Major Score

I have mentioned before, but I am a pretty big deal at my mall.  A lot of people think I work there (due to how often I frequent it) and I get offered a lot of mall employee discounts.  Another major perk!?  The salesgirls in my fav stores like to bring stuff from the back to show me, give me coupons, and treat me like a VIP.   Recently on a trip to Bath and Bodyworks, the salesgirls brought out an array of the 'new candles'; fragrances which had yet to hit the shelves, threw me a coupon, and sold me a candle that was a week ahead of release.  The reason I was in that store was to use an amazing coupon to get a free lotion.  So for a solid $10 I got a tube of body cream and a 2 wick candle in an unreleased, delightful scent.  Like I said...PRETTY BIG DEAL :)  Just joking.

This weekend I had another VIP experience.  While drifting through Pottery Barn (after making an F21 return from an online order) I was approached by a salesgirl who offered me up an Ivory Queen Sheet set, in Organic 400 Count cotton (retail $189) for a whopping $29!!  Why!?  They had just pulled them off of a model bed and couldn't repackage them.  She knowing my sweet face from my weekly mall ventures knew I was a sucker for a good deal, and offered them right up to me.   There was also a major bath towel score on this trip, but I don't want to overload you with my awesome.    Major, major PB score. 

Image via Pottery Barn

Kate Spade

Check out my new hot pink Kate Spade travelers wallet.  It is huge, bright pink, and I absolutely adore it.  Thank you K!  Love him :)  

Adventures in Denver...Take II

Something I love to do when preparing to travel, is to watch the discount sites (groupon, livingsocial, amazon local deals, travelzoo, etc) for fun activities to do while in a new city.  I just so happen to find an amazing deal for my trip to Denver.  For $29 my friend and I got 2 desserts and 4 handcrafted cocktails at a highly rated downtown establishment named Crave.  Crave is a dessert bar...which the name says it all...desserts & bar.   The downtown scene in Denver very much resembles our 'pearl district' here in Portland, OR.  Crave is nestled in the downtown area, surrounded by lots of happening spots. 

For our drinks we opted for the 'Sunset at the Spire' - Lamberti prosecco, lavender, lillet blanc, with a blackberry ice cube.  It was DEVINE.  For dessert we ordered the banana bread pudding with caramel rum sauce & passion fruit souffle.  Both were amazing.  We lingered over dessert and drinks, enjoying the outdoor patio, which is rare for us Portlanders.  We got the FULL value out of that $29 voucher!!

One side effect of all the drinks and mile high barometric pressure...swollen ankles and feeling hungover, without the buzz.  I woke up on my last day there feeling run down and awful.   I guess I am not cut out for that kind of altitude. 

Adventures in Denver...

 TAG Continental Social Food



 Lemon, Vodka, & Vanilla Bean simple syrup cocktail

 Kobe beef sliders and duck fat fries

Banana cream pie

I am going to drop a big excuse on this blog.  Haven't really been updating, as you have probably noticed, because I have been out adventuring around the country again.  Had a mini-break in Las Vegas.  Also have had some business travel.  During my adventures I made my way to the mile high city (for business) and had the pleasure of discovering Denver.  Almost immediately after touching down, my coworker (and friend) headed downtown to see what Denver is about.  We were pretty popular with the men folk, which was pretty hilarious.  Also noticed a large amount of inebriation.  And TONS and TONS of fun restaurants and bars.  We walked around 16th street for a long time and finally settled on TAG continental social food, on 14th.  I think the photos speak for themselves.   The food was fantastic, the drinks were well made, and the scene was fun.  My favorite part?  They have different sushi rolls made with Cheetos and pop rocks.  Awesome!  And all of their food is in shareable, small sizes, which ultimately results in a wide variety of dishes crossing over the tabletop.  We loved it.  Wish I could go back!! 

Make this...

