a quilt and a book list

Here is my latest finished quilt. I hand quilted around each block and could be a handquilting convert. This is a quilt that was inspired by Amanda's pattern on Moda Bake Shop. It is a full size quilt for my own bed. It is the sixth quilt I finished in 2009 and probably my favorite quilt.

It is the end of the year, and my book recommendations from this year's reading are:

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler

The Bible

This is likely my last blog post. I have other things that I have to do with my time...read, write, make cards, sew, quilt, and spend time with people. Happy 2010!

The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble

The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble is a historical novel set in California in 1907. Addie Sullivan's life changes one day when an unknown man shows up and tells Addie that she is really someone else. She has spent her life living in a lighthouse and learning how to help take care of it. Her life is changed drastically when she goes to this new home and meets the people that live there.

When I started the story I had difficulty keeping the different characters straight. The characters were a bit unbelievable in some respects, but the strength of the book was the unexpected twists and turns that made the story suspenseful. This book would probably be classified under mystery and romance, though Coble did better on the mystery end than on the romance end. It is another book that is a good reminder that keeping secrets can really affect a person's life. If you like historical fiction and mysteries, this would be a good book for you to read.

This book review is part of Thomas Nelson's book reviewer program.

more Christmas books

Here are three books that you might enjoy reading with or to children this Christmas season.The first is The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota by Constance Van Hoven. It talks about lots of things that are important to Minnesotans-hotdish, Holsteins, and loons. There are actually two stories in one, one the twelve days of Christmas, the other a series of letters written by a girl to her parents that explains a lot about things and places in Minnesota. It would make a great gift for any family that lives or has lived in Minnesota


Fancy Nancy Splendiforous Christmas by Jane O'Connor is a book any Fancy Nancy fan would enjoy. Nancy loves Christmas, and loves everything that goes with it. I read this to my some of my second and third grade students and they enjoyed it.
Stable in Bethlehem, A Christmas Counting Book by Joy N. Hulme is another great book I came across this year. It is short and counts backwards from 12 to 1, including all the important things about Christmas, like the shepherds, the three kings, and of course, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The illustrations are very well done, too. If you are a stickler for accuracy like my dad, you might not like it, though. It mentions dogs (we don't know if they were part of the Christmas story) and gives a number to both shepherds and kings, which we also don't know. It is great for younger children because it is a short story.



A few more books if your children are fans of certain characters:

Merry Christmas, Ollie by Olivier Dunrea

Mrs. Wishy Washy's Christmas by Joy Cowley

Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve by Janet Morgan Stoeke

If that isn't enough ideas for Christmas books, you can click here or here to see past year's book recommendations. Happy Christmas reading!

diligence and activities make me tired!

I am done handquilting my full size quilt. I made a simple quilt top in three days and basted it. Today and tomorrow I am going to quilt it. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I attended different Christmas related activities. Last night it was a Sara Groves Christmas concert. I bought her CD to add to my collection of Christmas music. I like all the songs except "Toy Packaging." Now I am tired. Why does there have to be so many Christmas events?

Sisters

Sisters by David McPhail is a picture book for anyone that has sisters. It is about two girls that are typical of most sisters that I know. The girls have lots of differences, but they also have plenty of similarities. This could be used as a discussion starter with kids about family relationships, or a springboard for a writing assignment. McPhail does a great job with the illustrations, too.

Knitting Nell and quilt progress

Knitting Nell by Julie Jersild Roth is a picture book I read to my students this week. Even if you are not a knitter, you would probably enjoy this story. It is not the first time that I have read it, but this week it made me wish that I could knit my own sweater. Upon further thought, maybe I just want a hand knit sweater...cause I am not sure I would have the patience to knit such a big project, and it would be foolhardy to think it would be a good project to start with if I actually want to learn how to knit. My one sister crochets various things, including bags and Christmas ornaments. My other sister does knit hats, scarves, and socks. Maybe if I ask her...

