Recent Target gems + Why Target may think that I have a drug problem.

If you know me at all, you are aware of my love for Target. Despite making the contents of our bank account evaporate, Target is one of my very favorite places to go. I feel that going to Target is a very good exercise in self-restraint, as I could easily spend over $1000 per trip if I had my way, but nope, I'm a good girl and can restrain myself to $50-$100 per trip. See how much restraint I'm showing? Husband just does not understand. 

Anyway, here are a few gems that I picked up on my latest Target binge  trip:

This lovely melamine tray. How much do you all love this one? The colors are absolutely perfect for my kitchen, and the pattern is just so fun. I plan on sticking this bad boy in the middle of my kitchen table, topped with a few to-be-purchased accessories. 

Oh goodness, this hand soap has the best smell. Watch out, Bath and Body Works. It smells just like a yellow Skittle tastes, if that's possible. And it's cheap to boot, which is a double win. If they sold this soap in gallon jugs, I would definitely buy it, no lie. 

Are these cute little boy shoes or what? I'm telling you, it is not easy to find darling clothes or shoes for little boys. It's like the stores wasted all their creativity designing cute things for little girls that they just say, "Uhhhhhh, let's make a solid colored t shirt, slap an animal or superhero on it and be good to go." 

So when I find something like these cute shoes- you know, any clothes with a type of attractive material, pattern, or the like I am immediately pleased and feel a strong need to buy it. Luckily, Dylan was actually in need of new shoes, so I didn't feel frivolous picking these ones up. Done and done.

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And on to part 2 of this post, "Why Target may think that I have a drug problem." Let's go back to January 2005. Ben and I had been married for about 5 seconds, and I was in desperate need of employment. I had filled out bunches of applications and had been called in for an interview at Target. I aced the interview, and was given a job. I accepted on the spot, and they told me that I would need to pass a drug test at a local drug testing site before I would be able to start my training. 

An hour after my job offer at Target, I had an interview with Dillard's. I aced this interview as well, and was offered a job. Wow, two job offers in one day! Great, huh? When I found out that Dillard's would be paying me about $2 more per hour, I accepted the job on the spot. 

I immediately discarded the idea of working for Target, as I was now a married adult child woman, who needed to make some money. I never completed the requested drug test, or even contacted anyone at Target about my change of heart. About a week later I received a letter in the mail stating that due to my lack of compliance with their company drug policy I would be terminated as an employee. Whoops.

Am I Right?

My sister Sarah and I were talking yesterday and we came up with a brilliant "said no one ever" addition. Am I right?

The Wonder Years.

On Friday, Dylan and I walked to the nearby elementary school for some playground fun. The weather was nice, and we had the whole playground to ourselves. I ended up getting all sentimental while we were there... just thinking about how wonderful our life is, and how happy we are. I know that most days are busy and full, and I feel like I just move through the day with a smile on my face, not really thinking about life, but just living it. There's nothing wrong with that, but I feel like it's important to stop for a minute every so often and just take it all in. So during this playground trip- just one of dozens we've had this year- I took it all in. Life is so good, and I love my little family. 

And lest you think that my life is picture perfect, please know that Dylan is a normal two year old who refuses to eat most things, eats his boogers (ugh, so foul), and throws tantrums when life just gets too tough:

Lately...

1. The weekend before last, my friend Stacey and I, along with our kiddos, headed down to Parowan for a girl weekend with our pal Heather and her kiddos. The weekend was low-key and tons of fun. We went to the park on Saturday evening and I snapped the most adorable picture of Dylan:

Goodness, my child is cute.

2. My July Birchbox arrived today and I am in love. Seriously, I feel like it's the best $10 spent every month out of the "frivolous, not necessary" category of my budget. Get excited for a full post on my box within the next few days.

3. Tonight I am making, without a doubt, the most fattening dinner I have ever made, slow-cooker beef short ribs. Remember the post about the amazing amount of beef we were given? Yep, I'm using it up. I'm trying my hand at beef short ribs, and I found a recipe with great reviews. The unfortunate part? It comes with nutritional information attached, which is appalling. Ugh, I didn't need to know. To prepare for said fatty meal, I went to the gym in the morning and had a spinach smoothie for lunch. Let's hope that this dinner tastes as good as it looks:

4. I stumbled upon this blog today thanks to my lovely sister Sarah. Yesterday we were talking about over the top parties and my unsuppressable (is that a word?) need for big, somewhat elaborate birthday parties. Dylan turns 3 in September and the idea of a low-key celebration is almost beyond my comprehension. I just love parties that much. Also, I realize that living in Utah Valley puts me in an odd bubble where a seemingly typical child party here equals ridiculous and over the top everywhere else. Such an odd place I live in.

5. I know that I'm a few years late to this party, but I really want a maxi dress (or 5!). I've always thought that at 5'4" I would be too short for a long dress to look flattering, but my mind has been changed. I've got my eye on this cute, inexpensive maxi from Old Navy:

6. On the same blog mentioned in #4, I found a free, hilarious printable that I definitely downloaded and sent to a few of my favorite out of town girls. Love this.

