Long time, no chat. I know I haven’t blogged much over these past few months, but I’ve been busy trying to grow a baby! 🤰🏻
In addition to being pregnant, it’s been most exhausting trying to keep my 4 year old daughter occupied all day when she should really be in preschool.
She has a late birthday so she’ll be in preschool for two years, so my husband and I decided to keep her home this year and not potentially expose her to Covid. I feel good about this decision, but it’s really tiring to have a school age child at home all day every day! 🤪
So basically between those two things going on, it’s left close to no time to blog.
I have had a few people reach out and ask how I was and why I wasn’t blogging or being active on social media and I’m so grateful that people care about little old me lol! And better yet, enjoy my random banter & content and missed seeing it!!
So thank you for sticking with me.
Eventually, I hope to have more time to blog and be active on social media, but for the foreseeable future I just can’t see myself doing much with it due to lack of time. 🙁 I’ll definitely be posting sporadically (I do have a spring fashion post coming soon!), but I just can’t make a commitment right now to post or blog x amount of times per week or month.
So if you’ve read this far then, thank you! I appreciate you so much. 🥰 I hope everyone is still healthy and enjoying life even though this past year has been stressful and bizarre. There is still so much to be grateful for and to enjoy every day.
I hope you all have been staying safe and healthy. I’ve been fine but mostly lacking time to blog! I’m hoping that once Covid is (hopefully) gone and my daughter is officially in school that I will have some more time to devote to this blog. 🙂
But for now all I can really devote is some time here and there with sporadic posting, but I am pretty active on Instagram so follow me there if you don’t already! My username is @hollywantsitall and there’s a link to it on the bottom of this homepage!
So today I’m reviewing the books that I’ve read recently. And a few of them would make really good Christmas gifts if you are stuck with what to get someone and need a last minute gift!🎁
First Up: I’m starting with the book pictured above since it’s the perfect book to put you in the holiday🎄 spirit right now!
December’s Read:
Christmas Cupcake Murder
By: Joanne Fluke
This book is from a series that follows a bakery shop owner, Hannah Swenson, as she uncovers and solves small-town murder mysteries. I first got into them a couple of years ago when one of her Christmas books caught my eye at Stop & Shop. The cover was beautifully decorated with a mix of beautiful Christmas cookies with bright colors of red, green, & white! I read the back of it in the store and thought it sounded like a worthy holiday read. I bought it and loved that it was a mix of recipes and a murder mystery!
I placed a hold at the library as soon as this year’s latest Christmas mystery in the series was released and I really enjoyed it. What I really love about all of the books in this series is that they are hokey and a bit old fashioned. They always remind me of Nancy Drew mysteries in that they are such simple stories that take place in a tiny Minnesota town.
It’s really just easy leisurely mystery reading that goes perfectly with cozying up with some hot cocoa on a chilly winter’s day. Too often these days I don’t read mysteries because I just know it’s going to be too graphic and scare the bejesus out of me. You never get that with these Joanne Fluke books and I love that!
This time around I even made one of the recipes in the book that sounded so good! I made the German Chocolate Cupcakes from the book and they were delicious!! 👌
Bottom Line: Worth the read if you are looking for some light reading with a festive touch and delicious sounding recipes!👍
What I Read In August:
Happy & You Know It
By: Laura Hankin
If you are looking for some good chick lit, then this book is for you! This was a fun read about a group of wealthy playgroup moms in NYC who hire a poor underprivileged female musician to entertain their babies.
What ensues is a witty plot filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing and intrigued throughout most of this book. Although some aspects of this book seemed a bit unlikely to happen in real life, I enjoyed this book as a leisurely beach read. Like most things in life, the moms and their personal relationships are not what they seem and the plot that unfolds is fairly riveting and fun to read.
One of the reviews of this book called it Sex & The City during the social media age and I have to agree. Pick this one up if you enjoyed SATC! Get yourself a glass of wine and cozy slippers and you have a good read for the weekend!
Bottom Line: Just some good old fashioned chick lit here! Definitely recommend.
September’s Book
The Answer Is…
By: Alex Trebek
I think a good majority American adults are fans of Alex Trebek. He’s been a household staple and a face that most of us have loved to see on their TVs for decades.
So when the news broke with his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2019, I, like most Jeopardy! fans, was deeply saddened.
The good thing that came out of the cancer diagnosis was that he finally wrote a book! In it he writes that he had been asked several times over the years to write a book, but never wanted to until now. He got such an outpouring of love when he revealed that he was undergoing cancer treatment, that he wanted to give back to the fans and decided the time was right for the book.
I loved the way this book was written. It’s told in Alex’s voice in a short story format with each chapter being only a couple of pages long. They used the classic Jeopardy! themed format in that each chapter is titled “What is…” America or whatever topic the chapter is about.
I found this book to be really interesting! I learned about his early life in Canada which details geography and historic facts about Canada that I had no clue about. I also loved the chapters that he wrote about what foundations he has worked with and donated to. He wrote one chapter on World Vision foundation and I found it so moving that I looked up their organization and decided to sponsor a child – that’s how moving his story was!
