Trying Nadine West

I recently posted about how disappointed I was with my first Stitch Fix shipment. 

Facebook was running a sponsored post for Nadine West that if you did a survey about why you wanted the service you could save the $3 styling fee. 

I was pretty pleased with my first shipment. First of all, it's only $3 shipping/styling fee so even if I don't keep anything, no biggie - I'm not out a ton of money. 

I received 2 shirts and 2 pieces of jewelry in this month's shipment. 

My first shirt, I'm honestly not a fan of but by the way they did the style profile where I clicked images of graphic tee's, I can see how they would think I would like it.

This shirt was $28.11 In my opinion much more reasonably priced! 

I sent it back with some feedback about what images on my shirts I will/won't wear.

My second shirt was my favorite! 

The front of the shirt is *very* sheer as in if you're standing close you'll see my bra & everything under... but I'm almost always wearing a tank or nursing top under my shirts so while that wasn't my favorite, it's not a deal killer for me! Love the floral style. This shirt is $26.86 & I decided to keep it!

You can kind of see in my awful photos that I have on a nice statement necklace - this was one of the pieces of jewelry I received this month. It's cute, goes nicely with this shirt and I like it. I don't love that it costs almost as much as the shirt ($24.99). I have a similar style necklace and in my thrift shopping trips I frequently see very similar necklaces for $5-ish so I decided to pass.

My necklace and bracelet from this shipment. The bracelet was nice enough, but just not really my style. It was $16.99 The stones were nice and weighty and I felt like the price was pretty reasonable for it. 

I love that you get several days to send the items back. I received mine on Tuesday and didn't have to send it back until the next Monday. Much more realistic than the 3 day turn around that Stitch Fix asks for.

There are a couple of things that I feel like they're still working out as a new company. It wasn't easy to find where to put my feedback on each item. You click shipment history, on the left side you can click the shipment which is hyperlinked and that's where you can find a place to give your feedback. I just feel like this should be on the front page of my individual profile in a really obvious place. 

Overall, I'm really happy with the experience and will use Nadine West again! 

Trying out Stitch Fix

I received a Stitch Fix box for the first time last week. I was so excited to get the box, clothes that show up at your door (aka no dragging children out to stores where they inevitably misbehave), they have your sizes and measurements so everything should fit and they're fun stylish things! What's not to love right?!

I'm needing to beef up my summer wardrobe pretty significantly so I was hoping to get several pieces from Stitch Fix and then supplement with less expensive purchases from my usual re-sale shops that carry nicer brands etc and Target. When I subscribed for my first fix, one of the very last questions was about your budget. I *knew* these clothes were going to be higher quality than what I usually get and it's a service so of course it's going to be more expensive than my usual $3-$5 shorts etc. I also let my stylist know that I needed clothes for a summer road trip vacation and a dress that is good for church but also for graduations (because we have 3 to attend this month!). 

My fix came and I love almost all the clothes but oh my gracious the cost! It is ex-pen-sive! 

I was soooo disappointed & ended up keeping none of them which meant that I basically gave up the $20 styling fee. 

The box came over a weekend while we were out of town so I was scrambling to get them tried on before the 3 day window to send back what I don't want so my pictures are *awful* as I tried them on in a decorative mirror in my dad's guest room. Sorry!

Tinslee Dress

This dress was super cute. The fabric was high quality but was clearly cool enough to make it a nice piece for spring and summer. This would have been perfect for graduations. I think it would have transitioned nicely into the fall with a cute pair of boots.  

$68.00

Y'all maybe I'm crazy but $50 is about top of the range that I can justify spending on a dress and  even that's a tough sell for me!

The big thing that made this a no-go for me, even more than the price was the neck line. I loved it, super cute, but I'm large chested & it would require a special bra of some kind to keep my straps from showing. I live in Texas, no way am I going to be committed to wearing a jacket or something all summer long. I was particularly frustrated with this because when you pick what styles you want you can select the modesty level you want. I specifically said I preferred my shoulders covered, not because I necessarily do, but because I knew bra's would be an issue for me! Do any of you know of a bra solution (that isn't strapless, or maybe an amazing strapless bra that is comfortable and actually supportive for a busty gal) that would work for dresses/shirts like this? 

