Picture Time: August Edition!

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the month of August:



I also wanted to mention: I am in the process of upgrading my photography equipment! I'm way more excited about this that I probably should be, but I really want to go back to school to finish out my photography degree. Without the new goodies, I wouldn't be able to consider school. I can't wait!

Book Review: "Hope in a Jar"

"Hope in a Jar" by Beth Harbison

This book follows the lives of two friends, Allison and Olivia. It takes you on the journey of their friendship (and the lack of...) over the course of 30+ years. After not seeing or speaking to one another since a falling out way-back-when in high school, they're 20th class reunion brings them back together.

After the reunion, they go about their separate lives. That is, until they discover a mutual male friend is going to marry their high schools former "Mean Girl". It must be stopped! Allie and Liv plot together to make he see the truth about his new fiance. Along the way, the women discover things about themselves and get in touch with their true feelings about everything.

Would I recommend this book?

Depends. It's an easy, humorous read... but it has no real deep plot. It jumps around a lot and it's sometimes hard to follow.

Towards the end, the story takes a serious turn and some people (like me) may get a little angry about how the author portrays the situation - I won't say what the situation was, but it just irritated me that people (albeit fictional) would handle things that way.

What makes the book worth it is the tag lines from 80's beauty products (think Love’s Baby Soft perfume, Watermelon Lip Smackers, and Sun-In) that grace the beginning of the chapters. They cracked me up.

Book Review: "Can You Keep A Secret?"

"Can You Keep A Secret?" by Sophie Kinsella



Everything is on the right track for Emma Corrigan. She has a great job with a looming promotion, a great boyfriend. Everything is wonderfully perfect for Emma... until it isn't.

After blowing her big chance to show her boss why she deserves a promotion, she meets a stranger on her flight back to London. When the flight hits turbulence, Emma spills all of her secrets to this stranger - only to learn later that he is the big-shot owner of Panther Cola, the company Emma works for.

After her secrets are revealed in a not so discreet manor, Emma needs to fight her way back into the good graces of pretty much everyone.

Would I recommend this book?
There is no real plot to this book or anything, but it's a good humorous read. So if you're looking for something that's an easy, mindless read - yes, read it. If you want something with a deep, complex plot, this isn't the book for you.

Kinsella is also the author of the "Shopaholic" series - so if you're a fan of those books, you'll also like this.

New Look

#80: Get brave and change up my hair

I did it. It wasn't easy, but it's done. All it took was hiding the mirror from me so I couldn't freak out about the changes being made.

I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but then again, I haven't had my hair this short in... oh I don't know... over 10 years? It's certainly going to take some getting used to.

Oh and did I mention that the color is also completely different? Yep.

Looking for book recommendations

I'm looking for book recommendations and I want YOUR help!

I've been stuck in a funny, chick-lit rut as of late, and I'd like to change it up a bit. I'm looking for recs on some more serious books, you know, so I can feel all "grown up" and such. I really liked my recent "Firefly Lane" read, so books similar to that would be nice.

I'm really up for anything to be honest.

Just one book or a website full of recs - I'll take whatever you've got!

Either leave a comment or shoot me an email if you have my address! I look forward to seeing what everyone recommends.

Book Review: "Bitter is the New Black"

"Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office" by Jen Lancaster

This is the memoir of Jen Lancaster. It's hilarious from start to finish. Her one liners and comebacks cracked me up to the point of almost-tears a few time.

"Bitter is the New Black" follows Jen on her journey from rich company VP to the unemployment office. There's never a dull moment either. I wish I had half of her confidence, I usually keep my snarky commentary to myself, but she just airs it all out.

Would I reccommend this book?
Yes! It's a good, funny read. I can't wait to read for from Jen Lancaster.

ReMik's Jewelry: An Esty.com Rec

I took a trip to the next town over today where they were having an annual festival. Along with the regular fest activities, they also have an arts & crafts area and a street fair. You never know what you're going to find.

This year seemed to fill the booths with handmade jewelry (which was ridiculously priced BTW) and anything and everything that could be made to house solar lights. I can honestly say that the jewelry was overpriced because I've made some myself in the past, so there's no way that they should sell for that much - I mean some of these placed were making up to a 300% profit, that's a bit much!

That said, it didn't stop me from making a purchase... **hangs head in shame**

There was a booth that was selling jewelry made from real live flowers. Yep, it was pretty neat. They use primarily orchids and roses, but other flowers as well - they coat them in polyurethane to preserve them in their lifelike state and transform them into jewelry. They also make pendants out of butterfly wings (don't worry, they're not killing them, they use ones that they find that are already dead --- still a little weird) - they are really gorgeous, but a little gawdy for my liking.

Anywho, this is what I purchased:


It's a real Vanda Orchid. Actual size is about that of a quarter. I love it. A lot.

They have a ton of beautiful pieces. You can check out their stuff on Etsy or check out their website.

Those are some BIG boats

Today my husband and I braved the ungodly hot weather to check out some Tall Ships in the Bay of Green Bay. It was a site to see, that's for sure.


There were 13 ships there in total, most of them were HUGE and very cool. You could board most of them and take tours, but the lines were super long - and when it 90 degrees and humid like you would not believe, the lines were not even close to fun. So we only got on board two of the ships - one smaller one; The Niagra. Then the ship that was in Pirates of the Caribbean 2; The Bounty.

It was really something else to see all these ships up close. I got sort of snap happy with my camera and managed to take a few hundred photos while in the 2 hours we were there. I haven't looked through them all yet, but here are a few....

Some of the ships from the Ray Nitschke Bridge:

The Bounty:Some completely ridiculous Jack Sparrow wannabe, complete with cropped out strangers kid:

After I have time to sift through all my pictures, I'll make another post with all of my favorites.

If you every have the opportunity to see this many ships in an area near you, DO IT! It's so neat and worth the time!

Book Review: "Firefly Lane"

"Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah




"Firefly Lane" follows the friendship of two women, Tully Hart and Kate Mularky, from start to finish. Their emotional journey begins in 1974 when they first meet at age 14 - when Tully is the popular new girl in town and Kate is the outcast would give anything to be like her.

Even though Kate thinks Tully has it all, she wants more; both girls want one thing: More.

Their friendship grows through high school, college and beyond - with Tully determined to lead the way. Eventually their lives take different paths. Kate wants a family, Tully wants fame. Even though they both get what they want - they still both want more. This story follows them on their individual journeys, but always brings them back together, no matter what. They are always there for one another, always TullyandKate/KateandTully - The Firefly Lane Girls.

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely! 100 times YES! Read.This.Book.

I first read about this book on two blogs that I follow, both gave rave reviews so I added it to my reading list. Ironically enough, both of the reviews came from pregnant women - I must say, those two deserve a medal for getting through this book with all those extra hormones. Why, you ask? HOLY EMOTIONAL!!!! If you choose to read this book, get the tissues ready. Wow, my husband must have thought I was nuts crying like that over a book.

"Firefly Lane" has made it into my Top 5 book list. A must read in my opinion.

Take A Kid Fishing...

or take three... that is what my Mom and I did this morning. Good times!


My Mom and I took my 2 nephews and one of my nieces to a private pond where the fish bit faster than you could bait the hooks. It was seriously ridiculous! My Mom spent her time putting worms on and removing fish, while I helped the kids cast out, reel in and made sure they didn't take a nose dive off the dock.

The pond doesn't hold large fish by any means, mostly Blue Gil and Perch; some small Bass. That didn't matter, the kids were excited, no matter the size of the fish!

Here is my niece with the largest catch of the day (which she refused to actually touch!):

Mission Complete!

I actually finished up this project a few weeks ago, but I'm a little slow on updating!

So, here is my finished baby quilt:


I finished the whole thing over the course of about 2 days. I plan to order a custom embroidered tag that I will sew onto the back side - it will read "Baby Lastname est. 2010"

This thing is so soft that I'm considering making a fullsize flannel quilt for myself!

Book Review: "Honeymoon"

I know, I know.... I've been a total slacker lately when it comes to reviewing books. I've still been reading, but mostly online "Fan Fiction". Fan Fic is a great creative outlet and has sucked me in!

Also, a little note: I've noticed in my earlier book reviews that I seem to give away an awful lot about the books I read. I'm going to make an effort to not be such a book-spoiler from now on. I guess I just get carried away. So no more of that.

Anyways, I'm trying to get back to more actual books. So here it goes!


"Honeymoon" is meant to be a thriller of sorts. The main mantra of the book is "things aren't always as the appear" - and that certainly holds true throughout the entire book.

The story follows a woman, Nora Sinclair, on her path to become a self-made billionaire.... by murdering wealthy men. When the FBI catches on, an investigation begins. FBI John O'Hara finds himself a little too deep into the situation. This causes a lapse in judgment that could blow all of their hard work.

As I got further and further into the book, I found myself flipping backwards to put together pieces of the puzzle. There were a few points that really just threw me for a loop. All of a sudden, a "light bulb" would go on and I would be like "ohhhhhh, James Patterson, you clever guy, you...".

Would I recommend this book?
This isn't a book that I would normally choose for myself. My Mom actually lent it to me a few months ago and I just finally got around to reading it. While the story itself was good, I think that there could have been more cliffhangers and more drama.

So would I tell you to run it out and read it? Probably not. But if you're looking for a quick read, get to it!

Tall Ships Festival

Next weekend brings the Tall Ships to my area. Green Bay, WI is lucky enough to be one of the 6 stops on this unique Great Lakes tour. The ships came last year as well, but I didn't make it there. Who knows if we'll be lucky enough to host again in 2011, so I'll be there this year for sure!

You can read more about the Festival here.

I'm pretty pumped to tour all of the ships - I believe there are 13 in all. I'm even MORE excited about all the potential photo opportunities! I keep hearing on the radio about one of the ships being used in a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie, but I'm not sure which one - I'm sure they'll have signs or something.

I'll share photos at some point after August 15th!