Mercy

Today I am reviewing Susan Sims Moody's 2nd book titled Mercy.



First off, you can definitely tell Moody has come a long way with her writing! It seemed more like a real book...and there were a few mysteries in this one that worked better than in her first book. I also liked how there were flashback stories throughout to give us more insight to the characters.

This book could stand alone if you don't want to read the first in the series, Flatlands. Although, if you do read Flatlands you will "get" a few of the things Moody mentions in this book. (But I like how she doesn't go on and on into full detail about the events in the first book.)

In this book Jennifer Martin and her boyfriend travel to his hometown for the death of his grandfather. While they are there, a few interesting things happen. (can't say what...but we learn family secrets!)

I liked this book. It was a good read, so I wanted to pick it up often. The stories within the story were interesting.

'Tis The Season To Be Chappy

A friend of mine gave me the best chapstick I have ever used!!!! It goes on so smooth, keeps your lips hydrated and it tastes great!

Wild Huckleberry Lip Balm:

Here is the link to order:

http://www.huckleberrypatch.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_29&products_id=295

Flatlands

My friend Michelle asked if I would like to review her friend's new book The Devil Don't Knock. After looking up Susan Sims Moody books on amazon I thought they sounded interesting and it would be cool to review a book that hasn't been in stores yet. I saw that her two published books were only $2.99 (kindle edition) so I downloaded them and decided that I would read the trilogy and then post a review.



In this post I will talk about Moody's first book, Flatlands. I will review her second book, Mercy on November 26th and the newest book The Devil Don't Knock on December 10th.



In Flatlands, we meet Jennifer Martin. She is coming back to her hometown with a broken down car, no money, no job and no place to live. Suddenly she has everything she needs (and more) to be a thriving resident of Bedford, MS. Not in a glamorous way, in an everyone feels sorry for you and helps you out kinda way. That is how we meet the locals. They are colorful and true to the south.


The story is part of the Jennifer Martin Mysteries Series, although there is not much of a mystery in this book. I was thinking it would be an on-going stumper and then an a-ha moment at the end to bring it all together. Nope. Not sure what the mystery was, and not sure Jennifer solved anything. On purpose.


That being said, I did like the story. It was an easy read and I got a clear picture of the town in my head. It was just a good, short story. I liked it! Something just kept me reading.

Race For The Cure

Last month I did the Race For The Cure with some friends. Jennie Vee, Amber and Tammy ran the three mile race and Tracy, Regina and I walked the one mile fun race. It was cold! (but fun and worth it!)

This picture is for the boy!

Kindle

Last year around this time my dad wanted to get me a Kindle for Christmas. I told him no, I wasn't interested. I said I like the feel of holding a book in my hand, turning the pages, reading the back... I like sharing with my friends and selling the book at a local used book store when I am done and getting more. I was happy reading old school.

Dan got a Kindle recently.

One night we were laying in bed reading, Dan using the Kindle, me holding a 534 page book. My hands were getting tired of holding the big book. Dan just clicked for the next page. My reading light is dim and I have to keep adjusting it to light the page. Dan's Kindle light shines on the whole page with ease.

OK, I ordered a book on his Kindle...and I loved reading on the thing! I started with a short book...and finished in 2 days! Click, new page. Click, new page. Love it!

Never thought I would want a Kindle. I want one! Although, the thought of Dan and I reading in bed together with our Kindles makes me laugh. It's like a space-age scenario! Oh, technology!

Blog2Print

For those of you who want a hard copy of your blog, you can do so by clicking on this link. I will get credit for it :)ail&utm_content=15731&utm_campaign=Blog2Print%2BReferral%2BProgram%2BInvitation-Blog2Printhttp://blog2print.com/?source_referer=sbly_nzloroyb(pbzpnfg)arg&sbt=d61c8a4cd6afbbb9b7f5ea490dd10b0723f3a7e9&utm_source=SharedBook&utm_medium=email&utm_content=15731&utm_campaign=Blog2Print%2BReferral%2BProgram%2BInvitation-Blog2Printog2print.com?source_http://blog2print.com/?source_referer=sbly_nzloroyb(pbzpnfg)arg&sbt=d61c8a4cd6afbbb9b7f5ea490dd10b0723f3a7e9&utm_source=SharedBook&utm_medium=email&utm_content=15731&utm_campaign=Blog2Print%2BReferral%2BProgram%2BInvitation-Blog2Printreferer=sbly_nzloroyb(pbzpnfg)arg

Wow it has been a long time!

