Saturday, September 4, 2010

I Will Never Be Able To Read These...








I just happened to read an article in The Huffington Post about the thirteen books that people actually fib about reading...people feel as though they should have read these but actually have not...you can probably guess most of them!!! 


Have a wonderful, restful, peaceful weekend!!!

Happy Labor Day!!!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Sweet And Sassy!!!

OMG!!!  I love following a site called Joy Of Baking...they are on Facebook and Twitter and have their own site...you can sign up for a recipe a day...and they are awesome.  I am really into cupcakes lately...making them and decorating them and giving them to friends...and eating one or two...I guess.  This site...not Joy Of Baking but one called Bake It Pretty has the most amazing cupcake papers and molds and decorations and other great stuff to use when you are baking!!!  I am obsessing over cupcake papers!!! 

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Oh My...I Love This Catalog!!!


I love this catalog...NapaStyle...I have ordered so many really unique things from them...they are kind and helpful and go out of their way to make sure you have an amazing shopping experience...I have to have these pillows...I love anything Fallish and pumpkinish...my pumpkin collection is almost as vast as my Christmas one...I think that Fall is my absolute favorite time of year...I just ordered Pumpkin Spice coffee from Green Mountain coffee brewers...I know...it sounds devastatingly awful but it is wondrous...however after November it is not drinkable...hee hee hee...then you have to go to Gingerbread Spice...

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Cool Kindle Stuff...

I love this site called M-EdgeThey seem to have the coolest of all Kindle, Nook and other ereader accessories.  I have the Journey bag...shown below...which I love...I know you can just as easily toss your Kindle into your other bag but this crossover bag keeps it close by and a charger and journal can be tossed inside, too.


                                                                                   

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

My Review Of Dark Flame...






What technically is the definition of a dark flame…in my mind it is the opposite of a bright flame. It is not the flame that lightens the path but rather the flame that hides what should be hidden. This series by Alyson Noel has really been close to my heart. I know it is because of the death of my mom and dad so recently and so close to each other. The thought of the two of them walking hand in hand through a wonderful place like the Summerland of Alyson Noel’s imagination is most pleasant to me. The thought of actually being immortal is such a unique and amazing concept…it teases at my mind and my soul.

I was totally enamored with the first three books in this series and I truly loved this fourth book…although I am not crazy about the “teaser” ending but that seems to be a part of all YA books of this nature.



The premise of this book is that Ever…main immortal…is banned from truly being “together” with Damen…second main immortal because when she saved his life in the last book…she condemned them to never truly be together unless she is able to convince Roman…third sinister immortal…to give her an antidote…actually the only antidote…which is not written down but is in Roman’s head and... due to something that Ever did to Roman’s main immortal love interest…Drina…he refuses to give her the antidote but prefers that she and Damen suffer for as long as he wants them to…which seems like forever to Ever…


Add into this mix a dreadlocked psychic store owner named Jude who pines after Ever. Then add some witchy twins Romy and Rain who love Damen but are not too fond of Ever. And also add Ava…a psychic whom Ever feels betrayed her into saving Damen but not enabling him to truly be with Ever…ever.
Ever is a total mess in this book. Roman has stirred the dark flame within her so that she believes she wants Roman rather than Damen and she spends most of her time visiting Summerland…the beautiful place…and trying to rid herself of the dark flame and be the immortal she truly should be. Her best friend Haven also has to be thrown into this mix…in order to save Haven's life…Ever also made her an immortal…but Haven does not seem to be on the path to becoming a nice immortal…she is more of a power hungry Roman worshipping Ever hating one.




The path of this story is really one where Ever tries to get back to her core…she goes through some self discovery and angst and black magic and good magic until she finally realizes where her true power really lies.



I have to say that I loved this book but I loved every book within this series. Alyson Noel’s description of Summerland…is what I wish Heaven would be. Anything you want can be manifested at any time. All questions are answered. And it is a happy place to escape to…on the opposite end of the spectrum is Shadowland…a place for souls who can not rest…the contrasts between the two lands are stark and scary…most likely my Catholic school girl education has me thinking of the gates of heaven and hell…so I am totally mesmerized as I read these books…sort of a religious experience for me. All in all a really lovely series…I will love reading the next one, too.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Monday Morning...








Even though I never have Sunday night blues anymore and I am not teaching any more and I can really manage my time in the most delightful of ways...I still sit here on a Monday and wonder where the weekend went.   We purposely stayed at home on Saturday.  We did yardwork and my husband mowed the lawn and we worked in the garden ( see above photo...am I planting things way too close together? ) and still had time left in the day to watch a movie, have a drink on the deck and chill out.  Sunday...was another relaxing day...I made us a big Sunday breakfast...local eggs and stone ground grits and yummy cups of coffee.  We read our respective papers...the Inquirer for my husband and the NYT for me...must have that Sunday book section and Sunday Styles.  Then we meandered to the car and drove to our local produce market for the first of local apples and and local peaches and nectarines...fresh corn and beans and local goat cheese.  So many delightful things to choose from...then home to respective laptops and email and music downloading...and before you know it...it is time for bed!!!  And the whole thing starts all over again...thank goodness!!!

I have never believed myself to be a creature of habit...but I realize now that I do tend to do certain things on certain days.   Is this something that you do, too?