In The 90s...

Last night Brooke asked me what the 90's were like, and if they would ever come back (haha). Arnold and I had been talking about the past, especially music from the 90's. She actually inspired me to write a blog because I was feeling nostalgic. As I went back over the memories in my head, I realized that times have changed so much. We rely so much more on technology these days, and don't spend as much time with our families. And we are terrified of everything, from shooters at schools, to kids getting kidnapped, to what is in our food. I remember being a kid and being so carefree and active.. those were the days.

Anyway, here is my list of memories... at least some of them...




In the 90s...


I played outside all day during the summer, and didn't come home until it was close to dark.

~I wore slap bracelets and bike shorts under my dresses. And I thought I looked cool :)

~I had a Tamagotchi and took care of it like it was my baby. I got in trouble for sneaking it to school with me when it was against the rules.

~I watched Nickelodeon every saturday night. Especially "Doug" and "Rugrats."

~I stayed up late at night with my parents while they drilled me on the multiplication tables. I still remember I had the hardest time with 8x7.

~We ate dinner around the table as a family, just about every night. Mom cooked home-cooked meals that I would give anything to still be eating!

~I wasn't allowed to call boys. Girls who called boys were "too forward" and that was wrong.

~I was excited every trip we made to the Sanrio store. That is where I bought all my gifts for my friends. My favorite was Keroppi, even though Hello Kitty was the most popular.

~I didn't have a cellphone. I did play on my Nintento Game Gear and Secret Diary, though.

~I got my ears pierced and wore cute, dangly earrings from Claire's.

~I watched movies like "Parent Trap". "The Sand Lot" and "Home Alone" over and over again until I could recite the words myself.

~While in the grocery store checkout line, I would beg my mom for a pack of Chicklets, a Wonder Ball, or Warheads. I'd sometimes get a Teen Beat magazine also.

~I collected Trolls, My Little Ponies, and Polly Pockets.

~I read any "Goosebumps" or "Babysitters Club" book I could get my hands on. Even in the cafeteria at school after I had eaten my lunch.

~I listened to Hanson and the Spice Girls in my Walkman. Made long car trips easier.

~I went to the skating rink to hang out with my friends.

~I kept all my hair and beauty stuff in my Caboodle case.

~At school we would get Scratch & Sniff stickers on our papers when we did a good job.

~My mom made me hairbows herself, often out of colorful shoelaces.

~Every day after school I would watch "Full House" and "Step by Step" and sing the theme song.








Wow, memories. I know you fellow 80s/90s kids can relate with me on several of these. Too bad our kids will never know these joys. Well a few of the things are making a comeback, but it just isn't the same! What are some of your memories of the past?????

What I'm Loving Wednesday

 

 



 

 

 

~The kids finally got a snow day today. Being in the South, we don't see a lot of snow around here. When the weather guys say we will be getting some, we don't really believe them until we see it. But we did this time.. about 2 inches of it. You can tell we don't get it often when Brooke is so excited that she is jumping up and down and begging to build a snowman about 5 minutes after the snow started falling ;) I am the weirdo that really does not like snow.. I know, I know. It is pretty while it is falling, but then it is just a huge mess. Harder to do everything-- drive, get the dogs to go outside to use the bathroom, etc etc. And we get huge cabin fever. So here is hoping the snow melts soon! ;) But don't tell my kids I said that!!!! ;)

 

 

~Caleb got the Citizen of the Month Award at school! He came home the other day and showed it to me and was so excited. I am very proud of him.. and we usually make a big deal over things like that, so I gave him a present. I keep a store of things down in the basement that I get at good deals throughout the year, so I had a lego set that was perfect for him. Along with his certificate he also got a free kids meal to Fatz, so ever since he has been bugging Arnold and I to take him. We probably will end up going this weekend.. because we love it too ;)

 

