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I finished Pretty Poison this morning, this is a good cozy and I really enjoyed reading. It was about Peggy Lee and he garden shop. When a body turns up in her shop she has to prove that her homeless friend didn't do it and then in the process all the signs point to one of her employees, or do they? All this an new dog and a blooming romance make for a good read!
Next I am reading Dancing with Werewolves by carole Nelson Douglas.

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I finished At Wick's End this morning. I really enjoy books by Tim Myers. In this one Harrison Blacks great aunt passes away, leaving Harrison with her candle shop and the shopping complex that houses it, with one catch: Harrison must run it. So as he learns his new life and home he uncovers the fact that Belle, his aunt, may have died at someone elses hand.
The next book is Pretty Poison by Joyce and Jim Lavene.

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Kitty ad the Midnight Hour is done. I really liked it! It was about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a radio talk show about things that go bump in the night. But even in a werewolf's life there are politics. Really good book!
Now I am reading At Wicks End By Tim Myers. I really liked his soap making cozies so I hope this one is good too.

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I finished Dragonswan by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I'm still not sure how I feel about the darkhunter books at this time. I think I'd read them all if there wasn't so much more out there, but they aren't horrible either. Does that make sense? They are good but so far not good enough to completely hook me.
This on was about Channon and Sebastian and how their worlds become one. I like the greek gods story line and how the author makes that world work into this one. All and all, not bad.
Now I am reading Kitty and the Midnight Hour. I started this before I set down to type this, One chapter in so far. I like what I have read!

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I finished Hard Row by Margaret Maron this morning. I did not realize until I was a few chapters in that this was a series. I think I would read the others.
Hard Row was about a small county judge and her police chief husband. There was the mystery of a body that came up body part by body part until the whole story was told.
Next I am reading Dragonswan by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

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So I finished To Kill a Mockingbird friday morning. Great book! I have always been interested in life and times in the 30's and think this book was an awesome work about that time. TKAMB had mystery(Boo Radley), romance(Scout and Dill) horror(Tom Robinson) and just a great story. Loved it!
I'm reading Hard Row by Margaret Maron.

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I just read If there be Dragons by Kay Hooper. Have you ever read a book and felt like the book was one long metafore that you just didn't get? That was this book for me. It was the story of Thor, Pepper and most of all Cody and Brooke. There was a wolf and and a burro and dragons and no real story, I was lost. I did not enjoy this book at all. In fact it took me around 7 hours to get through the last 4 pages. It was so bad I could even bring myself to plow through them, so glad its over.
My next book will be To Kill A Mockingbird. Somehow I always got that English teacher who assumed we had all read it before and we would watch the movie. I clearly remember watching the movie in 3 classes and think it could have been more but sadly I've never read it.

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I just finished A Mold For Murder by Tim Myers. I felt bitter sweet about this one as its another great Perkins family story but it seems it may be the last, as this author has started a new series with 2 books already out (I'll have to check into them,huh?) I really did like all of these "cozy" mysteries in this series but wish he would have ended up with the other woman!lol
I am now reading If there be Dragons by Kay Hooper

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I have finished A Pour Way to Dye by Tim Myers, It was another fun soap making mystery. In this one Ben Perkins has to keep himself out of jail when a known enemy winds up dead holding a bar of the Perkins family soap. Will Ben be able to solve this case? The next book on my 52 in 52 is A Mold For Murder also by Tim Myers.

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I finished There's an Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George early this morning. Cute kids book teaching that even grown-ups don't know everything and sometimes what they think the know changes along with the lesson of conservation.
I'm now reading A Pour Way To Dye by Tim Myers, second in the soap making series.

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Last night I finished Dead Men Don't Lye. I thought It was a good cozy. I didn't expect the end at all and it had a touch of romance.
Next I am reading There's and Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George a recommendation by Bailey.

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Well, I finished another book! It was 311 Pelican Court by Debbie Macomber. It was another heart warming story of the town of Cedar Cove. I enjoy this one just as much as the others and will continue to read this series.
I started Dead Men Don't Lye by Tim Myers until I can get my hands on the next Cedar Cove book!

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So I finished Fantasy Lover. Boy, that was one racy book:) My next book will be 311 Pelican Court By Debbie Macomber.

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I finished the Debbie Macomber book. It was good. I think her writing is like cheese burgers. Fun to read/eat but not the best for you. Good book!lol Now I'm reading Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

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Be My Baby Tonight was a very cute book. I really liked it and would read this author again. This book was about childhood friends who rushed into getting married and this realized their reasons were not what made for a happy life. They worked around them in true romance novel fashion and lived happily ever after! Cute.
Now I am reading 204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber.

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Kinsey Millhone is such a cool 80's P.I. Plus, she's a, well, she's a she. Which all of us who are too old for Nancy Drew need. In this book Kinsey has to look for the sister of a really strange lady until Kinsey wants to involve the police, that is. Things get even stranger from there. I am one of the many who likes Sue Grafton's "alphabet books".
My next book is Be My Baby Tonight by Kasey Michaels.

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I finished The Clique this morning. I can't believe this was a book about 12 year olds. Why. I don't think I even knew people as mean as these little girls and I hope my own girls never meet kids this mean.
This was the first book in the series about 4 friends, Massie, Kristen, Alicia and Dylan. Massie's parents are helping some old friends who are relocating by letting them set in the Block guest house. Claire and Massie don't hit it off and the war begins.
Next I am reading 'b' is for burglar by Sue Grafton. I had such a hard time finding a copy of this about a year ago and then when I did I stuck it on a shelf and forgot about it, so I am just now reading it.

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Maybe, its that I read something more suited to my taste. Maybe this was a really good book. I really thought Pug Hill was super cute! How can you go wrong with a character who compares her life to Holly Golightly's? Plus, my mom is a Pug person and I find that I bond well to pug people.(and I find they are their own kind of people) Plus, her parents have a Corgi, this book was written for me(insert big grin here)But, its not just about the dogs, its about Hope's finding her own way in life and finding happiness in that way. Its about HOPE. Very good book.
Next I am reading The Clique by Lisi Harrison, because a) Bailey has shown interest in the tv series that will start soon and b)It was on the coffee table!

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I finished The Collection by Bentley Little this moring while waiting on Bailey to get dressed. This was very much Bentley Little, easy to read, dark, scary. I realize when I read Bently Little, older Stephen King and older Dean Koontz I could be a writer. These books are so much like my dreams at night sometimes its creepy in and of its self. I have read that thats how King used to write, his dreams. I know Bentley Little does because the introduction of at least one of the stories in The Colllection tell about this being started by a dream. I will read more of Bentley Little, I'm sure.
The Collection is just that, a collection of short stories that have been published in horror magazines and some stuff that hasn't. Each with an intro by the author. Some were gross so were very creepy. The two that I think were the best(If I had to pick) were:Blood and The Murmurous Haunt of Flies. Two very nightmare like tales.
Now I am reading Pug Hill by Alison Pace, I needed something light and Chick Lit after all the dark stuff! So far so good!

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I finally finished Wicked! I liked it, Gregory MaGuire really has an imagination! It was very dark and political and not what I am into. (Sorry, I prefer chick lit!lol) I'm glad that I have read this.
My next book is The Collection by Bentley Little. I've already started it, it seems to be Bentley Little style, very creepy!

My kid is the sweetest!

Bailey was excited about today because she was going to go to her class AR store. (AR is a reading points system that the schools here use to help teach kids better reading habits, they not only have a "store" for every 9 weeks there is a pizza party if you reach a set amount and if you reach it all year there is a feild trip, Bailey didn't make the feild trip but Kristen did!yeah Kris!) Bailey ran to me from the bus with her shopping bags and pulled one out for me.
She knew I'd just love this because a) my middle name is Joy and B) my favorite color is green. It is pretty perfect for me huh ;) What a sweetie!

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Coraline was a very strange book. I can't wait to see what Tim Burton did with it in the movie.(I think he produced it, I may be wrong, but even the book has his feel) I would have been scared if I had read this as a kid! I read this after my 11 yaer old said it was a good book. Its very dark!
I am now reading Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the west. By Gregory Maguire.

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If you are a reader, you more than likely have heard of the Book " The Memory Keepers Daughter". Why, I don't know, this was one of the hardest, saddest books I have ever read. It starts of happy enough with a young, very in love couple expecting their first child. As a snow storm moves through their town the baby comes. It turns out that there are twins. One is a boy the other a girl. The baby girl has Downs syndrome, without thinking it over the dad sends the baby girl away. The books gets very sad at this point and turns into a book about a lot of hurt and emptyness. I don't
understand why this book was such a big book in 2008.
The next book is Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

moments from our our May camping trip

We love to camp in fact this weekend marks our third trip since February. We got to the lake around one today and took the boat out. So far we are having a blast and I wanted to share some pictures of our fun first day:

Wow, I look crazy in this picture! Kristen looks cute in her shades though! We were playing while Tim ran into the bait shop!

This is a picture I took from the side of the boat. that is the water, it was so still it looks like the sky.

This picture is of Bailey and Tim as we were crossing the lake.
Kristen thinks she can fly!

In the garden

Another sigh of summer to come, tiny squash!

The signs of summer

Today, when Tim came in from doing the yard he mentioned that he saw some ripe black berries on the vines. Tim, Kristen, Bailey and I have been watching those vines very close. So, I went out to see what was going on. This is our bounty:

One of my Mothers day gifts came today.

Tim ordered me the one of the Hello Kitty and theGraphically Speaking cartridges for my Cricut for Mothers day. Today the GS one came!

So of course I had to play with it, this is the page I did:

Isn't that "you" the coolest? I cut the "be" with it too! I love it, now I can't wait for the Hello Kitty one to get here! Yes, the pictures are of Bailey's ninth birthday. I've very behind, so behind I just got those pictures printed about 2 weeks ago. I have over 700 pictures I need to print going back to right after Bailey's birthday and I think I have another full card in the camera case. I need to get busy!

Cupcakes

I made Choco-Peanut butter cupcakes for Baileys birthday. They are yummy and easy.

One milk chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix cake according to directions. Mix in peanut butter. Bake. Cool.

Frosting:

can of milk chocolate forsting

2 tablespoons peanut butter

mix well and frost.

Being 11 is hard.

This is Bailey's 11th birthday today. We got up and she got ready for school, we checked out the puppies to see if any of them have opened their eyes(she is hoping they open them on her birthday! One has this afternoon!) I sang happy birthday to her, then we went into the kitchen so that I could make coffee. She wanted to get the water so I gave her the pot to fill from the water cooler while I got the filter ready. She had the pot almost full when it slipped from her hand. It hit the tile and shattered into a million pieces. She was fine except for a broken heart. She felt horrible! The tears welled even though I told her it was fine, dad told her it was fine. I even pulled out the old pot from our maker that went out right before Christmas, it was fine! But, it wasn't. I know that feeling well,I hate that feeling, so my kid left for school crying I was crying because her heart was broken and I couldn't fix it. My poor baby. 11 is hard.

