tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28615181042983186022024-02-21T09:41:32.682-05:00Land of BeanIt's her world, we're just lucky to live in it.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.comBlogger586125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-59535442274015354262014-10-23T17:40:00.001-04:002014-10-23T17:40:26.389-04:00Halloween is coming!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxr0Nt9Qqk-XcTSzNA2neR4EXSa9gVpDUYGVVrDYHa3W7yWqroJu98Kjcie33AJBZOfo6mw7cfQwRha_Milurg47kiFKHGJbEm1V7cRDJXq-s9diw27tqq7yUUprQ9EIJBUwoVsRegTY/s640/blogger-image-1827621949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxr0Nt9Qqk-XcTSzNA2neR4EXSa9gVpDUYGVVrDYHa3W7yWqroJu98Kjcie33AJBZOfo6mw7cfQwRha_Milurg47kiFKHGJbEm1V7cRDJXq-s9diw27tqq7yUUprQ9EIJBUwoVsRegTY/s640/blogger-image-1827621949.jpg"></a></div>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-32797778846880984102014-10-22T20:46:00.004-04:002014-10-22T21:00:41.677-04:00Body Modification, Renee Zelwegger and JudgmentI've been thinking about <a href="http://www.people.com/article/reader-reactions-renee-zellweger-new-look">Renee Zelwegger</a> a lot in the last 24 hours or so. Given the media (and social media) storm that erupted after her appearance at a charity event this past weekend, I know I'm not alone. Based on photos, it appears she spent some time with a plastic surgeon at some point in the recent past. Her characteristic heavy-lidded eyes are no more.<br />
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There are those who shout out that she doesn't look like the same person and how, HOW!?, could she do such a thing to herself. Women are <i>supposed</i> to age gracefully. To all of those people I have a question: <b> </b><br />
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<b>When did we decide that changing our appearance was a bad thing? </b><br />
<br />
Almost every one of us does at least one thing every day that alters our
appearance. Do you wear lipstick (to mimic fuller, more youthful lips)?
Or eyeliner (for more defined, open and, yes, youthful eyes)? Is it an
acceptable vanity because you can wipe it off at night? What about
spanx? Or high heels? Does using these things mean that women hate their
bodies? Or that there is some flaw in our society that they feel the
need to do this? Come on.<br />
<br />
Where is the line on making alterations to our appearance?? Is a chemical peel okay but facelifts are not? Is a tummy tuck okay but breast augmentation is not? What about ear piercings? Or nose piercing? Or any other piercings? What
about tattoos? Or hair coloring? Or makeup? Or eyebrow waxing? Or diets?
Or exercise? Is reconstructive vs elective a factor? Or is the degree of permanence the deciding factor? <br />
<br />
Cultures around the world have had examples of this to one degree or another. The neck stretchers in Africa, the lotus feet in China, the Mayan sloped foreheads are all extremes, but lesser examples abound throughout history.<br />
<br />
Are there people in Hollywood that make changes to their appearance for reasons other than personal satisfaction? Of course. Just as there are everywhere. But there are many, many people who make changes to their bodies for reasons completely devoid of outside pressure. <br />
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Ultimately, it just doesn't matter what a person's motivation was, whether it was driven by a basic desire to like what they see in the mirror a little more, or by a perceived need to look a certain way. It is their body, and theirs alone, to do with however they please. We all make changes to ourselves. Neither Renee Zelwegger, nor anyone else, owes anyone any explanations for their decisions.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-20568857400428846752013-07-24T19:39:00.001-04:002013-07-25T23:14:05.140-04:00Water babiesAs a child, we spent every free minute at the lake. I learned how to ski when I was barely out of diapers. I could slalom before I was 10. Sophie, on the other hand, has spent little time in natural water. And what time she has spent, has been ocean. So when we were offered an afternoon at the lake during our visit to Kansas, I jumped on the opportunity to introduce her to one of the joys of my youth.<br />
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I knew she loved swimming and brave little thing she is, I really wasn't worried she would be too timid to try something new, but I was overjoyed with just how much she reveled in the experience. She watched her cousin tube first and then gamely jumped on with me. The very next run, she was ready to go solo. She would have stayed on it for hours if we'd let her. She had a grin cemented on her face the rest of the afternoon. </div>
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Meanwhile, this old gal popped up on one ski on the first try despite not having set foot in a boot in more than 7 years. </div>
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I guess it runs in the family.</div>
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CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-86284531931577532702013-07-16T00:14:00.001-04:002013-07-16T00:14:26.955-04:00Swim TestJust yesterday I was saying that I couldn't wait until Sophie was independent enough at the pool that I could sit on the side reading a book while she ran around swimming and playing. <div><br></div><div>As the saying goes, be careful what you ask for.<br><div><br></div><div>Today, after no more than a couple practice runs, Sophie tried for and passed the test to be allowed to swim in the deep end of our pool. The test included treading water for a minute and swimming the full length of the pool without touching or stopping. I was completely unprepared for her to do this. Based on friends' kids, I thought she would be 6 or 7 before she even attempted it.</div><div><br></div><div>But today she did. And then she spent the whole afternoon jumping off the diving board completely ignoring her mother. So much so that I actually did read a few pages of the book I had optimistically brought. After a while I found myself watching her longingly and wishing she would ask me to swim with her. She never did. At the end of the day I had to lure her off that diving board with the promise of froyo and Don Pablo's.</div><div><br></div><div>Kids grow up, it's the nature of the little beasts, but why does it have to happen so damn suddenly?</div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehyzycrLSh2mtZ1BauYzbv5P2nYE1QKyMhFwPtft79vRjVIOkFKpsuBvnQvZJpW61sFz5T8eoWtUBaOsQF4g1_u3rNjFhQ-q8B4AwW-jzIzIsGsj9vcmPW98U4bAV-LdV3BZNkAcgOQI/s640/blogger-image--1257034185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehyzycrLSh2mtZ1BauYzbv5P2nYE1QKyMhFwPtft79vRjVIOkFKpsuBvnQvZJpW61sFz5T8eoWtUBaOsQF4g1_u3rNjFhQ-q8B4AwW-jzIzIsGsj9vcmPW98U4bAV-LdV3BZNkAcgOQI/s640/blogger-image--1257034185.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div></div>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-64838385990956571672013-07-12T05:55:00.001-04:002014-07-24T16:01:18.872-04:00Beachisms<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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Despite repeated tellings that Myrtle Beach is the city rather than just the sandy place with the water, Sophie insists on referring to the beach itself as such, always asking when we're going to "the myrtle beach." </div>
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At first a little irritated by it, now I kinda hope she doesn't stop.</div>
CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-47186155827791808572013-01-28T22:47:00.002-05:002013-05-29T23:46:33.068-04:00What I'm Reading 2013<span class="status-body">Another year down, another shelf added to my personal library. I read some really amazing books last year. Books that made me laugh. Books that made me weep. Books that had me so frustrated I could barely focus on the pages. I also delved into audiobooks for the first time, with mixed results. I sort of fell off the literary wagon for a while but I'm rediscovering how much I love reading and that is a wonderful thing.</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2012/01/what-im-reading-2012.html">The Year in Books 2012</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2011/01/what-am-i-reading-2011.html">The Year in Books 2011</a></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2010/01/what-am-i-reading-2010.html">The Year in Books 2010</a> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2009/01/what-am-i-reading.html">The Year in Books 2009 </a></span></b><br />
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<b><span class="status-body">Currently Reading </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Men-Chaos-Walking-Three/dp/0763656658/ref=la_B001JSDMK2_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369877205&sr=1-3">Monsters of Men</a> </b>- Patrick Ness (YA, Sci-Fi)</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><br /></span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body">May</span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Summers-Una-LaMarche/dp/1595146725/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369877074&sr=8-1&keywords=Five+Summers+-+Una+LaMarche">Five Summers </a></b>- Una LaMarche (YA) </span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">Grade: A- </span>Three years after they "graduated" out of their New England summer camp, four friends return for the annual camp reunion weekend to relive past glories and </span><span class="status-body">renew friendships, but the weekend takes an unexpected turn when secrets come out. <span class="status-body"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">The book navigates between the reunion weekend
and experiences from each of the five summers the girls spent at camp
together, deftly showing how the present is so often defined by the
past. And while there is a romantic element, this isn't a love story. It is about friendships and the tests that time and
distance place on them.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">As a pre-teen, I spent a week each summer at a sleep-away camp and I vividly recall the microcosm of life that took place during that short span of time. Friendships raced from introduction to BFF at the speed of light. Boys and girls met, "went out" and broke up in 24 hour periods. The isolation and time constraints lent an air of immediacy and import to every minute interaction. So perhaps it is partially because of my own experience that I was so effectively transported back to that time of my life while reading this book, but each of the four main characters was so real and identifiable that it was definitely more than just nostalgia that made me enjoy this book so much. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">The first half of the book was a little slow as we learned about each of the characters, but the second half more than made up for it as we raced towards the emotional end of the weekend and the big "capture the flag" showdown between the boys and the girls. All in all, a fun read.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Penumbras-24-Hour-Bookstore-Novel/dp/0374214913/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369877109&sr=1-1&keywords=Mr.+Penumbra%27s+24+Hour+Book+Store+-+Robin+Sloan">Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store </a></b>- Robin Sloan (Fiction)</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flutter-Gina-Linko/dp/0375869964/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369877135&sr=1-1&keywords=Flutter+-+Gina+Linko">Flutter </a></b>- Gina Linko (YA, Paranormal)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Answer-Chaos-Walking-Book/dp/076364837X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369877168&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Ask+and+The+Answer+-+Patrick+Ness">The Ask and The Answer </a></b>- Patrick Ness (YA, Sci-Fi)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b><span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knife-Never-Letting-Chaos-Walking/dp/0763645761/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363913277&sr=1-1&keywords=the+knife+of+never+letting+go">The Knife of Never Letting Go</a> </b>- </span></b><span class="status-body">Patrick Ness (YA, Sci-fi)</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Light-Between-Oceans-Novel/dp/1451681755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367204060&sr=8-1&keywords=the+light+between+oceans">The Light Between Oceans</a></b> - M.L. Stedman</span></span></b><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><br /></span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body">April </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Childhoods-End-Del-Rey-Impact/dp/0345444051/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367204185&sr=1-1&keywords=Childhood%27s+End">Childhood's End</a></b> - Arthur C. Clarke (Science Fiction) Grade: A-</span><b><span class="status-body"><br /></span></b><br />
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<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whered-You-Go-Bernadette-Novel/dp/0316204269/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367204116&sr=1-1&keywords=Where%27d+You+Go%2C+Bernadette"><b>Where'd You Go, Bernadette</b></a> - Maria Semple (Fiction) Grade: A</span></span><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span> </span><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Jessi-Kirby/dp/1442452161/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366858727&sr=1-3&keywords=golden">Golden </a></b>- Jessi Kirby (YA) </span>Grade: B- On
the edge of graduating high school and winning the college scholarship
that will
make all her dreams come true, 17 year old Taylor takes a leap and does
something unexpected on the trail of a decade-old mystery. But she
discovers more than just the answers to the mystery in her quest.<br />
<br />
The story centers on Taylor's discovery
of the private journal of a girl, Julianna, who went missing and was presumed
dead 10 years ago. I enjoyed the interplay of Taylor's story and the journal of the
ill-fated Julianna. Despite their differences, the parallels between
their lives were striking and poignant, each with a seemingly *golden*
path ahead of them that they began to question as events in their lives unfold.<br />
<br />
Despite
this, I'm sorry to say that I couldn't get emotionally invested in this book. Too much of
the plot hinges on quirky, unbelievable elements that didn't ring true
to me. And I say this as someone who regularly reads fantasy and science
fiction. The author has to make me believe and I just didn't here. I
couldn't even understand how Taylor and Kat could be best friends. Class
valedictorian and town screw-up? Has this ever in the history of
