My obsession with subscription boxes continues......

I have been meaning to write about this company but other things just keep coming up. So here I am, sitting home on Saturday night with the Christmas lights on, cup of tea and the snow is coming down!

When I was a kid the big thing was to sign up for those music clubs (BMG I think it was called) and get the free cassette tapes (and then after a few years) or cd's in the mail. When you signed up they would let you pick (I think) 10 different albums and send them to you in the mail. After that you had to buy (again just guessing here) 5 or 6 more for a like $20 a tape over the course of a year. Could've been less but when your income is only $10 a week for an allowance that you are doing next to nothing for every penny counts. So there was NO way I was going to actually buy the tapes but god dammit I wanted the new Pearl Jam album and NOTHING was going to stop me from getting it.

I must have signed up for every club to get as many free tapes that I could. Once I maxed out the companies with my name I then signed my little brother up for it (he was 7), the family dog and ANYONE I could think of (dead or alive) because what I realized was that there was no limit to the household address, just the name of the person. Awwww to be 10 and thinking I have figured it all out! What I didn't realize was there was a little thing called "collection agencies". Needless to say my poor parents had to have MANY phone conversations to these companies explaining that Jake Eross is the family dog who DOES NOT have thumbs and CAN NOT sign up for these services. (My poor poor parents)

But this is where I think my obsession with getting fun things in the mail started....so glossy box. I am OBSESSED with glossy box. I think I like these monthly subscription boxes so much for two reasons, it's like opening a present when they come (who doesn't love that) and what girl doesn't love to play with new beauty products! I think it's the adult version of going into your mom's bathroom and smearing red lipstick and blue eye shadow all over your face. The little girl in you just squeals with joy!

Glossy box is a monthly service that hand selects higher end beauty products and ships them in a BEAUTIFULLY package themed boxes.

I decided to sign up for the year and with that I also got the holiday bonus box for free (see above). The service is $18 a month when you sign up for the year and they give you about $50 or so in deluxe samples and full size beauty products each month.

The holiday box had $150 worth of full sized beauty products in it. Which range from body wash to clay masks to fun nail polish.

Each box usually has about 5 to 6 items it and range from makeup, skin care to hair products. So far out of the two boxes I have received so far 3 out of the 5 products were organic. I think one of the things I love about these boxes is it really feels like I am opening a present each month because it is so beautifully packaged.

This box had a body scrub, clay mask, body wash, some make up that made you look "dewy"(when you put it on it almost brightens your skin), a lip gloss (bright red) and bright red lip pencil. I don't wear a lot of make up any more but I like the deluxe sample sizes because I have a hard time using up the normal sized beauty products. I end up throwing things away after a year or so and this way I can try a bunch of new things without committing to a large size. Who doesn't like variety!?

Each box comes with a beauty card explaining each product and the value which for me is good because half this stuff I have no idea what to do with. And the things I can't use or already have something similar I am putting aside and sending friends and family so it's a win win for all. 

If anyone does decide to do this let me know. I can send you a promo code for the holiday box (i think it makes it 30% off). 

Hope you are all having a fabulous cozy evening! 

HAPPY BETHMAS TO ALL!!!!!

What is Bethmas you ask?! It's the day I graced this world with my presence and because my birthday is 12 days before Christmas (I am the partridge in the pear tree or in this case more like a hippo hanging on to a maple leaf...I've gained a few lbs)

 I have renamed my birthday, Bethmas! I know it sounds a little self absorbed but it's not. If you feel this way it's because you are only jealous that a. you didn't think of this first for your own special day and b. your name doesn't rhyme as well as mine with a near by holiday. Is it a national holiday?! No but it should be....I try to take it off work every year. So I say to you, HAPPY BETHMAS TO ALL!!!!!

Enough about me (more to come the closer we get....It's Friday, the 13th you still have time to finish your Bethmas shopping!) Dinner tonight was OUTSTANDING.....make it and let me know what you think. 

Chickpea Cranberry Pecan Salad Sandwiches 

*the pictures I took are HORRIBLE because I was so hungry after work I didn't take the take to take a good picture but trust me it was EXCELLENT and so easy to make! For a 1/3 of the bowl it was 7 WW points (if you are counting) but I think I could have made 4 portions out of this. 

Here's what you need:

3 stalks of celery (if they are bigger use two), chopped up

1/4 cup of chopped pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas

2 scallions (green onions), chopped up

Salt 

Pepper

1 TBSP of vegan mayo, tahini or regular mayo

2 TBSP of a good Vinegar (I used Trader Joes Orange Champagne Vinegar, if you can't find that I would use Apple Cider)

You can put this on chickpea salad on bread, in a pita, over greens...whatever tickles your fancy....

Toss the chickpeas in a bowl and smashed the with a potato masher. (Yep) Then toss in the celery, scallions, nuts and cranberries....toss it around. 

In a different bowl put the mayo (or whatever you would like to use), Vinegar, Salt and Pepper....wisk (or mix with a spoon) until it all comes together. 

Mix the "dressing" with the chickpea bowl and there you have it!

DONE!

It was DELISH!

*I told you, it's not the greatest picture but it was DAMN good! 

One of Alex's talents that some of you may or may not know is he LOVES to bake. For everyone's birthday he ALWAYS asks what they would like as their special dessert. Most years I say nothing but a cupcake because I am always watching my weight. Well I said to hell with that and picked out a tricky dessert. He stayed up until about midnight this morning making it for me (HOW SWEET IS HE)...drumroll please.......

Mini Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel Tarts!!!!! 

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to dive into one of this bad boys. It is taking every ounce of me not to eat one right now. The dessert blog I found these on is hands down what I would consider dessert porn. It is rich, beautifully done, creative and I gain weight just looking at them. 

On that note I will leave you with one other very good deed our Alex did this week. It's cold, VERY cold up here in the Boston Area. Alex isn't one of those guys who thinks to buy me flowers often. (I think in the 6 years we have been together he's done it 4 or 5 times total) but I can tell you what's better than flowers..... this.....

He will, without question, get out of a cozy, toasty warm car and pump my gas on a FREEZING cold night after dinner and drinks. He is the best!

So with that Happy Happy Bethmas to all of you! On Friday evening raise your glass and send me some good cheers because I would give it all to be with all of you in a room sharing some laughs and making some memories! xoxo

The words everyone dreads most......

"So I think I MIGHT have figured out what's wrong with the shower!?"

Cut to the last two weeks of our lives.....COLD, ok more like LUKE WARM showers. This would be fine in let's say July but when it's 20 degrees outside, dark and you have to motivate yourself to get up and go to work the LAST thing you want to do is get into a luke warm shower. This is just like dreaming about the last of vanilla ice cream in the freezer and diet root beer in the fridge that you have been saving for that rough day mid week (YEP I eat my stress). And all you want to do is make a root beer float after dinner only to find that someone drank said root beer with their lunch and ate the last of the ice cream at his 1am late night snack attack the night before while crushing episode after episode of Always Sunny in Philadelphia. (I am still upset about this one...Bitter table for one!)

Ok maybe not that bad but the luke the warm shower is pretty bad. I must have finally whined enough  because this morning Alex woke up early and started "fixing" the shower after I left for work. He calls me tonight on my way home and goes, "So I think I might have figured out what's wrong with the shower?!"

Me, "Wow! Really that's great! What's the problem"

Alex, "Well...blah blah blah blah blah blah (I can't remember what he said because to be honest I was yelling at the car in front of me)......BUT (got my attention) I think I found something!"

Me, "What?!"

Mr. Fix It "A SMALL leak!"

Me, "Uh?! In the shower!?"

Bob Vila Jr "And I think I may have made it worse....."

Me, "Uh...."

Bob Vila Jr "BUT I am going to stop by Home Depot on my way home and don't worry I will have it fixed before morning!!"

Me, "Ok, great!"

I hang up the phone and the first thing I think....Shit I am 100% going to have to go to the gym in the morning and even better...going to have to take a shower there!

How did this end you ask?! Well as of right now the shower is running....hot water is coming out and that's good enough for me! 

In other news from this past week...... Got the band back together and realized we can not play Rock Band at all....nor should anyone be subjected to it in public....

Made this little guy over the weekend....Alex named him Olly

And amazon.com STRIKES again! I thought I was ordering a small bag of stuffing for little projects like the one above and ended up getting this instead....

Say it with me people.... "HOLY SHIT BALLS!"