A Book: Austenland

"Austenland" by Shannon Hale

Goodread Summary:
Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined. 
Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

My Rating and Review
I love Shannon Hale. Her books are captivating. This book was a little different for me. It was entertaining and it kept my attention. It just wasn't my favorite. I just couldn't feel a connection with Jane, the main character. I wasn't really rooting for her or hoping things would work out. I guess I am cold hearted. Maybe, because for me, the whole premise was too far fetched. But, neither is Hunger Games and I loved that series. I am willing to give Austenland a 2 1/2 star rating. It's the best I can do.

Fajitas...in soup form

Some really good soup.

Found it on the Six Sister's Stuff blog.

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Fajita Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro (optional)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
favorite toppings

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken into slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, water, cumin, and cilantro. Pour over chicken in slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (or high for 2-3 hours). Remove chicken and shred using 2 forks. Put chicken back into slow cooker, add cheese, and let cook for 15 more minutes. Serve with your favorite fajita toppings (tomato, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, etc).

Rich

I keep wondering when I am going to be rich.

I'm not talking about rich with love and family and friends and blessings.

I'm talking rich with money. You know...the stuff that can buy stuff.

I keep thinking that it will be tomorrow.

"Dream big!" they say. So I do. I dream...the impossible dream. Sometimes I go to bed early just so I can put dream longer.

But then I wake up...

...not rich!

Sigh....

Maybe tomorrow.

Now if you will excuse me...

...I've got some dreams to catch.


**If only it were that easy.

So, I Married a Deaf Man: Check please.

16 was the age.

A rite of passage. Driving? That was cool but not what I had been waiting for for my whole life.

What had I, along with most other 16 year old girls, been waiting for our whole lives?

Dating.

Having someone like you enough to ask you to spend the evening with them. Someone who liked you enough to buy you dinner, or take you out to a movie, or bowling, or whatever. That's how you make a girl  feel special.

And feel special I did.

Now, we all know how important it is to continue dating after marriage. It gives you time to remember that, "Hey! You clean up nice" and "Wow! So this is what adult conversations are like." and "Hey! I do like you!" Yeah, dating after marriage...but mostly after children...is important.

That's why Hubs and I go out almost every Friday night.

What I can't understand is why, when we go out to a restaurant, I get stuck with the bill.

Every time.

It's not because Hubs isn't willing. He likes me enough to father 5 children... he better like me enough to buy me dinner. It's not because I have more money than him....we share the same bank account. If he's broke, I'm broke.

The reason why I always get stuck with the bill is because the waiter always hands me the check.

Always.

I ask: is this normal? No, really. I want to know from you women who are married?? Is the check normally given to the woman? I mean, it has been a while since I've dated a hearing man. But when I did, the check was always either handed to the guy or put in the center of the table.

Are they assuming that just because Hubs is Deaf, he is unable to pay the check? Do they assume that I am paying because I am voicing the orders and the 'thank you's'  and all that?

It would be interesting to see what would happen if I just didn't talk. Would they assume Hubs was paying?  Would they place it in the middle or the table and let us arm wrestle over whose card gets to be used?  Would the dinner be free, as neither of us are talking?

That sounds like an interesting study of human behavior.

But for now, it seems,  he who speaks....

...pays.

We know our own

What is it about other people's kids' poop?

Look, I have changed my share of poopy diapers. Heck I have 5 kids... all of them poop. Lucky for me, they are all out of diapers and I don't have to have an intimate relationship with their "goings" anymore.

But I remember those years...
...12 years of wiping wreckage...
....and let's face it: Poop stinks!
It just does.

But why do other people's kids' poop reek WAY worse than my own kids'???

I admit there were times when changing my kids' diapers that there was a gag or two. But they were few and far between. (Now, if you are Hubs, then you gag at the very thought of changing a poopy diaper...but that' Hubs...and another post for another time.)

But without question, every time I changed another's diaper pile, I had to hold my breath or I was going to lose my lunch. EVERY TIME!

Does anyone have any insight on this most important matter?  

Book Review: Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Summary from Goodreads
 "Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

"Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart."

I love that this book looks at the other people who suffered during WWII. We know what happened to the Jews, but there were many others who suffered from cruel leaders. I loved that amid all the horrible things that were going on, Lina's mother was so kind and kept herself human, looking out for others. I love that not only did we get to see what Lina was experiencing now, but also were able to have glimpses into what her family's lives were like before the horrible. The only thing that I didn't like was that I felt the ending is a little abrupt. That being said but I would still recommend this book to anyone.

Have you read it? What did you think?

 

Mmmmm….mmmmm…mmmmmm!

Just to mix things up a bit, here is a recipe that I recently found on Pinterest that my family…everyone in my family…that is seven people, People!… loved.

So worth sharing!

I got the recipe from the blog, No. 2 Pencil. You have to try it!!

One Pan Chicken Burrito Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of diced yellow onion
• 1 cup of uncooked extra-long grain rice
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of colby jack, monterey jack or cheddar cheese
• kosher salt and pepper
• freshly diced tomatoes
• diced green onions
• sour cream
• guacamole

Instructions

1. Start by sautéing onions in 2 tablespoon of olive oil until they start to soften.
2. Season diced chicken with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
3. Add chicken to pan and cook over medium high heat until chicken has started to brown.
4. Move chicken to one side of pan, in the other side of the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and sauté uncooked rice for about 2 minutes or just until some grains start to turn golden brown.
5. Stir in black beans, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.
7. Cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
8. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
9. Sprinkle with cheese, recover and let set for 2-3 off heat to melt cheese.
10. Garnish with fresh tomatoes, green onions, sour cream and guacamole.