In my quest to find healthy, delicious, easy meals I came across this recipe.  Based on the photo above, you can tell, these taco bowls turned out amazing!!  I am a slow cooker novice, but this recipe was so easy there is no way you could screw it up.  The chicken came out so tender it was falling apart, it was super delicious, and heart healthy too (that part is for K).  Go check out the recipe, and make this, you won't regret it!!

Always in our hearts...

In remembrance of our fallen veterans, this memorial day, personally my thoughts were with my Grandfather, a WWII vet.   I can't go visit him, but he lives on in my heart, so I bought a dozen roses that reminded me of the beautiful bushes in my grandmothers yard.  Beautiful dusty colored roses that I knew he would have thought were beautiful.   Thinking of you, and missing you, Grandpa.

Boutique Shopping

Coming May 6, Target is teaming up with 4 speciality shops, to run boutique-esque merchandise for 6 weeks, in "pop - up shops".  Target will be featuring items from Privet House (vintage shop from Connecticut), Cos Bar (body care from Aspen), The Candy Store (retro candy items from San Francisco), and Polka Dog Bakery (Boston).  I am super excited about the Privet House and Cos Bar.  Items that, those of us not local to these shops, don't get to experience on a day to day basis.  Prices are set to range from $1 to $159.99

Privet House - Embossed pitcher $24.99

Privet House - White washed baskets $34.99

Privet House - Wire tiered tray $29.99

Cos Bar - Blueberry white tea body products $6

The Candy Store - Nostalgic gift tub $9.99 featuring Candy Buttons, Pixy Stix, Razzles, Gum Necco Wafers, Bit-O-Honey, Candy Smarties, Tootsie Pops, Sugar Daddy’s, Red Hots, Goetze’s, & Caramel Creams

Guess you know where I will be May 6!

 

All photos and products - target.com

Wild Horses

I love these photos.  They so vividly capture the beauty of these majestic animals.  My friend Jillian has been talking about having a framed print of horses in her home, and these photos would all be perfect.  They are all so amazing and would really add to any room of the house.  

Horses are emotional, beautiful,  intelligent, strong, and yet such fragile animals.  Having grown up with horses as a part of my daily life in Eastern Oregon these photos just drew me in.  While these horses in the photos above are wild, the ones that I rode and love(d) so much were free and wild to me. 

I used to ride our paint Tawny almost daily as a young girl.  My mother, the original horse lover, taught me how to tack up the horses (put on the saddle, bridle, etc), groom them, ride them, respect them, and love them.   There was nothing better than riding Tawny every summer day.  We both loved trotting along, the smell of the grass, the sun beating down on us.  Even though I was a young girl, Tawny let me ride her, and was such a gentle and trustworthy girl.  Nothing could take me off the back of that horse...until one fateful day, as we raced under a tree, I was ripped off her back from branches clawing across my face.  A ride I had done almost daily, and I would always duck as low as I could as we raced under, pushing my face into her soft flowing hair on her neck.  But that day I was pulled off her back, thrown to the ground, knocked out, and never really got back on her.  She stood by me, as worried as my family, as my dad and mom raced to the back of the pasture to get me.  It was something I will never forget.  Partly because, everyday I see these scars on my face and neck, faded by the years, but reminding me of those moments. 

Tawny has passed now.  Her only offspring, Bud, stands alone in the back pasture of my parents home, loafing around and acting like the dog he thinks he is.  He was never really broken, but he is as sweet as they come. 

I am grateful for my experience with horses and knowing the love of them.  I thank my parents so much for providing me this part of my life.   Because of these experiences I will always love horses.  And like the wild horses in these photos, I like to picture Tawny running free in heaven, young, and wild.

1 / 2 / 3,4,5,6,7

Add this to my list of things to do....

COACHELLA 2012

Seeing the images, reading about, and watching video clips of Coachella 2012 makes me wish I would have been there to see it for myself.   I guess I didn't realize how major it was, and how many acts it draws.  My list of would not miss from this years line-up:  Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, Dr. Dre & Snoop (including hologram TuPac), Feist, Florance + the Machine, Gotye, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mazzy Star, Santigold, The Black Keys, and The Shins.  There were SO MANY amazing acts.  I wouldn't even consider myself a music snob in the least, in fact, I readily admit that I just might have THE WORST taste in music, and even still...I want to go to this show!!  So...I am adding it to my list of things I want to do in life.  I just did a snippet of research and VIP tickets + transportation to the shows + hotel comes in around $700 -$1000.  Not totally unattainable.  Now who's with me?!

 Images via : 1 /  2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Back to basics.

Dr. Bonner's 18-in-1 hemp pure castile peppermint soap

 I recently read a very interesting article about Dr. Bonner on his  holistic and organic approach to making soap.  He is a VERY interesting character - I recommend even just looking him up on wikipedia and also researching this amazing company, now run by his grandsons.   Reading this article made me remember seeing this soap everywhere in Eugene, OR...the hippie-esque town where I lived for 4 years while attending university.  I would stop and read the crazy labels and think to myself, what the heck is this stuff?  

 The thing about this soap is that it is SO natural, that all of the ingredients are food grade, meaning you could literally EAT this soap and it wouldn't harm you.  Which got me thinking...maybe instead of washing my skin with chemicals and terrorizing it, perhaps I should approach washing my sensitive skin with just the basics.  So I started using this soap on my face, in the peppermint version (there are several types) with a natural loofah about 2 months ago.   And....it is clearing up....in a major way.  Very little breakouts, AND the scarring and marks left from years of inflamed pores, well...they are slowly fading away too.

While I understand my skin is fickle, after a few months of using something new, it goes right back to its old self, I am hoping that I have stumbled across the very miracle product I have been looking for all this time.  Spending HUNDREDS of dollars at department stores, attempting to find my saving grace, when this soap has been lingering on supermarket shelves, at a whopping $1 per oz.  I bought a 2 oz bottle for $2 over 2 months ago - and still have about another weeks worth of use left.  Still going strong, and still staying clear.

For those of you interested in trying it out, Fred Meyer aka Kroger sells little 2 oz bottles in their natural food/beauty department in peppermint and lavender.



Weekend obsessions.

I am obsessed with these Target heart shaped sunglasses I scored this weekend for $10. 

Another major Target score, 2 tubes of baby lips, one 'pink punch' (as seen above) and the other clear, on clearance for $2.58.  The pink one goes on a literal baby pink and is so awesome.  They have a few other colors that look equally gorgeous too!  These have a sheer color to them, and for under $3 are a major steal.  Go get one ladies.  The pink is definetly going into the make-up rotation and the clear, mosturizing one went to K, to keep those manly lips kissable!

Love, Love, LOVING these vintage t's from Old Navy.  I loved the heathered feel, they have such a great fit, and were on sale for $7.50 this weekend.  I picked this grey one up, a white, and a coral/red.   Perfect spring time basics to add to the wardrobe.

Why can't these be made in a women's size?   I am so in love with these sandals, but they are only made in little girls sizes.  This is  a time where having a midge foot, like my sisters size 5-6, would come in really handy.  I saw a girl rocking these on the cruise and have been aching for a pair of my own ever since.  Ugh.

So, yes, I did do some shopping this weekend.  BUT! I kept it to a minimum, only buying a few items and mostly just helping my bestie, and some other random people, pick things out for themselves.  I think I kept it under $40, which is pretty darn good in my book!  I am still working on becoming a reformed shopaholic, but I can slip off the wagon every now and then. :)



