Book Review "Atonement" *SPOILERS*

So I read the book Atonement by Ian McEwan because the movie looks good and I prefer to read a book before seeing the movie version. So here is my take on the book.

I hated it. The story line was good so it wasn't that. It was Ian McEwan's style of writing. Talk about descriptive! And I thought that Stephen King was bad about going into too much un-neccesary detail! This book was more like one big drawn out ramble!

I hope that he was intending the reader to despise the little girl from the start, because if so, he accomplished it. Plus she was much too childish for her age. Seriously, I don't care what time period it is, his description of her fit a 9 year old better than a 13 year old.

In the middle towards the end, there was way too much time spent on describing Robbie's travel with the other soldier's. None of it was relevent to the plot. Then Briony coming to her sister's apartment and Robbie being there.....how come there was no reunion in the book between Cecilia and Robbie?

I think if Mr. McEwan didn't like to hear himself ramble so much (oh and I love the use of big words to make himself sound like a smart writer), then he could have developed the story a lot better at the end.

He builds up big at the beginning, does alright in the middle and then quick finishes the end. Which by the way, the last chapter was confusing as heck until halfway through it when you find out what character is narrating it. Oh....and I just love the huge year gap .....like 60-70 years later that it jumps too. How boring!

I could care less what happened to Briony, but you devote an entire chapter to it? You barely remark on the fate of Cecilia and Robbie as if they didn't matter. The "letter" from the publishing house that was sent to Briony should have been sent to you! The exact things "they" critiqued her for are your flaws!!

Overall, after reading the book I have no desire to see the movie. I figure that it will make me just as irritated as the book so I will save my money!

Sara's Spring Outfits

Aaron and I went shopping earlier and decided to buy Sara her spring clothes. I wasn't planning on getting them all at Walmart but their stuff was so cute I couldn't resist.

Now I just need to pick up some flip flops from Old Navy and put bows on them. One pair of hot pink/green and one pair of brown/pink. Plus matching hair bows of course ( I have some special ribbon set aside for the green/pink).

Normally I wouldn't buy 3 Irish shirts but they are so cute and for only $3.50 each I had to buy them. I bought some really cute terry cloth capri's to go with them.

I absolutely love the colors brown and pink together so I had to get her these two shirts.

A matching jacket

Aaron wasn't too happy with my choice of this skirt. Anyone who knows him knows that he doesn't allow the girl's to wear short skirts or shorts. It's not that short on her so I went ahead and got it.

Water Facts

I bought myself a huge mug from Tom Thumb the other day in order to help myself get in my daily 8 glasses of water. The mug is 64 oz. (exactly what you should drink everyday) and it has water facts all over it.

See, I don't mind drinking water, but I don't think I'm getting as much water as I should everyday. So this way, I can fill it up with water (bottled only, thank you) and drink from it throughout the day. I'm using it as a pitcher. Easy enough.

Here are the water facts the have on the mug. I find them extremely interesting.

• A mere two percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math problems and difficulty focusing!
• Water regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes.
• The body is 80% water.
• We need to drink at least 1/2 our body weight in ounces of water.
• Water removes harmful toxins from the body.
• Dehydration slows down the body's metabolism.
• Lack of h2o causes saytime fatigue.
• Water plays a role in almost every bodily function!
• 75% of the US population are chronically dehydrated.
• 37% of the US population mistake thirst for hunger.
• 98% of dieters use water to deter hunger pangs.

So that is what on my mug. They have a smaller mug that has different water facts on it...I will try to get those too and update here.

Heath Ledger

Well, I can't just not blog about Heath Ledger. No tribute really, just mention that he died today. I was pretty shocked. I didn't think he was terribly good looking, but something about him was so darn attractive. He was an awesome actor and he definitely will be missed. I feel bad for Michelle Williams and their daughter Matilda. Just sad all around.

poker

So Aaron went over to his friend Reza's last night to play poker. It cost $20 to buy-in and he won $50, so he came home with $70. Not too bad!

I am all ready to go to Winstar and play some Blackjack!!

Anthony & Sara

These pictures are completely out of order, they are posted last to first.

I wanted to take some pictures of Anthony a couple of days ago but Sara would not leave him alone! So this are the pictures I ended up with.....the top one is later that night when Sara fell asleep in my arms.

