Monday Minute: Christmas in July

It's Christmas in July! What are you doing to celebrate? I wish I planned better or it was a weekend and I would have a party but that's not happening. Plus I'd be sad I couldn't drink my Jingle Juice. The extent of my celebrating might be a Christmas movie but I have to much to do for even that I think. So, this year I'll take a rain check on Christmas in July. 

Happy Holidays!

Happy National Tequila Day!

Happy National Tequila Day! Too bad I still have a few more days or weeks before I can have a taste of tequila again! I must say I'm very much looking forward to it. In the meantime I will just gaze longingly at a margarita.

Pink lemonade has been my drink of choice during pregnancy, so maybe after Baby Lane arrives I'll try one of these.

(Picture Credit and Recipe: The 2 Seasons)

Have one for me! 

Book Review: What Remains

What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love
Carole Radziwell

I was so excited when this book ended up on our schedule for book club and I wanted to love it so much. I didn't hate it but I'm not going to run out and buy it for my collection or read it again. No disclaimers are needed for this book because everyone knows what happens or will remember once they start reading. Ironically, we read it the week of the anniversary of JFK, Jr's death as well.

The book is not solely about JFK, Jr. though. It is about his cousin, Anthony Radziwell and his wife Carole, who remains his loyal spouse throughout five years of cancer. The couple really never has a life without the awful disease. Carole writes from the heart about the struggles of marriage to not only a man dying of cancer far before his time but also a Polish prince and the nephew of one of the most iconic American presidents, John F. Kennedy. It's hard to fathom how she survived that summer, a summer that was supposed to be spent treasuring her final days with her husband on Martha's Vineyard. Those days were cut short not by his death (which would come eventually - only weeks later) but the untimely death of his cousin, John and his wife, Carolyn, Carole's best friend.

The parts of Carole's memoir I found most interesting were her detailed accounts of her childhood and teenage years and her life at ABC. After reading this book, I realized that neither Carole or Carolyn really fit the mold for a Kennedy-Radziwell wife. They were definitely no Lee or Jackie with childhoods complete with trips to Europe, summers on the Rhode Island coast or elaborate dinner parties. Yet the men loved them and overlooked these faults and ignored the comments made by their famous mothers and sisters. These stories of her past were much easier to read than the detailed accounts of hospital stays and grief. Some of those sections seemed to almost be written in a different voice but I can understand it being hard to relive those days and then write about them.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in history. These couples were more than historical figures though, often appearing in the tabloids, so they were part of pop culture. It was a much different glimpse of the famous family than what I've read in the past in JFK, Jr.'s biographies and The Day John Died. I don't want to say she was on the outside but she was some of the time, so it's a different perspective.

Happy Reading!

Pinterest Party: Lamp DIY

A few months ago, my mom gave me these literally butt ugly lamps that she was getting rid of and that I planned to give a little love and redo. I wanted them to replace the crappy Ikea lamps beside our bed that are awful and half broken. Well, life happened and the lamps sat in probably every room in the house waiting for new life. Finally, when I had no choice but to make the office into a nursery, the lamps ended up in my bedroom and I just couldn't look at them, so I started to refinish them.

I wanted something simple. I did some Pinterest searching but really didn't find anything I liked too much. I did see a cool lampshade using sisal rope, so I bought some of that and started in on the lamp shade. It took a lot more rope than I thought! Almost two rolls per shade! Then I painted the stand. I have to do a little touch up on the shade and I'm not sold on the stand. I think I might add a stripe or two of another color and maybe a gloss on top. This is only one of two, so once I get this one squared away the other should be smooth sailing.

I'll post an update once the lamp or both lamps are completely done.

Nursery Sneak Peak: Reading Wall

Here's a sneak peak at part of the nursery that I'm really proud of. This was pretty much a total DIY project that I pulled together from looking at multiple pictures on Pinterest. We don't really have a theme for the nursery but I wanted the books to be the focal point. You know me!

It was rather simple looking back. We painted some old shelves from my parents house for the books. I bought a few books from Half Price Books and pulled a few pages to frame. I painted the READ letters. I found the Dr. Seuss print in the Dollar Section at Target and added a ribbon to hang it. 

It was pretty affordable as well. The only items I had to buy were the paint for the shelves (which I'm also using for the dresser/changing table), the letters, books and frames. I love using books as art, so this is the perfect display. I kind of want it in other rooms too!

Below the book wall, we bought a cube shelf from Target to hold more books (are you really surprised), toys and blankets. It's working out pretty well for now. Baby Lane already has so many books and toys!

That's today's preview. Hopefully by next week I'll have the changing table done and the "gallery wall" completed. We built the crib last weekend, so progress is definitely being made and we are almost ready for Baby Lane's arrival.

