What's Up Wednesday!

Thank you Shay, Sheaffer, and Mel for letting me join in on this fun "What's Up Wednesday" post! Below is a monthly round up of my life this June.


What we're eating this week...

Below are three of my recent recipe tries and all of them have been de-licous!

Sticky Sesame Cauliflower 

 Baked Ratatouille 

 Overnight Peanut-butter Oats. Such an easy and healthy breakfast!

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 medium banana or berries
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (rice, coconut or almond)

Mix all together and let it sit in the fridge overnight!

What I'm reminiscing about?

Last year's July 4th! It was a day full of laughs, sunshine, delicious food, and fireworks!

What I'm loving...

Rumor has it that Victoria Secret will stop carrying bathing suits and intends to narrow their focus back to lingerie, undies and their PINK line. This is a little upsetting because they have very cute and affordable suits. SO I am loving my last summer suit order from VS and cannot wait for its arrival for the long weekend!

I LOVE this color bottom!

With this "neon lotus" top!

What we've been up to...

We have been trying to squeeze in lots of date nights and drinks! It has been so much fun to just be focusing on husband and wife time!

Yum! Bar Taco!

What I'm dreading...

With the beautiful beach days that Florida always delivers, it also brings along the dreaded high humidity!! My hair and humidity are. not. friends.

What I'm working on?

Our little fixer upper is one year old!! Hard to believe but the time has flown by. We have put a lot of time and love into the inside to make it our own. We are now moving to the outside... curb appeal, baby! We recently added shutters (yea!) and we also want to add a white washed brick siding accent, paint the house and rebuild the porch. I am tired just typing out that list! Specifically, this long weekend I hope to paint the front door a light aqua color and install light hardware touches to our garage door to add some needed character!

...or at least I hope this is my "after" picture!

What I'm excited about...

Some time off of work and Sparklers!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I'm watching...

Game of Thrones' Season 6 has come and gone and left us with a lot to ponder until next season. I can't get enough of Daenerys and the other strong female characters written in this show... and of course, there is always #JonSnow.

What I'm listening to...

Lots of "Parenthood" as I drift off to sleep at night. I have a very bad habit of putting in my earbuds and watching/listening to my iPad to doze off  (because it takes my husband .2 seconds to fall fast asleep)... this does mean that 6 out of 7 nights of the week I wake up tangled in wires.

What I'm wearing...

I cannot wait to hang out in my July 4th gear!

Also, this awesome lightweight dress is a great summertime find!

What I'm doing this weekend...

Lots of beach, sunshine and quality family time celebrating the Fourth with loved ones!

What I'm looking forward to next month...

Continuing to move forward with this blog! I am always in need of help and guidance so any tips are ALWAYS welcome! :):):):):)

June Bonus!
What is your favorite July 4th tradition and/or recipe...

Growing up, my "go to" July Fourth dessert was a vanilla cake with cool whip icing along with strawberries and blueberries added in the shape of the flag.. This year I will stick with my lil' tradition but take it a step further:)

I will be making a Patriotic Poke Cake which is my good ol' recipe with a fancier twist.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

xo
gg

Friday Favorites!

Yay! Another exciting list of Friday Favorites! Linking up with Erika, Andrea, and Narci  again :)

Sometimes Fridays sneak up on you and other times the week kicks your booty! This Friday could not have come soon enough for this girl!

I will dive right in!

1. This beautiful necklace!!!  I am so excited to finally be able to get this awesome accessory on sale from Anthropologie!!! I have been stalking it for at least two months and was able to nab it for $29.95!!!

Raziya Necklace 

2. My new Spiralizer!!! We are loving the awesome veggie filled recipes we are making with this puppy! The first meal we prepared was Kung Pao Zoodles by Skinnytaste! YUMMY!!!

3. This adorable Marley Lilly monogrammed 4th of July tank!! With the awesome sale they are currently having, this cute personalized patriotic top is only $29.99!

4. This beautiful light fixture from Decor Steals! It is a steal (ha!) for $84.95. I love this site...they always have the greatest little finds!

5. I feel like I am the last one to watch this show but recently I have wanted to change my last name to Braverman. I just love how sweet the show "Parenthood" is;) Maybe I relate because there are four siblings in my clan or just that I can't get enough of Lorelai!

I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun filled weekend!!

xo

gg

My littlest love :)

Thank for allowing me to join in Andrea for a Show and Tell Tuesday!

Today's topic is pets!!!

Bella was gifted to me from best friends who have her doggy brother. She was too cute to turn down!

just a little tiny cutie!

She was, and still is, a ball of nervous energy. Bella is the kindest pup you will ever come across. I have spoiled her rotten to the point she is under the impression she is a human, not a dog. She howls when we leave her at home and is insanely excited when you return (always assuming we were never returning- even if we leave for a quick run to the store). 

part of our wedding:)

Bella with "the paw up", always.

She has stuck with me for 11 years. She has lived with me in college, moved with me from my first apartment and home, stuck by my side for some very difficult life changes and health issues, and has been my little silent partner through it all. 

When the hubs moved in, her side of the bed was taken over by him and she had to adjust to not sleeping on the bed with me anymore. Which was harder on me than her, I think! 

She loves her doggy bed (more than life), to beg, and she barks for water like a little tyrant. Her favorite activity, that she is OBSESSED with, is taking walks! As we age together we both have a few more white hairs then we once did!

Dogs add so much to a home and to your overall happiness! I think one of my favorite things about her is she instinctively knows when I am sick and/or sad and doesn't leave my "side"/feet! Dogs are just built that way- unconditional love.

I can't imagine my home not filled with her little barks and loud snores.

Have a great Tuesday!

xx

gg

Friday Favorites!

Thank you for another Friday linkup, Erika, Narci, and Andrea.

I wanted to take a moment to pass on a few encouraging words of prayer and condolences to the families of the victims that were involved in the Orlando tragedy. This occurred in my home state and so close to Tampa.

This senseless act of violence hit especially close to home for me because my coworker lost his sweet, sweet brother to this terrible act of violence. It hurts my heart so deeply.  The awful reality is that situations like this serve, selfishly, as a reminder for me to slow down and to hug my loved ones because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Therefore, this Friday Favorites edition will be in honor of Christopher SanFeliz and a tribute to my beautiful family.

1. Thank you to my mom and dad. Who taught me to love.

2. Thank you to my baby sister. Who constantly sees the good in people and embraces diversity and the differences that make this world such a unique place.

3. Thank you to my brother and his little sweet family. Whose sense of humor guides people through difficult times.

4. Thank you to my oldest brother. Who is always a loud voice for those that are not always heard. 

5. Thank you to my husband. Who always fights for the underdog with sincere passion.

A small silver lining did come from this time of mourning for me. I saw the goodness that still remains in humanity. We all united as one to help, offer prayers, platelets or hugs to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. #floridastrong

xx

gg

Friday Favorites!

Yea! Friday Favorites again!!

Thank you, again, Andrea, Narci, and Erika for hosting this linkup!

                                     Lets get started with another fun week of favorites!

                                                         1. Trader Joe's wonderful options!

  Cowboy Caviar and Dill Pickle Popcorn! YUMMO!

If you have not tried the Cowboy Caviar- you should! And you have to love dill pickles to get this popcorn and I do!;)

TJ's is such a magical place full of healthy options that can put a serious dent in my wallet. And that is not even their fault! They are super affordable, I simply lose all self control in this place!

                                                        2. Game Nights and Board games

The past weekend we had such a fun Saturday night playing board games with some of our best friends! "Hedbanz Disney" is an awesome game for Disney lovers but, be warned, you will get schooled by the little ones! Then the grown ups played "Buzzword". Boys vs Girls! Lots off laughs!

                                                                3. Movie Date Night 

                                 The hubs and I went and saw the movie, "Me Before You".
                                                                         I. loved. it.
I am well aware that I'm a walkin', talkin', girly movie watchin' cliche and a huge sauce bucket! I mean I cry at commercials lol With that said, this story line was so adorable! I loved how Emilia Clarke played this incredibly kind, positive, naive, cheery ray of sunshine. I would recommend reading this book and seeing this sweet little film! Great date or ladies night out selection! 

                                                        4.Marley Lilly Bloopers Sale

Marley Lilly is a sweet little online store for all of your monogrammed gift needs! This little clutch was discounted for only $12 in their blooper sale! Basically, with this kind of sale, if someone returns an item with your initials they will notify you and you can purchase the item at a discounted cost! So this beauty is now mine :)

                                                            5. Target does it again!

This is my fun new life organizer ;) I went to buy a new calendar at the beginning of this month and was not aware, that this time of year, when they release new planners they all start in the month of July. Well.... I needed something for June too and stumbled on this gem! Target for the win!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Thank you so much for the link up!

xo

gg