It's been a quiet Summer so far around here. Since I don't have kids I don't have to worry about the school supply shopping coming up this month. But I did get to enjoy the Target Summer Clearance this past week. I LOVED it! I totally didn't know about it until Jennifer over at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom started blogging about Targets 30-50% off starting and letting everyone know the 70-90% off was starting soon! EKK! So I had to go since I'm kind of (not set or anything yet) planning a week long vacation to Galveston Island, here in Texas, sometime in September, maybe. It's still so warm and the water is still in the 80's even later in September! Also I'm planning to go during the week, to cut down on hotel prices. We haven't been on a vacation in three years! We went to Six Flags in Arlington in 2010, and had a great time! We also went to Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags Water Park right around the corner from the Amusement Park. We were there for three days, and had a really good time.
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I'm re-thinking some of my subscription boxes I currently receive. I admittedly do love getting packages through snail mail, and I love the surprises I get, but not all boxes are created equal. And not all boxes I love.
So Let's start off with the first box I ever subscribed to, BarkBox. They're a great, professonal company. They were really one of the first sub. boxes I had heard about. I'm honestly just not all wild about New York like some people. They are based out of New York, and you can tell by the things they send. Of the two boxes I've received for Stinky, she still doesn't have a new plushy toy! I REALLY thought that would be a given EVERY month. Unfortunatly not the case. The first month she got a small raspberry/mint flavored mini treat ball, the kind you put treats inside and they roll it around and free the treats. Great, if they had've sent some treats that fit inside it, you know, to use with it. Lol I ended up using some cat treats, but still, dog treats would've been nice. The second box had plenty of treats, but NO TOYS! What the hey? Do doggies not play with toys up there in the Big Apple? Do they just sit around and munch on treats all day? Well, needless to say I'm not all that impressed with BarkBox. I'm thinking about switching over to WoofWagPlay in October, since I got the 6 months sub. for BarkBox and that's when it ends. Onto my next re-thinking. I had ordered BleuBox Gold last month, and received it in a very timely manner (like a few days!). The pieces were pretty good, I even gifted one (literally the same day I got the box) to a cousin for a graduation gift. But I don't need jewelry every month. It is a good sub. box, I'm just not that into a lot of jewelry, or receiving it that often. I may pick this back up in a few months, closer to the holidays maybe. I liked that I had a $10. coupon code when I signed up, but $49.99/Month isn't really good for me in the long run. It would just be paying $50. for getting jewelry gifts to set aside for the future. And I feel like I'm missing out if I get the Silver box. Since it's only $24.99/Month it's a better deal, but not as varied. *Ultimately decided to cancel on 7-9-13, after receiving my second box. Quick and easy cancellation by e-mailing [email protected]. (Review coming soon!) Ok, so that's two cancels. Up next? Bespoke Post. Ok, so I got AJ the 3 month sub., and you have the option to skip a month if you don't like the selection. I'm not really sure why, but I have the funny feeling that they are getting great deals on liquidated items and are super-re-selling them. I went to find the sunglasses from the SHADE box last month, and couldn't find them on the website advertized in the glasses case they were in. There were others that were similar, but not those. And there was some SPF 18+ sunscreen and a bracelet. It wasn't that wowing. This month's selection was either Bota or SWEAT. Bota is what we're going with. It's got a waterskin (Bota) and a dice set of 20 die + 4 cups. That sounds much more interesting that SWEAT, which has a gym bag, protein powder, and forming (hair) cream. I'm not all that wowed by the selections so far, so I'm probably not re-subscribing him when we're done next month, or when we choose the last box, whichever. I'm really thinking the Ashton Kutcher Fancy box, or something like that would be better for AJ than Bespoke Post. Also I don't really like the whole showing you what you're getting ahead of time thing they do. (Received shipping notification, so Bota Review coming soon!) Ok, that's three. Onto the fourth, BroBox I'm looking at YOU. I didn't really know what to expect from BroBox, I assumed a couple of full size items. It had several samples. It was an ok, admittedly funny, box. But AJ didn't really like all the items in it. We're going to give it another month or two, since it's only $14.99/Month. But if it's all the same kind of off the wall Bro-samples, we're probably canceling. (Review coming soon!) I'm in LOVE with most of the sub. boxes I'm getting though, so that's pretty much it on the cancellation list. I've fallen hard for Out Of The Box Sampler. I'm going to be setting up an alarm on my phone for when the August "Flip-Flop" box is going on sale. August the 5th? I'm not 100% sure on that, since their paperwork had conflicting dates on different papers, one said August 5th, and another said July 1st, soooo, maybe I'll e-mail them and find out for sure. Ok, so I signed up for Taste Trunk Gourmet Trunk. I honestly had a hard time choosing between the four Trunks. The Gourmet Trunk, The Sweet Trunk, the Health Trunk, and The BBQ Trunk. I finally decided on the Gourmet Trunk, and if I love it enough, maybe I'll add a Sweet Trunk in the future. :) *I received my Gourmet Taste Trunk on 7-11-13 and I LOVED it! Such a great array of goods. I'm definitely going to be subscribing to the Sweet Trunk soon! I honestly wish I had gone ahead and ordered both when I ordered my Gourmet Trunk! ;) (Review coming soon!) I'm really excited to announce that I'll be part of the Influenster The Glamour Look by Mary Kay VoxBox. They sent me the official "I'm in" e-mail last night, and I couldn't be more excited! It's my first VoxBox, and I hope I'll be a part of more campaigns in the future if this goes well! :D If you didn't know Influenster is a free-to-join community of invited trendsetters who give opinions of products and experiences. Influenster creates links between brands and members to reward participation and influence future products. Good Grief! I'm averaging like, 2 weeks in between regular blog posts. I really gotta work on that! I don't have a lot to blog about right now, we're slowly cleaning the mold and mildew out of the house, and cleaning each individual thing we come across, whether it's something we're keeping, or to be put in storage for future garage sale. EVERYTHING is/was dirty. And just about every closet, cabinet, and drawer had stuff in them! Lot's of slow work. I've really been enjoying the subscription boxes I've subscribed to, and look forward to new boxes coming. I'm expecting Conscious Box, PopSugar Must Have, and KlutchClub this week, and I'm checking my shipping details constantly, lol. OMG, Game of Thrones season 3 is now finished (as of Sunday), and now, I'm sad. I WANT MORE. I guess it's finally time to go buy the set of books. It's on my Book Bucket List anyway. I need to compile that list and get it on here! Here's a pic of Jack being a silly kitty! My Current Subscription Box List:
I pre-ordered The Limited-Edition Animal Crossing:New Leaf 3DS through Gamestop, and I CAN'T wait until the release day next week! Animal Crossing is probably my favorite game series, and I jumped on the Limited Edition 3DS! Especially since I'll need one to play the new Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing:New Leaf comes pre-loaded (digital copy) on the system. I'm conflicted on that, I'd like the physical copy of the game, but it's an awesome Limited Edition system, so whatever. But hey, thanks Nintendo for sending me the e-mail heads-up for this system. I thought Japan was only going to be getting it! I have the original Animal Crossing on the Gamecube, the second, Wild World, for the D.S., and City Folk for the wii. I love them all. :) The game takes place in real time, so when it's morning in real life, it's morning on the game. (Unless you CHEAT and reset your game system time...But if you're not careful...RESETTI, NOOOO!!!) The seasons change, and special dates are set in the game, holidays like New Years, and your Birthday! The animal neighbors give you special rare items on special days, and you may only have one chance to get that one elusive piece of matching furniture you've been missing, just by being friends with your neighbors! Like the Snowman furniture, it can only be found during winter months. Bugs and fish all around town change throughout the year, and day even! You may be fishing in the ocean, all day, and keep catching tuna, but when it turns dark, watch out! Sharks could come out and be caught! Lol, but there's no getting hurt or dying in Animal Crossing, unless you count getting stung by bees. Yeah, shaking trees with no bee dodging skills will get you stung, QUICK! New features include getting to be the Mayor of your town (Tortimer MUST be retiring!), swimming, and getting to choose where you want buildings in your town, and their colors and themes. I'm sure there'll be special, new little bonuses here and there. So all in all, I CAN'T WAIT!!! I went to Ramblings of a suburban moms page to refenence a sub. box, and I ALMOST spoiled the Yuzen Summer box that I'm excited to get! I saw the title Yuzen Summer Review, and my heart skipped a beat! I wanted to read her review SO bad! But I composed myself and didn't peek. Yay me! Okay, So I check my e-mail like, 30 seconds later, and there's my shipping confirmation e-mail from Yuzen. Happy, Happy. I don't have to wait long to read her review and enjoy my goodies. I received my NailArt Society May box today, and I really like all the great things they sent! Read my review here. This years Mother's Day gifts were fresh flowers, but not as big as last years. I got these two small vases at Dollar Tree, where everything is $1., I love Dollar Tree! They also had these cute chocolate tulips, which have plastic ends, so I'm going to just use them as decoration in with the flowers, instead of the mini balloon on a sticks. I'm probably only going to have to spend around $10. for a single bunch of flowers for these small vases. So under $20. for a gift that shows I care. I also have lots of cards, both blank and with messages, with flowers and pretty designs, stored in a couple of card boxes, and hat boxes, and