Happy Friday Everyone!
It’s October AND almost Halloween! I hope everyone is enjoying these fall months and you’ve been able to get out some cozy sweaters, enjoy some apple cider and s’mores!
One – LOTS of Fun Blog Happenings, such as Being a Brand Model!!
A few weeks ago I met with Joanna, a local shop owner here in St. Louis over coffee. She founded The Roasted Purpose, which is a clean coffee that has 18 grams of protein in it and no sugar. There are several different flavors, but the Cinnamon Dolce and Chocolate Covered Banana are my favorite flavors so far. The company does ship nationwide and has such a great mission behind it, because with each cup of coffee they help a child in need. Joanna actually goes down with her family to feed the homeless and they knock door to door. She was telling me some stories about children they’ve helped and it just brought tears to her eyes. She is such a kind and caring person!
Joanna asked me to be a brand model for her company for their next photoshoot later this month. I’m so excited! I guess I can add brand model to my resume now. Ha, ha! When I used to work in Marketing for a big Corporation, they used to use some of their employees for their catalog cover images. I got chosen for one and it was so fun. I got to dress up as a chemist and they shot the photos in an actual lab! This kind of reminds me of that. LOL. If you’re interested in supporting Joanna and trying out this delicious 18 grams of protein per cup coffee, you can purchase it at 10% Off (and I earn a little commission, which I thank you so much for!!) with the code CURLYCRAFTYMOM or click HERE and the coupon code will automatically be added to your order. One popular item on her site is the Sampler Pack (ONLY $28), which I highly recommend! It’s an easy way to try out all of the different flavors.
Another big happening here at Curly Crafty Mom is I got my first collaboration with the Ritz Carlton and it was for a afternoon tea (which you all know I LOVE tea time!). I’ve always wanted to work with them and when they DM’ed me on Instagram it was like a match made in heaven! Ha, ha! They invited me out to their Pink Ribbon Afternoon Tea Service in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They had several specialty teas to select from to fit the theme and I went with the Indian Rose Garden. It was delicious! They let me try a different tea (the Hibiscus) when the sweets came out. The savory dishes were artifully crafted and delicious! My favorite was the Smoked Duck Breast followed by the Roasted Prime Beef. The Ritz Carlton never skimps on the details and when they brought out the freshly baked blueberry scones, the Devonshire Cream, Jam and Chocolate Sauce were in decorative and edible chocolate cups. My husband and I agreed this was our favorite part of the entire afternoon tea time! Then we finished the hour off with a huge assortment of delectable treats, such as a Pink Strawberry White Chocoalte Profiterole, Orange Lavender Madeleine, Rose Hibiscus Macaron and more! Wow! What a treat it was and for such a good cause. Ritz Carlton has two more themed afternoon tea times coming up: Pumpkins & Potions Halloween Afternoon Tea and Teddy Bear Afternoon Tea. You can make a reservation on Open Table HERE.
The last exciting happening over here is that KitNipBox is having me create Facebook and Instagram ads for them with precious Ollie Bear and Aurora and in exchange I’m getting a percentage of the revenue. So, if you see them pop up on your Facebook and Instagram, be sure to say hello to them! Ha! I joke with Brian that Ollie Bear and Aurora have a job now to pay for all their spoiling. Hee, hee! Isn’t this Halloween themed box the CUTEST?!
Two – Our 12 Year Wedding Anniversary
We celebrated our 12 Year Anniversary earlier this month. Brian took off work the Friday before and we had a fun little date day (sans teens). I’d say he surprised me with flowers, but I’ve been wanting some flowers from this local flower truck (Rudy’s Flower Truck) for awhile now and I saw that they do weekday deliveries. So, I picked out this GORGEOUS disco ball arrangement and Brian made sure it arrived on time! Ha, ha! We also splurged on new iPhones… 🙂
For our day date we went to Songbird, a really popular local brunch spot here in St. Louis that is tiny and you really have to make a reservation at least the day prior. It did NOT disappoint. All the food on their menu is locally sourced so it is very fresh. Their breakfast sandwich was sold for 7 years at the Tower Grove Farmers Market (it has sea salt on it and honey) and is one of their most popular breakfast items. I ordered it and it was the best breakfast sandwich I’ve EVER had!
Three – Autumn’s Sophomore Homecoming
Autumn had her sophomore homecoming and she looked SO beautiful! We did photos in the park with her friends prior, then she went to a before party, the dance and then an after party. She’s a social butterfly! I know I’ve mentioned before, but I don’t share photos of her friends on here. And honestly, she rarely wants me to share photos of her at all these days, especially on Instagram… which I can understand, it is more of a business account than a personal one. Plus, a lot of her friends follow me, so she doesn’t want me just blindly sharing photos of her. It ALL changes once they become teens!! One rule I’ve made though is that her friends (and Nathan’s) can follow me, but I do not follow them back. I feel it is just better that way. So, ANYHOW… you only get a few sweet photos of her today out of privacy and respect.
A photo of us together. 🙂
Four – Latest Shows I Finished / Latest Books I’ve Read
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros – This is the second book to Fourth Wing and it was even longer than the first book. I listened to the audio and it was the same person that did the first book. Before going into this book I had heard from several people that this book introduced even more characters, it was looong and they regretted reading it. I will say I enjoyed it, I was able to keep up with all of the characters (and there is a lot!) and it took awhile to get through it. I did feel at times the book was SO good I couldn’t stop listening to it and at other times I got a little bored. How do I even begin to recap this book into a short summary? It is so meaty… so many details, plots, etc. The ending was NOT what I was expecting and I did some searches afterwards and I think just everyone is wondering where it will lead Violet and Xaden in the second book There is a third book coming out in January. I’m still undecided if I want to dive into yet another one of these massive, sort of complex books. I do hope they make a movie or series out of them.
Five – Latest Finds
Autumn brought these pretzels home from Target and I tried a few and now I’m obsessed with them. I love mustard though. They have other varieties, but I love these mustard ones so much, I don’t want anything else!
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I always like to get a few new shoes every fall and I’ve just fallen in love with these Michaela Mary Jane Flats by Sam Edelman. I’m wearing the black pair here, but I really want the red ones for the holidays and the leopard print ones too! They are SO comfy and it seriously feels like you’re wearing a ballet slipper.
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I love my Javasok coffee drink sleeves. This one fits a venti Starbucks. It is so cute for the holidays! I love these because they prevent the ice from melting and you don’t have the condensation mess. Buy it HERE on Amazon.
I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend!
