What a week, what a week! I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend and Memorial Day!
This weekend kicks off the start of a lot of craziness and adventure for me- it starts slow with an alumnae Picnic in the Park tomorrow followed by helping my mother babysit my two adorable nephews. Then we really launch into crazy!! Anyways.. to the favorites!
Favorite Snack:
Occasionally I have to work later hours, until 10/11 pm and I always crave something sweet. Cute these delicious barkThins. I've only tried the Dark Chocolate Almond flavor so far but one chunk of it cures me for the night and is oh so tasty!!
Favorite Book:
Well I finished Under the Banner of Heaven which was a little crazy and very interesting. But my favorite book this week was The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. Which is basically about how the smallest decisions in our lives can impact and change them forever. It was really good, I may have read all of the authors books at this point (but I hope not!) and they are all wonderful!
Favorite Store:
I've totally been digging Athleta this week/month/forever. I think they quality of their workout clothes are just as amazing, if not better than Lululemon, and you actually have the option of trying them during a workout and if you don't like them you can return them. I feel they cater towards every woman, not just the skinny and the clothes fit well, do what they say and make me feel comfortable in my own skin. I've dropped way too much money there the last few years and yet not enough.
Favorite Show:
Game of Thrones, for sure. I literally have 20 minutes left of Season 4 and then I can start the current Season 5.. #plansfortheweekend
Favorite Song:
I know I post these way too often but the show is soooo good, and the music even better. It also might have to do with the fact that I finally watched the finale this week. I've got Nashville on my brain!
Can I just say that having a job where I actually get holidays off is just about the most amazing thing- it's a perk so easily taken for granted and I now appreciate even more. That being said- hooray for a four-day weekend!
On to the favorites of the week...
Favorite Meal:
Last night I made lamb chops all by myself and they were delicious and so so so easy. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures #badblogger. But you put a rack of lamb chops in a ziploc bag, cover with avocado oil, salt and oregano and let for at least 10 minutes up to a couple of hours. I then turned on a convection oven to 450. When hot, put the chops in (covering the bone with foil) 15 minutes on each side. voila dinner is served!
Favorite Book:
This is a tough one, I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell which was super cute and I loved the whole fanfiction aspect of it, because I myself am a reader of Harry Potter fanfiction and my favorites are the Harry/Draco ships. I also really really enjoyed My Sunshine Away as well though by M.O Walsh which tells the story of young boy/teen living in Louisiana the assault of his child hood crush. It's obviously a little heavier but really talked and pushed on that young boys, like girls, explore feelings and their sexual aspect but are then punished and embarrassed over them. I'm also currently reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer and am learning a lot of Mormons.
Favorite Show:
My roommates and I started watching The Blacklist a few nights ago and now I'm hooked. I also finally started watching season four of GoT, I know I'm way behind. Although with how social media is reacting to the last few episodes of season five I'm not sure how much longer I will be a fan of the TV show going in its own direction...
Favorite Purchase:
I bought a memory foam off of RueLaLa and it arrived this week. I immediately put it on my bed and woah I've been missing out in my life. Seriously have slept like a baby the last few nights...
I go through phases about using this site, but when I'm in my "on" phase I'm always so confused as to way I'm not always using it.
But let me back up. Swagbucks, similar to eBates, is a site that allows you to earn gift cards and prizes based on answering surveys, playing games, answering polls and shopping. I think over the years since I've started using the site I've earned about $105 in amazon giftcards. Which may not seem like a ton but when I probably only put in 10-15 min of my time here and there then it is quite nice.
Basically I'm in my "on" phase right now and need to spread the love. I've already earned $10 in Amazon giftcards this week alone. And it's Tuesday. Which always leads me back to the "why are you not doing this everyday?" question.
It is easy- it's free, and they have many other options other than Amazon to pick from. I just like them because man, books.
Let's see.. this week I encountered Michael Kors (he is my new work building celeb) and woah man, this is total different experience than Tim. First off Tim is always dressed to perfection- even when I encountered him at 7 am he had on well pressed jeans, loafers, a button down with a tie and a blazer on. Second he was super nice, confident, happy to lend a hand and chat about the weather.
Michael- not so much. He was wearing kind of drab clothes- cargo pants, sandals, and a tshirt. And you can just tell by looking at how he carries himself that is might be a tool. I can't actually say though, we didn't entirely interact.
Anyways, let's talk about this weeks favorites!
