Spring Cleaning Supplies | Mrs. Meyer's Peony & Lilac

Spring cleaning, you guys.

It's actually one of my favorite times of the year.

There's nothing more refreshing than opening all the windows, putting things on my local Buy Nothing site for neighbors to pick up off my porch, and cleaning every single visible surface in my house.

I was at Target last night; I had an entire afternoon and evening to myself, thanks to my husband, and it was LOVELY. I got a new shirt, some lip gloss, and I walked by the display of Mrs. Meyer's twice before I realized the spring scents are out. Lilac, Peony... yes, yes, yes. Last year, I wanted the Peony scent so bad, but I realized it had been released too late, and it was nowhere to be found. In the same fashion, the only thing left on the display I was looking at was Peony dish soap, or hand soap. Not the Multi-Surface cleaner, which is my favorite. SO, I went searching.

Luckily, Target is smart and has several displays at once - usually one big end cap, and then a few little racks set up strategically around the rest of the cleaning supplies. I found the last Peony Multi Surface Cleaner, you guys. It was a major win for me, I practically skipped to the register.

And before you roll your eyes, no, this is not a sponsored post by Mrs. Meyer's. I just love it that much and get way too excited about season scents. I still have a stock of Iowa Pine under my sink, but I'll gladly retire that for a couple months, in favor of a fresh, floral scent to compliment the open windows and sporadic Northwest Sunshine.

ORDERING ON TARGET: It's available right now on the Target website (in Lilac, too). If you pay for express shipping, it's kinda like ordering from Amazon? You can get it tomorrow. But you're only paying $3.99 for the bottle, so that's nice (same as in store).

ORDERING ON AMAZON: You can order Peony & Lilac cleaning sets on Amazon, if you want to try them out tomorrow and you want an assortment of product, but it's a little expensive. However, Amazon is ridiculously convenient, so no judgement here. I get it. Sometimes it's nice to just have it delivered to your front door, and use your Prime.

What's your favorite Mrs. Meyer's scent?

Dinner Recap: Diamond Burgers

I made incredible sliders yesterday, and they were a MAJOR win. I just wanted to share them here on the blog so I could find them again, because I'm probably going to turn these into a staple in our house. They turned out way better than I imagined... even the kiddos loved them.

They aren't clean or healthy, but you could make a few adjustments to improve them:

• Use ground turkey instead of beef
• Avoid the glaze (but it's the best part, so I'm willing to just eat more salad the next day to keep the glaze)
• Serve open-faced (1/2 the roll)
• Replace with vegan cheese, or even just nix the cheese and swirl some hot sauce over the top. The filling was delicious!

Ingredients:

• Dinner Rolls (I used these, but any dinner rolls would work)
• 1 lb of ground beef
• 2 cups of diced onion
• Garlic
• 1 can of Ro-Tel
• Sharp cheddar

I made my sliders ahead of time, then took them to my friend's house to bake. I was worried that the bottom of the sliders would get soggy, but they didn't. I drained off the beef, and drained the Ro-Tel, so there really isn't much liquid. I took off the aluminum for the last 5 minutes, and the glaze on the top, was SO good. 

Original and full-version of the recipe is here. Thanks for an incredible meal, Kevin & Amanda!

Ladies, We Can Do Better

This was originally a post I made in my women's group, after a plethora of anonymous questions and concerns about infidelity and emotional affairs. I felt compelled to challenge the 12k women in my group to do and demand better, as women... and a few of them asked me to make it public so they can share, so I'm reposting here. <3

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LADIES, WE CAN DO BETTER.

I know... it takes two to tango. I know, it's just as much the man's fault as "the other woman". Maybe even more! I know, I know, I know. But, I'm a woman. As an admin here, I've read too many anonymous posts from women who's husbands are carrying on inappropriate relationships with other women. So, I'd just like to say: I don't understand how any WOMAN can justify an intimate (emotional, or physical) relationship with a married man.

