We Love BookRoo!

If you’ve been around here long, you’ll know that I’m a total book nerd. I’ve always loved to read, even as a child. I remember going to the library all the time with my mother and grandmother, reading at night on the porch outside, and staying up late to finish my latest novel. Reading has always been an escape for me and I can’t stand the days between books! I love to read on my lunch breaks at work and any free time at home. It's important to me to develop my children's love of reading and set the example for them. We read to the kids every night as part of our evening routine and they always receive a book or two for holidays and special events. Reading helps with their communication, brain development, speech, promotes academic excellence, and the list goes on and on. Plus, it's fun! Let me tell you why we love our BookRoo subscriptions,

Fall 2016 Reading List

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! I have a few posts coming up in the next few weeks that I'm excited for. It's been so hard to find the time to blog lately. I'm trying to be more present at home and relax without doing 10 things at once so blogging has moved to the back burner for a bit. I'm hoping to work out and find a better schedule for working on posts, so I really appreciate your support! Blogging is so much fun for me and I love all of your comments and "meeting" each of you through social media. Thank you so much for following me along in my little corner of the internet.

Are you a reader? I’ve always been a pretty avid reader since childhood, I love getting lost in a book and always have a reading list a mile long. Recently on Instagram, I talked about a recent book I read that I recently enjoyed (Find Her by Lisa Gardner, I couldn’t put it down!) and asked for recommendations for my next book. There were so many great recs, thank you! I’ve added just about everything to my library’s reading list and put together a small list that I’m hoping to tackle in the coming months.



The only time I get to relax and read a book is during my lunch break at work. Now that I’m not pumping during my lunch breaks, I have so much more time to read and have been trying to tackle my list each week. I typically read a book a week (give or take depending on the length) and I've been so good at staying on top of my list so far. Here’s a peek into the books I have on the top of my list, in no particular order. I’m really excited about some of these, I’m hoping to read Behind Closed Doors and Orphan Train next.

Bookroo Subscription Review!

Today I’m really excited to be sharing a fun and unique subscription box for your littles- Bookroo! Starting at $16.99,  you can choose three board books (ages 0-3) or two picture books (ages 3 and up), individually wrapped for your child! I thought that was such a cool detail, I know children love opening gifts and the excitement that comes from unwrapping a surprise to see what it is! Each one is wrapped in different paper too and we had a little note written on the inside of our box as well, which I thought was sweet. I love when companies put so much detail and thought into their products, it really warms my heart.




Growing up, I was an avid reader and still love to read today. It’s something I want my children to enjoy and we often visit the library together, read several books every night as a family, and we love to add new books to our library. We add books to our library every birthday and holiday, it's such a great way to teach kids lessons and prepare them for life changes (i.e. sibling books when a new baby is coming soon, potty books when potty training). I went back and forth about which box to order, but decided to go with the board books so we could get Emma’s library growing and I knew that Ellie would still enjoy them. Emma didn’t have much of an attention span when we opened ours, but Ellie dove right in! She was so thrilled with opening each book and kept showing Emma what book they received.



In our first box, we received Sassy's Zoom! Things That Go, a simple book with a single picture, what it is and the sound it makes. It's really cute, more of a "boy" book, but Ellie loves trucks and planes so we enjoyed it all the same. It's a great starter book for things and sounds. The second book was Sam Williams' Art Barn, the pictures were really cute, but we didn't care for the story. The third book was my favorite! I Love You Night and Day by Smriti Prasadam-Halls. The pictures were beautiful and I loved the rhyming story. Ellie and Emma enjoyed it too and I know we'll be reading it for a long time!



I really love this idea and being able to add to the girls' library every month. I think it's a genius idea and the books are reviewed by several families before being chosen for a box. The subscription is meant to find special books for your littles rather than classics. Bookroo also offers the ability to switch between board books and picture books so you can get a nice mix. Thank you Bookroo for our first box, we loved it! If you're interested in trying a box for your family use KRILAW at checkout for $10 off!

Book Review: Dirty Rush

A few weeks ago, I was contacted to review a new book "Dirty Rush" by Taylor Bell and when I saw that it was about college and sorority life I was in! I received the advanced, uncorrected proof and I couldn't put it down!

Taylor Bell comes from a long line of Beta Zeta sorority sisters, who all expect her to pledge upon starting at the university. But Taylor has other plans: she’s determined to give her family the proverbial middle finger and destroy the rich tradition they hold so dear by eschewing sorority life altogether. However, Taylor’s resolve soon melts when she falls in with a group of hilarious, ultra-saucy girls, who introduce her to all things Greek and soften her to the idea of joining. Resigned to the fate the Greek gods have dealt her, Taylor pledges Beta Zeta and embarks on a collegiate career filled with the kind of carousing sure to make any sorority sister proud.

From the very first page to the last, I was totally engrossed and loved reminiscing on my own sorority experience- rushing the sororities, meeting my big sis (we talk every day still), my first fraternity party, Greek Week, etc. My experience wasn't quite as wild as Taylor's, there was no hazing or drug use, but the friendships and loyalty were a part of my sisterhood.

This is such a fun read! It's fast paced, witty, and easy to read in one sitting. I recommend this book for anyone who was in a sorority or is interested in the sorority life. It's perfect for a beach read or a little getaway. It may not be for everyone- there is lots of cussing, casual drug use, and a sex scandal, but it's hilariously written and pretty true to life in many aspects. I laughed out loud so many times and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Recent Faves

Happy hump day! Only two more days left in the work week and Saturday will be here before we know it! There's been a few items I've been loving lately (and Ellie too) and wanted to share with everyone. Nothing crazy or expensive, just some everyday goods we enjoy. 

1. Honey Chamomile Tea

This has been in my tea pantry forever and I recently started drinking it again and haven’t stopped. It’s so delicious and perfect for chilly mornings. I add a little bit of honey (Savannah Bee’s is delicious!) and it’s the perfect touch. It’s the perfect drink at night to unwind during a House of Cards episode, anyone else watching?

 Dark Places // SkinnyGirl Bar // Image Lip Treatment

2. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I’ve now completed all of Gillian Flynn’s books and this one is by far my favorite. Gone Girl was great, I didn’t catch the ending, but it was a bit boring at the start for me. Sharp Objects, I knew who the murderer was from the get-go, but still enjoyed the book overall. Dark Places though… it snagged my attention from the start and I couldn’t figure out the ending until the last three chapters. It is a great read and perfect for a weekend getaway. They're making it into a movie with Charlize Theron as the main character and I can't wait to watch! Gillian Flynn is so twisted, I’ve really enjoyed the dark tales in her books.

3. “Sugar” by Maroon 5

No joke, I think this is the first Maroon 5 song I’ve truly ever liked. I love the sweet lyrics (pun intended) and the beat. The video is even cuter! Being married has done Adam Levine good- I hope I enjoy their future songs just as much. I'm finally getting Ellie to enjoy a song other than Uptown Funk.

4. “Uptown Funk” music video

This video (and song) get played at our house daily, on repeat, otherwise we have a tyrant on our hands. It’s Ellie’s favorite song and she gets down on the dance floor to it.

Essie Go Ginza // Sally Hansen Blue Away

5. Spring Nails

After getting my nails done last week, I’ve been obsessed with bright and pastel polishes. I have a couple saved on my to-buy list, but you can check out my summer favorites post for my tried and tested colors!

Valentine Goodies for your Babies

Valentine Mouse - I love these book series, they're one of my favorite sets

Bow Clip Set - We have the headband set and now that Ellie's hair is long enough for a tiny ponytail, she's all about clip in bows and enjoys picking one out each morning.

