New furniture and stuff

So, I know if you have been watching my Facebook it probably seems like we won the lottery or sometihng, with all the new purchases we have made lately. I assure you we haven't, we were just able to use our income tax return.

We just went and bought a new power riclining couch (it's so awesome because you can actually have more accuracy on how far you want to lay back instead of the the regular recliner..I know, this probably sounds really dumb to you - but the next time you are at a furniture store - try it out!) We bought a matching reclining love seat (this one is just a regular recliners). We opted out of the chair/recliner because we have one now and it really limits the amount of space in the living room. JR is going to take our red couches to the garage for the beginning of his "man cave". I am going to miss my red couches, but since all the leather has started cracking and peeling off, they need to go.

In addition to the couches we bought a new dining table. Its really nice! I love it, and JR and I both picked it out. What I mean by that, is that it was something we both saw and stopped at and said..THIS IS IT! With the couches, it was more me that said I like them and him who said, yeah - these are nice! The table is counter height and seats 8 comfortably. JR thought it might be a little overwhelming to have 8 stools, but we are going to put a few up at the bar. At least now we have more seating and when we have company we can all sit at the table together! Anyway, everything will be delivered on Monday and I can't wait! YAY I do think it's a little funny that after using so much of our income tax return to pay off all of our credit card debt, we went out and got a new line of credit at a different place. The reason for doing so was that they were offering no interest until 2017. Kind of hard to pass up, so we didn't. JR and I were laughing because our plan is to make the monthly payments, and then next year with the tax return we will just pay it all off...then go back in and buy our new bedroom set and matress. I really wanted to get a new matress during this visit, but the one I want is $3000 and JR and I made a plan not to go over $2500. So it was out of the question from the beginning. Our final price was $2497...LOL We had a few dollars to spare!

Another new purchase was JR's new phone. He got the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. He loves it, and I couldn't be more happy for him. Maybe now I won't have to listen to him complain about his "damn phone" anymore!

So, I think we are done on spending money. We have new couches, new dining room table and chairs, a new HUGE tv, JR got a new phone, I got a tablet, we bought a bunch of weed and feed and mulch and sprinkler thing for the yard (which is looking great by the way), we paid off all our credit card debt (then promptly opened a new credit line :( ), and I paid off my traffic tickets and fines - grrr!, Oh and made an extra mortgage payment on the house! YAY! All in all I think we did a great job! - speaking of that extra mortgage payment, JR and I decided we were going to try really hard to pay an extra payment each year. It's not like it's going to shorten our mortgage in half or anything....but hey, I figure every little bit helps.

Moving on - I know I have said that I need to get back into writing about the books I have been reading. The problem is that there are about 50 or so that I have read since the last time I blogged about the books and that is a really overwhelming number to try to catch up on. So here is the deal...I joined goodreads, my name is Sara Luck, so hop on and join and friend me to see what I am reading and how I rate it. I just finished loading all the books I have read from this year onto my account, so you can take a scroll through those.

I just finished The Edge Of Never by J.A. Redmerski last night. I am going to warn you that there is a book 2 "The Edge of Always" coming out, but not until November 5. I wish that I would have know that before hand because I would have waited to read this book...actually, no I wouldn't have. This just means that I get to read it again in about 7 months. This was probably in the top 5 of all the books I have read this year (and I have read 174) so that is really saying something. This wasn't even a book - this was a journey as some of the other reviewers stated. I honestly can't explain or desribe how good this book was. The description they write on the book doesn't do it justice. When I first read it and decided to buy it, I did so thinking - eh, it's $0.99, if it turns out to be terrible then oh well, I only used a dollar. Honest to God, best freaking dollar I have ever spent. This book could easily be one of those $9.99 kindle editions...so seriously hurry over and get this book, I have a feeling that when the second one comes out in Nov. the prices will be raised. Also you can pre-order book two for $3.99. ****Just to let you know, I don't make any money or get any kind of monetary incentive for recommending these books....although if I knew how to do it I would! LOL) This book will make you laugh, you will cry the terrible, gut-wrenching, bawling like a baby kind of tears, you will get angry, get your heart broken, and fall in love all within the confines of 427 pages. This love story is just that, an emotional telling of true love. Seriously, I'm crying just thinking of it. Let's just say that The Edge of Never is the 2013 version of The Notebook, so get comfortable, find a quiet place, and grab some tissues - you will need them. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a very long time.

Good stuff

I got myself a tablet...or rather JR got me a tablet. It's something I have thought about getting for over a year now, but I've been a little afraid of doing it. I am not savvy in the ways of technology, at all. I was trying to decide between the iPad, a Kindle Fire, or just another tablet. After seeing the price of an iPad, I quickly ruled that out. I just kept thinking of how scary it would be to spend that kind of money on something and then not know how to use it. So I looked up the best selling tablets and compared those to the kindle fire. In the end, I went with the Samsung Galaxy 2 tablet. I've only had it a few days and I love it. I have no idea why I waited so long to get one of these. I signed up for goodreads, and I am still trying to figure out how it works...again bad with technology. My phone just had a complete system update, and now I don't know how to use it. Lol

I need to get busy with writing some blurbs about the books I have been reading, but its to the point that there are so many that it will take forever...and several blogs to accomplish.I will try to get to that sometime this week.

JR and I started our diet last night. I guess the Dr. Pepper and all the fast food has caught up with me because I look and feel so bloated. Today is technically day one. I weigh 137, so we will see what happens. I have been walking every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend of mine. We walk about a mile, and I really need to add in some other exercises. ?.I'm thinking about doing some yoga and some strength training. I just can't start off balls to the wall with running and a lot of cardio like I used to. So, hopefully we can stick to the diet like we did the firsttime. We have tried several times over the last 2 years, but we never make it more than two weeks. Mainly because I get tired of cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day and cleaning all those damn dishes afterevery meal. So, this time I am trying something ddifferent. I cooked our Monday through Wednesday meals last night and on wednesday I'll cook the Thursday through Saturday meals. Maybe if I'm only having to cook twice a week, I can stick with it a little better. We shall see!

Please excuse all the typing mistakes...I actually wrote all this on my tablet, just trying it out...whew it's like writing a really long text. Lol

Yikes!

Ohh man, it has been almost a month since I have posted...sorry about that! So, let's see. so much has gone on! I'll try to hit the hot spots.

Logan is playing t-ball. He practices on Tuesday nights, games are on Saturday. He is doing well - had his first game last week on his birthday and did a great job...well - except for the fact that he can't find second base. Both times he was up to bat, he ran to first and then ran out to center field...we will have to work on that tonight! LOL

We got a big check in the mail for over paying on our escrow account - so that was AWESOME, and we paid off all of our credit card debt! SUPER AWESOME to have 0 balances! Ha!

JR is going back to school this summer, so he will be enrolling in his classes in May. Also pretty cool!

His back is doing much better, but he's still only operating at about 60%. He had his MRI done, and the doctor suggested back surgery. JR chose to do another 3 weeks or physical therapy...he REALLY doesn't want surgery.

We just bought a 60" LED TV for the living room and moved our 42" upstairs to the game room, so the kids get to watch their shows and movies on a big screen and they are loving it! LOL

Logan turned 6 last week. I CAN NOT believe how quickly it has gone by. I love that little boy more than life. He is such a good kid, I am seriously so blessed. I don't know if it is because I have gotten older or I am just more adjusted to being a mommy, but I realize how amazing my children are. Logan is such a sweet, kind hearted little boy. I must have done something right, because he is so well mannered...he's just really awesome. I could go on and on about him. Landry is also a wonderful child. Again, I am so blessed. She is sweet - but so sassy, and we really have to watch that so it doesn't get out of hand, but all in all, I have some really amazing kids. Jr's mom, sister, and brother came for Logan's birthday as well as my parents. It's so weird to have my parents living so far away and trying to figure out sleeping arrangements! Carol and Brittany came in to town early enough to go to Logan's game, then afterward we just hung out at the house and some of us got some little naps. Jason and Davin got here around 4 since they left Houston right after Davin's t-ball game. We met up with my parents and my sister at Chuck E Cheese in San Antonio and had a lot of fun. My parents stayed the night with Vanessa and Kyle, so it all worked out. On Sunday, we met up with a few of Logan's friends at the Jumpy Place so that Logan could celebrate with them. It was really great. We didn't really go all out or plan a party for Logan, which I felt a little mommy guilt for, but it turned out great. It was very low key and low stress. He was able to celebrate with just our family on Saturday night and with his best friends on Sunday afternoon. It was kind of perfect. I feel a little bad that we didn't get to see some of our friends like we do every year, but I just didn't get my crap together early enough to really plan anything. I mean, his birthday was on Saturday and we didn't even know if Jr's family was coming or not until Thursday - and I didn't plan the Jumpy Place thing until Friday - the day before. So, yeah...pretty last minute! LOL

I am still reading like crazy, which is a big part of why I haven't blogged...I'm just way too interested in reading than sitting down to write about stuff! Ha. I need to be better about that! But other than reading I have been really busy between Landry, housework, walking with one of my friends, play dates, t-ball, and just the usual day to day stuff.

I think that's about it for now, I will try to do better about blogging!

Shenanigans

Oh geez!

First, I am going to begin with some bragging. Logan was picked as the Kindergarten Kid of Character for self Discipline. How freaking awesome is that?



At first I thought maybe all teh kids got an award for something special, but I was still impressed because self discipline would be a pretty big one. Oh, no! My kid is triple times more awesome than that...Basically it like when I was in elementary school, they picked a student of the week and every week they would go outside and post who the student of the week was so everyone that drove by the school (which was the entire town, because the school was centrally localized), could read your name on the marquee. Anyway, they pick one student from each grade every month to give the award to, and Logan was picked out of the entire Kindergarten!!! There are 9 kindergarten classes with an average of 22 kids per class...so basically out of nearly 200 kindergartners, Logan got picked! yeah...I'm flippin proud of my boy! SO AWESOME!

Moving on, we went to Coushatta in Kinder, Louisiana this weekend. It was my mom, dad, sister, her boyfriend, my nanny, and me...and we ALL rode in the same vehicle! Yeah! It was pretty flippin awesome. I know all the adults had a super time...apparently Vanessa doesn't really like gambling, and Kyle only likes what Vanessa likes - which apparently is shopping since she talked about it 200 different times. The rest of us had a blast, and even though my mom hates to gamble, she went back and forth just to watch everyone. Then she sat and watched me play roulette for about an hour and decided she was going to play as well...she made me sooooo nervous, because she just copied everything I did - talk about pressure. Turns out, she made a good choice, and I am pretty awesome! LOL She sat down with $100 and walked away with $250. I sat with $100 and walked away with $440, but I gave $40 to my dad at the craps table! LOL My grandmother hit $2000 on the slots TWICE...and somehow she only broke even! LOL I honestly don't see how someone can win $4,000 and only break even, but hey - in my book, if you break even at a casino, that is considered winning. Vanessa ended up $40 down, and Kyle left $30 down. My mom ended up giving her $250 in winnings to my dad, which he promptly lost at the craps table. I ended up losing some of my money, but in the end I left with $200 more than what I started with...so that was pretty awesome for me...it was the first time I've left a casino with any money! Haha. I had so much fun, it sucks that we went and did all of this to celebrate Vanessa's 24th b-day, since she didn't enjoy any of it....It just makes me mad that this is what she wanted to do, and then she spent the whole time complaining. I wanted to just slap her upside the head and say, "You do realize that we are all here because this is what YOU wanted, right? You do understand that while, yes, I am having fun, I also left my husband - who's back went out on him, with my two babies - just so I could be here to celebrate your birthday with you?" Seriously, look around - be thankful and stop flippin crying. She just acted so ungrateful and entitled all weekend, it really ticked me off. Then when we got all the way back to my house, she says that we all need to make sure we are saving up our money because we are going to Vegas for her 25th birthday. UMMMMM...WHY??? She said that even though she doesn't like to gamble she wants to go because there is so much other stuff to do, AND she enjoyed see all of us have so much fun. - Again, I kept my mouth shut, but in my head I said ~"Well, we didn't have any fun watching you pout!" Anyway, with the exception of the sour pusses, everyone else had a great time, except my dad's wallet - he lost a lot of money! LOL

Happenings

It's been a while since I have blogged, and I apologize. I have been reading and the list of books that I need to blurb is pretty long since its been two weeks, so I will get to that soon, but not today. Instead, today is about the other stuff...you know, what I've been doing while not reading.

Last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I spent going over to my parents house to help my mom pack. Well, really we were trying to clear out the garage. First, I need to explain their garage. My parents have lived in the house they are in for 11 years and somewhere along the way it became somewhat of a storage/catch all. When my sister and her two kids lived with my parents, Randi had a lot of stuff that she couldn't fit in their bedrooms. They had the entire upstairs as their own, which is 3 bedrooms and a bath, but then she used the garage for her extra storage. When my mom quit teaching she moved all her boxes of teaching material into the garage. After eleven years it was so packed that you couldn't walk through it. So Thursday and Friday my mom and I decided to at least make a walking path. We started with Randi's storage crap since we knew most of that would be going to the trash or Goodwill. My sister and tubs and tubs of Isabella and Isaiah's baby clothes. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people save their baby's clothes for a number of reasons...maybe they plan to have another in the near future or whatever. Well, Isabella is 10. Isaiah is 7, so there was no reason to save it any longer. I am not kidding when I say that I have never seen so many baby clothes. The plastic tubs were all labelled too. "Isabella 0-3months" Yup....she had 0-3 all the way up to 5T clothes for both kids...tubs of shoes, infant and baby toys...it was so ridiculous. So, Thursday we ended up loading the entire bed of my truck, plus the inside with trashbags full of clothes, and dropped them off at Goodwill. This barely made a dent in the garage. Friday morning after dropping Logan off at school, I headed for my mom's and round two. Again, we loaded my truck with more clothes and toys. We used an entire box of trash bags on Randi's stuff alone...56 trash bags! yeah...crazy! Next we started on my mom's crafts. My mom loves crafts, she has a couple of sewing machines (which I took one of) several tubs on materials, then the whole scrabooking tub, then her crocheting tub, then the cross-stitching tub...yeah - it goes on. We went through all of that and got it really organized and threw away a bunch of stuff she didn't want of need. By then it was time to head to goodwill and then go pick up Logan.

Saturday, JR, and the kids came with me. My dad had come home Friday evening so he could help out and he was taking a bed back with him so he could move out of the hotel and into their new house. I became in charge...it was kind of awesome. My plan was to take EVERYTHING out of the garage and make piles of stuff they were keeping, stuff that needed to go to the dumb, and stuff that was going to goodwill. Just to give you an idea of what else was in their garage....5 no longer working tv's, and old oven, a bed and bed frame, along with a mattress and box spring, a load of Vanessa's stuff from college. 3 computer desks, 2 dressers, about 3 bookshelves, 3 lawn mowers - 2 push and one riding....and more of those plastic tubs containing everything from VHS's, DVD's, books, and loads and loads of pictures - loose pictures, framed pictures, picture albums...2 small refrigerators (the kind you use in a dorm room)...the list goes on. By the end of the day, we took 4 truck loads to the dump and 5 truck loads to goodwill. And the amount of stuff they kept could probably fit into one truck bed! Woohoo! so proud. I wanted to get the garage done, because on the inside of my parents house....there was boxes and MORE plastic tubs EVERYWHERE. I told mom to start lining up the boxes in the garage so that they were out of the house, and when the times comes to load the U-haul, it will be easier to just move everything from the garage to the truck. Also, I told my mom to start packing in those plastic tubs because they have SOOOOOOOOOOO many, and they are sturdier than boxes anyway, she may as well utilize the space. I would estimate that they have around 40 of those things if not more. So crazy!

While we were emptying the garage, JR leaned over and ruptured a disc in his back. It was terrible. It's still bad. I ended up taking him to the emergency room on Sunday. He has taken the entire week off work. Yesterday we went to a physical therapist, and he will go see an orthopedist sometime either this week or next and he's got to have an MRI. He can barely move, so I have been trying to help him. He was given some pain killers, muscle relaxers, and steroids, and is doing a little better, but he still can't sit down, and can only stand for short periods of time. He has to be laying down on his back. It's really bad, and after 3.5 days of doing nothing but laying down, he is bored and grumpy! Poor guy!

This weekend is Vanessa's 24th birthday celebration. The whole family is supposed to be going to Coushatta to do some family gambling...JR had always planned on staying home with the kids so that I could go, but now I am not sure if I will be able to go...which sucks on so many levels - one being that I put the whole damn trip together. SUCKS! Not only do I have to figure out if JR will be healthy enough to stay with the kids, but we have already spent so much money at the ER, the PT, the prescriptions, and we still have the specialists appt. to pay for and the full cost of the MRI, since we haven't reached the deductible for our insurance yet. Ughhhh! AGAIN, SUCKS!

Okay, I think that's about it for now...Happy Hump Day!

Bragging rights

OKay, so just to forewarn you...I am about to brag about my kid! I got an email from Logan's teacher today letting me know that Logan is now in the "above grade level" category in reading. Apparently, he is where average kindergartners are at the end of the year. WOW! pretty awesome, especially since he was at the bottom of the barrel at the beginning of the year. I don't want to take anything away from Logan's hard work or the fact that his teacher really is great, but I also want to acknowledge the fact that we work on his reading everyday at home. I asked how he was doing in the other areas...behavior, social skills, social studies, math, science...and she said he was at grade level in all areas and has no problems behavior wise. So awesome news!

It really got me thinking about how important it is to keep communication open with your kid's teacher(s). I worked for a school district for three years, so I know that a lot of parents basically just drop their kids off and pick them up Monday through Friday, but dont pay a lot of attention to what they are doing while they are at school. Part of me feels a little guilty because we have worked on his reading this whole year, and while we might throw in a little math and social studies and science, our main focus has been reading. In my defense, he hasn't had any issues in the other areas so we spent a lot of time on his weakness. Now, it has paid off - He is about 4 months ahead of where he should be, and luckily, he didn't fall behind in any other areas, but I feel like maybe we should start doing some more math skills. I do think that at this age reading is so important, it's kind of the basis for learning anything...except that math crap! lol

Anyway, I couldn't be more proud of him. I'm glad I pay attention and stay in contact with his teacher. I'm so happy that he likes reading, that he can read. It's so fun letting him pick out our bedtime story and listening to him read to his sister and how far he has come. There is so much less frustration, and less stumbles. I love watching the way he helps his sister, from teaching her to play a game on the computer, or on the DS, to pointing out different lettters, or "building" words with their bath letters. In the process, he has taught Landry so much, and she will be so much more prepared when she gets to kindergarten. I don't know another way to put it, just that I am so proud of my baby boy. In a way it's bittersweet. He no longer needs me to read to him, but I secretly love it when he can't figure out a word and asks for help. Which is another HUGE difference...at the beginning of the year he HATED to ask for help, he would just get frustrated and start crying...now he asks for help. He's growing up. It's heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. I can't believe in one month and a week he will be turning 6. Most of the kids in his class are already six, but I just want to hang on to 5 for as long as I can. I don't know how to explain it, but if you are a parent, I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. You want them to grow up and be independent and make good choices in life...but there is that part of them that will always be your baby, and you want them to need you.