Girl Scout Cookies

My mom and I went to Walmart in Colleyville today and they had a little table set up out front where a cute little girl with braces was selling Girl Scout Cookies. Heck yeah, I've been waiting for those! I promptly handed over my $3.50 and picked up a box of Lemonades. They are sooooo good! My mom wanted to try mine and when she tasted them, she bought a box too!

Then I get home and Aaron calls me asking what kind of cookies do I want? Apparently someone selling cookies was at his store right then. lol He's bringing home some peanut butter kind and some samoas. We are always going to be fat. Damn Girl Scouts and their yummy cookies.

food, smoothies and such

Well, Emma got her smoothie today. Actually 3, since nobody else wanted any. I made it with frozen cantaloupe, honeydew, red grapes, strawberries and pineapple. Then I put in some fresh blueberries and a banana. A little bit of water and a cup or so of orange juice (we love Simply Orange). She loved it. I think it's great. All of those fruit servings! Now that we have a blender I know that she will be wanting them everyday. That's fine with me.

I think tomorrow I will blend some fresh strawberries, banana and non-fat milk. Yogurt is good in smoothies. Now I'm on a mission to see what else I can use my blender for. I already plan on making some tomato basil soup when I find just the right recipe.

I think I want an ice cream maker....can't you make sorbet with one? What exactely is sorbet? I thought it is like fruit ice cream.....hang on, gonna google.....

"a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with iced fruit (typically juice or puree)"

well, not quite what I thought. I need to play around with this contraption to see what all I can do with it.

I have to say that my favorite kind of blog's are the ones about food. I am not a food adventerous person, but my tastes are changing (at an almost alarming rate) and I am open to trying new things. But I love to see what other people do with food. I love menu's and seeing what food people group together. Odd I know.

We went to Central Market last night to get groceries. On the way there, Aaron and I started talking about Lent. Last year we had good intentions on participating. I was going to go 24 hours without food once a week. That didn't work, so I switched to no eating after 7 pm. That didn't work either.

Aaron gave up meat. And he went the whole 40 days without breaking down. I couldn't believe it. That man has some willpower! This year he is thinking about doing a total fast....just liquids. We will see. I have decided to give up red meat. That I can do. That leaves me with fish, pork and chicken. Totally do-able.

But for me, it isn't just for Lent, I want it to be a lifestyle change. I don't want any red meat. I'm already kind of grossed out by it. I know I can do it because I once became grossed out by chicken and went like 2 years without eating any. Not on purpose though.

So we got to Central Market and looked at their salads. Aaron tried to get me to go for the spinach blend. Dude, it looks like leaves!!! I can't do that. I bought a tri blend of iceberg, romaine and green leaf. Oh, I only like iceberg....kind of stuck on it, that is why it's a deal for me to branch out and try new things.

I also got a couple little containers of blueberries and strawberries. I put some blueberried in Emma's smoothie, but I actually bought them to make blueberry pancakes. I have a whole wheat pancake mix that I have yet to try. Banana's on top would be perfect.

Since I know that I will on occasion crave a hamburger I picked up some spicy black bean burgers from Morningstar Farms. I have loved those since they first came out with them. I also got a pizza one that has mazzerella, tomatoes and basil. Awesome, sounds great. And I also grabbed an eggplant parmesan. If you have never tried eggplant parmesan, try it!! I always thought the eggplant would be mushy, but it actually has a meaty texture and taste great.

Bought some whole wheat penne pasta and some Central Market brand Primavera pasta sauce. It has tomotoes, carrots, celery, zucchini and red and green peppers in it. Oh my gosh, that sounds so good!

The meat department has their pork roast on sale this week half off so I got a big ol' roast for just over $5. I am slow cooking it with mexican seasonings so I can shred it and make burritos.

If you have never been to Central Market, or you have been and haven't tried their tortilla's. stop reading now, get into your car and drive there immediately!!!! They make their tortilla's right in the store, right in front of you and most of the time you can pick up a package that is still hot. Talk about fresh!! They have them in plain, butter, whole wheat (my choice) and a southwestern style.

After Central Market we went to Walmart. In the produce section they have these little bags of beggies that you microwave and it steams them with a little butter already inside. Same concept as the frozen steam veggies (I have a ton of those in the freezer). I got small potatoes and a squash blend.

Here is my menu plan.....penne pasta with primavera sauce with some steamed squash mixed in....plus a little feta cheese thrown in too. I love feta cheese. Yes, it's made from goat's milk. I didn't know that the first time I tried it and I was hooked so I didn't even care when I found out for sure. Plus a salad with some italian dressing. But not just any italian dressing, Olive Garden italian dressing!!

I love their salad dressing. I used to work there a very long time ago and unless they have changed things, you would not believe how little salad dressing they put in those big ol' bowls. If the salad is for 2-3 people, it's like 1 tbsp and for more people than that, 2 tbsp max. They never put more than that on there. That's great and it prevents me from drowning my salad in it.

This chick has an awesome food blog. It's stuff I will probably never try but wish I had the courage to. http://nomorecreamofmushroom.blogspot.com/ People like this inspire me to try to eat healthy.

I want to try Indian food and Thai food. I think I would like it, but I am terrified of trying it. Probably because I assume that everything will be really spicy and I don't like super spicy food. One of these days I will work up the courage.

My 2 new toys

Okay, so Aaron got his bonus check this week and I went shopping. I didn't spend too much (surprise surprise). I picked up 2 things I desperately needed. The first, a blender. I have the best frozen fruit in my freezer from Sam's, I love it. It's flash frozen and looks and tastes great. It's made by Dole and I really wished they sold it at Walmart but they don't.

Anyway, Emma loves smoothies. And I don't have a blender. Actually...you want to know how stupid I am? Aaron had a $90 blender. I lost the lid to it and when we moved decided to just throw the whole thing away. Yeah, that was before I knew it was a $90 blender! Who the heck pays that much for a blender?? I easily turned that argument around on him for paying so much for it. So I found this little Black & Decker one at Walmart last night for only $20. Definitely a more appropriate price for a blender.
Here is my 2nd purchase. I actually bought this first, the day before yesterday. I have wanted a Dyson since they first came out, before they were so popular. This year Aaron said that I could go ahead and get one. YEAH!!!! A Dyson!!!! I cannot bring myself to pay that much for a freakin vacuum!! I can't do it.

So instead, I bought the upgraded version of the little vacuum that I already had (that broke) that I loved. I seriously loved my little yellow vacuum. So this I got at Walmart for only $50. I love it. You can go to Walmart.com and enter in "eureka" and find it on there and see all of the little features it has. My favorite part is how easy it is to empty the canister. It's awesome. It has great power.

I'm sure that a Dyson would be the best, I have no doubt. But even if I had to buy a new Eureka every year, it would take 8 years for me to spend what I would on a Dyson. And hopefully by then, the patent will run out and there will be cheaper models out there, forcing Dyson to lower their prices. That's my plan. I will still own a Dyson one day. Yes I will.

I find it funny.....

I find it funny.......
that you are fake and you want everyone to think that you are perfect.

I find it funny.......
that you lie to yourself and others every day as if it's like breathing....do you know what the truth is anymore?

I find it funny......
that you can try but will never measure up.

I find it funny.....
that your skin would crawl if you knew how much I know about you.

I find it funny.....
that you can't trust the people you think you can.

I find it funny.....
that one day your fantasy world is going to come crashing down on you.

I find it funny.....
that you think I'm nice to you because I like you.

these boots were made for walkin'.....or flopping around in

Sara spent the weekend with my mom and she bought her this cute pair of boots. They are actually like a size and a half too big and she looks like a little lumberjack wearing them. She will probably be able to wear them better this winter. winter 2008....seems strange to refer to it that way.

Speech

So Emma just left for her first Speech class. I made Aaron take her, he was tired so he wasn't very happy about it. She goes twice a week for 30 minutes. I don't know how much that is actually going to help her. Especially since it's not one on one for 30 minutes, there will be a couple other kids there with her. But that is what the school is willing to do for her since she isn't enrolled. (Actually she is enrolled, but as a homeschool student).

So we will see.

4 month anniversary

On the 12th of every month I remember that the 13th is the anniversary of me quitting drinking soda. On the 13th of every month I forget and on the 14th I remember again. Isn't that the way it always goes?

I seriously want a root beer right now. Especially a Barq's root beer. I still haven't wrapped my head around the idea of never having another soda again. Ever. Ever. Ever.