Beckett V-Neck Blouse by Pixley

It is super hard to see in any of my pictures but this is a royal blue shirt with poppy looking flowers all over it in different colors. 

This shirt was just "okay". I liked the cut and like the bright colors but at $48.00 I had better love the shirt to keep it!

Finnegan Printed Cuffed Short

I'm wearing these shorts in the picture with the V-Neck blouse. They're cute and high quality but I have an almost identical pair (slightly less high quality) that I bought for $5 last spring and the shorts that Stitch Fix sent didn't fit well. Again with the price... $58 I was so disappointed to get something that didn't fit well and no way can I justify spending anywhere near that if it doesn't even fit!

My other two items I am so. bummed. about sending back. I'm on the hunt for similar clothes that will work better for me.

Ryland 2fer Maxi Dress by Gilli

I loved this dress. John loved this dress. I loved the cut, the color, the style. I loved it all!

So the problem was two-fold. Again with the price, $78.00 which because I loved it so much I tried so hard to justify it. It didn't hurt so bad when I considered that I had already spent $20 towards buying the dress so it was basically only $58 and I could kind of justify that price but the overlay of the dress is that sheer material so nice and breezy *but* it also snags really easily. I have snagged every single dress in this fabric I have ever owned, why would this dress be different? I just couldn't spend basically $80 on a dress I knew I would end up damaging in as little as one wear. I mean come on - I have kids!

Maycon Halter Top

This was my absolute favorite piece in the fix. I loved the colors and though it's hard to tell there are little tassles on the bottom of the shirt that I thought were so much fun! I have a hat that I recently picked up on Target clearance that would go perfectly. I could totally see myself wearing this. BUT back to the bra thing. I hate having my bra straps show. I couldn't think of a single way to hide them in this shirt, not even a racer-back bra would be hidden, and with big breasts there aren't cute lacy racer-back bras that could complement the shirt. It was $54 so again with the stupid expensive thing. I still almost went ahead and got it but then I started considering what a special bra would cost and I talked myself out of it.

I was scheduled for another fix that was for early July & I went ahead and cancelled it. I probably would have skipped that one regardless because that's around the time of our vacation and I know I won't have time to mess with trying the clothes on & sending them back in a 3 day window. I kept my scheduled fix for early September but might just cancel it altogether before then. Those of you who use stitch fix, tell me, do you ever get clothes cheaper than this? Did my stylist ignore my price range or is this really the lowest point of their prices? I've heard that there are more $30 & $40 is this the exception rather than the rule?

If I haven't totally rained on your parade & you want to try stitch fix here's my referral code (which would earn me a $25 credit after your first fix ships). I *want* to love it. I *want* to give this company my money and make my life easier but gosh, I just can't spend that.

Glam Bag Review from an Un-Glam Girl

I'm trying to play catch up with my Ipsy bag reviews. I've temporarily stopped my Ipsy subscription, mostly because since I'm not a big make up wearing girl, I was beginning to build up an abundance of things - particularly eye shadow that I just won't use. I plan to re-subscribe or pick another subscription box/bag in the summer or fall. I just got my first Stitch Fix box this week in leau of my Ipsy subscription and was super disappointed but I'll wait to review that until I've caught up on make up.

I got so many complements on the actual bag my December makeup came in.

When I originally subscribed to Ipsy I was having very mixed emotions about getting a bag each month, I figured they would just become more clutter in my already cluttered life. So far, I found a job for each bag to better organize my life but if I were still subscribing I think it would eventually become a thing. My other thought was that the bags would be good things to put in boxes for Operation Christmas Child! 

