Book Review Friday: A Grown Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

My literary tour of the South continues this week with Joshilyn Jackson's latest, A Grown Up Kind of Pretty. Maybe it's just that we're in what feels like the longest, coldest time of the year here that's making me want to escape south of the Mason-Dixon line?

I read Jackson's Gods in Alabama a few years ago and really enjoyed it, and I'd heard good things about this book, so I was excited to read it. And I wasn't disappointed. A Grown Up Kind of Pretty is the story of three generations of Slocumb women -- Ginny, a matriarch at the age of 45, her daughter Liza, a beautiful, wild and troubled 30-year-old, and Liza's daughter, Mosey, who just turned 15. Ginny believes that trouble comes to the Slocumb women every 15 years, and her theory is proven correct when Liza suffers a stroke at the school picnic, and a tiny skeleton surfaces in her backyard when the willow tree is cut down.

Like the gnarled roots of the willow tree, Jackson weaves a complex story, equal parts mystery and family saga. Each woman tells her own story -- Ginny, and her desire to protect and heal her family while also finding love of her own; Liza, with a brain addled by the effects of a lifetime of drug use and the stoke, struggling to recapture her memories and communicate the truth to her mother and daughter; and Mosey, fighting the current of expectation from her mother, grandmother, and the small Mississippi town that had already labeled her as trouble before she even started kindergarten -- and trying to discover her true identity.

Jackson is a master of characterization, and she created three separate, but familiar, characters, that are familiar but not cliched -- and I loved them all. Despite the fact that their Baptist belt neighbors had dismissed the Slocumb women as whores, not worthy of kindness or forgiveness, Ginny, Liza, and Mosey actually demonstrate the Christian values of forgiveness, love, charity, and kindness more than anyone else. Some of their actions may fall within legal gray areas, but also beg the question of when is it okay to do wrong in the name of the greater good -- and when are appearances deceiving?

Jackson is a master of the clever turn of phrase, and some of her expressions and descriptions were laugh out loud funny. My only quibble with the book is with Mosey's chapters, which are heavy on teen slang and text-speak. While important for establishing character, I found it a little annoying at times -- maybe I'm just showing my age? At the same time, I found myself most engaged with Mosey's sections of the story, perhaps because they were the most action-oriented and revealed the most about the mystery of the skeleton in the yard and Mosey and Liza's backstory.

Minor quibbles aside, though, I loved this book and highly recommend it. Ginny, Liza, and Mosey will stay with you long after you finish the final page . . .I was actually sad to see it end.

Pinned Down: Monogram Wreath

Morning all! Happy Thursday! Thursday mornings are always a little rough for me, since I usually stay up late to watch "Revenge." Seriously, if you aren't watching that show, you need to be. As much as I love my reality shows, "Revenge" is a reminder of why good scripted shows -- with actual actors -- will always be king.

Anyway, today I have another Pinterest-inspired project to share. Like a lot of people, I like to change my doo decor every few weeks, but wreaths are so expensive. I have a few things that I rotate throughout the year, but needed some new ideas.

I found this idea on Pinterest a few months ago, and loved it. And when I started to work on this project, I loved it even more. Super simple -- this took less than an hour to make!

Cute, no? The original version had more rolled fabric flowers, but I went with a simpler version.

To make this wreath you'll need:
1 18-grapevine wreath
1 chipboard letter (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
Burlap (about 1/2 yard)
fabric (about 1/4 yard; I used a fat quarter)
glue gun
embellishments

First, cut the burlap into a strip, about 2 inches wide, and wrap it around the letter, securing it with hot glue. This was one of those times that I wished my last name was an easy letter, like U or C, but I managed.

Next, make your rolled flowers. If you don't know how, there are a gazillion tutorials out there on how to do it. I simply cut a strip of fabric, folded it in half, knotted one end, and then rolled the fabric around the knot, twisting as I went. Add a few drops of hot glue every so often to secure the flower. Once you're happy with the flower, add your embellishments. I used some buttons that I stacked for interest, but you could use almost anything.

Finally, arrange the monogram and the flowers how you want on the wreath, and secure with glue. Add a ribbon for hanging, and voila! A pretty, easy wreath. You could adapt this wreath for the different seasons using different fabrics--I'm thinking about making a brighter version for the summertime.

The only problem I found with this wreath is that I have to hang it inside my mudroom. Fabric and chipboard + late Maine winter/early spring is a recipe for disaster. I'll have to come up with something else for outside.

Until later . . . happy pinning!

Win a Book!

Among my many hats, I am a virtual assistant for a wonderful author, speaker and coach, Felicia Slattery. Felicia is awesome, super talented, and great to work for . . .and her new book is being released today.
While you can certainly buy a copy on Amazon, you can also enter to win one on Goodreads. Just follow the link below, and you could hvae a copy in your hot little hands for free!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

21 Ways to Make Money Speaking

by Felicia Slattery

Giveaway ends March 07, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Pinned Down: Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I stayed up way too late watching the Oscars last night--which was kind of pointless, since the only nominated movies I actually saw were "The Help" and "Bridesmaids."

Anyway, today I have another recipe to share that I found on Pinterest. This one came from Real Mom Kitchen (have I mentioned how much I love that site?)

The recipe on Real Mom Kitchen is a modified version of a Martha Stewart recipe, and the version I made is a slightly different version of the already modified one. (Follow all that?) First of all, I cut the recipe in half, since making the whole giant pan is just too much for us. I also cut out the sun-dried tomatoes, since I forgot to buy them at the grocery store, but added in some broccoli florets instead, since chicken, cheese and broccoli are among the 10 things that my 3-year-old will eat. Here's how it looked:

Looks yummy, no? My husband pointed out that it's basically souped-up mac'n-cheese, but call it what you want, it's delicious. Creamy, cheesy, with just enough texture from the chicken and veggies. And best of all, the world's pickiest eater actually ate -- and liked it. So I'd call this a winner!

Here is the link to the original recipe. It's a great way to use up leftover chicken, and you could actually make a double batch and freeze one for later.

Off to get more coffee now . . . so until later, happy pinning. 

My Obsessions This Week

So with the kids home for February vacation, and other life emergencies, I haven't keep up with things as much as I like. Hate it when that happens!

Anyway, I'm back on track now, and here are the three things I'm obsessed with this week:

Benefit Bella Bamba

When I saw this pink blush in Sephora, I was like, no way . . . too pink, too sparkly. But then the super helpful salesgirl convinced me to try it, and I am SO glad she did. This stuuff is awesome . . . the perfect pink, not too bright at all. Plus it smells like watermelon, which is kind of cool.

Yankee Candle Beach Flowers

When I was a kid, we lived for a short time in this really cool house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. While that was cool in and of itself, one of my favorite parts of that house was the fence in the front yard, which was hidden by beach rose bushes. All summer long, I could smell those roses, and to this day, the smell of beach roses is one of my most favorite in the world.
This candle is one of the closest to that scent I've ever found. I don't usually like Yankee Candle's floral fragrances -- too overpowering, and I usually prefer basking and/or fruit scnets -- but I just love this one.  I bought several, since YC has a tendency to discontinue the scents I actually like.

Fishtail Braids

So this is one of those deals when I went, well, duh! I've been seeing fishtail braids everywhere, and thought they were super complicated. Glamour magazine had a tutorial in this month's issue, and I tried it out on my stepdaughter the other day. It's actually easier than French braiding, and looks so cute. Now I wish I hadn't cut all of my hair off a few weeks ago . .. sigh.

Here's another easy tutorial if you want to try it.

Have a great week! Until later!

Everyone Has a Breaking Point

Last week, I tweeted about how I was not watching Whitney Houston's funeral, because I don't like funerals.
Someone that does not follow me, that I do not know, and wouldn't know from a hole in the wall, decided to respond by questioning my upbringing and my understanding of funerals.
Um, no, I just do not like them.
Anyway, this reponse raised the proverbial hackles. How dare someone who doesn't know me question how I was raised, and my faith? I furiously typed a response, but then erased it. No need to start a fight with someone who is just one of the millions of whackadoodles yelling on Twitter.

It was easy for me to ignore this tweet. Imagine, though, if that one message was multiplied by 100, and accompanied by e-mails and comments on my blog. I might be able to ignore it for a while, dismiss the "haters," delete the messages.

But for days, months, even years? I'm not so sure.

I bring this up because yesterday I followed the Dooce "meltdown" on Twitter and her blog. Long story short, someone tweeted about Dooce, someone else replied in agreement, and Dooce snapped. She told them both to bleep off, an understandable reaction from someone who has just.had.enough.
Throughout the day and evening, tweets were flying, Dooce posted on her blog about the subject, and people came out of the woodwork to congratulate her for standing up for herself. Dooce herself appeared to be the internet equivalent of a barnyard rooster, strutting around like "check me out, I'm bad."

Here's the thing. I get it. I get that you can only ignore hate for so long. Negative comments questioning everything from your choice in hairstyle to how you raise your children to how you handle your marriage would wear on anyone. Dooce has done an admirable job, from what I can see, not responding to those who do not appreciate her blog, lifestyle, and opinions. And I also understand that she is under considerable strain these days.
But you know what? While I understand that everyone has a breaking point, I also understand that when you put your entire life on display, sharing every thought and feeling and home renovation project on the internet, where it can be seen by millions of people, you are opening yourself up to all sorts of criticism. You have to have a thick skin to blog the way Dooce does. I'm not sure I could handle hundreds of people commenting on my bathroom decor or how I talk to my kids every day. I get upset when a stranger makes a comment about my daughter at Target -- I can't imagine a whole crowd of know-it-alls making judgments in writing.
That being said, I don't agree with how Dooce handled the situation yesterday. Perhaps my reaction comes from personal experience. I told someone to bleep off once. Those two little words did more harm to that relationship, and several others, than you can even imagine. For years, I've had strained relationships with several family members because I couldn't hold my tongue anymore. Granted it's different than dealing with strangers, but the lesson is the same. You might momentarily feel better, but there are better ways to stand up for yourself, ways that don't make you appear confrontational, angry, and yes, offensive. A clever turn of phrase, blocking the user.. . .anything but resorting to playground antics would have been better.
I know that Dooce doesn't give a rat's behind what I think of her. She doesn't care that I think her behavior after telling those people where to go and what to do there was immature. She doesn't care that if it were, me, I would take a break from chronicling my every move for the blog for a while, and focus on healing myself and deciding what to do about my marriage, without the prying eyes and opinions of millions of people who haven't been in her shoes for the last decade.

In fact, she might just give me the middle finger and tell me to go scrapbook something.

And really, at the end of the day, all this incident really did was bring more traffic to her site, and get her more followers. As a new blogger, I suppose I could take lessons from Dooce. I could respond to the nutjobs on Twitter who think it's their job to teach me what a funeral really means, getting attention for a millisecond in the Twittersphere.
Or, I could just ignore them, like Dooce did for so long.

Book Review Friday: The Lost Hours by Karen White

In a continuation of the "Read what's on my shelf" thing I have going on, I read Karen White's The Lost Hours a few weekends ago. Seriously -- I started this book on a Friday night and finished on Sunday morning. The only reason it took me so long was that I had to go to a wedding that weekend. The book is THAT good.

Like Saving Cee Honeycutt, last week's review, The Lost Hours is set in Savannah. It's a very different Savannah than CeeCee's world, though . . . less whimsical, more filled with dark secrets that have affected several generations of three families.

In the beginning of The Lost Hours, Piper Mills is reeling from the death of her grandfather. Orphaned as a child, Piper was raised by her grandparents in one of Savannah's grand old houses. A former equestrian champion, Piper had been severely injured in a competition six years earlier, and after her grandfather's death, struggled to find her place and purpose in the world.

The story begins after the funeral, when Piper receives an envelope with two letters, written by her grandmother Annabelle some 70 years earlier to a mysterious friend, and a key. In searching the house for more information about these items, Piper discovers a blue infant sweater in an old trunk, and remembers burying an old box in the yard with her grandfather. She digs up the box, and finds pieces from a scrapbook, a charm bracelet, and a mysterious newspaper clipping from 1939, about an unidentified Black baby found dead in the Savannah River.

Intrigued, Piper begins searching for answers about her grandmother's past. This brings her to a horse farm outside of Savannah, owned by her grandmother's former best friend. Posing as a geneaologist researching the family for a friend, Piper ingratiates herself with Lillian and begins to learn shocking truths about her grandmother's early life, and the history of her family and Savannah.

To say that I loved this book is an understatement. At first, I wasn't so sure -- Piper was so miserable in the early chapters, so depressed and bitter that she was unlikable, and I wondered if I could get through another 300 pages of such as sad sack. As Piper explored her grandmother's story, though, she grew and changed, and became far more sympathetic.

The mystery of the baby, and why Annabelle and Lillian did not speak for more than 70 years is intriguing, and that story kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know what happened, and each time I thought I had it pieced together, a new piece of information emerged that forced me to reconsider my theory. And when the answer is revealed in the final pages, it's shocking, yet completely satisfying and true to the characters that White had created. In fact, the story has a "happy ending," as much as such a tragic tale can, but it didn't feel contrived or rushed.

Like the last two books I've read, I can't believe I let this one sit on the shelf for so long -- and that I've never read Karen White's books before. I'll definitely be adding more of her books to my "must-read" list.