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What I Love Wednesday: November 13th

Happy Wednesday everyone! This week is a shorter week, because I had Monday off because of Veteran’s Day. Here are some of the things that I have been loving this week:

Panera Turkey Chili:

Ever have a set of favorites when you’re eating out at a restaurant? Well, I am definitely one that is afraid to try new things once I have an established favorite. No, I am not very adventurous. Last week, I was tired of the same old chicken noodle soup. I recently began to eat chili, so I figured why not? I loved it, and I ended up eating it three days in a row. I tried it in a bread bowl too, and that was so delicious.

Alex and Ani Polishing Cloth:

This is a weird thing to love, so hear me out on this one. I had a ton of Alex and Ani that I got back when they first became popular. Over time, they turned black to the point where they no longer were wearable. I tried everything and it didn’t work. On Saturday, I was in the Paper Store buying a Mantraband with my coupon and I saw the polishing cloth in the Alex and Ani section. For $6, I figured why not? It was like magic! It removed all of the tarnish on my bracelets. They even looked like new again. So, if you have a lot of tarnished Alex and Ani, it is very much worth the investment.

Essential Oil Diffuser:

I recently got into essential oils. I tried to once, but then I lost the little pads and the plug that you put into it. I recently got one off of Prime, and I love it. I’ve been using lavender to help calm my anxiety. It’s been working, at least a little bit. My goal is to now try to plug it in as soon as I get home from work. I am also looking for new essential oils for energy as well to use in the morning, so if you have any recommendations, let me know.

Pillow Mist:

Keeping up with the essential oil theme here, I have been using some of my pillow mists again as well. I have two that I use – Bath and Body Works’ Lavender one and their Love one. Depending on the day, I like to interchange them. So far, I like them.

Podcasts:

I discovered podcasts for the first time yesterday, and I love listening to them. I have been listening to Lauren Conrad’s Asking For a Friend, and have enjoyed the first few episodes. I am also planning to listen to Rachel Hollis’ one, as well as Lisa Lampenelli’s new one. I like these because it gives me a chance to learn something, which makes me really happy.

PSA: You Are Not Obligated To Respond to Text Messages

With our iPhones always at our fingertips, it’s almost as if we need to be available 24/7. This is why if many of us often think the worst when someone didn’t respond to our text, or why we feel like once we get an incoming message, we forget that we have the choice on whether or not to respond.

Let me just say this: just because someone send you a text, you are not obligated to respond.

With that being said, sometimes when we are upset with someone, we don’t want to give them that response. Even though they sometimes feel entitled to that very response. We can choose when we tell them how we feel — or even if we tell them how we feel. Sometimes, we may choose not to, because we feel as though it would go ignored.

We have that choice. And, don’t let anyone forget it.

Having that choice is good for us. It is practicing good mental health. It is putting ourselves first — which by the way, is super important.

I’m not encouraging ghosting here. I am saying though that we sometimes forget that we don’t have to dignify every message with a response. And, sometimes not responding right away can be beneficial. It gives you a breath to breathe. I don’t know about you, but I always say something that I almost always regret when I’m angry. Needless to say, that break will help me clear my head so that way whenever I choose to tell the person how I feel about the situation at hand, I can do it with a clear head.

This is why taking the time to just breathe can probably save relationships.

So, while that notification may ding in your pocket with your friend that you’re mad at/significant other that you are arguing with, it may be worth it to leave them on read. For now at least. After all, there’s always tomorrow — or whenever you’re ready.

Why It’s Important to Have a Positive Attitude

It’s Monday, but I’m still recovering from last week. Last week was one of those weeks. You know, the kind that always seem to drag you below water, when you’re fighting to just float to shore. One of those weeks where everything that could possibly go wrong, well, goes wrong and you just want to crawl into a corner and cry for days on end.

During these times, it can be so easy to be negative about your circumstances and experiences. For many, it’s their go to. It’s easy to go on and on about the things that are not going right, it is almost as if it overshadows the super awesome thing that happened earlier in the day.

Case in point, on Wednesday, I won a giveaway at my local Starbucks for a free holiday drink and a holiday cup. For me, that was like hitting the lotto, because not only do I love the fact that holiday drinks have arrived for the next few months, I also love the fact that I got a free reusable coffee cup so I can try bringing coffee in from home without using my ceramic one. Or, even better, leaving the cup of coffee at work for coffee.

Needless to say, I was excited.

