Merry Christmas 2013

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was laid back and perfect.  We are truly blessed.  I spent some time baking and cooking with my little lady.. she loves to help me in the kitchen.  We enjoyed unwrapping our gifts in the morning, ate lots of food, and napped!  It was just the three of us on Christmas Day, so we snacked on some appetizers.. and for our meal we had ribs, baked potatoes, glazed carrots, and garlic bread.  It was pretty delicious.  I'll be back after the New Year with some totally awesome (and some cliche) goals I have.

But for now, our Christmas in photos.

A Few of my Favorite Things with BRIKA {& giveaway}

I just discovered this really neat website called BRIKA.  It features the work of a ton of artisans and designers... and has so many gorgeous hand-crafted items.  They have a great selection, so you can find something for all the special people in your life!

I've put together 3 different gift-guides.. all things that I'm loving from the website.. at different price points.  There's something to fit every budget!  I love buying from small businesses when I can!

1; the isabella headband $42  2; linen napkins $42  3; black bridged braided bracelet $24  4; coral orchid vines infinity scarf  5; set of 2 notable journals $14  6; coral and gold ring dish $20

How about that beautiful coral scarf?  I'm a scarf hoarder (nothing wrong with that, right?).. so I was just drooling over all the ones displayed on BRIKA!  And that one-of-a-kind gold and coral bowl.. perfect for dropping your keys in it, or little odds and ends.  I obviously also have a thing for coral.

1; goodnight kisses pillow $70  2; herringbone table runner $55  3; gear 2 necklace $60  4; slate shibori scarf $60  5; bon appetit wooden serving tray $62  6; black & brown polka dot wristlet $30

There are some great gifts that you just can't find anywhere else.. you should really just go browse around!

1; red anna marie tote $136  2; menthe necklace $160  3; feathers pillow $136  4; more than this silk scarf $120  5; alphabet rainbow original watercolor $125  6; Joy & Ruby Kids/Toddler Apron Set $108

Giveaway;;
You could win yourself a $25 gift card to BRIKA!   How awesome is that?!  Use it for some last minute Christmas gifts, or just a gift for yourself (you deserve it!).  To enter this giveaway, just visit BRIKA.. sign up.. it's easy-peasy, promise!  And then leave a comment and tell me what you would put your gift card towards (and a link to the item!) if you won!  Open to U.S. and Canadians 18+.  Winner will be chosen from the comments.  Ends 12/22/13 11:59pm.

Congrats to the winner; BPSCHILT

 Thanks to BRIKA for sponsoring this post.. love them!

Hot Cocoa For One {recipe}

So we've been trapped at home since Thursday night because of a super awesome ice storm.  We've been able to venture to WalMart and all that, but I haven't dared brave the highways... Arkansas drivers in winter weather = scary.  Unfortunately they're not equipped to deal with these situations like they are where I'm from.  If they only had salt trucks...

Doesn't look too bad through the windows.. but all the pretty white stuff, which I wish was snow so we could go out and play.. is just ice.  So we've taken advantage of our long weekend.. doing crafts, baking, and watching Christmas shows... and catching up on getting this house clean!  I've done a lot of sitting on the couch, fire place on, and admiring our Christmas tree with a big mug of hot chocolate.  I've got a nice little recipe, for just one mug of chocolate... easy-peasy..

I know a lot of people love marshmallows in their hot chocolate... and don't get wrong, I like them too... but I honestly much prefer some whipped topping.......... lots and lots of whipped topping.. why not indulge a little, right?  Why make instant when this stuff is just as easy, but 100x better?

Hershey's Hot Cocoa for One
recipe from Hershey's

• 1 cup milk
• 2 to 3 teaspoons cocoa
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
• dash salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

 Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a large mug.  Heat milk in microwave 2-3 minutes, or until hot.  Gradually add milk to cocoa mixture in mug, stirring until well blended.  Stir in vanilla.  Top with marshmallows or whipped topping.  Drink immediately.

Beauty Must-Haves for the Holidays

1.  Hello breath spray; all natural oral care.. to keep that breath fresh!

2.  Yes to Cucumbers daily calming moisturizer; keeps my face from getting dried and irritated in the cold winter months.

3.  theBalm Nude'Tude eyeshadow palette; my all-time favorite palette.. go natural or go smokey.

4.  EOS lip balm; to keep my lips moisturized.

5.  Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain; I love the colors sweetheart and & honey (pictured).

6.  Essie's Bahama Mama; the perfect deep berry color perfect for winter (and holidays).

7.  Vera Wang's Princess perfume; because you have to smell good too.  ;)

These are just some of my most favorite products, that I've been using a lot lately.  I was given the opportunity to try out Hello Breath Spray, and I gotta say, it's now a must-have in my purse.  I love how compact it is, and I think the sleek design is very appealing.  It comes in 4 different 'flavors'... supermint breath spray, grapefruit mint breathspray, mojito mint, and sweet cinnamint.  This breath spray leaves you good to go... the perfect dose of freshness while you're out and about this holiday season.  No alcohol, no ouch, and no worries.  You can find this little cuties at places like Target, CVS, and Walgreens.

 

What are your beauty must-haves this holiday season?  Comment below, I'd love to hear from you!
And while you're at it, why not enter my giveaway?  Hello has been very generous, and they are giving one of my readers 2 products of their choice!  U.S. residents, 18 and older please. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post is sponsored by Hello, but my love for their breath sprays is all my own!

Thankful

As I said in my previous post, we were blessed to be able to travel to Illinois and spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family.  It has been a year since we were last up to visit.. since I've seen my niece, nephew, brother, and my sister-in-law... much too long.  It was so nice to just relax, eat delicious food, and visit...

I loved seeing my husband and my daddy in the kitchen together.  I'm definitely thankful for the two main men in my life.  They were makin' sure the bird was perfect... and it was... very tasty.

And my precious niece and nephew, they've grown entirely too much since I've seen them last.  But it was so fun to see Clara play with her cousins, now that she's at that fun age. 

And of course all the delicious food.. we had all of our "traditional" dishes there.. turkey, homemade cranberry relish, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, scalloped corn, green bean casserole, and my mama's homemade stuffing.  Ending it all with chocolate pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and chocolate cheesecake!

We ended our get-together with a pretty sweet game of Apple to Apples (if you have never played, you need to).  How did everyone else spend their Thanksgiving?  What kind of food is most loved at your family get togethers?

Back to the Grind

Being a part of a military family.. and the fact that my husband and I are from two different states.. I have had the pleasure to call many places home.  Wherever my little family lands, we are home.. but I will always be able to call Arkansas (my husbands home state), and Illinois (my home state) home.  This year we were able to spend a little over a week in Illinois visiting my family for Thanksgiving.  We had a wonderful visit... Clara is so attached to her Nana and Papa that it breaks my heart when we have to say 'see ya later'.  We're definitely thankful for Skype!  I hope you all had a safe an enjoyable holiday.  As I type this, we're on our road trip back home... Hopefully I can get a few photos up soon to recap our visit.

Tomorrow it's back to the grind!  5am is going to come early after this 12 hour car ride.