Hi there! How's everyone doing this week? Mine's flying by- I always love the short weeks following a long weekend. Although it stinks to fit 5 days of work into 4, I'll find a way to survive. I promise. I've been trying to commit to work on my fitness over the past month, and am working hard to become more healthy. I feel as though I do make mindful and healthy choices in most aspects of my life, but I have the most room for improvement with my workouts. I am pretty inconsistent and easily fall off the bandwagon with my routine (when I have one!). This has been a consistent challenge for me over the past few years since I've entered the workforce full time. I'm not a morning person and I know that I'm not able to hit the gym before work. I work a pretty sedentary job and am just exhausted most days when I get home. This makes it even more challenging to get back out of the door to go workout.
With that being said, I've been moving in the right direction thanks to a few changes. I try to hop into workout clothes as soon as I'm home from work. Even if I don't go to the gym immediately following my outfit change, I'm more likely to go if I'm already dressed for it. Also, I've been honing in on some great music to work out to. This really helps to distract me from my task at hand, and has allowed me to go further and for longer than I could before I paid more attention to my music.
Currently, my focus is on running. I've always HATED running as a workout. I did gymnastics and then competitive cheerleading up through my senior year of high school and running was used as a punishment in both of my trainings. To make things worse, I'm slow and have honestly never tried to enjoy running. But I am determined to change that. I don't have a date yet, but I'm working towards being able to comfortably run a 10k race. I've been making good progress so far but still have a ways to go- and I'd like to get faster while I'm at it!
I wanted to share a few of my favorite workout songs with you! I like to listen to pop music when I work out- I just need something upbeat and mood lifting! I don't care if it's from the 90s or if it's on this week's Top 40. As long as it's fun to listen to, it's good in my book! I hope y'all enjoy!
What do you do to stay fit? What goals do you have for your fitness? Do you have favorite songs to workout to?
Happy Memorial Day, y'all! Today is a day of thankfulness for me. I hope you're having a relaxing long weekend and wearing plenty of sunscreen! I'm thrilled for the official start of summer. My pool opened on Saturday and I have been at leisure all weekend. It's fabulous! This is the first time of the year that I usually start thinking about my pool gear and making sure that I have what I need (replacing anything old or getting anything I missed in years past!). I always buy a new bottle of sunscreen each year to ensure my ingredients are still active. I don't like to burn, and since I am so fair that takes extra effort to avoid it! One of my recent loves this time of year has got to be cute bathing suit cover-ups. I never gave much thought to them before- I would throw on a sun dress or t-shirt and shorts. Now, I appreciate the value of a good cover-up: not getting sunscreen/sweat on your clothes, lightweight materials, and of course, modesty. You never know where you might be headed after a morning at the pool/beach, so it's nice to have something that covers you up if you're going somewhere besides home! Here are a few of my current favorites right now.
I will typically wear my dress cover-ups alone, and will throw on a simple tank with my shorts cover-ups. And voila! All you have left to do is grab your bag and head out for some relaxation. I am still excited to break out my Lilly For Target shorts that I got last month- they are just perfect as a cover-up! Super comfy and bright. Have an awesome rest of your long weekend! :)
What do you wear as a cover-up? Do you prefer shorts or a dress? Which is your favorite?
Hey y'all! I hope you're having a fabulous week so far. For those of you who have been reading along with me, you've probably noticed that I'm getting really interested in beauty and perfecting my skin care routine over the past few months. I've never been an expert when it comes to make-up, but I've always taken great care to keep my skin healthy and glowing. I work a customer-facing job in sales and have become even more sensitive to my appearance over the past few years (although let's be honest, what girl isn't?!). My appearance is giving an impression before I open my mouth to my customers and my skin has not been speaking kindly of my habits as of late- dehydration, lack of sleep, stress, and sun exposure. As I've started aging, I notice that my lifestyle shows up on my face more than it ever has before. Why is growing older so dang hard?!
Since I've started reading more blogs, I've noticed a new-to-me trend in skin care: beauty serums. They come in many different shapes and sizes claiming to fix a host of skin woes. I don't know all that there is to know about them, but I do know that you put them onto clean skin before moisturizing and it is said to work best when you leave a few minutes in between each step to let it fully absorb into your skin. As I've mentioned before, I have a combination complexion that tends to get even more oily when I'm stressed out. The fact that I'm already shiny made me nervous about putting something slick onto my face, especially in the mornings underneath my make-up.
Although I was nervous, the benefits of Solvaderm Skincare's ACE-Ferulic Serum seemed to outweigh my worries of adding a serum to my routine. Their products are carefully crafted by skincare experts and dermatologists to ensure top-of-the-line quality. This serum is designed to restore your skin and fight signs of aging due to sun exposure and/or environmental stressors. ACE-Ferulic serum targets your protein and collagen fibers to improve skin structure. Additionally, it works to improve your texture and tone to leave your skin glowingly youthful! Sign me up!
