Book #57 - The Actor & The Housewife

The Actor and the Housewife

Shannon Hale

Blurb: What if you were to meet the number-one person on your laminated list—you know, that list you joke about with your significant other about which five celebrities you’d be allowed to run off with if ever given the chance? And of course since it’ll never happen it doesn’t matter…
Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity heartthrob Felix Callahan. Twelve hours, one elevator ride, and one alcohol-free dinner later, something has happened…though nothing has happened. It isn’t sexual. It isn’t even quite love. But a month later Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and before they know what’s hit them, Felix and Becky are best friends. Really. Becky’s husband is pretty cool about it. Her children roll their eyes. Her neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special…something unusual, something completely impossible to sustain. Or is it? A magical story, The Actor and the Housewife explores what could happen when your not-so-secret celebrity crush walks right into real life and changes everything.(From Goodreads)

Length: Medium - 339 pages

Notes: I'm kind of torn on this book. I love Shannon Hale, although this book is completely different from her Books of Bayern series. Let's start with what I didn't love... First up, the cheesy Mormon stereotypes. I'm sure she was just trying to be funny, but at times, they made me cringe. But my biggest problem with this story is the whole relationship between Becky and Felix. I don't know about you, but I would have a huge problem if my husband came home to say that he met some famous supermodel, they really hit it off, and now they want to be best friends and talk on the phone every day. And I know that this issue is addressed in the book, but I had a hard time getting past how much the whole situation just bothered me. But I did like the book, and it was another tear-jerker - and I really felt like I knew the characters by the end of the book, even though the book covered a time period of over 10 years. I think I would have really liked the book if the whole best-friends-with-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex-when-you-are-grown-and-have-a-family-and-4-kids issue didn't bother me... But the story was entertaining and flowed really well and kept me reading to the end.

Random quote : "I'm not bossy--I just happen to be more capable than most everyone else."

Recommend: Yes, but be prepared for the issues I listed above.

Have you read this book? Share your feelings!

{Abbi-a-Day} Days 239-245

Sleepy girl

She likes to take Max's pillows and blanket and pretend they are her own. They make a great hiding spot, and a great place to take a rest!

Playing in the backyard

Yes, another day I almost forgot to take a picture. It may have been last minute, but I remembered!

Abbi found a pair of Josh's old work gloves and had a ball playing with them. She looked pretty hilarious, too!

Don't ask me what this is about. I have no idea. But it was the only picture I had!

You may notice this same dress in many of the pictures. No, I don't dress her in it every day. But she loves it. And she will dig it out of the dirty clothes if she can. Most days I come home and she is wearing it, whether it's over her other clothes or not!

Book #56 - Winter Garden

Winter Garden

Kristin Hannah

Blurb: Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard: the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time - and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are. (From Goodreads)

Length: Medium - 391 pages

Notes: Oh, I don't even know what to say about this book. It would have been a 5 star book for me, but the first half kind of dragged and was hard to get into. But once you got into the meat of the story - wow. I don't even remember how this book made it onto my "to read" list, but I'm glad it did. It is one of those books about WWII that is heart wrenching and sad, yet shows such spirit. This is definitely one of those books that is going to stay with me for a very long time. I loved The Book Thief, but I think that this one affected me even more. I cried so hard that it wasn't just tears running down my face, but the out-loud, shake your body kind of cry. That's how real it felt to me. I read a few reviews of this book online, and reviews tend to be all over the place. A lot of people complained that there wasn't good character development. I disagree with that. I wouldn't necessarily say that the characters are loveable, but after reading the story, I don't think it would have been successful as a book if the characters were loveable and perfect.

Random quote : "'I don't know what's going to happen. I think maybe love can just....dissolve."

'No, it does not.'
'So how do---'

'You hang on. Until your hands are bleeding, and still you do not let go.'"

Recommend: Yes, definitely - but be prepared to cry!

Have you read this book? Share your feelings!

Family of 3...+1!!

The news is finally out - yes, we are expecting baby #2! We are super excited and already can't wait to meet the newest member of our family.

The baby is due March 14th, and so far, this pregnancy has been much different than my first. I didn't really get sick with Abbi, but unfortunately, it's different this time around. I'm not so sick that I'm throwing up, but I'm right to that point, so I feel like all I do is eat, because that's the only thing that seems to help. So I definitely feel like I'm looking pregnant, although most of it is probably just from eating so much, not from baby weight!! But the first trimester is coming to a close, so hopefully things will turn around.

I had my first "real" appointment with my doctor and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. The little guy (or girl) was moving around quite a bit, so it was hard to get it loud and clear for more than a few seconds at a time, but it came in at 155. I'm predicting right now that it's a boy, although I thought Abbi was a boy to begin with. But I'm really feeling strongly about this one!

I'm sure I'll be updating all the time with pregnancy joys and woes, so you all will be tired of hearing about it!

Life With a 19-month Old...

This is what my life has become. Yikes. All I can pray for is that the next house we own has a separate playroom. The toys are taking over!!!

{Abbi-a-Day} Days 232-238

Bath time!

Enjoying a frozen yogurt pop

She got a new stuffed animal from nana and gump gump, and loves it like crazy!

Oh, such a big girl. She now loves eating cereal with milk, and won't eat just dry cereal anymore!

I brought her home a Cheerios book from General Mills in Minnesota, and she loved it!

My baby girl - dirty face and all

She loves to "hide" in the corner, and thinks it's so funny when you "find" her!

Baking with Betty

{I posted this on my food blog, since that is why I got invited, but it was so much fun and such a great experience that I wanted to post it here as well - because this is my version of a journal, after all! So most is just copied straight from my food blog.}

All of us!

First off, I have to warn you - I have a little bit of a picture addiction. If you have read my personal blog, you will know this, but this serves as a warning that there are TONS of pictures ahead! I really did narrow it down, and this is what I narrowed it down to. You're lucky you didn't see it before!

I was so excited when I received an email inviting me to join 30 other bloggers in Minneapolis to visit the Betty Crocker kitchens at General Mills. I was a little apprehensive since I didn't know anyone, and because it would be the first time I left Abbi overnight, but I was still so excited. Counting down the days until I went excited! It was really such a fun experience, not only to visit the kitchens and to learn more about some Betty Crocker products, but also to be able to meet some pretty amazing bloggers from across the country.

Before the trip, I did some google searching and found 3 other Utah bloggers that were also attending this event (Jessica from Utah Deal Diva, Jamie from Jamie Cooks it Up and Laura from Real Mom Kitchen). Utah had a good showing - no other state had 4 bloggers there!! I had never met any of them in person, but we decided to meet in the terminal before the flight. I didn't see them before the flight, but luckily, our seats were kind of close on the plane and we were able to spot each other out before the plane took off.

Once on the ground in Minneapolis, we met up with 2 other bloggers while waiting for our shuttle (Megan from Megan's Munchies and Amy from MomSpark).

from left to right - Jessica from Utah Deal Diva, Laura from Real Mom Kitchen, Jamie from Jamie Cooks it Up, Megan from Megan's Munchies

Once we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by the PR agent who put everything together, as well as a bag of swag and lunch. We all sat down and got to know each other a little better.

A delicious lunch

The swag bag!

The boat that took us around the lake

After a brief rest in our rooms, we all headed out on a bus to Lake Minnetonka where a lovely boat awaited to take us on a dinner cruise around the lake.

Just some of the gorgeous real estate that lines the banks of the lake

The lake was gorgeous, and there were some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G homes on that lake. Apparently, once you make tons of money, you move to Minnesota and buy a house on Lake Minnetonka! (I actually did a little search and learned that the prices of the homes on the lake range between $500,000 and $20 million. There were definitely some humongous houses there!)

A beautiful sunset!

The night was beautiful, especially as the sun set and the temperature went down a little bit. The food was good, and the company was even better!

Amanda from I Am Baker and Molly from The Snyder 5

A mural in the lobby of General Mills

The next day, we headed over to General Mills. What an exciting day! On our way to the Betty Crocker kitchens, we got to see some of the history and memorabilia from years past.

Some of the General Mills history - top left - and old school Easy-Bake Oven (I want it!), top right - the first design of Cheerios (Cheerioats back then), bottom right - carved cheerios that are in one of the courtyards (sorry about the glare from the window), bottom left - a few different designs of the Wheaties box.

And then the kitchens. This view was from above, and I will tell you that you could look around and see the excitement on everyone's faces!

View of the kitchens from above

Megan from Megan's Munchies and Deb from Frugal Living and Having Fun

We were split into 4 groups and spent the day rotating through 4 stations.

Some of the kitchens off to the side, with women busy working

Off to the side were many more kitchens. It was interesting to look over and see other women busy at work, creating and/or testing recipes.

Making of the Cranberry-Macadamia Bars

Myra from My Blessed Life and Kerri from Save at Home Mommy

Catching up on Twitter or Facebook??? Marla from Family Fresh Cooking (Photo by Matt Holland)

Most of my "baking group" (minus 2) from left to right - Jamie from Jamie Cooks it Up, Jen from 4tunate, Myra from My Blessed Life, the Betty Crocker cookie station worker, Joscelyn of Mami and the Multiples, me, Liz from Hoosier Homemade (Photo by Matt Holland)

Left to right - Nicole from Baking Bites, Marla from Family Fresh Cooking, Amanda from I Am Baker (Photo by Matt Holland)

Me in action! (Photo by Matt Holland)

We had all had quite a bit of sugar by the end of stations, but it was all worth it. I have to admit, it was over way too fast for me! After we finished baking, so many people had asked to see the photography studios that they took us on a little unscheduled trip through the studios and the prop room.

One of the food photo set ups

Can I say that I was just in heaven?!? I wanted to get home and ask my husband if he would build me a seperate room off the side of the house that I could turn into a food photography studio!! It was really interesting to see. You didn't see the photographer with his camera taking pictures like you or I would. Instead, they have these huge, commercial cameras that almost look like professional video cameras. But wow - do they take great pictures!!

They had shelves with dishes and settings set out for the day's photo shoots

I want them all!

Then we went through the prop room and everyone was drooling. So many bowls, plates, napkins, just about everything you could imagine or want. I seriously want that room!



Then sadly, the day was over and it was time to go back home. I'm so grateful for the new friends that I made, and I wish we would have had just a little more time so that I could have really gotten to know everyone! I have been inspired by Betty Crocker and already have many things to try on my list. Thanks to Betty Crocker and General Mills!!

And if you want to check out some amazing blogs - here are the gals that attended!

Amanda from A Few Shortcuts
Amanda from I Am Baker
Amanda from Fake Ginger
Amy from Mom Spark
DaMora from From My Kitchen
Deb from Frugal Living and Having Fun
Deborah from Taste and Tell
Jamie from Jamie Cooks it Up
Jacquelyn from Musings by Jacquelyn
Jen from 4tunate
Jessica from Utah Deal Diva
Joscelyn of Mami of the Multiples
Julie from Joy's Hope
Kerri from Save at Home Mommy
Laura from Real Mom Kitchen
Liz from Hoosier Homemade
Marla from Family Fresh Cooking
Marta from My Big, Fat, Cuban Family
Mary from Blogmania
Megan from Megan's Munchies
Melanie from Modern Mami
Melissa from Your Fun Family
Michelle from Gourmet Mom on The Go
Migdalia from Latina on a Mission
Molly from The Snyder 5
Myra from My Blessed Life
Nicole from Baking Bites
Nika from Nika's Culinaria
Sherri from The Adventures of Kitchen Girl
Silvia from Mama Latina Tips
Trisha from 24/7 Moms

But we can't forget the food!! Here are most of the recipes we were shown and were able to sample while in the kitchens.

There were 4 different stations, and we were separated into 4 groups, spending about an hour at each station. The first station I was at was the Cookie station. I managed to get a picture of everything they had to sample but one cookie bar. But I've decided that's ok, because it was one of my favorites, so now I have an excuse to make them! All of these cookies were made using Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. So easy!!

Red Velvet Rich and Creamy Cookies

Citrus-Kissed Fig Thumbprints

Cranberry-Macadamia Bars (definitely a favorite!)

Next up was a about baking with kids. These all made me so excited to bake Halloween treats with Abbi!

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Tie-Dyed Cupcakes

Jack-o'-Lantern Cake

Ice Cream Cone Cakes

I have to admit - by this point, I had already had a lot of sugar, so I only sampled 2 of the 4 treats in the next section - Brownies with a Twist. But anything based with a brownie is delicious!!

Brownie Goody Bars

Brownies on a Stick

Rocky Road Brownies

Brownie 'n Berries Dessert Pizza

The last station was all about different breakfast ideas you can make using Bisquick. I have to admit that Bisquick is not something I normally have on hand, but after this, I think I'll be buying some! I can't find the links online to the recipes of most of these recipes - but I do have a copy of the recipes so I may just have to make them all and post them!

Fresh Lemon Cream Crepes (Can't find the link to this one...)

Oven Apple Pancake (I can't find the link to this one either...)

Caprese Pizza with Crispy Pancetta (Can't find this link, either - but I'll be making this one soon!)

Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake

What great food! I can guarantee you I had A LOT of sugar by the time the day was over. But it was totally worth it!

Disclosure - General Mills paid for my travel and accommodations. All opinions expressed are my own.