Author: blonde rosie

Friday Favorites 7.24

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Happy Friday! We are back with another Friday Favorites post where I talk about my favorite things, what I’ve been up to recently, and recent purchases. I’ve been doing these every two weeks so I have more to share in each post and it is summer so, I am taking some time off from my laptop. I’ve been really enjoying spending a lot of time outside. I’ve been working on a lot of weeding projects and power washing the driveways. Plural because my parents have a carport on the side of the house and behind the pool, they have a long driveway leading up to the two-car garage. I want to clarify that no one asked me to do these projects, I am just finding any excuse to spend my day outside. I’ll work for an hour, get hot and jump in the pool and then go back to work. After months of sitting in a house, I am going outside to find something to do whenever I get the chance. Sweeping? Weeding? Cutting the grass? I’ll do it because the last place I want to be is inside! My parents moved into this house only two years ago so they are still making this home theirs. Luckily there are plenty of projects to keep me busy!

My brother is living in Raleigh and since it’s just a two-hour drive away I’ve been able to see him a few times. Two weeks ago, my dad brought golf clubs and my mom brought lunch so we had a socially distanced picnic and hit some golf balls at a park near where my brother lives. I also love to visit my brother because there is a Costco and a Trader Joe’s there. On our recent trip, we stopped at DSW on our way home and I bought so many shoes because of their major clearance sale. This is one store you want to keep your eyes on for sales right now.

Another interesting tidbit is that I’ve become a morning person. This is breaking news because I have never naturally woken up early before. Lately, I’ve been waking up between 6:30 and 7am without an alarm clock. I’ll check my emails and messages, go downstairs and get coffee, have yogurt for breakfast while doing some work on my laptop. Around 9am I’ll throw on a bathing suit and head outside to get some reading done. My afternoons are spent working outside and jumping in the pool! Did you know it’s hot in the south?!

Since businesses and (most) people here are taking COVID seriously, my mom and I were able to go to the farmers market last weekend and do some antiquing. It was fun to walk around and look at all the veggies and flower vendors. I got a really pretty french lavender plant for $3 that I plan to take back with me to Philadelphia. My dad and I are digging up evergreen trees that are popping up all over their property to take back with me too. I got box planters that I plan on putting in front of our house and I’ll fill them with the evergreen trees so they are green throughout the year. I’m really taking advantage of what is growing in my parent’s backyard to bring some back home.

Of course I miss Philadelphia and Jake and little Ed. Right now I am taking advantage of having a car and being able to drive around and do errands easily. I’m loving the pool and laying in a lounge chair while I read all day. I’m loving this time with my family and being able to go on a walk or down to the Dairy Queen and get a scoop of ice cream. There is a lot that I’m loving right now even though my two favorite people are in Philadelphia holding down the fort while I’m away.

I’m not watching any tv lately because I’ve been using any free time that I have to read. At night I replaced my usual falling asleep to a movie with the Calm App. I’ll do a meditation while I snuggle into bed and focus on my breathing. Usually by then I’m half asleep and I’ll put on a bedtime story on the app and I have not been able to stay awake for one story! Waking up early has really helped me go to bed early too without much fuss. I love falling asleep shortly after my head hits the pillow.

I just finished Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner which was a nice easy lounge by the pool read. I just started Tidelands by Philipa Gregory which is historical fiction since I needed to mix it up a bit. I brought a ton of books down here and recently bought a ton more so I have a lot of reading to do!

I’m proud of myself for finally working on my long list of blog posts that I have been neglecting since I got here. I talked about my favorite leave-in conditioners in this post which have been really making it easy to have good hair days during quarantine and hot summer months.

A few months ago I worked on a blog post with Love Beauty and Planet about a new shampoo and conditioner that I am so excited finally hit the shelves! I also got to work with Loreal and talked about their new scalp care and detox shampoo and conditioner on the blog. Lots of beauty posts are coming to the blog so stay tuned to more!

In case you didn’t know, Pier 1 is going out of business so I’ve been stopping by once a week to browse. It’s a very slow liquidation but new items go to clearance and markdowns happen on Thursdays FYI. I recently picked up adorable bunny plates that were a set of 4 for $3 and Jake sent me money to get their lemon plates. I also got a cute lemon themed fruit basket since our yellow kitchen kinda became a lemon theme when we moved in!

