Join us for a Cure

My daughter Kristie and Taylor at their first breast Cancer Walk.
Talking to my friend Nurys today, I was reminded yet one more time of how fragile life can be. Not too long ago Nurys was in for the hardest fight of her life to beat breast cancer. She was one of the fortunate ones and her cancer is now in remission. Every time she feels something out of the ordinary in her body there is always the fear that the cancer has come back. I pray for the day when we find a cure for breast cancer for Nurys and for all of us.

Every year, my best friend Evie, and I do the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk. If you are in the Westchester area, I hope you can join us along with thousands of other women and their families and friends to raise funds to find help find for a cure.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Westchester, NY

Sunday, October 19, 2008 Manhattanville College

*Meet us by the Stage

Email me at ozueta@optonline.net for more information.

Great Things Coming Up at the Studio

The book club will be taking a break for August and catching up with celebrity gossip magazines by the pool or for me-- in the only semiprivate room in my house-the bathroom. We’ll be reading lots of children’s books. We don’t go to the library much during the year, so we go lots of times during the summer.

Well, let me tell you about the next book. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I’s the story of a 14 year old girl’s search for her mother. Among other wonderful things it is a story about how women can come together to heal one another through love. The discussion meeting will be September 19th at 7:30PM at the Studio.

The book is being made into a movie with a great cast. I can't wait to see it as well.

Here’s what makes our September meeting even more especial. In addition to the novel, we will be discussing selected essays from a beautifully inspirational and spiritual book written for women by a myriad of prominent African American women from all walks of life. The book is Souls of My Sisters Written and Edited by Dawn Marie Daniels and Candace Sandy. I am very excited to announce that Ms. Pamm Malveaux, Film Director and contributor to Souls of My Sisters , will be our guest for our special meeting. Next week, I’ll blog about the essays we’ll be discussing at the meeting. You may get the books at any book store, from online book sellers or from your local library.

I’ll be blogging on the weekends to keep you updated and to give you more details. I’ll also post great news about things/projects that the women in our book club will be partaking in the fall. Lots of little ways to make a difference in the world and feel great about ourselves along the way.

Oh my, I think I covered it all. Oh—no-- wait—the theme will be southern foods, since our book is set in the heart of the South. Can’t wait—happy summer!!

Book Club Gathering for Water for Elephants- Part I

Our book club pick for July was Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It was a perfect book for a summer read and it was great inspiration for a fun circus theme book club meeting.


Reactions to the book were quite mixed. While the details about young Jacob's life in a circus train in the 1920's were interesting to many of us, what moved us were the scenes of Jacob (the main character) in his nineties living in a nursing home.

Jen, (the roasted peanuts gal-see below) shared her sadness about how realistic the author's depiction of life in a senior home is and talked about what she has seen in the many years she's worked with the elderly.



Many of the scenes in the book actually happened or are based on real events and the author shares her research for this book on her website. So check it out.
http://www.saragruen.com/water.html









Suzane (left), and long time friends Pam and Kim((right).

Kim, an avid reader joined us for the first time and got our discussion started. Please come back Kim, I'm glad you joined us.















June loved this book--My favorite was when she said that she could almost hear the circus music while reading this book. That's the beauty of books; they have an ability to transport us to a different place and time.








Well--what can I say about the FOOD?

TOTALLY CIRCUS!!

My friend Suzanne(above) is starting to wonder if I'm using the food type in novels as the main criteria for selecting the books we read.

I'll have to be honest-- I like a good read almost as much as I like a good eat!

So, it's hard to tell what comes first.

Here's Jean and I with a plate of delicious hot soft pretzels.







You think Maria liked these pretzels? This active and vivacious grandma really knows how to live and savor every minute of it.








Suzanne brought some of the carnival toys in her kids' collection for a little arcade fun.
This is one of the reasons why I don't really drink alcohol. I can be this goofy entirely without altering substances. You imagine what can happen if I drank.

