Friday Feast

Appetizer: Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

I would prefer the country. I never used to feel this way but after visiting my uncles house I thought it would be great to have some land and the peace and quiet. That said, I wouldn't want to be farther thatn 15 minutes or so away from "real" civilization.

Soup: Who is the cutest kid you know?

Seeing as how both of my kids are adorable this is a tough one for me. But, if I had to choose it would be my baby Ella (Beans). She is so damn cute and she sure knows it and knows how to work it, lol!

Salad: Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

That I had stumped the doctors in Milwaukee - it is kind of scary when a team of doctors that does this type of thing multiple times a day couldn't explain my condition.

Main Course: If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Again, this is tough - there are a few things that I don't skimp on in my life, coffee, garbage bags, and toilet paper. So maybe one of those.

Dessert: What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

None, although I should probably take something with some extra calcium in it.

Friday Feast

I saw this on some other blogs that I follow and thought it was perfect for a Friday. So here goes:

Appetizer: If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be? Angelina Jolie, just so I could be with Brad Pitt

Soup: On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone? It depends on who I am talking to. But, for the most part it has to be close to a 1 - I am not a big fan of the phone.

Salad: Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to). I donate to a lot of charitable organizations but the ones that get the most money are CHD groups because of my daughter.

Main Course: What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?Spaghetti

Dessert: Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year? We all have and it was AWFUL!!!

Across Time by Linda Kay Silva

Jessie Ferguson is what some people might consider a lost soul - to fill the void in her life she has turned to drugs, alcohol, and sex but nothing seems to ease the aching she feels deep within her soul. After all she has put her parents through, they feel the only alternative they have is to start over in a new town. Maybe a fresh start will be enough to help Jessie to shed the negativity that seems to surround her and give her a chance to lead a more normal life.

To Jessie, nothing sounds worse than leaving sunny California to go live in dreary, foggy Oregon. Who would want to live in a town where everything seems to move so slow and everything seems about 10 years behind the times? Even though her parents and brother seem excited at the prospect of running a Victorian B & B, she has a hard time feeling anything but angry and depressed - who moves their daughter when she is about to start her Senior year in high school, no matter what she may have done in the past?

Jessie's life is about to turn around in a major way, all thanks to the town "crazy" Madam Ceara. At first, Jessie isn't sure what to make of her, especially after it seems as if she truly is the psychic she proclaims to be. But after seeing a door that mysteriously vanishes and reappears in her house, she turns to the one person who may be able to help make sense of some of this. What Madam Ceara tells her is shocking, and would make most people shake their heads in disbelief. But Jessie has faith that not only is Madam Ceara right about the "magic" of the door, but also right when she tells Jessie that following the advice she gives will drastically change her life, even if it endangers it at the same time.

I must say this is one of the more fascinating books I have read. I don't like to delve into the plot too much as I want each individual to experience the story in their own way. I related to this book on a very deep level - one of my favorite passages was this:

"Dreams are powerful. No matter what the people think in your time, you must believe in their power. You must know without any doubt that this is a special place where souls meet and reflect on the wisdom of the ages."

Dreams and their meaning have been discussed for many years. Some people thing that they are just the minds way of "rambling", while others, like myself, feel that they convey a lot of information that could be helpful in leading a more productive and peaceful existence. It takes time and patience to study your dreams, but it really may be worth the effort, especially if you are struggling with problems in your life (and which one of us isn't).

The other passage that struck a chord with me was this:

" We believe that our anam cara always sees our light, our beauty, our very best traits. Our anam cara accepts us for who we truly are. The anam cara love awakens the fullness and mystery of life."

What is an anam cara? According to Celtic spiritual tradition, the soul shines all round the body like a luminous cloud. When you are very open - appreciative and trusting - with another person, your two souls flow together. This deeply felt bond with another person means you have found your anam cara, or "Soul Friend." Your anam cara always beholds your light and beauty, and accepts you for who you truly are. In Celtic spirituality, the anam cara friendship awakens the fullness and mystery of your life. You are joined in an ancient and eternal union with humanity that cuts across all barriers of time, convention, philosophy, and definition. When you are blessed with an anam cara, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place.
What a beautiful thought!

Linda Kay Silva has written a thought provoking story, that leads you down a path not traveled often. Open your mind and heart, and pick up this fantastic read that will be sure to evoke thoughts and emotions that may have been buried deep within you.

To purchase a copy of this book simply click on the title - Across Time

This review is brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion's, where Linda Kay Silva's book will be on virtual tour all month.

A copy of this book will be raffled off to one lucky reader on Saturday. In order to win, please visit http://www.amateurdelivre.com/ and look under Current Reviews for more details. Good luck!

Book Meme

So, I haven't done a meme before. I have seen them on many other sites and am just never sure if I am up to the challenge, so to speak. But here was one that caught my eye and I thought I would see how it turned out.

Look at the list of (100) books below. Bold the ones you’ve read.Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave blank the ones that you aren’tinterested in. (Movies don’t count.)

1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Looks like I have some reading to do, lol! Not too much else is new in my world. We are getting ready for my trip to St. Luke's in Milwaukee on Friday. I have to have another ERCP done and hopefully this will fix the problems that I was having. Of course now I have been without symptoms for a few weeks and part of me wants to cancel this appointment. But, I know that if I do that I am only setting myself up for suffering with this in the future and going through this all again. I just REALLY don't want to be put under again, and i don't want to worry about a 1 1/2 hour drive if I am sick. Wish me luck!

Brett Favre retires

I am not a Packer fan. To some this may not seem like a big deal, but when you live 35 minutes from Titletown, and are born and raised in Wisconsin, this statement is almost sacrilegious. I can't explain to those of you who haven't been here, the type of hype and the adoration that follows the Green Bay Packers. I know, a lot of people follow sports and back their teams but I honestly don't think anything compares to this. The Packers are the last vestige of "small town teams" that were once common in the NFL during the 1920s and 1930s. There is a sense of loyalty that Packer fans feel. My husband told me he heard once that there were Packer bars in most major cities in America.

The Green Bay Packers have won twelve league championships (more than any other team in the NFL) including nine NFL Championships prior to the Super Bowl era and three Super Bowl victories in 1967 (Super Bowl I), 1968 (Super Bowl II) and 1997 (Super Bowl XXXI). The team has a fierce rivalry with the Chicago Bears, whom they have played in over 170 games. The Packers are currently the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States.

Beginning with the 1992 season, the Packers had 13 non-losing seasons in a row (their worst record being 8-8 in 1999), two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl win (Super Bowl XXXI). The Packers' 13 consecutive non-losing seasons was an active NFL record until the team finally suffered a losing campaign in their 2005 season. They returned to have an 8-8 season in 2006 and a 13-3 regular season in 2007, both under new head coach Mike McCarthy. (per Wikipedia)

So, when I heard that Brett Favre had retired, I was ready to see this on EVERY local station almost nonstop. I am sure the bars are going to be full tonight of people reminiscing about his fantastic career, and more than a few tears will be shed. I am just glad that I have Directv, lol!