Enough of the sappy - Just wanted to brag about my brilliant son! LOL

Saturday Night!

So Saturday night I had the pleasure of going to a bar...with my PARENTAL UNITS! I have never sone that before. I have been to the bar with my dad, but not my mom. I was actually excited until she got there...then I was a little uncomfortable because she kept glaring at me...not cool. Then I gave up caring and just had fun. I love how she looked down her nose at me every time I took a drink...ummmmm - you met my dad at a bar when you had two kids at home, soooo please - don't judge me! Plus, I was there for 4 hours and I only had 3 beers....but then again I did take 3 shots! oh well...it was fine. My friend Dana and her parents were there as well, plus Vanessa and Kyle came too. we had a pretty good time, but I got to witness a whole new side of Kyle. One that I didn't like...AT ALL. I'm not happy with him, and since these are my sister's personal issues, I wont discuss them...but let's just say - I am not a fan of his. Anyway, I had a really good time other than that little debacle. It is so weird to go out and just be me for a few hours...not JR's wife, or Logan and Landry's mom...just Sara. I needed it. I'm glad I got to do it.

That's about it. I am still being super lazy. Not doing much but reading, although that has come to a slow down...doesn't look like I will get in 15 books this week, nor will I surpass it. I have too much to do around the house that I have neglected for so long, plus grocery shopping, and Logan's Valentine's party on Thurday....bleh!

...continued!

Okay so today is just going to be about books...tomorrow, if I have time I will let you all know about my weekend...but for now, here is a continuation of the books I read starting with where I left off.

Your to Keep (The Kowalskis) by Shannon Stacey - 336 pages
This is book three in this series, so if you haven't read the first two, check out Exclusively Yours-book 1 (which is free on Amazon right now) and Undeniably Yours- book 2. This is the story of Emma and Sean. Sean just got out of the army and head to his cousins home in New Hampshire to figure out what he's going to do with the rest of his life. He could go home to his family home in Maine, but he doesn't want to get roped into taking care of the family business. Before he can even wrap his head around the idea of the decisions he needs to make, Emma, a woman he has never even met before shows up to ask him to be her fake fiance. Clearly, the woman is bat shit crazy.
Emma needs Sean to agree to one month of being her fake fiance. After her parents died she was raised by her grandparents and after her grandfather's death her grandmother retired to Florida. She should be living it up and enjoying retirement instead of constantly worrying about Emma. So when grandma starts talking about coming back because there is just too much for Emma to do on her own, Emma tells her that she's engaged. She blurts out Sean's name after talking to her best friend, and one lie turns into another and another. Now grandma is coming to visit for a month, so she has to talk Sean into pretending so that her grandmother wont worry so much and will actually start living her life.
Sounds a bit cheesy and crazy, but it's really good! Loved this book

All He Ever Needed (The Kowalskis) by Shannon Stacey - 304 pages
Moving on to Sean's older brother Mitch. Mitch is called home to Maine because his idiot baby brother broke his leg and needs help at the family ski lodge. But things get a little crazy when he meets Paige, the owner of the local diner. He's never had to work so hard for a girl, and Paige doesn't need a man. She spent her whole life travelling from one place to another so her mom could follow whichever boyfriend she had at the time. She refuses to become like her mother where she would give up her whole life for a man. 2 years ago she landed in town and finally has a place to call home, so there is no way some man is going to come and mess up what she's wanted her whole life. He's only in town for six weeks - it takes half that time to even consider spending time with him, but she knows that its dangerous, because he could easily break her. He tells her from the beginning that all he can give is the six weeks he's there, after that - he's gone, he wont call, he won't text, he won't write...that just isn't in the cards for him. Paige convinces herself she can handle that...if she goes into it with eyes wide open, she wont let herself fall in love and get hurt...it's just a few weeks of fun - and she could use it.

All He Ever Desired (The Kowalskis) by Shannon Stacey - 336 pages
This was probably my least favorite of the entire series...don't know why - it was still a good book, and I could have never skipped out on it because it would always bother me to not know Ryan's story...but yeah, it just wasn't as good as the ones before. This one is Ryan and Lauren's story. They share a past, and because of it, Ryan rarely comes home and when he does, he stays the hell out of town so he can't bump into Lauren. It's been a decade and half but from the moment he literally runs into her, all the old feelings and emotions come back. Then Lauren's 16 year old son goes and gets busted for destroying Ryan's property and they are thrown together yet again. Their chemistry leads them down a road of what if's and trying to figure out the what's next.

All He Ever Dreamed (The Kowalskis) by Shannon Stacey - 384 pages
This is the youngest of the Kowalski brother's story. Josh was the baby of the family, so when his three brothers and sister all left home without looking back, he was the one stuck at home with his dad to run the family business, and when his dad died, everyone just assumed he would keeping running the place. No one stopped to consider that he might want to get the hell out of Maine and do something different. After breaking his leg, he finally lets it out and tells his brothers he want to get away from the ski lodge so the family starts the process of fixing up the place, and then they will decide together whether to sell it or hire a manager to run it.
Katie is Josh's best friend. They grew up together, when Josh's mom passed away when he was five, Katie's mom became a surrogate mom to the Kowalski clan. Katie is just one of the guys. She swears, she watches sports, and she can be tough as nails...but she's also been in love with Josh nearly her whole life. When her mom comes down with pneumonia Katie moves into the lodge to help out. Who knew that all it would take was a white tank top and boxer shorts to get to notice she's actually a girl with girly parts. LOVED this book! Exciting news...there will be more - Liz's story is next and new characters will be introduced for more books as well! YAY

Unwrapped by Chantilly White - 177 pages
The is a really quick read. It's about best friends Derrick and Mia. Mia doesn't even know how beautiful she is and for years Derrick has watched her go through boyfriends which all leave her with less confidence than she had before. She's a 25 year virgin...something must be wrong with her. She has a 3 month rule...kind of like the 3 date rule...if the guys last 3 months, she will finally give up the V card. But none of them ever last. After the last disasterous relationship, Derrick decides it finally his turn. He's finally going to show Mia that he's been in love with her all these years. Except she propostions him first and it blows his mind. So he decided to make a deal with her...they will date for 3 months and if at the end of that time she still wants to give him her virginity he'll do it. Secretely he's hoping to get Mia to fall in love with him before time runs out, but everything might just blow up in his face...or hers.

Scandal and Sin (Men with Tools) by Lynn Lefleur - 198 pages
Another quick read...this is book one in the 3 part series, and its free on Amazon right now! Alaina walks into Rye Coleman's construction office and from the first moment sexual tension is off the chart. She has a few secrets that she isn't willing to share just yet, but she needs him and his firm to refurbish or more like completely gut and rebuild the old Stevens house on the edge of town so she can make it into a bed and breakfast. After a quick sexual encounter against the wall, Alaina tells Rye that she is actually the sister of the woman who humiliated him 3 years before. He wants nothing to do with her, and she has to convince him she's nothing like her sister.

Irresistible Sin (Men with Tools) by Lynn Lefleur - Book 2
Oh yeah...forgot to mention that the three men in these books are triplets...so yeah there's that.
This is Griff and Emma's story. Griff recently lost his wife in a bank robbery gone wrong. Well recently is relative when your the one grieving. In comes Emma, Alaina's best friend, and she's bubbly and happy, and witty, and sexy as hell. She's not one to settle down, she thinks she is far too young to settle on one piece of man flesh for the rest of her life, but there's something about Griff. She should be more interested in Dax (the other brother) they are more on the same pace..but something about Griff calls to her. A need to try to fix him turns into something she never expected, but nothing can ever happen between them if he can't let go of his dead wife.

Walking Sin (Men with Tools) by Lynn Lefleur - book 3
Dax Coleman is a ladies man. There's really no other way to describe him except maybe manwhore. Kelcey is Emma and Alaina's other roommate. When both girls move to open the bed and breakfast it was always the plan that Kelcey would follow. Kelcey lived through a tragic event or events that have caused her to be incapable of having a relationship with a man. WARNING - Kelcey's past involves childhood molestation. Kelcey has never told a soul except for her mom who didn't believe her, and a few therapist over the years. When an encounter with Dax causes Kelcey a panic attack it becomes clear that she has to tell her best friends her past. She makes a decision to use Dax to get over her fears. He's the perfect man to try it with. One, he's already seen her freak out and he didn't run screaming, and two, Dax is not the forever kind of guy so there are no worries about heartache and heart break.

Starburst by Jettie Woodruff - 481 pages
This one is a little harder to blurb. The first half of the book was really good, it a series book - but I have no desire to read book 2. This book was scattered all over the place. The editting was terrible, and the narrative jumps back and forth between so many people that its hard to keep up. Once you get past all that, and trust me there is some readind and re-reading you have to do, like I said the idea behind the first half of the book is really good...the second half of the book is about different people and seeing as the book is nearly 500 pages I am not sure why the author didn't just make the second half a seperate book and maybe actually finish the story of the main characters in the first half. The book was pretty much a clusterfuck and I dont recommend it. Sorry!

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy - 185 pages
Super quick read. Loved this book, there is just something about messed up people coming together and healing each other that I love. Trust me Drew's character has a completely screwed up past, and while Fable's is no where near what his is, she still has her own cross to bare. Drew needs to go home for Thanksgiving, but going to the house he grew up in and inviting all those terrible demons back into his life is too much to take on. He needs a buffer, he needs a girlfriend...one that wont want anything from him after the week is up. That's where Fable comes in. She's the perfect candidate...if only she will stay yes. ---This book has a part 2 coming out at some point...dont know the date, but I can't wait! Such a good book.


Rule by Jay Crownover - 327 pages
Oh yet another book with a angst ridden tattooed bad boy. This is a GREAT book and it looks as though there is more to come, but luckily this is one of those series where there is a complete ending to the main character's story...the next book just conitnues on with a character that you meet in this book. Anyway, this is the story of Shaw and Rule (I know - weird names). Shaw has loved Rule since she was 14, but he's only ever seen her as his twin brother's girl. No matter how many times Shaw has made it clear that she and Remy were only friends, no one seems to believe it. Remy was killed in a car accident nearly 3 years ago, so Shaw has taken it upon herself to try and keep Rule together. On her 20th birthday, Shaw throws herself at Rule, and since he's always been a jerk anyway, he goes for it...why not? But, going at it with Shaw comes with undeniable proof that she was never with his brother, and being with her is an experience he's never had before. There are TONS of issues these two will have to work through to have a fighting chance in hell of making a relationship work...

So there you have it folks...another 15 books for this week! Hope you can find one you like. None of these are overly erotic, there are some sexual encounters, but nothing too raunchy, so for those of you that like the cleaner side of erotic novels...you should enjoy these.

moving and grooving!

This week has either flown by or is dragging on ridiculously slow. I'm not sure which. There is SO much crap I need to do around my house, but I'm boycotting! JR was gone all weekend and I really thought I would use the time to get caught up on house work, but one book led to another...you know how it goes. I don't have a lot of time for blogging, I will try to write some reviews, but some may be short and sweet. I finally broke down and stepped on the scale the other day. I have been eating fast food and junk for about 2 months now. I still weigh 133. Like I have said before, I can neither gain or lose weight. And again, I will point out - the number on the scale doesn't bother me, its the band of fat around my belly that drives me insane. Sometimes, I don't even think about it, but my mom and sister and I were together the other day and my sister commented on me being skinny. She asked if she could hire me as her personal cook so that she could lose a few pounds..."HA" - as if she needs to lose weight, she is perfect, which I told her. Then she looked at me and said that I only way 5 pounds more than she does and I am nearly 6 inches taller than she is. Before I could say anything, she quickly told me not to say she has more muscle than I do (which is completely true), because it was ridiculous. So, I just told her that it was all in her boobs - which is also true! LOL Then my mom dropped a whopper telling me that I needed to gain about 10 pounds. First - NO...Been there done that, and again, I don't think I have had a vegetable or anything relatively healthy in about hmmmm...since Christmas? pretty sure I had some vegetables at Christmas dinner...although, sweet potatoes covered in a HUGE dallop of butter and cinnamon...probably not too healthy! EH! The problem is motivation....what motivation do I have to work out and eat healthy when there are no results? Sure I will lose a few pounds (water weight), but I never see ANY changes in my body. The fat doesn't tone...it just doesn't. I've tried - it is what it is. I guess the motivation would be knowing that I am taking care of myself and that I will be thankful for it years down the road..but, I guess I am part of that instant gratification generation. I am going grocery shopping tomorrow while JR stays home with the kids...and I am going to try to get us back on a healthier diet. I would also like to start running....probably not, maybe walking - something though. I just have to figure it out. I dont know what I'm going to do...I just feel stagnant, and I'm hoping if I do some more moving around it might help with my joints a bit. They've been bothering me for a while now. We'll see!

My parents are moving! My dad has accepted the job in Weatherford, TX as the new head football coach. This is a huge deal for my dad. Every since I was little, my dad has always had his eye on coaching a 5A football team. His dream has arrived. My dad is an incredible coach and I am so happy for him. I am a bit sad that they will now be 3.5 hours from us, but it will be really good for him and my mom. My mom is going to go back to teaching, which is really exciting. She taught English for 13 years before leaving. She loved teaching, and the kids loved her - but the politics of the school district in Wimberley got to be too much. My mom is not a "blow smoke up your ass" kind of lady. She's blunt, and doesn't have a problem telling you something that you might not want to hear. That was a big deal in Wimberley...they couldn't and wouldn't fire her...they needed my dad to stick around to do anything like that, but they did a great job of making her pretty miserable, so when the chance came along to leave - she did...with her middle finger in the air and few choice words! HA! That's my mom! My dad starts his job today. He's there meeting staff and faculty, and the kids, so Monday they will start with off season and really getting to know the the area and the people. It's a much larger school so he wont be the athletic director anymore...but I think that's really a plus...He's getting paid much more money, and he only has to focus on football. He has to deal with less politics, and less parents...yes, it's a bigger school, but when you are the athletic director - you're in charge of all sports, baseball, track, powerlifting, swimming, volleyball, etc. - then you have to remember that it's both girls AND boys sports. So any complaint goes to him, then he had the school board to appease the booster clubs, the principle, the superintendant....bleh! Anyway - I am super happy for them both!

ON to books - with very quick reviews...out of time - sorry!
Not Quite Dating by Catherine Bybee - 258 pages
Super cute book! Basically - it's a single mom, struggling to not only raise her 5 year old son, but also help her sister finish nursing school so that she, herself can go to school and make a better life for herself. It's not great but it works, her sister goes to school, while her son is at school and she sleeps. When her son gets home, she spends the day with her little man, then works the grave yard shift at a diner while her sister watches him and he sleeps! It's grueling. Then in walks a man that's perfect for her...except he has no money and he's dreamer. She needs stability - she can go with out the romance and butterflies and true love crap, as long as the man she marries can respect her, share some interests, and be a responsible man...right?

"Shot in the Dark" by Jennifer Conner -
Girl works at a bikini coffee shop...she gets buglarized and close to being raped. One of her regulars, just happens to be a detective and is one of the first to arrive. 6 months ago he was shot in the leg and doesn't really care about life anymore. He takes her to the hospital, then takes her home...one thing leads to another...sex leads to love. They heal each other. I'd give it 3.5 stars

"Boots and Chaps: Ugly Stick Saloon" by Myla Jackson -
This is an erotic novel...it was okay - but Honestly, I have a thing about doing it with brothers. It's one thing, if you dated one YEARS before the other...it gets a little awkward if there has been sexual relations with both brothers...but even that can be overcome. Doind brothers at the same time is just wierd for me. I was okay as long as I could try to pretend the guys weren't REALLY related...but, I don't know - Erotic novels are supposed to make you feel icky in a good way...this one made me fell dirty in a bad way, I am pretty hesitant about moving on to read the second in the series...just not sure if I can go through it again.

"Lipstick and Leather" by Cheyenne McCray -
This was a actually of three separate novellas put together. Each story has nothing to do with the other - All three are somewhat erotic, but nothing too raunchy, just regular old two people fall in love, screw each other and live happily ever after. The fact that each book involves a cowboy makes it sexy - I LOVE COWBOYS...book three was pretty crappy though...just FYI

"Yours to Keep (The Kowalskis)" by Shannon Stacey - .....................
To be continued...I ran out of time, sorry...but this is a VERY GOOD BOOK AND A GREAT SERIES...I have already written about book 1 and 2 in previous posts...look for "Exclusively Yours" and "Undeniably Yours"
I will try to get in the reviews for this one and the others later today or tomorrow!
Have a great weekend

Superbowl party and weekend reading!

Let's start with the Superbowl. First, JR went to Houston to be with his guy friends for a weekend celebration. The kids were actually pretty good all day Saturday. We went to the park for a little bit since the weather was so nice. Plus, I just felt like getting out of the house but without having to get dressed...so we walked over, me in the sweats I slept in the night before! LOL ON Sunday, I got up around 10. Went to get breakfast for the kids and I, and then started baking brownies for the Superbowl party the kids and I were going to.

At 4:30 we went over to my friend Lynn's house for the Superbowl Party. Her daughter is in Logan's class and her son turns 4 today. Erin came over and brought her two little ones, so the kids all had people to play with. The party was hmmm...different from any other Superbowl party I have EVER been to. No one...and I mean NO ONE watched the game. For nearly the entire first half I was the only one inside watching. There were about 12 adults and 7 kids there, and I was the ONLY person watching the game. It was really strange. The ladies all came in to watch the half time show. I spent that time making fun of Beyonce. The biggest shocker was that I somehow forgot that Superbowl Sunday...means it's on a Sunday and that means it is a school night. OOPS! So the kids didn't get baths last night, and went to sleep a little late. CRAP!

Now on to Weekend Reading -

Downt to You by M. Leighton - 299 pages
This was a bit of a wild one, especially if you have a thing about dating siblings, and tall tales. However, even with the stretch of the imagination, it was still a good book. Normally, I don't care too much for books that are just too far from reality - unless I am specifically reading in the Sci-Fi or Fantasy genres, but again; this was a great read.
Olivia is just your average girl. Going to college, working at a bar, and doing what she can to make sure that her degree will allow her father with the family sheep farm. Her mother abandoned him years ago for greener pastures, and she'll be damned if she makes the same mistake. At her best friends bachelorette party she accidentally mistakes the club's owner as the stripper they hired - OOPS! Too bad she would not have minded seeing every last inch of skin. What a shock when she wakes the next morning and meets her roomate/cousin's boyfriend Nash...the owner of the club....but wait, turns out, Nash is in law school - the club owner??? That's his twin brother Cash. Somehow, both men get entwined into Olivia's life - she wants both of them. Nash is the kind of man she SHOULD be with - he's a good guy, but Cash is under her skin. He's a bad boy, and if Olivia has learned anything, it's to stay AWAY from bad boys.

Up to Me by M. Leighton - 289 pages
The continuation...or book 2
I don't really want to do a review on this because it's difficult without giving away Olivia's choice - if she ever had one to begin with. So, I'll say this. Nash and Cash have a pretty dark past, which catches up to them full force (as it always does). Again, there are twists and turns as the book becomes more far fetched, but if you read the book as if you were watching a movie...it's pretty awesome. I love that the book will continue, book 3 will be out later this year. What I hate is that I feel like I am always left hanging. I have read so many series lately, and now I am just sitting back waiting for the next book to come out. I feel like I can relate to all those "Harry Potter" people!

