I was inspired by my favorite DIY bloggers to make my own Christmas gifts this year. My sister wanted wall decor for her new apartment and the modern yarn decorations fit perfectly with her style. I got my direction from the Home Oh My! blog by Amy. She is super talented!
If you think about it, everyone contributes something special to the holiday - Grandma cooks Christmas dinner, cousin Jen who puts extra thought into each gift, Aunt Lucy takes all the pictures and a crazy uncle Bob makes everyone feel uncomfortable.
This year, participate by being the holiday mixologist. Serve up a chilled bottle of champagne with a little something extra to make a toast Christmas day.
Christmas is NEXT week! Where has the time gone?! With more than a week to shop, there is still time to think of that perfect gift for your man. With the pressure on, think outside the box... literally!
Speaking of holiday parties... who is freaking out about bringing a dish to your next get-together? For someone who doesn't entertain often or cooks for only one person at a time, bringing a dish can be nerve-racking!
Luckily, my holiday guac is a party-pleaser. It's light, delicious and most importantly it is EASY to make. I serve the guac room temperature with tortilla chips or as a salad.
Growing up, I would always look forward to my family’s holiday traditions. When fall settled in, my mom would warm our house with the smells of the season. We would carve pumpkins for the front porch and make caramel apple lollipops with the apples we picked at a local orchard. My mom went to great lengths to make each season special, and looking back I really appreciate her efforts.
Challenge: Spend nothing this weekend.
Challenge accepted. As the summer is wrapping up, I am reevaluating my expenses after a summer of fun. I found that most of my money is spent on the weekends, my highest expense is eating out, and I am not frugal when I travel. So after making myself sick from seeing how much money I have spent recently, I decided to do a spending cleanse.
When moving for your job, school, the military or what have you... the feeling is always the same. Anxious, nervous, excited, hesitant, curious... brought on by the huge pit in your stomach aching due to the unknown. However, it's thrilling to discover a new place on your own. For me, the thrill outweighed it all. I knew I had a chance to make my new city feel like my home and that was exciting!
Today is my birthday! I can't believe another year has already come and gone. Reflecting back on the past year so much has happened. I started a new job, settled into a new city and had many ups and downs while doing so. Even though, life wasn't perfect I learned so much, traveled the country and spent time with loved ones. I am beyond thankful for my loving family, my supportive boyfriend, my great job and my amazing friends.
I'm nostalgic for back-to-school shopping! The other day, I found myself thinking I needed new office supplies because of the Target display of colorful gel pens and Sharpies.
There is just something exciting about picking out brand new supplies to fill your trapper keeper, or buying a pair of shoes to match your first day of school outfit. I guess nowadays I'll just reminisce about my purple monogrammed L.L. Bean backpack and light-up Sketchers.
Recently, I went to Sunglass Hut to debate if I should drop $200 on new frames after my cheap sunnies from Target broke. When I was about to talk myself into buying my second pair of aviators, I wondered if I could just replace the lenses in the Ray-Ban frames I already have. To my surprise, I could!
You can order lenses from a Ray-Ban distributor for very cheap by calling Luxottica at 1-800-343-5594. All you need is the size, color code and frame type to order new authentic lenses for less than $25 a lens.