Category: friday favorites

Hopping on real quick to share what I’ve been up to and realized I forgot to share last weeks favorites because life has been so busy! Last weekend my parents came up from North Carolina to spend a few days with us so they got the full tourist treatment. I shared what we did in this blog post. On the night they got to Philly, I hosted a little happy hour at our house for my parents and cousins who also live in Philly before we headed down the street for dinner. We tried a new place called Sally and not only was it so great to go out to dinner again but I could cry tears of joy for the happiness I felt with my big family all at one table again. It had been too long! Jake and I are celebrating because we also finally purchased a car together after being car less for a year plus. We cannot wait to use it for trips to the beach this summer and most importantly to be able to go to the grocery store with a car. Jumping for joy over here!

Jake has been working until 3am every day this week which means I get full control of the tv. I’ve been catching up on the Real Housewives and the new HBO show, The Nevers. Hopefully we can find time this weekend to catch up on Mare of Easttown which has quickly become one of our favorites. If you didn’t watch the SNL skit they did about the show recently, it’s worth watching!

Used this sample size Lancome Idole mascara this week and I am very impressed! I’ve always been a big fan of Lancome mascara and this one adds volume while looking very natural.

I shared a review of the Loreal Everstrong shampoo and conditioner on the blog this week. I was shocked by how much volume I was able to get with my hair when I blowed it out with a hair dryer and even when I let it air dry. This morning in the shower I ran out of shampoo and kept squirting the bottle to make sure i got every drop out!

Made a stop at J Crew Factory while in New Jersey last week and fell in love with these sneakers right away. Super comfy and I love the subtle pop of pink. This headband is also a great dupe for the ones I saw at Anthropologie but a much better price. Last weekend I wore my new headband and sneakers to the zoo and I’ve worn both pretty much every day since. It’s so nice to buy new things to wear and actually get to wear them outside of the house 🙂

This week I finally finished reading The Jane Austen Book Club and started reading The Virgins Lover by Phillipa Gregory.

Does anyone else get anxiety before they leave the house these days? I do and found this article about social anxiety and the pandemic very interesting.

• Most importantly, we got our second dose of vaccine. WOOHOO!
• After being carless for a year +, we finally got a car.
• Had fun exploring the city with my parents and I’m excited to do more things in the city this summer.
• Our roses are starting to bloom in the backyard
• Fun trip to Jersey to see old friends
• Went to the Philadelphia Zoo to see the new dinosaur exhibit. It was so cute!

It’s been a busy week getting ready for my parents to visit us for a few days before we head to New Jersey together for a short visit to see friends and family we haven’t seen in a few years. Jake and I also did a ton of adulting this week like making arrangements to buy a car, making dentist appointments and had to do all of the steps to get a passport. The one perk of Covid is that you have to make an appointment at the post office to file the paperwork and because they can’t have more than one group at one time in the office, we were in and out under 10 minutes. Jake was shocked because he had to wait on line for 3 hours to get his even with an appointment when he got his passport a few years ago. Sometimes procrastinating works out!! We are exhausted but happy to see our lives getting back to “normal”. I’ve been spending as much time as I can outside because the weather is finally getting warmer so I’ll start my day taking Ed on a walk around the backyard while I drink my coffee and then bring a big towel to lay out on to read a book in the afternoon. A few weekends ago, we did a big heavy duty clean up of the backyard and it is looking really charming right now as the tree starts to grow green leaves and the flowers blossom. I’m excited to get a car this week so we can go to Lowes and get some mulch and more flowers for the backyard. We are so lucky to live in a city and have a backyard to enjoy. Next project is getting a kiddie pool 😉

I’m watching very little tv these days but I am making time to watch the new HBO Max show, Mare of Easttown because it was filmed in the Philadelphia suburbs. Great mystery and the story draws you in on the first episode. A show I didn’t expect to love so much is The Nevers also on HBO Max. It’s unlike anything on tv right now and is a great show to watch when you have seen it all after a year of watching too much tv. In honor of Helen McCrory, I’ve been rewatching the Peaky Blinders while I cook or clean and want background noise.

I was gifted a bottle of Lancome Clarifique and I have been using it everyday for more than two weeks and I noticed results in my skin right away. It’s a bit pricey but it is a cleanser, hydrates and keeps your skin hydrated for hours. Click here for a more detailed review on the new Lancome Clarifique Dual Essence.

