life – Page 10 – Blonde Rosie Blog

Blog and Instagram Round-Up for the Month

Published on June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Can you feel it? The sunshine is brighter, the days are longer and weekends are for spending time outside. You can just feel that summer is on it’s way after a long day of cold, dark days indoors. I feel like May just flew by so I wanted to do a quick round-up of what I’ve been up to, my favorite products and what I’ve been buying.

Do you have a skincare routine that you do every morning and night? If you don’t or want to learn about some awesome products to use to get amazing skin, click here. On most Sundays, I put up a product review on Blonde Rosie so I have options for every skin issue and budget. Since I’ve been home I’ve been able to take the time to use multiple skincare products to get good skin and I’ve definitely seen seen a real difference. This month, I did a bit of traveling and it was the first time I had to pack an overnight bag in over a year! I got lazy and just brought a face wash and a moisturizer and wow, my face missed my skincare routine!

My parents came to visit this month and I loved the excuse to clean and decorate our home for Spring. I played tourist for the week and showed my parents our city and shared what we did in this post. With the season change, I love walking around our neighborhood and see the flowers bloom, grass get greener and the sunshine brighten the whole city!

Jake and I were joking because we have had a long list of things we want to do in Philly but just never did because of one excuse or another. This month we went to the Philly Zoo, New Jersey for Memorial Day Weekend, the aquarium and resumed our weekly date nights. This is because we finally got a car after being carless for over a year and also because we started to plan our month ahead to schedule a weekly dinner or something to do that is on our list. With a little bit of planning, we are able to have a fun May with fun things to do and still having our lazy days!

Finally got a haircut this month and my hairdresser was very impressed with how healthy it was even though it was so long. I credit to taking care of my hair with the right products this past year.

Now that we are vaccinated things are starting to get back to normal. Back to the old routine of going on errands but these days I get all dressed up even if we are going down the street!

Excited to get dressed up for our weekly dates! We have been going out to eat a lot lately because it’s so nice to try new places and support our neighborhood.

I’m linking my Friday Favorites page where I post what I’ve been loving, recent purchases, and what I’ve been watching. They are full of such good finds you don’t want to miss them!

Friday Favorites 5.21

Published on May 21, 2021 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Happpy Friday! We have been having such great weather lately and I have been taking advantage of it everyday! I’ve been reading in the backyard and going on long walks around the neighborhood in the evening. It’s been HOT but you won’t hear any complaints from me. The world is slowly starting to get back to normal so we are excited to leave our house and do errands again. Jake and I were excited to run errands last weekend because we had a car and didn’t have to carry what we purchased home. This weekend, we are going to Lowes to get some supplies to finish our backyard. I did all of the weeding and prep work this week and I’m excited to make this space pretty.

It was just announced that there is going to be a revival of the tv show, Dexter in late 2021. I binged it in college twice because it was so good! Turns out that Jake has never seen it so I’m doing a rewatch while he watches it for the first time. In my free time, I’ve been watching the Real Housewives and at night I’ve been watching an episode or two of the HBO show, Big Love. I started it years ago and then got busy so I never finished it.

This week I sat down to write and schedule a bunch of product reviews that I typically share on the blog on Sundays. I’ve been trying a lot of products recently and I’m excited to share them with you. On Monday I have a hair appointment so I am so excited to get my hair cut and styled. The last few weeks my social calendar has been getting busier and busier so I’ve been having to do my hair and wear makeup. My hair needed some TLC after all of that heat so I’ve been using my Redken shampoo and conditioner. There will be a full review of what I’ve been using this week so come back to the blog to read more. I have also been using this eye cream every night to help with my dark circles and puffy eyes. I’ve seen a difference after only a week so I will definitely be repurchasing!

We went to Target last weekend and it felt like Christmas morning walking through the store doors! Of course we went in without a list and Jake was nice enough to let me walk up and down every single aisle. I picked up this dress that I featured on the blog this week, this white eyelet top, and some new sandals. Can you tell I’m excited for summer?

Last week I finished reading The Jane Austen Book Club and just started The Virgin Queen since I’ve been on a historical fiction roll. I also ordered the Bridgerton books and found the books with the original covers for $5. Sharing my link here to get them.

On Sundays, we like to have pasta and try different recipes. I wanted to keep it simple so I made my own red sauce with a can of tomato paste, can of diced tomatoes with 3 chopped roma tomatoes and a bunch of seasoning. In 2020, we stopped eating processed food and I’ve had a fun time making our meals from scratch. I used to think it was really intimidating or would take too long but this year has taught me that I love to spend time in the kitchen. This love has been put on hold however because our dishwasher broke. We had someone come look at it and it’s still broken. Now dinner is whatever won’t dirty a dish!

Trip to Target last weekend. Seems silly but after not having a car for more than a year, we get excited about errands now.
Full fridge this week after a grocery run.
A lunch date at Panera with Jake.
Took advantage of the nice weather and walked to Rittenhouse in this outfit.
Reading everyday in the backyard has become a favorite part of my day.
Staying committed in working out every single day. After months of working out I am finally starting to see a difference.
Shared a round-up of some fitness clothes I have my eyes on right now.

Friday Favorites 5.14

Published on May 14, 2021 by blonde rosie2 Comments

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!

How to Have Happier Mornings

Published on May 10, 2021 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

It’s a Monday morning as I sit at my table and write this, still in pajamas, with a warm cup of coffee to keep me caffeinated. Getting out of bed recently has been a complete opposite of the last few winter months. My body is naturally waking me up when the sun rises and while I try to sleep in, my body wants to get up and start the day. I’m sure the rising temperatures and that warm sunshine are helping me get out of bed in the morning. I’ve found that I am bursting with energy and want to do everything and anything. With this burst of energy in the early hours of the morning, I’m also going to bed before midnight. Something that annoyed me at first but now I love getting into bed at night and reading a few chapters of my book before bed. After a few weeks of this routine, I decided to stick with it and make it permanent thing.

I setup new ringtones for all of my alarms so I don’t snooze through them and if my body doesn’t wake me up, a new tune can help me get out of bed at the same time every day. This took a few weeks to get used to but turning into a morning person has always been my goal and this year it’s going to happen!

A perk of being the only one awake in the morning, besides the cat, is that I get to have a little me time. Usually I just hop right into getting housework done in the morning before I start doing work in the afternoon. With this warmer weather (somedays) I’ll make a cup of coffee and grab a magazine before heading to the backyard to enjoy my coffee. Ed comes trotting with and loves to lay in the grass and roam around. Just giving myself a few minutes outside to drink coffee or water the plants or have a few minutes to myself puts me in such a good headspace.

On Sundays, I love to create one master to-do list with everything that needs to get done for the week no matter how small. Then I schedule time to get it all done in my Google Calendar so I can get it all scheduled ahead of time and it’s not so daunting.

How you start your day sets your mood for your entire day. For so long I felt so rushed from the moment I got out of bed and with a few little changes I can give myself time in the morning to start my day on the right foot. No matter how busy my week is, I love to wake up early to make time for myself and glance at my calendar knowing I have time to get it all done. Only you can control what mindset you will have for the day and with some pre-planning, you can make it a more positive one. Once you are relaxed and have some caffeine in your system, get dressed, and make it a good day!

Things That Made Me Happy This Month

Published on May 3, 2021April 23, 2021 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I blame the good weather we have been having but I have been having such a great month! Those cold, dark months always put me in a weird funk and I know to expect it and prepare, but nothing makes me ready to handle January through March. It’s usually cold, dark and rainy making my energy levels low and puts me into a weird fog. I swear as soon as April started, the sun came out, I was excited to jump out of bed and I had so much motivation to have a great week.

After my shower at night, I like to spend a few minutes in the bathroom brushing my teeth, flossing and then going into a multi step skincare routine. I noticed results right away when I started using the Olay Retinol moisturizer.

Speaking of moisturizers, I was sent Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Body Cream and holy cow, my whole body smelled like watermelon all day! Yes, it kept my skin shiny and healthy – but it’s worth buying for the scent alone!

After wearing sweatpants for months, I need to get my body in shape to fit into my summer clothes so I’ve been drinking a smoothie for lunch everyday. It keeps me full until dinner and it’s fun to play with ingredients. My smoothie recipe: frozen mixed berries, frozen peaches or mango, a banana, two big scoops of vanilla yogurt, a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides, and a handful of fresh spinach.

We have been having fun having movie nights during the week and ordering dinner for a date night. I mentioned in my Friday Favorites post recently about what we are watching on HBO Max. On my own time, I’ve been watching a lot of 90s and early 2000s shows that I never got to watch and it’s been a fun hobby.

Recently, I swapped out the vases and faux florals around the house and it makes the house feel so much brighter! Over the summer I stocked up on some realistic looking flowers from Michaels and Walmart. Much cheaper than buying them every week and don’t have to worry about them dying!

Starbucks iced coffee at home has been a nice sweet treat! It’s cheaper to buy a bottle of it at the grocery store instead of getting one everyday at Starbucks. The best part is that I don’t have to change out of my pjs to get one 😉

I packed away my sweaters and started to pack away my fall and winter clothes over the weekend so let’s hope the warm weather is here to stay!

Friday Favorites 4.30

Published on April 30, 2021 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

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!

I finally used my spiralizer and made zucchini noodles for dinner this week. It was a lot easier to make and fun to experiment with flavors. Added a little oil to a pan on low-medium heat and dumped the spiralized zucchini in the pan. Used tongs to flip as they cooked and added half a lemon juice, lemon and pepper seasoning, with a dash of garlic salt. Once in the bowl I added some parmesan cheese for flavor. Interesting texture and a lot quicker than waiting for water to boil for pasta. Jake ate every last noodle so it’s proof that it was tasty!

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!

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