Redesigning Rose [Book Talk]

Last week I brought you a review of The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks.  Even though I had already started another Sparks book, A Walk to Remember, I couldn't wait to read Redesigning Rose by Lydia Laceby.  I put A Walk to Remember on hold and read Redesigning Rose last weekend.  Remember, I mentioned it in my last Weekend Shenanigans post?

As I mentioned in last week's shenanies post, I won a copy of the book through a giveaway that the lovely Jen from That's What She Read.  If you haven't checked out Jen's blog I highly suggest you go do that now.  But be sure to come back!

The following was taken from Good Reads but is also found on the back cover of the paperback version.
Rose Parker's husband has been lying. About everything. When a conversation with her husband triggers questions, Rose Parker uncovers alarming answers that shatter her perfect life. But it is only when she shoves her belongings in her SUV and drives off that Rose realizes just how far from perfect her life actually was. She has nowhere to turn. While debating between distressing sleeping arrangements-her mother's house full of questions or a hotel room with too much solitude-Rose bumps into an acquaintance from her gardening class and allows bubbly, exuberant Becky to indulge her in a wild night full of whiskey, weeping, and whispered confidences. Suddenly, Rose has a new friend, a roof over her head, and two gorgeous men moving her out of her marital home. As Rose struggles to settle into her new life, she remains determined to comprehend her past. And with time and distance and especially wine, comes knowledge. Frank wasn't the only one lying to her. Rose was lying to herself.

While I've never been married I still felt like I could understand Rose's situation.  I wanted to be a friend of Rose and Becky throughout the whole book.  I was hooked from beginning to end.

Redesigning Rose was written in such a way that I felt like I was actually being told the story rather than reading a book.  And to add to the way it was written I found a realness to the story that made it seem even more like a friend was telling me about this time in their life.

I really loved this book.  I rated Redesigning Rose 5/5 stars and would definitely recommend this book to any ladies out there.

Weekend Shenanigans

Well if you're reading this we made it through Monday!  I usually write up my Weekend Shenanigans post Sunday night but I was out participating in some shenanigans last night so I held off.  I thought about getting up early this morning to write up the post but sleep won that battle.  Better late than never though, right?

.one. Saturday morning I was up bright and early to drive to Green Bay to go to the new Cabela's store.  The website said they opened at 8am.  Once we got there found out they didn't open until 9am.  So we waited in line for the doors to open.
.two. Bought myself a Wisconsin t-shirt.
.three. Tried on a Duck Dynasty hat.  It's on my Christmas list. :)
.four. Bought a new jacket.  I had a second jacket I was choosing between so I of course sent picture to my bestie for her thoughts.  I loved the look of the other jacket more but this jacket was a better fit for what I wanted to use it for.
.five. After two hours {yes, two hours!} at Cabela's we went down the street to Red Lobster.  I was adventurous and tried a pasta dish with a wine sauce {Shrimp and Scallops Linguine}.  Ended up not being my cup of tea.
.six. Thanks to the 4-course feast special going on I didn't starve despite not really eating much of my pasta dish and finished my meal off with a brownie and ice cream.  It was dang good!  I also recommend the Spicy Chicken Tortilla soup.
.seven. While in Green Bay we stopped at Target where I picked up a new Essie polish.  Sunday I finally took the time to paint my nails after they've been naked for a long time.
.eight. Mochacino is my new favorite color.  From their website, "Channel cafe cool with this perky gray lacquer with shimmer. A chic, sleek and simply modern nail that pairs well with any ensemble, from studded leather to designer suit."
.nine. Sunday night I went to see The Heat with my aunt.  Of course all of the popcorn didn't make it to my mouth.  This little guy held on some how until I got home.

Saturday night I went to the races with my mom and grandpa.  I didn't take any pictures but I did take a video or two that I might share sometime in the future.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  I know I did!

