This morning I awoke to a rumbly tummy, which is nothing new, but this time I had a jar of special Christmas Nutella — see, they DO have hazelnuts in the North Pole! — around to alleviate it. Yup, Santa actually brought me a jar of Nutella. Oh, and a pedometer… Gotta love that guy’s sense of irony.
Did you get any odd gifts this year? My parents are so sweet, and I love ’em to pieces, but creative gift givers they’re not. This was the third consecutive year we received a two-pack of smoked salmon and a box of chocolate truffles from Costco. Third. Consecutive. Year. 🙂
But I don’t mind one bit. I feel blessed and lucky to have family around. They’re the real gifts; the presents are just the salmon and chocolate icing on the cake.
Tabs, of course, made off like a bandit, even though Santa didn’t bring him the kitty Tron outfit he wanted. Instead he scored a huge box of Fancy Feast (in gravy) from his grandparents.
Watcha up to? The couch doesn’t think I should go to a movie today. It thinks I should spend the afternoon sitting, eating and watching movies on TV. Yesterday I watched three: Outsourced (LOVED IT! A touching indie comedy about an American guy who goes to India to train a group of call center workers), Bobby Z (stars Paul Walker, so that’s a BIG plus, but the story bites) and Brick (stars a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt; interesting premise, with 1940’s noir-ish dialogue set in a modern high school, but I slept through most of it).
If you’re gonna be around today, we should hang out for a spell in the open thread.
If you’re new to the open thread, here it is in a nutshell:
It’s just a post where we leave comments for each other and talk about whatever’s on our minds — holiday hijinks, food, beauty (of course!), books, TV shows, pets, whatever! Stop by if/when you can.
See you soon!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Nina says
how was your holidays?
ours was low key — i made a standing rib roast. the hubs is the meat chef in our house but he was sick over christmas …. so i took over. id have to say it was pretty successful!
today we just need to have his prescription filled. were staying in and eating leftovers LOL.
i still have work tomorrow but im off after that til the new year~ 🙂
Karen says
Hi Nina,
Mine was really chill. El Hub and I stayed in the Bay Area this year and hung out at my parent’s house with my mom, dad, grandma brother and my bro’s girlfriend. It was cool… we just sat around, ate and relaxed.
Since your hubby was sick did you get to make it out to Christmas mass? Please tell me you got to rock your new cage shoes. 😀
Nina says
i did make it out to christmas mass …. i attended the 5pm children’s mass with my sister and some of my aunts and cousins. i also stopped by at one other aunts’ house to pay my respects and get some food.
thing is – after i got home, i decided to drag the hubs to the emergency room … i was just worried about his fever. so yep we ended up spending christmas eve at the ER. got home at 1am and opened presents.
just got back from filling his prescription — i got a soy chai @ starbucks too! target was INSANE!!!
Karen says
Oh no! 🙁 Well, is he feeling better now? I hope you guys got the chance to relax a little today.
Nina says
he is 🙂
we just got back from having some seafood for dinner. it was yummy!
Karen says
Oh what did you have? I had seafood tonight too — some crab that my mom made yesterday.
Nina says
shrimp with spicy sauce, fried oysters and steamed rice. yum! 🙂
it was a nice break from all the beef we had over christmas!
Tiffany says
happy holidays!
today I’m being super lazy 🙂 I’m saving errands for tomorrow. my Christmas brunch was a success yesterday and everyone loved my overnight french toast!
ooooh, did you get any beauty gifts?!
and speaking of books, I got a nook color from my hubs! I downloaded and read an entire issue of US Weekly without leaving my couch this morning 🙂
Karen says
Happy holidays to you too. 😀
Glad to hear the Christmas brunch was a success, yay! I’ve never heard of overnight french toast. How do you make it?
Beauty gifts, hmm… well, I got a couple of hella random super sized bottles of body wash and lotion that my mom got from Costco, LOL! I guess I gifted myself with Chanel this year. 🙂
I must be living underneath a rock because this is the first time I’ve heard of a Nook Color. I love the idea of something like it. How’s the screen like? Is it like looking at computer screen?
