Monthly Subscriptions Series: Eco Emi

Happy Saturday!

I started this post on Tuesday I think but I've been very busy this week and am just now getting around to finishing it up and publishing it. Sorry about that!

I am currently signed up for 3 different monthly subscription box/bags. I am subscribed to Birchbox, My Glam Bag, and Eco Emi. I've been a subscriber to Birchbox for over a year I think. I've only been subscribed to My Glam for 3 months (they've only been around for 3 months) and I've only been subscribed to Eco Emi for 2 months. I am not planning on staying subscribed to all three. I feel like the Birch boxes have been going down hill a bit lately so I wanted to try some other subscriptions to see if they were any better. Once I decide which one I like best I will cancel the others. Here's a look at what I got in this month's (Feb) Eco Emi box. . .

All my goodies! :)

The first product was this lip gloss by the brand Revolution. I guess I forgot to mention (but you probably already guessed) that all of Eco Emi's products are natural, organic, etc. Anyway, this gloss is really pretty. It's not as orange as it looks. The color is called Vibe.

When I first glanced in my box and saw the word "lavender" everywhere I was kind of bummed. I hate the smell of lavender! It smells really fake to me. Not to mention - old ladyish! But I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked the Crystal Essence deodorant towelettes! They smelled nice (not too strong) and they seemed to work great! The chapstick is really nice too! It is a chocolate chapstick . . . whatever that means?!? The color is brown and it smells like a mix of chocolate and lavender. The reason I like it so much is the texture!!!! It's really thick and moisturizing!

There was also a sample of Chocolate Mint Truffle Mighty Leaf Tea. I gave that to my sister. Tea isn't really my thing. Although, this particular flavor sounds pretty good! The circular container is a sample of a solid body butter by the Lauren Brooke Cosmetics brand. It's in the scent Chai Latte. It smells nice but it's hard to use since it's in a weird shape and it's solid. I can't really get it out of the container?! Then there is that Oluv soap which I really like! It's very moisturizing! The first time I used it Dave commented that my skin was super soft! The only 3 ingredients are olive oil, essential oils, and salt. Maybe it's just me but none of those ingredients seem like "cleansing" ingredients. Which is confusing.

There was also a small sample size of shampoo and conditioner. I really can't say anything about these. I just put them aside in a bag of other travel size products. I'll probably just use them when on vacation or something.

Ok . . . now for the most interesting product!!! Soap nuts!

If you saw these what would you think they were? I first thought they were some sort of food. Perhaps some figs? Good thing I read the product subscription card first! They are a fruit called soap nuts. Take them out of the plactic bag and put them in the twill bag it comes with and tie it shut. This is your laundry detergent! Just throw it in with your clothes! I've only used them once but so far so good. They're supposed to last up to 5 washes. The card says you can also use it for dish washer soap, shampoo, etc. Interesting, huh?!

So that was my Eco Emi box for February! Definitely got some cool stuff! Eco Emi is $15.00 a month (free shipping) and you can cancel it at any time. I usually receive my box at the end of the month . . . around the 25th. Birch Box and My Glam usually come anywhere between the 10th and 20th so I will review them as well once I receive them for March.

Lots of New Yummy Food This Week!

Hey Everyone!

I feel like I've tried a lot of new foods this week! Probably more treats than anything! Actually, the only pictures I have to show you are of unhealthy food! I had some really great food today at Whole Foods but I wasn't able to get pictures of it! Darn! So I'll just show what I was able to get pictures of.

On Friday night Dave and I went to a friends house for a game night so I brought a snack. It was something I hadn't tried before. Of course I found it on Pinterest! :) Here it is . . .

Cinnamon Roll Rice Krispie Treats! Yummy! Here is the link to the original recipe:

http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/01/cinnamon-roll-rice-krispie-treats.html

I actually haven't tried this Russell Stover Cookies 'n Cream Nest yet. Dave and I went to the movies last night (do not go see Safe House - it wasn't good at all!) and we were kind of early so we went to Walgreens first to get Dave a treat. I ended up picking up a couple things too. I didn't eat any of it at the actual movie because I didn't have any milk with me! I HAVE to have milk when I have a treat! I will let you know how this is once I try it!

I did try this though! A Peeps Rice Krispie Treat! It was blue! On the back of the package it said that it's a rice krispie treat that is made with Peeps marshmallows! It was really yummy! Makes me want to try making them myself!

I saved the best for last!!! Omg! These things are amazing! Can you even tell what they are?! They are homemade (not by me - by the chefs at Whole Foods) Tortilla Chips! They are a mix of the traditional tortilla chips - in that they are salty and peppery. But at the same time they're almost like a danish! Not sure how that's even possible! When you open the container it smells like donuts! It's so weird! They're so thick and flaky. They're mainly salty but a little bit sweet too. And they're so rich!! I can only eat like 3 at a time. Crazy, huh?! You will just have to try them for yourself!

We got the chips to take home but we ate lunch at Whole Foods. Dave got pizza and I got Chiken Korma (I think?) which was in a mushroom sauce, some vegetarian Mac and Cheese, and a whole lot of their mixed vegetables! It was all so very delicious!

I just thought I'd share all this yummy new food with you in case you were looking for something new to try too!

Enjoy!

Happy Saturday! Zumba and some goodies from Target!

Happy Saturday!

I was lucky enough to not have to work today! Yay! I love when I have Saturdays off! Normally if I have a Saturday off I am definitely going to sleep in for as long as I can . . . which is usually 'til about 11:00! (If you don't already know - I have a major sleeping problem. I can NEVER fall asleep so on the weekends I try to catch up when I can) Earlier in the week my sister, Jill asked me if I wanted to go to Zumba with her at my old church. I have always been kind of interested in taking Zumba but at my gym there are big open doors into the studio where everyone can watch you! It doesn't bother me if I'm taking a weight lifting class in there but if I'm going to be shaking my booty I really don't want everyone to see that! So I tried it for the first time today. It was really fun! It was a really good mix of music! It wasn't a hard workout but it was really fun! Definitely something to add into my routine!

After Zumba I went to Target. I went with a couple of things in mind. I had been seeing ads for a new Garnier BB Cream that I wanted to try. (If you don't know what a BB Cream is I will explain in just a minute) I also wanted to get a new magazine. I get a new magazine pretty much every week. Also, Dave told me when he was in Target a couple days ago he saw some white chocolate m&m's and he wished he would have bought them. So those were the 3 things I had in mind. Luckily I found all 3! I also picked up two new workout tank tops.

Earlier in the month I ordered a couple workout tops (or what I thought were workout tops) from Victoria's Secret - big mistake! I have ordered ribbed tank tops from VS in the past and really liked them. In fact I've been wearing the same ones from Victoria's Secret for about 4 or 5 years now. They were really good quality and had pretty many colors to choose from. But they were starting to get dingy. So I thought I would go ahead and order some from there again since I had such good luck with them last time. Well . . . I didn't have quite the same experience this time around. While ordering them I noticed the price was $25.00 or 2/$40.00. I thought that seemed expensive but I was already ordering a bathing suit from that site and with the added cost of the shirts it would have given me free shipping. So I ordered them. They definitely weren't the same shirts as last time and they definitely weren't worth the $40.00! They were a different material. They were really, really thin and see-thru. I was really disappointed and had to return them. Booo :( But while I was at Target today I looked at their tank tops and theirs were much better! Only $9.00 each and not see-thru! So I got a bright purple and bright fushia.

Ok, onto the BB Cream. BB Creams started in Asia. They are kind of like a tinted moisturizer. But with regular use they're also supposed to help with unevenness and dark spots and such. I don't allow myself much time for applying makeup in the morning. Most days I don't wear any. I probably should though because I don't have the greatest skin! So the thought of using a product that lightly covers imperfections and also (somehow) fights dullness, and discoloration sounds good to me! Like I said, it's an asian thing but more and more brands are coming out with them. One thing that made me nervous about trying them is that there was just one color choice. You don't pick from 12 shades like you would a foundation or even 3 shades like light, medium, or dark. There is only one shade. Well, one time when ordering something from Sephora online I was picking out my "3 free samples" at checkout and one was of a BB Cream by the brand Dr. Jardt or something like that. I had REALLY bad luck with it! It made me break out in a rash. For about 3 days after I used it I my chin and jaw were covered in itchy red bumps! I was really bummed. But recently I started seeing ads for a BB Cream from the Garnier brand. I already use Garnier for face wash and moisturizer and really like it so I figured I would give their BB Cream a shot! They actually have two shades to choose from. Target only had the Medium/Deep shade so that's what I went with. It didn't look like it would be too dark, plus I would probably use my Beauty Blender sponge to apply it which helps make it go on really light and sheer. I will let you girls know how it is once I try it!

