My Husband - The Woodworker

I think its about time that this blog gets introduced to my husband, Lucas. Lucas and I have been married for 7 whole years and in the last 3 years, he's taken up a new hobby - woodworking. Don't get me wrong when I say a new hobby though - Lucas has been working with wood since he was a little guy, for example, building a dog house with running water when he didn't have a dog :) It is recently though that Lucas started working on more refined pieces of furniture and items for the home.

He custom built the vanity and mirror for our half-bath.


A coffee-bar for our espresso machine, Keurig coffee maker as well as all the mugs, K-cups and other coffee paraphernalia.


A shelf for our narrow hallway where we couldn't fit a hall table.




As well as numerous end-grain and edge-grain cutting boards,



Sets of wood coasters,



and other fun items for friends and family.



Lucas has recently launched his own website where he showcases his work, an Etsy store where he is trying to sell some of his items and he's connected with a store called Home N-T-T who has been selling his cutting boards and coasters for the last couple of months. If you can't tell, I'm hugely proud of him and all the work he does... if you are interested in learning more, check out his website at www.clarkwoodcreations.ca

Late to the Party: Recap of 2009 ... 'Friends' Style

This whole blog began as a way for me to document my progress with the 2009 Reading Resolution - you can read about that here. But basically, I asked for a bunch of book recommendations and my plan was to post about my reactions for each book after reading it. If you take a quick scan through my posts, its quite obvious I failed - HUGELY.

While I still want to post about some of my favorite books from 2009, I want to quickly recap my year of reading 'Friends' style - with a one sentence summary of my general reaction to the book but I reserve the right to write run-on sentences :) So, here goes...

"Down Came the Rain" by Brooke Shields

• The one that was on my Christmas list :)
  

"Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella

• The one I'll remember as the first chick-lit book I ever read... seriously!
  

"Chasing Harry Winston" by Lauren Weisberger

• The one the surprisingly left me wanting more.
  

"Suzanne's Diary to Nicholas" by James Patterson

• The one that was too predictable and unbelievable.
  

"Remember Me?" by Sophie Kinsella

• The worst chick-lit book I've ever (and I bet will ever) read.
  

"Divine" by Karen Kingsbury

• The one that may have changed my mind about Karen Kingsbury.
  

"The Time Traveller's Wife" by Audrey Niffeneger

• The one whose pages I rationed because I never wanted it to be over - Thanks Ann and April!!
  

"Tuesday's with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

• The one that made me miss St. Thomas University.
  

"The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs

• The one that took me forever to read but taught me a lot.
  

"Diary of a Mad Bride to Be" by Laura Wolf

• The one that I laughed at all the way through.
  

"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult

• The one that I thought I had all figured out - but it was a HUGE surprise at the end!
  

"Handle with Care" by Jodi Picoult

• The one that reminded me a lot of My Sister's Keeper and should never be read while expecting a baby.
  

"Shopaholic and Baby" by Sophie Kinsella

• The one I read out of sequence and regretted it.
  

"The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill

• The one that surprised me and that I've recommended to the most people.
  

"At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks

• The one that made me cry while driving through the tunnel in Montreal (it was an audiobook).
  

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

• The one that finished without me really realizing it and the one that made we wonder what the author was saying when he said Afghan (another audiobook).
  

"Queen of Babble" by Meg Cabot

• The one that kept me awake while driving home from New Brunswick by myself (it was an audiobook) but was absolutely horrible.
  

"The Island" by Victoria Hislop

• The one that I would never have chosen for myself but enjoyed reading sooo much!
  

"Summer Sisters" by Judy Blume

• The one I looked forward to most but wasn't exactly what I expected.
  

"House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus III

• The one that took 2 months to read - it just didn't resonate with me at all.
  

"Perfect Match" by Jodi Picoult

• The one that showed me another side of Jodi Picoult ... and myself.
  

"The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young

• The one that I technically didn't finish in 2009, that gave me and my grandparents-in-law something to talk about over Christmas, and that drove home the importance of relationship with each other and God (whom I will never refer to as Papa).

There it is ... the 22 books that I checked off my list this year. And I just about reached my New Years' Reading Resolution in reading one recommended book from each of my friends (sorry Catherine... I couldn't find Jitterbug Perfume or Bobby O'Malley - but The Princess Bride is on my list for next year).

I'll be back soon with the next portion of my Late to the Party posts - a little glimpse into my 10 Resolutions for 2010!!