Christmas Deprivation

Dear Magic Mike, I am coming for you tonight. Please do not disappoint a roomful of girls on Girls Night.

Dear Christmas decorations, I know I have neglected you this year, but there are things beyond my control that have kept us apart. I promise I will spend some quality time with you soon.

Dear Friday, please go smoothly. The past couple days have taken FOREVER to go by.

Dear checking account, I know you're hungry. But it's the holidays and there's nothing I can do about it!

Dear Secret Santa, you are so awesome for giving me the biggest box of Kraft mac and cheese I've ever seen. Of course it means I'll have to share it, but at least this way I won't have to feel so angry about sharing :)

Dear blog readers, I apologize for the lack of pictures lately, but my current cell phone has a TERRIBLE camera, and I can't find the charger for my digital camera. Sorry 'bout your luck.

Anyways friends, I hope you all survived the week and that you have wonderful, festive plans for this FIRST WEEKEND OF DECEMBER!!!

Back to Reality

This has been a week full of meetings, early mornings, catching up, and headaches. So I'm linking up with Neely and Amber for It's Okay Thursday, because it's just one of those weeks.

It's Okay that Chad is going back on unemployment. I mean, it's not awesome, since we just bought a house and all. But it will be okay.

It's Okay that we can't buy our dream dining set right now. Chad's aunt and uncle actually had an old dining table they could give us that isn't half bad (I mean, I'm still dying for my dream table, but this will suffice)

It's Okay that I think I'm going to give less BIG gifts this year and more stocking stuffers to supplement.

It's Okay that I haven't done any Christmas decorating yet. 

It's Okay that I watched Hart of Dixie last night and just about wanted to kill that Zoe Hart. That stupid idiot.

It's Okay to be halfway sad and halfway happy that I have someone starting a care lease on my sweet mare this coming month. Sad because it's the first step to selling her, but happy because someone will be able to give her what she really needs that I can't afford.

It's Okay that I have resisted the urge to eat out lately. I had the chance to go out to lunch with my boss and a company rep today and I turned it down. Everytime I eat out, I get something really bad (because why would I get a salad when I can get a delicious juicy burger for the same price?)

It's Okay to stray from your schedule sometimes. Shit happens.

It's Okay that I ignored the crazy noise my heater in my car was making. And it went away. But it was pretty sketchy there for a while... it could have also caught fire. 

It's Okay that Chad got a little carried away with the fire today and it's now about 82 in our family room. 

It's Okay that my favorite part of Christmas is the weeks leading up to it. I think that's when all the excitement really is. Once the day actually arrives, it's a very quick downward spiral.

Anyways friends, I hope you are all having a nice, normal length week after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Recipe Review: 3 Ingredient Chicken

Tonight was another one of those dinner nights that came straight from Pinterest.

Three Ingredient Chicken

Source: foodforahungrysoul.blogspot.com via Carly on Pinterest

I'm a big fan of meals that only require things I already have around the house.

Here's the details from the original recipe post:

Ingredients:

about 3.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken (I used breasts and only had about 2.25 pounds)

1 packet of dry Italian Dressing mix

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a baking dish large enough to hold all your chicken (the original recipe suggests lining it with foil to prevent the caramelization of the sugar on the dish)

Mix the Italian dressing and brown sugar together.

Rinse chicken and pat it dry.

Press the chicken into the seasoning mixture on all sides, and then put in the baking dish.

The recipe says to cook for 50 - 60 minutes. Mine ended up only taking about 45 minutes, but I also had less chicken than the recipe called for. I'm sure the time will vary, just make sure your meat thermometer reads 165 before you take it out of the oven.

As for side dishes, we had some of the new Green Giant steamed potatoes (which I was disappointed in) and some chicken rice a roni.

The Good:

Like I said, I had everything I needed to make it right here at home, which is a definite plus for when I don't really have anything planned, but don't want frozen pizza. Another good thing was the fact that the sauce ended up keeping the chicken from getting dried out (which we all know is a serious hazard with freezer burnt chicken breast).

The Bad:

For some reason, my sauce ended up being really thin, definitely not gooey and wonderful like the picture shows. It may be because my chicken had been frozen, so maybe I had extra moisture in it. 