Love is You and Me - we were gifted this book last year from a dear friend and it's such a sweet message

Bath Crayons - Ellie loves these and we're ready for a new set

Pajamas - how cute are these pjs? Love them!

Tinkerbell Movie - I'm so glad a new movie is out! We've seen all of the fairy movies too many times to count

Every year growing up, my mom always gave my sister and I something small to celebrate and it was always so sweet. I remember one year she got me a white purse with multicolored hearts and pink piping and I absolutely loved it. I used it for years and years and remember it like yesterday when I came home from school and it was on the table waiting for me. I'd like to keep the tradition going with my own children and want to give Ellie something small every year (last year she got socks and two books) and here are some ideas I'm thinking about this year.

What are your plans for the big day of love and chocolate?

Our Favorite Halloween Books

Since I was a child, I've always been an avid reader and still enjoy reading now (my library card is well worn) and it's something that I want to pass down to my children. I've always looked forward to the day of reading to my babies and children and enjoying the same books I grew up with and seeing them through their eyes for the first time (Where the Red Fern Grows, Little Women, The Princess Bride, and Harry Potter are ones I'm really looking forward to!). For every holiday I've tried to pick up a few books to celebrate and read with Ellie. Some are just for fun and others help explain the meaning of why we celebrate (like Easter and Christmas books we have) and we have a few Halloween ones I wanted to share that we've enjoyed reading. They're just silly books, but it's a nice change for a month or so from our usual books.

Hoot: A Hide-and-Seek Book of Counting // Doc McStuffins Boo to You! //  Halloween Jack
 Goodnight Goon // Room on the Broom

Hoot- Ok, so this one isn't technically a Halloween book, but I included it because of the owls and owls are kind of Halloweenish. Sue me. This book is so cute! The pages are brightly colored, it's cutely rhymed, and I love the hide-and-seek theme of the book. 

Doc McStuffins- Ellie is all about Doc McStuffins right now and although I don't care too much for the story itself (I don't think it really follows the style of the show), the pictures are enjoyable and Ellie enjoys all touch and feel books. 

Halloween Jack- We bought this book last year and it's still a favorite. Each page has a fun picture of different Halloween characters- a vampire, witch, robot, etc. with a cute rhyme for each one. It's a simple book that we've enjoyed reading a million times. I was really excited about bringing this one back out to read. 

Goodnight Goon- If Goodnight Moon is popular in your house, this one will be too! It follows the same rhythm as the original and tells a very cute story of Halloween. I'm hoping to find other holiday themed books for this classic (there's even a parody version called Goodnight Ipad! LOL). 

Room on the Broom- This book is adorable and I wanted to get it last year, but couldn't find the board book version and I'm so happy to have snagged it this year. I love the story of making new friends and having room for everyone on the broom. Ellie likes to point out each character on the pages and it's become a fun game for us before bed time. 

Here are some other books I want to add to our collection in the coming years; 

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! (Who doesn't love this song? We have the Christmas one and I'd love to own all the holiday versions), I'm a Little Vampire (it follow the rhyme of "I'm a Little Teapot"), The Night Before Halloween (same as the Christmas version, and there's more holidays!). Ok, so I'm obviously a fan of books with a twist on the classics. I just love the original books and I'm so happy there's new versions for different themes to share with Ellie.

What are some of your holiday favorites? 

3 Little Things

So, there's a few things I wanted to talk about, but couldn't really find a post to share my random thoughts, so here's mish mash of randomness. There's so many little things I wanted to say or thought about posting, but instead of rambling (or boring you to death), I figured I'd pick 3 and call it a day.

Best Show Ever!

I’m pretty sure I’m the last to hop on the bandwagon, but I’m finally watching and obsessing over Scandal. Hello Olivia Pope! I started watching it while on vacation two weeks ago and it’s such a great show. I can’t believe I haven’t caught onto it sooner. So many people watch, I’m always seeing statuses on Facebook about the epsidoes, but I just never had any urge to watch it myself. Now that I’ve started watching, I have to force myself to turn the TV off or I’ll be up all night long glued to the tube. I’m already on Season 3 and I’m dreading to get to the last episode. The fashion is amaze balls too, I wore the shawl collar cardigan from yesterday's Recent Purchase post and totally felt like her (except that I'm not nearly as chic).

Essie Bahama Mama // Essie Chinchilly

It’s also that time of year when all you hear about is fall this, fall that, pumpkin spice everything. No joke, I hate it. First of all, I’m never ready for summer to be over yet. I’m ok with the heat cooling down, but I’m not ready to bundle up yet. This year it is especially annoying because I felt like summer slipped between my fingers. Even still, when I’m out shopping I’m still thinking about what I’ll get the most use of, what my closet needs for the upcoming months, etc. Last week I bought some goodies that are totally for cooler weather and while on vacation I bought two nail polishes that I’ll deem as fall appropriate. Oh, and I already bought Ellie’s Halloween costume. I guess this means I’m on the “It’s fall again!” train. I’m going to make it a conscious effort to ease into it and relish in the fall activities so that I don’t feel like fall/winter went as fast as summer did. Maybe I’ll make a Fall Activity To Do List to make sure. What’s your favorite season? Are you ready for pants and boots already?

A sneak peek of Ellie's costume!

Ellie has been so much fun lately. She cracks me up from morning til night. I love making her laugh and being silly with her. She has become such a great cuddler lately, wanting to sit on my lap to play, puts her arm around me when we’re laying down, or leans against me when we’re side by side. I absolutely love it. The time with her has gone by so fast, so I’m soaking up every minute of her cuddles while she still gives it to me. I feel like she's changed so much in the last month or so, just so much of her personality has developed.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Any special plans?

Baby Must Haves: 4 Months

Each month is more fun the previous one, and this one has been the best (which I’m sure next month will be even better)! Ellie has so much personality and it’s really showing each day. Every day she is growing and learning so much. I love playing with her, seeing her reactions as we interact, and watching her learn and explore. Having a child is the most amazing experience. Before Ellie was born, I had posted once that one of the things I look forward to as a parent is seeing the world through her eyes for the first time. I can’t wait for the future years with believing in Santa, magic, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc. I’ve been dying to decorate for Christmas, but I’m refraining until after Halloween. I’m not kidding- we might have our Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving!

Isn't it crazy how much a baby can change in just four weeks? I'm going to have to get a larger blanket for the pictures, she barely fits on the ones I have now! I'll definitely have to get larger white onesies...

This month we didn’t have that many new things that we’re not still using from last month or the month before like her O’Ball, playmat, or swing. I’m assuming that some months we’ll only have a few items different than the month previously and my wallet and I are both thankful for that. So here are the newbies or items we’ve used before, but weren’t dubbed a “must-have” since they may not have gotten as much use as before.

Little Giraffe Lovie Blanket
At my shower, I was gifted several of these little “lovie” blankets and to be honest I didn’t get it. What is a mini blanket for a baby for? They were cute and I thought they would be great for her dolls when she gets older, but now I totally get it. Babies love the textures of the blanket- silky on one side, soft and fluffy on the other. Many babies find comfort in them, touching them with their hands or rubbing the fabric against their cheeks. Ellie really likes her in the morning on the way to daycare or while we’re on a walk. She always gives a big grin when I give it to her and immediately starts rubbing her hands on the materials and bringing them up to her mouth.

Sophie the Giraffe
All my mommy friends and bloggers all said that Sophie was a must-have and they were right! It’s my husband’s favorite toy of hers too and we bought a little book that goes about Sophie’s busy day. She’s all natural (made with natural rubber, food paint, and is BPA free), offers several occupational features such as the texture, scent, and sound and is great for their chubby hands and teething gums. Ellie absolutely loves her Sophie and we use it daily with her while she plays.

Fisher Price Diamond Ring Rattle
Elli has become so alert and curious! I love playing with different toys as she learns about cause and effect with sounds (Sophie teaches that too since she squeeks). This rattle is one of our favorites because of the bright colors and soft yet sturdy handle. Another favorite rattle is her O’Ball, which is a total must-have for every child and was included in a previous must-have post.

Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys
I love teethers that have the soft gel feature, they don’t get too cold for their gums and the bright colors this set offers is a lot of fun. We use the Bright Starts Lots of Links to hang them from her bouncer and she loves playing with them, gumming them, and feeling the different textures with her fingers.

Board Books: First 100 Words, Goodnight Moon, and Sophie’s Busy Day
Ellie is fascinated by books. We read to her every day, sometimes both the morning and night and not just after work. She loves books with bright colors and touches all the pages and tries to grab the images of the book. I love reading to her, it’s one of my favorite parts of our day. Sometimes she “holds” the book and tries to turn the page and my heart just dies. I know she doesn’t have the motor skills to do either, but I love when her hands happen to go that way on the edges.

Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Bouncer
We’ve used this since day one, but in the last month or so it’s getting some good use. I love to hold/wear Ellie as often as I can, but sometimes it’s just not feasible. Plus, I like for her to be able to explore and move around on her own. When I’m folding laundry, cooking, or cleaning, Ellie loves to sit in her bouncer and watch me move around. Then I just talk to her about our days, sing and dance, or just explain what I’m doing to her. She can last for so long without getting fussy and bored. We also use the Bright Starts Lots of Links to attach some toys from the top to entertain her as well. I love this bouncer, especially since it keeps her at a nice incline, it’s fun to face her and play together.

 

Book Review: A Piece of Cake

As an avid reader, I'm always on the lookout for the next good read. A book that captures your attentions from the beginning and keeps it throughout the chapters. This book took me through a roller coaster of emotions; sadness, pity, disgust, and even gave me nightmares. It's such a good read, I had to share it because I know so many of you are also big readers. I haven't done that many reviews, especially with the amount of books I read, so I figured I'd start with a great one that wasn't about pregnancy or parenting. Thanks again Tiff for letting me borrow it, I knew I could count on you for the best book suggestions!

**Warning** Some of you may think this review contains spoilers, I on the other hand don't think it does since the back of the cover and the description itself tells how it will end (happy). If that doesn't give it away, you can use cognitive reasons to deduce it yourself. Kind of like how you know people will die during The Hunger Games since it's a battle to the end. Keep reading if you choose, or come back tomorrow for a new post.

Good Reads Description: 
There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, or homelessness.

Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she’d even turned twenty.

And that’s when things got interesting….

You have in your hands the strange, heart-wrenching, and exhilarating tale of a woman named Cupcake. It begins as the story of a girl orphaned twice over, once by the death of her mother and then again by a child welfare system that separated her from her stepfather and put her into the hands of an epically sadistic foster parent. But there comes a point in her preteen years—maybe it’s the night she first tries to run away and is exposed to drugs, alcohol, and sex all at once—when Cupcake’s story shifts from a tear-jerking tragedy to a dark comic blues opera. As Cupcake’s troubles grow, so do her voice and spirit. Her gut-punch sense of humor and eye for the absurd, along with her outsized will, carry her through a fateful series of events that could easily have left her dead.

Young Cupcake learned to survive by turning tricks, downing hard liquor, partying like a rock star, and ingesting every drug she could find while hitchhiking up and down the California coast. She stumbled into gangbanging, drug dealing, hustling, prostitution, theft, and, eventually, the best scam of all: a series of 9-to-5 jobs. But Cupcake’s unlikely tour through the cubicle world was paralleled by a quickening descent into the nightmare of crack cocaine use, till she eventually found herself living behind a Dumpster.

