Informative

Did anyone ever see the movie Someone Like You? Well if you haven't don't rush out and rent it, but if you have then don't bother reading this next book....Animal Husbandry by Laura Zigman.

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Since I was so unimpressed by her last book I read (Her) I am not super suprised that I walked away from this one with an "ehhh" feeling. I did enjoy this book more than the other one but at the same point I had images to go with characters already and I knew ahead of time that it wasn't going to be spectacular. The very best part of this book is that throughout you do learn some interesting and very random facts. Things that I can honestly say I probably would have never found out and that I never ever have thought about. But nonetheless it is now interesting to have them locked into my memory bank. One thing I really disliked about this book was it wasn't on par with the movie. I know I know I know...book came before movie...but I like the movie version A LOT more! It just seemed more realistic and slightly less pathetic than the book. But I am happy to say I've read it and I no longer have that on my book back burner....Overal grade = C...

Good news though...I have almost completed my reading list for 2010 YAY! Next I am starting Misery Loves Cabernet and then I will either read The Gate Crasher (or should I say restart it?) or our book club book Geography of Bliss. Dare I say that I'll complete my list early? Part of me hopes so because there are some cute books I'm dying to read that are not on my 2011 list yet and then another part of me says if you finish early take a BREAK!! We will see...all I know is September is apparently my reading month...I've checked off 9 books this month!

Maybe since you all are probably tired of these boring book reviews I should spice things up in the kitchen...hmm we shall see! Happy Half Week Everyone!!

Next Exit - Whistle Stop Cafe

Tonight I finished reading Fried Green Tomatoes by Miss Fannie Flagg. Yes it is the book that the movie Fried Green Tomatoes starring Kathy Bates and Mary Stuart Masterson. The lovely tale of a small southern town living their lives back in the 1920s and most of it revolving around the life of Idgie Threadgoode!

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This book made me want to watch the movie. Don't get wrong the book was pretty decent, I'd grade it a B, but I think the movie was cuter. I think the book was "hard" to read at times. And word of advice make sure to read the dates at the beginning of each chapter because not only does it bounce from the 20s to the 80s but there are a lot of times in the storytelling where she gets to the 60s and then back to the 30s for a chapter. It's a cute story but I'd only recommend reading if you have nothing else you want to read!! However I do recommend checking out the book from your local library and copying the recipes from the back!! :)

Snap, Crackle and Pop!!

Last night we had our monthly Book Club Meeting (to discuss the great book Gentlemen and Players) and I got to host it at my house. Needless to say I was really excited to show off our home and to cook for everyone! For dinner I made the amazing Stuffed Shells, Caesar Salad, and Garlic Bread! But for dessert I made something that is so easy, super quick, and that suprisingly I don't think I've ever made these before. I made Rice Krispie Treats!!!

We picked up a couple small bags of M&Ms to add a little chocolate to these!

This looked so good! I just love marshmallows and they smelled so good as they were melting!

Unfortunately I couldn't take a picture of the rice and marshmallows being mixed together because I wanted to make sure to get them mixed well. I really wanted these to turn out well and after the first batch came out thin...I decided it'd be best to make a second batch!! So we had amazingly thick rice krispie treats! Half with M&Ms and the other half just plain old traditional treats!

Don't these look great?

I was so happy these turned out so well and not only were they a hit with the book club but they also were a hit with Chuck. He must have eaten 6 yesterday :-)!!

I am 24 years old and I am just now making my first batch?? What gives?? Don't get me wrong I've had Rice Krispie Treats my whole life...My Mom loves these, but I really can't believe I have never made them before...Anyone else eat something their whole life but never made it??

Obssessed!!

Well Ladies and Gentlemen I finished another book last night. I am on a roll lately but I have to admit a part of me was starting to panic considering the number of books I have left and since one of those is 700 pages. And I am determined to meet my goal...what's funny is I've been contemplating rounding the number off to make it a nice even number but we shall see...

But here it is the book I finished last night: Her by Laura Zigman

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If any of you recognize the name Laura Zigman it's probably because of her other book Animal Husbandry which inspired the movie Someone Like You starring Ashley Judd and the hunky Hugh Jackman...If you've seen it then you know that Laura Zigman has a different (a.k.a odd) style. Don't get me wrong I was excited to read this book but I was a little let down.

