Keep Busy During Quarantine, Organize and Binge

Happy April fools Day, April 1st, Hump Day everyone!

I know that everyone is sick of being stuck at home at this point and it might be extra hard for all you extroverts who thrive on human contact. I'm an introvert and honestly my preference is always to be at home but this even has me wishing I could browse the aisles of HomeGoods, go out to dinner, and see all my friends and family.

I am fortunately still working from home during this time but I know many people are furloughed, laid off, or otherwise have no work to keep them occupied for even part of the day. I wanted to share some areas you can organize during this time and also some shows and podcasts you can binge during this time.

Areas To Organize/Declutter

• Coat Closet: This is a great time to go through all of your coats and see what you have worn this year and what you can potentially clear out. I recently donated a bunch of clothes and before I took them for donation I quickly went through our coat closet and found a coat that I haven't worn in years that I finally was ready to pass on. 

• Clothes: I recently went through my closet and dresser drawers and I was able to pass on quite a few things. I regularly declutter my clothes but I'm always surprised how many things I actually can get rid of each time. I try to be honest with myself and think about the clothing that I try on and then hang back up because I don't like the way it looks. It's also a great time to list your clothes on Poshmark to sell! If you have the time why not make a little bit of money on the nicer clothes?

• Under the Bathroom Sink: This is a great spot to declutter right now because you can really take the time to check expiration dates for beauty products and organize them the way that makes most sense for your daily routine. 

• Pantry/ Fridge: I did both of these recently and it was great to go through everything. I honestly just wanted a good idea of what we had to work with especially with everything going on. I went through every item of food and reorganized everything so it made sense. We also were able to buy groceries and spend less money because we knew what we had. It also prevents us having to make extra trips when right now we don't want to go to the store unless it's absolutely necessary! 

Shows To Binge

• Good Girls: Have you seen this show yet? It's hilarious! I highly recommend it.
• The Office: I just finished watching this and I still laugh hysterically even though I've seen it a dozen times.
• Friends: One of my all time favorites but unfortunately you will need the DVDs or to pay for them right now.
• Tiger King: Have you watched this train wreck yet? If you haven't go check it out!
• The Circle: I really enjoyed this reality tv show and even Tim got into it!
• Love Is Blind: So good!

Podcasts To Binge

• YoungHouseLove Has a Podcast: I love John and Sherry and they are always entertaining!
• The Office Ladies: This is a new favorite for me, but anything Office and I'm in!

What have you been organizing and binging lately? I am planning on sharing some organization projects with you soon to hopefully inspire you!

Have a great day!

Things I'm Loving Lately

Happy Wednesday loves!

Today I want to share a few things I've been absolutely loving lately. I realized as I was making this list that it's going to seem like most of what I do is watch tv...but it's winter and there's not a whole lot of activities to do at night when it's dark out so early! Plus, it's cold. No one wants to leave the house in Rhode Island this time of year, trust me.

First up is a Christmas gift that Tim gave me this year!

This oil diffuser (which comes from Amazon) is awesome! I've wanted an oil diffuser for some time now and this one has been working great!  I love candles but sometimes I want to know I have something cleaning up the air and that's how the oil diffuser makes me feel.

I also received a bottle of essential oil that I am loving diffusing in it...

Purify was recommended by Kelly Marie on YouTube and I think the smell is great. It makes the air feel fresh and isn't super strong (unless you use a lot of it!) so it is great to use anytime. I also feel like it's purifying the air, especially this time of year when everyone is sick.


I've been working on a personal exercise goal..

I'm using the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone in order to help me achieve it! I needed some sort of goal to work towards so I'm using this app to get me motivated.  I thought this would be a great way to get in shape and get started and if I plan on doing a 5K at some point this year it will give me something to work towards which always keeps me a little more motivated.

A show I recently watched all the way through is The Handmaid's Tale. I had read the book a couple of years ago but never watched the show since the book was disturbing enough but I am SO glad I started watching it. It's very scary, especially during a time like this in the world but so important to be aware of what the world could end up being if a radical religious group ever took over. I would be in Canada SO fast.

Becoming by Michelle Obama was an absolutely AMAZING autobiography. I read it within a four hour time period this past Sunday and didn't regret a minute of my time. Michelle is the most inspiring woman and I can't believe how much I didn't know about her. She came so far in her life and is absolutely brilliant. It made me like her and Barack even more then I already did. If you are at all interested in her life story, definitely give this one a read!

A TV show that Tim and I watched together recently is Superstore which is absolutely hilarious! We watched all the seasons on Hulu and enjoyed it so much. The cast is hilarious and it is created by the same people who made The Office and Parks and Recreation so if you are a fan of either of those shows just give it a try!

I just finished watching the whole season of Marie Kondo's Netflix show called Tidying Up. I love her book and find her organizing methods very inspirational and very much enjoyed her show. I liked that she didn't do all the work for her clients but made them go through their own belongings. It inspires me to pair down my belongings and get rid of things that don't spark joy. If you like decluttering at all, check it out!

What are you loving lately?

Three Things I'm Loving Lately!

Happy Wednesday ya'll!

Today I'm sharing with you three things I'm loving lately!

Fall TV

I love when fall tv comes back! Some of my favorite shows are back/coming back and I tend to be terrible at watching shows when they are actually on and have been catching up on everything when I have a free moment. Lucky for me we have OnDemand!

Some shows I'm watching this fall are; Big Bang Theory, Once Upon a Time, This Is Us, The Good Place, Modern Family and The Middle.

When I mention fall tv, I also have to mention football! I have been watching my Patriots of course, but with Tim around I watch more football then I ever did! It's so nice to be back to watching The Patriots win again :)


Decorating For Fall

I have been loving decorating our little home for fall.  I don't have a ton of decorations but have managed to only pick up one item so far! I will be sharing all of our fall decor soon right here on the blog so keep your eyes peeled!

Audiobooks

I have been actually listening to quite a few audiobooks on youtube. So far I've only been listening to books I've already read so I kind of already have an idea of what's happening but I'm really getting used to it. When I do overtime at work I've been listening to audiobooks instead of listening to music which feels way more productive to me.

So far I've listened to the entire Harry Potter series and am working on a Nicholas Sparks book right now and plan on keep listening to book, especially in the car during my commute!

What are three things you've been loving lately?

Beach Days and Fuller House

On Sunday morning after grabbing some breakfast Tim and I took a walk on Charlestown Beach. It was a gorgeous sunny day even though there was a bit of a chill in the air from the wind. I felt comfortable in my winter jacket but was dreaming of having my toes in the sand instead of my boots!

Gorgeous right?!

Also, just wanted to share that it took precisely three days for Tim and I to watch the entirety of Fuller House which was so good! Incredibly cheesy, but amazing and I highly recommend checking it out!

I Didn't Come Here To Make Friends....

This week Sean Lowe released his new book and I briefly considered downloading it to my Kindle...then I saw the price on Amazon and decided I would wait it out till the price drops a little bit.  In the section that shows what customers also bought was a book written by Bachelor's biggest villain....

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson was a tell-all, don't hold back book! When I watched Ben's season of the Bachelor I hated Courtney. I found her obnoxious and wanted her to get sent home every week and was very upset when she was the winner of the season. I decided to read this book to gain some behind the seasons info and learn what happens when the cameras turn off on the show. Courtney didn't disappoint!

Courtney shares in this book how even though she was responsible for the comments she made towards the other girls but she was made into a much bigger villain then she ever actually was. Courtney may have not gotten along with the other contestants and may have made some terrible decisions but it appears that the other girls were just as nasty- they just weren't caught on film. She also shares information about her relationship with Ben after the show ended- someone who should probably never be in a relationship. Ever.

I really enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. It was not very well written, but I was intrigued the whole time. I loved hearing the gossip and was excited to learn about what the Bachelor is truly like behind the scenes.

Do you watch The Bachelor?

This season I am loving the show so far. I was a little disappointed when Ashley I got sent home on Monday because she was crazy and definitely added some dramatic craziness each week! As for real contenders I am currently liking Jade, Whitney and Becca!

Who's your favorite so far?

Last nights Bachelorette and some Roxy Love!

Hey everyone, just thought I would pop in for an extra blog post today, SURPRISE!

I couldn't ignore last nights Bachelorette episode and not say anything about it because boy I was SHOCKED. I had no idea that was going to happen!

If you haven't seen last nights Bachelorette episode then you probably don't want to read on, or just skip over until you see the pictures of Roxy and then you'll know it's safe =)

When I saw the previews leading up to this past episode, I assumed that one of the boys did something stupid, or that Des was having trouble choosing, or maybe her brother butted in on her relationships again. I was so shocked to see that Brooks was the cause of her breakdown. I thought that if anything Desiree wasn't in to him as much as he was in to her, I couldn't believe that she came out and said that she was going to pick him and it was basically over for her at this point.

To me it seems that she was pretty much stringing along the other guys, knowing that she wasn't planning on picking them because she didn't like them as much as she liked Brooks. Now that Des says it's over, we're all left to wonder what will happen next week.

In my opinion, there's not a chance in hell she will pick either Drew or Chris. How could she ever pick one of them after saying over and over again that she loved Brooks and the other guys couldn't compare. What guy would want to be second choice? No man would. At this point I'm thinking that either Brooks will change his mind, come back and compete for Des's heart OR Des will not pick anyone. I don't think she will choose anyone but Brooks, but I'm thinking he might come back and try it again, I just have this feeling! =)

Anyways, that's just my two cents! Now for some pictures of Roxy. The two of us had a photoshoot this afternoon before I left for work. This is just to show you how much of a baby she is and how much she loves being snuggled...

what a goober. Awful pictures of me, but I just had to capture pictures of how she acts when she is in my lap! 

Anyways, I'll see you all for my normal morning post tomorrow! Have a great night!

The Great Gatsby and The Bachelorette

Hi everyone! You're seeing me a little late this week, I took yesterday off from the old blog to spend my day relaxing and turning into a lobster. Yes, I am so sunburnt- all over my arms and legs. Lovely. Overall it was a fantastic, relaxing weekend. I did some errands, saw a movie, did a few workouts, took a long walk, and read two entire books. Yes, I'm aware I'm nuts. Anyways, I wanted to jump on here and talk about the movie I saw this weekend The Great Gatsby.

source

I read The Great Gatsby back in high school, in either tenth or eleventh grade (I'm having a major brain fart about my teachers during those years and who taught this book to my class!). I remembered the basic story but a lot of the details were fuzzy. However as soon as I started watching the movie little details began to come back to me. I remembered having to write essay questions on the 'eyes of God' and the symbolism of Gatsby knocking over the clock when seeing Daisy again. More and more of the book started to come back to me. 

I have to say that the movie seemed very long-I got bored at points because it felt as if nothing was happening. I don't feel like the story was that slow moving when I read it. The make of the film was strange as well- if you know what I mean. I expected it to be more true to the 20s, not rap music and over the top amusement at parties. I think it could have been a little subdued.

I definitely won't be going out and purchasing this movie for my collection- but I am glad that I did go out and see it- the costuming was amazing and Leonardo DiCaprio is always a great actor and so good looking! =)

Did any of you out there watch the Bachelorette premiere last night? What a bunch of weirdos huh?! I am not a huge fan of Desiree anyways, she wasn't one of my favorites from Sean's season and then the whole thing with her brother happened and I kind of wrote her off. When she was announced as the next bachelorette I wasn't thrilled anyways, but now with all the weirdos that are on the show with her? Geez- I don't know how that will go. There were a few that seemed like normal, upstanding guys...but I  am not a huge fan so far!

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and are enjoying the start of the short-work-week!

Weekend Update

I'm just finishing up the weekend over here, since I work Saturday morning and Monday night my weekend really only stretches from Saturday afternoon-Monday afternoon... but it's been a great/relaxing/busy weekend!

I ended up going to lunch and a movie with my friend Rachel yesterday and finally got to see Safe Haven! 

I had read this Nicholas Sparks book when it first came out- so I remembered some of the story but not a ton of it. I remembered who Jo was, and remembered the main characters and their general stories but nothing too specific. When I got home last night after seeing the movie I decided to have a relaxing evening and start re-reading the book so I could see what was truly different. Of course I didn't get too far since Once Upon A Time and Revenge were both on last night (!!!) but I noticed several differences right away.

• Alex's hair is gray in the book- clearly Josh Duhamel wasn't rocking that look, but that's okay I like him better without the gray locks.
• Alex never mentions his time in the army.
• Katie tells Alex about her past- he doesn't find a poster of her saying shes wanted for murder in the book.
• Lexi in the movie is Kristen in the book, why the name change?
• Katie sees Josh falling into the water on a video monitor, not out the window.

Maybe I shouldn't have started re-reading the book because these differences will drive me crazy.

Anyways, Once Upon A Time last night was awesome! I loved seeing Pinocchio again, but can't believe that the new girl got away with what she did. She's in cahoots with that other guy who came into town?! What?! It's crazy that people are so connected in so many ways in this show- it's totally lost-esque. 

Revenge was good too- I'm glad Emily and Eli got revenge on their foster mother, but I can't believe Padma got taken! Poor Nolan. =(

Anyways, it was a crazy night and Roxy and I went to bed pretty early- and didn't want to get out of bed this morning!

But we had to because Roxy got her stitches out today! She is so happy to not have to wear clothes anymore =)

We also had a few other errands to run- grocery store, post office, bank...you know =)

Well back to work tonight, so I'm off to get some things done around the house- have a great day everybody!