Rose Madder by Stephen King

I initially heard about this oldie but goodie when I was reading an AMA on reddit.com. If you are unfamiliar with this website you should definitely check out this website. One of the sections on this site is an ask me anything. What's great is that sometimes you get celebrities and sometime you get someone who writes letter to people in prison, ask me anything. So it's really interesting and one day Stephen King happened to be on there. I'm assuming he went on there because he was promoting his new book Joyland (have not read this yet). I was intrigued being that I am a pretty big King fan. I love pretty much all the books that he has written. During the AMA everyone kept referring to his Dark Towers series which is pretty good and has it's own following but I've heard of it before. Rose Madder was mentioned several times and I have never ever heard of this one. People had stated that it changed their lives after reading it so of course I had to check it out. It's a book he wrote in 1995 but takes place in the 80's.




After hearing all these great reviews I was very excited to get my hands on a copy. I will not at any time give away anything in my review and this review is strictly based on my own opinions.
King really delves in on domestic violence in this book. It's fairly graphic and intense at times so if you don't have a strong stomach it might take a lot for you to get through some of the parts. The main character shares her journey after leaving this man who has abused her for 14 years and how she might finally begin living life again only to find out that he is out to find her. There is a constant fear throughout the book that you need to watch your back. There are some parts of the book that are a big wordy and you catch yourself saying 'ok come on' or ok I get it can we move on. King explains and paints pictures very vividly for you in this book. King also takes the main character through a superficial world which helps the character out. This part of the book is a little strange and I think King wants you to interpret it how you want to.
Overall, I wouldn't say that it's my favorite King book. I believe it's worth a read if you are a fan. The book is close to 400 pages so it's time consuming but only because there is so much explaining and picture painting that you can see the world through the main characters eyes. The story does not move very quickly so if you are looking for action packed and things happening all the time then this book is not for you. It's really well written and great character build. Interesting story line with occasional graphic scenes but what else would you expect from King?!?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Divergent Book Series

So I'm a total sucker for this type of series.  The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, was definitely what started it all followed by the MazeRunner by James Dashner. These are all great series that fall under the category of dystopia.  I've become obsessed and I feel that so many series have come out that are focused on these types of worlds.

This story is again following a teen.  I don't have a problem with that but like other series that are similar this is the common theme among this genre of books.  The world is again set in the future and it's set in Chicago which is very exciting for me because it's my hometown so when they refer to buildings and streets I know what they are talking about!

The main character is faced with troubles that can possibly change how the world will function moving forward. There is alot of action. The action is not quite as intense as Hunger Games or the Maze Runner.  I felt that there is more emotion involved rather then just fighting.  Character development is wonderful in this story because you get so involved with each of the characters.  You are fully invested in these characters by the time you are done reading the second book and you want to know what is going to happen next.   Lots of times you feel almost tired with a series and sometimes think that there may not be a need for a third but with this series you are very excited for the next book.  The books seemlessly flow into one another.  There is no repetition but the author does a great job reminding you in case you may have forgotten a certain detail.

In this series there is a "bad guy" and there are mind simulations that challenge our characters.  Each character has different fears and challenges to overcome difficult situations.  You will get to find out what Divergent is and the meaning of it.

In case you were wondering there is a romantic relationship that develops. It wouldn't be a great series if there weren't!  Sometimes this gets alittle annoying because the main character is such a damsel in distress.  I feel there is no way in real life any guy would put up with so much crap but of course that's why books are better than real life!

Overall, this is a great story and will keep you interested in the storyline.  Please do not be turned off that this is a young adult series because the author does a wonderful job of catering to an adult audience as well!!

Can't wait for the third one!!!

Make Your Own Baby Food

Ok, so my little one has had ALOT of tummy issues! Since she was born we've had troubles. As much as I wish I could have breast fed her an entire year my milk started to dry up at 4 months. I tried everything and couldn't keep up with milk for her so I had to start giving her formula.  We went through about 6 formulas before I found Gerber's gentle start and that thank goodness that has worked for her. It took a long time and some trips to the pediatrician to figure this out.  Then when I could start feeding solids I was so nervous cause we had such a hard time with formula!!

The first day..... I was so nervous!! I brought down the baby bullet and pulled out all this fresh produce from Whole Foods and began following the recipes in the baby bullet book.  Once baby had her nap and was in good spirits I sat her in her high chair and we began to eat.  She loved it!! I had no problems! I thought Oh thank goodness I'm not going to have any problems with eating solids! I high fived myself and everything.  I put the baby down that night and she went to sleep. Now she is not a good sleeper so I thought when we started eating solids she would sleep better.  I settled into bed and started to read, fell asleep at about 11:30 pm and then by 1:30 a.m. my baby was shrieking. I went running in her room and she was literally bent over in a back bend and just screaming!! I didn't know what was wrong with her. I picked her up and tried to soothe her but she was besides herself. I walked around with her and did everything to soothe her but she didn't calm down until 6 am.  I was pretty sure it was related to the food but still fed her the next day.  Again the same thing and so I called the pediatrician. Went in and they did scans because my daughter was just so besides herself.  I didn't allow too many more instead I opted to wait on the solids until we hit 6 months.  Once she hit 6 months I had the same issue until someone said to start her on the store bought because it's easier.  So it's been a long process but I'm finally able to get out the baby bullet and not having any issues!!!

As you can guess I am just so excited that I've been coming up with combinations that have worked and my daughter just loves.  When I get produce I make sure it's organic and anything that's seasonal I love to get for her.  I also don't make large batches of food because I do like to make it pretty fresh for her so I make food every other day.

The first recipe that is a major success:

Avocado, Plum, Apple!

This is such a hit with my daughter that she eats almost 3 jars!
1 avocado
1 apple (I used Gala ones)
1 Plum

This will make approximately 4 baby bullet jars

Avocado, Carrot, Plum 

She likes this one, but I personally thought this tasted wonderful.  The plum keeps them nice and regular also!

1 avocado
5 baby carrots
1 Plum

This made approximately 4 baby bullet jars

Banana, Apple, Cantaloupe

This smells so wonderful and my daughter just loved it! I will throw this in the mix but keep in mind that banana's can be constipating.

A little more then half of a banana
1 apple (I used Gala)
approximately 5 cubes of cantaloupe

This made 4 very full baby bullet jars!


Hope you give these a try and I hope your little one loves it as much as mine!!

Dooney & Bourke Florentine Vachetta Satchel Handbag

Ok, if you have seen my YouTube review on this handbag you know I absolutely love this handbag. I did ALOT of research before making this purchase because it is on the pricey side, $398!!!





Look how beautiful this bag is!!!

I initially just placed the word satchel into my google search and wanted to see what I would find. So that search led me to a QVC cast that featured these beautiful handbags!! I watched the cast over and over again. I then searched blog posts about it and also searched YouTube videos and there was one video that made me just say "Yes!! I am totally getting this handbag".
So that was how I stumbled upon these beauties! The handbag has the most beautiful leather. The leather color that I chose is called salmon. I love the color!



At first I was hesitant because I thought of it as more of a spring and summer color but the color isn't as bright it's more of a muted color and so I thought what a beautiful color to go with all the blacks, greys and browns of fall!!
The size of the bag is perfect for me. I am 5'7 and this bag perfectly hits my hip when on the longer handle. The tassles on this bag are just so beautiful and I love the detail that it adds to the bag!!


The hardware is a beautiful matte gold and the hardware is big and beautiful!





Did I mention the smell?!?!? It smells like the most beautiful leather! I just love it! It's the perfect color and shape and I just love it!!





The inside is a beautiful green suede and red. It's like christmas inside of this bag! It's just so beautiful in all it's glory! If you haven't seen this bag check out the QVC video and also my Youtube video and make your decision but it is truly an absolutely gorgeous bag!

LOVE IT!!