The Friday Five

TGIF! I’m sure I’m not alone when I say Friday is one of my favorite days of the week! Today I’m kicking off a new series here on the blog, called The Friday Five! It’s going to be a place I share helpful tips, new finds, a favorite item or even a new recipe we’ve tried over here. It will be your weekly Friday dose of Rachael’s randoms ha!

It will always be just 5 things, so hopefully these posts are easy to digest. Sometimes the fun things I want to share just don’t fit into a typical post, so this is my way of sprinkling in these tidbits I want you to know about!

Each post will be different than the one before and am open for requests 😉

Blogging has always been an outlet for me to share my thoughts, so I hope you find some of them helpful and inspiring.

So, let’s get this Friday started!

THE FRIDAY FIVE

ONE || THE BLACK TOP ON REPEAT

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram then you know I’ve been shouting this from the rooftops! ha! I’ve been blasting this black top all over social media these last 2 weeks and *almost* wrote an entire blog post about it.

I love it that much!

BLACK TOP || HORN NECKLACE || CHARM NECKLACE || JEANS || CROSSBODY || BOW CUFF || GOLD BEAD BRACELETS || PEARL STACKING RING || OPEN STACKING RING || LIPSTICK

But since I didn’t, I thought it would be a great one to share here in today’s Friday Five. This top is casual, but dressy. Comfy, stretchy and has the most darling puff shoulder detail. It’s got a great neck and ribbed material and the most fabulous part about it is that its only $17.

It runs TTS and I’m in a small.

I paired it with jeans for date night during my birthday weekend.

I heard from several of you that you’ve even been able to pair it with dress pants or a skirt to make it work-friendly, too. Love hearing that! Grab this one if you haven’t already! It will absolutely be staying in my long-sleeved black top rotation.

TWO || STEPPED UP MY WORKOUT SHOE GAME

It was time. I hate to admit that I’ve had the same pair of athletic shoes for probably close to 3 years. I do rotate between a couple pairs, but my main ones were worn way down!

I’ve been on the hunt for a pair of neutral athletic shoes for working out and wearing to wear to the gym for a long time, but never pulled the trigger on any. I finally landed on these running shoes with metallic gold detail and a great textured material. The pair I’ve been wearing worn out are black and white, so thought I lighter color would be a nice change and great for Spring.

Plus I can’t deny anything with a touch of gold.

T actually found them for me at the Nike Outlet store, but I found them here for you. Photos don’t do these justice. They are super cute and I can comfortably run on the treadmill in them.

Why did I wait so long?!  You don’t realize how overdue you are until you finally step into that new pair!

THREE || HANDS-DOWN FAVORITE PROTEIN BAR

I’ve recently been participating in a workout challenge since the middle of January and I have to say, I’ve seen amazing results so far. The program focuses on both nutrition and physical activity through counting macros and consistent workouts. My personal daily nutrition goals focus on hitting a certain amount of protein as well as a balanced intake of carbohydrates and fats. 

Since I’m not used to eating so much protein, I’ve had to find ways to get it in each day! Between protein shakes, lean meats and these delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars, I’m getting closer to my daily protein intake goal.

If you’ve been looking for a protein bar that is low in sugar, not too many calories and tastes fantastic, then these are must-try!

You guys, they taste like a candy bar!

I could honestly eat 3 a day and not get sick of them! We bought them at Costco, but I found them here for you, too.

We are half-way through the 8 week challenge and I am down 8.5 pounds and feel amazing! I’m drinking more water and am making better food choices because I’m tracking my meals in an app. I am never hungry and am full of energy so I’d call that a win!

I may end up doing a Q & A post when the challenge is over to share my experience.

Would you be interested in something like that?

FOUR || THE DRAWER ORGANIZERS I HAVE IN 3 BATHROOMS NOW

Last month, I revamped the Boys’ Bathroom and one of my favorite parts was tackling the drawers of their vanity. I mean, the new tile floor still makes my heart flutter, but the organized drawers do it for me too. 😉

These clear drawer organizers were exactly what we needed. With a narrow design and multiple sizes, you can configure this set any way you want. I now have them in the Master Bathroom and another set ready for the Powder Room. 

They’d be great in the kitchen or an office, too.

I wrote a whole blog post on how I organized the vanity and another post on some of my favorite organizing essentials from Amazon if you want to check them out.

Keeping things neat and tidy is always a struggle around here, but I’m continuously working to get our organizing game up to par!

FIVE || JUST ADD GLITTER

One way I practice self-care and to do something solely for me is to go get a manicure. It’s how I treat myself and maintain my sanity in a houseful of boys ha!

Last week I wanted to add a little something extra to my nails, so went for a touch of glam. 

I’ve had almond shaped nails for a couple months now, but this time I asked for ombre gold glitter on top of my white gel polish. It was my birthday weekend and thought it was fun, but still subtle.

Want to elevate your normal mani?

Just add glitter 😉

You could probably say that for just about anything. Glitter just does the trick!

I went a little heavier with the glitter on top of black polish last Fall and think I’ll definitely keep experimenting with the sparkle. It just makes me happy!

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In other news, alllll the Spring prep is underway.

Amazon Vacation Style Under $40

SPRING BREAK – getting us all ready to leave for Arizona in a few weeks and T and I have a wedding in Palms Springs that week, too. Going through the boys Spring and Summer clothes to see what fits and what doesn’t and rounding up the swim trunks.

Plus I may need a couple new dresses myself 😉

SPRING DECORATING – Spring Home tours are coming up soon so I’m trying to Spring-ify the house. It’s a bit of a struggle when there’s snow on the ground and it’s 30 degrees outside, but I’m sure once I grab a few bouquets of tulips, I’ll be able to close my eyes and pretend it’s gone!

SPRING CLEANING – Heather and I have a fun edition of the Style My Closet Challenge coming your way soon. We’re going to help you purge your closet in preparation for Spring! You’ll be able to take inventory of what you need for the upcoming months if all the dead weight is outta there!

Stay tuned!

Well, that’s it for today’s The Friday Five. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and happy almost March!