Um, where did October go?

Here we are, the last week of October already.  I really have no idea how that's possible and I continue to be dumbfounded about how quickly this whole year has gone.  I thought that October was going to be a pretty low key month, but it quickly filled up with birthdays, projects and Halloween parties.

Our weekend started out with a nice relaxing Friday night with Hubs and I taking it easy, ordering pizza for dinner and enjoying downtime after a hectic workweek.  The dogs appreciate this downtime as well, considering they get to hang out on the couch with us :)

(I really don't know how Miss Lulu was comfortable with this, but homegirl was passed out.)

Saturday turned into a much busier day then anticipated, but in a good way.  After breakfast, Joey had to do some lawn work so and I got a call from my Mom asking if I wanted to go to the mall.  I never turn down an invitation to the mall, obviously.  It was a really nice time!  We spent way too much money at the Clinique counter, per usual, and I put a good dent in my Christmas shopping.  I got all of our niece and nephew's gifts halfway done, and I got some great deals on stuff.  It feels good to get going on all of that so we're not scrambling in the next few weeks (WEEKS?!) before the huge shopping rush.

Later that evening we got all dressed up in our costumes and went to my best friends' annual Halloween party.  It was different this year because their newborn son, Vinny joined us this year in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume!  Babies in costumes are just the cutest ever.

Sunday turned into a busy day as well.  My sister Ashley spent the night after the party and we made a big pancake spread for breakfast.  Then we all headed to church and Joey and I went and got me the new iPhone 6!  I am liking it so far and I'm excited to dig in more and find out the new cool things it can do.

Then we had a nice little lunch date at Panera and afterwards went to Helzberg to turn in our wedding rings to get them checked and redipped.  I feel so naked without my ring!  I keep having mini heart attacks when I realize there is nothing on my finger.  I'm going to need to put one of my costume ones on temporarily so I don't keep having spaz attacks the next week.

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend!  Anything interesting happen?  Let me know below! 

High Five for Friday!

Every Thursday night I'm amazed that I'm already preparing a post for Friday again.  I am so ready for it though.  I think when I push the snooze alarm for an extra fifty minutes on Thursday morning, that's pretty much signaling I am D.O.N.E. for the week.

1.  This past weekend was so much fun.  We took our Godsons to Greenfield Village for their Halloween walk.  It's over a mile long and it winds through the whole village with carved jack-o-lanterns lighting the way.  The boys got candy, we walked through a haunted bridge and a haunted wood forest and saw the Headless Horseman.  We had perfect weather which made it even better.  There's nothing like a beautiful October night for a walk.

2.  Our friends came over for dinner on Tuesday night.  We made a pot roast and got a chance to catch up with them since their wedding last month.  They told us all about their honeymoon to Costa Rica (so freaking beautiful!) and we played some cards.  It's wonderful to hang out and catch up with our closest friends, especially since we all have such busy schedules now!

3.  I have been drinking my kale, spinach and avocado smoothies every morning and it is improving my skin so so much!  My skin is much more clear, more dewy and it has been making my body feel great, too.  I got Joey on the smoothie train, so he is having one every morning, too ;)

4.  We are already winterizing our sprinkler system!  I can't believe it's that time of year already.  We got the last tree planted on our property that we needed this week, so we are officially finished with the basic lawn requirements.  Man, it takes a lot to turn a dirt lot into an actual yard.  Next year should be much easier to keep up with so we can focus on the patio!

5.  We are leaving for the Bahamas in one month! ONE. MONTH.  We have both jumped on the workout train again, and man am I feeling it!  Ab Ripper X from P90 X is no joke and just to torture myself further I have been throwing in Denise Austin's Boot Camp.  I am determined to be super toned for this vacation, so hopefully I will stick with it and see some great results.  While I was working out, I had a workout buddy join me:

She's looking pretty fit, don't you think? ;)  I love my little workout buddy, she's the best!

I hope you had a great week!  What is your favorite thing that happened this past week?  I would love to hear about it!  Don't forget to link up with Lauren, too!

Wish List Wednesday

We made it to the middle of the week!  The weekend is getting closer and that makes me very happy. This past weekend the weather was gorgeous...perfect temps, cool air and that crisp autumn feel in the air.  This week, though has been plain crappy.  Damp, cool and rain rain rain with no signs of letting up.

With the weather getting cooler and cooler, it reminds me that the  holidays coming up way too quickly! I have been trying to get my Christmas lists together for who we need to shop for and how much money to allocate.  It's also the perfect time to compile my own Christmas list for when Hubby asks for ideas ;)  Here's my Wish List Wednesday compilation for this week:

SOLE SOCIETY LYLEE BOOTIE

This bootie is exactly what I have been looking for.  Not to dressy, not too casual and can be worn with anything from jeans to leggings.  I definitely need my shoes to be multi-purpose these days.