Hard to Love by Ryan Kendall - 226 pages
In my attempt to finally get some closure, I decided to read a few books that wouldn't leave me hanging on the edge of a cliff!
This was a cute book...I liked the sweet and rough characters. A perfect blend of innocence and eroticism (don't know if that's a real word...but yeah, it is now). Alexa is a 20/21 year old student nurse. She comes from a priviledged background and other than actually going to school and having a job she loves, she's always been a good girl who does what her parents tell her to.
Caden got a somewhat shitty hand in life. His meth-head parent's finally got their 3rd strike and went to prison, but no before dropping off his baby sister who was born with spina bifida. At 18 he loses both his grandparents and gains full custody of his 3 year old sister. By 22, he'll do anything to pay the bills - the exorbitant bills it requires to take care of his sister, pay the mortgage, and put food in their bellies. So when the opportunity comes to make a huge amount of money, he takes it...even if it means doing porn. After the producer of his film decides to give him 2 little blue pills...well, the commercials come to life - "if you have an erection lasting more than 4 hours..." so, he meets Alexa. Shy, sweet, good girl, Alexa.
On Alexa's 21st birthday she decides it's time to lose her pesky virginity and explore her sexual side. She know just who to go to for help. Cade's a porn star, so it's not like he'll have a problem divesting her of her virginity, and at least she'll enjoy the experience. The problem...when she arrives at his house, she realizes she's been judging the book by it's cover.

Beautifully Damaged by L.A. Fiore - 345 pages
Oh, man. Such a good book. Trace Mongomery is a complex man. He has a dark and sordid past. Hang in there, because it takes a LONG time to find out his story, and even then, there are twists you don't see coming. Ember Walsh is quiet, and maybe a little bit shy. She has a huge heart and the first time she meets Trace she can see how damaged he is, but can't stop wanting to help him. Even in a city as large as Manhattan, somehow Trace keeps showing up - they keep running into each other. Trace knows he needs to stay away, he will only destroy someone as pure as Ember, but he can't stay away. Their friendship can only last as long as Trace is willing to let it. The minute she get's too close, he will shut down...and Ember - she'll be the one waiting for him to cool down and come back. But when they finally give in and push things to the next level...how long can she se with only a part of him? And how close will he let Ember get before he pushes her away again. What happens when she gets pushed one time too many?

Lost to You by L.A. Jackson - This is a prequel to "Take this Regrets" Neither of these books are erotic...just an FYI
This is the story of Christian Davison and Elizabthe Ayers. It's the beginning of how they meet, how they try to stay friends while silently falling in love with each other their Freshman year at Cornell. They meet as study partners, and from that first moment, Elizabeth knows that he would have the power to destroy her if she let him. Over time Christian learns what it means to be humble, unselfish, kind, and patient. The world doesn't revolve around him and what he wants. It's too much...the attraction, the lust, the passion, but ultimately the love. It can't be denied only embraced.

Take This Regrets by A.L. Jackson -297
This book picks up four years later...senior year of college. I don't want to give away what happens, so I'm going to give a version of the Amazon review. Basically it will all boil down to forgiveness. Forgiving the person who betrayed you. Forgiving yourself. And allowing yourself to trust. Trust others, and trust yourself to make good decisions. This is an emotional book. It's full of battles, emotional wars, tears of heartache, and tears of joy.

So, there you go! Hope you find one you enjoy. 15 books in one week! Whew! That might be a record!

Book Swap

Before I get to the books, I just want to say that my kids are driving me crazy this week. Thank God it is Friday...oh wait, never mind, because JR is going to be out of town all weekend. Sucks to be me. Landry no longer even asks for things, she just immediately starts crying. It starts from the moment she wakes up until she goes to sleep. Just CONSTANT whining and crying. I have no patience left. AT ALL. Logan hasn't been going to bed at night when he is supposed to, which means he is CRANKY all the time. I have no patience for him either. It is seriously annoying.

My friend Erin and I have been book swapping quite a bit. I will loan her ebooks, which works great, and this week she has loaned me quite a few paperback books to read. I love that we read the same stuff. I am sad that her iCloud or whatever it is she has on her iPad doesn't have the loan option. :( Anyway, I have read some great books this week, so here they are...

Bared to You A Crossfire Novel by Sylvia Day - 352 pages
If you were a fan of the 50 Shades of Grey books...READ this book. It's a little darker in some aspects and less kinky in the sex department but still....ummm, orgasmic? for lack of a better description. This is the first book, where you learn about Eva, her background, and a glimpse into a truly disfunctional relationship with her best friend, her mother, and of course Gideon Cross.

Reflected in You A Crossfire Novel by Sylvia Day - 432 pages
Book 2 of the Eva and Gideon story. This is still told from Eva's view, you FINALLY learn a piece of Gideon's dark past. Yes, it was hinted throughout the first book, and through most of this one before you learn what happened, but I read from the Author's web site that book three will be written from Gideon's perspective. Anyway, more twists and turns and trials and tribulations in this book. My heart actually aches for this couple. Great books...book 3 comes out May 7! Can't wait!

The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst - 336 pages
The story of Alexa and Nick - Alexa is one of those genuinely good caring people. The kind of person that gives without ever expecting anything in return. She forgives without holding it over your head, and she will do anything to save her family home...all she needs is $150,000.
Nick just happens to be her best friend, Maggie's, brother. They grew up together, but couldn't be more different. While Maggie and Alexa have stayed as close as sisters throughout their lives, Alexa and Nick haven't seen each other in years, which Alexa is happy for since he tortured her childhood. Turns out...Nick needs a wife, and FAST in order to get his inheritance and take over the company he has been running. There in lays the marriage bargain. She gets $150,000 and he gets a wife - for one year only. Can they make last the year or give in to the sexual tension and build something more?

The Marriage Trap by Jennifer Probst - 285 pages
Maggie and Michael's story - Welcome back to Maggie, Alexa's best friend. Maggie couldn't be more happy for her brother and her best friend, but she sees the way Michael, her brother's business partner and friend, looks at Alexa. She'll do anything to keep him from trying to break up their marriage.
Michael's chaotic life just got worse...his sister is ready to marry, but thanks to a death bed promise his mother made to his father...none of his sisters can marry until he does first. CRAZY ITALIANS!! So, he makes a deal with some one who there is no chance of having actual feelings for him...Maggie. They head to his hometown outside of Milan, and set out to convince his family that they are married and to please his mother they will have a wedding in Italy as well. The plan is simple...pretend to be married, and leave on an "emergency" before the REAL italian wedding takes place. Keep the charade going long enough for his sister to marry, and then they can break it off. How hard can it be? They live in New York, his family lives in Italy...it's only one week.

The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst - 338 pages
Carina and Max's story - Carina is Michael's (from book 2) baby sister...Max is Micheal's best friend and business partner. Carina has just finished her MBA and goes to New York to learn management of the family business. She's been in love with Max her entire life, but she knows he will never look at her as anything but a little sister. She learned that painful lesson 3 years ago. Finally away from her family in Italy, she is ready to explore her sexuality and maybe FINALLY get to have some no holds barred S-E-X...at least she's going to try - but Max always seems to be in the way, and suddenly, he isn't looking at her like a little sister anymore. Book 4 comes out in July...so excited

Forget Me Knot by Sue Margolis -383 pages
This book is a funny, quirky romantic story. Here's the deal...Abby owns her own floral business, she's contantly being bullied by a florist down the street, who just happens to be her assistant, Martin's, ex boyfriend. Abby is engaged to Toby...but he has a problem getting it up. He says it's because he's over worked and tired...but could it be that he might be gay? How do you marry someone if you think they could be gay? Then there is the whole class factor..he's upper crust, nobility even, and she's just a regular girl from a middle class family. On her way to meet his mother for the first time, she gets stuck in an elevator where she meets Dan. There is an instant spark, but she's engaged. This is a cute book, there is a lot going on, but the relationships are great. Oh, by the way, it's a british humor thing - and yes, I read almost the whole thing in a British accent. Couldn't help it.

Anything He Wants -dominated by the billionaire by Sara Fawkes - 268 pages This isn't out on Amazon yet. Most of these books I read in paperback form, but I linked them for those of you wanting to read it on your e-reader.
This was another one of those 50 shades types of books. I mean, yeah - there is a billionaire... but instead of having a dark past like in 50 Shades, and the Crossfire series, there isn't anything horrifying-well not horrifying, but Jeremiah definitely has a screwed up past and terrible childhood. There is an element of mystery, and in all honesty complete make believe in this book. Whereas in 50 or the crossfire series, I can actually believe that those books could be true...could be real, this one is not like that - it is pure fiction. It's still a good book, just not really believeable, and yet I will still be reading book 2 when it comes out, because now I know the characters and I want to see what happens. I can't really explain this book because there is so much going on. The is a billionaire - Jeremiah Hamilton, who basically screws Lucy Delacourt into becoming his personal assisstant. She is required to give him ANYTHING he wants - they fly to Paris, where they attend a charity gala and she is manhandled by his brother Lucas who most likely stole 30 million dollars from Jeremiah's company. When they return to their suite, she gets poisoned and nearly dies...it was meant for Jeremiah, but now she's seen the hitman's face and she becomes a target. Then all hell breaks loose after being under house arrest for a few days...truths come out and everything becomes a cluster$*@&! Good book, but of all the dark, dangerous, erotic billionaire series I've read...this is probably in the middle to the bottom of the list, just on unbelievability factor alone.

