Nine Favorite Things.

Nine Favorite Things – little baby goats this week

I had my first full week back at home in the longest time. Both myself and my family have been traveling a lot this spring, but this week we were all home. It’s been pretty grey, very cold, and it’s snowed every single day this week. There’s no sugar-coating anything, it’s not the easiest for me. 

I’m definitely someone who’s very affected by the weather. Sunshine greatly changes my mood and frame of mind for the better. So I have to be honest, freezing snow in late April for six straight days is hard. Even though it’s hard, I just have to get through it, there are certainly worse things in the world. 

And I do have some tricks up my sleeve. First and probably most importantly, fresh flowers are everything. I have them both at my house and at the studio, and in multiple bunches too. Flowers are so important, they really brighten my mood! I’ve been grabbing them up at Whole Foods. I also just placed a Terrain order for some springtime bouquets. I can’t wait for them to show up, they’re already making me happier!

My other trick is candles. I currently have three burning at the same time and my house smells like spring. I’m sharing my favorite spring candles below, both affordable and splurge-worthy. 

Other things that help are fresh edible flowers and sprouts from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals, spring recipes, fresh greens, and springtime berries. Oh, and then shopping for spring looks. Yes, I’m one of those late-night online shoppers. It brings me so much joy just scrolling through all the new arrivals. I’ve shared my favorite spring looks below, and some home finds as well. 

So that’s how I’ve been staying happy!! 

I’m also working through a big, big project. That’s fun too! And then I’m traveling to LA this week for a super quick trip, but excited for it!

And let’s see, what else. Oh, I know! We have a few new baby goats to add to our family. Blackberry and Lavender had babies this week. I haven’t gotten the cutest photos since it’s cold and snowy, but I will manage to snap some soon! All three babies seem happy and healthy, and of course, they’re the cutest. It’s always fun every spring when we have little baby goats running around. 

Aside from that, not too much to report. I’ve been cooking and photographing a lot, working with my mom and team on some blog updates, and then just planning for some fun summer trips!

Asher decided she needed to get out of the snow. She flew to southern California all by herself to spend the week with my cousin Abby for her birthday. She’s lucky because Abby, my brothers – Trevor, Kai, and Red, and then my cousin Matt, his wife Caroline, and their baby Freya all live within a mile or so of each other. Then Brendan, Lyndsie, and little Bud are outside LA, so they came down for a few days too. Asher’s been staying at Red and Kai’s soaking up the California sun. They do such a good job taking care of her, it’s honestly so sweet. I love that she feels comfortable spending so much time with those guys. Brothers really are the best. 

That’s my update for the week! The snow is tricky, but then I don’t mind having an excuse to splurge a little on flowers and light my candles every night. Sometimes all you need are the little things!

How about you all? What’s making you happy this month? It’s always so fun to hear what everyone is up to! 

Enjoy yet another Sunday favorites post. These are always my favorite post of the week to share with you all!

1. things i’m loving, wanting, and excited to try.

thinking about…10 Stylish Airbnbs in the Hamptons You Can Rent This Summer. These are tempting me.

wanting…this pretty marble glass vase from Anthropologie. Loving fresh flowers right now, so I have new vases in mind. This one is cute!

everything in my cart (low)…the Zara dress collection is so pretty. I love the voluminous short dress in both the pink and red. This midi sheath dress (in red) is the perfect summer out-to-dinner dress. Or if you don’t love the red trend, this satin effect dress is a great strapless black dress. Also in black, this asymmetrical satin dress from Nordstrom is very chic.

You can never go wrong with a long denim skirt like this one from Lioness. So cute. Or try this voluminous midi skirt that reminds me of a Prada find. How pretty is this semi-sheer tank blouse? It would be pretty with jeans or cute shorts.

This Free People cotton tank is a great everyday basic. You can dress things up by adding a statement earring. I love these petra mini drop earrings that Anthropologie carries. Keeping on with good basics, if you need a summer hoodie, the River Island cotton blend hoodie is nice, I could live in this. Ohhh, and I love my oversized long sleeve tee in black or white from Reformation. This would be nice when you get a little chilly by the beach or pool. It’s a nice lightweight pullover-style long-sleeve tee.

If you need a good belt, I really like this leather belt from Banana Republic. And for a bag, try this basket bag from Mango. Cute for warm weather. And if you want something to carry everything in, order this leather bag from Anthro. Plus I love a good baseball cap, this basic twill hat is cute.