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD CONCEALER

I have been scouting around for the next leap I want to make in high end concealers and I think it's going to be this one.  I have heard rave reviews about the staying power and coverage of dark circles, so I want to see if it lives up to the hype.

MAC FIX+

I have a lot of glittery eyeshadows that I would like to use wet sometimes, but I need this stuff to make it work and make it stay! I have also heard that this makes your complexion look amazing if you spray it over your face after you apply your makeup for the day.

FOSSIL CECILE MULTIFUNCTION LEATHER WATCH

Yummmm.  I love love love this watch!  Simplistic and elegant and will match everything.  I love that it's a neutral band and that the gold isn't overpowering.  I have an all stainless steel watch that I love and wear all the time, but I need something totally different in my collection to switch it up.

What are you guys loving and wanting to add to your Christmas lists?  Do tell!

High Five for Friday!

Hello Friends!  With another week comes another five things that have been awesome this week.  Let's get to it!

1. We are taking our Godsons to Greenfield Village tomorrow night!  It is a wonderful historic village that is part of the Henry Ford Estate.  I am really excited about this because I have never been there, either.  Every year in October they have a mile-long jack-o-lantern walkway that's all lit up and beautiful and the kids wear their costumes. People go crazy for it.  I am a huge jack-o-lantern fan, too.  If you follow me on Instagram, one of my decorations made it on there last night :)

2. This work week went super fast.  I got more responsibilities handed to me at work, so it is definitely keeping me really busy.  I like it though, it makes the weeks go by really quickly.

3. I have gotten back into the swing of drinking my green smoothies again.  It's amazing how much better they make me feel.  They make my skin glow, my hair shiny and they make me feel better all around.  Joey decided to make his own concoction and he loved it!  I think I got him hooked ;)

4. I did a lot of organizing this week which always makes me feel so good.  I cleaned out our filing cabinet and separated all of the old stuff from the necessary stuff.  This is not earth-shattering but trust me, we tend to get overrun by papers and they end up getting stashed.  It's been in the back of my mind to do it for a while and I'm so glad it's done!

5. My inlaws came over last Sunday and we enjoyed a really nice spaghetti dinner with them.  It was nice to talk and catch up.  They brought us a delicious pie filled with blueberries, cherries and apples with a strudel crumb topping.  It.was.delicious.  They also got us a giant pumpkin for our porch!  It makes it so nice and festive for the holidays!

Joey and I plan on carving some pumpkins closer to Halloween.  I love doing that, it's one of my favorite things to do.  What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions? Do you carve pumpkins?  Roast pumpkin seeds?  Inspire me!  I always love to hear about the fun things other people do around this time of year.

Well, this weekend is my Dad's birthday, so we should be really great!  I can't wait to get out of work tomorrow and kick off the weekend.  I hope you had a great week!  Link up with Lauren below!

Let's Talk Hair

So.  This is definitely a subject that I both love and drives me crazy at the same time.  I love doing my hair and watching tutorials on YouTube and trying to recreate them, but more often than not I am not loving the results.

So what kind of hair do I have?  I have natural waves in my hair...and not the cute, Victoria's Secret sexy beach waves.  They are the weird, cowlick, frizzed out version.  If I blow dry my hair, it's relatively straight but I usually need to do some heat styling to get it to look a little more natural and effortless.  Add in the fact that my hair is super thick and gets greasy easily and I just get frustrated and ticked off. 

The funny thing is, I know what the issue is...product.  I know I need to get better products to help get the hairstyles I'm trying to do to actually stay in place.  Luckily, with all of the blogs and YouTubers out there, I have found a select few items that work for me for my daily hairstyles.

OGX MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL WEIGHTLESS HEALING DRY OIL

This argan oil is pretty awesome.  After my shower I comb out my hair and use 5-7 sprays all over my hair.  It detangles it, smooths and shines and keeps the blow dry time down.  With my thick hair I really need that.  Double bonus is that it's cheap and smells heavenly.  At $7.99 you can't beat it.

OSCAR BLANDI HAIR LIFT MOUSSE

This mousse is a bit on the pricey end, but I have been loving it so far.  It adds just enough volume for the day to day hairstyling.  I have noticed that when I use this, it helps control the oil in my hair.  I have found I can go longer in between washing my hair when I use this mousse.  That saves me time and helps keep my hair healthier with less washing and blow drying.

ORIBE DRY TEXTURIZING SPRAY

I have talked about this spray before and I loved it right from the beginning, and now that I've used it for quite a while, I'm still loving it.  It is great for second and third day hair.  It allows me to backcomb to get height for fancier hairstyles, combats any oil with it's dry shampoo properties and it gives my hair grip to pin it up or back.  Using this in combination with the Oscar Blandi mousse has really given me more flexibility with styling.  It's expensive, but I only use it when I absolutely need to.  I will definitely be repurchasing when this runs out!

These three items are my core team so far, but I still need to find some products that work well with curling.  Since my hair can get greasy really easily from the wrong products, I have to watch what I use and test things out to see how they work for me.  I need something lightweight that will give my hair lots of grip and staying power without weighing it down with thick creams or gels.  What are your favorite products for those kinds of styles?  Give a girl some help!

