A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing + Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday Everyone! 

Today's post is dedicated entirely to my review of April's Book: 

A Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing

This book is part of my 2014 Monthly Challenges and it was a quick and easy ready.  I finished the book in about two weeks.

Synopsis (from Amazon):

Hailed by critics as the debut of a major literary voice, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing has captivated readers and dominated bestseller lists. Generous-hearted and wickedly insightful, it maps the progress of Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, relationships, and the treacherous waters of the workplace. With an unforgettable comic touch, Bank skillfully teases out universal issues, puts a clever, new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in America today.

My Reaction:

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.  When I first heard about the book from a girlfriend, she was not too thrilled about it because it is more a collection of short stories that seemed to not be connected at all, but if you take time and care to pay attention, you will see how Rosenal uses each and every one of her stories to connect the reader to her life and her experiences growing up.

Rosenal takes you through her experiences of life through her eyes as she watches all of the relationships around her and how they work.  As she grows up, you see a romantic relationship of her brothers, her parents marriage and her own personal romantic relationship.  You also see how important relationships outside of romance become as you are winding through her life.  Rosenal uses these stories (among others) to teach the reader the importance of "growing up" and becoming a "responsible adult".

If you are looking for a book that can be easily read and enjoyed, then I would recommend this reading for you! If you are not someone who enjoys reading short stories, then I might shy away from this week.

Reviews from Other Bloggers:

• The Bookworm 07
• Reviews by Lola
• Books Are My Thing
• Read Dream Relax

Think this is a book you would be interested in reading? Well then you're in luck! One lucky winner will be chosen on May 5 to receive a copy of this book in the mail.

How to win: Leave a comment on the blog and I will randomly select one winner on May 5th.

Next Months Book: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Weekend Fun Times

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I hope everything is going well for you and your week has gotten off to a great start and continues going well for you!

This past weekend Justin and I were busy doing our own things - him golfing and me crafting/spending time with my girlfriends.  Over the years, I have desperately wanted to make a scrapbook because I think they are such a neat way to keep track of the fun things that happened in life.

If you can remember, Danielle gave me a SmashBook for Christmas and I finally got around to filling it with pictures while we were at Aunt Margy's on Saturday! Danielle had the intent to make her mom a Mother's Day card, but instead she helped me scrapbook all of the pictures that I had printed at CVS.

Have you ever used the CVS Photo app? It is pretty and very easy to use! Majority of my pictures are taken with my iPhone, so it was was nice to set everything up quickly and have them ready for me within a few hours to be picked up on my way home from work.  Granted, a few pictures printed wonky, it was definitely worth the $.12 I paid per picture at CVS + the convenience.

We stayed at Aunt Margy's house rather late {I think we ended up leaving around 9:30} so I basically crashed when I got home.

Sunday Justin and I decided that we needed to spend some time together, so we relaxed around the apartment catching up on some of the shows that we are behind on.  I feel like I am constantly catching up on my shows because I am either at the gym or busy doing something else when the shows I like come on t.v.

Sunday evening was dedicated to spending some time with my girlfriends and celebrating Caroline's Engagement to Josh! Originally we were going to color some eggs in honor of Easter, by silly me forgot to get the coloring kit before everyone arrived.  So instead, we ended up hanging out and painting nails.

My nails are the turquoise and white ones! The original plan was to put polka dots on the nails, but Danielle had to leave and my dotting skills are less than exemplary so they ended up being plain but still very cute.  For my polish, I used "Turquoise and Caicos" from Essie and "French White" by Nina Ultra Pro.

This is what happens when you decide to take the polka dots off of your nail.  We laughed pretty hard because it just looks so ridiculous!

Because this was the first time we had all seen Caroline since she got engaged, we all pitched in a got her a little engagement gift and all signed the card.  She ended up with two bridal magazines, a bottle of champagne and a cute card.  She was very surprised and loved it all!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite brand/color nail polish?

My favorite brand is Essie, but right now I do not have a favorite color.

Fantastic Friday

Hello everyone! I hope your weekend has been wonderful so far! I had a weekend filled with fun and exciting things that I wanted to share with you!

If you follow me on my Instagram, then you know that I took the kitties to the vet on Friday to get Leilah some shots and they were not having it.

I don't think I have ever seen her death glare at me harder then she did here, but all I could do was laugh.  At one point she even decided it would be in her best interest to climb into her bothers crate because, you know, it is safer.  That did not turn out too well for her and she still ended up with her shots.

Friday night Justin and I spent some time at home while before I made my way to the gym to get in my third workout for the week, and let me tell you what happened! This guy literally sat at the machine for 25 minutes playing with his phone.  If you remember from my People We Love to Hate at the Gym Post, this gentleman met one of the criteria by sitting there for that long.  Luckily I just moved onto the treadmill and got a quick run in before finishing my workout.

On a more exciting note, my Erin Condren planner came in the mail on Friday and I am so excited!

I have been wanting to buy one of these planners for a long time, so of course I was psyched when she sent a survey that included 25% off once you completed it AND the planners went on sale, I was a happy camper.  What do you think? I love the stripes on it and the wrapping it came in was SO adorable! If you're interested in getting one for yourself, go to this link!

Of course, with any new planner, I spent quite a long time filling the planner out and I still feel like I have so many more fun things I could of with the planner! I'm also looking at getting her address book that matches the planner that I purchased.   They're on sale right now too! Make sure to check them out.

Okay! That is it for tonight!

Question of the Day: How do you organize your life?

#jackabeedaily2014 Week 16

Happy Thursday Everyone! I hope your week has been wonderful and you are able to finish the week out strongly tomorrow! Today's post is a recap of the last week with pictures from my Instagram for #jackabeedaily2014

Day 108: Danielle did my nails for Easter! Don't they match my dress perfectly?

Day 109: Spent a lovely Saturday with Wendy enjoying cider and donuts and exploring around the Clinton River

Day 110: Happy Easter Everyone! He is RISEN!

Day 111: I learned how to change a hard drive on a laptop.  I felt very accomplished when the laptop booted right up.

Day 112: This week has been a large test of my patience so when I came across this, I got a smack in the face by a 2x4 (as my old Bible teacher would say) and was reminded that attitude is everything.

Day 113: Justin and I are getting ready to rearrange our guest bedroom and do some painting and I came across the Floorplanner Website and had some fun "moving" the furniture around in our room.  I cannot wait to get things moving!

Day 114: Spent my lunch break at work reading The Lying Game by Sara Shepard.  So far I am really enjoying the book, even though it is a bit different than the t.v. show.

What exciting things have happened for you in the past week! I'd love to hear from you all! 

You can keep up with me every day in 2014 on Instagram @runwithjackabee or find me here too...

Find me on Twitter here.

Find me on Facebook here.

Find me on Pinterest here
Find me on Instagram here.

Previous Weeks:

• Week 15
• Week 14
• Week 13
• Week 12
• Week 11
• Weeks 9 & 10 

People I love to Hate at the Gym & Then Some

Happy Hump Day Everyone! I hope your week is going swell thus far and it only continues to get better! 

Back in early March, Danielle and I decided that it was about darn time that we started working out and getting back into our fitness routines.  Of course, the best way to do anything is with a friend so she signed up at my gym and we started going regularly.  Of course, with any experience there are things that happen that are just.plain.irritating.  A few weeks ago I came across this funny article on BlogHer that I just had to share with you all {+ add a few of my own} because it hit most of my irritations spot on.  For the original link, click here.

8 People I Love to Hate at the Gym

According to Menopausal Mother, 8 people we love to hate at the gym are:

1. MIRROR HOGS: These are the women who run into class late and scoot in front to get a spot by the mirror. Coincidentally, they're the same people who lack coordination and throw the entire class off. I can't be responsible for what happens if my elbow connects with their face.

2. YAPPERS: After living on rabbit food for a month, the last thing I want to hear about is your orgasmic experience with a seven-layer brownie cake.

3. POOPERS: These ladies drop their stink bombs off in the gym bathroom before hitting the treadmills. I understand the need to clean out the bowels before working out, but do us all a favor and take your fiber supplements AFTER you exercise.

