Fuzzimal Puppies by Theresa Hutnick and Megan Smith

by Carol8 Comments
Isn't he adorable. Amber (9)  made him with a Klutz book she got for Christmas, Fuzzimal Puppies by Theresa Hutnick and Megan Smith. The book has directions to make these adorable puppies and give each their own flair and personality. Everything you need to make five is there, including super-shaggy terry-cloth pipe cleaners, fuzzy-wuzzy novelty yarn, felt for ears and collars, googly eyes, glue, and a supply of shiny jewels. There are also pop-out carriers, adding to the cuteness factor. The directions were simple, easy-to-follow and look how perfect he turned out. The suggested age is 9-12, and Amber did it with no help from me....
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Game Night – Cir*Kis

by Carol5 Comments
Cir*Kis Manufacturer: Hasbro Year: 2009 Players: 2 - 4 Ages: 8 and up Amber (9) got Cir*Kis for Christmas and we've played it several times since then.  It's a great "abstract strategy" family game. Players take turns placing one of their nine differently-shaped pieces on the beveled game board next to the last piece played. You complete Circles and Stars to score points. First player to 40 wins. It's easy to learn, but the more often you play, the more strategy you can find. You can plan ahead on how to get points, even if others score too. You can block other players from placing a piece. If they don't have a piece they can play, they have to pass. We've played it with Amber (9) and adults, and she seems to be fairly even, with just as much chance of winning. It's also a pretty game, with the different colored tiles forming different patterns. I'd recommend it for families. I actually enjoy it more than...
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Awards

by Carol9 Comments
I've gotten a few awards lately that I wanted to thank people for. Freda, from Freda's Voice, passed this one back to me. Thanks so much. Now, the rule is nominate seven other bloggers for this and then tell everybody seven things about yourself. I'm skipping the nominating other bloggers. You're all beautiful. Seven things about me, huh? You guys already know a lot, but here goes. Seven things about me: My feet are cold. Have been since October. I'm drinking black coffee. I need new glasses. Mine are all scratched up. I stole some of David's quarters so I can grab lunch at Wendy's if I want. Really it's an excuse to read, because if I go home for lunch I know I'll do other things. My current book is Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz, which is only a seven day loan from the library, so it skipped to the head of the line. I just ordered myself an MP-3 player. I'm wearing watermelon sorbet lip gloss. Freda also sent...
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The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald

by Carol10 Comments
The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, illustrated by Mercer Mayer (Suggested reading level: Ages 9-12) Amber (9) and I read this together. It was first published in 1967 and set in Utah in 1896, but if Amber's any example, today's kids will still find plenty to enjoy. The Great Brain is Tom D. Fitzgerald and the story is told by J.D., his admiring younger brother. Tom is an expert at making money from his friends, but he does help a lot of people along the way, even if his motives are not entirely unselfish. Each chapter is like a mini-adventure. Tom gets a mean teacher fired and then rehired, finds two kids lost in a cave, helps a Greek immigrant boy fit in, saves a friend from committing suicide by teaching him that he's not useless even after the lower part of his leg is amputated. Tom really is a brilliant kid, and it's a fun book. As soon as it was...
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Sherlock Holmes

by Carol9 Comments
I have to admit that I was totally prepared to love Sherlock Holmes from the minute I had heard it was coming out, and I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed. This may be an action-hero Holmes, but he jived well with the image I had in my head, and Robert Downey, Jr. was the perfect actor to bring him to life. He's tough, sarcastic, doesn't care about social niceties, and is certainly not above a makeshift costume. Watson is right beside Holmes throughout the adventure, and they encounter Irene Adler, who is dangerous in her own right. It also made me want to get out the Holmes stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that I have around the house. I read "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" right before Christmas, but it's not my favorite of the lot. I especially want to reread "A Scandal in Bohemia," the story that features Irene Adler. To Sherlock Holmes she is...
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V is for Virgin

by Carol10 Comments
Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday. Today's letter is V. This week I've got another from my to-read list. This book won the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel in 2007. The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard Small Plains, Kansas, January 23, 1987: In the midst of a deadly blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger scours his father’s pasture, looking for helpless newborn calves. Then he makes a shocking discovery: the naked, frozen body of a teenage girl, her skin as white as the snow around her. Even dead, she is the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. It is a moment that will forever change his life and the lives of everyone around him. The mysterious dead girl–the “Virgin of Small Plains”–inspires local reverence. In the two decades following her death, strange miracles visit those who faithfully tend to her grave; some even believe that her spirit can cure deadly illnesses. Slowly, word of the legend spreads. But what...
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