Christmas Went To The Dogs

Both Lacy and Gus must have been really good dogs this past year! Santa brought 2 really big bones for the girls.

Nothing funnier than a 8 pound dog dragging and protecting a bone nearly as big as her!

Lacy is sampling the sauce the bone is basted in. Sort of a Juila/Martha special treat.

The Longest Night

For the longest night of the year we attended the service at Middlebury Chapel near Barneveld, Wisconsin. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it was awesome. I don’t think any cathedral service had music as moving as this simple service.

PW's Dinner Rolls

I am sooo making these to go along with the other tasty goodness that I am making for dinner courtesy of PW.

Dinner Rolls

Prep Time 4 Hours

Cook Time 20 Minutes

Ingredients:
* 4 cups Milk
* 1 cup Sugar
* 1 cup Vegetable Oil
* 9 cups Flour
* 2 packages (4 1/2 Tsp.) Active Dry Yeast
* 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
* 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
* 2 Tablespoons Salt

Directions:

Pour 4 cups of milk into a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add one cup of sugar and 1 cup of vegetable oil. Stir to combine. Now, turn the burner on medium to medium-low and “scald” the mixture/lukewarm (between 90 and 110 degrees).

When the mixture is the right temperature add in 4 cups of flour and 2 packages of (4-1/2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast. After the yeast and flour are nicely incorporated, add another 4 cups of flour. Stir together and allow to sit, covered with a tea towel or lid, for an hour. After about an hour it should have almost doubled in size. If it hasn’t changed much, put it in a warm (but turned off ) oven for 45 minutes or so. When it had risen sufficiently add 1 more cup of flour, 1 heaping teaspoon of baking powder, 1 scant teaspoon of baking soda and about 2 tablespoons of salt. Stir (or knead just a bit) until combined.

Butter 1 or 2 muffin pans. Form the rolls by pinching off a walnut sized piece of dough and rolling it into a little ball. Repeat and tuck three balls of dough into each buttered muffin cup. Continue until pan is full. Cover and allow to rise for about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 17 to 20 minutes.

The Blind Side

I can hardly WAIT to see this movie, totally based on a true story. It seems like it will be a good one...from the trailer's at least. I'm off to pick up the book, The Blind Side in a little bit.

In desperate need of CHOCOLATE!

I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF CHOCOLATE! With the week at work I just had a truckload ought to do it.

I'm back!

How have y'all been?! Been a crappy week here....It rained all week up until yesterday afternoon so I haven't been out walking as much as I'd like and my scale is a liar...I'm actually up 2 pounds. Not much more to say on the subject.

Bloggest Loser part 4

So this week has not been the greatest of weeks for me. I haven't been Wii Fitting like I would like but I have been getting out walking the girls more....Our Cocker is getting a little bit on the "round" side so we're (the three of us) are in the process of loseing some weight. I've basically taken some time off from good behavior and in the process still managed to lose 1 1/2 pounds. Don't know how I managed that one but I'll take it.

So I am without a computer the rest of this week. I just wanted to let you all know. I'll be a week behind on my blogging but I will be back around to visit.

Shiver

This will soooo be on my bookshelf within the next couple of days! I am super excited...I've heard about it all over the place in "book blog" land and now I'm getting my own copy! Oh, if you'd like to learn more about the book just click on the image or if your looking for something to read hop on over to my new book blog (sorry about the shameless plug) Confessions of a Book Junkie.

Bloggest Loser part 3

So this week on Bloggest Loser......

I cracked and had my first soda in almost 2 weeks....The upside is that it didn't taste "right" so I didn't even finish it. My back hasn't been bothering me near as bad as was last week so I was able to get in more workouts this week than I did last week. I've been kind of slacking on the getting out and walking with the girls...It's been cold and dreary here in WI. According to the powers that be I'm supposed to be closer to 132 pounds...which is fine but I'll be even happier to be somewhere between 140 and 132.

According to my Wii Fit I'm down 5.25 pounds! My scale is waging war on me....so I think I'll just stick with having myself weighed on my Wii Fit.

Awards!

Over the past couple of days I've received a couple of awards, plus the one from last week also. So without further ado my awards:

This one is from Angela at Angela's Soliloquy

And this one is from Heather over at Red Apron

Now each of these awards comes with it's own set of rules...I am bad with rules so I've decided that I am going to give these awards to EVERYONE. Enjoy!

