New year....New you?

I'm still on the fence on how I feel about new years resolutions.  I feel like why wait a year to make a change? Tomorrow's a new day and try to focus on that right?  Here are a few things I'd like to work on personally in the new year. 

1.  Be more open minded and accepting.
2.  I tend to stress myself out over things I can't control I need to learn how to let things go. 
3.  To be more aware of my spending habbits....waking up and checking your bank statement after a night out can sometimes be scary. 
4.  I feel like since I've been dating Rob I have opened up to different things that I would normally never try.  I want to continue to try new things no matter how much I bitch about it in the moment.  (Rob you can hold this one to me). 
5.  I want to travel more.  One of my goals is to go to Europe before I'm 30. 
6.  Make my bed everyday....I know this is a easy one but I need to work on it. 

Enough of my resolutions.  I am beyond excited for nye tomorrow.  This is the first year that I am not hanging out with my friends : ( but me and rob decided we wanted to do a classy dinner and drinks.  I got a dress for Christmas and I can't wait to wear it tomorrow.  And the prepping begins to get glammed out. 
I want to wish everyone a safe and happy new year!

Holiday Recap....

I have to say that this year has been the best Christmas that I have had in awhile.  My holiday break started by going to the Cardinals vs. Bears game.  Rob and I ended up scoring third row seats! And the icing on the cake...The Bears won! Before the game we tailgated with some of Rob's friends and there parents.  I love hanging out with other people's parents especially when they remind me of my own.  Always a good time. 

 

On Christmas eve Rob went golfing with my Dad and I wrapped gifts and helped my mom get ready for Christmas day.  Later that night we went out to dinner to one of my favorite places Durant's.  Durant's on the outside looks like a total dive.  But once inside it brings back that old time like 60's feel.  They have hands down the best filet in town.  And not to mention my favorite desert.....strawberry short cake yum!  Later that night me and Rob had exchanged gifts.  He did something super clever.....and it was his way of getting out of wrapping my gift.  He hid my gift and told me to go find it in the house. So I was searching and on our mantel where the stockings hang was a random moose stuffed animal....I was like OK....Cute....Once I grabbed the moose I realized it was wearing diamond hoop earrings! I love them.  I got Rob a Burton travel bag for his snowboard stuff.  Slightly bummed because he figured out what I had gotten him long before.  But oh well I'm glad he likes it. 

On Christmas day my Mother was scheduled to work.  However she got called in the morning and was cancelled.  Because my Mom was originally scheduled to work my brother in law had volunteered to make our Christmas dinner.  We do Italian every year on Christmas and this year was no different.  However Jordan learned that cooking is not as easy as it looks.  It ended up taking three additional hours then expected.  Everything ended up working out because I got the chance to spend the additional time with my family.  I really enjoyed all of the gifts that I had received this year.  But the one thing that I had asked for was the link J. Crew bracelet....and I got it : ) Hope everyone else got what they wanted this Christmas!

And one more thing....I can finally officially announce.....I AM GOING TO BE A AUNT!!!!

 

 



Dog sitting...

I cannot be in a better mood right now. I have the next five days off of work to spend time with my family. And on Sunday were going to the Bears game. We ended up getting third row seats (Happy Dance). I've never actually sat that close so I am beyond excited. I've been watching my sisters dog for a couple days. I thought it would be nice for Martini so she wouldn't have to be alone so much. But little did I know that Martini has gotten so use to being alone that she doesn't like to play with her. This week I went to a the Brian Setzer Christmas concert with my family. I was kind of skeptical going into it but it was actually really fun. I've been wearing my red skinnes like crazy lately. I've just been in the festive mood. I also found a nail polish that is black with red and green flakes in it which is perfect for those of us who do not like to go over the top on red polish. Below are some pictures from this week.  Hope everyone has a good weekend!

 

 

 

Eyebrows 101.....

If you know anything about me you would know that I am OCD about my eyebrows.  I think I became this way because growing up I have always had porcelain skin and light hair. My eyebrows were non existent.  I think I started waxing around 16 or 17 and then started coloring in my brows around 20.  I think that most people do not realize how much your eyebrows frame your face.  I am crazy about waxing and would wax weekly if possible.  I think it is very important to find a good waxer that can give you a base shape.  I have definitely had some botched wax jobs.  I think everyone has.  I am currently trying to change my brow shape.  However my brows are thinner than I want them to be so I am in that painful growing out stage.  Lash cerum works wonders for growth.  Do not over pluck your brows or ever shave them.  I know the couple weeks that it takes for your brows to blossom maybe painful to look at.  I know I at times feel like a gorilla with any out growth but in the end your brows will look Fab! I am currently obsessed with Kylie Jenners brows.  I think they are a perfect shape and she fills them in to make them look full.  Below is a before and after pic of my brows.  Please don't mind my sleepy eyes 5 am wake up calls are not my thing.  Also below is a guide from Lauren Conrad on shaping your brows. 

Tbox

I know I have been slacking lately.  I basically have something going on everyday up until Christmas.  This past weekend we had our annual 12 bars of Christmas get together.  Apparently the ugly sweater business is the business to be in because you cannot find them anywhere.  Luckily I got mine at goodwill back in November.  But for all of those last minute people like Rob they ended up having to make there own.  it was a really fun time and it was great to catch up with some people I haven't seen in a while.  Plus any chance I get to dress funky is always my kind of thing.  Here are some pictures of the gathering.  Hope everyone had a good weekend. 

Be merry and bright.

This past weekend on date night we went to stand up live.  One of my favorite things to do is to go to comedy clubs.  We saw Jo Koy.  He was hilarious.  For those of you that don't know him he is most known for being on Chelsea Lately.  I had seen his stand up DVD and thought he was pretty good but in person he was amazing.  At one point I was almost crying I was laughing so hard.  I cant wait for him to come back.  Below is a picture of my outfit from date night.  I wore a long maxi dress that you can't really tell and a bubble statement necklace. This weekend martini got her Christmas haircut which was much needed! She had to wait longer then I had liked to get groomed because of her cuts.  Lets just say she was a stinky pup for a week to long.  While I was out Christmas shopping I found a monogram necklace.  I wanted a personalized one but I know there pretty pricey and I just can't justify it.  So in the mean time I will be rocking this one pictured below.  They come in gold and silver.  And again it depends what your initial is because some letters just look better than others.  I am so behind on sending out my Christmas cards this year.  For those of you that haven't gotten mine yet they will be in the mail this week.  Hope everyone has a good week. 

Friday favorites.....Saturday oops!

Another week flew by. I know I'm a little late on my Friday favorites but here it is. So with it being that time of the year I have been obsessed with the color red. I know I go in these phases where I have to have everything red. Right now I am crazy about red lipstick. Red lipstick can be tricky but I do believe red is a color that everyone can wear. There are so many different shades of red that it may take a couple try's to find your right shade. And for those of you that are not adventurous to try a red lipstick I would start with a berry tone lip gloss and work your way into it. But keep in mind when wearing a red lip to tone down your eye makeup because it gets to be to much. I love how this girls makeup looks. This is a prefect holiday party look. 

 

During the holidays I tend to wear more makeup than I normally would. The next thing that is one of my favorites is the clarisonic. I got one last year for my birthday and it has done wonders for my complexion. It gets deep down into my pores and my face feels amazing after i use it. I HIGHLY recommmed that everyone has a clarisonic. I think it is every important to start a facial routine early on to prevent aging and wrinkles. You can pick one up at Ulta. I know that they are typically $150 around the holidays I've seen them go for $115 when theres a good sale.

The next thing I found was jewelry of course. The side ways cross has been very popular and I have seen the necklaces everywhere. This week on pinterest I found this pin for a side ways cross ring in silver, gold or rose gold. I love the rose gold option. I will be sporting one of these very soon. Hope everyone was a good weekend!