Some may be surprised to read that Alex had no skeletons in the closet and there are no juicy personal details of his life. On the contrary, his life was fairly normal and he had good relationships with everyone in his family – even his ex-wife! So you would sort of expect this book to be somewhat boring and dull, but I really enjoyed it.
It would best be described as a grandfather sitting you down and recounting their life and weaving in little tidbits and anecdotes full of life lessons and takeaways. He’s not preachy – it’s simply his take on life and how it should be lived. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about him and I think anyone who has watched him on TV for years would also enjoy this book.
Bottom Line: Bravo to Alex for writing this after being diagnosed with cancer. There is no co-author listed and it really sounds like it is his voice writing the book throughout his battle with cancer. May he rest in peace.
October’s Book
The Meaning of Mariah Carey
By: Mariah Carey
As a super fan of Mariah for nearly my whole life, I knew I HAD to read this book immediately!!
Mariah is one of those celebrities that I feel like has always been in the public eye but not a ton is widely known about her personal life. I knew she had a dicey relationship with her siblings from reading tabloid headlines from time to time and of course, who could forget some of her bizarre television appearances on TRL and MTV Cribs back around 2000 and 2001, which then ultimately lead to her “exhaustion” and retreating to a rehab facility.
So this book was very enjoyable because it gave an in depth look at her life and made some of those bizarre moments make sense when you read about how traumatic childhood was and how much she has gone through.
She also shared a lot of dirt and shade about past relationships which was fascinating to read! Her romantic relationships are thoroughly discussed at times in this book.
She went on and on about how awful her first husband Tommy Mottola was. He must be sooo annoyed over this book because she really raked him over the coals. She also talked a lot about how much she really liked Derek Jeter and that several songs she has written are about him. And she also shaded J-Lo which was great because that’s one of my favorite Mariah-isms is about the time that she claimed she didn’t know who Jennifer Lopez was. She was quoted as saying “I don’t know her.” 🤣
But at times, some of her stories seemed a bit “Mariah” centered. Meaning that she’s really only giving her version of the events and skipping over some major headlines and stories that I was hoping she would shed some light on. I was waiting to read about Eminem because there were reports that her song “Obsessed” is really about him. Also, despite talking for eons about Tommy Mottola, she basically wrapped up her whole relationship with Nick Cannon in about two chapters even though both of those relationships were very lengthy. I would have like to have read a few more chapters of her life after the Emancipation of Mimi but it seemed like she was speeding up those years to finish the book.
All in all, I appreciated and loved the book. It’s Mariah through and through, and if you loved Mariah before then you’ll love her even more after this book. This book made me appreciate and understand a lot of her songs even more. She’s a queen to me for life! No one can touch Mariah.
Bottom Line: This is a definite must-read for any Mariah fan!
What I Read in November:
The Bright Hour – A Memoir of Living & Dying
By: Nina Riggs
I first heard of this book on the Today Show when it was recommended by Jenna Bush Hager. It piqued my interest because it’s a book somewhat out of my comfort zone.
This book is the memoir of Nina Riggs who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer after having been diagnosed at the age of 37. It follows her through her cancer treatments and life with her husband and two young sons while trying to still find beauty in life when you know your days are numbered.
Nina faces so many obstacles, but is always conscious of celebrating every day – even the terrible ones. She is the great-great-great granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson and embodies a lot of his thinking and elements of transcendental thinking are present throughout the book.
This was a hard read at times, but a good read. I cried several times, especially at the end when the book abruptly ends because her condition rapidly worsens and she dies roughly a month after her last entry to the book.
Overall, I enjoyed this book because it made me think outside of the box. The transcendental thinking was inspiring and I finished the book feeling more grateful for life and nature than I had when I started. I’m pretty sure that was her whole goal of writing this book and it worked.
Bottom Line: A sad, but powerful and moving read.
The Friendship List
By: Susan Mallery
Lastly, I read this book mostly because my library called and said it was my turn on the holds list! It’s only a couple of months old so I figured I should just read it now since the newer books are always so popular.
This is the story of two friends in their mid-30s who are both going through hard life-changes. They challenge each other to get out of their comfort zones by creating a friendship list of daring things to do. As they complete their challenges, they both learn and grow and end up in new serious dating relationships.
The characters sounded interesting and the general storyline sounded like it had great promise. Being in your 30s IS HARD and there are definitely a lot of life changes going on. So going through it with your best friend and challenging each other to do new things to change and grow sounds like a decent premise to a book.
But sadly, the premise is way better than the actual book. This book was extremely predictable and at times VERY unrealistic. The sex scenes were literally laughable as in HA HA that would most likely NEVER happen. And the new romantic relationships in this book also seemed very unrealistic. The male characters especially seemed like the stuff you dream about men being. As in that’s a fantasy and they DON’T EXIST. I dislike books like this because all it does is fill women’s heads with crap and fantasies about life being a cakewalk after you go through a hard time. It’s not realistic and I dislike any book that promotes that type of thinking.
If you want to just lie to yourself while going through life thinking everything is rainbows and butterflies then get this book! OR if you are on a tropical vacation and want to read something that requires zero braincells while slurping down margaritas in the sand then by all means get this book.
