Workout Clothes Unboxing

I recently discovered Ellie, an activewear subscription service.  

Every month you’ll receive 5 amazing items for your active lifestyle. Your usual box can include a sports bra, a top, leggings or capris, a jacket, accessories (a tote maybe), and a piece of equipment.

I thought it was a really interesting idea.  They were sweet enough to send me a box to check out.  

My May box included a really cute strappy sports bra (so cute I'm totally fine if it shows), bright mesh leggings, and mesh detail tank.  They also throw in a few workout tools, this month I got an arm band phone holder and grip strengtheners.  

The cost is $49.95 a month.  This seems a little steep at first but when you are getting an entire workout outfit the price makes sense.   

I'm pretty obsessed with the leggings and sports bra.  Mesh leggings are so on trend at the moment and I am excited to have this cute pair in capri form.  The bra is so fun!  I might even wear it when I am not working out.  Go out Ellie and let me know if you get anything different in your box! 

What I Read in April

This monthly read is coming to you a little late...April was a little crazy with Kyle finishing up his semester and a pretty big trip to California (post coming later).  I got through two books, and they were really really good ones:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: This is my second book by Liane Moriarty and it did not disappoint.  She has a way of making the characters come to life.  They are so real, with flaws.  This book follows the story of three mothers.  Their children are all in the same class and it follows the dramas of parents.  It starts off with someone being dead, you spend the rest of the book trying to figure out what happened.  The twists and turns and surprises are well written.  I would definitely recommend. This book has been turned into an HBO series which I started but didn't' finish because it had a few things different from the book and I wasn't completely into it.  Have you watched it?  What did you think?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: "So how children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world full of light?"  This book is a must read, it was one of those books that stick with you.  It was haunting and beautiful.  The book is really two stories set during World War II, following two children growing up in two different countries.  The narration moves back and forth in both time and place, between the two main characters.  The writing was beautifully poetic and mesmerizing, I could not put it down.  Anthony Doerr says: "The title is a reference first and foremost to all the light we literally cannot see: that is, the wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that are beyond the ability of human eyes to detect (radio waves, of course, being the most relevant).  It's also a metaphorical suggestion that there are countless invisible stories still buried within World War II - that stories of ordinary children, for example, are a kind of light we do not typically see.  Ultimately, the title is intended as a suggestion that we spend too much time focused on only a small slice of the spectrum of possibility."        

I loved the theme of interconnectedness throughout the story, the crossing of the invisible lines and how they influenced each other.  It was emotional and beautiful, a story not to be missed.  

Five Things Friday

Emergen-C: Yes that's right, the vitamin drink mix is one of my favorites this week.  I received a sample of the Mango Apricot flavor and fell in love, only to find out it was discontinued.  I went to Target a couple of weeks ago and found the triple berry flavor on clearance.  I figured I would go ahead and pick it up.  Now it is no Mango Apricot but it tastes pretty good and I feel like it can only be doing good for my immunity.  

When Calls the Heart: Erin Kakow is pretty much the cutest thing ever.  She is the main character in this Hallmark show.  The storyline follows Elizabeth, a woman from high society, who moves to a small coal mining town to teach school.  She gets  culture shock but eventually finds her place.  The story is really sweet and bubble gummy but I got sucked in and have really been enjoying it.  P.S. it is on Netflix.  

Simply Nature Creamy Coconut Bars: Oh my goodness these are my new favorite things!  I saw these at Aldi and they just jumped into my cart.  They are creamy and have just enough coconut flavor to not be overpowering.  They have other flavors there and I can't wait to try those too.  

Rose Quartz Necklace: Jack Jack and Co was sweet enough to send me this necklace and I am in love!  It is the perfect simple piece to wear alone or layer with other items.  I love simple dainty necklaces thrown on together.  I am loving the rose quartz as well.  They also have just recently released dainty essential oil diffuser necklaces.    

Gekks: I saw these socks advertised on the Money Saving Mom (love her!) and thought they looked really cool.  I have a couple pairs of shoes where it is hard to wear normal socks because either they show or they never feel right in the shoe.  These socks solve that!  They are a revolutionary sock that stick to your shoe and stays there.  They are made with silver in the yarn which is supposed to keep your feet from stinking.  I have a pair in my floral booties that I couldn never get socks to work with and love them!  Check them out and use my code ThriftyGinger5 for $5 off your order!     

What to wear to Stagecoach...or a Country Music Concert

I am so excited to head to Stagecoach this weekend!  I love country music and Stagecoach is like Coachella but country.  It's three days of nothing but country music and I cannot wait!  The lineup this year includes Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, and Dierks Bentley to name just a few.   I have been preparing my outfits for a while and thought I would share a few: 

I love layers so for my outfits I started with a simple base and then threw on layers and lots of jewelry.  This black dress and vest are Target (but I got them from Dirt Cheap).  The bag and necklace are my favorites from Gypsy Ragazza.  If you need any western accessories check them out!  Boots are Old West that I have had for years and love them!

Same black dress different layers.  I have been loving kimonos and this pretty floral one is from Stay Warm In Style.  This necklace was a Walmart find and I'm obsessed!

Another Stay Warm Kimono along with a chambray Target dress.

Be sure to check back, I'll be posting pictures from the festival!

Farmhouse Decor at the Dollar Tree

I recently went to the Dollar Tree with my husband and hit the jackpot on decor items.  I always look at the frame section just to see if they have anything new.  I saw the Farm to Table picture and fell in love, I mean it has a cow!  I then proceeded to flip through the rest of the canvases and found the close up of the cow head.  I may or may not have given a little squeal...but I mean how cute is it??  

I have been admiring the close up cow pictures at Kirkland's and Hobby Lobby, I was so excited to find this mini version at the Dollar Tree of all places.

These pieces are the Special Moments Collection.  They are small wrapped canvases and feel like great quality.  They had so many different prints, not just cows!

I also found this stacked pig framed picture.  I got really excited when I first saw it because I thought it was all different farm animals stacked but the pigs will do.  I also love that it has that rustic look like it has been printed on burlap.  Granted the frame is pretty cheap and janky but hang it up and no one will ever know.

My last find was this framed piece.  I love the saying and the reminder to be grateful for your blessings.  I think it would be perfect for a dining room.

Have you found anything at the Dollar Tree lately?

Five Things Friday

Luca + Dani Jewelry: I received two pieces from Luca + Dani and I am so in love!  I got the Pink Opal Pendant Necklace and the Blessed Key Bangle.  Luca + Dani is a jewelry company that sells handcrafted pieces made in America.  I am so in love with these pieces, first of all they are beautiful!  I have been loving opals lately and the detail on this pink one is stunning!  I also love the bubble chain style, so sparkly!  The blessed key bracelet is one of my new favorite layering pieces.  It is so simple and pretty and it actually fits my wrist!  They come in different sizes for average and small wrists!  I am so impressed with the quality of these pieces and how beautiful they are.   

Dollar Tree Sunglasses: I spotted these sunglasses on the rack in Dollar Tree and picked them up on a whim.  I know what you are thinking Dollar Tree sunglasses??  I am right there with you.  I have gotten sunglasses from there before and they are so flimsy and I don't even feel like they block the sun.  This pair was different.  They were thick and sturdy, with nice lenses.  I wore them pretty much the whole time I was at Disney this past month and loved them!  Take it from me don't look past the sunglasses at Dollar Tree sometimes you can find gems.  (The ones linked aren't the Dollar Tree pair but a Target pair that looks almost exactly the same).  

NIke Free RN Flyknits: These shoes guys!!  I have been looking for a pair of flyknits for about a year, ever since I heard glowing recommendations from friends.  I was randomly at the Nike Outlet last week and found these for $39.99, which is an awesome deal as is but they were offering an extra 30% off!  Y'all I got these for $30!!  If you have a Nike Outlet near you run and pick these up!  They definitely live up to the hype and are so comfortable.  They feel like supportive socks and the design is so cute, matches everything! 

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty: Once I started this book I could not put it down!  This is my second book by Liane Moriarty and it was so good.  She has a way of writing that makes the characters so real and makes you feel so connected to their lives.  The situations the characters are in are so authentic.  I'm sure most of you have heard of this book with the HBO series that recently ended, but for those of you who haven't it focuses on three women living in a small beach town.  It opens with someone being killed during a family trivia night at school and then goes back in time to before the incident and how/why it happened.  It keeps you on your toes and I really enjoyed the characters and the story.  Have you seen the HBO mini series?  What did you think?    

Duck Dynasty: I can't believe I haven't mentioned this on a favorites yet!  You know I am a fan of the Duggar family, well the Robertson's are also a favorite family.  Kyle and I have been enjoying watching the Robertson's and their antics for a while.  They are crazy and definitely good ole southern boys but the family dynamics and feel good message that comes with the show have drawn me in.  They stand up for their faith and are true to their values, in today's world that is a rare thing to find on TV.  

What have you been loving this week? 

What I Read in March

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes: This book has been so hyped and I was so excited to finally read it.  Honestly I was a little disappointed in the story as a whole.  The writing was good, characters were interesting it was just the basis of the story that I didn't like.  I'm sure all of you know this book/movie but the premise is Will has been injured and is paralyzed.  He is depressed and feels like his life is not worth living.  Lou starts work as his aide and tries to show him that his life is worth living.  It really wasn't what I thought.  I felt like the message of the book was that life is not worth living for a person with a disability, now not everyone in the book agreed with this idea but people went along with it and it just struck me in a wrong way.  I struggled with this book because I believe that all life is important and should be treasured.  What did you think?

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman:  Since I saw the trailer for this movie I knew I had to read this book.  It was a really interesting book.  The book focused on Tom who is a war veteran who marries Isabel and takes a job maintaining a lighthouse off the coast of Australia.  The lighthouse is on an island and the boat to the mainland comes every season.  It was an interesting to think about life where they are so isolated from the rest of the world.  Tom and Isabel desperately want a child but have had a series of miscarriages.  One day a boat with a dead man and a baby washes up on shore.  Isabel convinces Tom to keep the baby as their own.  While in the mainland they meet the biological mother of the baby.  They are faced with a decision affecting the lives of four people.  This book was really interesting and made me think about decisions we make as humans and how they affect those around us even if they are originally made for good.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: For such a large book I absolutely flew through it.  It follows Cassie, a girl living in a tragic world.  The world that we know has been changed.  Aliens have "invaded" and caused the human race to be on the brink of extinction due to earthquakes, tsunamis, and disease.  She is trying to save her brother Sam.  She meets up with Evan, an unlikely alliance and they start on the journey to rescue Sam and stay alive during the 5th wave.  I really enjoyed this book.  It was so fast paced and action filled I could not put it down.

What have you been reading lately?