What I'm Reading Wednesday!

Look!  Two weeks in a row!!

I've finished All The Light We Cannot See. I loved it!  It was fantastic!  So unexpected and riveting. I wasn't sure it was going to be for me, but it sucked me in and I loved it.

I just finished The Crown. What a strong finish to a wonderful series. I was sad to see it end.

I'm now reading The Trials of Apollo. I love the Percy Jackson universe, so this should be a quick read!

What I'm Reading Wednesday!

Happy Star Wars Day!

I'm currently finishing up the book All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  It is about a young blind french girl Marie-Laure and a young German boy Werner and when their paths cross during the German occupation of France during WWII.  

The perspective switches between the two young people and the story unfolds beginning with their childhoods and leading up to when they both have to survive the devastation of WWII in the small town of Saint-Malo.  

According to Amazon: 

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).

After a couple of "meh" books recently, this one has definitely brought me back!  

Once I finish I'll give it a rating!  And I'm looking forward to writing a few more of these blog posts since I received 3 pre-ordered books yesterday!

Frosty VoxBox Reviews! Part 1

Here is the start of my Frosty VoxBox Reviews!

My EcoTool's Hairbrush is now a daily part of my hair routine!  (If you can call waking up and brushing my hair a routine....)  I really like it a lot.  

The Brush I received is the Styler and Smoother.  It gets the tangles out, without pulling.  It's also supposed to dry hair 20% faster.  Not sure how true that is, but I still like it!

Next up is the Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliner.  Holy love story Batman!  This is my new favorite thing.  I'm a total eyeliner junkie, so this is totally my jam.  It lasts FOREVER.  It also goes on in a nice smooth line.  There is some bleeding throughout the day, but it really isn't bad, and it wears pretty naturally.

After a full day of wear.  Inner lids (upper and lower) lined only.

After a full day of wear.  Inner lids (upper and lower) lined only.

VERY happy with this product.  It will probably be the only eyeliner I buy from now on.  

And to go along with the eyeliner, I also received the Rimmel Makeup Remover.  I also love this!  I'm TERRIBLE at removing my makeup.  Like, I never do it.  BUT, in an effort to be a better person, I've been trying to do that.  And with this super awesome eyeliner that doesn't come off, the makeup remover is perfect!  It's also very gentle and doesn't bother my sensitive skin.  

So overall so far, 3 products from the FrostyVoxBox are a WIN.  Love them all!

- Jen

**I received these products free from Influenster to try and review**

Frosty VoxBox

I love mail!  I especially love mail when it contains free products to try and review!

Have you heard of Influenster?  If not, you should check it out- Influenster

Influenster is a site that allows you to see real reviews, questions and answers from REAL people.  A great way to check out products before investing in them.

I've received a few VoxBoxes from them, and I love them.  It's a fun way to try new things and get to share them with the world!

I was recently chosen to receive the Frosty VoxBox!

Check out all of that awesome stuff!

Inside the FrostyVoxBox I found the following things!

An EcoTools Hairbrush
FruitVines Bites in Cherry
Celestial Seasonings Tea in Candy Cane Lane
McCormick Gourmet Thyme
NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum
Rimmel London Scandaleyes Eyeliner
Rimmel London Gentle Makeup Remover
Boots No 7 Protect and Perfect

I'll be reviewing each throughout the next week!

Oh, and check out my YouTube unboxing video!
(Please excuse the fact that it's my first youtube video ever!)



- Jen

Wait....What? I still have a blog?!

Goodness gracious!  Long time no see.  I guess it's about time I dust off this keyboard and get back to blogging!

Guess I shouldn't try to update everything all at once, otherwise this will start to sound/look like one of those Christmas update letters.  Which I apparently only rated a sentence in this year....Guess thats what happens when you live 1,300 miles from your mother.  (Love ya Momma!)

In the interest of brevity today is a puppy post!

 Sandor The Hound came to live with us in June of this year....He's the cutest pup ever!

Sandor, 8 weeks old, June 2014

He's a White German Shepherd.  No, he isn't albino. He's white.  Yes, he is a full german shepherd.

He came to us from Rolling Oaks Shepherds.  He's adorable and amazing and the best puppy ever.  

Spent my summer break hanging out with him and doing the typical puppy thing.  Which I have to admit, I never realized was so dang hard!  That first week we were up every 2 hours through the night and he had trouble sleeping in his crate without someone sleeping on the floor beside him.  

Most of my afternoons looked like this.

Once school started back up lounging at the park was reserved for weekends.  We also began hiking much more to wear the little guy out.  

And then he grew....

August 2014,  4 months

 And grew....

September 2014, 5 months

 And grew.....

October 2014, 6 months

 And grew a bit more.....

November 2014, 7 months

 And is now a 60lb monster.

Comparison to the coming home shot...December 2014, 8 months

Happy Holidays!

Maybe I'll be back again soon!  At least I hope so.  :)

- Jen

It's Been a While!!

Holy Cow!  I've been MIA for MONTHS!  And boy do I have some updates!

I should be updating a bit more this next couple of weeks, so look for posts about the following!

I got a Spring Fling VoxBox!  Woohoo!  I'll tell you all about it and about the AMAZING products inside!

I started (and am finishing this week) my first Grad School class!  Woah!  (thus the busyness!)

I've read a gazillion new books!  I'll have a BUNCH of book reviews to post in the upcoming weeks.

I also had a really cool book club experience, thanks to a local author!

I've done some cooking and baking lately, so I'll update with a few of those recipes as well!

I went on a Spring Break Vacation to Tucson!  It was fantastic and I'll have a bajillion pictures to share!

I got a Fitbit!  I'll tell you all about it and how it's helping me be more accountable for my activeness each day!

That's all for the moment, look for the Voxbox update later today, and the rest are still to come!!

Silence for Sandy Hook