This week was a really amazing one. It was a very busy, but very happy, week.



I enjoyed a good, normal weekend with Andre. I am very much an old lady.  I don't like to go out late at night, I'd rather binge watch Friends on Netflix... or sleep. However, this past weekend, most students were still gone for Spring Break and so I went out some bars with Andre. It was really nice, because usually it's too crowded and I'm socially awkward, but it was very chill and I had a good time. We had a late night (2 am) Waffle House meal together and it was so delicious.

Wednesday, I got to venture out to Georgia Tech with a couple of coworkers for a professional development course. It was nice to get to spend an entire day outside of the office and the course was really great. We grabbed some authentic Korean food for lunch and also got the chance to try out boba tea. (I got green tea boba, and they both got black tea boba.)



Aside from all the different varieties of delicious food I ate throughout the week, I lost 10 pounds. Not within the past week, but within the past two weeks. I feel like I've really changed my lifestyle and my habits and it's starting to pay off and I couldn't be happier about it.

I got to celebrate my momma's birthday. I am really fortunate, and really blessed to have a wonderful, amazing woman as my mother and I was so happy to get to spend time with her on her birthday and last weekend in two separate birthday celebrations.




I genuinely hope your week was just as great!


xx,












 

I love quiche. But only certain quiche, made a certain way. I'm very particular about eggs, so I like to have a well-done quiche, and when I make it myself, I can always get that effect. I had never really thought to make quiche (or even try it) until Andre brought home a recipe card from Publix a couple of years ago. I followed the recipe very thoroughly the first couple of times, but it involved Egg Beaters (the fake liquid eggs) and those always upset my stomach, and other "shortcuts" that cost a little extra. So I took out all the shortcuts and figured it out mostly from scratch.





Ingredients:
1 frozen pie crust
1/2 bag of frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 bag of mild or sharp cheddar shredded cheese (per your taste)
1/2 small bag of diced ham
3 large eggs
~1/8 cup of milk
Black pepper (to taste)

Side Note: All of the above come with at least double the amount needed. I generally shop at Kroger, so to buy all of the above it costs about $12, but of course I use milk for way more than just the quiche, so without counting that, it's less than $10 to buy all the ingredients needed for the quiche. The pie crust comes in a 2-pack. So you get to make two quiches for less than $10. Depending on the size of your family, you may need to make both. Andre and I generally eat the entire thing in one sitting, and it's surprisingly low in calories as well.



Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Empty half the bag of frozen chopped broccoli into a microwave-safe bowl. Drizzle 1-2 tbsp of water on top of the broccoli. Microwave for 3 minutes

While you are heating the broccoli, crack 3 eggs into a bowl. Mix together rapidly with ~1/8 cup of milk. Sprinkle in black pepper. Continue to mix.

Mix 1/2 bag of diced ham into your egg mixture. Make sure all pieces are broken up and not clinging to each other.

Remove broccoli from microwave. Make sure there is no excess water by draining broccoli. Once broccoli is drained, dump into the bowl with the egg mixture and ham. Mix thoroughly.

Mix in about half the bag of shredded cheddar (about 1 cup). Mix until all ingredients are coated with egg mixture.

Pour the egg mixture into a frozen pie crust and use a fork to spread evenly. Sprinkle with a little extra cheese.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes or until slightly golden on top.


Additionally, you can add bacon bits or onions, to customize it any way you like!


What are some of your quick and easy go-to recipes?

xx,

Listening to Spotify a few weeks ago, an ad caught my attention by telling me I could get my first box of Graze completely free. I'd heard about Graze boxes before but never felt so persuaded to spend $6.99 on a box of four snacks. Since I could get it for free, however, I totally decided to try it out.



I received my first box and was actually really excited about. Andre then got pretty jealous, because he wanted one, too. The snacks are pretty generous sizes, so I was able to only eat one each day and they were pretty satisfying (for the most part). I decided to keep my subscription, but narrowed it down to only one each month. (Default is one per week, but I didn't want to pay $7 each week). There's a huge amount of variety, so you can choose between any of the following:
-4 Snack Variety Box (standard, with a variety of snacks each box, $6.99/box)
-8 Snack Variety Box (double everything, but basically the same at $11.99/box)
-Sweet Treat Box (4 nutritionist approved sweets, $6.99/box)
-Savory Box (4 savory-flavored snacks with worldly inspiration, $6.99/box)
-Sugar Count Box (4 snack with less than 5 grams of sugar each, $6.99/box)
-Calorie Count Box (4 snacks with less than 150 calories each, $6.99/box)
-Sharing Box (5 large bags of snacks, $25/box)



I chose to go with the standard 4 Snack Variety Box so I can taste all the things. What's even better is once you get your box, you can log into your account a rate the snacks you received with "Like," "Love," "Trash," or  "Try" so you can receive the ones you really like more often and the snacks that you hate never. You can also let Graze know when you're going on vacation so you won't receive or be charged for a box. It's a very well thought out subscription box.

In my first box, I received Smoky Chipotle Dip with Rosemary Breadsticks, Chai Latte, Fruit and Seed Flapjack, and Hot Cross Yum.


The Smoky Chipotle Dip was not very good. In fact, I rated it "Trash" so I will never have to receive it again. The dip was congealed and jelly like, and it was sweet, but slightly spicy at the same time. I ended up just eating the breadsticks, which reminded me a lot of the cheese dip and sticks I used to eat as a child (but are still really yummy).


Chai Latte may have been my favorite. It was like a delicious, sweet trail mix. The coconut was unsweetened, but still really good, the macadamias and chai seeds were the perfect balance against the sweetened yogurt sunflower seeds (my favorite). At the end, I was literally dumping the crumbs into my mouth so I could get it all.


The Fruit & Seed Flapjack were surprisingly good. They were actually very soft, unlike other oat and seed bars. It was the perfect balance between fruity tastes and the seeds versus the oats. I definitely want to try more of the flapjack varieties in the future.


Hot Cross Yum was very good too. I wouldn't mind eating it again, but it wasn't my favorite. The vanilla cookie drops just melted in your mouth like shortbread, and the cinnamon honey almonds were superb. I wasn't a huge fan of the orange raisins. They weren't nasty, they just weren't my cup of tea.

Overall, I'd say I received a great first box, and because of that, I want to continue received Graze boxes in the future. If you're interested in Graze, you can get your first and fifth box free by signing up at this link.

So far, I'm pretty pleased. We'll see how I feel with the next box.

Have you ordered any subscription boxes in the past? Are you a current subscriber? Tell me which boxes you love and which ones you could live without.



xx,

 

As soon as we got our engagement pictures back, the very first thing I wanted to do was send out Save-the-Dates. I'd been patiently waiting and I had coupon codes stacking up in my inbox. So, as soon as we received our pictures, and before even consulting with Andre which picture he liked best, I started creating Save-the-Dates on different stationary websites like Minted and Wedding Paper Divas. I knew I wanted postcard Save-the-Dates and to use a horizontal picture, but that was about as far as my must-haves went. I search through over 1,000 Save-the-Date styles and finally found one I absolutely loved, Andre liked it, and I had a 25% off coupon code. I was so excited and ready to order! There are approximately 100 people on our guest list, but only about 50 addresses to send to, so I decided it would be best to order 60, that way we don't start adding any extra people, but it gave us lee-way in case we actually forgot someone really important. So, I created the Save-the-Dates, selected that we wanted 60 and put in my coupon code. With shipping, the total came out to be close to 70 bucks with the coupon code, and I just couldn't. I realize it's our wedding and it will only happen once, but there are some things I feel a little more comfortable spending money on, and really, all that matters is we have each other and an officiant. The ceremony/reception/gifts are all a luxury.
So I searched for alternatives for close to a week. There were tons of cute Etsy designs that are more unique and you just pay like $20 and you can print out all you want, but I don't have a printer, or thick, nice paper, so that wasn't much of an option for me. Then it hit me: VistaPrint. I love this website, really. I've used it for several years, especially when it comes to making personalized gifts for family. A lot of the time,  you can get items for free, you just pay around $3 shipping and handling. I searched through the site and they actually have a section for wedding invitations/stationary. I found a designed I somewhat liked and used the customisable tools to create a Save-the-Date I was really in love with. I then Googled VistaPrint coupon codes and was able to get 50% off my order. You have to really search for the best deal because there are always several promotions that you can apply to your order.
I chose all the highest quality things, including thicker cardstock and with shipping and 60 Save-the-Dates, I only paid $18, and it was totally worth it. I plan to order our invitations through them as well.

Good through May 31, 2015, you can use INVITE40 for 40% off invitations and announcements.

Here's our finished Save-the-Date:


The back is a solid gold (same as the arrows at the bottom in the above picture) with our address and personalized logo with our initials. It also includes our personalized wedding website for guest convenience.

What/who have you used for high quality, inexpensive stationary needs?



xx,

(Hover to see links below.)

1. My phone, of course, with cutesy cat case (from The Spot area in Target).
2. Make up bag from Claire's, filled with medicines and diabetic necessities.
3. Sunglasses from Claire's in gifted case.
4. Pens and notebook from Target (both from The Spot area).
5. Meter to test my blood sugar.
6. Mini hair brush from Sally Beauty Supply.
7. Large zip wallet, from Target.
8. Dove Instant Dry Spray in Cool Essentials (mine is a sample size.)
9. Fendi eyeglasses.
10. Extra plugs (just in case!).
11. Ibuprofen.
12. Small spray bottle of glasses cleaner.
13. Emergency Swiss army kit (includes scissors, nail file, knife, screwdriver, tweezers and more! I couldn't tell you where it came from.).
14. Extra bobby pins.
15. Shout wipes.
16. Small personal mirror.
17. Lipsticks in three colors: orange-red (Claire's), strawberry pink (Dollar Tree), black cherry (Mary Kay).
18. Burt's Beeswax original.
19. Totes mini compact umbrella.
20. Office keys.
21. Portable floss.
22. Pocketbac sanitizer (right now I still have Pumpkin Cupcake, but Pink Chiffon is my favorite.).

Purse is from Target in Daring Pink.


What's in your purse?




xx,

Today, casual Friday, was rainy/misty and got colder as the day went on. It was much less cheery than the rest of the week. But I still didn't have to wear a coat, so there's a plus! Even though it was misty and chilly, I just couldn't resist the urge to stroll through campus and cat-watch. (The campus is full of cats and I love it!)







Outfit Deets-
Shirt/Hoodie: Lizard Thicket Boutique
Jeans: Vera Wang at Kohl's
Shoes: Target
Purse: Target

I was sick for most of this week. From Friday to Wednesday, I felt like crap. I only really felt good on Thursday, and this morning so there was that. I actually didn't even go to work on Tuesday, but when I came back on Wednesday, everyone was so nice and caring. It felt so nice to be cared for!

At first, it felt difficult for me to choose five good things that happened this week since I spent most of it in bed, but everyday above ground is a great day (as Pitbull said).

First off...

Bates Motel is back! I am absolutely in love with this show. It is definitely in my top 3 favorite tv shows of all time. It's smart and thrilling and Freddie Highmore is perfectly creepy. He plays the role perfect. If you have never watched it, season 3 just started and the first two seasons are on Netflix. So watch away.

image from google

I spent all day Tuesday in bed. Yes, it sucked I was sick, but it was really good to have the ability to take a sick day and just rest. I am grateful for that.

I survived Meatless Monday once again. I may have a had veggie sub from Subway for lunch and for dinner, but boy was it delicious, and I'm really proud of myself for following through.

I got a great new purse! I'm very excited about it, it's been a long time coming. It's part of Target's new spring collection and it's fabulous. It has a professional silhouette, but is in a fun bright pink, and also has a long cross-body strap. It's even big enough for all my things! (Keep an eye out for an "...In my purse/bag" post!)



Lastly, Spring has finally sprung here in Georgia. The weather has been warm all week. It has been rainy and humid but it's been above 60 degrees each day and I am so happy. I've gotten to bring out my sandals! Yippee.

How was your week? Discuss.

xx,













 

I've been flirting with the idea of the capsule wardrobe for months now. It's something I'm still on the fence about, but I'm thinking about it more and more lately.


What is a capsule wardrobe? you ask. It's very simple.

The Basics: you choose 40 items (excluding accessories) to be a part of your closet for the length of one season (winter, spring, summer, fall). You hide away any items that you will not use for the length of that season and you only wear the 40 items you picked for that particular season. In general, you could pick 15 tops, 10 bottoms, 5 dresses, 5 jackets/cardigans, 5 shoes. This gives you variety but also not too many clothes that you never know what to wear. The idea is a minimalist idea to help you to make life easier when it comes to getting dressed and doesn't leave you screaming "I have nothing to wear" each morning.
You want to choose items that are versatile. Trendier pieces like high-waisted jeans or cropped tops may not work with a lot of other items in your closet, so you want to try to stick with the basics. You can use accessories for more variety. You don't shop for any clothes during the set season, and at the end of the season, you can rid yourself of things that ended up not working for you, then buy a few new pieces to place into your new seasonal wardrobe.

Spring is near and I'm leaning towards creating a spring capsule wardrobe to give it a try.

We'll see what spring holds, and of course, I keep y'all updated.

Have you tried the capsule wardrobe? How did it work out for you? Thoughts?

xx,

After lusting over subscription boxes for somewhat close to a year, I figured there was no better reason to splurge a little and give in to a monthly subscription box than the fact that I am getting married in close to six months. I searched around for the best subscription boxes and found a wedding box that seemed to die for, StudioWedBox. The subscriptions come in three different varieties: One month subscription for $39.99/month, six month subscription for $34.99/month or a 12-month subscription for $29.99/month. It was little more than I wanted to pay, and hey, who doesn't like a discount, so I contacted them and asked for a discount, and surprise, they gave  me one! I got 20% off the subscription of my choosing, so I went with the 6-month box, so it would end about a month before the wedding.You can select to receive the first 6 months of the planning process or the last six months. I obviously chose the last six. I started my subscription at the first of February, but because of the inclement weather, I didn't receive my first box until early March. By the time I got the box, the anticipation was so strong, I wanted to burst. When I opened up my box, I was so excited.

A handwritten note. So far, so good.
Even though the note itself was pretty standard, the handwriting made it personal, a nice touch.


My box included the following items (counter-clockwise from top left):
1. A note about stationary and how invitations should set the tone of the wedding. Okay, great. I like the idea, it gives an overview of the box's theme.
2. An envelope moistener (~$2). This is great. I can use this once I start mailing out invitations within the next few months.
3. Sample paper from Paper Source: 4 bi-fold cards, 4 flat cards, 2 place cards, 8 envelopes. (This is about $10-15 worth of paper, but that is seriously overpriced anyways). I can't use this random amount of paper and I've already sent out Save-the-Dates and I'm working on invitations. This isn't helpful, and I wouldn't use Paper Source either way. They are way overpriced and you can get better deals with Minted (who has fantastic paper you can sample for free).
4. A fine-point felt pen in black from Le Pen. ($7) This will be great for addressing envelopes or writing Thank Yous, but it's basically the same as the ultra fine Sharpies I used to address Save-the-Dates.
5. A stamp and ink pad from A Sensible Habit. ($15) It says "Why Thank You!" It's absolutely my favorite thing that came in the box, but I don't think just the stamp was worth what I paid.

I ordered a six-month subscription, so I will be receiving five more boxes. Let's hope the next boxes have better stuff inside. I do know that I will receive "some extras" in my March box because of the delay receiving my February box. Let's hope they step up their game.

Have you received a StudioWedBox before? What was your reaction? Have you had a subscription box that was completely disappointing? Tell me about your experience!

xx.