For some jewels, these squiggle hoops from Jenny Bird, collar necklace from Anthro, and cuff bracelets from J.Crew are all in my shopping carts.

listening to…Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran On The Common Denominator For Success, Career Advice, Investing, & Overcoming Setbacks.

dreaming of going to…Salt of Palmar, Mauritius. An adult-only hotel (so probably not for my family), but it looks stunning. Could be a great place for a honeymoon.

loving…vines on homes. Reminds me of my Nonnie and Grandpa’s home in Ohio where my mom grew up. I think this is the prettiest home exterior look. For more info, this is what you should consider when planting vines around your home.

shopping…kitchen towels. I’m always ruining kitchen towels. Either I burn them or I stain them, so we need new towels every few weeks. I’m excited to order a few from this list of ultra-absorbent kitchen towels. I’m ordering the Coyuchi waffle kitchen towels set of 6. And then, I think I’ll also try the Hawkins New York essential waffle dish towel. But I think the Morrow Soft Goods kitchen towel set is really cute. And if I was going to splurge, I’d get this checked linen dish towel.

reading…I Have Anxiety and This Infrared Sauna Practically Cured Me. I just received my own Higher Does infrared sauna blanket, so I loved hearing someone else’s thoughts and feedback. I’ve only used my blanket twice, but so far I love the warmth. It definitely relaxed me. I will share more about my experience in a month or so.

following…Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps. The founders of HigherDose. They have fun wellness tips and are generally sweet to follow. They’re both very happy people! Also, the same is true about Liana Levi, the founder of Forma Pilates. She is so sweet, practical, and real.

everything in my cart (beauty)…the luminize overnight dark circle balm from Jouer Cosmetics sounds magical. Currently, I love the instant angel lotion from Dieux Skin. And I want to try the Naked Sundays 100 mineral collagen glow lotion with spf 50

And the new Rhode passionfruit jelly peptides treatment. It’s so perfect. Been wearing/using it everyday and I love it.

loving…Sakara. If you’re going to get behind a meal delivery service, I love Sakara. Their meals are organic and plant-based, so great for eaters of all kinds. And personally, I love their real food ingredients, supplements, and yummy snacks. They’re on the pricier side, but may be worth it if you just need to supplement a few meals a week. Also, their offices are so pretty – read this, Sakara Life’s Cofounder Swears by This Infrared Pad to Make Hours of Zoom Calls Comfier.

following…Nail Art By Queenie and Iram Shelton. These two have the prettiest accounts if you love to have your nails done and do fun designs. They have the cutest designs. Makes me wish I could have paint on my nails more often. I love this how-two for Hailey Bieber’s yellow passion fruit nails from Iram. And then, I adore this red mani from Queenie using the Dior beauty in rouge.

wanting…everything from Earth & Element. Such cute ceramic pieces. In my cart, this gorgeous atelier vase, pretty peony tea cups, and braided mug in lilac

everything in my cart (high)…a lot of accessories today. First up, the Khaite patent leather slingback sandals in red are of course, beyond cute. I love them. Then, the Prada Raffia flatform slide sandal is the perfect casual summer shoe. And I love these chocolate leather sandals from the Row too. But these rosette leather high-heel sandals from Prada are a great dinner-out option. They would be so pretty with this Jacquemus midi dress.

And I have my eyes on these Bottega Veneta over-the-knee boots for fall. Wow.

Now on to some jewelry. This gold sapphire necklace from Jia Jia is the prettiest.

Designer bags…I just thought these were cute. From Saint Laurent, this croc effect patent leather bucket bag and this midnight croc-embossed leather clutch. From Dior, the micro lady D bag is the cutest little bag out there. And you know I love the Bottega Veneta GG marmont quilted matelassé leather shoulder bag. Also from Bottega Veneta, the sardine 15 bag. And in red, the GG marmont quilted matelassé leather shoulder bag from Gucci. Lastly, the Khaite mini floral leather bag, I know Asher would think is super cute.

watching…Zendaya on Her Favorite It-Bag and What’s In Store for 2023. I love this campaign. Also, Inside Sofia Richie’s Final Wedding Dress Fitting at Chanel. She looks stunning in all 3 dresses. This was fun and cute to watch.

curious to try…the Neat Method everyday hangers. They are on sale this week and I know people really love them.

2. Really good potato recipes.

Crispy Cheesy Sweet Potato Skins

Crispy Oregano Roasted Potatoes with Creamy Feta Sauce

Sweet Potato Cheddar Pierogi with Bacon Bits

Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Crispy Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes

3. The Sephora spring sale.

last day is today, stock up on your favorites

spring kitchen/home finds

4. Favorite questions of the week.

q: favorite affordable retailers under $100?
a: Try Abercrombie (plus they’re having a 15% off sale) and definitely look through Nordstrom. Mango (they’re having a 30% off everything sale) has a lot of spring picks. Oh, and look through the under $200 section on Shopbop. Revolve can also be amazing for affordable finds. Last two, Aritzia for sure, and & Other Stories 

q: when there is a special someone, will you share?
a: Most likely yes, but not until it’s very solid. And of course, I have to take into consideration the feelings of the other person + their comfort level. Cross that bridge when it comes though 😅🥰

q: favorite room in your house and why?
a: Well it’s not done and won’t be for a minute, but I’m excited about my new closet and bathroom. Love a big closet that doubles as an inspiring space to be able to walk into and create. I’m a sucker for a really great relaxing bathroom with zero clutter. Clutter in general really stresses me out.

q: advice for someone who change is hard for?
a: I am right there with you. I resist change so much yet every single time I change something, I end up LOVING the change. I used to hate traveling because it affected my daily routine. But now it’s one of my favorite things that I actually want to do more of. Every time I make a positive change and embrace it, it always makes life better not worse. Just push yourself to make the change. Focus on one day at a time, hour by hour. Don’t look at the big picture. The big picture is too overwhelming, but hour by hour you can handle almost anything. Making the change slowly, and adjusting every day is key. Nothing successful happens overnight.

q: have any cute and fun spring cocktails coming?!
a: I do! Working on one this week. I’ll reintroduce cocktails/mocktails for late spring/summer. Any requests? 

q: if you were to relocate anywhere, where would it be?
a: All I can think about right now is either, New York or LA. Florida is always a thought too. I love the Palm Beach area or Miami areas, but I don’t think I could do it full-time. But I do love it so much there. Give me warmth, give me sunshine.

q: your fashion inspirations/styles you are drawn to?
a: Very inspired by the seasons. I love anything from The Row or Khaite. And like everyone, I certainly adore Hailey Bieber’s style. I follow a ton of fashion IG accounts and am obsessed with all of the fall 2023 looks from Paris fashion week.

q: Would love to see more of your outfits, love your style!
a: Loveee sharing them and will do more. Especially since I want to travel more this year!!! 

q: Favorite denim brands?
a: Love Slvrlake, Grlfrnd, Mother Denim, Khaite, Re/Done and you certainly can’t go wrong with a pair of Agolde jeans.

q: you have great variety in your dishes. Have your travels inspired your cooking?
a: Yes! Every time I travel somewhere new or old I always come home with ideas 

q: questions from the podcast, how do you build trust with your followers?
a: Listen to them! Interact with them! Respond to their emails, comments, DMs, and messages they send! Just give them the time of day. They are giving you their time, so showing them a little appreciation is a must! Also, don’t share anything you don’t personally love and actually use. I’ve never once worked with a brand that I didn’t love and use myself. I think that’s been essential to building trust with you all. You know that if I’m sharing something with you then I fully love it! 

q: do you think there’s something in common between fashion and food?
a: Yessss. It’s all related. I’m inspired by the colors in fashion every new season. The patterns, the textures. They can lead to me creating a recipe in my head because I visualize the recipe and how I want it to look before I create the recipe. It may not make a lot of sense to most people, but it does in my head. There are so many connections, it’s all how you see it. And at the end of the day. We all come together to eat. Food is at the center of everything.

5. My current favorite spring candles + Inspiring.

6. Negative comments – a note.

This isn’t something I love chatting about because I know 98% of our HBH community is kind and loving. But the internet is the internet and there really are a lot of trolls out there with too much time.

I don’t know what has happened, but our comments section has done a 360. It used to be such a nice place for everyone to leave their feedback on recipes, good or bad, but now it’s full of random hate. It’s so sad to see some of you readers going at each other. I’ve never believed in deleting negative comments, but it’s gotten to the point that some of the comments are affecting our kind community. So well we’re not stopping comments, just a heads up to all you haters, unless your comment is constructive criticism, we’re going to delete the hateful comments left on the site. The negativity is not welcome.

To add to that, thank you to everyone who uses the comment section in a valuable way!

7. Favorite links i’m loving.

The 17 Chanel Lipsticks That Look Good on Literally Everyone…which is your favorite?

The Unexpected Workout We Can’t Get Enough of…I certainly love, love, love a walk.

The 10 Best Trader Joe’s Snacks of All Time…the everything elote dip. YUP.

48 Best Mother’s Day Gifts…some ideas.

5 Fun Things I Noticed at a Drinks Party…now I want to have a drinks party.

This Boring $15 Basic from Fall 2023 Runways…love a good pair of tights.

A Tuscan Villa + Custom Zac Posen Dress Set the Scene for this Wedding…so pretty.

14 Affirmations That Will Make You Tap Into Your Best Self…try saying a few this weekend.

8 Secrets From America’s Leading Neuroscientist…things to learn/know.

8. New from Revolve.

spring/summer jewelry finds

9. This week’s dinners + weekend eats.

Monday: Pesto Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad

Tuesday: 20 Minute Thai Basil Beef Rolls

Wednesday: Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls

Thursday: Coconut Curry Chicken Meatballs with Garlic Butter

Friday: Cauliflower “Pepperoni” Cheese Pizza

Saturday: Frothy Whipped Coffee White Russian

Sunday: Blender Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream