The Hour I First Believed

FYI: Voting has opened in the Mommy Blog of the Year Contest. Vote for Veggie Mom and Aunt Julie...Pretty please? Thanks!

Now that my beach vacation is over, it's time to let you know what my choices were for beach reads. Many of you made suggestions, when I ran the great Everyone's a Winner POPrs Contest, everything from the Bible to teen vampire books.

These were my picks...


Lots of you suggested My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. It will be released as a film, starring Cameron Diaz, soon, if it hasn't already been released. Loved it, and didn't see the ending coming. Wow! No matter how good the movie will be, READ THE BOOK FIRST.

I also read Three Dog Life, by Abigail Thomas. It is the story of how a woman adjusts and carries on after her husband was struck by a car, and is left with traumatic brain damage. It's relatively short and easy to read, and not as depressing as you might imagine. Rates as OK; it's not bad and not great either. Which leads us to...

My favorite is The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb. It is a fictionalized story about the aftermath of Columbine for one family. It mixes fact and fiction beautifully, and also spans the time of the Civil War to the present. Sounds weird? Well, I loved it. It's long-725 pages-and I confess, I have about 50 pages more to go. Walking on the beach took precedence over reading.

This was not a suggested title, but I had read another book by Lamb and remembered liking that, so I gave it a shot. Loved it.

If you take my advice and read The Hour I First Believed, also try I Know This Much Is True. It has been reviewed as "the saga of the century. Best, most wonderful, most dramatic, most powerful..." It's the other novel by the same author I referred to above. Gee, maybe I need to read that one again!

Calling All Winners!

Wanted to tie up some "loose ends" before I start my Big Beach Bash. I've heard from most of the winners in my Everybody Wins POPrs Giveaway...the rest of you need to give me a holler!

If you're one of those fabulous readers who recommended a great beach read for Aunt Julie, please make sure you send me your contact info. Just shoot me an e-mail: veggiemom@poprs.com, and your prize will be on its way.

Looking forward to sending you some beach reports from North Carolina's beautiful Outer Banks...stay tuned!

This update is brought to you by Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. So, there!

Brett Favre-It ain't over 'til it's over...

Before we get to today's post, please click here for my Great New POPrs Giveaway. Everyone who recommends a beach book for Aunt Julie is a winner!

It appears that this...





is how Green Bay Packer fans will remember Brett Favre.

And that this




is his new uniform. No purple. No black and blue. Just shades. And that grin. Smokin'!


Good for Packer fans. Good for Brett. And really, really good for Deanna!

We love ya, man!

Please...

In keeping with The Season, we've got a nifty Quasi-Giveaway that everyone can try today! Brought to you by Just Lisa, No Filler, who acquired it from Dusty, and so on, and so on...This is not so much a Giveaway as an effort to Get the Spirit Back.

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree," a Wise Man once said. And so, it is with tremendous belief and incredible hopefulness that Aunt Julie, she of such Crafty Inclinations, and Veggie Mom, the Queen of Quirks, present you with a Creative Christmas Challenge.

We declare everyone who visits This Blog Today a Winner! The Rules, such as they are, are Really. Quite. Simple:

• Be one of the first three bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from Aunt Julie, whom, you might recall, is also Crafty in the Kitchen. Sorry, no Quilts today...but we promise you won't be disappointed!
• You must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you then must Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first three bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
• The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It's the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
• When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!
• If you are not one of the Top Three Commentors on Today's Post, you're still a Winner in this Time of Grace and Giving. Please take this Symbol of the Seasonal Spirit and post it on your blog; start your own Pay It Forward Chain, and encourage your Bloggy Friends to do the same!

Aunt Julie and I would absolutely LOVE to see blogs everywhere festooned with the Pay It Forward Emblem...a Simple Symbol that Says. So. Much!