Ipsy Glam Bag - January 2015

I received my January Ipsy Glam Bag today.

• 4 to 5 beauty products in a collectible makeup bag 
• Monthly videos showing you how to get the Look 
• Win free products in contests and giveaways

Subscriptions are $10US a month or $110US for a year.  Shipping is free in the U.S. and $4.95US per month to Canada.  It was $187.87CN for the year which worked out to $15.66CN a month.

Here's what was in it: 

• Make-up bag
• Elizabeth MottAll Over Shadow Brush - $9.99 value
• BelláPierreShimmer Powder (Exite) - 2.35g - $14.99 value
• Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow - 2.5g - $3.50 value - I like it!  The colour is nice and it has great staying power.
• (MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm - 0.20oz - $6.86 value - feels and smells good!
• Nourish OrganicRenewing Eye Cream - 0.5oz - $19.99 value

Total value: $57.33US (excluding the bag)

Book ~ "A Brief History of the House of Windsor" (2013) Michael Paterson

From Goodreads ~ This Brief History tells the story of The House of Windsor. Starting with George V and going through Charles, Prince of Wales, all the way to Queen Elizabeth II. Plus it will touch on the next generations of the monarchy, with Prince William, Duchess Kate, and their son. 

The book will shed light on the fine line trodden between custom and modernity, grandeur and thrift, and influence and neutrality that has left this royal family more secure and appealing than ever.

I find the Royals interesting and thought this would be a fun read.

The book started by telling us that the Windsors came into being in 1917 during World War I ... that's when King George V changed his family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the less German-sounding Windsor.  What follows is a chapter on the last four kings and queens and the two future kings:

• George V (1910 to 1936)
• Edward VIII (January to December 1936) - he abdicated for the woman he loved
• George VI (1936 to 1952) - the king in The King's Speech
• Elizabeth II (1952 to present)
• Prince Charles
• Prince William

Though dry at times, I liked that the author gave a high level background on them and wasn't too detailed.  But I also liked that sometimes it read kind of gossipy ... he wasn't kind sometimes in describing the Royals as dumb, spoiled and self-serving.  But he also told of positive qualities and the good the Royals do/did.

It was interesting to read how the Royals were raised and educated and how that's changed over the years ... things are so different for William and Harry than they were for the those in the past.  Royals weren't allowed to laugh or even smile in public ... now the young Royals are having fun at concerts and sporting events.  The rules are less strict in finding a spouse.

Book ~ "Footprints in the Sand" (2013) Mary Jane Clark

From Goodreads ~ It's the dead of winter and struggling actress and wedding cake decorator Piper Donovan is thrilled to be in warm and romantic Sarasota, Florida, enjoying the powdery white beaches, soothing seas and golden sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico. She and her family are there to celebrate her beloved cousin's wedding. Not only is Piper creating the sugar sand dollar-festooned wedding cake, she's also the maid of honor. 

But a cloud seems to hover over the whole affair. Shortly after a bridesmaid mysteriously disappears, a kindly neighbor's car is run off the road and a prospective witness, an innocent Amish teenager, is threatened to keep silent. Then a body is found on the wedding beach. 

With the nuptials threatened, it falls to Piper to unmask a killer. Could it be the wedding planner with something to hide? A doctor and his wife who collect unusual Japanese figurines? The best man, an ex-drug dealer with lecherous eyes and roving hands? What about her cousin's future stepfather or even the bridegroom himself? 

As Piper gets close to figuring out who's been covering his guilty footprints in the sand, the cunning killer has already set his sights on Piper as his next victim!

Piper's cousin, Kathy, in Sarasota is getting married and Piper is her maid of honour.  Plus Piper and her mom are making the wedding cake (Piper's mom runs a bakery in New Jersey where Piper helps out).  Shelley, Kathy's bridesmaid, has disappeared and Kathy is understandably concerned. 

Piper's widowed aunt (Kathy's mother), Nora, is dating Walter, who owns the hotel where Piper's family is staying.  He is in the process of trying to convince the surrounding neighbours (including Nora) to sell their places so he can knock them down and expand his hotel.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author and also the fourth I've read in her Wedding Cake Mystery series (I've read the first, second and fourth) ... they all work as stand alones.  I liked the writing style and the short and snappy chapters but wasn't crazy when it got bogged down with the lectures during the tours.

I thought the storyline was just so-so, though.  A body is found buried in the sand, an elderly neighbour is run off the road and almost killed, there is a suicide and then another murder ... and the wedding plans still continue along with boat tours, etc.  Everyone is able to move past all this and carry on ... really?  There are lots of characters who could have been the murderer and you don't find out until the end ... I thought the reveal of the killer was weak.  There was a huge emphasis on Piper posting EVERYTHING on Facebook in this story, including a shot of the body found on the beach ... in the last book, she just posted updates to her status.

At the end of the book, there is a recipe for Aunt Nora's Easy but Sinfully Delicious Siesta Key Lime Pie.

While not crazy about this book, I look forward to reading others by this author.

Book ~ "The Look of Love" (2012) Mary Jane Clark

From Goodreads ~ Piper Donovan accepts when the owner of Elysium, an exclusive spa and plastic surgery center, offers her an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to create a dazzling and unique wedding cake. The job also gives Piper the time and distance she needs to sort out her feelings for handsome FBI agent, Jack Lombardi. 

The ultra-luxurious spa caters to the rich and famous in need of a little “refreshing” - a nip here, a tuck there, a little Botox, a little detox. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, Elysium seems picture-perfect: the grounds, the staff, even the guests. 

But no sooner does Piper arrive than a guest is brutally murdered in one of the private bungalows. Someone it seems wants to make sure Elysium’s beautiful director, Jillian Abernathy, never gets to walk down the aisle. Piper soon discovers that beneath the glamorous surface of this idyllic oasis lies an ugly truth - and a cold-blooded plan for murder. 

Jack and Piper have been friends for a while and he would like to take things further.  Piper has been hurt before and doesn't want to risk their friendship.  To give them some space, Piper accepts a job in L.A. to decorate Jillian and Ben's wedding cake.  Because she's also an actress, Piper asks her agent to line up some auditions.

Jillian is the director of the exclusive spa, Elysium, which her father, a famous plastic surgeon, owns.  When Piper arrives, she discovers she's not going to just have the pleasant relaxing time away at the spa decorating a cake ... guests are murdered, she becomes involved with a reporter who is investigating something that is happening funny at the spa, she befriends a woman who is traumatized by failed plastic surgery and more.  And all during this, she has to keep her overprotective father back home reassured that she's okay and she really really wants to contact Jack (and he really really wants to contact her).

This is the third book I've read by this author and also the third I've read in her Wedding Cake Mystery series (I've read the first and fourth in the series).  They all work as stand alones.  I liked the writing style and the short and snappy chapters.  There are lots of characters who could have been the murderer and you don't find out until the end.

At the end of the book, there is a recipe for Piper's mom's Icing on the Cupcake Cream-Cheese Frosting (her mom, Terri, owns a bakeshop in New Jersey and Piper helps out).

I liked this book and look forward to reading others by this author. 

Book ~ "You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness" (2010) Julie Klam

From Goodreads ~ Julie Klam was thirty, single and working as a part-time clerk in an insurance company, wondering if she would ever meet the man she could spend the rest of her life with. And then it happened. She met the irresistible Otto, her first in a long line of Boston terriers, and fell instantly in love.

"You Had Me at Woof" is the often hilarious and always sincere story of how one woman discovered life's most important lessons from her relationships with her canine companions. From Otto, Julie realized what it might feel like to find "the one." She learned to share her home, her heart and her limited resources with another, and she found an authentic friend in the process. But that was just the beginning. 

Over the years her brood has grown to one husband, one daughter and several Boston terriers. And although she had much to learn about how to care for them-walks at 2 a.m., vet visits, behavior problems - she was surprised and delighted to find that her dogs had more wisdom to convey to her than she had ever dreamed. And caring for them has made her a better person - and completely and utterly opened her heart. 

I love reading stories about animals and that's why this book caught my eye.

