Friday Faves

I feel like I can finally exhale with it being Friday and the weekend in sight. I was saddened to hear about two celebrity deaths yesterday and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened. I'm sure there will be some updates today but with that being said, I usually try to focus on some positive things on Friday.

Here's what caught my interest and/or made me smile this week:

Dreamy Destinations
 I stumbled on this article showcasing 30 amazing places to visit in the summer which gave me all kinds of Wanderlust. Most of these places, I had either never heard of before or had no clue they were that gorgeous of a destination. Needless to say, my wanderlust travel list has just expanded significantly.

Enticing Recipes
If you like shrimp and have ever eaten at Bonefish Grill you already know that their Bang Bang Shrimp is to die for! We go there for dinner just to get this appetizer so when I found this recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos I was already sold. The best part is that it's Paleo approved.

Sweet Aromas
When Bath & Body Works has their hand soaps on sale and 50% off on 3-wick candles there is no stopping me from stocking up for the next few months. Luckily I got to place this online order right before I cut myself from shopping for the next month.

Pet Parents Products
I mentioned recently that Lola got extremely sick which caused a huge mess on our carpet and sheets leaving me feeling pretty grossed out defeated but the Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover I got from Chewy.com came to the rescue. It cleans up both old and new stains and helps to get rid of those bad odors. You really can't "un-see" the mess made by a sick pet but this pet cleaner really helps to defuse the situation.

Good Reads

Since the weekend is here, I thought this article was a good motivator to be productive on Sundays. I have a basic Sunday routine for cooking/cleaning/getting organized but there's so much more tiny things you can throw into the mix.

I hope everyone gets some sunshine and has a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Amanda.

Friday Faves

This week was a crazy busy one but thankfully Friday has finally made her appearance. I can't wait to exhale all the stress and hopefully get a good night's sleep. Moving on to some faves for the week.

The Beauty Department

This box of goodies from Amanda's giveaway arrived earlier this week and I was so excited to see the Pixi Rose Oil staring at me. I've read so many amazing reviews about rose oil from other bloggers so I've been dying to try it out. I've applied it to my face every night this week after showering and my face feels incredibly soft.

Fave Fashion Finds

I talked about my love for mid-rise jeans yesterday in my Spring Fashion post. They are seriously the perfect fit for my body type. After figuring that out, I purchased a couple more styles including these Distressed Black Mid Rise Jean Leggings which are so comfortable and have a nice stretch to fit different body types.

Healthy Eating Ideas

I've been eating all the salads recently. I shared some delish Spring Salad Recipes earlier this week which are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. I just found this Skinny BBQ Chicken Flatbread recipe which I have to try asap.

Good To Know
I think this article about 10 Ways to Lose Weight is mainly common sense but the question is, do we actually do them? I know I don't so it's a great guide to get a reality check and get back on track.

Puppy Snuggles
I woke up on Thursday morning to Lola being "sick" all over our bed. My poor baby girl + mattress and sheets!! The details are too gruesome to share but it was a nightmare to clean up. Thankfully I was able to pinpoint what gave her the upset stomach. Wheat flour is a definite NO for English bulldogs. #lessonlearned  We tossed those treats in the trash and she's been feeling better since then.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Friday Faves

Today happens to be a company holiday so K and I decided to take a little road trip to St. Augustine, FL to explore the historic city and get a change of scenery. The one and only time I went to St. Augustine was for a wedding so it was a quick trip. In the little free time that we had, we did manage to explore most of the historic district, the Castillo De San Marcos National Monument and finally had some amazing Spanish/Cuban cuisine at the famous Columbia Restaurant. We'll definitely be returning to Columbia on this trip!

Before I get into some Friday Faves, I have to say that I was so infuriated on Monday to realize that someone left a hefty scratch on my brand new car from a shopping cart at Publix. The car is not even 2 weeks old! I'm still slightly upset but choosing to focus on some brighter & better things linking up with Amanda.

Fave Recipe
I'm a big fan of Chipotle so when I saw this Fiesta Chicken Burrito Bowl recipe I knew I had to try it. I've recreated Chipotle's salads at home many times but haven't tried my hand at a burrito bowel.

Fashion Fave
Rocksbox sent me this Kendra Scott Jamie Bracelet in Platinum Drusy and I decided to purchase it even tough I wasn't really in the market for another bracelet. It's so shimmery and goes so well with my watch so it's been on major repeat this week.

Wedding Favor Ideas
For all the brides-to-be, I recently attended a wedding and received this wedding favor saying they made a donation to the Children's Cancer Center on our behalf. I love this for a unique and thoughtful wedding favor for charitable donations. 

Funny Photos
My mom actually sent this article to me but I thought it was too funny not to share! Check out some of these photos showing dogs with no understanding of personal space.

Sushi.
Enough said right? The day job decided they were going to spoil us with some sushi on Tuesday for lunch. Of course I enjoyed all the sushi possible and had a fun time chatting with coworkers over lunch.

Enjoy the weekend and have a fabulous Easter however (and if) you plan to celebrate it!

Weekend Whereabouts

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. I'll start by saying my whereabouts were pretty minimal the past few days. It was a rainy weekend so it was perfect for catching up on some R&R since I have a few busy weekends of travel ahead.

I did venture out on Friday afternoon for some puppy playtime and a quick dinner.

After dinner we watched the movie Steve Jobs at home and had a quiet Friday night which was much needed!

 On Saturday I stayed local to get some errands done and rest up at home. I shopped around for some essentials for our Easter dinner party, did a ton of laundry, took some naps and spent lots of couch time with Lola watching TV.



Some inevitable online retail therapy happened on Saturday night since I had all the free time to browse. Maybe this is why I try to keep myself busy on weekends?

On Sunday, I went to Kohl's to pick up a dutch oven I had ordered to make the Guinness Beef Stew I posted about last week for my Friday Faves. It came out amazing by the way and I have to thank the lovely Andrea for helping me out with a few secret tips!

 Of course I ended up venturing over to the clothing department in Kohl's but not too much damage was done. I purchased these cute coral-colored shorts and navy crochet shorts for the Spring/Summer time weather and used a 30% off coupon.

 I'm so excited this is a short work week (we get Good Friday off) and I'm looking forward to our quick road trip adventure this coming weekend.


Joining the lovely Biana for her weekending linkup

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

Weekend Whereabouts

Hoping everyone had a great weekend. On Friday K and I went for happy hour at World of Beer and then had an early dinner at Shari for some amazing sushi rolls.

On Saturday morning we went car shopping and I found the exact car I was wishing for ~ Mazda CX-5.

After hours of car dealerships, we headed downtown for some lunch and a couple beverages. When we got there, we realized there was a huge Orlando City Soccer pub crawl going on so everyone was wearing purple to support our city's soccer team.

K and I went to Ferg's Depot for some oysters and a couple beers before heading home to watch movies and relax with Lola.

 On Sunday we were up bright and early so we made some breakfast and watched the news before heading to Vanbarry's with Lola for lunch and to watch the Orlando City Soccer game.

 

It was a relaxing weekend with some fun and not much productivity. LOL

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

TBT: Bringing Lola Home

When K and I decided we wanted an English bulldog baby to join our family, we almost fell into a "too good to be true" scam for a very cute bulldog named Coco. Luckily after back and forth correspondence, we realized there were discrepancies in the person's story and the photos before sending any money. We moved on with our search and finally found a reliable breeder in Florida that was willing to deliver her to us at which time payment will be made.

This was the first photo the breeder sent us and of course we fell right in love and were sold.

On November 25th, 2014 the breeder drove Lola up from Ft Lauderdale in torrential rain to Orlando. It was a work day so I arranged for them to meet at my office at lunch time and for K to come with a crate to transport her back home since he has a flexible work schedule. It was storming outside so she got soaked in the exchange but luckily I remembered to bring a towel to the office.

K took another 20 minutes to get there so while I sat in the lobby bundling her shivering body to warm her up, word spread around the office that a cute puppy was there so a bunch of coworkers came to meet her, give her hugs and just play. She was a good sport being the center of lots of attention and I immediately felt attached to her.

When I got home that evening and after spending some play time with her, we decided that the name Lola Chanel Brand suited her personality perfectly. In the next days coming, we worked on getting her acclimated with us, the house, her bed and of course the most dreaded potty training.

 

 

That same week also happened to be Thanksgiving on Thursday so Lola took her first 2 1/2 hour road trip to my in-laws for the weekend. With her not being potty trained, the trip was challenging with a few smelly mishaps but I have to report that she's become the best travel buddy that just sleeps so I'm really happy we got her accustomed to road-tripping from young. She actually can't get in the car fast enough to go somewhere!

With us being the social people we are that like to go out on the weekends, we've been taking her out to play with other dogs and lots of people since she was tiny so today she really gets along with just about anyone and is such a social butterfly!

Shortly after Thanksgiving we were back on the road again to spend Christmas with family and a night with friends and their basset-hound which went much smoother than the Thanksgiving trip. Potty training had started to kick in and we were seeing some light in the tunnel. Lola quickly became attached to us just as much as we became to her so the pieces of the puzzle came together nicely and our little family had begun.

So that's my story about how this bundle of cuteness, joy, and MISCHIEF joined the Brand household.

Feel free to share any TBT memories of your fur-babies!

PS: She's ecstatic in these photos, don't be fooled by the English bulldog resting pouty face LOL