I don’t know about you, but I love the feeling I get after a hot shower or bath. I feel so clean and fresh – it puts me in a better mood almost instantly. As a woman, I know and understand the importance of feeling fresh and clean throughout the day. Here are a few steps to help you feel more clean and fresh during your day:

Step 1: Start your day with a warm shower. It is the best way to wake up and get feeling clean and ready to face the day.

Step 2: Use Cottonelle Clean Care Toilet Paper. People – especially women – shy away from talking about their bathroom habits. Why is that? I guess I’m just not shy about it. Everyone poops. That’s right, I said it. I’m sorry if that offends you, but you do it too, so it shouldn’t. This two-ply, tuggable, huggable, soft toilet paper goes a long way. Side note: My husband is always complaining about how much toilet paper I use. Since switching to Cottonelle Clean Care, I don’t use near as much. It saves money in the long run and leaves me feeling just as clean.

Step 3: Make yourself feel even more fresh by pairing your Cottonelle Clean Care toilet paper with the Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Wipes. Seriously, these flushable bum cloths leave me feeling so refreshed. The wipes break up after flushing which makes them sewer and septic safe and they are alcohol free! These are a must have to add to your clean routine.

You can receive a $1.50 coupon to save on the Cottonelle Clean Care toilet paper or cleansing wipes. Now you and your clean bum can make like Outkast and feel “so fresh and so clean” all day long.

Don’t forget to “Like” Cottonelle on Facebook!

Eleanor and Park
by Rainbow Rowell
February, 2013 St. Martin’s Griffin

Synopsis on Goodreads: Eleanor… Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough…Eleanor.

Park… He knows she’ll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There’s a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises…Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.


My Thoughts: I was so excited to read this. It was actually a really good story, but I could only give it 3 stars.Why? Because it was too cliche.Your typical troubled teenage love story. There was nothing exciting about it. Nothing special about the story. It was even a bit boring in the beginning. I did like how she wrote it – going back and forth between their perspectives. I also enjoyed the characters. I don’t know if I was just too old for this novel, or if it just didn’t really captivate me like it does some people. I guess I couldn’t relate to the story. I wanted to love it. I really did, but I just didn’t. Anyways…I gave it 3 stars. Maybe Fangirl will be better? 

I went to the beach for my cousin’s Bachelorette party this past weekend. When you put us together, there is nothing but fun and good memories in the making. Although it rained most of the weekend, we did get a little beach time in. We shopped till we dropped and ate…and ate and ate.

Once we got to PCB, we went straight to Margaritaville, wore funny balloon hats (I didn’t get a picture of myself, darn) and got our Parrotheads on. I also enjoyed a Cheeseburger in Paradise that was as good as always.

Hi there! It’s been a while since I last wrote a Fitness Friday post so I figured it was time. If you didn’t see on Insta, I beat my 5k time on Sunday! I’m still a bit slower than I’d like to be, but I’m feeling confident enough to finally run a 5k race. I’m not going to win, let’s be honest, but I have to start somewhere, right? So I’m going to be doing that in the next few weeks.

I saw this sweatshirt on another blog and I HAD to buy it. You know how obsessed I am with Gilmore Girls, right? I’m constantly quoting the show, much to my husbands dismay and entertainment. I own all seven seasons and watch it all the time. When I spotted this sweat shirt, I had to have it. It wasn’t a question. So, I bought it. I shared a selfie (my first ever, I’m pretty sure) and received a bit of feedback on it, so I figured I’d share the deets with you!

Please excuse my “I’m cleaning the house for another showing” hair do.

We spent a beautiful Saturday in Auburn, (home of the War Eagle and Auburn Tigers) with my younger sister who attends school there. It was a wonderful day. We had an indoor picnic (because of rain) and took pictures with Aubie. We enjoyed time with family and friends and later that afternoon we went on a hike through Chewacla State Park. I love Chewacla. It makes me miss living there. If you didn’t know, Ryan and I love to hike. I love being outdoors and working out, so hiking is like a 2 for 1 deal. This was our first mini hike since Hampton has been born and we really enjoyed it. Of course, Hamp was in tow.

After our hike we got cleaned up and went to Toomer’s drugstore for their famous lemonade and then out to dinner at Little Italy (one of our favorite pizza places). It was a great weekend spent with family and friends. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Of course we couldn’t go hiking without Simon.

We can’t be on rocks without doing a little yoga, duh.

What did you do over the weekend?

You may remember I posted about our bathroom demolition a couple of weeks ago. It is good as new and fully functional again. Thank goodness.

Now, about this buying and selling business. Why has no one warned me that it is miserable trying to sell your house? Holy cow. I’m talking about getting a phone call at 9pm after you’ve had a long day with a teething baby saying “Hi, we want to show your home tomorrow morning between 9 and 10.” Are you serious? I’m talking about loading your car full of your dirty laundry and baby gadgets at 10pm then scrubbing your house clean into the night, leaving your house 15 minutes prior to the appointment only to get a phone call letting you know that the couple cancelled because of the rain. Is this real life? Yes. It has been my life for the last 2 months now. I’m pretty sure the only thing worse than buying a house is selling a house. At least, I hope that’s true.

I love to make these 3 ingredient oatmeal raisin cookies because they are quick, easy and super healthy. I prefer to eat them for breakfast. You can also substitute the raisins for dark chocolate chips for a sweet treat. Each cookie contains around 62 calories.

Smash the bananas up and mix all ingredients together. Roll in balls then slightly flatten. Bake in the oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. If they are still really mushy, bake for a little longer. Let them cool and enjoy!

One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
February 1999, St. Martin’s Griffin

Synopsis from Goodreads: One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial “Brides for Indians” program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man’s world. Toward that end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time.


My Thoughts: Buy it. Right now. Holy, wow that was amazing! Okay, first off, I love historical fiction. I also love Indians. I have Cherokee on both side of my family and personally inherited the dark hair, eyes, and olive skin from that ancestry. I love reading about Indians. 


This story captivated me from the first page. The story was incredible. This was a well researched work of fiction although it could have fooled me. I had to keep reminding myself that it was indeed fiction and didn’t really happen. I fell in love with May Dodd and her bravery. Every woman wants to fight among the Indians and brave the wilderness, right? Duh. 


Okay I would give this book 1,000 stars if I could. I feel like everyone should be required to read it. It is an instant favorite of mine and I am forever grateful to my MIL for loaning it to me, although I will definitely be going out to buy my own copy immediately. 


There is really no more to be said other than GO BUY IT NOW. Okay? Thanks.