Christmas Around The Apartment

We are one week away! Can you believe that in one week it will be Christmas?!

I feel like the season has absolutely flown by this year and I have felt behind this whole month. I had our apartment decorated the week before Thanksgiving but just haven't gotten around to snapping pictures or writing a post. So here is a tour of our little living room during this Christmas season!

Christmas Kermit sits on our couch next to our Let It Snow pillow. I'm not sure where Kermit came from because I've had him for years but the pillow is from the Target dollar section from a few years ago. I love the color!

Yes, Tim was playing Madden while I took pictures. This is where our stockings hang using some command hooks. I purchased these simple stockings from Kohls this year. I also have snowflake lights from Ikea in front of  the tv. A little snow angel sits on top of my books, a tiny elf on the corner and my newest purchase the little sign that says "keep calm and wait for santa" which was also purchased at Kohls this year.

Our Christmas tree is a fake one from Walmart which has worked beautifully for us. I have a ton of Christmas ornaments that I've collected through the years and I even gave Tim his own Eagles ornament for the tree. I also picked up some mint chocolate candy canes for the tree.

This cute bear is something my papa's girlfriend gifted me a few years ago. I saw this bear in a store  and loved it and she surprised me with it that Christmas.

This little elf is one of my favorite memories. I actually stole this from my grandma and papa's house when I was little because I thought he was so cute. There is actually a yellow heart bead stuck in his rear (not sure why...) and I've had him as long as I can remember.

Just a quick peek in the kitchen. Aren't these snowman towels my mom gave us adorable?! I love that we'll be able to use them all season as well.

In addition to all of these decorations we have our holiday candles burning, our holiday soaps at both sinks, and have been using a holiday oven mitt as well. Might as well go all out right?!

I hope you are all getting excited for Christmas and I'll talk to you a little later this week!

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

My most recent read was Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and I thought it was fairly entertaining. The novel itself it a post-apocalyptic story similar to that of the Hunger Games. It reminded me of Katniss' tale in a few ways mostly because the protagonist Mare Barrow comes from one of the poorest neighborhoods in the region. The premise of the world Victoria introduces us to is a battle of silver blood and red blood. If you have silver blood you are royalty or of a prestigious family. Each person of silver blood has a special ability- magical powers and can use them to defeat others. If you have red blood you are a commoner. Mare is a thief; she has no job and steals what her family needs in order to get by. Her younger sister has a job working with silk and her three older brothers have all been sent off to war. Mare knows that she will be going off to war too, until she taken from her house and brought to the royal family to work.

On her first day working for the royalty she accidentally reveals that she has powers of her own. The king and queen are fascinated that although she bleeds red blood she also holds powers so they decide to have her marry one of the princes and study her. They desperately do not want the public to know it's possible for a red blood to have powers like a silver.

Mare quickly learns that she can't trust anyone as she realizes she anyone can betray anyone. 

Although I was entertained throughout this book and have downloaded the sequel, I wouldn't say it's my favorite book ever. I will certainly continue reading the series but it wasn't something I think everyone needs to read immediately. Have you read this? The next book is The Glass Sword and I'm finding it to be significantly slower then Red Queen.

I have a few other book reviews coming up because I have been reading a little bit more frequently lately! What books have you read lately?

Holiday Gift Guide 2016

If you're anything like me you might be already close to done with your Christmas shopping. I only have a few more items to purchase and then I will be completely done! I did want to pop on here and share my annual gift guide with you. You can check out my previous gift guides by searching right here on the blog. 

Here is a collection of items I think would make terrific gifts this holiday season. 

This is a new item for me and I'm obsessed! I've always used LUSH lip scrubs and enjoyed them but when I heard about the lip scrub by sara happy I knew I had to check it out. It's a gentle lip scrub that feels great and smells delicious. I use this once or twice a week and although this little container retails for $24.12 on Amazon it is something that will last you quite a long time. I think any woman who loves beauty products would be thrilled to see this under her tree or inside a stocking!

The Wet Brush retails for just under $9 on Amazon but it something I absolutely love. I grew up with very tangly hair and if I don't brush my hair out after emerging from the shower I'm in for a fight when I go to style it. (and everyone wonders why I just wear my hair up most of the time) I don't know many girls who wouldn't appreciate a nice brush and this one is certainly worth it especially since it's at such a low price.

It seems like Tis The Season is sold out of the 3-wick candle version currently online but this is by far my favorite holiday scent from Bath and Body Works! We are also using the hand soap in our bathroom and the scent is just so cheerful this time of year. Bath and Body Works consistently has great deals on candles this time of year- in fact yesterday was their annual $8.50 each sale (which explains why they are currently sold out of a ton of items) so keep an eye out because candles make great gifts for everyone!

