Stitch Fix #8!

I was super excited to get my latest Stitch Fix box.  I had asked for some sleeveless shirts under $50 for my new job and shirts to possibly go with my new navy pants. 

I was excited about all of these things.  Especially the Filbert Henley shirt and the Pixley dress.  I had pinned the Pixley dress awhile ago and had gotten another pretty navy dress in place of it but I was stoked to get this one and try it!

Papermoon
Norris Abstract Houndstooth Sleevelesss Blouse

I really wanted to like this shirt.  It was soft.  It was flattering and it fit.  Plus goes with my navy pants.  However, even though this is a Petite size the back is long and it just does not flatter my behind.  After a lot of thought I'm almost 100 percent certain I'm sending it back.

41Hawthorn
Quilted Detailed Blouse

Once again I really wanted to like this shirt.  I love the color, it fits fabulously but it feels awful.  And there is something weird with the arms.  My husband walked in while I was trying it on and asked if it was my pirate shirt ha.  So, if this was a different material and the arms weren't weird I'd buy this in a heart beat.  Love how it looked on me!

Papermoon
Mesli Crochet Detail Blouse

 

 

There was nothing wrong with this shirt.  It fit.  But I didn't like the color on me and it also felt weird.  It had a metal button ish thing in the back that was interesting but made me feel like I needed to rip it off and eh...

 

Pixley

Florence Colorblocked Dress



 



 

LOOOOVE THIS.However, this is a size smaller than I wear so it didn't fit.  It was too tight.  If I was 100 percent certain the size up would work I would ask to exchange.  Super bummed.

 

41hawthorn

Filbert Abstract Henley Blouse

 

 

I'm thinking of keeping this one.  I'm almost sure I'm going too, mainly because I don't want to lose my styling fee.  It fits, it looks nice, it's flattering, I'm not innnnnn love with it but I do like it and I think it would be a good addition to my wardrobe.  It's soft.

 

 

 

Overall I was more disappointed in the feel of the shirts than anything.  Fit wise, minus the dress it all fit.  All things I'd love to wear except the coral/orange shirt.  Just stinks because I was hoping for more wows this time since I am in desperate need for some work shirts.

 

What do you think? What should I keep? Send back?

 

If you are wondering, what is Stitch Fix? I can help.  Stitch Fix is a styling service where you fill out an online profile, link a pinterest board if you want and like magic, a box of clothes appears at your house.  You get five items and you can try them on at your house, alone and with your whole closet to help you.  If you keep all five items you get a 25 percent discount.  If you want to keep one, you can!  Here is my referral link.  If you sign up using it, I get a $25 credit towards more clothes!

The Lost Ones

Okay, I have no idea why but every time I go to write the title of this book I want to call it The Lone Ranger.  Whoops.  The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins is the second in a series of books set in small town Mississippi about former military man Quinn Colson.

We read the first book, The Ranger, as a books and bars pick last year so I figured I'd eventually get around to reading the rest when I saw them at the library.  I was digging through the mystery section earlier this month when I came across it and remembered that I wanted to check it out.

Even though this is the second book, I would not say you REALLLY need to read the first.  Yeah there is back story and some of the same characters but I literally could not remember what happened in the first book and it was okay ha.

Description: Fresh from ten years as a U.S. Army Ranger, Quinn Colson finds his hands full as the newly elected sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi.  An old buddy running a local gun shop may be in over his head when stolen army rifles start showing up in the hands of a Mexican drug gang.

At the same time, an abused-child case leads Quinn and his tough-as-nails deputy, Lillie Virgil, deep into the heart of a bootleg baby racket and a trail of darkness and death. And when the two cases collide, Quinn and his allies are forced to realize that, though they may be home from the war, they are now in the fight of their lives.

This is a very fast paced book.  I read it in one day.  I started during nap time and stayed up and finished it the same day.  So a great book for the beach, vacation or just when you need a quick zip away from reality. 

I feel like his books would be great for a guy who might not be too into reading but like it a little.  I've told my husband if he read books he'd read this one.  And if it was a tv show, he'd be all over it. ;)

Do you ever go years between reading books in a series? What book have you read recently that you thought would be a good tv show or movie?

Dollbaby

I had heard people recommend Dollbaby earlier this year but I hadn't really looked into it until I was at the library and found it in the New section.  I read the jacket cover and thought, hey, this is my jam, why haven't I read this yet?  So I picked it up and had to renew it twice because I kept reading other things and then I sat down and started and then I blinked and hours had passed and I kicked myself for not reading it a month earlier!

Description: A big-hearted coming-of-age debut set in civil rights-era New Orleans—a novel of Southern eccentricity and secrets

When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father’s urn for good measure. Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been — and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum — is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secret.

For Fannie’s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby’s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby’s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places.

I loved the characters in this book!  Well, minus Ibby's mother because, seriously WHO DOES THAT?  Anyway, it's a great story.  Ibby comes to live with her grandma and meets a whole new world that takes her in like family and she learns things she never knew existed.  I love the back history of Fannie, Dollbaby and Queenie. 

The different viewpoints of the civil rights between Dollbaby and Queenie was interesting.  Dollbaby wanted to be an active part in change and Queenie wanted things to stay the same.  Dollbaby's daughter inspired her to take part and yet at the same time Queenie wanted to use her as the reason for Dollbaby to not take part. If this was generational differences or just individual differences would be a good discussion.

I love books set in the 60s in the south and Dollbaby does not disappoint.  I like the glimpse into New Orleans because besides Lavina I'm not sure I've read any other books set in Louisiana off the top of my head. 

It's hard to really write about this without giving away the secrets that the book lets out but I did enjoy it and I'd recommend it!

Have you ever been to New Orleans? Do you have a group of people you consider family even if they are not related? Do you tend to take an active part in making a difference or do you shy away?

Currently...

Reading: I just finished The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen.  I think I'm going to read The Lost Ones next or The Detroit Electric Scheme..

Loving: The beautiful green around me.  The view of my yard from the fire pit.  Friday night family fires that include a bottle of wine after the kiddo goes to bed.

Thinking: A lot of about the changes that are coming our way and how scary change is but how ready I am for a change!

Frustrated: About people's reaction to information I've shared with them about the change happening.  If you are not me, you will not truly get the horror of the last year people, so no, I don't really care about what you think is better for me. 

 

Feeling: Nervous.  Excited.

 

Anticipating: Our last three camping trips that are going to be a tad shorter than we had planned but still so much fun. I love Michigan lakes in summer!

Watching: Odd Mom Out on Bravo.  OH MY GOSH.  HYSTERICAL!

Sad: I've really been missing my grandpa.  And it's stirred up missing my grandma and how I wish I could share the awesome they were with Isla and that every kid had such an amazing pair of grandparents as that.  12 grand kids but each of us had a unique relationship with them and a unique memory to share.  Incredible.

Grateful: For change!

Listening: The Highway, Y2K Country or Margaritaville on XM.  I am going to be so sad when my trial runs out!

Wishing: to know the future

What are you currently reading, watching or anticipating? 

Newport

The first book I read on my 8 day camping trip was Newport by Jill Morrow.  I love books written between the 20s-40s with period specific story lines.  Newport did not disappoint! 

