Fave Things Friday

*pant pant pant*

The last couple of weeks have been a little nutso. Work has picked up speed, I did summer hours so I could have last Friday off, I'm trying like heck to finish painting the office, Brian's being awesome at his job, and the most exciting news of all: Owen can now walk! He's not full-on walking yet in public places (for some odd reason, he gets shy and would rather crawl) but at home he's toddling all over the place.

With those things in mind, some of this week's faves have really helped my control my sanity.

Nordstrom.com
Since Owen's officially walking, it was high time to finally buy him shoes. I went to several stores to try some shoes on him to get an idea of what size he was, timing it carefully so he'd be at his most content. I found a pair of sneakers at Kohl's, but I really wanted a pair of closed-toed sandals for him to romp around him for the remainder of summer. Too bad every other freaking parent in the metro Chicago area had the same idea, because I couldn't find any in Owen's size unless I was willing to hightail it to Wisconsin.

Enter Nordstrom.com. Although I loooooooove them (and their fabulous shoe collection), normally I shy away from them unless I have a boatload of money because it's typically out of my budget. However, the shoes I wanted to get for Owen were not only cheaper than on the manufacturer's site, but they also had free shipping and free returns. Certainly a no brainer!

Valspar Sample Paints
These things are seriously awesomesauce. I've had to touch up some spots on the ceiling where I got a bit overzealous with the paint brush/roller, and only needed a little bit of paint to do the job. Enter Valspar Sample Paints, which are the cutest little darn tootin' containers of paint ever. For realz.

Ted's Montana Grill
Sometimes Brian and I get tired of cooking/scavenging for meals, and we just say "Screw it, let's go out." At the end of a particularly crazy day this past week, we decided to treat ourselves to Ted's. Their sangrias are to die for, and I totally love their half-pickled cucumbers. Plus, they had kid-friendly stuff for Owen to play with that weren't the usual crayons that he typically chews on. And their food is just awesomesauce. Sure, it's a bit pricey, but every once in awhile it's a nice treat.

Formula 10.0.6 Pores Be Clear Clarifying Mud Mask
Mud Masks used to be all the rage when I was a teenager. Often with my girlfriends we'd do a "spa night" (aka a sleepover) and one of the things we did before our "makeovers" was a mud mask. Since it's been rather humid and I've been a bit stressed lately, my skin has been acting up, so I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and try out a mud mask again. I love the way this one didn't dry out my skin, but still clarified and cleaned it. If you're looking for a way to relive your teenage spa night gals, try this mud mask out!

Hand & Stone Massage
Did I mention that I've been stressed out? Well, another way I dealt with it was to get a much-needed massage. Since I apparently am incapable of just choosing one randomly, I scoured Yelp and Google+ reviews to find the best one near me that was affordable. Enter Hand & Stone Massage in Wheaton. Wow. $49.95 for your first one-hour massage?! Yes please!! And the massage was actually really good! I had the masseuse concentrate on my shoulders, since that's where I carry a lot of my tension and it worked wonders. Definitely tempted to go for their monthly plan, which is actually pretty reasonably priced. Hmmmmm..... ;)

Have a great weekend!