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)