That's all I've got. Have a great Tuesday!

Better late than never...June Birchbox!

So I'm a little behind in my blogging. My last post was about May's vacation, today is about last month's Birchbox. A little tardy, but whatevs... better late than never. 

Here's a look at my June Birchbox:

Here's the verdict:

Loved

- Number 4 hair prep & protect. Makes my hair feel and smell great! I'll be super sad when this stuff runs out

- theBalm lip stain. A really great lip stain. Such a fun color and it lasts all day. 

-tili Bags fancy bag. Like a super-duty ziplock with fun colors and patterns. A great way to stash my plethora of beauty samples. 

Liked

- Beautyblender cleanser. I know that cleaning your brushes/blenders is necessary, but it's not that fun. Happy to have it, but it didn't make me scream with excitement. 

-John Varvatos cologne. This wasn't for me, it was for Benjamin. It was a nice smell, but not quite Ben's style.

Loathed

Comodynes tan towels. Holy cow. I was super nervous about how these would work, so I just tried them on my legs rather than the whole bod. Good thing. Take a look at my results:

That would be super dark knees, accented with random white splotches. Pay no mind to the less than smooth legs. 

Back to the Homeland (part 1).

At the end of May, Ben, Dylan, and I were able to fly to Indiana to spend some time with the familia. I had not been home since last December, so it was definitely time for a visit. Isn't it funny that ever after nine years of living in Utah, I still refer to Indiana as home? I think that it will always be home to me, no matter how long I'm away.

There are so many things that I miss about living in Indiana. Family is the obvious #1, but there's something about the feel of the surroundings and all the memories that are tied to nearly every corner of my hometown. I love it and I miss it. 

Ok, back to business- this post isn't meant to be a mushfest of how homesick feel, even after all these years in Utah.

 Dylan and I flew out of the Provo airport a few days before Ben. Even though I've flown alone with Dylan quite a few times, I always get a little nervous that he'll turn into a demon child on the flight. Luckily that was not he case- he was a model citizen on the plane and actually spent the first 30 minutes of the flight looking at the emergency flight manual- ha!

Dylan was very concerned about our safety.

We spent a few days at my parent's house- swimming, shopping, eating, and cousin time were all on the agenda. As mentioned before, Dylan is absolutely and completely obsessed with my dad. He loves his Pico so much and wanted to be with him all. day. long. We also spent time with one of our favorite people on the planet- Brent. 

After a few days in Indiana, we headed on to Ohio, which is where the fun continued....

Part 2 is coming soon.... and by soon I mean within the next week. My blogging skills are at an all-time low, I believe. 

On the Fourth.

Yesterday, Ben and I decided to host a party that we have never hosted before- a 4th of July party! We kept the group small-  we had three other young families in our neighborhood come over for food and fun. I cooked up some treats, and Ben manned the grill for some great dinner. Our guests were also so kind to bring delicious food to add as well. 

You know me and parties- I cannot pass up the opportunity for some party decorations and using some ideas found on Pinterest. I was also able to re-use some of the decorations I had used for Dylan's birthday party last year. I knew all that burlap would come in handy again!

Here's a look at our fun holiday party:

 I was actually pretty proud of myself with sticking to a strict decor budget- reusing things I had on hand or printing things off the computer, and only making a few purchases. 

 I found the idea for red, white, and blue strawberries on Pinterest (of course)- they were a big hit, especially with the kids. And do you see the watermelon in the corner? Not any old watermelon- it's hollowed out and filled with fruit salad. Made me feel a little Martha with that one. 

 The chocolate covered pretzels were delicious, although they got really mushy in the 500 degree heat. Wait it wasn't 500 degrees? Sure felt like it! The cute printable was also found on (you guessed it) Pinterest. 

 Let me tell you guys, this cake was a work of art. It has three layers- one red, one white, and one blue. So. Dang. Patriotic. 

See? Such beauty! I want to sing "God Bless America" just by looking at it!

 Here are my super-budget centerpieces- glitter paper, vases filled with red candy (Dylan called them his vitamins and ate the candy by the handful), with a few little flags. 

Here we are! I feel like there are never any pictures of me, because I'm always behind the camera! I was originally planning on wearing a completely different outfit, but since the heat was borderline ridiculous, I chose an ensemble that wouldn't show my sweat-monster tendencies. Yup, true story.

And here is the man-child Dylan. He was so excited for the party, especially because it meant that he would be able to sample some of the treats he had watched me make earlier that day. He played hard with all the other kids- so much, in fact, that he required a wardrobe change by hour 2 of the party. 

Oh wait, how about some pictures of our fabulous (and hilarious!) guests:

 Cami and Seth 

Lauren and Clayton (who cracked us up with his many stories... I don't think I'll ever forget the Wyoming port-a-potty one!)

Michael and Kim

And now for some fun.... kid-friendly fireworks! I was overjoyed that there were no trips to the ER!