Marked by P.C. Cast


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Yes, I admit, I read another teenage vampire book.

This one was a gift from my secret Santa at work. I was looking for a quick read to finish in 2009 and this one fit the bill. The story is Twilight meets Harry Potter. It is set in a world like our own, except that vampires have always existed and lived among us. Sixteen year old Zoey Redbird is marked to become a vampire. She must leave her home and move in to a private vampire boarding school with other fledgling vampires, taking classes such as Vampire Sociology and Equestrian Studies.

It was ho-hum, an okay novel. I was curious to learn more about Zoey's new world and finished the book rather quickly, but overall found it lacking in substance. I was puzzled, too, by the author's constant use of pop-culture references. Why do that? If someone decides to read this book ten years from now these references will not make much sense, or they will totally make the book feel dated.

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my pretty Christmas surprise...

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination."

The last line of this book captures exactly how I felt about it. Author Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for this collection of short stories that travel from India to America and back again. I was intrigued by the immigrant perspective she gave to her characters, and despite the short story format I felt that I knew them personally. The stories themselves were not about anything particularly interesting. Instead, I found that they dealt more with mundane aspects of life, giving more insight to the characters thoughts and feelings.

I will say I was a bit puzzled by the Pulitzer distinction and did a little bit of investigating to find out more about the prize. Two things of note: the prize is not given to any body of work in general, only those that are entered with a $50 fee are considered. Secondly, the prize for fiction is awarded to an American author, preferably dealing with American life.

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Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is almost over, just a few short minutes until Christmas arrives. It was a full day for our family, one that I will not easily forget. The day began with a breakfast visit from Panka (Brianna's Grandpa) and she got to open a rather large present first thing this morning. An easel! Mommy loved watching her set her stuffed animal friends up on chairs to watch as she rearranged the magnetic letters on the board, could this have been her first attempt at playing school? Later in the afternoon we bundled up and went to the theater for Bree's first ever movie - The Princess and the Frog! We ate lots of popcorn and Bree did a great job sitting in her own movie theater seat and watching the show. It was as though she had been going to the movies her whole life! Can't wait to go again. We then visited Grammie's house for dinner and present opening. Unfortunately Bree's Grandma has a cold and didn't make it over this evening.

We got home pretty late and Santa has been busy at our house! I just love the cookie note he left for Bree. Santa has a hard job to do on Christmas Eve. Mommy and Daddy are exhausted and going to bed, but it will be hard for US to sleep with the anticipation of our daughter's face in the morning!

cookie fun

Christmas cookies with Bree this year = an adventure! We had two days of cookie making together, and we made more of a mess than anything else, but had fun doing it! Bree was totally into helping, so mommy had to learn to take deep breaths and not worry about whether or not the cookies would be pretty this year. Bree lives life to the fullest and wants to experience everything on HER terms! She poked the cookies and helped cut them out, even if it meant cutting on top of already cut cookies. She loved playing in the flour and when it came time for the frosting and sprinkles - nothing was safe! Along the way, Bree felt it necessary to taste as many of the cookies as she could. Mommy did manage to put a few aside for Santa this year. We look forward to leaving them out with a glass of cold milk tonight! Merry Christmas!

kickin it

It's cold outside, and therefore that time again for Li'l Kickers Soccer! Bree is a busy, energy ridden two year old who needs an outlet for running in circles. An indoor soccer arena is just the thing. This time around, she is in the Thumpers class with Coach Jake. The activities are close to the same as those she participated in in the Bunnies class, but what is I really appreciate is that she leaves the arena tired and goes down to bed easily on soccer nights. Bree's favorites are still the bubbles and the parachute, but her dribbling and kicking skills are improving! Wish I could say the same for her ability (or desire) to follow directions. Sigh...


The professional photographer came back and did soccer pictures again recently. Bree's soccer picture from last spring was so darn cute! I was excited to do them again and see what we may get. Well, Miss Bree had other things on her mind:


Some good news - the group shot turned out much better!

New posts on Belly Chat.
One from Marika, and one from me.

a magical evening at home

Can't beat snuggle time.

Bree and I had a magical evening together, one that I hope to remember always.

It started with only a couple of time-outs throughout dinner. Overall, she was pretty well behaved. Afterwards we settled into our normal bath time routine, again without much fuss. But the best part was the movie.

Bree watched The Polar Express with her grandma last Saturday, and has been talking about it all week. I finally found it on tv and recorded it for her, so it was ready to go tonight after bath. Usually the only thing that will hold her attention is Dora, and lately she has also been into Shrek, but even then she is bouncing around on the couch and easily distracted. What is it about this movie, then, that captivates her? She was enthralled. So was I.

I love the book. Chris Van Allsburg is one of my all-time favorite children's authors. But I had never seen the movie until now. Delighted, Bree snuggled up next to me and even held my hand and squeezed it. Is there anything better for a mom? Her laugh was contagious when it came to the part she'd been talking about all week, when the mother eagle catches a train ticket and feeds it to her baby, only the baby spits it back out.

We snuggled on the couch and quietly talked about things that were happening on the screen. All the while I was aware of the subtle movements of Bree's soon-to-be sibling.

When the movie ended, she sat up and sang with the songs as the credits rolled. I then told her to get her snuggie, that it was time for bed, and miraculously she did just that! Bedtime has been a struggle lately but tonight she was ready. She carried Snuggie directly into her room and sang a song to the moon. I put her in her crib and she babbled to me about her weekend plans. Speaking animatedly she told me that she will see Grammie, and that she is going to sing happy birthday to her friend Chase at a pirate party. She ended the conversation with a spirited, "Argh!" and laid right down to go to sleep.

How lucky am I to have spent this evening with my daughter.