Baby, it's cold outside.

All day long I have been in the mood for the upcoming holidays, perhaps it's because of the cold weather that we are currently having in town... but who really knows. Anyway, I am sitting here and I know that I need to start making up my lists for friends and family! I have found a couple adorable things for my friends... I'm thinking of making everyone little baskets for the season (Emily, I will have to find you something else- haah!) But what do you think of these products..?

this travel kit seems like a great idea! it includes a candle, adorable matches, body butter, and a solid perfume!

three small lipglosses that seem to suit every  skin tone!

these nail files are absolutely adorable and obviously very handy to have around!

another cute lipgloss... if i were given this i would probably keep it in my car or desk drawer because it's always important to have easy access to a great lip balm!

i would package everything in these little makeup bags, tying the card with some hot pink ribbon right to them!!

The bags and goodies would be roughly what I would spend on my closest friends to begin with and I think that I would incorporate the scent that most suited them, with regards to the first item. I might also throw in a nail color for each lovely lady, but I would have to make sure that they don't already have something similar... I guess I will have to do a little spying around holiday season!  I was also thinking a pocket mirror would be adorable. Depending on what the pattern was on the lid of the mirror, I would think about customizing them with their monogram... What do you think? Do you all have any other suggestions for the little baggies?

Today, I found the BEST holiday cards for this year, and I can't wait until they finally come in. I ordered them today and I know I have several to go out so I can't wait until everyone gets them. They're very "me" and I think people will love them... plus, they can be sent to both families as they are more wintery than Christmas or Hanukkah.

Ahhh, well... I guess it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! :)

Upon arriving home last week, I was finally able to try on all my Nordstrom purchases, and unfortunately a lot of the stuff will be returned. However,  earlier this week I found a great pair of nude flats online that I ended up buying and I am eagerly awaiting their arrival! I am going to have more shoes that I can possibly fit in this new closet! When D and I finally found the apartment last weekend, I told him that he could use the second bedroom as an "office" if I was able to call the whole master closet my own... the master closet in this place is tremendous, but with my current shopping habit, it seems as if I might very well have it completely full by the time we move in! Yikes!!

Now off to enjoy the Friday night with D! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Terrible Tuesday...

At least it is finally over! Today was just issue after issue and I was slammed at work... Oh well, I guess that's to be expected after a FABULOUS weekend!! As mentioned, D and I went down to SoFla to find a new place and get everything settled. We were very successful and I definitely am pleased with everything we got done. I was definitely a little upset that we missed out on Halloween  (as we ended up with a flat tire after the last apartment!) but everything else made up for it. We found an apartment that still blows my mind... I keep thinking about it and just want to pack up everything and move right this second! Unfortunately I forgot my camera on this trip, but hopefully I can get some pics over Thanksgiving weekend!

D and I got a bedroom set too... It was something I was really stressing about as I wanted to make sure everything was moved in and settled when we moved. However, he was not in a rush to get everything moved in all at once, and so it was a little contentious for a couple days. We went to two stores in the "cheaper" realm in order to find something and left them liking a couple things but not finding any great deals. We decided to make one last stop in one of the higher end stores before calling it a day on Sunday and we found an amazing bedroom set for a fabulous deal. I couldn't even believe it! :) It is not even close to what we were looking at, as we were set on very contemporary (ie. dark wood, leather backboard, etc.) However, the bed we got it a medium wood king sized sleigh bed. We also purchased the matching three drawer dresser, the media center/armoire and nightstands... actually, we currently only have one nightstand but we are working on a second! I couldn't be more pleased!!

Now when it comes to bedding D and I never agree. I remember having to give something up (although I cannot for the life of me remember what it was) in order to get the bedding we have now. We have been looking for quite some time now as we know that our tastes don't exactly match up... but we found a bedding set that we like in Restoration Hardware (see below) and that is now ordered and on it's way. I am beyond amazed at how fabulously this is all coming together... now if it were only December 18th and I'd be moving in!

i love the green in this! it definitely makes things so earthy and light...

Lastly, I finally got a chance to try on all my new purchases from Nordstrom and unfortunately I'll be returning about half of it. After trying on the tights with the dress I decided to keep I decided I cannot wear the two together, it was just too much! But, I will be able to wear sheer black tights with it if it's cold... Let's just hope it's not because that's an awful lot of black in one outfit. I will have to pair it with a bright clutch or headband if that's the case! We will see... I have to get everything organized for packing tomorrow for my weeks vacation/conference in Philly! :)

Life is good!

So I got word that I will have the holiday season off this year! I will not be starting my new job until after the new year and I put my resignation letter in today with my boss for December 17th... This will be perfect as it provides me ample time to recover from a surgery I have scheduled for December 21st, and still have time off for Christmas and New Years!

I am so excited because I will be able to get my new place situated and figure out my new surroundings... Figure out where Publix, Whole Foods, the bookstore, some restaurants are, etc. The essentials will all be figured out without the stress of having to get to and from work right away!

Tomorrow, D and I are flying home to check out the new places. We have a list of about 5-7 places, but we think we already know "the one." We are going to that place last because we want to give everything a fair shot. I will take pics of the final place this weekend and let you all know!!

Today I got the dress that I ordered for graduation and it was PERFECT. It needs to be steamed but I am definitely going to be wearing it to graduation. I haven't gotten the tights yet, but hopefully I get them before I leave so I can return them in SoFla if they don't fit! I ordered a whole bunch of other stuff recently for a few upcoming events that I have, so hopefully all that will come in tomorrow and I can try it on before we leave! :)

perfect for a night out!!

something fun... i don't know how this is going to fit/look but we will see.

obvs for work... i have a great trina turk zebra jacket that would spice this up even more!

this is weekend wear as well. i also have a christening to go to this winter and it will be good for that with a pair of black tights and some gorgeous closed toed shoes.

casual... probably what i will wear on the plane to philly next week! something easy, but still kinda cute.

What do you guys think? I need to start looking for a dress for my friend Stephanie's wedding in February, as well as holiday party dresses. However, I am unsure if I am going to be able to attend any parties and I will be recovering from surgery, but hopefully I will be able to find something cute and do-able. It will just be hard to find something because I will be unsure of the size I will be post-op. So frustrating, especially with New Year's right after the surgery! Ahhh. I'm sure it will all work out... who knows if I will even be able to go out for New Year's! :(

Anyway, I found a GREAT idea for place cards this week... I am going to have to make them for my family's Christmas Eve dinner.  They are brownie balls, covered in milk/white chocolate and decorated in a colored white chocolate. I plan on tying a simple string to them with a handwritten name tag! What do you all think?!

Hope you all have a great Halloween!! :) Can't wait to see all your costumes!

Hello world, this is me...! :)

Hi all,

So I am this new to this whole blog scene, but after following a handful of friends for the last couple months I thought it would be a great way to keep up with friends, family and even myself at times. I have so much going on in such a short period of time, it's overwhelming to think about!!

I was recently offered an extraordinary opportunity back in South Florida doing what I have dreamed of doing! I cannot wait to start, but it is a little back to back with other exciting life changes! I am graduating one weekend in December from my Masters program, and the very next Monday I am starting the new job. Mind you, during all of this, I have to make a major move (close to 500 miles!!) with my long-time boyfriend and pup! Needless to say, I have a lot on my plate!

But let's not think about all that... this weekend coming up I am flying home with D (my boyfriend of 3.5 years) and we are going to seek out new homes! I am so excited to finally move back South (as we are both originally from the area) and get settled in for the long haul. We have found a couple fantastic places online and I am eager to get down there and see them in person! Hopefully we will find something perfect- making a little of the stress dissipate!

More importantly, I need to find a dress for graduation! I found a gorgeous Trina Turk dress this weekend, but it was 2 sizes too big and they didn't have anything smaller! Since I am still stuck in a small-town there is only one store that sells Trina Turk so I am hoping that I will have a little splurge time this weekend. If not, I bought a back up dress this morning to pair with some adorable Trina tights! I am nervous it will be chilly the December morning I graduate, so I feel that tights might be something that are worth looking into for a backup... Let me know what you guys think!

I'd be wearing similar heels that are seen with these tights, but I am scared that it might be "too over the top!" I'm definitely a little more funky than most of my friends, but the pink tights are a little bright for me!! :)

Speaking of pink, as we all know October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I have several family members who have bravely battled the disease, and have always been big on supporting the cause. Recently, I got an Avon Breast Cancer Walk brochure in the mail and I am thinking about starting to train for it. I know it will be quite the feat, as it's 39 miles in 2 days. I know that does not seem like an overwhelming amount to some, but for someone who is new to the whole running world, the distance seems like quite the accomplishment! I am working on rounding up a couple friends so we can all do it together!! I will keep you posted on whether or not we are able to pull it off (although it is about a year away!)

Lastly, does anyone have any good healthy recipes for the upcoming holidays? I would love to be sharing some of those tasty treats with my visitors once I finally get situated in SoFla! :)

Well that's it for now, hope everyone is either staying warm- or for the Floridians enjoying the gorgeous weather!