Summer Reading

One of my favorite sumer pastimes is reading. Whether I'm floating on a river, laying in my backyard or lounging on the chairs above, if I have a book, I'm happy. Here is the beginnings of my list of books for this summer: 

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

The Alchemist

Where'd You Go, Bernadette 

A Visit from the Goon Squad 
Winger

What do you think? Any recommendations? Must reads I should add to the list?

And, because I love making lists about as much as I love reading in the sunshine, here's a variety of other books I'd recommend for your summer reading: 

The Paris Wife

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Bel Canto 

O Pioneers! 

Interpreter of Maladies 

Tender Is the Night 

American Wife

Prep

East of Eden

Stretch Mark Prevention

So we've probably all read that stretch marks are purely genetic and it's luck of the draw if you get them or not. But you better believe I'm still trying everything I can to prevent them at 32 weeks pregnant! My sister, who is an esthetician and knows a lot about the different products, gifted me with this great Clarins set for my birthday. Basically I use the oil before I towel off after a bath and then the lotion. They are both very absorbant and smell great. And so far no stretch marks!

Good Enough.

Have you watched this new TED talk by Meg Jay called Why 30 is Not the New 20? It was posted/recommended dozens of times on my Facebook and Twitter so I gave it a listen last week. Meg is a psychologist who specializes in motivating 20-somethings to make the most of their decade and not waste time thinking they can get started with serious relationships, careers, family, etc when they turn 30.

I have to confess I found the talk more stressful than inspirational. There are a few reasons why this could be the case: 1) I turned 29 in March so my 20's are officially winding down, meaning I'm pretty much at the end of the "window of opportunity" that she is getting at. 2) I'm a pretty self critical person and no matter what I've "accomplished" or done in my 20's I'll always be wishing for more time and clarity on what I'm supposed to do with my life (pretty sure I'm not the only one). 3) Unlike a lot of my friends, I'm not in the career that I had imagined when I was in my early 20's -- honestly I'm not even sure what that career is anymore!

As my 20's are coming to an end, I'd rather adopt an attitude of "good enough." I guess what I mean to say is I had a lot of adventures in my 20's, I met a great guy, I worked with a lot of amazing people....do I have regrets, sure I do. But I did "good enough" with these 10 years and no matter what Meg thinks, I'm still young!! 30 isn't old and I still have plenty of time to "figure life out."

What do you think of the talk? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

PS. Here are a few other interesting perspectives from the editors at Refinery 29 and a rebuttal on the TED site itself.

Wedding Workout for Slackers

Here are three simple tips for brides and bridesmaids wanting to look great at weddings this summer without much work. 

1. Work on your posture. When you stand up straight, it does wonders for how you look in a photo. Good posture makes you appear more confident, defines your jaw line, and sucks in your tummy. Even the skinniest person looks like they have a pooch when they slouch. I know my posture is WAY better when I'm doing yoga, so that's what I suggest, but even consciously attempting to sit and stand up straight in the weeks leading up to your wedding can make a difference. 

2. Tone your arms. If you're going to work on muscle tone at all, focus on your arms and back. Most wedding dresses cover the rest of your body, so no one will know how flat your abs are! 

3. Make sure your dress fits. This one doesn't involve running for miles or living on kale smoothies! Just a recommendation that you make sure you choose a style of dress that makes you look best AND that you have it professionally fitted to you. Do your last fitting as close to the wedding as possible so it fits you like a glove on your wedding day. Regardless of what size you are, that's what will make you look best AND feel comfortable and confident on your wedding day. 

Vintage Suitcase Nightstand

A few weeks ago, I picked up these vintage Samsonite suitcases at an antique shop and now they are the new nightstand in our travel themed guest room. What do you think? 

Storage is always the biggest issue when you live in a house built in 1918, apparently people had a lot less stuff then so this will double as storage for extra linens, or maybe baseballs, or boas and superhero costumes...lots of odd things live in my guest room.  

Tuesday Cupcake Roundup

I'm randomly in the mood for cupcakes! I bought these adorable black and white polka dotted cupcake liners a couple of months back from Paper Eskimo but have yet to bake anything.  I might just need to make use of them over the upcoming long weekend. What are you favorite cupcakes? I'm partial to red velvet, dark chocolate and anything with creme cheese frosting or coconut....yummm. Here are some good recipes I found around the web.

PS. What's the difference between a muffin and cupcake? Very fine line if you ask me. :)

Coconut cupcakes with 7-minute frosting and coconut flakes.

Vegan Chocolate Ginger Orange Cupcakes

English Banoffee Cupcakes with Toffee Crumble

Pistachio Cupcakes with Raspberries

Dark Chocolate Fudge Merlot Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Filing

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

All Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes

Spiced Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Maple Creme Cheese Frosting

Honey

I've been really into honey lately. Obviously it's great in tea, but there area actually a lot of other uses as well.

Did you know honey is great moisturizer? You can put it on your face like a mask for 10 minutes then rinse.

Image by Zoe Rain