Book Review: Blood of a Werewolf By T. Lynne Tolles

Blood of a Werewolf by T. Lynne Tolles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was recently given a free copy of Blood of a Werewolf by T. Lynne Tolles and asked to read and give a review. I had never read YA Vampire / Werewolf books before and was slightly daunted because I have no interest in reading Twilight however I went into just like any other book, with an open mind.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of two sisters, Darby and Rowan, who come from a long line of witches but they have never really used their powers since their family was not interested in the world knowing who they were. These two sisters meet and connect with two Vampire brothers who are being pursued by a man who is seeking revenge on them for a decision their father made.

During the weeks these four people are connected there is love, trauma, many hospital visits, a few plane rides, and a lot of drama.

The story moves along at a brisk pace and never leaves you waiting for something to happen.

The author does a good job writing dialogue without it sounding forced. My only criticism would be when there is a conversation taking place that conversation in reality would only take three, maybe four, minutes but in the story it would be enough time for someone to drive from one location to another. This seemed a bit difficult to believe.

There were times during the novel where I had to remind myself that I was reading a book written for Young Adults. The story had some steamy parts that may not be suitable for a pre-teen or young teen but the rhythm and language were written for that set.

The ending leaves a major cliff hanger which would normally make me crazy but this is the first book in the Blood Series so I immediately turned on my wireless and downloaded book 2 for $2.99.

I would recommend this book for anyone 15 or older.


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Back on the Bandwagon

The count down is on! 72 days until our huge family vacation on Maui and I am so excited I just cannot stand it!

As you know, about a year ago I was able to say I lost 40 pounds. Today I am very happy to be able to say I kept all 40 pounds off.

It was a struggle, it wasn't always easy, but I did it!

With this looming vacation I want to lose a few more pounds. My goal is 12 pounds and to firm things back up a bit.

For me, the best way to lose pounds it to start running regularly and to watch what I eat. My challenge at this point is all the ice on roads near my house and the lack of daylight. I know I have to remove these challenges in order for this to work so Shawn and I purchased a membership to our cities Community Center where we now have access to treadmills, weight equipment, an Olympic swimming pool, and a sauna.

Being back at work means I am very busy and my time to work out is very limited so I am trying to find creative ways to make sure I do something almost every day.

Here is what this past week looked like:

Thursday -  we purchased our membership, I ran 20 minutes on the treadmill, we did a short 10 minute circuit in the Circuit Room.

Friday - 10 minute circuit at the house, 90 minutes in the pool with the kids. It was my goal to keep my feet off the bottom the entire time. That was a good workout!

Saturday - 30 minute run on the treadmill

Sunday - 20 minute circuit at home while watching The Biggest Loser (the only show I plan my life around).
This is what we did for our circuit on Sunday:
45 Jumping Jacks
15 squats
5 jumping squats
50 Russian twists
30 second planks
10 standing calf raises
10 push ups
30 seconds Superman
10 lunges (each leg)
40 crunches
Repeat entire circuit.

Monday - we did a circuit at home that really killed our abs:
100 jumping jacks
50 crunches
20 triceps dips
15 squats
20 lunges (each leg)
70 Russian twists
20 standing calf raises
10 push ups
30 second plank
10 lunge split jumps

Tuesday I had to take the day off simply because I did not have time. Between work, making dinner, and Girl Scouts, I just could not make it work. But that is okay, a rest day is good for you!

With week one in the books I am down 1 pound. 11 to go!!

Wish me luck,
Hugs!
Kara

What's For Dinner: Creamy Garlic Pasta

I find the hardest part of meal planning is coming up with new sides to serve. I often default to using boxed products to fill in these blanks. Generally our meal is a nice main dish, steamed veggies, and Stove Top or Betty Crocker Potatoes.

When I came across this little side dish I figured it was worth a shot and in the end everyone loved it so much we might upgrade it to a main dish by adding some chicken and broccoli!

It was quick and easy and there wasn't a noddle left in the pot when dinner was over.

Here is what you need:

2 tsp olive oil - for sauteing the garlic
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb vermicelli or angle hair pasta (the key is thin pasta)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream - half and half would work if that's what you have on hand
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley - optional, don't panic if you don't have any on hand

In a heavy pot, heat the oil. Saute the garlic until it is starting to turn clear, about 2 minutes.

Add butter and let it melt.

Add chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add pasta. I like to break my vermicelli in half. Cook pasta until it is done to your liking.

