rosebee

Book Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

2013-12-27T14:49:29Z

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead, #4 in the Bloodlines Series.

Because it is in the middle/end of the series, it is full of angst. A quick feel-good read, this is not.

The love & dedication Adrian & Sydney have to each other is wonderful to read about. Though I did feel the author used the 'we love each other, but I can't be with you/I'm not ready for sex' storyline. At times it seemed the first two-thirds of the book was nothing but various iterations of the same.

There were moments of other ideas, especially when Sydney was working to help the Moroi/Dhampirs and rebel against the Alchemists.

( Spoilers below )

I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this series.

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So my daily fangirling has moved to twitter

2013-12-26T19:00:54Z

It's on my phone & quick & easy, and I just don't have time to surf blog pages any more. :( I've decided I'm going to start using this as my book blog instead. :)

I just got a shiny new upgraded Nook Glowlight for xmas, and I'm very much in love.

Currently Reading: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead, #4 in the Bloodlines Series (related to the Vampire Academy series by the same author).

In my To Be Read Soon folder:
-M/m books: Sweet Young Thang and Too Stupid To Live by Anne Tenino, The Heart of Texas by RJ Scott, and Mannies Incorporated by Sean Michael.
-Books-to-Movies: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
-"October Daye" (a favorite urban fantasy series) Ashes of Honor and Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
-Mystery: 1st To Die by James Patterson (1st in the Women's Murder Club series). My library has the first 9 or 10 in this series on ebook, so that will be good for my pocketbook.

Plus, in anticipation of the new "Mercy Thompson" novel coming out in a few/several weeks, I'm going to re-read the most recent release in the series Frost Burned.

And when I'm bored, or fighting insomnia, I have Don't Know Much About Mythology.

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My sewing muse is back!

2013-05-10T16:04:22Z

It disappeared for 3+ years, but it's back!

It helps that I now have a dedicated space for my sewing - and I even bought a dressform! :D

I'm going to make the sleeveless version of this pattern, Simplicity 2247. I found a gorgeous black & white floral print with accents of red. It was in the quilting cottons section of Joann's, but I think it'll work fine for this project.

I've got the pattern pieces cut out. I just need to adjust it to make the hemline where I want (above the knee), and make sure the v-neck isn't going to be too low.

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Books!

2013-03-11T18:12:05Z

Kaje Harper is my new favorite m/m author, well her & Abigail Roux.

I'm liking Ms Roux's latest "Gravedigger's Tavern".

Also I just bought "The Omnivore's Dilemma". I really want to start eating healthier, better quality food.

A friend of mine recently moved to Norway (where they ban GMOs & nasty chemicals that are still used in food in the US). Said friend is 20% more sedentary, yet has lost 20 pounds, just by having better non-chemical-additive food.

My new basic rules: Everything I eat should have pronounceable ingredients. Buy/eat Organic whenever possible. Frequent my wonderful Farmer's Market & local shops for locally sourced fruit, veggies, & meat.

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I'm still alive!

2013-03-11T18:04:34Z

I've been busy at home in my garden on the weekends.

I got in trouble for internet use at work... so ElJay app on my phone is now it.

I'm on twitter a fair bit (easy to use phone app), look me up: Twitter.com/Rose_bee.

I've bought an elliptical machine, and have started to count my calories (MyFitnessPal.com, username= Rose_bee). In 2+ weeks I've lost almost 5 pounds! :D

I've given in & now own Justin Bieber songs on my ipod.

Justin Timberlake on SNL this past weekend was AWESOME! So much love for that man. I was watvhing, and thinking "wow, he's come so far from 14-yr-old Baby!Justin in *nsync".

LOTS of garden work was accomplished this weekend. One raised bed is now higher, at an actual sitting height, instead of hit-your-shin height. :)

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Signal boost!

2013-01-19T02:08:21Z

akatonbo is trying to fix some things in her life. See her post for details.

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cars...

2013-01-04T03:56:24Z

Per a loan calculator, I can get a 7-year loan at 1.99% interest for a new car.

The type of car I'm looking at would make my payments around $230/month. I think we can make that happen in our budget.

