Nadine

Hey there! I can’t believe we are heading into the last week of August. This summer has really flown by. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for some cooler temps! It has been brutal these last few weeks. The humidity does not let up! I have been very into the fall clothing looks that have been coming out, and that Starbucks has brought back their fall drinks! I will never complain about someone sharing their PSL the day it comes out or playing Christmas music in October. Never delay joy!

It has been a heavy two weeks around here. We pulled Zoe from school the middle of last week for a little while, as the Covid cases around here are insane. Hospitals are filling up, lots of people we know are sick. I cried because she was doing so well and was so happy to be back. It is hard to know the right thing to do. I am back with all our home schooling stuff, and trying to once again to juggle my full time job, full time Zoe, school, cooking, cleaning, and everything else that comes our way. It is so exhausting.

And then you hear news come in about what is going on in Afghanistan and it makes your problems seem almost trivial. It is heart wrenching to hear of the troops we lost, and see all the Americans we have left over there. Not to mention some of the Afghanistan people who absolutely did not ask for this either. I have also noticed the deafening silence from several people who have been vocal on their opinion about everything over the last year, and they have nothing to say about this.

And that is enough heavy stuff today. I promised myself I wasn’t going to come on here and complain for an entire post.

Some good things. Zoe and I have played Just Dance just about every day this week. It has been so fun! She has been really into coloring and drawing lately. I am amazed at how much she has progressed on the drawing front, as I can tell immediately what several things are that she draws now. She mastered hearts this week. I love to see them doodled on everything. We also started working on sight words!

Zoe got a super sweet package from Laura earlier this week.

She has been carrying Pepper the Penguin around everywhere she goes.

Favorite Finds: As I mentioned earlier, I have been trying to manifest fall down here. I found a few really cute pieces to start transitioning into the season.

I really love the look of this dress. It is under $30, and this color is perfect for any season. I think it would be cute paired with sandals, pumps or nude booties.

Loving this ruffle sweatshirt!!! Another item under $30. And how perfect is this color for fall? It also comes in pink.

I don’t usually go crazy for many floral prints, but I am really digging the fall vibes of this shirt. It reminds me of a designer piece I saw recently that had a much heftier price tag.

Favorite Mail: My FabFitFun Fall Box arrived this week. I am LOVING the home items I picked from it. The canisters and cutting board are truly beautiful. I needed a new, small frying pan and I love the blue color with the wood looking handle. I am ready to try out the face masks, and I think the Coach jewelry was really pretty. There were a few choices I was meh about, but overall, the box was definitely worth more than what I paid for it. You can get $10 off your first box with my link if you are interested.

Favorite Recipe: I have been struggling with the whole cooking thing. It gets so tiring making 3 meals a day for 3 people every single day. I get in ruts and nothing sounds good when I make up our grocery list. I am going to sit down with some recipe books this weekend and really come up with some better ideas. Until then, this chicken piccata recipe is a favorite. Even Zoe loves it.

Target has frozen butternut squash noodles that are perfect to keep on hand for a quick and easy meal. I like to serve it with a browned butter sage sauce and grate some fresh parmesan over top. Comes together in about 15 minutes.

Favorite Workout: Heather killed me in this strength and cardio workout! I liked the format of 2 super sets twice, followed by a minute cardio blast before you move on to the next super set. The way it was set up went by quickly as a whole, but man, those cardio blasts being a minute instead of 40 seconds were brutal! In a good way.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites.

Happy Friday! Well, we are making it through our first week back to school! Zoe has come home on green every day, which is the best you can get for behavior. She is smiling and happy and cant wait to tell me the little bits about her day. This kid thrives there and it makes me so happy. I have had a few parents and teachers come up to me telling me they are so happy to see Zoe back. One of her friend’s dads hunted me down the other day and said that his kid went tearing through the house when she got home, couldn’t wait to tell her mom that Zoe was in her class again. <3

Her teacher is really good about taking photos and uploading them for us. Look at this sweet photo from her first day they did. She also did some group ones and it is so funny because back in 2019, they always called Zoe “Little Zoe” because she was a tiny bit of a thing and usually one of the smallest in her class. Now she is one of the tallest! She had some crazy growth spurts over the last year!

I just love her enthusiasm and to see her thriving so quickly. I was worried we were going to have a rough transition back. I am so glad I was wrong.

Favorite Finds: I found this pullover for under $15. I normally don’t go for plaid, I feel very manly and lumberjack wearing flannel shirts. But this short sleeve version might be the perfect find for me. Besides, it is hot down here until November…so finding “fall looking” short sleeve items is key. It comes in 4 colors and Time and Tru tends to run TTS.

The perfect transition shoes. They are 20% off right now!

Favorite Recipe: How amazing does that look! I love finding different ways to use quinoa, and thai flavoring is one of my favorites. I like to have meatless lunches as well, and you get some protein and fiber in this to keep you full. This makes the perfect lunch item for work, it doesn’t have to be heated.

Favorite Workout: An old faithful I broke out this morning. It is quick, but you get sweaty fast! I always add at least a 10-20 minute walk in after. I am trying to get as many outside walks as I can, despite the heat. I find it super helpful to get that sun and grounding first thing in the morning.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I can’t believe it is that time again! I sort of forgot my birthday is next week. This summer is just flying by. This month especially. I always think it is fun to put together a little wish list.

Rebecca Minkoff Purse

I have always wanted a quilted Chanel bag. They are so classy and iconic. They run close to $10k now, and that is insane to me. This Rebecca Minkoff one gives me those vibes for a lot less, and I really like that you can wear it as a shoulder purse or crossbody.

Icing V Neck Free People Sweater

I liked this Free People sweater during the nsale, but found it at Nordstrom Rack and TJMaxx for less!

Anastasia Eyeshadow Palette

I think this eye shadow palette is gorgeous! Not that I necessarily need another one…but you know. It is still fun!

Chanel Bronzer

This bronzer has been on my wish list for quite some time. I never pulled the trigger because I had a bronzer that I enjoyed and didn’t need more than one. But I have hit pan and ready to try something new!

Santal Oil

Love a good scent to diffuse while I work. Especially as fall approaches. It is just so cozy.

Mediterranean Cookbook

I have been really paying attention to the foods we eat, as I feel that a healthy body starts with what we feed it. So much disease and illness stems from inflammation and the garbage packaged foods at the store. While I don’t avoid them completely, I am trying to limit. I think this cookbook sounds awesome!

Fenty Gloss

I have heard such good things about this gloss, and this looks like such a fun color!

Fenty Blush Crush on Cupid

How gorgeous is this color???? I am trying to switch over to more cream products, can you tell?

My month started out with a DNF, so I was a little worried that I was going to have another slump month. But then we read The One for book club, and I got a few books from the library that I had been waiting on…and things picked up quickly. Also, check out how many NetGalley books I knocked out! I have a real problem with going on requesting sprees, I am trying to clear my shelf. Linking up with Steph and Jana.

The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding

This one snagged my interest right away. The chapters in the book switch from Viv, to Thomas, to Eli to Tarryn. I really liked how we get each family member’s perspective. I love a good family drama, and this definitely delivered. Each person had their own secrets they were hiding from the rest of the family. It was truly messed up stuff, so that was interesting. I didn’t really like any of the characters, but I don’t think you are supposed to. The first good chunk of this book kept me going, and was fairly intense. And then the ending sort of fell flat for me.

Bottom Line: Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. It was really hard to put down, definitely kept me guessing the entire time. I just wish the ending was different somehow? It was sort of a let down.

**I received a copy of The Perfect Family from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The One by John Marrs

This was the July choice for book club, and I was excited to jump in. There have been so many good reviews on this one floating around blog land. And now that I am finished with it, I am left torn. I liked how the book goes back and forth between the different POVs of the Matched characters we get to meet, it really sucks you in immediately. Each of the storylines was very interesting, giving you surprises and heartache. But then I realized about half way through that they were all quite depressing, really. My faith in humanity has greatly diminished since finishing this book. None of the characters were all that likeable, they were very one dimensional. Each storyline was just so fucked up. As far as the dating DNA storyline goes, I liked Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren much more.

Bottom Line: I am not sure how many stars I want to give this book. It really held my interest the entire time, and it was very hard to put down. But then when I finished the book, I just felt sad for humanity and wanted to go cry in the shower. However, I remembered a lot of details about it to tell Chris about all the storylines, so it stuck with me. I also really liked talking about it with book club.

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

I am sure you are shocked to see that there are a few CL books I haven’t read yet. I am finally getting to this one, and I gotta say, it was well worth the wait. I liked how the story alternated between the past and present, and we saw the relationship between Macy and Elliot grow every other chapter, and then got present day. I felt like the relationship between Sean and Macy wasn’t super believable. It seemed way to easy and detached? But that was also the point. When we finally find out what happens, oh man. Cue the tears! I really enjoyed this one, and it will move on up towards the top 5 CL books for me. Another book I tore through in just a few sittings.

Bottom Line: Read it!! I feel like even if romance isn’t your jam, there is something to appreciate here in this book. This one is less romcom than their usual books, with more serious elements thrown in.

King of the Court by R.S. Grey

This book is available for pre-order. It comes out August 12, 2020

A new R.S. Grey?? Sign me up! I think I read this one in about 24 hours, which never happens for me. It just grabbed me from the beginning. I liked that we had a time jump between part 1 and part 2. It was very different than any of the other RS Grey books I have read in that sense. Honestly, I felt like Raelynn was a pretty badass female, doing what she needed to do to get by. I also liked Ben, and R.S. Grey is always good about side characters, Lele, Trey and Anthony were all pretty cool. I would love to have this as a series with the different guys from Ben’s team.

