Pinterest!

I love Pinterest!  I could spend hours just browsing and getting ideas.  I have even tried a few recipes, both cleaning and cooking.

If you are not sure what pinterest is, its a site where you can create boards and then "pin" or bookmark a page while saving a picture.  So say you are blog surfing and find a recipe or craft you want to try at a later date you can "pin" the page and choose a picture to represent it so that when you are ready to go back to it you just look for that pic.  You can pin from outside sources or you can browse Pinterest to see what others have pined.  Great way to find new ideas for just about anything.  You can also sort these pins into categories, making it easier to go back and find something.




Click Here to go to my boards.

Still reading

I am still working on my 80 books in 2011 challenge and according to the little counter on goodreads.com I am 8 books ahead of schedule.  That said, I am sorry I havent posed anything new lately.  I am currently working on book 40 and will post when I am done.

Here is a fun little quiz.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader   You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Book 34

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was the best book of the series. All the pieces of the puzzle finally came together and made sense.  Good trumped evil, amends were made and relationships strengthened.  Action packed and a happy ending, what more can you ask for?



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book 33

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I really did not care for this book.  I have zero tolerance for cheaters and those who make others feel bad in order to make themselves feel good and that is exactly what the characters in this book did. And they had the audacity to say they were friends.  I am sorry but that is not how friends behave towards each other.  Darcy is a stuck up witch who only feels good about herself when she is tearing others down and Rachel is a spineless excuse for a woman who uses Darcy's meanness as an excuse for having an affair with Darcy's fiance. And as for Dex, well you never should have proposed if he didn't really love Darcy or he should have called the wedding off as soon as he realized it.



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Book 32

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was better than the last.  A little less predictable and more action. 



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The Zoo!

Monday we went to the Virginia Zoo with a group of mommies from Hampton Roads Mommies.  The kids had a blast and made some new friends and so did I.  I only got a few pics because it was a little hard trying to keep up with so many people and Amelia wanted to be carried most of the way through.

 Silly me didn't take a stroller thinking that if David was walking Amelia would not want to ride in a stroller but she kept whining that she wanted to ride in a stroller.  I will remember that at the next outing like this.

I did manage to get a pic of Amelia's favorite animal at the zoo.  The Tigers.

However I forgot to get a pic of the Elephants which were David's favorite.  We almost missed seeing them and when we were standing there watching them one of the zoo workers came up and started talking to us about the 3 they had.  Sadly one is sick and loosing weight.

I also got this cool pic of the Giraffes.

We had a fun day and will go back as a family so we can take our time and see more of the zoo.

Book 31

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two.  It was good but seemed to move a little slower. 



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The real Book 30

So as I was adding the books I have read for this challenge into goodreads.com I found that I had missed a number in my original count so I have now read 30 books.

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Lots of great plot twists.  A fun read and a fun way to learn or brush up on Greek mythology and make it relate to current times.  



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Book 30.1?

 I am calling this book 30.1 since I only read one short store out of it.  It was an ok short story but I feel like there should have been more.

Strange Brew by P.N. Elrod




I only read the short story by Charlaine Harris which was not bad.



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I Forgot the Oil.

A little over a week ago I used the last of the vegetable oil while making hush puppies (sorry no recipe just used  a mix). 


So today I went to make pork tenderloin sandwiches (see the Jan archive for recipe) for dinner tonight.  Fortunately, I didn't prep anything and was going to get the oil heating up first.

The sad part is that this wasn't even my first choice for dinner (though once I thought of it, I was really looking forward to it).  My first choice was a YUMMY pot roast with a Spanish flavor that I forgot to start early enough since it takes about 6 hours to cook in the crock pot.

I will post the pot roast recipe tomorrow.  Its really versatile and can even be used to make shredded beef tacos that are so good.

Book 30

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this book.  The author was very clever about how he added the vampires to history and it is easy to see how these events could have actually transpired.  And what a surprise ending!



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books 25,26 and 27

I have finished books 25,26 and 27 but haven't had a chance to post about them.

