Red Dress Ink Fans discussion
Random Thoughts

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday! :)

H..."
Julie, what book is it?
I can't believe it's Thursday already!! This has been one of the fastest weeks ever for me.
Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday as well. :)

I'm reading Fatal Vision....it is over 900 pages long. Very good though!
Bianca wrote: "Stacy wrote: "Julie wrote: "Bianca wrote: "Julie wrote: "Hi Ladies! I have been MIA since this summer. Life has been so hectic & crazy lately. Bought my first house, being a Grandma is wonderful, w..."
Sounds like you had a busy time, I hope the cruise was awesome! We had a good Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than 20 days away. I have so much to do still...
Sounds like you had a busy time, I hope the cruise was awesome! We had a good Thanksgiving. It's hard to believe that Christmas is less than 20 days away. I have so much to do still...
Kourtney wrote: "17?! Yikes. Went to Black Friday sales and I swear we saw a girl who couldn't have been more than 14 walking around with her 14 year old boyfriend and she had to have been 6 or 7 months pregnant. G..."
LOL, that's hilarious. But at the same time, really sad (them, not you). With the different forms of birth control that are available (and planned parenthood centers that make it free), there's really no excuse.
Now, in my niece's case, my brother tried to get her on the pill when he found out that her mother was letting her boyfriend stay overnight at their house, but her mother wouldn't let her. WTF, right?
LOL, that's hilarious. But at the same time, really sad (them, not you). With the different forms of birth control that are available (and planned parenthood centers that make it free), there's really no excuse.
Now, in my niece's case, my brother tried to get her on the pill when he found out that her mother was letting her boyfriend stay overnight at their house, but her mother wouldn't let her. WTF, right?
Bianca wrote: "Has anyone read the Hannah Swensen series? The first book is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke.
I'm thinking about FINALLY going to a real book club meet up, and the book t..."
I have those books and they're definitely on the list, I'll get to them someday. How awesome that you found a real bookclub to go to! I just discovered a mother daughter one that's held by my library. I don't know how often they do it, but I'm looking forward to going with Morgan.
I'm thinking about FINALLY going to a real book club meet up, and the book t..."
I have those books and they're definitely on the list, I'll get to them someday. How awesome that you found a real bookclub to go to! I just discovered a mother daughter one that's held by my library. I don't know how often they do it, but I'm looking forward to going with Morgan.

I'm thinking about FINALLY going to a real book club meet up,..."
OMG mother daughter book club? That's awesome. Let me know what you and Morgan think of it. :)
I can't make it to tomorrow's book club because it's a pot luck at this lady's house, and I don't have time to bake cookies, make a pot luck dish and read the book. Haha. Plus is the 6th book of the series and I'm a freak about reading things in order. But the one in January seems fun...they're going to a Mexican restaurant and discussing Big Little Lies. I heard a there's actually a movie coming out for this book!!

Question: How did you guys find a local bookclub? Did you just google it? I would love to find a local one I could join since I just moved to the area in July. It would be a great way to meet new friends!
Also, Bianca.....you know about Fictfact.com, right? That is a great website that helps you keep track of all your series reads. It's free to join!

Julie - I downloaded the Meetup.com app on my iPhone and found a local book club through there - never got to attend though as that was right when baby came along and I haven't been able to read much!
Bianca - I do that too. Reading books out of order is just wrong for me. Very wrong. :) I'd feel a little weird about going to a potluck at someone's house for a first time (to me) book club meeting without knowing someone else that's going to be there. Have fun at the one in January and I'll let you know how the one goes that Morgan and I are going to!
Julie - I just stumbled on it. They do quite a few events at the library, and I was looking at when the next group painting session would be for kids and I came across it. It's the first time I have seen them do something like that. I know you can look on this site in the groups to see if there are any local clubs. I think there are a few near me but they're high school classes or workplace groups.
Kourtney - I didn't think to check Meetup. GREAT idea, I'm going to see if there's anything local. :) I need something to do on the weeks that Morgan is with her dad.
Julie - I just stumbled on it. They do quite a few events at the library, and I was looking at when the next group painting session would be for kids and I came across it. It's the first time I have seen them do something like that. I know you can look on this site in the groups to see if there are any local clubs. I think there are a few near me but they're high school classes or workplace groups.
Kourtney - I didn't think to check Meetup. GREAT idea, I'm going to see if there's anything local. :) I need something to do on the weeks that Morgan is with her dad.

