What I've Been Reading - Baby Edition

You know how your girlfriends say they will tell you everything you need to know about pregnancy and then you hear about, or even worse experience, something and every mother is like “oh yea, that’s normal, didn’t you know about that?”  If you are like me your answer is “Umm, no! And boy I wish I had.” 

Thankfully we all have Heather Alexander and her book The Secrets of the Mommyhood. I honestly loved this book. It’s a quick read, but all the information is pure gold. She talks about everything from what to expect from certain doctor’s visits to specific lists of what to ask childcare providers and pediatricians. And if you are like me, you didn’t even know you were supposed to ask them questions so those lists are doubly handy. Alexander even braves talking about the birthing process and all the postpartum loveliness. That’s right, carrying the baby may end up being the easy part.

I have to tell you my favorite part of the book are some of Alexander’s personal stories. I literally laughed hysterically when she talked about telling off an old lady in the mall and I still laugh when I try to tell it to someone else. She keeps everything light and humorous, which is a trick when you are dealing with a subject that can get serious real quick.

If you are going to read one book about pregnancy/babies this is it. I have given this book to so many people since I read it and they were all grateful for it. For me, pregnancy was scary because it was totally unknown. Alexander covers it all, from early pregnancy symptoms to what to expect from strangers in the store. She tells it like it is and I was truly excited when she would mention something I had experienced and all I could say was,  “Thank goodness it wasn’t just me.” 

Five on Friday

I'm linking up with my favs April at A. Liz Adventures and Christina at Carolina Charm for.....

 

ONE

Yay for Friday! Let's start with some pretties. I'm loving navy and coral at the moment. The combo is very classy spring in my opinion.

(All pictures from Pinterest)

TWO

For my third trip to Charleston in a week I got a book on CD. I just ran into the library and the first one to catch my eye was Billy Crystal's autobiography Still Foolin 'Em. It's honestly wonderful. He is a fascinating person; not only as an actor, producer, & director, but he is an avid baseball fan and grew up around jazz music.

THREE
I don't think I should be allowed in Trader Joe's anymore. Every time I go in there I grab something new that I don't really need. Like White Cheddar Corn Puffs. They are crazy addictive and I can't stop eating them.

FOUR
I have decided Easter is my holiday. As in I am cooking so everyone come on over. Last year I cheated and bought a ham, but we had friends in town so I figured it was okay. But this year, I have my sites set on The Pioneer Woman's Glazed Easter Ham. Anyone ever tried it?

 

 

FIVE

Speaking of Easter, if I could have one thing in my imaginary Easter basket I would want Essie's Cute As A Button nail polish. I think it is the best spring color, somewhere between pink and coral.

 

 

What I've Been Reading Lately

The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle
This is Melanie's second book and I ran out and purchased it as soon as I finished her first one. This book is all about marriage and how two people combine their lives. I laughed out loud at some of the stories that hit close to home for me. Let's just say my husband and I have had the exact same conversation when it came to painting our house. It's a fast read and totally relatable for a married couple.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler
This is a fictional autobiography of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of the famed author F. Scott Fitzgerald. This was a cool look into the 20's and 30's. Women's rights were being established and woman were experimenting with the idea of being independent and a wife at the same time. This book is a fun look behind the scenes of a very popular, power couple.

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
This is such a fun girly book. Valentine is a 30-something, single woman who is learning the family business of custom shoe making. The business is in financial hardship and she has to make some hard decisions. However it's difficult to concentrate on these problems with the new restaurant chef who just moved in next door.

What are you reading?

Five on Friday

I'm linking up with my favs April at A. Liz Adventures and Christina at Carolina Charm for.....

 

ONE

I traveled for business for the first time this week. I've never had a job that required some time out of the office and I really enjoyed it. I went to Charlotte, NC for a full day of meetings and networking, but had a blast visiting the city Andy and I used to live in. I got to visit two of my very favorite places, Cowfish for their tuna nachos and Amelie's for a couple pretty macaroons and salted caramel brownies, which I brought home for the husband.

 

 

TWO

Also, while I was in Charlotte, I stopped by the Junior League consignment shop to see if I could pick up some Lilly items for spring. I found some gorgeous piece but nothing was fitting right so I left empty handed. Is everyone else starting to vamp up their spring wardrobe?

