Feb8

Galentine’s Day OOTD

Posted on by
Standard
Galentine’s Day OOTD

Hello!! This past Saturday was a fairly busy one because I was pet sitting and going back and forth to take care of a sweet pup named Luna. Afterwards, I had plans to take Johnny out for dinner because he did such a good job cleaning the apartment this past week! Since we had a date night, I decided to put together a little look more appropriate for Galentine’s Day to take some pics and go out in. Granted, we ended up just DoorDashing because tired but we did go to a different bathroom brick wall at another local park so it was still a successful day! Lol, check it out:

image_6483441(9)image_6483441(10)image_6483441(7)image_6483441(8)image_6483441(11)

Who? What? Wear?

Although we should be celebrating our lady friends every day, there is something about Galentine’s Day that just hits different! Whether you’re brunching with your besties or hitting up happy hour on G-Day, I wanted to put together some outfit inspiration so you can look your best with your best girls. For this look, I wanted to use pieces in my wardrobe that were both cute, cozy, and would open up the conversation of “where did you get that?” to initiate shopping talk – a very important Galentine’s Day component!

When I first started styling my Galentine’s Day OOTD, I had my plaid skinnies by Sound & Style in mind. Afterwards, everything came into place easily because it just took a little common sense. While I love a patterned pant, they are not the most versatile and all I did was draw from the plaid to build the rest of the outfit. The base of this look pretty much had to be navy because of the base color on the pants. Then, I turned to the pinky mauve hue of the plaid to accessorize.

For the top, I chose my unicorn sweater from Loft. This was a gift from my mom a few Christmases ago and it is one of my favorites. You might notice that the navy on the sweater, pants, and peacoat is not a perfect match and that is okay! When you are styling a more monochromatic look, do not let yourself get bogged down by something like that or you will end up scrapping everything. The variants in the color you are working with will add some interest to a minimal outfit palette. As long as it is close enough, you are all good!

Because there was a pattern on my pants and top, I wanted to keep the accessories to a minimum. I went with my glittery pink hoops from Target, which I love. No Galentine’s Day look is complete without a little sparkle! These earrings added brightness around my face and note how I simply used the colors in the plaid pants to make my selection. The same process was used for the shoes. These heels are god knows how old from Plato’s Closet and were actually one of the first pairs that helped stoke the fires of my shoe addiction! The color of the heels is essentially the shade of the detailing in the pants in its brightest form and it added a poppy touch of fun to the look.

Finally, all that was left was a coat or jacket and I knew just what I wanted to put on – my peacoat from ModCloth. This was one of my first ModCloth purchases and I have had it since I was a teenager. Despite its age, it’s one of my favorite coats because it is just so adorable! The cobalt blue heart patches and piping are the girly sweet details that are a Galentine’s Day essential. While super cute, the cobalt also helped break up the sea of navy and was the perfect way to complete my outfit!

Celebrate your Galentine’s Day in style with the outfit inspo above and have the best time celebrating with your best friends! ❤

Do you celebrate Galentine’s Day? What are you going to wear and do? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb7

Chocolate Making Fun

Posted on by
Standard
Chocolate Making Fun

Hello!! Last Thursday, I spent what felt like my first free-ish afternoon in forever making homemade chocolate with my mother-in-law. It was SO much fun! Johnny’s mom is amazing at making chocolate and used to have her own small candy business with a friend. We made Christmas chocolates together a few years ago and had plans to do the same this past holiday season. Unfortunately, both of Johnny’s parents came down with a nasty bout of the flu so we opted for Valentine’s Day candy, instead. Take a look at some of my chocolate creations:

image_50425089(4)image_50395393(3)image_50384129(2)image_6487327(17)

When I got to my in-laws after a short shift, Johnny’s mom had all of our supplies ready to go. The chocolate wafers were melting, paintbrushes of every size were procured, and a crazy amount of V-Day molds were in place to make confectionery magic. It had been a while since I tried my hand at making chocolate and, I admit, I was a bit nervous that I had lost my touch. However, I forgot just how easy making chocolate actually is and quickly picked up where we left off the last time.

To start, I decided to make some lollipops while my MIL made salted caramel hearts filled with caramel that I can’t freaking wait to try!! I began with the smaller molds that had the “Love” and heart details. I painted in the small parts of the mold with a tiny brush and colored chocolate, then let it harden in the fridge for a minute or two. Afterwards, all that was left was to add the stick, fill the remainder of the mold with melted chocolate, and stick it back in the fridge. And voila! Once it hardens, you have a handmade chocolate sucker. 😀

I had so much fun with the lollies that I wanted to make more and did the big hearts with roses next. Then, Johnny’s mom suggested that I make the chocolate boxes so we could fill them with little chocolate hearts. While I painted the lids, my MIL made tons of itty bitty hearts to make what I think of as a chocolate treasure chest. I am so excited to give my niece one for a Valentine’s Day surprise!

