Shadow

If you know me, you know about my poodle, Doodle. He is my child and I am obsessed with him. You might not know that we also have a cat. I am not really a cat person. Justin had her before he met me, otherwise I would not be living with a cat. 

But it was recently brought to my attention that a lot of people didn't know about her, and as far as cats go, she's actually pretty cool, so I thought I might as well introduce her to you all. 

5 Reasons Why Shadow Is The Coolest Cat Around

1. Her haircut. We shave Shadow to look like kind of like a lion. Actually not "we" personally, a groomer does it. But she loves it, honest. Normally she kind of lives in the bedroom and will only come out into the living room when it's just Justin and I. But not when she has a new haircut. She struts around the house like she is the hottest kitty out there. 

2. How she sits. I can only describe it as sitting like a human. It is the funniest thing. Sometimes she'll do it in the middle of the floor, sometimes on the couch like she's watching TV, it's great. 

3. She has a FUPA. I think she had kittens in the past, but Justin says it's just because she used to be fat and now she's skinny. I guess that depends on your definition of the word skinny because her FUPA is dangerously close to dragging on the ground when she walks.

Rolls on Rolls

See that belly pudgin out?

4. She has been known to do yoga. Every now and then I will walk into the room and Shadow will be sitting there in this pose. Just holding it. She's a pro.

5. She's old. This might not seem like a positive attribute, but for a non cat lover this means she is calm, keeps to herself, doesn't rip things to shreds, and doesn't want to play constantly. She's a fan of food, and naps, and getting her belly rubbed. All things I can get behind. 

Obviously really enjoying herself here. 

So there she is. She's a beauty isn't she? Hope you all have enjoyed getting to know Shadow! Have a great weekend!

Bitterblue

I finished another book over the weekend. I feel like I am just a reading machine lately! That makes 6 on the 30 Before 30 list!

Bitterblue is a book written by Kristen Cashore. She has written Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue (published in that order). They call them companion novels. They go together, include some of the same characters but can be read alone. Although Bitterblue was the third one written,  I read it second, after Graceling. But not to worry, I have already started Fire.

So far I think I like the order I chose, but the jury is still out. I'll let you know.

So full disclosure... these books are young adult fantasy. If that is your cup of tea, you need to read them. They are easy reads that are fast paced and addicting. Once I start them I seriously cannot put them down.

Here's Amazon's description of Graceling: Kristin Cashore’s bestselling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable-yet-strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace… and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world. 

And Amazon's description of Bitterblue (Which doesn't do it justice): When Queen Bitterblue took the throne of Monsea, she was a child, and her advisers ran the kngdom for her. Now she is beginning to question their decisions, especially how they handle the legacy of her father Leck, who who ruled through his Grace—a special talent for mind-altering—and his taste for darkness and violence. Bitterblue needs to know Monsea’s past to lead it into the future, so she begins exploring the city sreets at night, disguised and alone. As she does, she meets two thieves, who hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I convinced Justin that he should make dinner last night when it was my night so that I could have that extra 45 minutes to read. I'm terrible I know.

Let me know what you think!

What I'm Loving

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted around here friends. I was pretty sick last week and with the short week... it just got away from me.

Here we are again... it's Wednesday. It's already been a long week for me. I went all day Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday and when I finally realized it was actually Tuesday I was so disappointed. So I couldn't be happier that we have finally reached Wednesday.

Here's what I'm loving:

I'm loving that I got to spend the long holiday weekend with family in Ashton. We went on a fun snowmobiling trip with my inlaws and two of my sisters, and my dad. It was a fun time filled with yummy food, some of my favorite people, so many games, and lots of laughs.

Double Sisters

Doodle on the way home... using my pillow pet. He's not spoiled.

The Man by Aloe Blacc. Honestly I've been obsessed with this song since during football season when my love, Colin Kaepernick would be on the Beats commercials with it playing. I am so loving that it is now popular enough to be on the radio pretty much every time I get into the car. It's one of those songs I just like to blast as loud as I can and dance and sing to.



I might get some crap for this... but I actually love Nikki from The Bachelor. Everyone on the interweb is out there like We hate Nikki, Nikki is a biotch. And I'm like, I think she's funny. I hope she wins... especially because it seems like she's going to be up against Claire, and she makes my brain hurt.