High Five for Friday!

I started out this week pretty tired and thought that Friday would never get here.  Luckily, this week went by pretty quickly, considering it was a weird week that was kind of out of the norm.  Here's a recap of the best parts!

1. We got back from our trip to Pennsylvania on Sunday evening.  It was a great time!  I got the chance to see almost all of my aunts, uncles and cousins and that was great since we haven't all been in the same room together in about ten years.  It was especially wonderful because both of my Grandpap's turn 80 this year and we were there for very close to their birthdays.  My Grandma turned 77 on Saturday when we were down there!  Triple birthdays?  Yes please!  And, how sweet are they? I am so thankful that they are all still in my life :)

2.  Joey is back home!  He had to do his last trip to Erie, PA this week and he's finally back now!  So glad to have him back so we can enjoy the weekend together.  When he is gone, weeks go by S-L-O-W-L-Y.

3.  My cousin is getting married on Saturday, so we are going to his wedding.  He is marrying a wonderful girl and we are so happy for them.  It will be great to have a night out with hubby and my sisters and be able to get dressed up and dance!

4.  I am continuing to use our new washer and dryer and luhving it!  That thing is the best.  Also?  I would pick doing laundry over dishes any day.

5.  I busted out the Halloween decorations!  The house is looking pretty seasonal around here, and it's such a nice change.  If you follow me on Instagram, I snapped this picture of these slippers I forgot I had in one of my Halloween boxes and I was pretty excited about it.

I hope you have a great weekend, friends!  October is such a lovely month.  The air is cooler and crisp, but it's not in that awful cold weather yet.  I hope to get some cornstalks and pumpkins for outside on the porch sometime this week...hopefully we have some time to do so!

Don't forget to link up with Lauren below!

Hunter Boots

With how awful winter was in Michigan (and everywhere, really) last year, we are all betting on a winter that is not much better this year.  Snow, ice, slush, ice, more snow and more ice.  Oh yeah, and SUBZERO TEMPS.  I am not looking forward to that at all.  Let's not go lower than the teens this year if we must, mmkay?  DO YOU HEAR ME, WEATHERJERKS?

One thing that I was mad at myself for not investing in before all that bad weather hit was a quality pair of winter boots.  I had a crappy pair from Target that got me through but they weren't tall enough and didn't have enough tread.  With ice that was inches thick on every sidewalk and driveway, es no bueno.

This year, I am going to order my Hunter boots.  I have been wanting these for years and I'm going to spring for them this year, and soon.  I need to get them in my possession before snow hits and all the people buy them up and raise the prices.  I think I am going with the original tall in matte black.

Ahhh, can't wait.  I'll probably get the wool sock inserts as well.  They're perfect if you need to change your shoes at the office.  Wear socks already in the boots and you're all set.  No extra crap to haul to and from work!

What's your go-to winter boot?

Wish List Wednesday

All of the beautiful seasonal clothes have got me wanting to run to the nearest mall and throw down the plastic for chic clothing this season.  However.  I need to space out my purchases a bit to *ahem* keep the wallet in check.  

Since I'm tempering my shopping habits, I have compiled a wish list of things that I am keeping my eye on to buy the next time I go to the mall or online shop, so that I remember what I want and don't just impulse buy other things that are not so high up on my list.  Surprisingly, I have a lot of clothes from last season that I will put into rotation again this year, so I'm focused more on only a few staple pieces that will enhance my wardrobe.  And beauty items, of course.

TOO FACED BETTER THAN SEX MASCARA
I have wanted this for a very long time now, since my sister Ashley picked it up about a year ago.  I had been in a phase of loving Maybelline Falsies mascara for such a long time that I didn't want to go high end with my mascara. Since I had found a great drugstore one that worked for me I figured I wouldn't splurge on it.  But now?  I want.

TOO FACED PRIMED AND PORELESS PRESSED POWDER

I want this powder so so badly, but I am a little bit leery on purchasing it because my skin is so temperamental.  I am hoping it doesn't break me out if I decide to take the plunge and buy this.  Spot testing will be my friend for a while on this one.  Has anyone else bought this?  How did it work for you?

SOLE SOCIETY MIIA FLAT

Dear goodness.  This shoe is absolutely perfect, yes?  Honestly what I have been on the hunt for for MONTHS.  I have just discovered Sole Society and I think it's going to become my new best friend.

SOLE SOCIETY OMBRE MUFFLER

See? Told you guys.  I have also been wanting to get really big snuggly scarves this year and this muffler from Sole Society pretty much fits the bill!  I am all about comfort and flexibility this year with cold weather clothes and this would fit in perfectly.

These four things make me so happy to look at, so they must become part of my closet and make up bag soon, right?!  What are some items you have been eyeballing lately?  I want to know what you want for your closet, too!