My life is changed...

...all because of my new Clarasonic Mia. You see, I  had heard a lot of talk about this new little face device, so when my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I knew right away!

According to Clarisonic, here is what it says about this fabulous piece of "machinery" ha

Created by the lead inventor of the Sonicare toothbrush, Clarisonic is the essential first step in your daily ritual. Clarisonic’s micro-massage gently clears pores without harsh abrasion or chemicals, cleansing so effectively that skincare products absorb better. Finally, your serums and moisturizers have the chance to work the way they should. The Clarisonic is rechargeable and waterproof, so you can use it in the shower. It only takes 60 seconds, twice a day, to make sure your skin is as clean, soft, and vibrant as it can be.

With regular daily use the Clarisonic reduces dry skin patches, oily areas and blemishes. Pore size, fine lines and wrinkles appear smaller. Used pre-treatment by top dermatologists and spas Clarisonic is available for daily use at home through prestige retailers including Sephora.

I was a little skeptical at first, to be completely honest. I know of all these "in" products that are just popular at the moment but don't really work type of deals --- I know you know what I'm talking about. ;)

BUT WOW - this seriously works & couldn't be happier with how my skin feels & looks.

With Christmas right around the corner, I would highly suggest putting this on your list! It will not dissapoint. This little baby isn't cheap but is SO WORTH IT!

Here it is...

... a whole lot of mumble jumble. Ready? ha. 

1. It's a snow day here people!!!! Let me just say - when it snows in Texas, everything shuts down. But, I love it. This is Ellie's first snow & she LOVES it. When I took her on her walk this morning (bad idea on my part) she acted like a crazed dog! Jumping, running through it as fast as she could -- it was hilarious. My other pup Belle can't stand to get her paws wet, so after she did her business, her furry butt was back inside.

All bundled up :) 

2. This is my view since it IS a snow day. Pure.Bliss. Working from home, drinking coffee, & blogging. Multi-tasking at it's finest. ;)

3. I proudly made my first pound cake this weekend. It was soooo good & fattening! Sorry for the crazed look on my face, ha!

4. I'm loving this new fingernail polish I purchased by Essie, in marshmallow. I was a little nervous to try an all white on my nail, but I have got so many compliments!

5. Let's talk coffee. I looooove coffee, but I HAVE to have creamer in it. I usually keep a couple of options for me in the fridge, but as you can see here, I have 5. ha! My fav so far is the Pumpkin Spice. But word on the street is that there are 2 new Holiday flavors I MUST try. Also, I love spices. So, I decided to try a little cinnamon sugar & Pumpkin Spice {can't get enough of pumpkin, can i?} in my coffee grounds & it was YUM! Highly suggest.

6. There is nothin' better than a mound of marshmallows on a steamy cup of hot chocolate on a winter day.

7. I made "brinner" (breakfast for dinner) the other night for my boy & I --- & let's just say I didn't disappoint. ;) Sausage balls, pancakes, & eggs oh my!! It's one of my favorite things to eat for dinner, & one of my favorite childhood memories.

8. Pie.Bar.Fun. Need I say more?? My friendy Lauren & I randomly found this pie bar called, The Choc'late Mousse a couple months ago that we finally decided to try! It's bran new, SO SO cozy inside, & who doesn't like different variations of pie?! I chose the chocolate mousse, & gingerbread crust. We will be going back.

9. Michael Buble {Holiday} on Pandora is my fav. 'Nuff said.

10. This isn't random at all, but we have a little dilemma. My 6 yo pup Belle has gained alittletoomuchweight. So, she needs to go on a diet. BUT - my other almost 1 yo pup Ellie, is TOO skinny (Belle eats all her food, but don't tell her I told you) & needs to GAIN weight. So we have had to start feeding them at separate times, with different food. Ellie is loving the eating twice a day, but poor Belle only eats once a day. I think we've all felt her pain before --- diets are SO not fun.

Such a random post, but that seems to be my life right now. Happy Monday & stay warm! :)

T-Giving, & Christmas Festivites

Happy Wednesday friends --- you've made it half way through the week! I hope everyone had a vwonderful Thanksgiving, & I hope you stuffed your faces... I sure did. :) This is a little late, blah blah. I won't pull the whole, "I've been busy!" on y'all. ;)

I'll explain with pictures....

