April Goals Update

Earlier this month I shared with you my goals for April and since it's the last day of April I think it's time to give you an update.

Look into buying a new exercise bike.

Finish College Prep American History Part 1

Start College Prep American History Part 2.

Take two College Prep American History Part 2 exams.
Get A's on all my History exams.

Exercise 2-3 times a week.

Find a new eye doctor and get an appointment set up.

Log my meals/snacks in MyFitnessPal app at least 15 days this month.

Go through my closet again and get rid of the MANY pairs of jeans I never wear!

Go to the Chiropractor at least twice.

I did really good this month, I accomplished most of what I wanted to get done, and even though I didn't finish everything I'm still really happy with myself.
Now here's a little bit of information on the goals I didn't finish.

Take two College Prep American History Part 2 exams.
I finished Part 1 and I just started Part 2 yesterday. The reason I didn't accomplish this is because I didn't realize that for the last two unit's in Part 1 I would have to do double the reading.
Unit's 1-3 of Part 1 only had 3 chapters each, so that's what I was expecting for Unit's 4 & 5, but instead they had 6 chapters, so I wasn't expecting that and it messed up my schedule, but that's okay, next time I'll just have to pay more attention.

Exercise 2-3 times a week.
I almost made this happen. But last week I didn't exercise, and the first week of the month I only exercised once. I'm kinda sad about this, but I'll get over it, as I explained yesterday I'll be joining the gym soon, and hopefully I'll be able to buy a new stationary bike to have at home too.

Go through my closet again and get rid of the MANY pairs of jeans I never wear!
I'm just going to be honest I completely forgot to do this. This month has been all over the place, and I just didn't even think about my closet.

Well I guess that's it for April, this year is going by way to fast, I can't believe tomorrow is the first of May!

XoXo,
Lori

Book Review: Johanna Lindsey - A Rogue of My Own (Locke Family Series #3

 Today I will be reviewing ' A Rogue of My Own' by Johanna Lindsey, I bought this book about 3 years ago for $7.99.

         'A Rogue of My Own' is a Historical Romance Novel, set in the 19th century and  is the third book in the Locke Family Series. It is 393 pages long, and took me about 5 hours to read.

   

 As usual here is the blurb from the back of the book.

    "For Lady Rebecca Marshall, a whirlwind of excitement begins when she becomes a maid of honor at the court of Queen Victoria. But when Rebecca unknowingly steps into the rivalry between the Queen's spymaster and a noblewoman who uses the maids as courtly spies, she is soon entangled in a web of deceit with the charming marquis Rupert St. John. The devastatingly handsome ne'er-do-well is cousin of Raphael Locke, with whom Rebecca was once infatuated...... He's also a secret agent of the crown who leads a double life.

     Certain that guileless Rebecca is spying on him, Rupert seduces her--- then, forced to wed, he believes she has set a trap of the worst sort in order to marry into his powerful family! But as he comes to know Rebecca's true heart, his vow of revenge and infidelity becomes a desire to share many passionate nights--- only with his beautiful wife. "

So what did I think?

Like:  It was fun to read. 

Dislike:  Nothing.

Age Rating: 17 and up. Depending on age and maturity.

I will start off by saying that Johanna Lindsey has been one of my favorite authors for many years now, but her new work just isn't as good as some of her older books and series ( The Malory Family Series). 'A Rogue of My Own' is still a great book, it just isn't as great as I was hoping it would be. 

I would describe the book as being a battle of the sexes, with Rebecca and Rupert constantly trying to spite one another. 

I would definitely recommend 'A Rogue of My Own' it's a wonderful book and a great story, it's an easy read, and it doesn't require you to know much about the 19th century. It may not be as great as some of Johanna's other books, but it's still worth taking the time to read!

 So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think in the comments Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?

          XoXo,

               Lori

   

April Weight Loss

Good morning lovelies, I hope your day is off to a great start! I don't really have much to say today, so I'm just gonna jump into this months update.

Diet:

This month was probably one of the best months I've had in a long time when it comes to my diet. Most of my meals this month has have been bakes instead of fried. I've also been cutting back on potatoes, instead of having them every night with my dinner, I've been having them only a few times a week.

Exercise:

This month didn't go as planned, but I definitely did better than last month. The first week of the month I still wasn't feeling well, so I didn't get in any exercise. The second week of the month I got in three workouts, the third week I got in two workouts and I also had one day where I did a lot of shopping and walking. Then last week I didn't get in a real workout, but I did have one day where I did a lot of waling, I worked with some hand weights, and I started doing squats again (and yes my ass and legs hurt).

So did I lose any weight?

Weight Lost This Month: 0 Pounds

Total Weight Loss:  6 Pounds

Sadly I didn't lose any weight this month, BUT I can tell a difference in my body. I've noticed over the past week that my stomach doesn't look as bloated as it did a few weeks ago, so I think cutting back on potatoes and baking my food instead of frying it is something I'm going to keep doing.

This week, actually today, I'm hoping to decide on a gym to join, and I'm gonna start trying to go to the gym daily. I recently started following a lot of  fitblrs on Tumblr, and it's really inspired me to get back in the gym and finally lose this weight.

So that's all for today, tomorrow I'll have up another book review, and Wednesday I'll be updating you on my goals for April.

XoXo,

Lori

Weekly Inspiration

            Goal:   Keep your head up and don't listen to the people trying to bring you down.

Playing Catch Up

Happy Saturday lovelies, I hope you're having a great weekend so far! This weekend I'm actually not going to be able to relax at all, I have so much I need to catch up on.
You may have noticed that I didn't post five times this week like I usually do, well I didn't realize it till it was already too late.
For the past few months I've been really busy, so I've been trying to write and schedule my posts ahead of time so that I don't forget to post, and that just didn't work out this week.
Honestly I've been in a bit of a slump for the past few weeks, I have plenty of material, I just haven't given myself the time to sit down and finish all 55 of the posts in my draft box.

I decided that I need to take a weekend to take care of myself and finish the things I've been putting off for far too long.
So this weekend I will be sitting down to catch up on a few things, and I want to share them with you.

Here's what I plan on doing this weekend:

1. Schedule two weeks worth of blog posts.

2. Paint my nails.

3. Try to finish 'Let Love Find You' by Johanna Lindsey

4. Look over my history final and send it in.
5. Search for scholarships.

I'll try to give you an update on Monday during my Monthly Weight Loss Update, but if not them I'll tell you about it on Wednesday when I give you an update on my April Goals.
XoXo,
Lori

5 Words: Week 67

Happy Friday lovelies, I hope you have a great day, and a great weekend!

Here's this week's 5 Words...

Impinge- To make an impression.

Inchoate- Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary. 

Indefatigable- (of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly.

Ineffable- Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.

Inexorable- Impossible to stop or prevent.

        Well that's all for this week, don't forget to check back on Sunday for a little bit of inspiration!

                                                                XoXo,
                                                                   Lori

Book Review: Johanna Lindsey- The Devil Who Tamed Her (Locke Family Series #2)

       Today I will be reviewing ' The Devil Who Tamed Her' by Johanna Lindsey, I bought this book about 3 years ago for $5.99.

         'The Devil Who Tamed Her' is a Historical Romance Novel, set in the 19th century and it is the second book in the Locke Family Series. It is 417 pages long, and took me about 5 hours to read.

  

As usual here is the blurb from the back of the book.

     " Ophelia Reid is an incomparable beauty with a reputation for starting rumors and spreading them. Having purposely wrecked her engagement to Duncan MacTavish, a future marquis, which her social-climbing father arranged, Ophelia wants to return to London's marriage mart and make her own choice of a wealthy husband. But on her journey home, something unexpected happens......

      The heir to a dukedom, Raphael Locke, Viscount Lynnfield is -- in spite of his disinterest in marriage -- the most sought-after young lord in England. he instantly disliked Ophelia when she caused a scandal to avoid marriage to his friend MacTavish, but having comforted  her in a tearful moment, he begins to wonder is she's not all bad. So when MacTavish claims Ophelia will never be anything but a spiteful beauty, Rafe bets his friend that he can turn her into a kindhearted lady who will one day make a good match, just not with him.

