Monday, December 08, 2014

2014 Christmas Gift Guide {Part 1}


If you have read very many blogs or been on Pinterest for hours like me recently, you know that everyone is doing gift guides for Christmas.  Well, maybe not everyone but all the "cool kids" are doing them! So now it's time for my gift guide which also happens to be my wish list!


Lifefactory has a variety of sizes, colors, and caps.  This made my list because it is a glass bottle and looks good (hey, I can want a cool looking bottle!). You can find these directly at Lifefactory or other retailers like Amazon


A healthy salad dressing is something that is tough to find, one without lots of nasty ingredients and sugar.  Making your own salad dressing is the best option. I love this since it is an actual salad dressing bottle and includes recipes on the bottle to make your own dressing!  What else could you ask for?! You can purchase here.





Doesn't this just look fabulous? Now just imagine how good the coffee will be as you pour it out of this stunning french press.  It is 100% stainless steel, so no risk of getting nasty things from plastic! You can purchase here. 


Himalayan Natural Air Purifying Salt Light

I have wanted one of these lights for awhile now so I had to include it on the gift guide!  If you have not heard of these Himalayan salt lamps, check out this article explaining the benefits of using these lamps. Purchase the solid lamp here or the basket one here.




These have been on my wish list for a couple of years. Isn't this just the greatest bag to carry a camera and your other everyday essentials!?  They have a wide variety of styles and colors. Check them out for the photographer in your life!!! 

MY Konjac Sponge

I have not tried these before but have heard good things about them.  This is a natural way to gently exfoliate your face.  Are these part of your skincare routine? If so I would love to know how you like using these sponges.  You can order them here. These would make great stocking stuffers! 



Cuisinart Smart Stick 2-Speed Immersion Hand Blender

If you watch cooking shows you know this little kitchen gadget is very helpful.  And this can also be used to make your own soap!  Check it out here. 


For those that do not watch Rachel Ray on the Food Network, she always uses a bowl for her food scraps. This is a great way to save trips to the sink or trashcan while cooking. And if you compost, just fill it up throughout the day and then take it out to compost after dinner.  Having this fun bowl to throw garbage in would make cooking just a little more fun and stylish!  You can find them at Target and of course Amazon





Who doesn't love a new hoodie for cold weather?! I do, but this is something I always put off buying since I usually need other things much more than a new hoodie or a jacket. 



Wouldn't these make a great addition to the kitchen. They are so fun and colorful! I might have trouble wanting to use them for fear they would get stained like most of my kitchen towels. 



Hope this gave you some ideas for people on your gift or some things you want to add to your own list.  What do you have on your wish list this year?  


While looking on Pinterest this weekend I have noticed several creative ways that families do gifts at Christmas.  Jen Hatmaker explains how her family breaks down gifts into these categories: Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read, something to give. This post is also her gift guide, which has some great ideas and companies that have a great mission and give back!  

Friday, November 28, 2014

Small Business Saturday Online Sales!!! #shopsmall

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! Did any of you venture out and do Black Friday shopping?  If so, I hope you found great deals and not many crazy people!  

Did you all know that Saturday, November 29th is Small Business Saturday?  To support entrepreneurs and small online shops I wanted to highlight a few that you can shop and support.  


Freeborboleta Designs
Freeborboleta Designs offers modern art prints, pre-made blog templates and more.  These two prints and the mug are my favorite things on her shop!   



Check out Fran's blog also. She is also a military wife and I
always love supporting fellow military wives.

She is offering 25% off until midnight Monday with code "cyberfriday".


Two Cats Decorations
TwoCatsDecorations creates tile magnets, custom photo magnets and photo collages on canvases! These would make great gifts for parents, grandparents, or a great addition to your own home.

I love this set of magnets she has available!

Check her out on Facebook to!
For Saturday, she is offering 20% off everything in her shop with coupon code "SMALLBIZSAT" On Monday with coupon code "CYBERMONDAY" you can get 10% off.



Candy Cane Forest Gift Wrapping & Holiday Help
Chelsy and I have never met in person but both struggle with infertility.  I know if we ever met in person we would get along great!  She is offering handwritten, personalized letters from Santa that will be mailed to kids! Check out her Facebook page for details.