Not that exciting but I did spend $50 at Trader Joe’s this week to make a cheese board for when my parents come to town. A bit extreme but after not being able to entertain in our house because we were both so busy at work and then a pandemic, I am so excited to host! Trader Joe’s is where we get our cheese even if it is a long hike because it’s so inexpensive we are more likely to try a new kind each time we visit.

Reading the last few pages of The Jane Austen Book Club right now. It’s been my go-to book this read while I lay out in the backyard and read. Ed and I are both enjoying any excuse we can to spend more time outdoors!

Trying to eat healthy so most days I have been making a smoothie for breakfast/lunch to keep me full and prevent me from snacking! Frozen mixed fruit, a banana, handful of spinach, one scoop of Vital Protein Collagen Powder and a few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt.

This week I made breaded chicken breasts for a healthy-ish dinner. The next day I used the leftovers to make wraps using Garden Spinach & Herb Wrap Tortillas, Trader Joe’s Greek Style Feta Dressing, tomatoes and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Quick, easy and delicious!

A friend send me Courtney Cox’s Reel on how to make 4 ingredient lemon pasta and it looked easy and tasty so I decided to try it! We were big fans and it might be our new go-to summer pasta recipe!

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• Warm days and hot days. I have been loving this 90 degree weather!
• Getting my 10,000 a day step goal in
• Staying committed to my goal of working out every day using these work outs
• Early bedtime and waking up early. Trying to become a morning person!
• Discovered a podcast called Dreamy that has bedtime stories on Spotify so I’ve been listening to one a night while I fall asleep.
• Swapping over my closets to make room for my summer clothes
• Treated Jake to frozen yogurt the other night after dinner and it made me excited for summer

Happy Friday! It’s been a while since I have shared what I am loving on the blog so let’s get started!

I’m working on a longer list of all of the shows and movies I have watched so far in 2021 but I wanted to share what we watched this week first! We got the new streaming service HBOMax when it first came out and at first I didn’t really scroll to see what it offered but lately, it’s all that we have been using! We caught up on all of the King Kong and Godzilla movies on our date nights to get ready for the new King Kong vs Godzilla movie that was released in theaters and HBOMax on the same day. The service also has a ton of old shows that are hard to find, like our recent binge What I Like About You, that early 2000s show with Amanda Bynes that is laugh out loud funny!

I recently spent an entire afternoon organizing my cabinets of products to donate to my mom, put some in my shower so I’ll use them, and then used a giant travel pouch to keep all of the skincare products I’m currently using so they are all in one place. I then cleaned out my vanity and put extra beauty products that I haven’t opened up yet that are just taking up room in this loaf bag that looks cute and hides the extra clutter.

On the blog this week, I talked about the Olay Retinol cream I have been using every other night and shared the new to me Hollywood Flawless Filter that is great for barely there makeup days. One of my goals this year was to really commit to a skincare system that worked for my skin and more importantly, would take like 5 minutes at night to apply. I’ve noticed that my skin tone looks more even and I have more glowy skin now that I’ve been consistent with this skincare routine. By having all of my skincare products in one bag, I do a better job of applying toner, serum, and a moisturizer at night. Find a system that works for you and I promise your skin will love you back!

I don’t need more clothes but I couldn’t not take advantage of the Nordstrom Rack Clearance Event going on right now. When I saw the Madewell cardigan with a cult following only for $14, I had to get one along with a Rachel Parcell dress and a few tops.

Keep an eye on my Amazon Finds page because I’m working on a big round up of our recent orders.

The Target Dollar Spot is overflowing with cute summer accessories and activities! This week I walked the long mile + way there to get a few things and my parents got some cute pool floats that we are all excited to use this summer!

I was in a reading slump for a few months because I was reading a very boring book but I’ve never quit reading a book and had to finish it! Since then, I’ve moved on from So 5 Minutes Ago and quickly read The Last Wife of Henry VIII. On my nightstand, I have Little Women and The Jane Austen Book Club. Follow along with my reading list here on Goodreads.