According to the powers that be....

Instead of being around 140 pounds according to the powers that be I should be at or close to 132 pounds. Still a very acheiveable goal. Just need to get my mind right about the whole process....Apparently, it's not completely ok with my plan. GET RIGHT WITH THE PLAN BRAIN!

Apparently, my scale is also plotting against me. Since I do most of my work outs on my Wii Fit now I'll be using the body test function to figure my weight. It seems to be much more accurate than my regular scale....which has been known to give me 3 or 4 completely different weights in the span of maybe 2 minutes (testing it's accuracy.)

Water Under The Bridge

My Blog Groups

Visit The Bloggest Loser



Visit Operation Fat Blaster





Visit bookieboo

I cracked...

I gave in and had my first soda in almost 2 weeks. Bad me. This too shall pass.

Just Checking In

Just checking in to let everyone know that I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. I'm still here just trying to keep busy. Doing a lot of reading and Wii Fitting! Will be having some interesting reviews coming up on my book blog shortly. I'll be out later this evening (after my nap) to visit everyone. Have a great day!

Bloggest Loser part 2

So I've put in my first official week on Bloggest Loser....YEAH ME! Seriously....I've usually lost interest about 2 or 3 days in. So let's go over the goals that I set for myself in my last Bloggest Loser post:

1. Do NOT give in to the caffeine headaches that I know I'm due for as a result of giving up soda....NO MORE SODA! I'm 7 days without any caffeine and 6 days without any soda at all. Wednesday my mom sent me out after soda for her and I was soooo tempted but I did not give in!

2. Get in 3-4 good work outs. I only got in 1 really good work out this week. My back has been bothering me and I don't want to aggervate it anymore than it already is.

3. Take the Girls for at least 1 walk a day (more if possible on my days off.) Since last Sunday we've been on 9 walks!

4. Try to find as many "Healthy" recipes as possible (if you know of any blogs, webpages, etc let me know please). I've found a few sites to check out.

5. Try to lose 1-2 pounds. I am down (and holding) 3.5 pounds!

Quite Frankly My Dear.....part 2

So as I've posted before I have been reading Gone With The Wind for a little bit now. I've even posted part 1 of this multi-part review. I keep learning all sorts of things about the characters in this book. In the last review I left off with Rhett almost starting a fight at the Wilkes' BBQ and Scarlett being the belle of the ball. Moving on....The war has started and both Melly and Scarlett's husbands (oh yeah I said it) go off to war. Only for Scarlett to become a widow only a couple of months into her marriage. There's more to that part of the story too but I don't want to give away tooooo much.

Scarlett ends up visiting Melly and her Aunt PittyPat (who does have a real name but you'll have to read the book to find out what it is) in Atlanta. The mourning process in that time period was sooo "hardcore" to say the least let's put it that way. Before Scarlett even makes it PittyPat's house she's volunteered to help numerous hospital committee's that are in the community.

Get this Rhett is now called Captain Butler and is a Blockade runner!

Still NOT liking how the slaves dialogue is written!

An Award for me....More to come

My bloggy pal Chef Eureka over at Two Peas in a Pie awarded me with this award. I am sooo bad at awards sometimes...I just don't know who to award them to. So I'm going to think on it for a little while and come up with my 6 winners and the answers to all the questions too, there will be a part 2 post later. Thank you for the award!

The Road to Now Where

My New Blog for my "New" Addiction....Books

I decided that since I've been doing a LOT of reading lately....Some of which I have yet to post about....I would give them (the books, that is) there own space in the blogosphere. I've been working on getting the reviews that I've already posted here up there and I'll be working on a couple more over the next couple of days. I hope to see you there! I can hardly wait to meet new bloggy friends who enjoy books as much as I do!

J

Confessions of a Book Junkie

Soda....Bad

So I'm 3 days without any soda and 4 days without any caffeinated soda (we had free soda one night at work for a co-worker's B-day).....Yeah for me! Been taking in a crap ton of water over the past few days. So far only 1 bad headache....but I'm not giving in. Off to catch a little cat nap then I'm off to plug in the Wii Fit!

Plus, there's a group out there on the net called the WiiMommies. I so joined that group as well because most of the people in the group are using Wii's and Wii Fit's in their routine's. That and I need a SUPER HUGE cheerleading section to keep me motivated. Even if you don't have a Wii there's a LOT helpful information, recipes, etc there too.

LET'S WIPE IT OUT!

So for the last couple of days I've blogged about the Blog for a Cure party that's going on over at Who Knew? Reviews. If you would like to participate (here) or learn more about the party you can click here. I hope that you'll join us....It's a pretty cool way to make new bloggy friends, win some pretty cool prizes and get rid of a pretty horrible disease all at the same time!



If you click on the image above you can also learn more about the blog party too. Hope to see you there!

Bloggest Loser part 1

So I'm a few days into Bloggest Loser. So armed with my "fitness" magazines, a world wide web full of resources, my Wii and Wii Fit and my VERY demanding dogs I am ready to get things rolling. In April when I talked to my doctor about things that I could do to lose weight she told me that I need to keep a regular sleep schedule, eat regularly and try to cut out as much soda and carbonated beverages as possible. So far I am failing pretty badly at all of that....though I am in the process of giving up soda....so I don't really know how well that's going to go because I'm only a couple days into that as well.

Last year when we adopted our Cocker Spaniel, Laci, and with the way I am constantly moving around at my job I was able to go from a size 14 pair of jeans down to a 7/8 pair of jeans. Seriously, that was a pretty big highlight for me....and all of that with just WALKING. Now things have taken a downward spiral and I'm headed back towards my 14's again...ok well, I'm closer to a 13 right now. But then we move a little higher up the body and get to my tummy.....NOT loving it at all. Many years of incorrect eating and basically treating myself like crappy crap crap have caught up with me.

So I'm going to give myself little tiny goals to try to achieve during the week and we'll see how well I do by Sunday....This weeks goals:

1. Do NOT give in to the caffeine headaches that I know I'm due for as a result of giving up soda....NO MORE SODA!

2. Get in 3-4 good work outs.

3. Take the Girls for at least 1 walk a day (more if possible on my days off.)

4. Try to find as many "Healthy" recipes as possible (if you know of any blogs, webpages, etc let me know please).

5. Try to lose 1-2 pounds.

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!

Blog for a Cure!

I blogged about this on Thursday as well, but I really wanted to get the information out there for ya'll. One of my new followers Who Knew? Reviews is holding a Blog for a Cure party to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am SO in on this...I hope that you too will join us in trying to find a cure for these terrible diseases. Here is the link to the post with all the information you will need in it.

Or even better yet......

Here is the information.....Copied from the blog post about the party.....

Three questions:

Do you want to gain new followers for your blog?

Do you want to help eradicate cancer?

Can you spare $1.00?

If so, then read on.

On Monday, Sept 28- Friday, Oct 2, 2009, Who Knew? Reviews will be hosting the first Annual Blog For A Cure, which is a new way to use social media to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, while making new connections and broadening our social media network.Blood cancers are an aggressive and stealthy enemy. They can and will strike people of all ages, health status, ethnicity, and sex unless we rally together and support the research that is needed to treat and prevent them. I have organized this campaign in honor of a dear family member and fellow young mom who has recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and is now fighting for her life. I am sure that each and every one of us can say we know someone who has been affected by these devastating, indiscriminate diseases. Together, we can use our most accessible resource, the internet, to help fight the battle.

It’s pretty simple:

- On September 28th, head over to Who Knew? Reviews, and click on the button to donate $1.00 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you can donate more, please do so, but the minimum to participate is $1.00.

- Then, sign in to Mr. Linky which will be active on the blog at midnight, Sept. 25th. Cruise the list of other participants, visiting a minimum of 5 blogs.

- Click “follow” when you get to those blogs. For each new blog follower that you get, return the “follow”. Feel free to visit and follow each and every other participant that signs in to Mr. Linky- think how many new followers you will receive!

- Feel free to check back all week long to meet new bloggers, and gain new followers!

- On September 28th, post something about the Blog For A Cure Blog Party on your own blog, including the link: www.whoknewreviews.blogspot.com. Feel free to copy and paste this text, and encourage all of your blog readers to do the same.

- If you do not care to gain followers for your blog, you can still will prizes by donating a dollar, and commenting on the prize posts that you want to win.

- If you do not want to donate, you can still help by blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook about this event, to help us spread the word and raise as much money as possible. Just imagine what a difference we could all make, if we all just donated ONE dollar. Just think about it.

And of course, there will be prizes!

Every hour throughout the day on September 28th, I will post a new giveaway on Who Knew? Reviews. Winners will receive prizes from Kolcraft, StephieMc Designs, La Plates, Orglamix mineral makeup, Krizzy Designs, and Boojiboo as well as a few other prizes TBA. There will also be a prize for the person who refers the most participants. When you get to the main link-up post, leave a comment on the with the name of the blogger who told you about the blog party. The blogger who refers the most participants will receive a special, personalized gift from Stephie Mc Designs. If you are interested in sponsoring a prize, please contact me at lanik58@yahoo.com.

Open Letter to my Hair

This photo is several months old...My hair is actually shoulder length now.

Dear Hair,

I have been in the process of growing you out for almost 2 years now and as much as I love the progress we have made together, I really wish you would grow a little faster. I really would love to be able to do something fun, styling wise with you but right now we are back in that "icky" stage where there just aren't all that many styling options, even though I am totally stoked that you are now long enough that I can put you in a pony tail.

We've come a long ways and I am not going to give up just yet, but I would soooo love it if I were actually able to style you in some way when I finally get enough dough saved up to go see my Cowboys again. I hope I haven't upset you tooooo much with my "express myself with a new hair color" stage.....that would be really upsetting to me. Even though I'm not a real big fan of my natural hair color.....Dishwater blond is kinda blah in my opinion. I've even given that up until you get a little longer.....I hope you don't mind?

Well, I guess now that I've made my wishes known I'll keep taking my vitamins and experiment and see if I can't find a couple of different ways to style you until you get a little bit longer. So GROW, GROW like the wind!

P.S. Bangs same goes for you....Your driving me NUTS!
 
Jamie

Quite Frankly My Dear.....Review ~ Gone With The Wind part 1

To view my three other posts from this morning please click here (I'm a Secret Santa...How about you?), here (Bloggest Loser) and here (Blog for a Cure Party)

NOTE: This will be a multi-part review due to the length of the book.

So I recently started reading Gone With The Wind, a VERY American classic. I read this quite a few years ago.....while I was still in High School and really liked it. Now I have my own personal copy of ALL 63 chapters of Scarlett and Rhett's story all to myself. I did learn something while I was reading the preface of this book...That there are 2 authorized sequels to Gone With The Wind. See you learn something new everyday!

Alright, so I'm about 126 pages into the book and the only real "complaint" that I have is that I'm not particularly thrilled with the way that the "slaves" dialogue is written. It's a little bit too difficult for my ADD brain to follow/translate sometimes. Scarlett is being...well...Scarlett. So far, she's played one Tarleton twin against the other (one of which she stole from Ashley Wilkes' sister India), learned of Ashley's engagement to Miss Melanie and has been in trouble with Mammy already. The men (especially Scarlett's father Gerald) are talking war....Fort Sumter has been fired on....and Miss Scarlett is none to happy with all this war/secession talk because it isn't her favorite subject, which is....Herself.

Scarlett's mother Ellen is considerably younger (she's 32 and he's 60) than her husband. I also learned while reading, all about how Gerald O'Hara and Ellen met and a little bit about their lives before they became a couple. Scarlett is entirely way toooo much like her father. Scarlett has two younger sisters (Carreen and Suellen) as well as three little brothers who are buried in the family plot. Scarlett is still convinced that Ashley is going to marry her instead of Melanie. She even devises a plan to let him know that she loves while she's at the BBQ/Ball that the Wilkes' family is holding.


We've met Rhett Butler at the Wilkes' BBQ. Apparently, he's got a not so good history and is NOT a man "recieved." Something about a girl, a wrecked carriage and the horse running away....To top it off he refused to marry the girl! He almost started a fight at the Wilkes' BBQ also while trying to convince the rest of the men at the party to not underestimate the Yankee's! Scarlett is the "Belle of the ball" and has pretty much all of the young men veying for her attention.

My Thoughts: Like I said in the beginning not really happy with the "slaves" dialogue...tad difficult to translate/understand in my brain. I'm really happy with the follow of the book...It reads real easy like. You feel like you are there at the Wilkes' BBQ, etc. So far I'm really happy with the book.

The Bloggest Loser

For many years I have struggled to lose just a "few" of my unwanted pounds. A couple of days ago I came across a bloggy group that I am confident will be able to help me attain my goal for myself. That group is called the Bloggest Loser.

My goal for myself is actually a birthday gift to myself (my birthday is actually until February but why wait right?) is to lose about 30 pounds (I probably won't lose it all in that time but some is better than none) and to start living a healthier lifestyle.

Blog for a Cure Party

One of my new followers Who Knew? Reviews is holding a Blog for a Cure party to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am SO in on this...I hope that you too will join us in trying to find a cure for these terrible diseases. Here is the link to the post with all the information you will need in it.

Or even better yet......

Here is the information.....Copied from the blog post about the party.....

Three questions:

Do you want to gain new followers for your blog?
Do you want to help eradicate cancer?
Can you spare $1.00?

If so, then read on.

On Monday, Sept 28- Friday, Oct 2, 2009, Who Knew? Reviews will be hosting the first Annual Blog For A Cure, which is a new way to use social media to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, while making new connections and broadening our social media network.Blood cancers are an aggressive and stealthy enemy. They can and will strike people of all ages, health status, ethnicity, and sex unless we rally together and support the research that is needed to treat and prevent them. I have organized this campaign in honor of a dear family member and fellow young mom who has recently been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and is now fighting for her life. I am sure that each and every one of us can say we know someone who has been affected by these devastating, indiscriminate diseases. Together, we can use our most accessible resource, the internet, to help fight the battle.

It’s pretty simple:

- On September 28th, head over to Who Knew? Reviews, and click on the button to donate $1.00 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you can donate more, please do so, but the minimum to participate is $1.00.

- Then, sign in to Mr. Linky which will be active on the blog at midnight, Sept. 25th. Cruise the list of other participants, visiting a minimum of 5 blogs.

- Click “follow” when you get to those blogs. For each new blog follower that you get, return the “follow”. Feel free to visit and follow each and every other participant that signs in to Mr. Linky- think how many new followers you will receive!

- Feel free to check back all week long to meet new bloggers, and gain new followers!

- On September 28th, post something about the Blog For A Cure Blog Party on your own blog, including the link: www.whoknewreviews.blogspot.com. Feel free to copy and paste this text, and encourage all of your blog readers to do the same.

- If you do not care to gain followers for your blog, you can still will prizes by donating a dollar, and commenting on the prize posts that you want to win.

- If you do not want to donate, you can still help by blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook about this event, to help us spread the word and raise as much money as possible. Just imagine what a difference we could all make, if we all just donated ONE dollar. Just think about it.

And of course, there will be prizes!

Every hour throughout the day on September 28th, I will post a new giveaway on Who Knew? Reviews. Winners will receive prizes from Kolcraft, StephieMc Designs, La Plates, Orglamix mineral makeup, Krizzy Designs, and Boojiboo as well as a few other prizes TBA. There will also be a prize for the person who refers the most participants. When you get to the main link-up post, leave a comment on the with the name of the blogger who told you about the blog party. The blogger who refers the most participants will receive a special, personalized gift from Stephie Mc Designs. If you are interested in sponsoring a prize, please contact me at lanik58@yahoo.com.

I'm a Secret Santa....How about you?

I was out and about checking out my new followers blogs this morning when I came across a link to a Secret Santa "swap" that is being held over at this blog. If you click on the word "this" or the graphic below it will take you to the post with all the directions and 411 you will need to participate.

UGH part duex and "Wordless" Wednesday

I don't know what Blogger's problem is but now I can see who my followers are.  I know I've acquired 3 new followers and now I can't see who they are or visit there blogs.  If your a follower would you please leave me a comment so that I can go and visit your blog and follow you too?

Book Review ~ Michael Perry's Truck: A Love Story

Note: This was orginally posted on June 30 on my old wordpress blog.


For the past week and a 1/2 I have been reading Michael Perry’s book….Truck a Love Story. I only now have found this Wisconsin author and so far I am loving his writing. I am going to keep this review short and sweet because I don’t want to give away too much. Truck is about Michael’s “mission” to get his 1951 International Harvestor truck running and operational by Deer Season (a “holiday” that we take VERY seriously here in Wisconsin). Along the way readers will learn why “seed catalogs are responsible for more unfulfilled fantasies than Enron and Penthouse combined,” why squirrels are evil, a little bit about Mike’s dating life and a little bit about his interesting neighbors.








I really enjoyed this book. Plus the author lives only a few hours north of where I live! I enjoyed this book so much that I can hardly wait to start reading his new book Coop. I’ve heard great things about it. I giggled most of the way through this book because Mike paints such vivid pictures with his words that you can imagine yourself there with him. I hope that you will check this book out!








If you want to visit Mike’s webpage/blog the address is: http://sneezingcow.com/

Confessions of a Country Girl part 6

NOTE: I've added a "UPCOMING EVENTS" spot in my sidebar so that you all can see what's coming up in the future here at Confessions of a Country Girl.

I'm in a work related funk lately. Without going into to many details, I just feel that I right now I'm sort of being singled out and I'm not particularly happy about it. It's not that I don't like my job...I do. It's not a hard job (though there are those who like to make it harder than it has to be) and quite frankly it's basically "busy" work.  All of these unhappy feelings are making it hard for me to get out of bed and actually go to work.  I hate feeling like this.

Well, let's just say that today I as well as a few other of our team members were sent home early because we were pretty much done with all of our work for the day.  We did all the "extra projects" that they had for us yesterday when we got done early with our work load, so there was really nothing left for us to do.  I realize that it's up to my manager to decide that sort of stuff but sending me home early is surely NOT helping me get myself out of debt any sooner either.

UGH!

UGH!

MY ENTIRE LIST OF BLOGS IS GONE! If you were in my list of blogs that I check out leave me a comment and I'll add you back in.

Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Zero Tolerance SPF 45 for Face (Fragrance Free)

NOTE: This was orginally posted on June 4 on my old wordpress blog.

Note: The photo in this post is of the sunscreen for your body….They didn’t have a photo of the sunscreen for your face available on the webpage.

I purchased this sunscreen because I had a cyst removed from my right leg a couple days before Valentine’s day and had 3 stitches in my leg. The doctor reccommended that I put sunscreen on it this summer or I stood the risk of skin discoloration. I’ve already got that from my 3rd degree rope burn that I got my Junior year of high school so I thought I would skip it all together.

I am totally in lust with this sunscreen! It is sooooo worth the $12 I paid for it. It doesn’t leave my skin oily, like some of the other sunscreen’s I’ve used in the past and it’s fragrance free for those of us who get really bad headaches or migraines. Plus, it protects UVA and UVB rays….Which helps keep skin looking great!

I’ve been using it for several weeks now and I’m very happy with the results that I’ve seen so far. Plus, if your headed to Bath and Body Works they are having a super huge sale! I was just there this morning and I got a couple of things and paid what I would have paid for 1 item on the item’s that I purchased….and as an added bonus I got a coupon for 20% off my total purchase starting July 6!

Bath and Body Works True Blue Naked Cotton Dress Light Shea Butter Lotion

NOTE: This was originally posted on May 22 on my old wordpress blog.

The other day when I was out doing a little bit of shopping for myself I hit Bath and Body Works….A store that I absolutely LOVE but sometimes just doesn’t love me back (crazy scents give me migraines). Initially, I was just going to go in the store and look around but then the sales associate came and started talking to me. She asked me if I was looking for anything special and I said “not really, just trying to look for a lotion in a fun scent that won’t give me a migraine.” This sent the sales associate into an “ah ha” moment and told me all about this product.

At first I’ll be honest, I was a little bit skeptical…This winter has been really hard on my skin, leaving it really dry and leaving me in a rather pissy mood sometimes because I hate having really dry skin. But I did purchase a bottle of this lotion and I LOVE it.

The scent isn’t terribly strong….Which is good for me….I hate migraines and they hate me right back. It’s a nice and light lotion, not real “goopy” and thick like some of the other products I have tried out there. The Shea Butter is leaving my skin nice and soft too. It’s a little bit on the pricey ($15) side but it is so worth every penny that I spent on it.

If your looking for a light and “fluffy” lotion this summer to keep your skin hydrated and super soft I highly recommend this lotion. You won’t be sorry, especially if your not a big fan of “overpowering” scents.

Book Review ~ Fool by Christopher Moore

NOTE: This was orginally posted on June 4 over at my old wordpress blog.

I’m a big time reader and I just recently finished this book. Fool is a Christopher Moore’s own “wicked” poke at William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Now this book is NOT for the faint of heart. There is even a warning at the front of the book that reads: “This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity, as well as non-traditional grammar, split infinitives, and the odd wank. If that sort of thing bothers you then gentle reader pass by, for we endeavor only to entertain, not to offend. That said, if that’s the sort of thing you think you might enjoy, then you happened upon the perfect story!” In the beginning the language was a little bit hard to interpret but as the story went along it was easier to the language became much easier to follow. This story was VERY engaging…At least for me it was. I hope that you check this book out!

The main character is Pocket, who has been Lear’s much cherished fool for many years. Being so trusted Pocket is at his master’s side when Lear demands that his three daughters swear to him their undying love and absolute devotion. Naturally, the snakes, Goneril and Regan are only too happy to tell daddy exactly what he wants to hear. But Lear’s third daughter Cordelia believes that her father’s request is to be blunt…kind of stupid and her blunt honesty gets banished and she also forfits her share of Lear’s kingdom as well.

Now the shit has really hit the fan. And the only person who can make it right? Pocket. Now he’s going to have to use some pretty fancy “foot work” (casting a few spells, start a war or two…the usual basic stuff) to get Cordelia back into Lear’s good graces, derail the evil power plays of Cordelia’s evil sisters and shag every single shaggable women who’s agreeable along the way.

Now Pocket may be a fool . . . but he’s definitely not an idiot. Especially when you come to the end and learn a little bit more about our dear friend Pocket.

Book Review ~ Forgiven (Sisters of the Heart)

NOTE: Over the next few days I have review's scheduled that I'm bringing over from my old wordpress blog. PLUS, I'm in the process of reading Gone With The Wind and working on a review as I go along...Ought to right interesting!

This is the story of John Lundy's (one of the characters from Wanted) little sister, Winnie. Winnie is injured in a barn fire and while Winnie is in the hospital she must rely on Amish -turned - English Sam Miller. While Winnie is dealing with her feelings for Sam, her brother John is dealing with his own dilemma. I was so very sad when I came to the end of this book. The series as a whole was excellent in my opinion and I didn't want to see it come to an end. I really like this author too. But being as I'm terrible with words when it comes to these sorts of blog posts so as usual I'm going to let Barnes and Noble tell you about this book.

Tragedy strikes­—a brother and sister find themselves facing a situation that will shape the rest of their lives.
When a fire destroys the Lundys' barn, Winnie is injured trying to get the animals to safety. Confined to a hospital for weeks, out of touch with her loved ones who live too far away to visit by buggy, she must depend on Englisher Samuel Miller to keep her company. Though his family is part of Winnie's tight-knit Amish community, Samuel left years earlier to pursue a university education. Through conversations, and Samuel's dedication to her recovery, a friendship forms. But despite their growing attraction, Winnie knows it can never develop into something more as long as Samuel chooses to remain in the outside world.
When Winnie returns home, she finds her brother, Jonathan, struggling with his own dilemma. Cigarette butts were discovered in the debris of the barn and Jonathan is determined to find out who is responsible for destroying his property and putting his family at risk. But in a community founded on grace and forgiveness, will his unwillingness to move on eat away at the trust that is the foundation of their lives?

Book Review ~ Wanted (Sisters of the Heart)

This is book 2 in the Sisters of the Heart series that I just got done reading. This book is about Anna's (the main character from Hidden) Amish friend Katie Brennemen. I really enjoyed this book as well. Let's just say that Katie isn't afraid to speak her mind even if it means ticking off some people. But she's also a little bit afraid that her past is going to haunt her forever. Again, I am not so good with words when it comes to describing books and all that fun stuff so I'm going to again let Barnes and Noble tell you about Wanted.


For a split second, Katie feels certain she's about to receive everything she's ever wanted. . .
Twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has always quietly fancied Jonathan Lundy. So when the brokenhearted widower asks her to help him take care of his two young girls, Katie knows it will be a trying time—yet she cannot pass up a golden opportunity to get to know this man better.
Just as she's settling into her new life, a message arrives from Katie's past, threatening to expose her darkest secrets. During her Rumspringa, her running-around years, she experimented with activities forbidden in the Amish way of life. Frightened by how far she'd strayed from her values, Katie ran back home, vowing to cut all ties with the outside world. Now her transgressions are coming back to haunt her, just as Jonathan seems willing to welcome her into his heart.
Will the past destroy Katie's chances for love? Or will Katie allow herself to accept God's love, forgive her past, and receive everything she's ever wanted?

Read the review for Hidden.

And this is what happens when I window shop....

NOTE: I posted TWICE today....Just wanted to put that out there for y'all.

