Sunday, December 30, 2012

Meet Max: Crazy Cat Lady

Hey y'all,

Last weekend while I was home for the holidays I got to meet the newest member of my family. My parents adopted astray kitten at the beginning of the month. Long story short my parent's put down our family dog back in April and since then we have all wanted a new four-legged friend. However, it didn't work out well with my grandparents. So this winter we were all thinking my parent's would get a chocolate lab puppy since that was what my Dad wanted. But, a lady my mother volunteers with found this kitten and had been feeding him but he didn't get along with her cat so she asked my Mom if she wanted him. My dad is actually allergic to cats and has been on allergy shots for years but so far he has been fine with the new little guy. So here is Max!






Well I hope that everyone is getting ready for a safe New Year's Eve!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Preppy Desk Accesories

Hey y'all,

Now that it is almost the new year, I have been on the look out for some cute desk accessories. My desk at my job is lacking flair and since I know that you all have some great go-to websites, I figured you could help me.

My desk has a few picture frames already:




But I am looking at some things like a monogrammed pencil holder:
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And I would fill it with these:
Things We Love Pencil Set

See Jane Work has these:
Anchor Pencil Cup & Tray

And they collaborated with Office Depot to bring this adorable striped and polka dot set:
Paperboard Letter Tray

Letter Sorter
Paperboard Magazine File
Thoughts? Ideas?

Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Friday, December 28, 2012

Book Club Friday: Best of 2012



Hey y'all,

I have to keep reminding myself that today is Friday. The office is quiet and we are all excited for another long weekend. But in the meantime  I have put together my list of my top books of 2012. This year I set a goal of 45 books (fun reads not those I read for English classes this spring) and I passed my goal! I even uped it to 50 and I am hoping to squeeze in the last few before the new year rings. This year seemed to be the year of the dystopian teen novel in my life so excuse me for those but it was what drew my attention at the library.

Matched & Crossed
The Girl's Still Got It
Rumor Has It
When In Doubt Add Butter
Divergent & Insurgent
Chronicles of Nick
The Selection
The Hunger Games (Mockingjay was my favorite)
I've Got Your Number
Lothaire (Immortals After Dark Series)

What were your favorite books of 2012?
Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Pinterest

Hey y'all,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday this past weeekend and you are looking forward to the upcoming weekend and making safe plans for the new year.

My Christmas break/long-weekend was wonderful. I spent lots of time with my family (and the new kitten) and caught up with my best friend. It was filled with good food, a few movies (Les Miserables and Pitch Perfect made Christmas Day a musical delight) and celebrating the Lord's birth through going to church with the family.

My big Christmas presents are already in my apartment since Santa visited it in November. However, I did recieve an Elf on the Shelf. Her name is Polka Dot! And a few other things for my apartment like flannel sheets & a wine bottle opener.

Now, while I was off celebrating I decided to make a Pinterest specifically for this blog, since most of my social media is attached to my full name I decided this was the best thing without giving out my personal account.  If you search postgradprep I should show up or you can just click HERE. After having my pinterest account for over a year it was refreshing to start out with a blank slate. Here are some of my favorite pins:

Source: tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest






Source: imgfave.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Now here is where you come into play. I would love to follow y'all on Pinterest so feel free to leave your board link in the comments or email me (jld.postgradprep@gmail.com). I can't wait to see all of your boards and inspiring pins!

Thanks y'all.

Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve

Hey y'all,

Since it is Christmas Eve, I thought this video was appropriate. I hope you all have a great & safe Christmas.


The Reason for the Season
Today I am hanging out with my family and going to Christmas mass as always. I hope that you find some time to be with family and friends and remember the real meaning of Christmas and not the material items we enjoy as gifts. 

Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Sunday Social & Sayings

Hey y'all,

It has been awhile since I have done Sunday Social but I loved the questions about some of my favorite things. 

1. What is your favorite Ice Cream flavor?
My favorite is made at Marble Slab or Coldstone it's chocolate ice cream with strawberries and gummy bears. I know it doesn't sound the best but I have been making it since I was little and it still is my favorite. Other wise I love plain chocolate or strawberry and Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.

2. What is your favorite smell?
Hmmm....When my momma cooks would have to be at the top. Fresh baked bread, brownies, beef stroganoff....the list goes on but it all smells like home. Fresh flowers would be my second favorite.

3. What is your favorite TV commercial? (past or present)
I love these two:


4. What is your favorite day of the week?
I would probably go with Thursday. It means the ending of a work week and the best TV shows come on Thursday nights: The Vampire Diaries, Beauty and the Beast, and Scandal.

5. What is your favorite way to waste time?
Reading. Watching TV. Shopping. Blogging & all forms of social media.

6. What is your favorite article of clothing?
Probably my half-zip sweatshirt that has my sorority letters and crest on it. We got them in the spring and I am still obsessed with it.

Here are some quotes for the day!
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Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas Time Is Here...

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Hey y'all,

I am back at home and enjoying some time with the family. Now it is time to relax, watch ABC Family all day, wrap some present, play with little kitten Max and possibly craft a bit. Here are some inspiring crafts courtesy of Pinterest. 

