Friday Favorites: Five Subscription Boxes That Make Great Gifts

If you’ve been here for a while, you know how much I love subscription boxes. I think they make great Christmas gifts because they get surprises from you for several months. Here are some of the subscription boxes I love giving:

For the dog lover: 
I love gifting Barkbox to my dog lover friends. It’s full of fun toys and all-natural treats for their pups.
Cost: $39 for one month, $99 for three months, $189 for six months, and $319 for a year 
Click here to purchase a Barkbox gift subscription. 

For the makeup addict: 
Even though Birchbox and Ipsy are cheaper, I think Glossybox has better makeup. It offers more full-size products with lots of great brands.
Cost: $25 for one month, $150 for six months, and $250 for a year
Click here to purchase a Glossybox gift subscription.

For your favorite snacker: 
I loved when Chris and I used to get a MunchPak subscription. It features lots of interesting snacks from around the world, and the original size will send you at least 10 snacks each month.
Cost: $65.85 for three months, $125.70 for six months, and $239.40 for a year 
Click here to purchase a MunchPak gift subscription.

For the travel bug: 
Try the World is fun because they pick a country every two months and send you 7-8 delicacies.
Cost: $39 for one box, $105 for three boxes (over six months), and $198 for six boxes (over a year) 
Click here to purchase a Try the World gift subscription. 

For the person who loves a little bit of everything: 
*contains referral links 
PopSugar is my absolute favorite subscription service. I love getting a mixture of fun things in the mail every month that I normally wouldn’t purchase for myself. Christopher loves the box as much as I do and loves seeing what I get every month.
Cost: $39.95 for one month, $109.85 for three months, and $214.70 for six months
Click here to purchase a PopSugar gift subscription. 

Linking up with Amanda, Karli, and the High Five for Friday girls.

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!

Holiday Gift Guide: Ten Christmas Gifts Under $25

Tis the season for gift guides, so this year I thought I would do one of my own! I wanted to share some fun gifts under $25 that I know I would love to receive myself.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on them, I get a teeny tiny commission. 

One. Blanket Scarf
I own this blanket scarf from Target, and it is so warm, soft, and cozy. I love the colors, and the price is great.

Two. Travel Desktop Calendar
I have mentioned how much I love this calendar in the past, and I think it would make a fun gift for those who love to travel.

Three. Wine Glass
I love wine glasses with cute sayings, and this stay fancy wine glass is one of my favorites.

Four. Chalkboard Ornament
I think ornaments make wonderful gifts, and this one is both cute and unique.

Five. Stemless Wine Set
I love this blue stemless wine set. The blue color is pretty, and the price is great.

Six. Bite Beauty Mix and Mingle
I love Bite products, and this Mix and Mingle lippie would make a nice stocking stuffer.

Seven. Coffee Mug
This Kate Spade coffee mug is perfect and a great reminder to live a little.

Eight. Ceramic Measuring Cups
It’s so fun to give Christmas-themed gifts, and I think these measuring cups from Crate and Barrel are both cute and practical.

Nine. Essie Holiday Nail Kit
Gift sets make nice gifts, especially when the gift set is nail polish. I think this Essie set has great colors.

Ten. Cozy Throw
I have about a million blankets at home, and I still love receiving them as gifts. This throw is perfect for the holiday season.

Life Update: Six Months in Chicago

Here we are, halfway through our year in Chicago. It’s hard to believe that six months from now we will be packing up and moving back to Texas. I have been really focusing on living in the moment and enjoying our short time here because I know I will miss this beautiful city when we move back.

November was one of the hardest months we’ve had here so far. Christopher had many long days and very few days off, but we made the most of the time we had together.

On Christopher’s first day off in November, we decided to spend it enjoying the city. We walked all the way to Northerly Island for some gorgeous views of the city. Then, we spent some time chatting and enjoying the fall colors at Millennium Park.

We had our first snowfall in November with almost a foot of snow by O’Hare airport. It was so beautiful, but sadly, it delayed my in-laws’ visit.

Once Christopher’s family got here, we had a great time visiting the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, and Chicago 360. We also visited the Christkindlmarket for some spiced wine and German treats. I love exploring new places in the city with family, and I can’t wait to share more about everything we did.

I have been looking forward to December in Chicago all year, and I can’t wait that it’s already here. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas season!

Friday Favorites: Hello, December

Happy Friday, friends! This week was one of those weeks where every little thing went wrong, so I am super glad it’s over. On Wednesday, I had one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, and honestly, I am still too mortified to write about it. Chris thinks it’s hilarious and that I should share it, so we will see. That aside, here are my favorites this week:

Favorite time of the year: 
Christmas in Chicago is just as magical as I imagined. I can’t wait to share all the fun Christmas activities we have done so far. Now my goal is to get Chris to decorate the tree with me. He doesn’t want me to do it alone, but he hasn’t had time to do it after work (he has to study for a big exam he has in a few weeks). I have it all set up—it just needs ornaments. We don’t even have that many ornaments here, so it wouldn’t take long. When my in-laws were in town, they got us a tree with some ornaments since we left everything back in Texas. It was so sweet of them, and I know they would love to see it decorated!

Favorite dog:
I haven’t posted a photo of Skyler in a while, and I just love this one I took this week because it shows how long she is. She is only 18 pounds but very capable of taking up the entire couch.

Favorite purchase: 
I look forward to Cyber Monday every year because it’s such a great way to buy Christmas presents. I am completely finished with presents and bought most of them online! I can’t wait for all the gifts to get here.

Favorite snack: 
Natural Balance Foods sent us their Eat Nākd Sampler Pack, and we are obsessed! I am a big snacker and have been really trying to reach for healthier snacks, so these were perfect for me. Eat Nākd fruit and nut bars contain 100 percent natural ingredients, which means no added sugar or syrups.

The bars are wheat free, dairy free, and gluten free, and I loved their soft and chewy texture. My favorite bar was the berry delight because I love dried fruit. Chris, of course, loved the pecan pie bar. We both loved the protein crunch bars. He really liked the apple crunch, and my favorite was the strawberry crunch. Right now the Eat Nākd Sampler Pack is only $9.99 (with free delivery), less than $1 per bar. Chris loves taking these bars with him to the hospital, so I will be buying more in the future.

I received an Eat Nākd Sampler Pack to review, but all opinions are my own.
Favorite book: 
I am now 11 books away from my new goal of 100 books this year, so I have been reading as much as I can. I recently finished The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (c/o NetGalley), and it was one of the best books I read this year.

The story begins with a hook from the end of the book: a cold, foggy night at Alcatraz in 1937, and a prison guard's only daughter has gone missing. You don't return to this part of the story for some time, but the story of Shan and the love, loss, and second chances he experienced was beautiful.

Linking up with Amanda, Karli, and the High Five for Friday girls.

I hope y’all have a wonderful weekend!

Cooking with Spice and Everything Nice: November RawSpiceBar Subscription

This post is sponsored by RawSpiceBar, but all opinions are my own.
I love cooking, but I have a hard time picking what to make. My husband isn’t picky, and Pinterest just makes it harder to decide. Enter RawSpiceBar, a game-changer subscription service that sends 3-4 freshly ground spices from one country or region, complete with three recipes to try.

My box featured three spices from Ethiopia: Berbere, Ethiopian Mitmita, and Pumpkin Pie Spice. Each spice comes with a description and usage suggestions. The packets are .4 oz., enough to create three dishes for 4-6 people.

Berbere:
This is arguably the most famous spice blend of Ethiopian cuisine with a smoky and spicy flavor. It contains dried chiles, sweet paprika, coriander, ginger, cardamom, fenugreek, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and black peppercorns.

Ethiopian Mitmita:
This spice is described as crazy hot and as a great replacement for hot sauce. It contains African birds eye chili peppers, dried red chiles, cardamom, black peppercorns, and garlic.

Pumpkin Pie Spice: 
This spice is different from traditional pumpkin spice blends, featuring cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, mace, star anise, and spices.

The recipes featured this month were Key Wat (spicy Ethiopian stewed beef), Berbere roasted carrots, fennel, and mint, and pumpkin spice Dabo Kolo (Ethiopian pumpkin spice ricotta doughnuts).

Honestly, when I found out the November RawSpiceBar spices were Ethiopian, I was nervous. I love trying spices and food from around the world, but spicy food and I don’t mix. I tried a tiny bit of the Berbere and Ethiopian Mitmita and instantly knew I wouldn’t be able to handle even a little of the spice in a dish. That being said, I loved the pumpkin pie spice in my coffee (and I usually don’t like pumpkin flavor) and can’t wait to try making the ricotta doughnuts.

The verdict:
At only $6 a month, RawSpiceBar is a great way for me to broaden my cooking horizons. Each spice blend is unique and gives me the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen at a low cost. Even though I couldn’t handle the spiciness of two of the Ethiopian spices, I looked through previous months and know I would have loved the Memphis, Baltimore, Japanese, and Jamaican spices. I love that their blog features additional recipe suggestions each month. This would be a great Christmas gift for foodie friends who want to try new flavors in the kitchen.

Start your own cooking adventure here.