Friday Favorites – February 26, 2016

nyc

 

Friday has arrived and it’s sunny in NYC! To say I am excited is a bit of an understatement. Things have been crazy over here as Bo started a new job this week, immediately upon our return from Tahoe. The house needs cleaning, our Fairway shopping list is longer than I’d like to admit and I still have 10-miles to run at some point today. This evening Bo is hanging out with a friend while I indulge in a relaxing Friday night – hair cut, manicure, pedicure and a glass of wine while watching last night’s Scandal.  How about you? What is on your agenda this weekend? 

This is my fifth Friday Favorite post in a row and I this my blogging mojo is finally right where I want it! I’ve had a blast blogging this week and am excited about the content I have lined up for next week.  As promised, in regular Friday fashion, here is this week’s version of Friday Favorites. So, as you count down the hours until the weekend begins, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

Do you work from home? How many of these awful realities of working from home resonate with you? Number two, three and five hit home for me especially yesterday when I only left the house to buy a salad from our corner bodega because the only food we have is apples, almond butter and bananas.

Props to the Charles Schwab CEO, Walt Bettinger, for testing a job candidate’s character by putting them in a very typical, but stressful situation. After reading this, take a moment to think how you react when a restaurant or other service industry makes a mistake.

Just in time for Sunday night’s movie fest, this homemade popcorn recipe looks deliciously indulgent. How can you go wrong when something includes three of my favorite things – popcorn, peanut butter and chocolate? I think I’ll have to make some before Bo and I catch up on a few more Oscar-nominated films this weekend. Which one has your vote?

Thanks to Kristine, and the crazy work week, Bo and I jumped on the Munchery wagon last night. We ordered the pan seared albacore rice bowl which was delicious and reasonably priced. Having a healthy, delicious and filling dinner option delivered to our doorstep was the perfect way to end a 14-hour work day! Want to try it for yourself? Use this code  (HEALTHYHAP) to save $10 on your first order!

munchery

We brew our own coffee each morning and while we’ve tried a number of different blends and roasts over the past six months, I’ve finally found my favorite – Stumptown House Blend. It’s robust enough to wake me up in the morning but smooth and balanced enough to enjoy throughout the day.

Today’s windy weather really makes me wish I had an insulated running vest. I found this Brooks vest on sale! Since it’s insulated, wind resistant and water resistant it’d make the perfect Spring layer.

If you’ve followed this blog or my Instagram feed for a while, you’ll hopefully know that I’m very focused on improving my photography and content this year.  This helpful post from Paula provides inexpensive and easy tips to improve your photos. I just ordered the Lack side table since we have a convenient place to store it when I’m not using it for photos and props.

Last week’s ski trip left my lips seriously wind burnt. I have a tendency to lick my lips when I’m nervous which means that I spent half the time licking my lips on the slopes, only to have them battered and chapped from the wind and conditions. I’ve been layering on the new to me Sierra Sage lip balm multiple times a day this week to help with the damage. The refreshing mint flavor is relaxing while the vitamin E and natural oils have quickly repaired my lips.

How can I not include Fuller House on this week’s Friday Favorites! I remember watching Full House along with Step By Step, Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Family Matters on Friday nights with friends while we played Girl Talk and ate pizza.

We have a black tie optional wedding in Stone Habor, New Jersey this April which means it’s time to figure out a dress option. My amazing friend Theodora has offered her favorite Lilly Pulitzer dress but if that doesn’t fit, I’m eyeing this one and this one on Rent the Runway and this one at Nordstrom. Thoughts? Since it’s only $150 to buy a dress from Nordstrom, I can’t decide whether I should buy or rent. But when would I wear it again?

nordstrom dress

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

Share Button

Follow:

15 Comments

  1. Meghan @ little girl in the big world February 26, 2016 / 1:45 pm

    I love the idea of the Lack table for photos! I need to look into something similar, because I’m always looking for a place to take photos and can never find a true white background. So smart. I might need to think about it…or head to Ikea one day…

    • ashleyd February 26, 2016 / 5:51 pm

      Just order it online – it’s less than $10!! 🙂

  2. Jess February 26, 2016 / 2:31 pm

    bahahahaha YES to the work from home daily buzz article!

  3. Annie February 26, 2016 / 2:46 pm

    I wore the Badgely Mischka from RTR in green for a gala last year and it’s the best dress I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing. That being said, I love the other RTR dress and I dream about wearing it except I can’t go without a strapless bra. It’s very Emma Stone Met Gala from 2 years ago.

    • ashleyd February 26, 2016 / 5:52 pm

      Since I CAN go without a bra, I feel like I should go for it!

      • Jenny February 27, 2016 / 2:46 am

        You totally should! I was trying on a bridesmaid’s dress at RTR last night and a woman in the room next to me was trying on the second (pink/red) one and it looked awesome on! She ended up choosing it 🙂

        • ashleyd February 27, 2016 / 11:28 pm

          Thanks! I think I may order the Nordstrom one and see how it looks then use RTR as a backup!

  4. Kirsten February 26, 2016 / 3:47 pm

    The Eliza J dress in the picture would look beautiful on you! I thought the first dress was a little plain 🙂

    • ashleyd February 26, 2016 / 5:53 pm

      Thanks!! I agree the plain cobalt blue is a bit plain so thinking one of the other options!

  5. Laura February 26, 2016 / 6:46 pm

    I can’t wait for Fuller House! I’m saving it to watch with friends.

    I love the WFH article. It makes me so angry when friends think that I can go grab lunch, go to a gym class, etc. That’s not working from home – that’s vacation!

  6. Rosey Rebecca February 26, 2016 / 10:08 pm

    OMG TGIF and Girl Talk! NOSTALGIA! It took me three years to read this post because I kept clicking all the links you included and loving every single one. LOVE the idea of taking a future employee out to eat and having the restaurant mess up. I’m usually pretty understanding when that happens but I do have friends who freak out! I’m going to forward that working from home article to Jeff because I’m sure he’ll appreciate it- I’m def. guilty of walking in on him and being like, “blah blah blah blah can you do this? blah blah blah.” And he’s all like, “I’M WORKING!” and I’m like, “but here’s a cat video.”

    Very clever to use a Lack side table for photos! I’ll need to look into that! And that popcorn looks AH-MAZING

  7. Farah February 27, 2016 / 2:42 am

    Think I might order a Lack table from Ikea too for photography! My vote is to buy the dress from Nordstrom! Looks gorgeous and I bet you would look fabulous in it! You could totally wear it again to a fancier party this summer – or even out to a nice dinner/night out/show in NYC over the summer!

    • ashleyd February 27, 2016 / 11:28 pm

      YES do it! I ordered one! I think I am going to order the Nordstrom one!! Thanks 🙂

  8. Susan - Nurse on the Run February 28, 2016 / 6:45 pm

    I can’t stand when people treat service people poorly. It’s embarrassing. (It’s also embarrassing how some people treat nurses, hooray!) However, if you’re going to breakfast with a potential employer, shouldn’t you know to be on your best behavior? It’d be so odd to be anything but calm during any interactions with a potential employer!

  9. Demi March 4, 2016 / 1:27 pm

    Very interesting article regarding Chares Schwab. I think you should buy the dress, there will always e another occasion!

    http://www.ablondeinanairport.com

Comments are closed.