This book is literally about a women who has become OBSESSED with her Fiancee's ex fiancee, who of course happens to be a total bombshell. But this chick just goes NUTS!! Instead of acting like an adult (a woman in her 30s) she turns into her own PI and literally sabotages (Tries to) her relationship...And yes throughout her book the author uses parenthesis constantly which gets SUPER annoying...It's an odd book and I just can't get behind anyone who decides to put up with a super weird guy and his relationship with a ex fiancee and then turn into a total nut case. It also shows an extremely pathetic relationship...Overall grade a D!! I won't ever be recommending this one, even if it's a quick read!!

A Personal Connection

Yesterday I started to read this book: Diana Agafya by Jacob Emery...I'll admit from the beginning there will be some bias in this review as the author is my boyfriend's Cousin! :)

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I was able to finish this book in one day because it's only about 100 pages and it was interesting so I wanted to continue...I started it on my lunch break and finished it as soon as I got home! And congrats to Jake on this one! I wasn't really sure I'd like it since it did take place in Russia and I know absolutely nothing about Russia, also because I thought for sure that I couldn't read the book without picturing and hearing Jake...and that's nothing against Jake but he's not Russian and I just didn't want to picture him in any of the characters...

Great news is that I pictured each character as themselves and Jake suprised me! He's a really intelligent person so I had no doubt that the story would have substance but I wasn't expecting to really like this tale...It's heartbreaking because I'm sure this type of stuff still goes on, it's about a girl who thinks she's going to a modeling agency in Russia but ends up getting captured to be a prostitute....Yeah I really wasn't sure I'd get into it, but I was really impressed by it and can't wait to share with Jake how much I liked his book!! For all those who wouldn't mind a short read that I promise you will get sucked in to and want to know how it ends...go purchase this one!! Congrats Jake!!

Confessions...........

Another Chick Lit Book Down and only a few left to go :) Last night I finished reading this little gem...Confessions of a Beauty Addict by Nadine Haobsh!

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I just loved this book, granted it's about a girl working as a magazine columnist/editor in New York City, which was what I really wanted to grow up to be when I was younger! I thought it'd be so much fun! Granted she's a beauty expert which is not what I wanted to be but it's still super cute! I highly recommend this to anyone as long as you like girly books. Nadine you get an A+ for this book because not only was I interested the entire book but once I finished I felt you wrapped it up nicely and I was not left wanting more!! Bravo Bravo!!!

Too Early for Holiday Baking???

I think NOT!! Especially on a rainy drizzly day like today! Yesterday I got my newest Taste of Home Magazine today and decided to dry out a new cookie recipe. I made their Cinnamon Chocolate Minties!!

You will need: 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup baking cocoa, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/3 cup coarsley crushed peppermint candies, 1/3 cup chocolate chips. For the topping: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 tsp canola oil, 2 tsp finely crushed peppermint candies.

I chose to crush up my peppermint candies first...check out those beauties...ready to be crushed!!!!

After creaming your sugars and butter, then add your dry ingredients. Mix well and then add the chocolate chips and peppermint candies!! Looks yummy already!!

Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten slightly. Make sure to place these on a GREASED cookie sheet!!

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 6 - 9 minutes! They will instantly make your home smell like chocolate and mint!!

Remove from cookie sheets almost immediatly and place on a wire rack to cool completely!!

Once the cookies are cooled melt the chocolate chips and canola oil and start drizzling! It's really the 2nd best part of these cookies. Once they've been drizzled in chocolate sprinkle over the finely crushed peppermint candies!!

Look at these amazing minty devils!!!

Now comes the best part of these cookies..........

EATING THEM!! These are an extremely simple and extremely yummy cookies. A must try for anyone who loves chocolate and mint!! But make sure to have a glass of milk handy!!!

Living Room Accent Wall is FINALLY PAINTED!!

I was so excited to get up and paint our accent wall this morning that I beat my alarm clock by an hour. I got up at 7 and went to take Buster to Camp Bow Wow for the day to keep him out of my hair and the little bugger decided he'd rather sleep in. So I went downstairs and started the prep work......

Just as a reminder here's a before picture of our living room. See how boring and bland it is...we wanted something to warm it up and we of course needed to cover up an outline from a large mirror the previous owners had put up.

And AFTER!! I am so pleased with this color. It is a Behr Paint & Primer, because they really are the best paints ever! It's called Caramel Swirl!!

I was so excited for it to dry because poor Roxy was stuck upstairs with me in the bedroom, although I did finish my book so I accompliced two things today :)  And a major plus was that we have to run our cable wire along the wall and up & over the fireplace and it stuck out like a sore thumb. With this new paint I was able to cover up the nasty blank lines and now it blends WOO HOO!!

I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. But the only problem I ran into was that the dang paint tape didn't work in one corner of the room and now I have to touch up the tan wall...see the right corner in the picture is where the mess up waas. I went out to the garage dug out the box of paints the previous owners left and of course the only paint they didn't have was the one they used downstairs. Just my luck. Fortunately I have kept every single paint card that I have ever brough home and found a perfect match! Suprise Suprise it's a Behr paint, but it's not the primer so I may have to match it even closer at Home Depot. As soon as I run to the Depot tomorrow and pick up a small container of paint the wall will be perfect!!

Anyone else love having accent walls in their homes?

Mrs Claus Falls in Love!

Okay Miss Carly Alexander you've won me over.. You have definitely redeemed yourself with your book The Secret Life of Mrs Claus!

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I just finished reading this book today and I LOVED it! It's the story of three different women and it takes place during Christmas of course!! It also takes place over three years and each year tells the story of a new woman who gets to don the Mrs Claus suit! A lot less smut in this book, although it is still there, but I was able to push past it and I can say I full enjoyed it!!

I give this an A Ms Alexander...Bravo!!

Entryway Revamp!!

This week while I'm on VACATION I have a list of things I want to get done!! First on my list is getting some long over due painting done. Monday I was just going to prep and paint everything today but instead I got some painting done YAY!!

Take a look at our Entryway! I love our entryway...it's nice and open and it's an actual entryway instead of just walking into the living room....but I HATE the purple color. Seriously they loved dark colors in this house. So far we've gotten rid of two rooms of dark colors...one room I am hiring a painter because the ceilings are extremely high. Back to the entryway!

Check out our new entryway table. We scored this beauty off Craiglist for only $30! It reminded me of an awesome table my Sister scored as well...this is the Mother of her table :)

One more shot of this ugly purple color, which made the entryway feel and look super closed in and small.

TA DA!! We chose a Behr Paint and Primer in One, because those paints are the best! The color is called crepe! It's awesome!

And check out our entryway table now!! It's now a beautiful crisp white!!!!! We also moved our key/mail holder above the table which makes more sense with our keys right by the door. Plus it freed up some space on our breakfast bar!

I also moved our coat holder into the area by our laundry room. It's so nice to have it away from the front door, leaving even more open space!

I am so EXCITED over our entryway...this new color is AMAZING and it really makes our entryway feel so open and I don't feel like I am walking into a cave when I come home!!

Now onto the Accent Wall in the Living room and then I'll be adding a wallpaper border to our breakfast bar area, then finishing up our dining room chairs. It's going to be a busy day but I LOVE doing this type of stuff!!

It's Never Too Early For A Little Christmas Cheer!

Another book down!!!!!! This past weekend we had our Annual Family Camping Trip so of course I brought a couple books to read and I was actually able to finish one YAY!! I read Ghosts of Boyfriends Past by Carly Alexander!

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It was pretty good. If you can get past the fact that it's a smut novel LOL. It was not what I was expecting at the beginning because I usually don't read books with a lot of sexual content...just not what I like...but anyways after getting through the first half of the book it really disappears! The best part of this book is that it takes place over 3 different Christmas'. One in San Francisco, One in New York, and one in Europe!

Anywho who knows me knows that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas! It is my favorite time of year because I love the music, decorations, and scents! It's so beautiful! Because of that this book gets a B :)...not an A because it's a little smutty and because it is really predictable :) Enjoy!

A Bit of Updates!

Last weekend and Monday we decided to make a few updates to the house. All minor updates but all make a huge difference to us.

I finally hung a picture in my bathroom. I had this picture up in my bathroom before and in our apartment before and just loved it! With the new color schemes I wasn't sure it would fit in, but alas it works perfectly!

Doesn't it just look great with the towels?!?!?

Another new addition was a WINE RACK!! I scored this beauty at Pier One!!

It fits perfectly on our breakfast bar and since we aren't huge wine drinkers, although I'm learning, we didn't need anything huge! I just love it...And BONUS! It matches our other furniture! Yes I am all about matching!

For awhile now we've been looking for a small fake tree to take up this open space in a corner in the living room! Sunday night we walked to Beverly's to look for glue and frames for our puzzles and scored a HUGE DEAL! They had their fake trees at 75% off! How could we pass up such a deal?!?!?

We got this beautiful fake bamboo tree, which also matches the furniture color LOL, for only $20!! Can you believe it $20!!!

Since we walked to Beverly's from the house Chuck actually decided to carry this baby home instead of me going back the next day with the car! It was quite the sight to see I'm sure, but it's so awesome and it really did finish off that space wonderfully!

Also last week while I was at Pier One, I stopped in at Michaels and picked up this adorable fall decoration! which was on sale! YAY!

And placed it on our mantle shelf :-) I was so excited to have a mantle to decorate!

With this new fall decoration I couldn't help but get out our fall decorations and I started decorating!! I'll post pictures later!

Anyone else doing any home improvements or fall decorating?

ALERT! ALERT! READING DROUGHT HAS ENDED! ALERT! ALERT!

It's official my reading drought is over!! And I couldn't be more excited! Remember how I was starting my next book club book and wasn't sure about it. I am so glad I stuck it out. My Sister finished it before me and convinced me that it got better!!

I finished Gentlemen & Players by JoAnne Harris last night and it was AMAZING!

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It was really slow to start and of course confusing because not only does it bounce back and forth between times but it also introduces almost every character in the book in the first few chapters! My only downfall to this book was that when I first started reading it I pictured it taking place in the 40s or 50s when in fact it takes place in somewhat modern times...they have computers, email, and cell phones. I just didn't get that at first and it was hard to picture it as a modern novel. But I just loved it. Right when I got close to the midway point I couldn't put it down. And let me tell you that you will be shocked...not only once but multiple times. You get to a point where it hits you with the first shocker...then bam, bam, bam...the next ones come out.

Kudos, Applause, Bonus for JoAnn Harris because this book was great!! A must read for those who love books that will shock you in the end!

I'm Ready to Flush it all Down the Toilet

That's it I am done reading...

I am giving it up....

I am burning all my books.........

JUST KIDDING!! No of course I'm not giving up. I'm bitter because literally the last four books i've read have SUCKED!! But I am going to move forward...

For now...DO NOT READ She Went All the Way by Meg Cabot.

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Sorry Meg but it's so lame...I literally read the first chapter and predicted the entire book. If you want some FLUFF have at it...but if you'd like a book with a storyline and substance look elsewhere...you've been warned.

Now I'm starting Gentlemen and Players for our book club which meets at my house this month. So far I'm not into it but I am going to forge ahead...I swear if this one sucks I am going to reread a really awesome book called: Dewey by Vicki Myron

BTW: I've updated my book list to your right :-) I can't believe I've read 22 books!! So exciting!!!!!!!! Only 16 left...I am determined to make this goal so I better get going with only 4 months left! YIKES!

TJ Maxx Treasures

Last weekend not only did I update some of our dining room chairs but while I was out and about I stopped by our local TJ Maxx and picked up some awesome new home items!

I just had to get this little gem :-) The new leash holder was just too perfect to pass up and it only cost $5 WOO HOO!! Isn't it so cute?

I also picked up the final two pieces for our living room accessories! YAY! We only have one piece left to complete our living room and that is for Chuck to finish the trim around the fireplace...but I did get to find the final two accesories!

This little red vase (only $5) was perfect for one of our end tables! I just took some of the extra flowers I had from the other decorations and popped them!! I just love the red, yellow, and orange colors...plus with fall coming up I won't have to put them all away :-)

This last piece I did not get at TJ Maxx but I found it at JoAnn's. It's a flower pot but I wanted to add another candle to our dining room! I also bought a candle that when I first smelt it reminded me of my Grammy's house. I have no idea if it's an actual scent that she may have had in her house but it just reminded me of her old house.

Anyone else done any home updating?