Since my friends were bugging me for a good solid year to join facebook, I finally did. I have been emptying my head there. It feels good to get the little stuff out daily!

Well, this is longer than FB will allow, so I am blogging it!

Dan had to attend some advertising/marketing training the other week where they were discussing good commercials. It was presented that the "come on down and get a cheap car" commercials are not as effective b/c they don't get people emotionally involved. It's all about the cheap price, not the good feeling. Target was popular for the feel good commercials. People feel connected...they like seeing the trendy clothes, and know the prices are reasonable b/c it is Target. They don't need to see the price on the commercial.

All the people took turns telling what their favorite brand or store was. As Dan was telling the story I immediately thought of M&Ms as my favorite brand and let me tell you, I am definitely emotionally attached to them! They have been with me my whole life, through good times and bad, sickness and health...

M&Ms are my go-to comfort candy. I love to eat them when I travel, when I am stressed, when I am happy, when I want something sweet, AND when it is a new holiday!!!! Ms suck me right in every time...fall, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Summer... THEN they make fun new Ms all the time! Coconut, pretzel, PB&J, Strawberry, Mint. As I blogged before, I will try any M!

I remember my one gram always had M&Ms at her house in a cupboard in a little dish. I always bugged for some. When I got them I would sort them by color and eat them in a certain order. Dark brown, (remember those????) light brown, red, orange, green and then yellow. No blue back then. And yes, I had M&M OCD! One day while eating Ms at my grams I must have been sad and missing my mom b/c I remember thinking that heaven would be: me sitting on a cloud across from my mom and I would be eating M&Ms. That is still my idea of heaven! (except Cole would be attached to my hip bugging to eat my M&Ms too. Wait, I said heaven right? Oh well, that's how it would be!)

Another M story:
I was flying back to PA with my gram and sis when I was 13ish. (Oh wait, a story within a story! We were flying from WA were my aunt, uncle and cousin lived. My cousin only ate GREEN M&MS, so my sister and I wanted to annoy her so we snuck down, spilled out the bag, ate all the greens and then put the rest back. Boy, was she pissed the next day!) Anywho, in preparation for our long flight, we made sure we had a big bag of plain M&Ms. We couldn't wait to get into them, so I was trying to rip the bag open so we could get started. I had my hands on the top of the bag, pulled down, and the whole bag ripped open and Ms were flying everywhere!!! (It's raining Ms, hallelujah, it's raining Ms!)

When I was in college, my roommate Jen always had peanut M&Ms. We would play cards and munch on Ms all night long. One night we got crazy: we bought every kind of M that was out at the time. (I think the newest M was the peanut butter.) We mixed them all together and had ourselves a chocolate-fest. Good times!

I am sure if I sit here and try to think of more M stories, I could, but my fingers are tired and if I keep talking about Ms I am going to want to go to the pantry and get a chocolate treat!!!!

So, yeah, I would definitely say I am emotionally connected to the brand M&Ms! :)
(Christmas Ms should be coming out soon!)

I Can't Pass This Up

Ok, during the past two weeks I have received emails from Coldstone Creamery (telling about their Oreo ice cream sandwiches) and Dairy Queen (buy one Blizzard get one for 25 cents) and Baskin Robbins ( 31 cent scoop night) and I have passed them all up. BUT I got another email from Dairy Queen announcing their May Blizzard...and I HAVE TO GO GET ONE! It's a Buster Bar Blizzard! Buster. Bar. Blizzard. I haven't been this excited since the Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzard came out! If anyone is interested in a DQ play date let me know!!!! :)

Another Book Review

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Link for more info and other books:

http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422057


Here is the write up from the back of the book:

Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He’d failed to protect his family. Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace. The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?



Here is my review:



Well, first of all, I finished it! Most of the time that is a good sign. (I have finished some books that I'm not sure why I kept going.)

Here is what I liked about the book: it had an interesting idea, I liked the interaction between the main characters...they were pretty likable and I rooted for them the whole book.
What I didn't care for: the whole NINA terrorist group idea...it was like the author was trying to write a book similar to the Da Vinci Code, but this group was confusing and not very interesting. I kinda zoned out when there was a section devoted to them. Then there were different guys trying to kill the main character and they confused me. Not sure who they were or who they were working for or why they did what they did. Again, I zoned on those parts. Although those people and the group are important to the story, I didn't get the full impact because I didn't like that part of the story.

I guess this book would be considered a thriller, but I never had an "Oh!" moment. It was an easy, fast read. It is a Christian fiction book, which I usually don't read, so that was a little odd to me.

Overall it was a decent book. I feel bad writing these reviews...I'm such a harsh critic!

Thirsty?

Lately I have been obsessed with drinkware. (is that a word?) Anyway, Dan has a Tervis Tumbler (I just like to say Tervis Tumbler!) that he got at Bed Bath and Beyond that he uses for coffee and beer. The cup is big and holds a lot. (almost 2 beers Dan says) I load it up with ice and a can of pop and still have room at the top. I have been searching for one with flowers. I found this one...
Then when I was at Books A Million I saw these:

they are water bottles for Monday-Friday. They come with a base that they sit in...if you need to take them with you to work or wherever. I like the idea of drinking out of pretty bottles. I fill them all up and use them throughout the day and keep one by my bed at night. I find that I am drinking more water because of these pretty bottles! (they are PBA free)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I saw these in the Lakeside Collection catalog. I thought they would be perfect for when my friends come over for a playdate. My classy friends prefer to drink out of a glass with ice...which I like now too. Before I would just swig from the can...I guess everyone has some billy in them!

If You Like Pina Coladas, and Chewin' Gum In The Rain

Then try this...it's my new favorite gum. It's like vacation in your mouth!

*************************************************************************

On an unrelated note to yumminess and Rupert Holmes...Girly Tomboy Extraordinaire is the winner of the Blog For Books book. Please leave a comment with your info and I will ship it out to you! Or leave your email and I will contact you...whatever you are more comfortable with. Hope they let you blog for books in Canada! :)

My First **Blogging For Books** Tour

My friend Michelle told me about this program:

Blogging for Books

Do you love to read and review books?
Do you have an established personal blog on which to share your opinions?

If so, you may be eligible to join upcoming blog tours for WaterBrook Multnomah titles.

As an approved blog reviewer, you'll receive a free, advance copy of the featured book in each tour in which you choose to participate. To submit your blog for consideration, please fill out the form below. If your blog is chosen to participate, a WaterBrook Multnomah publicity representative will get in touch with you soon.

Here is the link...
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blogging-for-books/

This is the first book I said yes to. I am a very picky reader. I don't just read to read. AND I have this "100 page try" rule that goes like this...if after 100 pages I could care less what happens to any of the characters or how the story ends, I stop reading. My friend Angie dubbed me as the "Book Tease" years ago.

I received a complimentary book to read and one to give away! :) If you are interested in winning a copy, please leave a comment and I will write down all the names and have a random drawing. I will post the winner and send out the book after I get an address.

Here is the summary I got in the email:

Summary:

Inspired by the engaging stories told through her grandmother’s photographs taken at the turn of the century, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the tension between darkness and light in the soul of a young woman pursuing her professional dreams.

Despite growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is still at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those ill with mercury poisoning.

Jessie gains footing on her dream to one day own her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep those painful memories from seeping into her heart, and the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

Here is my review:

I didn't realize that this book was based on the author's grandmother. I guess that is why I felt it was a little boring and there were parts in it that didn't really need to be there. As I stated above, I am a picky reader, so after 100 pages I was ready to put it down. Not because it was a bad book, but because it just didn't seem all that interesting. But, because I agreed to review the book, I kept going. Then I got to 200 pages and just had to skip to the end to find out what happened. After reading the ending I was a little curious about how the characters got to that point, but not enough to actually finish the book. I know a lot of people would enjoy this book. Most of the gals in my book club would probably finish it and like it...I just look over beside my bed and see the growing pile of books I want to read and I just want to get to them. Another sign that I wasn't really into the book...whenever I got a chance to read it, I would find something else to do. I guess I just didn't really like the characters all that much. One thing I did like about the book was every so often there would be a picture taken by the main character and then a write-up about the picture. (the conversations that the subject and photographer had, why they chose the props they did, why the photo was being taken...) I want to state again that this isn't a bad book. It just wasn't a book for me. I'm like a kid who needs to be constantly entertained (oh, that's where Cole gets it from!) so if the book isn't giving off fireworks, then I will move on and look for the new M-80 book to blow me away.

