Eat Pray Love and Socks

Well tomorrow Eat Pray Love is released on DVD.  I loved this movie and book.  So much that I have investigated going to take a trip to Bali myself.  I was tickled when I saw this knitting book being released.

 I have pre-ordered it on Amazon and anxiously await it's arrival.  My goal is to have a whole drawer filled with handmade socks by the end of the year.  Maybe a pair a month?

New Cooker Books

Moon Pies are awesome.  In fact, anything with a creamy middle full of sugar is awesome.  So when I was at Borders and saw this book I snagged it.  I bought it the afternoon before having to work three in a row so I will have to refrain from the Whoopie Pie making until Friday.

The other cookbook I found was 

It has wonderful recipes for really simple fresh food.  A must have for any cooker book collectors like moi.

New Books

This looks like an awesome book by Melissa Milgrom.  It looks to be morbidly fascinating.   I love taxidermy animals.  Weird I know. I could have snagged the opoosum for practice...like the mad scientist in the kitchen.....just kidding;)

The sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth.  (Clapping hands in anticipation)

Looks Interesting........

Another sequel I have been waiting for.  My finger is waiting on my Kindle button!

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End of the World

I just got done reading a great book called The World As We Knew It.

 It's an apocalyptic type of book that deals with the aftermath on earth after a meteor crashes into the moon knocking it closer to earth.  In someways it was frightening, but actually a page turner.  I just started reading the second one of the trilogy called The Dead and The  Gone.

 I think book three comes out in May.  Definitely worth reading.

Sheep..and more sheep...

Now this book is for me. It's quite lovely actually. It shows a
picture of each type of sheep and gives detailed info on them also. If
you are a spinner it's a great picture reference. Alexis's boyfriends
parents just got back from Ireland. She was telling me that the
farmers paint their sheep different colors such as pink,blue, ect. in
order to tell them apart in the pasture. She said it was a site! I
can't wait to go to Ireland next year!!!

Along Came a Spider...with sticks.

Okay...I hate spiders but Miss Ronda is to darn cute. Another must have
for Addy. Maybe she's a modern day Charlotte.....plus she's a shopper.
I like this eight legged creature!!

This will be a must have for Addy when she gets a wee bit bigger. She
will be a knitter you know. It's about a little girl with a voice like
a cricket who finds solice in knitting and gains self esteem from it.
Great storyline.

Dirty Little Secrets

Frank Warren has a new book out. For those not familiar he is the founder of Postsecrets...a public art project that encourages people to write down a secret on a decorated postcard and send it to him. In leui, he posts so many each week on his website and publishs them in his forthcoming books. Now my kids are the ones who got me hooked. In fact my 80 year old grandmother couldn't put one of the books down at Christmas.

It is engaging and many times heart wrenching to hear some peoples innermost hidden worries, failures, elation's, smiles, and the list goes on. I am so sorry that I missed him a few weeks ago at UF. Once again the daily grind of work has stopped me in my tracks.

New Foodie Books

This week brings some new residents to cookbook row. Jaden Hair, foodie and blogger from Steamy Kitchen has this great book out, as of yesterday.

Ad Hoc looks like it is comfort food with a fru-fru twist.

Another Asian must have. I know I must have Asian ancestors in my family tree because I love their culture so much.

Echo In Bone

Oh gosh....1 more day and the book is here.  One click at 3am on my trusty dusty Kindle, and I will be submerged in the world of Jamie and Claire.  Get a Kindle people....they are worth every penny!

I started this series 14 years ago...wow.  It is truly one of my favorite series..if not my very favorite.  If you haven't read it and you like loooong books then it is a must read.  The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon...counting down the minutes!

I'm a foodie-or a wannabe

I love food. Truly...thinking of cooking and new recipes energizes me.  DH likes food to. When trying to find ways to decrease our monthly expenses our grocery bill became the eye of scrutiny.  He looked up and told me that we could probably decrease that each week if we ate "regular" dinners.  Hmmmm. Regular dinners.  Define regular.  Hamburger helper, noodle packets, hotdogs?  Ah...No.  Now grant it.  My cooking of meals has really been on the downswing for the past several months due to my insane amount of working.  However,  I love to cook meals with different, fresh ingredients.  Whole grains, veggies, special sauces (not to mention pasta bestill my heart:), fresh herbs...these are all things that are essential to a great meal.
Plus, DH has noooo problem eating anything I cook.  So sorry, my taste in food and what to cook is not going to change.  I'm more of a fresh type of girl.

That leads me to self diagnosing myself as a foodie.  One that loves and appreciates wonderful, quality food from around the world.  I read a lovely blog called Chez Pim She's an ultimate foodie. Her food blog is packed with mouth watering receipes that will make you swoon. The thai-marinated chicken (now I love me some thai) makes my salivary glands start working! Or the thai cucumber salad.Writing down my grocery list as we speak. She has a book out.  The Foodie Handbook.  Another resident moving in to cookbook row.
And hamburger helper, I have a homemade recipe that I use.  I would be appalled to place the shelf version in my shopping cart.

Homemade Hamburger Helper

1 lb hamburger
1 8 ounce box elbow macaroni
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 large onion
2 cups shredded chedder
1 clove garlic
s/p to taste


Brown the hamburger and onion.  Drain the grease.  Add undrained stewed tomatoes and about a cup of water.  Add uncooked pasta to skillet.  Stir well and let simmer until pasta is cooked.  Add a little more water if necessary.  When it's cooked stir and chedder cheese.  Voila...a very good fresh meal.

That Girl Can Cook!

When I really started reading blogs about two years ago, I was thrown into a world that captivated me.  The stories, pictures....vivid pieces of eye candy. They were almost overwhelming.  Why did it take me so long to find this virtual world?  I clicked and clicked on different blogs and fell in love with many.  One of my utmost favorites is Pioneer Women. . A funny, mesmerizing ranchers wife. Plus the women can cook. I've tried many of her recipes and they are sure to please. She's got a cookbook out in October that will be moving in to my house on cookbook row. Got mine from my favorite bookseller...Amazon.

Grab a cup of tea, take a looksy and go learn about calf nuts from PW!

Great Reads

Reading is a hobby of mine I guess you could say. I read just about everything, including Young Adult books of my daughter's. That's how I discovered Twilight before it's mega stardom and shared it with all of my friends. These are a few of the YA books that are great reads.

WOOLBUR

Woolbur...the book about the white (black) sheep.  How freakin cute is this?  He dyes wool, rides a spinning wheel, cards wool, etc.  This is a must buy for me...plus I'll keep it for Addy and read it t her when she's older.  Ingenious.

Woolbur's list of Do's and Don'ts:

DO express yourself creatively…
DON'T worry if you weave your forelock into a pot holder!

DO march to your own beat…
DON'T worry when Maa and Paa tell you to stay with the herd!

DO be bold and brave…
DON'T be afraid to BE YOURSELF!

Woolbur is not like other sheep. He hangs out with wild dogs, cards his own wool to avoid the shearing barn, and even dyes his wool blue. "Don't worry!" says Grandpaa when Maa and Paa fret that Woolbur is different. But when they tell their son to follow the flock, the opposite happens—the flock follows him! Soon everyone is copying his wild hairstyles and taking turns on the spinning wheel. Leave it to Woolbur to find a new way to step ahead of the herd.

Spunky, funky, and refreshingly distinct, Woolbur will strike a chord with anyone who's ever felt different. And that's all of us!

Martha

I was at Books A Million today and low and behold there was Martha's Halloween issue for 2009 sitting on the shelf. Of course I greedily grabbed it and will savor it tonight with a nice cup of tea. I also snagged the other two publications that I have been anxiously awaiting by Stampington and Company. The eye candy gives tons of inspiration and ideas to my little brain.