When I go to the store I pass by the soda aisle no problem. Don't give it a 2nd thought. When Aaron has a soda, I ask if I can smell it. It smells good. I did this at his company Christmas party and people thought I was off my rocker! lol But Aaron explained to them....still strange though.

So happy me-soda free-forever

(lol)

oral surgery

So I finally have an appointment to have my teeth taken out. It's all set for February 6th and I must say that I am looking forward to it. I have had problems with my wisdom teeth for over 10 years and they are broken down to my gums. I did have one wisdom tooth and an extra molar removed 10 years ago but now I have 4 more to take out. One is a permanent tooth and that kinda sucks. I never even had a cavity until I was 21 and now I have all of these issues.

Because the teeth are broken down so far, they have to completely knock me out to get them out. One tooth is actually split straight down the center. Then there is the fact that I have 2 golfball sized cysts, one in each sinus cavity. And the end of the "broken down the center" tooth is lodged in one of the cysts. Gross. The problem with that is it is going to leave a big hole when they get it out and they might not be able to plug it up. Oh joy.

On my bottom jaw I have 2 abcesses (probably didn't spell that right) under my wisdom teeth that are the size of a pencil eraser. I'm just so lucky aren't I? I am really super lucky that it's going to cost me $600 to have it done. Ergh

At least Aaron is taking a few days off to be at home with me. They said it should only take a few days to heal so that is good. Plus they will give me pain pills so I won't be hurting too bad. Now the countdown begins.....

hair care

The girl's hair just isn't shiny. Probably because of the winter, but it hasn't really been that cold. I did an online search and came across a message board where the majority of people were saying to use John Frieda that make hair nice and pretty.

So I went to Walmart and found this.....
You get the shampoo, conditioner and a glaze to make hair super shiny. I bought the girl's the dark blonde version and bought myself the one above, for dark brown hair. I haven't used it on them yet but I'm gonna try it out today. Hopefully I will get the results I am looking for. I need to dye my hair again too.....my grey hairs are poking out all over my head, but especially in front. Yay

<3 he loves me

Awww Aaron's loves me. Look at what he bought me at Cracker Barrel last night. I have been wanting that ever since they first put them out on display. Now they are 50% off and he finally gets it for me. That's okay, at least I got it!! Now I have to go looking for the matching cookie jar because they were out of it at the Cracker Barrell we went to.

Plus he picked himself up a new hat.

Book List for 2008

Two Sunday's ago, the guest pastor at our church was talking about reading books in his sermon. I wish I remember all of what he said-something about the average person only reads 1 book every 5 years. That seems so crazy!! But I can't remember the last time I actually read a book. A novel I mean. I read books about homeschooling, parenting, gardening, etc. but I don't actually read it all of the way through. He also said that President Bush reads 60 books a year. 60!! That is an insane amount. The pastor talked about how President Bush has a lot of stuff to do but still manages to make time to read that many books. So what's our excuse?

So I have decided to read 50 books this year. So I started looking into what books I wanted to read....some ideas I got from people's blogs and some from message boards. So far, this is my list.....

Atonement by Ian McEwan
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Lottery by Patricia Wood
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

mustard

Okay, I know it seems strange to blog about mustard but I am so in love with this mustard I had to share! It's Gulden's spicy brown mustard. You haven't lived until you've had this mustard!

Aaron had McAlister's cater a Christmas party for his employee's and he brought me home an extra sandwich with a little packet of Gulden's. I have not been able to get it out of my mind! So I went and bought some yesterday and just had the best sandwich ever!

It had mayo, gulden's, lettuce, colby cheese, black forest ham and monterey jack cheese on sourdough bread....mmmmmmm It was the best. I left off the tomato and avocado I have in the fridge but they would make great additions too. Just my .02

mark

I have a new favorite scent. It's mark Instant Vacation Greek Isles Fragrance Mist. It smells sooooooo good!! I just ordered a bottle from my Avon lady and I can't wait to get it. It reminds me of summer because of the coconut. Well, summer and tanning. This is the description from the mark website...."Warm honey, fresh gardenia, white freesia and creamy cocnut combine for a blissful island fragrance that captures the carefree Mediterranean mood of the Greek Isles."

Speaking of tanning...I think that I will get one this year! lol I'm pretty pasty and with our Lifetime Fitness membership we get a discount at Palm Beach Tan. I used to go to Planet Tan and I loved it there but then we moved out to East Texas and there was no Planet Tans. I actually froze my membership for almost a year before they just cancelled it. I haven't tanned since. I have a cute brown bathing suit that definitely would look better with a tan! mmmmmm I can already smell the coconut!

my new fuzzy life

I've decided that I'm gonna live my life in pink fuzzy slippers. My mom got me these for Christmas and I never want to wear another pair of shoes again. They weird in the pic...all long....my curse, size 10 feet. Actually I don't mind having big feet, I never have. Everyone should have a pair of slippers like this. Heaven.

Camera dodger

Last night we went to the grocery store and since the girl's had just gotten out of the bath tub and their hair was wet, I made them wear their hats. Sara looks so darn cute in hers that I made her pose for a picture. But one picture was all she wanted to give....I wanted more!
So this is what she does to irritate me because she doesn't want her picture taken anymore...
She tried to run and hide behind Emma's chair, but I found her....
And this is what I get at the end. Just a blank stare. lol

Cards from Heaven

ASHLAND, Ore. - Even in death, Chet Fitch is a card. Fitch, known for his sense of humor, died in October at age 88 but gave his friends and family a start recently: Christmas cards, 34 of them, began arriving -- written in his hand with a return address of "Heaven."

The greeting read: "I asked Big Guy if I could sneak back and send some cards. At first he said no; but at my insistence he finally said, 'Oh well, what the heaven, go ahead but don't (tarry) there.' Wish I could tell you about things here but words cannot explain.

"Better get back as Big Guy said he stretched a point to let me in the first time, so I had better not press my luck. I'll probably be seeing you (some sooner than you think). Wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Chet Fitch"

A friend for nearly 25 years, Debbie Hansen Bernard said, "All I could think was, 'You little stinker.'"

"It was amazing," she said. "Just so Chet, always wanting to get the last laugh."

The mailing was a joke Fitch worked on for two decades with his barber, Patty Dean, 57. She told the Ashland Daily Tidings this week that he kept updating the mailing list and giving her extra money when postal rates went up. This fall, she said, Fitch looked up to her from the chair.

"You must be getting tired of waiting to mail those cards," he told her. "I think you'll probably be able to mail them this year."

He died a week later.

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Caleb!

So yesterday was New Year's Eve and that also happens to be our dog Caleb's birthday. He turned 1. Since Aaron had to work, and Anthony was at my mom's (he did stop by to tell Caleb happy birthday), me and the girl's decided to have a birthday party for him.

Here is he waiting for all of the festivities. lol
Emma mixing up the cake batter. And just to get it out of the way, no Caleb did not get to eat cake. He had treats but the girl's associate birthday cakes with birthday parties, so we made one for them.

Sara spraying the pan.

The yellow is eggs. Kinda crazy how bright that showed up.

And of course the sprinkles. We wre using the Holiday cake mix that they were selling around Christmas time.

So excited! lol

Sara about to wrap his present. The girl's call this Caleb's Grinch.

Emma wrapping his presents. She picked out the wrapping paper from the leftover Christmas wrap and I gave her a pair of scissors and some tape and let them do it themselves.

Here is Caleb opening his presents. He really did try to open them himself. Well, 2 out of the 3. He could smell the treats and the bone, but not the grinch.

Enjoying his new red candy cane shaped bone. Which by the way, turned his nose and paws pink. LOL

Oh yes, I can't forget the party hats the girls made. So festive aren't they? Next year I need to remember to pick up party hats.

Well, it's his party so of course he has to wear one too!

The cake. Actually there are 2 of them (one for each girl to make). Here is Sara's...

Here is Emma's. You can't tell from the pic but she made all of the little trees and snowmen stand upright!

The girl's with their creations!

Here they are blowing out the cake. I gave them each 1 candle.

I have to say that it was such a nice night. It's been a few year's since we went out for New Year's (mainly because Aaron has to work). But I'm glad we aren't out on the road with a bunch of drunk people driving around. Plus, it seems like it never fails that there is a fight at whatever party we go to. Too much drama.

When Aaron got home we talked about how it's nice that the kid's have Caleb's birthday to look forward to and celebrate New Year's Eve every year. Well, Happy New Year everyone!