Prom Dress Options At LaceMade

Prom season approaches!

At my daughter's school, it's just for seniors. She's a junior and is hoping a senior friend will take her as a guest. I think it's wishful thinking as I think her senior friends all have dates. But she is keeping her fingers crossed just in case. 

Regardless if she goes or not, she still loves the dresses from Lacemade. I've written about them before: they are a company with cottagecore clothes. From dresses to jackets to skirts--there is something for everyone. You can even save $5 when you click here to shop.

Natalie's latest is called the Aurora Dress and she wore it on Valentine's Day:

It's beautiful with amazing floral details:

Natalie said it was a little itchy in the center and next time she'd wear a slip to help with that:

Yes, the dress has excellent twirlability:

If pink isn't your color, no worries, there are tons of other options on Lacemade. Yes, there's even plus sizes if interested. Any of these dresses would be a fabulous choice for prom.

Remember, you save save $5 by clicking here. 

We'll see if Natalie gets to go to prom this year. If not, she'll be a senior in 2025 and will get to attend that one. 

Have you checked out Lacemade yet?

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

....to be celebrating Tommy's 22nd birthday on Saturday. So maybe I'm not quite so okay because oh my gosh, he's turning 22! But I'm happy he's coming down from college to celebrate for the weekend. 

....to have gotten him a bunch of equipment to help make his films for class and for pleasure. Surprisingly he didn't want any video games! Normally he has a long list of them. 

......to be getting Tommy McDonalds and Texas Roadhouse for his birthday. They are some of his top favorite spots to eat. In college, he normally just eats in the dining hall and that food can be hit or miss. 

.....to currently be reading Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune. It's about Fern, who meets Will, in her twenties. They share a wonderful 24 hours together and promise to meet up one year later. Fern shows up. Will doesn't. Nine years later he strolls into the lakeside resort she inherited from her mother, who recently died. Is Fern finally going to get an explanation of what happened to Will all those years ago? This has been a sweet read--I am a fan of chick flicks, and this reminded me of one. The lakeside resort sounds so relaxing. 

.....to be grateful that Country Meats sent us a bunch of meat sticks to try. They have over 10 flavors! My favorite was Pickle Stick. If you're into spicy snacks, they have a buffalo style, ghost pepper, sweet fire, mango habanero, plus much more. Not into spice? They have options like sweet BBQ! These sticks are delicious and if your sports team or school needs a fundraiser idea, keep Country Meats in mind. It would be a unique way to earn some money and they're a fair company. If you want to give these meat sticks a try, you can request a free sample. 

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Life Insurance For Military Veterans

This post is sponsored by Responsival. My opinions are my own.

After my husband got out of the military, one of the things we had to do was look into different types of life insurances. When he was active duty he had it through the military obviously. But when he retired, he had different options. There are so many out there and it can be difficult to figure out which one works best for your family. 

There are many life insurance with no medical exam choices. Sometimes those medical exams cause unnecessary stress. You can figure out what type of insurance works best for you: term vs whole life and how much coverage works best. No medical exam life insurance comes in handy if you have poor health, which many people do. 

My husband decided to go with VGLI or Veteran's Group Life Insurance. The cost of that depended on his age and the amount of life insurance he wanted, which was the full amount of $500,000. Therefore, at the moment, he pays $80 a month. This one is a life insurance with no medical exam, so if you're in poor health, it's still available to the Veteran, which I love, because they've given so much for their country so it should be an easy process for them. 

USAA also has a life insurance. You can get it for as low as $12 a month. Normally USAA is only open to military members and their families but in this case any US Citizen or permanent resident can apply, so it is another fantastic option.  

There are so many life insurance options for Veterans. While many go for the VGLI, there are other choices to have on top of that. It is important to have a plan because unfortunately, you never know what can happen in the future. We have peace of mind that there is a policy in place. Tom spent nearly 22 years in the military and wanted to be sure we'd be taken care of should anything happen. 

So do you have life insurance? 