Monday Minute: Gift Ideas

It seems like there is a lot to celebrate this summer and not just the usual weddings and baby showers. My bank account has taken a hit this year with so many gifts - graduations, retirements, 1st birthdays, thank yous - you name it, I probably bought a gift. I highlighted here for today's Monday Minute, gift ideas for retirement and graduation.

The director at the library retired and her retirement party was on Friday. I had never been to a retirement party and thanks to some help from Pinterest, I found a creative gift idea that I modified a bit. And of course I didn't take any pictures, so this really is a brief glimpse at that gift idea. It was a retirement bucket list, so I basically just bought different items for activities you could do in retirement and put notes on them. Some examples were an adult coloring book, a movie and a travel magazine.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

Then Dennis and I both had cousins graduate. I love graduation gifts and a few years ago I found this great idea on Pinterest that I've now done four or five times. It's so simple too. You just get a plastic container and fill it with lots of small things that students need in college - office supplies, gift cards, food, etc. It can be done on any budget too by the size of the container and the amount of items you put in. It works great for guys and girls too!

(Picture Credit: Pinterest)

Those are just two gift ideas. Maybe you'll find one works for your next occasion!

Summer Reading List

Of course this is my favorite blog post when I release my summer reading list! It's late this year because of my blog hiatus but hey, better late than never, which is why some of the books I've already read. This is what I plan to/planned to read this summer not counting my book club books.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Here's my blog post about this book.

1 Dead in the Attic by Chris Rose

Here's my blog post about this book.

Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The Vacationers by Emma Bloom

Here's my blog post about this book.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

I finished this one Memorial Day weekend but I didn't write a post about it. Of course I loved it!

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Here's my blog post about this book.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield

Unfortunately, I didn't write  a post for this one but would definitely recommend. I love all of her books as well.

I went to a great book sale this week, so I got new titles and I'm debating switch these ones out for some of my new ones:

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

Summer of Firefly Memories by Joan Gable

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly Whittemore

Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

What's on your summer reading list? I can't wait to get started on some of my new book sale books! Happy Reading!

Monday Minute: Yoga

I can't believe I'm actually writing this but yoga is my new obsession. I've been trying to get the hang of it since my Mount Union days and it finally happened this spring after numerous failed attempts. Maybe its because I'm pregnant and I like the way it makes me feel afterwards...who knows but I have decided to stick with it. Right now I'm just in prenatal yoga, which is covered by insurance and I credit to my lack of all the annoying pregnancy symptoms. My last two sessions are this week. I'm not sure what I'm going to do without it. I will be doing yoga again in the fall. That's my quick thought for this Monday Minute. Namaste.

Today's Snapshot: Smiles

I was looking through some old photos on Facebook and was thinking how happy some of them make me to look at over and over. Do you every feel that way? Here's a collage of some of my favorites. Maybe you are in them! It's basically just the featured photos on Facebook, which I'm still not sure of the point.

Picture 1: Dennis and I by the Upper Lake at Lutherlyn before the wedding reception. Picture 2: The sign for Lakeside at the end of the Sandusky Bay Bridge. Picture 3: Annie, Meg and I before celebrating New Year's Eve on our cruise to Key West and the Bahamas. Picture 4: The sunset swim after the Luau on the Lake. Picture 5: Celebrating my 25th birthday with my Lakeside friends at the Jamestown.

Be happy and have a wonderful week! Enjoy the warm weather!

Summer Date Night Ideas

Happy Weekend!

I love summer so much. I wish it could be this temperature and this beautiful out all year round. Today is a perfect day! The sun is shining, there is a nice warm breeze and no rain in the forecast.

It's a wonderful day for a trip to a farmer's market or a picnic in the park, not to mention a swim at the local pool. A great date afternoon! What do you and your significant other do in the summer for date days/afternoons/nights?

Dennis and I don't get many dates since we are both so busy and probably will get even fewer once the little guy arrives soon but when we do they are pretty simple in the summer.

Here are just a few:

Go swimming.

Grill dinner.
We made chicken and potatoes this week on the grill. So much better than cooking or eating inside!

Garden.

 

(Pictures from our urban gardening adventures two years ago. Looks pretty similar this year, except we only did sunflowers and veggies to freeze and puree for baby food.)

Attend a Pirate game.

(Picture from a game last year. We made it to two already this year and were hoping for a third but those seats are not comfortable when you are in your third trimester!)

Get ice cream.
Dennis introduced me to Glen's Custard in Springdale this summer. Amazing! It's probably my new favorite ice cream place. There is miniature golf there too but we haven't tried that yet; although that is another typical summer date for us.

Play disc golf.

Play golf or go to the driving range.

Watch Apollo 13 or The West Wing.
I'm not gonna lie this is basically all we watch if there we are both home (which is rare) and there isn't a Pirate game on (which is also rare). We watched West Wing this week and Apollo 13 last week.

So, why not enjoy the beautiful weather and have a date this weekend!

Happy Summer!! Enjoy it!

Book Review: The Vacationers

The Vacationers
Emma Straub

I finished The Vacationers on Fourth of July. What a great summer read! There have been numerous reviews about this book and it seems to come up on on all those summer reading lists on Pinterest. I'm so glad I decided to read it. It is so well written and will make you want to take the next plane to Spain.

The Vacationers follows the Post family on a two week vacation in Mallorca, Spain. A dreaded vacation by some since some of the family members and two close friends harbor secrets that if shared may hurt or surprise others. Franny and Jim are commemorating their 35th anniversary with the trip; however, they can hardly speak to each other and a potential separation or divorce is imminent because of Jim's recent actions that forced an early retirement from a position his loved.
Sylvia, Franny and Jim's daughter is preparing to attend college in the fall and anticipating a new life away from some embarrassing mistakes made in high school. Bobby, the couple's grown son is struggling with financial troubles and commitment issues with his much-older girlfriend, Carmen. Family friends, Charles and Lawrence are about to embark on the parenthood journey and each has his trepidations. As tensions rise among all parties, will secrets be revealed and family ties, friendships and romances ruined?

This book should be on every one's summer reading lists. A review is hard to write because there is so much I don't want to give away about the book. When you read the inside cover you don't really get too much of an idea about the book either, so check it out at the library and read it at the pool or beach this weekend. It's definitely enjoyable!

Happy Reading!

Pinterest Party Planning

Tonight, my sister, cousins and I had a Pinterest Party. I've been working on giving two old lamps of my parents a makeover but I took a break from that to work on what I'm calling my nursery gallery and reading walls. Here's what I've been thinking...

Gallery Wall

The gallery wall is definitely still a major work in progress. It started out as much more but then for some reason seems to have dwindled to almost nothing. This is what I do know.

1. Painted Hangers - I came across the best find a few years ago at Construction Junction when I found an entire bin of Baby Gap hangers after a local Gap store closed. My only regret is that I didn't purchase more than one. I had intended to paint them for a friend's baby but never got around to it...lucky me! My plan is to paint these and write the baby's first and middle name on them.

2. Giraffe Canvas Print - The picture below is an example of what I am envisioning for the giraffe print. I haven't decided if I'm going to use wood or canvas and if I'm going to paint the giraffes or use fabric or scrapbook paper. Thoughts? The example is painted on wood but the other examples I looked at have been a variety of the options.

(Photo Credit: Make It & Love It)

3. Gift Bag Frame - We got so many cute gift bags at the shower that I really hate to shove them in my gift bag collection to reuse. I saw on Pinterest that an easy DIY for a nursery is to frame gift bags. I'm not sure if I want to use my floating frame for just one or make a collage.

(Photo Credit: Serenity Now)

Note: It's funny that the picture I saw for the framed gift bag is the one that the previous blogger used as inspiration for the giraffe print.

4. Chalkboard Quote: There was a chalkboard at my shower for when people signed the guest book that I'm going to reuse for the gallery wall. My sister is working on writing a quote on that for me.

5. Tie: When I was cleaning out the office (now nursery), I found one of my grandpa's ties that I have had since he died. It's an awesome tennis tie, which means a lot to me since we played tennis together. I'm going to hang this on the gallery wall as well.

Reading Wall

The reading wall is what I'm putting above cube shelf that has some of Baby Lane's books and toys. This is my inspiration but my shelves are much shorter, so I have room to add book inspired artwork. My favorite!

I should add that my cube shelf is dark wood to match the crib and one not two shelves. It has six cubes.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest (Link to Blog Blocked)

1. Framed Book Pages/Covers: My original plan was to frame pages from mine and Dennis' favorite children's books but that proved harder than I expected because I didn't want to spend a lot to cut the book apart. I went to Half Price to see what I could find. I ended with The Kissing Hand and Guess How Much I Love You. I also found an ABC book from Williamsburg, which was a great find since we both love it there and hopefully Baby Lane will go there soon.

2. Oh the Places You'll Go Print: I found this in the Dollar Bins at Target. I wanted this as one of the frames but the book was so expensive and couldn't bear to cut it up for that price, so this was a perfect find!

3. READ Letters: I have four different letter styles to paint and hang above the shelves.

Alright, that's my Pinterest Party update and nursery reveal for today. Wait for pictures of finished items later on!

Happy Hump Day!

It's been a short week but I'm already saying, "Thank God, it's Wednesday and almost the weekend." I'm exhausted and ready for this long, short week to be over soon. The week after a long, holiday weekend are always the worst.

So, a quick post for my tired state of mind on Wishful Wednesday. Hey, a girl can dream! This week, since my birthday is coming up on July 15 and Tom Hanks birthday is coming up on July 9 (yes, I know when his birthday is) and today marks the 22nd anniversary of the release of Forrest Gump, I'd like him to come get me for lunch tomorrow or dinner or ice cream. Whatever, it doesn't really matter...

We can talk about his new movie and how he is definitely the best actor ever! Just wishful thinking... T.hanks!

(Picture Credit: Deadline)

Happy Wednesday!

Monday Minute: HaPpY fOuRtH of JuLy!!

Happy Fourth of July! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend - spending time with friends and family, enjoying a much-needed vacation or just relaxing at home. My weekend mostly consisted of listening to the Party Pod, wishing it was warmer to go swimming and getting the apartment ready for Baby Lane's arrival and carpet cleaning tomorrow. Plus, due to some schedule changes I got to spend Sunday night and all day Monday with Dennis. That was a nice surprise. 

I must say this is quite possibly the safest Fourth of July I've had in a long time since I wasn't blowing things up while doing fireworks and damaging my liver with way too many jello shots and vodka gummy bears.

Here are three quick items about my holiday weekend for today's Monday Minute.

1. We've had a lot of questions about Baby Lane's nursery. It's still a work in progress but here's a little preview of one of the wall decorations using these great alphabet cards I bought on Etsy.

2. Popsicles are one of the only foods I like eating right now. It's not really just a pregnancy thing since I live on them pretty much every summer. I thought I needed something a little healthier than freezer pops or fudge pops, so I made some homemade ones today using this recipe from Pinterest. I didn't have frozen mango, so I substituted it for raspberry, which I actually like better.

3. I've been reading The Vacationers by Emma Straub this weekend. What a great summer book! I'm a few pages from the end, so I'll have a review up later this week. Check it out!

And that is my Monday Minute, a little longer today but it was a holiday weekend! Happy Fourth and I hope the fireworks where you live aren't rained out like ours!

June Reading Round-Up

Oh, hey there blog world! It's me, Carrie and I'm back. Ready to share more book reviews and get back into writing after a long hiatus for which I have no excuse other than maybe pregnancy exhaustion. We'll see how much writing gets done though after the babe arrives.

I was reading a good amount in June but then I started reading The Book Thief and two weeks later I'm still reading! That drives me nuts. I typically finish a book in a weekend. I'm not even that far. Granted, I am reading it on my tablet and sometimes I don't read as fast on there but I honestly think the book just isn't grabbing my attention enough. Everyone I know that read this book loved it except for one person. I guess I'm in the minority here and I've decided to not waste anymore time on it. Plus my tablet is dead right now, so good excuse. I'm going to start The Vacationers tonight for the holiday weekend.

Here are some of the other books I ready in June. It's a pretty eclectic mix I supposed.

1 Dead in Attic

Chris Rose

This book is an emotional collection of stories told by journalist Chris Rose in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The stories were at times heartbreaking but than the next one might be humorous, making light of an incredibly serious situation. We all saw the news stories and remember the images on TV but reading about it from an insider's perspective was particularly interesting. I found this book on a list or Pinterest but I was hoping I could talk Dennis into reading it - not happening. I tried at least. I would recommend it to anyone interested in history, current events or natural disasters. Plus I love his writing style as someone with a small journalism background.

Everything, Everything

Nicola Yoon

When I picked  this book up as an ARC at a conference, I really didn't know if I would ever read it but I needed a book fast after quickly finishing another and there it was. To my surprise, I loved it and read it in a day. This young adult book is about a teen girl who is allergic to everything and basically lives in a bubble. No surprise when you live in a bubble that one of her only hobbies is reading, so I enjoyed her brief mentions of different books and the humorous one liners about them. This book is also hard to describe without giving too much away. It has almost a Fault in Our Stars feel to it and there is a major plot twist at the end that I should have saw coming but didn't. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys young adult books. It is written in diary form as well, which I always find fun and one that makes for a quick read.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie

I honestly don't know how I was a teen librarian for four years and conducted how many book talks about this book yet never officially read it. Well, when I was at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Summer Reading Extravaganza I decided to check it out and finally get reading. I loved it and I can clearly see why teens love it as well, especially teen boys who are often reluctant readers. I can also see why its on some banned book lists and might be considered controversial. Again, this young adult book is written in diary form and details the life of Junior, who lives on a Spokane Indian Reservation. He realizes that despite his family and best friend living on the reservation, his life will never get better unless he makes an effort starting now to get off the reservation and start making a life for himself. He does this by transferring high schools. Heartbreaking at times, hilarious at others this book is definitely a must read and a recommendation for any young adult book lover!

I also finished American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld at the very beginning of June. While I enjoyed it since she is one of my favorite writers, I'm still not sure if I loved or hated it since it is supposedly loosely based on the life of Laura Bush. We all know how I feel about the first ladies... Read it, make your own decision.

Happy Summer Reading and Fourth of July Weekend!