December 30, 2010

December 30th, 2010

Have I told you how much I love my new Kindle?  No?  Well, it is a great item.  Especially if you love to read, as I do. 

I just finished reading a book called After Life.  It was quite good.  I hope you like Zombies, because it is a Zombie book.  The book follows Alex and his friend Morgan as they survive the Zombie Apocalypse. 

The ending is what made this book great, in my opinion.  It didn't end like other Zombie books where everyone dies and or is about to be eaten and the book ends.  It ends quite differently. 

If you get a chance and like Zombie books, check it out. 

December 29, 2010

December 29th, 2010

I watched some really great tv last night.  I watched the Kennedy Center Honors where they inducted Oprah Winfrey, Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman, Bill T Jones, and Paul McCartney. 
Growing up within 30 minutes or less from Washington DC, I have been to the Kennedy Center many times, and it really is a great place.  I’ve seen quite a few performances there. 
I really tuned in to see No Doubt, play tribute to Paul McCartney, but enjoyed the tribute to the other Honorees as well.  Especially the one for Jerry Herman, who wrote the play Hello Dolly and Mame.  I remember when my older brother and I went to the Kennedy Center to see the play Hello, Dolly with Carol Channing.  What a great performance that was, and we walked out singing the songs from the play when the night was over.  We sang them all the way home. 
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Yes, I took a picture of the tv!  ha ha.  I love Carol Channing (in red), she is amazing.  And that is Angela Lansbury next to her. I rarely say this, but what a fun night on tv that was!

December 28, 2010

December 28th, 2010

Today Mark heads out for his winter trip.  He is heading to Hong Kong, Thailand (hang with some of his family), Vietnam, and Cambodia.  I'm going to miss him, but the day after he gets back we are going to Mexico.  He will be in Hong Kong for New Years (not to be confused with the Chinese New Year) and I cannot wait to see what video he sends back of the fireworks there.  He bought a helmet camera that shoots HD video and is completely waterproof!

Here is a pic of the two of us he took with it.

Pretty good picture quality huh?  It's got a bubble lense, and it gives pictures and video a fish eye effect, but still cool.

Here is a test video he shot with the camera.



That is his roommates boxer, Lottie.  Cute huh?

And last but not least, and I think this falls into the super cool category of things.  After I finished reading Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice, I visited her website.  There was an email there saying you could contact her that way.  So I typed up a short email saying the books Angel Time and Of Love and Evil are great and I can't wait to see what happens next.  Well.... I wasn't expecting a response, but I got one.  And it wasn't some automatically generated Thank You, that is very impersonally and has nothing to do with whatever the content of your email is.  Oh no!  In fact, it was quite a surprise to me that 15 minutes after I sent that email, Anne Rice responded back.  Here is what she said.

"Thanks, Marie.  I have a very large third novel in mind.  I'm working on something 
else right now, and then will do the third Angel novel.  Your feedback is wonderful. 
Glad you're enjoying the books.  Have a Merry Christmas.  Anne."

What a wonderful woman she is.  I know she is busy writing books, but she still took the time to write back.  That speaks volumes to me about how truly awesome she is.  

Well that is it for today, I have some job hunting to take care of.  Hopefully I get back into the workforce soon.  I like the extra time I have had here, but I also like to work.  If that makes any sense.

Have a great day everyone!

December 27, 2010

December 27th, 2010

I just finished reading Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice. It is the book that follows Angel Time, and Toby O'Dare the assassin as he tries to repent for all the killing he has done.

Just like Angel Time, I loved this book. The story line is amazing to me. Toby travels back in time and helps people to repent for what he has done. Add in to this book the addition of his high school crush and 10 year old son,and you get a great story.

I have so many questions, and hopefully in the next book some of them will get answered.

Oh, and here is a fun fact about this blog post. I wrote it usimg the web browser on my Kindle. Pretty cool!

December 23, 2010

December 23rd, 2010

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I love the holiday season.  It can be so much fun to get caught up in doing fun things.  Like this week, I made a Gingerbread House.  Well, it came in a kit, so I did not have to do any baking. 

It was pretty fun, except when I realized I had put the roof pieces as the walls, and had to take it apart to reassemble.  I still laughed at that though. 

December 21, 2010

December 21st, 2010

I just added 3 new items to my Etsy shop, so swing on by and check them.  This includes another pair of the blue flower earrings.  The last pair went so quickly, it was amazing!




Also is a pair of earrings I like to call Rock n' Roll.  They are made with some jewelry chain, and I adore them.  And lastly, a matching set of earrings and a bracelet that would be great for New Year's Eve. 

Check them out!!!

December 20, 2010

December 20th, 2010

I just finished reading on my Kindle The Paradise War by Stephen R. Lawhead.  It's book one of a 3 book trilogy, and it was pretty good.  I really liked that it was kind of like a time travel book.  The main character ends up traveling back in time to a place long forgotten.  He has to learn to speak Celt, and learn their ways. 

Check it out and see if you like it.  I know I did, and I cannot wait to download books 2 and 3.

December 19, 2010

December 19th, 2010



Mmmmm...chocolate drizzled, toffee covered popcorn!

December 16, 2010

December 16th, 2010



Christmas came a little early for me.

Mark got me a kindle. I also got a skin for it and a knit case.

December 15, 2010

December 15th, 2010



A good way to stay motivated while unemployed....

Work out!

If I can motivate myself to werk it at the gym, I can do anything!

December 12, 2010

December 12th, 2010

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After finally finding a pan to do the water bath for the cheese cake, it turned out a success… Woooo!!

December 11, 2010

December 11th, 2010

Mark and I made this cheese cake, and water got into the pan during the baking process. 

The top should not look like this!


So Mark and I re-purchased the ingredients to make the cheese cake again.

His oven died. It won't bake ....

So I take the new mixture home determined to bake it tonight.....

I don't have a roasting pan large enough to give this cake a water bath. 

I texted Mark and let him know my issue, and so in the AM I am taking the contents back to his house to try to bake.  
Normally this would be no big deal, but Sat is the annual O'Malley non-denominations Holiday Potluck and Gift exchange.  I want to make a dessert everyone will enjoy.... fingers crossed.

Here is the recipe for the cheese cake if you want to give it a whirl yourself.  Hopefully you will have better luck than me.

Honey Ricotta Cheesecake

8 oz purchased biscotti
6 tblsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
12 oz container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained
2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange blossom or clover honey
1 tblsp orange zest
4 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter & process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese & sugar & blend well, stopping the machine occasionally & scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the honey & orange zest. Add the eggs & pulse just until blended.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden & the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour & 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Transfer the cake to a rack & cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into wedges and serve.

December 10, 2010

December 10th, 2010

I just added 4 new pairs of earrings to my Etsy shop. I have a pair of blue flowers that I absolutely love.  I also have a pair that look like crazy hands and I think they are so whimsical and fun. 

Check them out!!

December 9, 2010

December 9th, 2010

Wooo.... book review time. 

I just finished yesterday the book Dark Possesion by Christine Feehan.  Great book.  It is vampire, meets shape shifter, romance.  Does that make sense?  Probably not.  I will say this, it was choc full of sex!  I don't mind if there is sex in a book, but this was a bit over the top with it.  I did like the story line though.  So despite the never ending sex that ran rampant  in this story, that story line kept me interested. 

I know I read another book by Christine Feehan, and that was Dark Celebration.  I can't find the review for it.... maybe I didn't write one.  In fact I think that book was the pre-quill to this book, so it's good to know I am right on track.  Ha ha

Here is the exert from the leaflet on the inside of the book. 

"Manolito De La Cruz knew he was dangerously close to turning into a vampire.  The last thing he expected after being called back to his Carpathian homeland by Prince Mikhail was to catch the scent of his destined lifemate in MaryAnn Delaney.  MaryAnn is human but she knows all to well the overwhelmingly aggressive instincts of the Carpathian males.  And they're not the sort of men she's prefer to be bound to for life.


A dedicated couselor for battered women, MaryAnn has a fulfilling life with no room for someone like Manolito, born and bred in the Carpathian Mountains, a law unto himself.  But when MaryAnn agrees to go to South America to offer guidance to a brutalized young woman, she's oblivious of the trap that awaits her in the sweltering thick of the jungle.  She has been lured there by Manolito himself, who has seductive plans for the unaware, irresistibly human female.


