Friday, September 18, 2020

DARN YOU, SALLY. | BEACH BUMMER & FRIDAY FAVES.

Well....hmm. There just aren't words. I guess I should have expected nothing less from 2020. Because OF COURSE a devastating hurricane had to hit the exact place of my most anticipated vacation--possibly ever--the week that I was supposed to go. Of course it did. Because 2020.

If you missed it, last week I giddily told you/bragged about (🤪) my upcoming trip to Orange Beach with just my parents and my very own condo all.to.my.self. It was going to be filled with lots of peace, relaxation, and would be a completely stress-free zone for 4 nights and 5 days. It was going to be a busy mom's dream. But clearly, I jinxed myself because I'm still sitting here, typing this out from my little craft room office while I should be driving home from a glorious week in the sun.

Its never fun to unpack a suitcase but it's REALLY not fun to unpack a suitcase that never went anywhere to begin with.

But that's all the moaning and groaning I'm going to do because obviously, my silly little vacation pales in comparison to what the residents of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Pensacola and so many others in the area are going through right now as they start to clean up and rebuild.

It has been devastating seeing the pictures and videos coming from one of my favorite places in the country. 

(source)

This area is very dependent on tourist revenue and Covid didn't exactly help things. So I know this is just another hit for them. I hope they are able to get things back up and running as soon as possible so tourists can get back down there and start stimulating that economy again! Big prayers going up for this beautiful area of our country. And also for the fires raging in the west. Those fires are absolutely devastating. This whole country needs help, prayers and love.

As for my trip, we are going to try to rebook (for the third time). My parents can go anytime. They have nothing tying them down but they told me to just name a date and they're in. The earliest I could make it work would be sometime in mid-October which would give the area a chance to get back on their feet although we know it won't be the same as it was pre-Sally. It will take months or even years to fix everything that has been broken, damaged, and demolished.

So stay-tuned for Attempt #3.

Now, let's get to Friday Favorites!



Oh my gosh. I haven't seen this movie in years and I forgot how much I LOVE IT! If you haven't seen this movie before or haven't seen in it in a while, go watch! I watched it on Hulu. Diane Keaton, Lauren Graham, Mandy Moore, and Piper Perabo--yes!! I love the cast and their chemistry! So funny, sweet, touching...great for a weekend rom-com!


I started Challenger: The Final Flight yesterday. I don't think I would call it a "TV Show" but since it has episodes I'm putting it int his category. I'm not all the way through it yet but its really interesting (and sad). If you like documentaries, check this one out!



I'd heard that The Other Mrs. Miller was a little out there but still a good twisty thriller so I gave it a shot!

I give it a solid 4 stars! This book will leave you laughing at how absurd some of these situations are but you'll still want to forge ahead to see how it all plays out! It's incredibly far fetched and overreaching but if you give in to that and just accept it for what it is, then its fun to see where it all goes. Not my favorite thriller ever but still a fun read! (or "listen" since I listened on Audible.)


Charlie's September Bark Box arrived this week and as always, it was full of yummy treats and fun toys! He loves getting new stuff in every month through this subscription! Highly recommend if you have a dog you love to spoil!


This week, Craig's parents have been here with their little poodle, Sadie. Sadie and Charlie are attached at the hip now and Charlie is loving having a playmate! I gave them the little plush latte and plush orange sweater with a little mouse peeking out (removable) and they went nuts! I couldn't even get a good picture because they wouldn't sit still.



Get a BarkBox! They are so fun!

As for human products, here are some faves this week! I ran into Ulta last weekend to grab a few things I would need for my trip. I wanted more of this Squeezy Clean face wash to use in the shower since I'd emptied the little sample sizes I've been using. I always always always use my Cleansing Balm UNLESS I'm washing my face in the shower. (That reminds me! I just got a new product in from Colleen Rothschild that I've been trying out and can't wait to report back to y'all on it! You know I love almost everything in that skincare line!) 

The Cleansing Balm needs a dry face to work so if I decide to wash my face in the shower, this has been a great option! It smells great, it lathers into a thick foam and my face really does feel squeaky (squeezy?) clean afterward. 


Also on my "must have" list from Ulta was this satin pillowcase! I've heard several people talk about this before but always forget to add one to my cart. This time I remembered and it really is so silky soft, the leopard print is adorable (but it also comes in other colors) and it has a zipper which has been my only issue with other satin pillowcases I've had in the past. If it doesn't zip, it tends to slip off really easily so yay for the zipper!


(PS: I have this pillow and I love it so much. Ours came with our mattress as a "buy a mattress, get a free pillow" deal but it's so comfy. My opinion of course since I know we all are very particular about our pillows but I thought I'd share since it's not one you hear about every day!)

I also grabbed a fun new dry shampoo because I loved the packaging so much and it was called "cake". Anything called cake has to be good, right? 


This was the Cake "Do Gooder" Volumizing Dry Shampoo and it was just $8.99 so I thought it was worth a try! I've only used it once so far and it did its job just fine. It smelled a little sweet (like cake batter) and absorbed my greasy mess! I was running out the door so I didn't stick around to really give it a detailed overview but I'll report back after I've used it a few more times!

If you are looking for a dry shampoo without talc, parabens, sulfates or phthalates, you may want to try this one!



My new favorite family pic! We took this after Mason's first football game last Saturday. They lost 6-0 and MAN do football dads get heated and super testosterone-y at a 5th-grade football game. 😂 I'm not actually talking about our team dads although they have their moments.  But the other team's dads were losing their minds over what they thought was a bad call (they turned out to be wrong--the call was correct) and I swear to you, you would have thought this was like the last 10 seconds of the Super Bowl or something equally important. You would NOT have guessed it was a bunch of 10-year-olds playing their first tackle football game. 😂😂 #intense




-------------------------------

Speaking of football, we are almost two weeks into those 6:15am practices for Matthew! We wake up at 5:30 and are out the door by 6. It is just not natural to drop your kid off at school when it's still black as night outside! Look at that rumpled cutie! 💙


He is usually a night owl like me but has been putting himself to bed by 9 or 9:30 every night so that he's not exhausted the next day. He's at school by 6:15, home at 4:30, grabs a quick snack, and several times a week has to be up at the ballpark for a game or practice by 5:30. We've already decided that we'll only do one sport at a time from now on. He's being spread a little thin and I don't like it. But he's handling it like a champ. We can't wait for that first game in a couple of weeks!!
--------------------------------
 When I was in Texarkana for my quick overnight (that was supposed to be the start of our trip) my mom and I decided to go for a little bike ride. My mom loves to ride her bike around the neighborhood so I went with her. I grew up riding my bike allllllll over that neighborhood so it was really fun to see it again from the same vantage point! I even remembered certain bumps in the road that are somehow still there after all these years. I road past all my old friends' houses and it sure did make me miss those sweet childhood days.

Also, bike riding is so much fun when you can basically ride in the middle of the street (quiet neighborhood), and its all super flat. 😂 My 'hood now is full of cars in the streets and sidewalk walkers, joggers, and dogs. Plus--we have so many hills...#ohthehills. I still want a bike though. Maybe I'll ask Santa for one for Christmas. 😉

My brother took this picture with his iPad from across the yard before we set off which is why it's all blurry. My mom is so cute, right?!


I love going back home.
----------------------------------

And oh my goodness. These two again! I had to get a picture of them as we left one day.


They are the cutest! I need to get a better picture of them together sitting still. They rarely do that!

The Rack has some really really great deals right now! The Rack is always a little hit or miss for me in terms of finding what I want in my size. The good stuff goes fast so you really have to get in there and grab it while they have your size. 

Here are some of my favorites from this week. (Hopefully, these are all still pretty well stocked when I post this!)

BlankNYC Jeans are one of my favorite go-to brands. I love love love these!! Just the right amount of distressing and whiskering. These are $88 jeans that are currently under $40. 🙌


These 90 Degree by Reflex leggings also called out to me. I have several pairs of leggings in this brand and they are all fantastic. High quality, cute and the ones below even have that perfect side pocket that comes in SO handy when you need to slip your phone in there. These are $78 leggings marked down to $19.97! I would have snapped up a pair of these if I didn't already have some.


Another favorite that I DID grab were these black ones! I got the middle pair and the ones on the right below. I love that super high waist with the wide panel and the muted designs. You could also check out the embossed ones that are very similar but not quite as high waisted and are a few dollars cheaper too!


And I want this little Marc Jacobs crossbody for my birthday next month!! It's 51% off right now and ships free! (Mom, are you reading this?? Hint hint.) It sure would be an upgrade from my $16 Amazon one. 😂 (But seriously, I shouldn't knock the Amazon ones...they are awesome.)



Well, my Etsy shop was closed last week since I thought I'd at the beach this week. I was able to finish up all my orders before then so when I reopened the shop THIS week, I started at 0 which means orders ship SUPER FAST. I have had orders completed, packaged and ready to ship within 30 minutes of the order coming in! It will be like that until I get my first flood of them coming in all at once and then things will start to slow down again so take advantage of this quick turnaround time if you've been wanting something!

The insulated coffee mugs are always a big seller around this time. I've got them in white, black, navy, and rose gold shimmer.


How pretty is that rose gold?!


And I know I share these every week but they are so cute, aren't they?! They just make my fall-lovin' heart happy! You can get this design on any cup color with any color vinyl.


These skinny tumblers aren't new to the shop but these shimmer colors are! All four of these colors are shimmery although it's hard to tell in a picture and the fun tropical pattern is so fun too!


And then another sampling of other fun stuff you'll find!


Don't forget about the earrings!


And I've got a few of these floral and tropical patterned skinny can coolers left too along with the shimmery colors. Skinny cans aren't just for summer, ladies! 😉


You can find all my fall and Christmas signs here! I will be adding more soon!





We can only hope, right?!

I hope you guys have a great weekend!

SHARE:

5 comments

  1. I've been sad for you all week!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh I am so so sad for you-- we had a similar experience with our family trip to Disney this year. After planning it twice with Covid & illnesses getting in the way of both trips we finally had to concede it just wasn't going to happen for us this year. Hopefully you'll have a fabulous trip in October. My mom and I were heading to visit two years ago just a few weeks or so after a big hurricane hit her town and it was amazing to see how fast they get things cleaned up and running.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope they are able to rebuild quickly! It’s got to be so stressful for those who depend on tourism for their incomes! I hope you get your Disney trip soon!

      Delete
  3. Love your blog Amanda! You will get to Orange Beach! And yes your Mom is adorbs!

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you! Drop a comment below!

BLOGGER TEMPLATE CREATED BY pipdig