Tarte Maracuja Oil

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil 0.23 Fl Oz. 7ml

I was pretty on the fence about this product when I first received the bag. I already struggle with somewhat oily skin and even if I didn't, who wants to look oily?! Fortunately Ipsy sent a little video about this oil to those who got it to help us figure it out. I've used it as a bit of a moisturizer on my face when it was cold and windy this winter and it never left my face looking "oily" - just healthy. I've also dabbed a bit in my hair to help control my "angel hairs" - my super curly baby hairs that look frizzy and crazy around my face. I go days between washing my hair (thank you dry shampoo!) and it hasn't ever caused an issue with making my hair oily. 

 I'm not sure I'd buy it when I run out, but I don't hate it either *and* I actually use it sometimes (there are several things in other bags that just get cast aside...). 

Ciate London - Liquid Velvet Matte in Pin Up

I really like this lipstick. It is just enough color to look made up without over doing it. It's become a go-to for me when I'm meeting with clients and want to look nice but not all the way to a glossy obvious lipstick. I also appreciate the price point being reasonable! 

OFRA Bliss Eyeshadow/Highlighter

OFRA Cosmetics Bliss (Champagne) Eyeshadow & Highlighter - Single Refill for Palettes & Kits

I love this shade. It's called "Bliss" but it's a champagne color and has a nice subtle shimmer to it. It's my go-to daily eyeshadow color. It is pretty reasonable in price too. 

So showing my Un-Glam status here... it's a palette refill but I don't know where to buy the palette case thing which would make it much easier to use - so my make up using friends, where would I find one? 

It can supposedly be a highlighter as well, but I've never used highlighter in my life and have no idea where to start... again maybe someone can point me in the right direction here? 

Concealer Brush

So remember when I said that some things just get cast aside and never used? This is one of them. I suppose I will eventually use it, I have powder foundation that I use if I have time to do my makeup at home but I don't use it in the car (because mess...) and here of late my makeup time has been in parking lots or as husband is driving us to church. I have stuck it in my "big" makeup bag that stays home and next time I take a good chunk of time to get made up I'll use it. 

Lip Treatment

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This has become an absolute favorite! This lip treatment doesn't taste bad, leaves almost no residue so it doesn't feel waxy on my lips like some chap-sticks do. It hydrates so well and leaves my lips feeling amazing! This product is Hawaii based and has tons of natural ingredients. It is paraben, sulfate and phthalate free! I will for sure be purchasing this when my sample runs out but you use such a small amount each time, my sample tube has lasted a long time! The price is really very reasonable too! 

I was really happy with my December Glam Bag! 

This post contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase from one of the links I may receive a small commission. Thank you for helping me support our family!

Glam Bag Review from a Un-Glam Girl

I have never been much of a "girly girl". I like makeup fine, but I am pretty simple. I don't want to spend a ton of time applying it. I also really hate the idea of spending a ton of money on a a product that I may not end up being a big fan of. When it came time to replace the bulk of my makeup and I just wasn't sure where to start a friend recommended a subscription service! For an affordable $10 a month I get fun new products to try in my Ipsy Bag & I look forward to finding my surprises in the mailbox each month!

I'm reviewing my November Ipsy bag today. Not only can I never seem to blog in a reasonable time frame, some of these products I'm just now really getting a chance to use regularly so I can only give an honest review now. 

Nuxe Nuxellence Detox night cream

This just isn't really my kind of thing. I'm pleased if I can manage to wash my face before bed I'm almost never going to manage to also use a cream. I've used it a couple of times just so I can review it and I can't really tell a difference in my skin tone etc.

Benefit Cosmetics - The POREfessional face primer

I love this!! It works so well and I will definitely be buying a full size bottle of this! I've never used a face primer before, but this has been a game changer for me! I have some large pores on my cheeks (would probably benefit from more regular face washing and care, but alas I don't have time for that) and some old acne scars. It really dramatically reduces their appearance and you really can't feel it on your skin it's so silky and light! 

The Balm - Mad Lash Mascarea

This was another favorite for the month! 

I love the coverage that this mascara provides. I feel like it gives me great volume and great length. I'm a fan of mascara in general and will wear some on days when I don't wear anything else to make me look more "awake" since my blonde eyelashes don't help define my eyes at all. 

Eyeko - Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Well, this one wasn't a favorite of mine. I'm pretty sure that it's just me and I'm not a good liquid eyeliner girl. I couldn't ever get it on straight and it isn't forgiving at all. 

Adesse New York - Brightening Base Coat

I'm not normally a base coat kind of gal. I don't have time to add another step to painting my nails when I'm barely squeezing time that I don't have to be touching something or wrangling kids so the polish has time to dry. 

I was surprised by this one though. It drys very quickly and it really does brighten the nail. I've worn it as a quick stand alone polish a couple of times when I've been in a hurry. It looks nice like that, but it chips easily so not really a long-term solution. Over all, I'm pleased with it though I don't think I would go out and buy my own.

If you're interested in subscribing to Ipsy I would love it if you used my referral link!

This post contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase from one of the links I may receive a small commission. Thank you for helping me support our family!

Cloth Diapering, done cheap!

 

We decided to try cloth diapers when we realized that at the rate we were going through Disposables, we would spend about $50 a month on diapers (on the low end). I also found that a particularly economical brand of Sposies (disposables) that actually fit our daughter well put off this odd chemical odor when she wet the diaper. It was faint, but there, not very comforting. Buying cloth diapers on a budget was a big issue, we already had enough disposables from showers to get us through for a little while so we decided to buy cloth diapers one or two at a time, starting with the cheapest, quality ones I could find.

We picked Pocket Diapers because it seemed easiest! Easy is key in our house! I also knew that if it wasn't easy-peasy John wouldn't really be interested in it. All in Ones would honestly be easier, but line drying diapers helps them last longer and I read over and over again that it took a long time to get All in Ones to dry. As we expand our collection I plan to add a few AIOs here and there, but for now I'm really happy with the pockets. After you wash & dry them, stuff the insert in the little pouch (I do this while I watch TV or while Cora plays in her jumparoo) and they're ready to go! When it's time to change I just put the whole diaper in the wet bag. On washing day I just pull the inserts out of the diaper as I toss it in the washer.

Prefolds (& covers) are significantly cheaper! This is probably what you think of when you hear Cloth diapering, the flat piece of fabric you pin to the baby. I actually really considered doing this! Now there are these nifty things called snappis that replace the pins, I was totally sold! Problem was, I knew I would end up being the only one in the house actually putting cloth diapers on the baby if I picked this style. It was only going to end up being practical & economical if I could get my husband and any caretakers (ie my father!) on board!

The three brands we initially purchased were, Alva Baby, Kawaii, and Sun Baby. (I wish I could find a reputable dealer for Happy Flute diapers, if you have suggestions I'd love to hear them!) These brands are the cheapest options I found out there. Eventually we plan to try the more expensive options one at a time. Each of these brands runs roughly $7 a diaper.

If you want to try these diaper brands out one at a time, I found that Amazon was a great resource, except for the Kawaii diapers - just order those from their website (Amazon had them for twice the price!). (Fair warning, shipping these diapers one at a time is pretty pricey as far as shipping is concerned, they're coming from Canada.) This is particularly relevant for trying out Sun Baby diapers. On their website, you have to order them in bundles, which is great if you know it will work for you, not so hot if you just want to check them out.

A note about these sellers - The Kawaii diapers shipped out of Canada and always got to me in a very reasonable time frame (roughly a week from ordering). The Sun Baby diaper I ordered was off Amazon, so I can't speak to the shipping times from the actual company. Alva Baby diapers shipped out of China and their shipping times showed it. They shipped the day after I ordered them, but I got them 3 weeks, 6 days later. Considering I paid like $.06 for shipping - I'll order again, you just shouldn't count on getting them quickly.

We decided we needed roughly 9 diapers to get through a day based on what we went through a day in disposables. Obviously, I'm not a fan of doing laundry every single day, and I've read that hang drying the diapers will make them last longer so ideally we will get our stock up to 18 or more diapers. For now I'm diapering Cora in cloth on the days I'm home with her during the week, so Tuesdays and Thursdays. I wash on Wednesday between so that I'm good for Thursday and again on Friday or Saturday. I try to get at least one weekend day in cloth, this will get easier as we get more diapers.

My wet bag from Sweet Bobbins

The Extras -  Beyond the diapers you will have at least one more need. Wet bags. To get started I purchased a medium sized wet bag that is big enough for my needs. Since then I've added a pail liner for my diaper pail, but that isn't necessary! If you plan on using cloth diapers outside of the house, you'll also need a wet bag that can go in your diaper bag. I recommend this amazing Etsy shop for your wet bag needs!





If you are really interested in saving money I recommend looking into cloth wipes! I looked at buying some but as cute as they are I just couldn't justify spending so much money on wipes, even if they are reusable. I made my own - I'll post about that another day. It was so easy and I have more wipes than I can use in several days and the cost was very reasonable! They don't add any more work to my diapering routine because I just toss them in the wet bag and then the wash with the rest of the diaper laundry!

I'm loving cloth so much! I hardly notice the added "work" of using cloth over disposables and I'm so much happier with putting them on my daughter!

YNAB

As you probably know by now, John and I work hard to get out of debt and to live within our means.

"There are no normal months. Your expenses do not occur evenly throughout the year, and if you don’t plan for the high-expense months, you’ll be in a world of hurt."

Source

A vital part of that is keeping up with a monthly budget.
We've tried a couple of different budgeting methods but the one that has worked the best for us is YNAB.

YNAB is short for You-Need-A-Budget
It isn't exactly a fun fact but, no matter who you are - you need a budget!

YNAB is really easy to use! It keeps all your information in one place and helps you to monitor your expenses and find ways to reduce unnecessary spending.

It's also not for the faint of heart. You can't be half-hearted about wanting to fix your finances or a spending problem and use YNAB. It takes dedication and work.

YNAB works with 4 basic principles -

1. Give every dollar a job
2. Save for a Rainy Day
3. Roll with the Punches
4. Live on Last Month's Income

You make a budget for each month, based on known expenses and what you've spent in previous months.

One of my favorite features of YNAB that I haven't found with another form of budgeting is the ability to see the average of past months amounts spent to help you make an educated decision on how much you should budget this month.

In full disclosure, there is one of the YNAB steps that we opted to change up a little.
As you may know, we also use Dave Ramsey principles for managing our money. According to Dave Ramsey, your first step towards Financial Freedom is to save $1,000 and then start plugging away at your debt snowball. With YNAB, you're supposed to save 3 months income and then start making extra payments toward paying off your debt. To be honest, I'm just not that patient, so we went the Dave Ramsey route. (Praise God) We haven't had an emergency that has set us back much more than our Dave Ramsey savings account so we haven't gotten off our financial track due to a set back.

The details:  You can get YNAB free for 34 days if you're interested in checking it out but aren't sure that you're reading to take the plunge.  The cost of the plunge you ask? $60.00
This is a one time purchase, and for us - it was worth it!
If you follow this link, you can get a discount on the purchase of YNAB software as a referal bonus.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated by You Need A Budget Inc. The views and opinions were entirely my own based on my experiences with their company and software. Also, for the record: I have changed some of the figures numbers and amounts you are seeing (a girls' gotta have some secrets ;)  )

Literary Junkies Book Club {1}

 I am so excited to be a part of this Link-Up!

It is being hosted by Taylor {at Goings on in Texas} and Lesley {at by the Porchlight}

This is our first link party & is a part of our new Literary Junkies book club!

{my goal for this week is to figure out how the heck to put this button on my sidebar... I'm blogger challenged}

1) What book are you currently reading? Give us a little synopsis and your review.

I'm currently reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.

The husband is a huge Grisham fan and loved this book, I love the movie so we decided I'll read it and we'll watch the movie together this weekend!

I love the book so far! It's funny, a light read and so accurate about the funny consumerism that Christmas has become. 

2) What are your 3 favorite books of all time?

I'm not good at picking individual books... I like authors and genres; but if I had to pick, I'd say:

1. The Great Gatsby 

2. Harry Potter {I know it's 7 books, but I love the series!!}

3. Okay, I can't decide for #3. But I love everything by Jennifer Weiner

3) What is your "approach" upon entering a bookstore? Where do you immediately head after entering through the front door?

There are two book stores I usually go to. The first being Denton's very own Recycled Books & Movies. If you're a Dentonite - we call it "The Purple Opera House on the Square".

I love walking into this book store and smelling the aroma of all the old books!

My first stop is always the sales racks outside! I can't tell you how many times I've picked up great, popular reads for $1 or $2!!

I occasionally go to Barnes & Nobles.

I honestly don't like paying their prices (I'm cheap, I know) but I love the environment!

Nothing is better than going there, parking my hiney in a chair with a cup of coffee and a great book!

My next book to read will be Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern!

I can't wait to link up & join in on the twitter party to discuss the book!

Freecycle - Review

       If you aren't familiar with Freecycle, I recommend you check it out!  It is a Yahoo Group that is run by volunteers. 
Much like Craigslist, it works by location. We have been able to clean out a lot of our messy cluttered junk this way. Many of these things would either bring no money on Craigslist, Ebay etc or were just too much trouble for me to spend much time messing with them.

      I've gotten rid of these things quickly and effectively using Freecycle: trash can holder, aquarium, a box of random junk (plastic spoons, mismatched mugs, ribbon, yarn etc), countless articles of clothing (grouped by general sizes or themes), scrap wood, a broken dryer, a broken refrigerator, buckets, cheap plant pots, filing cabinet, a dresser that needed some serious restorations... the list goes on & on.

     I am most proud of my find on Freecycle! We got this couch for free! 

Not a great picture of the couch - but Clyde likes it!

Best part?!? It's a hide-a-bed!  It is in great shape! The only issue was with the cushions. : (
(Suggestions on essentially replacing the fabric of the cushions to something else entirely?
the structure of the cushions is still fine, it is just the outside of them that's the issue)

When it's just John and I around the house we keep sheets on the couches anyway (to protect them from our dogs that like to get on the couch when they *think* we're not looking).  

Washing them on a gentle cycle helped some... but for a free couch that solved a lot of our "where to put guests" issue I'm not complaining!

Do you use freecycle? What do you think about it?

My first Etsy Purchase!

My dear friend, Lauren, opened an Etsy shop to sell the beautiful jewelry she makes. I immediately fell in love with this necklace she posted, but blue isn't a color I usually wear. So, I checked with Lauren and she made me this custom necklace!!


 I looove it! The purple and pink beads really POP against the green and yellow base! And it came in this cute pillow box that just made my day!  You should check out all the cute stuff she has in her shop - Enjoying the Journey TX !







I am officially a huge fan of Etsy! Our next DIY project for the house is updating the "little" bathroom. One of the big challenges it presents is the complete lack of storage it provides.  I haven't picked the exact set of hooks I'm going to purchase from Etsy, but it has been cut down to a short list. The bathroom will be our first painting project... so this should be interesting. It's probably how I'm going to spend a better part of my next Saturday!

Our First Wedding Anniversary & Dakota's Steakhouse

       For our first wedding anniversary, John and I decided to do something simple. Our anniversary is January 29th, which fell on a Sunday this year. Saturday we spent the morning coaching our basketball team and refereeing a couple of games so it wasn't an option to make this an all weekend getaway.

     I don't know about you but with me, it doesn't matter what's going on, holiday, birthday, celebration etc - when I come home I find work that needs to be done. These chores either distract me and frustrate me that I'm not doing them or I go clean/do laundry/dishes etc rather than spending uninterrupted dedicated time with John.  So we booked a hotel in the Dallas area and made reservations to eat some place nice that neither of us has been to before! Dakota's Steakhouse in Dallas was the consensus.
    