My quilt progress is going fairly well. I am over half done quilting my quilt with 242 completed blocks out of 480. Hopefully I will get some more done this evening, and though I am glad with the result so far, I do NOT plan to make hand quilting a regular habit.

My Life in France

My Life in France by Julia Child was a book I decided I wanted to read after watching the movie Julie and Julia. Of course, I had heard of Julia Child but didn't know much about her except what I had seen in the movie. The book tells in detail Julia's passion for cooking and the country of France. If you like all things French or you are a cook, then you would like this book. Since I don't know French, I was sometimes distracted by the use of French words. When I finished the book, I wondered what this world would be like if everyone has a passion for something, and if so, why it isn't more obvious. It also made me curious about her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I am on a waiting list for it at the library, but when I get the book, I guess I will probably try to find at least one recipe that I can try. Has anyone read this book or used her cookbook?

The Story of Christmas

The Story of Christmas, retold by Gwen Ellis and Steve Smallman is a book that tells the story of Christmas for children. The story is divided into 9 short segments starting with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and ending with Jesus, Mary and Joseph leaving Egypt to return to Nazareth. Each story part is brief (2 pages) and at the beginning of each story it references where in the Bible that particular part is taken from. It would be best for children ages 4-8, though older children might enjoy it as well.

I enjoyed this book, and thought that the story kept to the original Bible story. This would be a great book to use for a devotional time with children or in a Sunday School class. At the end of each story, there is a author's comment or question related to the story that could be a springboard for a conversation. The illustrations depict the traditional sort of Christmas scenes that a person would expect. The DVD covers part of the Christmas story and goes beyond it, but the cartoon figures look like those in the book. This book is a great way to convey the real meaning of Christmas to children.

I reviewed this book as part of Thomas Nelson's book blogger program.

White Picket Fences

White Picket Fences is Susan Meissner's newest book. I read it in one night (a good form of procrastination from quilting) and was not dissappointed in it. When I began reading the story, I expected it to be primarily the story of Amanda, mother of Chase and aunt of Tally, but I think that the story was as much about the two teenagers as about the mother. Tally goes to San Diego to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins because her grandmother dies and her dad is somewhere in Europe. One of the themes of the story is secrets. It made me wonder, do most people keep secrets from family? I don't mean a small secret like not telling about a speeding ticket or that you skipped work to hang out with a friend, but secrets that if people knew, it might change the things that they believe about themselves or you. Is it a coincidence that the last three novels I read (June Bug and Shadows of Lancaster County are the other two books) are about secrets OR am I supposed to be getting a clue about something? It kind of makes me wonder.

June Bug

June Bug by Chris Fabry is an interesting novel. June Bug lives in an RV with her father, and it is the only life she can remember. Then one day she sees a poster in Wal-mart that has her picture on it as a missing child. Over the course of a couple weeks the truth about the situation comes out and June Bug's world changes forever. Some reviewers have compared the story to Les Miserables. I enjoyed reading this book by Chris Fabry, though some parts seemed a bit farfetched in today's world.

The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado

The Tallest of Smalls is Max Lucado's newest book for children. The story is about Ollie, a boy living in Stiltsville. He longs to be part of the cool group in his town, those that walk around on stilts. Each evening, the people in town that have stilts choose another person to be part of their group. Ollie begs to be chosen each time, and finally he is the one to be given a pair of stilts. Thrilled by being chosen, Ollie gets up on the stilts but doesn't remain happy very long. Stilts are not all he thought that they would be or even wanted. Ollie realizes that he can be happy even without stilts. I would think school age children would enjoy this book best.
The story has a great lesson for children, though it seemed a bit simplistic. The picture book is written in rhyme, and at times it could be hard for young children to follow. Despite it being a picture book, I would think some preschoolers would have a difficult time because of the way it is written. The illustrations by Maria Monescillo are well done and definitely enhance the story. I have read several of Lucado's children's books and I would compare the story line to that of You Are Special, though it doesn't have the same feel as you read it.

soup

Soup season is here. I am looking for some new soup recipes...but want ones that have a small amount of ingredients. My current favorite is black bean soup, which calls for 2 cups chicken broth, 1 can black beans(rinsed), 1 onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a small amount of cumin and oregano, and a couple teaspoons of olive oil. You chop the onion and garlic, saute it in olive oil with the cumin and oregano, then add chicken broth and the black beans and cook awhile. Do you have a simple soup recipe to share?