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Weekend update....a little late.

I have been incredibly busy lately.  Between work, holiday shopping, packing and preparing for the holidays in general my calendar is maxed.  I wanted to give an update on the whole 30.  I lasted 2 1/2 days.  I was getting crazy head aches and I was raging.  I feel like if I was better mentally prepared for how hard this diet is I would have done way better.  I decided that I am going to give another crack at it after the holidays.  And this way I will be able to ween myself off of stuff little by little and it won't be such a shock.  Over the weekend I had a girls night happy hour which was really fun.  We tried out this new restaurant in the Biltmore area called Central Bistro.  We did appetizers and drinks.  The food was really good I got one of there flat bread pizza's which was actually huge.  And there drinks were even better.  I get really happy when I can find a place that uses fresh grapefruit juice.  I will definitely go to Central Bistro again.  I also had a chance to check out the Tempe art fair.  Rob loves it.  He has a favorite vendor that we found out in San Diego that comes to our shows out here.  They have very original screen prints.  We also found some other vendors that had some really cool stuff.  The house is really starting to look like a home.  I also took Martini to petsmart to get her picture taken with santa.  Her picture came out so good!  Hope everyone has a good week!

The whole 30...Day 1

One of my girlfriend's talked me into trying out a new diet.  It's called the whole 30.  Basically it is very similar to Paleo.  Some of the things that I cannot consume are sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes and dairy.  The main ideal is to kick out all of the processed foods and eat fruit, veggies, meat, poultry and fish.  My goal is to last 30 days.  I have never really tried a strict diet.  I think this will be a great opportunity to challenge myself.  Because if any of you actually know me I eat like a 13 year old boy.  My favorite food by far has to be Italian.  I love pasta and bread!  So giving up pasta as of right now seems to be my biggest challenge.  And probably carbs in general.  I am allowing myself to have a couple cheat days.  With the holidays coming up I will be attending holiday parties and I want to be able to enjoy myself.  Other than those specific events I will not be going off of this diet.  I am not doing this diet with the intention of loosing weight.  I am doing it to detox my body.  Everyone keeps telling me that what I am consuming is making my body feel like crap.  I will be updating you guys thru the process.  I am going to be very honest.  If I cheat I will let you all know.  If you guys are interested on reading up on the whole 30 check out the link posted below for more information on it.

 

http://whole9life.com/start/

 

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Tuesday finds.....

 

Hello!  Happy Tuesday!  I have been so tired lately just trying to catch up after the long weekend.  So I have some new finds for this week.   While in line at the grocery store I was reading a In-Touch magazine and it had a holiday gift guide in it.  Well one of the things that was on the list was a custom made pillow from Etsy.  The pillow has your initials and your significant others initials and the state you met in.  You can completely customize this pillow from picking the fabrics, fonts, colors etc.  This pillow goes for $45.00 and can be purchased at http://www.etsy.com/listing/115560004/as-seen-in-us-weekly-custom-initial

 

I had recently found a new jewelry website that has really cute pieces.  The website is Stella & Dot.  They have trendy affordable pieces.  There prices range depending on what you are looking for.  Check them out at http://shop.stelladot.com/style/b2c_en_us/shop/necklaces.html

 

And the last thing that I am super excited about is.....This Kate Spade bag.  I have a leopard obsession and it was a must have!

 

 

 

 



Gobble gobble....

I have to say that I am thankful for anyone that has ever cooked for me on thanksgiving. This year I helped my mother and grandmother cook for 12 people. My day began much earlier than I would have liked. The prepping was nuts. It was a good learning experience to domesticate myself. The turkey of course was my favorite. I messed up a couple things but nothing major. There was big news this year.....however I do have to wait a bit longer to announce. My trip was a super short. Im already back at the airport heading home. While in Chicago I got to have my favorite fast food restaurant Portillo's. There hot dogs and italian beefs bring the fat kid right out of me. I can say that this 25 degree weather will keep me away for awhile. Hope everyone had a amazing thanksgiving.

