..::Bared to You::..

Bared to You is the first book of the Crossfire Series.  It's looking to be a trilogy right now.. and boy oh boy is it delish!  For those of you who read 50 Shades of Grey you will enjoy this book but you need to know coming out of the gate that it has ALOT of the same feel for quite a while. The meeting, the chemistry...

What this book has that 50 didn't is alot more demons for BOTH of the characters that they have to overcome. They have such darkness in their pasts, both are abused and determined to keep their distances from relationsips. But at their first meeting -- the first contact between them -- the chemistry is undeniable and all encompassing. 

Eva isn't naive -- but she has her own trust issues and a seriously skewed perception of herself. Due to the abuse she has suffered she has a hard time being comfortable in her own skin. But she is determined to be independant and Gideon thows all of that hard fought independence for a loop. Eva is rich in her own right -- she lives lavish in a penthouse apartment and has a wonderful job at an advertising agency -- an agency that just happens to be housed in the Crossfire building which Gideon owns.  On her first day to work to time the walk she runs into him, LITERALLY.  And that contact was mindblowing for Eva. Come to find.. it impacted Mr. Cross just as much :-)

He seeks her out through her work -- and from there things escalate quickly!!  here's a taste.. this is the first time they've spoken following a meeting that Eva has with her boss and Cross Industries regarding advertising for a new company Gideon purchased (a ploy simply to get Eva in the same room as him)... i mean we're talking like chapter 2 here, you know ITS GONNA BE GOOD!!  

The mellowing character is Eva's roomate Cary -- a male model who is also quite damaged but is as beautiful as they come and is... bom bom bom... bisexual! oh yea... the tension with his sex life is palpable! haha. Eva found him at therapy as kids and helped heal him, while he helped console her.  They are each other's support and bracing

Eva and Gideon immediately fall in love although they fight it and fight it.... being that i could not put it down i also read the second book which was EVEN BETTER!  And by far made these 2 better than the 50's for sure!  I loved them! What i loved is that although Gideon doesn't want a relationship -- and tells Eva up front he doesn't date, doesn't want a relationship and DOESNT DO ROMANCE.  You find Gideon crossing all his own lines, being utterly romantic and daring, and you can see what he does to show his love even if Eva has a hard time accepting it. 

SOOO GOOD!!  Enjoy my loves, its truly worth the read!

little things.

Brian, Trey and I all just got back from a wonderful trip to California for Thanksgiving (another post in itself to come) to see my dad's side of the family. It was a great trip... but we got home and it was nice to be back in our house, our bed. I was exhausted.

I had spent all day yesterday working (yes, WORKING), and trying to get everything back in order from vaca, talking to clients, getting Trey and Brian ready for work/school, and going over to the inlaws for dinner and i was beat. I mean wiped.  To top it off I am having this incredible pain that is making breathing difficult for me and yesterday just all in all really sucked.
 
So last night after i'm all finished i'm sitting in bed reading. My girls are asleep on the floor in their beds, my son is ZZZ'ing away in his bed, and Brian is laying next to me, his arm curled around my waist and his head in my lap (i tickle his head when i read)... and as he dozes in and out, mostly out, he tells me... "Baby, you're my whole world" and then he's out like a light.  Sounds little. Sounds silly. But that one sentence rocked my world. So to have a minute to reflect on all that I am blessed with and to have it reinforced by a husband i have NO IDEA how i deserve.... that one sentence made everything i did yesterday totally worth it. Because everything i do - and have to "bear" is for those two handsome men in my house that i couldn't live without.

I know i'm one of the lucky ones. I know it everyday. My husband never yells at me or is angry -- he's NEVER raised his voice to me. He's never said a SINGLE unkind word.  He is loving and supportive and is everything a husband should be for a wife that probably doesn't deserve 1/2 of how amazing he is. He isn't perfect, I'm not niave enough to throw that out there, but to have someone who genuinely loves me all day everyday -- who tells me on the daily that he thinks i'm beautiful, that he can't keep his hands off me, and that is proud of everything i do, HE makes everything worth it to me. The late nights, the early mornings, the stressful days, the sad days.  That man that i get to claim as my husband is simply amazing. The best part though is that i KNOW deep down in my bones that those are just pretty words he says to get me in the sack.  He means them. Everyday i can feel how much he loves me and cherishes our relationship.  To have that, to know that at the end of a stressful day i have him and he has me --  i don't know how much more perfect it can get.

And all this -- from one silly little sentence. <3 nbsp="nbsp">

..::Enslave Me Sweetly::..

