Friday's Fave Five: March 18

It's been a while since I have been able to participate in the weekly Friday's Fave Five as hosted by Living to Tell the Story. Once you're done reading here be sure to head over to post your own favorite five from the last week or see what other bloggers are listing.

This week my Friday fave five are:

1. A decade of memories. I rarely post personal information on this blog, I try to keep focused on the purpose -- books, but I wanted to mention that today marks the 10th anniversary of when my husband and I first got "together". It's been an amazing ten years and I look forward to the next decade.

2. New reads. I love that moment when I first learn a book I've been waiting on will soon be available to read! I had that moment this morning when I discovered that The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall will be available in bookstores (and libraries) across the country this coming May!

I first met the Penderwick family when I read The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy in the fall of 2008. I loved the story (as you can tell by my review) and was excited to discover Ms. Birdsall had written a sequel, The Penderwicks of Gardham Street, which I read in 2009. Now I am waiting with great anticipation for the third installment of this trilogy (or series?). If you haven't had a chance to check out these books be sure too. They are intended for readers ages 9 to 12, but they make delightful reads for adults too.

3. St. Patrick's Day. Until this year I never really thought much about St. Patrick's Day. It usually only meant that I would wear something green and we would have corned beef and cabbage for dinner, but having a child can change more than you think. For me it has made me think twice about holidays. I want to know the real reason we celebrate and I want to have fun.

So for this year's St. Patrick's Day I planned some special activities and surprises for my family. For starters, in the weeks leading up to St. Patrick's Day my husband and I read a few children's books about St. Patrick's Day (or Ireland). Unfortunately the selection of books to read for preschoolers is not very good and in the end our favorite book had nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day, but instead with the Irish festival of Puck. My daughter just loved the book King Puck by Michael Garland. It was an entertaining and charming story with cute illustrations.

Next, I took the time to familiarize myself with the real history of St. Patrick, which led to my post yesterday.

Then I planned a few art and craft activities with my daughter. And last I planned a fun dinner. We had the usually corned beef and cabbage (with potatoes and carrots), but I included a few child-happy treats like Leprechaun Gold jello (made with white grape juice and mandarin orange slices) and green dyed lemon-lime sparkling water. Then for dessert we had chocolate cupcakes with frosting shamrock's on top. It was a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to celebrating Easter next month.

4. Reading a classic. For the last few weeks I have been working my way through Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. I have wanted to read this classic for the last few years and finally worked it out so my reading would coincide with an upcoming book club meeting. We are set to discuss A Tale of Two Cities at our meeting next week. I have less than 100 pages left to read and the story has definitely reached the climax. It has been a fascinating read and I can't wait to enrich my understanding by discussing the content and history with my friends. Stay tuned as I plan to review this book after our meeting.


5. Village Lanterne by Blackmore's Night. I stumbled upon this video a few weeks back. It's a little cheesy at parts, but I love the "sound" of the song. It reminds me of the soundtrack to the 1987 movie, The Princess Bride. Enjoy.

Happy Friday! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!