book review, books

Books

Linking up with Steph and Jana to share my books for the month. Between being home with a sick Zoe for a week early in the month, and Thanksgiving at the end….I didn’t get nearly enough reading time in. Honestly, I only finished two books. But they were both good ones! So here we go….

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I feel like I am the last one to read Beartown. I really enjoyed A Man Called Ove, so I was excited to try this one. It took me awhile to get in to, to be honest. People kept saying its about so much more than hockey, and there is a lot of hockey talk. And I feel like you really have to pay attention because they will make references like “there is a man in a sabb” or “there is a mother at the kitchen table” and you might miss which man or mother they were talking about at first if you aren’t 100% focused. However, the deeper I got into the story, the more I was intrigued and then about 60% in I couldn’t put it down. And I will say it, this book is about so much more than hockey.

Bottom Line: I would recommend the book. It was something different and a really good read. It had all the makings of small town politics and sports, lots of dysfunctional family dynamics and imperfect people.

Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

This is another that has been on my TBR forever. I feel like it got a lot of hype a few years ago, and usually those are the books that I stay away from for awhile. I completely forgot what it was even supposed to be about until I picked it up. I didn’t really like it at first, but once I was about an hour or two into it….I couldn’t stop. I started getting invested in the characters and needing to know what happened to Bernadette.

Bottom Line: This ended up being an enjoyable read! I felt like it was well written, and once I was settled in to it I was hooked!

Currently Reading

Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

I just started this one, I think I am in Chapter 7 right now and all I can think is….I want to be reading my book! So that is a good sign. What are you reading?

December 12, 2017 by Nadine

weekend shenanigans

Winter Wonderland Weekend

You guys! My heart is so full of joy this morning. We woke up Friday to see that the snow had started coming down. We had started out with a 2 hour delay at daycare and it turned into a snow day. Hurray! Zoe was so excited to see all the snow. She kept going to our back door and looking out on the deck and pointing and squealing with delight. We went out together for a little while just the two of us, and then again when Chris got home from work. We had so much fun and got so many cute pictures!!! It snowed just a little last year, so this isn’t technically her first snow…but it was the first time she got to go out in it and have an official snow day.

Zoe pulled all the clothes out of her bottom drawer of her dresser and laid down on them for a few minutes, clearly the snow wore her out!

I seriously cant believe how much it actually snowed and for how long. This has to be a record here for as long as I have lived in the south. It was the perfect powdery wet kind too and the roads were pretty decent because we didn’t get a ton of ice like we usually do. We got to make snow cream and watch the Grinch.

Saturday, we headed out early to Bass Pro Shop to get our pass to stand in line and see Santa!!! This is Zoe’s first time meeting Santa too, I felt like she was too young to take out last year. She did so well and didn’t cry at all!

I loved that the snow still hung around on our drive to see Santa. It was soooooo pretty!!!!

After Santa, we headed home for lunch and a nap because we new we were going to head back out to meet up with Laura, B and Sheffy! We ended up at CommHouse. We had the best time just hanging out and watching the kiddos be totally adorable. Clearly they have plenty more play dates in their future!

We enjoyed snacking on the totchos, wings and Kung Pao Cauliflower. Zoe ate a lot of the totchos. She loves carbs.

Saturday night I got the Christmas tree up and partially decorated. I need to finish the rest of it this week and get the one up in Zoe’s room!

Sunday, we headed out early to Target to get our grocery shopping done. We stopped at Casa Fiesta for lunch, and then headed over to 280 to Best Buy and Bargain Hunt. We didn’t get home until close to 3pm. We settled in for lots of Christmas movies (Badder Santa, Elf, The Santa Claus, Santa Claus 2 and Home Alone) and I made some bacon pasta. (Recipe to come later!)

And just like that the weekend was over and it was back to work! Oh, it needs to be noted that Zoe had her first tacos on Friday. And then she ate some at Casa Fiesta Sunday too! Obviously, she loved them. I mean, she is my kid!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Linking up with Biana.

December 11, 2017 by Nadine

favorites, gift ideas, Wish List

Christmas Wish List

I love making a Christmas Wish List every year. It is just fun and I usually end up coming up with a few gift ideas for others while I make my own list. You know, one for me…one for you. What is on your list?

//I am obsessed with my Kendra Scott Elisa necklace and wear it more than any other piece of jewelry I own, besides my wedding rings and Zoe’s birth stone ring. I have wanted the Rayne Stone Tassel Pendent forever. It would go with so much!

//How gorgeous are these Kendra Scott earrings???

//I hit pan a long time ago on my UD Naked shadow color in my palette and I really need a replacement because it is my absolute favorite color.

//I have had my current cell phone case since I purchased my phone, I think it is time for a new one! How cute is this??

//I really need a purse that I can put over my shoulder to make things easier when I have Zoe. I really love this Michael Kors Saffiano Leather Tote!!! I also love the structure of the Michael Kors Selma bags. With those you can carry on your wrist or wear the longer strap on your shoulder. Or this gold Tory Burch tote! I don’t have any Tory pieces, but I think her stuff is great.

//I have wanted a pair of the Spanx Faux Leather leggings for years. I am not sure why I never pulled the trigger on these? I heard that they make you look and feel amazing, and I think I need that right now.

//I really love the cut of the Leith Easy Circle cardigan. I need a few more nicer sweaters for work and I think this would be perfect! I also have my eye on this cozy looking Free People cardigan.

//I have heard amazing things about Sara Happ products, and this gift set has all three items I want to try!

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favorites.

December 8, 2017 by Nadine

about me, currently

Currently

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch today for another installment of What’s New With You.

Reading: I just started reading Where We Belong by Emily Giffin yesterday.

Listening: Christmas music all day every day. One of my most favorites.

Watching: All of the Christmas movies!!! Or, at least trying to! We watched The Grinch at least three times this past Sunday alone. Zoe is obsessed and it couldn’t make me any happier to see her get so in to that movie.

Eating:All of the things. Haha! This week we had a lot of food from Zoe’s party left over to snack on. For dinners this week it is turkey burgers, taco bowls and stuffed pepper soup.

Buying: Christmas shopping this year has looked like….

But in all seriousness, I have a good chunk done and for the gifts I don’t have yet….I know what I need to get so there isn’t much guess work left. Yay!

Working: I need to get our Christmas tree up this weekend so that I have enough time to enjoy it before it needs to come back down. I don’t think I am going to bring out alllll the decor this year. Our house just gets too cluttered with it. But I cant not put the tree up!

I also have been slowly getting the office cleaned out. I packed up all of Zoe’s baby gear on Friday last week and sobbed the entire time. Now I need to get another container to store the rest of the clothes she grew out of. It is crazy seeing how small some of the stuff was that she was wearing just six months ago.

Sending: I need to get my Christmas cards ordered and sent out! If you want to exchange Christmas cards this year, let me know and let’s share addresses. If you were on my list last year, you will probably get one again this year assuming I haven’t lost your address.

Feeling: Thankful and festive. There was a time when I let the holidays stress me out a little bit, but that time is long gone. Now I just soak up as much of the joy and activity that I possibly can. This is my most favorite time of the year, and I want to be present in it and make as many memories as possible. I am hoping to get a gingerbread house kit to do soon, bake a fun holiday treat, watch many more Christmas movies, drink hot chocolate, maybe go look at some Christmas lights, take Zoe to meet Santa Claus and any other things I can squeeze in to this month! What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Laughing:

December 7, 2017 by Nadine

weekend shenanigans

Weekending With the Unicorns

Planning a first birthday party is no joke! We kept it fairly simple, inviting family and Laura and her crew. I had decided almost immediately that we were going to have a unicorn theme. Zoe loves her unicorn stool and paci and tends to point at unicorn stuff when we are out in stores. Also, one and uni…just made sense to me.

I had a few things on the menu that I knew I wanted immediately; unicorn fudge and funfetti cake batter dip. The rest of the menu sort of came together the week of the party and included a rainbow fruit bowl, pigs in a blanket, meat and cheese tray, chips and queso, crackers with cream cheese and pepper jelly, pasta salad and goldfish crackers. Zoe’s cake was a unicorn and we had cupcakes matching the light pink, dark pink and purple from her unicorn’s mane.

I kept the decorations simple too. We had unicorn straws and napkins, pink and purple cups and plates and blow up unicorn floats. I had ordered an adorable high chair tutu on line that I plan to use next year as well and will just change the 1 to a 2. I took the garland and gold twinkle lights from Zoe’s smash cake session and hung them on the fire place with her monthly pictures. I thought it turned out really cute!!! I am pretty sure my sister was the only one who took the time to look at it or even notice it…but whatever. At least I have the photos for her scrapbook now!

It was great seeing everyone, and they all spoiled Zoe with so many presents! Zoe’s favorite things were the cards and gift bags. I think Santa will have a much easier Christmas this year knowing that Zoe prefers gift bags over wrapped items.

And in true Laura and Nadine fashion, we are both wearing the same colors and our kids both can’t keep their hands out of their mouths for pictures. We are pretty much the same person all the time.

Since Zoe had to go to school on her actual birthday, I sent some fresh fruit for her and her friends and some cookies for her teachers so they could celebrate with her. It seems like she had a lot of fun from the pictures her teacher shared with me. Last night after dinner, I let her have a little piece of her cake and she had one last gift to open that we missed on Sunday.

Her cake face in that middle picture looks like me when I eat my feelings on a Monday too. LOL.

The rest of our weekend was pretty much consumed with the set up and clean up for her party, and of course, watching lots of football. I got to see Georgia put the beat down on Auburn and Alabama get voted in to the playoffs, so all is right in the world again. Well, the football world. The actual world is quite a mess, right?

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!!

December 5, 2017 by Nadine

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