The Things We Read

Wine to Water - TLC Book Tour

2012-01-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

Wine to Water is my second book tour with TLC Book Tours and I've very appreciative to read another great book for them.

Now on to the book:

Book Back Cover Blurb:

Doc Hendley never set out to be a hero. In 2004, Hendley, a small-town bartender, held wine-tasting events to raise awareness and funds for clean-water projects around the world. He had planned to donate the proceeds through traditional channels, but instead found himself traveling to one of the world's most dangerous areas: Darfur, Sudan. There, Doc witnessed a government-sponsored genocide where the number-one weapon was water, not bullets....Today, Doc and Wine to Water continue to help repair and maintain water-containment systems in places like Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, and Haiti.

My Thoughts:

Doc writes in a very easy-to-read style, like he is talking directly to each reader. I enjoyed his story thoroughly. He is amazing. His background does not give to fundraising and aid work but he had a calling, an urgent need to do something to help. Hence, the formation of Wine to Water. Doc used his calling to set up fundraising events and then go to Darfur for a year to fix and dig wells. His continued devotion, to a project that most people in first-world countries would find extremely difficult or bothersome, is awe-inspiring. Read his story. You will like it.

Rating:

Click on the link to TLC Tours to see the other bloggers reviewing this book.

Hello World from Chicago

2012-01-24T19:44:00.000-05:00

So much for my posting every day in January.

Chicago update - I have been to 4 interviews with employment agencies. One of today's meeting was bubbly and exciting. She came from my same type of background so she was completely familiar with all the skills I would have acquired in my various positions. She got me an interview set up while I was there with a law firm for tomorrow. YIPPEE!!! Hopefully that goes well. They need someone to start immediately. That's me. :)

Taking the Plunge

2012-01-20T13:00:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new start for me. Or at least I hope it is. Tomorrow morning I leave for Chicago with no intentions of returning home. I have several interviews set up. I have the mind set that I will have an abundance of job offers and I will have to choose which job to take. Positive Attitude! I do not intend to leave Chicago. I'm packing for several weeks.

Wish me luck! If you know of any job leads in Chicago, let me know.

The Wine Club - December's Everything Else

2012-01-20T06:00:00.003-05:00

Cavit Pinot Grigio 2010 - Italy - from bottle: elegant, crisp and light, with delicate nuances of fruit. I wasn't impressed. Wouldn't buy again. Received a little bottle as a gift.

Gazela Vinho Verde - Portugal - from bottle: fresh, young and floral, light and smooth wine. I LOVE this inexpensive wine. It is my favorite to sip outside on a hot summer day. It's lightly bubbly. $6.99

Domaine Aime Cabernet Franc 2009 - France - YUMMY! This is my first try of cabernet franc and it will not be my last. Delicious. From website: deep dark purple color. In the mouth the wine is full of black fruit flavors, with hints of blueberry and plum. The finish is soft and supple with ripe tannins. Try it. I received bottle as a gift.

Bottle #2 of Cabernet Franc
Karma 2008 - South River Vineyard, Ohio, YUMMY! I'm really liking Cabernet Franc. This bottle is a blend - Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tastes like dark berries, smooth, mild tannins. I drank 3 glasses before I realized it.

Postcards

2012-01-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

One thing I've been wanting to do is increase my handwritten letter or card writing. I really enjoyed writing letters to my daughter last summer. This month I discovered Postcard Crossing. I signed up today. So excited to start writing and receiving postcards from around the world.

The Wine Club - November's Pinot

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Questions for Readers

2012-01-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

Readers are one of the most valuable knowledge bases. I have a couple questions for you. If you have the answers or suggestions, please leave me a comment below or email me directly (thethingsweread@gmail.com).

1. How can I get pictures taken on my phone to print? To print at a store like Walmart or something?

2. Can you see changes to the blog's pages through Google Reader? If not, does anyone know how to get them to show through readers?

3. How do you get those cute and cool looking Twitter buttons for retweeting? Either the bird one or the one that is a box and shows how many times its been retweeted.

4. Do you think blog posts look better with both edges justified or just the left-side justified?

5. How do you create a Facebook page for your blog?

6. What do #hashtags mean in Twitter? How to create them and what do you do with them?

7. In Blogger under Stats, what are the referring URLs? Is it the site someone clicked on a link to my blog? Is it the last website someone was on before they click over to my blog? I've clicked on some of them and I don't see any mention of my blog or a link or anything. So I'm not sure how a particular URL becomes a referring URL.

8. Does anyone write for or read Hubpages?

The Wine Club - October's Zinfandel

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sutter Home Zinfandel (California 2009) - good tasting inexpensive

Read Last Week - 2

2012-01-17T18:04:00.000-05:00

My copy: purchased through Simon & Schuster

Quick YA read. Teen chick lit.

While the theme is typical high school, the storytelling is excellent. I found it very interesting and funny with a few twists I did not expect.

Recommendation: 3.5/5

My copy: Paperbackswap.com

YA chick lit.
I have conflicting thoughts on this book. I love the idea - an unknown journey decided by a dead person's wishes. However, I wish Ginny, the main character, was older. Based on the activities, she should be older. It would make the story more believable. If she was college-aged, it would be a story that could of happened in real life but Ginny is maybe 17 and a junior in high school. I realize high school students can travel but to travel so randomly with no questions asked or major problems? I find that difficult to believe. I realize not all books are based on real life but... I also wish the novel ended with the 13th envelope but it makes a perfect segue to a sequel.

Anyways, I did really like this book. I think it would be amazing to be able to have Ginny's adventure. What an experience. I definitely recommend the book.

Recommendation: 4/5

Cooking My Way

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Cooking My Way is part of my 2011 and 2012 projects as well as one of my lifetime 100 Things. Below is last week's recipe.

Quick Cheese Sticks

My son and I both thought this cheese bread was pretty good but need a little tweaking. First, we did not cut into strips prior to cooking because we thought it would make the cheese fall off. Second, I rolled the dough out a little bigger than stated. Third, add more non-dry cheese to make it cheesier such as a Colby-jack blend or mozzarella. We dipped ours into hot spaghetti sauce.

4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, finely shredded (1 cup)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 tube (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust dough

1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine (not spread), melted

1. Heat over to 350F. Grease cookie sheet.

2. Mix cheeses and pepper in a small bowl. Roll out pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to a 20x11 inch rectangle. Brush with half the butter; sprinkle with half the cheese mixture. Roll lightly with rolling pin to press mixture into dough. Fold dough in half lengthwise. Brush top with remaining butter, sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture and roll out with rolling pin until strip of dough is 6 inches wide. Cut crosswise into 3/4-inch wide strips. Twist strips and place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.

(source: unknown)

The Wine Club - September's Dessert Wines

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm not a fan of dessert wines. Changes are you will not see any bottles updated on this post. Ones I have tried include raspberry wine, blueberry wine and an ice wine. Raspberry and blueberry go so well with cheesecakes. The ice wine was too sweet for me.

The Wine Club - August's Sauvignon Blanc

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

To-Dos for the Week

2012-01-15T13:33:00.001-05:00

So I started this post yesterday and forgot I put a posting time on it before I started/finished writing. Oops, sorry if you are getting this duplicated.

Last summer I posted my weekly goals or rather To-Dos to keep myself motivated. This year, I've been doing well with my To Do Board and picking 5 things from it to complete for the week. My To Do Board is a compulation of all the post-its, scraps of paper, index cards etc that I had laying around of things to do, reminders, etc. I put everything on 4 sheets of paper organized by household/everyday to dos, blog to dos and posts to write, and internet follow ups and things to check out. Every week I've been picking 5 things to do. I've been completely 3-4 items consistently. Five things is my stretch goal.

The Wine Club - July's Chardonnay

2012-01-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Mancura Etnia Chardonnay - Central Valley, Chile, 2010 - from website: vibrant yellow-gold in colour, dappled with subtle green hues. Ripe tropical aromas such as peach, melon and pineapple follow through and lead to a finish that is both soft and rounded, yet refreshingly crisp. I received a little bottle as a gift and thought it was pretty good. Would buy again.

Bringing the Books into My House

2012-01-14T13:00:00.002-05:00

I've already blown one of my goals for the year. Only 12 new-to-be books (aside from review books) were to come into my house this year. I purchased 10 books yesterday. January 12! January 12th and I already have 10 out of my allotted 12 for the year.

Here's the reason: Our local used book store is going out of business after over 20 years in business. I had purchased a Groupon certificate last year for the store. I was planning on going in February but my mom informed me the store was closing this week. I had to hightail it over there and use it. Typically I probably would get 2-3 books with my certificate and store credit but considering the closing...the employees were doing all discounts and generosity possible. So with my store credit and $10 certificate, I only spent $6 for my 10 books.

I really lucked out because almost all were on my Wish List or Fill-In-The-Gaps Project list. Yeah!

Inside Out Girl - Tish Cohen
The Russian Concubine - Kate Furnivall
The Bostonians - Henry James
American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld
Run - Ann Patchett
The Space Between Us - Thrity Umrigar
The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
Lost and Found - Carolyn Parkhurst
Woman in Red - Eileen Goudge
Rutka's Notebook

My real problem is knowing they are having their closeout sale starting Friday for $1 hardcovers and $.25 paperbacks.

The Wine Club - June's Riesling

2012-01-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

vonWilhelm Haus Riesling Kabinett 2009 (Germany) - cool looking bottle. See photo. A little too sweet for me. Very pearish tasting. $7.99 (I really want to find a use for the blue frosted bottle. Any suggestions?)

Polka Dot Riesling 2008 (Pfalz region of Germany) - crisp, clean, tangy with first sip then mellows into a pear and citrus flavor. A little sweet. $7.99

5 Reasons Why I Read...Vasilly

2012-01-13T13:00:00.003-05:00

Thanks so much to the creator of my new banner: Christy at Reading Beyond the Middle and Living

Vasilly (Natasha) blogs at 1330V

1. She was my first Secret Santa swap. I had so much fun shopping for Natasha. The swap was when and how I met her. At the time, we were both college students majoring in English. Our connection went even further. We've both lived in Long Beach, California and we are single mothers.

2. Natasha reads a crazy amount of books. Don't even get me started on what she reads for school, add to that number the amount she reads aloud for her kids. Then add the amount she reads for her personal pleasure. Where does she find the time?

3. Not only does she read a LOT, she reads an eclectic assortment of books from graphic novels to serious literary fiction to non-fiction. I mean seriously the range that she reads is awe-inspiring.

4. Although she is extremely busy with school and kids, she still finds the time to help create community with book bloggers. She helps with readathons, a new book club (Chunky Book Club) for 2012, cheerleads for events, leads discussions on Twitter, judges events in addition to all the reviews, etc. she does.

5. We have great conversations via email. I feel like I've known her in person for years.

Thank You Secret Santa book blogger swap for introducing me to this amazing reader, writer, mother, student, person, woman!

blog: http://classicvasilly.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @Vasilly

The Wine Club - May's Viognier

2012-01-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

I only tried one bottle of a viognier and will not try it again. It was so yucky to my palate. Too sweet. Chances are you will not see any bottles listed on this post.

Cooking My Way

2012-01-12T11:04:00.000-05:00

This is my first installment of Cooking My Way for 2012. One of my 100 Things List is to cook something new every week. One of my 2012 Projects is to finish cooking thru my cook-scrapbook and the marked pages of my cookbooks. Voila! Combine the two. The recipe below is what I cooked last week.

Cashew Chicken

I have had this recipe for about 20 years and have never made it till last week. I thought it was pretty good but my kids did not. My daughter doused it with barbeque sauce and my son refused to eat it. More leftovers for me and I actually ate them. I made rice as the side dish and mixed together. Yum.

Watch your portions. Recipe is only for 2 chicken breasts. I tripled recipe.

Cooking Sauce (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 lb.), cut into bite-size pieces

3 tablespoons salad oil

1/2 cup salted roasted cashews

1 medium-size green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares (I didn't use)

1 medium-size onion, cut into 8 wedges, layers separated (I didn't have any so I used dried onions)

1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I used ground ginger)

Cooking Sauce

Stir together 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, a dash of liquid hot pepper seasoning (ONLY a dash unless you want it hot and spicy, I used too much), 3/4 teaspoon each sugar and white wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar), 1 teaspoon dry sherry or water, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Prepare Cooking Sauce and set aside. In a bowl, stir together soy and cornstarch; add chicken and stir to coat. Set aside.

Place pan over medium-high heat; when hot add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When oil is hot, add cashews and stir until browned (about 1 minute). remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add chicken mixture and stir-fry until meat is no longer pink in center; cut to test (about 3 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.

Pour remaining 1 tablespoon oil into pan; when oil is hot, add bell pepper, onion, and ginger and stire-fry until pepper is tender-crisp to bite (about 4 minutes). Return chicken to pan. Stir Cooking Sauce and pour into pan; stir until sauce boils and thickens. Stir in cashews. Makes 2 servings.

