Book Recommendations!

Soooo, a bunch of my friends at work have been asking me for some good reads so I thought I would share with all of you!  I usually go a while without reading after I read a really good book, but I am seriously hooked on reading right now.  I even have my hubby reading some of these (He would kill me if he knew I was telling anyone that though!)

My first and foremost recommendation is of course the Fifty Shades of Grey Triology by E.L James.  Holy cow, there is some good stuff in these books!  Not only a bunch of smut, but a great story line that has you hooked. 

Book Description: When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.


Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire was next on my list and I LOVED IT!  I have now read this book probably 3 times already and it is still as good as the first time.  The bad boy Travis had me from the beginning!

Book Description: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.


Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you LOVED Fifty Shades as much as I did, then you were pretty depressed when it was all over.  I was seriously in a reading funk after I finished the 3rd book so I was grasping to find something in comparision.  A book that is SUPER close is Bared to You by Sylvia Day.  Gideon Cross is the closest thing to Christian Grey as you are going to get. 

Book Description: Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness...


He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily...

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private worlds...and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart...



-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I have tons more, but I will have to get them on here later.  Hopefully these will hold you over for just a little while :-)

Proud To Be A Carolina Girl :-)

Our New Family Member!

Ally has been saving her chore money, tooth fairy money, and any other change that she finds around the house for weeks now. She has been wanting a hamster what seems like forever and I told her that she would have to buy it herself. Needless to say, she worked her little hiney off and it paid off for her because yesterday, we went to the pet store and she purchased Layla. Not only did she buy the hamster, she bought the cage, food, and bedding. I am so very proud of her for being so responsible. :) P.S. Yes, the white blob that you see in the pic is in fact the hamster. She is a pretty crazy climber. Hopefully she will chill out after she realizes she is stuck in there!

Our 1st Grader!

Today is Ally's last day of Kindergarten and between myself and her teacher, I'm not sure who was crying more. It has been such a great year and I am so proud to be a Piney Grove parent. Our school is amazing and I couldnt be happier with our experience thus far. Mrs. Sloan & Mrs. True, Thank you both for an amazing year and allowing me to be a big part of it! Getting to know you both and all of the children has been a blessing. Thank you for breaking our little girl out of her shell :)

A little late, but Easter pics :)

I know, I know....

Yes, I said that I would start posting more, but I'm a slacker! Seriously, Ally being in school, dance, chasing Adalyn, and me working so much definitely keeps me busy. I will get better....PROMISE! Ally's last day of school is tomorrow and it is so bittersweet. It has been a great year and I have been fortunate to be a big part of it. I was the class mom this year and had the opportunity to get to know each of the kids and her teachers very well. They are all soooo sweet and I know Ally will miss them all this summer. It was so cute watching them sign each others yearbooks yesterday at the picnic and exchanging phone numbers. Ally has her "special friend" which should totally be called her boyfriend because they are sooo in love :) His name is Jacob and when I tell you that he is the cutest thing ever....really...I would claim him as my own. Not only is he quite the little gentleman, his parents are both awesome and his little sister is ADORABLE. To top it all off, they live 4 houses down from us :) Ally is quite a lucky little lady. Ally also had her 3rd dance recital this past Saturday and I was soooo proud! She did fantastic and looked like a doll. She is growing up so fast and I'm not gonna miss a beat of it. I will be that parent that chaperones everything and volunteers. Dont hate. I will be cruising your kid around in my new Honda "Mommy Mobile Odyssey" and you will love it! LOL Now...onto the most demanding thing in our life....ADALYN. Man, oh man. She is definitely the child that my grandmother always warned me that I would have. The one EXACTLY like me. Not only is she a complete mini me in looks, her attitude is me all over. We are in some big trouble. She's hilarious though and let me tell you, she can bust out a "knock knock" joke like it aint nobody's business. She cracks herself up and we NEVER know what to expect next. I cannot believe that it is already June. Ava's 4th birthday will be here before you know it. Still seems like I was just holding her yesterday. She will never know just how loved she is and how much she is missed. Ally was only 2 1/2 when she was born, but she remembers her. A couple of nights she caught me off guard and asked me how Ava died. I lost it. I felt like a complete failure. I couldnt even tell her why because I dont even know. All I could say was that Jesus needed her with him and we would see her again. I know we will, that is the only thing that keeps me sane. Well, life is calling me so back to it I go. :)

March Already?!?!?

Wow is all I can say....I cannot believe that Ally is almost 6. I thought I had some time before this Justin Bieber choas hit my house, but apparently not. We are having a Justin Bieber party at the bounce house! Ally is so excited and so grown up! She is asking for an iPod touch for her birthday. My goodness!!

Alway, for those of you that havent heard, I got a minivan :) Im officially that mom and I LOVE IT. What I dont love is the fact that I havent even made my first payment and what do I do? I hit a freaking concrete boulder in the parking lot a work. Oh yes, the boulder is fine, my poor Odyssey however, is not. Luckily I didnt hit another car, but dang....give me a break!

For those of you that have emailed me wanting my homemade laundery detergent recipe, here it is! Enjoy!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.


Here is the breakdown of my costs and how I came up with those numbers (I am using the prices I paid for these items and you may find your price varies some based on what you pay):

Fels Naptha: $1.12 for a 5.5 oz bar. The recipes says use a 1/3 of a bar. I calculated 2 oz. just to make the math a little easier. The cost of the Fels Naptha per batch is: .40 cents

Washing Soda: $2.23 for a 55 oz. box. This came to .17 cents per batch. I calculated how much per oz (2.23 divided by 55) and then weighed a half cup of washing soda (4.2oz.) and multiplied my per oz. price by 4.2

Borax: $3.27 for a 76 oz. box. This came to .14 cents per batch. Did the same calculations as above, however a 1/2 cup of borax weighs 3.5 oz.

For the final numbers I have .40 + .17 + .14 = .71 for 2 gallons of laundry detergent.

If you want to save money, this is certainly a place to start!

Back in Action....

Yes, it has been a while, but I am putting this thing back in action! We have been super busy. Its already a new year and so many things have happened since my last post! Ally turned 5, we lost a very special member of our family, we got a new house, Ally started school, she started losing teeth, we had our 4th Walk to Remember, Thanksgiving came and went, Adalyn turned 2, we added a new member to our family (Mayzie), and now its a new year! The kids are both doing great. Adalyn has finally started talking and Ally is learning so much in Kindergarten. I am truely one blessed Mama :)

I have many plans for 2012. So much that I want to do! One thing that I am determined to do is get better at my couponing. I've lost touch these last couple of months with the holidays and stuff, but I will get better. Anywho! Until next time, here are recent pics of the girls :)