Theme Thursday: Orange

I am probably going to be one of many posting pictures of their child(ren) by pumpkins for this week's Theme Thursday of Orange. And all I can say is... okay. I am alright with that.

No really. My mind has no further capacity this week and we just went to the pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are orange. Why am I searching any farther? Normally I do try to challenge myself, and learn something about the way my mind works or the camera and this week... just didn't happen. And that is just fine I think.

He thought peeking through this wooden pumpkin was pretty great.

This setting was great. Look at that lighting. You can't fake that.
He did not participate in looking at the camera and smiling however.
So looking at the pumpkins was the best we got.

So serious. This is already on my living room wall.

So linking up with Cari at Clan Donaldson. I am going to stretch myself with creativity next week for "W" I promise. Happy Thursday. Nearly there to the weekend!

WWRW: Some Rereads and A New To Me

Well this week was a busy one for me.

I began the week by rereading Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. The third and final book comes out next Tuesday so I was reading them in preparation.

So... Divergent, if you haven't already read them, is another one of those teeny dystopic trilogies. The first movie comes out in March. I have mentioned before in passing that the concept is the most interesting to me. In many of the similar books, the characters are being led by their society and government and wind up rebelling against the world in an ultimate power struggle.

In Divergent the characters are in a destroyed Chicago split into 5 groups based on archetype.  (Honesty, Bravery, Selflessness, Knowledge and Peaceful.) When the children of the society reach 16 they are tested and told which section they would best benefit. Here's where it gets interesting though, every individual can either choose to stay with their families or pick a different group to live with forever. The very fact that Roth let her world have some choices made it different.

In this series, Divergent is pretty good. It has the same training progression that Hunger Games had into the beginnings of the revolution you know is coming. There's the same relationship aspect and violence aspect that you would expect by this type of series. Insurgent gets a little messy with the revolution and at times is hard to follow. But like ALL of these series, I'm now invested and I have to know how it ends.

If you haven't read these books, the series will be complete on Tuesday. And the movie comes out in March. I like to read books before I see movies. That way I can be good and disappointed in the adaptation. I am already sure to dislike the movie because the main character is played by the actress from ABC Family's Secret Life of the American Teenager. And well... nobody on that show could act. But I'll see the movie anyway.

Also this week I jumped into another Jessica recommendation, and for realsies it is incredibly thought provoking. I am pretty sure I have found my book soul mate.

So anyway, I read Outliers by Malcom Gladwell and oh my gosh. I don't even know what to say. It basically is a probing non-fiction book to look at the common factors that make certain people extraordinary. It's so obvious and yet so much is based on small factors that we really have little control over.

This is not a cuddle up and read it all in one sitting kind of book. Unless it is for you, I guess I don't know your reading preferences. But for me, with the numbers and situations, especially in part 2, I couldn't digest more than a chapter or 2 at a time. There's a really interesting look at airline crashes and while it was fascinating it was a lot to chew on so I needed to ruminate on it for a few hours before I could keep going.

But don't let this deter you. It's a book well worth reading.

Linking myself up to Jessica over in her corner of blog world for another edition of What We're Reading Wednesday. So I wonder... what are you reading?

Not related to what I am reading but in answer to the question what am I watching or really what did you watch, the answer is Gravity. I went last night with my friend to take advantage of $5 movie Tuesdays. Which is an event I don't go to often. In fact the last time I went it was to see The Heat. In case you're curious, it is not a coincidence that they are both Sandra Bullock movies. I just really love her. 

So in case Gravity was on your list of maybe go sees I'll say this with no spoilers: I liked it up until the end. Really. Up until the last 5 minutes I was a fan of the movie. I got it. I understood all the award jabbering. 

I will say in fairness, I put absolutely ZERO stock in ANY award because A Beautiful Mind won Best Picture once and I can never get those hours of my life back. And then we had to watch it in math class one year because math wasn't already my least favorite hour in the history of ever. But even still, I got why everyone said Gravity was good. Until the end. It was a good movie.

We wound up seeing it in 3D. I don't think either of us realized that movie time was a 3D showing, and normally 3D makes me a little sick. The 3D previews did and I was really regretting the movie choice but then it actually started... and it wasn't sickening at all. It was very very pleasant.  So it has that going for it as well. 

Have a delightful Wednesday. 

Theme Thursday: Double

Look at those two feet. This sorry sight is how you'll find me most days at 5:15ish. Past when I know Husband is on his way but he's just not home yet. 

Notice the candy wrappers? Those won't be there today. Because we're out, not because I'm being noble or healthy or anything. Notice my foot reclining as well? 

C is going through a pick me up all.the.time stage. And also a "you're sitting at the computer I want to TOO" stage. And usually by 5:15 I'm done and we sit like this, with a reclining baby unbuttoned onesie and all, watching YouTube until Husband walks in the door. 

Yesterday the interwebs stopped working. It wasn't pretty. 

I know I should spin this into something cheerful like "someday he won't want to snuggle and cuddle and sit with me all day long so I should cherish these moments." And seriously, while I understand that statement is 100% true. All I can think about is not having a mini me/stunt double. 

I was going for the 2 feet as my double but stunt double works too. Would you look at that? Okay. He is demanding that he be picked up now so... I'm off. Link up with Cari.  She's pretty awesome. She wrote a book.  And I liked it. 

WWRW: Bitter and Sweet, Pope Awesome... both winners.

So when we last met, I was getting ready to pick my book club's next book. Well as it happens, book club was rescheduled for tomorrow instead of last week so I had plenty of time to really consider my choice. I would up picking Jamie Ford's  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I don't know why I was hesitant about my reading experience on this one but it was a surprise for me. I mean it was on a few lists for ideas and Jessica recommended it but I was still not convinced I would like it. I'm not sure what put me off but I am glad I did not judge this book by my prior feelings.

This book follows 40 years in the life of Henry Lee. One moment in 1985 takes him back to his childhood in Seattle during WWII. As a Chinese-American Henry is in a precarious place as the American Government begins displacing those of Japanese heritage to interment camps, including his one friend Keiko. Through flashbacks the story examines all the complex relationships a person can go through: parent/child, first loves, deep friendships among other things.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by the book. It was captivating and brilliant and I didn't want to stop reading. While I wasn't anticipating the love story element it still didn't come off as just a love story, it is deep and complex, in all honestly like real love stories. I think that is the part that I really respected, unlike Nicholas Sparks, this felt real.

I am very interested in how my book club reacts to it. The fact of the matter is this book appeals to a broad audience, the sappy readers will certainly be pacified. The history buffs will love the truthfulness and harsh look at one of America's blemishes. The lover of novels will be happy the book is more in depth than some of the teeny bopper books we've read, while the readers who love the teeny bopper books are also going to be happy. This book really has it all. Honestly I am shocked I haven't heard more about it because I am totally late to the party on this one.

Also this week I read Pope Awesome and Other Stories by non-other than Cari Donaldson herself. Imma go out on a limb and say that if you are reading this blog post you probably know who she is and probably have plans to read the book yourself. So instead of a real review or plot description I will give you a few thoughts only and still insist you read it for yourself.

• I was not the biggest fan of cover 2 when it made it's appearance on the blog in the voting. But I like the spacing of the Futura font 100% better now and I am glad Cari ditched the cartoony font. 
• If you have read through a lot of her blog a lot of it is old hat, but in a more complete way. You can read the birth stories and conversion story but not in the same cohesive, detailed way. 
• I laughed audibly several times. 
• There was one paragraph that I highlighted (in Kindle world) and I am DYING to make it a Facebook status, tweet it, put it on postcards and maybe make it a tee shirt. But I am waiting until the hard copies are available so I don't scoop anyone. But it'll probably be a meme soon so... there's that. 
• If you didn't already want to meet this family you will soon. 

So that s what I read this week. I have another Jessica recommendation that I literally, as I type this, just got from the library. (Love those ebook wait lists.) 

Link up what you've read recently (or currently reading) with Jessica. Feel free to comment and give me more recommendations. Also I think maybe we should start a link up (or maybe once a month as part of WWRW) where we all pick the same book and put a list of open ended question up for people to answer? Like an online book club? Huh? Anyone even remotely interested in that idea?

Theme Thursday: Secret

I hope someone has some awesome dish to share... but it isn't me. 

Nope. From me you get deodorant. Which granted is right up there with indoor plumbing in my book but nevertheless that's what you get from me. I used to be a Dove Girl. But they stopped making my kind. I special ordered it when it was discontinued to use for my wedding but since then... back to Secret which was my original deodorant choice. Dove also discontinued my body wash so Dove and I have a bad history like that.

Okay, so now I have dished about toiletries and I know you were DYING to know about that. Happy to help.

Perhaps some others have some way more interesting secrets over at the Clan Donaldson Thursday Party. Check 'em out. Maybe it'll be like a PostSecret week? I used to love that in college. Then it got all commercial, depressing, liberal and redundant. I bet Theme Thursday won't be redundant however.

Coming up is: Double. Maybe I'll take a picture of gum. Keepin' it real exciting and making sure to have you stop by again. 

WWRW: My Book Club Pick

Well it's my turn to pick for book club. I have until tomorrow.

My book club generally picks happy, uplifting or YA novels. There is one person in general who just won't read the book if it even goes past mentioning... ahem, intimate relations and has very little tolerance for curse words. Of course she is also the person who stuck us with Legend this month so... I don't know how much I care to cater to her. But overall they like good clean books.

Or at least we haven't in my 2 years come up with many that do not fit that description. Off the top of my head we have read: Ella Minnow Pea, Legend, The Matched Series, Fablehaven, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Man's Search for Meaning, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Wednesday Letters, Princess Academy, The Walk, Time is a River, Dewy the Library Cat, The Power of Un, Mrs. Mike, A Long Way from Chicago, The Red Tent, and Bel Canto (This one was a huge controversy and the woman who chose it hasn't been back since. Too racy.)

My past two picks have been memoirs: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. My goal was to stay away from memoirs this time around. Which is actually too bad because I found a few that look good and I am excited about reading them by myself. (So stay tuned for those.)

I had no idea so I set out to find a book pick. First I scoured online lists and recommendations and then looked at Jessica's books. I tried for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--it's even a book club kit but I'm still on wait list for the book and I don't feel comfortable picking a book I've never read. I just got off the wait list and I'm knee deep in it. Since I don't have to choose until tomorrow it is still possibly a contender if I finish in time and find it captivating.

So in the past 24 hours I devoured Every Last One and Persian Pickle Club.

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Well. It would make for a good discussion I think. It follows a typical family having life. And then there is a major tragedy. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but it is just an unspeakable tragedy, that while not completely shocking because you do see the lead up, it's still somehow completely shocking because of what it is. The second half of the book is coping with the aftermath.

It was well written. I think as a mother, even as one of a toddler, it was deeply touching and thought provoking--which leads to good questions to be answered. It's mostly clean--a few references to encounters but nothing even remotely vulgar. And what little language there is is said by teenagers and promptly shot down by a parent.

This book is not a warm and fuzzy book, in fact it made me cry, but then it redeems itself with hope. And sometimes hope is even more real and good than a happy ending. I am very glad I read it and would recommend it. This book is not fast paced. It really describes a typical parenting life which both makes it real and relatable but not exactly a page turner. But underneath all the normalcy is the beauty in every day and it really is something to remember and cherish in our own lives. The way I see it, any book that makes me cherish my own life is the greatest takeaway from something I've read. I love books that become a positive reflection for yourself.

Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

Well. I started this book based off of recommendations online and put it down after about four chapters. But picked it up again after I finished Every Last One. The story follows a quilting club in this small Kansas town during the depression.

A new girl, Rita has moved to town freshly married and she wants to be a news reporter so she digs around for scoop and tries to solve a murder. At the same time this whole thing is going on the Persian Pickle Club is helping each other and quilting and living their lives.

Here's what you should know: Persian Pickle = paisley fabric. I am not spoiling a darn thing by telling you this but I wish I didn't have to wait so long to find that out. (Probably could have just Googled it too but I was reading late at night and I wasn't that on top of it.) Dallas wrote quite a lot of characters, it follows the whole club plus a few extras which may get confusing. The language and behaviors of these women is a hoot. If it's not true to life of small town Depression era ladies... I can't imagine what is more accurate. Just the rhythms, style and slang are engrossing. The characters are small town gossipy without ever being vicious or hurtful but as the reader you sure get all the scoop about everyone.

Overall the message of friendship and loyalty is stressed which isn't at all a bad thing but this book was a little bit harder for me to get into. I can't put my finger on it. It is reminiscent of Ya Ya Sisterhood and Fried Green Tomatoes but different enough to not completely lump it in with those two. It's supposedly going to be a movie soon... I don't know. It was a good light, sort of mystery, fast read. Oh. Persian Pickle is fairly clean. There is some alcohol use and talk of indiscretions but overall this is not a racy book.

I didn't dislike either book. Based on my particular group of ladies in book club they would certainly like The Persian Pickle Club better but most of the people who come to book club say "I really liked this book," then read a sentence that struck them and chat the rest of the time so that's not really a selling point for you. Both books are books I feel safe recommending here.

Basically my pick boils down to picking a book they may actually read all the way through or a book they'd put down. On that alone I should go with Persian Pickle because lame discussion is better than no discussion right?

I am linking up with Jessica  this week again. Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to leave me a comment with suggestions you think my finicky book club will enjoy. Recap: clean, happy, not too long.

Ravioli Update

So not a whole lot to report here. I am in the process of adjusting C's schedule a little bit so that his nap comes after lunch and more in the afternoon. If I am successful it will give us more opportunities to do things in the mornings:story times, classes etc.

Just wanted to post the finished product picture of the ravioli. (If you missed the beginnings of the ravioli saga.)

I am a little sad to say this was not one of our attempts to make our own sauce because if we had everything on the plate would be homemade. But alas, Prego is just so easy. And really, the bread and the ravioli are homemade so that's still pretty good.

I've got to get back to my Tuesday. Pretty good day so far.