sucked in

I have a love/hate relationship with books sometimes. I tend to fall in love with the characters. Imaginary men who suck me in. Imaginary women who piss me off… or not. Characters I can relate to. Love stories I can’t resist. If it’s a series, I get tangled all up in it and can’t seem to get out. For a few years Kate was telling me about this series she was reading. She knows me pretty well and thought I’d like them. Said they were funny. I avoided and avoided. Didn’t really sound like me. This last week I’ve done hardly anything but read. 18 books in 5 days. Some on my kindle to have them instantly, some paper, some hard cover, some my moms, some borrowed from the library. I got bloody well sucked right in. Sometimes this is why I avoid. I know me. I stayed away from twilight for a long time. Didn’t read the hunger games for fear.. There were 4 harry potter books out before I started. I’m anxious for the next part of Deborah Harkness’ series.

Series that are finished are better. The end is in sight. You are limited and the author will hopefully tie up the loose ends.

What happened was my mom was at work and the girls were giggling about this series. She knows the author but didn’t care for her other books. The girls were really laughing so hey, she could use some funny.. I watched her go through them voraciously, like she does. I’ve never met anyone who reads like my mother. The speed in which she goes though books is like light speed. She doesn’t usually stay up all night like I do either. She doesn’t need to. She blasted through it and she laughed until she had tears.

What could I do.. I caved..

Kate was right. They were funny. How many times I could hardly believe what this chick went through, did… the visuals the author gave were fabulous. I could see in my mind the mischief and mayhem. I could hear the voices in my mind. I laughed. I grumbled. I was startled. I was tantalized and turned on. Oh so painfully at times. J I was gob smacked. Car after car was destroyed caught on fire or blew up. And slowly over time, book after book.. I saw.. for me.. the real love story. Not the sex for sex sake. Not the ‘change to suit me or we will fight all the f-ing time’ tension. I saw the evolution of a real bond. A ‘take a bullet for you no questions asked’ commitment.  A ‘you are perfect just as you are and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe while you are doing it’ relationship.

And then, chapter six of book eighteen, I cried for the first time. I couldn’t keep it in. I went downstairs where there were no children and I bawled. I stomped my feet and raged. Over a book. Over people who didn’t exist. Out of pain for a man who was not real, but fiction. A few more chapters later I felt better. I had more details and came to a see how he liked the mark he’d left on her. His mark, as he put it. Now if only she could see… and be strong

But what will the author do? This has been a long drawn out love affair. It’s spanned 18 years. I know what I want to happen.   

Do you know this series? Give you a hint..

Team Ranger to the end…

my first quilt

I've made a dolly blanket for my daughter before but this is my first full sized quilt. I cut all the fabric on the first day and organized it into it's blocks.

The next day I sewed all the blocks. I ironed everything as I went to keep it all even. (I hate ironing)

Then I sewed the blocks together and added the fabric that holds those strips together.

I added a plain red band of fabric to this and that is as far as I've gotten. My daughters bed is a double so I'll have to add more fabric to this. it's only 52 inches wide.

a gray day..

*sighs...* I don't even want to be awake.. it's very gray outside this morning..  I was woken up early by one of the neighbors. I heard a shout, a door slam and a truck roaring to life and leaving. I don't know if they were just being noisy or fighting.

Bubba sleeping on the couch

what are you waiting for..

I quit my job. I didn't like it. I was tired of being tired. I lasted over a year... I have the feeling my loves grumpiness is partly that he's having trouble and stress at his job and he can't do the same thing. I don't have a car payment. A loan to repay.. ( we don't live in the same town, let alone the same house) I went back to school. I had started something I didn't finish. I'm there to finish it. I'm looking into options.. a real job. one that could take me places if I wanted to go.

I saw this and thought.. yes.. change something. now.  nownownow...

I love seeing the laundry on the line. Those black pansies.. the dogs relaxing in the shade on the porch.. summer is nearly over and fall has begun and that makes me kinda sad.. it wasn't a long enough summer. I felt like we just got a taste of it this year. I pray winter in not a long drawn out affair. Let this kind of nice weather last till at least November..

This is how my all white planter turned out. I was really happy with it until the real heat at the end of August kicked it's ass.. it started struggling after that. I was working more and watering less. my hanging baskets in the front yard never really did anything. They were doing fine until it got hot then I couldn't keep them wet enough and frankly didn't have the energy. I did learn though so next year, as I will do better next year.. :)

I do like how this planter turned out at the beginning but even it struggled with my neglect. I had bought those yellow mini bells with the red inside and one had a surprise planted in it that I didn't realize until it started to bloom.. the shape all went to hell after that...  that fuchsia petunia went wherever it wanted.

fairy garden

current fairy garden picture I took this afternoon :)

garden update

 the cats keep walking through hence the knocked down mushroom.. just asking for trouble from the fairies.. :)

 this isn't current but grown a lot since the first picture.

 I love succulents, they come in so many shapes, forms, colors..

 Vesper and Bubba love spending most of their day outside now that it's warmer

 I love this planter at our local strip mall!!

 this is my all white flowers planting. It has papyrus as it's "thriller" tall planting. I need to get a better picture of it.

my mothers day planter is growing. I have red lettuce and some short carrots, mixed lettuce on the other side..

getting some gardening done

I've never been one for hanging baskets but this year, in the new yard, there are hangers already in place. I bought 2 of these black wire baskets and bought enough plants so they have the same thing inside them. They have started to grow!

I've been building the fairy garden in my mind since before the snow was gone. The little house is a little wooden box I picked up at the dollar store that I painted and varnished. I have glued some little found objects to it. Deciding on a roof was a little harder. In the end I used a small rectangular plate I had that was broken. It has cute scalloped edges. The top was unglazed so I super glued brown glass pebbles to it that I had laying around. I planted a few plants I knew would stay little but I also had seeds for tiny low growing flowers so the bare dirt spots will fill in.

I was a lucky mommy on mothers day thanks to my love and children. I received this raised planter that I've been eye-ing since last summer from a local greenhouse. I was going to build myself one, making mental notes of the wood used but before I knew it, my love had one purchased and my oldest son was called to take it home in the van. All I had to do was decide what I was going to plant in it. So far, along the top is lemon thyme, sage, parsley, onion chives, oregano and that dark maroon pansy. I did plant some lettuce seeds in the left side as I hope to use it mostly for salad fixings. This yard has no veggie garden plot. I'll likely have to decide where I'm going to put the "herb garden" come fall.