The Diary of Nicole Alicia

Christmas at The Biltmore Part 2

2024-12-18T10:00:00.003-05:00

Christmas at The Biltmore Part 1

There really was so much to see inside the Biltmore and it took us almost 3 hours to get through the house! You never really know when you go on a tour somewhere how much you will get to see or if it will be worth the ticket price. I don't like being rushed through a place so you don't have any time to enjoy where you are at but we really felt like the price for what you got to see and do at the Biltmore was more than worth it. Not only do you get to tour the house, but you can visit the grounds, gardens (I'll share more on that in a future post), Antler Hill village and winery with a free wine tasting, there is just so much to see! I would definitely recommend visiting if you are ever in Asheville!

Have you ever visited somewhere interesting to see Christmas decorations?

Christmas at The Biltmore Part 1

2024-12-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

At the very beginning of the year me and my parents visited the Biltmore. My brother had gotten my parents tickets for Christmas last year and I got to go along with them. My mom has always wanted to visit the Biltmore so it was really nice of my brother to get them tickets! So even though we visited in January the Biltmore was still all decorated for Christmas.

We arrived well before our ticket time because we wanted to make sure we got there and parked and everything. And when we got in line for entrance they let us into the house a little early since there wasn't too many people.

The tour is self-guided at-your-own-pace and you're given a headset for the tour that explains the different rooms. There was a good amount of people inside but I wouldn't say it was crowded. It was nice to be able to explore at our own pace and take pictures and just look around at everything. There was SO much to see! We were very impressed! All of the Christmas decorations were so fun to look at and the house was beautifully decorated. There was a Christmas tree in just about every room and they were all decorated differently to match the decor in the rooms and there was just so many little details and things to look at!

Have you ever visited the Biltmore?

Recent Beauty Purchases 13

2024-12-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

1. bareMinerals Original Mineral Veil Pressed Setting Powder in Translucent: This setting powder is fine. It does the job in terms of setting my foundation and minimizing the appearance of pores. I have no complaints about it.

2. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Frizz Tamer Slicking Hair Serum Wand: I really like this product! It has a mascara-like wand and works great at taming those random little fly-away hairs. I took this with me when we were in Europe and it was great at touching up my hair throughout the day. I also just have a random little section of hair that curls weird so this is great at smoothing that out.

3. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Hot Cocoa: I really really like the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balms but this is not my favorite flavor. (I always feel weird saying flavor since you don't eat it but I don't know how else to describe it!) It does have a strong chocolate scent, very much like hot cocoa, but to me it's just kind of weird. It works the same as any of the other flavors but just this particular one isn't my favorite.

4. JVN Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Styling Cream: I was a little disappointed with this product and ended up returning it. I've really been trying to figure out a way to air dry style my hair and was hoping this would help but it really doesn't do anything at all. I have other products that work way better at reducing frizz and this really didn't offer any hold or anything.

5. Josie Maran - Whipped Argan Oil Firming Body Butter in Vanilla Vibezzz: I really really like this body butter! I first got a free sample in an order and decided to buy the full size, but they were out when I was in store so I bought the mini size, then after returning a couple of things I ended up just ordering the full size online. It's a little pricier than I would normally spend on a body butter but I figured if it works and I like it then I might as well just get it!

It has a very light scent which I like. So if you are someone who likes fragrances then you probably won't really care for this. I did find that the sample size and the mini size seemed to smell better than the full size for some reason. That was disappointing because I do like the light scent.

Anyways, I've had really dry hands lately (just the time of year and I wash my hands a lot) and this seems to work very well for me. It's a little bit greasy but does rub in very well. So many lotions and body butters I've tried will just leave my hands feeling dry again as soon as it absorbs into my skin. I can use this and my hands will stay moisturized for a long time.

6. SEPHORA COLLECTION Cream Contour Stick in 01 Fair to Light: This was another item I returned. I was really hoping it would work but it was extremely hard to blend and had a very gray tint to it. I tried using it directly on my skin and also tried putting it on a brush and then blending but neither option worked very well. It just didn't work for me.

Have you purchased any new beauty products lately?

The 2023 North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival

2024-12-09T10:00:00.006-05:00

Last December me and my mom drove up to Cary, NC, to go to the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival. We ended up going right before my birthday so we kind of made it into an overnight birthday trip. We went mid-week so it was busy but not too crowded. It would have been much harder to get around and enjoy it had it been more crowded.

Anyways, we really enjoyed the festival. The displays were so pretty and fun. Some of them moved or changed color, and some had sound effects and steam to go along with the movement. There were interactive elements and overall it was a fun experience!

When we arrived it was cold and then part way through our time there it started raining. And not just raining but that ice-pelting type of rain that made it even colder! As you can imagine, that was not fun! The place cleared out VERY fast! But my mom and I were determined to finish our visit! It was kind of funny because we were taking pictures and I looked around and it was like, where did everybody go? Almost everybody had left!

We tried to hurry the rest of the way through because it was so cold, but despite that we did really enjoy our visit! We had never been to anything like this before so it was a fun, unique experience. I would definitely recommend visiting if you're in the area!

the North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival is going on right now so you can see if for yourself!

Visiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden Part 2

2024-11-13T10:00:00.001-05:00

On Monday I shared Part 1 of our visit to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Today I'm going to share the orchid house and the rest of the Alice's Wonderland exhibit!

It's always interesting checking out the orchids at a botanical garden; it's amazing how many varieties there are! And the Alice's Wonderland sculptures were so fun!

Visiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden Part 1

2024-11-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

At the end of August me and my mom decided to take a short trip down to Atlanta. There was two different events going on that I had wanted to go to, and it was my mom's birthday, so we figured it was the perfect time for a quick trip! We have driven through Atlanta, but had never been to Atlanta, so we were interested in checking it out.

The first thing I wanted to go to was the Alice's Wonderland exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Both my mom and I enjoy visiting botanical gardens and miss visiting the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

There really wasn't too much in bloom this time of year but there was still plenty to look at. I had just a little too many pictures to put into one post, so I just decided to make two shorter posts, so I'll share the rest of our visit on Wednesday!

We visited the gardens on a Sunday in the late afternoon so the weather wasn't too bad. We had been having a miserably hot and humid summer, so I had wanted to wait until after the sun had started to go down a little bit before we visited. It was hot but not unbearable. And the garden had a fair amount of people but wasn't crowded, which was nice.

We had never seen garden sculptures before (like the Earth Goddess and the Alice exhibits) so those were very interesting to see! They're made of steel framing and annuals.

Do you enjoy visiting botanical gardens?

Visiting the Harvest Festival at Dollywood

2024-10-30T10:00:00.003-04:00

Last month, me, my mom, and my sister decided to take a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. At the beginning of September my sister had gotten back from living in Germany for the past year, and she was in between waiting to get into her new apartment so she decided to come down to visit. She wanted to take a trip so we discussed a few ideas before deciding on Pigeon Forge. She had visited the area a couple of summers ago and liked it so much she recommended it to me and my parents, and we visited last year.

For some reason me and my mom thought it was farther away than it actually was but it's only about a 2 1/2 hour drive. (Longer right now because a large section of I-40 is closed due to Hurricane Helene. But we visited before that happened.)

Anyways, my sister had started checking out Dollywood and decided she wanted to go so we did that! There was a pretty good discount going on so we were able to take advantage of that. We went on a Thursday (Sept 12 to be exact.) and it was not very busy at all. There was very few people there which made it very nice.

We arrived shortly after the park opened and started to wander through the park. We really enjoyed seeing all of the fall decorations! All of the pumpkin decorations were so fun and cute!

We stopped off for a loaf of their famous cinnamon bread with a side of apple butter then sat at a table and enjoyed it. We then continued on our way, enjoying exploring the park and the fun decorations. My sister was excited about the roller coasters, so she would ride on those while me and my mom waited for her. Being that there was so few people there my sister was able to go on a roller coaster and then get right back on again! I think the longest she waited was maybe one or two ride rotations before she could go again. My sister's favorite roller coasters were the Big Bear Mountain and the Wild Eagle. I think she rode each of those 3 or 4 times!

Once my sister decided she had had enough of the roller coasters it was about time for lunch, so we stopped at Red's Drive In. They had several restaurants but we just wanted something quick and the restaurants didn't really serve food we were interested in (mostly Southern cooking.). But Red's was good. We got burgers and fries which weren't too bad. Prices weren't too bad either for an amusement park.

After lunch it had started sprinkling, so it was the perfect time to visit the Dolly Parton Experience, which was an interactive experience that walked you through her career. Also in the park was Dolly's tour bus and a replica of her childhood home. There was also plenty of shops to walk through which we did as well.

We arrived at the park at about 10am and left around 4pm, so we spent a good chunk of the day there. We enjoyed the park. We definitely picked the perfect time to visit, I would not want to go during the summer! One lady we talked to while we were there said that it is absolutely insane during the summertime! So I'm glad we were able to visit when we did!

Have you ever been to Dollywood? Or do you like visiting amusement parks?

Recent Purchases 16

2024-10-28T10:00:00.001-04:00

1. Fit & Flare Crepe Midi Dress in Black Floral, Dark Mauve, Black Jack and Dark Green: So I initially purchased this dress in just the black floral, but once I received the order and tried it on, I liked it so much I ordered it in all of the colors! I've never done that before, but I just really like this dress! It fits so well and looks so nice! It's just the right length and sleeve length, the material feels very nice, not too heavy but not too thin. And it has pockets! I did end up returning the Dark Mauve, I just didn't care for the color on me. But otherwise I am very happy with this dress! It has definitely become my favorite dress!

2. Chiffon Skirt | Printed in Navy: I really like this skirt! I saw it at Uniqlo and was disappointed they didn't have it in store in my size, but luckily I was able to order it online! The online images don't do it justice. It's very pretty and flowy and feels like very nice quality. I know I will get a lot of use out of it!

3. Lace Sweater in Green: I ordered this from Uniqlo as well. It's not something I would typically order, which I guess is why I like it, as it's different than something I would typically buy. But I liked the color and thought it would be fun to wear.

4. Button-Down Flannel Tunic in Gray Plaid and Burgundy Plaid: I ended up returning these. I like the look of flannels on other people but I just didn't like how they looked on me.

5. Vince Camuto Ladies' Hooded Full-Zip Jacket in Tan: I picked this up while at Costco recently because I needed a nicer jacket. I really only have a rain jacket and a winter coat, so I needed something nicer to wear if I'm wearing a dress or nicer clothes. This was very reasonably priced and is very nice quality for the price. I haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet as it's been too warm, but I know it will get a lot of use out of it this winter.

Have you purchased any new clothes lately?

Laurel Falls Hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2024-10-23T10:00:00.004-04:00

While in Tennessee last year, we went on the Laurel Falls hike in Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a very popular trail and we had a hard time finding parking. We drove up and down the road a ways and almost left before eventually finding someone just pulling out from a a small lot down the road.

Roundtrip the hike is 2.6 miles and is described on the NPS website as moderate in difficulty, but we found it to be more on the easy side of moderate. We saw several preschool-elementary school aged kids on the hike and they seemed fine. Although there are some steep drop-offs, so you definitely wouldn't want to take kids who weren't familiar with hiking or who are rowdy on this hike!

Anyways, it was a nice hike. The weather was nice and while there was a fair amount of people on the hike, it wasn't too busy.

After the hike we drove up to an overlook at the Tennessee and North Carolina border and saw part of the Appalachian trail.

Have you ever been to Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Currently

2024-10-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

I guess I will try, yet again, to get back into blogging! At the end of September my mom and I flew to Washington state to visit my grandma. Little did we know that Hurricane Helene would be coming directly through our area. We had planned our trip to Washington months prior, so we didn't really know what to expect when we saw that Helene was coming through.

It was surprising to see our area getting slammed by the hurricane considering how far inland we live in Upstate South Carolina. We had 14 inches of rain! With even more to the north and into western North Carolina. We got some pretty strong winds too. We weren't really worried about the house as we have no water or trees by our house, but my mom was getting notifications from the power company about our power going out. We did end up losing power for 3 days and our cable was out for almost 3 weeks. Not having TV wasn't a huge deal but a large majority of people in our area were without internet for 3+ weeks. So while we have a different internet provider our internet was really really slow because I'm guessing everyone was forced to use the hotspot on their phone.

We were in Washington for two weeks and had a really nice time visiting my grandma. It was just really nice to spend time with her. We didn't get home from our trip until after midnight so on the drive back from the airport we weren't really able to see much of the destruction from the hurricane. But the next morning I was shocked to look out the front window and see almost all of the large trees across the street from us were gone! I wish I had a before picture but there was dozens of trees that came down. Since the hurricane came through at night I can't imagine how scary that must have been listening to those trees come down all night long!

But since being back it's been so strange driving around and seeing trees down everywhere. Literally everywhere we go there are tons of trees down. One thing I've noticed is just how many trees came down directly next to peoples houses. Not on their houses fortunately, but right next to the house! So it's good to see that most people in our immediate area were safe!

And then another thing that happened while we were gone was our fridge/freezer quit working. It was already not working very well before we left (the freezer wasn't staying as cold as it should) so I moved everything out of the freezer and most everything out of the fridge and sure enough, when we got back it wasn't working at all. It was 60 degrees in the fridge! Since we are renting they sent someone out to look at the fridge, found out it was going cost almost $900 (!!!) to fix the problem, and then we had to wait several days but we finally got a new fridge last week. Considering the house we are living in is only 6 years old, it's ridiculous that the fridge is already having a major problem like that.

Anyways, it seems things are finally getting back to normal around here. I had hoped to come back from Washington and go on some hikes up in North Carolina to see the fall colors but that isn't going to be happening unfortunately. The areas where we like to hike were the areas affected by the severe flooding.

Watching - I've been enjoying watching the latest season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. I also watched the latest installment of Unsolved Mysteries. And I was glad to see Shark Tank and Dateline start up again!

Reading - I haven't really read anything particularly interesting lately, although Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni comes out tomorrow and I am really looking forward to starting that! I really liked the first book in the series, Her Deadly Game.

Buying - I haven't really purchased anything lately except for some pajamas. (I got this set: top | pants )

Looking forward to - Finally getting some real fall weather, whenever that may be! We got about a week of cooler weather when it almost got down to freezing at night and now it's back to being in the upper 70's all week. I am just over it. I have never been a fan of summer and hot weather and having about 7 months of summer is just too much! The leaves have just barely started changing color here! It's just so weird.

Starting - To begin thinking about Christmas presents for family. With Thanksgiving being so late this year I really need to get started on coming up with ideas. Have you started any Christmas shopping yet?

Eating - I recently made some homemade peanut butter cups and have been enjoying those!

Needing - To run some errands this week. I need to go to Costco, early voting starts today so I need to do that, and I also need to stop by Target.

What have you been up to lately?

Friday Favorites

2024-09-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome to my Friday Favorites! Today I am linking up with Andrea!

1. A couple of months ago I got these Lego flowers. I got the cherry blossoms and the daffodils which were fun to put together!

2. I found this fun scratch-off map of the US at Target earlier this summer. I have a much larger scratch-off map my sister got for me but I thought this one was neat!

Unscratched | Full map | Just the states I've visited

3. Back in April we finally visited the BMW factory to go on the tour of the facility. We have lived so close to the factory and have talked about going on the tour the whole time we've lived in South Carolina but it just hadn't worked out to go. They only do a couple of tours a day and they sell out fast so we were glad to finally get some tickets and go!

You could take pictures in the museum but could not take pictures during the tour. We found the tour to be really interesting! They actually take you through the manufacturing facility where they are actually working and manufacturing the cars and it was like nothing we had ever seen before. There were so many robots and machines it was like something out of a futuristic movie!

The warehouse was like 3 or 4 stories high with cars all around and above you on convener belts. It was really interesting learning about car manufacturing, specifically in the Upstate. Definitely recommend if you are ever in Upstate South Carolina!

The price on this one!!!

Can you even imagine driving something this tiny???

4. I recently tried a new chocolate chip muffin recipe and it was pretty good! (I used this recipe.) Although I don't know that I would say it's my favorite recipe. I've tried so many chocolate chip muffin recipes but they never seem quite right. I typically always say homemade is better but for some reason there is just something special about bakery chocolate chip muffins. And I really don't know why, but they're just so good. Do you have a favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe? Or a double chocolate muffin recipe?

5. In case you missed it, this week I shared a Currently post and then on Wednesday I shared about our visit to the Tuckaleechee Caverns in Tennessee!

Hope you have a great weekend! Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Tuckaleechee Caverns

2024-09-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

In May of last year, me and my parents made a quick trip to Sevierville, Tennessee. My sister had visited the area the previous summer with her friend and really enjoyed the area; so she gave us a bunch of recommendations on things to do. One of which was visiting Tuckaleechee caverns!

It was a little bit of a drive to get out there, but we stopped at Elvira's Cafe for breakfast, which was another recommendation from my sister. The food was really good!

Once we arrived at the caverns, we got our tickets and started the tour. I can't remember how long the tour lasted, but we did enjoy it. The caverns were really interesting! There is one part at the end where they turn out all the lights so you can experience total darkness and that was pretty creepy!

Have you ever visited caves or caverns?

Currently

2024-09-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

Well, it's been a while! Again! Between having a miserably hot and humid summer and a lot of travel, blogging went to the bottom of the priority list. I have so much to get caught up on and so many things to post about! So I'm really hoping to get back into posting regularly again.

Working on - Just getting caught up on a bunch of different projects. I still have some scrapbooking to get caught up on and I'm still working on all of my pictures from from our trip to Europe. Between a lot of travel and family stuff, I feel like I'm so behind in a lot of things right now! So just really working on getting caught up.

Looking forward to - Some cooler weather! The summer was extremely hot and humid here but it's been cooling down the last couple of weeks which has been so nice! Typically the entire month of September is pretty warm, so I'm really glad that the cooler weather has come so much sooner! And I'm looking forward to getting out and going on some hikes now that it's cooler. I have quite a few hikes saved on AllTrails that I want to go on.

Watching - Just watching America's Got Talent right now. Looking forward to all the regular shows coming back on soon!

Back in July I watched the newest season of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix. It was pretty interesting. Although the third episode is a little disturbing/creepy!

Reading - I recently finished reading The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant and thought it was an interesting read. A little predictable in some parts but overall an interesting and unique story.

Buying - I got a new phone recently and so I needed a charger, a phone case, screen protector, ear buds, etc. It's so annoying that they keep changing the USB part thing (it's USB-C now) so you keep having to buy new stuff!

I've also bought a few new clothes which I'll share soon.

Trying - I'm going to be trying a new small group at church this week. And while I'm not exactly nervous about it, I am maybe a little unsure about it. Being new and trying to make friends as an adult is so hard! So I kind of just decided that if I don't like it I don't have to go back.

What have you been up to lately?

Visiting the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C.

2024-07-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

Last summer me, my mom, and my sister finally got a chance to visit the International Spy Museum. It has been on our list of places to visit since we first moved to the east coast back in 2018, but we just hadn't had the chance to go until now.

We had visited back in 2008, when we were still living in Washington (state) and visited Washington D.C. for the first time. But since then the museum has moved into a much larger location and has expanded quite a bit.

It's recommended you purchase tickets in advance as it books up quickly (especially during the summer.) so that is what we did. It's mostly just to stagger the start times so there aren't too many people all at once. It makes it easier to look around and not feel so crowded.

Upon arrival you are checked in and your group (there were only a couple of other people in our group) are given a short description on what happens next, then we were put into an elevator where we are given a briefing on spy craft and what we will be seeing.

Once off the elevator you are given the option to participate in an Undercover Mission where you get to create an identity so you can test your spy skills throughout the museum. You have to memorize your identity and mission objective and are tested at different stations throughout the museum to see if you can keep your cover. There were memory questions relating to your cover, seek-and-find type puzzles, and also a decoding puzzle.

I actually recognized a lot of the names/people/stories mentioned throughout the museum from listening to the True Spies podcast. So it was kind of fun to see some of the stories I had only listened to before!

Overall we really enjoyed our visit to the museum! It was so fun and interesting! There was really so much to see and learn about and I would highly recommend visiting if you are ever in Washington D.C.!

And for the record we all successfully completed our missions and kept our covers!

I though the propaganda exhibit was pretty interesting!

The James Bond car

What is the best or most fun museum you have visited?

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh Book Review

2024-07-08T10:00:00.001-04:00

The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh

Sometimes you’re so busy writing other people’s stories that you can lose the plot of your own.

This wasn’t how Kelsey Worthington’s day was supposed to go. She wasn’t supposed to be picking up Starbucks for her smarmy boss. She wasn’t supposed to get hit by a car that jumped the curb. And she certainly wasn’t supposed to wake up in a hospital room next to Georgina Tate—the legendary matriarch of New York City businesswomen.

Kelsey and Georgina couldn’t be more opposite. Kelsey’s a dreamer, a writer who questions her own skill. And Georgina is a confident businesswoman whose years of shouldering her way into boardrooms and making her voice heard have made her far too outspoken for the faint of heart.

But now, when Georgina’s failing kidneys force her to face some big regrets about the way she’s lived her life, the two women recognize they share a common thread. Maybe it’s time to confront a few things. They must ask themselves: What if I said yes to everything I’ve always said no to?

With Georgina as her companion, Kelsey soon finds herself doing things she’s never done before. Eating street food. Swimming in the ocean. Matchmaking for Georgina with the help of Georgina’s handsome son. And writing her own romance—both in book form and in real life.

So begins the Summer of Yes.

I enjoyed this book but it maybe wasn't my favorite by Courtney Walsh. I thought the idea was fun and the characters were mediocre. It was an okay read. Not too deep. I was engaged enough to want to keep reading and see how it was going to end but I also wasn't anxious to get back to it.

One of the things I really enjoy about Courtney Walsh's writing is that her stories are typically so realistic and relatable. And while there were a lot of realistic and relatable moments, there was also some areas that were a little far-fetched.

I did have a bit of a hard time with the characters in this story. I found Georgina to be so unlikable it almost took away from the story. I can appreciate a grumpy older person but Georgina kept boarding on mean and never really changed even at the end of the book. And Kelsey was kind of contradicting. On one had she comes across as work-a-holic push-over, but then she is very assertive and pushy with Georgina. Pushy to the point of being forceful. I feel like if Georgina had been a little less stand-offish and rude then Kelsey's pushiness wouldn't have come across as so aggressive.

It also seemed like it took a while to really get into the story or for it to really go anywhere. There were some really nice moments but also a lot of repetition. I liked the idea of the plot but just kept wishing it had been done a little differently. I wish there would have been more adventure or spontaneity.

I think the overall message of the story is great as far as being more open to saying yes and while I appreciate a fun, light-hearted read, I wish this would have had a little more depth. If you're looking for a very light read without any expectations then it's fine, but overall this was just an okay read for me. I just finished My Lucky Charm (also by Courney Walsh) and felt like that was a much better story with better developed characters and story depth.

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Random Moments From Washington

2024-06-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

I never got around to finishing this post from our trip to Washington last year. These were just some of the random moments I wanted to share that weren't quite enough for an individual blog post. So this is definitely a random assortment of moments from our trip!

My grandparents have always had lots of bird feeders and my grandma has always particularly liked hummingbirds so they have always had several feeders around. This time we were surprised at just how many hummingbirds there were! My grandparents had moved the feeders to a different window and apparently the hummingbirds liked that location better. It was fun to watch them dart around. And apparently they can be aggressive as I saw one use it's beak to grab another one by it's beak and yank it away from the feeder!

The hummingbirds seemed most active in the morning (when the light was the brightest) so it was a little difficult to get pictures with the bright sunlight in the background and the dark shaded foreground. But I'm pleased with the photos I was able to get!

One day while we were in Washington we drove out to Seabrook to walk around the town and then walk down to the beach. It was a beautiful day but was pretty windy and cold out. I always find it a little funny how on the west coast you see tsunami evacuation routes and signs and on the east coast it's always hurricane signs!

My grandpa has a side-by-side and my dad enjoys taking it out for drives in the woods. My mom and dad were out for a ride when my dad came back and said they had spotted a bear! He drove me out and I was able to get a few pictures of it. We've seen plenty of deer over the years but never a bear. My grandpa had only one other time seen a bear in all the years they've lived there so it was interesting to see. I've never seen a bear outside of a zoo. And we were pretty far away so I had to zoom in pretty far and crop the photo a bit so you could actually see it!