For Next Time:

If I make this recipe again, I think I will change it up a bit by maybe cutting back on the amount of brown sugar. I like the whole savory-sweet combo myself, but I know Chad isn't as much of a fan (although he said the chicken was good and had no criticism). The sweetness definitely seemed to overpower the italian dressing flavor, which was a little disappointing. Also, if my sauce ends up looking thin again, I think I will keep some of the seasoning mixture for the end and sprinkle it over the chicken and maybe broil it for a few minutes to get that nice caramelization. 

Overall, the recipe was good and I definitely think I will be making it gain.

Things I've Realized

There are things that we learn as we grow up. Stuff that you don't necessarily realize right away, things that take time to really fully grasp.

These are some of those things for me:

Food won't just disappear if you don't eat it right away. Okay, so I know that one is a given. Just because you have food in the house doesn't mean you have to eat it all at once. But honestly this has been a struggle for me over the years. I feel like if I have something good, I NEED to eat it. It can't wait until tomorrow because God knows it will disappear. Obviously.

Twilight is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter. Especially the movies. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Twilight. But as the years have gone on, I've realized that Twilight can not hold a candle to Harry. I can watch Harry Potter movies back to back and not get sick of them. Twilight movies, not so much. And the books are light years apart also.

Source: 9gag.com via Carly on Pinterest

No matter how loud you yell at the person in front of you, they won't drive any faster. This one has taken a lot of experience to finally come to terms with. Not happy about it.

The only way to get past something tough is to go through it. Seriously. If there is something hard in front of you, you can't just sit there and hope it gets out of your way. You have to just take that step and work your way through it.

Finding the guy that is perfect for you is like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes. But when you are lucky enough to find him, just know that you're lucky enough.

Source: i.imgur.com via Carly on Pinterest

What things have you learned over the years that maybe took longer than it should?

Some Firsts

This year was the very first time I have gotten up EARLY to go shopping on Black Friday. I was supposed to go to Walmart with my friend Hayley, but she ended up not waking up (which, honestly, I'm happy about, since Walmart is where people go to die on Black Friday). I ended up leaving the house around 7 and headed in to Issaquah. I went to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Bath & Body Works, Sports Authority, Lowe's, Costco, and Fred Meyer. And ya know what? I didn't run into ANY crowds until I got to Fred Meyer. I spent a lot of money, but also feel like I got a huge chunk of my Christmas shopping done. I have a few more things to order online, and then stocking stuffers to get, but at least I feel like I've got it all under control.

Now, on to a semi mindless little Q & A session that I saw over at Young and Fabulous.

First thing you do when you wake up in the morning?  Turn off my alarm, go pee, brush my teeth, and take my dog out (unless Chad gets up before me... then he takes Buck out).

Firs thing you reach for when you open the fridge? Probably whatever comes flying out because our fridge needs to be emptied and organized.

First thing you do when you go to the gym? Grab one of the smaller towels. And head to cardio theater.

First thing you do when you come home from work? Take off my shoes and work clothes and put on sweats or pajamas. 

First car? A 1995 Plymouth Neon (that's right folks, PLYMOUTH... before Dodge took over). 

First car accident/traffic violation? the only ticket I've ever gotten was for expired tabs. It was right after I got my license, and the car was registered to my parents and they hadn't renewed the tabs. The officer was kind of a jerk, but luckily my mom paid the ticket for me. First accident was in my friend Alicia's car. We were up on one of the gravel county roads with our boyfriends at the time. She thought she was an excellent driver (she wasn't) and tried to take a corner way too fast and we went flying into the woods and hit a giant boulder. Awesome. Neither of us was really hurt too bad... whiplash and the ever popular seat belt cut across the neck/collarbone.

First thing you wanted to be when you grew up? Hm, I'm thinking probably actress or veterinarian. 

First choice beverage? That's really tough because it really depends on the situation. I drink a lot of water, but I like Root Beer, sparkling apple cider, hot chocolate, fruit punch, shirley temples, Mike's Harder Lemonade, Fireball... really you would need to be more specific for me.

First choice breakfast? Eggs benny or blueberry pancakes.

First choice dessert? Hm... again, it depends on my mood. I LOVE Creme Brulee and Strawberry Shortcake. I don't think I would ever say no to either of those things.

