High Five for Friday (link up)

Once again, linking up to the lauren elizabeth and her H54F link up party! So, happy friday everyone! Let's get right to the party:

1.

Sunday and Monday were absolutely gorgeous days! On Memorial Day we had a bonfire, and took some bonfire selfies. Also, the pond was looking spectacular. It was great to grill out, spend time with the family and enjoy the lovely weather.

2.

Lots of reading to be done this summer, so I got it started after a trip to the library! Reading is my absolutely my favorite, and I love being off during the summer months and having the opportunity to get lots of reading done. I challenge myself every year to read a certain number of books, and the bulk of it gets accomplished during the summer.

3.

I went with my best friend to go pick out her bridesmaid dress for my wedding! It was quick and easy, so then we rewarded ourselves with a great meal! pulled pork,  handcut fries, killer mac & cheese and cornbread -- yum yum!

4.  A few weeks ago, I went to the eye doctor and ordered a year supply of contacts. When I went on Tuesday to go pick them up, I found out that I also earned a free $50 pair of sunglasses! I love sunglasses, but usually opt for the $10 pairs from the store.

 

5. Today is my Dad's birthday! We will be going out to dinner as a family and then just hanging out! Looking forward to another great weekend!

Book Review: Twisted Sisters by Jen Lancaster

                                               





Allow me to begin this review by stating that I have regularly enjoyed Lancaster's memoir-style books, such as Bitter is the New Black. Maybe it's because she is a Chicago suburb gal and I can appreciate that mid-western vibe. Maybe it's because she has a self-deprecating humor that I can get behind. For whatever reason, I have enjoyed her non-fiction work. But her fiction work thus far is at best...ehhhhh. This book follows a trio of sisters, with the narrator being the classic "middle child"-- in that she clearly has issues with her younger sister and her older sister. Naturally, the middle child (Reagan) goes on a crazy, if not completely unbelievable, astral journey and realizes that her sisters are, in fact, quite amazing and not the fat, underachievers she had thought them to be.

Perhaps the unbelievability of it is what gets me; the book has a Freak Friday vibe to it, what with the constant body swapping. Also, the vernacular of a early twenties male is depicted in a way that is so embarrassingly out of touch I almost feel sorry for Lancaster. Who is she interacting with that she believes this is how people talk? I recognize that I am no longer in my early twenties, or a male, but trust me, they don't speak like that.

I can appreciate the resolution of the story, but the path to get there is not one that I enjoyed taking. I understand that a story does not need to be believable (hello, harry potter!?) but I guess it bothered me because of the lack of foundation. I had a hard time believing the the main character would fall for astral projection/time traveling, and she is convinced of its wondrous powers within minutes.

Basically, this book fell short for me. I gave it one star on Goodreads

Experience: Registering for wedding gifts

So, I am getting married to my best friend on December 20th and we are doing a variety of DIY stuff and some other things where we are phoning it in and hiring professionals to deal with it. Our first shower is going to be at the end of the June, with another one in mid-October. So even though we are 7 months out we needed to think about registering for our gifts.

We did an initial "drive by" of each store we were considering registering at. We discussed important things like color schemes, made sure we were on the same page on what we needed/wanted and made sure each store had a selection of what we wanted. I found it helpful to look at other people's registries (such as friends) just to get ideas on what to register for. It can be VERY overwhelming, there are SO many options and so many options within options.

Before we went to register, I made a list of items that I knew we needed. We are in desperate need of new pillows, bed linens, silverware and some organizational items. We had a few items that we debated over: new dishes, pots/pans and a new Keurig. So by the time we went into the store, all we had to do was find the version (or style) of each item that we desired -- and that was the fun part.

We went to the store early on a Saturday morning, right when the store opened, and we knocked out registering for about 100 items in a little under 2 hours. Then we were super ambitious and went onto store number 2 -- which was MUCH busier and a less enjoyable experience. So, we got as much done at store number 2 as we could handle, and then decided we would finish it online.

All in all, I think having the discussions ahead of time definitely made the experience an enjoyable one. After all, it's supposed to be fun, right?

May 2014 Birchbox Review

Every month I receive something called a Birchbox, and it is literally like Christmas once a month. I will add a link down below, so if you want to take a look at the website yourself. I know there are a lot of monthly beauty box subscriptions out there, and I have only tried two: birchbox and ipsy. i prefer birchbox because of the points system. for every 100 points you earn, you equals to $10 that you can spend in the birchbox shop (which has a wiiiiiiiiide selection of lifestyle and beauty products). for every $1 you spend, you earn that many points. if you review every product that you receive in your box each month, you automatically will earn 50-60 points a month. it's a bargain at only $10/month! i seriously love it.

These are my May 2014 products, below are descriptions of each product along with my initial opinion.

1. The first product is a caldrea body lotion in the scent coconut fig leaf. According to birchbox, it is full of good-for-you ingredients. I personally dislike lotions in packets like these, is it just me or is it difficult to use? Plus, I like to smell all my products right away and I can't smell it without opening it -- and then we all know its going to leak all over everything. I imagine a coconut fig leaf will smell good, nice and summery...but I can't verify either way until I go to use it. This lotion comes in the other scents of: aloe water apricot and tea olive lime.
A full size 8oz bottle on birchbox.com is $22-- Caldrea Body Lotion//Coconut Fig Leaf

2. Second product is a mouthful -- Supergoop! Everyday SPF 30 with Cellular Response Technology. This product boasts a lightweight cream that is water-resistant and provides SPF 30. I am a super fair skinned gal, and protecting my skin is super important to me. I put a small amount on my hand and the texture is super creamy and it rubs in super easily leaving no oily residue behind.
A full size 18oz pump bottle on birchbox is $48 -- Supergoop! Everyday SPF 30 with Cellular Response Technology // currently out of stock

3. Next up is the caldrea body wash in the scent aloe water apricot. This product promises to cleanse, hydrate and soften your skin. it has a super fresh scent, with a bit of musky undertones (which i don't love). the consistency is nice, it's not too think and you can tell it will leave you feeling so fresh and so clean clean. This body wash also comes in other scents: tea olive lime and coconut fig leaf.
A full size 11.5oz bottle on birchbox is $18 -- Caldrea Body Wash // Aloe Water Apricot

4. Marcelle New-Age 8 in 1 Power Serum is an anti-aging gel that apparently hydrates, firms, lifts and plumps fine lines. This, I believe, is to be used in conjunction with your daily moisturizing routine. The texture is definitely a gel, but not sticky. I have not used it on my face yet, but it rubbed into my hand easily and did not leave behind any shine. Included with this in my birchbox was a Marcelle bonus offer, if I purchase a Marcelle product I get a free lux gloss cream in bellissima!
A full size 1oz bottle on birchbox is $34 -- Marcelle New-Age 8 in 1 Power Serum

5. Pixi shea butter lip balm hydrates with shea butter with giving a boost of color, the sample i received was in the color pixi pink. when i swatched it on my wrist, the color was very true to the packaging but super layer-able. it has a sheer finish but if you want some serious color just add some more layers on there. i haven't worn this all day yet, so i don't know how it holds up. this product also comes in these self-explainable colors: comfort clear, coral crush, honey nectar and ripe raspberry.
a full size on birchbox is $8 -- Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm // Pixi Pink

6. The "lifestyle extra" in this months box was a Votivo Travel Candle is the scent Azure Garden. This candle smells like the outside...think grass, berries and flowers. It's very natural smelling, and perfect for summer time. This is a called a travel candle, and while candles are not a necessity for me while travelling -- maybe its a thing? The packaging is adorable, a nice little tin that seems very durable and practical. These candles also come in the scents Champaca which smells like sandalwood and champaca petals, Crisp Clean which is reminiscent of fresh clean linen, Pink Mimosa which is a tropical-inspired scent and Red Currant which mixes red currants with vanilla bean and raspberry.
A full size on birchbox is $12 -- Votivo Travel Candle // Azure Garden

So that is it, my May 2014 Birchbox and the goodies that lie within! Feel free to check it out yourself and sign up at Birchbox.com



disclosure: birchbox has no idea who i am. i just love their products and their service and wanted to share it with you. all opinions are my own.

High Five for Friday (link up)

Since I have been a fan of The Lauren Elizabeth, and her High Five for Friday link-ups, I figured I would attempt to join in! I have found many a good blog through that link-up, and hope that it will gain some exposure for my blog as well. The purpose of this is to list reasons I am excited that it is Friday, a highlight reel of the week if you will. So let's get to it!

1. First and foremost, I am officially on summer break! I am a preschool teacher with a Head Start program in Mid-Michigan! This means lots of catching up on my reading-- keep up with me on goodreads! and starting this here blog! Also on my summer agenda: a trip to Cedar Point, a two week Florida adventure, my bachelorette party and lots of trips to the great up north!

2. I have officially owned this orchid for 1 week and it is still alive. I have a habit of unintentionally killing plants, and when this beauty was gifted to me by a parent of one of my students -- I was sad to know that it was facing an untimely death. One week in though...still doing good!

3. This past Sunday was Mothers Day, and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to spend the day with both my Mom and my Grandma. It was a spectacular sunny day filled with lots of good food, laughter and more good food. I am thankful everyday for those two, and for my future mom-in-law!

4. Along with all the good, there is always a little bit of uck. I appear to have caught a chest cold, and have been sucking on cough drops and hacking up a lung for a day or two now. So hopefully this weekend I will get rid of it! Here's hoping.

  

5.  So while its been mainly a dreary, rainy week -- we did have a day of sunshine mixed in there. Porkchop (the cat) was spotted soaking up some rays. What's not love about this lady-like pose? Silly kitty.

Skincare Routine for Combination Skin

I enjoy playing around with different skincare products and trying out new things. My budget for doing so is limited, so the products I feature are definitely budget-friendly!

I shower at night, so before I get in the shower I need to remove my eye makeup. I use The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-up Remover. I just take a cotton ball and get it damp, then wipe all the eye makeup off of my eyes. It works like a charm, and it does not irritate my sensitive skin and eyes (I do wear contacts!).

The Body Shop Camomile Eye Makeup Remover

Then, once I get in the shower I use Simple Foaming Cleanser. I pump 2-3 pumps in my hand and then pat and scrub it onto my face. Then once a week I use The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Exfoliater.

Simple Foaming Cleanser

//

The Body Shop Aloe Gentle Exfoliator 

Then once I get out of the shower I pump some Kiehls Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner onto a cotton ball and wipe down my face. Then I squirt a dime size amount of Simple hydrating Light Moisturizer and spread it all over my face and neck. Then, I finish with a dime size amount of The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream  and pat it under my eyes, using my ring finger.

Kiehls Facial Oil-Free Toner    
Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer

      The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream

After a restful night of 8-10 hours of sleep, I wake up nice and refreshed and feeling like a million bucks (haha right!). Buuuut to help myself get the day started, I first wake myself up by using Equate Night-Time Soothing Make up Remover Towelettes. I know they say night time, but I like the scent and I just using it to bring some moisture to my face and wake myself up. Then I pump 1-2  pumps into my hand of the Willa Face Friendly Moisturizer and spread it all over my face and neck. Then I am ready to start my day, which may include continuing onto my makeup routine, or just going bare-faced for the day.

Equate Night Time Soothing Makeup Remover Towelettes (similar)     
Willa Face Friendly Moisturizer

Once a week, I apply a face mask. Currently I am using The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask, or as my brother likes to call it -- Hulk Mask. I take a small scoop and spread it all over my face taking care to make it as even as possible.

The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

                                                 

Book Review: Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Sycamore Row is the follow up novel to A Time to Kill, which was published in 1989. Sycamore Row was published in 2013, but the story takes place only 3 years after the original book. In my opinion it is not necessary that you read ATTK first, but it will help you gain an understanding and the history of the importance of race in rural Mississippi in the late 80s. Sycamore Row takes place in fictional Clanton, Mississippi and follows lawyer Jake Brigance as he, once again, finds himself involved in a trial of old racial tensions in Ford County.

The story begins with wealthy loner Seth Hubbard, who is dying of lung cancer, hanging himself. Before he did so, he mailed a handwritten will to Jake Brigance, leaving nothing to his two children and grandchildren and renouncing his previous will. Seth's decision to leave the majority of his fortune to a non family member, begins another trial of a lifetime for the small town of Clanton. The Hubbard children feel wronged, and fight to get the handwritten will tossed out. What happens, naturally, is the fight to prove that Seth was in his right mind when he wrote the handwritten will. What comes to fruition is the reason why he did what he did. It is a noble act for a man who kept to himself and appeared to want no relationships with anyone around him.

Now, I am a sucker for trial books. I much prefer to read about them as opposed to watching the dozens of shows about them on television. Add in some interesting racial background and I'm sold! As a fan of the first Brigance book, I have to say that this one is not as enticing --at first. There are some twists and loops near the end, but nothing that I felt was super shocking or unexpected. Grisham is a obviously a solid trial writer, and this book is definitely one I would recommend if you're into that sort of thing.

On Goodreads I gave this book 4/5 stars.