Oh The Sunsets

The sunsets this week have been amazing driving home from work with vibrant orange, pink and purple colors tie-dying the sky and then last night those colors turned into pastel tones. Nature's beauty made my, otherwise boring commute, so much better.

Friday's are for sharing some favorite things and happenings around here so let's get right into that.

Colorful Accessories

These pretty infinity scarfs are perfect to brighten up a neutral outfit especially for Valentine's day.

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If you're looking for some unique and trendy gifts for Valentine's Day, check out the Guide for Her and Gift Guide for Him that I recently shared.

Herbal Remedies
I've been fighting a lingering cough and head cold for over a week now and I found this Herbal Immune Booster with Vitamin C on Amazon to help fight it off.

SkinnyGirl Products

I'm a big fan of SkinnyGirl products and love to see that their product line is expanding. I just purchased some of their salad dressings over the weekend (for only around $2) and I'm loving the Raspberry Vinaigrette so far.
 

Salad Dressings / White Cherry Vodka / Organic Stevia / Workout Plan

Winter Soups

I've always been a fan of Butternut Squash Soup and this recipe has me craving it just in time for the weekend.

Travel Plans

We just got some exciting news that K has a company meeting in Germany this summer. Neither of us have been across the pond to Europe so this is the perfect opportunity to plan a trip to explore before he goes off to work. I don't even know where to begin with planning this trip but I'm excited to figure out the details over the next few months.

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Have a wonderful weekend and I'd love to hear your advice or recommendations for country hopping in Europe that can be accomplished in a week or so.

Nice to See You Friday

I've been spotty with getting a post ready in time for Friday with my work schedule and other life events but today I have some fun things to share.

Boots, Books, Beauty, Baking & Bands.

All B's...somehow it worked out that way so I'm rolling with it!

Boots
I've bought 3 pairs of boots in the last couple weeks. All black. Maybe a little over the top but after moving and digging through my stuff, I remembered many of my black boots were given to Goodwill since they all had a good amount of miles on them so I'm starting fresh this "winter".

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Books
I'm wayyy late to the game on this but I've been "audio-reading" Eat, Pray, Love this week on my commute. Last week I finished reading The Couple Next Door which was a crazy, mind-boggling suspense book (that I thoroughly enjoyed) but it was time to change the pace and I feel this soul-searching book was the right decision.

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Beauty: Hair Products
My hairdresser convinced me a while ago that sulfate-free hair products are the way to go for my color-treated hair in terms of moisture retention and keeping my blonde looking vibrant.

shampoo / conditioner / 10-in-1 Elixir

I was pleasantly surprised when Influenster sent me these three L'Oreal EverPure hair products complimentary for testing purposes because they contain some main ingredients that I look for that are gentle on your hair and are 100% sulfate-free. I've washed my hair a handful of times now using all 3 products and my hair has been silky smooth since. I have to the say Elixir is one of my favorite products for detangling and using as a heat protector since I blow-dry my hair quite often.

Beauty: Lip Products
The Murad Age Reform Soothing Lip Care is quite possibly the most amazing thing that ever touched my lips. My Ethestician introduced me to it last weekend when I went for a facial and I hesitated to purchase the $22 product but I went home I found it for a more affordable price on Amazon.

Baking
I'm always on the hunt for new recipes since we tend to have the same rotation of meals for dinner during the week. K has mastered the art of cooking Chicken Cordon Bleu which is one of my favorite dishes so I was immediately intrigued by this Sundried Tomato and Cheese Stuffed Chicken recipe from SkinnyTaste. I can't wait to try it!

Bands
This one has me the most excited because I don't go to concerts often enough. We have tickets to see Florida Georgia Line this weekend so you already know I'm ready to get the weekend started!

All favorites aside, didn't we just ring in the new year and it's already the last weekend in January?

I hope you enjoy a weekend full of your own favorites.

Friday Faves

This was the first cold weekend in Florida and it was nice to bring out the boots and scarves however I don't have many warm pants other than jeans. Recommendations? I'm looking forward to another fairly quiet weekend with lots of R&R which sounds like perfection. I'm finally back on track with the work/blogging/personal life balance after the crazy holidays which is definitely good for the soul. So how about some faves for this week...