Happiest Girl in the World

If you've been around these parts any length of time you've picked up on the fact that I am a fan of country music.  Like, it's pretty much all that I listen to.  I'm a huge fan of Justin Moore.  I've blogged about seeing him in concert a couple of times {here and here}.  And now I have the chance to do it again!

I don't know how I didn't know about this upcoming concert at the Central Wisconsin State Fair in Marshfield.  It's shocking really.

But yesterday as I was driving home from work my mom called me and said she just heard on the radio about how Justin Moore was going to be there.  I was ecstatic! Like I was dancing around my house singing, "I'm going to see Justin Moore."

I purchased two reserved seats at $17.25 a piece + some BS fees so like $35 total.  Gate admission into the fair has to be purchased as well {$10 a piece} but it's still so much cheaper than other concerts!

I am now waiting on hearing from my friend Tammy if she can go with me.  If not I'll be looking for another willing party.  Any of my blogging ladies want to come to Wisconsin for a night??

To say I am pumped is like the understatement of the year!  I'm going to be so much closer to him on stage than ever before and I can barely contain myself!

I'm now off to get ready for work where I will be asking about rearranging my work schedule a tiny bit the Wednesday of the concert.

But before I leave you I'm going to link up with Whitney Ellen for #backthatazzup!

 

  I am also going to link up with Sarah from Venus Trapped in Mars for some Fan Friday fun!  She just changed this link up to be for fans of anything, not just sports.  Perfect timing!

Peace out friends!  Enjoy your Friday!! :)

Beaches, Rustic Cabins, or Cities? [Random Thursday]

It's been a while since I've linked up for Random Thursday but I really liked this week's topic and I wasn't feeling motivated to come up with a blog post on my own.  {Side note: go check out Venus Trapped in Mars for the What Inspires Your Blog Posts link up for inspiration for your next blog post!}

Back to the beaches, rustic cabins, and cities though.  We're talking about favorite vacation spots.  Most often I'm vacationing in my parents 5th wheel camper which is closest to rustic cabins. We never truly rough it though which means we have water and electricity.  More often than not we are camping in the north woods of Wisconsin with no cell phone reception.  But this fall we have plans to go to a campground that has Wifi and cable!

Through the blogging world I'm learning to open my eyes.  Reading about other's adventures in the cities or at the beach is opening my eyes and mind to new possibilities.  So maybe {hopefully} in the future I'll be able to try out all of the vacation spots.  Maybe I'll even stay in an actual cabin some day...

What about you?  Where is your favorite vacation spot?

The Wedding [Book Talk]

This morning when I woke up I had one of those moments where I couldn't figure out what day it was.  Surely it has to be like Wednesday or Thursday, right?  Wrong.  It's only Tuesday!  This is going to be a long week I think...

But on the bright side, Tuesday brings another book review around these parts.  I mentioned in last week's Book Talk post that I would be getting back to Nicholas Sparks this week and I didn't forget.  Today I'm bringing you a review of The Wedding.

Here's a little about the book from Good Reads.
After thirty years of marriage, Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun (of The Notebook), is forced to admit that the romance has gone out of his marriage. Desperate to win back his wife, Jane's, heart, he must figure out how to make her fall in love with him... again. Despite the shining example of Allie and Noah's marriage, Wilson is himself a man unable to easily express his emotions. A successful estate attorney, he has provided well for his family, but now, with his daughter's upcoming wedding, he is forced to face the fact that he and Jane have grown apart and he wonders if she even loves him anymore. Wilson is sure of one thing--his love for his wife has only deepened and intensified over the years. Now, with the memories of his in-laws' magnificent fifty-year love affair as his guide, Wilson struggles to find his way back into the heart of the woman he adores.

To begin, I never knew there was a follow up book to The Notebook until some of my bloggy friends started mentioning that I should read The Wedding.  I'm glad I took their advice and got my hands on it from the library because it did not disappoint.

