June Reading Challenge

Hello all!  Stopping in with some book news.  I've decided to attempt a reading challenge for the next thirty days.  The YouTube 30 day Reading challenge started yesterday, and the parameters are to read a BOOK a day.  Yea, that's not happening here.
Instead, I am going to challenge myself to read 100 pages a day/3,000 pages in 30 days.  I wouldn't say that I have an average page read count per day, normally.  Some days I read whole books, and other days I don't read at all.  But I almost always watch tv everyday (brain rot, I know). So the plan is to encourage me to replace some tube time with reading.

And here are the books I plan to accomplish this challenge with....

Vampire Academy   Richelle Mead (352 pages...300 pages to read)

I started this over the weekend, but I plan on finishing this up with this challenge.  And I'm not sure what page I am on, I can't figure it out on my Nook, but I think I have about 300 pages left....

Me Before You Jojo Moyes (339 pages)

Cinder  Marissa Meyers (280 pages)

Eleanor & Park   Rainbow Rowell (252 pages)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane  Neil Gaiman (143 pages)

The Selection   Kiera Cass (225 pages)

The 5th Wave  Rick Yancey (454 pages)

Catherine   April Lindner (320 pages)

Clockwork Angel  Cassandra Clare (512 pages)

The Edge of Never  J.A. Redmerski (353 pages)

So that's the plan.  It's a little over 3,000 pages, but I think I can do it....we shall see.
Anyone else want to join?  I think this will be fun!

 

Hi

Well hello there, loooooonnnnng time no talk.
So why the long absence?  Just the same old schtuff that I've been complaining about for about a year now.  Still can't find a job, feel like that's holding me back and not letting me reach my full life potential...blah, blah, blah.  Throw in a semi-resistant to potty training toddler, and you have one Mama that didn't feel like taking the time to blog.

So what brought me back?  I honestly thought that I was out of the blogging game for good, until I discovered the world of BookTube.  For those not in the know (like me about a month ago), BookTube is the universe's answer to a global sort of book club.  It's a bunch of bibliophiles who decided to share their love of books on the interwebs.  And for some reason, stumbling upon these YouTube posts rekindled my love of reading, (which was always there but hidden under a thick layer of depression and exhaustion) which has in turn sort of buoyed me a bit.  And in turn, I've decided to start blogging again.

The blog is still going to be about the fam, with a dash of book love mixed in.  Cause I don't think I have the cajones to start a BookTube (BT) channel, but I really love talking about books.  So I think I'm back and probably about once a week I'm going to pop in with what I'm reading, sharing some BT love and the like.

And if you're curious to see how rekindled my love of reading has gotten check out my Goodreads.  In January I set a goal of reading 30 books and as of today I have read 23...12 of those were just since May...

Gracias Mucho, BookTube!!   

And don't worry Maggie's doing great....






We're heading out to the beach this weekend, so I hope this finds you well and that you have a great weekend!!

eShakti Review

 Hello everyone!  Hope you are all enjoying some beautiful spring weather, wherever you are!!


We have had some really lovely days over the past couple of days and it really makes me think ahead to the warmer months that await us.  And with those beautiful, warm days, wedding season is just around the corner.  Brian and I have been to our fair share of wedding over the past five years and I'm pretty sure last year was the first summer together, that we didn't attend a wedding.  That is not the case this year.

We have one wedding this season, and it is my step-sister Joanne's.  I love the wedding season and I love weddings, but I always struggle to find a flattering dress to wear.  Luckily, eShakti.com has come to my rescue.  They offered me the chance to review one of their beautiful dresses and I am so excited about it.
I chose this dress because it is a light chambray material and I love the cut.  It is a simple color, but it is something that you can accessorize to jazz it up.  The process of ordering the dress was relatively easy and I loved that they asked for my height to determine what "below the knee" would actually be for me.  I also chose to add a small cap sleeve to customize it a bit.

Here it is....

 

  

Also, here is a special discount code

ABTRMAGMOM exclusively created for readers to get 20% OFF when you shop at eShakti - valid thru 05/31/13. 

