Thursday, April 25, 2013

Thursday ~ The Day a Wizard Was Waiting for Me at My Door

Guess what I have for you today? Yes, that's right - more pictures of my food and the books I'm reading! I see a definite trend setting happening in my photography these days, with food and books taking center stage. The evening lighting is at it's peak photography potential right after I get home from work...which is also when I make dinner and read a book for a little while. So, here's yet another post about (really) the things I love best. 

They say writers need to write about what they know. And since photography is an expression of the heart, perhaps photographers just need to take pictures of what they love. Eh? :)


I've signed up with several book publishers to do blog book reviews, since it combines one of my favorite things (books) with another favorite thing (free). And I'm currently reading In Broken Places by Michele Phoenix. I'll not steal the punch from my forthcoming review on this book, but let me just say amazing.


My goal as a living-on-her-own-er is to NOT eat Macaroni & Cheese for dinner every night, even though those delicious noodles rank high on my list of favorite foods. But last night called for a quick dinner, so Mac & Cheese it was. Oh how sad. ;)


You've seen this incredible woman on here several times before, but let me just re-introduce you to her. This is Colleen, one of my housematets. Also known as one of my very best friends. Isn't she cute? I don't think I could have wished for a better roomie.

Note: what exactly do you call someone with whom you share living space, but not a room? Roomie implies the same room. So...a housie??


Is that, is that, is that....MERLIN SEASON FIVE?? Yes, it is! I found a surprise package leaning up against my door when I got home from work last night and after ripping open the box like a 5-year-old on Christmas morning, I saw the face of Merlin nestled inside the wrapping, in all his wizardly cuteness (eek, did I just say that outloud? Oh snap, I did). My brother Steven and his wife Caitlin bought me pretty much the BEST house-warming gift ever. Although I'm sure the fact that they've been waiting just as anxiously to see it as me had nothing to do with their motive for getting it into the family circulation. Hehe. *wink*


This picture was taken just before I put in Episode 1...and then get no further than that episode, since the disc was defect and therefore, malfunctioned at just the wrong spot. So, it's being sent back and a new one should be here by tomorrow. Yay for Amazon Prime, people.

So between Mac & Cheese, an incredible book and Merlin to keep my company, last night was pretty much amazing.

Yup.

20 comments:

  1. Hold the phone....you can sign up to do book reviews and they like send you the books for free? How can I hop on board this fantastic bandwagon?!

    Mac and cheese is awesome, especially with ketchup!

    Oh no! At least the are sending you a new DVD, I hate it when the DVDs stop working at what seems like the most inconvenient place!

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    1. Katysue, that's exactly what I thought when I found out about the whole blog book review thing!! Yes, it's 200% legit! I'll email you the info, k?

      Whoa...with ketchup?? I agree, of course, that Mac & Cheese is the bomb...but eek, having it with ketchup sounds akin to having my stomach pumped...

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  2. What company do you go through? I get books through BookSneeze and I like it, but they are all pretty much the same genre... Looking to branch out! What great family members you have! It's good to branch out with cooking and try new things...but nothing beats a big bowl of Kraft mac n cheese sometimes. :)

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    1. Angela, I'll send you an email! And yes, my family is pretty much the tops! I couldn't be me without them! And how about TWO big bowls of Mac & Cheese? :D

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  3. Ohhh my word...season five???!! I didn't know you could get it on DVD yet! :D I may have to order it now...(: that's too bad that the disc was bad, though! Ugh..hate it when that happens.

    Ooh...and free books for review? Who did you sign up through?

    ~Vicki

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    1. Yes! Season Five was released on DVD on April 9th! I had planned on pre-ordering it, but what with moving and buying stuff for the house, it got put on hold. But now I have it (well, sorta!) and I'm so happy! I just need to get S3 to complete my Merlin collection. :)

      I'll send you an email with the publishers list!

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  4. Merlin - jealous! I am still working through S4 but am watching so many other shows right now, it's been put on the backburner. *sigh* I'll get to it at some point - and darn, that's never fun when a disc is defective however Amazon's customer service ROCKS. I haven't used Prime but they are awesome otherwise.