To get a copy of this book or other books, visit:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781578569816

(This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.)

This is so weird!

These taste like McDonald's cheeseburgers!

It was a good birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. The weather was decent, I saw daffodils growing in the wild, I went shopping for clothes and scrapbook supplies and went out to dinner with my family...at IHOP. Everyone always laughs at my pick, but hey, I love IHOP! I was actually good. I got the whole grain pancakes without butter and used sugar free syrup. (I had a run in with the Girl Scouts this weekend and had to redeem myself after all those thin mints!)

When Cole and I were getting ready in the morning I said I was going to the gym even though it was my birthday. He said "You're not fat, Lady!" I never say anything about my weight and always tell him I am "medium" so I am not sure where that comment came from. He has seen the Biggest Loser...

So, I went to the gym and I walked 5 minutes and then planned on running for 10 and then run/walk the rest of the time. But after 10 minutes I still felt good so I thought I'd go for 15. 15 became 20 and then I thought I am only 5 more minutes away from completing week 6 of the Couch to 5K...so I did it! No guaranteeing I will ever run 25 minutes straight again in this lifetime, but I did it on my 38th b-day! (thanks to Hey, Soul Sister and Party In The USA)

Come to my backyard Jason Castro!

Last night on the Bachelor wedding Jason Castro from American Idol played a few songs. I was so surprised... and excited to see him again. When he was on American Idol I would always say I wanted him to come play in my backyard while I had some drinks with friends. Well, if he is doing Bachelor gigs I just might have a chance at getting him here!
Come play in my backyard Jason Castro!

My New Thing

My new thing (besides blogging a lot more!) is boiling chicken. I hate having chicken in the fridge thawing...so now I just take the frozen chicken right out of the freezer and put it into a big pot and boil it for an hour. When I take it out the chicken is soooo tender I can shred it with two forks.

Tonight I made a yummy chicken cheese steak salad. I boiled the chicken, shredded it and then put it into a pan with olive oil, light Italian dressing, onion powder and garlic powder. After letting it fry up a little I put slices of provolone cheese on top and let it melt. I put the chicken on a bed of shredded lettuce and added sunflower seeds. It was really good...like Lenny's Subs good! (That's my favorite place to get that salad.)

I know this is weird, but on that kind of salad I don't like dressing. It is just so good on it's own.

I am down 10 pounds! :)

Hooray!

I told some of you before that every 6 months I order a blog book that contains my blog entries and pictures. (I do 6 months b/c each book can only hold so many pictures.) I love it because I have a hard copy which takes the place of journals and some scrapbook pages. My problem with scrapbooking is that I feel like I have to scrap everything that we do even if I only take a picture or two. Now I can just blog about it and have it in a hardbound book forever! Yay!

I made 2 blog books so far and wasn't really happy about the format...the captions I typed under the pictures in my blog didn't come out under my pictures in the blog book. I joined an advisory panel with blog2print and suggested they make the captions come up like in the blog...and now they do!!!! I just got an email saying you can chose your format...regular that will use less pages and combine photos and text together and snapshot that will print your captions under the picture! Yay!

The email also included a coupon for 15% off your blog book. Just enter this code: newb2p
It expires March 31, 2010.

Check out the website to see all the options available...
http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html

I've Got Regina Beat!

My friend Regina (who is doing the South Beach Diet too) posted on her blog that her child tortured her b/c he came home from school with candy and spread it all over the counter and offered her some. Well Sister, just listen to MY morning!

Cole had a field trip. To Domino's. Pizza.

All the kids in his class made their own personal sized pizza, ate pizza, the placed smelled like pizza. Then the manager comes out and says the adults are welcome to make their own pizza. Non-South Beach Diet-Amy would have bolted to the dough! Instead, South Beach Diet-Amy wiped the drool off her face and patted her growling tummy reassuring it that soon it could have pizza again.

I am still stuck at 8 pounds. BUT, I got into some old jeans today without a struggle!

