Friday Favorites

TGIF everyone! I’m so happy it’s 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 we’re going to a one year old’s birthday party! I’ve never been to one of these before, but I’m assuming there will be alcohol? Haha but really, I can’t wait to see my friend Lauren because it’s been a couple months since we’ve hung out last! It’s 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 you’re interested in reading about this week’s Friday Favorites.

1. Our New Kitchen/Showing Off Cookbooks

YES! I can’t say this enough, but I love our new kitchen. Are you tired of me saying that yet? Although I’m 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. I’m 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 you’re wondering, these are my all time favorite ones: Balancing in Heels (it’s a lifestyle book but also includes recipes), Barefoot in Paris, Williams Sonoma Healthy in a Hurry, The Runner’s World Cookbook, and The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook. 

2. Family Time

Another favorite lately is spending quality time with family. Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time with family. The weekend that we moved, we also had my dad’s surprise 60th birthday party. It was nice to celebrate my dad, since he HATES doing anything for himself. I’ve also seen my sister a bunch. She’s 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. He’s helped us assemble our new bed and hang all of our heavy artwork and mirrors. Bryan didn’t trust himself doing it alone. Plus, I think he knew that I would complain the whole time if something wasn’t 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 I’ve had, I never have liked to decorate my work space. I have an issue with clutter and sometimes people’s 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 wasn’t 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 I’ll 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 I’m 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. I’d 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. It’s pretty geriatric of me, but I don’t 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 wasn’t taking them because I kept forgetting, and I would finally remember while I was sitting at my desk at work. That’s when I realized that I needed to start traveling around with my vitamins. So, I hopped on Amazon and purchased this XL pill holder. It’s large enough to fit all my daily vitamins and it’s cute too! It’s 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 don’t know how I ever lived without it. 

// What are your favorites from this week? Comment below!