a throwback to the eighties, plastic jewelry style

I was browsing on Pinterest last night when I should have been sleeping (must leave laptop downstairs at night - noted) and came across something from my childhood - the 80's plastic charm necklace - my heart be still. 

I've read a few comments online about people remembering how they used to go to the store and buy charms for their necklaces and for the life of me I can't remember how I acquired my necklace or the charms. I just remember having one and LOVING it. There are a few on sale through Etsy, but one necklace with twelve charms is selling for $35.00. $35.00?!?!? While I normally pride myself on being clean, organized, and a true minimalist, I am kicking myself for getting rid of my awesome 80's plastic charm necklace. I want it back! 

never lose sight of what you cannot see

So, my husband recently got glasses and even though I have vision insurance through my job, glasses are damn expensive. He was lucky enough to find some very fashionable rims that were on the affordable rack, but quickly realized after he went outside on a bright sunny day he needed prescription sunglasses, in addition to his regular glasses. Luckily I work directly across the street from one of the many Warby Parker stores in the world. Although this particular one is located in a fancy-ish neighborhood of Manhattan, their glasses - both reading and sun - are really affordable. That combined with the discount I get from work made them his best option for protecting his eyes against those solar rays. It is a great company, doing great things, who provide an alternative to those expensive designer glasses. He stopped by two weeks ago and they are ready to be picked up tomorrow. Click here to learn more about the company and see how cool their shades are. Shop away!

the first savory yogurt with milk from grass-fed cows

I have yet to try it, but a friend recently posted a photo of some savory Blue Hill Yogurt with a very positive review. I had definitely seen it before - the packaging is beautiful and caught my eye during a trip to Whole Foods - but it was soon after I tried some tomato wine I picked up in western Massachusetts...which was AWFUL. When I saw the yogurt with flavors such as tomato, beet, and butternut squash, I was intrigued, but the horror of the tomato wine resonated enough to make me run in the opposite direction. Well, that was more than a few months ago and after hearing something positive about it, (I think) I am willing to try it. I don't remember it being very cheap, but if it is a delicious breakfast option I am more than willing to splurge, especially because I WANT to eat yogurt for breakfast, I just get sick of it really quickly and it begins to gross me out. I am also interested in adding it to smoothies and trying out some of their recipes. Click here to visit their website.

I can see clearly now...canadian style clear

I read the greatest article ever this morning about a drink from my childhood - Clearly Canadian. I thought I wrote a post about it at some point, but if I did, I did not label it "product" and I do not have time to rummage through almost seven hundred posts. (I can't believe I have written that many! Like whoa!) Apparently this amazing product, which in my opinion was WAY ahead of its time, is coming back. When I was a wee one and celebrated New Year's with my family, my sister and I would get to drink Clearly Canadian with our meal, which in most cases was beef fondue and an array of sauces my Dad would make. It was like future seltzer, but in the 90's...so I guess it was past seltzer?! Regardless, I am thrilled and hope it really takes off. While I don't love drinking soda, I will drink the s&!t out of Clearly Canadian. Click here to read the article for yourself.

feature yourself in your very own emojis

That's him!

My husband recently made me privy to an app called Bitmoji. It is free and you build yourself as an avatar (which very much intimidated me at first, but it was actually pretty fun), and then it combines the face and body type you customize with different moods, poses, and sayings to create emojis. I am a regular emoji user and this takes communicating with pictures to a whole, new level. At the present moment, my husband is the only one sending me his own emojis and it is a GOOD time. I am REALLY enjoying it, I just wish more people used it. We both decided to opt out of allowing the full keyboard access, even though I visited the Bitmoji website and they promise they never read, transmit, or store anything you type. That all sounds well and good, but the warning I received when I added the keyboard scared me out of thinking it was a good idea. (Read: Third Party Keyboards provide an alternative way to input keyboard data. These keyboards can access all of the data you type, including bank account and credit card number, street addresses, as well as personal and sensitive information.) Um, no. For now, we will continue sending our emojis to one another through the app itself. It is still VERY fun and makes me laugh a lot!    

classically organizing with pegboard workshops

There is a store located in Sommerville, Massachusetts, called Loyal Supply Co. that is my visual happy place. If I could take residency inside of the store, I would. They have a new online shop in addition to their space that is full of the most adorable items. I initially saw them via the Design Sponge Instagram account, and then I noticed them again on the actual blog while I was eating my lunch today. There is a virtual tour of the shop here and this is a link to their online store. I don't particularly need anything, but want everything. They apparently have a dog named Huckleberry too, which is such a perfect dog name! 

best tagline ever - method - people against dirty

I have not done our dishes in quite some time - that doesn't mean I have not cleaned up per se, it just means I've been using our dishwasher a lot...right?! Truth be told, my husband is nice enough to not only cook dinner on the weeknights he is home, but also pick-up once we are finished. (Quite a gem, that one is!) Before Christmas I had purchased a bunch of Mrs. Myers Clean Day products - dish soap included - and as the last few months have passed, the products were used up. (P.S. If you love the scents and smells of Mrs. Myers, order off their website. It is very cost effective and I placed mine on a day when shipping was free. Score.) Although I have an overabundance of love for Mrs. Myers, I recently purchased a bottle of Method Sea Minerals dish soap and WOW does it smell good. It does not smell anything like the ocean, in my opinion. Instead, it smells like freshness and rain and clean laundry, all wrapped into one. I highly recommend. Dishes are definitely not my favorite, but when your dish soap makes you as happy as this soap has made me, they become less of a chore. Method also sells large refill packs that are a lot cheaper than buying a new bottle every time and it is better for the environment. I wish my next sentence could be "scratch and sniff the bottle to get a whiff of Sea Minerals", but that is not the case.  

enjoying something dark as the days get lighter

So do I!!

It finally feels like spring! I wish I could take a week off from work and (1) completely take care of our yard, (2) go on a long bike ride, (3) go for a three plus mile run, (4) go for a big hike, and (5) grill up a few dinners. Unfortunately that cannot happen, but we did spend the better part of this past Saturday pruning and cleaning up our yard. This upcoming weekend my plan is to rake our beds and put mulch down, then we will be ready to sail into summer and enjoy our surroundings. We moved our table and chairs back onto our patio (out of our shed) and once we were done for the day, planted our fannies on said chairs, relaxed, and enjoyed an ice cold Guinness. I didn't think I liked Guinness, but apparently I do. It looks heavy and although very dark, it is quite airy and light. I also just learned one Guinness is only one hundred and twenty five calories - sounds like a good splurge to me! While the healthy eating and exercise are going pretty well, I did allow for some splurging this past weekend - all in the name of my husband's birthday weekend. In addition to enjoying a Guinness, we also had dinner at our favorite restaurant (Drew's Bayshore Bistro in Keyport, New Jersey) and indulged. We didn't go completely overboard, but we definitely ate a lot more than we've been eating. I hope the weather is sunny and bright this upcoming weekend and we can have a repeat - Guinness included...but with a healthier dinner date.      

a scent that whisks you away into the forest

When I think about Stonewall Kitchen I normally picture food items (blueberry jam, bourbon molasses mustard, lemon curd, etc.), but we recently purchased some of their hand lotion and it smells incredible. If you are not a fan of fragrance, or are not able to use products that contain fragrance, then this is not for you. However, if you love woodsy, spicy scents I recommend you run out and purchase one of their Maine Woods products. You can choose from a soy candle, dish soap, hand soap, or (as I mentioned before) hand lotion. The description says it is made with black pepper essential oils. I'm not sure if that's what is contributing to my obsession with this scent, but whatever it is I like it and recommend sticking your nose in it. It reminds me a little of Williams Sonoma's Winter Forest products, but this smells even better. Although it doesn't really scream spring and summer, I had to share because I've been meaning to write about it for a few weeks and keep forgetting. Buy it and use it.  

time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana

My new best friend.

Is it absolutely ridiculous that I am going to follow a super healthy post up with a post about gelato? Yes. Am I going to do it anyways? You betcha! (And for the record, it is very difficult to chew a lot. It is fine when eating things like chicken and egg noodles, but cauliflower chowder and tofu/veggie stirfry are soft to begin with. It is also much easier to do when eating alone - not that I am complaining about eating dinner with my husband because I would obviously choose it over pretty much anything in the world, but there isn't much room for catching up between all of the chewing.) Now, onto my newly discovered frozen delight...

I requested chocolate gelato the last time my husband made a trip to the grocery store. He returned with said chocolate gelato and a partner - Banana Chocolate Swirl. My initial reaction was "why did you buy that, I wanted something with a chocolate base" - and then I tasted it. Holy Toledo was it GOOD. I know a lot of people are scared of banana flavor, but this is amazing and there is caramel in it. Score. I wouldn't call it realistic banana, but I also wouldn't call it sicky, fake banana. I would call it heaven banana. I was floored at how delicious it was and will most definitely buy it again. You should try it, even if you're not a chocolate lover - it is definitely more banana and caramel.

a sweet and very, very low calorie snack

I was hoping Santa would put some original flavored Chapstick-brand chapstick in my stocking this year and he/she did. To my surprise and delight, he/she also put a stick of Cake Batter flavored Chapstick-brand chapstick in there and let me tell you - it is the greatest chapstick on earth. It reminds me of the birthday cake ice cream they sell a few streets away from our home at Nancy's Ice Cream Parlor. The ice cream is florescent yellow with a bright blue swirl of awesomeness and round rainbow sprinkles inside. It is heaven, and when I am too cold to enjoy a frosty treat, this chapstick does a great job of satisfying all of my sugary cravings. Hello zero calories and tastes delicious - I think I finally found the secret to snacking! Do yourself a favor and keep those lips silky smooth with the best tasting chapstick around and remember to apply it heavy, so your lips are still covered in lip balm after you eat off the first layer.   

a product for red noses, rudolph stay away

We were at Whole Foods the other night and I was looking for a tub of petroleum jelly because I knew my nose would be red from all the blowing and of course, they didn't have it. The old tub we had, had an expiration date of 2010, so I threw it away a few months ago when I noticed it - big time oops. (Not really sure how it "expires" because it seemed fine to me, but I felt like it had to go with a date on it that was that old.) I haven't needed any for quite some time, but knew it would benefit me greatly to grab some when this little cold of mine began. 

Although Whole Foods didn't have the tub I was used to (typical), they did have Alba Un-Petroleum. I was hesitant to pay seven dollars for something I know costs one dollar in a "normal" grocery store , but I did it anyways...and I am loving it. Because the tube is shaped more like a bottle of suntan lotion, it is making me forget I am sick and instead, making me think I am laying on a chaise lounge in paradise basking in the sunshine. The smell was strange to me at first, but I am beginning to really like it. Being in such a cool bottle, it also makes me feel like I am using Neosporin, rather than a multi-purpose jelly. I love it and I am glad I was brave and decided to try it out. 

getting healthier and hydrating with tea

So, I have a cold. I hate it. I am so careful about germs (read: borderline germaphobe - okay full fledged really - but try loving clean and working in New York City), but something got through. It is only the sniffles, but I still hate it. I have been drinking a ton of tea & water, sleeping ten hours a night, and using a neti pot. I really dislike neti pots too, but they work...so I suffer through the uncomfortableness of water going up one nostril and coming out the other - so weird! 

