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0 In Amazon

My Recent Late Night Amazon Purchases

This post contains affiliate links

Who else has a tendency in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep to scroll Amazon and buy random stuff? I’m sharing some of my favorite recent late night Amazon purchases below. As always, everything is linked making it easy to shop.

My Recent Late Night Amazon Purchases

Bissel steamshot – You know you’re an adult when you get excited over cleaning stuff. This was a purchase influenced by Jacki at Crazylifewithlittles. Clean tough spots with the power of steam like the inside of your microwave, grout, carpets, etc.

Frother – be your own barista at home and whip up some delicious coffee drinks. I even use it on my protein shakes to make them really foamy and pour into my coffee. Sooo good.

Electric kettle – waiting for water to heat up when you just want a cup of tea or your french press coffee is the worst am I right? This electric kettle is so fast and looks cute on your counter.

Pruners – I needed a good set of garden pruners and these are really comfortable and easy to use!

Jumpsuit – This girl’s never met a jumpsuit that she didn’t like and this one is no exception. This jumpsuit is perfect for summer on its own or you can wear with a tshirt underneath or jacket over for fall. Comes in lots of different patterns/color options. TTS.

Aqua 4 in 1 pool float – super comfortable float that can be used in 4 different positions.

Inflatable jumbo ball – the kids have literally been having a ball in this thing!

Popsicle molds – these are perfect for making summer treats for the kids. Plus they’re non stick and easy to clean.

Glow sticks – we keep these on hand for glow stick baths, making glow jars, and playing outside.

If you liked this post, check out these other posts:

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July 23, 2021 By Nicolle

4 In food/ Recipes

Easy Homemade No Churn Ice Cream

One of the things on our summer bucket list this year was to make homemade ice cream. This recipe is for easy homemade no churn ice cream and the best part is the flavor options are endless! I did a little experimenting in the kitchen last weekend and put two flavor combinations to the test. I’m sharing them below.

Easy Homemade No Churn Ice Cream

The base for the ice cream is super simple with only 4 ingredients – heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt. Once you have the base, you can add in whatever your taste buds desire to make different flavor combos.

Easy homemade no churn ice cream

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
dash salt

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks start to form.
In a separate bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt
Gently fold in the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the heavy whipping cream until combined.
If serving plain vanilla ice cream, spoon into a bread loaf pan or glass container. Cover and freeze.
If making flavored ice cream, add in your mix-ins of choice and then follow step 4.

2 of my favorite flavor combinations are lemon blueberry and one that I named “Salty Mama”.

Lemon Blueberry

This one is just so refreshing and perfect for summer. Prepare the ice cream using the recipe above. Add in 1 cup of blueberries (I did mine whole but I would probably suggest quartered or mashed) and 1 tbsp lemon zest. Freeze as instructed. Prior to serving, top with some additional grated lemon zest to taste.

Salty Mama

This one is definitely richer! Peanut butter and nutella flavored topped with salty pretzels for the perfect sweet and salty combo.

Prepare the vanilla ice cream base. Using a mixer, mix in 1 cup of peanut butter and 1/2 cup of nutella until smooth. Freeze in your loaf pan or container. Prior to serving, top with crushed pretzels. Mmmmmm.

For more summer fun download the free printable

Summer Bucket List

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July 19, 2021 By Nicolle

1 In Lifestyle/ printables

Summer Reading List 2021

This post contains affiliate links meaning I make a small commission

One of the things on my summer bucket list is to read more books. My family used to make fun of me because on my summer vacations I’d often go to the library or Barnes and Noble to get some books to read over the summer while most kids did all they could to avoid reading. It’s always been one of my favorite escapes. I’m sharing my Summer Reading List for 2021 below.

And all of the books are linked on Amazon so you can download to your kindle or purchase the actual book if you still like flipping through pages.

Scroll to the bottom to download my free summer reading list printable with my recommendations.

Summer Reading List 2021

28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand

I read this one last summer in 2 days. Elin Hildebrand is one of my favorite authors for an easy beachy read. There’s been talks that they may be making it into a movie too!