Currently books one and two from the Harry Potter series have been released in illustrated editions and it's something any Harry Potter lover would love. They retail on Amazon at $23.99 and are just beautiful collectors items. I have both in my house currently and it's a beautiful way to read and appreciate these classic tales.

This is my favorite seasonal lotion scent from Bath and Body Works and if you keep your eye out you can get great deals on this as well! The ultra shea lotion can be paired with the shower gel to make a great gift for any girl in your life.

If you've been reading for any length of time you now that I absolutely love my birchbox!  The women's box retails for $10 a month and men's is $20 a month. The best part about this gift is that you can give it for Christmas and they will receive a box each month which is so fun- it keeps the gift going for as long as you like. You can do a three month, six month, or year long gift which gives your recipient plenty of time to decide if they want to continue subscribing.

Know a sports fan? Well right now in the midst of football season it's great time to get that football fan some gear. There are great deals going on right now and you can buy everything including hats, scarves, socks, jerseys, sweatshirts, and more! A great choice for any sports fan. I am currently lusting over the Patriots hat pictured. Not that I wear hats much...but you know...

Beats are so expensive but they are seriously great headphones. I have had the chance to try them on several occasions and these are great for guys or girls. They are great for blocking out all other sound when you are listening to music (or an audiobook). There are a ton of different options to choose from as well. 

Apparently if you are a video-gamer this is the game of the moment. Tim just recently got this and while I am not a video game person at all, if you have one in your life you might want to consider picking this up.  Just make sure you check what type of console your loved one has first! Another idea for a video game lover is a new controller- something that I've gifted Tim in the past and he has appreciated- controllers are expensive!

We actually just picked up this particular LEGO Ninjago kit for Tim's nephew because it's on sale for $24.79, originally $40! Tim's nephews love LEGOs and they have some great sales this time of year. We just recently saw LEGO minecraft on sale at Target in store for 50% off. They were actually all sold out by the time we got there but what a great deal. We don't see a ton of deals on LEGOs but this time of year there are quite a few!

Some of my other favorite gifts to buy this time of year? 

• Ornaments
• Gift Cards
• Candy and Other Food Treats
• Big Electronics (SO MANY SALES!)

I have only a few more items and then I'm done- how much Christmas shopping have you completed?!

Black Friday Haul!

We are not those crazy people who wake up super early on Black Friday and wait in massive lines to get the best deals. I was that crazy person who woke up and immediately start watching Gilmore Girls...but that's another story :)

We decided to head out later in the afternoon and just take a look around and see what we could find and we came back with quite a bit! I prefer to get the CVS freebies, some cheap movies from Walmart, and a few other deals. At this point the majority of my Christmas shopping is done so I'm basically just looking for things I don't want to pay full price for.

We started off at Kohls where we picked up a toaster over for $5.26 after all discounts. Plus we are going to get a rebate which makes it a money maker!
I grabbed a new Taylor Swift perfume set since I've recently finished this perfume and needed a new bottle. Makeup brushes, a hair brush, and a couple of earrings later I met up with Tim and he had a pair of gloves and we checked out and headed to our next stop....

CVS! Always my favorite on Black Friday because there are so many free items after ECB's. Here's what I picked up for free/cheap: toothpaste, lysol wipes, pantyliners, canned veggies, candy, toothbrushes, mascara, batteries, and gum.

We headed off to Walmart next and picked up a ton of DVDs. I also grabbed a sweatshirt that was only $9.

Target was next on our list and I picked up The Red Queen book for only $5.

Bath and Body Works was buy 3 get 3 free so I purchased two gift sets, two candles, two soaps, and then also had a free item so I picked up a lotion as well. (I don't need any more lotion!)

We also stopped in Old Navy where I picked up pants for work at 50% off.

Basically we were exhausted after this excursion but were very happy with the amazing deals we got!

Did you go out Black Friday shopping?

October and November Birchboxes!

Well I didn't share my October Birchbox last month and I had taken pictures and everything! So I decided to combine both last month and this month into one post so you guys can see everything.

Back in September I had talked about possibly canceling my subscription just due to the amount of products coming in to my collection. Just when I thought I would cancel, October's box was spectacular. Birchbox must've heard me...

I'm never a huge fan of perfumes that come in but I did really like this Clean White Woods perfume.  I haven't used it all but I have so much perfume I want to use up first.

This Clarins Energy Booster I have yet to try but it certainly looks interesting.

This is something that you mix into your moisturizer to energize your skin. It's an extremely small sample so I don't think there will be many uses in there!

I've used Parlor products before but I'm not sure I've ever used their conditioner. I always love a conditioner sample because I go through it so quickly. Right now I have a few I'm working through, but this one is ready to go into my rotation.

I love Moriccan Oil products! I think they make great products and was thrilled to see this in my box. It's already halfway gone in my desk at work and I am loving every drop of it!

I haven't used this Cleansing Milk by Juice Beauty yet but I do like Juice Beauty products. I have a ton of cleanser samples but I will definitely use this sooner or later.

I've never had a shadow stick before but this one by LOC is gorgeous!

I love the shimmer to it and it's a perfect color for day to day or for a night out. I always like when I can use a single eyeshadow instead of fussing with several in the morning. I love it!

The last product in my box (So many products right?!) is the Claris Multi Active Day which is a face cream that looks great. Right now I have a new moisturizer that I'm trying to see if it works day to day, but once it's done I will give this one a go!

Now for my November box...

The box itself is absolutely gorgeous this month!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye couldn't have come at a better time because I desperately needed an eye cream. My eyes look so tired every day and I'm on the hunt for an eye cream that can help me out. I can't wait to try this :)

Amika's Silken Up Dry Conditioner seems like a great product. I don't use a ton of dry shampoo but I'm definitely willing to give it a try. I know a lot of people use dry shampoo to give texture to their hair and I honestly don't need much texture because my hair is already crazy but conditioner might be a little more up my ally.

I selected this Coastal Scents Blush and Bronzer Palette to be included in my box and love how pretty it is! I haven't tried it yet but always love powder products.

Avene Soothing Moisture Mask looks great since it's for sensitive skin. I always appreciate things that are made for my skin so I don't break out. I have a few masks to use up first but then I will test this one out.

Last but not least is Bumble and Bumble's Hairdresser's Invisible Oil. I've already used this a couple of times when my hair has dried and when my hair has just been straightened. I LOVE oils for my hair, it makes them behave and seem silky and smooth.

So those are all my new products! I can't wait to use every one of them!
What products have you been trying lately?

Marissa's Birthday and Rachel's Baby Shower

Long time no see guys! 

Sometimes it's just nice to take a break and that's exactly what I needed to do last week. No worrying about posting, taking pictures, etc... 

Well I'm back to share our busy weekend! On Saturday night it was our friend Marissa's birthday excursion to Patriot Place! I've shared adventures in Patriot Place before and this one was just as fun! We hit up a few new-to-me spots which was great- I always love checking out new places!

The first was Saga, a Hibachi restaurant where we had dinner. I am not a huge fan of Hibachi at all but I actually enjoyed myself at dinner. I appreciated that the cook asked whether or not we wanted saki rather then just squirting it in everyone's mouth (I've had a bad experience at a local Hibachi restaurant...not everyone wants to drink!) and the food was good, which I always can appreciate.

After dinner we headed to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar. I had never been in this bar either, it was very country. The band playing did mix it up a little bit so we were able to enjoy other songs besides just country, but for the most part...it was pretty country.

We had a good time though, enjoying a couple of drinks and the company of Marissa's 22nd birthday crew! (Yes, the fact that she's ONLY 22 is making me feel pretty old right now)

Excuse the grainy cell phone pictures...Someday I will have a nice camera!

Sunday morning started early since my mom and I had a baby shower to attend! Rachel is expecting a little girl in January and we were excited to head to the Madison Beach Hotel to shower her!

Of course what is a baby shower without babies?!

My mom couldn't get enough of Bella! She is a cuddly little girl and my mom just wanted to keep holding her :)

Emma and Bella has quite the escape plan though, they spent most of their time standing in the window staring out at the ocean.

So cute! These girls certainly kept the whole table on their toes when they were let loose! 

It was a great shower and nice to see everyone that I don't see very often! I can't believe how Rachel's belly is growing- it's so crazy to think a baby will be here before we know it!

This picture is when my mom told me that if we rubbed Rachel's belly we would get a wish. So I wished for a million dollars :)

It seems like only a few years ago we were back in 6th grade writing notes back and forth. Now we are trying to be grown ups?!

This last picture is when Rachel's sister Ally said that we looked like we were both glowing in the pictures she was taking. I said "I hope I'm not glowing" No babies over here anytime soon!

I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend as well!

CVS Couponing Week of 10/31/2016

Hey guys!

Just wanted to stop by and let you know that there is a new video up on my YouTube page for my CVS couponing for the week of 10/31/16. I got so many products for just over $5- Crazy!

So go check it out here:

https://youtu.be/w2COpbfda9s

Have a great day!