20 Pictures To Inspire You To Visit Southwick's Zoo

If you're a long time reader you will know that Tim and I love visiting zoos and aquariums! We are huge animal lovers and often when we go on vacation we make time to visit one or the other- or both!

On Sunday morning when we woke up and Tim said he wanted to go to the zoo I was all in! I was excited to bring my Canon Rebel T6 along so I could snap some pictures too. So here are 20 pictures to inspire you to visit Southwick's Zoo in Mendon MA.

The deer trail is very cool since it's so interactive. You are able to purchase food throughout the trail and deer constantly come to greet you.

Giraffes are definitely one of my favorite animals and I love seeing them.

They always have babies at Southwick's Zoo which is amazing! I am a huge fan of the baby monkeys in particular.

How colorful and gorgeous are these parakeets? 

You can buy a small popsicle sticks and the parakeets will come to you to eat. I don't think you necessarily need to purchase these but you will certainly get closer to the birds if you do! 

There's also a goat petting zoo and the goats are adorable.

The goats are super friendly and always come up to you even if you don't have food so you can certainly save that money in this exhibit. 

 

I also love sloths and Southwick's Zoo has several varieties! This sloth mom had a baby and was keeping them super close.

Lastly, the new restaurant in the zoo is great! Galliford's Restaurant and Tavern is open year round and is a newer restaurant. Tim and I thought the food was great and the atmosphere was awesome as well. It felt a little like being in Animal Kingdom at Disney World. I highly recommend it!

May Empties and Declutter

It's Monday again....how is that a possibility?! I also can't believe we are already in June- it's finally warm here in Rhode Island and I am in my element. This is why we suffer through all those unbearable cold months! 

Today I'm going to share my empties from the month of May and also a couple of items I am decluttering. Here's an overview of everything:

Let's start with the two items I'm decluttering.

Lately my skin has been a huge issue and both of these face lotions just made it worse. I have super dry and sensitive skin and both of these made my skin super red. I just don't have time for products that make my skin worse so both of these are getting decluttered. I just placed a Sephora order for a product that I'm hoping will solve my skin problems...fingers crossed. I'm calling the Neutrogena and Aveeno products duds- see ya never.

Next up, two laundry products. I like these smaller containers since I'm hauling all our laundry to the coin operated machine in the basement. I regularly purchase Purex since that's what I grew up using and I do really like it. I would definitely repurchase this in the future. Xtra is something I use when I get it for free- it's just okay not something I would want to spend money on.

I love my cleaning products! I finished up this Pledge floor care cleaner which I would repurchase but I'm planning on buying something different this time. The Method Antibac toilet cleaner is nice and I would repurchase it again. The Mrs Meyers multi-surface spray in Mint is amazing and smells incredible. I have been loving Mrs Meyers scents and have been attempting to try out as many as possible so you will be seeing lots of different ones pop up in my empties!

I finished up one candle this month from Bath and Body Works in the scent vanilla. I picked this up while at HomeGoods since we completely ran out of candles! I know, I know I stockpile like crazy but I actually went through my entire stash. I will be hitting up the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale this week to stock up on candles and a few other items. Anyways, this candle was nice but I always find that Yankee Candles don't have as much of a scent throw as other candles do. They tend to smell really good inside the container but once you light them it's hard to smell them throughout your space- such a bummer.  I wouldn't repurchase this one again because the size was just ridiculously tall and I wasn't getting much scent out of it at all.

I finished two hair products this month. The first is the Macadamia Nourishing Leave In Cream which I have been working on forever! I put this in my hair when it's wet after my shower and it keeps it moisturized while it dries. I love the smell of these products. The second product is Garnier Fructis Flat Iron Perfection which I did really like. I bought it on a recommendation and thought it did a great job of protecting my hair while I straightened it. I would repurchase since it's a nice cheap option for a protecting spray.

I should also mention I finished up samples of shampoo and conditioner while away for a weekend and lost the packets that I was going to bring home to share with you. I guess those were the best things to lose out of everything I brought with me but I was still bummed I couldn't share them with you guys!

I love Lavanilla's Healthy Deodorants. This one is in coconut vanilla and I really liked it! I did try out a new deodorant though and I like it just as much as these so I'm not sure which one I am going to stick with...I love that there are finally healthy deodorants that work great and are all natural!

I finished four chapsticks this month. Three were sugar cookie and one was cake batter. Cake batter is still my ultimate favorite and I'm getting awful close to the end of my stash. It might be just about time to replenish!

Lastly, I finished my floss that I keep in my purse. Kind of a lame empty but I thought it was worth mentioning. This is the Glide floss and I like keeping a container in my bag just in case!

What products did you finish up in May?

Megan's Bachelorette: Montauk Restaurants, Bars and Breweries

While staying in Amagansett for Megan's Bachelorette weekend we spent quite a bit of time in neighboring Montauk visiting various restaurants, bars and breweries. 

