I Love Coming Home

This is a post about coming home from work, being home in general and being a Pacific Northwest lover.

Garrett's Popcorn at Home?

Have you ever stood in line for an hour to buy Garrett's popcorn in Chicago? Well, my besties and I wen to Chicago and we did just that.  Their famous mix is cheese and caramel corn, aka "the Chicago mix".  It was surprisingly, finger staining, delicious.  I was at Costco last night and there this was.  It's not Garrett's but it is exactly that mix.  Kind of exciting.  

 My Amazing Nieces and Nephews!

Chloe is holding my newest nephew, Landon. He's the tiniest thing I've ever seen. It was quite funny, shortly after this Landon farted.  Chloe was grossed out so she proceeded to move him over and set him down on the couch.  She wanted nothing to do with him.  So hilarious, especially due to the fact that this girl farts on me all the time.

 Xmas card from my school, GO HUSKIES.

Okay, they probably wanted a donation.  But, this card is freaking cute! I am very proud of the school I received my education from.

 Early Xmas Gifts

Well, I didn't in fact know this was a gift.  It was inconspicuous and I was expecting other packages. I opened this package, come to find out it was one of my Xmas gifts from Ty Ty.  It is a perfect gift, but I'm pretending I don't remember what it was:)  I mean really, he should'nt be getting gifts sent to my house!  I got another Xmas gift but it was addressed to Daught Daughts Lomas, which was clearly from my besties, Renee and Mike.  Ha ha.  I haven't opened it, even though I really want to.

GLAM BAG

As you may know I do Birchbox, Petit Amuse and Glam Bag. I'm here to tell you, do Glam Bag. It is amazing every single month.  You get full size cosmetics every times.  I think I've received two per month.  Look at this amazing stuff: lip gloss, eye liner, eye shadow, highlight sheets and a base coat something rather.

 Gourmet Foods

Still trying to figure out what to do with this vinegar that I received in a Petit Amuese a couple of months back. Help please...

So totally random post, but you know how I can be.   Miss blogging with you all.  I think I'm back on the bandwagon.

Delicious Treats, Oh Yeah

Petit Amuse
Don't get me wrong it is quite fun to get makeup and beauty products in the mail, but one thing that trumps that is receiving gourmet treats!  Petit Amuse has only let me down one month thus far, every other box has contained some amazing treats.

Have you ever wanted to have a boozy peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Well, me neither but thanks to this ice wine jelly I got to experience it.  It was absolutely delicious and so boozy.  What a unique experience.

Truffles!  There was a peanut butter one, espresso bean, almond and mint. They were delectable.

This is legit nougat, not the kind that we believe is nougat from a Snickers. It was delishy bomb. I haven't tried the honey yet, but it makes a great addition to my pantry.

Funny Stuff
Mondays are kind of lame; but that is why you have to laugh at random things like...

"If Peeing Your Pants is Cool, Consider Me Miles Davis."  This was what I automatically thought after I was climbing on the roof and got soaking wet.  It brought a smile to my face to cheer me up on a Monday.

Friday Night Rando-blog!

Things that make me go WOO HOO!!!

Petit Amuse Box - My last box was kind of lame.  I was going to give it one more month and then perhaps cancel.  Redemption, sweet redemption, it's amazing.  MIMOSA vinegar?  WTF.

My box includes:  coconut chili macadamias, fennel pollen shortbread cookies, passion fruit caramels, and champagne mimosa vingear.

Washington Blogger Meetup - Tomorrow Kendra from Adventures of Brad and Kendra and I will be hosting a meetup for local Washington Bloggers.  It is a super casual, spaghetti feed.  We were able to get some cool swag for the event and even some giveaways.  The small group that are making an appearance are going to be so pleased.  I can't wait to chat up a storm with my fellow bloggers.

Giveaway prizes:  tasty meat snacks and a tickets to Corks and Canvas for a painting adventure for 4 people.

Swag bag stuffings; Kendra is bringing amazing stuff as well.

 Catching Up With Old Friends - Last night I got texts from a bunch of people from my past.  It was so bizarre that it all happened on the same night.  I love having people in my life that feel comfortable getting back in touch after quite a while; that means we had a real friendship.  Friends and family make my world go around.  Shout outs to Scot and Scott and Justin, my long lost Texas friends.

My New Thanksgiving Plans - Today I was checking flights to Texas via my mileage account just to see what is available.  The owners of my company gave everyone a free shopping day to use whenever, which is amazing because I'm out of days off.  Much to my surprise, I actually had enough miles to fly me and my niece, Chloe, to Texas for Thanksgiving.  The Thanksgiving that I spent with Renee and Mike over 5 years ago is one of my most memorable Thanksgivings!!  Looking forward to hanging with the Britton family and having play time with Lino and Chloe.  I'm not cooking anything though; Renee's dad will tell me what I'm doing wrong.  It's F'ing mashed potatoes!  I can handle it.  Ha ha.  I love my Texas family.

Renee and Mike, AKA BFF's, AKA Texas Mom and Dad

Chloe giving Lino a ride.

Petit Amuse Box #1

I love my BirchBox and I'm sure I'll adore my GlamBag, but you can't eat that stuff.  The Petit Amuse Box is $10 a month and is so unique due to the face that these are real artisan treats created in small batches.  It is so apparent that most of these items are hand made, hand packaged.

Here is a review of my items

CC Made, Pistachio Popcorn - 

This is such a unique popcorn because it has pistachios.  It really adds a unique flavor.  And it was caramel-y which can never be bad.  

Effie's Homemade, Oatcakes -

 I was so hesitant to try these, the name just doesn't sound appetizing.  It's a baked good that reminds me a bit of short bread.  It was really incredible.

p.o.p candy, Thyme, Walnut, & Cherries Toffee + Pop Mix Toffee -

The Pop Mix was damn tasty!  I didn't care for the weird flavor, don't really like savory and sweet, nor do I like walnuts or cherries.  But, toffee is toffee.

Vermont Peanut Butter - 

This peanut butter is delectable.  I wish I had more than a tiny container.  This is a healthy peanut butter that actually tastes good.  I think perhaps it's the raw honey that is mixed in that makes it so tasty.  Unfortunately this product is not yet widely available, you can really only find at VERY select stores and farmers markets.

Daily De-Lish, Original Granola - 

I added this to my yogurt all week and it made me love yogurt! It had such a variety of nuts and raisins and oats and goodness.  

I give this box a 4.5/5, pretty good score for my first box.  Can't wait for the next one.

Friday Fun-day: Shopping, Sample Boxes and Concert Recap

Franz Ferdinand Concert Last night I went to the Franz Ferdinand concert at the Showbox with my friend Bridget.  On my way to meet up with her, I had to stop and take in the view of the new waterfront ferris wheel.  I think the ferris wheel is gorgeous, and an amazing addition to the waterfront.  However, I'm not so pleased with the price to ride; 13 freaking dollars!

  We pre-funked at the The Pike Brewery for some delish beers and decent eats.  I was super happy with the environment, the staff, the beer but was not so pleased with my food.  I ordered the chicken wings, which usually can't be bad.  These were really greasy, non-saucy, not spicy, blech!  Bridget, however loved her veggie quesadillas.
I am a Franz Ferdinand fan based on their first self titled album.  To be honest I haven't listened to anything more recent.  I ended up falling in love with the opening band, The Carnivores.  They were the cat's meow, for reals.  The girl keyboardist had an amazing outfit on and made the coolest facial expressions and head movements.  It was amazing.  I describe her top as being a tassle-y, moccasin shirt.  As my friend Daylon would say, "so navajo."  Franz Ferdinand was great too.  I had an amazing time.  My favorite part about concerts is paying $10 for a beer; I love sarcasm.

Carnivores!

Zulily:  My First Purchases My friend Liz told me about Zulily over two years ago; she likened the concept to Groupon and Living Social.  The target audience is for mothers.  She knew I'd be interested because I'm obsessed with my niece Chloe.  I love spoiling her and buying her cute stuff.  I've always received the emails but just didn't get into it. The other day when I needed retail therapy I clicked on over.  I made two fine purchases and they arrived yesterday.

My amazing new tunic (I love that word)

Chloe's amazing new mary janes

Sample Boxes

I've recently learned of the concept of monthly sample boxes.  Where have they been all my life?  So I haven't received my first ones yet, but I know I'm going to love them.  I think it will also be fun to review what I receive with my friends and followers.

Beauty Box from Birch Box:  Monthly deliveries of trial-sized samples from both well-known brands and emerging gems.

Foodie Box from Petit Amuse:  Every month I will receive 3-4 samples of small batch artisan foods from hard to find specialty producers.

Weekend Wanderings

Brought to you by Shane @ Whispering Sweet Nothings

I totally agree with Shane about the crickets in the blog-osphere over the weekend.  So I'm linking up for a good cause!  Let's share our weekend adventures.
"It feels like the blog-osphere begins to die down come Friday, then trickles off on Saturday, with far less posts than Monday through Thursday. My quick fix? A rules free, anything goes link-up! Link-up your plans for the weekend, tutorials, giveaways. The best part? You can come back and link-up the entire weekend until Sunday at midnight! Then have fun wandering with some new friends!" -Shane

On that note, I'm definitely going to the South Lake Union Block Party this evening.  They have a bunch of local restaurants and food trucks offering samples for $1 each.  It's a true "Taste" much like the Taste of Chicago.  I'm so excited!  And I definitely will be stopping by the beer garden.
Have a great weekend all!