Sophie & Lili - Sweater Weather Candle

As soon as I saw this fall-themed wood wick candle on Sophie & Lili's Instagram account, I knew I had to have it!  I pre-ordered this item and received it in the mail yesterday - it's even cuter in person! 

The packaging itself is right up my alley and I am definitely considering keeping the box just for the label, haha.  The candle is a nice sized wood wick candle and smells like apples and cinnamon - so good!  The glass candle container will be a cute storage jar after I am done burning the candle as well.  She also has a few holiday-themed candles available for pre-order as well if you're looking for some great holiday gifts. 

Starbucks - "The Gary" Drink

If you're a fan of Brad Goreski and his husband Gary Janetti like I am, you probably have seen a million photos of an iced Starbucks drink on social media linked to the two of them, haha.  Brad recently posted a montage of Gary ordering the same drink at Starbucks at a bunch of locations while on vacation, and some versions of the drink seemed to fare better than others based on Gary's reaction.  Of course I wasn't the only one that went out and tried "The Gary" shortly after seeing these posts!

Based on the videos, "The Gary" is:
- Starbucks Grande Iced Mocha
- 2 pumps of Mocha
- Almond Milk
- No whipped cream

I got the Tall version of "The Gary" and I loved it!  I like almond milk to begin with and I think it adds a little extra flavor to the drink as well.  I love that this fun and silly social media post got so many people to try Gary's Starbucks drink of choice :o)  I also posted on Instagram that I wondered if my pre-order of Gary's book (Do You Mind if I Cancel?) would come with "The Gary", and he replied that it sadly does not, haha!

Sunday Morning Bakehouse - Mother's Day Strawberry Toast

What a beautiful strawberry toast!  As soon as I saw this on Sunday Morning Bakehouse's Instagram account during Mother's Day weekend, I knew I had to go get one.  I also was very curious about the "toast" being made out of Croissant dough instead of a regular bread. 

The strawberry toast consisted of Croissant bread, homemade jam, vanilla cream cheese mousse, fresh strawberries, buttery crumble, and an edible flower.  These were so pretty to look at even before taking a single bite. 

The thick Croissant toast held all of the toppings perfectly without getting too soggy, and I loved the thick vanilla cream cheese mousse as the creamy base for the other ingredients.  This was definitely a fork and knife type of pastry, and all of the components were really tasty.  I hope this (or another version with different components) comes back to the market soon!

Target - Smartly Citrus Grove Products

Ah, the power of social media, haha.  I started to see a few Instagram stories on TargetDoesItAgain's page about Target's Smartly Citrus Grove products being VERY similar to the Capri Blue Volcano products sold at Anthropologie.  It's a very popular scent (if you've been inside an Anthropologie store you'll likely know it, haha), so I was very curious to check out the Smartly products!

On my first trip it was a little difficult to find the Smartly products, but I did come across the dish soap in the Citrus Grove scent later on.  It really does smell a lot like the Volcano candles!  I've since also purchased the larger cleaner spray as well, so I am very happy to have found these.  If you're also a fan of "the Anthropologie scent", be sure to check these out at your local Target.

Mari Andrew at Sixth & I - March 29th, 2018

Sixth & I synagogue always has a great lineup of events throughout the year, and I particularly enjoy when people stop here on a book tour.  I was happy to see Mari Andrew on the upcoming events list because I enjoy following her on Instagram for her mix of funny and thoughtful posts.  If you take a look at the comments on her posts, you'll find a lot of people relating to what she drew, from the types of crushes we've all had to navigating life's big decisions.    

Mari's talk at the event last night focused a lot on what she considers sources of power, which she had also posted about recently here.  I think the reason why her posts are so popular is because she's able to describe things in a fairly simple format, but in a way that's easily relate it back to your own life and actions.  I really enjoyed seeing her speak in person and she seemed very down to earth and so appreciative of people coming to see her which was very sweet! 

Her book Am I There Yet?: The Loop-de-loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood includes lots of stories and new illustrations about the journey to adulthood and navigating different types of issues.  I think her stories are good for anyone regardless of age, since we've all had moments of doubt in ourselves, our careers, and our relationships. Be sure to take a look at her book and Instagram page if you're interested!