Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts

A Deep Breath

I'm VERY much looking forward to yoga with the work fam over Zoom tomorrow. It's time to step back, take a deep breath, and set new intentions. Last week was a rough one folks - on top of the awful acts that went down at our nation's capitol I was also insanely stressed at work and in my personal life as we await some test results on a family member. Social media has become such a place of hate and judgement. I saw a lot of polls that people held where people felt they were damned if they do and damned if they don't. It's incredibly important to get the word out for real change and healing in our beautiful nation. However, I do not for one second judge those who choose to sign off for a while and not fill up their cup with stress and hate. We all cope in different ways, and need this time to heal. I do judge those who act as if nothing is happening and continue posting about $500 dresses that you just "have to have" right now. Yep... major side-eye. Read the room people. 


Let's try to start this fresh new week feeling a little less anxious, and filled with hope. Thankfully, a small handful of our population does not represent the majority of us. Most people are saddened by last week's events and ready to move forward towards much needed healing. No matter what side you are on, we are all looking forward to much needed peace. And I'd like to take a look at the good things that have happened so far in this brand new year.



But first coffee is always my motto (unless it's Champs of course), and when I tried to spread some positivity on the 'gram the other day I asked people to tell me something GOOD. Christine responded saying she just tried the new Pistachio Latte at Starbucks and it was amazing. I of course, picked one up the next morning before tackling housework and it was delish! So good, my bestie decided to cash in her birthday reward on one and loved it too. 


I've been self-isolating at home as we prepare for a big work event this weekend. We are filming it on a stage, but streaming it around the world since we won't have a live physical audience. With all the time at home means all the comfort. Ain't nobody got time for jeans or bras... or makeup for that matter - ha! Other than walks outside with Lil' Miss and the pup, I've been cozied up inside in these slippers which keep my notoriously cold feet nice and toasty. 





And alas - the lighting in my room just is what it is. These were taken when the sun was shining bright outside, both bedside table lamps on AND using the ring light tripod my mom sent me for Christmas. I'm a dunce at photo editing (everything you always see is un-touched), so this is life. Along with cords hanging from the tv on the wall, and paint chips in the background as we prepare to re-paint and brighten up our space. 


Slippers and good coffee, a negative COVID test for above mentioned work event, re-organizing closets as we put away the Christmas decor, and tomorrow's Zoom yoga class. All very good things in addition to the obvious amazing things like family, friends, remaining employed with the ability to work from home during this time, and our sweet girl. I'm focusing on that, cheers to a great week! 



Blush Please

Target does it again! I mean... don't they always? I've been living in the white cut offs (styled here) and the crochet medium wash (styled here and here), and now these blush beauties caught my eye so of course I scooped them up. They are by far the most comfortable pair yet, and I love the subtle pop of color that'll carry me through the next few months because Florida does fall when up north is hiding from old man winter - zero complaints here.

Shorts {only $20!} - Target | Top - Express | Sunnies {similar} - Tory Burch | Necklace - Rocksbox | Lipstick in Effervescent - NYX | Double Ring - Kendra Scott





What are some of your favorite go-to pairs of shorts?

Shop the Look

Cozy Weekending

A cozy quiet weekend after the hustle and bustle of the holidays was exactly what we needed. And with the super chilly temps that moved into the sunshine state baking, going out for coffee, and binge watching a new to me series on Netflix with glasses of rose was even more perfect.



Scarf {Sold Out - similar}- BP. at Nordstrom | Jeans - Rag and Bone | Sweater {similar} - Merona for Target | Heels {old} - Colin Stuart for Victoria's Secret | Sunnies - Le Specs | Double Ring - Kendra Scott | Lipstick - MAC


I've been going through Downton Abbey withdrawals, and was super excited when I heard about this new Netflix series based on Queen Elizabeth II. It doesn't have the humor that I really enjoyed about Downtown Abbey or the close look at both upstairs and downstairs, but it's another amazing story about British royalty/aristocracy that makes you want to continue watching until that empty feeling of no more new episodes. 

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Joining Biana and Meghan for Weekending
and
Erin for Weekend Snapshots

*Cheers to a fabulous week*

It's the little things....

One of my favorite things on Christmas morning is coming downstairs to see the stockings full of fun goodies hanging by the fireplace.

Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide
Rollerball - "Live Colorfully" by Kate Spade | Mascara - Maybelline | Lipstick - Burt's Bees | Bath Bomb - LUSH | Nail Polish - "Party on a Platform" by Essie | Candle - Bath and Body Works | Baked Highlighter - E.L.F.

I'm always so excited to see what fun treats are inside my stocking on Christmas morning, and both my mom (yes she still sends me a Christmas stocking with our gifts - isn't she fabulous?) and my husband are great at finding the perfect items to wrap in "Santa paper" aside from holiday candy. 

Rollerballs are a great stocking stuffer, since they're a lower price point than the full perfume bottle and can be kept in your purse for an on the go re-fresh. No surprise here, that I love Kate Spade's Live Colorfully. It even looks festive!

A bold lip is always a good idea, especially around the holidays. I can't get enough of Burt's Bees' new lipsticks which can be found at Target or Macys for only $9 each. The best part is they are 100% natural and provide 8 hours of moisture in the winter dry air.

I have a makeup drawer full of beautiful highlighters, but you can't beat the price of E.L.F.'s baked highlighter that you can pick up at Target. It's so shimmery and beautiful, and surprisingly pigmented for a long lasting affect. While in the makeup aisle at Target or Ulta, you can also pick up my drugstore holy grail mascara. Other than Benefit's They're Real! this is hands down my favorite mascara, as it provides the best length, volume, and long lasting power. 

Bath and Body Works has the most amazing 3-wick candles, and their holiday scents have me saying "Yankee Candle who?" Only found during the holiday season, Champagne Toast will bring you right through NYE with hints of glittering champagne, wild berries, and tangerine zest. 

Essie nail polishes and LUSH bath bombs are the perfect pampering gifts for an at home spa night. Light your Champagne Toast candle, and pour yourself a glass of wine or the whole bottle and relax. 

And who doesn't like the gift of coffee? Daily Starbucks runs are not cheap, but it is fun to treat yourself especially with all their delicious holiday drinks. A gift card peeking out of the top of your stocking is a nice finishing touch.

What are some of your favorite small treats found in your stocking on Christmas morning?


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Linking up today with Rebecca for That Friday Blog Hop, April for 5 on Friday, Tif for High Five for Friday, Lauren for Fab Favorites, and Amanda for Friday Favorites. Hop on over and join us! Happy Friday!


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If you don't already link up with the girls for H54F, hop on over and link up with Tif, Katie, or Della. I'm honored that they reached out to me to be this week's featured blogger. A fun Friday link up filled with some awesome ladies to check into each week.

Thanksgiving Weekending

Happy Cyber Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends.

Thanksgiving Day started with coffee, mimosas, cinnamon rolls, and the parade before heading down the street to my fav neighbor's for dinner.




After sleeping in on Friday (no crazy early morning Black Friday shopping for me, and let's not even go there with the stores that open on Thanksgiving - that's not Black Friday that's "Black Turkey"), I picked up an eggnog latte in a beautiful red cup and hit up Best Buy and Target and scored all the deals I was hoping to at both places without sacrificing my Thanksgiving or sleep on Friday morning. 

The rest of the day was spent decorating for Christmas and watching Christmas specials while eating yummy leftovers. Perfection.


On Saturday it was time for our annual tradition of going to the tree farm with friends to pick out this year's Christmas tree. 



*Family picture in front of our tree*


That evening, Pamela and the boys came over for game night. She brought over some bubbles for us to enjoy since we hadn't cheers'd together with champs in almost 10 months and were overdue! 



Sunday was all about decking the halls with decorating the tree and listening to Christmas music. Oh Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra how I've missed you!



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Joining Biana and Meghan for Weekending
and
Erin for Weekend Snapshots

*Cheers to a fabulous week*
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So many amazing sales! 

You can find my picks from the Shopbop sale here. Up to 25% off with offer code GOBIG16 + free shipping.
Kate Spade - 30% off with code WIRED
Express - 50% off everything + free shipping
Rocksbox - Sign up with offer code greenfashionistaxoxo and receive a free month. Buy a gift and you'll also receive $15 in forever credit.
Nordstrom - An extra 20% off selected items (including Hunter and Topshop) + free shipping.
Amazon - deals found here
Target - deals found here + an extra 15% off entire purchase.
MAC Cosmetics - free overnight shipping with offer code CYBER or a kit with 5 free samples with offer code SAMPLES


**Don't forget to go through Ebates (sign up here and receive $10 + cash back on every purchase)or Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping for points towards flights. I've earned several free flights from shopping through Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping over the past few years.**

Happy Shopping!

Weekending + Birth Story

The first weekend of November was filled with perfect weather, grilling with friends, and some extra sleep since baby girl is *thankfully* starting to sleep in longer stretches at night.

Coasters and Book - Kate Spade | Stemless Champagne Glasses - Crate and Barrel | Champagne Bears - Sugarfina
As I mentioned on Friday, there was an extra 30% off sale items at Kate Spade with offer code CHEERS + free shipping. The adorable bathing suit I was eyeing for baby girl was sold out *womp womp*, but I couldn't resist this tee and scooped it up for only $14 and it'll be wrapped up waiting for her under the Christmas tree next month.