This book was most certainly a page turner! Enslave Me is the second installment of the Alien Huntress series by Gena Showalter. She is the author of my Lords of the Underworld Series that I'm over the moon about.

I'll start with the very obvious.. Aliens?? Really?? I'm pretty much a paranormal lover, but even for me Aliens are getting a little over the top... But the first several books came in a Lot I received for my birthday in my families valiant efforts to procure all of the Lords books for my library.

Out of anything to read, I decided to pick up the first and read it several months ago -- and it was awesome!!!

This one, Enslave, is fabulous!! The main character is an Alien assassin who was raised by her adopted father, human Michael Black. Eden is a Raka alien, part of a rare golden breed that is hunted by humans and aliens alike.

But Eden is a top assassin on a mission to bring down a slave ring... She is not happy that she's being forced to have a partner... Even worse he's a brutishly handsome and ruthless agent that she wants nothing to do with. Until she is forced to rely solely on him for survival...

A brilliant plan is concocted by Lucius and Eden that he will Go undercover as a stalker who wants to purchase Eden. Their suspect will arrange her abduction and auction and Lucius will buy her - after the deal they'll take him out. But at the last minute something goes against plan and Eden now how to resort to all her skills to fix and save the case.... And her man.

Soooo good!! Enjoy people...

.::The Darkest Kiss::..

I'm late with the post dang it!  But i DO have a good excuse... my poor sweet baby boy Trey was sick Sunday -- then Monday --- then again Tuesday.  So i have been Dr. Mom for the last several days.

BUT HERE WE GO!!  Oh my heavens i'm so excited to share this book! Today i'm gonna tell you about "The Darkest Kiss" by Gena Showalter from her Lords of the Underworld Series.

Funny story... this may be one of my favorite series ever read (there's 9 books) and it was by purley being CHEAP that i stumbled on it. One day after reading a million books but not wanting to spend another $8 on a book i just browsed the "recomended" on my Nook Color. So i come across a bundle that has 4 books in it!  It's got a Novella prequel, then it's got books 1 "The Darkest Night", 2 "The Darkest Kiss", and 3 "The Darkest Pleasure" all for $7. 

The Darkest Kiss is by far my favorite in the bundle... it's all about self sacrifice and the beauty that'swithin. It's about deeper things than just judging someone from the outside... which the main guy Lucien does ALOT.

A little history on the series to make it easy to understand. The books are about the Lords, who were created in the heavens as Zues's personal army. They protected him for thousands of years until a bunch of demons escaped hell, were placed in Pandora's box, and the box given to Pandora for safe keeping. Being a woman, the Lords were offended and decided they would steal and release the demons only to recapture them and show Zeus that THEY were the right choice as guardians, not her. But they failed. The demons wreaked havoc on Earth and the box was lost forever.... so the Gods punished the Lords by placing a demon within each to be housed and contained by the Lord. The demon's keeper, if you will. They were then banished from the heavens to Earth where they live in Buda. ....

So book two here, The Darkest Kiss, is about Lucien who was the Captain of the Guard and is the most level headed of the bunch. He is the one who "fixes" everything and makes sure everyone is safe and happy .... But Lucien hosts "Death" and has to escort souls everyday to either heaven or hell... its an emotionally taxing business and he had learned to shut down ALL emotion. At some point in his long life he fell in love, and she died... to make sure he never went through the heartbreak again he ruined his face and body so no other woman would fall for his beautiful face and force him to take their soul when the time came for death to visit. His face is heavily scarred and he is a brute of a man so it's terrifying to most. It had been thousands of years since he had felt the touch of a female.....

Then in walks Anya.. who just happens to be a goddess - the goddess of Anarchy.  She is the epitome of sex walking. I'm talking skanked out bimbo style with a face that only the Gods could have created. But Anya is cursed... and is being hunted by the new God King Cronus.  (bom bom bom!). 

Anya is immediately drawn to Lucien and wants him badly... but he isn't giving her a chance.  Naturally he is suspicious because, well, he's ugly. But Anya thinks otherwise and her play at him is just funny!  Then when they finally kiss, and sizzle sizzle sizzle is this kiss, cronus appears and orders Lucien to kill her. That's when things get good!

Lucien has to fight is attraction to Anya, her strength andcourage and sense of humor -- or fight the God King who will kill all he loves (the other lords). The majority of the book is Lucien trying to kill Anya but not being able to bring himself to do it because she's just so quick to fight him back and he just doesn't see what she could have done to deserve Cronus's wrath. The only logical explanation he can think of is that this body with legs for miles has either spurned him, cheated on him, or slept with someone she shouldn't have..... little does Lucient know that Anya's curse would never have allowed for such a thing and the judging and hurt comes in.

