Maureen Makes It Giveaway WINNER!!!
Gisela
I did not forget...I just needed a minute to post!

DRUMROLL PLEASE.................

And the winner, decided by random.org is #14- PAULETTE!

pblarr Says:
April 19, 2010 9:51 AM

LOVE the "wine o'clock" towel ~ it MUST be time for a glass somewhere, right? awesome!


Congrats, Paulette! I will get you in touch with Maureen so you can work out the details of your towel! I hope you enjoy yours as much as I LOVE mine! And thank you again, Maureen for making one of these GORGEOUS towels!


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Book #13- Midwives
Gisela
It has been brought to my attention (thanks, Mom) that I have no updated my most recent books I've read. I apologize!

Book number thirteen was Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. This story is about a midwife who is put on trial after a patient of hers dies during childbirth. The midwife, wanting to save the life of the baby, performs an emergency cesarean section on the mother. The question is raised- was the mother actually dead, or did she die as a result of the surgery.
While I enjoyed the book and thought it was interesting, I also felt it moved very slowly and dragged on a bit long. I did enjoy that the story was told through the point of view of the midwife's daughter, as well as having excepts from the midwife's journal.

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Maureen Makes It Giveaway!
Gisela
WHEW...it was been a LONG week. Two sick children + an out-of-town husband= One tired and stressed out Mommy! We all survived though, and both of the boys are feeling MUCH better!


Now, as promised- the details on this AWESOME, personalized towel I first introduced to you on Wordless Wednesday. This ROCKIN' towel was a gift from my wonderfully talented friend, Maureen from Maureen Makes It. She knows how much I LOVE coffee (I mean, who doesn't, really?) and surprised me with this towel for my kitchen. Little did she know I'm in the process of looking for new coffee decor for my kitchen...which means, I'll probably just pay her to make me some really cool stuff!





Anyway, Maureen is SUPER talented, as I've already mentioned. She not only sews, but she has gorgeous hand-painted glasses, personalized wristlets, nap mats for toddlers, toddler backpacks, aprons- seriously, she can create something personalized for anyone! In fact, she has agreed to make a towel for one of my readers, so I am hosting my first giveaway! The winner will get to choose their coffee cup color and thread color for their name. This giveaway will end on Sunday, April 25 @ 6:00p Eastern.




Here is how to win!



*Check out Maureen's Etsy shop (Maureen Makes It) and in a comment tell me what your favorite item is. This must be done first for any additional entries to count!




For additional entries (please add new comment for each entry)


*Follow my blog AND become a follower of Maureen's blog


*Follow me on Twitter


*Tweet about the giveaway (you can Tweet once per day)


*Blog about the giveaway- be sure to send me the link


Good luck! I know you will love Maureen's work as much as I do!


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Easter Recap
Gisela
We had a busy, fun-filled Easter weekend here!

The fun started on Friday afternoon when we had a few friends over to help dye Easter eggs. It was a gorgeous day (highs close to 80!) and so we set up the egg dying station out in the backyard. We actually had bets as to how quickly it was going to turn disasterous and when the dye would start being spilled, knocked over, or drank. Much to our surprise all nine cups of dye remained upright and all five kids had a BLAST coloring eggs! They were upset that I hadn't hard boiled more! (Note to self: hard boil at least three dozen eggs next year, as this kept the children well occupied!)


And apparently after coloring eggs it makes five hungry children devour a five pound bowl of fruit in minutes!



Saturday morning Ken and I loaded the boys up in the car and headed to Ocean City for the day.



Sunday morning we woke up and the boys hunted for eggs around the house (no pictures...Mommy was still half asleep!) and checked out the loot in their baskets. Erik loved his Buzz Lightyear basket, while Nicholas was thrilled with his Star Wars basket. We quickly got ready and headed to church and then to Ken's parents for brunch and another egg hunt with their cousin. All the boys had fun and ended up with more loot! It was definitely a fun-filled weekend!
Oh, and the boys cute Peeps shirts are courtesy of my friend Faith of Sassy Kat Creations. You can find her on Facebook or Etsy!







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Wordless Wednesday
Gisela
More about this to come!







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Book #12- Back to Life
Gisela
I chose my latest read because it was the sequel to my book #10- The Trophy Wives Club. I have to say, I did not enjoy this book as much as the first in the series. This book did not focus on the same main character as the original. Instead, Back to Life was told by two characters- Lindsey and Jane, both who had been married to the same man, Ron. Lindsey is Ron's widow, however, after his death his ex-wife Jane appears because she is in charge of his will. The story goes back and forth between Lindsey and Jane, their relationship with Ron, and the similaries and differences between the women.

To be honest, I was really a bit bored with the story overall. The book did have a stronger ending than the first in the series, but Back to Life moved slowly and was just lacking in excitement for me.

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Call Me Klutzy
Gisela
So, as I mentioned in my previous post I have broken a bone. To be more accurate, I've broken several. Each arm twice and a stress fracture on my hip. The first three arm breaks were within a four month period. Yes, three breaks in four months- first was my left arm (I fell down roller skating), then my right arm (fell from a pile of logs), and then the week after I got that cast off I broke it again (fell off my bike). I was five years old and in kindergarten. I wondered if DYFS was ever called, but my mom says that school just asked me a bunch of questions. Apparently I was able to explain that I'm just klutzy!



The next break was a few years later when I was eight. Once again, I was roller skating. Same skating rink. Broke the same arm. I think my orthopedic doctor really liked me. I'm sure my parents wanted to put me in a bubble! The stress fracture on my hip was when I was in high school. NOT pleasant at all, and that hip still irritates me at times. I joke that I'll need a hip replacement by the time I'm forty.



I have had plenty of other klutzy moments. I tripped over a curb and busted my chin open...had to get a few stitches. I've slipped on a patch of black ice and sprained my arm- although had to get X-Rays for that, because it was swollen and hurt like heck. When I took gym in ninth grade I managed to get hurt playing every sport...hit in the face with a basketball (yes, I was a basketball player, too), had a lacrosse stick hit me across the nose (lovely black eye), and heck, I even managed to cut my thumb open on a badminton racquet. Seriously, WHO gets hurt playing badminton? Yours truly!



I do klutzy things on a fairly regular basis, and most don't involve serious physical injury. I walk into walls, fall down AND up stairs, trip over my own feet. I'm a mess sometimes! I sure do hope my kids do NOT inherit my klutziness. And I sure hope they don't have nearly as many broken bones as I have had! Personally, I could do without any!



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99 Random Things About Me
Gisela
I saw this posted on another blog, and I thought it might be interesting. In completing this I think I have gathered some ideas for some future posts. But feel free to ask questions about any of these. And when all is said and done, you may find some interesting things out about me.



Instructions: The post is a list of 99 random things. Bold the ones that you yourself have done (I highlighted mine in red). And for some I added my own little commentary.

1. Started your own blog (I suppose you already knew this if you're here though)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (I played the clarinet in middle school)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney World (going again in June, CAN'T WAIT!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (ok...nowhere exotic, but I've been on the Spirit of Baltimore and Spirit of Philadelphia!)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (visited Germany in 1995 and I cannot wait until I have the opportunity to go back)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Learned a new language (I learned Spanish and forgot most of it. When my 3 year old son asked me how to say 'goodbye' in Spanish I had to Google it. No lie.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (Cozumel, Mexico- absolutely amazing!)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (I took Tae Kwon Do as a kid.)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (I've actually broken several bones. Including 3 broken arms in a period of 4 months. Yes, I am quite klutzy!)
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (And we still have that car! I no longer drive it on a regular basis, but I love it!)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fishing counts, right?)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo (when I was 19, about a month before I met my husband. He doesn't like tattoos though, so no more for me.)
94. Had a baby (Two of them actually!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person (I'd love to go back to San Antonio...I love Texas!)
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee (Yes, including in the corner of my eye and inside my mouth. Fortunately I am not allergic, and bees really don't bother me. Don't tell, but my husband is terrified of them!)

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Wordless Wednesday
Gisela
My little Irish boys (they get their Irish from their daddy...not me!) sporting their green!



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Book #11- Lady Killer
Gisela

My latest read was Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. This was a chick-lit, mystery/thriller type story...in other words, right up my alley! In this story the main character, Mary, is trying to find her high school rival, Trish, who has gone missing after coming to Mary (a lawyer) for help because she fears her Mob boyfriend is going to kill her. The story takes place in Philly, and I later found out Scottoline is a Philadelphia native- WOOHOO! While the book wasn't super believable, it was still an enjoyable read. I look forward to checking out more of Scottoline's books.

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