Well, that's been my day so far! I think Dave and I are going to go for a walk now since it's actually sunny out! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Saturday! :)

Strawberry Cocoa

Hey all!

I thought I'd share the recipe that Dave and I made for Valentine's Day! It was good and SO rich! I found this recipe on Pinterest. Here is a link to the original site:

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/02/10/strawberry-sweethearts-cocoa-and-the-two-peas-newlywed-game/

This recipe is super easy! Place one Pint of strawberry ice-cream into a pot along with 1/2 Cup sugar and 4 Tablespoons of butter.

Melt it all together . . .

Meanwhile, melt a handfull of milk chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave. This is to rim your mugs!

:)

As soon as the melted ice-cream mixture starts to steam remove it from the heat and pour into your mugs.

Top with Cool Whip and additional chocolate chips!

Drink up! It's super easy and delish!

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Valentine's Day might be my favorite holiday! Probably because it is so girly and pink! And it involves candy! :)

I just wanted to post to the blog again and try inserting some pictures. Just to see how it all works. So I thought I would give you a re-cap of my Valentine's Day so far.

Before I get into our day I should explain mine and Dave's way of celebrating holidays. You know how most people have their regular routines/traditions? Like, for some people birthdays are the biggest holiday they celebrate but then they don't really do much for the other special days? Or some people go all out for Christmas but then don't do much for birthdays (that's actually the way my family did things growing up). Well, Dave and I don't have a "usual" or "regular" routine. Basically, which ever holiday we fall on that we have extra money to spend, turns out to be a big holiday. I think one year I didn't get anything for my birthday but the same year I got my Mac laptop for Valentine's Day! I know, it's strange. That's just always how it's been for us. Just very random. Anyway, . . . we're currently saving our money for vacation, new vehicles, and a new house so we really didn't plan any great adventures for today. Somehow Dave and I were both off work today! Well, I'm always off on Tuesdays but Dave's schedule is never the same. It changes from week to week. We didn't really plan much today. We just wanted to enjoy being together for the whole day. We slept in til 9ish then we went to Dunkin Donuts. They've been advertising these cute heart shaped donuts on TV for the last week and I really wanted one. So we went there and got a few donuts for later tonight. They probably won't get eaten after all . . . long story . . . but the commercial was misleading. It wasn't the type of donut I thought it would be. Anyway, then we went to the gym and got in a workout. Then we had to run a few errands. We had to go to the jeweler to drop of a ring that needed to be re-sized.

Then we came home and had lunch and then watched the movie Valentine's Day. We had both seen it before but thought it was fitting to watch today. It's a pretty cute movie! Now we're about to cook some dinner (a new recipe!), and then make a dessert too (another new one)! And then it's time for our shows! Tuesday nights are the best TV nights! We watch New Girl and Parenthood. . . And sometimes Dance Moms! :)

Hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day!

What It's All About

Hi everyone!

I thought I'd give this blogging thing a try! My blogs will consist of many different things. There will be a lot of recipes. I don't have the time to be super creative and invent my own recipes but I love trying new recipes and changing them up a bit. I like to put my own spin on things. There might be an occasional workout blog. When I find a good workout I like to share it with others. And lastly, there will probably be some fashion/beauty related blogs. I love trying new hair styles and finding great new products. I get a LOT of inspiration from YouTube and Pinterest. Don't even get me started on Pinterest . . . . SO addicting! Oh my goodness! Greatest invention ever! :)

I also wanted to point out how incredibly hard it was to come up with a name for this blog! I thought about starting a blog for about a month now and for the last couple weeks I've been trying to come up with a name for it. I finally decided on Bit Of This, Bit Of That . . . but that was already taken! Crap! So then I started trying random names and they were ALL taken! I asked my husband and a couple of friends some suggestions and once again, they were all taken! It was nuts! Here are a few that didn't quite make the cut:

Sprinkles and Stilettos

Lunges and Lipgloss

Cupcakes and Cardio

Mascara and Measuring Cups

Chocolate and Chapstick (my sisters will love this ;)

Pushups and Polish

My friend Jessica helped me decide on Apron Strings and Girly Things! It seems quite fitting for this blog!

One last thing. Please give me time to get into the swing of things. I don't have a great camera at the moment and I don't have special lighting or anything for taking pictures of my food and such. I'm sure I'll get a new camera sometime soon. But for now what I have will have to do!

I hope you will enjoy my future blog posts! But for now I'm going to get back to watching the Grammys!

Night everyone!