Adventures in Reading: A Simple Favor

So I've been pretty good about not falling asleep on the train lately so I was able to devour "A Simple Favor" by Darcey Bell really quickly and then to start "The Girl on the Train" (which I'm 120 pages into so far).

All done!  What a quick read!

I enjoyed reading A Simple Favor.  It was a quick read for me that really got me turning pages.  It's similar to Gone Girl in a lot of ways but perhaps less shocking and in a way, easier to read due to the language.  Since one of the main characters is a "Mommy Blogger" the writing style is quite accessible. I enjoyed Gone Girl when I read it but I hated the ending.  I really, really hated the ending and if you've not read it, I won't spoil it but I know a lot of people felt the same.

A Simple Favor does have a very similar vibe but the premise is slightly different. The story starts out with our Mommy Blogger posting about her missing friend.  It's a similar mystery to that in Gone Girl.  What has happened to this woman? Where did she go and why? But the narrative is not split between husband and missing wife.  The first half of the narrative is told from the "loving" friend. Then later on different narrative voices are introduced at the second half of the book.

And the twists abound.  I don't know if I found it as realistic as Gone Girl.  With Gone Girl, I really did believe the sociopathy of certain characters.   Here, I found certain twists not as realistic. In the first two chapters, we find out that our Mommy blogger is putting up a front of perfection.  Which feels realistic to the social media world.  Very few people focus solely on the negatives in their worlds on social media so that made sense to me.  But her secret was so out there for me that it was hard to reconcile her two personas.  Then she was so easily manipulated at times that I wasn't sure what to feel about her. She was manipulated by the other characters but sometimes I felt like she was manipulating herself as well?  Do you feel bad for her?  Or are you annoyed by her lack of moral compass in regards to certain actions?  She's a good mom, that's her saving grace. I spent a lot of the book trying to figure out if I sympathized with her or not.

The other two main characters are equally problematic but in different ways.  But it's hard to go into detail without giving away the middle or the ending.  I could believe Sean's character even though I was vaguely irritated by his naivete. He was also an easily manipulated character whereas his wife was just a manipulating force.  For her, I just don't know if I believed her motivation for certain things.  Although she said she felt certain things, it was hard for me to believe her. She didn't always feel real to me.  Her relationships were especially problematic. 

I enjoyed the perspective shifts as they gave interesting insights into each character and I liked the development of the children (the only likeable characters).

I liked the twists and turns but didn't find it as shocking as Gone Girl (maybe because Gone Girl came out first and prepared me for books following this genre of shock fiction).  And I wasn't as angry at the ending.  Although, I'm still not sure how I feel about it.  I found it more realistic but more of a cliffhanger.

It's left so open-ended that I just don't know what will happen and my imagination has so many possibilities that I don't have to settle on one.  But I wanted to know ultimately what happens to each character.  Currently, each is waiting in a limbo in my mind. I wanted to know who, if anyone was actually going to suffer the consequences.
I liked this book but I'm still a bit conflicted about it.

I'm very curious to see the movie which I believe comes out soon.

Currently reading: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Next up: The Heretic Queen

2 more to finish in the pile!

Adventures in Crafting: Preserving a bouquet and boutonniere

I love crafting and I always have.
When I was a young child, I used to make friendship bracelets. I even spent a couple of summers making and selling them at the park.  I did hair wraps too.

I've done origami. Most commonly I make hundreds of thousands of tiny stars to keep my hands busy when I'm doing other things.

I've painted (I wish I was better at it) and spent time sketching.

I've made tons of presents over the years.
I've crafted practical items (for example, a spice jar "rack" for the kitchen).

A couple of years ago, I started making mermaid bras and floral crowns.  Not long after that I started making holiday wreaths.  It was the beginning of my small side business and little etsy shop Fairy Tales by Ali.  Since we're coming to Halloween and Holiday season, I should be crafting more to sell!

Even for our spring wedding, I made all the bouquets, boutonnieres, hair pieces and centerpieces. I really enjoy making things and I also really like saving money (flowers are expensive!). I spent hours and hours crafting for the 6 months leading up to the big day and it was so worth it!  I went a little crazy and decided o make most of the flowers from scratch and only supplement with store bought silks. It was time-consuming but ultimately gorgeous and just how I imagined.

I really enjoy hands on projects.  I love making but also the creative process of trying to figure out how to make something.  I love getting an idea in my head and then bringing it to life.

I even love to get Baros involved in the process.  It was fun having him at Michael's with me to figure out the couple of projects I'll be doing this month (check out this post to see our adulting adventure).

