Archives for March 2015

Book Nook Book Review: Gemini by Carol Casella

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Title: Gemini
Author: Carol Cassella
Copyright:  March 4, 2014
Genre: fiction
Format: book Pages: 352

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A stranger’s life hangs in the balance. What if you had the power to decide if she lives or dies?

Dr. Charlotte Reese works in the intensive care unit of Seattle’s Beacon Hospital, tending to patients with the most life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Her job is to battle death — to monitor erratic heartbeats, worry over low oxygen levels, defend against infection and demise.

One night a Jane Doe is transferred to her care from a rural hospital on the Olympic Peninsula. This unidentified patient remains unconscious, the victim of a hit and run. As Charlotte and her team struggle to stabilize her, the police search for the driver who fled the scene.

….Filled with intricate medical detail and set in the breathtaking Pacific Northwest, Gemini is a riveting and heartbreaking novel of moral complexity and emotional depth.

My Thoughts:

I saw this author interviewed on Well Read, a television program I highly recommend that comes on public broadcasting. Do click on the link to check them out and look at the incredible list of book recommendations they have on their site. The author of this book is an actual anesthesiologist and knows her facts so the medical detail is spot on.

This was an easy book to get into. I was very interested in Charlotte’s character as the doctor in this book. She brought out many things to think about when someone is unconsious in the hospital. I remember an interview Oprah had with Jile Bolte Taylor, a Harvard brain scientist that exprienced a stroke. She eventually wrote a book about her experience called, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey

Many things stuck with me from that interview many years ago, one being that after she had the stroke and was in the hospital, she couldn’t communicate but she talked a lot about the energy the different nurses and doctor’s brought into the room when they entered. This is something I am continually revisiting for myself in my general day to day with my family and friends! Do I come to them as a Debbie Downer, or do I bring joy to the room. I want to bring joy. So it’s good to be mindful of our energy because as Ms. Taylor stated, it affects others. Sometimes we get in the habit of only complaining when we talk with friends and family and the word and energy definitely bring others down. So I try to catch myself when I do that and pull back.

Now to my point….In this book the patient is in a coma and I couldn’t help but think about the energy different characters brought to her room. I also had to put the book down a couple of times, because even though it is now 7 years since my mother passed on, my heart continues to ache and I remember her in the hospital. It plays in my head like it happened yesterday and I think this book brought it to the surface for me in a different way. So I had to put it down from time to time to work through my own thoughts and then back to the story.

It was one of those books that jumps back and forth to the past and present in each chapter. I felt it was a clever way to keep the suspense while building the back story.

I enjoyed this book and don’t want to spoil it for you with details. I would definitely read another of her this authors’ books in the future.

I gave this book 4 butterflies.

Happy reading!

Belinda

4rating

 

Project Life: Week six

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week6aHello Everyone! Happy Monday! I am really proud to say I am officially caught up on all of my Project Life. I had a major craft session this weekend so now I can enjoy the process more. I don’t enjoy it when I get too far behind. But I am going to try to modify my schedule a bit to keep up with it.
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Week six was great. The Patriot’s finally were able to have their Superbowl Victory parade in Boston. It was delayed due to the volume of snow we were experiencing here.   I had to work so since I work from home, I was able to watch it live on the television. I took pictures and cheered standing in my living room just as if I were actually there. I also saved the souvenier newspapers with the win and will include in a 12×12 page protector at the end of the album. What a great season.

week6cI captured Nicholas working on his Science project in my craft room. I’m so proud of all his efforts. It was his first big science project that required a research paper and oral presentation. He worked very hard on it.

I included a screen shot of Google celebrating the first day of Black History Month as well as the first book I was reading for the month.  Despite the snow, I still was able to go to my friend Joan’s monthly crop at her church. We had so much fun eating, chatting and crafting.

Overall, a great week.

I’ll be back next week with week 7 for sure since I’m all caught up!

Have a blessed day my friends!

Belinda

30-Day Coloring Challenge: Day 11 – Hummingbird happenings

challenge_graphic-4-revisedOk, I am still sharing even if I literally only had 5 minutes to color. I have another digi from Just Inked that I am coloring. I liked it because it has a hummingbird which is my favorite. Just working on the leaves today.

day11I was too busy to sit and color more. But I didn’t want to miss a day.  Tomorrow I will finish coloring this image and share it with you.

Happy coloring!

Belinda

30-Day Coloring Challenge: Day 10 – Dainty Fuscia

challenge_graphic-4-revisedHello! More flowers today for me. It helps me cope with the snow and cold that remains. I chose a digital stamp from Just Inked Lined.  I always hang a fuscia plant from my deck each year and love looking at them.

day10aI think this was a freebie. I love the colors of fuscias. So I tried to find similar colors with my copics.

day10bThe beauty of this flower is that it has a long season and little care is required. My mother was the first one to get me one and I have been hanging them on my deck ever since.

Have a great weekend! I will be back tomorrow with another coloring session.

Belinda

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