Laina Turner's Blog, page 69

Halloween Fun

It was cold, rainy, and windy on Halloween here in central Indiana but that didn’t come between the kids and their candy. Thank goodness. I needed my Kit Kat fix.

Caden and his friend were the Black Eyed Peas and Sydney was Vanellope from Wreck It Ralph.

They had a blast!

The post Halloween Fun appeared first on Laina Turner.

Three Outdoor Entertaining Ideas for Your Home

No matter where you live, you’ll find that adding an outdoor entertaining area is one of the hottest trends in the world of home renovations. Even if you live in the middle of the Midwest and can only spend a few months outside every year, you’ll love having a space where you can host barbecues, birthday parties and more. These three fun ideas are perfect for relaxing nights with your family and for those nights when you invite over company.

Create an Outdoor Kitchen

Celebrity and professional chefs discovered the benefits of outdoor kitchens years ago. While once found primarily in the south, parts of California and other warmer climates, you’ll now find experts installing these kitchens in cities all across the country. An outdoor kitchen gives you more space for preparing dishes and cooking than you would have with an ordinary grill. You can even add extra amenities, including a wood burning pizza oven, a built-in sushi maker or even an espresso maker for those colder nights.

Add a Porch, Patio or Deck

If you have a larger yard, you need a patio, porch or deck. A patio refers to a flat area that sits flush with the home, while a deck features a wood design and typically rises above the surrounding ground. A porch is similar to a deck, but a porch often has some type of roof. With a few pieces of patio furniture and accessories, you can use that space for everything from barbecues and birthday parties to graduation parties and other special events. You can choose between spaces made from wood, tile or natural stone, and you can even add a railing to keep the little ones in your family safe.

Make Room for a Hot Tub

What could be better or more relaxing than taking a dip in your very own hot tub? HydroPool and other manufacturers create hot tubs in various sizes and shapes that can work out those kinks in your back and make you feel completely relaxed. With hot tubs financing, you can easily afford that new addition. Financing lets you make a small down payment and pay off the rest of the hot tub over time. It’s an easy way to get the outdoor space you want without paying a lot upfront.

Outdoor spaces are definitely the new trend and all three of these options will increase the value of your home. Which one do you want to invest in?

The post Three Outdoor Entertaining Ideas for Your Home appeared first on Laina Turner.

Handbags & Hooligans a chick lit mystery

In Handbags & Hooligans, a chick lit mystery, Presley goes to Vegas to watch her friend Anna get married. What is supposed to be an exciting time turns sour when Presley’s brother comes to her freaking out because his girlfriend has disappeared. After asking questions at Ashely’s workplace Presley found that she wasn’t exactly the conservative schoolteacher she appeared to be. Who was she really and why was she hiding it from Jesse? And why was she kidnapped?

Anna finds out a secret her fiancé has been keeping will the wedding go on?

On sale today for Kindle only ,99 cents. Buy here!

The post Handbags & Hooligans a chick lit mystery appeared first on Laina Turner.

Fab 5 Friday

Some of the many fabulous posts from the blogosphere this week.

Simply Organized – How do I get more organized and where do I start…I need this so bad.
Fashion Chalet – I Love Bell Bottoms….because I also love them especially with a skinny heel.
Honey & Birch – White Wine Apple Cider Sangria…..can you say YUM!
Sweet Electric – 5 Ways to Promote Your Blog…always looking for ways to get better.
Chocolate Covered Katie – Pumpkin Desserts….no explanation needed.

The post Fab 5 Friday appeared first on Laina Turner.

Sarongs – The Ultimate Versatile Beach Cover-Up

While the swimsuit-weather months have wrapped up for the year, you may already be looking ahead to the dreary winter months and thinking about taking a fabulous vacation. Whether you’ll be taking a tropical cruise or simply headed out to the beach with friends or family, a great-fitting swimsuit is a must. If your fun day includes a picnic, drinks with friends at the cabana at night, or a fun game of beach volleyball, a quality sarong is just as important as an eye-catching swimsuit. Sarongs are the ultimate versatile beach cover-up. Sarongs are versatile in that they can act as a dress, a shoulder wrap, a cover-up and/or a skirt depending on how you tie them. They can take you from a walk on the beach to dinner at the ocean-front restaurant in seconds.

Beach-front stores and shops often feature a good selection of styles and colors of sarongs, but for the best selection of styles and materials, you should shop sarongs and other accessories online. Whether you need mini sarongs, silk wraps, plus-size sarongs or cotton wraps with fringe, you can find the perfect cover-ups to accentuate your coloring, figure and unique personality from a company like Fairwind Sarongs. They specialize in everything related to beach attire and accessories.

