Friday 5

This is a weekly linkup with Emmy Mom where you list 5 facts and 5 pics from your week.  It's a fun and easy way to end your week!

1.  So I attempted oil pulling this week.  By attempted I mean I tried it once and managed the full 20 minutes.  It wasn't too bad and my teeth felt really really clean afterwards.  I figured I'd do it again since I've heard people have had good results with whiter teeth.  Next morning I put the spoonful of oil in my mouth and my body immediately went "Nope!" and I spat it out.  So I'm thinking oil pulling isn't for me.

2.  I bought plants!  It's been too cold to get any seeds stared so I ended up buying plants this past weekend.  Can't wait to get them in the ground!  I got bell peppers, tomatoes and a variety of herbs.  I was thrilled to discover my oregano had actually survived the winter so I won't need to restart it.  In a few weeks I'll add some squash and cucumbers.  Can't wait to be eating fresh tomatoes again!

3.  Tomorrow the Tornado's school is doing a pirate themed Easter egg hunt.  He's beside himself with excitement.  We found some pirate themed stuff for him to wear and he wants to go TODAY right now.  It's taking some explaining as to why we can't.  While he has a pretty decent grasp on the whole religious concept of Easter we've also had to do some explaining regarding the Easter bunny.  I think he was expecting another Santa so we've had to tone that back a bit too.  The other problem is he keeps asking questions that I don't have any answers too.  The others would accept an answer of "Magic" as how the whole Easter bunny/Santa work but he doesn't.  I don't think we'll have very long with this one.

4.  Yesterday the Tornado and I went to the science museum.  We had a great time but for a few minutes in the under 5 room I was the Mommy on the iPhone (remember that annoying letter that was floating around for awhile).  I started to feel guilty until I realized that he really didn't need me to gaze adoringly at him while he played safely in this little ball pit.  His future teachers probably wouldn't want me to be sitting there gazing adoringly at him either despite that several of my teacher friends reposted that stupid letter.  So I continued checking my email for a few minutes until we left the room and went and played with water currents.  We had a really fun time.  I think next up is either Botanical Gardens or a local museum that has some farm stuff and walking trails.

5. We visited Elinor at college this past weekend and had a good time.  She's gotten a job as a waitress and hasn't been able to come home to get warmer clothes.  We took them to her and then had lunch at this really amazing burger place and walked around campus.  It was a lot of fun and great to see her. The town her college is in is an interesting mix of little town and old money with the addition of newer trendier stores and restaurants thanks to the college.

 Emma and Elinor during our visit

 What happens when you leave a 4 year old unattended

 At the science musuem

 At the science museum

With some of his pirate stuff. 

Week 40 Cupcakes - Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

These were not the cupcakes I planned on making this week.  The cupcakes I planned on making were these tasty looking Boston Cream Pie cupcakes.  Instead I was flipping through my feedly  feed when the picture of these yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting came up and the Tornado insisted in the way only a sugar loving 4 year old can insist that these were the cupcakes that were going to get made.  It messed with my list making brain a bit but I didn't have the heart to turn him down.  This was a good thing on my part because these little cupcakes are fantastic!

(The Star Wars cupcake liner was also by request of a certain little boy)

1. Source: Your Cup of Cake - I don't know why I go anywhere else for cupcake recipes.  Hers are always amazing.

2. Ease of Recipe (1 being cake mix/canned icing - 5 tons of steps and very time consuming): 2. These are pretty simple and straight forward.

3. Changes Made:  Didn't have any buttermilk because when it comes down to it I can't stand the stuff.  Mixed a spoonful of sour cream with milk to get the amount needed.  I also used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder instead of regular.

4. Problems:  None other than I can't stop eating them. 

5.  Overall Impression:  Simply put - these are the cupcakes.  These are the cupcakes you make for birthday parties, potlucks or anywhere else you may need a cupcake.  The cake is light and fluffy but still holds together.  The chocolate frosting is silky and smooth.  It's rich and chocolatey and just the right amount of sweet.

6. Quantity:  14.  

7. Make Again?:  Oh yes!

MyIreland Box Review - April

Back in March I gave myself a gift of a 3 month subscription to MyIreland box.  I figured that after 3 months I'd have gotten some interesting things and that would be that.  I didn't count on how much fun the boxes would be.  I'm thinking I'll be giving myself another 3 month subscription after I get my May box.

I loved March's box but if possible I think I like April's even more.

First up is the information card that tells you a little bit about the people who made the different items in the box and where they're from.

First up is this set of mini note cards from West Cork artist Annabel Langrish.  They're beautiful and unique and about 3 inches square.  I'm planning on framing them and am just trying to decide if I want to to frame them in 2 groupings vertical or horizontal but I'm sure they'll look beautiful either way.

  Next is this leather shamrock keychain from Holden Leatherworks in County Kerry. I'm already using it and it makes it easy to find my keys when they get lost in my purse.  Plus it makes me smile.

This coaster is from Fab Cow Design in County Dublin.  It's done in ancient Irish writing, Ogham.  It says sonas which means happiness.  I had needed a new coaster for my bedroom and this fits perfectly.

And finally, this beautiful glass paperweight with the etched in shamrock.  It's from The Irish Handmade Glass Company in Waterford and I literally squealed out loud when I pulled this out of the box.

So another fabulous box from MyIreland box.  I'm fascinated by Irish culture and my Irish heritage so this is easily my favorite subscription both for the connection to Ireland and the variety and beauty of what the boxes have contained.  If you weren't interested in Ireland I'm not sure you'd get quite as much enjoyment out of it but it's definitely a wonderful fun way to find interesting and unique items.

Friday 5

It's time for the Friday 5 linkup with Emmy Mom.  This is a fun way to end the week with 5 facts and 5 pictures.

1. This week was Emma's birthday.  It's hard to believe she's 17.  Her driver's test ended up having to get rescheduled much to both our dismays due to weather but we've rescheduled so hopefully she'll be a licensed driver in not too much longer.

2. Found a condo at the beach for a week this summer and am so excited to be getting out of town for a bit. We stayed at this place last summer and really enjoyed it.  A large chunk of my family will be there at the same time so it'll be fun to catch up with everyone.

3.  The Tornado has become obsessed with Bob the Builder lately.  He's very phase-y which is one of the very few things he inherited from me.  We went through a Jake and the Never Land Pirates phase, a Little Einstein phase, Daniel Tiger, Thomas the Tank and now Bob.  Star Wars seems to be sticking around so a lot of his games end up being a hybrid of Bob and Star Wars.  It makes for some interesting ideas.

4.  I'm at the point where I think it'd be best just to go on and eat all the Easter candy in the house and be done with it.  I've been awful lately with wandering by and picking up a Reese's or Cadbury egg.  Normally I'm not a big snacker but they're just so good.

5.  Paul had to be at work at 4AM last weekend to open.  He then had to work basically a 10 hour shift and had a soccer game almost immediately after.  He did great but just about collapsed when he got home.

 We've been decorating for Easter which meant I had to put some of my regular stuff up.  These 3 normally aren't together (the 2 little ones are salt and pepper shakers).  I put them on the bottom shelf of a glass fronted cabinet right above the coffee maker so if you look up all 3 are staring at you.  The reaction from the kids is pretty entertaining.

 This was part of one of the photo a day instagram challenges.  The challenge was a picture of a picture and this was mine.  It's one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents from early in their relationship.  My grandmother's the one with dark shoes and my grandfather is behind her.

Much to J's horror and my delight I put the Tornado in layers the other day.  I thought the outfit was adorable.  They weren't so sure of it.

Emma opening presents

Another tulip picture because one can never have to many tulip pictures.

Week 39 Cupcake - Vanilla Bean with Nutella Frosting

I almost didn't make this recipe because originally it makes 28.  The Tornado and I are the only ones who like Nutella and the idea of the 2 of us trying to eat 28 cupcakes didn't seem like the way to go.  Luckily this recipe is easy to half so these got made today.  Forgive the quality of the photo.  I was tired and redoing it just wasn't going to happen.  Also the bunny at the very side of the picture isn't angry but actually sneezing.  In real life it's cute not as creepy as the picture makes it look.

