Another Reason To Love The Season!!

We love the Christmas season here at my house! We've just spent all day getting the house all decorated and ready for a dreamy month of festivities celebrating our Lord's birth! One more little reason we love this time of year is that our FAVORITE shake comes out for a limited time at Chic Fil A!! Now, let me stress to you that this is NOT very healthy so don't overdo it but after you've done your cardio and eaten your veggies, treat yourself to one of these DELICIOUS Peppermint Chocolate Shakes!!! Go ahead!! They are AMAZING! I'm not kidding. Go get one while you're shopping at the mall and let me know what you think. Oh and I ask for mine without the whipped cream and I order a small size but I ALWAYS wish I had gotten a large because they're THAT good! Enjoy!! XOXO

Help Me Be Good!

A few weeks ago, I was laying in bed with my 17 year old daughter, and she jokingly said, "Mom, before you die, you have to tell me what you did to raise me, because I'm so awesome!" We laughed hysterically! Then after a few minutes she said, "No, really. What did you do?" We laughed some more. Apparently, she wasn't very fond of my strict ways while she was growing up, but now that she's old enough to realize that her morals and values are starting to serve her really well when she's faced with situations where she has to decide what to do on her own more and more, she's appreciative of the way we've raised her. She's able to be with her peers and love them, and understand them, and not judge them, but not feel compelled to join along with them if they partake in things that just don't feel right to her. I couldn't be more thankful.

One the tools that helped me with growing Godly girls are these "Help Me Be Good Books." I know it sounds silly but my girls LOVED these books when they were little. They'd beg me to read them over and over and over again. They touch on so many subjects such as Being Greedy, Cheating, Lying, Stealing, Being Messy (Come to think if it, that one didn't work so well. Maybe I should get it back out!) etc. I really suggest getting these books if you have little ones. They're fun yet powerful at the same time!!

http://store.joyberrybooks.com/index.cfm/product/22/help-me-be-good-series-box-set.cfm

Candy Cookies~~Does It Get Any Better Than This? :)

I've been making these for a few years and they are always a hit so I thought I'd share. They are SUPER easy to make (just a little slicing of cookie dough and a little peeling of candy wrappers and you're good to go!)

Start with a bowl of candy~~you can use any kind but I really like

candy kisses and small Reese's cups!

Peel them! Get several kids of cookie dough~~peanut butter, sugar, even the brownie dough is good! Cut them into slices and then halves. Place the halves into miniature cupcake pans. Now cook them as you normally would small cookies. Keep an eye on them and don't let them over cook. Usually between 6-8 minutes is plenty.

Now as soon as you take them out push the candies into the center! YUM!!!

Deliciousness!

And there you go! I made 2 batches the other night for my daughter's basketball team dinner and they were just about all gone by the time the girls all left!

Easy and yummy!!

Enjoy!

Rave~~Greek Yogurt

Since my last post was about getting healthy I just had to add something I'm currently LOVING! Greek yogurt! I love Greek yogurt because it's packed with protein, makes a great addition to smoothies or with a little honey or jam added in and fills me up, which makes it the perfect food!! Grab some next time you're at the grocery store! There are a lot of brands to try! :)

Rave~Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover!

I wanted to write a quick RAVE for all my ladies today! I stopped getting professional manicures recently because they always cut my cuticles which made them rough and raggedy in a few days....no bueno! Now I do my own mani at home and use this AMAZING cuticle remover that corrodes the rough edges of the cuticle away, leaving only a smooth edge on the bed of the nail. I LOVE this stuff! I think it's one of these products that if discontinued, I'd definitely freak out. It's absolutely changed the way I take care of my nails! Here's what I do at home to keep my nails looking good without the expense of a professional manicure~I file my nails, or buff them, to make them smooth, soak them in warm soapy water for a minute or so, and then apply Sally Hansen ICR all around the nail. I wait for about half a minute and clean around the nail bed with a manicure stick. You will actually see the cuticle coming off...it's pretty amazing how much gets whisked off! Then I apply a cuticle oil and rub it in. This will put moisture back into the cuticle so it won't be dry. Then clean, polish, and go! That's it! I notice that the cuticles grow back much smoother. I should start keeping a good stock of it in case it's ever discontinued! This is the only cuticle remover I've used that actually *works* and the bottle lasts FOREVER, although I use it every week and my daughter does as well!! I hope this helps you all with your dry cuticle issues!