       With her parents' blessing, Rafe commanders Ophelia's coach and whisks her -- chaperoned, of course-- to his remote estate in the countryside. There, as he tries to show his furious, sharp-tongued "guest" the error of her ways, he discovers the surprising reasons for her bad behavior. Soon his daily lessons with Ophelia take effect and he finds himself irresistibly attracted to her. When Rafe champions the new and improved Ophelia's re-entry to London society, marriage proposals pour in. Only then does Rafe start to wonder whether he hasn't gone and fallen in love with Ophelia himself.     "

So what did I think? 4 Stars

Like:  Ophelia's transformation.

Dislike: The ending. I'll talk more about it below.

Age Rating: 17 and up. Depending on age and maturity.

        My favorite thing about the book is the hidden message in it, I recently finished my English class, so I kinda picked up on this more than I normally would, and I took the time to really think about it. In the book we see Ophelia's transformation from the ice queen into a kind loving woman.

     For me the message of the story is that regardless of a persons past, they can always change. In the first book of the series, and in the first part of this book Ophelia is a terrible person, but she learns to control her anger, and she learns how to trust again.

   The reason I didn't like the ending is because I feel like it could have been done better. It ended too quickly, and I feel like there should have been a little bit more to it.

    Overall, I really did like the book, if your a fan of other Johanna Lindsey books then I would recommend you read this one. Again as a warning most of Johanna Lindsey's books do contain sex scenes, and this book is no different from the rest.

     So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think in the comments Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?

     XoXo,

          Lori 

   

Pinterest Finds

Happy Monday lovelies, I hope you had a wonderful Easter yesterday (if you celebrate it), and I hope your week is off to a great start. 

I have a very busy day to day, and I'm already behind, so I'm just gonna jump on in and get started.

1. This Demi Lovato quote.

Via

2. Golden Cocker Retriever puppy!

Via
When I pinned this the caption said that this was a full grown dog, and that it would look like a puppy forever. Well to me that sounded too good to be true, so I googled it and I was right Golden Cocker Retrievers won't stay this size forever, (even though I totally wish they did).

3. How to Write Long Papers

Via

Well that's all for this months Pinterest Finds, I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to follow if you wanna see more!

XoXo,

Lori

Weekly Inspiration

Happy Easter! I hope you have a great day!

Via

       Goal:   Take 10 minutes today to make a list of the things and people you're thankful for.

5 Words: Week 66

Happy Friday lovelies, I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy the weekend!

Here's this week's 5 Words...

Fecundity- The intellectual productivity of a creative imagination.

Fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant.

Garrulous- Excessively talkative, esp. on trivial matters.

Hegemony- Leadership or dominance, esp. by one country or social group over others.

Iconoclast- A person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions.

          Well that's all for this week, don't forget to check back on Sunday for a little bit of inspiration!
                                                                                XoXo,
                                                                                     Lori Ann

Random Facts

Today when trying to decide what to write I thought it would be nice to show you some random facts! 

I think I've done something similar to this in the past, but it's been a while, so I thought it was time to give it another round!

April is National Stress Awareness Month!

The process of making a baseball bat is called "boning".

"Bakon Vodka" is a brand that produces bacon flavored vodka.

The Winnie the Pooh characters all represent some sort of condition: Eeyore- Depression, Pooh- Addiction, Tigger- ADHD, Owl- OCD.

Applying a soaked cotton ball in white vinegar to a fresh bruise will help reduce the darkness of the bruise and help it disapear sooner.

To lose 10 pounds, you need to burn around 35,000 calories.

Stressed is Desserts backwards.

April 17 is National High-Five Day!

April 26 is National Pretzel Day!

April 30 is National Honesty Day!

Well that's all for today, let me know below what you think, and if you want, go ahead and share some random facts of your own!
XoXo,
    Lori

Book Review: Johanna Lindsey- The Heir (Locke Family Series #1)

    Today I will be reviewing ' The Heir' by Johanna Lindsey, I bought this book a few years ago for $7.99.

         'The Heir' is a Historical Romance Novel, set in the 19th century and it is the first book in the Locke Family Series. It is 407 pages long, and took me about 6 hours to read.

       As usual here is the synopsis from the back of the book.

      "    Has anyone in London ever taken part in the coming-out season with less enthusiasm than Sabrina? Luckily, the most sought-after lady in the city has agreed to usher this young, lovely country girl through the perils and pitfalls of her all-important first season.