First song that comes to mind? Right now I am really liking Nicki Minaj "Va Va Voom"

First major purchase? It really depends on what you consider major... I guess probably my first car that I financed (2001 Civic). 

First Job? Small Fryes!!! I worked there for 4 years (age 15 - 19). It was a FUN first job. I worked with my friends, I made good tips, and it was just overall a fun time.

First time you flew on a plane? Pretty sure it had to be when I went to Disnley land as a little kid. I don't remember it at all, but I've seen pictures, haha.

I know this isn't a super interesting post, but whatever. I woke up too early today to have anything better to say.

Today I am going to share with you True Colors by Kristin Hannah.

The Grey sisters. Shattered by their mother's death when they were still very young, they've always banded together against the distant chill of their father.

In a matter of moments, their family will be torn apart. The Grey sisters will be pitted against one another in ways that none could have imagine. Loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both their family and their beloved town.

That is just a portion of what the back cover says.

There is adultery, scandal, family feuds, murder... all sorts of juicy stuff involved.

The book started out kind of slow for me, but after the first chapter or so, I really got interested.

The characters were pretty well developed, with the exception of a couple that are there but don't really come to life fully. 

It was also a book where you start to get emotionally invested. I was yelling at these people, I was crying when things happened, and overall I would find myself feeling like I was really there.

Overall I don't have anything bad to say about the book, except maybe that the chapters weren't broken up very well (there were some places where it seemed like a new chapter should start, but didn't).

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Cliche Thanksgiving Post

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!!!

I hope you are all gearing up for a day filled with family, friends, food, and happiness. 

Here are a few things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving (and every other day of the year).

My family.

I feel so blessed to have a family that I'm close with and will be there for me when I need them.

Chad.

I truly feel like I have found the perfect person for me. He brings so much to our relationship that I didn't know could even exist in a person.

Please excuse the weird thing going on with Chad's shirt not being buttoned, like, at all. I don't know what was going on to make that happen...

Buck, Freaka, and Princess

I know most of you know that pets are the companions that never let you down (unless they pee and poop in your house... then you may get a little let down). But my pets bring me so much happiness... they are there when you need some lovin' and they will always show you more love than they show themselves.

My Job

Nobody loves their job 100% of the time, but I have t be thankful for the fact that I have a steady job, when so many other people I know can't say the same thing. I have good benefits and I like my coworkers, and I know that a lot of people out there can't say the same thing.

My House

Chad and I were able to buy our house right when the rates were great, so I am thankful that we were lucky to find ourselves in such a good financial position. Although Chad is looking at more unemployment time, we will have a roof over our heads.

Friends

I wouldn't say I have a TON of close friends, but I do have a few people that have come into my life that I don't know how I would survive without. You know the kind I'm talking about... the ones that you may not even talk to all the time, but when you need them, they're there in two shakes of a jack rabbits ass.

 Not sure who I let take this picture, but the quality is CLEARLY lacking.

Oh hey Brit Brit! How'd you get there...

My Health

I think that I have been pretty damn lucky when it comes to my health... aside from the whole fat lard part, of course. Even being heavier than I should be, I have no pre diabetic issues, no high cholesterol, etc. The biggest issue I've had is my foot needing surgery, but even that was nothing compared to what a lot of people my age deal with. 

I know there are so many other things in my life that I am thankful for, but it would take FOREVER to list them all.

Again, hope you are all having a great holiday and taking a few minutes out of your day to really think about all the things you have in your life to be thankful for.

Weekday Happenings

I was going to do a Pinterest link up today, but decided against it in favor of some bland words about how my week is going.

Chad has been sick all week. Which means lots of whining and phlegm. Sick.

I forgot my cat food at work (it sounds weirder than it really is) so I ended up having to improvise when it came time to feed her on Monday. Normally I would sacrifice a can of tuna for her, but we didn't have any. So first I tried to feed her soup. Not a soup fan. So I settled on ham. Chad reminded me after the fact that I could have just fed her bread and butter, since that is what she ends up getting into after we go to bed at night.

It's been WINDY here in the Snoqualmie valley. This is what we came home to on Monday night:

Except it wasn't quite like this.It was still upside down and resting off of our gutter (which it ripped off...luckily Chad was able to reattach it to the house). But we decided we should probably pull it down and and get the canvas off as an attept to keep it from breaking all our windows and ridiculously expensive sliding doors. 

So if anybody wants a pile of busted metal, please let me know.

Short week, yay!! I know most people get tomorrow off, but I get Friday off too (also might be a common occurrence). I'm planning to go Black Friday shopping with a friend, so hopefully I can a) get all my shopping done for cheap, and b) not get trampled by the crazies.

Anyways, I hope everybody is having a good week and you all have a happy (and safe) Thanksgiving!!!

Dear Santa, and Some Excellent Advice

With Black Friday just a few days away, I thought I would take a minute to let you guys know what I want for Christmas this year. Since I know you'll be wondering.

Precious Moments Nativity Set

Since this will be our first Christmas in our own house, I feel like I really want my own Christmas things, starting with a nativity set. And I think the Precious Moments set is the best.

Source: preciousmoments.com via Carly on Pinterest

Source: preciousmoments.com via Carly on Pinterest

New River Float

Chad and I have determined that we are too old to be climbing in and out of a regular raft. And this can hold our friends too.

Source: ebay.com via Carly on Pinterest

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

I think we've established that I'm a Harry Potter nerd. Therefore, I need the cookbook.

Source: product.half.ebay.com via Carly on Pinterest

Grey's Anatomy on DVD

My BFFL got me hooked when she let me borrow her first 2 seasons, but now I need MORE!!!

Source: pinner.in via Nella on Pinterest

Now, with all that said, I want to remind you guys about Ebates.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm gonna mention it again, because I think you're a fool if you don't use it. Especially at the holiday time.

Basically, this website gives you cash back for purchases you make by clicking through from their website. 

For example: If you are shopping at Target.com, you can get 2% cash back (which may not seem like much, but it adds up if you do a lot of shopping online from there...and it's better than nothing).

Victorias Secret? 4% back.

5% back from Nordstrom (for those of you that can afford to shop there).

Another HUGE one? Restaurant.com... you can get 15% back. That and you get really great discounts on restaurant gift certificates.

Anyways, I wanted everybody to go and sign up. For your own good. (And mine, because I get a kickback for everybody that signs up...and so can you!)

So, click here, and you can thank me later.

Weekend Happenings

This weekend was pretty dull except for Saturday night, which was my friend Maria's wedding to her high school sweetheart after 11+ years together.

Yes, you read that right.

This wedding was unlike any I've ever been to because of all the cultural aspects. Maria is Hmong, and her now husband is Filipino (I think). Apparently in the Hmong culture, a wedding isn't really a happy thing, because it's basically the bride leaving her family for someone else's. So, Maria was crying before she even started walking down the aisle and she didn't stop the entire ceremony. Also, she is a twin, which means another huge set of tradition, so there was a section of the wedding that was spoken entirely in Hmong where Maria and her sister split a piece of cloth and it was really emotional.

And the most exciting part? One of the bridesmaids passed out during the ceremony.

Anyways, overall it was a beautiful event, although not what I was expecting.

Like I said, that was just about the most exciting part of my weekend. Today all I've been doing is basically sitting on my ass. Chad and I went to bed SUPER early last night, and I didn't sleep well, so my motivation level today has been non existent (although I did get laundry and some dishes done).

I hope everybody had a great weekend and a nice short week leading up to Thanksgiving!!!!

Friday Faves

I don't think I've ever linked up with The Bargain Blonde before, but I was really just feelin' it today.

The first thing on my list of faves this week is that I am feeling the Christmas spirit coming on TOUGH. Don't get me wrong, I love to enjoy Thanksgiving and I would never forget about it, but there is just the magical feeling that comes with Christmas.

Source: lifesweetlifeblog.com via Jene on Pinterest

My next favorite this week is feeling more and more like a real homeowner. It's definitely not all happiness and glory, what with all the bill paying and budgeting. But, however slowly, we are gaining more and more space from my mom moving her stuff out. It's not going COMPLETELY smoothly, but we are beginning to smooth out what we want to do and how we want it to be, which is nice.

As always, my pets are on my list of favorites. My cat being such a freak when I got home from work and she eventually made it into her favorite chair to chase her tail. All of a sudden I hear these god awful noises coming from her and I look over and she managed to attack her tail so ferociously that she had one of her claws stuck DEEP in it, and she couldn't get it out. I felt really awful because she was clearly in some amount of pain, but I also couldn't help but laugh at her.

Pets make life complete.

Source: sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net via Jalene on Pinterest

So there you have it my friends. Those are my favorite things on my mind right now. 

I hope everybody has a great weekend!

Nominated!

So one of my blogging besties Miranda over at Aimless Translation awarded me with the Liebster blog award, which makes me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside. 

I strongly urge you to go check out her blog. She's sweet, funny, and I like her a lot.

Anyways, one of the stipulations of winning this award (for those of you that live under a rock and haven't seen it before), is that you not only have to post 11 random facts about yourself, but you have to answer questions that the person who nominated you.

Here goes for my 11 facts about me.

1. I don't think I will ever get sick of Harry Potter.
2. I love cooking.
3. My favorite food currently is crostini with herb goat cheese and roasted garlic.
4. October 1 - December 31 is probably my favorite time of year. My birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas... doesn't get much better!
5. I would LOVE to be a stay at home housewife, but Chad and I will never be able to afford that
6. I can honestly say that I can appreciate a good nap
7. I am part of a world traveled English Handbell Choir
8. Most of my money (after normal bill paying) goes towards groceries, followed by gas, and then books
9. Almost every room in my house is painted blue. As is the outside. Not my choice.
10. I don't play video games a lot but when I do, I do NOT like to share. So I usually only play when I'm home by myself.
11. I hate driving or riding in the car, but I LOVE driving across the state with Chad, just the two of us and Buck (my dog).

And here are the questions that Miranda posed:

1. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Well I really enjoyed the Nickelodeon classics... Doug, Rugrats, Clarissa Explains it All, Are You Afraid of the Dark.

2. If you won $5000 would you use it responsibly (bills/debt) or shopping/vacation? Probably a little bit of both. I would definitely pay off both my little credit cards and probably Chad's too. And then buy the nice dining set that I have been eyeballing (since we don't have one right now). Then the rest would probably go into savings for our wedding or something.

3. Mario or Luigi? Mario. Because he's short and stubby like me.

4. What do you wish was real, Santa or characters from your favorite TV show? DEFINITELY SANTA. I don't even know how that's a real question.

5. What would be your ideal state/location to live in? I absolutely adore my little town that I live in. Ideally we will always live here, but maybe be able to afford more land and more privacy.

6. Would you ever get your significant other's name tattooed on your body? Hm, probably not his name. I'm completely in love with him, but I think there are other things that I could get tattooed on my body that would mean more than just his name.

7. What is your favorite alcoholic drink? If I'm drinking at home, I drink Mike's Harder Lemonade drinks or plain Fireball. If we go to the bar, my go to drink is vodka soda with a splash of pineapple juice. If we're feeling rich, I get a drink that our favorite bartender made up called a Muddle Me Now, Razz me Later (I don't know what's in it really, but it's BOMB).

8. What's a chore you absolutely hate? Hm... I am not a fan of cleaning the litterbox, but I think that my least favorite thing is dishes. Mostly because I feel like I am CONSTANTLY doing them... as soon as I fill the dishwasher and start it, I feel like the sink immediately fills it up.

9. Is there a sport you absolutely hate and can't understand why people watch it? I wouldn't say HATE, but I think it is a toss up between NASCAR and golf to watch. I just don't think it's very entertaining. Sure, there are fiery crashes, and crazy golf shots to be made, but in general it doesn't hold my attention.

10. If it was legal (and safe) what animal would you have as a pet? That's REALLY hard to decide. I basically love all mammals so it's pretty much impossible to nail it down. 

11. Why did you start blogging? When I first started my blog, it was a way for me to journal my struggle with weight loss (hence the title). But gradually it has turned into more of a blog about EVERY aspect of my life, from my weight issues to house buying to random BS. 

Well friends, there you have it. I know I'm supposed to re-nominate more people, but honestly I don't think I can. I have so many awesome blogs that I love reading and get excited to see new posts from, but I just plain don't have the time to go through and pick just 7. 
So I hope you've enjoyed refreshing your knowledge of me (and maybe learning something new). And remember, go visit Miranda and show her some love for me!

My Gripes with Pinterest

I, like all good bloggers, have an addiction to Pinterest.

It is probably the best way to waste time on the internet.

However, I do have a couple large gripes about Pinterest.

The smaller of the two: Moving things to a different board.

When I first started Pinterest, I had basic boards... food, wedding, holidays, etc. However I found that as my addiction grew worse, I had to create new boards. 

Enter Gripe.

If you want to move a large number of pins from one board to another, there is NO easy way. You can't select multiple Christmas pins and move them all at one time. You bet your ass you better have 16 hours to sit there and move all 5000 pins individually.

Now, for the big one.

The Pinterest Wedding Jealousy.

You know what I'm talking about.

You pin something that you know FOR SURE you want to have at your wedding (just like 48 OTHER centerpiece ideas you've pinned... this is THE one). You see your friend repins your pin.

THAT BITCH.

Now it's a race to the alter. Who will get there first and use those burlap place mats? Who is going to have better use of the Mason Jar Vase? And you know that if she gets married first and uses an idea that was repinned from you, you're going to be telling every mother trucker at that wedding "yeah, it's really neat. I pinned it first and then she repinned it from me".

If it were a stranger repinning it from you? No big. You won't be at that wedding. 

But the last thing you want is to end up using the same Pinterest inspired decor as your friend and having people compare whose was better for the rest of eternity.

Because they would.

This is clearly only a problem with the wedding pins. I don't care if my besties make the same crockpot meal I do, nor am I concerned if someone else pins the same pair of boots.

But I'll be damned if I don't get a little hint of that fear bile in the back of my throat when  I see that they repinned the guest book idea I had.

I really hope I'm not alone here.

Social Sunday: Thanksgiving

Linking up with Neely for Sunday social because this weeks topic is THANKSGIVING!!!

Favorite Thanksgiving Memory: My favorite memory about Thanksgiving is going shopping with my dad for Pretend Thanksgiving. I don't know why, but I love remembering going out in hunt of the perfect duck to get, and all the extras that go along with it. 

Another good memory I have is that one year, the night before Thanksgiving, Chad and I went to the bar and ended up meeting up with his sister and his cousins and we all had a really good time. Then, the next day at Chad's grandparents house, we all had to sit there and feel like crap because we partied too hard. It wasn't awesome at the time, but now we all talk about it and laugh.

Favorite Thanksgiving Food: I don't even know that this question should be allowed. How do you pick one favorite food for Thanksgiving. I love it all! The combo of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing all drizzled (or covered... whatever) in gravy. NOM NOM NOM.

What is a Thanksgiving Tradition that You and Your Family have? I mentioned this earlier, but my family does Pretend Thanksgiving every year. We've only been doing it the past 5 years or so, but I really enjoy it. Since Sister and I now have the in-law families to see also, we found that it is nice to have a special day before the real holiday to sit down with just our immediate family (us, our significant others, and mom... and our next door neighbors that are like family) and have a mini version of the holiday.

What are you Most Looking Forward to About This Thanksgiving? I have to say it is going to be spending time with family. With the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and weddings (and Facebook), I really don't get to see my extended family very much. And Chad has some cousins that come in from out of state, and we always have a blast.

Those are my Thanksgiving thoughts this Sunday Social! We are having our Pretend Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night, so hopefully I can manage to get some good pictures taken!

A Real Doozy including Jaycee Dugard

So today, my pets, I have FOUR books to review for you.

 I will start from the beginning.

Cry Wolf by Tami Hoag

I actually read this book a couple weeks ago, but somehow it slipped through the Book Review cracks. Here is what the back cover has to say:

In the rural parishes of Louisiana's French Trianglge, young women are disappearing one by one, only to turn up on the banks of the bayou, strangled and cash aside where they are sure to be found. But there is one trophy the killer prizes above all others, one woman who must be silenced forever...

Attorney Laurel Chandler did not come back to Bayou Breaux to seek justice. That once-burned obsession had destroyed her credibility, her career, her marriage - and nearly her sanity. but when a ruthless predator strikes too close to home, she's lured into a perverse game from which there may be no escape. Once before, Laurel's cries against a monstrous evil went unanswered. Who will listen now?

