tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44941071793796785442024-02-22T03:01:57.172-05:00Petite AllieA bookshelf of my life and some things that interest me.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-33582936454703084582018-01-03T10:00:00.000-05:002018-01-03T10:00:39.629-05:00New Year, Same Me<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today was weigh in day for me this week at Weight Watchers. I was pretty sure I would have gained some from last week because I wanted to make sure I was really lucky and would get a lot of money this year. To my surprise, I was down two pounds! I was really shocked at the scale tonight but I am patting myself on the back because I am trying this time. I am being mindful of my portions (especially the bad food). I am determined to make it click this time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At the meeting tonight was pretty much a discussion about the new Freestyle program that came out last month right after Thanksgiving. I have been playing around with the new program over the holidays. I have honestly been trying to cheat the system by eating mostly zero point foods, unfortunately they still have calories. Eating four or five eggs a day will add up on the scale for me. I am rethinking how to approach the program. Instead of trying to cheat the system, I am embracing it. I am focusing on the foods that fill me up and keep me satisfied longer. When I go back to work I will bring a bag of baby carrots, a banana and an apple to each for my snacks. I typically will grab a 5 point bag of chips but I know I can do better than that! I might bring a string cheese to eat too so that I am getting a good combination of veggies/fruit and protein.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Freestyle is going to be my lifestyle. I don't want to even think of this as a diet, because it isn't. I can eat anything I want to have as long as I track it. Whether I track it or not, if I ate it I'm pretty sure it shows up on the scale every time! Focusing this week on entering everything into my tracker. I want to start the year of on the right foot!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Weight: 212.6 lbs.</span>Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-84237054956763484672017-11-08T21:53:00.000-05:002017-11-08T21:53:00.220-05:00It has been a while...SORRY!<div>
Hello my shorties!</div>
Where do I begin? I am on a weight loss journey, have been for just over a year (this time). I seem to have gotten off track with this blog but honestly you haven't missed much. I have not been in the right mindset, even with the last blog post that share all my hopes for the following month. I tanked so fast in September. All my challenges I set for myself were just too high for this shorty. Telling myself I can not have any soda made me crave it that much more. Honestly, I know I can give it up but I need at least two weeks to deal with the recovery of just stopping. It is just like getting over any kind of addiction. I want to be able to stay at home, not have to substitute 6 classes of students when I know I am going to feel so miserable. So making sure your goals, simple, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely was not what happened for me in September. <div>
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Let's pretend October didn't happen either. It was my birthday month, ate a lot of yummy food, yadda yadda ya....it is over! </div>
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Let's start this whole thing over this month. I am going to be focusing back to basics. I was to aim to get blue dots for at least 20 days this month. So far I have 1, nearly there! I also will be keeping in contact with my girls from the meeting in our group chat. We have some of the best laughs between us about the program and stuff! </div>
Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-38114123834759594762017-08-29T09:11:00.000-04:002017-08-29T09:11:06.378-04:00Getting back into the routineFor the past year and a half I have been in a state of mindlessness. Mindless in my eating, mindless in my habits, mindless in most aspects of my life. I feel like I am starting to get to a point where the mindlessness is starting to wear me down where I have to make a decision. Do I want to continue down this path that will lead to worse things or do I want to do something about it and change my ways? Today I want to do something about it and change my ways. I say today because I am still emotional and worry my choice might change daily.<br />
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"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." Albert Einstein was right on the money with this quote. I have been in a cycle of insanity for the past two years or so. I want to lose weight, tone my muscles, and enjoy my time with my son but I just keep doing the same things day in and day out. The insanity of it all is bearing down on me and I am starting to realize how miserable I actually am. I am still not good with cardio, I have loved running and want to get better, faster, and stronger. I am strong but not strong enough for my personal preference. I am overweight for my height, immensely, and I've wanted to change that for the last 6 years or so. I want to have more children, with a happy and healthy pregnancy.<br />
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I am starting a challenge in September that is really going to test my ability to stay determined and not let something make me stray from my goals. I am doing NO SODA SEPTEMBER and it is going to be incredibly hard. I drink Diet Coke like it is water so giving it up completely for a month is really going to test myself. Especially since Diet Coke is freely available in my work environment, I buy the big packs from Costco so that I may never run out at home. I think my tea intake will be going up, or my coffee intake. I am positive my water intake is going to sky rocket for the month (and hopefully ever after).<br />