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F#$#ing awesome...

2013-01-04T02:43:35Z

Looks like my car might end up getting totaled from the stupid young girl who rear-ended me on Christmas Eve. :(

My car's 11 years old and has 106k miles on it. Estimate of repairs needed comes to $3,300.

I won't know until early/mid next week whether or not it really will get totaled. It's in a "potential total loss" category right now with State Farm.

After all the years I've been with them, and all the premiums I've paid... I find it really upsetting that because someone else rear-ended me, my car might be gone.

I do NOT want to have to make new car payments right now. I knew I'd have to replace my car eventually, but I wanted to wait a few more years.

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Happy New Year!

2013-01-01T02:16:06Z

We still have just under 6 hours to go, but we're off to a friend's for a small gathering.

I hope 2013 is less eventful for me & MrB than 2012 was. I want to spend the year working on our yard, our house, and just enjoying each others company.

In Sims3 news, I had my first-EVER set of boy-girl twins. I seriously didn't think that was possible. The aliens in Seasons are fun. Developing skills/careers is easier when you don't need to 'sleep' as much.

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Still alive!

2012-12-29T17:08:36Z

The wonderful dog we adopted from the shelter the day before Thanksgiving went back to the shelter last week.

She was just too much energy for our house... and she wouldn't leave our cats alone. There were absolutely terrified any time the dog was out.

And living in a crate/bathroom for 9 hours during the day and 9 hours at night is not the life we wanted to give the dog. So back she went. It was the hardest thing we've had to do, but also very necessary.

Christmas was quite around here with just me & MrB. We did have my folks over for dinner though. We watched a digital slideshow of both of our recent vacation photos (MrB & I went to San Francisco earlier this month, and my folks went to the coast).

Nook - my mom finally liked the idea of having one, so I bought her one! I spent last night helping her get it set up. Next project is getting her & dad wifi in their house. But she's got a few books on it already, so that'll keep her occupied for a while.

I got Sims 3: Season for christmas. :D So far it's been fun, I love the graphics of the snow/rain - it's really well done.

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rosebee @ 2012-12-01T12:42:00

2012-12-01T20:44:02Z

And we're off on vacation (in 15 minutes, anyway).

I'm looking forward to spending time with MrB & (hopefully) reconnecting. At least the drive there & back will give us plenty of time to talk.

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Is this how a marriage ends? :''(

2012-11-30T16:41:47Z

I don’t know if there was a proverbial straw that broke my husband’s back, or if he’s just having a midlife crisis. His 38th birthday is coming up in just a couple of months.

The night before last, he dropped a bombshell on me. He said that on Thanksgiving Day he had sudden realizations about his attraction to me & his unhappiness.

He said that he’d been rather depressed the last several days (weeks, maybe?). He said he’s not sure what he wants anymore, that he’s not sure he’s attracted to me anymore, and that his sexual needs weren’t being met.

( Read more... )

If any of you have been through something like this, or been through a divorce that you didn’t want, but couldn’t stop… I’d really love to hear from you. I need some reassurance that everything’s gonna be ok, no matter which way things end up going.

I strongly suspect that MrB has unresolved issues from childhood that are 1) making him feel guilty for initiating sex even though he has the higher libido, and 2) making him use sex (which he says is VERY mechanical for him) to fill some unresolved void/issue he has.

MrB also said he very nearly bailed out of our vacation we've been planning for next week. He said he thought hard about refusing to go and having me take my mother with me instead. But he decided to join me and not stay behind.

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OMSQUEEEEEE!

2012-11-08T14:52:36Z

Hubby & I are getting a dog!! :D Like right now, not maybe sometime next spring. :D

Her name's Annie, and she's a beautiful medium sized doberman/lab mix. :) Her shoulders come up to about my knees, and she's 60 pounds.

She'll be ready to come home with us sometime next week.

In the meantime, I have a lot of shopping to do.

She pulls, so the shelter's recommended a good no-pull harness for me to buy (& I'll be picking up a leash of course)..

We also need all of the normal dog things. Food/water bowls, crate (wire or plastic?), dog bed(s), tug of war toys, chew toys, puzzle-entertain-the-dog toys... and I'm SURE that I'm forgetting something drastically important.

Dog people: What is your favorite dog thing? What very important thing am I forgetting?

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Yay for crock pots!

2012-10-15T15:54:05Z

The market had rump roast on sale, so I picked one up (even though I wasn't really sure what to do with it).

I found a recipe though and got it all ready to go last night. Carrots & potatoes & onions with a horseradish & worschester (sp?) Sauce. Smelled awesome as I was throwing it in the crock pot this morning.

I'm going to be SO excited to get home tonight!

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Busy!

2012-10-10T14:06:04Z

I feel bad, I don't know why, but I haven't been posting as much lately.

I've been crazy-busy with my house & garden. It's SOO much fun to have a yard to plant things in. :)

This weekend we planted two little new 'William Penn' Barberries, and one Escallonia 'Pink Princess'. The barberries are the start of a wonderful prickly hedge along the sidewalk of our busy street, and the Escallonia will be a privacy hedge between us & our neighbors ugly pickup-bed trailer.

Derby refereeing is going well, I wish I could say the same for being treasurer. It's too much, and it's not something I took on because I wanted to, I took it on because I felt I had to, because there was no one else who could do it.

There's more that's percolating in my brain, but I have to go shower now (or I *will* be late for work).

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I didn't mean to do this...

2012-09-21T20:35:43Z

But it just wouldn't get out of my head! The boys (at least Victor) have refused to spill the details on this, so I made them up myself so I could hear the story (or at least my fantasy version of it).

Figure Skating RPF
750 word ficlet: Johnny W./Victor V.
ALL MADE UP!
The following is purely a figment of my imagination, and any passing resemblance to reality or real people is purely a concidence.

~~Possibly~~ More to follow!

( Beginnings )

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::pats self on back::

2012-09-06T23:06:29Z

Just got back from seeing my counselor/therapist lady (hereinafter known as "L").

She's very nice, and she actually believed me! I have issues with thinking I'm not going to be believed (about almost everything).

L said what I went through as a child *was* trauma, and it's no surprise that I have the issues I do (body image, self esteem, self confidence, insecurity).

Now begins the hard work. I got a regularly scheduled appointment time for 4pm on Thursdays. That way I can go home and think/process/cry afterwards and not have to back to work afterwards.

This weekend should be fun, but at the same time, I'm also dreading it.

Starting at 8am tomorrow morning I will be traveling in a single car with my parents & grandma to a big city 6 hours north to see a special King Tut exhibit at a museum. We also have family (grandma's son/my uncle, and my brother) in that area that we'll be visiting.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the King Tut exhibit, but not so much to the family drama overload that I know will be happening.

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The joys of homeownership!

2012-09-04T15:40:11Z

No really, it is a joy! :D

This 3-day weekend was AWESOME! Saturday we went up to a lake, rented a rowboat, and MrB rowed me around the lake. It was so much fun!

Sunday was (mostly) a lazy day around the house. Although we did trim a tree away from our roof, and a hedge that had gotten way too wide.

Yesterday was a little bit of a lazy morning, followed by some serious yardwork. We dug up a couple of overgrown/invasive plants in our front yard, and planted the rest of our Barberries. :)

I'm looking forward to getting more & more of my own touch in the yards. It still feels like someone else's yard that we're just taking care of. It's starting to feel a little bit like mine, but not totally.

The coral bark japanese maple I planted dead center in the front yard is doing well. It's a little bit sunburned though.

At some point we want to get a regular maple (not a big leaf maple, though), and put it in the front yard. It should nicely shade the coral bark japanese maple, and provide good shade for our living room. But we have to find just the right maple tree first.

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My body officially hates me...

2012-07-11T22:47:14Z

I now get to add psorasis to my list of issues. Luckily it's just on my scalp, and it's all hidden by my hair. I plan to keep it that way. I have a corticosteriod for my scalp now (in addition to the inhaled one I use for my asthma).

But I'm not pleased. I'm currently cussing my family genetics, and my bad luck to be hit by all the major issues that run in the family.

