TGIF!

The high of my week was my day off on Monday! I got to do some shopping, some library browsing and some extra time with my girl!  It was a great day.  I could totally get behind a 4 day work week. ;)  Or a no day work week.  I also enjoyed the sun out more than it was behind a cloud this week! COME ON SUMMER!

 

this is my 'my office is roasting and I have to strip off my clothes face'

 

 The low of my week was the kiddo and the husband got sick again.  They both had head colds last week and lots of coughing and scratching phlegmy throats.  They were fine Monday-Wednesday and then last night this morning they seemed worse again! BOOO.  I'm hoping that we can air out the house and clean it out of yuckies this weekend.  Also, my daycare providers family is puking.  So let's hope we don't get that.  I went into work late yesterday to take her to school and my dad watched her in the afternoon and today my husband is working from home and they are being miserable sickies together. 

The book I’m reading is The Girl in the Spiders Web by David Lagercrantz.  It's the newest book in the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo series that Stieg Larson started. 

For my workouts, I completed umm this is sad.  But I only did Yoga once this week. 

The best money I spent was  my new curtains! LOOOVE THEM!  It makes me happy each time I look at them. 

they make me smile!

My plans this weekend include dinner tonight with friends at a fish fry.  Tomorrow I have a surprise birthday luncheon for a coworker.  Tomorrow night we are going to a hockey game.  Sunday we will have  my parents over for dinner.  Hoping we stay healthy the whole time!

What are your plans for this weekend? Do you have any yoga YouTube videos you recommend? What are you reading?

Pretty Girls

OMG.  I can't believe it has been over a year since I read a Karin Slaughter book.  I flew through the Grant County series and the Will Trent series until I came to one book that wasn't at my library and I apparently couldn't be bothered with buying and I've been stagnant for awhile.  I read great reviews about Pretty Girls and so I added it to my Christmas wish list.  I got it and decided to dig in this weekend.  I flew through it!

Now, just know that her books can be graphic and they are crime/mystery/cop books.  I'm also thinking this may be her first stand alone book I've read.  I loved her Grant County series, which led me to her other series and I am a series loving fool.

Description: #1 internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter returns with a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives.

Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.

More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.

The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.

Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful thriller from one of the finest suspense writers working today.
This was just so good.  There were many ways the plot could twist and there were a few surprises but I like to pride myself in figuring it out by looking for clues.  There are clues, by the way, so if you are like me pay attention!

All the characters were well written and I only really had one minor complaint.

There is always a good cop / bad cop.  They are always written the same way.  It's not shocking.   Shocking would be to switch it up now and then and make the good cop really good and the bad cop really be bad.  I don't want to talk too much since this is a part that is connected to the suspense but it led to me complaining about it right before I went to bed on Sunday night to my husband ha. 

Just a really really great suspense book!

Do you like figuring out suspense novels or waiting for them to play out? What's the best suspense book you've read recently?

Long Weekend Recap!

I love that I got a PAID HOLIDAY OFF yesterday. (Sorry, I may have been a grownup with a grownup job for like a decade or so, but finally getting these lovely perks won't be old!)  For the past few years I've had a long February weekend, but I had to work to get paid or take the day off and not get paid.  So, it was lovely to be able to cuddle with my girl for 15 extra minutes yesterday morning before we had to get her ready for school!

Friday night started with my husband calling to tell me I needed to pick up dinner on my way home because in my Friday morning felt like a Monday chaos I had left the steak we were supposed to have for dinner out on the counter all day and it was warm.  Whoops.  So I picked up the pizza along with two six packs for a Valentine's Day present for us both.  There were so many choices I went with two we had already tried but were favorites, Accumulation and Peach County.  I was super stoked about the Peach County because we hadn't had it since last April and we didn't think it was sold around us!

 

So good!

 After pizza we watched Frozen with the girl child and then caught up on an episode of a show and I started a book, Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter and were in bed by 11.

Saturday morning I was up at 6:15 and my family kept sleeping until almost 8 am.  I was not a fan.  Could not sleep.  But we got ourselves around and then met cousins and aunts for breakfast and then we all went to the local Children's Museum together after all getting Rocketgrab deals around Christmas time.  We had all gone with the kids in October and figured we'd be there maybe 2 hours.  The kids went strong for almost 3 hours! We had to drag them out.  It was a lot of fun. 

She was very excited that her daddy came!

 

 

Car racing! My husband had just as much fun as the kids!

Silly fam pic! 

 

 We came home and had leftover pizza lunch and then I cleaned the house while she napped and I enjoyed some beverages and read some of my book.  My husband made an impromptu chili for dinner which we put on top of tater tots with cheese.  Afterwards we played some UNO and then I made a grocery list for the week and clipped some coupons.


Sunday we somehow all forgot to eat breakfast.  I went to Mejier and the child and husband went to Kroger.  I got the weekly supplies and they got dinner supplies plus milk and some canned soup that was on sale.  After I got home we ate leftover chili and made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.  During nap I enjoyed some beverages and then we had a crab leg snack.  Then for dinner my husband made us homemade Alfred (which I added imitation lobster bites too) and garlic bread with roasted asparagus.  Yummm.   We played UNO and I read my book some more.

Monday I got up and got my child to school and then I took my coffee and I went shopping.  I hit up Kohls where I got some new curtains and rods and then I hit Marshalls up and the library.  I was excited to find a Slaughter book at the library that they didn't have the last time I had checked since I need it to complete a series.  They also had Go Set a Watchman, the new book in the The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series and another Slaughter book I want to read.  Needless to say I was in book heaven.  It was also snowing out and it was yucky but I'm glad I got some me time! I had just enough time to get up, change the laundry before I had to go get her from school.  We went out on a mom-daughter lunch date and then came home for her nap and me to fold a huge pile of clothes.  And then I finished my book and checked out with Stitch Fix.  I made the Southwestern Chicken and Rice Skillet from Iowa Girl Eats while my husband hung up my new curtains.  Then we decided we needed to get more curtains and another rod so we took a family trip back to Kohls to secure the very last pack of curtains and the rod that we needed.  I ended the evening watching The Grammy's and catching myself back up to date with Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series so I could start that book soon since I have to have that back to the library in 7 days.

 

Now, we just need to figure out a paint color and a new lighting fixture!

It was a great weekend and I'm glad I stopped in for a solo library trip because I saw a bunch of 'new' books that I want to read and I'm glad to see they were there for future reference.  I was a bit bummed I couldn't find a Sarah MacLean book to check out though. 


How was your weekend? What did you read?

TGIF!

The high of my week was book club! I love getting together once a week for book club and chatting.  We’ve definitely grown since July and we spend more time talking about whatever or random books other than the book we read for book club, and really, that’s fine with us.  It’s just good to get together, chat and relax.  I’m glad I have it in my life!  

 

 

A picture from a concert we went to a few weeks ago <3 em="">

 

The low of my week was being very slow at work.  A whole week of slowness is making me feeling blah and I’ve eating a lot of crap because of boredom.  Whoops.  I’ve been having a lot of anxiety lately and I think being slow at work is actually giving me more anxiety and so many other things but the down time lets me harp on it more so that stinks.

The book I’m reading is I still have a few pages left in Ginny Gall and then I’m really not sure what I am going to read next.  We are reading Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valedez for next month’s book club, which was 1.99 on Kindle!

For my workouts, I completed so far 2 days of run/walk, and then 1 walk.  I am hoping to do a run/walk tonight.  I’ve also got a yoga mat arriving at my house today from Amazon and this weekend I plan on trying to do a beginner Yoga workout and a back ache Yoga.  I have been VERY tight lately and I have a hip issue so I’m hoping if I start very simple with youtube videos my uncoordinated self can accomplish this.  I also made up a circuit training work out that I’m excited to try next week.  Last week I had a set a goal of 10,000 steps M-Th and did that and this week I had a goal of 11,000 steps a day M, T, W, F and after today will have accomplished that.

The best money I spent was a baby gift for a coworker. Such cute things! Or possibly the yoga mat.

