Friday Faves

Happy Friday everyone!
Daylight savings really made this week feel like it was dragging so I'm pretty relieved the weekend is almost here.

Last night my coworker and I met up with a business partner visiting from New Jersey at Marlow's Tavern for some dinner. No green beer this year for St. Patrick's Day but lots of others greens in the form of a delicious Ahi Tuna Salad with avocado!

How about some faves for the week?

Favorite Find
How adorable are these pet name tags from Tags For Hope? You can customize it for the state you live in and add all of your pet's information as well as your phone number (where I blocked out below). I love this idea for a tiny pet ID tag to hang from their collar.

Favorite DYI Project

This is such a cute and easy DYI guide for making a key holder out of a picture frame. I already have a key + mail holder on my wall but I think this would be cute for beach/vacation homes or cottages.

Favorite Memories
Some of my favorite St. Patty's Day photos for a quick Flashback Friday.

Favorite Recipe
This Guinness Beef Stew recipe is on the menu for Sunday dinner and keeps up with the whole Irish theme I'm going with this month.

Favorite Funny:

Speaking of Jameson, did you happen to catch my Irish Mule recipe yesterday? Since the weekend is here, I figured why not share it again.

The ecard definitely describes me in previous years but, as I mentioned above, I celebrated or didn't at a business dinner but I have to say it was still fun even though it was work-related.

We also did a lunchtime celebration at work with some corn beef and pastrami sandwiches, beef stew and all the shamrock desserts possible.

Did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favorites

Friday Faves + $50 Amazon Giveaway

Hello friends and hello pollen season!
My car and patio furniture are covered in a powdery yellow layer. Thankfully I don't have allergies but I feel bad for those who do because it's pretty intense this year.

Easter is coming up in a few weeks and I'm starting to plan our annual Easter potluck dinner so this weekend I need to figure out the menu and some pretty decor for the house. I'm thinking some mason jars with colorful flowers and maybe incorporating some fruit in there. Of course, one must turn to Pinterest for some inspiration.

 
source: here, here

Beauty Product Spotlight:
I just picked up this Revlon eye primer and shadow palette and love the medium neutral yet shimmery colors. I was definitely drawn to it because of the discrete application guide it comes with. I know how to apply some basic eye shadow for everyday wear but definitely could use some "professional guidance".

via

Healthy Meals:
I'm always searching for new recipes and while I'm not vegan or vegetarian, I found this Vegan Buddha bowl and it looks delicious but I would probably add some grilled chicken to the dish.

Favorite Blog Post:
One of my favorite bloggy friends, Alexis from The Chemistry Cachet posted about her favorite beach places and featured me with a questionnaire about my travel plans.

Alexis and I have also teamed up to host a $50 Amazon Gfit Card Giveaway so enter on below to win your ticket to a fun little online shopping spree!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget to...



Joining Amanda for her Friday Faves linkup. 

Friday Faves

More like is it 5 o'clock yet?

I hope this week treated everyone well. It went pretty smoothly for me and I finally got caught up on The People vs. OJ Simpson in the evenings and some of my other mindless shows. I'm hoping this weekend is a fairly relaxing one but I do love getting out the house to grab a bite or meet up with friends so we shall see where the wind takes me.

Let's get into some Faves:
Earlier this week, I enjoyed reading these mobile photography tips for creating quality photos for Instagram. Just good to know as a blogger.

On Tuesday night we made this Spinach & Brie Stuffed Chicken recipe (minus the cranberries) and it was so delicious. It's been added to my list of favorite meals to cook for dinner. 

Emelia announced earlier this week the opening of her new Etsy shop called Dreamy Details where she sells fun and inspirational wall art creations. I picked out the Life is Better with Furry Friends print for my office desk. I was able to download it right away, print it on glossy paper and get it framed for less than $10. I think her prints are perfect for affordable gifts for friends.

The home project that I'm planning to tackle in the upcoming weeks is landscaping the front area of our house. Our lawn looks great but 5 years after purchasing our home, the landscaping has gone to shit so I've been looking for some inspiration and ideas that will endure Florida weather. Honestly we will probably need to hire a landscaping company but I want to decide on a vision before then.

Found another type of dental chew treat that Lola enjoys from Chewy.com. Zuke's Z-bones and Whimzees dental chews are her favorite treats of all time and they're good for her hygiene so I approve. Yesterday I did a Throwback Thursday post and shared the story of how Lola joined our family, check it out here if you happened to miss it. 

Speaking of hygiene, one of my absolute favorite products that I stumbled upon at our local grocery store are the Petkins Pet Wipes....I use them to clean any dirt off of Lola's face, body and paws and they make her smell really good.

And I'll leave you with a funny....Have a great weekend!!

Joining Amanda for her Friday Favorites linkup.

Friday Faves

Happy Friday friends!

I have to admit it wasn't the best week for me. I'm not going to go on about it but I'm ready for a break this weekend. I do believe brighter days are ahead!

In much better news, K and I have been planning and finalizing some of our trips for 2016 and four have been booked so far. Can you guess where we're going? 

On Wednesday, my company had an Empanada food truck visit the office and give out free empanadas for all employees. So delish!

I've said this before but the mornings are not my favorite beast to tackle. I'm just not a morning person but I found some tips from this article were useful.

I've been warming up to one piece swimsuits and I found these two beauties at Target. Both I would definitely wear.

Black  /  Mint Julep

This Avocado Caprese Skillet Chicken recipe is on my radar for dinner next week. I love an excuse to eat more avocados.

One thing I do every weekend is plan my meals ahead for the upcoming week. This also ensures that I don't overbuy at the grocery as I tend make impulse purchases (still do sometimes) but this free printable has been handy to keep my meal planning organized.



Do you do weekly meal planning? How do you stay organized?


Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Joining Amanda for her Friday linkup.

Friday Faves

I had a fairly uneventful week. K was traveling for work so I had my hands full with Lola bear who woke me up 2 hours early every morning. Needless to say, I'm relieved the weekend is here and that K is back home so we can catch up on some rest mixed with some fun out with friends. I did manage to celebrate National Drink Wine Day last night with some Sauvignon Blanc ($2.99 at Trader Joe's) and caught up on some TV shows while snuggling with the bear.

Favorite Scents:

All things Bath & Body Works. It was that time of year for another haul and these are the products that made the cut. Lots of liquid hand soap since we go through those quickly and I love the travel size hand sanitizers to keep in my purse, car, office desk, and pretty much everywhere I can store one.

Favorite Photo:

I snapped this photo last weekend when K and I went to College Park to explore before our Valentine's dinner. I'm amazed at how this simple unedited iPhone photo (only edit was iPhone brightener feature) captured such a beautiful day in Florida during "winter". 

Favorite Purchase:
These black and gold Kendra Scott Danielle earrings were my latest target. I received them from Rocksbox and instantly fell in love when I wore them this week so I opted to purchase them at a discounted rate. Also black and gold are my Alma mater colors so I figured they would be perfect for game day.

Recipe of the Week:

I've been experimenting with different type of salads for dinner. This week I made an Asian inspired salad with grilled chicken, edamame, sesame seeds, romaine and spicy peanut vinaigrette. Next on my list is this Avocado Caprese Chicken Salad with Balsamic vinaigrette.

Favorite Tech Style:

My new sparkly laptop skin from CaseApp is gorgeous and brings that girly touch to one of my favorite tech toys.

I've seen several people with all sorts of custom iPhone cases so when CaseApp reached out to me, I decided to go with a laptop skin because I like the protective iPhone case that I have now. The process of purchasing was seamless although it was a tough decision choosing which design I wanted to go with. Of course I went with sparkles!!

If you're interested in decorating your iPhone or laptop with a pretty skin you can use the code MARTINIS20 to get 20% off from CaseApp.com

Have a great weekend everyone!

Joining the lovely Amanda for her Friday Favorites linkup.

Friday's Best

Happy Friday!

I've been having some serious wanderlust since we traveled to so many amazing places in 2015 and it seems we've now come to a hiatus after the busy holidays. With K being in a new job, he doesn't feel comfortable taking too much time off of work so I've been figuring out how we can squeeze some long weekend trips in for the very few holiday weekends we get in the US and then one international trip to Jamaica for my cousin's wedding. #ThatTravelItchTho

In other news...

Super Bowl Sunday:
So with the Super Bowl being this weekend, I was looking for some healthy recipes and found this Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Wings recipe which looks amazing.

Things I Love:
This mug. I recently stumbled upon LookHuman.com and posted about the Mascara & Mimosas clothing line they have. Kate bought the sweatshirt and I bought the tank top which are perfect for our Sunday brunches. They even have some funny and sarcastic Valentine's gifts.

Best Smelling Award:
 Goes to Bath & Body Works' Wild Honeysuckle hand soap. I just recently did another haul from B&BW and I can't stop smelling my hands after using this soap. That probably sounds weird but it's true.

Favorite Reads:
Amanda's (Meet @ The Barre) photography guides found here, here & here offer great tips for professional/fashion photography. I did an online photography class late last year and learned all the technical details but honestly haven't had time to practice. These guides have convinced me to spend some time this weekend really figuring out what is what.

Lola Says:
"I love my Merrick's Cowboy Cookout treats gifted to me from Chewy.com."

I swear she loves treats more than life itself. As soon as I open the pantry where I store her treats, she coming running like a bowling ball.

Genius Award:

Goes to Publix for this Ice Cube Tray Sushi recipe. Sorry to feature two recipes in one post but I think the sushi lovers out there might just love the concept.

Have a fabulous weekend! 

Friday Favorites

This was the sunset I caught in my neighborhood last night arriving home from work. Absolutely breathtaking! I also posted a live video on SnapChat if you follow me (emilyalisonb).

This week was the coldest one for the year so far. While I don't mind a break from the heat, I seem to get shocked by everything I touch when it gets cold outside ~ every door handle, the gas pump, my car, and sometimes other people. Back in UCF days, I remember stepping into the campus shuttle and getting shocked by the railing to walk up the stairs and yelling "F*#%" in front of a bus full of people. It wasn't pretty! So I guess that's my pet peeve when it comes to cold weather but on a brighter note, how about some faves for the week?

ONE

K left on Sunday morning for work and returns today so lots of "me time" was had this week...or shall I say "Lola and me time" because she requires all the attention. Either way it was nice to rule the remote and get caught up on my shows.

TWO

These Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps are on my radar to make at home. I've ordered lettuce wraps before at restaurants but it's about time I try my hand at making them for a healthy weeknight dinner.

THREE

I stumbled on the Look Human online shop this week via Pinterest and love all of their cute tops and sweaters with fun sayings/designs such as this Mascara & Mimosas pullover sweater.

FOUR

National Popcorn Day was celebrated at the office on Tuesday. I'm just thankful it wasn't national chocolate or cheesecake day because diet out the window.

FIVE

I loved reading this article about Meditation for Beginners and really want to incorporate some meditating into my routine to clear my mind and relax since work and life can be stressful. Kerri also talks about her Meditation Journey here which is a good read.

Enjoy the weekend!

Linking up with my fellow Florida girl Amanda for her Friday Faves linkup.

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.