Good morning! So many things going on in my head right now so bear with me please …. 😀
First, thank you to Stacy at Novel Source who featured me on her Sunday Serenade. So sweet!
Then, my friend Lori at Dollycas’s Thoughts has started a fun challenge that involves us once a month reading something fun just for ourselves. I do that anyway so why not join the fun?
Finally, as we embark on Thanksgiving eve, I found this yummy sounding recipe from Margot at Joyfully Retired for Corn Souffle. I have never made it but it sounds super yummy to me so this morning as I completed my Thanksgiving shopping I purchased everything I need to make this.
So that is what I have this morning and yes you read the above correctly. I was up and at the grocery store at 7 a.m. this morning to beat the after work rush. With grocery list in hand and the help of Chance we whipped through the aisles grabbing the items off the list, then I took him to school and me to work.
Mission accomplished.
I have no travel plans for the Thanksgiving weekend and I am so grateful for that. Tomorrow will be relaxing and food and movies (I think College son wants to go see Harry Potter so we will be going again!) and board games! My kind of day!
For those of you who are traveling, safe travels and a wonderful Thanksgiving to all of you!
I knew within the first few paragraphs that “ooh, this is going to be good!”
Sheila
Yolanda Trigiana (Viola) stood at five-five, but seemed much taller as she was short-waisted and long-legged. In her youth she loved to wear wide-brimmed hats adorned feathers and/or berries which only added to the appearance of her being taller than she was. She had a spirit though, a spirit that was larger than herself and carried her well all the days of her life. She lived life to the fullest, was always prepared for any occasion with a sack lunch or a ready meal…. she worked hard and left her mark wherever she went.
Lucia Spado (Lucy) was born in Italy in 1894. She was the eldest of eight children and much like Viola, she was a wonderful leader and homemaker. Lucy was a natural at so many things… she could cook, bake, and sew. She would barter with these skills and use cooking to repay things like a mending of a fence. Lucy lived in a time when nothing was thrown away and you found a use for every scrap of food and every piece of cloth.
This is the start to a wonderful story of author Adriana Trigiani’s grandmother’s. Within the pages of this book you will learn so much more about these two remarkable women and the wonderful memories and traditions they handed to the next generation.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
As I read this wonderful book, this tribute to Adriana’s grandmothers I could not help but think of my own. My Great Grandmother Lasher was a strong woman who raised my mother. She was born in the late 1901 and was a farmer’s wife. She never drove a car. She would always tell me stories about my grandfather (who died before I was born) and how he owned a bar in Minnesota. She would say that even though he owned the bar, he never touched a drink in his life. (To this my mom would wink at me so I never knew if this was the truth…)
My other grandmother, my dads mom, was the opposite of my Grandma Lasher. Grandma Ruth was small boned and spry. She would help me play pranks on my parents. One of my last memories of her is when we visited her 6th floor apartment to take her out to lunch. Grandma Ruth and I raced down the steps trying to beat the elevator down to the main floor that held my mother.
In both these stories I look back with bitter-sweet memories. Both of these women knew how to knit, crochet, and quilt. Skills I have never learned but wished I had at their knee. I look back now seeing all the history that passed away with them. I wish I would have asked them more questions about themselves, about their lives growing up…. I wish I would have sat patiently when they tried to teach me their ways…
but I was too young and I did not think they had anything they could tell me that I needed to know.
I read this book and think about what a throw away society we are today. It is cheaper to throw away a broken toaster than to have it fixed. I think of all the scraps of material I have tossed through the years left overs from projects and I now think of all the things my grandmothers would have found uses for. I could have learned a lot from these women, I think we all could have.
Adriana Trigiana writes a wonderful memoir here that pulled at my heart all the way through. What a beautiful tribute! I highly recommend this read.
Good morning! Can you believe we are two days away from Thanksgiving? My head is just buzzing with this information. I am so behind… I swear I lay awake at night and make lists of what I need to do before Thanksgiving:
shop for my cooking needs
plan out a few afternoon movies
Thankfully we do not go anywhere so I do not need to travel or super clean the house or anything like that…. *whew* It will just be my College Son, Chance, Al and I. I am actually looking forward to the low-key day.
Then – my next list in my head involves that I leave the country next Wednesday:
pick up prescriptions (malaria, Ambien)
pack
do not forget passports
choose books to go with (gah! There may be a blog post in that one!)
make dentist appointment (I have a tooth that has been bothering me and I do not want it to be a problem in a third world country…. uhhh…. no, no I do not!
put together my guest posts for while I am away
meet with house/dog sitter
put away the massive pile of books on the table (just because I should)
start tanning – and soon…. if I do not do this I will burn…
Anyway, that’s off the top of my head this morning….
So… this past weekend, Saturday actually, my friends that usually do Zumba Class with me all had things going on and I had made up my mind that since Saturdays are usually my one day I week that I have no commitments unless they are self-inflicted, that I was going to chill out a bit in the morning before I started running around doing errands. AT 9:45 a.m. I was still sitting in my sleep plants with COFFEE CUP in hand thinking this is really the life when I received a text message from Heidi:
“We returned from the cities at 2:00 am this morning. Just woke up. I am going to Zumba.”
I looked at that message and thought for sure I had read it wrong… she must have missed the word “not”, she must have meant I am NOT going to Zumba. I text her back inquiring about the certain typo….
Nope. Not a typo. She was going and class started in 20 minutes.
GAH!
I called her and said I had not even showered yet. She said just come as you are……
I looked down at my Scooby Doo sleep pants and thought…
uhhhh…. no…..
I don’t think I have showered so quickly in my life but I did it, skipped washing my hair just threw a bandanna on and out the door I went. We both made it and I am glad I did. Honest;y, I think we are getting better at the moves and we sure do have fun as I laugh the entire time we are there. To me it is a bit amazing to think that I met Heidi 19 years ago when we were both Department Managers at Wal-Mart and now here we are learning Latin dancing together.
Ok… I am off… I have to shower, drive Chance to school and get myself to work in 30 minutes.
Finally! Yesterday afternoon Chance and I ventured 23 miles past out local movie theater (with our noses in the air) as we made our way to a newer and rumored more “cushy” theater. We stopped at a Dairy Queen brazier in the area and stocked up on burgers and fries which I promptly placed in my purse.
Yes…. yes I did.
All of this for what you may ask?
The much awaited showing of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows of course!
We arrived early and were thrilled to walk into a theater that had large comfortable chairs and plenty of room. I literally “SSSQQQQQUUUEEEEEDDDD” when the opening to the movie came on the screen (seriously – ask Chance… I did.) I grabbed my mushroom swiss out of my purse and got comfortable.
I loved it.
LOVED IT!!!
I know sometimes it is hard for such a long anticipated movie to live up to the hype but I was not disappointed. True to the book each scene was like a chapter… coming to life! Hold on to your seats… if you are like me, The Deathly Hallows will send you back in time and suddenly I was remembering the first books, and my kids reactions – and the excitement to see them reading and talking excitedly about a book….
I really have a lot of memories entwined within these books!
There are several moments in the movie I would love to chat about but I do not want to spoil anything
Halloween Costume 2011?
for anyone who has not seen this yet. Let me just say I have always enjoyed watching Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix. She is so incredible in this role. (She may be my next Halloween costume!)
I remember this was the book that was such a leap for me. I loved the characters and I loved the setting of Hogwarts… when circumstances pulled Harry, Hermione, and Ron away from the school… I wasn’t sure where they were headed or what this meant for the storyline, but I was in. All in. J K Rowling did not disappoint me them and the movie did not disappoint me now. In all honesty, it was an emotional experience to see this characters on the big screen working towards finishing up a much beloved series.
In a word: Bitter sweet.
I would highly recommend you see it. In fact, I will see it again when my son is in town this weekend.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.
I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment. You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.
I have read none of what I said I would last week, because Tuesday I thought about it and decided it was INSANE to be reading all these other books on the week the theaters release Deathly Hallows . SO…. I tossed my book list out and instead I have been re-reading The Deathly Hallows. (Seen the movie Sunday afternoon – review coming up later on Monday!)
This Weeks Reading Plan
I leave for Honduras in 9 days so I am going to try to keep my plan real….
I met author Selene Castrovilla in New York in May and I am so excited to read her book!