1. Source: Krissy's Creations
2. Ease of Recipe (1 being cake mix/canned icing - 5 tons of steps and very time consuming): 2.  The directions for making the cake are a little different than the method I normally use but it's not anymore difficult and comes together really well.

3. Changes Made:  When I was already in the middle of making this I discovered the buttermilk in the refrigerator was actually more like butter.  To make up for it I used 2 tablespoons sour cream to 1/2 cup skim milk which gave it the right tang and texture.  I also halved the recipe but that's mostly simple math.

4. Problems:  I ended up needing about 5 minutes less cooking time than she called for.  My oven tends to run hot so that's not too big of a surprise.

5.  Overall Impression:  The cake is really lovely - light and fluffy with the tang and vanilla butteriness of a pound cake.  I have mixed feelings about the frosting though.  It's light and fluffy but the combination of confectioner's sugar as well as the Nutella makes a bit too sweet for me.

6. Quantity:  12 though I could've easily gotten 14 or 15.  The original recipe makes 28

7. Make Again?: The cake yes - the frosting probably not.

MunchPak Review - March

Emma's MunchPak arrived at the end of March. MunchPak is a highly customizable subscription box that basically sends a box of snacks from all over the world to your house as often as you'd like.  Emma has the medium box sent to her once a month which costs $13.95.

This was her third box and definitely contained the biggest variety.  This month the box came packed with Japanese newspaper which is different.

It contained -

Warheads Sour Twists - these are from the U.S.  Standard sour straws which are delicious.

Cadbury Shortcake Stack - from the U.K. Pretty much anything by Cadbury is amazing.  This is essentially a shortbread cookie coated with chocolate.

Starburst Jelly Beans

Arcoiris Marshmallow Cookies - these are from Mexico though you can buy them in some grocery stories that have a Mexican food section.  There basically a graham cracker type cookie topped with a big marshmallow

Minees Sandwich cookies in Strawberry cream - the package says this is a product from India

Banana Passa - looks like fruit leather and says it's dried banana.  It's from Brazil

de la Rosa Marzipan Peanut Candy - this is from Mexico

Jovy Tamaros Sabor Tamarindo Con Chile - This is from Mexico and is said to be Tamarind with Chile flavor.

Dan D Pak Cashews in Sweet Sesame - this is from Vietnam and looks pretty interesting.  It's cashew nuts coated with a sweet syrup and rolled in sesame seeds.

Snack 'n' Bites Rice Cracker Chips in Sea Salt - from Thailand.  I've had rice chips and have never been wowed by them before but I'm going to have to sneak one when she opens the bag.

Pulparindo - the package says this is a hot and salted tamarind pulp candy with real fruit. This is from Mexico and from the same company that the peanut marzipan can from.

Pelagomas Mango candy - another one from Mexico.  This looks like those sugared orange slices but this is supposed to be Mango flavored

Lance Hot & Spicy Peanuts - from the U.S.

Calbee Shrimp Chips - the picture on the bag looked like french fries.  Emma said they tasted exactly like shrimp but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  She likes shrimp and she likes chips but the 2 together are apparently kind of confusing.  These are from Japan.

Walker Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies - From the U.K. The chocolate chip and shortbread together.  Of course they're amazing.

And finally the Pocky sticks that are in every box she's gotten so far.  This appears to be chocolate.  She's gotten the strawberry (which were good), the green tea (which were not good) and now what is most likely chocolate.  They're fun little cookie straws dipped into a flavored coating and are from Japan.

None of these came in full sized packages.  Most of the candy was individually wrapped pieces and the rest was in snack size bags.  However, it's always fun to try new things and very little of this is easily available. This is the 3rd MunchPak and we're still loving the day the box shows up in the mail!

Ipsy Glambag Review - March

No matter what's going wrong in my day if I see this bright pink envelope in the mailbox my mood suddenly improves about 100%  I can never wait to open it which is why these pictures are taken in a messy car going to and from somewhere!  March was a great month for Ipsy!

