Christmas Decor

Hi Friends! I hope you all are enjoying this holiday season. My girls are out of school and we're having fun at home making cookies and gingerbread houses. Awhh. Who am I kidding? They're fighting like cats and dogs and we're staying in pjs and sweats all day.

I did, however, manage to get my house decorated. Here's a few pics around the house.

This is our family room off the kitchen.  Since this is the room where we spend the most time, I like to do something fun for the girls. I usually rotate themes and do either a Santa, snowman, or candy-themed tree. This year, we *kind of* went over the top with the candy theme. 

I already had a lot of the decorations and ornaments, but added some cute gingerbread and candy ornaments that I found at JCPenney. 

The cupcakes on the mantle and the lollipops I used for the tree topper all came from JCPenney.

I found a little inspiration from Pinterest and did this for our front door 

using Deco Mesh and more candy ornaments from Hobby Lobby. 

I already had the ribbon and red and white ball garland.  

I usually do something less gaudy more natural, but heck, my kiddos are young. Why not make it fun? 

Close-up of front door decorations
This is my first year doing a tree in my entry way. It's been a challenge finding one "skinny" enough.
Believe it or not, I bought this beauty at Wal-Mart.

I made my topper out of the leftover burlap ribbon I had from my fall wreath project. 

I reuse the same stuff over and over. That's how I roll.

All my drapes, furnishings, and Christmas decorations came from my previous houses. 

Buy what you love and you'll have it a lifetime!

Yes! You can mix silver and gold together. You can also mix pine cones and burlap with "fancy" ornaments. 

Dining Room

Once again...I used items around my house to decorate. I pulled out a big copper bowl from the basement and started stuffing it with pine branches and twig balls. I tossed in an antler and a magnifying glass from the coffee table. Next I added some sparkly ornaments. Somehow it all works in my dining room!

Here's the view from my foyer into my formal living room. 

I usually put a tree in there, but opted to do one in the entry way instead.

I attached some green ornaments to the boxwood topiary and tied a ribbon on the trunk.

In the living room bay window, I added silver ribbon to large snowflakes and attached them to the window frames. 

Glitter reindeer and ornaments in a mercury glass bowl.

This secretary is at the other end of my formal living room. 

I found these cute snow village houses at Marshall's for $12.99 each.  

They're made of cardboard, but have a battery powered light inside.

Hope you have a great Christmas filled with peace and love!

(From Hobby Lobby)

Versatile Dresses

I love this time of year when you can still wear dresses and tights and not freeze your booty-bopper off. Once late December and early January hits, I end up looking like an Alaskan tour guide. When you have -7 degree weather and several inches of snow on the ground, your options to look "cute" go out the door. So here are some versatile dresses I've lusting after....until "tundra time".

Serendipity Polka Dot Dress from Ruche

This navy and cream dress would be great for any season. 

I'd pair this with cognac boots. 

Best part? Only $36.99!

Clover Canyon Wood Grain Dress

I was on the fence about this dress, especially because of the price. 

But the more I look at it, the more I love it. 

The wood grain is what draws me in, 

and I think this would look great belted and with heeled boots. 

In the summer, throw your hair up in a high ponytail, 

put on some vintage cowboy boots and big earrings, 

and you've got an awesome casual outfit. 

Top Shop 3/4 Sleeve Ponte Midi Dress

Yes, this is a basic black dress, but oh....the possibilities. 

How fabulous would this be paired with gray or wine suede booties for day time? 

Or even riding boots and a denim jacket. 

For night, put on some chunky jewelry and wear these Brian Atwood beauties....

Flared and Cabled Sweater Dress from Anthropologie 

Another basic dress, but this dress is probably the most versatile of all! 

Because it's sleeveless and has a  plain neckline, 

you can accessorize the stew out of this one.

Milly Leopard Print Dress

Love this dress!

I'd be a little more daring and throw in some hot pink or teal accessories....just because.

Ginger Garlic Shrimp Stir-Fry

This is a quick and easy recipe. There's no veggies to chop (unless you prefer fresh), and you can easily substitute chicken instead of shrimp.

