Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Spring Accessories 2015 from Kohl’s

April 7, 2015 By Lindsay 1 Comment

Have you seen the newest spring accessories 2015 line from Kohl’s yet? If not, I think it’s definitely worth a look.

Disclosure: I received these items for free.

Spring Accessories 2015

Ah. It’s finally spring. That means it’s time for brighter colors and fun patterns as the weather warms up a bit. Personally, I prefer to keep my outfits classic with a pop of color here and there. That’s why I absolutely love the spring accessories 2015 line from Kohl’s.

Kohl’s has quickly become one of my favorite places to shop for clothing as they have so much to choose from at reasonable prices. Recently, I was lucky enough to receive a box of the spring accessories 2015 lines from Kohl’s and I was very pleased. In it were the two purses pictured above. On the left is the Apt. 9 Ann Envelope Convertible Clutch in periwinkle and on the right is the Apt. 9 Margo Crossbody Bag in Hot Coral. Both of these Apt. 9 bags have great compartments inside that make them great for practical purposes. The color and design make them hot for spring though. They would definitely brighten up any outfit. In fact, I’m thinking of taking the crossbody bag with me to Europe over the summer, just because it’s so useful and cheery.

In addition to the darling bags, there were 2 pairs of shoes, pictured here. There’s the Juicy Couture Women’s Palm Tree Slip-On Sneakers, which looks beautiful! Just looking at them takes me away for a moment. I think that wearing them all day would make me happier as I would have periodic thoughts of the beach throughout the day. Additionally, there’s the Dana Buchman Olyvia floral heels which look so fun! There are so many colors that can be coordinated with them to make for a perfect spring look.

As you can see the spring accessories 2015 line from Kohl’s is filled with fun prints and colors while being easy to style with things you already own. This year, they are really making it easy for us to add a pop of color to our wardrobes without breaking the bank. Both bags are $39 and the shoes are $59.99. I think that’s pretty reasonable, especially considering how high quality Kohl’s items are.

Have you purchased any new spring accessories yet?

Anniversary of Father’s Passing: 2 Years Later

December 2, 2014 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I debated if I should even post something today, but I decided that I couldn’t let the anniversary of father’s passing go by without acknowledging it on here.

Anniversary of Father’s Passing

Two years ago today, my dad passed away. This was after he spent a few weeks in the hospital (including the Thanksgiving holiday). While it shouldn’t have been a surprise, I was still shocked when it happened. You see, dad had been in bad health for several years. In fact, he’d been in the hospital lots of times. However, he had always come back home and been ok (more or less). So, I guess I had come to the assumption that he would be ok that time. When he wasn’t, it was a true gut punch.

When dad passed away, someone told me that the first year without him would be the hardest. I must say that I agree, to some extent. Everyday was a new challenge without him… The first Christmas, birthday, etc. Having never experienced that before, every single holiday (which should have been joyous) was filled with dread and deep sadness.

Now that I’ve had a couple of those without him, I can’t say that they are any better. I can say though, that I don’t dread them as much simply because I’ve endured it previously and I know this is how it’s going to be. The anniversary of father’s passing has been relatively calm. I spent the day with my mom and we did some Christmas shopping. It seems like we do much better when we stay busy and go out. I don’t know that we’ll do it every year, but I certainly think it helped this year.

I still miss daddy beyond words. In fact, sometimes the pain hits me so hard and abruptly that I can’t process it. However, I take things one day at a time and just keep in mind that he would want me to be happy. So, I try to move on with my life while remembering the good times.

Elle Runway Collection By Kohls Takes You Away

November 6, 2014 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Here recently I was introduced to the adorableness that is the Elle Runway Collection by Kohls. As you may know, I’ve got a trip to Europe planned for next summer and this new line of clothing gets me excited to go there as the designs appear to be inspired by Europe. Let me take you away for a second as we explore a couple of looks from it.

Disclosure: Kohl’s provided me with Kohl’s Gifts for this post.

Elle Runway Collection by Kohls

The Elle Runway Collection by Kohls makes me want to walk the streets of Europe, specifically France or London. The outfit above would make me feel ultra feminine with its cute bows and lace on the shirt. Plus, the classic striped shirt look gives it that extra something. The simple black skirt pulls it all together. I added some additional accessories to make it feel even more Europe (all of which is available at Kohls.com). I loved the handbag with a London scene on it and the poster about Paris. I imagine that you would want to keep the jewelry minimal for this outfit since everything else is so fancy, which is why I went with stud earrings only.

To further illustrate the classic looks available with the Elle Runway Collection by Kohl’s, I did this additional outfit pictured here. It has this limited edition outfit and keeps with the shirt tucked into a skirt look. However, the design is different, so it creates a different feeling. I added an additional pop of color with the yellow handbag and some hoop earrings (also from Kohl’s).

I am in love with the Elle Runway Collection by Kohls as it is ultra feminine and classy. It can brighten up anyone’s day and transport you to another place. You can view the rest of the clothing on the Kohl’s website. What do you think of this line from Kohl’s?

Sonic Milkshake Review: Shaking Up the Competition

August 26, 2014 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Today, I am eager to share my Sonic milkshake review with you. You see, we have a Sonic right down the road from out apartment. So, the boyfriend and I have been taking full advantage of their half-price shakes after 8 PM this whole summer. I have developed a bit of an addiction to them and was totally pleased when Sonic offered to allow me to get one to try and compare to another famous chain’s milkshakes.

Disclosure: I received gift cards to facilitate this review.

Sonic Milkshake Review

For my Sonic milkshake review, I chose a small Real Ice Cream Chocolate Shake from SONIC Drive-In and a small Chocolate Hand Spun Shake from another restaurant chain. Then, I compared the two to determine the better milkshake. Using several different criteria categories, I set out to determine the better of the two.

The initial category seems a little unfair to put anyone in the same category as Sonic for. However, it can’t be ignored that Sonic offers so many more flavor options than other places. One of the reasons that I’ve enjoyed their summer shake special so much is because of the varieties available. I’ve been able to try a few different ones each week and thus am never bored of their shakes. However, other restaurants usually have just the three traditional flavors (which is why I went with the chocolate at Sonic, to keep things fair in other categories).

Next up is presentation. Here are the two milkshakes I purchased. You can kind of see the other brand’s milkshake has some uneven distribution of the chocolate. Plus, I think it has way too much whipped topping. It’s almost like they are trying to hide something in or on their shake. Plus, the Sonic one comes with a cherry on top and a bright red straw.

Similar to presentation was their texture. The Sonic one looks great and has a smooth drinkability to it. The other one was too thick and I couldn’t really drink it with a straw. I had to wait for it to really melt in order to drink it (which defeats the whole purpose of a milkshake). Thankfully, both of them had pretty consistent flavors in it though.

I saved the most important factor for last – taste. Hands down, the Sonic Real Ice Cream Chocolate Shake tasted better than the competitor’s. You just can’t beat the real ice cream with chocolate flavor. The other shake’s taste was a bit off and not exactly what I was expecting when reaching for a chocolate milkshake.

I think it’s plain to see that Sonic wins this one without any problems. They beat the other brand in every category. They look good and taste even better. I can’t say enough good things about Sonic’s shakes. So, which restaurant is your favorite place to go for a milkshake?

What I Learned from My Father’s Death

July 24, 2014 By Lindsay 4 Comments

I’m writing this from California because I’ve found myself having to explain my recent excursions to people I’m meeting (which I don’t mind doing) and so I thought I might share what I learned from my father’s death with my readers. I thought that it might explain some of the changes around here.

What I Learned from My Father’s Death

I’ve blogged about the loss of my father many times on here, beginning with that very hard to write my dad passed away post in December of 2012. All I can really remember from that time period is how sad and lonely I felt. Losing my father has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with. His death still hits me at random moments and makes me want to start crying again. However, now that I’m a year and half out from it, I’m seeing that I did learn a few things from my father’s passing.

What I Learned from My Father’s Death

Treasure time with loved ones. My mom and I haven’t always gotten along. In fact, my dad was concerned about us getting along after his passing. However, losing my father has managed to bring us new found peace. We realize that we need each other to survive now and we don’t waste time arguing like we did before. If one of us gets upset, we quickly find a way to get over it and move on. Life is too short to spend time being upset with a person you love.
See and experience all that you can. My dad was legally blind and had other health issues that prevented him from traveling later in life. However, he didn’t travel very far as a young man either. I don’t know that he meant to teach me this lesson or not, but I feel strongly about traveling now. We don’t know what the future holds for any of us. So, I’m not going to waste my good health by sitting at home. I’d rather see all that I can, especially if I have any chance of going blind or not living past my fifties.
People, not possessions matter. Trust me, I love stuff. Haha! However, I now see that our stuff just accumulates for our brief enjoyment and then it’s left behind for our loved ones to clean out as they see fit. However, the connections we make and impact we make on others sticks around. I remember all types of stories about my dad and no one can take those away from me.
Life is short, be happy. This one can be applied to many aspects of life. For instance, enjoy that dessert or don’t take everything so personally.
Do what you love. This one can explain the decrease in the frequency of my posts. Yes, it has hit my stats hard (real hard). However, I now try to spend my time doing things I truly enjoy and if that means not posting but a few times a week, then fine. If that means I write only 2 posts a week and both are personal posts, then that is fine as well. This isn’t to say that I don’t like blogging. One doesn’t do it for 5+ years and not get something from it. It just means that if you don’t see me around for a few (several) days, then I’m out living life instead of writing about it.

Like I said, I’m only just now realizing what I learned from my father’s death and his life. So, don’t be surprised if you read more posts like this in the future.