Quite Frankly My Dear.....part 2

So as I've posted before I have been reading Gone With The Wind for a little bit now. I've even posted part 1 of this multi-part review. I keep learning all sorts of things about the characters in this book. In the last review I left off with Rhett almost starting a fight at the Wilkes' BBQ and Scarlett being the belle of the ball. Moving on....The war has started and both Melly and Scarlett's husbands (oh yeah I said it) go off to war. Only for Scarlett to become a widow only a couple of months into her marriage. There's more to that part of the story too but I don't want to give away tooooo much.

Scarlett ends up visiting Melly and her Aunt PittyPat (who does have a real name but you'll have to read the book to find out what it is) in Atlanta. The mourning process in that time period was sooo "hardcore" to say the least let's put it that way. Before Scarlett even makes it PittyPat's house she's volunteered to help numerous hospital committee's that are in the community.

Get this Rhett is now called Captain Butler and is a Blockade runner!

Still NOT liking how the slaves dialogue is written!

Quite Frankly My Dear.....Review ~ Gone With The Wind part 1

To view my three other posts from this morning please click here (I'm a Secret Santa...How about you?), here (Bloggest Loser) and here (Blog for a Cure Party)

NOTE: This will be a multi-part review due to the length of the book.

So I recently started reading Gone With The Wind, a VERY American classic. I read this quite a few years ago.....while I was still in High School and really liked it. Now I have my own personal copy of ALL 63 chapters of Scarlett and Rhett's story all to myself. I did learn something while I was reading the preface of this book...That there are 2 authorized sequels to Gone With The Wind. See you learn something new everyday!

Alright, so I'm about 126 pages into the book and the only real "complaint" that I have is that I'm not particularly thrilled with the way that the "slaves" dialogue is written. It's a little bit too difficult for my ADD brain to follow/translate sometimes. Scarlett is being...well...Scarlett. So far, she's played one Tarleton twin against the other (one of which she stole from Ashley Wilkes' sister India), learned of Ashley's engagement to Miss Melanie and has been in trouble with Mammy already. The men (especially Scarlett's father Gerald) are talking war....Fort Sumter has been fired on....and Miss Scarlett is none to happy with all this war/secession talk because it isn't her favorite subject, which is....Herself.

Scarlett's mother Ellen is considerably younger (she's 32 and he's 60) than her husband. I also learned while reading, all about how Gerald O'Hara and Ellen met and a little bit about their lives before they became a couple. Scarlett is entirely way toooo much like her father. Scarlett has two younger sisters (Carreen and Suellen) as well as three little brothers who are buried in the family plot. Scarlett is still convinced that Ashley is going to marry her instead of Melanie. She even devises a plan to let him know that she loves while she's at the BBQ/Ball that the Wilkes' family is holding.


We've met Rhett Butler at the Wilkes' BBQ. Apparently, he's got a not so good history and is NOT a man "recieved." Something about a girl, a wrecked carriage and the horse running away....To top it off he refused to marry the girl! He almost started a fight at the Wilkes' BBQ also while trying to convince the rest of the men at the party to not underestimate the Yankee's! Scarlett is the "Belle of the ball" and has pretty much all of the young men veying for her attention.

My Thoughts: Like I said in the beginning not really happy with the "slaves" dialogue...tad difficult to translate/understand in my brain. I'm really happy with the follow of the book...It reads real easy like. You feel like you are there at the Wilkes' BBQ, etc. So far I'm really happy with the book.

Book Review ~ Michael Perry's Truck: A Love Story

Note: This was orginally posted on June 30 on my old wordpress blog.


For the past week and a 1/2 I have been reading Michael Perry’s book….Truck a Love Story. I only now have found this Wisconsin author and so far I am loving his writing. I am going to keep this review short and sweet because I don’t want to give away too much. Truck is about Michael’s “mission” to get his 1951 International Harvestor truck running and operational by Deer Season (a “holiday” that we take VERY seriously here in Wisconsin). Along the way readers will learn why “seed catalogs are responsible for more unfulfilled fantasies than Enron and Penthouse combined,” why squirrels are evil, a little bit about Mike’s dating life and a little bit about his interesting neighbors.