Just a few months ago Jesse was junior class president, a star baseball player, the newspaper editor, and the crush of every girl at Midland Prep in Manhattan. Now he is fighting a rare cancer with only a 4 percent survival rate. When Samantha, his best friend and next-door neighbor for the last 15 years, turns her compassion for Jesse into a relationship, the teens fight the unknown with their growing love. Sam’s wavering voice, at times mature beyond her years and other times still needing her mother’s comfort, gives readers insight into both Jesse’s burden of dying and her own story of being the one left behind.
I met author Rhonda Hayes at BEA in New York in May as well, and can’t wait to read this delightful looking read!
Fifth-grader Abbie Adams is a witch in a family of witches. When her father, who is trying to find a cure for Witch Flu, brings home a kitten, she realizes that there is something strange about it. It turns out that the cat is Thomas Edison. Her parents do everything they can to make him comfortable while they try to find the right spells to break the curse and get him safely back to his own era before history is changed forever. Abbie is a likable character, and readers should relate to her. She loves her little brother (even when she has to clean up his magical messes), is nervous about her first school play, and wishes she didn’t have to keep secrets from her non witch friend.
Oh! You have no idea how excited I was to get this one in my mailbox for review! Seriously I have been drooling over this when I seen it on other blogs!
A volunteer for a French relief organization, Elsa Murphy, a young nurse, has left her tragic life behind in Boston in the hopes of finding a purpose by providing aid and medical care in Afghanistan. Living without running water and on rationed kerosene, the one comfort from home Elsa allows herself is lipstick, which helps her retain her identity behind the veil she wears. Elsa’s work engenders two relationships that will change her life: a friendship with Parween, a young, strong-willed Afghani widow whose hatred of the Taliban is born out of unimaginable loss, and a romance with Mike, a handsome, brave U.S. soldier with flashing blue eyes. Though the Taliban have largely been driven out by the soldiers, Elsa learns they are still very much a presence.
I think with the Thanksgiving weekend this list is pretty doable…. we do not have a lot going on during the holiday. College son will be home on Thursday for the day but has to go back to Mankato to work the weekend. Chance will be staying with us but he is super easy, so I anticipate a weekend of movies and board games… and of course a few books to! 😀
Now for my favorite part…. checking out what you are reading! Last week I found five books by reading all your posts and four of those five are currently in my home thanks to my library! Please add your link to your post below where it says “click here”.
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Writer Cassandra Fallows achieved critical and commercial success with an account of her Baltimore childhood growing up in the 1960s and a follow-up dealing with her adult marriages and affairs. The merely modest success of her debut novel leads her back to nonfiction and the possibility of a book about grade school classmate Calliope Jenkins. Accused of murdering her infant son, Jenkins spent seven years in prison steadfastly declining to answer any questions about the disappearance and presumed death of her son. Fallows (white) tries to reconnect with three former classmate friends (black) to compare memories of Jenkins and research her story. In the process, she discovers the gulf (partially racial) that separates her memories of events from theirs. Fallows’s pursuit of Jenkins’s story becomes a rich, complex journey from self-deception to self-discovery.
What really captures my attention in Lippman’s books is that most of them are based on true stories. This particular one is in reference to the disappearance of a Baltimore woman’s son. The woman chose not to make a statement and in doing so spent seven years in jail for contempt of court.
I of course enjoyed the storyline of the main character Cassandra as she was an author. Bookish characters always fascinate me and automatically seem to have an “in” with me. I liked the idea that Cassandra wanted to write about a childhood friend acquaintance and was doing research to find out about Callie’s reason for going to jail rather than answer questions about her son.
What ensues seems to me like a long drawn out maze of happenings as Cassandra visits old friends and finds out that if they even know she is a writer, they are so not impressed. Somewhere along all of this I lost touch with the book and waited anxiously to see where it was all going and when would it get there. In the end, I just didn’t like Cassandra very much.
I have read and enjoyed Laura Lippman before and know that many things could have contributed to my eventual lack of interest in this one, including the fact that I listened to it in my car on audio. While I am a huge advocate for audio, I am well aware that at times audio is not the way to go as you can miss key points in a story that if reading, I would have back tracked through the pages to figure out what I missed.
I have heard wonderful things about Laura’s book, ‘What The Dead Know’ so I believe that will be my next Lippman adventure!