           Dashing highlander Duncan MacTavish is even less keen to be in London. Having recently learned he is the sole heir of an English marquis, Duncan is now required to assume his grandfather's title and estates- and to marry Sabrina's ravishing, viper- tongued guide, who has been heard to make scathing statements in public about her "Scottish Barbarian" groom-to-be.

          His unwanted betrothal, however, has brought Duncan into close proximity with the enchanting Sabrina- a kindred spirit whose wits delight him..... and whose essence is the exquisite stuff of dreams. But duty, station, and a secret that dwells in the lady's past forbid Sabrina's and Duncan's desired union- unless true love can somehow miraculously find a way.    "

    

   So What did I think?   4 STARS

Like: Nothing in particular stands out.

Dislike: The scene between Duncan and Sabrina in the carriage alone.

Age Rating: 17 and up. Depending on age and maturity.

     I bought this book about 3 years ago, and I recently decided to re-read it because I bought the newest book in the series, and I wanted to refresh my brain before I read the new book.

     My opinion of this book is the same as it was 3 three years ago, I love it as much as I love all of Johanna Lindsey's novels, and I think she is such an amazing writer.

     While I did love the book, I don't wanna give it 5 stars because it wasn't the best book, and because I know Johanna Lindsey has other books far more deserving of 5 stars.

    I think the reason why I loved this book is because the characters relationship was allowed to develop before they fell in love. It wasn't an immediate love story, and neither of them were expecting it.

    While I do love this novel, and the series, I do think Johanna Lindsey can do better. But I actually think I'm just being mean because in my mind nothing can live up to her Malory Family Series.

   

    Overall I think 'The Heir' is a  sweet love story, it's not a steamy passionate love story like most of Johanna Lindsey's books, but I like that.  I would definitely buy this book again, and I'm sure I will continue re-reading it for many years to come.

       So that's all for today, let me know what you think in the comments. Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?
XoXo,

      Lori 

      

April Playlist

Happy Monday lovelies, I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather over the weekend (if it's nice wherever you may be), and I hope your week is off to a great start!

So for now here's this months playlist...

XoXo,
Lori

Weekly Inspiration

Via

                           Goal:  This week don't hold back, make a change, and go for it 100%.

5 Words: Week 65

TGIF! Wow this week has been hectic, but I hung in there and now I'm ready to relax for the weekend. I hope you have a happy and safe weekend!

Here's this week's 5 Words...

Eschew- Deliberately avoid using; abstain from.

Evince- Reveal the presence of ( a quality or feeling).

Exigent- Pressing; demanding.

Extant- (esp. of a document) still in existence; surviving.

Extol- Praise enthusiastically.

           Well that's all for this week, don't forget to check back on Sunday for a little bit of inspiration!
                                                                                XOXO,
                                                                                        Lori Ann

Some Inspirational Words

Hello lovelies, when I was trying to decide what to write today, I thought it would be a nice way to start the day if you could read some motivational and inspiring words. 

So I went through my Pinterest boards and found some of my favorite quotes and sayings, so here they are!

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

XoXo,

  Lori

Book Review: Sophie Pembroke - Heiress on the Run

 Today I will be reviewing ' Heiress on the Run' by Sophie Pembroke, I received this book through a GoodReads giveaway a few months ago. It took about a month before I received it, and then because at the time we were moving I lost it and just now found it. 

'Heiress on the Run' is a Harlequin Contemporary Romance novel.  It is 252 pages long, and took me about 4 hours to read.

I also would like to take a moment to say that when I won the giveaway I was expecting to receive this from the publisher with nothing else. But when it arrived there was a card inside from the author thanking me for entering the giveaway, AND she signed the book. 

As always here's the books synopsis.

"Once a Lady, always a Lady?

Having barely survived the scandal of a very public betrayal, Lord Dominic Beresford needs his luck to change. But with his business on the rocks, it's not looking good.

Three years ago Lady Faith Fowlmere left her painful past and her identity behind, but life on the run has left her jobless, penniless and alone.

When fate throws the two of them together, it seems they're the answer to each other's prayers. But Faith is finding it harder to keep her identity secret, and as she gets closer to Dominic she realizes that this time, if she runs, she might just leave her heart behind."

So what did I think? 5 Stars!

Like: The characters.

Dislike: Nothing.

Age Rating: All ages.

Here recently I've been in a bit of a book funk, I hadn't been able to find anything that interesting, so when I finally found this book I decided it was time to read it. I wasn't really sure what to expect since it was just released in February and there aren't many reviews on it, so I went in completely unbiased with no expectations at all. 

After reading the book I'm very happy that I read it without knowing anything about it, and I loved every page of the book.

I think what I love the most is that the author was able to create passion between the main characters without having to get extremely graphic. 

I really loved this book, and and I can definitely see myself reading this again and again for years to come. After reading this book I'm definitely going to look into some of Sophie's other books and I'll let you all know how that goes.

Would I recommend it?

Definitely! Don't let the fact that it was published by Harlequin stop you from reading it. I know a lot of people won't read a book if it's published by Harlequin because Harlequin is known for sex scenes. But this book is not like that at all, and I LOVE it! 

So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think in the comments. Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?

XoXo,

  Lori 

Goals for April

Hello lovelies, can you believe we're already a week into April? This year is going by too fast!

This month my goals are focused around school and health. 

Look into buying a new exercise bike.

Finish College Prep American History Part 1

Start College Prep American History Part 2.

Take two College Prep American History Part 2 exams.
Get A's on all my History exams.

Exercise 2-3 times a week.

Find a new eye doctor and get an appointment set up.

Log my meals/snacks in MyFitnessPal app at least 15 days this month.

Go through my closet again and get rid of the MANY pairs of jeans I never wear!

Go to the Chiropractor at least twice.

That's all for today check back tomorrow for a book review!
XoXo,
Lori

Weekly Inspiration

Via

    Making mistakes is a part of life, it's what you choose to do after making those mistakes that matters. The great part about making mistakes is that you can't go back and change what happened, you just have to learn to move on and focus on the here and the now.


  Goal:  Let go of the mistakes you've made, or will make, and focus on what's happening in your life at this very moment.

5 Words: Week 64

      Happy Friday, I hope April is off to a great start for you, and that you're enjoying the warmer weather!

Here's this week's 5 Words...

Discursive- Digressing from subject to subject.

Ebullient- Cheerful and full of energy.

Effrontery- Insolent and impertinent behavior.

Effulgent- Shining brightly; radiant.

Enervate- Cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken.

           Well that's all for this week, don't forget to check back on Sunday for a little bit of inspiration!

      XoXo,

           Lori 

Top 10 Popular Authors Whose Books I've Never Read

    I love to read, but most of the time I try to stay away from popular authors. I don't know why, but it's something I've always done. Because of that there are a lot of popular books I haven't read, some I plan on reading eventually, and others I don't really care about.

Here's My Top 10 Popular Authors Whose Books I've Never Read...

     Honestly I don't see myself ever reading the Harry Potter series, and I'm not really interested in any of J.K. Rowling's other books. The only book of Stephen King's that I will probably ever read is 'On Writing', and that's because it has been  highly recommended to me by other writers. I don't see myself ever reading anything by James Patterson either, for the same reason as Stephen King, I'm just not a fan of their genre.

 

  Aside from those I'll probably eventually read books by the other authors listed above, I just haven't got to them yet, and I'm not really in a rush, I have plenty of other books to read before I get to them.

   So that's all for today, don't forget to follow if you wanna see more posts from me. For now I'm going to sit back and wait for the Harry Potter fans to come attack me and tell me all the reasons why I should read the series, Goodbye for now, I'll let you know if I survive the attack!

                                                                             XoXo,
                                                                                 Lori

   

Spring Dresses

Hello lovelies, today I'm going to do another fashion post! I've been trying to do these more often, and since it's finally Spring, I thought I'd show you some of my favorite dresses for Spring!

I love all of the ones below, but my favorites are #4 and #6! Let me know below which dresses you love!

1.   2.   3.   4.   5.   6.   7.   8.  


That's all for today, come back tomorrow to see My Top 10 Popular Authors Whose Books I've Never Read!

XoXo,
     Lori