    Hey, I meant to ask you - speaking of blogger review programs - did you ever get my email? I just wondered because I sent it and it came back to me "undeliverable" (wrong address or something) so I tried again spelling it correctly (I think I missed a letter or something) and it didn't come back, so... just checking. :)

    Hope you have fun with whichever you sign up with - just don't overwhelm yourself. Trust me, I do that far too often. One of these days I'll learn to better pace myself in my reading habits. LOL! ;)

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    1. Yes, Rissi, I DID get your email and it was immensely helpful! And good advice - I'm that way when it comes to books too often! But so totally stoaked about free. ;)

      I'm so excited about watching S5 but also almost dreading it, because I don't want the story to end...and I don't want it to end the way I know it'll end inevitably! I'll be a weeping mess at the last episode! And to think the first time I ever watched it, I didn't like it! What was wrong with me??

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    2. The first season of Merlin does inspire dread for more than one reasons. Perhaps the new BBC 'Musketeer' serial will take that space in our hearts. So long as it doesn't break our hearts like Robin Hood or *sniff* Merlin.

      Oh, good! Just wanted to check since the first email came back. :)

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    3. Excited to see Musketeers when it starts airing!! :D

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  5. Hi Kellie! I've been reading your blog in silence for... well, I don't know how long, but it's been a while. I tend to do the silly thing and be all shy and never comment (partly because I don't have a blog and think that it may be weird for people to get comments from someone that they don't know and can't research), and then just pop up one day and randomly start saying stuff. Your posts always make me smile, 'cuz you're hilarious and relatable and have an awesomely infectious and adorable grin. :D I'm a 21yo homeschool grad, the oldest of six kids, Christian, Doctor Who and Merlin fan, and book lover (among other things, of course). Anyway *shakes head* here I am, in all of my rambling glory. :D What I really wanted to say is, “Yay! You got season 5 of Merlin!”. I'm in the midst of showing it to my brothers and suffering through all the bittersweet feelings that possess me at the end of an awesome show. *Sniff * Ahhh, I love it. :D I can't wait to hear what you think of it!

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    1. Taylor! I'm so glad that you came out of the shadows! Not weird at all - I love hearing from the wonderful people who take time to read this little poster-board of my life! So, Taylor, officially, it's so awesome to meet you! :) And "rambling glory" is my all-time favorite! :)

      We have a lot of similarities! I'm also a homeschool graduate (with no college whatsoever under my belt), the fourth of eight kids, Christian and of course, a Doctor Who and Merlin fan!I actually think Merlin might trump Doctor Who! Marginally, but trumped, nonetheless. I first started watching them last summer and at first, I didn't like them (gaah!) but I picked them back up a week or so later, and it was like a fated romance had begun. :) The brand of humor, the fantasy, the camaraderie of the characters...I love it all!! I've only seen the first episode of S5, but as soon as my replacement copy comes it, I'm going to marathon my way through it!

      Thanks again for commenting, Taylor, and for reading my blog in the first place! I'm really humbled and blessed by that! Don't be a stranger! :D

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    2. Thanks for the welcome! And I'm very glad that I didn't strike you as a weird, crazy person. :D (Although I am one... just not in a "bad" way. Hehe.)

      Yes, we do have a lot in common. However, in the name of full-disclosure, I must admit that I left something important out of my "about me" list. I'm just not a very big cat person. It's partly because half of my family is allergic to them, but still, if you feel like you need to kick me off your blog, I'll understand. :D

      I'm part of the "fairly smart person that strangely decided not to go to college" group as well. At least, that's how I like to think of it. :D I still get head shakes and pitying comments from people about my decision. Apparently it's hard for them to understand that college is one option for the years out of high-school, but it's not the only viable choice for a person to make. As you might be able to tell, it used to frustrate me (and fluster my calmly prepared explanations), but now I think it's kind of funny. We're not exactly miserable humans just because we missed out on that cultural rite of passage, right? Anyway...

      What?! You didn't love Doctor Who and Merlin at first sight!? That is borderline heresy, Kellie! Actually though, if I'm being honest, I felt the same way. "Rose" was utterly unimpressive to me (especially after the rave reviews that I had heard of Doctor Who), and it took my brother watching a few more episode without me - and assuring me that "it gets wayyy better" - to convince me to try it again. And while I was marginally entertained by my first viewing of Merlin, it only took a few more episodes to get me into "devoted fan" territory. Perseverance pays off. :D

      Oh, goodness. See what I mean about rambling?! Sorry!