We have almost 12,000 women in this group. With how many posts we read about this happening weekly, I know there might be some women in here that have actually been the other woman. Or, ARE CURRENTLY the other woman. No judgement, but I'm here to challenge you.

If you have a married man you're flirting with, or fantasizing about, or leading on, or imagining as your soul mate... stop it. He's not your soul mate. He's taken, and he didn't choose you. You don't need to be sloppy seconds, you can find a man FOR YOU. One that hasn't already vowed to love, honor, and cherish another woman for the rest of his life. Have more respect for yourself, and have more respect for the woman wearing his wedding ring. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Stay away from another woman's fish.

The way of the world is that "you can do/have/be whatever you want". This is SO harmful. This tells us that nothing is off limits. Nothing is out of bounds. My pastor preached on this last week: you cannot be whatever you want to be, but you can be EVERYTHING God called you to be. He did not call you to be a mistress. He did not call you to break up a marriage. He did not call you to settle for less than the best, at the expense of temporary satisfaction. If you don't believe in God, fine... you can be everything THE UNIVERSE called you to be. "The Universe" doesn't call you to be someone's mistress. "The Universe" wants more from you.

Sorry. Reading one of the anonymous posts today just pissed me off so much. I started wondering if "the other woman" was apart of this group. And how many more there might be, that we have no idea about.

As women, we march, we demand justice and rights, and we stand together when it matters... but then we secretly message each other's husbands? NO. It's not ok. Get it together, ladies. Respect the woman you're holding hands with, literally and figuratively.

Anonymous Letter 1 - Tenacity

Friend,

I wish you could see what I see. I wish you knew just what you are capable of, and what you truly deserve.

Why do we settle? Why do we keep spinning in circles, only to end up dizzy and out of sorts - and nowhere closer to happy? You deserve people in your world that will see what an incredible human you are: kind, compassionate, strong, loving. You're not perfect, of course, none of us are... but you have resolve. You have tenacity. 

When I was eighteen, a real estate agent I worked with told me I was tenacious, and I've never forgotten it. Isn't that strange? I find myself recalling that word often, and I think it's such a beautiful trait... I'm honored that he thought of me when he thought of that word. What a compliment... in a sea of "you're funny" and "you're awesome", hearing you're tenacious can be a real eye-opener.

Do you know what tenacious means? It's an adjective, and it means determined. Persistent. Tireless. It's an unbelievable compliment, but man... it's a bit loaded. But, friend, you really are tenacious.

The thing is, I know you're tired. I know you're losing resolve. I know you lay in bed at night and stare up at the ceiling, wondering how you got to where you are. The thousands of comments of encouragement and "you can do better" don't as much encourage you as they defeat you. You already know, but you don't believe that anything can change. That you're not strong enough to be the change that you pray for every day. So, you fight to hold on... just one more day.

God made you tenacious. He gave you your fight, and it's a beautiful trait - but tenacity can be misplaced, friend. When you want to be tenacious and hold onto something unhealthy, God wants you to put your foot down and tenaciously demand change. To demand better for yourself, and your family. To seek His will. He sees you as a beautiful creation. Sometimes, as women - we have to lead the way, and that means our tenacity is going to lead us to make hard decisions. Sometimes, little eyes are watching, and we can bravely show them what it truly means to be tenacious, especially in the face of adversity.

I wish you could see what I see. Your fight is your best quality, but it's often misplaced. Fight, boldly, for good. Fight for change. Demand it, friend. I'm behind you. We're all behind you.

Cheers, Mom & Dad!

I was having a rough day yesterday. Just tired, and feeling a little blah. Nothing too bad, but my husband sensed I needed a few minutes so he sent me to the store for some essentials.

I happened to drop a jar of pizza sauce (not an essential on the list, but ON SALE), and it was embarrassing. A boy and his dad saw, and tried to make me feel better by joking about it. They were nice.