I originally wasn't going to count Classic Household Hits in my book challenge but since I did end up reading it cover to cover (and picked up some useful tips) I am going to count it as book #25.

Book # 26 was

Shakespeare's Christmas (Lily Bard Series #3) by Charlaine Harris

 

I enjoyed it just like I have all of Charlaine Harris' books.  

 

Book #27 was 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

 And I have to say that I don't see what all they hype is about.  Books often affect my mood and this one left me feeling grumpy and pissed.  In some ways it had a happy ending but it also had a somewhat sad ending that just I really wish had ended differently

   I have already started on book #28 so stay tuned!

Awesome Library Find

I ran to the library today to drop off books and grab another one. They hadnt pulled the book I placed on hold yet so I went back to grab it and while I was there my eye was drawn in by the cover art of this book.  Inside is full of wonderful old adds and some handy tips.

Classic Household Hints: Over 500 Old and New Tips for a Happier Home by Susan Waggoner

 

Book 24

Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Series #2)

 

 I just finished book 24.  It was a good book.  There were times when it felt a little long and I knew who the killer was and just wanted to main character to figure it out all ready but still a good book.  I am really looking forward to trying a few of the recipes that are in this book.  Below is the Barns & Noble description. 

 

 A New York Times best-seller, Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke is a scrumptious concoction of fresh-whipped mystery and culinary intrigue. Publishers Weekly calls it "a superior cozy sure to leave readers satisfied … but hungry for more." Hannah Swensen, amateur sleuth and boutique bake store proprietor extraordinaire, is judging a dessert contest when fellow judge Coach Boyd Watson is found dead, face down in a delicate confection no less.

On to book 25.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I have finally found the perfect chocolate chip recipe.  It is a Bobby Flay recipe that I have tweaked to make it just right.

2cups +3tbs All-purpose flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp
1cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5oz semi sweet chocolate chips
5oz milk chocolate chips

-Pre heat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (do not use wax paper as it can catch on fire) or silicon pads

-In a large bowl wisk together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside

-Cream the butter then add the sugars and continue mixing, scraping the side and bottom until light and fluffy

-Add the eggs one at a time then add the vanilla and beat until incorporated

-Add 1/2 of the flour and mix until just incorporated then add the rest and mix until just incorporated

-Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chocolate chips

-Spoon dough onto baking sheet leaving 2inches between drops

-Bake with rack in the middle of oven.  11minutes for soft gooey insides and 13 min for a fully cooked cookie

-let the cookies cool on the sheet for a minute or two then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool. 


I personally thing these are best served warm but they are good when cold as well.

52 books in 52 weeks

So back at the beginning of January I joined a challenge on a military significant others forum to read 52 books in 52 weeks.  We are about 11 weeks into the challenge and I am already on book 23. At first I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up because of the move and I have never really counted how many books I read in a given amount of time.

Here is the list of what I have read so far and what I am working on.

1. My, Myself and Why (MaryJanice Davidson) finished
2. Deadly Sanctuary (Sylvia Nobel) finished
3. Odd Mom Out (Jane Porter) finished
4. A Girl's Guide to Vampires, Dark Ones series book 1 (Katie MacAlister) finished
5. Night's Edge I only read the short story by Charlaine Harris, Dancers in the Dark. Finished
6. Life on the Refrigerator Door, Notes Between a Mother and Daughter (Alice Kuipers) Finished
7. Sex and the Single Vampire, Dark Ones series book 2 (Katie MacAlister) Finished
8. The Missing (Tim Gautreaux) Finished
9. Cupid Cats I only read the short story by Katie MacAlister that is part of the Dark Ones world Finished
10. Sex, Lies and Vampires, Dark Ones series Book 3 (Katie MacAlister)Finished
11. Colder than Ice (Maggie Shayne) Finished
12.Shakespeare's Landlord, Lily Bard Mystery Series, Book 1 (Charlaine Harris) Finished
13. Even Vampires get the Blues, Dark Ones series book 4 (Katie MacAlister) Finished
14. The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1 (Rick Riordan) Finished
15. The Last of the Red Hot Vampires, Dark Ones series book 5 (Katie MacAlister) Finished
17. My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon, Dark Ones short story (Katie MacAlister) Finished
18. Zen and the Art of Vampires, Dark Ones series book 6 (Katie MacAlister) Finished
19. Crouching Vampires Hidden Fang, Dark Ones series book 7 (Katie MacAlister) Finished
20. In the Company of Vampires, Dark Ones series book 8 (Katie MacAlister) Finished
21. Shakespeare's Champion, Lily Bard Mystery series book 2 (Charlaine Harris) Finished
22. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Joanne Fluke) Finished
23. Sizzling Sixteen, Stephanie Plum book 16 (Janet Evanovich)

So now I just want to see how many I can read in a year because I am sure I will make 52 books in 52 weeks.  I will try to keep the list updated.

Moving In

So we have finally moved.  It was a long hard move with all of us being sick and living out of a hotel for a while but we left Beaufort,Sc on Feb 21st and stayed in a small hotel room until we found a house and moved into on March 1st.  Three adults, two kids, one cat and one dog in a small hotel room with two double beds and no mini fridge or microwave and you had to pay for internet.  Yup it was a long hard move.

But so far we are loving Virginia Beach and working hard to get settled into the new house.  Still have stacks of boxes everywhere but we are slowly getting unpacked and settled in.  Having two small kids really slows down the process.

YUMMY Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches!!!!!

My parents are from Indiana and every time we would go up there we would go get these amazing pork tenderloin sandwiches that were bigger than the plate.  I love these suckers and last night some friends of ours who are also from Indiana and Christi and I made pork tenderloin sandwiches.  We used an egg and milk free recipe since her husband is allergic but they came out fantastic.  Ours were smaller because the tenderloin I bought turned out to be cut in half even though in the package it looked like one cut. 

Here is the recipe:

2lbs boneless pork loin
2 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black peper
8 large sandwich buns

-cut 4in slices of pork and trim any fat
-butterfly each slice so that they are connected only by a thin piece of meat
-tenderize until about 10in across
-mix breading together
-heat 1/2 in oil in a deep wide skillet (i used a 15in cast iron skillet and since ours were not as big I was able to cook about 4 at a time) to 365
-dip the pork in water then in the breading mixture
-fry until golden brown on both sides (about 5 min each side)

Top it with some lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and mayo and enjoy.

I love Libraries!

As a rule I only check out library books if I am desperate to read a particular book because I am a germaphobe.

But just recently I discovered a whole new way to check out books.  I can check out ebooks and side load them to my nook.  At first I thought it was going to be difficult and a pain in the but its SO SIMPLE! 

I have found 2 libraries, the Alachua County Library which is in my home town and the Jacksonville Public Library, that allow you to apply for an ecard online so I have been checking them out as fast as I can read them. 

As soon as we have a house up in Virginia Beach I will go the the library up there and get a library card so I can check ebooks out from their library because they seem to have a larger selection of ebooks. 

I am still in love with my Nook. 

1 month till moving day!

So we are just one month till moving day or the day we become temporarily homeless.   Sounds fun right?

The first time we were homeless what about 7 months after we got married and moved from Beaufort,Sc to Twentynine Palms, Ca.  Lets just say that it was a very stressful time for me and leave it at that.

The move back to Beaufort want as bad because we had the address to our new house before the movers even loaded our household goods onto the truck.  This time we will not be able to just walk in and take keys to base housing so we will have to live in a motel for a few days while we look for a house. 

My wonderful dad will once again be helping us with the move as he has done for all past moves.  It really helps to have an extra adult when there are small children involved.  He will be able to sit in at the hotel or in the van while we house hunt and this way he will drive Clay's truck so he can ride with us in the van to help change movies and pass out snacks and drinks along the way. 

I am getting excited to live somewhere new. I am really looking forward to checking out their local library and getting a card as soon as we get an address so that I can check out Ebooks from their site.

I am still not sure about this whole Marine on a Naval base thing but I am sure we will figure it out fast enough.