Amazon Rating
Book Journey’s 2010 reading map has been updated to include Life Sentences
Cover Story: Hmmmm….. I guess I am not fond of it and do not see where it captures the heart of the story
Good Morning Sunday people! It is a little bit of a snow dust happening here in central Minnesota right now and of course I find that a bit annoying but what can I do?
I know…. I can look forward to this afternoon when Chance and I are going to go to Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows!
SSSSQQQQQQUUUUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
Sorry about the “sssqquuueeee” but seriously…. the movie has been out for three days and I have been chomping at the bit (what a gross saying) to get there.
Even better…. since our original midnight showing plan was axed, I wanted to up the ante so we are bypassing the local Brainerd Movies 10 with our noses in the air and driving the 30 miles to Sunset Cinemas to see the 1:00 showing.
I have never been to the Sunset Cinemas but have heard of the larger more comfy cushioned seats, and nicer theater all the way around. I am drooling with anticipation!
Born in Brainerd, I never knew there was a different way to do movies and maybe that is true of all of us. Movies 10 is a large dark theater with sticky floors that make your shoes make noises like suction cups as you walk to your seat. The chairs are the hard old school ones that flip down for you to sit in them with a big cup holder for that over-sized beverage I no doubt purchased for just such a movie. And it goes without saying that you do not put your purse on the floor as if you are lucky enough to be able to release it from its sticky grip after the show you are more than likely going to spill everything in it when it releases like a bottle rocket.
Ok… I may be exaggerating a wee bit…..
I know I am suffering from “the grass is always greener” symptoms but this is a great movie to try a new theater with so we are doing it. I have been saying for over a year now I would like to try out that theater and the anticipation….. well, need we go back to the sssqquuueeee?
So that is my plan for this afternoon! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and I will see you later for a review and hopefully tonight when I post the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
Garlic and Sapphires is all about the New York Times food critic’s journey from the L.A. Times to the new position she held for 6 years in New York (an unwanted one at that…. and how she tried to blow the interview!). Ruth Reichl learns quickly that in New York the restaurants have been learning about her months before she has arrived into her new job. Rumor has it they even have her picture posted in the restaurants so everyone can be aware when she enters. A flight to New York gives Ruth time to come up with a plan….
With the help of a family friend, clothing, make up and wigs, Ruth is morphed into several alter egos:
Molly Hollis: A larger older woman, bland in her clothing choices
Miriam: The creation of her own mother
Chloe: A blond bomb shell who dresses to the nines, with red nails and lipstick to match
Brenda: The earth mother
By utilizing these different disguises, Ruth is able to dine in the restaurant she wishes to review without fear of being recognized or receiving special treatment…. in fact, with each disguise, she learns how the restaurants really treat their everyday customers… in some cases poorly, and in other cases – remarkably well. Ruth’s reviews lead her to be the most influential restaurant critic int he country, but it was hard-earned.
I always thought being a restaurant critic would be pretty glam. Eating at wonderful establishments, waiters fawning over you bringing you the best dishes to eat… but Ruth shares the dark side of her job as well, such as hate mail, angry restaurant owners, and even trouble sleeping at times, fearing if she went to far….
I loved this book. I picked it up from my library yesterday and this morning after I took care of a few home projects I settled into my cozy chair with a blanket and let the life of a restaurant critic both amaze and delight me. I enjoyed how Ruth came up with her many disguises, her funny restaurant happenings, and the opinions of her husband and five-year old son. I really enjoyed reading the story of the restaurant and the follow-up with the actual New York Times Review. Every so often Ruth wold drop in a recipe as well which has inspired me to do a little food creating myself – which for me is a rare occurrence!
I never knew I would enjoy a book like this but I am so glad I read it. Ruth’s writing is fun, down to earth, and filled with facts I never knew about food and cooking. (note to self: wasabi has a smoother and milder taste than shaved fresh as opposed to the powdered version).
Truly a delight that I would recommend to any food lovers. Thank you to Michelle at Red Headed Book Child for posting about this book earlier this week and bring it to my attention. I would love to read this author again.
Book Journey has updated the 2010 Reading Map to include Garlic and Sapphires
Cover Story: It is appropriate for the book… although it would have been cool to have either her face peeking out or maybe Ruth in the center surrounded by pictures of her alter ego’s
Happy Saturday! Seriously… if you could see me now I am quite literally doing a dance in my p.j.’s. YES! Saturdays are my favorite day of the week.