As I pulled up behind them in line, the boy - probably 10-12 years old or so, ran over and grabbed a paper towel from the front of the store, where they keep them for people wanting to dry off or disinfect their cart handles. He approached me, knelt down on one knee, and asked if I minded if he cleaned off my shoe, as I head some pizza sauce on it.

I totally teared up. I didn't even notice I had sauce on my shoe. I didn't try to clean it off myself, and he just saw and wanted to help. He noticed, and then asked me if he could help me. This 10 year old boy was wiping the pizza sauce off my shoe, because he wanted to. His grandpa didn't prompt him, he didn't do it begrudgingly... he just wanted to help me out.

On his way out of the store, another mom walked in carrying a baby on her hip. The boy's dad cheerfully greeted them, saying something about how rainy it was outside, and the little boy piped up: "Hey, I love your hair color!" The mom looked so surprised and pleased. I bet he made her night, too.

SOME KIDS, you guys. And some parents. Some people are just doing it RIGHT.

Cheers to all you, raising polite, loving, kind-hearted kids. It's no easy job, but that little boy restored my faith just a bit last night.

Lazy Girl's Guide To Thanksgiving: Slow-Cooker Turkey Soup with Lemon & Sage

I had a bag of leftover white/dark meat turkey sitting in my fridge, and we are turkey'd out. I knew I had to do something with it, so I sat down to search for a crockpot turkey soup recipe (or at least, outline) that I could use with just stuff I had in my house. That meant getting creative, crossing my fingers, and hoping my omission of a few ingredients, replacements of others, and cutting corners on steps would turn out.

I just took a little taste of what I have so far, and it's... a win. Like, a major one.

Slow-Cooker Leftover Turkey Soup with Lemon & Sage
Now, i'm no food blogger. And if you're a sucker for exact measurements - here is the original recipe I basically butchered into something unrecognizable.

• Leftover turkey (I had white meat + 2 legs and a wing looking thing. I dunno)
• Small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• A couple carrots
• A couple leaves of fresh sage
• Dried thyme
• Himalayan pink salt
• Cracked Pepper
• Poultry seasoning of some sort. You could probably even use a chicken bullion cube? Why not.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 cup dry white wine. I didn't have any, so I just used what I do have - sherry.
• Half a lemon. Plus the juice of the other half before discarding
• 6 cups of broth/stock. I used 4 cups of store-bought chicken bone broth, and 2 cups leftover chicken broth from my fridge.

The directions on the original say to cook the garlic, celery, onion, carrot, but ugh. Nobody got time for that. I just diced it and threw it in the slow cooker with all the turkey I had. Added some diced fresh sage (because I had no bay leaves or fresh thyme and I loooove sage), DRIED thyme, lots of cracked pepper and pink salt, some poultry seasoning my husband has on hand because I have no idea what it is, a couple shakes of Worcestershire, a cup of wine (is that a lot of sherry? Meh. Not sure. Tastes good today), half a lemon, all the stock. Cooked on low overnight, but it only says to do it for 6 hours or so.

This morning, I removed ALL bones, bone shards, skin... took a few minutes, mine broke down like crazy. Then I added in a 1/2 cup of fregula, because I had it on hand from a Blue Apron recipe I never did. I don't even know what fregula is, but it LOOKS like Israeli couscous, and that's all that matters, right? It's some sort of small, pearled-looking pasta. You could probably sub 1/2 cup of quinoa or rice, too! Or whatever noodles you love. MAKE IT YOUR OWN.

Let me know if you try it, and what substitutions you make.

The only thing that sucked was fishing out the bones, skin, and shards of bone.... I'll probably do that a few more times before serving.

Soup looks really dark in this pic, but I think because this was a small bowl?
And I am no professional photographer, let's be real.

Working Wish List

I say working because I'm still brainstorming. I feel like there isn't anything I truly need this year, but I'm really happy to put together a dream list of pretty things that would look excellent in my house and on my counters.

These things just make me happy. I wouldn't say most of these things are actually on my list, but if I was to stumble upon any of these items under my tree, I wouldn't be mad at Santa.