Question: How did you guys find a local bookclub? Did you just google it? I would love to find a local one I could join since I just moved to the area in July. It would be..."
Julie, I just used meetup.com! One of my friends is in a book club, and she told me about that site. Unfortunately, hers is full and they're not letting in new members. But yeah I found a ton in the area!! I just picked the one that sounded the most interesting and fun to me :) it's not the actual city I live in, but a suburb right outside and it takes 15 min to get there, so it's not bad.
Also...THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME ABOUT FICTFACT!!! I had no idea it existed and I've spend the last 30 minutes going through all my series. Yay!!! Thank you!
Stacy, I kind of thought the same thing. Like it would be much better to meet this book club for the first time at a Starbucks or restaurant rather than at their house. One lady commented, though, and said it was her first time, so I thought it wouldn't be so bad if someone else was new too! I'll let you know how it goes in January - we are meeting at a Tex Mex restaurant called Uncle Julio's, which I've actually never been to.

I swear, if I get something lame (like a poinsettia), I'm gonna throat punch someone! LOL
LOL, I hope you had fun Julie!
Our Christmas party is next Friday. We have Secret Santa this week with a small $2 gift each day of the week and then a $10 gift to give at the Christmas party. I'm looking forward to it. :)
Our Christmas party is next Friday. We have Secret Santa this week with a small $2 gift each day of the week and then a $10 gift to give at the Christmas party. I'm looking forward to it. :)

The highlight of the gift exchange is when someone opened their gift bag & found a box of Kleenex, a bottle of lotion, and some astroglide! LMAO
I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. Apparently they thought it was a joke exchange instead of a real one!

I have tried to go to bookclubs but because of my severe cat allergy which means that I can't even be where the dander has been. Meet up might be worth it to find something local.
Do you all ever dismiss a bookclub because of the type of books that they read? I avoided bookclubs initially because my eyes glaze over at the selections.

As far as dismissing a book club because of the selection.....I guess it would depend on the club or the book. I'm kind of assuming that I won't have to read or attend the meetings for the books that don't interest me. Do you think that would offend some members?


In January they're reading Big Little Lies, which I'm really excited about!!!


Hope you had a good weekend, Julie!
Mine was great - a lot of relaxing and sleeping. I'm also almost caught up on my TV shows, so that's great too. Haha. And I finished a couple of books and started Gilmore Girls on Netflix, which I really like so far! I watched a few episodes when it was on TV, but I never kept up with it or followed it at all.


I've never seen Grey's Anatomy!!! I've been wanting to start it!!

Haha yes!!!! Maybe that would keep me from binge watching. :)

:)


I hosted dinner for all the kids tonight & we also had Dustin's Mom, and his brother & his gf over as well.
We enjoyed a nice dinner and opened all of our gifts. I scored a Barnes & Noble gift card. :)
Jill wrote: "A day and a half of kiddos and then vacation begins! I've read a handful of the Red Dress Ink books and was wondering if there were any titles that I should be looking out for on Paperback Swap? ..."
Hi Jill! I hope you were able to get over your cold and enjoy your vacation. This response may come a little late, but some of the really good RDI books are by Sarah Mlynowski, and the Slightly series by Wendy Markham. There are others, but those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head right now.
Merry Christmas!
Hi Jill! I hope you were able to get over your cold and enjoy your vacation. This response may come a little late, but some of the really good RDI books are by Sarah Mlynowski, and the Slightly series by Wendy Markham. There are others, but those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head right now.
Merry Christmas!

I never watched Gray's Anatomy, never really had an interest to other than the McDreamy eye candy. :)
I really liked Once Upon a Time for the first couple of seasons, then...it kind of felt played out to me and I stopped watching two or three episodes into the third season.
One show that you should absolutely watch if you have not yet is Burn Notice. It's on Netflix and we just started season five last night. I'm sad that we're more than halfway through it (seven seasons total), I LOVE the show and have a HUGE crush on Michael Westen. :) It has a lot of blow 'em up stuff that the guys love (and I"m actually starting to love it myself), and there's a romantic angle for gals. And then there are the bits that make you laugh out loud. Almost every episode shows someone eating a yogurt, or at least mentioning it. And if I ever run into someone named Chuck Finely, I will crack up when he introduces himself.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and would like to thank you all for being such awesome members of my little online book club. :)
I really liked Once Upon a Time for the first couple of seasons, then...it kind of felt played out to me and I stopped watching two or three episodes into the third season.
One show that you should absolutely watch if you have not yet is Burn Notice. It's on Netflix and we just started season five last night. I'm sad that we're more than halfway through it (seven seasons total), I LOVE the show and have a HUGE crush on Michael Westen. :) It has a lot of blow 'em up stuff that the guys love (and I"m actually starting to love it myself), and there's a romantic angle for gals. And then there are the bits that make you laugh out loud. Almost every episode shows someone eating a yogurt, or at least mentioning it. And if I ever run into someone named Chuck Finely, I will crack up when he introduces himself.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and would like to thank you all for being such awesome members of my little online book club. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful & relaxing day today!
Merry Christmas!
:)
Jill wrote: "Just waned to take a second to wish everyone Merry Christmas! Mine got off to a rough start-I had emergency gallbladder surgery on Sunday. My plans for reading the whole break kind of got deraile..."
Jill, I totally feel for you!! I've been having gall bladder issues for the last two years and just recently realized that's what the problem is. Due to changing jobs, I won't have insurance until the first of the year, but I'll be setting an appointment with the surgeon/specialist (not sure which one they said I needed to talk to) shortly thereafter and scheduling the surgery for as soon as possible. I had two attacks within 10 days recently and I'm so over it. :/ I hope you're recovering well!
Jill, I totally feel for you!! I've been having gall bladder issues for the last two years and just recently realized that's what the problem is. Due to changing jobs, I won't have insurance until the first of the year, but I'll be setting an appointment with the surgeon/specialist (not sure which one they said I needed to talk to) shortly thereafter and scheduling the surgery for as soon as possible. I had two attacks within 10 days recently and I'm so over it. :/ I hope you're recovering well!


On a sad note.....had to take my big dum-dum Malo into the vet yesterday. They suspect he has lymphoma. They took blood and urine samples & took some tissue samples to do a biopsy. Just waiting to hear back about the results now. The waiting is killing me. That, and the fact that I'm so sad. He is such a good dog.....
:(


Dawn, Congrats on finishing your challenge. I hope you enjoy the new year!
Please keep me in your prayers. I kicked my closet door by accident this morning and can barely put any weight on my right foot. I am currently at work. The bright side is that I will get a chance to get much further in the new Jane Green novel.
Stacy, I loved Burn Notice too!

Bad news for my Malo.....he does have lymphoma. It is a really aggressive form & it's pretty advanced. I am giving myself & the kids this last weekend to spend time with him, then on Monday I am having him put down.
We won't be celebrating much tonight.....we're just all really sad. :(

