Books and Beans {August 2017}

I saw this on Sally Hepworth's Instagram and it made me LOL. #truth

COFFEE

I know it's early and not exactly health food, but this has been in my coffee for the past two weeks...

So until Starbucks releases the PSL, it's this creamer all way for me!

BOOKS

I read five books this month, loved three of them and liked two!  I am so excited about many books coming out this fall so make sure to check out all of my upcoming Books and Beans posts!

The Choices We Make

by: Karma Brown

4 out of 5 Stars

This is one of the absolute best books I have ever read about friendship, motherhood and the female bond.  I will warn you that the ending will wreck you, but this book is so good.  Definitely not a light read, but so so good.

Tempting Fate

by: Jane Green
3 out of 5 Stars

I typically rate Jane Green books higher than three stars, but this one was just okay.  The main character entertains infidelity and deals with the consequences.  I enjoyed the book but found a lot of the characters and outcomes to be unrealistic.  

A Window Opens

by: Elisabeth Egan

4 out of 5 Stars

This book is a realistic portrayal of a woman in the "sandwich generation" trying to wear many hats and feeling like she's not doing any of them justice.  The main character is trying to be everything to her husband, kids, parents, friends and her new job at a tech savvy millennial company.  Alice questions that even if she can have it all, does she want to?  This was my first read by this author, and I will read her again.

Beach House for Rent

by:  Mary Alice Monroe

4 out of 5 Stars

Oh how I love me a beach house book!  I discovered this author last summer and just love reading her books.  The two female characters in this book do not disappoint.  Each working through their own stage in life, their relationship and influence on each other makes for a really good story line.  Throw in a summer romance and you've got yourself a beach read!

Hello, Sunshine

by:  Laura Dave

3 out of 5 Stars

I was so excited to get my hands on this book...cooking, New York City, sunshine!  In the end, I liked it, but did not love it.  The turning point of the story happened before I was invested in the characters, so I felt like I was behind the entire time.  I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's hard to relate to a character's journey before getting to know who they are.  Overall, though, this book was good and the ending was not predictable.  It is also a very quick read.

I hope you've enjoyed some good books this month as well!  Remember, I'm always looking for suggestions for my next great read!  

**All images from www.amazon.com**

**This post contains affiliate links.**

Friday Favorites

Another Friday and another post of what I'm loving!  I'm linking up with fellow bloggers Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites!

ONE

The Home Edit

(Image from www.thehomeedit.com)

As you know, I am obsessed with home organization.  So it's no surprise that I follow professional organizers on Instagram.  I first started following The Home Edit for their awesome pics, but I stayed for the Insta Stories.  Seriously, hilarious.  Nothing to do with organization, pure humor.  Watch them and your day will be made.

TWO

VICI

My newest favorite online boutique is VICI.  I have bought three things from them so far and have loved them all.  This jacket is on it's way to me right now...

How cute and cozy it that for fall?  Speaking of fall...

THREE

Football!

Tonight is Parker's fall sports kickoff night, or Emphasis Night.  Sophomore football here we come!  We love watching this kid play football.

FOUR

Fall Eve...Is this a thing?  

(Image from www.pinterest.com)

I feel the excitement of fall coming but I know it's too early to decorate.  Fall is my absolute favorite season and I want it to last as long as possible!  Full confession, I've been using pumpkin spice creamer in my coffee and I've ordered my mums.  Give me one more week and I won't be able to stop myself from going full on fall!

FIVE

LaCroix Water

(Image from www.amazon.com)

Since it's not fall yet, I have been hanging onto the tastes of summer by eating tomato sandwiches and sipping THIS sparkling water.  I am usually not a fan of these, but I love this one!

SIX

Pottery Barn Backpack

Mason starts pre-school on Monday (sniff) and he couldn't be prouder of his new backpack!  We ordered him the one on the top left.  Pottery Barn has such cute patterns and hey always hold up so well.  So hard to believe he's heading to pre-school!

SEVEN

St. Louis Cardinals

Last weekend we had a great trip to the Cardinal game where Mason got to run the bases!  Although he claims to be a Cubs fan, he wore a STL hat, cheered loud and proud for Yadi and ran the bases like a pro.  After crossing home plate, he did ask me if I remembered when the Cubs won the World Series.  I blame his father... :)

I hope you have lots of fun and relaxation planned for this weekend!

