Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Armchair BEA: Interview with Carrie from Just One More Chapter (+ Giveaway)

Welcome to Day #3 of Armchair BEA. We've talked about me, my favorite books this year and have had two giveaways.  Today you will get to know another book blogger.  I bring to you today an interview with Carrie from Just One More Chapter.  It was great to get to know Carrie since she only lives about an hour away from me - I didn't even realize there was a book blogger that close by.  Carrie is also pregnant with her first child - a little boy and is due in August.  How fun - I remember the days of being pregnant, so the interview has brought back wonderful memories.  I could probably go on and on (as most of you know), but let's get to know Carrie!




How would you describe your blog in 140 words or less?

Just One More Chapter is a place to explore new worlds through books. Just One More Chapter was started in November 2009 as a way for me to give recommendations of books to the many friends who are always asking. It is a place for you to come read a variety of reviews and explore new books. I also host
giveaways and participate in memes. Just One More Chapter has grown into so much more since I first started it and love that it continues to grow.

The latest post I saw when exploring your blog was The Magnolia League by Katie
Crouch. What made you choose this book to read? (I am dying to read it)


Actually I was just wandering around Barnes and Noble looking for some more books to read like I don't have any here at the house. But I was there before we went on a trip and so I came across it and immediately started reading it. The cover is what drew me in first but I love books dealing with the south so I picked it up!!  I didn’t realize until I got home and started looking for reviews that it hadn’t been
released yet and wasn’t supposed to be out until the following week! Oh well Barnes and Nobles mistake, my gain!!


Crystal: I hear you - I love to wander bookstores to buy a new book even though I don't need any!

What type of books would you say you read the most?


I probably read YA novels the most that seems to be what most of the books on my TBR list are. That being said I love books in general and I don’t try to focus on one genre. I love historical fiction and I have been known to read some non-fiction. I am trying to expand the types of books I read.

What is your favorite book you have read this year?

I honestly couldn’t tell you! I have a hard time picking out favorites in all the books I have read.

What is your favorite book of all time?

This is another hard one! I can’t pick just one but I would have to say Harry Potter is my all time favorite series!

I saw you are expecting your first baby boy in August - have you picked out names yet or are you still working on it?

We are very excited about our baby boy that will be coming into our lives in a few months. Yes we have picked out a name it is Alexander Thomas. My husband came up with Alexander it was just a name he thought of one day when we were driving somewhere. Thomas is after my father who passed away last September. For the most part I think we will just call him Alex in the long run but as of right now he is
Alexander.

How did you end up in Greenvile, NC?

We came to Greenville because of East Carolina University. My husband is in grad school for Industrial/ Organizational Psychology which is a relatively specialized field. East Carolina happens to be one of the top 10 schools with a master’s program.  So when he got accepted we packed up to move. We actually have really enjoyed being in this part of the country but we do know this is just a temporary place.

What is your favorite thing to do on a nice spring day?


I love to just sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. I also love to open the windows and doors and let the breeze come in with the sounds of the birds however I cant do that as much here because we don’t have screens on all of the windows and I hate bugs!! I also loved to go ride around on the golf course with my dad and now my husband but now that I am pregnant it gets too hot for me too fast.

What is your favorite room in your house?

My favorite room in this house is guest bathroom. We just had it redone and put in a soaker tub with air jets. We painted it a light blue and added chocolate accents. It is an absolutely wonderful place to get away from everything and relax!!


Crystal:  That sounds dreamy - I think I'm going to come move in with you just to use the tub ;)

What is your favorite snack?


Since I am pregnant this changes frequently cause it is whatever baby wants!! Right now it happens to be honey buns!! I know these aren’t the best but I am obsessed with them. In the beginning of my pregnancy it was kiwi and grapefruit!!

Crystal: I started my first pregnancy craving salads and finished up craving spicy chicken sandwiches - my oldest won't touch anything spicy!

Where is your favorite place to read?

My favorite place to read is laying in bed. I also love to read in the car while my hubby is driving. The pool is a great place to read too!!

Have you explored more of NC? If so where is the best place you have been?

Yes we have explored NC some. We have gone to Charlotte, Statesville, Winston Salem, Raleigh, New Bern, and Atlantic Beach. We love Atlantic Beach its about an hour away and its very easy to make a day trip to the beach!


Crystal: Since I live near Atlantic Beach - I fully agree that it's a great place!

If you had a chance and the stars aligned just right, would you attend BEA in New York?

Yes absolutely!!! I was actually planning on going and registered and everything. I even got my press badge however then I found out I was pregnant so we decided we were still gonna go but then family and friends started talking about showers, etc so now we are going on a 2 ½ week trip. We will drive from here to Louisville, Ky then to Richmond, Ky for a wedding then to Murray KY to visit my best friend, then to
Vicksburg, MS (my hometown) to visit family and friends. It will be a long trip and I will be exhausted afterwards.

Crystal: Wow - I'm exhausted just reading that!