One day my grandparents came back from town and this baby goat followed their car home! The neighbors down the road have goats and apparently there was a baby. We went outside to see it and the goat took an immediate liking to my brother for some reason and would just not go home! We tried going back in the house and it would sit on their porch and cry until my brother went back out to pet it! It was funny but it sounded so sad when it would cry! We tried a couple of different times to get it to go home or walk it home and it just kept following them back. Eventually my brother was able to take it back to it's home and get it to stay home.

Making s'more is something we always enjoy doing while we are at my grandparents. I'm really good at cooking my marshmallow perfectly and then at the last second catching it on fire and burning the heck out of it. Either that or just slightly underdone. Haha

The day we drove up to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival we stopped for lunch at one of our favorite places, Bob's Burgers & Brew. The burgers are just so good and the fries are cooked perfectly.

And while we were are the Tulip Festival there was this bald eagle circling overhead! It was pretty cool to see!

We also got to see my favorite band, Shinedown, in concert in Everett which was fun! It was the second time we got to see them on this tour. We saw them a few months earlier in Savannah.

We spent the night in Everett after the concert which mean I got to make a stop at my favorite coffee shop, Woods Coffee! I always try to stop if we're in the area I picked up a couple of bags of coffee for myself and also a bag for my brother. Nobody makes coffee like they do in Washington and Wood's vanilla latte is definitely the best.

And nothing can beat this view when flying out of SeaTac. Except maybe a clear day view of Mount Rainier!

Have you ever visited Washington?

Recent Beauty Purchases 12

2024-06-17T10:00:00.001-04:00

1. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Pink Sugar: I liked the brown sugar lip butter balm so much I purchased another in the pink sugar! It was sold out last time I ordered so I was glad to be able to try it and I like it just as much as the brown sugar. It's probably one of the only lip balms I've ever tried that actually feels like it is moisturizing. It's glossy feeling without being sticky.

2. Dae shampoo & conditioner: This shampoo and conditioner smells so nice but seems like it's maybe a bit too moisturizing for my hair. I have pretty "normal" hair, meaning my hair isn't particularly dry or oily so it's hard to find something that isn't going to make my hair dry or oily. I like it every once in a while but it's not something I can use all the time.

3. Sephora brow pencil: I didn't really care for this brow pencil. It seemed kind of waxy when applying and it seemed like I used it up pretty quickly. I typically buy these $3 e.l.f. brand ones and I just felt like there wasn't enough of a increase in quality to justify the higher price point. The color selection on the Sephora ones is definitely better than the e.l.f. ones though. So overall just okay.

4. dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream: I did not like this styling cream at all and ended up returning it. It really didn't do anything for me. It felt sticky and weird on my hair. I was hoping it would help to tame frizz and flyaways but I just really didn't like how it felt.

5. Klorane Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner with Mango: I've been using this shampoo and conditioner for a little while now and I like it pretty well. I have been looking for a good shampoo and conditioner for such a long time. I had been using the Amika Normcore for a while and I started to notice a lot of fallout when washing my hair. After looking at recent reviews it seems like a lot of people have had the same problem.

After using the Klorane I've noticed that my hair looks and feels clean after washing but doesn't feel stripped like a lot of shampoos will do. My hair feels really soft, has shine, and doesn't look quite as frizzy either. I really like using this in combination with the Bumble and bumble primer I talk about below.

This shampoo and conditioner is listed as being for dry hair, and as I mentioned with the Dae shampoo above my hair is pretty "normal", but, unlike with the Dae shampoo this doesn't seem to make my hair feel too moisturized (by that I just mean the feeling like there is a film on my hair or like it's too greasy from the conditioner.).

So while this maybe isn't the greatest ever shampoo, it's okay for now. I still would like to find something better.

6. BondiBoost Flex & Shine Hairspray with Marine Algae & Seaweed Extract: I really wanted to like this but the fragrance was SO incredibly strong I had to return it. It worked well and had just the right amount of light, flexible hold, but 3 days after applying the scent was just as strong as the day I sprayed it and I just couldn't take it. I am sensitive to fragrances so this was a huge no for me. It wasn't even like they were trying to make it smell floral or like a perfume type of fragrance, it just smelled like any cheap hairspray you would buy at Walmart or something. Which was disappointing because it's non-aerosol so it doesn't have all the propellants like the vast majority of other hairsprays have. It has more natural ingredients so I was really hoping this would have worked out. I just wish they wouldn't have added the fragrance to it!

7. Bumble and bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Heat Protectant Leave In Conditioner Primer: I really like this primer. I had purchased the mini a while back to try and then had to get the full sized version during Sephora's next sale. It works great at taming flyaway/frizz and helping my hair to look sleek and shiny.

Art first I wasn't sure if this really made much of a difference, but I decided to not use it a few times and definitely noticed a difference in the amount of flyaways and frizz. I also like that it is a heat protectant. I don't blow dry my hair but I do heat style it 1-2 times a week.

So this is one product I would highly recommend trying if you deal with frizz or flyaways, if you're looking for a heat protectant, or just want something to make your hair look healthier or shinier!

Have you purchased or tried any new beauty products lately? Or do you have any products that you really love?

Visiting the National Museum of the US Army at Ft. Belvoir, VA

2024-06-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

So this post has been sitting in my drafts since 2022 and I just never got around to sharing it. And I've since visited the National Museum of the US Army a second time and I really wanted to share since we really enjoyed the museum!

We were in Washington D.C. for an event a couple of years ago and decided to take a visit to the National Museum of the US Army! The museum is new, only having been opened in November of 2020, and is located in Fort Belvoir, VA. It's by the military base, but not on the base.

The museum is split up by war or conflict, so it's interesting to be able to kind of travel through time into each conflict starting with colonial warfare up to modern warfare and The Global War on Terrorism.

The museum also features a Medal of Honor section as well as Soldier's Stories, which is where you will begin your visit of the museum.

Admission is free but it is recommended that you reserve tickets (for a time slot) in advance.

We really enjoyed our visit to the museum. It was very well laid out, the volunteers were very knowledgeable and friendly, and overall the museum was just really interesting! I would definitely recommend visiting if you are ever in the area!

Have you ever visited a military museum?

Recent Purchases 15

2024-06-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

This is a longer one today! I placed a large Old Navy order after a recent 40% off sale and wanted to share what I purchased. Most of these were all items I was needing for our trip to Europe plus a few items I've been needing in general. Fortunately almost all of these items worked out for me!

Anyways, here is what I got!

1. Stretch Ankle Golf Pants in Navy: The length is a little confusing on these. I'm 5'8" and these are full length on me. I just do not like wearing jeans and have really been trying to find pants that are not jeans. I found these on Amazon and decided to give them a try. I do really like these. I think they're maybe a little pricey for what they are but they're very comfortable and come in a variety of colors.

I brought these with me while I was in Europe and they are very lightweight and didn't take up much room in my suitcase which is definitely a plus! And the athletic/stretchy material was very comfortable for all the activities we did while still looking dressy and nice. They are very easily dressed up or down and overall I don't think you can go wrong with them!

2. Open Toe Slippers in Grey: I found these on Amazon and when I ordered these grey was the cheapest color so that is why I got those. Not that it really matters since that color isn't available anymore. The only reason I got these was because I was looking for some slippers that were very inexpensive and lightweight that I could bring with me while traveling. I don't like walking around in hotel rooms barefoot or without shoes on so I wanted some slippers that were easy to pack and wear when I'm in a hotel or traveling.

These work great for what I needed them for. I took them with me on our trip to Europe and they were so nice to slip on after a shower or walking around the hotel room. They're very lightweight, have a non-slip rubber sole, and packed pretty flat so they took up very little room in my suitcase. They're pretty cushioned and were more comfortable than I was expecting. I paid less than $10 for these, so you can't beat the price!

3. Printed Short-Sleeve Notch Collar and Cool Nights Printed Pajama Shorts in Merry Dot Navy/Ivory: These do seem to run a little small, so if you are between sizes I would size up. I had been needing some new pajamas for so long and just hadn't come across any that I liked or fit right. I had been eyeing these for a while but just couldn't justify the price. I finally was able to get them on sale plus I had a 20% off coupon, so I got a pretty good price on them!

They're super comfortable, I really like how they fit, the shorts are just the right length (they're a 4" inseam, so not the extremely short shorts like most pajama shorts seem to be.) they have pockets, and I couldn't go wrong with the polka dot print!

These pajamas come in a ton of different prints and top and bottom combinations. So I would definitely recommend taking a look if you're looking for new pajamas.

4. Luxe Sleeveless Top in Navy Floral: I really like to wear these sleeveless tops with a cardigan so I am always checking for new prints in these tanks. If I'm being really picky I wish it was a scoop neck instead of the high neck but overall I just liked the floral print.

5. Waist-Defined Midi Dress in Polka Dot: Obviously I have a thing for polka dots! Haha. I just really like how classic and timeless the pattern is and I really like the dress style. It's maybe a little big (I think if I had sized down it would have been too small) but otherwise I really like this dress! I took it on our trip to Europe and wore it a lot!

6. Extra High-Waisted Utility Shorts in Panther: These did not work at all. I ordered my regular size but the waist was very small and I couldn't get them even close to being buttoned! They looked okay in the legs but I think if I sized up to fit my waist they would be huge everywhere else. Disappointing because I thought they looked cute but definitely did not work for me!

7. High-Waisted Crinkle Gauze Shorts in Black Jack: These have a 5" inseam so I was interested in giving these a try. I have a really really hard time finding shorts I like. I don't like shorts that are too short but I don't like shorts that are too long either. These are perfect! Just the right length, elastic waistband that looks kind of like the paperbag waist. I like that they are a higher rise and look good with a shirt tucked in or untucked. Overall really like these!

8. Vintage T-Shirt in White Lilies: (I also ordered this t-shirt in Dark Mauve but it looks like that color isn't available anymore.) These t-shirts looked kinda boxy, which isn't my typical style but I was looking for an inexpensive (I paid like $8 for it so it was worth a try.) t-shirt I could knot and wear with some skirts that I have or tuck into the pants I have listed above. These did not work out at all like I was hoping. They were VERY short and very boxy and not at all what I was expecting. They really looked nothing as they appear in the listing photos. I returned these.

9. EveryWear V-Neck T-Shirt in Dark Bottle: I don't typically do a lot of v-necks as they are typically too low-cut for me but this one didn't look like it was a deep V so I thought I would give it a try. I really like the dark green color and it was very inexpensive. It's nothing fancy but I like that it's lightweight (but not too thin) and and fit nicely.

10. SoSoft Lite Crop Cardigan in Black Jack: I really like this cardigan. I was looking for something that was cropped to wear with dresses as the cardigans I do have are much longer. This is just the right length and feels like nice quality. It's not super thin but isn't too heavy/warm either.

Have you purchased any new clothes lately? What are your favorite clothing stores?

Friday Favorites

2024-06-07T10:00:00.008-04:00

Hello and welcome to my Friday Favorites! Today I am linking up with Andrea!

It has been quite a while since I've done one of these but I'm looking forward to getting back into blogging regularly!

1. I uploaded all of my pictures from our trip to Europe to my computer so I can start going through them and that has been fun! Granted, there are over 1,000(!!!) so it's going to take me a while to sort through them all but it's been fun to look back and see all the things we were able to do!

We visited 9 countries and were able to see and do so much! It was definitely a whirlwind and we were so busy. Definitely not a relaxing vacation. We tried to make the most of our time in Europe while we were there (this is our second time visiting Europe.).

We were able to visit Germany, Luxembourg, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France! I will definitely be sharing more as I go through my pictures but here are a few favorites! I have been sharing a lot in Instagram if you want to follow me there!

Ireland

The Giant's Causeway | The Dark Hedges

Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)

2. I had to do some major grocery shopping after getting back from our 3 week trip to Europe and happened to find these at Trader Joe's! I think they could use more marshmallow but otherwise they're really good!

3. A Habit Burger finally opened where we live. (It opened last year) and that has been a favorite. I don't eat out very often but it's nice to be able to get a good burger at a decent price.

4. I don't go into Michael's very often but I happened to stop by and found some cute spring home decor items. Here are a few of the items I purchased! I got 2 of these cute scalloped wall shelves, this pink floral wall art, and this glass container with lid (I got the clear glass one). I also got this wall banner but it doesn't look like it's available anymore. Have you purchased any decor items lately? Do you have a favorite home decor store? I never really know where to consistently shop for home decor, I kind of just randomly come across things.

5. In case you missed it, on Monday I shared a little about What I've Currently Been Up To, and on Wednesday I shared some of my recent scrapbook pages!

How have you all been? Have you been up to anything fun or interesting lately?Hope you have a great weekend!

Some Recent Scrapbook Pages

2024-06-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

I am very slowly getting caught up on my scrapbooking. I am just about finished with the photos I currently have and then I need to get some more printed. These were a few pages I did a little while back. I'm not sure why the images are showing up a little fuzzy, I've tried fixing it but I'm not sure what the issue is. Anyways, you get the idea!

Norfolk Botanical Garden Rose Garden

Lavender Farm Visit

Fort Monroe

Triple Falls Hike

Catawba Falls Hike

Luray Caverns

Have you done any crafting lately?

I'm Back! An Update and What I'm Currently Up To

2024-06-03T10:00:00.012-04:00

It's been a while! Definitely not an intended break but I've been wanting to get back to blogging for a while now. My family had a pretty rough go of it at the beginning of the year. We had 3 deaths in the family within 5 months. Two of which were within 6 days of each other. All three deaths were extremely unexpected so as you can imagine it's been a difficult time for us.

Losing my grandpa on my mom's side has been the most difficult though. I'm so grateful for the two weeks we got to spend in Washington last spring with my grandma and grandpa as that was the last time we got to see my grandpa.

My family traveled to Washington to be with my grandma as well as my entire extended family. My sister even flew in from Germany which was so nice. And also kind of crazy because she came home for Christmas and then less than 2 weeks later made a last minute decision to fly to Washington to be with everyone. We were all so glad she did.

It was really nice to get to see family that we hadn't seen in a long time despite the fact it was for a difficult reason. My cousin asked at one point when the last time the siblings (meaning my mom, aunt, and uncles) had last all been together and we figured it had probably been over 10 years. It's just hard when everyone lives all over the country! So it was really nice to get to be with everyone.

Prior to that we had a lot of travel last year which included multiple trips up to Northern Virginia to help both of my siblings move. My brother bought his first place and we helped him move out of his previous place, brought some of his stuff here (things that couldn't be stored like food and other perishables) because there was about a month gap between when his lease ended on his apartment to when he could move into his new place. So then we drove back up to help him move in. Then my sister got relocated to Germany so we helped her clean out her apartment and deal with some of her moving stuff.

And then just last week my parents and I got back from visiting my sister in Germany! We took 3 weeks to visit my sister and travel around Europe which was pretty fun. We got to see and do so many things! So I will have a lot to share about that sometime soon!

Anyways, I want to start blogging regularly again and I have quite a few things to start sharing!

Buying - New clothes. Spring is typically when I like to buy new clothes as it's usually when I can find more things that I like. My family went on a big trip and I had been needing some specific things that I can bring with me. So I've been looking for sales and for some items that would work for me!

Playing - Still playing Animal Crossing New Horizons. I am well on my way to having my whole island done. I struggled with designing the entrance for a long time and I finally have it where I like it. I want to have a completed island and I think I'm well on my way!

Back in February I finished playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. I had put off the final battle for a long time but I had completed pretty much every single other thing there was to do (side quests/adventures, found all the Koroks, etc. The only things I didn't do were upgrade all the gear or find all the treasure chests.) so I finally went ahead and finished the game. The final battle was pretty difficult and I was surprised I completed it in one go (But just barely! I really thought I wasn't going to make it.) and now that I've finished it I'm thinking about starting it over again.

Finishing - I finished this new blog layout. I had been wanting to make one for a while but decided to work on a new one while I was taking a break from blogging. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I also went ahead and updated all of the pages! Well, all of the pages except for the About Me one. Writing about yourself is a bit challenging!

Reading - I've recently finished Fatal Domain by Steven James and I really enjoyed it. I really liked the first book in the series, Broker of Lies, so I was really interested in the second book. I also finished The Roads We Follow by Nicole Deese.

Watching - Getting caught up on all the shows on the DVR from when we were gone. I've been watching Dateline, 20/20, The Amazing Race, Home Town, and American Idol.

Looking forward to - Not too much right now. We're hoping to visit my brother up in Northern Virginia sometime soon. He wasn't able to come to Europe with us (he had just gotten back from a trip to Italy and then is going to Europe again this summer for a friend's wedding). His birthday was in May so we are hoping to go spend some time with him and celebrate his birthday.

Eating - Since getting back from our trip to Europe I've really been craving salads, berries, and vegetables. I've started finding strawberries at Costco so I have been very into eating those. And I'm always buying blueberries, which are my favorite! Eating out so much while we were gone and not being able to eat how we normally do was hard. Obviously that's expected while traveling but it's always nice to be home and get back to eating how you like to.

And I have also really been enjoying this chocolate chip cookie recipe. I really really like chocolate chip cookies and these are the perfect soft and chewy cookie!

Trying - I've tried a few new recipes lately. I've made this homemade cinnamon swirl bread 3 times over the last several months. It's so good and makes excellent toast.

And I've also made a couple versions of a Taco Bell crunchwrap. I've never actually had a Taco Bell crunchwrap but both of these recipes sounded good so I gave them a try. I tried this one from Half Baked Harvest and then I came across this breakfast one from Ambitious Kitchen on Instagram. Both recipes were a bit time consuming to make, but they were very good and very filling.

Working on - Several things. Scheduling and finishing up some blog posts. I have a lot of things I want to share. I have taken several trips I want to share photos from as well as some other fun things to post!

And I'm also working on going through all the pictures I took during our 3 weeks in Europe.

Since it's been so long, how have you been? What have you been up to lately?

Deception Pass & Rosario Beach

2023-10-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

On our last full day in Washington we drove out to Deception Pass. It's easier to just link to the Wikipedia page to explain more about Deception Pass if you're interested.

We had wanted to go out to the beach that we used to go to a lot when I was growing up but my parents couldn't remember exactly where it was. I thought we had to go into the campground to get there and my mom thought we didn't have to go into the campground and thought it was Rosario beach. Meanwhile, my dad didn't remember which place we were supposed to go to either. So we went to Rosario beach and it turns out the campground was right. Anyways, we still enjoyed our time there even if we didn't get to see beach we had intended to see or the ancient Douglas fir tree my siblings and I used to play on.

