Valentine’s Treat Ideas

Valentine’s Day is one of my very favorite holidays. Everything hearts, pink and red, chocolates and flowers, and a whole day to celebrate amore.

I love exchanging little tokens with the people I love, and if you do too I put together a little gift guide you might find helpful:


For Her-

Body Shop Strawberry Set-
Body Shop always has great quality ingredients, delicious scents, and effective products. This cute set is in classic Valentine red and would be so useful. 


BP Heart Sunglasses-

These make such a statement and don’t break the bank! I have a pair and wear them every February. 

Tiffany & Co Color Splash Heart Charm-

This is such a fun spin on the classic Return To Tiffany collection and who could resist a little blue box? ;-) 

It comes in the iconic Tiffany Blue, pink and black and you can add the charm to a necklace or bracelet. 


For Him-

J Crew Factory dress socks-

These have heart eye emojis and every man could use a new pair of socks. 
-A special someone might be receiving a pair of these. ;-) 












Versace Eros cologne travel spray-

This smells so clean and fresh with notes of mint, green apple, and lemon. It’s also a great size for travel. 

MCM card case-

I love MCM for their quality and sleek designs and this is such a classic piece he could use every single day. 




For Anyone-

Wooden Postcard-

Who doesn’t love getting snail mail? These postcards have really thoughtful sayings on them and would make such a sentimental keepsake.





Godiva Cherry Cordials-

What’s Valentine’s Day without chocolate? You can never go wrong with Godiva in my book. The classic combo of cherries and chocolate would be a nice treat for anyone. 

Williams-Sonoma Silicone Spatulas-

These are not only gorgeous, but they are such good quality and would be a lovely addition to anyone’s kitchen. A portion of the proceeds from this specific design goes to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. They also have designs for No Kid Hungry, FEED, and The Human Rights Campaign. Such a nice way to give back while also giving a gift to someone you love. 




DIY-

Handmade gifts are the best gifts! Here are some ideas for gifts made with love:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries-

In February you can usually find some really juicy strawberries. I love to use this chocolate dip and make them myself!


Coupons-

A little cheesy but very thoughtful. You could make coupons for your amour for things like foot massages, breakfast in bed, anything you know they’d appreciate. You could always buy these and fill them in too. Be creative!


Date Night-

Plan a date night for your love. You could do something simple like a walk in the park or ice cream, something classic like pizza and a movie, or an experience together like a concert or museum. Spending quality time together is what matters most.




Hope that helps any Cupids out there getting ready! Thanks for reading. :)

Roll Call~Jan 2019

I thought it would be fun to share the most recent 5 photos in my camera roll!

Bugs Bunny at the Philly Symphony was incredible! I am a Young Friend of the Symphony and they offer discount codes for some prime seats! 

Bath Day is never a fun one for these 3, but they smell so good and are so fluffy after!

David sweetly tried to recreate our wedding centerpieces with a gorgeous arrangement from Ode de la Rose for our 10th anniversary. He absolutely nailed it and they smell AMAZING.

We got a new car! David and I share a car since he commutes via train into NYC. We had a little sedan and with our winters here in NJ we desperately wanted an SUV with all-wheel drive. This was our 1st experience with Carvana and it won't be our last. You schedule delivery and they bring your car to you, along with all the appropriate paperwork. You have 7 days to try it and can return it hassle free for any reason within that time frame. They even handle everything at the DMV for you. This is the first time I can honestly say car shopping was an absolute pleasure and totally stress free. I only wish we lived near one of their coin operated car vending machines, that would've been so much fun to use!

Awwww, my Dolly Girl. She was chilling on the floor the other night with me while I was watching Grey's Anatomy. Love her!

Thank you so much for reading, have a fabulous day! :)

Nail Polish Picks ~ Jan 2019

Bonjour! 

In the middle of winter I tend to gravitate more toward sparkly polishes-something bright and cheery when I look down at my fingers and toes. Also, glitter lasts on my nails longer than regular formulas. 

Here’s two glitter nail polishes I used and loved this month:


Deborah Lippmann in “Snowflake Kisses” with Etsy snowflake decals
                                                          

This polish came in a set from Nordstrom before Christmas. It’s a white glitter with the faintest blue sheen. I added a snowflake decal to one nail and then applied 2 coats of my favorite, Out The Door topcoat. This lasted two weeks!




Pure Ice Color in 991 “Spitfire” 




I purchased this randomly at a Walmart in Las Vegas last summer. I am obsessed with everything rose gold and this has quickly become my most used polish. It is a rose gold glitter and has pretty good color pay off with 2 thin coats. It reminds me of the more expensive Essie Luxe Effects in A Cut Above. 


