Wish I would have thought of that!

Our niece Tori is visiting us this week. Her Birthday is on the 31st, so I thought I'd treat her to an early Birthday gift. My friend Leslie had introduced me to Sweet and Sassy in August. Her daughter had her 8th Birthday party there. I was hooked! Sweet and Sassy is a full service salon just for girls, not adult girls. I wanted to borrow someone's daughter to experience Sweet and Sassy again! I had my chance last night. Tori had never been nor had a 'real' manicure and pedicure. I bought the "Princess Package" which included a manicure, pedicure, and up-do. She had her toes painted blue with white snow flakes and her fingers blue with silver shooting stars. Then for the up-do, she chose bright, neon green hair extensions! She was a diva for sure.

Sweet and Sassy has such a cool concept! Wish I could have thought of that and had a 'girl' salon when I was young. Click here to see if there is a location near you. Call me if you have daughter, niece, etc. you want me to steal for a few hours! You know where to find us.

Christmas Bargains Galore!

Girls, I have found some amazing online bargains this past week. First, I just love Overstock.com. Usually, shipping is a flat $2.95 everytime! However, I found some items on clearance with free shipping. I bought 3 sweaters for $45! No tax, no shipping fee. The free shipping is overnight, so my items came in two days. Here is a snapshot of one of the sweaters I ordered.

I also bought a precious pair of sweaterboots. My work friends Denise and Amanda told me about them on DSW's website for $30. However, when I went to their site, they were sold out. That's a great price because other sites had them for $60. I did break down and found a pair of pink boots, but shipping was free. Click here to see the divalicious boots!

Happy shopping girls! Online shopping is often much cheaper and you avoid crowds, no fighting for a parking spot, no traffic, and save on sales tax and gas!

Back in The Ole USA!

John and I had a wonderful time in Europe! So much to see and do. I do wish we could have spent more time in a few cities. Our travels started in NYC actually! We landed early from Nashville to JFK and sat in the plane, on the tarmack for 2 hours! We missed our flight to Frankfort, so spent the night in a very shady Ramada Inn by the airport. I am no longer a fan of Delta airlines. I won't share in detail, but they need to provide management classes to their supervisors or lay them off! Geez. We took the train into NYC, ate at Carmine's, went to the Virgin record store and by chance ran into the Naked Cowboy! Nice abs! Took the train back to JFK, and we were off! We started by driving from Frankfort to Munich. I just love Munich! Lots of newer construction, very clean, great shopping, etc! We took a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle (the Disney Castle). It was amazing and we even got a great treat when we left the castle, SNOW! We had to walk back down the mountain due to the bus and buggy being shut down! Here's a picture of John and I before we started the tour of the castle. We took 2 day trips to Salzburg and visited their awesome Christmas market. I'll continue our adventure in future blogs. Oh, buy the way, girls, if you go to this part of Europe in the winter, a hat, gloves, and scarf are a must! I bought both of my hats at Target and they did the job! Make sure to get a hat that covers your ears, even if you have long hair. I'm sportin my Target hat in the pic!

Congratulations to the Dhalla and Hartline families!

I want to give a shout out to these two families and their recent additions to their families! Both of these parents are first time parents! Zeena and Azeem recently adopted Zayleea from India! I'm following their blog in case you are interested in learning more about their wonderful experience. Zaleeya has been home in SoCal with her parents for a week or so and adjusting to her new life in the USA. Here is a picture of Zayleea with her parents when they first got her from the orphanage! Congrats to the Dhalla's and I know you will love Zayleea and raise her to be an outstanding woman.

Robert and Rachael welcomed their first child, Trace, into the world at 2:02 am this morning in Nashville! He weighed 9 lbs, 2 oz. What a big boy! He is adorable and mom is doing very well. I'm so excited for Robert and Rachael. They will be amazing parents.

Want to Start Your Christmas Shopping Early?

Happy Thursday everyone! I'm so glad this week is almost over. It seems after the time change, days just drag for awhile. I hate that it gets dark here in Tennessee at 4:45! Makes for a yucky commute home. So, speaking of yucky, I personally dread holiday shopping. I hate that Christmas has become so commercialized. I have started buying more and more in the internet to avoid insane parking lots and crowds. When I was planning our wedding, I purchased some adorable, super affordable hostess and bridesmaid gifts from The Palm Gifts. I just adore the personalized touch on items every girl can use such as makeup bags, gym totes, etc. The products were all high quality and came in a very timely manner. I'm sure they are gearing up for Christmas, but it never hurts to get your order in early to ensure you get it on time! They also have a really cool monogrammed apron give away! Just e-mail them at info@thepalmgifts.com and type 'apron' in the subject line. Then, in the body of the e-mail, tell them what you want for Christmas!

They also have some PRESH monogrammed stockings! I'm in love! Sigh. I hope you visit their site and enjoy as much as I did.

My Girl Sarah, Sportin' Some Presh Shoes!

I'm sure some of you have heard the buzz out there about Sarah Palin's stylish footwear of recent days. Lots of debate on 'where' she got her red shoes from. Rumor has it the shoes she wore at the RNC were from Payless! Our girl is not a heavy spender! Love it! Also, the red heels she sported at the VP debate were hawt! Allegedly, they are Naughty Monkey brand and she bought them in a local shoe store in Alaska prior to the debates. I'm sure Joe Biden took a second look! Grrr! (that's meant in a sexy way, not a mean, normal Joe way). I found my own cute pair at Off Broadway. They're red with a black button with a black chunky heel. Not too tall, good for my old lady back! They're Micheal brand and were under $60.

I hope my girl Sarah and ole boy John pull off a victory today. I want to be able to keep my guns and ammo! lol. I also hope Florida got their act together and figured out how people should vote in this century! No matter who you are for, please get out there today and vote.

Back-to-MAC program, it's the bomb!

MAC is green, I love it! If you have 6 empty MAC containers, you simply take them to your local MAC counter and they'll give you a free lipstick of your choice! What a great trade out! If you do not have a MAC location near you, they have a form on their website you can complete and send in. Check out: http://www.maccosmetics.com/customerservice/cs_services.tmpl

So let me tell you about my favorite MAC items. I love their eyeshadows! They are highly pigmented and blend like a dream. I will never waste my money on drug store eyeshadows again. MAC lasts a long time and is truly high quality. I love Hepcat (hot pinkish), Nocturnelle (dark purple/plum), and Gleam (natural color with a bit of sparkle). Gleam is a great blending color.

However, let me tell you, your eyeshadow appliacation is a waste unless you use some type of base on your lids prior to application of the eyeshadow. MAC makes a great Cream Colour Base, I love Shell. It's very natural and you cannot see it after you apply your eyeshadow. The eyeshadow stays in place all day! Girls, remember the base! It is worth the money.

If you purchase any Viva Glam product, all proceeds go to the MAC HIV/AIDS foundation. John's favorite girl (besides me), Fergie is this year's gal to promote the Viva glam line.

True Shimmer Chapstick...a MUST have!!

So last weekend, I flew down to Tampa to be with my family. Our niece Tori lives there with her mom, so we thought it would be fun to head down with Jake, Jake's Dad, and John's mom to see Tori and get some sun. On our way to Clearwater Beach on Saturday, we stopped at CVS to pick up sunscreen and beach toys for the kids. I needed some Chapstick. Boy, did I score on this one! Chapstick now has Chapstick "True Shimmer". It comes in two varieties, Tropical and Botanical Berry. I bought the Botanical Berry. It has a similar berry scent to it like the old school cherry Chapstick, but a hint of shimmer. I like it because the shimmer is not overly sparkly, so it's fitting for gals our age. It also does it's job moisturizing your lips and gives it a tad hint of color. Just to let you know, I have had a hard time finding this in Nashville. I've hunted at several Walgreen's with no luck. I hope more stores are stocking it, you will love it!

Yummy food good for our fabulous figures!

Daily, I get an e-mail update from Hungry Girl listing various recipies, suggestions, ideas in order to keep foods low calorie, low fat, low carb and still taste good. I have tried several of these recipies and can say I'm a fan. Of course I'd love to add to her list of great foods that taste good and satisfy the soul without adding additional padding to my backside. Check out Hungry Girl at http://www.hungry-girl.com/index.php.

I'm really loving the Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Weight Control. Leslie told me about it and I've been hooked ever since. It really fills you up and the flavor selections are Cinnamon, Maple/Brown Sugar, and Banana Nut. If you like all 3, they have a variety pack. All are great! I also add a banana and some Fiber One cereal for potassium and fiber. Girls, we need more fiber in our diet! It really does the trick and ties me over until lunch. I also eat an apple with my lunch almost daily. Apples are great sources of fiber. Fiber makes you feel full, so another great reason to add more to your diet. I love some of the new Lean Cuisine meals. They've done a good job at adding more meat making the protein count higher. Of course, the meals are usually less than 300 calories.

Hope you like some of these foods and let me know if you have any other yummy and healthly goodies that are your favorites!

Blonde is sometimes better in the fall..even in Europe

So, I went more blonde. YAY! I'm loving it. So John and I are planning our big trip to Europe November 18-Dec 2. You could say this is honeymoon part Deux. I'm so excited to be getting away and exploring so many different countries with my man (Germany, Hungary, Austria, Czech Rep, and Switzerland). With that comes some great fall fashion. I'm loving the sweater coats for this season. I am stoked because these are in fashion about 10 years ago and I have kept a few of mine from the late 90's surprisingly. I was at TJ Maxx on Saturday and they have some great deals and lots to chose from. Perfect gear for a fall football game (Go Cowboys!), trip to the mountains or to Europe. I'm definitely bringing along my Uggs. For those of you in the Nashville area, keep checking Marti and Liz (Cool Springs or Murfreesboro location). I have purchased three pair there and all were under $30. They were flawless! I even talked my mother in law to buying her first pair and she loves them. We hit the Ugg lotterly last year the day after Thanksgiving. YIPEE! It's been so hot here lately that we're still in our summer clothes. Hopefully things will cool off. The trees here are already turning and it's so beautiful. I love fall in Tennessee! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Hair dilemma

