Uncategorized

Well, spring has sprung here in Alabama this last week. The dogwoods are blooming, my grass has turned back to green seemingly overnight, and my allergies are in full force making me question if it is allergies or the ‘rona every single morning when I wake up with a pounding headache. Fun times.

A few weeks ago, basically after Valentine’s Day, I started decorating for Easter and added some more stuff around the house this past week. I have a few more things I want to add eventually, but this is probably it for this year. Besides Christmas, Easter is my favorite holiday to decorate for. I love all the white, pastels and bunnies.

This weekend we pretty much hung around the house, only leaving to grab a Best Buy pick up and some burgers and diet cokes from BBQ Stop on Saturday night.

I had to work for a few hours each morning. I swear anytime I think I start to catch up, we have a new load of jobs in and my list keeps growing. I am thankful for the work and hope the economy continues in such a way, but then I also worry that it is just a bubble ready to pop. This last year has rocked all of our lives in such a way, hasn’t it?

I made a new dish yesterday for lunch, low carb chicken enchilada. Basically it is chicken breast with enchilada fixings on top, and some cauliflower rice. I might share the recipe later this week. It came together pretty easily and was full of flavor. It also looks pretty.

We managed to get outside some, with the weather near 80 the last two days. My allergies got the best of me yesterday afternoon, and we had to come inside. I felt like my eyes were going to explode. Still, lots of fun to be had!

I had someone reach out to me on Instagram a few weeks ago, offering a small discount in exchange for a post on the product. It was for Little Creators playdough kits! I have purchased a few kits from various Etsy sellers before, and it was time for a new one. The dough in these kits isn’t meant to last forever, as it is naturally made and tends to try out after several months. The toys inside are always so fun, because you can use them with slime and regular play dough too. I let Zoe get on the site and chose her favorite kits. She picked a large ballerina kit and a small rainbow/unicorn one. They arrive last week, and my goodness they are wonderful!!! These kits are better than the kits I have purchased before. The dough is larger and softer and smells incredible. Her large box is also much bigger than the others I have received, definitely giving us room to store the dough in the box. The other boxes we have, I can never get everything to fit back inside after opening.

Zoe has played with these kits for hours already, they are so much fun! Little Creators has offered my followers a discount code: LITTLES if you want to order some of your own. They posted some Easter boxes last week that look soooooo cute!!! They shipped really fast.

Sharing these kits on my blog wasn’t part of the deal. I just really loved the hits and highly recommend them for anyone that is looking. I only share good stuff with you guys, I hope you know that! I am not getting anything on the kits that are sold with my code.

Some seriously beautiful scenes Zoe has made with these over the last week!

I could talk about how it has been a year now since I left my office March 13th in the middle of the work day to go to the grocery store and get prepared for the 2-4 weeks we were told we would probably be home in quarantine. I remember thinking wow, up to a month??? So naïve were we, right??

This past year, I have been more than thankful that we have been able to keep our family in a safe little bubble and work from home. We had the means to have groceries and supplies delivered to our door, to be able to set up home offices comfortably, and live mostly unscathed this last year. At least physically. My mental state leaves a little to be desired if I am being honest. This virus isn’t really going anywhere anytime soon, but I spent a year doing my part and I am honestly over it. I have watched so many live like nothing changed, and if I am honest…I am a little jealous of those who still took trips, went to Target whenever they felt like it and weren’t scared. While I am not an extreme risk, I do have asthma, and pneumonia has put me in the hospital more than once in the past. The fact that this was known as a raspatory illness scared me, I won’t lie. I have watched family members, friends, coworkers, etc get sick. Luckily they have all come through on the other side. I actually have a family member that was just diagnosed this past week. Hoping he has a good recovery.

But right now, I am over it. Obviously, I am going to continue to be careful and take precautions. But we are slowly taking steps to take some parts of our lives back. I think it is time. I was never really a hugger before. Just with family and close friends…but if you know me even a little…don’t be surprised to get a huge hug every time I see you forever and ever….once I am not afraid of you giving me the plague. It’s amazing that such a small gesture is something I miss the most.

Anyways, back to work for me! We have some bad weather coming in on Wednesday down here. I am hoping things change between now and then, but if not…stay weather aware! I hope you all have a great week!

Linking up with Tanya.

Happy Friday! After a crazy week last week, I feel like I can breathe a little easier now. Doesn’t mean I won’t work this weekend….but maybe not as much! The weather has been so amazing here all week, sunny and in the upper 60s/low 70s, I even managed to get outside with Zoe a few times to take a walk and play. I had grabbed some outdoor toys from Five Below that we broke in this week. A giant soccer ball, ladder ball, slam jam and yard pong…all for $5! I love that place. Zoe was most excited about the large soccer ball and has played with it every day since.

Favorite Purchase: My night lip balm was running low, so I grabbed this Milk Melatonin Overnight Lip Mask, and I am in love. I don’t necessarily notice any melatonin effects, but I will say that this stuff stays on for a really long time. It smells amazing, and gives me an instant cozy feeling as I am applying it. It is working better at hydrating than my last balm, and had pretty packaging. What more do you want?

For whatever reason, I seem to drink less water when I am home, than when I was at the office. It is an ongoing problem with me. I feel like these time cups with the times on them are sort of arbitrary, but clearly free styling it wasn’t working for me. I ordered this one that holds 64 ounces, and wow is it big! But I tell you, I am not one to back down from a challenge when it sits in front of me…so now I am trying to beat the times on the cup. I have the 9am one down before 6am. The color is super fun and reminds me of summer too, so there is that. It has a huge handle on it that allows me to carry it all over the house.

Favorite Recipe: I have made this chicken satay recipe a couple times. It is from carb manager, so it is a great low carb option. Last night I served it along side an Asian salad and it was delicious. I don’t always have all the ingredients for the sauce…sometimes I don’t add coconut milk and it still turns out fine. I throw in red pepper flakes to spice it up sometimes too.

Favorite Workout: This is a great one for those of you with knee problems or don’t like mat work. It was a standing workout with no lunges or squats. It went by quickly, and definitely gives you a full body burn.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites.

Linking up with Steph and Jana. This month I was able to knock off a few Netgalley books and received a few books from the library that I was on the wait list for quite awhile.

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

This was the book club pick for February. I enjoyed the main plot of this book, and I felt like we got some decent character development….but they were all unlikeable except maybe the daughter, Evie. The main issue for me in this book, was that when the ending revealed itself…I felt like there were some major plot holes. It wasn’t the mind blowing twist you expect in a book like this…it was more confusing and left me scratching my head a little. Also, the middle of this book was so repetitive and weak, a lot of it could have been left out.

Bottom Line: Skip this one and read The Last Mrs. Parish

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

I am trying to decide what I want to say about this book. I neither loved it nor hated it. I was really bored with a good chunk of the book, but then I got into the writing style more and wanted to see how Casey’s life was going to play out. I really loved the last 1/3 of the book. I feel like the writing style is very….dry? I think that is the word I am looking for. It wasn’t my favorite and not what I was expecting, exactly.

Bottom Line: This book gets very high ratings on Goodreads. I thought the overall story was lovely, but it was a struggle for me to get through the first bit. I did love the ending.

Lover Lettering by Kate Clayborn

I was super bored in the first half of this book. I actually considered quitting, but saw several of my book friends say they loved the second half…so I hung in there. And they were right, it definitely picked up in the second half. I wasn’t a huge fan of Reid or Meg at first to be honest, but both grew on me. I also liked the side stories with Sib, Lark and her friends from the shop. I enjoyed watching Meg grow as a person, becoming more confident in herself. The second half of the book definitely redeemed it for me, and I can say that I would recommend it now. I really enjoyed it and appreciated the first half after seeing the whole picture.

Bottom Line: This was a cute read, I would recommend it if you like stories about relationships of both friendship and romantic relations.

