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2015 Book List
Oh hey! It’s been a while. A long while actually. I didn’t realize it had quite been this long. The last time I was on my blog it was because it got hacked. Nice. All is back to working order now, so that’s good.
The holiday season was really nice. I might post a few pics of some of the decorations in a few days, so stay tuned. 😉
For now, I’m going to post my 2015 Book List. I didn’t quite hit 50 books this year but I came close, 45. I honestly wasn’t sure I was even going to get that many because I was only in the 20s by the Fall. I found a few series though and plowed through. If you’d like to see last year’s list it’s posted here.
Title Author Closer to the Edge (Playing With Fire #4) T.E. Sivec The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest Daniel James Brown Crown Me: Alexander and Clara #3 (Royals Saga) Geneva Lee The Billionaire’s Obsession: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Mine For Tonight, Mine For Now, Mine Forever, Mine Completely) (The Billionaire’s Obsession series Book 1) Scott, J.S. Wreckage Emily Bleeker Heart Of The Billionaire (The Billionaire’s Obsession, Book 2) Scott, J. S. The Billionaire’s Salvation ~Max (The Billionaire’s Obsession, Book 3) Scott, J. S. Billionaire Undone ~ Travis (The Billionaire’s Obsession, Book 5) Scott, J. S. Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments: Rose Gardner Mystery #7 Denise Grover Swank Never Never: Part One of Three Colleen Hoover The Eternals Kristie K Shafer Eternally Yours (The Eternals Book 2) Shafer, Kristie K. Abandon Crouch, Blake Badass: A Stepbrother SEAL Romance Barlow, Linda Stepbrother Charming: A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance Snow, Nicole Worthy Hyde, Catherine Ryan Life As We Knew It (Life As We Knew It Series Book 1) Pfeffer, Susan Beth This World We Live In (Life As We Knew It Series Book 3) Pfeffer, Susan Beth The Dead and The Gone (Life As We Knew It Series Book 2) Pfeffer, Susan Beth The Shade of the Moon (Life As We Knew It Series Book 4) Pfeffer, Susan Beth Virulent: The Release (Virulent Book 1) Wescott, Shelbi The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Marie Kondo Funerals for Horses Hyde, Catherine Ryan The System (Virulent Book 2) Wescott, Shelbi The Variables (Virulent Book 3) Wescott, Shelbi The Color of Water in July Carroll, Nora Out on a Limb: A Smoky Mountain Mystery Jourdan, Carolyn Pines (The Wayward Pines Trilogy, Book 1) Blake Crouch The Last Town (The Wayward Pines Trilogy, Book 3) Crouch, Blake Wayward (The Wayward Pines Trilogy, Book 2) Crouch, Blake Primal Fear Diehl, William The Martian: A Novel Andy Weir Wrong Number, Right Guy (The Bourbon Street Boys Book 1) Elle Casey Dirty English Madden-Mills, Ilsa Hard to Let Go: A Hard Ink Novel Laura Kaye Shine Not Burn Elle Casey MacKenzie Fire: A Sequel to Shine Not Burn Elle Casey The Survivors Book 1: Summer V.L. Dreyer The Survivors Book II: Autumn V.L. Dreyer The Survivors Book III: Winter V.L. Dreyer The Survivors Book IV: Spring V.L. Dreyer In the waning light Loreth Anne White Crave Me (Royals Saga 1: Smith and Belle) Geneva Lee Covet Me (Royals Saga 2: Smith and Belle) Geneva Lee Capture Me (Royals Saga 3: Smith and Belle) Geneva Lee A few highlights from this year’s list:
- Life As We Knew It – series. A post apocalyptic series about what happens when a meteor hits the Moon. I enjoyed the first two books. Each book was set with different characters who eventually connected in Book 3. In Book 1, we meet Miranda and her family. We follow them through the first year following the meteor collision with the moon. This causes earthquakes, tsunamis that wipe out many major cities, and a sky full of volcanic ash that blocks the sun. In Book 2 we follow Alex and his family during the same time frame in a different city. Book 3 finds the 2 groups meeting and struggling to survive. Book 4 is a continuation of Book 3 but 2 years later. I personally didn’t care for Book 4 and I’m not sure you miss much stopping at Book 3.
