December 2012 Favorites

I'm always on the hunt for things that make life easier, more fun, better, you-name-it. So, I bring you my favorites, in a variety of categories, for the month of December.

Fitness

• "You Can Do Pilates" DVD- It may seem kinda lame to do a beginner's exercise DVD, but even though my back doctor has given me the green light, I do still have to be careful. This DVD has been really great. I feel more fit, and I can tell my muscle tone is improving. I definitely plan to keep using this program into the new year. Better than sitting on the couch!

Food 

• Green tea- I grew up hating hot tea, and now here I am, loving it. Guess it's true that our tastes really do change!

• Hummus- More like yummus (sorry, had to). I recently found my favorite brand, Athenos, on sale at Kroger for buy one, get one FREE. Score!

Home

• Slatkin & Co. 3-wick candle in "Cider Lane" from Bath & Body Works- I've been obsessed with candles this entire year, but this one has been my favorite by far. Described as "...a delicious fall blend of mulled cider, warm caramel, and sweet cinnamon," this is truly the perfect autumn candle. (A tip about B&BW candles: they retail for about $20.00 a piece, so always try to catch them when they go on sale for 2 for $20.00.)

Beauty

• Wet n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in "Walking on Eggshells"- I'm a fan of neutral eyeshadows, and these are fantastic quality at a very low price.

• Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub- Love this stuff. From the bottle: "Gently scrubs away impurities that can build up in pores to improve complexion for fresh, clear skin". I especially love that it is made of 94% naturally-derived ingredients. 

• Birchbox- I've been a Birchbox subscriber for a year now, and I'm loving it. Birchbox is beauty and lifestyle subscription service which sends out 4-6 samples of higher-end products each month. My mother gifted me a subscription last Christmas, and I've discovered so many great new brands and products through them. This Christmas, I decided to buy myself a subscription so I can stay in-the-know! If you're interested in Birchbox, check it out here. (If you want to subscribe, make sure you do so via my link! I'll get referral points for the Birchbox shop!)

Music

• Xmas song! "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Judy Garland version- Classic.

• "The House I Grew Up In" by The Weeks- Fun.

• "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars- I would not call myself a Bruno Mars fan, but I saw him and his band perform this on SNL a few weeks back, and it was a PARTY. Can someone give me tickets to a Bruno show?

• "You Know Me" by Air Traffic Controller- Sweet.

• "93 Million Miles" by Jason Mraz- Makes my heart swell. Video below!

So that's it! What were some of your favorites this month? I hope everyone has a happy new year!

Christmas Gift Haul

Christmas has come and gone, and I had a pretty nice few days back at home. Here are a few things I got from various friends and family:

• Mindy Kaling's "Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me?"- Love Mindy, love her new show. I'm very excited to read her book!

• Sephora by OPI mini polish set- Because is there such a thing as too much nail polish? Actually...probably so. Thus far, my favorites from this set of polishes are: Looks Like Rain, Dear; Break a Leg-Warmer!; and Nonfat Soy Half Caff.

• Various clothing items and shoes I already picked out on Black Friday that mom decided to save for Christmas presents.

• Three new travel coffee/tea mugs- MUCH needed. You don't even know.

• Perfume- Ed Hardy Hearts and Daggers and Coach Poppy. The Poppy set also came with a 4-piece mini Coach fragrance set. It's safe to say I'll be smelling good in the new year.

• Various gift cards for CVS, iTunes, and Strange Brew Coffeehouse.

There's no doubt that the most special gift I got this year came from my parents. They gave my brother and me a memorial stone for our late cat, Smokie. She passed at the end of June and was almost 14 years old. Cats get a bad rap, but Smokie was part of the family and was definintely my favorite part of growing up. Nothing can match the bond between a person and his/her pet. And, now I'm teary. 

One more very important Christmas wish granted: Went to my annual back doctor appointment (long story short, I have some messed up discs), and he said that, since I haven't had any trouble lately, I don't have to come back unless I need to. Hooray!

I'm very grateful for all the gifts I received. I hope everyone had a great holiday! New year's is coming up, and I'll be spending it in Memphis with some good friends. I have a feeling 2013 will be exponentially better than 2012. Here's hoping!

Christmas!

When I first started this blog, I wanted to post twice a week, and I designated Mondays and Thursdays as those days. It's Monday, and I don't really have much to say, unfortunately. So, I'm just going to wish everybody a Merry Christmas! Or a Happy Holiday! Whatever faith you practice, if any, I hope everyone can spend these days with the people they love.

Upcoming posts might include: Christmas gift haul, things I've been loving lately, and talk of New Year's resolutions.

Have a great day!

Being Connected vs. Connecting

The screen on my touchscreen phone has stopped responding. Ahhh, technology.
 
I don't mean this in a materialistic way, but I enjoy having concrete things. Pictures in albums. Buttons on phones. CDs. I'm kinda sad knowing that all of these things will be obsolete in the coming years. I guess it's true that society does evolve and technology is the force that drives the evolution. It's supposed to make our lives easier, more connected. Why, then, does it feel like we never REALLY know people? We're friends on Facebook, follow each other on Twitter, like each others' Instagram pics. But how many real, raw, deep conversations do we have with our "friends"? My wish for society is that we don't lose the ability to really connect with each other, as opposed to being connected.

I have a friend who deleted her facebook account back over the summer. She said she was placing too much value in her facebook interactions and they were starting to affect her on a mental level. She didn't think it was good for her emotional well-being to stay on Facebook. I think part of what she hoped to get out of deleting the account was getting back to connecting on a human level. I don't know yet if she feels she's achieved that, but it's a tempting offer. If we no longer put ourselves out there on these social networks, are we being more or less social? I couldn't delete my social media accounts because I'd feel like I would get forgotten, which happens to be a huge fear of mine. And even though I still have a presence on these platforms, am I any less forgotten? I don't hang out with 99% of my "friends". Is that normal or just sad? No really, I'm asking.

I know that, in most cases, the lives people construct on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are sensationalizing an otherwise unglamorous existence. Hear this: life is not a movie. Come on, be ordinary with me. Or, just follow me on Twitter. :)

Welcome!

After several (failed) attempts to start a blog and put my opinions out there for the world to see, here I am trying again!

I don't know what I hope to accomplish by doing this. I just know I have to do something, say something, create something. My inspiration is this article. I'll be completely honest: It's been a really rough year for me. Personal life issues, loss, and general lack of direction have plagued me and broken my spirit. And I am absolutely sick and tired of feeling that way. So, I'm choosing happiness. Well, I don't know if this blog will lead to happiness. But at least it's something. Something that will hopefully give my sorry excuse for a life some meaning.

So, what am I going to write about? This will be the question that I'll hopefully figure out in the coming weeks and months. I have a variety of interests that will be difficult to focus into a one-subject blog. So, maybe I'll just write about anything and everything. Starting out, I'm going to try to post at least twice a week.

And that's about it! I hope this journey is as fun for you as I hope it will be for me. :)

-L