Meals we have been loving recently are:

• Teriyaki chicken with roasted sweet potatoes
• Gigi Hadid’s penne vodka
• Salad with chicken ( I heat up chicken fingers and then cut them in little pieces. Easy and delicious!)
• Pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and basil and sweet sausage mixed with olive oil and parmesan cheese
• Quesadillas with cheese, leftover chicken, tomatoes and peppers

• We did a big grocery run recently and it’s nice to have a full fridge!
• A neighbor posted about giving away two outdoor chairs in our neighborhood Facebook page for free and now they look so nice in our backyard. SCORE!
• I ordered a new hose nozzle and the jet stream was strong enough to power wash our front sidewalk and our backyard. Took a few days but every leaf and clump of dirt is gone!
• Ed has been loving the warmer weather because we let him spend an hour in the backyard (while supervised) every morning. I’ll water the flowers and enjoy my morning coffee in our new chairs while he roams!
• At least every other week we have been ordering Panera for lunch and the seasonal salads are SO GOOD!
• This Funboy x Barbie collaboration is amazing.
• Thank goodness for Jake’s craving of a burrito the other night because we tried Jackass Burrito and it’s now our new go-to burrito place!
• We had a few days of really warm weather and sunshine so I took a long walk to Rittenhouse Square.
• We got our first vaccination last week and get our second dose in May. We are dancing with joy and can’t wait to have a fun summer now that we can safely leave the house and see people.

This week is when the countdown to Christmas begins as we wrap presents to put under the tree and get to sit on the couch enjoying our home all decorated in lights. If you are still shopping for presents, check out my gift guide here. Last weekend my family and I got together on Zoom and made cookies to send to each other. We had so much fun reminiscing, being able to ask about substitutes for ingredients and making a mess in our kitchens virtually together. I recently shared a blog post here about making new holiday traditions here where I shared how my family and I are celebrating Christmas together even though we are all in different states. Over the weekend I did a lot of prep work for scheduled content on the blog and other boring stuff around the house that had to get done so I could have a relaxing week. I hope you are all taking time to enjoy your homes decorated for Christmas and all of the lights. Stay tuned to the blog because I am so excited abut the content and collaborations coming to the blog soon!

Enjoying all of the Housewives on right now.

Caught up on The Spanish Princess on Starz this week when I wasn’t watching a Christmas movie.

At night I’ve been putting on BBC documentaries on Netflix while I’m in bed because they are so relaxing to listen to.

OPI red nail polish for Christmas.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water at night to help take off my makeup. Even after I shower I use this on a cotton square and I’m amazed how much junk is still on my face.

My new Kevyn Aucoin mascara is a game changer and I’ve been wearing it every day the last two weeks.

I had some Old Navy cash to use so I picked up a few amazing pieces from Old Navy this week. I did a try on session on Instagram stories and shared pictures and links on the blog here.

This book is the perfect gift for the Hallmark movie lover.

Just ordered a bunch of photo collage magnets on Shutterfly to give to our family and they were very inexpensive because of the sale going on now.

Hot coffee in the morning in a Christmas coffee mug. Over the weekend I rearranged our cabinet so they are all in the front making them easy to grab! Still loving our new Keurig.

Our new sherpa comforter is probably the best thing I bought all year. It keeps us warm all night and makes it impossible to get out of bed in the morning.

This super easy and delicious sugar sprinkle cookie recipe. We added a ton of sprinkles in the dry ingredients to make them sprinkle cookies. With our second batch we used chocolate sprinkles and it gave them a nice hint of chocolate!

The themed place and bake cookies are still the best though 😉

Bedtime stories on the Calm App every night because it’s the only way I can fall asleep these days.

Evermore ❤

Happy Friday and most importantly, happy December! I hope you were able to have a good Thanksgiving and make it special in your own way. Jake and I stayed home and cooked a feast for the two of us. The one bummer is that I woke up sick with a terrible headache that made me nauseous all day, so we stayed on the couch in pajamas watching the parade most of the morning. Thank goodness for iPhones because I was able to talk, text, and Facetime my family all day. It was definitely different but after the National Dog Competition, I got up and pushed through to start making dinner. Jake and I cook a lot, and both really enjoy it, so it was fun to make a feast. We purchased a small turkey and made all of the sides since they are our favorite thing. I called my mom and thanked her for getting me the Ikea table that extends to make it longer because we needed every inch of it for all of the food. I had like 5 bites and then had to go back to the couch because I was just so sick. We’ve been living off of leftovers all week and loving it!

Last weekend all I wanted to do was nap because of my bad headache, but I am so happy I pushed through, and decorated our house for Christmas. This year we have three trees up and every room in our house has some Christmas spirit. Seriously, it looks like Christmas exploded in our house and I am loving it!

This weekend I have a family Zoom planned and we are going to bake cookies together. Last week we had a family Zoom to bake pies together for Thanksgiving and I had a complete meltdown because I couldn’t find our pie pan that I have never used but my mom got me as an apartment gift when I moved out. I tried to go into this holiday happy and excited for new traditions but this year is hard and I wanted to be open that I’ve been struggling too.

