Fashion Over Forty: New Utility Shorts and my Recent Favorite Finds

Happy Friday! 

Somehow it's already the last day of July! This was a busy month for us....Originally we had planned to visit family overseas, that of course was cancelled early in the year. Then I decided to book a place in Estes Park, Colorado to spend my birthday week (which was a couple of weeks ago) visiting the Rocky Mountains National Park. I made sure to book somewhere offering free cancellations and ultimately I decided the long trip  (14 hours drive) wasn't worth it with all the restrictions in place. (Yes, these decisions are ALWAYS up to me!)

So instead we decided to do some minor home updates and I've been planting several new flowers and shrubs in my backyard (I got another elderberry bush, a Rose of Sharon shrub (think I mentioned this one before), several new hydrangeas, a snowball bush and some smaller perennial flowers. Then this week I found a Chinese Wisteria. I haven't planted it yet as I need to do some research on how to grow/train this flowering vine in a tree form -  it can get quite invasive when grown as a vine. These plants were all found deeply discounted at a local hardware store's garden center. I really have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm having fun planting all these random shrubs and flowers and I've already enjoyed more butterflies than usual. Now if just the hummingbirds would show up!! I've only seen one this year the first day I filled up the hummingbird feeder...



This post includes some affiliate links meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.


I'm sharing a casual shorts outfit today with a new pair of utility shorts. I've had a new pair of olive shorts on my wish list because my old pair needed replaced.

This summer I found the perfect olive utility shorts and when they were marked down I decided to purchase them in both the Olive and Taupe. I was thinking of sending one pair back (depending on what color I thought I preferred) but then decided to keep them both, although this olive pair is my favorite of the the two.

By the way, these shorts (here in Taupe) are still available and 50% off the original price. I recommend sizing down. I followed recommendations from the reviews and purchased them in 00  (instead of 0) and I am glad I sized down.

I'm calling these perfect because they have zippered pockets (so practical!) and are out of a super comfortable material, a blend of cotton, rayon and spandex. I also love the higher rise and the inseam lengths is perfect at 4.5". I've worn them several times already. They wash well and did not shrink. 

The t-shirt I borrowed from my daughter's closet. I'm not sure where it was purchased, maybe Kohl's but it's from last season. Tie Dye started trending last Summer and it's a big trend this year. I don't usually follow trends but really like the combination of the classic utility shorts with the trendy shirt. 

Nordstrom has several tie dye tops available, I like this one but it looks like something I'd probably size up one. I  also found and like this tie dye shirt at Kohl's (look for the color "blue tie dye). 

Tie Dye Shirt Option from Nordstrom // Tie Dye Shirt Option from Kohl's

By the way, if you're looking for a fun summer activity, you can always make your own tie dye shirt using a tie dye kit and a plain white top. We made a couple camisole tops a few years ago. So much fun!

I love nude colored sandals as they make short legs (like mine) appear longer - or at least they don't make them appear shorter :-) I've mentioned these before, this pair was purchased from The Walking Company retail store in Myrtle Beach, but they are also available online with free shipping. I'd say they run true to size or size down if in between sizes. I'm usually in a size 7.5 in sandals and I have these in a size 7. Very comfortable with built in orthotic. Also available in other colors.

This handbag you've seen before as well if you've been following my outfit posts. Another new purchase this summer. I love that it converts from crossbody to shoulder bag to clutch, depending on the occasion. 

Friday Favorite Finds:

Since I always enjoy reading everyone's favorite finds, I decided to include mine on the last Friday of each month (if I have any to share). These are random things I recently purchased online where I've been doing most of my shopping recently. 

A couple of months ago I discovered the Mrs. Meyers line of natural cleaning products. I signed up with Grove Collaborative for auto shipments (I do have control over how often and what they ship). My personal favorite scent is Rosemary but unfortunately it's out of stock. Hoping they restock!! I also tried and like their Grass scent, Lemon Verbena and Basil, but HATE their Honeysuckle scent (even though I loved a Honeysuckle scented hand wash I found at Marshall's from another brand a few  months ago). Lavender is ok, but it doesn't smell like Lavender to me. 