That little moment nearly made my day. Keep in mind, this was a terrible day. In that moment, I was choosing to be happy about that one little positive outcome, that I nearly (okay not really) forgot about my awful day in the first place.

In my yoga practice, one of the videos tells viewers to recall a moment in their day that did not suck, because truthfully you did not have a bad day, but an event in your day that made it bad. The video goes on to say that our brains have a negativity bias. What does that mean? Well, we tend to overlook the ten positive things that happened in our day, and go directly to the one negative thing that we were told.

In my opinion, having a negative attitude towards things never helps with anything. For instance, the more you dwell on the negative things that happened or the fact that nothing seems to be going right, then you are less likely to focus on the fact that there are some good things that happened in your day.

So, I am going to stop this blog post and ask you all to recall a positive thing that happened today. Even if it’s just a free cup of coffee from the local Starbucks.

Christmas 2019 Wishlist

Can you believe that the holiday season is upon us? Well, the official holiday season begins Black Friday, but with every store out there pushing their Black Friday sales earlier and earlier and every coffee place debuting their holiday flavors, it’s officially the Christmas season.

Now, I’ve watched so many of these videos on YouTube, and I wanted to create my own, because why not? I’m not expecting to get any of these from anyone, but maybe I’ll look to cross these items out to treat myself with. Or, this can also serve as a good reference for someone who is looking for gift ideas for the holiday season.

So without further a due, here’s my 2019 wishlist:

Pandora Charms: In July, I bought a Pandora charm bracelet for myself and started filling it up with some of the newer charms that they had. I had always loved Pandora bracelets, but wanted one that has charms that are important to me now, versus a few years ago. What I like about Pandora is the meaning behind it. My old charm bracelets tell me a story. I can tell you who gave me what charm, and when they gave it to me. And, while I no longer wear that bracelet since it’s too big on me, I still wear one that my mom had, as well as the one she gave me for my 20th birthday. This year, I am loving the paw print heart charm, the cancer sign, and of course, a holiday charm.
Pandora Open Heart Ring: I love the new open heart ring from Pandora (notice a theme here?). Pandora Jewelry for the most part is inexpensive and it lasts a while, and some of their rings are pretty cute. Therefore, I would like to try to add this ring to my collection.
Stuff for Lucy: I of course will be spoiling Lucy this year, as it’s her first Christmas in my new home. This is on my list because she’s just so important to me. For her, I am planning to buy her a coat to keep her warm on our walks in the colder months, and a stocking full of toys. In the past, my mom and I have always given Maggie a bone for Christmas, and I am thinking that I will do the same for Lucy.
Ring Video Cameras: One of the things that I really want for my home is Ring Video Cameras. I want this because since I do live alone, I hear noises from outside and get nervous about them. What I like about these is that you can look from your phone to see, which makes me feel safer. Furthermore, since I have an Echo Dot in my bedroom. I can see what’s going on outside without having to get out of bed.
Moon Necklace: For our first year anniversary, my boyfriend gave me a necklace with the moon with the date of our anniversary, October 10, 2017. I wanted to eventually get a second one with my mom’s birthday, June 28, 1961 so I can have her close to me whenever I need her.
Alex and Ani Pumpkin Spice Bracelet: I go through phases where I either really love Alex and Ani or they sit in a box. I did see this bracelet last year, and did not get it for whatever reason. This year, I want to try to get this into my collection.
Tiffany Elsa Perretti Bean Necklace: I love the meaning behind this necklace, which is why it’s on my list. I like it because it signals new beginnings, which is what I want 2020 to be.
Coffee: This is a weird one, so please hear me out. I love holiday and fall coffee, so I used to ask my mom every year to put pumpkin spice K-Cups in my stocking so I can drink it until about April. Pumpkin spice is my favorite flavor, so that’s why I have a ton of it to last me for a while.
Laptop Accesories: During the pre-Black Friday sales, I bought a new MacBook Air. I needed a new computer because my older MacBook Pro (which was the older model back in 2014 when I purchased it), was having trouble accessing some sites and needed updates. My biggest fear of updating it was losing all of the data, which included many priceless photos and documents. I also wanted a computer that was more lightweight so I can use for work. I currently use an iPad for clerking and stuff, which is helpful, but I do prefer Microsoft Word over Google Docs, which is what I use on my iPad. The only downside to the new Apple Computers? They don’t come with a disc drive. Or a USB-C drive since Apple computers don’t have . Therefore, I want to get these in due time, since the main purpose of the computer is for blogging, writing documents for work, and the portability aspect to.

