Book review and a favor

Favor first.  My photo is featured here {Ni Hao Y'all, wonderful photography blog} and is up for August winner--I'd love your vote! I'm crazy proud (and slightly confused) that this somehow came out of my camera.

Now..book review.  The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel.

I loved this book!  It was wonderful, sad, heartwarming, heart breaking, charming, interesting, and will make you want to find out your family's history, bake pastries, and fall in love.  Sweet book- worth putting on your "to read" list.

Here is the publisher's book description if you're interested:

"At thirty-six , Hope McKenna-Smith is no stranger to bad news. She lost her mother to cancer, her husband left her for a twenty-two year old, and her bank account is nearly depleted. Her own dreams of becoming a lawyer long gone, she’s running a failing family bakery on Cape Cod and raising a troubled preteen. Now, Hope’s beloved French-born grandmother Mamie, who wowed the Cape with her fabulous pastries for more than fifty years, is drifting away into a haze of Alzheimer’s. But in a rare moment of clarity, Mamie realizes that unless she tells Hope about the past, the secrets she has held on to for so many years will soon be lost forever. Tantalizingly, she reveals mysterious snippets of a tragic history in Paris. And then, arming her with a scrawled list of names, she sends Hope to France to uncover a seventy-year-old mystery.

Hope’s emotional journey takes her through the bakeries of Paris and three religious traditions, all guided by Mamie’s fairy tales and the sweet tastes of home. As Hope pieces together her family’s history, she finds horrific Holocaust stories mixed with powerful testimonies of her family’s will to survive in a world gone mad. And to reunite two lovers torn apart by terror, all she’ll need is a dash of courage, and the belief that God exists everywhere, even in cake. . . ."

Random nonsense

I got these shorts at Old Navy and I wear them all the time. Someone stop me!

I wore gray/orange/cheetah to lunch with the hubs yesterday and he commented on how "groovy" it was.  Hehe.

The other night at pre-school open house my good pal (who spends WAY more on purses than I do) thought my bag was the Red Valentino she's been thinking of buying.  I laughed out loud and gave myself away.  Mine was $30 Jessica Simpson clearance, not $500.  They do favor and of course now I love my bag even more.

The steal...

vs the real deal...

I put Pinterest to use this week and used an idea I pinned. For my nephew's birthday (he lives far away:(, we shipped him a box of balloons filled with money.  He has to pop them all to get it out.  

I think it's a super cute idea and I hope he loves it!

Love these blouses from Loft, want them...

Last but not least, we've been snacking on Pirate's Booty lately and it's so addictive... Who needs fresh fruit? (kidding:)

I've always loved cheese puffs but I'd never heard it called Pirate's Booty until recently.  What a weird name.  Oh well, it's yummy!

Happy Wednesday friends:)

DIY: Dining room light

It's hard to believe we have lived in this house for 2 years already and not touched this light.  This very.GOLD.light fixture.  There have been so many other things going on that this guy was kind of forgotten.  So it was time for a quick update.  The lights I've looked at as replacements are not within budget, so we reached for the Rustoleum.

(Please excuse the mess, I promise it doesn't always look like this.)

We've used Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze before on hardware and had good luck with it.

Mr. C took the light down, dismantled it, and hung it on the swingset for me to properly paint.  It helped to spray it from all directions so that I didn't miss any spots and kept the paint even. 

So classy.

We spread all the little pieces out on cardboard...a little tough, but we got it all.

Oh, and please wear protective footwear.

Here is our finished product.  We're pretty happy with it!

Linking with 30 Handmade, A Bowl Full of Lemons

7 years

Seven years.  I can't believe it but yet I sort of can. It goes by in the blink, and I mean blink, of an eye. Yesterday, I was 29 and getting married.  Today, I've been a wife for 7 years and a mom for 5.  Amazing how this little life changes!

I thank God every day for this little life of ours.  It's what I always wanted.

To 7 years, and 57 more, as happy as the ones before:)

Some finds at Express

Does anyone still shop at Express? I admit I do.  They keep sending me coupons and I feel compelled to use them.

chiffon overlay tee

I'll never get tired of chevron, I would put this top with some boyfriend jeans.

In the fall I love oversized sweaters with skinny jeans and boots.  I have my eye on this hi-lo one.

 hi lo sweater

 Love the color of these skinny jeans.

dark red jean legging

 I can't get enough t-shirt dresses either.  I can see this one with a scarf and some cute boots.

tulip hem tee-shirt dress

  And of course a cute little pop of color.

A line mini

I've been a little MIA this week.  We're getting ready for school to start back and sneaking in lots of togetherness.  Have a great Thursday;)

It's random Tuesday!

I missed you yesterday--which means I have a lot to share today;)  Here comes random!

Please make chicken florentine pasta by the Pioneer Woman.  It's easy, healthy, and delicious (I leave out the butter).

While you're cooking, make these chocolate chip peanut butter swirl blondies for dessert {via EatLiveRun}.

I have no picture because we ate them all.  Don't you try to cut corners (like I did once), brown the butter like the recipe says--it's so delicious.

This is my new running shirt and it made Mr. C roll his eyes

which means I wear it *every* time I run.  I'm an animal.  You can't miss me:)

I got the boys their first pair of "real" sneakers yesterday.  Not the prissy "looks cute with my froo froo outfit" sneakers, these sneakers are made for running.

How cute are those feet?  It was about time I guess.

Why are my children watching West Coast Customs when I expect PBS to be on?

Oh, Daddy said it was okay.

I finished this book (I know I mentioned this a few days ago when I was almost done).  It's worth repeating.  Christina recommended it.  She picks great books!

Read it.  It's wonderful and memorable.  I could say so much more but I hope you to read it.

And finally, you might be a redneck if your dining room chandelier was hanging from your swingset last weekend.

DIY coming up!

Summer snapshots

Just a few for today.  We were outside blowing bubbles one day and Little C was pouting because I wouldn't let him pour out more bubble "juice".  I love his eyes in this one and his wispy hair.

And a couple from the summer that stood out in my memory; first, sprinkler fun..

Bubbles (and dimples)...

 Beach chairs from our first morning on the beach..

 And the gate in front of the sweet little beach house we rented... I miss it!  I hope to see it again this fall.

Sharing with

Friday's Fancies: Inspired by sunset

I've been missing my Friday's Fancies and am glad to be back today.  The theme of the week is "inspired by sunset" and I thought of this gorgeous photo...

source:  Life with 2 Dumplings

I *love* the blues and oranges.  I'm in a fall mindset at the moment and I'm loving to mix patterns as well. At sunset my favorite place to be is sitting in an adirondack chair next to Mr. C enjoying a glass of wine and watching our boys play.  Hopefully we're sharing laughs with some friends.  Or maybe we'll go to that vineyard we've been wanting to visit for a little wine tasting....

Sunset by courtco featuring jersey tops

Polyvore often makes me dream big but I think this outfit could be easily copied for less.  I'm loving boyfriend jeans right now and that sassy blue python Stella & Dot bracelet.  Gotta have the pops of orange too:)

Linking with Long Distance Loving...

and with Blonde Episodes for Fashion Friday...

Happy Weekend!