High Five for Friday: January 27

Here's what put the sparkle into this blur of a week:

• Well, not our TV dying on Friday night! It just clicked off and would not turn back on. But now Pops and I have a glorious new TV, so that helps! We promptly tested it out with some show called Is OJ Innocent? because of course we did. 

• I meal prepped my lunches again this week! And it involved using a food processor! WHAT. A. GROWN. UP. (And I only cut myself once!) I made this sun-dried tomato and basil pesto, which was super easy and pretty delish, and I added it to the one other thing I can make: pasta.

• Does anyone else find watching vlogs to be energizing? Maybe it's because I feel like a friend is chatting with me? (The sense of connection without actual human contact is really 👌👌. #bloggerprobs) Anyway, I stumbled upon Lydia Elise Millen this week and really enjoy her. Her lovely Brit accent makes for calming background noise!

She also has a very cute cat who gets stuck in the Christmas tree, which is obviously why I chose this video.

• I hardly ever want to go out during the work day. I also find shoe shopping to be a total pain. (Hence why I'm still wearing booties that have a pebble-filled hole in the sole!) But on Thursday, I apparently became a pod person, as I felt compelled to take a lunch break and go look at shoes at Nordstrom Rack. So I went out! And the world did not end! And I found a pair of cute and comfy booties for $25! 🎉

Living the dream.

• Lastly, modern dogs are such slackers.

Have a great weekend! xo

January 2017 Budget

Just a few purchases to start the new year! (This is a far cry from last January's shopping bonanza!)

1. Bobeau One-Button Wrap Cardigan (TJ Maxx): $17
2. Women's Geneva Platinum Polished Aztec Print Strap Watch (Target): $19 - gift card = $0
3. The Body Shop Chamomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (Amazon): $16

Not pictured:

1. Tresics Long-Sleeved Tee (TJ Maxx): $10 on sale for $8

TOTAL: $41

My ever-faithful Target watch finally died a few weeks ago, and I was like, "Meh, who needs a watch these days anyway?" Buuut then I found myself repeatedly checking my bare wrist like a nut, so I ordered two watches from Target. The Geneva one was the winner because 1.) rose gold face 😍 2.) a neutral strap in a color other than black or white 3.) not clunky (unlike my previous watch, which would get caught on my sleeves sometimes!) and, most importantly, 4.) has a soft strap that I can punch more holes in. #priorities I have tiny baby wrists, which makes finding a watch that fits practically impossible. But I do own a leather punch, so in like two minutes, I was able to turn the Geneva watch into a perfect fit! 🙌  (Is owning a leather punch a sign to maybe step away from the Amazon Prime?) 

I actually got the Tresics t-shirt and Bobeau "blanket with sleeves" at TJ Maxx in December (when I bought the tiered organizer of my dreams!), but after I'd already finished my December budget post. I'm not sure that I linked to my exact cardigan (I don't think mine is fleece?), but it looks identical. I must say, now that I've been scaling back on my clothing purchases for awhile, buying clothes feels decadent and almost wrong. Like, I loved both pieces (as they're both super soft and long enough to wear with leggings!), but I seriously wrestled with buying them. I took the cardigan on and off about five times in the dressing room before committing to it! But this hesitation is probably a good sign as I try to limit my impulse buys and reduce the amount of clothes my closet.

And then the eye make-up remover. YAWN, but a must.

Oh, and my dad bought me this awesome pom pom beanie, as a treat for sticking to my budget! See, budgeting has its perks! 😉 

What did you buy this month?

Linking up with Fran's Budgeting Bloggers!

High Five for Friday: January 20

For some reason, I decided to tackle ALLTHETHINGS I want to work on in 2017 this past week! In spite of that madness, there are still some things that put the sparkle into my week:

• On Friday, I got to catch up with a few friends over some delish pizza in South Philly! Not only was it great to see these gals and be back in the old 'hood, I also successfully drove there from work, so I crossed another route off my New Driver Bingo! (The thought of taking a newish highway route at night did have me making the sign of the cross in the parking lot before I left work, not gonna lie!)

• So I hate cooking. I hate that lunch is a thing that exists, and I certainly hate the idea of "meal prep." But I was able to overcome that this week and make a big batch of pasta for myself on Sunday to then dole out during the week for various lunches! (I really need to scale back on my all carb diet, but let's tackle one unpleasant thing at a time here!)  

• Thanks to an H54Fer (ack, I can't remember who!), I read this morning routine post by Sammi Harvey and got some great ideas for how to make my morning less frenzied! I totally feel like I spend my mornings just catching up on social media and then feeling overwhelmed and perpetually behind. So this week, I really tried to limit my phone time when I first wake up, and Sammi's old-school alarm clock tip has really helped with that! (If I don't have to grab my phone first thing to turn off the alarm, then I'm less apt to start playing on it right away, you know?)

Bonus if your clock is as awesome as this $10 one from Amazon!

• Somehow, it's been awhile since I got super emotional over a stranger's pet on Instagram! But watching one of Beth Stern's recent adult fosters hide and then slowly warm up to her new mama just hit me right in the feels. "Out of hiding": a 2017 resolution for shy adults and cats alike!

And she's a calico like my girl Calico Pinky! <3 <3

• I ended the week by coming out of hiding a bit myself and doing something spontaneous--going to Target after work! Gasp! I hardly ever deviate from the work-to-home plan, but after reading Tif's $10 at Target post this week and seeing all the adorable Valentinesy things she found, I just couldn't resist! Valentine's, in all its pink/purple heart-and-glitter covered glory, was basically made for me, and the Target near work is usually way less picked over than the one near my house. Clearly, it was a successful trip: 

Hooray for gift cards!

As nbd as going to Target after work probably sounds, for me--someone who often finds the outside world very scary--being able to do a fun, impromptu thing by myself and still get home safely was EXHILARATING. :)

Hope you have a good weekend! xo

She's a rainbow

I have never been as enthusiastic about the start of a new year as I am now. I didn't quite realize it at the time, but I was feeling really blah in the waning months of 2016. And I should have known, because the evidence was right there in front of me: my unpainted nails.

As dumb as it sounds, the state of my nails often reflects my mental/emotional state. If I'm not painting my nails at all OR they're painted a barely-there color, I'm probably feeling scared or sad. I may really want to blend in and hide. My bffl (an even bigger nail polish enthusiast than me!) actually called me out on this tendency in college when I was taking a class that terrified me and, as a result, only painted my nails a pale opalescent pink the whole semester. (2017 must be off to a good start because my nails are currently this awesome shade of blue!)

So one of my fun self-care resolutions for 2017 is to try to paint my nails every week because having pretty nails just makes me happy! (And happy people don't shoot their husbands! Er, among other things...) And I have quite a collection of polishes, so I might as well use them!

This is as close to minimalist as I can get! 

If you too love painting your nails, then you know that the struggle to find a good color AND formula is realer than real. So here are my go-to polishes, the tried and true ones I know will look good without 47 coats (and assorted expletives):

Essie "Splash of Grenadine"

Zoya Pixie Dust "Tomoko"

Sally Hansen Triple Shine "Red Snapper"

Illamasqua "Jo'mina"

Maybelline Color Show "Porcelain Party"

Essie "Where's My Chauffeur"

Ginger + Liz Rock and Ice Collection "Is It Friday Yet"

None of these colors is particularly "quiet," which is a good sign! Jo'mina is probably my favorite color in my whole collection (hello, purple 💜). It's just such a pretty, vibrant lavender. I actually get compliments on it every time I wear it! A close second fave is "Red Snapper"--I wear it seriously all.the.time. Such a good cherry red. And the brushes on the Sally Hansen Triple Shines make applying a breeze!

I didn't include it in the pictures, but Poshe top coat is the only one I've used for the last four+ years. (Props to my pal Piper for introducing this magical potion to me!) It dries really fast, makes your nails super shiny, and lasts for days. What else could a gal want? 💯

The matte glitter polishes (like Zoya Pixie Dust, Ginger + Liz's Rock and Ice Collection, and also OPI's Liquid Sand line) are my go-tos when I need my nails to look perfect for an event or a vacation (when I won't be able to immediately change polishes or fix a mistake). They just don't seem to chip as fast as "normal" polishes. Bonus that they usually look great in just two coats and don't need a top coat! (The sandpapery texture is a little weird, but I can overlook it because, above all, I am LAZY with my beauty products.)

What are your go-to nail polishes that I need to try?

High Five for Friday: January 13

After a 65 degree Thursday in January, I am cartwheeling into the weekend! (Which has snow in the forecast for Saturday, boo.) Here's what else put the sparkle into my week:

• I had a follow-up doctor's appointment last Friday and got a clean bill of health, hooray!

• I finally wore these sweet raccoon pjs that I got for Christmas! I bought the same exact ones for my bffl, and then Pops got them for me LOL. (They're from Target, but apparently they're sold out online 😞.) They are so comfy!! And these purple sheets were a Christmas gift from my mom and make getting out of bed for a 9 AM therapy appointment REALLY CHALLENGING. 

• I hopped on the Gratitude Jar train for 2017 after reading Ashley's post! I used to keep a gratitude journal and really enjoyed it... except that I would sometimes forget to update it and then feel guilty and that became a drag. So I like that the Gratitude Jar allows me to still note and remind myself of the good things going on, in a less structured way.

I already had this decorative bottle (?) from the Target Dollar Spot and threw it together with some cute Post-Its I wasn't using. DONE!

• If you're a fan of cats and/or cuteness and you're not following Beth O. Stern on Instagram, here's Exhibit A why you should change that:

A tiny kitten using coasters as steps to climb into a vase. GAHHH I CAN'T EVEN WITCHU. 💖💖💖

• And finally, this cracked me up:

Along with my general spaz-ness behind the wheel, this is why I'm reluctant to have passengers: because I know that not everyone wants to hear "Sundown" 27 times in a row (which may or may not have happened on my Tuesday commute...)!

Hope you have a lovely weekend! xo