What would you say your main reason for blogging is?

The reason I started blogging was to keep up with what I thought of the books I read and for my family and friends to go to instead of asking me all the time. It has since grown. Now I do it cause it helps other people decide what books to pick and choose. I also still do it to keep a track of what books I have read but I do enjoy that it helps other people as well.

What is one piece of advice you would give to new bloggers?

To get as much material up as you can, don’t focus on followers or receiving ARCs focus on your material for your blog the others will come. Also meet other bloggers and participate in MeMes. The followers will come. Kind of like Build it and they will come from Field of Dreams.


Crystal:  I think that is great advice!

Where is your dream vacation destination?

My dream vacation destination is the Maldives. I have always dreamed about going there. It is so remote that the beaches are virtually untouched and it is absolutely beautiful. We are currently planning on going for our 5 year anniversary. Only 3 more years to go. However I love to travel and we will be going lots of new places before that!!

Have you decorated your nursery yet or picked out how you want to decorate it? If so, what does it look like? (I love nurseries!)
 
Yes we have been working on the nursery since we found out everything was good to go and what we were having at 18 weeks. We knew before hand whether it was a boy or girl we would be doing some type of jungle theme but once we found out it was a boy we made it into much more of a boyish room. We went and picked out the nursery furniture and went with an espresso finish that I absolutely love. After that we picked out the bedding I originally wanted it to be all neutrals and accent with the jungle animals but my husband found the bedding we choose in a book and we had to have it. It is tan with blue accents. We took the bedding to Lowe’s and they color matched the blue for the walls. We then bought a chocolate glider and ottoman. Our friend is painting artwork for the walls with the various jungle animals on it. We also bought a blue and chocolate zebra rug that goes perfect with the room.  We added a espresso book shelf for decorations and more storage.

Crystal:  Sounds like a dream nursery. 


Thank you so much Carrie for being with us today!  Please head to her blog if you haven't visited before and say hi.

Giveaway #3:

Give Carrie a piece of parenting advice, it can be serious, funny, or an anecdote of what your kids have done to make her laugh or terrify her (in a good way) - I could do those ;), or a favorite parenting book  and you will be entered to win 2 books from my book selection page (which I am adding more to later today).  Open to US/Canada only, ends 5/30.

.


28 comments:

Margay said...

Carrie, this is a little trick I figured out early on. If the kids play with a lot of toys and won't put them away, get a broom, sweep them all into a pile, and tell them, "You have five minutes to pick out what you want and put it away. Otherwise, it's going in the trash." It's amazing how quick that pile of toys disappears! Never had to throw away a toy!

fredamans said...

Enjoy your kids when they are small. They look up at you with those eyes and you know you have done a fine job. When they hit puberty it gets hard. My son is 16 now, and I look back on the days when he was small more often than not.
Best of luck to you.

freda.mans[at]gmail.com

Nise' said...

Nice to meet Carrie! I've used Margay's advice many times! I can relate to Freda's as well. In the early days, sleep when you can!

Trisha said...

Wandering around a bookstore is the best way to find your next read in my opinion!

As for parenting advice, I feel a bit disingenuous as I don't have kids; however, my observed advice is to be honest. I find the best parent-child relationships are those in which the parent doesn't try to create a false persona and is just honest with his/her kid(s).

eclectic.eccentric[at]hotmail.com

Alyce said...

My parenting advice is that kids are so different for each other, so only a tiny bit of the advice that you get from others will work for your kid. So don't stress too much if the advice or recommendations you get don't work for your kid. With some trial and error everything will work itself out. My two boys were completely different as babies. One got overstimulated very easily, so he calmed himself faster if we just patted him on the back when he cried (if we picked him up and walked him around it wound him up more). My other kiddo liked snuggling just fine, but had to eat on a strict schedule or would get a tummy upset. Like I said, each kid is unique and a lot of the fun is discovering their quirks. I'm sure you'll do just fine!

Oh, and Harry Potter is one of my top favorites as well. :)

Vivien said...

Enjoy 5 min alone with your hubby in the closet....often. lol Where else are you supposed to go?

Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

Michele L said...

Advise....Keep little screws put away and high up because they do pass thru the digestive system..Zack age 3... a 3 year old little girl is not old enough to play with polly pockets..polly pocket shoe up the nose..Amber age 3...Both required emergency room visits...Just try to skip over the 3 year old mark!!

jmluker at winco dot net

Tiffany Drew said...

Always, ALWAYS keep permanent markers out of reach! Kids are like magnets to those things. But, in the event that your child gets their clever little hands on one, dish soap works wonders :) When my daughter was four, she found a red permanent marked and colored her whole body (face included) along with our white dog. We scrubbed her clean, only for her to do the same thing the next day with a black one. Kids!

jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net

Jennifer said...

If you tell your kids that they're going to do something or go somewhere make sure you follow through, because they WILL remember. Don't make promises that you cannot keep.
jryder416 at yahoo dot com

lgm52 said...

Always give your kids a hug, kiss and an "I love you" before they leave your home, before bedtime...and any other time you feel like it!
lgm52@hotmail.com

Jennifer A said...

My parenting advice? Don't listen to other people's advice (unless it's a doctor or something, then go ahead).

You know your kid better than anyone else, and only you know what's right for them. :)

littleshelf AT gmail DOT com
Jennifer of Little Shelf

Taffy said...

Get down on the floor and play with your children!
Forgive the child that feds oatmeal to the DVD player :)

Mickey @ imabookshark said...

I'm not a parent, but my boyfriend has children so I can tell you what I've learned from them: you have to be patient! They push buttons and try to see how far they can go. Freedom is important to an extent. Good luck, Carrie!! :o)

I interviewed Bob @ The Guilded Earlobe. Check it out? Thanks!

Mickey @ imabookshark

linda2060 said...

Don't underestimate them. They know more than you think. I look absolutely dumb next to my daughter, but she's so innocent, she doesn't even know it. I keep track of the thing she says and the ones that touch my heart go in my journal. Oh, and enjoy the early years while you can. There's nothing as taking too many pictures or videos. Just as long as you're also participating in the fun. Tweens and teens aren't cut anymore!

Lindadao2060 at yahoo dot com

Lisa R/alterlisa said...

Share childhood memories with your kids. If you have home movies of yourself when you were little, they eat it up. My granddaughter can sit for hours watching videos of her dad and uncles and aunt when they were little. It's like they just can't quite accept the fact that Dad was ever a little kid opening Christmas presents under the tree and his jumping on a trampoline has her laughing every time.


I'm a follower on GFC-Lisa Richards


(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Joanna said...

I'm not a mommy yet, but I have always thought this piece of advice from a young age. The first thing a child is given when they enter the world is a name, and that name is important and will stay with them for life. So, my word of advice is pick a traditional name and spelling for that name for your bundle of joy. Because as you grow up, everyone hates it, with a passion, when folks spell and pronounce their name wrong.

joanna9273[at]gmail[dot]com

ibeeeg said...

Wonderfully interview. It was nice getting to know a new-to-me blogger.

Carrie, I am a mom to six with my oldest being 21, when it comes to parenting advice the best thing I could impart is that you will receive tons advice. Don't feel that you have to take said advice even when it is sound because truly there is no "one fits all" style of parenting, and not even for all kids within the same family. In other words, glean from others, and then you and your husband decide what is best for your family unit; for your child. Have fun as you start with this fabulous journey.

With that all said, Margay, freda and Nise have given some solid neutral advice.

Haha...reading several more comments and it seems that Alyce said pretty much what I was saying.

Have fun Carrie.

ibeeeg (at) gamil (dot) com

Deb Marshall said...

Congratulations! Advice : if your baby wee is a boy, when changing him, be sure to use a pee pee teepee--http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/pee-pee-teepees (or make your own)

Book--Baby Whisperer...hugely popular when I worked at the book story, so I'd check it out.

And, don't read the book you get too too much, or run to them too much to look up every little thing...your husband might hide them from you. Er, yah...it happens :P

Debbie Rodgers said...

Be consistent - it'll be hard 'cause sometimes you'll be rushed or tired or whatever, but it's important.

Rabid Fox said...

As a member of the childless society, may I suggest a muzzle. We've already established leashes as acceptable child-rearing devices, so let's take that next logical step, shall we? No? Abominable suggestion? Okay.

therabidfox[at]gmail.com

Chelsea B. said...

I have no children, so I am going to be no help! Best of luck to you!

ikkinlala said...

I'm not a parent, but one of the things I appreciated most about my parents (especially my dad) was their willingness to admit their mistakes.

Meredith said...

Patience. And have extra paint ready for when they begin drawing on the walls.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Michelle said...

As the mother of three, my best parenting advice is to trust your instincts. Although, I have to agree with the earlier commenter about the permanent markers! My youngest daughter has been "creative" with those a few times too many lately! Thanks for the chance to win!
mrsmchappell at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

Margay's advice doesn't work if the child has OCD. It just makes things worse. Then you have to give very specific directions. You can't say "clean you room" or "put your toys away". You say "pick up all of the blocks" and when that is done you give another direction. It takes longer but is much easier.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Andra said...

Let kids be kids...yes their education and well-roundedness is important, but if they are wrapped up in sports and school from dawn to dusk, they will eventually burn out...and no one wants that

hense1kk AT cmich DOT edu

Tethered Mommy said...

My parenting advice is to not sweat the small stuff - so what if their shirt is stained, if they're fed, healthy and happy, they're good. :)

Maggie at tethered mommy dot com

Julie said...

I have 6 kids and I learned quickly that you have to give kids responsibilities (based on their age and how much they can comprehend) early. Get them helping out when they are little (folding laundry, dusting, picking up around the house) and when they get older it will be a habit already. Good luck!
jwitt33 at live dot com

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