Review of LuLaRoe’s Julia Dress (unsponsored)

Note: I don’t sell LuLaRoe, and I paid for the dresses that I show in this post. This post does contain an affiliate link to Amazon.

I love, love, love the Julia dress from LuLaRoe. Now I typically like to spend no more than $30 on a dress, so I’ll wait for the department store sales before I go dress shopping. But the Julia –priced at $45– is worth the money, in my opinion.

Since it’s a form fitting dress, I was originally skeptical that I would like it. But the fit is so, so flattering! I did size up larger than the recommended size. In the Loft or Ann Taylor, I wear an 8 or a 10 in dresses (usually an 8). The Julia size chart recommends that I order a medium, but I already have an Ana dress in medium, and I don’t like how tight it is in the rib cage and the arms, so I ordered the Julia in a large, which is supposed to fit sizes 12-14.

What is also great about the Julia dress is that my friend who is built completely opposite than I am also loves it. Nicole is much shorter than I am, and has a very curvy but athletic figure (think hourglass), where my figure is more straight up and down (rectangle). The fact that two very differently built people both love this dress really shows how great this dress is.

The Julia is a midi-length dress, but I have two of them, and the geometric print dress is shorter than the other as you can see in the photos. At 5’10”, I prefer the longer length. My knees are not exactly my favorite part of my legs.
Julia collage

This dress is so comfortable! I’ve been wearing it to work, and I basically feel like I’m wearing a pajama t-shirt all day. Throw a complementary blazer on, and Julia looks completely professional. I’ve been unexpectedly called into a meeting with high-profile “customers” while wearing a Julia (I work for a DOD school that’s for service members, so basically our “customers” are the career field managers from all military service branches). I felt completely confident that I was dressed appropriately, and I believe I presented myself professionally. And I was so comfy doing it!

Julia
Wearing Julia at work with a teal cardigan, brown tights and brown chukka boots.

By the way, if you like my cardigan sweater in the photo above, it’s the BIADANI Women’s Crewneck Button Down Sweater on Amazon. The teal cost me $14.99, and I’m very impressed with the quality. The fabric is thick, and it’s difficult for me to find tops with long enough sleeves for me.

I love how many colors and patterns are constantly available. I’m planning on buying a couple more Julias in more casual prints or fabrics as go-to dresses for this summer. I think this dress will be perfect for the playground or walking around outdoor shops, etc.

Do you own a Julia? What do you think about it?

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Review: New menu at Bonefish Grill #HelloNewMenu

I was sent a free gift card to eat at Bonefish Grill with Hubby and Little J this past Saturday. You may remember my previous review of Bonefish Grill at their Virginia Beach location. While living in Florida, I ate at Bonefish Grill a few times a year, and always enjoyed the food and my experience. That VA Beach location didn’t live up to my expectations, so I wasn’t sure what to expect this time around.

Today is our first day in our new home (woohoo!) in Maryland, but prior to that we were staying with friends a couple towns away. The Bonefish Grill location we reviewed is in the Waugh Chapel Towne Centre in Gambrills, MD.

Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress

I’m just going to apologize right now for the photos. Part of the ambience at Bonefish Grill is dim lighting, which isn’t conducive to great photography…especially with my iPhone.

The new menu includes a Rib-Eye Steak, Bang Bang Shrimp Flatbread, Cold Snap Fresh Ceviche, Watermelon Salad, and more.

Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress
Your meal always comes with fresh bread and pesto for dipping.

I always order the regular Bang Bang Shrimp as an appetizer and did so before I realized there’s now flatbread version! Oh well…next time.

 Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress
Not one of the new menu items, but the Bang Bang Shrimp is a classic favorite!

Hubby was really considering the new Shrimp Pad Thai Bowl, but ended up ordering the new Ahi Tuna Steak instead. The steak was a wood-grilled yellowfin tuna. It included little bowls of all their signature sauce choices: the new Lime Tomato Garlic, Warm Mango Salsa, Herb Pesto, Pan Asian, and Lemon Butter. He chose the new Herbed Couscous as his side.

Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress
Ahi tuna steak with herbed couscous and veggies on the side. The two sauces shown here are Lime Tomato Garlic and Lemon Butter.
Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress
More sauces for the tuna steak- warm mango salsa, herb pesto, and Pan-Asian

I almost went with the new Lobster Grilled Cheese (how amazing does that sound?!), but instead ordered the Spicy Tuna Bowl. I’m a sucker for sushi. My bowl included sushi-grade, sesame-seared rare tuna; avocado; sweet chile sauce; jasmine rice; and passion fruit salsa.

Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress
Spicy tuna bowl

For Little J, we ordered his fail-safe restaurant dish: chicken tenders and french fries. Bonefish has a great multi-page menu with coloring pages for kids to draw on, as well as crayons to do so. Also, the table cloth is made of paper, so Little J loves to go to town drawing all over it.

When we eat out, we usually skip dessert, but this time we couldn’t resist the new S’mores Flatbread- creamy chocolate, toasted marshmallows, with sliced almonds, and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs. Looks delish, doesn’t it?

Review of the new menu at Bonefish Grill- My Life: A Work in Progress
S’mores flatbread

Thoughts on the new menu:

I was much more impressed this time around. I really enjoyed my Spicy Tuna Bowl. Between the sweet chili sauce and passion fruit salsa, it had a lot of flavor. Hubby loved his Ahi Tuna Steak, and so did I (obviously, I had to test his out too, right?). The tuna steak is worth going back for, in my opinion! Hubby liked his tuna steak dipped in the Pan Asian sauce, but I preferred the Herb Pesto. I’ve already mentioned the other new menu items that we were considering, and I would definitely like to try those down the road (date night, maybe). The S’mores Flatbread was delicious and a big enough serving to share. All in all…my faith in Bonefish Grill has been restored.

To see the full new Bonefish Grill menu, as well as locations visit their website at www.bonefishgrill.com. And don’t worry; if you’re not a seafood fan, there are beef, chicken, and all-veggie options.

Have you eaten at Bonefish Grill? What dish would you like to try off the new menu?

Note: I received a free gift card to visit Bonefish Grill and try out their new menu. I was not otherwise compensated for this post.

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Throwback Thursday: Halo Portable Battery Chargers (Link up too!) #tbt

 Halo Portable Battery Pack and Charger- My Life: A Work in Progress

I always want to come back and update product reviews months later, but life often gets in the way. Personally, when I’m researching a product I like to know how it’s performing after a long period of time. Bloggers often test a product for a couple or few weeks before reviewing it on their blogs. It’s the nature of the business. Companies understandably want a quick turn around.

Earlier this week, my sister-in-law, my two nephews, and my mother-in-law went along with me, Little J, and Hubby on a day trip to DC. Near the end of our visit, we stopped near some of the Smithsonian museums for a quick break. My SIL sat down on a low wall, and when I realized she’d pulled out a Halo Portable Battery Charger, it seemed too good of an opportunity to snap a photo and blog about it!

Electronics can’t replace love or human interaction, but they can often make life easier. The Halo company sent me several of their products last fall to review, including their stylish flashlights, the scanner mouse (which was a surprisingly popular post!), and their pocket power charger model 2800. The charger my sister-in-law is pictured with in this post is like the 2800 but a little bigger. It’s the Halo Pocket Power 5500, and it may not fit into your pocket as well, but it has more charging capabilities than the 2800. I handed out several of the 5500s to friends and family for their honest opinions. One has even been able to charge her iPad with it! She did say that it took a lot longer to charge an iPad than a cell phone (hours longer).

So how have our pocket power chargers been doing? Fantastic! We’ve used them on trips like this when we’re away from electrical outlets. We’ve used our chargers in airports when all the plugs at the charging station are being used (you know what I’m talking about). It’s easy to slip one in my purse or the diaper bag. In this digital age, I highly recommend that everyone invest in a portable battery charger.

Do you have a portable battery charger?
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