My Fall Wish List

{Photo Credit}

Ahhh, autumn. I feel you in my bones too. My favorite time of year, when everything is turning to shades of oranges and reds, leaves crunch under your feet, crisp breezes, apple cider, hayrides, bonfires, and halloween. I am in love with fall. I of course have my wish list of activities for fall - apple orchards, bonfires, scary movies, spooky stories, and Halloween parties, but besides that, there are some more material items I would love to have this fall. Here they are, in no particular order. (Btw, this was not sponsored in any way - I was thinking about what I might want for my birthday lol)

This plaid dress

This ring 

This Jane Eyre Scarf

This cute fox pencil case

What about you? Is there anything on your list for fall? 

Note to Self: Relax

For me, this is way easier said then done. I have been such a little stressball lately that Billy told me go do something enjoyable for myself. So I decided to get a green science facial from Tantra Spa in Ferndale. It was part of their October specials, so it was even at a great price.

Trying to make the appointment was frustrating, there was a lot of misunderstanding, but we finally connected, and I made my appointment for today at 10:30. Then, yesterday I get a call confirming my appt. for 9:30. When I called back after work to tell them this was incorrect, they were closed. So, I woke my butt up early to get there on time - to walk in and be told my appointment was at 10:30, as I had originally scheduled. I was peeved, to say the least. Especially as I am not a morning person. And the lady behind the counter was kind of dismissive and know-it-all, saying that she didn't think so when I told her about the voice mail. I was like, no, really, that message was left for me. She was pretty unhelpful, and I told her I would be back in an hour then. Billy and I walked around downtown Ferndale until it was time to head back.

This time, everyone there was super nice. The lady I spoke with earlier wasn't there, and the two people I did encounter were very friendly and helpful. It turned the whole appointment around. The woman's name who who did my facial was Heather, and she made me feel comfortable right away. The room was very hippie boho, just my style, and I had to don a terry cloth wrap, then hop into a bed with a heated blanket - very comfy. When she started working on my face, I was very tense though - I am not used to that and could not relax! I had the hardest time staying still. Other than my own inability to let go, the facial itself was very nice, and my face so smooth and soft. I particularly liked the hot stones. The cold stone was very unusual feeling, and almost unpleasant. That didn't take long though, and it was back to the rest of the facial. She also massaged my feet, hands, shoulders and head, and for those I did manage to relax.

When I left, I left feeling like a sleepy cat, pretty relaxed and smelling heavily of patchouli. (my choice of scents) I would totally do it again, and even go back to Tantra, despite all the scheduling mishaps. Every other time I have been there, there have been no issues, so I am hoping this was a one off. It was worth it in the end, to get a little less tense and with my skin so silky smooth and clean feeling. Next time I plan to try the aromatherapy facial. And I will make a note to myself to relax!

Review : A Moveable Feast

Title: A Moveable Feast
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway’s most beloved works. Since Hemingway’s personal papers & were released in 1979, scholars have examined and debated the changes made to the text before publication. Now, this special restored edition presents the original manuscript as the author intended it to be published.

Featuring a personal Foreword by Patrick Hemingway, Ernest’s sole surviving son, and an Introduction by the editor and grandson of the author, Sean Hemingway, this new edition also includes a number of unfinished, never-before-published Paris sketches revealing experiences that Hemingway had with his son, Jack, and his first wife Hadley. Also included are irreverent portraits of other literary luminaries, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ford Maddox Ford, and insightful recollections of Hemingway’s own early experiments with his craft.

Sure to excite critics and readers alike, the restored edition of A Moveable Feast brilliantly evokes the exuberant mood of Paris after World War I and the unbridled creativity and unquenchable enthusiasm that Hemingway himself epitomized.

My thoughts:

Ok. I am going to admit something that I am embarrassed to admit. But I don’t get the fuss over Hemingway. Maybe it was just this particular book, but I don’t get it. 

I was really excited to read it too. I am a big fan of the lost generation, and this time and place in history, so I was really looking forward to diving in. F. Scott is a particular favorite of mine, and maybe that is part of my problem with this book, its treatment of him.

There were some parts that I adored. I loved the part where in his story he and his wife left their cat as a babysitter for their young son. I also loved the story where he described his cold flat, putting tangerines in his coat pocket overnight, because they would freeze if he didn't. How he sometimes only had tangerines and chestnuts to eat. Sitting in a café, writing and observing and thinking. I found his lifestyle wildly romantic – things like this were so beautiful they could make you dream: "we would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright."  

But then, other parts were so boring. Sometimes I felt like the stories were telling the same thing over and over, so repetitive, and a little bit mean girl too, with his treatment of other writers within the pages, especially F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda.  

Perhaps this wasn't the book to begin with. I am definitely going to read another of Hemingway’s books, I don’t know which one though. Maybe this book and I just weren't meant for each other.

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Read for the Classics Club 

Random 5 Friday - October 11

Random 5 Friday is hosted by Nancy from a Rural Journal

I used to participate in this meme with my blog, Detroit Magpie. It is too hard to keep up two blogs though, so I am combining the two blogs here.

1. Sunday Billy and I went to Motor City Brewing Works for lunch, and it was awesome!

2. This is my puff cat, Miso. She is super silly and affectionate.

3. On Sunday, we also went to the symphony, it was amazing.

4. I made the tough decision to go back to school. I will be heading back to Eastern Michigan in January for my Second Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal/Legal Studies. I am very nervous but excited!

5. Supernatural is back on!!! Woohoo!! I am still catching up on Season 8, but at least I know there is more when I finish! I love Dean. 

A Rainy Sunday in Detroit

A few weeks ago, DTE Energy arranged for a couple of free community performances. I jumped at the opportunity to watch the Detroit Symphony Orchestra perform, and took my husband, friend Mary and her husband Anthony with me. A week following the concert, I received an email from the DSO offering me two more complimentary tickets, this time for a performance at the Max Fischer Music Center. And, I got to pick any seat that I wanted! Like a ninny, I passed on the Box Seats because I felt weird, but I did choose the next price point down, the Dress Circle.

That morning, Billy and I left early so that we could get lunch before the show. We didn't want to stray too far from the area that The Max is located so that we could get to the symphony on time, so we went a few blocks away to the Motor City Brewing Works. I had never been there before but I had heard great things so I was excited to give it a try. One thing to note though: You must park in the spots that are marked for Motor City Brewing, or a restaurant named Traffic Jam will have your car towed. Apparently the lot is mostly theirs.

It was a slightly rainy day, but not gloomy. It was one of those fall days that is bright with the fallen colorful leaves, green and dewy. My favorite kind of autumn day. We took a seat at the counter, which is cement painted a rich burgundy color, and our drink order was taken immediately. I ordered their version of hard cider, while Billy ordered the Bohemian Lager. Mine was wonderfully tart and delicious, but Billy's Bohemian was better for the time of day. I enjoyed it, but next time for lunch I will order the Boho, the cider was just too rich for the early hour. 

Photo property of Motor City Brewing Works

 The Tap Room was so cozy, I felt like we were outside, with the dappled sunlight streaming through the skylights, the stone and wood accents, and the sound of a gentle rain overhead. We sipped on our drinks as we perused the menu, which consisted of salads and pizzas. They have vegetarian options as well as those for carnivores, and all are made in a brick oven, which I could see from my seat at the bar. Billy and I split a pizza, and decided to design our own. The options were endless, and we were able to choose the sauce, cheese, and the toppings. For the basics of the pizza, we chose tomato herb sauce and quattro formaggi cheese. As for the toppings, I picked olives for my half, and Billy chose Italian sausage.

It arrived not too long after we ordered, and was super gooey and cheesy and warm. We polished it off pretty quickly, downed the rest of our drinks, and headed off to the symphony!

We arrived at The Max a good hour before the performance was scheduled to begin. We wandered around the lobby, where we could have purchased more booze but opted instead for a coffee and a water. Eventually, we took our seats. We were lucky enough to be able to hear a talk from a new composer, Bright Sheng, whose piece Let Fly was being performed at its world premiere that day by violinist Gil Shaham. 

The symphony began the performance with the Russian Easter Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov followed by Sheng's piece. I was swept away by the music and closed my eyes, mentally visually the notes soaring through the air, which is what Sheng was trying to put into song, this idea. A quick intermission followed, where Billy and I did order a drink each - wine for me, whiskey for him. Tip: If you order your drink before the performance begins, it will be waiting for you at intermission. After the fast intermission, the orchestra resumed with music from composer Maurice Ravel, a favorite of mine, including Parvane for a Dead Princess. I left the Detroit Orchestra with my head in the clouds and full of music. I can't wait to go again!

Review: Tomorrow Girls - Behind the Gates

Title: Behind the Gates
Author: Eva Gray
Source: My work library

Goodreads Summary:

In a terrifying future world, four girls must depend on each other if they want to survive.
Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school -- but she's excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure!
Country Manor School isn't all excitement, though. Louisa isn't sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything's-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time.
Still, Louisa loves CMS -- the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn't even miss not having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It's for their own safety, after all.
Or is it?



My Thoughts:

I read this book while researching and reviewing dystopian book for the K-5 library I work in. Our 3^rd – 5^th graders are always asking if we have Hunger Games, and we don’t. That trilogy is at the middle school, we just feel the content is a bit too old for our kids. 6^th grade though, they can try it out, and one of the 5^th grade teachers has a couple copies in her room that are available to students, so that is an option as well. However, I am on a mission to have a few books that will interest these Hunger Games seeking readers, and Behind the Gates in the first I have read in my quest.

I really enjoyed it! Much more than I thought I would, actually. The story focuses on four roommates: Louisa, Maddie, Rosie, and Evelyn. They were all shipped out to school, as per the custom of their time, away from their parents.  They are sent to Country Manor School, which is for rich kids, but their parents do not know where the school is located. For their safety. There is a war going on, and everything is “for their safety”. 

 The four girls are very different, even though Maddie and Louisa have known each for years and are best friends. The school is a not what they expected or what they are used to. There are a few regular academic classes, but there are also survival classes, where they learn to use a gun or tie a knot, or how to survive in the wilderness. Louisa really is enjoying her classes, as is Rosie, but Evelyn thinks something is shady, while Maddie just plain hates it. It sounds as if in their lives back home, they did not get to go outside much, so that is another aspect that Louisa and Rosie like – the fresh air and being outdoors. I would crave that too, if I had to be cooped up inside all the time. 

Slowly, things start to happen that make Evelyn more suspicious, and finally the one thing that Louisa feared most happens – and the four girls have to work together to find an answer.

I think this book perfectly suits my needs, and I am excited to add it to the list of books to suggest to my young dystopian fans. I actually liked it myself, so much so that I am about to start the second book in the series, Run for Cover.

September Book Club

Hostess: Erin
Book: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Food: Cheesy Corn Chowder, Baguette, Cheese and Crackers, Veggie Tray, Apple Pie
Month: September
Wine of the Night: Bogle Cabernet


When I planned the menu, I was expecting a cool and crisp fall day, but instead we had a sticky hot humid day. Maybe the weather wanted to match that of Savannah’s.  It was the wrong weather for soup, but it was what I had planned, so I stuck with it. I turned the air conditioner up to compensate, and I am happy to say that everything turned out perfectly, in regards to the soup. The pie however, was not so good. I was short on time, so I tried to cheat and bought a frozen Marie Callender pie, their Lattice Apple. The taste was good, but it had to be served in a bowl. Next time I will just take the time and make my own.

I love this book, and so, I want my friends to love it too. It seems weird to say that I love a murder mystery, especially one that is true, but the characters, which also are based on real people, are so eccentric and charismatic that you can’t help but fall for their southern charm, despite any imperfections they may have. Savannah itself large over the story, beguiling the reader and becoming a main character.  

These characters (people) took over our discussion as well. The Lady Chablis, Luther Driggins, Serena Dawes, to name just a few that we talked about, over drinks, which I am sure many of them would appreciate.  I love reading about the Married Women’s Card Club, and of course Joe Odom. We all thought it would be awesome to meet Chablis, or to attend one of her shows. When Jennifer and I visited Savannah a few years ago, we saw a poster outside a building advertising one of her performances, but it was the wrong dates for us to attend. We also visited the house itself, which was just as gorgeous as I had imagined.

Finally, we discussed the main prevailing storyline, that of Jim Williams and his involvement in the murder of Danny Hansford. Trial after trial found him guilty, until eventually, at a trial in another city, Jim was found not guilty, although he died of a heart attack not long after. Was it premeditated, cold blooded murder? Or was it self-defense? We all cast our votes, and have our own ideas about what happened that night.

What do you think?