Peppered Thought – The Spice of Life

I didn’t write a week in review last week, because there wasn’t a whole lot to list. So maybe combining two weeks will be pure magic!

Row 1: Last week – took some photos of a tea party, ate some cake at said tea party, hung out on the steps of my grandma’s kickass house with this boot and watched the sun set.

Row 2: Tried to stay out of the heat by doing this. Yes, that is my Netflix recently watched list. That is all Futurama. To be fair, I was cleaning the house while watching them. I drank some very good beer… no really though, that beer was heavenly. Like ambrosia. I went to a baby’s first birthday. Ah, to be young and have a special cake all to yourself…

Row 3: Went disc golfing and didn’t bring my camera. The boys were starting to make fun of me for using my camera as a place marker. This was the only pic I took, and only because those roots looked like a hand! Made some mason jar 4th of July cakes with my sister (mine’s a little empty because I forgot to tell The Beau I was going to take pictures before he dug in!) and I got in the zone and wrote some letters. I love when I get into my Zone!

Have a great long weekend!

All photos by me, except ultrasound via and father’s day card via

This week is actually goin’ pretty well. I:

- crafted my own felt flower garland crowns for a family tea party tomorrow at a lavender farm,

went to a cowboy bar complete with boots hanging from the rafters and a speaker house made from a budweiser 24-pack box,

celebrated Tortilla’s birthday with extra snuggles and a treat,

found out my friend who’s preggers has decided to name her son a totally awesome name: jack anthony,

received pictures I ordered in the mail (anybody want one?!),

and Sunday it’s fathers day this weekend and I have no idea what to get any of my dads. Maybe just beers all around!

I took these pics last week because I thought it was funny that I keep adding so many stripes to my wardrobe unknowingly. I was letting a couple shirts dry on the (striped) shower curtain and realized how horizontal things were getting!

Then, I see the hashtag #stripemania on twitter and wonder what all the hub-bub is about and read this post. WHAT LUCK! These random photos won’t go to waste.

When I bought that inexpensive rug at Big Lots and The Beau posited, “don’t we already have a bathroom rug?” I told him that it was just another part of my plan to make my world a little more like an early (read: good) Tim Burton movie. He looked at me quizzically, and I said I was joking…but was I?

This week, I:

went to ASU Mercado, hung out with smart, awesome people involved in the arts and ate lunch enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather,

fashioned a decorative wall kite from an old shirt,

made a headphone holder from an old learner’s permit using this technique (I may spray paint it, but look at my crazy blonde hair!)

…and began collecting goodies for a fun, outdoor project,

(Ron Swanson loves Li’l Sebastian.)

and said goodbye to Li’l Sebastian, on my favorite show, Parks and Rec.

p.s. I love the above shirt.

Anything of note on your end?

Let’s take a stroll through this week in Jessica-ville. This week I:

Made some super tasty cereal bars,

relished in a to-die for strawberry chocolate-pretzel split made by The Beau (in a waffle cone!),

hung out on tv with one of my closest friends and her extremely adorable and well-behaved daughter,

Got all my books from the library!!! For some odd reason it was all crime and mystery for this library go ’round. I think our noir double feature in L.A. had a big effect on me.

Started putting together my “summer essentials:” bubbles and water guns. Not a bad start, but I need to add my hammock and some blanket forts.

kind of getting the itch for some super-cute short bangs. I even got heart palpitations making this collage!

UPDATE: How funny Gala wrote a post about this too! Great minds think alike; I have had this post in the wings since I got my samples last week!

When it comes to perfume, I am 100% picky. Since I work in a place where a lot of people flow in and out, I take in a lot of perfumes and colognes that make me ill. People use perfume like it is going out of style, and it always makes me think of this quote about perfume that I read somewhere: “Perfume should always be light enough that you have to get close and interested to smell it.”

I also get seriously upset when I’m happily flipping through my ELLE and get accosted with scents that I do not care for at all. Usually when I get my magazines in the mail I rip those out as soon as I take them out of my mailbox. But I adore taking the plunge and finding new scents. Which is why I truly LOVE Lucky Scent. They allow you to buy samples of a fragrance which is absolutely outstanding. A lot of these scents I am grateful I only got a sample of, because I would be very sad to buy a bottle of perfume, only for it to make me go cross-eyed with foul smells. So, here we go, the reviews of my three purchases.

Vanille Bourbon. This is my signature scent. I am quite fond of most vanilla scents anyway, in lotions and candles, but when it comes to something I have to smell constantly all day, I am extremely picky. Most vanilla scents are ultra sweet and smell…well, they smell like they could give you a cavity! This vanilla scent has a base, a sort of foundation that grounds it and makes it a more “grown up” version of a vanilla scent.

Jasmin et Cigarettes. This one is definitely a more niche scent. Like the description says, “this is a glamorous vamp of a perfume.” It is very husky, very much so an after-hours type of perfume. I can only wear it for a date night or happy hour because it is pretty strong. But it is really great. This is a scent where that above quote is extremely important.

Oranges and Lemons, Say the Bells of St. Clement’s. A very traditional perfume. When I saw oranges and lemons in the title, I expected a very citrus-y scent, but it isn’t really. The neroli, vetiver and Earl Grey Tea really tone down all the citrus. It is a lovely scent, but I am still on the hunt for a super citrus scent!

Has anyone else used Lucky Scent, or is on the hunt for their signature scent?

p.s. one of my other favorite scents that I bought to wear myself? Ralph Lauren’s Polo Black.