Monday, October 29, 2018

Audio Books - Why I love them!

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know that we both love books.  We love a good story that hooks us from the first chapter and keeps us flipping pages until we finish the book.  If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that we have a monthly Book Club series and if you have been paying attention you know that Jen usually flies through a bunch of books each month while I am lucky if I read one book a month.  It's not because I don't love to read, but that I just literally can't find the time to sit down and pick up a book. Between carpool, kid activities, blog stuff or just keeping up with things at home, my reading time was far and few between. 

That has all changed though and I am SO excited to share with y'all something that has completely changed all of that for me.  I'm listening to books on my phone loving it.  I'm so obsessed and it has totally changed so much for me.


I was chatting with my good friend J about books and reading and I asked her how she had time to read so many books. She told me she listens to them and my mind was blown.  She told me she thought it would be perfect for me because I'm in the car so much and told me to give it a try.  I downloaded the Audible app on my phone, picked a book to start listening too, and haven't looked back. 

Now, this might not be a new idea to some of you, but it was totally foreign to me and I will say it took me a few chapters to get into.  Usually, when I'm in the car I have the radio or Pandora on, but just kind of as background noise and my mind is often filled with other thoughts.  When listening to a book I really have to focus on what is being said and not allow my mind to wander or I totally miss what is happening in the story.  

Once I got through a chapter or two though I was hooked. I couldn't wait to get back in the car and listen some more.  Then, I got so hooked that I started listening every chance I could. While I was making lunches, putting away laundry, walking my dog, cleaning the house, etc. Basically any time I would usually be playing music instead I am playing the books and I freaking LOVE it!  I was even a crazy person who grocery shopped one day last week with my headphones in because I was so close to the end of a story and wanted to know what happened!  


This is all pretty new to be and I've been listening for about a week. I'm averaging a book every two to three days and have no plans of slowing down.  I just feel like this has opened a whole new world for me and now I'm finally able to "read" all those books that I had wanted to, but had no time for.  I do kind of feel like I am cheating on real books, but I don't even care because I'm multitasking and getting so much done and still being able to get wrapped up in some pretty amazing plots.  

I talked to a few people about this already and some had some questions so thought I would answer those for anyone who might be thinking the same thing.  

Do you listen while your kids are in the car? 
That kind of depends. Generally if my kids are in the car with me they look like this: 


Headphones on, watching or listening to their own form of entertainment and you can judge all you want, but it just works for us. They have no time for devices at home between school and sports, so their riding around in the afternoons between one practice or game to the next is the time they get on their iPads or phones.  If they are tuned in to their stuff, I'm tuned into mine. If it is a quick ride or we're chatting about their day then obviously I don't listen to my books then.  

Are you really in the car that much to listen? 
Yes. Yes, I am. All I do is drive from 2:30 to somewhere around 8ish on most days. Back and forth from one thing to the next so I have tons of time in the car. Instead of listening to the same songs over and over and over again now I feel like my brain is being challenged a little more with a good story. 

Do the narrators annoy you? 
Some of them have been super entertaining and really made the book in my opinion. Others I haven't loved as much. It sort of just depends on the book, but I love being able to speed up or slow down the speed of the reading if one talks really slow and if I want to move through it at a little quicker pace. 

What app are you using to listen?
I'm sure there are lots of options out there, but right now I'm using Amazon's Audible and it seems to be working great for me. 

I will share more about what books I listened to in our November Book Club post, but so curious to hear from all of you. Do you listen to audio books?  Do you think it is something you would like?  


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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

A Peach of a Giveaway

Hi sweet friends! Today we have something super fun going on! Our friend Laurie of Laurie Louis Designs helped us plan a fun little giveaway for you. And not just you - your best friend too! 


Laurie is the queen of making all the things you need for entertaining and party planning. Her website is filled with tons of adorable products to help celebrate almost any event. From gift tags to invitations to thank you notes, she has it all. 

One of our all time favorite Laurie Louis Designs is the Lucite Tray line. They are so versatile, and the perfect party piece. We use our 12x12 tray for just about every event. 

It was an oh so sweet adornment for our Lemonade Party...

| Lemonade Tray & Insert |



And it's been helping set the tone for a spooktacular Halloween with its black stripe insert, as our Spooky Spider Cupcakes serving piece...


The 6x6 is just as versatile, and comes in so many designs as well! It also is our go-to tray for everyday purposes. It's smaller size lends to a ton of great uses! Of course we use it for entertaining...


But we also love to use it as an everyday piece. We've found that it is the perfect size for a catch-all tray! 


And we've been known a time or two to incorporate it into our decor, especially when we have an insert that suits that season. The holidays are quickly approaching and we can't wait to change out the inserts to display a fun little themed goodie from the holiday line


We are even packaging up this little number with Laurie's desk top calendars, as holiday gifts this year.  


We thought it would make for the perfect teacher's gift!


