Happy Friday Everyone!
One – Holiday Happenings
Shop this Item:
This month is flying right on by and doesn’t it always?! I have been finding the cutest Christmas items at Target this year! I found this snowy holiday tree lighted bulb strand in the dollar section and snagged a bunch to gift as well. They had these last year and they disappeared like hot cakes, so I was so excited to find them this year! I snagged one to hang on my wine bar cart (this cart is ALSO from Target). Isn’t it festive? I turn the lights on while I’m sitting on the couch with my cozy blanket to look at while I’m working on blog stuff. It just gives me all of the holiday vibes!
Shop this Item:
I’ve been wanting a collar for my Christmas tree for awhile, so when I saw THIS Christmas collar at Target, I had to pick it up! I’d show you a photo of it under my tree and all, but we will have to save it for next year since you need to put the tree OVER the collar. I had already decorated the tree by the time we bought it, so there was no way we could lift it and put it into the collar. BUT, at least I have it for the beginning of next year, right?
After picking up the big collar for our tree, I visited the Target Dollar Spot and saw that they had mini tree collars for your Christmas decor!! I picked up the galvanized one for one of my mini trees. Target has the cutest ideas, I swear!
I’ve gotten to know Jessica via Instagram and she lives super close to me. She asked me if I wanted to do a Christmas gift exchange and of course, I said YES! She sent me the cutest package of goodies! Jessica owns a small shop HERE that sells beaded bracelets and customizable crayons and you can also follow her personal account HERE.
Kathrine from Kathrine Eldridge Wardrobe Stylist sent me some holiday gifts, too! She sent me some healing stones, two white/gold potting jars and a print with an uplifting phrase on it. Thank you so much, Kathrine!
Two – Thanksgiving & Autumn’s 12th Birthday
Oh, Thanksgiving was just so odd this year. We landed up ordering food from a nice restaurant and we ordered two extra meals for my mom and dad. My mom came in the house with a mask on, took a quick photo of us by the tree and then left with their meals. Then, we sat around and watched movies all day and indulged in a bunch of yummy food. I will be SO glad when we can mingle with our families again next year!
Well, right before Autumn’s birthday they decided to do a partial restriction on St. Louis county again, SOOO no indoor dining… and, another Covid birthday this year with no parties or places to go. But, she requested Brian to make the BEST homemade yellow cake with homemade chocolate frosting (I request it for my birthday, too- see the recipe HERE) and it was so, so delicious! I can’t believe my baby is 12… I mean, I seriously can’t believe it. She has changed SO much this year and is definitely getting in that ‘tween/teen’ mindset. It is a little bittersweet, because the baby, toddler, little girl, etc. years are over… no more dolls, the Elf on the Shelf was def. a big NO this year and TikTok’s, dancing, flavored lipglosses, friend time, etc. is what rules this girl’s world right now. I think this article I read recently that says 12 is the Age When Everything Changes pretty much sums it up. But, oh does she make my momma heart proud! She is such a bright girl, loyal, sweet, silly, creative and she definitely knows how to stand on her own two feet. She’s also quite the entrepreneur, when Covid hit last spring she started a booming slime Etsy shop and now she is making really pretty Resin Creations on Shopify (perfect for any small gifts or stocking stuffers if you’d like to support her and make a small purchase!)!
Shop this Product:
So, what do tween girls love right now? Well, apparently these LED strip lights are ALL the craze right now with tween and teen girls. They are actually pretty darn cool!! They come on a strip of sticky tape and you can tape them around their room (they don’t damage the paint on the walls). Then, they come with a really neat remote control that has a timer, different colored light controls or you can do flashing lights, etc. She LOVES them so much she wants more! lol! They’re super inexpensive, too!
Three – The Dreadmill Died on Cyber Monday
WELL… if you follow me on Instagram Stories, you know that my treadmill broke. It was a Sole treadmill that I had purchased at Dick’s Sporting Goods back in 2008, after I had given birth to Autumn. I got into running for the first time in my life then and never looked back. I took a look online to see which treadmill I would like to replace it with and I decided upon a NordicTrack. Now, my last treadmill was VERY basic, so having a 22″ touch screen on this one will be like a dream! What is neat is that you can join trainers in their homes, on the local trails, or across the globe LIVE with their iFit membership. It is kind of similar to the Peloton, but NordicTrack is supposed to be a little better geared for serious runners in what it has to offer with its iFit membership and they’ve had more experience/years in developing treadmill machinery. It is neat that you can go on a ‘trail’ run and it’ll mimic what the ground would feel like if you were actually running it by elevation, etc. I can’t wait to check it out and it’ll be here right before/around Christmas, so YUP… this will be my Christmas gift!! I figure this is something I will be running on at least 3 times a week, so it will be worth every penny! Nathan has really gotten into running, too and I’m hoping he will use it, too.