small plastic tubs...So needless to say I have cards for all occasions! I decided to get my mom a wax warmer and some wax tarts of all brands and scents for Mother's Day. Yankee Candle, Better Homes and Gardens, and even Febreeze. If she doesn't like one of the scents I got that's ok, I got her 4 different ones! I definitely LOVE the one I got for myself a few weeks ago. It's made a difference in the old house/people smell at my "new" house. :) Spring is coming and going. Last week, it turned cold, rainy, and windy. This week it's warming up, and getting really nice out! Getting to be that time for lake activities, camping, and outdoors fun. I can't wait to go camping, swimming, and maybe fishing this Summer. Summer, not Spring, cause let's face it, Spring doesn't last long in Texas! Soon it'll be 100 degrees and sweltering. When I was growing up, I went on a camping trip with my cousin, and Aunt and Uncle, to Blanchard Springs, Arkansas. It was beautiful! The swimming area had crystal clear water, and a cliff with a cave in the water under it. I've always wanted to go back. Maybe this year.... We've loved McAlister's Deli for a long time now. Last weekend we took A.J.'s parents out to eat there. His dad got something new I've not seen on their menu before, the Pot Roast Baked Potato. OMG, it looked and smelled SO GOOD! I can't wait to go back there and change up from my usual Club Sandwich and Grilled chicken salad, and get me one of those. Why isn't there a larger variety of subscription boxes? I've had ideas for them, but I don't have the time or resources to start a subscription box company. I've heard of several companies that grew too quickly and had to stop production, and issue refunds. Where are the country/outdoors boxes, the musician/music box, aquarium box, house-wives box, cooks box, gardeners box, beach box? C'mon people, the possibilities are endless! But of the company's available, there isn't a shortage of ones I want to try! It's just that there's so many of the same kind, like beauty for example. There are over 20! But try looking for camping/fishing/outdoors themed. Maybe a couple. A house-wife themed box, with aprons, cookbooks, stuff like Food Network brand utensils, or gift-cards for cookware, would be CUTE! How about a gardeners box with different brands of tools, seeds, plants, and products? Or a musicians box with sheet music, products like picks, strings, drumsticks, oil for brass? I'm sure there is a huge variety that hasn't been marketed yet. I hope that the subscription box craze holds steady, because I'm very interested to see how it expands in the future! On a side note, I subscribed to NailArt Society and Yuzen on Friday. I'm excited about Yuzen, it looks really nice. I wasn't sure if I would be getting the May/June/July-Summer Box this month, or if I ordered too late and I would be getting the August/September/October-Fall Box inAugust. So in the confirmation e-mail they sent it said to just reply with any questions, so I asked. I got an e-mail back tonight saying that I would be getting the Summer Box after all! And that they would be shipping it Monday, YAY! :) I wasn't actually expecting the Summer Box, so I'm thrilled it's coming, and so soon! Today I saw a coupon code for 20% off a KlutchClub Box subscription on Ramblings of a Suburban Mom's Blog. I looked into it and decided to order the women's version. There's also a box for moms, and for men. They offer healthy snacks, supplements, fitness programs, personal care products, and more. The review she posted along with the coupon code looks like KlutchClub provides lots of goodies, so I can't wait for that to come. I got a good deal on the 3 Month subscription with the 20% off coupon code, and they gave me a year subscription to Fitness Magazine. Well Ok, Thank You KlutchClub! I also got a notification when I went to the website that I would recieve a code for a free box if I signed up. It said they would send it to me in a week after signing up. I think that's what it said anyway. We'll see. I went back to Target Friday. The $ Isle halfway filled my handbasket! :) I REALLY like notepads. I kind of collect pretty ones. Also blank journals, but that's another matter. They had such cute notepads! I also got this tube of 15 glow in the dark bracelets for only $1! I should have gotten several of these, they would make for nice night trail markers. The $ Isle also had this CUTE garden tote for $3. But I'm going to use it for my Crafting Hall. I'm in the process of separating my stuff, packing it, and moving it. I can't wait to separate my good stuff from my garage sale stuff. It's been at least eight or nine years since I've put my stuff out for a garage sale, so I'll have plenty. The past couple of days, at the "new" house I've cleaned the counter island in the kitchen off, and cleaned alot of dirty dishes. In the next few days, I plan on finishing cleaning the kitchen and get the bedroom we are going to use painted. The walls at least, anyway. We have the ceiling painted, light gray, the walls will be lavender, and the trim a darker gray. Finished Pics to come later on. We successfully painted the living room by ourselves, so the bedroom should be a snap. Here's some pics of the bedroom, and living room. I've been researching into more subscription boxes on ramblingsofasuburbanmom.com's awesome subscription list. I'm obsessed...Now I have a wish list of boxes!
-Definitely going to be subscribing to BootyBin for $29/month, a gaming and geek gear box, like LootCrate. But for me instead of A.J., honestly we share the boxes, he likes some stuff, I like some stuff. -In a Pretty Box Artisan box $42/Month, looks interesting. Artisan crafted products, including fashion accessories, jewelry, bath & body products, stationary, and more. Seems kind of expensive though, maybe I'll just try one box in the future and see. -Out of the box sampler comes with 17-18 samples of handmade items, from places like etsy.com, for only $25/month. -Dumpling Box looks cute, it has a variety of Asian snacks to sample and enjoy, and it's only $10/month. But I'm not subscribing to this right away, maybe later on when we get settled in after the move. -Love with Food sounds yummy. For $12/month they deliver a curated box of 8+ unique gourmet food items that vary based on seasonal themes. -Eco-Emi has a seriously cute website! They offer 5-10 samples of natural, organic, green, eco-friendly, cruelty free, vegan, vegetarian, or fair-trade products for only $15/month. And they're wrapped in cute, chic, earth friendly packaging. -Poppy Parcel has 3-4 products ranging from paper products, jewelry, accessories, beauty products, and more for $19.99/month. Waitlist! -Umba Box is a curated box of 3-4 handmade goods ranging from jewelry, accessories, stationary, and bath products. $25/month. -Yuzen is $26/quarter and is a seasonal box filled with luxurious, healthy, and eco-friendly products. -The Bride Box sounds interesting, since I'm slowly collecting stuff for our wedding in the future. It's $35/month and has 4-5 gifts, handmade products, and incentives to help you plan your big day. -NailArt Society is $9.95/month and they deliver 4-6 cool NailArt products! This looks really neat, I've been wanting to try out more nail products, but not polishes. There are several nail polish subscription services out there, but I love OPI, fiercely. They are the ONLY nail polish that lasts on my toes, I hardly paint my finger nails, because I clean alot, and it just chips off the next day. -MysteryBox is a collection of 5-10 Themed awesome + weird items for $24/month. I'll be ordering more boxes in the coming months, after I get fully moved to my "new" house. I really want about half of the list of boxes, and soon! So my review section will be more filled out in the coming months. :) I'm definatly becoming more aware of what I'm putting in, and on my body. Some disturbing ingredients can be found in food, and body products, and it's actually got me considering eco-friendly, natural, and organic more. I've already decided when we get settled in at the new house we'll be starting a garden, and raising a small "herd" of chickens. (Look, I know chickens have flocks, not herds, that's cows, I'm just QUIRKY like that, sorry!) I'm going to try out Meyer Hatchery out of Polk, Ohio. They have a large selection of chicks, and a variety of rare breeds. I'm torn between several breeds, but when the time comes, I'll just be picking one or two breeds. I think it's so cool that baby chicks can be shipped! I can't wait to have fresh eggs, and occasionally meat, available. Visit Meyer Hatchery to check out their huge selection of poultry. They even have peacocks! I've also been checking out Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. They are a Non-GMO seed company out of Mansfield, MO. Their catalog is literally drool-inducing! Their vegetables are so unique! So the eco-friendly/organic/vegan/Etc. sample subscription boxes are starting to sound a lot more apealing. I'm not fimilar with very many natural products and brands, so I'm interested in finding out more through one of the subscription box companies. I started subscribing to these monthly boxes of goodies, and now I'm pretty hooked. LootCrate and Pawalla were great, I can't wait for Barkbox for Stinky, I'm anxious to see what kind of toy they send. Since both my pets were adopted, I only know how old they are from as long as we've had them. In Jacks case, we've had him for 8 years, but he was just a little kitten when we adopted him, no more than a month or two old, and he's grown to be a full sized cat. Stinky on the other hand, is about the same size as when we adopted her, and we've had her at least 6 years now. So there's no telling how old she really is. Needless to say they're both senior-age pets, but they're not decrepit or anything, they both still romp around and play! The treats from Pawalla were great for Jack, he has been eating them up whenever it's treat time! I'm curious to see if I'm as happy with the Barkbox as I am with the Pawalla Cat Mini Box. I've been busy and haven't had much time for my blog for almost a week now. But I'm finally figuring it out! Here's a freaking hilarious video. If you like The Walking Dead, you'll be laughing your butt off! It's Bad lip reading. |
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