book butterfly reviews -- january

Christmas break came and went with far too few books read.  My stupid Goodreads tracker is already telling me I'm lame and a slacker and 4% behind.  That will progressively increase until the summer when I let loose and go hog-wild over books again.

Oh yeah, I know how to live it up.

However I did get in some fun reading last month.  I am in the middle of so many series, it's hard to keep them all straight!  I just checked, and my last 7 books were all parts of different series. . .es (?)

It's fun getting to know and love characters and follow along with their stories, but there comes a point where I'm like "who was this and why did we like him again?"

Here's what I read last month.

"The Awakening" (Darkest Powers Trilogy #2) by Kelley Armstrong

12-26-11  Looks like I am in the big time minority as far as this book goes.  136 pages in and still nothing.had.happened.  Seriously, I felt like it was a waste of my time.  Chloe and Tori are running and hiding and more running and more hiding.  The story progressed nary a wit.  Yawn.  I'm sure if I'd kept plugging along, SOMETHING would have happened, but at 136 pages of blah, I decided it didn't deserve my time.

12-29-11  It was all I had so I've picked it back up.  Perhaps if I can just get a little further it'll get interesting again?

1-2-12  It picked up a little bit and I suppose I have enough curiosity to pick up the third book. 

 

"The Reckoning" (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Teenagers with paranomal powers and tendencies are being recruited and tested by the Edison Group. Chloe is 15 when she's brought into the group home, supposedly to 'cure' her, when in actuality, continued experiments and testing are being done to the students without their knowledge.

Here's the thing with this series: it's a whole lot of chase and run and hide, a little bit of romance, a little bit of terror, and then a whole lot more of chase and run and hide. There's also a lot of Who's The Bad Guy? moments and double/triple/quadruple crossing.

There's not a ton of plot, so really, this could be clustered into one book. However, there were still things unanswered at the end, and I hate that. Was it ever explained why Chloe's necklace changed colors and what that represented? It was hinted at but never fully explained.

There is a second series out there based on a different group of kids from the same Edison Group experiments on the paranormal-born. As I understand it, the two groups will meet up in future books, so I will likely continue reading in hopes of getting some answers, and because it's just good enough to keep my interest.

 

"The Power of Six" (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore

This was a good second book for the series, lots happened, we met a couple new gardes (others included in The Nine), and there was even some angsty romance between several of the characters. The next book is rumored to come out August 2012, so I have some time to wait for it...and forget what this one was all about. :(

 

"Vanish" (Firelight #2) by Sophie Jordan

Seriously enjoying these books! The twists, the turns, the escapes from the tribe, the returns to the tribe, the bonding, the romance, the dragon flying, the creative and descriptive power of this author. . .lovin' it. Are there more?

 

 

I also read Harry Potter #1 to Dan--trying to convince him that they're not all bad--and he actually really liked it.  We're hokey like that. . . we read in the car and stuff when we're out running errands.  It's kinda silly and fun.  And he gets a kick out of me trying to do voices.  Which I can't do.  :p

So that's it.  I'm seriously gonna have to start taking some notes when it comes time to read the next installments of these series(es?).

What are you reading?

january, summarized.

I've started this post half a dozen times but always stop myself, because really, there's nothing too exciting to report. Little bit of this, little bit of that...

Had my annual physical and OBgyn appts a couple of weeks go; got to have my first mammogram. All the while thinking, "How old am I??" My doc's office suggests the baseline mamm for ages 35-40. I'm all about the preventative. If it'll save a life, I'm all for it. That cancer is a horrible thing. Too many I know are struggling now or recently lost their struggle with cancer. Get tested, get checked, get your physicals, friends.

School started last week and is as crazy as always. We had literally one lab day (in which we didn't even enter the lab) and this week we are back into the hospital setting for clinicals once-twice a week until May. Get ready for me, here I come! I also have a pre-test and a real test this week. Gonna be a busy one.

Pinterest has completely sucked me in, but on a positive note, I've made a dozen new dishes/dinners/desserts from the site in the past month as well as several homemade gifts for friends...go me!

Our garden is doing well. I'm not exaggerating one bit when I say my dear hubby talks and coddles the veggies daily. We have tomatoes just about ripe for the picking and green peppers, carrots, and green onions we've been harvesting for weeks. Good stuff! Methinks he is a much better gardener than I...and I'm OK with that.

Sean's busy with his afterschool work on the season's school play "Beauty and the Beast", as well as Scouts/Young Men's each week. He's gone to the temple twice already to perform baptisms (once with us and once with the youth), very cool.

Cameron and Dan are enjoying Scouts--Cameron already got his Bear and numerous arrows and belt loops of course, but we are now working on his Faith in God so he can earn his Religious Knot. Dan's awesome at staying on top of the requirements needed for each kiddo. It's fun to see him excited about a calling for once. (Recall, he was our ward librarian for over 6 1/2 years in our last ward!)

Ethan is...well, Ethan is just lucky he's cute. He's such a turkey sometimes. He's a major follower ("Why did you do such-and-such?" "Because so-and-so told me to!"), but is my best helper at home. Each of the boys is responsible for two large chores at home, and he is the best at not only doing it quickly the first time I ask, but doing it well. He'll take 5 minutes just to clean the inside of a toilet because he wants to do a thorough job! I'll take it. He dislikes reading, but he's getting better at it finally. This year, we started something different with our Nightly Scripture Reading--each of the boys reads an entire column--and that has helped both him and Cameron with their outloud reading.