Oh it's just so good! To see all the play by plays. And the action! Holy cow there's alot of actionto be read -- fight here, fight there, battle here, battle there.... then you get into the good part (wink wink) and it's just an amazing book. Best part is that you just FALL IN LOVE with these Lords and want them to finally be happy. Once you understand the havoc they go through day in and day out to sate and cope with their demons everything in you just HOPES for the best for each of them.  Its just amazing!  Definately worth a read.

..::RAPTURE::..

Well i did it. I finished all 505 pages of this book and let me tell you, it was worth the late nights and the skipped naps over the weekend. I wasn't sure if i'd make it because of all the busy-ness that seems to be my life anymore!  This weekend we had an activity crammed packed weekend -- Between the Jana Kramer concert, family birthday parties, yard improvement, and my family's Obon dinner and golf with my handsome hubs i had barely a second to myself! 

But to the good part of the post... the book! 

What can i say? The book left  me with a sense of sadness for the Angels that i just can't seem to shake off. As i'd said before, there is a two-some of Angels who have "fallen" but are on their way to redemption by saving the world from evil during the last battle set up by the Maker. This book they are on their fourth soul to save.... and this soul has a history with the Angel Jim. throughout the book though you are dealing with Jim's complete lack of faith -- his compass is just spinning out of control. He is dwelling on Sissy who is in Devina's well of souls... and he just can't fathom that she's stuck there. Almost so consumed by it he is lacking his normal devotion to his soul, Matthias.

Then we have Ad, who has just lost his best friend and partner of over a millenia (Eddie, he was the third Angel who recently died) and he just can't get right. He can't put one dot to the next and he's running on pure hate and fury for most of the book.... He's a wild card -- and Eddie who normally keeps him in check, and keeps him and Jim from killing each other, isn't there to guide him. He isn't there for him to confide in and find solace in his spiritual strength. Ad has his own demons, a past with the demon Devina has has him "ruined" for eternity as he sees it. But Eddie kept him together... Eddie is gone so you can only imagine the havoc that's going on in Ad's head.

Since you have come to just fall in love with the Angels (Jim, Adrian and Eddie) it's hard  to watch them be in such torment, such sadness!! 

But then you have the soul, Mattias, and the woman he falls for, Mels. It's up and down because Matthias is suffering from amnesia. Matthias was a damned soul, the vilest of vile. Then everything changes in this book because he's given his "second chance".  See, Mattias was already a soul in question... but he chose wrong... and spent what felt like an eternity in Devina's well of souls even tho it was only mere days. But he's back and Mels has brought out everything good in him. Until she finds out the truth..... the REAL story is in Matthias and Mels... and boy is it juicy!!    Wanna hear a kicker??  I'll give you a teaser.... Matthias is..... a broken man. And i don't just mean because of the stunt in the Desert when he tried to blow himself up and left him cripple. 


Its definately an intriguing book!  Keeps you on your toes.... it jumps between the main soul, and the two Angels who are just passing through the time and the game. They both know what has to be done, but the end game just seems so far out of reach for them! And to see the play on their emotions.... its just intense.

Enjoy!

Books books books...

New books are always released on Tuesdays. In recent days i have had 2 highly anticipated books be released... each from my favorite authors.

The first was Rapture by J.R. Ward. It is the 4th book in her newer Fallen Angels series.  I started it last night and it has already got me on the edge of my seat with J.R.'s grit and just raw masculinity of these characters. Who doesn't like to read about a mans man that's wrapped up in a woman?? 

The second is released today, Dark Storm by Christine Feehan. It is the 23rd book in the Dark Series. Yes, i have read them all... most of them many times over.

Now i'm sure most of you are aware of my very loved and adored (and needless to say, BEAUTIFUL) Library built in shelves my husband made [see here]. I love this room more than any room in my house. Reading is my getaway, my haven into make beleive that has love so much like my own. But of course with a little paranormal, or intensity that isn't common for my day to day. I mean c'mon, Brian isn't going to wake up a Vampire anytime soon. haha.

I tend to share my love of books with all my friends that read. And by read, i mean i really read. Usually at least a book a week if not more. I got a Nook Color for Christmas last year and since then i have read nearly 70 books!!   Everyone is always borrowing books, asking what i like, what they're about.. yada yada... so i decided that i would start a Tuesday weekly review of books (pass this along to your reader friends and maybe we can get an OPEN review where others can put their thoughts and referrals too).

I'll go through them all at some point but lets start with my all-time top 5 books.

1. Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan from the Dark Series (I am so overly in love with Jaxon and Lucien in this book, they are the PERFECT couple, and your heart just breaks for BOTH of them all the time)
2. Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward from the Black Dagger Brotherhood series
3. Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter from the Lords of the Underworld series (I definately suggest reading the first books in this series BEfore this book, so that you know whats going on)
4. Savor the Danger by Lori Foster - a 4 peice series called Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor (they're mercenaries!!  Who doesn't love a little law breaking ass kicking hotties?)
5. Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward also the BDB series (I literally cried during this book)

Can you see a pattern?? Romance?  Hot guys on the covers??  Totally oober hot and spicy-ness that just keeps you on the edge of your seat!?
Next week you can all look forward to the review of Rapture by J.R. Ward!!! BUt don't fret, i wont give away the endings :-)    I can't wait... she is just oober amazing. So you know what you're in for, the Fallen Angels are 2 badass angels with a man/angel who is appointed to save the world from hell and Devina -- she's pretty much a demon that represents hell, and everything else that is bad.  Each book is a new soul he has to save and it is between good and evil. J.R. Ward has a knack for writing in a really current and easily relatable way. The angels are not some frilly little wuss bags, but warriors with a core of steel and their own inner demons and turmoil. Drugs, alcohol, sex... it's all in there. With love. And romance. And always such an unexpected twist.  Each soul should in the book is at a crossroads to make a decision.. whether they make the right choice or not determines who gets the points. The Boys, or Devina. And lordy you just dread Devina getting the point!  I'm only in the beginning of the book, but here's a peek at a part that TOTALLY absorbed me.....

see what i mean about how she writes?!  IN LOVE!!!! As i said, Rapture is the 4th book in the series, so feel free to try out the first one, and second, and third... haha. 

If you liked 50 Shades (i think as a female you are genetically altered to love it), then you will enjoy my selections. They are all equally juicy, if not more so. The best part about the series's is you get to fall in love with so many different characters that you get to see bits and peices of throughout the series!  You'll be going along your merry way in book 7 and BAM there's the couple you rooted for in book 2, poppin in for a cameo :-)

The Most Amazing Mirror

First I want to start out with the fact that my sister-in-law just recently had a birthday and she is super cute and amazing. I love her (along with my other sister-in-law), but Kristi tends to have home decor styles that mesh with mine. She is the sweetest most tender hearted woman i've probably ever met and i'm so blessed to be a part of her life. She is such a joy and i love her dearly.

More than that she's pretty crafty herself and so I always like making her something special for her birthday. Last year it was a vintage mirror that i refinished, destroyed, and then etched the glass. It has a beautiful home on her living room wall :-)

Not long ago i came across a couple ideas on Pinterest, the website sweeping the female nation. See, aren't they pretty?

So i decided to attempt it. But i did it different.  It's hard when you KNOW you're giving it as a gift, because you know the things that would get you by in your home my not work in theirs. Maybe they have rowdy kids that knock things over, maybe they move things around alot, maybe they don't like certain types of woods, maybe they only like white, or hot pink... so when making it i knew i wanted it to be bold but neutral. Strong by not a million dollars.  Heavy but not overwhelming. Big but not overrtaking to a room, and to look expensive but not be... lots of details to keep in mind. 

So here we go... step by easy step...

So first, we went to lowes and found the backing wood. Because plywood is too yucky and tends to soak up paint i didn't want that... but regular sheets of wood are really pricey... particleboard is too bendy... so we went with a weird particle/wood. $18.00 and it was 4 x 8 .  Enough for 2 of these bad boys, or sexy lady.. whichever your pleasure. Best part?? LOWES CUTS FOR FREE!!  So just take your peice over to them and tell them you want two 2ft by 6ft. You'll be left with a scrap.

Then you need some moulding. Any that you want. I wanted a little "embelishments" if you will and did some mantle peices for the top corners and bottom corners ($10.00 for the trim, $5.00 for the corners, the trim will also do 2 mirrors). 

In the mantle section there are gorgeous wood embelishments.. i did a single one along the top of the mirror ($6.00)...

Of course your paint (I buy Valspar samples, $2.98). And a cheap mirror from Walmart ($4.50)

And if you will, some glaze ($10 that will last you a lifetime haha). 

Looks about like this when you gather it all up.

(Far left is the board, center is the trim, and far left is my cheap mirror)

So you start with your measurements... cut everything down and then glue it on. Super technical right?

 

Normally i would have just filled that gap right there, but since it was a gift i just recut a peice of trim. 

Once i glued it all down i left it to dry [note my super techy "holding tape" haha] Once its all dry you can paint. The sample i got was GORGEOUS! It was called Magnet Dapple from Valspar. The sample i bought was MORE than enough, i could likely do two!  It turned out much more blue than grey.. but it worked perfect for my Sis in Law since she's a "blue" girl right now.