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    3. Aaaaah, the truth comes out. No a cat person, huh? Well, I am quite prepared to overlook this character flaw. I can understand how one would have missed out on the wonders of cats if they've not grown up with them. There's never been a time in my entire life when we didn't have any cats. They've been as constant as the hair on my head. :)

      Yes, I do understand the strange looks and incomprehensible pity of the people who think college is the epoch of life. Although, I will say...now that I'm twenty-six years old, single without any prospects of marriage, hence having to support myself, there's a lot more "sense" in going to college and earning some form of degree seems a lot more appealing now. Since that's so much of what a prospective employer looks at. But all in all, the Lord never led me that way, so therefore He must have a life-time of degree-less jobs ahead of me. :)

      I'll actually admit it, too...Rose is not my favorite companion. I was devastated when she left and I kept saying over and over to myself, "there's no life after Rose!" But then I met Martha, who is my favorite companion of all. Although my one gripe with the Martha line is that she should have married that doctor guy from the hospital! It goes from her being happily engaged to this amazing guy....to suddenly her and Mickey being married. I liked Mickey and I thought it was a cute story line that they ended up together...but it was just so weird. Whatever happened to Tom?? But apart from that...Martha's my favorite, with Rory/Amy (in that order, hehe) being my second/third favorites. Here's to being devoted, albeit late-blooming, Doctor Who and Merlin fans!

      Gral, this is a ramble-friendly environment. So ramble away! :D

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    4. To me, the importance placed on a general degree is silly because it does very little toward proving mastery or ability, and I decided to forgo college partly based on that principle. Unfortunately though, you're right - employers don't see it that way (at least not yet... I'm still holding out that the day will come). As a 47 year old, destitute and living the bleak life of an old maid, I may look back and wish that I hadn't taken this courageous stand for a diploma-free existence. ;D Oh well! God IS in control – even over my (possibly overzealous) stubborn/independent streak and the decisions it has wrought.

      When I mentioned “Rose”, I was actually referring to episode 1 of the first season (which you may have already known, and now I'm just making it more complicated)... but you brought up a good point. Why IS Rose always the favored one? I love her, but all the companions are my favorite for different reasons. :D Martha and Mickey's relationship did come out of nowhere and shock me a little! Although, I always felt bad for Mickey because of Rose, and for poor Martha and her unrequited love for the Doctor, so their happy ending made me happy. :D

      Kellie, I promise not to always stalk your comments like this (even as "ramble-friendly" as you are), but it's been fun getting to “meet” you!

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    5. Ahaha, now I understand why you put quotation marks around "Rose" - it didn't make sense to me that you'd quotationed her name...but who am I to say otherwise? Now I get it. It's been awhile since I saw the first season, and I'm not THAT FAN who knows every episode by name, haha! I've recently been causally working my way through Season 3..and was totally surprised to find that Andrew Garfield from the Amazing Spiderman played that one {really good-looking and brave} character in "The Daleks in Manhatten." Not sure how I missed that the first time. Anyways, that was my own bit of "rambling" I'm anxiously waiting for S7 to be done airing, so it can be released on dvd, so I can buy it...and finally watch it and meet this new companion that everyone is talking about. Okay, not everyone, but it feels like I'm the only ones who's "behind" on it! :D Not only do I not have tv, but I also have this thing for liking to take an entire day to watch a season of a show...especially when it's a show that I love. Watching week by week absolutely kills me!

      Agreed, Taylor! It's been great! You should start up your own blog, gral!

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  6. Yay for good books and comfort food! (I consider mac and cheese comfort food.) :D And yes, free books are great. Even more so when the stories turn out to be just as awesome as you imagined!

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    1. I think I would concur with you on the Mac & Cheese being comfort food! There's just something about those glaringly orange noodles that whispers words of peace and joy. :)

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  7. So...like...I saw a picture of Merlin and may or may not have squealed out loud a little. *cough* Because...MERLINNNN!!!! (My love for this show goes way beyond the healthy level. Ahem.) Your brother and sister-in-law are the bestest gift givers ever. Just sayin'.

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  8. Well, Lauri...I'm repressed many a squeal while watching Merlin myself so...squealing is definitely allowed. ;)

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Oooh, you're about to comment! How exciting! Know that you are SO MUCH MORE than just a name and a comment to me - you're a person I'd like to get to know! Make sure you check back, as I reply to each comment. I love getting to talk/correspond with each of you!