The Wine Club - April's Merlot

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Flipflop Merlot (California 2009) - NO

My List of Unreads

2012-01-11T13:00:00.005-05:00

Non-Fiction

The Know-It-All - A.J. Jacobs
Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead But Gutsy Girls Do - Kate White
The Wine Club - Maureen Christian Petrosky
Literature Circles - Harvey Daniels
Become a Better You - Joel Osteen
Pen On Fire - Barbara DeMarco Barrett
Essential Visual History of World Mythology - National Geographic (purchased)
Winging It - Dispatches from an (Almost) Empty Nest - Catherine Goldhammer
The Daily Writer - Fred White (Amazon)
A Writer's Book of Days - Judy Reeves (Amazon)
The Me Project - Kathi Lipp (Amazon)
My Life as an Experiment - A.J. Jacobs (Borders)
Looking for Alaska - Peter Jenkins (Borders)
Life with My Sister Madonna - Christopher Ciccone (Borders)
The Truth About Hillary - Edward Klein (purchased at Goodwill)
The Secret of "The Secret" - Karen Kelly
Call Me Crazy - Anne Heche
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
The Funny Thing Is... - Ellen Degeneres
Educating Esme - Esme Raji Codell
John Adams - David McCullough
The Way of the Traveler - Joseph Dispenza
Travel Writing - L. Peat O'Neil
A New History of the United States - William Miller
Paris to the Moon - Adam Gopnik
Don't Know Much About History - Kenneth C. Davis
~~Un Amico Italiano (Eat, Pray, Love in Rome) - Luca Spaghetti~~ finished
The Travel Detective Flight Crew Confidential - Peter Greenberg
Take Me With You - Brad Newsham
Storyville USA - Dale Peterson
England As You Like - Susan Allen Toth
My Kind of Place - Susan Orlean
On The Road with Charles Kurant
Off The Map - Mark Jenkins
Jesus Land - Julia Scheeres
Rutka's Notebook

Fiction

Life of Pi - Yann Martel
One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson
With Red Hands - Stephen Woodworth
Anthem - Ayn Rand
Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
The Healer - Dee Henderson
A Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (paperbackswap)
The Iliad - Homer (paperbackswap)
Party Princess - Meg Cabot (paperbackswap)
Princess on the Brink - Meg Cabot (paperbackswap)
Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips (paperbackswap)
The Reader - Bernhard Schlink (Paperback Swap)
Birds and Other Plays - Aristophanes (Paperback Swap)
Found - Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster purchase)
Vanished - Meg Cabot (Simon & Schuster purchase)
~~Loser/Queen - Jodi Lynn Anderson (Simon & Schuster purchase)~~ finished
The Madonnas of Echo Park - Brando Skyhorse (Simon & Schuster purchase)
Click Here - Denise Vega (received from friend - she raved about this YA novel)
The Traveler - John Twelve Hawks
~~Just Listen - Sarah Dessen~~ finished
3 Willows - Ann Brashares
How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls - Zoey Dean
Me vs. Me - Sarah Mlynowski
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl - Joyce Carol Oates
Impulse - Ellen Hopkins
How to Deal - Sarah Dessen
How to Marry a Murderer - Amanda Matetsky
The Very Thought of You - Rosie Alison (from Atria Books)
The Lost Angel - Javier Sierra (from Atria Books)
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
Citizen Girl - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (Book 2) - Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (Book 3) - Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (Book 4) - Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (Book 5) - Jenny Nimmo
The Winters in Bloom - Lisa Tucker (from Atria Books)
The Hourglass Door - Lisa Mangum
~~Princess for Hire - Lindsay Leavitt~~ finished
Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares
The Last Summer of You and Me - Ann Brashares
The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Love Walked In - Marisa De Los Santos
The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
Girls Night In - Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and more
The Scent of Jasmine - Jude Deveraux
Always - Jude Deveraux
The Summerhouse - Jude Deveraux
Eternity - Jude Deveraux
The Night Trilogy - Elie Wiesel
The Position - Meg Wolitzer
Been There, Done That - Carol Snow
Getting Warmer - Carol Snow
His N Hers - Mike Gayle
Big Stone Gap - Adriana Trigiani
Why Moms are Weird - Pamela Ribon
Why Girls are Weird - Pamela Ribon
The Sunday List of Dreams - Kris radish
Del Canto - Ann Patchett
Mercy - Jodi Picoult
Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult
Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult
Inside Out Girl - Tish Cohen
The Russian Concubine - Kate Furnivall
The Bostonians - Henry James
American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld
Run - Ann Patchett
The Space Between Us - Thrity Umrigar
The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
Lost and Found - Carolyn Parkhurst
Woman in Red - Eileen Goudge
Don't Breathe a Word - Jennifer McMahon
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
The Dead and the Gone - Susan Beth Pfeffer

Best of 2011

2012-01-11T06:00:00.063-05:00

2011 Book of the Year
These Things Hidden - Heather Gudenkauf - Wow. Just wow.

Runners Up:
East of Eden - timeless savouring
The Lie - mind twisting
Firefly Lane - I just realized in making this list that I didn't write anything about this book last year. It's amazing. Every emotion present. I laughed, was angry, cried, was irritated. You name it. Gave it to a friend and she texted me how she cried through 3 chapters and how dare I send her this book.

Non-Fiction Favorite
Going Rogue: An American Life - Sarah Palin

Runners Up:
A Year of Living Biblically
A Thousand Lives

Favorite ARC
Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult

Favorite Crime/Mystery
The Breath of God - Jeffrey Small

Total Read - 77
Goal - 100

What I find odd? The majority of my favorites did not come from my bookshelves. All but 2 of the favorites came from the library or review books. Prognosis: read your books in the year you get them.

Book Ratings

2012-01-10T15:13:00.000-05:00

I'm finally adding a rating system for books. I usually only do a recommend or not. Time to see how star ratings work for me.

Must Read! Loved it. Wanted to read at stop lights.

Liked it lots. Try it yourself.

Average. Nothing spectacular but worth finishing.

Skip it. Made it halfway thru and lost interest. Skimmed or skipped to the ending.

Forget it. Read a few pages and said, "No."

Read Last Week - 2

2012-01-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

First book of the year.
First book read for the Italian Challenge.
First book to receive a rating on my blog.

I picked this book up at Border's closing sale last year because I loved Eat Pray Love and thought this would be a spin off so to speak.

Unfortunately I was not impressed. The first chapter hooked me with talk of pasta and food regions of Italy. Then the book got boring and redundant. Only the last 30 pages or so talked about Elizabeth Gilbert's time in Italy.

Recommendation: Skip it.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another book purchased at Border's closing sale. Much more interesting than the above purchase. Yeah, I know it's fiction so for most readers it would be more interesting. Isn't the cover enough to make you want to read it? Maybe I'm just a sucker for pink and pretty things. I love the storyline idea: Become a princess for a day or week or however long the princess needs. However, a princess's life is not always as it seems as Desi finds out when she discovers she has MP (magical powers) and is offered the job as a princess substitute.

Recommendation: Definite yes, if you like YA and princess novels

Rating: 4 stars

Group Read for February - Are You Interested?

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

One of my goals for 2012 is to read 4 classics. One modern classic I picked is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. After I posted my goal, Vasilly and Linda mentioned the book is on their list to read. So I suggested a group read with some discussion on Twitter or blog comments. Then I noticed Marquez's book is on several people's lists and I thought why not open this suggestion up to everyone.

I'm thinking a February read. Divide the pages over 4 weeks. Set a day and time weekly or at the end of the read to discuss. I'm usually available Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, Eastern time zone. Via Twitter, blog comments or email discussions?

Let me know in the comments if you are interested and an email address to set up logistics.

My Thoughts - El Galivan - Craig McDonald

2012-01-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

New to me author.
Thanks to FSB Associates for sending me this copy.

Book Blurb:

The news is full of it: escalating tensions from illegal immigration; headless bodies hanging off bridges and bounties placed on lawmen on both sides of the border. New Austin, Ohio, is a town grappling with waves of undocumented workers who exert tremendous pressure on schools, police and city services. In the midst of the turmoil, three very different kinds of cops scramble to maintain control and impose order.

But the rape-murder of a Mexican-American woman triggers a brutal chain of events that threatens to leave no survivors. El Gavilan is a novel of shifting alliances and whiplash switchbacks. Families are divided and careers and lives threatened. Friendships and ideals are tested and budding love affairs challenged.

My Thoughts:

I believe this is the first book I've read with a Mexican influence aside from stories assigned by school. Hard to believe considering the amount of books I've read. I thoroughly enjoyed McDonald's book. At one point while reading, I gasped out loud and my daughter said, "Mom, what's the matter?" "Nothing dear, its just the book. It's really good and I didn't want *** to happen." I can't write it because it would give some of the story away.

The story is told in current time with flashbacks of Tell's life. Tell is the new sheriff of New Austin. The three main police officers have different views and ways of handling the influx of legal and illegal Mexicans. Some ways you will cheer and others will make you uncomfortable and mad. Read it, you'll like it.

Read in Dec. 2011.

My Thoughts - Getting Lucky

2012-01-07T18:00:00.001-05:00

New to me author.
Graciously sent to me from FSB Associates. Thank you yet again for a wonderful page-turner.

Book Blurb:

When a young reporter is killed in a hit-an-run accident, freelance writer Robyn Guthrie agrees to finish one of the stories the reporter had been writing for the local newspaper. But nothing is as simple as it seems when she uncovers shady land deals, encounters an old high school nemesis, and attempts to fend off her aging mother's latest notion.

My thought:

Try it. Getting Lucky is a sequel to Getting Sassy but you don't need to read Getting Sassy to get the full effect of Getting Lucky. I was sucked in from the get-go and read book in 2 days. I did not expect the twists or outcomes of Brod's storytelling. Some crime novels are so predictable but this one is not.

Read this book in Dec. 2011.

Movies Watched in 2012

2012-01-06T06:00:00.006-05:00

I've never kept track of the movies I've watched. This year I'm going to try and see how many I watch in 2012 especially since one of my goals is to go to the movies once a month. Last year my daughter and I made a list based on a tv special of all-time favorite movies. Yesterday we got a large stack to start on.

Gone With The Wind - loved it, both of us
Casablanca - neither of us cared for it nor did we finish it
Breakfast at Tiffany's - funny, ok
Airplane - freaking hilarious, such literal comedy, we both loved it
Tootsie - both of us loved it
Some Like It Hot - this black and white flick is really funny, good movie to follow up after Tootsie
Pulp Fiction - weird and not impressed, neither of us
SourceCode - fantastic, both of us
I Love You Philip Morris - weird, almost didn't finish watching, did you know this is based on a true story?
From Prada to Nada - ok
Moneyball - hilarious in parts with deadpan humor but slow moving
DieHard 2 - its Bruce Willis, of course its good
Lovely Bones - really good, liked it as much as I did the book
Time Traveler's Wife - considering the side of the book I thought they did an excellent job with movie

2012 Non-Fiction Challenge

2012-01-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

In searching the blogosphere for a non-fiction challenge similar to 2011 Non-Fiction Challenge hosted by The Broke and Bookish, I could not find one. Urgh. So for now, I'm regurgitating last year's for this year.

Here's the challenge:

Culture: Non-fiction books about different cultures, religions and foreign lands; memoirs & biographies count.
Art: Non-fiction books about anything art related (painters, music, architecture, photography, dance, literature, film, etc.). Memoirs/biographies of any people related to the arts count.
Food: Food memoirs, anything related to food industry, food lifestyles
Medical: anything related to the medical field--industry memoirs, memoirs about illnesses (mental included) /diseases, etc.
Travel: travelogues, industry memoirs, travel guides, etc.
Memoir/Biography: Self explanatory
Money: Anything related to finances, economics, history of money, financial improvement etc.
Science/Nature: Anything related to any scientific field, memoirs count.
History: Anything history related-- events, biographies of historic figures, etc.

My 2012 Books:
Culture -
Art -
Food -
Medical -
Travel -
Memoir/Biography -
Money -
Science/Nature -
History -

My 2011 Books: (MISSED COMPLETING BY 2)
Culture - Not on My Watch - Don Cheadle - February
Art - Fabulous Finds - J. Lee Drexler & James R. Cohen - November
Food - Waiter Rants by Steve Dublanica - April
Medical -
Travel - The Lost Girls - Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, Amanda Pressner - April
Memoir/Biography - Going Rogue - Sarah Palin - February
Money - The Art of Non-Conformity - Chris Guillebeau - December
Science/Nature -
History - A Thousand Lives - Julia Scheeres - November

2 Books a Week Goal - 2012

2012-01-04T06:00:00.004-05:00

2012 TOTAL READ: 4

Week 1 - Un Amico Italiano - Luca Spaghetti
              Princess for Hire - Lindsey Leavitt
Week 2 - 13 Little blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson
                Loser/Queen - Jodi Lynn Anderson
Week 3 - Wine to Water - Doc Hendley
               Just Listen - Sarah Dressen
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Week 19
Week 20
Week 21
Week 22
Week 23
Week 24
Week 25
Week 26
Week 27
Week 28
Week 29
Week 30
Week 31
Week 32
Week 33
Week 34
Week 35
Week 36
Week 37
Week 38
Week 39
Week 40
Week 41
Week 42
Week 43
Week 44
Week 45
Week 46
Week 47
Week 48
Week 49
Week 50
Week 51
Week 52

Blogging Everyday with BlogHer

2012-01-03T13:00:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed I'm actually blogging every day. Whoa, you say! Whoa, I say! I typically only blog every day in March with Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life challenge. In the fall, I slacked off completely on writing. I want to get back to writing and am hopeful to find freelance work this year. BlogHer sponsors a NaBloPoMo challenge which appears to be a monthly thing. I'm trying it for January. Let's hope it becomes routine for me.

