Hi everyone! We had our first book club meeting and it was a success! We had 7 ladies there and there's 4 more who are interested, but couldn't make it that particular night. I'm very happy there's a lot of interest here. I was in a book club in California and have been missing it! We discussed Little Bee and everyone seemed to like it. I love hearing all the different interpretations of the writing and the story.
Our next selection is Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I'm so excited to finally read this book. It's been sitting on my Kindle for a while, so I'm glad that I'm getting pushed to read it. I've heard great things about it. Anyone else read this book? Thoughts?
On the scrapping front, I spent so much time catching up when I got back from vacation, that I'm taking a few days off. I'll hit it hard again on Monday, but in the meantime I'm catching up on TV and resting as much as I can. This pregnancy is hitting me pretty hard, so I'm trying to not overdo myself. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Let's Talk Books
Ok, so I finished Hungry for You pretty quickly...3 days. I figured I'd read that one fairly fast so there it is. And I loved every single word of it. What I wasn't expecting was the read the next book I chose in 2 days....2 DAYS! That's just crazy. I'm a fast reader and all, but geez.
The book I read so ridiculously fast was Shaken by JA Konrath. I believed I've talked about him before, but allow me to again. He is the most sick, twisted, sadistic...genius author there is. Seriously, he's brilliant. He writes a series called The Jack Daniels series (Shaken is the latest installment) and it's fantastic. My sister started reading them and then bugged me until I finally started. Once I started, it was just over. I sped through those books like it was nothing. The background of the series is that Jack (Jacqueline) Daniels is a detective in Chicago and she focuses on homicide, which in turn she ends up hunting a lot of serial killers. The stuff Konrath comes up is just sick, but it's so interesting and actually makes sense. The killers in his books are serious monsters, no mercy, really twisted people. At the end of Shaken, Konrath writes a note to the reader about a new character that pops up at the end of the book. Turns out that character was created by Blake Crouch, a fellow thriller author. They are collaborating and having Jack Daniels face off against this other character in the last book of the series. Let's pause for a moment here because I was very sad to hear that the series is ending..... So now I want to go back and read the books by Blake Crouch to get the background on this new character, who just happens to be a serial killer as well. If you have the stomach for it, you seriously need to get these books and read them right away. Here's a link to a page that has all of JA Konrath's work and the order that they're in. Go read ALL of it! Seriously!!!
Ok, on to the next book. Next, I'm reading another book in another series that I really enjoy, The Dresden Files. The next book for me is Death Masks. The Dresden Files series follows a man named Harry Dresden, who works with the police department in Chicago. Oh, and he just happens to be a wizard. So he specializes in the supernatural crimes in the city. If you like supernatural fantasy type stuff, you'll love this series. He deals with fairies, goblins, vampires, demons...all sorts of stuff. And he's just plain adorable. So I'm off to start Death Masks. Let's see how quickly I can read it!
Do you have a book series that you really enjoy? Tell me about it!
The book I read so ridiculously fast was Shaken by JA Konrath. I believed I've talked about him before, but allow me to again. He is the most sick, twisted, sadistic...genius author there is. Seriously, he's brilliant. He writes a series called The Jack Daniels series (Shaken is the latest installment) and it's fantastic. My sister started reading them and then bugged me until I finally started. Once I started, it was just over. I sped through those books like it was nothing. The background of the series is that Jack (Jacqueline) Daniels is a detective in Chicago and she focuses on homicide, which in turn she ends up hunting a lot of serial killers. The stuff Konrath comes up is just sick, but it's so interesting and actually makes sense. The killers in his books are serious monsters, no mercy, really twisted people. At the end of Shaken, Konrath writes a note to the reader about a new character that pops up at the end of the book. Turns out that character was created by Blake Crouch, a fellow thriller author. They are collaborating and having Jack Daniels face off against this other character in the last book of the series. Let's pause for a moment here because I was very sad to hear that the series is ending..... So now I want to go back and read the books by Blake Crouch to get the background on this new character, who just happens to be a serial killer as well. If you have the stomach for it, you seriously need to get these books and read them right away. Here's a link to a page that has all of JA Konrath's work and the order that they're in. Go read ALL of it! Seriously!!!
Ok, on to the next book. Next, I'm reading another book in another series that I really enjoy, The Dresden Files. The next book for me is Death Masks. The Dresden Files series follows a man named Harry Dresden, who works with the police department in Chicago. Oh, and he just happens to be a wizard. So he specializes in the supernatural crimes in the city. If you like supernatural fantasy type stuff, you'll love this series. He deals with fairies, goblins, vampires, demons...all sorts of stuff. And he's just plain adorable. So I'm off to start Death Masks. Let's see how quickly I can read it!
Do you have a book series that you really enjoy? Tell me about it!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Crop Spot Jan Sketch
Hi there! The January Sketch Challenge for The Crop Spot is up now! Here is the sketch:
Here's my take on the sketch, using January's kit, A Bright New Year:
Here's my take on the sketch, using January's kit, A Bright New Year:
Just about everything on this page is from the January kit. The only things I added were some Tim Holtz Distress Ink, a stamp from Office Depot and the blue ribbon. Everything else is the gorgeous kit! And here are how the talented Design Team ladies interpreted the sketch. Be sure to check out their blogs to see what they did with it!
Be sure to check out what the other ladies have done and then head over to The Crop Spot to check out the sketch and purchase January's kit, A Bright New Year. I've used almost ALL of it up already!!! That's how awesome it is! Happy Scrapping!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Catching Up
Since we've been back from our Christmas vacation, things are taking a little longer to get back to normal. I had a good almost week of being EXHAUSTED. Literally didn't want to do anything. Not only was I tired from our trip, this pregnancy is taking a lot out of me. I think that's changing today. I slept great last night and even slept in a little this morning. Which is great because I have things to do around the house and at my scrap desk that are driving me crazy, tired or not. So today is the day to really start catching up.
Now let's talk about my December Daily. I said I would post my progress weekly, which I did until we left. Now, it's sitting on my desk unfinished. It won't take much to finish it, I just have to add pictures and a little bit of journaling. I already have the days planned out and know what pictures I want to use and what I want to say. It's actually doing that I gotta do. I promise to finish it this weekend and post it!
On a sad note, I would appreciate thoughts and prayers for my sister and her family. They had to make the hard decision to put their dog down tomorrow. He's only three and such a sweet dog. He has a condition where his hip bones are crushing his spinal cord. He's been living with it for a while and they said they would keep him going as long as he's not hurting too much and he's happy. He's no longer happy. It takes him 10 minutes to walk down a short hallway and she can tell it's painful for him. She had to tell my niece and nephew yesterday and they're very sad, but it's really the best thing for poor Duke. Please keep them in your prayers, I appreciate it.
Now let's talk about my December Daily. I said I would post my progress weekly, which I did until we left. Now, it's sitting on my desk unfinished. It won't take much to finish it, I just have to add pictures and a little bit of journaling. I already have the days planned out and know what pictures I want to use and what I want to say. It's actually doing that I gotta do. I promise to finish it this weekend and post it!
On a sad note, I would appreciate thoughts and prayers for my sister and her family. They had to make the hard decision to put their dog down tomorrow. He's only three and such a sweet dog. He has a condition where his hip bones are crushing his spinal cord. He's been living with it for a while and they said they would keep him going as long as he's not hurting too much and he's happy. He's no longer happy. It takes him 10 minutes to walk down a short hallway and she can tell it's painful for him. She had to tell my niece and nephew yesterday and they're very sad, but it's really the best thing for poor Duke. Please keep them in your prayers, I appreciate it.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Crop Spot
Hi friends! My first layout using The Sampler's January Kit, A Bright New Year, is up at The Crop Spot today. Please go check it out and then check out the kit. It's seriously so gorgeous! I've made quite a few projects and the kit is just about gone! You won't be disappointed!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Book Review: Decision Points
Ok, this one might be a little touchy, especially if you really follow politics. I just finished George W. Bush's memoir, Decision Points. I'm a Republican, just gonna throw that out there. I am a fan of GW, I think he did a great job protecting our country. I really enjoyed this book. I feel like I actually learned something from it. I learned more about how the government works. I really like the way he wrote the book as well. It's not all MEMEME...it outlines the important and sometimes unpopular decisions that he made and why he made those decisions. Every decision came about through lots of facts and research. He explains where the country was at the time of these decisions. The biggest eye-opener for me was the Hurricane Katrina response. He got a lot of slack for the way he handled it. Guess what...it wasn't his job to handle it. He tried to take it over and help, but the state governor is responsible for asking the federal government for help and she refused to do it. By law, he was not allowed to intervene without a request from the state. Needless to say, she's no longer governor. That one made me say, "See? It wasn't his fault people!" Well, whether you're a supporter or not, I highly recommend that you read this book. It really explains a lot and he even calls people out on their bad decision points. It's very good!!
