Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

We have zucchinis exploding from our garden as well as squash, radishes, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  It is hard to keep up, but we are very grateful to grow our own resources.  Lately, we have been giving away some of our fresh vegetables to our neighbor.  I have made veggie stir fries,  omelets, packaged the vegetables in Ziploc bags to freeze, and made zucchini bread.  

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This is my most favorite zucchini bread recipe, which we tweaked from an old recipe from my family.  If you like pumpkin spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon then you would love my zucchini bread recipe.  Additionally, an added bonus is chocolate chips, which my children love the most about my zucchini bread!

Ingredients

Yield: Two bread loaf pans
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
3 c. flour 
2 c. shredded zucchini
1 c. of chocolate chips (we used a variety of chocolate chips from Winco bins such as dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or tiny semisweet chips).
Optional you may add: 
1/2 c. nuts or dates instead of chocolate chips.
Directions
Preheat oven 325 degrees and grease two bread pans with either cooking spray or shortening. With a cheese grater, shred two cups of zucchini and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugars, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer. Add vanilla, soda, baking powder, and salt, mix well. Then add the spices, flour, and shredded zucchini.  Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips.  Bake for 60-75 minutes (do the tooth pick method to check if done in the middle).  Cool on racks and then gently remove the bread from the pans. 

July 2012 Family Fun Events

1. July 4, 2012 We celebrated Independence Day with our usual yummy BBQ and watching fireworks at Pleasant Grove Junior High with family members. Our dog Jagger hated the fireworks, poor pup! 

 2.  July 14, 2012 We went to the Payson Scottish Festival to see the Campbell family who were selling some darling homemade Scottish Dolls. We enjoyed listening to the bag pipes and drums as well as watching the dancers.  As for food/drinks, we bought a large bottle of cream soda, twisted tators, and Boston cream funnel cake! Later we stopped at Daley Freez for dinner, which was my favorite place to eat while living in Payson. We parked at Salem Pond to eat our food. So many memories flooded my mind thinking about my long bike rides to Salem pond, hanging out at Payson Memorial Park listening to band concerts, etc. I had some fun childhood memories growing up in a small town called Payson...

 

Later that same day, we went fishing at Manila Creek! We didn't have much luck catching anything. Little Sis caught a small blue gill, which we put back in the water.  We enjoyed walking in the sand and cool water.  There was an incredible sunset too.  

 3. July 16, 2012 Uncle Nate invited us, sister, nephew, and Hahn girls (my ex step brother's kids) to swim and watch movies at his house. We ate pizza and junk food.

4.  July 20-22, 2012 Lastly, we went to the cabin in the Unitas with my brother Nate, my sister Karen as well her her sons, and Hahn family.  We had a blast playing card games, swimming in a stream, eating BBQ foods, watching movies, busting moves with Just Dance 3, and enjoying the quiet away from city life!

 
 I ♥ my family!!! 

Summertime Scraps Faves

10 Lazy Days of Summer, 2000

 Credits:  The layout was designed by me for once! The papers are by Amy Sumrall, Valorie Wibbens, and Karah Fredricks. The cloud element is by Jacque Larson.  The rest of the elements, doodles, word strips, and alpha/numbers are by Kate Hadfield, which you could find most of the stuff from my layout at The Lily Pad. I used the segoe print for my font.

Lagoon Amusement Park, 2010

Credits:  The template is by Memory Clips. The papers, elements, alpha, and word strips are from "Carnival" kit by Sahlin Studio and Jennifer Barrette from The Lily Pad.  The felt elements are by Dani Mogstad. To my surprise, I did not use any fonts!
Cawabunga Bay Water Park, 2011

Credits: The template, papers, elements, word art, are from "Sand Box" kit by Shabby Princess.  I used sf Katie Fun font.

Good-bye Angel: My Recent Miscarriage

 Sculptor: Martin Hudáček; born 1984; home: Banska Bystrica, Slovakia 

Although this sculpture portrays the emotions of a woman who regrets having an abortion, I believe all mothers who have been through a miscarriage, stillborn, or death of a small child can relate to the sorrow and suffering that is showed in this beautiful artwork. It brings tears to my eyes looking at it as well as comfort.

Several weeks ago on May 26, 2012, I had a positive pregnancy result from a blood test.  We were very excited about having baby number three joining our household especially my daughters who would love to have another sibling.  My due date would have been January 25, 2013.  My pregnancy started out very difficult with some morning sickness and many PMS symptoms.  To my surprise around the same time,  I had finger numbness and pain due to a pinched ulnar nerve for a couple weeks, which I believe may have been related to the pregnancy (increased blood flow through out my body) because I did nothing unusual to cause the trauma.  Since I could no longer function normally due to the pain in my wrist, fingers, and elbow, I went to the doctor to see what I should do about it.  He recommended to take some anti-inflammatory pills and steroids and assured me that they would not harm my unborn baby.  So I followed his orders and within a week and a half I was back to normal and pain free.

I made an appointment with my OBGYN around ten weeks of my pregnancy.  A couple weeks before the appointment I noticed my pregnancy symptoms started decreasing (very little morning sickness, etc) as well as unusual cramping in my side.  I didn't think it was too serious because I was heading towards the second trimester and thought the pain was due to my body stretching to make room for my growing uterus. Then two days before my first prenatal check up, I started spotting, ugh.  So there were "flags" indicating what was happening to me, which I completely ignored.  I kept praying that all will be well, but deep down I had a gut instinct that there was something terribly wrong. Finally on June 29, 2012, I saw the doctor.  To my surprise, my blood pressure was elevated which concerned the doctor a bit.  I also had a full exam since it has been awhile since my last pap smear etc and the baby's heart beat wasn't found using the doppler.  He tried to not alarm me because maybe I was off a week or so on my cycle (but I am very regular and was exactly ten weeks that day).  So we were sent to the ultrasound room down the hall.  I had a regular ultrasound at first then a vaginal ultrasound because my baby was very tiny.  The ultrasound tech quietly measured my motionless embryo that averaged around 7 weeks old instead of 10 weeks.  I could not see or hear a heartbeat or any sign of life and knew before they said anything my baby was dead. A few minutes later my doctor came in reviewed the images/looked closely at the screen and diagnosed me with a missed miscarriage (he was very sad for my loss too) then gave me three options a D&C, natural miscarriage, or induced miscarriage using misoprostol (cytotec).  I chose to take the cytotec option since my body was slow in acknowledging my baby's death. I recall being numb while in the office and refused pain pills (for while passing the baby naturally); however, on the way out the door, I broke down in tears.  I was lucky to have my husband right beside me the whole time.  Next, we went to the hospital to get blood work done for a rhogam shot since I am rh negative and a couple hours later I received my shot in my right hip. I went home cried all evening and went to bed since I planned on taking the cytotec pills in the morning.

The next day June 30, 2012 was an emotional roller coaster and one of the worst days of my life.  The thought of my dead baby stuck inside made me very sad. I had extreme anxiety about taking the four cytotec pills (orally) after reading many horror stories online about them (a big mistake for any woman in my situation).  I panicked because I refused pain pills from my doctor the previous day and it was a weekend. What was I thinking, ugh???  I had a miscarriage in 2002 (I was five weeks along) and it was very similar to a heavy period and terrible cramps.  I was afraid that since I was further along it would be more painful with contractions and back pain like labor, ack!  So I ate a small breakfast and took 1000mg of Tylenol.  After a prayer and priesthood blessing from my husband, I finally had the courage to take the cytotec pills.  Thirty minutes later my miscarriage began (started bleeding) and had an unpleasant side effect from the pills (diarrhea).  It was a long physical and emotional day of heavy bleeding, passing clots, and back/abdominal cramping. I used two rolls of toilet paper and several overnight pads. My pain was managed pretty well thankfully with just Tylenol 1000mg (every 4-6 hours) and I applied a heating pad on my abdomen/back. I was okay with my choice.  If faced again with the same situation, I would take cytotec again. A woman's body is truly remarkable in creating and naturally miscarrying a baby.  I was able to have closure after passing my darling angel naturally with help from cytotec to speed up the process.

The highlights during my miscarriage was the love, prayers, and concern for me.  I was truly grateful for the outpouring private messages via Facebook, phone calls, text messages, etc on my behalf.  I recall making ice cream sundaes with my family and painted my nails with my beautiful daughters during my miscarriage. I got a phone call from a wonderful friend who recently went through a miscarriage herself a couple months ago.  She gave me comfort and great advice on what to expect. I also received some gorgeous flowers from my sister in-law and a pomegranate Jamba Juice. I counted my many blessings and was truly grateful for my daughters, husband, my dog Jagger (who stayed by my side the whole time), extended family members, and friends.  I was a brave warrior who survived a miscarriage without any complications.

I followed up with the doctor a week later on July 9, 2012. My blood pressure was still high 159/106, ack.  I stopped bleeding three days after my miscarriage, which I thought was odd. So I had another ultrasound which concluded that I had passed most of my baby, placenta, etc except a little blood matter near my uterus lining.  The doctor ordered another round of cyotec to clear the rest out and I made another appointment for the following week.

On July 16, 2012, I saw my doctor again. I reported that I bleed a little bit then stopped and he seems to think I am done.  I should get a period in 4-6 weeks after my miscarriage.  My blood pressure was still high 139/98.  He is very concerned about it but not ready to put me on blood pressure pills yet since I haven't had a history of high blood pressure in the past.  He encouraged me to lower my salt intake, exercise, and watch my calorie intake. I am also going to try doing Yoga DVDs to help reduce stress.  He strongly recommended that I should try loosing some weight which would make a huge difference in lowering my blood pressure hopefully.

Although I was absolutely devastated and heart broken about my miscarriage, I am trying to trust in the Lord that it happened for a very good reason.  Something must have gone horribly wrong while the baby was developing, it wasn't the right time for me to be pregnant due to medical issues (high blood pressure etc), or other unknown reasons that I may not ever know or understand.  During my emotional meltdowns of grief, I felt my sweet mother with me.  Even though she passed away a year ago, I know deep in my heart that she is always with me especially during difficult times during my life.

Family Hike and BBQ in Provo Canyon

June was an exciting month!  We celebrated John's 37th birthday and Father's Day!  We went on a family hike, swimming at the pool, John and big sis went to ward youth conference at Camp Williams and Heber Valley Girl's Camp while Little Sis and I went to a local Strawberry Days parade with some friends!  Lastly, our dog Jagger got a cute haircut!
I was playing around with Instagram while waiting for the parade to start.

On June 9, 2012, We went on the annual local family day breakfast and hike! Our nephews (Malcolm and Justin), nieces (Keli and Lauren) and grandnephew Tristan came along with us. The breakfast included fruit, donuts, scones, and juice.  They did a Smurf theme.  Little sis  made some blue play dough and played several games on the way up to the falls.   We won gift certificates to Chubby's and a Cookie Shop as well as got many coupons from many local food and entertainment sponsors! 

While John's parents were in town, we went up to South Fork Canyon during the evening of June 9, 2012.  We invited several family members!  South Fork has always been our favorite spot that is perfect for grilling meats, lounging under shade, watching the children play in the cold stream, and playing either football or Frisbee. During this trip to the canyon, we celebrated John's 37th birthday!  We had everyone bring their own meats and a side dish to share.  I made potato salad, snickers apple salad, and marinated a couple different chickens.  Then I made an incredible Texas Ranch Cake for the birthday guy!  We had a wonderful time visiting all our family members!

 Jagger got a groovy haircut!  We took him to a local groomer and requested it short. She did a poodle/bichon frise style and tied a purple bandanna around his neck. When we picked him up, we could hardly recognize him!  He is very happy and cool with a new summer hair do!  

Mother and Daughter Girls Night!

Last month during May, little sis and I had a lovely girls night together. It is a rare occasion for just the two of us to do something fun together without big sis or daddy tagging along.  We decided to go to the local mall since she had some birthday money.  Our first stop was at Payless Shoes!  We both bought some darling sandals.  I got some black ones then picked up some fun bohemian styled from Famous Footwear.  Little sis of course had to break the new white sandals in while shopping!

 Next, I bought some clothes at DownEast Basics and Papaypa, jewelry at Icing (Clairs) which are my favorite stores.

Then we went to Build a Bear!  Little Sister had a blast picking out the perfect rainbow teddy bear, pink clothes, and pink accessories (sunglasses, bag and flowers)!  Afterwards, we stopped near Macy's to eat a snack and make wishes in the water fountain.  Little Sis threw in ten pennies! 

 Lastly, she and I checked out the game store and then she played at the indoor park in the mall.  We were very exhausted from shopping and walking around!

Happy May Memories 2012

Lately I've enjoyed the perfect spring weather! Oh, how I love smelling blossoms while jogging, and seeing the beautiful flowers and trees!  During the month of May, we went hiking, celebrated Mother's Day, big sis got braces, and little sis participated in a school dance festival.

After the kids were dropped off to school a couple weeks ago, John and I went hiking up Grovecreek trail.  We saw many wild flowers, butterflies, and a humming bird.  It was partly sunny on the way up the trail, but within an hour it got extremely dark and cloudy.  It started to rain a few minutes after we were safely in the car.

On Mother's Day, I wore a fun bohemian styled outfit and sandals. My family spoiled me by making me breakfast (waffles, eggs, and bacon) and dinner (shrimp and chicken Alfredo)!  I got some lovely flowers (yellow, white, and purple) to hang near the back porch. John spoke in church about mothers and I got a king size bar of chocolate from the ward, which I shared with everyone!

Big Sis got her top braces on!  She looks very pretty and happy in this picture!

Little Sis had a dance festival.  The third grade performed to the song Summer Belongs to You from the cartoon Phineas and Ferb.

We are looking forward to fun SUMMER adventures!  Hopefully I can knock out some things from last years summer bucket list that I didn't get to accomplish.  May was simply marvelous!

M&M Teacher Appreciation Gift

On the last day of school, I sent little sister with a cute gift to give to her third grade teacher Miss Wright.  We bought 2 packages of M&Ms and a clear plastic jar.  I was inspired by this website Domestically Speaking that had a perfect poem to accompany with the gift.

Green is for the inspiration you give me each day.

Blue is for your patience in showing me the way.

Orange is for your warmth and caring style.

Yellow is for the way you always make me smile.

Red is for my life that you have touched this year.

You’re a very special teacher just like this jar, that’s clear.

You place knowledge in our children’s hands

and melt into their hearts and lives forever.

You’re a "Magnificent" & "Marvelous" teacher

Thank you for being my M&M.

Spring Butterfly and Floral Wreath

It has been a while since I last crafted something.  I was in desperate need of a colorful spring wreath to hang on my front door since my oldest daughter thinks I never decorate my house for holidays or seasons.  So I went to a local Dollar Store to gather some supplies.

Spring Butterfly Floral Wreath

Supplies

One wreath 

Flowers: baby breath, yellow, orange, pink, and purple

Batches of butterflies (brown, orange, pink,and blue)

Glue gun and glue sticks

pliers (to cut the flowers)

My total spent at the Dollar Store was $10.00, which is cheap compared to a craft store! As for the time arranging and gluing it together, it took me about two hours.  Now isn't that a pretty cheerful wreath? I absolutely love my spring wreath and look forward to making other wreaths in the future!

Happy Mother's Day in Heaven!

Dear Mother, 

Last year I recall bringing you a boutique of beautiful flowers for Mother's Day.  You also requested some new dresses and even though you were diabetic, I spoiled you with a sweet treat...   You were very excited and happy to see Karen, Nate, and me! 

 I have many fond memories of you.  You were very kind towards others and an animal lover.  You loved music, singing, cooking, and crocheting.  Thank you for being a fun Mother!  We sure had marvelous adventures together such as swimming, roller skating, bowling, playing at the park, shopping at the mall, eating at several restaurants (like Sizzler when you yelled out to the waiter, "More Shrimp Please"), and having Baskin's Robins Ice Cream cones, etc.  You spoiled me rotten when you bought me that huge Barbie house on my 12th birthday, you reluctantly drove me to the store to buy me junk food late at night when you would rather be sleeping, and always gave me shopping spree money!  

You always comforted me when I felt sad or was hurt. I truly enjoyed bouncing ideas and goals with you in person or on the telephone.  I loved that you always understood me, supported me, and encouraged me during my hard times.  You were very patient with me and loved me very much. I always could count on you and appreciated all you have done for me. You were a wonderful example to me.  I always admired your faith, determination, courage, and strength.  

I think about you all the time especially while I go jogging and hope you check in with me once in awhile.  Last week while I was at Walgreen's purchasing my first red lipstick, I thought of you.  I have never tried bold colors like you wore (blue eye shadow, bright pink lipstick, and red lipstick) and I was surprised that I didn't look too bad with ruby lips!  I will always think of you when I apply that red lipstick and feel confident like you did all gussied up! 

I am sad that I didn't get a chance to say good-bye, sit by your bedside, or hold your hand before your unexpected death.  I will never forget my last precious moments with you.  It was in June 2011 when Karen and I came to see you at the nursing home after you were discharged from the hospital.  You had a terrible kidney infection and a broken leg (from a fall in the shower).  You were lying in bed swollen from all the antibiotics and had a difficult time eating your dinner due to your Parkinson's Disease. So Karen and I took turns feeding you.  Before we left, we both hugged you, kissed your cheek, and said, "I love you, Mom!"  I am very grateful for that time we shared together with you and hope you will remember my beautiful last moments with you.   I hope you know how much I love you!  I miss visiting with you in the nursing home, seeing your warm smile, wrapping my arms around you, and kissing your soft cheeks.

 I will never forget you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day in heaven!

Love your daughter forever, Jenny       

I scrapped some pages of my sweet Mother and some pictures from her funeral.

Miss You Mother, 2011

Page Two 

Credits: Shabby Princess June 2011 Templates, Blossom and Sprout kits from Shabby Princess, and I used the Mareen's Print font.

April 2012 Summary

April blew by quick due to us being extremely busy in our household.  We had a couple birthdays, Easter, spring break, my dad from Vermont came to visit us, accomplished a lot of yard work, new church callings (hubby is a scout master assistant and second counselor to the young men while I teach 5-6 year old primary children), and our puppy Jagger kept me on my toes since he acts like a toddler eating/chewing everything in sight and occasionally has potty accidents in the house.

Big sister turned 13 years old on April 5th and had a birthday party with some friends!  I cannot believe that she is officially a teenager!

Her birthday theme was her favorite colors Orange, Purple, and Blue!

 The kids played the following games: darts with balloons on sheet rock, Goldfish catch, cartoon couples match game, truth and dare, bubble gum relay, etc. They ate pizza, bread sticks, cake, and ice cream.  The teenangers  appeared very happy and entertained.  Big sis even made a groovy play list on her iPod, which they jammed to during the party.

Our beautiful little sister turned nine years old on April 15th! She requested a very rich chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup cake.  We bought moose tracks ice cream, devil's food cake mix, chocolate frosting.  I did two round cakes and put ice cream in between the cakes. Then frosted it and crumbled Reese's cups all over... We stored it in the freezer.  YUM!  She loved her girly presents a pink fuzzy blanket, a purple kick ball, sock monkey slippers, fairy dolls, Strawberry Shortcake play set, and a purple Lego set.

Little Sis read to Grandpa Coleman while he was in town.  He visited for a couple days during the third week of April.  We had a lovely BBQ with my sister's family on a Sunday evening and hung out.  On another day, he and I went to my mother's grave and had lunch together.  Then we ate enchiladas at my place for dinner one evening and my sister stopped by after work.  It was a great experience for my girls to be reconnected with him since it has been over six years since he last came out.

Big Sis reading to Grandpa!

 Yard work and gardening is a lot of work!  I have already spent many hours weeding, ack! We trimmed rose bushes, thinned fruit trees, fertilized the lawn, chopped limps off our out of control English walnut tree, planted seedlings and flowers!  I absolutely love having a greenhouse!  It has been cool this spring and my plants survived thankfully.  I hope we have a successful harvest in the next couple months! 

I adore my little "puff ball" or "toasted marshmallow" bichon frise/poodle puppy! Jagger makes me laugh and smile everyday!  I enjoy taking him on walks, car rides, kissing him, and cuddling him. He is entertaining when he chases his tail, plays with his favorite squeaky lady bug toy by pushing it on our legs while we walk, and prances when he moves around the house.  He definitively has "The Moves Like Jagger!" John and I are determined to learn how to groom him (nails, haircut, etc) since taking him to the groomers costs a lot of bling bling! Isn't he the cutest puppy ever??? XOXOX

Festival of Colors

Photo Credit: Erin Kondratieff Pritchett

You know it is spring time when an explosion of rainbow colors can be seen in the air! Big Sis left the house in a white t-shirt and jean shorts with some friends to the Festival of Colors on Saturday March 24, 2012 at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah.  She was given some colored cornstarch to toss in the air (not recommended thrown in your eyes which happened twice to big Sis).  She had a lot of fun with her friends and came home with pastel hair, face, shoes, and clothes! 

Fave Winter Scrap Pages for 2012

Since it is officially the last day of winter, I would like to post some of my favorite winter scraps.  I am looking forward to Spring especially after mother nature dropped two inches of snow this morning, ugh!  Luckily, we have warmer temperatures later in the week!

Snow Day, 2010

Credits:  The template is from Sweet Shoppe Designs "Dattlan" 2011 Cookie template, Snow Day doodles are by Kate Hadfield, papers Karah Fredricks,  green and pink alpha are by Kaye Winiecki, word strips, stitching, orange frame, and orange paper by Eve Kipler all from the The Lily Pad.
Be Mine, 2011

Credits:  Love You template by Morignals,  Project Scrap January 2012 template (free) from Shabby Princess blog, Wild Love kit and Seasonal Sampler Amore (free kit) by Shabby Princess and Three Dates and One Night font.

St. Patrick's Day Fun and Happy Birthday/ RIP Gramps

What a busy weekend!  We had serious green thumb syndrome yesterday!!!  John has been getting our 30' by 25' garden ready.  We borrowed a tiller from our friend to loosen up the ground.  I started filling the pots, planter boxes, etc with fresh soil.  In the next couple weeks, I am starting some plants which will be in the greenhouse.  Yes, we have a greenhouse and I am very excited to take advantage of it!  To our surprise, there are several tulips starting to come up all over the yard!  I cannot wait to see them bloom!  I have SPRING FEVER!!! Next, we gave Jagger his first haircut!  Obviously, it looks unprofessional and hopefully in time we will be able to do a respectable job.  He was a good boy while trimming it with clippers and snipping with scissors.  I had to bribe him with chopped carrots and puppy treats.  A "leprechaun" left some gold coins and Rolos for the girl's St. Patrick's Day treat.  I printed the I'm so Lucky to have you that was placed on the top of a ziplock bag!  My printer ran out of green, ack!  It was poor quality printing; however, it is the thought that counts! For dinner, the girls requested corned beef again just like last year!  Then John and I decided to make Colcannon (mashed potatoes, cabbage, bacon, cream, and butter) as a side dish, Irish Soda Bread, and apple beer.  As for dessert, we made rainbow sherbet floats (Sprite and Rainbow Sherbet) and  Lucky Charms Cupcakes.  

As for my Grandfather, he died early this morning (March 17, 1925-March 18, 2012).  He was in a coma with a high fever these last couple weeks resulting from leukemia.  I am very impressed that he held on until his 86th birthday, which was on St. Patrick's Day.  He lived a wonderful life.  I admired the fact that he worked very hard most of his life and did his best to provide for his family.  He was always positive looking on the bright side of things even when challenges came his way. He found true love twice, loved music, worked as a TV and radio engineer for many years, enjoyed building model airplanes, liked walks near the beach, and was a great example to all his family members by living a healthy and joyful lifestyle.  I will miss my visits with my Gramps!  I will always cherish my happy memories we shared together on Cape Cod. You can read his obituary from the Cape Cod Times . I love you, Gramps! Rest in peace and say hello to Grandma and my Mother for me!!! XOXOX

2012 Reading List

Best Books for Little Sis:

David Shannon Books

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Conner

Fancy Nancy Books by the way there are some fun Free Fancy Nancy Activities for little girls!

Jamie Lee Curtis Books such as Today I Feel Silly and I Am Going to Like Me.

Meg Cobot's Allie Finkle Series

Big Sister's Fave Books:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My Thoughts: I bought this hardback series in March 2011 from Costco.  They sat on my shelf for months collecting dust.  Big sister finally got around to reading them during the summer and begged me to read them too. She absolutely loved the series! In fact, she liked The Hunger Games series more than Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.  She was dying to share her thoughts with me, but could not without spoiling the story for me.  When I finally got around to reading them this fall, I was hooked!  I read all three of them in a couple days!  What an incredible thriller book series filled with action, friendship, love, fashion, and survival. I loved the characters especially Katniss and Peeta!  Even my husband read the Hunger Games in one day but did not get the chance to read the two following books.  The last book Mocking Jay lost my interest a little bit in the beginning of the book but it got better in the middle and I was satisfied with the ending. I am looking forward to seeing The Hunger Games  film in a couple weeks with my oldest daughter!

My Future Reading Picks:
I cannot wait to read the following books!  I bought them a couple months ago and they are on my list to read this year!  I will write a book review later!

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks 

Matched by Ally Condle