It has been quite a week. I left work early Monday morning to pick up Zoe because daycare said she wasn’t herself. Her doctor was all booked up, so I saw another in the practice. I didn’t feel right about his diagnosis and Zoe started deteriorating pretty quickly. Tuesday morning I called the second her doctor office opened and demanded to see her doctor ASAP. I am SO thankful I did! She was misdiagnosed Monday and it was pretty serious by Tuesday. Her doctor took his time with her, even called in two other doctors for a second and third opinion. We got her on a treatment plan and on the road to recovery. I tell you all this to say, you are your only advocate. And if you are a parent, you are your child’s only advocate. Speak up if you feel something isn’t right or you want someone to take another look. There is a reason you have that feeling in your gut and you go with it!
So with all that being said, I am behind on life this week. The back end of my blog is messed up somewhere and all the comments from the last week and a half haven’t been coming to my email and that is why you haven’t had a response. I am so sorry. I have read each and every one of them though and I do appreciate them! I am going to respond back to those of you who asked questions today and will try to get to the rest when they come back through my email. Technology has not been my friend this week in many areas of life.
Let’s move on to my favorites before I write a novel.
Favorite Moments: I have the best mother in law ever. She came with me Tuesday morning when I took Zoe back to the doctor and checked in numerous times. She worked her day around yesterday so that she could keep Zoe and I could make an appearance at the office.
I also have the best sister ever. Tracy used some sick hours Wednesday to come see Zoe because she just had to see for herself that Zoe was ok. She hung around my house most of the day and snuggled Zoe and played with her and let me get some work done.
Yesterday when I went to the office, a coworker and I grabbed salads from Newks. It was nice to catch up and get out of the house for a little while. And actually eat an entire meal uninterrupted.
Favorite Recipe: Some days, I am all about the one pan meals. How delicious does this Mexican skillet look?
Favorite Lust: I am starting to put my Christmas wish list together, I think this is going to the top.
Favorite Funnies:
Seriously you guys, this is my life struggle…
Me: I am going to set aside time today to look good. Me arriving at work…
When you get an email from corporate saying the office can close early…
Linking up with Amanda. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!
I almost feel like we got an extra week to read this month, since the 31st fell on a Tuesday. I got all excited and thought, oh I can get another in! Anyone else feel that way? I was able to knock three Netgalley books out this month, and one Blogging for Books too. I always feel super accomplished turning in those reviews. I read some good ones this month, and there was a DNF too. Balance, am I right? Linking up with Steph and Jana.
Shaw Kinnard and his partner are hired to kill Jordie Bennet. Shaw has other plans and abducts Jordie. He wants to find the $30 million her brother has stolen. Jordie’s brother’s ruthless boss and the FBI are after it as well.
This book!!! There were plot twists, slow burning sexual tension, the FBI and serious criminals. Lot’s going on. I was hooked after the first few chapters and kept trying to figure out how it was all going to play out. I was shocked with the twist at the end! Definitely kept me guessing.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a good thriller that will keep you guessing, and you don’t mind a little romance…give this book a try! I was surprised by how much I liked it.
Kody Cameron recognizes something in her captor’s eyes that makes her believe she can trust him. Undercover agent Nick Connolly has met Kody before and knows she might very well blow his cover. can they make it out of the Everglades alive?
What is it with this month and captors? This has a lot of fun historical snippets here and there, but there are a lot of side characters to keep up with and I felt like there wasn’t much character development in general. The story feels very rushed and choppy.
Bottom Line: This was a quick read, but I feel indifferent about it. I enjoyed the action at the beginning but started to get bored with it. It felt a little choppy and rushed to me.
**I received a copy of Law and Disorder from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
Ella Mae can lace her baked goods she serves at her Charmed Pie Shoppe with enchantments.
I loved Pies and Prejudice so much that I quickly got on the wait list for the second book in the series. I still feel like the author overwrites a little with the descriptive language, but this is such a cute cozy mystery series! I love the small southern town charm. There is a lot more magic in this one than the first, but I really loved hearing the history of Ella Mae’s family and I flew through the book! I had the murderer figured out pretty early on, but it didn’t take away from the story.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a cozy mystery that has a little bit of a magical element to it, this is perfect!
June 5, 2002, fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, was taken from her home in the middle of the night. She was kept chained, dressed in disguise, repeatedly raped, and told she and her family would be killed if she tried to escape. She talks about the constant fear she endured every hour, her hope and faith and how she survived.
