Blue Apron + GIVEAWAY

Adulting sucks. Like, I hate it most days. Couple the normal stuff like getting up at the butt crack of dawn to go to work, no naps, and budgeting with married adult responsibilities and shit just gets overwhelming (but at least there's wine). 

My least favorite married adult responsibilities are the things that I can no longer do on my own time -  like cooking/eating and laundry. I can't opt to forgo dinner any given night because I'm not hungry...and I can't wash when I feel like it because the hubs may run out of drawls before I do. See? *chugs glass of wine*

When it comes to cooking, I've taken on that chore. Not because I love it (though sometimes it can be therapeutic), but mostly because my husband works waaaay later than me and if it were left up to his schedule, we'd starve. Or eat Taco Bell everyday. And let me tell you, I hate Taco Bell (and most fast food). The hardest part about working a full-time job, and having married adult dinner responsibilities, is meal planning. I've tried and failed on numerous accounts. I'm the girl that thinks of something to make the day of, or frantically scrolls through Pinterest at work for "quick healthy dinner" pins 10 minutes before it's time to head out for the day. Then, I have to stop at the grocery store. How archaic, right? It's 2016. Dinner should cook itself. 

My cooking conundrum inspired me to look for modern, make-my-life-easier, lazy millennial options. I'm sure most of you have heard of or seen commercials for services like Plated, Hello Fresh, Blue Apron -- or the plethora of other subscription meal delivery services. Basically, they deliver all the ingredients to make three different meals (based on your preferences). No extra produce to waste and no day of grocery store runs. After I paid my due diligence and researched their differences, I decided to give Blue Apron a try. 

Biggest deciding factor for me was price (plus frequency). Blue Apron sends 3 meals, 6 servings, for two (or one with leftovers) for $59.99/week (Hello Fresh is $69 and Plated is $72 for the same servings). You can also skip a week or cancel anytime which really helps ease my commitment issues. 

Secondly, the food, duh. While Plated had some decent options, Hello Fresh just didn't do it for me, so Blue Apron took the cake. 

I'm well into my second week now and I actually love it. My delivery day is Saturday, so I typically cook Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thurs. - Sun. are "figure it out" nights -- aka we eat out or I run to the store. 

Salmon + freekeh

Shiitake & hoisin burger with sweet potato wedges.  

Products come in an insulated bag  

So the only bummer about signing up for Blue Apron was I couldn't find any promo codes for first-timer subscribers (yes, I'm that girl). But since I'm now apart of the BA fam, I have a free meal I would love to share! No commitment. Alls you have to do is create an account and get your free delivery.

Interested?

1. Leave a comment in the comment section telling me your least favorite thing about adulthood
2. AND complete the form below.

You will then be entered to receive a free delivery. Winner will be selected at random and will be emailed by Wednesday, April 13th (my birthday. send gifts)! 

Winner will be selected using random.org. Must be over 18 years of age. Must be in Blue Apron delivery zone. 

Xo, 

Aquia

Flea Style Dallas Favs

Flea Style Dallas (formerly The Dallas Flea) has been on my radar for several years now and the last few years, there has always been a reason for my absence. I'm out of town, it slipped my mind, it's raining -- not this year. As soon as I realized I would be in town, I marked my calendar and planned to go. Not gonna lie, I woke up Saturday morning and completely forgot about it until my dear friend Lesley texted me about carpooling. It was in fact raining, and I planned to use that as an excuse to stay in and clean, but when I realized that would mean having to wait a whole year for the next opportunity, I quickly put those plans to rest. Glad I did. 

There were literally 200+ local vintage and handmade vendors on display, and had I been less hungry, less poor and less in a rush, I would've likely spent a little more time perusing each of them. Instead, we walked down all of the aisles at a comfortable, but fast pace, only stopping at those that immediately caught our eye. I only made two purchases - an oversized distressed painted frame at $15 and a graphic tee that says "You had me at brunch" (because duh) - but I did stop and collect cards from those I would revisit when I'm less hungry, less poor and less in a hurry. 

