Latest Empties (And Not Empties) | The Good, Bad + Yellow

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // June 1, 2017 // No Comments

I think this video has officially been uploaded, but not made live, for an entire month! Mercy!

You forgive me, right? I hope so!

A few months ago I noticed a nice little pile of empties growing in my closet. The purger in me was dying to toss them, so it meant it was time to record an empties video.

After sorting through the pile, I realized there was a nice assortment of skincare, haircare and makeup. And a decent balance (for me, anyway!) of drugstore vs. higher end.

There were quite a few loves in this pile! I’ve definitely repurchased a few things here. One of my favs is the Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water. I don’t know how it works so well, but it does! I’ve tried a few other brands in the past, but this one (particularly the waterproof version) gets the job done.

A few other makeup favorites include the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation and the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye. I think we may be in the double digits now for number of times mentioned in a blog post or video for these products. They are just THE BEST for me! The Neutrogena foundation is that right combination of glowing skin with great coverage, but natural enough for every day. And the IT Cosmetics concealer just does what it promises to do. No disappointments.

Speaking of disappointments, there was one HUGE bummer. I was excited to try the Milani Conceal + Perfect foundation.

I had a series of foundation purchases that were the wrong color, so I studied the Milani bottles to ensure I was buying the right shade. I even, just to be safe, chose the lightest color. But it was so yellow toned it just looked horrible! I have yelllow undertones in my skin, but not that much! Beware!

See what I mean??? It looked so strange! And when I slapped it on my face, the difference was even more apparent. What a disappointment.

So this round up of empties has quite the assortment of stuff. Any favorites that you see?

What are some of your favorites? Did I mention any of them? Let me know!

Here are the products I mention:

*means I have repurchased since!

Up&Up 1 Hour Intense Whitening Kit

Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water*

CoverGirl Last Blast Volume Waterproof in black brown

L’Oreal Voluminous Waterproof in black brown*

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in fair

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation in natural ivory*

L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream in fair

Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation in creamy vanilla

Wet n Wild Photofocus Setting Spray*

Pantene Dry Shampoo

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer

Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum

Rimmel BB Cream Radiance in light*

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye in light*

Philosophy Purity One-Step Facial Cleanser

TRESemme Volumizing Dry Shampoo*

Dove Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash

Up&Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

Menu Monday | New Recipes To Try

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // May 29, 2017 // 4 Comments

It’s the last Monday of the month! That means I’m teaming up with my friends Come Home for Comfort and Polka-Dotty Place to share our favorite recipes from this past month that you HAVE to try!

You may remember that last month I didn’t actually have a chance to try anything new! But I had a few that I wanted to make. I’m happy to report there were a few winners!

Almond Butter Tofu Stir Fry | I didn’t have high hopes for this one but it was REALLY delicious! I ended up making it with sunflower butter instead of almond or peanut because it’s what I happened to have. It was tasty and easy!

Sheet Pan Blueberry Pancakes | WINNER!!! It was the easiest thing in the world. No flipping, no waiting. They even puffed up well. I definitely will use this recipe again and again. So wonderful!

Spinach and Cheese Strata | This wasn’t a new-to-me recipe, but was a “haven’t made it in a while and forgot how delicious it was” recipe. It’s not hard to make and is a great dish for when you’re hosting brunch. You make it the night before and just bake it the next day. So easy!

Blueberry Muffins | Cook’s Illustrated is one of my go-to recipe sources. They often have the BEST recipes for dishes. They may be tedious and time consuming, but are always the best you’ve ever had. Enter these blueberry muffins. There are 4 different components you need to prepare in order to make the muffins. It takes about 1.5 hours to get it all together. But MERCY! These are so delicious!!

What are some amazing recipes you’ve tried lately? Have you peeked in your trusty recipe box recently?

Follow Whitney’s board New Recipes We Tried And Loved! on Pinterest.

High Five for Friday #124 – The Year That Flew By

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // May 26, 2017 // 4 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

This was MAYBE the fastest year in history… I’m absolutely shocked it has been one year…. one year of what?

1. This sweet boy had his first birthday on Wednesday! It was a day full of his favorite things – getting talked and smiled at, free reign on crawling, pretending to chase older kids, and stuffing his face with food. His birthday just happened to coincide with Elizabeth’s last day of school picnic, so it was a win win for all around! But in the evening we did have a cupcake, and he INHALED it!