65 random questions and my answers

1. First thing you wash in the shower?My hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Dark Gray
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? of course!
4. Do you plan outfits?sometimes
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?Relaxed
6. Whats the closest thing to you that's red?a coke bottle
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?I was shopping for yarn and dancing with the pretty ones
8. Did you meet anybody new today?Not yet
9. What are you craving right now?supper, it smells good
10. Do you floss?Occasionally - tha'ts the worst answer ever! I need to do it much more!!
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?dolls
12. Are you emotional?Totally!!
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?Oh yeah.
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?both
15. Do you like your hair?does anyone?
16.Do you like yourself?Yes
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?can't say that I think it would be fun or even enlighting
18. What are you listening to right now?Cast-on
19. Were your parents strict?Yes
20. Would you go sky diving?nope
21. Do you like cottage cheese?Yes, we are having some tonight!
22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
Yep! One of the Van Halen bothers.
23. Do you rent movies often?Yep
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?the glass table top
25. How many countries have you visited?Sadly, just the good ole USA
26. Have you made a prank phone call?Who hasn't?? We even help Bailey and Kristen prank call my dad!
27. Ever been on a train?Not to go anywhere, lol
28. Brown or white eggs?brown
29.Do you have a cell-phone?yes, do I know where its at, nope
30. Do you use chapstick?not chapstick brand Burts Bees or Tropic sun with sunscreen
31. Do you own a gun?yes, a 410/22
32. Can you use chop sticks?yes
33. Who are you going to be with tonight?my family
34. Are you too forgiving?I don't think I'm forgiving enough, working on it.
35. Ever been in love?Yes :-)
36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?No telling what Tim will be up to.
37. Ever have cream puffs?Yum!
38. Last time you cried?not a normal thing for me lately but today Kelley made me cry...
39. What was the last question you asked?Kristen did you see this?(about a team edward scrapbook page on a scrapping forum)
40. Favorite time of the year?Fall
41. Do you have any tattoos?Nope
42. Are you sarcastic??Noooo....
43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?with Ashton Kutcher, yup, but I don't think I've seen 2 and now there is a 3!
44. Ever walked into a wall?more times than anyone ever should
45. Favorite color?green and pink
46. Have you ever slapped someone?I don't think so
47. Is your hair curly?sadly, yes
48. What was the last CD you bought?I think My Chemical Romance-like two years ago
49. Do looks matter?it depends
50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?I don't think so.
51. Is your phone bill sky high?I have NO idea, Tim pays it.
52. Do you like your life right nowI love it, though I wish Kelley would grow out of her thing
53. Do you sleep with the TV on?sometimes
54. Can you handle the truth?You have to!
55. Do you have good vision?Ha! No!
56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?I don't hate anyone, in reality but there are quite a few people that I'm not big fans of
57. How often do you talk on the phone?no
58. The last person you held hands with? Bailey....can't remember!
59. What are you wearing?yoga pants and one of Tims tee shirts
60.What is your favorite animal?aligator
61. Where was your profile picture taken?Lake Bob Sandlin
62. Can you hula hoop?nope
63. Do you have a job?I own my own business
64. What was the most recent thing you bought?coffee creamer
65. Have you ever crawled through a window?yes.

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I finished "My Life at Rose Red" ,it wasn't great, it wasn't the worst. I would never suggest it to anyone. It tells the story of Ellen Rimbauer before the professor brings her staff to study the hauntings.
Moving on, I am going to start The Memory Keepers Daughter today.

new puppies and 40 clove garlic chicken

Last Saturday night our girl Rubi delivered 4 beautiful puppies. 2 girls, 2 boys. Today we had to take them to the vet to have their tails docked so that they can be papered, and sold when they are older. Here are some before pictures I took this morning.

I knew I would be at the vet this afternoon so I wanted something in the crockpot before I left,plus crockpot cooking is fun! So I made 40 clove garlic chicken. It smelled so good I almost forgot about the upset stomach I had for choppong of puppy tails, almost. But, they seem ok this evening. To go with the chicken I made garlic mashed patatoes and green beans. Everyone loves this meal. Kristen really loved the mashed patatoes,see:

I Knitted a hat!

On Earthday I started knitting a hat for no other reason than I'd never knitted one before and I had pretty yarn! This yarn reminds me of the earth with colors of blues,greens, browns, golds and black a white. It is the coolest stuff as far as color goes BUT its acrylic,yuk. So I made an easy rolled brim hat with it.

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Another cute Emily Carmichael book. I was kind of wrong about this being the last in this series, the next one just doesn't star Piggy, the main character of the last three. Piggy has became a therapy dog in this book and in normal Piggy fashion she doesn't even do this quietly. She become a Millionaire and Nell, her "master" becomes a love interest to the "villain" and things go wild from there. Cute!
My next book is "My Life at Rose Red" it is the story of what brought the research team to Rose Red. I don't even know why I want to read this one. I'm not a big Steven King fan,we'll see.

