would it kill you to stop doing that

I stumbled upon this book while reading VF, when they featured a few no goes (ie. stop asking older people if they're okay) in an article :)
The title takes the words out of my mouth, sometimes I would love to scream "would it kill you to stop doing that". Not that I'm perfect or anything but would it kill you to stop burping/farting/spitting or say thank you/excuse me/ please???
Maybe I'm old fashioned, when I was handed my diploma I curtsied hahaha It was a natural reflex and I'm still shaking my head about it. To top it all off, the other day when I got cash out I caught myself saying "thank you" to the atm!! What is wrong with me, but I'd rather say it too much than not at all ha.
We could all do with better manners.

(image via amazon.com)

book art

WOW

Has anyone seen these?? 

artwork by Isaac G Salazar

(via swissmiss)

selah day

Cannot put this book down!
I read the first one, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, last year while I still lived in London but never got round to getting books number two and three until my parents went on a book shopping spree while over in England :) This book is so captivating, it kills me when I have to put it down!
Love selah (pause & think) days. First day off with no agenda, appointment, duties, trips to Vienna, weddings or other fun stuff. Today is all about reading and baking bread and a plum cake.

this is going on my Christmas list

This would be a dream come true... your own little reading world. Life would be good :)

unexpected holidays, sort of

A couple of months ago I mentioned how one of my New Years resolutions was to read more and how much I admire the Fifty Two Fifty Two project. Current book count of 2010 is eleven with having started three more books - my horrible habit of reading multiple books at the same time, I know!

Yesterday for some reason I sat down with a brand new book and didn't stop until I was done four hours later. Granted it was not the hardest book to read but I can't remember the last time I was as relaxed to do that. It seriously felt like a mini break away from life.
Started another one last night, No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. Found it the other day and remembered watching this trailer while I was in Tennessee.
Being green at heart and always looking for ways to make this world a better place, I like reading what other people do. So far I'm loving it and think that everyone should read up on these things. In my opinion everyone should check out Matthew Sleeth's Serve God, Save The Planet as well. Probably his book and the whole God is green series that the Mars Hills community walked through a couple years ago, have shaped me quite a bit. As has Carl Honore and his book In Praise Of Slow.

Don't know why but had a day off today as well, so going with the whole green theme, I finally had time to check out our garden and planted some seeds. Hopefully they will all turn into plants and bear much fruit :)

back in the city

Flying into Heathrow the other night, once we were past all the clouds, you could see the city twinkling like heaps of fairy lights being strung across the ground. It looked so pretty and sparkly.
This was maybe the best flight I've been on in the last couple months, super friendly stewards and we were early!!! on a flight to London!!! Don't think this has ever happened to me before... So I wrote them an email to say thank you :)
Anyway spent the entire flight reading Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K Jerome. Funniest book of 2010 so far. (by the way, my book count is up to five, I might even make the Fifty Two Fifty Two thing this year - would be crazy).
It's exciting to be back and, after being gone for almost 6 months, it feels like settling into a new city. Best thing was to start my time back here with a team vision night at church.
In Habakkuk 2 it says

Write the vision and make it plain

That's what our leaders did and it's a great place to start. Nothing major, just as simple as that. Watch the video here. I'm pumped for what's ahead of us this year. God is amazing and I'm humbled to be part of His plan.

On another note, read a killer review on Home Is Where The Heart Breaks here. Boys I'm proud of you!!

books of 2009

A couple of years ago I read how Alissa Wilkinson read 50 books in a year and she really inspired me to read more. Knowing that I would never make 50 I aimed a little lower and decided to read 27 books in 2009. Didn't quite make it, but read my way through 25. (Well I started about 6 other ones but haven't finished them yet - bad habit of reading more than one book at a time I know!)

Tender is the night – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Travelling mercies – Anne Lamott

He’s just not that into you - Greg Behrendt

Eclipse – Stephanie Meyer

New moon – Stephanie Meyer

A thousand splendid suns – Husseid Khallini

I sold my soul on ebay - Hemant Metha

Jesus wants to save all Christians – Rob Bell

Breaking dawn – Stephanie Meyer

I’ll have what she’s having – Bobbie Houston

To kill a mocking bird – Harper Lee

Under the Tuscan sun – Francis Mayes

The Mitfords, letters between six sisters - Charlotte Mosley(editor)

The shack - William P Young

Frauen veraendern die Welt – Elke Werner

Diary of a dangerous vision – Andy Hawthorne

Don’t tell Alfred – Nancy Mitford

The un-domestic goddess – Sophie Kinsella

A year in Provence – Peter Mayle

The Satorialist – Scott Schuman

Queen of the Road – Doreen Orion

The irresistible revolution – Shane Clairborne

The pursuit of love – Nancy Mitford

Love in a cold climate – Nancy Mitford

The private lives of Pippa Lee – Rebecca Miller

It was a rather random collection of books and some were awesome, others were okay, some were silly. The one that fascinated me most was the Mitford girls biography and I ended up reading three books from the oldest one and am halfway through a book of one of her best friends :)

This year I'm aiming higher, trying to take more time out just to read. Stupid TV will not suck me in this year!!!

bike rides in downtown

Last night we went cycling.
There were eight of us and we all dressed up as if we were horse back riding in the English countryside (or whatever we could find and people thought was English haha).
It was so much fun and I finally got to see a bit more of Nashville.
Thanks to biking everywhere when I was in Austria in June, I didn't feel like dying once!! Progress!!!
It was funny as people kept staring at this group riding their bikes, apparently it  doesn't happen very often around here... one guy was yelling "get a car" at us - yeah things are different in America.
I wish I would have taken more photos on my digital camera instead of my old old SLR one, but we'll see how those will turn out. As the film roll expired a while ago, it could be interesting.

The boys are arriving in a couple hours and I can't wait to see them. It will be great to have family around for a bit!! More on that later, I'm about to start a new book - which marks number 17 on my list, 10 more to go until the end of the year. Oh dear.