The Foreman Five

In Between Summer and Fall

Luckily it stays quite warm in Fresno past the summer months. I say lucky because I only like warm weather! Everyone is crying for cooler weather but not me. Don't get me wrong there are so many things I absolutely love about fall but the cooler weather isn't one of them.

Until true fall is here my wardrobe does need to change slightly from rompers and off the shoulder dresses. One of the summer trends I'm not ready to give up is the cold shoulder. This cold shoulder top is perfect for the Summer/Fall Transition because it's 3/4 length sleeves. I've paired it with some white skinny jeans and wedges. Like I said it stays pretty warm for awhile so the wedges still work. As it gets even cooler I'll add booties to this look.

I love a look that also transitions within my day. I could wear this to work for a slightly more casual work day but it also is great for running errands and chasing the girls around. It's completely comfortable so it works for whatever the day brings.

That's the perfect MOM-iform if you ask me: cute and comfortable!

Stealing a Mommy Moment and Book Review

Stealing a moment to unwind, relax, sip hot tea and read a book is a total luxury. During the summer months my favorite past time is reading by the pool. In the fall or cooler months there's not much more I enjoy than reading a book with a warm cup of tea. (I guess it rivals a hot bath at the end of a long day.) Although reading is one of my favorite pastimes, reality is I don't get to do it very often. So when I do get to sneak away and steal a mommy moment I'm one happy lady. Recently I was able to steal a few of those moments and read the book June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore.

I was intrigued as it began but it wasn't a page turner right away. However, half way through the book it ignited and I couldn't put it down.

The story rotates between 1955 and 2015 telling the story from the past and the present. In 2015 Cassie finds herself living in her grandmother's former mansion which is crumbling around her. She gave up her life in NY to move back to St. Jude when her grandmother was on her death bed. As the world is falling around her she gets a knock on the door that changes her life. A famous actor, Jack Montgomery passed away and left his millions of dollars to Cassie alone. She has no idea why this would be but soon she uncovers a past she had no idea existed.
In 1955, June, Cassie's grandmother is a teenager living in her uncle's grand home in St. Jude awaiting marriage to someone she loves but isn't deeply in love with. The world's biggest movies stars are coming into the small town to shoot a movie. Although June isn't caught up like the rest of the town in the excitement of the movie she does meet the leading man, Jack Montgomery. We learn about her summer with Jack and how betrayal, lies, blackmail and murder change her life forever.
The story took turns and kept me on my toes wanting to learn more. In the end your questions were answered and it's kept me thinking about it even once the pages were done turning. There was only one question that was left unanswered that keeps bothering me. I'm not sure why the book didn't answer this one mystery.
Even so, if you are looking for a easy and intriguing read I definitely recommend June.

You can learn more about the author HERE

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. As always all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Celebrating Our Time Together

I wish I could say that it doesn't take an anniversary or a holiday like Valentine's Day to remind me that love should be celebrated but in reality they are good reminders. I think love and marriage should be celebrated because it's an accomplishment that our society doesn't embrace. My husband and I just celebrated our 7 year anniversary and coming this January we have been together for 17 years (approximately 6230 days to today). More than half of my life has been with this amazing man. In our almost 17 years we've graduated high school and college, we've welcomed 10 nieces and nephews, we've started our careers, we've lost too many loved one, we've created two beautiful girls, and we've grown immensely.

We took our anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate each other and our love and commitment. As I've shared before I strongly believe in dating your spouse and spending special and quality time together. We took a 24 hour stay-cation to Chuckchansi Resort which is just about 30 minutes away from our home. We went up to mass where we got married in the foothills, then headed to the resort where we ate lunch by the pool and soaked up the sun. In the afternoon I got to enjoy a massage and the steam room. We had a fabulous dinner at the resort and then got in the jacuzzi before heading to bed. The next morning after the 6:30 fire alarm wake up call we just relaxed in the room. We finished our stay by hanging by the pool again. I got to get some much needed reading time in on our little trip.

During our dinner we exchanged gifts. I try to put some thought and meaning into the gifts I get Kevin as often as possible. Not only does Kevin have a watch obsession but I also wanted something that would signify our time together. When he looks at his watch he can think of all the years, months, weeks, days, hours, and minutes we've spent together. Not all moments have been perfect but they make up our relationship and who we are as a couple today. The watch I gave Kevin was from Jord which is a unique wood watch brand. He was so excited with his gift and loved how different it was. I was thrilled to see his excitement.

Jord has a saying that I love, "Moments are bigger than minutes and your watch should tell more than time." Jord creates timepieces that work with modern lifestyle. Their made for people who have somewhere to go not just somewhere to be. Jord offers a wide variety of styles which include 8 different types of wood and there are men's, women's and unisex styles.

Even the box it comes in is so unique and special. To find a watch perfect click HERE

This is the Dark Sandalwood & Blue Carbon watch from the Delmar Series. To find this watch click HERE

I'm excited to share these unique watches with you. You could win a $75 gift code for Jord Wood Watches ENTER HERE. The best news is that if you don't win the grand prize you get a $20 gift code just for entering.
Contest ends 9/18/16

Thank you JORD watches for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Wooden Wrist Watch

Drunken Piña Colada Pops

It's been a blazing summer here in Fresno and since school just started I feel like I'm in chaos mode. I needed to find a solution for the heat and stress so I made Drunken Piña Colada Pops with the help of my new Nutri Ninja Auto-IQ Blender. The Nutri Ninja is amazing!!!! It's a blender, a nutrient extractor, and a food processor. It worked beautifully to make these pops but I can't wait to use it for a hundred other uses. As many of you know I love to make smoothies so I can't wait to use the Ninja for my next morning smoothie.

The Nutri Ninja can break down whole foods, ice, and seeds- leaving no ingredient unblended which is perfect for smoothies, cocktails, popsicles, and much more. The Auto-IQ technology has a unique blending, pulsing, and pausing cycles which delivers consistent results every time. You hit the button once and the Nutri Ninja does the rest for you. You don't have to start, stop, shake the container, and then start again. The pause cycle allows everything to settle so you can get a consistent blend. There are different Auto-IQ buttons for different needs: Nutri Ninja Ultra Blend (Frozen Fruits & Ice, Nuts & Seeds), Nutri Ninja Blend (Fresh Fruit, Leafy Greens, Yogurt), Food Puree (Baby Food, Dips & Spreads), Frozen Drink Smoothies (Frozen Drinks, Smoothies, Milkshakes), and Food Puree (Sauces, Dips, Soups).

I had to sneak in a taste before I froze them!

Problem Solved!!!!!

Friday Favorites 9/2

We had a super fun weekend and a busy week. We're totally looking forward to the long holiday weekend. We've got fun things planned.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Last weekend we attended Young Chef's Academy Fresno's Back to School Open House. The girls and I loved it. There were stations to make quesadillas, smoothies, chef's hats, sugar cookies, and crafts. The girls even got to take home a goodie bag. Emily is so excited to start cooking classes soon!

We got away for our anniversary and getting time to read by the pool was of course a favorite for the week!

We had a delicious dinner to celebrate our 7 years of marriage. More details to come from our getaway.

Kevin gets an A+++ for my gift...

As I mention probably a little too often I hate to wash my hair so dry shampoo is totally my best friend. I just picked up a new one and so far I'm really liking it. Not going to lie the leopard bottle is why I bought it, lol.

My mom recently returned from Lake Tahoe and brought back the best gift: Rum Runner Mix. You mix this with light and dark rum and blend with ice. It's phenomenal and takes me right back to The Beacon listening to a band with my toes in the sand and a drink (Rum Runner) in my hand.

You know you've killed a listing appointment when the prospect sends you flowers afterwards to thank you for your presentation. I was so touched by this; it made my week!