Heaven's Little Angel

Congrats to Melissa and Josh for their beautiful baby boy. Enoch Israel Lee was born on December 9th and weighs 8'4 and is 191/2 inches long. Liz and I went to visit Melissa in the hospital and mommy and baby look great! He is so sweet in person and tucks his bottom lip in. What a precious boy. Congratulations!

Coldplay Fix You (Viva La Vida Tour )

We found this on YouTube. You can all get a little taste of the concert. It is pretty close to the same performance that we saw in SLC. In the middle of the song, watch closely at Chris Martin rock out. Awesome!

Fix You: Coldplay

This year Liz and I wanted to dedicate a song to all of you on our bookclub cd. We decided on Fix You by Coldplay. Not only because we went to the concert and it was the BEST EVER, but because in one way or another it describes what we have gone through this year. Marcy with her tough divorce, Laurel turning 40 and not believing just how wonderful that is, Kiki with her niece being terminally ill, Cumorah and other friends moving away, just to name a few. We wanted to do a song that let you know that whatever challenge or trial you may be facing, we are there for a shoulder to cry on. If we all work together, the thorns in life will be only for but a season. It is wonderful to get together and have those late night chats about our trials. It helps to get to know all of you so much better. Liz and I dedicate this song to you lovely ladies! Here are the words.....

Fix You - Coldplay

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from your mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I

Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you


So in your spare time, which is a rare time, scroll down to the music bar at the bottom of this blog and click on fix you and listen to the song when you read the lyrics. Liz and I love all of you and it is songs like this that bring us together!

Bookclub Christmas Par-tay!!

This year we had our bookclub party at Lisa's house. Laurel's friend catered it for us which was so delicious! We had a birthday and baby celebration for Melissa who is going to have her baby this week: it's a boy! She got hooked up with lots of cute things. Then we did a white elephant gift exchange. Everyone fought over the Edward poster from Twilight (sigh, he's so cute!) but the best gift was the Tiki that Karen gave to Kristin. That is truly a white elephant. After that we did an exchange of small gifts that we each gave eachother: bookmarks, candy, games, bags, etc. I usually make a bookclub cd every year of everyone's favorite song for the year. This year I did a song that "describes you". The cd is titled: Pieces of Us, in some way or another. Here is the playlist.

Alisa- Blessed, Martina McBride

Becky- Band of Horses, No One's Gonna Love you (like I do)

Cumorah- Taylor Swift, Love Story

Francesca- Yummy, Gwen Stefani

Karen- Daughtry, Home

Kiki- Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World

Kristin- Elton John, Blessed

Laurel- Alanis Morisette, So Unsexy

Lisa- Enya,I will find you

Liz- Depeche Mode, It's no good

Margie- Jack Johnson, Banana Pancakes

Marcy- Jordin Sparks, One step at a time

Melissa- Ingrid Michaelson, the way I am

Michelle- Five for Fighting, Superman

Sarah- Journey, Seperate Ways

Coldplay- fix you (dedication from Sarah and Liz)

Moby- theme song from Bourne (Lisa's marathon song)

We will explain why we chose these songs in the reply section of this post. Some of you I couldn't get a hold of so I just chose a song for you. I think it is easier to choose a song that describes other people than it is to describe yourself.

We had such a great time together, laughing and having fun. We missed those of you who have moved or couldn't make it. Can't wait for another get together! I noticed Karen that you aren't in this group picture because you had to come late, so we'll get another group one next time!

Thanks for hosting it Lisa, your house is beautiful! Good Luck on that baby Melissa!

Another Funny Twilight Post

Here is one about casting changes in New Moon.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Here's the recipe I used for the chocolate mousse cake we ate at Sarah's.

It's best made the day before eating--in my opinion :)

The Glass Castle

This is a fascinating memoir that at least two people recommended to me when I asked for my friends to tell me their favorite book (by the way, I haven't heard from you guys about that--would love to). One of my friends said, "Oh that book is awesomely disturbing. I couldn't put it down. I was amazed that someone could live through that kind of childhood and turn out 'normal.'" I agree wholeheartedly. The other thing that I find inconceivable is that this husband and wife stayed together all those years, through alcoholism, infidelity, untreated depression, physical violence, etc. In light of my recent divorce, wow.

