Archives for December 2013

I’m linking up once again with Leigh Kramer to talk about what I’ve been into this month.  It’s a great opportunity to talk about all the little things I got excited about.

Family and Friends

My Christmas break is officially over.  We made a short Christmas bucket list and marked them off through the month, but mostly we hunkered down and spent a lot of time at home.  I enjoyed a full week off with the family and man, was it what I needed.  We had a great Christmas week and I’m so thankful for another year with family and friends.

Julep Nail Polish

After hearing about it many times, I finally broke down and subscribed to the Julep Maven box–a monthly beauty subscription service–when a friend posted a coupon for a free box.

In my free box, I got two Julep polishes and wow! I was super impressed with how well the polish went on, how shiny it was and even how long it lasted. I’m not sure how many Maven boxes I’ll actually get, but you can count me in as a definite fan of the polish.

Get your first box with the code FREEBOX!

TimeHop App

My friend ohAmanda introduced me to the TimeHop app and oh, it is so fun.  Every day it shows you what you posted on your social media accounts that exact day in any previous year.  You can’t see any day except the day you’re on.

For example, on Christmas, it was so fun to relive those Christmas mornings again. I have tweets from 6 Christmases ago!

You also unfortunately get to see some rather embarrassing moments too. Like, 5 years ago I don’t think I posted anything that wasn’t related to Twilight for a few months.  Sheesh.  Sorry, folks.

The best thing is it’s free!

Wedge Tennis Shoes

These wedge tennis shoes are way out of the norm for me but I found them on Clearance at JCPenney’s on vacation and I just couldn’t say no. 

They are so comfortable and unlike many wedges, they make my feet look smaller instead of like small boats.  Does anyone else think they look like the high-tops in Back to the Future?

Mary Kay Skinvigorate Cleansing Brush.

I just got this for Christmas so I haven’t been able to do any long-term testing but I’m definitely loving my Mary Kay Skinvigorate Cleansing Brush.  Everyone raves over the Clarisonic but the price point was just a little high for me. 

I can’t compare them, but I really am enjoying the Mary Kay cleansing brush.  And at $50 retail, you really can’t beat the price (especially when you’re a consultant!). It doesn’t feel too rough, but it leaves my skin feeling super smooth.

Shameless plug: If you need a MK consultant, I do ship anywhere in the US.

Miche Bags

Speaking of consultants, my mom is a Miche bag consultant.  She’s been trying to get me into the bags for years, but I’m a one-bag-at-a-time-and-for-years kind of girl.  Seriously, the bag I had up to this month I’ve carried every single day since I bought it in March 2012 in Georgia.

My aunt gave me the mid-sized bag and a few shells for Christmas and y’all?  I kind of love it. Like, really love it.  Even though no one probably cares, it’s fun to swap out the shell in just seconds to a shell that compliments my outfit.  It sounds so trite but it really does make me happy! 

Books I’ve Read

Contrary to how I thought my month would go, I read fewer books this month than any this year.  I spent a ton of time on the house (and Netflix—see below) and very little time reading.  In fact, I only finished one novel: The Misremembered Man.

This novel was billed as a romance but it was so much more.  Set in the 70’s in rural Ireland, it’s the story of a man who was abused in a Catholic school as a child and then adopted.  The reader comes into the story just as he decides he needs to get married in his early 40’s. 

As someone who is trying to adopt a boy from DSS, this was a little gut-wrenching, particularly at the end, but it was just such a work of art.  I couldn’t speed read through the Irish accent in much of the dialogue and the vocabulary was rich.  The characters were just lovely (well, some of them) and a surprise (and GOOD) ending left me satisfied this was the only book I read all month.

At only $3.99 for the Kindle version and free to borrow for Prime members, you shouldn’t pass this one up.

I spent the Advent season reading through The Greatest Gift.  If you’re on the Facebook page, I hope you enjoyed the snippets each morning.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book.  If you haven’t read it, don’t hesitate to read it at any time of the year.

TV I Watched

What Not to Wear holds a very special place in my heart.  I started watching the show when it first began in 2003.  I was in my early 20’s and still trying to figure out my style.  I learned so much from them and really, feel like I relearn it all every time I watch.  I haven’t watched it in years and years, but they put the last two seasons on Netflix.  The girls and I were goners. 

I’d heard the buzz online about White Collar.  Tiffani Thiessen from Saved by the Bell AND Hilarie Burton from One Tree Hill are on the show so you would think I’d be all over it.  For some reason I never took the time to get into it. 

When my parents got into it recently on Netflix and insisted we did, we took a peek at it one night and we were sold.  We buzzed through the first season in just a few days.  Great law enforcement drama, great characters, good humor and all around great show.

*While we’re on law enforcement dramas, I should also note that Scott was WAY into the series on Netflix called Flashpoint this month.  I watched a few episodes with them and even though it wasn’t something I was into, he was.  If that’s your sort of thing, you should definitely check it out as well.

So with that, we’re staring down the end of 2013. I’ll be back tomorrow with a year in review post.

In the meantime, anyone want to share any Christmas gifts they’ve been loving?