Tiffany says
this is the recipe I followed, but I skipped the pecans – http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Make-Ahead-French-Toast/Detail.aspx
it was delish and didn’t even need syrup!
I think it just came out at the end of November – it’s an lcd screen so it is like a computer screen (maybe less glare) and not like the typical e-readers that have the e-ink display. it’s nice because it’s color and I can read in the dark 🙂
I got some benefit goodies, too – the carmella perfume and the glowla gift set! yay!
I love that you got costco gifts 🙂 I got some vibrating slippers from my in-laws 🙂
It’s snowing here and it did yesterday too, which is pretty rare! does is ever snow in SF?
Terri says
I was considering a Nook color. The screen and interface are so much nicer than a regular Nook or Kindle. How was it to read a magazine? I’ve heard mixed reviews.
Tiffany says
It was pretty good! Sometimes I could read the page as-is on the screen and sometimes I would zoom. I had a few hiccups when trying to scroll to the right in a zoomed page and it would think I was trying to turn the page. But nothing major. I liked that I could bookmark pages so I could come back to them later if there was something I wanted to look up online or something.
Karen says
Okay, I’m definitely going to try that recipe out. YUMMY!
I will have to see one of those Nooks in person. I like the idea of being able to reduce the amount of paper in my life! I read a lot of magazines so that would be a huge plus.
As for snow, nah. The weather out here in the Bay Area is pretty mild. It rains and the temps drop into 40s at the coldest. We’re weather wimps out here, I tell ya.
BTW, that Glowla set is so you. Have you had the chance to try it out yet?
Tiffany says
if you make it you can halve or even third the mixture for dipping the bread – I had a ton of leftover that was wasted 🙁
seriously – I have so many magazines stacked around – it drives my husband crazy!
I figured it probably never snows out there. it rarely snows here (maybe once a year, typically), but this year it is happening a lot more!
the glowla set is so cute! seems perfect for traveling! I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet!
speaking of makeup, I just placed my largest MAC order ever from Nordie’s! I can’t wait to get my goodies!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karen says
Let me guess — you went cra-zay-zay over Cham Pale. 😀 What did you order?
Yeah, all my magazines drive El Hub nuts too. I used to collect Vogue (love the photography) but now they’re all gone because one day I had an attack of feng shui and threw them out… sigh.
For the french toast, I was kinda thinking that seemed a lot of mix, so I’ll try to remember to cut it down when I make it. It’s just me and El Hub anyway so I probably won’t need to make much.
Tiffany says
You could probably make a smaller version – or have yummy leftovers!
Let’s see, I got movie star red and virgin isle ccb’s, both beauty powders, both highlight powders, bubble lounge, soirée polish, feline, I get no kick, the lighter chromographic, and chilled on ice and dangerous cuvee paint pots. Whew!
yiota says
Hey Karen!
I hope you enjoyed your holidays! I got some pretty great gifts and i’m happy with the way things went. I’m feeling lazy today too! Even though many stores are having their after-christmas sales.. there’s no way I’m leaving the house at this point.
I’ve been starting my makeup brush collection and I’m looking for some good brushes..but not too expensive. I don’t think i’m ready for MAC yet lol.. and we don’t have any Sonia Kashuk brushes here! What are your recommendations?
Tiffany says
do you have ecotools where you live? they have some good quality, inexpensive brushes!
yiota says
we do! We just don’t have a very big selection of them.. unless that’s how it is everywhere!
Karen says
Hi Yiota,
I’m with Tiffany on the ecotools brushes. They’ve got some great ones. Here are a few reviews:
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/product-reviews/the-ecotools-bamboo-bronzer-brush-a-30-brush-in-12-clothing/
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/product-reviews/eco-tools-makeup-brushes-sonia-kashuk/
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/product-reviews/the-ecotools-retractable-kabuki-brush-will-sneak-up-on-ya/
Also, you might want to consider picking up maybe one or two MAC eye brushes — the 217 and the 239. They’re all you really need to do eye looks because they do practically EVERYTHING.
You could also try looking at art stores. I’ve heard they’re great places to find brushes at good prices.
Aparnaa says
Hope your Christmas was awesome!
