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.