favorite things Archives - Page 14 of 17

Keeping It Casual

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpHeEiVTALU

Meredith’s Casual Friday Outfit

Happy Friday! Happy Favorite Things Friday!!! New readers, I don’t get deep and reflective on Fridays. On Fridays, I keep it light and airy and I typically list about three favorite things, songs, books, websites, ideas, etc. that keep my life humming. I ask you to list your favorites in the Comments sections, because favorites are fun!! Fridays are fun!!! Please see previous Friday posts for more favorites. Here are today’s favorites:

Dove Lavender and Coconut Milk Whipped Body Cream – This product is one of Allure Magazine’s Beauty Best Buys. The way to my heart is through my smeller. (“The nose . . . it always knows.” – Toucan Sam) This concoction is amazingly good smelling and very emollient, which is key because I hate to break it to you, but Winter is Coming!

Bath and Body Works Brown Sugar & Fig Fine Fragrance Mist – Someone told me that fig perfume is very alluring. Despite having a shelf full of perfume, I couldn’t resist just one more. I started out cheap and figured that I could work my way up. Well, I don’t have to because the first day that I wore this scent, I received a compliment on it. Cha-ching! This is a lovely, light, fall feeling scent and it won’t break the bank.

CurlyGirlDesign.com – These cocktail napkins are one of the many products available on this wonderful, inspiring, fun and empowering gift boutique website. My book club friend gifted me these napkins, perhaps a decade ago and I have never used them, because I love them so much. It means so much to me that she “knew my heart.” When you give one of your friends a gift from this website, she will feel the same connection and care.

Friday Appearances

But for today, Stephen King, since it’s Friday, let’s be content and celebrate our illusion!!! Happy Friday, friends and readers!! This was an interesting week. Being a short week and coming back from travel, I never felt like I got my groove back completely. But no worries, “the same old shit” will start back up on Monday for all of us. New readers, Fridays are just fun here at Adulting – Second Half. We do no analyzing of ourselves or of life on Fridays. On Fridays, I typically list three favorite things, websites, products, videos, songs, etc. of mine and I ask you to share your Favorites in the Comments section. Please see previous Fridays for more favorites.

As a special bonus, I learned a new word today and I wanted to gift it to you. This is from an article in the Washington Post, reviewing Amazon Prime’s new show called Modern Love:

“Orson Welles said: “I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts.”

“hate-watch” – watching shows for the sole purpose of loathing them”

I have to question whether it is actually hating the show, or just mindlessly watching the TV show without really giving it much thought or emotion at all, but I don’t know. Anyway, I’m just trying to keep us all hip to the times. 😉 You’re welcome.

Today’s Favorites:

McDonald’s McRib Sandwich – Yep, it’s back. Need I say more? Go get your car keys and ask for extra napkins. Dr. Pepper is optional. You might need one late tonight, too, depending on your Friday plans. And then maybe one, tomorrow morning . . . .

String Jewelry – I have bought expensive string jewelry in fancy boutiques, but I have also found Etsy to have excellent, affordable options for buying string bracelets and necklaces. I have teeny wrists, so as much as I love big bangles, they are usually a no-go for me because I talk a lot with my hands and thus, the big bangles on my skinny wrists, have a tendency to fly off of my hand and hit other people in the head. String jewelry is dainty and lovely and fun to layer. Usually the string has small beads or charms and clasps, to upgrade it from what is just a piece of string lying in your junk drawer. Check out EmMaLoveCompany and tiedupmemories (stores on Etsy) for wonderful, customizable, affordable string jewelry options.

Vita-Pos – Earlier this year, some of you may remember that I managed to give myself a corneal abrasion on a girls’ weekend in Nashville. I was nobody’s favorite that weekend (including myself). My husband was working on giving himself a corneal abrasion lite this morning. (you contact lens wearers understand the plight) I pulled out my handy dandy little tube of comforting, soothing Vita-Pos and handed it to him, with the reassuring air of a Florence Nightingale-type mom, in a flu commercial . Vita-pos is like vaseline for the eyes and it works really well for dry-eyes, as well. Just use it before you put your contact lenses in your eyes, and let it soak up before you put your eye makeup on. (you’re welcome) I get mine on Amazon Prime.