~Speaking of school, Brooke got her report card this week, and she is doing much better! Her numbers improved, she met all her reading goals, and the teacher said her handwriting has really improved. They are learning cursive right now, and I will admit, her's is really beautiful! I have horrible handwriting, so I hope she doesn't follow in my footsteps! Anyway, her and Caleb both hit their AR reading goals this time around, so we get to go to the school awards ceremony on Friday to see them :)

 

~Arnold finished up our taxes and now we are just waiting for them to get processed later this week and hopefully have our money back in a few weeks. We got a pretty decent amount. Turns out the little I did make at Target brought our total down some (booo!) But we are excited because we are going to be able to do some things we have wanted to do for a long time now! Get an electronic fence in the backyard for our two big dogs, get gutters on the house (we got a new roof this past year) and get a new vaccuum. Doesn't really sound all that exciting, but that is the life of an adult for you! I hear Dyson is the best way to go for the vaccuum.. anyone have any advice for me???

 

 

~I have finally decided to get a gym membership. I am NOT a gym girl. As a matter of fact, I probably don't even know what all the names of the pieces of equipment are, or how to use them. For the longest time I have been embarassed and scared to go. But after realizing how out of shape I have become after kids, I decided to give it a try. Arnold has a lifetime membership already at a local gym, so I am going to go there. We plan to go together at night and they have a childcare for the kids. It will be awesome to get some time to ourselves while we work on getting healthy. Arnold has promised to show me the ins and outs of the place too ;)

 

~I am so very excited that they put Harry Connic Jr on American Idol! I don't even really watch that show, but I may be more likely to watch it now ;) I have always loved him.. he has always been in my "Top 5" of cute celebs ;) So now with him and Keith Urban, there is a lot of eye candy to look at on that show! ;) I am also happy they added "19 Kids and Counting" on Netflix. It's about time! I am watching episodes I never saw, and going back and making the kids and hubby watch the show too. They are pretty much well-aquainted with the family now and Caleb even looks forward to the show when I watch it now ;)

 

~Sheldon is doing GREAT after his surgery! He has bounced back really well and is running around wild and crazy like normal. I found a little container to put his toys in, and he has better access to them now. I swear that dog is as spoiled as the kids are. He was such a great addition to our family.. I can't imagine it without him around here! :)

 

~I think I have decided to go blonde! I went to a friend awhile back and got some red in my hair since I have always wanted to try it. It was pretty, but just wasn't me. I was actually born blonde and my hair has gotten a lot darker over the years. But my friend thinks I can pull it off, so I hope to go see her next month and get it done! I already have a picture of the shade and style, etc I want.. so I am getting excited! I hope it looks ok and I don't regret it! Eeek!

 

~Arnold and I rented "Last Vegas" and watched it last night after the kids went to bed. It was really good. The old guys cracked me up.. and Arnold says he hopes he is a "cool old guy" one day, haha. The movie is funny and silly, but it actually is pretty heartwarming and emotional at times, and promotes the importance of friendship. Watching it made me even more thankful for my good friends that I am blessed with. And I hope one day I will still have those few special girls by my side! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Caleb with his Citizen of the Month Award

And here he is with his new lego set. He sat right down for about an hour and put it all together by himself. He was so proud and asked me to take lots of pictures ;) He used to have Arnold help him, but now he is good enough to follow the directions and do it himself. He is just like his Daddy.. good with his hands and putting stuff together.

Weekend Recap

 

This weekend it was FREEZING outside and we didn't do as much as we usually do, but that is ok. We got some rest at least (that is how Arnold likes it, anyway!) It was so cold Fri morning that the kids had a 2-hr delay for school (that is how it goes here in the South!) So it was a late start to everything. Mom came over for a little bit to bring me some stuff, and we talked for awhile. Sheldon went crazy and jumped all over her.. you wouldn't believe he had his surgery last week.. he is acting as spunky as ever! That evening we went simple and ordered some Papa John's pizza (YUM- the best pizza out there in my opinion!) and watched some "19 Kids and Counting" on tv. They FINALLY added it to Netflix, it's about time! The kids even watch it now too.. they are amazed there are so many kids in the family and keep asking me if we are going to have any more kids, haha. I finally got around to watching the episode where Michelle loses baby Jubilee and I cried through the whole thing.. how sad! But at least we know she is in Heaven now, happy as ever! :) After the kids went down for the night, Arnold and I watched "The Internship." I LOVE me some Vince Vaughn! And I don't know what so many people gave the movie bad reviews.. I thought it was great! Funny.. and surprisingly heartwarming in parts, too!

