Linking up with Tanya to share our Amazon finds over the last month. As most people do in January, I have been re-organizing different areas of the house. Mainly the pantry and extra closets. I also spent 2 days in Zoe’s bedroom and playroom.
I ordered this for Zoe’s room. She has way too many stuffies, and they just make her whole room look a mess, even when they are all put away in one place. Now, we can stuff these ottomans with them and it provides extra seating! I really feel like this is such a bargain for what it is. Would work great to hold blankets or sweaters in other rooms.
Zoe and all of her friends are obsessed with pop-its. We got this pack for her to give out for school and dance Valentine favors. I am going to put them in a bag with some candy and a note that says “You make my heart pop.”
These wreath holders are a lot bigger than I thought they would be, they hold a lot! I can fit both our wreaths in one. Definitely glad to have these for any future ones we get.
I am starting out the year strong, reading 7 books for January! (One of these I finished at the end of December.) Do you set reading goals in Goodreads or elsewhere each year? I usually set my goal for 52 books, averaging one per week. I often read more than that each a year, but I don’t like pressure or arbitrary numbers/goals for things I enjoy like reading. It is more like a wish…I hope that I have the time for a book per week. I never want to not be reading something, you know? Anyways, this was a pretty good reading month with some gems in it. Let’s dive in.
This is my second Rachel Hawkins book, and you can definitely tell that she writes YA more than adult books. Listen, I cuss a lot. But the use of fuck in this book was even too much for me. It was just unnecessary and childish. I felt like all of the characters were very selfish and immature, I didn’t really care for any of them. The plot and what was going on was interesting enough to keep me guessing, and I flew through this one…wanting to know where it was all going. I liked the remote island/boat atmosphere, but I felt like it was missing something for me? I wasn’t on edge, like I like to be when reading this type of book.
Bottom Line: If you are into mystery and a good story, read it! I don’t think it had quite the “thriller” vibe it was going for though.
While Jake and Naya’s meeting was a little too insta-love for my liking….I really enjoyed their story. I loved Jake and Naya’s friends, and all the banter between them. There is a much deeper issue of abuse covered in this book, I think it was done really well. I flew through this one, as it definitely held my interest the entire time and even got a little intense for awhile. Loved watching Naya get stronger and grow. I definitely want to read more from this author.
I did this one on audio, as I have many other Hilderbrand books. I have to say, I really love the narrator she uses. I feel like she makes the books even more enjoyable. While this wasn’t my favorite from Hilderbrand, I did enjoy it. The book goes back and forth between the main character, her children, other people in the town and the past and present. The whole premise of the book was interesting, with Vivi’s time in the in between and her nudges. I found the concept fascinating. Parts of the book dragged for me, and could have been left out. I felt like the ending was far too rushed! We spent the whole book wondering who killed Vivi (I actually figured it out really early on), and at the end it all comes together in a rush in a very anti-climatic way.
Bottom Line: If you enjoy Hilderbrand or family dramas, read it.
With everything happening over the past few years, if you haven’t figured out that you need to take control of your health and that being healthy is the best way to prevent a lot of serious health issues, I am not sure what to tell you. In my research, it seems that our gut health is the basis for everything. If you have an angry, inflamed, leaky gut….you aren’t going to feel good, look good and will get sick easily. I have been taking steps to heal my gut and have better health overall. I really like that this book walks you through that process, gives you some healthy life style tips, has several recipes that are easy to follow, and even has a food plan at the end you can follow. I tagged at least 15 of the recipes to try, and am going to incorporate some of what I read into my daily life. I liked the pictures and the way the book was laid out. The only negative I see is that a lot of the recipes have sweet potatoes, so if you don’t like those…you might be out of luck. I personally love them.
Bottom Line: This was an interesting read and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to get serious about their health.
**I received a copy of The Paleo Gut Healing Cookbook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
I grabbed this one for free on Amazon one day. It was the fifth in a series, but reviews said it could be read alone. I want to go back and read the first four after reading this one because I really enjoyed it! This is a clean romance, nothing more than a kiss if you aren’t into the steam…it would be a great read for you. It is not overly Christmas, but the way they do bring Christmas into it was so much fun!!! I really liked Paisley and James and loved to watch them grow and change through the book. Just an all around solid read.
This book goes back and forth between present and the past. I loved getting the back story of both Shane and Eva, I really felt like it was such a strong part of their story. We deal with so many deep issues with both characters. I feel like the author did a good job with chronic pain. And man, what a complicated romance. I also really loved Eva’s daughter, Audrey. She cracked me up! I will say, the big “issue” at the end of the book let me down a little. It was such a strong story up to the very end and then the “issue” could have all been alleviated with just a simple text. I also think that the author might have thrown in a little too many social issues and stereotypes. I understand trying to be relevant, but it took a little awhile from the story at times.
