Bath and Body Works – Hoots of a Night Al

June Favorites!

July 2, 2014 8 Comments

Howdy folks! Here’s a roundup of some of my favorite things in June!

How to Train Your Dragon 2: If you saw How to Train Your Dragon, you probably fell in love with Hiccup and Toothless and cried when *SPOILER ALERT* Hiccup lost his leg, and they had a major bonding moment. I have to be honest though, the original is better than this sequel. Hiccup reconnects with his mom in Dragon 2, and she’s basically like, “Sorry I left you for 20 years, but I was hanging out with these dragons, are we cool?” and Hiccup is like, “Ya totally!”….so that was kind of dumb. There are a few other parts about the movie that I don’t want to spoil, but I didn’t like. Having said that, the movie has several funny moments and was a fun movie to see with Louis. If you enjoyed the first one, it’s worth making a trip to the theater for.

Chef: Chef was a light-hearted, funny movie following a chef’s decision to leave his restaurant and open a food truck. He travels cross country with his son and friend, and it was an enjoyable journey to witness. Don’t see this movie on a empty stomach though…there are countless scenes of mouthwatering food! Also, as a warning, there is a LOT of bad language. If they took out the curse words, this movie could easily have a PG rating, so I’m not sure why they thought it was necessary to include them? Regardless, if you aren’t bothered by foul language, you’ll probably enjoy Chef!

MasterChef: Speaking of chefs, Louis and I are loving MasterChef this season. It came on a few weeks ago, and we already have our favorites and least favorites picked out. I have no idea why we enjoy this show because we’re totally NOT foodies! Almost all of the “successful” dishes they present aren’t something either of us would even try! I do love the drama between the contestants and the challenges outside of the kitchen though! If you’re watching, who’s your favorite contestant right now?

Amazon Prime Music: Recently Amazon Prime released Amazon Prime Music, and I’m loving it! If you are an Amazon Prime member, they have created a collection of millions of songs that you can instantly add to your library and play at anytime for “free” (if you pay to be an Amazon Prime member). It’s a lot like Pandora, except you can skip an unlimited amount of songs, and there aren’t any ads! You can instantly add any songs to your library, which can be accessed from any of your devices. I downloaded the Amazon Prime Music app for my iPhone, and I constantly have my music playing from there now. They have an amazing selection of artists and songs available, so if you have Amazon Prime, definitely don’t let this new resource go to waste!

Morocco Orchid & Pink Amber Bath & Body Works Set: When I visited home a few weeks ago, my mom surprised me with this set of goodies from Bath & Body Works. It smells so yummy! The scent is very light and fruity and perfect for summer. I love using the lotion and body splash before heading out for the day because the scent is fresh without being overwhelming, and the shower gel is great for bubble baths! The adorable bag they came in is precious, too. It’s perfect for carrying the set in, or it can be used for storing makeup! Thanks, Mom! 🙂

Clean & Clear Morning Burst Hydrating Facial Cleanser & Hydrating Gel Moisturizer: I recently started using the Clean & Clear Morning Burst face wash, and I love the way it smells! It sort of reminds of cucumber melon, but it smells even more refreshing. It does a great job of getting all of my makeup off when I use it at night as well. The gel moisturizer has a unique, light texture that is great for my daily moisturizer to wear under my makeup. I would give this set a try if you’re looking for some new products.

Garlic Salmon: I made garlic salmon with some sautéd squash and onion and garlic butter green beans last week, and it was to-die-for. I love salmon, but I haven’t cooked it in so long. I forgot how yummy it is! I think this is going to be one of my new go-to meals!

San Antonio Adventures: Louis and I have really been trying to make it a point to explore San Antonio more and embrace this city, and it has made the last few months so fun. Our most recent adventures have created some really fun memories and broken our pattern of dinner and a movie for every date (though we still love our movie nights!). I’m excited to see what other neat places we discover! Any suggestions?

San Antonio Public Library Card: This may be a nerd alert, but I am SO excited about getting a San Antonio Public Library Card! I have NO idea why I didn’t get one sooner! It is an awesome resource that our taxes pay for, and I feel dumb I haven’t been taking advantage of it because I love reading so much. I didn’t realize that they offer eBooks I can download to my kindle, streaming of movies, TV shows, and music, and hard copies of books, movies, CDs, and more at the library! Seriously, check into what your local library offers…I bet you’ll be surprised! I’m so excited to start utilizing my membership. Any book recommendations? I usually go for young adult fiction. Not even joking. Also, check out how awesome my local library is! I will definitely be using my membership a LOT in the near future.

The One: Speaking of books, I finally got around the finishing The Selection series by Kiera Cass. The One was the final book in the trilogy, and it was great! I’ve talked about this series before and how they are basically The Bachelor, but with prince selecting his future wife (plus way less trashy). If you’re looking for a trilogy that is light-hearted, full of fun characters, and a quick read, try out these books!

I haven’t done a monthly favorites it a couple of months, so I obviously had a lot of catching up to do! 🙂 If you check out or enjoy anything I listed, let me know! I’m excited to be starting July off with a long-weekend with Louis and looking forward to heading home later this month for some family celebrations! Happy July!

Humor, Married Life

High Five for Friday #3!

