Happy New Years!

in less than 2 hours (my time at least), it will be a new year. Anyone celebrating new years doing anything special? Very mellow here. I stay at home and spend time with the family. We watch movies and watch the other new years celebrations, we have a shrimp ring, vegetable tray, kiddie cocktails and pizza puffs. What does your new years celebration consist of?

Does anyone still make resolutions? I have and I still plan to. This past year I didn't do too well on my resolutions but this year I plan on trying a little bit harder. I plan on eating better, doing more artsy crafty things, posting on my blog more often and so much more. Are you going to be doing any resolutions and what are they?

Well. . . Happy New Years Everyone! Stay safe and remember not to drink and drive.

-Jessica

Joanne' Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook review

Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook

This is my first time reviewing a cookbook and I couldn't do it without actually trying out some of the recipes first. This cookbook is mostly sweets and makes a lot so it would be great to do for group gatherings. In the index they do have them divided by types (appetizers, bar cookies, beverages, Bread & Muffins, Cakes & Cupcakes, candy, cookies, frostings & icings, other sweet treats, pies, quick and/or easy meals, salads, soups, and substitutions for some ingredients) and alphabetized. While this is titled a cookbook it does have a little story going on. It has sketches but no pictures.

Now, if you are, like me, trying to lose weight, this is NOT the cookbook for you. If you are looking to do more on the baking side of things and have a lot of get together's, this is the book for you. I especially like all the notes that the recipes have. It seems to make it more personal. Now I didn't try all of the recipes but the ones that I did try were very good. I'll have to try them again and post pictures of them at a later time. I would recommend this book to bakers, Joanne Fluke fans and anyone who likes cookbooks. I would actually give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

The Final picture of the lion

I decided to go with the purple background. Sorry again for it being sideways. I'll work this out eventually! This is made out of fabric from a picture that I took at the zoo with an 11X14 mat and shadow box frame.

What do you think? Would you like to receive this as a secret Santa gift?

-Jessica

Working on a Secret Santa Gift

With Christmas around the corner, I'm working on a secret Santa gift. I'm trying to decide what to put as the background and I'm finding myself leaning more toward the purple background. What's your preference?

Sorry that they are sideways. I'm planning on putting it in a shadow box with a mat on it. I'll post the finished product when I get it done.

What are you guys working on?

-Jessica

This week

I did 2 rows on my latch hook last night and 2 rows this morning for a total of 4 rows this week. The last row even has of one of the greens. I'm happy. I'm over 1/4 done with it. Still have a lot to do but the picture is showing my progress and I'm planning on either posting a picture a week starting this week or once a month. Hopefully this will encourage me to continue working on it each week.

In other news, I took a bunch of pictures of books in my room and posted the pictures on my facebook page where I am hoping that people will want to buy them. All of the money (which is donations or whatever anyone wants to purchase them for) that I collect from that will be going toward schooling. We'll see how that goes. So far I've got 2 people buying books, not many others.

I've joined a group called Romance Biggest Winners where I am trying to lose weight. I was hoping to be a little bit lighter than this by now but I am working on it. I've lost around 8 pounds and have been stuck on that and it's getting closer to the 2 month mark. Yesterday I started recording my food in a journal and then posting them on sparkpeople. I stayed in everything but went a little over my recommended fat for the day. I'll work on that and I'm going to have to start exercising some more/again. I think my problem is the exercising, stress/emotional eating and not keeping track of what I'm eating. I will get this down and plan on doing better. I'm starting a journal to keep track of my feelings and what I eat and I'm planning on starting a new exercise program this week.

How is everyone else's week going?

Adult Romance review- My fair Highlander

My Fair Highlander by Mary Wine

This is an adult historical fiction book.

The main characters are English woman Jemma Ramsden and Scots warrior Gordon Dwyre (Laird Barras). Jemma has been caring for her ailing father for a long time. Now that he is no longer around, Jemma has decided to live her life her way. On one of her many horseback outings, Jemma gets into trouble with some English ruffians. Gordon and his men step in to save her and bring her back with them to his lair. Gordon has already come to the conclusion that he wants to marry her because of her spirit but he has a tough time ahead of him. Jemma wants nothing to do with marriage or someone taming her. So Gordon sets out to woo her. Throw in an unhappy mistress, illness, love and you have a great book.

I really enjoyed this book. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5. I loved the wooing and the Scots and English aspect. This story was believable to me, Jemma didn't give in too easily and Gordon kept up with wooing her. There was a part near the ending that you didn't expect. This is sort of giving it away but the author makes it out where the main characters think one person did it and that makes you think that that person did it too but it turns out to be someone else. It was a great book and I'd recommend it to people who like to read Mary Wine, historicals, Scots and English, romance and/or a wooing story.

Adult book review- The Hot Spot

The Hot Spot by Niobia Bryant



This is a contemporary romance. This is a 'cougar' romance. This is also book 4 in the Strong Family series.



The main characters include bartender Zaria Ali and cowboy Kaleb Strong. Zaria's husband has divorced her for a younger woman. After a little bit, Zaria loses some weight and begins working as a bartender and decides to live life to the fullest. Zaria and Kaleb meet on a night that Zaria is working and they begin a sex relationship. They both feel like they are 'scratching each others itches' (so to speak) as Kaleb is looking for a woman to settle down with and Zaria isn't looking to settle down. Throw in a couple of surprises, omissions, family, ex-husband, obsticles (external, internal and emotional) to over come, and this becomes a good book with good twists.

This was a good book. I'd probably give it a 3 stars. I felt that the author felt that she had to remind us that the main characters were African American (especially Zaria) by all of the sudden adding attitudes/comments that didn't seem to fit the characters that she built. Another thing that I couldn't seem to get over, and this isn't anything against the author, but their were parts that the editing wasn't too good. The ending also seemed a little too rushed or packed with too much. Over looking those things, this was a good book with a 'perfect/happily ever after' ending. The sex scenes were very hot tho. Even tho this is book four, I read it without reading the others in the series and would say that others can too. I would recommend it to people who like to read 'cougar' type books and like happily ever after stories and hot sex scenes.