teenage girls happened? Since this relationship is pivotal to the story,
that's a pretty big flaw for me.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, I would put
this in the beach read category: it's fast paced with a light emotional
payoff, but flat, stereotypical characters and predictable turns make it
unremarkable and easy to put down when you want to run out for a swim.<br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/World-Mass-Market-Movie-Tie-/dp/0770437400/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366858628&sr=1-1&keywords=world+war+z">World War Z </a></b>- Max Brooks (Sci-Fi) Grade: A-</span><br />
<span class="status-body"><br /></span>
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Me-Before-You-Jojo-Moyes/dp/0670026603/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366858585&sr=1-1&keywords=me+before+you+jojo+moyes">Me Before You</a></b> - Jojo Moyes (Fiction) Grade: A</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">March</span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Here-Samantha-Schutz/dp/0545169127/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366858491&sr=1-1&keywords=you+are+not+here">You Are Not Here </a></b>- Samantha Schutz (YA) Grade: A-</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Mars-Edgar-Rice-Burroughs/dp/1466493283/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366858443&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Princess+of+Mars">A Princess of Mars </a></b>- Edgar Rice Burroughs (Sci-fi) Grade: B+</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Delirium-Lauren-Oliver/dp/0061726834/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363913254&sr=1-1&keywords=delirium">Delirium</a></b> - Lauren Oliver (YA) Grade: </span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">February</span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Obvious-Game-Rita-Arens/dp/098565628X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361933049&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Obvious+Game+-+Rita+Arens"><b>The Obvious Game</b></a> </span></span></b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">- Rita Arens (YA) Grade: A</span></span><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Everywhere-Jandy-Nelson/dp/0142417807/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361325978&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sky+is+everywhere">The Sky Is Everywhere</a></b> </span></span></b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">- Jandy Nelson (YA) After her only sister </span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">unexpectedly </span></span>dies at 19, Lennie struggles to figure out who she is without her. I loved this book. I loved the words. I loved Lennie's family. I love her relationship with Joe. My favorite book of 2013. Grade: A+</span></span><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Me-Justina-Chen/dp/0316102555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361325949&sr=8-1&keywords=Return+to+Me+-+Justina+Chen">Return to Me</a></b> - Justina Chen (Fiction)</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><span class="status-body">Just before Rebecca is scheduled to begin her freshman year at Columbia, an upheaval in her family throws her world into a tailspin. A thoroughly enjoyable story about a young girl's struggle to find herself when her parents, friends, and boyfriend are pulling her in different directions. Grade: A-</span><br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">January </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Messenger-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375836675/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359431247&sr=1-1&keywords=i+am+the+messenger"><b>I am the Messenger </b></a>- Marcus Zusak ( Genre: Fiction) </span>This book was so beautifully written
and such a poignant story. But it didn't have quite the punch that The
Book Thief did, so I'm dropping it down that one star. Still, it was a
wonderful read and I wholeheartedly recommend this book and pretty much
anything Markus Zusak writes. Grade: A<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Tribes-Hattie-Oprahs-Book/dp/0385350287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359431226&sr=1-1&keywords=the+twelve+tribes+of+hattie"><b><span class="status-body"><br /></span></b></a>
<b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Tribes-Hattie-Oprahs-Book/dp/0385350287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359431226&sr=1-1&keywords=the+twelve+tribes+of+hattie">The Twelve Tribes of Hattie</a> </span></b><span class="status-body">- Ayana Mathis</span><span class="status-body"> (Genre: Fiction)</span><span class="status-body"> I am generally skeptical of Oprah book club books. This was chosen by my book club, though, so I gave it a chance. Sadly, it felt like typical Oprah fare. This book told Hattie's tale, through the lives of her 12 children. However, the twelve stories felt disconnected.</span><span class="status-body"> Grade: B-</span><b><span class="status-body"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><br /></span></b>
<b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feed-M-T-Anderson/dp/0763662623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359430976&sr=8-1&keywords=feed">Feed</a> - </span></b><span class="status-body">M.T. Anderson (Genre: Science Fiction, YA) During spring break on the Moon, Titus and his friends are touched by a hacker and their internal "feeds" are cut off from the steady stream of information they've had their entire lives. A thought-provoking read about the increasingly pervasive nature of technology in our lives. Grade: B+</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><b>TBR</b></span><br />
<span class="status-body"><b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Tranquility-Novel-Katja-Millay/dp/1476730946/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366858854&sr=1-1&keywords=sea+of+tranquility+by+katja+millay">Sea of Tranquility</a> - </span></b><span class="status-body">Katja Millay </span><b> </b></span>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-70385625011695041332012-11-01T11:21:00.001-04:002012-11-02T09:37:59.171-04:00Dia de los Muertos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6AdLVdjmAfosuAhmIn5hSn7enSQFoN5kZmyLPDoyANkBHeiFDiOxKMjhZ2-ff_wJ81kxanq8lFLQ3H9fvMnjFIlhmuA_0lpABd4NYCo6yKl_56l92K23NM3jJv3jtGnkb9OirmcmOCo/s640/blogger-image--1380907175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6AdLVdjmAfosuAhmIn5hSn7enSQFoN5kZmyLPDoyANkBHeiFDiOxKMjhZ2-ff_wJ81kxanq8lFLQ3H9fvMnjFIlhmuA_0lpABd4NYCo6yKl_56l92K23NM3jJv3jtGnkb9OirmcmOCo/s1600/blogger-image--1380907175.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Somehow October turned into one of the craziest months of this year. We've had birthday parties, at least one, every weekend; Sophie's birthday was the 14th, which meant working and baking for her birthday at school, and a small get-together turned chaotic free for all on the 27th; finally, working and preparing for Sophie's school Halloween party on the 31st. Wedge in a number of other engagements and appointments to fill up the dwindling spare moments in between and there wasn't much left of this month. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't mind the busyness. In some ways, I thrive on it. In the days leading up to Sophie's birthday party, I was up each night until the early hours of the morning baking and preparing. I felt exhilarated in my drive to do everything that needed to be done. Much like when I worked, and the push for a proposal would have me working long hours, I felt purposeful in a way that I don't often these days. Which isn't to say that my life is without purpose. It is. There is nothing more important than raising a happy, healthy child. But the day to day of it is wearying in a way very different from working outside of the home. It is a quiet weariness. The fatigue that set in after a hard stretch at work was harsher but easily recovered from.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The exhaustion I felt as this month came to a close was bone deep. It was the result of running a marathon and sprinting every other mile. After Sophie's party, I hurt. The aches weren't localized like they are after a particularly hard workout or vigorous exercise class. The legs. The chest. The arms. This was every single muscle of my body. I felt a weight of a thousand pounds when I tried to pull myself out of bed that morning. It took most of Sunday spent laying around before I started to feel like I wasn't under water. Even then, I was still beyond exhausted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now, with the school Halloween Party over and the final bit of insanity passed, I find myself sick. The running and running and running caught up with me. The recuperative days spent sequestered indoors during Sandy were not enough to bring me back from the edge. I awoke today, the Day of the Dead appropriately, with a sore throat, aches and chills. I've functioned. Even, probably inadvisably, made it to the gym for the first time in a week. But the message is clear. SLOW DOWN. Give my body a rest. Have some of those regularly tiring days before I jump back into the insanity that has become my life lately. And I plan to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just as soon as I go to the Mom Mixer event in Philadelphia on Saturday. And another birthday party on Sunday. And book club on Monday. And...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I need an intervention. </div>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-58934036063136319482012-10-02T14:15:00.000-04:002012-10-02T14:18:11.572-04:00Finally. A Before and AfterI spent several hours last night going through the 3000+ photos I have on my iphone. Largely because all those pics were taking up more than a 1/3 of my storage capacity and that's just plain silly when I could download them to our home computer. Not just that but so much of Sophie's life is cataloged in those gigabytes and gigabytes of photographic memories. What if my phone died or was lost or stolen and all of those precious bits were lost? I would be devastated. So I began the task of culling, sorting and transferring them.<br />
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Among the many many MANY photos of Sophie were a few photos of me. Here's a funny thing I do: I take pictures of myself in outfits to see how I think they look from a slightly different perspective. I realize its a picture of exactly the same thing I'm looking at in the mirror, but you'd be surprised how often I decide not to wear something because of the photo. I do the same thing in stores as I'm trying stuff on, especially when I'm on the fence about buying something. The vast majority of the time I immediately delete these photos. I don't need a bunch of pictures of me looking in the mirror. Vain, much? But sometimes I'm distracted or in a hurry and I don't delete them. As I was going through the pictures, occasionally one of these funny pics would turn up. And I would laugh and delete them. But then the thought occurred to me that this might be the only way I was going to get a remotely accurate Before and After picture of my weight loss journey. So I saved one of the obvious befores and one that I took a month or two ago and put them side by side.<br />
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There's no way to sugar coat it, my before picture is painful for me to see. I recognize that I was not grotesquely overweight but I was bigger than I have ever been and I just don't even look like *me* to me. I carried so much weight in my face and holy smokes, those hips. Sometimes I think about going back through Facebook and my blog and pretty much every where else I have pictures from the last couple of years and scrubbing all of the heavier ones but I won't because too many of them are with Sophie or on vacations and I refuse to delete those memories out of vanity.<br />
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But the most important part is that after a year of busting my butt, literally, at the gym and following Weight Watchers, I lost 50 pounds. 5-0. POUNDS. And I'm pretty gosh darned proud of that. So I'm going to share the pain and the joy via my silly mirror pics that were never supposed to see the light of day.<br />
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<br />CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-57088589702829159562012-09-06T23:02:00.000-04:002012-09-28T23:36:16.390-04:00ToothlessSophie first alerted us to a loose tooth in early July. On vacation with friends, the older daughter of our travel companions was showing off her wiggly tooth and Sophie piped up that hers was loose as well. At first assuming it was just her wanting to be like the big kid, we laughed it off. But at her insistence, I stuck my finger in her mouth and sure enough, one of her top teeth waggled. And then I felt her other top tooth and it too moved. A few weeks later, two top teeth still wiggly but not measurably more so, she pointed out that her bottom two front teeth were also now loose. Four front teeth. All wiggly waggly.<br />
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At her late July dental appointment, the dentist said she would likely not have any front teeth for her school picture. We oohed and aahed and I went straight home and made a little Tooth Fairy pillow with tiny tooth pocket to hang on her door. The tooth fairy stops at the door these days. Needless to say, we expected her teeth to start dropping out at any moment.<br />
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They didn't.<br />
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And so we watched her wiggle her teeth every day and we waited. <br />
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And waited.<br />
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And waited.<br />
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Teeth wiggled. A little. But nothing substantial. I fed her apples and corn on the cob and carrots. To no avail. Her teeth were wiggly, but stubbornly still attached to her jaw.<br />
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Until today.<br />
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Today was her first day of school. It is her second and last year of pre-school before she starts kindergarten next fall. It's at the same school she attended last year, a co-op just down the street where we've been very happy. Part of the co-op format is that parents help out in the classroom at least once a month. Today was my day to work. Despite no small amount of chaos with 18 four year olds and their accompanying parents, the day went well. Sophie didn't do anything unprecedented for a four year old and other than one kid wearing a wifebeater and jean shorts who carried a wooden knife around for the first half hour*, the rest of the class was pretty tame too.<br />
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Afterwards, we went to Chick-Fil-A for a celebratory lunch with Sophie's BFF, Lila, and her mom, Eileen. As the girls delicately nibbled (read: capriciously threw food into their mouthholes) on their nuggets and delicious waffle fries, Eileen and I talked about the YA novels we're reading. At some point, Sophie mentioned her loose tooth and I cringed when she wiggled it to a nearly horizontal position. I can do blood and poop and puke but seriously wiggly teeth give me the heebie jeebies. Go figure. We laughed at her wiggly teeth and went back to talking.<br />
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Then, with absolutely no warning, she nonchalantly leaned over in the booth next to me and pulled that tooth right out. No screaming or crying or drama. With a small amount of blood and a HUGE smile, my girl dropped her tooth into my palm. Just like that, she lost her first tooth.<br />
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If only everything could be this easy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This doubles as her first day of school and first gaptooth smile photo.</td></tr>
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<i>*He's a terrifically sweet kid who happens to look exactly like a bully straight out of Stand By Me. </i><br />
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Aren't you impressed I didn't say "my baby's growing up" anywhere in this post. I am a paragon of restraint.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-54786504445343866032012-08-15T23:23:00.001-04:002012-08-15T23:25:59.304-04:00Spider KidFor the seven of you that didn't see this on Facebook or Instagram. Plus, I wanted to try out the Blogger app on my phone. We're all still alive and kicking. Maybe once school starts I'll actually write a real post!<br />
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CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-961146896889523852012-05-24T07:00:00.000-04:002012-05-24T07:00:07.385-04:00StagesAt every stage in my daughter's brief life, I have thought things were kinda rough. I'm being dramatic, of course, because rough is relative here. But histrionics aside, I truly felt like I was struggling. I have felt out of control and crazed and frustrated. But at each stage, I have innocently, and perhaps foolishly, looked forward to the next stage with the optimism that things would be better. That when she is 2, it will be easier because she'll be mobile; at 3, it will be easier because she'll be talking; at 4, it will be easier because she'll be a KID and at least somewhat rational.<br />
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So here we are at 4 and I honestly feel like we are still in crapville. That with each stage attained, we have dropped off a few bad things and picked up double to replace them. My four year old is argumentative and willful and sassy and opinionated and ohmygodsofrustrating. She doesn't listen. At all. We've done time outs and reward charts and taking away favored toys/tv time/games and sending her to bed early and all manner of punishments and enticements for bad and good behavior respectively and she is still argumentative and willful and sassy and opinionated.<br />
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She doesn't listen. Sometimes figuratively, as in she hears me but chooses not to comply and sometimes literally in that I am pretty sure she can shut down the hearing centers in her brain and operate on sight alone thereby negating all of the NO/STOP/DON'Ts that I am shouting at her.<br />
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The funny thing is, as much as I hate her backtalk and not minding me, a part of me kind of loves that she is so strong-minded. That she stands up for herself with such fierceness. Of course, when she's giving me the sass I want to smack that fierceness into next Tuesday, but that's the price you pay I suppose. She will likely test me to my very limits. I'm not kidding when I say that it wouldn't surprise me if the police brought her home a time or two when she's in high school for some naughty behavior. Nothing too terrible, maybe caught TPing someone's yard or smuggling a couple cans of beer into the Friday night football game, but enough to give us heart palpitations.<br />
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But I also think she's the girl who will turn into a woman who's CEO of a company, or invents the cure for cancer, or wins an Oscar, or hell, the president, because she won't take no for an answer. Because she'll fight against any roadblock until she gets what she wants.<br />
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I just hope my sanity survives her early years and I'm around to see this powerful woman I helped create, because at this rate, it's not looking so good.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-56237814842702303502012-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:002012-04-27T07:00:03.050-04:00LucyMy daughter loves to ride her bike. Nearly every day she begs me to take her out riding. I feel like a bad mommy but I only take her out riding a couple times a week. Its not that I don't want to take her out nor that I don't want her to ride her bike. My greatest wish is that she spend as much time as possible out of doors pursuing physical activity and exploration. It's that a bike ride is never just a bike ride.<br />
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See, this is how our bike rides start out:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGmDLPDiPvbYUaDbOib3XUYo2TQzWA8WV0UOushQxUnJz5NUvlmhT_1C6iIVCJLSfneSUaCqoZ2AlYj4kPmc4kQtrVrj2qXj-P9FkWAaiGwzs0AedLCSEiwKg3eoHmzWJV7enhKQskAM/s1600/bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGmDLPDiPvbYUaDbOib3XUYo2TQzWA8WV0UOushQxUnJz5NUvlmhT_1C6iIVCJLSfneSUaCqoZ2AlYj4kPmc4kQtrVrj2qXj-P9FkWAaiGwzs0AedLCSEiwKg3eoHmzWJV7enhKQskAM/s400/bike.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Sophie excitedly pedaling in front of me. Helmet, elbow and knee pads donned. Her baby doll in the seat behind her. We chatter away as we decide which way to go. Whether we'll head towards the elementary school across the street or around the neighborhood.<br />
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She's pretty good on there, knows how to pedal and steer and brake, but we live on a busy road and I worry, so I stay close behind her, on foot. Generally, we'll sing songs and talk about what we see on our ride. The plants and animals that inhabit our neighborhood. We'll meander our way through the smaller streets behind our house. Carefully crossing at intersections. Navigating the gentle hills. <br />
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And then it happens. She jumps off the bike to pick a flower (dandelion) and runs ahead. I holler out to her that she needs to come back for her bike. And she does. For a minute. But then she's off again. To look at an unusual mailbox that she's seen a dozen times before on bike rides or walks. She comes back again for her bike, but it is short-lived. Finally, she abandons the bike altogether and this is what I see for the rest of our outing:<br />
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What you don't see, because I am the documentarian of our life, is me pulling the bike. Again. And this is why I am beginning to hate bike rides. Every time she promises me that she will ride her bike the whole way, that I won't wind up dragging it the last mile home. And every time she gets off and abandons it and I'm left with sore toes from all the times I accidentally run over them with the blasted training wheels as I chase after her pulling that bike next to me.<br />
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My girl is Lucy with the football. And I? Am a gullible blockhead.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-58072123146854561422012-03-21T20:38:00.002-04:002012-03-22T01:10:09.888-04:00My Achilles Tendon Hurts Just Thinking About ItMy daughter is no stranger to sleeping in unconventional spots. When she was younger, it was the rule rather than the exception that I would find her bed empty when I checked on her during sleeptimes. She has slept on the floor, the changing table, the glider and in her <a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2009/12/sleepnanigans.html">laundry basket</a>. She has created nests made out of toys, snuggling down amid the bears and puppies and baby dolls. <br />
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But those days are mostly behind us now. These days, the laughs are derived from HOW she is sleeping, not where. That kid of mine can find some unbelievable positions to contort her body into. Every night as we go to bed, we creep in and giggle at that night's acrobatics. <br />
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Tonight, Neil went up to bed ahead of me. A few minutes later, while I puttered around on the computer in the basement, I received a text from Neil. "Sophie is not up here." As you might imagine, my first horrible thoughts ran to the likes of alien abduction or the David Bowie goblin king spiriting her away. But then I got another text, with a photo, which I opened about the time I hit the stairs to the 2nd floor. Neil had found her...under our bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice her arm up on the bed frame. </td></tr>
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According to her, she had gone into our room looking for the iPad to get in some late night Power Ranger viewing on the Netflix app. When she couldn't find it because I had it with me downstairs, she dragged several pillows and blankets in and climbed under our bed. In protest? Perhaps she went under there to lay in wait so she could ambush me and run off with the iPad. I don't really know. When asked about her motives, she was not exactly forthcoming. Having a conversation with a preschooler in the best of circumstances is like talking to a person who's had seven, maybe eight, Irish Carbombs, talking to one who is half asleep ups the frustration quotient exponentially.<br />
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I saw Pet Sematery as a teenager, and Gage under the bed has haunted me ever since. So while we got a good laugh out of it tonight, I will say this: if that child of mine ever thinks to lurk under my bed and scare me with an ankle grab as I walk by, I'm not sure I can be responsible for my actions.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-90407779506844597332012-02-09T22:13:00.000-05:002012-02-09T22:13:21.498-05:00To a TI signed Sophie up for t-ball today. Its a league run through the county rec center, games start in April. When a friend from my moms' group first forwarded an email about it, I honestly didn't even really consider it. <br />
<br />
Up until now, all of Sophie's activities have been uni-sex. Swim, tumbling, crafts, nature center; there was no question of their interest and appropriateness for both boys and girls. But we're getting to the age where I would like to get Sophie involved in team sports. She's a very physical, active kid and we think that organized sports will be a good outlet for her. <br />
<br />
Despite that, when the idea was floated of t-ball, I almost dismissed it without a second thought. Unconsciously, I had separated it out into a "boy" activity. But I saved the email. And as other friends responded to the thread either affirming that they wanted to register their children or that they weren't interested, the idea germinated in my mind.<br />
<br />
Sophie is very good at hitting a ball with a bat. She can reliably hit a pitched ball and can hit the stuffing out of a ball on a stand. We played baseball in the back yard with the neighbor boys for two summers, hitting and catching and running bases. And she loved it.<br />
<br />
When I was just a little older than Sophie is now, I wanted to play in Little League. I think I was a lot like Sophie when I was a child, exuberantly athletic. At that time, in my small town, Little League was the only team sport available for kids my age. But it was only for boys, so I couldn't play. With the abundance of team sports available for both sexes now, it seems insane that just 30 years ago, things were so different, but they were. <br />
<br />
I think of myself as a fairly progressive parent. While I do think there are areas where one or the other sex is stronger, I don't necessarily think that means that children of the opposite sex are barred from that activity. Which is why it surprises me that I dismissed t-ball at first. I'm a modern mama. But some things are rooted deep and perhaps that early experience with baseball tainted my views today.<br />
<br />
But the more I thought about it, the more right it seemed. So I signed her up. She will likely be in the minority, but I know there will be at least a few other girls. But even if she is the only one, I know she is going to be an all star.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-22884483108694538092012-01-09T22:39:00.017-05:002013-01-17T21:38:17.840-05:00What I'm Reading 2012<span class="status-body">Here we are with a new year</span><span class="status-body"> and an ocean of books on my to read list. My reading dropped off a little in 2011, I somehow only made it through 24 books, but I'm back in the saddle and ready to delve into some literature in 2012! </span><span class="status-body">As in the past, please feel to leave comments on books you read, opinions on my "reviews" or suggestions.</span><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2011/01/what-am-i-reading-2011.html">The Year in Books 2011</a></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2010/01/what-am-i-reading-2010.html">The Year in Books 2010</a> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.landofbean.com/2009/01/what-am-i-reading.html">The Year in Books 2009 </a></span></b><br />
<br /><b><span class="status-body">December</span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Disaster-Jamie-McGuire/dp/1466401885/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358476086&sr=8-1&keywords=Beautiful+Disaster+-+Jamie+McGuire">Beautiful Disaster </a>- Jamie McGuire (genre: Fiction) Chronicling a dysfunctional college relationship. Grade: B-</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daughters-Time-Jennifer-Handford/dp/1612182925/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356575746&sr=8-1&keywords=daughters+for+a+time">Daughters for a Time</a> - Jennifer Handford (genre: Fiction) After struggling with infertility, Helen and her husband decide to adopt a child from China. But their happiness is cut short when tragedy strikes their family. Grade: B+</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Mariposas-Guadalupe-Garcia-Mccall/dp/1600609007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356555667&sr=8-1&keywords=summer+of+the+mariposas">Summer of the Mariposas </a>- Guadalupe Garcia McCall (genre: Young Adult)</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><span class="status-body">After five sisters discover a dead man floating in their idyllic swimming spot in the Rio Grande River, the girls begin an odyssey to return the man to his family that takes them on an unexpected journey through the myths of Aztec legend. In the process, the bonds that hold the girls together are further cemented and they discover some unpleasant truths about their own missing father.</span><br />
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<span class="status-body">This book has a number of elements that should have made it a big hit for me: sisters, complicated paternal relationships, ancient mythology; unfortunately it just didn't quite hit the mark. I struggled to get into the adventure because I kept saying to myself "no one would ever do that" whenever one of the girls did something that led them into another harrowing situation. </span><span class="status-body">Perhaps if I were more familiar with the legends that were featured in the book, I could have been more invested in the girl's journey but the constant insertion of mythological creatures felt forced and overdone.</span><br />
<br />
I loved McCall's first book, Under the Mesquite, a lyrical story that had me in tears in several places. While I enjoyed this book, it didn't have the emotional punch or connection for me. I suspect a younger audience might find this book quite enjoyable but for me the story felt somewhat flat. <span class="status-body">Grade: B</span><b><span class="status-body"><br /></span></b><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Twelve-Book-Passage-Trilogy/dp/0345504984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354241871&sr=8-1&keywords=the+twelve">The Twelve</a> - Justin Cronin (Science Fiction) The second in the trilogy begun so promisingly with The Passage. Middle books are a troublesome sort. They're a connector, so they don't have the clear cut ending of a standalone novel. Its always hard to tell until you've read the third book just how much was actually needed in the second and how much was fluff. This book was reasonably entertaining but often felt like filler. I guess the third book will tell. Grade: B+</span><br />
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<b><span class="status-body">November </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tell-Wolves-Im-Home-Novel/dp/0679644199/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353983571&sr=8-1&keywords=tell+the+wolves+i%27m+home">Tell The Wolves I'm Home</a> - Carol Rifka Brunt (genre: Young Adult) It doesn't happen often, but maybe once or twice a year I will read a book that burrows its way down into my psyche, that even after I'm done reading it, I'm still actively ruminating on it. A book that makes me feel so much that it almost becomes a part of my own story. This was one of those books. Such a beautifully written, poignant story about a 14 yo girl who loses her favorite uncle to AIDS and the relationship she develops with his boyfriend as they both try to make peace with his passing. Grade: A+</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/039925675X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353983697&sr=1-1&keywords=legend+marie+lu">Legend </a>- Marie Lu (genre: Young Adult) In a United States that is now comprised of two warring factions, The Republic and The Colonies, those in the Republic live in a strictly regulated class based society. When June, a 15yo prodigy, begins the hunt for her brother's killer, she has no idea the revelations about her government she will unearth. Grade: B-</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Running-Scissors-Memoir-Augusten-Burroughs/dp/031242227X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352345933&sr=8-1&keywords=running+with+scissors">Running With Scissors</a> - Augusten Burroughs</span></span></span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><span class="status-body">(genre: Memoire) This book was painful for me to read. </span><span class="status-body">Grade: C-</span><b><span class="status-body"><br /></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">October<span class="status-body"> </span> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-She-Went-Gayle-Forman/dp/0142420891/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351828364&sr=1-1&keywords=where+she+went">Where She Went</a> </span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">- Gayle Forman (genre: Fiction) The follow-up to <i>If I Stay</i>, the story of a young girl, Mia, who loses her family, and nearly her life, in a car accident. Now, we're following Adam, Mia's high school boyfriend. Now a hugely successful rock singer, he struggles with his newfound fame and with his unresolved feelings for Mia. Predictable, but that's not always a bad thing because this book was still very GOOD. Grade: A-</span></span><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span></span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Alaska-John-Green/dp/0142402516/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1351137205&sr=8-4&keywords=john+green">Looking for Alaska</a> - John Green (genre: Young Adult) A 16 year old boy goes off to boarding school and finds the friendships of a lifetime in his roommate and a handful of other students, including the beautiful Alaska, the troubled girl he falls in love with. When tragedy strikes, the friends rally to find answers. Grade: A-</span></span><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span> </span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Donna-Cooner/dp/0545427630/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351043642&sr=8-1&keywords=skinny+book"><span class="status-body">Skinny</span></a><span class="status-body"> - Donna Cooner</span><span class="status-body"> (genre: Young Adult) After not especially loving last month's Stone Girl, I was a little nervous coming into another book that dealt with weight issues in teens. But the premise seemed different enough that I hoped I would enjoy it more. And I did. So much more. This is the story of Ever, who lost her mother to cancer when she was 10 and began eating to compensate for her grief. Now 15 and 300 pounds, she is miserable within her own body, her worst thoughts and fears voiced by Skinny, the mean girl who taunts her from within. When all other diets have failed, she decides to have gastric bypass surgery. With the support of her best friend, Rat, she faces the challenges of recovering her health and her self-confidence. </span><br />
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<span class="status-body">When I read the synopsis, I was afraid this book would focus on the procedure and the more clinical physical aspects. While there was certainly plenty of information about the medical side, it was purely in support of the story. This novel isn't about gastric bypass surgery, it's about a young girl and her struggles with self-esteem. Overcoming the doubts created by our negative inner monologues and finding self-worth is a common struggle, making </span><span class="status-body">Ever very easy to identify with, regardless of whether you've been overweight. </span><br />
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<span class="status-body">I can't say that I was surprised by any of the
plot twists, but I still really enjoyed this book and was rooting for Ever to the end.</span><br />
<span class="status-body">Grade: A-</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Center-Everything-Novel-Laura-Moriarty/dp/B000ETQQ3C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350526993&sr=1-1&keywords=the+center+of+everything">The Center of Everything</a> - Laura Moriarity (genre: Young Adult) Some books hit too close to home for me to enjoy them as much as they should be. This was one of those books for me. Well written but sometimes painful for me to read because I identified in so many ways. I can't see the forest for the trees here, so it's getting a B. I wish I could go higher, because it is a GOOD book. But I just can't. Grade: B</span></span><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trapeze-Simon-Mawer/dp/1590515277/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350526911&sr=8-1&keywords=trapez">Trapeze</a> - Simon Mawer (genre: Historical Fiction) This book follows the experiences of a young woman who becomes a spy for the British in occupied France during World War II. I was deeply interested in the subject, as a francophile and a lover of history, but </span><span class="status-body">I feel a little let down by this book. Clever wordsmithing and interesting characters but just not enough meat to the story. Grade: B-</span><span class="status-body"> </span><br />
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<b><span class="status-body">September </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Insurgent-Divergent-Veronica-Roth/dp/0062024043/ref=pd_sim_b_2">Insurgent </a>- Veronica Roth (genre: Young Adult) Set in a future where society has been broken out into factions that each serve a distinct purpose, those who don't fit into their faction are anathema. Tris is one of these people. As the factions begin to battle, we learn more about how their city came to be. </span></span><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-body">Insurgent picks up exactly where Divergent left off and answered a few of the questions that lingered from the first book. I actually enjoyed this book more than the first and am excited for the third in the trilogy. Grade: A-</span></span><br />
<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-body"> </span> </span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Vampire-Seth-Grahame-Smith/dp/0446563072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348023437&sr=1-1&keywords=Abraham+Lincoln%2C+Vampire+Hunter"><span class="status-body">Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter </span></a><b><span class="status-body">- </span></b><span class="status-body">Seth Grahame-Smith (genre: History/Paranormal) I listened to this in the audiobook format, which I believe was to the detriment of my experience. I fell asleep while listened at least 8 times. There was enough there to keep me going until the end but I really struggled. Maybe someday I'll go back and actually read this book as I've heard so many positive reviews but I doubt it. Grade: C</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Stone-Girl-Alyssa-Sheinmel/dp/0375870806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348023390&sr=8-1&keywords=the+stone+girl">The Stone Girl</a> - Alyssa Sheinmel (genre: Young Adult) Going into her senior year at a prestigious New York City all girls prep school, Sethie struggles with body image issues. As the year progresses, her emotional state and personal relationships degenerate as she becomes more and more obsessed with her weight and appearance.<br />
<br />
When I received this book, I was interested to see how the author demonstrated the hot topic issue of eating disorders. They are not something I have faced personally, but I have seen their devastating effects on friends. I wish I could say that after having read it, I feel I have had a glimpse into the mind of a person who battles these demons, but I really don't.<br />
<br />
This book was written in the third person, however we only see Sethie's point of view. I feel this was a serious detriment to my involvement in her story. If ever a story called out for first person narrative, this is it. The bigger issue for me, though, is that this book tried too hard to be too many things. While it's easy to say it's about a girl with an eating disorder, so little of the book is actually spent delving into her thoughts. A considerable amount of time is spent on the three significant relationships in her life, her boyfriend, best friend and mother. However, we still don't see enough of any of these to make a real connection.<br />
<br />
I wanted to like this book more because I do feel the author can turn a phrase. She created a believable character in a flawed and interesting world. I definitely saw myself in some of her actions, I was that self-destructive teenager, but I left this book wanting. And not in a good way. Grade: B-<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Monument-14-Emmy-Laybourne/dp/0312569033/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347018527&sr=8-1&keywords=monument+14">Monument 14</a> - Emmy Laybourne (genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction) When a series of natural disasters turn their world upside down, 14 children barricade themselves in a big box superstore in an attempt to survive the aftermath. An engrossing read. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book. Grade: A-<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Selection-Kiera-Cass/dp/0062059939/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346987685&sr=1-1&keywords=the+selection">The Selection</a> - Keira Cass (genre: Young Adult) The Selection is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the US has been reorganized into a new group of states and is now ruled by a monarchy. In order to make the "little people" feel like part of the family, whenever there is an eligible prince, they hold a lottery to choose 35 potential brides for him. From there a "Bachelor" style selection process ensues, complete with televised "dates" and eliminations. Sadly, my opinion of this book suffers in that I am so weary of books that needlessly draw out the story to create a trilogy or, ugh, more. I don't know what happens in the following books but I am 100% certain it could all have easily fit into one slightly longer book with some judicious editing. Despite this, an enjoyable read, just wait until they've all come out so you can power through them without having to wait. Grade: B+<br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><b>August </b></span><br />
<span class="status-body"><b> </b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Cure-Maze-Runner-Trilogy/dp/0385738773/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346987199&sr=8-1&keywords=the+death+cure">The Death Cure</a> - James Dashner (genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction) Oy vey. I really, really wanted the third in the trilogy begun so promisingly with The Maze Runner to bring a satisfying conclusion to the story. I wanted the time that I spent reading the dismal second book, The Scorch Trials, to have been worth it. I wanted to understand how in the sam hell torturing and killing children could possibly provide the information that would find a cure for the zombie virus. Sadly, none of that was the case. I struggled through every one of the 336 pages. Not good. Not good at all. Grade: D-<span class="status-body"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Age-Miracles-Karen-Thompson-Walker/dp/0812992970/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346208823&sr=1-1&keywords=the+age+of+miracles">The Age of Miracles</a> - Karen Walker </span><span class="status-body">(Young Adult</span>/Science Fiction) When the earth's rotation suddenly starts slowing, Julia quite literally finds her world in chaos. While I had a hard time believing the science in this book, I loved the lead character and empathized with her plight. More a coming of age tale than science fiction, this book was lyrical and beautiful. Grade: A-<br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/If-I-Stay-Gayle-Forman/dp/014241543X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346208539&sr=1-1&keywords=if+i+stay">If I Stay</a> - Gayle Forman (Young Adult/Supernatural) Following a devastating car crash, Mia, a talented cellist, struggles to come to terms with her new situation. At turns heartbreaking and uplifting with occasional humor, I loved this book. Grade: A</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Reasons-Why-Jay-Asher/dp/159514188X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346208149&sr=8-1&keywords=thirteen+reasons+why">Thirteen Reasons Why</a> - Jay Asher (Young Adult) After a girl he had a crush on kills herself, Clay receives a series of tapes that she recorded explaining why she did it. A heartbreaking read about teenage suicide. Grade: A-</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343095899&sr=1-1&keywords=good+girl">Gone Girl</a> - Gillian Glynn (genre: Fiction/Mystery) A real page turner, I was completely hooked from the beginning. The story of a New York couple who after losing their writing jobs moves back to Missouri to help care for the husband's dying mother. </span><span class="status-body">But their marriage falters under the strain of their new life and dark questions are raised when the wife disappears on their 5th anniversary. This book kept me guessing right up until the end. Loved. Grade: A+</span><b><span class="status-body"><br /> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="status-body">July </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forsaken-Trilogy-Lisa-M-Stasse/dp/1442432659/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343095608&sr=1-3&keywords=forsaken">Forsaken</a> - Lisa Stasse (genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction) I went into The Forsaken with some dystopia weariness. There has been a dearth of series in this genre in recent years. Many of them really quite good: Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent; some not quite so fantastic. I quite enjoy the genre, but even fans can find themselves a little tired of the subject from time to time. After stalling a bit starting it, I finally jumped in with both feet.</span><br />
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<span class="status-body">I wish I could say that I was sucked in immediately, but the first half was slow to catch my interest. The action is fast paced from the beginning, which makes it a page-turner but we don't really get to know Alenna or the supporting characters. Without an emotional connection to the lead, it was hard for me to get involved. </span><span class="status-body">I understand that Alenna is supposed to be "everykid" but she's the
hero of our tale, so I expect a little more. </span><span class="status-body"> But as the book progressed, I found myself more engaged and invested in the storyline, so much so that by the time there were major reveals in the second half, I was totally hooked and surprised. There were definitely some great twists!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">When I began the book, I found myself constantly comparing plot elements to other books in the genre. But despite some early similarities, The Forsaken took turns that definitively set it apart from its fellows. And while I would like to see a little more character development, it is a unique and well-thought out world. I am excited to see what happens in the next books! Grade: A-</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Pretend-This-Never-Happened/dp/0399159010/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337570607&sr=1-1">Let's Pretend This Never Happened</a> - Jenny Lawson (genre: Memoire) I've read The Bloggess off and on since I began blogging. She is hilarious but often disconcertingly manic</span><span class="status-body"> and this book is true to that form. Occasionally laugh out loud funny, this book was interesting but I found myself struggling at times to finish it. It was a good book for the treadmill. Grade: B+</span><br />
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<b><span class="status-body">June </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unidentified-Redhead-Alice-Clayton/dp/1936305062/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343095681&sr=1-1&keywords=the+unidentified+redhead">The Unidentified Redhead</a> - Alice Clayton</span><span class="status-body"> (genre: Romance) When Grace returns to Hollywood at the age of 34, she never expected to begin a romance with the hot, YOUNG new star of an upcoming movie but that's exactly what happens and she's loving every minute of it. Fun, funny book. Less erotica than I was expecting, given this book was recommended as a quality alternative to the 50 Shades books, but </span><span class="status-body">enough titilation to keep things interesting. Grade: A-</span><span class="status-body"> </span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sun-Suns-Book-One-Virga/dp/0765354535/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339124582&sr=8-1">Sun of Suns</a> - Karl Shroeder (genre: Science Fiction) In a galaxy comprised of a giant balloon with artificial suns and gravity, Hayden comes to Slipstream with the intention of killing Admiral Chaison Fanning but gets embroiled in a much larger situation that has him questioning his motives and allegiances. Grade: B-</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span class="status-body">May </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hollow-Places-Forest-Hands-Teeth/dp/0385738609/ref=la_B001JRWE6Q_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337570555&sr=1-3">The Dark and Hollow Places</a> - Carrie Ryan (genre: Horror, Young Adult) The final novel in the trilogy begun with the Forest of Hands and Teeth. In this book, we follow Annah, the twin sister of Abigail (Gabry). Fending for herself in the city, Annah is scarred, scared and alone. But a surprise discovery changes her world and escape seems possible. Grade: B+ </span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Will-Grayson-John-Green/dp/0525421580">Will Grayson, Will Grayso</a>n - John Green (genre: Young Adult) In the suburbs of Chicago there are two 16 year old Will Graysons, each facing their own challenges. On one fateful night, the two boys, </span><span class="status-body">previously strangers, meet and their lives are changed. I love this book. It </span><span class="status-body">very positively </span><span class="status-body"> portrays young homosexuals and their relationships. Grade: A+</span><br />
<span class="status-body"> </span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kitchen-House-A-Novel/dp/1439153663/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336946498&sr=1-1">The Kitchen House</a> - Kathleen Grissom (genre: Historical Fiction) I am honestly surprised by how many glowing reviews I have seen for this book. It fell completely flat for me. The characters were stereotypes in nearly every way. The dual narrative added nothing. I felt there was a lot of promise to this story. I have not heard much about the lives of indentured white servants during that era. But this book disappointed. Grade: C</span><br />
<span class="status-body"> </span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Were-Mine-Rebecca-Serle/dp/1442433132/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336946471&sr=1-1">When You Were Mine</a> - Rebecca Serle (genre: Young Adult) A modern day retelling of the Romeo and Juliet tale, told from the perspective of the jilted Rosaline. Only now it's Rosie, Rob and Juliet. There is the requisite familial chasm and all the teenage snarking and bickering you'd expect from a group of hormonally charged adolescents. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">I really liked Rosie. Probably because I've been Rosie on an occasion or twelve. Falling for someone who seems to fall for you only to have them fall for someone else. And the anguish and hope and betrayal and depression that goes along with that experience. I loved the relationships Rosie had with her two best girl friends and the surprise love interest she developed. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">For the most part I enjoyed this book, but I felt the back story lacked substance.</span><span class="status-body"> </span><span class="status-body">It felt like the
author didn't really focus on the plausibility of the rift, only that it is
there to set the stage for the current scenario. </span><span class="status-body">For
such rational,
down to earth people as Rosie's parents seemed to be, their past
behavior and complete dismissal of her father's only brother seems
surprising and out of character. Furthermore, the entire book paints
Juliet's family as a bunch of crazies, with Juliet as the most
vindictive and hateful of the bunch. We did get a glimpse of a more
rational and humane Juliet at the end but by then the die is cast and we
all know how it turns out for her.</span> I think this book would have
been more enjoyable if the author had veered away from villainous stereotypes
(cheating politician! spoiled rotten rich girl!) and introduced believably
flawed characters who did bad things<span class="status-body">. </span><span class="status-body">Grade: B+</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Night-Circus-Erin-Morgenstern/dp/0385534639/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336946446&sr=1-1">The Night Circus</a> - Erin Morgenstern (genre: Fiction) In the late 1800s, two ageless magicians make a wager, pitting two young people with no knowledge of the rules, each other or the price of victory against each other. Set in a magical circus, the competitors battle over the years to a dramatic conclusion. Beautifully detailed and narrated, I really enjoyed this book. Grade: A<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Warm-Bodies-Novel-Isaac-Marion/dp/1439192324/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336946422&sr=1-1">Warm Bodies</a> - Isaac Marion (genre: Fiction, Horror) Although I'm getting a little burnt out on the zombie thing, I had heard good things about this book so I thought I'd give it a try. This is the story of R. He's a zombie. He doesn't know what his name was or what he did but he knows that he has a real penchant for human brains. But on a routine human hunting expedition, he unexpectedly finds himself drawn to a human girl, Julie, who he saves and takes back to the airport where he lives. An unlikely friendship develops between the girl and the zombie. I would not have expected to be emotionally invested in this admittedly disgusting relationship, but I was. Grade: A-<br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">April</span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Reckoning-Sookie-Stackhouse-Novel/dp/1937007359/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336946370&sr=8-1">Dead Reckoning </a>- Charlaine Harris (genre: Fiction, Paranormal) The latest installment in the Sookie Stackhouse saga. As with all of the other books, Dead Reckoning was light fare: entertaining to read but doesn't require much in the way of deep thought. Grade: B-</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dead-An-Enemy-Novel/dp/1423134125/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334975320&sr=1-1">The Dead</a> - Charles Higson (genre: Young Adult) The prequel to The Enemy, The Dead takes us back to London immediately following the outbreak of the "sickness" that has created zombies out of all humans over the age of 16. We follow a group of schoolchildren as they flee their school in search of a safe haven. While this book was reasonably satisfying, it is clearly the middle of a three book series, so there's a great big question mark at the end. I will definitely read the next book when it comes out, but I'm a little frustrated at the ending. Grade: B+<span class="status-body"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Tweetheart-Teresa-Medeiros/dp/1439188157/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334975237&sr=8-1">Goodnight Tweetheart</a> - Teresa Medeiros (genre: Fiction) </span><span class="status-body">Four years ago, Abby Donovan wrote the great American Novel. Oprah even gave it her stamp of approval. Fast forward to now, and she's stuck on Chapter 5 of her next book. For three years. To appease her publicist, she gets on to Twitter to engage her fans but she makes an unexpected connection. I read this book in about 3 hours. It was clever and fun. Grade: A-</span><span class="status-body"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hearing-Heartbeats-Jan-Philipp-Sendker/dp/1590514637/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334975297&sr=1-1">The Art of Hearing Heartbeats</a> - Jan-Phillip Sendeker (genre: Fiction) After her father's disappearance, Julia goes to Burma to find out what happened to him. Along the way, she discovers there was so much more to her father than she ever expected. This is a beautiful and tragic love story. Grade: A</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-Park-Mariah-Fredericks/dp/0375868437/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334782908&sr=8-1">The Girl in the Park</a> - Mariah Fredericks (genre: Young Adult) <br />
When her former best friend,
Wendy, is found murdered in Central Park, Rain starts looking for
possible suspects among her fellow students at an elite New York City
prep school. Rain was a compelling protagonist. We've all felt
different at one point or another and I felt
enormous empathy towards her because of her condition. While I often
felt she was careless in her behavior, it was believable for someone of
her age and experience. I
enjoyed discovering more about Wendy through Rain's memories, revealing
more of their friendship and Wendy's past as the book progressed. I
figured out the killer fairly early in the story, but it was an
enjoyable read and kept me entertained through to the end. Grade: A-<br />
<br />
<b>March</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mistborn-Final-Empire-Series-Book/dp/0765350386/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332294858&sr=1-1">Mistborn</a> - Brandon Sanderson (genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy) I was a little leery going into this book because it is the first in a series and I have been pretty disappointed in series lately. Too often, the books are not standalone stories that can be read independently of the series. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this. It follows a skaa (peasant) girl who has extraordinary powers that she is only just learning how to use and control. Grade: B+<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Over-Garrett-Delaney-McDonald/dp/0763655074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332293538&sr=8-1">Getting Over Garrett Delaney</a> - Abby McDonald (genre: Young Adult) Sadie is in love with the boy of her dreams. He's smart, handsome, witty, interesting and completely unaware of her affections. He's also her best friend. When they're separated for the summer while he goes away to literary camp, Sadie embarks on a mission to purge him from her heart. In the process, she discovers she's not the girl she thought she was.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed this book. I would call it the quintessential beach read. The story is solid, the characters interesting, if a bit flat, and the pace is quick. But. There just isn't anything that really stands out for me. There were no twists that surprised me, the ending was entirely expected, the dialogue was witty but not too terribly clever, and there were no really outstanding characters, even Sadie herself. This book is the literary equivalent of Chinese food. Thoroughly enjoyable but you're hungry again a couple hours later. Grade: B<br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">February </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-Wicked-Cahill-Witch-Chronicles/dp/0399257454/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330397515&sr=1-1">Born Wicked </a>- Jessica Spotswood (genre: Young Adult/Paranormal/Historical Fiction) </span><br />
<div>
I went in to this with high expectations. I enjoy historical fiction, throw in witches and I'm in heaven. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my hopes. My primary complaint is that this book does not hold up as a stand alone story. I understand that it is part of a trilogy, but a well paced series allows for each book to be a solid, enjoyable read, one that contains all the required story elements and leads into a continuation. The characters were poorly developed and there was very little focus on the relationships between them. The sisters, the girls and their father, Cate and Sachi/Rory. The love story, or stories, are extremely shallow. I get that she's 16 and impetuous, but deciding to marry Finn? After a few weeks infatuation? When she never noticed him before? How can she so easily dismiss Paul? It strains believability for me.This book didn't hold my attention enough to even want to read the next in the series. Grade: C-</div>
<br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Front-Porch-Prophet-Raymond-Atkins/dp/1933836385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330397162&sr=8-1">Front Porch Prophet</a> - Raymond Atkins </span><span class="status-body">(genre: Fiction)</span><b><span class="status-body"></span></b> We got this as a Free Friday book on our Nook. We download a lot of these, with the thought that "someday" we'll get around to them. I found myself on the treadmill with no internet and no way to watch Doctor Who, so I browsed through the books on my iPad and this one looked interesting. I might not have read it otherwise, but I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed it. Grade: B+<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maine-J-Courtney-Sullivan/dp/0307595129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327544530&sr=1-1">Maine</a> - J. Courtney Sullivan (genre: Fiction) This was one of my book club books. It was proposed as a "beach read" type book and maybe if I had read it at the beach, my opinion would be better. It is t<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview271517055">he story of three generations of women in a New England family. This book was so uninteresting that I struggled through every single one of the 385 pages. The characters were roundly unlikable, there wasn't a single one that I could identify with and root for. But the much bigger problem is that there was no story, just a collection of scenes. There was no development, no climax, no resolution. Huge disappointment. Grade: D</span></span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="status-body">January</span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fault-Our-Stars-John-Green/dp/0525478817">The Fault in our Stars</a> - John Green (genre: Young Adult) 16 year old Hazel is a terminal cancer patient. She's spends most of her life in and out of hospitals. She thinks she knows what the rest of her short life will be like, but then she meets Augustus and suddenly a world of possibilities erupts. Beautiful, uplifting, real, heartbreaking, I fell in love with the characters. Grade: A+<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fuzzy-Nation-John-Scalzi/dp/0765328542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327543583&sr=8-1">Fuzzy Nation</a> - John Scalzi (genre: Science Fiction) My first foray into the world of audio books. I was a sceptic, but I was intrigued by the story premise and I had a few hours to kill. The story begins with Jack Halloway finding a huge deposit of precious jewels on a distant planet, but then he comes into contact with an animal that might be sentient and things get very complicated. Quick, fun read. Grade: A- <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/030788743X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326430052&sr=8-1">Ready Player One</a> - Ernest Cline<span class="status-body"> (genre: Science Fiction) Set in a not too distant future where the planet's fossil fuels have been depleted and people literally live inside a virtual world, OASIS, kids go to school there, people work there, fall in love there. When the creator of OASIS dies, himself a product the 1980s, he leaves his entire wealth to whomever can solve a game he created within the virtual reality. A race ensues. Loved this book! Grade: A</span><br />
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<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Graffiti-Moon-Cath-Crowley/dp/0375869530/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326165943&sr=8-1">Graffiti Moon</a> - Cath Crowley (genre: Young Adult) Remember when one night could mean everything?</span><span class="status-body"> When you could chase your dreams, and find them, in the space between sunset and sunrise? In Graffiti Moon, we relive one of those nights.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">Graffiti Moon is narrated by three characters: Lucy, Ed and Leo. Lucy, who's greatest desire is to meet Shadow, a graffiti artist with such talent and depth, she has fallen in love with him through his art. Ed, who is, of course, secretly Shadow, but because of a disastrous first, and only, date with Lucy, he keeps that from her. And Leo, the other half of Shadow's graffiti team, the Poet. While the boys kill time leading up to planned late night shenanigans, they help Lucy and her friends in an attempt to track down Shadow that leads them all over Melbourne, Australia.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">Beyond the principals, this book was full of real, multi-dimensional characters. Lucy's parents were quirky and unpredictable, Ed's late boss was wise and funny; supporting characters Jazz, Leo, Daisy and Dylan were flawed and believable. In fact, everyone in the book, with the exception of the psycopathic villain, were absolutely relatable.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="status-body">I loved the he said/she said writing style. Being inside the principal characters' heads allows readers to see both sides of the situation. I felt their longing and their anguish. A beautifully written story. Officially my first book of the year and we're off to a banging start. Grade: A+</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span class="status-body">On Deck:</span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prized-Birthmarked-Trilogy-Caragh-OBrien/dp/1596435704/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337570706&sr=1-3">Prized </a>- Caragh M. Obrien</span><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bitterblue-Graceling-Kristin-Cashore/dp/0803734735/ref=la_B001JS0LUG_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337570836&sr=1-1">Bitterblue</a> - Kristin Cashore</span><b><span class="status-body"></span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/City-Fallen-Angels-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1442403543/ref=la_B001JRXWE4_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337570953&sr=1-2">City of Fallen Angels</a> - Cassandra Clare </span><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322532885&sr=1-1">Unbroken</a> - Laura Hillenbrand</span><b><span class="status-body"> </span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Wanting-Song-Cath-Crowley/dp/0375854495/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326167509&sr=1-2">A Little Wanting Song</a> - Cath Crowley </span> <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Visit-Goon-Squad-Jennifer-Egan/dp/0307477479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305341018&sr=8-1">A Visit From The Goon Squad </a>- Jennifer Egan<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Lies-Bridget-Harlequin-Teen/dp/0373210280/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296841493&sr=8-1" target="_blank" title="Paige Harbison">Here Lies Bridget</a> by Paige Harbison:<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"> </span></span></span></b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Opposite-Me-Novel-Sarah-Pekkanen/dp/1439121982/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1" target="_blank" title="Oppostie of Me">The Opposite of Me</a> - Sarah Pekkanen<b><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"> </span></span></span></b><br />
<span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Disquiet-Penguin-Original-Julia-Leigh/dp/B003V1WDDM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284923756&sr=1-1">Disquiet</a> - </span></span></span>Julia Leigh<span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"> </span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Chasing-Yesterday-Robin-Wasserman/dp/0439933420/ref=pd_sim_b_10">Truth</a> - Robin Wasserman<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Book-1-Lisa-McMann/dp/1416974474/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1284923861&sr=1-1-fkmr0">Wake </a>- Lisa McCann <br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Penguin-Classics-Austen/dp/0141439513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247061370&sr=1-1">Pride and Prejudice</a> - Jane Austen<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bloods-Book/dp/142310126X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248136319&sr=1-1">Blue Bloods </a>- Melissa De La Cruz<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Uglies-Trilogy-Book-1/dp/0689865384/ref=pd_sim_b_2">Uglies</a> - Scott Westerfeld<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Still-Alice-Lisa-Genova/dp/1439102813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252636149&sr=8-1">Still Alice</a> - Lisa Genova<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Diana-Gabaldon/dp/0385319959/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">Outlander</a> - Diana Gabaldon<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Road-Movie-Tie-Vintage-International/dp/0307476308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262742736&sr=1-1">The Road</a> - Cormac McCarthy<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Project-Morning-Aristotle-Generally/dp/0061583251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270343281&sr=1-1">The Happiness Project</a> - Gretchen Rubin<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Julia-Hoban/dp/0142416665/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top">Willow</a> - Julia Hoban<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Private-Life-Jane-Smiley/dp/1400040604/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284339700&sr=1-1">Private Life</a> - Jane Smiley<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Domino-Men-Novel-Jonathan-Barnes/dp/006167141X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284339784&sr=1-1">The Domino Men</a> - Jonathan Barnes<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Pray-Love-Everything-Indonesia/dp/0143118420/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295230843&sr=8-1">Eat Pray Love</a> - Elizabeth Gilbert <br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Going forward this post will be updated after I read each book and can be reached by clicking the "What's On The Bookshelf" link at the top right of the page. I pick almost all of my books based on suggestions from friends, so please feel free to leave a comment with a recommendation at any time during the year!</span>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-34159259656929165002011-12-24T08:43:00.001-05:002011-12-24T08:44:51.382-05:00Ho ho ho!Here's hoping your Santas are even half as cute as ours! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3AhimoJOa1uGbDAh4UDy0jrMxUPIIxedeoFyLGDRV7WnP-nUEZuOlOSmOMpQSfaLoBhbFxg2RzrbVZsvSpI_xnq1EQEwx8xE4PQVDrhyWbAF56lBV3AgRPilv2wx4xkyb8ngDWiU7Fk/s1600/IMG_4171%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3AhimoJOa1uGbDAh4UDy0jrMxUPIIxedeoFyLGDRV7WnP-nUEZuOlOSmOMpQSfaLoBhbFxg2RzrbVZsvSpI_xnq1EQEwx8xE4PQVDrhyWbAF56lBV3AgRPilv2wx4xkyb8ngDWiU7Fk/s400/IMG_4171%255B1%255D.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Merry Christmas!</span></b></div>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-86576865021808657602011-12-16T09:49:00.006-05:002011-12-16T10:14:40.789-05:00Real Women Of Pinterest: Card Holders and Peanut Butter Cup Brownies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>As some of you know, there is a special place in my heart for <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>. I luff it. I can distract myself endlessly on there. Contained within its bits and bytes are a million and one ideas for projects and decorations and clothes and things that I would like to do. However, after several months of "pinning", I have actually done exactly zero of the projects I have found on there. Pinterest FAIL. I have followed my dear friends <a href="http://www.nottobrag.net/">mep</a> and <a href="http://www.smallafterall.com/">E...</a> as they tackle projects as part of their <a href="http://www.nottobrag.net/2011/11/real-women-of-pinterest-unite.html">Real Women of Pinterest</a> challenge and every week I am inspired but the busyness of everyday life gets in the way and somehow another week passes without me doing anything.<br />
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But that changed this week!<br />
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I present my first project:<a href="http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-in-our-house.html"><b>The Card Holder</b></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gZEeTfM2sRB7bTlGd_nIN6eBJi2zThRdqp3F_fObd0F12wsPGPL17PG07o2TjGFkH_AFHwCx-XPfjbnzEhtm8toXGpsFftn4nftF9b8FDk4JXTvvEo0JZQ58Ttuni5JPZ-hq8phkBtM/s1600/card+hanger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1gZEeTfM2sRB7bTlGd_nIN6eBJi2zThRdqp3F_fObd0F12wsPGPL17PG07o2TjGFkH_AFHwCx-XPfjbnzEhtm8toXGpsFftn4nftF9b8FDk4JXTvvEo0JZQ58Ttuni5JPZ-hq8phkBtM/s400/card+hanger.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
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Majestic, isn't it? I know, I know. You all want one. Every year we get holiday cards from all of our nearest and dearest and they wind up cluttered on every available flat surface: dining table, mantle, bulletin board, refrigerator. I needed some way to display them but I hadn't really settled on anything. My first thought was a french memo board. I've made a few and I quite like them. But I didn't want it to be a permanent installation and we are not exactly overburdened with storage here, so I was reluctant to create something that would take up valuable space the other 11 months of the year. When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I was smitten. The original was hung on a hook over a door, but we don't have a door that would be good for that, they are all either out of the way or see too much use, so I hung it on a nail in the dining room. There are a few things I would change but I'm mostly happy with it, especially considering it was almost entirely constructed of things I had on hand. I would like to point out the level of attention to detail I committed to this: I dyed the clothespins to match the color scheme. Bow to my craftiness, minions.<br />
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My next project was a recipe for a cookie exchange: <b><a href="http://www.bakedperfection.com/2009/07/peanut-butter-cup-brownies.html">Peanut Butter Cup Brownies</a></b><br />
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I'll grant you, this recipe isn't exactly rocket surgery. Basically, it's a brownie mix with peanut butter poured on top, but it's peanut butter and chocolate, HELLO two great tastes that taste great together, and they looked cute. I keep trying overly complicated recipes and completely screwing them up, so I wanted something foolproof. Well, as with EVERYTHING in my world, nothing is foolproof, and I'm not overjoyed with how mine turned out. I'm going to blame my oven. (It certainly can't be MY fault. Pfft.) I couldn't seem to get the brownies to the exact right doneness wherein the center collapses and the peanut butter goes in perfectly. But reports were that they tasted good. I doubt I will make them again, but it was a fun experiement.<br />
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So that's it for this week! If you aren't already, get thee to <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>! If you want to see what I'm pinning, I'm <a href="http://pinterest.com/carabee74/">Carabee74</a>. And to see what some other Real Women of Pinterest are creating, check out <a href="http://www.nottobrag.net/2011/12/rwop-behind-snowball.html">Not to Brag</a>.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-58174022914914452242011-12-08T07:48:00.003-05:002011-12-08T07:48:00.854-05:00ICE!I love Christmastime. It is undeniably my favorite holiday. I love the tree and decorations and carols and the convivial spirit that everyone has. There is so much to enjoy. There are all of the little moments that will embody the season for Sophie as she grows older and my hope is that each year we can bring a little extra magic to the holiday for her. That extra this year came in a "cool" package.<br />
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The beautiful ladies of <a href="http://momzshare.net/">Momzshare</a> organized a special event just for local bloggers. We were given the opportunity to visit the Gaylord National Hotel on the National Harbor in Washington DC to view their <a href="http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-national/christmas-on-the-potomac/ice-experience/index.html">ICE! attraction</a>. ICE! features ice carvings of all of the characters from Merry Madagascar, the upcoming holiday sequel to the beloved Madagascar films. In addition, within the Gaylord National atrium, a special Christmas village was set up with characters from many of the Dreamworks movies including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Puss in Boots. Hanging over the village was a 60 foot Christmas tree which, even before it was lit, was dramatic and beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view overlooking the Christmas village. He's tough to see, but that's Shrek just underneath the tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our first stop was a milk and cookies reception in the atrium where I sampled the white chocolate and cranberry rice crispy treats (note to self: figure out how to replicate these, STAT) and Sophie sipped on Ogre Milk (presumably not the milk of ogres, but it <i>was </i>green) and nibbled on sugar cookies in between jumping up and down while she waved furiously at Shrek below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest ogre EVER.</td></tr>
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Scheduled for a 3:30 tour of ICE, we took our time strolling around National Harbor before heading over to the enormous white tents that house the famous ice sculptures. Living where we do, National Harbor is a special visit for us and while I visited once a couple years ago, I haven't been back since. It is a wonderful area, many great restaurants, galleries and shops, plus a spectacular view of the Potomac. I would love to get back down there for an afternoon or evening out.<br />
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During the opening film, they told us the tent holding the ice would be cold and I believed them, but I didn't REALLY believe them. As you enter, they give you long, heavy parkas to wear over your own coats. Flattering? Not really. But once you step inside you begin to understand why, because, brother, is it cold in there. So cold that I quickly abandoned taking pictures or attempting to tweet on my iPhone because it was simply too cold to go without gloves for more than a few seconds. But bundled in my extra layers, cap and gloves securely in place, I was cozy enough to take in the amazing ice sculptures. According to the film, more than 2 million pounds of ice were whittled down by 40 international artists to create the wonders we were viewing.<br />
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Each room left us more amazed than the next. Giant ice versions of our favorite Madagascar characters greeted us at every turn. Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo, the penguins and, of course, Santa were all there. But it was when we got to the ice slides that Sophie really went crazy. Here is where we were glad to have the extra long coats to cover our behinds when we slid down the ice chutes. Sophie went down by herself and was back in line to go again so fast it made my head spin.<br />
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We finished up the ice pavilion and headed back over to the hotel for some dinner at the hotel's sports bar and grill where Neil caught a bit of the Ravens game before a visit with Shrek and the gang. Unfortunately, when it came to actually talking to Shrek, Sophie unexpectedly turned shy. But from a safe perch in mommy or daddy's arms, she met all of her favorites.<br />
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We had hoped to stay for the grand lighting of the hanging tree, which includes a light show, singing, dancing fountains and an indoor snow fall, but unfortunately our little bean was just too pooped, so we had to depart. But we left already making plans to come back again to see the lighting on another visit and see all of the wonders again.<br />
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<i>Disclosure: We were given tickets to ICE and the other holiday attractions at the Gaylord National in exchange for a post. We paid for our own dinner. All opinions are my own.</i>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-59799979155793768082011-11-23T07:47:00.045-05:002011-11-23T16:56:51.610-05:00What's in a name?As the parent programmer for Sophie's pre-school co-op, I help out with planning and prep for all holiday parties. When the selection of our ideal class jobs was made, this was top of my list and I was over the moon when I got it. With my background in the service industry, I know a thing or two about putting on a party. For the most part, it's pretty light stuff: a few decorations and favors as well as the snacks that will be served.<br />
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Today was her class Thanksgiving celebration, so I was there to help out. All of the parents were asked to bring in an element of the Thanksgiving "dinner" that we would be prepared and served by our little ones. The parents then returned a half hour earlier than usual so the kids could sing songs and we could eat our feast together. As part of the festivities, the kids wore crafts they had made. Among these were a paper headdress and necklace, both of which were Native American inspired. When the teacher welcomed the parents to our party, she introduced her tribe of little "Indians."<br />
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When I grew up, the term Indian was in common use to refer to Native Americans. We played cowboys and Indians, we sat Indian-style and, prominently, Thanksgiving was about the pilgrims and the Indians. It hails back to Columbus' expedition more than 500 years ago in search of a westbound route to India and while its fallacy was quickly established, the name stuck.<br />
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At some time in the last 25-30 years, there has been a shift towards the politically correct, and more accurate, "Native American." And while I don't consider Indian to be derogatory, its use has certainly fallen out of favor, particularly in schools. Which is why I was a tad surprised when the teacher used that term. This is a non-public school, so we aren't bound by the same rules and practices as our public counterparts, but there is still an expectation that certain conventions will be followed.<br />
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Personally, I am not offended by the term Indian. In fact, there are many situations where it feels down right weird to use the PC version. Cowboys and Native Americans? Just doesn't have the same ring for me. I also know that many Native Americans continue to call themselves Indians.<br />
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But today I got to thinking. Because there is a little girl in Sophie's class who is actually Indian, as in, born in India, bona-fide Indian, Indian. And I wondered what she thought of the use of the term Indian to refer to Native Americans. Because even at three going on four, she must understand the difference. Does it confuse her?<br />
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What do you think? Are we over-sensitive to these things? Not sensitive enough?CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-22295177049796447122011-10-31T07:57:00.011-04:002011-11-01T00:53:31.651-04:00BooWhen I was young, we lived in a big old house. Built in the late 1800s, it had history. There were rumors of the families that had lived there. Of tragedy and mystery. But we didn't know anything for sure and at that age, I didn't really think about those sorts of things.<br />
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My first floor bedroom was across from the door to the unfinished basement. More of a cellar, really, it had a dirt floor and crumbly brick walls. We almost never went down there. Only in tornadoes. And in Kansas, that was more often than I care to say. Even then, we were none too excited to open that door and descend those steps. None of us had ever had a bad experience down there, it was just a general unpleasant sense that everyone that went down there felt.<br />
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The first time something <i>unusual</i> happened to me, I was 8. I lay in my bed. The light in the bathroom across the hall was on and both my door and the bathroom door were open. I don't know what I was thinking, not sure how deep my thoughts were at that age, but I am certain that I was very awake. Quite suddenly, the blankets on my bed were roughly pulled off and under my bed. With the fearlessness of a child certain there are no monsters, I leaned over the edge. My head nearly touching the floor, I looked under my bed, fully expecting to see my sister playing a trick on me. But there was no one there.<br />
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After that, I would lay in bed at night staring at the partially cracked door to the basement. A door that wouldn't close all the way, no matter how hard you pushed on it. I stared and I waited. There were no repeats of the sheet snatching but few were the nights that didn't involve troubled dreams and I never truly felt comfortable in that house again. Mercifully, we moved a few years later.<br />
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Over the years, a number of other unexplained things have happened to and around me. Shifting shadows, noises, doors opening and closing, objects moving, voices. Some houses have a stronger presence than others. One apartment in a fairly new building I lived in when I first moved to Maryland was particularly active, while some older places have been entirely quiet. <br />
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The rational side of me says there are no ghosts, that bumps in the night are no more than settling or wind or little living creatures working their way through walls and floors or perhaps even an over active imagination. But the emotional side. The side that remembers my name clearly whispered into my ear when I sat alone on the sofa watching television. That side says there ARE things we can't explain. And that side will insist on a nightlight this all hallows eve.<br />
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As it does every night.<br />
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Happy Halloween!CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-34483453534793409922011-10-07T07:41:00.000-04:002011-10-07T07:41:00.495-04:00The Little Ballerina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbLUwbc8TtPTxy0J2HgPXnc70GXCO8HZ47BKpEO0RxqEZatcsiyTlUTKCoziBm10VCLLLP0x8iOzjWAGUOIsBI7AyzR1ao3T-sXOu1EqITfJqI0jmlL7mdiRBJjDWgxQg9BngmrmhcQ4/s1600/Little+Ballerina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbLUwbc8TtPTxy0J2HgPXnc70GXCO8HZ47BKpEO0RxqEZatcsiyTlUTKCoziBm10VCLLLP0x8iOzjWAGUOIsBI7AyzR1ao3T-sXOu1EqITfJqI0jmlL7mdiRBJjDWgxQg9BngmrmhcQ4/s400/Little+Ballerina.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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A few years ago, my sister came across this book in the storage room at my parent's house. I have the very fondest of memories of reading it when I was young and I know my sister did too. With the hope that she would enjoy it as much as we did, she set it out for Sophie. I've had it since then, but only recently introduced it into the reading rotation because I was worried that it would be too long or detailed for her. When I finally did bring it out, she absolutely fell in love with it. She asks me to read it every day before bedtime and naptime. She prances around the house doing the ballet moves described in the book.<br />
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Unfortunately, the book is more than 30 years old and has been much loved. The pages have fallen out and it is only my careful handling that keeps it together. I can't leave it in her room anymore because she doesn't have the most gentle hands and on more than one occasion I have come in to find its delicate pages strewn about her room.<br />
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So I got on Amazon to see if I could find a new one. I'm not sure if I expected it to still be in print, but the answer is that it is not. Which isn't surprising, it is a VERY dated book, a la Fun with Dick and Jane. Amazon does have some copies for sale, but they are in the same age range, or older, as my copy and are now considered historic pieces* and are quite expensive.<br />
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When I did a search for the book, I found another book of the same name by a different author. Based on the description, it looks to be similar to my book although not quite the same, but I thought "hey, maybe this one will do." So I scanned down to the reviews. The top review was from a woman who says that what she loves about this book is that the titular ballerina doesn't get the lead and dance in toe shoes, that books with that sort of stuff give kids unrealistic expectations.<br />
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The more I think about it, the more that bothers me, because I feel like that sort of attitude is an epidemic these days. Why is telling stories about children who do wonderful things setting them up with unrealistic expectations? True, not every child will be the lead in the recital, but does that mean it's wrong to teach them to dream for that? I just don't understand this attitude. Maybe it's Ayn Rand-y of me to say, but why is teaching excellence bad?<br />
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So while I can't quite talk myself into spending $50 for an authentic replacement of my book, I simply can not buy this book that tells my daughter that all she should hope for is mediocrity. Maybe that's good enough for some kids, but not mine. Nobody ever achieved big things by dreaming small. Whether she actually achieves them or not isn't really the issue for me. I just want my daughter to try.<br />
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<i>* I also recently saw a toy that I LOVED as a kid in a museum. True story. My age is showing.</i>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-8859895941945166172011-09-16T16:56:00.002-04:002011-09-16T22:02:46.925-04:00My Daughter, The Pre-SchoolerIt's official. Her first day was last Friday. She goes Tuesdays and Fridays, 9am-11:30am. The first two sessions all of the parents accompanied their new little students for the entirety of the class, but today, yea, this very day, I dropped her off and went on my merry way.<br />
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During the first session, I was a little nervous. Although she spends a considerable amount of time among other kids in the gym's childcare and she had VBS last month, she has never been in a situation that required much in the way of structured group activities. And certainly very few situations where she had to follow directions other than those barked out (or screamed) by her mother.<br />
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True to her rebellious form, she was not among the kids who quickly lined up when asked, or that stayed lined up for more than 10 seconds once there. She participated in activities as it suited her whim. And she felt very strongly that SHE should be the line leader. Let there be no confusion, she's an alpha, that girl of mine. Someday, when her high school principal calls because she's been caught doing something bad, I will be fairly certain that it was she who led the expedition.<br />
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However, it would not be fair to not point out that she boldly did all of the activities asked of her while many other children stood back timidly. She may have lost interest and moved on before some of those kids even had a chance to step up to the table, but there was no fear. Also, she was unfailingly friendly, the quintessential social butterfly. <br />
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At the second session on Tuesday, she was more willing to follow the direction of the teacher and while she still has a long way to go, I was proud at how quickly she had picked up the routine of the day and the cues that indicated the beginning of a new activity. When I went to pick her up today, her first solo outing, she was happily chatting with one of the other kids, a little girl she named Purple Dress. For obvious reasons. Reports from the teacher were positive. And she is excited to go back next week.<br />
<br />
Myself? I spent the time running errands. It wasn't exactly pampered "me" time but tasks that normally take half a day, I accomplished in less than 2 hours. And for a busy mom, that is luxury enough.<br />
<br />
Hooray for pre-school!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOvnb-_WKnxVmNW_x9v8qci4UtVzzmNGoKETSZ3lPZ-CoXcgF-xQOOA-2bRctmoelh5W-m9T5hBoGsVUZKXOzJLhq71TEz8USzPfXwPmiGkc-SF3svg18QZ5eI78jYiSLu5psg3ocSUE/s1600/first+day+of+school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbOvnb-_WKnxVmNW_x9v8qci4UtVzzmNGoKETSZ3lPZ-CoXcgF-xQOOA-2bRctmoelh5W-m9T5hBoGsVUZKXOzJLhq71TEz8USzPfXwPmiGkc-SF3svg18QZ5eI78jYiSLu5psg3ocSUE/s320/first+day+of+school.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The obligatory first day of school picture.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-88933056315025306712011-09-06T07:51:00.019-04:002011-09-06T07:51:00.395-04:00Yet Another Reason I'm Going To HellWe here in the land of Bean are not religious folk. In fact, saying we are not religious is overstating the issue. On any given day our opinions on the topic range from apathy to confusion and occasionally anger. I was not raised in a religious home. I was not baptized and I can count the number of times I have attended church for anything other than a wedding or funeral on one hand. And most of those were during my exploratory youth. Some kids tried drugs, I tried religion. It didn't stick. <br />
<br />
Which is why it surprised me that I even considered the idea when Katie suggested sending Sophie to the same Vacation Bible School that Christopher was set to attend. My first reaction, not surprisingly, was a very unladylike snort. I never went to VBS as a kid and if I'd ever been asked, I would have said I had ZERO plans to send my child to it, either. But when she said that it ran from Monday to Friday, 9-12am, and cost a mere $25, suddenly it didn't seem so outrageous. In fact, I'm fairly certain my eyes glazed over as I considered all of the things I could do in those hours.<br />
<br />
So with more than a few rationalizations, I got on the website and signed her up. <br />
<br />
When the first day rolled around, I nervously walked in to the church. Fears of lightening striking, or at the very least, some hard stares from all of the godly church folk when they noticed a heathen in their midst. But to my surprise, they were welcoming and kind, and I quickly found myself chatting with other moms during dropoff and enjoying the special VBS music that blasted over the church's kickin' sound system. By the end of the week, Sophie and I were belting out to Jesus with the best of them. I'm not gonna lie, we've even listened to the VBS CD on a few* occasions since. <br />
<br />
And those hours to myself. Sweet, delicious, precious time. The first day, I came home and just sat on the sofa for an hour before I did anything. Just sat there. Not reading. Not on the phone. Not playing on my phone. The second and third days, I came home and took a nap. On the fourth day, I went shopping. On the fifth day, I was lounging around at about 10:30 when it hit me how completely I had wasted a precious opportunity to <i>really</i> indulge myself. Why hadn't I gone for a pedicure, or to get my eyebrows done, or for a much needed massage? The answer is that I honestly didn't think of it. The glut of ME time overwhelmed my brain's processing functions. If only I'd had a few more days...<br />
<br />
It was then that I began evolving a plan for next summer. Every church in the area has a VBS, if the signs that line the streets in front are any indication. And since there doesn't seem to be any requirement to be a member of the church, would it be so bad if we just went from church to church attending vacation bible school after vacation bible school ALL SUMMER LONG? I know. It's ingenious. <br />
<br />
I am a terrible, terrible person.<br />
<br />
<i>*MANY. Those songs are just so catchy! </i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lest even one person think I am serious. I AM NOT. I have no plans to send my daughter to every VBS in the area, tempting though the idea is. However, now that we've got our foot in the door at this one, you better believe we'll be going back next summer. VBS! VBS! VBS!</span></i>CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-87934486436210803292011-08-23T22:42:00.001-04:002011-08-24T21:55:37.329-04:00Almost ThereLeading up to my decision to start Weight Watchers, I wasn't exactly a fan of the program. I viewed it as I did pretty much all diets, it was for people who were too weak to exercise and control their calorie consumption. Not ME. I was <i>accidentally</i> overweight. MY weight was due to a difficult pregnancy. And it was just a matter of time before it fell off of me. Fell off, people. But three and a half years and it wasn't falling off. I was working out like crazy and feeling like I was eating sensibly, but I wasn't losing weight. Clearly, <i>I </i>was one of those people who couldn't control my calorie consumption.<br />
<br />
So one day while sucking down a milkshake at Chick Fil A, (And I wondered why I couldn't lose weight. REALLY?) Katie suggested we do Weight Watchers together. I should note here that Katie is a very dear friend for doing this with me because she didn't really need to lose weight but she knew, cause she's intuitive like that, that I needed a nudge, and maybe that nudge was someone to go to meetings or weigh-ins with me. So that very night we went to the neighborhood Weight Watchers and signed up.<br />
<br />
Since then I have been to exactly two meetings. But I go for my weigh-ins every week and I follow the points system religiously. And people it is WORKING. I've lost 30 pounds! I'm down two sizes and, most surprisingly, a half a shoe size. I'm running more and faster and easier. My heel spurs are gone. I didn't realize how much weight I was carrying in my face. I swear I've lost a pound of nose alone. I'm smaller than I've been in eight years. I look like<i> me</i> again.<br />
<br />
I'm not to my goal yet. And frankly, I was hesitant to write a "look at the fabulous job I'm doing" post yet because I really want a big before and after reveal when I hit my 40 pound goal. But its been a long road and I felt like talking about it a little. So there you go. Status updated.CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861518104298318602.post-81735881189509139092011-08-11T21:48:00.000-04:002011-08-11T21:48:15.107-04:00Itsy BitsyI went to the gym this morning, as I do most days, all part of the continued effort to recover my 25 year old derriere. After depositing Sophie at child care, I headed for the locker room. I dropped my bag off in one of the lockers and walked toward the long mirror that runs along the wall across from them.<br />
<br />
As I approached the mirror, I adjusted my iPhone armband and reached up to tighten my ponytail. Now just a few feet from the mirror, I noticed a small black spot on my neck. Peering closer, I noticed that the spot was MOVING. I reached up and brushed the spot, looking at my hand as I did. Which was when I realized that the spot was actually a tiny spider and <i>quickasaflash</i> I whipped my hand out with a scream, flinging that spider off into locker room oblivion.<br />
<br />
With the threat now gone, I chuckled at my reaction and gave thanks that I was alone in the room. I'm not especially freaked out by spiders. In fact, I generally like that they eat all of the other little creepy crawlies that I<i> really</i> don't like. I am not a fan of having them ON MY BODY, but barring that, I'm a pacifist. Live and let live, I say. <br />
<br />
But then the itching began.<br />
<br />
A spot on my arm. Another on my leg. On my head. My chest. My skin was crawling like a meth addict coming off the crank.<br />
<br />
Now, I couldn't actually see any other spiders, but I am fairly certain that hundreds of the little bastards were working their way up my body. My best guess is that they were hatched from an egg sac in my belly button and they were on a mission towards my brain where they planned to burrow in and take over my body. I was ground zero for a massive spider conspiracy to take over the world.<br />
<br />
Damn my innie genes. If only I had an outie, the rise of our arachnid overlords could have been averted. CaraBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04614627167922944626noreply@blogger.com8