Short and Sweet Book Reviews

Hi everyone! I am just popping in for a quick update. I am still not feeling well. I have been dealing with the insurance company for the past two weeks and its been rough. Please send prayers and any good vibes you can! One perk of being sick is that I have been reading a lot more!

Here are my recent reads:

Love In Maine by Connie Falconeri
I picked this book up at Shop Rite (of all places!) and I ended up absolutely loving it. It was the perfect sappy love story for spring. The story line was really cheesy but it was the perfect mix of romance and interesting characters. Sometimes I felt, as if I was piecing together some of the story line myself, but other times, it was really well written . Overall the book had a cute set up and by the end of it I wanted to know more! The ending was short sweet and kind of a surprise. I had to read it twice to full understand it. If you love a quick, romantic read, this is the book for you.

Balancing in Heels- Kristin Cavallari
I loved Laguna Beach and the Hills, so I was super excited to see Kristin had written a book! Her book was filled with great ideas (for new moms especially) and yummy recipes. Kristin has grown up a lot in the years since MTV and it really shows. Her excitement and passion about living a healthy life and keeping her growing family healthy . I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a healthy lifestyle. 

Approval junkie- Faith Salie I was really excited to read this book, Approval Junkie. I thought this would be an easy and funny read given that the author is a comedian. As I got into the book, I was sadly disappointed. I thought this would be filled with fun advice and silly anecdotes but no, its long, painful stories about he childhood, her teens and her "wasband", made me sad for her. I applaud her for her bare all attitude  but this book was a sad let down. It was hard to get through and I kept feeling embarrassed for her. You might like this book, if you actually know who Faith Salie is and you enjoy reading about someone's life who is more awkward than yours. .
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I am currently reading The Pioneer Woman- Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond. 

What are you currently reading?

  

Life Lately

This is so true!

Hi all! I know I have been quite silent on the blog for the past couple of weeks. First of all, I wanted to let all my readers know I love that all of you take time out of your day to read my blog, you have no idea how much that means to me.

I have been dealing with a lot of health issues the past couple of months (actually years but in more recent months, its gotten worse) and its been A LOT keeping up with work and just living my life. With that being said, some things have been neglected especially this blog. I don't have the energy at the end of the day to write. It's sad that it has come to this but I need to take care of my health first and everything else comes next that.

I've decided I need to take a break from blogging and Everyday Jersey Girl. I am hopeful when my health returns back to normal, I will be back to writing again.  I just ask my readers to send good vibes, love and prayers. I would really appreciate that!

I can't wait to write again when I am feeling better!

Boys Make Passes at Girls in Glasses

I have recently gone back to wearing glasses. I was having some problems with my eyes and I figured this was a great time to give my eyes a break from my contacts. I picked out some new frames- the glasses I was wearing mostly at night, I've had those for over 4 years! I was really excited to pick out my new glasses and it got me thinking- I've been wearing glasses since I was 4 years old ( 24 years!!!) and I remember how excited I used to get when I got to pick out new glasses.

Source

I found some old photos of me in glasses over the years. My taste in glasses has certainly changed over the years and I  laugh at some of my choices I made.

 

 ((( Are you loving my fanny pack and humongous bow in my hair? and yes my hair was blondish brown back in college))

 As you can see, I went from many different styles and sometimes colors. I never really loved glasses growing up but I knew I had to have them to see. As I have gotten older, I have truly appreciated glasses for less of something I had to wear and more for a fashion accessory.

I spent almost a year trying to find the perfect pair of glasses . Here are two of the runners up.

I liked both of these, but I wasn't in LOVE with them. I loved the color in the top pair but I wasn't sold yet.The bottom pair, I liked the shape but I thought were too dark and a little too big for me.

I finally found the perfect pair that fit me perfectly in the perfect color. I wanted to get away from the solid black frames and go more towards tortoise shell blend. I am so happy to finally find something I feel that is grown up and fashionable.

 These are Kate Spade and I just loved the surprise details in these glasses. From the teal on the inside on the arms; the fun colored case and the quote "boys make passes at girls in glasses" hidden on the inside of the arm, makes this such a fun pair!

