Literature is my Utopia

I must admit that I have been watching a little to much tv lately and neglecting my reading. Netflix makes it so hard on me :) I haven't posted about my latest intrigues lately so I thought I would let you know what I have been reading.

Let's just go ahead and get this out of the way... I have completely fallen in love with the Fifty Shades Trilogy!! It was suggested several months ago in my Book Club and since then we dedicated not one but two of our monthly meetings to the discussion of these books. I have always enjoyed reading romance but this gave us just a little more dirt! If you don't like romance (and a lot of it) this might not be the series for you. BUT if you do...please, do yourself a favor.

Thanks to a dear friend I have discovered that I can get lots and lots of great books for fairly cheap or free on my nook. This has been a great little discovery as before I was purchasing several books a month at full cover price. Here are a few of those that I have enjoyed and all for under $4 total!

A sweet little read for sure! I enjoyed the book so much that I am sure to read more from Elizabeth Camden. A very G rated romance!! This one was FREE on the day that I downloaded it on my nook.

Four novels for $3.99?? Yes, please!! I adore vampires and Samantha Moon's story was unlike any other. I loved J.R. Rain's view on vampirism.

I just finished up Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Very interesting indeed. I have always enjoyed mixing fact with fiction and I loved the ending. This was suggested by my brother in law who knows my obsession with vamps. We must see the movie soon :)

This is the first time that I have read Aiden James. So far so good. There are quite a bit of details and fairly fast moving plot. It is not my favorite view on the world of vampires but definitely worth the $2.99.

Here is what's next. Another suggested read from my Book Club gals. It is highly recommended if you loved 50 Shades. I can't wait to dig into this one!

Sweet Summertime :)

I have seriously neglected my blog as of late. I will blame it on the sweet summertime. Summer keeps me and my family so busy. Being in Alabama we have a fairly long period of mild to hot weather. I know that summer has just now officially started but for me as soon as he weather gets in the 80s we are in business. It is my favorite of all seasons and the hotter it is the better I like it. Here are some pictures of our summer so far.

Wyatt acting silly after we washed the back porch and planted the flowers. Of course we had to play in the water a little while we were working.

Wyatt and Pa ready to start the parade

Our town has a great rodeo every May. The week before the event has many fun events for everyone to enjoy. The Rodeo Parade kicks it off and is by far my favorite event. Some of the streets in town are shut down and anyone who wants to ride their horse is welcome to fall in line. The lineup is lead by our local sherriff who has made the rodeo event so great over the years.

Wearing Pa's hat before the Rodeo Parade

We were asked to carry the Grand Marshall

For the last couple of years I have been taking Wy's picture on my great grandparent's tombstone. We usually decorate the cemetary around Mother's Day every year. Taking this picture allows me to include them in his life and offers me a chance to see how he grows from year to year.

A bathroom ReDo

This was a lot bigger deal than I thought it would be when I started. I took step by step pictures as I worked so I will be sharing that process with you soon.

The new color....more coming soon!

Just about the time I get ready to take a dip in the pool I notice a pretty big tear in the liner. Yuck! So our Memorial Day weekend was spent in our backyard with our pool out of commision. At least Wyatt was able to enjoy his "baby pool" while me and Nick roasted on the sideline.

Sweetie enjoys the outdoors so much. I am happy to say that she is still bouncing around with the best of them at 11 and a half years old.

Our new liner installed and filling up

We take the good with the bad and in this case it is VERY GOOD! I must admit that I was upset when our old liner developed a hole, especially when I saw the price tag on a new liner. But I must be honest. There was a little part of me jumping up and down when Nick brought the liner samples in to pick out a new one. I love the deep blue color and it fits perfectly.

We are enjoying these hot summer days

Wyatt floating along

I have even found some time for a few summer projects. Now that I am no longer obligated to design flowers day in and day out I find contentment in the few that I make. Here is a wreath that I made for my front door. The watermelon is a burlap hanger that a friend of mine made for me. I love all of the red!

One of the two wreaths hanging on my side entry. We enclosed the garage area a few years ago and installed a set of french doors. This is our most frequent entryway and I keep wreaths hanging on the doors to welcome our guests. I plan on posting a wreath tutorial on this soon.

Hand made gift tags

My latest project that I am very proud of. These gift tags are so much fun to make.

Of course there has been a little work involved this summer. Here are a few items I have been busy making for our sweet little customers. Check out Dream A Little Dream for more information on these pieces. We love what we do!!

Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to update the blog on our busy summer so far. I am looking forward to a hot weekend by the pool and even spending some time with my best girls.