BLANKNYC 'Easy Rider' Faux Leather Moto Jacket • Blank NYC
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder • Laura Mercier
S'well Elements White Marble 25-oz. Reusable Bottle • Swell
Diptyque - Baies, Roses And Figuier Set Of Three Candles, 3 X 70g • Diptyque
KitchenAid KSM152PS Artisan 5 Qt. Custom Metallic Stand Mixer • KitchenAid
BP. Tuck Stitch Cardigan • BP
Copper Flatware
Bumble and Bumble - Surf Foam Spray Blow Dry, 150ml • Bumble and Bumble
Cuisinart CSB75 Smartstick 2 Speed Immersion Hand Blender • Cuisinart
My Family Cookbook
T3 Micro BodyWaver 1.75 Inch Styling Iron • T3 Tourmaline
KitchenAid® Artisan Stand Mixer KSM150 • KitchenAid
S'well Reflective Rose Gold 17-oz. Reusable Bottle • Swell
Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Travel Candle, 2.1 oz. • Jo Malone
Hunter 'Original Refined' High Gloss Rain Boot (Women) • Hunter
Sugar Paper® Blush Weekly Planner Agenda, 2017
Ridge Hill Pan Set (10 PC)
adidas Women's Superstar Casual Sneakers from Finish Line • adidas
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge • Real Techniques
Utility Mixing Bowl Set • west elm
Oribe - Aprés Beach Wave And Shine Spray, 300ml • Oribe
Truth Serum® Vitamin C Anti-Aging Collagen Booster\t
NikeCourt Tennis Classic Ultra LOTC (Paris) Women's Shoe • Nike
Calphalon Classic 6-qt. Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Lid • Calphalon
Farberware Classic 8-qt. Straining Stock Pot • Farberware
Topshop Moto 'Leigh' Ripped Skinny Jeans • Topshop
Adidas Gazelle Original Snake-Embossed Sneaker, Black/Crystal White • adidas

What's on your Christmas list this year?

Skincare, Lately

My skin has never looked and felt better... at 32 years old (eye roll), this is something I'm exceptionally proud of. I owe it to 2 (ok, maybe 3) products that I've been using the last couple of months. One I tried in a pinch when I was at the mall and out of face wash, and the other I got sent to me c/o Influenster.

First up:

Lush USA Ultrabland makeup remover: I love the fact that I don't have to rinse my face after I apply this to take off my makeup. I massage it in, and wipe it off with a damp cloth. That's it. I love how hydrated and clean my skin feels when I'm done, and my bathroom doesn't look like I hosed it down. Does anyone else HATE how ridiculous it is to splash water on your face when you're trying to rinse off your cleanser? It never looks like the commercials, that's FOR SURE.

And I also love the fact that I can pronounce the main ingredients: it's a beeswax cleanser with honey and essential oils like almond, iris, rose, and rose water. 

The second is a serum I got in my VoxBox from Influenster, from Ole Henriksen - the Truth Serum (vitamin c collagen booster), pictured right. This came as apart of a full Power BRIGHT system, but this was - hands down - my favorite product. I've been using it for over a month, and I'm running out... and this is something I'll definitely repurchase. My skin is brighter, my under eye circles are less offensive, and I actually feel like my skin has better elasticity, if that makes sense. It doesn't feel dull and lifeless, it feels vibrant and supple (I really hate that word... supple... it makes me shudder. But, that's how it feels. Haha. Kind of like when you eat a delicious cake and gosh dang it, the ONLY WORD you can use to describe the dreamy texture is moist... kill me now). And the other day at Sephora, I noticed a looooot of other Ole products, which I'm going to have to try out. They're not cheap, so maybe I can add one new one to my rotation every few months... but really, I had no idea these little gems existed. OH HEY, OLE.

