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Friday Favorites–June 30th, 2017

pig beach

Happy Friday friends! I am in shock that I have the time to blog today, but thanks to Katie sleeping well last night I am feeling rested and energized today. I have no clue whether last night’s sleep pattern will work again tonight, but I’m thankful for the cumulative seven hours of sleep that I enjoyed in between her feedings last night. This weekend is going to a one filled with friends, family and love as we my in-laws arrive this afternoon and my best friend Amy arrives with her son and husband later this evening. Tonight our plan is a casual cookout in the back yard to welcome everyone and hopefully enjoy some time with Katie in between her naps.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

Books

  • While I was in the early stages of induction, I had time to relax in the hospital bed and read Jojo Moyes’ One Plus One. The story of a single mom and her crazy family as their paths cross with a wealthy, quirky entreprenuer who has troubles of his own, I really enjoyed the story and found myself not wanting to put the book down. The main character’s bad choices were sometimes hard to read, but by the halfway point of the book I was looking forward to seeing how it would all unfold.

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Bars

Food

  • My sweet friend, Julie, sent the most adorable care package for Katie which included a onesie and sweet book for Katie, some pampering items for mom, and her delicious Chocolate Chip Almond Butter bars. We devoured the bars within days as everyone, including my parents, loved them!
  • Since my breast milk has still been very slow to come in, I’ve been eating every food that is recommended for lactating mothers, including flax seed, Mother’s Milk tea, a Goat Root supplement and my personal favorite – oats. I’ve been having Quaker Oats at least 2-3 times a day either in the form of morning oatmeal, blueberry lactation bars, or banana muffins.  My mom and I have made two batches of our favorite Maple Sweetened Oatmeal Banana Muffins this week since they are perfect snacks for everyone!
  • Last night we headed to Pig Beach for barbeque, frose and fun with my parents and Katie. This popular Gowanus spot has increased in popularity recently due in part to it’s inclusion in Eater’s popular restaurant list as well as their incredible barbecue, fun atmosphere and specialty drinks.

Beauty & Fashion

  • The exhaustion that comes along with a newborn baby is very real. A few days this week I basically looked like a walking zombie until I washed my face, put on some cream and makeup. My favorite eye cream right now is Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum which I put on after wearing these hydrating, cooling eye patches.
  • I hear that Parisian mom’s secret to looking rested is to wear a bright lipstick. Yesterday I swiped on Lipstick Queen’s Medieval lipstick which is a vibrant, hydrating, sheer red lip tint that is easy to apply while providing a much needed pop of cover. I can understand why this is my mom’s favorite lipstick as it instantly gave me a boost and made me look more put together.
  • After receiving the pair of Lilly Pulitzer 5” Katia Shorts that I ordered two weeks ago, I fell so in love with the elastic waist, perfect length and comfortable fit that I ordered two more pairs! I’m loving the Resort White, Multi Purrfect and Indigo Night prints!
  • These JCrew White Seaside pants are perfect for Summer and the elastic waist will hopefully make them forgiving for my post-baby body.
  • This red and white flounce sleeve top is perfect for the Fourth of July and may just coordinate perfectly with Baby Girl Diamond’s Fourth of July red and white romper.

Your turn – What are you loving this week? Any big plans for the long weekend?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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Friday Favorites & A Giveaway – June 16th, 2017

Happy Friday! Today is supposed to be my last day of work before beginning maternity leave but if Baby Girl Diamond decides to take her time, I’ll be working and blogging next week until her arrival. I have a few more posts that I am working on unrelated to the baby such as my Savannah and Brooklyn recommendations and a virtual coffee date where I share some of the things on my mind as well as some of our plans post baby. Until then, I’m trying to stay busy with work, some last minute errands, and workouts. I am skipping today’s Orangetheory workout since it is a very fast-paced tornado workout and opting for prenatal pilates and swimming instead.

We may get to participate in our first neighborhood block party as tomorrow our street is being transformed into a block party complete with bounce houses, face painting and more! A popular Brooklyn tradition, we are looking forward to meeting more of our neighbors if Baby Girl Diamond is still nice and cozy. Otherwise, the weekend should be pretty relaxed as things are growing pretty uncomfortable these days. Since there is very little space left for her I have a dull, constant pain in the back of my right ribs and am having a hard time sitting in chairs.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week as well as a GIVEAWAY!

Books

  • I loved Slightly South of Simple and finished it within 24-hours this week. If you’re looking for a fun, Southern read this is a great option. Now, I just hope that she releases the next books in the series sooner versus later.

Food

  • After seeing many friends and fellow bloggers rave about Banza pasta, I picked some up at Whole Foods last week. This will definitely be a staple in our house moving forward as Bo and I were both very impressed with the flavor and consistency of the Banza Rotini chickpea pasta. The nutritional stats are pretty impressive as one serving includes 14 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber!
  • We paired the pasta with our favorite, store-bought pasta sauce – Rao’s Garden Vegetable Sauce. I love that this chunky sauce has actual chunks of mushrooms, peppers, and onions and only has 3 grams of sugar which is far less than other store-bought sauces.
  • If you love potato salad, this Serious Eats German Potato Salad recipe was easy to make, delicious and kept perfectly as leftovers!
  • If you are like me and love creamy popsicles versus icy, fruit ones then these Whole Foods 365 Everyday Organic Greek Yogurt Strawberry Dessert Bars are a perfect freezer staple. Now, if only they had more flavors than just blueberry and strawberry.

Beauty & Fashion

  • A few weeks ago my friends at Brooks sent me the new Women’s Glycerin 15 to enjoy in my new, pregnancy shoe size 11. While I typically don’t run in the Glycerin, these have felt like walking on clouds during the past few weeks of workouts, errands, and walks.  The super soft cushioning has provided my sore, swollen feet with some much-needed support and cushioning while the air mesh and stretchy fabric kept my feet comfortable during this week’s heat wave.
  • I know that elastic will be my best friend this Summer so what better time to invest in Lilly Pulitzer’s Kat Shorts? I ordered two pairs of these this week and can’t wait to wear them all Summer long!
  • Because I’m nothing if not reliable, I couldn’t order just one thing from Lilly Pulitzer so I may have added the Essie Top in my cart at the same time. The fun colors and forgiving fit will bring some life to this exhausted momma.
  • I can rarely find Jack Rogers on sale in colors that I love but this metallic pair are 33% off and gorgeous!

Pregnancy

  • As you guys know, I’m having a pretty horrible time with melasma aka pregnancy mask. My favorite foundation no longer matches my skin tone and while I hate to spend money on buying a new foundation, I think I may have to go to Sephora this afternoon. This round-up features the best foundations for melasma, many of which are paraben free and have SPF!
  • If you’re pregnant and still finalizing your registry, a number of friends recommended the Skip Hop Grab & Go Stroller Organizer. We were debating between a number of them including the one that is made by our stroller company but in the end, we figure if more than 50 friends and local moms recommend this one it will definitely work.
  • Experiencing pregnancy pains? Find it impossible to get comfortable in a regular chair? A local mom gave me her large, exercise ball today and it has provided INSTANT relief for my rib cage pain and pelvic discomfort. Why didn’t I get one weeks ago?

GIVEAWAY ENDED — WINNER IS bexpenn@gmail.com. Congratulations! 

 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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Friday Favorites–June 9th, 2017

honeysuckles

The honeysuckle is blooming, the temperatures are rising and the outdoor bars and restaurants are packed each night. It’s official, Summer has arrived in Brooklyn. This weekend the temps in New York are supposed to rise to over 90 degrees which has most people running to the beach and celebrating. This very pregnant momma will instead be staying cool indoors. I’m thinking a movie date, some ice cream, a pedicure and a date night or two with Bo.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

Books

Food

  • Homemade popsicles seem like a great way to stay cool this weekend, especially these strawberry yogurt popsicles! Now, I wonder if I can order popsicle molds via Amazon Prime same day?
  • Summer screams pasta salad and this Mediterranean Pasta Salad combines some of my favorite pregnancy cravings in an easy to make recipe!
  • I’m making this fresh, flavorful side dish tonight to serve alongside grilled burgers.
  • I’ve been bugging Bo about trying our hand at grilled pizza and with this weekend’s sunny forecast, I think it’d be a perfect project for Sunday evening. These 18 grilled pizza recipes are giving me plenty of inspiration!

Beauty & Fashion

  • I’ve seen a few people in my neighborhood wearing these huarache sandals with both fun, Summer dresses and casual jeans and love the look.
  • These look like the perfect jean shorts for Summer.
  • Has anyone tried the new Nars Orgasm lipstick? Grace raved about it on her blog this week and I feel like it could be the perfect Summer lip color.
  • Pair this fun white eyelet blouse with dark jeans, wedges and a vibrant clutch and you have your perfect date night outfit.
  • I have a thing for airy tops this Summer and this embroidered linen-cotton tank is definitely being added to my Summer wardrobe. Now do I go with navy or white?
  • This fun tassel necklace is priced right and will add a splash of color to any outfit!
  • Since I’m avoiding the sun this Summer, I wanted to get a pop of color via blush and chose this color pinch cream blusher after seeing a few bloggers rave about it recently.
  • I finally replaced my favorite liquid eyeliner after it was out of stock the past few months. I tried other brands but I always come back to Eyeko.

Pregnancy

  • I ordered this adorable navy and white stripe dress and am already in love! It’s flattering in the last few weeks of pregnancy and the tiered, lift up style will allow me to use it as a nursing dress this Summer.
  • Just in time for Baby Girl Diamond, my friend and amazing mom-fashion blogger, Lindsey, put together a great round up of her favorite stylish nursing friendly tops.
  • A few people recommended this book to us as we prepare to enter the fourth and fifth trimesters of pregnancy.
  • After squeezing into my maternity underwear for months, even though they’ve always felt a size too small, I finally ordered postpartum underwear and have to admit that these are the most comfortable underwear right now and they aren’t as hideous as expected.
  • I’m so in love with my PinkBlush Maternity Robe that I ordered for the hospital that I’ve been wearing it this week. The bright mint is such a fun pop of color and will hopefully make me look a bit more alive after hours of labor.

Have a great weekend friends! In case you missed it, here are the posts trending on the blog this week, many of which revolve around Baby Girl Diamond

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