Hello! Just a few updates from around here with some updates on deals I've shared over the past month. Remember the Threshold cabinet that went on sale for $75?? I was skeptical since it had pretty bad reviews but I wanted something different there so I was willing to chance it. I agree that the assembly is a PAIN. It took me 3-4 hours but it was mostly by myself with plenty of interruptions. The drawers don't line up completely on the bottom but I just pull one out to even them up. For $75? I think it's great so if they come back in stock I would grab one -- I love the glass doors and it still stores a lot.
Ok and this Martha Stewart rug at Sam's is amazing for $99! Our old one was getting pretty worn and dingy and I'm in there almost every week during my son's martial arts and so I grabbed one to try. The Provo store in Utah still had quite a few although it looks like they are sold out online. Hopefully it will be good at hiding a lot! It looks completely different from one side of the room than the other.
I picked up this little lamp on clearance for $3.24 at Target in Montana over Christmas break. Regular bulbs were way too bright in it but I tried this soft white 7.5 watt bulb and it gives the perfect little glow day and night. I didn't even know such a thing existed.
Chances are you know someone who is not feeling well or under the weather. Here is a fun gift you can put together at the dollar store for less than $10 with lots of yellow for some cheer.
Here is a video I shared on Instagram of our dollar store adventure to put together a get well package. My store was still $1 -- the clerk said she thought they would change over in February/March.
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| * Loofah |
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| * Chamomile tea |
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| * packs of purse tissues (use the yellow 💛) |
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| * Clorox wipes lemon to go pack |
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| * Ricola (I hope you said Ree-co-laaaaa in the voice) |
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| * Carmex lip balm |
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| * Ghirardelli Caramel Squares I also have a printable you can add to it -- here it is to download (for personal use only -- thank you!)   |
Just a friendly PSA on a Saturday morning: if you see a ZZ plant aka Zamioculcas zamiifolia in stores just get it. I've seen them at Walmart, Lowes, Ikea because they are they best indoor plant! I haven't been able to kill one and they actually do best with indirect light (like on the opposite side of the room of the window) or in an office with only flourescent lights! They also grow quickly. You can actually buy them online now but they tend to be less expensive in stores so keep your eyes open. This is what they look like.
At Lowe's:
Walmart! (around $13 I think)
We have two in our bedroom -- one on each nightstand. This one is about a year ahead of the other one.
Hello! Welcome to Day 21! You didn't miss Day 20 -- I just took the day off. There was lots going on and just didn't happen. And I heard Facebook and Instagram were down too for most of the day so it works, right? So I'm back today sharing something that I have loved and am hopeful it can be helpful to you as well. It's from an emotional resilience class my church is offering. Our local congregation had encouraged everyone to sign up for the class -- they are free and just faciliated in homes not by experts but just a group of people wanting to learn together. I kind of rolled my eyes and thought that I was good to go -- I listen to lots of podcasts and know this right?
But my husband and I signed up and it is SO GOOD. It has really challenged my thought process and helped me realize how much it takes to re-train my brain with healthy thinking patterns that serve me instead of make me feel angry and out of control. I also love hearing real and vulnerable examples from people in my class. Here are some of the graphics from the manual in Chapter 2 that I have read and re-read and returned to for reminders.
I feel like I have to share these with you today -- the best lamps I found this summer at Target. These are beautiful, substantial, quality lamps for $50 each. I promise you won't find better anywhere for this price. They even come with the shade and lightbulb!
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| They are both Hearth & Hand from Magnolia and are sometimes hard to find in-stock. The white ones are here. |
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| And the gray one is here also for $49.99. Most likely you'll have to find it at your local store for pickup. |
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| This Studio McGee print and potted olive tree are also hard to find but I would highly recommend them if they are in a store near you. Kristine got the olive tree for me at her store (thank you!♥) |
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| * these distressed vases are also SO good if you can find them. I had to have Lauren bring one back from the Montana Target for me. |
Hello! I wanted to show you a cool tool that can save you a lot of money but can also save you from driving around from store to store. It's called Brickseek (no affiliation with them I just love looking things up!) -- it's basically a free inventory checker. September is a perfect time to find outdoor furniture and patio sets on clearance. I have loved Better Homes and Gardens sets at Walmart. I had my eye on the River Oaks so I kept checking Brickseek to see when it started going on clearance.
