"Summer Reading, Had Me A Blast!"

 

 I Love Reading in the Summer Time! And I so Love a Good Summer Read! For me, what makes a Book a good Summer Read is that it is set in the Summer Time, Somewhere I'd love to be, usually the Beach, and has a griping story line! That can be Suspenseful, Adventurous, or Relational. So with that formula in mind; Here's what I'm Reading this Year . . . . .

 

 If you enjoy a Who Done It, and liked Gone Girl, The Girl On The Train by: Paula Hawkins, might be for you. It's not set on the Beach, but a City in England. And Everyone is talking about this Book! I did find that having an unreliable Narrator can be a little frustrating. But it will keep you guessing!

 My Book Club read Paper Towns by: John Green (who also wrote The Fault In Our Stars) and to be honest with you, I didn't think I would really like it. It seemed to me it would be just another YA Book. But, being honest again, I REALLY Liked it! This one is set mostly in Orlando, Florida, at the end of the School Year. It has mystery, adventure, and it really gives you a lot to think about! The Movie comes out this month as well, and my Book Club will be going together to see it!

Ann Brashares' The Last Summer (of You & Me) Is my new Favorite Summer Read! I Loved This Book! It's everything I Love in a Book! It's about Sisters & Friends, Set on New York's Fire Island. There is Romance, and it will pull at your Heart Strings! Now, Ann Brashares wrote The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Book Series, which are good Summer Reads in themselves, and are written for Teen Girls, this one is not! So be advised. ;) I literally felt like I just wanted to cry when I got to the end of this Book. I was so sad it was over.

 The Summer Read my Church Book Club picked to read is Sisterchicks do the Hula! by: Robin Jones Gunn. About Girlfriends who travel together to Hawaii. Now, if you know me, you know I Love All Things Hawaiian! And the number 1 item on my Bucket List is to someday Hula in Hawaii! So this one should be a fun read right up my alley!

Beautiful Day by: Elin Hilderbrand (The Queen of the Summer Reads, Barefoot is one of my favorites of hers!) is what I'm reading now for the BookFinks BookClub. The setting is a Wedding on Nantucket. And with my son getting married this fall, I thought this one would be apropos. And so far I am enjoying it.

So, I'm gonna ask a favor of you, would you please put your Book down just long enough to let us know what good Books you are Reading this Summer? Cause we're all always looking for new suggestions when it comes to Good Books, right?! Thanks so much. 

 

Happy Summer

&

Happy Reading!

 

Give Me Five: 5 Of The Many Things I've Learned From Parenthood!

I have always loved a great Family Drama! It started way back with Family; now I was never a tomboy, but I wanted to be Kristy Mcnichol! :)

Then along came Eight Is Enough! I'm one of seven children, so I could relate to the large family, even though my family was the opposite with 5 boys & 2 girls, they had 5 girls & 3 boys. Yikes!

There have been so many great Family Dramas over the years like Sisters, The Cosby Show, The Walton's, and Little House On The Prairie just to name just a few! And though I've loved them all and they've each been great in their own right, none has been as great as Parenthood! The best show on Television aired it's last episode last night, leaving a huge void on Thursday Nights! I can only hope this is not the end of an era, and that new family dramas will rise to take it's place.

I hope you've been watching (and learning) right along with me. One of the greatest parts of great family dramas, is that they will make you think, and hopefully discuss issues they bring up! Here are just a few of the many things I've learned from watching every season & episode of Parenthood;

1. You need Family! 

They can help you get through the difficulties of life, 

as well as celebrate all the great things that happen!

Look to them, Rely on them!

Be there for them!

Show up for them & let them show up for you!

2. Don't be afraid to Talk! 

Even about the tough subjects! 

And don't be afraid to listen! Understanding begins with hearing. 

Here are just some of the Subjects broached on Parenthood: 

Children with Special Needs

Teen Angst

Dating

Teen Sex/Pregnancy

Abortion

School Choice 

Going away to College

Single Parenthood

Substance Abuse

Unwanted/Surprise Pregnancy

Infertility

Adoption

Starting/Building a Business

Adultery/Unfaithfulness

Betrayal 

Divorce

Homosexuality

Friendship

Relationships

Community Service/Politics

Chasing your Dreams

Religion/Beliefs

Moving

Mid life Crisis

Aging Parents

Cancer

Death

Just to name a few of the great conversation starters!

