Books I'm Excited About!

A couple books that I'm super excited to read that I've already pre-ordered for my Kindle are:

coming out April 29

Amazon synopsis

It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose.
Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career.
A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail.
Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.

coming out May 7

Amazon synopsis
THE FINAL SOOKIE STACKHOUSE NOVEL
There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie—and could destroy her heart....

Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte’s. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated.
Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime.

But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she’ll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…

I love both these series and I'm so excited that I'm going to get to read these.  There's really no way of knowing how long the Women's Murder Club series is going to go on and as you see above this is the last book in the Sookie Stackhouse series!  If you haven't read any of the previous books in these series you should especially the Women's Murder Club....THEY ARE AWESOME!

Oh Peggy Sue!

 

As you recall a couple weeks ago I posted a vague announcement!

 

Well I was a little off for the good though.....I thought it was T-Minus 18 days but I miscalculated.  After a lot of talking with a seller of an old, vintage, camper that Lincoln came across on Craigslist we made the trek to Venus, TX today to give it a looksy in person and hopefully come home with Peggy Sue.

 

A few weeks ago I wanted to seriously start looking into remodeling and fixing up an old camper.  I've mentioned it a few times HERE and HERE.  Well I put Lincoln on the Craigslist search one night while he was working nights and I was doing homework.  Within minutes he sent me several listings.  A couple of them I vetoed right off because I had a certain vision and those weren't it...BUT the third listing had potential. 

 

I texted the number listed just for kicks and the person texted back.  I got real excited and we talked over the next few days about the camper.  I asked questions that I thought were important and Lincoln told me a few things to ask.  By the 3rd day I was sold and told the person that it would be a few weeks before we could come that way to actually see it and bring it home since Lincoln had to work. He had no problem with that and held it for us. 

 

This weekend turned out to be the perfect time. 

I got my money together and Lincoln and I headed out around 9 to Venus.  Venus is a little white trash, poe-dunk town South/ Southwest of Dallas. 

WOW!!!! 

When we drove up I was a little worried.

 

We met our contact, which was really, really, nice and honest, inspected my merchandise, and then loaded up Miss Peggy Sue! 

 

It was a long and stressful ride home since we had to drive slow and make sure nothing happened to Peggy Sue. 

 

Once home we unloaded her and I took some before pictures and sat inside for a minute to get some good ideas and inspiration for the remodel.

 

She's in really good shape!

me and my Peggy Sue

 

back of trailer



looking in through door

 

front of trailer

Peggy Sue's Stats

• Her year of birth is 1950 (looks pretty good for 63 years old)
• From what I can tell from my research she's a Cozy Cruiser which is the predecessor of the cute 1960's Shasta trailers
• Currently sleeps 2
• No appliances
• 12' long and 6' 8" wide
• No leaks
• No weak walls or floors
• 110v breaker box
• Outside lights work for when you haul her

Needless to say I'm beyond elated about this possibly big little project I have now sitting beside my chicken coop.  I have great plans for Miss Peggy Sue and my goal is to have her rolling out to the lake for her maiden, family, camping trip by the 4th of July.

 

 

Improvements I want to make:

1. clean up the inside and repaint
2. create another sleeping/seating area in the front of the trailer with a mirror above.  A window used to be there but it has been sealed up and I think it would be a lot to fix. 
3. The bed in the front that I want to build I also want the top to open into a storage trunk.  Peggy Sue is too compact to waste usable space
4. Unseal and replace the other two windows.  These two windows will be really easy to fix back to normal with some plexy glass.
5. Replace cabinet, counter top area, and install hardware on cabinet doors
6. figure out the lighting situation...lamps maybe
7. build shelves in existing closet
8. repaint outside and do a little maintenance
9. the rest is just cosmetic things like decorating with pillows, a few vintage prints, making curtains (I might use sheers for this to help bring in as much natural light as possible), since I'm not going to go through the trouble of installing appliances I want to get a small microwave, hot plate, or microwave oven, install small TV with DVD player for master sleeping area, and tons more of little cute touches like an indoor window box!

I can't wait to really jump in and start on all her improvements and share the progress as we go and hopefully, not too far down the road, the finished product!

Book Review: Private and Private Suspect #1

 

 

It happened again....I ran out of books to read on my Kindle so I had to turn to Amazon for more.

