On the sixth day....

On the 6th day of Christmas,

In Cape Town we found,

Flowers in Kirstenbosch,

Shopping at Century City!!!!!!

Dinner at Addis,

District Six history lesson,

Owl hanging with Ethan,

And Santa came to our hotel.

On the fifth day....

On the fifth day of Christmas,

In Cape Town we found,
Shopping at Century City!!!!!!

Dinner at Addis,

 District Six history lesson,

Owl hanging with Ethan,

And Santa came to our hotel.

On the fourth day....

On the fourth day of Christmas,

In Cape Town we found,
Dinner at Addis,

A District Six history lesson,

An owl hanging with Ethan,

And Santa came to our hotel.

(I'd like to add that the pictures from District 6 came from the museum.
Sorry if anyone got offended.
It was definitely an experience visiting the museum
and talking with former residents.)

On the third day...

On the third day of Christmas,

In Cape Town we found,

A District Six history lesson,

an owl hanging with Ethan

and Santa came to our hotel.

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 43

For the past few years,

Boxing Day has been spent

me convincing Scott

that I need to go to the mall.

Sometimes I win,

sometimes I don't. 

This year,

we're having a different Christmas.

Which means a different 

Boxing Day.

We started our Boxing Day

with a couple of cheetahs.

We then visited with some owls.

Wine o'clock arrived early

this Boxing Day.

While we enjoyed some wine tasting,

Ethan tried some

water tasting.

Scott's favourite part of

this year's

Boxing Day.

Happiness is a wine tour on Boxing Day.

On the 2nd Day..

On the second day of Christmas,

In Cape Town we found,

an owl hanging with Ethan,

and Santa came to our hotel.

12 Days of Cape Town

I always thought

the 12 days of Christmas

were the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

Wrong!

It starts on Christmas Day

and goes for 12 days.

Since I didn't do an

advent calendar blog,

I thought I'd do the 12 days of Christmas.

Or rather,

the 12 days of Cape Town.

So,

without further delay...

On the first day of Christmas,

In Cape Town we found

Santa came to our hotel.

Destined for an Early Grave - Jeaniene Frost

So I didn't quite make my 100 book goal, but I think I did pretty well. I think next year, I will aim for a more realistic goal.

However, having a series like Cat & Bones made coming close to my goal a lot easier.

Destined for an Early Grave picks up where we last left off. Cat and Bones decide to go on a much needed R&R vacation. However, Cat has haunting dreams. In her dreams she is running away from another vampire. She soon learns this other vampire, Gregor, is a dreamsnatcher (can snatch you from your dreams) and he claims he is married to Cat and wants her back!

Yup, turns out our dearest Cat married Gregor when she was a teen. Mencheres erased her memory, so now she is unsure what is real and what isn't.

Cat & Bones' relationship is put through the ringer here. And being a huge fan, I have to admit, I was concerned if they'd work it out or not. Frost once again keeps you excited about her characters and wanting more. 

You know there's more to come. It ends with changes for both Cat and her mom. It will be one of my books I tackle in 2012.

Touch of Frost - Jennifer Estep

I'm on vacation. 

And right now, 

I should be packing since we leave for Cape Town

in the morning,

but instead I've chosen to read.

Ah read.

How I've missed you these last few months.

Touch of Frost is book 1 of the Mythos Academy. Definitely a series I'm keen to read more about. Gwen Frost is a gypsy. She has the gift of psychometry, which means anything she touches, she gets a psychic impression from it. Shortly after her mother's death, Gwen's grandmother enrolls her in the Mythos Academy, a school for teens with special gifts. No the school doesn't have vampires, at least not so far. Instead the school is filled with mythology; Valkyrie, Amazons, Spartans, warriors. Gwen does not belong. She's a loner.

What's worse, she comes across the dead body of the most popular girl in school. But no one seems to care. Although Gwen was never friends with this girl, she is sure her powers can help her solve the mystery. And instead, she finds herself in the middle of a bigger mystery, in the middle of Chaos. Oh, and with a cute, hunky guy too.

This was an easy read. And an interesting one. I think I've found something to read on the plane to Cape Town. Definitely need to read the next instalment. 

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 42

I've been promising Ethan 

that we'll make Christmas cookies,

like forever.

Bad mommy here.

Something always comes up.

Until yesterday,

that is.

Ethan and I headed over to

Betti and Cyana's

for a cookie making day.

Ethan and I made sugar cookies

while Betti and Cyana made hazelnut cookies.

I'm in love with Betti's oven.

Check out our great cookies.

Happiness is baking Christmas cookies with your little boy and mates.

Also Known as Rowan Pohi - Ralph Fletcher

Let me start by saying I gave this book 5 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed it, was not critical of the parts that didn't make sense and read the book in an hour. 

I've decided I am a fan of Ralph Fletcher. I read A Writer's Notebook, where he presents ideas on how to get students writing. It was an easy read and had great ideas. So when I saw he had a short novel out, I thought why not see how he writes.

Bobby Steele, Marcus and Big Poobs are mates from a working class background. They hang out at IHOP, since it's the one place teens can order a coffee or coke, sit all day and not get hassled. At a nearby table are some girls from the prestigious Whitestone Academy. When the girls clear out, Bobby finds an application to Whitestone left behind.

With the end of summer fast approaching, the boys decide to create a fictional person to apply, Rowan Pohi (IHOP backwards). They are all stunned when Rowan is accepted.

