Sunday, July 26, 2009

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith - Book Review

Morality for Beautiful Girls (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, #3) Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I loved the first two books in this series, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed in the third. There didn't seem to be an overall story to tie the book together. I liked it enough to continue reading the series, so I hope book 4 picks back up again.

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

We're going to Gatlinburg!

I'm so excited! Yesterday, I booked this cabin in Gatlinburg, TN for September 8th-12th. I cannot wait! Scott and I have been debating where we should go for vacation this September, and we finally decided on Gatlinburg. Then, this weekend, Mandy and Shane told us about these cabins they stayed in a couple years ago, and how amazing and affordable they were.

I've been wanting to book a trip to Gatlinburg with Scott for years, and its finally happening! I haven't been since I was in highschool when we went for a family trip. There are tons of things to do there, and Mandy said they have the biggest scrapbooking store she's ever seen. I can't wait to start on the itinerary :-).

Monday, July 20, 2009

The Alienist by Caleb Carr - Book Review

The Alienist The Alienist by Caleb Carr


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Set in 1896, The Alienist tells the story of a police reporter who becomes involved in a murder investigation. This isn't just any murder investigation - the city has been attacked by a serial killer. One who targets young boy prostitutes.

While I enjoyed unraveling the mystery along with the narrator, I also felt the ending was somewhat anti-climatic. In the last few chapters, I was awaiting the twist - the twist which I just knew I'd figured out. But it never came.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It took me until at least page 100 to really get into the story, but once I did, I had to finish. I give it 3 stars.


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Weekend Recap

Well, the weekend was just as busy as the last couple weeks have been. Friday, I left work around 11:30 and met Scott for lunch at Panera. Then I went home to straighten up before The Maids arrived. They were a bit late arriving, so they weren't finished until 5:00. Scott got home a little early, and I attempted to fix a new dinner, but it was a bust. I hate cooking! Shane and Mandy got there a little later. That night, we had a bad storm come through, and a huge chunk of our tree out from came down. We'd been waiting for it to happen.

On Saturday, Shane, Mandy and I went out to yard sales, but that was unfortunately also a bust. We didn't buy a single thing. We came back to the house, had breakfast, and Mandy and I started scrapbooking. Shane and Scott took care of the tree out front while we scrapbooked. Rory came up around noon, and we all went out to lunch at Kona Grill. It was GOOD. Scott and I headed back to the house while Shane, Mandy and Rory went out.

I fixed up Connor's birthday present, and Scott and I left about 3:00 to to go to his birthday party. He's walking already! He was just as cute as he could be. He's at the age that he does not want to be held, he wants to be walking and running around. He has to hold his hands up in the air to keep his balance (he just started walking about 2 weeks ago, I think), and if he moves his head to much, he puts him off balance and he starts wobbling. LOL. It's so funny.

On Sunday, we all went to church, and then had breakfast at Panera. We went to the mall for a bit, then to Trader Joe's, and then Shane and Mandy headed back to Lynchburg. I spent the afternoon doing laundry and dishes, and finishing up my book (which I'll be posting a review of shortly). It was a nice weekend.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

So busy!

I have had the busiest couple weeks, which is why I haven't blogged in so long. It's been crazy at work, and all I want to do when I get home is relax. Outside of work has been busy as well, but in a good way. I'm planning 2 showers at the moment, one of which is next weekend (the 24th) and the other is a week after that (Aug 2nd).

The shower next weekend is a Baby Shower for Jeanine, so I need to finalize all the games and prizes. That's what I'm in charge of doing, which works out well since it is in New Jersey. There isn't much I can do as far as food or decorations.

Then, on August 2nd, Mandy and I are throwing a bridal shower for Amy. I have a little more time on that, but even so, all my weekends are booked between now and then. Mandy is coming this weekend to scrapbook, and we may have time to do some shopping for the shower as well.

Connor's 1st birthday party is also this weekend. Scott and I will be heading to Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon to go to that while Mandy and Shane have an evening in Richmond to themselves. I think it will work out nicely. I can't believe Connor is already 1! Seems like he was just born.

I'm reading 4 different books right now, which is also keeping me busy. I have 2 book clubs now. In one, we are reading The Alienist, which is really good so far. The other, we are to read Three Cups of Tea, which I haven't started yet. Actually, I still haven't bought the book yet. Before those were decided, I'd already started Morality for Beautiful Girls, which is the 3rd book in the No. 1 Ladie's Detective Agency series. And I'm also reading The Five Love Languages, which I recommend for ANYONE who is in a relationship.

We finished Season 3 of Weeds last night. Hopefully we will get Season 4 for the weekend. We've also been watching some old seasons of Deadliest Catch. Scott absolutely loves that show, and I enjoy it as well. It's amazing those people are willing to step foot on those boats, and float out into that treacherous ocean!

Well, that's all I have time for today. Sorry for not updating in so long!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Big Stone Gap (Big Stone Gap, Book 1) Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani


My review


rating: 4 of 5 stars
There is nothing better to me than a good, southern novel. This one fits the bill.

Set in Big Stone Gap, VA, it tells the story of Ave Maria, the self-proclaimed "Town Spinster", who runs the pharmacy in town and is grieving the recent loss of her mother. Her world takes a sharp turn when she learns that the man she knew as her father, who didn't quite live up to his responsibilities, was never her real father after all. Once Ave finds her real dad, and subsequently "finds herself", all the pieces of her life seem to fall into place.


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Thursday, July 2, 2009

This Week's Recap

Yay! Today is the last day of work before a long weekend. I'm quite excited. Scott and I are heading to Lynchburg this weekend to see my family. I think this might be the first time he's been to Lynchburg since Christmas, and my first time since May. Tomorrow, Mandy and I are going to do some scrapbooking and plan Amy's bridal shower, then Saturday my parents are having a cookout for the 4th. My dad plans to take Rory and Scott to the D-Day Memorial on Saturday morning. I've never been to it myself, so I may tag along.

Things have been extremely busy at work this week. I've been working closely with one of the PM's on a big project, and starting next week he will be out on medical leave until the end of July. In his absence, I will be in charge of the project, so next week is going to be even crazier.

Last weekend, Scott and I went to The Homestead for our anniversary. It was no nice! Even the drive up there was beautiful, and we took our time making quite a few stops along the way to see the scenery. The resort itself is gorgeous. I've never stayed anywhere like that before. Our room was gorgeous, and it even had its own porch. They served tea every afternoon from 3-4pm, so we were able to enjoy that the first day. Then we had dinner at Sam Snead's Tavern that evening - it was DELICIOUS. They had an amazing breakfast buffet the next morning with homemade donuts and every breakfast food you could imagine. They had the best fruit. I'd love to go back sometime and do that again. Some pictures are posted below.