Sleep.....must have sleep....

I thought that sleep deprivation started after the baby got here. No such luck on my part. Since Christmas I've been getting 2-4 hours of sleep at a time. It wasn't so bad to deal with while I was off work, but now that I'm back, it's killing me.

I go to bed at a reasonable hour, I'm using pillows like the books tell me to, but it's not working. I sleep for a few hours, then my hips ache so bad I have to get up and walk around for a bit, then I can lay down and sleep for a little while.....then I repeat until it's time to get ready for work. I'm not happy about this new development. Falling asleep at my desk is not a good way to promote job security.......

Any how, now that I'm done B!tching, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Be safe and have fun. Someone please have too much Champagne for me.

That was foolish.....

I missed my company party on Saturday. All because I did too much and didn't drink enough. I got up early and finished a sewing job (I had a banana and some chocolate milk) then I delivered the sewing, helped install the new sheers, got a massage, met a girlfriend at a local baby store, went to lunch (at 2:30---that should have raised some warning bells) Lunch was great! Fried pickles, tomato soup and a grilled cheese (I had 1 1/2 glasses of water). Then I ran some more errands, winding up at the Library (about 4:00ish), where after picking up a book off the bottom shelf, I came within a heartbeat of passing out. I'm talking tunnel vision, breaking out in the sweats and sick to my stomach. I had to sit down for 15 minutes before I could collect myself to go home. Not a good thing.

When I got myself out of the library and made it home (I skipped the rest of my errands) I drank a big glass of water and went to lay down for a while. I was hoping it would stop the queasy cramping feeling in my tummy. I promptly fell asleep and Zalebaby let me sleep until I woke up on my own. Which was 7pm. My work's Christmas party started at 6 and they were serving dinner at 7. So no party for me. Which is a good thing. I know Zalebaby didn't want to go and I felt better after my nap, but I really wasn't up to being out and about again. I didn't leave the house on Sunday. I learned my lesson. I must get more to drink if I'm going to run around like that again.

Week 28

Here I am in all my after yoga splendor. Boy am I getting big. I'm so ready to be done with the pregnancy part. I'm starting to get awkward and I'm having weird stretchy pains around my belly. Kinda like cramps but they are very light and take place just under my boobs and slide down the sides of my belly. They are nowhere near where normal cramps would be. I'll have to ask the Dr. about it when I see him on Friday.

I've got 2 more Christmas presents to make, then I'm done. Yay. Not that I've taken pictures of anything I've done so far.....

November's update

Ok, so I've been procrastinating on writing about the latest events in my life. Mostly due to depression and Christmas present rush. Now that I am done with most of the presents that need to be finished by Saturday and I've caught up with my blog role (yes, I'd rather read about everyone else than post my own stuff) I'm going to sit here and write.

Lets start off in the middle of November. One of my best friends from college flew down from Ohio for a long weekend. She came to see me and to help me organize Bean's room, which is currently the guest bedroom. It was so great to see her, J is a mother of 2 boys that she home schools. I have the utmost respect for her and for all that she and I are the same age, I want to be her when I grow up. I've always thought of her as my "Anne of Green Gables" kindred spirit. She helped me move my bookshelves out of Bean's room and into the formal living room (they actually match the dining room table) where they look great. The she lugged all the baby crap that was in the formal living room upstairs to Bean's room and hid it in the closet that we emptied of all the camping gear and sporting crap (moved to shelves in the garage-Zalebaby wasn't happy about having his golfing stuff in the garage)

We also went shopping. I registered for baby stuff at Target (Target gave me a $20 gift card for registering, thank you Target) She steered me thru the stuff you must have and the stuff that is a waste of money. It was soo much fun and much too short of a visit.

For the Thanksgiving Holiday, Zalebaby and I went to my Mother's house. We left Wednesday morning after dropping the pooches off with Zalebaby's cousin Chel. Thank you so much for watching them, it made the drive so much easier. The drive up went really well. It took us about 10 hours, even with all the pee-breaks. The ride home was so bad Zalebaby is refusing to go north for the Holidays ever again. It took us 13 hours on Sunday to get back and we even left my Mom's a 4 am. We'll go north for the Holidays again, but we're going to a extra day off of work rather than try to travel on peak days.

We went up to my Uncle Ron's for Thanksgiving day. That's been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Not that I've made it there for Thanksgiving in years....the last time I made that trip was in 2003 I believe. My sister Jill was preggers with Ty, who is the first grandbaby.

That's the only problem with living in Georgia. Pennsylvania is so far away.

Ty and Ronald's new baby Sophia.

Anyway, Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. I got to see the new baby (my cousin Ronald's first) and see how much the other kids have grown since last Christmas, eat more food that I should (Jill made these awesome pumpkin chocolate chip cookies) and visit with everyone. Uncle Ron introduced Dale to Skype (we talked to my sister Katie in Germany) I'd been trying to get him on it since Katie moved to Germany in August, but he couldn't be persuaded to try it. Well, it got him all fired up about it. On black Friday, Mom and I went to Babies-R-Us and we picked out a crib and dresser for Bean and she bought it for me (thanks Mom!) They just called me today and let me know I can pick them up, here in Atlanta. Yay! Now to find a friend with a truck.

Brady, Mom and Ty

After we picked out the nursery furniture, mom and I wandered down to Circuit City to see if they still had any of the web cams that were on sale. We lucked out and found the last 1. It was a HD web cam on sale for $9.95. Woot! Mom paid $59.95 for it and got a $50.00 mail-in-rebate. Thanks Mom! I was planing on getting it for myself, but she wouldn't let me, so as soon as we got home, I went on line and submitted the rebate for her, so she should be getting her rebate check any day now. Friday night was spent at Jill's eating Stromboli and playing with the kids.

Mom, Mom's sister-Aunt Gerry and me (Week 26)

On Saturday, I thought I was going to brunch with one of my cousins, it turned out that Mom and Jill threw me a surprise baby shower. I was truly surprised. It was so great to see my aunts and older cousin (and some of the younger ones!) I usually see them and their families Christmas day at our family Church dinner, but its so chaotic and I don't get to spend anytime with them. The shower was great, I got to visit with everyone, play some games (which I lost, badly) and I enjoyed myself to no end. The shower had a great theme. Instead of giving a card with their name on it to identify the gift giver, they were asked to give a favorite children's book and write a note to Bean. I came back with a large stack of fun baby books and a lot of gift cards, since everyone wanted to make sure they didn't over pack my car.

I'm alive.....

Truly I am! I've been waiting on the hubby to fix some pictures so I can tell you all about our Thanksgiving trip. So I'll get to that on Monday.

Good News----I past my glucose test on the first try. No gestational diabetes's for me. I did get a lecture from the Doc about portion control.....I've put on 21 pounds so far. Sigh. I thought I was doing well, I'm at the end of week 27. Oh well. It is nothing I'm going to stress over.

2008 Chomp and Stomp

The Cabbage Town Chili Festival was huge this year. Lots of chili was consumed, as well as Sweetwater Beer (yes, over the course of the day I consumed 2/3 a glass of beer......you've got to wash all those chili samples down with beer)

The kids had fun dancing to the bluegrass music and the must have been 50 different craft vendors. If I would have had any extra money, I would have come home with the best onesies for the bean.

Zalebaby is in the blue and he is incapable of letting anyone get a nice picture of him.

Bonus Pictures: 24 Weeks......Please notice the chili stains around my belly-button. The shirt was a present from my friend Heat.

22 weeks

22 Weeks and counting. I'm getting bigger and bigger. That blur at the bottom of the picture is Tata, or Mr. Potato Head, Zalebaby is responsible for that name. Not me.

GA Apple Festival

We, Zalebaby, myself and his cousin Chele and her family went to the GA Apple Festival in Ellijay last Saturday. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there. It was a beautiful day for a drive in the mountains.

The kids had a blast. They climbed the rockwall and jumped on the trampolieens. Neither one was brave enough to ride the mechanical bull. Watching everyone else ride it was a hoot.

We walked around and looked at all the crafts and nibbled on faire food....it being the apple festival, we had apple dumplings with ice cream and apple fritters. I bought a peck of apples and on Sunday I made crock-pot applesause. It was super easy. Peal, slice and core apples, toss them in the crock-pot with 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of sugar and what ever spices you'd like in applesaue. I used cinninman, clove and allspice. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, mash if nessary, taste for sweetness, chill. Yummy!

Sorry for the blurry picture!

Must learn photoshop

Here I am at 21 weeks, 2 days. I really must learn how to photo shop.....I've never seen that under-arm waddle before. Bean is moving all the time now and I'm starting to pinch when I reach for something below me while I'm sitting. I usually feel a movement after I do that, so I'm sure she giving a kick for squishing her.

Zalebaby is being so cute, he's started blowing raspberries on my belly every chance he gets. Makes me teary-eyed. He's also starting making plans for her, like teaching her to play golf, so he has a golf partner.

I got a present this weekend!

Too Cute! Thank you so much Mary Ann! Not only did I get these pretty washcloths, I felt the baby move. It felt like a goldfish bumping on the glass of the bowl looking for food. weird image, I know, but thats the best way I can describe it. So very weird and exciting.

growing...

Boy do I need to clean that mirror!...... but I'm growing, I had to take out my belly ring! I can still wear a few of my normal clothes, but I'm finding maternity wear much more comfortable, even if I have to roll all the waistbands. I've been assured I'll grow into into them.

At the doc's yesterday and I weighed in at 153lbs. Last month I was 145. I need to cut back on the Reese's peanut butter cups.

Vacation pictures

Zalebaby and I went on a little Anniversary/Babymoon Vacation last weekend. We left Thursday and came back Sunday. Not nearly long enough, but I'm saving vacation days for Thanksgiving. I'll be a little too pregnant to travel the 13 hours home for Christmas, so I promised Mom I'd come home for Thanksgiving instead.

We took a trip to Orlando to go to SeaWorld. I really liked the hotel we stayed in. The International Plaza Resort. It was very nice for the price, plus I mentioned it was our Anniversary and we were surprised our 2nd night there with a fruit plate and chocolates.

We walked to SeaWorld, about a 10 minute walk and we walked to Aquatica, which is SeaWorld's new water park. That was more of a hike, 15-20 minutes, mostly because you had to walk a long wind-y entrance road, with no sidewalks, which sucked, but how many people stay in hotels that are that close? I think ours was the only one you could do that from.

My favorite picture:

Don't you want to eat him up?

On Friday, we did SeaWorld. Neither Zalebaby nor I had been there since we were little, so we were really looking forward to it. It didn't disappoint. I thought SeaWorld would be great to go see, since it isn't about rides (I love roller coasters!) The shows were a lot of fun, but I was dissapointed with the Shamu- I believe show. It was a little cheesey and the animals didn't do much. There was more hoop-la than action.

Friday night we went to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror's Opening night. I was exhausted from all the walking durning the day, so I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Zalebaby did, but it was worth going to. It's too bad I'm preggers, 'cause they had the new Simpson's roller coaster open. Sigh. At lease Zalebaby didn't leave me to go for a spin, although it would have been nice to sit down while he was on it. My hips were killing me from all the walking and standing.

Saturday at Aquatica was a lot of fun. We slept in and got there around noon. There was only 1 ride I couldn't ride on, which was a stomach down racing ride. Normally, I would have loved that ride, but with Bean it wasn't do-able. My favorite attraction was Roa's Rapids, which is based on the lazy river idea, but with life vest instead of inner tubes and it has a faster current. It was lots of fun to drift around. I really over did it on Friday, so floating around on Saturday was the best.

Sunday, we went back to SeaWorld and saw the shows and exhibits we missed on Friday. I loved the dolphin and whale show, it made up for the Shamu show. We also spent almost an hour watching the seals play. Then we walked back to the hotel and drove home.

Mom Came to Visit

Mom came to visit on Friday, she flew in around 4:30 and I dropped her off at the airport at 8am Monday morning. It was a quick but lovely visit.

When she came, she checked a bag and brought a carry on. She filled her suitcase with 48lbs of maternity clothes for me from my sisters. She's got more winter clothes waiting for me when I go up to see her for Thanksgiving. She was too funny with the weighing of the suitcase to make sure she didn't go over the 50 lbs limit.

I've settled on what we are going to do for the baby's room while she was here. I've been racking my brains, trying to figure out how to combine my sewing room and the guest room to free up the sewing room for the baby. Mom talked me into putting the baby into the guest room and leaving my sewing room as-is. She assured me that I'll want to have a bed in the room with the baby. Then we went to a daycare consignment sale with my friend A, who is a month ahead of me with her 2nd child. I found a comforter, bumper, diaper hanger and lamp shade that complement the bedspread on the guest bed, for $15. Sold! I have some wonderful fabric that goes with the set to make a dust ruffle for the crib. Here is the set:

I've also decided to go with a "Once Upon A Time" theme for Bean, leaning more toward Mother Goose than Disney.

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Belong in 1954

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Pink it is!

Woot! I'm having a little girl baby. Now I get to make all kinds of fun girly clothes. At least while she's small enough to let me dress her. She'll probably turn out to be a tomboy and never want to wear dresses. Still, I'm going to have fun while she'll let me.

The first shot of Bean at the Dr's was bottom up. The teck no sooner put the wand on my belly then we got to see she's a girl. I saw butt cheeks and 2 thighs, the teck said look, it's a girl! and she highlighted the in-between parts to show us her girly bits. The exam was the coolest. We got to see all of her, all the bones, her heart beating-all four chambers of it, her kidneys and stomach. She even looked at the wand, which made her look like an alien. It was the neatest thing.

Pink or Blue?

I've got my 2nd trimester genetic screening today....which means they will do another sonogram. The doc told me at the last appointment that we'll be able to see the gender, if the bean cooperates. I'm so fricken excited. I hope Bean will pose for us.