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This weeks book was BAD! I have read Laura Childs before and enjoyed the other books but this one was not a favorite. First off, the dog played no importance to the story, but yet, we were taken on twists and turn that went no where are the dog. I felt the story was very predictable and by the end just really didn't care who dunnit! I don't even think I would have finished this book if not for the 52 in 52 challange and I never step away from a book!
My next book will be the last book in a series I have read, Gone to the Dogs by Emaily Carmichael. The last two were cute romance with a hint of mystrey.

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I have finished Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, This was a cute book. Agatha has retired, much to her own dismay, and moved to her dream home. She is BORED and though the whole book, one step from packing up and moving. There is a death in the little village and people think she is to blame. She decides to clear her name and things go crazy. I really liked this book, but now I find myself talking in British slang.
My next book is Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs. I have read her Scrapbook mysteries and thought I'd give the tea books a try.

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I finished Charlaine Harris' around 1:30 this morning (I hate insomnia!) Another good Sookie Book! I think she had intended to end with this one as the ending seemed more wrapped up than in the past. But, I still have questions and others must have too, because I'm sure there are new books to this series. Sookie travels to New Orleans to close up her cousin, Hadley (love that name!) estate, and in true Sookie fashion finds herself in the middle of "sup" upheaval.
I have had a few of the M.C. Beaton books on my shelf for a few years now and decided to give the first one a try. So, I am reading Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death next.

Facebook has made me a bad blogger!

There has been alot going on here. We have had Spring Break, we have new chicks, baby goats and Tim and I found 39 caches in one day.

We had heard from other Geocachers that we needed to check out the area south of Atlanta as there is a cacher who has tons of hides. Tim and I both had read over them and noticed something, there are tons and they all TELL A STORY. Sounds fun! We had a blast in this national Forest finding hide after hide. One cache that we tried to do was a DNF but we are still very happy to have seen the location. We were in the middle of nowhere and the GPS took us to the end of this little "pig trail" dead end road. We were sure it was wrong until I saw a hand made sign. so we get out to walk the 100 feet or so and stumble on a turn of the cenruty cemitary in this very wooded area. Very peaceful and very much a part of history! We had a blast and even worked together to write a poem( a requirement to log on cache) It was one of the many trips that make me thankful to be a Geocacher!

We have eleven new chicks in a grower box. I don't have pictures of them when they were newborn (you've seen one baby chicken you've kinda seen 'um all!)

We also have 2 new kids, born March 20. We really didn't think the female would make it but she is doing fine a such a doll! Bailey named her Lil' Bit because she is tiny(less than a pound at birth) and our boy is Ricky.

I also caught 2 fish on a family fishing trip, I was the only one that caught anthing and I only fished for about 45 minutes! lol Neither fish I caught was a keeper!

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Have you ever read a book and thought"Wow! Where has this author been hiding?" That is how I felt about "A Single Thread" . The story was told through the eyes of to of the charaters who were worlds different and became best friends through even stranger means. I can't wait until the next book by this author comes out this summer. Loved it!
My next book is another "Sookie" book, Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris.

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This Everworld was told though the eyes of David. It was another good book. Now I'm reading A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick.

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I finished Dead as a Doornail Friday night, I am going to be sad when I finish these books. The area these books are written about is right outside my door. Even though there are vampires,witches, wares, and fairies, the people seem very down home and real. Charlaine Harris has done an awesome job with these books.
My next book is Everworld:Discover the Destroyer. These are YA books and not at all my style(though my style seems to have changed TONS in the last 4 months or so) I have read all of the books before this one and though they are super quick reads the story line is well written and gripping.

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I think this was a very creepy book! Which I guess is exactly what it was supposed to be so it was dead on. This book was about a serial killer who found his victims though his work as an Architect. He would get to know the families that hired him to build their homes and if parts of their life didn't fit neatly into that space he felt he was there to do Gods work and "clean up". The Forensic psychiatrist has problems of his own but still helps in tracking this gruesome killer. I will read more by this author in the future!
The book I am starting now is Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

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So, I've read a couple of James Patterson books in the past. I was expecting this to be more of the triller type book that Patterson is known for,I was wrong! This book is more sicfi wtih the Half human half bird children. I'm not a huge scifi kinda reader but I must say in the five days I read this we were VERY busy and still I completed it in just 5 days (most of it the first day) It is well written, and I will read more by James Patterson,I just won't go into his books with preconcived ideas as to his "writing style" in the future!
My next book will be The Architect by Keith Ablow.

