Pocketful of Joules

I’ve mentioned before, this is the year of weddings for my family. First, my brother got married in September, my sister will be getting married in December, and then my other sister will be getting married in May.

So yeah, that’s a lot of wedding cake!

Also, I get to be in all the weddings — I was a bridesmaid for Jason, and will be a matron of honor for Katie and a bridesmaid for Kelsey! Here is the whole crew, complete with mom and dad and all the significant others:

Photo Credit: 1001 Angles Photography

Last spring in the midst of having the flu, I randomly got it in my mind that I really wanted to give a speech for Jason’s wedding. Like, I totally thought that it was the best idea ever. In my flu haze, I texted him and he agreed to let me have at it. I’m still not sure if he told Jaclyn…

Anyways, a couple weeks before the wedding I wrote something up and then at the rehearsal dinner I jumped up and read it. My sister suggested I put it on the blog for prosperity sake (or so she could read it again, one or the other), so here it is:

I was 12 years old when Jason was born, so even though he looks like a grown man to you all… to me I can still see the baby who’s diapers I changed. I still see him as a toddler, trying to shake his hips to Achy Breaky Heart and I can hear the crunch of his little plastic diaper as he showed off his smooth dance moves.

Less than 2 years after Jason was born, he was joined by the twins, Katie and Kelsey. To be a young teenager with three toddlers in the house is quite a thing. But I love my siblings fiercely. In fact, I used to call them my kid-lings rather than my siblings because I considered myself a weird version of a second mom.

Almost exactly 10 years ago, Jason was a groomsman at my wedding. At the ceremony the pastor said something that really stuck with me, so I want to share it with Jason and Jaclyn today:

The success of a marriage isn’t just up to the husband and wife. It is also up to everyone who loves you to support you in your marriage. When times are great, we will celebrate with you. When times are difficult, we will be there for you however you need us.

I am so thrilled and honored to be a bridesmaid at Jason and Jaclyn’s wedding. As a grumpy, purple-haired teenager, I knew that family was important but it wasn’t until I (mostly) grew up and had a husband and son of my own that I realized just HOW important it is to have a strong family relationship.

I love Jason, Katie and Kelsey so much and now the Jason has brought Jaclyn into our family, I have another sister to love. Mom and Dad have another daughter and my son Jack has a new Aunt.

So Jaclyn, I would like to formally welcome you to Team Harman.

I wanted to do something special for Jason and Jaclyn’s wedding gift and after much thought I decided to create little cross-stitched wedding portraits for each of my siblings (spoiler alert, Kate and Kelsey will be getting them for their weddings too). I had done my own family portrait last spring (you can see it here) and loved how I could personalize the style of each person.

Here is a photo from their wedding day. I picked one with Jack in it… because he’s pretty adorable. Also, I bribed him with a Lego set for that smile. So I might as well get my money’s worth…

Photo Credit: 1001 Angles Photography

I started by creating the pattern and trying to make it mirror their wedding day look. For Jaclyn, I included the necklace she wore, the neckline of her dress, the sparkles of the bodice and her hazel eyes. For Jason, I kept with the specific coloring of his wedding suit/tie/shoes and his hair and beard shapes. I even included his boutonniere (but decided not to attempt adding Jaclyn’s bouquet).

After hours of planning and stitching, I was so happy with the finished product:

And here it is all framed:

The wedding was super fun and Jack even busted out some truly impressive dance moves. My little baby brother is all grown up and married, and I have a third sister to add to the mix. All in all, it was a pretty fantastic event!

I finally received my fall CAUSEBOX! I saw the spoilers back in August and have been waiting… and waiting… and waiting for this box to ship. They had an issue with one of the items in the box getting ruined, so the box went out much later than it usually would. It’s finally here though, so let’s take a look!

About CAUSEBOX:
Every season, members receive a limited edition curation of products from the leading socially conscious brands. Some of them are designed exclusively for CAUSEBOX. Each box is designed and filled with love. From the original artwork on the outside of the box, to the lovingly handmade products that fill it up, there is love in every detail. The cost is $49.95 per quarter if you subscribe annually, or $54.95 per quarter if you subscribe by the quarter. I don’t have a referral code to give you, but if you click on their website you might see a pop-up with a promo code on it: www.causebox.com

October Jaipur tote, $80 retail value

The Everyday Tote from October Jaipur is completely handmade by artisans in Jaipur, India using thick canvas and vegan leather. Annual subscribers were able to choose from three colorways, and I went with the dotted version. I think this tote is really pretty, but the coloring makes it seem more spring and summer, rather than fall. Also, I’m kind of moving away from the big purses, so this would be more of a travel bag for me. It is nice though, I’m just not totally blown away about it. I actually listed this in my Poshmark closet to see if there is any interest in it, since it’s not love for me.

Bloom & Give Scarf, $60 retail value

Annual members were able to select one of two beautiful, artisan-loomed scarves for Fall. Proceeds from the CAUSEBOX partnership funded a project for the education and empowerment of 50 girls in rural India. I went with the Malbar version, which has stripes of gray. I LOVE the size and feel of this scarf and the gray stripes are so pretty. I took this with me on my trip last week and it was perfect for keeping me warm on the drafty plane. I will get lots of use out of this scarf in the coming months!

