Happy Last Day of 2012!

Whoa, y'all!

I can't believe that the last day of 2012 is here.

Picture taken from http://www.yorklibraries.org/guthrie-new-years

Handsome Husband and I survived our first year of marriage and will celebrate our 4th year together tonight.

My little bro got married to an awesome lady.

Check out the photog's page!!  http://www.facebook.com/kristenlynnphotographie

I am in the midst of enjoying an awesome group of nuggets.

Two of my besties had a beautiful baby girl.

I am looking forward to making many new memories in the coming year.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

See you in 2013!

Mrs. B

New Years Sunday Social

I'm linking up with Neely at

A Complete Waste of Makeup for the final Sunday Social of 2012.

I can't believe that another year has gone by already!

Time sure flies.

1) What's the favorite NYE you've had before?

I think #1 for me would be four years ago because it was the night I met Handsome Husband.

We met at a New Years party and were stuck like glue ever since.

This isn't from that night, but it's from a NYE party a few years before and it's one of my favorite pictures of me. :)

#2 would be spending our one year anniversary with my folks in Munich, Germany.

We went with my parents and brother and had an amazing time!

2)  Are you doing anything for NYE and if so, what?

Handsome Husband and I are going to one of our favorite restaurants (The Mark) for dinner and then to a friends house for football.

On New Years day we are going to a friends house for football and conversations.

3)  Name a book we should all read this coming January.

Aww heck.  I think anyone who has time to read is amazing in my book!  

I barely have time to read anymore, so I think that you should try to read anything you can get your hands on!

I will recommend one of my all-time favorite books.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.

I read this in late elementary school for the first time and have read it a million times since then.  Its a YA historical fiction novel.

4)  What are your New Years resolutions.

1.  Learn how to cook something new and adventurous.

2.  Read one book a month.

3.  Get to the gym at least 4 days a week.

4.  Get into the habit of putting my clothes away once they are washed.

5.  Spend more time with friends and family.

6.  Become more efficient and get out of school before 5:00 each night.

7.  Run consistently again and participate in some races.

Next Week's Questions:

1)  Do you plan to change any of your eating habits in the new year?

2)  Do you have any workout tips to get us back in shape after the holidays?

3)  What is your favorite thing you did over the holidays?

4)  What is something you hope to accomplish in 2013 that you did not in 2012?

5)  Name 3 things happening this year you are excited about and why.

I hope you all have a great New Years Eve and kick off 2013 right!!

Laters, 

Mrs. B

High Five For Friday!!

You know,

Fridays just don't have the same all-encompassing joy when they mark my vacation being almost half over.

Oh well...

1)  I've been (slowly) motivating to organize little things around the house.

I tackled the pots and pans cupboard,

threw out some old pantry groceries (from, like, 5 years ago!!  Gah!),

and hung the new shower curtain.

2)  I picked up some wicked cute new shoes yesterday.

Can't wait to break these puppies out.

3)  I love reading "new" books and finding the things written in them by the previous owners.

4)  Handsome Husband and I are heading to a friends house for pizza and company tonight.

I can't wait to see my little friends!

5)  I went to the gym for the first time in forever today.

Getting a jump on my New Year's resolutions early!

Have a great Friday!

Mrs. B

Time Off

I am apparently taking this vacation thing a bit too seriously.

I've done a whole lot of nothing.

Well...

I've done a little bit of something.

I've done a puzzle with Handsome Husband;

(HH told me that I do it incorrectly because I put the edge pieces together and then dump out the rest so I can see everything.  Had him all in a tizzy.)

I got Handsome Husband to cook with me on Christmas Eve day.

That has happened maybe once in the (almost) 4 years we've been together. 

I scored a Mickey Mouse pancake.

We had Christmas at my in-laws on Christmas Day.

I got some great cooking items!

I got my "new" "Happy Hollister" books onto a shelf in the living room.

I would love to own them all one day.

I grew up reading and re-reading the three that my mom had and now I have some of my own!

A place of honor :)

I drove through the horrid weather we had yesterday to hang with this little nugget.

She is getting SO BIG!!

I even had her laughing.

What an amazing sound.

(She was totally judging my boy-short-hair-crammed-under-a-baseball-cap-lazy-day-getup in this picture.  Diva in training.)

I've been spending WWAAAAYYYYY too much time on Pinterest as well.

I have seen this pin about a million times, but my tastebuds were screaming at me to pin it today.

Of course, Handsome Husband and I went to lunch with friends and are still stuffed, so it's not happening tonight.

However, I think it will make the most perfect post-gym lunch tomorrow with some baked garlic chicken and grilled peppers!

I received some coconut oil from mi madre for Christmas as well.

I have never had any but keep reading about the different things you can do with it.

Here are some of the sites I've been browsing:

http://wellnessmama.com/5734/101-uses-for-coconut-oil/

http://www.hybridrastamama.com/2012/08/333-Uses-For-Coconut-Oil.html

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/

I'm thinking that a coating of this in my hair might be called for in the near future since it always get super dry in the winter.  

I'm talking unmanageable-straw-like-ridiculously-annoying-can't-seem-to-get-it-right dry.

Have you used coconut oil?

What have you tried?

I've also picked out the new paint color for the living room that (I swear!!) I'm going to get on the walls by the time this break is over...at least I hope so.

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and got to spend some quality time with you family and loved ones.

Laters!

Mrs. B

Christmas Break Sunday Social

I'm linking up with Neely at A Complete Waste of Makeup again to bring you Sunday Social.

I have spent today doing N.O.T.H.I.N.G. since I am on break!! 

Here are this week's questions:

 1.  What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Welp, my all-time fave is chocolate ice cream with peanut butter swirl.

Meijer makes the best.

2.  What is your favorite smell?

I love cinnamon and pine trees.  

I also love the smell of the meals I cook with Handsome Husband in mind. 

I love cooking period, but I love knowing that it's something he's gonna love.

Tonight it was steak, caramelized onions, roasted Brussels sprouts, and stuffing.

3.  What is your favorite TV commercial?

I'd have to say the old-school Toyota commercials.

"I love what you do for me.  Toyota."

I used to walk around the house singing it.

4.  What is your favorite day of the week?

I would have to say Saturday.  

It is the day that Handsome Husband and I spend catching up on our DVR and spending quality time with each other.

During the week we are usually too pooped to do much more than stare at the TV and try to stay awake.

5.  What is you favorite article of clothing?

It's definitely a tie between scarves and socks.

I have WAY too many scarves and wear them every day once it becomes appropriately cool.

I have always loved fun socks because you can always look put together on the outside while having some fun on the underside. :)

My twist on it is I NEVER wear matching socks.

What's the point??

I mean, it takes too much time and effort to match them and I have too many more important things to do. :)

I actually had to upgrade to a bigger container for my socks just today.

Next Week's Questions:

1.  What is your favorite New Year's Eve you've had before?

2.  Are you doing anything for NYE this year and if so, what?

3.  Name a book we should all read come January.

4.  What are you New Year's resolutions?

Until next time,

Mrs. B

High Five for TWO WEEKS OFF!

Today was the slowest. day. ever.

The last day before a vacation usually feels like that.

Here are some highlights:

1) I've been getting crafty this week.  I made a Christmas wreath for my house and some Valentine's Day wreaths for my coworkers classrooms as Christmas presents.

2) I received the CUH-UTEST gift from a friend. 

It is a take-out coffee cup coozie.

It fits perfectly on my travel mugs.

So excited!

3) My nuggets got crafty today.

They made gift bags for their family members.

Some paper bags, ribbon, stickers and crayons and we were in business.

Here are my nuggets displaying their handiwork.

Their faces are covered to protect the innocent. :)

4) This is the new coffee mug that one of my nuggets made me for Christmas.

Isn't it cool??!!

5) We had our annual Basketball Extravaganza this afternoon (teachers v. students).

Robbie and Jesselle had to show off how differently their shirts fit even thought they are the same size!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

I know I will, knowing that I don't have any school work to do!

Happy Christmas Break!

Mrs. B

I'm Loving It!

Oh my heart!!  Happy Wednesday before Christmas Break!!

I'm teaming up with Jamie at this kind of love for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

I can't believe that an entire semester with my nuggets has flown by already.

Watching them grow and learn new things has been amazing.

The most mind-blowing thing is that I TAUGHT THEM A LOT OF THESE THINGS!!

This is my fourth year of teaching and that fact still knocks my mis-matched socks off.

Losing a tooth (when you're little!) is always worth a celebration.

Oh. My. Heart.  I always ask them how they can make themselves successful...I guess this is what they think it is spelled like!

I am loving my new ornaments.

We have an ornament exchange at school instead of a Secret Santa and this is what I got:

Handsome Husband thought it was a cool gift...until I put it on the tree.

Then, he said, "That's not fair...I wanna go get my White Sox ornaments."

(I purposely gave him his own tree for those!  Maybe the argument that I'm in mourning since Youk got traded to the YANKEES (how gross) will soften him up a bit.)

My teammate Laura got me this one as well:

Gorgeous.

I'm loving the new spices that my brother and SIL got Handsome Husband and I me for Christmas this year.  (Handsome Husband doesn't cook much...so they're mine!)

They are from Gourmet Nut (couldn't find a website) and I am wicked excited to use the Cup of Coffee steak rub.

I just got into cooking about 4 years ago and discovered that I could do it well 2 years ago.  It was UGLY (and smokey!) before that!

I'm also loving the fact that I'm starting a new Pinterest project!

Sorry, babe...I was hit with the notion when I couldn't sleep last night!

I was also hit with the urge to repaint the living room.

It is lit by one light and one window and is very dark. 

The first time I painted it, Handsome Husband and I weren't talking marriage so I painted it for a dude.  

I like the colors, but I really want something fresh and clean.

Here we go.

Sorry again, babe.

What have you been loving this week??

Laters!

Mrs. B

Day of Silence

December Birch Box

I've been getting Birchbox deliveries for almost a year now and I have to say that I get more than a little excited when I see that hot pink box waiting for me when I get home.

My goodies.

This Cartier perfume has an amazingly pure lily scent.

They also included a sample of the mens scent.  Handsome Husband smells wicked yummy in this. :)

I received some CC (color control) cream by Juice Beauty.  It seems similar to a BB Cream but I haven't had the chance to use it yet.  We shall see!

(I have slathered it on the back of my hand, which felt wicked moisturized, and noticed that it smells fantabulous.)

I am excited to try these Frownies Eye Gels.  One thing I'm not so excited about is that even though you can get a few uses out of them it seems a bit messy.

I'm very excited to try this new Nick Chavez shampoo.  I've been a bit of a product schizophrenic lately and could use a new shampoo that promises loads of volume.

(I don't truly need any volume since my hair is like, 2 inches long, but what girl doesn't dream of gorgeous waves cascading down her back???!!)

I was pretty psyched to see this full-size Model Co. lip gloss in the Birchbox this month.  

I have a bit of an obsession with lip gloss, lip stick and lip balm.

I have around 4 on me at any given time.  

Do you get Birchbox??  If not, you should check it out.

Laters!

Mrs. B