Sunday, May 8, 2011

~Sunday Stew - May 8th, 2011~


Sunday Stew is a Weekly Meme hosted Here at Books Devoured

First of all, without any further ado, let's celebrate the wonderful and awe-inspiring creature that is the GREATEST blessing that God put on Earth for her children - the MOTHER

 


Bookmark of the Week:
 

 "A hundred years from now, the world may be different because I was important in the life of my child."



I could not agree more with what it says on this bookmark, because my mother is the axis upon which my world revolves. Some people say mothers are God's angels without the wings, but I swear, I see my mothers wings. Her words are a salve for any wound, her arms are a safe haven from all of the pain of this world, and her presence in my life is the biggest blessing that God has bestowed upon me.

In all honesty, my photography skills (as aforementioned) really suck, and do not do this bookmark justice, and my photography especially does no justice to the beautiful woman on this bookmark. In case you guys have not guessed it yet - yep, that's Mama Enamored Soul! :) Isn't she beautiful? She does not wear the hijaab usually, but she took this photo as part of her school pictures (she teaches at a private school) for which she wears it, so yeah. She had this bookmark made by the company that does the school pictures, especially for me. 2003 is the year I graduated, and left to the Caribbean for Medical School, and she gave this to me. Trust me, the only reason I survived some of those days was because I had a book to keep me company, and this bookmark to provide me solace. I love my mother!!! 


 Around The Web:

Recently, I was browsing the web, and came across this article, which evoked a lot of thoughts/emotions in me, so I thought I'd share it with you guys.
Okay, so there are a lot of amazing blog hops taking place, and I know you usually hear about them right here, but today I'm going a different route (and I may be kicking myself for this, later...or worse, YOU might be kicking me for it later) but here's what we're going to do today...we're going to have ourselves a little chat/showcase about the....*drumroll* 



I know, I know...what's "sports" got to do with a book-blog. Not much (except there are hundreds of books written on the Lakers, so I mean...you know...*ahem*) but it has a LOT to do with this blogger (that'd be me!). As most of you may know (or if you don't, yo u do now), I'm a HUGE Lakers fan. But an even bigger fan of the Lakers is (get this) my MOM!  She and I try out best to watch every game together - and even on days where the Lakers aren't playing, once the Play-Offs begin, there's no dearth of "the Lakers discussion" in our house. If you don't know, the Lakers have landed in the 2nd round of the Western Conference of the NBA Play-Offs, and are facing the Dallas Mavericks. Now, the Mavs are a fine team and I've always respected Dirt Nowitzki...wait, I mean, Dirk Nowitzki  (I like him, I like him...this is just the frustration talking!) - I can't believe that our beloved Lakers are behind 3-0! 
 
Now, those of you who are NBA fans know what those stats signify, but for those who don't - no team in the history of the NBA has ever won a round in which they are losing 3-0 (out of 7 games). When they lost Game 3, I cried, I bawled and pleaded to God for it to all be a nightmare - but alas! it was all too real. Kobe Bryant (I know you've heard THAT name!) claims that as much as people may think he's crazy, he still thinks that they're going to make a HISTORIC comeback, and not just win Game 4, but win the 2nd round and go on to win the Finals! 

I love the guy, and I cannot deny it, as much as the stats speak for themselves...some part of me just cannot give up hope. Hopefully the rest of the team is as confident and as optimistic! PLUS, Game 4 happens to be today, on Mother's Day...and I'm really hoping that this day my Mom gets what she's been yelling, screaming, and hollering on about...a Lakers win! :D 


Around Me

Okay, so for me, this past week was full of amazing surprises in the mailbox! So this week, I am using this Sunday's post to also work as my (psuedo) "In My Mailbox", and to thank all the wonderful people in my life who always do amazing things to put a great big smile on my face.

So, on Friday, I went to get my mail (which I had completely forgotten to pick up on Thursday!) and I received two packages of PURE AWESOMENESS! You wanna see? 


I've been looking forward to this book for SO darn long, and it was sent to me by my darling friend Jessica from the wonderful book blog Confessions of a Total Bookaholic, as a prize for a giveaway that I had won on her blog a month or so ago, and she had pre-ordered it for me! I cannot thank Jessica enough. But had she not sent me this book, I would still need to thank Jessica who is an amazing person - I remember our friendship began when the Tsunami earthquake in Japan took place and we watched, in apt horror, as nature wreaked havoc on our TV's - she in Tennesee and I in California. Her sensitivity, her kindness and her generosity of heart are evident in everything she says and does. She inspires me every day, and I greatly cherish her friendship! Thank you, Jessica...I love you! By the way, her blog is amazing and she has a TON of giveaways going on at the blog, so make sure to follow her!


Feast your eyes on this specimen of awesomeness, sent to me by none other than our very own meme-hosting diva of pure greatness, Shannon of Books Devoured. I won this book via a giveaway that Shannon hosted as part of the Sunday Stew post on April 17th, 2011. By the way, you don't see them here, but she also sent me SEVEN amazing bookmarks, FOUR of which were SIGNED!!! (I am keeping them a secret,because I'm thinking of doing a giveaway for some swag - I believe in paying it forward!). See, ladies and gentlemen, it pays to have some Sunday Stew with us, so don't be shy, and come and join us this glorious Sunday, with YOUR stew. That being said, I cannot thank Shannon enough. But to just thank her for this book would be a great shame, because let me tell you something guys - Shannon is one of the BIGGEST reasons I began blogging. I happened to chance upon Shannon's blog a few months ago, and I commented on one post of hers asking her readers if they wanted their comments answered by her. I made a comment about that, and she answered me back personally. She was so personable and sweet, that I broke down and told her about how I was going through writer's block, and my total sob-story...and instead of telling me to just snap out of it, she patiently listened and gave me some amazing advice.  And just knowing that there was someone in the blogging world who was SO supportive totally made me feel better, and I finally found the courage to make this journey! So thank you Shannon, for restoring my faith, believing in me, being patient with me, being amazingly generous and just being such a wonderful soul. Thank you Shannon...I love you! Make sure you check out her amazing (purple rocks!) blog, and that you follow her...you can't go wrong with her! 

With this, I conclude yet another intensely LONG Sunday Stew post! Thank you for reading, feel free to leave me any comments/feedback you may like. I hope you have a glorious Sunday, an amazing Mother's Day, a blessed rest of the week, and that you'll continue to visit! :)


15 comments:

  1. Hira~

    Thank you so much! You are always so kind and supportive. I was glad to answer your email that day. I still try to answer every comment, I want readers to know that I am interested in what they have to say. I am glad that you liked the bookmarks. I hope that you enjoy the book too. Thank you so much for all your kind words today. I am so glad that you started a blog so that others get to read your beautiful words!
    S~

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Shannon@BooksDevoured

    Dear Shannon,

    Thank you so much for being YOU. I mean, there's no other way to put it! :) You're wonderful, and I've learned so much from you. I make a conscious effort to reply to every person who comments as well - but it doesn't always work out for me! lol :P

    Hope you're having an AMAZING vacation. Take care, have fun...and Happy Mother's Day dear! :)

    ~Hira~

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aww, your mom looks and sounds like a total sweetheart. I'm wicked close to my mom as well, though we don't watch the Lakers together (sorry, but I'm a Celtics fan) or really any sports, we do have in depth conversations about The Vampire Diaries and I, on occasion, attempt to explain sports to her. I'm sorry the Lakers are doing so poorly. Really, I am...maybe. Possibly. No, not really. I like Kobe though. He's an amazing player, but I root for my Celtics 100% I was a little nervous they would be down 3-0 as well, but they won last night, after Dwayne Wade nearly destroyed Rondo's arm. It was painful to watch.

    Now that I've rambled about basketball, I'll wrap it. Enjoy your Mother's Day and happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books)

    Hey Nikki,

    Thank you for your kind words! My mom IS amazingly sweet, and incredibly kind - even if I say so myself! lol :P I love the Lakers, but don't get me wrong, I have immense respect for the Celtics! :) But I also happen to really like D-Wade, so I'm kind of stuck here. In all honesty, when it comes to sports, I say..."May the best man win!", and this year it wasn't the Lakers - so *shrugs* what're you gonna do! Personally, I'd like to see the Celtics come into the Finals from the East...can't STAND Lebron James! Thanks for stopping by...hope you'll keep visiting! :D

    Love,
    ~Hira~

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  5. Your mom looks like a fantastic lady and very wise. No wonder you turned out the same :)

    http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

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  6. @Man of la Book

    Dear Zohar,

    You are far too kind. Thank you for your kind words. I am not even half the woman my mother is. If I was, I'd be more at peace with myself. But thank you...

