Fruit Milkshake = YUM!!!!!!!

I've been thinking about making smoothies again lately since I lived on them in September/October but for some reason I just couldn't get motivated. Then I started thinking about ice cream and decided hmmmm... maybe I could make a 'smoothie' with ice cream. Okay, yeah we know those are called milkshakes but I mean with fruit it makes it all better, right?? ;) Introducing my Kiwi/Banana/Strawberry Milkshake Ingredients 1 kiwi 3 strawberries (all i had) half-banana (already had one cut up from earlier) 1/2 cup milk 1 heaping cup of ice cream First, I cut up all the fruit and this is what I got. If I wasn't just using up ingredients I would have used lots more strawberries and probably a whole banana to thicken it up a bit more, but a half was also fine.

Then I measured out a 1/2 cup of milk.

Yeah, this is a 1/2 cup but I put two of these in the blender. Wasn't about to get out the cup when I already was using the half-cup!

I put the fruit, the milk and the ice cream in the blender and...

Tada!!! Yummmmm. It was really good. I wouldn't recommend using more than 1 kiwi because it was the perfect tart extra, but more than that might make it a tad weird. As it was, the black spots from the kiwi kinda looked odd in the milkshake haha. Also, depending on how thick you like your milkshakes you might want to use less milk. I think I would cut it to maybe a 1/4 cup to make it thicker.

Perfect mid-day treat!

What are your favorite fruits to mix with ice cream?

33 weeks!!!!

Today at 33 weeks!! All dressed up to go to a dinner for my husband's company tonight.. fun times!

The Skip Hop diaper bag I ended up buying.. Slightly disappointed because the photo I saw when ordering was the charcoal dot one, which I liked better.. but this one is okay too!

a view of half the closet.. like the pink paint in the closet? the bedroom used to be that color when we moved in.. and there used to be ORANGE shag carpet on top of that flooring! a view of the crib.. and the very old vacuum because the very nice one I got as a wedding gift broke and we never got it fixed.. it is awaiting a new storage spot.. the clothes in the crib have been put in the tubs that you could kind of see in the other photo and stacked in the closet. the only stuff left in the crib are newborn - 0-3 month sizes that I am going to wash after my baby shower

this is the view from the door when you walk in.. my glider my hubby got me, the dresser from CSN stores from my parents, the rug from Target that I got when I was a sophomore in college, and the owl wall art is from Target and probably going to hang on the wall by the glider. and we are waiting for nicer weather to wash the blinds. they are gross.

this is baby and me on my birthday on Saturday!!! lovely DQ Reese's ice cream cake!

How far along? 33 weeks.. holy shiz!

Weight gain/loss: up 9 pounds

Maternity clothes? same ole story as before..

Stretch marks? sadly, I think I may have sprouted my 1st one over the last week. Which would not be surprising seeing as how I feel like I doubled in size over the last week. but I can't get a good look cuz it is underneath the belly... but sadly I think it is one.

Sleep? The last two nights, my surefire sleep on my side has not worked. I've ended up on my back and being on my back wakes me up because I can't breathe! Then my back hurts when I do wake up.. I feel like I need my own king size bed!

Best moment this week? celebrating my birthday with friends and fam and getting more baby room stuff organized..

Food cravings: the last two days I've wanted Mexican.. but i haven't had it.

Gender: Girl

Belly button in or out? In

Movement? all the time.. but she has been a little quiet today.. probably from her partying all day yesterday!

What I miss? I reaaalllllly wanted a cherry wheat or a Killian's this weekend or an Amber Bock when we were out celebrating with our friends. I would have ordered one or sipped my husband's but we were with his aunt and uncle who I don't think would have liked that. But let's just say.. dark beer!!

What I'm looking forward to: A little getaway we are taking this weekend. We are going to hit up some restaurants that are featured on Man vs. Food and Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins. We are also going to try to hit up Whole Foods in Ann Arbor and perhaps a Trader Joe's in the Detroit area. We are also hoping to try some Coney dogs in Detroit and maybe hop across the bridge and visit Windsor. We might also check out the Holocaust Museum.

