{Must Read} True Colors by Hannah

For some reason I have the worst time finding and committing to a book after I finish one. It generally takes me about 3 months to pick-up another book. Talk about frustrating! My only explanation is that I get so involved and emotionally invested in every good book I read I can't let the story go.

I am reminded of my dad. I only have one memory of him reading a novel {he reads the Angus Journal religiously}. I can't remember the  title of the novel, but I remember that he couldn't put the book down. It consumed his every waking moment. He read the book in two days.

{Dad & I}

Preston will say I am exactly this same way. Once I start a book I am all consumed. You will find me curled up on the couch crying my eyes out or in bed trying to read by the light of a small crappy book light.

I guess this explains why I am so hesitant to jump into the next book. I know I will get sucked into the story and think about nothing but the characters and the plot.

The last book I read was The Forgotten Garden by Morton back in August. I finally talked myself into reading True Colors by Hannah that has been sitting on my bookshelf for at lease 6 months. I've read a Hannah book before. Firefly Lane.

 True Colors is my favorite Hannah book so far! I couldn't put it down. I started it on Thursday night and finished it on Saturday. All I wanted to do was read. I cried my eyes out for the majority of the book. I felt real pain and sorrow for the character. Here is a synopsis of the book.

This is defiantly a must read book.

{Fall Decorations} Front Porch

 I love decorating for Holidays. It makes the house feel so homey and festive.

OUTDOOR FESTIVE LOVE

PSY~ Gangnam Style

Preston and I are totally obsessed with this music video and the dance moves!!

We Have Landscaping!!!

After waiting countless weeks for landscaping companies to give us reasonable quotes, receiving hate mail from our neighbors, watching our backyard become a real life ant farm and a place our dogs avoided... our front yard and backyard are finally landscaped!!!

I have never been more excited in my adult life! We were so lucky to have chosen a great landscaping company called Colorado Stoneworks. They did everything they promised and more. Plus their prices were very reasonable.

I didn't get good before pictures. But imagine tumble weeds, ants, trash, dog poo, and weeds. It was actually pretty bad.

 In Progress Photos

Here is a really bad picture of a portion of our backyard after the workers started clearing the space.

This is our front yard after the space was cleared. They used some of the dirt to build up mounds. 

After Pictures of the Backyard

 Looking out from the porch. Two trees reduce to one.

 iPhone panaramic view of entire backyard.

 We opted for fake grass in the backyard. So far we actually love it! It took Augusta a bit to get used to it, but now both dogs lay, play and poop on it. FYI, it has a filtration system similar to real grass that allows it to drain urine and rain so it doesn't soak or sit on top.

 We reduced the trees by the brick fence to one. In all we had 4 large oak trees. It felt like they were overtaking the yard. 

We kept it simple and dog friendly with rock, mulch, fake grass and a path made of small pebbles that hardened after they watered it. 

 After Pictures of the Front Yard

 Rock, mulch and large rocks.

 In the Spring, Colorado Stoneworks will be back to plant shrubs, bushes and plants to add some texture and color to the front. 

 Parking Strip

My sister's fiance poured the concrete on the side of the house. This will allow Preston to comfortably park Black Betty. 

I am soo excited for the Spring to get here so we can sit out on the back porch and really enjoy the backyard.

I am interested to see how we like the bright green fake grass in the winter. I am hoping it will be refreshing to look at. The best part about our backyard is our dogs spend so much more time outside basking in the sun and playing. They love the mulch and fake grass. Sometimes the mulch gets scattered, but for the most part it's pretty easy to keep in one place. From time to time we sweep off the grass. And this time we are picking up dog poo every day. I am assuming next spring and every spring we will need to add in some mulch to freshen it up a bit, but at least it's cheap. We didn't get any plants in the back. I am really excited to use large planters with overflowing plants and flowers to add in some color. For us, we really wanted to make sure we kept the back easy to take care of and very dog friendly. 

The front yard is going to look amazing once they plant the shrubs. We are getting a lot of different types of plants that are different colors and textures. It's going to look great!

Our landscaping is pretty impressive don't you think?! lol

{Santa Fe, New Mexico}

In iPhone Pics

{Downtown Santa Fe~ Outdoor Market}

{Sisters}

{St. Francis Cathedral}

{Restaurant~ The Shed}

{The Shed}

{Art}

{Boots, Boots, Boots}

{La Familia}

{American Indian Decor~ The Hotel}

{Sis's Fiance~ Forgot the Dress Socks}

{Father & Daughter}

{Happy Birthday~ Love Preston}

{Must Watch TV}

This fall I have been obsessed with TV. I am so excited that all of the shows are back on! Here is what I am currently watching. 

Downton Abbey

I must have been living in a cave, because I have just learned about this show. Where have I been? I am obsessed with this time period, the lifestyle of the rich and their servants. Soo amazingly good!

Project Runway

How can you not LOVE Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia and Michael Khors!? It's amazing to see what the designers can make in such a short period of time.   

The Office

I think the character Michael Scott made The Office great. I would much rather watch a rerun than a new episode. But I can't wait to see what happens to Pam and Jim so I keep watching.

The Big Bang Theory

I love love love Sheldon! 'Nough said.

The Mindy Project

I fell  in love with this show as soon as I watched the pilot. It's defiantly a chick flick with a Sex and the City vibe. I loved Mindy Kaling in The Office and I knew I would love her in her own sitcom. She was actually hired on at the age of 24 as a writer for The Office and then took on the character as Kelly Kapoor.

Grey's Anatomy

I have watched this show from the beginning. I am soo far into it I can't stop now. The characters are evolving and the plot is changing. I love the drama and the heart break. 

Oprah's Next Chapter

If you used to watched Oprah's talk show you will love Oprah's Next Chapter. She does what she does best and interviews famous interesting people in their home. You get to see a side of them that only Oprah can show the viewer. This show is on her network OWN.

Parenthood

I have watched this show on and off, but for some reason this season has captivated me. I get so involved in the characters lives I tend to cry watching every episode.

{The Secret to Treadmill Running}

 Do you suffer from treadmill boredom?

I have a secret to share with you. 

Download Downton Abbey and watch an episode for two while you run. Before you know it, 30 minutes has passed and you are still running! I used to rely on music to get me through my runs. Lately I have been avoiding the treadmill and the gym all together.

Tonight I came home, set-up my computer in front of my treadmill and turned on Downtown Abby. Before I knew it I had ran for 36 minutes strait and watched a whole episode of the best show ever {that I just discovered}! Last week I couldn't even run for 30 minutes straight. Success! I'm officially ditching the music. 

If you haven't heard of Downtown Abbey, go buy season 1, get it on Netflix, download it, whatever. The point is, you must watch it!  

{Spanx} a Girls Best Friend

This weekend I'm going to an outdoor wedding in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I didn't really give much thought about what I was going to wear until I learned that the wedding doesn't start until 5pm and the temperature will be in the 60's. Out of all things, I absolutely hate being cold! It's almost a phobia I would say. So naturally tonight {the day before we leave} I started to freak out. What am I going to wear that is wedding appropriate and going to keep me warm!!!??

After work I ran to Old Navy, Ross and TJ Maxx to try and find a "fall" outfit. I ended up coming home with 4 shirts/sweaters and one cheetah looking skirt. I was betting the farm on the cheetah skirt.

When I got home I tried on cheetah with every black shirt, sweater, jacket I could find in my closet. I ended up with a couple of decent options that would potentially work. I then remembered a cheetah winter dress that I had bought from Express last year. I put the baby on and yep a little tight. The black leggings were pushing out my inner tube. Not going to work. I tried to cover it up with a belt. A little better, but still not sure. I them remember that I had bought some Spanx a while back. I dug them out of the drawer and put it on over my leggings.

P.E.R.F.E.C.T

The cheetah skirt looks even better on now too! Spanx saved the day!!! Don't believe me? Here are some before Spanx and after Spanx pictures.

Cheetah Skirt 

{Before}

Cheetah Skirt

{After Spanx}  

Dress

{Before}

Dress

{After Spanx}

 

Spanx in the Buff

{watch out for the camel toe}

 {looks like skin}

 

 

Spanx are a girls best friend and worth every penny! Go buy them now!

{Closet Makeover}

Last Friday I spent the evening helping Ashley clean out her closet. She requested a closet makeover for her birthday. She got the idea from Kayne West. Apparently he made Kim Kardashian clean out her closet and update it. I always thought Kim dressed amazing, but then again what do I know.

Ashley was a trooper! She tried on every single item in her closet. With every article of clothing she would tell me where she bought it and what she wore it to. We even found some clothes from high school! Here is the before photo that I snapped about half way through the process. This picture doesn't even do it justice. I have never seen so many clothes and shoes in my life! Most hangers had 5 pieces of clothing hanging from it. 

{Before}

We got a kick out of this "dress". It was the largest most frumpiest thing I have ever seen!!! Don't worry, we put it in the Goodwill pile! Ashley has lost so much weight since her pregnancy that literally everything in her closet looked great on her! She was even able to fit into all of her skinny jeans!

{Why did I buy this?}

Just when I thought we had finished, Ashley says we are going to go through my shoes right? Sure, why not. Holly molly!!! Ashley had more shoes that I have ever seen! And most of them were nar and from high school!!! We laughed and laughed!! 

After the shoes we moved onto the bra/panty/sock drawer, upon Josh's request. Josh warned me that Ashley has some raggedy panties that she still wears. OMG, he was NOT kidding!! Her favorite pair looked like a mouse had gotten a hold of it and shredded it. Luckily, I talked her into throwing them away. 

Next we tried on bra's. Ashley complained the whole time that she now has itty bitty titties. lol By this time she was basically nakey for the rest of the night. The funny thing is, she didn't even notice until she walked me out to my car and said oh my ittty bitty titties aren't covered up! She is soo comfortable in her skin and loves me be naked and free!! I'm pretty much used to it and don't mind. {Bet you didn't know this, but Ashley cleans her house nakey!} 

{Ashley's Closet Makeover!}

By the time we finished, I am not kidding you Ashley only had about 5 fall/winter shirts. Her closet is so bare! Lucky for her she  wears scrubs everyday to work. We are going shopping Wednesday evening for some new sophisticated/trendy/non-mom cloths.