Life After Cancer

Sometimes, life throws something at us that we would never imagine ever having to go through.
Sometimes, we are challenged to over come daunting obstacles that block our path.
Sometimes, the people in our lives mean more to us than they will ever know.

Never do you want to hear the word:

"Tumor"

or

"Cancer"

or

"Chemo" 

Pain and nausea became my normal.  Needles and bandages were a weekly staple.

The pity on other families faces when they saw I was the one attached to the machines, not my mother or father.  The question of "how old are you?" was hidden under their eyes.  But I saw it.  I heard them screaming in their heads, asking God "why would you let this happen?!"

I do not have the answer, I do not want the answer.  All I know is I'm a stronger, and better person after this.  I am more aware of what I'm putting into my body.  I listen to my body when it tells me I need to rest.

I don't take any day for granted, I'm thankful every morning I wake up to another beautiful day and you should be too.

Live life.
Do your thing.
Be you.

Love, Stevie

 

June 2016 Favorites

Hey Guys!

It's Stephanie, and I was wanting to talk about my monthly favorites.  I do not know if this will become a thing, or if I will just do it when I feel like I have some good things. So, let me know if you like posts like this.

Wow it's June, the year is already half over where has the time gone?!  I swear yesterday was JUST April....  Without further adieu, let's get into my favorites!  I'm going to do a few different categories, and I'm sure they will change from month to month.  

First, my favorite book.  I would have to say Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson is my top favorite book of the month.  Maybe even this year.  It's about a girl named Emily, who is very shy and reserved, and her journey over the summer after her best friend Sloan disappeared.

This seems slightly random, but my favorite food this month is grapes.  When I was grocery shopping, I found some on sale and they are sooooo good!!

I planned on including some makeup or beauty items, but to be honest, I haven't used anything new that I can talk about. Yet.  I was thinking of talking about my current makeup routine and things like that.  

Lastly I wanted to mention what I've been doing with my free time (besides reading of course) I've been writing in my journal!  I picked this up when I saw someone share the bullet journal method, and I kind of adopted it to a style that works for me.  I can do a post about that if anyone had any questions on how to set one up!

Well, thank you for reading!!

Love, Stephanie

The Book Thief, A Review

The Book Thief
By: Markus Zusak
My Rating: 5/5

Full disclaimer about this book, it sat on my shelf for a good four years, yes years, before I got around to reading it.  Once I finally cracked it open, I was mad a myself for not picking it up sooner.

To get the first thing out of the way, this is a book about the Holocaust.  That was the biggest thing that kept me from picking up the book in the first place.  I could not bring myself to start reading it, I did not know how the author would handle such a dark time in history.  To my surprise, he handled it very well, and kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole book.

The narrator of this story is Death.  There is no way to sugar coat it, but it is very well thought out and done.  He talks about how busy he was during that time in human history, which is hurtful to think about but makes the story so good.

This book kept me pulled into the story from the begining.  I laughed, I cried (a lot) and I just fell in love with it. It quickly became one of my all time favorite books.

I loved the characters and grew attached quickly, which is not a good idea considering the time period this book is sat in.  I was completely invested in what I was reading because I needed to know what happened next.

Thanks for reading!!
Love, Stephanie

Have you read The Book Thief?  If so, what are your thoughts? 

Top Five Books I Did Not Finish

Hey Guys!

While I was browsing YouTube this morning I saw Padfootandprongs07 talk about her top five books she didn't finish so it got me thinking about what I haven't finished. 

Please don't be angry with me I'm at a point in life where if I'm not enjoying a book, I'm going to stop reading it.  That doesn't mean these books are terrible, and I'm sure lots of you thoroughly enjoy them, they just weren't for me.

The Casual Vacancy
By: J. K. Rowling

I wanted to love this book, I really did.  Something about it just kept me from diving into the story.  Maybe one day I'll pick it up again and give it another go.

Days of Blood and Starlight
By: Laini Taylor

Oh this book.  I loved the first one Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but each time I've tried to read the sequel, I just couldn't do it.

The Time Travelers Wife
By:Audrey Niffenegger

I picked this book up blind from the library.  They had a special event going that was masquerade themed and all the books were covered, but had a short synopsis.  I tried reading it, but it just wasn't what I was looking for at the time.  I also may pick this one up later and try again.

Mocking Jay
By: Susan Collins

Please don't throw stones at me for this one.  I own the trilogy, and enjoyed the first two books, but once I reached a certain part in Mocking Jay, I just couldn't continue.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
By: Jules Verne

I know, It's a classic.  I tried reading this book on my kindle, which I struggle with anyway, so maybe I'll pick this up in a physical form soon.

Well, there you go!  Five books I did not finish!

What about you?  Do you power through books you just don't love?  Or are you like me and are not afraid to DNF one?

Let me know in the comments!!

Thank you for reading!!
Love, Stephanie

Change of Theme?

Alright, here's the deal, while I love book blogging, I feel like there's no need for me to have two different blogs.  I have a WordPress where I mainly write all my reviews and such so I was thinking I would use this blog to kind of make things a little more personal.  

I want to share recipes, make up, fashion and other lifestyle things here.  

Updates 

• I have started writing a book! #JuNoWriMo
• I am bullet journaling now
• I've been reading a lot more
• Twitter is my jam

I think I'm going to keep the name of my blog, because I think it's cute and I like it.  I will just start posting different things on here to keep y'all on your toes!!



Well, that was a lot shorter than I thought, but I'm excited for the change!!

Love, Stephanie

Thoughtful Thursday, Harry Potter Edition

Hey Lovely Readers!

I've been kind of thinking about re-reading the Harry Potter series, again, and was looking at some of my favorite quotes from the books.  I grew up with this series, and it made me love to read so it will always have a special place in my heart, just like many Harry Potter fans.  I always get the question "who is your favorite character?" to which, I never have a good answer.  So here are a few of my favorites.  I think I'm going to add more later on another post, there's just so much to talk about!

I like Dumbledore for all his wit, and wisdom.  I feel like he's been another father figure in my life, and has just taught me things through the pages of the books.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live"
-Albus Dumbledore
"Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it."
-Albus Dumbledore

I like Hermione because, she is smart and strong-willed.  Both of these things are reasons why I like, and look up to her.

“At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in, they got in on pure talent.”
-Hermione Granger
“It’s best to know what the enemy are saying,”
-Hermione Granger

Then I also like the twins, Fred and George.  The fact they add comic relief to the whole story makes my heart happy.

“We’ll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat.”
-Fred and George Weasley
“Give her hell from us, Peeves.”
-Fred and George Weasley

Thank you for reading!  I hope these brought back some good Harry Potter feels for you too!

Love, Stephanie

Lady Midnight Spoiler Free Review

Lady Midnight
By: Cassandra Clare
My Rating: 5/5

GoodReads summary:

“In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.
A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.

Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters.”

My thoughts:

I have to get one thing off my chest before I say anything else about this book.
*Looks around cautiously*
I haven’t read The Mortal Instruments series yet.
I know! I’m awful, and I should have read those first, but you guys, I missed the boat when they first came out and don’t have the time to commit to reading them right now.

With that being said, I loved this book.  I wasn’t worried about things being spoiled too much because that has never been a problem for me.  I have been known to skip ahead and read the last chapter a time or two as well.

This is my first book by Cassandra Clare, and I’m sure it won’t be my last.  I loved her writing style, and her story building is incredible.  Her characters were good, and fun to read from.  Sometimes she would change points of view in the middle of the chapter, which threw me off a little at first, but once I got used to it I went with it just fine.

This book had a little bit of everything, it had action, mystery, and a little romance.  I also like how she showed a little mental illness in her book.  It wasn’t thrown in your face saying look at this guy he has a mental illness!!  It was done tastefully and I enjoyed watching the characters learn and grow with the book.

If you’ve been putting this book off because its size, I highly recommend you pick it up and start it today!!

Love,
Stephanie

The picture is a link to the Amazon page where you can buy Lady Midnight, and if you happen to buy from that link I do get a small commission.  Thank you for your support!