As a reminder, please don’t think that I am expecting anyone to actually give me any of these things, but rather these are things I am looking at and wanting to treat myself if the opportunity arises.

So, what’s on your wish list?

Why Getting A Dog Was The Best Thing I Ever Did

I believe that love is a four legged word. Dogs have been a part of my life since the day was born. Growing up, I had two dogs — a beagle named Carla, and a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Maggie.

I’ve written about Maggie when she died last year. Losing Maggie was devastating for me. Since I had gotten her when I was 10, she practically grew up with me. I mean, she was there during my wannabe goth stage.

Since last November (about a month after Maggie died), I wanted to get another dog. It felt like a huge part of my life was missing. While I knew that Maggie truly could never have been replaced, I wanted another furry friend to keep me company. My mom said no, because she wanted to wait until next spring to find a dog, so we did. That is, until my mom passed away in February.

During the first few months after my mom’s death, there was one thing that always seemed to make everything better — visiting my boyfriend’s dogs, Maya and Nala. Dogs have an incredible way of detecting sadness, and they were truly no different. After a while, I began to want one of my own.

One weekend in September, my boyfriend drove me to the animal shelter to look at a few beagles. I liked beagles because they were both small, and because of Charlie Brown. At the shelter, there were two dogs I was looking at — Abby and Freckles.

When we got to the shelter, I told the volunteers I was looking at both animals and wanted to meet them. They told me that Abby had separation anxiety, and recommended Freckles. When she was brought out, she ran right up to me, and jumped on me. My boyfriend and I took her for a walk, and she was somehow obeying me on the lease already. I loved her — and after she had calmed down, she began to cuddle up to me.

So, I decided to put in an application for her.

A week later, she came home with me.

It took us both a little bit of adjusting at first. The biggest was getting used to having to walk a dog pretty regularly since Maggie used to sleep on the couch 90 percent of the time.

All things considered, Lucy has become my best friend. For the first time in a while, I look forward to coming home, just because she’s there waiting for me. On bad days, she is there with puppy kisses. At night, she snuggles up to me and sleeps. And, in the morning, we are always walking around the neighborhood. She makes me laugh when she runs around the house showing off her favorite toys.

Furthermore, she is loved by everyone that comes in her path. My boyfriend considers her to be his own dog, and the three of us spend every weekend together. He also helps me out with her whenever I have to work late — something that she loves. She has met my father’s dogs and bonded with them as well.

I can not truly explain the depth of the relationship between a dog and their human. But, I can say that having a dog has changed my life for the better. Many — including my own mother — have said that dogs are better than humans. Because, during their short lives, they are the most incredible beings. They are empathetic and loyal — and not to mention just downright cute. Not many human beings have that combination, which is why she brings me so much joy. Lucy never took away the grief I am dealing with, but she brings some happiness back to my life.

As I write this, Lucy is running around the house with her ball and bones. Yes, I said bones. I make sure that she has more than enough toys. In our case, it was truly an instance of who rescued who. Which is why bringing her home is one of the best things I had ever done.

Eating My Way Around CT: The Hop Knot

Picture it: a restaurant that has nothing but pretzels. And, this place has all kinds of pretzels — s’mores pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, and flavored pretzels with dipping sauces. As a pretzel lover, this is my idea of heaven. Thanks to the Hop Knot, that place is now heaven on earth.

Recently, the Hop Knot moved into a Hamden location. For all of you Hamdenites out there, this is where the old Duchess and Bruegger’s Bagels is located. The place opened in the last month or two, and I finally had to have a chance to try it one rainy Sunday afternoon.

Now, this isn’t the first time that I had been to the Hop Knot. For those of you who haven’t been there before, they have locations in Southington, Middletown, Storrs, and one in New Hampshire. I went to the Middletown one and I loved their cheese-less veggie sandwich and pretzel Oreos.

This time, I had the Caprese pretzel with sauce, and the s’mores pretzel. The s’mores pretzel was the perfect thing to have on the rainy day, because it was ooey, warm, and gooey. The Caprese one was mixed with pesto and tomatoes. Normally, it has cheese in it, but since I’m lactose intolerant, I did not have it.

Both pretzels were out of this world amazing.