 

I searched and looked over the top rated lists but nothing really peaked my interest.  I decided to turn back to James Patterson since it's been a while since I had read anything of his.  I wanted something other than an Alex Cross book and I found a highly rated book in the Jack Morgan series.  The first book that I bought and read really fast was simply called, Private.

 

Amazon synopsis

The police can't help you
Former Marine helicopter pilot Jack Morgan runs Private, a renowned investigation company with branches around the globe. It is where you go when you need maximum force and maximum discretion. The secrets of the most influential men and women on the planet come to Jack daily--and his staff of investigators uses the world's most advanced forensic tools to make and break their cases.
The press will destroy you
Jack is already deep into the investigation of a multi-million dollar NFL gambling scandal and the unsolved slayings of 18 schoolgirls when he learns of a horrific murder close to home: his best friend's wife, Jack's former lover, has been killed. It nearly pushes him over the edge. Instead, Jack pushes back and devotes all of Private's resources to tracking down her killer.
Only one place to turn: Private
But Jack doesn't have to play by the rules. As he closes in on the killer and chooses between revenge and justice, Morgan has to navigate a workplace love affair that threatens to blow the roof off his plans. With a plot that moves at death-defying speeds, Private is James Patterson sleekest, most exciting thriller ever.

 

I loved the multiple cases in the book and the fast paced action satisfied a craving of adventure and danger.

 

After reading the first book in the Jack Morgan series I went back for more.  I purchased and read Private #1 Suspect just as quickly as I did this first book. 

 

Amazon synopsis

Unsolvable casesSince former Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world's most effective investigation firm--sought out by the famous and the powerful to discreetly handle their most intimate problems. Private's investigators are the smartest, the fastest, and the most technologically advanced in the world--and they always uncover the truth.
Impossible murders
When his former lover is found murdered in Jack Morgan's bed, he is instantly the number one suspect. While Jack is under police investigation, the mob strong-arms him into recovering $30 million in stolen pharmaceuticals for them. And the beautiful manager of a luxury hotel chain persuades him to quietly investigate a string of murders at her properties.
The #1 suspect is Jack Morgan
While Jack is fighting for his life, one of his most trusted colleagues threatens to leave Private, and Jack realizes he is confronting the cleverest and most powerful enemies ever. With more action, more intrigue, and more twists than ever before, PRIVATE: #1 SUSPECT is James Patterson at his unstoppable best.

 

Although there are more Private books these two are the only Jack Morgan books for now. 

 

I am currently reading Private Berlin and it's getting good but still hasn't really sucked me in yet.  I hope it does soon otherwise I might be a little disappointed after being so happy with the first couple Private books.

5 Days

The past 5 days have been very exhausting, rewarding, sad, and happy all at different and sometimes even the same time. 

WORK
At work this week I relinquished my teller supervisor duties over to my backup teller, Lesley.  I loved doing that but when an opening in the accounting department opened up I was glad to jump on it and get my feet wet in that area.  It's going to be great not having to deal with personnel issues or customers but the stress I put on myself to learn a new job is hard.  My new job isn't going to be hard but there is just a whole lot of stuff to learn and that's what I'm worried about. 

SCHOOL
I went to school on Tuesday as usual and found out that I made an 82 on my test that I was convinced I was going to bomb.  Success!

GRANNY
My best friend's Granny passed away on Tuesday night and after I left school I drove to MV to be with her and her family a bit.  It was sad since Granny was not only Piper's Granny but her close friend's Granny as well.  We shared some fond memories of our childhood with Granny and cried over her passing. 

When I got home Tuesday night around midnight I was so exhausted.  I slept so hard that night but my week was nowhere near over.

HERCULES/ ER
Wednesday when I got home from work I couldn't find Hercules or Tyson.  I called and called and they never came.  I started looking for them and what I found was horrifying.  They were out in the pasture and had gotten in another fight with the neighbor dog.  Tyson wasn't that bad off but Hercules was BAD.  His head was covered in blood and his leg was torn!  I freaked, talked to Lincoln a million times on the phone and after 2 hours of calling finally found a vet that would see him that night.  I loaded him up and raced to Tri-Lakes Veterinarian Clinic to see Dr. Cranmore.  She was amazing!  I had to leave Hercules there over night and Lincoln went to pick him up Thursday afternoon.