Derailed (Clayton Falls) by Alyssa Rose Ivy - 260 pages
Molly's life is falling apart...or fell apart and she doesn't know what she wants out of life anymore. She quits law school and returns home to her childhood home. Of course, she didn't really think through that decision either, because now, instead of the new demons that have been haunting her, she gets some old ones as well. Somehow, even with all her crap, she still can't resist the one man she knows she should stay away from. Not that he gives her much choice. Can she keep herself from falling back in love with her highschool sweetheart, the man she nearly destroyed when she left the first time? And, will she be able to avoid destroying him again?

Veer (Clayton Falls) by Alyssa Rose Ivy - 287 pages
It's been a shit year for Becca. Needing a break from Boston, she takes a summer job in her best friend, Molly's home town. Of course, her car breaks down right outside of town - lucky for her an officer who know Molly gives her a ride to her friends house..well maybe not so lucky. Turns out, sparks fly every time Becca and Gavin are in newar proximity of each other...there's a strong attraction, but can they get past their own issues to see the attraction and set off a different type of sparks?

Okay, I think that is all I have read in the last 4 days - so NOW I have read 74 books...not too bad for one month! JR says I need therapy...he doesn't realize this IS my therapy! LOL

Corrections...

First, I need to make a correction to an earlier blog. I had mentioned that I have already read 73 books this year...oops! ACTUALLY, I have 73 books on my amazon list, but I didn't think about the fact that it has all the books I have downloaded this year...which does not equate to books I have read. I don't know how many of those books I had NOT read at the time of the previous post, but at this moment, there are 8 books that are still unread. So, in reality - I have read (one moment while I pull of the calculator because I can't do math to save my life)...65 books. Which is still pretty damn impressive. It is more than two books a day. It only takes me about 5 hours to read a book...unless I have other stuff to do and then I just read during all the down time I have...while I cook, going to the bathroom, while Landry naps, etc. With the kids being sick for the last week and a half...there has been NOTHING but down time.

One downfall of reading so much is that my DVR is quickly running out of space. At least once a week, I try to pick one show to catch up on...but it seems that I can only watch a couple of episodes of said show..and then I go back to reading. It's not really a bad thing, but I am starting to wonder how much of my life I am actually living and how much I spend in fantasy - be it reading or watching tv! Oh well, I am pretty content!

Logan is back in school! YAY. His last fever was on Thursday. I forgot to mention that when we went to the doctor Logan is in the 94% for height and the 63% for weight. Landry is in the 91% for height and the 48% for weight. It's so funny to see them growing up. They are such sweet kids, and I love them. Landry STILL has a fever...it's only 100.6 - which is much better than the 3 consecutive days of 103, but I am ready for her to be well again.

Here are a couple of actual reviews for the books I have read over the last few days. Most of the time I will probably just list the book and link it, but sometimes I will actually write a review of the book, so if you are interested...READ ON!

Reckless Nights in Rome by CC MacKenzie 238 pages, the first in (A Ludlow Hall story) series.
Great book - Bronte Ludlow and her brother Alexander lose their parents in a terrible car crash, but the loss doesn't stop there. Secrets are unearthed and on top of it all Alexander sells their family estate, Ludlow Hall, to his best friend and they turn it into a five star hotel. All Bronte has left is The Dower House and her own business, but Nico wants the Dower House, her last remaining ties to her heritage.

Nico Feranti is a wealthy man, who always gets what he wants. What he want's is for his best friend's sister to stop being a brat and sell him the Dower House. But meeting Bronte just might give him everything he thought he never wanted.

Two Fiery personalities clashing both in and out of the bedroom, but can either of them learn to compromise and trust each other completely?

A Stormy Spring by CC MacKenzie - 315 pages, book 2 in A Ludlow Hall Story

I am not really sure what this book has to do with the Ludlow Hall series excactly other than the fact that the main characters take a short holiday to Ludlow Hall, and the very short reappearance of Nico and Bronte...other than that, the book is completely on its own. This is good and bad. It's means that the series doesn't really need to be read in any sort of order, and that each book can stand alone. On the other hand, it would have been better if the characters would have been mentioned somewhere in the first book or even the third book (which I will get to in a sec). It's just so separate that it doesn't make a lot of sense as to why it's part of the series.

Anyway, this one is about Becca Wainwright, a choreographer, who has been riddled with tragedy after tragedy. Her story is rough, and heartbreaking. After her life falls apart she throws herself into her work. She basically stops living - all she needs is to work, and sleep, and work.

Lucas Del Garda owns a PR firm. He's front and center 90% of the time and he loves his job.

An out of character night for Becca, lands herself in the hotel room with Lucas, who can't fathom Becca walking out of his life. Can he convince her to at least give it a chance?

Run Rosie Run by CC MacKenzie 355pages, Book 3 in A Ludlow Hall Story

This one takes us back to Ludlow Hall. It has all the same characters as book one, with a couple new people thrown in..I'm guessing we will get their stories in the future with this series.

Rosie, Bronte's best friend has been in love with Alexander Ludlow just about all her life.

Alexander has always treated her like another sister.

After a phone call with her mother about Rosie's biological clock tick tocking away, Rosie decided it's time to stop pining away for Alexander and move on, but can she do it while seeing him every day? She'll have to leave everything she loves in order to start fresh, but Alexander has other plans.

This was a good book, but Rosie is a bit crazy. In some ways, she's crazy funny, and others she is crazy neurotic. If you can get past the whining and poor pitiful me crap, it's a good book.

Liar's Fire: A Cooper Brothers Novel by Dee Burks - 272 pages

Serena Finley is an editor at a small town Texas newpaper. She has big dreams, but before she can pursue those, she has to get her son off to college. After her father died when she was young, Serena became a wild child and ended up pregnant at 17...now her son is about to graduate high school, and she can go after her dream. NEW YORK. Unfortunately, her uncle (and boss), comes up with a plan to get business booming at the paper. The plan - a romantic series written by Serena. She doesn't do romance. So she comes up with an idea of faking the romance as long as she can find someone that will play the role.

Tyler Cooper just happens to be date number three after his nosy sister places an ad in the paper. They come to an agreement to help each other out. Neither has anything to worry about...everything about Tyler is wrong for Serena, and Tyler doesn't have time to deal with women - which is why he needs her help to get his sister off his back.

Can they pull of this hoax and stay unattached?

Book 4 in the Friends with Benefits...I read the more erotic version called Second Thoughts by Ian Dalton
It was good. It closes out the series, with leaving a few things open in case he wants to go back and add more to the story...but isn't detrimental if he doesn't. I am not happy about a particular couple and the way things end. I think it's wrong - he got it wrong...but that's just my opinion. It wasn't nearly as funny as book 2 in the series - but, overall it was good. I'm still pissed about this one couple, and I can't let go of it - but my friend read the series too and she said she liked it...so I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

Sweet Water by Anny Jeffrey...not worth the time. Such a slow progressing book. Most of the time when I read a book - I fly through it...I just can't wait to turn the page...this one felt like it took FOREVER to get to the damn point. I do NOT recommend this one.

This Little Piggy went to the Liqour Store by A.K. Turner - not worth it...the reviews talked about how "funny" this book was. I didn't see it. It was dumb. Didn't like it - again...took forever to get to a plot...the book was a lot like my blogs...just incessant rambling...except that it is 202 pages book of rambles. do NOT recommend

I think that is all I've read for the last couple of days...I feel like I am missing one or two....oh, well - I'm sure I will catch them somewhere!

Just Wow

The kids are on the mend...at least I freaking hope so. We went to the doctor...which I hated doing because I am not an idiot and I already knew what was happening...but there was still that slight fear that something else MIGHT be wrong, so I took the kids...paid $60 for them to tell me to make sure they drink lots of fluids, rest, and give tylenol or motrin to keep the fever down...it's the flu! I totally should have been an effing doctor! Did I mention Logan was not happy about this visit - yeah, told me over and over that we was fine, didn't need to go...we got there, he wouldn't get out of the truck, said he would just wait in the truck. I finally got him to tell me he didn't want to get a shot! Geesh, kid, you aren't getting a shot, the doctor is just going to give you a little look, make sure everything is working well and see what we can do about the cough. As we walked into the office I found myself praying that they didn't give him a shot...I really didn't want to be a liar.

Yesterday was Lanrdry's worst...her fever got up to 104.3, and I was ready to rush to the ER, but I waited it about, and annoyingly kept asking her random questions (I admit, I was a little concerned about brain damage)..maybe the "should have been a doctor" isn't the greatest idea. Anyway, for most of the day her fever was 103...I think she was only AWAKE for about 2 total hours all day, and mostly because I kept waking her up to drink some fluids, take some medicine and ask stupid questions. For some reason I can never just be ON the line...I'm either on one side or the other..."Oh, you're fine" or "OH MY GOD, call 911".

Anyway, while the kids have been sick, we have spent almost every day laying around the house...somehow - I still haven't caught the flu - THANK YOU ANTIBODIES...my immune system must have super power, because the kids have kissed me, taken my drinks, snuggled with me...yeah, their germs have MOST definitely been all up in my grill! While lounging, I haven't done much more than READ -READ - READ. I checked my Amazon cache...I gotta say, I was a bit surprised to find out I have read 73 books already this year. I'm a bit of a freak I guess!

