Raise A Glass

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There are a few things I love more than hosting a party even if it’s just a small gathering with friends. Even though we can’t get together now that doesn’t stop me from putting together a fun drink setup! We have been spending a lot of time in the backyard whenever we can so I thought it would be nice to bring out some sweet tea for us to enjoy in pretty glasses last week. Instead of waiting for quarantine to end to use my fun outdoor decor, I thought we should celebrate whenever we want no matter the occasion! These faux seagrass wrapped glasses are perfect for everyday and special occasions!

I’m also so excited to share that these glasses and pitchers were a dollar spot find from Target! On one of my rare trips to Target to get a few food essentials, I gasped when I saw these cute cups! They are a really good dupe for the popular Serena and Lily seagrass wrapped glasses, and pitcher, too for a much smaller price.

I love how our backyard is coming together! I used old pillows from Target to add some color. The vase and faux hydrangeas are a recent purchase that I borrowed from our dining room. With all of this time at home, I’m working on making our home a happy place and welcoming. Even if it’s just enjoying a glass of sweet tea in the backyard enjoying the sunshine and our pretty garden!

Friday Favorites 6.5

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I woke up today and legitimately thought it was Saturday. It’s been one of those weeks that was long, tiring, and heavy on our hearts. Because of what was going on in the world, I paused scheduled posts on the blog and didn’t post anything superficial on my Instagram. No one cared about what I was wearing, how I washed my face and what I was thinking this week truthfully. Like many others, I stopped to listen, read and educate myself. I attended a protest in Philadelphia on Saturday and it’s hard to describe but I was so moved by the amount of families with young children, friends walking together, different groups of people talking to one another and walking side by side. I’ve been to other protests but this one was different. This one was taking a stand that enough was enough. The media will focus on the “violent protesters” and the damage on the city that followed all week. I’ll admit that the smashing of windows, helicopters and loud sirens kept me up at night and made me uncomfortable but that feeling of being uncomfortable reminded me how uncomfortable racism is in this country. We should feel uncomfortable as we look back at what led to today and look at the systematic racism that exists. I spent years in inner city schools and talked to students about the challenges they faced. I’ve known for years that this country created legal ways to discriminate and a culture that allowed an us versus them way of life. This movement is here to stay and I hope more positive change will continue.

On Friday mornings I like to sit down at my dining room table with a cup of warm coffee and check my emails before I get to work on writing my Friday Favorites post. During the week I jot things down in my planner that I’m loving so I don’t forget. This week felt different. There are a lot of posts out there about resources, restaurants to go to and ways to take action. Instead of adding to the noise, I wanted to focus on resources, things I loved and how I am moved by this week personally.

I watched the movie 13th Amendment when it first came out on Netflix and think it did a great job of explaining how discrimination became legal. I’ve been watching Mrs. America on Hulu and it looks at the tension during the women’s movement when it came to race and lesbians while trying to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed. Film allows us to learn and absorb information so I will continue to watch movies that expose our faults as a country and as humankind.

The New York Times
Twitter
Resources shared on Instagram
What my peers are saying
What people who may not look like me are saying
Local community journalism

The Calm App is free for one year if you have an American Express credit card.

Philadelphia coming together this week.

Voices being heard, voices joining together to become louder.

Not tolerating statements that lack action from politicians, companies, peers.

Listening to Pod Save America and The Daily podcasts.

What I’m Loving Right Now

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I know I am not alone with trying to stay busy and sane during COVID. Personally, I like to stay busy because it prevents me from overthinking about the negatives and worrying what is to come. I’m not pretending that everything is fine and that I can’t get sick, I am acknowledging facts backed by science and following CDC guidelines. I try to focus on the positives and make a little gratitude list in my head before bed. I’ll journal in the mornings and thought I would share some of the things I am loving right now. This list isn’t full of the cutest clothes, new tech gadgets or going places. For the first time since we moved into this house I am finally making it a home. It was already decorated and had my things in it for a year, but now I am at home and finding things to love here. Life is always a competition about who looks best, who has the most but right now we are all in comfy clothes, messy hair and no makeup because we don’t need to compete anymore. A lot of us feel the same and experience similar struggles – grocery shopping, financial strains and at times, boredom. Instead of focusing on the negative, I’m making myself focus on the things I am loving right now during my time of quarantine. And who knew this list would be so long?

