November Gathering

We didn't talk much about the book this month (Julie and Julia). The night was a festive celebration for Denise, whose birthday was actually on our meeting night. We gathered at Chili's and had great food and conversation. We missed Cheryl and Lauren, because of car trouble and Teri has H1N1! We hope she feels better soon! We missed you ladies! Some of us have started reading the book, but we are concerned that this book is just too boring. My new readers need something (like Jane Porter's books) to keep them interested. I told the ladies not to worry. If they didn't want to suffer while reading it then they don't have to finish it. I want to make reading an enjoyable experience for them. The rest of us are going to attempt to finish the book so we can show comparisons with the movie...which we will be viewing next month! Thanks for stopping by!

Well, well, well. Julie Powell (Author of Julie and Julia) must have been one busy gal! It took 8 of us to try and cook this recipe and we still couldn't get it done on a timely basis. Maybe that's what they mean when they say "Too many cooks in the kitchen!" I see now, why Julia Child titled her cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". It does take some mastering and it is definitely an art. To think that Julie Powell tried her hand at one recipe a day from the Mastering cookbook amazes me. How could she do anything else? I'm thinking after several months she finally got the hang of it, but when you see the movie you can see her struggles even after close to a year of trying these recipes out. This month we decided to start reading Julie and Julia and to kick it off I had the ladies each bring an ingredient for the recipe I chose. It was Meryl Streep's favorite Julia Child recipe. (She does an excellent job portraying Julia in the movie!) It was Poulet Poele a l'Estragon. Okay, okay, I know I'm just trying to sound impressive. We Ameicans call it Casserole-Roasted Chicken with Taragon. Everyone took on a job. Some more than others. Kathy did all the chopping, Donna did the nasty cleaning of the birds, Denise did the frying and finished the preparing. Everyone sort of gave up. I took pictures. Needless to say, being a work/school night we were unable to enjoy our feast when it was done. (I actually took it out of the oven at 10:35pm. 1 hour after the recipe called for and long after the ladies had to leave.) I took a bite. Yum! I'll have to say though, my husband's chicken tastes just as good and all he does is shake some seasoning on top of the chicken, cover it, bake it and we're done! This was quite an undertaking for Julie Powell. She is to be commended. It was quite an undertaking for us. Good thing we had snacks and a pizza to munch on tonight! Thanks for visiting. We'll keep you posted on what we think of the book. Wonder if it's as good as the movie? Stay tuned!

UPCOMING EVENTS! HERE IT IS LADIES! PLEASE READ!

No pun intended there. Okay, maybe there was. Anyway, here is a quick overview of our upcoming gatherings.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH: You will be notified as to what one ingredient you will need to bring to my house. We are going to prepare a recipe (or 2) from Julia Child. Hence, our next book, "Julie and Julia". Please try and have this book for our meeting or at least have plans set if you are sharing a book with another member. (YOU DON'T HAVE TO START READING THE BOOK JUST YET!)

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH: We are going to meet at Chili's in Ann Arbor (car pool!) and celebrate the birthday of one special lady, Denise! We will discuss how the reading is going and hear some excerpts from Julia Child's journal.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8TH: WooHoo! This is the DVD release date for "Julie and Julia". So we will be meeting at Karen's house (car pool again!). After the movie we will discuss the differences between the movie and the book, etc.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12TH: We are going to start the new year off right with a special guest speaker, Jamie Nast. She will present us with an amazing tool that will help us begin the year with a new set of skills. Learn more about her by clicking on the post to the right.

HAPPY FALL! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE ON TUESDAY!

September Get-together

(Click on images to get an enlarged picture.) This month was a little more laid-back. We figured after the last few crazy months we would just spend some time just hanging out with each other. Tonight we made journals. I brought a bevvy of papers and magazines for the gals to cut out and make their own personal journals that reflected who there are and what they like. The book I presented to all of the girls last month is entitled, "YOU CAN DO IT! A merit badge handbook for grown-up girls". To be honest, I just wasn't ready to find a new author after having finished our Jane Porter trilogy. The badge book is a book that was written by Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas. Here's what you'll read on the inside cover: You Can Do It! was Lauren's idea, begun a year before she died on September 11, 2001, aboard United Flight 93. A former Girl Scout, she saw the book as a way for women to re-create the feelings of accomplishment and community found in the Scouts. Lauren embodied the books goals. Karen decided she would try for the author badge. She is a gifted writer that we all agree should get her books done and published. Karen has written some shorter books that have kept us wanting more. Cheryl said she believes that is a sign of a good author, when you can't put the book down (like Jane Porter's!). Stephanie and Sharen are picking the Create a Business Plan badge as they are working on starting a bridal consultant business (and Sharen's many others in the works!). Kathy wants to try the photography badge and Donna says she's going for the Avid Reader badge as she is now into reading thanks to the bookclub! A few ladies were out sick and were surely missed. Tonight's meeting was filled with the usual gab and insights on reading. Sharen read an excerpt from a friend of Jane Porter's about her day with Jane and how they became friends. The gals were really inspired by it. Karen read an inspiring article about going for your dreams and how that person reached their goal of having a book published. I ordered the book and I will give it a try. Stay tuned on what happens with that. (I'm thinking Karen took it home, because I can't find it!) It's entitled "The Secret Soldier". Hope it's an easy read, I've got more Jane Porter Harlequin books to read! OH! And we found out--from Jane's official site that Jane's next book is due out in July, 2010. Guess what?! It's about Shey! The ladies are thrilled!
I'M THINKING OUR NEXT BOOK IS "JULIE AND JULIE" AND WE WILL CAP IT OFF WITH GOING TO SEE THE MOVIE! GIRLS, THE BOOK IS $8.99 AT COSTCO!
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! SEE YA SOON! (P.S. Notice our Pink Ladies Mascot in the pics above?!)

"EASY ON THE EYES" NIGHT ON THE TOWN!

Jane Porter's latest release, "Easy On The Eyes" was a hit with the club. "This is her best book yet", Denise exclaimed. It was filled with the inner feelings a lot of woman will say they can easily relate with. The traveling, unexpected turns and seeing a woman filled with such self-esteem makes us believe we are truly special no matter what society thinks. We took a limo ride to set the theme. We ended up at Detroit's Greek Town. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but the limo driver was so nice and told us to take all the time we needed. After he parked the limo in front of the casino, we walked around and through the casino to reach the world renowned Astoria Bakery. Phenomenal treats! Then it was time to walk back to the limo, but as women are, we had to find the ladies room. It was quite a task to find one and we finally entered through the casino sans our treats (no food allowed in the casino). A few of us thought we could throw a few quick quarters in the slot machines, but you need tokens or tickets. Wouldn't that have been funny if someone won a jackpot?! Actually, we all won, because we had a fun night discussing the book in the limo and then chatting the rest of the way home. We are going to miss having Jane as our featured author, but we look forward to her next release (which we are hoping will showcase Shey! hint, hint Jane!). Who ever thought reading could lead to all of this?! Thanks for visiting our page! Visit the Jane Porter link on this page to find out more info on this incredible author and lady!

OK LADIES! Get crackin' on the latest book, "Easy on the Eyes" by, of course, Jane Porter. It's terrific! I'm half way through and loving it! Get your copy today.

Oh! And I'm happy to report that our ladies who said they "just can't read" are now READERS! Kathy, Karen and Donna have finished Odd Mom Out and Mrs. Perfect. We are soooo proud of them! Great job girls!

NEXT MEETING TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH

Adventure on the High Seas...

Trying to act like Taylor Young in Mrs. Perfect, I planned an evening out on my boat for this month's bookclub meeting. Well....



What a night! We gathered this month on what I like to call my party boat. It is basically just for getting together and floating around the lake with family and friends. We were enjoying our speedy ride around the lake and decided to stop and sit in the middle of the lake to start our book dicussion and enjoy some tasty treats and wine. When one of our member's daughter decided to join us we told her we'd pick her up at the dock. Our boat decided otherwise. I couldn't get it started. A nieghbor drove up on his boat and offered to help. We asked him to go pick up Shannon from our dock. We could wait for rescue later. Then Evan came to our rescue in a row boat with a freshly filled gas tank. He rowed out and hooked up the new tank, but this must not have been the problem, because the boat still wouldn't start. Just as Evan was going to start to tow us in with the row boat, another neighbor sped up on his pontoon and we decided to pretend we were crying so he would give us a tow. We laughed when he said he thought we sounded like his first two wives and knew something was amiss. Anyway, we decided to let Evan off the hook and took Walter up on his help. That, and we were trying to get him to notice Shirley. Ok, we were trying to set them up. Stay tuned for what happens with that story! We are thankful to everyone who tried to rescue us. Even Steve and Justin who hopped in a canoe and started heading out to us...until they saw we were having too much fun. Thanks ladies for all of your patience. Looking forward to some more fun next month! Happy Reading. "EASY ON THE EYES" COMES OUT JULY 22ND AND IS THE 3RD IN OUR SERIES BY JANE PORTER! GET READING!

(Pictures: Top to bottom-- Donna and our "favor" of the month thanks to Kathy; Stephanie and Sharen; Shirley showing off our latest reads from Jane Porter; Karen and some wine; me driving the boat "WooHoo!"; some of the goodies before the big waves knocked a bunch over; Kathy and Teri; My son, Evan (18) to the rescue, Helping get Shannon onto the boat from Jeff's boat

Pics of some of our meetings...

Odd Mom Out Meeting

We started our latest book discussion with the first in a series, entitled Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter. Denise wanted to bring the "favors" for the party...and she wanted to be creative about it. After days of searching, she came up with bandanas twisted and embellished with pink (toy) motorcycles (see picture for a giggle!) Some of our gals are late starters, but I am happy to report that we are creating reading monsters and we are so proud of our new-found readers! Here's some details on Odd Mom Out. In my own words (as I've lent out the book!): Marta is a single mom to 1o year old Eva. She moves to a ritzy neighborhood near Seattle and has to put up with the elite snobs and her own daughter wanting her mother to conform to their ways. Marta is a strong woman who doesn't need to change to be like others. She loves her motorcycle and casual attire. Her daughter does not! We are taken through a journey of a mother/daughter relationship and a lesson in self-esteem. We, as a group agreed that Marta is strong, but yet stubborn at the same time. She also seems to come off as thinking she is better than the Stepfordy women of her town. Interesting!

June Meeting Had an Hawaiian Theme.

At our second offical meeting we met at a coffee shop near Denise's house. We were discussing the book "Flirting With Forty" by Jane Porter. The main character in the book, Jackie Laurens, went to Hawaii and fell in love. Here's a synopsis: He got the second home and the Porsche. She got the kids and a broken heart. Now Jackie, post-divorce and heading toward the big four-oh, is on vacation in sunny Hawaii and staring down her upcoming birthday, alone. But not for long. She's soon falling for Kai, her gorgeous, much younger surf instructor, and the wild passionate fling they have becomes the biggest surprise of Jackie's life. Back home in Seattle, Jackie has to struggle with single parenthood...and memories of Kai. He hasn't forgotten her. Yet thousands of miles of ocean-not to mention an age difference that feels even wider--separate them. And, of course, her friends disapprove. When a choice must be made, can she, will she risk everything for her chance at happiness?

Our First Meeting

Our first meeting was a success! We talked about books that we will be reading and I even had the opportunity to hand out some goodie bags from my favorite author, Jane Porter. We are beginning our journey with books by Jane Porter. The first will be Flirting With Forty. The second book will begin a trilogy we will post more on later. We have a couple of members who said they aren't readers and find it hard to find the time to read. They even came up with the excuse that they start to read and then fall asleep. Heard that one before! Stay tuned as we turn these gals into readers! By the way, this pic made it into the Livingston Home publication in May with an article about our group and to Jane's website!

(Pictured: L to R = Karen, Stephanie, Sharen, Denise, Kathy and Teri)