Fairwind Sarongs offer solid-color wraps, bright tropical floral designs, hand-painted sarongs, tie-dye cover-ups, Celtic sarongs, high-end wraps and lightweight styles that will dry quickly and keep you looking stylish and feeling comfortable all day.

For added versatility and styling options, companies like Fairwind Sarongs will also offer a variety of sarong styling accessories to give you more security and options as you enjoy your fun day. For a complete head-to-toe look, you can top off your sarong with a matching sun hat or beach bag. All eyes will be on you as you walk the beach in your complementary accessories.

When you shop for sarongs online, you can often take advantage of discounted and free shipping offers and sales that many department and specialty swimwear stores cannot offer. Right now, Fairwind Sarongs has all of their styles on sale for season-low prices, so head over to their website and take advantage of these great deals while they last.

 

The post Sarongs – The Ultimate Versatile Beach Cover-Up appeared first on Laina Turner.

Actions Speak Louder than Words

Throwback Thursday blog post from May 22, 2010.

Heaven never helps the man who will not act.

Sophocles

How often do people say “I wish I could” or “if only”? I say it all the time. Sometimes it is “I wish I could spend the week in the Bahamas” which let’s face it isn’t all that realistic and I’m just saying it to dream. However, I also have been saying a lot lately “if only I could sell more books I wouldn’t be having such financial difficulty” and yet I’m not doing everything in my power to make it happen. Why? Because as I mentioned yesterday I have fear and that fear is not conducive to making things happen. What am I afraid of? Mainly that at some point someone will think my book sucks and that thought it just too much to even think about. So instead I complain and stress over money but when I look at myself in the mirror I can’t pass the blush test, meaning I can’t lie to myself without feeling guilty.

But not taking action won’t get you anywhere. In fact it will get you less than anywhere because not only will it not get you to where you want but will make you frustrated by the lack of getting anywhere (did that even make sense?

My words of advice to you and myself is ready, set, go!!!!! You can do it!

Laina

Link up your Throwback Thursday blog posts here!


[image error] Loading InLinkz ...

The post Actions Speak Louder than Words appeared first on Laina Turner.

What’s In My Closet

This is one of my favorite casual outfits.

A plain white T from Old Navy, which should be the staple of any closet, an a brightly colored floral skirt that I picked up at Goodwill for a dollar. I think it’s handmade which makes me love it even more.

Even though it’s more spring colors than fall it was so sunny out I couldn’t resist wearing it.

The post What’s In My Closet appeared first on Laina Turner.

Cider with a kick!

Its fall and cider is one of my go-to drinks. Hot or cold. With cinnamon or without. I like it in all forms. It also can make for a super delicious nighttime wine replacement.

You just need to add the KICK!

This cider slushie recipe is super easy and if you don’t have time to freeze it, It’s just as good. I personally like the slushie idea as it gives me more reason to sit in front of the fire. Another fall activity I love.

For one serving, you want to add a ½ a shot of bourbon to every 8oz of cider. More if you like it strong. Just keep adding the bourbon to your liking.

Put it in a storage container and freeze for a few hours then scoop out with a spoon. I did make a big batch and kept it in the freezer for a few weeks until I ran out and it was just fine.

I hope you enjoy!

What is your favorite fall drink?

The post Cider with a kick! appeared first on Laina Turner.

Necklaces & Nooses – a chick lit mystery

After getting fired from her HR job, Presley now works at high-end fashion boutique Silk. She loves her job until one day when she finds her boss dead in a fitting room! She thinks its suicide; Solange was going through a messy divorce. Until the handsome detective, Willie Landon, discovers its homicide. Who would want to kill a storeowner? Presley’s not sure, but she’s determined to find out. Especially, if it means spending more time with the cute detective.

Read what happens in Necklaces & Nooses, a Presley Thurman chick lit mystery. It’s only .99 cents all weekend!

Make sure to grab the first book Stilettos & Scoundrels if you haven’t read it yet and check out all my books here!

The post Necklaces & Nooses – a chick lit mystery appeared first on Laina Turner.

Fab 5 Friday

So many wonderful things I came across this week!

Honestly WTF – As Good As Gold..Pretty and for a good cause.
Diary of a Makeup Geek – Bare Minerals Bare Skin….I’ve been looking for something like this.
Autumn Leaves – Things I’m Guilty Of – Blog Edition…because I am guilty of a lot of those too!
Practically Imperfect – Soft and Chewy Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies…I may have mentioned before that I LOVE cookies.
Honey & Birch – Easy Mushroom Appetizer…Easy and mushroom equals yum!

The post Fab 5 Friday appeared first on Laina Turner.