30 Day Challenge-Day 30

Well we have come to the last day of the challenge. I'm proud to say that I posted something for each day this month! Today's challenge is to name our favorite posts of the month. I had fun doing the majority of the challenges. Day 1 is my favorite though. It was list 15 things about myself. Check it out here: Day 1. I also thought I would share my favorite book of the month. That was:

It was the one book I gave 5 hearts to. I liked several other books that I read this month, but since this was the only 5 heart one it had to win out above the others.

What about you? Any favorite stand out this month?

30 Day Challenge-Day 29

Today is supposed to be a book I am proud I read. Well, I don't know that I get proud when I read something. I read all kinds of literature. I am happy when I muddle through something that is difficult to read. So I thought I would make today favorite book covers from books I have read so far this year. In no particular order:

Every book cover in this series I love love love! In fact I got Waterfall on my Kindle but decided to go ahead and buy the paperback copies of the series because I loved the covers so much. If you haven't read them YOU MUST!

From the first time I saw this cover I was hooked! The book did not disappoint.

This is from the Winds of Change series by Julie Lessman. I love the 20's look on the girls from each cover!

While the book wasn't a big mystery, I thought the cover looked mysterious.

I don't know if it is the blue or what that caught my interest in this cover, but I knew I was going to read this book the minute I saw it!

To me this one looks fanciful, maybe fairytale-ish.

Any particular covers catch your eye here? How about anything that you have read so far? Anything you just had to read because the cover caught your eye?

30 Day Challenge-Day 28

Today's challenge is to name a holiday I dislike. I most generally like all holidays.

My favorite? CHRISTMAS!!!

30 Day Challenge-Day 27

Today's challenge was to tell why we are doing this challenge. My answer: because it seemed fun! ha! So today on top of my wonderful answer I'm also adding What do I do when I'm not reading.

My answer is:

I cook. I bake, I try new recipe's. These are creamy chicken enchilada's from the new Pioneer Woman cookbook that I got. Honestly I like the old Pioneer Woman cookbook better. I've tried a few in the new and they have been okay, but not as fantastic as the first. These were okay, but I have a better recipe for chicken enchilada's that I will use in the future. Anyway, that is one thing I do when I'm not reading. I also:

CROCHET! This is an afghan I made for a friend of my daughter. I like to try new patterns in crochet. For Christmas a friend had sent me a picture of someone wearing a beard hat so I went online and found a pattern. Here's the result:

Here's my nephew with the one I made for him. I made my dad one and a friend and her husband one. They all love them. haha!

So these activities are usually what I am doing when I am not reading or blogging.

What are your favorite things to do when you aren't reading?

30 Day Challenge-Day 26

Today's challenge is what do I think about my friends...I'm not liking that topic so I'm changing it to where you can find me on the internet. Then you can ALL be my friends! Oh, and by the way, I LOVE MY FRIENDS! So that's what I think of friends :)

Where you can find me on the internet:

Facebook: Did you know that My Favorite Pastime is on facebook? Yup! Check it out!
Goodreads: Look me up under Julie Graves
Shelfari: Look me up under Julie G
Edifying and Edgy: I'm the edifying half of this blog.
My Other Pastime: This is my crochet blog. I post pictures of the projects I complete.
Where Are Our Remotes?: Another blog that I co-host with my friend Karin. We post about the movies and shows we watch on TV. We aren't very consistent with it though sad to say.

There you go! All kinds of ways to keep in touch with me. Where can you be found on the internet? Or do you not want to be found?

30 Day Challenge-Day 25

A Creative book picture that I took. I don't know exactly what that means so I decided to do a collage of the books I have read so far this year:

30 Day Challenge-Day 23

Something I crave a lot at the moment:

Always Chocolate for me!

I had one of these the other day. It was so good! A Braum's brownie fudge sundae.

I love this cheesecake from Wal*Mart. When I am lazy and don't want to make anything homemade I buy one of these. My daughter and I usually eat all of it(not in one sitting )

If I have vanilla ice cream in the house and a chocolate craving comes upon me(which is often) I cook one of these up. Have you ever had a mug cake? mmmmmmm! I put together the ingredients for this and a mug for each of my Bible Study women for Christmas. The mug I use is big enough that I split the cake into 3rds and share with my husband and daughter. It is rich enough that that is all I need.

So yeah, when I have a craving it is almost always for something chocolate. What are you craving right now?

30 Day Challenge-Day 22

A few websites I frequent:

Amber at Seasons of Humility
Casey at Writing For Christ
Joy and Serena at Edgy Inspirational Romance
Renee at Doorkeeper
Charity at Austenitis
Katie at Legacy of a Writer
Tina at Tina Reviews
The Gals at Bewitched Bookworms

I know I'm probably forgetting some. :(

30 Day Challenge-Day 20

Today's challenge is to list 5 amazing non-fiction books. That's kind of difficult for me as I am not a non-fiction fan usually.

1. My Bible has to be my number 1 favorite non-fiction book. I read it every morning before I start my day.

I have an inductive study Bible that I bought for my Precept Bible study that I am in. I really like it.

2. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill

This is an amazing story and I loved the movie also.

Well, that's not 5, but oh well! What are YOUR favorite non-fiction books?

30 Day Challenge-Day 19

Today is supposed to be the day that you share your nicknames that people call you. I don't have a nickname so I'm going to just do an update on what I'm currently reading:

I'm on page 98 of this book. Don't you love the cover? Supposedly it is based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story by the same name. So as I was reading I thought I should also be acquainted with the Poe story. Thankfully I have a complete volume of Poe's tales and poetry. So I read it. I have to say after I finished it I kind of scratched my head and said, "huh?" I don't get it. But okay that's nothing new. So here I am almost 100 pages into this book and I can't say I am really drawn to this story either. We'll have to see what happens. Will it be worth finishing?

30 Day Challenge-Day 18

Long-term plans/dreams/goals I have:

Well this is a hard one for me. I am not a dreamer or a goal setter. I'm not a spur-of-the-moment kind of person either. So hmmmm, dreams and plans and goals...my husband is going to retire in December. We really haven't even talked about "what's next" We just want to get to that day! ha! We have talked about traveling the coast. We have seen the California coast and the Florida coast. We are both interested in going to see the Coast of Maine. We love the ocean. Other than that we are pretty low maintenance. I hope that once the hubs retires we can go visit the grandkids more often. Also I have family in CA and the hubs has family in FL so of course we will have to go visit them.  Hohum...we are pretty boring people I guess :)

30 Day Challenge-Day 17

My favorite books~not including classics(that's for another day):

1. The O'Malley series by Dee Henderson

2. The Californian series by Lori Wick

3. The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren

4. The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

5. The Cheney Duvall M.D. Series by Lynn and Gilbert Morris(8 books)

Can you tell I love series? I'm obsessed! If I read one I have to read all of them. These are series that I have read many times over. They are my friends and great when I want "comfort" when I read.

30 Day Challenge-Day 16

Today's challenge is to make a short wish list with pictures. I really don't have a wish list so I'm changing it up. Today I am sharing two of the places that I like to read.

The majority of my reading time is done right here in my recliner. All of my gadgets are within reach and I have stacks of books at hand also.

My next favorite place to read is in bed. That is harder to do when my husband is home. But I take advantage of reading in bed when he is not here.










I also take advantage of other places to read. When I go to doctor office visits I always take my Kindle because it seems that I always have a long wait there. I love carrying my Kindle when I travel. I used to pack several books with me when we would go on vacation. Now I have them all on the Kindle. Much lighter!

Where is your favorite place to read a book?

30 Day Challenge-Day 15

Today's challenge we are supposed to shuffle our MP3 players and put the first 15 song titles that come up. Well I don't have an MP3 player(gasp). I don't listen to music that often. Usually just the radio in the car while I'm driving. Sometimes in the house when I am cleaning. Always and only on Air1. So I thought I would post today something that I am thankful for this weekend.

We had this shelter put in a year ago. We haven't had to use it very often, but it sure helps give me peace of mind when the storms come through. This is a busy weekend for storms in my neck of the woods so I am VERY thankful for my hidey hole! Friday night my daughter, her friend and I had to take shelter in it. My husband was at work. Today(Saturday when I am writing this up) stronger storms are projected for the evening. I have put out the word to all of my friends that do not have shelters that they can come hide with us. Friday evening a tornado hit the middle of the town where we live. We live in the country and thankfully the tornado didn't stay on the ground that long to visit us! I would say that this shelter is one of the BEST investments that we have ever made. Here's praying that the storms won't be as bad as the weather people are projecting!

30 Day Challenge-Day 14

A PICTURE OF MY BOOK SHELF:

 These 4 shelves are in my "library." When my oldest daughter moved out we moved my youngest daughter into her old room and turned my youngest daughters room into a library/playroom(for the grandkids). I had to whittle down my collection just to fit these 4 book shelves. So if you count them there are 20 shelves FULL of books there! Each book case has 5 shelves. There are a pile of books stacked waiting for me to get a new book case to put them in. I think I can fit 2 more into this room. Yep, books are my addiction!

These two book cases are my "To Be Read" books! Why do I keep buying more books when I have all of these that need to be read? And this is not counting the over 100 books I have on my Kindle! Good grief! Maybe I need some therapy!!

The stack to the left here are books to give away. If you see something you would like to have shoot me an email and I will be happy to send it to you. First come first serve of course! My email address is: gravesok(at)gmail(dot)com