Wordless Wednesday {Instagram Recap}

 

xoxo Gwen

June Hits & Misses

Hits

In no particular order:

Baby Lips {Coral Crush}*

Yes To Tomatoes blemish clearing facial wipes

Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer

Revlon Color Stay Under eye Concealer

Southern Tide Bed sheets*

Eleanor & Park {by Rainbow Rowell}**

Reef flip flops*

Paper Mache necklace (purchased at the Chrysler Museum)*

Breyer's Gelato {Raspberry Cheesecake}

All the fresh blackberries I have been able to pick from my backyard**

*Find a picture on my Instagram feed

**Find two pictures on my Instagram feed

Probably my #1 favorite pick of the month had to be Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. The book was absolutely amazing. It has been added to the list of my all time favorite books. Seriously it's that good.

Misses

Barefoot's Spa Professional Exfoliating Polish - Influenster sent me a coupon so I could purchase this product at my local Walmart free of charge. While I enjoy testing a product I always feel bad when I do not like a product. The only positive things going for this product is the price and the scent. I have used almost the entire tube now and will not be repurchasing.

My picture (Norfolk Botanical Garden)

xoxo Gwen

The Recipe Club {Chocolate Icebox Cake}

Some of you might remember I read The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel awhile back and decided that I would attempt the recipes throughout the story and blog about them. Today is the first official post of the series.

I've never made an icebox cake before, but I will attempt the first recipe in the book (page 14), Chocolate Icebox Cake.

Chocolate Icebox Cake

Recipe

5 simple ingredients

Now I have to admit that my intention was to follow the recipes precisely and decide if they were successful or not, but here I am first recipe in the series changing it up. Instead of the log form mentioned in the book I went with the traditional cake layer method (as you will see in the following pictures).

I used my Magic Bullet to do the mixing.

Traditional cake layer method.

Cookies then cream mixture, then another layer of cookies and cream

Topped with mini chocolate chips

Mine chilled in the refrigerator for approximately 9 hours before I had the first piece.

Verdict....So Delicious!

 xoxo Gwen

The Fault In Our Stars {John Green}

Unless you've been living under a rock I'm fairly sure you've heard about this book, movie, quotes from the book, etc. It's really getting hype because most people (myself included) LOVED the book. This book alone influenced my purchase of Looking for Alaska. Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines are definitely on my buy ASAP list. So many books so little time.

Book Cover

So I read the book about 5 or 6 months ago. I know it was just after Christmas but not sure of the exact date. I of course picked it up at Barnes & Noble along with the popular Okay? Okay. shirt I posted on my Instagram here.
I seriously devoured this book. It was a combination between the author's writing style and the story itself. The story is sweet, charming, and sad. You've been forewarned. 16-year old Hazel Grace has cancer. While attending a cancer support group she catches the eye of a boy, Augustus.
I don't want to spoil it if you have not read it yet, or if you plan to see the movie which is in theaters TODAY! I definitely recommend reading the book though.

Movie Poster

So as I mentioned above the movie releases today. There is a high probability that I will be sitting in the theater this evening watching this movie.
Yes, it must be mentioned because it is in nearly every interview. Hazel Grace is played by Shailene Woodley (Beatrice "Tris" Prior of Divergent) and Augustus is played by Ansel Elgort (Caleb also in Divergent). In Divergent they were siblings, in TFIOS they are lovers. It happens. They are actors after all.

Official Movie Trailer

#TFIOS

xoxo Gwen

Review: Summer Rental {Mary Kay Andrews}

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie have been best friends since grade school. Now in their mid thirties each woman is at a crossroads in her life. Ellis was recently fired from a job she loved. Julia is caught between her modeling career and a man that loves her dearly. Dorie was recently betrayed by a man she loved and trusted most of her life.

The women rent a beach house, Ebbtide, in the Outer Banks, NC to spend the last month of summer together. Here they plan to relax, have fun and catch up with each other. Along the way they met Ty Bazemore (their landlord) and Maryn Shackleford (a woman on the run from her husband). As secrets are revealed they question everything they thought they knew about life.

4/5 Stars

Happy Mother's Day!

To my mom on Mother's Day,
You might not have brought me into this world, but you have made the world of difference in my life. You have taught me it's ok to be different, and it's ok to ask for help. You listen to my problems and allow me to make mistakes. I love you mom, now and always!

Reading on the back deck (August 2013)

xoxo Gwen

Review: Spring Fever {Mary Kay Andrews}

Set in Passcoe, North Carolina the story follows Annajane Hudgens.  It begins with her attending her ex-husband's wedding to Celia, who everyone in town adores.  When the wedding is halted as the bride is walking down the aisle, doubt creeps into the minds of Annajane, "Pokey" and even Mason (the ex-husband).

Annajane is finally leaving her job at Quixie and moving away to be with her fiance, Shane, but when she finds out her position in Atlanta was sabotaged and her and Mason start spending time together she realizes that just maybe she still has feelings for him.

4/5 Stars

I'm Bored

by Michael Ian Black

illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Julie & Julia (My Version)

If you have not seen the movie you can read about it here.  It really is a cute movie though. This movie is my inspiration to do my own version using The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel.  

The Recipe Club is a story of two friends that over the years exchange letters and emails along with a recipe.  The story is much more than the recipes themselves, but they fit in with the story and often have fitting names.  The book contains 82 recipes and I have not decided how I will tackle the dishes, but it is something I want to try.

xoxo Gwen

Spring/Summer Reading

I went to Barnes & Noble a week or two ago and I found some new books in the bargain section. With spring finally here and summer right around the corner I wanted a few books to fit the season. I picked up the following books:

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads

Currently reading

Ok so The Husband's Secret isn't a spring/summer book, but I have wanted to read it for awhile and it does have a flower on the cover.  I already read The Recipe Club, and I started Spring Fever a couple days ago.

Monday I went back to Barnes & Noble because I needed to pick up a book for a readalong I will be participating in.  So I grabbed a couple more books as well.

Another summer book!

Heard great things about this book.

Purchased for the readalong

Any suggestions on must read spring/summer titles?

xoxo Gwen

Partner Yoga

I read quite a bit about partner yoga today since I choose to skip class.  I was mentally unprepared to give myself fully to my personal practice, not to mention partner yoga.  In Why Partner Yoga? by Elysabeth Williamson, she explains, “Partner yoga is two or more people joining together to deepen the impact and experience of a yoga practice.”  The main difference from individual practice is touch.  Not sexual touch, but using traction and leverage, and the “kinesthetic awareness that comes from touch, to open to greater depths in our bodies and our psyches.”

In one of her foundational practices she introduces Back to Back Meditation.  She claims, “The power and intimacy of this simple posture comes as quite a surprise to almost everyone who experiences it.”  I remember last summer during a partner yoga class I experienced it and it does weave quite a connection.

You can read more about partner yoga here.

I also went to Barnes & Noble and read through Contact Yoga: The Seven Points of Connection and Relationship by Tara Lynda Guber.  This book outlines...

The 7 Points of Contact:

7.  Union:  Surrender, Service, Freedom

6.  Vision:  Intuition, Focus, Creativity

5.  Communication:  Conversation, Connection, Honesty

4.  Love- Forgiveness, Compassion, Acceptance

3. Commitment- Will, Discipline, Responsibility

2. Passion- Sensuality, Pleasure, Desire

1.  Trust- Foundation, Integrity, Security

The Seven Points of Contact

With each of the “Contact Points” comes a challenge and a gift:

Challenges/Gifts of Contact Points

General Guidelines for approaching contact:

·         Build upon each step

·         Begin with yourself

·         Share your own experience

·         Maintain your own yoga practice

·         Create sacred space

·         Take responsibility

·         Use visualization

·         Empower the positive

·         Get out of your head & into your heart

·         Work your edge

·         Have fun!

Guidelines for communication in practice:

·         Learn your partners language

·         Listen, reflect & respond

·         Communicate what you want and need directly and simply

·         Use your words to shape reality, not to negate it

·         Make lots of noise

·         Once you’ve practiced for a while, spend a session without words

·         Listen to & trust your body

xoxo Gwen

The Pocket Scavenger by Keri Smith

I picked up this book last summer and I got going on a few pages and then my life just got busy and I stuck it on my bookshelf until inspiration sparked.  Today was that day.  This afternoon (in 2 hours actually) I will be in the dentist office getting a root canal.  Yikes!  I am nervous and anxious so I had to find something to keep me busy this morning/early afternoon.  Added to that was the absolutely depressing weather the past week and I just had to do something.

Needless to say it's afternoon now and the sun is shining and feels so good.  I just had to go for a walk and pick up some things to pop in, glue down, and tape in the book.

I'd also like to pick up Wreck this Journal also by Keri Smith.  It looks like lots of fun.  Have you tried any of the books in this series?  I'd love to see some of your pages!

xoxo Gwen

Books & Reading

One of the few things I can remember and loved about my childhood is reading.  I remember getting my own library card and going with my stepmother to the library and checking out books.  I remember getting books for Christmas and sitting in front of our kerosene heater and finishing the book in one sitting.  Ah, those were the days.  The Babysitter's Club was the first series I actually read.  My stepmother spoke of Nancy Drew and I of course checked those out as well.  By the time I was 11 or 12 I was reading true crime, mystery and law books by Patricia Cornwell and John Grisham.

I still read Patricia Cornwell (the Kay Scarpetta series) religiously.  I am slightly behind on the series, but I have them!  For Christmas I even got a signed copy of Dust (the newest in the series).  I about died with joy.

With the new semester started I do hope I can find the time to continue reading, even if it's just at night before I make myself shut the book and turn off the lights.

Image from Pinterest

What books have you been reading?  What is your favorite book?  Any recommendations?

xoxo Gwen