So, about these books...here is a good series I started...there are 4 books...or 5 depending on your taste. If you're looking for steamy but in a milder manner check out Friends with...benefits series by Luke Young there are 4 books in the series. I have to say - book 2, so far, is my favorite...it is seriously LOL funny...JR was a little worried about me at one point because I couldn't stop laughing. As I went to purchase book 4 today, I found out that this series come in a more explicit version so I bought book 4 in the (more) erotica version, If you want to start the series and you know you like things a little spicier, check out the Victoria Wilde series by Ian Dalton. This is the same author, he just uses a different pen name for his erotica books, and in this verison he even wrote a prequel to get some background info on Victoria. I haven't read the prequel, because I just found out about it 20 minutes ago...don't know if I will go back to read it, since I have already read 3 books, so I feel like I know her character pretty well...but we will see. Anyway, Great books...Hoping book 4 gets back to the amazingness of book 2...book 3 was a good, but was no where near as good as book 2.
Another good series is The Kowalskis by Shannon Stacey...so far I have only read two of them..."Undeniably Yours" and "Exclusively Yours" but I plan to read some of the others. Really good...I have no idea where the series starts, I'm thinking its just one of those things were it's about the same group of people but you can read them independently...at least I haven't found anything anywhere that shows and order to the books. Anyway - give it a shot.

Undercover Heat by Danielle LaBue is a pretty good one. It's a little crazy at times, but still good. This is just a romance novel, there aren't any steamy scenes that will cause you to chase your husband around the house, but still its a good story.

Save the Date (Modern Arrangements) by Sadie Grubor and Monica Black...OMG soooo sooo good. I will warn you, this book is awesome! There is SO much sexual tension, but that's just it...just the tension. Nothing graphic, but the book, the story line, characters...everything - so, so good. Something you should DEFINITELY know...I am so pissed about this book - why? Because of it's awesomeness...you get to the end, and OH SHIT! CLIFFHANGER...the second book doesn't come out until March. I CAN NOT wait for the release of book two! Usually I try not to read an anthology book, unless there are already a few out...but I didn't realize that this had a part 2...and now I am stuck waiting for the second book for this one, The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden which was HUGE cliffhanger and The Secret of Ella and Micha Damn you Jessica Sorenson! Anyway...these 3 books are HIGHLY anticipated.

Some terrible books - Hot Coco (The unbridles series) by Cindy McDonald...honestly - I shouldn't say anything about this one because I didn't even get half way through...I read about 50 pages and just couldn't keep going, so maybe it is someone else's cup of tea...it wasn't even worth trying to wait around for something good to happen to me.
Fire and Ice (an erotic novel) by Marlene Darcy, I hated it. I thought it was poorly written...couldn't really identify with the whiny protagonist. She was really annoying - I wouldn't reccommend it!

I think that about covers the last few days. Enjoy, and check out one of these books if you get a chance! Also, I am always open to book suggestions from the readers!

Recovery -

We are back from Vegas! We lost our butts off, but had such a great time. We have spent the entire weekend trying to recover for the lack of sleep, but we came home to two kids with the flu, so we are watching them try to recover too! Today is day 5 for Logan and day 4 for Landry! Poor kiddos.
At the end of our recovery....we are gearing up for another gambling trip to Coushatta for Vanessa's birthday at the end of February. I am really looking forward to it! LOL...Gamblers anonyous, anyone?

Books - First I will start with the good ones...Private Passions (Private series)by Jami Alden. All three are very good.
Unleashed by Cherrie Lynn, Leave me Breathless (leather and Lace series) also by Cherrie Lynn...very good books. Escorted by Claire Kent...very very good. Paradise Awakening (Passion in Paradise series) by Jaci Burton

blah books: (anywhere from 1 to 3 stars in rating)
Ryan's Return by Barbara Freethy **
Hardball by V.K. Sykes ***
Into the Arms of a Cowboy by Isabelle Ashe **
Kidnapped the wrong sister by Marie Kelley ***
Impact (Wild men of Alaska series) by Tiffinie Helmer -The books in this series are short probably about 120 pages or less...some are better than others, but good for a quick short read - ***
Right Moves (Playing with the Boys series) by Ava McKnight *
Candy Store by Bella Andre **


I may have mentioned some of these in a previous post...can't remember - in the last few days I have read only 1 book that was worth it's weight and that was "Unleashed" by Cherrie Lynn. I would still only give is 4 stars...but I love her writing, and the book was really good.

Cart before the horse...

JR is freaking me out...and I don't need any help in that department. Tomorrow is the big day! We leave for Vegas at noon tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited. I have been trying to focus on the excitement and not the anxiety...which was going pretty well until last night.

If you don't know this about me - I am a little on the crazy side. I say this jokingly, because I am not REALLY crazy, I just have issues. I am not a great traveller. I get motion sickness VERY easily, and I have a tough of claustrophobia...I'm okay in a car - mostly, unless it's a really long trip and we dont stop for a long period of times...then everything closes in on me, it gets hard to breathe, and I start having a little panic attack. It's not pretty, and JR is usually pretty good about it. I can NOT travel in the backseat...unless I have plenty of room...sometimes laying down will help with the claustrophobia, but it increases the motion sickness. I HATE elevators with a passion...after using an elevator it usually takes at least half an hour to start breathing okay again...I try to always take the stairs. The last time I was on a plane was nearly 4 years ago, on our last trip to Vegas. Between the motion sickness, and the closed off space, it was a disaster. I spent the first leg of the trip vomitting my butt off. Then I got some dramamine at the airport in Denver, I took an extra dose, and knocked myself out for the secong leg of the flight. I repeated the process for the flight home.

Anyway, JR started telling last night that I should wear something really comfortable for the flight there and back. He said I should either wear a V-neck or a button down shirt (he knows me well, I usually start trying to tear my shirt off at the neck because I panic and feel like the shirt is actually trying to strangle me). Then he goes on to tell me how nervous HE is about travelling with me, and that maybe I should run to doctor for an anti-anxiety pill that I could use for the flights. The thing is...I don't want to me knocked out...well, for the flight - yes - I NEED to be knocked out, but once we land - I am going straight to the hotel, changing clothes, and hitting the casino, and I don't want to feel water logged! So I think I am going to just stick to the dramamine, and hopefully that will be fine, but every since he started talking about it last night, I feel like my chest is already constricting and I am getting very nervous about the flights. Grrrr! I know he was just trying to help...wanting to make sure I was as comfortable as possible, but I wish he would have waited until tomorrow morning to say anything...that way I only had a couple of hours to panic instead of 2 days! Grrr!

On the plus side...I'm GOING TO VEGAS TOMORROW! Now if I can just concentrate on that pasrt of it instead of how we are going to get there...

So much to do...

3 more days people...3 more days! I cant wait! Vegas, here we come!

Yesterday was busy! We had a birthday party from 2-5 for one of Landry's friends. It was really cute because it was a pajamma party. All these little girls running around in pj's. So adorable...and LOUD! Very, very loud! The birthday party was for Tatum, and luckily her brother is Logan's best friend, so the boys just hung out playing video games. At one moment, I got a little freaked as I saw a brief glimpse into my future! Geez! Anyway, afterwards we went to New Braunfels to meet up with my parents and sister and as a surprise my dad brought my mom's best friends. Happy 50th brithday dinner! woohoo. I can't believe my mom is turning 50 tomorrow! The funny part is that we didn't leave the birthday party in time to get the kids changed, so they went to my mom's birthday dinner in their jammies! LOL Oh well!

Today, we are supposed to be cleaning...instead - we are watching football. Ughhh I am seriously going to have so much to do in order to get this place what we call "white glove ready". I just can't have my mom staying here with dishes in the sink and laundry everywhere! On the other hand, it's good I have so much to do...maybe then I wont be counting down the hours until I depart for the airport!

Seriously, so excited - and it turns out some good friends of ours are going to be staying across the street from us...we moved our hotel reservation after looking at some of the reviews....anyway, it will be neat to hang out with some friends while we are there - but, I don't know if we will do anything other than dinner, because I plan to sit at the roulette table or in the poker rooms the entire time! I may not even sleep - EVER! LOL

Excitement!!!

So super excited right now! 6 days from now I will be heading to VEGAS! It is getting so close, and I am so ready. At the same time - it's a little excrutiating because JR and I know how close it is, and it's like the excitement is wearing us out. We have become SO LAZY. I still haven't taken down the Christmas tree, and my house is quickly becoming over run with clutter. I need to get my arse in gear.

I've been doing this thing wear I do the laundry, but after taking the clothes out of the dryer, I just throw it all on the bed in the guest room and then start the next load. Now the bed is piled high with clean - but super wrinkled clothes. I figure I can just wash them all again...it allows me to get the wrinkles out - AND delay the folding. If you can't tell, I absolutely HATE folding clothes. It isn't so much the gathering, washing, and drying...it's not even the putting them away that bothers me...it's the folding. They seriously need to make some sort electonic folder....it should have settings for different types of folds "shirt", you just lay the shirt flat, and it automatically folds it...or better yet - it has some sort of claw, so all you have to do is lay all your shirts in maybe a large bowl shaped thingy that maybe stays heated and continuously tumbles, to prevent wrinkles - then the claw comes in grabs a shirt, moves it to a flat board, where its neatly spread out and then folded. Oh and then there could be another mechanical arm thingy that somehow scoops the shirt and transfers it to the side, and then starts stacking them. Then when your shirts are finished you just switch the setting to "pants", throw all the pants in the warming bowl, and bam - Automatically folding machine. Yeah - I've put some thought into this. I really hate folding.

Wanted to give a shout out to some pretty good books, I read 2 that are not worth mentioning, I wont even waste the time...but someone you could look out for is Lauren Dane...she's excellent. Really love her books - ANY of them, "The Chase Brothers" series was awesome...very yummy. Also, Jaci Burton - I just read a "The Kent Brothers Trilogy" - really, really good...all three of them - they aren't really books, more like novella's. Probably around 120 pages each book, so I usually count these as just one book. IN my head it has to be at least 250 pages to be considered a book. The point is that they were really, really good and because I like her writing so much I am going to read another series she has..."Play by play"...anyway, check her out. Good stuff.
And Finally, I am currently reading "On Dublin Street" by Samantha Young. I'm a little more than half way through the book, and WOW! It's a good one. I'm loving it, if your interested, check out the link, and you can read about it on Amazon and decide what to do.

Just wanted to say, the reason I link these books/authors to Amazon is because that is where I get them from. My amazon account is linked to my Kindle, but if you use a different site for purchasing books - it really shouldn't matter. All you need is the Author and name of the book and you can find it at which ever site you use for yourself...I know some people with iPad's and iPhones use soemthing different, but it really shouldn't be that big of a deal.

When should you start?

Perhaps it's because of my impending 30th birthday (6 more months), or maybe it's because of my own nueroses, or maybe even my own sudden interest in taking care of my skin, but I recently starting wondering what age you should start teaching your children (daughters especially) about skin care.

Every one is different, obviously, but I was never taught anything about skin care. This is not a slight against my mother, but it was obviously something she did not concern herself with...even though she raised 3 daughters. Perhaps it was because she was so young and it wasn't something she worried about for herself - so why worry about teaching it to her kids? Or, maybe she just didn't care about wrinkles? My mother is exactly 20.5 years older than me. Her birthday is January 14, 1963 (YUP! She's going to be 50 in just a few days), and mine is June 14, 1983. I remember growing up, I had the young mom. Her skin always seemed so flawless to me. Sure, she had the occasional pimple or what not, but her skin was so smooth. She even looked younder than her age at the time...which I think she actually hated. Over the last few years - maybe 5 or 6, I have noticed my mothers aging. I think she still looks great. She is a very pretty woman, but her pores have become larger, her wrinkles have deepened a bit, and her looks are starting to catch up to her actual age. Does she look 50? I don't really think so, maybe 45, but still I remember when she turned 40, she looked MAYBE 31 - 32. Of course, a lot has happened in those 10 years. She now has 4 grandchildren, Vanessa went off to college - graduated - became a big girl (paying that tuition was probably stressful), Randi moved home, got a divorce, then disappeared. For nearly 3 years my parents were basically raising my niece and nephew. My grandfather passed away...anyway, the point is that I am sure that the stresses of the last 10 year contributed a wrinkle here and there - which led me to the thought, Can skin care stave off wrinkles? Is it a myth, or real?

My mom never taught us about washing your face, or making sure to remove your make-up, or even how to apply make-up. I didn't start wearing make-up until the 8th grade, and I'm pretty sure the first few times it was applied horribly. I do remember seeing girls with that famous orange streak across their jaw line, and I am sure I sported it too a few times, but I knew I didn't like it, so my make-up application quickly became powder and mascara. I don't think I ever even applied blush until junior prom! Even today, when I wear make-up, it's very basic. I don't even use powder anymore, just some blush, eye shadow, and mascara. My little sister is one of those that can artfully apply make-up. The works, the base, foundation, blush, she can do the perfect tri-color eye shadow application, the eye liner (which I've NEVER really understood and always end up poking it into my eye when I try...I've given up trying)...anyway, she's a master at make-up. She even has all different colors. I have one eye shadow...it's a honey brown color, and I've had it for about 8 years now. DId you know make-up expires? I had no idea. My best friend, Dana, told me that about a year ago when I told her I still have the same powder since high school. Guess what? I still haven't replaced it. Maybe before Vegas I will go replace all my make up??? Who knows.

Sorry for the ramble....right before the holidays we had some family photos taken....upon looking at the pics, I noticed so many wrinkles on my face. For some time now, I have noticed my pores getting larger and larger (also, my face is getting harrier - really freaking me out, by the way). Then as we were driving to Houston for Christmas, I notices these terrible wrinkles...ON MY EARS! FREAKY, right? So, when we got back, I went to buy some anti-wrinke cream...well, if you've ever been to this aisle, then you understand - There are like 9 MILLION different types of face creams. I had no idea what I was doing, so I just bought several, plus a couple different types of face wash. I decided I would start washing my face every morning and evening before bed AND put the cream on my face. I started on the second (I'm really weird about starting stuff on the 1st, because then I feel like it's a resolution, and if I stop doing it for some reason then I feel like a failure and that my entire year will be bad for not keeping my own resolution..I know, I'm a freak!) It was been one week, my face still looks the same to me...I have no reduction on wrinkles, my skin is not tighter, my pores are not smaller....BUT my face is very soft! I haven't seen a reduction in pimples either...but then again, my friend IS visiting, so we will see. I know it's only been a week which isn't a long enough time to decide the validity of skin creams...also, I have to do some research and find out what THE HELL I am doing. What is the difference between a toner, a moisturizer, anti-aging cream, anti-wrinkle cream? Geez, there is so much more not to mention the different brands. Luckily, the stuff I bought was all in the little travel sizes, so I figured A) cheaper, and B)isn't such a waste if I find out it isn't the right thing to use.

So the point of this...what age should I start teaching Landry how to take care of her skin? Not just her face, but all of her skin (which I need to do too, but I'm starting with my face and neck!) I don't want her freaking out about wrinkles when she's 10, but I do want her to know the importance of taking care of herself...not because I want her to be 50 before she gets a wrinkle, but because I think you shouldn't have to be staring down the nose of 30 before you actually start thinking about these things. I mean, really, shouldn't I know all of this stuff by now?

Punching you husband...good or bad?

I love my husband, I really do, but there are moments that I have an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. First of all, I need to say that this man puts up with me on a daily basis and that fact alone pretty much qualifies him for sainthood. He is an amazing man, a wonderful husband, and the best father I could ever choose or want for my children. I just want to be clear, I love my husband.

HOWEVER - sometimes basic humanity gets in the way. We are selfish creatures. It's a fact. Animals in the wild will kill their own family members if they have to, it happens. My little monthly friend is visiting, I know - TMI, but it's important to point this out because you need to understand that I am not a rational being and when my friend comes every month...all bets are off.

So why do I want to punch my husband?

JR has this irritating thing where he offers to do something as if it would be some great help to me, when really, it's for him.

This morning (and this isn't the first time he's done this), JR's alarm goes off, and goes off again, and then again, and after the 4th time, I tell him to either turn the damn thing off or go somewhere else. Just as I start to drift off...MY alarm goes off! Ughhhh.

It's kind of like that feeling where you wake up 30 minutes before you have to and you're irritated because you know you can't get back to sleep, but you would do just about anything to get that 30 extra minutes of sleep.

Anyway, so JR, oh so sweetly (sarcasm) offers to stay with Landry while I get Logan ready and take him to school. But really this is his way of staying in bed and getting an extra 45 minutes of sleep

To be fair - this actually is a big help because I don't have to worry about waking Landry up and getting her dressed and fed. Instead of dealing with 2 kids, I only have 1, which is easier, and faster.

But I wasn't in a thankful mood this morning, so instead, I pretty much growled at him and told him if he really wanted to help, he could get HIS butt out of bed and take Logan to school, and I could stay with Landry. (Yes, basically, I am saying the same thing - you go take care of Logan and I will go back to sleep!) It's only fair since I haven't gotten any sleep and had to listen to your DAMN alarm going of all morning!

Let me explain...my monthly visitor has two personalities...she's kind of psychotic that way - one is where she comes, does her thing, and then goes - the other is where she comes, zaps me of all my strength, tires me out completely and wages an unholy war on my insides, squeezes the shit out of nerves in my back so that I get lovely shooting pains down my legs for DAYS...yeah, my friend...she can be a real bitch sometimes. Let's just say it's her sadistic side that's visiting this month.
On top of that - oh yeah, there's more - because of my cramps, and the leg situation, I didn't get to sleep until nearly 2 last night.
Then, Logan apparently crawled in bed with us, and JR took it upon himself to try to suffocate me with his big bear arms, when he threw them over my face. And THEN...the whole alarm thing. Obviously, I didn't get a lot of sleep.
JR on the other hand, came home from work early yesterday and took a 3 hour nap before parking himself in from of the tv to watch the National Chapionship Game. I told him I couldn't cook because my legs hurt too much to stand for that long and my stomach felt like it was being ripped to shreds. He said he would take care of it, so I went back to my fetal position in the guest room. At 9, I hear the kids still playing, so I go to take care of THAT situation...they are supposed to be in bed by 8:30. Logan says he's hungry..."JR, where's dinner?"
"Oh, I gave them some cereal." He's still watching football! ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I make Logan some more cereal, and make myself a bowl too...seriously...so pissed, which was probably also an attributing factor to my attitude this morning.

Anyway - so I get up this morning, get Logan awake, get him dressed, fed, and teeth brushed. I'm packing up his snack, when JR strolls into the room and says HE will take Logan to school. OH MY GOD...I'm going to punch him in the FACE!!!! So he laid in bed for an extra 20 minutes while I was dragging my ass around getting Logan ready, and then he stolls down like some sort of hero for taking Logan to school. I call BULLSHIT! Logan was crying because he wanted me to take him, so I tell him not to worry. I get him in the car....there is no reason for my baby to start his day off badly just because mommy and daddy are...so I tell him it's okay, and I will gladly take him. I slide the gear into reverse and look up to see Jr walking out to his truck. I ask what he's doing and he says he has to get to work.
ME "Ummm, I thought you were staying with Landry until I could get back."
JR "Well, that's just great, now I'm going to be late to work."
I can't really express the level of rage I felt at that moment, but instead of saying something snarky, or blowing up, I just shrugged and backed out the driveway. Took Logan to school, and came home.

Seriously, I know my hormones are all out of whack, and that I'm a highly irrational person, but sometimes I just don't understand that man....and sometimes I have an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face.

BTW- I do not, in any way, condone violence. You should always use your words and not fists, and be careful with your words because sometimes they can be more harmful than fists. I do however have occasional violent thoughts...I just try like hell not to act on them!