Favorite snack- an English muffin toasted with cream cheese and jelly. It is delicious and probably not that great for you and I really don't care. Nom nom!
Favorite gym class this week with the Class Pass- Uplift Strength.
Uplift is a women's only gym in Manhattan and this full body workout totally kicked my butt. I can only be thankful that I was already moderately in shape from spinning the last few weeks because if I had picked this as my first class in a while I may have died (or not been able to walk the next day). Plus their locker room was sick- all Malin+Goetz products, that actually included face soap and moisturizer for once, all the hair styling products you could ask for (hairdryer- given, but also multiple curling irons, and straighteners). They offered free snacks afterwards too...
Favorite book this week- Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Totally predictable but so ridiculously cute and charming. I'm kind of getting into this whole cheesy romance book thing...
Favorite purchase- I may have been a little too excited and ordered the Popsugar Special Edition Must Have Summer. Their special editions are always so fantastic and this time I was determined to not miss out! (looks like there are still a few left if you want in on the fun!! https://musthave.popsugar.com/#special-edition)
And this weeks favorite jam... Jason Derulo- Want to Want Me. That catchy beat, fun lyrics- I can't get it out of my head!! Plus they keep playing it in all my gym classes.
(p.s Grooveshark seems to be no more and I haven't' figured out how to embed songs differently so until further notice this link-up is music videos!) (RIP Grooveshark)
I think this may be my first book post of the year, which is really weird. Usually I'm all "once every few months or so", but hey- I've been busy.
Busy reading.. seriously though, I've meticulously been keeping track of every book I've read since 1/1/15 and I'm currently on number 45. It may not sound like a lot, or maybe that is just to me, but it sure feels like I have read a lot.
In honor of the Friday Five.. my top five for the year (so far), a few that I've mentioned previously and that you've probably seen floating around the review world. All for a very good reason.
1) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: this recently won the Pulitzer and for a very good reason, the book is amazing. I always find it interesting to see what wins each year, and the comparisons people make. Reminder Goldfinch won last year- and honestly I didn't think The Goldfinch was that great. This one though, a bit more tied together. The story takes place during WWII and gives the view point from two characters, a blind girl living in France and a German boy fighting in the war. It weaves an intricate tale connecting the two during a very interesting time in our world's history. Buy it, put it on hold at the library, borrow it from a friend- no matter what add it to your list because every page is worth the read.
2) The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah: Maybe because we feel a certain amount of time has passed but these WWII/Holocaust book seem to be trending lately. Here is another. A completely different viewpoint on the war, The Nightingale is about two sisters and the roles they both took to help out and fight back against the Germans in France. It touches on how the quality of life changed for many people and the little things that were being done to fight back and hold on to their humanity. Just as good, in a completely different way, as All the Light We Cannot See.
3) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Jojo Moyes is a recent author discovery for me and I couldn't be happier with the find. This book in a particular is on a whole other level for a love story. It's not cheesy, and I'd like to think it is a bit more real. TheSkimm summed the description up nicely yesterday "A playboy ends up in a wheelchair and his assistant has to convince him that life is still worth it." Definitely have a box of tissues ready.
4) Yes Please by Amy Poehler: If you've ready Bossypants by Tina Fey or Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling then Yes Please should be an automatic yes for you. I liked Amy's book a bit better than Tina's just because it gives a bit more behind the scenes to her career vs her personal life. A lot of fun stories about Upright Citizens, SNL, Parks and Rec. She is an easy person to read, if you have seen Amy Poehler on anything then the voice of the book flows well, and she is all for the girl power, which she should be, and you should be too.
5) Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult : I've been a long time fan of Jodi and this is her newest book. Like her others she knows how to pull on your heartstrings, she gives some great information about something you know but probably not a lot about at the same time (in this case, elephants) and is great at throwing in a surprise ending. Even when I think I know, she still surprises me. If you have enjoyed any past Jodi Picoult book you will enjoy this one. They basically don't even need descriptions.
So that's only 5 of 45. Others have also been great, I've had a nice mix of YA novels, mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction and fantasy. And we are now in May. I'm guessing the reading will pick-up a bit in summer, just because I usually have a bit more time and I will be traveling more. That equals more time to read.. yay!
What have been some of your favorites so far this year?
And I'm adding this awesome song to my link-up today because it is one of my book memory triggers, in this case The Secret Garden.
plus can we talk about how fantastic this music video is??