I always find it difficult this time of year to decide what to do about my hair color. Typically, you don't want to be a summer blonde, but I just hate letting go of it. I'm not a fan of going darker. So, this year, I decided I'm just going to do what I want to do. My hair girl, Dana, is amazing. She is very good with color and making suggestions. Last time I went in, I bought two great hair products. They can only be purchased at salons. I have not seen these products at Walgreens yet. Here's their website if you want to know more about their products or find a salon near you that carries Pureology: http://www.pureology.com/. I needed a volumizer, so she recommended Pureology's Rootlift. You just spray it on when your hair is wet, before blowdrying. I also use shine serum and happened to be out, so she recommended Pureology's Shinemax. They happend to have buy one, get one half off. Lucky for me! I recommend a shine serum for anyone, no matter what your hair type. It really helps with frizz, fly aways, and makes your hair look very shiney and smooth. Word of caution, put it on when your hair is wet, after the volumizer. It only takes a dime size or smaller. Make sure you don't get it too close to your roots at the top of your scalp. You don't want to be the oily hair girl in your office. Once you blow dry, it looks and feels amazing. The Purelology products are excellent for color treated hair and don't smell all that strong. I hate smelling your hair product all day! That's what perfume is for my friends. I hope to feel a bit more glamorous after my appointment today. I haven't felt like getting divad up this week, so I hope Dana can help me. Ta ta for now.

Diva down!!!

Ok, this week has been a bummer. I have a small flaw...2 bulging lumbar discs. I just keep asking myself, is this normal for 34 year old women? What did I do in the past to make this happen? I don't recall any accidents, stupid sorority pranks gone bad, etc. They give me fits from time to time and this week is one of them. I'm on restrictions, working from home, no driving. Needless to say, I have not worn makeup or dressed up much. One benefit is consumption of controlled substances. I can't explain it, but it seems like I work a bit faster, smarter, and harder. I could never have an addition, for those of you that know me, I'm too much of a control freak. Maybe it's a bi-product of pain. Who knows, but my creative juices have been flowing. If you have ever experienced back pain, I'm sure you can relate. Pain sucks. Drugs don't (temporarily). I can't take Nancy Reagan's advice 100% of the time, but I am legally drug free.

I am thankful for my Psiatrist (not Psychiatrist although we all may need one of these from time to time!). He is a medical doctor who specializes in treating pain. Dr. Dan McHugh over at Premiere Orthopedics. He is very conservative and easy on the eyes. Leah can vouch. John used to call on him when he worked for Merck. Anyhoo, if you need a good Psiatrist, Dr. Dan is your man.

I love me some Sephora

Okay, I have to admit. I love Sephora. It's a candy store for your modern day diva. A trick I learned...if you order online purchases over $50, shipping is free. If you're a member of the Beauty Insider group (which is free) you get 3 free samples and get extra perks on your Birthday. You also accumulate points and get 'larger' samples. I love to go to our local Sephora store in Nashville, but if you know what you want, who has time or gas money? Or if you're from Nashville, do we have gas?! I love the Bare Minerals products. I just bought the mineral veil with the luminator in it. Awesome girls. It goes such a long way. Check out their best sellers too. I got the Nars blush in 'Orgasm', um, yes, that makes me blush, but it is so great for my fading tan. It looks good on tan skin and my soon to be white winter pasty skin. Love it. Don't love winter. Of couse, Dior Show mascara is my fav hands down. Visit http://www.sephora.com/.

That's my Sephora scoop. Getting my hair done on Thursday, so stay tuned for a possible update on new hair products!

First of all...lunch conversations at work

My friend Beth talked me into this. Beth is a former co-worker who recently moved to DC to pursue her Master's at GW. I'm very proud of her for making such a huge decision. She said I should start writing a blog because of my recommendations I have for beauty products, clothes, makeup, etc. I know there are tons of sites to get this information, but for what it's worth...We have a group of gals that congregate in the breakroom nearly daily for lunch. Beth is a former member 3rd floor, break room lunch gang. You never know what you're going to get. Last week, we were talking about JB's 15 year old daughter and her first 'real' boyfriend'. It killed JB to see her daughter holding hands with her guy at a high school football game. She sent her daughter text messages if she was out of sight at the game, asking where she was. Bless her heart! I can't say I would have acted any differently though. I was 15 once, I remember what that was like. Of course, I can't give real advice, I just got married for the first time at 33 in June. We have a long way to go until our kids high school games, if we aren't in wheelchairs or in a home by then. I love our lunch chats, confessions, etc. So, this is how this blog started, thanks to Beth and the lunch girls. Oh, go out and buy the new Lean Cuisine lunch bags, well worth your $10, $5 going to the Komen Foundation. You'll be the diva at the lunch table and support a fab cause.