Five for Friday

Hello and welcome to my Five for Friday! I am linking up with Cup of Tea , Bright on a Budget, and  Della Devoted!

1. First off, I can't neglect to mention that it's Veteran's day. I am so thankful to anyone who has served in the military. I am proud to come from a family with so many people who have served. My dad, my uncle, cousins, and friends. Thank you doesn't even begin to express just how grateful I am for their service.

2. I picked up a few fun things at the Target dollar spot! Part of me feels like it's wrong to buy Christmas stuff so early, but I also know if I wait until it feels more appropriate than the good stuff is always gone. So buy it while you can!

The little bird I got back in the Christmas Wondershop section. There was a bunch of cute little birds. I tried to link to them on Target's site, but as usual they don't have them listed on their website.

3. I am also over halfway done with my Christmas shopping! I came across free shipping one one thing, a reduced price on another thing, and then a really good deal on something else! So I'm pretty happy about that!

4. I know it's a little after the fact, and since I never did post a Halloween recap, (there wasn't much to recap haha.) so here are the pumpkins my sister and I carved!

 I carved the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland and the TARDIS.

And my sister carved one of the mushrooms from the Mario games and Bowser.

5. In case you missed it, I shared a review of the October Love With Food box and a review of the October Ipsy glam bag!

October Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Beaute Basics Satin Taupe Eye Shadow: I typically wear a light neutral brown shade of eyeshadow, and while this is a little darker and a little more shimmery than I usually wear, I still liked it. The eyeshadow itself was pretty bold and long lasting. 

theBalm Cosmetics Hot Mama Blush: This shade of blush was just okay for me. It was slightly more of a warm tone than a cool tone, which works better for my skin tone. (It looks a little different on my face than on my wrist.) So while this was a nice shade and it did look okay on me, it just wasn't an exact match. Close, but not quite. Overall a good quality product and I will probably use the sample, so not a total loss!

essence cosmetics superfine eyeliner pen waterproof: I had actually never tried an eyeliner pen like this before, so this was a first for me! I wasn't quite sure what to expect since I had only ever used eyeliner pencils, but I really liked it! It wasn't as tricky as I was thinking it would be. It went on easily and I liked that it was easy to go between a thin line to a thicker line. I also liked that once it was on it didn't smudge at all, but it came off easily with a makeup remover wipe at the end of the day. My only negative is, since receiving this, I've used it twice and the second time it seemed like it had dried out some as the color wasn't so bold.

Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker Fragrance Rollerball: I don't typically care for floral type perfumes, but this one wasn't too bad. It's not too strong or overpowering. Just a light, floral scent. 

Adesse New York Liquid Chrome Organic Infused Nail Lacquer in Grand Central: I had tried the Adesse New York nail polish in a previous glam bag and liked it, but this nail polish was kind of weird. The brush was all messed up and the bristles were bent, the polish itself went on gloopy  and streaky. When I went to put on the second coat, even though the first coat was dry, it started pulling off the first coat! It was so weird and not something I have ever had happen before. I put it on and then ended up just taking it right back off because it looked so bad. Definitely not fan of this color/formula! I will probably try it again on top of a plain color, just to see how it does. It is kind of an interesting shade.

Overall I was very pleased with this glam bag! This is the first time I've received bag with products that I will actually use, and they were all surprisingly products that I genuinely liked!

Have you tried any of these products?

Interested in trying your own glam bag? Click here to use my referral link!

October Love With Food Box Review

Sweet Chili & Sour Cream White Bean Chips by Beanitos: These actually tasted pretty good! You could taste both of the flavors, they were strong, but not overpowering. The sweet chili was a nice combination with the cool flavor of the sour cream. I was kind of surprised that you could taste the sour cream, since it's not a really bold flavor. 

Garden Fresh Salsa White Bean Chips by Beanitos: I didn't like these as much as the sweet chili & sour cream, but they still had really good flavor. I had tried their regular black bean chips in the past and did not like them, so I wasn't expecting to not like these but I was pleasantly surprised! The flavors were all there. They were very tasty!

