Baby, It's Cold Outside...

I'm cold today..
I'm cold..
I'm tired..
I'm achy..
and I'm oh so cranky..
This is California..
Southern California..
So Cal..
it's NOT supposed to be 42 degrees at night..
and it's definitely NOT supposed to be 53 degrees during the day..
it's not supposed to rain on and off for a week..
and no way should it ever, EVER hail..
with freezing cold wind..
but it is..
and it did..
and I'm thinking of crawling back to bed until all this abominable weather moves on...
hail..
in California..
some crazy stuff..
so cold..
my dog went back to bed..
without me.

Did some reading..
finally finished up a couple of books..

"The Pearl Wars (Skyship Academy #10)" by Nick James..
you can read the review from Goodreads **here**...
I waited a long time to get this book..
my library never got it..
so I had to actually purchase it..
I'm particular about which books I buy..
if I bought every book I read..
(which I used to do btw)
I'd be broke..
ummmmmmmm, well, broker..
and books up to my eyeballs..
but I bought this one..
not too happy I did..
the preview sounded so good..
loved the cover art..
but, alas..
I was disappointed..
it wasn't a bad book..
if it had been a bad book..
I could have simply stopped reading it..
it just wasn't great..
I kept reading page after page..
word after word..
wishing..
and hoping..
thinking and praying..
that something about this story would grab me..
it didn't..
I wanted it to..
I really..
really..
REALLY!!!
wanted it to..
it didn't..
it wasn't bad..
it wasn't great..
it just..
was..
I'd give it 2 and a quarter stars..
mostly for effort..
I will eventually read Crimson Rising (Skyship Academy #2) when it's released..
because I am..
an optimist..
I am hopeful..
and because..
it wasn't a bad book..
perhaps Nick James will put something in book 2..
that grabs me..
good luck Nick James.

"I am Number Four"(Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore..
you can read the review from Goodreads **here**..
Perhaps it helped I saw the movie first..
liked the movie..
LOVED the book..
I wanted to snuggle in my bed with this book..
and stay there until we were completely..
done..
I liked the characters..
perhaps it again helped that I love Glee..
and Quinn..
and Timothy Olyphant..
although in my mind's version..
Dennis Quaid played his part..
I have no clue why..
I loved the story..
THIS is the book I should've bought..
I'm going to re-watch the movie..
and can't wait to get my hands on the next book..
The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2)..
You go, Pittacus Lore..
did you know James Frey..
remember him?
is a co-writer with Jobie Hughes on this series?
What a great name..
Jobie..
You go, James Frey!!
You go, Jobie!!

And..
now a word from our sponsor..
in other words..
time for a commercial..

I miss my girls..

meme needs a ticket to Texas..
for June..
and airplane tickets in June cost money..
so..
I'm trying to subtly sell you some Avon..
keep your eyes on the watch..
swinging side to side..
you..
will..
buy..
Avon!!
kidding..
kind of..
you really aren't hypnotized..
by me, anyway..
but..
if you want..
you can pop over to my **Avon site**..
click **Shop Now** tab..
and fill your cart with wonderfully..
fabulous..
fun..
items..
I'd be much appreciative..
I'd be so appreciative that if you come back here..
leave a comment..
telling me what you bought..
I'll put your name in a drawing for..
not only this..

but..
a very cool..
special..
surprise package of Avon products just for you..
I promise it will be cool..
I promise it will be awesome..
if you simply go to my site..
come back here..
and leave a comment telling me what you'd like to buy..
someday..
I'll put your name in the drawing..
for a special surprise..
if you just leave a comment..
saying hi..
I'll put your name in the drawing..
I just want someone to..
LEAVE A COMMENT!!!
please..
tell me how your day was..
what books are you reading..
tell me to STFU already..
(okay, don't tell me that)
just leave a comment..
and you're in the drawing..
but..
you can go to my site..
and purchase a little something..
a lil sumthin sumthin..
for Easter..
or Mother's Day..
or..
for yourself..
we both..
we ALL..
know you deserve something..
leave me a comment..

I read about this on Pinterest..

cut the bottom off of a bunch of celery..
place it in water..
and it grows a new bunch of celery..
how awesome is that??
I never professed to be Old MacDonald..
I didn't know celery would do that..
now I have 2 plants started..
I plan on putting them in the ground..
as soon as I get the garden ready for planting..
they could both be full grown by then..
but..
check it out..

celery..
from celery..
who knew??

Happy Birthday to my cousin Debby!!
She's 6 months older than me..
it used to suck..
now it's awesome!!

Ooopsie

It's not that I'm ignoring you, I simply found myself in the middle of 3 huge projects. Promise to be back with updates by Monday!!

I Do Love Free Stuff!!

On my morning blog trek I found a wonderful Amy Kathryn bag giveaway over at A Beautiful Mess. These bags are amazing!! Love them!! Not only is A Beautiful Mess giving away one but so is Amy Kathryn. WoooHoo!! Double chances.
How cool is this lavender bag below??

And, of course I adore the pink one!!

Amy Kathryn
A Beautiful Mess

Over at Inside Stitch they are giving away not 1, not 2 but 5 totes in this fierce Spring pattern!! Very super cool!!

