Book Review | November

Oh hey!  

Book Review?  What's that?  Haven't seen one of those around here in a while!

Sorry friends, after getting pregnant and going through the first trimester fun, I wasn't really into reading and had to take a little hiatus.  

But I'm back with three books to review from November (a little late)!

Once I was able to pull myself out of my book lull I immediately started reading Murder on the Orient Express.  Obviously this one peaked my interest because of the movie that came out with all the big celebrities!

I'll confess I tried to listen to this as an audiobook and was instantly lost, too many names to try and keep straight in my brain.

So I tried reading it and that definitely worked better for me.

It was good but I have to admit, I kind of felt like I was reading a book that had been assigned to me by one of my high school English teachers.  Not that that is a bad thing it's just the vibe I got from the book.

To quickly sum it up, there is a murder on a train and everyone is a suspect. 

There happens to be a world famous detective on the train as well.

The ending is good.  Real good.

Next up was The Couple Next Door, now I'll be honest I picked this book up for two reasons.  The first reason is because of all the good reviews I'd read about the book.

The second reason is because the main characters last name 'Conti' is my maiden last name and you just don't hear it very often, silly right?

Summing it up, a couple leaves their little baby asleep while they go next door for a dinner party.  

The come back and she's gone.

Page turner that will have you guessing until the end.

The ending is good.

The last book I read was Class Mom and this one was probably my favorite because of the main character and how freaking funny she is!

I want to be friends with her in real life.

To sum it up, she's a mom who has two college age daughters from two different men and then she has a little boy who is 5 or 6 with her husband, so she's a little older than most of the mom's in her son's class.  
The book is very light and enjoyable - a true chic lit book.

So there you go, I'm currently reading the third book in Elin Hilderbrand Winter Street trilogy and it's so good!  I really enjoy her books.

Pregnancy | 26 Week Update

Hey hey, Happy Friday!

Here's a little update on how my pregnancy is going so far.

How far along: 26 weeks 

Gender: GIRL!

Weight gain: So far I've gained 15 pounds, which I'm surprised it's not more with all of the delicious food I ate over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Maternity clothes: Most definitely!

Stretch marks: A very few in the same places that I got them before, luckily they aren't dark they're very light, but honestly not concerned about them.  I've started putting lotion on the old belly to help.

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Okay, not great but not horrible.  I'm exhausted by the time we get John down for the night and don't last much longer than him.

Best moment this week: Feeling all the kicking, she is so active and I love it.  This is my last pregnancy so I'm soaking up all the little kicks.

Worst moment this week: Getting over a cold/sinus infection and not being able to really take anything for it.

Miss anything: Wearing regular clothes.

Movement: ALL.THE.TIME 

She is a mover and a shaker!

Cravings: Peppermint, give me anything peppermint flavored.  And coffee, I look forward to my decaf cup of coffee in the morning so much!!  I feel like I've been eating a lot more chips and queso lately so that might be a craving.

Queasy or sick: Still get the gagging thing sometimes in the morning after I brush my teeth, other than that, I'm good!

Looking forward to: Enjoying the rest of December and all the festive fun we have planned!

Getting Ready for North Pole Breakfast!

Hi Friends!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and ate lots of Turkey.

Today I'm sharing our North Pole Breakfast 2016 (in case any of you need some last minute inspiration) 😉

I had such a fun time putting this together for John last year and I'm excited to do it again this year and keep the tradition going!

For anyone that's not familiar, the North Pole Breakfast is where the Elf on the Shelf returns to your house for the month of December to watch your little one(s) and report back to Santa each night only to return in the morning and usually causing some mischief.

I love our Elf, Elfie at first but towards the end I'm ready for him to hit the road!

Holiday Family Photo Shoot

Hi Friends!

Today I'm sharing our Holiday Family photo shoot with you.  

I love how they turned out!

We went to one of our favorite parks on Saturday and snapped our pics.  The weather was calling for temps in the 60's but I guess because we went out in the morning it was COLD! 

One of my favorites - I love that cheeky little grin of his :)

He's so sweet to his baby sister, he loves to kiss her every morning when I drop him off at pre-school.

If you haven't noticed my child is a bit of a ham in front of the camera! ; )

I wanted to try and recreate a photo that I took with him during our first holiday family photo shoot together.  

My what a difference 4 years make!

Gender Reveal and 5 Month Update

It's a....................GIRL!!!

We found out around 17 weeks that we're having a girl.  I wanted to do a gender reveal but without a whole lot of fuss.  So I painted two little pumpkins, one pink and one blue.  Took them to the appointment and asked the technician to put the right pumpkin in a box I had brought with me.

When we got home we let our son open the box and tell us what we were having.

It was super sweet and not a huge surprise to me because I've had a feeling since day one that it was a little girl.

Hubby on the other hand thought it was a boy, so finding out it was a girl was definitely a surprise to him.

Little man is excited he's getting a baby sister.

So here is a little update on how this pregnancy is going.....and a not so great picture, but I wanted to show off the huge bump ☺)

How far along: 20 weeks (5 Months)

Gender: GIRL!

Weight gain: When I went for my monthly checkup last month I had gained about 10 pounds.

Maternity clothes: Um, I have been wearing maternity clothes since week 12 and really should have been in them for probably 2 weeks prior.  The old saying that you start to show with the second one sooner is no joke for me!  I look like I should be at the halfway point ya'll!

Stretch marks: None yet, but I did get them towards the end last time but they weren't too bad.

Belly button in or out: In

Sleep: Complicated.  I am so exhausted by 8pm and then will always always always have to get up to pee at least twice in the night and sometimes that wakes me and I end up watching TV for an hour or more at which point I fall back asleep and am exhausted when I wake up, sigh.

Best moment this week: Feeling this little girl kicking around, never gets old.

Worst moment this week: Headaches. I keep thinking it's the weather but it's probably pregnancy related, I feel like I constantly have a dull throbbing headache.  Over it.

Miss anything: I love the pumpkin beer at Trader's Joe's and am seriously bummed that I won't be able to have any this year.  That's really it so far.

Movement: Yes!  She loves to move around at night!  I first felt her around 16 weeks while eating a slice of pecan pie and it wasn't a flutter it was a straight karate chop! 

Cravings: Orange Juice, same as last time.  I'm not an orange juice fan but have been drinking it like crazy.  I also craved cheeseburgers early on, not so much anymore.  Mashed potatoes.

Queasy or sick: Horrible nausea in the first trimester and I have a daily gag fest.  If I even think about gagging it sets me off.

Looking forward to: I get to have another ultrasound on November 6th so I can't wait to see her again!

What's Up Wednesday | 10/25/17

Linking up with  Mel, Sheaffer and Shay for What's Up Wednesday!

WHAT WE'RE EATING THIS WEEK: 

It's a clean out the freezer week.  

Does anyone else do this? 

I buy a lot of frozen foods with the intent of using them and then never do.

Items include: 

Trader Joe's fried rice
Digiorno Pizza

I also made Mummy Dog's which were a hit! 
(They're on my Halloween pinterest board if you're interested!)

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT:

How much I love this time of year and watching movies that I've watched so many times in years past that never get old.

WHAT I'M LOVING:
Fall!  Everything about it!

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO:
Festivals
Parades
Pumpkin Patch

WHAT I'M DREADING:
Cleaning out my son's toys.  I get totally overwhelmed!
I've been searching Pinterest for inspiration on how to organize.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON:
Cleaning and organizing my house.  It's slow going.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT:
Getting all of my Christmas decorations out and getting ready for Thanksgiving!

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING:
A couple of weeks ago I started watching Gilmore Girls, I'm currently working my way through Season 2.


Getting ready for Stranger Things!

All the Halloween Movies!
Hocus Pocus
Beetlejuice
Sleepy Hollow
The Exorcist 
The Ring
Halloweentown

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO:

Started listening to The Life Coach School Podcast that Christina at Carolina Charm recommended.

WHAT I'M WEARING:
Maternity clothes!  Give me all the stretchy pants!
Tip for any pregnant ladies out there - Ann Taylor Loft online has some phenomenal deals on maternity clothes!
I scored big in there clearance section!

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND:
Halloween Festival on Friday night
Highland Festival on Saturday
Pumpkin carving on Sunday

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:
Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Holiday season

WHAT ELSE IS NEW:
Just working on getting ready for Baby #2!!

BONUS: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING SIDE DISH:
I love all of the side dishes at Thanksgiving but if I had to choose one it would be my Granny's Corn Pudding.
Corn Pudding is one of those recipes that everyone has their own unique spin and they all taste very different.
My Granny's is a custard sweet version that I just love love love.
I'll share the recipe with you soon!

Exciting News!

Our little family is growing!  

We're expecting #2 in March and couldn't be more excited.  I'm in the 15th week right now and finally feeling somewhat normal again.  The first trimester was much harder this go round for some reason. 

And this little man is so excited that he's going to be a big brother!  He tells everyone that there's a baby in mommy's tummy (even before we made the news official, ha!)

More updates coming soon! ❤❤

Show and Tell Tuesday | What's in My Bag?

Good Morning!

Linking up with Andrea for her Show and Tell Tuesday and I love this one!

I'm totally doing this post last minute because it's one of my favorite posts to read and I just love seeing what's in other ladies bags.

I'm just going to say it before I get started - my purse is a hot mess.

So here we go!

This is a tote that I got from good old Target and it's what I carry during the week to work.

And here's a peak inside.

My Michael Kors Wallet, planner and Thirty-One Organizer which holds my checkbook, phone charger, anti-bac and I think there's a tube of lipstick in there as well.

Next up, is a scarf (because it was a little cool here on Monday), my son's vitamins, a little clutch that holds gift cards and rewards cards that don't fit in my wallet, phone ear buds and my glasses in case something happens to my contacts.

Keys, Busch Gardens passes, and panty-hose.  

Here's a little secret that you may not know about, panty-hose remove deodorant stains like magic!  

#yourwelcome

And last this is all the stuff that is in the side zipper of my bag, everything from sunglasses and lipgloss to scissors and my sons toys.

On the weekends I carry a crossbody with just the essentials because we are usually on the move and I don't want to lug around a big tote.

That's it!  Hope you enjoyed taking a peak inside my crazy bag! 😃