Friday brought the return of bubbles and patio happy hours, and on Saturday some friends came over to meet lil' miss. We grilled out, played some corn hole, and had some more bubbles.






Sunday was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed some spiced cold brews (which were DELISH! - I subbed out the sweet cream in mine and replaced it with skim) and some shopping.


Serena's Birth Story

As many of you know, lil' miss was fashionably late and there ended up being a reason why I never went into labor on my own. I had a scheduled induction at 41 weeks, and arrived at the hospital in the early morning to be admitted and start the process. By late that afternoon, nothing was happening still so they decided to move me off the labor and delivery floor and give me something that would help speed up the process overnight and to help me sleep.

Well, about a half hour after I got into my new room I was in excruciating pain and counting down the minutes until I could call the nurse back in for more pain meds never even fathoming that I could actually be in labor. I was in agony pacing around the room, in and out of the bathroom thinking I would be sick from the pain (thankfully I never was), and thrashing around trying to find some relief. I finally hit the nurse call button, and said "I need pain medicine now!" The nurse rushed in, but with a team of others since she must have known I was in labor (which I didn't at the time), and they did a check and sure enough I was in full blown labor *finally*. So they quickly moved me back to labor and delivery where the anesthesiologist came in, and asked if I wanted an epidural. I originally thought I may be able to go without it, but I was in such excruciating pain that I immediately said YES please! I was nervous about the "big needle", but I never even saw it and they numbed the area beforehand and I immediately felt relief and began to look, sound, and feel human again. I was able to carry on conversation with H, my mom, and the nurses and doctors and even enjoy some tv before it was time to start pushing.

They had to break my water which never broke on it's own, and then they had me start pushing which was off and on for a few hours. I was totally oblivious to the fact that no progress was being made, and that the doctors and nurses kept leaving the room to have discussions because the baby's heart rate kept dropping every time I tried to push because she was in distress. Eventually, the doctor sat down with me and said we needed to explore other options. I never imagined having a c-section, and was trying my best to avoid having one. But the doctor highly suggested it as the safest route because even if the baby started to make her way out, she would most likely get stuck because of how my pelvis was shaped. This was why I never went into labor on my own, and she wasn't moving on out after all the pushing. I made the tough decision to have a c-section because it was the safest option for both me and baby girl. As soon as I agreed to the c-section, I burst into tears because it was the opposite of my "birth plan" and a team rushed in to prep me and to dress H up in scrubs so he could accompany me.

The procedure itself was painless, and I just felt a little pressure. H held my hand through it, and neither of us will ever forget hearing the words "She's out!" and waiting for what seemed like forever (it was only a few seconds) to hear her crying for the first time. They held her up so we could see her, and then took H with them to go get her cleaned up, weighed, measured, etc... They brought her back over to me so I could hold her on my chest, and we had our first family picture.


The whole situation was surreal, and I was so loopy afterwards and slept a bit before we were all reunited in what would be our room for the next few days. I cannot rave enough about the nursing staff at the hospital who were a step above any other caregiver I've ever encountered. I'm assuming they have a very rigorous/strict hiring process and only hire the best. I struggled with pain and some other recovery issues while there, and the nursing staff was nothing short of amazing as was H who stepped up and had to take care of baby girl the majority of the time the first few days when I couldn't get out of bed. I already know we're going to be a great team!


Truths ~ Recovery from a c-section is no joke and neither is the sleep deprivation that comes with having a newborn. But I will shout from the rooftops that it's all more than worth it, and it's amazing how quickly all is forgotten while looking into her beautiful eyes.

We've had lots of visitors so far including my parents who were down for the birth, my aunt and uncle who happened to be driving through from the Keys, Emily and K, our fav neighbors, and good friends over the weekend. She can't wait to go to her first BBQ at Emily and K's this weekend and meet more friends.

Coffee is always a good idea

I'm always a fan of fun graphic tees, and when I stumbled upon one that expressed my undying love for coffee I knew I had to have it. I proudly wore this tee to pick up the $3 grande fall drink special at Starbucks last weekend. Speaking of... to sound even more basic (at least that's not a PSL in the pic - it's a Salted Caramel Mocha w/ skim), has anyone been able to find the fall cups like they had last year?

Graphic Tee - Private Party | Shorts {similar} - Express | Shoes - Sperry | Necklace - Rocksbox | Sunnies - Tory Burch | Watch - Kate Spade | Double Ring - Kendra Scott | Nails - Essie Flowerista








 *Another non-maternity piece, can't wait to see how this fits in a few weeks after baby girl is born*