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I finished the Book Magyk by Angie Sage. It was well written and the story moved along well. I am going to read The Lake House by James Patterson.

Update of the super-jumbo egg.

I would love to post that this egg served to end world hunger and thus creating world peace, but the truth is it was just Tims breakfast. It had two yolks and was a very pretty egg. The chicken hasn't layed since this egg(do you blame her)

Chicken eggs

I went down and gathered eggs a few minutes ago and I one of our new layers is laying the biggest eggs I have ever seen. I have no idea what kind of hen she is, she was supposed to be a Black Sexlet but she is not. She is lighter red than a Road Island Red and weights about 5 pounds more. The White egg on the left is a store bought jumbo, the middle is a RIR egg and the last is the egg this post is about. Tim had ducks and geese as a kid and he says this egg is as big as a goose egg.

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Well, I have now finished "Dead to the World" , these books just get better with each one. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to get the next one to see what happens. In "dead..." Sookie learned that witches and fairies also walk the earth along with her vampires and wares. I love reading about LA though the authors story and I am shocked at her knowledge of Shreveport ( I have found some issues...lol the area in which Fangtasia is I don't think even a vamp would hang in, and things can't be were she says they are but still very true to local stuff...cool beans!)
I am now reading Magyk by Angie Sage. Bailey loved another series by this author so I got her the Septimus Heap books, she hasn't even cracked one of these so I am going to read them so someone has!

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I finished Club Dead this morning. I was good. One of the best of this series yet! Sookie has to go to Jackson to find Bill, who may be in grave danger. Add to that, Pam tells Sookie that Bill isn't faithful and a few werewolves and the lovable Bubba. Funny, quick read.
I'm starting the next one, Dead to the World next.

Still not a new goat here...any day now. Wish us luck, Our chickens are acting crazy and trying to keep thier eggs. We don't have any roosters so there isn't any chance of chicks! Crazy chicken trys to peck you while the others roll the eggs away! Its too funny, but I'm afriad of Crazy chicken(her name is Cicelly but she is VERY crazy and mean.)

We got home Sunday from a camping trip to Atlanta State park (Yes, I know we live within walking distance...) But, the kids had a blast and we were close enouch that I could check on Lucy and get anything we may have forgotten. We buy a state parks pass each year and spend alot of time at the park here, so its like an extenion of our own back yard.

I am in the process of (Hopefully) lossing 50 pounds and have been walking on the treadmill an hour each day.(I rode bikes and hiked last weekend) Yesterday I did 25 minutes of "on the ball" trianing and 30 on the treadmill and I am so sore this morning I'm setting on the floor wishing for an out of body experince.lol!I don't think having Bailey hurt this much! But, I'll at least do my treadmill as I HAVE to stick with this!

Well, I think thats a rundown of everything "me".

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I began to wonder if I would ever finish this book. I was so bored with it, I'd find myself doing dishes to avoid reading this(I HATE washing dishes!) I was very slow moving. The story itself was not bad, I liked MMa Ramotswe, I wanted to know about Africa and her cases. The pace of this book was near deadly slow though. I am glad to have my book club done and will not finish this series.
I am now starting Club Dead by Charliane Harris.

Not much happening

We are getting ready for our first kid to be born. This was kind of sooner than we wanted but you can never stop nature:) Our Lucy is doing well. She seems tired and a little scared, but other wise ok.

Mardi Gras and King cake

On Facebook some friends and I have been passing Mardi Gras bead and masks. This has made me think about many people don't understand the meaning of the holiday season. In the area in which my married family lives its very common to see King cakes in the bakery and Mardi Gras supplies in the stores. Mari Gras isn't just a reason to throw back a few beers and bare it all like TV makes it seem. It is a religious holiday starting the 6th of January and lasting until Midnight on "Fat Tuesday" (The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lint)

The King cake has been associated with Mardi Gras for many years. The King cake reminds us of the they day the three wise men of the east, Casper, Melchior and Balthazar, found baby Jesus. It also reminds us of unity of all Christians by its oval shape. The colors purple,gold and green stand for justice, power and faith. A small baby is hidden in the cake to symbolize the finding of baby Jesus. Whoever finds this baby traditionally buys the next King Cake. Kelley found the baby this year!

Awesome mail day!

I ran a book out to the box for PSB a while ago,(It is FREEZING outside, glad I've been lazy today as I had planned to be out in it!) I got a magazine, a PBS book (Looks cool!) and the best thing is I won a contest on a Ravelry pals blog and see sent me a skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

It is so soft. I see why there are yarn snobs now. Its nothing like the alpaca at the craft store. I can't wait to make something with it. Thanks Jen!

February is National Snack food Month

I Love popcorn and it was the first thing I thought of when I found out this was snack food month. Hope everyone enjoys Snack Food Month with thier favorite snack!

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I really got into this book! It was a great read. This is the second in the Mommy track books. This time Juliet's babysitter comes up missing in a Hasidic comunity. I was interested in the charaters all the way though. The Jewish beliefs was eye opening and I felt for Juliet as a mom of a toddler and baby.
My next read will be for book club, its The No.1 detective agency. I have heard great things about this book and I am excited to start it. It has to be better than the Virginia Wolff we read last!

49 of 52

I finished Dead Men Don't Crochet By Betty Hechtman today.
This one was better than the first and I will read the next. Molly Pink, widow, bookstore employee, chrocheter thinks she is a sluth and seems to be better at it than her police boyfriend or the other detective who seems more worried about putting the moves on Molly's man than truly finding out whodunit.
I am now reading The Big Nap Ayelet Waldman.

Crazy things kids say

I have been laughing at Kristen and Bailey alot this week. The other night we were taking care of the goats and Tim asked kristen to hand a chain saw over the fence to him. Typical chain saw posing insued. Bailey sees her sister standing there with a chain saw held over her head and turns saying(yes,saying) "screaming bloody murder! sceaming blooding murder!"
Then tonight, they were at the bar while I finished cooking supper and Bailey is playing with the fruit in her cup (they were having Shirly Temples)and Kristen says "Bailey are you making out with it or what?"
Bailey pulls an orange seed from her mouth and with a straight face says"yup, and it gave me its gum" Oh, my! LOL My kids are nuts!

My funny kids!

Today I picked up a storage bin to store product for my on-line store. This is what Tim, Bailey, Brutus,Rubi and Keagen decided it was for:

50 of 52

I finished "The Red Hat Club Rides Again" if I say nothing about this book but this:THIS BOOK IS WAY OVER THE TOP, I'm pretty much summing it up. Living in the south I have known "ladies who lunch" in fact my mom is a boarder line "lady" but this group takes the cake. There is a drug addict, and alcoholic, a daughter who loves the "wrong" man, a millionaire clothing designer, a sex toy pursuer, a cancer survivor, plastic surgery and to top it off Elton John. I don't think there was much left that the Author could have packed into this book, and with all this action it still took me 3 days to finish the last 100 pages. Not the best at all.

a lady knight

Today was a very important day for Bailey. Her school has children knighted for excellent behavior. There are 5 things that Sir Berry, the knight,told the kids they could do to become a knight: say yes ma'am yes sir, keep your hands to yourself, ask four words" how can I help",sit up straight, look your teacher in the eye, and when your teacher is talking you are not. The teachers at Bailey's school get together and pick the students they feel live by this "knights code" at all times. Bailey's teacher told me that they poll six teachers who deal with each student on a regular basis and only the ones the feel really live this code are chosen for this honor.

Any time I have been in Bailey's school I have been impressed with the way all the kids behave towards each other,the building and the teachers. Today was no different! They packed the parents and all of the classes from pre-k to forth grade in the cafeteria and at times while the principle and Sir Berry spoke you could have heard a pin drop. It was truly and awsome and proud thing for this momma to see! Way to go Bailey! and as Sir Berry told you all this is just the start of many great things to come if you live by the knights code! You are an AWSOME KID!

Made some soap and the bestest girls in the world!

Last Monday I made a new batch of soap,Chocolate mint fragrance. It looks like chocolate and smells like a york pepperment patty. I can't wait until it is cured so that I can give it a go in the shower! Yummy-o! I have it on the bar on wire racks and Brutus tried to get up there to have a taste,I'll have to be sure its moved when I leave the house!

Bailey and Kristen went

to spend the night with their Grandma yesterday so that they could go to church with her. M

oms friend Suzie always gets such a kick out of the two of them together(she is an awsome sweet lady and one of my moms best friends) Mom sung in the choir but Suzie had a sore thoat so she set with her Husband. the girls set in front of them and the Preacher told a joke that Bailey didn

't get so she turned to Kristen and said "I don't get it" for some reason this was adorable to Suzie. (My kids are adorable to me all the time but to other people?lol)If she thinks this is cute she should see them out playing and really being themselves! they are a hoot! I'm such a lucky mom!

51 of 52!

I finished Runaways by V.C Andrews this evening. It was the forth book and the ending of the story about Butterfly, Raven, Brooke and Crystal. Four Orphans who think they will never find a family and their adventures as they run away to a new life and realize that the had a family all along, each other.
I read V.C. Andrews as a teen (as most teen girls in the 90's) And when I see them at yard sales or the used book store I will pick them up. They are always quick reads that always make you happy for the life you have while not being very deep in content.
The next book is The Red Hat Club Rides Again by Haywood Smith.

Its hot tea month!

Janurary is Hot tea month and although I am a coffee nut, I drink alot of hot tea too. In the evening I sometimes will have a cup of decaf coffee or a cup of hot tea, tonight it was Snapple Le-mmm-on with honey. I took a picture of the cup I had while doing laundry earlier today-it was Tazo Calm with honey.

I wish I could say I was one of those fancy tea drinkers that have all the cool kitchen gadgets to go along with their tea drinking but I have never even seen a tea shop! I drink what I can find on the shelves of the local Wal-mart or if I'm in Texarkana or Shreveport or Tyler I'm sure i could hit Starbucks or the coffe shop in the bookstore but they use Tazo too so nothing special there!

How do you drink your tea?

My first book of 2009!

I finished my first book for the "52 in 52" Challage! I chose to read Living dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris and although it was a fast read and I will more than likely read the whole set of books I can't say that I loved this book. I have watched some of the show on HBO that is a spin off of the books and, now I see the actors in my head as I read this. If your watched any of the show you know that although its the same as the books it is also VERY different! I listed it on PBS and its already be snatched up so I have a book to mail now!
I am now reading Runaways by V.C. Andrews and I'm so glad the won't be a vampire in this book, I'm so burnt out on the whole vamp thing!
Also, I had to run and get some bleach while I was doing laundry and the Dollar store had books for 75 cents. I picked up a couple of "cozy" mysteries and a triller about Abraham Lincoln, and a book about life in 1825. More books,yay!

Kristen is 14!!!!

We had a birthday here today! I can't believe Kristen is 14, it seems like yesterday when I first met her and she was so little, loved scooby doo and carried the rattiest teddy bear I had ever seen! Now look at her!








She wanted one for those confetti cakes but I still haven't gotten used to baking in our electric stove so its not the prettiest cake I've ever baked.

Twilight Saga

This morning I finished the last of these books. I really liked them. They were some of the better written books I have read in the last few years. I didn't love the way it ended but hey, you can't have it all!
I am starting Charlaine Harris "Living Dead in Dallas" now. I don't know why I grabbed another vampire book as I'm kind of burnt out on that whole genre. Hopefully this will be the last one for a bit but I really didn't know what I wanted to read...hate it when I do that!