Book Review: "Little Bitty Lies"

"Little Bitty Lies" by Mary Kay Andrews

This book was very similar to the last chick lit book I read, "The Devil in the Junior League".

"Little Bitty Lies" is about a 30 something woman, Mary Bliss MacGowan and her ups and downs. She finds out one night that her husband, Parker, has up and left her and her 17 year old daughter, Erin, in the middle of the night. Leaving them with nothing but mounds of debt.

Terrified of what will happen to her and Erin, Mary Bliss and her oddball friend (and neighbor) Katherine hatch a plan to collect on Parkers life insurance policy money. Off to Mexico they go for some shady happenings. Of course nothing can go as planned, but they end up with a Mexican death certificate and MB ends up with a nasty head wound.

Back home in Alabama, the ploy continues with a funeral sans body. Parkers ailing mother is none to pleased, and is doing her best to convince everyone that her only son is still alive. Mary Bliss' relationship with her over-sexed daughter gets worse by the hour and MB is having a hard time keeping the truth from her.

Through all of this, Mary Bliss has drawn the attention of her neighbor, Randy - who's looking for a second wife - and an ex-cop turned private investigator, Matt - who's shady but oh so attractive. Putting aside the fact that she's still married, things get a little interesting.

When Parkers mother passes away, Erin gets arrested and Parker makes an appearance, it seems as though everything will work out for Mary Bliss. Will Parker get effed over like he should? I know the answer, but if you want to know - go read the book! :o)

Overall, I found this book hilarious. Although how Mary Bliss doesn't end up in prison is beyond me. Last time I checked, insurance fraud was a pretty big deal! Oh well, that's fiction for you I guess. Either way, it's worth reading in my opinion.

Stained Glass is Pretty

#38: Take a stained glass making class

Between this weekend and next weekend, I will be learning how to make a small stained glass window. It's something I've always wanted to try, and thanks to my wonderful husband and his awesome Valentines Day gift, I'm finally doing it!

I started on Saturday with a 5 hour class at the Glass Haus. We learned all the basics, which was interesting. Now I have homework (I know right? I thought homework ended in college!) to complete by next Saturday. I'll most likely be going there on Thursday night to get some of my glass edges ground down to be nice and smooth.

My sister was nice enough to take the class with me, and of course (like everything else), she's good at it!! She just has a knack for everything crafty. That's ok, I'm doing surprisingly well at this whole glass thing as well.

For now, I still have all my fingers and I intend to keep it that way.

Here's a preview of my project so far:

I spent my Sunday morning cutting out my glass. On Thursday I'll go in a grind down my edges, then on Saturday I get to solder everything together and frame it! I'm really excited to see it all finished.

Maybe if this goes well, I'll take the class that teaches me how to make a lamp next!

Picture Time: February Edition

Goal #52: Add 5 excellent photos to my portfolio, every month for a year.

I won't lie, Wisconsin is not very pretty in winter, nice photos are hard to come by. When it's not dark, it's either snowing or it's so dreary that nothing photographs well. I made due with what I had and came up with a few decent photos. They are a far cry from the beauty that is Mexico!

(Image quality and size have been reduced to deter photo swiping!)

A random dose of cuteness....

"MOM!! I want my Greenie now pleeeeaaase!!"


Love me some Oscar. :o)

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

#45: Try 30 new recipes.

Check another one off that list.

I was searching for "picky eater friendly" recipes, and I've always wanted to try Baked Mac & Cheese. That led me to the Food Network site and their overwhelming plethora of recipes. Where I came across Alton Browns Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe. With a tweak or 2 (I used fresh garlic instead of onion) I thought this might be a good fit for my picky eater and I.

While I wouldn't call it "successful", it certainly wasn't horrible. To me it seemed to be a bit bland. I actually think it tasted better re-heated.

If I make it again, I think I'll cut the recipe in half because this made a HUGE batch (2 quart dish):

We had it with kitchen cut green beans, next time I'm thinking about adding chicken to the recipe for the protein factor. I think that might give it the flavor it's missing also.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Ok, I didn't win a chicken dinner... but I did win 50 Free 4x6 pro quality prints! It's not much, but it's something.

Remember that Photography Contest I entered?

I FREAKING WON!

How crazy is that? On my first try, I wasn't expecting that. You can see my photo on the Weekly Winners page: HERE

Gold Star for me!

I actually enjoy reading...

Since the wedding has been over, I've really been searching for something to fill my spare time. So, I've started to read again. With 2 book quickly under my belt, goal #48 should be pretty easy to complete.

#48: Read 12 new books.