Turn off heat. Add Parmesan Cheese and Cream. Stir until well mixed and cheese is melted.

Toss in the parsley. If you do not have fresh I do not recommend using dry. I would just skip it.

I found this on Pinterest. The original recipe can be found HERE.

Craft: Headband Canister

If you have a little girl you have the same problem as me. Hair stuff everywhere. My daughter doesn't really do much with her hair but she loves to throw on a headband to hold her curls out of her face so we have a ton of headbands that we can never find.

While on vacation together last week we made these canisters to store her hair things so we can always find them.

Our Hair Stuff Canisters and Heidi giving a Llama!

We took Oatmeal canisters, taped construction paper around them to cover the labels, then decorated with stickers and markers. It was a lot of fun and only took about 20 minutes to complete.

Headbands wrap around the outside and everything else goes inside. What a fun way to store all that random hair stuff!

Hugs!
Kara

Sunday Social Week 2!

I am doing that little bloggy thing again this Sunday and linking up with the Sunday Social.

1. Do you plan to change any of your eating habits in the new year?

Not really since this was a big one two years ago and I have done a good job sticking to it!

 

2. Any workout tips to get us back in shape after the Holidays?

Set yourself a goal! When I wanted to lose 40 pounds I set myself a goal to run a 5k then I registered for the race. I have never run more than a mile in my life and that was in grade school. At that point I couldn't run to the end of the block so I signed up for that race then started training and guess what? I did it! I ran my race, lost that 40 pounds, and kept it off. If I can do it, so can you!

 

3. What is your favorite thing you did over the Holidays?

I am very hard pressed to pick one thing since we did so many fun things! So I am going to take a cop out and say my favorite thing was all the time I spent with my family. We were all on vacation together for 17 days and it was amazing!

 

4. What is something you hope that you accomplish in 2013 that you did not in 2012?

Good question! I really wanted to put together a budget and stick with it but I never was able to get it done. That is one thing I will be doing this year. Not only having one but reviewing it weekly. I will plan time into my weekends to review and assess. I hope this is a new way of life for me!

 

5. Name 3 things happening this year you are excited about and why.

Oh, boy! First, I am excited about our up coming trip to Maui in March. That will be a blast! Second, would be really getting into my new job at work. I have had the job for a few months now but I feel like I am now ready to really jump in and figure it all out. And finally, I am excited about watching Heidi and Cupcake grow up. Heidi will be 8 this year. She is such a fun kid, I always look forward to spending time with her. And Cupcake is such a good puppy, I can only imagine her as a 1 year old dog!

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you learned a bit about me!

Hugs!

Kara

The Final Days of Vacation

I always take the last week or so off work to refresh before January rolls around. It is very slow around the office and my family is home so it's perfect. This year I took a span of 17 days which was one day more than my daughter and husbands winter break.

We spent the first 12 days celebrating Christmas which was a lot of fun but man am I happy I still had five days to wind down.

Yesterday Heidi had five of her favorite friends over for a day long play date. They played board games, ate lunch, and generally just ran around the house for five hours. They had a blast.

About an hour into the girls being over my brother called. He needed me to pick up my niece from daycare because her daycare provider, a good friend of ours, was going to the hospital to have her baby.

It was a great day all around! I got to hang out with five buck wild girls, watch my little niece, and we had enchiladas for dinner.

Heidi is hanging out with the same friends but this time over at another families house so Shawn and I are getting in a work out at the community center. 

A girl could get used to this vacation stuff! Four days left...

My niece Elie and her Mama. I was so busy with all those girls I didn't snap a single picture!

Happy 2013!

I know every one is saying it but honestly, where did 2012 go?

This time last year we were waking up in New York and preparing to move on to Washington DC on our winter vacation with our friends.

This year was rung in with the same friends but now they live 30 miles away so we didn't fly anywhere to see them. Instead the will come with us to Hawaii in March. I guess that will do!

You can see what I did in 2012 by reading this little blog. So instead I will tell you what I am looking forward to in 2013.

• Losing my next 20 pounds
• Blogging consistently throughout the year. I hit 400 posts yesterday, lets hit 550 before 2014 comes!
• Cooking at home as much as possible
• Sticking to a budget
• GOING TO HAWAII! Did I mention that? I am so excited!
• Camping trips this summer

And all the other fun and amazing things that happen because I am out there with my family Making the Most of Life!

Happy 2013 Everyone!!
Hugs,
Kara