Oh Christmas..

Hello lovelies! 

I think I have increased an entire pant size this holiday. I ate more cookies, dips and holiday treats than I should of..but it was worth every bite! I just got back today from spending two days in Columbia where we visited Michael's family. We had so much fun playing board games (Logo is the best game ever and highly recommend it) and hanging around the fire catching up on the latest and greatest.

Now that Christmas is over I don't feel guilty for making a few purchases for myself! I got mirror for Christmas (pictures to come soon in an OOTD hopefully!!!) and now I am in the mood to buy a few pieces for the bedroom to help spruce it up a bit. Here are a few things I have my eye on!

Urban Outfitters Fairest of them all vanity table

and

Ziggy Chair

Also here is an outfit I got inspiration from when I saw these Steve Madden pumps that are to die for.

 

                                   Lace dress by makenzieb featuring      high heel sandals

Tis the season

Can anyone else belive that Christmas is on Sunday? I am not even done shopping. Gah, such a procrastinator.

How crazy time flies by and how there just seems to be not enough time during the day. It's so easy just to go about the hustle and bustle of the holiday and forget the true meaning of Christmas. Plus the weather being 75 degrees here, it truly hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner.

Here are a few pictures to get you in the holiday spirit.

via

Xoxo-M

Off for last minute shopping!

What's in my gym bag

Well with me being under the weather and all lately I haven't really been fashion inspired for a blog post, being that I have been in sweats and curled up under a blanket for days.  The first thing that came to my stuffy little mind was the gym!

So I decided to share my ideal gym bag with you. I find myself getting to the gym at all hours of the morning and half asleep, wishing I had this or wishing I brought that. My thoughts are that by doing this post it will allow me to get organized a bit and throw everything I need into my bag the night before so in the morning I can just run out the door. 

we shall see!

First things, first is a bag. I just use a Land's End canvas tote. It is big enough to hold everything I need but small enough to fit in a locker. It's more of a beach tote, but hey it works!

A water bottle is probably the most important. Nothing like getting the gym and realize you don't have one. CamelBak's ^® are great because they are 100% BPA-Free! Here is what the website says about it:

CamelBak^® Got Your Bak™ Lifetime Guarantee

Flip, Bite-N-Sip: Our bottle Bite Valve's proven design contains no moving parts. Simply bite and sip- no tilting required.

Simple to Carry: The integrated handle makes it easy to clip a carabiner or carry with the crook of a finger.

Dishwasher Safe: Disassemble the parts and your bottle is safe to clean in the top rack of your dishwasher.

Spill-Proof: Our bottle won't spill even if it is left in the open position.

My iPod is probably the one thing I HAVE to have. I cannot do cardio/workout without it. Making sure it is charged and having a current favorite playlist is key. 

Packing a washcloth and a hand towel is important. I don't know about you but using a washcloth  the gym provides grosses me out. Not knowing how much soap the gym used or thinking the person that used it before me was a guy in the gym who profusely sweated and  then I use it right after grosses me out.  Plus they spray those chemicals on it, swipe down the machine then throw it in the pile to get "washed". Ew.

So I bring my own, as well as a hand towel because I go to the Y and all they have in the locker room is paper towels and when I wash my face I want more than paper to dry it off. (I have used the blow dryer when I forgot a hand towel and that same day they were out of paper towels).

This brings me to washing my face. Since I go to the gym early in the mornings, I take everything I need to get ready for the day with me. I like to wash my face with St. Ive's Apricot Scrub after I am done working out just because I feel it gets the sweat and nasty stuff out of my pores before I apply my makeup. I swear by this product and will use nothing else!

If I am on the run and don't have to do wash my face properly with facial cleanser and water,  I just use a 2-in-1 Daily Facial Cloths from Olay.

 Here is what Olay says about these cloths:

These two-sided cloths exfoliate and clean deep down to the pores.