Presidents Educational Snacks by Dick + Jane Baking Company: From looking at the packaging, I didn't exactly know if these were cookies or crackers. They are cookies, but the packaging really doesn't tell you anything about the product or the company. The cookies are just okay, nothing special or unique. I also just thought it was weird that the presidents were on them. I mean, if you want to teach kids about presidents, shouldn't you have something on the back of the package about different presidents? I guess I just don't get it.

Whole Wheat Snack Crackersby Westminster Cracker Company: These crackers are okay. They kind of remind me of Saltine crackers. The flavor is fine. I think they would be really good in soup or something, not really something you want to just snack on by themselves since they are dry.

Original Chai Tea Latte Mix by Oregon Chai: I've had this chai tea in the past and I just don't care for it. If you are a fan of chai tea, I know this is a good brand, it's just not something I really like.

Fig Spread by Divina: The fig spread isn't too bad. Not overly sweet and had a nice flavor.

Apple Caramel by Annie B's: I'm not a huge fan of caramel (I don't like sticky food/candy), but this wasn't too bad. It was very sticky, which I didn't like. It was so sticky it was hard to get the wrapper open. The flavor wasn't too bad and you could taste the apple. My sister really liked it.

Almond Roca Buttercrunch Toffee by Brown & Haley: I've grown up with Almond Roca around (My dad really likes it!), so I am very familiar with it! Chocolate, crunchy almonds, and toffee, it's so good!

Cinnamon Bun Granola Bar by AWAKE Energy: This wasn't too bad at first, but it did have a weird aftertaste (I think it was the cinnamon they used). And the texture was too tough and chewy for my liking.

Overall I wasn't super impressed with this box. I think considering this was the October box, they could have showcased some great candy companies/fall treats.

There just really wasn't anything I really liked in this box.

Five for Friday

Hello and welcome to my Five for Friday! I am linking up with Cup of Tea , Bright on a Budget, and  Della Devoted! 

1. I finally updated the pictures on my chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe! It's been on my to-do list for a while because I just didn't like the way the pictures were before, so they're better now! Check that out if you haven't seen it, and give them a try!

2. This video from the Tonight Show is pretty funny! If you haven't watched the Mad Lib theater with Benedict Cumberbatch, you should. We played Mad Libs a LOT growing up, so this was pretty good to watch and I hope it becomes a regular segment on the show!

3. I put a shelf up all by myself! Haha. It's been sitting in my room for quite a while and I finally got some screws and put it up. My room has a weird layout and I don't have a lot of wall space, so hanging the picture ledge above my closet worked out perfect. 

(For the record, it's a little off center on purpose, since the stud was not in the center.)

4. Did anyone else watch the World Series game on Wednesday night? I ended up getting sucked into the last couple of innings. I watched parts of the game throughout, but wow! What a close game! And how crazy was the rain delay? I'm glad the Cubs won. After 108 years, they certainly deserved it! 

5. In case you missed it, on Monday I shared some pictures of the fall colors in my neighborhood, and then on Wednesday I shared a currently post! Be sure to check those out!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Currently

Watching - The Voice, The X Factor UK, Shark Tank, and Hawaii Five-0. As far as new shows, I've been watching Designated Survivor and like that. And I've watched a couple episodes of Timeless which isn't too bad either. Is there any new shows you've liked?

Trying - To figure out what I need to get from Trader Joe's. I need to make a quick trip there today so I can get a few things. What are your favorite things to get from Trader Joe's? I could probably do a whole post on our favorites! Haha!

Thinking - About making this for dinner. It makes a lot, lasts a couple nights, and is just SO good!

Needing - To start buying some Christmas presents! I've bought two things, but need to get quite a few more! Have you bought any Christmas presents yet? Any ideas for a couple people (my dad and brother.) who are impossible to buy for?

Buying - Nothing really. I just bought a couple Kindle books. I usually prefer reading an actual book, but sometimes if I can find a book I want for $.99, I can't pass that up!  

Reading - I've been reading through Harry Potter again and am about halfway through the Half-Blood Prince. And I also just started Cunning Attractions by Christy Barritt. I've been reading that series forever and it's usually a quick, fun read. 

Working on - Some blog posts. I had planned on doing my Halloween recap (not that we did much.) but I didn't get the pictures uploaded in time. 

What have you been up to lately?