Friday Favorites: August Already!

It never gets old being excited when the weekend rolls around but can you believe we're in August already? Shit...soon it'll be time to start preparing for the holidays! This year seems to be flying by as they seem to do when you're having fun. So I guess that's a good thing!

 I ventured over to an Alex and Ani store on Wednesday to check out their pieces and I'm in love!

Of course, I ended up purchasing a bracelet to start my collection.

After my little shopping trip, I took a stroll through Park Ave and then headed back to my car which was interrupted by a train that sat still for 15 minutes blocking my path to the parking lot. So while I'm standing there in 95 degree Florida heat twiddling my thumbs I spotted this pretty sign and snapped a few photos. I love the beauty of this small city where I work.

 And some favorites from the week...

Favorite Recipe:

Naked salmon burgers with siracha mayo sauce from SkinnyTaste.com. Recipe found here. I have to try this out for dinner soon. Salmon + avocado + spicy mayo = heaven for me.

Favorite Quote:
Embrace your differences...

Favorite Beer (of the week):
I discovered this local beer at happy hour yesterday which was really good. I love trying out new beers from random breweries and being pleasantly surprised.

 Favorite snack:
 I am obsessed with this hummus from Trader Joe's. I don't snack on junk food at home but I've always liked some hummus or different cheeses and I've found a keeper!

Favorite Funnies:
After my crazy busy week at work dealing with an acquisition and random annoyances like people who are hired to help you but create more headaches this ecard says it all...SO glad it's the weekend and perfectly acceptable to crack a cold one (after 5pm today of course).

This ecard was made for my husband. I cringe sometimes during football season by how excited and loud he gets yelling in front the TV. Who knows what the neighbors think is going down in our house!

Breathe in and breathe out...

Joining Amanda today for Friday Favorites.

Have a great weekend!

Summer Ulta Haul & Free Beauty Bag

I recently posted my beauty and skincare wishlist on the blog and finally took the plunge to purchase several items for my mid-year/summer Ulta haul.

Batiste XXL Plumping Powder - I'm still experimenting with this powder but so far so good. It gives your roots that extra boost but I think the XXL title might be a slight exaggeration. I'm not one that teases my hair but this powder would probably work really well for those that do.

Benefit's Agent Zero Shine - Love this so far! I apply a small amount on my T-zone half way through the day. It applies evenly over makeup or you can apply before makeup to prevent shine later in the day.

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - I used this over the weekend before I headed out to a party and it gave my legs a hint of extra color and some added glow. It was my first time using it so I was afraid of applying too much or making a huge mess. It's actually quite natural looking and I really like that it dries in a matter of seconds.

NYX Butter Lipstick - I really love the moisturizing texture of this lipstick and for $6 it's well worth the price. I wish I bought a slightly brighter color but it's cheap enough to purchase additional colors. 

 

China Glaze Nail polish - This nail polish is very comparable to Essie and OPI at a slightly cheaper price. I painted my toes with the turquoise color I purchased called "too yacht to handle". I love their vibrant colors for summer and so far it's lasted about a week with no chips. 

Philosophy's Pure & Wrinkle Free - I lucked out with the price of this set being the same price as an individual bottle of the Purity cleanser so I basically got the Miracle Worker moisturizer for free. I've started using the moisturizer every night after I shower. It's quite expensive to re-purchase so I'm curious to see if there's a noticeable difference in a couple months. I've been using the Purity cleanser for about 6 months now with my Clarisonic Mia and I love how gentle it is on my skin so I've kept it in my long-term skin regimen.

I also received this beauty bag stuffed full of goodies for spending over $60 at Ulta.com. So many great samples to try.

From the beauty bag, I think I was most excited about trying out Too Faced's Better Than Sex mascara and the Mally's waterproof eyeliner in "Caribbean sea" color which is like an emerald green.

I tried out the eyeliner yesterday for work and really liked how smoothly it applied to my lower and upper eyes and the emerald green is a great compliment for my hazel eyes.

What makeup and beauty products are on your wishlist?

Do you recommend any products that are better or comparable to my picks?

Spinach & Goat Cheese Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 cups fresh spinach

2 tbsp mineced garlic

2 tbsp worchestchire

Old bay seasoning to taste

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Burger bread

Serving size: 4-6 turkey patties

What To Do: 

1. Saute spinach with 1 tbsp garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat for approx 6 minutes.

2. Combine ground turkey, old bay, cooked spinach, Worcestershire sauce and remainder of garlic in large bowl and mix well together.

3.  Form into 4 large or 6 small patties.

4. Cook on the grill on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes flipping the patties every 5 minutes.

5. Garnish with crumbled goat cheese and any of your favorite condiments such as onion, tomato, lettuce, ketchup and dijon mustard.

Enjoy!

 

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Weekend Drinks & Goodbyes

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

On Friday after work, K and I had a lil "happy hour" on our back patio with some Berry Weiss beer and then headed out for dinner at Carrabbas. After dinner we went to Ale House for a couple drinks and then called it a night since we were both exhausted from the week. We had all intentions of renting a move from Redbox but that didn't happen.

On Saturday I went to the hairdresser to get my hair done and then met up with some friends downtown for a girl friend's going away party.

 

We hopped around downtown for a couple drinks and then said our goodbyes to Becky who's moving to St Thomas for work. (I'm hoping to sneak off and visit her as soon as I can)

Sunday was a nice lazy day at home spent blogging, doing laundry, baking and prepping food for the week.

Joining Molly for Funday Monday and Biana for Weekending.

Travel Plans, Shopping Finds & Restaurant Deals

Happy almost weekend! Luckily this week went by pretty quickly so no complaints here. I also don't have any big plans for the weekend so I'm looking forward to some "me" time and hanging out with K for our usual Friday dinner/movie/drinks night. Other than that...

Our tickets have been purchased to see the Cubs play in September at the Wrigley Field. Neither K nor myself have been to Chicago and I thought it would be a great birthday gift for K to get the full experience while we're in Chi town. I'm not a huge sports fanatic but I'm married to one so I try to at least be a sport and definitely wouldn't mind checking out one of the most iconic baseball fields in the country.

 

Image via

And more tickets were purchased to see one of my favorite bands, Slightly Stoopid, in concert next month at Cocoa beach. I just saw them not too long ago in St Pete Beach but tickets were cheap enough and Stephen Marley will also be performing so I really want to see him as well. (As you can tell I love reggae and beach rock type of music).

 Ladies sushi/happy hour date went down on Wednesday evening at our favorite lil spot downtown ~ Shari Sushi Lounge. They have the best sushi happy hour in town with $4.95 rolls and cocktails. You really can't beat that deal! I get so disappointed when I try out new places and have to pay $10+ a roll so Shari has been my spot for about 6 years now.

Some sweet smelling goodies from Bath & Body Works arrived in the mail this week. These lotions and body sprays were on sale for $4 a piece so I thought it was a good time to replenish my stock and get some gifts for upcoming birthdays. I also love their hand soaps for my bathroom sink.

Lastly, you may or may not know but I'm the queen of coupons. Well maybe not but my mom makes fun of me. I'm not an extreme couponer and rarely use them at the grocery store but I am signed up to almost every restaurant's mailing list. These days most restaurants (especially chain restaurants) send out great coupons and freebies via email so it's worth being signed up to save a few dollars. Since we don't eat out all week, I often plan our Friday dinner dates or weekend lunches around these deals.
Just a few examples:

 

Guest Post
You can also find me today guest posting over at It's The New Twenty while Michelle is on her honeymoon in Cancun so feel free to hop over and check out my post about personalized bride & groom gear for beach honeymoons.

 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Joining Lauren for H54F and Amanda for Friday's Favorites.

Beach Style: Swimsuit Cover Ups

Tossed Greek Salad & Homemade Dressing

Serving size: 8

Ingredients:

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

20 small grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 cucumber, cut into small cubes

15 greek Kalamata olives

1/4 red onion, sliced into thin rings

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing: 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

lemon juice from 1 lemon

2 tbsp chopped parsely

1 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning

Black pepper to taste

What To Do:

1. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, parsley and seasonings in a measuring cup or small bowl. 

2. Mix the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, olives and feta together in large bowl. Pour the dressing over the top of the salad and toss together all the ingredients.

 

3. Chill in the fridge for a few hours or serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

 

 1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin. 

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.