      For us, going out to Dakota's Steakhouse was a big deal! I have honestly never been to such a nice restaurant before! I can honestly say that I have never seen a menu quite like theirs, just comes with the territory I guess. We both kind had bug-eyes when I opened the wine menu and not too far down the list was a wine so expensive that we could have purchased a house, a very nice house for! For dinner we started with soup. I had never had a chowder soup, and I'm not exactly the most adventurous with my food, so John had the Seafood Chowder and I had the Soup de Jour, which was a creamy chicken enchilada. I of course ate some of his (I've been eating off his plate since our first date!!), and they were both amazingly delicious!! For our main course, we both had the 14 ounce Rib eye steak. Their sides are served family style; John ordered the loaded baked potato, which was pretty much exactly as it sounds. I ordered the onion rings - won't lie, I wasn't all that impressed with the rings or the horse radish sauce it was served with. We agreed that the fact that the steak was so good made up for the sub par onion rings. ; )

      Oh, and to make the night all the more perfect... there was, of course, a nice gentleman playing the piano throughout the evening. Intertwined throughout several of the melodies he was playing was Hey Jude!! As random as it may seem this is "our song" of sorts!

      Last year, after our honeymoon, I prepped the top layer of cake to freeze, but it didn't make it more than a month in the freezer. The wonderful ladies who helped us with the cake and cleaning after the wedding & reception made sure that we had a piece of both of our cakes in all the flavors (mine had two flavors) to take on our Honeymoon.  Beyond that, and the bite we shared when we cut the cake - that was all the wedding cake we had.  We were far too tempted by seeing such a scrumptious cake in our tiny freezer, so we ate it! And it was delicious!!

     So, we had no cake to eat on our one year anniversary so I ordered a cake last minute from a bakery in town. It wasn't the same thing but this cake was delicious too!  If I had it to do all over again, I would have saved a big piece of cake from the top tier for us to share on the anniversary and we still would have eaten the rest!

     The actual day of our anniversary, we came home; I was one of the hostesses for a friends wedding shower, did that. Then, I went back to the house, ran a load of dishes, a couple of loads of laundry and cooked dinner. We ate dinner in bed watching an old movie (Kramer vs. Kramer... we started it the other night and rationalized that it is silly to be superstitious about watching a movie about divorce on our anniversary!) I honestly loved that at least a little bit of it all was our normal routine of sorts. The newness of cooking and cleaning and running a household is still there for us. I still find it a novelty to come home and put dinner on the table for my husband. I hope I can say this next year, and the year after that..

Louisiana St. Grill

      Just over a week ago, John and I went out to dinner with our friends Kim & Ryan.  Every couple of weeks we get together, usually at Buffalo Wild Wings and catch up - this time the guys requested that we eat at Louisiana St. Grill in McKinney.  Their friend Jesse is opening this restaurant with his family and he is the General Manager!

     Of course we want to support our friend, but there is no bias here - the food was Great!!  When we went, it was only open with a limited menu, we can't wait to go back and look over the full menu! In fact, this morning we decided that this is where we will go for our Valentines Day dinner.

     We started with the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! It is warm and delicious, and so rich. My favorite part? It was served with this great crispy flat bread! So much better than tortilla chips or other alternatives with the dip. It was seriously so good that John and I have had conversations about it since then! (we love food!!)

    For dinner we had the Louisiana St. Burger. This was a great burger! It's a half pound, and they mean a half pound! The fries that come with it are wonderful, crispy but not over done! Delicious!

    I can't attest to anything from the Bar, but Kim and Ryan enjoyed their selections!

    I also love the atmosphere!!  The guys love going out to a sports bar so they can do their two favorite things; watch sports and talk sports.  Kim and I don't mind so much when it is baseball season, or perhaps our team is playing; but this is rare. At Louisiana St. Grill, the guys were able to watch the game in a nice restaurant setting but Kim and I weren't having to scream over the volume of the TV's to have a nice conversations. A perfect balance.

    We'll be back and you should check it out too!