I remember hearing about the Elizabeth Smart case when it happened. It was really interesting hearing her recount of what happened and what was going through her mind. I will say that her writing had a bit of childish naivety to it. Maybe it was supposed to come across that way since she was a child when she was abducted? I didn’t care for it. But listening to her story had my attention.
Bottom Line: If you can get past the childish naivety, this was an interesting read.
Hawthorn Creely has a crazy theory as to what happened to the missing Lizzie Lovett. In order to prove it, she decides to immerse herself in Lizzie’s life and takes her job and even her boyfriend.
This book was too YA for me. I got annoyed with the main character’s obsession with Lizzy Lovett. She was very immature and started coming up with these crazy ideas as to why Lizzy disappeared. When she tried to suggest it was because she turned into a werewolf I quit reading. I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Bottom Line: I cant recommend this book. It got on my nerves so badly, and I couldn’t finish it.
Sierra’s family runs a Christmas tree farm in Oregon and moves to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season every year. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. But then Sierra meets bad boy Caleb, and one life eclipses the other.
I really enjoyed watching Thirteen Reasons, so I was excited to see another book from the author. This is your typical YA romance story. It was really cute and I enjoyed the Christmas feel to it.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for a festive holiday read, this is a great one!
Jake and Alice are newlyweds who are invited to join The Pact. At first, it seems like an exciting, elite club. Some of the rules: 1. When your spouse calls answer 2. Exchange thoughtful gifts monthly 3. Plan a trip together once a quarter 4. NEVER mention the PACT to anyone. They quickly learn that once you join, there is no escape.
You guys!!! This book was so good!!! I found myself staying up late several nights because I couldn’t put it down. We all want our marriages to last, but The Pact takes it to a whole other level!
Bottom Line: I highly recommend this one!!! Just read it!
**I received a copy of The Marriage Pact from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
Mark Sisson unveils his groundbreaking ketogenic diet plan that resets your metabolism in 21 days so you can burn fat forever.
Chris did the Keto diet last year and lost some serious weight. We are talking around 60+ pounds. Once he got going, he just kept going and going and I watched him shrink and shrink. Of course I was pregnant and all WTF you’re going to chose now to go on a diet? But seriously, I am so proud of him and his willpower. It really worked for him.
When I saw this book, I knew we had to have it! While I already know all about the Keto diet, since I have been cooking and preparing foods for Chris for over a year….I wanted this book to give us some new recipes. It also discusses fasting and lifestyle tips. You get step-by-step guidance, daily meal plans and a decent recipe section. If you are looking to drop some weight, I would certainly look into the Keto diet. I feel like more and more people are jumping on this. For more information about the book you can go here. For more info about the author, go here.
Bottom Line: If you are thinking about trying to Keto lifestyle, this book is a great starting point!
**I received a copy of The Keto Reset Diet from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**
Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
I feel like I got more emotional reading this book than I thought I would. It is written so well, and it is something that everyone needs to read. Unfortunately, it is all too timely with what is going on in the world today, and it makes you see things differently than you might have before. It is heartbreaking and sobering.
Merry’s mom and brother create an online dating profile for her without a picture. She is reluctant at first but soon finds herself chatting with a charming stranger. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. What happens when they meet in person?!
The last book of Debbie’s I read was a little of a let down for me, so I was skeptical to start this one. I actually read this book in one sitting!!! That never happens. I got in to the story right away and had to see where it was going. Chris and I met online, and so this story had a special place in my heart.
Bottom Line: Such a light and quick little love story with a little Christmas cheer. If you are a fan of Debbie Macomber, read it!
** I received a copy of Merry and Bright from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**
Good Morning!!! I am still trying to regulate my heart rate after that Bama struggle win on Saturday night. My goodness what a crazy weekend in football, huh??? I hated seeing my Dawgs fall, especially to Auburn. Gross. And what a performance from Miami!!! There were a lot of weaknesses exposed this week from the top rated teams. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.
This weekend just zipped right on by and I am over here scratching my head and wondering where it went??? Mine started out Friday with Chris at lunch for our anniversary day date! It was so great to spend a little time, just the two of us. He went with me to a doctor appointment I had, then we grabbed lunch at CowFish and I even stopped by Sephora to pick up my beloved moisturizer during the VIB sale.
Saturday morning we were up and heading south bright and early to meet up with our photographer at Orr Park in Montevallo for family pictures. It was a beautiful morning, and we had so much fun walking around the park and capturing some special moments. Our photographer is amazing to work with, and if you are local and looking for someone….I will most definitely share her information with you! She already has our pictures back to us and I cant wait to put them all over our house!
We were starving after all the photo excitement, and stopped off for some lunch before heading over to Chris’s parents house to watch some football.
Sunday morning, Chris decided to head to the grocery store with us. He picked up the special edition Xbox One X that he pre-orded while we were out. Zoe was patiently waiting in her stroller big girl style as daddy selected some games.
And the rest of the weekend pretty much looked like this….
and this…
and this….with our nose in books. Zoe takes her reading time serious.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!! Linking up with Biana this morning.
Favorite Moments: Five years ago today, I made the easiest decision of my life saying I do to Chris. Sometimes I can’t believe it has already been five years, and other times I can’t believe it has only been five years. The year we got married; we purchased a house, each got new cars, both changed jobs and were married. Talk about all the life changes. In our fifth year of marriage, we are still in the same house but driving different cars, both have different jobs, and most importantly, we have Zoe. This fifth year of marriage has been my favorite. Seeing Chris as a dad moves my heart in ways that I can’t even describe. I am seriously so lucky to get to do life with this guy.
We have plans to grab lunch together today, just the two of us. It will be our first outing together alone since becoming parents.
Speaking of lunches, Laura and I grabbed lunch together yesterday at CommonHouse. It is a weekly must for us!
And I met up with two of my old Friday lunch club girls on Wednesday. Salads were my jam this week.
One of my absolute favorite times of the year!!! The Sephora VIB Sale!!!! It isn’t often that you can get a deal at Sephora, and so when they offer 20% off you buy all the things you need! I thought I would share with you today what I have in my cart, and some recommendations on my favorite things if you are looking to try something new. You all know I am honest with you, and I don’t spend my money on anything unless it is worth it!
What’s In My Cart
I am obsessed with Clinique’s Moisture Surge Intense Moisturizer. I have purchased it several times. Thing thing is, I need a little something something for my aging skin. And I would love to have some SPF, you feel me? I think I am going to try out the Even Better Moisturizer this time. It says it’s a brightening, exfoliating, and clarifying hydrator. Sign me up! I still recommend The Moisture Surge Intense all day every day and will probably keep it as my nighttime moisturizer.
I have heard great things about the FarsÁLi Unicorn Essence, so I think I might try the small one and see if I notice a difference. It says it is an innovative, water-based, dual purpose serum, which helps protect the skin from free radical damage, while preparing it for longer-lasting makeup application. It has a lot of antioxidants in it that help with anti-aging too. I haven’t found a primer that I love, so maybe this is the route to go? Have you used it?
I am in love with L’Occitane hand cream. Seriously the best stuff ever. How awesome are their holiday kits?? Keep a few for you, give a few as gifts. Perfect!
What I Recommend
My two favorite foundations are the Estee Lauder Double Wear and the Too Faced Peach Perfect Comfort Matte. They are the only two that I can recommend without any hesitation. Double Wear has been a long time favorite of mine, and Peach Perfect is a new discovery…since it just came out. Both give medium to full coverage, and last allllllllll day long in the Alabama heat and humidity. Trust me, I put them to the test! The Peach Perfect is slightly less expensive, and you get a lot in the bottle!!! Most foundations are 1.0ML and this is 1.6ML!!! The only thing I will say about Peach Perfect is that there aren’t as many shades to chose from, and you might want to go lighter than you think you are.
It is rare for me to stick to one product and never try anything else. That is the case for me and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. If you aren’t using an eye shadow primer, I am not sure what you are doing with your life?? I like the original and anti-aging ones best. This stuff is worth every penny and lasts forever and ever.
I reach for one of three eye shadow palettes nearly every day. The Too Faced Sweet Peach has a great mix of fun and natural colors, matte and shimmery. And it smells AMAZING!!!
The Urban Decay Naked Basics Ultimate gives you so many looks, and they are all matte! There is a row of cool colors and a row of warm colors, and they all blend great.
And the third I use all the time is actually not found at Sephora, but you can steal it from QVC for half of what I paid right now. It is the IT Cosmetics Pretty In Summer Shadow Trio. Love it!
The Kat Von D liquid lipstick is seriously the best, most long lasting lip stuff out there. And I have tried SO MANY. The set looks like fun! If you only want to try one, Love Sick is my absolute favorite color. It is so pretty and the one I get complimented on most!!!!
The Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser is the best thing I have ever done for my skin. If you struggle with acne and aging skin all at once, this stuff is for you! Chris even uses it.
Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Attack is hands down the best spot treatment out there. One bottle of this stuff lasts me several months, I can’t say enough good things about it. Clears the inevitable stuff up, prevents other things from popping up and never dries my skin.
NARS Orgasm is a cult favorite for a reason. It looks amazing on everyone. Just do it.