I’ve been keeping our living room TV on Freeform all day to have Christmas movies playing in the background. At night we will watch a Hallmark movie and check them off in our Hallmark app – if you don’t have it, you need to get it!

This week I finished The Crown and I did not want this season to end. I have been watching just one episode a night and then watching documentaries on Netflix about Diana and the Royal Family because there is just so much that The Crown doesn’t include. Now I’m finishing The Queen’s Gambit since that got pushed to the side when The Crown came out.

I finally finished reading The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. Took a bit longer than normal to read because there was a lot of fluff in the book but I enjoyed getting lost in the story. On my nightstand now I have Girl Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis. I tried reading this book like a year ago and just couldn’t get into it. I’m trying it again to see if it’s worth the hype. After watching The Crown and a ton of documentaries on Netflix about the Royal Family, I also have a thick book about Queen Elizabeth on my nightstand that I got at a used book store years ago because it was pretty but now I’m actually motivated to read it.

I love this time of year because it’s the best time to purchase cosmetics, fragrances, and skincare. Not only are they discounted but the kits come with a bunch of great extras too. Lancome reached out to me with a sample of their Lancome Idole perfume and a discount code towards the purchase of a full-size bottle. I immediately fell in love with the perfume after wearing it for a week and decided to treat myself to the full size. While checking out I added a Lancome beauty box to my cart. The kit comes with a bunch of full-size products and it’s something I get every other year since they last forever.

Recently I got a PR package from Kevyn Aucoin in the mail and I’ve been using the contour book and mascara every day. I’m working on a full blog post with a full review and details because I’ve been loving it a lot.

I’ve been noticing that my skin has looked amazing when I’m not wearing makeup and it’s because of my commitment to my skincare routine. I’ve been using Loreal Revitalift moisturizer at night and the Revitalift Derm Intensives Serum in the morning and at night. Loreal sent me them in a PR box in the Spring and I got the serum again because they are so easy to use. My face has been glowing lately and it’s honestly because of the hyaluronic acid products.

The Black Friday deals turned out to be week long deals so I did some Christmas present shopping and got a few things for myself.

J Crew Factory

– Pearl Cluster Earrings
– Velvet Headband
– Satin Knot Headband
– Sweater for Jake
– Pearl Bracelet
– Graphic Tee

Old Navy

– Star Wars Baby Yoda Christmas Tee
– Sweater for Jake
– Graphic tee for Jake
– Pajamas

Going through my camera roll and going to share a few things I have been loving right now. It’s been a crazy week that has felt like a month and I’m so excited for a relaxing weekend. Jake is working so hard and I’ve been working on this little space on the internet as a passion project because it brings me joy. Every night while we turn off the lights and get ready for bed, Jake will say out loud how much he loves our house. In the last few weeks, I have cleaned, decorated, and added personal touches to our home to make it cozy for this long cold, dark winter. This will be our second Christmas in this house and it finally feels like home. One positive right now is that we get to be home all day to enjoy our scented candles, lit up Christmas trees, and cozy blankets.

• Our new $30 flocked tree that I had low expectations about when I ordered it is my new favorite tree. We put this one up in our hallway upstairs and it brings me so much joy. I got an unlit one and it looks like that one is sold out so I am linking a lit tree.
• I ordered this inexpensive garland with lights for our banister just to see if it was good quality. Turns out it’s much better than I thought it would be so I ordered a bunch more to go up the stairs and around the banister on the second floor as well as around our headboard.
• We are still obsessed with our new sherpa comforter and it’s impossible to get out of bed in the morning.
• I created a new Instagram account ( @BlondeRosieinPhilly) where I can post photos of Philadelphia that I take on my walks. It’s not about the followers or the likes, I just love taking photos of Philadelphia, and now they are all in one place.
• If you haven’t already, please take a look at my gift guide. I know budgets are tight this year so I am updating it whenever I find a great gift that they will LOVE!
• If you love scented candles but don’t have the budget for them, the Glade scented candles are affordable and smell amazing!
• I organized my pajamas the other day because it was really getting out of hand. I bought a ton of holiday pajamas because I have no self-control and can’t say no to cute pajamas.
• Target is selling fun marshmallows and I was so sad when I walked all the way there and my Target didn’t have them. I don’t like hot chocolate but Jake loves it so I plan on making a little hot chocolate bar for him.

