Stuff -n- things

• Is it just me or is this week going by super slow?!?!?!?
• I think next week we can finally let our Realtor in to our condo to tell us what else we are going to have to do to sell it.  I'm hoping that with someone else telling Keith it, he'll be like "oh then I guess we do!" cause he sure isn't listening to me about it.
• With the above note, I think I'm going to make a list of what I think they'll say and then compare it to what they do say.  I've sold 4 condos/houses in my life and the Realtor my parents had was a pain so if we got them sold fast with her on those ideas then I think it'll work for us.
• I was supposed to go to the Lake last weekend for a Mardi Gras pub crawl.  Thanks to the ice, we didn't go and went to the Working Women's Survival Show instead.  It was fun!
• This weekend is a big home show for St. Louis.  I think we're going to go to it because we need ideas/help for when we do purchase a home...and free tickets work too!
• The hotel is going down down down and not in a good way.  All I'm going to say about it now is if they try to schedule me more when I can't work, I'm going to be sick a lot more.  Its out of hand.  I need my own classroom, pray hard!
• We are going on a mini vacation in a few weeks.  I'm super excited as its a state/city we've never been to.  Not to mention both hotel nights are free, we are flying for free (thanks to Southwest points) and all we have to pay for is food and whatever else.  Score!
• Problem now is, where do we go this summer?  We've kinda narrowed it down to Las Vegas, Charleston/Myrtle Beach, Bahamas or Punta Cana.  What do you suggest - anywhere else?

Have a great Thursday!

50 Shades of Grey thoughts

By now everyone has heard a little something about 50 Shades of Grey:

When the books were first released, I jumped on the bandwagon from the get-go.  Sure what they were writing about was new to me but being an avid reader, I wasn't going to pass them up and I'm glad I didn't.  Underneath what everyone is only seeing is a story/plot that has meaning and that will pull you in.

I saw the movie with my sister last Tuesday (yay for Wehrenberg's $5 Tuesday nights) and she had just finished the books herself while on a plane to/from Vancouver so she had plenty of reading time.  She too, said that the plot is what pulled her in, not what people are seeing only from the ads.

I'm also glad they went with Jamie Dornan over this Charlie Hunnam who was originally supposed to play Christian.  There's just something about Jamie that makes him fit the role over the blonde Charlie guy.  As for Anastasia, her being the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson was all I could think about as I had never heard of her before.

Check it out for yourselves - trust me!

Fear of Striking Out Book Review

This week I'm reviewing:

Synopsis

Shortstop Tate James has been traded from the all-American town of Milwaukee to the trendy City of Angels. 

Pink hair, manscaping, dogs in purses... not his thing. This ball player is less than excited about his new hometown. That is until he crosses paths with beautiful Mia Tomko. She lets him know that not all L.A. women are just after fame and fortune.

As Tate and Mia find that their interest in each other isn't the only thing they have in common, neither are prepared for what their future holds. 

When someone from both of their pasts arrives, will it tear them apart or make them closer?

I say:
I was super excited to read yet another one of my real life friend's latest books.

Tate James gets sent to LA to continue his baseball career. Trying to figure out where to settle down in the city of angels, he meets Mia Tomko, one of the area's top real estate agents. In addition to Mia finding Tate a house, they decide to explore their new found attraction to one another. Their futures are being affected by their pasts, and Mia is quick to realize that she really does need to let it all go in order to have happiness in her future life.

The story was great; it moved at a fast past and was an easy read. The author did a good job telling the reader the details that make the characters who they are. There's a few parts of the book that I felt could have been explored even more than what it was but maybe that's what we will read about in a future book that contains Tate & Mia.

Book Links

Amazon US

Amazon CAN

Amazon AUS

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Goodreads

Additional Books

Love is a Fire

Burst Into Flame

Everybody's After Love

If you love Fear of Striking Out then you don't want to miss Tate & Mia's friends story in The Right Pitch.

What are you reading this week?

Fear of Striking Out Release Blitz

TITLE: Fear of Striking Out

AUTHOR: Lyssa Layne

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

PUBLICATION DATE: February 19, 2015

COVER DESIGN: E.J. Kellan

LENGTH: 54,000+

CONTENT WARNING: Adult Content

Synopsis

Shortstop Tate James has been traded from the all-American town of Milwaukee to the trendy City of Angels. 

Pink hair, manscaping, dogs in purses... not his thing. This ball player is less than excited about his new hometown. That is until he crosses paths with beautiful Mia Tomko. She lets him know that not all L.A. women are just after fame and fortune.

As Tate and Mia find that their interest in each other isn't the only thing they have in common, neither are prepared for what their future holds. 

When someone from both of their pasts arrives, will it tear them apart or make them closer?

Book Links

Amazon US

Amazon CAN

Amazon AUS

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Goodreads

Excerpt

Waves crash in the darkness of the night. The moon peeks behind a few clouds as I lean against Mia’s deck sipping whiskey. Once again, the thought of moving to L.A. doesn’t seem so bad, especially when I feel her hand slide over my back pockets. Her breath is warm on my ear as both hands run over my backside. I feel her smile against my cheek. She lightly kisses it and whispers while she gives me a squeeze, “I can’t wait to see you in baseball

pants this season.”

Laughing, I turn around to face her and pull her body against mine. She moves her arms around my neck and we exchange a powerful kiss. My whole body shakes inside and I don’t ever want to stop kissing her. What is this woman doing to me? I’m not the kind of man that wants to settle down. Back in Milwaukee, I had a few lady friends that I would get together with from time to time, but I’ve never seen a woman the way I see Mia Tomko. She breaks the kiss, but I don’t let go.

“Good, you started the fire,” she says nodding toward the fire pit. “I brought out the fixings for s’mores; hope you like them.”

Chuckling, I nod my head as I let go of her and she walks over to the table. “They’re actually my favorite.”

I watch her open the box of graham crackers. Damn, even in torn-up jeans and a baggy Stanford sweatshirt she looks good. Reaching for another bag to busy myself, I stop and look at Mia. “Reese’s?”

She nods with a grin. “Trust me, it’s way better than a Hershey bar. It’s pure ecstasy.”

Leaning forward, I kiss her neck, making her giggle. “Nah, I think this is pure ecstasy.”

Walking to the fire pit with roasters in hand, I stand behind her so I can nibble on her neck as we toast the ‘mallows. She tilts her head, giving me full access to her soft skin. A few turns of the roaster and she holds the s’more in front of my mouth. My teeth clamp down over the treat as I lock eyes with her. “Mmm… ” I moan. She’s right, the Reese’s are delicious.

Grinning, she pulls the s’more back and takes a bite herself. Chocolate smears on her lip. I lean forward and run my tongue over it then close my mouth and suck her lip to get every last bit off. As she slips her tongue over mine, I can feel myself start to get hard and I moan into her mouth. Mumbling with my lips still against hers, I utter, “You’re right…ecstasy.”

Additional Books

Love is a Fire

Burst Into Flame

Everybody's After Love

If you love Fear of Striking Out then you don't want to miss Tate & Mia's friends story in The Right Pitch.

About the Author

Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor. 

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa's own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Author Links

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Amazon

Goodreads

Barnes & Nobles

Facebook Party

You won't want to miss the Fear of Striking Out Release Day Party on Facebook tonight from 7-10PM CT. There will be giveaways, games, and tons of fun! Hosts include: Beth Jones, Traci Hayden, William Scott, Linda Armstrong, Toshia Slade, and of course, Lyssa Layne! See you there!

Giveaway

Be sure to enter this Rafflecopter for a chance to win an ebook from Lyssa Layne, jewelry from Baseball Wishes, and a free cover from E.J. Kellan! Rafflecopter will be open until 2/22/15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Valentine's Love

Happy belated Valentine's to everyone!



I hope everyone enjoyed their day, single, attached or whatever your status might be.  I understand that a lot of people dislike this day, calling it Hallmark only yadda yadda but majority of my friends who posted that are single.  I guarantee you if they were in a relationship none of them would post that.

Anywho Keith and I usually celebrate Valentine's Day the day before because getting a reservation in St. Louis for that day is ridiculous unless you do it a year in advance.  So we made reservations for a new restaurant, Cooper's Hawk Winery, for the Friday before.  We were super excited, because of the wine aspect and recommendations from friends, and we were not disappointed:

We did do gifts as it was Keith's idea.  I got him an outfit I'm hoping he'll wear - he says he wants to wear different things to work, which is hard in his profession as well as hard for men, so I hope I pulled it off as its also something he can wear just part of in the summer.  Then he gifted me a new Michael Kors wallet to match the purse he got me at Christmas.  Surely wasn't expecting that!

Then on Saturday, actual Valentine's Day, we did some more packing at our condo then at lunch at a new to us place, Double D's pizzeria which is a family owned establishment that I read about in the paper.  It was yummy!

How did you celebrate with the one(s) you love?  Hope you had a great day!

Maple Sugar Festival

Last weekend was gorgeous for Missouri in February.

One of the best conservation places in the area, Rockwoods Reservation, took Saturday and hosted a free Maple Sugar Festival.  For about 6 weeks, nature cooks up its own sweet treats within maple sugar trees as sap begins to flow, ready to be tapped for making sugar and syrup.

There were stations set up that once we arrived, we got our paper stamped and turned in later for prizes.  We got to see first hand how Native Americans and early settlers harvested the sap - and boiled it down over an open fire to create sugar and syrup.  One of the favorite stops was sugar on snow, a toffee like treat created when warm maple sap mixes with the cold snow:

We had 2 wood cutting stations, where we cut a small limb then a bigger limb that they branded for us with a maple leaf:

They also had water carrying stations and water jug races to see who could carry the most water:

Anyone remember Smokey the Bear?  You know, the loveable bear who is always reminding us that only you can prevent wildfires.  Well Rockwoods is known for being one of his homes so I was able to snag an original storybook:

It brings back many memories, especially with my Dad's involvement with conservation, the US Forest Service and our family's love for the outdoors.

This event has me looking forward to warmer weather and what Missouri fun there is to have!

Stuff -n- things

Hey hey its Thursday!!

• My long term ended on Tuesday.  It was a bitter sweet day.
• Now that its over, I'm spending the rest of this week getting caught up on stuff and doing a big haul of packing our condo up.  I'm getting ZERO help from Keith, which is frustrating.  I understand this is separation anxiety or something from him as this was his bachelor pad but seriously, I can't do it all myself!!
• Last night he tells me he's going to pack up his office, which is a lot of electronics that I have no clue about anyway.  This am I found out he didn't do that, he bought stuff instead and made new email addresses :/
• We are celebrating Valentine's Day on Friday because of the craziness that usually happens on Saturday.  Not to mention Saturday is Mardi Gras here in STL so we may parade it, if its not too cold or we'll just stay home and go get a hurricane somewhere else.
• Anyone going to see the 50 Shades movie?  I think my sister and I are going to on Tuesday, when its $5.
• The hotel is giving me problems...again!  I had requested last Monday off a month prior as it was my last full day in the classroom and I needed to get it ready for the teacher.  The schedules come out on Thursday and he had me on.  When I contacted him he tells me its not fair to the other employees that they work around me all the time.  I replied back that I had requested it a full month in advance and if it was going to be a problem, he should have said something because we never hear if our requests are granted or not, we just have to wait to see the schedule.  I never heard back from my reply.  So really dude if we are following the hotel protocol for asking off, then I feel you should follow it and let us know one way or another.  Many call in "sick" when they want off, and don't do the protocol - maybe I need to start doing that!
• I go tonight, we'll see what happens.  Wish me luck!

Have a great day!!

Last day!

Yesterday was the last day of my 15 week long term job.



It was bitter sweet, since I've helped them grow over the past few months.  I helped the teacher transition in the morning, then she had to go to a meeting and then we all said our goodbyes in the afternoon.  The kiddos didn't really remember her, it was interesting to see them come to me the entire day, hug me, and eyeball her until the end of the day when they realized she was coming back.

I have about a month and a half off to random sub now until my other long term starts in April.  That will be kindergarten again, same school and same team.

Hopefully this turns into something for the fall.

Lots of stuff to catch up on the next few days so I'll still be busy!  Gotta get moving :)

White Trash recipe

One of my coworkers loves to cook and is always making us stuff.  I instantly fell in love with what she dubs "white trash" and decided to make it for our Superbowl party.

1 box Golden Grahams

1 medium bag plain M&M's

1 bag pretzel twists, broken into pieces

Almond bark (all 12 squares)

Large rubber spatula

2 cookie sheets

Wax paper (optional)

1)  Mix the entire box of GG, M&M's (you can separate colors for whatever you are doing - I did blue and green for game), and broken pretzels in a large bowl.

2)  Melt 6 of the almond bark squares in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second increments.  Stir each time to get it smooth.

3)  Once melted, pour almond bark on top of dry mixture

4)  Stir mixture with large rubber spatula, be careful not to break the golden grahams.

5)  Melt the remaining 6 almond bark squares in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second increments.  Stir each time to get it smooth.

6)  Once melted, pour almond bark on top of what is already mixed up and use large rubber spatula to coat everything.

7)  Lay wax paper (or spray with cooking spray) on 2 large cookie sheets and pour coated mixture onto each sheet.  Use spatula to spread out so it lays flat.

8)  Allow mixture to dry. Then break into pieces and try not to eat it all!!

You will love this and want to make it over and over again.  Someone had brought cookies to the party but this was eaten over them.

This is also floating around the internet, and on pinterest as different names and with different varieties of items if you want to pin it for the future.

Enjoy!!

Superbowl Extravaganza 1.0

So what did everyone think of the Superbowl?

For the past few years, we've always gone to a friends house because he loves to host a Superbowl party.  This year he cancelled it and we decided to host and that's when the following was born:

SUPERBOWL EXTRAVAGANZA 1.0

We provided the tv's (3 to be exact), the drinks and plenty of food.  The guests brought something to share and a drink to share and we settled in for the game and, of course, the commercials:

Budweiser by far was my favorite as usual.  However there were a lot of PSA ones in regards to abuse, heroin and puberty which were interesting and made you think.  I also thought the Brady Bunch one for Snickers was funny.

...and how about that fun half time show?  Katy Perry was awesome, it was one of the better shows we've seen in awhile.  Question now is, would you be the palm tree, surfboard or shark?

Our food spread was amazing - no one left hungry, that's for sure:

For sure this isn't the only year we are planning on having this party.  I'm already planning 2.0.  It truly was nice not having to drive to the other one, then having to get back at a decent time.  I did forget to take other pictures of stuff we did (bad bad host I am), and the people that came, but I my brain is already thinking towards next February.

And now that the Superbowl has happened, it can only mean one thing:

Have a great Groundhog's Day - Phil saw his shadow, supposedly 6 more weeks of winter.  Missouri has only had cold so I think that's all we'll get.  Maybe I'll be wrong!