I'm a PinkBlush Ambassador and was gifted this cardigan. All opinions are of my own 


I hope you had an amazing Christmas, it's officially New Year's Eve. I spent Christmas over at my Mother-In-Law and Sister house. We had so much fun. My cheeks still hurt from smiling so much. I pretty much spent my weekend trying to organize and declutter our home. Our home is relatively small, so I try to purge our home several times a year. Anywho...

How was your weekend?

Attire Breakdown

Not sure why 2018 was so in a rush to leave, however, it really feels like this year has flown by. So much has happened this year, and I'm honestly truly thankful for the continued support of my blog. This is my third year of creating this list, and I really enjoy creating it and putting it out there to the universe to keep myself accountable. This list, annual list all started with items that I would stop buying, and it has evolved to a blog post that I now look forward to creating. Below I'm sharing 19 things that I will start, stop, and splurge on.

19 Things that I want to Start, Stop and Splurge On

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! Last year I created goals for 2018 I'm so happy that I created this post last year. I honestly forgot all about it. I've noticed that I struggle with sharing my process with you guys, and I have to honestly get better at that. Writing this post last year was one of the best blogging decisions I've made. I'm a mom, wife, sister etc, and I too struggle with self-care. I just have to get better at it, and not lose myself while trying to care for everyone else. This year really flew by to me... way too fast. As the saying goes “time waits for no man”. I'm currently working on my list for 2019, and below I updated my list from last year. The items that are in bold I still need to work on, and the items that are crossed out, I believe that I was pretty successful at completing.

18 Things that I want to Start, Stop and Splurge On

1. Treat myself- Not sure why it's so hard for me to treat myself. I would like to start doing that on a more regular basis. I say no to myself way too much and I have to learn how to create a balance.
2. Read More- I did so poorly with reading this year. I have to learn how to make time for it each day.
3. YouTube- I would like to be more consistent with YouTube. Not sure what happened towards the middle of the year.
4. Date Myself- I have to learn how to date myself more and take myself out.
5. Nails Done- I learned that this year that I really love having and keeping my nails painted. Something about it just makes me feel good about myself. I have to learn how to incorporate this more.
6. Stationary- I'm open to the opportunity to collaborate with brands. However, I have way too much stationary products that I've purchased on my own.
7. Tablescape- This year we purchased a dining room table. I'm totally obsessed with creating tablescapes. This is something that I love so I have to make time for it.
8. Decor- I have a lot of home decor that I rarely get to play around with. I want to spend more time making sure that I'm in love with my home.
9. Clothing- I only want to purchase clothing that I'm in love with. I just don't want to purchase just because it's a great price.
10. Minimalist- I want to continue to purchase what I need and all areas of my life.
11. Capsule Wardrobe- I want to create a capsule wardrobe and take you guys on the experience of how I put together the outfits.
12. Quality- I want to invest in a couple of high-end pieces for my wardrobe
13. Hobby- I have so many hobbies that I love. Would love to take a couple of classes on them.
14. DSLR- Learn how to shoot in manual mode
15. Family Game Night- We need more of these
16. Stop buying just to buy!
17. Planner- Spend more time using my planner
18. Planner Supplies- Stop buying planner supplies just to buy them.

How did you do with your 2018 goals? 

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Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas from my Family to Yours! 

It's officially Christmas Eve. Not sure why I feel like a kid at the candy store. But I just really enjoy the holidays, especially Christmas. This year we're having Christmas dinner over at my sister's house which I'm really excited about. I can't wait to see my friends and family. The kiddos are out of school for break, so I'm hoping to use this menu plan as a guide, and at some point, I'm sure I'll just have to wing it. Anywho...

 During the holidays. I love creating DIY gifts for my friends and family. One of my favorite items to make is spa jars. The gifts are super easy to make and are perfect if you're a last minute shopper. Let's face it. When you purchase gifts sets. A lot of them don't typically carry all of your favorite items. Creating your own gives you full creativity. These jars make the perfect throughout the year, and you can really customize it to the personality of the person that you're giving it to.

Do you like spa jars? 

What's In My Jar

• Shower Gel
• Hand Cream
• Nail Polish
• Face Mask
• Bath Bombs 
• Facial Cream

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It's officially a week from Christmas. It defiantly feels like December in my state. I wasn't sure if I was going to create a wish list. Honestly, I really couldn't think of anything that I wanted. Of course the usual, vacation, camera lens, and a bunch of other stuff. I still haven't purchased the camera lens that has been on my wishlist for the last couple of years. I was told that Canon was going to release a new lens. (memo to self: look into that) I just noticed that I've never owned a pair of Ugg boots. The moister purchased a pair of Ugg slippers a couple of years ago, and to be honest. I just wasn't impressed with the quality. I'm open to receiving them as a gift though.

I'm currently on the lookout for some flat black knee boots. The pair a purchased several years ago has run its course. I purchased them from Aldo's, and they held up pretty well. I would defiantly purchase another pair from Aldo's. Love their quality. I've been shopping there for as long as I can remember. Defiantly, over 16 years. I also put on my list a monogrammed mug. I purchase one last year, during the after Christmas sale. I must say that I loved everything about the mug. The Mister broke it. Hoping to purchase another soon. I miss using my little mug. I'm also in need of a new winter coat. The one I have, I've had for over nine years. It's Ralph Lauren, It's held up well all these years. Of course, by now I'm in need of a new one. I will say that my coat keeps me warm. I would love something similar that goes past my knees...


Anywho, do you have a Christmas Wish List?

Happy Monday! I can't believe that Christmas is almost a week away. This past weekend was really busy with volunteering my time and doing some last minute holiday shopping. I was hoping to spend Sunday watching Christmas movies. However, I forgot that it's still football season, so hopefully, I'll be able to watch some of my favorite Christmas movies. This year my sister is hosting Christmas dinner at her house for the first year. I'm excited to spend the day with friends and family. This week I'm keeping our menu pretty basic. I'm hoping that I'll try a new chocolate cookie recipe. I have two chocolate chip cookie recipes here and here that I love, and will probably use them instead. Anywho...


Do you have a favorite holiday movie? How was your weekend?

Menu Plan Monday

Fit Girl Gift Guide

Gift Guide for Teen Boys

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50+ Anthropologie Gifts for Her under $50

Menu Plan Monday! Typically, on menu plan Monday, I share our menu plan for the week. This week I decided to do something a little different. Below I’m sharing a Meal Planner Gift Guide. This gift guide includes items I want to try, own, and use on a regular basis. Do you meal plan?

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It's officially the holidays, and finding the perfect gift for your loved ones can be a daunting task. Looking at every site, and going to tons of stores can really take a toll on your holiday spirit. No worries! I've done all of the hard work for you. No matter if you're looking for the perfect gift for a travel enthusiast or your planner bestie. I have you covered! Many of these items, I own myself and have been using for years, and a lot of them are on my wishlist as well.

Travel

If you follow me on social media you know that a red lip is one of my favorites if not favorite colors to where. I typically go from literally a neutral to a red lip color. This is just something that I’ve been doing for years, I'm just such a huge fan of the color and it just really complements my skin tone. Today I am sharing my top red lip colors, these are lip shades that I wear on regular basis. These are also all products that I love unfortunately, it’s so hard to say which ones are my favorite because definitely depending on the look that I'm going for that day. I also want to mention that some of these shades are in the red family. From a bright red to more of a red wine bread. However, I feel that these colors are perfect for the holiday season and beyond. I wear these colors throughout the year and if you’re looking for the perfect shade of red I definitely suggest checking out these products.

Do you have a favorite red lip color?

Top 4 Christmas Red Lips

• Clarins Joli Rouge-742
• MAC Ruby Woo
• Dermelect AUDACIOUS
• Caliyn Pure Lust #4

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I'm often asked about my daily/weekly routines, and honestly. These routines are a total lifesaver for me. I spend less time, on unnecessary stuff, and I'm able to spend more time doing the stuff in which I love. Below I'm sharing 10 Things to do every Sunday for a productive week. I can imagine that everyone's schedule is different, you may not be available on Sunday. However, this is more so as a foundation to create a weekly routine, no matter which day it's on.


Take your clothes out for the week
This is something that I've been doing since my son was in preschool. Not only do I take out his clothes. I take out my clothes for the week as well. I'll typically have several outfit looks put together just in case I need to leave on a whim. I'm not spending hours putting looks together.

Journal 
I've incorporated journaling into my daily routines, however, if you can't journal on a daily basis. I would at least suggest journaling every Sunday to decompress and get your thoughts out from the prior week. There are so many writing prompts for journaling. Just do a quick Google search to get inspired. You don't need a fancy journal. I just use the one that I purchased from Target.

Go Grocery Shopping
Based on my menu plan, it makes it a lot easier for me to go grocery shopping. I know what I need for the week, and I'm able to get my home fully stocked, especially since winter is fast approaching, and snow days will be following closely after. Since I tend to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I tend to go to the grocery once a week. However, do what works for your family, maybe based on your needs you only need to go to the grocery store once or twice a month. Do what works best for you and your family.

Meal plan for the week
If you've been following me for a while, you know that I meal plan weekly, for myself, and family. It takes a ton out of the stress of "what's for dinner" everyone already knows what for dinner. I don't have to run to the store to pick up items, and a lot of times. I can place the items in the crockpot, and it's done prior to everyone returning home for the day.

Wash clothing
Though I typically try to was load clothes at least every other day. I try my best to make sure that all of the clothing in our home is washed by Sunday. It just makes for a better transition into the new week, especially with having children who play sports.

Clean your home
I'm not sure if I'm the only person, but I can not function properly if my home is dirty. Let not forget about taking twice as long to look for something due to it not being properly placed in the correct destination, and/or it's covered over a pile. Take a moment to clean your home.

Review Your Planner and/or Schedule
I know this may sound simple. But it's super easy to add stuff to your planner, and/or phone, and totally forget about it. Trust me, get into the routine of checking all of your planners/calendars on Sunday in order to properly prepare for the week ahead.

Schedule/plan your Week Out
As the saying goes, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Plan your week out, create goals for yourself. This really does cut back on forgetting to do stuff. Do you need a refill on your prescription, do you have to return a call or follow up on email. This is the perfect time to plan out your week.

• Monday: Schedule Dentist Appointment 
• Tuesday: Follow up on Ambers Email
• Wednesday: Looking into Doctoral Degree Programs
• Thursday: See about any new job opening
• Friday: Schedule Lunch date with Maria

Create a To-Do List
I've learned that I'm highly productive during the week when I create a to-do list on Monday. You can easily section the list down to items that need to be completed by a certain day of the week of prioritizing your list in any way that you see fit. This really cuts out constantly thinking on Monday or even trying to remember everything that needs to get done. You can also always add to your list.


Create an At-Home Spa Day
I know this might sound silly, however for me personally, it's so nice to start of my ween rejuvenated from just simply having an at-home spa day. This honestly doesn't have to take much, and you can do what works best for you.

Do you have any Sunday routines? 

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Happy Monday:

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