This has been a bit of a low-key but still crazy week. We’re heading to Ireland next Thursday(omg!!!) so we’re kind of in full-blown get ready mode. It’s also been such an enjoyable past few days with temperatures well over eighty degrees.
Actually I think the dogs have enjoyed it the most. They’re both getting summer cuts today and I’m sure they will be ready to go for hours of fetch.
Half of you are probably too young to have seen these classics when they came out, but I know half of you are going to be pumped about this. Disney Channel is doing a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) marathon all. weekend. long. This is not a drill. Here’s the full lineup.
Remember the days when they had a new one every month? My parents had “date night” every Saturday which meant my sister and I had a babysitter. The Saturday nights with new DCOMs were the BEST! At one point there was a contest to appear in a one (Rip Girls, obviously) and I was one of the second place winners. Instead of winning a cameo, I got every single Radio Disney CD that ever existed, haha!
This video made its rounds of the rowing social media community. I love when he says, “I thought it would be easier than it was.” One of the best parts of rowing is that when you’re rowing well, it should look easy. That almost always means that people think it is easy though and it’s definitely not!
I am unreasonably psyched about the DCOM marathon! With the Razr commercial that came out this week and now the marathon, I'm feeling like it's middle school all over again. Have fun in Ireland!
Love the rowing video!!! I rowed in high school and college, and yeah, a lot of effort goes into looking effortless!! <3 -Monica http://www.newenglandclassicbeauty.com
I have been having the best week down here in Florida. Teddy is too. It’s always wonderful to be able to spend time with my family! We always end up having the best time. I say this every time, but I’m always so grateful every time I get down here and the four of us can be together. I truly cherish these days and never want to take having this incredible family for granted.
Can we talk about dream house?! MarthaStewart.com has all these galleries of her houses and I am obsessed. The properties are stunning! She shares a little bit about the background of how the houses have changed over time. (I just have one question: When can I move in?)
Sophia Grace and Rosie are all grown up! (And as Ellen hilariously puts it, “Rosie talks now!”) The two girls hit the red carpet to interview celebs for the AMAs. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will!
The whole time I watched this insane lip dub video from Broken Arrow High School, I just kept wondering how this was real. The video was produced in such high quality and it’s really kind of heart warming to see how the whole school came together. (It’s worth watching the whole thing even though it’s long– the end is awesome for HSM fans!)
It’s hard to believe that I was in Mexico on Monday morning. This week was a complete whirlwind complete with travel, migraines, bad weather, and a lot of catching up. I sadly had to miss a few things (including a yoga class… boo!) from my workload and the migraine situation. But there were some serious gems throughout the week:
First of all, I love traveling but I hate having to leave this little muffin behind. He absolutely adores the people he stays with so he gets extra special attention and TONS of doggy play time. (I doubt he misses me!) Coming home to him is the best feeling. I mean, look at that face!
Probably the coolest thing on my schedule this week was swinging by Martha Stewart headquarters to watch a demonstration of how to make jam. So. Amazing. Martha was exactly how I expected her to be, and then some. Learning how to make the jam was very interesting– I’ve always been curious about the process. However, it was hearing her stories that I found to be the coolest part!
Right after meeting Martha Stewart, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to meet Rosanne Karmes, the founder of Sydney Evan (famous for creating the iconic “love” necklace). I’ve known about the brand since the very beginning because a boutique in Tampa carried it and it was really, really nice to meet Rosanne. I left the quick visit feeling inspired… and with a list of forty five things I wanted to purchase.
I’m actually heading to Washington, DC today to speak at a conference held at Georgetown. I’ve been to DC twice (for two super short trips) since graduation, but I haven’t been on campus since. Should be interesting. Garrett is joining me and I can’t wait to show him around campus and take him to my favorite places.
I know I already blogged about it yesterday, but I am just too excited to not share again (in case you missed it). I’m just obsessed. I promised myself when it was announced not to get overly excited just because I know it’s going to be crazy and probably sell out by 8am. Oh…. but then I saw everything in the lookbook and, well, I want everything. The little mugs, the candles, the bikinis, the pom pom shorts. Sheesh, I even want the hammock even though I have nowhere for it to go.
TWO // Photo Composition Tips Video
I love how this video features beautiful photography and practical tips. It’s great for photographers in training and Instagrammers alike.