Friday Favorites!

 

#educatorproblems

 Friday is here and I'm linking up with fellow bloggers Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites!

As with every first full week back to school, this one kicked my tail.  This girl is ready for some rest and relaxation this weekend!  My favorites this week are total randomness...

ONE

Essie Gel Setter Top Coat

This top coat from Essie is magic.  Your at-home manicure will last a week if you use Essie polish as well.  Love this!

TWO

Meal Prep

Dan and I decided to meal prep for lunches this year and we are loving  THESE CONTAINERS.  We grilled meat, roasted vegetables and made rice last Sunday and thanked ourselves every day this week when we grabbed one from the fridge! :)  They are microwave and dishwasher safe, too!

THREE

I am very late to the game, but I can finally curl my hair with my Chi flat iron.  Some weeks it's the little things we appreciate the most!

FOUR

I am still loving my office redo and got my "skylight" installed as well.  It really is amazing how changing your environment can change the way you feel!

FIVE

(image from www.tvguide.com)

I just finished watching Young and Hungry on Netflix and recommend it if you are looking for something light and funny.  I'd love your Netflix suggestions as well in the comments below.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  I am headed to St. Louis to watch my Cardinals play, so I know mine will be great!

Home Plate {Pampered Chef Taco Ring}

This Pampered Chef recipe was such a HUGE hit with my family last week  for "Mexican Monday" that I knew I had to share it with all of you!  If you want to see perfect pictures of this meal, head to Pinterest.  If, like me, your kids sometimes need your attention while you are cooking, settle for my pictures that show a finished product that was left in the oven a few minutes too long.  :)

No harm done...it was still super yummy!

My niece recently began selling Pampered Chef products and I had a party to help her kick off her new adventure.  It had been a few years since I had been to a party, but I have always loved their products.  I got a ton of new items from my party and love using them!  

For this recipe, I used the Rockcrok Grill Stone and the Mix and Chop.  I do not know how I ever browned ground meat without a Mix and Chop.  I have had mine for years and it still looks and works great!  Like everything in most of my recipes, you can buy almost all of the ingredients at Aldi.

Ingredients

2 pkgs. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (sorry, Aldi, not a fan of yours) :(

1.5 lbs Ground Beef

Taco Seasoning

2 tbs. water

Shredded Mexican or Cheddar Cheese

Lettuce, Tomatoes, Black Olives for garnish

1 pepper, any color (optional)

Salsa and Sour Cream for topping

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Separate crescent rolls into triangles and lay in a circular pattern on the Rockcrok Grill Stone with large edge on the inside and each one overlapping.  You should have about a 4-5 inch open circle in the middle of the pan.

Brown the ground beef and mix in the taco seasoning, water, and about a cup of cheese.

Spoon the ground, seasoned beef onto the crescent rolls.  Lift the small triangular edge over the beef and tuck it under the other side.  Top with shredded cheese.  Since making this recipe, I received the Pampered Chef Course Grater and cannot wait to make this again using freshly grated cheddar cheese.

Pop into the oven for 20 minutes.

Cut the top off of a pepper and clean out the inside.  Fill with salsa and set on the middle of the pan.  Fill the rest of the open circle with lettuce, tomatoes and black olives.   Top with sour cream after serving, if desired.

So simple and so good!  Love Pampered Chef products and their recipes!

If you are interested in purchasing any of the products listed, click HERE.

Friday Favorites!

It's Friday and you know what that means!  I'm linking up with fellow bloggers Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites!

ONE

Although I've been back at work for two days now, I'm still thinking about all the fun I had with my family this summer.  We couldn't take a family vacation this year due to everyone's crazy schedules, but we were able to cram a lot of family fun into our days at home.  Last weekend, we "camped" with Mason...in the yard!  You'll notice that the tent is also inside the trampoline because...coyotes...

We had such a great time.

TWO

Going back to school has me thinking about all things fall, including this book.  It is the coziest book I have ever read...is that even a book category?!  I will seriously make you want to make a pot of soup and eat warm bread with your favorite people.  I will be pulling out my copy in the next few weeks to put me in the fall mood...which doesn't take much!

In case you missed it, my July Books and Beans post has a lot of good book recommendations too.  I also have a good jump start on August!

THREE

Did you all know that Nordstrom has been having an Anniversary Sale?  Kidding.  This weekend is your last chance to shop the sale prices for fall merchandise.  You can see my top picks HERE, including this Women's Mural Structured Blazer.  Order one size up.

FOUR

I am loving my new office decor.  If you missed my office tour post, you can see it HERE.

FIVE

Since I am back to work, that means our routines are back in full effect.  We are trying a new strategy for cleaning and grocery shopping this year, because I want to avoid doing those things on the weekend as much as possible.  Last school year, we did all of our cleaning on Thursday night and, while it worked, Thursdays were super busy.  This year, we are trying the method laid out in THIS BOOK.

(image from www.Amazon.com)

You can also see the cleaning routine on her website HERE.  So far, it seems to be working for our family.

As for grocery shopping, I will be utilizing grocery pickup options and hopefully doing that on the way home from work on Friday.  I am still loving all of the money I am saving from using my Ibotta app.  If you haven't downloaded this app yet, do it now.  In fact if you use THIS LINK, they will give you a $10 bonus as soon as you redeem your first rebate!  I am saving up my rebate money and will cash it in for gift cards at Christmas.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  We have no plans, so I'm hoping to get outside with the family and squeeze a little more fun out of this summer!

xo

**This post contains affiliate links**

Back to School~Office Tour

This school year marks the beginning of my twentieth year in education.  Twenty. Years.  It does not even seem possible.  Especially since I'm only 27. ;)

I am a 9-12 counselor at a school with approximately 1300 students.  There are 4 counselors in our office, so my caseload is around 325-350 in any given year.  Before I was a school counselor, I taught middle school special education, high school special education and reading intervention to middle and high school students.  This is my eleventh year as a school counselor and every year I like to freshen up my office much like I used to do to my classroom.  I think our environments affect us so much and during the school year, I'm at my office more than I'm at home!

My office is on the small side and does not have any natural light.  Why is it so rare for a school counselor to have a window?!  The overhead fluorescents bother me, so I opt for lamp lighting instead.  Not pictured is the fluorescent filter I purchased on Amazon HERE for one of my lights.  I plan to try to have one of the overhead lights on this year with the filter which looks like a blue sky with white clouds. 

Our school colors are orange and black, so I opted for a black, white and gold color scheme in order to work around the orange chairs.

My office design for this school year started with this sign I purchased at Hobby Lobby...

I removed everything from my bulletin board, hung the sign in the middle and strung these outdoor lights from Target around the perimeter.  I am going to hang all my student photos on this board.

Then when I found these beauties at Marshall's, I knew my theme of "Kindness Confetti" was set!

I got super brave this year and purchased peel and stick wallpaper from Target to cover my back wall.  Although not as easy to apply as advertised, I love the way it turned out!

I also found these peel and stick gold polka dots at Target and scattered them on the wall above my desk.  Love that it looks like confetti!

Isn't this sign the cutest?  A fellow school counselor I found online sells them on her website HERE.  They are vinyl, very good quality, and only $15!

Here is the view walking into my office...

And a white board for the door for student messages and quotes...

The harsh lighting really doesn't do this space justice, but I wanted to make sure you could see the details.

On a typical school day, I like my office to have lower lighting to make the space feel relaxing and more like a living room than an office.

I am going to be diffusing doTERRA essential oils this year in my office because I love them so much!  I think it will be a nice addition to the space.  I also invested in an air filter HERE to freshen up the windowless space.

I love a good find from the Target dollar spot...

The students typically sit in this chair next to my desk, so all of my stress toys, coloring books, hand sanitizer and mirror go here.  The only thing I will add before school will be Kleenex. :)  A mirror is a very important addition to a high school counseling office; the girls always ask me to check their makeup if they've been upset.  

There is nothing I love more than helping students grow into the best version of themselves.  Whether that means helping them choose classes or problem solving a personal issue, working as a counselor at the high school level is inspiring, humbling, stressful, and the best job I could ever imagine.

The only thing left to do is choose my first day of school outfit! :) (Oh, and double check 350 schedules, enroll new students, balance classes, plan my groups...)