Mardi Gras Fun At Sea World San Antonio

You can celebrate Mardi Gras at Sea World San Antonio. There's a Sesame Street parade, special Mardi Gras foods, and yes, of course beads!

We check it out every year because we're obsessed with the po-boy sandwiches and the beignets. 

You can pick up the Po Boys and beignets at Ca C'est Bon.  My daughter got the Fried Shrimp Po Boy and my son went for the buffalo shrimp:

Oh and yes, Tommy came home from college so he could come with us. He had said he wanted to be sure to go because he loves the event. 

Behold my fried green tomato Po Boy. Yes, I always think of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes when I eat this. It's incredible. That's avocado aioli over it with cabbage. The bread is always fresh. 

The Sesame Street characters have fun Mardi Gras costumes on:

You'll also find people in colorful costumes roaming around. Some pass out beads!

There's more spots with Mardi Gras food and booze all over the park:

This event is going until February 25h, so hurry down. We might have to return to get some more beignets.

Beetlejuice At The Majestic Theater In San Antonio

We absolutely love the movie Beetlejuice. It started with me, who watched it often as a kid. Then I showed it to my kids and was pleased when they also were amused. 

In fact, they were even Beetlejuice and Lydia one Halloween:

My daughter started watching clips of the Beetlejuice on Broadway first. She absolutely loved the opening number and the Dead Mom song. In fact, when she visited NYC last year, she purchased a Playbill with Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice) and Elizabeth Teeter (Lydia) because she loved them so much. They've since moved on from the show, but there are still talented people in the current one.

So Beetlejuice closed in NYC but then went on a National tour and guess where one of the stops was? 

San Antonio!

As soon as the announcement was made, I got a text from Natalie all excited about it. 

CAN WE GOOOO????!!!!

I mean, duh, of course we can go.

Tickets went FAST. Like seriously, I've never seen them go so quickly. But I was luckily able to grab some. 

We've been to the Majestic Theater many times to see shows, and it's always beautiful inside. 

Check out some of the decor:

I mean, wow:

And the show was incredible! It loosely follows the plot of the film and honestly, I think I prefer the show storyline better. 

Everyone was talented and the set and effects were enchanting:

Beetlejuice the character is absolutely hysterical. He had the theater roaring with laughing a number of times. Filthy jokes, lewd behavior, the works. 

I absolutely loved t.

When the show ended, we of course went to the stage door to see if any of the performers would emerge. It's never expected but always appreciated when it happens. We completely understand if the performers are exhausted and simply want to return to their room and relax. 

But we got lucky! 

Larkin Reilly was on for Lydia on our night and she was outstanding. It's normally Isabella Esler, and I've heard she's amazing as well. Larkin was kind enough to come out and sign and take photos. Natalie practically fell over from excitement:

Hillary Porter, who played Miss Argentina and is also in the ensemble came out and she was gorgeous and friendly:

And we didn't expect Justin Collette who played Beetlejuice to come out, because man, that part must be exhausting, but he did! He also was kind and friendly and happily signed autographs and took pictures. My shy daughter even asked for a selfie because she loved his performance so much:

We had the absolute BEST night. After Natalie met Justin, she was on cloud nine. 

Seriously, if Beetlejuice is coming to your town, go see it. You will not be disappointed. From the ensemble to the actors to the techies, this show is one to watch. If it comes to San Antonio again, we'd buy tickets for sure. 

So have you seen Beetlejuice before? You can check here to see if it's coming to a city near you.

Was Valentine's Day Fun Or A Flop?

Valentine's Day. You never know what will happen on this day. I mean honestly, as you get older, you become more jaded with it. But when you're younger, it's a sweet day filled with chocolate, cards, and lots of pink. 

Still, I am a girl, and I do appreciate pink, so the day isn't a total wash for me. 

In fact, I baked a cake:

No, I didn't. I'm lying. It's from Baskin-Robbins. On Valentine's Day I find I don't feel like doing much. I just want to curl up and watch rom coms, so I tend to pick up food. 

My husband did get me flowers:

I got him a bag full of his favorite candies (Reese's hearts, mostly.) 

