Thursday Three

This wasn't the most exciting week on my part but it was still a pretty good one. I got to go to Door County again which was a fun surprise. This time it was with my whole family so it was sweet to have time to be together. This week was one where the little things seemed so essential to making it a good week, so here is what happened in my week: 

|1|

 I finally got to go boating in Door County. My family went for a cocktail cruse (Sprite for me) before dinner and it was so enjoyable. I love looking at the houses from the water and see others on their boats as well.

|2|

Breakfast is by far the best meal of the day. In the summer my mom doesn't work, she's a teacher, so she makes me a yummy breakfast almost every morning. That particular morning I had pancakes with powdered sugar and raspberries along with orange juice and cold brewed coffee. Here is the similar recipe for it, just make sure to make a 4:1 ratio of water to coffee.

|3|

I have always loved to read, but I never have time to in the school year. This week I have read so many good books that I have to share them with you. Most of them were recommended to me by family members. If you want more book recommendation then check out this blog post for my other favorite summer reads.

Did anything fun happen in your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Picking an Agenda

In my mind one of the most important things to have during the school year is an agenda or planner. They help me get so organized which in turn helps ease the stress. The hardest part is picking the right one. This is why I found 9 of my favorite ones. I made sure that there is a variety of sized and prices so that they can fit almost anyone's needs.

 | Gold Dots | Water Colors (you can customize) | I am Very Busy |

 | Stripes |  Pink Floral | Kate Spade |

 | One Day | Day Designer | Lilly Pulitzer |

I got the Lilly Pulitzer Agenda in the print Southern Charm for this school year. I always love Lilly for the bright colors and fun prints. The Lilly agendas also have the perfect amount of space for me to write all I need to about my classes and events for the week and month.

Which one is your favorite?

xoxo,

Maddie

Best of July

| Bag | Shorts | Flip Belt | Cliff Bar | Nail Polish | Jacks|

      This was one of my more boring months. I spent most of my month working as a lifeguard, and when I did have a day off I was normally in Door County. As much as I love Door County, it became pretty hectic as I didn't have too much time to do anything at home. 

    Since working was something I did a lot, I found myself loving my canvas bag that I got for my birthday. It was big enough to bring all of the food and water that I need to bring. I have used it almost everyday and it has made my life so much easier! At work I have also found that I like to eat Cliff Bars because they fill you up so much. I have a ton of breaks at work so it is nice to having something filling so I don't eat all day (this can be an issue...)

     Every morning I start my day out with a run that follows my training plan for my half marathon. If you like to work out, you need a Flipbelt. They are a belt that has pockets all around it so you can fit a phone, key and anything else that you could possibly need for your run. 

     Lastly, style wise this month I have been loving my Jacks. I got them at the end of June so this month has been spent breaking them in and wearing them all of the time. They are super cute and I have been loving them as a alternate to my Birkenstocks. I also got a pair of Lilly Pulitzer Luxletic shorts and I adore them. I appreciate the more casual Lilly. Although I won't wear them for working out, I like how comfortable they are to wear on a lazy day. Oddly enough, I have been really liking to paint my finger nails clear. I like how they have a shine in sun and aren't easy to tell if it is chipping. I find that it is the simplest way to keep your nails looking nice throughout the summer. 

What are you favorites this summer? 

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Three

This was a pretty typical week for me. I worked a little bit and had a few days off. I went up to Door County again, but this time it was just with mom as a girls trip. I had such a good time that I hope we can do it again. With that here is my week:

|1|

It was one of my good friend's birthday this week so I wanted to make sure a special gift. I ended up making here the shell frame with shells I had collected from my trip to Florida this year. I then added a picture took this summer when boating to make it a cute gift. 

|2|

I went out for brunch with my mom and sister which was tons of fun. I got a cinnamon roll and strawberry stuffed french toast. Both the food and the company were great which made for a fun brunch.

|3|

My mom and I have always been fans of coffee. She likes all kinds and I like most, but especially love the "fancy" drinks. She found a recipe for cold brewed coffee and we decided to give it a try. This one had pretty strong coffee flavor to the point that it seemed a little over powering, but once I added some milk and chocolate syrup it was perfect. It was a very smooth coffee which reminded me of the Starbucks drinks you can buy at the grocery store. The best part of this all... it can keep for up to 2 weeks so you can make a big batch which will last for a while. This recipe is from Allrecipes magazine but the site isn't working at the moment so I can't link. 

I am thinking of doing a Q & A so do you have any questions for me?

xoxo,

Maddie

Guide to Longboat Key, Florida

I have been going on vacation to Longboat for the last 10 years and it has become one of my favorite places to be. Even though in all technicality I am a tourist, it doesn't feel like it which is really nice. Longboat Key is an island right off the coast of Sarasota. This allows easy access to a bigger city while still having the island feel. Most of the things that I have listed below aren't actually on Longboat Key, but in the surrounding area. With that being said here we go...

Where to Eat

The Salty Dog- This is a classic tourist destination, but don't let that stop you from going. It is right on the water which makes for some amazing views. When I was younger I used to get my meals served in a frisbee which I thought was so cool.  They serve good burgers and there is always some sort of fish sandwich or mussels which the fish lovers of my family really like. 

Portofino*- Portfolio is a cute little Italian restaurant. They serve great fish, but my favorites are the lemon veal, margarita pizza and calamari. There is also always amazing desserts here. I can always count on them for a good chocolate cake or some great gelato. 

Le Macaron- Even thought this place isn't a specialty to the  
Longboat Key area, it is one of my favorites to go to because it isn't near where I live. It is so fun to grab some macaron and sit outside watching the tourists around St. Armand's Circle.

Where to Shop

St. Armand's Circle- I adore the circle. It is a huge round about with shops all around it. There is Lilly Pulitzer (!). Sperry, Shore, a hammock place and so many others. My favorite places to shop are Lilly and a preppy store called Island Pursuit which has Vineyard Vines and Southern Tide. 

University Town Center- UTC is a big mall right by Sarasota. It has a Lilly Pulitzer, Dillard's, J. Crew, Lulu Lemon, and more. There are also a bunch of places to eat, so it makes for a fun day trip.

What to do

 The Mote Marine-The Mote is a research based aquarium which I would totally recommend. It is known for its shark research so there is a whole area with sharks you can see. The great thing about the Mote is that most of the animals there were found injured in the wild. The Mote helped them back to health, but if they could go back they stayed at the Mote. My favorite part of it is the manatees. Manatees have always been my favorite animal so I love the two there. 

 Beach- Longboat and the surrounding islands are known for the stunning beaches. With some of the softest sand and warm water, I spend most of my time at one of the area beaches.

Ringling Museum- There are about 4 parts to the Museum: the art galleries, the mansion, circus museum and the gardens. The Ringling Museum is on the property of John Ringling who made the Ringling Circus. He and his wife had an extravagant life, with a big house (which you can tour) and a lot of travel and art. I love touring his house because of how fun and crazy it is. I also think the art is interesting because it is impressive how much art they accumulated for being only two people. This is totally worth the cost of admission to see all of the museum. 

Parasailing- This is such a fun thing to do. Once you are in the air, it is so calm and peaceful. You can see for miles around. With luck, you can see turtles, dolphins or manatees in the water below you. This is something you could easily do as an afternoon or morning adventure.

Where to Stay

Longboat Key Club and Resort*- I don't stay at this hotel since to use my grandparents house, but since they are club members we get to use all the facilities of the resort. This place is so great. There beach is kept really clean and there are always helpful staff around. Also, by staying here you have access to about 5 restaurants on the island for guests only, most of which are amazingly good.

Rent- There are so many places to rent around the area. Most of the people are snow bird which means that they only live in Florida in the winter. In the summer there are a lot of open homes or condos available to rent through many different websites.


xoxo,
Maddie

(* must be a member or guest of the Longboat Key Club & Resort to use)

Outfit: Romping Around

| Romper (similar) | Sandals | Sunglasses |

Is this romper not the cutest thing ever or what? It is actually my sisters but it is only hers because she beat me to the rack. It is from Old Navy last year and boy did they hit the mark. It is super soft and comfortable. It is also really light which makes it perfect for the summer. I paired it with my jacks, which I happen to be in love with! I never thought that I would like them as much as I do. If you don't have a pair I would totally recommend getting one. The white color looks good with everything so I know I will get a lot of use out of them, and this outfit.

What color jacks do you like?

xoxo,

Maddie

Thursday Threes

This was a pretty busy week for me. I worked for 5 of the 7 days and then I filled my days off with almost as much as I could. I went to Door County for one of them.. surprise, surprise. As much as I love that place, driving there and back in a course of 24 hours is a little tiring. I'll be going back next week for a girl trip with my mom so I will hopefully have some cute pictures from that. So here's the rest of my week: 

|1|

Every single time I am in Door County I make sure to hit up the Singing Donut. This place makes the best doughnuts around. You get to pick your glaze and topping to personalize them. You also see them being made, and they are fried to order so they are so good. 10/10 would recommend. 

|2|

My mom ( her blog) and I tried the cutest dessert this week. These are mock cheesecakes in a jar. They were supposed to be strawberry flavored, but we happened to have a bunch of fresh raspberries so we used those instead. These were so good. I liked these better than a normal cheesecake because the texture was smoother since they weren't baked. Yet again this is another recipe I would totally recommend. (find the recipe here) 

|3|

I had collected a bunch of shells over the past couple of years, but they had been sitting in boxes for quite some time. I decided to make a display out of them. I found some old mason jars around my house and filled them out. Later I added some gingham ribbon around the tops to make them more summery. I love the look they add to my room, reminding me about the beach even on the colder days. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie