Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

You all know my feelings on Beautiful Disaster, I heart this book!!

If you haven't had a chance to read it yet.  Do it.  Now.

Walking Disaster (WD) is the males POV of Beautiful Disaster (BD), which I soooo loved! As soon as I finished BD, I immediately picked up WD.

(Don't you just love the cover! Drool...)

In WD, you don't have the initial *shock factor* that we all had in BD, BUT I might even go as far to say (knowing what I know now) that I loved this book even more coming from his POV.

Mostly because in BD, I constantly felt myself saying "What is Travis thinking?"  "What is going on?!"  "Why aren't they communicating?!?!!"....."Gaa...!!!"....

I LOVED every.single.minute of it!

Walking Disaster, the males POV was written perfectly.

Sure, you don't get as many of play by play details of every day life, that we got coming from Abby's POV, but really this was so point on!  I mean, really...what man does a play by play of day to day actions, unless it's sex related, and believe me - Travis gives us more of that too!

In Beautiful Disaster, the sex scenes were more on the lighter side of what I'm used too, but it was done in a sweet, tasteful way.  This is an older audience (IMO) YA novel, and you also have to keep in mind that Abby isn't as experienced as some, so once again - perfectly done.

Another thing I felt myself gasping at - As you read WD - You get WAY more insight to certain somethings and situations that you didn't even really realize you were missing out on in BD, but don't you worry, Travis is here to clear all that up for you! And he soooo does, and you'll find yourself liking/loving him more and more, even though you'll still find yourself saying "Awe" and "OMG" and "What is she doing?!" and "Why aren't they communicating?!?!!" and "Gaaaa!!!"

Or maybe that's just me.

I doubt that!

Loved this book.  So. Much.

The ending really got me too. *Sigh*

5 stars!!! 

Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire

I HEART this book!  I heart Abby and Travis....but mostly, I just heart Travis.  *Sigh*

I had the hardest time putting this book down.  

I DEVOURED this book. 

Stayed up until 3am fighting off the sleepy monster, to figure out how in the heck it would all end.  *Sigh*

During the duration of the book, I felt like I was on a roller coaster.  It was gut clenching. The highs were high and the lows were low.  (Did you hear me say "low" in a baritone's voice?  Because that's what I did *Wink*)

Abby and Travis are both stubborn, adorable, irritating, lovable, yet somehow perfect together.

So what's it about?

Abby, is a new college student, who's moved away from home, trying to escape her past (more like run from it), and wanting to start anew.

When arriving to college with her best-friend, she mets the "lean, cut and covered in tattoos" (Oh, la-la) Travis.  He's also a college student, attending the same University, but is more known for being a fighter/bad boy/man-whore.  The type most of us girls would eat up!  Am I right?!  Right.

Travis is exactly the type Abby is attracted to and is desperately trying to stay away from, but Travis is drawn to Abby and ends up making her a bet.  

If Abby wins, Travis has to abstain from sex for a month, but if she loses, she has to LIVE with him for a month.

This book is exactly what the title says - Beautiful Disaster and I LOVED every.single.minute of it!

One minute, I felt like my heart couldn't grow any bigger, and the next, I felt like it had been ripped out and stomped on.

So when I said "roller coaster", I meant it.  I laughed, got angry....at one point, I even wanted to put my Nook down and have a real good cry, because I was soooo upset (!!), but of course, I couldn't do that. That would mean that I'd have to stop reading!

This book will entrap you. 

What's even better?  You'll love every single moment of it, and when it's all over, "The End", you'll be thinking about it even more, and loving it even more than when you were reading it and *might* even consider re-reading it again!

Beautiful Disaster - Was 5 Stars for me!  5 friggin' stars!!

Sylvia Day's Crossfire Series Books (Bared to You, Reflected in You, Entwined with You)

I was introduced to Sylvia Day's, Crossfire Series, after searching for something that could get me over my Fifty Shades of Grey (FSOG) book hangover.  I ended up finding this recommendation list, and after doing a search through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, Bared to You, was the book that kept popping up.

I really enjoyed reading through Maryse's list though, and she seems to like a lot of the same books I like, so after seeing how passionate she was about this book, I knew this was the next read for me!

Let me just say...she was soooo right!  It's like she knows me (!!!)....but lets start at the beginning.

After buying "Bared to You" and sitting on it, and re-reading FSOG for the however many-ith time, I grudgingly turned my sights away from Christian (*sigh* my 1st book crush), and admitted that *I* was in a book rut.  I wanted more of the same feelings that FSOG gave me.

So I finally did it.
I opened my Nook and went straight to my library to pull out this series, and ya know what?  I love(d) it.

This series ROCKS!

So let's go through the books, shall we?

Bared to You:


This book was a great read and I found myself flying through this book!

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, start this book before bed!  You will not sleep.  Trust me.

So what's going through my head right now?

I really liked this book.

Gideon's hot, overbearing, possessive, alpha-man-ness was all too alluring, along with some un-said forward acknowledgments that had my heart skipping a beat (or two).

I actually adored Eva and Gideon's skirting around each other in the beginning.  It locked me into this story. The fact they were both obscenely attracted to each other, with his directness, and Eva's, girl power attitude, it was really just a nice change of pace from some of the other books I've read like this.

Now, I did find some similar actions/wording/phrases that were very similar to the FSOG triology. That said, the writing style between Sylvia Day and EL James are different, which I enjoyed. Maybe I caught onto these similarities more than most, because I had just stepped away from 50...(?), but the similarities were surely there.  Once I got used to the likeness, and got into the flow of the book, I set the cruise control and held on for the ride.

For me - The only downfall for this book, which I felt a little annoyed at, was Eva running off every 2 minutes, instead of confronting her boy-crush about her feelings.  The merry-go-round ride got under my skin a bit, because even though I like an erotica book as much as the next gal, I felt that through all the sexual connections they had (and there are a lot!), I couldn't always feel that emotional connection with them at times...

So what's it about?

Sexy Billionaire, Gideon Cross (Oooh...just the name seeps authority and power!), and the beautiful, smart, self assured, Eva Trammel,  are two lost souls who find each other through fate.

Eva has just moved cross country, from California to New York, and is trying to adjust into her new life with her roommate and BFF, Cary. After settling in, she is prepared to start her 1st day at work the following day, and decides she'll take a quick trip from her apartment to her place of employment to see how long it will take her to walk each day.

After she's timed the walk, she's making her way to leave the Crossfire lobby, when a woman nearby accidentally tosses the contents of her purse and things go flying.  Feeling sorry for her, Eva stops to help the woman gather her belongings when she literally runs into a tall, dark, handsome man, in a 3 piece suit.

As she picks up the contents from the floor, her eyes slowly trace up his body and the further up she goes. The more she likes.  He literally takes her breath away.

Gideon is cool, calculated, smooth, uber sexy, and mysterious - And he has his eyes on Eva.

Before their eyes meet; Attraction pulses between them.

Then it happens...Their eyes lock.

Lust at 1st sight.

And the pursuit in on!

As Eva starts her career, the encounters between them become more frequent.

Gideon does everything in his power to see her.  To be with her. To make her want to be with him.
*No spoilers, but I am dying to tell you everything!*

He is very clear and upfront about his intentions with Eva.  In fact, he blatantly tells her. Repeatedly. Exactly what he wants to do to her....but Eva...Well, she's floored by his unreserved come on's and while she's never been possessed by a man quite as beautiful as Gideon...she is just starting out in her career and wants to focus on work.  Solely on work. So, she turns him down, time after time, and is all "Ugh...As if!".

All the while, her mouth is saying "No", but her body is screaming "YES!!" 

Gideon, being a man who's used to getting everything he wants, sees right through her direct dismissals and continues to pursue her.

After all; Eva is the only one who can give him truly everything he needs and everything he seeks lies within her.

His desperation for her.

His need for her.

Whew...

Now do you see why this is the perfect FSOG follow up, right?!

As you get to know Gideon and Eva, you begin to realize that both have troubled pasts.  Pasts that have stayed with them and haunt them on a daily basis, and they'll have to learn how to grow stronger together, to be together.

So what happens next?

Read it to find out!!!

What you'll witness throughout this series is lust, confusion, trust, love, irritation, and there are even a few "OMG - Did that really just happen!?!" moments.

Book 1, Bared to you, 4.5 Stars

Book 2, Reflected in You, 4 Stars <---This was a slower read for me out of the 3.  In fact, it would have been a 3.5 star if it wasn't for the second half of the book. I was so irritated with Eva AND Gideon, for reasons you'll soon find out, but the scenes were...well steamy, and once you get to about 60% of the way through the book, You'll hit that "OMG" moment and it's soooo worth it from there!

Book 3, Entwined with You , 4.5 Stars <---This has been my favorite book of the series!

By the time I was finished "Entwined with You", I was fidgety, so what did I do?  Turned to my personal Facebook to unleash some of my emotions:

"Battling with that mixed/over hang emotion of reading jet lag this morning. 
Up till 1am finishing the last of what I *thought* was a trilogy, but at the last page found out this is in fact a quintet series!! OMGosh...So excited! *Squeee* 
Now I'm off to sit and manifest my feelings over this craziness and sit and wait...and wait. *Drums fingers*"

I felt a bit sad, yet happy, when I found out that this series was in fact a quintet series and not a trilogy. I'm soooo not the type of person that handles cliffhangers very well, but by the time I finished "Entwined with You", I wanted more.  Much much more.  

