Life in the Midwest!

Growing up and living in Iowa my whole life, well it is not the most exciting state in the world, but i wouldn't move anywhere else, home is where my family is!

So my post title says "Life in the Midwest" well, the biggest topic of conversation is ALWAYS the weather, lets see Sunday we had an Ice storm, yesterday  most of the schools around us were cancelled because the roads were too icy and we had extreme fog, then last night around 10:30 pm, it starts thundering, lightening and down pouring rain! I tell you we can use the rain, we were under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning on January 28th!! It is 54 degrees outside right now with possibly more rain on the way! As i am writing this post, i just a received a "weather alert" telling me we are in a Winter Storm Watch haha!This is what it looks like outside. No snow, spring like weather here until later today!

But now take a look at the next 7 days here, within 24 hours our temperatures are going to be dropping 40 degrees! With a chance of snow, haha have to love the Midwest, if you don't like the weather give it a day. :)  I guess we are experiencing a few seasons within 24 hours today!

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What is the weather doing where you are? I am very thankful for the rain because we are in a drought here and need any moisture we can get!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Until next time!

Book Club Friday- what i have been reading

I have decided to join Goodreads.com and after doing so i started adding the books i have bought over the last year and have not read! I also have about 3 on my NOOK that i need to read, so this was easier than making a list :) So, i am linking up for Book Club Friday with Heather

My good friend Janelle got me this book for Christmas, we decided to start reading it at the same time so we could talk about the book as we went, well i was having trouble sleeping a couple nights and finished it in about 3 nights. Haven of Obedience by Marina Anderson, the front cover says "Devoured Fifty Shades"

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Here is the book description from Barnes and Noble
Devoured 50 Shades? Now you're ready to enter the Haven of Obedience.
Twenty-something Londoner Natalie Bowen is envied by many, but her personal life is a disaster.
Then she hears about an exclusive weekend retreat called The Haven, a place that specializes in introducing people to pleasures they could never have imagined. Shocked at the idea, but unable to resist finding out more, Natalie decides it's time to put her hears behind her.
Once at The Haven, Natalie meets the enigmatic and disciplined Simon, a man who is used to getting what he wants. And he's decided he wants Natalie...

I gave this book 3 stars, i thought it was interesting, but i also thought it was missing something, but i am to sure what! It was a very quick read, which is nice and the plot was different than a rich man meeting a woman haha :) Have you read this book?

 The next book i pulled off my bookshelf was Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McQuire, i bought this book quite a few months ago and i wanted to read it, it just never seemed to happen! I am so sad i waited so long to read this book!

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Here is the description from Barnes and Noble
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

I started this book and finished it 2 days later, i really thought it was good! I kept you wanting to read because you were never sure what was going to happen, it also had a few surprises! I am looking forward to Travis's side of the story in the next book which is said to be available in April 2013.   Have you read this book? What did you think?    I am looking forward to starting Gone Girl this weekend!

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  Happy Friday, what are you doing this weekend?   Until next time!

Pinterest finds!

I have been "pinning" for what seems like a couple years haha, but i have not made too many things off Pinterest, so this past weekend and early this week i decided to start making a few things i started with something easy! You have to start somewhere right?

In the Spring/Summer time i love to get the Starbucks shaken passion fruit tea/lemonade. It is a special treat for me! When i saw this pin, i went to the store got the tea bags and i also picked up some lemonade to mix in with it!

As for the tea, it was super easy to make you can find the recipe link here, and even Joe said it is really close! So i would say this "pin" is a "win" :)

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I also have been wanting some Amish Friendship bread, yes that weird bag of stuff you make and give to your friends, growing  up my mom seemed to always get the starter bag at least one or two times a year, so i started looking on pinterest for a recipe that didn't call make you wait 7 days to bake it!

I found one that had good reviews, so i got all the ingredients on Monday night and was baking them that night! The Cinnamon bread as they called it was super easy to make and is VERY yummy! If you have every had Amish Friendship bread, this is super close to it! You can find the recipe here.

Image from Pinterest

So i have now started a "Things i have actually made" board and will be making more things soon!
What is your best "pin" so far?
I wish i was more crafty so i could make some of the cute craft things on there, but at this point i am just sticking with recipes!

Happy Thursday!!

Until next time!

Macy's Birthday and NYE!

We can't believe that Macy turned 4 years old on the 26th of December! (28 years old in dog years!) It is amazing how fast the times goes! We really love our fur baby and couldn't imagine life without her. "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" this quote is so very true!

We got her some special gifts for her birthday! How can you not spoil a sweet little dog?

Macy is sitting with her loot! A birthday bone, a new sweater and also a new blanket for the basement! She also got a new scarf, a new dog tag ( that needs to be engraved) for her collar and some treats for Christmas! So she made out pretty well around the holidays and her birthday!