I mainly loved on my niece... she makes my heart swell!!

And of course I ate...& ate... & ate.... & ate..... {you get the picture}

We cannot wait to go home for Christmas -- the countdown begins!!

So, I have this problem every Holiday season. I lit.er.ally get anxiety about not being able to squeeze in every ounce of Christmas goodness. Like, we haven't done Gingerbread houses yet!! Oh my! Or... I haven't baked enough this season. Or... Are there enough lights on the tree?! Do my dogs know it's Christmas time?! We HAVE to look at Christmas lights! I need to paint my nails all the Holiday colors! Christmas cards! And don't even get me started on all the presents I want to buy...

It's pretty ridiculous. I'm really trying to settle myself... & remember 1. Jesus is the reason for the season & 2. I will make it all happen, because I do every year. :)

A couple things I have been doing...

{drinking plenty of the Starbucks Christmas coffee's}

{sitting my by fire, wearing these Bath & Body Works house shoes, & watching all my favorite Christmas movies!}

::How the Grinch Stole Christmas::

::Serendipity::

::Home Alone 1 & 2::

::Miracle on 34th Street::

::New in Town::

::Four Christmas'::

...just to name a few

And of course, drinking apple cider & "chuddling" with this boy!

And these pups...

Did anyone watch the Victoria Secret Fashion show night?? I did... with a Dr. Pepper in one hand, & ice-cream in the other.

Hehe :)

The Best Birthday + Weekend Fun

A little re-cap of my birthday, because I'll always want to remember it. This post is super long, by the way  - but some fun beauty tips at the end!

I didn't win the lottery, & I didn't go away on a huge vacation.  I didn't get thrown a surprise party (because I have threatened my friends not to, ha!). I stayed right here --- in my little city that is starting to become "home" to me. And? It was perfect. 

It was the best birthday because I have the opportunity to celebrate another year of life, with the best people. Best family. Best friends to act completely crazy with. Best God to worship. Best church. The world's best pup-dogs to love on. Best boy to love me, for me. Best everything.

I am so thankful, & so so blessed. Thankful.


And happy. I am really, very happy.

I started it off by going to see the Breaking Dawn premiere with my fran, Candice --- which was {hellooooooooo} the best way to start any birthday off!! :))) It was AMAZING, best one yet!!!

I woke up to breakfast (and Starbucks!) (and flowers!) in bed by my sweets. He is seriously the best. Why? Let's just say, he isn't the most romantic guy on earth, but when he tries - it is so.dang.cute. And means SO MUCH MORE. My sweet pup girls.

I had to work, but only til 2! I was treated by my sweet friend Chelsea to a mani/pedi! BLISS. And a pretty pretty pink cuppy cake. :)) So generous of her! ::sorry no pic::

After that - shopping for the perfect birthday outfit! I.love.to.shop.

That night, we headed out to the Funky Door - an upscale wine restaurant with yummy fondue & wine of  course! It was a great time. We went last year on my birthday as well, & I wouldn't mind going every year for the next 10 years on my day. :))

Saturday morning, I headed to my massage --- thanks to my sweet love! It was wooooonderful. I was still considering it my birthday {ha!} so after my massage, we grabbed pizza, & went to see Courageous. Oh my goodness y'all --- so good!!! Every man should see it.

Waiting in line... {loving my new TOMS from Candice for my birthday!!}

We took the girls for a walk after, & ran into the prettiest fall leaves!!! My fav time of year!

Then! We cooked my F A V O R I T E meal. Chicken wellington, homemade mac-n-cheese, & Caesar salad. We also watched Lincoln Lawyer -- awesome movie! (If you're still reading this - congrats! :))

Sunday Morning. Ahh my favorite day of the week. Here is an OOD. Just a little something -- I saw this fabulous combination for the perfect nude lip via Pinterest & decided to try it out. I really love my red lips, but I'm diggin' the nude too! It's the perfect combination, if I do say so myself.

{Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Nude & Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Peach Petal}

Coffee before with my bestie, Lauren.

Church was amazing --- as always. We hit up Cracker Barrel with our other friend Krista, where I found this oh-so-cute mug for Christmas! Chicken & dumplings, sweet carrots, & biscuits are the perfect Sunday lunch.