Milestones: umm I am pretty sure being 33 weeks is a milestone. ahhhhhhh

I feel so bad this poor girl has no name. We seem to add names and delete names but our list doesn't seem to fixate on one. I will be convinced of one and then think of reasons no. Or My husband doesn't say he loves anything so it's hard.

Here are some of our finalists what do you think?

Isla

Celia

Lilia

Maren

Tess

Mara

Leaning towards Elizabeth or June for middle names. But of course nothing is concrete.

The Mephisto Club

I bet ya'll are getting sick of me and my ramblings about Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isle series. Good news? I'm almost completely caught up in the series. Only 2 more books to go! ;) Her newest in the series, The Silent Girl, comes out July 5th! The Mephisto Club is probably the grossest, creepiest and most interesting installment so far. Dismemberment, Satanic symbols, glimpses of Rome and Siena, the Devil tracking down his prey. Very interesting. It kind of reminded me of The Divinci Code and Angels and Demons. Basically, on Christmas Eve Rizzoli is called to a scene where a young woman has been dismembered and there are creepy Satanic symbols written on her walls and a weird ritual on the kitchen floor. Fast forward a few weeks and ANOTHER body is found outside a retired history professors house where he is hosting a dinner party for a very peculiar group of people. The Mephisto Foundation is a group of people who are pretty well off and are interested in tracking down the evil in the world. Its roots go waaaaaaaaaay back to ancient times and many mentions of times before Christianity are mentioned as well as Adam's third son Seth. I found all of this information very fascinating. Anyway, long story short. This group of people get on Rizzoli's nerves (and she gets on mine for being holier than thou and hard-headed) and try to help solve her case. Lots of blood and gore and plenty of mystery. Definitely recommend this series if you haven't checked it out yet! What fiction books with historical references have you enjoyed?

Pizza Casserole

I bought egg noodles awhile ago for a disaster of a turkey meatball recipe (gag) and wanted to finish using them up. I also didn't have any meat thawed and needed a dinner recipe that may include some meat, cuz ya know it's not a meal if there isn't any meat. (rolls eyes at hubby) Enter Pizza Casserole.

Ingredients (based off this recipe)

about 16 ounces of egg noodles

pizza sauce (i used about half of an empty jar and half of a full jar so about 1 jar haha)

small onion

chopped pepperoni chopped

4 slices salami chopped

1 Roma tomato chopped

whatever cheese you want to use (i used a mix of Monterrey jack, mild cheddar and cheddar)

oregano

Italian seasoning

First, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the noodles were cooking, I chopped up the tomato, pepperoni, salami and onions.

When the noodles were done, I drained them and put them back into the pan and poured about half a jar of pizza sauce in with it and mixed it around. I also added the seasonings at this point.

Then in a 13 by 9 greased baking dish I put the noodles down and covered them with more sauce. About another half jar.

Then I layered down the toppings. I didn't really do this in any particular order just spaced out everything.

Covered it with cheese and put it in the oven for 18 minutes.

And out it came! Yum!

Verdict? I really liked the salami flavor and the tomatoes! If my hubby liked olives I would have added those and if we would have had some green pepper I would have thrown that in too. Yummy, easy and lots of leftovers!

In the Woods - Discussion #4

Welcome to our last discussion of In the Woods by Tana French. This covers the whole book with an emphasis Chapter 20 through the end. Spoilers will most likely happen. Any and all are welcome to contribute!

My thoughts
I'm a disappointed in the 'detective' and 'police' work that was done by both Ryan and Maddox. I think I was also a little disappointed in Maddox for falling for Ryan and then into bed with the other. Like she was so the anti-stereotype to begin with and then in last part of the book she falls into it faster than a dress comes of on prom night. (yeah you can groan at that) I am also mad that Rosalind played them all so well and that in the end she got off. Her poor father.