 

Note: (*conditions apply)

Code has to be entered in the 'Privilege Discount' box.  No Minimum Order Value.  The discount code is not case sensitive.  The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This code can be clubbed with any other gift coupon or gift card in the same order.  This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. Not applicable on previous purchases. 

Hope that this finds you well!

Review/Giveaway: CB Messages Designer Chalkboard

Hello there!  Hope everyone had a great Easter.
Today, I'm back today with an awesome product review/giveaway.  My friend Stacy, has started a new business making and selling the cutest chalkboards.

Check out her shop here.

There are so many uses for these adorable chalkboards.  You can use it in the kitchen for your weekly menu or your grocery list.  You can use it in your family room as a part of your decor, to celebrate a holiday or a birthday.  They can also be used in your child's room for letter and number practice (recommended for ages 3 and up).

Stacy sent me a chalkboard to review and I decided to use it on Maggie's door!  Stacy customized it to what Maggie likes right now and her bedroom colors.  I love it!!!

Enter below for your chance to win one of these great chalkboards!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Opinions expressed are my own.  I received no compensation, but I did receive product for review purposes. 


 

BHBC: "Let's Pretend this Never Happened"

Today I am reviewing the Blogher Book Club selection, Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess.

First, I encountered Lawson and all her hilarity on her blog, The Bloggess.  Her writing is full of witty ramblings and crazy hi-jinks, my favorite being the story of the metal chicken, Beyonce.

Now I've had the privilege of reading her book Let's Pretend this Never Happened, which is a memoir of sorts, with lots of honesty and verve thrown that make it very interesting.

I really enjoyed this book and I think I did because I appreciate a certain type of humor.  Some people prefer humor that is clean and clear cut, and that is not what this book is about.  This humor is crass and sometimes a little crazy, which is the point.  But through it all, we get to delve into Lawson's life and see where she came from and how she created her current persona.

One of my favorite chapters was, "A Series of Helpful Post-It-Notes I Left Around for My Husband This Week".  It shows how frustrating it can be to live with someone and deal with all their little peculiarities.  It is also just really funny to see the back and forth and how things escalated, as they do,  But I really got a chuckle when she reveals at the end of the chapter that the first post-it-note was the only real one!

Another favorite chapter was, "The Dark and Disturbing Secrets HR Doesn't Want You to Know".  For the most part this is a set of wacky instances that Lawson encountered while she was in HR.  My favorite was the person sleeping on a cat and the lesson that "sometimes you get brought in for an interview to settle a bet".  I can actually picture that happening and it made me really giggle. 

Overall, I liked this book and I found it a wonderful read.  I would recommend it to my friends that share my same sense of humor.      

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

So What Wednesday!

Hola!
Another day, another edition of So What Wednesday!

-This weather is so stupid! They kept predicting another "Snowmageddon" and there's nothing.  We might get some over night, but I'm not holding my breath. A snow day would be nice, the hubs could use one....but I doubt it will happen....

- Thanks Netflix for having "Pretty in Pink" for this icky day.  A few thoughts....I love Andy's style throughout the movie, but I HATE the dress she makes (am I alone in this?).  Blaine (Andrew McCarthy) um....SO YUMMY!!!  Seriously this movie still rocks after all these years!

- I love Tina Fey's bathing suit....seriously where can I find it??

And the fact that this was taken at Disney....jealous!!!

-Still trying out easy crock-pot recipes that I find.  Attempted this one today....will have to let you know how it was!

Crock-pot Chicken and Dumplings

 Hope you're having a great day!

Catch up

So since we last talked, (over two weeks ago), what is up?

Not much....no really, I'm not being coy.  I haven't heard back from any of the job interviews I went on, my car is still working (fingers crossed) and we went to my Dad's for President's day weekend.

Unka Bray!

Hanging out at the local bounce place, and trying an Icee for the first time (not a fan, possibly too sweet....)

Day to night fashion

Hibachi fun!

We attempted a potty training weekend this past weekend and we were not successful.  Not sure that Miss Mags is ready yet.

And finally, Mags turned 31 months yesterday, leaving only 5 more months till the big 3!

 

Hope you're having a great day!!!