What Difference Do It Make?

What Difference Do It Make? by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent is a continuation of Hall's and Moore's story that began in Same Kind of Different As Me. Ron Hall, an art dealer, and Denver Moore, a homeless man, are friends and write the book together. The chapters alternate between Hall's story, which is focused now on the relationship he has with an aging father, and Moore's story, which is more of a teaching format. Interspersed in their stories and snippets of how their first book affected different individuals after they read that book.
The content was good. Hall struggling with how to deal with an aging father that disappointed him in many ways was portrayed realistically. Moore encourages people to not judge those that are homeless. Individuals that decided after reading the book that God was calling them to do something different or take a chance was inspiring. I was not impressed with the organization of the book...there are too many parts to it, Hall's story, Moore's story, parts of their first book, and the stories from people that they have heard from. If you haven't read the first book by Moore and Hall, you can read this alone, but you might find the first story more interesting.

Shadows of Lancaster County

Shadows of Lancaster County by Mindy Starns Clark is a book I have been waiting a long time to read. I had it checked out from the library in the spring and my book club members said that I should wait and then we could all read it together when it was my turn to choose the book. (We had read Whispers of the Bayou by Clark a year ago.) I started it a couple of days ago and yesterday after 8:30 P.M. When I picked it up I thought that I might read a couple hours and then go to bed. I finished it at 1 o'clock in the morning. The story is about Anna Bailey, who is living in California, having left Lancaster County to get away from a troubled past. She gets a call from her sister-in-law telling her that Bobby, her only brother, is missing. Anna chooses to return to Pennsylvania to try and figure out what is going on. This story is full of twists and turns that made me wonder what else was going to happen in the story. After finishing, it made me realize how the absence of truth can really affect many people's lives in ways that are harmful. Our book club should have plenty discuss about this novel when we meet next week. Has anyone else read this?

Raising Unselfish Children in a Self-Absorbed World

Raising Unselfish Children in a Self-Absorbed World by Jill Rigby is for parents and other caregivers that care about what kind of adults those children become. Rigby challenges parents to teach children to have self-respect, not self-esteem.
The book is easy to read and use. Most chapters have practical ideas that you can use to help build a child's character, sometimes split into groups based on age. There are also stories to illustrate some of her points. Not only for parents, this book is for anyone that wants to be proactive in guiding the children they see on a regular basis. If you have a child under the age of 18, it is worthwhile reading.

Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin

Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills is a great board book to read to preschoolers. I was at my sister's house last week and she had checked this out from the library for her son. I read it to my nephew about a half dozen times while I was there and he enjoyed it because he could participate by saying a word or two on most pages. It is a book I didn't mind reading over and over because it was short, simple, and the pictures are well done. If I needed a gift for a two or three year old, I would think about going out and buying a copy of this book to give as a gift.

Julie and Julia

I went to see Julie and Julia at the theater on Sunday afternoon. If you are a blogger, a fan of either Julia Child or Meryl Streep, or interested in cooking, you would probably enjoy the show. One part made me laugh so much I started crying. I wish I had been able to go with my sister Amanda, since she is so much more into blogging than me or my other sister. When it comes out as a DVD I will probably watch it again. Anyone else see it?

