Living a simple and grapeful lifestyle
Welcome my fellow winos and foodies and everything in between. My name is Kim and I may become your new best friend. I am just throwing that out their into the universe. I want this to be a safe space and positive space. I am so excited to be doing this and to share all things wine and lifestyle with you. Thank you for joining in and following me along on this journey.
Welcome to another Stitch Fix unboxing. I received some great items in this box. It’s rare that I don’t love everything in the box. This box was mostly casual pieces. But items that were nice to have to add to my wardrobe.
The first item was a pair of white shorts by Lila Ryan. They are nice and stretchy for my curvy body type. The leggings in this box by T4T are so comfy and soft. They are definitely for more of a Netflix binge watching session. I was surprised I liked the dress in this box so much. When I pulled it out I thought I was going to hate it on me but its actually a really great dress. Its by Market & Spruce. The next item was a rain coat by RD Style. It is super light weight. Its perfect for summer hot days in Buffalo when its super muggy and hot and its raining. The last item is a knit pullover by Market & Spruce as well. This is another errand running or hanging out and watching Netflix item for me. it is comfy and soft.
I love this box so much and I have tried Trunk Club, Wantable and Daily Look. Stitch Fix wins every time for me.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Sorry I am late to the game for June favorites. I was swept away in the beauty of Oregon. I was able to do a little bit of work but I was enjoying my time with friends and family.
I have another 10 items that I was really loving this month that I even used a lot on my trip to Oregon. So lets get in to it,
The first item is a leather jacket. I wont be able to link this below because I actually got this in my Stitch Fix box. I wore it out one night and I got a lot of compliments and questions on where I got it. I love this jacket because it will dress up any outfit. Every girl needs a good leather jacket.
The next item is a book. Its called “Everyday Positive Thinking” its by Louise Hay. Its more of a motivational quick flip to a quote. What I do with this is I read it in the morning and I ask the universe what message I need to hear and I flip through till it feels good to stop and it really is a message I need to hear. They are all great positive quotes that feel so good to read in the morning. It starts my day on the right foot.
I bought a new pair of cowgirl boots and I am obsessed with them! They are stunning. I wore them to Taste of Country in Buffalo and I received a lot of compliments on these! Ariat did a great job designing these bad boys.
If you had to purchase anything from this post this next item would be it. For my fellow winos this item is for you. Its a wine bottle and tumbler made by hydro flask. I mentioned it in a post when I first started this blog and I use it a lot. If I am going to a friends house and I want to keep my wine cold I pour it in the hydro flask wine bottle and if I know I will be outside I take the tumblers with me. The tumblers have lids so that is nice as well.
I hope a lot of you enjoy kombucha. I love it. I actually have had kombucha and beer together and it was a very good combo. Buffalo NY has a local kombucha place called Bootleg Bucha. They came out with a kombucha with hemp in it. If you are into the CBD world this would be cool for you to try if you live in the Buffalo area. I don’t think its sold in our local grocery stores I think its just at there specific location where they brew and sell. They have 3 flavors ginger, original and pineapple. On a side note to CBD I am thinking of doing a post on it because I have had a different reaction to it than most people have. So stay tuned.
If any of you reading this have an iphone, how annoying is it when you are at an event, concert or festival and your phone dies because its drained from you posting to your instagram story? No? Just me? (lol) Anywho! If this happens to you, invest in a anker charging pack. I bought the big anker that is sold on amazon and a friend of mine actually uses there’s to power there tent when they go camping. It has been a life saver for the few trips I have taken and being stuck in an airport and trying to find an open plug to plug your phone in. The anker charges your phone pretty fast too which is better than a plug in switch. The only downfall is its kind of big but I have fit it in a small purse of mine but that means that the hair brush has to stay home (lol.)
I had to test this product out a few times before I talked about it because I wasn’t sure if it would work or not. I have been dabbling in collagen a bit from powder form, supplements and anything I can put on my face. This product is for your lips its by MURAD and I love this companies products. They make some really great skin care items. The lip product is called “rapid collagen infusion for lips.” You can wear it under your lipstick or chap stick. I have been using it in the morning as I am headed out for my day. I really like it! I find it makes my lips a little plumper so I think it really works. Its the perfect size too so it lasts a long time.
I love using vitamin c as part of my skin care routine and this product is the perfect thing to add to your skin care routine. Its a vitamin c toner by Avalon Organics. You may be able to find this in your local grocery store. I know its at wegman’s for me or I order it on amazon since I have prime. I like Avalon Organics products. I use there vitamin c eye cream as well.
The next product is a face product as well. I added it on to my spring box for FabFitFun. They are charcoal face wipes. One side of the face wipe’s are smooth and the other is bumpy to really get your makeup off. I actually like the feeling of the bumpy side because it feels like its exfoliating your face. I love a good face wipe but there really is nothing like washing your face with a good cleanser.
The last product in this post is by Four Sigmatic. I mentioned there mushroom matcha in my May favorites post. There Mushroom mocha with Chaga is delicious. I am not a coffee drinker and some how I love Four Sigmatic’s coffee products. I like the benefits of the different mushrooms they use in each product. They are clean and healthy products.
This was a quick read I hope for you. Glad you stopped by! 🙂
Items Mentioned:
Everyday Positive Thinking by Louise Hay
Rapid Collagen Infusion for Lips
Oh my damn! Is what I said after having all of these wonderful wines out of this box. I was so impressed by the collection of rosé they had picked out for this summer box. I wasn’t expecting to like them all and the red’s that were in the box. I couldn’t drink them all in one night. I split them up during a week span. Their were 9 wines to try. 1 white, 6 rosé and 2 reds. I started with the one that was listed on the tasting card as the first. It was a white wine. On the tasting card they break it down to what you will smell and taste in each wine. The white wine was Castillo de Benizar they described it as a straw yellow color. Elegant and fruity with a delicious floral note. I rated each out of 5 stars. 1 being horrible 5 being awesome. I gave the white wine a 4 because it had a weird start to it and ended very floral. I am not big on floral notes but I didn’t hate the wine. The 2nd wine was a rosé from Château de Brégancon. They described this wine with strawberry, flowers and a bright raspberry finish straight from Provence. I rated this one with 5 stars. I really liked this one it was very bright tasting.
I really enjoyed this whole box. It was a nice treat and a good way to try new wines. The 3rd wine I tried from Château Les Palais and they described it as watermelon Jolly Ranchers on a bed of pink flowers. A fun and expressive rosé. I gave this 5 stars and I couldn’t believe how much it tasted like Jolly Ranchers but was dry. I really want a bottle of it. The 4th wine was Adrien Vacher. They described it as rosé bursting with peach and blood orange from the base of the Alps. I definitely got the peach taste from it and this was another one that I gave 5 stars to. The 5th wine I tried was Bodegas Vinos Alex and they described it as full-bodied garnacha rose from Northern Spain. Floral and tart. I agree with all of their descriptions they gave on the wines. It was actually really straight and to the point and I found it way easier to understand each wine. This wine was so good. I gave it 5 stars. Their were only 2 wines I wasn’t overly in love with but didn’t hate them. 2 out 9 wines I think is really good.
The 6th wine was Castillo de Benizar. It is described as rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon, a rare treat with a hint of sweetness. I gave this 5 stars and I wrote on my card “How can a cab taste as good as a rosé!?!?!” This one had a unique taste but in a good way because you totally tasted the cab side of it as well as the sweet/rosé part. The 7th wine was La Serra, a rose petal colored, tropical fruit scented. Nebbiolo and Barberba in one glass. I wanted a hole bottle of this wine. It is definitely 5 stars. The 2 red wines were next. Ca de Lion was definitely a good summer red wine. Light but delicious. It is actually enjoyed chilled. I never drink red wine cold. I couldn’t believe how good this tasted cold. The last wine was Bodegas Vinos Alex a bright young red wine for sunshine was described by vinebox. It was a little too cherry tasting for me so I gave it 4 stars because I am not big on cherry flavored beverages.
Drum roll!!!!! The FabFitFun summer box is here!!!
This is one of my favorite subscription boxes out there. I would recommend this over a lot of boxes.
Lets get to it… This was definitely not as exciting as I was expecting it to be. I felt like it was a repeat of items from previous boxes and specifically the summer boxes. I feel like it could have been better. I didn’t totally hate it but I wasn’t as excited as I was about this box. I am VIP so I do get the choice of some items over others and I didn’t really like my choices. The total value of this summer box was $335.99. The items sent to me were tarte Pro To Go Eye shadow Palette. I really liked this palette because it is perfect for traveling and the shades on the palette were neutral so very easy to use but I could spice it up a bit if I needed to. The second item was tarte Sex Kitten Eyeliner. It is super cute because there is actually a cat face on the cap of it. I love liquid eyeliner so I was excited to receive this product. The third item was Jaboneria Marianella Body Caviar. I can’t wait to use this because I love a good exfoliating scrub for my skin and it has charcoal in it as well and I am curious how it will work on my problem areas that have cellulite. The fourth item was a wallet wristlet by Minor History Postscript. I wasn’t impressed by it because it was too small for my liking and I felt kind of pointless to use. I feel like I would have been more likely to lose that on a night out with friends because its so small so I gave it to a friend who liked it. The fifth item was Orlando Pita Play Atmos-shield hair protectant treatment spray. This item was well needed because I never use a heat protectant spray…oops!!! My hair is pretty shiny but it could use a protectant spray. The sixth item people were really raving about because it is a very expensive item and it was the FOREO LUNA! fofo. Its a bluetooth skin cleansing system that has an app. It analyzes your skin for you. I can’t wait to try it out and see how it works and if it helps my skin. The seventh item was COOLA Classic Face SPF 50 White Tea. This wasn’t too impressive to me because last year we got the same type of product. I understand that sunscreen for your face is important but I still think it was repetitive. The eighth item was a jewelry holder from Pier 1 Imports. We just got a jewelry holder in our winter or fall box so I wasn’t too excited about it since I just got a jewelry holder from FabFitFun in one of the boxes before this one. Its a cute jewelry holder because it has a marble pattern on it but I really didn’t need another one. The ninth item was a paper straw that supports the Wild Life Conservation Society. I wish they would have given a pack of them instead of just one. I understand it was for a good cause but it was super random. The last item was a beach towel from Summer & Rose. While it is cute I am pretty sure we got a towel in the last summer box for 2017. I am good on the beach towels for right now.
I know I was a little tougher on my review but I pay $179.99 a year for this box and I expect the best out of them and its not that it wasn’t their best I just think there were ideas lacking for what should be in the box for summer 2018. This is just an honest review. I can’t wait for the fall box this year. I do enjoy this box very much so. Definitely try it out and give it a shot! My opinion could have been totally different from someone else’s. I plan on being honest in my survey they send out for each box.
Thanks for stopping by and reading!
I can’t believe it’s already been 2 months since my husband and I took our epic trip to Europe. We traveled to London, Paris , Rome, Alberobello and Berlin. 4 countries in 14 days. Originally it was supposed to be 17 days but we came home early because it was a lot to take in and accomplish. But we had a blast and I am so grateful I was able to experience these 4 countries with my husband. We started our trip on March 6th and traveled from Buffalo NY with a rental car to Toronto Ontario. We found that it was much cheaper to do it this way rather than leaving from Buffalo and flying to JFK then to London. We left Toronto at around 8:30 at night and arrived in London the next day in the morning so we had the whole day to explore. We packed hiking back packs and it worked for some parts but other parts I wish I had a regular suit case because I could barely carry mine so my husband was carrying both and I would have the carry on’s most of the time. We made it work and we ended up buying a small carry on in Rome to use to get wine and olive oil home. That’s where my priorities were when I was in Italy.
First stop London.
We spent the day in London and made a lot of ground. I had to have fish and chips for lunch we went to Richoux and then stopped at a local bakery. There is way more things to see in London than I realized so we missed a lot of good stuff. We did well considering we had 24 hours pretty much and we had to deal with jet lag. Big Ben was unfortunately under construction of course. We still saw it since we were right near the Palace of Westminster. We walked so much that day. We rode the London Eye and that was a great experience. I am not a height person so at one point I had to sit down and play with my phone so I wouldn’t look up at how high I was. It freaked me out! It was absolutely amazing though. I do not regret it. I am actually glad I forced myself to go and I know my husband really enjoy it especially since I couldn’t make it to the top of the Eiffel Tower…
I so badly wish we had more time in London. I think it is an amazing city and I love the people there. They were so nice and welcoming. I love the royal history behind it all. It is so fascinating. We saw Buckingham Palace and were able to experience the change of guards. Some how my phone video tapped it upside down so I am so mad because apparently you can’t rotate videos on iPhone…. My husband and I ended up having Italian food for dinner that night at Hai Cenato. I know totally not the typical food we should have experienced but it was really good. We stayed at the Rydges Hotel for our first night. It was a cute small hotel. We noticed that all of Europe likes to sleep with high heat at night during the winter months.Which makes sense but I am talking 23 degrees Celsius which is 74 degrees Fahrenheit. This made for some restless nights.
We traveled to Paris on day 2 and when we landed and rode in our uber to our hotel Hotel Les Theatres. Our uber driver was nice but very aggressive when it came to driving. I was actually concerned for our safety because he was very upset with someone who kept cutting him off and he would speed up and try to make sure this guy couldn’t get in front of him it was honestly a little obnoxious. I just wanted to get to our hotel safely. I was just shocked at how aggressive he was. The couple of ubers we did take they were all very aggressive and kind of mean. When we arrived to our hotel it was very small but super cute. Lots of red and black details. The receptionist was so kind and she knew some english which was helpful. I so enjoyed listening to her talk though in french. It was beautiful. After we got settled in we made our way to a restaurant for our first crepes. If you are in Paris you definetly need to check this place out. It is cash only but it was delicious. The name of the place was Creperie Saint Eustache. They don’t have a website so I linked trip advisor and there’s a picture of the outside of it. It is so quaint. The crepes were phenomenal. After we had crepes we checked out the Musee du Louvre. It is a popular art museum. You could spend a whole day in that place there is so much to see. It was amazing. We did catcha glimpse of the Effile tower outside which was cool because thats what I really wanted to see and I had to take advantage of a cute picture with my husband as well. See pictures below of our time in Paris.
We had mexican for dinner in Paris and you may say “What the heck?” “Why mexican?” A coworker of my husbands recommended it because they came across it when they were in Paris traveling. If you didn’t know about it you would totally walk by it. I totally recommend you check this place out too. They had minimal seating but they had a bar in the back that had a really cool vibe to it. If I hadn’t had 2 margaritas already I would have totally stayed for another drink but what ever tequila they use or however much they use it was strong! The name of this place was Candelaria. I tried beef tongue for the first time after having a pork taco. I couldn’t believe that it was some of the best mexican food I have ever had. This owner was so kind and talented. I was so impressed. I asked her how to say phenomenal in French because we loved it so much. We walked to Catedral de Notre Dame Paris after. This church is stunning outside and inside. I made a donation so I could light a candle in honor of a few of my family members that have passed away.
On our last day in Paris we went to the Eiffel Tower the statue of liberty and a wine museum. The Eiffel tower is more stunning in person and at night. I am so grateful I was able to experience both versions. During the day and night. We only made it to the first level even after I had a glass of champagne to hopefully calm me down since I do not like heights. I definitely needed 2 or 3 glasses if I wanted to grow the gumption to go all the way to the top. It was amazing the little bit we did see. From there we walked to the Statue of Liberty. It was pretty cool but definetly thought it was going to be a little more exciting. It is small and its on such a high pedestal that you couldn’t get a decent picture. After this we walked to the wine museum. Musee du Vin Paris it was a neat spot. It felt like we were in a cave which I guess we were kind of since it was built into the side of the hill. We had a wine tasting after of a white wine that was delicious. I was hoping there was going to be more to the tasting aspect of it like 2 to 3 tastings. They didn’t have a lot of the information through out in the museum in english. I wish they would have because it would have been consistent with the rest of the tour since some of the information had English versions to read. It was fascinating to learn about how far back wine went. After the museum we ate our weight in crepes again. Thats all I would go back to Paris for honestly. I wasn’t impressed by the people and their hospitality. I felt like it was this terrible thing because we didn’t know how to speak their exact language. This crepe place was so good though. I had a cappucino and a savory and sweet crepe. Framboise Passy Trocadero was the name of the crepe place. It seemed to be the place for kids to come after school to hang out and have a crepe. I miss the crepes. We ended our last day in Paris by touring the Arc de Triomphe and we climbed to the top to look at the amazing views. It was absolutely stunning.
From Paris we traveled to Rome. I was in heaven. I love Italy. I have traveled to northern Italy before when I was in college I did a 10 day culinary tour. Rome and visiting Alberobello in Italy were my favorite part of the trip. Rome had more of a romantic vibe to me rather than Paris and Paris is the city of love. On our first day we went to a place for pizza. Unfortunately I didn’t write down the name nor did I tag it in a Facebook post and I am so mad I didn’t do it because it was the best pizza I have ever had. Even with having been in Italy before. We tried to see the Colosseum the first night but they close at 4. So we wandered around after lunch. We had dinner at a restaurant that we went back to a second time the next night it was so good. I loved the owner she was so sweet and bubbly. I asked both nights for recommendation on wine and we even bought a bottle from her to take home. The name of the restaurant is L’ Archetto di Cavour . I am actually shocked at the negative reviews on yelp about this restaurant. My husband and I had a totally different experience and I am so glad we had a great experience and enjoyed the food. The owner makes a lot of the food by hand. On our second night at the restaurant she offered us complimentary house made limoncello and I was so happy because that’s one of my favorite things. The hotel we stayed in was good but the website pictures did not match what the rooms actually looked like. It really wasn’t too bad at Hotel Nord Nuova Rom they offered a complimentary breakfast as well. The last full day in Rome we stopped by the Trevi Fountain. That is really stunning in person. For some reason in my head I thought it was in a bigger area. Definitely crowded with rude people because everyone is trying to get the perfect picture and the perfect picture of throwing a coin in the fountain. I highly suggest if you want this type of picture that you go early in the morning and maybe even possibly late at night before the sun goes down. This is also a good spot for pick pocketers which is a problem in general in Italy and Paris. After that we went to our 4 hour tour of the Colosseum. Oh my gosh that was phenomenal. The tour guide we had was so descriptive. He was really nice too. He really knew his history about the Roman Empire. He pointed out the spot where Julius Caesar was murdered and where his wife cleaned his body. Which is so crazy to me to have been right next to the spot where this all happened and went down in history. We had to buy carry on bag and I was able to buy a nice leather purse while we were in Rome. I can’t wait to go back to Rome again one day with my husband. It is absolutely beautiful.Â
From Rome we traveled to a town called Alberobello. I wanted to visit this town because this is where my family is from in Italy. I am so grateful I was able to have 2 nights in this town. It is small but absolutely beautiful with all the trulli houses covering it. Alberobello is 45 minutes from Bari Italy and is in the heal of the boot of Italy. Alberobello is known for the trulli houses because of the cone shaped roofs and white washed stone. We stayed in one of the trulli houses. Besides my pictures I posted definitely google Alberobello and check out the pictures of the town and the Puglia area. Definitely not as many people who speak English but that’s totally ok. We navigated pretty well but I definitely had a culture shock once we got there because the credit card machine wasn’t working at check in and we were low on euros so my anxiety was going through the roof. Luckily we still had a nice time and the credit card machine was working at check out. We ate local food and wine and tried to adventure around the small town as much as possible. We stayed at Trulli E Puglia Vacanze. On our first night my travel anxiety really set in and what brought me comfort was actually seeing double rainbows. We were checking out the gift shops and it randomly started to rain and it didn’t last long and when we walked out of the gift shop there were 2 rainbows next to each other and I just got so emotional because I never see double rainbows unless it’s something important and I just knew it was my grandma and aunt saying hi and welcome to our home. It was amazing.
From Alberobello we had a night in Rome that was quick and not that eventful and we just had dinner at our hotel and then we traveled to Berlin Germany the next day. Berlin Germany was very cool. I am sorry if my description of places is the same each time I am trying to branch out with my vocabulary but sometimes I can’t think of a word to describe it besides cool. I found Germany a little depressing feeling because of the horrific history attached to it. I didn’t exactly want to start this section with “Germany is depressing!” but that’s the vibe my husband and I both got. I mean it is a great city but every where you turn you are reminded of what happened. The reason for this trip was for a wedding we were invited to in Berlin so we made it a big trip to travel to other countries besides just Germany. It was a unique experience to be apart of a German wedding. Yes we didn’t understand everything but it was still a beautiful day. We stayed at the ibis Berlin City Potsdamer Platz. The local food was so good as well as the wine. I prominently had Rieslings. One of the restaurants we went to was Stone Brewing. This location is absolutely stunning how they have it decorated. I couldn’t believe how woodsy it felt and looked. I ate my weight in sausage and sauerkraut in Germany. We visited a memorial for the Jews that were killed in the holocaust which was really moving. We also saw victory tower.
