I'll be home for Christmas

You can plan on me.

Please have snow and mistletoe

and presents on the tree.

Christmas Eve will find me

Where the love light gleams.

I'll be home for Christmas,

If only in my dreams.

Kim Gannon, Walter Kent,

and Buck Ram

1943

It is hard to imagine that the thousands of young men and woman on the battlefield were the same young men and woman just years before exclaiming over gifts, enjoying dinner with the family and singing carols in church. Now they were surrounded by gun fire and death while dreaming of Christmas past. Instead of seeing their family they were worrying about their safety and well being. While their families were doing the same hundreds of miles away. 

It starts at the beginning of the war in 1941, Pearl Harbor to 1945. Through journals, newspaper articles, pictures and letters I'll Be Home for Christmas reminds you of how fragile what we take for granted really is. It was touching to read the letters from wives to husbands, read the announcements from the president and generals and see the letters from kids. I recommend this book to anyone that wants a reminder of what these young men and women really sacrificed to keep our shores safe. It will also remind you of all the men and women that are still sacrificing to keep us safe. 

"I give you a message of cheer. I cannot say "Merry Christmas" for I think constantly of those thousands of soldiers and sailors who are in actual combat through the world .... Franklin D. Roosevelt ( December 25th 1942)

We weren't Italian-American, Spanish-American, Russian-American, Black-American or Jewish-American anymore. We were all Amercians bound together for a common cause, willing to fight our country's battles at home and in the battle fields... Edward Vila

Night Road by Kristin Hannah is due out March 29th 2011. I received an ARC from the publisher. My review is honest and based on the book itself not the fact it was given to me.



For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers.  When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude.  Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend.  Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.   
Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way.  It has always been easy-- until senior year of high school.  Suddenly she is at a loss.  Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them. 
On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives.  In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything.  In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.
Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, NIGHT ROAD raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness.  It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope.  This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.


About the Author:

I thought I would celebrate my 250th Post with a Give Away! I can't believe I have 250 posts! When I started this blog I figured I would have maybe 10 followers and it would be small. I can't believe how much it is grown. Thank you for supporting me and my little blog. It just shows you don't have to be the smartest or most elegantly written to have your words read:)

Christmas Mourning by Margaret Caron. The death of Mallory Johnson, a popular high school cheerleader, in a suspicious car crash propels Edgar-winner Maron's satisfying 16th Deborah Knott mystery (after 2009's Sand Sharks). While Deborah, a Colleton County, N.C., judge, and her huge clan are preparing for a big North Carolina Christmas, her husband, chief deputy Dwight Bryant, looks into the shooting of two trailer-park brothers. Deborah's countless nieces and nephews pop up frequently, and Deborah, with her realistic and appealing combination of common sense and a sharp ear, pulls clues from the kids' random comments. Mallory's less popular half-brother, her slighted best friend, and all the boys she toyed with are all possible bad guys, though how the one-car accident was orchestrated is a mystery in itself. As usual, interludes with relatives overshadow the investigating, but of course the warm and authentic family relationships are the heart of this evergreen series


My Review:
I must say I was not impressed with this book. I wasn't looking for a heartfelt and warm book like with my other Christmas reads. That is the reason I chose this one. I love pretty much all genres but I have a special affection for Mystery and Thrillers. So I thought I would combine my love of Christmas with my favorite genre:)I really never got to know any of the characters and I will admit it may be because it is a series and you need to read all the books. The kids in the book kinda got on my nerves but the worse part of it was I figured everything out really early in the book. I think I watch too much NCIS and CSI. While the writing was decent and the plot was okay it was not a favorite of mine.


Hehehehehe, I love my loyal followers. I got quite a few e-mails yesterday letting me know that I forgot to answer my question about cookies:
Question:
How were cookies first started? Cookies were original little testers for cakes. A small amount of batter was used to test the ovens temperature. Read about this and many more cookie facts HERE


Look out for my latest give away today:)


'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

* I am so excited! I participated in my first one a few months ago and I am looking forward to doing it again. I am changing a lot of things on this blog the first of the year and it will be nice too have it coincide with Bloggiesta.*

What to do during the Bloggiesta?

• Write reviews.
• Write backup posts for a rainy day.
• Write that great post idea from three months back.
• Work on series posts.
• Write guest posts.
• Put out invitations for guest posts.
• Conduct and edit author interviews.
• Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities
• Clean up your tags, archives, books reviewed list, etc.
• Create a text file (or Google Doc) of cheat sheets (html codes, post url’s, etc)
• Improve your blog template, clean up sidebars, add a favicon, install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do.
• Add or edit your about me page, review policy, disclosure policy, privacy policy, create landing pages (for example – an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have.
• Any bloggy type housekeeping that you’ve been neglecting.
• Clean up and update your challenge lists.  Link up your posts with hosts.
• Make sure all of your social network profiles are up to date.  Be consistent in those profiles with color scheme, images, etc.
• Go get a gravatar.
• Visit the Blogging Tips group on the Book Blogs Ning and find ways to improve your blog.
• Work on any specialized projects that you may have going.
• Clean out and organize your feed reader and blog subscriptions.
• Create an elevator pitch.
• Make business cards.
• Find a blogging buddy.
• Analyze and re-evaulate your blog.
• Back up your blog.
• Learn more about blogging, read great articles, get inspired.
• Make sure you have properly copyrighted your blog and know what to do when somebody reposts your material.
• Brainstorm blogging topics.
• Manage your feedreader.
• Help other bloggers, answer questions, share your expertise (let’s face it – this is the best part of Bloggiesta!)
• The sky’s the limit!

How to play:

1. The date is Friday, January 21st  Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd. You can really start whenever you want within that time but official hours are 8am to 8am (wherever you are).  That is a total of 76 hours, the hours spent on the challenge do NOT need to be in a row. Use the entire 76 hour time frame and see what you can do with it.
2. It’s your call as to how much you want to put into it.  But you have to put something into it or it’s not a challenge. So stay up all night or sleep and take care of kids when you need to.
3. When you start the challenge, come to this blog and  to the “starting line” post and link to your specific post about beginning the challenge which is posted on your blog. That way I’ll be able to track participants and know who’s really at the party.
4. How many updates (if any) you want to do is up to you.  Make it work for you.  Personally, I like making a to do list and then crossing off items as I accomplish them.  There will be bloggers hosting mini-challenges as well.  These are great to learn new information.  To get an idea of the mini-challenges last time, check out the list.
5. If you are on Twitter, use the hashtag #bloggiesta to join the chatter.
6. Your final summary post needs to be posted no later than end of the day Monday, January 24th. Come back to the finish line and link to your specific summary post (again- can be that same post you’ve been updating).  Your summary should include the number of hours spent on the challenge, what you accomplished, links to mini-challenge hosts if you completed them and any other experiences you’d like to add.
7. Sign the Mr. Linky now if you intend to join the fiest so I have an idea of how many people are participating. Subscribe to this blog, so you’ll be notified of  future bloggiesta posts.

 The Christmas Train by David Baldacci Baldacci's --a sweet holiday tale--is a departure from his last thriller, Last Man Standing (2001). Tom Langdon is a former war reporter who now writes feature articles for various magazines. Banned from flying on airplanes after a hostile incident at an airport security checkpoint, Langdon is forced to take a cross-country train from Washington, D.C., to L.A., where his girlfriend is waiting to spend Christmas with him. As he begins talking to the passengers and staff aboard the train, he meets an eccentric older woman who seems to be a regular rider, a young couple preparing to marry on the train, and a former Catholic priest. To Tom's shock, the former love of his life, Eleanor, is also aboard the train. Sparks fly between them, bringing up old feelings along with the unresolved issues from their relationship. Tom realizes this might be his second chance with Eleanor, but a series of unexpected events may derail his plans. (amazon)


My Review:
I loved this book. It was full of delightful characters, an awesome train ride, and a lot of surprises. It just left you feeling good when you closed the book. It reaches out and grabs you slowly but once it has a hold of you it doesn't let go until you have savored every word. This book would make a great present for a bookie friend or anyone that likes Christmas. I warn you though, after reading it you may be tempted to book your own cross-country train ride. I know I am:)


'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

My Mom has Christmas Recipe books that will rival anyones, lol. We have no idea how many she has and when Christmas rolls around all of the beloved ones are pulled out. However, this one is a new one:) We just got it and wow, they have some amazing cookies. There are even recipes that are low fat, heart healthy, and gluten free. There are new takes on old favorites and some new recipes. All the recipes are made from scratch, ingredients are listed in the order you use them, and the directions are clearly numbered so it is easy to follow. The pictures are fully colored and large. It also comes with a bonus publication called Sweet Inspirations that has recipes that use Betty Crocker cookie mixes. That is more my speed, lol:) This would make a great stocking stuffer for your baker or if you are more crafty add this to a basket filled with cookie cutters, a roll mat, rolling pin, and cookie decorations. I know it is one we will pull out year after year.

Question:
How were cookies first started? Answer Tomorrow!!!

'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

We were reading A Christmas Carol in school but as usual I wasn't paying attention. It is funny how A Christmas Carol became my all time favorite Christmas story. Our school had taken a trip to the Ford Theater to see A Christmas Carol when I was in school. At the time I was more excited about being in the same theater President Lincoln was shot. If you have been following this blog for a long time you know I have a fascination with President Lincoln. My main concern was running into his ghost:) Oh and we were going to McDonalds for lunch. That was a big selling point right there. When we got there and the lights went down A Christmas Carol entrapped me like nothing I had seen in my short life. I was enthralled from beginning to end. When I got home I immediately went to my English book and read the story from beginning to end. Oh, if you could only have seen my face when I found out there were movies. My favorite being the 1984 version with George C. Scott.
Every year at Christmas reading A Christmas Carol and watching the movie is a tradition in this house. It is one that I have passed onto my girls. The timeless story it tells is so amazing and when Ebenezer finally sees the light your heart jumps for joy. I was very saddened to read online that most people have never read the story. If you are one of those people please, please read it! It is so good and there is something magical about the book. The movies are great but nothing beats reading it the way Mr. Dickens intended.
I will leave you using the words of Little Tiny Tim:
God Bless Us Everyone,
Bobbie

