Last Day to Sign Up for the Galentine's Blogger Exchange

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a long week of Christopher on nights, and I haven't been feeling well, so I decided to take today off from doing a Friday Favorites post. I did want to post a reminder that today is the last day to sign up for the Galentine's Blogger Exchange hosted by me and Mattie at Northwest Native. We are going to have a great time, and I hope you join us!

The Details: 

Our Galentine’s Blogger Exchange is a fun opportunity to get to know another blogger! We will also be having a linkup, so everyone can see the great gifts you picked out. 

When: 
1/30: Signups close
2/1: We will e-mail you your person by this date
2/12: Deadline to ship your package
2/26: Show off your gift by linking up with us! 

How much will it cost me? 
We have set a minimum of $20. If you would like to spend more, you are more than welcome to do that, but please don’t expect anyone to spend more than $20. 

Am I sending to/receiving from the same person?  
No, this is a Secret Santa exchange. This way, you get to know two people! 

Should I contact the blogger that I am her partner?  
If you need to contact your blogger, please do it through the Elfster site. We want your identity to be a surprise!

How do I tell my partner what I'd like?
Elfster has a great wish list tool where you can add items to your wish list! You can also send a message to your partner through Elfster without knowing who she is.


Click here to sign up for the exchange

January 2016 PopSugar Must Have Box Review

This is the first time in a long time where I’m bummed about most of the contents of my PopSugar box. I ended up loving just one of the items and thought the rest of the items in the January box were just OK.

Note: This post contains referral links. If you decide to purchase a PopSugar box, I would love it if you used my link.

Blue Sky Day Designer Weekly Planner ($16):
If this planner was in the November or December 2015 box, I would have been ecstatic. It’s in my favorite color, and I love that it has a “to-do” section for every day with boxes to check when I am finished. My problem is that I already have two planners (a blog planner and a life planner), and I can barely keep up with writing in those. I might have to switch to this one though because of the color and to-do section.

Not Soap, Radio Bath and Shower Gel Gift Set ($22): I
t’s hard for me to get excited about a shower gel set because it’s something people constantly give as gifts. I do like the names and smells of this set though.

Liquid Freud (coconut milk mango + vanilla)
When life gives you one too many lemons (lemon + sugar)
To sleep full of sweet dreams (lavender + clementine)
Bathing with sharks (beach + sky blue water)
Awash in a field of four-leaf clover (green & white tea + clover)

Patchology FlashMasque Trio ($20): 
This trio features a hydrating masque, exfoliating masque, and an illuminating masque. My problem with it is that I never get around to using facial masks. I have about a million from Birchbox, Ipsy, and gifts, so I don’t really need anymore.

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo ($18.99 retail): 
Honestly, I don’t see myself reading a 200-page book about organizing. I think it’s hilarious PopSugar included this book since I don’t think the author would approve of getting subscription boxes.

Pehr Designs Pebble Speck Bin ($40): 
This is by far my favorite item in the box. It covers the cost of the whole box, is really adorable, and is something I wouldn’t have purchased for myself. It’s also large and sturdy, which is a big win in my book.

Project 7 Summer Snow Sugar Free Gum ($2):
This is a total Christopher item, so I am going to give it to him.

Special Extra: ChapStick Total Hydration 100% Natural Soothing Vanilla ($2.99): 
I believe you can never have too much chapstick, so I liked this extra.

What do you think of the items? Am I being too harsh on this box?

Ten (More) Random Facts About Me

I had fun sharing ten random facts about myself back in August, so today, I thought I would share ten more!

One. 
I prefer cold weather to hot weather. Sweater weather and feeling cozy is the best.

Two. 
I hate my name in English, but I love it in Russian. In Russian, my name has a soft sign in it to make the “g” sound nicer.

Three.
I’m allergic to mushrooms, including cream of mushroom soup.

Four. 
My favorite flowers are stargazer lilies. I love the way they look and smell.

Five. 
I recently started drinking my English breakfast tea with half and half in it, and now it’s my favorite way to start the day.

Six. 
I don’t like watching TV much except the news and sports (I’d rather read or go out), but Christopher loves it, so I’m learning to like it. I still can’t watch TV without being on my phone or my computer.

Seven. 
Going along with number one, we keep our place cold. In the summer, it has to be 70 degrees or below, and in the winter, its in the 60s.

Eight. 
My nicknames in high school were Oggie and OMG (my initials with my maiden name). It’s so weird when someone calls me Oggie now.