We saw Happy Feet later that day in 3D which was pretty cute, not sure if it was worth $10+ popcorn & coke but oh well! It was a GREAT birthday weekend!!!

Oh! Speaking of lipstick, ever heard of lip stain??? You can find it at Target or anywhere else I'm sure. Well, I LOVE IT. It literally will last H O U R S. I found that & Cinnamon M&M's.

All I pretty much had on in this pic, WAS the lip stain. I bit dramatic, but apply as necessary & wah-lah!

Good day! :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! Here are a few things I'm loving, thanks to Jaime's link up! :)

I'M LOVING....

 --- Fruit cups! I could seriously eat 4 of them. Yum!

--- This is SO random, but I love being a girl. I love perfume, jewelry, make-up, heels, etc.

--- Starbucks is having a little winter deal this Thursday-Saturday. Buy one Holiday drink, get one free! From 2-5. Coffee date anyone?? I'll buy. ;)

--- I have the BEST friends. One of my friends had to work on Friday, but she got it covered just for little ol' me. Birthdays only happen once a year, y'all! :)

--- I'm loving some of my Pinterest finds this week:

I might try making this, this weekend.

Lipstick, the perfect nude - YSL Sweet Honey

I think I NEED this outfit

Lace earrings - love.

feminine beauty

 

--- How fab is this hair-do? THE ballerina bun. I need to start practicing! Go HERE to watch the quick video. Gotta love Lauren Conrad. Her beauty website is pretty legit, you can often times find me there. ;)

Image

--- This bible verse just spoke to me this morning, I'm loving it. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Corinthians 16:13

10 of 'em

Phew! I feel like I'm at a loss for "blog" words, so bullets; errrr numbers - it will be.

1. Have I ever mentioned how much I LURRRRVE fresh, clean sheets? So much that {almost} every Wednesday, I wash them. Along with all my blankets. There is almost nothing better than curling up in warm, fresh-out-of-the-dryer cleeeeean sheets. Remember that my pup-girls sleep with me. I also love doing laundry. Does that make me weird? I love folding & putting away clean laundry, & knowing that every single piece of clothing is clean & ready to wear.

2. Christmas is right around the corner, y'all! YAY! Have you started your Holiday shopping? Because I sure have! Last year, I had almost all my shopping done by December & it.was.glorious.

3. My lovie has been out of town {insert sad face} so on Sunday Lauren, Krista & I decorated for the most wonderful time of the year! We had Starbucks, watched Home Alone, & chatted it up about our Fredricksburg trip --- which I cannot wait for! I love my friends, they are so precious to me.

4. I know I talk about Starbucks all the dang time, but gosh darn it --- I love it! Especially in the winter. I'm lovin' the Peppermint mocha, but that Chai latte has really been making me smile lately.

5. I love Jesus. I really, really do. Last Friday night, I met up with Lauren to meet up with new friends! We prayed, kind of like a Bible Study? It's SO NICE to have girls that can keep me accountable, & just to talk about how good GOD IS! It's amazing, really. HE'S amazing.

6. I get to see my precious niece {& the rest of the fam-bam) in 8 days!!! I've been so homesick for them lately, & I could definitely use a break from this so called "city life" I live. Ha. Plus --- hellooooo it's THANKSGIVING for crying out loud! Can't wait to bake some new recipes with my momma & Nannie.

7. My sweet babies {pup-girls} are being groomed as we speak. It breaks my heart to leave them with strangers {I know, pathetic} but the poor things needed it!

8. Hopefully sometime this week we {friends, lover --- or both!} will make it to our local Holiday Happening! I love to do anything & everything related to the Holidays & this is perfect!

9. I got hit with the stomach bug ::again:: Sunday night, so needless to say, Monday was spent recuperating on the couch. No fun --- but a good feeling when you start to feel better! It's pretty OBVI my immune system hates me this cold/flu season. Grrrr.

10. My birthday is on Friday, & I can't wait to spend it with my lovelies! I've never been that big on celebrating my bday --- I hate being the center of attention, I really really hate surprises (call me Miss. Scrooge) so a low-key celebration is perfect for me.

Hope you all are having a fab Tuesday!