We spent the entire day doing things Macy loves, we went for a ride, she got to have some treats, we rubbed her belly :) she got to have a new chew and she got to spend time laying in the sun! All things she loves! I would say she is spoiled :)

Happy Birthday sweet Macy we love you so much and couldn't be happier or more blessed to have you in our lives!

For New Years we didn't really have any plans leading up to the night, but on the 30th, I came down with a slight sore throat so we said maybe we would just go to dinner and then to a movie the next night which sounded great to me. I woke up the next morning with a runny nose, sore throat and cough as the day progressed, I started getting body aches and I also couldn't control my blood sugars, so we knew we were staying in for NYE, my hubby ordered dinner and went to pick it up, I was in bed before midnight hoping I could sleep off the "cold" I thought I had. I woke up the next day feeling even worse then I did the did the day before and sine it was a Holiday I took some over the counter cold and flu meds and waited until the next day to head to the doctor. Well I finally went to the Dr, and I guess even with a flu shot, I had influenza A the Christmas gift that keeps on giving! I was seriously in bed for a solid 4 days, when I did get up I was so out of breathe it was like I had ran a marathon! I missed 3 days of work and finally went back to work on Monday, i was ready to get back into a routine and see all my wonderful co-workers and friends! I am still feeling a little run down, but so much better! I hope the flu stays away from all of you and your family! If you have suffered from this or are now I feel your pain and hope you feel better soon! Here is a to a healthier 2013!

I hope you all enjoyed your New Years Eve! Did you do anything exciting? Did you make any resolutions or goals? I always say I am going to make some and very rarely get them achieved so this year I am making some that I really do hope to get done!

                          1.  To de clutter, I want to get rid of stuff that I do not use or I do not need.
                          2.   I am also wanting to cook at least 2 meals a week, haha have to start somewhere right? Any good recipes send them my way!
                          3.   I want to lose 15 pounds by May.
                          4. I also want to blog more, going to try and blog more 1-2 times per week!
                          5. Do a redesign of the blog and host my first giveaway! I have some items all ready for one, i am wanting to hit 40 followers before i host the giveaway!

Please share with me your resolutions, I love to hear them and I am always willing to add to my list!

Until next time!

Christmas 2012

 Our Christmas tree in the newly finished basement, I was so excited to have 2 trees!

 We got a White Christmas in Iowa, so I wanted to take a couple pictures of our house with the lights and snow!

Our tree upstairs with some of the gifts! I just love this time of year!

It is hard to  believe it has been 2 weeks since Christmas already! I hope everyone had a great time with their friends and families! We had a great time this holiday season!
We were suppose to head to Chicago on the 21st to spend the weekend with my family, but Macy was ill and we had to take her to the vet, well we took her twice, the first time we took her they thought she was constipated... (she is embarrassed I wrote that on here :)) By 4 days later she was feeling a little better, so we thought she was, so we decided to start the trip and see what happened, as we were about 35 minutes into the drive she started panting really hard and also was dry heaving, so we knew something was not right with her and called the Vet immediately and he said to bring her in, after another x-ray and hours of waiting we found out she had a inflammation of 2 of her discs in her back! Poor baby, they think that is why she was constipated, so we had to treat her with 3 medications, soft dog food and she was suppose to rest, so NO running, jumping or doing any stairs! She is much better now, but we were sure worried about that sweet 4 legged baby of ours!

Here she is resting on her favorite pillow.... :)

We spent Christmas Eve with my in laws and as always we had a great night, we went to Church mass at 4 and it was a good service, they did not do a children's nativity this year, wish we could have seen that. Below is Macy opening her gift from her Grandma and Grandpa, a sweet new ornament for the tree :) Also a quick snapshot of our sweet family, Joe, Macy and I.

We were suppose to head to my parents house on Christmas day to spend time with them, but my dad came down with the flu, so we were staying away and my mom didn't want us to come. I am a terrible housewife and didn't have much to eat at our house since we were planning to be gone for the Holidays, so the husband and I had a wonderful frozen pizza for dinner sounds delicious huh? I really sweated over the stove to make a Christmas day dinner for us :)

Joe and I spent all day Christmas day watching movies and spending time together, I got Joe a PS3 for Christmas so he was busy playing with that, while I messed with some of my new gadgets I got for my new camera. I got the wireless adapter I was asking for from "Santa" so I am anxious to use that here in the next few weeks! My mom also ordered me a camera strap from Etsy which is finally here and I get it this week!

Joe and I hope everyone had a great Christmas, we were truly blessed in 2012 and can't wait to see what 2013 brings us! I will be back for Macy's birthday and NYE recap!

What was your favorite gift you got this year, or favorite gift you gave this year?

I have to say I have 2 gifts, one was the PS3 for Joe, he had no idea I got it for him, because I have been telling him for 2 years that he can't get one haha, because he doesn't have time with school and work! So it was a surprise for him! Even though we didn't get to see Lily open her gifts from us, I guess she was super excited to get her "barn" from us!

Until next time.