Happy Easter!

Another holiday... another chance to dress up Shelby :)

Munchin' on jelly beans

Then I decided to shake things up and add some peeps...

Jumpin' for peeps!

Mmmm.... Peep...

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!!

A Spring Walk

Took Shelby for a walk tonight and saw so many signs of spring!

First, was the sidewalk chalk art (sure sign of warm weather)

Second, was the pretty flowers (of course)

And the pretty flowery tree, which stinks (why is it so smelly?)

Third was the sunshine and beautiful sunset (we have not seen much of the sunshine with all this stupid rain, so we must enjoy it while it's here)

Lastly, 

and most important 

I saw lots of this while walking...

Lawn Mowers

Grass Clippings

AND DID NOT SNEEZE ONCE!!!  YAY!!!  :D

PS:  Normally, I look like this in the spring:

(allergies are no fun)

This blog posting is dedicated to Omnaris and ASAP@GBMC :)

A Reliable Elephant

Since I’m behind, I’m going to write about the last two books I read, “A Reliable Wife” and “Water for Elephants.”

“A Reliable Wife” by Robert Goolrick

Review from Pubslishers Weekly:

Set in 1907 Wisconsin, Goolrick's fiction debut (after a memoir, The End of the World as We Know It) gets off to a slow, stylized start, but eventually generates some real suspense. When Catherine Land, who's survived a traumatic early life by using her wits and sexuality as weapons, happens on a newspaper ad from a well-to-do businessman in need of a "reliable wife," she invents a plan to benefit from his riches and his need. Her new husband, Ralph Truitt, discovers she's deceived him the moment she arrives in his remote hometown. Driven by a complex mix of emotions and simple animal attraction, he marries her anyway. After the wedding, Catherine helps Ralph search for his estranged son and, despite growing misgivings, begins to poison him with small doses of arsenic. Ralph sickens but doesn't die, and their story unfolds in ways neither they nor the reader expect. This darkly nuanced psychological tale builds to a strong and satisfying close. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This book had a good story.  It was extremely detailed, which I did not care for as much.  There were a lot of what I like to call “omg moments” which kept me interested in reading.  The small number of characters were well developed, and through the intricate detail you understood the role that they each played in the story.  The relationships between the characters were very interesting.  There were some parts of the book I found to be really weird, which mostly related to the time and intricacy of the relationships and characters.  Overall, the book club really enjoyed this book, but it was not one of my favorites.

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen

Summary:

“Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.
Jacob was there because his luck had run out -- orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act -- in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival. 
Surprising, poignant, and funny, Water for Elephants is that rare novel with a story so engrossing, one is reluctant to put it down; with characters so engaging, they continue to live long after the last page has been turned; with a world built of wonder, a world so real, one starts to breathe its air.”

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  This was one of the best books I have read in a long time and I would recommend it to everyone!  It had many twists and turns to keep you engrossed and turning the page.  Jacob’s story is so powerful, it keeps you hooked from beginning to end.  I loved how the story started when Jacob was 93 and flipped back and forth from when he was 23.  The transition between his ages were seamless.  It was evident the author did a lot of research to ensure everything was accurate and it was amazing to really see the way people and animals were treated back then.  Not only was it a good love story, it was a great life story.  I cannot wait to see the movie next week!! :)

Fruit Dip

This is the BEST DIP EVER!  Thanks to my friend Alana for sharing! :)

Ingredients:
1 block cream cheese
1 jar marshmallow fluff
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 bag mini chocolate chips

Soften cream cheese & mix marshmallow creme.

Add vanilla and chill.  While chilling, cut up fruit.  I like strawberries :)

Once cool enough, mix in mini chocolate chips.  

I took my dip to work to share with my co-workers and they loved it!  It is delicious!!  We also dipped pretzels in the dip and that was really good as well!

Enjoy!!!

This is Birdland!

Even though I'm a huge Raven's & football fan, I still get excited at the beginning of baseball season! 

Baseball means to me:
Sunshine
     Friends
         Hot Dogs
                  FUN
         Summer
     America
My Poppop

Yesterday was opening day at Camden Yards.  The Oriole's beat the Detriot Tigers and are now 4-0 to start the season. 
Go O's! 

Weekend Wrap Up

I had a fun weekend!  Friday night I participated in a message circle with my mom and two friends.  The medium was Francine Milano.  Some more information from her website:

Message Circles
Message Circles have become Francine Milano's signature event over the last decade. In the tradition of Spiritualism, the circle is a demonstration of mediumship. In recent times, messages from Spirit given to an audience in a formal setting has been referred to as a "Gallery Reading." A circle is usually a smaller group where everyone will get a message, though Francine is available for Gallery Readings (larger groups).

The evening starts with a short discussion regarding mediumship and the psychic work as well as some of the tradiional teachings of Spiritualism to offer a better understanding of Spirit communication. Following this discussion, Francine will offer messages from loved ones who have passed over and spirit guides to each participant in the group, leaving time for questions and answers pertaining to Francine's work.

What's the difference between a medium and a psychic?
A medium serves as a channel for communication for the other side, beit loved ones or spirit guides. And while a medium can be intuitive (clairsentience), a psychic is sensitive only on an intuitive level as with remote viewing or predictive work and does not get their messages from those on the other side. The line is a fine one, and many have both abilities calling themselves psychic mediums. Some prefer the word "intuitive" now rather than "psychic" due the stigma con artists have left to the word.

It was an awesome experience.  Specifically I was told that something new in my life will be coming soon and I need to embrace it!  I can't wait to see what it is! :)  I learned a lot about myself, my family and my friends.  I highly suggest it to anyone that is interested in that type of thing.  

Saturday I spent the day reading my latest book club book (which I will discuss later).  Saturday night I went to see Limitless with some friends.

Bradley Cooper plays a writer who discovers a top secret drug (NZT) which allows him to use all aspects of his brain and basically gives him super human abilities.  It was a good movie... very different and kept you on your toes.  I'd give it 7 out of 10. 

Sunday my mom & I went to visit my grandparent's for lunch, which is always nice to catch up.  Then Sunday night was my weekly get-together with friends for dinner and to watch Desperate Housewives.  One of my favorite traditions!

Spring Sprinkles

"Sprinkles are like sunshine... you need a little bit everyday!"