• Smooth side gently removes dirt, oil and make-up—even mascara

• Textured side with micro-beads cleans skin deeply and exfoliates

• Soap-free formula tones skin and contains pro-vitamin B5 and witch hazel

 

 

 Keeping essentials such as a brush, deodorant, extra hair ties, bobby pins and head bands are important.  Luckily since I go in the morning, I leave with my hair up in a pony and head band so I don't have to worry. It's those rare occasions when I go after work I realize I don't have anything I need.

 

Every morning as I run through the kitchen I grab something to eat for a snack after the gym.

It varies from a whole wheat waffle with peanut butter (my favorite), grapes, dry cereal, or yogurt with granola. 

Well I hope this helps me become more organized and helps you too if you are like me!

Xoxo-M

Weekend Woe's

Warning: Please excuse my whining, ranting and raving.

Well let's just say things didn't go as planned this weekend.

Friday I  woke up with a sore throat and the sniffles and it only went down hill from there.

Dinner on Friday was sushi with my dad and sister

Highlight of my weekend sadly.

Then Saturday Michael and I were suppose to go to Charleston to see the James Island lights and celebrate our anniversary but I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed. I was disappointed because we planned this for awhile now but if we did go I would have been completely miserable so we decided we will try to go next Friday (hopefully I feel better!). 

As of now I am still in bed and only feel worse. Tomorrow we have a Christmas lunch for work at my favorite Thai restaurant as well as another on Thursday. I have not completed my Christmas shopping which I was going to do in Charleston so basically this is the worst possible time for me to get a cold/flu/bug/etc.

On a positive note I was able to get a lot of pinning done on Pintrest as well as found a few items to add to my wish list.  I am in need of a new tote for my  books next semester and here are some candidates I found!

Tory Burch Nylon Logo Ella Tote

Kate Spade

 MICHAEL Michael Kors Jet Set-Large Tote

Vineyard Vines Classic Tote

(not a huge fan because the canvas will get dirty really fast but they are cute!)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hard to belive Christmas is in a week!!

Xoxo-M

Our Story

Our anniversary date from when he asked me to be his girlfriend was last Tuesday. 

So I felt that this was a great time to tell everyone our "story".

It starts from the first day of first grade when we sat next to each other because we had to sit alphabetically, I was a B and he was C. I had the biggest crush on him. Sometimes on the way to school mom would honk the car horn at him as he waited at the end of his driveway for the bus and I about had a heart attack. I thought it was SO embarrassing for my mother to do that. And it was never just a single honk. It was more like a honk, honk, honkkkk, HONNKKKKK. Horrible.  I would wait by the window in Ms. Wilson's class to watch is mom pull in and drop him off at the car rider area. When I saw him walking in  I would run and to my seat real fast and wait for him to sit beside me at our table.

Luckily we had 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade together. But in 4th grade our classrooms were across the hall and I thought it was the worst thing ever.

 

You know when your little and you would dream about your wedding? Of course I was always in a Cinderella white dress and he was always my groom. Always. When we had slumber parties we would used to play those  MASH games where it would tell you who your husband would be, what car you would drive, where you would get married, etc I always cheat so he would be my "husband".

So that silly kid crush went on till middle school where mom would actually let me go on a "date." We planned  movie dates through MSN chat, which is the only way we talked because I was always too nervous to actually use the real phone (eventually we did but it was MSN for awhile). I still have conversations I printed out from 6th, 7th and 8th grade. They are so cute to go back and read. Our parents would drop us off right in front of the movies and then be waiting on us to pick the two of us up after the movie. FINALLY in 7th grade we held hands and I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. My hand would fell asleep half way through the movie but I was always too scared to say anything so by the time the credits were rolling my hand was completely numb, we laugh at this because his did the same thing but he never said anything either!

We dated off and on in middle school but I would all ways "dump" him because I just decided I didn't want a boyfriend that day, then in a week we were "going out" again. (oh those middle school days)

For about 1-2 years we didn't date. But in the summer after 9th grade we started "talking" again. I don't know what it was about us but we always went back to each other. On December 13, 2008 he asked me to be his girlfriend and we have been inseparable ever since.

He is someone that knows exactly what to say to cheer me up, he always sees the positive and is the most down to earth guy. He is so goofy and makes me laugh 24/7. It's so hard to get upset with him because I just look at him and usually we both just start laughing.

Two summer's ago I had a major surgery and was in the hospital for 13 days. He was there by my side every day and night. The slept in the most gosh awful uncomfortable chair just so he would be there if I needed anything. Even when I came home he always was there making sure I didn't need anything and I was okay. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him at this point in my life. He was so caring and so comforting that I could not of asked for anything better.

I am so lucky that my best friend is also the one I love. We have so many wonderful memories together and hopefully so many more to come.

Here a few pictures from the years:

Xoxo-M

Instyle: January 2012

Yay for Wi-Fi at the hotel in Georgia!! 

This trip has been quite the adventure so far. We have been lost about 80% of the time and the GPS keeps taking us to dead end roads. Turns out mom didn't buy the upgrade for the Garmin so its taking us to nonexistent roads and doesn't know anything basically BUT thank goodness for atlas's!

But on the way down I was able to read my Instyle which I am shocked of how skinny this issue is ( sad face**) I was able to read it like in 45 mins.

But even with it being short it was jam packed full of great info!

So I figured I would pick out my fav tips/advice/info that I found to be useful and I hope you do too!

I have also decided that for every issue of Instyle, I will do a blog post dedicated for that month's magazine. I will just recap my most favorite tips, relay great advice, which products I have to try, etc.

So for January 2012 issue of Instyle here are my thoughts:

First of all Jennifer Gardner is just looking more spectacular as she ages

lucky duck.

 *

When I see the cover reads "20 Most Annoying Beauty Problems Solved" or anything along those lines, I just get so excited and have to flip right to that article. I get so excited for some odd reason knowing I might just learn a tip or two that will solve problems that I never really thought of until I read the "problem"

Such as...

Hair's appear on my skin so quickly after shaving. I am thinking to myself well brunettes hair does grow when we get goose bumps so duh. I am hoping other's have heard of this and it's just not me. BUT supposely "hair gets trapped under the skins surface by dead cells. So basically exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate and you'll legs will be smoother than a babys bottom.

*

Then I read "Over time the packaging of my makeup looks grimy." If your like me, I throw everything into a makeup bag, brushes and all. So obviously it gets grimy and cakey with makeup but I didn't realize this was a bad thing, but turns out it is!

"Your fingers are covered with creams and oils, and that residue winds up on your compacts. You actually can transfer that residue and bacteria to your face. Ew. SOO what's a girl to do?!?! 

Wipe down your makeup compacts and disinfect makeup and beauty tools as well. They say you can wash eye shadow applicators by hand with dish detergent and water, but using a lotion makeup remover works just as well!

*

Problem: Hot iron burns

Solution: Silicone ear covers!! How novel is this idea. If I had a dollar for every time I burned the top of my ear I would be..well possibly a millionaire. 

You can find GlamEars here

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Then I was completely flabergasted/shocked/appaled/etc. when I read part of this interview with Jennifer Aniston.

And it reads..

IS: It must be hard to deal with all the tabloids. How do you handle it?

JA: I quit smoking a few months ago and I put on a couple of pounds. Normally I'd be lke "oh my god, I gained weight!" Everyone is going to think I am pregnant! Now I just don't care."

I don't know what shocked me more. Than fact that she smoked or that fact she "put on a couple of pounds." 

 (where are those few pounds?!?!)

*

Also peacock blue is trending right now (via glamour.com)

I absolutely love this color! It goes so well with camel colored boots that I currently have been living in recently.

Xoxo-M