Saturday Shopping

I am currently at the lake so my weekend has started off on the best foot! It's always a long drive but always so worth it and love that Henry is always able to join us, he loves it! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, too! A few Saturday finds for your browsing pleasure...

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Pajamas// Diamond Bracelet// Weighted Neck Wrap// Scarf

Espadrilles// Ballet Flats// Dutch Oven// Cold Eye Mask

Cachepot// Blush// Throw Blanket// Phone Case

Cashmere Wrap// Personalized Stationery// Planter//Etched Stemless Wine Glass

Slippers// Peel Pads// Concealer// Candle

Shop the Gifts:

Holy cow, May and Mother's Day is sneaking up on me!! It's on Sunday, May 9th which is just 3 weeks away. I really can't even believe we are halfway through April now! 

My mom is the absolute best and I love any and all reasons to give her gifts and spoil her. She and I are similar in a lot of ways, but she's also someone that does not treat herself too often. She is truly the definition of selfless and all her life she has always put my sister and me first. To say I am thankful for all my mother has done for me and our family would be an understatement. For me, Mother's Day is such an important holiday! Celebrate those women who do so much and give so much! It's so much fun to show someone how much you love them!! And while gifts are truly just 'things' and it's the sentiment and thought that always counts the most, I am someone that LOVES to give gifts. 

So today I wanted to round up a bunch of gift options. Some things that are not included in the collage but are more experiential would be a fun weekend getaway, someone to detail/clean their car (I don't know, maybe this is just me, but I LOVE a clean car), a spa appointment for a massage, a trip to get a mani/pedi, or a cleaning service for a month or two. 

You can see 2020's gift guide, here. Most of the items from last year's guide are classics and so they are mostly available this year, too, if you need some more ideas!

Whenever I put together gift guides, in general, I like to pull items from my own life that I really love and would love to receive as gifts. I do put some items in there that I do not personally own, but I mostly try to include things that I can give my full stamp of approval on! 

This is a photo I took of my mom last summer and one of my favorites. I was testing the lighting on my camera and she just looked adorable!!! The second photo is another from last summer!

Lately

Dress// Cashmere Wrap// Espadrille Wedges 

Hope you are all having an enjoyable week! Yesterday was my birthday so I was able to have lunch with my parents and my fiancé took me to one of my favorite spots, Poulet Bleu, which I haven't been to since December 2019! Even though I am now 31, I called this birthday the '30th birthday redo', haha! 

This week was really busy and I feel like I got SO much accomplished which is something I haven't really felt in a while and it just felt so good to do a lot! 

We are getting ready to go away for my brithday so today is going to be really busy tying up a bunch of loose ends. I also need to clean up the house a bit- it's not dirty but it's a little cluttered at the moment and that always drives me nuts!! 

Wearing: I wore this dress yesterday for my birthday. It was a little chilly for such a dress, but I didn't mind. Something about the neon pink just makes me SO happy. It's truly not often I wear such a shockingly bright color! 

Eating: This past weekend we got Moonlite burgers. It's a pop-up where the chef operates out of other restaurant's kitchens and it is takeout only. They only make burgers, no sides or anything else but oh my goodness, it was SO incredibly delicious. It was a little annoying that they didn't have any other sides and it was a little annoying that you have to order days in advance because they sell out, but it still was a worthwhile experience! I think with a few side options, they could have a successful fast-casual restaurant if they opened one in Pittsburgh! The burger style was a 'smashburger' which is kind of hard to find in Pittsburgh. It was like a hybrid burger between In-N-Out and Five Guys. 

Drinking: We tried Canteen drinks a few weekends ago. They are like a competitor to High Noon (basically canned sparkling water and vodka). And they were really good! We got watermelon and black cherry and I liked watermelon best. I think I prefer High Noon but these were not bad at all! I don't often drink canned drinks (or vodka for that matter) but there's something about them in the summertime and just the overall ease of them that I enjoy from time to time.

Sale: The Sephora sale is still going on as is the Shopbop sale! 

Reading: I finished The One on Netflix and loved it. There were lots of twists and turns. I realized it is based on a book. Now I want to read it, it has good reviews on Amazon! 

Watching: Ok this is WILD! A bear went into someone's home and their dogs scared the bear away! I am so glad none of the animals were hurt but can you even imagine?!

Wanting: I'm thinking of this rug for our dining area... I don't really care for the rug we have now. Not so sure if the gray would be too dark or not, but the price seems great... almost too good to be true, ha! Or potentially splurging on this rug. It is SO gorgeous. Oh my goodness this entire collection of dishes and glassware- swoon!!

Traveling: We are going on a road trip down south for my birthday and I cannot wait! Henry is also joining which makes me so happy! 

Quoting: See more of my favorites, here.

Random Things About Me

Dress// Similar Cardigan

Sandals//Bag// Sunglasses

Today is my birthday! I'm going to have lunch with my parents and then dinner at one of my favorite restaurants here in Pittsburgh! I thought I would share some random facts about myself- for many of you who have been following me for years (thank you) these may not be too surprising, but for those of you that are new here, these might help you to get to know me better! 

- Dream dinner party guests: Elizabeth Montgomery, Jackie O, Harry Styles, Frank Sinatra

- I eat basically everything except goat cheese. I have a weird aversion to it. A few other things I am not fond/try to avoid, but will still eat if necessary: mushrooms, milk, or peanut butter/nut butter. 

- I've never had a cavity or broken a bone (knock on wood). In that same vein, I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth. 

- I am afraid of ET. When I was little, I couldn't even bear to watch it. I used to always be afraid ET was under my bed as a child. When I was in high school, my sister won this gigantic ET stuffed animal at Kennywood and would hide it in my closet to scare me. To this day I haven't seen ET since the first time I saw it. 

- I'd rather be a passenger than the driver. 

- Hanson was my boy band of choice growing up. I was in love with Zack. 

- All of my uncles are named Mark. When I was a child this was really hard to keep track of, so one of my uncle Mark's is called Uncle Fitz (after his last name). 

- I was a lifeguard as my job growing up in high school and college. I loved it. 

- I still have my blanket from when I was a baby. 

- Many people call me Syd and I don't prefer one over the other. 

- If given the choice between a mountain house or a beach house, I'd choose the mountains. 

- My #1 favorite meal in life is Little Tokyo sushi.

- Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles is my favorite song of all time. It gives me chills. Every. Single. Time. The louder it is played, the better. 

- If I am drinking an alcoholic beverage it would likely be one of these few things: a Hendricks gin martini, champagne, or Casamigos with sparkling water and a splash of grapefruit, or a good cabernet. 

- I like my steak rare. 

- My least favorite months are March and August. 

- I was the historian on my sorority's executive board. I was a ZTA. 

- I have always been good at spelling and won spelling bees when I was a child, however, the word 'occasion' is a word I can NEVER get right. 

- I spoke at a Chemist's conference in Virginia and at the end of the year, I received the 'speaker of the year' award from their group!

- I always make my bed. 

- I think the best pizza in Pittsburgh is Mineo's and the best cake is Giant Eagle. 

- I think something that people don't see with my personality through my website and social media channels is that I'm pretty weird/goofy. 

- If I can avoid wearing socks and/or a belt, I will. 

- I have second holes in my ears but never wear earrings in them. 

- I talk to my parents daily.  

- My love language is Acts of Service. 

- Working out is the best thing I have ever done for my mental health. 

- I sob during the dog scene from I Am Legend every single time. It's so awful! 

- One thing I still cry laughing about to this day is an episode at the lake last year. In the middle of the night, I got up to go to the bathroom. I saw a 'GIANT snake'... I was so startled, I fell backward (the lights were off) and my fiancé woke up. He started dying laughing and says 'did you just think you saw a snake' and I said 'yes omg how did you know' and he said he had gotten up earlier to go to the bathroom and did the same thing. It turns out it was just a weird shadow/reflection situation but oh my gosh it truly looked like a 4-foot snake. It was like 3am and we were crying laughing. We still randomly bring it up to this day and still cry from laughing so hard about it. You had to be there...