Favorite Article:
Ashley from The Grits Blog talks about her Blogging Pet Peeves and I couldn't agree with her more, especially #1.

Favorite Purchase:
This dainty silver leaf bangle bracelet from Express goes so well with my watch and has gotten lots of compliments.

Favorite Recipe:

This Healthy Kung Pao Chicken with brown rice recipe looks so good. I'm a big fan of stir-fry recipes and love trying different combinations of meat and veggies.

Favorite Holiday Gifts:

I didn't post much around the Christmas long weekend but two of my favorite gifts were both from K and I'm in love!

#1: Marc Jacobs 'Decadence' Perfume
Smells amazing! Definitely my favorite new perfume on the shelves.

#2: Revlon One Step Hair Dryer and Styler 
This is seriously a life-changer for me. My hair is very thick so it takes a long time to wash and dry which has always been a dreaded "chore" of mine. This brush/hair dryer combo has cut that time down significantly and I absolutely love hoow it styles my hair. I give it a 9 out of 10 because it could have more heat settings but otherwise it works wonders.

Favorite Funny:

Me everyday.

Have a great weekend lovelies!

Joining Amanda for Friday Faves.

Finally Friday

The broken record in me is here to say how happy I am we've finally made it to Friday and the weekend, of course. I finished up most of my gift shopping on Cyber Monday earlier this week so I'm so happy to check that off the list!

Then it was on to decorating the house with outside lights, stockings, random decorations, and of course the Christmas tree being the biggest time-consumer. All was completed this week and luckily my tree is fake and pre-lit so that makes the process a bit easier.

My online shopping haul from Express (all items 50% off last week) arrived and everything fits perfectly which is a huge relief since I guessed my sizes. A friend of mine was raving about how comfortable the mid-rise jeans and leggings are and she wasn't kidding. I purchased two pairs (here and here) and won't be going back to regular fit. I also bought a couple of their silky zipfront tops which come in a variety of pretty colors, a portofino blouse for work, and the softest tunic sweater for any occasion. 

Did you happen to catch my guest post over at MakeupHER's blog about some Wedding Day Tips for soon-to-be brides? I also included a picture recap of my wedding to relive my big day and give inspiration for future brides out there.

Ok here I am talking about shopping again but I love that Ulta has OPI nail polishes on sale right now for 3 for $19 (plus you can apply this coupon to get $3.50 off a $10 purchase).

I made my way over to the Ulta store on Wednesday night and they were sold out of a lot of the colors but these are the three that caught my eye: Suzy and the 7 Dusseldorfs, Peace, Love & OPI, and In The Cable Car Pool Lane.

I'll leave you with a weird fact about my Lola. She has a fear of iPhone cameras ever since we got her as a puppy. Well not fear but she shuns them and will look away as soon as you pull out your phone to take a photo. BUT as soon as I bring out my big girl camera, she will sit still and pose as if she's a Victoria's Secret model. She's has some work to do in the fashion model department and maybe some braces to boot (kidding) but I love that she'll let me take photos with one of my cameras!

Linking up with my fellow Floridian blogger, Amanda from Meet At The Barre.

Happy weekend everyone!

Friday Favorites + $325 Nordstrom Giveaway

Can you believe Thanksgiving is already next week? My favorite time of year is about to kick off which means many busy weekends ahead until the end of the year. We have our first Holiday party to attend on Saturday night but otherwise it should be a fairly low key weekend.

ONE:
This week we had our annual potluck at work and there was over 20 dishes plus the dessert table was out of control. It was hard deciding what to chose! I made a delish broccoli salad (recipe coming soon) to add to the spread. I posted some potluck dish ideas yesterday if you didn't catch it.

TWO:
I was putting my wish list together for the Holidays and my birthday in December and stumbled upon this 2016 Blog Planner from Amazon. I know they have free printable ones but it would be ideal to have everything recorded in one book and you can always go back and see what you've done in previous weeks.

THREE:
On Wednesday I went out for a happy hour girl date at our favorite sushi spot downtown to celebrate JQs birthday. It was fun catching up and getting our sushi fix.

FOUR:

We received these Wellness Petite Treats from Chewy.com and they are probably my favorite treats to date. Turkey, pomegranate and ginger are a unique blend plus they're healthy and grain free which is important when choosing treats for Lola.

FIVE:

For the next week, I'm teaming up with Pamela from Sequins & Sea Breezes and 20 other fab bloggers to give away a $325 Nordstrom Gift Card right in time for the holidays! The more ways you enter, the more chances to win! The giveaway end on Friday, November 27th at midnight and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th. Good luck!

Hosted By:

Sequins & Sea Breezes

The Gorgeous Co-hosts:

Cheshire Kat Blog | B Loved Boston | Champagne & Suitcases | Going The Distance | Love & Bellinis

Green Fashionista | Kids & Cabernet | Pink & Fabulous | From Here To Eternity | Martinis & Bikinis

Pink Persistence | Miss in the Midwest | A Memory of Us | The Sequin Notebook | Birdie to Be

MakeupHER | Christina Lea Loves | The Wandering Weekenders | Medicine & Manicures | Meet @ The Barre

$325 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway

Joining my fellow Floridian blogger Amanda from Meet at the Barre for some Friday Faves.

Five on Friday

How did this week treat everyone? I'm sure you're thankful Friday is here as I am. I got hit with a 24-hour bug on Wednesday which sucked but thankfully I was able to work from home yesterday and keep quiet. I'm feeling much better already although not 100%. So lets just say I'm more than ready for the weekend to fully recover and relax. 

 A few other bloggers already pointed it out but Trader Joe's has outdone themselves this year with pumpkin any and everything you can think of. 

ONE:

I did fall victim to the pumpkin macarons from the frozen section because I've never tasted a macaron before and always see people raving about them. So I decided to treat my team (and myself of course) to some dessert and they were worth the calories! Very sweet though as I'm more of a savory person.  

TWO:
I also bought some of the cute mini pumpkins to decorate our dining room table for Fall. I just realized that I'll be in Barbados for Halloween this year so there's no need to carve a big pumpkin plus they don't last really long outdoors in the Florida heat.

THREE:

I celebrated my 5th work anniversary this week and received the sweetest card from one of my coworkers. You know who you are! She actually reminded me it was my anniversary since I forgot the actual date.

FOUR:

Work catered Chipotle for lunch on Wednesday since our team hit a major milestone with one of the services I'm responsible for marketing. Let's just say we've built the subscriber base to over 100,000 users in 3 years.

FIVE:

We also celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Month at work with some Pink Ribbon Bagels from Panera for breakfast. 

Joining Amanda for her Friday Faves linkup. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Faves

 

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We made it to Friday! Now we just have to make it to 5 o'clock, well 5:30 for me. This week was fairly uneventful with the usual routine although I got zero modules of the online photography class done since we still have visitors. Oh well, everything should get back to normal next week.

I took Monday afternoon off of work so I could spend time with my parents and take them out shopping. Naturally, I had to pick up a few things for myself. Who knew high rise jeggings could be so comfortable? I'm slightly ashamed to admit that but seriously they fit me perfectly and it's not like I'll be wearing a short top to show off the high waist. The tunic blouse and peacock necklace also go perfectly together and have already been worn to work this week.

 

For anyone with a backyard or garden, I love these cute DIY Garden Ideas to spruce it up a bit depending on your style.

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This One Pan Balsamic Chicken & Veggies recipe not only looks healthy and amazing but of course the one pan aspect helps to cut down the clean up time. Who likes washing dishes?

In case you missed it, I reviewed some of my favorite beauty/hair/skin products on Wednesday. Some of these products will probably stay in my rotation for the rest of my life because they're just that good.

This meme reminded how thankful I am no social media existed while growing up (Not sure why the bear looks so sad). It's crazy how social media has changed the transfer of information/gossip/embarrassing photos etc. which I can't even imagine how it affects the younger generations.

Who remembers ICQ? That was my jam.

Joining my fellow Floridan blogger Amanda for her weekly Friday linkup.

Have a great weekend everyone!