Some of the scents are also available at Walmart and Amazon.

I dropped and broke the corner off our old griddle and after some research decided to get this slimline griddle. At 22 inches it's larger than most which is perfect. This brand is also available on Amazon but I ordered mine from Walmart.

One of our litter boxes needed replaced too, and I found this high sided litter box at Chewy.com. I purchased the gray and we've been happy with it so far. I also ordered Iams Perfect Portions cat food and my cats seem to like it. (In the recent months they've been sort of refusing their usual Friskies wet cat food.)

Of course I had to include the utility shorts (Taupe version) I'm wearing in today's post.  These were my favorite (and only) clothing purchases since my LOFT orders in spring (I think). These are currently marked at 50% off. (I recommend going down one size.)

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to stop by this week!

I'm linking up with these wonderful blogs:
Friday: Fancy Friday hosted by Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style // Lizzie in Lace //  Friday Favorites at Penny's Passion // A Little Bit of Everything // Friday Favorites // A Fireman’s Wife // Shelbee on the Edge //  Fabulous Friday Link Up with Lucy

Saturday: Dare to Share

Sunday: Style Splash linkup

Monday: Away From Blue // The Queen In Between (first Monday) // Claire Justine Creative Mondays // Glass of Glam // Mutton Style // Inspire Me Monday // Ageless Style Linkup (1st Monday) // Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // You're The Star Blog Hop Link Party @Stonecottage Adventures

Tuesday: The Fashion Canvas // Shelbee On the Edge Spread the Kindness // I Do deClaire // Elegantly Dressed and Stylish // Myriad Musings // Jenerally Informed Happy Now Blog Link // Style Splash linkup // Tuesday with a Twist @Stonecottage Adventures

Wednesday: What's Up Wednesday? (last wed. of month) // The Queen in Between Style Six // Straight A Style // Jersey Girl, Texan Heart // Fashion Frenzy at Seeking Sunshine and Rosy Outlook // Is This Mutton? Wow on Wednesday // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday //  Welcome Wednesdays
Thursday: Fashion Files at Doused in Pink and Curly Crafty Mom // Elegance and Mommyhood // High Latitude Style // A Labour of Life // Mummabstylish // Thirty Minus One // Mutton Style // Thursday Favorite Things //  Little Things Thursday

Misfits Market Box No. 9: What I Received and How I Used the Produce

Happy Wednesday! I'm sharing another Misfits Market box today from my latest delivery last Wednesday afternoon.

If you are a papercraft follower, don't worry, I will be back to regular card shares starting this Saturday. I didn't post any last week as we're on a 2 week schedule for a month at Allsorts challenge (usually weekly) and my other regular card posts are monthly shares.

Even though I had to throw some items away last time, I'm still enjoying my weekly delivery of organic produce. 

If you are new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

In case you are wondering, I'm subscribed to the Madness box (the large box for a family of 4-5 people). They also offer the Mischief box (for a family of 2-3).

What I Received:

• 2 Romaine Lettuce Hearts (as you will see in the photo, one arrived spoilt)
• 8 Plums
• 6 Apples
• 2 Escarole Lettuce Heads (I actually ordered Kale but wonder if they substituted this lettuce??)
• 1 Iceberg Lettuce Head
• 9 Pluots
• 2 Mango
• 2 small Red Onions
• 2 Cucumbers
• 6 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Cabbage Head
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1 Bunch of Carrots
• 2 Boxes of Fingerling Potatoes (with a couple of purple potatoes in the mix).

Add On's this week (these are at an extra cost):

Green Grapes

3 Heirloom Tomatoes

How I Used the Produce:

• Most Fruit was eaten fresh as usual.

• All Lettuce Heads (minus the rotten one), some Tomatoes and one Red Onion were used to make Chef Salad as a main meal and Side Salads to some other meals.

• Cucumbers, more Tomatoes and one Red Onion were used to make Cucumber Salad with a simple vinegar dressing seasoned with salt and dill leaves from my garden as a side.

• All Potatoes were boiled in saltwater and served as a side.

