Sunday, February 12, 2012

Diet Day 2-2/12

Yay! I did it! I stayed on plan, ate all "legal" foods. I drank like 128 oz. of water. I am on track! And the beauty of it is



Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

TADA! I lost 2lbs. I know it's water weight, but seeing the scale budge DOWN is pretty nice motivation.

Goals for Today:
  • drink as much water as yesterday
  • watch salt intake
  • get at least 10minutes of exercise.
See ya tomorrow! Wish me luck! 

Saturday, February 11, 2012

First Day Of Diet-2/11



I am starting my diet today. It's something I've been planning on doing but have been too lazy to start. So here goes. Today is the day! :) I'm going low carb. It's worked for me in the past and I honestly feel better eating this way. My brain is sharper, my energy levels raise, and I lose weight. My big problem is that I'm just lazy. I'm not the greatest cook and I get tired of cooking very quickly. This is usually why I "fall off the wagon."

Why am I posting this on my blog? Accountability. I'm also wondering if there are others starting diets or are currently dieting? We could buddy up and help each other out?

Here is my ticker:

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

I have 45lbs that I would like to lose. My username on MyFitnessPal is HellinYourEyes, so if you are a member please send me a message! :)

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

FREE Two Days Only: A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!


As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, that has received rave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and is FREE for two days only on Amazon Kindle (February 7th to 8th)! Download your FREE copy here: http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, CarnivĂ le) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.

About The Darkening Dream

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.

The Reviews Are In

"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews

"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review

"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating 18th Century Colonial America." ~Amazon Review

"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale...emphasis on grim."  ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here >> http://bit.ly/xXVxXS

Get your FREE copy of The Darkening Dream for two days only on Amazon here. http://amzn.to/yTvZPG

No eReader or Kindle? No problem. Get free apps for your Web Browser, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, or Android Phone.


Monday, February 6, 2012

What are you Reading Monday? -5

I had another slow week, so this week I want to step it up a notch. I'm going to do my best to reach my goal of 2 books read! I know it's not a huge goal, but I have only been averaging roughly one a week. Which is good considering, but still!

So here's mah plans.


To Read:
 

To Finish:
 










To Review:
 
Also I have a BIG TBR stack that I can choose from if I (somehow) finish these! So hopefully this gets me back on track this week! I can't wait to see what you guys are reading!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Sunday Salon-4

I do not know what has gotten into me! January started off so very well! I stayed on schedule with reading/blogging, and kept everything up to date, and then it all went down hill. Gah! I know I lack organziation skills, but jeez! Anyway, today is what I consider a "light" work day, so I will work on sorting out the schedule and fixing up some posts.


I'm wondering how you guys do it? How do you keep everything running smoothly, AND not have it feel like a job? That's my big problem with schedules. I love my books, I love my blog, but when I have a schedule it just feels to ...imposing. I hope that makes sense? Like I cannot put this book down and pick up something else because it's on the schedule and I HAVE to review it by (insert date.) Like I almost resent the book I'm currently reading, which isn't fair to the book or me.



So I'm open to suggestions, advice, anything really!

So, goals. I do have some this week. I want to read 2-3 books, schedules all my meme posts in advance, and work on my blog calendar.

There.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Wicked Winter Read-a-Thon


I am shocked I almost forgot I had signed up for this! It starts tonight at midnight est (or 11pm my time.) I'm not sure I'll be able to get much reading in tonight, but I will start bright and early in the morning! I will aim for two and a half books! That's my goal!


Lookit! Challenges:
Friday, February 3rd:
10AM - 2PM EST | Fight for Survival | Rebecca @ Kindle Fever
4PM - 8PM EST | Wintry Sentences | Melissa @ Eclectic Bookshelf
8PM - 12AM EST | Welcome Into the Unknown | Vicky @ Books, Biscuits and Tea

Saturday, February 4th:
10AM - 2PM EST | The Wicked Winter Ball | Kimberly @ Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
4PM - 8PM EST | Wicked Cover Lover | Christy @ Love of Books
8PM - 12AM EST | Guess the Title – Picture Puzzle | Michelle @ Book Briefs

Sunday, February 5th:
10AM - 2PM EST | Tease at Random | Claire @ Project TBR
4PM - 8PM EST | Sentence to Song | Amanda @ Letters Inside Out
8PM - 12AM EST | The Fight for Survival Part Continues | April @ My Shelf Confessions


Starting Line:

Friday 2/3
Book:Halfway to the Grave,
Start Page: (httg) 304  
End Page: (httg) 358 
Books Completed: 1
Challenges:  none

Saturday 2/4 and 2/5
Book:The Rift Walker
Start Page: 1
End Page:
Books Completed:
Challenges:
Note: I am sucking at this read-a-thon too! I think this one will be my last for a while. (but don't hold me to that please)


Ending Totals: 
Books Read:
Pages Read:
Challenges:

February Goals


It's the month of LURRVE! It's month 2 of the year and I am chugging along! I'm on track to reach my goal and will do my best to keep up the blog! I started out strong but then spiraled out of wack. So February is going to be my month to keep tweaking my blog schedule and find out what works! :)

Book Goals:
  • 12 books by the end of the month
  • 2 Classic novels
  • 1 Completely out of character novel (history, non-fiction, etc)
Keep on reading on, readerbugs!