Stitch Fix #25

Almost caught up with my Stitch Fix posts! This is my box from last month and my new box only arrived this week so I am not too far behind.

These earrings were cute and nice and lightweight (which is always good for larger earrings) but they didn't seem like anything too special.  I ended up sending them back for this reason.

This royal blue shirt was super comfy and flowey with cute lace sleeves.  I liked that I could wear it untucked with shorts or tucked into a pencil skirt for work. I kept this shirt.

It is a little hard to tell from this picture but this is a dress.  This is actually the back of the dress since that was the more interesting side of the garment.  I liked the color of this dress but the way it draped on me it showed every bump and ripple so I had to send it back.

This is one of those dresses where my first thought when pulling it out of the box was hmmm that is cute but I think it is going to be too short.  I put it on and not only was it too short but it was too tight in the hips and chest so it was an easy decision to send this one back.

This was another piece that had a more interesting back than front.  The shirt draped so that the back was partially open.  I like the idea of this but in reality having to wear a tank top under a shirt meant to be worn in the summer didn't really appeal to me.

As I said earlier my next box just arrived so I will be back soon with one more review to get all caught up on my Stitch Fix posts.  For now if you want your own box head on over to get your own.

Some 4th of July Decorations

After a busy few weeks I finally took down my Spring decorations and put up some fun patriotic decorations around our condo. In my defense Spring technically doesn't end until June 20th so I wasn't too far off.

Since the 4th of July is really the only decorate-able holiday during summer I will probably leave these decorations up longer than is really appropriate. 

The little sign is from the dollar section of Target a few years ago but the sparkly firecracker hat thing is from Hobby Lobby this year.

I don't really have a way to hang banners on our walls other than tape so I decided to use it as draped decoration across our counter. It ended up kind of looking like I put a bunch of cheerleading pom poms but I kind of like it.

I have grand ambitions of making some fun holiday table clothes later this year but for now I have to settle for this one from Target.  It washes well and doesn't require ironing as long as you don't leave it all bunched up in the dryer for days on end.

Happy 4th of July!

Stitch Fix #24

I am a little behind on my Stitch Fix posts ( and blog posts in general) so you may be lucky enough to get two Stitch Fix posts in one week!  

The great colors were the first thing I noticed when I opened this box.  I pulled out these teal cropped jeans and while I loved the color I was not super optimistic about them fitting well because pants and I are just not the best of friends.  My fears were justified and they didn't fit well so back they went.

This shirt was cute and would have been cute with a pair of shorts but the way it was so flowey at the bottom made it so I couldn't tuck it into a pencil skirt to wear to work.  I decided it was not special enough to keep so it went back too.

This dress was super cute but the first thing I thought when I pulled it out of the box was ooooh I think that is going to be a little short. The top of the dress fit great but I needed another couple of inches in the skirt to make it appropriate to wear without leggings. I even checked the item description in the box to make sure it wasn't meant to be a tunic but it said dress.

I loved the pattern of this dress it was immediately obvious that this dress was long enough to wear for all sorts of occasions so I was excited to try it on.  The faux wrap to ended up laying all kinds of funny on my chest so this too had to be sent back.

This last piece also had some great colors and a few unique features.  As you can see by the not so good picture of me wearing it I ended up keeping this shirt.  From the front it looks like a fairly standard sleeveless blouse with a fairly high slightly scooped neck.  The back is where it gets interesting so that I what I was trying to take a picture of.  It had a split back that looks super cute with shorts but is also long enough that I can tuck it into a pencil skirt at work and have it look like a regular blouse.

Come back later in the week to see what I got in my next box and in the meantime if you want your own fee free to use this link and happy shopping!

I Am Still Here

Anyone still out there?  I know it has been a while since I have written here but life just got a bit busy and this little blog was what ended up loosing out on my limited time.

I have have 2 Stitch Fix posts, a Disneyland post and a fun ice cream party I threw for work started in my draft folder which I hope to finish this weekend and have posted next week.

In the meantime here are a few pictures of life over the last month

Went berry picking with my mom and of course we had to reward ourselves with some strawberry shortcake afterwards!

Did a little wine tasting in Monterey County

Getting stronger at the OrangeTheory but that doesn't mean I don't feel like this by the time class is over most of the time.

What's Up Wednesday

It is time for a What's Up Wednesday.

What we're eating this week:  I have been trying out various meal prep kit services since the beginning of the year.  Last week I ordered a box from Marley Spoon and cooked the last meal from that box last night.  It was a Beef and Mushroom Stir Fry with Grains and it was delicious.  I have found that many of these kits say they make 2 servings but actually make 3 so I have leftovers for lunch the next day. A couple of weeks ago we had a game night at my brother in law and sister in law's house.  We all decided to make a taco bar for dinner so in addition to our portion of the food I brought along some Jalapeno Limeade to make margaritas.  If you like slightly spicy and margaritas run, don't walk, to Trader Joe's and get some of this drink!

 

What I'm reminiscing about: I am reminiscing about my last few trips to Disneyland.  I have gone twice this year so far and had a blast both times.  Disneyland is generally hot and crowded starting Memorial Day weekend until kids start to go back to school so I am not planning on making a summer trip.  I guess my good memories will have to tide me over until I can go back in the fall.

What I'm loving: I am loving our weather at the moment. We have had a couple of very hot days this spring but as a whole the weather has been perfect.  I will continue to enjoy our nice 75 degree days as long as they last!

What we've been up to: We had a nice quiet holiday weekend and spent most of it at home but we did stop by our local food truck meet up after work on Friday to pick up some dinner and dessert.  Despite the fact the ice cream looks like the nasty blue bubble gum ice cream we all ate as kids in reality it was a fantastic flavor called Cookie Monster.  It was cookie pieces in vanilla ice cream that had been made blue to look like Cookie Monster!

