Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

holiday gift guide for her


I'm sitting here covered in glitter from head to toe after decorating my house over the last two days for the most wonderful time of the year!! (!!!) I fall into one of those categories of "uber fanatical" about the holiday season- party because of the pure magic of the season and also because I LOVE gift giving.  over the weekend I was out and about shopping with all the crazy people  for that perfect gift to give the people I love.  this weekend marked the start of the amazing sales and deals on a few of our favorite things and I'll be sharing them on the blog this week for my annual holiday wishlists..
starting with the lady in your life.. or yourself:)
nothing wrong with that.

here is a great start to your holiday shopping- and everything is $200 or less!

as I've gotten older, and keep adding numbers to the bunch, my wishlist gets shorter and shorter. this year Jordan and I even exchanged the idea of not getting anything for each other.  we have a nursery to plan and paint and fill with all the baby boy things, so focusing on that and on sharing this last holiday with our three little girls is all I want.  
that being said.. 
my newest obsession has become dry bar.  I used to have to drive into Dallas to get a blow out but they are popping up all over the place and I completely appreciate it!  my checkbook isn't super impressed, which is why this would be the best gift ever to the lucky gal in your life.  I find every reason to make a trip- and a great blow out will last me three or four days before a wash.  ohhh I'm telling you this is a great idea!
every year I always want a watch.  and I always want a new handbag.  mainly because I'm one to wear the crap out of those items until they are basically falling apart by the next Christmas after repeat wear and tear.  I do the same with my shoes.  I wear the same neutral pair over and over.  I saw the shearling TOMS sneakers on zulily last week and snagged myself a pair because the last time I bought myself a pair of casual sneakers (outside of my cross trainers) was probably before I had kids.  I was due for some shoes, I think.  
of course there is the most comfortable and affordable grandpa cardigan in the basically neutral olive color- I have a thing for oversized cardigans and even wear them around the house over my pajamas.  I have linked the one shown above and a couple more I love love love and have found them to be super cozy, too!  
you can also find my favorite lip gloss (Dolly is a great color to go with if you are unsure) and a staple pair of drop earrings from the one and only Kendra Scott.  rose gold errythaaang.
lastly.  for my fellow list making ladies, these are most most favorite notebooks.  I use them for everything from grocery lists, to reminders, to jotting down my daily thoughts or taking notes at a meeting. I got a set of three for my birthday a couple years ago from a co-worker and have bought several sets since! 
its cyber monday!  what are you shopping for??


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Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Hallmark Holiday


Valentine's Day: a day that is like every other day in the year except Hallmark, flower companies, and restaurants make a killing on this day. Us? We decided to go to brunch today instead of dinner just because 1. brunch is our favorite meal ever, and 2. we are old fogies and wanted to avoid the evening crowds.

I was unaware that we'd be purchasing gifts for each other on our SEVENTH V-day together but when I realized Nate was sneaking around behind my back to get me something, I had to think fast. This is what I came up with and yes, it was a hit:


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And he bestowed upon me that padded-cup workout tank that I lusted over last week. Such a good listener, this husband of mine. I taught him well:)

The day begun with a fresh coat of white fluffy stuff:

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And even though it was a typical winter gray day, I managed to snap a few shots of my favorite model:
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It will never get old. I just love pictures of my dog, okay?

So off to brunch we went and OMG it was good. I mean pink mimosas are a fabulous start to any day, right?

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And not to mention stuffed French toast: cream cheese and chocolate this time around. Divine.
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After thoroughly stuffing our faces and consuming enough fluids to last all day Nate agreed to my request of a mini photo session outdoors. He must love me a lot, don't you think?


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One thing I love about a new camera is that every little detail in the world is suddenly very apparent to me. Love the color on this tree, don't you?
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I even handed over my baby for a few frames.
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Austin Powers made an appearance.
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Warning: if you let your husband take charge of photographic opportunities, this is what you'll receive. At least I was having a good butt day, I suppose.
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Lady, how many pictures are you going to take?
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Enough to make me happy, duh.
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You know those quintessential sandy beach shots? Here's our version.
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I'm sorry, I just had to do it.
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This was much easier to get with our point and shoot. I get a little anxious about holding the SLR away from my body like this but I somehow managed.
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And there you have it: a day like any other plus a little extra fun and a whole lotta pictures. I hope everyone enjoyed their Hallmark Holiday!
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Friday, May 19, 2017

Friday Favorites Its the Holiday Season Edition


Happy Friday!
Today I'm linking up with Friday Favorites!
Hosted by: Andrea, Erika & Narci
 
 I am so excited it is Friday....we have tons of fun planned for this weekend!
Tonight, Saturday & Sunday we have a total of 5 holiday parties we are going to.
It makes this extrovert very happy :)

 Here are some of my favorites lately:

{ONE}
Finally got a red cup at Starbucks!
 
My first holiday drink of the season. Peppermint Mocha with only 2 pumps of each. They normally do 4....way too many!


{TWO}
The nail polish I am wearing in the above picture is one of my favorites.
It doesn't chip!!!!! In the photo above, my nails are on day 6 of the nail polish. I love how it hold up!

This base coat & top coat are my new favorite!!!
You can get the base & top coat {HERE} and the color {HERE}
I have been searching high and low for a top coat that helps with chipping. 
I found out about these last year.
 
I use steps 1, 2 & 3 and my nails don't chip for 5-6 days!
They come in tons of different colors. 

{THREE}
As you know, college football is one of my favorites.
Colorado was playing in the Pac 12 Championship at the beginning of December & the game was here in the Bay Area at the 49ers Levi's Stadium, so of course Kevin and I went!
 There was a Colorado tailgate before the game & I got to see a couple girls I played college soccer with before the game.
This was our first time at the new Levi's stadium, so it was fun to check it out.
 So excited that Colorado was playing in this game!
Our seats were awesome! We were right in front of the pre-game show!
 Oh hey....that's Matt Leinhart right behind me doing his pregame show!
 I was just a little excited to have such great seats :)
 The 1st half of the game was fun....then Colorado got blown out in the 2nd half by Washington.
 There's the Pac 12 Championship trophy...right in front of our seats....that would end up going to UW. Sigh.
 Even though Colorado lost, it was such a fun experience being at the championship game. If we would have won that game, Colorado would have gone to the Rose Bowl. There was even a chance that if we lost we still would have gone to the Rose Bowl since UW was going to the College football playoff. I had even made hotel reservations :( But, USC ended up getting picked to go to the Rose Bowl instead of Colorado. I'm so sad....maybe next year.

{FOUR}
I have talked about the Instant Pot before & it really is my new favorite kitchen appliance.
 It is way better than a crock pot because it can slow cook food, but it is also a pressure cooker. I can cook some of my slow cooker meals in the Instant Pot in under an hour! You need one in your life.
They were on sale on Cyber Monday & in case you missed it, they are on sale AGAIN!!!!!!
You can get one for under $100 and it will arrive by Christmas! 
The Instant Pot is amazing!!! 
You can get one on sale HERE.

{FIVE}
One of my favorite things to make with my kids in December on the weekends is Christmas tree pancakes:
I just add some green food coloring in my pancake batter & make different size pancakes, then stack them like a tree. I dust powered sugar on top for "snow" and some whippped cream as the star and sprinkles as ornaments.
My kids love these!

{SIX}
Rodan + Fields Eye Cream is my Favorite!
I know that some of you missed out on my last bulk order, so I am going to place ANOTHER bulk order next week!
I started using the eye cream right after Luke was born and WOW, it got rid of the bags under my eyes that I had from lack of sleep with a newborn. 

Our  Multi-Function Eye Cream combines powerful peptides to minimize the appearance of crow’s-feet, helps reduce the appearance of both puffiness and dark under eye circles while special optical diffusers noticeably brighten the eye area.
Ophthalmologist tested, this formula is ideal for maintaining the delicate skin around the eyes.  

This brave consultant only used the eye cream on one eye for 3 weeks!
It's less puffy & she doesn't have bags under that eye!

I will be placing a BULK order of our amazing eye cream next Friday.
For my bulk order, you can get it with my discount and it will only cost you $60 and I will cover your tax & shipping!
One jar lasts me at least 4-5 months.
Let me know if you want to order one! Leave a comment with your email or email me: melissa_larson17@yahoo.com
{SEVEN}
Confession:
The Jessica Simpson Christmas album is my favorite Christmas CD.
It's so good & the "Baby it's cold outside" duet with Nick Lachey is the best version of that song.
I feel better after admitting this. LOL!

{EIGHT}
Christmas Cards are my favorite.

The kids help me stuff & stamp. I address them. I love going to the mailbox each day in December and getting Christmas cards :)


{NINE}
Making Blessing Bags is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.
We went to San Francisco earlier this week and whenever we go to SF during the holidays, we always bring some blessing bags to give to the homeless.
You can see what we put in them on THIS post.

{TEN}
Speaking of San Francisco,  Fuller House is one of my favorites!
Being born & raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I especially love this show because it is based in SF. Last year on Mother's Day, we played "tourist" in SF and checked out the Full House house.
(The house has been repainted since the show last aired 20 years ago in 1995, it is much darker now!)
 Full House was my FAVORITE show growing up. One of the reasons it was my favorite show is because it was based in San Francisco and because it was a family of 3 girls, just like me & my sisters. 
My girls and I LOVED the first season of Fuller House & Kate was so excited that season 2 came out last Friday. 
 We have watched a few of the episodes & I like them so far, but they aren't as family friendly as I would like, so if you have younger kids, you might want to watch them first before you let them watch. 

So, there you have it....some favorites on this rainy Friday!
Hope you have a great weekend!


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