The first project is one I've been contemplating for a while.
We had our big wedding with friends and family in April but we actually got married in a court ceremony last November (it's almost been a year!!  so crazyyyy!!)  At our spring wedding, I made the bouquet but for our court wedding we actually got a traditional bouquet and boutonniere from the amazing florist down the block.

It was beautiful and wild with different shades of pink roses and non traditional greenery.  We were
so happy with our bit of bright colors on that rainy November Monday.

We knew that we wanted to preserve those memories so we hung the bouquet and boutonniere upside
down to dry and keep.  But over the last 10 months, I've  been realizing a small problem, well, 2 actually: space and the precariousness of dried roses.

Space is always an issue in our small apartment.  So the bouquet and boutonniere wound up living on my crafting shelves, however, this leads to the second problem.  My crafting shelves are often an explosion of projects and crafting materials. There are piles of materials and one wrong move can send things tumbling.... I'm working on it though!  But flowers, dried flowers especially, are delicate.  One tumble would destroy the flowers and/or leaves.

I've been trying to figure out the best way to keep them safe.  Putting them in a vase still wouldn't protect them from a tumble.  I saw a really cool project preserving them in a bubble like globe... but that project seemed time consuming and difficult.

The project that struct me as most efficient and also lovely was using a shadow box.  A shadow box is, essentially, a picture frame except it is deep so allows for 3D projects.

Our Shadow box, plus my paper options and glues

So at Michael's we picked up a 10x10 extra deep (4.5") shadow box.  We could have gotten a bigger box but I liked the way this one looked (also I periodically have spatial issues and imagined more fitting in there than actually did).  I almost wish we had found a larger one with the same depth so I could have added a picture from the court wedding.  But I'll make some prints to display the shadow box with instead.

When planning this shadow box, I realized that I didn't want to put the whole bouquet in as is.  It's a

The boutonniere plus bouquet dried

pretty tall bouquet and just not as pretty from the side as it's from the top.

Therefore, I decided to deconstruct the bouquet and put it back together in the shadow box. Baros was a little sad about this, but I couldn't figure out a better way to display the flowers.

So a couple of nights ago I lined the shadow box with scrapbook paper cut down to size.  It was an unnecessary step but I didn't love the black background with the flowers.

Next, Baros helped me figure out the placement of his boutonniere.  Originally, we created a mini platform out of foam and then covered it in ribbon from the bouquet to give the boutonniere a little more height in the box. Then as I was closing the box, I realized it would be better to have it closer to the glass and more separate from the bouquet itself.

From there I took the entire bouquet apart and separated the flowers from the leaves and filler.  I cut the stems down but not too short.  It's always better to make something too long than too short. I saved the stems to place into the box also.

Slowly, I organized all of the flowers on the board without glue. I used some foam to stand some of the stems. Then after arranging, trimming and changing angles I started gluing.

It took me a little while to get things just as I wanted but finally I finished and I love how it looks.  Now we can put it on the wall and have our memories safe from harm.

The final product

I'm so happy with this project.  It was an inexpensive way to preserve a moment from one of the
happiest days of our lives.  And it looks beautiful!And it'll help us remember one of the best days ever!

The struggle was real as I attempted
to photograph glass!!

Such a beautiful happy day!

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Wedding Adventures: Bridal Party Craziness

I have to say I'm exhausted.  It's been a busy couple of months of activities: all leading up to one of my besties weddings.
Grace, one of my best friends from 7th grade, tied the knot with her long term sweetheart this past weekend.  It was such a lovely day with beautiful people and happy tears and general hilarity.

I added the finishing flower touches to this beautiful etsy sign

It was a long weekend of crazy antics and I'm so glad that I was part of it. 

Back in August, we started the celebrations with her bachelorette getaway in the Hamptons.  We went wine tasting and then to the beach.  We had a lot of fun bonding and being silly.  Nothing too crazy.
Later in August, we had a cupcake celebration for her bridal shower too.  We had a ton of fun at Sprinkles Cupcake in Manhattan, decorating cupcakes and eating them in celebration.  We made toilette paper dresses too.

Two weekends ago, Sam (one of the other bridesmaids) and I helped with favors and tried to keep the bride from going nuts.  The last two weeks are the hardest with so much going on it's hard to keep track. I went with her for her hair appointment and kept her laughing.

I made her hairpiece

This weekend was hard work.  It took a lot of crazy logistics for both the bride and groom and a lot of coordination with the bridal party.
There was last minute decorating of signs and the emergency construction of hair pieces (glad I'm crafty).   There were crazy dress changes and lots of running around.  There was joy and tipsy photos and love.

The beautiful bride prepping

Silliness

The three craziest/most awesome bridesmaids

We started getting ready at 8:30 in the morning and the party kept going till midnight.

our beautiful bouquets

Grace's photoshoot

Will's photoshoot

Such a beautiful bride!!

sneaking a peak at the first look!

The beautiful couple

The bride and her mom and dad

It was perfect and beautiful and I think the bride and groom really enjoyed themselves.  I know the rest of us did too.

Cutting the cake

I was so happy to be a part of Grace and Will's big day and that I could help even in little ways.

One more friend is married.  It's crazy how time flies.  Andrea got married last April, I got married this April and now Grace has tied the knot too.  Time ticks forward and we have so many more adventures ahead of us all.

And now I think we all need a week to relax.

Adventures in Adulting: Long shopping trips and Organization

So on Saturday, I convinced Baros to take a long walk down to the shopping center with me.  It was about an hour walk  but it was a beautiful day and we needed some supplies.

I had 3 goals in mind when we set out, 2 necessary and 1 optional.

1. Get a shelf to put above the fridge to create some kind of organization for the piles that live up there. 
2. Get a shelving unit to put in our bedroom for sheets, towels and other clothing items that have no home. 
3. Go to Michael's and get craft supplies for 2 or 3 projects.  Both are currently surprises sooooo you'll just have to wait to see the final products. I'm excited to get some crafting in.  

I am very pleased to say that after 4 stores we got everything we needed and then some.  

Beautiful silicon tongs

First stop was Home Goods.  We didn't find the shelving that we needed but we did find some tongs
which are covered in silicone so we don't scratch our new nonstick pans. I love those pans and don't want them ruined so it was definitely a good thing we found some non-metal tongs.  

Next Stop was Michael's... which is always an adventure with me.  I want EVERYTHING in there. But I stopped myself from looking at everything.  Since I had specific projects in mind, we honed in on those projects and Baros helped me figure out a cool way to execute them. Being creative with him is wonderful because he's great at bouncing back ideas and adding to them.  He never makes me feel like my ideas are crazy even when my plans are slightly outlandish.  Instead, he helps me figure out the best way to get things done and brainstorms with me. 

Then we popped into Bed, Bath and Beyond where we found the shelf for above the refrigerator.  Actually, it's built to go under the kitchen sink but we decided to adapt it to our needs.  When we got home, Baros put it together and then I organized all of our supplies.  It looks so much better.  I wish I had thought to take a before picture but rest assure, it was soooo messy.  Everything currently living on the shelf was living piled up. There were things we didn't even know we had up there, including a bag of seaweed packets that had expired.... Out of sight, out of mind. It's a lot of the reason I wanted a shelf up there.  I was worried about what else might expire, like fruits or veggies.  With this we can see everything up there!!  Everything has a neat place to live.  At some point I'll tackle the actual cabinets and see if I can organize them better too.   But this was a great start.  

Look at how neat everything is... It was just one pile of nonsense before

At this point we took a food break because we'd been walking and shopping for hours.  We almost went home instead but we decided to get the last item checked off. No need to wait and put off the organization any longer. 

Semi-filled with sheets and towels... still needs to be organized

We ran into Target with one major item in mind: drawers to put our sheets and towels (which just
kind of lived wherever we could fit them until now).  Of course, I immediately got distracted and picked up a shirt (I put it back right before leaving... this was not a clothing mission after all!) 

It was surprisingly difficult to find the right plastic drawers.  In Bed, Bath and Beyond, we found an option but it would have cost around $80 to execute and we weren't willing to spend that much on plastic.  Finally in Target we found a drawer set, also in plastic, big enough for all of our stuff, but still small enough that it wouldn't eat up the room and it was about half what we would have spent in Bed, Bath and Beyond. I'm still not the biggest fan of the plastic but it'll have to do for the moment (at least for the next few years until we move and then we'll see how it holds up).

Still looking a mess... but that's next on the program

Our beautiful hamper

It opens so beautifully

Then we also bought one extra item that probably wasn't 100% necessary.  

We found a beautiful wicker hamper that we couldn't resist.  Until now, we've been using a collapsible hamper that's been breaking for a while now.  We've been meaning to replace it, but, you know, life got in the way. We were originally going to just get another collapsible one for convenience but all of them were tiny.  The wicker one was more than we were thinking of spending, but it's so pretty and also beautifully made. It has two removable bags so we can separate our laundry right away by lights and darks and I can carry one while Baros can carry the other.   Alternatively, We can do one bag and leave the other to fill up! And we won't have to drag everything downstairs to the basement.  

Those were our two big purchases. Other than that I just got my conditioner and hair color.  

We spent a lot of money on our shopping run but it was well worth it to organize our tiny apartment better.  

As soon as we got home, we set everything up and did our laundry (which should have been done earlier in the week... but whatever it's done now). I feel very accomplished.  Look at all this adulting!!  Our space is really starting to come together after over a year of living here!  

Adventures in Reading: Once Upon a River

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love to read.  I love to escape into a world of fiction and immerse myself in the folds of each page.  When I read books, I travel and live another life and experience another world. There are real worlds and fantasy worlds that sometimes seem more real than the one we live in. There are uplifting stories and sad ones that break your heart a piece at a time.  In every book, there is a choice to escape.

I'm sure if my high school friends and acquaintances had only one memory of me they would remember me with my nose in a book.

I read while walking in the hallways, and while learning in classrooms during class... I went through so many books from middle school to high school.  

In college, I was still a bookworm, but I had to switch gears slightly.  Instead of devouring fantasy, mystery and romance novels I had to shift over to academic reading.  I absorbed psychology, literature in English, Italian and Spanish and my other academic reading on a regular basis.  When there was time, I'd read "fun" books.  

Since college/my masters finished ages ago, I have gone through phases of being a bookworm.  Some years I've read practically nothing while others I have read everything and anything I could get my hands on.  

A couple of years ago, I managed to read 102 books in one year.  They varied from children's fiction to psychology, studies of the brain and genetics. It was a good year for reading.  

Since then, my attention has waned and I've struggled to read more than a handful of books a year.  I use Goodreads to keep track of all the books I've read and to set goals for myself but sadly I'm behind again.  I had set a goal of 30 books in January, but in July I realized I was so behind that I changed it to 25. I'm behind again.  

I've read 12 books and I'm 4 books behind schedule.  

I blame it on sleep.  I keep falling asleep on the train instead of reading.   I've been so tired on my commute since I average 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Hopefully, as the weather turns colder, I can make up the 4 books and hit my goal!

However, in the past few weeks I've been falling asleep less and less.  The book I've been reading just keeps getting better and better.    

I've been reading a beautiful book that I won in a Goodreads Giveaway (the first and only I've ever won... so far) and as I was getting to the end even my exhaustion couldn't stop me from devouring the pages one by one.  

I've been reading Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield.

My loved and used copy of Once Upon a River

Even from the first page of the book, I knew I would be absorbed by it totally and completely.

The writing is beautiful, lyrical but not so descriptive that the eye wanders.  When I've read books like The Lord of the Rings the focus and attention to minute details has always driven me to distraction. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those books too, I just find them harder to focus on.

Once Upon a River is all story. It is beautiful prose and lyrical writing that is plot driven. Because of the way the tale is woven I find it hard to give a brief synopsis but I'll try. 

In this book, there are many stories and folklore connected by a single event: the appearance of a little girl who appears dead when found, but actually is not.  Who is she? Who does she belong to? Is she Amelia, Alice or Ann? How did she appear? Why? How was she actually alive when she should have been dead with no pulse? Whose secrets will reveal the truth?

It's a mystery that I needed to know the ending to.  The more you learn, the more you want to know.

Bookmarks and chapters... Don't read ahead!!

The pace at the beginning of the novel moved steadily, slowly giving information about each character, tying them inextricably together.  There are the people at the Swan (owners and patrons all telling stories), Daunt, the nurse Rita, the Vaughans, the Armstrongs and countless others affected by this singular event.   But it doesn't feel like too many characters.  Every line, every character is connected in an intricate web that the author somehow makes easy to follow.  I was never lost in the story telling.  I never questioned who was doing what or what.  It was so clearly and beautifully written.

The mystery itself leads to guessing, but I can definitely say I was left surprised quite often.

By the end of the book, the pace moves even more swiftly bringing closure to one loose end after another.  There is sadness and happiness and just enough mystery left to question.

I won't give anything away, but I strongly recommend reading this book. It is an ode to story telling and story tellers alike.  I loved it and Diane Setterfield has become one of my favorite authors.  

I won't give anything away, but I strongly recommend reading this book. I loved it and Diane Setterfield has become one of my favorite authors.  

I loved her book The Thirteenth Tale which is a gothic style mystery also quite story driven with beautiful language.  

Next up: A Simple Favor...
And Others

Shall we begin?