Make-up counter

So I had a reality check last week.  While shopping at M.A.C. on our lunch break, with my favorite co-workers/friends, we were discussing make-up and what we have/like, and I realized I might be at least 5x more high maintenance than these girls.  As you can see in the photo above, this is what it takes to just get me ready in the morning.  Confession time.  So....this is my 'everday' make-up selection.  This is what I keep out on the counter to get ready every morning...this isn't all of it.  I have BOXES of make-up stashed away.  While, OBVIOUSLY, I don't use everything in these bins, mentally I need it available to me for my daily make-up application.  Yes, I NEED 5 different primers, and 16 different blush colors.  Why?  Because I am an artist, and putting on make-up is fun, and I view it as an expression.  And without it...I couldn't transform myself from swamp monster to lady who lunches.  Because under all that sparkle and glitz, there is a WHOLE different animal...and it's not good.   I am not exaggerating.  Without all these tools and camouflage, underneath there is a 55 year old walmart shopper that looks sleep deprived, angry, and ready to smoke her next menthol, after she lights a match on her stubble.

Nutella Fudge Pops

K insisted we do a photo with a bite out of it.  He's so darn cute...

These Nutella fudge pops are sooooo good.  I have seen this recipe cycling through pinterest for a while now and put it on my list to make, because 1) it looked delicious and 2) much lower in calories/fat than ice cream.  I tracked down a good recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie.  There are a few versions with cream in them, which I am sure adds to the deliciousness, but as I was going for the lower fat version I had to find one without the sugar and cream. 

The 'ice cream' turns out very creamy, almost like soft serve.  It was too tempting not to eat right out of the food processor, but we also froze it, and made our own little fudge pops.  I will for sure make these again.  They totally satiated my ravenous 8 PM craving for dessert.

And...check out how easy this recipe is...

NUTELLA FUDGE POPS

3 frozen bananas

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2c choc-hazelnut butter (Nutella)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

tiny pinch salt

Blend all ingredients until super-smooth. (We used a food processor, and we thawed the bananas a tiny bit so they’d blend.) Eat as ice cream, or scoop into popsicle molds (or paper cups) and freeze for fudgsicles.

Deliciousness!!

Etsy prints - take 2.

Remember when I posted this cute Alice in Wonderland eye chart?  I ordered it from Etsy last December and was so excited to hang it in my bedroom.    This Etsy store I ordered from had such cute stuff.  I posted so many cute prints on the blog and a few of my readers also made orders.  But something totally crazy happened...and...Well...sadly, we never got them. 

I am so pissed about this.  Just thinking about this situation makes me want to punch my laptop.  The woman who ran this shop, claims she was so overwhelmed with orders around Christmas that she was delayed in shipping these items.  She then emailed about some shipping mix-up and said the items would be resent.  Then, Poof, she was gone.  She took off with THOUSANDS of dollars she made from bogus items she posted in her Etsy shop.  She never filled the orders and just simply slipped away with all of our hard earned money.  I filed a complaint with Etsy, they did nothing, and neither did Paypal as my 45 day window had passed (due to me allowing this seller ample time to get items shipped, then reshipped, per her fake emails).   Who does this!?  I hope this lady gets paper cuts in her eyeballs while counting all of the money she stole from all of the people who made purchases.  Before Etsy took her shop down you should have read the scathing comments.  This woman has A LOT of bad juju and karma headed her direction. 

So now I have a super cute 8 x 10 frame that is empty and waiting to be hung.  And I decided that I am going to take another chance.  I found a very similar shop on Etsy - but NOT being ran the same as the other, with over 1000 orders and 100% feedback!!  I ordered these little cuties...and keeping my fingers crossed that I will ACTUALLY get to have these soon! :)

via Etsy

I hate sweating.

So.  I joined a gym a few weeks ago.  I've been twice.  I HATE working out.  I hate smelly gyms.  I hate having to drag my ragged ass, after work and being yelled at all day, to go try and pretend that I give a shit about being healthy and losing weight.  I actually don't really care about the weight loss.  I am more motivated by the need to lower my stress level and blood pressure.  Of course I wouldn't MIND the weight loss...just am not super motivated by that. 

Some days I get home and I am so wound up, and I feel the pressure building, and I KNOW I need to do SOMETHING.   My job has eaten my soul, and all I am left with at the end of the day is a carcass with frizzy hair, bags under the eyes, half a face of makeup, and a blank stare. 

