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F5 :: FIVE FOR FRIDAY {8.3.18}

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This marks week FOUR of my chimney being repaired. The endless rain and thunderstorms has thwarted the quick rebuild of one of the chimneys on my house. And when it’s sunny?! Well, my guess is the contractor double-booked and just doesn’t want to say anything since they aren’t showing up here! Imagine someone with my level of impatience coming home every day to the dreaded tarp, which I now feel as though I need to name since it’s been hanging off of my house for so long. It has sent me into quite the home improvement tizzy, prompting me to take off today from work and accomplish some long-overdue to-dos off the list!

::1:: Since the chimney debacle is happening outside, I want nothing more than to add landscape lighting that will detract from the scaffolding and all around wreckage. What I don’t want to do is pay a fortune for it. Enter this great tutorial on how to set up your exterior lighting, with a nice section for DIYers.

::2:: After the chimney is done, we also need our front steps/porch re-bricked. If it’s a total tear down anyway, I’m thinking something as sleek as this, with stone instead of brick. And lighting. Lots of lighting.

::3:: And eager to change the color of the house and its stone work to something more like this.

::4:: For the interior, still completely obsessed with turning our basement into a usable space until the time comes where we can finish it properly.

::5:: But let’s be honest, I’ll clean out my spare bedroom closet and go to a local craft brewery. #summerfridays

Happy weekend, everyone!

F5 :: FIVE FOR FRIDAY {7.27.18}

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This week seemed like a marathon. Corporate events, industry events and…you know, work in general…had this home body living for Friday all week long. With those seemingly impossible deadlines nearly behind me, I say a very hearty “welcome” to the weekend!

New York City

::1:: I’ll admit it, I’m a fangirl of America’s Got Talent. I first watched the show in 2016 and became instantly hooked. I absolutely cannot wait for the live shows, but am also very happy the human fountains are behind us so I can hold down my dinner on Tuesday nights again.

::2:: In other amazing television news, this BBC America gem, Killing Eve, is a must watch. The acting is stellar, the storyline is fascinating and the characters are so compelling. It will be interesting to see how the season ends!

::3:: During a sale this Summer, I bought a Beauty Bioscience GloPRO. I’m not going to lie…I was TERRIFIED this microneedling tool was going to hurt, so it sat for a couple of weeks before I (drank a lot of wine first and then) used it. I swear, it does not hurt and I feel like I’ve seen results even using it only sparingly. I wouldn’t lie — this body has ZERO threshold for pain.

::4:: Speaking of pain…why, why, why are corporate events SO PAINFUL for marketing staff?! The industry in which I work is not known for its happy employees, but the amount of complaining at an incredibly successful event was at an all-time epic level this year. Perhaps if they knew complaining was bad for your health, they would start to smile every now and again.

::5:: In practicing what I preach, writing a list of things I’m grateful for and excited about every day has been helpful in rewiring my mindset in a more positive direction. You must be so sick of me saying it, but this Panda Planner has truly been life changing.  What surprised me was how hard it was — especially at first — to come up with even one thing I was grateful and/or excited for. And my life is pretty darn good, but I was so focused on trying to mitigate the negative that I wasn’t seeing the positive right in front of me.  Just like an instrument or language, a positive mindset requires practice.

 

F5 :: Five for Friday {6.29.18}

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SUMMER!  It’s finally here.  Hard to believe there were massive snowstorms just a few months ago with 90 degree temps on the horizon. Here are a few things that are giving me all the Summer feels.

Nothing says Summer more than frozen treats.  I literally could not pick just one to share, so here’s a whole board of amazing ice cream and popsicle recipes. To your taste buds, you’re welcome. To your waistline, I’m sorry!!!

Along similar lines, Summer also makes me crave rosé. Loving on this La Crema go-to, and interested to see what the Saralee’s Vineyard version tastes like.

Now that I’ve said “crave,” all I can think about is this book I’m reading called, “Our Kind of Cruelty.”  I’m a third of the way through and it’s just…so…creepy. Summer beach read creepy.

ANYWAY! In order to enjoy said ice cream and rosé, I’ve been cutting back on my calories during the day…especially lunch.  (You are useless to me in non-brunch form, lunch!) So, of course, I’ve been daydreaming of eating Mexican Eggs Benedict every freaking morning.  I can’t quit you, fatty foods.

What better place to eat fatty foods than the movies?! Love my tub of popcorn and gallon of Coke Zero with a good movie. Just recently took wee man to see “Incredibles 2,” which was downright delightful. Would it have been easier to carry a 4 year old through the movie without the 40 minutes of trailers, animated shorts and thank you messages?  Ummm…yes, but the movie was great.  Summer blockbusters, FTW!

Bonus: I’m all in on the  “Happy Core Memory Development Program”…wait for it.

F5 :: Five for Friday

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Skincare April 27 2018

I almost want to throw a dinner party so I can make this…and then eat it all myself.

Obsessing over skincare lately. The Sephora Spring Sale only enabled my crazy.

Every grilled cheese should look like this beauty (plus, I won’t have to throw the aforementioned dinner party).

I think every office should have one of these water coolers. I’m adding it to the suggestion box.

Organization goals that would likely end in a perfect #pinterestfail. Challenge accepted.

Bonus: Starting to reconsider the dinner party if it means I get to eat these.

Amazing on Amazon

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Not sure I truly realized the value and glory of all things Amazon until I had my son…less than two months before Christmas with ZERO shopping done.  Queue AMAZON PRIME!

My obsession with Amazon has not waned over the years, either – especially when free time is at a minimum and a trip to Target seems like a vacation.  A few amazing finds on that site recently include:

Tuxedo Teeth Whitening Activated Charcoal Powder :: I wish I had taken a before photo, because the after has been incredible.  I use this in the shower each morning, then brush my teeth normally once I get out.  I’m still in awe that this actually worked!

Panda Planner :: No joke, I read about this on an article dedicated to Amazon cult favorites. I was in the midst of too many work projects — all with the same level of “priority” — and was having difficulty focusing. No focus, no progress. Enter, the Panda Planner. This has really helped me focus on what needs to be done that day, and what I can do without. It also helps me recognize the things I feel good or excited about in my life, which is something I take for granted too often.

Glass Foaming Soap Dispensers :: Okay, I’ll admit that in the midst of my “OMG I NEED A NEW DISPENSER B/C THESE PLASTIC METHOD CONTAINERS AREN’T DOING IT ANYMORE,” I didn’t realize that one was clear and one was blue.  I had spaces in my house where that worked, so not a full blown crisis, but I was surprised. But hey, it’s better than when I wasn’t paying attention and bought my husband child size t-shirts…and opened the package…and washed them…and still didn’t notice, even when he tried to put it on.  Yeah…

Cell Phone Stand :: Like everyone else on Earth, I struggle to ignore my phone while at work. I have a computer (sometimes two) and at least two screens in front of me at all times — WHY CAN’T I PUT THE PHONE DOWN?! I realized it was because I was always worried I would miss something.  Did my son’s preschool call? Did I get a text reminder of a doctor appointment I would have otherwise forgotten about? What is Rue La La selling today?!?!?! And yes, I have an Apple Watch, so I really have no excuse for checking my phone. This stand helped me keep an eye on my phone without holding it in my hand should an issue arise, with a handy dandy cord slot so you can still charge. Plus, it gets my phone off the desk — and we all know how many germs end up on those.  Oh, and it’s $10. Genius.

FYI:  This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, but it comes at absolutely no cost to you. For more details, see the full disclosure on my About Page.

 

That Moment When… | Vol. I

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…you find the most tremendous blemish on your face right before you have to walk a new employee around the office and introduce them to everyone.

…you keep hearing a phantom noise in your house where the water is running, but nothing using water is on, and you ignore it because you don’t want to admit to a plumbing problem.

…your child wakes you up in the middle of the night to put his sock back on, only to tell you the next morning he peed on it, let it dry and then had you put it on because…you know…ewww.

…someone at work asks you for help, then makes you feel like an inconvenience as you’re helping them — meanwhile they are complaining that other people are rude to “the little people.”  Indeed.