Here are my a small sample of my favorites. AKA - you should check them all out. 

Folksie. Folksie is a small batch clothing manufacturer that produces quality handmade pieces right here in Dallas. I stopped in my tracks when I saw their booth attendant in a over-sized-potato-sacky-super-cute dress and frantically looked through the racks for an identical one. Unfortunately, they didn't have the same one on hand. But the good news was, they sold them online. The not-so-good news was that they are almost $40 more online. But I'd still actually consider purchasing one. Find them on instagram @thefolksieway

Sincerely Mary. Sincerely Mary is an online boutique featuring unique clothing and jewelry based here in Dallas. They had some pretty neat accessories like this bracelet that I love. Instagram: @sincerelymaryclothing

Wake Me Up Goods. One of two I purchased from onsite, Wake Me Up Goods does screen print tees for women and kids. After debating on whether or not I should purchase the "You Had Me At Brunch" tee, I had a glass of wine and that made the decision much easier. Runner up was the "Tacos + Hotsauce" tank. Find them on instagram @wakemeupgoods

Oil Digger Tees. Another maker of cutesy print tees, Oil Digger almost had all my money. My favorites were the "Corporate Misfit", "Champagne and Queso" and "Tex-Mex Gangster" tees. They're on instagram @oildiggertees

Resoycled Candle Co. Hand poured in good 'ol Denton, TX (go Mean Green), Resoycled makes small-batch soy candles in recycled, reusable containers. The Pomegranate + Spice was my absolute favorite. I wanted to eat it. @resoycled on insta. 

The full Flea Style vendor list is here. I feel like I missed so many, so I'll be spending some time going through it! 

Xo, 

Aquia 

Five Wines Under $5.99!

TGIT! Is it just me, or does Shonda Rhimes Thursday get you excited about your couch and wine too? Scandal and HTGAWM have me the most invested in a show I've probably ever been since Grey's, which I don't watch anymore sadly (Teen Mom and the Bachelor are runners up, judge me. But also Jane The Virgin). Anyway, wine. I love wine. I'm no wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but I can appreciate good-tasting wine. While I might "splurge occasionally" (and by splurge I mean like $20) on my favorite Kendall Jackson Chardonnay or the likes, I'm typically aiming for the bottle under $10. 

I've found a few faithful bottles that don't make me feel like I've been hit by a cement truck the next morning and surprisingly, they're all under $6! Yes, it is in fact possible to down a bottle of $6 wine and be able to be a fully functional adult the next day. 

Here are my favs. And of course, let me know if you have others!

1. Pacific Peak Chardonay

A friend of mine told me about this brand a while back. She told me a story about a friend who brought a bottle of this stuff to a wine tasting and her wine snob friend was so impressed and thought it was a $30 bottle of wine. Little did she know. The Pacific Peak brand will run you $1.97. No really. One dollar and ninety seven cents. Again, I promise you won't die the next day. You can purchase it at Total Wine & More.  

2. Pacific Peak Merlot  

While we're still on the $1.97 bottles of wine, go ahead and pick up a bottle of the Merlot while you're at it.  

3. Almond Creek Almond Sparkling Wine

If you're into bubbles, you can pick up this bottle for $5.99 at Trader Joes. It's sweet but not overbearingly sweet (I hate sweet wine). It's my favorite to mix in a mimosa and gives it a nice almondy twist.  

4. Green Fin Rosé 

I hesitated to include this one because they recently started slacking in their packaging. This used to be sold in a corked, glass bottle, but is now a twist off, plastic bottle. I know, I know, kind of takes the fancy out of "faux fancy." But, I'm certain that was a sacrifice that had to be made for producing a $4.99 bottle of wine. Nonetheless, this is a tasty rosé. Find it at your local Trader Joes. 

5. $2 Buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc

Charles Shaw is probably an obvious, but let's be clear that they aren't all created equal. I will typically forgo a bottle, but on occasion, if I do go that route, I pick up the Sauvignon Blanc. It's my personal fav out of the bunch. I've used it in summer sangrias and of course straight up. $2.97 at Trader Joes, duh! 

Happy Almost Friday! 

Cheers, 

Aquia

Homeownership: The Joys, The Woes and the In-between

Fact: I've been a homeowner for approximately 2 years and 5 months (and some change) and it has been nothing short of rewarding, expensive, frustrating and exciting...all at the same time. 

2 years and 5 months ago, I knew nothing about purchasing a home (there's still a learning curve if we're being honest). That was my now-husband's jam. He owned and had owned several properties before we met, and pretty much schooled me on all things real estate. He knows his stuff, I have to give it to him. 

Back then, he was a serial open house attendee. We'd see a sign for an open house and he'd talk me into popping in just to be nosy. With our current house, he "surprised" me (aka wouldn't tell me where we were going until we pulled up) by taking me to the open house. In my head, it was just another house we were looking at for fun...you know, because we did that often. It wasn't until we started talking numbers and serious adult stuff that I was like "oh, shit. He's serious this time."

I love/d this house. 2 years ago, I could imagine me in it and I still imagine me in it 10+ years from now (with some new additions, of course). But what I didn't realize about homeownership before, was that...shit's expensive. Like, really, stupidly expensive. There are parts of our house that are still unfurnished...2+ years later. Within the first month of us being here, one of the A/C units died. We called our warranty company out to fix it, and they found a gecko that had apparently chewed on the wrong thing and blew both himself and a transmitter up. Thank God for home warranties, right? Wrong. Not when it's the gecko's fault... because warranty companies don't cover "nature." See? Expensive. 

There's so much I dream of doing to this house, so many remodeling projects I've saved on hidden Pinterest boards, that just haven't come to fruition yet because...again, shit's expensive (and I probably married the most frugal man on this side of the Mississippi). 

I was hesitant to share my home on the internet because, well, compared to most other blog-worthy homes, mine should take a back seat. But, comparison is the thief of joy. I want to be transparent in showing you that in reality, it takes time. No matter the size of the house. My living room, bedrooms and other rooms are incomplete. There are major(ish) renovation projects I want to start. But it will come. So in the meantime, I will count my blessings. 

I think I'll make this a "thing"... that is, if anyone cares to hear about it. A home tour of such -- broken into pieces. I'll show you a part(s) of my home, things I want do to it, and someday (when the time comes) show you the progress. I'm also always open to ideas, inspiration and all those good things because I am certainly no interior designer. 

Today, we'll start with one of my favorite rooms (what we call) "the fish room" and my kitchen. 

This little room is probably the most intriguing parts of the whole house. We have a 560 gallon salt water aquarium! The previous owner has an exotic fish/aquarium business and basically built this house around the tank. It shares a wall with our dining room and can be viewed from either side. Pretty neat. But inheriting it = maintaining it and that's definitely not a cheap thrill.

I have grown to hate brown cabinets. So the plan in the future is to paint  both the walls and cabinets white and replace the french doors with white ones as well.  

My kitchen is the first thing on my "re-do" list. To me, it's becoming an eye sore after seeing a million white kitchens with marble counter tops and gold fixtures. The textured paint (which I admit I used to like) is overwhelming and combined with the dark granite and cabinets, makes the whole kitchen really dark. So, this is first on my list. We are currently gathering quotes for cabinet refacing and wall painting. The chandelier has got to go as well. I can find some patience with the backsplash, but I'm hoping that too is only temporary. 

So there's that. We'll call this the "before". I really can't wait to start the process of making things a little more pretty. If there's anything I've learned from this experience that I could share with anyone else potentially going through the same struggle is...patience. And, to stop allowing Instagram and Pinterest posts to deter you from that patience.... because in real life, it doesn't happen over night (for the majority). 

Xo, 
Aquia