The one thing that makes me the happiest when I'm sick is tea. We grew up drinking Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger when we were ill and when I drink it, it feels like home. (We also used to drink ginger ale with the bubbles stirred out, but that was just plain gross and I tried to block it from my memory.) I don't drink lemon zinger unless I am sick because it doesn't taste as good, or feel as healing. I can't wait to have a big cup of it tonight with my dinner. Bring on the health!  

the most refreshing beverage with a perfect taste

My husband and I had quite the wholesome adventure last Saturday. We visited our favorite New Jersey farm market, Delicious Orchards, and then headed off to a nearby lavender farm (which also serves as a Christmas tree farm in winter) to cut down our tree. Hello wholesome! We did some major damage at the farm market and in the process I discovered a new product - enter Found Beverage Company's Elderflower Infused Sparkling Water. Not only it is a mouthful to say, it is a taste explosion of the most delicious and refreshing flavor on earth. It is sour, yet the perfect balance of sweetness, and the bottle is a stunner (if you are into collecting oddly shaped glass bottles, which I am, but please note - I am very picky about it). I almost grabbed their Cucumber and Mint, which I am sure is delicious too, but I was very pleased with my decision to try something out of the ordinary. Delicious Orchards has a lot of random drinks set-up by the registers and all too often I am not happy with my choice. This made all of those failed attempts worthwhile. I want more. Now. Hopefully I am in the area again really soon. Click here to visit their website.

on the shelf, in a drawer, reading books, hanging out

We (obviously) do not have a child at this point in life, but there are certain times of the year when I wish we did - yes, just certain times at this point, not full-time. One of those times is Christmas. I am loving this Elf on the Shelf madness and saw the absolute cutest idea for it today (see photo). Can you even handle it? I can't. It is so freaking cute. I want to make sprinkle angels too sometimes. I saw another version with flour, which I guess looks more realistic and snow-like, but sprinkle angels are so much more beautiful than snow angels, in my opinion. 

I didn't fully understand the concept of Elf on the Shelf until I just looked it up. Apparently, the elf needs to be adopted by a family and given a name. Once named, it receives its Christmas magic and flies to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about the daily activities and adventures that take place. I like it for the most part, although it is kind of creepy that this little thing just shows up each Christmas and watches you for a straight month. I guess Christmas magic outweighs the creepiness in the land of childhood and merriment. If you are around children, do this. It seems very fun!

my very first pendleton product has been ordered

There they are!

I did it. I ordered something Pendleton and it was not a blanket. (And thanks for the outlet tip on that last post!) It was a custom pair of Nikes that I designed myself - with the help of my stylish husband - with a fabric option of...wait for it, wait for it...Pendleton wool. Can you believe it? I am thrilled! We had a custom sneaker making party two nights ago and really went for it.  In a few weeks, I will be the proud new owner of Pendleton Nikes. He made a super fresh, hot pair of New Balances that are scheduled to come in a few days. I wish mine were coming as quickly as his were, but regardless - I am jazzed and can be patient. It was a really fun process and almost everything on the sneaker is customizable, even the swish. I had it yellow until my husband played around with it and made it gray.  I was also between red rivets vs. the raspberry colored ones, but went with pink because they match my backpack. I am really freaking excited and cannot wait to see the package on our doorstep! Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday to us/me!      

brightly colored and not necessarily needed

...but I want it! I have a crush on Pendleton - as in the blankets, clothes, towels, and dishes. I want them all. Our home is the furthest thing from southwestern and although I realize they have more options than just the southwest-themed designs - those are the ones I really want. I knew they made blankets, clothes, and towels, but what I did't know (until I signed up for their emails - best move ever) was that they made dishes. They are so bright and colorful, but they still look classy and amazing. We don't really need dishes; we have beautiful dishes from Simon Pearce that I am eternally grateful for. They also wouldn't really go with anything else we own - I am just infatuated. Maybe I should stop looking at them on a regular basis and focus my attention on a blanket or bag. Who doesn't need a warm, cozy, three hundred dollar blanket in their life?! I personally love blankets and would use it every night, three seasons out of the year. Click here to view the wonderful-ness.

it will be very hard for me to send these away

I just bought these stamps the other day and even though it is freezing outside, I am thrilled. They are the most beautiful stamps I have ever seen. I tried to get them a few weeks ago, but they were sold out - I imagine everyone is stocking up on winter/holiday stamps and the desire for farmer's market stamps is dissipating by the second. Not here! I love them. I am also wondering if I should use a quote in my Christmas cards that mentions bounties or harvests or sharing meals...then I could buy even more!

