Good Morning friends! This is a late post today, because I chose to go to bed early last night instead of staying up and finishing my post .... priorities, right?

I hope you all had an amazing weekend! We are still on such a high after that Patriots v. Jaguars game! I think I held my breath the entire game, and I don't think I have ever wanted a WIN more than I did that game - and I still can't believe that I'm going to see the Patriots in the SuperBowl!!! Ahhh!

Girl Chat {Reintroductions}

Happy Thursday, friends!! Today, I am linking up for the first Girl Chat of 2018 with Danielle, Emily, Lindsay, Lizzie and Sierra :)

If you are new here, welcome! My name is Gentel and I have been blogging for about six years. This is the third blog I have started, and this is the one that will stay!! My first blog involved wedding planning and all that fun stuff, my next blog was my mama+lifestyle blog as a wife and new mom, but I recently got divorced and have found myself on a new path so I felt like a fresh start was best!

I work part time as a freelance bookkeeper with my BS in Business. I am currently researching Graduate programs in Accounting, because my ultimate goal is to continue to build my bookkeeping business. I would love to eventually have a team of other bookkeepers! Bookkeeping was definitely not the world I thought I would end up in, but I do enjoy my work and my clients, but most importantly I appreciate the flexibility it gives me as a single mom.

My daughter, Grace, is 3 1/2 and she is the light of my life! She is my moon and my entire world. The past few months have been a bit of a rough transition for us but, as any mom will tell you, I would do anything for her and her happiness! She is the spiting image of her father with all the sass and attitude of her mama!

I am also dating a pretty amazing guy, who is very meh about social media, so you won't see toooo much of him around here! We met through work, and were good friends until after I separated from my ex and began dating. I believe our foundation as friends was what helped solidify our relationship. He is sweet, funny, loves to cook and spoils us rotten.

A few other things about me:

• I'm originally from Hawaii, and still have close family that live there. It's my favorite place on earth!
• I LOVE to travel. It's one of the things I look forward to doing the most! And it doesn't matter if I'm going two hours from home, or two thousand miles ..... adventure fills my soul.
• I also love wine. Red and white, I'm not picky! My two current favorites are Dreaming Tree (red) and Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc.
• Cooking has become my jam. Pete and I really enjoy cooking and spending time together in the kitchen. This week, I started a series on Tuesdays sharing a new recipe so you'll find that each week!
• I always have to have my nails painted. It's just one of those weird things, I don't feel complete if my nails are bare or chipped! 
• I also (in my very spare time) sell magical, unicorn shampoo - if you've ever used Monat, you know what I'm talking about! And if you haven't heard of it, I'm happy to send you a sample! 
• I love lists, making lists about lists, and organizing my lists. 
• I'm addicted to buying planners. I think I have 3 for 2018 and I'm using 0 of them. I almost bought a 4th one yesterday but stopped myself! 
• I upgraded to the iPhone 8+ specifically for the portrait camera setting and it's amazing the quality of pictures that it takes! I love taking photos.
• I suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder, that flares up during particularly stressful times, but I've thankfully learned how to manage it.
• I believe that everyone should be in therapy. 
• I don't watch much TV anymore, but my favorite shows are anything reality on Bravo, Grey's Anatomy and This Is Us.
• I love to read and am currently reading three different books! I gave up my nightly TV to read before bed. 
• I love football and especially our New England Patriots! 
• I definitely do not consider myself to be an expert, but since I do know a few things about the topics - I have had several friends and readers ask me to do a series on divorce, single parenting, dating again, etc so I do plan on starting a blog series about that soon! 
• Blogging is my creative outlet - I love to write and I'm a classic "over sharer". But I love sharing my thoughts, feelings and life stories because I believe that we all have something to give that can help, inspire or encourage someone else. 

That is pretty much me in a nutshell! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask - I am an open book! Thanks for stopping by!

XO,

Gentel 

Tuesday Food + Funny

Welcome to the first post in my Food+Funny series! Part of the reason I took such a long break from blogging was because I struggled with good content, and didn't want to post something just to post something. You feel me?

So I came up with Food+Funny - because really, who doesn't like food and who doesn't like to laugh?

One of the things that I have been doing a ton of lately is cooking. Pete and I both love to cook, and it's become so therapeutic! I love the whole process (well, except maybe the cleaning up part!) and I've become more adventurous. We regularly cook and eat all kinds of fish, and am using tons of vegetables that I would never have touched before (I'm looking at you, fennel!).

Add to that a three and a half year old who regularly keeps me laughing and on my toes, and the idea was born! I hope to post these each Tuesday. We do a bigger, more time-consuming meal on Sundays and we do "Meatless Monday" in addition to the 2-3 other times a week we cook. So some of my recipes might be a little more involved or "fancy", and others perfect for a busy weeknight. I hope you enjoy them!

Five on Friday: Currently

It's Friday! I'm so looking forward to this weekend as we are having a mini stay-cation in Boston to celebrate my birthday. Fancy dinner, sleeping in, room service? Yes please!

Currently reading // I picked this up at Barnes & Noble last week, and it's so good! Navigating life as a single mom is so confusing and there are so many things I need to do to take care of us, and this book is part self-help/part therapy/part comedic relief. If you or someone you know are (or will be) a single mom, I highly recommend this!

Currently using //You guys. I am OBSESSED with the Sunday Riley skincare line. My skin is glowing and looks so clear and healthy! Definitely pricey, so I started with this starter set and have been using it for over a month and I've barely made a dent .... a little goes along way, so it will last a long time! I'm using Ceramic Slip Cleanser, Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment, C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum, Luna Sleeping Night Oil, and Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream

Currently listening // I am clearly way behind, but I just discovered podcasts. I KNOW. Anyway, I've been listening to S-Town (so incredibly good! especially if you like thrillers and murder mysteries), and The Skinny Confidential. Lauren is a blogger and has created an entire brand around TSC, and I finally started listening to her podcasts and they are so good! Tons of great guests and lifestyle/beauty/health tips. I typically just put one on when I'm home working, or just hanging out. 

Currently eating // If you follow me on Instagram (see snippets at the bottom of the page, or @gentelly) you'll see I posted about these crackers yesterday. I made them with peanut butter and chopped bananas and strawberries, but I'm excited to try them with cheese and avocado too! They are super healthy and so filling! I got them at my local Stop and Shop.

Currently planning // A trip to Minneapolis in three weeks because we are going to the SuperBowl! I'm still in shock and can't even believe it. This is a crazy-once-in-a-lifetime-trip!! I am hoping and praying our Patriots are in it, but I know it will be so much fun no matter what! We have our game tickets and flights, and are narrowing down our Airbnb. I'm also busy researching things to see, do and eat! If you've been to or are from the area, I would love to hear your recommendations!!

Happy Friday friends!

xo,
Gentel

Friday Favorites: Week One

Happy New Year friends! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday and New Year! We had a great few weeks, lots of snow days and lots of sick days too haha! Thankfully, we are all on the mend and I'm anxious to get back into the swing of things!

Today I thought I would share some of my goals/plans for 2018 - mostly so I have a place to hold myself accountable, haha!

1) More financially aware: This might seem kind of strange as a soon-to-be-34-year-old, but I came out of my divorce with very little idea about my finances. I didn't even know the log in information to most of my accounts, when things were due, etc. I spent the last five years with someone else managing it all for me. I've been working on getting myself organized, setting up some sort of a budget, and making a plan for paying off debt and starting to save. I didn't have a 401k account, and am finding myself completely starting over. It's a bit scary and overwhelming, and most of me wants to stick my head in the sand and ignore it, but it's time to be a big girl! I know there are tons of apps that can help me with my money goals, so if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them!

2) Keep plants alive : This one is so silly, but I do not know how to keep plants alive! And for Christmas, my boyfriend bought me this Fiddle Fig plant - that I have wanted for SO long! - and I'm determined to keep it alive and thriving! Any tips??

3) Be more organized in my business(es): If you don't know this about me, I do freelance bookkeeping for local businesses in addition to slinging magical shampoo! This is the first year that I'm 100% freelance, so I know I need to be better prepared for taxes. I also want a more organized office space to dedicate to my work so that I can focus. I have hired a Mother's Helper 2-3 hours a week to hang out with Gracie so that I can focus on my work and not feel like I'm being torn between my work and entertaining my child :) I'd also like to build my business up more this year, and would like to take on between 3-5 new clients by the end of the year.

4) Travel: This is always a goal for any year, I absolutely LOVE to travel! This year, I am hoping to go to Napa, the Bahamas and Hilton Head. I'm sure we'll squeeze in a few more as well :)

5) Learn to read Tarot cards: This is totally a new one! I have been so interested in mediums and psychics my entire life, and I love having my cards read. In early December, we had a dual reading with a local medium and it was such an incredible reading, and I left there feeling so positive and inspired. For Christmas, Pete surprised me with this set of tarot cards and I was so shocked! He's an engineer and a very "black and white" thinker, so believing in any sort of mediums is a HUGE stretch for him. But he knew how much it meant to me, and so he surprised me. It is one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received. So my goal for this year is to delve into it and really gain an understanding of the cards and their meanings!

What are some of your goals and plans for 2018?

xo,
Gentel

Fall Photos + Our Christmas Card

It's been a couple of months since we took our annual fall photos, and since our Christmas cards were mailed a week ago, I wanted to share both!

I had booked this photo shoot with the woman who did our engagement and wedding photos, and who I love dearly. If you are in the Northshore area and need a "love" photographer, Amber is your girl! Anyway, I booked the shoot before we separated, and we decided to keep the session and split it with me + Gracie and him + Gracie.

Gracie wasn't in the best mood, refused to smile for 20 minutes, and then had a meltdown .... so I bribed her with a lollipop! Hey, whatever it takes, right?

Now that we are settled into our new place, I can't wait to get some prints made to hang in our house, except that of course I can't choose a favorite!

My top (Loft) / Jeans (Gap) / booties (Kohl's) / Necklace (J.Crew outlet) / Gracie's dress (Eleanor Rose) / Gold shoes (babyGap) 

Our Christmas Card 2017 - Simply to Impress 

I honestly contemplated NOT sending out cards this year. It felt so weird to send ones of just her and I, but sending Christmas cards is one of my favorite holiday traditions! I definitely scaled way back and only ordered 25 to mail out this year vs the 100 I normally do. It was one of those areas that I felt it best to simplify and not overly stress myself over. If you did not receive one, I'm sorry! I promise I still value you being in my life!

Current Beauty Favorites

I love reading what beauty products other women are using, and I am a self-professed beauty and product junkie ;) As I've gotten older (and busier - ahem, #momlife) I've been working on scaling back the products I use on a daily basis and getting myself out the door as quickly as possible!

I tend to use a mix of both drug store and splurge-worth products. I do splurge on skincare (and will be sharing those favorites soon!), because I think that if your skin is well taken care of, you need even less makeup!

Foundation: L'Oreal Infallible Total Cover, shade "302 Creamy Natural" -- Target
Concealer: L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Glow, shade "Natural Beige" -- Target
Powder: L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte, shade "300 Nude Beige" -- Target
Blush: Nars The Multiple Cream blush in shade "Orgasm" -- Sephora
Eye brow pencil: Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil, shade "Dark Brown" -- Sephora
Eye shadow palette: Urban Decay Naked Palette 3 -- Sephora
Eye liner: Maybelline Master Precise Ink, Shade is Metallic (it doesn't look that way though!) "610 Black Comet" -- Target
Mascara:L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise, shade "Blackest Black" -- Target
Lips: LipSense by Senegence in "Luv It" (1st layer), "Apple Cider" (2nd layer), "Kiss Me Katie" (3rd layer) -- if you need a rep, let me know and I will send you the info of the girl I buy it from!

I can do this look in under 5 minutes, with a beauty blender to blend the foundation and concealer and then my blush. My eyebrows probably take the longest to do, and I'm obsessed with this lip stuff because it legit lasts ALL day long!

For night, I add more shadow, some bronzer to my cheek bones, line my water line and do a slightly darker lip.

And here is how I keep it all organized and pretty on my bathroom counter :) I bought this makeup organizer from HomeGoods for only $10, but I've linked a similar one for you here - psst, this would be a great gift for the makeup/product junkie in your life! 

Here's the look as I was leaving the house:

And again a few hours later (after getting a new hair cut and color!):

What are your current beauty faves?? Happy Thursday friends! <3

Linking up with Annie for Thoughts for Thursday!