Crave Rave! Pop Chips

Have you tried Pop Chips? They're my latest obsession!! These chips are light and airy and have tons of flavor!! My favorites are the barbeque! They're not fried like ordinary chips, which makes them a healthier alternative to all those greasy, fattening chips we grew up with!! Give them a try~~I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do! Available at your local grocery store for about $2.50.

Finally~~My Santa Barbara Photos!

I Love little white picket fences that grace the streets~~so sweet!

Here's a little fence with all the beautiful flowers in full bloom~~

My cottage at The Four Seasons. Its was very old and stately. Charming and comfortable! A little home away from home~~

We found this adorable and popular little breakfast place called Jeannine's. The food was amazing and I was SO happy to see a little "V" for vegetarian next to all the veggie dishes they had on the menu!! They had a vegetarian chorizo scrambled egg dish that was BEYOND amazing!! Loves ya, Jeannine's!!

This is a view of the front lawn of The Four Seasons. Lovely walk ways all around the property. The ocean is just in front~~

The walkway leading to the ocean from the hotel. I love the flowering ivy growing up this light post~~

And there's the ocean in all her splendor!! I would walk along it each morning to get my exercise in the cool air! Such a joyous way to start a day!

A view looking back up at the hotel at the funky trees....see how is grows sideways?

The entrance to the hotel....I have a thing for ivy. It's just so pretty!

A sunset from my friend's beach at her home~~

Another moment of a California sunset~~

A HUGE tree at the hotel~~oh my daughter would LIVE in this tree if she could!

Another view of the old tree and it's root system~~

A beautiful sculpture that was in the lobby. Hank Azaria was checking in as I was checking out. He's such a great actor. It was a fabulous trip! I highly recommend Santa Barbara for a quick little getaway if you ever have the occasion! XOXO

Smoke & Mirrors Fall 2011 Nail Polish Collection by Zoya

I'm SO excited about these gorgeous new colors from Zoya for Fall. I'm especially eager to get my hands on the Jem, Jana, Petra, Anja, Marina, and Neeka!! You can find these at finer Salons and Spas. (Or go to the Zoya.com website for details on where to find them!) They're safe and non-toxic. Such beautiful colors and always elegant! Let me know what your current favorite nail colors are! XOXO

Favorite Things Friday A Day Late (LOL) ~ EcoTools Makeup Brushes!!

Hi Friends~~Now that summer is almost over, I'm going to be much more available to start blogging again! I'm sorry I've been neglecting you these past few months, but it's been a bit of a mad house around here with wisdom teeth surgeries and broken wrists!! Ahh~~Summer 2011~~~not so sorry to see you go. :) But I just found out that one of my FAVORITE THINGS is having a wonderful FREEBIE PROMO I wanted to share with you guys. Now I don't know if you know this about me, but years ago I was a makeup artist for a bit while my 1st daughter was a baby. I LOVED being a makeup artist because I've always had a love of makeup and products~~they're just one of my favorite things!! I did a lot of brides, which was so fun to be a part of their special days, but eventually the hours just weren't conducive to having a baby and hubby at home that wanted me around on the weekends. So I hung up my makeup brushes but still love to dabble and play with products when time permits!!

So these brushes I'm about to tell you about are my *favorite* brushes. I've had Chanel brushes, Trish McEvoy, Bobbie Brown, you name it...I've used them and these EcoTools brushes are the BEST! They're Eco friendly, as the name implies, and have **super soft fluffy*** bristles that never fall out all over you face! I believe the handles are bamboo and they are Fab Fab fabulous!!! And best of all...they're at your local drugstore! CVS, Walgreens, Ulta....they should all be there. (But call first to be sure) And right now, on their website, they're having a promotion that's pretty fabulous called the Choose To Live Beautifully campaign. All you have to do is send in an old or new beauty product that you have for them to recycle(LOVE!) and you'll get back a coupon for an EcoTool product valued up to $7.99! And you can get 2! I'll add the link below for you guys!

And even more than the wonderful quality of the brushes, I love the company. They are an earth-friendly company (Alicia Silverstone is the celebrity endorser so I'm pretty positive they're also animal friendly~~NO ANIMAL TESTING!! Yay!) On their site they say that, "EcoTools is a brand from Paris Presents Incorporated and a leader in eco-conscious beauty products, most notably known for its incredibly soft cosmetic brushes. We take pride in offering a collection of cosmetic accessories and bath products that feature innovative, earth-friendly materials. In a continued effort to give back, 1% of EcoTools annual sales is donated to 1% For The Planet®, an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet." So there you go....run don't walk. I promise you'll LOVE these brushes! I just purchased them for a friend and my teenager and they both loved them. Have fun ladies!! XOXO http://www.choosetolivebeautifully.com/howitworks.php

I Just Love This Kid~~This is so sweet~Ronan Parke - Britain's Got Talent 2011 Audition - itv.com/talent - UK V...