Otherwise, it’s trash.
I get the enjoyment of casual beach reads and I love a good beach read myself, but this one was way too far fetched to even be enjoyable. I was actually super annoyed that I even wasted my time reading the whole thing hoping that it would get better!
Bottom Line: Don’t bother reading this.
Out of all of the books I read over the past few months, Alex Trebek’s is the one I most enjoyed and the one that I would encourage you to read!
This has really been a big year for celebrity memoirs! I’m not complaining because I feel like everyone should write their own memoir. It makes other people really understand you and why you are the way you are, which is so important!
They also make great Christmas gifts if you know someone of who is a fan of theirs! I enjoyed the Jessica Simpson memoir the most out of the three celebrity ones that I read this year and I think anyone would benefit from reading it, you don’t necessarily need to know anything about her. It was a truly inspiring and touching read!
So with that being said, Happy Reading! And if you made it this far then, thanks for reading this post – I know it was a long one!
And I’m proud of myself that I accomplished my goal of reading 12 books this year!🙌
It’s been a while since I posted – I went on vacation the last week of August and ever since I came back I’ve been trying to get into some sort of Fall routine that will enable me to find time to blog. It’s been difficult to say the least, but I love blogging and I’m trying to find any time to squeeze it in!
With that being said, today’s post is all about Fall!🍂 I love all of the seasons, but there really does seem to be something special about Fall.
The crispness in the air, the colorful leaves🍁, the coziness of warmer clothing🧣, and knowing that the holiday season🎄 is getting closer – it’s just such a fun time of the year!
And to get you into the autumn spirit, today I’m sharing:
5 Easy Ways To Make You and Your Home Feel Like Fall!🍁
It also seems like Fall is really the most enjoyable season during a pandemic. I mean everyone is already mostly stuck at home and only wearing comfy clothing, so now is really the time to make sure that you have the utmost cozy wardrobe for the upcoming cooler weather! 👌
Side note: All images below are shoppable links – simply click on the image or pink lettering in the post to shop!🛍
1. New Slippers!
I don’t know about you, but I am a HUGE slipper person. I’m one of those people that almost always takes off their shoes the second they get home and puts on slippers.
So for that reason, I actually go through A LOT of slippers and consider myself to be somewhat of a slipper expert. And to me, the best slippers are made by UGG. Coming in second, I would say that L.L. Bean is also a solid choice!
Ugg slippers are expensive, but they last a long time and are worth the investment. I have a pair that are going on 8 years old and they are still in good shape! They are a loafer style and over the years the insoles wore out, but Ugg sells new insoles. So I simply ordered a new pair of insoles and these slippers are still going strong! It’s a great option to purchase just an insole versus having to get a whole new pair of slippers!
This season, I’m loving the the Fluff Yeah slipper from Ugg! Slipper sandals are great for those in-between season days. They are warm enough, but not overly warm that your feet are sweating. This slipper comes in a ton of different colors and patterns – so you are certain to find one that you like!
These slippers are also made in kids sizes and the great news is that Ugg sizing typically runs large. I’ve done a bit of research on these slippers and according to the most of the reviews, even up to a size 9 in women’s should fit in the largest kid’s size! This is great for our wallets since the kid’s slippers cost $75 as opposed to $100 for adults!
And if $75 still seems like to hefty of a price tag for a slipper, then have no fear – Amazon sells a great slipper for under $20!
I own these slippers and love them – they are super comfy and cozy! The only issue is that because they are only $20, they wear out pretty quickly. I got these around my birthday which was at the end of June and I need a new pair already. So they only last a couple of months, but you cannot beat the price. They are available in 15 different colors and patterns and run true to size!
2. Fall Themed Doormat
The easiest way to get into the autumn spirit at home is to the jazz up your doorway!
Cute and sometimes corny overly cute doormats are always abound, but especially during the fall season.
Some mats seem a bit overpriced, but I found this adorable pumpkin spice one (pictured below) at Christmas Tree Shop and it was only $6.99! They had several choices to pick from, but as a pumpkin spice lover, this one spoke to me the most!
Unfortunately, I can’t link it since they stopped selling items online, but the store is definitely worth stopping in to check out their fall decor!
The cutest mat for only $6.99!
Target also has a few good ones, although I don’t know if I looove the overly punny ones like “Hello Gourd-geous” . If that’s your thing though, then go for it!
Target Mat $12.99!
The doormat in my collage I found on Amazon and at Home Depot and it’s less than $15! I’m also linking a few other cute options from Amazon below!
3. Mini Pumpkins & Pumpkin Shaped Dishware
This one I really loooove! I think mini pumpkins are just the cutest and pumpkin shaped dishes are a real easy and useful way to decorate!
Typically this is something that you can find at low prices in either the Target Dollar Spot or at a discounted store like the Christmas Tree Shop!
The ones in the collage up top are from Target, but I have yet to catch them in store. I had actually been hoping to get some cute little pumpkin casserole dishes and I had looked in several stores without any luck. I was about to order the Target ones online and have them shipped to me but I decided to go over to Aldi first!
Aldi had some mini pumpkin dishes advertised in their flyer this week so I decided to see if I could find them. I’m so glad I went because they are super cute and were only $6.99 each! They are the perfect size for a side dish! I love the gold stem on the white ones and they also offered them in a pretty golden yellow color.
Mini Pumpkin Casserole Dishes only $6.99 at Aldi!
4. Ugg Cozy Clothing and Loungewear!
Going back to the Ugg slippers – most people know that Ugg makes warm boots and footwear. However, a few years ago they branched out and started selling loungewear pieces. Recently, I’ve noticed that their clothing lines have expanded and they are offering more and more different types of clothing.
This is great news because all of their loungewear pieces look so warm and cozy!
I got this UGG bathrobe for Christmas last year and it was my favorite gift that I received. It’s on the pricey side for robes, but so worth it! It is soooo soft and warm. This particular one that I received is a longer length robe, but they have tons of shorter styles as well. This robe comes in 7 different colors and would be a great loungewear choice!
The robe makes chilly nights sooo much better!
Also, during this year’s Nordstrom Anniversary sale, I picked up a pair of these Ugg sweatpants and OMG – they are heavenly! The inside has the softest fleece lining and they are so warm. Definitely worth every penny!!
The most luxurious sweatpants!
Try any of their loungewear and outerwear pieces this fall and winter and I don’t think you will be disappointed! It’s worth the splurge – especially during a pandemic!
5. Fall Soaps & Scents
Fall season soaps from Bath & Body Works
There’s nothing quite like smelling seasonal scents to really get you into feeling the new season. Switching out your hand soaps to reflect the current season is an easy and budget friendly way to spruce up your home!
My favorite soaps for Fall are from Bath & Body Works. I placed an order a few weeks ago for a few seasonal favorite scents including Sweater Weather and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin!🎃
Also, Target sells a great smelling hand soap – Mrs. Meyers Apple Cider hand soap smells delightful! I always pick this up every Fall, but I cannot find it in store lately. It’s seems to always be sold out!👎 But if you can get your hands on it (teehee, pun intended), then this is a great autumnal scent to have on your sink!
And if you love to light candles then you’ve got to head over to Bath & Body Works and get one of their fall scents! Pumpkin Pecan Waffles is one of their best sellers for a reason! It smells seriously good! I also love their White Pumpkin candle, which is what I just picked up the other day in store.
Sweet smelling Fall goodness!
This one smells like pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and a pinch of vanilla.
And there you have it, that’s five easy ways to get you into all of the fall feels!🍁
AND if you really want to get in the spirit, don’t forget that Hallmark Channel is back with an all new cheesy, good-feeling fall harvest line-up of movies!!🎥 A new one drops most Saturday nights so check your listings! The movie guide is here if you are interested!🍿
I hope everyone enjoys the seasonal changes as much as me. I know no one really looooves to see the warmer weather leave, but change is a good thing!
Annnd if you just hate it – then you can always move someplace warmer, like Florida! Life is too short to wake up everyday miserable if you really hate the cold. Nothing annoys me more than people who complain about winter coming to New England – like, just move then! I promise, no one will miss your complaining lol 🙃
I hope everyone has a great day!
***This post contains affiliate links and should you make a purchase using these links, I may make a small commission. Thank you for supporting this blog!***
I mentioned this back earlier in the year on my Instagram stories, but one goal that I set for myself this year was to read more. 📚
I loved reading growing up and I’ve definitely read almost every kid and young adult book series for girls that was out in the 90s! Girl Talk, The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley High, etc., etc. – I devoured those books and loved to finish my schoolwork early just so I could read leisurely in school! 🤓
As I got older and got, like, two friends, (lol) I sort of dropped reading. I still enjoyed reading but by high school I subscribed and read a lot of magazines rather than read books. Teen People (RIP), Seventeen, YM (RIP), Cosmo Girl(RIP), Sassy (RIP), Teen(RIP) – WOW, I guess teens no longer read magazines like they used to – since I’m realizing that most of these no longer exist. The early 2000s must have been prime magazine time for us youth! lol
Remember These?!
Anyway, my point is that eventually I wanted to get back to reading because I really loved it and missed it. It’s just so hard to make the time to read, that many times it just never happens.
So back in January of this year, I made a personal goal to read one book a month. And I did complete this through April. Then I stopped in May and June and now I just finished another book in July – so 5 books for the year so far! I figured 12 books for the year is an attainable goal, so we’ll see if I reach it. But it seems attainable for sure!
This book that I read in January I really didn’t enjoy, so I’m only going to discuss it briefly.
I picked it up because it appeared to have good reviews and it was on the display case at my local library as a new release, so I just grabbed it and got to reading.
This book is told from the point of view of an old man who is recounting all of his complex life growing up and aging in Ireland. The author is a good storyteller – personally, I just didn’t love the story.
This book really wasn’t my cup of tea because I found it to be sad and predictable. I kept hoping that the ending would be different then from what seemed to be happening but… it wasn’t. Womp, womp, womp. So it was just kind of blah way to start my reading off for the year.
The one positive I will say is that this story takes place in Ireland and the author does a great job detailing what life was like there in the 1940s when the main character was growing up. She also highlights in detail the Irish landscape so if that is something you are interested in – then you would probably like to read this book!
I think my issue is that I don’t love books that leave you feeling kind of sad, even if you learned something or it made you really think. I have this same feeling with TV shows and movies and it’s my own issue. I feel like if you want to be sad all you need to do is watch the news or go on any news website and read up in as little as 5 minutes. It’s chock full of sad and awful stories, so why would I want to spend my free time reading something else sad for enjoyment?! I don’t!
Aside from that book, I recommend all of the others below that I have read! So let’s get into them!
My ideal Saturday – a little J. Simp and a little iced coffee
I loved this book even more than I thought I would. It is SO, SO Good!!
When I first heard about this book, I knew I would read it because I grew up watching Jessica Simpson and all of the other early 2000s pop princesses. She wasn’t my favorite female artist (how could anyone top Britney?!), but I definitely loved a lot of her songs and I especially adored her on Newlyweds when she was married to Nick Lachey!
After they divorced and she moved mostly out of the limelight, I sort of lost touch with what she was up to. All I knew was that she had branched out into country music (which I don’t listen to), and I was well aware of her shoe line (which has some really cute shoes but almost all of the heels are too high for me!), but I knew it had done really well since it’s still around! I also knew she had married some not-famous football player from Massachusetts and had kids, but I really hadn’t been following much her of her life.
I also didn’t realize that this book is mostly an autobiography. She begins with her life in Texas and then moves into going to LA, becoming famous, and her life today. What makes this book so good is that you can truly tell that she poured her heart and soul into it. Her honesty is so raw and she bravely tells her story and includes details that most people never tell a soul, never mind publish in a book sold all over the world. Her story is so captivating and full of detail that by the end of this book, I felt like I truly knew Jessica Simpson!
She writes that she wrote this book because it has helped her to heal and she hopes to inspire others to also begin the healing process. I don’t want to say too much about her life details because I really want to encourage you to read the book! Even if you aren’t super familiar with her, I think this is a must read for most women. It’s a real reminder that celebrities all have the same problems as you and I. But in addition to “hey celebrities – they’re just like us!” – Jessica also provides guidance and words of wisdom on how she has gotten through her problems and makes you feel like you can too!
If there is one book from this group that I’m reviewing that you should absolutely read – it’s this one! I laughed, I cried, I savored every detail of salacious dirt from her Mickey Mouse Club tryouts to her past relationships with hotties Nick Lachey, John Mayer, & Tony Romo. But more importantly, I also walked away from this book feeling encouraged and hopeful to live my best life possible, and I think you will too.
For March’s book read, I decided to go with some good, old fashioned, chick-lit. I own The Devil Wears Prada and it’s one of my favorite books that I have read several times and of course, seen the movie a million times and still stop to watch it every time that it’s on E! or Bravo.
I spotted this book at the library and knew that I wanted to read it. I loved The Devil Wears Prada, but I didn’t think that Everyone Worth Knowing also by Lauren Weisberger, was very good. I hadn’t read anything else by her, but I knew that she had authored a few books and that this one seemed to have the best reviews.
I really liked this book and I think it’s because it’s somewhat of a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, which I didn’t realize initially. But I were the author, I would absolutely keep going with this storyline and characters because they are clearly her strong suit.
In this book we catch up with Emily who was Miranda Priestly’s first assistant in the Devil Wears Prada. It follows Emily and two other women and the chapters switch back and forth between their narratives. This book really resonated with me because all characters are in their 30s and I felt like I could really relate to two out of the three of them, and I’m sure most 30-something year old women would as well.
Emily is the cynical childless one of the trio, but is very likable in her own bold, cheeky way. Miriam is a mom struggling to lose weight and keep her family life together while adjusting to life in a wealthy, picture perfect new town. And Karolina has her own personal mess to deal with while living in the public eye. Together as friends, the three of them navigate through their problems with style and sass.
The storyline is cute and Weisberger excels at describing fabulous details of an upper crust lifestyle (most of the story takes place in Greenwich, CT.) By the time I was done reading, I was ready for a glass of wine while shopping at Bergdorf’s! 🛍 This book is a solid A in the Chick Lit department!
This book is up there with life changing books! Which is totally the purpose of it, so job well done by Jen Sincero!
I’ve been more and more into self-help books and last year I read two. I read Basic Bitch by Stassi Schroeder (who is a Bravo reality TV personality) – ok, I’m not sure that’s really classified as a self-help book, but it was mostly about feeling good in your own skin so we’ll say that it is!
And I read Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis which was a #1 NYT Bestseller and a book that I think tons of women have read! I loved Girl, Wash Your Face, as I found to be a very good read in terms of not being too hard on yourself and pushing forward to accomplish your goals and dreams.
This book is a little similar to Rachel’s but better. And I definitely felt like some parts of reading this book made me feel like Rachel Hollis had also read this book, taken a few notes from it, and added it to her own book since You Are a Badass is from 2013!
