Cinco de Mayo + My Most Influential Teacher

Today is one of my favorite days ... happy Cinco de Mayo!

My mom is in town, so Ian and I actually have a little date night planned this evening. I never turn down a fiesta opportunity, ha! Bring on the margs, guac, and queso. And I love refried beans. I feel like that is a total "love it or hate it" food but I'm going with LOVE. 

The spot we are checking out this evening has live music, so that's always a big plus too. And tomorrow night I am going to a Cinco de Mayo themed bunco evening with some of my very favorite girlfriends!

Cinco de Mayo ties in with my blog post from yesterday about inspiring teachers. I have had some pretty amazing teachers in my life, two that stick out in my head from high school and another two from college. 

I entered high school with two years of French under my belt and continued on with French classes. In my junior year, I decided to make the switch to Spanish and was immediately taken with the language. My Spanish teacher, Senora Lewis, was sunshine embodied in a person. She was sweet, patient, kind, motivating, and cheerful. Exactly what you would want in a teacher.    

This is a photo of us taken in the last days of my senior year of high school in South Carolina. I have not kept up with her and am not sure if she is still teaching, but if she is, there are certainly some lucky students sitting in her desks. I am going to see if I can reconnect with her. I'd love to let her know that I ended up becoming a Spanish major in college and that she played a very large part in that decision. 

So, cheers to everything I love about the Mexican culture, and cheers to teachers like Senora Lewis who make such an important impact on students' lives!

Teacher Appreciation

Today starts Teacher Appreciation Week at Camille's daycare and I thought it would be fun to hear some stories about your very favorite teacher.

When was this teacher in your life, and what sort of impact did he or she have on you?

(I secretly still wish I'd been an education major so I could be a teacher.)

Five on Friday ... Hallelujah

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday! As a reminder, my wonderful co-hostesses Darci, Christina, and Natasha are taking a summer break from the link-up but they will definitely be back -- and you can still link up here in the meantime!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
First of all, I am just really excited to spend my weekend with this little ham. And she is going to her second ever birthday party for a friend ... exciting times! We can't wait to celebrate her sweet friend turning one. Am I a mean mama if I don't give her cake yet and make her wait until her own party? Probably.

(Yes, she is in a laundry basket. That seals the deal -- definitely a mean mama.)

T W O
I also have fun plans with a girlfriend on Saturday night ... CHEERS. TO. THAT. I love some girl time, and we have an exciting little mamas-evening-out planned. Sushi, some good music, and lots of great catching up. I live for girlfriend time.

T H R E E

Thank you all so much for your book suggestions in the comments of this post! I am really, really jazzed now about reading The Light Between Oceans and another one of your suggestions, All The Light We Cannot See. 

  

F O U R
I had a nice and spontaneous lunch date with my husband yesterday! I was working at home, and he was coming back to the house for a quick lunch break. He asked if he could bring anything home for me, and we decided to just get something easy from the grocery store. But then I texted him and said -- are we crazy? We have an hour to grab lunch together, the baby is in daycare so we don't need a babysitter, let's do this! We have a small car that doesn't fit the carseat (so we don't drive it very often), so we took that out of the garage, put the top down, and enjoyed a great lunch date outside at Braswells.

via

F I V E
I admit it ... I am way too obsessed (again) with Southern Charm. This is a really, really good season. Anyone else watching? What do you think? I am liking Shep a whole lot more this season -- he is a cutie pie.

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

My $4 Smooth Skin Trick

I've been trying to pare down my beauty products and clear out items that are taking up valuable space.

I'm a total sucker for face products, especially masks. I purchased this charcoal and black sugar mask not too long ago, but I didn't always have the time to use it as a mask.

The other evening, I was washing my face as I normally do, but I decided to add in a quarter-sized amount of this polishing mask to my Philosophy cleanser. I was amazed at how much smoother my skin was! Since then, I have also used this mixture of my creamy face wash with the polishing mask along with my Clarisonic. It definitely adds extra oomph. My skin really seems ready to soak up my nightly moisturizer.

You can't beat a $4 addition to your nightly routine that makes your skin so smooth and exfoliated. I just had to share this great and inexpensive find!

Freeman Charcoal + Black Sugar Mask

Philosophy Purity Cleanser

Clarisonic Mia 2

Book Club

Since finishing The Girl On The Train, I've been itching to start a new book. I enjoyed that one so much, and I love the feeling of being completely overtaken by the NEED to read on and see how the story ends. 

Here are some items currently on my nightstand (The Devil in the White City) or at the tip-top of my Amazon wishlist. I'd love to hear your recommendations as well!

The Devil in the White City (here)
From Amazon: Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of Beasts—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

The Light Between Oceans (here)
From Amazon: The years-long New York Times bestseller soon to be a major motion picture from Spielberg’s Dreamworks that is “irresistible…seductive…with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page” (O, The Oprah Magazine). After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

Crazy Rich Asians (here)
From Amazon: When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

The Book Thief (here)
From Amazon: The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

If you have plans to read any of these books or have others to recommend, let's hear it!

Charlotte Ladies!

If you are in Charlotte, whether you are a current Fickle member or not, please join us tonight in Dilworth or Thursday night in South Charlotte for a Fickle Frenzy!

We will be helping you list 1-2 of your items (bring them or a few photographs of them with you!), and you will have the opportunity to meet other members and the local Market Leaders.

This is a drop-in event from 7:30-9:30 both nights ... come and stay for as long as you'd like. We will have wine and some nibbles!

I hope you see or meet you -- please email me (alizadventures@ymail.com) for the addresses of each party. 

Saturday Sip + Shop

Sip:

Cucumber Lemonade Spa Martinis
recipe found here
Described as "crisp + clean" ... I'm all over it.

Shop:

 
Argento Vivo Initial Stud earrings
found here ... free shipping & returns
Mothers Day = May 10th! These would be such a pretty gift!

Five on Friday ... TGIF!

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join me, Darci, Christina, and Natasha!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
Just had to share this adorable photo we posted on my grandmother-in-law's Facebook page last week. Yes, she's 92, on Facebook, and more active and connected than I am ... crazy. She loved the photo! She is my pen-pal and I just adore her. Both of my grandmothers sadly have passed away and Grammie has really helped fill that void with a lot of love and support. She is an amazing lady.

T W O
I recently hosted the Emily McCarthy giveaway and had such a great response -- sweet Emily wanted to pass this along to each of you. She's giving you 15% off through May 8th ... now is a great time to order a Mothers Day gift!

Have a mother who oozes Southern hospitality (whether she is Southern or not)? I bet she would like a sweet card letting her know that everyone sees that wonderful trait in her along with this cute brass pineapple trinket dish that is only $10 ... pineapples are the symbol of hospitality. :)

T H R E E
I can't even think about how a certain baby living under my roof will be ONE in a few weeks ... whoa baby. She's growing and exploring and all over the place, and this is a great article I found about fun and creative ways to play with her! Definitely a worthwhile read.

F O U R

One more baby anecdote ... hang with me. Recently, I picked up this Fisher Price Laugh and Learn home from a local selling group I'm in.

Let me pause here while I remember the girl who haughtily said over a wine glass at some point: "Oh, I will NOT be that mom with toxic plastic all over her house. I think babies just need a few toys at a time, preferably all wood and sustainable materials."

Ahem.

So Camille loooooves this house with all of its wacky shapes, sounds, and capabilities. It's two-sided for double the fun. The one we have is an older version which is now being sold here on Amazon for way more than double the original price, crazy! Are people really purchasing at that price??

F I V E
Reunited and it feeeeeeeels so gooooood!

I traded in my Elf blush (which ended up breaking -- what I get for paying $3) for my beloved standard, the blush that can do no wrong. Bobbi Brown in Pale Pink. Warning, it looks very Barbie-ish and you may be thinking "there is no way I can pull that off, or even have the desire to" but it goes on looking like a very natural and healthy flush. I love it and am so happy to have it back in my makeup bag. It is highly pigmented and lasts forever -- literally, I had my last one for years!

What's your go-to blush color? Blush is probably my favorite makeup item ... throw on a little blush and some undereye concealer and I'm good to go these days!

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!