Monthly Book Review - March

"She read's books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live" - Annie Dillard

Well the month of March is officially over so its time for us to review our March books. The book's this month where Yes Please by Amy Poehler and Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.

I read this book on the plane ride home from my little 2 week health retreat and I must say I loved it! I have always loved Amy Poehler as a great comedian but also as a strong woman who stands up in a predominately male based business refusing to be silenced. I am a big fan of biographies because you learn so much about a personal and they have the chance to really change any misleading assumptions that a fan can make. Amy certainly provided a deeper insight into the struggle to become such a iconic comedian and enforced the idea that if you really want something bad enough, are passionate about it and work your butt off, you can achieve it.
Whilst writing the book Poehler was going through her divorce from her now ex husband and the beginning of the book has slightly a stressed feel to it when she writes in the opening chapter “It’s clear to me now that I had no business agreeing to write this book.” and whilst that is said with a bit of tongue and cheek humor I feel that perhaps this is more that a joke and she really did struggle to write it.
Amy describes what her life was like growing up, tells a beautiful story about her parents, discusses the awkward teen years with some great pictures, lets us all in on how her friendship with Tina Fey blossomed, her first big gig as a comedian in improve comedy as a founding member of the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, her marriage to her husband, the birth of her first child and the birth plan (I think every woman should read her birthplan, it certainly changed my idea's) and all the way through to the current break down of her marriage. 
Amy writes with a unabashed honesty that really resinated well with me, there where mulituple moments through the book that I identified with what Amy had gone through or described. The general layout and writing style kept changing with each chapter from lists of advice to poems to actual chapters written by guest writer including her parents and fellow comedian Seth Meyers.
This was a wonderful, fun, light, inspiring and empowering read that I think all women should read at some point in time. It is clear that there is so much more to Amy Poelher that just comedy and if she ever rights another book again I will be first in line to buy that one!

THE QUESTIONS:

1.) What are your thought on the layout of the book, did you find the nature of Amy's writing easier too read?
2.) Did you take any life lessons away with you after reading this books?
3.) What where your thoughts on Amy's birth plan?
4.) Do you think she was under pressure to write this book?
5.) Did you like the detail Amy went into when describing her early days?
6.) What did you think about Amy giving Seth a chapter to write?
7.) Would you recommend this book to your friends?

8.) What are your thoughts on memoirs/ autobiographies? Do you think Amy's lived up to the standars?

I was so incredibly engrossed in Dark Places that it took me only a couple of days to read (which included a few late nights) however I found that I had the most intense nightmares whilst reading this book which scared the life out of me and is so odd because I am normally not a nightmare sort of person. I also happened to be reading this book around the same time the coach of the Australian Football League Adelaide Crows team was murdered by his son so the book to on a eerily coincidence for me which quite possibly caused the night mares.

SUMMARY: Dark Places is the story of Libby Day, she was just 7 years old when her mother and two older sisters where murdered. Libby's brother was tried and convicted of they killings at only 15 years old, Libby's possibly coerced testimony helps prove his guilt. The story then fast forwards to Libby in present day twenty five years later as she continues to struggle with the terrible tragedy and the feelings of guilt and anger towards her brother. Out of a lack of money she decides to met The Kill Club, a macabre fanatics club that is obsessed with the death of her family and will pay greatly for souvenirs. It is at this meeting that she hears new and interesting details about that fateful night and the opinion of her brothers guilt starts to waiver.

THE CHARACTERS: The book is told in Libby's point of view and jumps back and forward between memories of that night and information that she is trying to piece together. Libby is a broken and shattered soul, living on borrowed time she was stunted by the trauma both physically and mentally. I had moments of contempt for Libby and found it hard to identify well with her, I just couldn't contemplate the idea that she had not visited her brother in over 25 years in jail and then was suddenly so easily talked into meeting him by the kill club.

The book was also told in Ben's point of view as it counted down the hours that day until the murders happened. I found Ben to be a typical teenage outcast, wanting acceptance for anyone but lacking it where he needed it most from his father. I could understand how Ben gets caught up in the lie that took place that night as his desperate need for acceptance was almost pitiful. I did find myself screaming internally throughout the end of the book wondering why he wouldn't come clean and tell Libby exactly what he knew happened that night.

Finally the book is also told in Patty Day's point of view leading up to the murder, I felt that Patty was a wonderful single mother. You could feel the pain she felt worrying she wasn't providing the best life for her children but I felt that she did the best that she could do under the circumstances. I did feel that Patty's idea to fix the sale of the farm and the possible court case for Ben was a little ill conceived. I felt that had she lept on that idea she may have changed her mind realizing that in fact that would be the worst thing for the family.