GIVEAWAY TIME! 

Because we love the trays SO MUCH, Laurie has helped us plan a fun little giveaway for you guys! You know we are all about a little state pride and representing all things southern, so when we saw Laurie made a Peach design we could not resist! 


We've teamed up with Laurie to give not one, but two trays away. One lucky winner will receive a tray for both themselves and their best friend! (Because life is just more peachy with good girlfriends in it!)

There are two ways to enter! Enter below or hop over to Instagram ON THIS PHOTO and follow the super easy directions! 




Winner will be announced Tuesday, October 30th. Winner will be chosen randomly, and will have 48hrs to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen. Winner must be 18 or older, and a U.S. resident. 

Good luck everyone!!!


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Monday, October 22, 2018

Spooky Spider Cupcakes for Halloween

Halloween is now just a hop, skip, and candy filled jump away. Our kids are sooooo excited about it! They've had their costumes picked out since before our Fall Break. They saw costumes they liked at Target and with just a click of a button they were on our door step in a few days. They are beyond excited to run around with their friends next week as a velociraptor, a Lip Stick Shopkins, and a mermaid

I saw that mermaid costume and swooned! I momentarily had visions of the girls being matching mermaids, and Cute being a shark, pirate or something else to go with the theme, but sadly the matching costume days are way behind us. 


Along with Halloween costumes, and all the spooky fun, comes the parties. I usually try to volunteer for Halloween because it is one of the more fun parties to do throughout the school year. Plus there are a ton of options when it comes to games, crafts, books, and decor available. It makes it so easy! 

This year with three little ones in school (and three parties to attend), I decided to keep things easy. These Spider Cupcakes literally took no time at all to make and are a fun way to get in the Halloween spirit. 


In just a few easy steps you have a fun Halloween treat as well as a fun spider ring the kids can play with long after the treat is gone. 


I'm dishing on all the details about these Spooky Spider Cupcakes over on Savvy Sassy Moms.
(Psst...I even share a cheat or two if you are wanting to keep this task under five minutes!)


Do you have an easy go-to treat for Halloween? Share with us! 


Check out some of our past Halloween fun: 

Download the GHOST GOGGLES printable. 





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Friday, October 19, 2018

Friday Favorites: Southern Belle Edition

Happy Friday friends! We are oh so down to celebrate today! Fall has finally arrived in the South and I have full intentions of frolicking in it all weekend. 

And by frolic, I mean sit in my tailgate chair watching youth soccer all weekend solo with three kids. 

At least we won't be roasting for once. 


Linking up today with some of our favorite bloggers for Friday Favorites to share some of my recent favorites. And get ready because there are a lot of them! 



If you follow us on Instagram, you know this outfit has been on repeat lately. 
(Sorry, not sorry.) 

| Southern Belle Tank | Grey Cardigan | Shorts | Sneakers | Book

Until this week it's been in the mid-nineties so Fall attire really hasn't been an option. That means most of us have the A.C. cranked, and because people are willing Fall into their homes sometimes that means making it cold enough to put on a sweater, light a fire and pretend. 
(Again...sorry, not sorry.)


In all seriousness the tank is adorable. It is super comfy, and a great layering piece. I sized up one size so it would be more of a tunic length on me. But I'm a shorty so take that with a grain of salt. It also comes in a cute tee option as well. 




Last weekend we headed out on a quick road trip to cheer on our favorite college football team - Go Dawgs! We left Atlanta early Friday morning to make our way to Baton Rouge to see UGA play LSU. Here's a quick mini recap...

| Jacket | Tee | Gray Jeans |

We meant to book flights for the trip, but by the time we go around to it they were outrageously priced. So some of our good friends cancelled their flights and joined us on a road trip. Seriously, that's friendship. Because it's a loooong trip. 

| Romper (similar) | Gingham Peplum | Striped Tee | Black Dress | Military Jacket |

We arrived mid-afternoon and I unpacked all my theme wear. 

| BEST black dress | Earrings | Watch |

We cleaned up and enjoyed a nice dinner. Our friend turned 40 a few weeks before so we decided to celebrate! 


Let's just say Uber drivers were hard to come by. We were very excited when we finally got one because we had been walking the four miles from the hotel to the stadium. And while totally not a far walk...it was HOT. 

| Hat | Romper (similar) | Necklace | Stadium Bag |

We made it! And tailgated with some super nice LSU friends. 


And they had friends who made this...


Gumbo! It was delicious! I'm still thinking about it days later. 


And this! How cute are these cookies? 


And the tailgate itself was adorable! They had these cute cups made too...


The other side said "Go Tigers" in purple. But we won't show that. ;) 


We had great seats, but were right smack in the middle of a huge LSU season ticket holder section. We were four Dawgs in a sea of purple and gold. 


And unfortunately that section had a lot to cheer about. Other than it being scorching hot (thank God one of us was smart enough to bring sunscreen - thanks L!), it was a fun time. 


Post game we went to Canes to eat our feelings. 


And then woke up to hit the road, and drown them some more at WaHo. 


But really, doesn't every good road trip involve a Waffle House trip or two? ;) 

I know we lost (and lost in a bad bad way), but it was such a fun trip! We had a blast with our friends and made a ton of new memories. I would do it again in a heartbeat! 



Carrie Beth and I have been wearing these hats a lot lately. I brought it to wear to the game and was asked about every two seconds where I got it.  It's also been my go-to on day three hair. 


The Aviate hats come in a ton of colors and cities (airport codes). We purchased ours from Findlay Rowe and you can find them HERE. The ATL one comes in just about every color you can think of. If you don't see one you like, just email and ask...I can bet they have it in stock to ship to you. 




Last week after Hurricane Michael blew threw, it's one redeeming factor was that it brought slightly cooler weather to our area. That meant it was finally time for mums and pumpkins to make an entrance before we do all the holiday things. 


The advantage of being the baby...you get to join in on these fun tasks. She was all about some Home Depot. 


The kids also put their two cents into Fall decor. Spiders and skeletons it is. 

| Gray Jeans | Leopard Flats

Along with pumpkins, cooler temps also signaled it was pants and leopard season! 


These leopard flats from last year are some of my favorite and they have them again this year! I saw they are on sale too! Definitely worth an "add to cart"!




Carrie Beth and I have a million things on our plate right now, so earlier this week we met up for a little pow wow. 


She snapped these quick pics of me in "mom boss" mode. 


But, let's be honest, the real winner here is the tee...

 | Tee | Blazer | Necklace | Jeans | Shoes | Gold Crossbody Bag | Earrings | Sunglasses |
As a huge fan of anything Southern/Georgia related, I couldn't resist this adorable Peachy tee


It's from the local company Well Dress Southern Mess and they make the cutest tees and tanks! 


They are a fun little company, and they automatically donate 10% of their profits to charity. We love shopping with a cause! 

They've been kind enough to give our readers 20% off their entire purchase if you see something cute that you like. Use code MAGNOLIA20 at checkout and you are all set!



And because we know you ladies love a good lip and we will get a ton of questions about this...here is the lip color I was wearing in the Peachy pics.


I've been digging the Beautycounter sheer lipsticks lately. Sometimes I partner them with a gloss, but I love how they feel and how shiny they look even without the addition of a gloss. They have the slightest amount of shimmer to them.


My go-tos are typically Beige Pink, Rosy Pink, and Rose.


Beautycounter just released their holiday sets and I saw they have both a Mini Lip Gloss Set and a Mini Lip Color Set that has been released for a really great price if you are thinking of trying them out. The holiday sets tend to give you the most bang for your buck (all are under $100), so this is when I usually try to stock up. 





Now while it's been "cooler", let's remember this is still the south, and all that really means is we wake up and it's below 60, but by the afternoon temps are still in the upper 70's to mid-80's. Since we are all in our sweaters and jeans sometimes we need a little libation to cool us down.

And sometimes we need a lot. ;) 


I keep grabbing these fun stainless steel tumblers for our afternoon wind downs. Like all great things, I stumbled on them on Amazon. They also come in a ton of other styles and colors...I'm a huge fan of the white/rose gold wine tumblers. They would make for a great holiday gift too! 




Cooler temps mean it's crockpot season! 


Who am I kidding? It's always crockpot season around these parts. But...I was pretty excited to test out my new Crockpot Casserole Dish. The fact that it has a lid that can attach and let you take the dish anywhere is amazing. It's been great for tailgating too! 

Snag the recipe for these Cheesy Beef Enchiladas, and check out our Crockpot recipe board on Pinterest for some inspiration! Do you have a good Crockpot recipe? If so, share away my friends! We have a good long stretch of Crockpot season in this house, and I'm always in need of some new recipes in the rotation!




And because everyone has warm and cozy on the brain, I thought for my last favorite I'd share probably the most cost saving buy of the week...


Sherpa fleece pullovers for the whole family...for less than $20! I snagged a boy's one for Cute, a hot pink one for L.C., and light pink toddler one for B.C., and a cream colored one for myself. The women's one was the most expensive at $20. I have a North Fleece pullover that looks super similar that was way more expensive than this. 


B.C. loves all things cozy and couldn't wait to wear her pink one. She was pretty in dance pink all day yesterday. 

I know they've been selling out like crazy - I mean, why wouldn't they for that price? - so if you don't see the sizes you need keep checking. I've heard they restock often and then sell out online. Our store had plenty in all sizes and colors. 


That wraps up my favorites for the week! What were some of yours?

Be sure to check back often next week - we have a ton of fun little things in store for you guys and a surprise or two (and when we say that you know it's usually really good!). Now off to get this weekend started! 

Have a great one everybody! 

 

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