Read this book if you ever feel like you're just not measuring up as a housekeeper or mother. It will perk you right up! As people keep telling me, children are resilient!

Happy 40th Laurel

This time of year reminds me of last year when Laurel and I went to Chicago to see Michelle. We had such a great time. So Happy Birthday Laurel, here are the long awaited pictures that I have had stashed away on my computer for a year. Hope your 40th is a good one, I hear the years just get better from here. Love you!!

This was actually our last night out on the town. We saw "Wicked" and

it was probably my favorite musical that I've ever been to. I started crying right at the beginning because it was so powerful and we were on the last row in the back! It was very good and very fun!

I think this is Michelle's front yard. Everything is very luscious green over there, and lots of trees. Michelle and I went for a run one morning and it was beautiful. Laurel was being social at her brothers house.

Bloomingdales. Need I say more? We walked the magnificant mile in Chicago and just as I was complaining that my feet hurt, we ran into Bloomingdales and HAD to go in!

How much was this scarf- like $500?

We spent hours in Borders. Any time to spend in a bookstore without kids was well worth it!

We went to a couple museums including the Chicago museum of Art where there are original paintings of famous artist. Very interesting.

Chicago at night. There are large lit up advertisements and all the buildings are lit up. It is a great sight to see.

This is the museum that has all the pieces from other buildings stuck on the outside bricks. It is very awesome. There are many locations throughout history. We walked around the building and looked at all of them.

We stopped to rest our feet and have some hot chocolate. I don't remember what kind Michelle and I got but of course Laurel got dark chocolate, her favorite. It was very yummy. "the bean" Matching rings to remember our trip We went to a cajun restaraunt with many bottles of hot sauce. We had some very good food there. Right when we got off the plane, Michelle took us to get some Chicago style pizza. I'm still craving it. I think I gained ten pounds on that trip. Thanks Michelle for showing us a good time! Now we need to go to Cali to see Frenchie or Jackson to see Becky or Texas to see Cumorah. It is well worth it.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

This is one of those books that is just so cute. It fulfilled my need for a candy read; by the end I was bored by its easy conclusion. This is definitely juvenile lit, which most (all?) of us appreciate anyway, right? I just want to say that I don't know why anyone would put L. M. Montgomery's fiction in the juvenile lit. category. It has so much substance and real-life sorrows and joys in it. I'm going to reread my favorite book next: The Blue Castle (by Montgomery). Oh yes, after being good and reading this month's book.

I definitely recommend Fairest, written by the author of Ella Enchanted. Her tone is very similar to Shannon Hale's, I would say. What do you guys think?

P.S. This is the retelling of Snow White.

My thoughts on Breaking Dawn

I feel so bad you gals didn't talk about the book, and I hope my not having finished it yet was the reason. I totally consumed the book when I got home from utah. SO GOOD!!!!

I want to comment on that portion of the book after Bella and Edward marry where there is complete and utter bliss. They are loving their married life, and life with the baby, and life is just so perfect. Part of me wanted to scream out of jealousy. I was probably PMSing at the time. I was a tad (or a lot) jealous of how happy and fulfilled Bella was with her new life and she was juggling all her responsibilities beautifully. The transition into a vampire and mother went well. Stefenie Meyers was so good and describing this period of peace, joy, tranquility, and fireworks in the bedroom (ahem) that it made me envious. But then a thought struck me.

Duh.

All we have to do in this life is endure and do what's right. THEN we can experience the joy and peace and happiness beyond comprehension in the afterlife. That is what this life is about. If we even had a CLUE of the happiness in the afterlife, I think we would try a lot harder to keep an eternal perspective and endure to the end. So, this may sound a little odd, but I am grateful for that beautifully described future in that book, it keeps me going on my rough days when I can envision my own little Bella and Edward paradise with perfect children surrounding me in my mansion above. :)

What are your thoughts?

