Sonnet XI

I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.
Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.
Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day
I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

I hunger for your sleek laugh,
your hands the color of a savage harvest,
hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,
I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.

I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,
the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,
I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,

and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,
hunting for you, for your hot heart,
like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.

-Pablo Neruda


Ahhh, {sigh}. Beautiful.

I have vampire love on the brain tonight. {Thanks to Miss Stephanie Meyer!}

Wordless Wednesday

If you participate in WW, don't forget to add your blog @ 5 Minutes for Mom!

Happy WW!
-Jen

My Weekend W's

My Weekend W's: {This should have been yesterday's post- oops!}

Woo-hoo: I finished the Twilight Saga! Woo-hoo!

Whine: The novelty of being back to work has worn off?!

Wisdom: Sometimes, it rains on the just. Sometimes it rains on the unjust. And, sometimes it just rains. - Unknown

Weakness: A good sale.

Worry: That I'm a good enough mom.

Want: The Duchess DVD.

Web: Ivillage 'twilight' board. I really enjoyed reading the posts last night after I was done w/breaking dawn.

Wish: I was going on vacation soon. To some place warm.

Weird: You know what's weird? At work, when we'll have the rudest person drop off a script, and then ask, 'can I get this as soon as possible?'
Ummm... yeah, sure. How fast should we get this ready for you?


Happy Tuesday!
-Jen

Why I haven't blogged since the 24th...

Need I say more?


I'm three pages into {book two:Jacob} of breaking dawn.

What's happened?????

Why are we back to Jacob???

Agghhhh...!!!

'Tis Christmas eve! I have a song stuck in my head as I fiddle around today getting things ready before we hit the road to the in-laws.

Silent Night, you ask? Nope.

Jingle Bells in all it's catchy-tune glory? Nope.

A Christmas favorite Jen, O Holy Night? Nope.....

Dear daughter received an early present (CD) by the name of the 'Jonas Brothers'. If you have a tween/ young teen daughter, you've heard of them. you may have heard this song, too.







Help! Its.stuck.in.my.head.and.it.won't.go.away. :P

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

-Jen

My W's

My W's:

Woo-hoo: Christmas is almost here!! Yay!

Whine: I still need to make a veggie side dish to bring to my mom's and I have no idea what to bring?

Wisdom: When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me.” - Erma Bombeck

Weakness: Chocolate covered raisins

Worry: Ice and sleet tomorrow.

Want: A piece of panettone.

Web: Book Crossing - Read and Release! The idea is just too neat. This is on my to do list after the new year.

Wish: Peace on earth.

Weird: It's weird just how much I'm learning about the law.

{For the past 3 months, every conversation w/hubby seems to start with him asking me, 'Did you know that...?'}

Did I mention that some of these conversations are about as fun as scrubbing the toilet? ;P It is cute how he wants to share his knowledge, though.

Have a wonderful, happy holiday!
-Jen

Aloha Friday! Travel

Yay- It's Aloha Friday!

My Aloha Friday question is:

If you could travel in time for one day, would you travel to the past or the future?

Honestly, I'd be too freaked out to travel to the future.

I'd most definitely travel to the past for a day if I could. My initial thought was I'd love to visit ancient Rome, but then I don't think I could stomach the 'real' daily roman life.

To visit colonial America after our independence would be high on my list. =)





Head on over to An Island Life for more Aloha Friday questions and to play.


Have a great weekend!
-Jen

Semi Wordless Wednesday!

Easy as 1,2,3!



1- Buy mini pastry puff shells and bake as directed.

2- Make a small box of chocolate pudding.

3- Pipe or spoon drop pudding into shells, shake some powdered sugar on top and garnish as you'd like.

{Works great w/sugar-free pudding (minus the powdered sugar on top) for the diabetic friends and family. =)}





If you participate in WW, don't forget to add your blog @ 5 Minutes for Mom!


Happy WW!

One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.
One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if
they are few...
Gradually one discards and keeps just the perfect specimen; not
necessarily a rare shell, but a perfect one of it's kind.
One sets it apart by itself, ringed around by space- like an island.
For it is only framed in space that beauty blooms.
Only in space are events and objects and people unique and significant- and therefore beautiful.
A tree has a significance from the silences on either side.
A candle flowers in the space of night.
Even small and casual things take on significance if they are washed
in space like a few autumn grasses in one corner of an Oriental painting,
the rest of the page bare.
For it is not merely the trivial which clutters our lives but the important as well. We can have a surfeit of treasures- an excess of shells, where one or two would be significant.

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea- 1955

I love reading this. Sometimes, less is more, isn't it?

Weekend W's

My weekend W's:

Woo-hoo: I've lost seven whole pounds! Woo-hoo!!

Whine: The antibiotic my doc gave me for my sinus infection makes my stomach nauseous. Agghh.

Wisdom: Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken. -Jane Austen

Weakness: Chili cheese fries.

Worry: The Big 3 Bailout. I can't even begin to imagine what that means for Michigan if they don't get it.

Want: A white soup tureen. =)

Web: Can you say, 'goosebumps'?

Celine Dion ~ O Holy Night

Schubert ~ Ave Maria

Wish: A mild winter. {crossing fingers}

Weird: How hubby says it's too loud for him to study, but apparently not too loud for him to hear/watch the tv? ;P


Happy Sunday!
-Jen

Honest Award!

Two of my very sweet bloggy friends, Becky and
Andrea have bestowed on me this rockin' honest award!

Thank you so much, you sweet thangs, you!

Here's the award rules:

Write a post about the award, link back to the person who gave you the award.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Add links to those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message for the nominees on their blogs.
Name 10 honest random things about yourself.

I'm passing this honest award on to:

1- Jen @ Our Daily Big Top! A place that always makes me smile. =)
2- Liz @ A Mom on Spin! A blog that {cracks} me up on a daily basis!
3- Nette @ Nette's Niche! A sweet blog that I've recently discovered. {Check out her adorable header!}
4- Little momma @ little momma & co. This blogger is so creative she sparkles!
5, 6 and 7- My ivillage friends, Jen @ The fun house , Angie @ Hugs, Bugs, Tots and Whatnots, and Tami @ Life's Little Challenges. I love keeping up with these girlies here in bloggyland.

Now, on to 10 honest things about myself:

1- I have this thing for the past tense. I love history, antiques and most things old. Even people. {grin}
My mother-in-law used to pass this magazine on to me that she'd get from a friend- 'Reminisce'. I'd read this magazine front to back and back to front. Tell me a story from times gone by and I'm a listenin'.

2- My favorite part of making home made chicken noodle soup is preparing the Mirepoix. There's just something about chopping all them up on the cutting board that I like. I know, I'm weird. I'm just trying to be honest, though.

3- About cooking. I really like to cook, but I'd have absolutely no aversion to having a live-in personal chef. Preferably, a chef with the initials, T.F. I know, bad girl. Again, just being honest.

4- I will never, ever, ever stop being a voice for animals. I've been so discouraged by all the truly evil, animal abusers that walk the face of the earth, but I have to remind myself to continue to be their voice because they don't have one. The ASPCA rocks!

5- Small, tedious things and me do not mix. period. =)

6- I drink too much coffee. 3+ a day. Bad girl.

7- I want to paint my kitchen cabinets black. I've just been too chicken to do it. {cluck, cluck}

8- I'm so excited that 'The Duchess' comes out on DVD on December 27th that I'd seriously do some back flips if I could!! I've been wanting so very badly to see this movie but never made it to the theater to see it.
{Okay, I have to be honest, right? Again I was, {cluck, cluck} too darn chicken to go by myself and it's not an appropriate movie to drag bring Haley to, or I would have.}
Don't be surprised if I start signing my blog posts, 'Georgiana' after I see it. I already <3 her, so this movie might push me to infatuation. ;P

9- I am on the internet way too much. I'm almost ashamed to think of how much more of a productive member of society I'd be, if I'd just remove my tush from my desk chair more often.

10- I hate peanuts. Ughh-yuck! Love pecans, though!

Thanks again for passing on this award to me bloggyville pals. =)

-Jen

Aloha Friday! Holiday Season

Yahoo! It's Aloha Friday!


My Aloha Friday question is:



What's one thing {or two} that you just have to make during the holiday season?

During the holidays I have to make two sweet treats: Cherry Chiffon and Chocolate pudding Napoleons!
{Napoleon recipe coming soon in a future blog post! Stay tuned! ;D}

These are two of my must makes over here in our neck of the woods during the holidays. =)


Head on over to An Island Life for more Aloha Friday questions and to play.


-Jen

Pineapple-Pecan Muffins!

Move over, Spongebob! You don't hold a candle to this pineapple lover. I'd live in one too, if I could.

{When I was a kid, the best part of the Christmas ham was the pineapple & cherries. In honor of my childhood taste buds, I think I'm going to add some dried cherries next time. Sounds pretty tasty, doesn't it?!}


Here's my simple pineapple muffin recipe, with some pecan and coconuts for some simple goodness:

Pineapple Pecan Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 {generous} cup crushed pineapple, drained
Sweetened coconut {garnish}





1-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease 12 muffin tins.
2-In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger and brown sugar.
3-In another bowl combine egg, milk, oil and pineapple.
4-Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.
5-Mix in chopped pecans.
6-Divide batter evenly among 12, greased muffin tins and top with coconut.
7- Bake at 400 F. for about 16-18 minutes or until done.
8- Eat & enjoy! =)




Happy Thursday!
-Jen

Wordless Wednesday

All I want in my Christmas stocking...



Santa baby, in case you need the address to find it:

Tiffany & Co.
Fifth Avenue and 57th Street,
New York City


{singing}
Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany's
I really do believe in you
Let's see if you believe in me
Boo doo bee doo


Yeah, I'm a dreamer. what can I say? =)

If you participate in WW, don't forget to add your blog @ 5 Minutes for Mom!


Happy WW!

Weekend W's

My weekend W's:

Woo-hoo: My Christmas cards are written. Now, I just need stamps.

Whine: My check was shorted by 11 hours this week. At least next check will be bigger, right?! =)

Wisdom: We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.
-Mother Teresa

Weakness: Babies & Baby animals.

Want: Olga's. Yummm...

Web: What the World Eats. I thought this was interesting.

Wish: With the Goodfellows organization on my mind, I wish for every child to have a Christmas.

Weird: It's weird how my candy dish full of M&M's keeps disappearing, yet no one claims to have eaten them. :D

Aloha Friday! Country or City girl?

TGIF! It's Aloha Friday!


My Aloha Friday question is:

Are you a country girl or a city girl?

I'm more of a city girl. Although, I'd love to buy some land in the future and try my hand at being a country girl. =)


Head on over to An Island Life for more Aloha Friday questions and to play.


-Jen

Christmas Inspiration: Antlers?

Seems I'm always being inspired.

Recently, Pottery Barn inspired me with their Frosted Branches.

I knew I had to whip me up some of these!

So, I went and bought some white glitter:


Mil brought me some branches:


and an hour later...

Frosted Branches:
They look so glittery gorgeous up close!



Then I put them in my vase...




... frosted antlers anyone?




I guess you win some and you lose some. lol.

Now, I just have to find some vase replacements. The blossom branches that I had in the vase just don't look right among the Christmas decor. And, the frosty antlers aren't cutting it.

I need to find some more inspiration...

'Cause if you know me, I can't let a vase sit empty.



PS- I'm open for suggestions, bloggy friends. =)

Semi Wordless Wednesday!

Picked this up at CVS on Saturday.

Nicholas loves, loves, loves this thing!

No crying at naps or bedtime.
Nothing, nada.
Only quietness as he watches the fish go around and around.

Best $9.99 I've spent in a loooong time. =)





If you participate in WW, don't forget to add your blog @ 5 Minutes for Mom!


Happy WW!

Paper Ornaments

Over here in my neck of the woods, I've been buzzing around like a busy lil' bee.

Tis' the Christmas season and I love it!

We started the first day of the Christmas Advent last night with some chocolate sweets, {Can ya believe it's December already?!}
and I'm still tweaking my Christmas decor.

And since I'm still tweaking, I'm still making stuff. lol.

Over the weekend, I decided to make some paper Christmas ornaments.

I thought the kids {my nephew and Haley} would like it.

Nephew's response when asked was- 'ugh. Crafts? Why do you always like to do crafts, Auntie?!'.

Umm. Okay. guess you're sitting this one out. ;P

Haley decided since Hunter wasn't making any, that she needed to keep him company. {What she really meant was she was too wrapped up in Sims 2}. Yeah, I get it- I'm on my own with this one.


Here's my ornamentals. =)













I <3 paper ornaments!

-Jen