Nine. 
My favorite books to read are historical fiction, especially about World War II.

Ten. 
Even though all of our major events are in July, it’s not my favorite month because of the crazy heat in Texas that time of the year. October is my favorite month of the year.

Now it's your turn! Tell me something about you.

Friday Favorites: Announcing the Galentine’s Blogger Exchange

Happy Friday, y’all. I hope everyone had a great week. Christopher is on an ICU month, so his schedule has been crazy lately, but we are managing. It does get hard when you get invited to go places as a couple over the weekend, and he has no days off for several weeks, but I am still working on positivity and enjoy the time we do get together.

/ / One
Christopher bought me a wok for Christmas, and I am obsessed with creating sauces and new recipes. Once I’m done experimenting, I can’t wait to share some of my creations with y’all.

/ / Two
If you have been curious about the PopSugar Must Have Box, right now is a great time to get one. Anyone who uses my referral link and purchases a subscription today will receive the Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London Cheekbone Cheat Blusher Bronzer Duo (affiliate link). It’s a $32 value and almost covers the cost of the box. I would also receive the product as a referral gift, so it’s a fun deal.

Click here to use my referral link and get a free blusher bronzer duo

/ / Three
Along with the stir fry recipes, I have been into cookbooks lately. Soul Food Love by Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams is a combination of family history and delicious recipes. It tells the story of five kitchens. Each recipe has a few paragraphs detailing the family history behind it, which I loved to read.

My favorite part is that these recipes are healthy and not just recipes we could make on cheat days. I love that there is a section called “for a crowd” specifically about cooking for a large amount of people. Some recipes that have caught my eye so far are the peanut chicken stew, poet’s pot pie, and the honey peanut brittle. My only complaint is that I like for each recipe to have a phot with it, but I understand why they didn’t do it because the cookbook is already over 200 pages!


I received this cookbook through Blogging for Books, but all opinions are my own.

/ / Four 
I love giving Skyler unique treats, so when I saw the Dr. Harvey’s Organic Coconut Smiles Dog Treats, I was curious if she would like them. She was a huge fan. I handed her the treat, and she broke the treat up into pieces by herself to eat it. It was interested to watch because she usually gobbles up her treats all at once.

I love that the treat is made in the United States from one ingredient-dehydrated coconut. It also supports digestive and intestinal health and is a natural source of fiber. Although the treats are a little pricey, I liked them so much I will be purchasing them for Skyler in the future.

I received the Dr. Harvey’s Organic Coconut Smiles Dog Treats from Chewy, but all opinions are my own. 

/ / Five
I am so excited to announce that Mattie from Northwest Native and I are hosting another gift exchange! We had so much fun hosting the Blogger Christmas Cheer Exchange in December and several ladies told us they would love to have another exchange, so we are hosting the Galentine’s Blogger Exchange.

The Details:

What: Our Galentine’s Blogger Exchange is a fun opportunity to get to know another blogger! We will also be having a linkup, so everyone can see the great gifts you picked out.

When: 
1/30: Signups close
2/1: We will e-mail you your person by this date
2/12: Deadline to ship your package
2/26: Show off your gift by linking up with us!

How much will it cost me? 
We have set a minimum of $20. If you would like to spend more, you are more than welcome to do that, but please don’t expect anyone to spend more than $20.

Am I sending to/receiving from the same person?  
No, this is a Secret Santa exchange. This way, you get to know two people!

Should I contact the blogger that I am her partner?  
If you need to contact your blogger, please do it through the Elfster site. We want your identity to be a surprise!

How do I tell my partner what I'd like?
Elfster has a great wish list tool where you can add items to your wish list! You can also send a message to your partner through Elfster without knowing who she is.

Click here to sign up for the exchange

Linking up with Amanda, Karli, and the High Five for Friday girls.

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!

The Dog Behind the Blog: Get to Know Skyler

I was talking to a blogger friend recently and when Skyler came up, she told me she had no idea I had a dog. I mostly just talk about her in my Friday Favorites posts, so today I wanted to share more about my favorite pup.

She’s a corgi mix. We have no idea what she’s mixed with, but our guesses are border collie, collie, or dachshund. We’ve heard all kinds of funny suggestions, but my favorite is when people tell me she’s part fox. Christopher and I joke that we need to start a collection fund in our building for a DNA test because we get asked what kind of dog she is at least three times a day.