There is one twist {a difference from how the movie portrays it} from The Notebook that carries over to The Wedding which I liked.  I don't want to say what that twist is because I hope you'll pick up The Notebook, if you haven't already, to find out for yourself what the movie did differently.  I really liked how it all played out in The Wedding.  You'll just have to read them both to know what I'm talking about. :)

While The Wedding isn't about young love where the couple if falling in love for the first time {something I could relate to better} it still does pull at my heartstrings a bit.  I found it pretty powerful that a man realized that the romance is gone from his marriage and then he did whatever it takes to reignite the spark with his wife.  I hope, whenever the day comes that I'm married, that I'll be married to the kind of man that would be able to realize this himself {should it come to that} and want to do everything he can to fix it.

I gave it 5/5 stars, it was amazing.  Even though I figured out what was coming at the end in the middle of the book it was still a great story.  I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a good book.

Next week I'll be sharing a review of Redesigning Rose by Lydia Laceby.  And there is another Nicholas Sparks book on the horizon for a Book Talk post as well, A Walk to Remember.  I even have my next book lined up once I've finished it, Gone Girl which I have heard so many good things about.  Hopefully by the time I have those two books finished I will be able to borrow Requiem, the final book in the Delirium trilogy.

Hope everyone has a terrific Tuesday!

Weekend Shenanigans FTW

Another weekend has come to an end and I'm wishing they were longer like always.  But I am really glad I have the awesome Weekend Shenanigans link up hosted by the lovely Sami to share with y'all today. {For The Win}  Even better is I remembered to take pictures to share!

.one. I was up at the ungodly hour of 5:43am on Saturday for some unknown reason.  Thanks to checking social media I was up for good.

.two. I have been using my Scentsy warmer all weekend trying to use up Cinnamon Bear so I can try a new scent.  I've had this one forever!

.three. My mom brought home Peanut Butter Oreos.  Holy yum!

.four. Bo decided he wanted to sit on the chair rather than on my lap.  It was a tight squeeze.  Guess mom and dad should have got the seat and a half thing they looked at when they were shopping for the sofa and love seat we now have.

.five. I had my first Mountain Dew {or two} for the first time Sunday since Monday.  Guys, that's 6 days I went without soda...New Record!

.six. I've always known that I had a gray hair lurking on my head but last Friday I discovered I have multiples.  I just turned 23 y'all!  So Sunday night I decided to use the hair dye I had lurking in my bathroom cabinet to color my hair.

One of the most exciting parts of my weekend was once I was done helping my brother milk the cows {aunt and uncle went camping and milking is really a two man job} Saturday night I came home to find a package waiting for me.

Earlier this month Jen from That's What She Read reviewed Redesigning Rose by Lydia Laceby and gave away a copy to one of her lucky readers.  That lucky reader turned out to be me!  I was super excited to be able to read this book since it had been on my to-read list on Good Reads since Jen had first mentioned it on her blog.

I was stoked to see that Lydia had signed the copy she sent me.  I powered through the book in about 24 hours, finishing it Sunday night.  You'll have to wait for another edition of my Book Talk posts to find out what I thought of the book though.  {Unless you follow me on Twitter ;) }

Now that I've read Redesigning Rose I can get my nose back into my Kindle to finish A Walk to Remember so that I can get to reading Gone Girl.  It's been a while since I've had more than one book going at a time but when you're excited to read something you just go with it.

Hope all of you had great weekends as well.  And even though it's Monday {and no one likes Mondays} I hope all of you have a great day and a great week!

Catch Up + #backthatazzup

TGIF friends!  I'm sure you will hear read that a gazillion more times today because it's just how bloggers start off Friday posts.  But I am especially happy it's Friday considering yesterday I was almost late for work...again.  Waking up at 9am gives me a mini heart attack since I need to leave my house around 9:15am to make it to work.  The weekend = sleeping in for me!

I'm not really sure where I am going with this post so please bear with me.

