Breakfast at Lilly's

A 20 something just winging everything in life

February 2019 Goals

This is probably weird to say but January felt like both the shortest and longest month at the same time. I didn’t set monthly goals in January because I usually do my goals list for my birthday. This year it was 28 goals before I turn 28 next January.

Today on Breakfast at Lilly's I'm sharing my February goals.

I’ve already been working towards some of those goals like…

– Reading several books already

– Getting into a consistent gym routine

– Losing weight (I’m down 6 lbs already)

– Making more meals at home

–  And so much more

I’m excited to see what all I accomplish over 2019 and can’t wait to cross more of my goals off my list.

February Personal Goals 2019

Read two books // Last month I read two books so this month I want to read at least two books again this month.

Continue working out and losing weight // In January, I lost around 6 lbs and I want to continue losing weight and getting my booty into the gym at least 2x a week if not more.

Save money // December is usually a crazy spending month for me with the holidays, my mom’s birthday, and then my own birthday at the very beginning of January so that means my credit card bill in January is usually astronomical so I’m going to try and save as much money as possible this month.

Your Turn:

What are your goals for this month? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.

January Coffee Chat

We’re almost through the first month of 2019 and I can’t believe it. I wanted to share a quick coffee chat with y’all to catch up on things.

Getting into a healthier lifestyle // 

One of my major focuses this year has been leaning into an overall healthy lifestyle and so far, so good. As of last week, I have lost over 6 pounds and I am planning to continue eating healthier and getting to the gym a few times a week to continue shedding those pounds. It hasn’t been super easy but since I’m not doing any specific sort of diet and just eating a certain amount of calories, it hasn’t been as difficult as other diets.

January Coffee Chat

Reading: I’m currently reading a book called A Killer’s Mind. Another mystery book (shocker, of course) but so far, it’s pretty good. I have so many things on my to be read list but mostly ready to read all of the books on my winter reading list.

Listening to: Honestly, I haven’t been listening to too many new podcasts lately, just listening to my favorites as they release new episodes but haven’t found any new ones as of late. Have any recommendations for good biz or true crime focused podcasts? Feel free to send them my way.

Watching: The Bachelor, Temptation Island, The Masked Singer, and How to Get Away with Murder have been the shows I’ve been gravitating towards recently. The Masked Singer and Temptation Island are definitely a little ridiculous but I’m all about those hidden gem type shows. 

Working on: I have been working really hard to transition my biz Confetti Social into a full-service digital marketing agency.

Your Turn:

What have you been up to so far in 2019? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.

Winter Reading List

Every year I commit to reading more books and this year is no different so I wanted to share what’s on my winter reading list today.

As usual, it’s a bunch of reads in the mystery/thriller category but I just can’t get enough of those lately.

 

Winter Reading List featured by top US lifestyle blog Breakfast at Lilly's

Then She Was Gone // I have read at least one other of Lisa Jewell’s books and it was a good one so I’m excited to dive into this one soon.

The Death of Mrs. Westaway // I’ve read and loved two of Ruth Ware’s books and they were amazing so I imagine this one will be just the same. I remember reading both of her books in like 2 days because I was so invested.

Lock Every Door // Can you tell I just love thrillers? Well, I do. I have heard good things about this author so I’m excited to check out this book.

Where the Crawdads Sing // I have heard such rave reviews about this book so I’m really excited to check it out. It was nominated for one of the best reads of 2018 on Good Reads in the mystery/thriller category so I am all about it.

Your Turn:

What’s on your winter reading list? Please feel free to let me know down below.

Loving this winter reading list feature? Take a look here for more of my lifestyle favorites!

Best Beauty Products of 2018

I tried quite a few new products in 2018 (and also still loved some previous finds) and wanted to share these with you. This will be all inclusive in the beauty category including hair, makeup, and skincare products.

Now I know the majority of these best beauty products are not new in 2018 but they are new to me.

 

Best Beauty Products:

Perversion Mascara // I absolutely love this mascara. Urban Decay usually includes one of these in each of their PR packages and I absolutely love it. Some other favorite high-end mascaras are Too Faced Better Than Sex and Benefit They’re Real Mascara.

Toasted Palette // This palette has been one of my favorites this year. I am a big neutral girl when it comes to eyeshadows so this one works for me for both day and night.

Papa Don’t Peach Blush // This is the perfect peach shade for fair-skinned girls. I have heard it works well on a variety of skin tones though.

Born This Way Foundation // I tried this foundation this year and absolutely love it. It’s the perfect medium coverage and comes in a range of shades.

Tula Hydrating Day & Night Cream // This is one of my all time favorite moisturizers. It is super hydrating and lasts forever.

Batiste Dry Shampoo // A good dry shampoo is a must. This one is pretty affordable and it lasts for a long time.

Tula Cleanser // Tula cleansers are really light and airy and I feel like they really clean my skin. Like the moisturizer, this product lasts forever so even though it is a little pricey, it is so worth it.

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer // I absolutely love this concealer. It works really well to conceal dark circles so I’m all about it.

All Nighter Makeup Spray // This spray makes my makeup last for so long. It’s amazing and I use it every time I am needing my makeup to stay in place for a really long time.

Your Turn:

So I want to know, what were some of your best beauty products of 2018? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.

Loving this best beauty products feature? Take a look here for more of my beauty favorites!

The Ultimate NYC Travel Guide

New York | Holidays | The Ultimate NYC Travel Guide featured by top Houston travel blog Breakfast at Lilly's

I was lucky enough to take a trip to New York City during Christmastime a few weeks ago and boy, is that an amazing time to go to the city.

I went back in high school for the first time during the summer and fell in love and knew that I needed to visit again during the holidays so I could see all of the magic that NYC has to offer during the holidays.

The Ultimate NYC Travel Guide

Places to Go: 

Times Square // Times Square is one of the most coveted attractions in New York City and for good reason, it is pretty dang cool. During the holidays, it is jam-packed with people so if you’re not a big fan of crowds, it’s probably better to visit during the offseason. I was pretty surprised with how many people were there who had kids in strollers. It was so crowded to have so many young kids bopping about.

Central Park // This was actually one of our favorite parts of New York City. We liked to watch the people on the ice skating rink and also just sit and people watch on one of the parks many benches.

Empire State Building // We actually didn’t make it to the Empire State Building this time around but I did when I was high school and it was definitely a cool experience. I loved being able to see the entire city from the top.

Wall Street // Because my husband is in the finance space, he was all about going to Wall Street and seeing it in the flesh. Definitely not my #1 pick but it was pretty cool to see.

Top of the Rock // The views at the Top of the Rock are absolutely stunning, especially during the winter time.

Rockafeller Center // This is where the ice skating rink is along will the big tree during the holidays. NBC Studios is also here and we were dying to get tickets to see Jimmy Fallon but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

New York | Holidays | The Ultimate NYC Travel Guide featured by top Houston travel blog Breakfast at Lilly's

Radio City Music Hall // This is where the Rockettes perform and of course, since we were there during the holidays, we went to see them. It was such an amazing show so I totally recommend going to check it out if you’re there during the holidays.

Madison Avenue // Where all of the popular designer stores are aka my kind of place. During Christmas, the whole street has really cool lights and displays set up so it’s really fun to look at.

See a play on Broadway // This was honestly one of the highlights of our trip. We saw Aladdin on Broadway but I’m dying to see Hamilton and the Book of Mormon as well.

The Plaza Hotel // Embrace your inner Kevin McCallister by visiting the Plaza hotel.

Places to Eat:

Dim Sum Palace // My husband and I are dim sum obsessed so we knew we had to find a dim sum restaurant in NYC and this one didn’t disappoint.

Brasserie Athenee // We had brunch here one day and it was really good. I had the french toast and it was yummy.

Momofoku // So we went to this restaurant in Vegas and really enjoyed it so we decided to go again in NYC.

Hunt and Fish Club // We had our fancy dinner of the trip here. I had the burnt lemon chicken and it was super yummy and then we had some really amazing chocolate cake here too. Totally recommend for a fancier dinner.

Your Turn:

Have you ever been to New York City before? If so, what’s your favorite attraction? What about your favorite restaurant. Please feel free to let me know down in the comments of this NYC travel guide.

Loving this NYC travel guide feature? Take a look here for more of my travel favorites!

28 Before 28 // 2019 Personal Goals

I feel like I say this every single year but man last year feels like it just came and went in the blink of an eye. 2018 was a really great year but I’m so ready for 2019 to be an even better one.

Last year instead of setting to yearly goals I set 27 goals before I turned 27 so I’m going to be recapping that list instead of 2018 personal goals so let’s dive in, shall we?

Lifestyle | 28 Before 28 // 2019 Personal Goals featured by top US lifestyle blog Breakfast at Lilly's

27 Before 27 Personal Goals Recap

  1. Become consistent with going to the gym and make it a habit // Unfortunately, this didn’t really happen but what can ya do? This is something I really want to get into this year.
  2. Participate in a Whole30 challenge 
  3. Drink more Water // Nope, I’m really embarassed about this one.
  4. Do a deep clean of my entire life // I did a pretty good job at this but I wouldn’t say I was 100% successful which is why I didn’t cross it off. 
  5. Replenish my emergency fund // I have slowly started to build it back up but I’m not happy with how slow the process was so this was half completed too.
  6. Get rid of any clothing that I no longer love // I still have a few things to get rid of but I think I did a good job at getting rid of clothes this year.
  7. Read 12 Books //   I read 17 books before my 27th birthday and I am super happy about that. 
  8. Try new foods more often //   Proud to announce that I’ve gotten much better about venturing out and trying new foods.
  9. Nurture my relationships better //  Going to give myself half credit for this one.
  10. Get on a better working schedule //  I still haven’t perfected this of course, but I have gotten a lot better about how much I work. 
  11. Collaborate more with online business owners // Yes, I did a lot of this in 2018 and it was amazing.
  12. Travel to a new place // I actually didn’t go anywhere new this year. I did travel but it was to two cities that I had already been to haha.
  13. Focus on doing more of the things that I love //   I read a lot more this year and did so many more things that I enjoyed. It was nice to not feel like I had to work 24/7.
  14. Stop overthinking everything // Although I didn’t completely quit my habit of overthinking, I feel like I certainly improved it.
  15. Say no more often //  I totally got better at saying no this year. Its still tough for me to do since I am a people pleaser, but man was it good for my sanity.
  16. Pay off my credit card debt // While I didn’t finish paying off my credit card debt, I did pay it down quite a bit so I have definitely made progress.
  17. Work on being cleaner around the house //  Ever since we moved into our home at the beginning of September, I feel like I have become way cleaner. I make sure to pick up after myself and keep on top of things around the house.
  18. Celebrate the little things in life //  I have gotten better about celebrating my accomplishments – big and small.
  19. Spend more time with my friends and family // I definitely improved at that this year, but I could definitely still be better.
  20. Be more adventurous // I had a few more adventurous moments this year but this is always something I’m looking to improve.
  21. Work on creating more passive income //  I totally did this and it feels so good.
  22. Cook more meals at home // I definitely cooked a bit more in 2018. 
  23. Take better care of myself // I started to do this but I still don’t feel like it’s up to par quite yet so it’s something I’ll need to continue to work on.
  24. Work smarter, not harder // I finally got my systems and processes in place and its helped me be much more productive. 
  25. Go to New York City during Christmastime //  We spent a few days in NYC this Christmas and it was so magical. 
  26. Focus on buying quality over quantity // This is something I have done a lot better at but I still do buy trendy pieces from fast fashion places from time to time.
  27. Schedule more coffee dates //  I had more intentional coffee dates this year and it was so nice to get to know other entrepreneurs better. 

28 Before 28 Personal Goals

  1. Take more photos 
  2. Read at least 15 books 
  3. Keep up with my content calendar
  4. Get into a consistent gym routine
  5. Spend more time on self-care
  6. Travel to a new place
  7. Organize my house
  8. Finish decorating my office
  9. Turn Confetti Social into a full-blown agency
  10. Drink less soda and more water
  11. Eat a lot less fast food
  12. Replenish my emergency fund
  13. Lose at least 10 pounds
  14. Focus on my friends + family
  15. Participate in a no spend month
  16. Get a second pup
  17. Have a successful first year with Uplevel Your Biz 
  18. Work on getting visible on Stories
  19. Work with more amazing brands 
  20. Be more present
  21. Make more meals at home
  22. Go to bed earlier
  23. Venture outside of my comfort zone
  24. Finish paying off my car
  25. Eliminate credit card debt
  26. Complete a 30-day squat challenge
  27. Learn how to prioritize myself more often
  28. Spend more time with my parents 

What personal goals do you want to accomplish this year? Please feel free to let me know down in the comments.

Loving this personal goals feature? Take a look here for more of my lifestyle favorites!