How does Netflix do it?! I was surprised at the answer. And truthfully, I had thought about it… a lot. I never considered the pressure a traditional show has to produce an entertaining show in the first episode. If you’ve ever found yourself obsessed with House of Cards or blowing through Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt in one week.
This tiny little leopard is exactly as cute as you’d imagine him to be. I watched the video on repeat it. It is so stinking cute. I have bookmarked this little guy so I can revisit whenever I’m in a bad mood. Those squeaks and squeals!
PS You know the dress from this post? It sold out within three of hours of the post going live… nuts. I talked to Nordstrom and it looks like they’re not doing a reorder. BUT, I was in LOFT this week and saw this dress in person and think it’s a good alternative if you had your heart set on the one I wore. It’s absolutely adorable and the scalloped detail on the back 100% knocks it out of the park.
The pup looks extra cute in that photo! Also, I could not be more in love with the Target x Lily collection — I want everything! That article about Netflix was super interesting too. I would have to say that this week was pretty busy with school work for myself. However, I have been reading a few awesome books for school lately that I love: Brothers Karamazov and Ordinary Men. I would definitely recommend both even though they are way more on the heavy reading side of things they areamazing!
I'm so excited for the Lilly for Target collection – I'm counting down the days! Also, that article about Netflix is really interesting, thanks for sharing! xx, Mikkaela The Southwestern Prepster
I suffer from migraines as well. I actually finally figured out that one trigger for me is flying, as I kept getting them any time I went home on holiday breaks for school and for vacations anywhere. It is something about the change in air pressure that can cause it for many people the day after flying. It certainly isn't my only trigger, but it definitely can ruin a vacation when it's time to relax or make getting back to work when you return difficult.
I just went to DC this past Wednesday for a speaking engagement and was terrified that the migraine would make it next to impossible to speak at the press conference (I always get the migraine a day after flying and flew in the night before). My doctor recently prescribed me something new that doesn't cause rebound migraines. It is called Cambia and it is a soluble power that you drink on any empty stomach. I didn't have a migraine yet that morning but didn't want to develop one while running around on the Hill. I took it while getting ready in the morning and never got a single migraine or even something close to a headache. I highly recommend looking into Cambia. Of course some medicines work better for some than others, but it is worth a shot!
Ok I love jam and Martha Stewart so that would have been the best day ever! Hope you had a great time. Just started following your blog and LOVE it. xoxo
Target for Lilly… argh I'm so excited! Debating whether to visit it in store, or to brave the online madness… I love how affordable it is! It's really offering Lilly for all (and all price points!) Emily simplyemilyl.blogspot.com
February is the roughest month for me. I will certainly have to make a yearly trip to Florida because it does make the month go by faster. My first winter here, I assumed that on March 1 spring would be in full force. HA! No, it does not happen like that. February, although short, seems to drag on and on… and leads into March which is just as chilly and slushy. Yuck. What do I do best when I’m not into the weather? Go out and eat delicious food.
Luckily I had some fun things happening this week. One of the best was a cooking class at Miette Culinary Studio with CLIF. It was so much fun. The whole group split up into groups and went off to make the different parts of the meal. (I was with the lava cake group.) When everything was done, we sat down at a big family-style table and enjoyed what the fruits of our labor. I loved getting to learn more cooking techniques and to meet the CLIF team. They are all so nice and so fun.
Before… and after…
Garrett and I had a celebratory dinner at Pizza Beach Club… a new restaurant in our neighborhood. Oh, it’s good. Really, really good. We got the meatballs and split a margherita pizza.
Last but not least, Jess and I have a long standing tradition of breakfast dates. The first time we hung out together was getting pumpkin pancakes one fall! It’s always fun to start the day extra early with good food and good company.
This week I couldn’t narrow down the list to five, so it’s an extra long one!
One word: YES. I totally related to the line about achieving something and then feeling empty. I often feel like I’m just on a hamster wheel ticking off boxes of achievement and not feeling a thing. The tips at the end are a good start for combatting this.
Wha?! I remember the first digital camera I got, right before my trip to Italy in eighth grade. It had three megapixels and felt like the coolest thing in the world! Now TV shows are being filmed with devices that we all carry in our pockets? The future… is here. Love the behind the scenes of how its done.
THREE // Adult Things You Don’t Learn in College
I honestly thought this particular list was pretty lame, but I was just telling my mom how I wish I had learned more real life stuff in college. Not just acronyms and names, but like real how-to kind of stuff. (Looking into mortgages and I had NO idea what to do, where to start. I’ve figured it out now, but sheesh! I felt clueless when I started!!!)
This 15 year old started a nanny and babysitting service in NYC and has made $375,000 so far. The business is getting so big that she hired a CEO to step in and run the company. Talk about impressive.
Everyone is trying to figure it out. At first I saw white and gold. Then I saw black and blue for a tiny bit… and now I see white and gold. I get that it’s blue and black (I assume?), but WHY do I see it as WHITE?!
I was laughing so hard at this. Garrett got me hooked on McDonald’s coffee. It’s $1 for any size and actually really good. (I love my Nespresso and a good dark roast at Starbucks, but for a lighter/sugary coffee the McCafe can’t be beat… even by Dunkin!)
Ahh, those lava cakes look delicious and Anne Hathaway's comment was genius! Also, the iPhone-filmed episode of Modern Family sounds really interesting, I will definitely have to check that out! Great post, Carly! xx, Mikkaela The Southwestern Prepster
Ha ha…the coffee taste test video is hilarious. It's interesting how many tasted "watery"…seems like coffee needs the extras (milk, cream, sugar) for it to taste really good. Jordana p.s. I'd take a closet full of the new Kate Spade collection! And I don't even wear colourful clothes!
I've been having the same issue with Pinterest. I changed the "Personalization" settings. Specifically turning off the two questions under this, "We sometimes show you Promoted Pins and recommendations based on your activity on Pinterest. Is it okay if we…" Now I'm seeing much more of boards I actually follow!
This was such a fun post! Gosh, now I'm so hungry!! And your list of things was hilarious and mind blowing. I saw white and gold too! What the heck? Xoxo Grace Anne http://totallygraced.blogspot.com
That chocolate lave cake that y'all made looks amazing! Great list of things currently on your radar…and don't get me started on that dress photo making the rounds. Lol
I think the biggest adjustment about moving from the South to the North is realizing there is now Spring in the North, just more cold! Love you list of things on your radar! I'm finding that college does an extraordinary job of teaching you things that aren't practical for life after college. McDonald's coffee is actually pretty good, but most of the fast food restaurants where I live are pretty ghetto, so if you want somewhat decent service without a lot of attitude, you have to stick with pricier places like Starbucks.
Yum! Pizza Beach Club is only two blocks from my best friend! We'll have to check it out. Loved this post–more pictures of French toast please! (she said without sounding strange in the slightest?? lol)
I know this isn't a focus of the post at all, but I'm curious. A while back you mentioned you were vegetarian and didn't talk about it much further, I was just wondering, since you mentioned eating meat balls, whether you've transitioned back to eating meat.
What a fun week. It was truly a “summer in the city” kind of week with fun activities and high humidity. It’s hot, really hot, and I’m loving every second of it. Bring on the heat.
Speaking of heat, apartments in NYC turn into ovens during the summer. And maybe turning your actual oven on isn’t the best idea ever, but the Seamless habit has gotten way too out of hand. I decided that Garrett and I needed to back off of Seamless and cook more dinners ourselves. Please note, my oven used to scare me and while I’m still squeamish turning it on (expecting it to explode), it’s been great. Night one of cooking and the fire alarm only went off once (ha) and by day three, I was roasting vegetables by myself. This is what progress looks like!
AND, the major highlight of the week was going to a ballet in Lincoln Center! The Boston Ballet is in town for a week and I was invited to attend. Honestly, I was definitely excited (it’s on my 25 before 25 list!), but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think I thought it would be snooty and boring. Instead, it was really super fun. The dancers and dancing and choreography were amazing and incredibly entertaining– everyone in the audience was laughing during the third dance! Going to the ballet wasn’t as intimidating as I assumed it would be and I can’t wait to go again.
I really want a big kitchen, but that’s definitely not possible on my budget in the city. (Honestly, the one above is still definitely not in the budget… but still.) How adorable is this small kitchen on One Kings Lane?! It’s a great inspiration for small spaces, high style without sacrificing storage and function.
These kinds of lists always give me an extra boost of inspiration for the day. I love the diversity of the industries included. Honestly, it’s probably the best one I’ve read yet! I recognized a lot of the brands (and was surprised to know the founders were so young!) and I was also introduced to a few new brands.
Pricey? Absolutely. Super cute though? Yep! How fun is this travel wallet? Little tabs for Tickets, Passport, Boarding Passes, Documents, etc… I can’t get over how perfect all the little details are. A healthy dose of wanderlust never hurt anyone and I would say this little travel collection has mine at an all-time high!
I've wanting that traveling set for months now but the price over rules the buying decision :/ On my radar? Hhmmm…MORE JEWELRY!!!!! YAAAYYYY!!! I actually wrote about it this week, if you got time for a quicky…I mean the handpiece I've been eyeing for weeks is calling my name at my sleep hehehe http://www.jujusmoments.com/2014/06/on-my-radar-jewelry.html?m=1
When I was younger I never saw the appeal of a travel wallet. It confused me why you would use a different wallet just because you were going abroad. Now I'm in love with them – my organisational kicks have definitely gotten stronger as I've grown up! 😉
Could you elaborate more about the Boston Ballet and why it was such a good experience? You were invited to attend, yet you only give vague details about the event. This leaves readers unsure of whether or not the Ballet is even worth seeing.
How fun! I wrote about the Travel Wallet on my blog (the navy one too ;))! Aspinal of London is a great company. It's a bit pricey, but totally worth it.
I created a beautiful, custom silk photo album from @printique_by_adorama to remember my sweet dog Hamilton, who passed away earlier this year. Their layflat album captured the colors and details perfectly, making each photo feel so special. It’s a keepsake I’ll cherish forever, and I’m so grateful for the quality and love they put into every page. #printiquepartner
… and yet you must. This week has been the hardest yet. Pressure from work, pressure from myself, pressure from the world. The magnitude of reality feels too much and too heavy. Showing up for my children though when I can barely show up for myself.
We’ve noticed an improvement in Teddy’s vitality and digestion since switching to @primalpetfoods Kibble in the Raw! It’s the easiest way to give him the benefits of raw nutrition without losing the convenience of dry kibble since it’s freeze dried into bites and completely scoopable. You would never guess he’s 11 years old with these moves at the park! #primalpetfoodspartner #ad
In that final home stretch of 2024 and waffling between wanting to plan out every second of my day/week/month and needing to also just fly by the seat of my pants. Holding on for dear life and telling myself to just enjoy the ride 🤪
When the boys go down for bed, sometimes it feels akin to crossing the finish line of a marathon! With my @therabody Theragun Sense, now I’m able to unwind and relax from the #WorkoutCalledLife. With step-by-step prompts on an LCD screen (and accompanying app), the Theragun Sense guides you through different recoveries depending on what your goals are. Tonight, I’m prepping for restful sleep with a six-minute guided massage! #TherabodyPartner
Halloween 2024 was one for the memory books 🏈 Rory’s first Halloween!! Jack had a blast, Rory loved tagging along, and Mike and I couldn’t stop smiling 🤍 I don’t know how many years I’ll be able to convince the boys to coordinate their costumes so really taking advantage- I bought Jack’s football player costume (customized!) and sewed Rory’s football bubble myself (Jack asked if he could throw him, which was a resounding and firm, “no.”). Now time to raid Jack’s stash 😛
#AveenoPartner If your little one has eczema prone skin, try switching to @aveenous’s Baby Daily Care Wash during bath time to cleanse without drying out their skin. We also use Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Nighttime Moisturizing Body Balm before bed to intensely moisturize and help protect Rory’s skin from moisture loss! Not only does his skin feel and look healthier, he’s so much more comfortable too! You can buy both of these products today on Amazon!
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The clutch is beautiful! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
Oh, and have a fantastic time in Ireland!
I am unreasonably psyched about the DCOM marathon! With the Razr commercial that came out this week and now the marathon, I'm feeling like it's middle school all over again. Have fun in Ireland!
Ally
Hustle & Whoa
Love the rowing video!!! I rowed in high school and college, and yeah, a lot of effort goes into looking effortless!! <3
-Monica
http://www.newenglandclassicbeauty.com
where did you get that navy blue pull over? I have been on the hunt for one (under $50) and that is exactly what I am looking for
I love your navy pullover too! Would you mind sharing where you got it? It looks like a great fall transitional piece.