Book Review: The Girl You Left Behind

This past weekend I zipped through the last half of The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.

{via} $7.99 on Amazon Kindle

The Goodreads summary:

In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

I have to tell you, I really liked this book. The first part of the book is only about Sophie, and then the rest of the book moves between present day characters, as well as back into the past as the story unfolds. 

This is the second book that I've read by Jojo Moyes and I really love her writing. She is SO good at getting you invested in characters, and the subtle way she makes you feel about each character is very smart. 

There was one part of the book, when it first switches to present day because it is SUCH a contrast to the story you just leave. But, I'm so glad that I kept going. The way the two stories unfold, and the similarities, despite the vast time and circumstantial differences is kind of magical. 

I will definitely be reading more from this author, and I highly recommend you checking out this book.

Thank You, Veterans!

This Veterans Day, like all the others, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of the veterans....those who have served previously, and those currently serving. I don't even know how to put into words what your service means to us.

I appreciate your honor, sacrifice and service, and thank you for protecting our country and our freedoms.

{via}

And, while I'm thanking people, I want to also thank the FAMILIES of veterans, for supporting their service member. I know it's not easy to be separated from your loved one, and the military life can be difficult on so many levels, but YOUR sacrifices are appreciated too. Without you, our vets couldn't do what they do, so thank you!

Freedom certainly isn't free. I honor your service and sacrifice.

Special thanks to my grandfather and uncle who are no longer with us. And lots of thanks to my dad who is also a veteran. I feel privileged to call you my family :)

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Weekend Highlights!

This weekend was another one filled with friends and house projects!

This weekend's highlights included:

-Friday double date with our friends

-Delicious food, funny conversations and so much wine!

-Late night hang out at our place

-Painting trim/doors in our entryway since the previous owner decided to paint them all off-white (see before and after)

We had 6 door/entry trims to paint, along with the door pictured above. Somehow that took over 6 hours...but everything is crisp white now, and matches the floorboard trim!

(it's amazing how one person's stupid decision can be so time-consuming to fix and make look right again!)

-Finding out Saturday night that my bloggie bestie, Shay, had her son!!!

Welcome baby Nicholas to the world!

Isn't he adorable???? Love him already!!

(Mom is doing well, too, and is over the moon in love with him!)

-Saturday date night dinner with MG, then snuggling on the couch watching a movie (and me falling asleep haha)

-Sunday errands

-Putting together the nightstand for guest room, and finding the perfect decoration for the wall above the bed

-Sunday afternoon run with MG 

-Finishing my book The Girl You Left Behind (review coming soon)

-Chipotle dinner (yum!)

Like I said, it was pretty jam-packed but at least it was another fun one with friends and productive on the home front! And super exciting with a new baby's arrival!!! :)

I hope you week is off to a good start!!

Linking up with these ladies today:

(and Monday Morning Gossip, but something is up with their linky button)

Friday Fun-ness

Yep, I made up a word and I don't care! It's Friday and I can do what I want! :)

This week was a super nice one because it was a short AT work week for me (still worked every day but the first two days were teacher workdays which meant I got a lot of work done at home...and working in sweats on my couch with Sex and the City or The Today Show on in the background is my kind of productivity!)

 

Anyway, this week I had a lot of favorite/awesome things going on so I thought I'd share!

{1}- Guest Room Reveal

We still need some decorations on the wall, but that's the easy/fun part!

I'm SO over the moon excited about how awesome our guest room turned out. Originally I had a totally different concept and color scheme but it just wasn't working for me, so I went in a totally different direction, and it worked out amazingly! I also have the BEST tip for painting straight/perfect non-bleeding paint edges now!
We have a white nightstand for the room too, but it hasn't been put together yet.

This whole room is brought to you by Home Depot paint, Target, and Overstock for the headboard!

{2}-Hour plus text convos with my work bestie

This year we had several new staff start at our school, as any school year, but recently I've really clicked with one in particular. The past 5 nights, she and I have had text convos at home for hours on end. My favorite was a conversation that ended in all hashtags. It sounds stupid (and it was) but literally had me crying with laughter. MG might think I'm crazy now (who are we kidding, he knows it!)

