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Tuesday Tidbits {02.25.20}

February 25, 2020 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

See :: The Masked Singer. Obsessed with this show. My guesses have usually been solid on this show up until this new season where I’ve yet to guess a single revealed contestant correctly.

Do :: Make these bacon crackers. How something so simple could be so delicious is mind-blowing. Maybe follow it up with this parmesan popcorn.

Read :: Things I Bought and Liked. Highly entertaining, and the recommendations are always spot on. Love her Instagram page and the blog is a great, quick resource of products that have been tried and tested.

Learn :: How to arrange pillows, because apparently they are “jewelry for the room.” I can’t quit you, Pottery Barn!

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Food, Home, Shopping, Television, Tuesday Tidbits

F5 :: FIVE FOR FRIDAY {12.27.19}

December 27, 2019 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

Another week of holiday cheer is officially in the books!

::1:: I need more “things” like I need a hole in the head, but the sales are too insanely good right now to pass up. From Vineyard Vines to Nordstrom, Wayfair to Serena & Lily, the deals are making me want to buy in bulk and then put my credit cards away for the rest of the year.

::2:: After the heaviness of Christmas-themed meals, I’m craving lightened up Asian-inspired dishes, like these wraps and this turkey salad (despite their abundance of vegetables). Although let’s face it, I’ll be making these Korean Beef Sloppy Joes by week’s end.

::3:: I’m also craving some time with the Peloton, but can’t stop playing Luigi Mansion 3…which Santa brought for my six year old. If he excitedly watches me play, that counts as quality time, right?

::4:: I started a new skincare regimen last night that will carry me through the next couple of weeks. I’m loyal to the Biologique Recherche line, and received Cocktail d’Actifs Régénérants as a Christmas gift from my husband this year. Apparently, I was very good. Will report back.

::5:: My little family, plus my mom, will be embarking on a cruise vacation in 2020! I’ve been on a handful of cruises with my husband before, but never with the little guy and only our second time with Royal Caribbean. The pricing for everything seems astronomical to me, but the time and effort to research/wait/cancel/rebook excursions, packages, etc. seems like more work to me than vacation. Recommendations are so welcome here — splurge and enjoy the ride or keep researching so no regrets later?

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Biologique Recherche, Family Vacation, Five for Friday, Food, Health, Holiday Sales, Holidays, Nintendo Switch, Royal Caribbean, Shopping, Skincare

F5 :: Five for Friday {6.29.18}

June 29, 2018 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Books, Five for Friday, Food, Movies, Wine

Visiting Virginia Wine Country

May 10, 2018 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

The slogan has it all wrong. Virginia is for WINE AND FOOD lovers!

Last Fall, the hubs and I took a jaunt down to Loudoun County, Virginia to check out the wine scene for our anniversary. We are wine enthusiasts, but our somewhat annual pilgrimages to Napa/Sonoma have been put on hiatus until I can handle leaving wee man for more than two nights. You would have thought the toddler years would have inspired long trips away from home, but no. (It was close, though!)

My cousin got married in Virginia when I was seven months pregnant with our little guy, and on the way there we noticed a ton of signs for wine trails and instantly knew we had to visit. Four years later, while searching for a not-so-distant-but-new-to-us anniversary destination, I remembered this area of Virginia and starting doing research. Less than a week later, we were booked, and I could not have been happier with the experience (and eager to do it again in Fall 2018).

Where to Stay

I’m a big believer that if you’re spending money on a trip, spend them in the right places — food and lodging. In my mind, there is no better place to stay than The Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia.  Our room was incredible, the location was in walking distance to downtown Middleburg and the staff was beyond incredible.

     

We did have a minor issue in that our room door was left open while we were out…twice. We contacted the front desk to alert them of the situation and they responded with giving us a small credit towards our room. We really just wanted to advise them of the issue so that (1) it would stop and (2) it wouldn’t happen to others. The fact that they responded with such courtesy was a lovely gesture and a testament to their customer service.

Where to Eat

The food was good everywhere. Seriously, everywhere. There were no bad meals on this trip, but here’s a rundown.

Roots 657 :: Our first meal in the area. We had driven quite a ways and were STARVING by the time we got to this restaurant, but it still may be my favorite meal on the trip — so much so that I had the same exact thing for breakfast on the drive home!!  Roots 657 is in Leesburg, VA and has THE MOST AMAZING BRISKET SANDWICH ON EARTH. Hands down. No question. On a jalapeno-cheddar roll no less. Part of me wants to drive several hours just to get one now. IT IS INCREDIBLE. Go, go, go, go, go (but good luck making a left out of there — oof!).

      

The Goodstone Inn :: I want to start off by saying the food was incredible! It honestly was. However, the restaurant was hard to find (especially in the dark), there was a wedding there that night making parking impossible, the dining room was pretty dated and the ambiance was honestly not amazing. It was definitely one of those nights where you walk in saying, “This better be worth it!”…and it was. Cocktails were also pretty special here.

     

Red Fox Inn & Tavern :: Walked here from our hotel for brunch on our only full day in the area. When brunching at the Red Fox, you get the fried chicken. It is divine!!

      

Harrimans Virginia Piedmont Grill :: Sadly, no photos from this one, but the Grill is a fabulous restaurant conveniently located in The Salamander Resort. We are a sucker for a tasting menu, so we couldn’t resist the many course option with their amazing offerings. The food was incredible, but something was going on that night that delayed each course by a considerable amount of time. You could tell the staff felt bad about it – they came over constantly to apologize and check on us – but it was a VERY long evening (3+ hours). Eager to go back one day and give it another go.

What to Do

As I mentioned earlier, we were on this trip for the wine, and this area of Virginia did not disappoint.  We stopped at the following wineries along the way.

Zephaniah Farm Vineyard :: Our first stop. Loved their cozy atmosphere (we did a tasting in their library), the lovely owners who stopped by to chat and the great wine — we left with a few bottles!

     

Stone Tower Winery :: Beautiful venue and an especially fun place to visit if you’re in a large group. Their tasting room is tremendous, and they have a beautiful outdoor seating area. We walked away with a few bottles of this wine, as well.

     

Chrysalis Vineyards :: At first, I was not overly impressed. We waited an eternity for the tasting and everything seemed a bit unorganized. Once we finally got settled, we enjoyed the tasting and the beautiful view they had in an outdoor area.

Greenhill Winery :: An amazing tasting experience! Beautiful wines and a nice snack menu that included cheese and baguettes. A must-stop along the wine trail.

     

     

Quattro Goomba’s Brewery :: By this point, we were looking for a bit of a palette cleanser from all the wine, so we took some down time with college football and beer! I am by no means a beer expert (or much of an expert on anything, really!), but I thought it was pretty good. I will say this — the place was PACKED! They had an amazing outdoor area as well, where people can picnic or just hang out.

     

50 West Vineyard :: I loved this place!!! Great tasting, live music, beautiful outdoor space and the best rose of our trip. We left with lots of wine for ourselves and some to take home as gifts. It was a great way to finish our Virginia wine tasting experience.

     

If you live in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region and love wine, you must, must, must visit Loudoun County, Virginia. I still miss Napa, and am dying to try out Willamette Valley, Oregon someday, but this is a wonderful experience you won’t regret (and won’t have to fly across the country for!). Cheers!

 

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Food, Virginia, Wine, Wine Country

F5 :: Five for Friday

April 27, 2018 by playworkrepeat Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Five for Friday, Food, Organization, Skincare

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