Thank You Arthur Agatston!

The South Beach diet (created by Arthur A) is working for me! In one week's time I lost 8 pounds! Woo Hoo! I have stuck to the food lists...but since I am not a big veggie person I am hungry a lot. I go to bed starving and wake up starving. One more week to go until I can reintroduce fruits and whole grains into my diet.

I have been having a hard time with the running lately. For the past two weeks Cole has been sick, I had a hair appointment, then I was sick... I still haven't completed week 6. I just need to run for 25 mins. straight and then it's complete. Yeah, that's not happening! I have been to the gym a few times recently and did my own thing. Yesterday I walked 5 minutes, ran 10, walked 5 ran 10 walked 5. I was happy with that. I do better with the breaks...then I can jog more energized and with a better attitude instead of laboring just to get the minutes done. PLUS, the new book South Beach Diet Super Charged says to not just keep one pace throughout workouts. It suggests to walk at a moderate pace for a 2 minute warmup, 15 seconds of walking supercharged, walking 60 seconds at a moderate pace, repeat 8 times then 2 minute moderate pace for cool down. (this is a sample of week one workout) I don't want to just walk. I don't mind running for short periods of time. I want to burn more calories and get my heart rate up. So, I think I will pitch the Couch to 5K and just do what feels good that day. I will still get to the gym as much. My goal was never to run a 5K or be able to run for 30 minutes straight. I just want to lose weight and it seems like whenever someone loses enough weight for people to notice it is because they started running.

Thank yous go out to Regina and Amber too... they got me interested in doing these healthy acts.

I know that next week I won't lose as many pounds, but I am still pushing forward. I want to be able to wear cute sundresses this summer!

Recipes I promised and a bonus

A few months ago I told some of you that I made a super delicious dinner that Dan said was the best I ever made. (That really isn't saying much! haha) When I made this dish the whole kitchen area smelled like an Italian restaurant...in a good way! :) I skipped the mushrooms and used canned spinach. (Yes, I actually ate the spinach b/c the whole thing was soooo good!) Here is the link...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Florentine-Casserole/Detail.aspx

Try this yummy dessert. It would be AWESOME in the fall...

Frosted Maple Apple Dessert
Filling
roll out pie crust dough (2, one for top and one for bottom)
12 cups thinly sliced and peeled apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple flavor (Mmmmm!)

Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix all above ingredients in a bowl.
Place one crust in baking dish. Spread filling on top. Then put the other crust on top of filling.
Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce temp to 400 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes longer.

Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp maple flavor (again, Mmmm!)
1 1/2 to 2 tbs milk

Drizzle this on top when you pull the dessert out of the oven. Let sit for an hour...if you can wait!



Here is a chicken dinner I made last night. It was one of the best chicken dinners I ever had...and that includes eating out. (Maybe it is b/c I am doing the South Beach diet and am starving and anything would taste good at dinner time!) I used splenda and omitted the sesame oil.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/crockpot-slow-cooker-phase-i/182843-crockpot-chicken.html

I'll start with Lent, but who knows where I will end up!

Today is the first day of Lent for Catholics. Most years I give up chocolate or all treats, but not this year. The year I really need to give that stuff up because my weight is out of control!!!!! But no, I'm not giving it up. Why? Because my in-laws are coming next month and my mother-in-law and I share a birthday and she wants us to have a cake for our birthdays. Think about it, in-laws here 24/7 for a week. I'm gonna need sweets! Plus, we are going to New Orleans and after seeing The Princess and The Frog, I just have to try some beignets! beignet (pronounced [bɛ.ɲɛ], which is the French word for fried dough), in American English, refers to a pastry made from deep-fried dough and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, is a kind of French doughnut.

Oh yeah, just look at that thing!!!! Get in my belly!

So, in an attempt to shed many, many pounds I am going to start the South Beach diet on Sunday. My friend Regina and her husband are doing it and invited me to share in their grumpiness. I am also doing the couch to 5K program that my friend Amber is doing and invited friends to join in. (Do you think maybe my friends had an intervention without me and decided that every few weeks they would think up a new weight loss idea to expose me to?) Anywho, I am in week 6 of 9 weeks. Here is the link if you are interested...http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml It is a good way to ease into jogging. You jog and then walk and then jog some more. Until the end of week 5. Then you run for 20 minutes straight! As I was running for 20 minutes straight I thought, yeah, maybe I won't keep doing this. Not really into just straight running. I'm bored. Want to walk. Just want to be skinny without doing a thing. Blah, blah, blah. Then Dan gives me an Ipod Nano for Valentine's Day WITH an armband so I can use it while I am running. So I guess I will continue with the running.

In case you are wondering what I am doing for Lent: I am going to go to church every Sunday and read the Bible everyday. I found this program that gives you 100 important passages to read in the Bible over 100 days. It is called the E100 Challenge...http://www.ministryplanet.net/sites/e100/The_Program
These are two things that I feel I should do more often, so Lent is the only time I will make myself do it without giving in to laziness or excuses.

All kinds of changes going on!

Like the title says, I'll start with Lent, but who knows where I will end up...maybe 10 pounds lighter hauling ass through the streets of a 5K race before mass. ;)

Happy and Sad

So happy that the Olympic games are here! I love most of the sports, watching the snow fall on TV and watching in non-stop marathon form! Yay ice skating! Yay Curling!

So sad about the luge accident that took the life of a 21 year old athlete. http://www.comcast.net/olympics/story.asp?i=20100212221580123890908&ref=rec&tm=&src=DOLY
Being the mom of a boy I immediately thought about that poor momma getting the call.

Yummy Potatoes

For an easy side dish try this:

Cut up potatoes into slices.

Mix in a bowl: olive oil, a capful of Mrs. Dash and some garlic powder.

Toss potatoes in mixture.

Spread onto aluminum foil covered pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 mins. Then turn the potatoes over and bake for another 15 minutes.

Then Enjoy!

Wine Club

I got invited to join a wine club. I had no idea when I said yes that it would be full of skinny bitches! Well, none of them were bitchy...just barely 100 pounds! They just kept coming through the door, one skinnier than the last! I was like "Please send in a fatty!" No such luck. They are all nice gals. Some are married, some single. Some have kids, some don't. It was nice to socialize and drink different types of wines. I actually had a Chardonnay that I liked...it wasn't dry! :) I also liked LWC Loring Pinot Noir. The Layer Cake Red Zin wasn't bad. Here is a list of all the wines we tried:
Candoni Pinot Grigo
The Little Penguin Chardonnay
Provenance Savignon Blanc
LWC Loring Pinot Noir
Moobuzz Pinot Noir
Liberty School Cab
Layer Cake Red Zin
Matchbook Syrah
Here is the GNOW wine club. (GNOW stands for Girls Need Only Wine)

Friends

Over the holidays my friend Regina had a brunch for the ladies in our playgroup. It was so much fun to get together in the middle of the day without kids and just catch up and eat and drink 'till we had to unbutton our pants. Although I am grateful for my wonderful friends here, I still miss all of you who are far away from me. I know I haven't kept in touch hardly at all. I am bad at calling and emailing. Just know I love you and miss you even though you don't hear from me. I am Cole's playmate all day and then when it's night I just want to veg out. Even when he is playing by himself he is constantly asking me questions, showing me stuff, and saying "mum". When Cole is at school I just want to stare at the walls in silence until I have to go get him. And when he is home and I get on the phone he is a terror! I was on the phone today (with my friend Jen who had news about another friend Angie...she just had a baby girl! Congrats and welcome to little Marin!) and he went in his playroom and DUMPED OUT all the bins of cars and legos and games...HUGE MESS!!!!! So, when people bug me about Facebook and texting...this is why I can't participate now. Maybe when Cole is in kindergarten I will come around. For now I remain in the fog. Dan even commented that I checked out for the past few months. We got a sitter and went out one day and went to a movie and dinner. Before dinner I went to Hobby Lobby and Dan went into another store. When he came in to get me I showed him some things that I thought would look good in the house. Over dinner he said it was good to see me looking for decorating stuff...like I used to before the boy. I just have to make it 'till August! Then I will be sad he is gone all day, but it will hopefully give me my sanity back. My hair is so thin and gray now! And I'm fat. The boy. I am blaming it all on the boy! :)
Anyway, the reason I started typing tonight was to post this picture from the brunch. Oh, we had a dirty Santa gift exchange and I got the best gift of all...slippers!