Five on Friday: Olympics Edition!

Today is a very special Five on Friday. It's the Olympics Edition! I'm Olympics obsessed and sad to see it come to a close this weekend. Here are five of my favorite things about this year's competition.


//1// Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins won the first ever gold medal for the USA in cross-country skiing. FIRST EVER. Ever, ever, ever. The only other medal won by an American in the cross-country discipline was a silver in 1976 (won by Bill Koch). Talk about girl power!



//2// So much girl power at these Olympics! USA Women's Hockey beat Canada for the gold medal. It's the first gold for the US in 20 years! You go girls!


//3// Ice Dancing was so much fun to watch this year! I usually stick to ladies', men's, and pairs, but it was all about ice dancing in 2018. Unlike the other disciplines where the USA had maybe one medal hopeful (Nathan Chen),  USA Ice Dancing had three medal hopefuls. The team of Hubbell/Donohue, the national champions, finished 4th, Chock/Bates finished 10th after a sad fall at the end of the program (the dance was still so, so beautiful), and the Shib Sibs won the bronze medal!


I'm hoping in the near future USA Ladies' skating makes a comeback. It was the best to watch when I was growing up in the 90s. We had Kristy, Michelle, Nancy, Tara... and even Tanya!


//4// I love how inclusive the Olympics are. There's even a sport for those with dad bods. USA Curling will be playing for the gold medal!


That 'stache tho!

//5// Best conversation I've had about the Olympics...

Nick: Did Mark Hamill skate in the 1998 Olympics?
Me: Uhhh. Umm... Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. I think you're thinking of Scott Hamilton, and he won his gold medal in 1984.
Nick: Oh, I thought he was still skating in 1998 or something.



Until 2020...



Monday Madness 2.19.18

Mondays come around way too fast. Can it forever be the weekend?


Friday night we hit up some trivia with friends and Saturday was all about the Olympics and napping.

Speaking of the Olympics, has anyone seen this new snowboard competition called 'Big Air'? Basically snowboarders launch themselves off of this steep, ski jumping-style ramp. The ramp is at 38 degree incline and just huge, and you think some really cool flips and tricks are going to happen, but it doesn't happen. They just do a bunch of spins in the air and land. It's super lame.


Something that wasn't lame... the movie The Post.


I've been wanting to see this one for awhile so Nick and I went to see it on Sunday afternoon. Set in the early 1970s, The Post depicts the true story of attempts by journalists at The Washington Post to publish the Pentagon Papers (classified documents regarding the 30-year involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War). It stars Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee the executive director of The Washington Post.

Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee in 1971.
I got my undergraduate degree in Communications with my focus in mass media/journalism (I got my certificate in medical assisting three years ago) so this movie was really intriguing for me. This movie explored ideas that are still very relevant today, such as our First Amendment right, the media/newspapers being unbiased and watching out for the governed, not the governors, and the struggle to do this and still make money as a business.


Along with my guy Tom Hanks, I was excited to see Matthew Rhys (Philip Jennings on The Americans) playing Daniel Ellsburg. Streep is nominated for an Oscar for her role as Katharine Graham which, after seeing the movie, is much deserved. You see her character go from having a really passive role (albeit being the owner) and relying on her male board members to make decisions to really taking charge and becoming a role model for women of that time. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg.


While we were out I picked up my new favorite winter moisturizer, Clinique Moisture Surge. There's a new 72-hour auto-replenishing hydrator formula. Love it!


All I feel like all I've been doing since we got back from Ireland is cleaning, and laundry, and vacuuming, and scrubbing bathrooms. Anyway, here's a cute pic of me and Nick from Ireland to end the post! Happy Monday!





Monday Motivation 2.12.18

It's a Monday and in the negatives. Brrr! 




I could use some Monday Motivation! How about you?









Made-from-Scratch Frosted Chocolate Brownies

My favorite thing about Valentine's Day is the sweets! And Valentine's Day is all about chocolate!


What You'll Need:

for the batter:
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup of  all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

for the frosting:
3 tablespoons of butter, softened
3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of confectioners sugar

What You'll Need to Do:

for the brownies:

In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter.
Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder.
Spread batter into prepared pan.



Serve with warm with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!




18 Books to Read in 2018





// ONE // The Single's Game by Lauren Weisberger



// TWO // The Choices We Make by Karma Brown

Hannah and Kate became friends in the fifth grade, when Hannah hit a boy for looking up Kate's skirt with a mirror. While they've been close as sisters every since, Hannah can't help but to feel envious of the little family Kate and her husband, David, has created - complete with two prefect little girls.

She and Ben have been trying for years to have a baby, so when they receive the news that she will likely never get pregnant, Hannah's heartbreak is overwhelming. Bust just as they begin to tentaively explore other options, it Kate's turn to do the rescuing. Not only does she offer to be Hannah's surrogate, but Kate is will to use her own eggs to do so.

