What's Hap-"pinning" Wednesday {#49}: Health and Beauty Product I'm Loving

It's been a while since I shared some of the product with you that I've been using and loving lately, so I thought I'd put 'em all together in a post for you since I know I get some good use out of you guys' recommendations! Here's what's hap-"pinning" with my love of products:

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

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This cleanser has been gentle on my skin, but also seems to have helped it feel cleaner and clearer. Breakouts, although few and far between, haven't occurred when I've been using this cleanser. Will definitely be re-purchasing.

Foreo Facial Cleanser

Amazon, $20

This little device, at a fraction of the cost of the Foreo ($20 versus $190), has really helped with getting my face feeling clean. I've noticed my pores look a bit smaller and clearer than they did before I started using this little machine. And the charge has lasted since I got it without needing a charge yet!

Rodan+Fields Sunless Tanner

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You guys already know I love this one, but it bears mentioning again. I won this sunless tanner during a giveaway and was super excited to get it, but also a little nervous because you never know what you're gonna get with a self tanner.

Guys, let me tell you that I LOVE this stuff. I've been using it since I haven't gotten out into the sun much lately (not a bad thing) and it has made me look so much more alive than my Winter-white skin was looking. 

I've used it all over my body INCLUDING my face, without any breakouts or side effects from the product. This is one R+F item I will definitely be getting again.

Hands down: LOVE!

PiperWai Natural Deodorant

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You've probably seen this around blogland before. Amanda was the one who piqued my interest in this and I eventually got around to ordering it. I was a person who used clinical strength deodorant all the time. And I also know that these deodorants contain aluminum which is a big contributor to cancer. No thank you. I also know that a lot of natural deodorants don't work well and I wasn't about that stinky life either. So when I heard that this actually worked I figured I'd give it a whirl. It's not as easy to put on as regular deodorant, but I don't care if it doesn't increase my risk of getting cancer. It took my body a couple of days to adjust to it, and now I can put on a bit in the morning and it has lasted me through some of the hottest, sweatiest days in sleeveless tops and dresses without stink!

It's $11.99 for the jar, plus shipping which seems like a lot, but I guarantee you cancer treatments are more expensive. #thinkaboutit

There you have it--some of my favorite products lately!

Now it's your turn to link up with Jessi and I and share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

Current Reads

I've been on a reading kick lately, which has been really nice since I hadn't been reading for a few months and I missed it.

I've finished off 4 books recently so I thought I'd summarize and give you my thoughts on each in case you're looking for some reads for this Summer!

A House For Happy Mothers by Amulya Malady

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Goodreads synopsis:

In trendy Silicon Valley, Priya has everything she needs—a loving husband, a career, and a home—but the one thing she wants most is the child she’s unable to have. In a Southern Indian village, Asha doesn’t have much—raising two children in a tiny hut, she and her husband can barely keep a tin roof over their heads—but she wants a better education for her gifted son. Pressured by her family, Asha reluctantly checks into the Happy Mothers House: a baby farm where she can rent her only asset—her womb—to a childless couple overseas. To the dismay of friends and family, Priya places her faith in a woman she’s never met to make her dreams of motherhood come true.

I really enjoyed this book. It was about a topic I had NO idea about, and was quickly drawn in to the logistics of everything, and the story of the two women's lives. I found the book really interesting, and a quick read. 

I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

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The (partial) Goodreads Synopsis:

For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school....

I thought this book was ok. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Kate's life when she was single, living in NYC with her best friend more than the present day story. I thought her husband was kind of a dick, and all Kate did was complain about how fat she was and how hard it was taking care of her kids. I sensed not a lot of love for them, despite her saying it like 3 times during the book. The mystery part was so-so. This book was good for an easy read, but wasn't a work of literary genius. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

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The (partial) Goodreads Synopsis:

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. 

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.

