Confessions Part 2: Keeping it Real

Ok, ladies I loved your comments so much the last time I did my Confessions Post, I am back with part two.  Hope you enjoy and as always please share your confessions to make me feel less like a weirdo:)

- I have had a fungus toenail for 10 years now.  The big toe on my left foot looks disgusting it is so thick.  I have tried several remedies including having part of it removed but the fungus always comes back.  It is so gross that is why I usually keep my toenails painted.

- I can't stand Rachel Ray.  Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.  The terms EVO and Yumo will always annoy me.

- I used to work at Abercrombie and Fitch and so did Matt (don't worry he wasn't the shirtless guy at the door at least not to my knowledge)

- I hate Riesling, Moscato,  and any sweet wines.  They make me want to puke.

- I don't really enjoy plays.  Go ahead and judge me but I get bored during them.  My favorite part is usually the intermission.  Guess I am not cultured.

- I hate the menswear trend for women.  It bothers me to see a woman in a suit.

- I talk to my mom probably 10 times a day (at least).  I call her about any and everything!

- I can't think of one single food I hate.  I pretty like all food.

- I am weird about meat.  Especially chicken and deli meat they both can really gross me out.  However oddly enough I love me some chicken livers, pate, and liverwurst.

- I pretty much don't like sports.  Definitely hate playing them and don't enjoy watching them either.  Only thing I like about football is tailgating.  I could happily tailgate and then not even go in the game.

- I drink 3-4 sparkling waters a day.  I love them.  Ever since I gave up sweet tea and soft drinks they are my jam. (I will occasionally have a coke,  real never diet,  and most often when I am hungover).

- I can't stand beach music or oldies.  I only like to listen to current music.  Same with movies I don't like old ones.

- Tulips, Hydrangeas, and Peonies are my favorite flowers.  I despise sunflowers.

- I have a strange crush on Andy Samburg.  I am crazy attracted to really funny guys.

- I make a cup of coffee every morning but never finish it.  I sip it the whole morning and keep reheating it.  Too much caffeine makes me spacey and anxious so I try not to drink too much.

- I am a cookbook hoarder.  I own at least 50.  Some of them I have never even used before but I love looking at them.

- Technology doesn't excite me. Don't get me wrong I love my Iphone and Ipad and I love having them but I would never wait hours for a new piece of technology.  We still have an old school DVD player, might never upgrade to Blueray.

- When I was in high school I was obsessed with Tornadoes.  I even did my senior exit project on them.  I wanted to go to the Midwest and be a storm chaser.  Crazy because now they scare the sh*t out of me.

- Sometimes I love online shopping more than shopping in person.  I get so excited when a package is delivered to my house, it makes my day.

- Matt and I dated for 6 years before we got engaged.  He proposed on New Years Day 2007.

- I am not adventurous at all.  I have no desire to scuba dive, bungee jump, or do anything remotely crazy.  Heck I even hate roller coaster rides.  They just make me so nervous.  I know supposedly they are safe but if I got stuck on one of those I would lose my sh*t.

- I never in a million years thought I would live in Charleston.  I always pictured myself living in Charlotte near my parents raising my family there.  Now that I am in Charleston I don't want to ever leave:)

- My favorite things to shop for are blouses and dresses- in case you can't tell.  I am not really a shoe person and I love purses but I only like to invest in a really good one every few years.  I carry my purses for years before I retire them.

- Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I get so giddy about it.  I love the lights, the trees, the music, the parties,  everything about it.  Having a child has had it even more special to me.  No lie I think I believed in Santa Claus til I was in high school:)  I wanted to keep the magic alive.

-  I don't like cats (sorry to my friend with pet cats) but they weird me out.  I don't like that they can jump on things and walk on counter tops.   True story when I met Matt in college he had a pet cat and it was almost a deal breaker (I mean what single guy has a cat).  He also served me box wine out of a coffee mug the same night I learned about the cat so that was two strikes against him- obviously I got past the two, but we will never have a cat.   I am much more a dog person.

- I don't like light versions of anything( ie sour cream, cheese, mayo, coke).  The real version is always better.  I believe you should just eat the real version but less of it. 

