Happy Friday!
What are you gearing up for this weekend? We have a friend’s birthday party tonight (HBD Steve!!) and I’m planning a little “mystery” date night for Neal tomorrow. (Shhh, he doesn’t know where we’re going, but I’ll fill you in next week!)
Lately, I’ve found myself appreciating little random things more and more. I don’t really know what it is–I think it might have something to do with current events happening in the U.S. right now, but I’m a little more aware than usual of what I have to be thankful for–both big and small–and trying to be cognizant of focusing on the good (not the bad).
You know what they say–it’s always the little things, right? So, here are five little random things I’m really loving right now. (Who knows, maybe this will turn into a series! Let me know your thoughts!)
My first [ever] real floor length mirror
My birthday present from Neal’s family was THE beautiful gold floor length mirror I’ve been wanting FOREVER. I don’t remember if I told you or not, but I ordered a similar one right when we moved and it arrived shattered into 100 pieces. I was so discouraged I just gave up. Then I got to unwrap this beauty on Christmas and I was SO excited. It looks amazing in our living room! Thank you Julie, John and Maura!! Also, we couldn’t fit it in Neal’s car, so John and Neal’s brother, Brendan, made a special trip to the city to bring it to us! So spoiled!
We want to get a cool chest or bench or something for it to sit on. What do you think? Any ideas?
Essie’s No Chip Gel Polish
I cannot keep my nails chip-free for more than five seconds. I’ve tried the drugstore no-chip before (Sally Hansen’s) and it was OK but not great. I bought this polish at Walgreens before Mexico because I loved the color (which is “Rock the Runway, by the way”) and kept my fingers crossed that it would stick on better than regular polish, and I LOVE it. It obviously doesn’t stay on for two weeks like the salon no-chip, but I put some one Tuesday night and it has lasted two showers and still hasn’t chipped as of right now!
New White Sneakers
I am SO excited about these shoes.
God I’m such a dork. I know, they’re white Jack Purcells and have been around for decades. They’re nothing new. But I love them SO much.
Weird back story: When I was in Paris, we got caught in the rain in my Keds, and they gave me this really weird rash. I think it had something to do with the wet water and walking for miles in wet shoes and maybe some residue they had inside of them, but it was not good. I have worn Keds my ENTIRE life (biggest Keds fan ever, right here!) and never had this happen.
I gave it another shot and wore them again when I got home, but the same thing happened. I know it was probably just that one pair, but I’m too scared and I don’t want to end up like the lawyer from The Night Of. So, I sought out a new pair of white tennis shoes, and long story short, I finally got them! (They run true to size, btw, I got a size 8.)
Two new healthy snacks
When I went to Iceland, I tried their Icelandic version of yogurt which is called “Skyr.” It was totally delicious and I was so excited because I’ve been seeing more of it in stores here recently. I usually cook with a lot of greek yogurt (I sub it for sour cream, mayo, and cream in a lot of instances) so I thought I’d give it a try and bought some “Siggi’s” on an impromptu trip to Whole Foods this week. It’s way creamier than regular greek yogurt and I like the taste a lot more! It’s delicious, and only 100 calories in the entire container and has 17 grams of protein. (You can get it in the yogurt section! If you’re in Chicago, I’ve seen it at both Whole Foods and Mariano’s!)
On the same impromptu trip, I picked up some “Mary’s Got Crackers.” I’m the kind of person that really hates the taste of most health food–I even tried the regular kind at Danielle’s a couple years ago and told her they tasted like squirrel food. However, I decided to give them another whirl (I had just come from Corepower Sculpt and was feeling REALLY healthy) but I bought the herb kind–guess what? They’re delicious! I love how crunchy they are, and pretty much the healthiest cracker you can purchase.
Baby photos
Over the holidays, we managed to acquire some baby photos of the both of us, and having them out where I can look at them each day makes me so happy.
At Thanksgiving, Neal’s aunt used baby photos for everyone as their place cards. (How cute is that?) And since she obviously didn’t have a baby photo of me, she used one of Neal’s school pictures. How cute is that, and how cute is he?! That bowl cut!
The one on the bottom right is Neal as baby with Grandma Loftus. I’m so sad I never got to meet her, but her presence is so strong each time the Loftus family gets together–it’s something thats really special to experience. The same goes for his maternal grandmother, Mimi! I’ve heard so many great stories, I feel like I still have gotten to know a little part of both of them. (Note to Juj Loftus, I need some baby pictures of baby Neal and Mimi next!)
When we were home before Christmas, my mom had piles of baby pictures set out that she had been sorting through. It was so fun to go back through all of them–I hadn’t seen any old photos from childhood in years. Neal picked out his favorites–the one of me zonked out as a three year old (he says I still look exactly like that when I sleep) and the one of me making a gremlin face eating something (cookie dough?) out of a bowl at my Grannie’s house (ANOTHER silly face I still make, he claims).
I picked the one of my Grannie holding me as a newborn. I miss her so much. I haven’t had a photo of her out on display in so long, and it’s really nice to see her pretty face each morning in my kitchen.
