Oh, The Places You Go (In 2016)

Published on January 1, 2017December 31, 2016 by blonde rosie1 Comment

One of my life goals after college graduation was to travel as much as possible. I tried to take a really sad fact that all of my friends were moving across the country and tried to make it a positive that I had a lot of visiting to do!

Unfortunately, when you are a working girl, it limits the time off I had to go places so I did not go to as many places as last year. This year definitely was filled with new places, new sights, and new adventures!

The traveling red suitcase went on a lot of adventures this past year, and even though it was damaged en route to Texas (Thanks, United!), it was fixed and has a few more years to go!

Here are some of the places I visited and some were new places I crossed off my bucket list! Excited to see where 2017 takes me. canstock14468516

February

Galentines Day in Philadelphia

New Hope, PA

March

Seven Springs, PA

April

Austin, Texas

Waco, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

A friend once described it as a shed LOL It is a very historic shed !

May

Another SJU Graduation! 13248947_782507345219968_1325327898_n(1).jpg

June

Philadelphia Day Trips 13388566_627756050706329_1811174653_n(1).jpg

July

The Monmouth Park Racetrack 13739540_223122314752015_1166120317_n(1).jpg

August

Beach Days (and ice cream) at the Jersey Shore! 14128838_329169314092298_31025510_n(1).jpg 14134565_1774948432789800_1149461763_n(1).jpg

September

Parents got a beach house in Avalon, NJ to celebrate their wedding anniversary ❤ 14272096_253552141711692_867560712_n(1).jpg

October

Nashville 14592147_1744402445826908_6687226924109922304_n(1).jpg 14547586_1764745583777061_2973538620754886656_n(1).jpg 14676508_1864715367095966_6820670398355472384_n(1).jpg

November

Home renovation were finally completed! No time for trips or vacations because every free minute was dedicated to working on the house.

December

Philadelphia 15624645_661663904005309_6788561347404627968_n(1).jpg

New York City 15539076_1204153322985752_4710935059006226432_n(1).jpg

Here is last years round up of the places I have visited! I already have two big trips to two different states planned for February. Hint: warm weather and sunshine are involved !

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Published on December 31, 2016December 31, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I have never been a big fan of New Years Eve and have spent the last few years in bed watching When Harry Met Sally with a glass (bottle) of wine. The last few weeks I have been busy at work, working both jobs seven days a week, spending all of my free time shopping for presents and then staying up late to wrap. Christmas was a very somber day in my house. It was just my parents and I, and without little kids around the house the day loses its magic. I had a few days off for my birthday and Christmas, and for the first time in months I was able to sit and do nothing. My body would not let me sleep and I was a little restless lounging around on the couch all day. I am used to doing laundry, reorganizing drawers or purging my closet on a day off, but I forced myself to lay on the couch and watch Gilmore Girls for hours. It was harder to do than it sounds, I promise!!

A few days of doing nothing made me appreciate doing nothing. I need to schedule doing more of it during the months ahead. With my anxiety and mental health, I work best when my schedule is constantly booked and I have a million things to do. But in 2017 I need to have more lazy days to sit around with dirty hair in a sloppy bun and fun pajamas. During my hours of Netflix binge watching, I had time to reflect on the past year. A lot of these memories are hard to relive, but I am happy they are in the past and a new year is beginning.

2016 was the year of postponing my own happiness. 2015 was a year of accomplishments and chapters in my life ending. 2016 had so much to offer, but instead, I put a pause on my life to take care of others. I do not regret the decisions I made, but I hope in the next year I can start to make some decisions of my own. For months I kept telling myself that I will start working on my career later, or start to build friendships when I had more time, or start to date again when I was in a better mental state. I went through so much pain, worry and difficult times this past year. But now that I can sit around with my family in our newly renovated house, and I know that everyone is happy and where they need to be. Of course when I write this my dad is recovering from surgery from earlier in the week. I hope that 2016 brings good health to my family, because I do not think I can go to a hospital one more time! I have also learned that if I can make it through this year, I can make it through anything. I don’t have a lot of career victories or life accomplishments this year. I just quit my job and got a part time job in retail while working at a college office a few days a week to pay the bills. I went to college hoping to get a degree in something that will let me help people. But now in the real world I realize that financially I am not able to get a job in social services and still be able to pay rent. Hopefully this will be the year that I move out of my parents house and unpack boxes labeled “future apartment”.