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This is NOT the vacation I wanted...

2012-07-06T14:20:56Z

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful I had the vacation time saved up, but this is not how I wanted to spend it.

I've spent my week 'off' stripping wallpaper & painting the bedrooms of my new house. Thank heaven my mom & dad have been able to help me for most of the week. I wouldn't have been able to get it done without them.

Today we have two bedrooms that need one more coat of paint each, then touch-ups are most definitely required on all three bedrooms.

In two weeks we have to have *everything* boxed up so it can be moved to the house. This upcoming weekend will be spent doing LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of packing. Luckily our house is very close to where we currently live (in an apartment we've long since outgrown). It certainly makes moving easier to be able to pack up the car with a few boxes & just drive a few miles down the road to the new place.

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Queen! and Adam Lambert!

2012-07-02T17:35:20Z

Adam is so kick-ass. This video is set to start towards the end, where Adam is singing "Somebody to Love".

Some day when I have time I'm going to watch this concert in full.

Today, and the rest of this week, I'm moving non-essential stuff to our new house, replacing old doorknobs, with shiny new lever handles, and removing wallpaper & painting the bedrooms.

It's going to be a busy week!

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My weekend...

2012-06-26T00:44:15Z

Played with paint colors for the current wall-paper covered bedrooms.

Installed some of the new deadbolts & lever handles. One deadbolt, 3 lever handles left.

MANY things planted:
6 Barberries (the red kind, Rose Glow I think the variety was)
1 Coral Bark Japanese Maple
1 Sweet Dumpling Winter Squash
1 Sungold Cherry Tomato
1 Red Currant

Still to plant:
3 Honeysuckle vines
1 Orange Bell Pepper

Plus the front yard has this whole section of shade plants that's now in the sun because the giant old maple tree had to be taken down after the freak March snowstorm.

There's SO much yard work waiting for us. And lots and lots of housework too. Packing up the apartment, removing wallpaper & painting the bedrooms at our house, and then moving & unpacking boxes.

I also spent WAAAAAYYY more money at the local home improvement center than I thought I would. It's amazing how fast just the basics add up to (ladder, hedge trimmers, loppers, shovels....).

And now off to find dinner. Followed by more packing.

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rosebee @ 2012-06-07T07:39:00

2012-06-07T14:41:43Z

I'm tired.

I have too much to do, and not enough time to do it.

Two weeks from now, MrB & I will have the keys to our new house.

We're not even close to having things packed (but it's all sort-of-ok as we have until July 22nd to fully move in to the house).

I've started the process of weeding through stuff and tossing out the things I don't really need to keep. I just have a LOT more weeding/sorting to go.

I really want a nice long weekend to sleep & get stuff done.

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SQUEEE! I will haz a house!!

2012-05-07T14:19:35Z

MrB & I are buying a house!

We have a mutually accepted offer, and we had the first (we're having 2 total) home inspection yesterday.

We were NOT impressed with the inspector yesterday. He didn't see everything - including some things that MrB & I had noticed.

The 2nd inspection is scheduled for Thursday morning. I'm hoping he's better.

Things I love about the place we're trying to buy: real white oak hardwood floors, beautiful large sunroom/office, sprinkler system in the front & back yards, great open floor plan. Things that aren't so good: the three bedrooms are all VERY tiny, it's on a busy street.

But the many good things outweigh the bad things. :) And since there's a separate office area, we can use the three small bedrooms as if they were two. We're going to have the master just be our sleeping room. The smallest bedroom is right next door, and that will become our dressing/sitting room. The 3rd bedroom will be the guest/sewing/everything-else bedroom.

I'm VERY excited. Closing is scheduled for the end of June, and we're going to have all of July to move in. Our first mortgage payment will be due at the beginning of August, so we won't have to pay both rent & a mortgage at the same time. :)

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yay. not.

2012-04-30T14:12:08Z

I've been coughing so much I managed to pull/strain a muscle. It's on my left side at the bottom of my ribcage. It HURTS! Everytime I have to cough, and aches.

I am NOT amused.

Especially since it's Monday morning.

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