Although I had free time that afternoon, I was still on a bit of a time crunch and we concluded our time together by making pretzel rods. This was pretty tedious because the molds were quite intricate and required a lot of painting. I just know they are going to turn out adorable, though, with painted on white, light pink, hot pink, and red hearts. I love everything about making chocolate but I can live without waiting until seeing the end result lol.

I had such a blast with my mother-in-law and we already have our sights set on an Easter candy making session. I am even bringing my niece, Val Gal, to join in and I am so looking forward to it! ❤

Have you ever made chocolate before? What is your favorite kind of candy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb6

TJMaxx Mini Haul

Posted on by
Standard
TJMaxx Mini Haul

Hello!! Thanks to lots of Christmas gift cards to TJMaxx, I have been able to enjoy completely guilt free shopping trips for goodies and necessities. But let’s be honest, gift card or no – I never feel guilty when I’m getting my shop on lol! What is buyer’s remorse, anyways? This past week, I stopped into TJs because I needed a few trash cans and I was on the hunt for a new chapstick for my constantly chapped lips. I ended up walking away with all of the following for only thirty dollars:

image_50398465image_50454017(1)

The trash can situation for the bathrooms in my apartment was a unique one. We only had one bathroom at our old place and this might be TMI but I ended up ralphing in the trash can we had and threw it out. Rather than invest in a new one, I decided to repurpose the brown paper bags that Giant Eagle used to use to pack up curbside orders. We seriously had a ton and we brought our supply to our new apartment with two bathrooms. The brown paper bag trash can was working well when, suddenly, Giant Eagle quit using them and our collection quickly began to dwindle down. Buying new trash cans was finally in order and I got the two seen above for under twenty dollars. Johnny and I are officially living the high life. 😀

For skin care, I was mainly looking for a new chapstick and ended up walking away with a few extras. For my lip chap, I got the Pacifica Rainbow Watermelon balm and it is really nice! It definitely has a lot more oomph to it than the drugstore brand I’ve been using and it smells exactly like the watermelon Lip Smackers from back in the day as an added bonus. I also decided to give the lip mask by Dr. PawPaw a try partially because the brand name is hilarious and I also never say no to a product that has the potential to soften, smooth, and plump my pout!

Finally, I got an extra serum by Pearlessence to get my skin care hoard back to fully stocked status. I have used a few Pearlessence products before and like the brand well enough and went with their Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid serum. I have no idea what Ferulic Acid is but the sunset coloring of the serum was so pretty that I decided to go for it. Clearly, it doesn’t take much for me to give something my stamp of approval lol.

While this wasn’t the most exciting TJs Haul, I still got everything I needed and then some. I can’t wait to go back when their spring clothes finally hits the racks!

What is your favorite chapstick? What are essential ingredients in your skin care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb5

New Light Pink & Bright Pink Glitter Nails

Posted on by
Standard
New Light Pink & Bright Pink Glitter Nails

Hello!! Last week, I fell down several of the hardwood stairs at my mom and dad’s house and it was AWFUL. I was battered and bruised everywhere and I hate to brag but the bruise on my hindquarters looked like a galaxy lol. As I was falling and realized what was happening, I assumed the protective position to avoid breaking a nail because you all know where my priorities lie! I was so proud of this accomplishment, so you could imagine how pissed I was the following day when I broke a nail from simply carrying my groceries in!! I was in desperate need of a fill and repairs, and my girl Mary at Elysian Nails delivered with these adorable Valentine’s Day talons:

image_50385409(1)image_50398209(5)

Normally, I am not one for holiday themed nails. However, I LOVE creating Valentine’s Day OOTDs and I wanted my nails to reflect that. I originally was playing around with a combination incorporating white but I wasn’t feeling red and white and pink and white reminded me of Pepto Bismol haha. So, I decided to go for pretty in pink, instead, and chose a soft light pink and a sassy, glittery bright pink for some sweet/tart fun. I think they turned out great!

Mary expertly replaced my badly broken nail that I had to repair with super glue as well as one that was lifting. She also applied the acrylic thicker than normal to help support the stiletto shape. My nails have seriously never felt better or stronger and I appreciated the time she took to fortify the claws. The last fill I had was done by my friend in my apartment and her acrylic wasn’t the best. I didn’t even notice how flimsy my nails were until I got back into the salon and high quality acrylic was used. While it was so nice to get my nails done from the comfort of my own home, I will definitely be sticking to the salon from now on.

This trip to Elysian Nails was much needed and I am in love with my girly V-Day nails. I can’t wait to show them off in new OOTDs coming soon so keep it posted!!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? What are your thoughts on holiday themed nails? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb4

Bath & Body Works January Freebies

Posted on by
Standard
Bath & Body Works January Freebies

Hello! I got two freebie coupons from Bath & Body Works last week for a full and travel size item and I couldn’t believe my good luck. Free full size product coupons are a rarity from B&BW and I couldn’t wait to cash them in. Tuesday afternoons are usually when I run errands so I stopped in to pick out some goodies and ended up walking away with twenty-three dollars worth of completely free product. It was awesome! Check it out:

image_50400769(5)

I decided to go for a shower gel for my full size product because I recently bought a few lotions from B&BW on the cheap. I was in the mood to try a new scent out and was instantly drawn to the dreamy packaging for one of their new fragrances called Among The Clouds. I loved the sparkle and sunset colors – it just looked so sweet and girly and I knew that it had to smell good. And it did! Among The Clouds features fragrance notes of wild berry and whipped vanilla and it is divine. It kind of reminds me of the Mixed Berry Lip Smackers from back in the day and I think that it will be a perfect scent for the spring and summer. I highly recommend giving it a shot!

For my travel size item, I chose a hand cream in Gingham, which is one of my favorite B&BW fragrance lines. I have used the Bath & Body Works hand cream before and I can’t say that I was overly impressed by it. Their hand creams are fairly greasy and don’t absorb well. However, you can’t beat free and I suppose it doesn’t matter all that much when I only use it before bed!

As I was driving home with my free mini haul, I was blown away by the coupons from B&BW. In total, Johnny and I probably spend less than one hundred dollars per year at Bath & Body Works for our hand soaps and wallflowers. The rest of the products that I get are free nine times out of ten and I receive a coupon for more at least once per month. A monthly free travel size product coupon results in over one hundred dollars of free per year. Essentially, B&BW matches what I spend with freebies and I am so there for it. 😀

This coupon cash in session was one of my best yet at Bath & Body Works and I was riding the high of twenty plus dollars of free my whole way home. I can’t wait to go back next month because I think that I will definitely be getting more Among The Clouds products!

Which stores offer the best coupons? How do you save money on your must have products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb3

Brand New Pizza Experience

Posted on by
Standard
Brand New Pizza Experience

Hello!! After a whirlwind experience this past week of both good and bad oven pizza, Johnny and I wrapped things up with a brand new to me pie: Little Caesars. All of last week, we had been planning on watching the wrestling Royal Rumble on Saturday purely for shits and gigs. It was actually a hoot and we might just become wrestling people because it was so funny! Anyways, we decided to order some pizza because a friend was coming by for the big show and Johnny suggested Little Caesars. I had never tried it before and was, honestly, very ambivalent – so, you can imagine my surprise when it was the friggen bomb!

image_50446081(6)image_50750209(2)

When Johnny and I order out, pizza is usually our way to go because then he can take the leftovers for his lunch at work. While we are partial to Domino’s and Papa John’s, I was totally fine with switching things up for our Royal Rumble meal purely from a cost perspective. A large cheese pizza, a large pepperoni, a meat deep dish, and crazy bread was only THIRTY DOLLARS from Little Ceasars and you just can’t beat that. For price alone, Little Caesars was already winning but I still held my reservations because how can something so cheap be good? However, one bite in made me eat my words.

Johnny recommended the cheese Extra Most Bestest (and yes, I felt just as dumb typing it as I did saying it!) and it did not disappoint. The crust was fairly thin and crisp, there was a perfect amount of sauce, and it was smothered in cheesy delight. I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t that! I told Johnny that this was like a fifty percent improvement from oven pizza and he agreed. This wasn’t a putdown, though, but a compliment. Your girl loves oven pizza so if anything tastes better than that, I consider it a victory. 😀

Watching the Royal Rumble paired with Little Ceasars was the night in that I didn’t know I needed. If you haven’t tried LC and are feeling wishy washy about it, then I highly recommend going for it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised and that’s going to make it even better!

What is your go to take out order? What is your favorite pizza franchise? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Feb2

Unlock Your Home’s Full Potential With These Tips

Posted on by
Standard
Unlock Your Home’s Full Potential With These Tips

Whether you’ve just moved into a new property or you’re eager to upgrade your home in 2023, you must look to do it in style. All properties are unique and homeowners have different visions of what their dream home should look like. However, most people are united by several key desires. You can use the following checklist to unlock the full potential of your home as you renovate:

Add Home Security:

First and foremost, your property should make you feel safe and comfortable. It will be impossible to truly relax and sleep as you should if the home is open to danger. Burglaries are on the rise, but you can deter intruders with surveillance cameras and alarms. Ensuring that you have a good line of vision covering the front garden and backyard can have a very positive impact on your mindset too. If nothing else, it can prevent the emotional and financial fallout of responding to home theft.

Keep Living Spaces Uncluttered:

Tricking the eyes so that they perceive living spaces to be bigger than they are can make a world of difference to the home. Removing clutter by selling unwanted goods or selecting compact furniture can make the home look and feel bigger. When supported by professional house cleaning services, the home will retain its charm. Better still, it can aid the air quality and reduce the risk of health issues. Introducing more natural light and using lighter color schemes may help too.

Give Every Room A Purpose:

There’s nothing worse than keeping a room saved for when friends and family stay over. After all, that guest room or garage could be used as a gym, office, playroom, and so much more. It feels like completing an extension without the stress or expense. This upgrade will help the property feel more aligned with your personal taste. This is a key step towards making the house a home. The fact that it prevents the need to use living spaces for multiple functions is another bonus.

Utilize Outside Spaces:

A little curb appeal goes a long way to setting the right atmosphere for your home. Whether it’s fixing the roof tiles or painting the outside walls, the benefits are clear. Meanwhile, enhancing your backyard spaces will add a whole new dimension to your home life. Aside from the visual benefits, it enables a host of activities. For the best result, you may wish to add sliding doors to connect internal and external areas.

Personalize Your Living Spaces:

It’s great to take inspiration from the latest trends, but you must not forget that the goal is to design a home that you love. If the surroundings are going to deliver the desired levels of emotional comfort, you must add a little personality. This could mean using music memorabilia or family canvases to decorate the walls. Incorporating the personality of your family into your decor will definitely help to make your house feel like a home.

Keep all of these tips in mind as you work on your new year renovations to fully unlock the potential of your home!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Feb2

Build Your Skills: Learn How To Cook

Posted on by
Standard
Build Your Skills: Learn How To Cook

If there is one thing you should get to adulthood knowing how to do, it’s learning to cook. There are many things that people have in common and we all need food. It’s not just food, though, we need nutritious and nourishing food to make sure that our bodies are healthy and have enough energy to get moving.

Who doesn’t enjoy a delicious dinner? And who doesn’t enjoy the pride that comes with being able to prepare it yourself? You can learn to make pizza if you want to, or you could learn to make a truffle risotto, the point is you’ll be learning to cook for yourself. If what you are eating right now is not satisfying you and is draining your pockets because it’s mostly convenience food, then you need to go back to basics and learn how to cook properly. Why? Let’s discuss:

Build Connections:

Cooking and going out to eat helps you to connect with the people that you love. If you think about special occasions, it’s likely that your mind first turns to food before anything else. It has that extraordinary power to link people together and there’s nothing better than either having someone cook for you or cooking somebody something all by yourself. What did you feel the last time somebody cooked something delicious for you? If it made you feel special, then you know that learning how to cook is going to make other people feel that way too.

There’s So Much to Learn:

If you learn how to cook, you could make any cuisine from any country in the world. If you know how to read, you can learn how to cook; and if recipe books aren’t your thing, there are countless video resources to help you too. Whether you are cooking Mexican food or French, or you go with something very simple from scratch, you’re going to feel accomplished as a result.

tex mex food

Save Money:

Eating out can be extremely expensive, and if you learn to cook you’re not going to have to worry about constant takeout for dinner. Cooking your own meals will save you some money so when times are tight, you can recreate your favorite dishes in your own kitchen.

Be a Well Rounded Adult:

Knowing how to cook is an important life skill. Just being able to cook the simplest dishes is a good start. Being a well rounded adult means knowing how to wash your clothes, clean your home, and the basics of hygiene, but it also means knowing how to cook for yourself too.

Unleash your inner Top Chef and begin learning how to cook today. PS – A cooking class would make for a fun and unique Valentine’s Day date!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb2

Be My Valentine OOTD Bloopers

Posted on by
Standard
Be My Valentine OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel for my Be My Valentine OOTD! Today, we are going to take a look at the shots that didn’t make the first cut but are worthy of being shared anyways for humor’s sake. Also, did anyone notice that my usual brick wall that doubles as a bathroom at a park wasn’t featured in this look? That’s right, because we used a brick wall at another park instead lol. It wasn’t a bathroom, unfortunately, but sometimes you just have to roll with the punches! Now, let’s get to it:

Hey, gang! Who’s ready to look at some bloopers?!

image_50332929

Johnny is always making me laugh! I actually kind of like these pictures. ❤

image_50406145(1)image_50396673(1)

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

image_50373889(3)

My “oh shit” face haha

image_50397441(1)

Epic failure of a hair shaking photo, which always turns out like this no matter how hard I try!

image_50368769(1)

The beginning steps of what promises to be a thrilling dance routine…

image_50380801

Spoiler Alert: YIKES!

image_50365953(1)

Just lumbering over to get my phone, which Johnny manages to capture so perfectly every time

image_50376449

That face you make when you find out the memory on your phone is full

image_50410241(2)

As you can see, a new brick wall just brings out the best for your girl lol. When it’s warm out, you can always catch me at more fun locations taking pics. During the wintertime, however, is a totally different story because I share Johnny’s sentiments of “are we done yet?”. Therefore, the brick wall method is employed for maximum picture taking efficiency in three easy steps:

  1. Acquire brick wall
  2. Take pictures for five minutes
  3. Leave

Lol – no muss, no fuss, just wall! Granted, it was a scorching forty degrees when these pictures were taken so it wasn’t all that bad but you get my point. The wall method is also great when you are working with a time crunch, which Johnny and I kind of were. This photo shoot was a win/win because the gorgeous shots you see above now exist AND I found a new brick wall to post up by. GREAT SUCCESS!

What is your favorite background for taking pictures? How does the weather affect your OOTD shoots? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb1

Planning The Perfect Date Night

Posted on by
Standard
Planning The Perfect Date Night

No matter how long you’ve been together, date night is always important. It’s a time to reconnect and remind yourselves why you fell in love in the first place. Whether you are planning a Friday night on the town or are thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day, here are a few tips to achieve ultimate date night success:

Decide on a Date:

Choosing the right date for a romantic night out is an important step in planning the perfect evening. It’s essential to pick a day and time that works best for both partners. Consider your work schedules and personal commitments when deciding on a date, as well as any special occasions or anniversaries that you might want to celebrate on this night.

It’s also important to think about the season when choosing a date. Spring and summer are ideal times for outdoor activities like picnics or walks in the park, while winter weather makes cozy dinners at home or at restaurants with outdoor heaters more appealing. Plus, certain holidays may offer unique opportunities for fun activities like sledding in December, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Irish cuisine and drinks, or spooktacular fun come Halloween. Escape rooms make for a memorable and interactive date night and you can find ones that fit the Halloween vibe when entering a search for “scary Los Angeles escape rooms” (or your local area). It will be a blast to put your brains to the test together!

Another factor to keep in mind when deciding on a date is budgeting. Going out for expensive meals every week might not be feasible for everyone, so look into different cost-effective options too. You could order takeout and have it delivered right to your doorstep, visit free museums or parks, or even host a game night at home with your own board game collection!

Pick a Place:

Once you’ve decided on the date and time for your night out, it’s time to think about where you’d like to go. If you’re going out to eat, pick a restaurant such as the Cathedral Bistro that both partners can enjoy. It might be helpful to look into local restaurants with reviews or recommendations from friends. The last thing you want is a bad experience on a night out! You can also make a search for lists like the “best restaurants in central pa” on Google to find a perfect date night spot. For activities away from home, consider what you two would be interested in doing together – from bowling alleys and movie theaters, to museums and art galleries, there are plenty of unique options available.

If you decide on staying home instead, there are lots of ways to create a romantic atmosphere at home. Make an effort to decorate the living space with candles or fresh flowers. A gorgeous bouquet is such a sweet date night gesture and will always be appreciated. Check out Singapore Florist at https://www.singaporeflorist.com.sg/ (or your local area) to get inspired by arrangements and colors that your partner would love. Then, put on some relaxing music as a backdrop, cook a special meal together, or watch a classic romantic movie and eat lots of chocolate. 😀

Have Fun:

No matter what you decide to do on your date night, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy each other’s company. Share stories and jokes, talk about old memories, plan for future events…the possibilities are endless! Date night is all about making time for one another and showing that you care; and that doesn’t require spending lots of money or going out to fancy restaurants. The best part of planning the perfect date night is that it can be whatever you want to make it perfect for you. Get creative and have some fun with it!

The key to having a successful date night is to make a plan and have a blast for a #relationshipgoals worthy time!

Featured Image By: Pexels