A few of my favorite (winter) things

I hate winter!!

It's too cold, you have to wear a coat, there is usually snow to slow me down....I could go on and on. What's not to hate?

The problem is that I live in Indiana, where winter exists from the beginning of December until some time in March. Thank God I don't live any further North!

Since winter is a part of my life, I might as well find something to like about it.

These are a few of my favorite winter things:

 This stuff is heaven in a cup. It is extremely sweet and has just enough coffee to keep me going. I also like the sugar free double mocha.

 Oh, EdenPure, where have you been my whole life? Who else is going to make my bedroom feel like Florida in July? Thank you, EdenPure for making my winter life a little more acceptable!!

 I'm pretty sure Ugg's aren't cool anymore, considering I bought my first pair about 8 years ago. Sadly, that pair died last winter :( R.I.P. lavender classic shorts, you will be missed!! Luckily, I have these 2 fantastic pair to help with the hole in my heart. Cool or not, they keep my piggies nice and toasty!!

Last up is my fleecy, warm jammie pants. Whoever invented these needs a medal, a Nobel prize, or at the very least a big, shiny gold star.  I have a few pair and if I wasn't the person that made fun of parents dropping their kids off at school in jammie pants, then I would probably wear these everywhere. At about 5:30 every evening I say, dramatically, "Does any one hear that?" The response usually is "yes, we know, your jammies are calling." 

Summer break is only days 167 days away!!

*Book Review Wednesday*

It's time for book review Wednesday.

I love books!! I just finished the 10th book of the Vampire Diaries series and just started The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (I'm having a hard time getting into it). I have discovered, online, a Vampire Diaries series of books called Stefan's diaries, I guess I will be reading those very soon. 

Because of starting a new book, I do not have a newly released book to review. Instead, I will review a trilogy that I have read several times. No, it's not THAT trilogy, everyone has already written reviews on it.

I will be reviewing the Circle Trilogy by Nora Roberts.

This trilogy consists of 3 novels. You cannot read one without the others. 

This is another vampire series (no, I am not obsessed) but it is nicely written. Only a few of the characters are vampires, there are also sorcerers, witches, queens, and demon hunters. 

It is consistent with Ms. Roberts writing with a lot of fluff, girl power, and the day must be saved from the bad guys mentality. It serves its purpose as a good, entertaining series.  

SPOILER ALERT:

There are 6 main characters from different time frames, all trying to save the day from the bad vampires. Ms. Roberts has some interesting ideas about vampires but follows a lot of the vampire lore. There is a lot of romance mixed in but it is very suspenseful. There are some great characters in this series, my favorite is Cian!!

Please do not expect literature with these novels. They are meant to be entertainment and that is exactly what they are. 

Because of my love for this series, I give it a:

Thanks, Nora, for another great read!!

I found this series at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, at my local library, and the local libraries digital library.

Because I want to be a travel planner....

...not just a travel agent.

Don't get me wrong, I would like being a travel agent, but I want to plan EVERYTHING!! I want to plan where someone will eat, what their activities will be, resort, and flights.

I am not a spontaneous person!! 

Every year when we go to Walt Disney World, I spend several months planning what parks to visit what days and where/when to eat.  I plan everything, down to where to do bus transfers. I don't want any surprises. Hurricane Sandy provided surprises this year, which caused heart failure for me. If it's not planned then it cannot happen!!

For 2013, I have already planned Disney for fall break and now I have started planning summer vacation. I still need to figure out spring break...I think I'm doing this backwards haha.

Last summer we went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This summers vacation looks like it will be to Wisconsin Dells. It is within driving distance from my home (about 6 hours) and has lots to do. I haven't been to Wisconsin since I was a baby and my kids have never been. Travelers right now will include my mother, both of my kids, and myself. The hubby usually stays home.

If you have any suggestions for the Dells, please let me know. I think I have picked out a hotel where we will stay for 4 nights. It has a microwave and fridge, so hopefully we can do breakfast in our room to save some $$. It also has 3 indoor water parks and 3 outdoor water parks. This should save from paying extra at a stand alone water parks. This is where I chose:

This is just 1/2 of the resort!!

Here is the other half.

It looks huge. It is called The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort. I'm sure I can keep my people busy for 4 nights!! My only problem (this is where the anxiety comes in) is I have never been to the Dells so it is hard to do any more planning than this. This leaves my days open....with nothing planned....

Next up is fall break. I'm pretty sure that unless something happens that we will be going to Disney World again. This will be our 4th year in a row going on fall break. We will probably stay at Port Orleans Riverside. My daughter is obsessed with alligators and the bayou rooms have a murphy bed with an alligator on it. I already know what days I will be going to what park and what restaurants we will be eating at. Instead of trying new restaurants like 2012, we will be doing a "best of the best." 

Having told you how crazy I am, I am willing to help anyone with travel plans. I have offered this to several people, especially with Disney, and have had a few take me up on it. My services are free :)  

Fantabulous 5

All about me ;) 

1.  Do They Know its Christmas by The Glee Cast

2.  Settle Down by No Doubt

3.  All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

4.  River by The Glee Cast

5.  Christmas Canon by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

1.  Newly followed blog: forevernewlywedded

2.  The Vampire Diaries The Hunters: Destiny Rising by L.J. Smith

3.  Lucky magazine

1.  I LOVE Ulta!! Everytime I go I get awesome deals. Yesterday I got my Biolage shampoo, Biolage conditioner (these were a full sized gift set and were 25% off plus I had a $5 off coupon), 2 Ulta lip crayons (buy 1 get 1 free), and an Ulta nail polish (free with a coupon) for UNDER $25. You cannot beat that. If you like Ulta make sure you get their points card, you get great coupons in the mail. You can also get coupons sometimes in Allure and Lucky.

2.  Nothing destroys a family faster than pettiness and jealousy, not even Cancer. Hold your family close, if not they will slip through your fingers.

"Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever." Walt Disney

Oh no, I think the illness is going to strike!!

I feel the illness fog coming on!!

This is tragic.

I HATE being sick!!

I usually only get sick like this in September, right after school starts because of my germy little students.

Hopefully a little cold medicine will hold it off. I don't like missing work (sub plans are a disaster) and I don't get paid when I'm off :(

I'm supposed to go Christmas shopping out of town on Saturday. I don't want to be sick then.

Something good did happen though, I joined the Blog hop. I am hoping it will get me some more followers. I love the personality/blog of my 1 follower (Laurie @babyscardina.blogspot.com) and I am hoping to find some more just like her :)

*Book Review Wednesday*

Today is book review Wednesday. 

The book is: Hidden by P.C. and Kristin Cast (mother and daughter)

This is from their House of Night Series

This is young adult fiction about vampires

Released: October 16, 2012

Even though it is young adult, there is some sexual content, so I don't recommend it to kids under 13ish.

Today's book is one of a series of 10 books so far with book #11 to be released next year and book #12 after that. There have also been 3 novellas released and some other side books to tell the history.

This is not a stand alone book. You need to at least read the 9 other novels to be able to understand what is going on. I have not read any of the novellas but I have read the other novels and they are all very good. 

If you have preconceived notions about how vampires should act then DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. The vampires in this series have different rules than the standard vampire. Do not expect Twilight love stories either, even though there is typical high school dating. This is basic 16 year old girl (main character) drama mixed with being vampires, fitting in, and magic. Some crazy stuff happens along the way and you find yourself really liking some of the characters. WARNING: Characters you like may die. These 2 authors don't hold anything back!!

I recommend this entire series of books. They are exactly what books are supposed to be: entertaining. I read the rest of the books in this series last winter and have been anxiously awaiting this book to come out. It lived up to my expectations.

I give it a rating of:

To rate books, I will give them 1-5 stars. A 5 star would be near perfect and I can only think of Harry Potter getting this rating off the top of my head. So, please don't be shocked by a 3 or 4 star, they are still good books. 

Santa Baby

So, I've learned some new blog stuff today.

As you can see at the bottom of my post, I have FINALLY learned how to do a signature. It was quite simple but I just never took the time to figure it out.

I made a new header and I am unhappy with it but it will have to stay that way until I can figure out what I want. 

Today is all about ME!! This is my Christmas list:

1. My very own laptop/netbook. I don't want to share my husband's laptop or use the centuries old desktop anymore. I would be satisfied with this cheap little number at Walmart.

2.  These Toms, need I say more? Size 9.5, I think.

3.  Lowe's giftcards. I have 2 pieces of furniture that need redone and this would certainly help.

4.  Miscellaneous clothing store giftcards, because all girls need new clothes!!

Now, on to my current problem: I think I am in need of a new handbag. I LOVE handbags but can never afford what I want. This is my dream:

and this is my budget:

laughing will not be tolerated ;)

I think I will look at a local discount store to find something festive for the holidays, maybe with glitter and sequins, until I bust out my favorite winter bag:

Kate Spade Stevie. It's like a hot pink puffer coat for all of your stuff!!

I will let you know what kind of bag I find!!