• The Cabbage was used to make this Old Fashioned Cabbage & Noodles with Kielbasa and Bacon (this time I left the Kielbasa out because I had none in the house.)

• 1 Heirloom Tomato was eaten with a sandwich.

Still left:

Carrots

Celery Stalk

1 Roma Tomato

2 Apples

1 Mango

I had planned on using the celery and carrots to make Kale soup, but they didn't send any Kale with this order. I did select it again for the new order (which arrives this afternoon and Kale is hopefully included this time). I've not had much luck growing Kale in my garden. Maybe it's the heat we're having here over the summer months.

Disappointments:

As already mentioned above, one of the Romaine lettuce hearts was spoilt 😒

All of the plums were over ripe this time and there were 2 that actually leaked over the package and started to smell bad. I had to throw 3 out.

2 of the Heirloom tomatoes were spoilt and had to be thrown out. They were cracked at the top like it is the case often with organic tomatoes, but they started to be moldy and I wasn't able to use them.

I did take pictures and emailed the company. I received a 20% refund within a couple of days.

I also wish I had received the Kale I picked, but it's ok. I know sometimes with customized orders they won't be able to fulfill and send alternatives, although I have a feeling the packers might have picked the wrong item. (The Escarole lettuce I was sent looks similar and was not labeled.) But the carrots and celery included in this box are still fresh now (a week later) and I will make the Kale soup today (unless I'm not receiving Kale again.) 

If you're interested in my other Misfits Market posts, you can see them all HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //

Misfits Market Box No. 8: What I Picked and How I Used the Produce

I'm sharing my most recent Misfits Market box today. I'm a little late finishing up this post, it's how it goes when my husband is on vacation......We've been putting a new sink in the kitchen, I did some more gardening because I found a great deal on some wonderful hydrangea plants and a Rose of Sharon shrub at Lowes, and we're also building some shelves in the basement (not taking any credit for that work though as my husband and son are doing all the work!) Busy summer for sure! I'd much rather be somewhere on vacation but it's nice to finally get these projects done as we've put them off long enough. I also need to get through some craft totes in the basement. I moved them from my craft room a couple of years ago, but haven't really touched any of it since...But I'm sure I'll have a hard time getting rid of stuff!!

Everything in this week's Misfits Market box was picked by me but I did not select the quantities I received. I love to be able to customize! In case you are wondering, I am subscribed to the "Madness" box, which is their large box. This size is perfect for my family of 4. There is also an option to subscribe to the "Mischief" box which is perfect for a family of 2-3. 

For those of you new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

What I Received:

4 Yellow Zucchini 

8 Limes

2 Cucumbers

2 Green Zucchini

8 Red Plums

6 Nectarines

2 Butter Lettuce Heads

6 Pears

6 Gala Apples

6 Red Potatoes

2 Mangoes

2 large Yellow Onions

2 Romaine Lettuce Heads

1 Green Cabbage

How I used the Produce:

• 2 Yellow Zucchini were used to make Butter Garlic Sauteed Zucchini as a side.

• 2 Yellow Zucchini, 1 Green Zucchini and 1 Onion were used to make Sauteed Zucchini as a side.. (I made it the same way as the above recipe, just added onions along with Zucchini.) 

• 2 Butter Lettuce Heads were  used to make a side salad to homemade pizza.

• 1 Romaine Lettuce was used to make a side salad. 

• All Potatoes (and a few yellow potatoes from the store) and 1 Onion were used to make this Oven Fried Potato dish.

• 1 Cucumber was eaten as a side to a sandwich.

• 7 Limes were used to make half of this Limeade recipe.

• Most of the fruit (minus the limes) was eaten fresh.

Still have left:

1 Lime

3 Apples

1 Mango

1 Cabbage Head

Disappointments:

I was pretty happy with this box when it arrived (although one of the green zucchinis arrived broken), but unfortunately by the time I got to use some of these items, they were spoilt so I actually had to throw a few things away.