I had a ball playing ---it was a good reminder, though of why I don't pay to play such games at the fairs--I'm really bad at them.




June(right) and Jody (left) enjoying a delicious cake that June's mother-in-law baked-not exactly for us initially--but it was amazing.

The cake was supposed to be for June's wedding anniversary and she told her mother-in-law about bringing it to the meeting instead.

Her mother-in-law loves to bake and got worried that her cake wasn't "fancy enough" for our gathering so she designed an elephant freehand with crushed nuts for June to to bring to our gathering. The cake had to match our circus theme. You gotta love it!!




Sometimes a word, just one, is all we need!

When I turned thirty, some time ago, my friend Sally gave me this bowl with 30 glass pebbles in which she wrote inspirational words.

Years later, the words are a little faded but I had my "sisters" at the gathering close their eyes and select one. My word was honesty--thanks goodness--God knows I need all the reminders I can get.











Here are some of the foods we ate. Rosie the elephant in the book was stealing the lemonade from the consession stand. So guess what we drank.

In addition, we laughed and ate the night away. Let's see--we had funnel cakes, nachos, caramel popcorn, and too many other unhealthy things.

Fun, fun , fun! Homemade carnival style funnel cakes were delicious, if I might say so myself ( recipes in another post Part II) .











Jody at the arcade--see-- it does not take much of us moms to escape-love, love it!!
Jen (left )made out-of-this-world delicious, hot out of the oven, roasted mixed nuts. A total hit. The roasted, mixed nuts lady outdid herself.







Jen's roasted mixed nuts-- crazy good!!


Thanks to my book club sisters for another terrific night. Check next blog for the next read and details about the next September 19th meeting. Have a terrific rest of the summer.

Gathering for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

On Friday June 20, we discussed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. 14 of my "sworn sisters" (if you read the book you know what this means) joined me for an amazing night of sisterhood and smart conversation.

My friend Sally gave me this beautiful plaque for the studio with a card that read :

"... Snow Flower and the women of China...found comfort and fellowship in the room upstairs-- with the lattice and the window to the outside world...a room designated for women's gathering..." The Studio is now the room downstairs ---the Gathering Room.

No foot binding here --but we do share the same sisterhood, support, love and learn from one another just like women have done since the beginning of time.

I made homemade fortune cookies with book related words such as intimacy, guilt and redemption to visit some of the themes in the book.

The cookies came out great and they were not too hard to make. Next time I make them, I think I'll wrap them individually because they get soft very quickly when they air for even a short time.

Here's a link for the fortune cookie recipe just put your kids to bed before you attempt them--trust me.

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/diningout/r/fortunecookie.htm

We had to live the gathering room (the Studio) and go up to my living room 'cause there were a lot of "sworn sisters" at this gathering and not enough room.

I'm going to soon need a larger gathering room.

Pam(right) Andrea (left)

Rita and Maria enjoying the delicious Japanese green tea that June prepared for all.

Don't be fooled, these two ladies had Chinese beer first.

Sally (right) whose daughter Michelle is getting married next month.

Maria(center) whose grandson is starting college this fall.

Pam (left) managing work, life and staying connected to self while mothering her young children.

Conversations about the many stages of womanhood all over Chinese dumplings and Chinese pancakes that Jean made for everyone. Thanks Jean, they were amazing!

Jill (right) who got the word worth in her fortune cookie and stired a great discussion about feeling good and purposefully at the different stages of our lives and how that's sometimes easier said than done.

Suzanne (center) and June (right) who shared with us great stories about the eastern and western culture divide and some very funny stories about growing up as Japanese-American in New Jersey.





I caught up with Andrea and Rosemary(left) in the kitchen. Rosemary picked up the mini Chinese fan we made in the Studio to write a heartfelt message and then give to a special girlfriend.

Just a magical night!! Thanks to all my "sworn sisters" those who read and those who try! Love you all.