Reading...

THE FAMILY FORTUNE by Laurie Horowitz

Jane Fortune's fortunes have taken a downturn. Thanks to the profligate habits of her father and older sister, the family's money has evaporated and Jane has to move out of the only home she's ever known: a stately brick town house on Boston's prestigious Beacon Hill. Thirty eight and terminally single, Jane has never pursued idle pleasures like her sibling and father. Instead, she has devoted her time to running the Fortune Family Foundation, a revered philanthropic institution that has helped spark the careers of many a budding writer, including Max Wellman, Jane's first-and only-love.

Now Jane has lost her luster. Max, meanwhile, has become a bestselling novelist and a renowned literary lothario. But change is afoot. And in the process of saving her family and reigniting the flames of true love, Jane might just find herself becoming the woman she was always meant to be.

MY THOUGHT: I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting reading a book about rich people who actually don't do much but live off of 'old money'. I really didn't know what that quote meant until I read this book and it makes perfect sense. They live off of money that previous generations worked hard for. Unfortunately, they spent almost all of it.

Reading...

TURNING TABLES by Heather & Rose MacDowell

Meet Erin Edwards, and up-and-coming marketing exec who frequents New York's hippest eateries- until the tables are turned. In this smart, sexy, wickedly observant novel, a newly unemployed Erin has days-not weeks- to transform herself into a first-class server at one of Manhattan's top restaurants.

Downsized from her boutique firm, Erin panics as she watches her career ambitions plunge into free fall. Why else would the savvy twenty-either-year-old take a job as ... a waitress? A favorable word from a family friend gets Erin in the door at Roulette, Madison Avenue's newest exclusive haunt and home to a celebrity chef with a talent for cutting edge cuisine and spotting the weakest link.

Life behind the apron is even worse than she imagined-from mangling orders to over imbibing at a wine seminar, Erin finds herself in hot water with the ego maniacal chef and the owner's outrageous wife. And the there's the dismissive, surly clientele=all but Daniel Fratelli, a flirtations TV news producer. Is Daniel really as down-to-earth as he seems? Or will he eventually succumb to one of the many glamorous uptown girls in his own social circle?

Determined to prove that she won't crack under pressure, Erin begins to master the art of waitressing-becoming part shrink, part slave and part foie gras hustler. But her continuing series of disastrous missteps quickly sends her right back to the bottom of the food chain. Forced to prove her commitment by organizing the storage area and alphabetizing produce after hours, Erin wonders if she'll ever make it back to the real world. But with a little help from her quirky best friend, she comes up with an idea that might take her life in a whole now direction- and that is just the first course...

MY THOUGHTS: This was a funny book. Makes you stop and think about what someone goes through being a waiter/tress. Tipping is IMPORTANT people!!!

Reading...

CONFESSIONS OF A JANE AUSTEN ADDICT by Laurie Viera Rigler

After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolute, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman: and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. But not even her level of Austen mania has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy couching inns of nineteenth-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who much fen off suffocating chaperons, condom less seducers and marriages of convenience. This looking-glass Austen world is not without its charms, however. There are journeys to Bath and London, balls in the Assembly Rooms, and the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who may not be a familiar species of philanderer after all. But when Courtney's borrowed brain servers up memories that are not her own, the ultimate identity crisis ensues. Will she ever get her real life back, and does she even want to?

MY THOUGHTS: Great book!!! I am actually considering (after the past two books) reading Jane Austen's books. I have heard of Pride and Predjudice but never really thought I would read it... however now... I am looking forward to going to the library and seeing what is so special about the book. Maybe the fact that the past 2 books have been scened in 1800-1900 times that is so intriging to me. OK back to THIS BOOK... I loved how the character compared 20th century stuff to the daily tasks that the pre-1900s had. I recommend this one!

Update

I am at M&M's house chilling. Well actually I am getting ready for bed and wanted to just post a little something, something.

Boys are great and as soon as God is ready for this process to start.. well we will be in for the long haul.

Great news is both of the placentas are out of the way for a 'normal' birth... providing they both stay head down.

I have a NST Wed and a DR Appt Friday. Time will tell how long I will go. Blood pressures have been ok. Higher than what it has been in the past months; however that is to be expected considering I am getting so close to delivery.

My, oh my how quickly things change.

Several things have changed since I last posted. 9 min contractions took me to LDR Wednesday night. Over night stay then released with the contractions being 11 min then. Got home exhaulsted (hard beds) Rested for a couple hour while the boy's parents were on their way. My Illinois doctor suggested getting my butt 'here' asap. So I am now in Illinois until delivery. I have spent the last 2 days in a hospital bed and am planning on 1 more. When we got into town Thurs I was to go to LDR for monitoring and steroid shot and I am still here. Praying I can go to M&M's house tomorrow and relax until D-day.

Got the 1st steriod shot last night.
Labs drawn for pre-eclampsia screen last night.
Currently in the process of a 24 hr urine collection.
Started Nifedipine last night, to stop my contractions that were 4 min apart.
Still having them, not sure how far apart they are. Just tired now and need some sleep!!!!

I had an u/s done this morning by a specialtist in high risk preg. Boys weigh 4.2 & 4.7 lbs. They look good. Both placenta are out of the way for a vag delivery. A has flipped head down... B is transverse.