Have fun making appearances all weekend long, guys!!! I appreciate you!

Dogs, Shells, Mimosas . . . Friday!

Today, we get to be like our dogs!! We always say that we want to come back as them, right?! Honestly, I want to come back as either my husband’s boss’ dog or my aunt’s and uncle’s dog. No doubts!

Happy Friday, friends and readers!! Today is Favorite Things Friday!! On Fridays, we stay away from deep thoughts and reflections here at Adulting-Second Half (unless you are pondering as to whose dog you want to come back as). On Fridays, I list three favorite things, websites, songs, products, anythings that keep my life going along in a fun way. Please share the love with your favorites in the Comments section (shout out to Kit, my most prolific commenter, so far! Kit, today you are my favorite!) and also check out previous Friday posts for more favorites. You can never have too many favorites!

Here are today’s favs:

Cherub’s Doses & Mimosas song – Please just ignore the nasty lyrics and profanity and just jam to this tune. My sons were annoying our neighbors with this tune blasting out of their waterproof JBL speakers (that they kept testing by throwing the speakers into the pool – you are impressive, JBL) this past weekend and I found myself not able to stay still, from its beginning until its end. (much to their chagrin) Try not to even bob your head, or lift your shoulders while this song is playing. See, not possible. Close your eyes and go back to your night club days, so very long ago . . . If you can pretend that you don’t understand English, this is the perfect Friday mood setter song.

Betta Fish – One of our pets is Big Dickie. He is the Betta fish who lives in a container in our powder room (you do the math). Big Dickie has lived with us for a few years now. He is a beautiful, gorgeous, giant red Betta fish. (all of the Bettas with huge, big, fancy fins are the males). Bettas actually have personality. Any time, any one of us uses the powder room, Big Dickie rises the surface to greet us. He thinks that it is feeding time. (circle of life moment). Bettas can’t move fast, because their fins are actually quite heavy for their bodies to lug around. So they just sit still and stare at you (if look closely, they actually have very interesting, expressive faces) Big Dickie actually has a little leaf perch, suctioned to the side of his bowl, so that he can rest. If you want a low maintenance pet that is really quite interesting, I highly recommend a Betta (two male bettas will kill each other in an aquarium – they are also known as fighting fish, so keep ’em separated.)

Shell Jewelry – I’ve always loved shell jewelry, even when I didn’t live in Florida. Right now cowrie shell jewelry is all of the rage. Cowrie shells are those white shells that look like a piece of macaroni, often confused with puka shells. Pukas are white shells that look more round and bead- like than cowries, but they are lovely, too. I love brown and white shells made into jewelry. One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a wampum bracelet that my husband bought for me in Martha’s Vineyard. (my grandparents eloped there during World War II – very special place to me) Wampum is a purple and white shell that Native Americans used throughout history as a form of currency. The wampum jewelry on Martha’s Vineyard is made by the Aquinnah Wampamnoag tribe who have a reservation on the island.

There you have it! As always, thank you for coming by! I love you guys!!

Date With My Bed

Image result for friday quotes and memes

Happy Friday, friends and readers!!! I don’t know about you, but I worked hard for this Friday – emotionally and physically, but now I am all spiritually happy! I am in my Friday mojo!! New readers, it is all about the stuff and fluff here at Adulting – Second Half on Fridays. Nothing serious is discussed or even contemplated. On Fridays, I list three favorites: things, books, beauty products, music selections, pet products, food/drink etc. Please give us some of your favorites in the Comments Section and please check out my previous Friday posts for more favorites. Here are this week’s favorites:

Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration by Meera Lee Patel – My dear friend gifted me this beautiful journal. It looks like it is hand painted. It is full of gorgeously painted famous quotes and then a section with questions, guiding you to how the quote might apply to your life. She bought herself one, too and we were laughing that the only problem with it, is that it is so pretty, we don’t want to ruin it with our own messy handwriting. Check it out and learn about yourself in the process!!