4. DNA SWAPPERS: Some people think nothing of leaving sweat puddles on the equipment or hacking up a lung while recovering from the flu. DNA samples are not necessary unless a forensics team needs them after drawing your chalk outline on the gym floor.

5. CHRONIC FARTERS: These women have blow holes like whales and no interest in corking it for the sake of other people's olfactory systems. When I Zumba into their fart clouds, my nose hairs feel singed and my eyes water as if I've been hit by tear gas.

6. EXHIBITIONISTS: Women who come to the gym in shorts that reveal every inch of uncovered lady bits and tank tops begging for a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. Go buy a freakin' bra.

7. EQUIPMENT HOGS: These people get lost in a daydream and sit for an hour on the machine instead of doing their reps. Makes me wish I had a pocket defibrillator or a taser to shock them into moving.

8. BARBIE DOLLS: You know the type. Perfect bodies. Botoxed out the butt ... and yet they whine, “OMG, I need to lose 20 pounds!” Just. Shut. Up.

On top of these already hilariously true & fantastic options, I wanted to add a few of my own:

9. GRUNTERS: I understand that you are getting a great workout, but if you could please not make noises that sound like you're having a difficult time in the bathroom, that would be great.  I am already grossed out at your unnaturally large arms, I would really not like to imagine you on the toilet {Insert Lunk Alarm Noise}.

10. DROPPERS: This one ties in with the grunters.  If the weight is too heavy that you cannot set it down gently {like a normal human being}, then you should probably cut back a little bit.  I would really appreciate not being scared out of my skin and off of my machine while running by a loud, terrifying bang on the floor.  

11: SINGERS: Yes we all love Kelly Clarkon's "Since You've Been Gone" but I think your rendition is a bit too much for everyone around you.  If we really wanted to listen to the song, we would just listen to it on our own time.

So, how many of these made you laugh? I laughed at almost all of them because they are 100% true.  Unfortunately, I have to admit that I am a singer (one of my biggest gripes too!) but I often get lost in what I am doing and do not realize that I am singing out loud until I have already irritated half of the people around me.  That is something that I will have to start working on.

In case you did not already have a good laugh today, take a gander at this video (of course it is also fitness related).  My friend, Danielle, shared this with me last week and I laughed way too hard! 

Click here for the video!

Question of the Day: What is your biggest gym related pet peeve? 

Easter Celebrations + Weekend Recap

Happy Day after Easter Everyone! I trust you had a lovely weekend and had as nice of weather as we did here in the Mitten! 

This weekend was filled with family, friends, chores, nail painting and baking and it is exactly how I would have wanted to spend my weekend. 

On Saturday, I had my last day of class in the morning {thank the Lord} and it was probably the hardest day I had yet because I barely slept Friday night and there was no good things for breakfast.  Our professor quickly went through the remainder of the material so we could be done by noon and I am glad he did.  If you live in Michigan and are looking for a Project Management course, I would recommend the one provided by Oakland University.  It's a great course and the professor is wonderful!

After class, I ran home really quick to pick up a few things before making my way to Yates Cider Mill to meet Wendy.  I was so excited that they were open because I LOVE cider and donuts and it is something that we can really only get in the Fall, but Yates opened up for a month to do a Spring Press.  Of course I had to make my way over there!

Wendy and I went for a walk by the Cider Mill and I managed to get a sun burn on my face, first one of the year and definitely not the last!

After the cider mill I made my way to the grocery store which was a bad idea because Meijer was crazy busy with people getting ready for their Easter lunches the next day.  Of course, I knew if I did not go on Saturday I would likely not get to go until several days later, so I braved the crowds and got my groceries.

After the grocery store I went to my parents house for dinner and spent time with my mom and her friend Amelia baking a cake and painting their nails.  Of course, I used the most delicious chocolate cake recipe ever and some vanilla frosting from the grocery store.  Normally I would make the frosting from scratch, but I just did not have time.

Easter Sunday Justin and I went to church with my parents then had lunch at their house! And Danielle came to lunch too! 

I did not manage to get any pictures of Justin because he was being a sour puss for most of the day (he was not feeling well).  However, I did grab a few pictures of Danielle and I but that is about all the pictures I got.

After everyone left, Danielle and I helped my mom clean up from lunch, then we painted our nails (again? I know!) for the second time in a weekend.  She did "Beach Cruiser" from Orly and I did "Find me an Oasis" from Essie.  Danielle and I have been building our nail polish collections together and we have been having so much fun comparing polishes and making trades with each other.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your families! 

Happy Easter!

#jackabeedaily2014 Week 15

Happy Thursday Everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful and have a ton of fun and exciting things planned for this holiday weekend! Today's post is dedicated to #jackabeedaily2014.

You'll notice that the numbers are a bit off - I just figured out that I have been off by one day for quite some time, so hopefully this will correct that issue! If not, I will fix it next week.

 Day 101: We started reviewing Statistics in my CAPM class and I was not too thrilled.  After several classes in my undergrad, I'm so over this stuff ha ha.

Day 102: Spent my afternoon sewing this adorable diaper cover and bow tie for a friend! They turned out so adorable! I hope I can make more again.

Day 103: Went for "coffee" with a friend at Dessert Oasis in Downtown Rochester.  Ended up with hot chocolate with pretty designs instead.

Day 104: Went to dinner at the Rochester Hills Brewery to celebrate a friends birthday! Yummy food and great company made for an excellent evening.

Day 105: Mother Nature threw us through a loop with a last minute snow fall (in April of all times!) that pushed us into beating the record amount of snowfall in Detroit EVER! 94.8" of snowfall, boom!

Day 106: I laughed way too hard at this picture yesterday! There is just something so funny about them with people teeth

Day 107: I am so excited because I ordered an Erin Condren Life Planner for only $33! It's for April - December so I hope it arrives super quick! 

What exciting things have happened for you in the past week! I'd love to hear from you all! 

You can keep up with me every day in 2014 on Instagram @runwithjackabee or find me here too...

Find me on Twitter here.

Find me on Facebook here.

Find me on Pinterest here
Find me on Instagram here.

Previous Weeks:

• Week 14
• Week 13
• Week 12
• Week 11
• Weeks 9 & 10 

Two Truths and a Lie

Happy Wednesday Everyone! This week is officially half over and I'm glad for it because once Saturday hits, I will be done with my class.  However, that also means I will need to start really studying for my exam AND actually sign up to take it.  

Before I get starting talk about today's topic: Two Truths and a Lie, I wanted to share this picture with you:

I saw this picture last night and laughed so hard that no sound was coming out, just the wheezing of my breath leaving my lungs.  I hope this picture makes you laugh too and brightens your day up a tiny bit.

Two Truths and a Lie

If you remember from one of my Blog Topic Posts, I shared the idea of sharing two truths and a lie with your readers and have them guess what is the truth and what is fiction.  Today I wanted to play this game with you to see how many of you can guess correctly.  The first person to guess the lie correctly will get a $10 gift card to Starbucks! Here we go!

+ I have jumped off of a twenty foot tall waterfall into the water below while vacationing in Jamaica.

+ I have placed, but never won, in a pistol shooting contest. 

+ I have two more bones in my body than the normal human being.

So which do you think it is? Remember, the first person to comment with the correct guess wins a Starbucks Gift Card! 

Good news everyone! RunwithJackabee is looking for guest bloggers to host a post on the blog during the month of May!

Currently we are looking for anyone who has something fun and creative to share! Have a good recipe or a fun craft to share, let me know! Are you a health nut and want to share your fitness tips? Then come on down! We are open to any and all areas of interest that fit with the writing style of the blog.

Interested? Shoot an email to runwithjackabee@gmail.com or send a message on the Facebook Page! This opportunity will be open until April 25th, so hurry over and start sharing! 

Question of the Day: What picture/video have you laughed way too hard at in the last month or so?

Top 10 Favorite Apps on My Phone

Happy Tuesday Everyone! 

How is your week going so far? Mother Nature decided to throw us through the ringer one more time and landed us with some heavy, wet, disgusting snow.  If you remember, Michigan has been having some nicer weather the last few weeks, so of course this came as a surprise to everyone when we walked outside this morning and saw the fluffy stuff on the ground.  Oh well, at least Michigan broke the record for the snowiest winter with 94.8" of snowfall.  Check that off my bucket list, haha.

That being said, today's post is dedicated entirely to my top 10 favorite apps on my iPhone (or the ones I use the most and find the most useful).

Top 10 Favorite Apps on my iPhone 

This is my iPhone today at 1:50 p.m.! Apparently I have things to check out.

+ Waze.  I use this app every.single.time. I travel anywhere.  It is perfect because the app is intuitive and receives several updates as you commute to and from work.  Plus, you can report things like accidents, bad weather, stopped vehicles or objects on the road.  I also have to give this app credit for almost always being within two minutes of the correct arrival time

+ Gmail App.  Obviously when you get a new phone, it comes standard with an email app, but they are often slow and do not allow you to easily move items around.  Hence, the Gmail app.  I love this app because it quickly loads and allows me to quickly organize my emails without too much angst

+ Facebook App.  Who does not have a Facebook App these days? Of course, I do so I obviously must have the app.  I love this app because, with all of the recent updates, the app moves quickly and is much more simply organized.  It is amazing to see how far the app has come in the last few years.

+ Messenger App.  A lot of people have asked me recently why I love this app, and my simple answer is because it is just easier.  Yes you can use the messaging system in the Facebook App, but that is not as easily organized and it does not always properly notify you.  The Messenger App allows you to keep things simple and organized.

+ WW Mobile.  I have been a part of Weight Watchers for quite a while, and I can say with 100% honesty that I find I am more successful when I use the app versus tracking on paper.  The app is easy to use and with the new "scan" function, you can quickly scan almost any food for fast tracking.  If you are a part of Weight Watchers and you have a smart phone, I would recommending checking it out.

+ SnapChat.  This app is a bit on the sillier side because all you use it for is to send pictures/short videos back and forth with your friends.  However, I have found that it can be a great tool to express emotion to your friends while talking to them because often times the emotion is lost when texting.  Plus, it allows people to see into your life without having the permanent-ness of sending them a picture because SnapChat immediately deletes the picture.

+ 5kRunner.  I recently started using this app and I am in love! For the $2.99 that you pay, I feel that you are getting your moneys worth.  The app helps train a person in such a way that they can go from the couch to running a 5k in 8 weeks.  What I love most about this app is how it tells you when to walk and when to run while allowing you to play music and work other apps as needed.

+ Poshmark.  This is another one of my favorite apps that I find myself checking daily.  It is like having your own consignment shop where you can sell your gently used clothes, shoes, accessories and other items.  The best part is there is no listing price and they handle the packing slip for you! They just take a small percentage of each sale (which I think is reasonable).  Plus, you can bargain with people on the price and you can also do trades.  If you're interested, check out my "closet" here.

+ Instagram.  Who does not have an Instagram these days? I try to use this app daily for my #jackabeedaily2014 challenge so of course I am on the app almost constantly.  What I love about Instragram is not only the chance to catch up with people, but the chance to see how creative people are.  I follow a few exciting groups like Ballerina Project & Piper Street Shop.

+ Pinterest.  Like the Facebook and Instagram apps, the Pinterest App is almost a given.  Often times I  use the Pinterest App to quickly grab samples for a project I'm working on or for a quick reference to an inspirational quote.  It is also a good app to have for when you need to kill time.

So that is a list of my Top 10 Favorite Apps on my Phone! As you can see, they are a bit all over the place, but I use them almost daily and they have come in handy on several different occasions.

Question of the Day: What is your favorite app on your phone/tablet?

#jackabeedaily2014 Week 14

Yet again, I am sitting here scratching my head at how quickly this week has flown by! My weekend will be filled with CAPM training, family time and hopefully enjoying some beautiful weather!

Day 94: Spent the afternoon in my Project Management Class.  CAPM here I come!

Day 95: Spend a wonderful evening out with my husband  for a date night.  Red Lobster and Frozen

Day 96: These two spent the majority of the day cuddling together.  They are just so adorable aren't they?

Day 97: Spent some time reading my April reading challenge book.  So far it's pretty good.

Day 98: I needed a firm reminder that our dreams do not happen to us, we make them happen.  Hopefully my dreams start coming true {with hard work of course}.

Day 99: I attempted to do my hair curly, but it had a mind of it's own.  Thanks hair, you stink.

Day 100:  Tee Hee.  That is all.

Day 101: Throw Back Thursday to me in the 90's.  I am totally rocking my mom's rollerblades.  

That is it for this week! 

You can keep up with me every day in 2014 on Instagram @runwithjackabee or find me here too...

Find me on Twitter here.

Find me on Facebook here.

Find me on Pinterest here
Find me on Instagram here.

Previous Weeks:

• Week 13
• Week 12
• Week 11
• Weeks 9 & 10 

Blog Topic Series VI

Hello Wednesday Readers! It's that time of the month again where I share some fun and creative topic ideas you can use on your own blog! As always, I am looking for some other fun ideas and would love to hear some from you!

+ Write a Short Story.  Do you have interest in writing but you are not sure where to begin? Write a short story (200-500 words), post it on your blog and ask your readers for feedback.  This is always a good chance for you to get some constructive criticism.

+ Invite Your Readers to do Guest Posts.  While it sounds like it could be a bit risky, it could also be a ton of fun.  Chances are your readers have a blog of their own and would love to get a chance to share it with the world.  One key note: Find a reader whose subject aligns closely with your own that way the post does not seem totally random

+ Two Truths and a Lie.  Have you ever played this game with your friends? Well here's a fun way to share it with your readers! Tell them two truths and one lie and have them guess which one is not true.  If you would like to spice it up a bit, have the first person to guess correctly win a small prize (like a $10 Starbucks gift card)

+ Bad Habits and How to Break Them.  We all have them: bad habits.  Share yours with your readers and also share how you plan on breaking them.  Chances are your readers have some of the same struggles and would love advice on how to break them

+ Your Personal Budget.  This really caught my attention when I came across the Our Freaking Budget Blog.  It gives your readers a chance to see, that like them, you have bills to pay and it eliminates the "separation" that can sometimes be felt from the blogger to the reader.  Plus, they have some really sound advise at OFB that everyone should check out.

So what do you think? Do you see any post ideas that inspired you to try something new? I sure hope so! If you decided to try these {or any other previous ideas} please let me know! I love to hear from you all.

Previous Posts:

• Part V
• Part IV
• Part III
• Part II
• Part I

Easter Project Roundup

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I hope your week has started out great and continues to only get better! Today's post is dedicated entirely to some Easter/Spring projects for the upcoming Easter Holiday.  I am seriously sitting here scratching my head at how quickly this year has flown by! It feels like we were just celebrating the New Year last week and we are already three weeks into "Spring".

I am super excited to share some of these projects with you because they are just so adorable and relatively simple to make! 

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Let's Go Fly a Kite Printable from Tatertots & Jello

DIY Spring Paper Flowers from the Idea Room

Secret Pocket Easter Eggs from Sew Mama Sew

Marshmallow Bunny Plushies from Dandelions and Lace

Bunny Spray Painted Mason Jars from Just Another Day in Paradise

Carrot Table Runner from BHG

Easter Egg Yarn Garland from Mod Podge Rocks Blog

Burlap Bunny Banner from Lake Girl Paints

Paper Bag Easter Basket from Lia Griffith

Happy Easter Printable from Bomb Shell Bling

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I am so excited to try some of these adorable projects and have already purchased a few supplies for me to get started during my free time this week.  If you would like some other fun ideas, check out my Easter Board on Pinterest! There are some super cute ideas that I have found, but I am sure there are a million more where those came from! 

Before Easter arrives, I will be working on a fun blackboard artwork in honor of Easter too so be looking for that on my Instagram or Facebook page. 

Question of the Day: 

What is your inspiration for Easter decorations this year?