I just don't understand how these people can commit to this lifestyle.  Getting out of bed early, running 7 miles and hitting the Zumba class after work.  What is the secret!?   How do you people do it?  Who are there these girls on pinterest, pinning women with abs and 14" waists to their inspiration boards!??   I feel like something must be wrong with me.  All I am motivated by throughout the day is thinking of myself after work, running home to get into my pajamas, eating a brownie, and watching bad girls club.   My idea 'trimming up' is getting a lil plastic surgery to get my double chin sucked off.

I guess I am going to try to get to the gym on a more regular basis and see if I can get a taste of what not being winded after going up a flight of stairs feels like.  Let's start there and see what happens.  

High Tea.

Irish breakfast & Scones with clotted cream

I consider myself lucky to work with some pretty sassy, articulate, caring, unique, and amazing girls.  One thing I DO look forward to in my day is spending our lunch breaks out of the office.  We shop, eat, talk, gossip, laugh, and enjoy our few minutes of fulfillment we get out of the day.  The other day, my co-worker Jillian suggested we go have lunch at a tea shop.  We went to the Lady Di British Store & Tea Room in Lake Oswego, OR and it was SOOOOOO fun.  We were instantly transported to a quiet dining room where we chatted over tea and ate a spectacular lunch.  It was such a diversion from the norm that I even watched my usual potty mouth and didn't let any curse words fly across my lips.  Kept my elbows off the table and sat up straight, like a proper lady! :)  We ate the ploughers lunch which consisted of baguette, tomatoes, several delicious cheeses, fruit, and a sausage roll with Branston pickle.   I want to eat that lunch everyday now.  It was so, so good!!  Flaky crust around delicious sausage, with tangy vinegary Branston pickle...this was a first for me, but certainly not the last.   

Need a break during your day...go for tea!  It was so fun, and so anti-lunch break.  I can't wait until we go again!!

I'm off the wagon.

 Sorry for the fuzzy photo.  Picked this sweater up on clearance at Old Navy - $8

Also an Old Navy clearance purchase - neon yellow cap toed flats - $12

Target dress - $24.95

 

Gap champagne sequins tote - $49.95

I have not been shopping recently due to a wonderful revelation.  While on vacation, living out of one suitcase for 10 days I realized something.  I am happy living a simple life.  In fact, simplicity brings a very serene feeling about yourself.  I have SO much to be grateful for, and so many things, such an abundance of 'stuff', that I don't need to keep getting more.  I should be satisfied with what I have, and what I have is beyond plenty.  I would rather save my $ for trips and memories, and not spend it every weekend on the latest color of skinny jeans and matching accessories.  This being said, I haven't really had that urge to shop, and I have managed to save some money.  Over the past month I have realized just how much I have pilfered away at the mall and Starbucks, so depressing.

But...this weekend I got the itch, and I did go out, and it was EXPENSIVE.  Saturday was nails and spa pedicure + full hair color and cut.  Plus, I left the salon with about $50 of product.  Ouch.  Sunday came, and my sis and the kids came out my way, so we headed to the mall....and....I couldn't help myself.  I picked up a couple of light weight spring sweaters, a pair of flats, a couple of T's and a cute shirt for K, with a coupon, all for around $30 at Old Navy.  I hit the Gap with my sister and we found the most amazing sequins tote and clutch.  I bought the tote for myself and surprised my sis with the clutch.  She deserves it.  Being a mom she would NEVER buy something glamorous for herself, so I got it for her! :)  After the mall, went to Target and found this hippie chic satin dress with the cutest pink stripe.  Will be a fun rotation for spring.  I also got a few other items but got too lazy to take photos.  I guess I m off the wagon, but planning to jump right back on.  And now I have a few cute things to save for Vegas which is coming in about 3 weeks. 

Happy Tuesday my loves!!