I had this book on my To-Read list for a while, and finally got around to reading it. This book is tricky for me to rank because I felt like the beginning was really hard to read. The way the summary describes Ove is true--and that's kind of how the book reads: a bunch of short sentences, about a grumpy guy. It was hard to get into and took until about 30-40% into the book before it got a little less doom and gloom feeling. BUT, the rest of the book turned sweet, and it was interesting hearing Ove's back story. I teared up at the end of the book

I'd rate the first part of the book 2 out of 5 stars, but the rest as 4 out of 5 stars. So I guess I'd give this one 3.5 stars out of 5.

Right before I left for my trip I ripped through After You, by Jojo Moyes, which is the sequel to Me Before You.

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I won't post the summary here, because if you've read Me Before You, you know that this follows Louisa Clark in the aftermath of how Me Before You ended. 

I'll be honest and say that this was nothing like what I expected from the book. It had been a bit since I'd read Me Before You (but recently saw the movie), but it felt like a totally different character than the first book, which was probably the point. It took a bit to get into the book and wait for something to happen, but once it did, I enjoyed it and wanted to find out what happened. If you're curious what happened to Louisa after Me Before You, then you should check this book out.
I'd give this one 3.5 stars probably. Maybe 4. I go back and forth on this one.

What have you been reading this summer? Any good recommendations?

Bon Voyage!

As you're reading this, MG and I are probably settling in Athens, and or exploring depending what time it is!

I don't have a ton to share, but I just wanted to check in and let you guys know to check back here next week since I have a couple of posts scheduled. 
What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday WILL be happening next week, so make sure you come by and link up with Jessi and myself!

Hoping you all have a great day, weekend, and week ahead! 

Sending some Grecian love your way!

Random Stuff+Giveaway Winner

Today is a hodge-podge of a bunch of random thoughts rolling around in my head!

~I can't believe that we leave for our trip tonight!!!! I've gotten some great recommendations from friends (thanks Rachel and Amanda!), and done a lot of research! #bringongreece

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~After getting back from the lake house, I've been non-stop doing laundry and trying to get my bag re-packed. Packing for a long weekend is a LOT easier than packing for almost 2 weeks #wheresmypersonalassistant

~While packing, I discovered 2 bras at the back of my drawer that I'd totally forgotten about! #shoppingmyownstuff

~I'm hoping for some good news today before we leave! #fingerscrossed

~In amongst all of the packing, I had to make some time to get a fresh pedicure in prep for our trip. #happyprettytoes

~Cooper's really fluffy right now and I feel bad that he's got such a good coat on him since it's hot out, but darn if he isn't the cutest little thing. I love his fur this length when he's all fluffy. #lovemesomeCoop

~My mom got an iPhone earlier this week for the first time, and figured out how to FaceTime all on her own. She may need some help with some other things, but I'm proud that my mom is figuring it out--it's easy to forget how daunting (and sometimes frustrating) some technology can be. #parentsandtechnology

~MG got some new virtual reality goggles that came with his new Samsung phone. We tried it out the other day, and it's pretty awesome! Although you look like a total dork when you're wearing it haha. #virtualdork

And I wanted to announce the winner of Traci's and my giveaway for a free Rodan+Fields Sunless Tanner! Cara from Kindly Unspoken was the winner! Congrats girl! I gave Traci your email address and she will be in contact with you to get you the tanner!

What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday {#48}: Lake House Edition

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm back from my long weekend at the lake house with my family and have a bunch of pics to share with you!

My lake house highlights included:

~An easy drive up on Friday afternoon through pretty mountains and arriving at this beautiful house (5 beds, 5.5 bathrooms, two living rooms, kitchen, dining room, screened in porch, laundry room). Not to mention, some really cute decor throughout the house:

~The master (for my in-laws) was its own level and the room and bathroom were amazing!

~Cooler, no humidity weather and drinks on the balcony as everyone arrived and got settled in

~We were extremely patriotic in that all of our cars were red, white and blue (and ours was silver/gray to represent the flag pole we said haha)

~Big family dinner together followed by a walk down along the lake front at sunset (my one 10 year old niece insisted that I wear her sweatshirt--amazingly, it fit!)

~Saturday morning my FIL decided to rent a boat for the day and we all had fun riding around it and seeing the awesome houses along the lakefront. The kids especially enjoyed the wake boarding and tubing!

~Adults dinner out that night to a steak house to celebrate my FIL's birthday (a photo was taken this night with everyone but it's on someone else's camera).

~Came back home and had a family movie night with niece snuggles on the couch

~Morning coffee with this view was never a bad thing to wake up to

~The family, minus my FIL and MIL decided to go to one of the state parks close by to hike and get to see some of the falls (the sweatshirt was courtesy of another one of my nieces)

~Grabbed some food and then headed to the beach amongst some clouds for a little over an hour before heading to grab some coffee and then head home and hung out with my MIL and two SIL's on the deck for our own little HH while all the others were doing things.

~Had a group dinner, minus my youngest niece, who was suffering from a migraine, and her mom. Luckily she was better by the next day, but my poor nugget threw up twice that night from it :(

~Came back from dinner and had another movie night, played some games, and just relaxed after a busy day

~Monday, the 4th, was a really wet one, but 6 of our group had a white water rafting trip planned at 1 of 3 olympic training facilities in the US, so they went, and me and my SIL went along to watch and take pics. They had so much fun, even though they fell out a few times.

~The rest of the day was spent hanging out, playing board games and card games, reading (finished one book and started another), coloring, grilling, eating and drinking, and then we ended the night watching Jaws as a family

And then we woke up on Tuesday, packed up the house and made the trek back home. All in all, it was an incredible weekend away. I know my FIL had so much fun, and we all had a great time right alongside him. I know some people don't get along with their in-laws, but I'm so thankful that I have this family who I love so much (and can go away with for multiple days, and still love afterwards)! :)

Now it's your turn to link up with Jessi and I to share what's hap-"pinning" with you!

Friday Stuff

And just like that, all of a sudden, it's July! How in the heck did that happen? I feel like it snuck up a lot faster this year because our school year went so long into June. Nevertheless, I have some fun stuff in store for the 4th of July weekend, which kicks off my favorites from the week!

{1}Weekend Happenings

MG and I, and my in-laws (MIL, FIL, BIL's, SIL's, plus nieces and nephews) are all heading to that humongous lake house for the 4th of July weekend. So if you don't see me on here for a couple of days, just know I'll be soaking up the lake time, eating yummy food, and celebrating my FIL's birthday with my family!

{2} A Blate!

Kathleen and I had a blate yesterday! She and her fam are in DC for a long weekend and we've had it in the books for a while to meet up! We hit up the restaurant that the Real Housewife of Potomac owns with her Aussie hubs and had some drinks and these delicious artichoke bacon nachos (sounds weird, but they were amaaaaaaazing!). It was so fun to meet her in person after 5 years of following each other's blogs and get to spend 3+ hours of just chatting in person. Such a good night! Love a blate, and I adore Kathleen!

Took this from Kathleen's Snap!

{3} Favorite Post

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Della's post on Monday about Extending Grace was one of my favorites this week. In times where so much is happening that's negative and scary, instead of pointing out flaws, tearing people apart for decisions made/not made, lambasting people on the internet or otherwise we need to be giving grace. You don't know what someone else is going through, and like Della quoted, "He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone". Thank you, Della, for this reminder...to ALL of us!

{4} Change!
The Miss Teen USA Pageant decided to nix the swimsuit competition from their pageants and will be replaced with athletic wear. A quote from the article that I read: “This new direction for Miss Teen USA is a great way to celebrate the active lives that so many young women lead and set a strong example for our peers.”
 “This is focusing on what bodies can do, not just what they look like.”

I like that they are making this change--it feels more celebratory of people's accomplishments for a healthy lifestyle. Especially at this age (14-19 years old).  

{5} Funnies

When it's 10 am, the doorbell rings and you  suddenly realize that you forget that you had an appointment scheduled for someone to come by your house

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When you're in a dressing room and put on something that you absolutely love

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When too many of the guys on The Bachelorette have tighter skinny jeans than you do

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When you know the weekend is going to be filled with all kinds of yummy 4th of July food

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That's it for me today! I hope you have a fantastic 4th of July weekend, filled with friends, family, and yummy food! Catch you next week!