- My favorite drinks at Starbucks are an iced green tea or a green tea latte- both unsweetened.  I may be the only person who doesn't drink the coffee drinks from Starbucks.   They are so many calories, I would rather eat than drink my calories.  I will occasionally get a cappuccino or Carmel Machiato but I prefer the green tea drinks.

Alright, that 's it for Confessions part two!  Now I am off ot get ready for a fun weekend.  Hopefully I will have some pictures next week of our girls night!

Thursdays Ramblings

Can I get a what what??  One day til the weekend, which means two days til a much needed ladies night out Saturday, these two (Katherine and Julia) lovelies are coming in town and I could not be more excited. 

What are our thoughts about Channing for sexiest man alive??  I am pretty sure I whole heartedly agree with this decision. and pretty darn sure I need to rent Magic Mike this weekend.  He and his wife are the most attractive couple ever.

I am so happy Million Dollar Decorators is back on.  A few thoughts, I love in the beginning when Martin Lawrence Bullard says "decorating is delicious."  I also love that Kathy took Jacqueline wine tasting with her.  I feel like I would like to sip wine with them.  and is it me or does Mary look different this year?  Skinnier and her face looks different.  Adore this show.  How crazy was the lady who changed her mind about $10,000 wallpaper- ridiculous.

I hit up Costco this week for some Thanksgiving essentials and came across the most amazing Pumpkin Seed Tortilla Chips.

The chips are delish dipped in greek yogurt with a little honey.  They are also great with salsa or spinach dip.

I used them last night to make Butternut squash nachos that were off the hook.  And Yep Matt was working late hence my vegetarian meal. 

I have been loving my JCrew Floral Chiffon Blouse.  It is pure perfection.  I highly recommend.  The colors are even more vibrant in person.

I certainly don't need another blouse but I just saw it is now online in leopard and hot pink.  Love them both!!

I just finished reading Happier at Home.  I really loved The Happiness Project so of course I wanted to read the sequel. 

 It was a good read but not as good as the first just seemed a little similar to me.  A few things I did take away.

1) Don't Over React.  I have really been practicing this one and it works.  Matt spilled eggs all over our rug Saturday morning and I calmly said nothing and got a cloth to clean it.  Normally I would have freaked the F out.

2) Happy people make people happy, but you can't make someone be happy, and no one else can make you happy.

3) Make time to get things done that are looming.  Just set aside 15 minutes a day and tackle part of a looming task.  15 minutes adds up.

We have officially busted out our Christmas PJS.  Why not get two months wear out of them.  I asked Sterling if he had been naughty or nice.  I would say by this look, he is guilty of something:)

 I am normally a traditional gal when it comes to nail polish.  I like nude, red, pink, and dark maroon.  Those are my go-to colors.  I decided to branch out and tried Essie's Da Bush.  I actually quite love it.  Our TJMaxx has been getting in some great Essie nail polishes for $3.  That is where I found this such a steal!

From my lady Oprah. Happy Thursday!

Fruity Snack Balls

Ok, so I know this title is totally random and I don't blame you if you skip right over this,  but all you moms and health nuts stick around.  This recipe came from an attempt to get my little man to eat healthier snacks.  He loves fruit chews and fruit roll-ups and while I have no problem with him eating that stuff, this recipe intrigued me. 

You see I checked out this book at the library, Vegan Cooking For Carnivores.  I am definitely not a Vegan but I have strong vegetarian tendencies.   Plus the fact that this guy (Roberto Martin) is the chef for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi led me to take this book home. I was honestly shocked at how many good recipes were in this book.  There were several I wanted to make, but this recipe looked easy and I had half the stuff at home already so I decided to give it a try.

These balls were surprisingly tasty (do I have a dirty mind that that makes me laugh?).  They are so good for you and Sterling absolutely loved them.  A kid friendly snack that is not processed and has no weird ingredients.  Matt said they were  "good for health food" but he was disappointed they weren't Rum Balls.  I asked him how many times he opened the fridge to randomly find Rum Balls.....

side note- now that I think of it I have never made Rum Balls (random).

This snack was so easy to make.  The recipe said the mixture can also be used as a topping for cereal or oatmeal, which I think would be delish.  It was a fun snack to make with Sterling too.  He tasted everything as we put it in the blender and even helped me roll a few balls- although his looked more like worms than balls.  Either way you and your kids will love this healthy snack.

 

{Fruity Snack Balls}

3/4 unsweetened shredded coconut (I actually used sweetened coconut)

3/4 dried cherries

1 cup dried mango

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sliced raw almonds

Run the first 4 ingredients in a food processor fitted with a steel blade for 1 full minute.  Add the almonds and run for another minute.  Squeeze or roll 1 tablespoon of the filling into a ball.  Repeat until all mixture is used.

** I have been storing mine in the fridge but not sure that is necessary.**

My Christmas Wish List

Hard to believe Christmas is less than 6 weeks away. I swear 2012 flew by. I have actually started some of my Christmas shopping- not much but I do have a few gifts already bought. Which makes me feel less stressed already!

Several of you emailed me and asked me to share my Christmas list, so here it is. This is literally the list I gave my parents and grandfather. They are all items I seriously adore and want. I really like that my family does Christmas lists, that way everybody gets something they really want. We have been doing Christmas lists since I was a child. I remember flipping through all the massive toy catalogs (think JCPenny) and folding down the pages where I wanted stuff and giving that to my grandparents. I am no good with surprises which is why I like to pick out all my gifts. One year when I was a child while my parents were out I opened up every single gift under the tree and then rewrapped them and pretended to be surprised on Christmas Day. Just so I could know what was under there the surprise was killing me!

This year I happen to know the purple Theory Blouse will be under the tree waiting for me- lets just say my mom starts her shopping early:) What is on your wish list? Anything missing on my list?

Staying Healthy, My Health Secrets

As most of you know I was sick last week and into the weekend, but thank goodness I am feeling better and on the mend.  Being sick got me thinking about my health and staying healthy.  Besides eating well and staying active I have a few go-to health tricks I swear by.  Below are a few things I used while I was sick that were a lifesaver and a few things I use on a daily basis which I swear helped me fight off my cold quicker.

NEILMED SINUS RINSE

This thing is amazing.  It is by the guy who created the Nettipot but this works so much better.  I was so clogged all weekend, like could not breathe out my nose at all and this really helps to clear and flush things out.  I will warn it is kind of weird at first but you get used to it.  You fill the bottle with a packet of the powdered saline solution and then mix with distilled warm water.  Tilt head to one side and shoot it up that nostril, it will drip out the other side.  Kind of crazy but it works like a charm.  I heard this is good to do on a daily basis even when you are not sick to combat germs.  I plan to continue using this regularly.

 

AQUAPHOR

This stuff worked miracles on my dry chapped lips and crusty nose that was dried out from blowing it so much.  I slathered this stuff on several times a day.  It feels so good on dry skin.  I read an article where a famous plastic surgeon recommended Aquaphor to all his patients post surgery for healing purposes.  He told them to slather it all over their faces at night.    It is that good for your skin.  I am no where near getting plastic surgery but I may start to slather this on one night a week to help improve my skin.  I figure plastic surgeons know best, right?



ULTIMATE FLORA PROBIOTIC

My parents got me hooked on this probiotic.  Apparently I was the only one in the family not taking a probiotic.   This stuff is so good for your digestive system and helping to keep healthy bacteria in your body.   "Ultimate Flora Adult Formula contains 15 billion live cultures of 10 different strains of bacteria. The 10 different strains were carefully chosen for their proven health-promoting benefits and their prevalence in the healthy digestive tract." 

And if you are not regular, trust me this will help get things moving.   My parents good friend who is a doctor said everyone should take these daily to keep healthy bacteria built up in their body.  It will then help you when you do have an infection or get sick. I bought mine at Earthfare but you can find probiotics at most drugstores.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

For two weeks I religiously took 3 tablespoons of this everyday (mixed with 8 oz water) to try and shed the 5lbs I gained over the summer.  I did end up loosing 3 lbs- don't know if it was all from the apple cider vinegar but I think it helped.  I no longer take it everyday, it was starting to make me naseous,  but I do still take it occcasionally when I feel bloated.  I think this really does help to clear out your system and debloat.   It is also supposed to work wonders for your hair and skin as well.  It is important if you decide to do this to buy the organic kind pictured below.

