Category: friday favorites

good things are coming

I hope everyone had a good week and my friends in the Northeast stay safe in this air quality. I’ve had a terrible cough since Tuesday and trying to limit my outside time as much as possible. Schools went remote today so I’m enjoying my start to the day with a cup of tea at home. For the last month, we have been weeding, planting, and tending our backyard to make it a backyard oasis – a rare find in Philadelphia! My new favorite evening activity is coming home from work and changing into comfy clothes to head to the couch outside to read a little bit before making dinner. Unfortunately, this week that evening tradition has had to be put on pause since I am trying to limit my outside time as much as possible.

We are trying to make the best of the start of summer with this bad air quality. Next week is the last week of school (yippee!) so we will probably be spending our weekend at home getting a lot done on our to-do list. Why is adulting just one long to-do list that never ends?

Philly Things

Last weekend, we were up and moving early on Saturday and went to the Rittenhouse Art Show and Farmers Market. We added on a few more errands in the City because the weather was so nice and we wanted to enjoy it as much as we could. We went to the new Kura Revolving Sushi Bar on Chestnut Street for dinner and we both loved the experience! It had been on our list for a while and not only was the food delicious but it was a great experience. Robots delivered your drinks, food was delivered on a revolving bar and the vibe was really cool. Each plate is $3.50 making it easy to try new things you wouldn’t normally order. My big piece of advice is that this sushi is not your grocery store sushi, it is authentic sushi so go in with an open mind! I tried new dishes and liked all of them and fell in love with conch sushi – who knew I would!

Cork is my favorite store to pop in and “treat” myself. Not only do they have the cutest hostess gifts but they have an excellent wine selection.

Flourish is a store in our neighborhood that sells plants and locally made goods that just had its one-year anniversary. We finally stopped in recently and picked up a few gifts for family.

• Shiny Happy People
• Anna Nicole Smith – You Don’t Know Me
• Selling Sunset
• Real Housewives of Orange County

This toner is great and I’ve been using it sparingly because I’m close to running out. It does it all – cleanses, exfoliates, and makes your skin glow. Yes please!

On Sunday we went to Costco and I bought a giant bag of lemons so of course I had to make my lemon pasta recipe! It’s a recipe that I originally found online and it’s turned into throw things into a pan and see what happens.

In a pan, start with oil, garlic, and onions on low. Juice 3 lemons and add lemon juice to the pan while the pasta is cooking. Add the lemon carcasses to the pasta water. Add seasoning to the pan (basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, etc). Once the pasta is ready, slowly add pasta to the pan and stir. Add more oil and juice from the 4th lemon and add lemon carcasses to the pan for some extra zest. Let the pasta cook for a few more minutes and bam, lemon pasta!

• Finally (finally!) purchased these sandals that were very popular last summer and it looks like they will be in style for a little longer.
• With the plastic bag ban in Philly, I had to buy another one of these laundry tote bags to help transport groceries and stuff around.
• I’ve been deep cleaning and swapping out decor to get ready for summer. I’ve been looking for a small lamp to put in the kitchen that doesn’t take up that much room and adds some lighting without the harsh kitchen lights. Found this lamp that is perfect and so so sooo cute!
• I can’t resist anything gingham so these bowls and cups came home with me. They will be perfect for summer in the backyard and now I need the rest of the collection!

• Working on getting through the next Outlander book to prep for the new season this month!
• For a lighter read, I’ve been reading Kathy Reichs books that were turned into the series Bones.

• warmer weather
• sandal season
• reading outside
• my lemon decor around the house

Wow. It’s been a busy week for me and it feels like it flew by. One of my goals for 2023 was to come back to this little corner of the internet and start writing again. I thought I set myself up for success and planned out time in my schedule to create content. But as life happens, plans change. I wasn’t looking for a change, anyone who knows me at all knows that I hate change and avoid it at all costs. However, sometimes the Universe finds a way to make you walk to a fork in the road and decide: what are you going to do? All of this to say, I recently left my job and after two days “off”,  I started at a new job. Same time of job, just a different company. This week has been busy with onboarding and jumping right into a new job, but I’m excited about this new opportunity. 

Philly Things

• I went to brunch at Blondie a few weeks ago with an old work friend in Manayunk. Not only is the place so cute, but the food is delicious too! It’s a place to go if you want a cocktail with your brunch. I looked over the menu a few times to try and find coffee or a juice listed that did not have alcohol in it and no luck. I am definitely going again and bringing the boy next time!
• The City Winery has become one of our favorite places to see a show. Last year we saw Melinda perform and a few weeks ago I got us tickets to see Vonda Sheppard. She did the music for the Ally McBeal soundtrack and my mom played that CD on repeat when I was growing up. It’s such a smart concept for a concert. You can reserve a table to sit at and order dinner and drinks during the show.
  
  

What I’m Watching

• The Playboy Murders
• Pamela, a love story
• Yellowstone
• 1883

Products I’m Loving

• Summer Fridays CC ME Serum

Recent Purchases

What I’m Loving

• I recently listened to an interview with Danielle Prescod on a Goop Podcast. Her new book, Token Black Girl, sounded so interesting and it’s in my Amazon cart to order once I get through a few more on my overflowing shelf. 
• H&M Dior tote dupe
• Skirt from Target

Coffee in one hand. Confidence in the other.

Lately, I feel like I’ve been cramming an entire summer into two weeks while work is just as busy! I’m up *very* early every morning to get to New Jersey for summer camp every day and then rush home to enjoy summer. Last week, Jake’s mom visited us from Florida and we packed the week with a ton of fun philly things. We took her to all of our favorite restaurants like Grace’s Tavern, Pub and Kitchen, and Parc. On Friday night, we saw Elton John on his farewell tour which was such a fun experience! Saturday morning we had brunch at Sabrina’s at the new location just a few blocks away from our house. It’s becoming a dangerous place because we are there almost every weekend now because of how close it is and because it has a bar. After our mimosas, we went home and had a quiet night in because we woke up early on Sunday to do a beach day at LBI. When my alarm went off, I jumped out of bed like a little kid on Christmas because I was so excited to go to the beach! The week started off with me sleep-deprived after a full day working at Summer Camp and then going out at night. Worth every minute though 😉 Looking forward to a relaxing weekend and to try and stay cool during this heatwave.

• Victoria’s Secret Angels and Demons
• The Bear
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• Becoming Elizabeth
• Magnolia Table

Air Dry Cream by JVN has been a life changer with this heat.

I’ve been mixing this liquid highlighter with my moisturizer as a foundation so it doesn’t sweat off in this heat.

Reminder to use sunscreen daily. I’ve been using this one.

I bought these containers from The Home Edit line and I have more in my cart!

Also realized a few days before our trip to the beach we didn’t have any beach chairs so I bought these chairs on sale.

Ordered these Bluetooth headphones to take calls at work.

This pet hair remover is my most used tool around the house now lol

Since I live in my car lately, I ordered this tissue holder for the car.

• Walking through Rittenhouse Square Park at night is so pretty and it’s even more special during the summer.
• Drinks at the bar at Parc
• Ice cream at Skipper Dipper in LBI
  

Always find time for the things that make you feel happy you are alive.

Hi friends! Back again to share some of my favorite things this week.

This week was the last week of school and while it was very busy, I tried to slow down to enjoy each moment and just hang out with the students. It’s been such a busy school year with new challenges but I’m eager to start planning for next year….after a very long nap!

In the last few weeks, we have made a few trips to Home Depot to completely redo the backyard. We are so lucky to have a backyard space in the city and it needed some love. We dug up the backyard and put down grass seed so now we have bright green grass. Herbs and flowers are planted so now we get to enjoy our beautiful backyard this summer! Right now I’m looking for a new patio set but haven’t found anything I love.

I was just saying this week that Jake and I have nothing to watch… and then I saw that a lot of our shows are coming back this month. Looks like we have a lot of tv to watch!

Under the Banner of Heaven
Keep Sweet: Prey and Obey
Bad Vegan
Obi-Wan Kenobi
First Lady
Restoration Road
The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Recently published a product review on this foundation/primer/highlighter making it a great all in one product!

I’ve been using this sunscreen on my face every day and I can see a difference! Blends well so my face isn’t greasy or sticky and I can easily apply foundation on top.

Found this popular self tanning kit at Marshalls last week for under $20. I used it this week and it is easy to apply without any streaks and gives a great natural-looking tan.

• We almost got a new pet, Drunk Carl. A bird that got stuck in our house for 12 hours but luckily we got him out!
• Went to the movies and saw Lightyear. We laughed because there were only people our age in the theater and no kids LOL!
• Stopped for froyo at The Igloo on our way home from the movies over the weekend.
• Hosting a little dinner party with friends to celebrate the end of the school year. I’m so excited to have people over!
• My summer vacation officially starts today 🙂

When you start to do the things that you truly love, it wouldn’t matter whether it’s Monday or Friday; you would be so excited to wake up each morning to work on your passions. 

Oh hi, hello! It’s been a while since I shared a few of my favorite things. I hope everyone had a good week and has fun plans for this weekend. It’s the final weeks of school and I’m filling up my weekends with fun plans to enjoy this beautiful weather.

It’s been a while since I shared what I’ve been watching!

Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix is must-watch with an unexpected turn at the end!

The Time Traveler’s Wife on HBO might be better than the movie…

Pivoting on HULU and Fox quickly became one of my favorites and is fighting for a second season!

Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ is something I didn’t ask for but it might just be better than the movies?

Using a new foundation for the last few weeks that I have been loving. Lancome gifted me their new perfume that smells sweet and perfect for summer!

Lemon Pasta
• fresh lemons
• basil
• chopped onions
• garlic
• heavy cream
• butter
• parmesan cheese

Mango Shrimp Tacos
* avocado
* mango
* orange peppers
* lettuce
* trader joes chile lime seasoning
* lettuce

We finally stopped by the cutest wine shop called Cook near our house to pick up a few bottles of wine.
Grabbed Starbucks and walked around the Rittenhouse Art Show last weekend on the perfect sunny day.
We just planted grass in our backyard a few weeks ago and now our yard is so green!
This

A wreath for a wall in the living room that just needed something special.

This candle smells pretty and looks pretty on the coffee table.

Had to buy these biscuit cutters after watching too many cooking shows!

I have these block heels in black and recenlty picked up the white ones.

Picked up a few of these pillows for the bedroom because they are SO soft.

Put yourself at the top of your to-do list.

Eating a leftover Valentine’s Day cupcake for a treat while I finally sit down to share a round-up of my favorite things. Still can’t believe that Monday was Valentine’s Day because it feels so long ago. Jake spoiled me with roses and we had dinner together before both of us hopped back onto our computers to get more work done. This weekend we are celebrating Valentine’s Day at the Harry Potter Exhibit. It’s been on our calendar for months and Life has been busy since I became a Program Manager at my job. Long hours, busy days, and still not enough time to get it all done! It’s been a big adjustment but I’ve been loving every minute of it. It’s really rewarding to work in nonprofit and see the good that it does every day.

How I Met Your Mother
Doing a rewatch with Jake to get ready to watch How I Met Your Father!

The Promised Land
Not what I was expecting but immediately fell in love! I feel like tv has been missing that drama tv show the last few years that kept you on the edge of your chair wanting more. This one is

Pivoting
A 30-minute show about three childhood friends figuring out the world together as adults that makes me laugh.

Abbott Elementary
This is just the show I needed this year after working in various Philadelphia schools the last few months.

And Just Like That
I’ve heard some conflicting reviews on the new chapter of SATC and I personally loved watching it. Sex and the City was never that show that was a happily ever after and I respect the direction it went in.

In this post-2020 world, I don’t take wearing makeup daily for granted anymore. I love to put on a podcast with a warm cup of coffee and spend 10 minutes getting ready in the morning. This lipstick lip balm keeps my lips hydrated and looks great on all of my Zoom calls too!

Coffee.
The morning newspaper.
Getting back into a routine after
Watching documentaries at night about the royal family.
Sleeping in this weekend!