Now I'm onto the 14th book in a vampire series that I adore...the Argeneau Vampires. I'm starting Hungry for You, which just came out recently. Then, next week we'll be having our first book club meeting and discussing Little Bee and the next book will be chosen. Can't wait to find out what it will be! What are YOU reading right now?
Now I'm onto the 14th book in a vampire series that I adore...the Argeneau Vampires. I'm starting Hungry for You, which just came out recently. Then, next week we'll be having our first book club meeting and discussing Little Bee and the next book will be chosen. Can't wait to find out what it will be! What are YOU reading right now?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Home Sweet Home
My daughter and I just got home to Arizona last night...but not without a few hiccups. First, we were flying Delta, and the only layover option for where we were was Atlanta. Yeah....did ya see the snow storms up there? So my first flight was canceled and rescheduled for two days later. Ok, I can deal with that. Then I kept checking up on my flight status and everything was good. I checked one last time on our way to the airport...canceled. Really??? So we went into the airport and talked to the ticket people and they said I had already been rescheduled for another two days later. The ticket guy looked at me and said, "Let's do better than that." YES! So they ended up getting us on an American flight instead through Dallas, same day! It was awesome! Yay for the Delta ticket guy at Fort Walton Beach airport! Of course, traveling alone with a two year old is quite an adventure in itself. My carry-on bag was crazy packed and Caylan refused to wear her own backpack, so I was carrying that too. Oh, and of course she needed me to carry her as well. Sure, why not? I have nothing else to carry, right? I was quite a sight. But we survived. My husband came to pick us up at the airport, tulips in hand (my favorite)! The house was spotless when we got home and I've never seen my dogs so happy to see us. It was a great homecoming.
Now it's time to get back into the swing of things. I have an OB appointment today, we're having lunch with my husband, and we have to go grocery shopping. And I am most definitely diving into my scrapbooking!!! I have so much catching up to do!
Oh, and another cool thing last night - we were flying into Tucson as President Obama was leaving. We actually passed Air Force One in the air and got to see it. Well, it looked more like a lot of blinking lights because it was dark, but we all waved. It was pretty cool. The President landed at Davis-Monthan, which is where my husband works and he was able to get a couple of pictures of the plane. Pretty awesome.
Now it's time to get back into the swing of things. I have an OB appointment today, we're having lunch with my husband, and we have to go grocery shopping. And I am most definitely diving into my scrapbooking!!! I have so much catching up to do!
Oh, and another cool thing last night - we were flying into Tucson as President Obama was leaving. We actually passed Air Force One in the air and got to see it. Well, it looked more like a lot of blinking lights because it was dark, but we all waved. It was pretty cool. The President landed at Davis-Monthan, which is where my husband works and he was able to get a couple of pictures of the plane. Pretty awesome.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I'm a Groovy Chick!
Exciting announcement: I'm a Groovy Chick over at the If It's Groovy blog. If you haven't check it out yet, please go over and follow it! They have great challenges that will push you out of your comfort zone and the ladies over there are so talented. January's challenge is to use crayons on your layout, either using a rubbing or another creative way. I hope you will all come over and check us out!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
"A Bright New Year"
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