My sister got me the MAC Tartan nail polish collection. I’m not changing it out ’cause I have Ruby Pumps from China Glaze on and it’s just so festive! Otherwise, not looking forward to being snowed in… it’s really coming down outside.
HanaBerlin says
I live in Cali and that 7 days of nonstop rain we had last week is hitting the midwest and the eastcoast now… sorry to hear that you might be snowed in! look at the bright side… it was a white Christmas =)
Aparnaa says
oh man, I wish it was Christmas… it just started today! I have work tomorrow, I’m so nervous about going in… that rain looked horrible though. Were there mudslides? It looked like it was a real mess over there!
Karen says
Hi Aparnaa,
Gotta love the CG Ruby Pumps! It’s one of the most cheerful holiday colors around. 🙂
I’ve never lived in the snow, but I can imagine how challenging it must get in the winter to do everyday stuff, like getting to work, getting to school or even buying groceries. Do you have to drive to work this week? Hopefully it’ll let up when you’re on the road.
Aparnaa says
Naw, I live in the city so it’s just taking a cab – I trust a cabdriver more than me since he drives for a living! But groceries are still a pain since I can’t justify taking a cab just to the grocery store. (Really, I shouldn’t be whining – I have so much frozen leftovers I’ll be able to last for a week.)
I’m jealous of your Nutella, though – I might make an exception to my “no going outdoors in the snow” rule for a jar!
Karen says
Nutella is a must-have for post-holiday vegetating. 🙂 I think I’ll cut up some fruit so I can have an excuse to eat a little more of it, LOL!
Well that’s good you don’t have to drive into work in the crazy weather. It’s one thing less to worry about, right?
Anywho, do you have plans yet for NYE?
Aparnaa says
Nah, nothing yet. Not stressed, though – no one I know has plans. Maybe we’ll just all get together somewhere, hah! What about you? Anything fun?
Beth says
Hey Karen!
I hope you had a lovely Christmas!
I had a bit of a disappointment today, after getting a Liz Earle Try-Me kit from my mum for Christmas, she won’t allow me to spend the money on the full size versions (I’m only in highschool/secondary school after all…( – I can’t afford that much so regularly! It’s so sad, I’ve been seeing results already! I’m on the hunt for some alternatives though, but it’s hard having something dangled in front of me then whisked away. She’s right though- sigh!
Have you ever tried Liz Earle or similar?
Karen says
Hi Beth,
I haven’t tried Liz Earle because I’m pretty dedicated to the skincare that works for me, but I’ve heard some people really like her stuff.
Hmm, will your parents allow you to have an after school or part time job? That might be a way for you to both build up your resume and afford the skin care that you like! It’s a win-win.
HanaBerlin says
Hi Karen,
I had a great Christmas. I ate way to much and mid way through the day changed back in to my pj’s. Well as awesome as Chrismas was I’m dealing with a double ear infection, sooo that kinda put a lil damper on my fun. Glad to hear that you had a good one.
Karen says
Hi Hana,
LOL, I didn’t even bother to get out of my pajamas. 🙂
Sorry to hear you’re dealing with an ear infection… I got sick really badly this time last year (knock on wood) and it’s a big pain to start of the new year feeling terrible. I hope it you feel better soon.
What are you up to today? Doing anything fun?
HanaBerlin says
I’m on antibiotics and should be feeling better soon enough. My BF and I got our (huge Chrismas gift) TV delivered to our house (I’m soooooo super excited) and got an invite to do a turn around trip to Vegas in the next few days. So it’s been an fun filled day already! i’m just watching football and not really planning on doing much else, ohhh and eating leftovers and such.
Karen says
NICE! I bet your new TV is going to be great for DVDs. Those big screens are like having a movie theater in your home!
Whatcha gonna do in Vegas? I love going there just to eat and shop!
Fieran says
Hi Karen,
I had an awesome Christmas – bummed around my apartment for three days – cooking, eating, cleaning, hung out with the bf and received some really nice gifts from him 🙂
Glad to hear you had a good Christmas. Send Tabs a hug from me!
Karen says
Hi Fieran,
That sounds like a perfect Christmas. What did you cook? Did you make anything special?
I’m giving Tabs that hug for you right now. 🙂
Tracy says
Hey Karen! It’s Boxing Day here in Canada. Most crazy people go to the malls to try and find some great deals. Crazy busy malls just isn’t my cup tea! So we are relaxing and chilling around the house. Feels like it’s about turkey sandwich time!
Glad you had a nice family Christmas!
Karen says
Hi Tracy,
Tabs is way jealous of your turkey sandwich, LOL!
How was Christmas? Did you host this year?
Tracy says
If Tabs was here I’d certainly share! How could I say no to that cute face?
It was just us here for Christmas-nice and quiet!
RIght now The Sound Of Music is on TV-it’s played every Boxing Day in Canada. I enjoy making my family sit through it and endure me singing along!
Karen says
The Sound of Music is one of my fave films of all time. When I was a kid we would often pretend we were the in the movie. All the girls wanted to be Liesl, but I never got to play her. I always got stuck playing Gretl because I was small, boo. 🙁
Do you guys have New Year’s plans yet?
steph b says
My parents came in for a couple of days and we went to see South Pacific at the Kennedy Center. It was fantastic. Now, I have stock simmering while the snow mostly passes us by. After spending all day on the couch I need to get motivated to get dressed and head out to meet a friend for a post-holiday catch up and cocktail.
Karen says
How fun! Did you make Christmas dinner or did y’all head out to celebrate?
BTW, been meaning to tell you that I went back to Panera Bread for a chai latte after you mentioned the floral notes and now I totally know what you mean. It’s almost kind of like lavender!
steph b says
I made a fabulous beef daube with egg noodles for dinner. Wound up making brownies at the last minute for dessert since we all wanted a little something sweet. I think my parents are always a little surprised that I can cook since I’m still their baby. Never mind that I’ve been on my own for 20 years.
Lavender is totally it! I think I’d like it iced. That sounds about right for a summery drink. I want to look for the Big Train mix you posted about. It would be great to have that at work.
Karen says
Parents are funny like that. Mine still act like they’re surprised when I drive on the freeway, haha.
Big Train is a THE BOMB.COM. Seriously. They have a bunch of flavors, too. I got the spiced:
Big Train Spiced Chai
steph b says
I checked out Nordstrom’s chai today and it was delicious — much better than Panera. They had Big Train for sale as well and I think that is what they use. Unfortunately, they only had canisters of vanilla but I’ll go back next week to see if they got in the spiced.
j.j. says
Hey Karen! Glad you had a great Christmas! Odd gifts are funny. The weirdest I got was a collection of paper cups, paper plates, coasters, and paper napkins in a gift bag – all with my college logo on it. If I was giving that I would have put it in a basket or added some picnic-y or food items to make it less random and more like a gift. The Villains MAC makeup was a hit. Complete surprise. I like when I can pull that feeling off when I give gifts.
Ran to Targay this afternoon. Surprised me that it wasn’t that busy. Plan on spending the day watching movies and/or football.
Hope you have a great day!
Karen says
Hi J.J.,
That is pretty weird… maybe even weirder than the XXL pair of sweatpants my mom got me a few years back. Yes, I know I’m no longer a size 2, but really?
I’m so glad the girls liked their Villains makeup! Did everything go smoothly with the holiday meals and whatnot? I know you mentioned that you were hosting this year.
j.j. says
Plans changed at the last minute (seriously – on Thursday)….we switched to my mom’s in San Antonio. Long drive for me but it worked out for the best. I still did the turkey there which turned out well. A positive way to look at things: I only had to cook one dish and my house is sparkling clean to start the New Year.
Karen says
I love having a clean house on New Years. It’s a nice way to start things off! 🙂
What will you guys be doing for NYE? We still don’t have plans yet.
lo says
today is definitely a lazy day… i had some stuff i wanted to do, but i’ve accomplished nothing. i’ve got a cold, so my voice is gone and i’m enjoying the laziness.
i had a good christmas, too. it was just my parents, brother, pup, and i, so we stayed in our christmas pjs all day and watched movies. got money and gift cards from all the assorted relatives (which is just going to end up being put towards school stuff, booo), several bottles of nail polish from the bro (who knows i’m beyond obsessed), a new fossil crossbody bag from the parentals that i’ve been drooling over, and a leather-bound edition of gray’s anatomy (the book, not the tv show, obvi). and of course, little stocking stuffers and snacks. snacks are a godsend for me, the girl who is constantly nibbling something.
pup, of course, made off like a bandit, too… there’s something about watching him tear into his presents that’s so funny. which is probably why he gets so many of them. his fave so far is the huge stuffed moose with squeakies in its body and rattles in its feet. oh boy.
i’ve already painted my nails with one of the polishes the bro got me… color club’s wild and willing. have you tried any of them before? i’m really surprised at how smooth they seem to apply, and they dry really fast. definitely going to start looking into the brand more.
Karen says
Hi Lo,
I tried one of their polishes a long time ago and remember liking it. I was going to paint my toes/nails today too! I’m thinking Chanel Black Pearl…
Anywho, that’s so sweet that your brother got you nail polish! What are some of the other colors in your Christmas gift stash?
DonnaN says
Happy Day-After Xmas, Karen!
Had planned to get out to the mall today for some retail therapy, but Mother Nature has a different plan for us on the East Coast—we’re getting a BLIZZARD (or so they say)…it’s snowing now, as we speak. Instead, I slept for most of the afternoon.
Yesterday was a whirlwind of food,family, food, fun and oh, did I mention the food? I’m especially fond of the sweets, so we have DESSERTS galore at my house (my fav—the RED VELVET cake !!)
Santa brought me a couple of books, a Coach wristlet, a MEGA-size bottle of Philosophy body lotion in Apricots & Creme (I could knaw my arm off, if the snow gets too bad—it smells YUMMY!), and hubby did WELL with my beauty wants….I got the new Benefit BELLA BAMMA blush and CHANEL!! Black Pearl polish and Nakkar lip gloss—I feel spoiled!!
Bummed that I have to go back to work tomorrow (weather-permitting, that is), since I’ve been off since last Tuesday. But, I hit my 26th week on Tuesday, so I’m almost in the home-stretch in preparing for the baby’s arrival!!
Karen says
Hi Donna,
I love red velvet cake. I only had it recently and man oh man — talk about instant addiction! It’s especially delicious with cream cheese frosting, isn’t it?
And your hubby did SO GREAT! Have you tried your goodies out yet? Which one’s your fave?
I’m very excited about the baby coming. I bet you’ve got the nursery set up already and all that good stuff, huh?
DonnaN says
Love the icing on the RVC…..it’s to DIE for!!
I’ve not done my nails yet, but I did wear the blush and lipgloss yesterday. LOVE the blush color on me!! The gloss looks pinkish/coral, which will be great for spring! I also got a new curling iron, as I’ve been experimenting with curling my long, straight hair. It’s an evolving process….
The baby’s room is slow to start…..her bedding is arriving this coming week, so then I can get over to Home Depot to match the paint color…..I’m hoping to go for a pale Apple Green for the walls and the carpet I picked is a eco-friendly carpet, made from a renewable source (Corn)…..the color I picked is called SandCastle. Lots to do in the next three months!
Karen says
Curling irons are fun! I remember it being a little tough at first, but when you get the technique down you can do looks pretty quickly. Did you get a big or a small barreled one?
The color scheme for your daughter’s room sounds pretty and soothing. Will you or hubby be doing the painting?
DonnaN says
Definately NOT me…..my hubby’s doing the painting and lighting, and then we’ll have the carpet installed. My mom told us on Xmas evening that she is paying for the crib (a family tradition that the grandparents buy the crib for each child’s FIRST baby), so that saves us $450.00!
I got a 1-1/4″ barrel, which seems the right size for the curl that I want. It only took me 30min to curl my hair on Saturday, versus the hour + 15 min when using a 1/2″ barrel iron. UGH!
snoopysteph says
Hi Karen! We stayed in our pj’s allllll day yesterday and that was a treat in itself. My son (he’s 3 1/2) totally flipped out over the train table Santa brought him – and it pretty much occupied his entire day. 😀
I received some cool Snoopy/Peanuts collectibles from my husband & he got a much needed pair of snowboots. Apparently his Doc Martens weren’t cutting it, ha! We both got cash from my mother-in-law (but in the past we’ve gotten gifts that’s made us both scratch our heads – so the cash is a HUGE improvement).
As a little “end of year” treat for myself I placed a considerably large Chanel order from Nordstrom on Friday – and I can’t WAIT for it to arrive & play around with everything!
There’s a good half foot of snow outside but I’m enjoying a cup of hot chocolate & lumpia is frying on the stove as we speak – hope you’re having a great weekend!
Karen says
Hi Steph,
Don’t you just love lazy Christmas days filled with food and family? They are the best.
LOL re: the scratch-your-heads gifts. I kinda expect it from my parents; they love shopping at Costco so Christmas usually means a lot of jumbo-sized randomness. It’s all good though!
So I’m pretty excited about your Chanel order! Will Black Pearl be up in the mix?
snoopysteph says
My dad & stepmom are really good about sending us money for the holidays, however my in-laws are a totally different story….let’s just say they are the target audience for most late night infomercials. 😀 I swear, their pantry looks like one of those “As Seen On TV” stores that have started popping up in the malls.
YES! I’m getting Black Pearl along with the Ombres Perlees, Jersey Rose lipstick, Gris Scintillant liner, Aragonite gloss & Espiegle blush. I was on the fence about Nakkar & Coquette but I felt I had reached my Chanel limit for the day. 🙂
Karen says
I’ve seen those stores but I’m afraid to go in! Watch me leave with half the store, LOL!
Anywho, your Chanel haul = the hotness. Nakkar is SUPER pretty… I was this close to getting it too but decided to hold off since I picked up that foundation last week. You will love it! 🙂
snoopysteph says
It’s tempting to buy, but most of the “As Seen on TV” stuff isn’t all that great – I can’t remember anything I’ve bought that’s worked the way it was supposed to or held up after a couple of uses. The first thing I ever bought from an infomercial was the Perfect Pancake, ha!
I forgot, I also got Emoi gloss & Pulsion polish – that’s why I held back on Nakkar & Coquette. I do have a return to make at the Clinique counter at Nordstrom….maybe I’ll “accidentally” pass by the Chanel counter while I’m there. 😀 I’d actually like to try and score a sample of one of their foundations.
Elaine says
Hey Karen!
I went Boxing Day shopping with my cousin, which I’ve actually never done before. I went to Holt Renfrew with my cousin and got a steal, which was a pair of 7 for all Mankind jeans (reg $230) for $65. It was awesome! And the weirdest part – the mall was DEAD. Like maybe 5 people in every store but that was it…. I was braced for MAJOR crowds. when we got home at noon i sat myself down and started watching Sex and the City DVD’s and eating christmas baking…. om nom nom
Karen says
Hi Elaine,
SCORE! Finding expensive clothes on deep discount is a thrill, isn’t it? 🙂 What do your new jeans look like?
And yum… I wish I could come over for some baked Christmas treats. Watcha making?
Terri says
Hi Karen! I hope you, Tabs, and El Hub had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was very low-key; I’m home watching “While You Were Sleeping” with my mom and sister, which is perfect for this lazy afternoon :). Ever since I stopped working in retail, I refuse to go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Did you get anything fun for Christmas? Besides some dvds (Glee and The Sound of Music), some money, and a Coach wallet, I got some Elizabeth Arden lip glosses and a Sephora gift card (my poor brother ventured into Sephora to buy it).
Karen says
Hi Terry,
Oh, I love that movie! I haven’t watched it in a while. Maybe after I finish watching Sweet Land I’ll give that one a go.
I’m a little jealous that you got The Sound of Music on DVD. That’s one of my favorite movies of all time (I can still sing all the songs, LOL). For fun stuff this year, let’s see… El Hub got me a Nike + iPod gaget, which is this electronic thingamabobber that you attach to your iPod which tracks your running workouts. I tried it this morning and it’s pretty cool!
Have you had the chance to try your Elizabeth Arden glosses yet? What do you think?
Terri says
Aw, I love “The Sound of Music” too. The only bummer is that it is a combo blue-ray/DVD, and the blue-ray has a bunch of extras that I can’t access because I don’t have a player. However, I’m really looking forward to watching it.
The Nike + iPod gadget sounds very fun. I also love that you got a jar of Nutella for Christmas. I hope that Tabs is enjoying his Fancy Feast!
I’ve tried some of the lip glosses, and I like them pretty well. I’ve always been more of a lip stain/lipstick person, but the glosses are nice. They don’t have any scent, and they don’t seem too sticky. Overall, they remind me of Chanel’s glosses, but I would need to do a side-by-side comparison to see how they compare with one another.
Karen says
I honestly can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve seen SOM, for reals. Someday I hope to go to Salzburg so I can visit the mansion and the places where the movie was shot. Totally nerdy, I know, but I think it would be a lot of fun!
Jeannine says
I had to get out today to purchase Cham-Pale! I was up and out bright and early, leaving the husband and the boy still sleeping. I was back home in time for lunch, and in time to avoid the blizzard barreling over us right now!
Karen says
Hi Jeannie,
Awesome! What did you pick up from the collection?
Good thing you were able to avoid the blizzard! 🙂
makeup morsels says
hahah love the Christmas Nutella 🙂 I ate hot pot with my friends and family…probably more than I should have, but the important thing is that we all ate it together! And then I watched Home Alone, gotta love classic holiday movies.
Karen says
I think I might try to do a Nutella tree next year, LOL! 🙂
So whatcha got planned for the week? Aren’t you on break?
Ithfifi says
God I wish I could eat Nutella! You’ll have to eat my share of it too! hehe. I had a traditional English christmas Turkey dinner with my family which was lovely (3 Month old neice!) ~ Why does nothing ever taste as good as that one time-a-year-meal?! No strange gifts for me, but my Boyfriend recieved a very random new tube of toothpaste from his nan.. Random. He has nice teeth too. I was very lucky to get a smashbox set earlier this month for my birthday and a rarther lovely much-used (already) palette of more smashbox! Hope you and El hub are fantastic and that Tabs is being spoilt something rotten! <3 xx
Karen says
LOL — not gonna lie, I would probably like a tube of toothpaste. Then again one year I asked for a Sonicare for Christmas soooo….
What did you and your sweetie get for each other? Did you get to spend some time together over the holidays?
Lindsay a.k.a. RVAfashionista says
Hi Karen!
Hope you and Tabs had a fab Christmas! 🙂 I had a very relaxing one with my Mom, Dad, Granny, and my sister E. Dad and I are trekking up to Northern VA tomorrow with my Dad to visit my Grandma (his mother). We’ve had a fair amount of snow here, almost 4 inches or so… The snow’s been pretty but definitely had made me stir crazy! My car doesn’t like snow at all.
So I finally bought myself a new camera from Amazon so I plan on writing a guest post or two since I will be able to take decent photos. 🙂 I’m hunting on Amazon now for a good tripod too so I can take outfit photos too!!! I plan on being quite the shutterbug…
Wish me luck tomorrow, as much as I love my Grandma – spending time with her is a bit stressing on the nerves! Thank goodness we’ll be coming back on Wednesday so just a couple days up there.
Karen says
Hi Lindsay,
Oh, that’s awesome! Tell me about your camera. What did you end up getting?
As for your visit with grandma, I totally know what you mean. Just remember to keep taking deep breaths while you are there and focus on the positive. Should make things easier!
Lindsay a.k.a. RVAfashionista says
Hey Karen,
Sorry for the late response… I purchased a GE X5. My Dad has one and I really like his a lot! It’s a nice hybrid between a point and shoot and a DSLR. It’s gotten excellent ratings so I’m looking forward to it being a shutterbug.
Random question – what do you use to get the white background in your product photos? Or are you lucky enough to have a white desk?
Thankfully we are leaving this morning to go home. I managed to escape into DC for a few hours yesterday to do lunch and hang with a good guy friend who lives in the District.
I was a good granddaughter and bought Grandma new foundation while I was up here. Yay for beauty consulting!
candace grubbs says
oh i love nutella! i made nutella cookies! http://mamagrubbsgrub.blogspot.com/2010/06/nutella-chocolate-chip-cookies.html