by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 26, 2010 . 7:19PM
In a year where, at times, I would rather have given up than given thanks, Thanksgiving rolls around and I am once again reminded that there are holidays to come that will be filled with joy and happiness if I allow them to be as such. There are circumstances beyond my control and people and situations that cannot be changed that cause me unhappiness, but there will always be days during the year where people will come together for the better and it is a reminder that few things in life are permanent.
Thanksgiving is always a loud affair. There is no real way that it can be less when you pack around 50 people into a small house. It can’t be a quiet, completely civilized affair when there are at least 10 children in that bunch. We started the lunch at my aunt’s house where she had set up the Wii for the kids and found a surprise: my cousin had me a Mii of great-grandma. So, the superstar of the day was Great-Grandma Z as all the great grandchildren wanted the chance to use her Mii to hula hoop, play tennis and cross country ski.
There was a moment of prayer and the kids jumped into line for what looked like way too much food for the amount of people that were in the house. Casseroles and noodles and turkey and ham and rolls and every carb you could ever want lined counters, the stove and multiple tables. As the little ones picked through the foods they would eat, the adults sat at the tables and talked. The rain turned to sleet but no one was concerned. There was plenty of food and no one needed to be anywhere immediately. The scents of holiday food enveloped us in comfort and we ate plate after plate of food.
And did it again.
And then again.
And had some dessert.
And then ate more food because you can’t waste food.
And ate some more and there was still MORE food.
About that time, the wind howled and the sleet turned into fat flakes of snow that hugged the cars and the sky turned dark. AJ, who rarely sees snow of any real accumulation in TN, yelled that there was snow and he was going sledding! The adults started to get groggy and talk of naps and Black Friday shopping.
As the snow continued, there was a thief on the lose…a candy corn thief…
To be continued…
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by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 23, 2010 . 6:26PM
What would you do if you could suddenly hear the thoughts of those around you? Would you be surprised at what they thought of you or would you expect it?
It’d be hard for me not to like a book by someone with my own first name, so I won’t. I really enjoyed The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor. In fact, I liked it so much, I read it in one night in one sitting. You gotta love insomnia.
When Jennifer finds out that her husband Will, a judge, has been indicted on charges of bribery, her country club lifestyle changes completely. Her relationships with everyone in her life suddenly turn upside down. In a strange twist, she is suddenly able to hear the thoughts of those around her and what she hears isn’t close to what she expected. The ending had a surprise twist I wasn’t expecting and, for that alone, this book gets plenty of props from me. It was easy to read and I always seem to enjoy the books that have a mystical element to them. This one surprised me in plenty of good ways.
Jennifer, as a character, is likable and her frustration is palpable throughout the book. Will was both frustrating and endearing as his character winds through the story. Jennifer’s family dynamic was surprisingly believable and her sister was a well-placed character who stole the book.
I would absolutely recommend picking up The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor as your next bedside read if for no other reason than the beautiful cover art.
*Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thanks for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts on it with others!
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by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 16, 2010 . 6:50PM
My sponsor always rocks. You can see them down on the right hand side of my page. They often send me freebies or giveaways or things to review. Every now and then, they give me something to give away and it makes my readers happy, too. This is a win-win for everyone.
Now, I have to share something about my life before I share the good news.
I make fun of my mom. A lot. I know, I know. It’s not nice. And she reads this and she knows. My mom is a consummate bargain shopper and she is extremely proud of this fact. She loves the thrill of going to a store and finding a great sale and a great buy. For her, if she can find something wonderful at a bargain price it would be the same thrill I get from an “A” on a paper that took me forever to write or losing a pound after working hard for it.
It. is. serious.
I know other people like my mom. The thrill of the deal is what gets them running. Now, I’m similar in some ways. I hate shopping in person. I love shopping online. If I can use a coupon code online, I’m golden. I generally won’t buy unless I have one. And I can usually get most of my stuff for half price when I do online shopping if I look hard enough for the deal. So, I guess I’m a lot like her in many ways. I just prefer to do my shopping from home and avoid the in store craziness.
When my mom called me this week, I heard the tone of her voice. I’ll be visiting for Thanksgiving and I knew it was coming. I’d managed to avoid it for years, but I heard the crazed edge and held onto my couch seat when she announced proudly, “I’m going out Black Friday morning. Your sister thinks I’m crazy, but I’m going to do it.” Well, that makes both your children that think you are as nuts as a bag of trail mix, but if it makes you happy, I’m all for it. However, “Mom, I’m not coming with you. I will stay home that day and relax. You go have fun and I will wait for you there.”
Frankly, I have homework and I do 99% of my shopping online. She can coerce the younger and more gullible sibling to go Black Friday shopping. Besides, the younger sibling is under 18 years of age. She can be required to do the Black Friday madness. I’m 31 years old. You can’t make me. So there.
However, I might be doing some shopping of my own. See, my sponsor (you have to stop me when I get off into tangents) sent me an email today letting me know that they are having some awesome Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales. I’m such a girlie girl. I love skincare and makeup (at apothica.com) and girlie stuff (skinbotanica.com), oh my! And with a friends and family code that gives me a 25% discount, I may be my own Santa this year.
I’m passing it on to you guys.
Friends and Family Coupon* Code: FF25
*Excludes some brands. Expires Dec. 1, 2010. Click the link here: La Roche-Posay
So, what are you waiting for? You only have until December 1, 2010!
And mom, I know you are reading this. The skincare on my wishlist? They carry it. It’s a bargain!
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 16, 2010 . 4:55PM
Something I love about living in the South is the difference in propriety. There are things about Southern charm that aren’t quite so charming. Rather, they can be downright disarming when it boils right down to it. Southerners often say exactly what is on their mind and don’t exactly care for the same things that Northerners do. In Salting Roses by Lorelle Marinello, the differences in socioeconomic status, customs, and even speaking style are brought to the forefront in a novel that brings to life the what-ifs from childhood. What if our parents aren’t really our parents but some celebrity or rich person that gave us up? Or, in Gracie Calloway’s case, what if she were really a kidnapped heiress instead of a bastard child that was found on a stoop in a coal bucket? What would happen if someone who never had money and was biased against it suddenly had more than she could handle? What if that money was brought to her by a shy, handsome Yankee?
Gracie’s character is full of moxie and the handful of characters that surround her in her stereotypical Southern town, which is nothing like any Southern town I’ve experienced, are almost cartoonish in their portrayal. The plot was easy to guess in advance, so there wasn’t any real mystery as to how things would go. Katherine Hammond, Gracie’s paternal grandmother is perhaps the most compelling portrayal in the novel as both a mother who has lost her child and grandchild and yet is still to stilted as a character to really come together and show any emotion.
While Salting Roses isn’t the most compelling thing I’ve ever read, and it did take me several hours to get into it, it was funny, interesting and, ultimately, a good story. It reminds me of a beach read and while the author is releasing it in paperback this month, this book is the book I’d read when I needed a distraction. In other words, take it to the beach, while recovering from surgery or while enjoying your Winter Break.
*Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thanks for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts on it with others!
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by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 13, 2010 . 5:19AM
Sometimes I hate being a parent.
Blaspheme, right? It’s true. Part of being a parent means that I have to do the hard work such as disciplining my child when he misbehaves or chooses to mess around in class as opposed to choosing to learn and distract those around him. This makes my job as a parent difficult and unenjoyable.
Lately, AJ has been testing his independence and his boundaries at school. This week he forgot something necessary at school and, as such, he ended up going to bed early and his dog was not allowed to sleep in his bedroom. In this house, one thing is always true: Wherever my child goes, so goes his dog. There has never been a more loyal dog than that dachshund to her boy.
What I knew was that the separation of the two was going to hurt one person: me. Why is this? Because AJ was going to go to sleep and I was going to be left with the whiny, leaky eyed dog that would look at the gaited stairs and turn eyes on me that were alternately hateful, pitiful and pleading. This is exactly what happened. She would go to the gate at the stairs and stand there for 10 minutes at a time while looking up at the darkened stairs and waiting for him to come down to get her. When it didn’t happen, she would come to me, grunt sadly and run back to the stairs. Her message was clearly “Please let me be with him.”
I had to say no. Over 100 times in the 4 hours I was awake after he went to bed did I say no. Eventually, she wore herself out and curled up on my legs. When I finally went to bed she calmly waited at the gate for me to allow her up. When I didn’t, she whined at me and watched me climb the stairs. I glanced at her sadly and went to bed.
Two hours later, I awoke and, eyes half closed, headed for the bathroom door. I happened to look down the stairs and she sat there, quietly and patiently, waiting for her boy.
In the morning, I cannot imagine what their reunion was like, but my son has been on his best behavior ever since and she has not left his side. He also has not forgotten a single bit of work since. Sometimes, a reminder of the people we let down by our failures can be the most honest motivator in our lives.
And sometimes people aren’t actually people but the vision of a dog that loves you more than anything standing alone in the dark waiting for you to come for her…
Home
In a year where, at times, I would rather have given up than given thanks, Thanksgiving rolls around and I am once again reminded that there are holidays to come that will be filled with joy and happiness if I allow them to be as such. There are circumstances beyond my control and people and situations that cannot be changed that cause me unhappiness, but there will always be days during the year where people will come together for the better and it is a reminder that few things in life are permanent. 
Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