I have loved this series and am DYING for Book #4 to come out! 

FYI:  Rumor has it, that the Crossfire Series will also be coming to a screen near you! Your TV screen that is.  *Wee*  Is it too early to start counting down the days?  Just sayin'...

DIY Chalkboard

One of the wedding crafts I was working on earlier this year was a DIY Chalkboard.
The initial plan here was to just buy a chalkboard, but have you scoped the scenes for them?!?
I could not believe how much $$$ people wanted for something as simple as this, when you can easily make it yourself.

So if you're looking for a simple wedding craft, a little extra pizzazz for that birthday or holiday party, or just want something to throw in the playroom to let your kids have a creative outlet, this is right up your alley!

You'll Need:
1, piece of MDF, Shelving, whatever kind of wood-ish board that fits the scale of how large you want your completed piece.  My board is approximately (16 x 24)
Wood glue
Clamps
2, 2x8 pieces of wood, optional
Primer
Chalkboard paint, I used Valspar
Paint rollers
Stain or alternate paint color (if framing your chalkboard), optional

Let's get started...

Prime all your pieces and let them dry 100%. 

 If you're framing your chalkboard, I recommend using a thicker piece of wood.

 Once all the pieces have been primed, paint your main "chalkboard" piece with chalkboard paint.

After the chalkboard paint has dried, you are ready to cut out your frame.

Which I should say - "Thank you, husband."

Apparently, he didn't trust me with his power tools.  Sniff...but really...I don't blame him.  Haha

He 45'd each end piece so that the seams would be, well...seamless.

  Since mine was for a wedding, he also routed to outsides for me, to give it a higher end look.

I heart it.
*Squee*

Once all the pieces are cut to size, paint or stain the "frame" in the color you'd like.

Dry completely, then attached the backside of the "frame" with wood glue to your completed chalkboard piece, and clamp down around the sides to keep it in place.

Wood glue, if you've never worked with it before, does take awhile to dry.
I love this stuff and use it for everything tho, because it works so awesome!
Just make sure you dry it completely.  I left mine overnight and the entire next day.

 Once it's dry, remove the clamps.

Sit your piece upright, slap on a message, and enjoy your new piece of art.

Readers!

It's been about a minute! For real... This year has literally flown by. Tomorrow is what - August?!?!! 

So what have my blog lovelies been up to? 

Me? Well, I've been doing a ton of stuff for weddings and birthday parties (hope to post on that soon!) and reading, which has really become my downtime these days. So, I have to ask...How would my listeners feel about having a "What I'm reading" section that we can all discuss and share on? Just a suggestion. Thoughts??

As always - Looking forward to your feedback.

Muah,

St. Patty's Day Rainbow Treat (Bday's too!)

I saw this on pinterest a year or two ago, and thought they were super cute!

The original poster, did not use marshmallows, but I thought they gave it a little extra something special.  My daughter sure had a hard time keeping her grubby paws off all the candy as I assembled the bags, so instead of one bag of rainbow twizzlers making 5 rainbow treat bags  (which I thought was a lot!) It only made 4.

To make yourself -

You'll Need:
1 bag of Rainbow Twizzlers
1 bag of Rolo's
1 bag of mini marshmallow's
sandwich or cellophane bags

To assemble, place each of your rainbow pieces in the correct order.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple.  Open your baggie and add in your rolo pieces.  I used 4 (for 4 leaf clover).
Then pick up all your rainbows pieces and slide them in one side of the bag, then bend, to shape into a rainbow and place on the opposite side of the bag so that the rolo's are in the middle.
For the "clouds" I used 6 marshmallow pieces for each side.  You have to kind of tuck them in so they're not rolling around.  That's it.

BTW, These do not travel well.  If you're making them for a classroom, I would definitely use the cellophane bags over sandwich bags, as they're smaller and would create a more compact rainbow.  These were for my daughters cousin's, so luckily they weren't too hard on us.  Like most kids, I think they were just excited to be receiving CANDY! ;)

Taco Twist Soup

Bring It ON!  This stuff is awesome.  I have made it religiously since my friend, Candy, gave it to me last year.  It's super easy, and like most of the recipes I post, they're versatile.  You can truly add whatever YOU think will add some extra pizazz or cool it down for your families taste.

The original recipe can be found here.  It's pretty mild, so I usually throw in some green chilies and jalepeno's, and other times, I make it just as it calls.

If you enjoy additional spice, add some cayenne along with the chilies and peppers to kick it up a notch.

Like Candy, I too add one pound of ground beef (and sometimes turkey), but this would probably be pretty amazing with shredded chicken or sausage too.  Yes - I just had that "light bulb" moment! ;)

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do! xo