The Target near my parents is not that great but I am loving the dollar bin section! Their recent theme is lemon decor and really cute home decor items. The price was right so I got a few things to bring back with me to Philly. I picked up this Friends tee shirt because it would make a great outfit for my next move. Oh and somehow this pajama set ended up in my cart LOL

Belk is having a big sale so my parents and I went today actually to browse. I stocked up on $6 candles, an adorable rug, a bag on major sale, and bought some cute clothes. My parents bought a lot of cute new bedding because it was on super sale. I need my roommate to come visit me before I buy anything else for the house!

Peaches
Tomatoes from the garden
Working outside
Sweet tea
Going to the grocery store. I was even excited to go to Lowes so I clearly have missed shopping!
Tan lines
Oui Yogurt
My new Conair hair dryer brush

Easy Great Hair Days with a Leave In Conditioner

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One thing I am loving right now is the excuse not to wash my hair that often. I’ve been trying to keep my hair washing to once a week to prevent any heat damage and keep it healthy. After a few days of dirty hair, I’ve been throwing my hair up in a bun to keep it out of the way. Not only has it saved me so much time but I can notice over time that my hair feels and looks healthier. I’ve been using a leave in conditioner when I wash my hair now because it leaves my hair smooth and shiny. It’s a great way to tame the frizz and make my hair look smooth – the same look that I get when I use a hair straightener. The leave in conditioner goes the extra step to protect your hair from breakage and prevent knots. If you do want to blow dry or use a hair straightener, the leave in conditioner does an amazing job at protecting your hair to keep it healthy too! There are leave in conditioners that you can in the shower and ones to use when you get out of the shower when your hair is still wet. I’m so forgetful that I have both so I can spray my hair if I forget to use one in the shower ha! Leave in conditioners are great for easy great hair days and keeping your hair healthy.

Here are some of my favorite leave in conditioners that I’ve been using the last few months to keep my hair healthy and polished without the heat tools!

It’s a 10 Leave In Product :

I purchased this after reading that so many people use it in their haircare routine and screamed from the mountain tops about how good it was. At the time I was struggling with dry, brittle hair so I wanted to see if it would work. It makes your hair easy to brush, protects from heat, fights frizz and gives you that shiny hair look without a lot of weight. If you are looking for no fuss hair products, I highly recommend this one!

OUAI Leave In Conditioner :

I started to use this product after my shower in the Spring and loved it after just one use! It makes my hair super soft and when my hair air dries it actually looks cute! Not only does it leave my hair looking and feeling really soft, it fights frizz and makes my hair really manageable. Perfect for lazy hair days or days when you don’t have time for hot tools. The spray bottle makes it easy to spray all over and brush it through your hair. I’d recommend using little product because it’s so conditioning and can make your hair feel weighed down with too much product.

AG Haircare Fast Food Leave In Conditioner :

This is a product I had never heard about when I got it in my Summer FabFitFun box. I put it in my shower and after a week of forgetting to use it before I got out of the shower, I finally used it. I squirted a bit into my hand and ran it through my hair right before I got out of the shower and went to bed with wet hair. Usually, that is never a good idea but I woke up with soft, wavy hair that I couldn’t even do with all of the hair tools I own. It’s a bit pricey but I don’t need that much product to get moisturized hair.

Sustainable Beauty with Love Beauty and Planet

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FINALLY! I had to look up my edit history for this blog post to see how long I’ve been waiting to publish this post because back in February, I collaborated with Love Beauty and Planet to talk about a new product coming to stores. But then COVID hit and the world literally stopped. When I first wrote up the blog post below, I had bangs inspired by way too many episodes of New Girl and was so excited to share a new type of shampoo and conditioner with you all. By now I have used up all of it and have been waiting impatiently to buy more. One of the fun perks of being a “blogger” (I consider myself just a girl with an inexpensive laptop who writes on the internet about her favorite things in hope that it brings someone out there in the interweb joy) is receiving products before they launch to try and write reviews for the company. I am so happy to see this new formula shampoo and conditioner hit the shelves because it really is nothing you have ever tried before. No more rinsing and rinsing trying to get all of the product out. No more giant bottles that don’t fit in your shower caddy. So finally, here is my review of the Love Beauty and Planet Concentrated Shampoo and Conditioner.

I am so excited to talk about a new shampoo and conditioner I have been using recently! Love Beauty and Planet is a brand I am sure you have seen in the stores for a while. Today, I wanted to talk a new product from the brand. What caught my attention was the beautiful packaging and was surprised that the brand was eco-friendly. They also look really cute in my shower ha! I’ve been in the process of swapping our cleaning products and laundry detergent to more sustainable and eco-friendly brands, but this is my first environmentally-conscious shampoo/conditioner. They have several scents that smell sooo good! Now my hair smells like coconuts!

I’ve been washing my hair this week with the coconut water and mimosa flower concentrated conditioner and shampoo. It leaves my hair feeling strong and lots of volume. This line from Love Beauty and Planet is formulated so you can use half of the amount that you would usually use. The best way to try if it would work was to use it on very dirty hair! The bottle is created to squirt just the right amount of product that you need into your palm. For longer or thicker hair, you just squeeze the bottle twice. The sulfates in other shampoos help the shampoo lather and get super sudsy so I was curious to see if the non-sulfate shampoo would be sudsy enough to wash all of my hair making it feel clean enough. After the shower, my hair felt so smooth and very clean! I let it air dry a bit before doing a normal blow out and this was the real test because I have frizzy hair so I’m very picky about the hair products I use. I was left with great looking hair that smelled amazing with plenty of volume! The shampoo and conditioner left my hair smelling like coconuts and I couldn’t resist smelling it throughout the day!

Love Beauty and Planet have a commitment to the planet that I really like to see. Their goal is a carbon footprint so small, it’s like they aren’t even there.

“We’re continuing our journey with concentrated formulas designed to provide great beauty benefits with half your usual dose. These products give a little extra love to the planet because they require less water to make and enable us to to use smaller bottles with 30% less plastic. As always, our delicate scents are infused with natural and ethically sourced oils and extracts. “

These are great for giving you a good hair day with a good price point! They leave your hair with lots of volume and smelling nice while helping out the planet at the same time – they also look super cute sitting in your shower!

My Hair is Loving Quarantine

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One thing I have noticed the last few weeks is how healthy my hair feels and looks. I haven’t had a haircut since January and the last time I colored my hair was in February. My hot tools quickly went away in the early days of the stay at home orders because it’s not like I was seeing anyone. I’ve been using my blow dry hair brush on dry hair to style it if needed but most days, I put oil on my hair and put it in a sloppy bun. Right now I am using this excuse not to get ready every day to grow my hair but also make sure it has what it needs to stay healthy, strong and use the right products.

For years I had been experiencing hair breakage and it was because of my pony tail hair ties. With my thick hair, it takes a few loops and really tight hair ties to keep my hair up. After switching to these hair ties I have noticed less strain on my hair which means less breakage. Since my hair is up in a bun most of the time, I only brush my hair once maybe twice a day with my wet brush. I’ll add serum to my hair and gently brush my hair after I get out of the shower. If needed I’ll brush it again in the morning but I’ve been letting it go natural most of the time.

Good hair starts with the right products! I switch back and forth from the expensive brands and really good drugstore ones. Just because you are paying a lot of money for shampoo it does not mean it is going to give you great hair. It takes some trial and error to find the right match and right now I am loving the Loreal Everpure Scalp Care + Detox shampoo and conditioner. My hair feels clean for days and it helps get rid of product buildup so your hair has more bounce and not as weighed down.

My secret to easy healthy hair? It’s simple… use a leave in conditioner! I’ve noticed that my hair dries without it being big and frizzy when I use it after the shower. It definitely makes my hair more manageable and I don’t need to grab a hair straightener because it looks presentable. When I do use my straightener, it takes a lot less effort to get my hair looking cute even in this hot southern humidity!

Finally, air drying my hair the last few months have allowed my hair to heal and grow long and healthy! I’m embracing my grown out roots and with all this time in the sun, my natural blonde highlights are coming back! Over time I hope to train my hair to look good on it’s own with little maintenance. Right now, my hair is loving me for the easy hair routine and I’m loving it back for the easy maintenance!

My New Morning Routine for Summer

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I know I am not alone when I say that I kind of dreaded summer. It’s my favorite season because of the energy, being outside, the food and of course beach days. This summer has shown a bit less energy, being outside looks different, the food shopping is getting old and eating out can be too complicated and finally, the beaches are where you want to avoid because of the crowds. I knew for my own mental health that staying inside all summer was not going to go well so I packed a suitcase (and another one and a few duffel bags) and drove to my parents house to spend the summer there. Since they are in a county with few cases and have a big property, it makes spending all day outside feel normal because we can self isolate without feeling constricted. Running errands is low risk because of the small population so with a mask and timing it right, I walk down empty aisles while I shop.

I had a few weeks of living on vacation but now that it’s my second month here, I am craving some structured routine. I’ve started to wake up early since quarantine and not working really messed up my sleep schedule. After sitting all day I had trouble falling asleep and often would go days without sleeping since I honestly wasn’t tired after sitting all day. Those mornings, or mid-day, when I would wake up, there would be no rush to get out of bed to go… sit? Which is why I’m happy to be at my parents house because I’ve been waking up with the sun naturally eager to get my day started. I’ve been spending all day working in the backyard; weeding, landscaping, sweeping, powerwashing. It’s a big property and a lot to take care of so I work all day in my bathing suit to get some color while I work. Now I go to bed around 9pm because my legs are throbbing after all of the manual work. I’ve noticed my stomach is getting toned and my thighs slowly getting slimmer. Most of all, it is so rewarding to work all day and be able to see what you accomplished. I hope to take this enthusiasm and love of weeding back with me to Philadelphia in the fall. There are a lot of sidewalk and lots overgrown with weeds where garbage gets stuck. I plan on making it a weekly project to go out myself and do some sweeping and weeding to get some fitness in but also keep our street looking nice. For months I did mat ab workouts and yoga and saw little to no changes in my body. Now with spending time outside, I’ve seen a big positive change in my body.

With better sleep and waking up early, I’ve had more time in the morning for me time. I like to start my day with water and lemon before I drink my cup of coffee. Since I’ll be out in the sun all day my skin can get really dry so I’ve been using sunscreen, a good moisturizer and I’ll carry a face mist which I can spray all over when my face feels dry.

While I sip my morning water and coffee, I’ve been getting back in the habit of checking my emails and writing in my planner. Yes, there is nothing going on right now but I like to make goals and realistic plans as something to look forward to. My morning does not consist of running (never going to happen), an hour long yoga session or some elaborate breakfast (I’ve been adding veggies to my scrambled eggs and it’s been so good!). Just by giving myself an hour of “me time” has done wonders for my day. I’m excited to wake up in the morning and after a busy day, I’m going to bed early with joy in my soul.

The products mentioned in today’s post were received complimentary and there was no commitment for a blog post, but I have been loving them so I thought I would share them with you all on the blog.

Friday Favorites 7.10

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Hi friends! I am writing this weeks Friday Favorites post while I am sitting by the pool and sipping on my morning cup of coffee. The last few weeks at my parents house have felt like a vacation I didn’t know I needed. For months I was sitting around my house in Philadelphia in quarantine going a little stir crazy. I was so fortunate to have a house and enough money in the bank to pay rent each month but I still felt stuck. I don’t like to sit still and as a coping mechanism for my anxiety I have always been on the move. Working more than one job, long list of errands after work or even a long workout helped keep me focused. Quarantine gave me too much time with not much to do so I’m happy I took my parents offer to stay with them for a bit. Not only has it been beneficial socially because I am around more people but because I am able to move more. My parents have a large property with lots of gardens and landscaping to take care of. It’s not like my parents just invited me down to help them work, but my mom knows how I like to stay busy.

With this in mind, we all work for an hour outside in the morning. Between weeding, sweeping, painting or landscaping projects – there is plenty to do to keep you busy! After a jump in the pool to cool down, we all head inside to work for an hour. With rooms straightened, laundry going and floors cleaned we will make lunch and head back outside to enjoy the pool. My afternoons are spent working on a project of my own or out running errands. Back in Philadelphia I wouldn’t dare go to stores because of the congested streets and high number of people not wearing masks. Down here in my parents small town, running errands during the week means empty stores and everyone wearing a mask. I’ve gone a little shopping crazy after not being able to get essential items for a few months. In my planner I keep a sticky note of things we need for the house which has kept getting longer and longer in 2020. Also it’s hard to beat the prices down here since we are not paying city prices for items. While out grocery shopping with my dad I went a little crazy in the cereal aisle because it was $6.99 a box back at our market in the city, so I was shocked to see the $1.99 price tag.

This is the first week I’ve started to see changes in my body as I work off that quarantine weight and the weight I put on before that because of stress and depression. Those morning chores are a great way to get my steps in and are honestly a work out. With lots of stairs, heavy lifting and out in the sun it is helping me gain some muscle. At night, I will take a long walk around the property while the sun is setting. The air is still hot but is starting to cool, the sky lights up in cotton candy skies and I am just in awe with all of the greenery around me. I go to bed most nights with my feet throbbing and legs all wobbly because I was working so hard.

Funny how with all the time in the day right now the last thing I want to do is sit inside and watch television? I spend every minute that I can outside either working or in the pool to enjoy the sun on my face and work on that summer glow. At night I spend an hour reading in the back screened in porch and taking a long walk before bed. I’ll occasionally watch something on my laptop before bed but I am not that invested. I think since I know I am only down here for a few more weeks and summer will be over before I am ready, I want to enjoy every single minute that I can.

I’m currently reading Jennifer Weiner’s Who Do You Love at night before bed. It’s longer than I thought it would be but I am really invested in the characters making it an easy read.
My mom and I get the same magazines (Southern Living and Better Homes and Gardens) so I’ve been able to catch up while I am visiting. If you want a way to do stuff with your mom who lives far away, getting the same magazines allows us to talk about them on the phone and read them together. She will text me if I saw the recipe on a certain page and how cute curtains looked in the beach room in another magazine. Even though we were 10 hours away from each other, it felt like we were closer since we were doing stuff together.
I went to Ollie’s again, a store that has a lot of things for low prices and got some more books that will look nice on a shelf and will be fun to read.

I’m spending a lot of time in the pool so I’m letting my hair air dry every day. Not only has it been great for my hair but with a new shampoo I’ve noticed that it’s less frizzy. I can go to bed with it damp and wake up with cute bed head instead of my usual frizzy big hair.

I’m also using a leave in conditioner in my hair and I think that has helped me lay off the heat tools to style it lately.

Because of the heat, it is the South afterall, I usually wake up feeling a bit sweaty and then I put on sunscreen and bug spray. By the end of the day my face is feeling bumpy and oily so this week I’ve been using this face mask. After my shower I will put hair up in a towel and wear the mask while I straighten my room or something. I think the face mask has helped keep my skin looking brighter and not as oily.

Oh boy! Where do I begin!? I first need to point out that the county where my parents live has a very low number of COVID cases. We are taking all of the necessary steps to keep ourselves and others safe when we go out. My parents live in a small suburb surrounded by farmland, seriously lots of horses and field of corn and tobacco. All of this allows us to go to stores that are practically empty and everyone is wearing masks. Since I haven’t had a car in December and Philadelphia really was in lockdown, there are things we needed but could not get because of logistics.

  • Pier1 has their going out of business sale so I bought these plates for $3 for a set of 4. I got two sets because at that price I had to take advantage of that price. My mom then had me go back to get her two sets and my aunt two sets as well. They thought I had a lot of friends when I really just got asked to buy plates for people.
  • I went to the store to get plastic bins and had to have this dinnerware set when I bought it! I ended up getting matching pasta bowls as well since we never had them. Also had to get this canister for our kitchen because it matched perfectly!
  • The Homegoods near my parents recently opened so when we went the entire store was on major clearance. If you feel safe, definitely go to TJ Maxx and Homegoods now while they try to get rid of their inventory. I bought a few things for our house that you can only buy at Homegoods and a few Christmas presents to give people.

Walks at night.
Bike rides through town.
Organizing a cabinet.
Redesigning my moms laundry room.
Reading outside in the screened in back porch.
Making flower arrangements with greenery from the gardens.
The marina being so close.
Being able to drive to towns nearby to walk around.
Going out to eat.
My dad cooking dinner for me every night.
Sweet tea.