Goal:  Read through the entire Bible in a year (or sooner). 

I do not make resolutions each new year.  I do, however, set goals for myself.  I had been reading through the Bible daily until we began to approach the holidays.  Then it just seemed that we got so busy that I got lax in my reading.  It was a goal of mine to read through the whole Bible from cover to cover (I had not done that since Bible college) but I did not set it within a particular time frame.  This year, I decided to further challenge myself to start at the beginning on January 1 and make it through the whole Bible by the end of the year.  My husband has joined me in this challenge.

My husband and I both have iPods.  Among our favorite things to listen to are audiobooks and theological podcasts.  We subscribe to Audible.com, where we get two book credits a month for about $22.95.  If you have ever priced a book on CD at the store, they run usually between $40-60 apiece.  Audio versions of the Bible can run from about $40 all the way up to $100.  My husband had the wonderful idea to get The Listener’s Bible from Audible.com – where it cost us only one book credit ($11.47)!  One of the wonderful benefits of audiobooks is the ability to listen while I do other things.  I listen while I apply my makeup in the morning, while I do dishes or iron, while I knit, and even while I drive in my car.  My husband has a 45 minute commute each way to work (and he dislikes commuting) and he listens on the way to work.  The Listener’s Bible is a wonderful way to listen to the Bible, and Max McLean reads very well.  It is available in ESV, KJV, or NIV versions. 

I challenge any of you in blogland who either have not read through (or listened to) the entire Bible before or have not done it in a while to join me in this endeavor.  You can find schedules and reading plans here.

I just wanted to share one of my new favorite things:  Bath & Body Works’ new scent, Midnight Pomegranate.  It smells absolutely fantastic, even better than my previous favorite, Black Raspberry Vanilla.  I admit, I am a sucker for good smelling body products.  I am getting better though.  I used to buy just about any scent that appealed to me, but then I ended up with more products than I could use.  I have whittled down my stash of half-full to nearly-empty bottles to where I do not have a large surplus, and I try not to buy based upon my mood and what scents appeal to me at a time.  That is why I love samples.  I can try them out for a while at home and decide if I really want the product before spending more money than I ought.  After Christmas I had gotten one of the sample bottles of the Midnight Pomegranate, and it was nearly gone before the full line came out on Monday.  Last night when we were running errands I just could not resist stopping in and getting it…an overdue birthday present of sorts. 

This is Jade Sapphire’s Cashmere-Silk in Oceana (although it looks more like the Everglades colorway…maybe it was mislabeled) and it is wonderful.  The picture does not do it justice because it is mostly shades of green with a hint of a dark blue.  The colors are deep and moody and make me long for a trip to Ireland.  No matter how hard I tried, I could not get an accurate picture of the color. 

I am currently knitting with it…a rectangular shawl from Victorian Lace Today, which my wonderful brother got me for Christmas.  I think my WIP pic shows of the colors a bit more accurately. 

(I am not sure why there is so much discrepancy between the pictures…I took them both this morning, just a few minutes apart, and did not use a flash for either one.)

If you want to see the awesome detail of God’s creation, check out this snowflake gallery.  The pictures are fantastic and show of the minutest detail of actual snowflakes.

I want to thank everyone who called or emailed me with birthday wishes, I appreciate your kind thoughts and words.  

I had a very nice birthday yesterday.  My husband brought me a giftbag of Starbucks goodies and took me out to my favorite restaurant for dinner.  Cunetto’s is an Italian restaurant on “The Hill,” a famous St. Louis neighborhood known for authentic Italian fare.  I ordered salad, Linguini Tutto Mare (always my favorite dish there – I have never had it taste half so good at any other restaurant), and followed it with coffee and spumoni.  It was a fantastic meal and my husband almost had to roll me out, I was so full.  (And I have enough leftovers to have for lunch the rest of the week!)  And, for an extra special birthday something – I am getting a new dishwasher! 

Some of you may not think that an appliance as a gift is very romantic.  I agree, it is not, but it is very practical and it is what I really want.  I have lived in our house for over two years now without one.  I was given a free (I like free) one by my brother-in-law when he renovated his kitchen and upgraded to stainless appliances.  As a Christmas gift, my brother (a plumber) came and plumbed out my kitchen for the dishwasher and installed it, while my dad did the electric and even rewired my circuit box.  They did an awesome job, but the dishwasher had sat unused for too long (more than two years), was not in prime condition, and the seals leaked.  (We found this out when my husband discovered water dripping in the basement while the dishwasher was running.)  My brother and father had informed me beforehand that this was a strong possibility, since the dishwasher was not new.  I had only had it installed for a week, and already I was mourning the loss.  So, for my birthday I am going to be getting a brand new dishwasher!!!  I have a great husband to get me such a wonderful/practical/expensive birthday gift!