– snagging this ottoman for $25 and creating a makeshift sectional for lazy lounging –
I’m not going to lie, my holiday weekend started after lunch on Wednesday and it’s been real nice. It’s amazing what adding an extra day or two to your weekend can do. Christian has of course been working, but I’ve used the time to dig deep into some house to-do’s (like getting our guest bedroom ready to reveal – have you seen the snapchat snippets, @CBLied?) and do some blog work, and I’m feeling refreshed and mega grateful for the extra time!
This week I’ve been toying with a lot of new beauty products, and First Aid Beauty and Marula Oil are two brands that are rocking my world. You know that smell when you enter a spa that makes you close your eyes and take a big inhale? Marula Oil has bottled it in their face lotion. Can’t stop, won’t stop – I adore the scent and the satin feeling after applying. I’m an addict!
This sleeping cream is another incredible new discovery that is so great for the dry months here in California. I love pairing it with this eye treatment to get some maximum beauty sleep.
Other than that, I plan to drink some champagne and spend some time at the pool before I’m out of town every weekend in July. What are your holiday plans?
And last but of course not least, a big thank you to all of those who have served this country for our freedom, including both mine and Christian’s grandfathers. It’s so important to remember what our flag truly stands for.
Love to y’all, have a fun and safe weekend and thank you for reading! XO –
When Christian and I first moved to California, we made a short bucket list of places we wanted to visit (also mentioned here). Catalina Island was on the list, so it was just a matter of time before we hopped on the ferry to visit this ridiculously adorable town.
With Christian’s job, we don’t have the ability to plan that far in ahead, as his hospital schedule is constantly changing. So we had a few weeks notice to plan our Catalina trip, and it meant most of the hotels in town where we would have like to stay were booked. Thanks to TripAdvisor, Christian found out about these little condo rentals in Hamilton Cove, and it must have been meant to be because now that I’ve visited, I wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else! Scroll on down to see what we did in Catalina and my recommendations for anyone planning the trip.
After reading some reviews and talking to some of my coworkers, I made a short note in my phone for places to visit while we were there. Our condo rental came with a golf cart, but if your accommodations don’t include one, I would recommend renting one. There are no cars on the island and very few cabs – plus let’s be honest – driving around a golf cart everywhere is pretty fun! Here are some of the things we did that I’d recommend:
Dinner at Bluewater Grill – a view of the boats and yachts and delish seafood can’t be beat!
A visit or peek inside El Galleon for karaoke – because it’s hilarious.
Lunch and a Buffalo Milk at Descanso Beach Club – according to reader comments they have the best Buffalo Milk cocktail on the island!
Sushi and wine/beer tastings at CC Gallagher – my favorite meal during our visit (and we would stop by periodically for their delicious coffee!).
Zip Line Eco Tour – I’ve zip-lined in Mexico and Christian has zip-lined in Belizé, so he wasn’t up for it – but I think the next time we visit I will force him.
An ice cream cone from Big Olaf’s – the smell is intoxicating!
Renting a pedal boat.
And that’s about it! The island and town are very small, so the best part of all is relaxing and slowing down to that island pace. Have you visited Catalina? If you have any spots you think I missed I’d love to hear!
So many adorable pieces I’m loving this week! For starters, does this bag not remind you of the much more expensive YSL tote that is all over the place? Love.
This necklace (which you may have noticed me wearing here) was a design collaboration between one of my good friends Jenn of Haute off the Rack and Elizabeth Stone. I can’t stop wearing it – it looks beautiful with everything! Check out the full collection here and tell me it’s not stunning.
I also love this linen blazer and think it could look so chic with white denim and a tank. I tried these wedges on in Nordstrom and was instructed by a sales gal to snag ’em while I could because they’re constantly selling out! I’m now thinking I have to have them. Le sigh.
What’s on your wish list, guys? Don’t keep it from me. Thanks so much for reading! XO –
I’m going to be real with you guys – this was one of those nights that I was going to a group dinner with Christian and asked him to snap a few photos beforehand. He gave me – oh, I don’t know – about six minutes of photo taking and then ushered me back to the car, saying he didn’t want to be late because he wasn’t sure if the restaurant would seat everyone without the whole group being present.
He tucked me in the car without letting me take a peek at the photos.
We were the first ones to the restaurant and it took almost half an hour for the group to be seated.
I mean… am I bitter about it? Of course not (sarcasm)… but reflecting on the situation I’m all, “you could have told me my hair was ridiculously flat.”
We’re letting it go and moving forward.
I like the idea of a polished pair of shorts. Perfect for warm weather, yet sophisticated if paired appropriately. I’m all about a shorts suit (major throwback here), so these I Love Tyler Madison shorts fit right into my wardrobe! Except this is not a suit to wear to work. Except for at my job, where there is no dress code (one of my favorite parts of the gig!).
This is what I call a girl meal. Christian was out of town recently for his vacation week while I was still working, so it meant it was full-on girl mode. This usually means wine and cheese, but thanks to some help from April Norris of Optimal Vitality Wellness, I have a new stack of healthy, fresh summer recipes that I plan to take major advantage of!
April organizes seasonal wellness programs to revamp your energy, mind, digestion and overall health. Christian and I both enjoy eating healthy (not that I don’t love Cheetos so much I could marry them – I will never deny the truth), and when I mentioned April’s program to him he was definitely up for it.
I’m the kind of girl who can’t stick to a juice cleanse… I usually cheat six hours in. With April’s program, if you slip it’s ok. There are so many recipes to choose from and you can be as intense as you choose. Even better? You have the documents and recipes to hold onto forever, so you can always jump back on the wagon later!
I love this watermelon salad recipe that she’s allowed me to share with you guys. So delicious and summer fresh – even better when accompanied with a glass of Seven Daughters Wine (which is not on the program… so don’t tell!).
Ingredients:
4 cups chopped watermelon
1 cup spinach
6 basil leaves, chopped
2 TB pumpkin seeds
1 lime, juiced
Directions:
Mix everything together other than the lime juice. Add the lime juice last. Optional: add a source of protein (chicken, fish).
Do you have a favorite summer salad? Don’t keep it from me – do share!
– getting these photos and video of Bailey while she stayed with a host family when we were out of town –
– a mid-week show with Christian… even if he ended up losing his car in the parking garage afterward (did you guys see that Snapchat, @CBLied?) –
Friday, we meet again. And I’m always happy to see you, no matter the circumstances.
This weekend we’re at home with a little trip to Venice Beach on Sunday. Christian is working tomorrow, and I’m attending a Bloomingdale’s event and plan to catch up on life at home. I’ve been struggling lately with waking up on time, getting things done, being present enough to have a decent attention span – and I’m realizing I need to do some shifting in my priorities. I am pretty OCD and can be a perfectionist about certain things (can’t we all?), and when the bed hasn’t been made in a week – it’s a sign that I’m not balanced.
Lately I’ve been praying to have peace about some upcoming projects and life choices, and I recently have felt very secure with the future and what it holds. I read this quote this week, “the greatest enemy to great is good,” and I mean… can we just insert praise hands here!?
On another note, thank you so much for all of y’alls recommendations and kind words for our trip to Catalina Island last weekend! I honestly couldn’t believe how much the area reminded me of a summer trip to Greece years ago, and it was hard to believe this little Mediterranean-looking village is only an hour away from Orange County and LA. Per your requests, I’m putting together a list of recommendations from our trip that should hit the blog next week – stay tuned!
What are you guys doing this weekend? Any tips for becoming more centered when you’re feeling off balance? Thanks so much for reading and sharing. Love you guys! XO –
For weeks I’ve been asking Christian to go with me to pick strawberries at Orange County’s local farm, Tanaka Farms, and we finally made it happen after church a few Sundays ago. You may have seen a snippet of this in Friday’s Five here!
Christian’s family owns a small farm in the country with cattle, fruit and vegetables – so his ears definitely perked up when we received a quick tour around the farm and tasted different summer vegetables (I could eat the fresh green beans all day!). We had so much fun picking strawberries and eating strawberries, and I already can’t wait to go back in the upcoming months to pick watermelon, fall vegetables, pumpkins and a Christmas tree.
Bring on the colorful summer! We are finishing June Gloom in Southern California and it’s definitely time to amp up the beach weekends and cheerful wardrobe. How cute is this dress that comes in 3 colors? It’s on sale for under $50 and the aqua has me hooked.
Also – Shopbop is also offering an additional 25% off of sale items through the end of day Thursday with code 25MORE – so now is the time to shop that sale section if you’re looking for some summer steals (like this adorable crossbody or this perfect vacation dress).
What’s on your wish list? Don’t keep it from me! Thank you so much for reading – XO –
– eating strawberries all week that I picked with C –
– a new favorite curling iron that gives perfect summer waves –
– an ottoman that reminds me to return to Paris with the hubs –
– bike rides in the neighborhood –
– sprucing up my summer beauty collection with these new favorites from Wander Beauty and Borghese –
Hey hey Friday! This summer Friday is a little extra bright because my guy is back in town and we are heading to Catalina Island this afternoon. We’ve had this little weekend trip on our bucket list since we first moved out here (along with being a guest at the Chelsea Lately show which definitely didn’t happen. #RIP.), and I know Christian is so excited to explore the island. I think the ferry ride over will be fun but what’s not fun is the limited luggage requirements. Oy vey.
On another note, I’ve never really been into Snapchat or Vine, but once I had to learn more about it for my day job, I signed up and have been Snapchattin’ under the name CBLied. I do dig sharing the ridiculous snippets of day to day – Christian lecturing me for buying things I don’t need and Bailey sprinting down the hall at work like a maniac – but I also feel it encourages me to be on my phone nonstop, and that’s the last thing I need to introduce in my life. I already feel glued to my phone enough, you know!? How do you guys feel about Snapchat? I’d love to hear.
Thanks so much for reading – y’all have a beautiful weekend! XO –
This is like the best of my Miami Vice summer inspiration, and I’m into it. I wore this ensemble to dinner in downtown LA and I realized it was the first bodycon style dress I’ve worn in quite some time. I’m all about a shift dress or roomy outfit, as I like to say – it leaves more room for tacos – but sometimes you gotta pull out the zsa zsa zsu (as Carrie Bradshaw would say). And I often forget that less fabric can actually be more flattering.
In this Lulu’s midi and moto jacket duo, I was channeling my inner J.Lo. Of course my favorite J.Lo is Jenny from the Block. As I mentioned in my instagram sneak peek of this outfit, if my husband’s ex-girlfriend was Jennifer Lopez I would just give up.
She doesn’t age. I don’t understand, but Lord, please help me to understand.
I mean… is this romper not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? I think my friend Krystal has something similar and with her long legs, she makes this beauty a 10. I also can’t get enough of this sarong that can be worn so many different ways and even comes in three colors – genius!
I can’t get enough whites and blues in the summer – something about the crispness against a summer tan just can’t be beat in my book. Christian and I are heading to Catalina Island this weekend for a quick getaway and I’m going to be sure to pack plenty of beachy pieces for our golf cart rides around island!
What’s on your wish list!? Thanks for reading! XO –
