Eat Pray Love

Just finished watching the movie:  Eat Pray Love.  Must say it was a bit of a disappointment.  When I had read the book this summer I was floored.  I took up yoga.  I took up meditation.  I would like to say I took up eating pasta, but lets face it, that was already a done deal.  It was one of those life altering, top 10 books of all time, books.  The movie is good.  Julia is wonderful of course.  And her parade of men......ooo la la.  But, its not life altering.  It's just a damn good movie.  Soooo, what I'm saying here is, watch the movie first.  Then read one of the most amazing books of your life.

a time to dance book review

A Time To Dance by Karen Kingsbury is a Christian drama novel about John and Abby, a couple who have been married for over 20 years and are the brink of divorce.  At the time they are planning to announce their divorce to their children, the oldest child announces her engagement to Matt, her boyfriend.  Throughout most of the book, the couple tries to conduct business as usual without their children finding out there is trouble in paradise.  The resoning for the divorce is that Abby has gotten too busy to cater to John and John has taken up with a co-worker, Charlene.  John and Charlene have never had sex, so he claims it is only friendship.  Clearly it is not and this is flaunted to Abby at every opportunity. 
This book will stir up plenty of emotions while reading it.  The more prominent emotion will be a deep hatred for John.  Frankly, John is a self-centered ass and can't be trusted.  You will find yourself asking "are men really this stupid?"  As you read further you will discover, "yes, they are."  He eventually comes to his senses, but it literally takes an act of God to get him to see the light.  The spiritual point of this book is that what God has but together, let no man seperate.  It is repeated over and over.  At first I wanted to stop reading this book, but continued and I am glad I did.  It is a moving and well written book.  It certainly makes one think about marriage, family, and their personal relationship with God. Stirs up the emotions, that's for sure.   I wish John had been a little more likable, but I guess if he was, he probably wouldn't have been in the trouble he was in.  Two thumbs up.

Thanksgiving time is here

Today I did the shopping for the big day of eating.  I have had Thanksgiving in my home before.  The first one was when I was 23 and I cooked that turkey till it was split wide open.  That year I also left the rolls balanced across the sink forgetting that the faucet dripped.  Yeah, they were all wet.  That was the year I also came to realize that one should own salt, even if one does not reguarly use it.  Since then there have been several more hosted by me, but always there was an older much more experienced woman or two to fall back on.  This year, I am that old lady. 
Sooooo, I did the shopping today.  Bought a great big bag of dry bread.  Don't tell my fore mothers that I spent good money on old bread when I could have saved my heals for a month and had my own bag of old bread.  I cheated.  But hey, at least I didn't get boxed.  I also bought sweet potatoes for the first time in my life.  In my home, if I don't like it, we don't eat it.  But there they are; 2 lbs of sweet potatoes.  Yams if your not from the farm.  I am also cheating in that I bought Turkey gravy in little envelopes.  Don't tell my mom about that either.  I can't figure that whole gravy thing out.  I have had two different old ladies teach me and tried it a million times.  I give, buy an envelope! 
Anyway, I'm armed with a Family Circle mag and my Kraft.com.  and ready to cook like the old lady that I am.  Just don't tell my mom how I did it.

1st book review

Well, here it is.  The first book review.  "the boyfriend list"  by e. lockhart gets the honor.  The basic summary by the author goes: 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and me, ruby oliver.  To elaborate it would be a 15 year old girl (Ruby) has panic attacks after a "leprosy" outbreak and winds up in therapy.  The four frogs are related to a gift from a certain boy.  The therapist assigns her to write a list of all the boys she has had any, and I mean any, romantic contact with.  Even from afar.  This book is like a little trip down memory lane.  I dare you, double dog dare you, to not make your own boyfriend list while reading this book. She names each boy and circumstance from pre-school to sophmore in high school to her therapist  bringing together how each relationship counts.  No matter how small, they all count.  Its really a book for teens, its cute, funny, and like I said, dredges up all those delightful memories you would rather forget but somehow seem so much funnier when it's someone else. 4 stars