I wanted to share my thoughts on them with you so if you are visiting the area you will know what to expect!

First of all this is most of the ladies from this trip and we traveled in a pack of 15 throughout our meals and pub crawl:

I'm sure we were slightly overwhelming to each place we entered since it was such a large group however if we were going somewhere to eat we did call ahead and/or make reservations so we could be guaranteed service.

Kelsey (pictured above next to me) was not only the maid of honor and sister of the bride but also the architect of the weekend itinerary. She did a fabulous job at planning everything out and my thoughts on the places we went are no way a reflection on the job she did! I'm also not a professional when it comes to food and drink so take my opinions with a grain of salt- I just share to hopefully be helpful to someone somewhere! (And because I like to remember places I've been and things I've done!)

Our Saturday night dinner was the first meal we ate in Montauk.

La Fine is a restaurant located in Montauk Manor. The atmosphere was definitely fancy and the hotel looked amazing with its old decor and rustic feel.

When we arrived one of the friendly waitresses let us know that there was a beautiful view around the back of the hotel and offered to take a picture of our entire group which was so sweet.

The view was gorgeous and it made for a great photoshoot! We headed back towards the restaurant where couches and tables were set up outside. We ordered a round of drinks and settled in to hang out before dinner. This is when the first issue popped up... I ordered a Malibu and pineapple juice and received a glass of rum- not even Malibu rum just regular clear rum. Ellen ordered a gin and tonic and received a glass of gin. Kelly ordered a vodka soda and received a glass of vodka. Very strange...we each got our drinks slightly straightened out and then headed inside for dinner.

La Fine is an Italian American restaurant so I was ready for it to be right up my ally. I love pasta so I knew I wanted to order the penne alla vodka from my first glance at the menu.

I thought it was fine but not anything amazing. I also heard similar comments about other food that was eaten at this meal. Two people had the baked ziti and one was still frozen in the center. We had two waitresses and they were both very sweet but kept forgetting to bring things we asked for. It was definitely an interesting dinner and I don't think any of us would ever return to this restaurant in the future.

Here we all are in the hotel lobby right outside of La Fine before dinner. 

On Sunday we started with lunch at Gosman's Clam Bar. I am not a seafood lover so I was nervous about what I would eat but ended up ordering macaroni and cheese and a plate of French fries. 

My mac and cheese was amazing! I ended up dipping my French fries in the sauce and it was amazing. I heard great reviews from everyone else about their food as well. The atmosphere was awesome as we were right on the water and the service was amazing. We had low expectations after the previous night but we truly did have an awesome time.

After filling our stomachs we headed off on our bar crawl.

The first bar we went into was Salivars. This bar/restaurant had a beach bar feel with all the fish hanging from the ceiling. The bartenders were all efficient and helpful and our drinks were great. The only downside was the small bar and lack of area to stand. They were moving around tables in the bar area which were only available if you were eating and I constantly felt in the way.

Our next stop was O'Murphy's which is the local Irish pub. It was what you would typically expect an Irish bar to be. There was plenty of room for us to hang out in, my drink was great (Montauk Sunrise) however the bartenders were a little rude. I'm sure they were a little overwhelmed with us as well!

Our third stop was a totally different vibe. The Liar's Saloon is definitely the local fisherman hangout and I think they were less than impressed when we rolled in! It was a small one room bar with very little seating or areas to hang out in. We only stayed for one drink and I didn't even have one.

Our fourth stop was the Montauk Brewing Company. As you may know if you read the blog regularly I don't like the taste of beer but I think visiting different breweries is a fun activity! This building was super cute and everyone had great things to say about their beers. I know this would be a place Tim would enjoy and would definitely bring him back to in the future.

Also, any place that allows dogs in is okay with me! Becca was in love with this puppy :)

 Next up was Shagwong which was an old school bar with live music. This bar had plenty of room for us to hang out together and the drinks were made very well. This was one of my favorite stops along the way because it was a laid back atmosphere and you didn't have to yell to be heard.

Finally we went to The Point Bar and Grill which was also one of my favorite stops. This was a sports bar that we had our final drinks of the night. This bar was huge with plenty of seating, tvs to watch any sports you wanted (tough for a New England fan in NY though...) and our drinks and service was great!

We had a great time during all of our meals and our bar crawl and we definitely were able to see a great deal of Montauk!

Megan's Bachelorette: Amagansett's Windward Shores Ocean Resort

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Sorry for the delayed post today but I've been away all weekend for a bachelorette party. My roommate from college Megan is getting married in July and I was invited to celebrate with her for the long weekend.

Megan's sister Kelsey planned the entire trip and she did a fantastic job at planning an itinerary that was low-key enough with down time but with enough activities to keep us interested. She also kept the price down super low which was very much appreciated by all of us.

Today I'm going to share a little bit about the first part of our trip with some details on the resort we stayed at. 

Megan's Bachelorette was located in Amagansett, NY which is a place close to her heart. Megan's grandparents have owned a beachside unit there for most of her life and she has been vacationing there every summer for that entire time. After hearing all her Amagansett stories over the years it was nice to finally see it in real life.

Amagansett is located near Montauk on the edge of the Hamptons. In order to get there from Rhode Island I drove to New London CT and caught a ferry to Orient Point, NY. From there we took two smaller auto ferries to get to our destination. There was definitely quite a bit of travel involved!

Does anyone else instantly have Taylor Swift's "Welcome To New York" in your head the second you see this sign?

No? Just me..?

Moving on...

The Windward Shores Ocean Resort is individually owned apartments that are equipped with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room. There is also an additional bedroom and bathroom in a loft that you take a spiral staircase to get to. The rooms are all different since they are owned by different people but I found room 43 where I was placed to be clean and spacious. Although our bed could definitely have used a new mattress (nothing like a hard mattress to make you appreciate the one you have at home) it seemed like every other aspect of the room was phenomenal down to the rain shower in the bathroom. 

There were six of us in our apartment and we fit quite comfortably. The other half of the girls stayed in another unit owned by Megan's grandparents. We kept the decorations are bachelorette party activities contained to that apartment since we didn't have to worry about making a huge mess.

Laura and I were in charge of distracting Megan while the other girls decorated her unit with balloons, streamers, banners, etc. It was definitely a weekend to celebrate!

We spent that Friday night have a pizza party in the room. Kelsey had purchased some Bachelorette games (just use your imagination) and we spent the night just hanging out. When it finally got too late for us to keep our eyes open we headed off to bed.

A huge perk of staying at Windward Shores is that it is located right on a private beach. They always have employees ready to set up chairs and umbrellas for you which is certainly a bonus. When we woke up on Saturday we headed down to the beach to get some sun.

The clouds were in and out all day and the wind was strong so most of us were feeling pretty chilly. I spent my time on the beach in my North Face with a towel over my legs.

I imagine that in the summer this resort would be a perfect place to enjoy the beach since it's only steps away. I understand why Megan's family enjoys coming here so much!

We all are pretty much covered up with the exception of Megan who is in her bikini. Despite the wind chill we had a great time laying outside chatting and I was glad I applied sunscreen when I saw the color some of the other girls got. I certainly don't need to be red and peeling!

We headed back to the rooms for lunch and to get ready for our big dinner out that night. When 15 women all need to shower and do their hair you definitely need a good chunk of time to get that done!

You can see the beach we were sitting at from this balcony so it's definitely convenient for anyone looking to travel somewhere right on the beach!

Two other great features are the heated pool which we didn't end up using and the fact that they do provide a house-keeping service if you are renting the room for the night. If you own the unit they don't provide house-keeping but it worked out well for the girls in room 43 since our room was cleaned every day!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into where I stayed in Amagansett NY. On Wednesday I'll be sharing with you all of the restaurants we ate in and all the places we visited during our pub crawl :)

Quick Organization Game Changers

Happy Wednesday friends! 

We are halfway through the week- we can do this! I actually have Friday off and am heading on a mini vacation for my college roommate Megan's bachelorette party! I will be sure to share all the details when I get back from my weekend away :)

Today I'm sharing a few organization game changers that are super quick and I have implemented in our home. They help keep things looking clean and organized for the most part which helps me keep my sanity.

First up: baskets

I love baskets. They are the best for hiding items away you want to keep in a room but keep out of sight. See these six baskets in my tv stand? One of them holds all of our medicine but you would never know that unless you were super nosey and peeked inside. Tim also has an absurd amount of video games and the last thing I want is them on display- those neon green cases aren't exactly pretty. Two of the baskets house those and electronics that I like to keep tucked away. (And when I say electronics I mean away...)

The floor of my closet is a great place for stockpiling toilet paper and paper towels. I like to grab these when there is a sale and I have a coupon so I've started putting them on the floor of my closet so they aren't out on display but are easy to grab if we need them.

I love bins almost as much as I love baskets and my linen closet is full of them! I keep bins for lotion, shower gel, laundry products, soaps, and even Tim gets his own bin for his products. I think they are great way to corral items so they don't look loose and disorganized.

Some other ways I've organized in my apartment?

• Buying an entryway stand- this has helped immensely with Tim putting away his hats and coats. The seat lifts up so I can store winter stuff inside too!
• Decluttering! Always my biggest tip: GET RID OF WHAT YOU DON'T NEED! I love to take a big bag of items to donate and find myself constantly decluttering.
• Organize by type- don't just group all your beauty products into one cupboard- get them organized by type so you know exactly what you have! It will help prevent from buying duplicates.

What are some of your organization game changers?