2011 Resolutions Update

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Complete The Wine Club - drank wine all during the year but only completed book up to April - am making this a lifetime/blogtime goal
Do The Purpose Driven Life - FINISHED!
Read The Iliad and The Odyssey with my daughter - did not finish. only started The Iliad
Scrap one pack of pictures per month - FINISHED! completely done with scrapbooking and gave away all my extras
Jog 10 minutes a day on my mini-trampoline - did not do and gave away trampoline in December because I decided I do NOT like using it and it was taking up space
Finish writing in book about my childhood for my daughter - did not finish
Go to Cedar Point - FINISHED! went to park with my daughter in August and had a great time!
Cook thru recipes I have collected in a binder through the years and get rid of yucky ones - almost finished. will complete in 2012
Read 4 books of the Bible - did not do at all :(
Go on a vacation - FINISHED! went on 3! Lakeside, Ohio with a friend, Washington DC and Gettysburg with my daughter and Chicago by myself to visit a friend
Go to Tuesday movies once a month (movies on Tuesdays are only $6) - did not do as theater stopped $6 Tuesdays - theater restarted for 2012 so it's back on my list
Occasionally buy flowers at grocery store - FINISHED! did occasionally buy but not frequently at all

FINISHED - 5
HALF FINISHED - 2
NOT AT ALL - 5

Not bad. Happy with result.

2012 Challenges

2012-01-02T10:47:00.007-05:00

In addition of my personal non-fiction (see below) and 2 books-per-week challenge, I'm going to stretch my reading and mind by joining several challenges. I've never been successful at completing before so many 2012 will be the year.

Hosted by Rose City Reader.
Each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. Books can be anything.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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Hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Read 6 books that follow the rules:
A book with ......... in the title

1. A topographical feature (land formation) -
2. Something you'd see in the sky -
3. A creepy crawly -
4. A type of house -
5. Something you'd carry in your pocket/purse/wallet -
6. Something you'd find on a calendar -

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Hosted by Library of Clean Reads.
I'm going to Italy this year so this is a perfect challenge for me.

Books must be set in Italy, written by an Italian author or about Italy or an Italian person.

•Level - Arrivederci Italia: 7 to 9 books

1. Un Amico Italiano (Eat, Pray, Love in Rome) - Luca Spaghetti
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

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Hosted by The Betty and Boo Chronicles.
Published letters, diaries, journals, autobiographies, nonfiction books on the craft of writing memoirs

Level: Memoirist: read 10+ memoirs
1. Wine to Water - Doc Hendley
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Hosted by Fig and Thistle.

Book pairs that are comprised of one fiction book and one related non-fiction book.

Level: Junior - 3 pairs

Pair One
1.
2.

Pair Two
1.
2.

Pair Three
1.
2.

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Hosted by Mysteries in Paradise.

Level: Easy - one book from each continent.

Africa -
Asia -
Australasia/Oceania -
Europe -
North America -
South America -
Seventh Continent (Antarctica or your own 'seventh' setting) -

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A Classics Challenge.
Hosted by November's Autumn

check her blog on the 4th for monthly prompts
Goal: read 7 classics

January - not reading a classic yet
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
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Non-Fiction Challenge
You can also see this challenge here.
My 2012 Books:

1. Culture -
2. Art -
3. Food -
4. Medical -
5. Travel -
6. Memoir/Biography -
7. Money -
8. Science/Nature -
9. History -

2012 Projects and Goals

2012-01-02T06:00:00.005-05:00

For 2012, I decided to make a list of both projects and goals. Why the distinction? Because projects are something I WILL finish in 2012 and goals are something to push myself outside comfort zone that I will strive to improve or complete.

2012 Projects

Complete the individualized cookbooks I started for my teenagers
Join and finish the 2013 Sketchbook Project
Delete my daughter's stuff on all my computers as she has her own now
Reorganize photos in photo albums - in flipping through them this year, some have blank pages or random photos missing. I want to put in chronological order, discard the bad/blurry photos that I used to keep (for what reason, I don't know) and condense albums
Cooking My Way - I almost finished my cooking scrapbook. I will continue to cook my way through all the ripped out and saved recipes until they are gone along with the marked untried recipes in my cookbooks. I do hope to have this project completed by the end of 2012

Ongoing Projects
Last year, I started a couple projects that I didn't complete and decided to make them ongoing lifetime or blogtime projects.

The Wine Club - I love wine and like to try new ones. I will continue to add and update my list.
100 Things to Do - When I created this list, I knew it would be a lifetime project but in order to actually complete items, I need to consistently revisit the list.

2012 Goals

Financial:

Put aside $10 a week for Christmas
Put aside $2 a day for travel. Not a huge amount, I know but you have to start somewhere
Pay off 1/2 of my debt - this is a HUGE goal
Get a decently paying regular office job - either here, Chicago, Seattle, or Alaska
Start freelance work and income - administrative or writing

Reading:

Read 2 books a week. For the last several years, I put a yearly goal out there for reading. I want to try a weekly goal this year.
Read 4 classics - One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Gambler, The Catcher in the Rye, Robinson Crusoe (this one is part of my 100 Things list so I'll count it as part of my personal goals)
Start an online book club or reading group through my blog or Twitter
Read all books on my bookshelves and only acquire 12 books for the year excluding review books(part of my minimalist lifestyle goals)

Personal:

See 1 movie a month at the theater - Rave Theaters in my area is reinstituting $5 Tuesdays. I like the experience of seeing certain movies on the big screen so $5 Tuesdays are great.
Start/complete 5 items on my 100 Things list
Visit my daughter in Italy in the fall or at Christmas time
Do something or go somewhere new each week

12 for 2012. What are your goals and projects? Do you make a distinction?

Giveaway Winners

2012-01-01T18:00:00.001-05:00

After much procrastination on my part, I'm finally picking the winners for the 2 giveaways I hosted in December for the above books.

Winner of a set of all 3 novels:

Margaret

Winner of my copy of El Gavilian:

Linda @Dutchbrosluv

Winner of my copy of Hurt Machine:

Alan

Winner of my copy of Getting Lucky:

Ellie

Sorry about making you winners wait. Thanks to FSB Associates for making this giveaway possible.

Winners, please respond to this post or my reply/email to you with your snail mail address.

First Book for 2012

2012-01-01T15:00:00.001-05:00

Like others in the blogosphere, I decided to make my first book of 2012 meaningful. Choosing Un Amico Italiano (Eat, Pray, Love in Rome) is a nature pick for several reasons.

Eat, Pray, Love was a motivating book for me.
My desire is to travel, travel, travel!
My daughter will be studying in Italy for fall semester and I want to visit her.
I want to learn Italian.
I love pasta.

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

Last year I embraced the Word of the Year theory to drive some different behaviors. In 2009, I worked like a mad person jeopardized my health in the process. My daughter kept telling me to chill and relax so in 2010 I took that word to heart. Instead of working 60-80 hrs a week, I slowed to 35-50 hrs. I learned to just plop myself on the couch and veg without multi-tasking. I learned to enjoy doing nothing.

For 2012, I mulled over several words because I have a few goals I want to accomplish. I've contemplated: Write, Money, Paydown, Positive and Abundance. The winner is:

I believe the word Abundance encompasses all the goals and desires I want for 2012.

I want to:

Write abundantly for myself and for profit
Receive an abundance of funds from many sources
Paydown abundantly on my debt - goal: be debt free in 2 years
Enjoy life abundantly through numerous and varied experiences
Project and feel happiness and positivity in abundance

Thus, my decision to make Abundance my 2012 word. What is your word for 2012?

6 Books, 1 Week

2011-12-22T08:47:00.000-05:00

Vasilly at 1330V got me thinking about A Book A Day Challenge. My reading has slacked off considerably these last few months as I try to finish 2011 projects. With the nudge from Vasilly, I'm going to put projects aside for next week and concentrate on pure pleasure - reading. Saturday will be my last project day for 2011. Monday begins my Book A Day. Below are the 6 books I pulled from my shelves. All are new to me in 2011.

P.S. You have a few days left to enter my giveaway of 3 crime/mystery novels.

Cooking My Way

2011-12-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

Spice Cake

This recipe is a tried and true recipe from my mom but I haven't made it in years as I forgot about it.

Try it, it's good.

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup shortening

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together - flour through cloves. Add shortening, egg, milk, and vanilla. Pour in cupcake pans or greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 20 mins.

Easy as pie recipe. I added more of each spice just cause I felt like it.

(source: my mom)

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Can I just say "Yummy"!

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat over to 375.

Sift together (who sifts? Not me) the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

Cream toeghter the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. (I put dough into refrigerator to firm it up first before rolling into balls.)

Shape into 40 balls and place each ball into an ungreased MINI-MUFFIN PAN.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from the pan. (It took at least a day for the chocolate to firm up in the cookies. They look like little muffins versus cookies) Yield: 40 cookies.

(source: All Recipes Cookie Lover's Cookbook)

Pork Tenderloin with Provencal Herbs

We did not care for this recipe. I've decided that thyme tastes like grass.

Cowboy Cookies III

We did not care for this recipe either. Too sweet. Too much sugar (2 whole cups).

Straight to the garbage.

Library Book Sale - December

2011-12-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

I swore this year I would stay away from the library book sales and I was so close to keeping that promise. Then my daughter said, "Mom, we've decided to travel the US for summer break and I need to buy some travel books." Darn her. At our library's sale, they always have shelves of 2 year old travel books and on the last day it is $5 a bag. So last Saturday, I went.

Of course, I got a bagful of books for myself. Results below:

Jesus Land - Julia Scheeres (I finished her last book 1000 Lives last month so I was really excited to see this book on the shelf)
Why Moms are Weird - Pamela Ribon
Why Girls are Weird - Pamela Ribon
The Sunday List of Dreams - Kris radish
Del Canto - Ann Patchett
Mercy - Jodi Picoult
Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult
Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult

And a sleuth of travel related books:

The Travel Detective Flight Crew Confidential - Peter Greenberg
Take Me With You - Brad Newsham
Storyville USA - Dale Peterson
England As You Like - Susan Allen Toth
My Kind of Place - Susan Orlean
On The Road with Charles Kurant
Off The Map - Mark Jenkins

I guess 15 books is better than 30 or 50. hehe

Post Templates

2011-12-13T10:46:00.000-05:00

I want to learn how to make post templates. Anyone out there have any suggestions? Do you use them yourself? How did you create? Do you use Word and then copy and paste? Can you make them in Blogger?

HELP!

Check out my giveaway of 3 crime/mystery novels.

Giveaway - 3 Soon-To-Be Released Crime/Mystery Novels

2011-12-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

Part I of Giveaway:

One of you lucky readers will get all 3 books. Yes, I said all 3. FSB Associates has graciously offered these soon-to-be released books as a giveaway. All three are to be released on December 18 which will mark the end of this part of the giveaway.

Hurt Machine by Reed Farrel Coleman - A Moe Prager Mystery
El Gavilan by Craig McDonald
Getting Lucky - DC Brod - A Robyn Guthrie mystery

Click the links to read the book blurbs.

Part II of Giveaway:

Since I have a set of the books as well, I'm going to giveaway my copies so 3 additional readers will win. This giveaway will end December 24.

Rules:

Leave a comment which book you'd prefer - get an entry
Tweet this giveaway - get an extra entry
Blog about this giveaway - get an extra entry
Part I ends on December 18 and winner receives all 3 books
Part II ends on December 24 and winners receive 1 book
Open to US/Canadian addresses only

100 Things List Update

2011-12-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Updated the progress of my list. Check it out here.

How are you doing on your own 100 Things or Bucket List? Have you created one either mentally or physically? What are you doing to achieve success? Any helpful hints to pass along?

100 Things - Read 4 Classics

2011-12-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

Since I created my 100 Things list, I have yet to read 4 classics a year. I am going to further quantify this goal by making it 4 books for the next 5 years. This goal/thing should clear out the box of classics I have and make me feel like an "accomplished" reader. hehehaha

Here's what I picked for next year:

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger - modern American classic - my daughter faves about this book
The Gambler - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Russian classic - I've always had a thing for Russian classics (at least mentally I have. I think its the romance of the Russian culture)
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - modern world literature classic - really enjoyed his short stories in my Modern Lit class
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe - English classic - never a fan of English lit but who doesn't love the movie version of Robinson Crusoe

I also have The Odyssey on my list for next year since my daughter and I failed miserably at reading it this year. She was just too busy with senior stuff, summer camp job and college. Hopefully next year.

100 Things

2011-12-02T14:16:00.000-05:00

I've been revisiting my 100 Things list today because I haven't accomplished much on it. I realize it is a list of things to do before I die and hopefully that is a long way away but....