You Are A Badass is a little different though, because it’s not particularly geared towards women readers only. It’s really a book for anyone who is just trying to live their best in life and needs some encouragement.
This book provides guidance on how to stop doubting yourself and live a better life through easy to read chapters and tips. What makes this books especially good is that the author peppers in her own wit and personal stories of struggles and triumphs. I really loved her writing style and voice and found them to be both funny and relatable.
The only reason why I think some people would maybe not love this book is because a lot of her thinking and speaking is in terms of a higher power. It’s not a religious book, but she refers to “the universe” and a “power source” a lot. At the end of the day what she really has is faith, just not as in a standard religion that we know and easily recognize. It’s more of when people believe in karma and generalized powers of the universe and being in tune with that.
For me, I found it relatable because I have faith and am a religious person. But I could see someone who isn’t or who is skeptical of even things like karma being real, rolling their eyes a lot and thinking that the whole book is a bit cheesy and cliché.
Personally, I think this is a book that most people would benefit from reading no matter what your background is, or age, sex, occupation, etc. Her advice transcends all of the typical socio-economic standards that we know today and is really about buckling down through your lame excuses and getting on to live your best life! It’s a great read and reminder to stop caring what others think and step to the beat of your own drum!
Then I skipped May and June – we’ll blame COVID on my lack of reading! 📚
Every summer I like to read at least one “beach read” – you know, something easy and breezy to read while whisking me off to a sandy paradise. 🏝
This year I decided to google summer books before picking anything up to read because I wanted to be sure that I read something engaging. I didn’t feel like I would have a ton of time to read this summer, so I would probably only read one book and wanted to make sure it was a good one.
I started by browsing this list from Good Housekeeping which shares what they believe to be the 25 best books out this summer! I found this list to be super helpful.
The Jetsetters sounded good and was in stock at my local library so that was my pick!
This book is immediately intriguing from the first or second page and never let up. It’s a story about family dynamics and how things change over the years, but also how a lot of things don’t change when you are around your family. You may change as you get older, but once you are back around your family you fall back into old habits and behaviors.
This book explores complicated sibling relationships and sibling vs. parent relationships and how age becomes a factor in further complicating those relationships. The author does a great job in making you root for all of the characters success despite them all being vastly different. The goal here is familial growth and understanding and she’s very successful.
All the while this book mostly takes place on a deluxe cruise ship 🛳 that is touring the Mediterranean. The scenery sounds amazing and whisks you away to idyllic parts of Greece, Italy, and Malta. 🗺
I don’t want to give too much away, but this was an awesome summer read because it incorporated the feel of a vacation escape plus an interesting plot line. I stayed up way too late two nights in a row because I was so engrossed in this book and didn’t want to stop reading!
That’s it for this installment of book reviews! I hope you enjoyed this post!
Let me know if you have any recommendations for me and what books you have been loving lately!
For a long time now I would always tell myself that I’m going to lose 5 pounds. My weight had slowly crept up after giving birth and a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes still felt a little tight.
Then last fall my 28-year-old brother in law passed away unexpectedly and I began having really intense heart palpitations. I’ve had heart palpitations for the last 15 years or so, but they became much more frequent and disruptive to my life. I began to see a cardiologist and underwent several tests and was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia.
I was prescribed some medication to slow my heart rate, which worked – but I also felt like it slowed down my whole body down. It was difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. I felt sooo groggy and I swear it slowed my metabolism, as I gained 4 lbs. in a month alone!
I was so distraught.
I went back to the doctor and decided to stop taking that medication. It did slow my heart, but didn’t make a difference in my palpitations and who wants to be taking medicine every day for the rest of their life at 34?! Not me.
So I went off of it and decided to try more a holistic approach to see if that would help to ease the palpitations. This included daily meditation, seeing a therapist about my anxiety and trying to live a healthier lifestyle. With regard to the healthier lifestyle and diet, I more or less finally decided to stop saying that I would lose some weight and actually just DO IT.
Three – four months later, I’ve lost 12 pounds (my goal initially was 10, so I’m thrilled!!) and really it wasn’t that hard! I just had to buckle down and make some changes.
So today I’m sharing the five changes below that have helped me to finally drop the pounds!
I know a lot of people struggle with weight loss and although a lot of what I’ve done I’m sure you have heard before, but it sometimes helps to hear it again!
Get a Move On
I love exercising so this one I was mostly already doing. But I wasn’t exercising as consistently as what I should have been to lose weight.
So I started shooting for at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity every day. And on days that I really didn’t feel like it, I would tell myself to go for a quick 10-15 minute walk outside. Then by the time the 15 minutes is up, I’m feeling better and decide to keep going even further to reach my daily exercise goal.
In addition to walking, I started incorporating running (ok, more like a slow jog 😆) into my walks. I may run slow, but it’s the fact that I’m trying that counts because nothing really kicks your butt quite like running does!
And on lousy weather days, I started doing fitness videos from YouTube on my TV. There are tons out there but my cousin had posted one day that she had worked out to Sydney Cummings’s workout videos. So I started watching her YouTube channel and have done quite a few of her videos and I really like them! The best part is that they are all mostly equipment free, so all you really need is yourself and some space in your living room to move!
