Friday Favorites

Good morning everyone! I have the day off, so I plan to get done a lot of blogging tasks completed and clean up around the apartment. The mornings are my most productive time, so let’s get right into my Friday Favorites for this week. This might be a long post, so I recommend getting comfy. 

1. New Ornaments

Bryan and I love to travel. It’s an obsession. We spend any extra money we have on awesome trips. During a trip last year, we couldn’t decide what we wanted to start collecting as mementos. {Truth: I’m not a big collector. Knickknacks and an overwhelming amount of vintage hand-me-downs give me anxiety.} I wanted whatever we brought back from our trips to be meaningful and something that doesn’t just sit on a shelf. So, Bryan and I decided that we would start collecting Christmas ornaments – and I’m so glad that we did. This year when we decorated the tree we reminisced about all the cool places we’ve been. 

Unfortunately, since we only brought carry-ons to California with us this year {never doing that again}, we didn’t have room in our suitcase for an ornament. And even if we did have space, I was too nervous that the ornament would crack in transit. When we got home, I rushed online in the search of the perfect ornament to remember our trip. I came across a seller on Etsy, Shan C Studio, that had personalized clay ornaments. Even better – the shop is based out of La Jolla! So even though we didn’t technically get the ornament while on our trip, it’s close enough. Shannon, the shop owner, was kind enough to send us a sea star ornament which we had personalized with “San Diego 2015.” The quality is amazing, and we love how the ornament looks on our tree. If you’re looking for custom pendants, tiles, signs or ornaments for your home, I highly recommend checking out Shannon’s shop. She was a breeze to work with, and our order arrived very quickly. 

2. Decorated foyer

Our foyer is an area in our apartment that has been neglected since we moved in over 3 years ago. It wasn’t until a month or so ago that our foyer started to have some character. I found the perfect black table for our space. I would like to add a mirror, as well as a basket underneath, but for now it works. Also, the lamp is only temporary because it actually belongs in our living room. We had to move our end table and lamp to make room for a Christmas tree. After Christmas, I’ll have to purchase a lamp for the foyer, because I love the way it looks! 

Other details: Huge art (SugarbooDesigns), lamp (Bed Bed & Beyond), holiday print (Minted), old mercury glass tree (similar), wreath (Whole Foods). 

3. Trader Joes Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels

You all know how much I love Trader Joes. During our last trip there, Bryan picked up these chicken-less Mandarin orange morsels. Usually I don’t try new frozen meat alternative products out, because I end up hating most of them. I like to stick with what I know I enjoy {Boca crumbles, Boca breakfast sausages, and MorningStar bacon}. HOWEVER…every once in a while I get adventurous. This week, I tried the chicken-less morsels and loved them! Instead of using the Mandarin orange sauce that comes on the side, I dipped the faux-chicken in BBQ sauce. To my surprise, Bryan also really enjoyed them! To quote him – “This is the closest to chicken nuggets you’re going to get.” 

4. Whole Foods Salad Bar

Bryan and I went to Whole Foods this week three times. Yes, you read that correctly. Three times. Last night, we ended up going for Beer and Bites, an event that our store has monthly, in which local breweries come out and sample their stuff. After loading up on beer samples, I was starving, so we ended up having dinner there. Bryan ordered a pulled BBQ pork sandwich and I got my regular order – a mix of random stuff from the salad bar. I ALWAYS start with a bed of green, then add whatever looks good. Last night, I got roasted beets, sea weed salad, mashed potatoes, rice, Israeli couscous, vegan lo mein, and flax seeds topped with a little bit of balsamic. 

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