Bottom Line: If you like romcom, check it out!

**I received an ARC of King of the Court from R.S. Grey in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

I am so behind on Jasmine Guillory books, but I was excited to jump back into her world. I liked both Nik and Carlos, probably Carlos the most. And I really like how Guillory brings characters from previous books into this book. The meet cute was really fun in this one, and probably the strongest part of the book for me. I felt like the humor of the book fell a little flat.

Bottom Line: With the baseball/California setting…it is the perfect summer read!

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee

I was really excited to jump in, the premise sounded fun and a bit unique. I will say, I felt like I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I liked that it wasn’t an insta-love romance…but it also left me very frustrated. The characters basically had a hard time communicating their feelings to each other through the entire book. I felt like some of their thoughts were a bit childish? And Tara’s whole situation. She was 28 and she had two 30 year old twin brothers, and they all lived at home with their parents still? I did like that Tara was a brew master. Having a female heroine in a predominantly male driven world was pretty cool.

Bottom Line: This one passed the time fine, I wouldn’t not recommend it. But I also wouldn’t be in a hurry to read it either.

**I received a copy of The Dating Dare from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent

I got about 30-40% into this book, and I decided to quit. I just can’t with the main character. The whole premise of the book, her pretending to be her best friend for a job and hiding it from said friend is just messed up. How can you do that to your friend? And Birdy is such a mess of a person in general. She makes one stupid mistake after another. Get your shit together, girl! Plus, the author takes cheap shots at Americans, acting like we are all classless idiots. No thanks. I don’t think I will be picking up anything else from this author.

Bottom Line: Pass

**I received a copy of The Summer Job from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

This book comes out in October 20201

I didn’t realize this was the third book in a series when I requested it. (Some of the reviews said you do no need to read them in order.) I think this one one of those “read now” deals I got an email for. The premise sounded good with family secrets, but I just couldn’t get into this book. The writing was sort of all over the place, and the characters were not very relatable to me. I was bored and maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time.

Bottom Line: At the time of my review, the book had really good reviews on Goodreads, so I can’t say not to read it since I didn’t finish it. Maybe it picked up? It just wasn’t for me.

**I received a copy of Oh William! from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Currently Reading

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

Well, I am coming in late today because it is the first day of school for Zoe. She is starting her last first day in pre-school. That hit me when I was walking out to the parking lot all sad and lonely, and ran into a mom friend who was dropping off and kindly reminded me of that little fact. Zoe has been making comments about being nervous to start back, but when she popped out of bed this morning and squealed with excitement that it was the first day of school. She didn’t eat much for breakfast, so I knew that she was still a little nervous. At drop off, she gave me three hugs and was going in for a fourth when she saw her friend, and went running off after her. Not even a goodbye. So it was an easier drop off for her than me.

I am just glad that parents still get to walk their kids to class as of right now. I like to communicate with the teachers as much as possible to know how she is doing and little bits about her day. I hope that she is having an amazing time!

As I mentioned on Friday, I didn’t get to do a lot of the things I had planned last week. I did manage to take Zoe on a lunch date Friday. She chose her favorite Mexican restaurant, and of course, I said yes! I hope to make this a yearly tradition, going out to lunch to celebrate a new school year.

After we left there, we took some food back to Chris and then headed to Open House to meet her teachers and see her classroom. When we walked in the front door, several of Zoe’s past teachers were standing in the hall and everyone yelled “Zoe!!!!!” when we walked though. Several came running up to her, commenting on how much they missed her, how tall she has grown, how long her hair has gotten, how excited they are that she is back. She was just beaming from all the attention, I know it meant a lot to her. We went up to see her classroom and talk to the teachers for a few minutes and I think we both felt better when we left. The women that work there are truly a blessing.

Saturday we mostly hung around the house. Zoe rode her bike, practiced her hand stands in the yard and made pierogis for lunch. We ordered Moe’s BBQ for dinner, and stayed inside most of the afternoon as a storm rolled through. We did manage to get a long walk in Saturday night after it stopped raining.

Sunday morning we played several board games and had leftover BBQ for lunch. Zoe and I ran to Publix to grab some dinner supplies, and then spent the afternoon outside. I set up the slip n slide and water table for her in the backyard. We also enjoyed some bomb pops.

That evening we had pork medallions, mashed potatoes and lima beans for dinner. Zoe and I had all her stuff packed up and ready to go for school in the morning. She has known for months what her first day outfit was going to be, and she made sure everything was together for that.

And just like that, here we come 4K!

Linking up with Tanya.