What’s on your nails? Do you prefer bright colors or dark for winter? Thanks for reading, have a great rest of your week. :)

My In-Flight Essentials

Hi there! I always love reading what other people find valuable to bring along for airplane travel, so I thought I’d share mine! Here’s a few things I brought with me on our trip a while back:

Wet-Ones Antibacterial Wipes-

First order of business when I get to my seat is to wipe down everything in sight. The arm rest, tray table, everything. I know this may seem overboard but I am not blessed with the strongest immune system and I know how rarely those surfaces are actually cleaned. (They're also very good for your hands, car spills, movie theater seats, etc.-I always keep a pack in my purse.)





Emergen-C-

This goes without saying, but being jammed next to strangers during flu season for hours while breathing recycled air is no picnic. Although I wound up getting sick at the end of our trip, I’d like to think that taking this religiously leading up to our trip as well as on the plane helped me to not get sick sooner. 


Bose headphones-

David has the over the ear noise canceling ones that he uses on every single trip, but I prefer earbuds. These have excellent sound quality and are quite comfortable in my ears for a long period of time. Plus they take up no space in my carry on and are much less expensive than the other kind!


Tony Moly Banana Sleep Pack-

My skin is very dry to begin with but being on the plane dries it out even more. I try not to travel in makeup on an overnight flight so I wash my face right before we leave the house and apply this thick sleeping mask when we get on the plane. It smells like banana candy and is very gentle for sensitive skin. It is packed with banana, chamomile and honey extracts. I feel like it acts as a barrier between my skin and the pollution of the airplane as well. 



L’Occitane Almond Delicious Hand cream-

This stuff isn’t cheap but it works! It smells heavenly and isn’t greasy but since it’s packed with both almond milk and almond oil it is still thick enough for dry winter skin. 



Chanel Hydrating Conditioning Lip balm-

At $37 this would be over my personal price range for what I would ever spend on a lip balm. But since it was a gift from a David a while back I wanted to bring it on this trip to enjoy and use up. It has a slight floral scent and a satin like texture, it isn’t sticky at all. It gives your lips such a plump appearance, it would be excellent as a base under lipstick in dryer months. 




Do you have any in-flight essentials you’d like to share? I’m always looking for new ideas!

Thanks for reading, have a fabulous weekend. :)

Vaca Recap Part 2 ~ Sweden

Happy Monday! I’m back with part 2 of our vacation recap, Sweden. 

We arrived in Stockholm around 3:00 in the afternoon on Friday. We grabbed our bags and took an Uber to the hotel. Y’all. I never thought we would encounter over 2 hours of traffic to go 25 miles. But I didn’t realize their rush hour is earlier than ours in the US. Rookie mistake. We should’ve taken the train at the airport to downtown. Oh well, we know better for next time. 

We stayed at the Hilton Stockholm Slussen and it was a gorgeous hotel. We had a room on the executive floor which meant complimentary breakfast and evening reception, as well as a large corner room with incredible views of Stockholm.



Since we were there for 5 nights I will go through some of the highlights of our trip so it’s not so text heavy. We took a lot of time in Stockholm to leisurely spend time together. We took strolls, sat in cafes for hours talking, and had hot cocoa parties in our hotel room. I will always cherish all the quality time we got to spend together relaxing on this trip. 


The Nutcracker at the Swedish Royal Opera House-
This was such an interesting Swedish twist on the classic Nutcracker story. They took the traditional Nutcracker as we all know it and interwove the Swedish children’s Christmas story, Peter and Lotta’s Christmas, into it! The performance was top notch and we both agreed it was one of our favorite Nutcrackers we’ve ever seen. Not to mention the opera house was STUNNING. I’m pretty sure David and I walked around with our mouths open the entire intermission taking in all the gorgeous architecture. 





Christmas Market-
We went to the Christmas Market in old town Stockholm, Gamla Stan. They had everything from elk jerky to ornaments to mittens. David found a Sami bracelet, a traditional Scandinavian handmade bracelet made from reindeer hide, tin bead work and shed reindeer antler. A very cool souvenir!






Storkyrkan Cathedral
The oldest church in Stockholm the cathedral is Gothic style from the 13th century. Since it is located directly next to the palace it is used for major events like royal coronations, weddings and funerals. It is stunning inside and has a famous wooden statue of St George and the Dragon. We spent some quiet time here praying and lighting some candles for loved ones. It was a very peaceful experience. 




Hot dogs-
Hot dogs are a major part of a Swedish cuisine. They top them with the familiar ketchup and mustard as well as everything from mashed potatoes to shrimp salad. (You can read about that delicacy, tunnbrödsrulle-here). Although we weren’t brave enough to try that variety we tried a few with mustard and they were pretty good!



On our 3rd night in Stockholm I felt a slight tickle in my throat. I decided to take a nap and when I woke up it was the flu! I spent the next 2 days pretty miserable and didn’t leave the hotel. David was a saint and found a pharmacy and after some translating came back with ibuprofen, cough drops and a cough suppressant. The plane ride home wasn’t fun but I’m so grateful I wasn’t ill the entire time. 

All in all it was a wonderful trip that I’ll remember always. It was so much fun to pause during a usually hectic season and take a trip together, just the 2 of us. We didn’t have a real agenda to go off of, we woke up every day and did what we felt which was such a treat. It was also really fun seeing the different cultures during Christmastime. All the decorations and lights and markets made for such a fun experience I’ll never forget!






Gott nyt år, or Happy New Year in Swedish! Thanks for reading, have a fabulous week ahead. :)

Vaca Recap Part 1 ~ Norway

My husband David and I traveled to Norway and Sweden for our 10th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary is actually Jan 16, but we wanted to experience European Christmas markets and the Nutcracker ballet so we decided to plan the trip during the holidays. 

We flew out of JFK overnight to Oslo. We flew on Norwegian for this leg of the trip and had a nice experience. The flight was only 6 hours and service as well as in flight entertainment was good. I wouldn’t say it was impeccable but I have a very crucial eye for everything on-board the plane (perhaps it’s the flight attendant in me). 

Once we made it through customs (they only had 2 agents working for a full flight-we were in line over an hour) we grabbed our bags and took the “Flytoget” train underneath the airport to downtown Oslo. The airport is located pretty far outside the city but with the express train it’s only a 20 minute ride. 

Once we arrived at the central station we had a very short walk to our hotel. We stayed at the Radisson Blu Plaza and it is connected to the station by a sky bridge. It was our 1st time staying in a Radisson Blu and I cannot recommend it enough. It was so centrally located to everything we wanted to do, was extremely clean and had a very good breakfast. Here is the view of Oslo from our room. 




We unpacked, ordered room service (fish & chips and chicken club-both very tasty and fresh) and took naps. I wasn’t feeling the best (I tend to get migraines when my sleep schedule is off) so David walked to the train station and bought us Le Baguette sandwiches for dinner and we decided to get a good nights sleep and start fresh in the morning. 

Only staying for 2 nights in Oslo meant we wanted to hit the ground running the next morning. After breakfast we took an Uber to the Viking museum. This was something I thought was going to be more enjoyable for David but I found it so fascinating! The museum is so well put together with a short video projected on the wall about Viking life, 2 fully recovered Viking ships plus the remains of a 3rd as well as all the artifacts found inside. 

We learned everything Viking from what they ate, how they buried the dead, and all about the routes they travelled. Standing next to these ships was quite incredible to imagine rowing inside them and being tossed around in the winter Scandinavian sea. After David picked up a “Build your own Viking ship” postcard to send to his friend, we called another Uber and headed downtown Oslo. (The Viking museum is located pretty far from downtown, it isn’t walkable but there is a bus stop not too far from the museum). 


Downtown we headed straight for Steen & Strøm department store. It is a gorgeous 6-story store housing everything from handbags to chocolates to bed linens. We went to the basement to check out the food court and they had so much variety! Burritos, sushi, fresh squeezed juices, you name it. We tried Mamma Pizza and it was excellent. We had the Margarita pizza and the pasta carbonara. Food is not inexpensive in Norway but this meal was definitely worth it!


After lunch we leisurely walked miles and miles around Oslo before heading to the Christmas Market. Being bundled up and breathing the fresh winter air while looking at window displays and twinkly lights is one of my favorite winter things to do. But one thing that was very difficult to adjust to was the amount of daylight. The sun rose at 9 and set at 2:30! Walking around in the afternoon in pitch darkness was pretty disorienting! 

The Christmas Market was lovely and had a little bit of everything. We tried glogg-my favorite thing of the whole trip. It’s mulled wine with current juice and spices. So delicious! It was originally used to revive outdoorsmen of Scandinavia and I can see why! A piping hot cup of glogg is exactly what’s needed on a freezing cold Norwegian night. We also tried raclette-a Swiss dish where a wheel of cheese is placed over a heater and the melted bits are scraped onto a plate of sautéed potatoes. Omg. Not calorie friendly but oh so delicious. 



After the market we headed back to the hotel and called it a night. After being outside walking around for 6 hours it felt so good to take a hot shower and slip into the feather bed. 

The next morning after breakfast we packed up and left our bags at concierge. We had a few hours to kill so we walked back downtown to the shopping district, Nedre Slottsgate, and hit a few stores before heading to the airport for our flight to Stockholm. The sales help in Norway is some of the sweetest and kindest I’ve ever come across. They were so accommodating and helpful and not the slightest bit snooty.

After a few hours we headed back to the hotel to grab our bags and walked to the train station and took the “Flytoget” back to the airport. We did our tax refund and breezed to the gate. We flew on SAS to Stockholm and it was the easiest one hour flight. 

Norway was such a pleasure and I honestly wish we had more time there. Everywhere we went the people were so kind and welcoming. The city is extremely clean and safe and there’s so much to see and do-we would love to return someday very soon!



Do you have any upcoming trips or destinations on your travel wish list? Let me know down below, I’d love to hear from you and am always looking for ideas to plan our next trip.

I’ll be back with part 2 of our vacation, a Sweden recap soon. Thanks for reading, have a fabulous weekend. :)