Obsessions

Happy Humpday!

Here is what I am currently obsessing over!

CUSTOMIZED POUFS
I saw these on Etsy and was smitten. $75 for a customized Pouf is a real steal! I love every fabric choice too!

THIS QUOTE
So true! Sometimes I need to remind myself of this when I get stressed out about little things.

ESSIE MINK MUFFS
My mom just gave me this nail polish last weekend. I painted my nails last night and love it. Great color for fall!

JCREW BLOUSES

JCREW is slowly becoming my go-to for inexpensive gorgeous blouses. Here is another recent find. This is my favorite color color, love me some Cobalt! Best part they keep having an additional 30 percent off purchases.
Silk Pin Tuck Blouse

GOD GAVE US CHRISTMAS

This is the sweetest book ever. When Sterling was born a friend gave me "God Gave Us You." I loved it so much I bought Sterling this book for Christmas. He loves it, every night he pulls it out and says "Bear, Bear." A great book for kids with a story about the real meaning of Christmas.

Don't Hate Me...

Don't hate me for sharing this recipe because it's like crack it's so addictive. Can you imagine anything better than brownies mixed with Cookies and Cream ice cream with Oreos baked in the middle? Yeah, me neither. This is one dessert you are definitely going to want to make. I have been baking these and putting them in cute Christmas tins to deliver. Except sadly Matt and I keep eating most of what I bake. Your waist line might hate you but your stomach is gonna love you. Enjoy!

Cookies ‘N Cream Oreo Fudge Brownies

1 box Brownie Mix

eggs & oil (as called for by the brownie mix)

1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream

1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp)

Preheat oven & spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

Green Smoothie + Ninja

While I was home my mom's friend Ruth let us borrow her Ninja Blender to try out. I want a juicer for Christmas and she wanted us to see how this works. It is not a juicer but it will puree anything. It was pretty amazing. It has six blades in it so you can fill it to the brim and it chops it all, unlike my current blender! The Ninja worked wonderfully. Apparently it also can be used as a food processor and to make bread. I highly recommend!

I decided to try out a recipe for a Green Smoothie I found on pinterest ( big surprise right? I'm addicted to that site).

GREEN SMOOTHIE
Bananas
Frozen Peaches
Frozen Mangoes
Fresh Spinach



The smoothie was delish and tasted so healthy. It just might become a morning standard in my house. Sterling also loved it which is great because I am having a hard time getting him to eat veggies these days! At least I know he's getting a green veggie when he drinks this! Next time I might add a few pineapples for added sweetness. Anyone have any other great green smoothie recipes? Please do share!

Feeling The Holiday Spirit

After finally getting our house fully decorated and getting some Christmas shopping accomplished this week, I am officially ready for the holidays! There has finally been some colder weather down here which really makes it feel like Christmas. So this weekend I will be enjoying Hot Chocolate, listening to Christmas music, and of course watching all the cheesy Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies on TV!

Have a great weekend dolls!

all images via Pinterest

Thoughts For Thursday

I am home visiting my parents this week since I didn't get to see them for Thanksgiving. I always love coming home because normally I am the one taking care of everybody but when I am home my parents pamper me and take care of me. It is lovely. Here is what we have been up.

We took Sterling to see Santa for the first time. This did not go over so well....

But how priceless is this picture? I can't wait to bust this out when he is older!

We did some Christmas shopping and my mom picked this fabulous leopard dress up for me at JCrew. I absolutely love it! Leopard print is my favorite! I can't wait to wear this gorgeous number, I think it may be my NYE dress. Versatile enough to wear many times over!
JCREW JULES DRESS IN WILDCAT PRINT

It also comes in a blouse version which is equally as fabulous but I went with the dress since I have so many blouses already.
JCREW WILDCAT BLOUSE

We enjoyed sushi from The Cowfish and ladies if you live in Charlotte you have to eat there! They have burguish which is hamburger sushi, truly amazing. They will do the rolls in brown rice per request which is always an added bonus in my book. We had the Marks Roll, The Surf and Turf Roll and the Blackened Tuna Roll. DELISH!

Does anybody ever feel like this? Sometimes I look in my full closet and still can't find anything to wear!

I get to pick up my first original abstract by Sally King Benedict on Monday! I am in love, I am pretty sure this beauty is going in Sterling's room! I am so excited to own a piece of her artwork!

She was just featured in Elle Decor this month- how cool is that? Her painting is in the home of Ashley Stark and it is truly gorgeous!

That's all I have for today. I am off for a lunch playdate with a dear friend and to visit my grandfather! xoxo

Obsessions

Happy Tuesday Lovelies. Confession, I lost my IPod last week (I think I left it at the gym and someone stole it) and our computer crashed Sunday. It has been a bad week for technology in the Mason Household. Running without music is torture and not having a working computer sucks. My husband is the real one having withdrawals he doesn't know what to do at night without the Internet. And of course this all happens right before Christmas when we need our extra money to Christmas shop! Luckily I am visiting my rents this week so I can use their computer til we get a new one or ours gets fixed!

Here is what I am obsessing over this week:

ZEBRA WALLS
This is pure genius to me. I think you all know how much I heart a zebra rug so imagine how much I love these gorgeous walls. Perfect for a foyer or bathroom.

TORY BURCH IPHONE AND IPAD CASES
Love me some Tory. I was so excited to see these new designs she came out with. What a great Christmas gift (hint, hint).

WHITE CHRISTMAS TREE
I am pretty simple when it comes to my Christmas decorations, I only use silver, gold, and white. So it is no surprise I love an all white Christmas tree! I know one day this will change when Sterling actually has an opinion for how he wants to decorate the tree (sigh, I can just picture our tree now covered with trucks and dinosaurs) but until then this Mama is decorating how she wants to!

via Pinterest
Here is a sneak peek of our tree, not all white but lots of lights. My motto is the more the lights the better, I am seriously considering adding a few more strands.

CHANEL SUBLIMAGE EYE CREAM
I have been hooked on my Bobbi Brown eye cream since I got it, but several people recommended this eye cream to me so I picked up a sample a few weeks ago. It is beyond amazing. A thicker consistency than the BB cream. It hydrates great and left my skin feeling so smooth. It is most def on the pricey side but my sample has lasted forever. I think I may stick with the Bobbi Brown cream during the day because it is lighter and splurge on this for the evening.

PEPPERMINT MOCHA
I just had my first one of these of the season Sunday after church. Holy crap I forgot how delish this drink was. I always associate Peppermint Mochas with the holidays and shopping so this drink makes me very happy!

Cheesy Corn Casserole

We are having some computer issues so you guys get a recipe today and Obsessions tomorrow. I decided to add this casserole to my Thangsgiving menu last minute after the hubs informed me that pilgrims ate corn at the original Thanksgiving and we needed to as well. This casserole is filled with cheese and bacon- enough said, right? It ain't healthy but it sure is good!

CHEESY CORN CASSEROLE

4 slices bacon, finely chopped

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup flour

3 cups milk

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

2 oz. Velveeta, cubed

2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp. paprika

3 lb. fresh or frozen corn kernels

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 375°. Heat bacon in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add butter and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, and bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, Velveeta, cheddar, and paprika, and cook until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in corn; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9″ × 13″ baking dish and bake until top is golden brown and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.