Five on Friday

Happy Friday!

It’s been a wild week with the kids going back to school, new after-school activities starting, sweet Mabel, house projects, work is crazy for Matt, and so much more.

I’ve also been getting us ready for a long camping weekend (which if you’ve ever taken your family camping you know how much work it is to get everything organized and packed)! I always feel like LDW is the best and worst timing for our annual trip. On one hand, it’s always the weekend after the first week of school which can be a LOT. And on the other hand, it’s always SO WORTH IT to get some fresh air and spend a few days unplugged and outside together doing something we love so much.

Alright, let’s get down to it…

1. Our First Week with Mabel

My goodness, she is sweet, so cuddly, and honestly just such a joy to have around. I swear I smile every time I look at her…which is all day because I have to watch her like a hawk! When she isn’t napping or I’m not holding her, she’s looking for shoes, window ledges (yes, so weird), door stoppers, rugs, toes, and more to chew on — despite having a basket of chew toys!

I told my mom earlier this week that Mabel is like a diaper-less infant with the energy, unpredictability, and movement of a toddler!

But seriously, we are all so obsessed with her, and although I’ve felt like I’ve been in puppy jail all week at home taking her out every hour and keeping her busy, I do feel very lucky that I get to spend so much time with her. I’m exhausted, VERY behind in work (our internet has also been down most of the week), and my to-do list is growing by the mile right now, but I’m also SO HAPPY to have her in our family.

2. Pet Shampoo

OK, one more Mabel thing! When we brought her home I seriously could not get over how incredible she smelled. So I reached out to our breeder to find out what shampoo they use and THIS IS IT! I was surprised to learn the scent was papaya and coconut because it doesn’t really smell tropical to me at all. This shampoo is seriously the “Noodle & Boo” of pet shampoos and smells like heaven. You can use it on cats too. It’s a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner, cleans and softens Mabel’s coat really well (we’ve cleaned LOTS of mud and poop off her this week), and is paraben/dye/soap- free.

3. Workout Tank Top

I always get excited when I find a good tank to workout in. I’m pretty picky when it comes to tank tops and am really happy with my purchase of this CALIA Tank! It’s a relaxed fit with breathable fabric and wicking technology for fast drying. It’s also really comfortable and on sale right now for 50% off. Available in 12 colors (wearing lilac flash) and runs large (wearing XXS).

4. Garage Project Update

One of the home projects we’ve been finishing up this week is our garage makeover!

A few weeks ago I shared some before and afters of the first phase of our garage project. You can see those photos HERE! I mentioned our garage has been a complete disaster since we moved in as it has served as a construction work zone, storage for all the random boxes that still need to be unpacked, and tons of other random stuff.

This week, CW Home cleaned and organized every items, installed lots of shelving, racks, workbench station, a sports station, etc. And now we can park TWO cars in the garage for the first time!!! We are unbelievably happy to finally check this project off the list. I’ll do a post soon with more photos, links, etc.!

5. Gel Under Eye Patches

At the beginning of summer I purchased a box of 24K gold gel under eye masks and had to share because they work just as well as my pricier PTR undereye patches that I’ve been using for awhile now. These gel patches come in a pack of 100 (!!!) for a fraction of the price of the PTR patches (that are also only half the quantity)! I really like that they are individually packaged for travel, and really help with dark circles, puffiness and wrinkles.

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