Today is Pappy's 200th birthday!

James Pappy Woods
Originally uploaded by mdesive.

Today is my great-great-great grandfather's birthday. He was born Dec 15, 1805 in Ireland (if I recall correctly).

See what else was going on in the world in 1805.

Everything you ever (never?) wanted to know about Haggis

This is a fanciful "Haggisclopedia" about these little animals that live in Scotland. :o)

What I've been reading

I just finished Hatching Magic by Ann Downer. I'd never heard of it when I found it at a Scholastic Book Fair at work (exactly where I should NOT have been with money in my pocket). It sounded interesting, so I bought it and read it pretty quickly for me - about two weeks (that darn ol' real life won't let me just sit and read abook straight through ) . It'd be a good book for someone looking for a Harry Potter fix while they're waiting for the last book to come out (of course I'm only about a third into Book 5). As soon as we finish The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, I'm going to read this one to Ashley (that should tickle her little dragon-loving self!)

What else have I been reading (or listening to, as the case may be)?
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (on tape)
Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts (on tape) - I've FINALLY finished this trilogy!

Still reading:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Miss Fortune by Julia London