BREVILLE JUICE FOUNTAIN PLUS

I hate to keep preaching about the benefits of juicing but I am a strong believer that it is so good for you.  I have even gotten Matt on a juicing kick.  I won't say he enjoys the green juice but he does drink a glass with me every morning.  And I swear since he started drinking it he has complained less about feeling tired and worn out.  This stuff works wonders.  All the nutrients from the green plants are so important to keep us healthy. I  have the Breville Juice Fountain Plus and love it.  Not one complaint.  I received it last year for Christmas and have been hooked ever since.  Add this to your Christmas list you won't be disappointed.

My favorite go-to green juices are:

1) Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Green Apple, Lemon, Ginger

2) Green Pear, Kale, Celery, Broccoli, Lime

JUICE PLUS ORCHARD AND GARDEN BLEND CHEWABLES

 I know in my house it is next to impossible to get Sterling to eat a well balanced meal- unless you count canned mandarin oranges and ravioli as health food:)  I have my girl Caycee to thank for introducing me to these vitamins for kids.  They taste and look like fruit chews.

Technically Juice Plus+ is a capsule (or gummy) with the powders of 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains.  No artificial anything, no pesticides, and most importantly, they are not man made synthetic reproductions of natural vitamins.   Caycee gave Sterling a few of these at her house and he devoured them.  The vegetable one is filled kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli,  and lots of other veggies he would never touch normally.  Highly recommend these for kids:)

Those my health secrets, nothing ground-breaking but all things I swear by!
Tell me any health secrets you have?  I would love to hear them!

xoxo

Friday, Friday

I knew it was going happen, what with a two year old coughing and sneezing in my face and wiping his runny nose all over me.  Yep, I caught the crunk from my little man.  I'm exhausted and just want to sip hot tea all day and watch trashy TV shows.   Sadly, that is not a reality so I will power on.  I guess after kids you never truly get a sick day!

Thank you for all your suggestions yesterday. I ended up picking up the JCREW Saturday pants and adore them. And best part they were on sale it's like it was my lucky day and we were meant to be.  I highly recommend these. They are so comfortable.  I put them on yesterday at 5 and rocked them til I went to bed!

In other news, I enjoyed some delish red wine at my parents.  This was such a delicious red wine called Dry Creek Vineyard Cabernet.

I am officially obsessed with Nashville.  It is one of my favorite TV shows on right now.  I love the whole cast and I may have downloaded a few of the songs for IPod!

I was however kind of disappointed with the new Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  Everyone just seemed really fake and staged.  Don't worry of course I am going to keep watching it but so far not as good as the first season.  Can't decide what I think of David Foster's wife yet.....

Have a great weekend!  I am off for some retail therapy with my mom and praying I feel better soon! 

Lounging.

Ok major confession.  I don't own any lounge wear.  The last time I bought loungewear was when the Juicy Couture Track Suits were in full effect. Sadly,  I still own three pairs of the velour pants and rock them around the house.  This is where I need help.  I want some cute casual clothes I can wear around the house.  I have good workout clothes, and I have cute day clothes and at night for the most part I sleep in nightgowns but I want something for that in between time after running errands and before bed I can throw on and be comfy but still look cute.   Something that would be acceptable to wear out in public if I had to run to the store but equally comfy. I want to look like this around the house.  Chic but comfortable.

I am clueless about lounge wear.  I mean I really am.  Everyday I fix my hair and put on make-up and get dressed up no matter what.  The day after Sterling was born I got up showered, proceeded to blow dry and straighten my hair, put on make-up and get dressed in cute clothes.  The nurses made so much fun of me and said where do you think you are?  Competing to be on Americas' Next Top Model?   Matt claims he can tell when I am truly really sick because that is the only time I don't put on make-up or get dressed up.  It is sickness I don't know how to be casual, so help a sister out.   I need recommendations for cute casual loungewear.

Here a few items I am eyeing.   Strongly leaning towards the JCrew Weekend Pants.

And this is number one on my Christmas Wish List.  My mom has these slippers and they are the comfiest thing I have ever slipped my feet into.  They feel like pure heaven on your feet.  If you don't have a pair you need a pair.  The perfect around the house shoes.

{UGG SCUFFETTE SLIPPERS}

And how cute are these pajamas?  Adorable, I want the short set and the nightshirt.  I love chic sleepwear that is equally cute to wear around the house.

{Eberjey Gisele Short Pajamas, Gisele Sleepshirt}

So dish it to me where I can I get some cute casual lounge clothes?