Category: life

Friday Favorites 10.8

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I’m ending this week on such a high note. It was my second week at my new job and first week in the classroom. I thought I would feel exhausted with this career change, new job, new routine, etc. but I have such an adrenaline rush. It is so nice to be in a job that I love this much. I’m excited to get out of bed in the morning and the day goes by so quickly because of all of the fun I’m having. This weekend we are headed to a fall festival in the city and I’m excited to celebrate fall… if only the weather would get cooler!

There has been very little time for tv this week but I have been able to catch up on Real Housewives and watch the first episode of the new Grey’s Anatomy season. While getting ready for work, I’ve been rewatching one of my favorites, Bones. We are doing a quick binge watch of the James Bond movies before we see the new Bond movie, No Time To Die, this weekend.

Wearing makeup everyday again means I’ve been using micellar water at night to get my makeup off after I wash my face with my face cleanser.

Halfway done with Outlander book #4, Drums of Autumn.

Not including all of the classroom supplies I picked up this week, I was able to pick up a few fall themed goodies at Trader Joe’s. Last weekend we picked up mums and pumpkins for our front steps. The mums are slowlyyy starting to blossom and I’m eager to see what color they will actually be since we couldn’t really tell when we bought them. We also went to Homegoods to browse and found a lot of really cute pieces that we totally would have purchased if we had a bigger house ha!

Getting dressed for work.
Slow mornings reading the newspaper while I drink my coffee.
Ed has been so cuddly lately since J and I are back in the office full-time.
Our tomato plant is still blooming so we’ve been enjoying them with every meal that we can to enjoy them.
I shared what steps I’m taking to keep my skin healthy while we transition into fall.

there is no enjoyment like reading

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Lately, I’ve been staying up way past my bedtime even though my eyes get heavy at around 1am. My body wants the sleep but I just cannot give in just yet. At night, I get into bed at a reasonable time and get all cozied up in bed before I open up my book and enter a fantasy world. Before I know it, hours have passed and I keep telling myself, just a few more pages. After spending the last year watching too much television, my eyes needed a break so I started to set time at night to read before bed. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten lost in a story, the characters, an imaginative world put together with words on a page.

The world outside my bedroom has a lot going on at the moment and I don’t predict that things are going to calm down anytime soon. I love the feeling that time stops still when I read a good book. It’s so easy to get lost in a fantasy world. These days the tv is on a lot less, I spend less time at my computer and more time on the couch sneaking a few minutes here and there or in bed at night to find out what happens next.

Recently on my trip to New York, I spent most of my time on a park bench reading my book. As I sat there with a book in my hands, I got some bizarre looks as people walked by. Apparently reading an actual book and not scrolling on a phone is a foreign sight for others to see. As I sat in the famous Central Park reading my book, while a man played familiar songs on a violin down the path, with the warm sun on me, I felt indescribably happy. I wish I could have put that happy feeling in a jar to keep in a safe spot for me to use later.

As I walked through the aisles of a Barnes and Noble to pick up the next book in the series I’m reading, I couldn’t help but get a skip in my step. Turning my head to the side as I scanned the books all perfectly lined up for the authors name I was looking for. I sat on the floor and flipped through the pages. Feeling the crips pages of the book excited to get home and start reading.

That’s it for now. I’m heading to the couch with a cup of tea to read a chapter or two… or a few!

Follow me on goodreads for book recommendations.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
― Jane Austen

Friday Favorites 9.24

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Happy Fall y’all! I’m cozied up in warm pajamas as I write today’s blog post. Last week, I started a new job and forgot how much work it is to balance work and life. I was going to bed before 9pm because my body was not used to waking up early and working all day. It was a long week but I had a lot of fun getting to know everyone and I’m looking forward to getting back to work. On Friday, we celebrated by going out to dinner at Thai Square and then I went to bed early. Is this what my thirties are going to look like?? It was so nice to sleep late on Saturday with no alarm. I threw on some comfy leggings and hung out with a friend I haven’t seen in over a year because of the pandemic. I feel like I blinked and we went from living in quarantine and the next minute things are kinda like back to normal? Sunday morning we were up early to take a train to New York City. Jake had to work out of the New York City office so I went with him for a few days. I shared what we did, where we stayed and a delicious restaurant recommendation in this blog post . I’m looking forward to a slow weekend at home. Hope you get out and enjoy this nice fall weather!