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume –

I read all of Judy Blume’s books as a teenager. I read this one back in college and remember it being really good. It’s a story about two girls who are friends during the summer on the Vineyard. It’s on my list for this summer to read again.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave –

this one is on all of the lists for must reads this summer. This thriller is a Reese’s Book Club Pick and I’ve been told that its perfect if you loved Big Little Lies or Little Fires Everywhere.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid –

based on an end of the Summer beach party in Malibu, this book is about dysfunctional family relationships. Many of the reviews on Good Reads say that the characters are extremely well written and will have your emotions all over the place.

The Husbands by Chandler Baker –

A female powered thriller that based on the synopsis reminds me a little of the Stepford Wives or Desperate Housewives.

Animal by Lisa Taddeo –

The Amazon reviews say this book is about female rage, sexuality, and adventure and the characters go to dark places. May not be everyone but sounds thrilling.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller –

This story takes place at a family summer home in Cape Cod where a mother of three comes to a crossroads in her love life forcing her to choose between her husband or her childhood lover.

The Therapist by B. A. Paris –

A new couple moves into a gated community and finds that it may not be all it appears to be. The main character Alice learns that there are some secrets about her home.

Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin–

Reviewers say this book is like what the ladies of Sex and the City would be like in the social media age. Think new motherhood in Upper East Side.

Click to download my free printable Summer Reading List

Check off the books as you read them and add a few selections of your own!

For more bucket lists, check out my Summer 2021 Bucket List!

Pin the Summer Reading List for Later!

July 12, 2021 By Nicolle

0 In family/ travel

A Weekend Getaway for the kids to New Jersey

Disclosure – I received tickets to Diggerland and Legoland in exchange for this honest review.

After a long year in quarantine, we wanted to take the kids somewhere special and fun. We recently took a little weekend trip to New Jersey and the kids had a blast! We stopped at Diggerland, Legoland, and Nickelodeon Universe. I’m sharing all of our stops and some tips to help you plan your trip.

We split the weekend up in two days, doing Diggerland on Saturday and then Sunday we did Legoland and Nickelodeon Universe since they’re both in the American Dream Mall.

Diggerland USA – East Berlin, New Jersey

Our first stop was Diggerland USA. A place where it’s totally appropriate for kids to operate heavy machinery. A few things that are worth noting – We went on a Saturday and were there for 11am which is when their website says the park opens. We were able to get our tickets and get in however, the rides, attractions, don’t actually open until noon. So we waited for an hour which was a little tough with two excited kids who just wanted to explore. So my tip would be, plan to arrive at noon, otherwise, you’ll sit around. My suggestion would be pack a little lunch and have a tailgate party in the parking lot until they open.

Secondly, most of the rides require children to be 36 inches tall, which was perfect for our oldest, but with the exception of 2 rides, there wasn’t much our 2 year old could do so I would plan accordingly.

There is also a waterpark as well so if you’re going in the warmer months, bring your bathing suits and towels!

Legoland Indoor Discovery Center – in the American Dream Mall East Rutherford, New Jersey

This was our favorite part of the entire trip! Legoland is located right in the American Dream Mall near the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, closest to Parking lot A on the first level. One important distinction is that this is not the same as Legoland. Legoland is an outdoor theme park which we plan to hit up in the future. Legoland Indoor Discovery Center is an indoor playground perfect for ages 3-10 years old. As soon as we entered Legoland, we hopped on the Imagination Express, a train ride through different lego worlds where you have the ability to partake in a simulated video game. The kids had a blast.

I think the one thing that captivated us adults was MiniLand, a New York City replica made completely out of legos featuring various famous NYC attractions such as Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Coney Island and the kids favorite – the NY Islanders hockey rink.

Other attractions include a 4D Lego movie, areas throughout the for building with legos and character meet and greets.

Also next door to Legoland is the New Jersey SEA LIFE Aquarium which featured over 10 tanks and an area where kids can actually be hands on with the sea life.

Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park – in the American Dream Mall East Rutherford, NJ

Right after we finished at Legoland and the SEA LIFE Aquarium, we hit stopped and got something to eat inside the mall and then walked over to Nickelodeon Universe. Buy your tickets online and you will be given a block of time to visit.

Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor amusement park featuring rides and attractions based off of popular Nickelodeon shows. There was something for all ages, thrill rides and big rollercoasters, to smaller rides for younger kids and families. Rick and I were hit with nostalgia seeing the shows from when we were younger such as Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.