May Haul + Cooking Tips

I thought I slowed down a lot in shopping lately as this month has just been a continuation of sandal shopping from last month and summer dress shopping from Amazon, Old Navy, and Target BUT my favorite cousin went to Paris and offered me the chance to buy a bag and I couldn't resist since the dollar is so strong now. 

Top: Shein Solid Asymmetrical Top. Shorts: Target Girls' Vintage Mid-Rise Cut Off Jean Shorts. Sandals: Old Navy Double Strap Slide Sandals in Taupe and Black.

While exchanging the smiley pool sandals as mentioned here for a smaller size in store, I spotted these cute sandals and picked them up too and love how lightweight and perfect for the pool they are. I also ordered a bunch more dresses from Old Navy, which are so cute but the only style I kept was the smocked one:

Left to right: Cotton-Poplin Cami Maxi Swing Dress in Black & White, Fit & Flare Sleeveless Cotton-Poplin Smocked-Bodice Midi Dress in White, Wrapping Paper & Black, Tiered Slub-Knit Midi Cami Swing Dress, Fit & Flare Soft Jersey-Knit Midi Sundress

This Gap dress was cute too with rainbow stripes:

Crinkle Gauze Tie-Shoulder Tiered Midi Dress

And then Target had a summer dress sale so got a bunch from there too...

Left to right: Easy Linen Tank Dress, Sleeveless Knit Ballet Dress in Black & White, Sleeveless Tie-Back A-Line Dress, Spaghetti Strap Smocked Dress, Sleeveless Tiered Gauze Dress

Left to right: Seamless Crop Top & High-Rise Woven Shorts, Short Sleeve Satin Button-Down Shirt, Ruffle Top

While browsing Target during their 20% off shoe sale, I found these cute rain booties and loved them. I liked the sandals but they weren't comfortable.

Top: Shein Solid Asymmetrical Top. Shorts: Target Girls' Vintage Mid-Rise Cut Off Jean Shorts. Sandals: Target Melrose Lace-up Sandals. Rain Boots: Target Kaden Rubber Double Gore Rain Boots. 

I saw an influencer on Instagram rave about how comfortable the Quincy Open Edit sandals were so I couldn't resist trying them and I was so impressed, I ended up ordering a whole bunch of other Open Edit styles to compare. Though they were comfy at first, they ended up not being great after prolonged wear.

Left to right: Open Edit Sheena Sandal, Quincy Sandal, Remmy Sandal, Ronnie Slingback Sandal, Leona Sandal

Left to right: Open Edit Quincy Sandal, Sheena Sandal, Remmy Sandal, Lucca Slide Sandal, Ophelia Flat Sandal

I've also been looking for a great jumper to wear on the plane for our summer trip and loveee this one from Amazon so I picked it up in other colors to try:

Left to right: Dokotoo Loose Jumpsuit, Loving People Loose Fit Jumpsuit, Didk V-Neck Spaghetti Strap Harem Leg Cami Jumpsuit in Black, Dark Grey & Coffee. 

Small Gym Bag

I bought this duffel bag for my niece for her birthday as a new carry-on bag and liked it so much that I got one for myself since it is so lightweight and has a handy luggage sleeve too, which I really like.

Still on the search for a windbreaker for mom, here is a jacket I ordered to get free shipping from Kohl's that I ended up keeping:

Juniors' SO Utility Windbreaker

I've actually been eyeing the Balenciaga hourglass bag for a while now but had dismissed it because it's so expensive but when the chance to get it for much less came along from my dear cousin who went to Paris... I had to do it. :)

Balenciaga Hourglass XS Handbag in Black Calfskin

Left: Nylon Zip Crossbody Bag $6. Right: Nylon Zip Crossbody Bag $12.

And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we stopped by Primark Memorial Day Weekend and picked up these two little bags that I love.

Here are some handy cooking tips:

1. Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes, which will double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount, and you also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

2. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

3. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

4. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leaving you with the quote of the day, "The big secret in life is that there is no secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there is you're willing to work." -Oprah Winfrey