Lately it seems like I post on Mondays and Tuesdays because those are days that I've scheduled posts from Sunday night.  I always have good intentions that I will blog during the week, usually at night after dinner.  But then it doesn't happen.  Even when I have my laptop I end up getting caught up on reading and commenting on blogs and then it's time for bed before I know it and I haven't written a post.

I would love to plan a week's worth of posts out on Sunday and schedule them all so I don't have to blog during the week and can just enjoy other's posts.  But at the same time I know that is not realistic for me.  I don't have a lot of topics I could write in advance about.  A lot of my stuff comes to me during the week.  And sadly blogging at work is out of the question lately.

I am definitely blogging for myself so there is no need to remind me of that.  I just can't seem to make time for blogging...or I don't want to?  It's like the weight loss thing all over again, if I want to do it I should just do it rather than making excuses for why I am not.

Speaking of weight loss...I wanted to weigh myself Wednesday morning but my Wii hasn't been working with the downstairs TV.  First I thought it was just the power source (don't even get me started on that) but I fixed that issue and then discovered I couldn't get a picture on the TV.  I don't want to move the Wii back to the living room upstairs because that's the most used TV in the house which makes it hard to find a time when I can use the Wii without feeling guilty about hogging the TV.  My best course of action I think is to clean my room so I can move my Wii into my bedroom.  Cleaning my room isn't necessary for moving the Wii itself but it is necessary if I want to use the Wii Fit in there.

And because I didn't weigh myself I didn't post for Weigh In Wednesday.

Thursdays are Non-Scale Victory link up days...again I meant to post because I've been drinking 10 glasses (80 fl.oz.) of water and having NO Mountain Dew (or any soda) every day this week, minus Monday.  Coming from a Mountain Dew addict that's a pretty huge victory!

At least I'm here for Whitney's #backthatazzupfriday link up.  Sorry that you guys got such a random post from me to go along with the awesomeness that is this link up.  I'll work on it for next week. :)

I have definite plans to make a work out play list and you know I will be putting this song on it!  How can you not love 3 of country music finest men teaming up to sing one great song?!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Pandemonium [Book Talk]

Before we dig in to some book talk I want to say it one more time, thank you so much Erin for this beautiful blog design!  I absolutely love it and couldn't have asked for anything better.

Now onto the book talk!

Pandemonium is the second book in the Delirium trilogy.  If you missed my review of Delirium you can check it out here.

Delirium ended on a such a cliff hanger that I was really glad I already had Pandemonium on my Kindle waiting for me.  The following is from goodreads.com.

I’m pushing aside 
the memory of my nightmare, 
pushing aside thoughts of Alex, 
pushing aside thoughts of Hana 
and my old school, 
push, 
push, 
push, 
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

I gave Pandemonium 5/5 stars, it was amazing.  I would definitely suggest having Requiem ready to read once you finish Pandemonium because there is once again a giant cliff hanger waiting for you that makes you just want to keep on reading.  There is quite the wait list at my library for the Kindle ebook version of the book so I still haven't been able to get my hands on Requiem which is just about killing me.

Even worse yet, I just found out that my library card expired.  First of all, I didn't know they did this so I was shocked when I couldn't log in to the virtual library.  Second of all, I can't renew it online! WTF is up with that?!

Next week I'll be getting back to talking about another book by Nicholas Sparks so stick around!

I'm from the country... [Weekend Shenanigans]

And I like it that way!

Tracey Byrd any one?

 

Friday night our whole family went to Homestead for a fish fry to celebrate my dad and aunt's birthday. There we no pictures from Friday night which my aunt is probably thankful for if you know what I mean.

Saturday morning Bo had his yearly check-up with the vet at 7:30am.  All checked out well with our 60 pound lap dog.  We made a pit stop at Fleet Farm to grab some treats for Bo and to kill some time before the chiropractor appointment at 9am.  The picture of Bo above is when we were waiting for my mom to be adjusted.  He was such a good boy inside the office.  He got a little excited when my mom came out but he settled right down after I left him.

The rest of my weekend was spent doing manual labor unloading hay.  Thankfully the humidity has been low so even though it's hot we didn't die.  We even re-enacted an AT&T commercial when talking about the breeze by saying, "We want more we want more. If you really like it you want more!"

Sunday we had a minor mechanical breakdown which resulted in a break so we headed home.  Because we were all sweaty messes full of hay we threw sheets on all of the furniture to protect it.  The Smurfs made an appearance and I brought new meaning to the term "hot mess".  If you look closely you can see the hay stuck to my forehead.  As a result of two days of manual labor I now have some color on my legs and some sunburn on my arms.  It only took me half of the summer to get some color.

Not a lot of shenanigans happened since I called it a night early Friday (unlike my aunt) and I was beat after Saturday's day of unloading hay so I didn't go to the birthday party I had been invited to.  But that doesn't mean I can't link up, right?

I got a makeover!

I just had to write a quick little thank you to the amazing Erin from Love, Fun and Football for the wonderful makeover she gave Living n Learning!

I am seriously IN LOVE!

Erin is wonderful to work with and never once complained about my million emails and questions.

If you're looking for a FABULOUS design go check out her design page.

I really could go on and on about how much I love my design and Erin for making it all happen. But I must be off to bed since Bo has a vet appointment at 7:30am (shoot me now!).

Delirium [Book Talk]

It's time again for another book review on Living n Learning by Amy.  If you're new around here or just haven't picked up on it yet, I love books!  I try to read as much as I can.  And since starting Living n Learning I try to share what I've been reading as much as I can.  Be sure to check out the Good Reads page for other books I've reviewed.

I found today's book thanks to the beautiful Ricci who blogs over at Ricci Explains It All.  She's been working on a 30 While 30 list and one of those items is to read 50 books.  It's thanks to those lovely updates that I find books to add to my to-read list.

I've read one other book by Lauren Oliver and reviewed it here.  But today we're talking about Delirium.  Here's the description from goodreads.com.

They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. 

And I've always believed them.

Until now.

Now everything has changed.

Now, I'd rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

It took me a while to get into this one but once I did I was hooked.  And holy crow...the ending!  That baby threw me for a loop and had me dying for more.  Thankfully I already had Pandemonium waiting for me to start so I didn't have to wait to find out what happens next.

I rated Delirium 5/5 stars, it was amazing.  I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good read!

Next up on the review list will be Pandemonium.  I can't wait!

Weekend Shenanigans

Wow does this Monday ever suck?!  I can only imagine what you lucky ducks that had a 4 day weekend are feeling.  I only had Thursday off so my weekend was pretty normal in length.

But lets get to the good stuff, the shenanigans!

.one. My poor wrinkly fingers after processing 6 flats of strawberries Thursday morning.

.two. The carp my dad caught while we were out fishing on the beautiful day that was the 4th.

.three. Hot Fudge Sundae at 11am Saturday morning.  That was a "single" scoop.

.four. Reading The Wedding took up my Sunday when I wasn't napping.

I tried my hand at taking more pictures over the weekend and thought I was doing pretty well until I actually looked at the pictures I had.  Not very many.  But it's a start.

Some things not pictured from this weekend:

Seeing another Gordon Setter out on the water Thursday.  They're not a very common breed you see every day so of course we had to stop and say hello.

The family went up north Saturday and stopped at Maurice's and Wal-Mart, two stores we have around where we live.  We also ate a late lunch at Bucksnort Resort where I was adventurous and didn't get my usual cheeseburger.  I had a BBQ chicken wrap instead.

Saturday night I went to Homestead to celebrate a 21st birthday party.

Now it's back to work and I am really not looking forward to it but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.

Hope you all enjoyed your long weekends and got to spend time with family and friends!

