What I'm Loving Lately

It's been a minute since I've done a What I'm Loving Lately post! Here we go....

Thank you to my sister Libby for this fun new logo for this series! 

1. Lounge Tees---When I'm not at school, out and about or at the gym, I'm in lounge wear. I have a soft spot in my heart for warm and cozy tees, perfect sweat pants, and a great "put together but comfy to the max" look. Last fall I got a super cute fur lined belted cardi from Target and Nike capri sweats are my most fave. This year I've been loving this cute "Baby It's Cold Outside" lounge top I found at Walmart for only $10! The stitching on it is so cute. There was one that said "Snuggle," too that I think I'll need to go back and get. When we were in Denver, I picked up this super soft tee with an old fashioned lantern on it. I wear this baby all. the. time. I was all set to order a cute Christmas Tee from Milk and Honey Tee Co. this past week but they sold out by morning! I'll have to scoop one up when they restock.

2. The Haunting of Hill House---Guys. GUYS. GUYS. This show. I can't. I am not a huge horror fan, but I can get on board with some creepy eerie stuff....especially around Halloween! This show is brilliant. It's the perfect mix of jumpy moments, subtle terror, and most of all, family relationships. I was reading an article that said this show is basically "This is Us but with ghosts." I think that's a pretty accurate description. Ultimately, under all the creepiness (Bent Neck lady anyone?!), this show is about dealing with the past, supporting loved ones, being there for family unconditionally, and even addiction and grief. This one is worth the watch. Set aside a chunk of time and dig into it.

3. Speaking of Netflix, I turned on the new Boss Baby Back in Business series for Hank the other day. He wasn't into it, but I sure was! This show is adorable and hilarious. I feel like my 1st graders would really enjoy it. I love Boss Baby!

4. Fall-ish-ness: I know, I know. I say this all the time, but I am a FAN of these Fall colors, pumpkin everything, cozy reading time (see item #1 and my October Reads Post), and Halloween fun with Hank. I came across this article the other day and it was such a mic drop moment for me. Like what you like, girlfriend! PSL's for everyone! (Also, because I think confessing makes one feel better....I bought a Balsam Candle this weekend. Don't hate me!).

can't. stop. baking. with. pumpkin. 

My fall mani 

So pretty much all the Fall stuff at B&BW was on sale this weekend to make room for Christmas goodies. I didn't hate it.  This plus a sheet mask and a 9:30 bedtime=my lit Friday night

5. Letting Go of some shows: So it's no secret I like TV....it's a hobby. BUT....being a working mom, I needed to make some choices and if I want to hang with my dudes, be a decent teacher, and get in gym/book time on the daily, so, well, I'm sorry to say, some shows found their way onto the chopping block. A moment of silence for: The Little Couple, 90 Day Fiancee Before the 90 Days, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Will and Grace, The Pioneer Woman, and Teen Mom. It's not you, it's me.

6. Celebrating Hadley with Hank: In those dark days of rebuilding our lives after we lost Hadley, I used to wonder about and hope for a time when we could celebrate our daughter with our new baby. Hank is here now and AJ and I are committed to having him know and learn about his big sister. We painted pumpkins this weekend and brought them to our girl. I miss her.

7. Farmhouse Everything: It became increasingly clear while decor shopping with my sister recently that farmhouse style is my vibe. Cotton stems? Yes. Distressed white paint? Mmmhmm. Words on walls? Amen. Cozy and clean? Sign me up. Monograms and natural wood? Tell me more. Here are some looks on Pinterest I've been loving lately.

I NEED this made over kids table in my living room/classroom/life. 

I love a built in bench with a dining table. 

Finally, we enjoyed the awesome Oregon State win Saturday night! Here's the sweetest little beaver fan for ya!

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie 

October Reads

It's time for another edition of monthly reads! To see all the book posts from 2018, click here.
October started out slow on the reading front and I wondered if I'd even finish 2 books, but I did and ended up really enjoying this month of books.

1. The Other Woman by Sandie Jones: I had super high hopes for this one and was on the library waitlist for a while, and this one sort of fell flat for me. It's about a struggling young woman and her evil mother in law (2018, please cool it with the Lifetime movie character prototypes). I found parts to be a bit laughable and the "twist" at the end made me eyeroll. I'd skip this one if I were you.

2. The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg: Ok, so I loved this book but nothing really happens in it. How's that for a ringing endorsement? This book is a short novel about a woman rebuilding her life after her husband passes away. She moves to a small town, befriends the local characters, and "finds herself." There are no major twists or crazy plot points, but it was sweet. And heartfelt. The description of this book reads, "Elizabeth Berg's The Year of Pleasures is about acknowledging the solace found in ordinary things: a warm bath, good food, the beauty of nature, music, friends, and art." This is a simple book that was a perfect choice to usher in cool fall days. 

3. Whiskey In a Teacup by Reese Witherspoon: Reese Witherspoon wrote a book ("What? Like it's hard?"-Elle Woods) with an adorable title that I was excited to dive into. This is a really fun read that's part coffee table book, part cookbook, part lifestyle manual, part memoir. It's all about Reese's childhood in the South and how to emulate the best parts of Southern culture (food, manners, gumption) wherever you are. This was a fun read and would make an awesome holiday book gift!

