Happy Thanksgiving

FAVORITE day of the year!  Early morning baking and then the traditional cinnamon rolls and macys parade with a little one by my side.  A day of indulgence I am so ready for some yummy food (mashed potatos, rolls, and cheesecake!), relaxing with family, football and holiday movies. 
Wishing all of you a wonderful day of family, friends and food!

*thankful*

a full heart.so many blessings.my baby girl who makes everyday a joy.my husband who puts up with my many moods and crazy ideas.my parents who still do so so much for me and spoil their granddaughter rotten.siblings who i adore.nephews who live too far but make me smile.friends near & far. a roof over my head. a warm bed. a full grocery cart and then some.traditions.holiday weekend plans. the frivoulous things.red cups.gossip magazines.lipgloss.pretty paper.going OUT to the movies. cheesecake.manicures.flannel sheets.trader joes.cheesy christmas decorations that will go up just to make my baby girl smile.did i mention long holiday weekends?!

right now

having your washer & furnace break on the same day & being told they both need to replaced - not fun
the plan to buy new bedroom furniture next Friday - not happening
throwing a temper tantrum like a 2 year old - that would be me
remembering to put things in perspective and be grateful for what i do have and all my blessing

moving on...

1 week until the Thanksgiving - are you as excited as I am?!

planning holiday baking
wanting someone to pay me to stay home - i have so much more fun , am much more productive & so much happier i get to spend time with the little one - or at least a more flexible work schedule
listening to christmas music, the jingle bells on the door entertaining Lauren
drinking water
wanting a cherry coke
anticipating the holiday weekend - morning traditions, the parade & cinnamon rolls, lots of good food, family, game night, shopping, dates with james bond & breaking dawn date
missing friends near and far - which hopefully won't be too much longer because
excited for time with two of my favorite people in january and a taylor swift concert
as barb stated "it will be like NKOTB all over again!" - the 13 year old girl in me is giddy
burning lots of candles
loving thick socks, extra layers, morning smoothies, chex mix, homemade nachos, scarves, hats & gloves
trying to start christmas shopping
needing to get back to a workout routine and new winter coat (recommendations?!)
enjoying nashville, holiday hustle & bustle, watching my baby girl learning to walk, football with tony
making lots and lots of lists
obsessing over a new wardrobe ,this new kitchen tool, making soup (yesterday it was pw's roasted corn chowder- can you say delish?)

crumbs...

do you read jessica's blogs?
if not you should
http://www.howsweeteats.com/crumbs/
i mean how can you not love a person who starts her blog like this and screams her love for pacey witter

and she has amazing recipes too
http://www.howsweeteats.com/

and i am so making these for thanksgiving
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/sweet-potato-and-honey-dinner-rolls/

music love

someone discovered music comes out of an ipod

Favorite Beauty Products

I still remember the day my mom told me I was "allowed" to wear lipgloss and only lipgloss to school.  - you would have thought she told me I didn't have to go to school anymore - I was that excited.  Off to walgreens we went, I swear I walked the aisle for an hour looking for the perfect lipgloss.  I soon after in high school discovered the world of Ulta and the ever expanding options of make up and then bestill my make up loving heart - the mothership Sephora arrived and well I have never been the same.  Finding that perfect shade or the one product that changes your life still makes me happy.  And now after 20 years (gasp...do i feel old typing that - really I was 13 - 20 years ago!?) of reading countless reviews,  wasting money and lots of trips to Sephora, I found some favorites.


Skincare
evening
Purity with the Clarisonic, Help Me Retinol Cream
morning
Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash, Take a deep breath moisturizer
Kate Somerville Exfolikate - I LOVE THIS -   This is an expensive product and to be honest I haven't bought it yet because of that, I am living off samples from Nordstrom and Sephora.
evening and morning for the eyes
Clinique all about eyes  de puffing serum
Kiehls avocodao eye treatment (read the reviews here and here)

The combination of these 2 are amazing! I roll on the serum, wait a minute then apply the eye creme.  Every morning and night.  Seriously - even if you don't wash your face (which you should) or are a zombie heading to bed at least apply the eye stuff - you will thank me in the morning.  If you only buy one, buy the kiehls.

I am a philosophy girl.  I have tried every brand/product out there from drugstore to high end and I always come back to philosophy.  I would like to try the entire Kate Somerville line but it is costly. I have always been plagued by acne and the only thing that really keeps it aways is clean eating.  I really thought I just needed a different product but seriously its the only thing that gets rid of it. After finding a good doctor she told me the first thing to limit was dairy (and I laughed).  Get rid of cheese, chocolate milk - not going to happen.  So she said at least eliminate any dairy product with   rBGH (the growth hormone) and give up skim milk (switch to 2%), so I did .  Just from changing dairy the results were immediate.   My face is an open book, you can tell when I am not following clean eating. 

Make Up
Too Faced Shadow Insurance - the best eye shadow primer - no creasing - read  the 4200 reviews - it has a cult following
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer
L'Oreal double extend mascara - i have tried every top of the line brand - save your money for $8.99 at target this is a steal
The best eyeshadows for long wearing and true color - MAC, urban decay & bobbi brown
Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Gel Eyeliner

Invest in good quality brushes - they are expensive - I am still putting my collection together - recommended - Trish McEvoy, Bobbi Brown & MAC

And to store all that wonderful makeup - my muji acrylic organizers 
I use the the 2 drawer for everyday & brushes and the 5 drawer for the extras

Hair

Kerastase - I can't recommend enough - it has saved my hair. It is pricey - but a little goes a long way and I can now sometimes go 2 to 3 days without washing.

Suave dry shampoo - Days when you don't wash - a few sprays and you are good to go. I was very reluctant to buy this but it seriously does the same exact job as every other high end brand

What do you recommend?

goodbye:hello

Goodbye October

your craziness but wonderful memories

the sugar and treats



Hello November

21 days until the big day : 21 days of no sugar / clean eating until the big day

menu planning, black friday, holiday weekend, family & friends, favorite traditions

Hello Holiday Music

I've missed you