Ginger Garlic Shrimp Stir-Fry

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup canned chicken broth (less-sodium)
• 3/4 cup Soy Vay Veri Veri teriyaki sauce
• 3 teaspoons of corn starch
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil or fire sesame oil
• 1 lb bag frozen broccoli stir-fry mix (I used Birds' Eye brand)
• 1 lb raw, peeled and deveined 30-40 count shrimp, thawed if necessary (I used frozen) OR boneless chicken pieces
• 2 tablespoons "Gourmet Garden" ginger spice blend (in a tube in the produce section)
• 1 tablespoon "Gourmet Garden" garlic spice blend
• Jasmine Rice, cooked according to directions on bag

Directions:

• Whisk together chicken broth, teriyaki sauce and corn starch in a small bowl. Set aside.
• In a large non-stick skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
• Add frozen stir-fry mix and stir frequently, about 4-5 minutes. Be careful to not overcook. 

• Add shrimp, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes or just until shrimp is opaque throughout.
• Stir teriyaki mixture and pour into skillet. Bring to a slight boil. Boil about 2-3 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened and shrimp and vegetables are thoroughly coated.

• Serve over cooked rice.

See....I'm Not the Only One With Undergarment Issues

If you recall from this post, I've had some issues with wearing pantyhose, etc. on the OUTSIDE. My favorite actress from "Bridesmaids" recently did an interview with Ellen Degeneres and told of her experience with a similar issue.

See....I'm not the only one that wears undergarments in a very public way. LOL

Hot Pants

Here's the fuchsia pants I ordered online 
from Old Navy last week. 

They're SO versatile. 

I can't wait to pair them with tights and black booties 
and again in spring with wedge sandals.

Cuffed Dress Capris in "Pink Euphoria"

This was my "mom" outfit for today. I paired the capris with pony hair leopard flats and a tan cardigan.

To snazz things up for tonight, I put on these color-blocked suede wedges. 

Color Block Peep Toe Shoes

(Close-up)
You get a better idea of the true colors of the shoes.

I hope everyone has recovered from Halloween. 
Have a fabulous weekend! 
XOXO

Wordless Wednesday

Source: ICanHazCheezBurger.com

Mediterranean Sandwich

A while back, I posted a Mediterranean Omelet recipe that had fresh spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese. I love to combine spinach and tomatoes and make different dishes. Today I made a sandwich but roasted the tomatoes and left the spinach uncooked. 

Mediterranean Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Sweet cherry tomatoes, rinsed and sliced in half and drained on a paper towel
• Fresh organic spinach-about 1/2 cup rinsed and drained on a paper towel
• About 1 tablespoon-Fresh basil, chopped
• Shaved Parmesan cheese or cheese of your choice
• Prepared Pesto from a jar
• Fresh local whole grain bread
• Good quality olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

*Optional- Scrambled egg whites

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you have a "roast" setting, use it to roast the tomatoes.
• Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper.

• Cook about 2-3 minutes, then flip the tomatoes on the other side. Cook for a few more minutes. Be careful, these will burn quickly. 

• Layer spinach and tomatoes on one-half of your sandwich.

• Add chopped basil and shaved Parmesan. Spread pesto on other slice.

• You can also add scrambled egg whites to make a breakfast sandwich or just to add more protein.

• Add salt and pepper to taste.

A Little Tune for Friday

I love Sean Hayes' voice. You may recognize this song from the Subaru commercial. 

Have a great weekend!

Old Navy Bargains

It's been a LONG time since I've been to Old Navy. It's always "hit or miss" with me. Lately, I've seen a lot of cute clothes and shoes pop up on Twitter and blogs, so I decided to take advantage of their current 25% off sale.

Wool-Blend Cropped Military Jacket

This is a great jacket!

Micro-Pleat Skirt

(Excuse this weird ensemble with jeans and boots. I'm lazy and just slipped the skirt on over my clothes.)

Close-up

This skirt also comes in fuchsia. I ordered it online, but it appears to be sold out. 

Rock Star Jeggings in Blue Corsica

These are a great alternative to the J Brand blue skinnies. 

Order up a size OR TWO. These run small.

Smocked Printed Top

This is the navy blue print in a small. It runs really large, and there wasn't an X-Small in stock.

3/4 Sleeve Chiffon Blouse

I originally tried on this blouse in "Warm Floral", then decided that I wanted to add some fuchsia in my wardrobe. Have y'all tried wearing fuchsia with olive or army green? I LOVE that combination so much that I dressed my girls in those colors for our Christmas card pictures.   

Use code ONSAVE25 to save 25% off your purchase.

**I don't do blog posts or reviews that are sponsored. 

This post is unsolicited and isn't paid for by Old Navy. 

All purchases were made with my own casharama.

Wordless Wednesday

25 Ways to Tie a Scarf

Pumpkin Eatin' and Hair Teasin'

This is probably the most random blog post ever.
This week, I discovered 2 great things. 

The first was a yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake 

that the beautiful "Bees and Bows" posted here. 

My family hasn't been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten-intolerance. But after reading the book "Dangerous Grains", I'm always looking for ways to cut wheat and grains out of our diet.

Our local health food grocer didn't carry the same brand gluten-free cake mix that "Bees and Bows" used, so I improvised with another brand that I love, Pamela's Products. I regularly use Pamela's Products Baking and Pancake Mix to make pancakes and it's YUMMY. 

Here's how I adjusted the recipe because of the difference in volume of the cake mix:

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Adapted from this recipe: Namaste Food, LLC

(not sure why it looks "shiny". It doesn't look like that in person)

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Pamela's Products Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Spray a bundt pan or 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and water. Add chocolate chips.
• Pour mixture into pan.
• Bake 25-30 minutes and check for the center with toothpick. Continue baking until toothpick comes out clean and top has thoroughly cooked. It took about 40 minutes with my oven. 

The second item on my list is a teasing hair brush that I bought from my hair stylist. I got my hair trimmed on Monday and asked for some shorter layers on top. I wanted needed more "poof" in my crown. (Don't we all?) 

When the stylist started my blow out, she pulled out a teasing brush and with a few flicks of the wrist, I had some SUR-E-US poofage. The poof stayed and I bought--especially since I already have a drawer full of teasing combs and 3 teasing brushes that don't work very well.

Here's this little gem. It's "The Little Wonder" by Spornette.  

I really do like this better than my other teasing brushes.  

I don't know if it's because the pink tips are more "textured" or if the design of the brush is different.

You can pick up the "Little Wonder" at Sally's or Ulta. 

Also, do a search on Youtube, there's several videos showing how to "poof" your hair using this brush.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Let's Get Physical

I'm in a serious physical rut. Prior to my surgery, I was strength training, doing cardio, and yoga 3-4 times a week. In the past few months, I haven't been doing much of anything.

I'm not sure what happened. I was so gung-ho the first few weeks post-op. I was skerting and walking like a fool around my neighborhood. I was HAWT, all hunched over in my abdominal binder. Sexxah, I tell you. Since then, I've gone to the gym a few times and barely broke a sweat with my pathetic workouts. Then I leave and bust up in Baskin-Robbins on the way home.

I think part of the reason I've been so lax in my workouts is because physically AND mentally I have felt like a poop sandwich. I went to see my surgeon last month and told him that I just wasn't feeling "right". Let me re-phrase that...I broke down crying when he walked in the room and said "How are you?"

The poor guy probably said, "Oh hawl no. Let me get out of here." But thankfully he didn't. He came over and gave me a hug while I told him that I thought I'd feel SO much better by now.

He reassured me that it takes the body quite some time to recover from a major surgery. Top that off with hormone imbalances and how they affect mood and energy levels, and you have a "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" lady in your office snottin' on your lab coat.

Long story short...saliva tests determined my hormone levels were really low, so I'm now talking bio-identical hormones. I'm also taking a plethora of supplements-Vitamin D, adrenal support, iodine, Omega-3, melatonin, and Magnesium. "Woo-hoo" for swallowing horse pills.

It's been a week, and even though my energy level is increasing, I feel like I'm experiencing PMS x 1,000. Weepy and Short-tempered would describe me. I could totally be one of the Seven Dwarfs with my mood swings.

What to do? I'm going to give it some time. My doctor said that we would probably have to tweak my hormones to find my right dosage. Kinda like a sleep number bed, I suppose.

In the meantime, I'm going to summon up some motivation to get my butt back in the gym and resume my mainly Paleo diet. I KNOW I'll feel better, and I know y'all are tired of hearing about my hormones and such.

I found a little motivation over on Pinterest. 

SO TRUE. 

This is printed and put right next to my computer. 

My Motivation/Be Healthy board on Pinterest

Any tips on what motivates you to be healthy? 

I don't want to do things like put pics of models in bikinis on my refrigerator. 

I have 2 daughters that I need a role model (me), not the impossible (Victoria Secret's models).