4. The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle: This was a Book of the Month club pick and I liked it. I did. But... it sort of confused me. This is about a young woman who ends up at a mysterious dinner party with ghosts from her past (actual ghosts, people....one of them is Audrey Hepburn) and rehashes her relationships to make more sense of them. I feel like that description didn't make a lot of sense because the book sort of doesn't either. It goes back and forth from the mysterious dinner party to the relationship with her ex-boyfriend. I liked the love story but the whole concept was sort of odd. I read this one quickly because I found myself wanting to read on to find out how it all fits together. This is not one I typically would have picked up, so I'm glad for the Book of the Month Club to expose me to some new reads. 

5. Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins: This book was so fun. If you're looking for classic chick lit with a lot of heart and great characters, pick this one up. This book follows a group of girlfriends who try and attack their bucket lists after their friend passes away. This one deals with weight, love, family, girl power, and more. This is just a great book that was the perfect balance of easy breezy and heartfelt and thoughtful. 

That's 62 book so far in 2018. I have a stack of other fun reads ready to roll. Grab a cozy blanket, make a cup of tea, and get into some pages!

Savor Your Sparkle,
Leslie 

Denver Fall Break

Hi Everyone!
    We're back from our Fall Break trip to Denver....and heading into another short week here (The Fall calendar is wonky and wonderful). We had a GREAT TIME visiting AJ's brother Matt and exploring come Colorado sites. Ready for a recap?

We left Thursday morning bright and early. Now, I was a bit nervous about flying with Hank but it honestly went so well. Packing was a bit of circus (when baby needs replace some of your shoe options you know you're fully living that Mom Life) but we arrived with plenty of time, fed and changed Hank before take off, and he slept the whole time (only about a 90 minute flight so that was nice). Let me add that I delight in the fact that 99% of people love a baby! Really, in this era of divisiveness and drama, babies are the universal happiness-makers. (Lets bring some to DC, shall we?). People were so kind and helpful and it made me so happy to see people interact with Hank instead of eye-roll that there was a baby on their plane ride. Hank loves people watching and took it allllll in.

My parents gave us this cute flight package to keep Hankers entertained

We arrived around 11:00 and Matt picked us up and we headed to lunch at a delicious spot called Park and Co. The weather was gorg so we ate on the patio. It was so nice to see Matt (we last saw him at the beach in July). After lunch, we headed back to the house, settled in, and all took 2 hour naps. Praise hands! Matt's house is a super cute modern condo located on.....Steele Street! That afternoon, Matt and I headed to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner and some things for Hank. We made Sausage Sheet Pan Supper for dinner and spent the evening relaxing and chatting.

How BOSS does Matty look here? Haha. He found this great company that rents baby items and he was arranging delivery of the Pack and Play. 

The next morning we hung out and chilled. It's amazing how quickly AJ or I would jump up to stop Hank from getting into stuff. You don't realize how un-baby friendly places are until you have a 10 month old who is on.the.go. Haha. I did some reading on their gorgeous rooftop balcony (I loved the book I brought with me. My October book post is coming up soon). We headed out for brunch at The Denver Biscuit Company where I ate my favorite meal of the trip....so amazing! The weather was perfect so we headed downtown and walked around. I wanted to visit the Tattered Pages Bookstore, which did not disappoint, we enjoyed some iced coffees at Union Station, and visited the 16th Street Outdoor Mall. We put in lots of miles on the stroller this day!

I read about this giant bear statue at the convention center and we happened to drive right by. 

We headed home, relaxed, put Hank down for a nap, started watching The Haunting of Hill House (I'm obsessed), and ordered pizza. I looked up this place on Yelp called Blue Pan Pizza, it was "Detroit style." I never knew there was such a thing, but it was so delish!

Saturday morning we hit the road to go check out Red Rocks! It was gorgeous and I can only imagine how awesome it would be to see a concert there. We walked from the top to the bottom and explored. I was surprised how many people were there working out there. It was such a beautiful day and a lovely view.

From there, we headed into Boulder. I thought Boulder was absolutely darling and we had the most gorgeous weather when we were there. We met up with Matt's friends, Ryan and Laura, and their baby daughter and we ate lunch together. We walked up and down Pearl Street and into all sorts of shops (The Savannah Bee Co. might have been my fave). I might need to send Hank vibes now to go to University of Colorado Boulder so I can go back and visit often. It reminded me a lot of Park City and Bend.

We spent the late afternoon napping (having a baby is the best excuse to take afternoon naps yourself) and packing up. We watched more Haunting of Hill House, ordered tacos to go (Torchy's Tacos are my JAM! We need these in Utah!) and went to bed to head home on Sunday.

I am so grateful for this wonderful break to spend time with my guys, visit Uncle Matty, explore a new city, take Hank on his first flight, and get out of town for a bit. It was good for my soul! Denver, we'll be back!

Savor Your Sparkle,
Leslie