 

 

Saturday morning we slept in waaaay later than we probably should have! We started out the day on a bad note with Brooke sneaking some laughy taffy out of the cabinet and eating it, and trying to hide it from me. At lunchtime we went over to Granny's Kitchen, which is a yummy restaurant right down the road from us. They recently remodeled and had just opened back up. I always like to get breakfast when we go there.. no matter the time of day. Their pancakes are HUGE! After lunch we took the kids to a birthday party. A little girl who's on the cheerleading squad with Brooke was turning 6. She had a Candy Shoppe party, so the kids were in heaven. They played some games and then ate cake and were able to sample tons of different candies they had put out on the table. All well and good until one of Brooke's silver caps popped out! She was sitting there holding it and freaking out.. and of course we were too because we were thinking about how much $$$ it is going to cost to fix! I put it in my purse for safe-keeping and we are going to call the dentist this week. Anyway, we happened to be in the area near where my Grandpa lives, so we decided to stop by. He is over 80 years old and still kicking.. and he loves getting to see his great grandkids! So we hung out at his house and talked for awhile, and the kids ran around to run off their sugar high. Later that evening we ate homeade vegetable soup that my mom had made us. She is the best cook ever and sent us home with some soup and chili. Perfect dinners for these cold nights we have been having!

 

 

Sunday we were pretty lazy. We slept in late, made the chili for lunch, and caught up on some "Last Man Standing" on Hulu. Then we worked on getting the house cleaned up.. with lots of whining from the girls. They hate to clean up their room. That afternoon I went to do some grocery shopping because we were almost out of food around here! Last night we made some fish, rice, broccoli with cheese, and biscuits for dinner. We ate off our new dishes from Ikea and sat around the dinner table together and talked.. a nice Sunday evening :) After dinner we made some chocolate chip cookies. Nothing like warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the over! I did however accidentally drop one of our NEW salad plates on the floor and it broke into a million pieces :( At least we had 6 of them.. so we still have enough for our family as long as I am careful from now on! ;) That evening before bed we had a dance party in our living room. We like to bring up You Tube on the tv and turn on songs or stories for the kids. We danced through some songs from the Frozen Soundtrack, What Does a Fox Say, and then some Van Halen (daddy's choice!) It was a great time, and I know we will look back on these nights fondly. One day I know the kids will be so embarassed to be around us at all, not to mention us dancing! ;) After the kids went to bed we watched "Don Jon." Wow, that movie was a lot more raunchy than I had expected. It did redeem itself a little bit towards the end when things started coming around for him, but overall it sucked. Especially Joseph Gordan-Levitt and Scarlett Johanson's HORRIBLE Jersey accents! I was about to rip my ears off! I am so glad I live in the South ;)

 

 

 

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend as well! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch at Granny's kitchen. Brooke had to bring her doll along with us. Her doll has a seat that attaches on to any table so she can sit right there. Brooke pretended to feed her and thought it was fabulous. Reminds me so much of myself when I was little!

These boys look so much alike! They even both tilted their heads to the side! 

With my girls! Loving Rachel's new top we got her on our anniversary shopping extravaganza weekend, haha ;)

The kids at their friend's bday party on Saturday.

Caleb won the "Guess the # of candy" game and took home a bunch of dum dum pops!

Enjoying some cake and candy at the party.

Our Anniversary Week

 

 

Arnold and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary this past Tuesday. We have actually been celebrating for over a week though. I have been a stay-at-home-Mom for 7 years now, but this past Christmas I worked a seasonal job at Target. I used some of the money I made to buy Arnold a new guitar. I made it his bday/anniversary gift since both are in January. He knew I was going to surprise him with something, but he wasn't really sure what. He has started a duo with a friend of his, and they practice now, hoping to play out in the future. His friend mentioned that he would probably like a 12-string acoustic, and so that is what I got! Thank goodness for his friend helping me out, or I wouldn't have known what to get. Anyway, Arnold loved the gift.. he stayed up really late that night playing it. I was so excited to be able to get him something with money I actually earned myself, it felt more special to me :)

 

Since our anniversary fell on a weekday this year, we decided to go out of town this past Friday and have a day to celebrate. We dropped the kids off at school that morning together, then headed out on the road around 7:45am. We decided to go to Charlotte for the day. I had been wanting to go to Ikea forever, so we thought we'd do that and some other things in the area. We ended up getting there a little earlier than it opened, so we went to a few other stores first. When we went in at 10am, we were so overwhelmed. We didn't even know where to go at first! We headed upstairs which is actually a showroom.. they have rooms set up to give you layout and decorating ideas. When we got through with that, we went downstairs to the Marketplace, and that is where the real fun was. All the things for your home you could ever imagine buying. I would have liked to get a LOT more, but we were on a budget for that trip. We did end up finding a pretty rug for our bedroom though, and a new set of kitchen dishes, so I was happy. Before we left we stopped by the cafe and got some cinnamon buns. Everyone had told me to try them out, and they were YUMMY!

 

After Ikea, Arnold said he wanted to go to the Guitar center. He thought it was only fair since we had spent all that time looking at home stuff ;) He dropped me off across the street where there were lots of shops, so I could look while he was gone. Probably a bad idea.. you know how it is letting a woman loose to shop ;) I found a LOT of good stuff. A new pillow for the living room, a new shirt for me (with an OWL! ;) some Christmas ornaments on deep discount that I picked up for next year, and some other things. Eventually I was out of hands to hold my stuff, so I tried to call Arnold to come pick me back up.. but he wouldn't answer. So dummy me thought I would try to cross the road to get to him. But there was a hill with a lot of bushes and pine needles, and I started sliding down.. so I decided that wasn't a good idea. I found a sidewalk and walked down to the stoplight, but the traffic looked pretty bad. So I stood at the corner with all my bags, looking like an idiot, I'm sure. Eventually I got ahold of Arnold and he came to pick me up. He fussed at me for trying to cross a busy road.. I knew he would!!

 

After all that we went over to Concord Mills Mall. We grabbed a quick lunch in the food court, then did more shopping. Mostly for the kids this time. Have to hit the Gymboree and Carter's outlets and all that good stuff ;) We went to the Disney Store and they were having an awesome sale, so we picked up some presents for the kids when we got back in town (yes they are spoiled!  you don't have to tell me!) In between shopping we stopped by a stand and got some treats-- chocolate dippin dots for me, and a peach milkshake for Arnold. We stopped by the movies to see if there was anything we wanted to watch, but nothing really caught our eye, so we kept on walking. We did so much walking that day that I ended up with blisters on my foot (bad walking shoes) and we ended up stopping by a store to get me flip flops.. it was instant relief! I sat on a bench to rest while Arnold went into the outdoor store to look at guns.. he is obsessed lately.. he wants us to get one for the house. ANYWAY, eventually we were just so tired and sore that we decided to leave the mall.

 

We went to an early dinner at Applebee's, that was right down the road. We wanted to take some pics of us so Arnold propped my camera up on a thing a little ways over from us, but it ended up getting blurry pics and it was sort of embarassing, ha. Thankfully we had a really nice waiter who took more pictures for us.. that was a lot easier ;) After dinner we still had a little time to kill before we had to drive home, so we went to a few more stores. We stopped by Hallmark to look at the ornaments and Arnold ended up buying me a new Willow Tree (I collect them) The new 2014 one :) Then we drove home to get the kids. We love to turn up the radio and sing real loudly when we are alone in the car.. I know we are major dorks but who cares.. we had fun ;) The kids were happy to see us.. but I think they were mostly excited to see what surprises we had brought them back ;)

 

 

On our actual Anniversary the other day, I was SICK! Great timing huh? Strep and a respiratory infection. I was in bed for 2 days straight. Thankfully Arnold took great care of me. We did get our our wedding album and look through the photos, so that was sweet :) Happy 8 years honey, I hope we have many, many more!! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The big box got delivered to our house. Someone was excited! ;)

Checking it out

A new 12-string! Yay!

On our trip to Charlotte! Ikea was huge! 

Headed out to the car with our new rug and dishes

At dinner that night. We were holding up fingers to show 8 years ;)

Beautiful roses Arnold surprised me with this week

The willow tree he bought me when we were in Charlotte

This is what Sheldon and I were doing on my actual anniversary... resting! Sheldon actually got fixed this week too, so he was lounging around trying to get better also ;)



What I'm Loving Wednesday

~Arnold surprised me and he took Friday off from work, arranged for sitters to pick up the kids after school (his parents) and he said we are going to go out of town to celebrate our anniversary! I am so excited to get some time with him. Our anniversary isn't until Tues the 21st, but a weekday is not a good time to be able to get away. We plan to go have a few nice meals, maybe catch a movie.. just enjoy some time kid-free. We probably will try out IKEA.. never been before. He says if I get to go to Ikea, he gets to go to Guitar Center.. so we will see ;)

~Speaking of annivesaries, I tracked Arnold's surprise gift last night and it said it is supposed to be delivered by tonight!! Soooo excited for it to get here so he can open it! I will be sure to post pictures soon.. I hope he is going to love it! His childhood bestfriend assures me he will (he helped me pick it out for him.)

~The big Target toy clearance is supposed to be happening really soon.. rumors are tomorrow or next Thursday. That is when they take a bunch of toys and mark them down to 70 percent off. They do a big markdown in January, then another one in July. I use that time to stock up for birthdays, gift closet, etc.

~The friend I mentioned who was in the hospital (that I took the sunshine package to) finally got to go home the other night! She ended up staying for a total of 10 days, so I know she was ready. I had a hospitalization after having Rachel, and it was for 9 days.. so I know how she felt. She is doing a lot better. I hope I get to go hold baby Liam again sometime! :)

~An American Heritage Girls group is being started in our area.. actually not TOO close to us, but within reason. I pulled Brooke out of Girl Scouts last year after I found out all the news about Scouts being partners with Planned Parenthood and cookie sales going to support the organization. I know that doesn't bother everyone, but as a very, very pro-life conservative (who spends her time volunteering at a pro-life center every thursday!) I didn't feel right about being involved anymore. Brooke has really been missing it though, so I thought this would be perfect for her. It is a Christian-based organization that does the same sorts of things.. meetings, service projects, learning skills and earning badges, etc. It focuses more on GOD and faith though, which I LOVE! She will start in FEB and I can't wait to see how it goes! :)

~I decided to do some WII FIT yesterday while the kids were at school.. but when I put my disc in the WII it wouldn't read it.. so I broke out Just Dance 3 and danced some ;) I think Sheldon thought I was CRAZY! But who cares.. it was fun.. and it is somewhat of a workout! There are some good songs on there including Black Eyed Peas and Lenny Kravitz.. so we were jamming out ;)

~Brooke came home with her spelling words this week and they were a lot harder than last week.. and she told me since she knew all the "regular words" she got a harder list! That means my girl is a spelling champ (just like her Mama ;) Some of her words this week were "unicorn" and "bulldozer" and she seems to be doing well with those, too. I am proud of her!! She is doing a lot better in school lately. We are still working with the ADHD mess, but I am optimistic.

~Tomorrow I am going to lunch with my BFF Erika! We will probably hit up Olive Garden, as that is one of our favorite places to go. I haven't gotten together with her in awhile, so I am excited. I'm sure we have lots to catch up on.. we both like to talk ;)

~The kids' Uncle Gene gave them giftcards to the movies back at Christmas.. so we will probably take them this weekend to see the new movie "Nut Job." A movie with squirrels.. obviously :) They have seen the commerical many times and crack up over it.. they say they want to see it.

~Arnold is a huge night owl.. and he usually goes to bed much later than I do (which usually bums me out because I feel lonely) But this week he has been pretty tired at the end of the day, so we have been going to bed at a decent hour.. and getting a GOOD night's rest! I am happy for that because I love my sleep! ;)





Hope everyone else is having a wonderful week!! :)

Weekend Wrap-Up

 

 

We had a busy and fun weekend, just how I like it! :) Friday afternoon after I picked up the kids from school, we went to Target to pick up my last paycheck, and swing it by the bank. It paid for Arnold's big surprise that is showing up sometime this week! It is a combined bday/anniversary gift and I will post pics when he opens it, but I can't post it on here or Facebook in case he would see it! But I am SO excited for him to get it! :) Anyway, then we met up with Arnold after he got off from work, and we went to dinner at a new place that opened near us called PDQ. It's specialty is chicken. It reminded me of an upscale Zaxby's. It was nice, but nothing spectacular, a little expensive for all of us. But they did have the thin fries which I love, and the machines that let you add flavors to your drinks, so I could get some cherry coke!!! After dinner Arnold took the kids over to Chuck E Cheese (bless him-- it is packed on weekends!!) and I went over to the hospital to visit a friend who had recently had a baby. She was supposed to have gone home already but she was having some complications. I know how rough it can be to be stuck in a hospital for several days, so I went to take her a gift to hopefully brighten her up a little bit! I also got so snuggle sweet baby Liam, only 6 days old! He was supposedly VERY comfortable with me because as soon as I got him in my arms he EXPLODED in his diaper! It was hilarious.. but you know what? After 3 kids, it just doesn't phase me anymore! Jessica-- you WILL get used to it, I promise ;)

 

 

Saturday was a nasty day around here, it poured rain, and poured some more. There was a full-on river in our front yard.. it was pretty bad! Mom called us up and asked if we wanted to go out and celebrate Arnold's bday, a little bit late. We went to this store downtown and she bought him some really nice designer shades for his bday. He is big on sunglasses so she knew he would like them. But I just hope he is CAREFUL with them and doesn't break them, ha! Then we went to lunch at Da Vinci's. I had never been before. I got some yummy manicotti! It was fun to spend some time with mom, and get out of the house, even if it was so rainy! Later that afternoon we went over to Arnold's parents' house so Arnold could help his dad set up his new recliner. Poor Pop barely got to try it out because the kids kept jumping in it.. they approved of his new chair ;) That evening we made some dinner and then hung out watching DUCK DYNASTY Seaon 4, which I just got in the mail. We don't have cable so I always end up buying the seasons right after they come out.

 

 

Sunday morning I got up early and went to early service at church.. it was my Sunday to work with the babies! We ended up with 6 kids, so they definitely kept us busy! I also got to snuggle sweet baby Abram.. who is only 5 months old! :) I can't believe how quickly the kiddos in there are growing up.. I remember holding some of them as newborns, and yesterday I was taking them on a trip to the potty! They aren't even my kiddos and I am sad! ha! ;) Anyway, after church we went to Walmart and the kids used their Christmas and toothfairy money to get a new toy. They never want to save money.. ever.. it doesn't last long around here, haha. Brooke got a new monster high doll, and this one moves it's eyes and moans.. it is a little freaky! And Rachel got a My Little Pony train, and Caleb got a set of walkie talkies. They were all happy with their stuff and played with them all afternoon. Then we headed over to mom and dad's for lunch and the big game. Unfortunately our Panthers lost, but we had a great time supporting them!!!! They did a great job this season!!! The kids were so cute about helping cheer them on.. Rachel kept saying "Go Panthers go!!!" :) I fell asleep during the game.. I got way too cozy on that couch! :)

 

 

 

 

I hope everyone else had a great weekend too! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made this "basket of sunshine" gift for my friend in the hospital. As you see, all the things are in yellow packaging, to go along with the theme. I also found some yellow EOS lipbalm at the last minute that isn't pictured. I had a fun time looking all over the store for yellow  things! And yes they DO already have Easter candy out in stores.. crazy, right?!

Trying out PDQ on Friday night. The kids sat at their own table right beside us. 

Hanging out at Chuck E Cheese. 

Arnold had just picked out his sunglasses. Caleb jumped in the pic of him and Mom :)

Out to lunch at Da Vinci's afterwards. Brooke and Grandma.

The things they picked out on Sunday, with their Christmas money.

Supporting our Panthers on Sunday! Brooke and Rachel got into their grandparents' closet to find some gear to wear ;)

Dad, me, and Brooke right before the game

The pups wanted to snuggle with me on the couch while we watched tv

That afternoon, Mom taught me how to make her famous homeade lasanga. We made a pan for her and dad, and a pan for us to take home. We ate it for dinner last night, it was soo yummy!

Arnold and Sheldon seemed pretty comfy on the couch Sunday evening :)

Arnold helped Rachel make her winter project for school. Can you tell? The snowman is playing guitar. Arnold actually took apart an ornament and glued it on, lol. 

To-Read list: 2014 Edition!

So I wanted to make a blog post about the books I want to read this year. This is not all of them, of course. I could only fit about 1/3 or 1/4 of them on here right now.. but these are the ones I already have to read or am planning to get in the next few months. So let me know... have you read any of these? Or have any other suggestions for me? Let me know!!!

She is a great author. This is her brand new book, so I am looking forward to it.

No, I never got around to reading it, I am always behind.

She has written a million books now and they are starting to be very similar, but I feel the need to read this one too! 

She is one of my fave authors! She hasn't come out with a book in FOREVER, so I am thrilled!

Her books usually make me upset or sad, but she is a great writer.

I read GONE GIRL this past year and it was awesome (although twisted) so I think I will try this one, also. But the name does worry me a little bit, ha.

I heard this one might be a little messed up also, but I am intrigued.

Picked this up on one of the Amazon deals of the day back at Christmas.

Heard a lot of good things about this book.

This was up at the top of the BEST SELLERS list on Amazon. I am surprised I haven't gotten it yet!

Loooove Neta Jackson! Have read all her stuff so far.

This one is being made into a movie soon.

This one was on my Christmas wishlist this year, and I can't wait to read it.

 

And here are a few NONFICTION I want to read, as well.

I know this has been out forever, but I have heard so many positive things about it.

Yes, that is DJ Tanner from Full House ;) She has grown up to be very beautiful, motivating, and so forth. I hope her book is good.

Picked this up at the Christian bookstore back around Thanksgiving. Figured I could always used a good, encouraging book. Especially since I suffer from some anxiety and other related issues.

Got this on Kindle recently. Supposed to be about focusing more on filling your life with God and putting a religious spin on weight loss. I have tried everything else, so I figured why not?!

This looks really interesting. If you are a fellow kid of the 80s or 90s, you probably know all about Nickelodeon and SLIME!!! This book makes me feel so nostalgic about my childhood! Every sat. night spent watching Doug and Rugrats.. yeah baby. And my husband admits that he had a crush on CLARISSA from Clarissa Explains it All! ;)

Yes, they have written a ton of books already, but this is from the wives' perspectives, so I think it will be an interesting read. I just love their family!