Kalos pH Balancing & Brightening Moisturizer, $28 retail value

The pH Balancing and Brightening moisturizer promotes elasticity for softened skin and contains Vitamin A and sweet orange to brighten. Kalos donates 5% of sales to support girl’s education. The moisturizer is quite light and has a nice vaguely orange scent to it. This will certainly get some use once I run out my current moisturizer.

RealHer Eyeshadow Palette and Cream Brush, $38 retail value

This 9 Shade eyeshadow palette from the cruelty-free cosmetics brand that empowers women and donates 20% of proceeds to causes that their employees select. These shades are in my wheelhouse of browns, so once my current palette is used up, this one will come in handy.

Paper Source Handmade Paper Stationary Set, $12 retail value

This set of six tree-free cards is part of Paper Source’s Premium Paper collection. They are handmade and printed by artisans India on paper that is made of recycled cotton scraps. I like the colors of this stationary set a lot. When I sell items on Poshmark, I always include a ‘thank you’ note, so these will certainly be used up!

S’well Bottle, $45 retail value

Originally this box was supposed to include a wooden cheeseboard and knife, but they realized that they had water damage when they were packing up the boxes. CAUSEBOX was able to replace the cheeseboard with these fantastic S’well Wood Collection bottles in the deluxe 25 oz size. S’well bottles keep beverages cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12 hours. I’m super happy with this bottle and it will get a ton of use in our house – probably more than the cheeseboard would have.

Overall Thoughts
I’m very happy with the Fall box and it was certainly worth the wait. I really enjoy almost every item, especially the scarf and S’well bottle. I like the spotted bag, but it isn’t love… maybe it just has to grow on me? I added up the retail values of everything in my box and it came to $263, which is less than the total retail value of the Summer box ($328). However, I feel like I will be able to use the majority of the items and perhaps gift what I don’t love!

What is your favorite item from the Fall CAUSEBOX?

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post.

You guys, I AM SO EXCITED! Right now as you are reading this, I am on a plane flying to California.

I recently mentioned that I’ve been working with Netflix DVD for the past couple years. I love working with them and they always make me feel so valued and appreciated. Well, now I’m feeling like QUITE the diva… because they are flying me out to California for a fun-filled trip.

When I get to California this afternoon, I’ll be checking into my fabulous hotel room and then going to Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland! DISNEYLAND!

I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!

I’ve never been to Disneyland (just Disney World) and I’ve basically been randomly bursting out into jazz hands ever since I found out about the trip.

I even did some outfit planning:

 

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Arrrgggg! I am SO EXCITED but don’t feel like I can talk about it yet because I don’t have the final agenda… but a company I LOVE to work with will be flying me out to California in a couple weeks and I’m outfit planning for an implied trip to Disneyland’s Halloween Party. And I’M SO EXCITED. And do you like this Minnie Mouse inspired outfit?

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Sep 27, 2018 at 10:10am PDT

Because, of course I did.

Anyways, if you have any Disneyland tips or Mickey’s Halloween Party tips, please leave me a comment on this post!

In addition to visiting Disneyland, I will also have the opportunity to tour a Netflix DVD Hub and check out the WB Classics Studio Tour. I’ll be posting all of my adventures on my Instagram account (Pocketful of Joules on Instagram), so feel free to follow along!

{This is not a sponsored post, I just really love TJMaxx and Marshalls!}

Yeah, I basically said it all in the title of this post. But I really think that most people don’t realize how great the exercise clothing sections are at TJMaxx and Marshalls!

I’m coming up on 3 months of going to the gym and with my new habit I’ve been whittling down my activewear drawer. I can’t stand uncomfortable workout clothes, so if I wear an item that drives me nuts, I launder it and stick it straight in the ‘donate or sell’ pile.

I’ve noticed with going to the gym, I have different needs when it comes to my leggings.

When I run outside, I usually wear a fanny pack around my waist to hold my license, keys, phone, etc. So, it’s okay that my leggings don’t have pockets. Actually, they do have that one little credit card sized pocket in the waistband, but it’s pretty much useless.

When I go to the gym, I really need an accessible pocket in my leggings.

I like to have my phone with me for music, or texting, or making a quick note when I think of something important. If I’m on the elliptical machine, it’s fine because they usually have a cup holder I can use for my iPhone.

The problem comes when I want to jump off the elliptical and use the machines and/or free weights. I have to sit my phone down, move it to the next place, move it again… it’s an annoying juggle.

I mean, it’s not QUITE as bad as those infomercials where people can’t do normal stuff without falling over, but it’s annoying.

So, I went to TJMaxx with some very specific leggings criteria: they had to be high-waisted, capri length, and they absolutely MUST have an easy-access pocket that would fit my phone. Bonus points if they were solid black or a dark color.

I checked every single pair in my size and came across three options. They were each right around $16, so I bought all three of them and I’ve been wearing them for the past few weeks. WHAT. A. CHANGE.

 

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I basically only came to the gym today so I could wear my new leggings (TJMaxx for the win!). And the whole time I did my cardio I thought about food. Whatever. It counts! #fitmom #joulesgetsfit

A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Sep 14, 2018 at 3:45pm PDT

Oh my gosh, just having leggings with pockets has made my life so much easier! They’re also pretty darn cute, so I don’t mind running errands on my way to or from the gym.

Anyways, I couldn’t find my exact pair on the TJMaxx website, but if you are in the market for some fitness clothing I highly recommend you check them out. I’ve been telling all my friends in person, so I figured I’d tell my online friends too!