How cute are these lunch boxes?? There are so many adorable options to choose from and they are all under $20! I don't have kiddos but if I did that Hedgehog lunch box would be my first choice. So cute!
New School Year Essentials
Teacher friends, this post is for you! It's the start of the school year so that means new clothes and some other essentials. If you have to go back to work, why not have on a cute outfit and some other fun items?? In teacher terms, fun is what I call new pens and a lunch box haha. I just get excited when I get new school supplies! :) And a planner is like my ultimate exciting item!
These pens are so essential for grading and editing papers. I LOVE them! Plus the fun colors make them that much better.
I found this planner on Etsy and I'm obsessed! I love my Erin Condren planner but I'm really sick of buying stickers for it. I know, I know... I've gone on and on about planner stickers but when you spend $20 for a pack that essentially gets you through one, maybe two weeks, that's kind of crazy. Without the stickers, it's just not as functional and it's a little too big. I'm not giving up on it yet but I'm really contemplating this adorable planner. What do you guys think??
If you've read any of my blog posts then you probably know that I LOVE Old Navy. I always find good things there for a great price. My latest find are their pixie chino pants. They end right at your ankle, which is super flattering. Plus they are super comfortable and have a stretch to them. I bought these maroon (they look red in the picture but they're aren't) pair this past week and I'm going to order the navy and maybe another color. These just make dressing for school so easy and I can wear them with boots when it gets colder. Win win! I also love these gingham crops and this dress.
If you don't have a jean jacket, you need one asap. I've had many over the years but my favorite is a light jean wash that I got from Old Navy several years ago. It has a little bit of stretch, which is nice. I hate things that are too constricting. They just go with EVERYTHING! I wear it with dress pants, black jeans, dresses, skirts, etc.
I have used the same ratty lunch box for two years now lol. I have a hard time finding one that is big enough and will hold several tupperware containers. I usually bring my breakfast, lunch, and a snack to school. I require a lot of space in a lunch bag! I found this cute one online and I wish it was in stores when I bought this one. I like my new bag but the one pictured is even cuter!
I drink a ton of water at school, so a good water bottle is pretty key. I'm such a weirdo about my water and want it to be SUPER cold. My hydroflask does the trick and I'm in love. I've heard these Yeti tumblers are awesome too! I love that they come with a straw because I feel like I drink so much more water with a straw. Does anyone else feel that way??
I hope everyone has a great first week back at school!
Weekend Recap {Date Night & Babies}
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend, I know we did! Mark came home on Friday so we had a date night. It was nice to be able to spend some alone time together! We started the night off at Coasterra. We've been there for a drink or appetizers but never for dinner. The food was super yummy! Next, we went to Balboa park and walked around. There was live music and tons of food trucks. Such a beautiful night! We ended up going to the Museum of Man because they had a night exhibit. We were only there for less than an hour but it was pretty neat.
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| Balboa Park |
Next, we went to the Wine Pub for dessert. Yummy!!
Saturday morning was spent working out, running errands, and cleaning the house. We had some friends over to watch the fight. It ended up being a smaller group than we thought so we watched the Olympics instead and chowed down on sloppy joes, macaroni and cheese, and fruit. The sloppy joes reminded me of home :) We had a blast playing with little Emma. I wish I would have gotten some pictures, oh well! The night was super relaxing and fun.
Sunday morning was spent at church and then hanging out with Sara and her sweet boys. They brought us lunch and hung out at the house for a little :)
We ended the night with grilled chicken, roasted broccoli, and fruit for dinner and getting ready for the rest of the week. I also FINALLY made some progress on my book for our book club. I had a goal to read at least 100 pages today. Whew! We are reading Devil in a White City and it's just been slooow so far.
I'm ready to tackle this week! :) Have a great Monday!
Five on Friday {Hallelujah for the Weekend!}
Happy Friday everyone! This was my first week back at work and it's been rough joining the real world again lol. Who likes setting an alarm?? Not this lady, but it's been a good week. I love where I work and I'm so glad to see everyone again. I am very excited about the weekend though and also excited that Mark comes home today! YAY! :)
1- True Friends
This statement has become more and more true each year. I am so grateful to have the friendships in my life and I know they are true, deep connections. These people listen to me cry and share my heart about the same things over and over and always make me feel like that's totally fine. Just feeling very blessed this week!
2- New Rug
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| ignore the ugly fan, it's crazy hot today! |
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| Rug |
I am in LOVE with this rug. We originally got it for the spare bedroom/ office but it's too big. I think it looks pretty good in the living room though. The pictures are making it look super dark, it's actually much lighter. I can't wait to get some end tables and finish this living room.
3- Fall Decor
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| I'm obsessed with the crushed velvet pumpkin! |
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| I can't wait to put this owl by my front door. Adorable! |
You guys I did it... I bought fall decor in August. That's terrible, it's not fall yet! I couldn't help myself though. These pumpkins are so stinking cute and they were 40% off and I had an extra 20% off coupon. Score! Head to Joann's to find them.
4- Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
I'm in love with these enchiladas. I've made them so many times and they are always a hit. I got the recipe from Natasha's blog. Check it out here.
5- Traveller Love
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| Buy it here |
I am loving this album. My hubby has been obsessed for awhile so I downloaded it too. So good!! Also, is anyone else in love with Thomas Rhett and his wife?? My goodness, they are the cutest!
Delirium Trilogy
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| Buy it here |
I've been on a serious reading kick.... between books and The Good Wife, I've been busy haha. I flew through the Delirium Trilogy and LOVED the books. I usually resist reading the young adult action genre because I always think they aren't my "thing." It's when I finally pick them up that I realize I LOVE these kind of books lol. I wanted to share a glimpse of all the books in the series but if I do, I would be giving everything away. Let's just start with the first book.
In the series opener, Delirium, we learn about this "new" United States where love has become a thing of the past and is considered a very dangerous disease. People must get cured right after their 18th birthday to ensure the safety and continuation of society. The problem with the "cure" is that people aren't the same after the procedure and good results aren't always guaranteed.
Meet the main character, Lena Holloway. She's a 17-year old girl living with her aunt and uncle after the death of her mother. She is anxiously awaiting her cure appointment so she isn't threatened with the awful alternative, the disease. Lena knows the terrible side-effects of those who are not cured, and it has terrified her since she was little.
Throughout the book, Lena is tempted to go against her goody-toe-shoe ways to try and stop her best friend from her reckless acts of sneaking out and listening to forbidden music. Lena knows they just need to make it a few shorts months until their cure and they will be fine. Why is her friend pushing the boundaries now?? Also, there's a boy, Alex, that seems to pry this new risky side out of Lena, not without some serious resistance though.
The book becomes much more complicated when surprise surprise, the government doesn't seem to just be protecting the citizens. It seems they are being sheltered and then beaten into submission when they cross the line. Lena is shocked to realize the truth but soon encounters another betrayal in Alex. Will she follow her heart or keep on her straight and narrow path?? Read the book to find out :)
Weekend Recap {Zoo Time & Country Concert}
Hi everyone! Today is my first day back to school. I have mixed feelings about it... I'm excited to see my friends but sad that I have to wake up at 5:30 again and join the real world lol. We had a really fun weekend though... great way to end my summer break.
I'm starting my weekend from Thursday, because summer is a permanent weekend, right?? I went to the zoo with my friend Ashley and her adorable little one, Emma. We had a great day!
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| rhino butts haha |
Then on Friday, I worked out and ran the last bit of errands I needed to do before heading back to work. Kayla and Greg came over for awhile before we had dinner at Luna Grill. Super relaxing day!
Saturday morning, we woke up early to go on a hike up Iron Mountain. HOLY MOLY it was hot and the hike kicked my butt! So beautiful when we got to the top though.
Later on, we had Kayla, Greg, and Emily over for dinner before the Jason Aldean concert. I made the orange chicken recipe again from Whitney Bond's blog. SO YUMMY! I also made her fried rice recipe minus the steak and all the sriracha lol.
We left with plenty of time to get to the concert but we ended up waiting in line FOREVER to get into the parking lot. I mean like over an hour :( We were bummed because we missed Thomas Rhett :( We still had a great time at the concert though!
Sunday was spent running errands, hanging out with a new business partner and her adorable little girl, and trying to soak up the last little bit of summer. I hope you all have a happy Monday!!
Road Trip Part 2: Big Bear
Our second part of the trip was to Big Bear, CA. Our very sweet friends let us stay in their adorable cabin. THANK YOU guys so much!! We left Idyllwild Monday morning and made it to Big Bear in about 2.5 hours. Not bad! We immediately went to Big Bear Lake Brewing Company to grab some lunch and to watch the Olympics... of course! We ate the most delicious avocado bomb. Basically it was an avocado filled with raw spicy tuna and crab, then fried in a tempura batter. Oh my goodness, it was delicious! We couldn't get enough. We spent the rest of the day checking out the little village area and watching more Olympics.
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| Half-eaten Avocado bomb. YUM! |
We had dinner at Saucy Mama's and while the service wasn't great, the food was awesome. They were just super understaffed and couldn't handle the amount of people that were there. Thankfully, we had lots of time to hang out :)
The next morning we went to the Copper Q to have a light breakfast before our workout. The place was so cute I couldn't help but take pictures of the decor. The coffee was yummy as well!
We headed to a local park to do a partner workout. The altitude kicked my butt but at least we got it done! We drove around to a local book sale, then checked out the wooden carvings. We really wanted a little bear or bald eagle but holy moly they are expensive! Needless to say, we left empty-handed.
Our plan was to spend the day at the beach/ swim area. Sadly, the lake levels are super low this year and the beach access area was closed. Such a bummer.
We ended up going to watch more Olympics and hung out in an outside area of 572 Social. We highly recommend that restaurant because they have live music and a great patio! Then we went to the Alpine slide to let our inner-child loose. So fun!!
We had dinner at Saucy Mama's again because we were craving pizza. The service was much better the 2nd time around :) We finished our night with some yummy treats. A s'mores caramel apple for Mark and ice cream for me.
We spent our last morning eating breakfast at the Little Bear Restaurant and cleaning up the cabin. Mark went on an early morning bike ride and I watched The Good Wife. Guys, I'm obsessed with this show. I know I am WAY behind the times but I just realized what I was missing. Anyways, we left around 11 a.m. and it was a easy drive home. We had such a wonderful time on our little getaway. Sometimes you just need to get out of the house for awhile, to really appreciate life. :)
Road Trip Part 1: Idyllwild, CA
I'm back! We just got home from our road trip yesterday so I wanted to get a post up today to share what we did. The first part of our trip was spent in Idyllwild, CA. We both had never been there before but our fiends Emily and James recommended it. We loved this cute little mountain town!
If you remember from my post a few weeks ago, we were actually supposed to be in Cancun but had to cancel our trip last minute. We knew we still wanted to go somewhere but we weren't exactly sure where and for how long. Our trip came together the day before we left. Way to wait to the last minute, right???
When I was looking for lodging, I wanted to find a B&B. We've stayed in a couple before and LOVED them. Since this was so last minute I ended up going with an Inn that was reasonably priced and had vacancies. I couldn't afford to be picky with such short notice. We ended up staying at the Creekstone Inn and LOVED it. The inn wasn't a B&B but they had coffee around the clock and a kitchen open to the guests. The woman running the inn was super friendly and made us feel right at home. I choose the "Out West" room, out of the available themes. It was a good choice because Mark was obsessed with it haha. We peaked at the other rooms when they were open (after the guests had left) and really liked the other themes too. I still think we had the best one though. :) The inn was walking distance to everything and was the perfect place for us to stay.
Our first day there was spent checking out the town and finding places to watch the Olympics. The Olympics were a common theme of our entire trip haha. We wandered into a Mexican restaurant at first but the service was terrible and we ended up leaving. The next place we went to was Jo Ann's. They lured us in with the live music and yummy-smelling BBQ. We walked around some more and headed back to the room to rest and change for dinner.
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| Cafe Aroma |
We ate dinner at Care Aroma. I had done a little bit of research before we went up to Idyllwild and knew this was a place we wanted to try. The food was SO yummy! I highly recommend making reservations because they were PACKED.
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| Mark's dinner- vegetable stuffed Portobello mushrooms with a balsamic drizzle |
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| my dinner- ravioli with sun dried tomatoes and a garlic, olive oil, and tomato sauce. YUMMM! |
Afterwards, we went to Idyology, which was right across from our inn. We hung out on the deck, listened to the live music, and played card games. The perfect night!
The next day we went on the hunt for a good hike. We ended up at the ranger station to get a hiking pass and he sent us on a hike that he said would leave us sweating and breathing hard. Boy, was he right! He told us the hike was 3.3 miles each way and we would climb about 1,600 ft. We were already pretty high in the mountains, so we knew this was going to be a challenge. The hike was hard but beautiful. It also ended up being around 7.7 miles total and it kicked my booty. My legs and butt were so sore the next day lol. I also got pretty dehydrated and had a killer headache when we got back. Mark had me on a water drinking schedule but I still didn't drink enough. Thank goodness he was there to get me Powerade, snacks, and Advil. :)
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| the view from our hike :) |
We relaxed for the rest of the day and then ate at Arribas for dinner. It wasn't my favorite place to eat but they were playing the Olympics. Win for us!
On our last morning we went to a local coffee shop to grab a light breakfast and read for awhile outside. Two of my favorite things- books and coffee! I finished The Cursed Child that morning. I'll be posting a Book Over-Review soon! Afterwards, we checked out and headed to our next part of the trip. More on that to come!
