have you tried sublime?

i recently went to sublime doughnuts in midtown to sample a few of their doughnuts.  i had tried one of them once before, and was really looking forward to going to their shop and trying a few more. {clockwise from top left} i got the salted carmel, nutella, chocolate wildberry fritter, and the yin yang twist.  my favorite? the salted caramel. definitely a yummy chocolatey and caramel treat.  it doesn't beat out my favorite doughnut ever :: red velvet from ike and jane in athens BUT it's the best doughnut in the city.

magic vinegar

over the past {almost} three years of being a wifey, i've been trying to learn all of those tips and tricks that all good moms and grandmothers know. you know like stain removal, how to treat burns, how to sew on a button, etc. i have a long way to come, but i did want to tell you about one of the new uses that i discovered for vinegar. 

i was washing colors one day and had these red pants in the mix with my favorite stripe shirt. you know where this is going - as i took out the clothes to put them in the dryer, my favorite stripe shirt's stripes had turned from white to pink! ahh rookie mistake. i had washed the red pants before, but alas, some of the dye had creeped over onto the only speck of white in the bunch - my stripe. 

it was late and i was planning on wearing my favorite stripe shirt the next day. so naturally i teared up and got really upset. sweet husband tried to calm me by saying things like "you can just buy another one" and "at least it wasn't expensive".  i had purchased the shirt at h&m months ago and new it was long gone, so i searched shop style, but found nothing but overpriced cotton shirts - nothing as good of a deal as my h&m find.

after trying to convince myself that it could now just be a pink and navy stripe shirt, i realized that i had to at least try to fix this.  after much googling, i discovered magic vinegar.  i've always known that vinegar was great and that it had many uses. however, i did not know it could pull out die from clothes {and make them really soft, too!} so, after i had washed the shirt twice and hopelessly sprayed stain remover on it, i grabbed my bottle of vinegar and got to work ::

1. fill pot with water 

2. add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar

3. bring to a boil

4. add the garment

5. turn down the heat a little

6. let garment sit for about 10 minutes

7. pull out garment to see if any of the pink dye has transferred to the water

8. dump out pink water 

9. repeat until all dye is removed!

bravo magic vinegar, bravo.

i apologize for no before pictures of the pink stripe shirt. i was too distraught at the time to think about blogging this :) 

sweet treat

this weekend we had our first cupcake experience in the city. we decided to try out our neighborhood smallcakes. the shop wasn't anything spectacular, but wow can they make a cupcake! we chose decadent fudge, strawberry, and birthday cupcake for tyler's mom's birthday. the cakes were so moist and the frosting was amazing. definitely way better than gigi's!!! now if they could only make a strawberry cake with that fudge icing...chocolate covered strawberry perhaps? i need to go back soon and tell them...

ode to oats

so lately i have been really into oatmeal.

oatmeal, you say?

yes, oatmeal.

i used to hate it,

but now i love it.

lately, i have been trying a lot of new foods

that i thought i didn't like

only to find out that i love them now!

for example, peaches. hello!

why have i deprived myself from peaches my entire life???

the texture of them used to make me cringe,

but now i really like them.

other new faves: lemon in my water, pimento cheese {!!!}, and scallops.

i know, i know

i'm growing up.

okay, back to the purpose of this post:

i figured i'd tell you about my favorite brand and flavor of oatmeal.

i have only tried a few, and i am hooked

on publix's organic maple brown sugar.

even though i have two months of school under my belt,

5:45 am never is fun...

thankful for sweet, hot oatmeal to wake me up!

confession: these past three weeks have been very busy and we have not been here very much. okay, so only once. but don't worry, we have made time for this:

yep, the best ice cream you could every buy at the grocery store. check it out. you won't be disappointed!

when i saw the commercial for this about a month ago, i knew i had to try it. i have been a maybelline mascara user my entire makeup career, and this is by far the best mascara they have ever made. i typically buy the double sided tube - the one that you prime first, and then darken your lashes. "falsies" not only cuts my application time in half, but also gives even better volume and length! i love it. i look forward to putting on mascara now.

p.s. i tried to take a picture of my lashes to show you the results, but my eyeball just looked too weird. feel free to stare at my lashes next time you see me or try it out yourself! as always, if you do try it, let me know what you think!

meet the parker bowls.

we got these as a wedding gift from crate and barrel, and they are my favorite bowls ever! we use them for everything and the fun colors make the cooking process so cheery. i also love how they come in all different sizes and are great for prep work. these bowls are also durable and reasonably priced at $36.95 for the set of five. each season, crate and barrel makes them in different colors and shades, which is also fun! get you some parker bowls today!

well geeze, when was the last time i did one of these?!

okay, so yay, product reviews are back! not that they ever really disappeared, i just forgot about doing them. in the summer time i have plenty of time to shop, read magazines, and find new products to try. during the school year, the only shopping i do is at the market and that is a chore in itself!

we recently crossed over to the organic side of life, thanks to earth fare coming to town. the only thing that was ever holding us back from shopping organic was the price difference; but after we made the switch we realized that we weren't spending that much more money each week eating organically compared to conventionally. we also realized we were buying less junk and wasting less food.

y'all know that we love good food, love to cook, and earth fare has introduced us to some of the yummiest food we have ever had! plus, we have felt a lot better, health wise. not convinced yet? then you need to watch food inc. and food matters, two wonderful documentaries. they are very eye opening and really challenged me to look at what i am putting into my body. if we really believe that our bodies are temples and that we need to be good stewards of the earth, then we needed to change.

we like to call this process "becoming granola". it is so funny to me because for the first 22 years of my life i was the pickiest eater ever and my diet consisted mostly of bland, yellow foods, and now i am trying to spread the word on how to be healthy. knowledge is power and it is our job as the consumer to know what we are eating.

okay, so back to the product. this is the BEST CHOCOLATE MILK YOU WILL EVER TASTE. i am not kidding. run to your nearest earth fare {i bet whole foods has it too} and get you some. it is so thick and creamy - think melted down milkshake good. it is a perfect after workout treat or dessert. it comes from homestead creamery in virginia and is packaged in glass jugs that you can return for a deposit. so fun!

as always, let me know your thoughts!

bonobos: the better fitting pant

hello there blog readers! do you know any men in your life that need better fitting pants? tired of the pleats and saggy bottoms? well, then bonobos is what you need! it is a new men's fashion company, started by a really cool group of men out of new york. their store is online, and they are known for their wonderful customer service. they have free shipping both ways, which makes shopping online effortless. they also have a variety of different materials and looks and all of their products are of great quality. my husband started wearing bonobos clothes about a year ago, and he swears by them. while they are known for their great fitting pants, bonobos also sells shorts, shirts, shoes, and a variety of other items for men.

if you are interested, go to this link and receive $50 off your first perchase of $100 or more!

my version of a base coat.

now they always say that you should put a base coat on before painting your nails.  but who has time for that? well i was in target the other day and after thumbing through their small opi collection, i went over to the sally hansen section. i have never used one of their nail polishes before, but the words "maximum growth plus" just caught my eye.  now, i could be open to the idea of putting on a base coat if it was going to strengthen and improve my nails.  i chose the color "innocent nude" and i love it!  it is a great natural look on its own {like an american manicure in one step} and when i use it as a base coat, the opi color goes on smoother and it only takes one coat.  talk about a win-win situation.

my fave towels.

i have to give credit to my mom.  she introduced me to these girls when i was registering for our wedding.  the brand is royal velvet and they are called the duet towels.  you can find them at good ole bed, bath, and beyond.  they are super soft and absorbent and come in an array of colors.  what more can you ask for in a towel?  so if you are in the market for some new towels, check these out!

my new lip obsession. 

i am typically a burt's bees that's all i need girl, but i am in love with something new.  brace yourself ladies, it's a lipstick! when i hear the word 'lipstick' i definitely think of an older generation.  lipstick is supposed to be dry and get stuck on your teeth.  oh how i have seen the light! i was perusing the aisles of ulta, coupon in hand, trying to find a pale pink lip for the summer.  i gravitated towards one of my favorite brands, two faced.  it is a line from london {of course} and i currently use one of their blushes called "georgia peach".  i started at the lip glosses, but i am not a huge fan of them because of their stickiness and how gloppy they can feel on my lips {hence why i typically stick with burts}.  then i glanced at the lipsticks and found their line called "lip of luxury". okay. i read on and it said "A luxe champagne-infused lipstick".  i was hooked.  i choose the color "free love" and it is the perfect pale pink for my lips.  it was kinda pricey, but since the only make up i have bought in the last 4 years lip wise has been a couple tubes of chapstick, i decided it would be worth it.  i am so glad that i bought this! it is so light and smooth and i have loved wearing it.  if you don't have an ulta near you, you can also find two faced products at sephora and online at their website.  

the lipstick in action

my new favorite o.p.i. color: dulce de leche

i have been in love with o.p.i. ever since i was old enough to have my mom paint my nails.  the names are so fun and the quality is amazing.  i dream of collecting all of the fabulous colors and displaying them in my bathroom one day.  if you are in the market for the perfect neutral nail for summer, "dulce de leche" is your girl.

i love my new face wash. i could spend hours in the store just looking at all of the different skin care products. however, switching products can be very intimidating. when the bottle is slowly emptying and i am desperately squeezing every lost drip out of it to avoid spending more money on yet another product, i am forced to make a decision. do i love this product enough to buy it again? is there something better or cheaper out there? i am not a huge magazine fan, but one thing i love about them is the product advertisement and reviews.

currently, i had been using cetaphil face wash. the smell of cetaphil was kinda getting on my nerves and it just wasn't doing much for me, skin wise. so, when i ran out of my cetaphil face wash, i was eager to try a new product. when i was standing in the skin care aisle, i was torn between fighting annoying pimples and preventing the future wrinkle. no, i am not a teenager anymore clearasil, and no i am not 40 years old either, olay regenerist. which product to choose? finally, i found her. the perfect combo: neutrogena healthy skin: anti-wrinkle, anti-blemish. since switching over, my skin has felt so much better!

i have always enjoyed experimenting with new products and searching for which brand makes the best product. i wish i could get paid to try all of the different products out there and write reviews for them. just walking down the soap aisle overwhelms me! there are so many choices to choose from and i wish i could try them all. i typically just go with what i grew up with or whatever is on sale. i love hearing about new products and finding ones that i can't live without. so, i figured i share some of my favorite finds from time to time!


i want to start off by telling you about my new favorite chocolate chip cookies. they are the wonderful, convenient "break-n-bake" style, but they almost taste homemade! they bake in no time and i always take my cookies out early so they can harden but not be crunchy. i also like how thin, yet big these cookies are. they are perfect for making ice cream sandwiches! pillsbury also offers so many coupons for their products that i almost got these for free. so, if you are a cookie fan like myself, you have got to try out these! they are simply delicious!