What I've realized today is I need to make the list more concrete and specific. I thought I did that when I created it but its still not as specific or maybe it needs to be more general. No. It needs to have goal deadlines or something like that. For instance, take "read 4 classics a year," when am I ever going to know I've done this? Do I want to do this every year that I'm alive? Do I want to quantify it more? 4 books every year for 5 years, 10 years, until I read 20 classics, etc. Get what I mean?

I know this is not important stuff. I realize this. Oh the things we think about.

My Thoughts - Fabulous Finds - J. Lee Drexler & James R. Cohen

2011-11-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

This fall I was offered Fabulous Finds for review by Rachel Hundert at Meryl Zegarek Public Relations. I was a little apprehensive about accepting, actually reading and enjoying this book. I enjoy art, not enthusiastically, but I appreciate it and marvel at artists' abilities to create such works. However, I've only read about art in an art history class in college and hated it.

I picked this book up yesterday and am finished with it already. Love it. The stories and tidbits that Drexler and her husband James Cohen share are fascinating. I love the historical aspect and the knowledge imparted by the duo. Drexler is an art/furniture/antiques/jewelry appraiser with 35 years experience and has appraised items for many rich and famous clients. She knows her stuff and shares what to look for and avoid in your own potential purchases and fabulous finds.

I definitely recommend Drexler's book even if you only have the mildest interest in art. It is going on my bookshelf as a keeper.

From the cover:

"Join an expert arts and antiques appraiser as she uncovers treasure and trash in the homes of the rich and famous!

If you think Antiques Roadshow is exciting, you haven't seen anything until you've read Fabulous Finds, a memoir of expert appraiser Lee Drexler's career in the high-stakes world of art, antiques precious jewelry, and fabulous collections and collectors.

What's the value of an expert's opinion? Drexler identified a lost treasure by a renowned artist-and a painting insured for $7,000 sold at auction for $690,000."

My Thoughts - A Thousand Lives - Julia Scheeres

2011-11-24T22:52:00.000-05:00

I picked an odd time to read this disturbing story. November. November is the month The Peoples Temple was instructed to commit mass suicide. November is the month of Thanksgiving. An odd coincidence. And today as I finish the book on Thanksgiving, I'm left feeling out-of-sorts and sad. So many lives disrupted and destroyed due to one madman.

I am old enough to know the cultural references to The Temple ("Don't drink the Kool-Aid") but not old enough to remember the events. Scheeres's book does an amazing job of explaining the hows and whys of the cult. In the beginning, I remember thinking "this guy doesn't seem that bad and the cause seems worthy" but then all hell breaks loose. The control Jim Jones had over his followers is astonishing. The book describes how people can get caught up in a movement with no turning back before they even realize how deep they are involved.

I'm just so dismayed by what happened to these people. I don't even know what to say.

If you haven't read this book, read it.

Guest Post - Deborah Coonts - Imagining Lucky

2011-11-22T10:09:00.001-05:00

In the summer, I was lucky enough to read, review and giveaway the Lucky series by Deborah Coonts. Lucky Stiff, the second book, is being released as a paperback next week. I have the honor of hosting a guest post by Deborah. I asked for a post explaining how she came up with her main character, Lucky, as she is one in-control, sexy lady!

Imagining Lucky
By Deborah Coonts,
Author of Lucky Stiff

For a long time I wasn't really sure where the protagonist of my funny, sexy, Vegas-based novel series came from. Lucky simply arrived one day while I was sitting on the deck at the Grand Lake Lodge, perched on my shoulder, and began telling me her story. At the time, I was certain I had crossed over that delicate bridge that spans the gap between a borderline personality disorder and full-blown schizophrenia. Now I'm sure.

But, I guess it could've been worse. I mean, instead of being a young woman climbing the corporate ladder at the Babylon, Las Vegas' most over-the-top Strip casino, Lucky could've been a crack addict determined to get her bad on. Or worse, she could've had a chip on her shoulder and a mile-wide homicidal streak. But, thankfully, she's just a gal who's kick-ass competent at work, but whose personal life -- especially her love life -- is in a constant state of turmoil. With a brothel-owning mother, a lover who makes his way in the world dressed in Chanel (or Bob Mackie) and channeling Cher and Bette Midler, to name a few, and a hotel full guests whose problems are as varied as snowflakes, who's to blame her if her life is a bit . . . chaotic?

But, I always sorta wondered where Lucky came from before she moved into my brain and made herself at home. When my aunt (who is my sister but for an odd quirk of bloodline) read the manuscript of WANNA GET LUCKY? she gave me one of those omniscient looks that older siblings become so good at, and commented, "Lucky's the woman you always wanted to be."

Wow. Insightful. Was she right?

Perhaps, in some ways Lucky embodies traits I find admirable. In other ways, Lucky is who I am -- we have the same sense of humor, although she's much more quick-witted than I am, and we share the same fundamentals, I think. But Lucky is bigger than all of that.

When I sat down to write a story set in my adopted hometown of Las Vegas, I wanted the city to be not only the setting, but a character as well. And, how better to do that than to imbue my protagonist with characteristics and attitudes that weave the magic I identify with Las Vegas?

The whole state of Nevada has this whole live-and-let-live thing going on and nowhere is it better displayed than Sin City. Vegas is a very nonjudgmental place -- folks come from far and wide to chase their dreams. And Vegas not only welcomes all these square pegs, the city embraces them. Lucky is the same -- and to me her acceptance is her best thing. So, when she's presented with porn stars losing their sparkle, swingers being blackmailed, gamblers losing their nerve, Hollywood royalty with huge secrets, an aging fighter with sixteen children and faltering reflexes, or an old woman, alone and afraid who wants to marry her . . . well, you get my drift. Lucky handles them all with warmth, and heartfelt diplomacy.

Although, when it comes to her mother . . . all bets are off.
© 2011 Deborah Coonts, author of The Lucky O'Toole Vegas adventure series

Author Bio
Deborah Coonts, author of Lucky Stiff, says her mother tells her she was born in Texas a very long time ago, though she's not totally sure -- her mother can't be trusted. But she was definitely raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer. She currently resides in Las Vegas, where family and friends tell her she can't get into too much trouble. Silly people. Coonts has built her own business, practiced law, flown airplanes, written a humor column for a national magazine, and survived a teenager. She is the author of the Lucky O'Toole Las Vegas adventure series.

Her first book, Wanna Get Lucky?, was released in 2010.

For more information please visit http://www.deborahcoonts.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

The Start of a Change

2011-11-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

Last week, I received an ARC of a book advocating for a happier, healthier you through a small change every week for a year. 52 Small Changes by Brett Blumenthal came to me from Amazon Encore. I'd never heard of Amazon Encore and am excited to partner with them. Blumenthal's book will be released January 2012.

This week I decided to start working the changes. We'll see together how these changes work for me.

The first week advocates for water, water, water. I am not and have never been a fan of water but I'm trying. I put one of those gas station ginormous mugs in the refrigerator. It has a straw which I figured would help. Every time I open the refrigerator I suck down as much water as I can. I also told myself no more soda at work and fill my styrofoam cup (yuck, styrofoam! I know) with water and lemon instead. So far I've managed to drink 3 mugs and remembered 2 days of water at work. Not bad for a person who doesn't normally drink water.

Cookbooks: How Far Should You Go?

2011-11-06T21:22:00.000-05:00

I'm in a quandary right now. Do I or don't I desecrate a cookbook? I already write in and mark up cookbooks but I'm trying to downsize the amount of books that I have. I have a handful of cookbooks that I rarely look at and decided to get rid of them. I looked through them first to see why I originally bought or saved them. In 2 still new looking books, I've marked a few recipes and realized I occasionally refer to some of the reference pages. I also found myself reading a few of the "articles" and tidbits. Now I don't know what to do.

Here's what I'm contemplating: Slicing out the few pages I want of the book and putting them in the binder that I refer to for tried-and-true recipes. Why? Because I forget about recipes that I like when they are in cookbooks. Because I want to cut down on space. Because I found a few recipes I want to try now.

Why do I need your input? Because I am afraid to cut pages out of a perfectly good looking cookbook.

Weird, I know. What else am I going to do with the cookbook besides list it on Paperback Swap or give to my cookbook-addicted sister. She won't care if a few pages are missing but it just feels wrong.

Cooking My Way Update

2011-10-28T12:29:00.001-04:00

Best-Ever Cinnamon Rolls

OMG! These really are the best. I've never had success with yeast breads and rolls so I stay away. I've had this recipe in my to-be-tried cookbook for 20 years. 20! How wacko is that?

So far so good. They actually raised.

And Voila! It worked. Yummy.

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 cup milk

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 tablespoon half-and-half or light cream

In a large mixer bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour and yeast.

In small saucepan heat the milk, the 1/3 cup margarine, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt just till warm and margarine is almost melted, stirring constantly. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place till double (about 1 hour).

For filling, combine brown sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Cut in remaining margarine till crumbly; set aside.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12-inch square.

Sprinkle filling over dough square. Roll up jelly-roll style; pinch edges to seal. Slice roll into eight 1 1/2-inch pieces. Arrange dough pieces, cut side up, ina greased 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan or a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Cover dough loosely with clear plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to rise. Refrigerate dough for 2 to 24 hours. Uncover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (or, for immediate baking, don't chill dough. Instead, cover loosely; let dough rise in a warm place till nearly double, about 45 minutes. THIS IS WHAT I DID).

Break any surface bubbles with a greased toothpick. Brush dough with half-and-half or light cream. (I used milk). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till light brown. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover rolls loosely with foil the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Remove rolls from oven. Brush again with half-and-half or light cream. Cool for 1 minute. Carefully invent cinnamon rolls onto a wire rack. Cool slightly. Invert again onto a serving platter. Serve warm. Makes 8 rolls.

(source: Better Homes and Gardens, October 1991)

Swiss Fried Potatoes

This recipe introduced me to a new type of cheese: Gruyere. I've seen it in other recipes but always substituted it for Swiss, it's alternative. It's good. This recipe is fairly typical of hash brown style recipes except it calls for boiling potatoes first, which I forgot about. So I'm glad it tried it because once you boil potatoes the skins come off so easy and I like to leave a little potato on them because you can then fry them separately for another style of hash browns. Yummy!

4 medium potatoes

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup diced Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons water

Heat 1 inch salted water (1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water) to boiling. Add pototatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Peel and shred potatoes or cut into 1/4-inch strips. (I did the strips).

Heat margarine in skillet until melted. Add potatoes, onion and cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook uncovered over medium heat, turning frequently, until potatoes strat to brown, about 10 minutes. (Add 1 to 2 tablesppons margarine to prevent sticking if necessary).

Press potatoes with spatula to form flat cake; sprinkle with water. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, until bottom is golden brown and crusty, about 10 minutes. Place inverted platter over skillet, invert potatoes onto platter.

(source: unknown)

Saucy Pork and Peppers

This recipe calls for lime peel and lime juice. Once completely prepared, that is the only ingredient you taste. It makes a very juicy and tender pork but the overwhelming flavor of lime is just...too much. One techinque I learned though is adding brown sugar to oil as you brown and simmer pork. I've cook ham slices in brown sugar and a little water but never considered doing it with oil and pork.

Maple-Glazed Roast Turkey

The photo of this recipe looks AMAZING; however, when I made it, it looked nothing like the picture. Sad face. I was really expecting a strong maple flavor to come through but didn't get it. Highly disappointed.

My Thoughts - The Lie - Petra Hammesfahr

2011-09-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

(pardon my experimenting with HTML code this week)

Review book received from Meryl Zegarek Public Relations, Inc.
Published: May 2010
Bitter Lemon Press, UK

Blurb from backcover:

"Nadia and Susanne look uncannily alike, but one is seriously rich and the other destitute. When Nadia asks Susanne to spend the weekend with her husband, so that she can sneak off with a lover, how can Susanne refuse the outrageous fee on offer? Nadia and her husband barely speak to each other and he will be working most of the weekend. Easy money, or so it seems. One Friday afternoon Susanne drives Nadia's Alfa to her beautiful suburban villa with its indoor pool, glass doors opening onto the sloping lawn. This first stay is followed by others, as an apparently harmless game becomes a deadly web of lies."

My Thoughts:

Wow! This book took me several days to read because I didn't want to miss anything. I wanted to devour the book but had to restrain myself. Hammesfahr weaves a story line that grips you from the start and drags you to and fro. The psychological damage incured by the characters could be immense, if the story was real. It's amazing what people can think of and do to each other. The details and switches are amazing. Hammesfahr must of had a serious outline and piles of notes.

Because the book is translated from German into English via an English publishing house, it made for some interesting reading by an American. I wasn't sure if the sayings were actual German slang translated or English version of German slang. Some words or phrases, I didn't understand at all but there weren't many.

Here are some of my favorites:

"in the boot" - refers to something in the trunk of a car
"answerphone" - answering machine
"multi-storey" - parking garage
"gave up the ghost" - something stopped working

The Sinner is another Petra Hammesfahr book translated into English and published by Bitter Lemon Press. Its also a psychological suspense novel. I want to check it out. Thanks so much to Meryl Zegarek for turning me onto this new author.

Other Reviews:
"Things change so quickly and new clues appear at breakneck speed, there's no time to question some of the logistics.All the situations that arise for Susanne will leave you wondering what would you do in that situation. That alone is worth the read.This book is a fun and imaginative read that is not generic nor easily figured out. It will keep you guessing and sometimes that is all we want form a thriller." from Salonic World Lit.

"The Lie is really quite intriguing. The novel strained credulity at times as Susanne is remade in Nadia in order to buy Nadia the freedom to enjoy her dirty weekend.That complaint aside, if you are willing to suspend your disbelief and buy the swap between Nadia and Susanne, then it’s incredibly easy to be swept up by the story." from Mostly Fiction Book Reviews.

My Thoughts - County Line - Bill Cameron

2011-09-07T13:26:00.002-04:00

(I'm playing with HTML codes this week so bear with me.)

Review copy received from Leyane Jerejian at FSB Associates.

Blurb from backcover:

"When the steadfast Ruby Jane Whittaker drops out of sight, dogged ex-cop Skin Kadash sets out to discover what drove the woman he loves to leave her life behind so suddenly and without explanation. The discovery of a dead man in Ruby Jane's apartment and an attack by a mysterious stalker send Skin from Portland to California - and into a charged encounter with her one-time love Peter McKrall. As questions mount and answers grow increasingly out of reach, Skin and Peter cross the country on a desperate journey deep into Ruby Jane's haunted past-and toward an explosive confrontation which will decide if any of them has a future."

My Thoughts:
Unfortunately I was not enthralled with this book. Cameron has an intriguing story line but it's disjointed and too scattered for me. I almost felt like the book needed edited one more time. I wanted to pull the story out and read it in short form because it is really interesting which kept me reading the majority of the book before giving up and skimming the rest. The ordering of the book I found confusing. I also found the character names distracting. Weird, I know.

Books Received in August - Part 2

2011-09-07T07:00:00.003-04:00

Part 2 of all the books I acquired in August. Phew, it's a lot.

Darn Borders for going out of business. You will be missed.

Un Amico Italiano (Eat, Pray, Love in Rome) - Luca Spaghetti
The Hourglass Door - Lisa Mangum
Princess for Hire - Lindsay Leavitt

I've acquired a love/hate relationship with Swap.com. Ok, so maybe its more love.

Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares
The Last Summer of You and Me - Ann Brashares
The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Love Walked In - Marisa De Los Santos
The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
Girls Night In - Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and more
The Scent of Jasmine - Jude Deveraux
Always - Jude Deveraux
The Summerhouse - Jude Deveraux
Eternity - Jude Deveraux

A birthday gift from my daughter as she knows I love WWII books

The Night Trilogy - Elie Wiesel

Courtesy of credits at Paperbackswap.com

The Position - Meg Wolitzer
Been There, Done That - Carol Snow
Getting Warmer - Carol Snow
His N Hers - Mike Gayle
Big Stone Gap - Adriana Trigiani

Giveaway - Liquid Smoke

2011-09-06T13:08:00.001-04:00

If you would like my copy of Liquid Smoke, leave a comment with a way to contact you. I'll pick a name at the end of the month. U.S. addresses only. You can read my thoughts on Shelby's book here.

Books Received in August - Part 1

2011-09-06T07:00:00.006-04:00

Thanks to my research of books sites from July and various other reasons, I've acquired LOTS of books in August. Thank goodness I got rid of 53 books this summer.

Thanks to college aged children, while shopping for their textbooks on Amazon, Mom decided to purchase these two books for herself. Hehehe

The Way of the Traveler - Joseph Dispenza
Travel Writing - L. Peat O'Neil

Snagged from my sister's boxes of the defunct garage sale

Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
A New History of the United States - William Miller

First visit to Half Priced Books after picking up my daughter from camp. Three are hardcovers! 50 cents a piece on the clearance shelf.

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (Book 2) - Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (Book 3) - Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (Book 4) - Jenny Nimmo
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (Book 5) - Jenny Nimmo

Review books:

The Winters in Bloom - Lisa Tucker
A Thousand Lives - Julia Scheeres

2 boxes of books made their way to my local used books store. I have never turned in books there. I got a whopping $168 of credit! The credit can be used to make the purchase of a book only cost 1/4th the original published priced. So the above books made their way home with me. Plus it was buy one nonfiction, get one nonfiction. Bonus!

Paris to the Moon - Adam Gopnik
Don't Know Much About History - Kenneth C. Davis

Part 2 coming up later.

My Thoughts - Liquid Smoke - Jeff Shelby

2011-09-05T13:07:00.000-04:00

Review copy received by Leyane Jerejian at FSB Associates.

Blurb from back cover:

"Private eye Noah Braddock has finally found peace in his once tumultuous relationship with Detective Liz Santangelo and has called a tentative truce with his alcoholic mother, Carolina.

So when lawyer Darcy Gill demands that he look into a hopeless death row case, he's more interested in catching some waves before San Diego's rare winter weather takes hold. Then Darcy plays her trump card: the man scheduled to die-convicted of killing two men in cold blood-is the father Noah never knew."

My Thoughts:
I have never read a novel by Jeff Shelby and was pleasantly surprised by this new-to-me author. I like his use of short chapters and quick paced action. The twists and outcomes are intriguing and unexpected causing me to not want to put the book down. Warning: there are several deaths and some of them did not make me happy. However, surprisingly for a mystery novel, it is also quite funny.

Surfing is not a sport I am familiar with, luckily, Shelby kept the references to surfing informative but minimal.

Prior to excepting this review book, I did not realize Liquid Smoke is part of a series. This aspect does not hinder the readability of this book. I would consider it a stand-alone book. Given the ending though, I am very much so looking forward to the next in the series.

To give you a glimpse of Shelby's humor, read the following which I received from Ms. Jerejian (also his blog is pretty funny too):

Questions That I Am Asked Frequently*

By Jeff Shelby,

Author of Liquid Smoke

I am asked many questions frequently. Or, at least in my head, I am asked questions frequently. Or maybe that is just the voices. Sometimes it's hard to tell. The voices can be loud and kinda pushy. Anyway, here are some questions that I may or may not be asked frequently:

Q: Is your book, like, a REAL book?
A: Yes. It's totally real. It has words and everything. It's very real. As is the pink elephant standing next to you. Watch out. It's about to pee on you.

Q: Is your book any good?
A: No. It's GREAT. It's so GREAT you'll probably want to quit your job and travel the world, telling people about it. If you wanna go to Mongolia, I'll probably go with you. I've never been there and I hear they have great BBQ. And I hear they love great books. Like mine.

Q: Are you rich?
A: No. I'm Jeff. Pay attention.

Q: I have an idea for your books. Can I send it to you?
A: No. I'm already full of ideas. Those voices again . . .

Q: What is LIQUID SMOKE?
A: It's smoke that is made of liquid. Duh.

Q: Why do you have such awesome hair?
A: (Blushes) You think?

Q: Are you going to write more Noah books?
A: Yes. Unless I don't. But I will. Maybe.

Q: I heard you wrote a book called STAY AT HOME DEAD but you're using a different name. Jeffrey Allen. What's that all about?
A: Where did you hear that? Did you tap my phone? Because it's true. Look for it in January. And stay off my phone.

Q: What's the hardest part about being a writer?
A: Counting all of the money we make. (BURSTS INTO LAUGHTER) Kidding. Um, probably writing the very first word of the story.

Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
A: No. I always wanted to be a baseball player. But the Padres got a restraining order and it's all awkward now.

Q: If you could give me one piece of advice about writing, what would it be?
A: Write. And don't let pink elephants pee on you. Ever.

*It's quite possible that I've never been asked any of these questions frequently and that's why I answered them so poorly.
© 2011 Jeff Shelby, author of Liquid Smoke
Author Bio
Jeff Shelby, author of Liquid Smoke, is the author of Killer Swell and Wicked Break.
For more information please visit http://jeffshelby.com, and follow the author on Twitter
===========================

10 Things You Need to Know About Liquid Smoke

By Jeff Shelby,

Author of Liquid Smoke

Liquid Smoke comes out in August . Here are ten things you should know about it:
1. It's a book. With pages and words and stuff. No pictures, though.
2. It's the third in a series featuring San Diego P.I. Noah Braddock. You can find the first two books here and here.
3. I wrote it. All by myself.
4. It's a mystery.
5. People die.
6. It will not make your steaks smell/taste better.
7. Studies show that reading a book makes you 91% sexier.
8. There's a good chance that this book might make some people angry.
9. Gambling. Death penalty. Immigrant smuggling.
10. The book is filled with money.*

If you don't order it, you will only have yourself to blame.
*Not every book will be filled with money. In fact, none of them will be filled with money.
© 2011 Jeff Shelby, author of Liquid Smoke

Reading Update and Plans

2011-09-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

For the past 3 months, I've been theme reading to concentrate my efforts on the state of my bookshelves. Here are the updates:

June - Review books and Giveaways - 5 finished
July - 20 Books in 30 Days - 15 finished, 8 partially read and discarded. 23 books off my bookshelves!
August - Unread Challenge - read or just clear off books from shelves that I didn't want to read and had been taking up space for years. This was a very freeing exercise. - 7 read, 18 partially read and/or just discarded. 25 books off my shelves!

Grand total for 3 months: 27 read and 26 discarded = 53 books gone!

Up next:

September - New-To-Me 2011 Books - originally I was going to do nonfiction for September but I have so many new books that I'm switching it around. Wait till you see what I've acquired in August. Yikes!
October - officially Nonfiction Reading Month - actually it's not official as I did a search for an official Nonfiction Awareness month and could not find one, so let's declare October as 2011's Official month.
November - Challenge Month - I only joined 2 challenges this year because I had my own personal challenge (clear off all old books). So November I want to try and complete one of the 2 challenges.
December - with all the other plans I have, by December I should have just a handful of old books to read and/or discard. December will be Finish Off Month.

What are your reading plans?

Cedar Point, Baby!

2011-08-17T09:13:00.000-04:00

Today my daughter and I are going to Cedar Point. Yippee! I haven't been in years. Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Roller Coasters
Water Rides
Daughter's company for the whole day :)
Corn dogs (yum yum)

The weather looks nice and clear for the day with an even temperature. Ideal amusement park weather. Usually its overcast and stormy when I've gone to Cedar Point. Jinxed that way.

Have a great day cause I know I'm going to!

July Finds

2011-08-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here are the blogs I found in July. Hope you enjoy them as well.

Summer Goal Project - Week 6

2011-08-14T09:51:00.000-04:00

Why Randomness this week?
      Because I must pass new job test next Sunday and I must study.
      Because daughter is home from summer camp job and her stuff is puked everywhere.
      Because she leaves for college next week and her college stuff needs sorted and repacked.
      Because storage unit is empty, all stuff is in apartment and I'm tired of feeling like I'm just moving in.
      Because I found my son's exercise weights and I want to use them.
      Because garage sale was defunct and some stuff made its way back to apartment for sale on ebay.
      Because I'm determined to become more of a minimalist.

July's 20 in 30 Challenge Final and August's Theme

2011-08-13T11:11:00.000-04:00

In July, I decided to read 20 books in 30 days. Here are my final results:

Books finished: 15
Books discarded: 8

While I didn't complete the challenge, I got close enough to make me feel satisfied. The 8 discarded books slowed down my reading progress. However, for most of those books, I did read 100 pages, give or take, of each so I feel like I read 20 full books. This challenge helped clear 23 books off my bookshelves. Yippee! That truly was the real goal.

On to August's theme:
Yup, I've decided to theme read for the next several months. About 2 weeks ago, I was driving to pick up my daughter and pondering the state of the bookshelf. It dawned on me that I have books on those shelves that I've had for years, literally years. I haven't read them for a reason. Right? Why? Because I don't really want to read them. I keep passing over them. Some are ones that I purchased thinking I wanted to read, others are ones given to me, some are library fill-a-bag sale books that I just pick up for the heck of it.

This month is the Unchallenge, similar to a post I just read at Book Nympho. I pulled out all the books I have no desire to read or mild interest. I've already discarded the no desires, discovering in the process that I've previously started some of those books and put back on shelf. Now I'm reading through the mildly interested. So far I've finished three books and discarded 11.

My goal for this Unchallenge is to get to the books that I really want to read without feeling guilty for letting others sit there. I don't want my new 2011 purchases to get stale or lose their appeal. I want to read my review books without guilt of foregoing my 2011 Personal Challenge (get rid of all previously unread books). I only have 3 more books from my initial pull-off-the-shelves decision. Then I'm going to look once more for any iffy books. I'll end the month with my current review books. Or at least this is the plan.

Next month's theme: Non-fiction!
Have you read about BAND yet? If not, go here. Encouraged by this band of bloggers, I'm dying to delve into a serious amount of non-fiction. I've pulled all the old unread non-fiction from my shelves to read for September. Back to school season, back to the real world. Why not kick off the season with some non-fiction! Care to join me?

Time for College Books

2011-08-10T09:52:00.000-04:00

It's back to school time which means to most people - where's the wallet cause my cash is disappearing fast. Supplies, clothes, books, tuition. All items needed to send off a college student. All cost many dollars.

Campus Book Rentals to the rescue. I don't normally agree to endorse products or companies but this particular company I wholeheartedly recommend. As recent college student myself, I've had the opportunity to rent a textbook. What a savings! Just last month, I was explaining and recommending the rental process and program to my two college bound children when Angela at Campus Book Rentals contacted me. Perfect partnership.

