About me and WELCOME!! :)

I am so excited to see all of the new followers to my Instagram and hopefully this blog.   I've been slow setting this up so bear with me!

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself.   I am a mom to two wonderful children, an almost 11  year old son and a 7 year old girl.   They are truly sweet children who I am proud to call mine.  I am a professional in the manufacturing industry.  I travel as a quality representative as part of my job and sometimes have some pretty hilarious travel stories.  I work in a predominantly male environment so it's difficult being the only woman, especially the only woman trying to dress semi-fashionably while wearing steel-toed boots.

I enjoy reading and occasionally knitting.  I really am hoping to spend a little more time with the latter soon.   I have started an IG book club and our first book was in March.   I would love for more of you to join us and join in the discussions.

I also have quickly become devoted to the Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide workout (BBG).   I have loved how easy this is to follow in addition to the results!  I am so impressed with how quickly the results were noticeable!

I am hoping to do book reviews, product reviews, and other random things with this blog.   I hope you will enjoy!

xoxo

What should be the Sunshine and Coffee March book selection?

Please click the link below and vote!   Also, be entered into a giveaway for a $15 Amazon gift card to cover your purchase of this month's book!  Winner will be chosen at midnight on February 28th!

Entries can be earned by :

1. Commenting below (please tel me your Instagram name!)
2. Subscribe to the Sunshine and Coffee blog
3. Share the giveaway post from my Instagram (sunshineandcoffeelove) with the hashtag #sunshineandcoffeebooks and tag me!

You must be a follower of Sunshine and Coffee on Instagram to win! 

What should be the Sunshine and Coffee March book selection?

Books, Books, and more Books...reviews by me and my spawn

I am a reader.   I love to read and get totally engrossed in a book.   My son, not so much.   His school requires kids to read a certain number of Advanced Reader (AR) points per grading period and take tests.   And since he is brilliant like his mother (**cough**) his goal is high.

While at the airport (my second home it seems), I came across the book Chomp by Carl Hiaasen.   It seemed interesting and counted as an "I miss you gift" and a contribution to his education.   Score 1 for mom.  

He really got into the book which is rare.   Only since The Maze Runner series have I witnessed my child be excited about reading a book.  So, I asked him to do a book review.   This consisted of a written Q&A which was as follows:  (his answers...and edits...lol...are in blue)

Name of book:  Chomp

Author:  Carl Hiaasen

Did you enjoy this book and why?  Yes because it was very funny and had a good story.

Describe the book in 4 sentences  2 sentences.  It was funny.  This book was very adventurous.

What was your favorite part of the book?  When Derek Badger gets lost and thinks he is a vampire.

Should other kids read this book?  Yes.   They will like it.  

My son is in the fifth grade and is 10.   So, if you have a child in that age group, try it out.   He has since read other books by Carl Hiaasen and enjoyed them all.  

And now a book review from the mommy.....

I read Love Anthony by Lisa Genova this month.   I fell in love with Still Alice last month and this was a book by the same author so I thought, why not.  

This story follows two women.  Beth is married with two daughters and discovers that her husband is having an affair.  As she struggles to put together the pieces of the aftermath, she begins to find herself again through writing.   Olivia is newly divorced and living in a new place and trying to find her way.  She is also dealing with the death of her autistic son and trying to make sense of his life and hers.  

These two women cross paths in an unusual way and both find peace with their "new" selves.   (I don't want to spoil the story!)  

This book was in the medium range for me.   I have read some phenomenal books lately and that may be one reason this kind of pales in comparison.   There were parts of the book as told from an autistic child's perspective and I found that pretty captivating.  However, the events which connect the two women and some "coincidences" were a stretch for me, almost in a supernatural nature.  

I would definitely recommend the book, but just don't set your sights too high, especially if you have read Still Alice, which was unfairly difficult to follow.  

If you are looking for something more phenomenal, please see my previous post which reviewed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Still Alice.

I am planning to go home tonight and read the last book in the After series which was supposedly delivered today.  It's a snow day here which is highly unusual and I am stuck at work overseeing an important run for a customer.  The email came out 2 hours ago telling all non-essential workers to go home due to road conditions.   Unfortunately for once in my life I'm important.   So....hopefully I'll make it home at some point.   Once I'm done, I will review the entire 4 book series.   So far I'm totally engrossed.  

Hope you are all staying warm if you're in the snow covered parts of the world today!  

xoxo

Book reviews! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Still Alice

I love to read.  I mean, LOVE TO READ.   When I travel I usually fly through 2-3 books while waiting and flying.  Toward the end of last year, I had a few books that were disappointing and I was in a definite rut.   So, I vowed to make 2015 better and so far I think I have set the bar pretty high!

First off was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.   I cannot say enough good things about this book!  As a science nerd, this totally appealed to me but didn't go so far into detail that I was lost in the minute details of it all.  There was also a human aspect that was undeniably astounding.

The premise is a woman named Henrietta who goes to Johns Hopkins to be treated for cervical cancer.   Henrietta's cells are extracted and grown in the lab in what is honestly one of the biggest breakthroughs in medical history.   Henrietta's cells go on to do amazing things and for years her family has very little knowledge of the huge impact their loved one has on the world of science and medicine.

Part of this story that touched me was the tenacity of her daughter throughout this whole book.   I cannot imagine the strength that this woman must have possessed.  This book stuck with me long after I finished it.   I pondered the moral implications as well as the huge impact of this story long after I closed the book.  I highly recommend this book and I normally am not into non-fiction.  Also, this would be a phenomenal choice for Black History Month!

The second book I dove into was Still Alice.   I didn't realize this was a hot movie of 2015 when I read the book, but I can totally see why.  This is another book that is still bouncing around in my cluttered mind.

The book follows Alice, who I believe is early 50s, from her beginning symptoms well into advanced Alzheimer's disease.  This story is touching and does an amazing job of portraying this disease from the viewpoint of the patient, but without being so depressing that I couldn't finish it.

I have a grandfather who has advanced dementia following strokes almost 15 years ago.  I have to say that I really wish I had read something like this years ago before he was as far gone as he is now.  But it still gave me a different perspective for which I am grateful. This is definitely a book that I think of as a "must read", but even more so if you have a family member or friend with any type of illness such as Alzheimer's.   The perspective you will gain is well worth the time.

My book for February is Love Anthony by the same author as Still Alice.   So far, it's a pretty easy read.  I'm optimistic that my streak of good book choices is continuing.  If you'd like to join me in reading this one and discuss at the end of the month, please let me know!!

Coming soon to the blog will be a book review from my 10 year old son.   I think you will all enjoy it.

xoxo  Happy Monday!

It's Friday!!

Happy Friday!  This has been a crazy busy week!!

Scandal last night was different but AMAZING!  I am now "Team Olivia"....I'm finding I care less and less if Fitz or Jake win in the end.  This episode blew me away.   I kept waiting for the kidnapping to be just a 10 minute part and someone to save her and move on.  Wow.

How to Get Away with Murder also did not disappoint.   We all knew Sam was the baby daddy, but now we really know.  However, I could have done without seeing the snot run down Annalise's nose.  They can be a little too real with her sometimes.



So, Friday means fun casual outfits, and I'm loving my look today!  The sweater is a clearance find from Old Navy and the blanket scarf is one of my favorite items recently.   I purchased it from Piper Street Shop and I love the versatility!  Jeans are from a clearance sale at Stage Department Store.  I love clearance finds!

The ring is from my Rocksbox as well as the earrings.  I'm so in love with the earrings.  I'm thinking I will keep them.   If you're interested in Rocksbox, I tell you how it works and also have a code for a free month on yesterday's post!

I got a new Ulta catalog in the mail yesterday and I am swooning over some of the palettes in there.  I have a serious new found makeup addiction issue.  I found the best contouring how to on YouTube and have been enjoying trying out some of the tips.  I have even *gasp* worn eye makeup for the past week.  This is totally unheard of for me.  

I'm really hoping for a relaxing weekend of getting crafty and getting my desk area at home organized but also cute.  I will probably be hitting some pinterest projects this weekend for cute inspiration.  I am also excited to shop for White After Labor Day's "Be My Galentine" Instagram Valentine's Exchange.  I got the perfect person and already have tons of ideas of stuff to send!

Hope you have a great one! 

xoxo

Rocksbox!!!! How does it work and my review

As you may soon realize, I love subscription boxes.  Clothes, jewelry, cookies of the month....anything.  So, when I found a code to get a free month of Rocksbox, I jumped on the chance.  So, how does it work?

You create an account and fill out a style profile.  The fee is $19 a month and they send you three pieces of designer jewelry.   You keep it as long as you please and send back when you want something new.  If you want to purchase (like the earrings in my current shipment...swoon!), then you get the piece at a discount.  You can send back and get more as often as you'd like in the enclosed envelope.

In addition to the style profile, you can add pieces to your wishlist via instagram, which I LOVE!  It's such a fun and easy service.   It also keeps new and interesting pieces floating around in your wardrobe!

 I really loved the pieces, especially the earrings.   I will probably send the ring back after next week, but I have a conference coming up and the necklace will really add an element to the black Stitch Fix dress in the previous post I think!

If you would like a FREE month, click the link and then try this code at checkout  melissabff377 and your first month should be free!!

I hope you enjoyed my review.  Again, I'm working on getting the blog "prettied" up and I'm also on Instagram as SunshineandCoffeeLove!

xoxo

How does Stitch Fix Work? My Stitch Fix review

Photo credit=my 6 year old 

A few months ago, a guy who works for me was telling me about how his wife had started a Stitch Fix subscription.   You fill out a survey and a box of clothes/accessories shows up for you to try and you send back what you don't like.  Simple right?  Actually, YES!!!!

6 year olds take blurry pics

I signed up through her link (because she got a referral credit) and filled out the survey.  I read a few reviews that suggested going into detail about what you like/don't like in clothes.  So, I did.  I hate shirts that fit snugly around the stomach, but I don't mind arms and shoulders being snug or revealing.  I shared my preferences with jeans/pants and that I didn't want to receive certain accessories, prints, etc. and I was on my way.

I couldn't find photos from my first fix, but I will share some from subsequent fixes.  I have gotten 4 boxes so far and I couldn't be happier.

So, how does it work?  When you sign up, you pay a $20 styling fee.   The great news?  You can apply that as a credit to the items you keep from your shipment.  You get 5 items.   Decide what you want to keep (if you keep nothing you forfeit the $20), and they have a postage paid envelope to send back what you didn't want to keep.   If you keep all 5 items, you get a 25% discount so sometimes if only one item is iffy, it's about the same price to just keep it.

The sweater, shirt, and jeans are all Stitch Fix!

You check out online and give feedback about each item so that they can better suit you next time!  You can also leave a note for your stylist about an upcoming event or something you want to try.  In addition, you can link a pinterest board and pin styles you like and even upload pictures with your items so they can see how they did.

Shirt, jacket, and jeans are all Stitch Fix!

I rarely have time with my work and travel schedule in addition to kids to actually shop, so this is fantastic.   And each item comes with a card to show you options to style the piece.

I cannot recommend Stitch Fix enough.  Try it out!!

All 3 pieces are Stitch Fix

And, as always, leave me a comment guys!  I'm trying to get this blog up and going.  I also have started an instagram!  Find me at SunshineandCoffeeLove

xoxo