Parade on the 4th!
Hen's adorable 4th of July bow from his groomer!
Is this a heron or a crane?! I see it in my neighborhood each summer. No idea if it's the same one year after year, but it's always fun to see and feels so out of place in a suburban neighborhood! I think of herons as birds that you see at the beach/coastal towns. I only ever see one! I used ChatGPT (see below discussion on AI) and it says that it is a heron.
I hope you are all having a nice week and enjoyed your long holiday weekend. We were busy and had a great time, thanks to my sister and brother-in-law making the trek from North Carolina to spend the long weekend with us! They typically don't come home in July, so this was a nice treat!
I survived the 5k! It was brutal! It was both easier and harder than I expected. SO many hills!!! I enjoyed it - there were thousands of people running, and since there was a parade afterward, people lined the route cheering on the runners. The energy was fun! With that said, I'm going to keep running outside just once a year like this, ha! It is SO not my thing. The heat! The bugs! The terrain! The sun! I have the utmost respect for all of you runners. I will gladly stick to my Orange Theory tread, complete with a built-in fan, in a dark room, and also, walking and Pilates!
You all might think I'm nuts for even bringing this up, but I'm considering ordering a new Christmas tree. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I had a whole debacle about the lights going out on my tree. I love the look of the actual tree, though, so that's why I'm torn. Someone said I can cut the lights off, but that it's a lot of effort. Last year, I put lights over the other lights, and it was OK, but it bothered me in the back of my mind. Of course, they no longer make my tree! Anyway, I bring this up in the heat of summer because I feel like there may be some Christmas in July sales that pop up, and I am going to keep an eye out for them. If you have a particular tree you'd recommend, let me know.
Workout Dress// Athletic Socks (on sale)
Wearing: I shared some recent outfits earlier this week. Here are two more simple outfits I've worn lately!
Are you following me on the LikeToKnowIt app?! You can shop all of my outfits, favorite finds, and more in the app. I am constantly updating it with the latest! You can also access all of my posts, here, if you don't use LTK! You can also find me on ShopMy, another shopping platform!
Watching: As I'm sure most of you saw the news in Texas this past weekend about the horrific flooding. Absolutely tragic. I cannot wrap my mind around all of it. I've been thinking of you all in Texas, and I am sending you love and prayers! I saw this interview circulating on social media with Scott Ruskan, a true hero rescuing children from the disaster, and it reminded me of that Mr. Rogers quote that says, 'look for the helpers'. He, along with his crew, saved lives and provided comfort and safety to many children in a terrifying situation. In the interview, he remains humble, calm, and collected. He is just 26 years old, and that was his first mission. I love how he named his fellow coastguard crew members who were also part of the rescue. His professionalism was both remarkable and admirable.
Wanting: My favorite lip liner (in Beverly Hills) is back in stock! Love to see this shift-style dress come in new colors, fabrics, and prints every few months! A bride needs to get this dress and wear it for a shower or rehearsal! Love these embroidered white jeans. A gorgeous and timeless caftan. A fun little 'bag charm' (aka key chain) for your martini-loving friend! I love and want this bag in red or green- I can't decide. I love that it can be monogrammed! It reminds me of the Hermes Picotin, just 1/10 of the price! Love this Staub set, and it's a great price since the bowls alone are usually $99! I'm normally not super into slip dresses as they give me flashbacks to 1998, but this one is tasteful, like something CBK would have worn. This is a lovely skirt, and the color combo is unexpected but works so well. If you are an office gal, I think these have the potential to be the perfect work pant. Love this shade of pink! These cocktail napkins are adorable, a great price, and claim they are waterproof?! A chic and timeless little black dress. Love these double old-fashioned glasses on major sale! Have you all heard of this watch brand? They create timeless watches with a Cartier vibe for a fraction of the cost. I have a Cartier tank watch and don't wear it as much as I used to, but watches seem to be having a moment again! I don't know what is up with me, but I am very into green bags lately. A timeless denim jacket with a subtle twist. I really love the Heaven Mayhem leather laptop cases, but I don't like that they say 'Heaven Mayhem.' I've found an option on Etsy that I'm considering. A good Hillhouse look for less! I just got a Fubrish discount code, SYDNEY20, and I love this new needlepoint pillow!
Eating: We went to Costco on Sunday, which was our first trip in quite a while. I snagged these Amylu Breakfast sausages made from chicken, and they are SO good. They're very flavorful, and they taste less like a breakfast sausage and almost like a good hot dog! I love hot dogs, so this was a pleasant surprise. After eating them the first time, I cut them up into bite-sized pieces and ate them with ketchup and pickles the next time. Delish and such an easy thing to have on hand for a quick meal.
Drinking: Watermelon cocktails were had this weekend!
Reading: This is a longer article about how AI is impacting our society and the human brain. It's an interesting read and one that brings up many points to consider. My quick thoughts on this are that as a society, AI is here and widely available. So, if you want to 'keep up' in many industries, it's essential that you use AI, so you know how to use it and don't fall behind. That said, I think part of learning how to leverage AI to benefit your career and industry is understanding how to utilize it in ways that support your work but that do not necessarily replace it. For example, I use an AI spellcheck service called Grammarly. It acts like Microsoft Word spellcheck, but more advanced. It's great for me as it cuts down on the editing I have to do, as I am a one-woman show. But it can be annoying because it fails often and won't catch things or catch things that don't need fixing. But anyway, it helps me manage my time. But my content and what I write and create are unique to who I am as a person. Who I am as an individual sets me apart from other influencers you may follow, and that's important. I think you can liken AI to social media. Social media can rot your brain and be used in unproductive ways. However, social media can also be used in ways that are incredibly helpful and positive, and connect people across the globe. You just have to learn how to use social media in a way that best suits you, your brain, and your job/business. I know if I am on social media for too long, it is bad for my mental health. The same goes for AI. If I spend too much time on something like ChatGPT or rely too heavily on AI to do tasks, I'm essentially 'hurting' my brain. It's crucial for us as humans to be able to recognize that threshold.
