Saturday, August 4, 2012

Just A Laid Back Saturday...

It is so hot here today...and humid, too. We are trying to get the lawn cut...and weed...and get deck furniture back up on the deck...but some of this is just not going to happen...

Den dashed in twice because of thunder and rain...and I have totally given up...I am in to stay.

Lucy was on the deck for about a half an hour...when I brought her in she smelled icky...a wet fur smell...so now she is recovering from a nice bath.

I am not her favorite person right now.


She has to rest because Puss In Boots is on tonight...LG has a bit of a crush on Antonio Banderas...lol...
Lucy will watch at least ten minutes of this...she really will...



Reading this...it is really good.


A glance outside tells me it's dark and gloomy again...
and still hot.

We are so happy to stay in tonight...I have already made an heirloom tomato salad and we are having these lettuce wrapped hamburgers that The Pioneer Woman invented.

Check them out!


Her hands...not mine!


Then we are blowing our no carb dinner by having this for dessert. It's from a blog called IslandEAT. It is called Hot Fudge Pie!


This blogger says that it's an old recipe from her grandmother...the story behind it is lovely...if you have time you should check out her blog...I love it!

I am off...stay cool!

Have a lovely week end!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Ooh...Oooh...Ooooh...I love Friday!

Finished this little gem yesterday...sort of a middle grade Lord Of The Rings but not really...it was lovely...a family dealing with the death of their mom and a necklace sent from another universe that changes everything...takes place in Plymouth Rock and in another starry universe...parts were so sweet...parts sad...parts typically middle grade humor funny...parts just plain scary...I literally could not put it down!
It even had bullies...the kind you love to hate!




Thinking about reading this...or maybe this...or even this...











Yearning to make a cake from this yummy book...




Trying to win a staring contest with Lucy...




I lost!
Happy Friday!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Whoopsie!!!




Thank you so much Atria Books and NetGalley for this book!
I loved it!

Ten Girls To Watch...




My "in a nutshell" summary...

This book is about Dawn...her relationships, her job quests, her frustrations, her hopes, her wondrous humor, and the way she interviews some fabulous women.

My thoughts after reading this book...

Dawn has had pretty much the absence of a career after college...she temps. She lives in an absolutely crummy apartment in Brooklyn. She writes an advice column on lawn care to earn extra money. She takes part in a sleep study to earn extra money. Her coffee table is a cardboard box. She can't let go of her relationship with Robert...ex boyfriend and pretzel heir. In a roundabout way her ex boyfriend's fiancé is responsible for connecting Dawn with a freelance job for a magazine called Charm. She is temporarily employed. Charm magazine is known for its yearly publication of an issue called...Ten Girls To Watch. Dawn is tasked with contacting and writing about women who were voted the "Ten Girls To Watch" over the last fifty years.

What I loved most about this book...

I truly loved Dawn's quirky character. I loved her humor, her struggles, her insecurities. I loved the way the story is told...sort of in little vignettes and illustrations that go along with the women she is interviewing. There is something special about Dawn that allows the women being interviewed to truly open their hearts to her. Some chapters begin with names and quotes from some of the women and other chapters are about Dawn...her life, her family, her relationships. Another absolutely lovely part of this book was learning about the lives of these women. They are teachers, scholars, scientists, judges, writers, entertainers, and more.

What I did not love...but not really...

There are aspects of Dawn that are so sweetly sad. She is so excited to get this job and she winds up in a basement working alone making not much more than her temp job earned. Perhaps also I didn't love that her life was so hard...awful furniture, a horrible roommate, veggie patty dinners. And perhaps I didn't love the way she couldn't let go of Robert totally but that was partly Robert's wishy washy self, too. I also wanted her to be stronger about her new relationship with coworker Elliott.

Final thoughts...

I loved this book. It was beautifully written and very unique. It was fun. It was insightful. I loved reading about the lives of the women. I loved reading about what they accomplished and how their lives were changed. I loved reading about Dawn...lips are sealed as to whether she has a happy ending...or not!
Real issues were addressed in a delightfully entertaining way. At times I smiled at Dawn's thoughts but there were also times when she brought quick tears to my eyes. I loved Dawn...I wanted to pat her on the back, pour her some wine, let her cry and then try to get her to understand how truly wonderful she really is.

Sigh!

Special note...

This isn't really Chick Lit...it's more like Women's Lit.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

The Deck Is Done...The Deck Is Done...But...

It's been so hot, humid, wet and dry here that all the painting and staining is done but the deck is sticky?

I hate sticky!

All the deck furniture is back in the basement. There is nowhere to sit on the deck. We can't even sit on the sticky deck floor.