First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg is a great book about the first day at a new school. I would recommend everyone read this book, especially teachers. The story is of Sarah, who is anxious about her first day of school. Although some people think reading picture books is only for young children, I would say this one is really for any one of school age...maybe even up to middle school. I read it to my niece and nephews last weekend and hope to read it to some students the first day of school.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This afternoon I finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. When I started reading it, I knew that I would enjoy the story and didn't want to read through it too quickly...good books are meant to be savored. The story is told through a series of letters written by Juliet, Sidney, and as the story progresses, a wide variety of residents of the island of Guernsey. It is set in Europe in 1946, so the story includes many references to World War II. As I read it made me wish that more people wrote letters and that I had traveled to Europe this summer. It was a well told story with believable characters. As it progressed, I was surprised at the direction of the book, but not disappointed. If my book club wasn't so adamant about reading books that no one has yet read, I would take it as a suggestion for our next book choice.

The link to the book is also currently having an essay contest regarding your favorite book, and if you win, you will recieve a copy of the book.

The Help

I finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett early this morning (around 1:45). It is a story that takes place in Mississippi in the 1960's. Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny are the three main characters and their lives become intertwined in a way that none of them would ever expect. The story was a little slow to get started, but as I read, I enjoyed learning more about each of the characters. Stockett does an excellent job telling the story and making the story believable. I was tempted to read the end (the book is more than 400 pages long) so I could go to bed, but decided to just finish reading the book instead, even if I had to stay up late to finish it. I would definitely recommend this book.

A Pen Pal for Max

A Pen Pal for Max by Gloria Rand is a picture book I enjoyed reading. It is the story of Max, a boy from Chile, becoming pen pals with a girl in the United States. It reminded me of some of the pen pals that I had growing up, including Laura, who lived in Hong Kong. It was always exciting to get a letter from her. We probably wrote for several years and I acquired a lot of postage stamps from there. I think that she even sent a coin or two. I realize now people know people from all over the world via e-mail, but I don't think it can compare with the excitement of getting a real letter in the mail from a distant place. I wish that I would have been able to keep in touch with her cause maybe I would have eventually been able to meet her. Did anyone else have a pen pal growing up?

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is a book I enjoyed reading. This book tells the story of Edward Tulane, a china rabbit. I picked the book up because I have read a few of DiCamillo's other books (Because of Winn-Dixie and some of the Mercy Watson series) and this story did not disappoint. When I realized that Edward was a china rabbit owned by a girl, Abilene, the story reminded me of The Velveteen Rabbit. It would be a great read aloud for bedtime for school aged children, as at the end of each chapter, you are wondering what adventure will befall Edward next. There is a more mature theme in one part of the book that I would say makes the book not necessarily great for very young children. When I finished, I thought that the ending was thought provoking, maybe more for adults than children. The illustrations are great, too, though there aren't a ton of them. If I ever teach fourth or fifth grade, I would definitely consider this for a read aloud.

recommended reading

A couple of weeks ago I gave my brother a short list of books I thought he should read. He made a comment about it not even being February and I love to read month. It seems to me that it is always a good time to read, and below are a few books that I think everyone should read. If you click on the title, you'll be able to see what I wrote about it on my blog.

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

End of the Spear by Steve Saint

Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Saint Ben by John Fischer

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

Have you read any of these?

numbers

I have...

0 cavities
1 dad
2 sisters
3 brothers
4 wheels on my car
5 shoeboxes full of letters from friends and family
6 Old Navy flag t-shirts
8 Bibles (2 are New Testaments)
10 aunts
11 mugs
12 quilts
12.5 years full time teaching experience
13 pairs of shoes
16 pairs of pants
25 cousins
33 short sleeve t-shirts
36 journals
49 CDs
50 friends on Facebook
206 bones
and 435 books. (yes, I counted, but I may have missed a couple)

What about you?

Ella Minnow Pea

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is third book that I have read in the week since school has gotten out. Ella Minnow Pea is a person that lives in the made up country of Nollop. The story is about the country banishing, one by one, different letters of the alphabet. It doesn't seem like a huge deal when the first letters are banished, since they are letters like z and q, but then it gets more difficult since soon the letters that are forbidden from use are much more common. The story is told in letter format, many written by Ella, but others written by family members like Amos, Tassie, Mittie, and Gwenette.