You get a little "taste" of what I like....which in some cases could be considered "scary." Let's start with Old Navy shall we?! If you click on the images it will take you directly to the page for that product.

Women's Sateen Roll-Sleeve Camp Shirts - $24.50 comes in an assortment of colors

Women's The Diva Distressed Flared-Leg Jeans - $34.50 comes in 2 washes

Let's move on to Sheplers....I LOVE me some western wear!

Montana Silversmiths barbed wire watch - $130.00

Farm Girl Stud Whisperer screen print tee - $24.00

East West double pocket leather handbag - $60 (I'm not usually a pink kind of girl but I really like this bag!)

Silver jeans - Frances - $74.00 (I am in LUST with Silver Brand Jeans!)Tough Enough to Wear Pink cap - regularly $21.99 on sale for $18.99

Book Review ~ Hidden (Sisters of the Heart)

A coworker of mine told me about this book and lent it to me to read last week. At first I was a little bit skeptical.....An "english" girl runs away from an abusive relationship to a Bed and Breakfast run by her friend and her family....Kicker they're Amish. But the more of the book that I read the more I understood the reason behind my coworker telling me about this book. It ended up being a very good book and I could hardly wait to read the other 2 books in the series. I'll be honest I have a really hard time coming up with the right words, etc. to describe books, movies, music, and all that fun stuff....so I'm going to let Barnes and Noble tell you about this book.

When Anna decides it's time to leave her abusive boyfriend, she doesn't know where to turn. Rob has completely won over her parents, and the entire community, with his good looks and smooth charm. Only Anna has seen his dark side.
Desperate, she runs to the only place she's ever felt completely safe—the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. The family welcomes her in, and with few questions asked allows her to stay, dressed in Plain clothing, and help around the inn.
Katie's older brother Henry is the only one who doesn't take too kindly to the intrusion. He tries to ignore Anna, knowing no good would ever come from caring for an Englisher like her. But as he gets to know Anna, he discovers her good heart and is surprised with her readiness to accept their lifestyle.
The more time Anna spends with the Amish, the more she feels she's found a true home. But how can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man from her past?

Happy Naked Hugh Jackman Day!

Today is THE DAY! X-Men Origins: Wolverine is out on DVD today! So to pay homage to Wolverine....I give you a little Hugh Jackman!

I can HARDLY WAIT to watch the bonus features for this movie! Oh and there will be a giveaway on SUNDAY too!

Make it a great one!

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,

If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,

If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,(this is a tough one)

If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without adult beverages,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs...

. .then you are probably The Family Dog!

Just Like a Dog

Handle every situation like a dog....

If you can't Eat it or Screw it,



Piss on it and Walk Away.

Tasty Kitchen

I don't know if anyone else out there follows PW's blog. If you do she's totally AWESOME don't you think?! Anyway moving on....PW has a new little venture going on. It's called Tasty Kitchen, it's a place where the members can share their favorite recipes with the rest of the board, PLUS you can see what's going on in Ree's kitchen as well. I've found a whole bunch of really AWESOME recipes on this board that I can hardly wait to try!

Plus, as another added bonus....Ree's cookbook comes out on October 27th! I know that I will be purchasing a copy for myself...I can hardly wait!

Just a little update

Well today is grandma's funeral. Kind of a downer day. But she lived a great life and that will be celebrated that's one thing that I know for sure.

My mom and I did really well with our photography at the fair. My mom won the Special Merit Award in the class for the second year in a row. Between the both of us we only had a couple of photographs that did not place at all.

My cousin's showed pigs for the first time this year at the fair. Before this year I've never actually seen how pigs are shown but it was very interesting and the boys did VERY well for their first year....Second and Third place respectively in their classes. I've got a bunch of pictures from the showing that I'll be blogging about within the next couple of days.

Have a great day everyone!

We got the call....

We got the yesterday evening that great grandma has passed. I'll be completely honest here...I'm kind of glad that she's gone. She suffered for a week before it finally became to much for her. We're not quite sure when the wake and the funeral are for sure. So I might be absent from blogging for a couple of days.

I can hardly wait until regular season starts

My 8X10 entry's for the fair

Here are the photo's that I've decided to use as my 8X10 entries for the fair this coming week. I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what you think.

This one is my Landscape entry

This is my Any Subject Black and White

This one is my Any Other entry...I think I'm going to title this one "Water Under The Bridge."

This one is my Animals entry