2. This was also the fastest week! I can’t believe it is already Friday. Mercy!

3. Did it rain and rain and rain where you live this week? It rained Monday through Wednesday! It was non-stop. And then on Thursday, when the rain let up, we loaded up for a neighborhood walk! But as soon as we got to the driveway, there was a clap of thunder. Elizabeth wasn’t up for chancing it. But we have a definite case of cabin fever!

4. Last weekend we DID do something fun! (it took me to #4 to remember it!) We headed out to the Durham Blues + Brews festival! It was a lot of fun. I was not excited about it at first… it was kind of hot…. but we brought chairs, found a spot in the shade, and listened to all the great music! It was truly a great time!

5. This weekend we are having a small family party with William to celebrate his birthday. It will be a low key affair, full of hugs, presents and blueberries! His favorite. His party will be a brunch party, so we’re having blueberry muffins instead of cupcakes or cake. He LOVES blueberries, so I figured that boy would love blueberry muffins just as much as a cupcake 🙂

Today’s featured blogger is Mackensy from Stang & Co! She’s a wife, mommy and doer of all things craft and baking! She posted a picture of an adorable red white and blue garland for your fireplace mantel! It’s so cute! Be sure to swing over there and say hi to Mackensy!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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High Five for Friday #123 – The Post-Vacation Reality

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // May 19, 2017 // 6 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Happy Friday!! I’m back! It was a glorious vacation. I promise a proper recap next week, but here are a few highlights from this week.

1. Coming home on Saturday was SO wonderful! I was ready to get home and see the kids. And when we pulled up to the house, I could see Elizabeth and William looking out a window, watching for us. It was so great! And then, 2 minutes later, everyone was in normal mode, whining and crying. HA! Beautiful moments cut short. Oh well!

2. Mother’s Day was a low key day for all. My parents were exhausted, and probably relieved that I was back to get up with the kids. And I needed a low key day to transition back from vacation. So we were all grateful we just went out for breakfast and then out for dinner in the evening. We all felt a touch space-cadet like.

3. Monday was a sad day around here… my husband took our third car, a Mercedes 1985 380sl, to a local car seller. This car is SUPER sentimental to my husband, which, you may wonder why we’d sell it. Basically, his parents bought this car from the original owners in the 90s. My husband’s first car, and the car he had when we started dating, was a few years newer than this car. We used to drive around in this beautiful car, pre-kids, exploring the NC rural areas. It’s a WONDERFUL car. But, it only has 2 seats… and we have 4 people in our family. And my husband came to the conclusion that he’d rather sell this one, sell the other car he drives daily, and get one FUN car we can all ride in. Makes total sense! But the reality of driving this car away on Monday was tough. There were some misty eyes… end of an era.

4. Over our week-long vacation, William seemed to have sprouted up in height and gained new skills! He’s much faster at pushing things around AND cruising furniture. He’s speedy! He also figured out how to throw a ball. Super fun! But dangerous. You know the trend of “buy all wooden toys because they’re better quality” blah blah blah. No one took into account a small boy chucking them for throwing practice. DUCK!!!!

But I managed to snap the exact same pictures of Elizabeth and William, same exact age (down to the week!) doing the same activity! Isn’t that a hoot?? You can tell they are siblings.

5. Funny story of the week – we spent quite a bit of time in the backyard Wednesday evening. Elizabeth was playing around while I sat in the grass with William. There were bugs a-plenty, however. William attracts all the mosquitoes! I eventually had to haul him inside. Fast forward a few hours later, and I’m getting ready for bed. I’ve removed my contacts, so partially blind at this point. I glace at my arm, and see a small, bug-like shape! Do you remember all my tick stories last year?? Well, I thought it was a tick! I freak out! Screech! Slap my arm!

And then I find out it’s a smudge of chocolate from my dark chocolate square dessert.

Oops!

Today’s featured blogger is Tara from Mommy in a Nutshell! She loves writing about family, finances and fashion (three f’s!)! But can we talk for a second about her recipes?? Check out this one for gluten free corn cakes! YUM! Swing over and meet Tara!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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High Five for Friday #122 – On Vacation… BRB

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // May 12, 2017 // 1 Comment

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

So friends, I’m on vacation right now. I’ll be bag to the same old, same old, next week! But until then, don’t forget to link up!

And, if you get a chance, could you pray for my parents? They’ve got one day left of managing our littles. They’ve been troopers!!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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