Denim is such a classic fabric, but I hate wearing denim jeans in the summer. They are too hot and too clingy. Instead, I decided to change it up and put denim on the top. I love the juxtaposition of denim and a flowy skirt. The accessories help pull the pieces together for a cohesive look.
$41 - nelly.de
$67 - zalando.co.uk
dsw.com
dorothyperkins.com
Tory Burch leather wrap bracelet
toryburch.com
Rebecca Taylor cashmere scarve
rebeccataylor.com
The things I am thankful for this week:
A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. -- John F. Kennedy
Title: Lost Lake
Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Publisher: St. Martin's Press 2014
Genre: Magical Realism
Pages: 296
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Library; 52 Books - W24; Monthly Key Word - May (Lost); Lucky No. 14 - Cover Lust
The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.
That was half a life ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband George is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.
It’s a lot, but not enough to keep Eby from relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand, and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.
Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope too, thanks to her resilient daughter Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer… and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.
I just love Allen's books. I always know what I'm getting into when I pick one up: great characters, a bit of magic, and a happy ending. They're fairly predictable and yet I always get lost in the stories. I especially loved Devin and the alligator from this story. Something about the little girl who "sees" more than most of the adults rings true. I even liked Selma and her part in the resolution of the conflict. Definitely a go-to feel good read for the week.
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!
Turns out I haven't read many absolutely amazing books so far this year. But here are four great books to highlight.
It's the first week of the twins being here and Arthur is loving it! He spends so much time watching them play and chasing after them.
Likes: The twins; standing at furniture; Sophie; meal times
Dislikes: Nap time; the heat
Sleeping: We're back to waking two times a night. It sucks. I want to go back to either one wake up or even better, sleeping through the night.
Eating: Since the boys have arrived, Arthur's much more interested in eating real food at the table. He now sits and eats with us at lunch and dinner. He's tried and loved peas, teriyaki chicken, mashed potatoes, clam chowder, and green beans. I'm loving this trend and hope it continues. I would like him to be able to eat off of my plate at all meal times. I hate making him separate food.
Playing: Lots of exploration and manipulating objects. He's found the Disney Infinity characters behind the fence. He figured out how to reach through the fence for them. And he accidentally turned on the Xbox the other day. Now he loves messing with it. I think we may need to move the fence out a bit. He also loves playing the game of "pull everything off of the ottoman." Usually it's empty but sometimes I forget.
Medical Milestones:
Schedule:Since the boys have arrived, nap times have gone out the window. I never know when he'll want to go down. This has been a struggle. He is getting more predictable when it comes to eating times. At least that's something.
Out and About: Check out our Summer Wrap post to see all the places we've been this past week. We have lots of activities planned for the next few weeks.
Music Monday will be going on hiatus for the summer so I can bring you our weekly recaps. I will be highlighting all the fun pictures and activities we have planned for this summer. Eight weeks of fun! The twins arrive last Tuesday and we immediately jumped into summer activities. Before they arrived, I used my Stampin' Up Epic Day This and That Journal to create our summer bucket list notebook. Each activity has it's own page in the notebook along with any pertinent information (address, price, hours, etc). As we complete an activity, it will be checked off in the notebook.
Also, I have devised a weekly schedule to help us stay on top of things and attempt to keep my sanity dealing with two 11 year olds and a 7 month old.
On to the recap...
Tuesday
Their plane was delayed almost 6 hours due to mechanical issues. A new plane had to be flown in. They were supposed to arrive at 11am, but got in at 5pm. We picked up Wendy's for dinner and went home to relax. I was hoping they would go to bed early. I had a co-op board meeting so I left at 7pm. I came home at 10:30 to find the twins still awake! Needless to say Wednesday morning was a challenge.
Wednesday
Our first day of events! After dropping J off at work, we set off for Half Price Books in Fremont. We had four bags of books and cds to sell. Of course, I let the boys each pick a few books and even snagged a few board books for Arthur. Unfortunately, HPB took almost 1 1/2 hours to sort our things. I thought we were going to have a meltdown from all three boys.
After checking out, we headed over to Target for shoes. The boys came with flip flops and crocs. Neither of which are good for running around or amusement parks. We found one pair of back strap sandals in their size, but only one. thankfully there is a Target right next to Chick-Fil-A where we were picking up lunch.
After lunch we headed over to Rengstorff Park for our weekly playdate. The twins played on the playground or chilled with us. This will be a weekly event. At 5pm, we headed home for start dinner (ravioli and tortellini) and relax.