How many college students actually keep their textbooks? How many even crack the spine of the book once purchased? How many books are actually repurchased by the college? I don't have the answers but the questions get you to thinking which is why I tried renting a textbook last year.

Advantages of renting:

Lower cost. Example: Purchase new $100, purchase used $80, rent $50
You can still highlight and write in book
If you really want book, you have option of keeping book and only paying the difference between rental price (already paid) and current value.
If your professor never used book in class, at least you didn't pay a fortune for purchase. BONUS: if you realize the book is going to be useless to you, you have 30 days to return book with full refund!

Disadvantages:

Ummm let's see...yeah, can't think of any.

If you are or have a college student, I highly recommend giving Campus Book Rentals a try. Their website is easy to navigate and they offer live customer support. I don't see any downside of renting versus purchasing from college bookstore.

FTC: For this review, I am receiving a 50% off coupon to Campus Book Rentals.

Where in the Heck?

2011-08-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

Guess what? I got...

A New Job!

Hence, the reason for my absenteeism. I haven't had a day off since July 29. This is my last week of juggling 2 restaurant jobs. Then I'll have 2 weeks of just one restaurant job before substituting starts and I'm back to 2 jobs. Luckily, I get to pick and choose when I substitute. Phew.

Anyways, my new job is in one of the finest dining restaurants in my city. Yaeeee! I'm still in training but I'm loving it. Love the change of atmosphere, the new menu, different co-workers, different clientele, etc.

Some updates:

Never did garage sale. After all the preparation, the weather worked against us; then I got the new job and had no time. All stuff went to Goodwill.
My Summer Goal Project has been on hold for the last 2 weeks due to garage sale and new job craziness. After working 12-14 hour days, all I want to do at the end or beginning of day is vegetate.
Will update on my 20 in 30 Challenge tomorrow.
Visited Half Priced Books store for the first time when I picked my daughter up from camp. COOL place.

I haven't visited any blogs in a while either. So I'll be catching up with you all as well. Hope everyone has had a great week.

Cooking My Way Update

2011-07-27T10:18:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of recipes this week - 1 for the garbage and 2 to keep.

Deviled Chicken

I thought this recipe was delicious especially with the balsamic sauce. Yum Yum. Juicy chicken

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, grated

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

2 to 2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Sauce

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped

In a large bowl (I used a large plastic bag), combine olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, paprika and hot pepper sauce. Add the chicken, turn to coat evenly and let marinate for 15 minutes.

Grill either inside or outside to desired doneness.

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, brown sugar and rosemary to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until reduced by about half, 6 to 7 minutes (watch carefully to avoid burning). Serve the chicken and drizzle sauce over both.

(source: unknown)

London Broil with Roasted Garlic

Flavorful,will make again

1 small onion, minced

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup chili sauce

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 beef top round steak, 1 1/2 inches thick (about 2 pounds) (I used a sirloin steak)

1 whole large head garlic

olive or salad oil

1 12-ounces loaf Italian bread

Early in day or day ahead:

1. In zipper-top plastic bag, mix onion, Worcestershire sauce, chili sauce, red wine vinegar, minced oregano, and salt; add steak. Refrigerate steak at least 6 hours or overnight, turning bag once or twice.

About 1 1/4 hours before serving:

2. Remove any loose papery skin from head of garlic, leaving head intact. Place head in center of sheet of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Loosely wrap foil around garlic, being careful seam is folded to seal in oil.

3. In 425 oven roast garlic 40 minutes or until garlic is tender. Remove to plate; keep warm.

4. Preheat broiler. Place steak on rack in broiling pan. Place pan in broiler 4 to 5 inches from source of heat; broil steak 10 minutes, brushing steak once with marinade. Turn steak; brush with remaining marinade; broil 8 to 10 minutes for rare or until desired doneness. Remove steak to cutting board; keep warm

5. Slice Italian bread horizontally in half. Brush cut sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

6. Place bread on cookie sheet, cut sides up; place cookie sheet in oven on rack at closest position to source of heat. Broil bread 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Slice bread crosswise into 2-inch pieces.

7. Discard foil from garlic. Arrange garlic and toasted bread on cutting board with steak. Let each person cut through skin of each garlic clove and spread some soft, sweet-tasting garlic on bread. Makes 6 servings.

(source: Good Housekeeping July 1993)

Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake

Thought it would take great - brown sugar and angel food cake. How could you go wrong, right? Well, it's not the greatest. Way too sweet. I only had a few bites and gave away.

(source: a magazine, perhaps Martha Stewart Living or Rachel Ray)

Books Received in July

2011-07-26T10:38:00.000-04:00

From Paperbackswap:

Educating Esme - Esme Raji Codell
Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
Island of Lost Girls - Jennifer McMahon
Promise Not To Tell - Jennifer McMahon

From Paperbackswap:

Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
John Adams - David McCullough
The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister
How to Marry a Murderer - Amanda Matetsky

For Review:

Liquid Smoke - Jeff Shelby (from FSB Associates)
County Line - Bill Cameron (from FSB Associates)
The Very Thought of You - Rosie Alison (from Atria Books)
The Lost Angel - Javier Sierra (from Atria Books)

From Swap.com:

Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
Citizen Girl - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner
Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner

Someday maybe I'll stop receiving in books. Nah, probably not. :)

20 in 30 Challenge Update - 14/20

2011-07-25T10:10:00.000-04:00

Yay I'm up to 14 books for the month, only 1 book behind my 20 in 30 schedule. Out of the above books, I really enjoyed Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo. It reminds me of a play on Harry Potter and I can't wait to get the second installment. Similar story structure - Charlie discovers he has a secret power (is endowed as the book calls it), gets sent to a special school, has to solve a mystery, makes friends and enemies along the way. It kept me entertained and I read it in one day, wishing I had the second one so I could immediately start it.

Did not finish either of these books. Creepers I only read a few pages before putting down and Princess Academy I got 100 pages into it and decided I just didn't care about the characters.

Summer Goal Project - Week 5

2011-07-24T09:23:00.000-04:00

Last week update:

Finished reading blog posts from last 3 weeks. Yippee! Must not let that slide again. I hate missing stuff.
Job - applied to several unusual places (cruise ships, Peacecorp, Random House). I figured why not? You never know until you try. I did get a response back from one cruise ship hiring partner and had an interview at one of our locally owned fine dining restaurants. Have a second interview there tomorrow. Fingers crossed. 5 more people quit this week at my current work with 3 of those being walkouts yesterday. Not a good sign.
Just reading this week has made me feel very lazy. Lazy in a good way though considering during the school year I work 50-75 hours a week. I figured I was good for 1 week of downtime but it did feel weird not doing stuff around apartment etc. Plus with the ungodly temperatures and humidity outside, it was a good week to pick to do nothing.
I also cooked lots this week - some good, some not so good.

This week:

It's garage sale week! This week's goal is all about the garage sale. I'll be hauling everything over to my sister's which will take several trips, setting up, pricing items and sitting there for Thur, Fri and Sat mornings. After I get all the stuff out of my apartment, I plan to do a final walkthru for any items I might have missed.
I'll also be spending time putting my apartment back to living condition. By living condition, I mean looking like I'm not in the process of moving in or moving out. I hate living with boxes and piles all over the place. Makes me a little crazy.
I'm also taking over a vacated storage space in our apartment storage area downstairs. Someone moved out and their storage unit is more accessible than the current one I have so I'll be spending time moving my junk to that spot.

Question for you: I'm contemplating selling my scrapbook rolly suitcase thingie. You know what I mean. I still like to scrapbook but I think after I get done with my stacks of past pictures (my children' childhoods and teen years) the desire to scrap will be gone. I will still have a shoulder strap carrier and a handheld tools carrier. The rolly thing is nice though. Sell or don't sell, what do you think?

Cooking My Way Update

2011-07-19T10:46:00.000-04:00

Yay I'm finally back to my cooking project. Click on page above if you want to see what I've made so far this year.

Cheese Onion Morsels

I loved these little morsels. Great flavor with good aftertaste. Next time I'm going to add just a little more cheese even though the batter is almost all cheese. More cheese never hurts, right?

1 lb cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 cup soft butter
1 egg
1/4 cup water
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup onions (finely chopped)

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Beat cheese and butter. Add egg and water. Blend. Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and paprika. Add flour mixture and onions to the cheese mixture. Blend. Drop onto cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. May be frozen and thawed. Reheat at 375 for 5 minutes. Recipe states it makes 8 dozen. However, I made a half batch and only got 12 biscuits when technically I should have gotten 48. Go figure. Personally I like biscuits a little bigger than a dime.
(source: unknown)

Marinated Pork Loin

Average tasting. A little spicy. My son and I both agree you can really taste each of the flavors.

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 boneless pork loan roast (I used 4 boneless pork chops)

In a saucepan, combine the first 9 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool slightly. Place 2/3 cup marinade in a bowl for basting; cover and chill. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Cut pork into f5 slices, about 1 in. each; add to bag. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, brushing with reserved marinade and turning occasionally.

(source: unknown)

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

I made these potatoes with the pork and biscuits. I thought they tasted good but would use less garlic, add more cheese, and not cook as long.

8 medium red potatoes, quartered (I used regular potatoes)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. Drain well. Add the butter, milk and salt; mash. Stir in Parmesan.

(source: unknown)

Chattanooga Chew Chew Bread

Another spin on cinnamon pull apart bread or monkey bread whichever name you prefer. This one is different because it becomes caramelized with the brown sugar added. We loved it fresh from the oven and its not bad warmed up later.

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

2 cans biscuits, separated (I used 1 can of Grands, cut in 1/8th with kitchen scissors)

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

Preheat over 375. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. (I put in a large plastic bag instead) Place biscuits in large mixing bowl, add sugar mixture and shake until coated. (or put groups of pieces in plastic bag and toss). Melt butter and brown sugar; mix. (I melted in microwave) Place coated biscuit pieces in greased pan (bundt pan works well), and pour butter mixture over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Pull apart and eat while hot.

(source: unknown)

Stuffed-Crust Pizza

My son and I loved this recipe. You can find it on http://www.pillsbury.com/.

1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust

7 sticks (1 oz each) string cheese

1/2 cup pizza sauce

Pepperoni

2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Preheat over to 425. Spray 12 inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Unroll dough; place in pan. Starting at center, press out dough to edge of pan, pressing up and extending over sides by at least 1 inch. Place string cheese around inside edge of crust. Fold extended edge of dough over cheese; pinch firmly to seal.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is set and edges are light golden brown. Spoon sauce evenly over crust. Top with pepperoni and cheese.

Bake 12 to 16 minutes longer or until crust is deep golden brown and cheese in center is melted. Cut into wedges.

(source: Pillsbury.com from 2007)

I also tried 2 other recipes that I won't even bother to type out for you because they were horrendous and immediately went to garbage: Chocolate Stuff and Lorene's Pralines.

20 in 30 Challenge Update - 9/20

2011-07-18T09:48:00.000-04:00

Only 2 books finished since my last update. These 2 books were not on my original list either but they were good chick lit. Also, both are set in London and written by English authors. I read The Last Year of Being Single last summer and it was a hoot. Sarah Tucker's sequel did not disappoint. It was just as real and absorbing as the first book. Again I marked several pages that "talked" to me. Who does this with chick lit? I rarely mark passages in fiction books especially chick lit but for some reason her 2 books urge me to do so. Try them. Warning - there is some explicit sex but far more story so it's not a turn off.

Mike Gayle's novel is very interesting because it is guy chick lit. I have never encountered a chick lit novel with a guy's point of view. It drew me right in and now I want to read Gayle's other novels.

As for the Challenge, there are 2 weeks left which makes me 1 book behind schedule. I need to get my brain off larger chick novels and read my slimmer YA books but the chick lit is sooooo good to read in the summer. I think I'll finish the one I started Friday and then switch some quicker YA reads.

Hope your summer reading is going well.

Summer Goal Project - Week 4

2011-07-17T10:25:00.001-04:00

Last week update:

I am at a stand still with apartment clear/clean out until I start taking stuff over to my sister's for the garage sale. I am happy to report that I have went through everything in apartment to get rid of stuff I don't want.
The only thing left at storage unit is one box that belongs to my son along with large items that are going directly to garage sale. We were very successful at completing this task. I've even went through all the boxes we brought home and have repacked/reorganized/decluttered those boxes.
Sold washer. Now only have dryer and stove left. May have someone to purchase grill I have at my parents' house too. :)
Bonus: we went walking again and again and again!
Sad: still no new job. I have fingers crossed but I'm also trying to restructure my brain to be happy or at least content with where I'm at. (Think "You Are Not Your Brain" book) I only have 1 year or less left here before I can move to parts unknown.

This week:
Simple goal - catch up on blog reading. You bloggers out there whose blogs I read should see a slew of comments from me this week. I have over 350 posts to go through. If you read my blog and I'm not reading or aware of your blog, let me know. I'd love to visit and check it out. Last week I completely slacked in being on the computer. I was very focused on clearing out and book reading. I also have several of my regular features to write and update.

I have about 3 or 4 more major goals and my Summer Goal Project will be over. I'm very happy with the results of this project so far. Thanks Sunny @ Simplicity by Sunny for the inspiration!

BAND July Discussion

2011-07-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

What is BAND you ask?

"Bloggers’ Alliance of Non-Fiction Devotees (BAND) is a project to “advocate non-fiction as a non-chore,” and is a joint effort with Amy, Anastasia, Ash, Joy, Kim, Kit, and Cass. Any and everyone is welcome (and encouraged) to participate!" per Bonjour, Cass! If you are interested, head on over there and check it out.

Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness asks:

What is one of your favorite types of nonfiction to read? OR What is one of your favorite nonfiction topics to read about?

I have dabbled in non-fiction reading on and off again for years. I'm very excited to see a group of bloggers devoting time and energy to promoting reading non-fiction. In my effort to read more, I joined the Non-Fiction Challenge this year. My preferences of non-fiction tend towards self-help, travel, memoirs and professional (education). I've been adding in some creative nonfiction and want to delve into history next. Thanks to the readalong on John Adams. That book hit my TBR stack this month.

Book Sites

2011-07-13T09:32:00.001-04:00

Last week I did some research on book swapping and selling sites in order to get rid of more of my books. Obviously so I can make more room for new books. hehehe

This is what I discovered:

Bookins - I decided not to try this site because it costs the requester $4.49 via a credit/debit card. I found this price to be kind of high considering postage is usually only $2.50 max. At $4.49 a book, I could go to the local used book store or the bargain bin at Borders.

Swap.com - I'm trying this site and already have several books involved in a trade. This site is different than most because you actually have to swap books/media. You trade a book, you get a book. No just giving away books. So it is not a site for just getting rid of your old books. You have to be willing to receive in more books. I figured an unread book is better than a read unwanted book. Requesters and senders pay their own postage.

Goodreads - many of you are already familiar with this site but it's fairly new to me and I had never tried the swap feature. Now I have a couple books to send out. Postage is paid for by the requester via a credit/debit card. I still need to print the label to send out my books so I don't know what Goodread charges nor could I find a listing on the site.

Half.com - a subsidiary of Ebay. I've listed textbooks on Half with good success; however, I decided to not use it for personal books. The 15% commission and postage costs leaves you with little profit. Not worth the hassle in my opinion. Most books are listed at $.75.

Amazon - same as Half. Between the lost cost of books and the fees and commission charged by Amazon, it does not seem worth the hassle. I'll get more taking books to the used book store in exchange for store credit.

Sites I already use:

Paperbackswap - if you don't use this site, I highly recommend it. I find it to be the best used book site so far. Cost of postage belongs to the sender. Sender receives a credit once book is received by requester. Credit can be used to request book from another member. Wallace at Unputdownables did a great post on Paperbackswap today. Check it out here.

Bookmooch - I use this site too but rarely. Rarely because I can hardly ever find books I want to request. I've sent about 15 books out but requested little. Postage cost belongs to sender. Works similar to Paperbackswap.

Summer Goal Project - Week 3

2011-07-12T08:53:00.000-04:00

Last week update:

Researched several book selling and swapping sites. Listed books on ones I liked or wanted to try. More on this tomorrow.
Listed refrigerator and washer on Craigslist and in local newspaper for free. Sold the refrigerator on the first call! Have 2 people interested in washer. Bit the bullet and purchased an ad for stove. Relisted washer and dryer to run this weekend. Not happy with Craigslist and will not use again. Ever have good experience with site?
Did not finish going through apartment to get rid of stuff
However, I did start on storage unit and have already went through several boxes to reduce and reorganize. So excited. With good response to ads and garage sale, I see being able to get rid of storage unit this month. Yay!
Bonus: son and I went park walking 3 times!
Sad Side: no new job yet. At work, between our 2 local stores, 4 long-term managers have quit along with several servers and cooks with about 10 more seriously looking elsewhere to quit by end of month. Note to company: need to fix problem.

20 in 30 Challenge Update - 7/20

2011-07-11T23:22:00.000-04:00

I've been busy - Reading. Yay! So far I'm on track to complete my 20 in 30 Challenge. This is what I read last week:

I was in a Chick Lit mood. Chick Lit seems to be my trend for Julys. I have YA books in my 20 in 30 list but kept pulling Red Dress Ink novels off my bookshelves. Yummy for summer. I'm still keeping the YA books out to complete my challenge but the Chick Lit is doing down smooth.

Brief thoughts:

Just Another Day - Middle Grade - 12 year old dealing with newly divorced parents and her new responsibilities - quick read, would recommend

How to be Lost - Rebel older sister searches for a kidnapped younger sister and for herself. Moving read. Slightly predictable.

Speechless - Toronto woman becomes a speechwriter for Minister of Culture and goes through hell with an evil co-worker and airhead boss. Funny. Found myself laughing out loud. Try it.

Drama Queen - disillilusioned twentysomething woman tackles life after being dumped by her fiance. Eventually she screws her head on straight to make something of her life. Quick read.

Goodbye - 1930s Southern setting. I normally don't like novels set in the South but I enjoyed this slim novel. A series of unfortunate events happen to a young woman, kicked off by a chance meeting with a lost man. Recommend

These books I didn't finish :(

Nerd - too much explicit sex.

Emperor - I did not care for how the characters were addressed. Woman, boy, girl versus names.

Winners from Last Month's Giveaways

2011-07-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

Winner of:

is..... Alexis @ Reflections of a Bookaholic

Winner of:

is... Holly @ 2 Kids and Tired Books and 2 Kids and Tired Cooks

The winner of:

is...Jenny @ Jenny Loves to Read

20 in 30 Challenge Update - 2/20

2011-07-04T10:05:00.000-04:00

As of today, I have read 2 books in my 20 in 30 Challenge.

Both were light quick reads. One a romance chick lit and the other murder mystery. I enjoyed both and have ordered the 3rd book in the Paige Turner Mystery series. I did not realize that Murder is a Girl's Best Friend is part of that series. It is book 2. There were some references to a previous case in which Paige was involved but it did not cause me confusion at all. I would consider Murder a stand alone book. I also did not realize this book is set in the 1950s. The timeperiod is not familiar to me in fictional books and it made for an interesting read.

Vasilly, how are you doing in your reading?

2011 Word

2011-07-03T17:45:00.000-04:00

I love this photo by Barbara at Words,Words, Words:

It's my 2011 word. If you have never checked out her blog, I highly suggest it. She is hilarious. I love, LOVE her cat pictures complete with dialogue. Add her blog to your reader. You will not be disappointed!

Summer Goal Project - Week Two

2011-07-03T08:47:00.000-04:00

Last week's goal came at a good time because my daughter came home Friday and decided to buy an ipod yesterday. Now all our CDs are in one place, gone through by her and me, ripped and burned, and sorted to keep or giveaway. Yeah! Goal accomplished.

I didn't have as much luck with the cassette tapes. Nostalgia set in. I did move the boxes next to the kitchen tape player and have been listening to them. Yay! I know by the end of the month I'll get rid of some of them.

All my daily goal setting last week truly motiviated me because I kept going beyond my daily written list. I cleaned out kitchen of all items I don't use or my son doesn't want for his kitchen next year. Bonus for him that I'm downsizing. I also went through the pantry closet and coat/catch-all closet. I also realize that next year when I'm packing to move there will be a few more things to add to the giveaway pile but the pile will be very minimal.

This week's goal will hopefully generate some funds for the old pocketbook. I have a full set of large appliances to sell. I had kept them when I sold my house because I wasn't sure where I was moving. I knew I would not have the funds to purchase appliances if I moved into a place without refrigerator or washer/dryer.

The books I have listed on Paperbackswap and Bookmooch but I want to add to other sites recommended by someone recently. Darn it if I can't remember which blog recommended them. Sorry. But I'm going to try Bookins and Swap.com. Have you had any luck with these sites?

Also question for my readers - have you had any luck listing books on Half.com, Ebay, or Amazon? I don't mean textbooks but regular books (fiction and non-fiction). My son and I have sold textbooks on Amazon and Half with success but I don't think it's profitable enough to list regular books on selling sites. Between the fees and postage, the profit seems minimal like less than a $1. What do you think?

June Finds

2011-07-02T17:37:00.000-04:00

Last month I only added 6 new blogs to my Google Reader. If you are unfamiliar with these blogs, check them out.

Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend.

July Reading

2011-07-01T10:47:00.002-04:00

I realized last month (June) that I was only reading review books which got me to thinking. My goal for the year is to read all the books on my bookshelf as of last year. In June, I did not do this at all. In order to achieve my yearly goal, I'm having a 20 in 30 Challenge. Yup, that's right. 20 books in 30 days. Why you ask 20 books? I looked at the calendar and tried to figure out what I could realistically read in July. I typically work all day Saturday and Sunday so reading is not an option. I also looked at my bookshelf and picked out the slimmer books, the YA books or chick lit easy reads.

Below are the books I picked out:

This challenge does not mean I won't read review books. It just means those review books will be put off till August. I'm also kicking around the idea of having several themed months this year such as Vacation/Travel, Murder/Mystery, Non-Fiction for the Challenge, YA, etc.

Any joiners for this month's 20 in 30 Challenge?

My Thoughts - You Are Not Your Brain - TLC Tour Book

2011-06-30T09:55:00.000-04:00

Welcome to new readers via TLC Tour Books. This is the first time I have participated in a TLC Tour so I'm pretty excited.

I was thrilled to be offered this book because I'm always looking to change my bad habits, end unhealthy thinking and take control of my life. I believe sometimes life gets so big and crazy that you forget you are the one in control. In most instances, you can change many many aspects of your life, it's just a matter of when and how.

I do have to admit I have not finished the book yet. Couple reasons why:
1. I didn't want to start book as soon as I got it because I don't like to write my posts that far in advance. I don't know why.
2. A lot of self-help books are either quick reads or take a long time to process as they are multi-step or process books. I thought this one might be a quick read but I was wrong.
3. In the end, I just didn't give myself enough time to read.

However:
I'm finding this book to be very valuable. It has come along at a perfect time for my life. In fact, I quoted the book in my interview with Jenny Craig and the interviewer seemed impressed. She asked me to explain further. Although I'm only half way through the book, I find myself thinking about the concept frequently and trying to change my thought process.

The Gist:
Basically, the authors explain that there are 2 parts to the stuff inside our heads. There is the brain and the mind. As the title says we are not our brain. Our brain thinks and spits out stuff constantly but how we interrupt and act belongs to us, our minds. Changing the connection between the two is a conscious choice. There are 4 steps to follow: Relabel, Reframe, Refocus and Revalue.

My Thoughts:
As I stated, I've already found this book to be valuable. I have stickies and highlights all over the parts I've read. I also started a notebook to complete the exercises. I didn't write my answers in book in case I want to lend on to a friend. I recommend it whether you have an addiction, bad habit or like me feel like you are just having a rough time or want to improve yourself.

Thanks to TLC for sending copy to me.

Here's a list of the other book stops:

Tuesday, June 7th: Silver and Grace

Monday, June 13th: The Book Faery Reviews
Tuesday, June 14th: Always Well Within
Wednesday, June 15th: Bookshipper
Thursday, June 16th: Guinevere Gets Sober
Friday, June 17th: Positively Present
Monday, June 20th: A Room of Mama’s Own
Tuesday, June 21st: By the By Books
Wednesday, June 22nd: Overstuffed
Thursday, June 23rd: Today’s Path
Friday, June 24th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Friday, June 24th: Luxury Reading
Monday, June 27th: Take Me Away
Tuesday, June 28th: The Scarlet Letter
Wednesday, June 29th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, June 30th: The Things We Read
Wednesday, July 6th: Arriving at Your Own Door

This Week in My Life

2011-06-29T18:14:00.000-04:00

Ripping - done. completely. Now I need to figure out how to burn. That's for tomorrow.

Job - had 2nd interview. Offered 2 different positions but I'm going to decline both. The pay is crappy. I make more as a server. Applied at 8 more places yesterday and today. Received a call for interview from another company. Fingers crossed on this one.

Goals - setting daily goals is working out really well for me. I have Google Reader down to 120. House is clean. Projects are moving along. It has also motivated me to do extra things not on my list. Yeah.

Tonight - My son and I are going to finally use the movie passes I won at work and go see Transformers.

Hope your week is going well.

P.S. I have one more giveaway ending today and the last one on Friday. Check out the giveaway page.

Ripping

2011-06-28T13:19:00.000-04:00

I am almost done ripping my CDs into Windows Media Player. I haven't done anything with the ripped ones yet but can I just say how much I enjoy looking at the Library feature of Media Player. I like the fact that the picture of the album shows up and they are in alphabetical order. How cool. Plus the names of the songs are listed. I've never been a song name person. Maybe there is hope for a 40+ year old woman.

I'm excited to create my new burned CD playlists. I'll probably start that adventure tomorrow.

P.S. I almost forgot. The last 2 of my giveaways are ending this week. Find out more information here.

UPDATE AGAIN: I had my face-to-face interview and have already received a call back for second interview with their marketing manager for tomorrow afternoon.

Meet Me on Monday

2011-06-27T08:27:00.000-04:00

Hosted weekly by Java at Never Growing Old.

