Book Review: Hidden in Paris

A couple months ago I used my Kindle gift cards to stock up on some good reads, some regular authors I always read but also a couple new ones. I felt like I was always reading the same thing and wanted to find a new book or author to broaden my reading. One of the books that I bought and just finished was Hidden in Paris by Corine Gantz. I was a little skeptical of the book when I first started reading it because I had no idea where the book was going to take me but the more I read it the more I fell into the story of the 3 women that made the book great. In the end all three women rediscovered themselves in a chaotic house in Paris. All three women were so different but so the same in that they were all lost and with the help of each other they ended in happiness and in love. It is definitely chic-lit but I recommend it to you ladies for something that maybe out of your norm. I usually ready murder/mystery/vampire novels not things like this but I was pleasantly surprised and plan on researching this author a bit more and hopefully she has a few other books out that I will enjoy.

This is the Amazon synopsis.

Three women running away from their lives become unlikely friends in a beautiful house in the heart of Paris. Lost in France, a country she mistrusts, among French people she hardly understands, Annie has trouble venturing away from home since the death of her husband. And since home happens to be a small jewel of a house nestled in the heart of Paris, why would she ever want to? But when bankruptcy threatens her beloved house, her one anchor in life, Annie has no choice but to find renters, and quick. Leave it to someone socially phobic to phrase a want ad in all the wrong ways. With shimmering promises of ‘Starting over in Paris’ –– a concept she has no intention of applying to her own life––Annie attracts tenants with the kind of baggage that doesn’t fit in suitcases. A long-legged, cool-headed ex model (everything Annie is not) on the run from her abusive husband, a frail young woman harboring a possible death wish, a mysterious French artist, and an infuriating blue-blooded French man soon threaten Annie’s way of life in ways she never anticipated. But when Annie finds herself reluctantly yet actively engaged in the rescue of her tenants, she discovers that she might just save herself in the process.

Weekend Wedding in Austin

600 Miles round trip is what me, Rachael, and her Mom, Renee traveled this weekend.  We road tripped it to Austin for one of our good friend's wedding.  We left out around 6:45 on Friday and headed out. 

We stopped in Rockwall for a quick supper at In and Out Burger.  I hadn't ever eaten there and it was so good for a hamburger and fries place.  and CHEAP for a medium combo meal it was like 5 bucks! NICE that never happen these days. 

After a cheap meal and a little car trouble brought on by ourselves we were on the road again.  We drove straight through and checked into our hotel around midnight.  After half-way sleeping in, we got ready and headed out for some coffee and to get a plan for the day.

After coffee we decided to try to find a vintage shopping area and do a little thrifting but when all you have are your smart phones, a lack of patience, and your in an unfamiliar city it can become a wild goose chase fast.  After a couple failed attempts we decided to hit the outlets in San Marcos.  We drove the 40 minutes that morning to spend a day filled with outlets and sushi. 

After lunch we headed back to our hotel in Austin to get ready for the wedding.

Callie went to school with us and we got to watch her marry her love, Clayton.  The ceremony was at a local church in Austin and was absolutely beautiful.  It was so simple and classy but what put the icing on the cake were the words the minister spoke, which were very inspiring.  After the wedding we went across the highway a little bit to the Austin Country Club.  The reception, like the ceremony, was amazing and so classy.  Callie thought of some really great things that set her wedding apart from any that I've been to.  She was so happy and I am so glad for her and Clayton and this new stage of their life.  I was really happy to be there to support her and see her so in love.  The MV gang was there and in fine fashion.  We had a great time eating, drinking, and being marry!

All the gang with the gorgeous bride

Best Friends

Best Friends since before birth...literally!

Later in the night when all the glowing and sound making instruments were distributed

Good times

Love them!

Too cool for wedding school

I wear my sunglasses at night!

After a wild and FUN night we were liquored up and ready to hit the hay by 1 am. LOL I think we are getting to old for this stuff.  When we pried our eyelids open Sunday morning around 9 Rachael was requesting headache medicine and a hot shower.... :) We packed our sunglasses and headed back home.  On our way we stopped in Waco to eat a carb infested lunch at Olive Garden. 

It was great spending the weekend with Rachael.  It has been a long time since we have gotten to just be alone and catch up and be best friends for a whole weekend without all of other life's little twists and turns it hands us.  I am so grateful to have made a few friends that are so close to me that they really aren't friends at all they are family.

DIY: Guest Room Decor

For the guest room remodel I did most of the decor myself.

Revamping of another lamp from Mom's house-  I used the same appliance paint, lace ribbon, and lamp shade as before. 





Flowers- I just got a couple small square glass vases from Wal-Mart and some cheap fake flowers to fill the jars and give the room a little something classic.  I had some moss stuff leftover from a previous project so I filled the vases with that then added a lot of the same type of flower to each one. 



Wall Art- I saw this idea (sadly I can't remember where) and decided to try it out since I needed something beside the window in the guest room to fill a void of a dresser I stashed in the closet to add space.  I bought a cheap, long, plastic frame from Wal-Mart painted it white.  Then I took some white matte that fits in frames that I had leftover and cut it to fit the newly painted frame.  After that I used three different colors of paint and a round sponge brush to make a dot master piece. 

Guest Bedroom Remodel

Since the (almost) 2 years I've owned my new Winnsboro house and for the 1 year I've been permanently living here I've never really decorated my guest room.  It was painted a neutral tan and had some of my previous bedroom furniture in it that I really didn't want to get rid of.  In this situation we must adapt....so I had to find a good color pallet that would go with my existing furniture.  I initially wanted to do a grayish paint color with white and burlap accents.  All this held true except the burlap mainly because I couldn't find any right off the bat and I was impatient.  I had worked hard on the room for a weekend and I wanted the finished product so I decided to add burlap touches here and there later and for immediate fix I added in yellow accents. 

I love the way it turned out and once again my vision, Wal-Mart, and Lowe's didn't fail me. I guess I can't take all the credit because this color combo is the in thing right now along with chevrons which I LOVE!!! But hey there was no interior designer involved (except ME of course) ;)  SO maybe I will take all the credit. LOL  On another thing that I'm pretty darn proud of...I painted the entire room and taped it off all by myself in about 3 hours.  I also didn't half-ass it like my Mom figured I would and only had two little baby accidents with paint droplets on the carpet. :)  I am beyond thrilled with the way my room turned out and I can't wait for someone to stay in it.

Before

After

Final Touches

This is my material for my curtains....hopefully I will have them made soon!

Super Mario

Doesn't this picture scream Nitendo?  LOL  & Mario?

via Bing

Tuesday's Travel To Do- Texas Bucket List

This week's Tuesday Travel To Do is the grand state of Texas!

A few months ago I received a magazine that has all the cities in Texas and the things it offers like museums, parks, and interesting sites.  This helped me make this post that I had been thinking about for a while.  Texas is a huge state and there are some amazing things to see and do that I haven’t done yet….So I made a little Texas Bucket List.  I’m sure there are tons of awesome places in Texas that I haven’t ran across yet that I will definitely add to my list but for now these things have always been known to me and also just jumped out at me. A lot of these things are outdoorsy but I think hiking in Big Bend National Park or camping at the Palo Duro Canyon would make an awesome little get a way not to mention the road trip time we would get in driving there. :)  Gotta love Texas...everything IS BIGGER even road trips!

KEY:

Black- Palo Duro Canyon

Red- Fredricksburg           

Green- Big Bend                

Blue- San Antonio             

Purple- South Padre         

• Palo Duro Canyon State Park

• River walk in San Antonio and Alamo

• South Padre Island

• Big Bend National Park

• Rio Grande River

• Rio Frio

• Deep sea fishing in Galveston

• Hot air balloon

• Visit Fredricksburg