At the hosp. back home the doctor checked me and said I was 1-2 cm and 20% effaced with a -2 station.

During the vag u/s he said without anyone poking and prodding in there... I appeared closed and he didn't expect me to deliver within the week b/c of the length of the cervix.

OK e'nuff of me... hope all is well.

Reading...

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He's come across her name on the flyleaf of a second hand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchanged letters. she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends. all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever.

MY THOUGHTS: I wasn't sure I would enjoy a book from a time in 1946. The book, however, was an easy read one I grew accustom to the layout. It was a book of letters and telegrams back and forth. It was a little confusing at first trying to figure out who was writing whom. There were no chapters, just part one and two. I did enjoy the flow of the book and the thought of visiting this island in the book. Actually I know people that live there... how cool is that? I think I will see if we are still face book friends and pop in to say, "HI... I just read a fictional novel about your island!"

What a wonderful surprise!

Today has been a great day. I slept in and really felt like I got some sleep for a change. After my shower, my hubby cooked us some breakfast. I enjoyed my eggs and toast with a glass of milk. My daughter asked about making a cake today, so I readily agreed we should have cake today. LOL I got another Grey's dvd from Netflix so we watched the episodes this afternoon. I also spoke to my BFF Jamie on the phone and it was really great to hear her voice and catch up on things. Just when I was thinking this Sunday couldn't get any better... the cake was done and a car pulled up. Five lovely ladies from my church came to visit baring gifts from several members of my church. (tears) They said it was a non-baby shower! How sweet was that?!?!?!? Lisa, Karen, Deb, Jessica and Amber really brighten up my day even more when they spent the afternoon on my couch with me. We laughed... I cried... We ate cake. I feel really blessed to have friends in my life like that!

So I guess you are wondering, what exactly does one give as a gift for a Non-Baby Shower? Here is what I received.
*Money
*Short Robe
*JLO Perfume and Lotion
*Pajamas and Hand Lotion
*Book, Word Search and Candle
*Variety of Foot Care Products
*Warm Gown, Sexy Gown, Soft Socks and Head Band
*McD's sweet tea and cookies (my craving with this pregnancy)

It was such an awesome day. It makes a world of difference when someone takes time out of their life to visit.

I have 2 NST scheduled this week and then an Ultrasound scheduled for next week, then I will be off to Illinois until the boys are born.

Reading...

LOOSE LIPS by Claire Berlinski
"A novel of love and espionage"

After sending her resume` to the CIA on a whim, New Yorker Selena Keller is contacted by an Agency recruiter, who asks her how she would fell about convincing another human being to commit treason. Despite her checkered past, Selena passes the background investigation and a battery of bizarre aptitude tests. Living under cover as a government budget analyst, she begins her education in espionage at the Farm, the CIA's covert facility.

All CIA officers must survive a demanding training program, and it is there that Selena becomes romantically involved with Stan, a brilliant but darkly paranoid fellow student with presidential ambitions. What happens next is a fascinating inside portrait of the Agency--how spies are recruited, how they are trained, who they meet, where they go, and, most important, what happens when they fall in love and begin spying on one another.

REVIEW WRITTEN BY MEGHAN DAUM: "Loose Lips told me everything I ever wanted to know about the CIA but couldn't think who to ask. Claire Berlinski's Selena Keller is one part Inspector Clouseau and one part Nancy Drew, with a touch of Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw thrown in. Berlinski makes central intelligence funny and endearing and (go figure) intelligent."

REVIEW WRITTEN BY ME: This book took me a little longer to get through. It is not what I call an easy read; however it definitely allowed me to pass the time in a "different" type of book. Regarding the above review... I would agree with the first sentence and the first half of the second. I watch Sex and the City and I really didn't see any of Carrie in the book. That was disappointing, since I like her. I would like to say I enjoyed the book over all; however it was difficult considering all the big words. LOL

Food

I am so hungry right now. My stomach is squeezed in between my uterus and other organs that I still have heart burn even though dinner was several hours ago. It seems that water gives me heart burn. Just frustrating to be hungry and unable to enjoy eating.

So I find myself researching diet plans for after the twins are born. I could continue my 'fresh plan' which consist of limiting my processed foods and eating more fresh, like fresh fruits and veggies. Although that is probably the best long term way to go, I know that 'low carb' will melt the pounds off quicker.

A huge key to losing weight is burning more calories than you take in. So I plan on pumping breast milk. According to the research I have done, I will burn 600 calories each day I pump. So.... I plan on taking advantage of the opportunity.

I have a fabulous fitness guru and a wonderful nutritionist that I know will be willing to direct me back to a healthier, fitter, sexier ME.

update: My blood test came back ok, although my iron is still low.

NST

I had my monitoring today. The boys looked great and were very active today. I didn't feel very good and they could tell. My head was really hurting and I felt nausea. After the nst, Doctor sent me down to get some labs drawn. I should have results tomorrow. She wanted to retake the pre-eclampsia labs to check my liver and kidney functions.

I asked my doctor if the boys having hiccups all the time were typical. She said yes, that it was a good sign that they are getting plenty of oxygen. woohoo!

I asked my doctor if the feeling of my pelvic bones being separated was ok. She said yes, there wasn't much room in there for them to move around.

I asked my doctor if the airbag in my jeep was safe to keep on. She said yes, the risk to having it off was far greater than having it on.