- The Virulent – series. A post apocalyptic series about what happens when an act of bioterrorism is unleashed. We follow Lucy, her brother, and her friends as they make their way to rest of Lucy’s family. I don’t want to say too much more because I feel like that might give some away. It’s worth the read and one of the better series I read.
- Wayward Pines – If you watched the TV show then you should definitely read the books! I think the books were SOOO much better than the series. I read the books first and then watched the series. I was pretty disappointed with the TV adaption. *As a side note, I read book 3 before I read book 2. Somehow I got out of order and there was some major freak outage when I realized what I’d done. So be careful!
- The Martian – Again, I read the book and then saw the movie. Unlike Wayward Pines, they did a wonderful job of following the book. While it wasn’t spot on, which they rarely are, I felt like you didn’t really need to read the book if you saw the movie. The book goes into a lot of technical details that they gloss over in the movie, but honestly, I glossed over a lot of that because, well it was over my head. 😉
- The Survivors Book – series. Yet another post apocalyptic series (I’m hooked!) This one is set in New Zealand following an Ebola type outbreak. The difference here is that the virus doesn’t kill everyone and some of those people end up in a Zombie like state. It wasn’t heavily focused on that though. We find Sandy ten years after the initial outbreak struggling to survive, alone. Along the way she begins to meet more people and adds them to her group. Sandy slowly becomes the leader of the group, and eventually the face for a new start. I blew through the last 3 books in a matter of days. This was probably my favorite series of last year.
- Wrong Number, Right Guy – this was a pretty fun book to read. I found it similar to the Hard Ink series. I’ve only read the 1st book but I will most like read a few more. If you want action and romance, this is your book.
I hope that this list helps if you are looking for something to read.
~k
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A tale of two doors
Right after Matt and I moved into the new house we had a really bad storm come through and our front door leaked. You can read about that here. That was 3 months ago. Since then I’ve been waiting for my new front door. While we weren’t happy that the front door leaked, it gave me the opportunity to actually get the front door I wanted. When we bought the house, I had dreams of removing the grids from the front door and frosting it with our address in the middle. However, the grids on our door were glued in and the builder said they couldn’t remove them. I was totally bummed.
Anyway, fast forward to today. It’s been 3 months and I am just now getting my new front door. Somewhere in between the door leaking and our 2 month inspection, the warranty guy was let go. So when it came time to sand down the foyer floors by the door and replace the door, the door went missing. No one was really sure what happened to the door. It was either misplaced or stolen which meant a new door would have to be ordered. Last Thursday we got a delivery. A new front door! The CORRECT front door was delivered to the house. The builder picked it up to have it painted and now I’m waiting for them to come and install it. I was hoping they would be early but seeing as it’s after 9am, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Hopefully it won’t take long to replace the door.
Of course the guys didn’t show up to replace the door till closer to 10. It look about 45 mins to get everything swapped out but I must say the new door is BEAUTIFUL! I love it soo much! I really wish I could leave the glass open but you can see straight up to the master at night. The full pane of glass gives the house a little move charm, I think. I know it’s not a huge difference but I’m really happy.
As for frosting the glass, I realized last night the new door is tempered glass and the glass etching stuff won’t work on tempered glass. I guess I’m going to have to use the spray frost. This is not my ideal method but it’s also a little less permanent than glass etching. Oh and I should mention the sheers I had covering the front door don’t work now because the area around the glass is covered and not boxed off. Does that even make sense? Anyway, my tension rods don’t have a place to fit now. So we are totally ghetto and have suction cups on the glass holding the sheers. Whomp!