The sub characters that are mentioned in the book include Lyle the young man that helps Libby contact the Kill Club and helps to navigate the sea of questions and information the club have for Libby. I really liked him as a character and was slightly saddened that there was no romantic link between Libby and him. Libby's deadbeat father Runner plays a important role in Libby finding answers, I hated his character from the beginning and really did not enjoy reading the chapters that he was included in. Diondra was Ben's girlfriend and secret mother of his child whom spent most of the time belittling Ben with her other friend Trey, to begin with I thought that it was Trey's baby not Ben's and Diondra was just using Ben. I felt that she was extremely emotionally abusive towards Ben and it saddened me that he was so desperate for her attention that he allowed her to treat him that way.

THEMES:
The myriad of themes in think book are intertwined so carefully as the murder wouldn't have happened if everything hadn't been linked like it did and played out as it happened.

Self Worth - Through out the book you see Ben deal with a complete and utter lack of self worth, it is clear that the lack of a father figure and the ever presence of his sisters really takes a toll on him. Libby also seems to struggle with self worth and more so a sense of identity, it seems that not only did she lose her family and fingers that night she lost any form of character she had. Patty's story line also has a large self worth theme as she is so preoccupied about what people think of her parenting that she is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice just so people know she tried.

Death - Obviously death is a large theme in this book as Libby's life is completely centered around the death of her family and the inability to cope. There is such a large fear around death and even more so murder that peaks our fascination which is why the Kill Club where so interested in Libby's story and why there where so many different queries about what happened that night. I think that the death of a loved one is always horrible but when it is a murder and when that murder involves children, multiple children society cannot comprehend it.

Family - The book heavily revolves around family and the importance they place on shaping a person, the inadequacy that are seen when a parent is lacking and the role that a single parent must struggle to provide. I do not believe that the murders would have taken place had Runner been more positively involved in Ben's life. This book also shows a incite into the lengths a parent will go to protect their child, even if unborn.

Truth -  The most obvious theme in the book is truth, the murders occurred and Ben was sentenced to life because each of the characters kept a few small lies which ultimately caused the murder. The truth will always come out and is the key.

THE MURDER:
To be honest I changed my mind on the murder suspects and the actual sequence of events multiple times through out the book. I think that Gillian wrote the story carefully and left breadcrumb clues along the way so that we suspected who she wanted us to when she wanted us to. I will admit that I was curious about the angel of death when I first heard him mentioned at the Kill Club night and when Patty was struggling with losing the farm I started to clue into maybe the murders where linked but I had no clue how Ben was involved right up until I was reading it.

THE QUESTIONS:Did you guess who the murder was?Did your mind change about the murder through out the book?Did you think that the Kill Club came on to strong with Libby the first night?Did you think Ben's relationship with Krissi Cates was inappropriate?Did you think Patty's plan was justified?If you had been in Libby's place how would you have coped?

Well that is enough from this book review.

Did you read these books? Did you feel motivated by them? Do you have any book suggestions?

Top Free Easter Fonts

With Easter just around the corner it seems everyone is into the decorating spirit, I love finding fonts that I think have a bit of a fun look to them to use for decorating around the house.
Here are a few free fonts and decorations which I think are not only interesting but are also pretty easy to read, I have also included the sites to download these fonts from.

// Typo Garden // Chocolate Muffin // Janda Spring Doodles // KG Only Hope // // PW Perspective // Easter Doodles // Happy Easter // Home Sweet //
What do you think of these Easter Fonts? Do you have any suggestions?

DIY Easter Grass Wreath

Easter is fast approaching so it is time to whip out some fun and easy DIY's to help spruce up the Easter spirit on the blog. Not to worry though, I am not very competent when it comes to DIY therefore I have searched for things that are easy yet still look cute and not like I 10 year old did it for a art project (well at least I hope they don't).
For today's DIY I have made a cute little Easter Grass Wreath.

What you will need:

• 1 small foam wreath

• 1 ball of grass like yarn

• colored card

• sharp scissors

• large ribbon

• piece of twine

• hot glue gun
• felt
• 2 cotton balls

How to create the Easter Grass Wreath:
Step 1 Start by gluing the end of the yarn to the foam wreath with a small drop of glue, then being wrapping the yarn tightly around the foam wreath. 

Step 2 If you finish the first ball of yarn and still have the wreath showing just place a small drop of glue on the wreath, stick the end of the finished yarn into the glue and then stick the start of the next ball on yarn on the glue drop. Once you finish wrapping and there is no foam left showing carefully move the yarn slightly place a drop of glue on the wreath and stick the end of the yarn into the glue drop then move the yarn back so the foam is completely covered again.

Step 3 Cut small bunting triangles out of the colored card, then glue the triangles onto the small ice of twine. This is extremely fiddly and I found using tweezers helped.

Step 4 Create a small bunny figure by gluing cotton balls together and cutting rabbit ear shapes out of felt and gluing to the top of one of the cotton balls.

Step 5 Glue the bunting and the bunny to the grass wreath and tie a ribbon around the top so it is ready to be hung up.

What do you think of my Easter Grass Wreath? Did you create a Easter Wreath?

Chocolate covered strawberry recipe

I have seen dozens of chocolate covered strawberry carrots all over pinterest lately so I thought that in the spirit of things I would give it a go and try and make my own little carrot garden. First things first you cannot add water based food colouring to white chocolate because it ruins the chocolate so I had to search high and low for either oil based food colouring or pre coloured chocolate. I was unable to find either but I'm not one to turn down a chocolate covered strawberry so I made them anyway. (Just pretend they are orange)

• Strawberries (rinsed and dried)
• White Chocolate
• Baking Paper

• Begin by rinsing your strawberries and leaving to dry.
• Line a baking sheet or pan with baking paper. 
• Melt your white chocolate in the microwave.

• Hold your strawberry carefully by the green leaves and slowly dip and roll the strawberry in the chocolate.
• Continue doing this for all strawberries, you may need to reheat the melted chocolate if it starts to harden.
• Place the chocolate covered strawberries on the baking tray.

• Dip a fork in the melted chocolate and flick all over the strawberries.
• Place strawberries in the fridge to cool, serve once hardened.

Do you like me Chocolate covered strawberry recipe?

Have you made these before?

DIY Burlap Easter Bunting

As I said the other day, I am really trying to liven up this blog with some DIY Easter inspiration. 
Today I have picked a easy DIY to do that could be done whilst doing other DIY stuff as its that easy (well that's what I am telling myself). For today's DIY I have made a cute Burlap Easter Bunting.

What you will need:

• burlap

• scissors

• piece of twine

• hot glue gun

• letter templates

• fabric paint

• paint sponge brush

How to create the Burlap Easter Bunting:
Step 1 Cut the burlap into bunting shapes, I find the inverted squares work better for this DIY.

Step 2 Pin the template onto the burlap and using the fabric paint fill in the letters on each piece, leaving one piece completely blank to separate Happy from Easter. I also chose to paint lines around the bunting as well.

Step 3 Place a line of glue on the back of each piece of bunting then lay the twine over the top. Step 4  Hang the bunting on you wall.

Well there you have my Burlap Easter Bunting, I think it is easy enough that children could help you to create it.
What do you think of my DIY Burlap Easter Bunting? Do you have Easter decorations up?

26 Memories for 26 years

Today is my 26th birthday, it seems like only yesterday I was a 9 year old girl staring into our giant wardrobe mirror wondering who I was going to grow up to be and how much more I would grow height wise (not much, still the runt of the family). I feel like I have blinked and so much has happened, there is so much I have learnt in these past 26 years, so much I have been through both good and bad, so much that I have already achieved, if I could go back and tell that little 9 year old what her future contains I don't think she would believe me.

Here are 26 of my favorite memories from the past 26 years. 1. My wedding day, it was both the most relaxing and most stressful day of my life. We had it at my grandparents house, as my car pulled up to the garden wedding we had my stomach instantly dropped as I got to see a peak of Dylan as we rounded the corner it was the most exhilarating moment of my life.

Our Wedding Day 2. When I woke up from surgery after my second kidney transplant and I felt 10,000 times better than I had for the past 2 years and wanted to stand up but the nurses wouldn't let me get out of bed so I had to settle with the back of my bed being sat up. It was such a amazing feeling I will never forget how I went to surgery in so much pain and just feeling so exhausted and then waking up feeling like I could run a marathon right then and there. 3. Finally moving into the house my husband and I had bought together. We had already organised everything and got finance from the bank for our mortgage but the old owners decided to drag settlement out for 3 months whilst they moved out (they where hoarders). The last week when they had almost gone they allowed us to come in and start repainting the whole house and then the day the settlement went through Dylan and I pulled up all the carpet in the house, the next day the carpet layers came in and laid our new carpet and we had moved in the day after.

