Mocking Jay Spoiler Alert

I've finally finished The Hunger Games series and, unlike what seems like the rest of America, actually liked the last book.  However, instead of giving you all the reasons why, I want to go straight into the Peeta vs. Gale discussion.  If you haven't read the books don't let me ruin it for you- stop reading this post now.

So here it goes.  I'm Team Peeta.  Yeah, I said it.  I like Peeta way better than Gale.  He loved her from the beginning... it didn't take him years to feel that way and he certainly didn't have the advantage of her time and attention which Gale did and still took forever to respond to.  And sure, while I don't like some of the things that happened to Peeta in Mockingjay, in the end I'm happy that he got it together enough to have a real relationship with Katniss (finally!).   Lastly, I'm t.h.r.i.l.l.e.d that she threw in the epilogue; I don't know what it is but I love catching a glimpse into the far future for characters.  It's like I just can't leave the story at that point, I have to know more about the characters before I can be done with a book.  Call me quirky.

On another note, I can see why some might view the last book as a little abrupt.  Personally, I feel like I have closure and nothing went unanswered for me (again, thank you epilogue).  Plus, it jsut helps when I'm happy with an ending since that can make or break my opinion of an entire book.   I loved the series and so did Jake, we give it four thumbs up!

book obsessed

I am obsessed with Emily Giffin's books (you know it's true)!  I can't pinpoint what it is about her writing style exactly but I've managed to read her last two novels in just a few days and have found myself moderately upset that that's it... I've officially run out of options for now!  I've even taken to stalking her website in hopes that there will be some PR announcing her next book as soon as she's got one lined up!  Creepy, I know, but I got lucky.  I stumbled upon a preview for Where We Belong coming to stores in 2012.  Oh boy!!!

I read Baby Proof and Heart of the Matter, in that order, but wouldn't suggest saving Heart of the Matter for last; out of all her books it was my least favorite.  Don't get me wrong, I love ALL of her books, but if I had to put them in order I would probably go with:

1. Baby Proof
2. Something Borrowed
3. Something Blue (you have to read this directly after Something Borrowed. period.)
4. Love the One You're With
5. Heart of the Matter

The only thing I might reserve the right to change is placing the Something Borrowed and Something Blue series first, but that would be it.  Honestly, if you like a single one of novels then you'd like them all.  Don't take my word for it, read for yourself.

The Help

Yet again I've finished reading a novel WELL after the rest of the world has.  I like to use the excuse that before the Twilight series I was hardly reading so I have a lot of catching up to do, but the truth is I could have skipped older bestsellers and went straight for this summer's top reads...

Spoiler Alert: Just to warn you, I'm going to talk about the book with the assumption that you've read it; if that's not the case proceed with caution.

The Help was awesome, I read the majority of it in two days- I just couldn't put it down.  I didn't realize beforehand that the voices would rotate between three characters, but I really enjoyed that it did.  Their personalities were so distinct, as were their intentions behind writing the book and what the road had looked like leading up to that point for them.  

Skeeter and Minny were my favorites of the three and I don't even know if I could pick one over the other- they were so different.  I loved Skeeter's mother, her love for Constantine, and reading about her relationship with Stuart. (Confession: I do wish things had worked out for them.  I mean I know that it wouldn't have been fair for her to hide who she was just to be with him, but for what ever reason I really liked him for her after he apologized for their first date... you know the story)

Minny, well Minny's sassy, outspoken personality had me chuckling a few times.  I loved her relationship with Miss Celia... and subsequently Mr. Johnny too.  Oh, and not to mention the dynamic of her working for Miss Hilly's mother and how that all ended.  Too much.

I thought the ending seemed too quick; you spend so much time getting ready for the book release and then within like three chapters its published, read, gossiped about, and the end. We weren't left with any cliff hangers, I just always feel this way at the end of a book and movie.  Personally, I need more specific details about how things end for people in the long term. Like where did Skeeter take her caeer once in New York?  Did Minny have twins and how in love with them would Miss Celia be, if at all?  And what exactly did Aibileen do next?  This must be why I like sequels so much.  It's all making sense to me now.

I don't want to end with that if you haven't read The Help you should, because I'm hoping if you read the above you already have.

kitchen addition

After refinishing my first piece of furniture I enjoyed it so much that it immediately became a hobby.  I'm constantly searching on craigslist for a cheap piece with potential and find myself wishing more and more that we had a garage so I could actually buy and store the deals I come across.  The reality is though that we don't have a garage and the outdoor space we do have (albeit significantly larger than at our last place) isn't really conducive to storing random sized pieces of furniture just sitting in the que for a makeover.  Facing that truth has resulted in a slow progression of this hobby, but forward movement all the same.

The most recent remake is the below antique magazine rack that belonged to Jake's dad.  His mom was happy to provide me a free piece to take another stab at refinishing and seemed please to clear out some space in her house at the same time.  While I am wishing now I'd taken the time to snap a picture before,  I can only say that is was stained a medium brown and had little wear considering its age.  For that reason, sanding wasn't needed and I could go straight into painting!

I know it seems a bit weird to have a magazine rack in the kitchen, but Jake had the idea to put the recipe books in it the way we did, and once those were in place it seemed odd to put in any room other than the kitchen.  The wall that it's currently on is prime real estate in our kitchen and seemed appropriate since it got lost in the only other nook available.

If I could change on thing it would be the height of the table (I said "if"); it isn't unusually short but both here and in the other spot we tried, it didn't seem quite tall enough.  With that much space between the top of the basket (conveniently storing dish towels) and the bottom of the picture it seems to put emphasis on the gap between items, but the picture couldn't go any lower and the basket can't get any taller.  What I can say is thank goodness for the lime green, it helps it to pop against the wall and the colorful recipe books demand attention!

Avocado & Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

I mentioned Pinterest awhile back and am still pretty into it.  I've come across a lot of decor ideas and tons of unique recipes!  Below is one that I've made twice now and  has been a crowd pleaser. 

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

1 bag of shoepeg frozen corn (original recipe calls for grilled ears of corn)
2 Avocado’s, diced and sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning
2 C. Tomatoes, red and yellow cherry
1 Small red onion, finely diced
¾ C. Feta, crumbled
1 English cucumber, skin on and chopped small dice

Combine in a medium size bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro Vinaigrette:

6 T. Olive oil

2 T. Sherry vinegar
1 t. Garlic powder
2 T. Fresh cilantro, minced
½ t. Salt
Pepper to taste

Add all of the above ingredients in a small mason jar and shake really well. Taste and adjust seasoning as you desire.

When ready to serve, combine the dressing and other ingredients into a large bowl.  I like to add a little at a time so it mixes easily with the vinaigrette and gets evenly coated.

total bookworm

photo credit

Yes friends, I'm at it again... I started and finished Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin  last week on my flights to and from Vegas and I LOVED it- shocker!  I might even go as far as to say that I enjoyed it more than Something Borrowed; however, when I gave some thought as to why that might be, I came to the conclusion that the element of suspense was greater for me in Love the One You're With.

I don't want my post to spoil it for you, so like my other "reviews" I'll just give you an overview of what its about and you can decide whether it should make your summer reading list yourself!

We learn early on that Ellen Graham has the perfect husband, the perfect job, the perfect life... or so she thought.  One afternoon, Ellen unexpectedly runs into Leo, her ex from years ago. Leo, who was her first true love and the one who left her heartbroken with no explanation- the one she could never forget. When his reappearance ignites  emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she’s living is the one she’s meant to live and how perfect it really is.  It's a powerful story about one woman at the crossroads of true love and real life.

Read it.

something borrowed... and something blue

So far my summer reading is off to a good start- In a matter of days I finished Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin  and LOVED them both!  In the scheme of things though, I'm sort of behind my one book a month goal and am hoping the summer months help me make up for it.

To start, BOTH books were quick and easy reads and were quite entertaining.  With sequels I feel like its easy to have a favorite, but I genuinely liked them equally.  I don't want to go into too much detail in case you haven't read them, so I'll simply share the storyline for both so you can decide whether you want to read it yourself!

Emily's Bookshelf

Something Borrowed (which is now a motion picture) tells the story of Rachel, a Manhattan lawyer and average people pleaser, who ends up sleeping with her best friend, Darcy's fiance after her surprise 30th birthday party.

Despite wanting to put the whole thing behind her, Rachel realizes she has genuine feelings for Dex (the fiance) and spends the entire book trying to decide what to do about it.  The choice of ignoring her true love for him to spare her best friend's feelings torments her daily.  The more you learn about Darcy and Dex's relationship 
as well as Darcy and Rachel's you'll understand why the answer isn't so black and white.

Emily Giffin's site

Something Blue switches things up, revealing Darcy's perspective on things; including Rachel's betrayal, an unexpected pregnancy, and her sudden move to London .  Readers learn the truth behind Darcy's seemingly perfect life as the novel takes you through her ups and downs and her struggle to discover who she really wants to be.

My suggestion is to read them both by the end of summer... if of course, you haven't already!!!

  

all done

I'm happy to report that the table I blogged about renovating last month is done, and considering  it was my first attempt at refinishing a piece of furniture I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Additionally, in light of being a first for me, the rule was that I couldn't spend a lot of money on it.  Which was fair because based on my history there was no guarantee that I would actually start the project or use the table when and if I ever finished it.  In keeping with the rules, the only items I purchased were sanding blocks (around $9) and glass knobs ($10).  The "butter" paint I borrowed from our neighbor and the rest came from my own blood, sweat, and tears... well just sweat, but still.

