*FOR HER*

Where: VictoriasSecret.com

Sale: 20% off your Entire Order

Ends: December 3rd

Super Find: $15 Turtle Neck Sweater (was $38) *All sweater purchases come with a free scarf. OFFER CODE: LUXE08

*FOR HIM*

Where: Menswearhouse.com

Sale: Designer Suit Sale. Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Plus Free Shipping.

Ends: Ends Today!! November 30th.

Super Find: $399.99 Taupe Multi Stripe Suit + One other Suit for FREE

*FOR LITTLE HER*

Where: GarnetHill.com

Sale: Up to 70% off children, women, men and home items.

Ends: December 1st

Super Find: $9.00 Party skirt (was $42)

*FOR LITTLE HIM*

Where: KbToys.com

Sale: 60% off games plus other sales for girls and boys.

Ends: December 1stSuper Find: $24.99 Spider-Man Electronic Pinball Machine

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I’ll admit, I was tempted to title this post “These Boots Are Made For Walkin”, but I respect my readers too much to subject you to the expected. That’s why I am sharing a new site with you! Originally I was going to list boots from several sites, but found so many I loved from YOOX. It’s a fabulous site with great prices. Beyond boots they have clothing, jewelry, handbags and shoes all for women, kids and men. You can search by price, color, and size. When you click on an item you can read details and zoom in to view a close up. Also pay attention to changing the color options and size of each product. I’m excited about boots right now for winter so I went through and picked a few of my favorite finds under $200. I actually have the Fornarina Snakeskin boots and I love them! You can wear them tall or scrunch them. Be sure and checkout their fall-winter sale section for savings up to 40% off!

Cafe'Noir

Bruno Premi

Pompili

Fornarina 2

Bruno Premi

Links: Cafe’Noir-$185, Bruno Premi-$149, Pompili-$174, Fornarina-$164, Bruno Premi-$160

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My husband, the girls and I sit in the car ready to go to church, but there is no sign of my 6 year old son. I knew he was ready because I had just done his hair and put his nice church shirt on. So I get out of the car and stick my head in through the garage door and yell to him to get in the car. As I look in the house I see a strange boy with no head, just a nice buttoned down shirt half over his head, upside down, twisted and completely covering his face. I think to myself, that best not be my son because I just took time to primp him all nice. Well, to my dismay it was him. I take a deep breath and yell again to get his rear end in the car now, and little thank you for ruining his nice hair and shirt that I just buttoned 10 buttons on. I get back in the car and we wait for him to get his shoes on and get in the car. As he is frustrated that he can’t get his shirt back on because he is trying to fit it over his head with all the buttons still buttoned (hello!) he simply grabs two mis-matched flip flops. My husband looks at me as if to say, “Go get him a real pair of church shoes”. I say, “He is a disaster anyway lets just go”. So off to the church we drove, along the way trying to fix what my silly son had ruined, his shirt, his hair, his him! UGGGH! Sound familiar at all?

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One of my sisters was getting a new tree this year and so it made me start to think about getting a new, bigger tree too. We were out one day shopping at Sam’s Club and saw a big Christmas tree. I had heard they sell out quickly, so I asked the clerk how many were left and he told me that was the last one. I said to my husband, “Honey, we gotta get it and can return it if we decide we don’t want it”. So we got it, because my husband does what ever I tell him to (haha) and I decide to set it up to see if it would be something we would want to keep. Well, not realizing how big 15 feet was, we put piece upon piece till it reached well over our 2nd story balcony. I was overwhelmed. Then I began to fluff. The kids were anxiously waiting to decorate. Soon my hands and arms were all torn up and my back ached. I noticed I was only on the first attachment of the tree, I only had like 12 feet more to go. The kids still begging to decorate, I found myself in the tree for 2 hours that night. So we had to post-pone the decorating till the next day. We had to drag the tree next to the stairs and put a ladder on the stairs so I could keep fluffing away. Another full hour and torn up arms passed me by. Hallelujah we were ready to decorate. As I stepped off the ladder I said, “This tree is obnoxious and huge”. I really wanted to return it and go for a 12 foot tree, but after all that work, forget it. We now proudly (?) own a HUGE tree. So the lesson learned, bigger is not always better. The fun part will be storing it…

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Thanksgiving is almost here. Which means there’s a lot of planning and preparing that needs to be done. With all that work, it helps to have some good kitchen tools. So I chose six of my favorite must haves to help prepare with the Thanksgiving feast. I found my items at Williams-Sonoma. Most of the following items are Williams-Sonoma exclusives, and can be purchased at their store or online. You can also shop around and find similar items at places, such as Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, or Macy’s.

Turkey Roaster

The top of my List would have to be the All-Clad Stainless Steel Roaster with Rack. What I love about this Roaster is that it is Stainless Steel for easy cleaning. It has very large sides, it’s deep so that reduces splattering. Then the handles which help for easy lifting. Wonderful!

Retails for: $159.95 - $199.95

more…

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CHOOSE YOUR CHARITY, THESE ARE SOME OF MY FAVE AND WHY.

With Thanksgiving and holidays approaching, this is the time of year where people reach out in a spirit of good will to each other. I have been reflecting on some charities that I have been involved in that not only do change the world but have changed me for the better in one way or another. I share these with you in case you may wish to try some of them and see if they might enrich your life as much as they have mine. There are millions of charities in the world but I am recommending the following right now. The criteria is I that have had to have some personal involvement with them and I have seen personally how much they can help and change people’s lives. I hope that if you get involved with any of these fine organizations that you will be uplifted also as you see how much they enrich both yours and others lives.

Special Olympics This was probably one of my most favorite organizations. It made me believe in a better world, in the best of people and in a brighter future. I have never worked with people who were so warm, positive and inspiring. I worked both as a coach (power lifting) and later as a Director for the Winter Games. I was always in awe at the childlike innocence, purity and joy of the athletes. I remember after an athlete would do a few sets of weights, he’d put them down and excitedly go”Did you see me? Didn’t I do well? I did a super job, teacher! Hey, did the rest of you guys see-I did perfect!” Everyone would start high- fiving each other. Usually the same enthusiasm was shown irregardless of how good or bad they had been-they were so proud of their effort. Then their friends would try. The whole time they would yell encouragements to each other and whenever someone completed an effort everyone would start cheering and jumping up and bragging to each other about how good they were. I can’t ever remember any mean-spiritedness or negative outbursts ever to anyone. I was so happy to see people celebrate for everything that they or their friend did-even an opposing team. They genuinely loved themselves and each other and were proud of the attempts made by anyone. I only wish everyone could display that sportsmanship and goodwill to others-it certainly is heartwarming. If I can find the video of Special Olympic race and post it here, I will. That is their whole spirit and it always made it a joy and honor to work with them. I aspire to take such pride in my efforts-even when I fail. If I can ever emulate the genuine love and joy that they have for the success of their fellowmen, I would consider myself blessed. more…

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On a day that I have nothing to do, I find it fun to go look at model homes to get decorating ideas. At one home I saw some very nice rugs hanging from a metal rod (as a wall decoration). It looked so beautiful. I thought about what I could do to get the same effect, but on a budget. Since fancy rugs can get very costly, I came up with an great idea…use two fancy towels and sew them together. I did just that. I found two really nice towels at Marshalls that looked kinda oriental and fancy. I sewed them together and then sewed little black pieces of fabric from the top of one side (so I could hang it). I then slid the rod through the loop holes I had made and there it was, a beautiful wall hanging. The towels cost me $7.99 each and the rod I found at Target for under $15. I think it looks pretty nice for being so inexpensive. Plus I get a lot of compliments on it and when I tell people it is made of towels, people give me a surprised look.

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I mentioned in an earlier post that I love to shop and I love to find deals. Well, another great find I found were these dark wooded plate chargers. Since I didn’t have a formal dining room anymore I didn’t have need for the plate charges anymore. The creativeness in me took over to find a new home and use for the neglected plate chargers. I came across these wall hangings (shown in center of photos). I took the attached wall hooks off the back of the plaster wall hangings. I then used wood glue to glue the wall hangings to the center of the wooden plate chargers. Then I added a little metal wall hanger to the back of the plate charger so I could hang it on the wall. It was so simple and it really made the original wall hangings look more stunning. There are multiple uses for everything!

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The other night was an unusual night for my family, in that being, my husband was away for the night enjoying a basketball game with some friends. What’s unusual about that for me in my family is that it is rare my husband is ever away. He works and plays from home. So my twin boys are used to him always being around. Our usual routine for the evening is, I’ll do dinner, we eat and hang out for awhile. Then when it’s time, my husband and I get the kids ready for bed, then I give kisses and off to clean up duty on the house while my husband does story time. This has to be one of my boys favorite times of the day. They love how he interacts with them. If he’s not reading from a book, he’s making up some crazy, action filled story. My husband has a way of telling stories. He acts everything out whether that be rolling on the ground or jumping from the beds. Every story is action packed and has many different characters and strange voices that go along with those characters. A lot goes into story time. It’s filled with lots of laughs and fun. So you can see why my boys look forward to this time with their Dad every night. I love that my husband does such a wonderful job with his stories and enjoys this time with his boys.

So this one rare night when my husband was going to be away for an evening I was a little nervous to tell my boys I was going to be doing story time instead. Especially since in the past they have told me my stories aren’t as funny as Daddies. Which hurts a little, cause I do try. After we finished with dinner, I told my boys to clean up their dishes and head up to bed. They gave me a sigh and said, “but what about Dad and our story.” I explained once again that Dad was gone for the evening and I would be doing a “really cool story.” They sighed again and said, “o.k.” Not the reaction I was looking for, but was willing to take. It’s much better than a tantrum or whine fest. Off we went, they brushed their teeth and got into their pajamas. As we were walking towards their beds one of them went and got a frisbie that was left in their room and two markers and set them in the middle of the room. He then explained to his brother, “now you play music, while I dance with Mom.” He then told me to get down on my knees, while he put one arm around my back and held my hand out with his other hand. He said, “Mom, let’s dance.” more…

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Get this Look with BB

Bumble and Bumble is a great hair care line. It’s a little more pricey than say Pantene Pro-V, but it has a great following with it’s reputation. The line used to be found exclusively in salons, but you can find it at places like Wal-Mart. Although, they don’t carry the full line-mainly just shampoos and conditioners. So you’re better off ordering from their site or going into a salon. On the Bumble and Bumble website you can search for a salon in your area as well as search for all their products. It’s so easy to find the right product for you because you can browse by your hair type and your hair needs. A fun part to their site is the Style Book where they have photos of different “looks” and then they provide you with instructions and specific products to achieve that look. I was turned onto Bumble and Bumble by my hairstylist. I don’t exclusively use the line, but wanted to share a few products I have used and have been recommended to me. Read on for a special offer from Bumble and Bumble as well.

Tonic Lotion:

Tonic Lotion

WHAT: Replaces moisture, soothes, detangles, and enhances the performance of products with a blend of herbs, vitamins and Tea Tree Oil.

WHO: Anyone. Especially good for dry, coarse or colored hair.

PERSONAL NOTE: I love this product! My girlfriend had it and I tried it once and loved how it made my hair feel. I made a special trip to my salon to purchase my own. The next time I was getting my hair done at the salon I noticed it’s what my stylist uses on me, I had never paid attention. Anyway, I spray it in my hair on my damp hair then blow dry. It gives you the “salon feel” we all love. Your hair feels light and soft! Don’t go overboard however, a little does the trick with this product. I don’t use it all the time, so I’ve had one bottle for a year now.

BUY: $7.00-$18.00

Thickening Spray:

Thickening Spray

WHAT: Helps fine hair achieve styling “lift-off”, but works on any hair type. Works as a setting spray. more…

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