I ran across this book during the moving process with my mom and decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did. It was you basic murder/thriller book with an unexpected romance, but it really sucked me in. There were parts that I saw coming, but it definitely had a lot of twists and turns that kept me second guessing my gut feelings. And then the ending was a real shocker.

I think one thing that kept me interested in this story was the setting. I'm not used to reading books based in Louisiana and the bayous.

Out of 5 stars, I would give it 3.

2nd Chance by James Patterson

This is the second Women's Murder Club book that I have read.

The Women's Murder Clib is back! A brilliantly diabolical killer is murdering people from every walk of life. The deaths seem unrelated but police homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer senses a connection and, together with medical examiner Claire, assistant DA Jill, and Chronicle reporter Cindy, finds a link that sends a chill through the entire nation. This killer's motives are unspeakable.

The thing that I am finding is that I like the way these story lines change. A lot of times in these series of books, the storylines end up being very similar. The characters are all getting more and more developed, and little by little you learn more about them.

The book didn't completely wow me, but I did enjoy it.

Another 3 out of 5 stars.

3rd Degree by James Patterson

The Women's Murder Club returns in a shockingly suspensful thriller. Plunging into a burning town house, Detective LIndsay Boxer discovers three dead bodies... and a mysterious message at the scene. When more corpses turn up, Lindsday asks her friends, Claire Washburn of the medical examiner's office, Assistant DA Jill Bernhardt, and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas to help her find a murderer who vows to kill every three days. Even more terrifying, he has targeted one of the four friends. Which one will it be?

This one seemed so much deeper than the first two books of the series. I felt really invested in what was going on to the characters in this one, which I think indicates a good book. I do have to say that there were some loose ends in this story that I wish had been tied up for me, and I don't think that it will happen in the next book.

Just like the last of this series, I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Last but not least by any stretch of the imagination, A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard.

I think most of us are already familiar with the basics of Jaycee's story and what this book is about, but I will tell you what the back says anyways:

In the summer of June of 1991, I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friensd and a mother that loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen.

For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse. For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation.

On August 26, 2009, I took my name back.

My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don't think of myself as a victim, I simply survived an intolerable situation.

A Stolen Life is my story - in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it.

As you read this book, you immediately feel like you are there in her mind reliving these things. When I first started reading it, I felt a little caught off guard by how young her writing is, and how her chapters seemed to jump from topic to topic. But then I think about it and remember that this is exactly how it was for her. She had such a young mind when she was ripped out of the life she knew that this was the way her brain was working. It made me feel like I was there seeing it.

This book is so eye opening, and so disturbing all at the same time. There were times that I was reading it on my lunch break and literally felt like throwing up because of the some of the things she was going through. But she was SUCH a brave person. She did what she had to do to protect herself, and later on, to protect her children.

Before reading this book, I thought about Jaycee Dugard and couldn't help but ask myself the same questions that I know thousands of people asked when hearing about her story, and it was "why didn't you do something? you were out in the world and you didn't tell anybody or ask for help?" But in reading this story, I understand more.

She was scared. She knew that Phillip and Nancy were not all there. And by the time she was leaving the house with Nancy, she had her girls to worry about. She couldn't risk going to someone at the store and saying "look, I was kidnapped 10 years ago, please call the police" because she couldn't risk losing her kids.

Even when the day finally came that things were coming apart at the seams for the Garridos, it was still so engrained in her to lie and keep up the story that she avoided telling the truth until the very end.

I know this is a long review, but I think it's worth it. The writing isn't perfect, but she stopped going to school at age 11, so what do you expect? But I think regardless of that fact, it is a great book to read and such a good thing to be aware of.

Out of 5 stars, I'd give it a 4.5

Thanks for bearing with me through this extremely long post, I promise I'll try to stay on top of my book reviews from now on!+

If I Ruled the World

People would have some crazy mental ability to know when I am or am not available to help them at work.

I would get to stay home and snuggle with Buck whenever I wanted.

The amount of money you make would be a direct reflection of how much work you do and how well you do it.

There would be no animal abuse... or child abuse. 

My car would be electric like the Volt, and I would only have to put gas in my car every six months.

People who are responsible with their money would get rewarded with more money.

Everybody would laugh more.

Source: i.imgur.com via Carly on Pinterest

Pets would live just as long as humans.

Source: sawdustcityllc.com via Carly on Pinterest