The Burlap Flower
Lyndi is a friend from college. She sells stationary and baby blankets. Her stationary would make great stocking stuffers! 

She is offering 10% off when you spend $15 - good through 12/1/14. Just enter coupon code "THANKS" at checkout.



Living Memories Ft Worth
This is your first and last stop for that unusual, unique and personalized gift for any occasion or anyone on your list. 

Living Memories Ft Worth is offering 10% off on all orders now through Dec 6th. Drop by and see all the personalized sign that she can do for you or that special someone you need a gift for.




Angela, another friend and former roommate from college, has some wonderful knitted items.  


She is offering free shipping now through January. She is already booked up with orders for Christmas, but go ahead and get in on the free shipping offer and place your order soon!  Check out her Facebook page for more pictures and details on ordering.  



I sell one of a kind wreaths, handmade laundry soap, yarn/rag ball decorative sets, and homemade spices.


I'm offering 20% off all orders $20 or more this weekend for Small Business Saturday. Just enter coupon code "shopsmall" at checkout!

Take the time to check out these online shops and support small business. If you are out shopping on Saturday, make sure to support your locally owned restaurants and shops!

Do you have a favorite online shop? I would love to know what your favorite one is. Share in the comments if you have an online shop or have one that you love!  

Also, make sure you enter my giveaway going on right now for 1 free set of my spices. Giveaway ends on Monday. 

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Life Lately via Iphone Pics {April 2013}

It has been awhile since I've done one of these posts, so I figured today was a great day since I have lots of posts in draft mode and none of them ready to publish! 

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of these photos but not all of them.  If you do not follow me on Instagram yet, follow me @amodernhippie and I'll follow you back! 

Earlier this month my car drove past 200,000 miles!!! Yikes.  It is a great little car but is definitely showing its age now, but only cosmetically because it still runs like a champ! 

I had a garage sale in hopes of getting rid of some of our things before moving. I did not have a great turnout, but I sold most of the big ticket items.

B & I always treat ourselves to a meal out on the weekend. We usually do not splurge and eat dessert, but B wanted ice cream so we stopped to get some (actually I did not get any!)  at a local ice cream shop.

I meet a group of friends every Wednesday for coffee.  I go early sometimes to work on a blog post or read. A couple weeks ago I started reading The Hormone Cure for a review I will be doing on the blog in the next month.  Do not wait for my review to decide if you want to read it, please go purchase a copy & read it!  I highly recommend it and it is VERY important information that each of us (women) need to know, no matter your age. 

With our time winding down here in Alabama, I knew I had to go to the beach at least a couple more times before we move.  So, a few weeks ago I went with a friend for the day. We did a little shopping and then enjoyed the rest of the day on the beach.  

My view during our beach trip

I snapped this shot on the way home, I will really miss driving on tree lined roads like this when we move back to Kansas. 

I found a great deal on a used espresso machine so we decided to buy it!  We have been wanting one for several years but have not wanted to spend the money on one.  We are loving making our own espresso drinks.  I think our coffee maker is a little sad and feels left out, you know if coffee makers actually had feelings! 


A friend and I went to Montgomery to go dress shopping for the formal ball at the end of May.  Of course we had to stop and eat lunch somewhere really good. I picked The Tipping Point, a little local place that is really good.  The food was great and the outdoor seating was wonderful.  Although mid way through eating a kids birthday party showed up and they sat next to us.  Sorry parents, it was rather annoying to have your kids running next to our table + blowing bubbles around us like we did not exist.  It is not really a place that kids would enjoy, so we decided it was the moms who picked the place since they have good food and drinks. Anyway, I got the salad trio with pasta salad, coleslaw, and hummus. 

So a week after using our new used espresso machine it suddenly stopped working.  After searching the Internet for 30 minutes, I found the solution!

I got my haircut last week and the stylist decided to add some curls/waves to my hair with a flat iron.  I told her they would not hold up in the heat + humidity but we decided to give it a try.  This was less then 30 minutes later and most of the wave is out. Although it was a nice change to my very straight hair! I have not been brave enough to try styling it that way myself, as I'm sure it would end in disaster. 

Can I say that I love taking pics in the Target dressing room?!   And no, I did not go in the dressing room just to take pictures  I actually had clothes to try on. Target mirrors are much better then the tiny mirror I have in our house. This is another attempt to try and get a shot of my curly/wavy hair.