Still not feeling great on our bus ride through Paris 4. Our honeymoon to Paris, the first week Dylan and I both got super sick with gastro and couldn't leave our hotel room. We took turns in the morning going down to the breakfast bar, loading up on bread rolls and tubs on nutella for the day and then coming back up to the room and watching movies or sitting on the windowsill balcony area watching Paris go by. It sounds horrible but to us it was incredibly romantic. 5. The day I picked Saffron up from the airport when she was a puppy. We had bought her from a breeder interstate and she had to be flown over, we drove down to the specialized luggage pick up area at the airport and there was a bunch of big men ooohhing and ahhhing over this dog carrier with a little fluff ball lapping up all the attention. She was the cutest fluffiest thing I had ever seen.

Saffron being adorable 6. On my 17th birthday I woke up to no presents and was immediately disappointed, mum was running around telling us to get ready for school like she had completely forgotten my birthday. I walked out to hop in the car and there sitting in the drive way was a brand new Kia Rio with balloons all over it, I was completely shocked it was the best birthday ever. 7. On our honeymoon Dylan and I had dinner on the Eiffel tower, it was absolutely stunning and I was terrified the whole time but it was just amazing and the food was unbelievable.

Getting dinner on the tower 8. The first real date Dylan and I went on was at the movies, there wasn't much on so we decided to go see Jackass 3D, in hindsight probably wasn't the best first date movie to go see as it was super vulgar but it was funny and its something we always look back on and laugh. 9. My giant freak out on the golden gate bridge in San Francisco. Looking back now its something that I laugh at but at the time I was terrified, I hate heights and I have a weird fear of big structures falling, we had started walking halfway across the bridge when I just froze and couldn't move. It took a while to calm down and we where able to walk back off the bridge but for a while I was stuck in fear. 10. Selling my old house, it was on the market for over a year because we got messed around with a dodgy real estate agent. Finally a older lady who was living in a retirement village a hour away from her daughters decided she wanted to move closer and fell in love with my old house the minute she saw it and settlement went through a month later. 11. When my littlest sister Charlie was born, I was 6 years old so I was actually old enough to really remember it all. Mum said I could be her little helper and I loved running around and looking after Charlie, she was like our own real dress up doll.

Ziggy and Harley snuggling 12. When I bought Ziggy, she was about 16 weeks old and they had been advertising her for a while, I was living by myself with just Saffron and my neighbor said I needed to get a dog that was more threatening than a fluff ball. I rang inquiring about Ziggy and they where about 10 minutes down the road and so I drove down to this run down house with 2 early twenty somethings living is squallier. I saw poor Ziggy hiding in the corner of the box, the last puppy left. I scooped down and picked her up and brought her straight home. Immediately she relaxed and just sat in my lap for hours. 13. Our family trip to America when I was 15, we went for 3 weeks, hired a car and drove all around California. We went to Disneyland, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco and Las Vegas. It was the best family holiday we ever went on and I have such wonderful memories, especially when my dad somehow managed to drive into a parade and he just continued to drive along with the parade smiling and waving. 14. When I bought my first house, I was 20 and driving over a hour to work everyday so I decided it would be best if I bought a house closer to work. I was able to find this adorable 3 bedroom house that was pretty cheap and was so proud when I bought it. I might have been just managing to pay my mortgage and living on about $150 a week but it was worth it, I was completely independent and in control.

Harley as a puppy 15. After Dylan and I moved into our current house my mother decided that since we had 5 acres and since Saffron is 8 now doesn't want to currently run around with Ziggy who is only 5 it was time to get another dog as a house warming gift. She turned up with Harley who was absolutely tiny, its hard to picture how small he was because he is so big and boisterous now. Definitely a perfect fit for this family. 16. When I got Karma tattooed on the top of my foot after I lost my first kidney transplant. I had been thinking about getting a tattoo done for awhile and a friend of mine wanted to get one done so we just thought screw it lets do it. It was the first and only tattoo that I got because it was so unbelievably painful, in hindsight top of the foot is not a good idea for first timers. 17. I had the best milkshakes after my first kidney transplant, I was only 16 years old and I was still pretty sick for a week after surgery. I was staying in a specialized transplant room all by myself and my sister came to see me but I wasn't feeling well so they went down the hall to the teen room and played all afternoon. Later that night I was feeling sad because I hadn't really seen my family that day so the nurse made me these special chocolate milkshakes to make me feel better and they instantly made me feel 1000 times better.  18. When Dylan proposed to me, he took me up to this romantic look out and it was freezing cold. I was super pissed off because he had a giant jacket on and wasn't offering it to me (he had the ring in the pocket). I was scared because it was late and the carpark had a bunch of drag racers sitting there, we walked up to the summit and to silly girls where taking pictures in the fog and Dylan wanted to wait for them to leave before asking so I was getting cold and bored and didn't understand why we where hanging around. Finally they left and he got down on one knee behind me, I turned round and instantly burst into tears.

Dylan in Disneyland Paris

19. When I finally visited Disneyland, I am a giant Disney fan at it was just as amazing as I imagined, I have now been to Disneyland in California, Hong Kong and Paris. I hope to finish it off by visiting Disneyland in Tokyo and Disney World in Florida one day.

20. One night Dylan and I where craving good burritos, we went driving all over the city trying to find the perfect burrito because we where on a adventure. It's silly and stupid but it is a night I will remember forever, we finally found our burritos but I think the adventure was better than the food. 21. When I moved out of home at 18 to this teeny tiny place that was only 2 rooms and a bathroom. The bedroom was so small that I had a loft bed so I could keep my set of draws under the bed and have room to put a small wardrobe. The other room that house the kitchen and lounge room was slightly bigger than the bedroom so everything in there was super small, I loved every moment living there.

Balthazar just relaxing like normal 22. Dylan and I decided that we wouldn't rush into having babies and work on my health for awhile, I am really baby crazy so Dylan thought it would be a good idea to supplement my baby crazy problem with a cat. I have been obsessed with Rag Doll cats ever since I was a little girl, they are the perfect mix of relaxed and playful. So Dylan and I sort out a bunch of breeders, finally found the kitten for us and went on a giant 4 hour drive one night to go pick Balthazar up. He is the perfect cat for us and we love him to bits. 23. When Dylan and I spent most of last Easter picking all our olive trees (over 100) so we could send them off to a local plant to make oil. It was really fun and messy and exciting, I am looking forward to picking the olives again this year.

Picking Olives 24. When I received my first kidney transplant from my mother, I was only 15 and pretty scared. I ended up being pretty sick for a few weeks after but it was pretty amazing and I am extremely lucky that my mother gave me her kidney. 25. My giant freak out on the golden gate bridge in San Francisco. Looking back now its something that I laugh at but at the time I was terrified, I hate heights and I have a weird fear of big structures falling, we had started walking halfway across the bridge when I just froze and couldn't move. It took a while to calm down and we where able to walk back off the bridge but for a while I was stuck in fear. 26. When Dylan and I completed my first ever colour run 5k. It was super fun and super messy, because I am so short people where just pegging me in the face with colour it was absolutely crazy but we had a wonderful time and I can't wait to do it again. Well that is 26 of my favourite memories, of course they are not in any order and they are not for each year, these are just things that I remember most. What do you think of my 26 memories? What do you do for your birthday?

Thank Goodness It's Friday

//THIS WEEK// I felt...

...busy, I am running out of time to get everything done before I go away so I have been pushing myself all week.

...excited, I can't wait to go away on my holiday, I need this time off!

...scared, I started binge watching American Horror Story season 1 with week and its scaring the pants off me!!

//THIS WEEK// I learnt...

...I don't do well without coffee, I am currently on a caffine detox and its making me crazy.

...my sister's miniture pony is not pregnant shes just fat! We where all really excited for a little miniture foal but nope shes just going on a diet.

//THIS WEEK// I loved...

...when the woman at the optometrist couldn't believe I was married. She thought I was 17 - 18 not almost 26, completely made my week.

...wallaby bites, they are dark chocolate, almond, orange and coconut bites and I have gone through 3 packs this week!!

//THIS WEEKEND// I am looking forward to...

...leaving for my holiday on Sunday

...completing all my Easter DIY post's for the blog and scheduling everything so I can leave and life still goes on as normal.

//NEXT WEEK// I will...

...be resting up at my health retreat from Sunday 22nd March till the Saturday 4th April!!!

...celebrate my 26th birthday on Monday, I can't believe I am already 26.

...work on getting my 10,000 steps in once again, if you have a fitbit let me know I will add you and we can be fitbit friends.

How was this week for you? Did you link up with Oh Hey Friday?

Carry On Must Haves!

I am taking the next few weeks off and heading to a healthy retreat, I am feeling a little run down and over worked so I thought what better way to celebrate my 26th birthday then taking 2 weeks off to completely relax.

I will be staying in the New South Wales Central Coast just a hour out of Sydney but that does mean I have to fly to Sydney all by myself! I am not a great flyer so its important that I pack a bunch of different things to keep me entertained on the flight so I don't get too scared. Here are what I believe are Carry On Must Haves.....

// Nivea Hand Cream // Black Bow Headwrap // Bad Hair Day Hairbrush // Oroton Stencil Tote bag // Mascara // BB Cream / e.l.f Lipstick // Cable Knit Socks // Microfiber Throw Blanket // Ipad Air Case // Coin Purse // Gillian Flynn Dark Places // Lucas' Paw Paw cream // Typo cat headphones //

Oroton Stencil Tote Bag I love to use this handbag when I am flying, not only because it looks beautiful but also because it is extremely useful, it has plenty of side zip pockets, a top zip to keep the whole bag closed and is 51cm wide by 31cm high by 15cm deep so it can fit practically anything. Cute Coin Purse While its important to keep your purse on you during a flight I often also carry a cute little coin purse with just cash and coins in it in case the stewardess comes past and asks if I want to order something, its much easier to whip out a cute coin purse with money ready than to have to search through you luggage in the overhead carrier trying to find your big purse than checking that you actually have cash in there. Nivea Hand Cream I hate the dry air that they pump around the planes, my hands seem to dry out in to time flat so a tiny sample size of hand cream is perfect for flights as its small enough to bring with you and has just enough cream to keep your hands feeling soft. Lucas' Paw Paw Ointment This stuff is magic in tube form, I use this constantly on my lips to stop them chapping and cracking. After a long flight my lips often start to dry out and start to rip a bit that's why I always fly with paw paw ointment to put on them throughout the flight. Black Bow Headwrap The worst part about getting of a plane is looking at your hair and seeing a monster, I like to take small wraps and headbands with me because they can fix a bad hair day with minimal work. Bad Hair Day Hairbrush Of course nothing fixes plane hair like a nice big hair brush, just pile a few hair elastics onto the end and you are completely ready for any hair catastrophe. Mascara I find a quick little flick of mascara and I already look a thousand more times awake than I did with out it so I always take mascara with me all the time but its especially great for after a long flight. BB Cream I don't like caking my face in makeup before I fly so I like to keep a little bit of tinted moisturizer with me to keep face feeling fresh, BB cream is great for flights because it not only helps to keep your face feeling fresh but its tinted as well so you can get some slight coverage to even out your skin without heavy foundation. e.l.f Lipstick I love elf lipsticks because they are super moisturizing, I often feel that quickly swiping on some lipstick before you get off the plane can make you feel completely put together with minimum effort. Cable Knit Socks The worst part about flying is getting cold feet, there is nothing worse than sitting there with frozen toes trying pull on those awful plane socks they give you that always seem to fall off and go missing half way through a flight. I always bring my own cable knit socks because they are super warm and comfy and also really easy to slip on and off! Microfiber Throw Blanket I always get super cold in planes, I feel like the a/c is always blaring down on me and no matter how many of those little blankets they give you I manage to borrow and use I still can't keep warm. That is why I always carry a small microfiber throw blanket, these are perfect because they keep you snuggly and warm but most of the time are small enough to roll up and keep in your carry on bag. Ipad Air Case Of course I always take my ipad on planes loaded with games and books to read but I also like to make sure I keep it in a heavy duty case. My favorite cases at the moment that I am using are the Kikki K leather cases that keep your ipad safe but also include a pen holder and a pad of cute paper to write anything down on which is important when flying because I always have a brain wave in the air! Cute Head Phones I hate the horrible black head phones they give you on flights, the ear buds always loose their covers and after a while my ears start hurting for having the buds in. That is why I always bring super comfortable head phones with me, I am currently loving my Typo knitted cat ear head phones because they are super duper adorable and extremely comfortable. A Good Book  I am currently reading Gillian Flynn's Dark Places for March's Book Club so I will be bringing this along with me on the flight, I love bringing both hardcover and electronic books with me so I have a multitude of things to read if I get bored of reading the same thing. Well that is all I have planned to take with me on the flight, I hope I have remembered everything I need. Luckily for me its only around a 2 hour flight so I should be fine, just hope I don't have any panic attacks. What do you think of my list? What do you take in your carry on?