This time of year is always my busiest because I love sharing content with you all. With that comes campaigns and affiliate links that help keep this blog running. I really appreciate every single click and view that allows me to keep doing what I love.

The temperature has dropped and it’s now dark before 5PM but with the holidays around the corner I am full of excitement! I’ve been busy cleaning our house and ordering a few things to get ready for our Christmas transformation after we eat Thanksgiving dinner. Jake and I agreed on waiting until after Thanksgiving to decorate but I’ve been slowly taking out my greenery in rooms just hoping he won’t notice! Thanksgiving is going to look different this year for everyone and while I’m sad right now, I am happy that my family will be safe. Doesn’t stop me from getting a new dress to wear on Thanksgiving that I shared on the blog earlier this week. My family and I plan on cooking together on Zoom the day before Thanksgiving and finding ways to feel connected over video during this holiday season. On Instagram stories I shared our grocery delivery from Giordanos and oh my, we are going to need a bigger fridge! People usually complain about other people sharing their plates full of of food on Thanksgiving but I am proudly going to share Even though I’m planning to keep gift giving small, I want to be intentional with what I give. I shared a few gift ideas on this gift guide post which I plan to keep updating as I find new items. My Friday Favorites is made up by scrolling on my camera roll on my phone so let’s see what I’ve been up to this week!

I’ve been watching a few shows this week because there have been so many new shows released lately.
Jake and I like to watch a show together a night and we recently finished watching Terra Nova – a great one season show from a few years ago that Jake was obsessed with. We quickly binged The Umbrella Academy and it was better than I thought it would be!

At night I’ve been watching one episode of The Crown in bed before I read a chapter of my book. I usually watch this series in one day but I’m enjoying it as a treat before bed.

I started The Queens Gambit but realized it’s a show I can’t multitask while I watch so I’ll go back to it after i finish The Crown.

I’m really hoping Bravo changes the time of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City because I could not stay up that late this week to watch it live. Thank goodness for DVR so I could watch it the next morning while i checked emails. The Real Housewives of Potomac is the best when it comes to authentic story lines and genuine friendships. RHOSLC so far has been doing a great job of petty fights and creating drama.

I talked about my thoughts on Savannah Chrisley’s new makeup line, Sassy, on my Instagram Stories this week. The packaging is amazing and the quality is high end even though the prices are affordable. After listening to Savannah talk about her line on their podcast I put in my order because she talked about how much longer it took to launch the line because she wanted great products but affordable for everyone. You can tell she put a lot of heart and good work into this line and the products reflect that.

This week I talked about Dermalogica’s new face mask and the packaging is so smart! No more messy hands and wasting product! I shared my review on the blog here.

With the colder weather, I have been using lotion all over to keep my skin soft! This week I’m using my Revitalift moisturizer and I love waking up to hydrated, plump skin. I’ve noticed my face looks brighter, smoother and the fine lines on my forehead (thanks, sun!) are not as noticeable.

I’ll go weeks not spending a penny and then do a bunch of shopping in one day. Oops!

Shared this sweater on Instagram this week and it is so cozy and comfortable. I’d recommend sizing up – I got a small but I should have gotten a medium.

I’ve been wearing my new holiday pajamas that I bought recently that will be making an appearance on the blog and Instagram this week.

SO excited to wear this new dress on Thanksgiving while Jake and I cook our first turkey dinner by ourselves.

We are staying warm with our new holiday bedding that was so inexpensive I was prepared for poor quality but I was blown away! The sherpa is very soft and now Jake, Ed the cat and I are fighting over it in the morning when it’s too cold to get out of bed.

I’ll share more details soon but ordered a ton of Christmas garland and another tree because I’m convinced that decorating my house for Christmas will make everything better, right?

Jake’s mom sent us a cheeseboard kit from Di Bruno Bros. and OMG it was delicious!

After waiting for months, I finally got my Taylor Swift cardigan and vinyl that Jake bought me for our anniversary in August. It was worth the wait!

Just ran out of toasted graham Starbucks coffee pods. It was an impulse buy because they were one sale and they are delicious!

I’m currently wrapped up in a new blanket from TJ Maxx. It’s from the Berkshire brand which I had never heard of before. If you see them while shopping at TJ Maxx/ Homegoods buy a ton because they would be great gifts. I’ve never had a softer blanket for this low price. It’s also really cute too 😉

This book is on my Christmas wish list 🙂 Anyone obsessed with the royals will love it too.