Making dinner every night
I know it sounds silly because everyone makes dinner but I’ve been able to actually make homemade meals almost every night of the week. It’s been a nice break from frozen foods, quick and easy options while I find more time consuming recipes that require a little more work.

Pots of coffee
We recently had to get a new Keurig since my old one broke so Jake got the K-Duo so we could make pots of coffee as well as individual cups. Since we are home all day I love to make a cup of coffee and then Jake and I will refill our cups throughout the day. Seems silly but I feel like such an adult grabbing another cup of coffee before heading back to my makeshift desk at our dining room table.

Subscriptions
Thank goodness I signed up for a few things before COVID really shut things down. It’s no secret that I love Grove Collaborative since I’ve talked about the company so many times. A few weeks into quarantine, I received my Billie Razor subscription with new razors. The last thing on my mind was to walk a mile to CVS and get new razors so having them delivered was great because I didn’t even have to think of it. I’ve loved Amazon in the past but now more than ever I’m using it! My Alexa will notify me when it’s time to order more coffee based on how much coffee Amazon thinks I’ve had since my last order. Now coffee is on a subscription! Obviously we won’t be at home forever but this experience has made me realized how great it is to have stuff sent to my home on a subscription service so I don’t even have to worry about running out. Find out what works for you and see what subscription services fit your lifestyle.

Slow Sundays
Okay, so here is where you can really find gratitude during Sundays. Do you remember Sundays? They were often referred to as scary Sundays because there was a rush to get everything done (clean, laundry, food shop) so you were ready for the week and also needed to relax so you could decompress from the previous week and get ready for the next one. In our house Sundays have turned into slow Sundays. There is no rush to get out of bed and when we do, we’ll make a fun breakfast and drink coffee while we watch a classic Disney movie. There is no rush to get errands done and our only chores are to change the sheets and take out the trash. Enjoy the slowdown that we have right now. Your body needs it!

Eating Locally
So while we are making dinner a lot, we are still ordering in to support local restaurants once a week. Before our work schedules were so busy that we could never make dinner reservations because one of us would always have to work late last minute. Once we got home we would be too tired to cook and just order from the same places. Now when we order in, it’s a nice treat since we don’t order food as much anymore and can’t go out to restaurants. We also love supporting the local restaurants right now in Philly and have found a few new places we never would have tried before!

Cleaning & Organizing
I’ve been joking with my family that I am running out of things to clean because organizing and cleaning my home is keeping me sane. Some days I will spend hours doing a deep clean and others I just pick a cabinet or something small that won’t take much time. I’ve also gotten in the habit of tidying up the house before bed and it has been a game changer! It is so nice to start the day with a clean first floor and while i wait for my coffee to brew, I’ll listen to The New York Times The Daily podcast while I empty the dishwasher. It’s little things we have the time to do now to keep our homes clean and get it organized. Take advantage of it!

Planning
Okay so I know we can’t do anything or see anyone, but this has inspired me to plan trips with friends and family. In the past we all made valid excuses because work, life, responsibilities and couldn’t go places but now I think I can get people to agree on a trip! I’m also party planning because I cannot wait to host a party with friends. I’m loving this book for creative themes. If anything this experience has taught me the importance of taking time for experiences or materialistic things.

Organizing Photos
I’ve made it a rule to be semi-productive while watching tv so I’ve been organizing my photos. I keep all of my photos saved on Google Photos because I can easily get to photos on the app. I’m deleting old screenshots, making albums and tagging people so I can have my photos better organized. Take it a step further and organize printed out pictures if you have them. I finally finished making my travel scrapbook after having it in a box for the last 4 years!

Deleting Clutter
Not only am I on a mission to purge clutter in my house but I am also deleting clutter on my laptop. I’m backing up documents on my Google Docs and adding folders to keep things organized as well as deleting unnecessary items. I love using Google Docs and Google Photos because everything is in one place! To get even more organized, I’m adding peoples addresses to my phone book and to their contact in my phone and adding their birthdays to my paper planner and my Google Calendar. It’s taking time but I know I am going to love having everything in folders and backed up!

Spending Time With Family
Finally this is my favorite thing about quarantine. Since we are all slowing down and missing our loved ones, my family and I have been having a weekly book club on Sundays. It’s less about literary content and more of an excuse to see each other on Zoom every week. We don’t have to get dressed up, it’s nothing fancy other than just saying hi and sharing funny stories about the week and talking about old times. I’m convinced my family is keeping the postal service in business because we have been sending homemade cards back and forth to each other which has been a lot of fun to make and receive!

Friday Favorites 5.29

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Wow. What a week it’s been in quarantine. Some weeks go by quickly and others, like this one, are slow so Friday was very welcomed. I think we all have a heavy heart with the recent events and the aftermath of them.

Even with a long holiday weekend to start the week, I will admit that this week was a tough one. It was hard to see so many people with their families or out doing stuff. I’ve been calling my mom a lot lately to just talk and have a good cry when needed. The Philadelphia Magazine had a great article that was about how different people in Philadelphia are dealing with quarantine. It’s pretty much our new normal now and we have all adapted to it. One of the women who shared her experience was working from home prior to the quarantine so now she is home with her husband and their son. She said that she never had anyone watch her work before and now she feels like someone is watching her. When I hear states are starting to open up again I feel like there is going to be a comparison game of who accomplished more, who worked from home and remodeled their home best? It’s one thing having to compete with others outside of the home, but no one is talking about comparing experiences with the people we live with. I keep reminding myself to give myself grace during this time but I see some weight I’ve put on with quarantine (I’m no longer getting my 10,000 steps in a day), my roots that desperately need some blonde and house projects I may not get to. When you go to work every day, you have an excuse to be too tired not to get household chores done or have a clean home. However, right now there is the mindset for some that there are no excuses. I’m tired of living like groundhog day. Jake and I joke that we used to run the dishwasher maybe twice a week because we were never home to use our kitchen. Now with homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we’ve run it twice a day to keep up with the dishes. I’d love to know your experiences with quarantine now that we are going into summer and it’s going to look a lot different than it has in the past. I didn’t mean to write such a long introduction to today’s post but I thought I would share.

With the rainy weather on Memorial Day Weekend, I put on comfy clothes and got on the couch for a weekend full of rom-com movies on Hulu. It felt so good to eat cookies and binge movies watching the rain come down because I didn’t feel bad about missing a typical MDW with my family. During the week I watched the limited series WACO and Unorthodox which were both very good. For date night this week, we ordered Taco Bell and watched Secret Life of Pets 2 because we haven’t seen it yet. So cute!! I’m looking for some new shows to watch so leave your suggestions in the comments, please!

As I mentioned above, I read this month’s Philadelphia Magazine while laying out in my backyard and they did a great job covering how the coronavirus is impacting different people within Philadelphia. Earlier this week I finished reading Goodnight Nobody and have moved onto Good in Bed. I’ve been getting more reading done with the nicer weather because I can sit on a bench or layout on a towel to enjoy the sun.

I recently ran out of my usual Neutrogena face wash but instead of buying a new one, I am going to use up all of the face products I have in my bathroom instead. A goal of mine is to use what I have before I buy anything else for quarantine. A nice blogger perk is that I get a good amount of free products in the mail so I want to use them all up because I have a lot! This cleanser that I’ve had for a while has been my new morning face wash. I usually just used it with a cleanser brush but now with the warmer weather, I like using a cleanser that gently exfoliates.