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Going back to the gym is going to be tough in the beginning but once I have my routine again it will be easy as pie. For many the gym is a place of pain and torture, but for me it is a place of joy, empowerment, and change. The only struggle I have is getting to the gym because if I want to go without having to depend on someone to watch my son I going in a 4:00 am. I don't want to pay extra for the childcare just to be on a time crunch too. I want to go when I can and get a good workout for myself in. Surprisingly there are about 20 people in the gym when I get there at 4 am. Some of them are becoming acquaintances who check on me when I haven't been there for a while. Some will become friends because we share a goal of getting strong.<br />
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The gym does not have to be this place where we are judged by others. Look around next time, who is actually looking back at you and who is crushing their own workout? Exactly, everyone is focused on their own workouts to honestly be judging you on the treadmill for 20 minutes. If you think you are being judged because you could only do 20 minutes, you aren't. You are lapping those people who are sitting on the couch who can't get themselves to the gym. You are pushing harder than you ever have and next week you will be able to kick it up to 30 minutes!Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-20112855441426524802015-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-30T08:00:04.094-04:00Set Your CourseWeight Watchers is changing things up again and I am so excited to be apart of it! I don't thing anything within the program that we all know and love is going to change but things are changing slightly. For example, we have new trackers that are called My Success Story. It is focusing on the positive (success) instead of just the numbers. They are still weighing you (obviously!) and putting your weight in your book, the guts of the book look a little different.<br />
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First the book has us write out why we are here. It is in a place that we can view often if we carry our trackers with us all the time. next it asks for our ultimate goal weight. Don't worry if you are afraid to focus on that end number right now, there is a box to check if you choose that option. Below that is a place to write things that you like to do for some "me time" when your schedule is completely free.<br />
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The booklet still has 16 weeks in it but the focus is on 4 weeks at a time. We can write in a monthly goal, so that we are keeping our goals small, specific and sustainable. We also check off the emoji of how our week went before we jump on the scale. It is nice to see that we might have had a really bad week but the scale actually goes down or vice versa. There is also room to write down what activity you want to focus on for your "me time".<br />
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The back of the book holds some pretty neat parts to creating your success story. There is a paragraph written out with some words missing. It is laid out like a mad lib, where you fill in the blanks. I can't until the 16 weeks and I can fill that in. It will be interesting to see how those words change every 16 weeks or so. There is also a place for your 5 lb. stickers and some notes on looking back on your journey. The next two pages are a wall of bravo stickers because damn those things are amazing. there are lines to describe why you got the bravo sticker. Our leader gives them to us for habit changes and I am raking up those stickers! The next thing is measurements so that you can track your progress in other ways, not just the scale!<br />
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This new book is helping us set our own course in our journey to our success in weight loss. The definition of the word success is <i>the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.</i> That is one definition but everyone defines it differently based on your goals. I have incredible trouble keeping track of my food intake so when I do track all day (and correctly) I am pretty proud of myself for that success. On the other hand, tracking might come easy to my neighbor at the meeting but getting a walk in is hard. When they do get up and go they have achieved their own success. That is the great thing about individuality. No two are alike. It is pretty awesome.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-81444598778767874392015-09-20T16:17:00.001-04:002015-09-20T16:17:38.801-04:00August Wrap-UpAugust was a really sad month for me in reading because I only read 2 books. I feel like a very pitiful reader because of that but honestly I am getting over that. I read 2 books, that is more than a lot of people in my life.<br />
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The first book I read was Howl's Moving Castle. It was something I have wanted to read ever since I saw a video on Youtube. Luckily my younger cousin had a copy and let me borrow it. I really enjoyed the novel. I read it with the knowledge that I would immediately watch the film, which I did.<br />
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The other book I read this month was The Martian which I absolutely loved. I couldn't put this book down and I was enthralled the entire time I was reading it. I plan to write a review but I am still trying to wrap my head around my thoughts for it. It is coming though so don't worry.<br />
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I think September will be a pretty solid month for reading (I already know it is).Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-17955133102768191192015-07-30T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-30T08:00:02.029-04:00[REVIEW] To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407175012l/21936986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407175012l/21936986.jpg" width="208" /></a><b style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Book Title:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> To All the Boys I've Loved Before</span></div>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Author:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> Jenny Han</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Series:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> To All the Boys I've Loved Before</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Genre:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> Young Adult, contemporary, romance, chick lit</span><br />
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<span id="freeTextContainer14257160694909134019">Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. One for every boy she's ever loved. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control...</span></blockquote>
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<a name='more'></a>My Thoughts:<br />
The books was hard for me to get into at first. There were too many misspellings and grammatical errors that took away from the story at first. I was even annoyed with the way everything seemed to be explained. It didn't make since that this was a young adult romance novel but seemed to be written for a middle schooler or even an advanced grade schooler.<br />
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Going beyond all of that the story itself was great. I really liked reading about all the guys reactions to the letters that Lara Jean had written to them. I thought it was realistic for her little sister, Kitty, to mail them out in a fit of rage towards her sister. Then she had remorse for what she did so she finally told Lara Jean what she had done.<br />
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The relationship that began as a fake between Lara Jean and Peter blossomed into something very sweet. I hated that Peter was in it at the beginning just to get his ex-girlfriend back because I thought Lara Jean was pretty awesome. You really got to see the fake relationship turn into a real one when he offered to help her bake for Kitty's school bake sale the next day. Luckily for them her dad came home so the two could go to a party.<br />
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I have a strong hate for Margot after she came home from university for the holidays. She was incredibly mean to Josh and Lara Jean for the kissed the two shared while Margot was gone. Unfortunately I thought Lara Jean should have told Margot over email about everything that was happening to her when the letters were mailed out. I would hope that Margot would have understood then about their kiss and wouldn't have made such a big deal out of it. It didn't help that Margot lied about why she and Josh were breaking up. I hope there is some resolve between Margot and Josh in the second book. That is going to be the main reason I read that book.<br />
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Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-52459304118718531482015-07-29T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-29T08:00:00.398-04:00What's Your Pleasure?Something at our Weight Watchers meetings we will cover a nonfood related topic because there are other ways to make us healthy other than food. July 6th's meeting was all about finding our pleasure in nonfood ways. We are working to start taking care of ourselves to make us happy. We knot that happy people make healthier decisions.
This week was a take to find something to ourselves. Sometimes we forget that we need to take five minutes. A lot of the time responsibilities will get in the way or cause us to forget about ourselves. What would you do if you had five or ten minutes of free time?
I read my books at any free moment that I can grab. I'm currently in the process of fixing up a house for us to move into. Right now a lot of my time that I would spend reading is either spent at the house fixing something or at home making a list of things that need to be done at the new house. It is not as pleasurable as I thought it would be. Once the house is finished and we move it the pleasure of my hard work will begin.
We were asked to make room in our days for those little moments. I was able to identify my pleasures and I was even able to do some of them. My favorite thing to do right now is make stickers for my planner. I am one of those weird people that has a paper planner and I fill it with stickers and sorts. I like to use it as a scrapbook later for how the year went for us.
I am going to continue to find these little moments are really make the most of them. I know that I need to take better care of myself so that I can truly provide for my family. Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-41425160135623793882015-07-28T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-28T08:00:05.425-04:00Overcoming Time BanditsLast week at Weight Watchers we discussed ways of how to outsmart our time bandits. Time bandits are something that typically happen daily and if we are just take a few extra minutes in the day to be mindful of where out time is going we are beat the time bandits.
I know during the summer I struggle the most with managing my time because i have a four year old who doesn't really understand that mommy needs five or ten minutes to just close her eyes and think.
The first thing we focused on was identifying our own time bandits. The challenge for the week was the identify and change our time bandits. Many common culprits are channel surfing, the internet in general, checking email, Facebook, or other social medias, playing video games, and checking the news. My main culprit is the internet. I can get lost on Facebook, Youtube, and Reddit.
The next thing to do is eliminate the time bandit. For me that would be setting a timer for me to be online and say, "When I finish this, I get so much time online before I should start this." It just takes a little more time for you to be aware that you should be doing something else. Once you start to recognize those time bandits and you are able to change them, it will slowly become a habit. A habit that will turn into something so easy you will never understand why you didn't do it all along. Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-38841267395648729132015-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-27T08:00:04.253-04:00Dear Allie | vol. 18You are amazing. You just spent four days at the beach with your mother-in-law. You enjoyed the time at the beach, building sandcastles with your son, and even swimming in the ocean. Now that you have signed up for the Tallahassee Half Marathon you are going to have to be very diligent with your training runs and sacrifice a few things. I know that you are worried about the route for the race but you are capable of finishing it. You ran the same race in 2013 and finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes or so. Yes, the route for the race is going to be very hilly but you have 28 weeks to train for this race. You have a 20 week training program that you are beginning this week so you will be prepared for the race. It will also be nice because you will have at least 2 friends running the race with you. Cheer up about this. You will start to love running and then you will eventually want to run the race every year, maybe one day you will decide to train and run the full marathon. Who knows, the possibilities are endless for you.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-68030517046508373922015-07-24T22:14:00.000-04:002015-07-24T22:14:49.306-04:00Friday Reads | 13This Friday I am reading Howl's Moving Castle. I was told I had to read this book by my 16 year old cousin. She is pushy when it comes to books I need to read. I am excited to try and finish it this weekend. If I do finish that book I plan to start either Postal Service by Terry Pratchett or Outlander. I honestly haven't decided yet!Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-8780353705261640232015-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-16T08:00:06.532-04:00[REVIEW] The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327882682l/1618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327882682l/1618.jpg" width="207" /></a><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Book Title:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</span></div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Author:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> Mark Haddeon</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Series:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> N/A</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;">Genre:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.75px;"> Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Psychological</span><br />
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<span id="freeText2087113502667533507" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.</span><span id="freeText2087113502667533507" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><span id="freeText2087113502667533507" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, for fifteen-year-old Christopher everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favourite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is funny, poignant and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></blockquote>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">MY THOUGHTS</span></div>
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This was a book given to me by a colleague of mine because she wanted to know what I thought about the novel. It has been chosen as the school summer reading book this year, which means the entire school needs to read it. I told her I would be happy to take the book and read it. Who wouldn't love a free book?<br />
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Going into this novel I didn't know anything other than what the synopsis said. Initially I thought there were going to be some conflicts with the books because the freshmen that are in general classes may have trouble with some of the topics presented in this novel. Mark Haddon never actually says that Christopher is autistic or has Aspergers but the reader can assume based on Christopher's thinking and actions. After reading the novel I did a little more research and found out that Haddon only read one article about Aspergers to prepare for the novel. He ended up giving Christopher 10 rules that he lived his life by, which I honestly thought was brilliant because it made Christopher's condition believable.<br />
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I enjoyed the story well enough but I just wasn't that into the book. Christopher was all over the place narrating the story. I understand why the narration was all over the place but I do not think most high school students would understand. I think they will get angry about how the narration goes all of the place.<br />
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I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the story but it wasn't something that made me want to reread it ever again. </div>
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Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-30645774869503349942015-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-09T08:00:05.304-04:00[REVIEW] Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book Title:</b> Under the Egg<br />
<b>Author:</b> Laura Marx Fitzgerald<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Children's/ middle school/ mystery<br />
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<span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries the painting may be stolen.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: ; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.</span></blockquote>
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I absolutely loved this book. It was a great read for a read-a-thon. I was able to basically read this in one day. I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt that Theodora's grandfather sent her on after his death. I think it helped her get to know him a little bit better, even though he is passed away. I really hated how her mother didn't really care about their money situation or the fact that Theodora was doing everything for the two of them. I understand that she has something mentally wrong with her, either <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Asperger</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> syndrome </span></span> or some form of autism., but she didn't need to leave her child alone that much.<br />
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I really enjoyed this because I was an art history major in college so reading about some on the art made me a little giddy again for the art world. I was able to get involved a little with the story because of the art they were talking about.<br />
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I would recommend this novel to anyone but especially if you are an art history buff. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-76888003396188091512015-07-03T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-03T08:00:00.734-04:00Friday Reads | week 12This Friday I am still reading To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. I hope to finish this before the weekend is up. I will either pick up Deathworld 1 by Harry Harrison or A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin. I haven't really decided between the two though. I also have to read Howl's Moving Castle per request of my 16 year old cousin.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-81308352296924968962015-07-02T22:11:00.002-04:002015-07-02T22:25:02.002-04:00[Review] Sold by Patricia McCormick<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book Title:</b> Sold<br />
<b>Author:</b> Patricia McCormick<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Fiction, culture, young adult, abuse<br />
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<span style="background-color:; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.</span>He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.<br />
An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt—then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.<br />
Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother’s words— Simply to endure is to triumph—and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision—will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?<br />
Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.</blockquote>
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I decided to read this book during a read-a-thon because it was fairly short in length. Much to my excitement the books was very short because the story was told through vignettes. As I was reading the story of Lakshmi I was torn because I knew this is something that continues to go on in today's society; it isn't something from the past. </div>
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Lakshmi ends up being sold into the sex slave industry by her step father. That is cruel and heartbreaking that these adults, these care takers whom she is supposed to trust, are selling and trading her like produce at the farmers market. Because Lakshmi is working in the sex slave industry I believe that she is forced to grow up a little to fast for a child of her age. She should be at school learning and playing on the play ground with her friends. She shouldn't be crying because she has to be drugged to let someone have sex with her when she first arrived at the house. </div>
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I really loved the beginning of the story. Lakshmi is at home with her mother and baby brother. It is such a great understanding of who Lakshmi is and where she comes from. It makes you feel more for her when she is sold off. </div>
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I would recommend this read. It was enjoyable and eye opening to something that is currently happening in the world. I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars. </div>
Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-65033018824660776612015-06-15T16:45:00.001-04:002015-06-15T16:47:25.226-04:00Dear Allie | vol. 17You are doing great. You tracked all your food last week. That is amazing considering that tracking is one of the toughest things for you to do, or struggle with the most. You are going to continue to track your food because you know it helps. You need to get some good groceries in the house so you have some low point items to snack on.<br />
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This week will also be great because it is a rainbow-a-thon reading challenge. You picked out enough books that I think you can finish this week. Two of them are quick reads, two are graphic novels and the last two are where you will be challenged. I have faith in you though.<br />
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<li>Red</li>
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<li>Under the Egg</li>
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<li>Orange</li>
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<li>Amulet #3: The Cloud Searchers</li>
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<li>Yellow</li>
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<li>Sold</li>
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<li>Green</li>
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<li>The Zombie Survival Guide</li>
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<li>Blue</li>
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<li>Saints</li>
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<li>Purple</li>
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<li>Earthsea</li>
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I can't wait to start reading some of these books. Many of these will also help with the Pop Sugar Challenge this year!</div>
Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-35407149110655453382015-06-08T14:29:00.004-04:002015-06-15T16:49:20.652-04:00The Summer Eating GuideA couple of weeks ago the theme for my Weight Watchers meeting was making our summer eating guide. It was a great discussion on how we are going to stay on plan with all the summer parties going on. Our leader gave us scenarios and we were asked to talk through way for us to stay on track. Some member were really great at coming up with ways to stay on track.<br />
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When I originally though about how my summer was going to be I freaked out a little. Then I decided to really think about why I was getting so worked up over this. It was silly honestly. Everything is going to be great. I won't have the same distractions of food as I would at work. I am able to clean out my pantry and fridge, stocking up healthy foods.</div>
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Something I hope to try is cooking dinner more often. I also want to use my crockpot that I have had for years. This will allow me to really experiment with what I like and what works for my family.</div>
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After thinking about the possibilities that summer holds I am getting stoked!</div>
Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-7176909301230175642015-05-08T12:20:00.001-04:002015-06-10T15:17:10.767-04:00Friday Reads | week 11The past couple of weeks have been really busy at work. I still try to squeeze in a little reading here and there. This week I am reading Pretty Girl Thirteen by Liz Coley. I am only about 100 pages into it and I am really enjoying the story. I actually hate to put the book down sometimes. I am hoping to finish this book this weekend and pick up either a couple of graphic novels or get back into Harry Potter with the second book.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-74411868274320927002015-04-14T09:00:00.000-04:002015-07-02T22:27:39.363-04:00[REVIEW] Cinder<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book Title:</b> Cinder<br />
<b>Author:</b> Marissa Meyer<br />
<b>Series:</b> The Lunar Chronicles<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Young Adult Fantasy<br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. </span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">MY THOUGHTS</span></h3>
This book was pretty amazing. I was blown away with the story, including how well the retailing of Cinderella was. It was a great interpretation of the fairy tale that included small elements from the original tale. For example, the tale originated in China and the setting of the novel is in New Beijing. It is subtle but a nod to the original tale. It still has the evil step mother and step sisters but it has a different spin as well.<br />
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My favorite character from the novel (other than Cinder) is Iko. She is an android that has such a personality and is extremely funny. She definitely adds much of the comical aspects to the story. Iko actually continues to be a favorite through the series.<br />
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Queen Levanna makes it very easy for the reader to despise her. She is taking advantage of all of her people by her glamour. She kills all of the Lunars who are born as a shell, this is terrible because it is also a new born that they are killing. Levanna has also killed most of her family members in order to get the crown for herself, including trying to kill Cinder when she was just 3 years old. Not even old enough to understand what was going on when the fire broke out around her. Luckily, Cinder was saved and can crush Queen Levanna with a heavy hand.<br />
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Overall, this story was very entertaining. It is a novel that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for something new.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-34920573480040891322015-04-13T13:20:00.001-04:002015-06-10T15:15:47.117-04:00Dear Allie | vol.16You gained weight this week at your meeting. Luckily you know exactly why you gained weight. You bought Easter candy because it was on sale and you actually ate most of it last week. Go You! Now you have to work on a plan to get the numbers going back in the right direction. I know that you are struggling mentally to lose the weight. It is hard when it seems like it is just you working. You feel so alone doing this. You can't lean on your husband for support because it seems like all he does is sabotage you. Your mom tries to give you advice but she just ends up making you feel like shit about yourself, causing you to eat more and more unhealthy stuff.
You need to find a person to lean on and be completely honest about all of these things. You are already doing that with your meeting leader but you should find someone else too. It would help to compliment her in your struggle to change your terrible habits. This is going to be an uphill battle with huge boulders coming towards you. I want you to over come those challenges and reach the top of that mountain. You can do it. Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-17353407318215234522015-04-07T20:35:00.001-04:002015-06-10T15:12:00.823-04:00<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13941139/?claim=jkkc322sz8b">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-64412703811864109222015-04-07T16:08:00.000-04:002015-06-15T16:47:50.454-04:00[REVIEW] A Clockwork Orange<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book Title:</b> A Clockwork Orange<br />
<b>Author: </b>Anthony Burgess<br />
<b>Series:</b> None<br />
<b>Genres: </b>Dystopian<br />
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<span style="background-color: none;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A vicious fifteen-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic, whose stark terror was captured in Stanley Kubrick's magnificent film of the same title.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. </span><em style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A Clockwork Orange</em><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?"</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition and Burgess's introduction "A Clockwork Orange Resucked".</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">MY THOUGHTS</span></h3>
This was a book I was supposed to read in high school for one of my summer readings but surprise, I did not read it. I have it in my mind that I need to read all the books that I should have read in high school now because life is going to get away from me and I may never get another chance to read all those glorious words.<br />
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A Clockwork Orange is a novel about a boy who is a fan of ultra-violence with his friends, or droogs. The story takes us through one night with Alex and his droogs as they go through out the town dishing out all kinds of violent endeavors on a few people. At the end of the night Alex actually gets arrested by the millicents (police). We also go to prison with Alex as he is put through an experimental treatment to cure him of those feelings that make him ultra-violent. The last part of the novel is the aftermath of Alex being cure and released from prison.<br />
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My edition of the novel has 192 pages with the final 21st chapter that wasn't in the original USA publication.<br />
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I thought this novel was pretty amazing, aside from the detailed violence. The story was very interesting in the sense of we see a young boy going down a terrible path and then the consequences of those actions and the outcome. I also enjoyed how the novel goes in to the exploration of free will. This is played out while Alex is at prison getting treatments. We see it in the staged action towards Alex just before he is released in the last part as well.<br />
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The only thing that bothered me was the made up language; Nadsat, created by Burgess for the novel. Some words were given the translation at the beginning of the story. Unfortunately most of the words you were forced to come to your own conclusion about what they were supposed to mean.Of course once I finished the novel I stumbled upon an appendix of all the words for the Nadsat language.<br />
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Like I already mentioned, my edition of the novel has the controversial last chapter. When I finished chapter 20 I took a little time to reflect before reading on. This was the point that the original publication in the USA ended, it is also where the film ends. I found that I was wanting so much more on a conclusion. That chapter makes it seem like Alex was going back to his old ways, in a sense I guess that is what they wanted people to think about this in the end, originally. Unfortunately I was extremely upset and couldn't believe that that used to be the end of the novel. I told several coworkers how much it bothered me. The last chapter proves that Alex is cured. He sees one of this old droogs grown up and married. Alex finally mentions that he wants to get married and have kids too. He even mentioned how his kids would, of course, be exactly like him.<br />
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Overall I recommend this book with caution because of the ultra-violence. It was a great read that I am happy to have read. I will allow my children to read this one day. It is one of the modern classics that I believe everyone should read at least once.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-92050472398685097842015-03-13T08:45:00.001-04:002015-06-15T16:51:11.021-04:00Friday Reads | Week 10This weekend starts the high school's spring break in the county that I work in. That means that I also get a spring break. My Friday reads are going to be amazing this week (I hope) because I am hoping to make it through an entire series, hopefully. I started and finished reading the first book if the Lunar Chronicles this week. Today I started the second novel, Scarlet and I am so excited to hopefully cross off an entire series from my TBR list this week. Although the final book doesn't come out until this winter, I will be completely caught up with the series.<br />
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I also want to try and read Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang. I had read three of Yang's other graphic novels and am excited to add this to my read shelf. It looks amazing and I honestly don't know much about the story line for the graphic novels. I just know that Regan from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/PeruseProject" target="_blank">PeruseProject</a> on youtube.com enjoyed the duology. <br />
