The Christmas Party is Thursday!!
Shannon's House @ 7:00
**Bring a dish to share and a white elephant gift!**
Monday, December 3, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
November Book Club at Kristie's
Kristie (otherwise known an Nurse Nancy) hosted a fantastic book club for us last month. We devoured treats galore. Here is a sampling of the goodness
The best treat of all was having Christie join the group again! We were so happy to see her and happy to hear her good news (she is expecting baby number four!!)
We played where in the world is Christie as we made her pose in each picture. It really was a fantastic night and it was so much fun to be all together again!
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| Bethany, Shauna (holding Bethany's baby Oscar) Christie , Kara & Stephanie |
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| Christie, Shannon & Kristie |
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| Christie, Brenda, Heidi & Britney |
See you next time at Shannon's house for the Christmas Party!!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Book club FHE
Book club is Monday night
Kristie's house
8:00 PM
We will have a special guest!
See you there!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Bookclub at Kara's
We had a great time at Kara's (a few weeks ago) for bookclub.
She made amazing food (as always). And yes, I did have seconds.
On the menu (and I'm sorry there aren't photos b/c it was delicious and beautiful) was:
Butternut Squash Soup with a yogurt sauce drizzle (heavenly)
Tossed salad (bacon, tomatoes,....great vinaigrette,...so delicious!)
Crusty bread with cheese
and....
Avocado Ice Cream with toasted coconut, nuts, and a honey drizzle. You must try it.
Kara will you please put your recipes on here? Everything was so incredibly good.
We talked about "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet." We were small in numbers so the conversation was limited. It got mixed reviews....no one hated it, but some loved it, others thought it was okay.
We got to see her new and fabulous kitchen and talked about all sorts of other "good stuff."
Thanks for hosting Kara. I had a great time!
She made amazing food (as always). And yes, I did have seconds.
On the menu (and I'm sorry there aren't photos b/c it was delicious and beautiful) was:
Butternut Squash Soup with a yogurt sauce drizzle (heavenly)
Tossed salad (bacon, tomatoes,....great vinaigrette,...so delicious!)
Crusty bread with cheese
and....
Avocado Ice Cream with toasted coconut, nuts, and a honey drizzle. You must try it.
Kara will you please put your recipes on here? Everything was so incredibly good.
We talked about "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet." We were small in numbers so the conversation was limited. It got mixed reviews....no one hated it, but some loved it, others thought it was okay.
We got to see her new and fabulous kitchen and talked about all sorts of other "good stuff."
Thanks for hosting Kara. I had a great time!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Book Club at Kara's
Come one, come all.
Eat some food.
Discuss the book.
It's at my new house, so let me know if you need directions.
I would love to know who can make it so I can plan accordingly.
Cheers!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Bookclub @ Stephanie's
I'm sorry we don't have any photos to let you know exactly what you missed out on, but we had a really good time and even better food!!!!
I will try to fill in as best I can....
We started off munching on these...
roasted chickpeas. I don't even know what was on them but they were a little sweet and a little spicy and a lot delicious. I'm officially addicted. I think I'll make some tomorrow.
We then imbibed in Brazilian Lemonade...
only served in adorable glass jars and served with these...
Then we ate fabulous Asian Lettuce Wraps
I won't even tell you how many I ate, but let's just say...more than one, or two.....or.....that's good enough.
We also had fried rice (which was delicious) that I can't find an adequate picture of......dang.
And then this incredibly delicious fruit salad.
and then topped it off with these bad boys...
That's right....homemade Almond Joys. I'm considering popping by Stephanie's more often in hopes that there will be another platter of these waiting for me. I will admit....I did not eat just one.
I hope I'm not forgetting anything, but everything was fantastic and Stephanie hosted like the true professional that she is.
We had some hilarious conversations,...most of which were not about the book. I'm not sure that anyone even finished the book, but the consensus was that there were a lot of unnecessary words. I think. I apologize for not having actually read it. Please forgive me.
We had a great time and missed all of the lovelies that couldn't make it.
I had a much needed night out and was able to catch up with some of my favorite people in the world.
Thanks Stephanie!
p.s. These are not the legitimate pictures. I just filled in with as much as I could find on Pinterest to give you a taste of what you missed. :)
p.s. again -- Happy Baby Bethany --- we hope all goes well. (Unless it has already happened, in which case....where are the photos????!!)
I will try to fill in as best I can....
We started off munching on these...
roasted chickpeas. I don't even know what was on them but they were a little sweet and a little spicy and a lot delicious. I'm officially addicted. I think I'll make some tomorrow.
We then imbibed in Brazilian Lemonade...
only served in adorable glass jars and served with these...
Then we ate fabulous Asian Lettuce Wraps
I won't even tell you how many I ate, but let's just say...more than one, or two.....or.....that's good enough.
We also had fried rice (which was delicious) that I can't find an adequate picture of......dang.
And then this incredibly delicious fruit salad.
and then topped it off with these bad boys...
That's right....homemade Almond Joys. I'm considering popping by Stephanie's more often in hopes that there will be another platter of these waiting for me. I will admit....I did not eat just one.
I hope I'm not forgetting anything, but everything was fantastic and Stephanie hosted like the true professional that she is.
We had some hilarious conversations,...most of which were not about the book. I'm not sure that anyone even finished the book, but the consensus was that there were a lot of unnecessary words. I think. I apologize for not having actually read it. Please forgive me.
We had a great time and missed all of the lovelies that couldn't make it.
I had a much needed night out and was able to catch up with some of my favorite people in the world.
Thanks Stephanie!
p.s. These are not the legitimate pictures. I just filled in with as much as I could find on Pinterest to give you a taste of what you missed. :)
p.s. again -- Happy Baby Bethany --- we hope all goes well. (Unless it has already happened, in which case....where are the photos????!!)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Book CLub ay Shauna's
As usual we enjoyed the most delicious food and conversation at Shauna's house. I can't tell you how grea tthe food was. In fact I have recreated this menu twice and my family loved it too!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Book Club at Brenda's
We had a lovely time at book club last night! Thanks Brenda for all the good food and thanks everyone for the good conversation and the great list of books. I am excited to read our upcoming list as well as the ones that didn't make the top six.
Her are the pictures for the festivities...
As you can see the food was wonderful and Brenda we want the recipes!
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| When i saved this picture to the blog for some reason the couch above Stephanie was all orange...weird! So i just tried to fill it in gray for now. When I get back from camp I'll fix it so it looks normal! :) |
Everyone have a good June and July and we'll see you in August at Shauna's house!!
And the winners are...
July
Summer break!
Read a book in the sun
August
The Night Circus
By Erin Morgenstern
Hosted by Shauna
Reviewed by Heidi
September
Canada
By Richard Ford
Hosted by Kara
Reviewed by Shauna
October
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
By Jamie Ford
Hosted by Stephanie
Reviewed by Kristie
November
Something Wicked This Way Comes
By Ray Bradbury
Hosted by Kristie
Reviewed by Stephanie
December
Christmas party
Bring your favorite dish to share and white elephant gift
Hosted by Shannon
January
Unbroken
By Laura Hillenbrand
Hosted by Bethany
Reviewed by Kara
**Vote on new books**
February
The Rules of Civility
By Amor Towles
Hosted by Heidi
Reviewed by Brenda
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Stephanie's nominations
In honor of Ray Bradbury, who passed away last night:
Few American novels written this century have endured in th heart and mind as has this one-Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare.
Or a little non-fiction...
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why is gallium (Ga, 31) the go-to element for laboratory pranksters?*
The Periodic Table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. THE DISAPPEARING SPOON masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery--from the Big Bang through the end of time.
*Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Sarah suggested these:
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Blending the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history, Wild Swans has become a bestselling classic in thirty languages, with more than ten million copies sold. The story of three generations in twentieth-century China, it is an engrossing record of Mao's impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love. Jung Chang describes the life of her grandmother, a warlord's concubine; her mother's struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents' experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a "barefoot doctor," a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving -- and ultimately uplifting -- detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.
Precious Bane by Mary Webb
The story is set in rural Shropshire shortly after the Napoleonic Wars. It is narrated by the central character, Prue Sarn, whose life is blighted by having a harelip. Only the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, perceives the beauty of her character, but Prue cannot believe herself worthy of him. Her brother Gideon is overridingly ambitious to attain wealth and power, regardless of who suffers while he does so. Gideon is set to wed his sweetheart Jancis, but he incurs the wrath of her father, the cruel and scheming self-proclaimed wizard Beguildy. An act of vengeance by Beguildy makes Gideon reject Jancis and tragedy overwhelms them both.
And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek. Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.
Harriet and Isabella by Patricia O'Brien
It is 1887, and Henry Ward Beecher lies dying. Reporters from around the world, eager for one last story about the most lurid scandal of their time, descend on Brooklyn Heights, their presence signaling the beginning of the voracious appetite for fallen celebrities we know so well today. When Henry Ward Beecher was put on trial for adultery in 1875, the question of his guilt or innocence was ferociously debated. His trial not only split the country, it split apart his family, causing a particularly bitter rift between his sisters, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Isabella Beecher Hooker, an ardent suffragist. Harriet remained loyal to Henry, while Isabella called publicly for him to admit his guilt. What had been a loving, close relationship between two sisters plummeted into bitter blame and hurt. Harriet and Isabella each had a major role in the social revolutions unfolding around them, but what happened in their hearts when they were forced to face a question of justice much closer to home? Now they struggle: who best served Henry -- the one who was steadfast or the one who demanded honesty?
And if we are up for another Juv Lit, my niece suggested
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all? Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Blending the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history, Wild Swans has become a bestselling classic in thirty languages, with more than ten million copies sold. The story of three generations in twentieth-century China, it is an engrossing record of Mao's impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love. Jung Chang describes the life of her grandmother, a warlord's concubine; her mother's struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents' experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a "barefoot doctor," a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving -- and ultimately uplifting -- detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.
Precious Bane by Mary Webb
The story is set in rural Shropshire shortly after the Napoleonic Wars. It is narrated by the central character, Prue Sarn, whose life is blighted by having a harelip. Only the weaver, Kester Woodseaves, perceives the beauty of her character, but Prue cannot believe herself worthy of him. Her brother Gideon is overridingly ambitious to attain wealth and power, regardless of who suffers while he does so. Gideon is set to wed his sweetheart Jancis, but he incurs the wrath of her father, the cruel and scheming self-proclaimed wizard Beguildy. An act of vengeance by Beguildy makes Gideon reject Jancis and tragedy overwhelms them both.
And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek. Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.
Harriet and Isabella by Patricia O'Brien
It is 1887, and Henry Ward Beecher lies dying. Reporters from around the world, eager for one last story about the most lurid scandal of their time, descend on Brooklyn Heights, their presence signaling the beginning of the voracious appetite for fallen celebrities we know so well today. When Henry Ward Beecher was put on trial for adultery in 1875, the question of his guilt or innocence was ferociously debated. His trial not only split the country, it split apart his family, causing a particularly bitter rift between his sisters, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Isabella Beecher Hooker, an ardent suffragist. Harriet remained loyal to Henry, while Isabella called publicly for him to admit his guilt. What had been a loving, close relationship between two sisters plummeted into bitter blame and hurt. Harriet and Isabella each had a major role in the social revolutions unfolding around them, but what happened in their hearts when they were forced to face a question of justice much closer to home? Now they struggle: who best served Henry -- the one who was steadfast or the one who demanded honesty?
And if we are up for another Juv Lit, my niece suggested
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. As our heroes face physical and mental trials beyond their wildest imaginations, they have no choice but to turn to each other for support. But with their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all? Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.
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