Well, I picked up 2 more! I finished 2 books in 3 weeks, so I actually considered picking up 3... I think I'll stick to 2 for now.

What did I get you ask? Well, I've discovered that I'm drawn to books that have bright green covers.. weird I know. I'm kind of like a crow with shiny things.

That's why I got this book: "Little Bitty Lies" by Mary Kay Andrews


I'm also stuck on John Saul. I love everything about every book of his I've read (yes, it's only been 2 so far, but that's besides the point!)

Here's to hoping "House of Reckoning" by John Saul doesn't disappoint!


Book reviews to follow when I've completed the books.

Donating forgotten things

#41: Give clothes to Goodwill at least twice

The first time is under way, with one large box almost full. I'm just waiting on my husband to get on the ball and toss in the things he would like to get rid of.

With our bathroom renovation coming up fast, I needed to get my closet cleaned up (since we're taking space from the closet to enlarge the bathroom). It took me a good 3 hours to clean out, and it's not even that big! I spent a lot of time organizing when it really didn't pay - all the stuff is coming out next weekend anyway! Oh well, it made me temporarily feel good.

I doesn't look like much of a change, but here are the before and after pics:
And here is the pile of stuff that I'm parting with, trust me, for me this is a good pile - I'm such a packrat is ridiculous:
We'll probably make our 2nd donation after the annual family rummage sale in summer. Whatever doesn't sell will go to Goodwill.

It's Gonna Happen!

#36: Complete our bathroom re-model by June 2010

Actually, it's going to happen much sooner than anticipated. The decision was made to hire the pros instead of DIYing, like we had originally planned. Hopefully it's for the best!

The entire layout of the bathroom is going to be changed, walls moved, vents moved, window closed off - re-built from top to bottom, new everything. It's pretty exciting!

It's looking like we're going to get things started in about 2 to 3 weeks. I'm oddly excited, I can't wait to be not grossed out when I want to take a bath (which I've never done in the 3 years we've lived here).

Without further delay, here are the horrendous before pictures:

The view from the door (which is also being moved). This bathroom is mega narrow - I can't even spread my arms apart from wall to wall, I can lean on one wall and put a flat palm on the other.
This is the view from the other end of the room. The wall on the left of the photo is being pushed out - taking space from a closet - to widen the room.


Here the current fixtures. Why anyone would think that chalky blue colored sinks, tubs and toilets were a good idea is beyond me. And the black counter top? Really? Also, I hate oak. I find it's graininess too busy.


Here are some examples of what moisture build up does to dry wall that's not meant to go in a bathroom. The moron that did the bathroom the last time around didn't put in a fan. Genius. It's gross.


And I've saved the best for last. The 5' tall "tile" paneling that is on all the walls. It's black, pink, and purple. Fantastic I tell you.


Needless to say, anything will be better than this bathroom. It's bad, but I can't wait for it to get better.

I'll be posting pictures throughout the re-model, keep an eye out for updates!

Book Review: In The Dark of Night

"In The Dark of Night" by John Saul

This book is what I would call a "psychological thriller" - always throwing you for a loop and leaving you second guessing your assumptions.

"In The Dark of Night" is based in Wisconsin, so I found myself connecting the places and happenings to real places and events. That really helped make the story come alive for me, I wish more books were this way!

The book is based around three teenage boys - Eric, Tad and Kent - who are on summer vacation with their families, staying at lake house rentals in the WI Northwoods. They had big plans for the summer, the plans mostly including partying and girls - none of which really worked out.

Eric and his family wind up renting a house (Pinecrest) that has been vacant for 7 years since the previous owner just up and vanished - he was never found. Eric's worry-wort mother is apprehensive about everything at first, and she has every right to be. Eric's friends were in the next two houses down, so they spent every waking minute together.

In a time of boredom, the three boys decide to search the old carriage house that lies on Pinecrests' property. Inside, they discover a strange storage room that leaves them wanting to search for answers about what's hidden inside. The stumble across a bricked up hidden room that contains odd items that really don't make any sense. While in this hidden room, time has no meaning and they wind up spending endless amounts of time in there trying to make sense of it's contents.

Once things start coming together, strange things start happening in town. The happenings correlate with vivid dreams that the three boys are having, leaving them wondering if all of it was real or not. After some research, they discover that the houses previous owner, Dr. Hector Darby, had some strange habits. He worked a facility with the criminally insane - which they in turn believed made him insane himself. When the boys realize what is happening, they try to stop it before it's too late.

I will say, the beginning of this book is a bit dry and boring, but once you get into it and start understanding what's going on - it gets really good!

#15: Enter A Photography Contest

#15: Enter A Photography Contest

Well, it's done. I sent in a photo - my goal was to enter, not to win! However, of course I'm hoping for the best.

I entered this beauty (minus watermark as per contest rules):I will find out on Friday if I've won or not. This is a weekly contest, so even if I don't win I can always enter again. It is run through a local photographer and the contest was just started at the beginning of 2010. It's really neat to watch the weekly winners for someone you might know, I never knew so many local people had such talent!

*fingers crossed for beginners luck!*

Vitamins are confusing..

There's just so many to choose from!

How is a person supposed to know what's best for them? I wish there were fewer choices, the Vitamin aisle at Target is too intimidating.

I mean I could go with what my wallet is telling me and just buy the cheap generics, but then do they have everything I need? Or do I go with the ones that I see advertisements for all the time.... if it's on TV it has to be true, right? Ok, maybe not, but still.

I'm thinking about just getting the Flinstones gummy vitamins and calling it a day!

Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Book Review: "The Devil in the Junior League"

"The Devil in the Junior League" by Linda Francis Lee

I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book! It's really not something I would normally read, yet I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than a week.

Here's my re-cap, hopefully I won't give too much away:

"The Devil in the Junior League" is about late-twenties, former Texas debutante - Frede (pronounced Freddy) Hildebrand Ware. She is a prestigious, high ranking member of the Willow Creek Junior League - a society of "high-class" women that come from old money. Frede was happily married.. or so she thought ... to Gordon Ware, a lawyer who never seems to work and instead travels the world for weeks at a time.

Frede discovers her husbands unfaithfulness along with a tangle of lies. She also discovers that her husbands handling of her finances was less than ideal, to say the least. Out of desperation, she turns to her neighbor - Howard Grout, a well known attorney - for help in hopes of keeping her lack-of-funds, scum-bag husband situation on the down low.

She finds out that nothing comes easy and she needs to help Howard Grouts white-trash wife, Nikki, get into the Junior League. No easy task, but it makes for good humor in this light hearted book.

Through her journey to reclaim her money, find her husband and turn Nikki into junior league material - Frede finds a side of herself that no one knew existed. While transforming Nikki, she also transforms herself.

Did I mention she also meets a drop-dead gorgeous guy? "Jesus Lordy" (as Nikki would say), the images those descriptions put into my mind.....

"The Devil in the Junior League" by Linda Francis Lee is what I would call hilarious chick-lit. If that's your cup of tea, it's definitely worth checking out!

Brown Baggin' It

#57: Bring lunch to work everyday for 2 weeks

I just have to make it through Thursday and Friday, then there's a check for that! Yay!

I normally eat out at least once during my 4-day work week, sometimes even twice. And for someone trying to save money, that's a big no-no! I guess I'm just not a left-overs type of person, food never tastes the same re-heated and well, I'm far to lazy to make myself a sandwich!

In an effort to save more money, I'm going to try my best to bring lunch to work for the whole month of February! That should be a challenge, but as long as I keep up on grocery shopping I think I'll be ok.

I hope it tastes as good as it smells!

#45: Try 30 new recipes.

I've been looking for more ways to use my crock pot. Nooner, a fellow "niner", mentioned a pot roast - so I thought "what the hell? I'll give it a shot."

I'm following this recipe: Marie's Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast using my large 6 Quart Programmable Crock Pot.


Let me tell you, it smells freaking FANTASTIC so far. I should have made it on a day when I wasn't home, I'm starving and the smell is driving me nuts!

Here's what the fantastic smell looks like so far:


Let me tell you something, in 5 hours when it's done - it better taste good, or I'm going to be really disappointed!

It's like riding a bike!

#24: Get a library card. CHECK!

I haven't had a library card since grade school. Sad, but true. However, I still remember my way around the place - it certainly hasn't changed much since I was inside last. I was in and out with my new library card and 2 new books to read in about 30 minutes. Libraries are too quiet for me to spend long amounts of time in - so in and out is best for me.

That leads me to this:
#48: Read 12 new books.

Well, I picked up 2! I have 4 weeks to get them back to the library and I hope to actually finish them before then.

So what did I get?

I got "The Devil in the Junior League" by Linda Francis Lee


It's not my usual cup of tea, but the little bit I read in the library had me holding back laughter. I started reading immediately when I got home. Now 5 chapters in, I must say, it's pretty darn good! I re-cap when I finish reading it.

I also picked up "In the Dark of Night" by John Saul.


I've read some of John Sauls books in the past, and they always keep me on my toes. I can't wait to delve into this book. Again, a re-cap to come when I'm done.