Queen of Hearts...

Sorry I haven't updated.  Things have been crazy the past few weeks.

On reading:

As many of you know, my best friend from college, Cara, is getting married in November.  Her bridal shower was in Pittsburgh this past weekend.  The theme of the shower was an Alice in Wonderland Mad hatter's Tea Party.  Although Cara knew the theme of the shower, she had no idea what we had in store for her.

Guests were greeted by a giant teapot.  The Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and Alice were also in attendance.

Cara, of course, was the Queen of Hearts... It's good to be the Queen!

Her Aunt Jen went all out and made the pig stool!

Guests enjoyed a luncheon consisting of Cheshire Chicken Salad, Humpy Dumpty Eggs Salad, Queen's Cucumber Sandwiches, Wonderland Watermelon, Jabberwocky Jell-O Salad, and a variety of other themed dishes.  They washed the food down with Snapdragon Sangria.  It was a wonderful day!

The Help:

My book club read The Help many months ago, and imagine our surprise when they announced the release of the movie.  Since I enjoyed the book so much, I had to see how it turned out on the big screen.  So, Thursday afternoon, after shoving a water and small bag of kettle corn in my purse (theater food prices are outrageous), I saw the movie.  One word: Excellent!  I went through so many emotions while watching, as I did when reading it.  But I absolutely could not stop laughing at THAT part...and if you've read the book...you know what part I mean!  I highly recommend reading the book, or seeing the movie!

Fun in Austenland...

On reading...

Last week I finished Austenland by Shannon Hale.  Two words: loved it!  I highly recommend this book to any of you Jane Austen fans out there.  I would say that this was probably the best homage to the author since The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.  (Speaking of...I need to see that movie!)

Austenland tells the story of Jane (how appropriate), a single woman who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy- the Darcy portrayed by Colin Firth in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, that is.  After an aunt passes away, Jane is bequeathed an all-expense paid trip to spend three weeks in Austenland- a place catering to Austen-obsessed women.  While here, through a series of humorous mishaps, Jane discovers what she truly wants in a man, and comes to terms with her Darcy-obsessed existence.

And just like The Jane Austen Book Club, Austenland will be turned into a film.  Filming has begun in England, and I believe that Keri Russell will portray Jane.

On writing...

After finding one more source, I have finally submitted my completed colic article to one of my editors.  I must say, never dealing with a colicky baby (as I have no kids of my own) made this a difficult topic to tackle.  However, after much research and many hours of conversing with doctors and parents of infants with colic, I realize that I have practically become an expert on colic.

My article on a local Bed and Breakfast is coming along well.  I was able to visit the B&B a few weeks ago and fell in love with its charm.  I just love B&Bs in general.  In fact, my husband and stayed in the Hollerstown Hill B&B in downtown Frederick, MD last weekend.  After a fun night with drinks at Volt and then dinner at The Tasting Room, we took a rickshaw back to our inn.   We woke up Saturday morning to coffee and an organic farm fresh breakfast.  It was nice to get a way for an evening.
On our house-length private porch:

On wining:

I have yet to talk about my favorite winery: Willowcroft Vineyards and Winery located in Leesburg, VA.  Although my husband and I have not been there in a few months, we plan on visiting before the end of the summer.  Three years ago, my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I went on one of our first dates here, and two years after that we were engaged in Willowcroft's vineyards.  Obviously Willowcroft will always have a special place in my heart.  When we visit again, I will blog about more specifics.  But for now, knew that Willowcroft is amazing and I recommend it to you wine drinkers out there!