Do Hard Things

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris is a book that everyone should think about reading at least once. It was written by teenagers for teenagers. Their purpose in writing the book is to make teenagers think about what they are doing during those years between childhood and adulthood. The Harris twins believe that those years can be purposeful and give suggestions on what teens can do to make that true. There are also stories of teens that have done something during their teen years that have made a difference in the world they live in. Although this book was written with teenagers in mind, it is great for anyone to read because it reminds you that complacency is easy, but living a life that matters must be more intentional. Do Hard Things would make a great book to give to teens, whether they are thirteen or nineteen.

Spoon

Spoon is one of Amy Krause Rosenthal's new books. Spoon is unhappy because he is a spoon, and wishes that he was something else. He doesn't realize Fork, Knife, and Chopsticks wish that they were like him. And his mom reminds him of all the good things about being a spoon. Another fun book by Rosenthal that children will enjoy. Now I just have to wait til my library gets another of her new books, Little Oink.

On a Someday

On a Someday by Roxanne Henke is the latest novel that I read. If you have read some of Henke's other books, you will recognize some of the characters, but you would not have to read other books by her to make sense of this stand alone novel. This is the story of what happens when you get what you want, but also how that is not really what you wanted in the first place. Jim, Claire, and Drew (dad, mom, grown son) all have a significant role in the story. Jim owns Westin Foods in North Dakota, Claire's career as an author and speaker are taking off, and Drew is a successful loan office in New York City. Each chapter tells what is happening in the life of one of the characters, and of course, each character's life is woven into the other two. A good story, and one that makes you think about what is really important. If you have read any of Henke's other books, you would like this one. If you haven't, read this one and you will probably want to read more.

three books

Lately, I have probably finished more children's books than books for adults, and here are three that I don't get tired of reading.
Dirt on My Shirt is by Jeff Foxworthy and it is a collection of poems that I think most school age children would enjoy. I read the entire book to several of my groups of students and they seemed to enjoy them. I enjoyed reading them, too, and I think that the neatly done color illustrations make this a book I will use each year for poetry month.


The Rain Came Down by David Shannon is another great book. Yesterday I read it with three different groups of students and many of them said when we finished that they like the story. It does a good job at showing cause and effect, and the pictures really add to the story. At the beginning of the story it begins to rain, which makes the chicken squawk. In turn they cause the cat to yowl, the dog to bark, and soon it is affecting people and the whole town turns into a traffic jam.

The Blue Hill Meadows by Cynthia Rylant is a good for reading aloud to students that are getting introduced to chapter books. There are four chapters, one for each season of the year. It starts in summer, and it tells about Sullivan and Eva Meadows and their boys Willie and Ray. The characters are likable and it is a story that makes me wish everyone had such a good family.

April

April is National Poetry Month
April is National Kite Month
April 12-18 is National Library Week
April 20-26 is Turn Off the TV Week
April 22 is Earth Day
April 24 is Arbor Day
Most years Easter is in April
How can I help but like April?

A Tip a Day with Ellie Kay

A Tip a Day with Ellie Kay is a book that has lots of money saving tips. It has all the categories that you would find in any book about saving money-coupons, insurance, entertainment, banking, transportation, education, home, clothes, furniture, appliances, and electronics. It has three categories that you don't see in every book about saving money-helping kids learn about saving money, relationships (with your spouse), and making a difference in the world. I would not have thought about some of those things, but Ellie feels like people should not just save money, but find a way to use that to help others. The tips in the book were brief, and if a person picked up this book, it would be easy to find the tips because they are well organized. What is one way that you have chosen to be frugal?

Fireproof

Last night I watched the movie Fireproof for the second time. I enjoyed it, though I have to say there is something about watching a movie for the first time that makes it more engaging. If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend it. Have any of you seen it?

spring

I realize that it is not officially spring yet according to the calendar, but it is definitely spring by the weather here. The snow has been melting like crazy and there is so much water on some sidewalks that I could use some galoshes now instead of my snowboots. Spring is probably enjoyed more by people in northern climates because the change from winter to spring is so drastic, don't you think?

Key Lime Pie Murder

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke is the book I read for March's book club meeting. It is one of eleven Hannah Swensen books that Fluke (who grew up in Swanville) has written, but I think that they don't necessarily have to be read in order because this is number 9 and references to stories before this one were almost nonexistent. This book takes place in a small, fictional town in Minnesota. Hannah is the owner of a bakery and somehow gets involved in trying to solve the most recent murder case that happens during the county fair. Although I thought it took a long time (over 100 pages) to get to the murder, there was plenty after that to keep you guessing. One other positive thing about the story is there was not bad language and nothing overly graphic that made you want to quit reading. A unique thing about this book is that at the end of every few chapters there is a recipe for one of the foods mentioned. Most of them are dessert recipes, but there is also one for popovers as well as an egg bake. If it was summer I might have been tempted to try the recipe for key lime pie. Anyone else read any of these?

the winner

Thanks for all who entered the giveaway. I used a random number generator to choose the winner for the giveaway and it picked number 4, so Amanda from Crazy Mom Quilts will be getting the book in the mail.

Send It!

This is a cute board book that I am giving away. As you can see from the picture this book is about mail, which is one of the reasons I like it. To enter to win this book, leave a comment and tell me who the most recent person you sent a letter (or card) by snail mail to and when you did that. Comments must be made before Friday of this week. On Friday or Saturday, one of those people will be randomly chosen to win this book. The contest is only open to people living in the United States.

Senses at the Seashore

Senses at the Seashore by Shelley Rotner is a book for younger children that I found it at the library when I was there with my niece. I think that I read the book ten or twelve times in four days. The book would be great for teaching preschoolers and even kindergarten and first graders about the five senses. The photographs are great, too, and it made me wish that I had been able to go to California during my winter break. Rotner has two other books in this series-Senses in the City and Senses on the Farm that I am looking forward to reading. Is there any book you have been reading over and over to a preschooler lately?

quotes

Here is a new quote that I definitely agree with..."A house without books is like a room without windows." -Heinreich Mann
Anyone else have a favorite quote or two?

The Day it Rained Hearts

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond is definitely one of my two favorite Valentine's Day books. It is for preschoolers and early elementary students, but after discovering this book several years ago I had to go get a copy for myself. Each year I read it to my students and they enjoy it. The simple story tells how Cornelia Augusta makes Valentines for all of her friends, so it would be a great introduction to making Valentines with a group of children. Anyone else have a favorite Valentine's book for children?

The Yearling

Well, I am back from my break...I don't think that I got as much done as I had hoped...though I did get a baby quilt top done and I also started some baby bibs. I also attended a fair amount of high school basketball games (more girls' games than boys') and read three books-The Yearling, Marley and Me, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. My favorite of the three books was The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. I would not classify myself as an animal lover, but this story, though lengthy, made me want to keep reading. Rawlings did a great job at developing the characters and describing the area of Florida that twelve year old Jody and his family lived. I think I don't want to watch the movie because movies are often not as good as the book. Anyone else read the book or watch the movie?

12 days of Christmas

I got a cool gift from my sister for Christmas. She made 12 bags (see here) that are about six and a half inches by seven and a half inches when closed. Then she put numbers on them and put little presents in them. One was for each of the 12 days of Christmas. (The twelve days of Christmas begin on December 25).
Day1-homemade Chex mix
Day2-an ornament
Day3-post it notes
Day 4-a box of Reese's Pieces candy
Day 5-a pumpkin pie spice candle in a jar
Day 6-2 spools of thread
Day 7-2 pairs of blue socks
Day 8-a homemade needle case
Day 9-Chapstick
Day 10-a box of Reese's Pieces candy
Day 11-6 handmade cards
Day 12-some fabric for quilting

My sister Anita also got twelve bags and I will have to compare with her a bit more to see what she got-some of our gifts were the same, but she got tea bags in one of hers and that never showed up in mine (thankfully). I thought that maybe the Helen Reddy tape would show up in one of the bags. If someone was making bags for you, what are a few things that could be put in them?