To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne

ARC Copy – Release date is June 29, 2021 so put it on the TBR/Pre-order

This is not my first Lauren Layne read, I enjoy her work. I was instantly drawn in to the You’ve Got Mail feel of this book. That is one of my all time FAVORITE movies!!! This book was absolutely delightful!!! I loved Gracie, Sebastian, Lady and Sir. I especially loved all the side characters, from May and Keva….to Gracie’s siblings and the drama between her sister and BIL. It all came together so lovely, and they all had their spot in the book. Nothing was forced or out of place. I really loved Gracie as she tried to keep her father’s store alive, but also realizing that she had been living her whole life to please others and their dreams. There was a lot of growth and bravery in her that I very much admired.

Bottom Line: This is such a sweet, fun book. Definitely read it!

**I received a copy of To Sir, With Love from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane

ARC Copy – Release date is May 4, 2021

I have come to absolutely love Mhairi McFarlane! And this book is exactly what I love about her. It grabbed my attention immediately and I couldn’t put it down. I had all the feels, and I just loved Eve. She grew so much as a character throughout the book. And I am going to tell you, I liked Finlay immediately, even when he was being an “arse.” I loved the darker tone, as this book deals with grief. I had no clue that the main grief event was coming and I was like WHAT OMG?!?! I don’t want you that don’t love romance novels to toss this out. This doesn’t have any of the physical steam in the book, it is more about relationships with friends, as complicated as they can be. And family relationships as well. As I said, I felt all the things reading this book and I highly recommend.

Bottom Line: Read it!!!!

**I received a copy of Just Last Night from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith

I immediately liked both Tallie and Emmette. The writing style of the book was great. The book deals with grief and suicide, but it did it in a hopeful, not so depressing way. It also talks about divorce and infertility. I really enjoyed the story, and I am not going to give any spoilers away, but there was an action in the book that I didn’t care for so much and felt like it was out of character for one of the characters. It made it seem less realistic, maybe? But either way, it was a beautiful story, and I am interested to read more from this author. I really liked the bible verse at the end from Thessalonians 4:11-12.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Currently Reading

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

I started this post for last Friday and it didn’t happen. I am coming at you live at 5:15 am Friday while I am waiting for some work files to download. You guys…it has been a week. Work has been crazy, it is great for business and I am glad to see things greatly improving from last year, but also I feel like I am under water. I have woken up at 4am every day this week, worked all day long and even worked a few nights after Zoe went to bed.

We haven’t had a single lesson all week. Yesterday it was absolutely gorgeous and 70 degrees. The only reason why I know, is because Mac has to go out a few times a day. It killed me to miss such a great day for outside play. Zoe has been amazing all week all things considering, but also, we have had some major meltdowns. And I am not just talking about her. We both cried yesterday.

I can’t believe that next week it will have been a year of living in a pandemic. Remember when we thought we were all going to be home for two or three weeks? We were so cute.

I did manage to throw together a quick table spread on Tuesday for Dr Seuss Day! Luckily I had thought in advanced and ordered some new books for Zoe, and used our decor from last year. I failed to come up with a themed meal, but made some chocolate croissants that were received very well.

My mom had bought Zoe this gorgeous dress from Target last month. It instantly became one of her favorites, and she was so excited to wear it and match the table.

Favorite Purchase: I am obsessed with these studded sandals from Target. I really love both colors, but grabbed the nude ones as they were low on stock.

I know some influencers are always posting about Colleen Rothschild, I am not cool enough to be one of her picks….but I cannot deny that I love her products!!! Her hand cream is hands down my favorite that I have tried. (And trust me, I have tried a lot.) I have gone through an entire tube and repurchased another. When I did that, I also grabbed this honey vanilla body butter. This smells incredible!!!!! I love the texture, as it is the perfect consistency for rubbing in right after a shower. It makes me skin feel so soft, and it leaves a pleasant scent that lasts all day. I can even smell it on my clothes hours later. She has a creamy body wash in this scent that I would love to try.

I really like her conditioner/hair mask too. I have been using it for about 8 or 9 months. I think it would be perfect for all hair types. It doesn’t weigh down my fine hair, and I can definitely feel a difference since I had started using it.

Favorite Lust: I came across these beautiful vases and I can’t stop thinking about them. I think I need one or three for our fireplace. My decorating sort of happens as I see things that inspire me, rather than going out and searching for something specific. How do you decorate?

Favorite Recipe: I made this teriyaki chicken last night. It was quick and easy, minimal ingredients. Low carb, healthy, delicious. What more can you ask for?

Chris and Zoe really liked this cheeseburger meatloaf recipe. I made it for the first time last week, and we already repeated it once this week. Again, low carb, not many ingredients and easy to make. It does take awhile to bake in the oven though, as any meatloaf does.

Favorite Workout: I had to skip my workout one day this week, but I did manage to fit one in the rest of the week. Mr and Mrs Muscle gives you the most bang for your time. This 20 minute workout had my heart racing and me sweating after the first round. I love her style of four rounds of a few moves. It moves very quickly, and you are done before you know it.

Of course, I also got a few in with my girl Heather. This one wiped me out! Her low impact workouts do not mean low intensity. Not even a little. I felt so good after I finished this one.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites.

Coming in hot with another Amazon favorites post! We needed a few new kitchen items this month and a few other gems. Linking up with Tanya.

Lodge Dutch Oven – It was time to replace our soup pot, and I opted for a dutch oven instead. I absolutely love this! It is a fraction of the price as certain brands, and every bit the quality. I got blue, and it is such a pretty color. There are several other options to fit your aesthetics. I am all about investing in long term pieces, and this was a great addition.

Small Oven Pan – Our toaster oven pan needed replacing, and I found the perfect size pan for it! This is heavy duty, sturdy and has a lifetime warranty. Score!

Makeup Sponges – I refuse to pay $20 for one Beauty Blender. I feel like over the years, their quality control has gone way down. I used to love the Real Techniques ones, and those two are hit or miss anymore. I found these on Amazon and you get a container of them for the price of two RT one. These work great, and hold up against both other brands, only I think they are better! I have been loving my foundation brushes lately, but I like to have these on hand as well for when I wear CC creams or was too lazy to wash my brushes.

Pencil Sharpener – With homeschooling, we are using all kinds of writing utensils. I have a Dollar Tree manual pencil sharpener, and it keeps eating our pencils, breaking them, doing a horrible job. I decided it was time to invest in a better option. This works great and is small enough to keep in a drawer or on your desk.

Toilet Pumice – I saw a few people share this and decided to give it a try. It is every bit the miracle worker for getting those hard water stains out of your toilet with minimum effort. Highly recommend! Our toilet bowls look brand new.

Remote Control Car – Chris enjoys remote control cars when we are outside. He drives them on our family walks sometimes…and Zoe really loves when he brings it. He ordered a new one, and this is insanely cool. It goes so fast and has drawn attention from many of our neighbors who are out and about.

Put Me in the Zoo and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish – Dr Seuss books were some of my favorites growing up, so I always try to make some fun on Dr Seuss Day for Zoe each year. (It’s tomorrow.) I always get her a new book, and come up with some kind of fun theme for a meal or snack. She will be wearing her Dr Seuss dress tomorrow, and at least have the table decorated when she wakes up. I need to come up with a fun snack, I am slacking this year.

Sharpie Highlighters – I had quite the undertaking with some data this week at work. I realized, I don’t have enough highlighters when this type of thing arises. I tried to order some from Target for a pickup, and wouldn’t you know the ones I pick they were out of and of course they don’t give me any alternatives. Ugh! I made do with some of Zoe’s markers…but ordered these for next time. I love Sharpie brand.

Hangers – I love these hangers and having the same color in my closet. It gives a cohesive look that makes my OCD heart smile. We needed more, and I am happy with this purchase. My other ones came from TJ Maxx…and these fit right in.

Food Processor – We have a small, inexpensive food processor/immersion blender that someone got us as a wedding present many years ago. It has worked fine for most things, but any time a recipe calls for major food processing…I tend to skip it unless I think I can make it work in the blender. It was time to invest in one, and this had great reviews and is reasonably priced. I love it.

What are you loving lately?