Books in Review

So despite being horribly sick for at least a quarter of the year and moving clear across the country, I managed to make a pretty good reading haul this year.  At the beginning of the year I decided to keep track of the number of pages I had read and I was really surprised.  I had a grand total of 18,404 pages read this last year.  Though looking over my list, it definitely was the year of the re-read.   So here is my recap of the last year with my simple review. 5 Star rating system ***** Loved it!!! **** Really liked it. *** Good, Okay ** Didn't like it. * Hated it.                           ****Slight by Jennifer Sommersby--765 This was one of Barnes and Noble Free Friday downloads.  I was quit surprised by this book.  I really enjoyed reading it.  It's in the youth paranormal romance genre.  I am looking forward to the release of the second book.

****Eragon by Christopher Paolini--497 This was one of my re-reads this year.  I have all the books and have only managed to read the first one.  This next year I am hoping to finish the series.  I liked it as much the second time as I did the first.

****Hollowland by Amanda Hocking--651 I don't think I've ever read a book about zombies before.  Never cared much for the flesh-eating monsters.  Even I have my gore limits.  This was different.  I really didn't want to put it down.  I was even more excited to find out she has written a sequel. I didn't want the story to end.

*****The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson--469 Everyone in my book club knows I had a love/hate relationship with the first book by Stieg Larsson.  It was dark and evil but so well written.  This one was still dark but left out the pure evilness and I seriously couldn't stop reading this book.

***Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery--170 Another re-read from my youth.  I liked it much better back then.   Even though it is a wonderful story I found myself skimming a lot and getting annoyed by the sameness.

***Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery--171 Another re-read.  Same review as above.

***Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery--192 Another re-read.  This wasn't as monotonous as #3 and #4.

****Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery--217 I have always loved Anne.  It was fun to re-read.

*****Voyager by Diana Gabaldon--978 This is such a great series.  I love how it takes you where you don't expect to go.  I will repeat my warning from before.  As great as this book is, it can get a little risque.  The main characters love each other, a lot.

****The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin--382 This is book #2 in the series.  I loved the first one and loved this one as well.  It's a historical fiction about a woman doctor to examines the dead to determine how they die.  Being set in the 14th century, or there abouts, makes it really interesting.

*****Forever by Maggie Stiefvater--388 This is the final book in the series.  I loved this twist on the typical werewolf.  Such a good love story.

***The Secret Circle Vol. 3 by LJ Smith--310

***The Secret Circle Vol. 2 by LJ Smith--294

***The Secret Circle Volume 1 by LJ Smith--287 I'm discovering the books I LOVED as a teen aren't quite as riveting as I remember.  Saying that, I couldn't put any of them down.  So maybe I liked them more than I thought.  I re-read this series in preparation for the CW's release of the new TV show based on the books.

*****HP and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling--759

*****HP and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling--652

*****HP and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling--870

*****Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by L.K.Rowling--734 LOVE Harry Potter.  Really do I need to say more?

***Forest Born by Shannon Hale--278 I am having a harder time remembering this one.  I know I liked it.  It was the 4th book in the series of the Goose Girl, which I absolutely adore.  It is definitely worth reading.

***The Awakening by L.J. Smith--161 A re-read from my high school days.  This is the series that inspired the Vampire Diaries.  Good read, but you can tell it was written before the Twilight craze.

**The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown--276 I found this book a little on the annoying side.  I hate reading a book where the main characters have problems and they would be able to work them out if they only TALKED to each other.  NO instead they brood about worried what the other person is going to think of them.  It was sad and a little depressing too.

***Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly--400 This was a good book set in the present and also the past.  I found the jump back and forth between times intriguing.  If you like that type of thing, it's  a fun read.

***Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen--282 This is another re-read.  I did find it more interesting the second time around. I don't know why.  Maybe because I knew what to expect.

***Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead--212 I didn't like this as much as Marked, but I have heard the series is really good.  I will eventually get there.

***The Scorch Trials by James Dashner--323 This is the sequel to The Maze.  I found this easier to read than the Maze and not quite as monotonous.  I will definitely keep reading the series.  I really enjoy young adult books.  Probably because they tend to be clean and PG-13.

****I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore--277 Loved the premise of this book and can't wait for the rest of the series.  Way better than the movie.

***A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness--587 I did enjoy reading this book.  Could have done without the vivid sex scenes but that's just me.  I wish it had focused a little more on witch craft and a little less on the relationship between the 2 main characters.  I will read the rest of the series because I'm interested where the story goes.

****Marked by Kristin Cast--241 Another vampire book, but with a different take. Instead of being hidden from humans, they are very much apart of society.

****The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connely--505 I started this one a long time ago and for some reason it didn't catch my attention the first time around.  I picked it up again this year and couldn't put it down.  I don't normally read crime dramas but this was really good.  Lots of twists and turns and I wasn't able to figure it out.

***The Big Burn by Timothy Egan--283 Not my usual reading material, but that is a good thing sometimes.  I enjoyed reading about the fire of 1910 and the horrible road our country could have gone down except for the hard work of 2 notable men in history.  It was a very interesting and informative read.

*****The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot--329 This book was fantastic!  I have always loved biology and while some of the science was totally beyond me. I loved reading about how much has been discovered/cured by the use of one woman's cells.  It was extremely sad to hear about how badly the family was abused through this whole process.  If you haven't already, this is a must read.

****Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin--312 I loved this book.  It reads like a medical/crime drama but set in the 14th century.

****Dragonfly in Amber by Diane Gabaldon--866 This is probably my least favorite that I have read so far.  It seemed to drag on a bit and took a while to get to the point, but once it did, I couldn't put it down.  A great historical fiction.

***Fallen by Lauren Kate--269 I think I was expecting more from this book so I didn't enjoy it as much.  Maybe I'm just not into the whole Angels and Arc-Angel story line.

*****Ascend by Amanda Hocking--509 Book 3 of the Trylle series.

*****Torn by Amanda Hocking--649 Book 2 of the Trylle series.  Really enjoyed the story.

**Mini-Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella--325 I have loved the Shopaholic series.  This one I found annoying.  I was tired of Becky's antics and how she was seriously messing up her family.  You would think she'd have a clue by now that her normal behavior only leads to trouble.  She never learns and that's just not normal.

****The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer--380 This was a great Sci-fi read.  I loved it.  Made you question the morality and ethical issues surrounding cloning.

****Wisdom by Amanda Hocking--193

****Flutter by Amanda Hocking--574

****Fate by Amanda Hocking--169

****My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking--176 Another vampire book series.  I really enjoyed the author, she does twist the typical legend and makes fun of Twilight a little.  It's a good read if you love vampire books.  There are four in the series.

**Love, Lust and Faking It by Jenny McCarthy--171 I have loved her books on childbirth and rearing.  They are hilarious and honest.  This was funny, but too crude for my tastes.

*****Switched by Amanda Hocking--455 Loved this series.  It's a paranormal-romance and takes a different twist than the typical Vampire/Werewolf books out there.  This one is about trolls.  Seriously good.

****The Help by Kathryn Stockett--416

2 weeks

I basically have a little over 2 weeks before our new bundle of joy will (finally) arrive.  I swear I feel like I have been pregnant forever.  I know I have some Christmas pictures and stories to post as well as new pictures of the other dresser I refinished and my books in review.  Over the next two weeks I hope to discipline myself enough to get them done before this kid arrives, otherwise who knows when I'll get around to it.  Until then.  Happy New Year!

The Dresser Project

This is a new personal best for me. I don't think I have EVER taken pictures of something, downloaded said pictures and posted it on my blog...on the same day!  


A while back I started looking for a new dresser for Charlie.  Once this baby decided to make her appearance, Charlie will loose his dresser since it's part of the crib set.  I thought I had one all picked out at a local furniture store.  I went in to buy it and got a better look at the size and quality and changed my mind.  I could just see Charlie destroying that in a matter of months.  So I did a quick look online at higher end stores and decided I wasn't ready, not to mention Derek, to part with that much money.  Furniture is expensive.  Ikea was my next option I figured I could take Charlie and drive there and back while Leah was at school.. I had it all planned out.  While I waited for said day, I started browsing Craigslist to see if there was something there that might work.  I had several options, not all of them fantastic to look at but nothing a little paint couldn't fix.  Some of them were still a little pricey.  Then I found what I thought was the perfect set.  It was more pieces than I needed but super cheap.  I was getting the run around by the seller.  I thought I had lost these great finds.  Luckily the person who was going to buy them decided they were too crappy for him and she called me back.  I was in the middle of taking my frustrations out on my car by cleaning it when I got the call.  So happy!  I had a friend follow me to the house because
1.  I couldn't lift the pieces myself and
2.  There was no way all four pieces would fit in my car.
When I brought them home and Derek helped unload them, he was not pleased with my finds.  Really they looked pretty crappy and even the steal I got them for seemed like too much money to him.  His doubts gave me doubts and I was beginning to regret my hastiness.  Oh, well, what's done was done and I just had to make the best of it.

 I really only needed the tall dresser and one night stand.  But they seller sold them as a set and I figured we could use the others eventually or resell them.


On Monday Charlie and I hit Home Depot to get our refinishing supplies.  We both wanted blue, he light and me dark.  I won, I mean I am the designer out of the two of us.  I am really happy with the color we picked. I almost went with another blue, but this one is the perfect shade.  Later that day we roughed up the varnish with a sander to get it ready for our primer coat. Charlie was a fantastic helper.  He even grabbed a brush and helped me paint the primer on both pieces.  I couldn't believe what a good job he did. I had more paint on me than he did.

It only took 2 coats of blue paint to get them all covered and looking great.  I spray painted the original knobs. I wanted to buy new pulls but those things are pricey!  Derek was already freaking out about the cost of this project and a can of spray paint would have to do the trick.

 I am very happy with the result.  I can't wait to get it up in his room and start using it.  The only change I may make in the future is to add some gliding rails to the drawers so they pull out a little easier, but I don't have the tools and I think THAT can wait until I'm not 8 months pregnant.

Amazing the difference between the original and my refinish.  I can hardly believe they were part of the same set.  My final picture is missing pulls because I had to add another coat of paint of them and I wasn't patient enough to wait for the paint to dry before taking the final pictures.  That's what I get for spray painting in the dark.

Disney World

I started this post a while ago and then got distracted and never finished it.  So here is to finally finishing one of the things I started.  

We knew we were moving to Georgia quite a while ago.  Derek and I decided back then that the kids were old enough to take them to Disney World and we should do it while we are in GA since we will be so close and who knows when that might happen again.  So I began casually planning, then I got pregnant and the planning came to a drastic halt.  We knew when we could go, but all the details still needed to be planned.  I ended up calling a travel agent.  They are super awesome by the way, I will forever use them again for big trips.  We got everything booked up and organized and all that was left was to go.  

I was really hoping by the end of September when the trip was planned it would have cooled off enough to stand being outside.  It had cooled off quite a bit, but not enough to make it super comfortable.  Florida is HOT and HUMID.  I don't know how people can stand living there.  I don't know how anyone can manage Disney during the busy summer months.  

It was still amazing to be there.  We had so much fun.  4 fun filled days at the parks.  Though our theme seemed to be "there is no crying at Disney World".  The kids would have minor and some major breakdowns every day.  I attribute most of it to the heat and some of it to not taking there cues and moving more slowly through the park and letting them set the pace.  It's hard to go slowly, there is so much to see and you want to move them through so they can see everything.   I really believe it is impossible to see everything.  That place is massive.  Over 40 square miles of fun.  

We did a park a day, starting with the Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom and finally Hollywood Studios.  The kids liked Animal Kingdom best and I wish we had had time to go back and spend another half a day exploring it again.  Hollywood Studio's was our least favorite, only because it was a bunch of shows and the kids just didn't care to sit and watch shows.  They wanted to play.  Epcot definitely had the best food.  I think we went back there twice just to eat. 

Okay so now I'll give a brief narrative of the pictures I took, I'm terrible with pictures.  I always want to be better, but it just doesn't seem to happen.

This is the view from our resort.  Leah and I took a stroll on our first night there.  We were trying to see how far away the big swimming pool was.

Our hotel room.  I know I should have gotten a picture before we moved everything in and trashed it but I didn't.  We stayed in a pirate themed room at the Caribbean Beach Resort.  It was fun.

The first day we took the shuttle bus to Animal Kingdom.  This is the kids waiting for the bus to come.  We decided it wasn't worth it after this and drove to the parks the rest of the time.

Animal Kingdom.  Our first encounter with a Disney Character.  Charlie was too scared to have his picture taken with her.

At the bone yard.  This was the kids favorite place out of all of Disney World.  It was a huge playground.  Unfortunately we found it right before lunch so they didn't get to play as much as they liked and we pushed them through it rather quickly.  I regret doing that and wish we could have come back and spent more time.  It was hot that day and there was no place for adults to sit.  Being 20 weeks pregnant and just over morning sickness did not help anything.  Leah still talks about this place and wishes she could have played there longer.

This was a typical sight with Charlie.  Everything was too noisy for him.  He constantly had his fingers in his ears.

Waiting in line to see a character is pure torture.  At least waiting in line for the rides they have things to look at and see.  Here you just wait and then you have to wait while the character takes their break.  It's maddening.  But the kids were so excited to see Mickey I guess it's worth it in the long run.

Leah was waiting in line to see Minny Mouse while Charlie and I took off for Goofy.  We joined Derek and Leah after our visit with the Goof.

Minny Mouse.  Leah is in love with her now.

The bus ride home from Animal Kingdom.  Charlie passed out about 3 minutes after getting on the bus.  Poor kid.

Epcot Center.  Not as many rides for the kids to go on but it was fun.  This place is more educational and science oriented.

Chillin' with the fish.  They had a huge aquarium in one of the buildings.  We literally had to pull the kids away to go check out some other stuff.  Epcot also had one of the best gift shops I had seen at Disney.

Our first Princess encounter.  Snow White was so nice and she even talked in the high pitched Primary voice as Derek calls it.  I really felt for these poor princesses in all their clothes.  It was HOT.

Alice in Wonderland.  We missed getting a picture with Belle by minutes.  Character breaks suck.

Derek and I decided we were going to have dinner where we wanted too and just hope the kids would eat.  We ate at a wonderful Chinese restaurant, Nine Dragons at Epcot.  The kids surprised us both.  I had to take pictures to document it was real.  That's Leah eating a spring roll.

And Charlie eating an egg roll.  Amazing really, these guys are so picky.

Charlie with his spring roll.  I think he liked it better than the egg roll.

Leah and her egg roll.

Arg, it's a pirate.  He needed the gear since we were staying in the room.

Main street at the Magic Kingdom.  We didn't take the time to visit all the shops.  We would never have made it through the park if we had.

Leah and I stood in line for an hour, yes that's what I said to see Rapunzel.  We didn't get to see any of the other princess that day so I'm glad we at least got to see her.  Charlie and Derek went off to ride some other rides instead of waiting for us.  We met back up at Dumbo and why Dumbo is so popular I don't know, it was a lame ride.

On the Carousel.

While we were walking from one side of the park to the other we ended up in the middle of the afternoon parade.  We stopped and watched and this is were we finally got to see all the princesses and princes.  Most of the big characters were here.

Charlie and Buzz.  I think this ride was Charlie's favorite.  We went on it about 3 or 4 times.

We went back to Epcot to catch the fireworks show.  The day we were at Magic Kingdom they were having their big Halloween trick or treating party and we didn't pay to stay to that.  Charlie and Derek went off to ride some racing ride and Leah and I played and cooled off in the fountain while we waited for the fireworks to begin.  They were really cool.  It was the only night we stayed out late enough to see them.

Our last day we spent at Hollywood Studios.  We didn't get to ride on Toy Story Mania, the wait for it was over and hour and none of us wanted to do that.  There was plenty to see but we planned on staying only half of the day and then going back to the resort so Leah and Charlie could go swimming.

Our only family picture from the trip.

After an afternoon of swimming we took the kids to Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping.  I had seen in a brochure they had a Lego store and we had to check that out.  It was awesome!  That dragon is made entirely of Legos.

Lego Buzz

Lego Woody

Lego sea monster out in the lake.

All in all I think our trip was a success.  The kids cried a lot, I was tired and hot most of the time.  But it was fun to do something out of the norm for us as a family.  I would love to go back and do it again. I think it would be even better the second time around.  Now that I know what to expect and how the kids react to amusement park rides.  Who knows where we will be next, maybe we will be close enough to take a trip again in the coming years.