Friday Favorites

I hope you have something fun lined up for the weekend even if that means relaxing at home. 

I only realized yesterday but it appears Bloglovin has failed me starting on Tuesday and hasn't been publishing my posts to the feed. Anyone else run into this problem and happen to know the solution? I'm waiting to hear back from their support team. 

I'm stumbled on the world's most dangerously delicious smoothie this week from Wawa. If you have a Wawa in your area, I definitely recommend this Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie. It's certainly a guilty treat but I used it as a meal replacement and declined on the whip cream topping. Does that count for being healthy? Probably not but not sorry.

In case you missed it and you might have because of Bloglovin issues. Kerri, Kate and I started a new Wanderlust Wednesday linkup this week which will run every 2nd Wednesday of the month so if you love traveling (or dream of it), come just us for the next linkup on Wednesday, June 10th. 

Now on to some my weekly faves and joining the lovely Amanda who is off on her honeymoon for her Friday Favorites linkup. 

Favorite Shopping Finds:

This White Deep V-Neck Coverup is on my wish list for upcoming beach trips since it's already 80+ degrees in Florida. 

Favorite Recipe: 

Emelia's Maxxed Up Moscow Mule sounds like an adult beverage I would certainly enjoy especially on a Friday like today.

Favorite Truths: 

Favorite Funny:

This girl. And that tongue...

Happy weekend!

Anjolee Jewelry Review & My Lost Wedding Band

What girl doesn't love diamonds or a keepsake piece of jewelry?

I was contacted by Anjolee.com about reviewing one of their pieces and I accepted because, after browsing their website, I realized they offer really pretty diamond and gemstone pieces that can be customized and designed online. *Online* being the keyword here because, other than groceries, I do about 99% of my shopping online due to convenience and stress-free browsing.

I wish I knew about their website when I was in the market for an engagement ring and wedding band but those days have come and gone. Although they do offer more than just wedding/engagement rings. Diamond/gemstone earrings, necklaces and bracelets are great gifts for momentous occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries (K, are you reading today?) LOL. I'm only kidding. 

What I really like is that all of their pieces can be customized online according to your preferred metal type, carat weight, diamond/gemstone quality, and ring size. You can also add custom engraving and I think their prices are pretty reasonable for the quality and styles they have to offer.

I chose to review this beautiful eternity ring because I sadly lost one of my two wedding bands recently and thought it would help fill that void.

The reason I had two rings in the first place was because K and I essentially had two weddings (a small one with very family/close friends and then a full-blown wedding two years later).

Soon after our first wedding, I decided to solder the first wedding band together with my engagement ring so it stays perfectly lined up (and doesn't get lost, let's be honest). The second wedding band I kept separate because I like wearing just a band for certain occasions like going places that include water and traveling to possibly unsafe destinations.



I also really don't mind rocking a simple wedding band because sometimes less is more.

Ring Pairing:
For the ladies & gents that are in the market looking for an engagement ring or wedding band. 

I think the diamond band I have featured above would look amazing with this engagement ring.  This is entirely my style and not all girls will agree. 

After reading through Anjolee's company policies, I found the complimentary size adjustments on jewelry to be an excellent perk, the 30-day return policy to be very fair and the free FedEx shipping (2-day shipping on orders of $500) to be another added bonus of buying online from their jewelry store especially in rushed situations. 

*I was provided with this ring complimentary from Anjolee.com for testing and reviewing purposes but all opinions expressed above are my true and honest opinion.*

*New Travel Linkup* Wanderlust Wednesdays

Hi everyone! 

Kate, Kerri and I are excited to get our new travel linkup started today. Wanderlust Wednesdays will occur only once a month on the second Wednesday of every month so we hope you will join us in sharing your travel adventures and the destinations on your bucket list. Anything travel related can be linked up, really!

Today, I'm sharing a short trip I took to St, Augustine in north Florida back in 2012. The purpose of this trip was for a good friend's wedding which I was a bridesmaid in but we had an extra day to explore this historic and charming city. I've actually been dying to return this year because it's only a two hour drive so don't be surprised if I do another recap in the near future. 

As soon as we arrived in St. Augustine, we headed to the historic district with a couple friends to explore and find a place to grab lunch. We window shopped and stopped in a few antique and souvenir stores to browse.

My favorite shop was the Pepper Place which sells hot sauces from all around the world and I was even able to find one from Trinidad so I snagged that to add to our collection.

We then stopped in Sangria's Wine & Tapas Bistro to have a glass of sangria and listen to some live music on the upstairs patio overlooking a cute park area (didn't catch the name).

We stopped off at the oldest wood school house in the USA built over 200 years ago.

And then settled at the famous Columbia Restaurant for lunch which didn't disappoint. I can't remember the name of this spanish-style chicken dish we shared but I do remember the Columbia "1905" salad and mojitos were excellent.

After lunch we checked out this public burying ground that was used in 1821 during the yellow fever epidemic. 

We then headed to the Castillo de San Marcos Fort & National Park. The fort was built by a Spanish engineer in 1695. 

We had an amazing day exploring the history, sites and scenes in St Augustine and I highly recommend this city for a quick (or long) getaway. St. Augustine is also known for their Bed & Breakfast accommodations which you kind find located close to all the main monuments and attractions.

There's so much we didn't get to see on this trip which why I would love to return to cover some more ground and also check out St. Augustine beach. 

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Link-up Rules:
1. Follow Kerri, Kate and myself on Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite travel recaps or travel related posts
3. Grad our Wanderlust Wednesdays button and link back to our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and build your travel bucket list!

Sweet Potato & Turkey Shepherd's Pie

I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest while searching for ground turkey recipes and decided it was a must try. Shepherd's Pie is typically a nice warm comfort food but lean ground turkey and sweet potatoes make it just a tad bit healthier and it tasted amazing!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp flour
2.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
12 oz. frozen peas
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2.5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten
4 oz. cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste

The recipe requires a lot of ingredients but it's really fairly simple to whip together. 

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Boil cubed sweet potatoes in large pot until tender. 

3. While the sweet potatoes are boiling, heat large pan over medium-high heat with olive oil. 

4. Add celery, carrots and onion to the pan and cook until soft.

5. Add ground turkey to the cooked vegetables along with garlic powder, paprika, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients will and let turkey cook until golden and crumbly. 

6. Add the tomato, flour and chicken broth. Stir well and let simmer. 

7. Add the frozen peas while it simmers. 

8. Drain the sweet potatoes and return to the pot to cool.

9. Use a potato masher to smash powder until sooth. Add in butter, cream cheese and black pepper (to taste).

10. Beat the egg and add to the sweet potato mixture. Mix all ingredients well with a sturdy spoon or hand mixer. 

11. Grease a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and pour turkey mix into the dish. 

12. Cover turkey with sweet potato and evenly layer it out with a spatula. 

13. Bake for 35 minutes. 

I've never used cream cheese in mashed sweet potatoes but it makes it taste really good!

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.

Orlando City + New Travel Linkup

Hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend! Mine was the perfect mixture of both. 

On Friday night Kerri and I went to the Orlando City vs New England soccer game at the Citrus Bowl which was the first game for the both of us since Orlando City Soccer Club is fairly new. Thousands of people came out that night and it was a cool experience although neither one of us are huge soccer fans.

After the game we headed downtown to meet up with some friends and have a few beverages before heading home. 

Saturday was a relaxing day at home catching up on some blogging, food prepping and stuff around the house. 

On Sunday, K and I headed out to the east coast to finally get our first beach day of the year. The weather was perfect and it was a great day of lounging in the sun.

**Announcement**

Kate, Kerri and I are starting a new travel linkup this week which will run the second Wednesday of every month so get your travel posts ready for our new Wanderlust Wednesdays!! Feel free to link up new and old travel recaps or places on your destination wish list. Looking forward to sharing and reading your wanderlust adventures!

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.