The weather was beautiful. Warm and sunny. Although much too sunny for taking pictures! I was really disappointed with how my pictures turned out. The sun was so bright and the trees and hills made for some really dark shade so it was really hard trying to get them exposed properly. So basically my phone pictures turned out better than my camera pictures. As much as I hate to say it.

While at Rosario beach we just spent our time wandering around enjoying the nice weather and checking out the tide pools. It had been quite a few years since I've been to a beach with tide pools so it was fun getting to check them out. We saw lots of little crabs, fish, shellfish, kelp, etc. We also saw a sea otter (pictured a few photos below) and an eagle flying overhead. (Which I did not get a picture of.)

Have you ever been to a beach with tide pools?

Friday Favorites

2023-10-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome to my Friday Favorites! Today I am linking up with Andrea!

1. Three weeks ago my favorite band, Shinedown, was in town so my mom and I went and saw them again! We had purchased tickets months ago and had been anxiously awaiting the day of the concert! They put on such an incredible show and we really enjoyed it! The crowd was really into it too which made for a fun experience!

There was a mom with her son (he was maybe 10 or 11 years old) in front of us and I heard them talking to the people in front of them and it was either his first ever concert or first Shinedown concert, but it was fun to watch him enjoy the show.

2. And then a week after the Shinedown show my mom decided she wanted to go to Charleston and see Switchfoot on their Beautiful Letdown tour so we drove to Charleston to see them. It had been quite a few years since we had seen Switchfoot but they put on a pretty good show.

3. We stayed in Mount Pleasant and the day after the concert we had a nice breakfast at First Watch before heading out to visit Boone Hall. My mom had purchased tickets beforehand so all we had to do was go into the visitor center to pick a time for the house tour. We wandered around the visitor center/museum until our house tour time.

The tour of the house was interesting, although no pictures were allowed inside. The house wasn't as old as we had thought (it was built in 1936 but made to look older.). And only the downstairs was open to visitors as the upstairs is still used by the family.

The rest of the grounds were interesting. There were multiple exhibits and tours to go on that were all included in the admission price. There was a plantation tractor tour, Black history in America and slave history exhibits, we listened to a talk on the Gullah culture, and walked through the gardens (which were very overgrown and not much was in bloom. But I bet it is very pretty in the spring!) We spent a good portion of the day exploring the grounds and thought the tour guides were all very personable and interesting.

4. After visiting Boone Hall we stopped by our hotel and then drove into Charleston to have an early dinner at Edmund's Oast. Since it was still early we drove down to the Battery and walked around the park and looked at some of the fancy homes there. It was surprisingly very windy so we didn't walk around for too long.

5. In case you missed it, I've recently shared Part 1 and Part 2 of our visit to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival from when we were in Washington.

And then this week I shared a Currently post on Monday and on Wednesday I shared my recent Old Navy haul!

Have you done anything fun or exciting lately?

Hope you have a great weekend!

My Recent Old Navy Haul

2023-10-18T10:00:00.001-04:00

Old Navy recently had a 30% off sale (it looks like it's still going on) so I ended up buying a few things and I thought I would recap what I got. I typically end up returning at last half of the things I order (not on purpose, just unfortunately their clothes fit weird sometimes!).

1. Fit & Flare Tie-Front Cami Midi Dress in Black: This dress surprised me. I thought maybe I wouldn't like it as it's not a style I would typically go for but a couple of people I follow on Instagram had it in different colors and it looked cute so I thought I would give it a try. It was on clearance (only $10!) and all that was left was the black color in a tall. I don't normally get a tall in dresses from ON but since that was all they had it's more of a midi length on me but that's fine.

I was pretty surprised at how well it fit! It has a very defined waist which I really like and it has pockets which is always a plus! The material is pretty thick which is nice, but would probably be too hot in the middle of summer. So overall I'm pretty impressed with this dress!

2. Square-Neck Bodysuit in Dark Bottle: I like this bodysuit pretty well. I like the square neck and that the material is thick. I'm 5'8" and ordered this in a tall and it is a tad long. I know if I ordered this in a regular length it would have been too short. The snaps are kind of uncomfortable and while it is full-coverage it is not very discreet if you know what I mean! So if I wear it with a skirt you wouldn't notice the lines but if I were to wear it with pants or a more fitted skirt it would be very noticeable so I don't like that.

3. Luxe Rib-Knit Tunic T-Shirt in Dark Bottle: I liked this top, but I ordered the wrong size and when I went in store to exchange it for a different size (it wasn't available in store.) the employee insisted that she couldn't order it for me. I know that is wrong because they've done it before. So I guess if I want it I'll have to place another order myself which I wasn't really wanting to do. I'm sure I could call them and explain the situation so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping but I don't know if I really want to deal with that. Anyways, I did like it but since it's a rib-knit it was a little clingy and I just preferred to have it in a different size.

4. Cloud 94 Soft Tulip-Hem Tunic in Nebula: I did not like this top. It looked cute on the models and I liked the color but the material is really weird (kind of a velvety feel instead of like an athletic type material) and very thin. I ordered it in a tall and it is very long. Also the neck felt kind of tight. I wish it was a crew or scoop neck. I think that would have made it look more flattering instead of just sort of oversized and frumpy. I don't mind an oversized top for working out but this one just didn't look/fit right.

5. High-Waisted Wow Super-Skinny Black-Wash Ankle Jeans: Returning. These fit great except for the fact they barely buttoned. I had a feeling these probably wouldn't fit but they were only $10 so I thought I would give them a try anyways. I have such a hard time with jeans. They either fit in the waist and are too baggy everywhere else or they fit everywhere else and are too small in the waist. So unfortunately I had to return these.

6. First-Layer Fitted Cami Top for Women in Black: I've purchased several of these camis over the years. They're cheap, not too thin but not too thick, and are great for wearing under sweaters or different tops.

7. Puff-Sleeve V-Neck Crepe Midi Dress for Women in Burgundy Ditsy Floral: I was a little unsure on this dress when I ordered it but thought I would just give it a try anyways and as soon as I pulled it out of the package I liked it. Color/print are cute. Material is thin but not too thin (it isn't see-through). It's very figure flattering. I did have to exchange it for a larger size because I was afraid if I washed it it would shrink too much. But otherwise this is a really cute dress!

Have you purchased any new clothes lately? Or where are your favorite places to shop for clothes?