Spring Archives - 2 Cats and Chloe

Such a crazy weekend + essentials!

May 18, 2015 by Susan 8 Comments

{This post is sponsored by U by Kotex.} What a weekend. Seriously, it was one of the best weekend’s I have had in a very long, long time. We may only be in early spring, but I’m hoping it was a preview of the awesome summer to come! In the last 72 hours my hubby and I officially sold our house, packed up a few more boxes, I hit the road with my mom and auntie from Switzerland, we set up and broke down Camp Jellybean and cooked multiple meals over a fire. I went to my first music festival and saw one of my favorite bands, Carbon Leaf, perform three times! We took a break from the Ragtime Carnival to attended the RVA Homearama. We did a little shopping at the Williamsburg outlets. Hello Kate Spade. We spoiled ourselves and enjoyed some Rita’s Italian Ice, and then had a sushi date with my husband before attending the grand opening sales event at the new Kroger.

How in the world is such an awesome Spring weekend even possible? All thanks to a few little things…

Comfy, yet stylish clothes. Plus a ball cap and/or a wide brimmed hat. I can’t go anywhere without my hat, sunnies, and sandals. My mom and Auntie decided that the hat I wore all weekend (above) was very appropriate for camping… as it’s basically the same hat that Smokey the Bear wears! HA! A spill proof travel mug. If you haven’t experienced the amazingness of Contigo Mugs yet… you need to get on that. They won’t spill. Even if they are upside down in your bag. Perfect for travel, shows, camping and a crazy busy Spring weekends!

Toiletries. You know you need the essentials like hair products, makeup and a toothbrush. But let’s not forget about the unmentionables that need to be mentioned. U by Kotex® offers a full line of feminine care products for periods including pads, liners and tampons. Outstanding protection that keeps you one step ahead. U by Kotex® has a bunch of new products that not only take care of the job, but they have brilliant and colorful packaging that you will love! Try the U by Ultra Kotex® Thin Pads with 3D Capture Core, a one-of-a-kind center that locks away wetness to help stop leaks. U by Kotex is also giving away FREE SAMPLES so you are ready for your crazy weekends and will #SaveTheUndies! Try them out for yourself by clicking here! Food + Beverage. We got to the campsite and realized that we forgot our food for the weekend. Seriously, who does that?! Apparently we do! We munched on festival food and then ended up making a run to the nearest grocery store so that we could cook a few bites over the fire. (More on this tomorrow!) We didn’t, however, forget the wine or the rum. #Wehadourpriorities.

Homebase. With a weekend as crazy as ours, it was so nice to have a homebase. Somewhere to go back to. Somewhere that was cute, comfy and felt like our home away from home. This weekend, our home away from home was my favorite… Jellybean.

So what do you think? What else is crucial for your crazy weekends? What did you do this past weekend?

Many thanks to U by Kotex for sponsoring this post! Now clear your schedule and pack your bags! Let’s do this weekend all over again together next week!

SWS - What is your go-to Spring Nail Polish?

April 11, 2015 by Susan Leave a Comment

I love love love all of the colors that come when the seasons transition from winter to spring. The fun pastels and then the bright pops of color that lead us into the summer… As I type this I am sitting in the passenger seat of my mom’s SUV, driving west through Virginia. I know I am a bit biased but I really do live in one of the prettiest states! Everything blooming and the grass is all green again! Helloooo spring in Virginia!

Anyway - back to the point! Today is Say What Saturday! It is the one day out of the week when I ask the 2 cats sponsors a fun, simple question. (IMO, it’s a great sponsor perk and creative way to let my readers get to know you and your blog a bit more!) Since spring is all around us, today I asked my sponsors about their favorite spring nail color. Because let’s be real… life is always a little more fun when you have colorful finger nails!

Meet My Sponsors: Dagmara from Glamista Home, Jenn from What You Make It, J from A Hot Southern Mess.

Now I’m not sure about the other’s but I know J is spot on with this nail kit. I have one as well and while it may take a couple minutes longer to do the gel nails, I love that they are a bit more durable. Then again, I still appreciate and love a quick coat this mint polish when I’m sitting at my desk on a conference call. Shhh don’t tell my clients how I multi-task! #winkface

It is your turn now! What is your go-to spring nail polish? Do you have a particular brand you love? I am always looking for recommendations when it comes to beauty products!

Y’all have a happy weekend! Like I said, I’m adventuring across the state on a mini vacation with my mom! I’m so excited about the purpose of this trip (which will stay hush hush until next week…) but it involves me fulfilling one of my life long dreams. Am I vague-blogging enough for you yet?

If you want to be part of the 2 cats & chloe Say What Saturday Series – it’s easy! This is just one of the many perks as a sponsor of this blog. All the money the comes from your sponsorships goes right out to sponsor bigger blogs, bringing more people back here to see you, your ad, your blog post (if it comes with your sponsorship) and your personality on Saturdays! So you see, it’s a win-win for all of us!

Easter was Golden!

April 7, 2015 by Susan 26 Comments

Ah, what an incredibly fun Easter Sunday. While I do regret that we did not get to church this past Sunday, overall, it was a beautiful, sunny, family-filled day.

My husband and I headed across the bridge first thing in the morning to help my folks get their house ready. When we arrived we realized that my mom had already been at her Easter Bunny Duties! (If you missed this past Say What Saturday, you should go back and read it so that you can fully grasp how cut-throat our family egg hunt really is…) Once the house was prepped and the table was set, I decided to die some eggs while we waited for everyone to arrive. I mean, when in Rome right?

This year I used the Paas tie-dye kit. It was really quite cool, except I would recommend to Paas that next year, you put more than two pieces of the white, tie-dying material in the box. My paper towels didn’t work quite as well - but really did leave a cool effect!

Beautiful right? 😉

Next on our Easter agenda was lunch. I’ve mentioned to y’all a few times that between my food allergies, my sister going veg, my dad not eating red meat… our family functions can be quite interesting. I always giggle at this card my mom has framed that sits on the table:

Since there were so many family and close friends over, we had to divide and conquer. Here is most of us (except you cannot see my god-mother and my husband. Apparently no one taught them the “if you can’t see me, I can’t see you” rule…)

And then my sister and her boyfriend volunteered to sit at the bar… I’m pretty positive they volunteered so that Leslie could stare out the window, planning and hunting for Easter Eggs while we all chowed down… Aren’t thye cute?

After lunch - things got real. My mom handed out the bags and counted us down. Nine adults sprinted off the deck, swiftly through the 3 acre yard in search of 98 Easter Eggs, including 2 Golden Eggs. The Goldens are the ones with the big money. Apparently even the Easter Bunny was hit with the recession - they each only had $5 this year. ($10s and $20s in the past.) But quite frankly, it’s really about the beautiful shiny egg and the title… not the money.

Y’all - you would’ve thought that this was the end of the world and these were the last coins we would ever see again. While there was no pushing and shoving this year… things got pretty heated at the end when my sister and I were tied for first place with the same number of eggs, and 97 eggs were found.

It was like some lame sitcom. I kid you not… the 98th egg that was missing was one of the Golden Eggs. So the search continued for another 30 minutes or so. We gave my mom such a hard time because she did the hiding and could not remember where in the world that last egg was. Now, I wouldn’t have expected her to remember every random pink, yellow or green egg… but the Golden Eggs?! She should’ve known exactly where they were!

Eventually we all gave up, clouded with defeat and haunted by the mental image of my dad chopping the Golden Egg up with the lawn mower, then shooting it across the yard. And then off went my mom. In hopes of not losing this family egg, or her mind. (Are there any Gilmore Girl fans out there who remember the episode where they used real eggs one Easter, then the whole town started to stink?) Since my mom worked as the Easter Bunny and did all the initial hiding of the eggs, we told her she couldn’t participate. Until the Golden Egg Debacle. At which point - she hunted for another 15 minutes and eventually came back with the 98th (MIA Golden) egg. She got to keep the $5. We are all still wondering if it was in her pocket the whole time…

So who won the infamous Benjaminson Family Easter Egg Hunt of 2015? Well… in the end my sister pulled ahead with one more egg than me. HOWEVER! I did find the first Golden Egg, which put me over the edge in terms of money. While everyone else found mostly eggs filled with coins - I ended up with 23 eggs, equaling a whopping $12.13! #WinnerWinnerEasterDinner! Then my husband and I proceeded to take selfies with the Golden Egg.

All in all, it was a really great, stress-free, sunny, golden day! I wish every Sunday was full of that much love and competitiveness!

How was your Easter? Does your family have an Easter Egg Hunt? Do the adults partake?

He is Risen!

April 5, 2015 by Susan 2 Comments

Happy Easter friends! From the absolute bottom of my heart… He is Risen! We are so blessed! Jesus died for our sins and rose from his grave three days later. He is risen, just as he said!

2 cats & chloe: Sunday Morning Scripture Logo

While I’m a sucker for Christmas, I really love the meaning and joy of Easter.

Have the best Easter you can possibly imagine! Spend some time with your family and loved ones! Be thankful and rejoice!

SWS: Will you be doing an easter egg hunt?

April 4, 2015 by Susan Leave a Comment

So let me preface this Say What Saturday by telling you that my family is cut-throat when it comes to easter egg hunts. There is pushing. There is shoving. There is name calling. But it’s all in the good spirit of Easter and finding that one “Golden Egg.”

You see, my mom is an absolute Rockstar every day of the year, but especially on Easter Day. Not only does she spend the day making a delicious meal that works with all of our eating issues (I’m paleo, gluten-free, sugar-free and mostly dairy-free. My dad doesn’t eat red meat. My sister is a vegetarian… You get the picture right? Holiday meals are a smorgasbord in our home!) So she does all the meal prep, and then my mom spends at least an hour wandering around the yard before we all arrive hiding plastic eggs. 90% of them are either filled with spare coins or (melted, depending on the weather) m&ms. The remaining 10% have cash-money in them. Most of the eggs-with-bills only have a dollar or so in them. BUT there is always one with a $10 bill and one with a $20 bill. You better believe it is hard to find the Golden Egg with the $20. A few years ago my roommate and I spotted it at the same exact time… There was pushing and possibly a skinned knee over it.

So today, I wanted to know what everyone else does when it comes to Easter Egg Hunts, so I asked my sponsors. Does your family do them? Is it just for kids? Is there name calling involved?

Meet My Sponsors: Dagmara from Glamista Home, Jenn from What You Make It, J from A Hot Southern Mess.

Now y’all, I need to go run some laps, practice my tactical moves and read through a few “Where’s Waldo” books to prepare for tomorrow… Mama’s gotta find that Golden Egg to support the blog!

Jokes aside, remember the reason for this holiday. He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Have a blessed Easter!