Chopped Mexican Salad Recipe

A few of you asked me for this recipe the other night at book club, so I thought I would post it on here and send it out to all of you! I hope that's ok, since it really has nothing to do with books. :)

Chopped Mexican Salad
1 small or 1/2 large head romaine lettuce, cleaned and cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced1 medium green apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 C. fresh corn kernels (cut from 1 ear of corn)
1 1/2 C. crushed tortilla chips1 avocado, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced, for garnish

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, apple, corn kernels and tortilla chips. Toss well. Drizzle with dressing. Toss until well-coated. Top with avocado slices and serve.

Dressing
1/3 C. pine nuts
1 t. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1/2 C. extra-virgin olive oil

To make dressing, toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat 2 minutes, shaking frequently. Add cumin and continue toasting and shaking pan, 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper, vinegar and olive oil to pan and whisk until ingredients are blended. Cool.

Makes 4 servings

For Such a Time As This: Talks from the 2007 BYU Women's Conference

I got this book for Mother's Day and I am really enjoying the talks. They all seem to be about how we do our best despite our trials, and how we need to trust in the Lord's timetable to give us our deepest desires. I'm not done with it yet, but when I finish it I'd love to pass it around to anyone who is interested.

Deep in the Heart of Trouble

My friend, Daphne (helper from preschool), introduced me to this author. She's Christian but not LDS. I've read 3 of her books so far. They are cute, fun romantic stories. I like her style of writing a lot - she's moves the story along at a good pace and creates characters you can root for. This book was my favorite. I'd look for them at any library, if you're interested. The ones I read were borrowed from BYU.

The Ladies (minus a few)

Breaking Dawn According to a Man

Remember that Twilight blog post I told you about a while back? From Normal Mormon Husbands? Obviously, they had to post about Breaking Dawn coming out. I haven't read the posts yet, but I wanted to let you all know about them--they're sure to be really funny. The first post is here, the second here, the third here, and the final here. Whew.

The Curse of Chalion

I finished reading The Curse of Chalion the other day, and I love it. Here are some of my favorite passages. I know some of you said it's hard to get into, but if you push through the beginning I promise you’ll be glad you read it. The hero's name is Cazaril.

“Men’s will is free. The gods may not invade it, any more than I may pour wine into this cup through its bottom.”

“You cannot outguess the gods. Hold to virtue—if you can identify it—and trust that the duty set before you is the duty desired of you. And that the talents given to you are the talents you should place in the gods’ service. Believe that the gods ask for nothing back that they have not first lent to you. Not even your life.”

“What, everyone knows of Royesse Iselle’s clever secretary, the man who keeps his own counsel—and hers—the bastion of Gotorget—utterly indifferent to wealth—“
“No, I’m not,” Cazaril assured him earnestly. “I just dress badly. I quite like wealth.”

This is how I felt when my husband told me “we need to be done.” Upon hearing of her son’s death:
“You understand my words, Royina?” Cazaril said hesitantly.
“Oh, yes,” she breathed. One corner of her mouth turned up; Cazaril could not call it a smile. It was nothing like a smile, this black irony. “When it is too-long-anticipated, a blow falls as a relief, you see. The waiting is over. I can stop fearing, now. Can you understand that?”

Bergon shook his head. “Any man can be kind when he is comfortable. I’d always thought kindness a trivial virtue, therefore. But when we were hungry, thirsty, sick, frightened, with our deaths shouting at us, in the heart of horror, you were still as unfailingly courteous as a gentleman at his ease before his own hearth.”
“Events may be horrible or inescapable. Men have always a choice—if not whether, then how, they may endure.”
“Yes, but…I hadn’t known that before I saw it. That was when I began to believe it was possible to survive. And I don’t mean just my body.”

So, in choosing to share one’s will with the gods, was it enough to choose once, like signing up to a military company with an oath? Or did one have to choose and choose and choose again, every day?

“I’d storm heaven for you, if I knew where it was.” …
Betriz had it exactly backward. It wasn’t a case of storming heaven. It was a case of letting heaven storm you.

Anna Karenina- Tolstoy

My ward bookclub is having a break this summer, so we are reading Anna Karenina. Apparently this is one of the greatest books ever written but also one of the most vigorous to read. I have only read about 65 pages so far, out of around 700. It is difficult but I find it easier to understand than I thought. It is very captivating and beautifully written. This isn't "candy" reading, but it is wonderful so far. So while I'm at the pool I will read the fun books and save this for some deep reading at night. If you gals are interested in tackling something hard this summer, try this one!

Stephenie Meyer's The Host

Have any of you started reading this yet? At first I was like, "What the heck is going on?" The first two chapters were very confusing and I wasn't into it at all. It took me about 1/4 of the way through it to really start liking it. But once I got into it, I really started enjoying it. If you enjoy Stephanie's writing, you will love the style of this book. I think it is very Twilight oriented. About a girl who has to decide between to guys. Sound familiar? But there is a twist. You will love it but give it time at first.

The Alchemist -Paulo Coelho

I just started going to my ward's bookclub. Don't get jealous girls, I love you too! We read the alchemist. It is a fable, so it tells a story with a lesson. It is one of the most sold copies in the world. Apparently a movie is coming out as well. So read it, it's a two hour read, very short, very sweet. I'm not going to say what it's about in order to keep you curious!

Chocolate Chip Murder Mystery by Joanne Fluke

Laurel was talking to me about these food mystery books so I decided to test one out. It was fun and I found myself really getting into since I haven't read a mystery in awhile. The main character is Hannah Swenson and it's told from her point of view. She owns a bakery and there is a murder just outside of it, so she is asked to help investigate what happened. The book is filled with yummy recipes as well so that makes it all the funner right?

I found myself reading this late at night and just enjoyed it thoroughly, it's what you called a "candy" book. Very easy to read and just yummy.

Princess Academy

This is the second book by Shannon Hale that I have read, and I loved it almost as much as "Book of a Thousand Days" which I've told you all about. This is a cute book - such a fast and fun read. Especially those of you who enjoy reading youth fiction, you've got to start reading Shannon Hale's books. She's so creative.

And by the way, I want to hear what the rest of you have been reading outside our "assigned" books! This blog is far too quiet.

Another Twilight Tidbit

Ladies, this is hilarious. Read it.

Eat Cake

A woman finds herself admidst a great deal of stress. To deal with all the issues going on around her , she discovers the tension relief in baking cakes.....
This is such a great novel and I am not going to give anymore! I read this on the airplane to Ecuador and I must say, it was the perfect read. Here I was on an airplane, much thanks to my amazing husband who was staying home with the kids and I was full of appreciation for him. This book continued to steer me in the same direction--- appreciating my husband....

This is an easy, thought provoking and uplifting read. I have a copy and would love to send it to any of you!!! Let me know!

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I just read this fabulous book: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
It is an Adult fiction, and contains adult content. It took me a little longer to read because I wanted to enjoy it and I'm used to reading YA fiction so it was harder for me to read fast.
The plot is that in the beginning a man and his wife are preparing to have a baby. It was a winter stormy night so he ends up delivering the baby with his nurse by his side. They have a boy, then his wife passes in and out of consciousness and needless to say they also have a baby girl. Well, he notices that the girl has Down Syndrome, so while his wife is passed out, he hands the baby to the nurse and tells her to take her to an institution for the mentally handicapped. Then when his wife wakes up, he tells her that they did have twins and that the baby girl died. She asks to see her body but he says he already took care of it. Meanwhile, the nurse takes the baby to the institution and it is in in horrible condition so she ends up taking the baby and running away with it to raise her. So this book takes place from the late 50's to the late 80's and goes throught their whole lives. David and Norah ( the couple) raise their son, and the nurse Caroline raises their daughter. This story is about David's lie and how one circumstance can damage people's lives. I totally understand why he would do this to his wife and it explains why he wanted to protect her. The end is shocking, but it ends just how I would want it to.
While reading the book I was really into it and couldn't focus much on anything else. It is a little depressing, but I love the way the author portrays each character and their inner thoughts and secrets. It is about deceit, betrayel, depression, but in the end forgiveness. It was beautifully done and doesn't have questionable inappropriate scenes, but it does contain adult content and I would not recommend it to teenagers. I had this book on hold forever at the library so when I finally got it I savored it and enjoyed it thoroughly. If you are looking for a good book, I recommend this one as well.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

