TGIF everyone! Iâm so happy itâs Friday because Bryan and I have some fun things planned this weekend. On Saturday morning, we have to shoot a few posts for the blog, but afterwards weâre going to a one year oldâs birthday party! Iâve never been to one of these before, but Iâm assuming there will be alcohol? Haha but really, I canât wait to see my friend Lauren because itâs been a couple months since weâve hung out last! Itâs supposed to thunderstorm here on Sunday, which means the day will most likely be spent doing chores, watching TV, starting a small craft project, and taking a mid-day nap.
Until then though, we still have Friday to get through! Keep reading if youâre interested in reading about this weekâs Friday Favorites.
1. Our New Kitchen/Showing Off Cookbooks
YES! I canât say this enough, but I love our new kitchen. Are you tired of me saying that yet? Although Iâm exhausted after work every day, I love coming home and cooking dinner. The layout of our new apartment is different than our last, so the kitchen now overlooks our dining room and living room. Iâm going to be doing a few posts next week to give you a peek into our home, so keep an eye out for that!
In our kitchen, we now have a bit more counter space. Instead of loading it up with our appliances {like we did previously}, I decided to store most of them away, especially the ones we use infrequently. One thing I knew I had place front and center in our kitchen was my collection of favorite cookbooks. In our last apartment, I had these spread out all over the place - some in our bedroom, some in the office, some in a random kitchen cabinet. I could never find a specific cookbook when I needed it. In case youâre wondering, these are my all time favorite ones: Balancing in Heels (itâs a lifestyle book but also includes recipes), Barefoot in Paris, Williams Sonoma Healthy in a Hurry, The Runnerâs World Cookbook, and The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook.
From left: Bryan, Phil (my cousinâs boyfriend), Julia (my cousin), Stephen (my cousin), Uncle Steve, Tara (my sister), & my Dad
2. Family Time
Another favorite lately is spending quality time with family. Over the past few weeks, Iâve spent a lot of time with family. The weekend that we moved, we also had my dadâs surprise 60th birthday party. It was nice to celebrate my dad, since he HATES doing anything for himself. Iâve also seen my sister a bunch. Sheâs moving into a new apartment soon, so she stopped by to collect all of the home decor/kitchen gadgets that I had doubles of. My father-in-law has been visiting a lot too, because he is a saint. Heâs helped us assemble our new bed and hang all of our heavy artwork and mirrors. Bryan didnât trust himself doing it alone. Plus, I think he knew that I would complain the whole time if something wasnât straight.
3. Keeping Photos & Cards at My Desk
Okay, so this could seem like a weird favorite for the week, but hear me out. At every job Iâve had, I never have liked to decorate my work space. I have an issue with clutter and sometimes peopleâs work spaces look like a complete mess instead of aesthetically pleasing. Too much stuff on my desk gives me a headache and makes me feel overwhelmed. Before I leave work at the end of the day, I always have to make sure my desk is clean and ready for the next day. Anyone else do this?
Anyway, a few months ago I realized that I wasnât utilizing a cabinet above my computer. The door to the cabinet was always closed, so I guess I forgot that I could store stuff there. So, instead of using this space to hold papers Iâll never look at again, I decided to use it as a shelf for photos, a plant and thank you cards {cards are from my friends Danica and Bridgett. Hey ladies!}. Whenever Iâm having a rough day, I look at the shelf. I eventually want to add a few more things, but for now it works. Comment below or tweet me (@nicoleraudonis) let me know what you keep on your desk at work. Iâd love to get some new ideas on how I can further spruce up this space.
4. Vitamin Holder
Haha, this makes me laugh, but my last favorite is my vitamin holder. I LOVE this thing. Itâs pretty geriatric of me, but I donât care. Some of you might remember that my doctor prescribed me a huge cocktail of vitamins last year. What you might not know is that I waited MONTHS to finally start taking them. Terrible, I know. I realized that I wasnât taking them because I kept forgetting, and I would finally remember while I was sitting at my desk at work. Thatâs when I realized that I needed to start traveling around with my vitamins. So, I hopped on Amazon and purchased this XL pill holder. Itâs large enough to fit all my daily vitamins and itâs cute too! Itâs been a favorite of mine for a few months now, but I wanted to wait to share it with you until I knew it was useful. Now I donât know how I ever lived without it.
// What are your favorites from this week? Comment below!
Lauren says
Yes, there will be plenty of alcohol!! lol Iâm making peach sangria along with many other selections!! ð Canât wait to see you too!
It was so much fun!! We need to get together again soon!
Bridgett Blue says
Oh man can I ever relate to annoying the husband with things not being straight. Once I see it I canât unsee it and it HAS to be fixed. Iâm working on it… haha
Luckily, Bryanâs dad didnât have to rehang anything!
I HAVE to decorate everywhere I will be for extended periods, including my work desk. I like to think itâs just the right touch of decor without being cluttered, because clutter drives me nuts too. Iâm actually excited to move and revel in my Type A glory soon ð I like a little plant, photos, nice stationary and pens and whatever papers I have tacked to my desk walls I put squares of scrapbook paper behind to make it look nice and add a pop of color.
Canât wait to see your new place!! Happy moving!