3. We all need Forgiveness!

 In any relationship, no matter how close,

there will come a time when you'll need to be forgiven.

There will also be times when you will need to Forgive.

Neither is easy.

Both are necessary!

We will be hurt. 

It's up to us weather we hold on to that hurt,

or let it go. 

4. Family Traditions are Important! 

or Let your kids Trick or Treat/Believe in Santa as long as they want to! :)

Family Traditions are the best! The big & the small! 

Holiday's, Game Nights, Whatever you want them to be,

Make them. Keep them! 

No matter the size of your family or the age of your kids!

5. Always Keep Learning & Growing! 

You're Never too old to reinvent yourself!

On Parenthood many of the characters started new chapters in their lives, 

weather that was starting a new business or job, or taking up a hobby.

You're never too old/young/anything to try something new!

Try it and see where it leads you!

Well, there you have it, just a sampling of the things I gained from watching this amazing show that ended much too soon if you ask me. Even though I cried during each episode, I can't wait to get the entire series on DVD when it becomes available. (It's only January and I've already asked for it for Christmas!) :) And the most important lesson we can learn is this, life is short & uncertain, so:

 Cherish Your Family! 

Give Me Five: Reasons I Like Being A Vegetarian!

I have always wanted to give being a Vegetarian a try, I'm not a big meat eater anyway. And with my son's Wedding coming up, we've been trying to slim down a little, so when we had about 6 weeks till the Wedding, I suggested we commit 4 weeks, 1 whole month to being Vegetarian. My Husband (who does love meat) was game & my 17 year old Daughters wanted to give it a try as well. Well, we did our 4 weeks & liked it so much, we're still going strong!

Here are 5 Reasons Why I Like Being A Vegetarian:

1. Being a Vegetarian causes you to be more conscious of what you're eating! No more Mindless Eating! You can't just say it's lunchtime, I'll just pull into this fast food joint & pick something up! You have to think about what you can & cannot eat! And that means Healthier choices!

2. Eating Fresh! Being a Vegetarian, means eating a lot of Fruits & Vegetables, which means eating less processed foods! That has to be better for you!

3. It causes us, and more importantly our kids to try new & different foods! It's been quite an adventure! Some good, some not so good! :) We've even made some up as we go! Some of our favorites have been Homemade Mac N' Cheese stuffed in Bell Peppers, and Grilled Sweet Potato Nachos! You can look on our Vegetarian Pinterest Board for more ideas!

4. Being A Vegetarian makes us Look Hip! :) That's right, you get to hang out out at cool places like Trader Joe's, and at the Hip new Restaurants in town with all the young, cool people! And yes, I am that shallow! :)

5. I've never seen a fat Vegetarian! HaHa!! And I hope I'm not the first! :) But, seriously, It is healthy and you do feel better when you eat better!

Our favorite way of eating is the Mediterranean Diet (the healthiest people in the world live in the Mediterranean!) And being a Vegetarian is very similar. We are also eating fish, but that's our only meat. And I try to make sure my girls are getting enough protein in their diet. The girls and I are seriously considering eating this way indefinitely! So if you got any good Vegetarian Recipes, send them our way! And think before you eat! 

Superbowl Thoughts!

Now when it comes to the Superbowl, if my teams aren't competing that year, I always go for the team that either hasn't been to the Superbowl before or has won it less times. And this year that team was Seattle Seahawks. And Bonus for me, Seattle itself is one of my most favorite cities! So I chose to root for them! 

Inspired by Pinterest, I put together an outfit with Seattle colors that day! :) My team never wins, but this year they did! In a blow out game! (I think I found a new tradition, I'm gonna wear the colors for the team I want to win every year!) Who knew the Lucky Charm was hanging in my closet?! :) 

We had a fun little make shift Superbowl Party! (One of the pluses of having a lot of kids is it's always a party when we're all together!) We had John & I, our 4 kids & our son's Girlfriend. I made my Bar B Q cups, we had chips & salsa & a Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Cake. Yummy & Easy! Two of my favorite things! :) 

But of course, the real reasons I watch the Superbowl is the Half Time Show & the Commercials! :) And this year's Half Time Show was Awesome! Bruno Mars is an amazing performer! And there were some really good commercials this year! Here are some that were my Favorites . . . . .

My 5 Favorite Superbowl Ads of 2014: 

I'm a sucker for Nostalgia! 

And I loved seeing the "Reunions" of some of my favorite old shows! 

1. Greek Yogurt with the Full House guys! 

(You know you love Uncle Jesse too!)

2. Seinfeld & George! 

(To be honest I don't even remember what the Ad was for.)

3. Radio Shack "The 80's called!"

(You know I Heart the 80's!)

And I just Love Ads that pull at your heart strings!

If they make me cry It's just as great as making me laugh! 

4. The Soldier coming home to a surprise Parade!

(If you didn't cry in this one, you just didn't see it!)

And my most favorite Ad of all was:

5. Coke America Is Beautiful!

(Yes it is, and this Ad shows us why!)

I hope you enjoyed the big game, surrounded by Friends & Family you love. And tell me, what were your favorite Superbowl Ads this year? And FYI next years Superbowl is right here in Arizona! Yay! 

Give Me Five: Life Lessons We Could Learn From Dennis Rodman!

Okay, yes, Dennis Rodman is all over the news right now. And well, I have more time on my hands right now since I'm not working, so why not turn him into a Blog Post?! So I've come up with 5 Life Lessons we all could learn from him! Yeah, you heard me, we can actually learn a thing or two from this character, so hold on to your hats, here we go . . . 

Life Lessons we could all learn from Dennis Rodman: 

1. It's Okay Not To Look Like Everyone Else! 

 Always be yourself! 

2. If At First You Don't FAIL, Try, Try, Again!

Now for most people it's the opposite, 

"If at first you don't succeed" but he did it backwards!

His succes came first . . .

and since then it's been failure

 

 after failure!

3. Never Be Afraid To Try Something New! 

Life, after all, should be an Adventure!

Why not? Take the shot! 

4. Keep Your Friends Close & Your Enemies Closer! 

Okay, so maybe he isn't the best example of Friendship

Nuf said! 

5. Always Think Before Your Speak! 

 If you want to actually be heard & taken seriously: 

Think first about what you want to say

and then use diction to actually say it! :) 

Okay, so there you have it! 5 Life Lessons we can learn from Dennis Rodman! Numbers 1 & 3 I actually like! :) Your Welcome!

Give Me Five: Top Tweets of 2013!

As we approach the end of 2013, I looked back through my Twitter feed to find my top 5 Favorite Tweets of the year. Which I guess also qualifies this post as a Twitter Tuesday! It's like a two for one!

No extra charge! :) 

So here they are my top Five Tweets of 2013! 

A good reminder when things aren't going your way: 

1. Eventually all things fall into place. Until then laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason. (Tweeted by: Epic Women)

2. Life is God's Novel. Let Him write it. Isaac Bashevis Singer (Gods Daughters)

And for a good laugh:

3. You can't make footprints on the sands of time by sitting on your butt . . . and who wants to make butt prints? (Oprah World) 

And you know I have to have something about Books in here:

4. The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Dr. Seuss (CES Inc)

And one for the New Year:

5. A new day. . . New Mercy & Grace, new possibilities and new opportunities. . . think I'm gonna dive right on in!! (Darlene Zschech)

So here's to 2014! May it be a year of Joy & Happiness for all of us!! And may we have lots of great things to Tweet about! :) 

Give Me Five: Favorite Christmas Ornaments

Weather it goes up before Thanksgiving, or you wait until Christmas Eve to put up your tree, every year as your decorations come out, they evoke Memories and feelings of nostalgia. In this Holiday addition of Give Me Five, I'm gonna show you some of my Favorite Ornaments that go on our Christmas Tree every year and why I look forward to seeing them year after year! 

1. Places

I got Santa on the Eiffel Tower many years ago 

to mark my Trip to Paris when I was 20! 

And after my boys and I went to New York City a few years ago 

I bought this ornament of the Empire State Building. 

We have great Memories (and Pictures) from the top! 

I love Starfish!

 I found this Starfish Ornament in San Diego on our Family Vacation!

I love Ornaments that remind you of places you've been,

and conger up Great Memories!

2. Play

My Favorite Doll as a Child was Raggedy Ann!

And one of my favorite Ornaments is of her!

