A Little Fall Shopping With Sak’s Off Fifth

I have partnered with Sak’s Off Fifth for some fall shopping. Every time I check their website I find some great deals. I am really excited about the following picks. There is a little something for everyone…and I LOVE the discounted prices…Happy Shopping!!!

This poncho with the fur details is a great closet staple. Perfect for the upcoming fall chilly nights eating outside…

I love the look of this scarf….

Im dying to try this candle…I love the blue color and stone finial

The crochet look is soo popular right now…

I cannot get enough of Tom Ford cosmetics…this palette set is incredible…

My girls and I are crazy for this body shimmer oil….

These are the BEST sunglasses…..love the shape and size…

If you have been loving the Valentino sandals…this is a great deal….

Such a cute dress…perfect for Thanksgiving!!!!

A bow blouse is another wardrobe staple..I love the sleeves and this would look great with dark jeans or leather flare pants…

This black blouse is another great staple….I’d love it with leather pants as well…

I am buying these for my girls and keeping them for Christmas…they love the look of ear cuffs…

Find A Way To Make That Move Easier!!

Moving house is stressful but it doesn’t always have to be so difficult. With this guide, you can ensure that things run smoothly.  You should always look at interstate removalists and then see some of the best packing tips to make the move go down without a hitch! At first you may not be so sure if moving home is possible, as it is such a huge step. Which is why it’s important to first look at some deciding factors that could assist you greatly:  

Photo: Unsplash

1.Determine a maximum budget for your move

Before making a move, you need to have an action plan to avoid problems. One of the main concerns is knowing  how much a move costs . Therefore, it is recommended that you decide a fixed amount of money that you want to spend during the move. In this way, you can determine if it is worth doing the move yourself or if you prefer to hire a moving company.

2. Start early

Don’t leave everything to the last minute, save yourself some stress and start preparing for the move early. Two months in advance may seem like a lot, but it is a reasonable time frame. Take a look at a moving guide for more information on how to move. Decide on the day of your move keeping in mind that moving companies charge a higher price for moving during weekends or holidays. Therefore, it is advisable to decide which day is going to be best for you and when companies have time. The most expensive months are usually between June and September.

3. Get rid of what you don’t need

It is clear that there are objects with sentimental and economic value that you cannot get rid of. However, think carefully and decide what you really need. Try to take what is necessary and reduce the volume of your shipment. Not sure what to do with the objects that you have left over? Here are some ideas:

  • Donate your belongings to a charity or thrift store to ensure that you are giving them to good causes. 
  • Donate your belongings to a charitable flea market, if you should wish. 
  • Sell ​​the objects you don’t need, especially clothes, on eBay if you need a few extra pennies for certain things.

Photo: Unsplash

When packing

1. First remember that it is better to do things little by little and with time, and not overnight. So try to start packing early.

2. Take this opportunity to get rid of everything you don’t need! If you don’t love something, if it doesn’t make you happy, if you don’t use it, DON’T PACK IT! Leave it behind, break free and start a life without junk in your new home.

3. Gather everything you will need:

  • Trash bags: Get the extra resistant type, and buy two different colors. Reserve one of the colors exclusively for trash. Or better yet, buy some colored ones, and others transparent, so that you put the trash in the opaque bags, and the transparent ones you use for the things you need to take to your new home.
  • Cardboard boxes: Try to pack everything you can in boxes, but if you can’t get enough, use them for delicate things. Don’t pick them too big, because they’ll get too heavy once they’re full.
  • Newspaper: Wrap enough newspaper around your dishes, pyrex, knives, and other delicate things. Then put everything in boxes.
  • Duct tape: Buy enough tape, and if you can, buy a dispenser as well. If someone else will help you pack, buy another tape dispenser. Also buy paper masking tape to create a visible space for labeling boxes and bags.
  • Scissors and thick markers: You can buy markers of various colors, and identify each room with a different color and the boxes/bags that go in each one. Or you can buy one color, and label them “kitchen,” “office,” “master bathroom,” and so on. 

Photo: Unsplash

As the big day approaches …

1. Pack  apart from all the other things, a set of sheets and 1 blanket for each bed, 1 cloth or towel for each member of the family, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other things that they will need the morning immediately after move-in day. Also pack a change of clothes for each member, two if you have small children or babies, diapers etc.

2. Give your new house a good clean, including windows, walls, bathrooms, and toilets. This will be the only time you can get to each-and-every-corner easily, so take advantage! And while you’re there, make sure all the lights are working, and the hot water is on and running. Have all your insurance policies to hand just in case you need to get things fixed quickly. 

3. Also, pack some disposable plates, glasses, forks and spoons, and what you will need for breakfast the next day: the coffee maker, coffee, filters, a frying pan, etc. 

4. Try to spend all the food that you have frozen or refrigerated, so that it is not going to spoil with the move. Remember that the refrigerator must be left without operation for 24 hours after it has been moved, so that the gas in the cooling system has time to stabilize and work properly.

5. Wash all clothes that get dirty, and keep dirty clothes to a minimum. You don’t want to have a pile of washing before you have even started! Therefore be prepared and think ahead. 

6. Find someone who can clean your old house after you have moved. After moving, you’ll need to focus your energies on organizing your new home, so it’s best to leave the old house work to someone else. 

7. Make a list of super fast foods that you can make without thinking, without using many utensils or many pots and pans! You don’t want to be fishing around looking for the necessary equipment that you need in order to make food quickly and efficiently. 

8. Manage with the cable, internet and telephone company to coordinate the installation visit of the services, obviously after you have moved to your new home. If necessary, make calls to your current companies to suspend services at your “old” house after they have moved. This way people can still contact you when they really need to which is vital for your personal and business life. 

On the day of the move …

.Make sure you have easy access to your cleaning supplies and equipment. Even if you’ve cleaned your house before you move, the constant in-and-out from everyone is going to make it dirty, so you better have what you need on hand to give it a quick clean.

When unpacking the moving truck …

1. Assemble the beds first and put the mattress on them at once. Don’t put  things on top of them as you unload the truck. At the end of the day everyone will be tired, and the least you want to do is have to remove lots of bags and heavy things to sleep.

2. Install the washer and dryer as soon as possible so you can get things up and running which is important if you have kids who need clean clothes or schoolwear straight away. 

3. Review your list of super fast foods, decide what you are going to cook that day (or the next day, depending on the time you finish moving things), and go to the supermarket to buy what you need. 

The day after moving in

1. Get up early so you can enjoy the day. Take a shower, put on comfortable clothes (don’t stay in your pajamas) and eat a simple but nutritious breakfast that will keep you full for several hours.

2. Start in the room that is used the most , or that is most urgent to unpack. It could be the kitchen, or if you work from home, maybe the office is the room you need to install first. Go opening all the boxes or bags marked with #1 (following the system we talked about before), or those that you know that contain the most necessary things.

3. Put everything in its place as you take out boxes and bags, and take empty boxes and bags out of the room as soon as you empty them.

4. As soon as you finish with the most urgent in that room, resist the urge to continue with the other boxes. Rather, move to the other rooms, and do the same with the most urgent boxes and bags.

5. After you have unpacked boxes #1, move on to #2, or less urgent.

6. Mainly, don’t try to unpack everything in one day. Do not forget to eat at your own time, stop from time to time to drink water, rest your legs, etc.

Moving is always a strenuous job, lasting several days or even weeks, but if you are fortunate to be moving to a bigger or better house, then this will be a pleasure in a way!

Book Club Monday

Fall in New York City is my favorite time of year. Unfortunately this year, most of the fun fall city activities are put on hold right now. I found this book and added it to my pile right away. I thought a good old fashion NYC story would fill the void of not being able to spend a lot of time in the big apple right now. Here is the summary of this page-turning NYT’s best seller:

It’s 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn’t ask for more out of life – her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she is drawn to Greenwich Village’s new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club – a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women’s rights. Soon, Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. But when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and institution she loves, she’s forced to confront her shifting priorities head on…and may just lose everything in the process. 

Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons, especially after she’s wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie’s running begin disappearing from the library’s famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-averse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However, things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage – truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library’s history. – Amazon.com

For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE!!!!

Monthly Best Sellers….

It is shocking to me how the months are flying by. I love seeing what everyone is buying and sharing the best sellers with you…This month there are still a bunch of kitchen items as well as a really cool portable firepit that people have actually stopped me and mentioned that they bought it and LOVED it!!!! Happy Sunday Everyone!!!!

This Air Fryer has been a best seller all month….

If you love foot massages…..

This is the best selling towels of the summer…

The prettiest sugar bowl that was a best seller a few months ago, is back in stock..

All summer these bug repellent incense are what our readers swear by!!!

As people are getting ready to pack up their summer clothes to make room for fall fashion pieces to take over their wardrobe, this storage bag is perfect.

This was popular for back to school and also for around the house. Its so annoying when charging cords always fall to the floor. This weighted one is a great solution for keeping the cord on your desk, bedside table or any other surface!!!

Since I posted about the Solo Stove portable firepit, it has been such a hit. It’s the perfect thing to use to sit out on your patio or the beach on those chilly nights!!!!

These food chopper scissors are a must…I just ordered them after seeing how many of my readers added them to their carts!!

Another kitchen item that was a hit, is this sponge soap dispenser…who knew!!!!

This spray self-tanner water has been on the bestseller list for 4 months now…

Who Doesn’t Need A Little More Vitamin C In Their Life?

A week or so ago, we asked our readers for their best Quarantine purchases. One of the responses from my friend Rere was really unique and she was obsessed…A Vitaclean Vitamin C Showerhead….WAIT??? WHAT????? How could that be a thing???!!!!!..I immediately went on the Vitaclean Website. I was soooooo intrigued. It looked so cool and really easy to install and NOT EXPENSIVE for an EVERYDAY spa experience right at home. The handheld and wall-mounted showerheads use a unique filtration system to soften water and remove impurities. Paired with Vitamin C Shots they turn your shower into a spa experience, increase water pressure, and leave your skin and hair softer. I immediately ordered the handheld shower head with the vitamin c citrus shot. The installation of the shower head was so easy. I just twisted my old handheld off, twisted the Vitaclean one on, popped in the citrus vitamin c shot, and immediately I forgot where I was. Honestly, it was heavenly. My bathroom was transformed by the scent of the natural plant essential oils in the shot. When essential oils are exposed to the air they evaporate, quickly releasing their scent which provides the unique experience. I am in LOVE with the citrus scent, so far it is my fav but I do love the Rose too and I cannot wait to try the Lavender and the Coconut/Vanilla. I review tons of products throughout the year and honestly, this has been one of the best beauty purchases that I have made in the longest time. I am head over heels. Here is the LINK to the website where you can view the 2 shower head options, see all the scents and other products available. There are a great question and answer section and a step by step installation guide. I cannot wait for you to try this product…It is definitely one of my 2020’s absolutely must-haves!!!!!!

Therapy Online: Could It Work for You?

Picture from Bongkarn Thanyakij from Pexels – CC0 Licence 

Maybe we’re getting too reliant on devices and the web. But it’s hard not to when it has so many excellent apps and opportunities available. From courses accessible exclusively online, to reaching out on Skype to your cousin who lives on the other side of the world. The web has made what, many years ago, seemed impossible, possible! 

Therapy has joined the band of positives that enable you when you’re feeling low to achieve a better, healthier mind and life. To delve more into the benefits of online therapy and how it could work for you, read on. 

Multiple Professionals Accessible In One Place

Google does its part in providing a comprehensive list of ‘therapists near me.’ But having to click on individual websites to check out each therapist, and see what they’re like and whether they’re available when you are, is an arduous task. 

However, businesses such as Lifestance make finding a therapist simple, and you’re not limited to a five-mile radius either. You can find an online psychologist on the other side of America if you want to! With lists of therapists, a picture, the profile of their educational background, and their therapy style; finding a therapist that will suit you is much easier to do on sites like Lifestance.

No Transport? No Problem

Intentionally living remotely, away from all civilian life, apart from your own family – sounds fantastic. But it can have its drawbacks. Especially if transport options are limited and you need therapy. As a solution, providing you have an internet connection and a device, which we’re assuming you do because you’re reading this, you can make an appointment with a therapist online. Who needs transport anyway!

Limited Opportunities To Receive Therapy

You and everyone else is busy doing something or other. Whether working, childminding, decorating, cleaning, shopping, and so on. Meaning, finding time to receive therapy is challenging.

However, by opting for therapy online, you can cast your net for potential therapists further than your local vicinity. With more choice, there’s bound to be a therapist available for the time you have in mind. And in some cases, therapists online are more flexible with their working hours to accommodate people such as yourself, who lead hectic lives.

Effective Treatment Online

Therapy as treatment can be administered to people in a variety of ways. In-person, over the phone, email, and via video chat. In particular, video chats are advantageous for the therapist to build rapport and gauge your reaction to questions and pick up how you feel about a specific situation. In doing so, they can adjust the treatment plan accordingly to suit your needs better. 

Online therapy is useful; however, participants must be willing to work on their mental health as with any therapy session.

In answer to the title of this post, yes! Therapy online can work for you. Particularly if you either live remotely, you’re exceptionally busy, and you’re in need of effective treatment at a time that suits you.