We originally wanted her sister. We got her from a humane society that doesn’t have a physical building (they foster all their animals and host adoption events. We went to the adoption event to look at her sister, but her sister was extremely shy and traumatized, which Christopher and I thought could be hard for our first dog together. As we were walking by to leave, Skyler starting pawing at her cage. I asked to play with her and fell in love right away. After an application and a home visit, we got to pick her up on my 22nd birthday!

A photo of Skyler on the day we got her.

We named her Skyler because that was her name when we got her, and we liked it. We didn’t have a name in mind and thought it would be easier on Skyler since she already knew her name.

She is insanely soft. Once I even had someone ask me to collect her fur, so she could use it to make socks, which was honestly a little creepy.

She’s turning five in March, and I can’t believe we’ve had her for so long. She was four months old when we got her.

Skyler’s bark sounds like it’s coming from a massive dog. People are always shocked when they realize she’s the one barking.

She weighs about 18 pounds, but she’s super long. Her little body can take up a huge chunk of the bed.

She loves to run and is crazy fast. She loves having other dogs chase her at the dog park, but no one can ever catch her. I’ve even considered putting her in an agility class.

I have about a million nicknames for her, but the one I use the most is Sky Sky.

She is obsessed with blankets. If I leave the couch, I will come back to find her wrapped up in my blankets.

She has a big personality. She’s both sassy and super sweet. She is super protective of me and makes me laugh every day.

Now it’s your turn. Tell me about your furbabies.

A Snowy Fairytale: Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany

It has been snowing all week in Chicago, and I’ve been daydreaming about our time in Europe and our day at Neuschwanstein Castle. It was one of my top five European travel moments, and an experience I will always treasure.

We visited Neuschwanstein Castle on a three-day weekend trip to Munich and Salzburg by taking the train from Munich to Fussen, which took about two hours. Then, we took the bus into Schengau for a couple Euros.

As soon as we got off the bus, we ran to get hot chocolate to warm up and feel cozy. I noticed a sign offering horse-drawn carriage rides up to the castle, which sounded like the perfect transportation to a fairytale castle. I will never forget sipping on my hot chocolate with Christopher and our friends, watching the snow lightly falling as Neuschwanstein Castle came into view. I could have sat in that carriage all day snapping photos of Neuschwanstein. The exterior is so stunning, and there is nothing like seeing it for the first time. The horse-drawn carriage only dropped us off halfway to the castle, but it wasn’t a long walk to get to the top of the hill.

We took the tour of the inside of the castle, but honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it. King Ludwig II died (under mysterious circumstances) before the inside was completed, so there isn’t much to see. I did think it was interesting to learn more about King Ludwing II and his obsession with swans (there are swans all over the castle) and Richard Wagner (my favorite part of the castle were the frescoes depicting scenes from Richard Wagner’s operas).

Other than the ride to the castle, my favorite part of the day was taking photos from the Marienbrücke (Queen Mary’s Bridge), which offers seriously stunning views of Neuschwanstein Castle. The bridge was a little high and not the best for my fear of heights, but it was worth it to get some of my favorite photos from our time in Europe (Let's just ignore my messy travel hair and that our friends didn't know how to use my DSLR, so the photos of us are blurry, shall we?).

We capped off the fairytale by warming up at a café with mulled wine and wiener schnitzel before heading off for more adventures in Munich.

What is one of your favorite travel moments?

Friday Favorites: Favorite Winter Etsy Finds

Happy Friday, friends! Now that Christmas is over, I have been thinking of decorating our place for winter. With the cold weather we have been having in Chicago lately, I love cute, cozy decorations that make it easier to stay inside. Today, I wanted to share some of my latest finds.

/ / One 
My kitchen is light blue and gray, so this printable would be perfect. It has snowed here quite a bit lately, and I’m not sick of it yet. It just makes the city look so beautiful.

/ / Two 
I love burlap, so this snowflake burlap pillow makes me happy.

/ / Three
I am obsessed with printables, and Chris and use the phrase “cold hands, warm hearts” all the time, so this printable would work well at our place.

/ / Four
I have been looking for a wreath that would work for both Christmas and winter, and I think this one fits the bill. I love the sparkle but think it is generic enough for winter use.

/ / Five 
If I had a mantle, I would be buying this decoration right now. It would be so cute at Christmas and would work for winter décor as well.

Do you decorate for winter?

Linking up with Amanda, Karli, and the High Five for Friday girls.

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!