I dont know why I chose this one... I just think she's great.

I am loving Ashley from The Grits Blog. One, because she's great. And two, because she hosted a giveaway for a three month subscription to Birchbox, and I won! This is the first giveaway that I have won and I am stoked! Get ready for a Birchbox post... it's coming your way!

I am loving that I got to attend a fun Wine Tasting Party for a coworkers birthday party. It was SO cute, and so fun, and I had such a great time.

Personalized glass tags. So cute.

Each wine was in a bag. We tasted them all and took notes and then un-bagged them at the end. 

The spread! 

Link up with me to share what you're loving!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

This What I'm Loving Wednesday is different then some of my others because I am going to start a link up! If you would like to participate I would love to have you and read about your loves this week!

I am loving the Jennifer Behr Velvet Bow Headband Kourtney Kardashian was wearing in the last KUWTK episode. I tried and tried and tried to find a picture of her wearing it online and this is all I've got for you. It shows it off nicely right? #not

I am loving that I only have a 4 day work week this week AND next week!! What what!! Here's to 4 day weekends. I. Am. Pumped.

I am loving my Valentine's wreath. It's probably my favorite of all the ones I've made. 

I followed this tutorial but put my own spin on it.

I am kind of loving that yesterday when I posted this link to my post labeled Dark Places, on Facebook, it got a bunch more hits then I normally do. I think people thought I was going to be talking about some deep dark secret I have and not a book review. Sorry to disappoint you all people. 

I am loving that I got a nice thank you email from a mom about the progress her son is making in my class with his reading. I am personally so proud of this kiddo too and it feels so nice to see our hard work paying off and to see him reading. It's what makes me love my job.

Hope you all have a great week! Link up with me!

Dark Places

Dark Places was the last book of Gillian Flynn's that I hadn't read. I wouldn't say that I liked it as much as Gone Girl and Sharp Objects, but it was still good. And it's going to be turned into a movie later this year! Charlize Theron is going to play the main character Libby, and it's set to come out September 1st.

Amazon's Description:
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

All of her books are a little dark and twisted so prepare for that. And they all have tons and tons of plot twists. I think the reason I didn't love this one, is that I found it just a little bit easy to tell where it was going. Not the whole time, but it definitely was not as shocking as the other two!

If you read it be sure to let me know what you guys think!

Also, now I don't know what to read next! If you have any good suggestions please let me know!

Valentine's Day Weekend Early

What a wonderful weekend I had filled with Valentine's greatness!

Justin and I celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday night. Next weekend we are going on a trip with family so we decided to celebrate just the two of us a little early.

We went to the Melting Pot in Spokane. Neither of us had ever been and I was dying to go! We did the whole four course experience. I thought the cheese fondue appetizer and the chocolate fondue dessert were absolutely to die for! I thought the main entree was just ok. But I would definitely go again for the dessert!

I missed taking pictures of the chocolate and the cheese. I was so excited I just jumped right in!

On Saturday night I spent some time with some of my yoga girls at a little Valentine's and Wine party. It was so fun. We made valentines, decorated cookies, and I even got to make my kids' valentines. They turned out really cute! Thank you Pinterest! Click here for the link to the printable!

Then this morning Justin made me breakfast in bed. I sure am a lucky girl!

Super Bowl Weekend

The weekend started off with my gorgeous little sisters and my mom and step dad coming to visit me. It is so wonderful to get to spend time with them since we don't see each other all that often.

We spent Saturday prepping for the Super Bowl and playing games. My favorite kind of day. Since my team didn't make it to the big game, sad day,  I put all of my efforts into the decorations instead. Because I had family and friends coming over that were rooting for opposite teams, I put in a little something for everyone. Here was our set up.

We also played Venus' Super Bowl Squares and commercial Bingo which was a big hit.

Penalty flag napkins.

Justin told me he thought I did this with a whiteout pen... It's a chalkboard marker... How embarassing that I had to point that out. 

And of course the commercial that stole the show. (By this time I was tuning out the game and then only watching the commercials... What a dud of a game!)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great week!