 

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Holiday travel.

Its the day before Thanksgiving and I am bloggin from the airport. It's pretty crazy because we made it to the airport gate from my condo in 35 minutes. I really can't complain about that. However weather conditions are causing a bit of a delay. Some of my travel must haves are listed below.

1. iPad - its great for watching movies, games and surfing the net.
2. Kindle- I was very hesitant about jumping on the kindle bandwagon but when I got one for a gift it made me realize how much I love being able to download a book straight to my device.
3. Shawl- airplanes can tend to be chilly. It's nice to have a wrap to throw around your shoulders.
4. Cell phone charger- it sucks when you get stuck somewhere and your phone dies. Now I always carry a spare.

And last if all else fails......the airport bar can be quite the entertainment.

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It finally came!

I finally got my Maybook!  I am extremely happy with it too! Now it's time to start planning 2013.  Check them out at http://www.maybooks.com/

 

I am headed to Chicago this week for the holidays.  I am beyond ready to get out of AZ for a little.  I am dying for some Chicago food! This week I will be posting a holiday travel guide and updating through out the week.  I highly suggest everyone try a Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate.  It makes me feel like Christmas if that makes sense. 

 

 

Nursing a sick pup.

Another weekend has flown by. The holidays are always so hectic and crazy for me. Once you get older your Saturdays are consumed with Costco and cleaning the house. This weekend Martini got into a fight with my sisters dog and had to have a emergency visit to the animal hospital. I was not to happy going into it because like anything that happens on the weekend there are always after hours weekend prices : ( After looking at her cuts, they were not that bad; they ended up shaving that area down, cleaning it and stapling it up. Now, for anyone that does not know Martini, she is my child 100%. It's crazy to think but she has definitely picked up some of my traits. She has to wear a cone so she does not lick her incisions. But she is pretty clever and will continue to bump me with it until I take it off of her. So I am currently feeling her pain.   Below are a few pictures of her cuts please do not look if you do not like blood. That was your warning!

 

 

Friday favorites

I don't know where this week went.  Everyday this week I thought it was Wednesday.  I was apparently in my own world all week.  I found some really cool stuff this week and thought I would share.  I have had my eye on the J. Crew bubble statement necklace for awhile now.  But the necklace is over $100 bucks and I think that's to pricey for what it is.  I didn't think about it til the other day when I was on etsy and I searched bubble statement necklaces to see if they had them on there. I was really surprised to find them on there for $10-$15 bucks! Such a deal and most of the etsy stores have deals if you buy more than one.  I have not purchased anything from etsy until recently so I don't have any feed back about the site however everyone that I have talked to about it loves the site.  If you can't tell I've been on a jewelry kick lately.

 I saw this picture of a Tiffany's forget me not ring and I thought it was so cute and feminine.

 

And of course it wouldn't be a Friday favorite with out Martini! Happy Friday!  

I love J. Crew

I got the J. Crew holiday catalog in the mail the other day and I am in love!  So busy today with the madness of Monday.   Here are a couple of my favorites. 

Weekend update

This weekend has come and gone so quickly.  My weekend was consumed with chores and my to-do list.  For those of you that don't know I'm moving in with Rob so I've been trying to down size.  I've been trying to talk Rob into turning one of the extra bedrooms into a closet for me. I have a little bit more convincing to do.  You never really realize how much stuff you have until you have to actually pack and sort it.  I guess it doesn't help I went shopping this weekend.  The stores are already starting to turn into a mad house with Christmas shoppers.  I've started to pick up a few gifts here and there.  I will blog about them later I do not want to ruin any of my followers surprises.  Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Just the start of packing

My weekend find to spruce up my work look. 

I really dig sweater dresses right now.

Martini's X-mas collar

What I'm working on turning my closet into.

I found this bad boy this weekend for the 12 bars of Christmas.  Hands down this has to be one of the ugliest sweaters I've seen.