I love this alternative to a wreath!
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Macaroni Snowflakes. A great craft for kids and get them in the kitchen to help cook safely. 
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For the Wine Lovers:
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A melted snowman ornament:
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I love these plates. Perfect for the girl on a budget. 
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This is what I am making for my parents. I got all my siblings to participate so I am working on assembling it tonight.
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The family all in a row.
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And don't forget:

Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Friday, December 21, 2012

Book Club Friday!

Hey y'all

As this year comes to an end I figured I would share some of my top favorite reads of the ENTIRE YEAR next week for Book Club Friday. So today I will settle for what I am currently reading and what I just checked off of my list. I set a GoodReads challenge in May to read 45 books this year. With college in the way (and not counting my English classes' novels) I thought it was fairly reasonable. Well, I have finished the challenge and am uping it to 50 books by the end of the year. So here we go:

 
This e-book I got for 0.99 so I thought I would give it a try. I am just at the start but it is a great read so far and great for reading during my lunch break.

Described as
"Could you live your whole life feeling empty?
A NEW LIFE
Seventeen-year-old Tracy Bachman feels that something is missing in life. Despite a normal upbringing, she can't help but yearn for more. That is why she decides to transfer to a new boarding school, in a move that takes her all the way across the country.
AN UNFORGETTABLE ADVENTURE
When Tracy arrives at her new school, she expects an ordinary enough life. But what she finds there instead changes her in ways she could never expect.
A love interest she did not ask for.
A power she does not know she holds.
And a clique of mysterious, popular girls hell-bent on entangling Tracy in their affairs.
A HIDDEN PURPOSE
The girls Tracy meets all know she is different. Beneath their easy smiles lies a friendship laced with dark intentions. Will Tracy understand what they want in time to protect herself? Or will she find herself hopelessly ensnared in their web of secrets?
A FORBIDDEN ROMANCE
A suggestive glance. A secret rendezvous. In the midst of everything else, Tracy finds temptation in the very boy she is prohibited from speaking to. But as she pushes herself away, she falls right into the arms of another...
A MYSTICAL WORLD
Slowly, Tracy starts to understand that beneath her school's veneer of splendor lies a dangerous, secretive world brimming with supernatural powers. And before she knows it, she finds herself deep in the heart of that cryptic, mystifying world.
All expectations are thrown to the wind as Tracy struggles to balance love, friendship, adventure - and her newfound power. But will she be perceptive enough to realize that there are those who would use her for that power, lurking closer than she can believe?"
 
I am almost done with this book. It is a very different style than the way Kresley Cole writes her romance Immortals After Dark series. I am sill unsure how I feel about this series.

Described as:
She could save the world—or destroy it.Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.
But she can’t do either alone.
With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?
Who can Evie trust?
As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side….
 
I LOVE this verse by verse bible study on the book of Ruth. Ruth although three chapters has a lot of lessons and the author weaves the story brillantly to where you are immersed in the time and lessons of the story. I can't wait to read her Bad Girls of the Bible series.

Described as:
You know Ruth’s story. Now meet her in person. And prepare to be changed.
 Walk with Ruth as she travels from Moab to Bethlehem, certain of her calling, yet uncertain of her future. Hold Naomi’s hand and watch love put the pieces of her broken life back together. And hang out with Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, who blesses both women and honors God, big time.
With best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs by your side, you’ll tarry in the corners of their ancient houses, listen to their conversations, and consider every word of every verse until you can say, “I totally get the book of Ruth. And I see what God is trying to teach me through this rags-to-riches redemption story—he has a plan for my life.”
 Girl, does he ever!
 Think of it as time travel without gimmicks, gizmos, or a DeLorean: a novel approach to Bible study that leaps from past to present, gleaning timeless truths that speak to the heart.
 
This is a short novella that takes place between Hallowed and Boundless. It was interesting to see the series from another perspective but I don't love Angela's voice more than the original perspective to Clara.

Described as:
Clara is desperate to get away—from the memories that haunt her in Wyoming and the visions of a future she isn't ready to face—and spending the summer in Italy with her best friend, Angela, should be the perfect escape. . . .
For as long as she can remember, Angela has been told that love is dangerous, that she must always guard her heart. But when she met a mysterious guy in Italy two years ago she was determined to be with him, no matter the costs. Now she must decide whether she can trust Clara with her secret, or if telling her the truth will risk everything she cares about.
Alternating between Angela and Clara's perspectives, Radiant chronicles the unforgettable summer that will test the bounds of their friendship and change their lives forever.
The second book in the series after Abandon, this is an interesting take on the Underworld and death. With references of the story of Hades and Persephone, which I have always had an interest in this tale contines Pierce and John's story of what it means to live in the Underworld and the duties of a Death diety.
Described as:
Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.
Not this time.
But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.
Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.
But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.
And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.

The first book in the Wicked Lovely series about the courts of fairies. I am still not sure that I love the series but the book was good and I am excited about what will happen in the next book.
Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost — regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

I love this series and after finishing Unearthly I had to pick this book up. Beware that if you are a sensitive person and quick to show emotion you might want some tissues near you throughout this book. I seriously spent a Saturday night in bed bawling while reading this book. So good but so much happens so bewarned.
 
For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to "Unearthly," Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.
 

What are you reading? Book suggestions? Link up with Heather!
 
Peace and Blessings,
jDl