Finally Friday Fun – Halloween Cake Balls

Long story short, I went to one of my favorite sites yesterday, The Pioneer Woman, and she had a post about some Halloween cake balls she made.  She said that she got the idea from Bakerella, and now I have another favorite site.  As luck would have it, DD had just sent me a text message reminding me that she needed treats for today so we gave it a go.  Now, ours are not nearly as cute as Pioneer Woman’s or Bakerella’s, but my daughter was impressed and was excited to share them with her friends, so in my book, that is all that matters!

Happy Halloween!

In the Spirit of Cafe Thursday – A Poem

Most have probably already read this poem, but it was new to me today, and seems so incredibly relevant in this crazy political time.  Pastor Niemoller was an interesting figure of World War II and I encourage you to do your own reasearch if this time period or this poem so inspires you.  So grab a cupa joe or tea and have a read, then read again, then promise yourself you will speak up the next time you hear someone speaking ill of another group of people. . .hatred of one leads to hatred of all I think.

“First they came…” by Pastor Martin Niemoller

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Book Review – The Loop by Nicholas Evans

The Loop is certainly not a new book, and after meaning to read this for about 5 years now, I finally finished it this weekend.  It wasn’t that the book was hard to read or anything, I just keep getting side tracked every time I tried to read it.  It was a good book, and I enjoyed it a bit more than I did The Horse Whisperer, which was my first Nicholas Evans book.

The Loop is set in Montana’s Big Sky Country, which is a fantastic place to spend a few hours in ones imagination.  I found myself wishing I was actually riding horseback through the streams and mountains that were being described.  As the cover indicates, some of the main characters of this book include a pack of wolves who have been reintroduced to the wilds of Montana.  I did a quick survey of this issue back in college, and the quick overview of the wolf situation in the book is actually pretty well done.  Both sides of the reintroduction program a covered quite well and it is difficult to choose a side, however, in the end the authors bias becomes the readers as well.

If you liked the Horse Whisperer, you will like The Loop.

What Have I Done? – NaNo WriMo

I think I have really lost it this time.  I did it really before I even knew what I was doing, or thought about it, or really contemplated what I was doing.  I signed up over on the NaNo WriMo Website to write a novel in a month.  Am I crazy?  Yes, most likely.  But I am also doing something I have promised myself I will do in this lifetime, and well, I really am not getting any younger.

So, before this very year is out I am going to write a novel.  I have no idea what I am writing about, or who my characters are, or even where my book will take place, but I will figure that all out in the next 8 days.  In fact, that is about all I will be doing for the next 8 days.  I am going to put my reading aside I think, and concentrate on gearing up for the actual writing.  I have no idea where this will lead, and most likely it will be no where.  But I would like to finally say, you know, I did really try this one time to write a novel and found that it is not for me.  Instead of spending the next how-ever many years I have wondering if I could write a novel.

How about you?  Ever wanted to write the Great American Novel?  Why not give it a try yourself. . . join me in this craziness and let me know if you are going to give it a try.  I would love to procrastinate by encouraging others along in the journey!

Happy Hump Day Shopping – On Etsy

I love Etsy, but I don’t get over there nearly as often as I would like.  When I do though, watch out. . .I have to look at everything I can.  And I have to say, that each time I look around I am amazed at the incredible talent of others.

Today, I purchased two bags from Janine King Designs.  I have posted pics of the two bags, and they are right now being made for me and DD.  I LOVE that, and it didn’t hurt that they were both on sale, woo-hoo!

With Christmas just around the corner, I think I will be spending many more hours on this site looking for local makers who have sales going on.  If you haven’t checked out Etsy before, with all the economic woes it may just be the perfect time to look into this crafty site, either to buy or to sell your handmade goods.

Read-A-Thon

Well, I didn’t read as many hours as I thought I would, I think I only ended up reading about 10 hours, but for a first time go, that isn’t too bad.  I also had many other things going on, so overall I am happy with how I did.  I also knew that I would not be able to stay up all night and read, as family obligations and the need to go to work tomorrow awake and refreshed was just more important. 

I do love the idea of the Read-A-Thon, and next time I will clear my schedule more so that I can read for as many hours as possible.  I will also prepare more before hand.  I will make sure I have quick snacks ready, I will make sure my family is on board with Mom’s day to herself, and I will make sure that I have a few books that I can’t wait to dive into ready to go. . .including some short books so I feel more like I am accomplishing something.

If you are a reader, I highly recommend trying some of the book challenges around the internet or trying a Read-A-Thon, us bookies have to stick together afterall. . no one else understands this strange obsession.

Read-A-Thon Update – I am a slow reader

I must be a slow reader.  I have been reading the same book since I started and am still not finished.  I am still reading The Loop by Nicholas Evans and I am somewhere in chapter 25.  I have had interupptions (including that 10 minutes it took me to run a bath, what a joy this read-a-thon has been so far) so maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.  I wonder if I could read quicker if I kicked DS out of the room, as the TV does tend to distract just a bit. . .

Read-A-Thon Update – New Book

Well, I didn’t get hooked on the last book, so I quickly switched to the book I was in the middle of yesterday, The Loop by Nicholas Evans.  I do like this book, and while it seems very similar to his more popuar The Horse Whisperer, it is an easy read.  I also am injoying the setting of this one. . .the wide open West!

I am off to finish. . .have slowly read 4 chapters while entertaining parents. . .what a host!

Let the Read-A-Thon Begin

I am sorta bummed, cause I somehow missed the fact that the Read-A-Thon started 9 hours ago.  I swear I read that it started at 2pm, but that is what I get for not going back to double-check.  Oh well, I guess I will join in late and then stay late.  I sure hope that is ok.

Since I have just begun the Read-A-Thon, I have chosen to start with The Mermaind Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, as her book The Secret Life of Bees was one of my favorite last year.

Finally Friday Fun – A Great Blush

I have been trying some fun new makeup from a couple of different places over the past few weeks and one of my favorite new products is a blush I actually got for free at Coastal Classic Creations.

This site is just great.  They claim to be “working towards the advancement of clean cosmetics,” and I have to say that they seem to be doing a great job.  I ordered some concealer, powder, and lipstick originally and I will be reviewing those cosmetics in another post.  The neat thing about my order was that since I spent a certain amount I was offered not only a couple of free products, but MY CHOICE of free products.  I have only gotten free samples before from one other cosmetic company, and they did the picking, so this was a fantastic first impression for me.

I ordered a sample of the “Driftwood” (Rosewood) Creme Blush.  I have not used creme blush before, but I wanted to try it out and I figured a free sample was the perfect way to do so.  Boy am I glad I ordered this stuff.  It goes on so nice and creamy, and I find it much easier to get the look I want with the creme.  The color is actually very close to the way it appears on the website, and I am fairly certain that it will last me a few months.  The price is higher than I would normally pay for blush, but as I said, I believe this will last quite a while so it seems worth the price to me.  And while I do love this product, I think I will have to try the “Stargazer” Burgundy Blush next time.