I really enjoyed this book. Plus the author lives only a few hours north of where I live! I enjoyed this book so much that I can hardly wait to start reading his new book Coop. I’ve heard great things about it. I giggled most of the way through this book because Mike paints such vivid pictures with his words that you can imagine yourself there with him. I hope that you will check this book out!








If you want to visit Mike’s webpage/blog the address is: http://sneezingcow.com/

Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Zero Tolerance SPF 45 for Face (Fragrance Free)

NOTE: This was orginally posted on June 4 on my old wordpress blog.

Note: The photo in this post is of the sunscreen for your body….They didn’t have a photo of the sunscreen for your face available on the webpage.

I purchased this sunscreen because I had a cyst removed from my right leg a couple days before Valentine’s day and had 3 stitches in my leg. The doctor reccommended that I put sunscreen on it this summer or I stood the risk of skin discoloration. I’ve already got that from my 3rd degree rope burn that I got my Junior year of high school so I thought I would skip it all together.

I am totally in lust with this sunscreen! It is sooooo worth the $12 I paid for it. It doesn’t leave my skin oily, like some of the other sunscreen’s I’ve used in the past and it’s fragrance free for those of us who get really bad headaches or migraines. Plus, it protects UVA and UVB rays….Which helps keep skin looking great!

I’ve been using it for several weeks now and I’m very happy with the results that I’ve seen so far. Plus, if your headed to Bath and Body Works they are having a super huge sale! I was just there this morning and I got a couple of things and paid what I would have paid for 1 item on the item’s that I purchased….and as an added bonus I got a coupon for 20% off my total purchase starting July 6!

Bath and Body Works True Blue Naked Cotton Dress Light Shea Butter Lotion

NOTE: This was originally posted on May 22 on my old wordpress blog.

The other day when I was out doing a little bit of shopping for myself I hit Bath and Body Works….A store that I absolutely LOVE but sometimes just doesn’t love me back (crazy scents give me migraines). Initially, I was just going to go in the store and look around but then the sales associate came and started talking to me. She asked me if I was looking for anything special and I said “not really, just trying to look for a lotion in a fun scent that won’t give me a migraine.” This sent the sales associate into an “ah ha” moment and told me all about this product.

At first I’ll be honest, I was a little bit skeptical…This winter has been really hard on my skin, leaving it really dry and leaving me in a rather pissy mood sometimes because I hate having really dry skin. But I did purchase a bottle of this lotion and I LOVE it.

The scent isn’t terribly strong….Which is good for me….I hate migraines and they hate me right back. It’s a nice and light lotion, not real “goopy” and thick like some of the other products I have tried out there. The Shea Butter is leaving my skin nice and soft too. It’s a little bit on the pricey ($15) side but it is so worth every penny that I spent on it.

If your looking for a light and “fluffy” lotion this summer to keep your skin hydrated and super soft I highly recommend this lotion. You won’t be sorry, especially if your not a big fan of “overpowering” scents.

Book Review ~ Fool by Christopher Moore

NOTE: This was orginally posted on June 4 over at my old wordpress blog.

I’m a big time reader and I just recently finished this book. Fool is a Christopher Moore’s own “wicked” poke at William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Now this book is NOT for the faint of heart. There is even a warning at the front of the book that reads: “This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity, as well as non-traditional grammar, split infinitives, and the odd wank. If that sort of thing bothers you then gentle reader pass by, for we endeavor only to entertain, not to offend. That said, if that’s the sort of thing you think you might enjoy, then you happened upon the perfect story!” In the beginning the language was a little bit hard to interpret but as the story went along it was easier to the language became much easier to follow. This story was VERY engaging…At least for me it was. I hope that you check this book out!

