**NO SPOILERS, JUST A BRIEF OPINION**

Will you stone me if I say that Mockingjay was utterly underwhelming and disappointing?  Well, I’m saying it anyway.

This was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year, and I’m supremely let down by Suzanne Collins’s final installment.

'Shock and Dismay' is a more apt title...

At several junctures, I wanted to jump into the book and box Katniss around the ears for her actions, inaction, and attitude.  And don’t even get me going on Peeta and Gale.  Collins managed to alienate me from my favorite characters with their incongruous behaviors.

It took me an entire week to slog through, and it never captured me the way the first book did.  I haven’t been this let down by a sequel or series-ender in ages.

Did you read and love it?

Happily Ever After

While treasure hunting at some garage sales and a flea market today, I came across one of my favorite childhood books.

The book had clearly been loved, abused, and well read, as evidenced from the missing cover, torn pages, and random crayon scribblings on some pages.  I thumbed through the tattered remains, wondering what I could do to save it from a certain trip to the dumpster.  A while back, I made coasters out of old Scrabble boards but dismissed that idea because pages weren’t sturdy enough.  The seller waved off my money, and I walked away brainstorming.

Two projects I completed--Scrabble coasters and candy wrapper pen holders!

And then I had an epiphany.*

I skipped home and tore through my stationery crate for envelopes in a variety of sizes.  I unglued the envelopes and used them as templates to create envelopes with the illustrated pages that I could rescue.  Then I cut them out and glued the flaps together, save the top flap.

I plan to use these envelopes to hold invoices for client purchases in my newest venture–an Etsy shop**.  I won’t need to address them, so they will work perfectly.

I am looking forward to recycling all kinds of picture books to create envelopes that I can use in the mail and for my  shop.  For mailers, I’ll have to hunt down pictures that have some blank space where I can squeeze in a name and address.

*I felt like Max looks when I discovered that others have already laid claim on this crafty idea. Thought I was so original!

**My shop, Peppermint Natty, should be fully stocked and running by October 1st.  I plan to sell vintage, retro, and generally kitschy stuff that I love.  Nothing like a little cross promotion among friends, right?

Last week I was talking up home cooking and meal plans as time and money savers.  I borrowed cookbooks from the library and found two new recipes to add to my limited culinary oeuvre.

On Sunday morning, I stumbled into my kitchen at the virtually pre-dawn hour of 7am to commence my day of meal prep.  8 hours later, battle weary and haggard, I emerged victorious, with more than 30 meals ready to heat and eat.

Discounting the debacle with some baby peas that went airborne, the day was an overwhelming success.

I prepared double and triple batches of some staples–Turkey Chili, Beef Stew, Shepherds Pie, Chicken Soup–and two new treats.  Chicken Empanadas and Chicken Enchiladas are now available at Cafe Book, Line, and Sinker!

I got super-crafty with the empanadas by adding corn to the chicken and cheese mix.  I baked some bone-in chicken breasts and then shredded the meat  for the filling.  Using premade pie crusts, I cut the dough into 5-inch circles and filled them.  I folded and ‘forked’ the empanada shut and placed them in bags with explicit prep instructions.  (Type-A personality much?)

I split the over-sized batches into smaller tins that will still provide us with dinner AND leftovers.

Kindly ignore the fact that I spelled enchiladas wrong. Thanks.

The rundown of the main event:

  • 5 lbs. ground turkey meat (2.5 for chili and 2.5 for Shepherd’s Pie)
  • 6 lbs. chicken breast (2 for empanadas, 2 for enchiladas, and 2 for chicken soup)
  • 4 lbs. beef (for beef stew)
  • 7 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes (5 lbs. for Shepherd’s Pie and 2 lbs. for stew)

I spent $229 at the grocery store on produce, meats, and dairy but had the staples (butter, salt, etc) at home.  All told, it works out to about $7 per meal.

Spending almost an entire day in the kitchen wasn’t easy, but it will save so much time and money that it was ultimately worth it.

Mailbox-ish Mondays

Technically, none of these books graced my mailbox, but I did pick them up this week.  A few came from the thrift store and a few from the library.  The Betty Crocker book is really interesting, but can’t say why I picked up the Dan Brown one.  I may have actually read it already–that’s how memorable it was for me–bargain books are hard to resist, I guess.  On Folly Beach was recommended by a fellow blogger, and I finally got tired of  being the only blogger on planet Earth who has never read Rebecca.

Hope your mailbox was laden with goodies this week.

Mailbox Mondays was created by Marcia at The Printed Page and is being hosted this month by Chick Loves Lit.

© N.A.M., 2009-2010. Please don't steal. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to me. Thank you.