Once there, she will be his.  Once his, she will never be released.  He is her lover, her predator, her lifemate.  She is his dark possession..."

Over all it was a good read.  A little less sex, and a little more story and it would have been a great read.  I will probably pick up another Christine Feehan book in the future, should I see it floating around the mark down section in Borders Books. 

December 8, 2010

December 8th, 2010





Today is a sad day, and a happy day.  The Radio station that I have been working at for over 5 years is closing, they will be going off the air tomorrow.  They are transferring the signal (1190 am) to Leesburg's, WAGE.  It will still be owned by the same company, but I will not be able to travel there to work.  Which means I will be jobless.  After much thinking and consideration, I have decided it's time to change paths.  I have been trying to move forward in radio for a couple years and for whatever reason, I have not been able to get a new job in radio.  So I have decided that I want to be a dog groomer. 

I'm sad to see the radio station I worked at for so long closing, but I am happy to start a new path in life. 

You know what they say, when one door closes, another one opens.  Here's to new paths in life!

December 5, 2010

December 5th, 2010

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Check out my latest pair of earrings I put up in my Etsy shop.  The shop name is Marie’s Trinkets

I remember trying to figure out what my shop name would be, and I thought about how some people refer to jewelry as trinkets.  I only make earrings, mostly because I love earrings.  I have a few more pairs to post, and then I will try to make a pair that will be a little more difficult.  Maybe from pieces of jewelry chains, all different lengths.  I will also look into get some different types of feathers to make more feather earrings out of.  I’m also going to get some different posts for variety. 

I usually use the camera on my cell phone to take pictures of the earrings.  It doesn’t have a flash, so there is no reflecting light hiding my creation. 

I decided to start making earrings after I made myself a pair of Peacock Feather earrings.  (There are still two pairs left, so check them out.)  I have a vase full of Peacock Feathers, and really wanted to do something with them.  Why not earrings?  That’s how this got started.  Well that and I was laid off from my Radio station job when the company decided to close it.  I really thought long and hard about what I wanted to do.  I’m making a few changes in my work life.  I will stay in radio part time, learn how to become a dog groomer, and make earrings as a hobby to sell on Etsy. 

Getting laid off from my job was upsetting, but at the same time relieving.  It gave me an opportunity to try something new.  You know what they say: when one door closes, another one opens. 

December 4, 2010

December 4th, 2010

I just got done reading this book this week, and I absolutely loved it!  The main character Josey, is living an uneventful life when out of no where her family secrets make themselves known.

My favorite part about this book was the chapter titles, they were the names of candy.  I also loved how Josey hid candy in her closet, but and how she would race to the door everyday when the mailman would come because she was in love with him.  Even now as someone who is approaching 30, I know how that feels.  In fact anyone who has ever liked anyone will know how that feels.  Very relate-able. 

The ending I was not expecting, but was really awesome!  I'm not going to spoil it for you, so you are just going to have to read it yourself.

December 2, 2010

December 2nd, 2010

I'm off to Kentucky for a few days for my Boyfriend's Dad's Retirement Celebration from the Army.  I'm excited and I'm nervous!  I tried so hard to find a really nice outfit to wear, and it didn't help that I really had no idea how dressy of an event this will be.  I still have no clue.  I'm hoping the outfit I have packed is good enough, and if I'm not happy I have a back up outfit too.

I always stress myself out when seeing Mark's family.  I take my appearance really seriously.  I want to look good, and feel good.  And I want him to feel good about how I look...... Does that make sense?  See, I'm all worked up ...probably over nothing.  I like making good impressions and even though I have met his family before, I don't want them to see me in a poor manner.

Fingers crossed, and see you in a few days!!

P.S. When I get back I have some new earrings to go up in my Etsy shop I am going to tell you about. A few of them are really cute!

December 1, 2010

December 1st, 2010

Today I proudly show my support to help rid the world of AIDS.  I don't know anyone who is affected by it, but I feel like I should support this.  I'm 29, and try to take great care of myself.  AIDS and HIV are fully preventable, and the medicine needed to treat those who have is super expensive.  Which is why I like Product (red ) items.  I like that my purchase, is a way of doing something good for someone I don't know.

You can learn more on Facebook, and by going to Join(Red).com.


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