What went into the trash:

1 Romaine Lettuce Head

1 green Zucchini 

1 Cucumber

When this box arrived it was during a heat wave and I am sure some of these items were spoilt because of it, even though they do a good job insulating the box and adding enough cold packs. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links. As always, this is at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

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Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //

Flowers Allover for Allsorts Challenge

Hello and thanks so much for visiting! We have a new theme starting today at Allsorts challenge, it's Mervi's turn to host this time and she picked the theme of Flowers Allover. By the way, this  challenge actually runs for two weeks to cover some of the summertime, so there is little extra time for everyone to join in. 

As I was looking through my floral stamps, I decided this one from Just for Fun Rubber Stamps would be the perfect choice for the theme. It's one I've had for several years, received as part of my Design Team package from Just For Fun. (I no longer design for them but still have all of the stamps because I find them quite unique and beautiful. Unfortunately as I tried linking to their store, I'm getting an error message and it looks like their blog hasn't been updated since last year.....

For this card I decided to do the chalkboard technique, meaning I heat embossed the image using versamark ink and white embossing powder on black card stock. Then used my Faber Castell pencils to add some color to the flowers. I ran a white craft ink pad along the edges to make them look chalky. The sentiment is another oldie, from a chalkboard sentiment set by Whimsy Stamps and no longer available. It's all one sentiment but I cut it to use separate on the card. The word birthday has been adhered with foam tape over a strip of silk ribbon. 

 

Today would have also been the day to share a mid-month reminder card for Penny Black and More challenge. But since my husband is home on vacation I didn't make anything. Travel plans were cancelled but we decided to do some minor updates around the house so not a lot of time in the craft room. 

Anyway, there is still plenty of time to join us there for your chance to win one of the prizes. As a reminder the Penny Black and More theme is: In the Garden. 

Thanks again for visiting!!

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the amazon links. Thanks so much for your support! 

Misfits Market Box No. 7: What I Picked/Received and How I Used the Produce

Happy Wednesday! I'm sharing my weekly Misfits Market box contents today.

For those of you new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

This was the first time I was able to customize my order. I was invited to customize a week prior to this order, but by the time I logged into my account that time many of the items I wanted had been sold out, so this time I made sure to log on right at 3pm central time when my customization and add-on window opens. I did enjoy the surprize orders but there are only so many times I am willing to make something out of beets and right now I still have not used the last beets I received...Being able to customize is definitely a plus!

Box No. 7 -What I Received:

2 Bunches of Kale

2 White Onions

8 Red Potatoes

2 Bunches of Radishes

2 Bunches of Collard Greens

1 Cauliflower

8 Nectarines

6 Green Peppers

1 Eggplant

2 Zucchini

7 Plums

7 Mini Cucumbers

1 Celery Heart

While I selected these items, I did not select the quantities. 

Add-on's at an extra cost:

1 Pineapple

1 Bag of Rainier Cherries

How I Used the Produce:

• 1 Onion, 1 Zucchini, Eggplant, 2 Green Peppers were used to make Ratatouille. I serve it with rice on the side.

• 1 Zucchini was used to make Fried Zucchini.

• Potatoes were used to make simple Mashed Potatoes.

• Collard Greens were used to make Pasta with Collard Greens. 

• Kale, Celery and 1 Onion were used to make Kale and White Bean Stew.

• Some Cucumbers and 1/2 Onion were used to make Cucumber Salad (along with some grape tomatoes from the previous week's delivery).

• Some Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Radishes and 1/2 Onion were eaten on Sandwiches.

• Some Radishes were sliced thinly and added to Potato Salad.

• Cauliflower was steamed and eaten as a side to the mashed potatoes and pork.

• All Fruit was eaten fresh.

Still have left:

2 Cucumbers

1 Green Pepper

Disappointments:

None to mention this time. We did  have to wait about 5 days until the pineapple was ripe. But this is nothing out of the ordinary when purchasing fresh pineapples. Most (if not all) pineapples are picked before they are ripe. You can tell if they are ready by noticing the pineapple smell close to the bottom of the pineapple. If it doesn't distinctively smell then it's best to wait, but they usually ripen pretty quickly if kept at room temperature in the kitchen. 

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to visit! If you'd like to see what I received in my previous orders from Misfits Market, you can find those posts HERE.

