ePantry review

Posted in Life by Alexis

epantry Has anyone heard of ePantry? It’s a delivery service for sustainable cleaning, household and beauty products that deliveries to your home once a month (or less). From their website: “We use technology and a simple user experience to replace stressful last second errands with a service that’s fun, economical, that you can feel smart using.”

I’ve been using ePantry for about a year now and it’s super convenient and easy to use! It works like this: you create an account and add products you need to your pantry dashboard on their website for each month. They are delivered right to your door a few days after the ship date! All the products are environmentally friendly and are cheaper than you can get in a store. You can either plan your months ahead (if you use the same products and go through them quickly) or add what you need month by month.

Since it’s only me and my fiancé and we don’t go through cleaning products very quickly, I have mine set up to deliver every other month. The in between months I keep empty. This works great for us! Every month they send me an email letting me know to check my cart before a shipment is scheduled (even if it’s empty). This is my reminder to check the house and see if we do need anything.

You can add multiple pantry managers, split bills and they often send you free or discounted sample items to try. Everything comes packaged extremely well so there are no spills during transit. You just receive a bunch of sustainable cleaning supplies that actually get you excited about cleaning!

Has anyone else tried ePantry?

20Feb2015

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Posted in Organize by Alexis

Marie Kondo just gets me. And The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has moved to the top of my favorite organizing books. She writes in such a simple way that’s so easy to follow and it just makes sense. You’ll want to immediately get up and fold all your socks in the proper way because well, socks have feelings too, according to Kondo anyway.

Even though some of the techniques weren’t new to me (get rid of anything that doesn’t “spark joy”) she also has some interesting points I’d never considered (like why I shouldn’t just give my mom or sister the things I can’t bear to get rid of myself). Overall, while some parts were a little over the top, they made sense in a way too. If we treat our houses with respect we are more likely to treat our things with respect and think twice before we start adding clutter.

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”

This is an extremely motivating book that only left me with the desire to keep paring down and living with only the things I need.

Has anyone else read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up? What did you think?

16Feb2015

Easy appetizer: goat cheese stuffed peppers

Posted in Eat by Alexis

goat cheese stuffed mini peppers
I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! It was too cold for the picnic on the boat I was hoping to have, so instead we took a long walk around a park close by and then made a big dinner at the house! I wanted to share the recipe for the appetizer we ate while we cooked. It would be great to bring to a party and it’s super easy! Disclaimer: I made 12 of them and between the two of us they were completely gone before dinner was ready!

Ingredients:
-1 bag of mini sweet peppers
-1 4oz. package of goat cheese
-salt and pepper
-pesto sauce for dipping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the concave side of the peppers off (so they won’t tip over), leaving the stem on.

3. Remove the seeds and membranes and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

4. In a bowl, stir together goat cheese with salt and pepper (I microwaved the cheese first for about 10 seconds to make it easier to stir and scoop out). goat cheese appetizer

5. Scoop the goat cheese into each pepper.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

7. Serve with a bowl of pesto sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

9Feb2015

At home date night ideas

Posted in Life by Alexis

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[To read part 1, Date night ideas for going out, click here.]

Sometimes after a long week all you really feel like doing is staying home. If this is you (it’s me A LOT) and you have a significant other to stay in with you, here are some ideas of how you can still have a fun date night while staying in. :)

– Play an outdoor game. Our dart board is one of our best investments. It gives you a reason to go outside, have a beer and have a little friendly competition. Preferably do this while also grilling something delicious for dinner.

– Drink wine and eat cheese. Wine and cheese are definitely two of my favorite things. Grab a few different bottles of wines you’ve never tried that you can sample (try buying all of one kind and rate them!) and create a cheese plate with different cheeses, meats, fruits and crackers. Light some candles, turn on some music and relax!

– Have a theme night. Pick a theme and center everything else around this theme. For example, Mexican: cook tacos, make margaritas, put on some salsa music and get your dance on!

– Do a puzzle. I know this one sounds kinda lame but it can actually be super fun! I finally convinced my fiancé to try a puzzle and he surprisingly loved it! It’s something laid back to do while you’re also able to have a conversation.

– Take a walk or a bike ride around your neighborhood. Go on an adventure together and the bonus is you get a little exercise too!

– Agree to watch one of your significant other’s favorite movies and in return they have to watch one of yours all in the same night. It’s more fun than just finding a random movie on Netflix and you might learn something about each other!

– Do a project together. My favorite is to repurpose an old piece of furniture but you could also create some diy artwork or build a garden box!

6Feb2015

Life Lately

Posted in Life by Alexis

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately :) Happy Friday everyone!

[delicious, fresh, huge shrimp at my parent’s for dinner]

[I bought this crab shirt and it made me really happy, I think I’m ready for summer ;) ]

[a pretty sunset from my parent’s house]

[taking a wedding planning break at Cask and Larder in Winter Park]

[exploring engagement photo locations in WP]

[at Forks & Corks aka the best event in Sarasota ever]

[this photo of us made it in the local paper!]

5Feb2015

How to declutter your bathroom

Posted in Organize by Alexis

The bathroom is one of those places that just seems to attract clutter. I recently decided to take back control and declutter my bathroom for good. Here are my tips and a peek inside my bathroom!

– Keep the counters clear! Only the most necessary items should be on the counter (like hand soap) and a couple pretty storage solutions. Everything else should have a home somewhere else in the bathroom.

– Keep your essentials in a makeup bag. I keep all the makeup items I use daily (around 6 items) in a makeup bag in a drawer. Not only does this keep a minimum on the number of items I can keep because of the limited space, it also makes it super easy for packing, just grab your makeup bag and go!

– Don’t keep samples. This one is self explanatory. Just don’t do it, seriously.

– Set aside everything you use over the course of a week. If you don’t use it within that week period, consider getting rid of the item (besides a few “just in case” items like bandaids or medications)

– If you try a new hair/makeup product and you don’t like it, get rid of it! You probably won’t use it again and it will just take up space in your bathroom. If you’re having trouble getting rid of something you just spent good money on consider giving it to a friend to try. You’re money won’t have gone to waste and products tend to work differently for different people, so they may like it!

– Have minimal storage. If you don’t have a ton of extra storage in your bathroom chances are you will only keep the essentials because theres nowhere to put the rest!

– I’m not a huge fan of buying storage products to organize/hide clutter (sorry container store!) but one place they seem completely necessary is in the bathroom. I love mini drawers for the little things you use often and small stackable bins to hide the things you don’t need everyday but don’t overdue it! (see tip above)

– Go through all medications and check the expiration dates. Chances are that task alone will get rid of at least half of it. Get rid of anything you don’t use anymore and only keep the things that have actually come in handy in the past.

– Once you’ve cleared out all the clutter, reward yourself by adding a couple spa-like elements to your bathroom. Pick out a nice smelling candle, a plant or splurge on a fancy hand towel. Make it a place you don’t mind spending time in since you inevitably have to spend time there!

Anyone have any other tips?

2Feb2015

Wedding Inspiration

Posted in Inspire by Alexis

Since wedding planning has taken over my life lately, I figured I’d do a post with some of the inspiration I’ve found! Although right now I’m working on getting some of the less fun stuff done (making all the big, important decisions) it’s always nice to take a break and jump on Pinterest to remember the other stuff that’s still to come (and a little more fun)! :)

26Jan2015

Week 3 Challenge: Make your bed

Posted in Inspire by Alexis

reading I did a little better this week with reading every day but this whole wedding planning thing is taking a lot more of my time than I imagined. Not that I mind, I just need a few extra hours in my day ;) This week I’m going to keep it simple and attempt to make my bed everyday! I’ve been taught over and over growing up, you should always make your bed, not only because getting into a made bed is much more satisfying than a mess of sheets but also in case of unexpected guests coming to your house. As hard as my parents tried to make it a habit, it never stuck. I know I’m happier when my bed is made, so it’s my next challenge! Join me?

21Jan2015

Date night ideas: Going out

Posted in Life by Alexis

Ok guys, so bad news. I totally dropped the ball on last weeks challenge. There is no excuse but I did learn that I’m going to have to set an alarm for some of these so I actually remember to do them. So! I’m going to give myself another chance. My alarm is set and I plan on being serious about reading this week! Sorry about that… new challenge next week. Moving on!

Date ideas!

After being with the same person for a while, you can start to get set in your routine of staying in to drink wine and watch netflix or going to your favorite restaurant every Friday night. I think It happens to all of us! So, I’m here to give you some fresh ideas if you’re feeling stuck in a date rut with your significant other. Here are some ideas for a date night out and I’ll be back another day with fun ideas for staying in too :)

– Trivia: find a local restaurant or bar that does trivia and go see how many random facts you know (or don’t know)!

– Try a new restaurant: look up new restaurants that have opened recently in your area and give it a try!

– Pack a picnic: grab some cheese, crackers, champagne and a blanket and head to the beach or a park, preferably somewhere you can watch the sun set.

– Live music: find somewhere playing live music and give it a try! Even if you have no idea who the band is, that actually makes it more fun and interesting.

– Try something different: have you both been to a ballet? an orchestra concert? a play? Discover your local arts culture and try something new together.

– Craft breweries: they’re popping up everywhere so why not see what ones are nearby and go do a tasting?

– Travel to a nearby town: sometimes just going to the next town over gives you a ton of new things to try and can make you feel like you’re on a mini vacation.

– Go to a sporting event: whether you’re into sports or not, going to a local baseball game or hockey game can be something different and bonus: you get to drink beer and eat yummy snacks. Make a bet on the winning team!

Any other ideas? :)

14Jan2015

Tips for decluttering your books

Posted in Organize by Alexis

Books are one of those things that seem to multiply behind your back (anyone else?). I used to think books were something I could automatically keep, because well it’s a book. You can’t have too many books, right? Wrong! If you are trying to pare down on your belongings you should definitely take a moment and get rid of some of those books! It’s worth it when you end up with a completely empty shelf or two! Here are my tips and tricks:

1. Take out all the books you have and make a pile in the middle of the floor. Out of this big pile, first, make a seperate pile of all your absolute favorite books. Come up with a max number that makes sense for you before starting to sort favorites (mine is around 10). Make another pile of books you have that you haven’t read yet. Put the remaining books in the donate pile.

2. Out of the books in the haven’t read yet pile, get rid of any you’ve had for more than a year. Chances are if you haven’t gotten around to reading them yet you probably aren’t excited about reading them anyways.

3. Cookbooks are a tough one. I’d say get rid of all except your absolute favorite cookbooks because let’s face it, you get all your recipes off Pinterest anyways.

4. Keep a limit on the number of unread books you’ll keep in the house. It will stop you from going to buy a new book when you have plenty at home to read or it will force you to get rid of one you have that you don’t really want to read in order to get a new one you’re excited about.

5. Once you finish reading a book, immediately give it to a book-loving friend or add it to a donate pile (don’t put it back on the shelf!) so someone else can enjoy it instead of cluttering up your bookshelf.

6. One more thing: coffee table books. I’m definitely a sucker for a pretty book filled with pretty pictures but I have a rule for keeping these from getting out of control: if you don’t have it on display, get rid of it!

Sidenote* Investing in a Kindle definitely decreased the number of books I own, even though I’ll never fully be able to give up actual books!

Good luck decluttering those books everyone! :)