Questions:

1. What is your favorite food?
       Hands down - it's pizza and pasta. I could eat both everyday.
2. What color scheme is your bedroom?
        Yellow, purple, green
3. Do you carry a donor card?
         Yes, on my driver's license as do both my children. We figure we're dead what does it matter what happens to our body. It may as well as help someone who is living.
4. In your opinion, is the glass half empty or half full?
          Half full.
5. Vanilla or Chocolate?
          Absolutely chocolate!

Summer Goal Project Starts

2011-06-26T19:29:00.000-04:00

If you read my blog then you know I posted last week about needing to feel a sense of accomplishment. It's been lacking for me and I want to recapture the feeling. Spurred on by Simplicity by Sunny and her novel writing project, I decided to set a goal every week for myself this summer.

My sister and I are having a garage sale at the end of July so many of my goals for July will work towards filling up the garage sale. I intend to take my life to a more minimalist lifestyle. I started trending towards this type of lifestyle 2 years ago when I hosted my first garage sale and realized just how much junk/stuff we had accummulated. Since then, I really look at everything I buy to "see" if I need it or want it bad enough to take up living space. I am by no means a minimalist but I want to be more so than I am.

The boxes of CDs and tapes (yes, I said tapes) that take up space in the closet need to go or be condensed. I want to combine the CDs into 2 or 3 CDs as I only like a couple of songs on each artists CD. I have no idea how to burn, rip or whatever its called. This task could take me a couple of days.

Update on last week: I applied to 3 jobs, had a phone interview and have a face-to-face set up for tomorrow morning. Yay! Mentally, I already work there.

Commenting Systems

2011-06-25T08:56:00.000-04:00

I love receiving and reading comments on my little old blog; however, responding to said comments can be difficult. I want to respond to almost all comments received but Blogger does not make it easy. So I am in a quandary.

Here is what I want:

I wish everyone had the email gadget activated on their profiles so I could just hit reply to the email notification and correspond directly.

But I know that is not going to happen so I need advice.

There are many new or new-to-me commenting systems out there. Please give me your thoughts on the systems if you use something different than Blogger or Wordpress.

How easy is it to install?
What happens to current Blogger comments?
Can you reply directly from email?
Anything else helpful.

Also if you use Blogger as your commenting tool, have you found an easier way to respond to comments?

Accomplishment

2011-06-24T09:00:00.003-04:00

Lately, I have been feeling a horrible sense of lack of accomplishment. Being a Type-A personality, I really need that sense of accomplishment feeling. I ~~like~~ love crossing things off a list. I love making lists. I like having a mission or goal. I tell myself that I don't and I try to live like I don't love this stuff but inevitably I go back to that lifestyle. It's the way I'm wired.

My current feeling, I believe, stems from disliking my current job, being sick so many times, and my daughter growing up (darn it :) ). So I decided I'm going to set a goal every week of some big proportion for the summer. (Thanks to Sunny for the idea.) I want to complete the goal by the end of every week. Some days I may even add a daily or monthly goal. I have lots of semi-finished projects that I haven't even told you about which need finished. In addition, I have projects/tasks that I haven't even started yet. They are just hanging out in my mind.

My plan is to post on Sunday or Monday what the goal is for that week starting June 26. Today, my goal is to clean out my desk and get rid of the stacks of papers/crap in my room. Yesterday, I applied for several jobs.

April - May - June Finds

2011-06-23T09:25:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted blogs I've found. Here is the latest list since March.

Check them out.

My Thoughts/Giveaway - Lucky O'Toole series by Deborah Coonts

2011-06-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: I finished Lucky Stiff and it was just as good as the first in the series. The sequel involved a heart-warming love story and just as much action as Wanna Get Lucky? I'm not quite sure how the character Lucky gets any rest. If I had her job, I'd be deadmeat all the time. This lady is very dedicated to her job but maybe if my job was as exciting as hers I'd be dedicated too. This story involves a murder connected to the district attorney, old time mob, and witness protection program. Throw in a little action from a world championship fight and typical casino action and you have an engaging murder mystery.

Yup, two of them. Available to some lucky reader. The lovely Leyane from FSB Associates offered both books for review and giveaway. Good for me, good for you.

I've only had the chance to read the first one so far. It's good. Sassy, sarcastic, and sexy. This series reminds me of a cross between Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series meets Jackie Collins's Lucky series. Lucky O'Toole is head of customer relations at Babylon, a top-notch hotel/casino in Vegas. She is in charge of protecting The Big Boss, his interests, and guests from the media and public. In this one book, Coonts fits in porn stars, cross dressing, partner-swapping, and new love. As if that is not enough, everything is wrapped around a murder.

Recommendation: Read it. I am very much so looking forward to reading the sequel and will finish it before passing it along.

You can check out Deborah Coonts's website here. She is up for two RITA awards for this book.

Now for the good stuff-The Giveaway
How: leave me a comment with a way to get ahold of you
When: I'll pick a random winner on June 24, Friday
Rules: Only US addresses

The Night Road Book Winner

2011-06-22T11:04:00.001-04:00

The winner of Night Road is........

Lindsay @ Lindsay Writes

Don't forget to check out my other giveaways for June. One ends this Friday.

Mini-Break

2011-06-18T08:35:00.000-04:00

I will be missing in action for the next 3 days. Tomorrow is my daughter's graduation party. Today I have to bake and then spend the day at work. I'm in charge of desserts. With her work schedule (camp counselor), it has been a whirlwind of activity around here. More so, for me cause I am her driver. Urgh.

Tomorrow will be another structured day as we have to leave her party by 7pm in order to get to her college for orientation/testing. We are out-of-towners so we'll have to drive 3 hours and check in is by 10pm. Cutting it close, I know. Then we'll spend Monday and Tuesday doing whatever the college wants. After that, I have the joy of driving my daughter back to camp (3 1/2hrs) and driving myself home (another 3 hrs).

I have spent more time in my car this month than is necessary for any person. I feel like it should have a refrigerator and TV in it. lol

Have a great beginning of the week. :)

Another Series Giveaway - Eric Van Lustbader

2011-06-16T08:40:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Zeitghost Media

I have the first and latest novels in the Jack McClure series to giveaway to some lucky reader. First Daughter came out in 2008 and is a paperback issue. Blood Trust just published last month and is a hardcover issue.

From the publisher's website:

"When a terrible accident takes the life of his only daughter, Emma, and his marriage falls apart, Jack blames himself, numbing the pain by submerging himself in work. Then he receives a call from his old friend Edward Carson. Carson is just weeks from taking the reins as President of the United States when his daughter, Alli, is kidnapped. Because Emma McClure was once Alli’s best friend, Carson turns to Jack, the one man he can trust to go to any lengths to find his daughter and bring her home safely." - First Daughter

"Alli Carson has been through her own personal hell. With her father, the President of the United States, recently dead and her mother in a coma from a terrible accident, she has poured herself into her training to become one of the best FBI agents at the Fearington Institute. Her inspiration and solace comes from the one man with whom she has ever felt a kinship, National Security Adviser, Jack McClure. But when Alli becomes the prime suspect in a murder at Fearington, a wide ranging investigation is triggered, involving local homicide detectives, the secret service, the FBI itself, and Alli’s own uncle, the billionaire lobbyist Henry Carson. And yet nothing is what it seems.

What follows is a treacherous journey that leads Jack and Alli into a complex web of lies and deceit. Using Jack’s unique gifts to see the through the labyrinth of manipulation, their investigation leads them into the dark heart of the international slave trade, tied to a powerful Albanian crime lord whose ability and influence in global terrorism grows with each day." - Blood Trust

Giveaway
1. If you interested in being acquiring the set, leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
2. You have until July 1, Friday to enter. I'll pick a random name that day.
3. Only U.S. addresses

The Kitchen Daughter Winner

2011-06-15T07:06:00.000-04:00

And the winner is......

Natalee at Ars Longa-Vita Brevis

I'm Not Old Enough

2011-06-14T09:25:00.001-04:00

Time for a life update. This month I technically became the mother of only adult children. I'm not old enough. My baby turned 18 and graduated from high school. Urgh. Sad face. A double whammy in one week. To top off that week, I also dropped her off at her job for the summer - camp counselor at a Girl Scout camp. I will be missing her lots this summer. Then in August I only get her for 4 days before I have to drop her off at college.

Why do they have to grow up? Who said?

I do realize this is a good thing but man it's hard. At least my son moved home and will be staying with me for the next college year. Then next year, Mom is flying the coop. I've already warned him he will have to move back on campus or get his own apartment. Of course, my plan may not work if my daughter doesn't enjoy living away for college. She may do the same as her brother and move back to our local college. Please No! Because next year she is intending to go abroad for school. I WANT her to stay with this goal so badly.

My year long projects have suffered immensely since April. I vow come July to get back to them as they weren't a hindrance but a joy. I was really getting into cooking at the different recipes and sampling wines. Next month my life should settle back into normal routine. Hopefully.

I'm not sure how other single moms with more than 2 kids do it. I applaud you!

P.S. Don't forget to check out my giveaways for this month. One ends tomorrow.

2011-06-13T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old:

1. What is your favorite yogurt flavor?
        Yogurt, who eats yogurt? Yuck

2. Ankle or knee socks? and on the same theme, white socks or coloured??
         Ankle, white but for work I have to wear black so I have a ton of those and no white. I borrow white ones from my daughter when I actually wear socks for personal time.

3. How is the weather right now?
         Cool, sunny, bright blue sky, breezy

4. Are you a fast typer?
           Fast. I used to be a secretary.

5. Red or White Wine?
        Definitely red. Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon are my favorites. However, on hot summer days I do like to drink Gazela Vinho Verde. Yummy. Its a light crisp wine with a little bit of bubbles.

Switch with your Favorite Character

2011-06-10T13:58:00.000-04:00

Parajunkee's question today is:

The magic book fairy pops out of your cereal box and says "you and your favorite character (from a book of course) can switch places!" Who are you going to switch with?

Claire from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I would only want to try this for a short period of time since there are no modern conveniences back then. How cool would it be to time travel though?

or

Wyn from Judith Ryan Hendricks's Bread Alone and The Baker's Apprentice. Why? Because she is a baker, lives in Seattle, has interesting places to live and hang out and is part-owner of a bakery/coffeehouse. Sign me up!

My Thoughts - Tomorrow Girls/Behind the Gates by Eva Gray

2011-06-07T12:41:00.001-04:00

Another ARC from last week.

Oh I haven't read a middle grade/YA novel is so long and this was excellent! I even snuck this puppy into work with me to read in a hidden spot all day and yes, read it at a long traffic light. Another one day read.

I have so many questions. Hello Scholastic, please release the next in the series tomorrow. Or perhaps just give me the rest of the series. I promise I won't tell.

Man, I really want to know what happens to these girls. This book leaves you with knowing a portion of what they are running from but now I want to know what they are going to run into.

The GIST: The world is at war. The US is fighting against the Alliance. The environment and society as we know it has been destroyed. Thirteen year olds are sent away for schooling. Louisa and her friend Maddie go to a school for the rich and privileged. They discover many things at school are not as they should be. But I'm not going to tell you what.

Recommendation: Read it!

P.S. Please Scholastic send me the rest.

Meet Me on Monday

2011-06-06T09:32:00.000-04:00

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old.http://nevergrowingold.blogspot.com/

Questions:

1. What is was the last piece of candy that you ate?
           Starburst because they are in a bowl on the coffeetable. My son had $100 of dining dollars at college he had to spent before end of semester or lose it so one item he bought was a giant $15 bag of Starburst.

2. Do you "read" in the bathroom?
           Not ashamed to admit it - yes I do.

3. I can't stand when someone _________?
            Makes weird noises with their mouths such as the background noise for rapping or constantly clearing their throats or something like that. I also hate it when people bounce their legs. Urgh. Annoying.
4. Do you do daily, weekly or monthly grocery shopping?
             Bi-monthly. I think that's what it is called when you shop twice a month. I hate grocery shopping. Yuck.

My Thoughts/Giveaway - French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

2011-06-06T09:08:00.001-04:00

This book will be released at the end of June. My ARC cover is completely different that this version. I honestly prefer the simple ARC cover better. This cover I think cheapens the quality of the book. Oh well, what do I know, right.

Another book I devoured last week. Read this one is one day. Slimmer than Night Road but just as addictive.

This book revolves around one day in the life of 3 French tutors and their 3 adult students in Paris. It is divided into sections with each section telling the activities and thoughts of only one tutor and their student. While this explanation may seem superficial, it is really a complex book that delves into the characters' thoughts and feelings and how they led up to their actions for that particular day.

I really enjoyed the variation of storytelling. Sussman did a magnificent job in creating the characters. I felt like I knew them personally and wanted to help guide their actions. I kept thinking - Oh do it. No, no don't do it. Tell that person off. No, keep this to yourself. But unfortunately they couldn't hear me through the pages.

Recommendation: READ IT. You won't regret it.

Giveaway
Same as yesterday.
Who: You, try something new
What: Leave me a comment if you want to be the new owner. Make sure you leave me a way to get ahold of you.
When: I'll pick a random person on June 29
Rules: Only US addresses