Signs of the Season

Can yall believe that Thanksgiving is a week away?! I know I've said this before, but my goodness, this year has FLOWN by! I'm beyond excited for Christmas, though, as I love EVERYTHING about this season! I can't get enough of Christmas music (I'm listening to it right now...) and I love the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping. To me, there are a few things that mark the arrival of the holiday season, and they have all appeared in full force.

First, my recent major guilty pleasure of the holidays is the Chick-fil-a Peppermint Milkshake! Have yall had one of these? If not, run, don't walk, to your nearest Chick-fil-a and get one. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Starbucks Christmas coffee cups. Love them, and love the fabulous wintery drinks that fill them! Sorry for the quality of this image... I didn't have the patience to deal my digital camera and its pokey uploading! Also, Starbucks has their holiday drinks buy one, get one free from 2-5 pm today through Sunday, November 21! What a perfect excuse to catch up with a friend over coffee!

Lastly, as I've featured earlier... I love it when stores roll out their Christmas displays of wrapping paper, decorations and all sorts of other fun things! Speaking of wrapping paper, I wrapped my first gifts of the season! With the move coming up, I'm trying to get my shopping and wrapping done early to cut down on stress later.

Notice my fabulous pink and green Hobby Lobby paper I told yall about earlier! Also, I got the polka dot black paper for $0.74 (!) on clearance at Target! I was a little skeptical if it would be Christmas-y enough, but I found that wonderfl glitter ribbon at Michael's and it tied it together nicely, don't you think?

Anyway, on a different note... as I mentioned yesterday, I've earned some extra cash and gift cards by doing online surveys! Now, you won't make a killing, but if you have some time to spare you can make at least a little extra cash and also help shape new product designs, etc. In the past year or so, I've made a little over $175 in cash and gift cards by doing surveys at night while watching tv, etc. One of my favorite survey sites just sent out an e-mail that they are accepting new members, so I thought I would pass it along! This site is called Pinecone Research, and they pay $3 for each survey you do. I know it may not sound like a lot, but these surveys only take about 20 minutes and are actually pretty interesting. Also, some of them can lead to product trials where you get free items to try out! Here is the link to sign up!

Well, I'm off to do some more packing and move prep while dancing around my house to Christmas tunes!

(Milkshake image from here!)

Dear Santa, Define Nice!

Sorry about the lack of updates lately! The move is quickly approaching, and with Thanksgiving also just around the corner I've been quite busy and slightly overwhelmed. I broke down and bought several sheets of poster board so I could write mega "to-do" lists that will keep me organized and on task! We tackled our storage room yesterday, and it was a pretty scary task. For the past year, it's been our catch all for any boxes we didn't want to go through, sporting goods that we may or may not use, and out of season clothes and decor. Mr. C discovered the three pink Christmas trees I had stashed in there, and was oh so excited when he realized that although we won't have furniture most of the holiday season this year, our home will be a pink winter wonderland! I'll be sure to post pictures when I get my trees all set up ;)

Also, be sure to go to the Wholly Guacamole website to print out a $4/1 coupon! This will make for some really cheap, and possibly free, guac or queso! The coupon will be up until tomorrow, 11/11 and expires on Sunday, 11/14. I've heard that this is on sale at Publix for $2.99, which means you might even be able to get overage!

Now I'll leave you with some eye candy from the new Kate Spade Holiday Gift Guide!

Candy Darling Rosalie Wristlet - $125 - Isn't this wristlet perfect for any holiday soiree? It's so classic that you could carry it for many holiday seasons to come!

Jingle Bell Headband - $75 - What a fun way to add some holiday cheer to your outfit! They also have jingle bell earrings and jingle bell bobby pins!

Peppermint Earmuffs - $65 - These are such fun! What a great way to brighten up an otherwise dreary winter outfit.

Ice Queen Bib Necklace - $595 - This is the type of necklace that completely steals an outfit. Now, if only I had a spare $600 lying around...

Make sure you're on the Nice List this year and maybe Santa will put one of these fab items in your stocking!

Pilates... the perfect excuse for a new wardrobe!

If you're anything like me, you're always looking for an excuse to add new items to your wardrobe. Well, I've recently started taking Pilates classes and I am loving it. In addition to getting myself back in shape, this has given me an excuse to shop around for some more yoga pants and leggings. Here are some of my favorite finds!

Lilly Pulitzer Half-Moon Crop Pant - These are also available in pink, and the waistband is kind of hard to see, but it's an adorable swirly flower pattern! 

Victoria's Secret Yoga Foldover Crop Legging - They have these in tons of different colors and patterns with cute matching shirts!

Victoria's Secret Foldover Pant - Ok, so these may not be the most practical, but I would definitely stand out amongst all the military men at the gym on base! Plus, I think sequins make anything more fun ;)

Old Navy Fold-Over Yoga Capris - I feel like the fit of Old Navy's clothes can be a little hit or miss, but for less than $20, I think these cute argyle capris are worth a shot!

What are your favorite brands and styles of yoga and athletic wear?

These are a few of my favorite things...

Mr. C and I were very blessed to receive a lot of wonderful gadgets as wedding gifts. I have to admit that I love all sorts of new gadgets and anything that makes life easier and improves my quality of life. I'm a complete sucker for all things new and shiny! Without further ado, I present some of my favorite gizmos and gadgets...

 

This little guy is probably my favorite and most used gadget right now. It's the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush and it will revolutionize the way you look at washing your face. It's from the makers of the Sonicare tooth brush, and it's basically just like the Sonicare, but for your face. It's incredibly refreshing and is proven to remove 6x more make up than washing your face manually. It also leaves your skin feeling super smooth and much cleaner. Mr. C has even been known to sneak a wash in before shaving because he says it makes his skin feel softer! They come in the grey, white and pink, and I promise you won't be disappointed if you invest the $200 and get one of these! 

Mr. C and I use our Keurig Platinum Brewer nearly every morning. It's wonderful because it allows us to each enjoy our own hot beverage without any mess or having to brew a whole pot of coffee. I drink my English Breakfast Tea almost religiously, and Mr. C is more of a coffee drinker. You just put the individual "K-Cup," shut the lid and hit brew, and within seconds you have a piping hot, delicious drink! They make literally hundreds of K-Cups from tons of different brands, and best of all you can buy them pretty much wherever normal tea and coffee is sold! 

Prior to the wedding, whenever I asked married friends what Mr. C & I should definitely register for, they almost all immediately told me I should register for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. At first I didn't know what the big deal was, but now I certainly do. Apart from looking beautiful on my counter (Mr. C doesn't quite grasp its beauty, I must admit...) it just makes baking so much easier. It's wonderful to toss some ingredients in, turn it on and let it go while I tidy up or get the next step of my recipe ready to go. 

I know, I know... it has one of the cheesiest infomercials ever, but I just LOVE my Magic Bullet blender. I was very hesitant at first to buy one, but my mother got me one as a Christmas gift after discovering how wonderful it was from a friend of hers. I am a huge fan of smoothies, and this little guy makes smoothie-making so much easier! Before I had the Magic Bullet, I hardly ever made smoothies because it was such a pain to make one little smoothie in the blender and then have to clean it all up. With the Magic Bullet, you put all of your ingredients in the cup you drink out of, screw on the blade and blend! When all is said and done, you just wash the blade quickly and stick the cup in the dishwasher. I can make a delicious, fresh smoothie in about a minute! It also is great for frozen drinks, mousse, sauces, and so many other things! 

(all images courtesy of the ever wonderful Google Image Search!)