The Hop Knot has a menu that really does have something for everyone. They have ‘knot-dogs,’ which are hot dogs with pretzel, combo pretzels with all different things, and the dessert pretzels. If you’re looking for a regular pretzel, they do have plain ones, garlic basil pretzels, cool ranch, cinnamon sugar, and Asiago Parmesan. This is a good restaurant for the healthy ones, the sweet tooth, and those who carve something salt.

What was also cool about the Hop Knot was the atmosphere. This is not your typical bar. It’s somewhere the family can go to — as it has board games throughout the venue. Furthermore, they are a cool place to go to Sunday night football, as nothing goes with football better than pretzels and beer.

The bottom line? The Hop Knot is one of the most versatile places to go. So, if you’re looking for a different place to eat in the Hamden area, check it out.

*Post Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are all my own.

What I Love Wednesday: November 6th

Happy Wednesday everyone! This week has been a bit of a struggle, as I am trying to deal with an unexpected household event. However, here are some of the things that I am loving this week:

YouTube Videos:

Lately, I have been loving watching YouTube videos, such as luxury unboxing videos, and vlogs. Some of my favorites is Alyzza Wyzza, and Autumn Beckman. I love them because their videos are quick and easy to watch, and some of them are relatable. Plus, I just love watching unboxing videos in general.

Current/Recent Reads:

I am so happy to announce that I am finally coming out of a reading slump! I just finished From Twinkle With Love and am starting Colleen Hoover’s Verity. Both of those books are amazing, and I love both authors. In addition to reading those books, I am also listening to I Love You So Mochi. All of those books are excellent choices if you are looking for YA/Thrillers.

My latest Knitting Project:

Guys, I finally learned how to do the stockinette stitch and I am so proud of myself. It has been something that I have been dying to learn for the year that I have been knitting, so I am so glad I learned how to do it.

Dooney and Bourke Zip Zip Satchel:

Dooney and Bourke is a favorite brand of mine, because it reminds me of my mom. Dooney and Bourke was one of her favorite purse brands. Recently, I found her Zip Zip Satchel in gray and have been using it since. What I like about it is that it’s small, and will fit pretty much anything. It also reminds me of my mom. Therefore, I’ve been loving this purse this week, and will use it for the next few weeks. I also ordered a black one, so I can use the one that has less meaning for me.

Poshmark:

I recently discovered Poshmark to find a discounted version of a Louis Vuitton item. Not only was I able to find a decently priced one, I also got it in less than two days. I was amazed on how easy it was to order from the site, and how responsive the seller was for the product. I am so excited to use it, and will probably use it for future purchases.

What are you loving this week?

Everyone Needs A Lazy Day

I write about this all of the time, but self care is crucial. However, as I mention so many times before, it’s often one of the things that always goes towards the bottom of the list. Sometimes, it’s because we just forget. Other times, it’s because we are trying to do everything — from work to school to making sure that you get enough sleep every night to having a social life.

After all, we’re only human.

A long time ago, someone told me to make time for one day a week to just be lazy. At the time, I thought that it was a good idea. Over time though, I began to avoid that like the plaque. Instead, I would run myself into the ground with social, work and family commitments. I didn’t want to do any of them, because I just wanted to stay in bed. But, I kept on going constantly. I didn’t listen to myself.

Last week, I began to feel run down and tired everyday. I was constantly complaining to anyone that listened that I just needed a personal day. I was having trouble concentrating, and felt exhausted at the beginning of the day.

On Sunday, I decided to do so. I sat on the recliner and knitted all day while watching the Marvelous Mrs. Maizel. And, it was glorious. By the end of the day, I was well rested and ready to take on the week.

So, the bottom line: we all need a lazy day to binge watch our TV shows and charge our batteries. We need days to just sit and recharge.

After this realization, I am now making a new goal for myself: to carve out some time every week for me to have that time to binge watch a TV show, whatever that may be. As I realized, without that time we become run down and can’t perform at full task. And, as I was told many times before, if we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we best take care of others? How can we do our best at everything that we do?

Chances are, we can’t.

So, bottom line — everyone deserves a lazy day.

November Goals

I can’t believe that it’s already November. It seems like the year has flown by, and before we know it, we will be in 2020.

Crazy, right?

