Change Of Heart: Kindle Love.

For Christmas I got a bunch of fabulous presents, all of which I was really excited about. My favorite was something from my sister, but I can't tell you what it is until I get it back from her & take pictures (hopefully after her shop is up and running she'll have time- hint, hint). My second favorite gift was a Kindle from Jordan. I just have to say, I wasn't 100% sold on the idea at first- but now I'm absolutely in love for so many reasons. Here are a few:

• It's SO easy to read. I don't even have to wear my glasses to see it clearly.

• I can take it anywhere. It's super durable, so I just toss it in my purse on my way out the door.

• It's extremely lightweight, so my arms don't get tired from holding it up. What can I say- I'm a wimp.

• I love not having to fumble from page to page & my place is always held. As long as your family doesn't get a hold of it & change the page on you.

• I downloaded the Bible that's broken up so that I can read it in a year. This is one NY goal I won't break, especially because it's so much fun to read on the Kindle.

• I was able to find a Kindle book lamp that attaches to the top. I love reading before bed, but Jordan can't stand when I have the light on.

• It was a great price. Well, actually it was a gift so it was free for me. But if you are looking into buying one, $139 is such a deal. And you'll save money in the end, because if you're like me you buy books all the time- and they are much cheaper this way.

Now, I am still a huge fan of real books. I love collecting books & having bookcases full. But for now, I'm going to focus on children's books (which I am obsessed with) & making that collection larger. I'm sure if I read a book on my Kindle that I absolutely love, I'll buy a hard copy.

{Image}

Nerd Alert.

Oh boy, here's a great time to start making fun of me. I am such a nerd for posting this, but it's my blog & I can do what I want, right? Jordan was giving me the hardest time for this one. Hannah was over last night, and we decided we would do a really good job at casting for the Hunger Games. So we told Jordan that he & Kevin needed to make dinner while we got to work. Yes, Hollywood called us & asked us to take over the casting so the movie could begin production next month. So after much debate, here is our list for the main characters (and NO, we did not include anyone from Twilight thankyouverymuch):

Katniss- Emily Browning {Have you seen Lemony Snicket? This girl is beautiful & she can act}


Gale- Ben Barnes {Oh hello, Price Caspian}


Peeta- Hunter Parrish {Not the hottest actor, but he's adorable in Weeds & Peeta needs to be "adorable"}


Finnick- Garrett Hedlund {The only problem with casting Garrett as Finnick is that they will need to make Finnick's role bigger so we can see more of him}


Primrose- Elle Fanning


Rue- Jadagrace {Adorable little girl, looks like Rue, plus she can sing & remember Rue sang to the birds)


Haymitch- Hugh Laurie {He's the best drunk on TV, and he's my favorite}


President Snow- Peter Gallagher {He's got the creepy factor, Hollywood just needs to age him a bit}


Cinna- James Mardsen


Madge- Taylor Swift {HAHA, well this was OUR casting call so we could pick whoever we wanted, regardless of acting ability. We love Taylor & it's a small role, so hush up}



Okay, so who else is excited about this movie? I just wish they would get started already, sheesh.

Poor, Confused Ashley.

I'm usually pretty predictable when it comes to the books I read, and the movies/television I watch. For example, the only time I turn on the TV is to watch Project Runway with my sister. As far as movies and books go, I'm such a girl. I love romance, and I love anything intended for children under the age 10. But lately I've been surprising myself. I'm sure this phase will pass, but here are a few {out of the ordinary} things I've been obsessed with lately.

The Hunger Games.



Entourage.



Weeds. {This one has been going on for a bit longer, but it's still strange.}



I'm hoping this phase passes soon, because I want the old Ashley back. But for the meantime, I'm making Jordan happy with all this craziness.

Reading.

I love reading. It's what I do to relax, and escape the stress of my ridiculously busy life. But I'm an odd reader, I'm not the kind of person to have a novel by my bed that I pick up every night. If I'm in the novel reading mood, I have a stack that I'm half way through. But then there are plenty of times I just don't want to read novels, and so I reach for other things. Sometimes it's blogs and online journals, sometimes its magazines, sometimes a picture book or two, and sometimes I even like to read my textbooks. Imagine that. My ADD definitely kicks in when it comes to reading. At the moment, this is what I'm reading {and I am loving it}:

Frankie Magazine.



Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts.



& my three favorite picture books at the moment:

Over the Rainbow.



The Sandwich Swap.



Freckleface Strawberry.

Crazy Love.

Lately I have been so overwhelmed with grad school, my job, and attempting to get in shape before May 1st. While I have been able to stay on top of everything, it's been at the cost of my own sanity. I know I'm getting in over my head when I stop reading. Reading is my escape, it really is the only thing that can balance out my life. Whether I'm reading a cheesy best seller, or my Bible, I always use books as a form of therapy. No matter how bad my day was, I know I can always crawl into bed with a good book. Then there are times when I stop reading, I just don't have time. But to be honest I have to make time, otherwise I might just go insane. And a crazy Ashley is not a fun Ashley, trust me on that one.



I was so excited when my package from Amazon came today. I bought three new books, and I will tell you all about them soon, promise. The first one I am starting is Crazy Love by Francis Chan.



I seriously can't wait for summer break, I'm going to read a million books to make up for all this time I lost. Also, I really want to start participating in The Slow Readers Book Club again. I was so excited when I started, but I let life get in the way. No more of that nonsense.

First image from WeHeartIt.

A Free House.

Did you know that April is the National Poetry Month?

Well, I'm celebrating a little early. I was reading through some of my Shel Silverstein books the other night and I realized just how happy his poems make me. They remind me of being a kid, and we all know how much I love anything that makes me feel like I'm five again. Tree House is probably my favorite (well that and Hug-O-War) because I had to memorize it in 4th grade. I remember being so proud of myself, I said it over and over and over for weeks.

A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.

A street house, a neat house,
Be sure and wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all-
Let's go live in a tree house.
-Shel Silverstein





Oh, and thanks for all your nice comments about Dandelion. When it comes time for me to name my first daughter, I will refer any naysayers to that post.