lunch break

...the family that Birch Box's together, stays together

...it was a good mail day.

...I am not big at endorsing things but I LOVE BIRCH BOX. Once a month, for $10, I get a box. Of things. FOR ME!

I asked my assistant to help me unveil this month.

My box included hairspray, face lotion, blush, shampoo, and lip rouge.

Again, mostly stuff I would NEVER buy for myself but so fun to have and to use. 

Although, I have to admit it looks much cuter on her (especially with the pizza, or peanut butter and jelly, or whatever else she's got going on around her lips):

Here's my referral link if you want to get this excited about a little pink box once a month.

...spring break 2015

...was spent in Oklahoma.

Some day, I will go into detail about why we were in Oklahoma, but for now I will just leave it with we were in Oklahoma and we were happy about it!

We went to Legoland, the Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, and the Zoo (baby elephant alert!)

Going to the Natural History Museum prompted the, "Is it stuffed?" question several times at the Zoo.

We bonded at McDonald's, where Clara ate her first ice cream cone.

We made new friends (we seem to gravitate toward these types of friends).

 

And then we headed home. 

...DIY Bistro Box

...As part of just being better in 2015, I'm trying to pack healthy lunch options for myself. I love the Starbucks protein bistro box. So I DIY'd my own.

I am not a peanut butter person, it's never been anything I really craved. But this peanut butter? It has SEA SALT in it. And honey. Oh my. Which is good that it's a packet because if it was a tub there would not be much "better" in 2015, more, "bigger." You can buy the packets on Amazon. The cheese is a super sharp cheddar, and the bread is a raisin walnut from Whole Foods. And then there's an apple. And an egg.

Yeah, yeah, future food blogger here. Up next, my review of the new Cadbury Creme Egg. The DRAMA!

...birch box

...thank you for all your kind comments on my last post. I know if you've stuck around to read the last few years as my posts have become few and far between, you are true blue and have been through the gamut with my family. xo

My dear friend Carron is the best gift giver. I have always seen things about Birch Box on Facebook, etc., but I never really checked it out. I figured it was stuff I'd never buy. Honestly, cosmetics, skin care, and perfume are pretty low on the priority list right now. Deodorant and mascara, my friends. Deodorant and mascara.

But I love it. I love it because it's stuff I would never buy, in sample sizes. And if you want to buy the full size you get an awesome discount on it, like the first perfume I'm going to buy for myself since 1997.

And even better? It's $10 a month. So you get that Christmas morning feeling once a month for $10. Here's my referral link if you want to try it out. I can't wait to fill this box up with goodies.

...in 2015, I will be better

...a better mom
...a better wife
...a better daughter
...a better friend
...a better employee
...a better eater
...a better exerciser
...a better memory keeper
...a better blogger

I don't do resolutions or words, but when I thought about what I want for 2015, the only thing that kept coming to my mind was, "better." So I'm rolling with it. Hope you'll roll with me. I'm off to a fine start with, "a better blogger" considering I meant to post this yesterday.

...renting the runway

...our school's big dance and auction was the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was an Oscar theme and, you know me and my sequined roots, I decided to dress as...the Oscar statue.

I am that tall. It's awkward. I had to crop out the average-sized-woman next to me because I look like a giant.

Who did I wear?

Badgley Mischka, of course (I had to google how to spell that). When I was looking for "obnoxious gold sequined dresses," I came across Rent the Runway. So I did. Because I was really sure I'd ever have the opportunity again in my life to wear full-length gold sequins.

It was stressful waiting until the day before the event for my dress to arrive, but a few things I loved: First, the website is full of pictures of "real people" wearing the dresses (not all size twos) so you can actually get an idea for what gigantic you would look like in the dress. Second, they send two sizes (for one charge). Third, if it doesn't fit or you don't like it, they completely refund your money (this happened to one of my coworkers). Awesome experience. I need more formal events. I'm considering seeking them out just so I can do this again. And no, I'm not getting any compensation for writing this (although I totally should be. And I should be invited to any formal occasion so I can do this again. And again. Must. Feed. Sequin. Addiction.)

I put the dress on and Charlie said, "Mommy you look pretty." Clara said, "I like dat dress. Can I wear dat dress? Does Elsa have a dress like dat?"

My coworker Bonnie and I pre-event (when we still liked people):

...and us at about 10:45 p.m. when we just. wanted. everyone. to. go. home. So we made duck faces.

...four days in las vegas

...day one

...day two

...day three

...the sun was warm, the drinks were cold, the pool was perfect, but I sure did miss these faces.

...you know I love a bandwagon

...so I got a fitbit.

And you know what? It turns out that chasing/walking to check the mail/unbuckling/buckling/walking up the stairs 8,209 times a day makes 10,000 steps add up really, really fast.

The whole mileage thing is incredible to me...I mean, it almost makes me feel like I could run a marathon. Or walk it. In a 48-hour period. OK, let's be honest, maybe a 60-hour period.

The part I love most is where it says, "No exercise today," and I'm so exhausted at the end of the day I find it hard to walk up the stairs for the 8,210th time.

...now what?

...I'd like to say that some of my absence over the last few months can be accounted for by me reading some great novels, working on my own writing, curing cancer, solving world hunger, catching up on five years of sleep deprivation.

But the truth is, I've just been busy.

Watching Dexter.

On June 7 (the exact date), an old friend said, "Oh, you liked House of Cards? You should watch Dexter next." So, since June 7 that's pretty much all I've done. Watched eight seasons of a television show. It's not something I'm proud of. I watched the last episode last night and I'm left with this feeling of, "Now what?" And kind of feeling like my best friend (Michael Hall) broke up with me. And googling, "Will Dexter come back?" But I am looking forward to sleeping tonight.

...on this, the last day of March 2014

...I bring you a photo from March 1999. Fifteen years ago, the first March we spent together. The month we met. It really seems like no time has gone by until you put it into that kind of perspective. (And, it is quite possibly the most unflattering picture of me ever taken. Ever).