Soulmates?

I am writing just a brief review of Matched. This was truly a wondrous book filled with beautiful thoughts and words and meaning. It reminded me of the Hunger Games but no one in Matched ever went hungry. Rather…food was prepared and delivered in portals…hot and steaming and ready to fulfill all dietary needs for each citizen. Clothes were chosen for each citizen and everyone wore the same thing…no shopping allowed. Cassia…one of the main characters…lived a regulated life…as did her family, her friends, and almost every other citizen. Their time was regulated, their studies were regulated, and their leisure was regulated. Citizens were classified as anomalies or aberrations or normal. Infractions of rules were not tolerated. Citizens followed government directives. All of this was done to preserve this existing society. All of this was done in order to prevent this society from totally falling apart.

Illnesses were eradicated, family size was regulated, and by the age of 16 you were matched to your perfect match…in a once in a lifetime ceremony…no questions, concerns or anxiety…your match was the perfect one. You lived your life until you were about 80…and then you were eliminated in a humane and peaceful manner.

It was amazing…this book…I was lost in it…and it was fascinating to see bits of this society begin to crumble as Cassia struggles to understand why her match may not really be her match. Ky and Xander are also fascinating characters within this novel…both are crucial to Cassia finding just a bit of strength and struggling to decide who her true match should be.

Again…I loved this book…it was quietly addictive. And of course it ended with questions so I am sure there will be a sequel.



Monday And Setting the Pace For The Week...

Windows are washed...I have been so busy that I forgot to even blog about it...Saturday was a marathon " Let's get Christmas out of the bins and into the house" kind of day.  It is sort of a slow process because things have to be taken off of shelves and hutches and mantels in order to fit all of the Santa's and Snowmen...we were wiped out by the end of the day but we were done...lights are on, tree is done and this week should just be idle shopping and going out to lunch and seeing movies...and just having fun.  We are going to a holiday show and I want to see the lights in Hershey...we have certain traditions that must be followed...I really don't bake tons of cookies but I do make really yummy buttery sugar cookies that you have to cut out and bake and sprinkle with crystally sugar flakes...we are staying at home...my husband is exhausted...he needs sleeping in and long leisurely mornings with newspapers and tons of freshly brewed coffee.  We are going to Simon Pearce for Christmas Eve dinner...it is on the Brandywine River and it is beautiful...we will sip martinis and talk about what we will do on Christmas Day...I always buy new pajamas for both of us...a set for Christmas Eve and a set for Christmas Day...yummy flannels and neat long sleeved tees for him and soft stretchy tights and oversized comfy Victoria Secret sleepshirts for me and on Christmas morning we will zip off to Church...a beautiful old one that we love and come home to bagels and lox and creamed cheese and either champagne or Bloody Mary's...and open presents and be thankful that we have each other and life is good. 

Last minute shopping...for me!!!

I found the most amazing shop at Etsy!!!  Dinwiddies is the name of the shop. The owner/designer makes the most wonderfully unique things out of vintage pieces.  I just bought the bracelet above and I think it is the cuff of a vintage dress!!!  I love it and I love the way it hugs my wrist and sort of sticks out of the cuff of a sweater...a neat black sweater or dress...perfection for the holidays by adding just a bit of vintage sparkle.  There are so many one of a kind pieces at this shop.  There are bags and necklaces and even a coat or two.  I have just the right amount of quirkiness to love this stuff.  And I am just squishy at the word vintage. 

Are you finished with your holiday shopping and are you all wrapped up yet? 

Christmas is truly a lot of work...isn't it?

Now I am not Bah Humbugging anything but truly...really...this is a ton of work, isn't it?  I have to put away regular stuff...in order to put up all of the Christmas stuff...I have an awful lot of Santas and I like to tuck them all over the house...any Santas or Snowmen with any greenery at all...the artificial kind... have to be placed up high on mantles and unreachable pieces of furniture so that LucyGrace will not attack and kill them.  And often to a nimble Tonkinese cat with a mission...unreachable is not unreachable at all.  My husband and I can testify to that after listening to an entire top of a cabinet crash to the ground when Lucy the Amazing Tonkinese decided to get to a certain snowman who has not been out for the last three Christmases...and I do miss him so...

Again...I am not complaining but...does anyone else out there think that this is a ton of work?  I have not even wrapped one single present or sent out Christmas cards yet...

I have not even eaten one single Christmas cookie other than the one that a very nice man at the Christmas Tree Farm shared with me.  On the other hand...I have lots of surprises for my husband and Lucy...the outside of the house looks lovely...candles sparkle in the windows and I just bought and put together myself a golden reindeer who will sit on the front bench...there is a bow and bough of evergreens on the mailbox and I even got to pet a reindeer yesterday.  And I am listening to Christmas songs 24/7...so...I guess the fun stuff outweighs the work stuff.  Oh...the tree is up...a lovely Fraser Fir...and the houses smells amazing...but I still need a cookie!!!  And I still have time to read Matched...which is amazing and reminds me a little bit of Hunger Games...

Note the crazed look on her face and the scared stiff look on his!!!

I come from a long line of Christmas loving people...

I think I really do...I love Christmas books and Christmas snow and Christmas trees...of course...and Christmas lights and Christmas presents and Christmas cookies and pepperminty candy canes...the big fat ones not the teeny tiny ones.  When I was still at home it would always snow for Christmas.  When my husband and I were living in California and came home for Christmas we would pray for snow and it always did snow...we would take my dad's dog...and walk through my quiet small town at midnight.  Almost every house was decorated and the air smelled like fireplaces and you could catch snowflakes on your tongue.  We would make snowballs for Joe the dog to catch...he loved snow walks as much as we did.  And then come home and raid the refrigerator for ham sandwiches and homemade Kolachi...a traditional pastry treat my mom made at Christmas...

Lucy is seriously checking out this stocking!!!