Wednesday, August 5, 2015

July Favorites (2015) | Lifestyle, Food, Technology & More

Hey friends,


I've been wanting to post my favorites for a while now, so I'm jumping right in with July. You won't see every category, every time I post this feature- but you'll surely find all of the things that I've been really loving this month. I can't believe that the summer is almost over. I'm trying to savor the rest of it before its gone.

Food & Drink
  • Nature's Valley Breakfast Biscuits - I've been loving these things lately. Especially in the morning with my coffee. It's just like dessert for breakfast without the feeling of guilt that other morning treats bring. Both the Honey and Blueberry are delicious, but the Blueberry is my favorite.
  • Simply Naked Unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon - This is a great wine. Regularly price around $15, I've been getting this on sale at Meijer for $6.99. I need to stock up before the price goes up. It's really delicious. Simple yet, not sweet, nor not too dry. It's great with food or even some popcorn on the side.


Planning Tools
  • DIY Fish planner inserts - I've been eyeing these babies for months on top of months. I finally caved this month and purchased my first set and I love them. I've given up my ECLP and are using these instead. Stay tuned for a full review! You can find them in her shop on Etsy.


Audiobooks - I adore audiobooks. While I love reading, audiobooks mix things up a bit and allow me enjoy even more books while I'm working longer hours and don't have as much time to sit and read. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel or my book blog if you want to be notified when I review these titles.

  • Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness - This is adult fantasy title. I liked this more than I expected. If you like paranormal, then you'll love this title. It's very light on the sex and romance, but it's still good anyway. I like the heroine Diana and I look forward to seeing what other trouble she can get herself into in the next book. Sadly, I have to hold off for a month or so before I continue so I won't get too far ahead of my book club.
  • Luckiest Girl Alive, by Jessica Knoll - This is adult contemporary fiction title. Some have tagged this as a mystery and/or thriller, but I wouldn't go that far. I felt that this title was just awesome. I'd heard a lot of hype around this title and it delivered. I recommend this title for a easy listen.  
Music
I'd previously been having a hard time falling asleep without any TV or YouTube playing in the background, so I created my own "Sleepy Time" Playlist on Spotify. Check it out here. It's just enough music to fall asleep and won't be playing all night long.

TV
  • Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) - I'm super late to the party on this one, but I've recently began Pretty Little Liars on Netflix. This is one of those things that I really didn't want to watch, but one boring Sunday afternoon, scrolling through Netflix this was calling out to me like a shining beacon. The first two episodes were okay, but I was intrigued enough to keep going - and bam! I like it. I'm sure I'll be caught up by the end of the current season. That's also how I became obsessed with Gossip Girl once it was off the air.
  • Humans (AMC) - As far as what's on TV now, I've really been liking Humans. I like science fiction and fantasy, so I'm always up for checking out any show in that genre. This takes place in England and I just love English shows. The perfect mix of British and Sci-fi.
  • Love & Hip Hop Atlanta (VH1) - This is one of my guilty pleasures. Yep, love some juicy, drama filled reality TV. I admit it. I even got my husband into it and we watch this one together!
Tech Gadgets

Apps (Android OS)
  • SimCity Buildit - I've been some what addicted to this game for the last month or so. It's really fun seeing your own creation come alive! I don't use this game on my phone, I find it much more enjoyable on my 7 inch tablet.
  • Spotify - As I mentioned above, I've been enjoying creating my own sound track. I've tried other streaming apps - Pandora, Beats, Google Music, and Spotify wins hands down. I loved it so much I even pay for the premium service. It's downloaded on my smart phone, my tablet, my TV, wherever I can stream music.


Websites
Ebates - I've been using Ebates for a year now and I really like it. Great deals and cash back. What more can I ask for. I've earned about $85 back so far. Deposited into my PayPal account. Curious? Sign up here, it's 100% FREE. If you shop online, then you might as well earn cash back for it.


That's all I've got for this month.  What about you, what favorites are were you loving last month?


Live Lavishly,
~Tamara

*All services and products were purchased with my own money. This is not a sponsored post. Some of the links are referral links.

10 comments:

  1. From a guy's perspective I actually read A Discovery of Witches and the rest of the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness and enjoyed these books.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great list. I'm really interested in reading the All Souls Trilogy. I've heard such good thing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I watched PLL for a long time and finally gave up on it, lol. They kept stringing us along as to who A was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, I hate when that happens. How many seasons did it take to find out who A is? I know that with Gossip Girl, it took 6 seasons, all the way to the very last episode of the series. Plus when we did find out who Gossip Girl was...well - let's just say it was bootleg. LOL.

      Delete
  4. Your July favorites list is truly awesome. I also got Spotify and some audiobooks in mine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really enjoyed the Discovery of Witches trilogy (I think?). I tend to use ebates the most around the holidays. Oh, and I think I'm gonna switch to the ECLP horizontal this fall...wish me luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck with the ECLP horizontal layout! It does look divine. :-)

      Delete
  6. We get audiobooks all of the time from our library, we love them! Right now we listen to Harry Potter in the car. I'm so checking out that wine today at Meijer--sounds like something I would love.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits. Great for when you're on the go and a wonderful compliment to tea or coffee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know right! Love these things. lol I keep them in the bottom of the closet so I don't eat it everyday.lol

      Delete