The main character is Pocket, who has been Lear’s much cherished fool for many years. Being so trusted Pocket is at his master’s side when Lear demands that his three daughters swear to him their undying love and absolute devotion. Naturally, the snakes, Goneril and Regan are only too happy to tell daddy exactly what he wants to hear. But Lear’s third daughter Cordelia believes that her father’s request is to be blunt…kind of stupid and her blunt honesty gets banished and she also forfits her share of Lear’s kingdom as well.

Now the shit has really hit the fan. And the only person who can make it right? Pocket. Now he’s going to have to use some pretty fancy “foot work” (casting a few spells, start a war or two…the usual basic stuff) to get Cordelia back into Lear’s good graces, derail the evil power plays of Cordelia’s evil sisters and shag every single shaggable women who’s agreeable along the way.

Now Pocket may be a fool . . . but he’s definitely not an idiot. Especially when you come to the end and learn a little bit more about our dear friend Pocket.

Book Review ~ Forgiven (Sisters of the Heart)

NOTE: Over the next few days I have review's scheduled that I'm bringing over from my old wordpress blog. PLUS, I'm in the process of reading Gone With The Wind and working on a review as I go along...Ought to right interesting!

This is the story of John Lundy's (one of the characters from Wanted) little sister, Winnie. Winnie is injured in a barn fire and while Winnie is in the hospital she must rely on Amish -turned - English Sam Miller. While Winnie is dealing with her feelings for Sam, her brother John is dealing with his own dilemma. I was so very sad when I came to the end of this book. The series as a whole was excellent in my opinion and I didn't want to see it come to an end. I really like this author too. But being as I'm terrible with words when it comes to these sorts of blog posts so as usual I'm going to let Barnes and Noble tell you about this book.

Tragedy strikes­—a brother and sister find themselves facing a situation that will shape the rest of their lives.
When a fire destroys the Lundys' barn, Winnie is injured trying to get the animals to safety. Confined to a hospital for weeks, out of touch with her loved ones who live too far away to visit by buggy, she must depend on Englisher Samuel Miller to keep her company. Though his family is part of Winnie's tight-knit Amish community, Samuel left years earlier to pursue a university education. Through conversations, and Samuel's dedication to her recovery, a friendship forms. But despite their growing attraction, Winnie knows it can never develop into something more as long as Samuel chooses to remain in the outside world.
When Winnie returns home, she finds her brother, Jonathan, struggling with his own dilemma. Cigarette butts were discovered in the debris of the barn and Jonathan is determined to find out who is responsible for destroying his property and putting his family at risk. But in a community founded on grace and forgiveness, will his unwillingness to move on eat away at the trust that is the foundation of their lives?

Book Review ~ Wanted (Sisters of the Heart)

This is book 2 in the Sisters of the Heart series that I just got done reading. This book is about Anna's (the main character from Hidden) Amish friend Katie Brennemen. I really enjoyed this book as well. Let's just say that Katie isn't afraid to speak her mind even if it means ticking off some people. But she's also a little bit afraid that her past is going to haunt her forever. Again, I am not so good with words when it comes to describing books and all that fun stuff so I'm going to again let Barnes and Noble tell you about Wanted.


For a split second, Katie feels certain she's about to receive everything she's ever wanted. . .
Twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has always quietly fancied Jonathan Lundy. So when the brokenhearted widower asks her to help him take care of his two young girls, Katie knows it will be a trying time—yet she cannot pass up a golden opportunity to get to know this man better.
Just as she's settling into her new life, a message arrives from Katie's past, threatening to expose her darkest secrets. During her Rumspringa, her running-around years, she experimented with activities forbidden in the Amish way of life. Frightened by how far she'd strayed from her values, Katie ran back home, vowing to cut all ties with the outside world. Now her transgressions are coming back to haunt her, just as Jonathan seems willing to welcome her into his heart.
Will the past destroy Katie's chances for love? Or will Katie allow herself to accept God's love, forgive her past, and receive everything she's ever wanted?

Read the review for Hidden.

Book Review ~ Hidden (Sisters of the Heart)

A coworker of mine told me about this book and lent it to me to read last week. At first I was a little bit skeptical.....An "english" girl runs away from an abusive relationship to a Bed and Breakfast run by her friend and her family....Kicker they're Amish. But the more of the book that I read the more I understood the reason behind my coworker telling me about this book. It ended up being a very good book and I could hardly wait to read the other 2 books in the series. I'll be honest I have a really hard time coming up with the right words, etc. to describe books, movies, music, and all that fun stuff....so I'm going to let Barnes and Noble tell you about this book.

When Anna decides it's time to leave her abusive boyfriend, she doesn't know where to turn. Rob has completely won over her parents, and the entire community, with his good looks and smooth charm. Only Anna has seen his dark side.
Desperate, she runs to the only place she's ever felt completely safe—the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. The family welcomes her in, and with few questions asked allows her to stay, dressed in Plain clothing, and help around the inn.
Katie's older brother Henry is the only one who doesn't take too kindly to the intrusion. He tries to ignore Anna, knowing no good would ever come from caring for an Englisher like her. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers her good heart and is surprised with her readiness to accept their lifestyle.
The more time Anna spends with the Amish, the more she feels she's found a true home. But how can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man from her past?

Depression Era Homemade Bread

I found this recipe for Depression Era Homemade bread on fellow SITSah Tiffany's blog Eat At Home. At first I was a little skeptical because the recipe called for a WHOLE 5 pound bag of flour. I don't know about you but that's a LOT of flour to put in a bowl. At our house we actually don't have a bowl big enough to put all that flour in so I actually had to 1/2 the recipe and use two bowls. I will warn you if you do try to make this recipe be prepared to get dirty! As skeptical as I was in the beginning after the bread came out of the oven I was very easily won over....It tastes AWESOME! For the price of a bag of flour (we already had the rest of the ingredients at the house) I was able to make 5 loaves of bread. Right now you can't even buy 5 loaves of bread for the price of a bag of flour!

Here is what I did (again I used two bowls because we just don't have a bowl big enough for 5 lbs of flour):

2.5 pounds of flour (in each bowl)

3 Tbs yeast (in each bowl)

3 tps salt (in each bowl)

3 cups warm water (in each bowl)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (mine needed more than 30 minutes though).

Click on Depression Era Homemade Bread to go to the recipe/directions.

Australia Review

NOTE: I updated and rearranged my "Favorite Posts" so please check them out.

Yesterday I viewed the movie Australia with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. I loved it...At first I was a little leery of seeing it because I hadn't heard much about the movie other than what my friend from work had told me about it. She's a big Hugh Jackman fan and could even his worst movie sound like the best thing since sliced bread....Does Hugh have a bad movie? I really don't think he does.

Usually, I'm not a real big fan of Nicole Kidman but she was really good in this movie. She was a very believeable as an English aristocrate, Lady Sarah Ashley, who's husband owns a cattle station, Far Away Downs, in the Northern territory of Australia, near Darwin. Well Lady Ashley come's to Australia assuming her husband is up to no good, only meet up with Drover (Hugh Jackman) and learn some shocking things about what has been going on at Far Away Downs. While at Far Away Down's she meets up with an Aboriginal child named Nullah and they all embark on a cattle drive across some of the harshest country in Australia, because the contract to supply the Australian Army with beef is on the line (this movie takes place when the world is on the brink of WWII). Not only do they have to contend with the elements but there are certain people who don't want this team to succeed and will do anything to see that they don't.

Because I don't want to give away too much of the movie I'll stop there.....But I will say that as great as the movie was, there are a few obvious CGI moments, but I didn't let that detract from the rest of the movie. Then there is the fact that Hugh Jackman looks pretty dang good on a horse....almost makes you wish you were the horse.

Here's the movie trailer: