Turned Creative

Jason usually does the majority of the cooking in our house. Between you and me, I can totally cook – really I can (!) but everyone in the house prefers it when he cooks ;) Our friends Craig & Julie were over the other day and Craig was talking about how easy it was to make fried rice. I was not convinced, but decided to give it a go. Jason and I headed to the grocery store (we live in the sticks, so really it was Super Walmart, not a legit grocery store, but they had what we needed). I like that this dish is an easy way to sneak in vegetables and that we can add cooked chicken, beef, bacon, shrimp (or lots of other things) to make it more robust. When Craig makes it, it only takes him about 20 minutes. I feel like the rice was still a bit fluffy when I made it so I’d probably fry it a bit longer or try something different with the type of rice next time. This did taste a lot fresher than take-out though and I love that! Now I need to find a main dish to pair with the rice....

We've been Bark Box subscribers since last December when they launched the Peanuts themed box. It was adorable and I was hooked immediately. I was surprised how durable the toys were. I mean, they definitely can (and do) get torn after a while, but it's rare for us to find toys that can last longer than 1-2 days. I've found that the Bark Box toys last us anywhere from 2 to 6 months each. (our dogs like to tug, cuddle, and chew on toys. The toys they cuddle and chew last a lot longer than the toys they tug ;) The theme for the August Bark Box we received was "Highway to Howl". Those marketing gurus over there sure are clever. The toys in the box are curated around a central theme that, in my opnion, are always adorable, or funny, or both! The inserts inside the boxes are always super cute. It sets the tone for the entire box and makes it feel more special. And they always include more information about the toys they curated for the entire theme. I really like that...

 I like any  planner or notebook I can get my hands on, but I really love Erin Condren planners and notebooks.  I've been able to snap up some pretty cool things during their annual warehouse sale . This year that sale runs 8/11 - 8/18.  I'm told there will be 50% off some new arrivals, exclusive bundles, and best sellers and 75% off apparel.  There will also be a surprise flash deal each day.  The Warehouse Sale also includes…  **SURPRISE BUNDLES** Embrace your love of colorful, wonderful writing tools, stationery, stickers, notebooks, and more with five exclusive Warehouse Sale Surprise Bundles. Each bundle has $50+ worth of EC surprises at over 50% off!  **EXCLUSIVE NOTEBOOKS** Introducing our first-ever A5 coiled, lined notebooks – available for only $9 for a limited time! Everything you love about our notebooks + unique artwork on interior pages!  Check out what I grabbed from last year's warehouse sale... This post may contain affiliat...

Ever thought about trying StitchFix Kids ? I've been using it a lot this year (for myself and the kids). I really like it. They do offer it for men as well, buy Jason wasn't happy with his shipments.  If you are new to StitchFix Kids and want to give it a try, I have a link for 50 dollars off if you use the referral link. $50 credit ! Here's what Brinley's stylist sent her last month.   Here's what Caleb's stylist sent him. Overall the kids were super excied 😊

Typically we have friends and family over for Easter, but we haven't done that since 2019. In April we had kicked around the idea of having a get-together this summer if everyone felt up to it. We found a date that worked for everyone this weekend!  It was so good to see everyone. So much has changed in the past year and a half and it was great to catch up in person.  I don't cook much, but I LOVE to put together quick and easy things when we entertain. This charcuterie board was relatively painless and I'm looking forward to putting one together again soon. I started off my board with the Hearth & Hand lazy susan from Target I ran out of room, so I pulled out another serving board with bowls from TJ Maxx  and mini serving boards from Marshalls. I threw a white table cloth from Walmart as a liner and topped it with a sheer linen table cloth from Ross. White scares me, but both of these are super easy to clean. I typically do my grocery shopping at Walmart since ...