Moscow Mules

I'm sure you've all heard that Oprah's last show is this Wednesday. I'm profoundly sad about the whole thing. I've grown up watching Oprah and I'll miss her show. I'm having a few friends over to watch the last episode, so today I went to purchase all we need to make Oprah's favorite cocktail while watching her last show on Wednesday~~The Moscow Mule! I had one...alright~2, last night at dinner with my hubby at Eddy V's and they are DELICIOUS!! Moscow Mule Ingredients: - 1 1/4 oz Smirnoff vodka - 3 oz. ginger beer - 1 tsp. sugar syrup - 1/4 oz. lime juice - 1 sprig mint - 1 slice lime In a copper mug, pour vodka over ice. Add sugar syrup and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice. Photo source~~www.Tesco.com

Diane Von Furstenberg Maxi Dresses ~ LOVE!!!

DVF Desert Leaf Dress DVF Abigail Maxi Wrap ~My FAVORITE!! I DIE!! DVF Elailia Dress

I've always been a HUGE fan of DVF!! Her wrap dresses are Unique, Sexy and Gorgeous classics with BOLD patterns and billowing fabrics that make any figure look chic and stylish! And as we have ups and downs in our dress sizes, wrap dresses are forgiving as an added bonus! In my dreams, I'd have a closet full! And now DVF has come out with a slew of Maxi Dresses!! Maxi dresses are long dresses, almost to the floor, that have a sort of boho-chic style. I dress them up with heels and dress them down with flats. I LOVE them!! I especially love flowy Maxi dresses during the warmer months because nothing is really touching you...it's like a big swoosh of air that flows around you all day~~loverly! And no, you don’t have to be tall to rock a long Maxi dress! I'd say that at least one of her Maxi dresses is an essential piece of every summer wardrobe. So save up your pennies if you need to....but go get yourself one of these gorgeous dresses for summer!! You deserve it! :)

Cuteness Alert!

I was at Whole Earth Provisions today looking for the ever elusive silver glitter TOMS for my daughter (She wore hers so much they got holes in them!) Look what I came across!! Tiny BABY TOMS!! Oh my gosh...these are so adorable. If you're lucky enough to be in the magical beginning phase of parenthood~~go get some of these little TOMS for your baby!! They have them in lots of colors. I mean seriously....these are precious!! :)

Coffee Coffee Coffee!

I was in Austin for a few days and stumbled upon a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in SoCo. We don't have Coffee Bean and Tea Leafs where I live but I remember them from when I was in L.A. and I remember the Ice Blendeds!!! My husband and I went in and got a large to share and MAN was it good!! I don't know how they do it but they are the BEST ice blendeds around. (Sorry Starbucks) They have a powder that you can purchase called French Deluxe Vanilla Powder. It's like a creamer, but BETTER! I bought it and brought it home to add into my coffee. Now, I have to say that it's NOT healthy, so I hate to recommend you going and getting some, but let me tell you something....it makes my coffee SOOOOOO scrumptious!! It makes it smoooooth and creeeeeamy and has almost a hint of malted in it?? I don't know. If you have a CB&TL near you, go give it a try!! Let me know what you think!!

Pretty Porches

I've always loved big front porches!  Perhaps because when I was a little girl we'd travel each year to San Antonio to see my grandmother and all my cousins for a late Christmas!  My Uncle would sit out on the front porch and smoke his pipe while all the kids played in the yard.  I always loved the way his pipes would make the air smell sweet!  I have vivid memories of my grandmother holding my youngest daughter on that front porch while reading to her from a book of prayers for children.  We called her Meemaw and she's no longer with us but I cherish those sweet childhood memories at her sweet little home.  Meemaw had a white iron glider on her porch~~I loved sitting on it as it would slide back and forth as my feet barely reached the ground.  It was old and peeling but I loved it nonetheless.  Now that we're blessed with a big front porch on our new home I want to find some furniture to make it cozy so someday I can sit out there and make memories with my grandchildren!  I really like grey wicker chairs in particular but I'm just starting to look.  Here are a few photos I've found online of pretty porches! 



Image Source~blog.hgtv.com

Image Source~musingsofanightowl.blogspot.com

thisarchitecture.com

countryliving.com

interiordec.about.com

House Beautiful

A MUST Read

A few years ago, I took this book with me on a family vacation to Hawaii.  I have to admit that I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to books because if they take too long to get the storyline going, I won't keep picking them up.  Life's short!  I'll find something better to do with my time!  But THIS BOOK WAS FABULOUS!  I'm serious.  I couldn't put it down the whole vacation.  I've recommended it to a ton of my friends and now that the movie has been made with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, then I really have to give a shout out to all my new blog friends as well! Here's a synopsis of the plot:
Veterinary school student Jacob meets and falls in love with Marlena, a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant. Against all odds -- including the wrath of Marlena's charismatic but dangerous husband, August-- Jacob and Marlena find lifelong love.


So go get it and read it before the movie comes out!  Then we'll all convene here to discuss how the movie didn't compare to how fabulous the book was, like we always do! :)

A Reason To Buy New Shoes

I just spent the afternoon at DSW looking for just the right new pair of black strappy heels to wear to a function I have tomorrow.  I didn't find just what I was looking for, but left with a cute pair of Coach cork shoes anyway.  Purchasing a new pair of heels for no special reason is a non-issue for most Americans.  But,  unbelievably, for hundreds of millions of children, shoes are something that they simply can't afford. In many developing countries, even right here in the United States, children walk barefoot everyday.  In countries such as Africa, children have to walk for miles to get to school or to gather water for their families, risking injury, infections, and exposure to soil-transmitted diseases. In some of these countries not having shoes poses another problem because many schools require shoes for attendance, giving children without them absolutely no opportunity to learn and become educated, which, of course, continues the cycle of poverty. And as TOMS states, "some soil-based diseases not only cause physical symptoms, but create cognitive impairment too, crippling a child’s long-term potential."

What is TOMS?  TOMS is a company that is doing something to get shoes to the children in need!  I love this company, started by the very handsome, if I may say so, Blake Mycoskie.  Wait...let me show you~~

See what I mean?  Yeah, I  know.  Anyway, I got off track, Blake is the Founder & "Chief Shoe Giver" of TOMS Shoes. He's the man behind what they call the One for One movement. "The One for One" movement means that for every pair of shoes you purchase, a pair is given to a child who has never had a pair of shoes!!  That very slogan is actually written on every shoe.  Yeah, it's kinda amazing!  They say that "as of April 2010, TOMS has given over 1,000,000 pairs of new shoes to children in need through giving partners around the world."  They also have shoe drops that you can sign up to go on.  These are the trips they take to deliver the shoes to the children.  It's sort of on my bucket list to go on a shoe drop but even though I've entered my name on their website many times, I've yet to get a call to go on a shoe drop.  :(  Maybe someday. 
So I really encourage everyone to go buy a pair of TOMS.  They are super cute and comfy~~awesome for travel since they slip on and off really easy.  And BEST OF ALL, every time you buy a pair, you know a child will get a pair!  How cool is that?  You can find them at Wholefoods, Whole Earth Provisions, Nordstroms, Bergdorfs, Amazon.com, online at TOMS.com or I think even Neiman Marcus has them now.  We've purchased at least 10 pair so far. They're a little pricey at around $50.00 for most pairs but when you know you're buying 2 pair of shoes~it makes sense.  Our last pair was the new pink glitter TOMS...my daughter gets compliments on them every time she wears them!  So YAY!!  There's a great excuse to go shoe shopping!  Let me know what pair you get!

                                                           http://www.toms.com/

*Much of the information for this post was found on the fabulous TOMS website!

Rave~~Kettle Brand Potato Chips of the Jalapeno Flavor!!!! :)

I've never been a big fan of chips, I'm more of a sweets kinda gal, but I've become a HUGE fan of the ever yummy Kettle Brand Potato Chips in Jalapeno.  And it seems I'm not alone.  In looking around on the Internet I found several blogs with reviews of my new favorite chips.
These are a staple in my pantry now and are pulled out anytime we have veggie burgers, sandwiches, or veggie chili dogs (oh yeah...did I mention we're vegetarians?)  Be sure to have plenty of your beverage of choice on hand as after a few handfuls the spiciness of the chips starts to beg for a cool swig of your favorite soda.  (Mine's Rootbeer...I'll do a Rave about that on another day!!
Enjoy!
XOXO

I have a HUGE love of great advertising.  I just have to share this hilarious new ad for the iPad.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUZNrDUpJq4