Week {end} Update

I just realized two things on this rainy Saturday morning.

       1. (much to my chagrin) I will clearly not be spray painting my hideously ugly neon very bright yellow lamps or anything else for the bedroom re-do.
      2. I do not have to leave my house for ANYTHING today, which is next to amazing. I cannot remember the last time I spend an entire day without leaving the apartment.

So what better thing to do than update my blog about my past fantastic (w/ some high and low points) week.

Last Sunday I spent the day working both the Receptionist position and the Admission position at work, counting down the hours until I could go home because of the fabulous Barn Dance the Christian Church of Claredon Hills was having in Naperville. Brandon and I put on our western gear and along with the 'rents and little sister headed to the Barn Dance! I was in heaven. They taught us line dances and square dances and it was so much more fun than when we used to do it in gym class. Here are a couple fun pictures from the night.

There's a whole-lotta plaid going on!

Then, a mere two days later, on a TUESDAY, the fam headed to downtown Chicago for a movie premiere. A long-time family friend of mine help to produce the movie TRUST (follow the link to see the trailer) which is about a young girl who is sexually assaulted by an online predator. It is dark, emotional, and thought-provoking. I thought the movie was done very well and the audience was able to connect with this family. Anyway, my family went out to dinner at Cafe Luxe and then headed to the Chicago Film Festival. It was such a cool experience! We got to give the movie a rating (5/5 from me of course) and there were no previews.  Next year we want to go back and see the Surprise showing. It is a movie premiere that is free (w/ the purchase of a festival t-shirt) and you don't know what you are seeing! Here are a couple pics from that night.

And finally to cap off my week - I got a promotion at work! This work-week has had some highs and lows. I have felt like I was not being compensated for the amount of work I currently do and have probably taken on a lot more responsibility than my current position was originally designed to have. One of my promoters said that I have "outgrown" my current position which is a really good way to look at it. This has come at a really good time too because I was going to be considering other options once Brandon started working and now I don't really have to! I, of course, am still going to look into grad schools and see if that's a route I was to take, but I feel like I am going to be happy in this new position... which is: Dementia Care Coordinator. I am going to be working under the Director of Dementia Care on both of the Special Care Units (where we have residents with mid to late stage dementia) in Tabor Hills. Some of what I will be doing will be the same as my current position, but I will get more face-time with residents and will have a bigger role in activity-planning and it will be a more supervisory position. Praise God for an answer to prayers as I had really been seeking a direction in my life and He has provided it!

Rocking the Jackie O. look for 50's 60's day at work!

Library Trip!

Made a quick trip the library last night AND got in one of the books I have recently ordered off Amazon, so natch, I thought I should share:

Changeless (amazon book!)

Carriger delivers the wickedly funny second novel in her Parasol Protectorate series, which finds Alexia Tarabotti entangled once more with London's vampires, werewolves, and supernatural mysteries. Original.


Loved the first book, so looking forward to this one! :)

A Thousand Splendid Suns

After more than 189 weeks on the New York Timesbestseller list for The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today. Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runnera beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Sunsis at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love. Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival. A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Sunsis a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love

I am a little apprehensive about reading this because The Kite Runner was very hard to read at times, and since this book is about women it may be even more difficult to get through.

Wuthering Heights

"My greatest thought in living is Heathcliff. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be . . . Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure . . . but as my own being."
Wuthering Heights is the only novel of Emily Bronte, who died a year after its publication, at the age of thirty. A brooding Yorkshire tale of a love that is stronger than death, it is also a fierce vision of metaphysical passion, in which heaven and hell, nature and society, are powerfully juxtaposed. Unique, mystical, with a timeless appeal, it has become a classic of English literature.




This is a classic novel that I somehow have not yet read.

The 18 Best Stories by Edgar Allen Poe-
This is pretty self- explanatory. Its almost Halloween- I needed some creepiness in my reading life!














And- just an additional FYI- wear purple sometime in the next couple days to support Erase Hate. It is to show love and support to those young people who have been bullied or abused by others and to celebrate diversity.

Book Review(s) and bedroom sneak peak!

You get TWO book reviews today AND a bedroom re-vamp sneak peek - because I have been a lazy non-blogger!! :)

Let's do the predictable, yet satisfying, brain-candy book first:

 Eat, Prey, Love by Kerrelyn Sparks -


Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he's recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it's like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he's found the perfect woman, except . . .

Caitlyn Whelan is mortal. Worse, her father is the head of a CIA agency bent on hunting the undead. Still, Caitlyn knows that Carlos is the man for her, shape shifter or not. So she jumps at the chance when her sister offers her a job to work with him, determined to show Carlos their attraction is more than just animal magnetism. But danger lurks in the night, and their unleashed, untamed passion might just get them both killed . . .

Oh- this was pretty much everything I expected it to be. Cheesy. Predictable. A tad raunchy. Basically Danielle Steel meets Twilight. I was a little disappointed in the writing, not because it was predictable, but more because it just wasn't that good. My paranormal romances of choice are pretty much anything by Laurrell K. Hamilton and that girl can write. I didn't really appreciate it as much until I read Sparks. It is basically the same "world" and Sparks could have made it better. But- hey- this is brain candy. 4/5 for entertainment value and easy reading.




Now- the better book:

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron


Surprised to find himself reborn as a golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey wonders if he will ever find his purpose, in this beautifully crafted work that teaches that love never dies and that every creature on Earth is born with a purpose.

Any dog-lover will probably enjoy this book. I thought it was completely touching and moving, showing the world through a dog's eyes. I probably would have liked it more if the darn dog hadn't died so many times. He/she was reincarnated as different dogs 3 times I think. He/She was able to use everything he learned in the prior life in his next life because somehow he could remember it. (I am not going to question the theology of it- it worked for the book) The main character was engaging and endearing and full of love. His relationship with Ethan, a young boy, is so sweet. I did get pretty nervous every time the dog wandered off though (he conveniently learned how to unlatch a gate in his first life). There was humor and heartache in this book. It was so true to life and a question probably every person asks "What is my purpose in life?" It took this poor dog 4 lives to figure it out and fulfill it... but nonetheless, I still loved this book. I cried so many times reading it though! Every time the dog had to die I was heartbroken! I felt his confusion the first time, his heartache the 2nd, her tiredness the 3rd... I also mourned with the owners! How sad is it when your dog dies?! I just kept relating it back to my Sophie and Izzie (who I am probably unhealthily attached too) and how heartbroken I would be if....  I can't even type it. :) Anyway 4.5/5 for this book. Probably would have given it a 5/5 if the poor pup could have fulfilled it all in one life instead of four and then I wouldn't have cried so much! :)

So- in honor of my pups and for your itty-bitty sneak peak at the new bedroom (and I mean itty-bitty!):

See that sunshiney- yellow under my pups? Yep- that's your sneak peak! haha I am such a tease! :)

New Crafty Schtuff

Papa made me a new necklace box! I had put all of my necklaces in a shoe box and ziploc baggies when we moved. And there they stayed until last week. Papa made this out of the template he used for key boxes.

I couldn't fit all in of my necklaces so I decided to put my more costume-y, less delicate necklaces into a mini drawer set that I got from my aunt and uncle when they moved out of their house. I used simple plastic drawer dividers which I cut down to size to divide up the drawers for the necklaces.

The super-cute shoe is to show how tiny this dresser is. :)

So now all of my jewelry has a home! I am so happy to finally be able to see all of my necklaces!

And another new project from this past weekend - some new wall art! At our wedding I had quilt squares for people to write on to give us well-wishes or marital advice. My dream-idea was to make them into a full-sized quilt that I could put on display in my home... Well it didn't really pan out. I only have about 20 squares written on (out of over 200 guests) so not really enough to make a substantial quilt. These have been just sitting in a drawer for over a year now. Well, about a month ago I found this great wooden, 3-picture frame that was the perfect shade of green to match our living room! It was in our mail room (people just put stuff there they are getting rid of) so it was free (even more perfect)!! I was struck with inspiration when I came upon the quilt squares on Saturday when I was cleaning. This frame had just been sitting in our foyer for weeks since I didn't have any pictures to put in it. Well, it was meant to be-

,

I hung it in our hallway. It is so nice to have these (even just a few!) finally on display!

And something to look forward too- I have been hit with inspiration for Christmas (I know its a little early) decor! I am so excited- I can't believe I still have to wait a month and a half before I can start putting anything up since I am strictly a day-after-Thanksgiving-and-no-sooner for Christmas decorating kinda girl...

Book of Shadows - Review

 Book of Shadows by Alexandra Sokoloff

Homicide detective Adam Garrett is already a rising star in the Boston police department when he and his cynical partner, Carl Landauer, catch a horrifying case that could make their careers: the ritualistic murder of a wealthy college girl that appears to have Satanic elements.
The partners make a quick arrest when all evidence points to another student, a troubled musician in a Goth band who was either dating or stalking the murdered girl. But Garrett's case is turned upside down when beautiful, mysterious Tanith Cabarrus, a practicing witch from nearby Salem, walks into the homicide bureau and insists that the real perpetrator is still at large. Tanith claims to have had psychic visions that the killer has ritually sacrificed other teenagers in his attempts to summon a powerful, ancient demon.



This book was meh. It started out like an episode of CSI, opening at a garbage dump crime-scene. The detectives found the body of a young girl, missing a head w/ ritualistic carvings on her body. *shudder* I love me some CSI, don’t get me wrong, but I would rather watch it on TV than read it because my imagination is way more active and detailed than what they can show on network television. The setting is Boston, MA with some side-trips to Salem, MA (can we say predictable?) from mid-September to Halloween night. Detective Garrett isn’t the most likable guy and his partner is pretty crass. The story is a typical we’ve-got-the-wrong-guy variety. Garrett doubts that the girl’s boyfriend killed her and thinks they have locked up the wrong guy, even though the evidence can suggest strongly that he did it. Through the entire book you know the kid didn’t do it. I never even suspected him of the crime, which doesn’t do much for the suspense factor.

I have to be honest, a lot of things about this book made me uncomfortable. There were random sex scenes thrown in that I didn’t feel did anything for the story. You get to read about Detective Garrett ravaging his girlfriend twice and the “witch” once. At least when he’s with the witch the story moves forward. The girlfriend scenes were just unnecessary. Another thing I will be painfully and embarrassingly honest about – I have read a lot of love scenes in various genres over the years, and I am not prude about reading them. These were just superfluous and not very well-written scenes. Also, throughout the book you get to read about Detective Garrett’s- let’s call them desires and impulses – every time a woman enters the room and how his body is affected. Really? I really didn’t need to know that. It did nothing for the plot.

However, I was even more uncomfortable with the satanic elements and demon-summoning story-line. It’s not that I haven’t read paranormal fantasy books before (hey- I like me some vampires) but there was no balance in this book. It was solely focused on the evil side and witchcraft. The witches in the book aren’t even bad necessarily, but a greater good was completely absent from the story line. You would think that if you are talking about Satan and evil that God and love would be mentioned somewhere… Well apparently not in this book.

Overall- not happy with this book. It gets a 1/5 and I would not recommend it.
Currently Reading: (and am so far much happier with this book) A Dog’s Purpose

Up and coming reads

I haven't done a preview reading post in a while, so I thought I will put my reading list up!

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bardbury  
G uy Montag is a fireman who burns books in a futuristic American city. In Montag’s world, firemen start fires rather than putting them out. The people in this society do not read books, enjoy nature, spend time by themselves, think independently, or have meaningful conversations. Instead, they drive very fast, watch excessive amounts of television on wall-size sets, and listen to the radio on “Seashell Radio” sets attached to their ears.

 2. The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson
England, 1766: After a long voyage from the East Indies, a ship docks in Bristol, England, and rumor quickly spreads about its unusual cargo—some say a mermaid is on board. A crowd forms, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magical creature. One crate after another is unpacked: a zebra, a leopard, and a baboon. There's no mermaid, but in the final two crates is something almost as magical—a pair of young elephants, in poor health but alive.
Seeing a unique opportunity, a wealthy sugar merchant purchases the elephants for his country estate and turns their care over to a young stable boy, Tom Page. Tom's family has long cared for horses, but an elephant is something different altogether. It takes time for Tom and the elephants to understand one another, but to the surprise of everyone on the estate, a remarkable bond is formed.

 3. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Surprised to find himself reborn as a golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey wonders if he will ever find his purpose, in this beautifully crafted work that teaches that love never dies and that every creature on Earth is born with a purpose.

4. Book of Shadows by Alexandra Sokoloff
Homicide detective Adam Garrett is already a rising star in the Boston police department when he and his cynical partner, Carl Landauer, catch a horrifying case that could make their careers: the ritualistic murder of a wealthy college girl that appears to have Satanic elements.
The partners make a quick arrest when all evidence points to another student, a troubled musician in a Goth band who was either dating or stalking the murdered girl. But Garrett's case is turned upside down when beautiful, mysterious Tanith Cabarrus, a practicing witch from nearby Salem, walks into the homicide bureau and insists that the real perpetrator is still at large. Tanith claims to have had psychic visions that the killer has ritually sacrificed other teenagers in his attempts to summon a powerful, ancient demon.

5. Eat, Prey, Love by Kerrelyn Sparks -
Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he's recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it's like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he's found the perfect woman, except . . .
Caitlyn Whelan is mortal. Worse, her father is the head of a CIA agency bent on hunting the undead. Still, Caitlyn knows that Carlos is the man for her, shape shifter or not. So she jumps at the chance when her sister offers her a job to work with him, determined to show Carlos their attraction is more than just animal magnetism. But danger lurks in the night, and their unleashed, untamed passion might just get them both killed . . .

 
Not to be confused with...

6. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls "Anne Lamott's hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister") is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.






and 2 others that I probably will not review for you

7. So You Want to be a Stay-At-Home Mom by Cheryl Gochnaur

8. Your Career in Psychology

Can you tell where my mind is?

Hopefully I will have some good reviews for you in the upcoming weeks!

Nights in Rodanthe Combo Review

At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. Reeling with heartache and in search of a respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina to tend to a friend's inn for the weekend. But when a major storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne's perfect getaway will be ruined -- until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort -- and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.

Oh Nicholas Sparks, you sure know how to make a girl cry.

If you are anything like me, there are those times in your life when you just need to sit down and have a good cry. No real reason, other than to release some pent up emotions. This is one of those books (and movie) that will allow you to have a good ol' cry.

This movie sticks closely to the book, save for a few details. Those few details, for me, make the book better. I feel like some of the story and emotion is lost in translation of the movie. I love being able to hear what a character is thinking and you lose that in this movie, but its still pretty good.

Synopsis: Paul and Adrienne, both coming from damaged points in their lives, meet at an inn and a hurricane roles in. They basically fall in love over the long weekend and end up changing one another's lives for the better.

Paul is a great doctor, but a bad father and husband (well, ex-husband) because he was so devoted to his work. He came to Rodanthe to speak with a man whose wife Paul had operated on... she died on the table. He was trying to have some closure with the situation. After this weekend he was planning to fly to Ecuador, where is son is working in a medical clinic to try to repair their damaged relationship.

Adrienne comes to the inn as the caretaker for her friend. She is in the midst of a divorce and has an angry teenage daughter and a son (in the book 2 sons). As you might suspect, she puts her family before herself and is considering taking her ex back for the sake of the kids (apparently his fling didn't work out).

What I like about this book is that neither one of these characters is looking for love. I also like that they are very realistic people, damaged goods. She teaches him a little humility and he teaches her that she is worthy of love. It's great. They have a magical weekend together and then he flies off to Ecuador and they have a year of romantic old fashioned letter-writing. Through the letters they get to know one another even better and look forward to starting their life together.

Now, it IS Nicholas Sparks, so there is a heart wrenching twist ending that makes the whole thing bittersweet. I won't give it away.... The movie does stick to the original ending.
What I appreciate about the book is that it is mostly in a flashback. Adrienne is telling her daughter about the time at the Inn with Paul once she is a grown woman who loses her husband and is left with 2 young sons. Also, in the movie they kill off Adrienne's father (he is never introduced into the story other than being her dead dad who she was very close with) but in the book he is alive, but ill, and Paul arranges for him to be cared for through his life because he knows how special her father is to Adrienne.  Small things, I know, but it still made the book better for me.

The casting in the movie was spot-on. They could not have chosen a better Paul or Adrienne. I mean, you can't go wrong with Richard Gere! And, even though he is a minor character, it was a nice surprise to see a yummy James Franco as Paul's son Mark.



All in all, its classic Nicholas Sparks. I enjoyed it, but steer clear if you don't want to be sad. It is a tragic romance. I'd give it 3/5 stars.