I don’t even know how to begin these favorites blog posts anymore without mentioning how much I hate that this year is going by so quickly. So let’s stop dwelling on this negative and start talking about the things that made July a little more positive for me. We all know how important positives are during these odd 5 months.
I’ve been out of my cooking routine for majority of the past few months. However, I tried to get back into it with this Shrimp Boil recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen. And let me tell you guys, it was DELISH! I didn’t include the sausage in my recipe like the recipe asks for, but it was still HECKA phenomenal. My husband and I licked our fingers and our plates when we were done. Highly recommend you add this to your dinner menu sometime soon.
This was a brief moment of pleasure, but it’s one that I can’t stop thinking about. My sister came over one evening and brought over a small sample of the Nest Wild Poppy Perfume. We both used it on ourselves before we left for dinner in the city. It smelled SO good that I keep thinking about that perfume. It’s been on my wishlist ever since. Since this summer is almost over, I probably won’t purchase it anytime soon. But I plan to purchase it by next spring so I can enjoy it throughout next year’s spring + summer season.
I have been wearing these Target denim shorts allll summer long. And if I’m being completely open and honest with you, it’s the only pair of shorts that fits me this summer (quarantine pounds have gotten the best of me sadly). The denim fabric is super soft and comfortable. Plus, the high-rise aspect makes them quite flattering. Oh and the best part? They cover the booty! The most useful $18 I spent this summer.
This has been a guilty pleasure for me. I don’t normally go to Starbucks (not a big fan of their coffee), but a client recently gifted me a Starbucks gift card so I stopped by their drive-through at one point and decided to try their Violet drink. And I’ve been getting one like every week now… It’s delish. You should try it too. And don’t let the coconut milk in it scare you. I’m not a big fan of coconut milk, but I don’t even taste it in the drink.
This is the last thing I expected to be such a favorite to be honest. I mean, I knew I liked this spot and the food was good, but I just didn’t think I’d be going back so often to this one spot because there are sooo many other restaurants in Philly that I still want to try so I don’t usually go back to the same restaurants too often. But this past month I’ve been back twice with my sister and it’s been so lovely. Ok, twice isn’t THAT often. But when you consider the fact that it’s quarantine and I’m not really going out at all, then twice is a lot LOL. Plus, you have to know the context….
On my birthday, my sister and I went out to Moshulu for dinner. But then, as always, we got carried away and wanted to go to another spot to keep hanging out since we were having such a good time. Being in the city always makes us both feel alive. So I opened up my Open Table app to see what restaurants in the city have an open table for the two of us. It just so happened that The Love had a table for two open that evening. My sister and I have been there months before and enjoyed it so we decided to reserve that table. So at 9pm, we headed to The Love, ordered an appetizer and sat there till closing enjoying the city and each other’s company. It was so lovely.
Two weeks later, we decided to go on another sister date. We booked an outdoor table at Harper’s Garden for dinner (which was delish). And again, as always, we got carried away and wanted to go to another spot to keep hanging out since we were having such a good time. Like I said above, being in the city always makes us both feel alive. So I opened up my Open Table app to see what restaurants in the city have an open table for the two of us. It just so happened that The Continental had a table for two open that evening. As we were walking over to The Continental, we walked past The Love and decided to ask for a table just to see if they had availability (even if Open Table said otherwise). Fortunately, the host at The Love said she could seat us with no wait time (score!). So at 9pm, we were seated and once again we ordered an appetizer and sat there till closing enjoying the city and each other’s company. It was so lovely.
The Love now has this special place in my heart due to the good times my sister and I have had there (previously and this past month). And the food is delish too! Our go-to order there is the Scallop Crudo and their Ricotta Ravioli. If you haven’t been there, I recommend you make a reservation there.
July was a good month. It’s been nice revisiting these memories via this blog post! I hope you enjoyed reading it.
I’d love to know what some of your favorite items/memories have been this past month. Let me know in the comments below!
♥ Alena
Welcome to Love Everything Lovely, a life & style blog filled with my take on living a life all around lovely and with the goal to inspire you to pursue your loveliest life! I’m Alena, a twenty-something with a heart full of passion for beauty, fashion, and always striving to live my best and loveliest life.