I do need to point out that EVERY STORE is different and prices will usually vary from store to store.
Just search Brickseek Walmart and then click on the SKU finder and then I typed in River Oaks and click on the set when it comes up. Then it will automatically fill in the SKU for you and you put in the zip code and choose whether price or distance is more important to you. I usually just choose "recommended."
It is out of stock now but this is how it comes up -- look at the difference at the prices in the stores.
'Tis graduation season! Here are 7 favorite ideas to give the special grad in your life:
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| * love this money in a pizza box from Lisa Messmer |
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| * you can buy some simple $1 light bulb containers from the craft store and let them know how "bright" they are! -from Happy Mothering |
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| * what about a fun mug and their favorite candy with a gift card or cash? -from funsquared.com |
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| * I love this basket of sunshine graduation style with practical things like towels, Lysol, disinfecting wipes, microfiber cloths, duct tape, etc. - from Stacy Gabriel |
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| * one of my daughters' favorite gifts was a bunch of tide pods with the "loads of fun" printable from Hip 2 Save. You could add quarters but the machines in their apartments/dorms now take cards! Crazy. Everyone needs to do laundry though so this is a great gift. |
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| * find some fun umbrellas and give with some cash for "something for a rainy day" at Skip to My Lou |
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| * and my favorite because it's simple yet so cute: you've heard me mention my friend Lydia before -- she gave $20.21 in an envelope ♥♥♥ -thanks for the pic, Angela!! What is the best graduation gift you have received or given? |
Where to stay: we got a 2 bedroom at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale for about $400/night. It had a kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms, and 2 bedrooms with king beds and we also used both pullout couches and a rollaway. It was great for us -- we loved having a kitchen for breakfast and the walking/running options were beautiful in the neighborhoods close by. They have beautiful grounds, pools, and hot tubs!
Shopping: you've got to go to Last Chance! It is our favorite. It is where they sell Nordstrom returns at crazy good prices and we loaded up: Madewell cardigans for $8, Hunter boots for $30, Ugg boots were $50, dresses for $10, leather sandals and shoes for around $10-20, purses, everything! It's more of a yard sale type set up and you never know what you will find and you may have to dig and look a little but there are treasures for sure there. A tip: when we got there there was a line for the designer section and we thought that sounded fun. My mom and I stood in it for about half an hour and we wish we wouldn't have. They gave each person 2 minutes in the section and everything was like $300-$500! Now, the items were originally in the thousands but it's just not what we were looking for so it would be helpful to know kind of what to expect there.
We also loved Kierland Commons! It's a huge, beautiful outdoor mall with every store you can think of. It also had great eating options -- we loved True Food kitchen for a yummy dinner. There are white lights between the palm trees and night and it is magical.
Eating: after shopping til you drop at Last Chance, you have to head over to the Gladly for lunch/dinner. We had seen that Female Foodie said that their original chopped salad was the best salad she had ever had was here so we for sure wanted to try it out. It did not disappoint! This salad is sooooo good. Some of us went with the salmon and I went with the steak but both were delicious. If you want to try to recreate it Female Foodie's mom, A Bountiful Kitchen posted the recipe here.
Spa Day: we LOVED the Well & Being Spa at the Scottsdale Princess and spent our Saturday here from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. We looked at staying here but it was pretty pricey so we decided to just do a "Spa-rty" for $200 each and with it we got lunch, robes, 1 hour massage, and all day access to all pools and saunas and were able to take showers and get ready afterward with their blow dryers, curling irons, etc. It was perfect! ♥
Horseback Riding: Ok. We were going to do Betty's Trail Ride and showed up to find that there was some miscommunication on when we were supposed to be there and weren't able to go on our trail ride. We were so sad!!! Make sure you know when to be there and plan plenty of time to drive out there. It looked like it was going to be awesome though and we want to go back and do this exact trip but for sure with the trail ride! We ended up going on a hike nearby (Pipeline Canyon Trail) and that was beautiful too but be careful of the cacti near the trail -- my mom got a bunch of needles in her leg!
We decided this was a perfect girls' weekend getaway and want to do it again we loved it so much! I hope it helps in your trip planning. :) Here is a pin to save it for later:
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