Feel Good Friday
This week was full of a lot of special family day celebrations & reminders which is always hard since I live about an hour & a half away from my family. Already looking forward to being so much closer next year!
Monday was my great grandma's birthday & she would've been one hundred and one years old. She passed away almost two years ago & oh, how my heart misses her. On Monday, my heart felt really heavy, but I wasn't sure why. Then, when I remembered what day it was, it all made sense. Isn't it strange how your body knows things before your mind even does? My great grandma absolutely loved her birthday & I think I know why -- we all knew how important it was to her that we were all together so every family member made it their biggest priority to attend her celebration. She didn't care about the presents or the cake (even though she had such a sweet tooth) ... what she cared about most was being with her loved ones. What great lessons to be learned from the way she lived her life. We love & miss you, GG!
Then, Wednesday was the twenty second anniversary of my dad adopting me! What a joy it is to celebrate this day & what a great reminder for all of us that our lives could've looked so different. Thankful to be a Rice girl!
friday favs...
I love a lot of flavor in my meals & I love olives (both black & green), so if you're anything like me, check out this fajita chicken + olive salad recipe!
1.5 cup shredded lettuce
6 oz. grilled fajita chicken (I use Tyson's Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast Strips Fajita Fully Cooked)
1/4 cup salted sunflower seed kernels
green olives (I do eight because that's two servings)
black olives (I do the little to-go cups because it's easy to throw them in)
2 Tbsp. Olive Garden Light Italian Dressing
I pretty much just put everything together in a bowl & shake it all up! I do warm up the chicken & shred it before I put it in the salad -- just a personal preference. I hope you enjoy!
PS - I got these super cute plastic bowls from Target the last time I was there & I love them! They're a great size & they're really light too. They come in a few colors, but I liked the grey the best. They have other dishes as well. The best part? Each bowl was 79 cents!
My mom finally pulled the plug & bought a billie razor this week. Here's what she has to say about it:
Okay, I had been hearing all the buzz about this razor so I thought I would give it a try! I was intrigued by all the positive reviews, plus I love that it just ships refills to you automatically -- so convenient & I don't have to worry about it. I ordered a cornflower blue one as well as a travel case. My first shipment came with the handle & blade, the magnetic shower holder (the actual razor has a magnet in it so it hangs on the holder nicely), two replacement blades & the travel case all for $15.28!!! The first time using it I was blown away. The razor head seems to have a lot of give so it moves easily & wow, it gives a very nice close shave! I had mine for less than a week before I ordered a couple extra handles for Bethany & Avery to have because I knew they'd love it too! All you have to do is take a little quiz about how often you shave & it helps determine how often you should receive blade shipments -- so easy & you can cancel at any time.
As spring approaches & summer is just around the corner (look I only have ten more weeks of school so I know I'm stretching it a little, but anyone who works in the education system is pickin' up what I'm puttin' down, okay?), I want my hair to be healthy! I love being out in the sun & the occasional dip in the pool, plus with the weather being so hot (& working in a snocone trailer (thanks for the summer job, mom & dad)) , my hair spends most of its time in a ponytail. Therefore, I need it to be healthy! I'm doing my best to take care of it right now by using my Living proof restore mask treatment once a week in the shower. I do my usual routine of shampoo & conditioner & then put the mask in while I shave my legs & wash my body, rinsing it out right before I get out. The CAVIAR anti-aging restructuring bond repair serum is a go-to for me. It says on the bottle to apply to your hair at night & wash it out in the morning, however, I use it a little differently. After I've styled my hair, I take about a dime-size of product & gently apply it to my hair, starting at my ends & smoothing down any fly aways. Because I do it this way, I definitely use less product than I would at night so it doesn't get greasy throughout the day. This product smells oh so good & makes my hair feel so silky smooth which is part of why I like to apply it in the morning & wear it throughout the day! It's definitely a product to splurge on, but for me, it's so worth it. I've had this bottle for over a year now & I have way more than half left -- it lasts a long time!
Alright y'all. I got this black comfy jumpsuit a couple of weeks ago from Amazon & it is everything I've ever wanted!! It is SO soft & it honestly feels like I'm wearing pjs which I love. It has functional strings that cinch at the waist so you can have it as tight or as loose as you'd like. I'm wearing a medium because I wanted it to be a little bit looser & the cinched waist really helps it not look so frumpy. I know I'll be able to wear this piece all through spring & summer because of how functional it is! Great staple piece that can be dressed up or dressed down. Linking everything below!
black comfy jumpsuit / leopard hairscarf dupe / leopard apple watch band / black single strap sandal / light wash denim jacket / camel cardigan (camel color is no longer available, but a bunch of others are & it's 20% off with code SWEET) / leopard loopy phone case (get 10% off using code smalltown10!)
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In case you missed them, check out the following links to see our posts from this week…
Priming Lately -- February: On Tuesday I shared another post in our Priming Lately series. These posts feature around ten different items that we've purchased from Amazon prime & our reviews! A lot of people are just now starting to explore more on Amazon & find out that they offer a huge variety of products & items. These posts show the variety of things that we buy from there & if we'd recommend them or not!
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What's Up Wednesday: In these posts, I share a hodgepodge of things ranging from what I've been eating lately (these chocolate + berry overnight oats) to what I'm looking forward to.
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A Staple Piece: Button-Up Henley: On Thursday I shared a bunch of different ways to style my new favorite henley top!
bachelor recap...
I honest to goodness don't even want to watch this episode. I'm just so over this whole season. I'm over Peter. I'm over these girls (besides Madison). I didn't love Peter on Alabama Hannah's season & I really don't like him on this season. Like he says one thing, but then the way he acts & the way he responds to certain things is a completely different thing.
Have they ever had the contestants all stay together during fantasy suite week? This is weird. I feel like I'd remember it?
Hannah Ann...
I feel like she tries to play things off as oh so cool & that she's just such a cool girl. Lol does anyone else see this? I don't know if she's being genuine or if she just tries to tell Peter what she thinks he wants to hear. & he clearly doesn't know the difference either.
Also, what the heck was that eskimo kiss during their dinner date?!! She is five years old.
Victoria F. ...
It's absolutely shocking to me that Peter just lets things slide with her. Like Chris Harrison, this is where you need to step in & replay last week's hometown date footage for him. Either that, or grab him by the shoulders & shake the crap out of him. Someone needs to.
During their dinner date he literally said, "there's nothing you need to work on at all." Peter. Come on now. I've had enough.
Madison...
This poor girl. You can tell there is love there between them, but is it enough?
Peter says he loves her, but he's too much of a horndog to not be intimate with the other women.
I get that he has two other relationships to be thinking about & that both of them are very serious, but he has acted like he's more in love with Madison than with anyone else, so it shouldn't be a crazy thought that he would do whatever it takes to be with her over the other girls, right?
These are lyrics from High School Musical 2 when Troy & Gabriella broke up, but it easily could've been Peter & Madison's conversation lol I thought it was too good not to share.
In this process, Madison had to break her own heart by walking away from Peter.
Regardless of how you feel about her ultimatum, I don't blame her one bit for expressing her concerns. Peter's clearly in love with her. She told him before that it was a deal breaker for her. He did it anyway. He thought she'd get over it & forgive him. She didn't. Good for her.
On the other side of things, I found myself agreeing with Hannah Ann for the first time this entire season. She said something along the lines of knowing what she was getting herself into when she signed up for this show. & I gotta say, she's got a good point.
However, I relate to Madison in the fact that she probably thought she could change him. How many times I've been burned for thinking this way.
Judging by the previews, poor ol' Pete is pretty darn sad about Madison's exit. & the Women Tell All next week is going to be just as dramatic as when the girls were living in the house together, if not more.
I guess we'll have to wait to see how this whole thing ends because I truly have no clue.
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So what do y’all think?! Tell me your thoughts on the ultimatum -- do you side more with Madison or Hannah Ann & Victoria? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!!
to look forward to...
On Tuesday, I'll be sharing some great pieces to add to your wardrobe as we transition into spring! Hopefully the weather starts to change so I can finally start wearing some of these darling things that have been just sitting in my closet. *fingers crossed*
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Calling all foodies! On Wednesday, my mom will be sharing a recipe & it is delish. Get excited!
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Thursday will be our monthly book review! I'm taking four graduate classes this semester so I haven't done hardly any reading (for fun -- I've done plenty of reading if you consider all of my textbooks, but I'm guessing y'all wouldn't be too interested in those lol).
weekend plans...
This weekend is my last weekend in Manhattan before my school's Spring Break! I only have a four day week next week so it'll go by quick. I saw the weather is supposed to be pretty nice so I see some walks in my future. ;) What are your plans for the weekend? Drop them below in the comments, or feel free to message us on Facebook or Instagram! We’d love to hear what you’re all up to. We hope you all have a wonderful & cozy weekend!
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