  • Only Murders in the Building on Hulu has me laughing out loud and the casting is genius!
  • Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is back and I’ve been texting my friends to talk about it while I watch. The drama this season is goood!
  • LuLa Rich on Netflix is a documentary show about the rise and fall of Lularoe. I started to watch it and then restarted it when Jake walked by because I knew he would love the drama.

Since I got back from our cruise, my hair has felt dry and brittle so I’ve been going longer between hair wash days and using Redken shampoo and conditioner to get my softer hair back.
But going back to work means that I have to style my hair every morning. For an easy blow out, I’ve been using my Conair hair dryer brush. It takes less than 5 minutes in the morning to turn my bedhead into a salon blowout.
I am constantly rotating my mascaras and this week I’ve been using Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.
Last week my Tarte Sex Kitten Eyeliner ran out so I picked up L’Oreal Paradise Eyeliner. It’s easy to use and love love love it!

Loving this new line of OPI nail polish called Nature Strong. It lasts a lot longer than my other nail polish and it’s vegan.

I stayed up way too late last night to read my book because I am almost finished reading it. When I was reading the first two books of the Outlander series, I read them within days and now that I’m back home from vacation I’m enjoying my time and making them last a while. I have less than 100 pages left of Voyager so I went to Barnes and Noble and bought the rest of the books in the series so I wouldn’t have to wait for them to arrive by mail anymore.

Finally did the thing and bought the Lululemon belt bag.
Bought way tooo much at the Harry Potter store in New York. Browse for yourself here.
Since I’m reading the Outlander series so fast, I picked up the rest of the books at Barnes and Noble.
I got a PR box of Pete’s Coffee Creme Brulee k-cups and they are the perfect afternoon sweet treat.

Finally got around to sharing pictures and what we did on our cruise last month on the blog.

Early mornings to myself.

Looking forward to a weekend at home.

This past week in New York was such a nice treat! I talked more about what we did in this blog post.

Starting to decorate our house for fall. All of our fall decor sat collecting dust on our dining room table for a few weeks but now pumpkins are being put around the house to get into the fall mood.

Still looking at pictures I took at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and planning our next trip back!

Almost finished with my book, Voyager – the third book in the Outlander series, and I’m eager to get started on the next one in the series.

how to get and stay motivated

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Whether you are working from home or commuting to the office again as well as also balancing a work/life schedule, it’s a lot to keep organized. My Monday through Friday is about to get a little bit busier so right now I’m planning ahead to make sure I have a schedule and game plan to keep me motivated with a busy schedule.

On Sundays, I love to sit down and make a long to-do list for the upcoming week. I write down every little thought, little or big task and any event I have going on that week. From there, I can schedule errands, tasks and make appointments on my paper and phone calendar. To make sure I add some fun into my week, I like to schedule a fun date night during the week or make weekend plans in advance to have something to look forward to.

Making small goals for the week can help prevent the days from blurring into each other. Read a whole book, workout 3 times a week or get a daily walk in. Try a new restaurant, or coffee shop or find a trail to walk. One thing I’m bringing with me post-pandemic is that life is too short to do the same thing every week!

I love having routines and I swear it’s the secret to keeping my life organized! On Tuesdays, I clean up the house so it’s done weekly and never a big daunting task. Sundays is our laundry and Wednesday is our date night. Baths on Sundays make for a relaxing way to start the week.

With a busier schedule coming up, meal planning is going to be more important than ever!

After being at home for more than a year, I’m looking into in-person workout classes for an excuse to leave the house and meet new people. Find ways to try new things!

For years I was told that you need to be hustling 24/7 to succeed. But the past year + has changed that mindset for me drastically. I’m taking breaks when I can. Weekends are for relaxing. Alone time in the morning is valuable and should not be overlooked. I love to listen to a podcast and enjoy my morning coffee. Evening routines are easy because we meal planned and keep a tidy house so it leaves more time doing the things we want to do.

Start your week with a positive mindset. Work bag is packed by the door, lunches and dinners are planned. Drink water, make time for those fitness goals, and reward yourself for achieving goals, big and small!

Have a good week, friends! You deserve it!

Friday Favorites 9.10

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This morning, I had an appointment in New Jersey and was not expecting that chilly breeze while walking to the car. Brr!!! Fall is officially on its way and it’s time to bring out all of the layers. This week, I started to clean our house and make room for the pumpkins and other fall decor. Even though we have plenty of pumpkins and fall decor already, I’m hoping we can go to Homegoods this weekend to see what else we can find!

  • Sabrina the Teenage Witch is my go-to show to watch at night while I get ready for bed. With only 30 minute episodes, it’s full of laughs and typical 90s sitcom jokes.
  • Impeachment is going to be our new date night show I think and the first episode left us wanting more!
  • Outlander was on hold for a bit because I am reading the books while we do a rewatch.

Trying to recover from summer vacation hair aka dry dead ends with It’s A 10 leave-in product.

OPI came out with a new vegan line of nail polishes, Nature Strong. I’m going on week two of my manicure with very few chips and no top coat.

If you don’t have a dry brush already, be sure to pick one up for yourself. I don’t use it as often as I should, but after a bath I love to use it all over my body to get all of the dead skin off. My legs have never felt softer after I use it.

Wearing lipstick a lot this week while I run errands and I’ve been grabbing these lip glosses each time.

Does a really big grocery run after being out of the country and state for two weeks count? Well that is where I did the most shopping this week ha!

Also picked up these cute cups for $2 at Target because I fell in love with them right away.

Bought myself a new toy (a mop) to give the floors a deep clean before fall. Even though it’s simple and under $10, I was very impressed as I cleaned all of the floors in our house yesterday.

Picked up two of these $8 tanks and I’ll be going back to get more because they are so comfy and will look cute under layers for fall.

This week, Jake made tacos for dinner which were delicious! We got take out sushi on Wednesday which we like to do each week if we can for a hump day treat! Last night, I made pulled pork sandwiches with roasted potatoes and broccoli. Trying to be healthy and eat salads when I can for lunch!

Follow along to see what books I’m reading on my GoodReads account! Halfway done with the third Outlander book, Voyager and need to get the next one asap! I’ve found myself getting into bed around 8pm so I have more time to read.

Fall candles are burning in our house making it smell like fall!

Picked up a bunch of the pumpkins in the dollar bin at Target because they were only a dollar. I may have a pumpkin problem because I have so many around the house….

Ed the cat has been super clingy lately and I’m loving every second of it!

This article about a dinner party straight out of a Nancy Meyers movie gave me the motivation to start planning a dinner party myself!

Mornings with Vital Proteins are my favorite!

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After a long vacation, I was so excited to get home and back into my routine. Before I can even sit down and relax, I’m looking at a very long to-do list of laundry, unpacking, and a trip to the grocery store. One simple thing I can do to get back into my normal daily routine is to start with a cup of coffee. It’s my favorite part of the day and it’s an easy way to get my daily dose of collagen supplement in. I’ve been putting a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides in my coffee every morning for the last year and I’m constantly talking about the benefits to my family and friends. After a few weeks, I noticed a drastic improvement from head to knees, literally! Benefits of taking Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides daily are, healthier skin, hair growth, and reduced joint pain to name a few. My body recovers faster and I notice that my body isn’t as tired as it usually was after a long day.

Personally, I have continued to take Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides daily because it has transformed my hair. It is thicker and I’m constantly discovering new hair growth all over my head! On my recent vacation, I went without my daily scoop and noticed that my whole body ached. My knees hurt when I was walking upstairs and my back was sore. None of these things was an issue when I was taking my daily scoop of collagen. I’m excited to get back into my daily morning routine with a cup of coffee and a scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides!

Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides helps work on the inside so I have the strength and healthy body to keep up.

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Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides // Keurig K-Duo