 

 

 

THREE

It was 82 degrees in Columbia, SC yesterday! I can't believe a week ago we were stuck inside with snow and ice on the ground. I got home yesterday from work, threw on some sweats and started working in the yard. I couldn't stand yard work as a kid, but now that it is my yard I can't wait to do stuff. The previous owner of our house let everything totally overgrow so we spend our time riping everything out. However I have big dreams for the yard, hopefully we can make some of it happen this spring.

 

FOUR

We tried Gwyneth Paltrow's Lettuce Wraps last night, that I got from Miss Dixie and Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers. We really liked them, especially because they are low carb, but I felt like it needed one more element. I did forget the carrots so maybe that was it. Anyone ever made Lettuce Wraps at home?

 

 

FIVE

I read the most wonderful book last weekend called Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle. I really didn't know anything about it when I picked it up, but read the entire book in an afternoon. (That is a HUGE deal for me because I'm a crazy slow reader.) It's about motherhood and all the very common, funny experiences that come with it. I quickly handed it off to my mom, who loved it, and I just sent it to a friend who is expecting her first child next week. Go and pick this book up now!

 

 

 

 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Friday Favorites

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart - This book has been on my Must Read list for a long time. It's super sweet and I can't wait to read the rest of it on the beach this weekend. It's about a girl from Iowa who moves to New York City for a summer to work at the famous Tiffany and Co. Who wouldn't love that job?

Custom Crab Mallets - If Andy and I had gotten married in Maryland I would have insisted on these being the favors. I love them! Thanks to Bayside Bride for introducing this idea to me.

California Dreaming Salad - Oh how I love this salad. Mixed greens, shredded ham and turkey, cheddar and monterey jack cheese, chopped eggs (none for me thanks), tomatoes, toasted almonds, and topped with their signature hot bacon and honey mustard dressing. Healthy it is not, but delicious it most definitely is!

Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri Nail Polish - Y'all this stuff is amazing. It really does dry quickly. I don't love it as much as some of my Essie ones, but this is great if you forgot to paint your nails and you are about to run out the door. Plus it's a little cheaper than some of the high end brands, so if you want to test out a new color range this is a great trial brand before you plunk down the $8 for the real deal.

Have a great weekend!!!

My Favorite Author

Friday night I marked something off of my bucket list. I got to meet my very favorite author.

I’ve mentioned Mary Kay Andrews a couple times on the blog and I’ve taken to saving her latest books for special occasions like vacations because they are so good. Andrews writes light and happy women's fiction and it's always based in the south. The author has a passion for food and antiques/remodeling so those things usually pop up in her stories. I randomly saw that she was coming to Charlotte and put it in the back of my mind to go.

Well, Andy and I were wandering around Taste of Charlotte, more on that later, and I mentioned that I might want to go meet her since we were finishing up. I’m not the best at doing things all on my own but I’m trying to get better at it. So after a little encouragement I headed off to Park Road Books. I was definitely the youngest person there by like 20 years but I really enjoyed hearing her speak and learning about her background and likes and dislikes. She was super sweet, southern, and everything I had hoped. I got a chance to tell her how much I LOVE her chicken salad recipe from Itsy Bitty Lies, I’ll share that one day too, and how much I really enjoy her stories overall. I bought my mom and I a copy of her new book Spring Fever and had them signed! It was a great experience and I’m so glad I went.

Honeymoon Must Haves!

In fourteen days my new HUSBAND and I will be finishing up packing for our HONEYMOON! I’m so glad to see on other blogs that people start daydreaming about their honeymoon before it happens because we both are pumped to go to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Neither of us has been before so it should be a lot of fun. My three honeymoon requirements were: I wanted to leave Monday so we can drive from Columbia to Charlotte and settle down for a day before we leave, I wanted tropical (i.e. lots of sand, beaches, and fruity drinks), and I wanted it all inclusive so the hardest decision I would have to make is which restaurant should we go to. I got all three, so now I’m ready to get there!

Like the little planner I am, I’ve already started making piles of what we need to take with us on our honeymoon. (I know, I’m ridiculous.) But I just want to drive home on Sunday and everything be ready to leave Monday morning. I thought I would share with you a couple of the fun things we are taking to make our trip fun, comfortable, and memorable.

Honeymoon Must Haves:

A hat! I have a couple large brim hats from my Carolina Cup days, which I adore, but they aren’t the easiest things to pack. So when I saw a cobalt blue floppy hat in TJ Max yesterday that could be squished or flattened I jumped on it. I burn so easily, so a hat is a necessity.  Should I monogram it? Silly question.

2010 Carolina Cup - Look how far Andy's head is from mine. Hahaha!

We just got a fantastic wedding gift in the mail and thank goodness we got it before we left on our honeymoon. It’s a Kodak PlaySport Waterproof Video Camera! We have already charged it up and started to learn how to use it. It’s really simple and we can’t wait to start making home movies. My parents made tons of them when I was a kid, so it’ll be nice to do that for our new family. (P.S. I promise I wrote the thank you note before we started playing with the camera.)

Suntan lotion. As I said before, I burn just thinking about the sun, but I want to come back with a beautiful “we just got back from our honeymoon” glow. Any good suggestions for products that will keep me safe however will let a little sun through?

All my pretty goodies I got at my bachelorette party. My friends threw me an awesome bachelorette party, which I’ll write about soon, that included a lingerie shower. My friend Rebecca, check her out over at Southern Happy Hour, was sweet enough to wrap up each gift in a different color tissue paper. Then when we are on our honeymoon, Andy can just pick a color. That way it’s a surprise for him and me. Isn't that such a cute idea?! Any suggestions on how to get wrapped items through security? Should I take them in my carry on or in my checked luggage?

Last, but never least, my books! I’m taking a couple because I’m planning to spend a lot of time lying on the beach doing nothing. Ahhhhh….sounds like heaven! I’ve been saving the newest Mary Kay Andrews book Summer Rentals especially for our honeymoon. Andrews is one of my very favorite writers so I have to save her books for special occasions. I think I’ll also take How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy. It’s small and witty and it’s been on my list of ages, I just haven’t gotten to it yet.

If you have any other suggestions of honeymoon must haves please let me know!

Research to a Good Marriage

We are 51 days out from the wedding today!!! OMG!!!! Actually, knock on wood, I feel pretty good. I still have a few things to finalize but mostly it’s all in the details now.

In the hope of being prepare for marriage I have tried to read up on what to expect. (Research is just how I role, my mom is a librarian and my dad was a professor, it’s in my genes.) I have found some crazy books that I have had to stop midway through, which is something I rarely do. Some books claim that once you get married the lady needs to submit to every whim her husband has and suggests not to bother him or nag him about anything and make your, the house, and everything around him nice and pretty. Umm….I’m not getting married in the 1950s so that’s not going to work. On the other hand there have been books that talk about how women have to hold onto their individuality fiercely in a marriage to prove they haven’t changed at all. I don’t agree with this idea either. I like the idea of becoming a family and I believe two is better than one. Basically I’m not planning to change anything about the way I act after getting married other than signing a different last name to checks and receipts. Maybe I’m just being naïve but I like how Andy and I interact and work together and if it isn’t broken, don’t change it, right? Anyway, I have found some books to be really helpful and have brought up some questions we had never talked about before. Obviously everyone expects different things from their relationships so maybe these won’t be up your alley, but I would recommend them to anyone in a relationship, whether you are married or just dating.

How I Planned Your Wedding by: Susan Wiggs and Elizabeth Wiggs Maas. This book was written by a mother-daughter team who talked about their experience while planning Elizabeth’s wedding. They go through the trials of dress shopping, hair appointments, and finding a commend ground on everything else, which is not easy to do even if the bride and Mother-of have tons in common. This is a great example of it’s the daughter’s wedding but mama is paying for it. Who gets the final say? You can tell the mother and daughter are crazy close, which totally matched me and my mom’s relationship, and this book shows the exciting, fun, frustrating, and memorable moments that come with wedding planning. It’s a quick read that I loved.

Committed by: Elizabeth Gilbert. I already wrote a post about why I liked this book but I’ll give you a recap. Gilbert is embarking on her second marriage and is committed to making this one last. She researches how marriage is viewed in different times, countries, and cultures and what drives people stay married or get divorced. She searches for the answer to the question "how can you guarantee that your marriage will stand the test of time" and I appreciated her quest and general curiosity of how marriage works for different people.

Hitched by: Julia Bourland. Again I’ve written about this book before but I really loved it. It was written for the modern girl who doesn’t want her relationship with her honey to change just because they got married. But stuff will change and Bourland talks about how to deal with things that come up. This book also talked about all the stuff you should do once the honeymoon is over. She has handy tips about how to change your last name, creating a living will, how to handle your finances, and lots of other stuff I never even thought of. I really appreciated that she brought up a lot of different questions that you should talk about with your significant other that you may not have thought to talk about before. Do you plan for your parents to live with you one day, how do you plan to spend your retirement, how do you plan to raise your children (childcare, schooling, discipline)? All important things to know that rarely come up during the fun dating phase.

5 Love Languages by: Gary Chapman. This book was recommended to be by a friend and then it started popping up everywhere. It was all over Pinterest and I found that tons of my friends had already read it and found the concept really interesting and helpful. The idea is that everyone feels love differently and you and your spouse may not feel love the same way. Chapman has narrowed it down to five major ways: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. A person usually shows love the same way they feel it, however if your husband response to a different language he may not be feeling very loved. It’s important to find out which language you are and which one he is so you can adjust how you show love. It all makes sense to me.

Have you read any book relationship books? 

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

I’m sure most people have a great memory that includes a Dr. Seuss book. My grandfather LOVED Dr. Seuss books and bought me most of my first copies as a child. As a kid I could sit for hours listening to someone read to me and Dr. Seuss books were definitely in that mix.

While almost everyone over the age of five knows who Dr. Seuss is, I realized I knew nothing about the actual person. Theodor Seuss Geisel was from Massachusetts and went to Dartmouth College in 1925. While at school he was caught drinking in his room, during Prohibition, and was forced to give up his extracurricular activities, which included writing for the college humor magazine. In order to continue writing he began using the pen name “Seuss”. Who knew Dr. Seuss was such a rebel? He created many political cartoons during World War II and was even supported by President Roosevelt.  After the war he began created many of his children’s books. The Cat in the Hat was specifically written to help child illiteracy by using under 250 words and a vocabulary aimed for beginning readers. How awesome is that?

March 2, Dr. Seuss’ birthday, is officially National Read Across America Day so go out and read!

Here are some of my favorite Dr. Seuss themed Pinterest food finds. 

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What I'm Loving Thursday (sorry I'm a day late)

So I meant to post this yesterday but I got a little caught up with stuff so I'm a little late.

1. I’m loving….The Hunger Games trilogy. My mom, who is a librarian and is always ahead of the game on what books are awesome, has been telling me to read these books for a while now. Then I heard they were making a movie I put them at the top of my list because I always like reading the books before seeing the movie. Well Andy beat me to it and read the whole series over what felt like a weekend and highly recommended them. So I started the first one and wasn’t sure about them since I’m not a huge survival book fan. (I think it's from reading to many books like Hatchet in school.) But I got hooked and now I’m on the last book and can’t wait for the movie to come out in March. They are extremely fast reads, even for a slow reader like me, and I would recommend reading at least the first book since I have a feeling lots of details will be left out of the movie.

2. I’m loving… the new show Smash. It’s about how musicals are created. You follow the writers, director, producer, and cast members through the process and it’s awesome. There’s song, there’s dance, there’s drama, there’s Debra Messing and Anjelica Huston, and it’s all about Marilyn Monroe, what’s not to love? Add it to your Monday night lineup for sure!

3. I’m loving… my new Bride and Groom Cookbook from William-Sonoma. I got it as a gift at one of my showers and I love it. Not only does it have great recipes but it helps you plan meals for entertaining, how to time meals so everything is done at one time, and basic tips and tricks for the kitchen. It is a must have in my opinion for wedding registries.

4. I’m loving….Mochi ice cream from Trader Joe’s. I was tipped on to these by a friend and just had to try them. They are Japanese ice cream balls and are covered in a rice sponge cake. They take a little bit of getting used to, Andy isn’t a fan, but once I did I was hooked. They are like little portion controlled desserts. We tried the chocolate ones, but I hear the strawberry ones are good too. Has anyone else tried them?

5. I’m not sure if I’m loving….my ESSIE nail polish in Mezmerised. I’m not used to wearing colored nail polish on my hands. So I’m not sure if it looks weird to me because it’s not clear or because it actually looks weird. Should I add silver sparkles, white polka dots, a pearl coat? Thoughts? 

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