warming the playroom up for fall
9/27/2017
Hey friends! It feels like forever since I have been on here, and that is probably because sitting down to blog has been a little tough lately. I mean in honestly yes, there are times I am alone and I can work on something interrupted but y'all to be straight up I really don't want to. I take every chance to veg out and read or watch trash tv I can get because the end of deployment is always the hardest on me emotionally.
Anyways, today I wanted to talk about warming up our playroom as the temperatures start to drop. Tearing up all the carpet downstairs was a great choice for a million reasons, but it definitely feels less cozy and warm. Ive wanted to add some rugs but I have had two hesitations. First, we are potty training a dog and its a playroom which means messssssy. Second, Its a big space and rugs are expensive. I didn't want to drop a ton of money on something just for it to get trashed. So, I decided layering a few washable rugs was a great solution.
I added the Lorena Canals Bereber Beige rug under the coffee table and I am receiving all the compliments on it. It really is a beautiful rug and the fact that it is washable seals the deal. I also added the Lorena Canals Natural Black basket and matching blanket to really tie the room together. I love the warmth it has added to the space and I am looking forward to many cozy Fall days spent creating memories in the space.
love it & leave it book round up
9/19/2017
Raise your hand if your idea of a good time is sticking your nose in a book and ignoring reality. If so, than you are my kind of people. But I know finding a good book can be hard, and finally picking one just to find it is a dud can be seriously annoying. So I have round up a few of the books I have recently read and along with the synopsis of each book I will share whether you should take it or leave it.
1. Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
Synopsis: Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He’s a dedicated attorney who has never lost a case; she is a flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener and cook, and dotes on her disabled younger sister. Though they are still newlyweds, they seem to have it all. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, by the graciousness of the dinner parties they throw. You’d like to get to know Grace better.
But it’s difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are inseparable.Some might call this true love. Others might wonder why Grace never answers the phone. Or why she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. Or why she never seems to take anything with her when she leaves the house, not even a pen. Or why there are such high-security metal shutters on all the downstairs windows.
Some might wonder what’s really going on once the dinner party is over, and the front door has closed.
My verdict, Take It! This story was a little different form what I would normally read and even though it was seriously disturbing at times it was an easy read that kept me hooked until it was over.
2. A Million Junes by Emily Henry
Synopsis: In their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, the O'Donnells and the Angerts have mythic legacies. But for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them, except to say it began with a cherry tree. Eighteen-year-old Jack “June” O’Donnell doesn't need a better reason than that. She's an O'Donnell to her core, just like her late father was, and O'Donnells stay away from Angerts. Period. But when Saul Angert, the son of June's father's mortal enemy, returns to town after three mysterious years away, June can't seem to avoid him. Soon the unthinkable happens: She finds she doesn't exactly hate the gruff, sarcastic boy she was born to loathe. Saul’s arrival sparks a chain reaction, and as the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers conspire to reveal the truth about the dark moment that started the feud, June must question everything she knows about her family and the father she adored. And she must decide whether it's finally time for her—and all of the O'Donnells before her—to let go.
Umm Yes! Take It! Seriously this is one of my favorite books I have read in awhile.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Synopsis: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.
This is an absolute Take It! I read this book in 24 hours and can't wait to see the movie!
4. The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr
In the aftermath of her financier husband’s suicide, Emma Shay Compton’s dream life is shattered. Richard Compton stole his clients’ life savings to fund a lavish life in New York City and, although she was never involved in the business, Emma bears the burden of her husband’s crimes. She is left with nothing. Only one friend stands by her, a friend she’s known since high school, who encourages her to come home to Sonoma County. But starting over isn’t easy, and Sonoma is full of unhappy memories, too. And people she’d rather not face, especially Riley Kerrigan. Riley and Emma were like sisters—until Riley betrayed Emma, ending their friendship. Emma left town, planning to never look back. Now, trying to stand on her own two feet, Emma can’t escape her husband’s reputation and is forced to turn to the last person she thought she’d ever ask for help—her former best friend. It’s an uneasy reunion as both women face the mistakes they’ve made over the years. Only if they find a way to forgive each other—and themselves—can each of them find the life she wants.
I picked this book up and put it back down a few times but once I gave it a serious chance I was hooked. I would defiantly say Take It.
Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit busy, life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job, and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there’s anything they can count on, it’s each other. Clementine and Erika are each other’s oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last-minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don’t hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid’s larger-than-life personalities there will be a welcome respite. Two months later, it won’t stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone?
Honestly, I could Take It or Leave It. I don't regret reading its but I wasn't left missing it when it was done either.
6. The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman
A true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. After their zoo was bombed, Polish zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski managed to save over three hundred people from the Nazis by hiding refugees in the empty animal cages. With animal names for these "guests," and human names for the animals, it's no wonder that the zoo's code name became "The House Under a Crazy Star." Best-selling naturalist and acclaimed storyteller Diane Ackerman combines extensive research and an exuberant writing style to re-create this fascinating, true-life story―sharing Antonina's life as "the zookeeper's wife," while examining the disturbing obsessions at the core of Nazism.
Save yourself and LEAVE IT! I couldn't even finish this one.
I hope you enjoy this post, and please leave me a list of your favorite reads. A girls to be read pile can never be to large.
Mommy & Me
9/07/2017
I partnered with Reebok for this blog post.
All opinions are mine.
This deployment is going to kill me, okay I said it. Lilly and I are constantly in a push and pull and between her strong emotions and independence (thats code for refusal to listen) I am 100% sure I have lost my mind. But as I look down at her I know exactly who she is, a tiny version and exact replica of who I am myself. It isn't hard for me to put myself in her shoes, Lilly and I couldn't be more alike. We have the same tastes, we process our feelings the same, and I won't be surprised if she walk down the same path in life as the woman in front of her. But still, I no idea what on earth I am supposed to be doing to help her navigate through all those feelings she feels so hard and I can't help but feel like a failure as a mom.
If I take a deep breath I know one thing for sure, Lilly thrives when she has my attention and (just like her mama) all she needs if for you to make her feel special. I knew when I saw these Mommy and Me Reebok classic sneakers she would just love them. I mean is there anything more special than matching a mini version of yourself. I'd have to say no and I think Lilly agrees. She loves matching her Mommy and she loves her shoes that "make her run so fast". I love how fashionable and timeless the sneakers are. Win. Win.
Do you love to match your mini as well? Be sure to head over to the Reebok site and check out their collection of classic sneakers. I am a huge fan of the colored options as well. Use the code CLASSICFAST during checkout for free expedited shipping.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