Bottom Line: Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can look past my few annoyances to still give it a 4-star.
No one does enemies to lovers quite like R.S. Grey. The banter and wit that she creates is my favorite. I flew through this book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved Noah and Audrey so much. The book was written from Audrey’s point of view, we only get Noah’s in the epilogue. I do wish we had a little something from him, I was dying to know what was going through his mind throughout the book. I loved to see feuding two school teachers in Rome for the summer with a group of middle schoolers, it just made for an all around fun plot.
Bottom Line: Read it!
** I received a copy of Enemies Abroad from R.S. Grey in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
I love Tessa Bailey, so I was so excited when I finally snagged this one. This is supposed to be Schitt’s Creek inspired, but I have never seen that show or know anything about it to confirm or deny. I loved the premise of the book, a spoiled socialite having to rough it in the real world. Tessa writes the hottest romances, and this was no different. I loved how much Piper grew throughout the novel. It was an all around great read, and I can see why it was on the list of top romances from 2021.
Happy Friday! I *think* I am finally going to poke my head up for some air today. Work has been insane for so long. We keep saying it is going to calm down, and it just doesn’t. Luckily I have a coworker who is going to be out for a week, so I have some breathing room and we slowed down our intake of jobs until he is back. I have sat on more meetings this week than anything else. And the emails. Who knew we would pay for four year degrees to remain fearful of our inbox, am I right?! Every time I hear it ding, I feel my shoulders tense up.
I have been trying to get inspired to try some new recipes to get me excited about meal planning. I feel like we get in ruts where we eat the same few things over and over because it is easy. Of course, it is very challenging when I go to do our grocery shopping and the stores are out of just about everything. This week I went to three grocery stores and could not get a single chicken breast, no cream cheese, no taco sauce, the bread brand I usually purchase was out, no cucumbers, no asparagus. The list goes on.
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of this shit. And when you do find things, the prices are insanely inflated from just a year ago. Our grocery bill used to hover around $150 for the week, and now it is between $250-300. We eat the same type of foods and haven’t gained any family members. And gas prices?! I am so lucky to not be going to the office every day, or I would spend $75+ a week in gas.
I have changed a few things around in my kitchen and pantry, and it has made the whole cooking experience more enjoyable. Our pantry was such a disaster, I feel like I have a better system in place now. I will have to share some progress pictures soon.
Favorite Finds: My skin has been a lot dryer than it has ever been. I wanted to grab a face scrub to see if it would help with turnover and dullness. This Kopari scrub is amazing!!! The smell is incredible, it has clean ingredients and I actually feel so soft and moisturized after using this, as opposed to that “squeaky clean” and dry feeling I get from a lot of products. Highly recommend adding this into your routine.
These pillows have been on my radar for a long time, but I never pulled the trigger on them because I couldn’t justify paying that for a pillow. Well they went on sale, with an additional 50% off, so you better believe I checked out so fast! I got the black and white one for my office and I LOVE it. It is so big! It feels and looks so high end, definitely worth it.
I grabbed this craft for Zoe. She had so much fun painting them, and it is now proudly displayed on our coffee bar. I like to write her name and the year on the bottom of things like this, so when we pull them out in the future, we know how old she was when she made them. Such great keepsakes to enjoy for the holidays each year.
She made that LOVE sign a few years ago when Laura came over one weekend and we crafted with the kids. It is so fun to bring it out and have that memory!
I also grabbed this heart garland that looks so cute in our living room! I love that it is festive without bringing in colors that don’t really belong in that space.
Favorite Recipe: I saw this sheet pan recipe, and it looks so good. I do love a good sheet pan night. Makes clean up so much easier.
Favorite Workout: I love to mix in a fun dance/step workout after an upper body day. I love Madfit and Grow with Jo, but Rick always has fun, upbeat steps that go by so quickly you don’t even realize you were moving for 10, 15, 20 minutes…however many you chose. I am sharing this one today because this last week I have been guilty of sitting at my computer far too long for work and having a lot of tension in my shoulders and upper back. Normally I take a quick walk outside once or twice a day, but I only went once this whole week. Weather was cold or rainy…and I just didn’t have time. This is the perfect 8 minute get up and move that you can add to your workday if you are WFH. Easy enough to follow to do with your kids too!
Favorite Mantra: Wooooooo there is some bullshit out there. One of the best things I did so far this year is clean up what I see on social media. If I want to scroll Instagram to take a break from life, I don’t want to be yelled at, told what to do with my health and wellness by people who have a degree in marketing…not health or wellness, see people who are constantly raging about everything….the list goes on. I want to see your kid, dog, food, something funny, your pretty kitchen, a sweatshirt I just have to have, the sunset. My blood pressure shouldn’t rise and I shouldn’t feel the need to screenshot the bullshit, send it to my rational friend and rant about it for 20 minutes. I had that moment hit where I was like….wait a minute….I don’t have to see this shit! I can control some of this!
Happy Friday! It has been a week over here. I am so ready for the weekend, it’s not even funny. We gotta get through this work day though.
Laura and I finally celebrated our birthdays and Christmas together with the kiddos. Yes, my birthday is in August. Yes, that is how long it had been. FAR TOO LONG. Stealing the only picture we got of our time, one of the kids of course. Because we never think to take one of ourselves.
Last weekend, Zoe and I spent most of the time cleaning up her playroom and bedroom. I was trying to find a way to get all her Christmas presents in there, and find a better way for her to play. I feel like she always had a mess in the middle of the floor because we didn’t have a good set up for her. I think that we are on our way to a better all around experience in there! I took her cube shelf out of her closet and turned it into Barbie land.
This was taken before we were done, still had stuff in the middle of the floor to put up, and some more stuff to arrange in the shelves. She has a pet/vet clinic, a store, garage, nursery and bedroom in those shelves….with a rooftop area for pool, playground and grilling area. We even found a tree that came with her Lalaloopsy doll that we stuck up there and looks so cute.
The issue before the cube shelf, was that all those little Barbie kits….the pool, grill, vet table, etc….wound up all over the place. It always looked like a mess, even if most everything else was picked up. Now it is intentional and everything has a place. It looks and feels so much better in there!
The American Girl sized items and her kitchen line the hallway into the room. Having that wardrobe has helped coral the clothes and accessories for those dolls! We have a small bin on top for the little stuff, and all their matching jammies to Zoe’s jammies are in the pink cloth basket.
I had several conversations regarding small Barbie and LOL stuff with several of you. This is the best organization method I have found. A little tower of bins to separate out the shoes, brushes, hats, crowns, purses, etc. Plus the LOL clothes, Polly Pockets, etc.
I got the drawer organizer from JoAnn’s over a year ago, but I found the same one on Amazon for JoAnn’s sale price that I paid. A few asked me if I had issues with Zoe keeping it organized. I will be honest, when we first got it….I had to re-do it a few times. I think it was a little too overwhelming for her, but she had also just turned 4 at the time. Now, she has no problem putting things back where they go and she says it is so much easier to play when she knows where everything is. She is 5 now, so maybe it’s an age thing.
I have also been busy cleaning out our pantry, getting rid of expired things, and trying to reorganize it so that every time I open the door, I don’t get pissed off. I don’t know what it is about the pantry area, I think because it is small and deep, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I will share before and afters and what has been working for us as I finish it up. I am not one of those people who can make all the clear plastic containers work. That just isn’t my style. I think the reason why they don’t work for us, is they take up too much space, and it is no better than the packaging it all comes in when it comes to space. It is actually harder. Has anyone else realized that? Unless you have a walk in pantry, there just isn’t room for all that jazz.
Favorite Purchases: I love to keep a reed diffuser in our guest bathroom. The room is small enough that a little fills the entire space, and it is located right next to the front door. The scent from the reed diffuser always feels our entry way. I found the best smelling one at Target! This is the Clarity scent, and it has the prettiest little glass vessel container that it comes in. It is so good, I am thinking about getting the room spray for my office. There is something about the scent that is really invigorating. Would be perfect to perk up my work day.
I also grabbed this little ceramic house for our coffee bar. I loved the pink roof and tiny heart. I don’t go all out for Valentine’s decor…but I did spruce up a few little areas.
I like to be on top of the holiday parties between school and dance. Zoe wanted to give some sort of pop-its for Valentine’s Day this year…and we found some bracelets on Amazon! I am going to do these in a bag with a few sweet treats and a card that says “You make my heart pop.” Just throwing that out there for anyone who needs an idea. We got them in this week and they are really cute, Zoe was so excited she has already claimed a few out of the bag for herself.
I am in major need of some new workout clothes. Spanx has a clearance sale going on, and I grabbed these bike shorts. I hate wearing anything below the knees on leg day, as I am constantly pulling the bottoms back up between moves. And how fun is the print?
Have you seen the Disney Princess makeup collection??? I grabbed myself the Aerial lip topper, and it is sooooo pretty!!!! I also grabbed a different princess for a friend for Galentines. There are so many pretty options in the collection with all the best princesses.
Favorite Recipe: I am trying to stick to low carb dinners, and we needed to replace the rice with something fun for Mexican night. Enter this zucchini recipe. It is so good and full of flavor!!!
