Umbrella Summer

By Lisa Graff.

Darn those end-caps at the library. The books there always grab my attention and I can't say no! Thankfully, this was a good distraction.

Umbrella Summer is a touching story of a young girl and her family overcoming grief. Her older brother recently died of a freak accident so the heroine is overly cautious. For instance, she wears Band-Aids all over her arms and legs when she has the slightest scrape, she wears Ace bandages 24/7 in the event she may twist her ankle, and she wears all her bicycle safety gear to walk her bike up and down the streets.

Lucky for her a caring, elderly neighbor who is dealing with her own grief opens her heart and home to Emily and the healing process begins.

Emily is endearing and at times, laugh out loud funny. This is a short read yet still manages to captivate the reader and wills you to cheer Emily on.

I don't know what my deal with youth fiction is lately but I can't get enough!

E-Mealz

I was at a mom's conference this past weekend and was introduced to this gem of a website/idea. It's called E-Mealz and it will plan a menu for you, make your shopping list, give you the recipes for each meal, and the meal plans are based on weekly sales! The website will even look for coupons for you!
It costs $1.25 a week but to sign up you have to choose a meal plan (can be changed, I believe) and they will automatically charge you $5 a month for 3 months at a time.
You can choose between a family meal plan or a plan for 2. You can also make a plan that's diet specific: low carb, point systems, low fat, and vegetarian.
It uses sales from stores like Kroger, Aldi, Publix, Ralphs, and Wal-Mart.
We're trying it out for the next few months so I'll let you know how it goes!
If you give it a try, let me know how it works for you!
Here's their website: www.e-mealz.com

Honey Mustard

It just so happened that I felt like spending a couple extra dollars at Walmart one day. It also just so happened that I was in the sauce aisle. Up on the top shelf, nearly out of reach, I saw it.
Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.
I've only recently acquired a taste for Honey Mustard but I've long been a fan of Sweet Baby Ray and his sauces.
As I said before, I was in the spending mood so I grabbed a bottle and didn't look back.
Best $2.50 I've spent. It's delicious and I try to talk Emery into eating chicken nuggets every day so I can devour my new favorite dipping sauce.
I tried to find a picture for you all but it's so new that Google Images can't even help me out! I will direct you to their site though!
Do yourself a favor and head to your local grocer and purchase a bottle! You won't regret it!
Enjoy your weekend!

Love Happens

Starring: Jennifer Aniston & Aaron Eckhart

So I feel a little sheepish reviewing this movie. I got it out of the Redbox yesterday on a whim and I thought that if nothing else, I can write a review about how cheesy and disappointing it was. Chick flicks have been letting me down recently.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Yes of course there is a cheese-factor. It is a romance film, let's keep that in mind. It was surprisingly entertaining and after the movie I looked at Nolan and said, "that's what a chick-flick should be like." Plus the soundtrack was great! Love that!

The subject matter was a bit intense for this genre but I think they did a great job not cheapening it or overselling it. The actors were both charming--my only experience with Aaron Eckhart is in The Dark Knight so it was good to see him more in a leading role (I know he's in Thank You for Smoking but I haven't watched that).

All in all, an enjoyable way to spend a couple hours! Have fun!

Up in the Air

Starring: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, and Jason Bateman

I understand what all the Oscar-buzz was about. Well-cast, well-written, well-acted, well-shot and overall, well-made.
I found the concept of following a person who fires people interesting. What a horrible job. I loved the human aspect of this film. It was easy to enjoy each of these characters (and dislike them to the same degree). Although there were a few predictable parts, the entire movie kept me interested and entertained.
There are some great lines in this movie and I'm still unpacking what all I witnessed. I would highly recommend this film. Just watch out for one nude butt and a lot of the F-word. Consider yourself warned and enjoy the film!

Elbert's Bad Word

Elbert's Bad Word by Audrey Wood; illustrated by Don & Audrey Wood
This was Emery's naptime book of choice this afternoon. I have read other Audrey & Don Wood books but this one was new to me. It's great. The concept of words having their own entity and power is a great theme. Plus, it is completely true that we don't realize bad words can be captured and stored away until the most inopportune times (such as having your big toe smashed by a croquet mallet). The illustrations are great, as always from these two and the vocabulary pushes the 'norm' for children's books. Even though Em fell asleep as I read it, I still enjoyed the story! Some of my other Wood favorites are:
The Napping House (one of Em's latest favorites)
Piggies
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and The Big Hungry Bear
Ones I'm going to check out:
Quick as a Cricket
Silly Sally
Heckedy Peg
Weird Parents

Before Green Gables

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

I was skeptical of this book. I generally do not enjoy prequels by different authors than the original classics. Plus, it's been so many years between the original Anne books and this prequel. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed reading the sources of Anne's window friend, Katie Maurice. I also enjoyed imagining where her 'depth of despair' and 'bosom friend' ideas came from.

Parts of this story were heartbreaking but Anne's life was also visited by hope and she never lost her 'light.' She endured a lot and reading about her hardships helps to appreciate the other books more.

Overall I thought the book was well written and most of the time along the same vein as the original classics. If you enjoy the Anne of Green Gables stories, this is a good companion book.