May 9, 2014 2 Comments

Howdy! It’s Friday, which mean it’s time for another High Five for Friday! Here are five things that made me happy this week:

1. Cindo de Mayo: Monday was Cindo de Mayo, so I decided to throw a spontaneous, tiny fiesta for us! I made tacos, picked up Chili’s chips and salsa (so yummy if you’ve never had them), and got some glass bottled Coca Colas. Instead of stopping there, I put on the most traditional looking Mexican dress I owned (that had never been worn and will probably never be worn again…), twisted my hair up in a bun, donned my hoop earrings, and added some sassy makeup. Too much? Probably. With my getup on, I greeted Louis at with door with a loud, “Hola!” and mariachi music blaring in the apartment. He literally fell on the floor laughing, so I’d say Cinco de Mayo was a success!

I also whipped up this simple “banner” by cutting up some orange paper, adding the letters with a silver Sharpie, and taping them on our mirror. Easy as can be! Confession: it stayed there until Thursday when I finally took it down.

2. Being Married: I mean, this is a high five daily, but the past couple of weeks Louis has been leaving me super sweet notes for when I get home from subbing. It really makes my heart happy and reminds me what a loving, romantic guy I married. Also, yes, his handwriting is ~~probably~~ definitely neater than mine.

3. Pink & Polka Dots: This weekend is Mother’s Day, so we’re heading home to celebrate with our moms! I finally got a chance to wrap my mom’s gifts, and I’m in love with how they turned out! When I saw this wrapping paper and baker’s twine at Target, I just knew it was perfect for Sassy Kat! Pink and polka dots represent her perfectly. I hope she likes what’s inside the boxes as much as the wrapping!

4. Tiki Beach Candle: I picked this up during Bath & Body Works’ most recent 2 for $22 candle sale, and oh man. It smells SUPER yummy. It’s described as a “luxurious blend of toasted coconut, vanilla musk and orchids,” and I think it smells like the summer version of Leaves (which you know I’m obsessed with). It has a delicious, refreshing smell that totally fills our ~~mansion~~ apartment when we burn it, and it makes me want to eat watermelon and have a tan. Tiki Beach FTW.

5. #LivinDatSubLife: Um, I’ve been obnoxiously using this hashtag on all of the pictures I Instagram while subbing, and I secretly love it. I love that I used a TI-83 for the first time in forever this week. I learned to love listening to the same four chapters of Touching Spirit Bear on audio book seven times. I laugh that during every class, every day, at least one student sees “Mrs.” written on the board and asks if I’m married and if I’m even old enough to be married, which leads to a series of questions about my age, my life, and my husband. They’re funny. I’ve been subbing at the same school a lot this month, so it’s great that I’m starting to remember several of the kids and to have them greet me in the halls.

Hope your Friday is great! Mine will consist of packing and driving home to see family for Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to plan something special for the moms in your life this weekend! And if you’re a mom yourself, enjoy being celebrated! You deserve it!

Decor

Smells Like Fall!

September 7, 2013 2 Comments

Y’all. A big part of me wants to keep these a secret, so I can hoard them ALL. I always thought Bath & Body Works was just good for cheap anti-bacterial hand gels and fruity body sprays for 11-year olds. My, how I was mistaken. For the past year or so, I have been purchasing their foaming hand soaps when they’re on sale, because they’re my husband’s favorite kind of soap. Their wide range of scents are always fun to peruse, but I never branched out much more. THAT was before I discovered their candles. Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. Seriously. RUN. Don’t walk, to buy 3 or more of them. Here are my 2 favorite scents right now…

First, let’s chat about Marshmallow Fireside. The description on the bottom of the candle says, “Celebrate the changing season with a warm blend of toasted marshmallows, smoldering woods and creamy vanilla reminiscent of a cozy evening ’round the bonfire.” Is that image alone not enough to make you want this heavenly wax miracle? If not, then you’re crazy. Personally this candle makes me want to be wearing leggings with fuzzy socks and an oversized sweater decorating the Christmas tree while A Charlie Brown Christmas album plays in the background. (Another immediate “must buy,” if you don’t have it in your music collection)

Secondly, is Leaves, which is probably my favorite of the two. Its description states, “Celebrate the brilliant colors of autumn with this rich blend of golden nectar, red apple and spiced berries.” Now, we all know in Texas, the “brilliant colors of autumn” are green and brown. Woo. However, don’t let that sway you from buying this scented piece of joy. When I burn this (basically every day…), all I want to do is put on my comfiest sweats, curl up with my softest blanket by a lamp, and reread Harry Potter while listening to a thunderstorm. This candle is basically coziness in wax form. Also, apparently burning candles makes me want to dress like a frumpy slob.

I’m sure after these glowing descriptions you’re like, “Woah, Ali. What are these candles going to set me back?” Don’t fret! The large 3-wick versions pictured here are $20 each. However, I snagged them up at a 2 for $22 sale (a savings of $18!!!). Bath and Body Works often has great promos like this, or you can buy smaller versions for less money. They are currently selling their mason jar candles (who doesn’t love a good mason jar?) 2 for $15 and their mini candles 3 for $10. At almost 50 scents, I’m sure you’ll be able to find the perfect one for your home! They are said to burn 25-45 hours, so don’t be stingy and only burn them when you have company over. Enjoy them whenever you want!!!

Why are you still sitting here? Go buy some candles, crazy!