"The Unveiled Wife" {a review}

Since one of my goals this year is to focus on my marriage, this book title jumped out at me. I was excited to see it on the list of books available for review from Tyndale Publishers and quickly signed up.

I have to be honest and tell you that this book was definitely not what I expected. I was thinking that it would be another marriage book full of advice and maybe if I was lucky, a few personal stories. Instead, the book is an intimate look at the Smith marriage and all of their struggles in their first years of marriage. It takes a lot (a whole lot) of courage to be as open as Jennifer Smith is in this book. And I really appreciated her openness and honesty. 

Smith tells of her courtship of both Christ and her husband and how there were obstacles along the way. She doesn't hold back and even talks about the most intimate of struggles that any marriage faces and she shows that a marriage can grow in spite of  the struggles it faces. Their marriage is also proof that intimacy is so much more than what we tend to think. She also shows that their is a direct effect on the relationships of marriage depending on your relationship with God. 

I love that Smith doesn't hold back on the tough subjects. I love that she doesn't try to make everything seem perfect when it's not. And I love that she reiterates what I always say. Love is a choice. Marriage is a choice. Marriage is hard. But you can makes the choices that will make you marriage and your relationship with God stronger everyday. 

** I received this book from Tyndale Publisher in exchange for my review.**

Friday Favorites

Graphic Credit: www.crystalstine.me

Welcome to another addition of Friday Favorites! And since it is the last Friday of the month, I am also linking up with Crystal Stine at www.crystalstine.me. 

What I am reading:



Complete opposites but both oh so good. I love "The Unveiled Wife" and I will be reviewing it next week. And "Dark Places" makes me think that Gillian Flynn needs therapy- lots and lots of therapy.

What I'm Watching:




I have not actually watched "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" all the way through but will this weekend. "Box Trolls" has been almost on repeat since we bought it.

What I'm Wearing:

I ordered this necklace and set of earrings from One Beautiful Life (www.onebeautifullife.com). I met Dawn at Allume. She is an amazing woman. She started her shop and every month she donates money to a different charity all from the jewelry she sales.

What I'm listening to:

I am in love with this song. It gets stuck in my head and I really don't mind!

Big Boy Beds and New Furniture

We bought Miles and Josh bunk beds this past weekend. The hope was that Miles would FINALLY sleep in his room and in his bed instead of ours. Well he made it 2 nights and then decided that he didn't like his bed anymore. Little does he know that he has no option in this. 

John worked really hard last Saturday night putting the bunk beds together after I finally got their room cleared out (and in the process broke one of their bookshelves). The beds look great and I bought one of those 9 cube organizers and some fabric cubes to replace their bookcase. I like it so much I want to go get a couple of more for my living room. The pictures are out of order and I couldn't figure out how to fix it, sorry!

Right before he went to sleep. He loved it the first night. 

Doesn't this thing look great. I love it. 

We bought the beds at Walmart and they are sturdy. So we got a great product at a great price. 

Heading home to sleep in his bed for the first time. He really was excited. 

Fringe Friday and Friday Favorites Rolled Into One

Graphic Credit: www.crystalstine.me

This week has been all about Fringe Hours for me. After a week that was so packed full last week that I didn't even get a chance to pick up a book, I needed to find those fringe hours somewhere. And though not ideal, having a migraine Sunday through Monday and needing to leave work because of it Monday became the best thing for me in capturing some "me" time even if it was used to blog and sleep.

What I'm Reading:

Well- Thanks to last week I am still reading "Home Behind The Sun" as far as books go. And I am keeping it with me so that I can read at work and when I do Tennis pick-up.
 But my favorite thing to read is on Mondays. On Mondays, my friend Mel shares a chapter of her would-be book at her blog A Barefoot Life. First let me tell you that I laugh and I cry and I love this series. Second- I would buy this book in a heartbeat. Third- Mel is my real life friend and I love her dearly.


What I'm Watching:

The kids have me hooked on The Flash and Arrow. We try not to miss them. And on Thursdays I watch The Vampire Diaries. Apparently as far as TV goes, I am a pre-teen or teenager.
(And I read on commercials)

I did watch Gone Girl last week. I must say that the movie was a bit more disturbing than the book.

What I'm Wearing:

This week has definitely been a wear scrubs all week to work. I love that I get an option in wearing scrubs or wearing business casual clothes. But on Friday the 13th, I wore my Preemptive Love shirt that has the quote "Love First Ask Questions Later" on it.

What I'm Listening To:
I downloaded Bethel Music's new album and I love it. But I am also enjoying Taylor Swift's new album. Pretty much, most mornings are a one person dance party in my truck driving to work and then on the way home I listen to praise and worship music to wind down from the work day. Some people might think that I need to reverse that but they would not be Activity Directors who recognize that the dance party heading in is important to set the energetic tone needed for the day.

Oh and one more thing that I am loving right now. I HAVE A NEW "NEPHEW"!!!!! My best friend had a new baby boy last week and as soon as John has a Saturday off, we are hopping in my truck and taking off to see him for the day. I can't wait.

"Fringe Hours" is RELEASED!

It's FINALLY here!!!! Today is the day that "The Fringe Hours" releases! I have loved this book and all the lessons that I gained from it. Jessica Turner from The Mom Creative is an amazing writer. 

Fringe hours are those minutes that we tend to waste while waiting in line at the doctors office or sitting in our cars for car pick up (or even traffic). The goal is to find those hours in your day and make them time for you. If you are like me and love to read then always keep a book in your bag. The Nook and Kindle apps are great for this too because then you have books on your phone. If you like to write notes to friends on actual notecards then keep some in your purse and while you are waiting in line somewhere or waiting on your food to come out at a restaurant write a note. Back when I first started getting sick with those fun kidney stones, I had a ton of thank you notes to write for work. One afternoon I decided to go to the doctor. During my 2 hour wait I wrote all my thank you and finished reading this book.

My copy of this book is highlighted big time. There are several quotes that I want to easily be able to go back too. Like this one:

“We would never stand for someone talking to a family member the way we internally talk to

ourselves. Rather than beating ourselves up for the things we don't get done perfectly, we need to

recognize the ways in which we serve our families, friends, and co-workers and to acknowledge the

things that we accomplish in a given day.”(pg 45)

See this book is not only about learning to regain time for ourselves, it's also about balancing our lives as wives, mothers, and friends. It's about loving ourselves and giving ourselves grace when we need too. This book is about learning how to like yourself again. (Although, I don't think that Jessica actually had that part in mind when she wrote this book.)

I am so excited that this book is now available to EVERYONE. And I get to tell you that it's also the FINAL (sadly) book selection for the BLOOM Book Club at (in)Courage. 

If you want to find out more about how to join the book club then click HERE. 

And if you want more information about the book or Jessica Turner then head over to The Mom Creative or The Fringe Hours page on Baker Publishing.

**I received this book as a member of "The Fringe Hours" Launch Team.**

What's Cooking- A "Dashing Dish" Cookbook

I love cookbooks. I don't really like to cook but I love recipes and trying new things when I am in the mood. A few years ago I stumbled across a blog called Dashing Dish and started using several of her recipes. Every recipe I have tried has been wonderful! Well this past December, Katie Farrell, released a cookbook. And I have had it on my wishlist since she announced it. 

Icon Media asked if I would like to review her cookbook and I said yes quickly. Each recipe is healthy and promotes clean, healthy eating. And each recipe is fairly simple. Which means that even I can make them. The pictures are scrumptious and really determined which recipes I tried first. (Even though none of mine turned out looking like hers.) 

An immediate favorite was the mini mexican pizzas. The are simple and they are a instant it. 

I am currently meal planning for the next 2 weeks and making my grocery list. A lot of my planned meals will be coming from this book. I am especially excited about baking ahead several of her muffins (I've made them before and love them) and the protein snacks. It will make breakfast so much easier since our bus is coming later in the mornings and the kids don't make it to school in time to eat breakfast. And since I have noticed that eating breakfast keeps my snacking during the day down it will be a positive for me too. These recipes also make clean eating fun and I don't get arguments from anyone in my house about it. 

If you love cookbooks, love to cook, or want to try clean eating without getting overwhelmed then I highly recommend this book. 

Fringe Friday

This week has been packed. I had a major fundraiser at work, a party, cupcakes to bake, and multiple other irons in the fire. So fringe hours haven't really been a thing this week. But this weekend, I will be making them. I plan on finishing a book I have been reading, blogging, and cleaning house. Grabbing fringe hours sometimes gets really hard. But the importance doesn't go away. You have to make time for you. And that means finding the time. If you are me that means reading ever chance I get. For a friend that means walking everyday. What have you been doing this week in your fringe hours? Consider linking up with The Mom Creative today at www.themomcreative.com.