Sigh!

Lucy and I are very unhappy. We like deck sitting. We miss watching the ducks and squirrels and crows and herons and turkey vultures and egrets and turtles and hawks and cardinals and bluejays and starlings.

We have not even seen any of our furry and feathered friends since all the painting started. Everyone seems to be steering clear of the deck.

Double sigh!

I am hoping for a deck sitting week end. I am getting someone up bright and early on Saturday morning to put the deck back together again!

Yahoo!

Looking out at the empty deck...


Remembering past deck sitting...


Dreaming...soon...


Still reading this...


Happy Wednesday!

Monday, July 30, 2012

What I Bought!

There is a clothing line that I love...called Indah. It's sort of quirky, flowy, a little bit different...comfy...made from yummy fabrics. Washable...but I hang mine to dry.

Anyway...you sort of have to hunt for Indah...really hunt...there's an online Indah but it doesn't even have what certain stores have...and when I say stores I mean online stores...the sizes are so easy...S/M or M/L...I love this kind of sizing!

My favorite Indah piece this year has been this black sort of slip over your head thing that is so comfy and dressy ( or not dressy ) all at the same time...I throw it on over cropped leggings...it's my perfect outfit. It's a dress/not a dress! It's whatever you want it to be!
I saw it once. I bought it fast. I have never seen it again...in black...my favorite color.
I have seen it in white and peach but it's not the same...every time I think I might try the white one I imagine someone bumping into me with a black Sharpie or a glass of red wine.
Eeek!!!

So...imagine this in black...I know...not you...but I love this stuff!




Anyway...I found a site called Licensed To Bling...don't you love that name? I managed to snag three amazing Indah tops for literally the price of one! And I got
15% off for just being me!
Not really...
I got it for signing up for their newsletter...lol!

Reading this...so yummy...jobs, women, success, boyfriends...life!


Dinner!!!

Stuffed peppers! Have you ever had these? I am trying to recreate my mom's. She always made them in the summer. I think they were simply stuffed with rice and ground round? Salt, pepper, but they simmered in the oven forever in Campbell's tomato soup and tomato sauce! I just remember seeing the cans.

Wish me luck!


Hmmm...Let's See...More New Books That I Won't Get To This Week!

Here they are...in all of their glory!




Endangered is a zoo mystery! Animals don't get hurt...they get saved...so I can read this one. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press!




I started this one on my ipad2...originally from Edelweiss. The Templeton Twins...it is so clever...so interesting...but the download had a flaw that couldn't be fixed. So the wonderfully kind Lara Starr from Chronicle books is sending me a hard copy. I seriously cannot wait! I think that if I was still teaching...this would have to be a readaloud...kids will love this book!




I loved the idea of this book. Runaway husband, family dysfunction, coming to terms with the way your life is. This was originally from NetGalley but it was accidentally archived before I could download it. Many thanks to Diana Franco from Atria Books for sending me a hard copy.




This book is a sequel to The Boneshaker which I have and have not read...fixing that today. This one is from Amazon Vine.




I love this cover and it's another Vine treasure. And another family tale of glorious dysfunction.




Gone...how can there be another Gone book? It's a new series for this author and sounds exciting.




And this one...which I love right now for its cover...the actual story is set in a Colorado town and centers on three women and their losses, lives and loves! Not exactly beachy but close enough!


So...what book are you loving right now...or if you are not reading at the moment...what are you doing today?


This is Meatless Monday...I am slow cooking a pot of Cuban Black Beans...we will have that over rice...there will be shredded sharp cheddar cheese, diced sweet onion, and sour cream to put on top.

Perhaps a fresh loaf of homemade bread to go along with it!

Perhaps a Blueberry Crisp?

Just a teeny one?

Yeah!!!





Sunday, July 29, 2012

Why We Drag Lucy To Maine...Planning Our Next Road Trip!!!

We are under the misguided belief that Lucy loves seeing other animals.
Obviously much later when I really looked at this photo I interpreted this as a frightning experience for Lucy Grace.
I thought I was enriching her...who knew?

Swarming chickens were not her thing.  She was literally trying to hide herself.
The chickens were more into Lucy than Lucy was into the chickens.
She was trying to hide under Den's coat.  Why did I think she would love the chickens?
Lucy didn't show much love for the piggies either.
But she totally loves a great hotel room and a cozy fire, room service, and pampering...
who knew?

Lucy and Patty are so much alike...it's frightening.


Planning our fall Maine road trip!!!
We love Maine in the Fall!!!
Oh...she doesn't much love her hiking backpack either...lol.