Guest Posting

Hey there! I hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesdays that are more like Fridays. Enjoy it because my Wednesday is all kinds of confused. It kind of feels like a Friday but then I remember that I work Friday so really it's just like a normal Wednesday. Ugh. Having one day off in the middle of the week is kind of a bummer.

Anyways....today I'm guest posting over on Ms. Kelley's blog One Hot Southern Mess. If you need some tips on what to do when you're late for work head on over there.  www.onehotsouthernmess.blogspot.com

Happy birthday to the lovely Erin over at Two Thirds Hazel. I absolutely love her blog and think you should definitely check it out if you haven't already.

And happy almost birthday to America! Hope everyone has a great 4th and enjoys time with family and friends.

Peace out for now friends!

The Notebook [Book Talk]

It's been a while since I've talked books here the ol' blog.  To be honest I've kind of slacked off on my reading lately.  But I still have a book or two I haven't reviewed yet so I figured now would be a good time to do it.

This is now my third Nicholas Sparks book in a row.  You can almost never go wrong with a Nicholas Sparks book.  Remember True Believer?  Yeah, you can skip over that one.

I have seen The Notebook multiple times and loved it.  This was my first time reading the book though.  Even though I'm sure most of us know what the book is about I'll give you the synopsis from goodreads.com.

A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her. The Notebook is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever. Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories. . until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again. Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape. Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments, and fundamental changes that affect us all. Shining with a beauty that is rarely found in current literature, The Notebook establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.

As always, the book is different than the movie.  I found the story focused more on the characters in the "now" and less on looking back when they we young, basically the opposite of how the movie told the story. 

I rated this book 4/5, I really liked it.  I'm glad I finally read the book.  This one definitely goes on my books to recommend list.

My next book was supposed to be A Walk to Remember, another movie I've seen many many times but I never borrowed it during the 72 hours it was on hold for me.  It's still on my to-read list but it will have to wait.  I'm currently wrapped up into the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver.  I've finished Delirium (review coming soon!) and am currently reading Pandemonium, which I need to finish soon as my loan has expired.

Weekend Shenanigans

It's that time again!  Weekend Shenanigans with Sami is where we get to share our weekends and link up.

Friday I started the weekend off by going out for a fish fry with my momma.  It was while I was enjoying a drink at the bar while my food was cooking that I realized I was missing one of the new Pandora clips I had gotten from my family for my birthday.

My heart fell to my stomach when I realized it was gone.  I had no idea if it had been lost at the bar, at home before leaving, or at work earlier that day.  There is nothing worse than not know when exactly you lose something.  You have no idea where to begin to look.

The rest of the evening was a relaxing one at home with family.

Saturday was all about relaxing for me.  USA Network pulled through for me and had an NCIS marathon on.  If you follow me on Twitter (which you should @LnLbyAmy) you may notice I tweet a lot about NCIS because I absolutely LOVE the show.  I mean, I do own every season (except for 10 which just finished) on DVD.

There was supposed to be a NASCAR night race on but due to rain it got delayed until Sunday during the day.  An interesting fact I learned during pre-race that I wanted to share is that Kevin Harvick burned more calories during a race (I can't remember which one specifically right now) than a NFL player, and a marathon runner.  Keep that in mind the next time you think race car drivers aren't athletes!

I did manage to leave the house to stop by my grandparents.  I needed to take my Christmas cacti to her to be revived over the summer and to pick up some yummy chocolate cake she baked.

Good thing I left my house because it was when I went to my car that I found my Pandora clip!

Sunday was a continuation of the relaxation but I also was productive.  I did laundry before it got out of hand and I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for clean clothes to wear.  Blogging and cleaning were accomplished as well.

NCIS was on again in addition to the rain delayed NASCAR race so I was a happy woman.  Lunch at Grandma's made me pretty happy too, not gonna lie.

Overall, the weekend was exactly what I needed.  I love weekends that I don't have plans and can just do what I want when I want.