Book Review- Bossypants

*Dont forget to enter my Italian inspired giveaway here!

Not my image

Another book club read, another hit!

This was a great book! It was an easy read, entertaining and fairly short.

The humor was sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, which I loved.

If you're a fan of Tiny Fey, Id wager that you will find this to be a good book. 

She's very self-depreciating, open and honest. 

I love that she doesnt try to hide behind her celebrity and that she seems like a very 

down to earth, normal person. 

She and I would definitely be real life friends. 

She talks briefly about her childhood, a lot about her career- getting started, SNL 

& 30 Rock; and about her daughter with some great random chapters in between. 

I would definitely recommend this book for Tina Fey fans.

Rating: ****

Rating Scale

*****: Amazing, wonderful, MUST-read, loved it!

****: Really liked it, would recommend, good book!

***: Liked it, enjoyable, but not the greatest book ever written. 

**: Not so great, some good parts, but overall, it was just ok. 

*: Didnt like it, wouldnt recommend it, bad book all around.

Italian Inspired Giveaway

Buon giorno! 

I was inspired on my recent trip to Italy to host an 

Italian themed giveaway. 

We toured the Cinque Terre region of the Italian Riviera. 

They are well know for their pesto and focaccia bread, 

as well as white wine, olive oil and olives. 

Coffee is also very popular there, as it is throughout most of 

Europe. 

Here's the stash:

What you'll win:

*A bag of Pesto Alla Genovese to make your own Italian pesto.

This is the real deal stuff from the birthplace of pesto. 

(The directions are in English!)

*Two boxes of chocolate truffles in espresso and cappuccino

*Two packets of Italian hot chocolate, in different flavors

*Italian handmade soap from Cinque Terre 

(It smells divine!) 

How to win:

*Mandatory entry- You must be a follower of Uncork & Unwined

via GFC (one entry)

Extra entries: 

*Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know that you do (@kmack143) (one entry)

*Tweet about this giveaway and mention @kmack143 (one entry per day)

*Add my button to your blog/have my button on your blog (one entry)

*Blog about this giveaway (three entries) 

Leave me a comment letting me know what entries you've completed. 

The giveaway will run until June 10th at noon, CST. 

Ill chose a winner using Random.org.

If the winner does not respond within three days, 

Ill choose a new

winner. 

Ciao!

xoxo

Week 24 & Gender Reveal!

This is long overdue, I know. You've all waited long enough to know, so Im not going to drag the gender reveal out any longer than necessary. I mean, I could, but what kind of person would that make me?

So, without further adieu,

We're having a little 

GIRL!!!!

Whew, ok, now that that is out of the way, Ill continue on with the Week 24 update.

How Far Along:  24 weeks

Size of baby:  thebump.com says she the length of an ear of corn and around 1.5 lbs. 

Total Weight Gained:  I started at 110.5 and now weigh 120.8, so that's a weight gain of 10 lbs. This is the most that I've ever weighed! Thankfully, right now it's all boobs and belly. I hope it stays that way! So far, no stretch marks and I seriously hope Im one of the lucky ones who avoids them. 

Maternity Clothes:  Yes, as of this past week. I am wearing a few maternity tops and can sort of fit into some maternity jeans. The jeans and pants are all still too big, but more comfy than my regular pants which are not fitting anymore. I can still wear almost all of my old tops and dresses, but have outgrown some old skirts. 

Gender: It's a GIRL! Baby M. We love saying her name. It just makes it so much more real. Her name is so special to us because it combines my first name and my maiden name. It is also a combination of my two best friends from home's first born daughters names. (Was that confusing or what?) That was actually a happy coincidence. J & I have had this name picked out for literally years and Im so happy we get to use it! I havent decided if Ill share the name on here or not, but if you're super curious, you can always just email me to find out. 

Movement: Oh YES! I first felt movement at week 17, but wasnt sure what it was for another week. Now she kicks and flips and flops all the time. J has been able to feel her multiple times, but each time is so exciting and special. It melts my heart to see his big grin when he feels her or to hear him talk to her. Today Ive been listening to music while working on the laptop and I swear she's been dancing! Her kicks and punches are so strong! 

Sleep: I havent experienced the pregnancy fatigue for several weeks. I can usually get up around 8am and make it until 11pm, which is my normal routine. I havent needed a nap in quite a while either. My one major issue with sleep these days is hip pain. Oh, the hip pain. I wake up every couple of hours in pain and have to turn to the other side. Thankfully, I think Ive figured out how to fix this- by sleeping with a body pillow. So far, so good for the past two nights. The crazy pregnancy dreams went away several weeks ago, though Ive had some interesting ones lately. 

What I miss:  Having a glass of wine with dinner. I have seriously been craving red wine. Other than that, not much- fitting into all of my clothes and being without restrictions in general. 

Cravings: See above. Also, cereal and fruit, still. Ive loved those from the beginning. Occasionally Ill want apple pie and ice cream! 

Aversions: Broccoli still isnt appetizing, but Ive got over all of my other aversions. 

Symptoms:  Hip pain at night, heartburn all the time, no matter what I eat and round ligament pain. Right now, that's all and I am so thankful! Those are all pretty easy to deal with. 

Best Moment this week: Going on our babymoon to Switzerland and Italy! 

The nursery is really coming together! We have all of our furniture now- crib, dresser, changing table and glider with ottoman. We just need to paint the book case and get it in there. We also still need the crib mattress, which has been ordered. Ill post photos once it's all together!

You've Heard it Before, but....

Im back! 

(I feel like Ive written that line a lot this year.) 

Our life has been a bit hectic for the past month or so and it doesnt look like it's going to slow down until about....July. But that's ok because it has been a good busy. Controlled chaos at times, but overall, good. 

Ill catch you up a bit now and go into more detail in some upcoming posts.

• Ive got a baby update post coming up soon. (It's about time, I know.) All I can say is that I simply havent had any time to sit and write, but I should have some free time coming up soon. The baby is kicking me like crazy right now, agreeing that a post all about him/her is overdue. 

• We just got back from our babymoon yesterday. We had a wonderful time in Lucerne, Switzerland and the Italian Riviera. Ive got a ton of photos that I will share with you soon. 

• Traveling at 23 weeks pregnant really wasnt bad. We made a lot of pee stops along the way, but overall, it was an easy journey. 

• I have an Italian inspired giveaway planned for later this week! I found some really great stuff in Cinque Terre and will have that up for grabs soon. 

• J is supposed to be heading back to the States for training for one month soon. That is, if this Icelandic volcano doesnt royally screw up our plans. I am leaving one week after him and staying for three weeks. To say that I am excited to go back to the States, to see my family and friends, to shop, to eat, to experience air conditioning, to attend my own baby shower at my parents, is an understatement. I am thrilled! However, it would also be an understatement to say that I am looking forward to the travel experience there and back. Ill be around 26 weeks when I leave and 29/30 weeks when I come back. Ugh. Traveling that much, that far, through that many time zones sucks enough when you're not pregnant. To be almost 30 weeks pregnant and going through that, well, it wont be fun. Please send good vibes our way though, as we really want both of us to be able to go! 

• This whole pregnancy thing has done great things for our wine collection. We are in the market for a nice wine rack to hold all of the bottles we are accumulating since Im not drinking it and J is rarely opening a bottle these days. 

• I just found out that two of my cousins are pregnant. That brings the total to THIRTY FOUR (34) people that I know who are pregnant. Seriously. 

• Our two year wedding anniversary was earlier this month! Two years has really flown by and they have been so incredible! 

Ok, I think that's enough for now. Ive got some book reviews in the works, a baby update, a one year in Europe review and travel updates. Oh, and a giveaway. So, nothing much, really. Forgive me for being such a slacker on commenting on your blogs. Ive tried to catch up, but at some point, I have to just hit the "Mark all as read" box. So if I've missed something cool, let me know! 

Interesting European Signs: Take II

I've got a few more interesting signs for you that we spotted on a couple

of our recent trips. We may have a juvenile sense of humor for thinking this, 

but we find these funny, 

so much so, that we are always on the lookout for more. 

Stay tuned, because this being Europe, I know we'll find more.

Im pretty sure this is a bookstore. Did they really need the last three letters to be that?
J found this hilarious. 

This was discovered on our walk back to our hotel in Prague.
It's a whole supermarket of erotica! They had photo advertisements on the outside of the store
of women perusing the aisles of toys and lube, choosing the perfect vibrator.
Too freaking funny.

Another of J's contributions from Prague.
We wondered just what goes on in Studio Blow.
Of course it's a hair salon, but are there any "extra" treatments...?

This one's a bit hard to read, but it says Fresh Crocodile Sandwiches.
Ick, but at least they're fresh.

I found this one interesting. It was on a little back street in Prague.
It wasnt open or we would have definitely gone in to see what all you can
find in a Czech witchcraft store.

Happy Wednesday! 

Book Review- She's Come Undone

Not my image

I saw this book on another blog a few months ago.

When I saw it in the used book store on base, I decided to give it a shot.

It isnt the type of book that I normally read. 

I usually stick to happier books, mysteries or, lately, current young adult favorites. 

I am always open to reading new things though, 

so I bought it and jumped right in.

First of all, let me tell you that this is not a happy book. 

Im not sure anything good really ever happens, in fact, except perhaps 

that the book ends. 

It follows the struggles of a young girl, growing up in the 50s and 60s. 

Her parents get divorced, which throws her whole world upside down.

Her mother has a breakdown, she moves in with her grandmother and becomes

increasingly weird and unstable herself. 

She goes to college, has a lesbian encounter, develops an unhealthy obsession for a

boy in a picture, leaves college, has a mental breakdown, goes to a mental hospital for seven years, 

gets out and marries said boy, has an abortion, 

suffers through a terrible marriage, gets a divorce,

moves back to grandmother's house after her death, 

goes back to collage, meets a new man 

and 

gets married again.

Im sure there are lots of life's lessons and morals to be learned and taken from this book.

It wasnt the kind of writing style that Im drawn too, nor was it the type of book

that I normally enjoy.

I just didnt like it.

 I found it boring and depressing.

I slogged through it and finally finished weeks after starting it. 

J kept asking me why I continued to read it, even though I wasnt liking it.

My only answer is that I like to finish what I start and despite not liking the book, 

I wanted to see how it ended. 

The reason there are hundreds, thousands of different types of books out there is because

we're all different. We have different tastes, different preferences, likes, dislikes, etc.

We can appreciate different things. 

This just wasnt a book I appreciated. 

Rating: 

*

Rating Scale:

*****: Amazing, wonderful, MUST-read, loved it!

****: Really liked it, would recommend, good book!

***: Liked it, enjoyable, but not the greatest book ever written. 

**: Not so great, some good parts, but overall, it was just ok.

 *: Didnt like it, wouldnt recommend it, bad book all around.