Saturday, November 26, 2011

Hosting Thanksgiving

My husband and I hosted our first thanksgiving dinner in our new home. My husband woke up early to BBQ the turkey in the rain. And between the two of us we made mash potatoes, cornbread souffle, gravy, cranberry sauce and provided some appetizers.  My husband and I got the house cleaned our dishes prepared well before the guests expected arrival time of 10:00AM.  We sat around anxiously twiddling our thumbs for nearly an hour and half before the first guests arrived.  Consequently, dinner was served a little later than usual, but no complaints were heard.  My husband family's Thanksgiving is done potluck style so the rest of the feast was brought by guests and included green bean casserole, corn and jalapeno chowder, stuffing, yams, coleslaw, and fruit salad .  There were probably 8 different types of dessert! All of which were barely touched, everyone was too full from dinner to even think of dessert.

Skirt: Fab India-Blue with grey diamond pattern-Hand me down from my cousin
Top:Forever 21-Grey Tee-$4
Necklace:Macy's-Copper colored beaded necklace-Gift from my nephew
Flower pin: H&M-$3
Earrings-Gift from Mom
Shoes:Old Navy-Silver strapped sandals-S20
Approximate Total Cost~$27 


 I thought our living room was a decent size until after dinner nearly 20 adults were standing and sitting around watching football and the room suddenly felt half the size!  The weather was a little drizzly so most of the time everyone was indoors making our home quite cozy and warm.  

Beautiful pie made by my mommy

Our Thanksgiving feast!
I apologize for not posting much these past two weeks.  Things have been pretty busy with Thanksgiving planning and life in general.  I'm way behind on reading my favorite blogs, but I'm going to try doing a massive catch up session tomorrow.  

Monday, November 21, 2011

Inspiration Monday: Olivia Munn

I'm not sure who Olivia Munn is but what I wore today is loosely inspired by her outfit.  I decided at the last minute this morning to participate in Inspiration Monday after checking out what a few other bloggers wore.



I decided to stick with a slouchy theme based off of her shirt and wore one of my only slouchy loose fitting tops with my wide leg incredibly soft jeans.  They may as well be pajamas they are so soft and stretchy!  I even slept in them the first night we stayed in our house because I hadn't moved any pajamas yet!  I can't really tell what Olivia's pants are like but I'm pretending she's super comfy too in yoga pants.

Jacket:Target: Red Fleece Jacket-Gift from Mom
Scarf-Wedding gift from family member
Top: Anthropologie- Mulitcolored slouchy shirt with beading on shoulders-$20
Pants: Nordstrom Rack-Worn Jeans-$15 (Previously worn here)

Superhero tights

Every time I wear these tights with my black boots I feel like a superhero as I bought them originally for my Incredibles costume. My sweater dress is a little out of my comfort zone.  I tend to wear dresses that flare away from the body at the skirt and hide my hips and rear.  This dress clings to the body now and I was a little self conscious at first walking around in it.  But I remembered I had my superhero tights on and decided I must look SUPER and that's why everyone was staring!


Dress: H&M- Black short sleeve sweater dress-Gift from cousin-FREE!
Belt:Francesca's Collections- Black flower belt-$10
Tights: H&M-Red Tights-$5
Boots:Ross-Aerosoles Black Boots-S20
Approximate Total Cost~$35

My husband and our friend Myles put wood tread on  the stairs and a new hand rail! Doesn't it look spiffy?


Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Shopping Ban Outfit #13

I'm staring to get worried how my shopping ban will affect my holiday shopping or most likely how my holiday shopping with affect my shopping ban.  I love going out the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas for the great deals and mad rush at the mall.  Parking and people can be a nightmare, but its the nightmares, annoyances and such that make for great storytelling later.  Such as the time it took us over an hour to exit a parking garage, we were only parked on the second floor :O!  Or when I was 16, had my license for maybe 5 months max, and had a panic attack while trying to find parking....good times! 

Do you like to go out the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas? Are you the type to wake up super early for those special deals? Or, are you like my husband and have your Christmas shopping done in mid-November?


I bought this sweater because I loved the color and the fact that it was 70% off.  I held it up and figured a size small would work and didn't bother to try it on.  Apparently, I didn't look closely because the armpit region features a pretty big arm hole that makes it look like I have flying squirrel arms...not the biggest fan of this look, but I'm learning to like it.  Its much easy to wear a layer underneath, as I don't have to worry about the sleeves bunching up under my arm!
Sweater: GAP Outlet- Green pull over sweater-$12
Shirt: Marshalls-Grey button up ruffle shirt-$8 (also worn here)
Jeans: Macy's-Levis Bold Curve ID dark wash-$58
Shoes:H&M Green sneakers-$12
Approximate Total Cost-$90

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Beauty Products I Use

I'm pretty simple when it comes to beauty products and make up, but I've definitely added a few steps and products to the routine over the years.  I like when other bloggers post what products they use or do reviews so I thought I'd share my "secrets" with you today. Below is a glimpse of the products in my beauty routine.




1. Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Shampoo, Conditioner and Mousse ~$3-4 each available at most drug stores


The secret behind my curl, wavy, big hair is this line of hair products.  I have course curly/wavy hair that is dry and frizzy if not managed properly.  Not only do I have thick hair strands, but I have a whole lot of them crammed on to a tiny head so I need volume control not volume enhancement.  The shampoo and conditioner keep my hair clean, moisturized and the frizz under control.  The conditioner is on the lighter side and leaves my hair feeling soft and fluffy (doesn't weigh it down).  I've tried other hair products for curly hair, dry hair, frizzy hair etc and this is the best one I've found for my hair type.

The mousse is also really light weight and has a flexible hold.  For me, its really important that my hair has natural movement to it and is touchable.  A lot of other mousse products for curly hair cause curls to be really stiff,crunchy to the touch, and look perpetually wet.  I towel dry my hair so its not dripping wet, comb through it once with a wide tooth comb and apply about a Pillsbury biscuit sized amount of mouse to my hair.  I apply it mostly to the ends of my hair and scrunch up my hair a little.  I don't flip my head over or apply it near my scalp as this causes too much volume.

If you look for this product in your local store, the Herbal Essences line for curly hair is a similar shade of purple so be sure to read the label!  My friend mistakenly bought it after I recommended Tousle Me Softly Mousse to her.

2. St. Ives Whipped Silk Body Wash ~$3-4 not available anymore at most drug stores...i have to do a bit of searching.

I've been using this body wash for almost 10 years now! I absolutely love it.  It has a light scent and creates tons of suds which are my main requirements for a body wash.  It also leaves my skin feeling silky soft...I've had people pet my arms before...its that soft.  I'm allergic/sensitive to most bar soap and quite a few body washes.  I start sneezing in the shower and my skin gets red and itchy.  This product is gentle enough for my skin and I've tried hypoallergenic soaps that weren't :( .

3. Trader Joes Lavender Salt Scrub-$7 available at Trader Joes only

My esthetician turned me on to this product and I've been using it two or three times a week since!  I have dry skin on my legs, so dry that I scratch at my legs til they bleed.  Not a pretty sight, believe me.  Also, after I get my legs waxed I'm prone to in grown hairs which also itches.  This product takes care of both of those problems.  The salt scrub prevents the in grown hairs while the lavender oil keeps my legs moisturized.  I rarely scratch my legs now! If you have really dry skin you'll probably love this product as its really thick and sticks to your skin.  I've read other reviews that commented it was oily and left people feeling greasy so its probably not for everyone.  After you use it the bathroom smells like lavender which I consider a extra bonus!

4. Clinique Even Better Spot Corrector

I used this product for a few months last year, saw an improvement in my skin, and then stopped using it. I stopped mostly because of the price.  After several months I felt my skin had noticeable spots again so I've picked it back up and I've decided I really do like it and I think it works.  It reduces the appearance of dark spots, but I haven't noticed an affect on pockmarks.  I think its worth the price if you buy it when Macy's has a free gift with purchase...who doesn't love free makeup!

Anyone else love these products? Or just tried them?