I have been using the product as directed- once in the morning and once at night- and am happy with my results so far. It began to work surprisingly fast! I could honestly notice a difference in my skin the first morning I woke up after using the serum. My skin appeared more plump and looked so well rested! This serum goes on so smoothly and doesn't cause any discomfort (burning, stinging, redness, etc) after application. In addition to the changes in structure I've noticed, I feel as though my skin has a more even tone and texture than it did before I started using this great product. Anything that banishes fine lines from my face is a winner in my book! I also love that this serum is professional grade and delivers actual results. I'm thrilled so far and am looking forward to my results with continued use.
Interested in picking up a bottle of this miracle serum for yourself? Check out Solvaderm Skincare's website here!
Do you use a beauty serum? Have you heard of this brand or product? If you have any questions, please leave me a comment or send me an email- I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!
Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary product sample from Solvaderm Skincare to review honestly. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support A Peachy Sonder.
Hello out there! I hope all is well for y'all so far this week. I had a busy but fun weekend, and am looking forward to a long, restful weekend coming up! I can't wait for my pool to open, and plan to park next to it and read alllll weekend. A few weeks ago, I posted about my first experience with Birchbox, a monthly beauty subscription service. I got my second box and wanted to share my contents with y'all!
This month's box was curated by Emily Schuman who blogs over at Cupcakes & Cashmere. She had a ton of great product picks, and I'm really excited about the products that I've received!! I'm still really pleased with my decision to subscribe to Birchbox. I love the excitement of receiving my box every month! I also love the exposure that I'm getting to products that I would never grab on my own. It's been nice to expand my beauty horizons.
For my May box I got another Harvey Prince perfume sample, Macadamia Professional oil treatment, Marcelle hydrating gel, Beauty Protector body cleanser, and Cynthia Rowley creamy lip stain. So far I've just used the lip stain and really like the color. I would equate it more to a lip gloss, as it rubbed off fairly easily and did not give me long lasting results that I would expect from a stain. I love the scent of the perfume and can't wait to try it on my skin. Things always smell different outside of the bottle! The body wash also smells wonderful- it's very sweet and reminds me of dessert! I am excited for the oil treatment- I see this brand on the shelves all the time and have been itching to try it. If it's a winner, I'll be sure to let y'all know!
Do you have any questions about Birchbox? Interested in a subscription? Please leave me a comment or send me an email!
Happy Thursday lovelies! This week has been substantially better than last week for me, professionally and personally! I am about to be wrapping up a big project for my boss at work- so I will be back to my typical day-to-day for a little while. In addition to work slowing down, I heard from some sweet friends from home and in the blogging community who perked me right up and out of my little funk. I know it's normal to get upset and feel down, but I am so thankful for the people I have been blessed with who keep my spirits up. So thank you! :) Now to the real deal...
Today I wanted to share one of my FAVORITE recipes from Wegman's. I have previously expressed my love for Wegman's supermarket, and I eat there pretty often during the week for lunch. They have an amazing prepared foods line with delicious and healthy options. I just love it! I often gravitate towards their hot veggies and pre-made salads, which is how I was introduced to the item I'm going to share today. If they are available, I can't pass up one of the bruschetta stuffed portobellas! They are hearty and delicious, but don't make you feel weighed down afterwards.
These babies are not only delicious, but they are remarkably easy to make. Such a short ingredient list- portobella mushrooms, pre-made bruschetta, shredded mozzarella, olive oil, and S&P. I made 3, and plan to reheat them for the rest of the week to make healthy eating later in the week easy.
Bruschetta Stuffed Portobellas Recipe from Wegmans
4 Large Portobella Mushrooms
2 tbsp Olive Oil
8 oz pre-made Bruschetta
4 oz shredded Mozarella
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Rinse mushrooms, remove stem, and scoop out gills. Pat empty caps dry and place scooped side up in a baking sheet. Drizzle caps evenly with olive oil and sprinkle S&P as desired. Bake 15 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and drain juices. Fill caps with bruschetta mix and top with cheese. Bake for additional 7-8 minutes.
4. Remove from oven when cheese is melted and enjoy!
Have you ever made this or something similar? What are your favorite ways to use portobellas?
Hey y'all! I hope you're having a fabulous week so far. Shortly after graduating college, one of my goals that I made for myself was to get back into reading for pleasure. I had a hard time with it to be honest. After years of required reading for school, all of the fun had really been sucked out of the activity for me. Upon having that realization I decided that I would ask around for recommendations for books that others enjoyed, in hopes of relighting that fire within myself. Thankfully, that did the trick for me and I have erased my schoolgirl mindset with respect to books. Since I attribute my enjoyment to good recommendations, I thought I'd start sharing little reviews of books I'm reading as I finish them- just in case you are looking for one too!
I really enjoyed "Mean Girls" but honestly had very little exposure to Tina Fey outside of her Sarah Palin SNL skits. I knew her to be funny in her roles, but that was just about it. I saw "Bossypants" on the shelf in Target and was so tickled by the cover; I had to get check it out. (Sidenote- I'm extremely visual so many of my picks in life are based on visual appeal. This is a good and a bad thing since exterior charm doesn't always translate through content!) Before I purchased it, I read the back cover and was totally sold!
This book is a witty and well-written peek into what it's like to be Tina Fey. She shares intimately personal stories covering all topics, from her childhood to her marriage to her career, in a very light way and I didn't find any parts of the book to be drawn out or trying too hard. Written comedy can be extremely difficult in my opinion due to the fact that you lose a comedian's delivery skills! I felt that most if not all of the jokes in this book translated well and you can't help but laugh out loud at certain parts. Her personality shines through and I enjoyed the feminist tones throughout the book.
I highly recommend this book if you're looking for something upbeat and easy to read. It was a great travel book for me, because I wasn't feeling lost in the story if I let some time pass between readings. I was able to pick right back up where I left off.
Have you read this book? What are you currently reading? Would you like to see more book reviews on the blog?
Hi y'all! I hope you had a lovely week. Mine was SUPER busy and just flew by. I'm so thankful for some relaxation time this weekend. I'm headed to Yoga on the Mall today with a few of my co-workers! I hope it's not too crowded and that we will be able to get a spot. I've been in a little bit of a funk this week, between being so busy and a little sad to be back from my weekend visiting my boyfriend last week. Long distance is SO hard and one of the ways that we make it work is to try to schedule our next visit before the current one ends. That way, we have something to look forward to! Having another visit on the books makes saying goodbye so much easier. Unfortunately, my guy is about to move for another rotation with his company in July- so we can't really plan a trip until we know where he will be. I think that's been the driving force behind my funk- that and exhaustion! I wanted to share some things I came across this week for a little weekend reading! Have a fabulous weekend!!
I love this DIY rope doormat. Super cute and it seems simple enough!
Here are some great tips to keep your skin hydrated as we head into summertime.
While goals are a great thing, they are not etched in stone! Love this gentle reminder on goals and flexibility.
I'm still learning to contour my makeup and love this quick 1-minute look!
This is a fabulous guide to curating and hanging a gallery wall!
I'd happily toast with either of these delicious cocktails!
Maintaining friendships after college takes a different approach and this advice is spot on!
For those of you that will be with your mommas tomorrow, here are some great recipe ideas.
Looking for something educational? Check out this commonly misspelled words test.
What are you up to this weekend? Did you find any great reads this week?
Happy May lovely readers! I hope that we are finally done with the showers and can just enjoy the flowers as the old adage goes. I know I am a little late on this, but I wanted to share with y'all my first month of my Birchbox subscription! I signed up at the beginning of April and was able to get the collaboration box with Rifle Paper Co. It is beautiful! I am definitely going to be reusing it as storage in my place.
I've heard so much about Birchbox lately- between their commercials and blog posts on my radar. It sounds great, but I'm more of a "tried and true" girl when it comes to my beauty routine. My stepsister recently signed up for the service, and has had nothing but good things to say about it! Wait- I'll take that back- the only negative point she could bring up is that she wants to buy at least one product in every single box. Now in my eyes, that's a good and a bad thing. Good when you find the right fit or a product that fits a previously unknown need and bad when you find an awesome duplicate of a product you have plenty of at home.
Upon signing up, you fill out a decent sized survey to understand personal style and current beauty habits. The personalization seemed great and I was very eager to get my first box. I was a little weary to receive tons of sample sized products- as I have quite a few unused samples around my house already. But in the end, I figured for $10 I will take my chances to try it out until I decide it's no longer necessary for me! Birchbox sends you an email with the tracking information, so you can check-in to see where your box is once it's shipped. On the day my box was supposed to arrive, I felt like a little girl running down on Christmas morning as I went to check my mailbox! I ran directly into my house, and tore in to check out my goodies. It was so exciting!! I got a CC cream, a perfume sample, a facial peel, a hand lotion, and a lip + cheek stain. They are all samples sizes with 1-20ish uses contained in each. They really did a nice job matching colors to my complexion and classic taste in make-up.
I honestly have used all except the peel at this point and totally understand what my stepsis meant. I WANT IT ALL! The problem is in fact real. I can probably live without the lotion and the perfume, but as soon as I need more foundation I want to order the CC cream and lipstick. I've been wearing a BB cream but really enjoy the increased coverage and matte look of the CC cream. Such a great find!
I'm really excited to get my May box! It's been hand-picked and designed by popular blogger Emily Schuman of Cupcakes & Cashmere. I'll be sure to share what I get in that one too!
Do you have a favorite subscription service? Have you tried Birchbox before? If you're interested in signing up or finding out more information, please send me an email so we can chat 1-on-1!