My sale snag: theses gorgeous black ballet flats. I don't wear a lot of black in the summertime so I am styling them here for fall/winter. More sizes available on sale here.
Sale: SO many sales this week! Here is my Amazon Prime roundup and my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale roundup!
Baublebar is 20% off all week long! They sent me a fun surprise package with their new 'waterproof' jewelry, which you can wear while swimming. I'm not a big novelty jewelry gal like this, but I think these pieces are fun for a vacation, and the initial bracelet and name bracelet would be adorable to gift a preteen! The gold bangles, though, are perfect. They are the exact type of thing I'd travel with since they are simple and can be layered with other things and are not valuable!
Bose is having a flash sale!
Doen is having their warehouse sale, and I was pleasantly surprised to see such a huge selection. I love some Doen pieces, and then sometimes it skews a touch too bohemian for my personal taste. Anyway, it's worth browsing as the prices are deeply marked down. This cotton sweater is a year-round staple. I love these classic gold ballet flats under $100. Butter yellow is the color of the moment, and this coat is chic!
Watching: As I'm sure most of you saw the news in Texas this past weekend about the horrific flooding. Absolutely tragic. I cannot wrap my mind around all of it. I've been thinking of you all in Texas, and I am sending you love and prayers! I saw this interview circulating on social media with Scott Ruskan, a true hero rescuing children from the disaster, and it reminded me of that Mr. Rogers quote that says, 'look for the helpers'. He, along with his crew, saved lives and provided comfort and safety to many children in a terrifying situation. In the interview, he remains humble, calm, and collected. He is just 26 years old, and that was his first mission. I love how he named his fellow coastguard crew members who were also part of the rescue. His professionalism was both remarkable and admirable.
Wanting: My favorite lip liner (in Beverly Hills) is back in stock! Love to see this shift-style dress come in new colors, fabrics, and prints every few months! A bride needs to get this dress and wear it for a shower or rehearsal! Love these embroidered white jeans. A gorgeous and timeless caftan. A fun little 'bag charm' (aka key chain) for your martini-loving friend! I love and want this bag in red or green- I can't decide. I love that it can be monogrammed! It reminds me of the Hermes Picotin, just 1/10 of the price! Love this Staub set, and it's a great price since the bowls alone are usually $99! I'm normally not super into slip dresses as they give me flashbacks to 1998, but this one is tasteful, like something CBK would have worn. This is a lovely skirt, and the color combo is unexpected but works so well. If you are an office gal, I think these have the potential to be the perfect work pant. Love this shade of pink! These cocktail napkins are adorable, a great price, and claim they are waterproof?! A chic and timeless little black dress. Love these double old-fashioned glasses on major sale! Have you all heard of this watch brand? They create timeless watches with a Cartier vibe for a fraction of the cost. I have a Cartier tank watch and don't wear it as much as I used to, but watches seem to be having a moment again! I don't know what is up with me, but I am very into green bags lately. A timeless denim jacket with a subtle twist. I really love the Heaven Mayhem leather laptop cases, but I don't like that they say 'Heaven Mayhem.' I've found an option on Etsy that I'm considering. A good Hillhouse look for less! I just got a Fubrish discount code, SYDNEY20, and I love this new needlepoint pillow!
Pittsburgh: We went to Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill this past weekend, and it was SO good. No wonder it wins so many awards. They had two menus, a more authentic Chinese menu and an Americanized menu. We ordered only from the 'authentic' menu. It was all just next-level flavorful! It's BYOB, and the interior is no frills at all! We then walked up the street to Vendor Bender, which is something I've wanted to check out for a while. It's just a room filled with vending machines. The machines have snacks from all over the world. Each snack is labeled with the country from which it is. The photo above is my loot! I haven't tried any of it yet since it's been such a busy week, but I am looking forward to it. One of my favorite things to do is try different foods from around the world, but particularly chip flavors. Has anyone tried any of these snacks?!
Amazon Rec: The Amazon Prime roundup went up on Tuesday. It's still going on through tomorrow, so check it out if it's something you are interested in.
You can find more of my Amazon favorites, here on my Amazon page where I am constantly updating it with all of my finds and top picks from home, beauty, fashion, and more!
Traveling: We are staying put for the next several weeks, and then we have our typical time at the lake, and then off to Portugal to close out summer. I cannot believe we are already 1/3 of the way through July. Despite the raging heat, I am actually enjoying summer more than I typically do- no rhyme or reason why, just am!
Quoting: 'Enthusiasm is common, endurance is rare.' - Angela Duckworth // See more of my favorites, here.
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1 comment:
Yes, that bird is a heron. My husband and I live in a suburb of Rochester and we have one. It does seems like an odd location, but we have a pond in our backyard and our heron comes over for dinner. They are lovely to watch!
Patricia
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