~k
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Flea Market Finds
Yesterday Matt played golf, so while he was out, mom and I went shopping. First we went to a nursery I pass each day on my way to work. It has a very nice facility so I figured it might be kind of pricey, which is was. It was still fun to go look around and see what might be good for the yard though. Then we headed to the Flea Market. Mom’s been asking to go for a while now but it’s been either too cold or rainy. I also wanted to look for a chair and a picture frame. I’m slowly starting to get ideas for different rooms.
A few weeks ago I purchased a workstation desk from Amazon for my craft room. Thanks to UPS, my desk was destroyed. Matt said the box was ripped and banged up not to mention they left the box sitting in the rain. Needless to say I was pretty bummed (and super pissed!). Anyway, I think the desk would have been too small for the space anyway so I’ve been looking for different options. Since I know I’ll need a chair, I’ve been looking around. A new chair would run me well over $100.00. I really didn’t want to spend $100+ on a chair. That’s accessories and things I can’t buy. I started looking on Craigslist and found a few mid-century modern chairs I really liked. These were all running under $100.00. That’s a much better deal but would also require me meeting someone. I figured the Flea Market would be a good place to check.
As mom and I were walking around, I found a cute picture frame. I need something to put in my closet to hold my necklaces and earrings and I love the frame holders everyone seems to be using. I will add some paint, fabric, and wire grating and I should have something cute. As we were leaving the booth where I bought the frame, we came to a booth with tons of mid-century modern chairs. I found the vendor and asked how much. He told me $45.00! After a brief negotiation, I got him down to $40.00. 🙂 He put the chair aside and we walked around a little longer. When we got ready to leave we went to the car and drove around to pick up my new chair.
I plan to paint the chair and add some cute fabric. I also LOVE the gold cap feet. I think I will paint them to make them more gold. I’ve been looking at fabric this morning and I think I’ve found the One! I originally planned to decorate my craft room with coral and gold and maybe a touch of navy but the fabric I found doesn’t really have any coral. It’s navy based with pinks, purples, blues, greens, and yellows. It’s really fun and festive but also a little more dark and cozy.
I’ll post pics of the finished products, hopefully soon!
~k
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Ramblings
Holy blog batman! It’s been a while. There is not much to report lately. I’ve been busy with work. I was moved to a new group and so far things are much better. I am still doing what I was doing but the group is more organized now with a good manager. 🙂 It also looks like I might be able to expand my current position. There is nothing currently going on with the house. Not much we can do until the lots open up and we see what the prices will start at. I am pretty hopeful it will work out because I am literally dreaming about the house plan we have picked out. I am super excited about possibly building a house. I know we will have to make some compromises but it’s very exciting!
I will try to have a review of my new fiber lashes this week. I’ve had them for a few weeks now but I’ve only used it a few times. I don’t feel like I need them every day but I do think they work pretty well so stay tuned.
I also have a couple of craft projects to complete. I finally broke down and bought a wooden E that I plan to cover with wine corks. There is no shortage of corks at the house so I need to start sorting through them to see which ones will work the best. I also have all the items I need to make a ring holder. I think I want it to be a surprise because there is a fun, whimsical aspect to it. We don’t have a home game this weekend so I should have the time to work on one or both.
Hopefully I will have a review and at least one project to post next week. 🙂
~k
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Finally!!!!!!
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Benefit Brow Bar at Ulta
Over Christmas I went to the Bobbi Brown counter to have my makeup done. After being told I had “crappy” eyebrows, the girl proceeded to spend an hour trying to give me a smokey eye. Anyway, the eyebrow thing has stayed with me and since then I’ve tried a little bit harder with them (meaning I actually bought an eyebrow pencil). I’d been letting them grow out in hopes of being able to actually shape them. I even bought some Lash Accelerator from Rimmel since it could also be used for brows. When I saw an advertisement in my Ulta catalog for Brow and Tint services from the Benefit Brow Bar for $32.00 I figured what the heck. What’s the worst that could happen? HAHA!
Last week I booked an appointment for Friday afternoon. After my last brow experience I figured my eyes would be red for days so Friday afternoon worked the best. I headed to Ulta after work and Stephanie was ready to go. We talked about my current “non” shape. She showed me where they should be compared to where they were. She even drew them on so I could see the difference. Umm, big difference. Once my brows were tinted she started with the waxing. It definitely hurts a little but it wasn’t too bad. When she was finished waxing she filled and shaped them for me but she also showed me how so I could do it myself. She applied some concealer to cover the redness and I was on my way. To be honest, I kind of felt like a freak as I was leaving the store. I’ve never really had eyebrows so this was new and different for me.
By the time I got home, I was feeling pretty gross so I washed my face but not before snapping a pic of her handy work. Actually, the more I looked at pic the more “okay” I felt about my brows. She was actually able to give me a little bit of an arch. I’ve had a few days to test out my “skills” and I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. Today they may not look as good but yesterday I think I’m doing a pretty good job. I know it will just take some practice.
All in all I am very pleased with the results. My eyes were only red for a few hours after which was a pleasant surprise. I’ve had my issues with Ulta services but this is one I would definitely do again!
The left is the finished product. The right is right after I washed my face. You can see the actual shape a little better in that one but they are easier to shape into an arch now.
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There’s a blue streak
I’ve been coloring my hair since I was about 16, so almost half my life. For the most part, I do a pretty good job. So much so that most professionals say it looks good. Either they are all being nice, which I find hard to believe, or I do a pretty darn good job!
Right before my 17th birthday, I think, I ended up really messing up my color. I wanted it lighter so I used Born Blonde. If you don’t know what Born Blonde is, let me tell you. It strips all the pigment out of your hair. At least that’s what happened to me. I was okay at first and then mom told me it looked like Playboy Bunny hair. Cue freak out! I immediately called the company to see how I could fix it. After going rounds with the customer service agent who couldn’t tell me what to do, but also kept telling me I didn’t need to go to a salon, I lost it. Full blown teenage girl freak-out! Feeling sorry for me, mom took me to the nearest salon. I sat in the chair and the lady explained what would need to happen. First she would have to fill it, then she could color it. It was a process but in the end my hair color looked pretty good. Not to mention, I think we only paid like $85.00.
A couple of weeks ago while at Ulta, I noticed a new hair-color I’d not seen before. It was by John Freda. As I was standing there debating what color to get another lady walked up. We began talking and she said she had used this before and really liked the results. Talking to a real person who had used this product sold me. I grabbed their Neutral Blonde and headed home.
I’d planned to hold off coloring my hair as long as possible and until Tuesday it still looked really good. But then on Tuesday, it completely hit the wall. It was flat and gross and I really needed a cut. I looked at the calendar and realized it had been 13 weeks since my last haircut! :O I called the salon and was lucky enough to get an appt for Wednesday afternoon. I went home Tuesday night and applied color. After I washed my hair I knew it looked too brassy but I figured I would just get my stylist to put a toner on it before she cut it. She does this for me from time to time and it’s not that expensive so Matt can’t complain.
My stylist was running late so she asked another girl to wash my hair. I told her I wanted a toner so she washed and then grabbed my stylist to tone. After a few minutes she started to wash it out. Once she shampooed she goes “So there’s a little section that is kind of blue. It picked up too much of the toner. I’m going to need to buff this out.” Okay, so no big deal right, I mean she’s a professional and she’ll fix it. The only problem was, I’d been sitting in the wash chair, for what seemed like forever at this point and my neck was killing me. She mixed something else up, “buffed it out”, washed it again, and then, FINALLY, conditioned my hair. It took all I had to get my head back up. We go back to her chair and she cuts my hair. Before I leave she adds some hairspray. This is when I notice my hair feels GROSS! Like ick! I attribute it to the hairspray and leave.