Lines I Liked
pg.745 "You had as good a chance as I did. I told you everything I saw, as I saw it at the time. And if that was in itself deceptive, remember, I told you that, too: I warned you, right from the beginning, that I lie."

pg. 763 "She informed me, matter-of-factly, that she was old enough to know the difference between intriguing and fucked up. "You should go for younger women," she advised me. "They can't always tell."

A word from Tana French
Q. In connection with her own near-molestation as a child, your detective Cassie Maddox observes that children find it almost impossible to resist the promise of marvels—the possibility of entering a magical world. Do you really think adults are all that different? Aren't most of us continually both ennobled and victimized by our willingness to believe and search for the fantastic?
I think that leap of belief, that capacity to respond to the mysterious unseen and unknown, is one of the most incredible human abilities—and how you respond to the unknown is one of the defining choices that make you what you are. That's a recurring thread in the book: how the different characters react when they have the chance to make that leap into an unknown world that could transform their lives forever, for better or for worse. Cassie, as in that childhood story, is willing to take huge risks for the chance of marvels. Rob isn't: every time he has the opportunity to take that leap, he runs as fast and as far as he can, and in the end that destroys him. On the other hand, there's one character who is destroyed—perhaps even more thoroughly—by his willingness to make that commitment to the unknown. Our ability to believe in marvels is an amazing thing; it's a crucial part of what makes us human, it's a crucial part of what makes life wonderful—but, like anything so important, it's dangerous and it doesn't come with guarantees.

Questions from Penguin
1. After sleeping together, Ryan and Cassie cease to be friends. Why do you think the experience of physical intimacy is so damaging to their relationship? Are there other reasons why their friendship falls apart?

2. How convincing is French's explanation of the motivating forces that lead to Katy's murder—forces that come close to a definition of pure evil? Are such events and motivations ever truly explicable?

3. Do you have your own theories about the mysteries that remain unsolved at the end of In the Woods? What are they?

4. What were your thoughts and emotions upon finishing In the Woods? If this book affected you differently from other mysteries you have read, why do you think this was true?

Thanks for participating in our March Group Read!! We always welcome conversation. Join us back in April for Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore!

Vanish

Rizzoli & Isles installment number 5 does not disappoint! I think I enjoyed this one even more than Body Double. I would totally be digging into the next one already, but our roads are horrible so there aren't any impromptu trips to the library in my near future.

This thriller includes the scary labor/delivery experience Detective Rizzoli goes through to get her beautiful baby born. A mysterious hostage taker has Jane and others corralled into a waiting room at the hospital while everyone tries to figure out how the lady who used to be 'dead' got into this predicament. [ Yeah, a not 'dead' body shows up at the ME's office! ]

The information that Rizzoli, Agent Dean and other co-workers learn is frightening and dangerous and even a new infant won't keep Jane from participating.

I must say I do have a few complaints with Jane's reaction to motherhood and breast feeding. I know it is part of who her character is (brash non-maternal and job focused), but she seriously was making some uneducated comments that were a tad annoying. She wasn't really TRYING to be a mother, more just resenting that the baby had made her change so much. (Not to say that this isn't a perfectly fine reaction to somewhat resent your life not being your own anymore, but it was all in the context of the book.) She also took a flight out of town 2 weeks after the baby was born and was self-expressing milk in a bathroom because she didn't know what to do with her milk. Um perhaps get a pump? I mean, seriously it was a bit annoying that and her simple oh I will just use formula to get this kid to stop crying instead of trying other soothing methods was aggravating. However, I think with how the book ends that Jane's take on motherhood may be changing in the next book.

Also, fair warning but this book focuses a lot of the illegal sex trade industry in our country and there are some pretty vile/descriptive scenes that portray older men having sex with very young girls. It will make you angry and uncomfortable but is definitely worth the read.

When was the last time something in a book irritated you?

32 weeks and April's Group Read

First, holy cow! 8 weeks left???????? I am sick with a head cold/ sinus crap and it is a snow day in these parts so I am not getting dressed today. No pictures. But I can tell you, I pretty much look the same as last week ha.

How far along? 32 weeks
Weight gain/loss: up 7 pounds
Maternity clothes? my shirts that i wear in public are almost 100 percent maternity now because of the belly
Stretch marks? none yet. woo
Sleep? i sleep fine, as long as i fall asleep
Best moment this week? FINALLY finding a diaper bag that wasn't going to cost me 80 bucks and is still attractive! I got the Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote bag off of Amazon. It was on sale and I had an additional 15 dollars off with coupon codes!
Food cravings: sweet tea
Gender: Girl
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? all the time.. she sure likes to stretch out
What I miss? having control of my emotions
What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower so I can re-evaluate what we need!

now on to book club news....

April Group Read Selection is Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore!

From goodreads
This Washington novel is authored by Kristin Gore, the daughter of former vice president Al Gore. Sammy's Hill, her first novel, is set near Daddy's old stomping grounds. Its heroine, hardworking, lovestruck Samantha Joyce, earns her daily bread as the domestic policy adviser to a reformist senator. Political scandals and rumors of sexual infidelity loom large in this educated romp through the political swamps of the Potomac.

Discussions over Sammy's Hill will be:

Discussion 1 – Beg of book to Roadshow pg. 110 on April 8th
Discussion 2 – Roadshow through Faded Luster pg. 204 on April 15th
Discussion 3 – Faded Luster through Breathe in Deep, It’s all Fresh Air pg. 299 on April 22nd
Discussion 4 – Breathe in Deep, It’s all Fresh Air through the end on April 29th

I will be contacting some of you who offered to write up a guest post for one of the discussions soon.

Body Double

Rizzoli & Isles are back together for their 4th book with quite the case to solve. Dr. Isles is returning from a trip to Paris when she encounters the police and a colleague from the medical examiner's office AT HER HOUSE!

There is a beautiful woman who has been killed in front of Maura's house, but the most disturbing thing? She looks just like Maura.

In this action packed book they need to figure out who this mystery woman is and why do they look alike, who killed her, did the person mean to kill Maura, and who is Maura's birth mother and what kind of person is Maura's birth mother?

I love this series. I love the characters of Rizzoli and Isles. I love the minor characters. I love the mysteries that are plausible. I love that they are set in Boston. It makes me want to take a trip to the east coast so so so bad.

My only complaints? Sometimes I can't stand to read the gruesome descriptions of the autopsies that Maura performs. But they are written very well. Did you Tess Gerritsen is a doc?

I stayed up until 1 am last night finishing this and am going to start the 5th book in the series, Vanish today. Why I waited months in between to continue reading this is beyond me. I really liked the show Rizzoli & Isles on TNT this past summer and hope it comes back this summer. I think Angie Harmon has Rizzoli is AWESOME. Mainly because I love Angie in practically every role she has played. Including, her stints on Law & Order and The Women's Murder Club. Sasha Alexander makes an awesome Dr. Isles, minus that in the book she has black hair and on the show it is red. Oh well, I like her as a red head better.

Do you have a favorite book/series that has turned into a tv show/movie that you love just as much?

To The Power of Three

This is the second book by Laura Lippman that I've read and while I am not a gushing fan of hers, I do enjoy her mystery writing.

Josie, Kat and Perri have been inseparable since the third grade until the start of senior year when Perri stops talking to Kat and directs everyone to ask her why they are no longer friends, only for Kat to respond, ask Perri. Not even Josie knows why the rift started, only that she can't bare to lose Kat too.

The book starts with a girl preparing to take a gun to school. The next thing we know we are dropped into a high school in early June that is bustling, getting ready for the end of the year and graduation when a shooting takes place in the girls room. Shot? Kat, Perri and Josie. Only one is conscious and talking.

The book goes back and forth between present time and back into snippets from the past 10 years of friendship. From the beginning in third grade, to middle school dramas to early high school woes to college worries and the present time.

In the end, the community will be and is shocked by the outcome of what appeared to be an isolated singular incident between three friends.

My only complaints would be the bogging down of sooo many characters and minor characters and information that sometimes was a little irritating when you really wanted to know why the heck the girl brought the gun to school and what exactly happened in the bathroom!

Who is your favorite mystery writer?

Don't forget to vote for the April Group Read, poll closes tomorrow!

In the Woods - Discussion #3

Welcome back to the third discussion on In the Woods by Tana French! Any and all are welcome to comment this is focused on chapter 12 through the end of chapter 19 but anything through the beginning is fair game. There most likely will be spoilers.

My thoughts
This last section has made me really not like Detective Ryan. He is all creepy and psycho and completely stupid when it comes to his relationship with Cassie. Not to mention I am STILL pissed about him not telling who he is and how he shouldn't be on this case. (Yes, I take these things seriously.) I did find it kind of cute that Sam really was so innocent to his uncle's underhanded dealings. I mean that phone call was shocking, but really? Politicians do sleazy things all the time, it's the profession. And I am a LITTLE perturbed that there was no follow up with Damien about the track suit guy after Rosalind had Jessica say she saw him too, because umm hellooo odd? But that is just one of the many reasons Ryan shouldn't be on the case and why he should SHARE everything with Cassie.

Lines that struck me
pg. 539 " If she had hurt me, I could have forgiven her without even having to think about it; but I couldn't forgive her for being hurt." (UGHHH JACKASS!)

pg. 573 "I'm not sure why this, out of all the possibilities, should be my most closely guarded secret. I think the truth is this: I have always wondered whether this was was the reason I was left behind, that day in the wood. Because I was fat; because I couldn't run fast enough; because, newly heavy and awkward, my balance shattered, I was afraid to jump off the castle wall. Sometimes I think about the sly, flickering line that separates being spared from being rejected." (And there he goes making me feel slightly bad for his poor 12 year old self!)

Info from the Author
Q. Having lost the companionship of his two vanished friends Jamie and Peter, Rob Ryan grows up to form another triumvirate with Cassie and Sam. Do you see Rob as sometimes striving more to repeat the past than to salvage and redeem it?
I think we all have unfinished patterns in our lives, patterns that we can't move beyond until we find a way to complete them. The pattern that was branded onto Rob's mind when he was twelve—the two loved and lost friends—is one of these: he comes back to it almost involuntarily. Once he's there, he can't or won't do anything to change the pattern—he's only dimly aware that changing it is even an option—and so he almost deliberately wrecks the triumvirate with Cassie and Sam, because that's the only thing he knows how to do with it. For him, the past and the present coexist: his past defines his present completely.

Q. What are some of your other thoughts about the psychological makeup of Rob Ryan? And what sources did you draw upon—psychiatric research, your experience as an actor, etc.—to bring his character into focus?
My wonderful editor, Kendra Harpster, once told me that Rob is the kind of guy whom you know you shouldn't get involved with; you know he's trouble; you know he's too badly damaged for a healthy relationship—but you want to get involved anyway. I think we've all known guys like that.
No psychiatric research—at least not for Rob, although I did a lot of research on psychopathology in order to make the killer as real as possible. Rob is messed up in a fairly individual way; I'm not sure it has an official diagnosis! For Rob, my main resource was probably my experience as an actor. For a long time now, it's been my job to create a three-dimensional character out of words on a page, and (touch wood) send the audience home feeling as if that character is a real person whom they actually know. A lot of people have told me that they feel that way about the characters in In the Woods, and it's the best compliment anyone can give me. When someone says that, I know I've done my job.

Discussion Questions from Penguin
1. Imagine that you are Ryan's therapist. With what aspects of his personality would you most want to help him come to terms? Do you think there would be any way to lead him out of ìt he woods?

2. The loss or absence of stable families is a recurring motif in In the Woods. How do French's characters, particularly Ryan, attempt to compensate for this absence?

Our next and last discussion on In the Woods will be next Friday, March 25th and cover Chapter 20 through the end of the book. Thanks for participating again! If you have anything you would like to share, please feel free to comment and talk back and forth between each other!

Also, the poll is up for April. Make a selection by March 22nd!