When we saw Tommy for lunch I gave him his gift bag. 

Natalie got some stuff:

She and her boyfriend ate at Golden Chick because I told her restaurants would be packed and plus, the rolls at Golden Chick are delish. 

I picked up a dozen for my husband and I to snack on:

Natalie made her boyfriend a Lightning McQueen bouquet:

Oh, and I picked up a Shamrock Shake from McDonalds. I tried to get one last week and surprise, surprise, their ice cream machine was broken. But this time I got lucky and it was delicious:

It ended up being a nice day filled with carbs and sweets. So I can't complain.

Did you have a good Valentine's Day? 

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to have not watched the Super Bowl. Football has never been my thing and Usher has never been my taste of music. Now, bring on Elton John or have numbers from musicals and I will tune in. 

.....to be excited to see Tommy this weekend. Since it's President's Day weekend, he'll be coming home Saturday and leaving Monday. I always love to have him home. We'll be headed over to SeaWorld since they're celebrating Mardi Gras over there. We love the Po Boys they serve and the beignets!

.....to not be doing much for Valentine's Day. Tom has to work and I'll be taking Natalie and her boyfriend for a quick dinner. I'm basically the taxi, ha. I'm just picking up Golden Chick for everyone. If you've never been, you should, the rolls are amazing. They remind me of Texas Roadhouse rolls. I get a dozen of them. 

.....to be going to see Beetlejuice the musical on Sunday at the Majestic Theater. I've obviously seen the movie many times but never the show. My daughter has the vinyl so she knows all the songs and she already has the jacket. She got it for Christmas a few years ago because for a while there she was obsessed with the Dead Mom song. 

......to think this Idole Aura perfume smells amazing. My daughter got it for Christmas because we got a PR Lancome box and she became obsessed with the travel sized version of it that we got and was sad she was running out. If you like the floral scents, this is for you. It has hints of isparta rose, centrifolia roses, jasmine, salted vanilla, and bergamot. You can get it here. 

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Why We Won't Go Out On Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is almost here! 

And we're doing....

...nothing.

I mean, let's be honest, it's a Hallmark holiday. And really, you should be showing you love your partner all year long, not just because it's expected on a day. 

There are many reasons why we don't go out, and here's some of them: 

1. It's too crowded.  Restaurants are swarming with people. The staff is tired. It just makes for an unpleasant dining experience. We'd rather wait for the next day.

2. Gridlock traffic. This goes with the one above, but it's still true. We're in Texas, so traffic is already horrible, but add Valentine's Day to the mix and it's even worse. It can take 1 hours to go a few miles. Pass. 

3. Things are overpriced. Seriously. Sometimes places boost costs of things because it's Valentine's Day. Wait a day later and save some cash. 

4. People are crazy. Tempers can be up due to gifts not be received, so arguments can break out. I'd rather not be around that. I love in Texas. People have guns. 

I think I'll just be picking up fast food for dinner and we'll call it a night. Oh, and my daughter wants to hang out with her boyfriend so I'm assuming I'll be the taxi. 

Do you do anything for Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day Gift Bag For College Students

Since my son lives in his college dorm, I always make him gift bags for the different holidays. Or just because. Honestly, whenever I see him, he has a bag. 

I have always given him Valentine's Day goodies and didn't want to stop just because he's not currently living at home. If he was in another state, I'd probably mail him a package.

Here's what what in Tommy's Valentine's Day bag:

He loves Super Mario Bros--his favorite brother is Luigi. I found this at Target:

He also loves Reese's Peanut Butter cups:

Truly, he loves Reese's so I got him 2 more bags, plus M&Ms:

Tommy enjoys chocolate covered pretzels and Target had these:

I always get these Krabby Patty gummies for every holiday:

We're always fans of Little Debbie treats. I buy these every season as well. I love how the brownie switches up shapes:

Finally, I wanted to include some fun cereal and I found these Froot Loops at HEB:

Tommy doesn't wait to open things, so he's already seen what was in his bag and was happy to see everything. 

Honestly, I'll probably still give my kids holiday gift bags even when they're like in their 40s. They're fun to put together and I always enjoy seeing them excited.

Do you like putting together holiday gift bags?

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

......to have watched a little bit of the Grammy's but not a whole lot because I admit, I don't listen to a lot of current music. But people were saying Taylor Swift snubbed Celine Dion when accepting her award and she did not. FFS. People need to relax. 

.....to not be watching the Super Bowl because football is boring to me. Luckily I married someone who also doesn't watch, praise chocolate. 

.....to wonder why anyone would want to see Justin Timberlake's concert when his attitude is gross. Did you see where he made an announcement "I apologize to absolutely f--ing nobody.." after Britney apologized for the things she wrote about him in her book? Which he deserved because he, I don't know, DID them. I never liked the guy. 

....to be excited that we get to see the Billy Joel and Sting concert in October thanks to my mom. It'll be my mom, Natalie, and I jamming to the music.  

.....to have been watching Masters Of The Air with my husband. It's a show on Apple TV+ about bomber boys in WW2--so think a bunch of young men in an aircraft--in this case, it's the B17, the Mighty Fortress. I watch and I think, man, they were brave. I'd be terrified out of my mind. If you like history, be sure to watch. 

.......to think my cat Ruby was telling me off here. I offend her on a daily basis just by breathing sometimes:

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Owala Is Better Than Stanley Cups

Whenever I hear about a new release of Stanley Cups, I know it's going to be a disaster. Everyone wants to run out and get them. Mostly resellers, because they know they can sell them for double, maybe even TRIPLE the price. 

People will line up for hours for the cups. And I get it: they are nice (I saw that video where a car was on fire and a Stanley cup was there and the ice inside even after the fire was put out) and they come in a variety of colors. The latest release were Valentine's Day and you could get them in red or pink. I am a sucker for pink, but not enough to wait forever in line or deal with the fights that tend to always break out. 

Insanity.

I do own one Stanley cup. I got it on sale because it wasn't a popular color. So I actually have tested it out because I was curious. 

Here's what I discovered:

Owala cups are better. This it the FreeSip. But if you prefer the tumbler look, they have those in 40 ounce. There's also a Kids' FreeSip. 

You can also get them in many colors. Think of a color. Owala probably has it. 

And they are cheaper. Stanley cups can go for $45. This FreeSip is $27. It's the 24 oz version but there's also 19 oz, 25oz, and 40 oz. The 40 oz is $37. 

Oh, and there's no lead. I'm sure you heard the story about how Stanley cups have lead in them. I was amused when Owala made this statement:

I mean, yes, the risk of lead exposure are slim, but still. 

We like them because you can either use the straw feature or the free flow. Natalie also likes pressing the button so it opens and closes. It's kinda like a sensory thing for her. 

This straw & free flow feature is great for those people who like to do both. Natalie usually uses the straw and if her friends want a drink she makes them do the free flow. 

Even better, you can easily stick an Owala in the drink holder on a backpack. Stanleys don't fit in there. You have to awkwardly carry it everywhere. I mean, you do get an arm workout, yay, but it's just not as convenient. My daughter has always brought this to school even though many kids bring in those Stanley cups. She's never been one to follow the crowd. 

Oh yeah, we have an Owala in purple as well. Seriously, you can find whatever color you can think of. And the Owala site isn't the only place you can get it. We bought ours at Target on sale. I think it ended up being around $19. Amazon also has a bunch of them in a variety of colors. 

And yes, the drinks stay cold all day. Natalie goes to school at like 8 AM and returns around 5 and there's still ice. This has lasted over a year. She has dropped it many times and it's still holding up, so they are made just as good as Stanleys. 

Also, Owala has color drops like Stanley does and honestly, they're just as pretty, if not prettier. There's even Marvel themes! Natalie wants the Spider-Man one. You'll also find Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, plus others. Perfect for the Marvel fan AND they are still cheaper than Stanley cups. They are only $34. 

So if you or your kid is begging for a Stanley cup, reach for an Owala instead. 

You can learn more about Owala at the following:

their webpage

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