My plans this weekend include we are going to the local Children’s Museum with my sister-in-laws and their kids tomorrow.  Sunday we are cooking our own Valentine’s Day dinner and I have President’s Day off and plan on taking Isla to school and meeting a friend possibly for a walk.

What are your plans for this weekend? 

Podcasts, Books, Miles, and Looks of January

Let's pretend it's not like the middle of February when I'm posting about this, but just know I had the thought many times before now.  Also, totally stealing Lisa's topics. ;)

Podcasts: This month I've been catching up on The Longest Shortest Time, that Kelly introduced me too.  I have so many podcasts that I'm still catching up on. But this is one that I am actively trying to catch up on right now.  It's about stories in parenting and really interesting in the 10 or so episodes I've listened too. 

Books:  I am totally counting the read aloud books I read to my kid this year because it's a commitment and its taking time from my reading so yeah. ;)  My favorite book this  month was probably After the Storm by Linda Castillo.  It's in the Kate Burkholder series.

Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne - 3 stars
Defending Jacob by William Landay - 4 stars
Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robison 3 stars
A Hidden Secret by Linda Castillo - 4 stars
After the Storm by Linda Castillo - 4 stars

Miles: I didn't run at all this month as I was trying to heal my feet and they are much much better.  I did do some walking.  I only did 13.096 miles but per my usual when I was on a streak of days I did well and then when I dropped off, I really dropped off.  Whoops.

Looks:

I wore this to after holiday holiday party.  The dress is from Kohls and the cardigan is from Marshalls. 

I got this top in my last Stitch Fix box and I love it! I've worn it 3 times already.  I got the necklace from my mom from Christmas.  Excuse my kids messy room.  She has the mirror and lighting.

What was your favorite book read in January? What podcast have you been loving?

Ginny Gall

Description: A sweeping, eerily resonant epic of race and violence in the Jim Crow South: a lyrical and emotionally devastating masterpiece from Charlie Smith, whom the New York Public Library has said “may be America’s most bewitching stylist alive”

Delvin Walker is just a boy when his mother flees their home in the Red Row section of Chattanooga, accused of killing a white man. Taken in by Cornelius Oliver, proprietor of the town’s leading Negro funeral home, he discovers the art of caring for the aggrieved, the promise of transcendence in the written word, and a rare peace in a hostile world. Yet tragedy visits them near-daily, and after a series of devastating events—a lynching, a church burning—Delvin fears being accused of murdering a local white boy and leaves town.

Haunted by his mother’s disappearance, Delvin rides the rails, meets fellow travelers, falls in love, and sees an America sliding into the Great Depression. But before his hopes for life and love can be realized, he and a group of other young men are falsely charged with the rape of two white women, and shackled to a system of enslavement masquerading as justice. As he is pushed deeper into the darkness of imprisonment, his resolve to escape burns only more brightly, until in a last spasm of flight, in a white heat of terror, he is called to choose his fate.

In language both intimate and lyrical, novelist and poet Charlie Smith conjures a fresh and complex portrait of the South of the 1920s and ’30s in all its brutal humanity—and the astonishing endurance of one battered young man, his consciousness “an accumulation of breached and disordered living . . . hopes packed hard into sprung joints,” who lives past and through it all.

I really liked this book.  It describes the Jim Crow South in a way that I haven’t really read about in recently published books.  We follow Delvin from his dramatic earthly entrance throughout his life and the hardships he faces.

Sometimes the writing is gory.  It shares the truth.  There really isn’t any covering up the horrors that people did to other people just because of skin color.  And I mean Delvin does spend time living with an undertaker so there are some details that are a little icky.

My biggest complaint is the wordiness. It did give the reader a very clear vision and would make for a lovely movie, but as a book it could have eliminated a few pages.  I always find I prefer less is more when it comes to descriptive writing.  And I do admit to doing a little skimming at various wordy parts. 

Verdict - If you are interested in the Jim Crow South and enjoy reading about Depression era travels check it out.  If you need something light, stay away.  I do think it is worth a read, wordiness and all. 

 

What did you read this weekend? Any recommendations?

I received this book to read for review from TLC Book Tours but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

 

Moonlight over Paris

I really enjoy historical fiction books.  Specifically European based historical fiction books.  When I was given the opportunity to read Moonlight over Paris, I jumped all over it.  I have not read much fiction from the 1920s and this intrigued me.

Lady Helena survives a near death illness and promised herself as she lay ill in her bed that if she lived she would REALLY LIVE.  After healing from her illness she inquiries about art school and staying with her slightly ‘wild’ aunt in Paris.  She TELLS, not asks, her parents that she wants to try it out for one year.  They begrudgingly agree and off she goes on her adventure.

She spends a summer painting and reviving herself in the South of France.  She spends mornings painting and afternoons relaxing on the beach with family friends.  Returning from a day of painting she encounters a handsome American, Sam, who makes her promise to catch up with him when she gets to Paris.

When fall comes she moves into her aunt’s impressive house and begins art school where she meets a diverse close group of friends.  They encourage each other and become her lifeline in her new world.  She does eventually reconnect with Sam and a semi-romance blooms. 

Her art improves, her worldview improves and at the end of the year she returns home for a wedding and with a new knowledge about herself.

If you are looking for a quick light read this is your gem.  It has cameos from the Fitzgeralds and the Hemingways.  There were eye rolling moments for the love/romance part from me but it wasn't tooooo bad.

It makes me wish I could have been in Paris in the 1920s.  Ah, nostalgia for a world I never knew. 

I will say that the way Lady Helena’s growing up reminded me very much of how Downton Abbey would portray the time and it shocks me that even that close in the past women had no choices or could be RUINED by stupid rumors.  I do know that I am in a time period much better suited for my tastes. ;)

What light books have you read recently? Do you have any 1920s recommendations?

Virtual Coffee Date...

Good Monday morning!

I know I am needing the strong black coffee this morning.  I haven't posted one of these posts before but decided, why not?

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you...  That I am all about the changes lately.  Now, the motivation isn't all there yet but the want for it is.  I'm usually slow on this but I'm making plans and focusing efforts on making it happen.  I really am glad I switched jobs 6 months ago! I am so much happier and that has helped me focus and make more changes.  I had a doctors appointment last month and last year for the first time ever I had high blood pressure.  This year? Back to normal.  I attribute this solely on the job change.  I did work out quite well for 3 months last year to help try to reduce stress but fell of that wagon.  But, I feel the difference in my body and it has been a great change!


If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you... that I was listening to the Happier podcast and really resonated with the idea of 'do not organize.'  I always say I am going to organize my office and I really just need to throw some stuff away.  I'm slowly getting better at this, but the bulk of what I really need to go through is my filing cabinet and then I would in theory throw almost all of it away and the piles that are on my desk that I want to save could go in the filing cabinet ha.  So yes, just throwing stuff away needs to happen.  Like I said above, getting the urge to make changes.. need the motivation to go through and pitch it during a nap time or at night.  I am not brave enough to throw without going through it yet!

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you..   that in August we will have lived in our house for 10 years.  (will officially have that sucker paid off in 4 more years!!)  I am just now caring to decorate.  Most of our furniture is hand me downs.  We did buy two new chairs 3 years ago.  Our couch was a hand me down from 10 years ago and an end table came from my college apartment that I got free somewhere.  So yeah,  those two need to go this year! We also had work down on our ceilings last January and we finally need to hire someone to paint our upstairs and we are getting new carpet.  We just finally put up a new curtain rod and new curtains on our insanely large window after me hating it for 10 years.  In theory, I'd really just like to buy a new house but my husband is pretty set on this yard/location.  Plus, before we could sell it we need to do new carpet/paint like I mentioned and purge a ton of shit.  In 10 years we have re-done the kitchen, both bathrooms, new flooring upstairs,  re-done the laundry room and totally changed up one of the bedrooms (flooring and built in destruction).  I just want a new house.  Fresh, not old and with flaws. 

the new curtains.. nothing too exciting but so much better than the old ones! (as you can tell our window is huge!)

If we were having coffee today, I'd tell you..  I am so ready for summer.  We have three big plans made so far! Mackinaw Island trip, Port Crescent trip and Higgins Lake! So excited! I also bought a 10 visit pass to the zoo that I'm excited to use (along with the children's museum).  I can't wait to have my toes in the sand and a book in my hand!  I'm also trying to convince the hubby to splurge on a luxurious 10 year wedding anniversary trip next year.  I so want to do something, away, just the two of us. 

 

What's new with you? What is something you'd share if we were having coffee today?

Currently...

Reading:  Moonlight over Paris by Jennifer Robson

Loving: My slippers.  Seriously.  I kind of want like 10 pairs.  And that my new curtains and my new curtain rod is up! FINALLY! We have lived in our house for almost 10 years and they were so gross and disgusting.  We have an insanely large window so it's been a process trying not to spend an arm and a leg while making sure we still block out sun and yada yada yada.

Thinking:  about life changes and how to make baby steps to make them a reality without being overwhelmed!

Frustrated: by winter.  I hate being cold.  Oh and people who are encouraging He Who Will Not Be Named  in his presidential campaign

Feeling:  glad that I had today as a paid holiday off and tomorrow as a sick day.  I was able to go to school with my kiddo today and have a lunch date with her and then tomorrow I can take her and then do my appointments and have an afternoon to myself!

Anticipating:  our summer trips.  The one good thing about a cold winter is that it is the perfect time to plan our summer camping trips! We have two booked and plans on where the third trip will be and will book that as soon as it opens up!

Watching: catching up on Blacklist a lot.  That and Madam Secretary.  Love that show.

Sad:  that my kid keeps asking questions about my grandpa who passed away.  I'm glad that she obviously had a connection and his sad that he's not here but it's sooo sad to have to explain this to a 4 year old. 

Working: on fixing my feet.  I'm hoping to have more insight soon.

Grateful: for days with my girl

Listening: to Serial and catching up on Get Booked podcasts..

Wishing: that we would have won the Powerball. ;)

What are you listening to, anticipating, and reading?

2015 mileage and 2016 excercise plans

Last year I started out strong with a #mileaday challenge to utilize my Fitbit and get more active.  It worked --- BIG TIME.  January was my most active month all year and it set me up to be more healthy and lose inches.  And because I used what I knew about myself.  I have to work out every day or it will turn into zero days.  The commitment of one mile at least a day was huge and helped me then try new workouts with some walk/runs thrown in between.

Having made this commitment I decided to make a google doc and write down all of my run/walks.  Now I didn't always get every walk I took if it was not on the treadmill but I tried to remember.  I did not record all workouts because I would delete them after I completed them, also using a google doc.  I think for this coming year I shall record both workouts and mileage.

 Now like I said, knowing myself if I don't do it every day, I fall off hard.  And fall I did over the summer.  So all of the inches lost came back.  Plus some.  So regardless of how not high the numbers are, it was interesting to me.

Highest mileage month? 53.04 miles in January

Lowest mileage month? 0 in July.  Whoops.

Longest run/walk? 4.1 miles on January 23rd

Shortest run/walk/? .749 on December 27th

Most time spent on a run/walk? 63 minutes and 9 seconds on January 23rd]

Shortest time spent on a run/walk? 14 minutes on May 7th

Most run/walks in a month? January with 31

It was interesting looking at the months where there were lots of gaps.  Per my usual, there would be 2 or 3 days together and then a huge break and 2 days together and repeat.  I did fairly well until mid April then the year fell apart.  I tried again in November and got 11 straight days before my feet messed up on me again.  I've had major issues with them and I actually am talking to my doctor about it later this month.  But long story short they've made walking very painful and pretty much pushed me into more sitting around.  This past week or so I started out again with just walking and slowly increasing the minutes.  It seemed to be okay and then I tried running yesterday and that was apparently not okay. 

So I don't want to make any big grand plans for 2016 since I have no idea what the year holds for my feet and what not but barring any issues I'd like to...

-increase my total mileage
-record all run/walk
- tally up times spent run/walking
-record all workouts
- try more youtube workout videos

Do you record your workouts? What are your fitness goals for 2016?

Yearly total of miles? 138.259 miles