Dan's taking one last pre-req class, a specialized Pharmacology that summarizes the pharm we have in the 2nd Block of Nursing School. When that finishes in March, he'll start the Bridge program through Mesa Comm. College 2-3 days a week. It's going to be crazy around here. Between his and my schedules, we'll have anywhere from 1-4 clinicals a week in April! (and for you unaware, those are 12-hour days plus travel, so it's a lot of time away from home--however, it's nothing different from what actual work as a nurse will be like.)

With all this business, the something-that's-gotta-give is usually social time with friends. Our get-togethers are way too few and far between, but that just makes each one that much more special. Miss you, friends! Thank heavens I have Facebook now to keep up on your lives *ironic eyeroll*.

So, and if you've made it this far, to sum up, we are definitely keeping afloat. We are healthy and blessed in many ways.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the Skillet Toffee I made this afternoon (a la Pinterest!) is calling my name.

kitchen makeover

Approximately a year ago, I started this project thinking I could knock it out in the six weeks before school started.

Then school started.

Bwaha ha ha!

My project was totally put on hiatus.

To be fair, 90% of it was done by January 2011. . . the hard part, the painting of the cabinets and walls.  But we hadn't yet found the right table for the new kitchen, made a kitchen valance, or decided yet what to do on the wall nearest the table.

(That wall is still blank, but I have a plan.)

As for the rest of it, it's done! 

Wanna see some pictures?

Here's the BEFORE. . . remember my complaints of the dated wallpaper border and the oaky oak and the brassy brass that I was sicktodeath of?!

 

Here's some DURING.  :)

     

And now the AFTER! 

What do you think?  It's like a breath of fresh air to me!

My awesome friend and personal interior designer Christy made me the curtain/valance without a pattern.  Yes, she is that kind of awesome.  :)

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen on a window?  When she showed me the finished project I squealed that I wanted to wear it, it's so cute!  Christy, we owe you big.  Dinner's on me.

Past projects you've seen already:

The chandelier makeover.

The door knobs makeover.

Some of the embellishments.

I'd still really love to paint the countertops black as seen on this blog, but I'm not brave enough as yet.   Last week we went to Lowe's to price countertops, and even for cheapie ol' formica it was going to cost over $500.  That is so not happening.  Not sure what to do, because I think the darker color would contrast so much better. 

Anyway, it was a huge project, not one I'm sure to repeat any time soon (especially since school starts again in a week), but I sure love the result!

new favorite song "new york" by snow patrol

Love!  Love the music initially and then the words, love love love! 

If you were here beside me instead of in New York
If the curve of you was curved on me
I'd tell you that I loved you before I ever knew you
Because I loved the simple thought of you

If our hearts are never broken then there's no joy in the mending
There's so much this hurt can teach us both
Though there's distance and there's silence your words have never left me
They're the prayer that I say every day

Come on
Come out
Come here
Come here

The long neon nights and the eek of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to spark
I miss it all from the love to the lightning
And the lack of it snaps me in two

If you were here beside me instead of in New York
In the arms you said you'd never leave
I'd tell you that it's simple and it was only ever thus
There is nowhere else that I belong

Come on
Come out
Come here
Come here

The long neon nights and the eek of the ocean
And the fire that was starting to spark
I miss it all from the love to the lightning
And the lack of it snaps me in two

Just give me a sign there's an end and a beginning
To the quiet chaos driving me mad
The long neon nights and the want of the ocean
And the fire that is starting to go out

start 2012 with a blast

 

A blast is what we always have when we're together with our friends!

Chris hosted this year and made tons of food (tamales, yumm) and we were in charge of games.  The weather was nice, the music was perfect, we had a nice little group show up and the kids behaved so what more can you ask?

Wanna see some pics?

Here's our peeps on New Year's Eve. (If I'd been on the ball I would have gotten family pictures too)

And darnnit I never did get Christine and DJ.  She had to work and showed up late and we got too busy socializing.  Jessica's sister and parents were there and I never got official pictures of them either, but you'll see them later.  They were very good sports during the games!

Our first game (all minute-to-winnit games!) was Stack Attack!  1 minute to stack 28-cups with one hand.

   

Next we did NutStacker (like NutCracker, get it?).  1 minute to stack 8 nuts using a candy cane.

 

Next up was my favorite!  Nose Dive!  1 minute to transfer as many cottonballs as possible from one bowl to another using vaseline on your nose!

It was so funny!  Sophie was the dominator of this one!

Spoon Frog was a lot of fun (and noisy).  Catapult/flip one spoon using another into the cup.  Most in one minute wins.  James got 6 during our very first round.  Winner!

Lastly, the High Roller game.  I think this was the hardest one of all!  Holding a popsicle stick between your teeth, stack 6 dice on top of each other.  As hard as it was, we still had four who were able to do it, Chris, Jessica, Danny, and Abby!

We hung out a bit, talking, laughing, eating, jumping, and posing.

Next, pinata time!  I love the looks of determination on everyone's faces, especially Caden's and Chris's!

(Caden and Chris both celebrated their birthdays  at midnight New Year's Day incidentally!  Happy birthday to you two!)

Then we had some fun with sparklers.  Got some really fun shots too!

And then some fireworks until it was time for Martinelli's Sparkling Cider and the Countdown (and kisses) at midnight!

It was, I think, our best New Year's Eve party ever!  So much fun and so grateful for the friends we were able to spend it with.  Love you guys!

And Happy New Year to you all!