The Midnighters Series

This was a fun and easy series to read through. The concept was fun, but I think the creatures of the blue moon could have been more realistic. However, I enjoyed the books and found myself wondering it would be fun to see some of the aspects of this series portrayed in a movie, such as Jonathan's ability.



  The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book to be a quick and easy read. I like to read these types of books in between reading more intense books. This is a fun series so far and I have been enjoying it. It is hard to believe that this series is written from the same author of "The Ugly Series". His style of writing is so different from that series. The concept in this book is kind of fun and I look forward to then next book.


Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the faster pace of this book than the last one. I will say that I did get a little annoyed at how annoying Jessica could be about not breaking curfew, but other than that I had no complaints about this book. I liked the twist and turns through the book and the involvement of the "stiffs" in this book. There were some parts that actually made me laugh and I couldn't stop giggling:) *Sometimes I may or may not have a goofy sense of humor! Anyways, loved this book and can't wait to see what problems arise in the next book.


Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book the most of the series. It kept me turning the pages and I couldn't put it down! I liked the curve ball that Angie's stories of the lore threw into the mix and what that meant for the midnighters. Still again annoyed by Jessica during the big battle when all she was worried about was her sister cause the other midnighters had people to worry about but were able to focus on the bigger picture. It was a good ending, but still felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions.

Toasted Coconut Smores

I LOVE anything coconut! So, I decided to try using the toasted coconut marshmallows on s'mores. It was  amazing! This is a no brainer kind of treat that you can have at any time. When we are not camping, we just heat them up in the microwave and eat! Now that we have tried them this way I don't think we can be talked into going back to just regular marshmallows!




-Buff-

Things We Love Thursdays- Blokus

Blokus

Chris and I have played this game with family and friends before and really enjoyed it. My sister in law gave us the game this last Christmas and we played it for hours. Its a fun strategic game that can be played by all. Our family really enjoys this one a lot! 

What games do you play with friends and family?

-chelz

"Pin"spiration: Masking Tape Speedway

This was one of my very first pins on Pinterest.  I thought it looked so cool and I knew that my boys would absolutely LOVE something like this!  (I've tried to find the original source but never could.  :/ )

Thursday was Landon's 5th birthday so I thought it would be the perfect time to do it. It was such an easy project and very cheap.  I used one roll of masking tape that I got for $1.99 at Target.  On Wednesday night my husband made the tracks (and I "decorated" it with signs & trees from our train sets) so that it would be a surprise on Landon's birthday morning.  He (and the rest of my kids!) loved it and played with it all weekend long.

Linked to: Rae Gun Ramblings, Teagan's Travels, Craft-O-Maniac, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Keeping It Simple, Becolorful, C.R.A.F.T. 
Sugar & Spice, Fine Craft Guild, Classy Clutter, Sugar Bee Crafts, Michelle Paige, Oopsey Daisy, Lil Luna, I Heart Naptime

Sunday Best Link Party

Thanks to everyone who linked last week! Here were a couple favorites:

I love Doranda's simple yet classic black & white look.

I love this pantry organization idea from Creating Sarah.  One day I might be this organized.  :)

RULES:

1. Link to a specific post on your blog.

2. Add the g*rated button to your post.

3. Make sure you check out other links to get ideas.  And no one would mind if you left a comment on their blog. :)

4. Follow g*rated.

<center><a href="http://griffithsrated.blogspot.com/search/label/sunday%20best" target="_blank"><img alt="g*rated" src="http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z426/griffithsrated/button2-1.jpg"/></a></center> <br>

Ruined Laundry

In February, the kids and I decorated Grandma and Grandpa's dinning table for a Valentine's Day Dinner. I used a new table cloth that Buff had bought since it was red. A few days later, I ran a load of laundry. I made sure to check the label on the table cloth since I had never washed it before. (we were living with them at the time thats why I was doing laundry there) I get very paranoid about washing new things cause I dont want to shrink or ruin it. I followed the washing instructions on the label and it still ruined the whole load of laundry :/ I was so mad, so I decided to send Better Homes and Garden an email to let them know they had ruined a very expensive load of my laundry. I had 3 pair of expensive jeans in there and a few other items. (for those of you that know me, know that I am very picky about my jeans!) Here are just a few of the pics that I took... 

I did receive a phone call and was able to talk to a women that was trying to help me out. After a few emails going back and forth, and a couple more phone calls I was able to negotiate a $300 reimbursement. I was happy with that figure and I am now waiting patiently for that check to arrive!

So, if you have something like this happen to you dont be afraid to contact them. They don't always know something is wrong with their product unless you tell them. It was kind of a pain to have this happen, but in the end I am happy with the outcome.

-chelz

Things We Love Thursdays: Goodreads

If you haven't heard of Goodreads, it's this place where readers can go to make virtual bookshelves of books to read, books read, and to be able to review books and see what books your friends are reading.  I LOVE it!  I have found so many amazing books to read through it.  I love seeing what my friends are reading and love adding those books to my to-be-read shelf (which currently has 243 books!).

I've never really liked browsing book stores or libraries because I get too overwhelmed with all those books.  And it's so hard to pick a book based on it's description.  Plus my library rarely has the "good" books on the shelves -- you have to put your name on a waiting list.  I would be missing out on so many books if I went just based off of what was on the shelves! 

Chelsea & I are both on Goodreads and are always looking for new friends.  You can find Chelsea's profile HERE and mine HERE.  Hope to see you over there!