Astonishingly, she turned it around. With the help of a cobbled together family of eccentric fellow addicts and “angels”—a series of friends and strangers who came to her aid at pivotal moments—she slowly transformed her life from the inside out.

A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving and almost transgressive in its frankness, it is a relentlessly gripping tale of a resilient spirit who took on the worst of contemporary urban life and survived it with a furious wit and unyielding determination. Cupcake Brown is a dynamic and utterly original storyteller who will guide you on the most satisfying, startlingly funny, and genuinely affecting tour through hell you’ll ever take.

My Review:

I haven’t read a book this good in a long, long time. The book is really heart-wrenching and it’s incredible what she survived. The book is really visual and I love how she tells her story, but I also appreciate that she left out gory details of the ugly parts of her life (like specifics about rapes and prostituting). It’s really a wonderful telling of a true success story, you find yourself rooting and crying with her every step of the way. When talking about the book with my friend whom I borrowed it from, we kept repeating about how we could never have survived what she went through and would have thrown in the towel instead of pushing on. The amount of trials she faced throughout her life, but especially as a child, are horrific.

As for her addictions, seeing her rationalize her drug/alcohol abuse really helped me to understand addiction so much better. I’ve known several addicts in my life and couldn’t understand their thinking and knew it was their disease, but didn’t realize how their rationalizations keep them from admitting they have a problem, regardless of how bad things get. Reading how Cupcake acts, thinks, and believes while she’s using and seeing her journey through rehabilitation is really eye-opening. Here are some examples that really stood out to me “If I can hold down a job, I must not have a problem. Dope fiends can’t keep a job” or “If I give up ___, I can’t be a dope fiend (even though all other drugs/alcohol are still being used, just taking out one of them seems okay)”.

This book is so unreal and such an amazing story of her struggles in life, but leaves your broken heart for her mostly healed. It truly is a success story of one I’ve never read of before. This book is unlike any other book I’ve read before (you can’t even begin to compare it with A Million Little Pieces by James Frey). I relished in reading about her recovery, the friends she made, how her thinking changed, and how she had to re-teach herself to become the woman she wanted to be. She kept pushing on and on to achieve her dreams: to be sober and become a lawyer.

I read some other reviews of the book, and found that some people didn’t like how she “glorified” her drug use/gang days, her “superior” intelligence of scamming others and securing job after job despite obvious resume exaggerations and poor work ethic. After reading some of these details, I have to disagree. I think she wrote about that time in her life as how she felt at that age and time. If you’re a 20 year old drug user and you can do more drugs or drink more than your other user friends, I can see how you would think that would give you bragging rights or make you the baddest of the bunch. As for the “superior” intelligence, if you have ever known an addict, they can be very dynamic. It takes a lot of creativity, scamming, and manipulation to stay high. Since she kept pulling one over on victims, I understand how she believes she’s outsmarted society and can keep her lifestyle going. Plus, the majority of people want to believe that a person is telling the truth, so when someone keeps lying about something, even if you don’t believe what they’re saying, you want to. The only negative review piece that I can agree with is how believable all the details are since Cupcake was constantly high and drunk. It would definitely be hard to remember everything when you’re not in the right state of mind. At the same time though, I think her book really goes over the parts she remembers best, there are lots of details left out (like descriptions of her “business partners”, details of the rapes and molestation) and I think that’s because she didn’t remember everything (and didn’t want to share the really bad parts). I don’t want to give the impression that there are holes in the storyline though, it really flows throughout the years.

Overall, this book is a must-read. Just don’t read it before bedtime or you may get nightmares! Have you read this book or have read any must-reads you have to share?

InstaLately Link Up 15

My Valentines Get Up

F21 Sweater and Necklace (old), White Tank, Old Navy Maternity Jeans, Nordstrom BP Gold Flats

Treats I made for dessert 

I'm obsessed with this chocolate, it's so good!

 

So this happened and Baby Girl judo chopped my stomach to pieces. She did not like it! I just took it easy though and did some light walking and free weights. I don't think I'll be back until post-baby though, just walking the neighborhood for now. 

The hubs and I made some homemade banana shakes one night when we were staying in, they were delicious! 

6 months down! Can't believe we're so close to meeting our little baby! 

My new Sally Hansen nail polish in Pacific Blue, I just love this fun color! 

My favorite "Keep Calm" sign I've seen 

I'm so excited to start this book, I've heard nothing but great things about it. Have any of you read it?

InstaLately Link Up 12

In CA last week, it went from the 80s to freezing and raining. Boo. So I turned to my favorite Kiki La'Rue Jeggings (they're the best, I want every color!) and Lenore scarf with a classic white top and cognac boots. Such a simple and comfy outfit.

A close-up of the Lenore scarf on another day. It's really soft and so warm. I love it on a cold day.

One of my favorite polishes, Sally Hansen Petal Pusher. It's the perfect nude/pink and goes on great and is easy to build the color. PS That's our table runner underneath my hand, it's my favorite! I love it.

I started reading this book from JK Rowling, but I've since given up. There's a lot of characters and random sexual things that I just didn't care for. I read the Wikipedia about it to see if I should just stick through the story and it would get better, but after reading it, I don't think it's worth it. Have you read it? What was your thoughts?

The hubs and I babysat my little cousin and had so much fun eating donuts, playing Just Dance 4, and a game of my childhood favorite- Sorry!. When we left the hubs and I decided we have to buy the game for our place for game nights.

Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts and when I saw that Trader Joe's had a thaw and serve for a great price, I figured why not. These were amazing! I was surprised at how fresh they tasted once they fully thawed out. We'll definitely be buying them again! 

I can't get enough of this song! I busted out the moves playing Just Dance 4 when we watched my cousin (before the game of Sorry!). I've been doing the moves all week. LOL. 

My favorite treat! The hubs and I had a date night Saturday and for dessert we had Pinkberry covered in fresh fruit. Preggo cravings satisfied! 

Sunday night we had our first dinner guests! Matt's parents, sister, and her fiance came over and we had a wonderful night. I made salmon with my own concoction of spicy mustard, honey, soy sauce, and lemon (so bomb!), baked potatoes, and a salad. It was nice to finally have a place of our own to entertain. After dinner we played Phase 10 and watched the SAG awards. 

Do you have Instagram? My username is Kristen_Lawler. Link up with Jenn and share your photos!

InstaLately Link-up

I'm linking up with the amazing Jenn from Perfectly Imperfect for her new feature, InstaLately! I'm so excited because InstaGram (I'm Kristen_Lawler) is hands down my favorite app ever. Although for some of you, you've already seen these pics, I still love seeing other bloggers InstaGram posts, plus when I didn't have InstaGram (gasp!) they were some of my favorites. The pics can just be so fun and I love getting an extra peek into blogger's lives. Check out the other bloggers who linked up as well to see some great shots!

Celebrating my girlfriend's dirty 30 in style
Enjoying my girlfriend's wedding with our sorority sisters



This past weekend I went to my sorority's recruitment, this was before our first party. I can't believe it's been 10 years since I've rushed!
Our Bid Day with our new baby hooties! We had a sailor theme, and it was the cutest I've ever seen!


My favorite Sinful Colors Easy Going paired with Sally Hansen Strobe Light
Essie's Stylenomics from their fall collection and my first Klout perk!


Keep calm and wear pearls. A little something I got to keep of my Grandma's and I love wearing them.
My poor attempt at a knotted bun. I think I'll have to use a hair piece or a small donut to make it legit.


Some recent book purchases I picked on my trip home to Utah at the DI. All these books cost a whopping $7!
A fun note I found on my car after work left by my adorable cousin


Candy corn- one of my fall indulgences!

There's my recent IG posts! Head over to the link up and join yourself!