I also have so many of my kids' favorite toys;

Super Heroes for Kyle, Thomas the Tank Engine for Zach, 

Barbies, or Teddy Bears for my girls, Etc.

I've tried to get them ornaments each year 

that represent whats going on in their lives! 

Weather that be toys they're into, Sports or Instruments they play!

Christmas should bring out the Child in all of us!

3. Personal

My Sister Debbie would send me an ornament every year

I have so many from her and I love them all!

Especially now since she is gone.

One of my most Favorite is this little heart ornament

It unlocks and opens into a scene of a family decorating their tree. 

She sent it to me in 1992, 

after I, with my husband and our 2 little boys 

had moved across the country!

We think of her and talk about her every year as we put up our tree! 

Since many of my ornaments came from her. 

My oldest son has even bought me a "Sister"ornament from her 

after she was gone. 

That's how much they mean to us. 

4. People

Besides missing my Sister at Christmas, 

I also miss my Parents.

This is an ornament my boys gave my Dad when they were little, 

it hung on his Tree every year till he passed away

then my Mom gave it to us so now it hangs on our tree every year!

This is my Mom with Santa!

My Parents loved Christmas, 

so it's a blessing to think of them as we put up our tree every year!

5. Precious 

I love our "Baby's First Christmas" Ornaments!

This is Kyle in his Santa Suit!

Zach at just over a Month old!

Any ornaments with pictures of the kids when they were little 

are Precious to me!

Twin little Booties for Erica and Lexi!

I Adore Trees decorated in a Theme or color, 

but I will always have to have a tree with all our Special Ornaments to look back on! 

So there are just some of my Favorite Christmas Tree Ornaments, I'd love to know about some of your favorites as well. It's Christmas, you can't be too sappy right?! :) 

Give Me Five: Movies That Are Better Than Their Books!

Yes, you heard me right! Now I know I always say "Don't Judge A Book By It's Movie!" and that "The Book Is Always Better Than The Movie!" and usually that is the case. But once in awhile you come across the exception to the rule!

That's right, I have found 5 Movies that I actually liked better than the Book! Now it took me awhile to come up with some of these, but some I knew right away! So here's my SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't seen the Movie or read the Book & intend to, I need to warn you that I may have to tell what happens in explaining why the Movie was better than the Book. So here they are . . . 

1. The Time Traveler's Wife

I saw the Movie first & walked out of the theater saying, "That was so Imaginative!" I wondered how someone came up with such a concept, it was so good & so different. So I had my Book Club (of Church women) read the Book & it was so overtly sexual that it took away from the story & the concept itself. Definitely stick to the Movie for this one!

2. The Notebook

Now these are both really good, let me just get that straight. It's just that the Movie is so Visually Stunning. It is Beautiful. And one of the best parts is the Shoes that Rachel McAdams wears in the film. If you've never noticed them before, watch it again just to see her shoes. You won't be disappointed! :) 

3. Breakfast At Tiffany's

Again, not a bad Book by Truman Capote, but I've got Two Words for you: Audrey Hepburn! Just like she Adores Tiffany's, I adore her! :) And the Book doesn't have so much of a Happy Ending as the Movie does, Cat finds a home with a new family & Holly gets on that plane & the writer never sees her again. There's no kissing in the rain to "Moon River" playing in the background, that makes the Movie, don't you think? 

4. Soul Surfer

Love this Movie! Love Bethany Hamilton! I took my Girls to hear her speak at a Church before, she is so Inspirational. And It's not that I don't love the Book, but please keep in mind this was written as a childrens/preteens Book by a 13ish year old girl. My Daughters have done a Book Report on her before. Great story.

And the Worst Offender: 

5. My Sisters Keeper

As you know I lost my only sister to cancer. So this movie really tugs at my heart. After seeing it for the first time, I decided to read the Book. The Movie is sad enough, but it ends how you think it will & should. The Books ending is Totally Different! As I was reading it, I literally said "What?!" out loud! I couldn't believe the twist Jodi Picoult threw in there. You'd think after reading her books before, I'd come to expect it! I just can't bring myself to tell you how the Book ends! Read it if you dare.

So there you have it, my picks of 5 Movies that I actually liked better then their Books! Though generally speaking, the Books are usually much better. So Keep reading! :) What are some of your good/bad comparisons of Movies & Books? I'd love to hear them!