Description from the USPS (I couldn't have written it better):
Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, flowers, and other fresh products invitingly displayed on tables or bins - farmers markets invite us to share America's agricultural bounty. The stamp on the far left has among its products various fresh breads such as baguettes and rolls, cinnamon buns, cookies, artisan cheeses, and both brown and white eggs. The produce on the second stamp  includes vegetables and fruits: apples, eggplants, watermelons, peppers, grapes, potatoes, broccoli, and gourds. Cut flowers adorn the next stamp, with bouquets of bright flowers next to a bucket of sunflowers and a collection of celosia. The final stamp on the far right features live plants, with various herbs, tomatoes, and flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums. Most items bear handwritten labels that identify the product and its price. the artist chose and ranged the products so that each stamp has a large focal point; each stamp is complete in itself yet forms a cohesive whole with the entire strip. The stamp art was created using acrylic paint. 

apple cider vinegar with raw roots, fruits, and honey

Not my photo, but I bought the
8oz. bottle on the right.

I went home to western Mass two weekends ago and embarked on a wholesome fall field trip with my mother and sister (dad and husband were away at work). I am a little shocked I haven't mentioned it before now. It was very fun, very productive, and full of my favorite places around the area I grew up in. Our first stop was Atkins Farms in Amherst, Massachusetts. While there, I picked up some Fire Cider - a product introduced to me by a dear friend that can help support immune and digestive functions. 

Disclaimer: I am not afraid of vinegar. I am a gigantic fan; I love a lot of balsamic, apple cider, or red wine vinegar on a salad, I love dousing my fish and chips with malt vinegar, I always add extra white wine vinegar when putting together my cherished sweet and sour eggplant recipe and extra rice vinegar when putting together my cherished apricot basil chicken salad recipe, and I don't mind a well-made cocktail that contains vinegar (and actually tastes like it). I also grew up with a grandmother who used white vinegar for everything; from a homemade cleaning product to a healer of aches of pains (as in heat it on the stove, put it on a facecloth, and hold it up to where ever hurts - magically better - seriously). Vinegar does not smell like feet to me - it smells like the comfort and joy of a grandmother's love.  

When I am sick or starting to feel under the weather, I make a hot drink I endearingly call "Health" with apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, hot water, and lemon. Fire Cider reminds me most of that drink. It is made with oranges, lemons, onions, ginger, horseradish, habanero peppers, garlic, tumeric. and honey. It is spicy as hell, and when I say spicy, I mean SPICY. I have felt relatively healthy since purchasing it, so I have yet to open the bottle, but I cannot wait. It is something you can drink on a daily basis, but I am saving it for the days I need some extra health. Click here to visit the website and learn more.

as the weather gets colder, the nose drips more

A lot of people have issues with hankies, but I am not one of those people. I love handkerchiefs. (They remind me of my grandfathers and my dad.) I used to be against them when I was in my annoying teenage years, but now I love them and when I think about all the kleenex I have saved by using them I get happy. I know it is a little disgusting, shoving your snot filled hanky back in your bag, but it eventually dries and once it gets really dirty, you just wash it. The soft cloth is much gentler on your nose than kleenex too - yes, even Puffs. They feel soft at first, but after a few days of using them they make your nose red and irritated. I guess the same happens with hankies, but they slow down the reddening process. I have plain white hankies and hankies with K's on them, like the photo. I really love when I get a K one. As the weather gets colder, blowing your nose becomes more and more of a daily habit, and if you don't already have one - grab a hanky.