An even more exciting I found a pair of sunglasses that I liked (actually LOVED) and wanted to wear. Since my prescription is so high and I tend to like BIGGER sunglasses, it was a challenge to find something that would not show the frames out of the sides- BUT i found the perfect pair for me.

These are Tiffany's sunglasses- the arms are the signature Tiffany blue and  on the side there is a key. Such small details but they make all the difference.  Even the box was a signature Tiffany's box which made them even more special!

I felt instantly comfortable in these and I saw myself wearing these ALOT! Feeling comfortable when you wear something makes all the difference. It doesn't matter if its clothing, shoes, accessories- if you are not comfortable in it, don't wear it . These glasses don't remind me of when I was a kid, I am actually excited to wear these glasses.

So my journey to find new glasses (and sunglasses) was successful and I hope I won't have to go looking for new glasses for a while!

Do you wear glasses?

Wellth: The New Life Currency

Jason Wachob defines Wellth as a new and more valuable life currency. “A wellthy existence is one in which happiness is attainable, health is paramount and daily living is about abundance. It’s a life in which work is purposeful; friendships are deep and plentiful and there's a daily sense of richness or overflowing.” (pg.30)

Living a well rounded life has always been a priority with everyone's but how do you exactly live a well rounded life and what should be included in it?Jason thinks a well rounded life should be filled with the following: Eat, Move, Work, Believe, Explore, Breath, Feel, Love, Heal, Thank, Ground, Live and Laugh- each one of these have a chapter dedicated to the title. There is anecdotes from Wachob, insight from professionals and scientist and then at the end of each chapter- there are two mini sections- Grow your Life savings and a quick deposit into your wellth account. These summarize the chapter, gives you something to think about and how to incorporate the principle into your own life. 

Throughout each chapter , there are quotes from famous people about life and living. These reinforce what is being talked about in the chapters. Some of these quotes are funny, some are serious but they all are in this book because they are inspiring. Some of my favorite quotes are :

 

  - "Sometimes good things fall apart, so better things can fall together." Marilyn Monroe

            -"Courage is not something that you already have, that makes you brave when tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you've been through the tough times and you discover they are not so tough, after all" Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

           -"This is what I believe to be true.... You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest. if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining" Pat Solatano in Silver Linings Playbook

           - "You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from" Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men

- "Does this spark joy? If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it." Marie Kondo, The Life Changing Magic of Tiding Up

            - "It was possible that a miracle was not something that happened to you, but rather something that didn't" Jodi Picoult, The Tenth Circle

- "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle" Albert Einstein

I really enjoyed this book- for so many reasons but mostly because I feel like I needed to read this at this very moment. As the inspirational author SQuire Rushnell calls “Godwinks”. He goes on to explain that Godwinks are little reminders that there's a lights at the end of the tunnel and that someone is watching and that you are on the right track. (p.72)

If you are looking for an inspirational, yet light-hearted read, this is the perfect book for you. I think this book is brilliantly written as to that you do not have to read the chapters in order- If you feel like you need to focus on Breathe, read that chapter. It’s a nice way to gain information but not read a whole book.  This has inspired me to be more Wellthy!

 Get your own copy of Wellth here.

 
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review and all the thoughts expressed are my own. 

What I'm up to

Happy Sunday, y'all. 

I haven't done one of these in a long time.

For some reason, this photo is making me laugh out loud this week.

Making: banana bread 
Drinking:  lemonade
Reading:  Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Wanting: warm spring days
Looking: forward to wearing my spring dresses
Playing: two dots
Wasting: time
Wishing: that is won't snow today
Enjoying: my new organized closet
Waiting: for Nestor's wedding
Liking:  all of the flowers blooming
Wondering: about the future
Loving:  life
Hoping: for a quick week
Marveling: at the new blooms popping up in the garden
Needing:  sunshine
Smelling: morning chill essential oils
Wearing:  spring colors
Noticing:  how messy my desk gets in just one day
Knowing: how many steps I take in a day is pretty neat!
Thinking: about future blog posts
Bookmarking:  yoga workouts and spring fashion 
 Opening: my eyes
Giggling: at the world
Feeling: amazing

How are you currently feeling?

April Goals brings....

Happy April! April, you came at just the perfect time and I am so excited to see what adventures await me this month!

Here are my goals for the month:

What are you trying to accomplish this month?

Goal Review

This month.....whew... for once, I am happy a month is over. This month was rough for me and I am happy for a fresh start tomorrow with April. I always have high hopes and excitement for an upcoming month.

My goals that I.....

Completed:

-Having better Posture// this was a goal I worked on daily- if I felt myself slumping over or slouching, I would immediately sit straighter. I feel as if my back feels better after a long day and I feel taller (just a teeny bit!)

-Creating a more organized closet// this was a long but fun project that I am happy it is over. You can read all about my messy closet and the transformation here.

-1000 minute exercise challenge// 1,200 minutes were done through 3 yoga classes, 1 training class and a spin class each week.  I felt amazing after each workout.  I am going to continue with this intense schedule next month too. ( I honestly didn't think I completed this goal until I tallied up the days and numbers!)

Attempted:

-1/2 hour of studying each day// this was hard finding a time I can sit for a little to read my notes or review a chapter out of the review book. I was able to complete only a few hours of studying. I will work on this next month too.

-Home Binder Organization//I didn't get to print anything out or actually fill out the paperwork but I did start to research what to put into the binder and how to organize it. I will work on this next month too!

No Attempt:

-Paint More// I can't even say I thought about picking up a paint brush. I didn't have time ( I know priorities but it was a crazy busy month!) April might be better for me to paint and I am looking forward to it.


What goals did you complete this month?

Spring Bucketlist

Everyone is always talking about their bucket lists. I always thought bucket lists are more like goal lists. I already have my monthly and yearly goals, you can read about them here and here. Here are some fun things I am hoping to accomplish from now until the end of May.

Whats on your bucket list for spring?

Happy Easter

I hope you are enjoying today with your families and friends. I will be searching for eggs in my yearly easter egg hunt and eating a lot of yummy food at the winery. Happy Easter y'all!

Tackling the Mess: Closet Clean out

This past week I had a few days off and I finally decided I needed to tackle my closet. I had been talking about fixing my closet since OCTOBER! After losing a shoe or having the closet monster eat something I wanted to wear, I knew it had to be done.

I am actually embarrassed to show this photo of what my closet looked like- I am a neat person and I I try to be organized but somehow the closet monster completely took over my closet.

Here is the BEFORE photo of my closet. 

 I had my idea in my mind and I found on Pinterest and I spoke with my carpenter AKA Daddy and he said it was very doable. We took measurements and talked about what my needs were- a specific place for my shoes, enough room for all my clothes and the ability to see all my clothes. Daddy drew up the plans to make this and off we went.

Pinterest Inspiration

 

After posting Project Organization with Lindsey, I took her advice. First I went through every single piece of clothing, shoes and accessories in my closet and separated into three piles- keep, storage and donate. I am happy to report that the donate pile was ginormous and I felt amazing taking these clothes to the thrift store so someone else can use them. Unfortunately there were no photos of this because I knew if I stopped I wouldn't finish.  After everything was sorted into piles, I went through and color coordinated the clothes. I always feel like I can find things easier if its color coordinated.

After the colors were all coordinated, I made sure all my hangers were the same- I had some of these thin, plastic grippy hangers that I really loved. I had the hardest time finding them- TJ Maxx didn’t have them but Home Goods had them and I am not ashamed that I bought every single one they had. Check out these from Bed, Bath and Body

I organized my shoes into two groups- summer/spring and fall/winter. The current season shoes are on the shelves and the out of season shoes are all on the top shelf. I also split my clothes up into three different categories- Tops, Bottoms and Dresses. Tops are in one area, Bottoms are below them and Dresses are on the other side. This made it easier to see what I have.

After organizing, rehanging clothes and straightening things out, the only thing left to do was to straighten out my handbags totes.  After a lot of discussion and looking on pinterest, I decided on hooks to hang my totes and handbags. 

I am so pleased to share what my closet looks like currently. This is the AFTER photo of my closet.

I am overjoyed how my closet came out. This was desperately needed and I am happy I accomplished it. It is making my life so much easier to get dressed now and being able to see what I have.

How do you organize your closets?