Book review:Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4)

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer. Since I have trouble with these reviews, I thought I'd steal a page from Tripping Toward Lucidity's book and review the story by answering questions.
What led you to pick up this book?
I picked up this book because it is part 4 in a series where I enjoyed the first 3. I enjoyed this book and eagerly waited until it was my turn to read. When I signed up for it at the library, I was 365th on the wait list for it.
Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending.
For me, this book wraps up the other 3 books. Bella's journey to conquer her fears and grow into herself and to gain her happy ever after. It had a couple of twist and turns that I didn't anticipate. Overall, it think it was far less intense then the others.
What did you like most about the book?
That the ending conflict was settled without a big brawl.
Share a favorite scene from the book:
I loved the description of the cottage that was built for Bella and Edward.

bump-de-bump

Something happened between Monday and Tuesday night...........I got a bump! The picture is a little exaggerated, I'm twisted a little bit to get the picture, but I no longer look like I have a beer belly. Yay! --Please ignore my droopy pants, my butt isn't deformed that way ;-)

R.I.P. III is here!

It's that time again. Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings has issued his fall Challenge and I again am taking him up on his offer. I just love to torure myself. It's not the scarey stories, which I like to read in the fall, its writing the reviews. But, to grow we must be challenged, so write them I will.

I'm going with:

Which is: Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

The Gothic/Horror/Suspense genre isn't something I normally read, although I do like the ghosty fansty/sci-fi. So I've been looking at the other blogger's lists and I've come up with a list of my own. The first two Carl pointed out and they intrigued me. I love the title of the 2nd one.

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Ghost In Love by Jonathan Carroll
• Underground by Kat Richardson
• The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson-- not sure if this one fits in the genre, but it looks good
• Touch the Dark by Karen Chance
• Glass Houses - Rachel Caine

And what ever else I find. One of the best things about the challenge is all the new books the other blogger's bring to my attention.

Little Bean's Screen Debut

Woot! I went for my first trimester screen today and I made this video for Zalebaby since he couldn't make it to the appointment with me. Don't listen to me babble please, I was just chitchatting with the Dr. while he was checking out the little bean. Overall, everything looks good, which makes me very happy. I go back on September 16th for a 2nd trimester screening and I'll find out Bean's gender then.

Let Me Out!!!

I'm dying. It's 2:15 and I'm stuck here until 5. Somebody shoot me and put me out of my misery. I'm the only one in my department today. The only window I can see leads to the hallway not outside and it's cold in here. I've done all my work and am just waiting on the phone to ring, just so I can take a message for the salesmen who are not here. If I had nail polish, I'd be doing my nails just to complete the bad secretary image.

I bet no-one would notice if I sneaked out....

I've got nothing

I've got nothing to say, but when are my ta-ta's going to stop growing?!?

I did have something funny happen to me last week, but I wanted to wait until I had a picture to post with the story, but the picture thing doesn't seem to be happening yet, so I'll just tell the story.

So, I went to Kroger after work and a guy asked me how many months am I. If it wasn't for his very pregnant wife standing beside of him, I would have clocked him. As it was, I gave him a completely shocked look. After all, I was barely 11 weeks! Now I was wearing a bias cut dress that outlined my belly, but when I looked in the mirror that morning I didn't think I looked preggers, just a little chunky. Needless to say, I've retired that dress until after baby. Not that I mind the idea of looking pregnant, but it was soo weird to have him ask me that.

Zalebaby, sweet as he is, insists I look preggers, not fat. He gets a gold star for that. Now, if he'd only do the dishes.

Cloth or disposable dipers?

I've been pondering the question. Zalebaby is all for disposable, but I'm looking a my pocketbook.....it just so happens that Baby Cheepskate is having a give away of 12 bumGenius 3.0 One Size cloth diapers to one lucky reader. I can't say no to that! So I've got my fingers crossed. Has anyone used these? Can I get some recommendations? Me being clueless and all.

Little Bean's first picture

See the 2 little +'s on the picture? In between them is my Little Bean! The bean's measurements indicated it was 8 weeks and 2 days on Thursday, which makes it's due date Feb 28th, one day off of what the original due date calculations said. The Doc said that everything looks good and I got to see Little Bean's heartbeat, it was going a mile a minute. So neat to see. I do have a large cyst on my right ovary, but the Doc wasn't too worried about it. He said we'll just keep an eye on it.

Dr. Horrible! OMG!!!!

I'm a dork. I've come to terms with that. Please allow me to share it with y'all.



This is only going to be available until Sunday so, watch while the watching is good.

I just love me some Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion (drool, slopper).

Woot! A Contest/Give-A-Way!

Dana over at Old Red Barn is having a Contest/Give-A-Way of a beautiful Quilt made from the Ginger Blossom fabric collection. I'm drooling in the worst way. Not only does she make wonderful soaps and sugar scrubs, but her quilt is stunning! Go check her and her quilt out!

Vickery's Bar & Grill at Glennwood

My birthday dinner was at Vickery's (I made a point to remember the name last night) It's amazing what you can remember when you aren't drinking.

Vickery's is a lovely little neighborhood restaurant and dinner was yummy, what I could eat of it. Meat is so not agreeing with me right now. One bite of the fried chicken and I was done. Shudder. The mac and cheese on the other hand, was fricken to die for. Crunchy on top, soft and gooey underneath. Yum. I want more.......

We finished up my evening with a trip to see my favorite 1 year old (and his parents of course!)

It was fun to sit and have a quiet evening with friends.

I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my Zalebaby, the best MaGoo a girl can have.

Snap, crackle and pop!

It's my birthday today and I am so looking forward to dinner with Zalebaby. We're not going anywhere special, just to a restaurant that a friend manages....which is not to put down the restaurant, food's great---I can never remember the name of it. We always call it Little David's restaurant ;-)

The little bean was misbehaving something fierce this morning, but has settled down now and I'm interested in food. The eating thing is driving me crazy, I've actually lost weight. I'm eating all the time, but it's not sticking.

My 1st Doctor's appointment is Thursday. I'm excited! I can't wait to see the little bean.

To beat the queasiness....

Morning Sickness is a misnomer. It's not just mornings! My body is substituting nausea for hunger pangs. I don't get hungry anymore, I go straight to queasy. What fun! I've learned that if I eat a special K bar before I get out of bed, I don't get queasy before I'm out of the shower and ready to go downstairs. Then I eat yogurt before I leave for work. When I get to work, I make a pack of instant oatmeal and then I'm OK until 11, when I have another special K bar. Then Lunch at 12, fruit around 2:30 and one more special K bar at 4-4:30 to tide me over until I get home, where I'll have a snack of some sort before I make dinner.

At this rate, I'm going to be a blimp, long before the little bean gets here.

If only I could find a way to have a nap around 2pm. Drat that work thing. I wish it wasn't necessary.

Details.....

Christy wanted details:

"I want an update! How are you feeling? Have you told anyone in your real life? How did you tell your hubby? Details. I want details!"

So here's the story.

I told Zalebaby I was pregnant on Wednesday, the day I was my period was due. Not that he believed me, but I was pretty sure. The wait from Wednesday to Saturday was a killer. Every time I went to the bathroom I expected/was afraid to see that I started bleeding. I never did. I was taking care of a friends animals while she was out of town and on Saturday morning, on the way back from letting the dog out, I stopped at CVS and got a pregnancy test. (why do they sell them 2 to a box?--Now I have an extra one laying around)

Zalebaby insisted on reading me the instructions. I had to pee so bad it hurt.....I ignored him and peed on the stick while he was trying to read the instructions. I put the cap back on the stick and laid it down on the bathroom counter to wait the 3 minutes. Zalebaby couldn't wait that long and went in and picked it up as soon as I came out of the bathroom. He was so cute. He picked it up and said "congratulations Mommy". Awwww. I responded with "thank you, Daddy. See? I told you so!" He'd been teasing me, giving me grief about not being late, I just miss counted days..... He called his dad a few minutes later, to tell him I'm "probably" pregnant. Too funny.

I called my mother and told her I had bad news. That I wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas this year. My Mother, the drama queen, gave me a hostile "why?". I giggled and told her I would be about 8 months pregnant...she got all excited, then said "you can still drive home for Christmas" Sigh. I don't think I want to do a 13 hour car ride that pregnant. It would probably take 14 hours with all the potty breaks!

I told some of my friends about being preggers on Sunday at a little pool party when they wanted to know why I wasn't drinking with them. I called my sisters on Sunday and told them the news, they were excited for me. Hockeywife is disappointed that she won't be able to meet the baby until the summer, as she will be in Germany until April.

I'm feeling a little queasy. Isn't 5 weeks a little early for this? I get queasy before I eat and after I eat. I'm ok while I'm eating and then I'm fine about 1/2 hour after I stop eating the queasy goes away. It just sucks.

I'm craving naps. Going to bed early doesn't help, I just wake up earlier and stare at the celling. I just want a ten minute nap here and there.

I made an Dr.'s appointment, the obgyn doesn't want to see me until week 8, so I'll see them 7/17, 2 days after my 36 birthday.

Well, Christy, you wanted details..... ;-)

The wait is over...

NOW WHAT!?!

waiting is so hard

I hate this time of the month. The waiting. To bleed or not to bleed, and how do I feel about either option. I'm "due" today and this is the first time since I've gone off birth control that I haven't started early. I'm working really hard, not to get excited. Trying not to jinks myself. I feel like writing this is a jinks too, but I would rather babble it here, to the blogsphere, then to get excited to my hubby and friends and be wrong. I'm giving myself until until Sunday before trying to pee on the stick. I'd really hate to get a false negative.

It's been six months of trying...as much as I enjoy the trying part....I'm getting worried. sigh. I'd like to be preggers before my 36th b-day.

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

You are sophisticated, modern, and high class. Your taste is refined, but you are not picky. You are often the first to try something new. You are emotionally expressive and sensitive. You're effected by everything around you. Your friends appreciate your open heart, but they are afraid of hurting your feelings. You love to be in love. You crave romance, whether you're single or not. You feel lost when you don't feel passion... you need someone to adore.

The Chocolate Oracle

Midsummer Night's Dream review...sort of.

The last part of my Once Upon A Time Challenge is to read Midsummer Night's Dream. Midsummer Night's Dream is my hands down favorite Shakespeare play. I've seen it performed at least 20 time if I've seen it once. Sometimes it's good, other times it is horrible. One of the things that makes the difference is whether or not the actors understand what they are saying. Don't laugh. You'd be amazed at how many times I've seen the play where it was obvious that the actor didn't get the meaning, the sense of the lines. So I thought I'd share my favorite monologue with you.....and what I think the meaning is.....

HELENA :
How happy some o'er other some can be!

Through Athens I am thought as fair as she.

But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so;

He will not know what all but he do know:

And as he errs, doting on Hermia's eyes,

So I, admiring of his qualities:

Things base and vile, folding no quantity,

Love can transpose to form and dignity:

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;

And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind:

Nor hath Love's mind of any judgement taste;

Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste:

And therefore is Love said to be a child,

Because in choice he is so oft beguiled.

As waggish boys in game themselves forswear,

So the boy Love is perjured every where:

For ere Demetrius look'd on Hermia's eyne,

He hail'd down oaths that he was only mine;

And when this hail some heat from Hermia felt,

So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt.

I will go tell him of fair Hermia's flight:

Then to the wood will he to-morrow night

Pursue her; and for this intelligence

If I have thanks, it is a dear expense:

But herein mean I to enrich my pain,

To have his sight thither and back again.

To Paraphrase, nay to sum up:

I'm happy for Hermia, but I'm pretty too! Why won't Demetrius see that anymore? He use to love me, now he loves Hermia! I love him, all his faults are charming to me. He is acting like a child, making promises then denying them. I will tell him of Hermia's plan, even though I am betraying my best friend, just to try to get him to see me again, hopefully to love me again.

To me, that is what Helena is trying to say. This monologue was one of my favorite audition pieces. Even if Helena is a whiny little pain in the ass.

Book Review: Legend by David Lynn Golemon

From Wikipedia--The word mythology refers to a body of folklore/myths/legends that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity.

So for my Mythology section of the Once Upon a Time II Challenge, I went with Legend by David Lynn Golemon. It is not classified as a Fantasy or Sci-Fi book, but as a thriller. It is about the search for El Dorado. It's kinda a modern Indian Jones story. There is global power conflicts, scientific backstabbing and secrets, kept for centuries. The mythology of the story is in the myth of El Dorado and the Aztecs who built it. It was a good read, but I wanted to read more about the clever way the Aztecs protected their treasure, rather than the modern politics around finding it. I probably won't pick up any more books by Golemon, his style is heavy on the mechanics of weapons and fighting. While I love a good fight scene, I'm not really interested in all the bells and whistles of tanks and guns.

Book Review: Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was a fun quick read, a re-telling of the classic fairytale. I loved the way that Shannon Hale fleshed out the story, providing the Goose Girl's background as well as adding the more psychic than magic powers to the story. I also enjoyed Isa's personal growth journey, her learning to trust herself and stand on her own two feet.

My Google Reader is overflowing with entries....

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the long absence. I went on vacation. Zalebaby and I decided to stay at home and be tourist in Atlanta. With the cost of gas, it was much cheaper to stay at home (no hotel bill, no boarding the dogs bill) and do day trips around Georgia. I did insist it be a true vacation and refused to cook all week. Ya me!

We went on vacation from May 17th to May 26. When I picked the week, I picked it because of a day Atlanta Braves' game. Zalebaby wanted to go to a business man's game, as he has never done that. I had no idea that Monday was Memorial Day. I so loved the bonus day off!

I'll tell you more about vacation when Zalebaby gives me the pictures (he's a photoshop god) but here is the only one that came out good with my stupid camera (no, it's not stupid me, I made ZB take pictures with my camera as well as his to prove that there was something wrong with mine!)

Me at the New World of Coke. It was much better than the old World of Coke. We wouldn't have even gone to WOC if it wasn't for the CityPass that we bought.

Before and after

Before you sits 80% of my book collection:

I only thought about taking a picture after I removed the books from the folding bookshelves I've used since college. We're re-doing the guest bedroom, since the bed has been sitting on the floor since we've moved here. We rent, so please ignore the blue sky wallpaper, it came with the house.....but look! Brand new, grown up bookshelves! Thank you IKEA and my stimulus check!

I think when we actually buy a house, I'm going to need to add another bookcase or 2.

Yummy! Spicy Banana Cookies!

Zalebaby and I have been eating bananas like they are going out of style, 'cause they help with his heartburn, but after a while, it gets old. Like the bananas that turned soft and brown hanging on the holder. So I decided to try out the Spicy Banana Cookies recipe I found a couple of weeks ago at sticky, gooey, creamy, chewy . Drool. Yum. They were really easy to make and the only thing I did different from the recipe is I added extra chocolate chips and left out the nuts. I hate to say it, but I didn't get any pictures. I took them to a dinner party and they were gone in no time flat. I'm hoping that Zalebaby leaves a few more bananas to get over-ripe so I can make some more cookies......I bought an extra large bunch of bananas at the store to help to make the cookies happen.....there is nothing wrong with hedging your bets, right?

Magic Bites/Magic Burns.......Review

I love reading, I hate writing.....which is why I keep doing these bloody Challenge. The challenge for me is to actually write the Review. So today, I'm going to review 2 books by the same author, Ilona Andrews.

Magic Bites and Magic Burns are Urban Fantasy books that are set in a world where Magic and Technology work, but not at the same time. It's kinda like Magic and Tech are battling it out over who's rules the world is going to follow, Einstein's or Merlin's. This world also includes Were-animals and Vampires. With the Vampires, there is a twist. The Vampires are not your run of the mill, blood-drinking Hunky Bad Guys, vampires are more-or-less mindless creatures who are controlled by "The People". Which are, I think, humans who have an extra mind skill, who can control the by putting their consciousness in vampire's mind which allows the "rider" to control the vampire's body. The stories take place in Atlanta (which is where I live) and is one of the reason's I picked up the first book, Magic Bites. In Magic Bites, we are introduced to Kate Daniels, who is a mercenary that deals with paranormal problems. She is strong woman with a bad attitude and a secret. You gotta to love that, I know I do. She is blindsided by the murder of her Guardian and hunts down his killer.

In Magic Burns, Kate's got a new problem. How to save Atlanta (and the world) from Celtic Ghouls bent on killing all of human kind. In this book, Kate is even more of a bad ass then the in the first book, plus she has more depths as a person, we get to see her reason things out and we get a little closer to finding out her secret....well, we do find out her secret, but we still don't know what it means or why she is in this jam....And! There is a tease of a romance starting. I'm so loving that part. I'm dying for the two of them to get together. I find the way the tension is building up to be very sexy. It's going to be hard to wait until next year for part 3. I'm not known for my patience.

May Day

Happy May Day! Flowers for everyone and it's time to dance the maypole! Did you wash your face in the dew this morning?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. It is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the Maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.

I love to dance the maypole. I use to do it everyday when I worked at the PA Renaissance Faire. It was one of my "duties". Rough job, right?..... You know what? I don't think I've ever dance the maypole on May Day. heh.

If you are a geek and you know it, clap your hands!

So, I'm a geek, I know it. Here's the proof. I spent the past week re-reading the first 5 books in a series so that I could read the new (to me) number 6. I will do this for almost every series. It's a sickness I tell you.

Zalebaby just laughs at me. "At least you get your money's worth out of your books."

There are only 2 series that I collect that I won't re-read the entire collection, The Eve Dallas series by JD Robb and the Honor Harrington series by David Weber. Both are simply to big to re-read all the books before my desire to read the newest overwhelms me.

One of my favorite things to have happen, is to find a new-to-me author that I love, who has a large collection of books published, so I can delve into their worlds and enjoy the stories, without having to wait for the next book to be published. Talk about being a literary addict......there are worse things to be addicted to, ya know?

Review: The Outlaw Demon Wails (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows, Book 6)

Now this one is on my Challenge list. I very much enjoyed The Outlaw Demon Wails (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows, Book 6) by Kim Harrison.

The Outlaw Demon Wails is the sixth book in the Hollows series. I really like the series, but I wouldn't recommend picking up this book if you haven't read the other 5. That being said, it was a good read. It definitely had a new tone to the story writing. Rachael is trouble with a capital T. If there is a safe choice or a dangerous one, she'll go for danger every time. At least that was the way she operated in the other 5 books. In this one, she spends a lot of time fighting herself and her instincts, to stay out of trouble....which of course, puts her in even more trouble.

I'm wondering if there will be a book 7. Harrison has wrapped up most of the plot lines of the series, but she did introduce a few new ones. I know if she writes more books set in this world, I'll read them.

Review: A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C Bunce

Although this book isn't on my list for the Once Upon A Time II Challenge, it certainly falls into the fairytale category....well sort of, as it turns out to be work of ghosts, rather than fairies.....

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C Bunce. This was a wonderful retelling of the classic Rumpelstiltskin. One of the things I enjoyed about it, was the way the story was structured around the Mill. The building itself was a major character in the story, with it's own will and personality. Charlotte Miller, our heroine, starts out the tale not believing in magic or curses. She is a strong willed, determined person, and the fairytale element of the story creeps in slowly, changing her perception of the world. I love the journey she takes, from sorrow to joy, never loosing her determination to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is.

What Fun!

I had the best time last night with Teresa. She rocked and was so funny. We talked about everything under the sun. I was a little nervous about meeting her, what was I going to say? What if we have nothing in common other than blogging? I was so afraid my shy side was going to come out and tongue tie me. (you'd be surprised by how often that happens) But no, she made me feel comfortable right off the bat. She's just like her blog, warm funny and down to earth......and a little -ahem -earthy. It's too bad we got together on a school night, some weekend this summer we are going to have to sit down with a couple of pitchers of Margarita's....and see just how raunchy the conversation can get. Tee-hee! (maybe we could talk Mary Ann into coming for a visit this summer)

She made me the best box of goodies:

I'm so looking forward to playing with fabrics she gave me and I love, love, love the bracelet her daughter made. I was so excited to see one of her signature button dragonflys. The green sun catcher is going to be hung on my patio doors so I can see the light thru it and I love the little cardinal sitting on his nest. He is destined for a spot on my Christmas tree. Thank you so much Teresa for all the goodies. I can't wait to see you again! What a great blogging date.

Two Shoes

Sorry, no pictures of the Stromboli, but yum! So very yummy! I remembered to bring my camera downstairs, but did I take any pictures? Nope! By the time it came out of the oven, (at 9pm!!) We were sooo hungry and it smelled so good, we dove right in, camera forgotten. So this morning I took shoe pictures like so many of my favorite blogers have been posting lately. Jen over at Scissors. Paper. Glue has started a Shoe photo swap. So cute and such fun. I didn't join the swap, but I thought I'd offer up my favorite shoes. Please forgive the blurry-ness. I think I need a new camera--my pictures look good when I view them after I take them, but when downloaded.....blurry. I've corrected as much as possible, but I'm still not happy.

Wedding Shoes:

I had an outdoor wedding in Maui, so I wanted wedges with an ankle strap to walk on the grass with. Do you know how hard that is to find? I spent all summer trying to find a pair. I found these at the end of the summer in the Kenneth Cole store. I adore them and I love the fact that I've been able to wear them after the wedding, especially since I'd paid more for them then any other shoes in my life, which is not saying much, as they were on sale for $90. But then I got my wedding dress at Macy's for $80.....

Girly Party Shoes:

I don't remember where I got these, but I always feel pretty and feminine in them

Carb Coma

Guess what I did all weekend? I love, love, love this book. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. My diet has gone right out the window. So far, I've only made 2 of the breads, the basic brioche dough and the peasant loaf. Both were yummy, so yummy. I've been making cheese toast like it was going out of style. I'm dying to make the calzon or the stromboli. I have enough dough left in the fridge to make one of them tonight. Now if I could just remember to pull out my camera I'll have pictures for you tomorrow.

I'm not surprised.....

This does not surprise me. Although I would rank my artistic side higher than the computer side.....

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Drama Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Anime Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

The Once Upon a Time II Challenge

Yay! It's that time of year again, it's the start of -The Once Upon a Time II Challenge!!! I did this Challenge last year and I found so many new authors to read, so when Carl V over at Stainless Steel Droppings made the announcement, I started compiling my list.

I'll be doing Quest the Third which is:

Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Quest the Second is: Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology.

So my list of books (which I reserve the right to change up at any time) are:

1) Fantasy-Magic bites by Andrews, Ilona

2) Folklore- Swimming without a net by MaryJanice Davidson, a modern mermaid story.

3) Fairy Tale- Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, I've read another of her stories for the 1st challenge

4) Mythology- Legend by David Lynn Golemon, is a stretch, it's a thriller about the search for El Dorado. I may replace this if I find something not set in today's world....but I'm excited to read this one.

I'm so looking forward to everyone's review and find new great reads.