Friday Favorites 5.14

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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!

Playing Tourist in Philadelphia

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After living in Philadelphia for four years for college and then three years full time now, I’m amazed how much there is still to do here! Recently my parents came to visit and we wanted to see as much as we could in Philly because we are all finally vaccinated. I thought it would be fun to share what we did on my parents short visit because I feel like we did so much in just a few days to get the full Philadelphia experience!

My parents got to Philadelphia late Sunday afternoon so my cousins nearby came over to my house for a little happy hour before we headed out to dinner. The one struggle right now after not being fully comfortable to dine at restaurants the last year is that we have so many options of places to go to! We decided to go to Sally’s down the street and I am so happy we went because it was so delicious! Everything on their menu sounded delicious so we got a bunch of small plates and four pizzas to try. The staff was so friendly and the food is so good so I highly recommend!

The next day we walked over to Rittenhouse Square which is one of my favorite parts of the city. Since I live nearby and go so often, I wanted to take my parents on the route I walk to run errands since I’m usually on the phone with them catching up while I’m walking there and back! I took them to my favorite streets to walk past and pointed out my favorite houses with the best architecture. Even though we have been in this house for a few years now, I am still in awe of this city. We browsed at books at Shakespeare and Co. after walking through the park and walked up and down Walnut and Chestnut. My parents lived in Philadelphia for 4 years in the 80s so it is a little different than what it looked like back then! When Jake got off of work, my parents drove us out to Ardmore to buy a car and we met up with them for dinner and drinks at the Iron Hill Brewery after. I love living in Philadelphia because the suburbs are a short drive away so we really do get the best of both worlds!

On Tuesday morning, my dad woke all of us up early to go to Reading Terminal Market because he really wanted a Pennsylvania staple, scrapple. If you do not know what it is, you are not missing out! We had breakfast at a cute little diner inside Reading Terminal Market and then walked around to look at all of the different food stands. The market has some of the best local food in the city and you can try a bunch of things in one visit just by walking around. We picked up some sweet treats and I picked up some fudge to bring home to Jake so he didn’t feel left out while he was at home working. We had some time to walk around in that part of the city so we walked through the new Fashion District Mall. It opened up just before everything shut down with the pandemic so we got some relief from the heat outside by walking around and did some window shopping. They really have everything in this mall without having to drive far out of the city to shop.

We drove past my old apartment closer to Center City and circled City Hall which is one of my favorite buildings in the city because of the architecture. In the car I pointed out where we go grocery shopping and other places we run errands. My parents were shocked by how much walking we do in the city but I love any excuse to walk around the city ❤

That weekend after my parents left, Jake and I went to the Philadelphia Zoo to celebrate both of us being vaccinated. It’s a short drive from our house and it was so much fun to walk around and look at all of the exhibits. It has been on our list of things to do for so long and right now they have a dinosaur exhibit that is similar to the Jurassic Park attraction at Universal.

There is so much to do in this city and after a year of staying home, we have a very long list of things we want to do this summer! It’s the perfect city to walk everywhere and be able to try lots of restaurants. Even with a short visit with my parents we did so much and they were exhausted when they went home!

How to Have Happier Mornings

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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!

Thicker Looking Hair with L’Oreal Everstrong Shampoo & Conditioner

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Over the years I have purchased and have been gifted a lot of shampoos to try and I keep coming back to the L’Oreal EVER line. This shampoo line is free of parabens and sulfates that can dry out your hair over time. Sometimes those promises to give you big, voluminous hair means that the shampoo is loaded with harsh chemicals that can make your hair feel heavy and greasy the next day. When I use the L’Oreal EVER line shampoo and conditioner, I know it’s going to be a good hair day!

Recently, I have been using the new L’Oreal EVERSTRONG shampoo and conditioner to get thicker looking hair. Even though I have thick hair now, I want to use a product that helps make it stronger and healthier, which is how you get that thick hair look and feel. This rosemary leaf smelling shampoo fortifies hair to prevent breakage after just one wash. I can curl my hair easier and my hair feels lighter with a bit of bounce because it’s that healthy!

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EVERSTRONG shampoo // EVERSTRONG conditioner

Things That Made Me Happy This Month

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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

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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