{3}-Cooper

Coop is the doggy love of my life--you all know this. He had another seizure this week--it wasn't as intense as the last one, thankfully, and he came out of it ok, but it's still scary. Really hoping these decrease over time. But, on a happy note, the day after his seizure, while I was attempting to work out at home to Brooke Burke's DVD, this is what happened:

I had my own personal trainer (or something) thanks to Coop...too bad he was not really encouraging my workout to continue haha

{4}- Double Date
Tonight MG and I are going on a little double date with some friends of ours who live super close to us. It's been a bit since we got together so we're meeting up tonight for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Sweet Water Tavern, and probably have some drinks at one of our houses afterwards for a bit. I adore this couple so I'm really looking forward to our double date!

Don't worry, I got her approval
to post her pic on here ;)

{5}-BABY!!!
My blog bestie, Shay, is IN LABOR!!!! She went to the hospital on Wednesday and yesterday the doctors induced her. Baby C should be arriving today or tomorrow and I'm SOOOO flipping excited for her! I can not wait to facetime with her once baby boy arrives, and to "meet" him! YAY for babies!!!

That's about it for me this week--pretty exciting note to end on! Definitely looking forward to a weekend of friends and some relaxation (mixed with a little more house project action in our entry hallway to finish that all up), and a new baby!!!
 I hope your weekend is filled with fun and friends!
I'll leave you with a funny I saw from Pinterest (which seems slightly appropriate since I just talked about going out to dinner)...

{via}

hehe, happy weekend, friends!

Recipe: Teriyaki Meatballs

This week I was back at it with trying a new recipe in the kitchen and it's another really tasty one. And husband approved!

I found this recipe (where else?) on Pinterest from Budget Bytes.

I know, it may not look the most appetizing, but it's delicious!

What You Need:

For the meatballs:

-1 pound ground turkey or pork(I used turkey)

-1 large egg

-1 tsp minced garlic

-1/2 C plain breadcrumbs

-2 inches fresh ginger (I used about 1/2 tsp of already grated ginger in a spice jar)

-1/2 tsp soy sauce

-2 whole green onions (I forgot to add these and they were still fine. Optional)

-10-15 cranks fresh ground black pepper

For the teriyaki glaze:

-1/2 C soy sauce

-1/2 C brown sugar

-1/2 C water

-1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

-1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (mine didn't say 'toasted' and was still fine)

-2 inches fresh ginger (again, I just did a couple shakes out of the spice jar)

-2 Tbsp corn starch

-1 Tbsp sesame seeds

-Rice (make whatever kind you want. I made brown rice for health factor)

It looks like a LOT of stuff, but it is REALLY easy (one of the more simple recipes I've made).

What You Do:

1)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add all of the ingredients listed above for the meatballs into a large bowl. Mix the ingredients really well until combined.

2) Get a baking sheet and line it with foil. Shape the meat mixture into small meatballs, using about a tablespoon. Original recipe says it should yield 30 meatballs, mine yielded 24.

3) Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown (mine only took 35 minutes)

4) While the meatballs are cooking (about 8-10 minutes before they are done), start making the glaze. 

In a medium pot, combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger. Heat it over a low flame until the brown sugar melts (only a couple minutes)

Dilute the cornstarch just enough with water so it's easily poured. Add this to the pot and stir, turning the heat up to medium-high.

5) Once the sauce thickens, add in the sesame seeds and stir.

Keep this on low until the meatballs are reading.

*Cook the rice you're using at whatever time you think so it's ready when the meatballs are out of the oven.

6) Once the meatballs are done, they should look something like this:

Add them into the sauce pan, coating them in the glaze. 

7) Get your rice ready in a bowl, and add about 6 meatballs to each bowl (or more if you want). Put another spoonful or two of the sauce over the rice for additional flavor.

Next time I make this, I'm going to make edamame and add it to the rice bowl for some veggies, and some color. Super yum!

I hope you enjoy!!

P.S. I want to end this post with a BIRTHDAY shout out to my BEST FRIEND!!! Happy 30th birthday, Genna!! I love you buttloads and I wish you nothing but happiness as your start your 30s!! I hope your present makes it there today :)

A Mini Rant

I hope I don't offend anyone with my mini rant today but I really wanted to gets some thoughts off my chest on this topic: Christmas before November (and more specifically, before Thanksgiving).

I'm a lover of all things Christmas. I love the season, the decorations, the colors, smells, family time....I love it all!

But I DON'T love it when the "prep" happens so early in the year. Before it was even Halloween, I was in Home Depot (one of many times I was there to get paint or other supplies for the house), and the Christmas trees, decorations, etc are already out. And now all I see is ads for the latest deals for Christmas shopping and how this company is having Black Friday a month early, etc etc.... Mid-October we still had TWO holidays to get through, one of which is supposed to be all about being thankful.

And I think that's my problem. I love Christmas, but I also love the togetherness of Thanksgiving. I love the good food, and the memories you have/make with your loved ones. 

When you look back on the holidays what are you going to remember more? The awesome deal you got on a tv from Best Buy or a sweater from Old Navy? Or is it going to be the memories of being with your loved ones, and traditions you've created in your family? THOSE are the important things. I love a good deal as much as the next person, but I love my family and my friends more. I'd gladly spend $200 more on my tight budget than hear about this deal and that deal in relation to Christmas, so early on.

I guess I'm just kind of saddened by the kind of society we're turning into. With people who bum-rush a department store, knock people over, trample them, all for what? To get their hands on that "great deal"??....One that values possessions and things more than people, family, making memories, and love.

I wish more people reminded themselves of this when the craziness surrounding holidays and shopping spring up:

"The most important things in life aren't things"

Ok, I'll get down off of my soap box now, I just had to get that off my chest.

Weekend Highlights

Hey guys! I'm comin' at ya a little bit later than normal today because I have the morning off of work--I'm still working from home on this teacher workday, but I didn't have to get up with an alarm so I took it easy getting into the day. Sometimes having a post ready and linking up takes a back seat. This morning was just that and I'm totally ok with it!

My weekend was SUPER productive!

My weekend highlights included:

-Having our first-ever trick-or-treaters! Cooper was all about it

-MG was super cute with all of the little kids who came to the door. Love!

-Went to our friends' house for a glass of wine and then walked over to the street I used to live on, that really does it up for Halloween. Here's a peak of just some of the awesomeness:

-Saturday was a cold and super windy day. MG and I painted our entryway, and realized the color was just not dark enough, so we went back to get a shade darker and we are IN LOVE with it. It feels so home-y now. 

We still need a runner and new rug at the front door, but we're getting there!

-We also did the finishing touches on the guest bedroom and I am SO happy with it. I can't show you just yet because I'm waiting for the comforter I ordered to get here (Tuesday), and complete it. I'll reveal then!

-MG and I both desperately needed a massage after all of that painting and house projecting. I had it scheduled for the perfect time.

-I think the paint fumes of painting all day got to me and I ended up with a pretty bad headache which kept me in from going to a friend's party. Sad face.

Thai food take out and couch time were my medicine.

-Sunday we ran errands, installed a light in the entry hallway that we ended up not loving, and then watched football. My Skins lost, but it was to the Vikings, and our friend Kev is a coach for them so I wasn't SO sad about it (after all, I don't know anyone personally on the Skins team whose livelihood depends on a win).

-Made pasta fagioli in the crock pot--perfect, hearty soup for the chilly, windy weather we were having

-I gave myself a nice little manicure and I'm super happy with it

-Had a more than hour long text exchange with my work bestie (she's the best)

-Fell asleep watching RHONJ reunion

-Woke up without an alarm this morning

It was a great weekend overall! We got lots done and still got in some relaxing time. I can't wait to share the finished guest room with you, hopefully later this week!

I hope your weekend was just what you wanted :)

Linking up with these ladies today: