Tag Archives: fiction

Try a Green Slimer Smoothie for a Healthier Halloween!

slimerI’ve reached a new level of crazy. I’m blending up smoothies and Photoshopping Slimer into them. If you are not familiar with my green friend, Slimer is a ghost made up of Ectoplasm. He successfully made his debut in the 1984 Ghostbusters film.

But I must give credit where credit is due. George was the one who said my smoothie looked like Slimer. And I must admit, I was totally offended. I don’t want to hear that my food looks like a disgusting, fictional ghost that leaves a trail of boogers behind him wherever he goes. But George was more excited about the smoothie than any grown man should be. And if he is excited to drink veggies, I know a kid would be. 

And, I mean, what a better way to get a kid to eat drink their greens than tell them it is slime?! And it’s pretty much perfect for Halloween, right?! AND IT GETS BETTER… BUT DON’T TELL THE KIDS… it has no refined sugar! WHA-BAM! I’ve lost it.

Slimer Green Smoothie:

Ingredients
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup of pineapple
2 large hand fulls of spinach
1/4 cup of greek yogurt
1/4 cup of almond milk

Put ingredients in your favorite blender and blend that sucker up! Tell your kids husband it is Slimer. He’s going to be super excited. Use it as an excuse to throw a Halloween party.

What do you think? Have I lost my mind or will you be blending along with me?!

love,
melanie

 

Book Review: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

A few patrons of the library recommended that I read, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. Ya’ll know I haven’t been much of an adult fiction person lately– young adult is more of my bag– but I was feeling a bit whimsical, so I thought I’d give this book a try.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter spans almost a quarter of a century and follows the lives of the Henry family. The book opens on a rare, snowy Kentucky night in 1964. Mrs. Norah Henry is pregnant and goes into labor. The roads are treacherous from the storm, so Norah’s husband, Dr. David Henry, an orthopedic surgeon, must deliver the child at his practice with the help of his nurse, Caroline.

Unexpectedly, Norah delivers twins. The first child, a boy, is healthy. The second child, a girl, is born with Down syndrome. In a split second decision that changes everyone’s life, David tells Caroline to take the girl to an institution and tells Norah that the child passed away. Since Norah was under the influence of laughing gas, as was typical of the birthing process in the ’60s, she has little recollection of the birth.

Caroline drives the baby to the institution, but can’t bring herself to leave the child. So, the story of the next 25 years of the family’s life begins.

The premise of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a fascinating one. Very few fiction books I am familiar with address Down syndrome before current times. In the not-so-far-away past, Down syndrome and mental disabilities were viewed as a death sentence– this book sheds light on this unpleasant part of the past.

The characters of the story are rich and unforgettable, but the language of the book can be overly descriptive. It took me weeks to get through the 400 page novel and at times, I must admit to skipping through the flourishing, mundane details.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is worth a read for those that enjoy realism, historical fiction and books about chromosomal conditions.

Did you read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments.

love,
melanie

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: Audio Edition Review

Last week I took an unexpected trip to visit a few relatives in Kentucky. It was a long car ride, but visiting my family was overdue. During the 12 hour drive, George and I listened to David Sedaris’Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary. Or rather, I listened to it and George endured it. Audiobooks aren’t really his thing.

Anyway, if you are a David Sedaris fan, like I am, don’t start this book (or audiobook) with expectations of side-splitting personal memoirs. This book is a real departure from the David Sedaris I know and love. No stories of childhood angst lie within these pages. Instead, this book told modern fables of wood land and barn yard creatures.

Often the short story format works far better than the novel format for audiobooks and this recording was no exception. The book was read by four different folks: Sedaris, Elaine Stritch, Dylan Baker and Siân Phillips. By far, Elaine Stritch was my favorite of the voice actors. She is brilliant as Jack Donaghy’s vile mother on 30 Rock and it was so refreshing to hear someone with a non-voice actor voice read. Does that make sense?

Overall, I didn’t love this collection as much as some of Sedaris’ previous work. I did enjoy the tales of the creatures withdownright human qualities. The animals were prejudice, mean, dull, and of course, entertaining. I would definitely recommend the audio format to anyone interested in the book.

It just wasn’t my favorite David Sedaris piece. If you’ve never read his work, I’d recommend reading Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim or Me Talk Pretty One Day first.

Have you read Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk yet? What did you think?

love,
melanie

 

Love Friday: June 15th

Today I’m keeping it short and sweet. I’ll be in professional development at work all day. Ugh. And quite frankly, I’m exhausted. I’ve had very little time to do any internet souring this week. But I did stumble on the best flowchart I’ve seen in a long time via Teach.com.

I think I even discovered a few new books!

Have a beautiful and restful weekend, ya’ll.

love,
melanie