I’ve been getting asked “what did you order?” a lot lately but honestly I haven’t personally ordered much! I’ve been investing more time and energy on the blog and getting more “blogger mail” than usual. I’m so excited to bring some great content to the blog to share some new products with you. I bribed my live-in photographer with brownies this week to do some photoshoots for le blog. HA!

I finally got my new vase that I ordered a few weeks ago because the first one was sent back because it was crushed in delivery. It encouraged me to clean up our dining room table to do a room refresh for the summer. I love how it looks now and the only thing we did was add an affordable centerpiece.

Spending time in the kitchen is something I’ve been loving a lot! I shared on the blog this past week where I’ve been finding recipes and how we plan meals for the week.

Reading outside. Honestly, I needed a break from tv this week so I’ve been running out to read whenever I get the chance.

We got a harness and a leash so we can let Ed hang out in the backyard. He’s such a scaredy-cat so he doesn’t go far so we can let go of the leash most of the time. I’ll let him out in the morning while I sit on our back steps drinking coffee. I love to watch him explore and then get scared of the wind.

I made vodka sauce from scratch again this week. It was a last minute thing because we had the ingredients and it’s so good and easy to throw together.

Snail mail. I got a lot of cards from my family this week and I love having them on display in the living room.

How I Plan Our Weekly Meals

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In the past I would spend hours on Pinterest looking up cute work outfit inspo and now I’m looking at new recipes instead. From ways to style a pink skirt to ways to cook shrimp. Truthfully, it’s been a fun new hobby to start right now especially since I get to enjoy all of my hard work with a tasty meal! When I first started cooking dinner, I realized I needed a lot of things I didn’t have. Pre-quarantine during the week, the last thing I wanted to do was cook after a long work day. Now I look forward to it all day!

My routine right now is looking up recipes and seeing what we already have on hand while I meal plan on Sundays. I’ll search ingredients on Pinterest so we can find new ways to cook what we have. I’m also getting so much inspiration from people sharing their cooking on Instagram! From there I make a grocery list of things to get on my grocery run on Mondays. Since we don’t have a car, it’s hard to do a big grocery run at one time because we have to carry everything home. With the 30 minute walk it can be annoying to go to the store every week but I do enjoy getting fresh produce and groceries to use. When we were house hunting I wanted to make sure that we were close to a grocery store and while Trader Joe’s is a hike, it’s doable. Luckily we have two grocery stores near us. When the big food stores were out of everything luckily our stores were well stocked.

One afternoon I did some pinning on Pinterest and made a list of pantry necessities. For too long I’ve relied on Trader Joe’s frozen foods for all of my meals! We needed a lot of cooking basics and now that our kitchen is well stocked, cooking is a lot easier to do than I thought.

Now when I meal plan on Sundays, I like to look up recipes to make my grocery list and see what I already have on hand. A new thing I have been doing is taking screenshots of recipes that I see on Pinterest or Instagram and saving them to an album on my phone. I love how I can keep everything in one place and can easily pull up a recipe on my phone. It makes meal planning so easy and fun to keep track of new recipes to try!

Dining Room Refresh

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The last few weeks our dining room has turned into my office so it’s often cluttered with my laptop, papers, notebook and planner. Now that it looks like we will be staying home for the summer I thought a little dining room refresh was needed! I wanted something simple and budget friendly so I focused on a new table centerpiece. Growing up my family had giant white hydrangea bushes in the front yard so we would have vases all over the house filled with hydrangeas. I was starting to get a little homesick and then Pop of Pippi inspired me to get a new vase and fill it with faux white hydrangeas. I love how this easy arrangement brightens up the space for summer! It’s also super easy to push to the side to work and then setup again when I’m done working. It’s quickly turned into my new favorite room in the house!

SHOP THE ROOM

vase | flowers | place mats | dining room table | artwork | bar cart