It is the one morning each week I do have to get up super early
I don’t work on Saturday’s so any commitments are mine to choose
Saturdays to me are reading, writing, a movie or two, book reviews, time for breakfast, sitting in p.j.s a little longer than I should, staying in the house if I choose, dinner with hubby that for a change does not feel rushed, hanging with friends, indulging in a little down time…
ahhhhhh Saturdays!
This morning I am going to be shipping out books that people have won, and refilling my Giveaway box. I have reviews to write and a couple of books I am looking forward to finishing.
None of this so far… has anything to do with my post title and I think that is awesome too. 😀
Here is my recent story. A few days ago I realized that I had not heard from my pal Reagan from Miss Remmer’s Reviews. When I looked at her blog I seen that I was correct, she had been M.I.A. and had not posted in a while too. Reagan was one of my roommates in New York for BEA this past May and again in September of this year in Minneapolis for a Book Festival. Due to these facts, I have her phone number.
I called her up and left her a “Heyyyyyy, just seeing how you are doing and making sure all is well” message. She called me back shortly after that and we talked for about 40 minutes about the craziness of life, juggling commitments, finding balance, all the fun things we (or at least I) as book reviewers tend to have to sort through time to time. It was fun to catch up.
I hung thinking that it is so cool that there are people in my life, Book Bloggers, who a year ago I did not know but now, I notice when they are not posting. I feel for them when things are hard in their life. My online friends. I love it when people share what is on their hearts and when they pop in to comment here, I feel like I know a little about them and can check in with a “Glad you are feeling better, or welcome back from vacation – how was Florida?”
Anyway…. there’s a bit about me there too I guess… I just enjoy my bloggy friends.
Cookies.
Yes…. A couple (or has it been three?) weeks ago I had a girls weekend at our cabin in Finland, Minnesota. We baked cookies and made crafts throughout the weekend and my plan was to come back and share with you a recipe or craft a day. I have done a few, but still have not finished sharing with you that weekend fun….
So with no further ramblings from me – let’s get on with the cookie!
Pistachio Thumbprints
Sara (in the "Cookie Zone")
Looking for a melt in your mouth cookie? My friend Sara brought this recipe to the cabin and these not only looked good and smelled amazing – they also melted in your mouth. (My mouth is watering just talking about it now!)
1 cup softened butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour
1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
2 cups finely chopped pecans
In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and extracts; mix well. Combine flour and pudding mix; add to cream mixture. Stir in mini chips. Roll into 1 inch balls; roll in nuts and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool.
Filling:
2 Tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 Tablespoons milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Spoon into center of cooled cookies.
Glaze:
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening
Melt chocolate chips and shortening and mix well. Drizzle over cookies.
“Craving a little early Christmas? The Snow Globe may be just the book to put you in the spirit of magical moments and miracles.”
Sheila
Kiley Gray has had better days. Her boyfriend has dumped her for her sister. Yup. Her scatter brained sister. Kiley is having trouble finding a job and if that wasn’t enough, her two best friends Alison and Susanne have full lives and really do not have time to be the friends that Kiley needs right now.
When Kiley and her friends get away for a girls weekend (lets just say I love girls weekends and I was hooked from this point on!) you find out that each girl has a reason to need a break. While on this getaway, Kiley wanders into an antique shop where a snow globe catches her eye. The stores owner assures Kiley that this globe will bring miracles into her life and really, what does Kiley have to lose?
There are times when a book just hits you in the right mood and the right time and that is what I found with Sheila Robert’s Snow Globe. It’s no secret that I enjoy reads with women’s friendships and adding a little Christmas magic to the pages as Minnesota has its first snow of the season is well… a bit magical.
Through this small book I found friendships that while at times may seem distant, you soon see that the base of these friendships is strong and sometimes a little Christmas magic, even when found within a snow globe, can remind us all of what is truly important.
I really enjoyed this book and found the writing to be much like another author I enjoy for this style of writing., Debbie Macomber.
There is so much more I would like to share about this delightful book but because what lies between the pages is part of the magic, I am going to leave it at this.
Amazon Rating
Book Journey’s 2010 Reading Map has been updated to include The Snow Globe
Cover Story: It oozes Christmas and magic…. I like it
Thank you to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Blog Tour for allowing me to be part of this book tour
Book Journey 