The Choices We Make is a powerful tale of two mothers, one incredible friendship and the risks we take to make our dreams come true. An unforgettable story that explores the intricate dynamics between friends and mothers.


// THREE// The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain


// FOUR // The Case for Faith by Lee Stroebel

Was God telling the truth when he said, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"? In his #1 bestseller The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel examined the claims of Christ, reaching the hard-won verdict that Jesus is God's unique son. In The Case for Faith, Strobel turns his skills to the most persistent emotional objections to belief---the eight "heart barriers" to faith. This Gold Medallion-winning book is for those who may be feeling attracted to Jesus but who are faced with difficult questions standing squarely in their path


// FIVE // Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot




// SIX // Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf

Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity; the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children's advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for.

// SEVEN // Spoken From the Heart by Laura Bush



// EIGHT // Annexed by Sharon Dogar

What was it like hiding in the Annex with Anne Frank? To be with Anne every day while she wrote so passionately in her diary? To be in a secret world within a world at war - alive on the inside, everything dying on the outside? Peter Van Pels and his family have lost their country, their home, and their freedom, and now they are fighting desperately to remain alive. Look through Peter's eyes.


// NINE // The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne



// TEN // Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Best Dog by John Grogan
John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with the perfect house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound steam roller of a laboratory retriever, a dog like no other. He ate nearly everything he got get his mouth around and was expelled from obedience school. And yet Marley's heart was pure. Just as he joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Through it all, he remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, the would learn, comes in many forms.


// ELEVEN // The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan




// TWELVE // The List by Karin Tanabe

Meet Adrienne Brown, a twenty-eight-year-old Wellesley College grad who recently left her glamorous job at Town & Country for a spot at the Capitolist. Known simply as the List to Beltway insiders, it's the only media outlet in D.C. that's actually on the rise. The Capitolist runs at an insane pace. Just when it seems her frenetic workload is going to break her, she stumbles upon a juicy politic affair, involving a very public senator and her most competitive colleague. Discovering that there's much more to the relationship than meets the eye, Adrienne realizes she's got the scoop of a lifetime. But should she go public with the story?

// THIRTEEN // A Place for Us by Liza Gyllenhaal



// FOURTEEN // The Descendants by Kuai Hart Hemmings

Fortunes have changed for the King Family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state's largest landowners. Matthew King's daughters - Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict - are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife's friends and family and say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discover that there's one person who hasn't been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only the living but the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie's lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.


// FIFTEEN // Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult



// SIXTEEN // The Color of Rain by Michael and Gina Spehn

This real-life Brady Bunch story is about what it means to endure the unthinkable - and still open one's heart to what's next. When two childhood friends die of cancer six weeks apart, the shared experience of loss bring their grieving spouses together. After months of late-night phone calls, family dinners, and countless dreams and tears, this unlikely pair builds a trust, a love, and a shared life. Told from alternating view points, The Color of Rain illuminates the stepping-stones of healing that lead to a joyful new beginning for Micheal and Gina and their five children. Michael and Gina;s gripping story of 'growing new hearts' will inspire readers not only to survive loss but also receive the new courage, faith, and identity that God gives in the midst of tragedy.


// SEVENTEEN // Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany



// EIGHTEEN // Daughters-In-Law by Joanna Trollope

As Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, the don't quite realized the profound shift that is about to take place. For different reasons, the Brinkleys' two previous daughters-in-law hadn't been able to resist Rachel's maternal control and Anthony's gentle charm, and have settled in to their husbands' family without rocking the boat. But Charlotte - very young, very beautiful, and spoiled - has no intention of falling into step with the Brinkleys' and wants to establish her own household. Soon Rachel's sons begin to think of their houses as home and of their mother's house as simply a place where their parents live - a necessary and inevitable shift of loyalties that threatens Rachel's sense of herself, breaks Anthony's heart, and causes unexpected consequences in all of the marriages. Then a crisis brings these changes to the surface, and everyone has to learn what family love means all over again.



HAPPY READING!

Five Red Hot Looks for Valentine's Day


Darlin' it's you I remember with your red dress on
Dancin' in the moonlight 'til the break of dawn
It's you remember 
Dancin' with your red dress on

-Red Dress (Lucy Hale and Joe Nichols)




Look sultry in an off-the-shoulder body con dress with statement accessories such as a cuff bracelet and dramatic choker.




Look super sweet on your Valentine's date in a short tank dress. Accessorize with plenty of pink!




A wide-leg trouser and sweet sweater are the prefect combo for a 'Gal'entine's gathering with your favorite friends or coworkers. Make the outfit special with unique jewelry and a killer overcoat.




Throw on a comfy sweater and your favorite pair of jeans for a casual Valentine's date! Add pops of red. 




Treat yo' self (or your Valentine) to new undergarments! Matching bras and panties can be a major confidence boost even if you're the only one who knows! Add a silky robe and comfy slippers for the perfect Valentine's night in.