written by Pamela Keogh

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is full of wonderful lessons and ideas for living life to the fullest. It is also a story of a remarkable woman. Audrey Hepburn was loved by all who knew her. She was full of grace and humility and always put others first. She was popular and successful actress and yet kept her integrity and gracious spirit. This book looks at her life and shares with you just how she did it. I had fun reading this book and have already begun putting some of these lessons into practice.

I am once again a little late, but I simply had to join this week’s discussion! I am a long time fan of Star Trek! I used to watch Spock, Kirk, and Bones explore the galaxy with my dad when I was little. I grew into The Next Generation which is still a favorite. I have watched all the movies and am currently making my way through Star Trek the Animated Series. I’ve seen some of Deep Space Nine and Voyager and was an avid watcher of Enterprise. Obviously, I love all things Trek. One of my favorite memories was a Saturday Star Trek-a-thon my dad and I had before going to see Star Trek VI. Yes, we spent an entire day watching 5 movies and then went to the theater the following weekend! It was fun and fabulous! My sweetheart and I saw the newest Star Trek movie in the theater twice and I am excited to hear about it’s coming DVD release. I so loved the new movie that I can’t wait to see it again! As for the question of my favorite Trek goodness, it is without a doubt The Original Series and The Next Generation.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

This is a book of delightful short stories all involving the world of faerie. It was beautifully written! I loved each story and was almost sorry to see them end. I picked this up as a means of introducing myself to Ms. Clarke’s writing. I am now on a search for her book Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. These stories should be a must read for anyone who enjoys faerie. I’ll leave you with a quote from the book.

“. . . magic belongs as much to the heart as to the head and everything which is done, should be done from love or joy or righteous anger.”

I really, really enjoyed this movie. I felt for Anne and hoped for her happy ending. I fell in love with Captain Wentworth! I was by turns amused, angered, and empathetic towards the other varied characters. In this story Anne and Wentworth are star-crossed lovers who get a second chance at a fairy tale ending. The question is one of having the courage to follow one’s heart in search of true joy and love. I was planning to read Sense and Sensibility next, buy may have to change my plans and read Persuasion instead. All I can say now is GO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!

I know it isn’t Thursday.  I just found this meme over at Gofita’s Pages and wanted to participate.  Mondays and Thursdays are prime TV times at our house due to Bones and House.

Dr. House is quite the grouch and we love him for it.  He is played by Hugh Laurie who is known for his work on Black Adder and Jeeves and Wooster.   Dr. House is a genius diagnostician.  He rarely “sees” a patient.  He has hired a team of doctors who do most of the work, but without House’s mind would be completely lost.

Bones is a unique cop show.  Agent Booth of the FBI has teamed up with Temperance Brennan of the Smithsonian to solve crimes.  I love the chemistry between these two characters.  The show is just fabulous!

We really watch very little TV anymore, but these two shows keep me coming back for more.

Our little nephew had a big birthday party today and, I believe, a lot of fun. After two hours with a house full of four and five year olds, Hubby and I headed for the quiet of the local flea market and a little alone time. I found this little treasure which I couldn’t wait to share! If you look at my banner, you’ll see my favorite of these figures. I have another one that I found some time ago at the same flea market and was thrilled and excited to have found this one. She’s quite pretty and I love the harp. I grew up around music and couldn’t do without it.

Happy Birthday Kane!
We Love You!

I simply had to share this lovely gift from my husband. The school library was having a booksale and my husband came home with these beautiful vintage books! It was a complete surprise! He did a beautiful job selecting books he knew I would love. Pictured, you will see three Nancy Drews and a book by Louisa May Alcott. Like most girls, I read every Nancy Drew I could find and eventually graduated to the Nancy Drew Files. I read Little Women in the 5th grade for the first time and have been a fan of Miss Alcott ever since. These have brought back so many pleasant memories. There is also one titled The Fun Enclyopedia which is really cool! It is full of all sorts of ideas and projects. The last two books are Treasure Island and The Robe. These all have copyrights in the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s. It is sweet to know that he thought of me and wanted to bring me a bit of joy. I am truly blessed! Thank you Sweetie!!

by Bram Stoker

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I had always thought that it would be too scary and although it had its fearful, creepy moments it was nothing like I expected. The story is told through the journals of the main characters. It begins with Jonathan Harker meeting Count Dracula in his home. The story then travels to England where you’ll meet Mina, Jonathan’s fiancee, and her friend Lucy. You will meet Lucy’s beaus, Dr. Seward, Arthur, and Quincy. Dr. Van Helsing enters the scene when Lucy becomes ill. The story returns to Dracula’s home for its climatic ending. This is a lovely gothic story with a struggle between good and evil that is timeless. I will say that the book is quite different from the Coppola’s movie. Bram Stoker never wrote an ageless love story between Dracula and Mina. She was in love with and devoted to Jonathan beginning to end. It is still a wonderful story and one I recommend reading. I am glad I decided to give it a go in spite of my reservations.

I realize I’ve been absent for about a week and I’ve missed my blogging friends terribly. My absence was due to our annual Halloween Gala. Last week the countdown to party time began and things were indeed hectic. The party took place on Saturday, October 24th. This year we chose pirates for our theme and we created a pirate treasure hunt. Each group had a list of clues to find that would eventually lead them to the pirate shack of Captain Worley. We also purchased a picture of a peg leg pirate with the face cut out that we hung in the doorway. We then took everyone’s picture in it and gave it to them to take home as a souvenir. This was enjoyed by kids and adults alike. As for the food, we served sliced apples with a peanut butter/caramel dip, chips and dip, and little mini pumpkin pies. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening and we felt happy and exhausted at night’s end.

Here are the invitations that were sent out. The font is called 1742frenchcivilite and I found it on www.dafont.com.

Our party favors kept with the pirate theme and, of course, candy was included although not pictured. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to keep a ball and jack set. I thought they were quite cool!

As you can see from this picture of my husband and nephews we made eye patches and earrings available for all. We lucked into a four for a dollar deal at Wal-Mart.

This is just a shot of my table before all the food was ready, but you can see the decor and the general set up.

Here are my little mini pumpkin pies. They were a big hit and I was quite proud of how they turned out. I found the recipe at Bakerella, which is a lovely website full of fun and sweets. Click here to get the recipe.

Above is a picture of one of the clues. We also threw in a few fake clues just to make it interesting and challenging. Below are some shots from the maze.

And now for Captain Worley’s pirate shack…
My husband and his friend worked long and hard to complete this end to the pirate treasure hunt.

This is the shack from the outside. On the inside we find treasure galore and the bones of old Captain Worley himself!

Below is one of the pirate pics that we took for our guests to take home. The pretty little girl is Bailey. She’s the sweet daughter of dear friends.

I just had to share my Edgar Allan Poe table with all of you. It was a late inspiration and I am quite pleased with the result.

Here is a group shot of all the kids at the party and some random pics of Hubby, myself, and our nephews.

Well, there you have it folks, a happy, festive Halloween event! We are now off to Arkansas to spend Halloween with our niece, nephews, my mom, my sister, and my brother-in-law. One nephew is having a birthday this weekend as well so be looking for more fun pictures and a special birthday wish. Also, I finished reading Dracula which is why this post has taken so long to write. Check back soon for my review and Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!