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the amazon links. Thanks so much for your support! 

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Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //

Something Beginning with "B"

It's Saturday and that means it's the start of a new theme at Allsorts challenge. Brenda is hosting this week and picked the theme of "I Spy Something Beginning with B".  I always enjoy this theme, it's fun to see what everyone is coming up with and I love searching through my stamps to see what I can find!

Please note, this post does include some affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the links, as always this is at no cost to you. Thanks so much for supporting this blog.

Can you spy all the B's on my card?

There is the obvious bicycle, but then I noticed the black berrets and the basket on the bike, then used a brick stamp and some blossoms, and even inked the edges with blue ink 😎. 

All stamps are by Penny Black, the girl on bike is called Fluffy Passenger. Stamped on Xpress It Blending card (I purchased mine from Amazon, but can't seem to find a link to it now) with Memento Tuxedo ink and colored with Copic markers. The flowers on two of the corners are Penny Black's stamp At Grace, inked with distress markers and stamped with the help of my stamp platform (options). 

I wanted to add the impression of a brick wall so I used Penny Black's brick wall stamp on the background. Finally stencilled a design to mimic a road using Penny Black's Oscillations stencil. The sentiment is also by Penny Black from the set Happy Wishes. And I finished off by adding a sticky sentiment to the top left from Tim Holtz's Quotations Metallic Sticker Sheet

All stamps by Penny Black:

Fluffy Passenger // At Grace // Happy Wishes // Brick Wall

Inks:

Memento Tuxedo // Black Soot Distress Ink (stecilling) // Antique Linen Distress Ink (Brick Wall) // Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink (inked edges) // Worn Lipstick Distress Marker // Tumbled Glass Distress Marker // Crushed Olive Distress Marker // Several Copic Markers

Tools and Extras: 

Stamp Platform (mine is no longer available - alternative options HERE) // Penny Black Oscillations Stencil // Tim Holtz Quotations Metallic Sticker Sheet // Ink Blending Tool

Thanks so much for visiting!!

Linking up here:
Penny Black Saturday Challenge - PB stamps 

Misfits Market Box No. 6 - Contents and How I Used the Produce

Hello and welcome! I'm sharing my Misfits Market Box no. 6 contents today, what I received and how I used the produce. 

Also, In case you read about the stray pregnant kitty (I mentioned in a previous post) that came to us, I wanted to update. We first had kept her in the garage and thought she could have her kittens there, but we were hit with a heat wave and flies kept swarming around the garage the minute we put cat food in there, so we allowed her inside in the daytime, even playing with the thought of helping her find a place inside the house where she would have her kittens, then take the kittens to the shelter (when they are old enough and keeping the stray cat). Our female cat felt so threatened by her and would not come out of hiding. After talking to our vet and a second vet, a privately owned animal shelter was suggested to us that would not abort the unborn kitties. So we decided to drop her off there and we know they will find good homes for her and the kittens once they are ready to be adopted. 

On this evening when we took the stray cat to the shelter, our female cat, Fussy did not come home and remained missing for a few nights. I was worried sick as it was the Indepence Day weekend which was much louder this year due to all the privately done (illegal) fireworks all around us (due to the cancelled traditional fireworks show), which seemed to last throughout the night. At the same time a heat wave had arrived with temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're a pet owner then I'm sure you can imagine my sleepless nights and worries. But I am sooooo happy to say that she return happy and healthy after 3 nights of being gone!! During my worries I did read that bringing a new animal into a house might cause a cat to run away. I felt like the worst "cat parent". Thomas, my orange tabby seemed to tolerate the stray cat and probably would have gotten along well with her. But I think we did learn our lesson! 

 

But now onto the reason of my post - my Misfits Market box no 6. For those of you new to my blog or if you're not familiar with Misfits Market, I am sharing this from their site as they explain it best:

"It's a subscription box of sometimes funny-looking, always delicious produce, designed to break the cycle of food waste. Think of us like an online grocery store, except one that specializes in rescuing food that is unnecessarily thrown away. We source high-quality organic produce that has a few quirks—onions that are too small, potatoes that are shaped like your favorite celebrity, and carrots that fell in love and got twisted together. It may sound like a joke, but billions of pounds of this fresh and delicious food is tossed each year because grocery stores only want "perfect" foods on their shelves. We step in and buy this food from hundreds of farms across the country and bring them to your doorstep, saving you money and helping you save the world." 

Misfits Market does give every subscriber a discount code to share with their friends for 25% off their first box. If you would like to try this service, you can use this code: COOKWME-TT0TPG.

While this post is in no way sponsored by Misfits Market, I too would receive a 25% discount off of a future box when someone is taking advantage of this code.

Just a note, they do not yet deliver to all States, you can take a look here to see if your state is one of them.

Box No. 5 -What I Received:

2 Cucumbers

7 Limes

4 Mangoes (2 large, 2 regular)

4 Red Beets

1 Jicama

6 Apples

8 Plums

9 Roma Tomatoes

5 Purple Potatoes

13 Fingerling Potatoes

2 Boxes of Grape Tomatoes

1 Butternut Squash

1 Celery Stalk

How we used the produce:

Most of the Fruit was eaten fresh (Minus the Limes) 

3 Limes were sliced and added to carbonated water made with my sodastream.

All Potatoes were boiled and used as a side to meatloaf.

1 1/2 Cucumber, 2 Roma Tomatoes and 1/2 Onion were used to make Cucumber Tomato Salad. I use only simple vinegar, salt and fresh dill leaves from my garden as a dressing.

Some of the Tomatoes and the rest of the Onion were used sliced as topping for grilled burgers.

More Tomatoes and 1/2 Cucumber were used to make chef salad with lettuce from my garden. 

The Celery Stalk was eaten fresh as a snack. 

1/2 Box of Grape Tomatoes was used in a side salad, again with lettuce from my garden. 

Still left:

1 Squash (and 1 from a previous delivery...I really need to roast these, they are so good roasted but somehow I never seem to get it done!)

4 Limes (I will continue adding them to my carbonated water made with the sodastream as it's so refreshing with a touch of lime).

1 1/2 Box of Grape Tomatoes (My daughter and I will probably snack on these and will make another side salad with lettuce from my garden.)

1 Large Mango (this will most likely be eaten this afternoon before my new box arrives.)

4 Beets (Ok, I'm not a huge fan of beets and could have done without these, although the red velvet cupcakes I made last time were pretty good. But I might figure out how to make pickled beets...) 

1 Jicama (Not sure how I will use this yet. Maybe I'll roast it again with a squash.) 

Disappointments and Thoughts

For this order I added on Red Grapes, but they were not included. I think they may have instead sent grape tomatoes but maybe they were just part of my regular misfits market box. I did email them and they refunded the money for the grapes. 

I also didn't really need or want any more beets!! In fact 2 of the yellow beets from my previous week ended up in the trash because I didn't store them right and they got moldy!!

The good news is, Misfits Market is now offering customization, so I can pick what I want. I could have had that option with this box, but was too late to make picks and most of what I would have wanted had been sold out. But last Thursday when my "customization and add-on  window" opened, I made sure to log in right away to make my picks, even though I was sitting at the dentist's office waiting room :-)

Amazon affiliate links are included in this post, meaning I may earn a small commission if you purchase something through the amazon links. Thanks so much for your support! 

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Linking up with these wonderful blogs.

Hello Monday // Random-osity Good, Random, Fun // Little Cottage Linkup // Anything Goes with your Hosts (Mondays) // You're the Star Blog Hop Link Up @ Stonecottage Adventures // Love your Creativity Link Party // Hearth and Soul (starts Monday night) // The Happy Now // Tuesdays With a Twist // Myriad Musings // Tuesday Turn About  // Effortlessly Sophisticated // Wonderful Wednesday // Classy Flamingos // Welcome Wednesdays // What's Up Wednesday? // Little Things Thursday // Thursday Favorite Things // Slices of Life (Encouraging Hearts and Home) // A Morning Cup of Joe // Fridays at the Fire Station // Shelbee on the Edge // A Little Bit of Everything // Dare to Share //