The book starts when Julie is almost 30 and single.  She figures that a dog would fill the gap in her life and adopts Otto, a Boston terrier.  And that starts her love of this breed. She goes on to get married and have a daughter.  She gets involved with a Boston terrier rescue and becomes a foster mom.

Though the book bounced around a bit (one minute she's lonely and single and the next she's married with a child), I enjoyed the writing style.  As a head's up, there is some adult language.  The highlight of this book for me was that I learned a lot about animal rescues and realize how truly dedicated the volunteers and the lengths they will go to help animals. 

Despite her obvious love of dogs, I didn't warm up to the author.  When she got Otto, it seemed like she had a weird unnatural relationship with him.  I've had dogs and have cats and yes, I do consider them to be part of my family, but Klam was over obsessed with Otto and couldn't bear to be apart from him (BTW, he was dead by the third chapter).  While I applaud her enthusiasm when she got involved with the rescue, it seemed like she let her heart not common sense lead her actions.  Though she had no car, a two bedroom apartment, a husband, a daughter and a dog, she kept taking in foster dogs ... some flew through the air and bit her daughter, fought with her dog, peed in her bed, got hit by a car (so sad to read about that dog), etc.  At one point, she took in a pregnant dog and ended up keeping her and her two pups ... so that meant she had four dogs, which sounded like madness!

Jack Astor's Bar & Grill, Burlington, ON

I had a couple seminars to conduct today in Burlington.  Afterwards I had lunch nearby at Jack Astor's.

I sat in the dining room side

I ordered what I always order at Jack Astor's ... Chicken Parmigiana.

Trius wine club - January 2015

Our January 2015 Trius wine club box arrived today.

Gord and I have been members of the Trius Wine Club for over ten years.

Every month, 2 bottles of our best wine will be delivered to your door along with Winemaker Craig McDonald’s tasting notes and Chef Frank Dodd’s recipes.

The cost is $46 a month and it's only available in Ontario.

Here's what we got this month ...

• Showcase RHS Merlot 2012 "Clark Farm Vineyard" ($45.20) ~ The recipe included that pairs with it is Roasted Turkey Breast with Ontario Farmed Mushroom Collection
• Trius Riesling 2013 ($13.95) - We love rieslings!  The recipe included that pairs with it is Smoked Bacon

Book ~ "Cold Hard Truth on Business, Money & Life" (2011) Kevin O'Leary

From Goodreads ~ Kevin O’Leary shares invaluable secrets on entrepreneurship, business, money and life. 

Can you make millions just by “visualizing yourself rich” as some business prophets suggest? Don’t buy it, says Kevin O’Leary. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur and amass wealth, you’re going to have to work for it. But the good news is: with the right guidance, focus and perseverance, you can turn entrepreneurial vision into lucrative reality and have the personal freedom that only wealth can buy. 

 Kevin O’Leary would know. The much-feared and revered Dragon on the immensely popular show "Dragons’ Den" (and "Shark Tank" in the U.S.) started his company in his basement with a $10,000 loan from his financially savvy mother. A few years later, Kevin sold that company for more than four billion dollars. In this compelling, candid and, above all else, brutally honest business memoir, Kevin provides engaging, practical advice and lessons that will give anyone a distinct competitive edge.

I work in the financial services industry (in retirement planning) and like reading books about managing money.  I'd read O'Leary's book, The Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women and Money, last month and enjoyed it.

This is his story from the time he was a kid and the lessons he learned from his mom and stepdad, realizing he is an entrepreneur not an employee, starting his first business in his basement, becoming a millionaire, his highs and lows and more.  As a fan of Dragons' Den and Shark Tank, it was interesting to get the scoop on these shows ... he even provides tips on how to provide the perfect pitch.  Along the way, there are quizzes and tips to see if you have what it takes to make the sale (I don't), if you are an employee or an employer (I'm an employee), rules for a successful partnerships, how to be a star employee, how to be a great boss, etc.

I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well.  Since I watched the author on Dragons' Den and Shark Tank, I would hear "Mr. Wonderful's" voice in his writing ... it's direct and there's no BS.  He says he has no qualms about whacking (aka firing) someone and I believe it.  There are pictures throughout the book of him and his family throughout the years, even pictures of Kevin with hair!

I'd recommend this book ... it was an interesting and entertaining read.

Book ~ "Photographing Families: Tips for Capturing Timeless Images" (2013) Michele Celentano

From Goodreads ~ Create family portraits to cherish for a lifetime 

 Family photographs are a staple of both amateur and professional photography. While always in demand, they also pose a unique set of challenges. In this book, Canon Explorer of Light Michele Celentano guides beginning- to intermediate-level photographers around the common pitfalls and helps them learn how to get top-quality shots every time. From getting families organized and directing the posing to managing large groups and impatient kids, this book reveals the secrets and helps you capture the shot without relying on post-production to achieve perfection. 

 Whether you're a professional seeking to advance your knowledge or the family's designated picture-taker, you'll benefit from these professional tips. You'll learn camera techniques that can take pounds and years off your subjects and create images that stand the test of time.Family pictures are a photographic staple with their own set of challenges; this book offers tried-and-true advice for both hobbyists and professionals Veteran photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Michele Celentano guides you through getting families prepared for a photo session, directing the poses, handling challenging personalities, and creating memorable settingsHelps you capture the perfect shot in the camera without relying on post-production to make it rightReveals secrets that can help your subjects shed pounds and years Packed with advice to help you keep your photos from showing up on awkwardfamilyphotos.com 

"Photographing Families: Tips for Capturing Timeless Images" is loaded with insider tips to help you make family portraits the treasure they should be. 

I have three cameras ... a Canon point-and-shoot that is usually in my purse, a Nikon D5100 DSLR along with some lenses, and a Nikon CoolPix (that's in between the two). Needless to say, I take a lot of pictures. I'm still an amateur and like reading photography books to see what professionals take pictures of and how they do it.

The content of book includes:

• Getting started with family portraits - determining your portrait style and choosing the right equipment
• Getting it right in the camera - exposure compensation, metering, exposure, depth of field, etc.
• Finding the best locations - finding the perfect light and choosing locations
• Understanding your client - working with children, pets, mom, dads, blended families, large family groups, and elderly subjects
• The art of posing
• Building a profitable family portrait business
• Selling your portraits
• Postproduction
• All wrapped up - packaging, framing, delivery and customer service

I liked the way the author had set up this book.  She would talk about something and then show pictures of examples of what not to do along with what to do ... like not having everyone's head in a line, having the smallest person in the front, put someone in front of mom so she feels like you're hiding her imperfections, etc.

Here are some examples of her photographs that were in the book ...

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.  While I was less interested in the business aspect of the book (the last chapters), I imagine they would be helpful for photographers looking to get into the business.

Book ~ "The Broken String" (2014) Diane Chamberlain

From Goodreads ~ In celebration of the forthcoming novel The Silent Sister, Diane Chamberlain introduces Riley MacPherson in the e-short story, The Broken String. 

As seventeen-year-old Riley MacPherson rushes to the side of her brother who has been gravely injured in Iraq, she recalls their growing up years when he was her protector and best friend. Why did that relationship fall apart? She longs for a second chance to connect with her brother, not realizing that family secrets may prevent them from ever having that closeness again.

As 17-year-old Riley is flying to Germany to be with her brother, Danny, who has been injured while serving in Iraq, she remembers events from their childhood when they were close and he protected her.

Her mother was always "down" and her father busy.  One day she finds a picture of her mother smiling and hugging a young girl holding a violin.  Not knowing who the girl is, Riley longs to have the same relationship with her mother.  She eventually discovers that the young girl is her older sister, Lisa, who had committed suicide when she was Riley's age.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is a prequel to The Silent Sister, which I'd read in October.  I liked the writing style.  It is written in first person perspective from Riley's point of view.  As it is a short story, it sets up and explains some of the tensions in The Silent Sister.

Book ~ "A Toronto Album: Glimpses of the City That Was" (2001) Mike Filey

From Goodreads ~ Mike Filey's collection of pictures of Toronto from the earliest days of photography had gained a reputation as one of the most interesting visual archives of the city's history. 