We were supposed to have one more evening in London but our flight from Berlin to London was delayed and we didn’t get in till 10 and we ended up ordering pizza in. I was so bummed because I was looking forward to one last night but we were leaving the next day. The hotel we stayed in was beautiful. Actually one of the better ones we stayed in.
I can’t wait to experience another trip to Europe. My husband and I love to travel so I wonder where we will head to next! I am off to Oregon this week to visit friends and family.
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave comments about your experiences in these cities or questions.
My first favorites post!! Yay!
I still can’t believe this was the last day of May. I hope everyone had a really great month and summer is right around the corner! Anyone have big plans or big trips? I would love to hear about them. I am traveling to Oregon solo in a few weeks for my friends bachelorette party and to spend time with family and another friend. That’s the only trip I have planned right now. I hoping to make a trip to Iceland but I am not sure it will work out because my husband and I are headed to Texas for thew next wind farm project we will be on. Where I am from it feels like summer already started because of the heat we have been having. I have a mixture of stuff this month and I think that’s going to be my goal each month for favorites is just what I have been using that I like. Anything from food, music, makeup, podcasts and clothing/accessory items.
For May I have 9 favorites. The first item is a cross-body bag from My Tag Alongs. I will link everything below as well at the end. I took this bag with me to Seattle and I really wish I had had it for our trip to Europe it would have been perfect. It packs easy because it is thin. It looks great because its black and will match with everything. I could fit exactly what I needed in it. I couldn’t fit anything extra for just in case items like my normal purse. But it is definitely a good purse for either traveling and or a night out. This company also has a lot of other travel items. Definitely check them out. Below is a picture of me in Seattle with it out. I was outside of the original Starbucks.
My new favorite thing to have in the morning with breakfast is this turmeric blast shot that I found at my local grocery store. They are actually made locally to NY. Not locally to where I live but in the state so that is pretty cool. But for my local Buffalo peeps check your local Wegmans for this. I am big into cold pressed juices/shots. I am always looking for new things to take my health to the next level. Everything in this shot is so good for you. Lemon juice will improve your digestion and its good for the immune system. Turmeric is an anti inflammatory. Ginger is a great antioxidant as well as an anti inflammatory as well. And cayenne has numerous benefits as well like helping with digestion. Look in your local health food store, grocery store or juicer for something like this if you are into this sort of thing.
Next on the list is this fun matcha chap stick. I have been matcha obsessed for a few years now. I love how it tastes and the benefits of matcha. I order from Davids Tea a lot because I like their loose leaf teas and tea ware. When I saw that they released a matcha chap stick I was all over it. Its very glossy and smooth. I am a big chap stick girl I always have to have it on me.
To continue with this matcha theme I discovered a new matcha powder to drink. Its from a company called Four Sigmatic. I discovered them from a podcast channel I listen to Party In My Plants. I immediately ordered everything under the sun from this company because I loved what they were all about. I would actually like to do a full blog post on them because that’s how much I love them so I wont go too in depth about it. Matcha is a powerful antioxidant. I am not a coffee drinker but I have drank the coffee products from Four Sigmatic because I really like them and they even taste good with honey. I have been enjoying the matcha in the morning to start my day whether its making it in to a coconut milk latte or having it plain with just some hot water. Its also good as a pick me up for the afternoon. They describe this product so well on their website. It is linked below and just scroll down on the page and you’ll find the description.
I’m smoking hot! and so are you! ISH is a new makeup company I discovered thanks to FabFitFun. I received this contour kit I believe in last years summer box. I took this with me to Europe and Seattle and its the perfect palette. I have the light/ medium shade and I just love the texture, color and how it looks on your skin. The name of it is bad ass, because were all smoking hot. Excuse the dirtiness of the item. It is very well used.
I started a new book this year. Yes it took me 4 months to finish it because I take too long to read books even though I love to read. I finished this on my husband and I’s trip to Seattle. If you are looking for a self-help with faith type of book I really recommend it. I recommend it to anyone who has a relationship with God or is looking to have one. The author shares personal experiences she has had that have made her feel left out and lonely. This book shows you how to not feel that way anymore. Its a really fabulous book and how it is formulated with her stories of situations and how she leaned on God to help her through. It is a great confident booster and to make you feel like you are worth something.
Everyone needs a sense of calm. Feeling calm is great. That has been a big goal of mine this year because my stress levels hit an all time high after the holidays and I have been on this path of finding my zen. I love these gummies because they taste great and I love what they are capable of doing which is keeping you calm. I am surprised something can taste so good and actually be pretty good for you. I have tried the powdered stuff that you can put in cold or hot water. But if anyone has taken too much magnesium before you’ll know what happens… if you don’t give it a google.
My new favorite snack is this activated trail mix. It is so delicious with the combo of goji berries and activated nuts. If you are looking for a healthier trail mix that doesn’t have M&M’s in it and super sugary dried fruit this I think you would really enjoy. Its my go to now for long car rides, traveling on a plane or just a snack during the day. I bet it would be good on some plain yogurt too… yum!!!!
Last but not least is my new favorite mediation app. I have download so many and subscribed to so many and this is the first one that I have been able to consistently keep up with and be able to understand how to use the app. I love breethe. I go between their one off section to learning how to meditate. They have meditations if you need a quick pick me up or only have 5 minutes to meditate. I think I have seen ones as long as 20-30 minutes. I have been trying to make it a habit since the new year and yes its been a struggle to keep up with. But recently I have been on a roll! I don’t mediate if I have gotten a massage or I go to my girl for microdermabraison because I consider that a form of mediation with the nice music and having this work done. I find both things relaxing. Meditating has many benefits it reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, it can play a role in boosting your immune system and its great for brain development. I have noticed a lot of perks with meditating it has helped my anxiety a lot.
I hope you enjoyed my May favorites! Let me know if you grab any of these products for yourself and what you think!
Items Mentioned:
I know this is supposed to be a lifestyle blog and my main focus is actually wine related but I wrote this, this past fall and I re-read it a lot because I was torn with positing it. I have family members who have access to this blog and could easily see this poem I wrote and its a little scary because I am airing my dirty laundry for the world to see. My family is big on hush hush, everything is fine and nothing is wrong with you. When I asked myself if I want friends and strangers to read this? And I said Yes. IÂ have made peace with my past and with my father recently through a lot of work on myself and it took many years to get to where I am now. Writing was one of the things I did as a kid to cope. My dad and I have a decent relationship now and I am grateful for it because I can stop reliving my depressing childhood. I mostly wanted to share this because I am not the only person out there that was raised by an alcoholic. I wanted to bring awareness to this and I think it needs to be talked about. I want to open the discussion around it. I know this is a strange post to be making since I am so wine driven with this blog but its a passion not a problem for me. This is just me being honest and real. No one’s life is perfect and everyone has had some sort of struggle. I felt the need to share this. It’s almost as a final way to heal and so people may be able to relate to me on a personal level besides the things I like and do. And to prove that alcoholism doesn’t have to run or ruin your life. That anyone can come out on top and have a healthy relationship with alcohol like me.
So here goes nothing….
I am not a daddy’s girl. I was not raised by a man who made me feel like I could be. I was never daddy’s little girl. For all of my life I have felt guilty because I am not the son he wanted. And the constant complaints and reminders that I never will be. To hear the comments of “man you’re lucky” when he finds out if someone is having a boy really cuts you deep. Did I do something wrong? Am I really not good enough because I am a woman? No one should ever feel that way.
I am not a daddy’s girl because I was raised by a man that chose beer or liquor over me because life was so horrible it was a good way to cope. Never came to sports events because work got in the way and then the boozed just followed right after. He thought it was ok to verbally and physically abuse me and my sister. Did I do something wrong? Am I really not good enough because I am a woman? No one should ever feel that way.
I am not a daddy’s girl because I was never taught to love or how a man should love me. I never saw my parents in a healthy relationship. Just arguments and anger. I had no one to defend my sister and I. Why did we deserve this? Because of this I ended up with “daddy issues.” I had no respect for myself or a man, I put myself into horrible situations and relationships. Did I do something wrong? Am I really not good enough because I am a woman? No one should ever feel this way.
But one day that all changed. I finally realized how I should be treated and how I can love someone else. I met someone who changed everything I ever believed in, in a man and alcoholism. Someone who could show me what a man should be and how a man should treat a woman. My husband changed that for me.
There is way more to the story. I am proud for over coming this obstacle and believing I am good enough. And anyone else who has dealt with an alcoholic you are not alone and it gets better. I understand what you’re going through and I hope it’s not any worse than my situation because I know it can be 10 times worse. Feel free to start a discussion below or message me on instagram. I would love to hear your story and or meet more people that can relate. Stay strong.