Bobby needs an escape from his home life. His mom and dad fought over a year ago. Dad burnt mom with an iron and spent some time in jail. Shortly after being released from jail, Bobby's mom left. It has now been over a year. He's not fully accepted that she's gone, and has issues with his dad.

Bobby decides to become Rowan and attend Whitestone. Yes, I'm not bothered that he's been accepted with no transcripts or that he starts school without having paid tuition. Bobby wins a full scholarship to Whitestone, makes it on the football team and even gets a hot girlfriend. 

But we all know Bobby can't keep pretending to be someone he is not. He gets caught and suspended. He losses the hot girlfriend, but gains a father. 

I think this is a great book for pre-teen boys. It's a good feel book which shows you who your true friends are. 

Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood

I read Oryx and Crake years ago, and was pulled into Atwood's world. I decided to re-read it after learning she's written a second novel that occurs parallel to this one. 

It was a much harder read this time around.

But I was still in Atwood's world.

When the novel opens, we see Snowman sleeping in a tree, wearing an old bed-sheet, mourning the loss of his beloved Oryx and his best friend Crake. Snowman is slowly starving to death. He is alone in the world. Except for the green-eyed Children of Crake whom he has been left responsible for. The children of Crake are a new breed of humans, passive, docile, who are physically flawless, void of envy and jealousy. They do not understand violence or sexual drive, unable to be artisitc or comprehend technology. 

The novel jumps from present day Snowman, who recollects events from the past where we gradually learn the sequence of events leading to the fall of humanity as he knew it and his contribution to it.

Atwood also leaves you with unanswered questions. Will humanity survive? Will the Crakers overtake? Are the Crakers really what Crake intended them to be; the perfect beings? Will Snowman find anyone else that survived? Or is he truly the last man alive?

Atwood has a way with dystopia. She is unique and unlike other dystopia series. Maybe it's because she, herself calls it speculative fiction. Hmmmm....

Celebrity Husband

On Thursday,

MamaKat got me thinking 

about my possible celebrity husbands.

It was a lot of fun.

Scott and I then had a date night this weekend.
We went to see New Years Eve.
It was cute.
And it brought back a childhood crush.
Jon Bon Jovi.

As a teen
I loved this rocker
and his long flowing locks.

Yeah,
Let's add him to my list.

While we're on the subject
of New Years Eve,
can I add
OMG
Zac Efron has grown up!
Ok, it's craddle robbery,
but it's also imaginary.
But seriously,
does this look like the
High School Musical
kid?

Five Question Friday

Vacation has begun.

Let me hear a 

Whoot Wooo!

What on earth will Ethan and I do

for an entire month?

Well, 2 weeks in Cape Town

so just 2 weeks here to get busy.

And we start our vacation

with

Five Question Friday.

(I need flashing lights)

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?

This is a tough one.

Because you know I'll forget something,

and this'll be the time Scott reads my blog

and comments on how I didn't mention

such-and-such a gift.

A few years ago I got my beloved 

iphone.

Gotta think that was an awesome gift.

Last year my father-n-law

bought me a new camera.

That's pretty sweet.

Ethan got me laser eye surgery 

a few years back.

That was eye opening.

(teeheehee)

Yes,

I'm pretty spoilt.

2. Worst/Funniest White Elephant gift ever received?

The year I was pregnant with Ethan,

I was a member of the

Dar es Salaam Hash House Harriers.

That Christmas,

at our Christmas Hash

I got a potty ring.

Yes, 

it was randomly chosen,

and yet so

appropriate.

3.  Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (coloured lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)?

I dunno.

Our tree is like 3 feet tall.

There are no lights.

But ornaments that we've collected through the years.

You tell me,

plain or wild?

Ethan did the decorating.

Hence the uneven ornaments and

tinsel.

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board way, the shower, back in the dryer, etc.
I iron
the Mary way.

:)


Yes I said that.
My dearest Mary does all our ironing.
She's the best.

5.  How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items?
Honestly,
it differs every year.
Ethan and I always make roll out cookies.
It's tradition.
Last year we also made
pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
They were a hit.
We made them again this year.
This year,
I also made a chocolate pumpkin cheesecake.
I'll have to make it again when we go home next year.




Can you believe it'll be Christmas in a little over a week?
Which means 2012
is just around the corner.
Are you ready for the holiday?

Writer's Workshop - Celebrity Husbands

If I HAD to marry a celebrity... who would make your top five list and why?

Don't you just love MamaKat's prompt this week?

I do.

(Get it? I do? lol)

1. Johnny Depp

I fell in love with Johnny Depp in 1987,

no I won't say how old I was,

but 21 Jump Street was my favourite show.

Somethings get better with age.

2. Ryan Gosling

He's gorgeous.

He's Canadian.

I am unashamed to admit I watched

Breaker High.

3. Ryan Reynolds
Another Canadian.
He'll deliver pizza.
And fight vampires.

4. Mark Paul Gosselaar
Yup,
from Saved by the Bell

to Franklin and Bash

he's always a cutie.

5. Chris O'Donnell
Whether it's Scent of a Woman,
 Circle of Friends
or even Batman's sidekick,
how can you not love this guy?
And he brings in the whole
down to earth
that I do need.

While making my list
I had to put some thought into it.
I thought of one,
but then since the prompt was
marry,
I didn't think he qualified.
So I'm adding an extra one
just because.

Spike
Yes,
technically it's James Marsters,
however it is Spike I love.
In the day of
sparkly vampires
let us remember what I vampire is.
Personally,
I like my vamps
mean, blood suckers,
and cannot go out during the day.
And Spike,
he does not
sparkle!