This week in pictures!

Pictures -
1. Martina in one of her favorite places, the window.
2. All my hostas are coming out.
3. I have violets all over the yard.
4 & 5. - Stupid squirrels!
6 & 7. Male Goldfinches
8 & 9. White Throated Sparrow
10. Female Redwinged Blackbird. I don't get to see too many females so I was glad to catch this one.

What's happening - Glen's allergies have been bothering him, sneezing, runny nose etc. On Sat. we went to Auburn to go to the mall, Dunkin Donuts, and PetCo. We had a good time. PetCo is a real nice store! We usually go to Petsmart in Ithaca, but I think I would like to go to this one again. It is farther though. While we were in Dunkin Donuts Glen got a call from work asking if he wanted to work on Sun.... Well duh! OVERTIME pay! So we got up at 4:00 am and he was gone by 5:00 headed for PA. He had to stay the night. He called me from the hotel (they pay for lodging and food)and said the room was real nice. He was sharing with another one of the guys. So on Sun. I had breakfast with Ashley at a diner.Then just kinda hung out, read, knitted, and visited with my friend Pat. In the afternoon I was on my side porch looking at my birdies when I heard motor cycles. Which is not surprising because the neighbors have them. They really sounded close, like they were in my driveway. So I peeked around the corner and saw two motor cycles but know who they were because they still had their helmets on. I thought they were here for our tenant. Then one helmet came off and it was my sister and her boyfriend! I haven't seen them since Christmas. I was so glad they stopped by. Ashley came over for dinner that night (chick parm) and we watched Amazing Race together.
One of my friends, Chris just had some surgery, so please keep her in your prayers.

I won "Girls in Trucks"!!!!!! Yea! I wanted this book so bad! I am so excited. I won from - This that and the other thing.. I also won from Dar on her blog - Peeking between the pages - "Boneman's Daughters" by Ted Dekker. I read two others by him - Three (excellent!!!!) and House which he wrote with Frank Peretti. I also own Skin but have not read it yet. I think this is the first time I have won two books at the same time! This is my lucky month. Well it is my birthday month. I can consider these books as birthday gifts! Yea!

Knitting - Working on a couple of gift items! Can't tell!

Books I have read - "The Perfect Match" by Kimberly Cates, I liked this book. It was simple, no suspence, just a love story. But very enjoyable. I have read so many very "Deep" books lately I really needed an easy love story. I was about a woman just moved to a small town and opened a pet shop. A man raising his two girls on his own (the mom left) The two get together through a dog.

Also read "Letters of a Woman Homesteader" by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. This was a true account of a single mother moving to the west in 1909 to become a homesteader. This book is made up solely of her letters to her former employer who she obviously was very close to. Some of it was interesting but I found it to be harder to follow in letter form and kind of slow.

Contests - Jenn at "Jenn's Bookshelf" is giving away 5 copies of "Made in the USA" by Billie Letts. She is the Author of Where the Heart is, Shoot the Moon, and The Honk and Holler Opening Soon. These are all good books, so you all want to try win Made in the USA!
Dar at Peeking between the pages is also giving away 5 copies of "Jantsen's Gift" by Pam Cope and Aimee Molloy. I don't know anything about this book so go to her site to read her review.
AND... Deborah at "Books, Movies, and Chinese food" brought to my attention that May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! She is doing a huge giveaway.

Reading through the states -
1. California - Echoes, by Erin Grady
2. Florida - In Her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner
3. Iowa - The Learning, by Ruthann Weaver
4. Massachusetts (Cape Cod) - A Year by the Sea, by Joan Anderson
5. South Carolina - Bastard out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison
6. Kentucky - The Believers, by Janice Holt Giles
7. Minnesota - Hit By a Farm, by Catherine Friend
8. North Carolina - Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler
9. Montana - My Hutterite Life, by Lisa M. Stahl
10. Kansas - Waiting for Summer's Return, by Kim Vogel Sawyer
11. Idaho - Indian Creek Chronicles, by Pete Fromm
12. New York - The Lives they Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic, by Darby Penney and Peter Stastny
13. Arizona - Whispers, by Erin Grady
14. Alabama - The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary Sewing Circle, by Lois Battle
15. Alaska - Building from Within: Alaskans Who Build Their Own, by Joan Koponen
16. Colorado - Tomboy Bride, by Harriet Fish Backus
17. Wisconsin - Welcome to Tyler: Whirlwind, by Nancy Martin
18. Arkansas - Sweet Baby, Sharon Sala
19. Washington - North of Beautiful, by Justina Chen Headley
20. Illinois - The Perfect Match, by Kimberly Cates
21. Wyoming - Letters of a Woman Homesteader, by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
(remember I am only posting my list once per month now so I will not have it on again till the first week of June)

Top 5 - Things you find exciting
1. Winning books! (or anything for that matter, but especially books)
2. Going to Ithaca for pizza (we also go to Barnes and Noble, Petsmart, etc.)
3. Seeing my parents (I only get to see them once or twice a year, they live in TN)
4. Going to either our cabin or lake property
5. Weather - I love to follow the weather (storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.)