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!!!