About Newport

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (July 7, 2015)
In a glamorous Newport mansion filled with secrets, a debonair lawyer must separate truth from deception. . . .Spring 1921. The Great War is over, Prohibition is in full swing, the Great Depression is still years away. Wealthy families flock to the glittering "summer cottages" they built in Newport, Rhode Island. Having sheltered in Newport during his misspent youth, attorney Adrian de la Noye is no stranger to the city. Though he'd prefer to forget the place, he returns to revise the will of a well-heeled client. Bennett Chapman's offspring have the usual concerns about their father's much-younger fiancée. But when they learn of the old widower's firm belief that his late first wife, who "communicates" via séance, has chosen the stunning Catharine Walsh for him, they're shocked. And for Adrian, encountering Catharine in the last place he saw her decades ago proves to be a far greater surprise.Adrian is here to handle a will, and he intends to do so—just as soon as he unearths every last secret about the Chapmans, Catharine Walsh . . . and his own very fraught history.
Vividly bringing to life the glitzy era of the 1920s, Newport is a skillful alchemy of social satire, dark humor, and finely drawn characters.
Adrian has a past that is slowly given to the reader as you progress in the novel.  I will admit at first the seance and the thought that the first Mrs. Chapman was orchestrating this new marriage had me thinking of a great scam, as the story went on it was quite entertaining to learn what secret the late Mrs. Chapman may let out at the next chance. 

I'm not even someone who is sure I believe that people can speak for the departed but this was not overdone in fantasy land.  If that is giving you pause, I'd say still give the book a chance. 

I found myself engulfed in the what happened between whom and what else will be revealed and how will it end.  If you do like something a little more complicated to figure out, this isn't for you.  It's pretty easy to figure out some parts of the story but others are still hidden in a bit of mystery. 

Great book to throw in your beach bag this summer!

What books set in Prohibition have you read? Ever read Ragtime? Which historical fiction are you currently recommending?

I received this book through TLC Book Tours, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Potter Park Zoo

My parents and I wanted to visit a bigger zoo than what we have 45 minutes from us and with a time crunch on when it could happen we decided on the Potter Park Zoo.  Isla and I had been before for their boo at the zoo and it was bigger and a nice facility so it seemed like a great idea.  Of course the weather showed some signs of rain showers but besides a few tiny drips as we were finished, NOTHING.  The temperature was perfect.  However, the mosquitoes were insane.  I'd highly recommend bug spray if you are planning on going.  OUT OF CONTROL.   I had just spent 8 days in the woods and left the zoo with more mosquito bites!

The first thing we saw when we got there were the sea otters.  They were highly entertaining! They kept swimming by the window and flipping and doing tricks.  It was amusing for the 10 or so kids around at the time.  I've never seen sea otters that active before.  It was awesome!

 

These bald eagles were right next to the sea otters and they kept 'talking' to us.  Isla then made noises at them and they made noises back.  It was really cute and then she kept asking the rest of the time if the other animals could talk!

 

 

The big Papa Kangaroo and the little baby Isla kangaroo.

 

 

This peacock was gorgeous! I've never seen once so big before! All the peacocks at the zoo were gorgeous and so big!

 

 
As soon as Isla saw the train she HAD to go on it.  Screw the lions! (3 that were awesome!) She made her Gaga head straight over and the two enjoyed a ride together.  It is a little disappointing as an adult that this is the train ride, but to my 4 year old, it did not matter. ;)

 

After the train ride she was of course staaaarving so we sat at a bench and she ate an apple for awhile until the mosquitoes were killing us and a bird wandered over and scared my fraidy cat.

 

 

 

 

Then we checked out the rhino and the meerkat.  Meerkats are creepy.  I felt they were plotting to jump on our necks and kill us.  Okay, maybe not really but I'm not a big animal person.. mmmkay.

 

 

 

 

Overall it was a terrific trip, minus the mosquitoes!! Isla's favorite was the American Toad mainly because of the waterfall feature.  She also liked the sea otters, the red panda and the wolf.  My dad's favorite was the rhino.  My mom's favorites were the red panda, lions and sea otters.  My favorites were the lions, red panda and peacocks.  It took us about 2 hours and we could have probably spent a bit more time but mosquitoes and a starrrrving 4 year old.  We left and had a lovely lunch at La Senoritas before heading home.  Perfect summer outing!

 

Do you like going to zoos? What are your favorite animals to see? What zoo has been your favorite to visit? Do you have memories of going on trips with your grandparents?