This classic look at old Toronto portrays scenes of public life from 1860 to 1950, illustrating how dramatically the urban fabric and environment have changed. There are photographs of the beaches and the islands, of mud streets and gas lamps, of steam engines and trolley cars, amusement parks and the everchanging waterfront. Especially striking are the early photographs of downtown and the aftermaths of the fire of 1904. 

It will appeal to Torontonians young and old - and to anyone interested in the evolution of one of the world's fastest growing cities. 

Mike Filey had a column in the Toronto Sun for about 30 years and I read it for many years (I like learning about the history of Toronto).  I've read all his books where he compiles some of his columns.  In this book, Filey includes photographs with a description of what the picture is and what was going on at the time.

He starts by showing pictures of downtown Toronto (King/Yonge) about 1860 with dirt roads with most buildings no longer around.  He covers transportation, the growth of the city, Toronto Island, ships/boats, delivery trucks and more.

I thought the Police Commissioners' by-laws from the late 1880s re horse traffic were funny:

• No owner of any licensed cab shall drive about the streets during the day-time any notorious bad characters, or women of ill-fame.
• No driver of a cab shall appear on a stand or place for hire on Sunday.  No person licensed under this by-law shall abuse or ill-treat, or permit to be so, any horse or horses used by him.
• All licensed cabs shall drive at the rate of six miles per hour at the least.  No person shall gallop.
• Owners and occupants of livery stables shall not wash their horses in the streets and shall no permit more than two cartloads of manure to accumulate or remain at any one time between the first day of May and the first day of November.

Even though it was originally published in 1972 and reprinted in 2001, it was an interesting book because the pictures of older Toronto were great. If you live in Toronto or are from Toronto, you should check it out.

Book ~ "A Toronto Album 2: More Glimpses of the City That Was" (2002) Mike Filey

From Goodreads ~ "A Toronto Album 2", companion edition to Mike Filey's immensely popular original album, is a photographic journey through bustling Toronto from the late 1930s to the early 1970s. 

Among the 100-plus photographs is a quartet that shows the remarkable changes to Toronto's skyline over a half-century. Others capture the 1939 royal visit, steam trains in their twilight years, the evolution of the Hospital for Sick Children, a look at Christmas past, and glimpses of a few landmark buildings we weren't smart enough to keep. "A Toronto Album 2" is a keepsake Torontonians will treasure.

Mike Filey had a column in the Toronto Sun for about 30 years and I read it for many years (I like learning about the history of Toronto).  I've read all his books where he compiles some of his columns.  In this book, Filey includes over 100 photographs with a description of what the picture is and what was going on at the time.

He starts by showing Toronto's skyline in 1925, 1932, 1970 and 2002.  Wow!  What a change!  The book also includes pictures and descriptions of:

• Toronto's ladies
• The Toronto Transportation Commission
• Hurricane Hazel
• The Notorious Boyd Gang
• The CNE
• Toronto's sports facilities
• Toronto's contribution to the war effort
• Toronto's motion picture theatres
• Buildings that have been demolished
• Royal visits to Toronto
• Toronto Island
• Toronto's rail lines in days of old
• Traffic problems

Filey mentioned the Avon Theatre.  When I moved to my 'hood in 2001, there was a rent-to-own store with a marquee above the doorway on the NW corner of Dovercourt/Queen Street W.  A few years later, Starbucks took it over.

The building was constructed in 1887. The ground floor contained a fruit market, with apartments above it. It remained a retail outlet until 1915, when Child’s Theatre opened on the premises. This theatre lasted only a year and then it became King’s Hall and King’s Playhouse Theatre, operated by Mr. King Hyman. In 1950, it became the Avon Theatre, a 325 motion picture theatre.  Source:  Historic Toronto

Even though it was published in 2002, it was an interesting book because the pictures of older Toronto were great. If you live in Toronto or are from Toronto, you should check it out.