What I'm dreading: I am not really dreading anything at the moment though I am always dreading cleaning my house since no matter how many times I clean it it just doesn't stay clean. I just cleaned and reorganized my bookshelf this past weekend so I am to keep that organized!

What I'm working on: I am working on eating healthy and continuing to go to the gym consistently now that my foot has pretty much healed. I am finally starting to see my body getting stronger though I have not really lost much weight. This week I have been really focusing on my food since I am doing a pretty good job with the whole move more thing.

What I'm excited about: I am excited to enjoy a fairly quiet summer.  Last summer was super busy with wedding planning and then honeymoon planning but this year we don't have any big trips planned. I am sure we will still take a few day trips and I have a girls day at the Giants game planned with my sister in law and niece planned so that should be fun.

What I'm watching/reading: A couple of weeks ago I started watching Call the Midwife on Netflix and am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I am on season 2 already and am pretty sure I am going be done with all the seasons in the next few weeks.

What I'm listening to: Mostly whatever comes on my Pandora which is usually a mix of country and a random mix of 90s-00s pop music.  Everyone needs some Britney in their life every once in a while.

What I'm wearing: This time of year (ok really all year) I am all about comfortable dresses. I bought this dress to wear for Easter and as soon as I wore it the first time it became a regular part of my wardrobe. 

Favorite Vacation Spot: This is such a hard question.  I love Disneyland and love going to visit various places in Europe and all over the US but sometimes it is nice to just have a vacation where you go and sit on a beach. Sometimes a go and sit vacation instead of a go and do vacation is just nice.  My favorite place to go and sit has to be Hawaii.  

Happy Wednesday!

Marley Spoon Review

After trying Blue Apron, Hello Fresh and Plated I tried Marley Spoon. As I did with the previous  companies I tried it for 3 weeks so I could get a feel for what I liked and didn't like about it.  I got 3 meals a week (that each had 2 servings) so I tried 9 different meals. While I tried 9 meals you might notice there are only 8 pictures. Seems I forgot to take a picture of one meal. Oops!

The first dish I made was a Pan-Seared Cod with Greens and Garlicy Smashed Potatos.  In addition to the garlic the potatoes had vinegar in them which gave them a really unexpected taste.  I thought it was great but my husband wasn't a fan. Overall this was a solid dish.

While I cook soups and stews regularly I don't normally make stews with beef in them so this Beef and Root Vegetable Stew was a nice change.  It was delicious and pretty easy to make.

These Black Bean Burgers were delicious in taste but the execution/directions was a bit of a fail. You were meant to make the black bean mixture, refrigerate it and then shape it into a patty to cook it. The mixture was so soft and wet that even after leaving it in the fridge for double the time and adding some extra bread crumbs from my cupboard I could barely get it into a patty shape to cook it.

The second week started off with a Quinoa and Lentil Curry which was good but nothing super special.

The Pepperonchini and Broccoli dish was pretty good but it is not one of the recipes I have made again though I would consider it.

This Kale and Squash Flatbread was really good and not something I would normally think to make.  The orange salad on the side was also really good and refreshing.

These Fish Tacos with Orange and Jicama Slaw were probably the best things I have gotten from any of the boxes.  I have made these tacos again at least half a dozen times since we first got them in the box. They are super easy and very refreshing. This is a great summer dish so I plan to share the recipe for this one sometime soon.

This curry was also a hit.  I have not made it again but would definitely if I was ever in the mood for a curry.

Pro:

• It was nice to only have the ingredients I needed for a recipe and not to have to buy a whole bottle of something I will only use once.
• There were multiple recipes that I have made again or plan to make again.
• Made me cook things out of my comfort zone and use ingredients I don't normally use but I feel like the ingredients weren't quite as out of my comfort zone as with Blue Apron.
• There were 10 meals to choose from (7 that are new every week and 3 that are encore recipes so stay the same for a month at a time) and I could choose any 3 without restrictions.

Cons:

• As I said in the pros there were not as many ingredients I had never used/had never heard of. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it will make these recipes easier to recreate but didn't push me as much to try new things.
• Not quite as many options to choose from as Plated.

The cost this one was within a dollar or two or Blue Apron and Hello Fresh so that overall was a neutral point.  Plated is the only one with a noticeable price difference. I think the balance of the cost and larger number of options makes this the one I am most likely to continue to order from of the services I have tried so far.

Stitch Fix #23

Another month another fun Stitch Fix box. This box came right before my latest trip to Disneyland (post on that coming up later in the week) so I asked for some things that I would wear to the park.

In addition to park appropriate wear (which this is obviously not) I always ask for work appropriate clothing too so this is what was sent for that.  It doesn't look that cute all spread out on the bed but on me it is adorable.  The full skirt and defined waist are very flattering on me so I kept this one.

This one I was on the fence about keeping.  The navy color was great and the lace detailing is adorable but the lace didn't have any stretch to it.  Without stretch in the lace it pulled just a little around my hips so I ended up sending it back.

I loved the color and the comfy fabric of this causal dress.  It would have been a perfect casual dress if it had been about 2 inches longer.  It technically covered everything but I would have had to be way too careful wearing it for me to want to keep it.

I knew the minute I saw these in the box that I would not be keeping them.  I don't need clothing that comes with holes already in them. Even without the holes the fit of these shorts was not good so I wouldn't have kept them anyway.

This picture doesn't quite do this shirt justice in terms of color but in real life it was a very pretty pale mint green.  The shirt was a great color and fit well but I the eyelet fabric it was made of was see through.  If it had come with a matching mint green camisole I would have kept it in a heartbeat.

My next box arrives this week but if you want your own fun Stitch Fix box you can get one here