Nadine

It’s book day! Linking up with Steph and Jana. These are all books from my kindle (except one audiobook), and some are actually Netgalley! I am trying to clear my shelf! You know, so I can go request 30 more that take me a years to read through.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

I have read a lot of books surrounded by music lately. This book will punch you in all the feels!!! The relationship between Sydney and Ridge is so complicated, beautiful, heartbreaking. It is such a roller coaster! I don’t really want to say too much more and give things away. This is Colleen Hoover, she really knows how to tell a story. If you like her writing, you will enjoy this book.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Hot as Puck by Lili Valente

Yowza. This is a true romance right here. Old friends, turned into friends with benefits. But we all know how that turns out, right? I loved the characters in this book. I really loved that Justin is a knitter! You would never except something so nerdy from a professional hockey player, but he definitely has a cute, crafty, dorky side. This book pulled me in right from the start, and had me entertained the whole way through. I am not going to say anything about the very ending, but it was a bit much. I mean it ended like I thought it would, but the last chapter I was sort of like really???

Bottom Line: This was a great story, and if you are into romance I would recommend it. I will say, it has a lot of intimate time…so if that isn’t your thing…I would probably stay away.

The New Guy by Kathryn Freeman

If typical romance books aren’t your thing because you don’t love a good love scene, then this book might be for you. Any romantic moments are fade to black in this book.

I think we all want the next Hating Game, and this book isn’t it. It was a cute story though, I really did like Sam and Ryan. I felt like the author repeated a little too much the reasons why they were both scared to be in a relationship. We get it, lets move on. What did work for me, was the app development company/IT guy. I also really liked that Sam was the strong female CEO, Ryan the “underling.”

Bottom Line: This was a cute read. It passed the time just fine.

**I received a copy of The New Guy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

If Katherine Center writes a book, I am there for it. And you guys, this is a good one!!!! I don’t even know where to start. First of all, the main male lead in this book was apparently in Happiness for Beginners, which I haven’t had a chance to read yet. So you definitely don’t have to read it to read this book at all.

Without giving anything away, this book touches on different illnesses, both physical and mental. It deals with a very heavy, prevalent subject matter, and you get a love story. But not the light, steamy kind I usually read.

This book made me laugh, and cry, and the whole message of the book is something the world needs right now more than ever!!!! To find joy in life, no matter what sorrows you have been through. To come together as a community. The school and community that surrounds Sam and Duncan sounds incredible and I want to be there right now!

Bottom Line: I highly recommend you read this book!! Especially right now!

**I received a copy of What You Wish For from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

I absolutely loved this book! I will say, in the beginning, it drags a little bit because Laurie is so devastated and blindsided by what happens with Dan. But it was very realistic and not rushed at all. So I appreciated that. And it was totally worth reading through to get to the rest, because the rest was gold! Of course, you can guess how the very end is going to turn out. But watching Jamie and Laurie grow as characters and getting to see their families and backgrounds and everything, I just loved it. I loved how British this book is too. And how it hit right on the nail how society wants to paint what happiness is supposed to look like for women.

This is more a story of growth and love, this isn’t a true romance. There aren’t any “romantic scenes” in the book, so if that isn’t your thing and you want a love story…this might be the book for you!

Bottom Line: Read it!!! This will most likely make my top 10 list for the year. I couldn’t put it down.

** I received a copy of If I Never Met You from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Allure of Julian LeFray by R.S. Grey

I haven’t met a R.S. Grey book I haven’t loved. I know what to expect from her; likable characters, witty banter, LOL dialogue, great chemistry. This book is no different. I loved the fashion blogger aspect of the book. I really liked both Julian and Jo, and their dynamic was on point. I liked Jo’s determination and strong work ethic. Also, this book had my name in it and my grandmother’s (Josephine), so that was fun!

Bottom Line: Read it!

Maid For Love by Marie Force

I have had this one sitting on my ipad forever. I have heard good things about this author, but I am not sure how I feel yet. I enjoyed the book, and finished it in just a few sittings. But with that said, I felt like the love was rushed and I didn’t feel it blossom enough. Also, I really liked Mac, but Maddie was a little flat for me. And she was a bit immature. I understand having trust issues with people, but there comes a point you have to let some of that go. Also, who lets someone into their baby’s life so quick?? That part really bothered me.

Bottom Line: This passed the time just fine. I enjoyed the story, but there was a lot I would have changed about it too. If you are into romance, I give it a solid 3.

Things looked a little different this weekend for Easter. Normally we spend most of the day at Chris’s parents house. We knew we had bad weather coming on Sunday, so Saturday morning…we decided to have our Easter Egg Hunt. I put the eggs outside around our house, the weather was absolutely gorgeous! Zoe had so much fun running around collecting them all.

We also made homemade sugar cookies and decorated them. It is a two day process, as the dough has to sit overnight in the fridge. Best cookies ever. They were always my favorite growing up. My mom always made them every holiday with us. I like to carry on that tradition.

We took advantage of the rest of the day and took two big walks around our neighborhood, and played a lot in the yard.

Sunday morning we got a quick ride in on Zoe’s new bike before the storms rolled in. The Easter Bunny was extra generous this year…

We had a big Easter lunch with ham, zucchini au grauten, green beans, pineapple casserole (lightened up) and sweet potatoes. It was delicious!

The rest of the day was spent watching James Spann’s weather updates on TV and playing 100 games of Lucky Duck and Candy Land.

Luckily, we just got a lot of rain at our house with tons of thunder, lightening and some really high winds. We have tree branches down all over our yard, I heard them hitting the house last night!!! I am thankful we didn’t have to run to the basement at all, others nearby weren’t so lucky. I saw this on a friend’s Facebook page, and it couldn’t be more true…

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter at home. I know it looked different this year, but I also hope that it was a time to reflect on the things that are really important.

How is everyone hanging in? I am not going to lie, I had a few hard days this week. Mostly Tuesday. I don’t know what it was about that day, but I was in a horrible mood and Zoe seemed to be too. It just seemed to be too much that day. But then the sun came back out, we got outside and got our daily walks and fresh air back…and I am feeling ok again.

I have a few recipes that I want to post, and will hopefully get around to that next week. Not to mention, book day is coming!!! I am about 30 minutes away from finishing my second book this week. Both were so good, and I cant wait to talk about them!

We are supposed to have some really shitty weather on Easter. Like we don’t have enough to be anxious about, now we have to worry about tornadoes too! I think I am going to stuff Easter eggs tonight, and do a hunt with Zoe outside tomorrow instead. Spread the Easter fun over two days. I hate that she is getting a lot of outdoor stuff, and wont be able to enjoy it on Sunday.

Favorite Service: I cannot be more thankful for things like Shipt and Instacart. We had used Shipt for our first two grocery deliveries, but decided to try out Instacart this week. Groceries have been so expensive, haven’t they??? I do the majority of our shopping at Aldi, and Shipt doesn’t go there but Instacart does. I placed my order on Tuesday, and it came yesterday. Crazy the wait times! I was so nervous that we weren’t going to get the ham I wanted for Easter. Or much meat at all. But apparently, Aldi has been doing a good job stocking, because we got everything I asked for! (Well, with two substitutions. But MUCH better than our Target and Publix experiences.)

Favorite Purchase: Now that I have my office painted, and a fancy chair put together…I want to decorate! All I want to do is spend an hour in HomeGoods looking around. Why is that too much to ask these days??? Until I get that chance, I decided to splurge and order a fancy candle to burn while I am working. I decided on Tobacco Flower but I really want to try White Rose too.

How gorgeous is it?! I plan to reuse the packaging for others when it burns down. I also ordered this one because it is pink and on major sale.

Favorite Workout: The one thing I can say about this quarantine, is that I have worked out and moved more than I have in a long time. I have been hitting my move and exercise goals almost every day. (I missed Tuesday this week by 156 calories…UGH!!!!) This week I am back to more focused workouts, targeting different areas of my body. Tomorrow I will probably have a love/hate relationship with myself since I made today leg day. On Wednesday, I did an arms/abs workout that I actually quite enjoyed. There was only one floor move and no crunches. I FELT it hours later and have all week. It only takes 20 minutes, and Anna is my favorite. (I cant believe she is leaving Popsugar!)

Favorite Funnies:

I had intentions of linking up with Kristen yesterday, but like so many things I intend to do, it wasn’t done. You would think that with all this extra time I have at home, I would be getting so many things done right??? NOPE! I swear I am busier now than when I was going to the office every day. Working from home full time with a toddler is not for the faint of hearts.

Now that we are deep into quarantine, it is getting harder for Zoe. She is a little social butterfly, and misses her friends and teachers so much. She cried for them multiple times yesterday. We have some FaceTime playdates set up today, and I am hoping they can be a regular thing for her for the remainder of this.

We have told her that there are a lot of people that are sick right now, and there are a lot of germs going around. That is why schools are shut down and we can’t go anywhere. And she understands that part of it, but doesn’t understand why it is still going on. Same girl, same. A few weeks or a few months doesn’t mean much in toddler time, it is all too long.

We have a really good routine going. We wake up and make breakfast together, get a lesson in. We have some outside play on nice days, or do Just Dance when it is gross outside. We make lunch and eat together, and then I go to my office and work while she plays or colors for about 2 hours. She wont nap anymore, and even fights quiet time in her room…so this is what works best to avoid a huge meltdown. I wake up at 5am to get a workout in and work for a few hours before she wakes up to make up for this. Around 3pm, we get a snack and take a walk or play ball outside. Usually more Just Dance or Youtube kid yoga. Then we make dinner and do our normal night routines. What does your day look like now?

Homeschooling is difficult. So much planning has to go in to keeping it fresh and her interested. I have incorporated lots of crafts to make it more fun and memorable for her. We have gone through all the shapes and have started on letters.

Favorite Neighbors: Some cows showed up last Saturday on the land behind our house. Never thought I would see cows in my backyard, especially not living in the city. But here we are. It is actually pretty cool, but I am worried about the smell in the dead of summer. We have all been fascinated by them daily.

Favorite Purchase: After a week of scouring the internet for an office chair, I pulled the trigger on this beautiful blush one from World Market. I was going to do a navy accent wall in my office, but I think I am just going to paint it Storm from Benjamin Moore because I have an extra can of it sitting here from Zoe’s room.

Favorite Funnies:

How is everyone doing on week two of coronacrazy? I have settled into a good daily routine that keeps me mostly sane. Working from home is significantly harder when you have a little one running around and out of sorts because she misses her teachers and friends. I figured I would hop on the What’s Up Wednesday train this month!

Eating: Chicken. Lots and lots of chicken. It is all our grocery store had when we placed our Shipt order. I am thankful to have any meat at all, so I am not complaining. Its just….chicken gets old after several days of it. No matter how different you “fix” it.

What I haven’t tired of? My spinach, goat cheese and apple salads I eat for lunch every day. Delicious!!! I usually pair it with a couple olives, handful of nuts and a few cream cheese stuffed salami roll ups.

Reminiscing: Places. Any place. I think when this is over, we can all agree that we take every day life for granted way more than we should. It is a privilege to walk around TJ Maxx, Target, the drugstore. To be able to walk into a restaurant and meet up with a group of friends and share laughs over chips and salsa. To wander around the zoo and watch your child light up in amazement. To simply have a play date with a friend on a slow weekend.

Loving: Being in my home office every day has inspired me to get this place in order and decorated. Really it is just a desk and a landing place for random items currently. Including Zoe’s bounce house, which is crucial in times like these…but hopefully not a permanent fixture in here.

I really want to paint the back wall navy, and use coral and gold as accents throughout the space. I am having a hard time deciding what to paint the other three walls though. Suggestions? I am not 100% sold yet.

Been Up To: Pretty much what everyone is up to these days. Traveling around our house, bouncing between the living room, kitchen, Zoe’s room, our yard on nice days. Zoe and I have really taken advantage of the nice weather and have been walking/running around our neighborhood at least daily, sometimes more. I have hit my move and exercise goals every single day.

Dreading: The long term effects that the coronavirus is going to put on our economy, our lives, the small businesses. I have so much anxiety surrounding all of this.

Working On: I have a few things in the works that I have been wanting to do for a long time. Even with more time at home right now, it is hard to find the time and balance to really dedicate to everything. I think once I get the ball rolling though, it will all fall into place.

Excited: I am looking forward to Easter. Now that Zoe is a little older, we can have a fun egg hunt with her. I ordered some stuff from Target that should be coming in today to fill her eggs with. Luckily, I had started getting some dresses and stuff for her last month since we cant go out now to shop! I always get her a few swimsuits each year as well, since she has swim days at school, and we have a pool and water table for her at home.

Watching: While I figured we could get caught up on lots of TV during this time at home, that hasn’t been the case! We are caught up on The Good Doctor, The Resident and Bluebloods right now. We haven’t even watched a single Grey’s since December. We need a good binge day!!!

Reading: What You Wish For by Katherine Center (ARC from Netgalley, will come out in July)

Playing: Lots of Just Dance with Zoe! We play pretty much every day for at least 20-30 minutes. One of Zoe’s favorite songs to dance to on there is Old Towne Road. Last night when we were dancing she belted out “Can’t nobody tell me nothinnnnnnn” and I was like oh god, this is why she loves this song. That is her life motto!!!!

Wearing: I mean, let’s get real people. Is anyone wearing real pants??? Not over here! I change every day, but ummm its always athletic wear. I do wear a real bra, so there is that!

This Weekend: This weekend is more of the same I suppose. I ordered a gas can for our lawn mower, we didn’t bring the one from our old house. Hopefully I will be cutting grass Saturday. Excited for the workout!!! And getting our lawn looking super fly.

What are you up to?