This is a cookbook by a woman literally named Candy Christmas. She was originally Candy Hemphill but married a man named Ken Christmas. Later this week I will have pics of my Mom's house decorated for the holidays. We literally live in Santa's house during Christmas. It is my Mom's favorite holiday and everything is dressed to the nines. One of the things she has is a lot of Christmas Cookbooks. Some are dated back to the early 1900's. We found Candy's Christmas Collection at a yard sale and brought it home. It is full of stories from her childhood ( most of which is a little sickening sweet and too preachy for my tastes) and little crafts that you can do but the star of the show is the recipes. There are so many great ones and we have used quite a few on occasion. Christmas Eve is the big deal here. We have a huge party with just us as guests and we feast on fabulous food and enjoy the time together. One of the staple recipes for the party comes from this cook book.  It is called Sausage-Mushroom Caps and we all love it. I definitely would recommend this holiday cook book. It is a wonderful addition to your recipe collection and if you don't want to buy it I would get a copy from the Library.
Sausage-Mushroom Caps
1 1/2 pounds medium mushrooms
1/2 pound pork sausage
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 seasoned bread crumbs
Parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms, chop the stems and set aside.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until well browned. With a slotted spoon, remove to sausage to paper towels to drain. Spoon of all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the skillet. ( add vegetable oil, if needed, to equal 2 tablespoons)
4. In hot drippings over medium heat, cook the mushroom stems until they're tender, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in sausage, cheese and breadcrumbs.
5. Fill mushroom caps with the mixture and place stuffed mushrooms in a 15 1/2 by 10 1/2- inch jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. Garnish with parsley.
'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

I have started another blog to list my progress on the 2011 Challenges I chose to participate in this year:) I would love for you to come follow it and my progress. Click on the links to be taken to the Challenges home pages. What challenges are you doing in 2011?
http://twrachallenges.blogspot.com/

'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

* THIS IS A GUEST POST THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO OUT DURING VACAY WHEN BLOGGER LOST EVERYTHING! Now to find the others:)

About And the Pursuit of Happiness

About Maira Kalman

Well I decided to do a 12 Days of Christmas here at 'Til We Read Again. I went to the library to pick up my books and found more books. So I needed to add some days, lol. I really hope you guys will join me. I already have the blog decorated. What do you think of the falling snow? I thought it was really neat! I even added it to my pixel site HERE . I just love this time of year and I am really looking forward to spending it will you:)

'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

I will be holding a Christmas bash here December 19th through the 24th. I will be sharing recipes, favorite Christmas Activities, and of course Christmas Themed books!! I may even have a give-away or two:) One of my favorite things to do this time of year is settle in during the evening with my snuggie, a cup of hot chocolate and a book that is centered around Christmas. I have some new ones and some oldies on the list and I can't wait to share them with you:) I hope you will join me!! It is nice to be getting back into the swing of things!

'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie

At age forty-four, Alice Eve Cohen was happy for the first time in years. After a difficult divorce, she was engaged to an inspiring man, joyfully raising her adopted daughter, and her career was blossoming. Alice tells her fiancé that she's never been happier. And then the stomach pains begin. 

In her unflinchingly honest and ruefully witty voice, Alice nimbly carries us through her metamorphosis from a woman who has come to terms with infertility to one who struggles to love a heartbeat found in her womb - six months into a high-risk pregnancy.

What I Thought I Knew is a page-turner filled with vivid characters, humor, and many surprises and twists of fate. With the suspense of a thriller and the intimacy of a diary, Cohen describes her unexpected journey through doubt, a broken medical system, and the hotly contested terrain of motherhood and family in today's society. Timely and compelling, What I Thought I Knew will capture readers of memoirs such as Eat, Pray, Love; The Glass Castle; and A Three Dog Life.


Alice Eve Cohen is a solo theatre artist, playwright, and memoirist. Her memoir, What I Thought I Knew (Viking /​ Penguin, 2009) won the Elle's Lettres 2009 Grand Prix for Nonfiction, it was selected as one of Oprah Magazine’s 25 Best Books of Summer, and has been optioned for a television movie by Lifetime. She has written for Nickelodeon, PBS, and CBS. Her plays have been presented at theatres throughout the country, and she has toured her solo theatre works internationally. Her writing about arts in education has been published in nine languages. The recipient of fellowships and grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, she holds a BA from Princeton University and an MFA from The New School. She teaches at The New School in New York City.


My Review:
This is a haunting, disturbing, and utterly true memoir. My emotions while reading this book went from shocked, to flabbergasted, to Awe. Alice Cohen is an amazing woman. To be in the situation she was in and come out of it the way she did was an inspiration. I only hope if I was in that situation I would be able to handle it with as much craziness and grace as Alice Did. I recommend this book for any mother, grandmother, sister, niece or any special woman in your life.


Giveaway!
The publishers will be giving away one copy of the book. To enter leave your name and e-mail address in the comments.  US addresses only please.


Contest is open from now until December 31st 2010.


'Til We Read Again,
Bobbie