My Heroes

Who says it's too early for Halloween?

Holy Hurricane

I've been so consumed with Hurricane Irene and its aftermath, I haven't had time for any blogging. Here's what's been going on my neck of the woods in New Jersey:

We prepped all day Saturday for the hurricane by putting stuff away and stocking up on food and batteries. We planned on sleeping in the basement due to the tornado watch in effect in our area until 5am. We have lots of old trees surrounding our house and didn't want to risk one falling on the house on or near one of the rooms where we sleep. So we put the boys' bunk bed mattresses next to each other and hunkered down for the night.

The power went out at about 11pm. We couldn't see much from the basement, but we heard wind and rain. It was a restless, worrisome sleep but when I finally got on my feet at 7:30am, this is what awaited me:

The sump pump cut off with the power and our mostly-finished basement flooded. At first I thought it was just a squishy carpet, but there were actually inches of water floating around. Since the power was still out, hubs and I found some buckets and tried to get as much water out as possible. Not fun!

That's my grandmother's 100+ year old china cabinet by the way. I don't even want to think about it. Once the power came back on at 11am, the sump pump came on and whooshed away a lot of the water. Then we took to the shop vac. We're still trying to shop vac the carpet that just won't get dry. It's still squishy with water. We have fans blowing to try to dry it out, but it doesn't appear to be working, at least not yet. I think the ground is so wet outside that it keeps seeping into the house.

We have lots of fun stuff in the basement: pool table, bar, china cabinets, hubs' guitars and amps, drum set, tv stand with tv. Nothing we "need" but things we enjoy.

I'm now waiting for the insurance company to get back to me to determine if I'm covered for any of the flood damage, which I'm probably not because I don't have flood insurance. I'm thankful that it's just the basement that got damaged as opposed to our living area.

That being said, I'm still mentally stressed and concerned about what to do next. Pulling up that carpet is no small feat, and I'm afraid that's what we're going to have to do.

Hope those of you that were in the hurricane's path fared as well, if not better, than I.

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

 

Put everything away. It better storm.

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up on Kailani's site. Here's my question:

What's your favorite flower?

My answer: cala lily

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!








The Foreigners by Maxine Swann
After the Party by Lisa Jewell
The Way by Kristen Wolf
Starting from Happy by Patricia Marx
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
Saturday Night by Susan Orlean

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This week's BTT asks . . . Sometimes I feel like the only person I know who finds reading history fascinating. It’s so full of amazing-yet-true stories of people driven to the edge and how they reacted to it. I keep telling friends that a good history book (as opposed to some of those textbooks in school that are all lists and dates) does everything a good novel does–it grips you with real characters doing amazing things. Am I REALLY the only person who feels this way? When is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL.

The last history-type book I read was a few years ago but was so worth it. It's called "Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages that Shaped Our History" by Kati Marton. I recommend this book highly. It is filled with great informaton about the "First Ladies" in the White House, how much they really influenced their men and the decisions made during their time in office. This is one book that is still on my shelf - definitely worth a re-read. Unfortunately, other than this book, I'm not a huge fan of reading about history. I'd much rather get lost in fiction.

Don't Neglect the Boobies

Today is my annual mammogram. I got my baseline last year when I was 41. I should've gone when I was 40, but I just had baby boy and was breastfeeding so I had to wait.

I don't have a history of breast cancer in my family. Mom had/has fibroids in one of her breasts but they're not threatening. For me, so far so good.

I have friends who are coming up on 40 and are actually afraid of getting a mammogram. They often ask, "It hurts, right?" My response is always the same - "Not at all." Slightly uncomfortable, maybe. But it doesn't hurt. I figure if you've either given birth or had root canal, nothing else really hurts.

Then again, maybe I'm not being fair. I have pretty small boobs so the squishing is minimal. There's not a whole lot there to squish. If I were big in the bosom, maybe it would hurt. Well, maybe not hurt. It might be more uncomfortable.

My point is, in comparison to the myriad other things women go through, squeezing the boobs for a few seconds is not a big deal. Make your appointment today.

Musing Mondays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Musing Mondays. This week's musing asks . . . Do you prefer character-driven stories, or plot-driven stories?


This one made me stop and think. I like both but I think I prefer character-driven stories. There has to be some quality about a character that appeals to me. When stories are plot-driven, I find multiple characters that I can't necessarily keep track of or find interesting. I need something to pull me in, and it usually is the character.

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

 

Having friends over - good times ahead.

No Filter Friday

Time to sound off on what's bugging me this week.

• So it's the beginning of campaign season. Time for bad-mouthing, mud-slinging, false-promising and good old-fashioned lying. It will be incessant blather until the election. How about less mouth-flapping and more government-running? I hate campaign season!
• What's the deal with killing people on the lovely island of Aruba? Do men now think they can get away with it since the death/disappearance of Natalee Holloway? Now the disappearance of Robyn Gardner is making me wonder if Aruba's tourism will suffer from this fatal blow. The male companions of these women don't appear to be suffering for it . . .
• Gerard Depardieu urinating on a plane - really? I knew the French were less laid back than most but that's just gross. And makes me want to stay away from Frenchmen on planes . . . or anywhere else for that matter.

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!








Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
The Whole Package by Cynthia Ellingsen
Angelina's Bachelors by Brian O'Reilly
It's All About the Dress by Vicky Tiel

Aloha Friday

Kailani at An Island Life started Aloha Friday. Want to play along? I ask a question, you answer the question in the comments. You can also ask your own question on your blog and link up on Kailani's site. Here's my question:

How old were you when you got married?

My answer: I was 32 - a bit of an older bride I suppose.

Theme Thursday

Kavyen at Reading Between Pages hosts Theme Thursday. Anyone can participate. The rules are simple:

•A theme will be posted each week
•Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
•Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
•It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word).

This week's theme is RECREATION (any spot that you would go for a break - parks, resorts, library).

"The library in Jenkintown is a wonderful place built out of local brown stone. There are two reading rooms, furnished with old leather couches and well-worn chairs. It may not be the Boston Public Library, or the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library that her father takes her to, but so far Gwen has discovered six books about horse racing and Tarot is in two of them."
~p. 141, "Here on Earth" by Alice Hoffman

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This week's BTT asks . . . You’ve just had a long, hard, exhausting day, and all you want to do is curl up with something light, fun, easy, fluffy, distracting, and entertaining. What book do you pick up?

For me, anything classified as a "beach read" would probably work. However, more specifically, I'm a fan of Elin Hildebrand. Take me out to Cape Cod, give me an ocean setting, throw in a handsome stranger (or an old love), and I'm already unwinding.

WWW Wednesdays

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts WWW Wednesdays. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading? I'm currently reading "Here on Earth" by Alice Hoffman.





• What did you recently finish reading? I just finished "Lucky" by Alice Sebold.





• What do you think you’ll read next? Next I think I'll finally read "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey.