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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?

Hey there! I thought I would do a little What’s Up Wednesday this month. Steph shared a really good post the other day about not having a lot to say, and our moods from all the shit we have survived through this past year. I felt it deep in my soul. I have started many posts on here, and abandoned them because I am like…what do I even have to say anymore? I have been living life Groundhog’s Day style for almost a year now. Lots of the same old same old. But blogging is one of my only adult interactions I have throughout the day, and my only creative outlet right now, so I cling to it like a life preserver.

What We are Eating – I have been on a kick to try new recipes again lately. I get stuck in food ruts pretty easily, I am just tired of cooking 3 meals a day forever and ever, you know?? Anyways, I have been really focusing on my nutrition lately, as it is a constant struggle for me. The effort it takes to keep it just right in order to lose weight is exhausting. No matter how much I work out and go hard in the mornings, it can all be undone with just a few bad food choices. The good news is that finally. FINALLY. I am seeing the scale move again.

This week we have had some fun new additions. We tried a taco casserole on Sunday. I made a chicken fajita pan meal Monday night, secret sauce kielbasa for lunch yesterday and coconut chicken tenders for dinner last night. The secret sauce kielbasa is an oldie but goodie, everything else was new recipes. We liked all of them and will be adding them in to the rotation.

I usually do acai bowls for breakfast, but switched it up Monday with this oatmeal from Purely Elizabeth. It was really good, and I loved the addition of the nut butter it came with.

What We’ve Been Up To – Honestly, much of the same. Work has been insane the last two weeks. So many new jobs came in, and I am thankful for them…but damn! Last night we had virtual book club, and I listened to everyone while I worked and contributed none.

What has been bringing my spirits up, is the amazing weather we had this weekend and early this week. Today the high is 72. What?! So we did manage to sneak in some walks outside yesterday, and I hope to get some outside play in today too. Maybe I will even make a batch of chalk paint for Zoe. One of our favorite past times last spring/summer.

What I’m Loving – Target has 20% off on dresses right now. While I don’t always have luck with the fit/quality of some of their items…I am tempted to pick up a few dresses during the sale. I basically live in dresses from March – October.

I really like this short sleeve dress from Wild Fable, and this tank dress that is similar style to my favorite from A New Day last year. I also like the look of this tiered dress.

I am still really loving these sandals from Walmart. Really comfortable and supportive for my bad foot.

I also have my eye on this top. I ordered a tshirt from the Free Assembly line, and it is high quality for the price. I was pleasantly surprised.

What I’m Reminiscing About – Basically just life pre-covid. A memory from February 23, 2020 popped up on my phone last night, it was of Zoe eating pancakes at Metro Diner. I thought to myself…that was the last time we had gone out for breakfast there before all this happened.

What I’m Doing This Weekend – Probably working in the mornings for sure. Hopefully hopping into another good book too! I am reading Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane right now, and it is so good! It is an ARC copy, the book comes out in May.

What I Am Excited About – I am excited for the nicer weather and Easter. I have been decorating around the house for Spring/Easter already. Excited to see the pops of pastel. Hopefully we can do some fun outdoor activities soon.

What I Am Listening To – I have been listening to a little of an audiobook on the treadmill this last week. My library was offering a virtual book club and immediate download of Love Lettering. I missed the discussion since it is during my working hours, but I have enjoyed the book so far.

What I Am Watching – We have been catching up on The Resident this week. Wow, what a ride!

What I Am Working On – I signed up for an Instagram class that is actually happening this morning. I am hoping I can tune in for a bit and see if I learn anything. One of my local friends is hosting through a local non-profit.

I have also been working on things around the house. I ordered a shelf for the master bathroom that will hopefully be here in the next week. I am going to hang it over our bathtub and put some products on it and a few decor items. I really liked the look of it, and it was on sale for a great price! I had seen a similar one at Target for $104. So I feel like I got a really good deal.

I hope you all are doing well. Let me know what you are up to. What you are loving lately.

We are in the final week of February, crazy right? I am not going to lie, I am nervous for March. I still have PTSD or something from last March. I am sure we all do. Not a lot happening over here this week, just keeping it chill.

After some snow and freezing weather last week, it was nice to see warm weather return just in time for the weekend! It was around 50 on Saturday and 60 yesterday. We definitely took advantage and spent time outside both days.

Zoe is obsessed with her new raincoat. I had purchased her a new one last year, but it fell apart after just a few wears. So sad. I went back to this one, as we had one previously that lasted us two years. The only reason we retired it was because she grew. I love the Cat and Jack ones because they are wind and rain resistant. Of course, she sported it all weekend.

Saturday morning, I rearranged the coffee bar and our china cabinet in the kitchen. I am still trying to decide how I want to display all of my glasses. I am also looking at some open shelving for above the coffee bar. I want somewhere I can have a few canisters and other decor. Maybe some hooks to hang some mugs. I haven’t fully decided. I also started pulling out our Easter decor. Christmas is my all time favorite holiday to decorate for, but Easter isn’t too far behind. I love all the bunnies and pastel colors.

I ordered some bunny garland to add to the fireplace, and I have a few more things I need to dig out for the dining room and kitchen. I will share when I am done. Zoe has always been obsessed with this bunny that Chris got me the year I was pregnant with Zoe. She has been carrying it around all weekend.

We made some buffalo chicken for lunch. This is definitely one of my favorite chicken recipes. It is easy, low carb and delicious! Zoe even likes it without the hot sauce.

I finished reading The Wife Stalker…I have lots of thoughts…just in time for book club. I started Just Last Night and I am having a hard time putting it down! I love Mhairi McFarlane! This is an ARC copy, I believe it comes out in May. Definitely something to add to the list!

Sunday morning we made breakfast and did a deep clean of the house. For all the time we spend at home, I rarely have time to do more than touch clean most weeks. And when the weekend rolls around, I just don’t want to spend my time cleaning…you know? It felt good to knock everything out. After, we went outside for a few hours to enjoy the beautiful weather!

For dinner last night, Chris found a low carb taco casserole recipe he wanted to try. It was super easy to make, and quite tasting. We are going to add it to our regular rotation.

And just like that, the weekend was over. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I know may of your are still covered in snow. It has been a wild winter. Linking up with Tanya.