Girl Power Feminine Venus Symbol Earrings – “The two standard sex symbols are the Mars symbol ♂ (often considered to represent a shield and spear) for male and Venus symbol ♀ (often considered to represent a bronze mirror with a handle) for female, derived from astrological symbols, denoting the classical planets Mars and Venus, respectively, and the elements … ” – Wikipedia

I first saw these earrings on Carly Shannon of the TV show, Travelers. She was a total bad ass character, so I think I thought that maybe if I would get and wear these earrings, I would feel more bad ass, too. I also noticed that Dog’s (the bounty hunter) late wife Beth wore them as well, and no one could deny her level of tough.

Anyway, I love these Venus symbol earrings. I got mine on Etsy from a shop in Norway (women are bad ass all over the world). The shop is called MistyAurora. They are the perfect size – big enough to be noticed, but not too big to be considered over-exaggerated. Girl Power!!

Hadaki XBody Bag – I’m fickle. I get bored easily. I like a lot of variety when it comes to my accessories. Still, I have carried the same Hadaki crossbody bag, as my “official dog walking bag” for years now, and it still looks brand new. Keep in mind, I walk my dogs almost every single day, and at least once a day. My particular bag is a brightly colored, laminated cloth bag, with a sturdy nylon strap. It is big enough to carry poop bags, hand sanitizer, bug spray, a small credit card wallet, dog and horse treats, and my phone. The quality of this bag is unparalleled. Hadaki is based in New Orleans, one of the best cities in the United States!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

It Can Wait

Happy FRIDAY!!!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! Hello, wonderful friends and readers. It’s here. Our favorite day of the week! Here at Adulting – Second Half, we don’t delve into the deep end on Fridays. We keep it light and airy. I list three favorite things, songs, websites, stores, pet products, etc. etc. that make my material life just jam! I strongly wish and encourage that you guys would add some of your favorites in the Comments section. You can never have too many favorites!! For example, I have four favorite kids and two favorite dogs, but I only have one favorite husband. New readers, please check out previous Friday posts for more ideas to add to your list of favorites. Here are this Friday’s Favorites:

Owen Barry purses – I’ve always been a bag lady (a shoe lady first, then a sunglasses lady, but handbags are right up in there, in my list of obsessions! Oh wait, jewelry too . . . . ) Anyway, I think one of the biggest delights of getting older, is really honing in on what you REALLY like. A lot of the experimentation is over and you really know what really works for you and you OWN IT. When it comes to handbags, big, soft, supple leather is what I love in a handbag. I love a leather handbag that is soft like butter and keeps getting softer and softer, the longer that you carry it. I am currently carrying around a wonderful Owen Barry bag, that just makes me happy just thinking about it. It melts into me, when I carry it. Owen Barry is a British company, but many American stores carry the line.

Faux Fur Throws – I love throws. I have baskets of them everywhere. My favorite throw lies on my side of the bed. It is a light brown, thick, luxurious faux mink that alternates between making me feel like I am staying in the Waldorf Astoria in their presidential suite, or I a wild, unruly native in a tee-pee on the set of Dances With Wolves. It all just depends on my mood and my imagination that day. Grandin Road carries a nice collection of these fabulous, over the top, blankets.

Vera Bradley Iconic Campus Backpack – I have always been a proponent of well-made, long-lasting book bags. My daughter is currently carrying this one around in an understated, quilted navy material. It it is holding up very well, despite the fact that she never goes to her locker, so all of the contents of her locker are loaded up into this model every day, which makes it seem like she is carrying around boulders. When my kids were little, I always ordered them Lands End backpacks with their initials embroidered on them. Often, despite being carried by a boisterous pack of rough and tumble little kids, we typically got more than one school year out of them. This Vera Bradley model is the grown-up, sophisticated version of that, for my teenage daughter.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Joey: You can’t have Thanksgiving without turkey. That’s like Fourth of July without apple pie, or Friday with no two pizzas.
– Friends

Casual Favorite Things Friday

Art speaks for itself, but sometimes the conversation balloon can be helpful.