There are the cookie bars I made for book club. They're my new favorite because they've got all the good stuff I want in a cookie: oats, nuts, chocolate, caramel, butter--yum!
Here's the original recipe. Now I'm going to tell you what I did differently and you can ignore it all except that you do need to cook it longer than it says to the second time (at least 10 minutes longer, I think). And I mushed the cookie topping down which made it less crumbly. Here are some other tips just from me:

• I doubled it in a 9x13 and used 1 small jar of caramel sauce--which is less than the recipe calls for, but it was enough for me. I forgot to double the flour, so I just used 3 TB flour for the whole jar.
• I will try less butter (like one reviewer suggested).
• I used regular oats and it turned out fine.
• Oh, and they're better after they've been chilled (which is great for giving them to others because you don't feel like you have to rush out and deliver them right when they're fresh out of the oven).

Enjoy!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I finally got around to reading this classic. Oh, it's just so heartbreaking in parts, though it has some moments of joy too. It's a coming-of-age story, but Betty Smith must have had a rough life because even the romance part is sad.

You might think I'm not recommending it. I am. It's a wonderful look at American history--a glimpse into a childhood of poverty and wonder and family love. The funny thing is that I read this book in my husband's fancy new car and in the Bellagio during a quick trip to Vegas. I was reading about people who barely had enough food to survive! What a contrast.

Laurel lent me Betty Smith's Tomorrow Will Be Better a couple years ago. Same kind of tone. Not my favorite author, but she's an awesome storyteller. It's important to not just read fairy tales all the time.

P.S. I Love You

I was at Costco and it was a few days preceding Valentine's Day, so I was in the mood for a love story. I heard the movie was good and then someone said the book was even better. I caved and bought the book. Hmmmmph. I'm sure the Irish folk would be disappointed to know that after reading it, the book feeds the stereotype that all the Irish do is drink! I think if it was rewritten and set someplace in the states, I'd like it more. Minus the Irish lifestyle, it had a great message in it--- and yes, I bawled my eyes out in a handful of chapters... I learned that I must love without holding back. We do not know when our time will come to leave this Earth, nor do we know when the time will come for those we love to leave us...

Movie: Return with Honor

I just watched Return with Honor with my parents and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. Now, I have to admit I also like The RM and and The Best Two Years and Singles Ward--though Singles 2nd Ward wasn't worth watching. Return with Honor is a drama, though, and slow moving. I enjoyed it.

Google Reader/Yahoo version

I wrote this post on our family's blog and wanted to share it with all of you. If you're into reading a couple (or more) blogs on a regular basis, this is an easy way to not have to regularly check them for new posts. Check out the comments too; my sister Jane/Shannon and friend Carolina have some good things to say about it too.

Love & Respect

I don't know this person at all, but I happened upon her book review and thought it was worth sharing. Click here.

You Just Don't Duct Tape a Baby!

This is a really interesting book of "true tales and sensible suggestions from a veteran pediatrician." I wanted this doctor for my own! He was always trying to improve his practice. For instance, when he finally got his dream office, he had a separate waiting area for adolescents, sick children and well children. Doesn't that make sense? Have you ever taken your kid in for their yearly check and there's another kid coughing all over the place--and you fear you're going to take home that other kid's malady? He also had a consultation room just for talking about issues going on in the families. And he apparently talked to the families a lot--not like my (very nice) pediatrician who always seems in a bit of a hurry. Dr. Weinberger (the pediatrician from the book) almost seemed too good to be true.

