I got knocked on my feet by the stomach bug on Sunday night. As I watched the Seahawks kick tail to make it to their second Super Bowl ever in franchise history! my stomach rumbled like a freight train, and about 20 minutes afterwards, I lost it. Quite literally.

After spending all Sunday night in full-on sickness (so bad I even fell off the bed and knocked over a lamp and got a huge bruise), I did absolutely nothing yesterday but lay in bed and sleep. (And watch Property Brothers and Love It or List It.) And as I drifted in and out of consciousness, my amazing husband (who had the stomach thing just the night before me), took care of every single little thing, including laundry. He’s pretty incredible.

Now that I’m fully rested and able to eat something more than Saltines, I feel like throwing caution to the wind today and sharing a few of my favorite things right now! I’m just so happy I’m not sick anymore, I had to share the joy with the world.

1 – BIRCHBOX

I have seen other bloggers write about their Birchbox subscriptions and been intrigued, but never was ready to pull the trigger until now. And so far, I’m a fan.

What it is. Birchbox is a monthly subscription to a selection of beauty/grooming/skin care/etc samples. For just $10 a month, you get four to five samples of products that are either well-known brands or emerging ones. They are sample sizes of each product, so you can try out a ton of new products without committing to a full-size product and realizing after two tries your skin or hair hates it, or it just doesn’t work for you. There are boxes for women and men (men’s are $20; would make a great gift!) and include everything from skin care to makeup, and sometimes non-beauty extras.

The Shop. If you decide you love any of the products and want a full size of it, you can shop online and receive points for every purchase. You also get points for referring friends to Birchbox. Collect enough points and redeem them for any purchase.

What I Love It. There are many reasons this has been so fun for me:

First of all, a box of beauty products in the mail!

Second, I live in the mountains where purchasing beauty products is limited to what’s available at the grocery store.

Third, I’m closing in on 41 now, and $5 grocery store skin care isn’t going to cut it anymore. Times past when I’ve upgraded to something more than $9.99 at CVS or whathaveyou, at least half the time I’ve thrown away the items after less than a week of using them because they make my skin break out, or I hate the product completely. With Birchbox, I’m able to try something new without committing to an entire full-size product, which will always cost more than the $10 I paid for the box.

Lastly, it introduces me to products I would never have otherwise tried. I’m not a habitual Sephora or Ulta shopper, so if it’s not Neutrogena or L’Oreal, I’m ignorant.

You Should Try It Too! If you’re interested in giving Birchbox a try, you can do so by clicking right here! You can cancel at any time with no cancellation fees. Basically a win-win.

2 – STITCH FIX

Have I written about Stitch Fix before? I can’t remember. But it’s like Birchbox in that it’s a monthly subscription, too, but it’s for CLOTHES! And, it doesn’t have to be monthly…you can schedule it to arrive anytime…be it every five months, once a year, Whatever you want! Unlike other bloggers, I have not taken any pictures of what I look like in any of the items, because I simply cannot find any poses that don’t make me look awkward or constipated. So I am sparing you.

What it is. First you go online and answer tons of questions about your personal style and what you like/don’t like in regards to clothing. Then for $20 per box, you receive five items of clothing ranging from pants to shirts to dresses to accessories. Try on each thing in the privacy of your own home, and you have three days to decide whether or not you keep it. For any item(s) you keep, your $20 goes towards the purchase of that item; send back what you don’t want in the prepaid envelope. Then go online and fill out a questionnaire about what you kept, what you are sending back, and why. Pain less.

What I Love It. Again, I live in the mountains. If I do get to the Big City to shop, I pretty much only have time to swing by Target, Old Navy or Kohl’s. And that gets really boring and puts me into a significant rut.

I have to say — Stitch Fix has sent me items I would have completely overlooked had I been in a store — and turns out I love them and keep them after all. It’s opened me up to things I would have otherwise passed over. Also, I don’t do the monthly subscription — I end up requesting a box every other month or so. Doing it that way for me makes me spend less, because I’ve always kept at least one thing each time. I just can’t help myself.

You Should Try It Too! If you’re interested in giving Stitch Fix a try, you can do so by clicking right here! You can cancel at any time with no cancellation fees. Basically a win-win.  You can also select your price point for clothes — from cheapest possible to high-end. Your call. (Side note: they have pretty lengthy wait times right now due to popularity, so if you’re interested in getting started, I’d sign up now!)

3 – MATTE GOLD BALL EARRINGS

I found these earrings over Christmas at Francesca’s Collection…they are matte gold large ball stud earrings, and I have worn them basically every single day since I bought them. They are perfect for everyday wear; they add just enough pizzaz to spruce up your blue jeans without being too dressy for your Old Navy quarter-sleeve top. (For example.)

Sadly, Francesca’s doesn’t have them online, but these are the closest I could find. (They’re from Etsy and I can assure you I paid nothing close to the cost of these.)

4 – OLD LADY WALLET

After four years with a folding wallet that would rival George Costanza’s, I decided it was time for an upgrade.

I bought this wallet at Target (see?!) over Christmas and I LOVE IT because it’s easy to grab for those moments you’re running into the coffee shop for your afternoon drip with two shots. (For example.) It’s big enough to hold my phone too, so if I’m doing a grocery run I can just grab this instead of my entire lip-gloss filled purse. There’s plenty of slots for credit and gift cards, receipts, everything. And that front part is a pocket too. It does not have a checkbook  holder in it, which is perfectly fine with me because it’s 2014 and who writes checks for things like groceries or coffee anymore? You can get it here.

Alright friends. That’s all for now. I was going to try to come up with another thing to end on five, but I’m feeling a bit woozy and think it’s time to eat something and get some more Gatorade.

Don’t forget to tune in next Tuesday when we start the A Beautiful Life blog series, with guest posts from some of My Most Favorite People. It’s going to be so awesome.

Have a great Tuesday!

(Please note: I was not compensated for this post, and my opinions are truly my own. However, if you do sign up using one of my links for Birchbox or Stitch Fix, I do get referral credit, which is just lovely.)