This November, I decided to create some goals for myself to not only get stuff done, but to have a healthy month. And, without further a due, here are my goals for this month:

Spend less, save more: This month, I opened a separate savings account that is separate from the one that I already had. My goal is to put a little aside in each paycheck to grow a larger savings. Furthermore, I also want to spend less. I have hit up so many sales for yarn, books and clothes that I have more than I know what to do with. Therefore, I want to actually save some money. However, on Black Friday, I’ll be hitting up all of the sales.
Make taking care of myself a priority. Lately, I haven’t been taking care of myself. This month, I want to make self care more of a priority. Whether it’s carving out some time each day to do something that relaxes me, or just slowing down and having one lazy day a week, I want to make sure I give myself time to just be. One of the benefits of doing so? I get to approach each task with more vibrance and clarity than I would if I didn’t.
Read more books: Lately, I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump. I just finished From Twinkle, With Love, and I am about to start Colleen Hoover’s Verity. I’m hoping this month I’ll be finishing many of the books on my to-read shelf, including: Where The Crawdads Sing, What If It’s Us, and Twice in a Blue Moon.

What are your November goals?

Fashion Friday: Woodbury Common Outlet Haul & Is It Worth the Trip For A Connecticut Resident?

In Connecticut, we have three different outlet malls in our state, and they are pretty decent in terms of finding great deals. However, the one thing that they don’t have is the Longchamp outlets, which are purses that I really love.

However, the ones in Woodbury do have it. Which lead me to getting on the road early one Saturday morning to venture out to the Woodbury Common Outlets. Due to some traffic, it took me about two hours to get there.

Now, the Woodbury Commons Outlets has a mixture of both designer and regular outlets. It has everything from Gucci to Burberry, to more affordable brands such as Old Navy, Coach, Banana Republic, and Dooney and Bourke. There is a ton of stores, so it is easy to spend a day there.

I spent about six hours there, and I was able to find a lot of outstanding deals, as well as getting several gifts for Christmas out of the way.

So, to answer the question in the title, yes it is worth it. Many of the deals that I scored were ten times better, especially in terms of Kate Spade and Michael Kors. What is also nice is that they have a Disney outlet, which in the clearance section, you can find some great deals. They also have a North Face outlet, which had some great deals for the Denali that you would not see here as well.

Now, let’s get to the damage that I’ve done. I can’t reveal all that I bought, because they were a lot of Christmas gifts. Thanks to this trip, I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. Which is an amazing feeling if you ask me. Here’s what I bought for myself:

The first thing that I purchased was Longchamp Le Pliage totes. I loved that they had all different colors. I am a huge fan of the nylon purses, because they are lightweight and they fit everything but the kitchen sink. I got four different purses, because these purses were extremely hard to find, so I picked up four for that purpose. Needless to say, I have enough to last me a lifetime.

Next, I headed over the Kate Spade outlet where I picked up a gift, which I will not share. For myself, I purchased a quilted leather bag, marked at $349 for $94. I also picked up a phone case because I love Kate Spade phone cases because they are pretty, but they last. Well, unless you drop your phone on the pavement, but that’s a story for another time.

I also got my first pair of jeggings from Banana Republic, two sweaters, and a comfy shirt that I can use both for work and weekends. Their deals were amazing. First, the sweaters were buy one get one free. The second was if you spent a certain amount, you got 15 percent off. So, I think that was a good deal right there, because Banana Republic can be extremely expensive.

The best deal of the day in my opinion was Pandora. They had a deal were if you bought two items, you got 25 percent off. So, after learning that some of their charms were about $10 a piece, I bought two charms and a ring.

Next, I headed to Micheal Kors to take a look at their selection of purses. They had a 70 percent off sale, with an extra 20 percent off. I walked away with an additional card holder, as well as a crossbody that I’ve been wanting to buy for a while. The bag was a lot cheaper than I ever could have gotten from Connecticut, so that was a good deal.

Finally, I went to the Ugg outlet to buy a pair of slippers. I personally like them because they are so warm and cozy, and they are comfortable. Win win for a shoe if you ask me. They were 40 percent off.

Overall, it was a good shopping. I’m super happy because I’m set for a long time.

If you’re thinking about going to the outlets to do some shopping, here’s what you need to know:

Come early. Around two, places started to get really crowded, so it’s best to arrive as soon as they open.
Have a game plan. There are over 200 outlet stores in the mall. It’s best to come up with a list of what you want to do and get, so you get what you want.
Bring water. If you’re walking around a lot, it can be easy to get dehydrated, which can lead to terrible choices in terms of spending. Therefore, if you bring a bottle or two of water, it’s worth it.
Bring cash. Cash is the best way to pay. I bought some cash, and actually came home with money. It helps you set a limit and makes sure that you’re only buying the items that you are falling in love with.