Anyway, the book is basically just entertaining stories of how families deal with the struggles of raising children. It really affirmed for me my conviction that my time is best spent at home with my children. Some of its philosophies are things like how important family dinner time is, how children shouldn't have so many structured activities that they aren't allowed to be kids, how you can't have it all (dual long-hour careers) and expect your children to thrive, how children may need counseling during times of stress like divorce and death, etc. (made me want to go to counseling too, it sounded so good), how parents need to view their children objectively in order to cope with learning disabilities and serious illness and just get the children every care they need.

There were two parts that resonated most with me. The first is where it talked about sibling rivalry. I realized I need to be paying more attention to what goes on when O bullies A and A retreats in tears. I need to give A the tools to deal with those situations, and I need to make sure that her self-esteem is healthy. The second part is about discipline, and it's where I received confirmation that I'm a really great mom, from this quote, "A mother of one of my patients was telling me she doesn't think she's doing a good job as a mother unless her eleven-year-old daughter tells her she hates her at least once a week." Check. Except it's almost daily from O. Maybe that's a little excessive?

The Peacemaker Comment Section for February

I thought I would create a blog for those of you bookclub girls who want to post some comments about the book. I just finished reading it and would like to take notes on it so I'll remember them at bookclub in March. But I figured that we could post our notes on here under the comments section of this little blog and then we can all see what we think of the book! I will put my comments under the comment section as well. This book is amazing and I would definitely recommend it to all of you!

Book of a Thousand Days

I really loved this book! It's a youth fiction written in journal format from the perspective of a young maid to a princess/gentry. It's based on a Grimm fairy tale. It's such a fun and fast read. It was recommeded to me by a friend and now that I'm done, I'm passing it on to Melanie (13) who I know will love it, too. *Note about the author - she's an LDS woman but this is published mainstream - her books are very clean. Go buy this book or put your name on the long waiting list at the library. You won't be sorry. --Alisa

(Marcy - seriously, this book is right up your alley!)

Bridges of Madison County

So to curb my appetite for strolling through the book store and buying a book (I'm embarrassed to go to the library and pay my late fee for a book that was like 2 months overdue-- I swear it wasn't my fault!), I perused my own book shelves for a read. I do have a number of books I have not read. One caught my eye-- Bridges of Madison County. I have heard this is such a great classic novel, blah blah blah, and it was a skinny book, so I knew I could read it in a sitting..... so I read it.

Totally disappointed. Don't read any further because I will spoil it for you if you had no idea what the book was about. Basically it's about this totally mysterious and attractive photographer that travels around the world. He finds himself in a small town to do a story on bridges and meets a woman, native to Italy, but since turned into an American farmer's wife who found herself living a life she never really wanted to accept-- void of passion, intellectual discovery, learning, poetry, etc. Her husband and two kids were out of town at a county fair to show off their steers (or something like that) and of course... the photographer and farmer's wife had a hot, steamy affair for 3 or 4 days. Francesca (the hot Italian woman) justifies herself in this affair because she felt like this man, Robert Kincaid, filled that void of her life that was so lacking in all the passion, intellect etc as she lived her simple life in a po-dunk town with a husband who just talked about cattle prices and watched TV. She felt like Kincaid was the most amazing man ever; the most powerful, intense, deep man she could ever dream up. She decided to stay home with her family instead of running off with Mr. Amazing and kindly, Mr. Amazing respects her decision and remained celibate the rest of his life, also feeling complete and fulfilled by this amazing woman he happened upon while doing a photo shoot on the Bridges of Madison county. Well if there were ever a good excuse for adultery, this book really tries to muster one up.

Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer

I saw this at Costco, but didn't want to spend the money so I went to Orem Library and borrowed it. I honestly couldn't put it down. It actually confirmed every assumption I had about the life of a polygamist wife. The author does a really good job of getting accross her feelings of lonliness. At the end she expresses her current religious views just a little, which are askew, but still a great book!

Evening Class

I really enjoyed this book. It's about all the participants of an evening Italian-language class. Maeve Binchy is a great storyteller. I really cared about all the people and when I had to return the book to the library I considered keeping it and paying a late fee, but with the craziness of the holidays I took it back and then got it again when I had more time. I just couldn't leave off not knowing what happened to all the characters.