Friday, February 14, 2020

VALENTINE'S & AMAZON FINDS | FF #120

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

I'm back today with a list of Friday Favorites and I'm ready to get started because I've got a hot date with my hubby. ;) Ok, maybe it's more like a movie date at the "fancy" movie theater in the middle of the day while the kids are at school but still.  haha  We're beating the crowds so that's how we roll!  We'll spend tonight with the boys doing family stuff which I'm guessing will include our favorite family movie night tradition and just maybe they'll let me pick the movie this time!

Anyway, let's get started with Favorite #1...


Do you guys remember the excitement of Valentine's Day when you were a little girl?  (Sorry boys...if there are any of you reading this.  I know Valentine's Day probably wasn't quite as magical for y'all as it was for us.)  But I remember how much fun it was to make my Valentine's box on the days leading up to V-Day (usually in class) and picking out the PERFECT box of Valentine cards to pass out to my classmates.  I'd agonize over who got which specific card and then overanalyze what each card I received might mean...especially from the cute boys.  (4th & 5th grade specifically on that one!  And this overanalyzing thing just got worse as the years went on..haha.)  

Now I realize that not only did those 4th and 5th-grade boys not care ONE SINGLE BIT which card I got, their moms probably did it all themselves anyway. 😂  But not me.  I was always very hands-on when it came to this romantic holiday.

Valentine's Day


Lovely notes from everyone’s favorite childrens’ book series, The Berenstain Bears. | 28 Valentine's Day Cards You Haven't Seen Since The '90s


Of course, back then, Valentine's were picked up at the store in these boxes of 32 for $2.  There was no toy attached, no Rubik's cube, chapstick, Power Wheels, or even candy.  It was just a piece of paper with a "to:" and a "from:".  For our boxes, all we used to decorate were pink, purple and red construction paper cut into heart shapes, some white doilies, and some glue.  And maybe some glitter if we got fancy.  Nowadays, it's all about creating some crazy elaborate box that usually has nothing to do with Valentine's Day at all and is pretty much solely done by mom herself.  I miss the simpler days.  It sure was easier to be a mom back then.

Exhibit A.


I made this minion box for Matthew when he was in Kindergarten and told him to take care of it because he was going to use it throughout all his years in elementary school.  And I meant it!  He didn't seem to mind because he's a boy and not a particularly creative one at that so it worked fine for him.  We've had to replace the eye a few times but it's still kickin'!

When Mason got to Kindergarten, I knew I had to make another one.  I wanted it to be cute but nothing crazy because I do not have time for that.  Or a desire for that. I wish I did. But when you have a job that involves creating and crafting for people who PAY you for it, it's hard to want to do it for free. 😂

Anyway, we decided on a Hulk/Frankenstein I saw on Pinterest that looked fairly simple.  So that was Mason's from K-2nd.  Then last year, he decided he wanted something else so I reluctantly agreed to help him make another one as long as it wasn't too complicated.  We found a cool Nerf Bullet one to copy as best we could and it was actually really easy.  


But again.  None of these are remotely the same as the pink and purple-hearted shoe boxes from 1988 that I adored so much. ;)

So this year, I was all excited because not only did Mason have the Nerf bullet box and Frankenstein to choose from but he also had the minion because Matthew doesn't need it this year.  I mean, we were set, right?!  Nope.  Mason decided he wanted a new box and because I love him so much I agreed.

So he made an Xbox box.  You can get much more festive than painting your Valentine's box black, right? 😂 #boys


(This should have either been painted white for an xbox one or say xbox 360, according to Matthew.  We didn't mention this to Mason though.  Shhhh...)

At least he did this one on his own except for the decals I made on my Silhouette for him to add.

And since we're talking Valentine's, I wanted to show you what I did last year for the boys that was the easiest thing ever.  I just took some construction paper and cut out paper hearts (just like the old days!), wrote out a bunch of things that make my kids special or awesome characteristics they have and then used painters tape to tape them to their doors. Easy peasy and they loved this.


And oh my gosh, do I love these boys!  This was probably 4 or 5 years ago but look how cute!  My forever Valentine's.  Whether they like it or not. ;)


Enough about Valentine's Day though.  I've got more favorites to show you from this week!


Starting with this broccoli salad recipe I posted yesterday that has been adapted from the classic version to be super-duper keto-friendly.  Yay!  (You can find all Keto-related stuff HERE in my Keto Life tab in the blog's menu.)



I've also started restocking fan favorites from the spring and summer last year over in my Etsy shop!  These mermaid-themed tumblers were a huge hit, especially with that gorgeous holographic vinyl that changes colors as you move it around.  So cool and the perfect tumbler to keep your drink cold by the pool or at the beach this summer!  (Or your coffee hot.  Just take out the straw!)



Ok, I know it's only February but it's also getting so close to Spring Break season and I know a lot of you people who are luckier than I am, have plans to go on warm-weather trips over the break.  Cruises, Hawaii, Mexico, blah blah blah.  I'm jealous.  But apparently, I'm also trying to live vicariously through you because I saw this swimsuit on Amazon the other day and HAD TO HAVE IT.  I have nowhere to wear this until our next trip which isn't until the beginning of MAY (dang it) but you might need one for your vacay so I wanted to show you!  


OMG it's so cute.  Right?!


It comes in other colors/prints too and is so well made.  It covers enough of my booty that I don't feel like I'm just hanging out everywhere and the top has just enough padding and molding to give you a pretty shape.  Although I will say this.  If you've had your "girls" surgically enhanced, this suit is going to look good.on.you.  Sadly, I have not done this (yet? maybe someday?) but even still, it gives me some nice support and helps with that whole situation.  (Trust me, if I ever decide to give my girls a surgical pick-me-up, I'll let you know.)

I sized up to a 6 in this and it fits perfectly.  And if you are more of a two-piece girl, they have an adorable version you can find here!


Another Amazon find this week was this awesome little black blazer! I've been itching to add a little blazer to my wardrobe for a while now. I used to have one very similar to this and I have no idea what I've done with it.  It's very possible I accidentally added it to a donate pile.


There are a ton of blazers on Amazon, friends.  I ended up ordering 4 different ones because I just had no idea.  I liked them all...some better than others...but this one was the clear winner for me.  It's a thick (but not too thick) stretchy (but not too stretchy) material so it's really comfortable and fits so nicely.  I love that it was a little more fitted than some of the others and the 3/4 sleeves and the cute ruching was perfect.

I paired it with that little Target cami I mentioned recently and tried it with both a front tuck and untucked.  Super cute either way although in the second picture it kind of looks like I'm hiding a fanny pack underneath there and what is my hand doing??  Ignore all of that.  I promise it didn't look like that in real life.  haha


And the earrings!!  Those are one of my favorite Amazon finds.  They came in a pack of 9 for a little over a $1 a pair (the price fluctuates up and down all the time but I've never seen this pack for more than $12.99).  You've seen me wear the black and the tan pair before but this is my first time busting out the pink!  I think I may wear this outfit today so don't be surprised if you see me in it later on Instagram! 😉

Wearing a small in the blazer and the cami (although I could size down to an XS and be fine) and my jeans are HERE. (30% off right now!)


And last but not least is a super practical but still very fun find!  And cheap so yay!

I've been seeing these keyring bracelets on Jane, on Amazon, on my friends...everywhere.  But I kept thinking "I don't need that.  I don't really have keys.".  I keep my car key in my purse and rarely even have to dig it out since it's a keyless entry.  I don't have house keys because we have keypads. Why would I need a keychain?

And then I started thinking, "You know.  If I had this little bracelet keychain with a wallet attached that might be really convenient for when I don't want to carry in a purse."  So I started looking to see what I could find and ended up ordering 3 different ones.  Because I just could not decide.  #storyofmylife


So I got three.  I couldn't decide if I'd rather have a bigger wallet that could also hold my phone if I wanted or if I would rather just have my phone in my hand or back pocket and just tuck a few credit cards/cash in a smaller pouch.  I ended up getting one fun colorful one that I could carry around during the day and would be pretty for spring and summer and that could also hold my phone as well as money/credit cards, lip gloss, etc.  But then I wanted one that could be a little dressier for a night out if I didn't want to carry a full purse so I grabbed a snakeskin one too.


And then I thought, well maybe I don't want to tuck my phone away because let's face it, I'm always needing it for something, so this little one was my pick because HOW CUTE IS THAT POP OF GREEN?!  Perfect for running errands when you don't need anything but your keys and cards.



Now, these are not genuine leather bags that will last you a lifetime, girls so let's not get too caught up on that.  They are all between $10 and $13.  I purchased each one from a different seller on Amazon so I did want to compare the quality for you.

The colorful one is the only one I had any sort of problem with.  And that was with the zipper.  It tends to get stuck and is hard to zip up but it's so pretty that I'm going to just try to loosen it up a little and pray for the best.


The snakeskin one had a very smooth zipper and I've had no issues.  And the white cheetah print has a little metal snap closure and it's been great too.  Also, it took me a minute to realize you just push down on a certain part of the thick gold ring and it opens up so you can slip on your key.  You don't have to sit there trying to pry open the jump ring with your fingernail in order to get your key on.  I hate having to do that!  It also makes it super easy to switch up which one you want to use.


All of these listings have multiple color/print choices in each so be sure to check them all out if you're interested!

And that's it for Friday Favorites!  Before I go, I completely forgot that I had started adding in one super random little "favorite" at the end of each of these posts.  So I wanted to get back to that because I love hearing random things about people, don't you?  For today, I'm giving you my favorite Valentine's Day memory as a kid.

I was in 5th grade.  School was letting out and I was walking with some friends to the door when a boy in my class ran up, handed me a heart-shaped box of chocolates and ran off.  I had no idea he "liked" me and even though I only saw him as a friend, it made me feel so special.  It was so sweet of him to do that and I always had a soft spot for him for the rest of our school years.  And I also always think about it whenever I accidentally bite into one of those cherry-flavored chocolates in the variety boxes.  haha  Not my favorite but it sends me straight back to 5th grade every time.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, Y'ALL!



Linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites!

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12 comments

  1. That salad sounds (and looks!) amazing!

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  2. Such a sweet Valentine's Day memory from 5th grade! I want to see a picture of Mason's X-Box Valentin's Box--did I miss it on this post?

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    1. I knew I'd forget to add the picture before we left this morning! haha Added them just now! :)

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  3. Those valentine's boxes are great!! My kids have always made them at school. Now my son is in 5th grade and they don't make them at school anymore.....so he got a red gift bag to use, haha! He didn't care one bit!

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    1. That's my Matthew! He couldn't care less about fussy Valentine's stuff! Ha!

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  4. All your childhood Valentine memories brought me back to my childhood. I too remember agonizing over which Valentine to give each classmate-especially the boys-God forbid give one that he might think I actually like him! My daughter is in 6th grade this year and I miss not having that going on in our life.
    Enjoy your date with your husband and I hope you DO get to pick out the family movie tonight. :)

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    1. Oh I remember so much the Valentine's of elementary school. If a boy personalized with my name on it and if my name was spelled correctly - well I just knew he must be in love with me. I always put thought into which card to give which boy. So many feelings, lol

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  5. For movie night, have y'all tried watching the Marvel movies yet? We started at the beginning of the series during the summer and are slowly making our way through the series. They are actually really good and we all look forward to watching them.

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    1. We haven't yet but maybe we'll start those!! Thanks for the rec! I'm trying to get them into Harry Potter because I want to go to Universal Studios in the next year or two and want them to appreciate it when they see it in person! I love those movies!

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  6. I wish I had some of that broccoli salad right this second! That looks SO good!

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  7. Super cute Valentine's boxes! I am going to look this salad recipe up and try it.

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