Friday Favorites #28. {9.29.17}

Hello all you lovely people!!  Are we pumped it's Friday!?!  I am even though we have a jam-packed weekend ahead.  We have baseball tonight, 2 football games tomorrow and then family pictures with Narci D tomorrow night.  I know our weekend is going to fly by!

Like every Friday, I'm sharing my Friday Favorites and linking up with Narci, Erika and Andrea!

So let's get started!

I read/listened to 2 awesome books this week that were definitely favorites.  If you like mysteries/suspense/thrillers, you will LOVE these!!

I talked about The Break Down in my What's Up Wednesday post HERE.  

I loved Behind Closed Doors.  But this one is so much different.  From what I can tell, people are pretty split over which one they liked better.  I personally liked The Break Down better.  It wasn't quite as creepy and had more of a mystery aspect.  I loved all the plot twists!  If you haven't read either one yet, you should add them to your list immediately!

Shay, Erika and I were talking books at the baseball game Tuesday night and when I finished raving about The Break Down I asked what I should try next.  Erika said The Couple Next Door which has been in my wish list on Audible forever.  

I really liked this one too and finished it in 2 days.  (I listen while I work everyday so I fly through books.)

This one was full of mystery, kidnapping, deceit, betrayal, lies, twists and turns.  I am so happy I finally got this checked off my list!  It was a good one!

Mornings are not my favorite.  However, I love being outside this time of day.  Craig had just come back from his run one morning this week and I found everyone hanging out like they had nowhere they had to be in, like, 5 minutes...  #getamoveon

Check out that sky!

And for those of you wondering, I am still OBSESSED with my new latte maker.  It helps get me out of bed in the morning and I need alllllllll the motivation I can get.

Plus, I get to drink my coffee out of my adorable coffee mugs!

Word.

This next one isn't listed yet, but you can message me to request this design!  :)

I got some happy mail!

Try to look past the terrible picture but I couldn't wait to show you!  This amazing little sweater came in yesterday and I didn't get to open the package until after our baseball game which is why you get the shoeless, yellow-y bathroom pic.  But how cute is this sweater!?!  I love the sleeves, it is so cozy and will look perfect with practically any scarf.  I'm thinking about this red buffalo check scarf.

Right now, it is 40% off which puts it under $36!  Mine is in Whisper White and I'm wearing a small.

Find it HERE!

(And you can find these flare jeans I've been raving about here.)

I also got this one in the mail from The Mint Julep Boutique which is why it's still all wrinkled.  I love all those Facebook boutiques.  (Some of my favorites:  Lime Lush, Mint Julep, Impressions, Modern Vintage...I should do a whole post on my favorite online boutiques.)

But how cute is this little top! I ordered it in a medium but I could probably go up to a large for a roomier fit.  

I love the sleeves!

And speaking of online boutiques, I just discovered this one today!  It's called Mindy Mae's Market and I swear I explored it for at least 45 minutes after I got all my orders shipped out and I had some downtime.

They had some cute Halloween tops!  These were two of my favorites.

Boo sweatshirt

Spooky tee

And I went ahead and ordered this cute pink plaid button down because it was just calling to me.  And we all know I'm addicted to plaid.  I justified the price because I know I'll be getting some birthday money from my parents next week.  ;)

And this tee is adorable.  Give me a break, is right!  Haha

Give me a break tee

And I just can't NOT show you these other adorable plaid button ups.  (Seriously, is it a button UP or button DOWN?  I never know how to describe it.)

Red plaid

Navy plaid

For my 5th favorite, I just decided to do a random assortment of pictures from the week that made me happy.  :)

Starting with my big pitcher and his baseball buddy after the game last night.

Cute boys in baseball gear just makes my heart happy!

And these 20oz stainless steel insulated tumblers are my favorite and come in light pink, lavender, aqua, navy, hot pink, and they are finally back in white and mint as well!  (They will be here next week but the listing has been re-activated so you can place orders now.)

Click here to shop!

These bottles are so great for those kiddos to take to school or use for sports!  

And finally, on Monday night, I met up with these pretty ladies.  Dawn (center) and Blake (right) are two of my besties from when Craig was with the Buffalo Bills.  

Dawn and I met first when we got invited to join a group of players and their wives for a night of bowling.  We clicked immediately.  I'm pretty sure she's never met a stranger.  Within our first few weeks of meeting, we decided to road trip it up to Canyon Ranch for a few days of what I thought was going to be rest and relaxation but was actually a few days of eating rabbit food and working out 12 hours a day.  Clearly, I should have done a little more research before going because it was kind of the opposite of what I was thinking it would be which was drinks by the pool, massages, facials and sleeping in.  Or maybe we just did it wrong.  ;)

And with Blake, I just felt like she was so much like me.  We were same age, our husbands were best friends, we didn't have kids and she just reminded me of all my friends from college.  Sweet, fun, loyal and always down for a good time.  :)

Anyway, Dawn and Blake were two of my closest NFL wife friends and we all live in the Dallas area now.  We shared so many good times and not so good times.  We dealt with the struggle of mean fans sitting behind us in the stands talking crap about our husbands one minute and then cheering for them the next.  We learned not to turn around and put them in their place when that happened.  We felt each other's anxiety when one of our husband's was on the bubble during preseason and we all anxiously awaited "the call"...hoping it wouldn't come.  

We went through a lot together even though Craig was only with the Bills for a little over a year.  Love these ladies so much.  #sisterhood

The #icanteven this week is a little different.  It's not an outfit.  It's people.  Two people specifically.

If you aren't a Big Brother fan then you won't care about this.  But if you are....

Did you hear that "Jody" will be on Amazing Race this season!?!  A group of my friends and I have a group text about BB and I sent this to them as soon as I saw it.  We are all pretty pumped to watch what just might be a train wreck.  #butmaybenot?

Oh my word, this is going to be good TV but I have a feeling it's going to be a mess too.  Cody was SUPER intense on Big Brother.  I cannot imagine how he's going to be with all the stress that comes with the Amazing Race.  I don't watch the Amazing Race purely because it stresses ME out just watching it.  So God bless 'em for trying this and I hope Cody doesn't kill anyone.  Should we take bets on if they end the season still in love???  ;)

That's all for this week, y'all!

Remember, you can find me on Instagram @amandanall and @thatinspiredchick (Etsy stuff mostly)!

Have a great weekend!

What's Up Wednesday. {9.27.17}

Hello Wednesday!  I can't believe how fast September has flown by.  We've been handling our crazy schedules as best we can now that school has started and sports have taken over the after-school life. 

 I know someday I'll miss the crazy so I'm doing my best to enjoy it while I can.

Since today is the last Wednesday of the month, I'm linking up with Shay, Mel, and Sheaffer for What's Up Wednesday!  I'm going to do my best to answer most of these!

Starting with:

What we're eating this week...

In case you missed it, I had braces put on my lower teeth on the 12th.  So it's been 2 weeks now.   And yes, I still hate them.  I still wonder if this was worth it.  They just BOTHER me.  I am constantly aware that they are there.  I'm tired of dealing with wax and special flosses and the special brushing.  

And although my teeth (finally) have stopped hurting, my bottom front teeth are still feeling slightly numb.  They are the ones that are crooked so I think it's just the constant pressure they are feeling from being squeezed together with nowhere to go.  Whatever it is, it makes it incredibly hard for me to bite into anything.

All that being said so I can tell you that eating has been anything but fun or enjoyable for the past two weeks.  I am slowly adjusting to my new life for the next 10 months though and have told myself multiple times to man up and quit whining.  So this week I've been able to push through and start eating normal foods again for the most part.

Monday, I made Andrea's Pulled Pork in the slow cooker (which is also in Shay's new cookbook, Simmers) so we could make sandwiches, tacos, nachos, quesadillas...whatever our little hearts' desire.  ;)  We'll be eating on it all week.

(Click here for some of my favorite recipes.  I'm still working on adding to the list.)

What I'm reminiscing about...

These popped up in my "On This Day" section on Facebook this week.

This first one cracks me up.  Sweet Matthew loved his baby brother right from the start!

And I think Mason was 2 in this next picture.  Lately, I've just been thinking about all the time we spent together when they were little.  We spent mornings outside under the trees playing in the water hose, reading books, and just hanging out together.  We were such a little trio.

I miss that.  These days when they ARE home they are with their friends, riding bikes, playing Minecraft.  And I'm working.  Things have changed so much and I know it's just the season of life we are in but I miss how it used to be when I was their world.  :(

I mean...(sigh)

What we've been up to...

It's pretty much been all baseball and football around here lately!

Matthew is playing baseball and Mason is playing both baseball and flag football.

What I'm dreading...

Turning another year older.  It's coming next week.  Boo.  :(

What I'm working on...

All the things.  For real.

My Etsy shop is full of adorable little things from wood signs to glittery drinkware and I spend my days painting and glittering and filling orders as fast as humanly possible, without compromising my time with my family.

Here are some of my favorites!  Click here to head on over to the shop! 

I have over 100 items in my shop so I could keep posting pictures for quite awhile but I'll stop.  Be sure to follow me on Instagram @thatinspiredchick for all the latest!

What I'm watching/reading...

Can we talk about the Big Brother finale real quick?  Were we happy that Josh won?!  At the beginning of the season, I would have said anyone should win over Josh.  I couldn't stand him.  But then he grew on me a little.  He seems very emotional and I kind of feel like he may have some underlying issues that are causing him stress of some kind.  I didn't like how he bullied Cody and Mark with the pots and pans thing.  And the whole Meatball thing just got on my last nerve. 

 But he won me over when showed true emotion and distress over having to turn on any of his friends.  Paul and Christmas were very cold and non-feeling.  And since I would have been just as devastated to turn on my friends, even if I HAD to in order to win half a million dollars, I found myself firmly on Team Josh.  I am nothing if not loyal when it comes to my friends so I felt his pain.

So big congrats to him!!  Now ya big meatball, use that money to hit up some therapy sessions, work out your issues and don't spend the rest all in one place!  :)

But ohhhhh the new fall shows are starting!!  #yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!

Like practically everyone else in America, I am so pumped about This Is Us!  This show sticks with you.  I love it.  And for some reason, I feel super proud of Mandy Moore for landing this role.  She's killin' it.

And Will & Grace is back!!!

Does anyone else watch Kevin Can Wait??  I love this show and it's one of the few comedies I really follow.  The new season just started though and they've killed off the mom (!!!) and have picked up a year after her death with Kevin as a single dad.  But they brought in Leah Remini to replace her as the female lead which is really a great idea.  Now we get to see Doug and Carrie back together!  (sort of)

I was a little annoyed with how they took all of 2 seconds to talk about Kevin's wife's death on the show though.  All they said was that it had a been "over a year" since her death.  No explanation or anything. #imgonnaneedmorethanthat

Anyway, it should still be incredibly funny and better than ever.  Leah Remini and Kevin James have a great chemistry.  If you loved King of Queens, you need to be watching Kevin Can Wait!

Last night, I watched the first episode of the new show The Good Doctor about the autistic man who has been hired as a surgeon at a hospital.  I think I'll keep watching this one!

And of course, I'm watching all my Bravo shows.  Real Housewives of (any city) and Below Deck at the moment.

And as for books, go check out my latest book review here!

Since I've posted the review, I've added Class Mom to the list (super cute) but my FAVORITE is The Break Down!

Y'all!!!

I love psychological thrillers.  Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, The Woman in Cabin 10, What Alice Forgot, etc etc etc.  I loved all of those!  Some more than others but I still thoroughly enjoyed all of them.

But this one was just SO GOOD!  I could not stop reading/listening.  (I always feel like I need to disclose that I'm an Audible girl.  So technically, I listen while I work.)

It is by the same author who wrote Behind Closed Doors which was super creepy and I liked a lot.  But this one was just a little more mystery than creepy and more enjoyable to read.  It keeps you guessing from the very first page but just when you think you are so clever and have it all figured out (I do this a lot...so dumb), it will flip and you'll be shocked at where it goes.

The best part is that it wraps it all up so neatly for you in the end.  There's not one part where I was left thinking "But wait!  What about....??".  Yes, it was twisted.  It was suspenseful.  It was thrilling.  It involves murder, lies, deceit, betrayal, mental illness.  You will love it.

I know I'm gushing about it but just so you know, there are mixed reviews on Goodreads (and elsewhere I'm sure) but when I read them, I was blown away as to how they couldn't have loved the book.  So try it at your own risk.  You may hate it like the people who only gave it 2 stars.  I gave it 5 though.

I think I'm right. ;)  

I did listen to the audio version which is just my absolute JAM.  I love hearing the characters come to life.  It's like watching a movie without the screen on.  Plus, the story is set in England so I get to hear their British accents and I love that.  :)

So all this to say, if you want a new thriller to read, this one is definitely worth a try! I finished it in 24 hours.  

Have you read it?  Let me know!

What I'm wearing...

My favorite flare jeans of the season go to these!

I wore this to a casual Monday night dinner with my Buffalo Besties this week!  I bought them in a 32" length but they also come in 34".  They are too short for me to wear heels with which is fine because I have others that are similar that are perfect with heels.  But these are my favorite to wear with flats and flip flops!  (For reference, I'm 5'5".)

My favorite skinny jeans are still these Vigoss jeans.

Favorite Skechers here.

Top / Jeans (sold out) Similar here/ Shoes / Similar Earrings

And if you need some good black skinny jeans, I LOVE these!  Great fit, less than $60, a true black (some of them can look a little faded out) and have a raw hemline that can be left down or cuffed.  I wore mine at Craig's 20th reunion last weekend!

Top / Jeans / Similar heels / Necklace (sold out) / Similar Earrings

You can read all about our reunion weekend fun here.

What I'm looking forward to next month...

I know I said I'm dreading my birthday next week.  However, a group of our girlfriends made plans to get together on the 5th which just happens to be my birthday!  So that'll be fun!   Last year, my super sweet hubby surprised me with a birthday dinner with our friends at one of my favorite restaurants.  I walked into the restaurant thinking we were about to have a quiet little date and then I turned the corner to find a group of 6 (and a half...Madeley joined us!).  What a sweet surprise and such a fun night!

Getting older sucks but celebrating with friends doesn't.  :)

My in-laws will be coming to town that weekend to watch the boys because Craig was invited as a former Packers player, to come to the Packers pep rally when they come to town to play Dallas!  (They have pep rallies??)

They're putting us up in a hotel that night and we're going to the game the next day. 

So I'm pretty excited about that.  :)

And that's about it for What's Up Wednesday. I know these posts can be long.  So kudos to you for making it all the way to here!  ;)

And the bonus questions was what show am I looking forward to the most.  Will you judge me if I say Real Housewives of New Jersey??!!  Those girls are some of my faves and I just finished re-watching all of last season.  So I'm ready for them to bring. it. on.  And by "it" I mean #allthecrazy.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!!