Friday went semi normal just stressed over work, finances and animals but the weekend brought just enough needed relief.  An awesome thing that happened on Friday was receiving and chatting with my closest girlfriends over the birth of sweet Ryleigh!  We were all chatting as I got ready for work before 7 AM on Friday.  I told Lincoln that times have really changed LOL as we get ready for work at 6:45 in the morning we are all texting each other on births.

I know the next couple weeks are going to be trying I just hope that I can survive.

Moose

We have a new family member. 
 

MOOSE!

 

 

 

Isn't he the cutest?!

 

Moose joined our family on Valentines night.  I got him from a co-worker.  He is blue heeler and pitbull and you can definitley tell on the pit part.  He's really active, friendly, and aggresvie already.  I can't wait to see him grow and add to our family dynamic.

 

 

Valentine's Day Print

Happy Vday if you choose to celebrate this type of thing.  Although Lincoln and I decided to not celebrate this year I did throw together this little print from a song I'm currently loving.  I have seen several of these type prints around Pintrest and Etsy but I decided just to make one of my own.  Last year for Valentine's Day I made Lincoln a print and put it in a really awesome frame that is on his bedside table.  I thought this is a great and inexpensive yet thoughtful tradition to start for Vday so here it is. 

Feel free to copy/save image to use for your own. 

Also enjoy the inspiration of this print by the Lumineers.  I'm so into folk alternative music right now.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

DIY: FREE Desk Design

Sunday I got creative with some trash…literally!

And decided to give my desk a little design makeover on the cheap. I had spent a good bit of Saturday morning cleaning out all the bins and trunks in my office getting it organized and in order so I thought….I need to make my desk look neat, cute, and inviting so maybe I won’t procrastinate so much.

(HA FAT CHANCE BUT GOOD THOUGHT PROCESS)

I had seen all these other cute and fancy desk designs around the interwebs and knew that I more than likely wouldn’t be able to get anything close to that just because even though I love the look it isn’t really the style of my house and I don’t like a lot of nick-knacks and useless crap hanging around.

I mean these offices are beautiful, sleek and clean but not me.

from Pintrest

from TheEverygirl

from Pintrest

picture from TheEverygirl

I had made tuna salad the day before and emptied both a pickle jar and also a Miracle Whip jar so I went and grabbed them from the trash.

See!

I told you I got creative with trash.

 

After cleaning the inside and outside of each container really good I painted the inside a turquoise blue that matches the shutter I made last year. To add a little rustic touch that goes with my style I wrapped a waxy string around the top of each jar. I knew that I wanted a little flower arrangement and a pretty place to keep my pens and pencils and such. I had some left over flowers from when I decorated my guest bedroom so I used those along with my painted pickle jar for my small arrangement. The bigger Miracle Whip jar was the perfect size for all my pens and pencils. I cleared off any extra paperwork that I had laying around.  I also pulled out a picture frame that's never been used and printed a semi-current picture of Lincoln and I.
 

 

VOILA!

 

A free desk design from trash and left overs. I think the last couple things I want to do to really finish off this space and make it the perfect place to do work, homework, or creative projects is hang a cork board in a pretty black frame directly above my desk so I can pin bills up and also use it for an inspiration/idea board. And then a little something to the left of it….maybe another shutter to frame out my cork board.

 

 

To make this same or similar look you will need:

· Empty and clean jars

· Paint

· Any extras to add some flare….string, glitter, whatever

· Flowers, pens and pencils, candles, or other office supplies for your containers

 

 

The first jar, as you can see in my pictures, I tried adding glitter first and then putting in my paint to give it a bit more flare but that didn’t work like I had planned. It only made my paint real thick and it doesn’t show through the paint. FAIL but I still got the main look I was going for. SUCCESS

I added quite a bit of paint and rolled the jar around to try to get it to coat all over. I then added a bit more and let it sit upright for a while and then turned it upside down on a plate to run down around the jar and so any excess paint could run out. After all the excess was gone I turned them right-side up again and let them dry for 1 day.

This is such an easy and CHEAP craft to spice up any area.

 

I’m really liking the look of my desk these days but I need to really get on that whole cork board thing so I can get inspiration for my upcoming BIG PROJECT!