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Hope you are having a splendid week and make sure to get some reading done. Especially if you are on spring break like I am.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-7872571707047748162015-03-12T09:00:00.000-04:002015-06-15T16:49:57.632-04:00Project 1/3 | Eating Food...Or Your Feelings?This week we were asked to write down a time we ate something but we weren't really hungry. I wrote down a time that happened just the day before. I am actually pretty ashamed of what I did but I should shared it with my meeting because my leader wanted to work through the exercises with actual events that have happened to us.<br />
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I was extremely nervous to share. I was afraid of all the looks I'd get. I then remembered where I was. Duh! I was in the comfort of my meeting group. There was no need for me to be afraid because these people knew where I was coming from because many (if not all) have had the same experience.<br />
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I am glad that I am speaking up so much at my meetings. I don't have much to show for going to all my meetings just yet but it is a hard road to learn new habits, especially if you feel like you are going at it alone.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-14778279732690400662015-03-11T08:58:00.000-04:002015-06-10T15:12:00.818-04:00Guest Blogger | Please go check me outI found an application to be a guest blogger on a website justmoogley.com and I filled it out thinking I would never get picked for this. I don't post on a great schedule (even though I try my hardest), I don't have very many readers at all but I don't have a few social media followers. To my shock I was chosen as the organization/planner blogger for the site. I am so excited to be apart of this team right now. I have a little introduction post over on the site that should be published on Friday sometime. You can find a link to the site in the blog list on the side of my blog. I would love it if you could take a moment to check it out and see what I will be doing.<br />
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Again, thank you Megan for picking me to write about planners and organization. I can't wait to get started on this adventure. It is going to be a great ride and I am so glad to be riding in the passenger seat with you.Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494107179379678544.post-46180108217761965892015-03-08T11:20:00.001-04:002015-06-15T16:50:39.538-04:00Outfits of the Week | vol. 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A post with pictures of all the cute outfits I wore this week. </div>
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Sunday was a cute casual for a lunch date with my husband.</div>
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There is no #ootd for Monday because I went home feeling ill from work. Sorry!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4q8drZungS4-uW3j8zRHboda1rJKT1v8uGxZEPp_aWNN9H73xwAGAhgZUMiQxnHpCTjlCv6oyt2qNqN4jG7dRkrzDwmYQ5NMpYzBDJdFSNhln52OG41PitiAH8so8yT4KdZkttUydcts/s1600/11050762_10204415432081624_2740932044398035506_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4q8drZungS4-uW3j8zRHboda1rJKT1v8uGxZEPp_aWNN9H73xwAGAhgZUMiQxnHpCTjlCv6oyt2qNqN4jG7dRkrzDwmYQ5NMpYzBDJdFSNhln52OG41PitiAH8so8yT4KdZkttUydcts/s1600/11050762_10204415432081624_2740932044398035506_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tuesday was a cute chic kind of day with my polka dots shirt. I love this shirt except for the sleeves. I need to get them cut off a little bit because the edges are a little tight and make it feel awkward. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcXC2hktcBLtnNxigX3tkHy7ZHDSExffckukyAS7LEnwGxJutLfg8myHpXWUH-Q2TD2Y_ZuMJYQh912Qnduah51kqakl-6Jqsq-NrNnsieur1AJlyHgRsrw0Koc9VTHpquhJljp3ZL8Y/s1600/11008385_10204420601970868_7321908963311737451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcXC2hktcBLtnNxigX3tkHy7ZHDSExffckukyAS7LEnwGxJutLfg8myHpXWUH-Q2TD2Y_ZuMJYQh912Qnduah51kqakl-6Jqsq-NrNnsieur1AJlyHgRsrw0Koc9VTHpquhJljp3ZL8Y/s1600/11008385_10204420601970868_7321908963311737451_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>\</div>
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This was my work attire for Wednesday. I love those shoes as anyone can see. UGH. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2O9v2pkf8pkO1ru8SPcK8WI1nSs7rFmBOx19sM2DF8vAJO1WQGZzgSozdz6Jjzc8TpnJUqFy4WY_qN3FJT-c1uudmvgVeQECmTStKrNuTzViBksMqXLX5Kw74aO_Tca2WE0AdyUvM3M/s1600/10003949_10204423691128095_2149197966297855545_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2O9v2pkf8pkO1ru8SPcK8WI1nSs7rFmBOx19sM2DF8vAJO1WQGZzgSozdz6Jjzc8TpnJUqFy4WY_qN3FJT-c1uudmvgVeQECmTStKrNuTzViBksMqXLX5Kw74aO_Tca2WE0AdyUvM3M/s1600/10003949_10204423691128095_2149197966297855545_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Here is the same version of the Wednesday outfit buy after I got home because it was really hot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHjvq1X4zU5WtOkbAeH7mtNHMF32qvV2JqN0RIUIVxsZ7sqEtN5M6B5s97i7pBzLzBUb_kna172Q_xXVFWDSBVJNWqxOCEQXkpsUUbwKrQ3GSR9FrDuB6j81bfXS-ZNvHmfVtVQlLMdI/s1600/11041806_10204447956694719_5149376803190547455_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicHjvq1X4zU5WtOkbAeH7mtNHMF32qvV2JqN0RIUIVxsZ7sqEtN5M6B5s97i7pBzLzBUb_kna172Q_xXVFWDSBVJNWqxOCEQXkpsUUbwKrQ3GSR9FrDuB6j81bfXS-ZNvHmfVtVQlLMdI/s1600/11041806_10204447956694719_5149376803190547455_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the outfit from today, Sunday. I was going for a comfy and casual style but I absolutely wanted to wear this awesome dress that I got from Target. </div>
<br />Allie Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11434223009717816573noreply@blogger.com0