I saw this post on The Nesting Nomad and thought it would be a fun addition to the blog! I know we’re over a month into the year already (I say “already” but honestly January felt about a million years long) and this is a bit delayed, but why not keep the recap going? I’m going to share my top 9 and tell some stories about each picture (which most likely includes a book). I’m also going to show off my best 9 from my personal Instagram, even though I barely even posted that many pictures last year. Bookstagram Row 1, L-R: I sat outside on an uncharacteristically warm day in Connecticut and completely binged Confessions of a High School Disaster for a blog tour. The book reminded me of myself back in ninth grade (not all of it – some parts she was a bit questionable). I’m also wearing some of my favorite Lularoe leggings with elephants! You’ll see pretty quickly how much I love reading outside. This was during a lunch break at work when I was finishing up Roar. I didn’t love the book, but this skirt (also Lularoe) is one of my faaaavorites). I stopped for a smoothie during lunch as well, clearly. Before we moved to Portland, we spent around 2 weeks living at Chris’s parents’ house after our lease ended. I love their outdoor area, with the pool and comfy seating everywhere. I spent a good amount of time hanging out back there (this […]

I wrote my first Three Things post a while back and was inspired to do a follow-up when I saw a version on Grace’s blog. I stole some of the questions and included some of the previous ones (about recently read/watched/etc. because obviously those are different from last time). I originally got the first post idea from a couple of places (this post on a new blog I started following and she grabbed it from someone else) and I ended up adding a few more of my own as well to make it a longer. Feel free to join in but share the credit around 🙂 Three wardrobe staples | Black shirt, leggings, dresses You’ll most likely find me in some kind of flowy black short sleeve shirt, with a sweater of some kind over it, leggings, and boots. It’s definitely my go-to, casual outfit when we’re running errands or out and about on the weekends. I just ordered another short sleeve black shirt because I wear them so often. I have a lot of patterned leggings, so it’s easiest to have plain tops. I also loooove dresses all year – with leggings and boots in the winter or solo in the summer. It’s the easiest way to look put together even if you’re not. Three foods I hate and refuse to eat | Ketchup, mushrooms, peas Not going to lie, I’m one of the least picky eaters out there. There are some foods I really dislike and won’t eat, but most foods […]

Everyone is doing some amazing 2017 wrap-ups and I decided that I couldn’t resist. I finally saw Andi’s new Favorite Things feature this week and it was the last straw to inspire this post. I don’t plan on making it monthly like her, because lord knows I already have two monthly wrap-ups that kind of already share this, but I thought it would be fun to round out a “best of 2017” list for me. I won’t be including actual books, but I will definitely be featuring book-related things. I took a scroll back through my Lauren Lately posts to see what was a fave each month. Lush Dark Angels Cleanser | I started to get a little bored of my face cleanser, so I went over to Lush to see what might work better. I really enjoy this charcoal cleanser for my oily skin! I’ve noticed that it takes longer for my face to get oily each day, which is usually my #1 concern. The only issue is that it’s hard to completely wash off in the shower (or in general) because it’s black. However… Spongeables Charcoal Face Sponge | …this sponge does the trick! I like that it has a coarse side and a soft/smooth side. I rub the coarse side to exfoliate a little bit and make sure the cleanser is all gone, then I use the smooth side to finish it off. I think this pairs well with the cleanser overall in making my skin feel really smooth. […]

Happy end of the year! How is it possible?! Honestly this was one of the craziest, busiest, weirdest, and best years of my life. As you know from years past, I hate filling these out unless my year is completely done. I’ve managed to finish my reading a bit early and then pause until the New Year. I loved filling out Jamie’s survey in 2014, 2015, and 2016. This is the 7th time she’s hosted this survey and it’s so fun to see what everyone chooses for the categories. Last year, I didn’t allow myself any duplicates. I’m going to try to keep them to a minimum for this survey, but it feels impossible. I’ll need to have a few. To learn more about it and see a blank set of questions, check here! It was so fun to reread my answers for last year, since I copied that survey here to clean out and fill out. Number of Books You Read: 150 Number of Re-Reads: 16 | Number of DNFs: 7 Genre You Read The Most From: Contemporary 1. Best Book You Read In 2017? Totally cheating and adding multiple categories! (Not including rereads.) See a full list of my “best reads” of the year (5 stars and 4.5 stars) here if you’re curious.       Best of the best: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Best contemporary: The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord Best non-contemporary: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Best adult fiction: The Dirty Book Club by Lisi Harrison Best 2017 debut […]

I’ve done a few Currently posts on the blog before but never really loved how they came out or the categories I chose. We’ll see how I do these going forward, but I’m drawing from Jamie’s recent Currently list of topics right now (with a few changes/additions)! Thanks girl ?  Also yes I realize this is posted on 11/22 but the answers to the questions are from 11/21. Currently reading: Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather and Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter. I haven’t been doing a great job of reading lately for various reasons but I’ll be back ahead on my GR goal once I finally finish these two! Currently listening to on audiobook: I’m in the process of finishing The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin for book club. I probably won’t start up another one until we’re home again for Christmastime and I have a commute again. I just don’t make the time to listen as much anymore! Currently listening to: Podcasts take up the majority of my listening time, in the shower or walking around the grocery store. I’m also definitely in the middle of my Christmas music binge! Currently eating: Nothing at the moment but we’re having an office lunch sometime soon. Currently in the process of figuring out where we want to order from. Currently drinking: Odwalla Caramel Apple Cider smoothie thing. I grabbed a couple of these at the store yesterday for workday snacks and this one is interesting. I can definitely taste the […]