Lastly, I've been using a new argan oil foundation by Josie Maran, called Vibrancy. I read that it's actually supposed to impact the appearance of your makeupless face, so yeah, sign me up. I have to pipe up and say: IT'S TRUEEEEE, you guys. I have been using it for 2 weeks now, and my skin has improved even more than it had with my current favorite skincare routine. It's radiant. Truly. If you like the dewy/glowy foundation look, and you're not too oily by nature -- try the Josie Maran Vibrancy foundation. I've never met anyone that didn't love it, and now I know why. It sells out super fast, so you can order online -- but I suggest going to your closest Sephora to get matched if you can.

Have a great Saturday, friends. Leave some of your recent skincare favorites in the comments below.

Coco & Kiwi: Diaper Bag Review

Truth be told, I'm almost out of the diaper bag phase at this point in life, which is so strange. I haven't had a purse in forever, but I am almost back to that point. Almost. Simon is closing in on 2, and when we go out, he wants only the things his brother has: a sippy cup of apple juice and a Ninja Turtles sword. But, he's still in diapers... so technically, I deserve a diaper bag.

I got a chance to review the Coco & Kiwi diaper bag in Provence, c/o Babby Cubby... and you guys... have you ever had a diaper bag that you were proud to wear as a purse or carry as your "briefcase" to work meetings? Me either. Until this bag came around, and I've found myself doing both. Unashamed.

It's black and white, with the most gorgeous pop of color with the kelly green lining and gold buckles. It's not too big, so I can't store my literal life in there, but it's plenty big enough to fit my laptop, wallet, a few diapers for Simon, some granola bars, wipes, an extra pair of underwear/shorts for potty-training big brother, and some extra pacis for the little guy... and I can still find everything right when I need it. I hate fishing through a bag for my wallet and literally pulling everything else out before I actually get to it.

I love that it has straps to carry it on my arm, and a removable long strap to wear it on my shoulder or as a cross-body bag, or on our stroller. 

It also has a zip-out wet bag, which came in HUGELY helpful on our recent trip to the beach, when I had to transport Porter's sand-filled, water-logged shorts back to the hotel. AND - last but certainly not least, I love that it zips completely closed. Seems silly, right? Like, you guys have probably only used fully-zippable diaper bags, but I've only ever used diaper bags with partial zip closure. Seems so random and unimportant, but holy cow - it's so nice to put everything I need in there and close it up securely. We toted this bag to the beach and everything inside stayed sand free and dry, all day long.

Baby Cubby has a great Diaper Bag Buying Guide on their site, which is so helpful if you need some assistance finding the right one - and especially for new moms, when you literally have no idea where to begin and just take what someone buys you with a smile and an overwhelmed "thank you". Truth be told, there IS such thing as the right bag for you, though, so test some out and find the perfect one for you.

You can use my discount code - icorianne10 - at checkout on Baby Cubby's site from now until July 30th.

Junk Drawer: Tessemae's Giveaway Winner

This week on the Junk Drawer, I am giving away a FULL "best sellers" pack of dressings from Tessemae's. I'm so excited about this because these are - hands down - my favorite dressings in the world. All natural, with no added sugar or preservatives - a majority of them are Whole30 friendly, which says a lot.

So anyway, the only thing people needed to do to participate in this giveaway was give me their favorite or most creative salad recipe, using a minimum of 5 ingredients (including the Tessemae's best selling dressing of choice).

The dressings included in this best seller's pack are: Honey Balsamic, Lemon Garlic, Buffalo, Southwest Ranch, Caesar, and Matty's BBQ sauce.

I can't wait to share these recipes - coming soon!

We had 50 submissions, and the winner is announced here in my video! ;) I filmed it because I allowed our admin team to enter, too, and if one of them won... I didn't want anyone to think it could have been rigged. :)



If you'd like to be apart of the Junk Drawer, please request to join! This is an encouraging and supportive community open to all women, in all phases of life. No drama, and no hardcore solicitations or sales are pretty much our only true rules. Be kind, and be authentic, and you'll enjoy the group immensely. I'm pretty proud of a group of 7,500+ women and practically zero drama. That's a serious feat.

Hope to see you there!