Inside Stitch

One of the best photography blogs is I Heart Faces. Fun, fabulous and prizes, always a 'winning' combination for me. They are giving away a set of Itty Bitty Actions. I love anything to do with photography and these actions are awesome. If you'd like a try at them, pop over to I Heart Faces and give it a go.

That's all I have at the moment.
Good luck!!
My amazing granddaughter Haley who I miss so much.

My gorgeous, tall daughter Lauren with her beautiful daughter Haley.

Sunday/Monday Snapshots

Cold Stone Creamery has Buy 1 Creation Get 1 Creation for FREE
Thanks Mojo Savings

Fabulous Friday!!!

Happy Fabulous Friday!!

As you can see I am still having some amazing fun with my new Hipstamatic iPhone app. Love it!! Don't tell my family but, at the moment, I'm loving this app more than I love my Nikon (and I love my Nikon as if it were a child of mine!). I love the photos, I love that you can see exactly what you used to create a photo and duplicate it. This photo..

Is one of my absolute favs and was taken completely by accident. I just clicked and there it was. I had no idea what I was doing or how to redo it. This app keeps track of all the stats. LOVING IT!!

Seriously, for $1.99 even if you don't love it as much as I do, how awful would that be? You still have a fun little app for a small cost.
**Just so you know, I don't benefit financially in any way from Hipstamatic if you purchase this app. I just really, really love it and want to share it with you.**

Another cool thing I have to share with you today is a deal from Very Jane. Very Jane is one of those cutesy 'sale of the day' sites that's super popular right now. I belong to several of them cause one never knows when one will find the perfect 'have to have' item. Very Jane has one for me today. I love my dog. Looooove her!! And I'm sure you adore your pets as well so this item is great for you as well.

If I wasn't so broke I'd grab a couple more for my daughter's dogs but, alas, I am sleeping in the poor house lately. Very Jane hand-stamped pet ID tag for $6.99
**Again, no compensation awarded to me if you buy, I just like it**

FRIDAY FREEBEES!!!!
Free Sample Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Touch Fragrance starts today (3/9)!
Free Sample Dior ‘Miss Dior Eau Fraîche’ at Nordstrom

Also, don't forget Friday Video Time with Mayi Carles
One video and you're hooked.

Garden Girl Time

It's a gorgeous day here by the beach so I decided it was time to do some much needed gardening and outdoor maintenance. I've been thinking about getting my garden ready, time to put those thoughts into action! Below are a few websites I like enough to share with you and a couple of freebees tacked on at the end just cause you stopped by.
Please, don't be afraid to leave a comment even if simply to say hi.
I'd love hearing from you.

My garden needs some serious lovin'.

Even my lilies could use a make-over.

Freshly picked.

**Today's photos were taken by my Hipstamatic app**
(which I found at A Beautiful Mess)

Now, more amazing blogs...
A Beautiful Mess
little cotton rabbits shop
Funky Junk Interiors
One Girl Talks by Kasey Buick
The Pioneer Woman

The promised freebee...
**Free Movie Rental from Redbox**
To get yours, go to a Redbox near you and use promo code "THANKS2U". Offer is only valid today, March 8.

So Windy Wednesday!!

Hope it's been a great day for you, been a bit blustery and cold for my tastes. Not a fan of the wind. When I was little I would run into the wind using my jacket as a sail hoping I would be lifted high enough to fly. Never happened. Growing up so sucks sometimes.

My morning started with a phone call from US Airways at 6:25 AM. WHO returns a call before 8 am? Well, the company who can't seem to figure out they made a mistake by making me pay twice for one flight is who. I'm all for giving people, companies and so on the benefit of the doubt, giving the chances to make things right but after 3 months of sending documents back and forth I just don't see a light at the end of this tunnel. I will neither fly or recommend them EVER after this horrendous experience, not to mention the awfulness of my return flight (delayed, missed connection, 4 hour layover, okay, so I did mention it). Frontier has been my favorite flight out of the 4 trips (14 flights) I've taken this past year. Fun, friendly flight attendants, easy flight and they give out homemade cookies. Amazing how much sway a baked good has.

Today I just want to share a few fabulous blogs I found. There's such a wealth of talent out there I could spend all my time looking at blog after blog, just when I think I've seen nearly everything, a blog like these comes along and surprises me with its cuteness, artistry and spirit. You gotta check these out..
Heart Made by Mayi Carles is also my pick for Blog of the Week. This tiny girl is amazing!! Adorable, fun and uplifting all rolled into advice and support. Once you subscribe to her newsletter, you'll also receive a super duper to-do planner she designed herself. Her blog is packed with funny, delightful Friday videos which I dare you to watch just one. I am thrilled I stumbled into her site. I love her, LOOOVE her!!
Heart Made

Next, I Like Ginger Biscuits is filled with food, photos and dripping with so much sweetness your teeth will hurt from reading it. She too is very adorable. Pop over and give her a peek.
I Like Ginger Biscuits

Last for today is Inside Stitch. If you're a crafter or even a wannabe crafter, you must stop by Inside Stitch. Having just found her today I'm looking forward to exploring more of her site. Beautiful, fun and simple crafts with some of the best tutorials I've seen. Easy to follow, absolutely perfect. I promise you won't be able to get through page 2 without a list of things you want to do.
Inside Stitch

Hope your day is fabulous!!