Pizzeria Libretto, Toronto, ON (Ossington)

Gord and I had supper tonight with our neighbours, Simone and Steve, at Pizzeria Libretto (Ossington Avenue/Dundas Street W).  We've heard excellent things about it and have been wanting to go ... hard to believe it's been five years since they been in our 'hood and we've never been!

It was busy when we got there and stayed that way all night.  There was a good vibe.

Toronto Maple Leafs 2 - Washington Capitals 6

The company I work for had a box at the Toronto Maple Leafs game tonight and I was there ... the Washington Capitals were in town.  It was their first game since firing their manager a couple days ago.

Here are the Maple Leafs warming up.

The light show before the game was cool!

Book ~ "September Sky" (2015) John A. Heldt

From Goodreads ~ When unemployed San Francisco reporter Chuck Townsend, 45, and his college dropout son, Justin, take a trip to Mexico in 2016, each hopes to rebuild a relationship after years of estrangement. But their journey takes an unexpected turn when they meet a cruise-ship lecturer who has discovered the secret of time travel. 

Within days, Chuck and Justin find themselves in 1900, riding a train to Texas, intent on preventing a distant uncle from being hanged for a crime he did not commit. Their quick trip to Galveston, however, becomes long and complicated when they wrangle with business rivals and fall for two beautiful librarians on the eve of a hurricane that will destroy the city. 

Filled with humor, history, romance, and heartbreak, September Sky follows two directionless souls on the adventure of a lifetime as they try to make their peace with the past, find new purposes, and grapple with the knowledge of things to come.

Chuck is a reporter in California who has just been laid off from his job.  His son, Justin, has just quit college to find himself.  Chuck takes them on a cruise where they attend a lecture about time travel.  When they get home, they receive a call from Professor Bell, the lecturer, who provides them with an interesting opportunity.  Since they have some time and no ties, Chuck and Justin take him up on his offer and go back to 1900.

Chuck and Justin are given fake documents, $1,000 and train tickets to El Paso.  Bell would like them to a least visit Chicago and to record their observations in a journal.  Once they get to April 1900, Chuck has something he wants to take care of first.  His great uncle, Wyatt, in Galveston, TX, was wrongly hanged in 1900 for a murder he didn't commit and Chuck wants to make things right ... but he doesn't know when exactly the murder happened or to whom.

Pretending to be writing a book, he conducts research to see if he can anticipate and perhaps change future events for Wyatt.  Chuck and Justin both fall for librarians Charlotte and Emily, which complicate things as Bell had told them they can't bring anyone back.  Added to this, Chuck and Justin know that the 1900 Galveston hurricane will happen in September 1900, which will wipe out a large part of Galveston and cause many deaths, perhaps even their own and people they've come to know and care about.

This is the sixth book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I like time travel books when people go back in time and I liked how the author handled this one, mixing fiction with a real disaster (things got tense!).  I liked the writing style and found that it moved along at a good pace.   The author wrote about 1900 well and I got a good sense of what it was like living in that time period.  Women still didn't have the right to vote and for the most part, it was a chaste society.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus shifting between Chuck and Justin.

I liked the characters and found them believable.  Family ties are strong throughout the book with Chuck watching Justin become more mature, Emily's loyalty to her younger sister, Charlotte's love for her deceased husband but ready to move on with her life, and Wyatt and Rose's out-of-the-ordinary love.

As with the other books I've read by this author, I would recommend this one.

I received a copy of this ebook at no charge from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Lone Star Texas Grill, Hamilton, ON

Gord and I drove to Hamilton this afternoon and had a late lunch/early supper with his son, Ken, and Ken's girlfriend, Jasmine, at the Lone Star Texas Grill.

We sat in the dining room side

Jessie, our server, started us off with chips and salsa.  Yum!

Here we are ...

Book ~ "Jeneration X" (2012) Jen Lancaster

From Goodreads ~ In Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster learned how to come to terms with her body. In My Fair Lazy, she expanded her mind. Now the New York Times bestselling author gives herself - and her generation - a kick in the X, by facing her greatest challenge to date: acting her age. 

Jen is finally ready to put away childish things (except her Barbie Styling Head, of course) and embrace the investment-making, mortgage-carrying, life-insurance-having adult she’s become. From getting a mammogram to volunteering at a halfway house, she tackles the grown-up activities she’s resisted for years, and with each rite of passage she completes, she’ll uncover a valuable - and probably humiliating - life lesson that will ease her path to full-fledged, if reluctant, adulthood.

It's been a couple years since I've read a book by this author ... this is the seventh I've read by her.

In this book, Jen and Fletch have just bought a house and are settling in to country life.  She recounts her experiences in wanting to become a volunteer, adopting a rescue puppy, going to a Glee concert, experiencing power outages, getting a salon blowout in Texas, meeting with an estate planner and more.  At the end of each chapter there is a "reluctant adult lesson" learned.

I liked the writing style ... it's funny and sarcastic.  It was a fun read if you don't it too seriously.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I'm sure she'd be fun to be around, though it sounds like she has a big personality.  She seems caring of her friends and is a huge animal lover.  She spends a fair bit of time promoting her friend, Stacey's books ... I've read one and gave it 1/5 so this didn't reflect well on Jen.

The Stone Lion, Toronto, ON

After Gord and I took a walk along Kew-Balmy Beach, we walked back along Queen Street E to the Stone Lion for supper.  It was the Lion on the Beach for about 30 years and changed owners and was renovated about 2.5 months ago.

Gord ordered lobster mac & cheese with bacon.  He said it was just okay.

I ordered smoked jerk ribs and fries.  The ribs were tender and the sauce had a kick to it.

Kew-Balmy Beach, Toronto, ON

It was sunny and -2C (-8C with the windchill) this afternoon ... and the beach beckoned us.  Gord and I headed to Kew-Balmy Beach (a 50 minute streetcar ride away on the east side of Toronto).  We got off the streetcar just west of Kew Gardens and walked south to the beach.

Looking west towards downtown

We headed east on the boardwalk.  There were lots of people out and about, some with dogs.

It was cold and brisk but refreshing.

Book ~ "Growing Up Amish" (2012) Ira Wagler

From Goodreads ~ Ira Wagler was born in 1961, the ninth of a Canadian Amish couple's eleven children. At seventeen, in the dark of night, he left the religious settlement but it was only nine years later that he finally left the church for good. 

In this memoir, he tells what it was like growing up Old World Amish and what it felt like leaving it for a strange new world. Far more than picturesque; "Growing Up Amish" conveys one man's heartfelt experience. 

The Amish are closely related to but are distinct from Mennonites.  We have some Mennonite communities not too far from Toronto.  I was in one in November and that's why this book caught my eye ... I was curious to learn more.

This is Ira's story.  He was born one of 11 children in Aylmer, ON, which is about two hours SW of Toronto.  When Ira was in his teens, the family moved to another Amish community in Iowa.  Though he tried to fit in with the Amish lifestyle, he craved the freedom of the outside world.  He left the community four times, the first time sneaking away in the middle of the night when he was 17.  He kept going back, hoping this time it would take.  He finally left for good nine years later.

It was interesting to learn more about the Amish.  They are are known for simple living, plain dress and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.  They have prohibitions or limitations on the use of electricity, telephones and automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing.

Amish church membership begins with baptism, usually between the ages of 16 and 25. It is a requirement for marriage, and once a person has affiliated with the church, he or she may marry only within the faith.  Worship services are held every other Sunday in a member's home.  Members who do not conform to community expectations and who cannot be convinced to repent are excommunicated and shunned (this happened to Ira).

They typically operate their own one-room schools and discontinue formal education at grade eight (at age 13 or 14), believing that the basic knowledge offered up to that point is sufficient to prepare one for the Amish lifestyle which values rural life, manual labor and humility.

I liked the writing style and found it flowed well.  I found this book to be an interesting read and it's a lifestyle I would have a hard time living.

My only complaint is that he didn't tell us what he's been doing in the 25 years since he left the church ... just an update of a couple paragraphs in the epilogue would have been nice.  Does he see his siblings (both those who stayed in the community and those who didn't)?  Did he get married? Did he end up furthering his education?  I had to go to his website to get an update.

Happy New Year!