This little embellishment was the hardest thing in the world to paint!

Once it was painted i went ahead and tried out a glaze. It was my first time... a glaze virgin if you will. And let me tell you, she is my going to be my new love affair. So easy.. wipe on, wipe off, to your taste of course.

(click for an enlarged photo)

 

 

So here she is in all her glory.  Isn't she gorgeous??  Feel free to try your own and let me know what you did differently or what ways you found to make it unique to your home! 

 

As always a special thanks to my amazing husband who not only helps but contributs significantly in the idea and structure category.

First day of school!

Up until this last month i have been lucky enough that Trey has not had to be in daycare because my loving sister, "Beezy", has been the dudes at home nanny.  We've had to make adjustments here and there to accomidate her schedule -- she went from 4 days to 3 and we've had both Trey's grandma's lend a hand on 1 day too.  But alas, all good things must end and my sister had to move on to a real person job.

I stressed and stressed and had some serious meltdowns about daycares. I wanted one with a preschool. With good funding. Not too pricey but not poverty either. I didn't want to be over crowded, i didn't want to have TV. I wanted good meal plans and structured classes. I wanted somewhere that had a routine and somewhere that was really advanced educationally. Oh the standards i had.

So after much deliberation i found a place that was funded by a college and the State. That was all the things i thought it needed to be. And best part?? It was very reasonably priced because it was through the local community college. "Trey will love it", i said. "he'll ajust like a dream", i said.

Boy was i naive. 

The first week was a nightmare. Day one was bad, but nothing compared to days 2 & 3 which were total spider monkey cling-on scream like a banshee meltdown days.  Followed by meltdown pick ups. Followed by awful mommy baby nights. By Friday i couldn't do it anymore and called one of the other places i had looked at. Luckily they would let Trey "try it out" for a day on Monday.

First day of school

And although we had a hard time on day one, his teacher (sweetest girl ever and the only person who could have made this transition for me as easy as it was) would tell me how he was doing. Now Trey is asking in the mornings to see his "teacha tayla" haha.

Boy oh boy the ups and downs of this child. He is doing much better but it was awful while we were getting used to it all. Mom cried about as much as the dude cried. Not the easiest mom moments for sure.

After the first day at the new school, while his dad was out of town, we had a yummer dessert.

Now, please take note that his hair is TOOOOO LONG!!  I was going for a beachy surfer dude hair style... unfortunately he is his fathers son and his hair grows straight forward no matter how much we swoop it. Because he's so blonde i wanted to keep a full head of hair... but nope... we ended up getting a haircut.

Handsome boy!!!  

How the time is flashing by...

This last weekend for the Hubbin's birthday we had a little getaway with our great friends to Mesquite, NV. My in-laws have an AMAZING house down there that they were kind enough to let us borrow for 3 days.  We went down with Kade, Stef, Cody, Pyp, and Derek... it was a great group and we all had a great time.

By Sunday, however, i was ready to get bookin it home to my dude who i missed terribly. The hardest part these days about leaving is that every single day there is something knew with him and i hate to miss out on even a minute of it! 

When i got home he already felt like he was bigger, looked like he was taller, and was telling my stories about his weekend like he was a big kid. And the minute he heard me and daddy come in he booked it out of his room and down the hall to scream and jump and pretty much have an anurism from the excitement of seeing us. It made coming home that much better.

August is a big month for us, Trey will be 2 ten short days. My little baby boy, not so little anymore. He is just so busy and so wonderful, and i've been blessed with such a smart little guy. He is so easy, so happy, and so perfect.

That all being said... i figured it was time to jot down some of his accomplishments before his second birthday hits.  

As of TODAY, the boy who i consider the smartest baby ever (biased much, am I?) is jabbering like crazy --he just pretty much says anything and everything these days. There isn't much left he says that you can't understand and he's speaking in sentences now. He can always tell you what it is he wants to eat, or drink, or to do. He knows who people are and is always happy to see new faces. He can even connect one name to another person. If you say "Nana's house" he'll ask if Shauny will be there. If you say "Aspyn" he knows to ask about "Pyper". If you say "Beezy", he usually goes on and on about "Uncle  Mitch motorcycle". It's pretty amazing.

If you ask him his name, he can say Trey. He can tell you what letters T-R-E-Y are if you point to them even. He also knows O, B, M, A (It is not lost on my what that has the possibility of spelling... we will just follow it up with "sucks").  He can sing 1/2 his ABC's as well... he will do A-E, then jump back in at "W" which he yells and then thru Z. 

