Hi and happy July!

July. Wow. I know it’s cliché, and I probably say this every year, but where the heck has the time gone?!

I’ve been spending the majority of the summer working, fixing up the house, and spending every spare moment trying to do fun activities with the little one. But that hasn’t stopped me from trying, and loving, a bunch of new things this season.

Like the Nespresso Plus machine that I scored at an amazing deal from QVC a few months ago. I swear, this has become the best part of my day. Waking up each morning to a quiet house. With a freshly prepared latte. I truly never thought I’d be one of those people who thought a hot cup of coffee was the “best part of waking up”. But I am. Not only do I love this machine for the endless amounts of lattes and cappuccinos that I can whip up, but the milk frother makes a lovely matcha latte as well!

And these coffee sugars. My favorite way to drink the Nespresso Mexico pod is by adding a half of a tablespoon of the Mexican Mocha coffee sugar and topping it off with some foamed almond milk! It’s divine. And that Turkish Cardamom Spice. Yum. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried the Ginger Coconut variety. It intrigued me so much – especially because it has garam masala in it – but it smells like my kitchen does when I’m cooking up some chicken tikka masala, and I just can’t bring myself to put that in my coffee. Maybe over a sweet potato. But not my coffee. However, the other 5 flavors? Totally worth getting the sample pack for!

Aside from my coffee addiction, I’ve also developed quite the peanut butter obsession. Especially since I finally took the plunge and purchased American Dream Nut Butter. I mean holy cow. It started with four and then quickly escalated until an entire shelf in my refrigerator was consumed by peanut butter. I’ve been eating it on everything – in hot oats, spread on top of rice cakes, in cottage cheese, and most importantly, by the spoonful.

I recently had someone ask me how I manage everything – working full time, having my daughter with me 24/7, renovating my house, working out, traveling around Pennsylvania and surrounding states – and still function? My simple answer? Home Chef. I know you’re probably wondering how a meal delivery system helps me to accomplish all these things, but it’s easy. I used to spend hours each week trying to figure out what I wanted to make for dinners and now I don’t really need to. I have 3-4 meals sent to us each week, and then I choose insanely easy meals (I’m talking 15 minutes or less preparation) for the rest of the nights. My neighbor recommended the service to me a couple months ago, and I’m so glad she did! I’ve cut my dining out down significantly (which adds more to my home renovation budget) and we have a home cooked meal on our table (without a bunch of food waste) most nights of the week. A total win win.

Since we’re on a food-kick, I figured why not share my favorite superfood? PEScience has this amazing Greens and Superfoods premium powder that just makes me feel healthier when I drink it. The company freeze dries their greens, instead of air drying or drum drying, which allows their greens to maintain the ultimate micronutrient content. So, when I drink their greens, I’m actually getting the benefits – especially when I haven’t eaten enough veggies throughout my day (which is like every.single.day.)

Antique Candle Co. has made my favorites list again! And for good reason. I decided to be a candle tester for their Christmas candles this year (like we did last year) and the samples they prepared smell as amazing as ever, especially the snickerdoodle scent!

This past year has been a year of no gym going – not that I was really a huge fan of the gym to begin with. But that caused a huge issue when I wanted to up my weight lifting game and couldn’t find a set of dumbbells to save my life. Luckily, I obsessively check websites and saw that a local sports store had one set of the Pro Series Power Blocks in stock, which I immediately rushed out to purchase after my work shift ended. And I’m so glad that I did. It’s so nice having such a wide variety of weights, and having them take up the space of only one set of dumbbells. Score!

We’re heading on vacation soon (less than a month to go) to somewhere tropical! So, while I’ve been working on my tan, I’ve been protecting myself with this incredible sunscreen. Not only is it certified organic, has the recommended broad spectrum SPF 30 protection, but it’s coral reef compliant – which means there are no harmful chemicals that may be safe for human skin, but can reek havoc on the delicate marine life.

I had never really been a fan of jumpsuits until I bought one for work a couple years ago, so when I saw this Bonita Life Racerback Jumpsuit, I new I had to have it! It’s also so versatile! Throw on some wedge sandals and a statement necklace for a summer night out, some sandals and a hat for running errands, or take it into the autumn with a jean jacket and some white Keds.

If I never thought I’d be a lover of jumpsuits, I truly never thought I’d be a lover of rompers. Then I ordered this striped one and this floral one and have been practically living in them this summer. I’ve been wearing the striped with one some white Keds and the striped one with a belt around the waist and some Steve Madden look alikes that I found out Walmart [shown in photo above].

I’ve also been loving this Ruffle Hem Maxi Dress in black that I picked up from Target. I cut off the original belt loops and throw on the black and white striped belt from this belt set. I’ve been loving how these belts make a one-piece outfit look so put together. Plus, they’ve been adding the perfect amount of detail without needing any additional layers in this sweltering heat.

Lastly, it’s not often you’ll see me without a Victoria Emerson cuff around my wrist. These bracelets are inspired by the company’s travels around the world with names from their favorite cities and regions. I love how there are so many layers, that it makes it seem like I’m wearing 5-6 bracelets, but in reality I’m wearing one cuff that has a magnetic closure.

{none of these are are sponsored, I just thought it would be fun to talk about some of the things I am loving lately.}