5 Things: Bling Edition

Some weeks I am just relieved it\’s Friday and this is one of them. It was sort of an odd week where I completely forgot about a meet-up and thought Wednesday was Tuesday. I\’m blaming it on the allergy meds and hope your week was much better! Check out five more fun things from my \”travels\” this week:

1) Ali\’s Bling Box – I\’m sure you\’ve seen the many, many monthly subscriptions for various beauty products and samples of the month but Ali\’s Bling Box takes it to a whole new level. For $30 a month (includes shipping) you get $100 worth of some really good quality beauty products, clothes or accessories. Skincare, scarves, nail polish, handbags and cute tops are just a sampling of the fun things you can receive or send to a special gal in your life. October\’s cool items are in the picture above and I can assure you they are all (including the headband and tweezers) are fab! The fun part is that you don\’t know exactly what you will get but you know it will be good. Christmas every month… I like it!
Aside note: This is an unsolicited review. I purchased this product (and thoroughly enjoyed it) on my own.

2) Gospel for Asia Christmas Catalog – Even better than the infamous Toys R Us Christmas catalog is the annual version from Gospel for Asia. Instead of just sending money to this excellent charity, you and your family can choose where you make a difference. Blankets, bicycles and bunnies are just a sampling of the items you can send to a family in need. Talk about meaningful giving!

3) Librivox – This website is for fellow bookworms who love classics. All the books are older and therefore in the public domain. Best of all they are free to download so you can listen to your favorite novels, poetry and more which are read by volunteers. The Jane Austen collection has been the soundtrack of my week and I\’m looking forward to hearing George MacDonald\’s The Princess and the Goblin next.
If you have a great reading voice, also consider volunteering and sharing your love of the written word!

4) Italian Polenta Casserole – Neither my parents nor my grandparents ate polenta growing up (we are pasta and risotto people) but we were game to try a new recipe from Good Housekeeping. It was a safe bet and it paid off. The polenta casserole is a cold evening comfort food with plenty of creamy polenta and real Italian sausage. The best part? It is also really easy to make Vegetarian (veggie sausage crumbles in lieu of meat sausage) or even Vegan (Vegan Parmesan cheese) without losing the rich flavor.Buon appetito!

5) Brookside Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds – These were a gift from Mum who knows I like to keep a stash of dark chocolate in my desk drawer for emergencies (which, seem to happen just about everyday). A handful is usually enough to curb the inevitable chocolate craving although they are so delicious that splitting the pieces into individual serving sandwich bags might be necessary.

Have a great weekend! Let me know what you found interesting this week.