He can also sing Itsy Bitsy Spider, or as he says it - "Issy Bissy Baller", and patty cake, and the nai nai song (it's a Japanese lullaby). 

Bringing a little heritage into it -- the boy loves gohan (rice) and umeboshi. Nori (seaweed) and gohan are pretty much his favorite snack. 

He can dress himself, undress himself, wash his hair and his face (although it's not done very well haha). He can do a summersault now too!   He is pretty wild and crazy and i just love him. He has always loved motorcycles and cars/trucks, but now he has a new obsession with Spiderman and airpanes.  He has just been sucha  good and easy kid -- he doesn't get into things he isn't supposed to, he doesn't touch things he isn't supposed to (with the exception of the photo albums in the no no room), and he doesn't really ever cry or get awnry. 

He does have his moments tho -- like his refusal to potty train, he insistance on having a mimi (binky) still, and i cannot take that boy shopping if i plan to be more than 10 seconds.

These last 2 years have been a trip!  They have been amazing and hard and wild and i have loved every single minute.  I can't wait for all the little milestones and wonderful things that are to come!  Being a mom is something that i could never describe, never could have anticipated, and there is no way i could articulate the way it makes me feel. But i love it, simply put. He is my world and i cant wait to give him everything that i can and be the best mother and family to him. He is a lucky dude... his mom and dad love him, and he has so much family that adore him as well. Trey has taught Brian and I a whole different level of love, affection, selflessness, and devotion.

Trey has not only made our lives better by being himself, but he makes our lives better becuase he made Brian and I stronger, more confident, and has given us a completely different aspect of our lives and whats important.

I love the boy and cant wait for his birthday!  

Tasty Cakes -- My "Brag" moment

SO i have a sister, my little sissy pants Devan. Hopefully you'll all remember her from my earlier post about the "Love Coasters" here.  She is just a beautiful, fun, amazing and talented young lady that has a real passion and love for baking. I know, i know, one day i'm going to be 700lbs because her "passion" is my weakness... ugh. Any excuse i get i have her make me cupcakes!!  Recently Pyper and I hosted a bachelorette party for our friend Mo. PERFECT DESSERT IS CUPCAKES, right?   

I had Devan make the desserts of course.. and she the turned out just fab!

We had a very naughy theme since the bachelorrette is relatively young and naive.  She had never even owned any lingerie!!  So of course i went past my regular limits to push into her comfort zone... and she loved every minute of it!

She put a condom on each one and a little lube. They were so cute and it was so much fun for each of the girls!  The Bachelorette Party was so much fun... Mo loved it all.

We did a couple fun games, and we had a good turn out.

Devan does cupcakes for anyone local that needs some for whatever occassion!! 

What a find i have found...

As i posted yesterday... my library bookcases are finally complete. Now all that i need is the furniture. You know, the expensive parts.  It's important to note that i have had my bookcases done for a few months now, since March actually, and have been on the prowl ever since.  I have found a few things that i liked here and there.... however.... yesterday while cruising amazon i found a beaut!! 

Isn't she gorgeous!?? I love her legs.. i love her tufts... i love that she has arms but that she's not overbearing and gigantic. Just a skinny little pleasure that would fit PERFECTLY.  Black and grey and white accents?? Yes please... i could even add a little teal.... like say maybe this little treasure??

My sister, the doll that she is, made a trip to the local DI in WVC yesterday and found this bad boy... obviously he's gonna need a little TLC. Definately some new skin... but maybe a teal? an off white? Something bolder?!   To top it off... my sister also found this little lady (yes my new projects are all either "he's"or "she's")

Oh the things i can do with this gorgeous curvy, leggy, crowned little number. I'm thinking something sexy... maybe a pretty white, a pretty silver?!  BOLD B&W STRIPES?!  Mm.... or even a dainty super soft pale pink??  

Best part?? Each chair was only $20. A bit pricey considering i'm gonna tear them both down. But it's the price i pay living in Utah with all the crafty-est nifty-est awesome-est women in the country i'm sure.

TO THE FABRIC STORE WE GO!!

My Newly Acquired Paradise

Since we moved in last April there is one room we have absolutely NOT TOUCHED. It's been hard because this room is just RIGHT there when you walk in the front door, off to the right. But even before we signed on the dotted lines I knew EXACTLY what i wanted to do with it.

LIBRARY!!!

I have acquired a vast collection of books in the last 7-8 years. And in the old house they were just in piles all over the place -- or in closets -- or in boxes -- some in shelves. Just chaos!! (here in the new house they all live in boxes upon boxes) So when there was an empty and available room i knew i needed it for a library. Now... i didn't want just regular old bookselves, i wanted the ENTIRE WALL to be bookshelves. And i wanted them beautiful. And i wanted them built in. After having a company give me a bid, i realized that they were going to be a pretty penny to build. Soooo to pinterest i went -- hoping to find something cheap and easy me and Brian could do ourselves (never EVER tell my husband i got a professional bid, he'd kill me. Brian thinks he can build or do anything i could possibly need -- and he proves himself right alllllll the time).


I found this idea -- it used some Ikea shelves and crannied them together and looked nice. At about $400.00 i thought that wasn't that bad. 

But after much thought and consideration Brian came up with a brilliant plan... and here's how they turned out.


With about $250 worth of supplies we have an entire wall of built in shelves. But not just shelves, he also made a display center for a photo, artwork, sculpture or whatever.

Because they were so inexpensive and SO PROFESSIONAL LOOKING AND GORGEOUS  i figured i'd pass along the info in case someone else wanted a little mental sancuary from the job, the kids, the animals, you know.. the GRIND.


First things first, take off the trim and cut back the carpet. NOTE: Save the trim, you'll want to put it back on the front of the unit to make it look truly a part of the house.


The shelves are all 12" apart -- 9 ft" tall -- and 12" wide. To make this the most stable and aesteically pleasing we used some corner trim as our shelf stablizers. We used just cheap wood because i wanted to paint them instead of stain them. I am painting them the same high gloss white as the mantle as you can see here and the trim and accents of my whole house. I figured it would look that much more natural if it was all uniform.

After we got it all up (after HOURS of leveling, cutting, leveling, nailing, screwing, and the like) we had to fill in all the holes and gaps to make everything even and smooth. Using the woodfiller/mud Brian slapped it on and smoothed it out...


Then to the primer.... and then paint. Easy peasy.  Took us about a FULL weekend and VOILA!!  We have this.... I still need to get some bookends so that they are not so symetrically placed along the edges.  Any ideas??

It was so much fun going through all my books, seeing what i have in hardcover and paper. My favorites are J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Christine Feehan's Dark series Ghostwalker series, and recently i've fallen in love with Gena Showalter's Lord of the Underworld series....

Happy Anniversary to Us!

On May 24th Brian and I celebrated 4 years of wonderful togetherness. We were married 4 years ago in a gorgeous wedding that i can barely remember because all i could think of that day was that Brian was going to be mine forever and ever. After being together 4 years, 3 of which we were "living in sin" it all just seemed so surreal and perfect.

2 years after we were married -- in August, we had our beautiful son. Our lives have never been the same and have only gotten better and better.

This year Brian was out of town for our anniversary -- although i was sad he was gone i wasn't too terribly hear broken since it was on a Wednesday and I  have an amazing California trip planned for us this month in celebration.  To me this was a GREAT way to celebrate 4 years to total perfect-ness. Ha.

Brian as usual has to 1 up me and had a special delivery made.... and Upgrade if you will...

Boy oh boy was i floored by this beauty!!  I love the vintage classic feel to it with the modern white gold and holy cow does this baby sparkle!!!   I must say he is one special man and i'm very lucky to be saddled with him till death do us part. I don't know what i would do without him.  

Along with the ring -- which is totally OFF THE WALL AMAZING -- i also was delivered flowers and an iPhone 4s.   I must say, i was quite spoiled this year. How do i even top that or come close??   The man baffles me..

Valentines -- A Day of Love

(we really do love each other)

On Valentines it's always been kind of a drag of a holiday for me. DOn't get me wrong, i love my husband and i think it's fun to go on a date and he ALWAYS gets me something wonderful (usually jewelry) but i just think it's a very blah holiday...

But for some reason this year i have an extra special reason to love my husband and Valentines day. I have watched alot of close ppl have to deal with some serious relationship struggles in the last few years. Couples who haven't been as lucky as Brian and I and have not been able to work it out. I've seen some friends go through serious heart break, and even my own mom is only barely starting to get back to a level ground after her divorce. My sister and her fiance moved their wedding date... friends broke up... it's just been hard to watch them all struggle with "LOVE" when i've been blessed to have it so readily given to me by Brian.

Brian is the most amazing husband i could have asked for -- i thank his mom and dad for it every chance i get. Now, he isn't perfect, he still drives me crazy about little things he can't seem to "remember" (like putting his shoes away, or leaving glasses on the counter, or by falling asleep while watching Trey) but outside of the normal craziness we have he is amazing. He always listens. When he hurts my feelings it really hurts him to know he did -- and let me tell you, him hurting my feelings is a RARITY. He tries everyday to make me happy. He makes an effort to come home every day with a hug and kiss for me and spends every minute of the night with me and Trey. We have a friend that has told us, "you're lucky". And although we're lucky to have found each other, luck isn't at all what plays part into our wonderful marriage. Selflessness. It's not one person or the other -- it's both. BOth of us respect one another and our relationship enough to know when to stop pushing, to open up, to BE WHAT THE OTHER NEEDS and WANTS. We love each other enough that we know what the other can and cannot live with and we don't push those boundaries.

(Cruise 2007, Ride to Canada 2008, Wedding, Dunes 2006)

For all these reasons i love my husband. I love that he knows what i need and lets me do it. I love that he comes home and kisses me the MINUTE he walks in the door. I love that he lets me pick what we watch when we go to sleep, or that he doesn't complain when all i want to do is read.  I love that he picks me up after a bad day, and tells me that i'm a good mom and wife even when i feel like i'm not. I love that he puts up with my dogs that he didn't want, and that he lets his son play with them whenever he wants to. I just love HIM. I love his smile, and his heart and his bod! :-)  I love to look at him and i love to just be with him. I love our life and everything he's worked for and sacrificed to make sure i have what i wanted (i.e. my house, my baby, my car, me everything). 

For me life is all about meticulous planning and replanning and i'm always so stressed -- Brian balances all of that out for me.

Brian is Brian. And he's perfect for me. He may not be perfect for everyone -- but to me love is about feeling equal to him and feeling like our life together and our happiness is more important than ANYTHING else. And i do, i feel that everyday. I never have to question him - i know where i stand - and that's at the top. That's how you should be loved. Fully. Wholy. Undeniably. Like i love him, like he loves me.

SO with all that (musy musy mushy i know, sorry) i want to say Happy Valentines Day to my love. And i hope that this Valentines brings love to all of those who are near and dear to us.

The Big Empty

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!  Brian and I were busy busy... and our Christmas started early.  Over the weekend of the 17th we got to go to one of my dad's in Kansas for his birthday. He lives on a huge ranch and i haven't been there since i was 15 -- Brian has NEVER been. So it was a really nice trip. Not to mention, Trey LOVES his Grandpa Joe and Gigi (my dads wife).

The ranch is on like 42 acres and they just remodeled the entire house. They have a heard of dogs.. a creek... and land land and more land! The town is Lenora -- and there's literally 300 ppl population (if that)... i guess 303 when us Taylor's get there. There's not a single stop light, and only 1 stop sign in the whole town. No schools. No walmart. No grocery stores. It's PERFECT for a getaway!

Because we don't get to make it out there very often the family made a big to-do about it. My grandparents drove in from Grove, OK. Melanie, Gavin & the kids came in from Hutch, KS. And we came from Utah (duh!). My dad was GLOWING the whole weekend. A minute to brag, Trey has only been on a plane 3 other times, and this time we had to change planes, layovers, and the second plane from Denver to Hays is this tiny tiny little plane and he still did AMAZING!  I have such a little trooper. And he was sooo sweet and friendly in KS. As usual, the world is wrapped around his fingers.

KS is usually the coldest most awful place ever in the winter. But we were lucky and it was pretty nice!  Sun shining, no snow.. just beautiful! So we went out trapshooting one afternoon -- Madigan and Mason were having a ball pushing the "pull" button for the pigeons. They thought that was great.  It was fun watching all the guys shoot -- Brian, my dad and Grandpa are all amazing shots. I don't think either one missed a pigeon all afternoon!  Then i was up -- please bear in mind i do not shoot those kinds of guns and have NEVER shot a pigeon like that. Anyways, not to toot my own horn, but i'm apparently amazing! Haha. I missed the first because i forgot to turn off my safety (oops) but the next two i hit and i was stoked!  i stopped while i was ahead. haha. Trey loved it. He just sat in my lap (or Gigi's) and had a great time. They have an OLD swingset, so while we shot we let him play. It was cute.

The kids each got 1 present the first night, they were super excited!

I could go on for days about how great the whole trip was, but it's like that out there. There is no cell service, there's just you and the family and a whole weekend of catching up and forgetting about life. I loved that were were able to spend that time with everyone and that Trey is so loved by so many. His cousins were so happy to finally meet him -- my grandparens (his great grands) were happy to spend time with him without chaos of the summertime vacation to KS -- and my dad and Jess were in heaven to have him there.

We did an early Christmas for all of us and we all opened gifts... everyone got great things but the kids were the best to watch. Sooo... that's it. Our trip to the big empty. We've decided to make this trip an annual run for my dads birthday.