    Love
    ~Hira~

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hira, I love these posts. You are so lucky to have such a great mom and yes she is very beautiful. I would never have doubted it because you are a beautiful soul. That bookmark is so beautiful. That most definitely would have been a comfort to you.

    I have Divergent in my pile to read and I absolutely love the cover on Ryan's book. It's awesome.

    I hope you have a wonderful week my friend!

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  8. @Darlene

    Dear Darlene,

    Your beautiful comments always make my day! I always imagine you making them with Sammy in your lap, or tottering around you somewhere in all his cuteness, which makes me smile even more! :)

    Thank you for your kind words about my mom - she truly is an inspiration! I have heard such darn amazing things about "Divergent", I cannot wait to read it, but I keep having to postpone it due to coming through on deadlines on ARCs! *le sigh*

    I hope you have a wonderful week too dear! :)

    Love,
    ~Hira~

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  9. First of all, I think that bookmark is so sweet! I think it's great that you have that near you :) I have no doubt that you mother is a fabulous person because she raised you and you amaze me with your kindness daily!

    Thank you so much for the kind words. Isn't it amazing how something so tragic created such a friendship? :) I'm so glad you won the book and I really hope you enjoy it. You gotta tell me as soon as you read it because I'm dying to know what you think.

    Loves ya hun!
    XOXO

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  10. Hi Hira~!

    I came by to thank you for all the wonderful comments you left on my blog :) I want you to know that I really appreciate every single one of them :) I was very happy to know that you're a fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz (my soul mate, let me hug you~! ^o^)! I'm your newest follower and I hope to keep in touch with you!

    BTW, congrats on The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I heard it's awesome! Happy reading :)

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  11. Hello to my new friend in book blogdom. Thanks for stopping by Family Literacy sometime during the night or maybe day???? I'm glad you liked my review for False Witness. After the last book I reviewed (another christian mystery type) I was kind of scared to read this one but Randy Singer gave me back my faith in that genre and I am so thankful!

    I love the bookmark of your mom. What a great way to keep her near you during the day. If you're like me you have a book in hand most of the time - or at least in your purse or car.

    I'll be following you and will keep your linky handy for each week (do we link up each week?). I have lots of reviews/giveaways and a great online kids book club for the summer coming up (it's for MG) so please come back when you have a chance.

    Tina (Sorry about the book - I talk to anyone who listens LOL)

    ReplyDelete
  12. @Jessica (Confessions of a Bookaholic)

    Dear Jessica,

    Indeed, the bookmark really was a life-saver. It was especially meaningful because my mother is the one who instilled the love of books in me. My dad's really into literature as well, but our tastes are totally different.

    Again, you don't need to thank me. I'm the one who's eternally grateful :) I plan on reading it very soon...it's just been an insanely busy and eventful week! :S

    Love ya babe,
    ~Hira~

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  13. @Evie

    Dear Evie,

    Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my comments personally. It really means a lot to me, as well :) Ahhh, yes, Stephen King and Dean Koontz rock...I am so glad I found someone as crazy about them as I *big squishy hugs*. I definitely hope we'll keep in touch, and discuss all things bookish and otherwise.

    Thank you, and take care hon
    ~Hira~

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  14. @Tina Peterson

    Dear Tina,

    First of all, let me assure you - each and every comment left on my blog is highly appreciated, regardless of how long or short it is! :) That being said, your comment was so cute, it totally warmed my heart!

    I have already put False Witness on my TBR list, & I thank you for your wonderful review on the book. Yes, I always have a book by my bedside, and another one in my handbag which is usually why I'm reading two books simultaneously! lol :P

    Thank you, yet again for your wonderful and kind words.I will make sure to follow you & your lovely posts. Hope to continue corresponding! Take care,

    ~Hira~

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  15. Girl, you are so lucky to have such a great mother!

    ReplyDelete

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