The one good thing about a new year, is that it gives us this time to reflect on the past year, see what we want to change and find ways to improve our life. Cheers to 2016!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! I started this blog over a year ago because I was bored and needed a hobby. My parents still don’t understand how this thing works!! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and like my photos on social media. I hope my life adventures have encouraged you to go to Target because you saw something I found or you like an outfit I posted. I know that we are all on similar paths and journeys, and I hope my posts give you some inspiration. Love ya lots!

xoxo,

Rosie

Christmas pajamas perfect for a lazy Sunday morning

Published on December 19, 2016December 19, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I am obsessed with pajamas! I have drawers filled with them! I get a little carried away during Christmas with my pajamas, but you can never have too many!! This year I purged a few older pajamas to make room for new ones. Check the details below to see my favorite pajamas!

I have always been

Christmas pajamas perfect for a lazy Sunday morning

P J Salvage henley top
nordstrom.com

Old navy top
oldnavy.gap.com

Victoria s Secret flannel pj
$34 – victoriassecret.com

P J Salvage holiday sleepwear
nordstrom.com

J.Crew j crew socks
$22 – jcrew.com

Old Navy thermal legging
oldnavy.gap.com

J.Crew cotton socks
factory.jcrew.com

Square frame glasses
$37 – scp.co.uk

Anthropologie monogram mug
anthropologie.com

Holiday Gift Guide For Mom

Published on December 13, 2016December 13, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I think we can all agree that shopping for our moms is no easy task! What she really needs is a vacation and a day on the couch binge watching her favorite show. Unfortunately, I cannot give our mothers their dream day off! But I can give you a gift guide of things our moms need and want for Christmas!

1.Pajamas Don’t underestimate the gift of pajamas! I go to TJ Maxx and pick up new pajamas for my mom every year. It is something that moms may not think they need, but wearing dads shirt to bed and old yoga pants can be replaced with a cozy, matching set of Ralph Lauren pajamas!

2.Socks Funny socks, fuzzy socks, boring socks, dollar bin from Target socks… doesn’t matter! But I guarantee that those socks will be on her feet by the end of the day!

3.Throw Blanket Okay, so this may be a present for myself as well! But whenever we are lounging on the couch I feel like we are always fighting over blankets. We will have a million blankets in a basket, but we always fight over the same one! Now mom can have her *own* blanket (until she is not looking!).

4. Williams Sonoma They always have great kitchen towels, soap sets, oven mitts, and other kitchen items that your mom would love in her kitchen. Did I mention they offer free gift wrapping?!? I always have a pineapple pattern present under the tree for mom!

5.Luxury Face Products My mom is always making excuses on not buying an expensive face cream because she can buy other more useful things for the family instead. Try to get your mom something she has been looking at, but couldn’t justify buying herself. My mom is a big fan of the Lancome products so I grab a gift set from Macy’s every year to give her.

6.Perfume I buy my mom a scent for the year for Christmas. I am a big fan of Calvin Klein perfume, but the Lancome La Vie Est Belle scent is my current favorite. Shopping Trick: Don’t buy the gift set, but just get the perfume alone instead. When it is in the gift set, the perfume is small and you pay for the packaging. TJ Maxx and Marshalls have perfumes that doesn’t have the bells and whistles making it more affordable.

7.Dry Shampoo My mom discovered the magic of dry shampoo after using mine one day. And now I always find it goes missing! If there is something that your mom *always* borrows, get one just for her!

8. Purse I recently got my mom a wallet for her birthday in November, and what she does not know is that a matching purse is on the way! My mom is someone who will use a purse until it falls apart! Before leaving for one of her girls getaway weekend, my mom texted me asking if she could raid my closet for a suitcase and purse. It’s something she needs, but moms don’t often splurge on themselves!

9. Bite Beauty I recently received some free lipsticks from Bite Beauty to review from Influenster and Sephora. Since the day they have arrived, my mom has been trying to take one that I may not like that much. Instead of hiding my lipsticks, I thought she could get her own! Sephora has a great Bite Beauty lip kit with a variety of colors to try.

*click the products below the collage for item details*

Let me know what you are getting your mom in the comments below! I could use some more gift ideas 🙂

Dear Santa….

Published on December 13, 2016December 13, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Sharing some items on my Christmas wish list!
Some items have already been purchased because I couldn’t wait until Santa delivered them under the tree on Christmas lol

1.Christmas Pajamas I am a really big fan of pajamas, especially Christmas ones! I purchased these from Old Navy on Black Friday because they are so cute! With my birthday rewards from Victoria’s Secret, I purchased these because I didn’t have a set of traditional plaid Christmas pajamas. And any pajama lover will say they are a must have! They came with free slippers, so I could justify buying another pair !

2.Socks Getting older I realize that buying the things we need in life are not that much fun to buy and they cost money we may not have ourselves. Every year I get a new pack of socks in bulk from Costco because I like to start every year with a fresh pack. But these camp socks from J. Crew are so cozy and cute! I get way too excited for new socks every year, but hey it’s $10 I didn’t have to spend!

3.Boots My Calvin Klein black riding boots are from Sophomore year in college and I still love them even though they are falling apart. When it rains, my feet get soaking wet and the heel is cracking making an annoying sound when I walk. After hours of searching online, reading online reviews and stalking people on Instagram, I decided to splurge and buy the Tory Burch boots on Cyber Monday. They were so sooo cheap that I couldn’t let this deal go unused!

4.Coat I have been drooling over this coat for months! My parents bought it for me this week to put it under the tree and with my employee discount it was a bargain! I see everyone on Instagram wearing it and when I tried it on I knew it was coming home with me. I sized down to get a more fitted look because the coat is boxy. I got a 00 for reference.

5.Coffee Cup If you want to get me a realllly cheap gift that I will love forever, it would be a coffee cup. My current coffee cup collection is really growing and taking over our kitchen at the moment. There are new Christmas coffee cups from Target that are adorable, but I also get them at TJ Maxx or HomeGoods. If you want a cute gift for a friend, get a coffee cup and a box of K Cups! It is something they will actually use and everyone needs coffee!

6.Jewelry Lately I have been wearing more jewelry and not just because it is part of my dress code! I love anything Kate Spade, but I also have my eye on this piece from Tiffany. I saw it in the recent Bridget Jones Diary movie and just stared at it the entire movie wanting it! If you have a small budget but want to get something nice for a friend, a cute bracelet or earrings from Kate Spade are a great gift under $30 but it is nice enough without having to get them much more.

7.Swell Water Bottle I gave them to my parents as gifts, but I realllly want my own! I like to get friends practical gifts they will actually use, and it is cute enough that people will actually carry it around. A lot of my friends now are on a health kick, so this is a great gift for them!

8.Pom Pom Hat It will only be in style this year, but it is so cute that I want my own! I love the white one with the brown fake fur on the pom. I mean, it would be a perfect match to my coat! If you want to get a friend a cozy gift, you can get them a pom pom hat and a scarf set. Something practical and will be used all winter long.

9. Sephora I find that there is a lot of makeup that I want, but can’t justify spending the money on myself. Sephora has great makeup kits that fit every budget this time of year that are a WOW present. If you get a girl friend anything from Sephora, she will love you forever!

10.Cozy Knit Sweater It is a preppy classic that any preppy girl will love. It’s great for lounging Sunday mornings on the couch and at the office. J. Crew always sells them, but I found a cheaper alternative at Old Navy and I hope Santa gives me one for Christmas.

11. Flannel Sheets Again, there are a lot of things we need in life, but we may not want to spend the money on ourselves. On my wish list this year are Flannel Sheets from Martha Stewart at Macy’s. If you know someone who recently got their own apartment, flannel sheets may not be something they have money for, but in the winter they are a must have. They do make getting out of bed in the winter a bit more difficult!

We’ll Be Home For Christmas

Published on December 12, 2016December 12, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Something my mom and I share is decorating the house for Christmas. So you can imagine our delight when our house was chosen to be included on the towns Christmas House Tour! After weeks of decorating, cleaning and crafting, the day finally came. Here is a tour of our home for Christmas. Continue reading “We’ll Be Home For Christmas” →