The Next Book on my list is Don’t Hate the Player by Alexis Nedd. At first, it seems for a younger crowd but then I really enjoyed reading it with my daughters and discussing it together. We really have not been able to do that before and since it has a sports setting, I think a lot of you will find it really entertaining:
“Refreshingly voice-y, wildly smart, and genuinely hilarious.” – Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue
From an exciting new voice comes a funny and heartfelt YA romance set in the world of competitive gaming, perfect for fans of Opposite of Always and Slay.
Emilia Romero is living a double life. By day, she’s a field hockey star with a flawless report card. But by night, she’s kicking virtual ass as the only female member of a highly competitive eSports team. Emilia has mastered the art of keeping her two worlds thriving, which hinges on them staying completely separate. That’s in part to keep her real-life persona, but also for her own safety, since girl gamers are often threatened and harassed.
When a major eSports tournament comes to her city, Emilia is determined to prove herself to her team and the male-dominated gaming community. But her perfectly balanced life is thrown for a loop when a member of a rival team recognizes her . . .
Jake Hooper has had a crush on Emilia since he was ten years old. When his underdog eSports team makes it into the tournament, he’s floored to discover she’s been leading a double life. The fates bring Jake and Emilia together as they work to keep her secret, even as the pressures of the tournament and their non-gaming world threaten to pull everything apart.
Debut author Alexis Nedd has crafted a YA combo-punch of charming romance and virtual adventure that will win the hearts of gamers and non-gamers alike. – Amazon.com
For more information or to order this book, click HERE.
My son moved into his first real on his own post-college apartment this weekend. It is so bittersweet because for the past 16 months he has been living here and it has been so much fun. But, I am excited for him and he is in my old neighborhood, which I adore, and I know he will have the time of his life…..On the blogging side of things, we had to go to Target to get a bunch of stuff for the apartment. So while I sent him off looking for command hooks (which I do not think even work, but that’s another blog), I decided to check out the dresses. Target is always a home run for inexpensive, cute dresses at a great price point. I feel like they copy a lot of the high-end designer styles and the quality is so much better than some of the other stores in the same category.
Here is the best of the best of their assortment right now and everything is available online. The only thing I would say is Target generally runs big so you are going to have to size down. I would read the reviews just to make sure but I did with the ones that I tried.
Technically this is not a dress but how fabulous is this jumpsuit?
I saw someone wearing this dress and it stopped me in my tracks. I am in love with this color!
The “nap dress” is really popular this summer. Here is an adorable one for much less.
One of my favorite things to make when entertaining or when I have to bring something to a party or picnic is crab dip. Everyone always loves it, so when I saw this version, I knew I had to try it. I never made one with cheese before and it really is a game changer. The cheddar with the crab is a great combination!!! Bon Appetit!!!
adapted from cooking professionally
Ingredients
• 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon white onion, grated
• 2 (6 ounce) cans lump crab meat
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
• a few drops of hot sauce, to taste• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Sliced green onions, for garnish
Step 1
Set your oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2
In a mixing bowl, cream together mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese. Add all other ingredients and continue to mix until completely combined.
Step 3
Spoon into a small baking dish.
Step 4
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is starting to brown on the top and the dip is starting to boil. Serve with crackers (Ritz works well) and celery sticks.
One principle applies when you are buying swimwear – it is absolutely crucial that you buy a style and cut that suits your build and matches the reason why you need the clothing item. If this sounds vague, think about what you want to use it for – chances are that a skimpy bikini that is designed for getting a tan is unlikely to perform under the pressure of high-intensity fitness swimming!
Making sense of all the choices
Summer is the season for bikinis and other poolside fashion. If you start shopping around towards the end of winter, you are likely to find some excellent deals, but with the huge selection of styles that are available out there, how do you know which is the right one for you? Some of the most common styles include bikini, tankini, and full-length swimsuit. The first question you need to ask is how much coverage you need to feel comfortable. Many people don’t care about showing skin, where others need a lot more coverage to feel at ease. Whatever your preference is on this front, should guide the rest of your decision-making.
