High Five for Friday: March 13

I don’t even know what to write about this week. Everything feels dumb in light of the actual legitimate huge health issue that we’re facing, you know? If you’re anything like me (meaning you’re anxious about most things and are reluctant to leave the house on a perfectly normal day), perhaps you are coping with a lot of this:

But alas, we keep going and make the appropriate changes/precautions… hanging on by a thread though we may be. And if that means suddenly staying up til 1 AM reading about The Bachelor finasco, then so be it! 😳

So with that preamble out of the way, let’s touch on a few sparkly things (and then promptly wash our hands!):

• Thursday was Kristin’s birthday. I had my yearly allergist appointment that day, and when I sat down in the waiting room, they were playing one of our favorite songs from Game of Thrones: “The Night King.” (We called it “Goodnight King,” which will make more sense if you listen to it, haha.) I’ve never in my life heard this song outside of GoT or my own pursuit of it on YouTube. 🤯 AND THEN, when I went out to my car afterward, our favorite Wham! song (“Everything She Wants”) was playing on the radio. 🤯🤯 Incidentally, I had an intense therapy session on Monday and was really missing having Kristin to talk to afterward. She was always so sane in those moments. Plus, with this week being her birthday and all, I was already missing her a lot. I really needed these reminders that she’s still here with us. 💖

• Timmi and Alana were incredibly helpful as I navigated this week and would patiently listen and weigh in while I was flipping my lid. I’m very grateful for those gals. 💖

• I got to see Kristin’s parents on Wednesday night for birthday cupcakes and a cat-hair-induced allergy attack! 😂😫 I love them and wish they lived around here! 💖

• Lastly, things could be worse. You could be dealing with coronavirus mania AND ALSO be this guy! 😬😬

Hope you have a great weekend! xo

High Five for Friday: March 6

Hi guys! 💖 Here’s what brought the sparkle this week!

• Exciting news: I actually left the house this week! That’s right, on Monday night, I visited Maggie and Karuna. It is always wonderful to be reunited with those gals. Karuna led us in a magical candlelit yoga class, which was exactly what I needed. I’ve been feeling very cut off from my body lately, so having that time to reconnect with myself and ground was really wonderful.

• After yoga, I got to spend some quality time with my beloved Pudge! She is a perfect angel, a divine velvet loaf. 😭😍

🎶I’m a model, you know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the CATwalk🎶

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Was this filmed on VHS in 1982? Surprisingly not! I was just hanging out in the dark (😂) with my sweet Pudgsicle. Please enjoy this video of her purring and using my hand as a pillow. 😫💖😫💖 . . #catsthatarentmine #catsofinstagram #tabbycat #catstagram #caturday #purrito #purrmachine #loveofmylife #tabbiesofinstagram

A post shared by Jess (@jessie_face4) on Mar 2, 2020 at 9:04pm PST

• SPRING IS COMING!!! I had an appointment in Philly on Thursday and just about squealed at the sight of these pink trees! 😍

• I LOVED this post from Positively Present. I often beat myself up for being on a less conventional timeline with big “adult” things like house, marriage, kids, so I need this reminder in my life.

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Obsessed with this quote from @chaninicholas’s book, You Were Born for This. 💫 If you’re interested in astrology at all, I highly recommend it!

A post shared by Dani DiPirro (@positivelypresent) on Mar 3, 2020 at 6:55am PST

• Lastly, another IG post that spoke to me this week (especially because I’ve been feeling like A LOT lately):

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Double tap and Tag a friend You are much more than any #anxietyflareup. ✨ #Anxiety is temporary it always passes and it does not define who you are. ✨ Try to stay clear of terms like #myanxiety anxiety doesn't own you. Change your #innernarrative because when we think the #mindbody listens and the body reacts with #anxietysymptoms @dlcanxietysupport

A post shared by DLC Anxiety Support (@dlcanxietysupport) on Mar 1, 2020 at 1:31am PST

Unrelated, but by the way, did anyone watch Grey’s last night and have a lot of feelings about it? (Mostly 🤯 and 😠 for me…)

Hope you have a great weekend! xo

February 2020 Budget

February was a tale of two months! I bought everything below in the first nine days of the month, when I was seriously on a hunt for comfy pants (and, okay, a few comfy tops!) for my new work-from-home wardrobe.

1. Fleece Turtleneck Sweatshirt (American Eagle): $40 on sale for $30

2. Chenille V-Neck Oversized Sweater (Aerie): $55 on sale for $30

3. Real Soft Jogger (Aerie): $35 on sale for $24

4. Tula Instant Facial Treatment Pads (Amazon): $22

Not pictured:

Play Pocket and Cuff Legging (Aerie): $50 on sale for $35

TOTAL: $141

I do like the two pairs of joggers that I picked up this month, buuut I think these Amazon joggers that I got in January are my favorite. (They’re actually more like harem pants than joggers, but they’re just SO buttery soft and comfy! And there’s no uncomfortably-low-rise waistband issues because the waistband seriously comes up to my bra, LOL.) The Aerie Real Soft Joggers are fine, but they’re really thin, almost like pj pants. The Play Pocket and Cuff Leggings, on the other hand, are much thicker and VERY soft on the inside. They feel like a dream, but they’re clingier, which is kind of annoying—but I guess makes sense because Aerie calls them “leggings,” not joggers. 🤔

The two Aerie/AE tops are so cozy and warm, and they’re both in shades of pink because, as I mentioned here, pink has been my favorite color lately. Also, my girl Tif from Bright on a Budget totally influenced me on the chenille sweater!

Lastly, I got the Tula facial pads because I had tried them at my mini-facial back in the fall, and I was blown away by how they didn’t irritate my sensitive skin. I was in such disbelief that I didn’t buy them at the time, sure my skin would rebel later that day. But I had no ill effects and finally got around to picking them up this month!

What did you buy in February? And do tell—what are your favorite comfy joggers/leggings?!

High Five for Friday: February 28

Last weekend, I got to spend time with my second family: Kristin’s! So let’s see what brought the sparkle with them! ✨

• For starters, if you don’t know, Kristin was one of my best friends, and she passed away last September. As things neared the end, I spent a lot of time with her family. They are wonderful and have welcomed me with open arms! Anyway, Kristin’s sister and her family were in town last weekend, and they (and Kristin’s bf) invited me to go to Philly with them! 😭 How nice!

• We started out at Fireman’s Hall Museum, which I didn’t even know existed, but is the perfect place to go when you have a firetruck-obsessed boy in tow, haha!

Look at this awesome stained glass window!

I asked Kristin’s bf Rod, who is a photographer, to take a picture of me in front of the window… not thinking about how he would have to change his fancy camera configuration to deal with the backlighting. What a rube! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Its rainbow glow was gorgeously reflecting all over the place! I couldn’t appropriately capture it (aside from this picture, sort of), but boy, did I try. 😂

• Next, we walked down to Penn’s Landing, which included a stop at the rides at Spruce Street Harbor. I have been on a serious Mario music kick (like I’m legitimately thinking of getting a gaming console because I REALLY want to play!), so I was in my element!

In LOVE with this picture! Also, does anyone remember Wave Race 64?! 😂

• Then we went to the Independence Seaport Museum to tour a submarine and a ship! (Again: peak boy entertainment, haha.) It was all pretty cool, even though I am not well-versed in seafaring vessels!

All of my yoga really came in handy on the sub!

👀👀

Literally no idea what any of this stuff behind me is. 😂

SO CUTE! ❤️👯‍♀️

• Lastly, on our walk back to the car, we ended up at Race Street Pier, conveniently in time for golden hour—so I made Rod take a picture of me. I need to keep him on retainer for all blog pictures!

Hope you have a great weekend! xo

High Five for Friday: February 21

Let’s see what brought the sparkle this week!

• Well, not the lighting in our house. It’s terrible. Basically nonexistent. Which is a real problem now that I work from home and am practically sitting in the dark once the sun goes down! So I went to Ikea on Saturday after making the declaration, “I’m coming home with a lamp NO MATTER WHAT!” And sure enough, I did! I even assembled it! And it hasn’t fallen apart yet! Look at how cute it is!

• I had gone to Ikea with my mom, and we also ended up buying a bunch of fake plants because why the heck not? Pops and I just kill plants, so fake plants are probably in our best interest. I’m most in love with this trailing guy. 😍

Sour Vikings, anyone? 😂

I did, though, sneak in this adorable lil aloe plant. I really hope I don’t kill him! 😬😬

• Something else I got at Ikea? This $13 bed tray. I use it with my laptop and actually prefer it to a more expensive tray I got on Amazon. Its biggest perk, to me, is that it’s very lightweight—which helps because my laptop weighs a ton!

• After Ikea, we stopped by Burlington, and I found this precious little salt lamp for $4. How could I resist?! Despite being into crystals and all that stuff, I actually didn’t have a salt lamp. This guy fits in perfectly on my work desk! (Also, seeing as we are the house of no light, getting an extra lamp is not a bad idea.)

Also featuring said bb aloe plant, Timmi, and some rose quartz! 👍

• Let’s wrap up with one last purchase I’m loving that happened to arrive last weekend: this iPhone case from Velvet Caviar. It’s SO pretty. It makes all my holographic dreams come true! (Holo and Oates, anyone?? 😂)

Hope you have a great weekend! xo