The bag this month was designed exclusively for ipsy by Klari Reis and is a street map of San Francisco where Ipsy started.  I like this bag - it doesn't have the cheap plastic-y feel that the last 2 bags have had. The street map interpretation is fun and different.

The theme this month is Destination Beauty and is supposed to be full of products that are perfect for a weekend to the beach, a stay-cation or anything in between.

So starting from the top of the pic here's what I got:

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie in Get Ready - this is a sample lipstick tube and is probably about half the size of a normal tube.  This is fine with me as the majority of my lipstick dries out before I finish it.  The color is a bright neutral rose and I've yet to hear anyone who it doesn't look good on.  The color goes on smoothly without drying out my lips.  I love everything I've tried from Bare Minerals and this was no exception.

Chella Indigo Blue Eyeliner Pen - This came in full size and at $24 is worth more than double the price of the bag.  I'll be honest and admit that when I saw this dark blue color that there was no way I was putting this near my eyes.  Then I tried it on.  Oh my it's amazing!  Like actually spend $24 to buy a new one when this one runs out kind of amazing.  It makes my eyes look bluer and my lashes stand out more all while adding just a subtle hint of blue.  It's much more of a neutral than you'd think even after swatching.  I've been using it as a thick line and winging it out just slightly.  Then I'll smudge my usual color - either dark brown or charcoal right at the lash line leaving blue visible above it.  The only negative is the pen kind of drags a little so I've had to go back to fill in the line but that's pretty normal for eyeliners of this type.

NYX Palette in Love in Rio -  This 3 full size eye shadows that come in a 6 or 9 shadow palette from NYX. The colors are pretty - a light pink for highlighting, a shimmery medium brown for the lid and a dark shimmery brown for the crease.  I need to play around with this more because while I like the 2 lighter colors I found the darker color hard to work with.  It's heavily pigmented and didn't blend well so I ended up with much heavier eye makeup than I intended.

Pixi Beauty Flawless Primer - This came in a nice travel size tube.  I was afraid it'd be too shimmery but didn't find it to be so.  It lasts most of the day and gives a nice glowy look.

I was thrilled with my Ipsy bag this month!  The standout was the Chella eyeliner but all of the products were wins.   Can't wait to see what they have in store for us for April.

Friday 5 - Mostly tulip pictures

Friday 5 is a weekly linkup with Emmy Mom.  It's a fun way to end your week - 5 facts and 5 pictures from the last 7 days.  This week's co-host is Mary from a Mighty Tower.

1.  As I look outside at the drizzling rain this morning I'm very very afraid that Emma's scheduled driver's test is going to be cancelled.  It's not the end of the world but I know she's going to be disappointed and I was hoping her getting her license would end the days I have to be in 2 places at once.

2.  I'm trying to clean up my blog list in Feedly.  I'm following to many and starting to miss the ones that I really enjoy because I have so much to get through.  The problem is when I click on one to remove it I see a bunch of interesting looking posts and think - Oh I can't possibly delete this one.  It's a problem.

3.  The Tornado has been in full tornado mode lately.  I don't know if it's the fact that the weather's finally nice enough to go outside or what but he's been a super silly boy lately.  Yesterday he announced that since we didn't have to go anywhere at all he wanted to watch Clone Wars all day.  I thought an entire day spent lying around and reading sounded nice so I agreed to it.  It lasted a few hours and then he had a meltdown because he needed to do something.  He and J are so much a like sometimes it's scary.

4.  The tulips are in bloom!  I love this time of year!  Apparently the first fall the house was here the original's owner planted over 250 daffodil and tulip bulbs and a housewarming gift and they're still showing up.

5.  I'm still loving Dancing with the Stars!  Ice skater Charlie is just adorable and I love Danica McKeller.  I always seem to root for the guys in the show though I'm somewhat confused by Cody Simpson.  They've said he's a pop star but they spend more time talking about the number of twitter followers than anything else.  This week was the most important year dance and I always get a little teary eyed during the stories.  I'm a sympathetic cryer.  In general I don't really cry but if someone else starts crying I start.  It's annoying.  So I'd gotten teary eyed and then Amy Purdy told her story and I was openly weeping.  I've been impressed with her since the beginning of the season but the whole story of how she lost both her legs and persevered was so emotional.

 Got myIreland box yesterday!  It's amazing!  So love this subscription.

Playing outside in the sun

Week 38 Cupcake - Chocolate Cookie Dough

The past few weeks I've been pretty self indulgent with deciding what cupcakes to bake.  My family isn't big on baked goods because they're weird so I was staying with cupcakes that I thought sounded good and maybe a batch of 12.  I decided to be nice and give them another try with this Chocolate Cookie Dough Cupcake.  It's from Your Cup of Cake which is my favorite site for cupcake recipes.  I also have her book which is great too.  I can' think of a single bad cupcake I've made following her recipes.  This one was no exception.

1. Source:  Your Cup of Cake

2. Ease of Recipe (1 being cake mix/canned icing - 5 tons of steps and very time consuming): 2 - this is a doctored cake mix and I didn't even have to get out my hand mixer.  The frosting was a little more complicated but not too bad.

3. Changes Made:  I did make a few changes with the frosting.  She had put a note on the recipe that the proportions may have to adjusted to get the ideal cookie dough texture and taste.  I only used 1 cup of powdered sugar and added an extra tablespoon of brown sugar and about 1/4 teaspoon vanilla.  I also incorporated about 1/3 of a cup of mini chocolate chips into the frosting.  Instead of regular yogurt or sour cream I used Greek yogurt thinned with a little extra milk because that's what I had on hand.

4. Problems:  None

5.  Overall Impression:  The cake is amazing - rich and chocolate-y but still light and fluffy.  It's pretty much everything a chocolate cupcake should be.  I can't imagine a frosting this wouldn't work with.  I loved the buttery-ness of the frosting itself.  She always seems to do a good job of getting the balance of sweet to fat right in her frostings.  I'm just not sure if this is my favorite cookie dough style frosting.  It's really good but I guess I like the ones that mimic the texture of actual cookie dough a little better while this is more of a hybrid dough/frosting.  That being said - it's light, fluffy, silky with a nice amount of sweetness mixed with the brown sugar and vanilla flavorings of cookie dough.

6. Quantity:  24

7. Make Again?:  Yes definitely.  This may be my new standard chocolate cupcake recipe.

Birchbox Review - March

Birchbox has been about lukewarm for me lately.  Nothing particularly exciting or interesting.  So I was really thrilled when this month's box arrived and I really liked it!  Hopefully the past few months have just been a little slump and we're back on track with fun boxes.

 This month's theme is Spring Forward and is  supposed to be about products that make life easier.  Not sure if this is true but I do like the products I got.

 Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper - While this didn't make my waves look more like curls it did a good job as a styling lotion.  It kept the frizz away and didn't weigh my hair down.  It came in a cardboard packet but there's a lot in the packet.  While I do wish it was in something resealable only a small part of the packet is open so it's not that difficult to store.

 INIKA Certified Organic Eyeliner in Green Lagoon - This is a full sized product and I love the little sharpener that attaches to the pencil.  The green color is gorgeous but I have had a hard time making this actually show up.  Definitely need to play with this a little more.

 Jergens BB Body Cream - I've seen ads for this and was really excited when I saw this travel sized tube in the box.  It's a good cream.  Slightly pigmented but not enough to stain clothes.  It's moisturizing and doesn't leave a residue.  I haven't used it the full 5 days to see full benefits but it's a nice cream and I'll definitely be using it.  It came with a $2 off coupon which is also really great.

 Supergoop Sunscreen Serum - I was really excited to see a Supergoop product in my box.  I've heard about this brand but have never gotten any of their products. This serum is nice and lightweight.  It didn't irritate my skin or have any kind of unpleasant residue.  I'm not using it everyday right now because my skin is dry so I'm using a serious moisturizer but when it warms up a little and the humidity makes my skin less dry this will be my go to product.

And finally - Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume (White Bottle) - I have no idea what this perfume is actually called so I'll use all the words on the bottle.  I love getting perfume samples in my boxes and this was not an exception.  I love this perfume!  It's subtle without disappearing.  It's clean but still has warmth.  This is definitely a perfume I'll be purchasing.

I'm really pleased with all my items this month.  Birchbox is $10/month with a great rewards program.  You get 10 points for every product review you do and 100 points = $10 to spend at birchbox.com.

Sluggish Sunday

This was actually Thursday the day after we got back but the sentiment is the same.  I'm tired and not particularly inspired to do any project or anything creative.  There is laundry to be done, a few posts to be written and a little cleaning to be done.  J has come down with a cold that he is completely ignoring and I'm trying to fight it off because I'm not quite as tough as he is so I'll be drinking some green tea and hoping that will give my immune system a bump.

This month I only went thrifting once.  I had a fantastic time and got a few sweaters but didn't write anything down.  This week nothing got cooked except for fajitas.

Yesterday I had lunch with the mother of Emma's new boyfriend?  guy she's dating?  I don't know and I'm doing my best not to worry about it.  Both the boy and the mother are very nice but it was a lot of talking.  I'm mostly an introvert with a tiny portion of extrovert and the extrovert has fulfilled it's quota for the week.  Starting tomorrow we go back to our normal routine and I'm hoping for a quiet week where I can get caught up on everything.

Friday 5 - Recovering from Vacation

This is a fun meme hosted by Emmy Mom.  5 facts and 5 pictures from your week.  This week we went on vacation and not just any vacation a spontaneous vacation.  Like all last week I didn't think we were doing anything and then on Thursday I said lets go to my grandparents and I packed up the car and Emma, Paul, the Tornado and myself headed down to south Mississippi.  I'm not spontaneous at all.  I have a spreadsheet for just about everything so this was huge for me!  Anyway - my 5 facts from the week!

1.  Traveling with a 4 year old is not particularly relaxing especially when you're the only adult. I've felt like I needed a nap since we got home.

2.  Emma went on a date yesterday with a guy she met at work.  He seemed very nice and polite and even opened the car door for her but I was a nervous wreck most of the day.  This is the first date she's been on with someone I didn't know.  At some point I supposed you have to trust your kid's instincts but it's challenging.

3.  We all had a great time in Mississippi.  My grandparents live on some land and we spent the week tearing around on 4 wheelers and motorized scooters.  Paul and Emma spent a lot of time at a nearby river and the Tornado and I played games and chalk and ran around with the dogs.

4.  I'm loving Dancing With the Stars this season.  It's total indulgence and just fun to watch.  I love Erin Andrews since I watched her compete the very first season I watched and she's great as a co-host.  Plus she can actually do an interview which is a nice change from Brooke Burke whatever who just spent a lot of time smiling awkwardly.

5.  The Tornado is having seasonal allergy issues and is driving me insane.  Every time he sneezes he goes completely to pieces especially in any got on his shirt or pants.  I'm glad that zyrtec makes an allergy medicine for his age group or I'm not sure what I'd do.

Crossing the Alabama/Mississippi State Line.  

The Tornado running - that's pretty much what he did the entire time we were there.

This is Smudge.  Someone dumped her when we were there last spring break and Emma and I managed to get her out of the garage.  She's been living happily inside ever since and is actually a pretty good cat which is high praise.

 This is the biggest dog I've ever seen trying to help the Tornado with chalk.  He's another animal someone dumped when he was a puppy who managed to land in the right place.  We think he's a mastiff/St. Bernard/bloodhound mix.  He's huge and just about the sweetest dog I've ever seen.

This is how we spent yesterday - in pajamas and not doing much of anything!  It was nice.

Week 37 Cupcakes - Easter Funfetti

These cupcakes got made for 2 reasons.  The first is that I got back in town yesterday and I'm tired and kind of out of food.  The second is that these are J's absolute favorite cupcakes ever.  Seriously.  I've made at least 100 different types of cupcakes and his favorite come directly from a box.  To add on to that when the Tornado had one he told me that these were the best cupcakes he'd ever had.  These people are hopeless.  I have actually made funfetti cupcakes before during the previous 36 weeks but they were a different color scheme and therefore not the same thing.

1. Source:
2. Ease of Recipe (1 being cake mix/canned icing - 5 tons of steps and very time consuming): 1 because it was a cake mix and canned icing

3. Changes Made: None because it was a cake mix and canned icing.

4. Problems:  None because it was a cake mix and canned icing (are you sensing a theme?)

5.  Overall Impression:  Well these are a cake mix and canned icing so pretty much what you'd expect.  The cake is light and fluffy and the icing is sweet though has that funny aftertaste that the icing always has.  For some reason I can 't stop eating them so I'm guessing whatever it is is very addictive.

6. Quantity:  18 - I always overfill

7. Make Again?:Yes.  They're extremely addicting and really cute.  Plus I think J may mutiny if I stopped making them.

10 Smiles in the Month of March

This is a linkup with Emmy Mom about 10 things that made me happy this month!

1.  Finally getting a smart phone!  I love love love my iPhone and the camera makes it about 100 times easier to take pictures of things and then be able to see what they are.

2.  Golden Tote arrived!  I got the bigger tote and it's fantastic as you can tell by the review yesterday!

3.  We got a new mattress!  It's heavenly to be sleeping on a flat service though it's a little disorienting to not be able to tell where you are on the bed based on the slant of the mattress.

4.

He discovered garden stores aren't so bad.

5. 

It's finally been warm enough to play outside lately!

6.  

My daffodils are blooming!

7.  

Cadbury eggs!  I hoard these when they go on sale

8.  It's been a great month for subscription boxes!  Ipsy, Birchbox and Golden Tote were great and I also got MyIreland and Target's limited edition Beauty box.

9.  J, the Tornado and I went on a spontaneous day trip and had such a good time.

10. Am completely 100% caught up on laundry!  It's kind of a weird feeling.

March Golden Tote Review

Golden Tote is a kind of a subscription service that is quickly becoming my favorite.  Each month they have about a dozen new clothing and accessory items to pick from.  It's not automatically billed or anything like that.  The site has either  a $49 tote where you pick 1 item and get 1 or 2 more other items based on your style profile or buy a $149 tote and get 5 or 6 more items.  This month I splurged and bought the $149 tote and I"m completely and totally in love!

 This chevron print open weave cardigan is one of the 2 items I picked.  It's by Love Stitch in a size small.  I think it's really versatile and will be a great in between seasons piece.

 This sweatshirt is the second item I picked.  It's by Beautifully and I got it in a size medium because I like my sweatshirts a little big.  I'm glad I did because it's definitely a little short.  It's super soft and the gems are actually sewn on and have a good weight to them.  You do have to be careful when taking it off though so that you don't scratch yourself.

 This sleeveless slit top blouse is a really pretty blue print.  It's a silky material that is super comfortable and flowy.  It's by Under Skies and also a size small.  It can be dressed up or down really easily.

 This v-neck shirt is by Porridge and a size small.  It's pretty low cut so I think I"ll wear a cami or tank under it but I like the flow of it.  Below is the back and I love it!  It's not sheer at all which I was afraid that it would be.  It's super soft and light weight so I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it.

 I adore this sweater.  It's open weave and the texture is almost mesh like but is still really soft.  It's so lightweight it can be worn with shorts so I'll get a lot of wear out of this one as well.

I was a little nervous when I saw this in the box.  I'm not a huge fan of maxi dresses and was afraid this was what this was.  I was still nervous when I discovered that it wasn't because I didn't love the dress when I saw it.  Then I put it on and realized that the Golden Tote people are genius.  It's soft and lightweight, it's figure flattering which I didn't expect and is so comfortable.  There's a cutout back detail that hits perfectly at the lower back. I think it will look really cute with a pink or bright blue cardigan and a pair of sandals.

Once again I'm nothing but impressed with Golden Tote's selections.  I probably won't get the $149 bag more than a couple of times a year because I'd be overrun with clothes but I will definitely be ordering the $49 every month.