The multi-purpose one piece
The one-piece suit is the suit of choice for athletes and exercise fans, as they run the lowest risk of accidentally coming undone under high-intensity activity. Logically, it also provides the most coverage of all the designs. These suits are also often lined to give the illusion of a flatter stomach – a point of contention for many women.
The multi-purpose one piece
The one-piece suit is the suit of choice for athletes and exercise fans, as they run the lowest risk of accidentally coming undone under high-intensity activity. Logically, it also provides the most coverage of all the designs. These suits are also often lined to give the illusion of a flatter stomach – a point of contention for many women.
Particularly for athletes, but actually universally applicable, is to pick a suit that is durable, and likely to have a decent lifespan without stretching, fraying, fading or generally not meeting expectations. A great tip is to look for swimwear for women made of material that has been treated to prevent chlorine and other chemicals from affecting the structural integrity of the swimsuit.
I want to swim, but I want to hide my belly.
Look no further – control swimsuits or slimming swimsuits are here to save the day. Look for one-piece suits, in designs that incorporate ruching, twisted embellishments, dark side panels and tummy tucking control panels, to give you an extra boost in your quest for a slimmed-down appearance.
What is the big deal with body shapes?
Swimsuits for women come with a lot to think about – what you like, what you look good in, what is flattering or unflattering, and the list goes on. Your body shape plays a big role in the overall reason for choosing certain cuts. We’ve all heard the terms: pear-shaped, athletic, hourglass, and apple. The good news is that stores salespeople are well-trained in helping you analyze your body shape, and what to wear to make it appear at its best. Putting a little bit of extra time aside to get the right swimsuit will pay off in the long run.
The beauty of swimsuits for women is that it need not be expensive to do a good job!
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Modular Closets Organization Expert Marty Basher Shares Tips for Finding Things in its Rightful Place
August has arrived which means back to school is just around the corner. There’s no better time than now to not only organized your home but to bridge the organization of where things belong gap so that all family members can find what they are looking for during the hurried rush of school mornings.
The Key to Finding Things In Your House
You reach into the kitchen pantry, expecting to lay your hands on a can of tuna for lunch, and instead come out with a can of beans. Or maybe you go to the mudroom, expecting to find the coat you left hanging there yesterday afternoon, and instead, you find an empty hook.
We’re all spending a lot more time at home these days, and if you happen to live with someone who is a compulsive organizer, you might be finding yourself looking for what you need in all the wrong places.https://f8524e9fef3672a830f1add4f7490705.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
But is it the “wrong” place? Or is that someone in your household has decided what the “right” place should be, possibly without telling you? This is an oddly common complaint with couples and families who have a compulsive tidier in their midst. The one who is organizing might be frustrated because they’re always having to clean up; the rest of the family might just be annoyed because they can never find anything when they need it, having to rely on the one who organizes to help them time and time again!
Living in close quarters with that kind of disconnect can result in some real arguments and hurt feelings though, so with the aim of keeping everyone safe and happy during these times, here are some solutions to make sure that the “organizers” and the “organizees” get on the same page.
Communication First
If you are the one who is usually organizing, tidying, and in general keeping the mess at bay, you probably have a system. If you’re not this person, you might be subject to a system that you don’t understand or that hasn’t been communicated to you.
Overall, communicating on keeping things tidy fundamentally requires agreement between two or more people that there is actually a problem with mess and clutter encroaching on life. Like every civilized society, there are compromises that need to be made to ensure that everyone is happy. Even if you think the house is fine, the person who wants to tidy clearly does not. And if you are the one doing most of the organizing, don’t be heavy-handed about it: ask for the opinions of others. You might be surprised and find out that they have a better idea!https://f8524e9fef3672a830f1add4f7490705.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Putting a system in place to keep the house tidy works best if everyone in the household gets involved in deciding how all of your household items will be stored. It guarantees compliance if they are part of the decision-making process, rather than simply having it dictated to them.
How can you bridge the gap between the person who knows everything and the person who does not?
Work together to organize the house. Pick a day or evening when you both have time off from work and organize a section of your home together. Since it’s better to tackle one or two things at a time than everything at once, choose one area a week and pull everything out, take inventory, and discuss where things should go. Not only does this get partners on the same page, but also it gives them a sense of cooperation and accomplishment when meeting their weekly organization goals.
Delegate areas for cleaning and maintenance. Another great way to bridge the gap is by dividing areas between partners when it comes to maintenance and organization. For example, one partner can be in charge of keeping the kitchen and downstairs bathroom organized and clutter-free, whereas the other captains the linen closets and garage. Delegating areas relieve the stress from the person who knows where everything is, as well as empowers the other partner with an opportunity to feel like they are doing something good for the household.
Remember to show your partner any new arrangements. For stay-at-home partners who may have to rearrange cabinets and drawers often so their precious little ones and pets stay safe, it’s easy to forget that moving cups from one area to another may seem like a simple, mindless task, but for a partner who isn’t around all day, this minor shift in normality is confusing. Their forgetfulness or inability to find things is not entirely their fault. With this in mind, always show your partner where you put things after any spur-of-the-moment or planned organizing venture.
Consider Purging What Isn’t Needed
Taking a little time to review what is currently in your home and whether or not it actually needs to be, is a great first step to figuring out how to organize what’s left. You’ll probably find that the board game with the missing pieces or the glassware in the kitchen with chips can be disposed of, while the clothes that were bought and never worn can be donated.https://f8524e9fef3672a830f1add4f7490705.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
A little time spent triaging what you all want to keep, throw away, or donate will help whittle down the number of items you need to keep tidy. It’s not a question of living like a minimalist, but the stack of long out of date magazines? That probably doesn’t need to be taking up space anymore.
Everything Has a Home
Once you’ve agreed with your spouse or family that a little organization would be a big help to keeping the house tidy and gotten rid of things you don’t want or need anymore, it’s a question of finding a home for everything in your house.
An example most people deal with every winter is where to put mittens, hats, and scarves. Depending on how much space you have, a basket for each person to put their items in makes sense. There’s no wondering where these items are at the start of each day!
Look at each room and see what storage you have in each and what should be stored in that space. You’re not going to put canned goods in the living room, obviously, but do you have a spot for board games, blankets, and books? It’s a good time to evaluate if you have enough storage in each room for what needs to be in there and, if you do, to organize it so that it makes sense for everyone. For example, bookshelves should have books for the little ones where they can reach them, and books for the big ones higher up. It’s functional, practical and will save time putting things away when you need to. In fact, spending more time at home is a great opportunity to rejuvenate closets and other storage spaces so that they are more functional and less cluttered too.
Practice Makes Perfect
Once everything has a home, it’s a question of getting the others in the house to practice putting things away. Every day. After a while, it becomes second nature but that doesn’t happen overnight.https://f8524e9fef3672a830f1add4f7490705.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Take a breath and realize that a picture-perfect home isn’t the goal, particularly with everyone home a lot more than in the past. The goal is simply to reach a point where someone can think to themselves: “I need XYZ” and they know exactly where to go to find that item. This process will save you from having arguments and frustration all around, create a pleasant living environment, and in general, will improve the reality we’re all living with right now.https://f8524e9fef3672a830f1add4f7490705.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Marty Basher is the design and organization expert with Modular Closets, https://www.modularclosets.com. Marty regularly contributes on topics of DIY renovations, home design, organization, improvement, and more, helping homeowners get the most of the spaces in their homes. Modular Closets are high-quality and easy-to-design closet systems made in the USA that you can order, assemble and install yourself, in no time at all. Using closet modules (closet pieces you can mix & match to design your own modular closet), homeowners everywhere are empowered to achieve a true custom look- for nearly 40% less than standard custom closets