Partner Up
If you can, it’s almost always more fun to take on a challenge with someone else. So in this case my husband and I decided to do a weight loss challenge for the first month to get a jumpstart.
This was actually huge motivation for me because I created the challenge with a winning prize that I really wanted. If I won, then I got $100 to Nordstrom and if you know me, then you know I looove to shop so nothing was going to stand between me and my gift card!! 🛍🛍🛍
And it was a lot more fun to celebrate losing a few pounds together, all while encouraging each other to eat healthier and be more active along the way.
7pm Cut Off
7pm Cut Off simply means that you do not eat anything after 7pm each night.
I think I first read this diet tip when I was in high school. There was some article out with tips about how Oprah had lost a bunch of weight and that particular one has always stuck with me because it’s fairly easy to implement.
The science behind it also makes sense. It’s mostly that you don’t burn a lot of calories in the evening, so don’t eat too much! I try to eat dinner most nights around 5pm so that by 7pm I’m still relatively full and not snacking!
This also creates a better eating cycle where you are now more hungry in the AM and will eat bigger meals for breakfast and lunch, which should leave you to feel full enough to just eat something light around dinnertime.
Be Accountable
Find something or someone to help keep you accountable and moving towards your goals. For me, this has come in the form of my Apple Watch.
Back in February, I decided to get an Apple watch mostly for the latest heart features that it has. It regularly tracks your heart rate and it can also do an ECG which tests for an irregular heartbeat.
I love this watch, but I didn’t anticipate how much I would really LOVE THIS WATCH. I think it’s amazing and it’s my new best friend! (You can shop all Apple watches here and at the end of this post!)
I really didn’t know much about the watch or its features before I owned it. I thought it was mostly to get text alerts and calls more readily, which honestly wasn’t appealing to me at all!! lol like don’t bother me! 🤣
But in all seriousness, I feel like this watch was designed to make you the best version of yourself possible. It is set up with some basic goals – it tells you to exercise every day for 30 minutes, has set move goals (calories burned) in a day and wants you to stand for a minute every hour of the day.
If you don’t exercise or move enough throughout the day, then the watch gently encourages you to try and make your goals and I think this has really made a difference in making me get off my butt and move!
It sounds silly but there is something meaningful and satisfying in looking down at the watch and seeing all of the circles closed (goals made). It’s important to me to close those circles, so most days I get it done and I feel better about myself for making my goals!
The Apple watch is expensive so it may not be something that is attainable for everyone to purchase and work with for accountability. However, it is super important to use something to help you to reach your goals and hold you accountable – whether it’s a wallet friendly FitBit, best friend or a husband who is also trying to lose weight and encourage each other!
You Are What You Eat
Be mindful when eating! This is probably the most important tip of all.
Like I said earlier, I’ve always exercised and I love working out because sweating and working my body makes me happy. Hello endorphins!
But – and I’m sure you’ve heard it before – a bad diet can erase any exercise routine quite quickly! This has been true for me for years since I couldn’t lose 5 pesky pounds and I knew it was from my diet BUT when you love cooking and baking as much as I do it’s hard – I just couldn’t put down my beloved chocolate brownies!
If you love food and sweets as much as I do then this is the hardest part of losing weight. I knew I couldn’t fully give up anything or I would just binge on it later. So since one of my favorite mottos is “everything in moderation” I’ve applied it here and simply feel like I am eating less sweets than what I used to, but still eating them!
I’ll eat one brownie instead of three and I’m ok with that. It doesn’t feel that great to be eating three huge brownies anyway! It tastes good, but 5 minutes later my belly kind of hurts. 🥴
But I can’t just cut out chips or any junk food because I really love the taste of it. So I have learned to just eat smaller amounts of these delicious foods while also trying to incorporate healthier foods into my diet.
And there you have it!
Those are five changes I’ve made over the course of the last few months to help me lose 12 pounds. I look healthier and more toned, but I also feel healthier and that’s the most important thing!
And side note – although I do still have heart palpitations, they have been much less intense. I am still thinking about getting an ablation to rid them for good, but it’s not something that I think I needs to get done during the COVID crisis!
Have a great day and I hope you found my tips helpful! Leave a comment if you enjoyed this post!
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Today is a great day because It’s my Birthdaaaaay!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Today I’m officially 35! And although on certain days I feel that old – in general, the years just keep flying by!
One of the best parts of birthdays is the fact that so many retailers and restaurants give out discounts and freebies!
So for today’s post I’m sharing some of my favorite birthday deals. All of these deals get emailed to you at various times during your birthday month – you just need to make sure that you are already signed up for emails with each retailer prior to your bday!
Ten of The Best Birthday Deals
Starbucks – Although they have changed the terms over the years, it still remains that you can get ANY size beverage FREE for your birthday (or food item)! (You need to have a registered Starbucks card on their app and have made one transaction using the app during the year to get this reward!)The only lousy part is that it’s only valid on your actual birthday so you only have that one day to redeem! I always make sure to get this one because who doesn’t want a free fancy overpriced coffee drink?!
Pro Tip: I usually order a Venti Frappachino and add a shot of espresso to drive up the price and get the most out of the freebie! This drink actually costs about $9!!
H&M – One of my favorite retailers! Offers 25% off an item of clothing of your choice.
Godiva🍫 – $10 off any purchase! This is a great deal to combine when they have another promotion going on!
Edible Arrangements – Get a FREE 12 count box of chocolate covered fruit!! I’m going for the strawberries!🍓
Dunkin’ – FREE any size beverage!!🥤 And they actually give about 3 months to redeem! Must be registered with the Dunkin’ app.
Tory Burch – Get $50 off any purchase of $100 or more! There are a few product exclusions, but in general most items are included!
Red Robin– Just sign up for their Royalty club and get a FREE burger during your birthday month!
J.Crew Factory – Free Shipping Plus and Extra 20% off! This code is combinable with other J.Crew Factory codes for an even bigger discount!🙌
Jersey Mikes – Sign up for emails and get a FREE regular size sub and 22 oz. fountain soda for your birthday! This is a great deal because it’s valid for a FULL YEAR!! So no need to cram in all your bday discounts and freebies with this one! You can take your time and get it any time within the next year following your bday.
Target – Join the Target Circle Loyalty Program and get 5% off a Target online or in-store order! This is valid for one month after your birthday and you do not need a Target credit or debit card to sign up for the Circle program – it’s simply a loyalty program!
There are tons more birthday deals out there, but I’m highlighting more of the national chains so that no matter where you are you can get a good deal! But there are always a bunch of local restaurants and small businesses that also offer great birthday deals.
I hope this little list makes your birthday sparkle even more! Because every birthday needs to be the best one yet!
And if you have any questions about the deals or any other great ones that you think I missed – let me know below!
I am well and I am happy to be back posting. I took the first few months of 2020 off from blogging because I really wanted to revamp the look of my website and change up my blog menu and topics.
It’s taken me longer than I anticipated to change my website because there are so many options (which is great), but I’m so not tech savvy so to change certain aspects of the site took me oodles of time between googling, researching, youtubing, etc. Luckily the internet is full of amazingly talented and helpful people who love posting videos explaining how to do nearly anything and have made it possible for people like me who have no idea what they are doing to actually get a clue!!
I still have a couple of things to work on with my website, but I’m itching to post and I figured I can iron out all of the kinks as I move along!
So, I’ll be back posting more often – I’m shooting to get new content out on my blog 1-2x per week and I’ll be more active on social media. Also, you can subscribe to my email list to get alerted when a new post drops! Sign up in the little box on the right!
I hope you like my new website layout! Let me know what you think 🙂
I took most of last week off from posting because I’ve been dealing with a few health issues that I plan on posting about in a few days. So before I get into all that, I have been working on some holiday gift guides and today I am sharing my top picks for gifts $30 and under!
I know Thanksgiving has not even happened yet, but since it’s kind of late this year, there isn’t THAT long to shop! Plus, a lot of really great sales are already going on so I figured I might as well post a gift guide now!
$30 is usually around the price that you spend on a friend, relative, (or for those pesky Yankee Swaps that people guilt you into participating in lol) so everything in this gift guide is either $30 or under!
A couple of weeks ago I ran poll on my Instagram asking which group do you prefer? NSYNC or Backstreet Boys.
I thought it would end up a mostly 50/50 split, but NSYNC was the clear winner! So I feel a little sheepish saying that I think BSB is a better group. *hides*
But with those results in mind, I decided this week to post an all NSYNC playlist!
Which don’t get me wrong, I loved *NSYNC! I saw them in concert and I thought JT was the bomb way before *NSYNC was even a thing – I watched the Mickey Mouse Club and thought he was the hottest! So I’m a definite fan – it’s just that Justin and JC really carried it and without them, I mean, what would the group really have been!? BSB has more talent individually and, in my opinion, is a stronger group. But nonetheless, I present:
Week 33: All *NSYNC
1. Want You Back
2. Tearin’ Up My Heart
3. Giddy Up
4. Crazy For You
5. Bye Bye Bye
6. It’s Gonna Be Me
7. Space Cowboy
8. It Makes Me Ill
9. No Strings Attached
10. Digital Getdown
11. Girlfriend
12. Pop
13. Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)
14. (God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You
15. Everything I Own
16. Sailing
17. This I Promise You
18. Gone
19. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
I hope you all enjoy! What’s your fav song from this line up? Mine is probably “No Strings Attached” or “Girlfriend” since Nelly is featured and we all know Nelly makes every song 1,000 times better! So much love for Nelly! 😍
I’m back today with a new playlist. I took some time off from blogging because my brother-in-law tragically died unexpectedly. It has been a rough week and half since his death, but I’m trying to return to some sort of normalcy and that includes resuming my blog which I love to do.
My little brother-in-law, Jake, was so lovable and fun to be around. I remember when I first started blogging just over year ago, he was one of the first people to tell me that he liked my blog and thought I was doing a great job. He was just always such a positive person and I know he would want me to just keep on going.