Happy New Year's to everyone. I'm finally beginning to feel half normal again so I am going to begin my holiday baking. Better late than never!
Jill wrote: "Stacy- You will feel so much better afterwards. I'm still in minimal pain and just cannot get my energy back. I've read 4 books and too many magazines to count since last Sunday. The worst part ..."
I bet! I had four days off at Christmas, the first time in like 13 years (having time off at the holidays). I had no idea what to do with myself! By the end, it was hard to go back to work on Monday. Did you have the less invasive procedure?
I finally got the ball rolling this morning and called my doctor's office who passed the referral on to the surgeon. Now I have to wait for them to contact me to make a consult appointment.
I bet! I had four days off at Christmas, the first time in like 13 years (having time off at the holidays). I had no idea what to do with myself! By the end, it was hard to go back to work on Monday. Did you have the less invasive procedure?
I finally got the ball rolling this morning and called my doctor's office who passed the referral on to the surgeon. Now I have to wait for them to contact me to make a consult appointment.
Julie wrote: "Hi Ladies! Been a little absent the last few days. Celebrated Dustin's birthday on Saturday night, and Sunday was a totally lazy day!
On a sad note.....had to take my big dum-dum Malo into the vet..."
Awww, Julie, I know that must be so hard. My thoughts are with you. Let me know if there's anything I can do.....long distance. :)
On a sad note.....had to take my big dum-dum Malo into the vet..."
Awww, Julie, I know that must be so hard. My thoughts are with you. Let me know if there's anything I can do.....long distance. :)
Dawn wrote: "Just wanted to say I made it this year I finished my challenge and I am so excited. This year I am going to strive to double it. But I always have big dreams around the new year. Anyway just wan..."
Congrats! A happy and healthy New Year to you as well! Have a fun and safe night tonight!
Congrats! A happy and healthy New Year to you as well! Have a fun and safe night tonight!
Jencey/ wrote: "Julie, I hope your dog gets better and the results come back quickly.
Dawn, Congrats on finishing your challenge. I hope you enjoy the new year!
Please keep me in your prayers. I kicked my cl..."
Ow! Sending healing thoughts your way, I hope you're 100% soon!
I finally admitted my Michael Westen crush to my bf the other day. He just shook his head at me. :)
Dawn, Congrats on finishing your challenge. I hope you enjoy the new year!
Please keep me in your prayers. I kicked my cl..."
Ow! Sending healing thoughts your way, I hope you're 100% soon!
I finally admitted my Michael Westen crush to my bf the other day. He just shook his head at me. :)
Julie wrote: "Thanks Jencey.....I really hope your foot gets better. That much pain doesn't sound like a good way to ring in the new year.
Bad news for my Malo.....he does have lymphoma. It is a really aggressi..."
That is really sad Julie, hopefully you guys will keep in mind all the good memories and have one last New Year with him. Good luck on Monday, my thoughts are with you.
Bad news for my Malo.....he does have lymphoma. It is a really aggressi..."
That is really sad Julie, hopefully you guys will keep in mind all the good memories and have one last New Year with him. Good luck on Monday, my thoughts are with you.
Jill wrote: "Julie- So sorry to hear about Malo. I lost 2 of my furry babies (cats) within a 4 month period- 1 to cancer and the other old age They hold a special place in your heart.
Happy New Year's to e..."
I'm sorry to hear about your kitties, the last time I lost one, it was to old age almost 10 years ago. I'd had her since I was in 3rd or 4th grade.
You're right about better late than never! Last year I had plans to make some stuff and got sick at Christmas. It really took it all out of me to the point where it was a couple of weeks before I finally got back to myself and didn't want to sleep half the day away. Needless to say, my holiday goodies never came to fruition. Well...except the homemade moonshine. :)
Happy New Year's to e..."
I'm sorry to hear about your kitties, the last time I lost one, it was to old age almost 10 years ago. I'd had her since I was in 3rd or 4th grade.
You're right about better late than never! Last year I had plans to make some stuff and got sick at Christmas. It really took it all out of me to the point where it was a couple of weeks before I finally got back to myself and didn't want to sleep half the day away. Needless to say, my holiday goodies never came to fruition. Well...except the homemade moonshine. :)

The surgery wasn't too invasive. I didn't have a choice since I had a gallstone get stuck trying to pass through the gallbladder. It was just a depressing situation and it has taken awhile for me to get my energy back. Honestly, it couldn't have happened at a better time- my son was at his dad's and I was off of work for 2 weeks for the holidays.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Friday Night Knitting Club (other topics)The Billionaire Who Wasn't (other topics)
Vanishing Girls (other topics)
Vanishing Girls (other topics)
You (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Alyson Noel (other topics)Heather Wardell (other topics)
I'm thinking about FINALLY going to a real book club meet up, and the book they're reading is number 6 in that series. I haven't heard of it before, but the titles sounds so cute haha. And now I want to go home and bake Christmas cookies. Mmmmm.