Since my treadmill has been broken, I’ve gone outside for my 3 weekly runs. It is so hard to schedule this into my day, given that I usually run on the treadmill before everyone is awake and take my shower before I take the kids to school, BUT it is out of my control for now. It has been SO cold and I’ve realized that I don’t really have a lot of winter running clothing or gear! One morning I ran and it was 28 degrees! Brr!! But, it is SO nice to get outside even if it is cold to get some fresh air. Everything around me is dead though, so it makes for some dull runs with lots of browns for miles. The trail I run on often has a river along it, though, which is pretty.
I did see just a little pop of color on one of my runs, so I took a photo of it. These red berries stood out to me from all the browns.
Shop this Item:
Recently, I’ve decided to switch to a different protein shake. I had been drinking Premier Protein, but it has such a bad rating on nutritional sites (a rating of a D!). Sooo, I decided to try out this Orgain Organic Protein, which is plant based! I am pretty boring and I drink 2 scoops of it with 16 oz of water. But, what I love about this over my old protein drink is that I drink more water with it! Plus, I’m trying to go more plant based these days and it doesn’t have any artificial sugar like the Premier Protein has in it. I wish I could get all my protein from what I eat without a supplement like this, but I am just not a huge meat eater! I try to get 84 grams of protein a day, though and I usually succeed with this protein supplement and then the rest through clean foods that are low fat.
Four – Latest Book & Shows
I seem to be getting through audio books faster than real books lately, with all the driving I’ve been doing with the kids activities.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
I don’t even know how to describe this book in a review. I listened to the audio, which I highly recommend, because Matthew McConaughey is an EXCELLENT story teller. This book is a bit… raw and Matthew McConaughey really doesn’t shy away from sharing ANY of his best stories from his life… I would say that there were some great tips and advice in it, but man… Matthew McConaughey has definitely not lived a boring life. His devotion to his wife in the book was genuine and sweet. But, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book about three wet dreams (or even one) and Matthew shares how significant they were to opening his eyes about situations in his life. Anyway, if you’re looking for a book that is just a LITTLE bit out there, tells you a lot more about Matthew McConaughey, then you have it in this book. I wanted to add that he has a very artistic writing style, lots of phrases and words he groups together to give it a nice descriptive, almost poetic flow, which I wasn’t expecting… but, enjoyed. 🙂
And, as for shows…
The Crown, Season 4
We watched The Crown, Season 4 and ohhh, it was SO GOOD!!! I think we watched the entire season within 2 days, it was so addicting! It had Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher in it and both played their roles so well. We are now watching The Queen’s Gambit, even though I have no idea how to play chess… but, I am LOVING it!
Five – Blogging Goodies!
If you’re looking for a simple and easy last minute holiday gift, than be sure to check out this adorable woodland 2 wick birch candle by Tru Candle Studio! Tru Candle Studio is a local St. Louis candle shop that pours all of its soy candles by hand. Not only do they offer birch candles, but they have an assortment of other jar candle scents, such as their December, tannenbaum, avocado sea salt, ginger tea, black amber moss, calm and more.
Their motto is: Soy wax, cotton wicks, incredible scents, and always “by hand” — which just shows that each of these candles is made with love and attention to detail.
Shelbee from Shelbee on the Edge surprised me with her post Inspired by Curly Crafty Mom: Pairing a Color Block Cardigan with a Pattern. Not only did she come up with her own super stylish color block look, but she had some really nice things she wrote about me in her post that just made my day! Be sure to check out the post HERE. Thank you Shelbee, you remind me why I am in this blogging gig, the blogging community can be so supportive and kind!
Pixi has been always so generous and once again, they surprised me with a box full of holiday goodies! In this box you’ll find:
Glow wherever you go this holiday season! Pixi has a limited edition Let’s Glow gift set, which features four of their best-selling essentials:
- Glow Mud Cleanser: pore-purifying daily cleanser
- Glow Tonic: cult-favourite exfoliating toner
- Glow Mud Mask: revitalizing, at-home spa treat
- Cleansing Cloths: makeup removing wipes for fuss-free ease
They also sent me their Multi-Toning Try-Out-Treat, which will let you start off the New Year with your most glowing complexion yet! This #PixiPerfect trio helps to renew, soothe and exfoliate for skin that appears to be lit from within. This set includes the:
- Retinol Tonic
- Milky Tonic
- Glow Tonic
Pixi Beauty has several other holiday gift sets that you can gift yourself or a beloved family member or friend. Some of these are small enough to make great stocking stuffers, too! Check the Pixi gift sets out HERE.
I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend!