Here is a reminder of how the table looked when I found it:

And this is the finished product:

Pride and Prejudice

I'm happy to report that, despite all that is still needed to prepare for the move this weekend, I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice and absolutely loved it!  Admittedly, I actually started reading it over two weeks ago and after only two or three days had gotten a few chapters into the third and final volume.  However, the distraction of the move and some much needed time helping my mom recover from surgeries (not one, but two) definitely contributed to my delay in finishing it.

If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend doing so.  I understand the love story isn't realistic, but to be convinced otherwise isn't really the point.  Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's gradual change in their opinions of each other and behavior as a result is fascinating to read and their constant banter is exciting to follow.  My only advice is to have a dictionary close by; if you overlook some of Old English words you could miss a clever comment or simple understanding of the time thats passed, etc.  This is definitely a book I know I'll have to read again, perhaps even annually.

Might I suggest a book?

I just finished the book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society over the weekend and would highly recommend it for a quick read! It may come as a surprise to most of you, but the story had nothing to do with vampires (well, the Cullens are really the only vampires I care to read about)! Anyways, it was actually suggested to me by a few people... and Stephenie Meyer just might be reading it as well. Regardless, I figured since I'm trying to form this hobby it couldn't hurt to try it out... and I'm so glad I did. I can't say enough good things about this book. The main character is entertaining in her own right and I noticed that I had a constant smile while reading- it was a true pleasure!

The whole book is letters written back and forth so it is incredibly easy to read and remain engaged. I know this isn't a witty post, but I just thought I would share my experience. Does anyone have any other book recommendations? I've moved on to, The Host for now but I don't have anything lined up after that.

spin class

Alright, so I've not blogged much about it (yet), but I've been on a downward spiral since my wedding when it comes to exercising. And by downward spiral, I mean non-existent. I did the Wicked 10K down at the oceanfront on Halloween and that marked my final "hoorah" if you will. Since then, I'd be lying if I said I've been exercising at all. There have been bursts of activity i.e. no more than two runs in a given week (and that is a stretch), but nothing lasting...until this week.

A friend of mine coaxed me into trying a spin class at the YMCA and I L-O-V-E-D, loved it! I liked it so much in fact that I'm already signed up to go again on Thursday and possibly Saturday... which if you know me and my allergy to exercise you'd realize this is BIG! I am shocked myself, especially since I'm so sore that going up and down stairs, lowering and lifting myself from the toilet (don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about), and walking in general is incredibly painful. I'm feeling the burn...still, but for whatever weirdo reason I like it! I actually feel like I worked myself out hard and it feels good!

I'll keep you posted on Thursday's class and if I can push through the soreness to pedal my heart out. I have a feeling that if I really get hooked then the following may ensue:

1. I may just finally join AND use a gym.
2. I might have a hobby.
3. Jake could take this to another level and buy me a road bike (he is already talking about cycling together in Charleston this September).
4. I may shed a few and fit nicely (key here is not to fit, but to fit nicely) back into my favorite coral skirt purchased spring 2008, a pre-Dani's wedding purchase. I was actually in better shape for her wedding and that summer than I was for my own!

I Need a Hobby

It's been brought to my attention recently that I need a hobby...or so Jake thinks. We were having a conversation in which he confessed to struggling for gift ideas when it came to me because I have no hobbies! What was he talking about??? I have plenty of hobbies and shared each and every one of them...which he then argued weren't hobbies at all. And then I got to thinking, they were certainly things of interests, but which ones were actually hobbies? Here's the mental battle that followed immediately after our conversation regarding the "hobbies" I'd cited to Jake:

1. Shopping- certainly this had to qualify as a hobby. I mean I LOVE shopping and I do it all the time, but then I started thinking that I was trying to cut back on this particular habit of mine since lately I'd been doing a lot of it with not a lot of money.

2. Traveling- I love to travel...but road trips haven't been happening lately, or really any visiting of new places or old friends at all. So if I'm being honest, the only traveling in my life has been for work. How lame is that? Are hobbies allowed to happen in relation to work? It seems sort of contradictory.

3. Watching Movies- I am definitely still into this! I mainly rent movies from Redbox but over the Holidays "splurged" to see a few in the theater. Jake, however feels this isn't hobby-enough, so I am still left questioning whether I have any at all. I'm so confused.

So what should I do? What hobbies should I take on? I thought about reading, although this never really caught my fancy before. Maybe Twilight changed that, I don't know...will I be able to find another series I want to read so intensely?

What options are there apart from physical activities? I'll get back into running when it warms up, but Hip Hop Hustle is no longer being offered at the Rec (not that I took it when it was there) and I don't enjoy lifting weights.

What else is there? I'm not sure, but I'm open to suggestions as I suddenly feel the need to remedy void in my life fast!