So what have you been up to lately?  

The month of May I'm doing a blogging challenge with Jenni from Story of My Life. The challenge is to blog everyday of May, so 31 days of blogging!  She gave us some great writing prompts that I'm excited to use.  With this challenge, I will still be doing some of my regular posts including Menu Plan Monday, Fitness Friday, Weekend Wanderings, recipes, and more so there might be more then 1 post a day.  

I also start my lunge & push up challenge tomorrow. If you have not read about the challenge I created, check it out here.  If you are joining me, make sure to do those lunges and push ups tomorrow! 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Dresses & More Dresses

Oh the joy of finding clothes for a specific occasion--I.HATE.IT.  When I shop for clothes with no special occasion or certain "need" in mind I can find more then I could ever purchase.  When I need an outfit for something specific, I always struggle finding something I like.

I'm currently searching for a nice dress for B's upcoming flight school graduation.  Before moving to Alabama I never wore dresses, but living in the heat + humidity during the summer I soon learned that dresses were AMAZING!  Although, I still do not like shopping for dresses and have found that shopping online is much easier then spending forever shopping local stores (not very many down here!)

I spent a couple hours browsing the internet to find a few options.  I thought I would share some of my finds and get your opinion on a good graduation dress.  But first, here are a few things to note:

  1. I am very fair skinned, so I need a dress with color. No light colored dresses for this girl!
  2. I want a lined dress, makes me fell a little more comfortable and relaxed wearing a dress that is lined.  You can say it, I'm weird.
  3. I want/need something modest, no hoochie mama dresses for me! 
  4. I also do not like long dresses, like the maxi dresses that are in style right now. Just don't look good on this short girl.  
So here are some that I found, now to just narrow them down to a couple.  Help me out by letting me know the top 2 or 3 you think would be a great flight school graduation dress.  

 Nopoli Dress By Boden
Pros: color, looks comfy
Cons: not lined, jersey material which sometimes does not flatter the back end


 Sumptuous Silk Dress by Boden
Pros: fully lined
Cons: silk so it would wrinkle easy (I think), might wash me out since it is a lighter color


Paternoster Dress by Boden
Pros: would make a great dress for interviews in a few months
Cons: not lined, not sure if color would work for graduation since B's uniform is 2 shades of blue


 Raspberry Debut Dress by ModCloth
Pros: This might be one of my favorites, fully lined, 
another great interview dress
Cons: 65% wool (might be to hot for AL right now!), 
might wrinkle (not sure?)

 Graphic Colorblock Print Frock by eShakti
Pros: lined, something different with some splashes of color
Cons: dry clean only



Selina Dress by Boden 
Pros: lined, several color options but I really like this orange
Cons: dry clean only


Antonio Melani Tyne Embroidered Dress by Dillards 
Pros: another one of my favorites, 
cool material for humid + hot weather
Cons: not lined


 Lauren Dress by eShakti
Pros: available in a couple colors, 
but like the black since it is slimming. 
Cons: black not the best for a graduation (not sure)?, not lined

Victoria Dress by eShakti
Pros: great style to hide not so attractive areas
Cons: not lined


This is one I really like but it is not in stock yet so
I don't have the details


Pizzazz on the Piazza Dress by ModCloth
Pros: love the colors and style
Cons: not lined, linen (hello wrinkles!)


Style & Company Dress by Macy's
Pros: love this one to, but not sure if it says "graduation",  
great price
Cons: not lined



C Luce Lemon Lime by Hazel & Olive
Pros: another great one for an interview, fully lined
Cons: top cream color might be too light for my skin tone

So what do you think?  If you were my fashion stylist which 2 would you chose for me to wear to B's graduation? I would love your input! I've pinned all the above dresses + more to a Pinterest board. Check it out to see a few other ones I did not share here.  

Where do you shop for dresses? If you find any dresses you like that might be a great grad dress send the link my way! 

Do you find it tough to shop for clothes when there is an event you need a specific outfit?  Come on, please don't tell me I'm the only one!  

Next challenge is finding a formal ball gown for the graduation social.  Luckily I'm going shopping with a friend this week for us to start the search.  

Thanks for your help!! I look forward to hearing what you vote for.