Favorite Grocery Store Find: I insist you must grab these chocolate acai bites immediately! They are so so so so good. Only 50 calories and 4 grams of sugar. The perfect sweet treat if you are craving it.
I forgot to take a picture of my Aldi find this week. It was a pack of two tights for Zoe for $2.99. We go through them like crazy for dance, and she wears dresses almost all the time. You can’t beat that price! I got her a black and white set, but they had some prints as well.
Hey there everyone! Happy 2022! I wanted to come on here and recap Christmas and our trip to Gatlinburg, but it was a bit of a whirlwind between the holidays and coming back to work. So, I will just say that we had a wonderful Christmas getting to celebrate with my family the weeks leading up to it, and Chris’s family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We baked cookies, built gingerbread houses, watched lots of movies, played endless Christmas music for two months straight, and tried to soak up all that we could. Zoe was beyond blessed with presents and I am still trying to find a place for them all. And Chris spoiled me with something I have wanted for so so long.
After Christmas, we headed up to Gatlinburg after debating back and forth if we were going to go. It gets so crowded up there this time of year. We decided to go with caution, and had a very different trip planned than our usual. We actually got to explore a lot of the area we had never seen before, and took a much more relaxed approach. We had a great time. We had a lake day, took Zoe to the Disney Store and let her get whatever she wanted, got fudge from Chocolate Monkey, the best coffee from Black Rifle, ordered food from Bennett’s BBQ, Alamo and Cheddars, drove through the main strip, saw lots of the mountains, went to a petting Zoo and played many rounds of put-put and visited the arcade in the resort we stayed at.
While we were in the mountains, the temperatures were very mild, in the 70s most days. That part I hated, as I want it to be cold when we are there!!! But we came home Sunday, and that night it snowed here in Alabama!!! We got about 2 inches at our house, and we got to play in it Monday morning!
Favorite Products: I have been meaning to get around to sharing my favorite purchases of 2021, and well here we are. I thought I would include them on my Friday Favorites since we are now day 7 past the new year.
bareMinerals Ageless Phyto-Retinol Lip Mask – In full disclosure, I received this from BzzAgent 8-10 months ago. The campaign is long over, and they never asked me to talk about it on my blog or social media, I was simply writing a review for it. However, after using it for this long….I have got to tell you that it works! I have seen great improvements with my lips this year in general. I combine this with the Milk Lip Mask every night after my skincare routine and they have never looked better. A little goes a long way, and this little tub still has lots of love to give.
Colleen Rothschild Hair Mask – I used up the entire container of this stuff over the last year and it is amazing. Do you know how I know how amazing it is? Because I ran out and they sold out and I haven’t been able to get it and my hair looks like shit again. You can get the smaller size of it in her travel pack. I am about to order it because I seriously cannot be without for much longer. Her hand cream is also the best I have ever used and I always have at least one bottle on hand.
Skinceuticals C E Ferulic – Once you spend money on a product and it works, you are pretty much hooked…you know? I put off buying this one for so long because I couldn’t stomach paying the price for it. Dermstore runs 15% off sales a few times a year on Skinceutical products, and my derm has specials with free travel size items from time to time as well, and those are the only times you are going to find a deal on this stuff. But let me tell you, I will never not have it now. It has been at least 6 months since I purchased my current bottle, and I still have some left in it. So that is a bit more palatable to know.
The Happiness Project One Sentence Journal – I never keep up with anything, but I have kept up with this every single day over the last year. You simply write a sentence a day and keep it for your kids. It holds 5 years worth! I wish I would have done this from the day Zoe was born, but at least I have it now.
The Best Blanket Ever- You all can keep your barefoot dreams expensive ass blankets. Chris got me this for mother’s day and I have used it every day since. I LOVE IT. It is so soft and beautiful and perfect for any kind of weather. Plus, it is big enough to cover my entire body, and snuggle with Zoe.
Sweatshirt – This is a favorite from 2020 that was still going strong in 2021 and now 2022, as I purchased more and wear them just about every day. Seriously. If you haven’t gotten one yet, they are on sale for even cheaper than the cheap full price. Less than $10 right now! I wear them around the house, I sleep in them, I wear them with leggings to run errands or school pick up. I have a few friends hooked, even my mom has several!
Tory Burch Miller Cloud – These sandals were an investment, but the best one I made for summer. They can be dressed up or down and do no kill the arches of my feet. Which honestly, almost anything these days does. I cannot wear regular flat flip flops/sandals anymore. I so much appreciate these and will be grabbing another color this summer.
Favorite Funnies:
Linking up for Friday Favorites. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