Hi all! Happy Friday!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!!! It’s been a good, busy, productive week and now it is time to have some fun!!! New readers, Fridays are definitely casual and upbeat here at Adulting- Second Half. On Fridays, I list three favorites – anything from TV shows, to books, to websites, to jewelry, to food stuff, etc. etc. You get the picture. Please add to the list by putting your favorites in the Comments section and please check out all of the previous Friday posts for more fun favorites.

Let’s get this party started!

Jiuhong Stretch Removable Washable Short Dining Chair Protector Cover Slipcovers – Our kitchen chairs are getting a little ratty. We use them every day (like many people, we use our dining room set one time a year at Thanksgiving and also, mostly as a place to set piles of stuff). Anyway, after years of supporting four big, sweaty men and their big, sweaty, hungry friends, and also many spills and mishaps, our chairs might even be refused from Goodwill. However, these incredible slipcovers that I easily put on the chairs yesterday, made my husband and daughter think that we had gotten a whole new set of chairs! They give our breakfast area a whole new modern look and at $35 for six covers, they may be my bargain of the year. I read in the reviews that a lot of people buy these to protect their chairs when their grandkids come over or they are having a big party. Overall, I am more than pleased with this purchase!! You can order them on Amazon and there are many patterns to choose from.

Clays & Birds Twitter Feed – My aunt told me about this wonderful Twitter feed yesterday. On this past 9/11, this feed devoted its site to the brave service dogs and their handlers, who did the very difficult job of search and rescue at the site of the fallen buildings. The big “takes” I got from the stories (besides a complete and utter reminder of why I love and respect dogs, as much as I do), is that dogs get emotionally overwhelmed like we do and oftentimes, these search and rescue dog/people teams are volunteers and are not at all paid for their training and service. Wow! On the first point, the stories talked about the dogs getting so drained and overwhelmed by only finding deceased people, that live firefighters volunteered to be “found” alive by the dogs, to keep the dogs’ morale up. I know that our dogs get very upset when any of our family is emotional. It was such a reminder of the fact that animals have bigger hearts than we often give them credit for having. On the second point, there are websites that you can donate money to these volunteer search and rescue efforts, as they are a very vital and worthy cause. Check the Twitter feed out and have a box of tissues handy.

Military Working Dogs Forever Stamps – My mother always taught me never to settle for the flag stamps at the post office. She always looked through the mailing stamps available and picked the prettiest ones for her correspondences. I have always appreciated that lesson. It was not lost on me, even at a young age, that she meant that on a bigger scale, with all of our little choices that we make throughout the day. For often no upcharge, you can drink your water out of the prettier glass, or your coffee out of the mug that makes you smile, etc. etc. The little details often do matter. Anyway, as a person who loves stationery and always looks at the new stamps available, these have been my favorite stamps to come out all of this year! For the very reasons, discussed above, you can’t help but appreciate the loveliness and dignity of this stamp collection.

Have a great weekend, friends! Thank you, truly, for your support and validation!

From my other favorite Twitter feed (Think Smarter):

That’s Weird

Hi guys! Happy Friday!! The weekend is here! Happy “Favorite Things Friday”! On Fridays, I keep this light and on the material plane. I typically list three favorite items, cleaning products, foods, songs, websites, etc. that just make life a little more life-filled. Please see previous Friday posts for other favorite things and please add your own favorites to the Comments section. Without further ado:

Amkiri Visual Fragrance Tattoos – I bought this wand and stencils temporary tattoo kit for my artistic teenage daughter to have fun with, and to share with her friends. (including me) It is sophisticated enough to be an upgrade from the Crackerjack stick-on tattoos, but nothing you have to commit to for life (or even for a day), like an actual tattoo. (they are pretty easy to remove) My daughter has a blast experimenting with the stencils and her own designs. The ink actually smells divine, to boot. So much fun to be had and worth every penny!! **helpful hint – My daughter says that baby powder and hairspray makes the tattoos last longer.

Bumblebee Tuna Packets – These packets are a fun, easy, healthy way to snack or to grab lunch on the go. The packets even have a built in spoon. There are so many different flavors to try, but we have decided that our family favorite is the Lemon Sesame Ginger variety. At only about a dollar a package, this is a wallop of good healthy protein, at a great price!

OPI Alpaca My Bags – A while ago, I featured my favorite nail polish colors on a Favorite Things Friday post. I have a new color to add to this list. This is a fabulous shade of blue. It is not a garish turquoise or ultra bright sky blue, but more of a grey-blue or a cornflower blue. It adds a sophistication to blue nail polish which is perfect as we head into autumn and the more subdued shades of the season.

Have a great weekend, friends!!!

Hurricane Hassle

Happy Friday! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! Readers, things are breezy, easy and sometimes even cheesy, here on Fridays at Adulting – Second Half. On Fridays, I list three favorite things, songs, apps, foods, etc. that I just love and I strongly encourage my readers to add their favorites, in the Comments section. New readers, please feel free to check out previous Friday posts for lots of good favorites to enjoy!

Readers, I hope you all have a fabulous long holiday weekend. As you know, I live in Florida. We are not evacuating. I am staying positive that we won’t be affected greatly and I am praying for my fellow citizens that we will all be safe and unharmed. I have only lived in Florida for about eight years, and already I have come to accept hurricanes as the price we pay, to live in otherwise, such a beautiful, warm, ripe and fascinating state. If I am not posting, just figure that we had a power outage and we are prepared for that. That is the beauty of hurricanes – they give you fair warning of their impending arrival. It’s just annoying because the hurricanes never decide who they are going to visit in person, until seemingly, the very end.

On to today’s favorites:

Spray ‘N Wash Laundry Stain Remover Max with Oxi Action – I live in a family of six active and not particularly graceful people, and two boisterous dogs. We get a lot of stains on our clothes. I have never used a better stain remover in my life. It claims to even remove 7-day dried in stains. I haven’t tested that situation but I believe it to be true. This stuff is the bomb!

Balanced Femme Liquid Herbal Formula – I have mentioned that I have been trying out different natural remedies for dealing with the fun of premenopause/menopause hormonal craziness. The verdict’s still out on this one, but I have found it beneficial enough, to order a second bottle. At the very least, I have noticed no negative side effects. You can order it from Amazon.

No Pull Dog Harness from Zydistro (ebay) – We have two large, young, strong, eager dogs. Our Labrador retriever weighs over 80 pounds and our collie is about 65 pounds. These nylon harnesses are the best we have ever used to walk our dogs with and they are unbelievably inexpensive ($6.99). They are washable nylon, have strong straps and clips, come in all sorts of sizes, colors and patterns, are easy to put on and off and the best part is that they have a strong pull handle on the top of the harnesses, which comes in handy in certain circumstances, like pulling Ralphie (our lab) away from someone who doesn’t necessarily want to have their face licked off. I bought ours at the beginning of the summer. We walk our dogs daily, and the harnesses are still in great shape.

Image result for lieutenant dan storm meme

Oui! Vendredi!

I’m jealous of people who have distinctively wonderful voices. Morgan Freeman’s voice would definitely make my list of Friday favorites. James Earl Jones and Sam Elliott would probably round out my top three actors with best, most interesting voices.

Happy Friday, readers and friends!! New readers, Fridays are light and airy here at Adulting – Second Half. On “Favorite Things Friday”, in my happiest voice (and non distinctive and a little bit higher than I would like it to be), I list three of my favorite anythings, whether it be books, makeup, songs, products, foods, etc. Please check out previous Friday blog posts for more favorites and please share your own favorites in my Comments section. Okay (clearing my throat), here are today’s favs:

Oui Yogurt – Yoplait outdid themselves with this one. This French-style yogurt is so light and airy and delicious. However, the best part about it, is that it is served in these little, adorable glass jars. I feel like such a sophisticated grown-up eating it! I mix some Cascadian Farms granola in mine every morning, and it is like having dessert for breakfast. Magnifique!!

JanetHillStudio.com artworks – I just bought a few inexpensive pieces of Canadian Janet Hill’s art from her Etsy store. I love her artwork. It’s just so fanciful and feminine, like being in another perfect time, that doesn’t quite exist, but maybe it does, inside of us? She sells greeting cards, books, and notebooks, too, so you don’t have to buy a print if you don’t have anymore room on your walls. Peruse her art to get you back to your most feminine, glamorous, exquisite self.

Jeff & Aimy UPF 50 Safari Sunhat – The paparazzi photographed Lori Loughlin trying to stay incognito when out shopping this summer, wearing this hat. (or at least something similar to it) Now, I am not going to get into the whole Lori Loughlin scandal – that would take a whole other blog post. I just remember seeing the picture and going, “Wow. I live in Florida. I need that hat.” I bought mine on Amazon. There are all different colors available. It is the perfect soft, fold-able, pack-able, washable sun (and rain) hat, and it actually looks attractive, too. It sort of has a southern belle flair to it, with its wide brim and long flounces and bow in the back, and at the same time, it protects everything on your head, including your hair.

I end Favorite Things Friday with this thought:

Favorite Flora Friday

Hi readers! Happy Friday!!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!! New readers, on Fridays we discuss STUFF – the material parts of life that make living grand. On Friday, I mention three of my favorite things, songs, websites, books, etc. etc. and I ask you to add some of your favorite STUFF in the Comments section. Please check out previous Friday posts (there are a lot of them by now), for more favorites.

I grew up in Pennsylvania. In the summertime, in Pennsylvania, people have flowers galore. It is truly lovely. I spent my thirties in North Carolina. Carolinians enjoy beautiful flowers in the summer time, too, but due to the heat they don’t plant quite as many of them, as the northerners do, in my experience. When I lived in NC, I fell in love with the Crepe Myrtle bushes/trees. Carolinians plant those beauties everywhere! Then in my forties, we moved to Florida. I was shocked to see that people didn’t plant a whole lot of the traditional flowers that I was used to seeing. You see, Florida is just too damn hot in the summer and delicate flowers like impatiens, just wither and fry down to nothing, unless they are connected to a drip, containing gallons of water. And even then, there are no guarantees. However, tropical flowers bask and thrive in the Florida sun and grow at exponential rates, so much so, that soon a machete becomes a much needed gardener’s tool.

Above are pictures of three of my favorite Florida Loving Plants. Here is why:

Bromelaid – I bought one small bromelaid with its gorgeous pink flower, a few years back, to support breast cancer awareness. Well, now we own about 18 of these beauties from that one small plant. These plants put rabbits to shame in the field of reproduction. Their flower is so dramatic, and bursts with color and energy and it blooms for a long time. I love, love, love this plant!!

Musical Note Clerodendrum – This plant is fabulous. It’s blooms are white puffs that look just like musical notes. It constantly blooms as if it is constantly singing. Ours really took off when we planted it in a flower bed, by the small lake that we have out back. It looks delicate, but it can’t help but thrive and bloom and burst with its song, in our tropical environment.

Chenille Plant (red-hot cattail) – I have this plant in a jardiniere (remember that word from last week, friends??) by my front door. It just grows and flows like a little waterfall full of pink, fuzzy caterpillars. It does just fine in hot Florida, although it does require a fair amount of watering. (I sometimes pour a little ice in it, and it seems to appreciate the effort while it withstands the sunshine)

Enjoy your weekend, friends! As always, thank you so much for your support and validation!