Birthday + April Favorites

April is one of my favorite months.  Not only does Michigan weather start getting its act together, but it’s also my birthday month!  Wednesday was my actual birthday, and although I had to work, I came home to quite a surprise from Jeremy.  A homemade chorizo taco bar, margaritas, balloons, and he tried shooting confetti at me when I walked through the door, while blaring this song.  The spring in the confetti popper didn’t work though, so he sort of just ended up throwing it at me, and then the spring came flying out like a terrifying jack-in-the-box.  It was hilarious.  Also, TACOS.  Tacos, chips & salsa are my weakness – I could eat them for breakfast/lunch/dinner, and need to be supervised when I do, so I don’t eat myself to death.This question is right up there with the meaning of life for me.

Spring + Birthdays are some of my favorite things, so for this post I decided to share some of my other current favorites with you.

1.  Fixer Upper Season 2
GUYS.  They just released this on Netflix last Tuesday, and I may or may not have binged over the course of two days.  I love Chip & Joanna, Chip’s goofy personality reminds me a LOT of my husband (who is nicknamed “the golden retriever of humans” because everyone just loves him).  Their house transformations are always amazing, but I get so sad when I watch, because I want them to come redo our house for free.  Her designs actually inspired me to put up white subway tile in our kitchen (before-and-after in an upcoming post!), and I have plans for some serious ship-lap in the near future.

2. LifeFactory Water Bottle – Turquoise, 22oz.
I’ve made a pretty vocal effort to start drinking more water, so Jeremy picked this up as one of my birthday gifts.  It’s super cute, and the silicone grip is really nice.  Plastic water bottles have always weirded me out and leave a plastic/metallic aftertaste in the water, so I really appreciate that the bottle is made of glass.  I also love that the top enclosure doesn’t make an obnoxiously loud *POP* every time you open/close it to take a drink.

3.  Essie Chillato
Some women collect an obscene amount of shoes…for me, it’s nail polish.  With the weather warming up, I’ve been in the mood for spring-colored nails and picked up this beauty at CVS.  It’s like pastel yellow + lime green had a baby, and has a solid finish with two coats.  So pretty.

4. La Quercia N’duja Americana
This is a spicy prosciutto spread that Jeremy introduced me to, and it is soooo good.  It almost tastes like a spreadable pepperoni, with a little bit of heat.  We’ve tried it spread on crostini and crackers, and thrown it in pasta sauce, but I’m sure there are a million other things you can do with it.  They sell this at Zingerman’s, and Jeremy was actually just recently in a video promoting it.  There are scarves, space cheese kittens, and a flawless delivery on Jeremy’s part, watch it here.  You won’t be disappointed.  He’s ridiculous.

5.  Saucony Women’s Scoot LX Capri
I’ve had these for a while now, and they are easily the most comfortable pair of workout bottoms I own.  They’re light, flexible, airy, and super forgiving so they don’t squeeze you like some running tights can.  I can wear these in both warm and cold weather when running outdoors, and they keep me at a comfortable temperature.  I want them in more colors!

6. Chalk Markers
As I’ve mentioned before, I love making chalkboards.  I started out several years ago just using regular crayola chalk dipped in water, but for really fun/bold boards I love these chalk markers.  I did boards for a friend’s wedding last September, and these markers made the boards look so crisp and bright.  PS – that friend is Adrienne over at Appetites Anonymous, she’s a foodie with amazing cooking/styling skills  – check her blog out!

7.  Swagbucks
I make an extra $50/month through this website.  It’s an online rewards and cash back program, where you receive “swagbucks” for each survey you fill out, website you visit, etc.  Each swagbuck = 1 penny.  I’ve been a member for the last 5 years – so I can tell you it’s legit.  I save the gift cards I earn towards light fixtures and other home improvement wants (not needs), that wouldn’t normally fit in my budget.  You can sign up here.

8.  Smith + Hawken Boxwood Wreath – Target
If you follow my instagram, you know that I love a festive front door wreath!  The last few months we’ve had some pretty colorful wreaths up, so for spring I’ve been keeping an eye out for something a little more subtle.  I love the look of a Magnolia wreath, but haven’t been able to find a faux wreath that was affordable, and the cheaper ones look pretty obviously fake.  This boxwood wreath is a good alternative.  Its full, green, and a fresh look for our spring front door.

What are some of your favorites lately?