This morning as I’m washing my hair, I notice it still feels pretty gross, like I have a ton of product on it. Even after washing and conditioning, still gross. I blow it dry and it still feels icky. I can’t help but think it was the toner. It did at least manage to kill some of the brass but this is by far not my fave color. Next time I’m going with ash! Anyway, my hair is finally starting to feel normal again. I’m going to glaze it in the morning and see if I can’t knock the rest of the brass out and make it feel smoother and softer.
Anyway, I’m sure it will be fine. This is not a hair color disaster but it might be one I remember for a while. Never have I had my hair turn blue! I’m glad it was an easy fix because I really like my stylist but I might not be ordering another toner! 😉
~k
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Spring Colors
Okay, so umm, wow! I haven’t blogged in like 2 weeks. Crazy! Life has been pretty slow. Just an “old” married couple being boring lately. 🙂
Anyway, in the past couple of weeks our yard has really blossomed. The irises are blooming, my azaleas finally got with the program, and my pansies perked up. Since everything was in full bloom I finally went out a took a few pics the other day. Enjoy!
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The 3rd anniversary of the 32nd birthday
Equals 35. Sigh!
Saturday was my birthday and I decided I wanted to go out and have fun. Normally birthdays in our household are celebrated with gifts, cake (sometimes decent looking 😉 ), and a nice dinner out. Matt and I have never done much in the way of parties for birthdays, aside from his 30th birthday. I took him out and his friends got him WASTED! And I got him to dance! 😮 I didn’t want a party for my bday but I thought having a few friends join us for dinner and dancing would be nice. I asked my friend K and her husband M along with one of Matt’s friends and his new girlfriend.
After being unable to get reservations at a new restaurant called Stanbury in downtown, I decided on a new place called Mandolin for dinner. {Funny little side note but the space that Mandolin currently occupies was once a place called EVOO. This was mine and Matt’s first official date spot. It’s since changed hands several times but I’m hoping Mandolin is here to stay for a while.} I was able to get an 8:30 reservation for Saturday night. I knew K&M would be waiting since she said they were going to go to the bar and get drinks first but I was surprised to see J&A sitting at their table when Matt and I walked in around 8:20. About 10 mins later the host came and told us it would be a few more minutes as our table was eating dessert. About 10 minutes after that, we were told they were paying the tab, and a little after 9 we were finally seated. Matt bought me a birthday cake so I brought it with us to the restaurant to share. I didn’t even think about the fact that they would charge a cake cutting fee. Anyway, they politely waived our fee since we’d had to wait. How sweet! *insert slight eye roll here* I must say though, Mandolin was great! The atmosphere was really nice and the food was delicious. Definitely a place Matt and I will go again.
Thankfully once we were seated, our orders were taken, and our food arrived pretty quickly. I must say the food was DELICIOUS! I had the Foie Gras appetizer and then the Chicken and Dumplings for dinner. SO. YUMMY! Everyone really enjoyed their food. After we ate cake, we all headed downtown. The suggested bar was a new spot called Coglins but the line out the door was a huge turn off. I mean, come on, it was my birthday. Who wants to stand in line? Not me! We headed a block over to The Hive. It was busy but not stand in line busy. Drinks were consumed and some dancing was done. In the end J&A and Matt and I stayed till almost 1 before heading home. AHHH! Overall, it was a great night and I had a lot of fun! I’m so glad our friends joined us!
~k
PS. I bought a new outfit for my birthday. I got a shirt, necklace and jacket (not pictured). I’ve had the shoes for a while and they are still fantastic!
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365 Challenge – Week
I combined weeks 1 and 2 since week 1 was short. Anyhoo, on to the pics. We had a few nice days last week so during my lunch walk I took a few pics. I also took a few around the house this weekend. Including one of my new purse. 😀
I think the rain drops on the pine needles are my fave. Followed by the plate pics. We had some great light filtering through the kitchen yesterday afternoon. Here is a link to the purse I ended up buying. I made Matt run to Triangle Town Center on Saturday and they had this bag in a creamy light mushroom color. So much better than the weird yellowish brown color. It was also ridiculously on sale. 😉
~k