Books I Am Reading or Have Read: "Unseen"

I think I have probably mentioned before that I am a big Karin Slaughter fan.  I love the way that she weaves a tale and it never ends like you think it is going to end.  "Unseen" was no different. I was reading this book when I got to Miami and finished it on my way home.

Slaughter has recurring characters in her novels that I suppose draw me to them.  I just like to follow a character I have met and know and learn a little more about them with each novel that is written.  "Unseen" is one of those novels.  This novel follow Will Trent, who is employed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.  In this book, he goes undercover where he finds it more and more difficult to keep this particular investigation hidden from his physician girlfriend, Sara Linton, since this particular case involves people from her past.

I liked this book because I had previously read some of Slaughter's books where these other characters, who resurfaced from Sara's past, were in it.  While the main story line appears to be Will's case and how it will eventually unfold, these so-called minor characters play a big part in the whole picture.  Not unlike all of her books, Slaughter holds the reader's attention by slowly peeling the skin off of the onion, so to speak.  Little by little the reader becomes more aware of what is going on as this book moves from past to present until finally one thinks they have figured the entire mystery out.  BUT NO!  There is always that little twist at the end that is so expected in her novels, that although you know it's coming, you never see it happening again and again.  I cannot say that I haven't liked every book of hers that I have read and I would definitely recommend you read this and all of her books! (visit www.karinslaughter.com to find a complete list of her novels)

If you are interested in more of Karin Slaughter's "Will Trent" books, here is a list of them:

1.  Triptych
2.  Fractured
3.  Snatched
4.  Criminal
5.  Busted
6.  Unseen
                                                                  HAPPY READING!

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REAL Progress On My Back Yard Renovation Project!

I couldn't WAIT to return from Orlando to see what progress had been made on my pool house project and BOY, was I ever HAPPY...There was some REAL progress made!
 I know it's kind of messy, but you can see my finished outdoor fireplace!  It was a "pin" on my "Fireplace Pinterest Board" and I think it turned out GREAT! (Follow me on Pinterest:  Barbara Rogenmoser).  Now, I just need the weather to turn a little cooler so I can use it.
Inside, one of my two chandeliers has been hung;  I LOVE it!  See the cabinets in the background?  Hubby built those.  The ones on the wall will be painted the green trim color and have glass doors.  OH, and can you see my cream colored farm sink?  The island cabinets in the forefront will be painted a cream color.  And for the counter tops...A beautiful sea foam granite that I have picked out.
Just look at the ceiling. Didn't the stain turn out pretty?  Robby and Ryan are down at the other end, working on getting speakers installed for the television set.
Here you can see the color scheme I chose.  Since my house is French country, we decided to stay with that for the pool house as well.  All of the trim is painted this green color and the walls are this darker shade of taupe.
Here you see the two French doors that lead to the outside porch have been stained and are waiting to be hung.

I am SO excited that this project seems to be close to finishing up so we can start using this room!  Today the floor guys will be working on staining the concrete and later in the week, we will be going to look at the granite to make sure it is what we want before they cut it for installation.  The painter should be painting the cabinets soon and Hubby will finish putting up all the outside lighting we picked up in New Orleans.  HEY...I think there really may be an end to this project...And I JUST CAN'T WAIT!










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A Final Day of Fun at ANIMAL KINGDOM

Our last day in Orlando was spent in Disney's Animal Kingdom.  We decided to go there early in the day and get back home early enough to cook and all eat one last dinner together and then pack our stuff up to head home the next morning.  We started out on the safari, where we saw lots of animals out and about that day...
                                                           Ready for an animal safari!
                             It was already pretty HOT so we started with the water early on.
              There were lots of animals up and about that day and I got some great shots of them!
    Before we left the park, I got a picture with 3 of my 4 kids...We missed you this year, Poo Bear!

We decided to call it an "early" day and headed back home to pack, eat dinner together and visit a little more before everyone had to leave the next morning.
                              And I got to love on all 3 of my babies at once one more time.

The next day, Mimi and Papa were gone before we even got up; they had a 6 a.m. flight.  We all loaded up and took Caitlin, Kevin and Holli to the airport for a little later flight and then the rest of us got on the road to head all the way back to New Orleans in ONE DAY!  Yea, you might think that would be bad but it really wasn't and Beckett and Parker Ann were both real troopers!  We listened to the LSU game on the radio, made quite a few feeding, diaper and potty breaks and I alternated between reading and knitting.

Once in New Orleans, Robby and I stayed with Ryan and Allison.  We had to stay through Monday because we were scheduled to pick up our lighting for that backyard renovation project of ours (Remember that?!).  I also decided that I wanted to go down to Magazine Street to look for a bathroom vanity and mirror for the pool house as well.  We went down to Nadeau, where I DID find what I was looking for...
Not sure if you can tell much about the vanity, but it is a distressed looking cart.  I have ordered a glass bowl that will sit atop of it.  That is the mirror I chose laying across it.
Here's a better shot of the mirror.  I couldn't WAIT to get home to see the progress that had been made on the pool house while I had been gone!

The night before we left, Robby and I took Ryan and Allison and David and Codi out for dinner at a great little sushi restaurant...also on Magazine  Street.  OK, we LOVE Magazine Street!
If you get the chance to eat at this restaurant, DO IT!  The food was great, atmosphere wonderful and the restaurant, itself was beautiful...
                             These lovely glass light fixtures hang throughout the restaurant.





After picking up our light fixtures the next morning, we made the trek back home.  It was fun to get away with the family, but once again I must say, Dorothy was right..."There's no place like home!"













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The MAGIC KINGDOM Never Stops Being MAGICAL!

The next morning we woke up excited and ready for a BIG day at the MAGIC KINGDOM.  No matter how many times I have been there or how old I am, I simply LOVE visiting the Magic Kingdom.  And I just couldn't WAIT to see the excitement in Parker Ann at getting to see all of the Disney characters and ride all of the fun rides and basically just experience the MAGIC that can only be found there.
                  First, Parker Ann put on her Disney dress and got Aunt Ca Ca to braid her hair.

And then one by one, the other babies got their Disney clothes on too...


                                                           And then WE WERE OFF!
           Just entering the park, which was all decorated for Halloween already, was exciting!
                                                   And then there it was...THE CASTLE!

       It was SO HOT out there.  We put on hats and sunscreen and drank TONS of water.


        But we soon found a ride that was cool and one of our FAVORITES; "Its a Small World"!

                                           And then there were MAGIC CARPET RIDES.
                        And climbing high into the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.
                           And also lots of sweet memories made while waiting around in line.
       And as the sun started to set, everyone wanted their picture taken in front of the CASTLE.

Parker Ann was sound asleep, but that was a good thing since we wanted her to be up to enjoy the Electric Light Parade later that evening...
                                          And what a GREAT seat she had for that parade!
                              Ahhh...Just seeing the magical glow in a child's eyes.  PRICELESS.















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