Book Review - The Help

One of the top 5 books I've read in my life is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I was reluctant to read it because its a thick book - over 400 pages in length. And, that in itself can be intimidating! But once I started, I wanted it to keep going - to be much more than 400 pages. I yearned to know more about what happened to Skeeter, or how things are with Minny. I love books that allow you to dive in and really explore the characters, so much in fact, that you feel as if they are your friends.

The Help is about three women - Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny - who live in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. Skeeter is a recent college graduate and Aibileen and Minny are maids for wealthy white folks in town. During the peak of the Civil Rights movement, they each go through transitions in their lives that make them stronger women. They help each other in unexpected ways and unite together through the creation of a surprising project.

Without giving much away, it's an incredibly moving story that really makes you think. What would you do? Would you stand up for your beliefs even if it means losing your closest friends? Would you be accepting of unlikely friends? How far would you go?

A must-read!

Brittney

Playing Catch Up!

Its been awhile since my last post - so here's what we've been up to!

1. We spent the weekend in Boston (Woburn, actually) for J's cousins wedding. We had a really great time with our family and friends!! I love my new cousin-in-law, Erin! She's just the sweetest person, and we get along really great! I love when fabulous people become part of your family!

2. No updates on the house - we had another open house this weekend and received great feedback, so hopefully soon! We are READY TO SELL!!!

3. Charley got kicked out of day care while we were away this past weekend. Aggressive behavior. Yep, our precious dog, who is as friendly as can be was kicked out. Grammy picked him up on Saturday morning and he was an angel for her - wouldn't you know?!? Oh, well.....hopefully our 2-legged kids are better behaved!

4. GLEE IS BACK!!! Thank you Jesus!

5. And SPRING IS BACK!! Hooray for being able to wear dresses and sandals again!

6. Today is my mom's birthday! And for her birthday, she is taking me on a trip to the Florida Keys! Great mom, right? I love my mom so much!! She's the world to me!

Have a great week bloggers!

My First Time at TJ Maxx

For the first time today, I went to TJ Maxx. One of my friends, Lindsay, loves this store, and since I was exiled from my house for a showing, I wandered down the street to the one on West Gray. I really liked the selection of clothes - in fact, I bought a bathing suit (yikes) and a shirt. The kitchen and home section wasn't up to par with Marshalls Home Goods, but it wasn't terrible. I looked for Jeremy a shirt, and wasn't impressed with their men's department, but that's not a deal breaker for me.

I'm really glad I went there and I'll definitely go back! Great selections for clothes and accessories for women!

Happy Easter!
brittney

My March Madness

I seriously feel like March has lasted soooo long - anyone else feel that way? Here are some updates about what we've been up to lately:

1. No updates on the house; its been on the market 34 days, and we average about one showing every other day, so that's positive. The house I was in love with is about to become option pending, which is a little sad, but its ok. God knows our new address, and obviously that's not it!

2. We've spent lots of time with our Sunday School friends recently. We have such a great Sunday School class - Compass. It's all young marrieds like us, some with babies, and some without. I love the girls in there and the new friendships I've made. I hope I become closer friends with them!!

3. I took an interior decorating class through Leisure Learning with my mom last week - it was awesome! I learned a lot about how to decorate our home!

4. My BFF Kim got married on March 20! Here are a few pics from her wedding festivities! It was fun to do lots of the planning and preparation with my BFF Lindsay! It was such a blessing to be a part of the celebration! Kim's also a blogger now - check out her newlywed blog!

Me and Lindsay before the Bachelorette's Night Out!The Bachelorette Party weekend also involved some serious shopping!
Posing at the rehearsal with Bridesmaid Jessica (the wedding was supposed to be outside on this beautiful golf course, but it got rained out)
Having fun at the reception with the beautiful bride and her new groom!
We just had to do this - making fun of the traditional wedding pic! Haha!!
Me and my groom of 20 months :)

5. Please pray for our cheerleading tryouts this week - on April 1. We have lots of girls trying out, so just pray for all of these girls hearts as they go through this emotional week!

6. Its been fun this month to go to the Rodeo! It's one of my favorite things to do in Houston. I went to see Kenny Chesney (of course) with my BFF Jenna!! So fun! And also saw Lady Antebellum with Kim, Jessica (pictured above) and JS (other Jessica). I also saw Keith Urban - probably my favorite performer this year - with my friend Kim from SBS! So fun!! I love country music!

Have a great week!
Brittney

New Designer Shoes - Friday

Today I wore my first pair of designer sandals. I paid way too much money for this pair of Coach sandals a few weeks back, and have been too nervous to wear them! I broke them out today for Kim's bridal luncheon, and I must say, they looked adorable. The downside of the shoes is that they have zero traction on the bottom of them, which is why I ended up falling down the stairs this morning on my way out the door (and managed to spill a glass of water on me in the process). Although me and my shoes didn't have a good start, all's well that ends well!

Aren't they cute?

Updating this week has been fun - its fun to try something new every day! Now, I'll go back to my regular postings - once or so a week! Have a great weekend!

'Bow'quet Thursday

As the proud MOH in my friend Kim's wedding this weekend, I did my duty of making her rehearsal bouquet. I finally got my act together and made it today. It was so easy and really fun! That much pink in one small area makes me really happy!

Here are some photos of the adorable bouquet. I hope she likes it!
And, no, I've never made one of these before! Another Spring Break first!

Almost finished!

One view!

Another view!

I'll do my last Spring Break post tomorrow - have no idea what my "new" project will be though...
Brittney

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Wednesday's Project

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of the national green holiday, I baked green cupcakes. I've never made green cupcakes, or any St. Paddy's Day dessert, so its my something new for today! I tried a new recipe for the icing - its white chocolate! I can't wait to try it, but I'm going to wait for hubby to get home before diving in! Hope you all had a great day!