we were outdoors more than inside so it was nice to reconnect with the ocean.  I realized how much time I spend focusing on the boys and how little I sometimes spend on our relationship. It’s very easy to get caught up in the roles we play and lose sight of the beauty before us. We must cherish our relationship always not in the future when the kids are both onto their adult lives.  I have a renewed sense of happiness thinking about that.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

 

 

Belinda’s Book Nook Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Once again I am drawn into a YA book. My first favorite YA book was the Twilight series.  This book is in my opinion would be categorized as fantasy. My first and I fell right into it easier than I thought.  It  is like Twilight in that there is a love triangle and the fey are immortal like the vampires in Twilight.  I am not implying these books are similar beyond that. They are very different.   I am a big believer that a review should not contain a spoiler.  So I will stick by this and say that I felt she developed the main characters well and I found Meghan, Puck and Ash enjoyable. Puck is a very fun character and Ash is the strong handsome type.  So yes, romance does weave throughout the book nicely.

I think this is a great beach or rainy day read. As with most series, I am going to read the others too because I don’t quite want to say goodbye to the characters yet. I believe this is a 5 book series.

I would recommend this book. I enjoyed it very much and will post reviews for the other books as I read them.

Happy Reading!

Belinda

My Latest Stamp Haul!!

Hello Everyone!

While at the weekly crop at my LSS, where I met up with my crafty girlfriends, I scored on some new stamps. I am a sucker for pretty stamps. I definitely have enough, but really what is enough anyway?

New Nothwoods' stamps.

New Northwood’s stamps.

I love clear stamps for all the obvious reasons but rubber wooden stamps still are top of the line when it comes to quality impressions. Especially when you are using a very detailed stamp. I bought my first Northwood stamp last fall and loved how it looked even when I didn’t color it up. So when I saw these four stamps that are normally between $10 – $13 for $2 and $3, I knew they had to come home with me. I look forward to coloring them up with my Copics.

Some MFT and Penny Black stamps

Some MFT and Penny Black stamps

My second batch of stamps have two My Favorite Things stamps that I have had my eyes on for some time now but let me tell you when I saw they were $2 each I did a little happy dance.  I like the sheep and look forward to practicing some Copic techniques with it. The other one is screaming paper piercing all the way!

The only full price item I purchased was this mermaid set by Mo Manning for Penny Black.  I never colored up a mermaid and I have been seeing so many pretty ones floating around the internet that I am eager to give it a try.

I will be sure to share some of the projects I make.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

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