Book Review "The DarkTower Gunslinger"

I have to take a break from sharing my shopping goodies to do a book review.
As it is the last day of the month, I need to share my book choice for the month of August.
I actually finished this book on the 18th of this month, but forgot to share it earlier.

I like to read the book before seeing the movie, since I heard that this book was made into a movie, I just had to give it a read.
I had this book series in my collection (as I love how Stephen King writes and collect his books in hard cover).
But I donated them many years ago as I figured I would never read them as I thought they were Western type of a book.
Which they are, in a sense...but a more futuristic type of book with a dark side to it....true Stephen King style.

Did I like the book...yeah it was an okay read.
But I don't feel the need to keep reading the rest of the series.
So not so much of a hit for me.

I am so far enjoying my read for September :)
What books have you been reading this summer?
I love to hear what is on everyone else's reading list.

I hope you all are having a very Creative Day :)

Tracy :)

Day 2 of our Girls Creative Shopping Get away

Today was all about Crafts Direct!!
We look so forward to checking this place out every year...and with what we buy, I am sure they look forward to our visit.
Crafts Direct is about 1.5 hours from our hotel, but so worth the drive.

Picked up some kits, papers, stickers and embellishments.
See that mint coloured handle, both Sharon and I bought these 12x12 containers to cart our papers back home.
Thankfully we did, as I brought one from home and they are both full.

I love these cut apart papers.
Not only are they perfect for scrapbooking, but they work great in my planner.
A tip....when I purchase some pattern papers, I also pick out my matching card stock.

Across the parking lot from Crafts Direct, is a Crafts Direct Outlet store.
I honestly didn't think I would have found as much as I did :)
I love those chipboard pieces!!

Their papers were 4 for a $1.00.
This floral paper made me think of my mom.
I still haven't made a page about my mom or a memory page of her.

I grabbed this Winnie the Pooh album.
I have had matching papers to this album for so long, but still haven't used them...I think it is time.
I also picked up 4 mini Snap albums, they were a great price!!!

We stopped at Hobby Lobby in St. Cloud before heading back to Hinckley.
I swooned when I saw this floral planner tote. It also has zippered pockets inside for pens, stickers and what every else I want to store in there with my planner.
And bonus...almost everything was 50% off!!!!

I have been putting a few fairy gardens around my flower beds at home and at the cottage, so when I saw these, I just had to pick them up.
How adorable is that fairy house!!!

It was an adventure for Sharon and I.
I totally forgot Lola, our GPS, at home.
I wasn't worried in the least...even when we got a bit lost.
But it was when we were leaving that was a bit more of a challenge.
As we were driving out of town, nothing looked familiar...turned out we were traveling in the wrong direction...always an adventure, lol.

I hope you all have a very creative day :)

Tracy :)

Girls Creative Shopping Getaway

Every year my friend Sharon and I go on a little getaway and do some damage in the craft stores.
We head to Hinckley Grand Casino.
Sharon loves to gamble and I love the free room that her gambling provides for us ;)
We look so forward to this little trip every year.

I am not sure if you are aware, but I was in a no spend challenge with a few friends.
Well I am out of that challenge as of Monday, lol
But I am proud to say I was one of the last ones that were still in this challenge.

We started off in Michaels in Duluth.
I was so excited that I found this planner punch!!
I thought for sure I would need to order it on-line if I wanted it.
Not only did I find it, I got to use my coupon, and Sharon used hers on this extra punches.
So excited to try it.

Picked up a couple of packages of these HeidI Swapp stickers and ephemera pieces to use in my planner.
And some wooden pieces to use on some pages and for my fairy garden.

Next stop was to Hobby Lobby.
I found this pretty paper pack and a few pretty sheets of paper.
I know, I know..I don't need anymore paper...but look how pretty they are ;)

My daughter loves letter boards and picked up the Heidi Swapp one when she was here a couple of weeks ago.
But once she got home, she had wished she had picked up these bigger letters, so I grabbed them for her.

They have a JoAnns here and I couldn't go there without picking up something, so I grabbed these pretty papers...I am thinking a layout about my dad (minus the pink paper..I just liked the colour).

Back to Hobby Lobby for another look around.
And look, I found some more goodies ;)
Love the colours of this and it was 50% off...how could I not?!

I needed a camera to put the finishing touch on a layout I did last week when Debbie and I were away at Mink Mountain.
The other packages just jumped in my cart...I couldn't just leave them there.

I saw these Monthly letter board words, and thought Ashley would like them as well...and well, they were on sale.

I ran into TJ Max as Ashley had picked up a pretty cover/folder for letter sized note pads.

Hers if different than this one, but I love the saying on this one.

I always have such big plans, lol.

Ran into the mall to pick up chocolate covered pretzels for Heather as this is the only item she asks for, so decided to check out Barns and Noble.
I can always find a note book or 2 in there.
Isn't this just so pretty :)

As well as this one ;)

We had so much fun!!!

But just you wait until my next post, as we went to Crafts Direct in St Cloud....Love that store!

Until my next share, I hope you all have a very creative day :)

Tracy :)

Girls Creative Getaway

If you have been a reader of my blog and know anything about me, then you know how important my family and friends are to me.

Every year my girlfriend (of over 30+years) and I go on a little trip.
For the last (many years) we have been going to Mink Mountain.
We rent a cabin for 4 days, we create, hike, relax in the hot tub and just enjoy each other's friendship.

Hard to tell, but we just walked up a huge hill, and complained the whole time....but we did it again the next day, lol.

Debbie taking a photo of the solar eclipse...I kept telling her she needed to get back inside.
Silly lady, but I think she may have got a photo of it.

This little cutie came right up to our patio door.
He even brought us a dead bird, lol.
I think he wanted to exchange it for what we were having for dinner, lol.

We enjoyed a nice hot tub every night.
Scrapbooking all day and night as well as our hikes, this sure eased our muscles.
And besides the spiders that I had to clear away for Debbie, we had a couple of these beauties come and visit us during our soak.

Such a beautiful view of the lake from the cabins deck!
Love Lake Superior.

First place I stopped before heading home, was to visit this little guy.
I think he even missed me.
After I fed him lunch, he fell asleep in my arms...I didn't want to put him down.

As much as I missed him, I did get to see him a lot in photos this week, as all my scrapbook pages were of him.
He will have his album completed before my own daughters are, lol.

I hope you all have a very creative day and I plan on sharing my layouts soon :)

Tracy :)

Good Bye Rainer

It has been an emotional time here.
Wayne's dad passed away.
We are missing him so much and will continue to as he was so special to us.

We own the camp/cottage right beside him and his wife and would see them every weekend at camp as well as Wayne seeing him during the week.
Our system for knowing when the other is awake and ready for company was to leave our camp door open so we knew when the other was awake and ready for visits.
It has been a sad summer to see that door closed every time we look over.

To make matters even more emotional, we put Ray (Rainer) to rest, the same day my dad (James) passed away 7 years ago.
Both of these men wore not related to me by blood, but they both treated me like their daughter and both had a soft spot in my heart as I know I did in theirs.

They are both so missed by us.
Love you and till we see each other again.

Tracy

Book Review "Fifty Shades Freed"

I am going strong with my resolution to read a book a month!!!
Even though this is the only resolution that I have actually been keeping up with, lol.

Here is my book for July.
I have to admit this didn't have me turning the pages.
I liked the first book. "Fifty Shades of Grey"...which I don't think I have a review on as I read it years ago.
I didn't care for the second book "Fifty Shades Darker" (except at the very end).
The reason I read this one is because the last few pages of the second book wanted me to know what was going to happen....plus it is a trilogy, so I just had to complete them.

I know there was some controversy on these books, which I didn't think was a big deal.
What got me in this book was that she was always worried about if Christian was upset with her.
Also that they kept referring to how much money he had, or designer names and such...that puts me off of a book.

I think I need a different type of book for August.
I am not into romance at all...maybe look for an apocalyptic type of book?

I have been so busy this summer and especially these last 2 weeks, so I have to appologise for not checking out your blogs and for not sharing much creatively with you all.
But summer is short here in Canada and I want to enjoy every second of it.

I hope you all had a very creative day.
If you know of some good books you would like to share with me, I would love to know what you are reading this summer.

Tracy :)

Hit the Big 50

Guess what day it is!!!!
Its my 50th birthday today :)
Many have asked me how I felt about turning 50.
Funny thing is over the years I have been saying I'm going to be 50 soon, that I thought I turned 50 years ago, lol
But honestly, I love my age no matter what it is.
I think we should celebrate every birthday and every day in between.

My lovely daughters and husband put together a wonderful surprise party for me on Thursday.
I know my girls did all the work while my husband opened his wallet for them to work their creative magic.
I love that someone turned the 5 around as it looks like I'm turning 20, lol.
There is always one in the crowd.

My daughter Heather took me out for dinner and then we came home to this.
50 lawn signs made by my girls.

I love this idea...they set up a memory jar and a sign stating to write a memory of me with each person who attended, and those that couldn't attend, they emailed my daughters their memory.
I loved reading them at the end of the evening.

One of the gifts my friend Lynne, gave me was this Coke picture, she got everyone that was at the party to sign it :)

My Friend Sharon knew I loved this painted I wanted to win in a raffle at a crop we attended a few months ago.
I didn't win it and was so sad, as I loved it so much.
She contacted the artist and commissioned him to paint on for me.
I was so shocked and I cried when I opened it....good thing Ashley didn't have her camera for that.

But the best was this photo wall my daughters put together.
When I saw it, I started to cry!!
Seriously, how could I not love this...I love it so much I don't want to take it down or take it apart.

I have to say, my daughters are so caring, loving and thoughtful.
Just to prove this, on my 40th birthday (wow was that 10 years ago already) they made me a scrapbook album with the title "40 Things we love about You"
I cried with each turn of a page.
I tell them that I think their mission in life is to see how many times they can make me cry, lol.
But with them being happy tears, I'm good with it.

I hope you all have a very creative day.