Thursday
In the morning we headed to Cuesta Park for our every other week walk with the mom's group. The twins played on the playground or read/played iPad on the blanket. We headed home for lunch and an afternoon by the pool. Even Arthur joined in on our pool visit. Every time the twins came near the steps, Arthur tried to launch himself into the water. Pretty cute!
Friday
Friday was our first big excursion day. The twins chose Great America. We loaded up, dropped off J, and headed over right at opening time. Unfortunately we had to get our season passes processed so that ate up about 20 minutes. After that we circled the park twice, the twins riding their favorites and Arthur and I hanging out and people watching. We ate lunch at our favorite spot: Joe Cool Cafe. Before leaving Arthur and I rode the carousel (in one of the chariots) and the twins souvenir shopped (only one got something). Four hours at Great America and I was beat!
Saturday
After a late start to the day, we headed over to Boudin Bakery for lunch before traveling to San Jose (only a 15 minute trip). I had printed free passes to the SJ Museum of Art from our library program. Turns out it was Community Day and the museum was free for everyone. Oh well! We toured the small museum of mostly modern art and the twins participated in a few crafts. We didn't get out of there until almost 3pm causing Arthur's nap schedule to be off and missing the co-op playdate. Next time...
Sunday
Sunday was to be a chill day at home. The boys and I ventured over the Sunnyvale Art and Wine festival (one block away!), looked at the art, and grabbed some kettle corn for later. We hit the festival right when it opened at 10am and good thing. The temperature kept going up all day. We stayed in the rest of the day playing video games and hanging out.
Listening To: Nina Simone Pandora channel. Last night it went to Ray Charles and smooth jazz. Usually it goes to her French period. I love that every time we listen, we get something just a bit different.
Book finished: The Devil in the White City
Reading: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
On the Nightstand: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland; The Beautiful and the Damned
Making Lists: Adding to the never-ending grocery list. The boys have only been here for a few days and we're already out of apple juice. N requested croissants. And I would like more bagels. I think we are going to have to make a cycle grocery run tomorrow. I wanted to wait until next weekend, but I don't think we'll make it...
From the kitchen: Nothing too exciting. I've been making twin friendly dinner meals this week. (BBQ Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Ravioli, pizza night) I have a few more interesting meals plans (tonight's Balsamic Glaze Pork Roast), but I'm trying to keep it simple for the summer. Plus, I know we'll be tired after long days of activities. I really don't want to cook some elaborate dish then.
Farmer's Market Finds: No market due to the Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival this weekend. The boys and I will be venturing down sometime today (I'm thinking after breakfast before it gets too hot) to check out the art and maybe grab a snack .
Watching: J started the twins on Samurai Champloo and they fell in love. We watched the first season in two days and they keep begging to finish off the second season. Even I'll admit that it's good. We also watched the cleaned up version of Star Wars (no additions but cleaner images) and Captain America (so we can then watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier soon). Other than those, we've been too busy to sit and watch a ton of television.
Shopping Scores: As soon as the twins arrived, we had to make a Target run to get sandals with backs on them (they came with crocs and flip flops). While there, N picked up a pair of skinny jeans and a plaid button down for fall. And both boys got new Minecraft tees. I also found a cute military style jacket and gingham button down for Arthur. I'm thinking those will be part of his wedding outfit for September's events.
Project: Summer bucket list! We've already crossed three things off of our list. Woohoo!
Picture: Watching the swings at Great America
Title: The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America
Author: Erik Larson
Publisher: Vintage Books 2003
Genre: U.S. History
Pages: 447
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure; Rory Gilmore; Library Books; Monthly Key Word - Color
Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
I loved this book. Initially I thought it was just about the serial killer H.H. Holmes, but in reality this book tells the story of the creation and destruction of The White City. I was fascinated by the process of planning and building the World's Fair. I did not realize the amount of famous to me people that either had a hand in building the fair or were attendees. All throughout we get interludes about the murder spree of H.H. Holmes (only to be discovered after the fair). Larson's writing is clear and concise but with a nice storytelling manner. We get the inclusion of primary sources fitted seamlessly into the narrative. Even switching between the two main story lines is done well. Definitely a well written historical narrative.
I wear a variation of this outfit all the time during the summer. I have black and white striped stretchy maxi shirt that is to die for. The other difference is that my cardigan is coral and my shoes are pink. Still this is a great outfit for any mom during the summer.
$470 - the-dressingroom.com
$37 - janenorman.co.uk
zappos.com
lulus.com
Diane Kordas rose gold necklace
saksfifthavenue.com
overstock.com
Here is my randomness for the week:
The healthy and strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it, whether he's got an abscess on his knee or in his soul. -- Rona Barret
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!
This week's topic is beach bag books. What books would I take to the beach? This presupposes that I could actually have a day at the beach to read. Unfortunately with three children, this just doesn't happen. But, if I could...
Our last week before the twins arrive. We filled it with tons of baby activities and lots of housework. Of course, Arthur made more messes than he cleaned.
Likes: Standing at anything; playing with things he shouldn't; dad; stealing all the other babies' snacks
Dislikes: Sitting; getting paper taken away; napping at his usual times; not eating all the time
Sleeping: We're back to going to bed at around 6:30pm, waking once during the night (usually around midnight), and getting up at 6:00am. I can deal with this, but I would love for him to go back to sleeping all night.
Eating: Lots more adult food lately. He tries everything, but definitely has his favorites. He's not a fan of cheese or bread. I don't think he's my son...
Playing: Our baby playdates have been going very well lately. Arthur's been socializing more and more with the others. I love seeing him play. His new favorite is me (or anyone) rolling a ball toward him. He doesn't roll it back yet, but still loves it.
Medical Milestones:
Schedule:Wake times and bed times have settled back into a routine, but naps are all over place. It's making our days a bit difficult to plan around.
Out and About:
Initially this collaboration just sounds odd, but strangely it works amazingly well. I love the difference in their voices.
Lyrics:
Kentucky
You are the dearest land outside of Heaven to me
Kentucky
I miss your laurel and your redbud trees
When I die,
I want to rest upon a graceful mountain so high
For that is
Where God will look for me
Kentucky
I miss the old folks singing in the silvery moonlight
Kentucky
I miss the hound dogs chasin’ coons
I know that
My mother, dad and sweetheart are waiting for me
Kentucky
I will be coming soon
Kentucky
Book finished: Summer Rental; Tapestry of Fortunes
Reading: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
On the Nightstand: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Making Lists: Last minute grocery list before the twins arrive on Tuesday. I think I now have an entire month of meals planned out. I plan to grocery shop every two weeks and only go again if we need milk or bread or something of the like.
Around the house: We finished our baby proofing last week and now I've just been tweaking things here and there. Mostly moving collectibles and breakables.
From the kitchen: Nothing super exciting this week. I did try a new pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe. It was okay but some of the muffins stuck to the paper cups. Ugh!
Watching: The Double; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; Saving Mr. Banks; Lego Movie; Philomena; Lots of documentaries; Catching up with The 100; Binge watching Turn; Enjoying a bit of Phineas and Ferb with Arthur
Wondering: Am I missing something? I filled out my weekly to-do list and keep feeling like I'm missing something big.
Project: I'm putting the finishing touches on our summer plans. I've got the bucket list notebook prepped, meal plans readied, and bedroom put together. I think we are ready to kick off summer right.
Picture: Arthur's new favorite trick is hands up!
Title: Tapestry of Fortunes
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Publisher: Random House 2013
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pages: 219
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Women Author; Library; Lucky No. 14 -- Not My Cup of Tea; 52 Books -- W23
Cecilia Ross is a motivational speaker who encourages others to change their lives for the better. Why can’t she take her own advice? Still reeling from the death of her best friend, and freshly aware of the need to live more fully now, Cece realizes that she has to make a move—all the portentous signs seem to point in that direction.
She downsizes her life, sells her suburban Minnesota home and lets go of many of her possessions. She moves into a beautiful old house in Saint Paul, complete with a garden, chef’s kitchen, and three housemates: Lise, the home’s owner and a divorced mother at odds with her twenty-year-old daughter; Joni, a top-notch sous chef at a first-rate restaurant with a grade A jerk of a boss; and Renie, the youngest and most mercurial of the group, who is trying to rectify a teenage mistake. These women embark on a journey together in an attempt to connect with parts of themselves long denied. For Cece, that means finding Dennis Halsinger. Despite being “the one who got away,” Dennis has never been far from Cece’s thoughts.
This was our book club selection for June. I probably would never have picked up this book to read if it hadn't been a club selection. On the surface it just doesn't seem like my kind of book. I wasn't particularly interested in reading about a motivational speaker finding herself. To my surprise, I really enjoyed this short little novel. I was pulled into Cece's journey right from the start. I came to love Joni, Lise, and Renie. My only issue with the novel is the quick wrap-up in the last twenty pages. I would have liked a bit more...
Before I get to this month’s goals, let’s check in on May’s goals and my progress.
May Goals (4/7):
June Goals: