King Arthur Movie Tristan

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko.

Happy Tuesday everyone. I'd like to thank you all for my birthday wishes :)

I had a wonderful birthday and was very spoiled by my family. The photo above is of pastries my mom surprised me with.




Hubby and the kids woke me up with breakfast in bed and the children made me special birthday cards. The handmade birthday cards made me cry right away...lol. My son's was a top 10 list of 'thank yous to mom'.
And my daughter drew a picture of me, beneath it she wrote 'Mom when you smile you make the sun jealous.'



As if all that wasn't enough, they took me to eat at one of our favorite Italian spots. They are known for their insanely large slices of pizza...lol
You can see my youngest below trying to cut her slice with a knife and fork. That is one huge slice.




"home of the largest slice"




This is hubby & myself below. He looks like a mountain man..lol...during the winter he grows his beard out.











When we got into the city that afternoon was a mobscene. I have never seen it so crowded.

Here's the tree in Rockefeller Center. It's soooo pretty. My photos don't do it justice.









You can see the crowd below. The police were trying to get everyone onto the sidewalk, but it was so crowded people were trying to walk on the street instead, which made for insane traffic backup. We were stuck in traffic for a good 40 minutes before making it to a parking lot.











By Radio City Music Hall.





I'm freezing in this photo. It was about 35 degrees and it was like sitting on a slab of ice...lol.






We stopped at the NBC store to warm up a bit.





I was looking for a souvenir and hubby got me a SNL coffee mug.






Ahhhh....my cupcakes from Magnolia's. The line to get into the bakery was wrapped around the block but it was worth the wait.







When we got back home my sister in law, who shares my love of all things Austen, surprised me with Jane Austen: An Illustrated Treasury. This is a wonderful book for Austen fans.


As I was gushing over this book, my hubby asked me 'Who's Jane Austen?'

I just rolled my eyes...lol!






It has replicas of Austen's handwritten letters and drafts within the book. There are illustrations from various sources. Photos from film adaptations are included as well.


After I'm done reading it I'll be reviewing it here on my blog.

THE SKIES can’t keep their secret!

They tell it to the hills—

The hills just tell the orchards—

And they the daffodils!



A bird, by chance, that goes that way

Soft overheard the whole.

If I should bribe the little bird,

Who knows but she would tell?



I think I won’t, however,

It’s finer not to know;

If summer were an axiom,

What sorcery had snow?



So keep your secret, Father!

I would not, if I could,

Know what the sapphire fellows do,

In your new-fashioned world!


-Emily Dickinson



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I took this photo a couple of weekends ago on a family outing to a mountain in Upstate NY. I love how the trees are reflected in the water.



I also wanted to wish my blogging friends in the U.S. a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I am thankful for so many things, including your friendship. Enjoy your day, may it be full of family, friends, many blessings and happy memories.


I won't be posting again till next week. I'll be back with a book review by Monday the latest :O)

THE MOUNTAIN sat upon the plain

In his eternal chair,

His observation omnifold,

His inquest everywhere.




The seasons prayed around his knees,

Like children round a sire:

Grandfather of the days is he,

Of dawn the ancestor.




-Emily Dickinson





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I took these photos last weekend on an outing to a mountain in Upstate New York. We were up on the mountain and watched the sunset. It was really a sight to see and it was the perfect Fall day.

I took the photos above just as the sun was setting. We also saw a family of deer, but as luck would have it, the battery died on my camera.

This mountain overlooks the Hudson River Valley and Hessian Lake. This is the view from the top. I love how the foliage has turned beautiful shades of orange, red and burgundy.









*next wednesday I will post another photo from our mountain outing*

Really Random Tuesday is hosted by Suko.





Happy Tuesday everyone. Wow, October already! When did that happen?

I do love this time of year. The weather is nice and cool and the leaves are changing beautifully.

I've got a few books I'm reading and reviewing this month.



I was thrilled when I was contacted to be part of the blog tour for Julie Metz's memoir, Perfection. I saw Julie's story on the Oprah show not too long ago and was really stunned by it.

When Julie Metz's husband collapsed on the kitchen floor and died in her arms, the mother of a six-year-old thought things couldn't possibly get any worse. But seven months after Henry's death, just as she thought she was emerging from the worst of it, came the rest of it: Henry had hidden another life from her. Perfection is the story of Metz’s journey through chaos and transformation as she creates a different life for herself and for her young daughter. It is the story of rebuilding both a life and an identity after betrayal and widowhood, of rebirth and happiness—if not perfection.

I'll also be reviewing Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine very soon.

With a story as mesmerizing as it is chilling, Lady of Hay explores how Jo, a journalist investigating hypnotic regression, plunges into the life of Matilda, Lady of Hay—who lived eight hundred years earlier. As she learns of Matilda’s unhappy marriage, her troubled love for Richard de Clare, and the brutal treatment she received from King John, it seems that Jo’s past and present are hopelessly entwined. Centuries later, a story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to begin again—and she has no choice but to brave both lives if she wants to shake the iron grip of history.

On a non-bookish note, we took a trip out to visit the Statue of Liberty this past weekend. We had a really nice time. I went with my kids, my sister, her kids and our parents.


I'll leave you all with a few pics:


To get to Liberty Island, you have to take a ferry on the New York Harbor. It's got such a nice view.





Here we are approaching Liberty Island, with a view of the statue. No matter how many times I've gone to see the statue, she always takes my breath away when I get that first glimpse of her.







As soon as you enter, there is a museum with all kinds of interesting information about the statue. This is the original torch that was replaced in the 1980's






Once inside the Statue, you walk up several flights of steps to reach the top. We accessed the Pedestal, which is pretty high up. To get up to the Crown, you need to make reservations in advance, and there was nothing available till January so we couldn't reach the top.






When you are on the pedestal, and look up, this is what you see. You're right under the statue. Talk about vertigo.





Looking out you see the Harbor.





Looking down, this is what you see:









And of course, my mom kept hollaring for me and my sister not to get to close to the ledge...lol....so I just had to scare her a bit and said 'Look ma, I'm going to sit up here for a photo.' Needless to say, she wasn't too amused...lol.