Aloha Friday - The New Year

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday, hosted by Kailani over at An Island Life. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So, on Fridays we can take it easy on blog posting, too.

I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer - nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life where you can link up with your own question and also visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

What's one thing you hope to accomplish in 2011?

I want to get things around the house a little more organized and decluttered.

The Eyes Have It!

I've been a big fan of Bare Escentuals makeup for quite awhile. I love that their products are natural and actually good for your skin. I always get compliments on my complexion when I'm wearing Bare Escentuals foundation. It gives such smooth, natural coverage.

One of the latest products I've been using from the Bare Escentuals line is the Big & Bright Eyeliner. I picked up this cute little trio pack of mini Big & Bright Eyeliners from QVC a couple months ago.

It was my first time using this particular eyeliner and I have to say I have fallen in love with it! I have sensitive eyes and have a hard time finding eyeliners that do not cause redness and irritation. This formula feels great and doesn't irritate my eyes at all. I love how easily it glides on and that it's long lasting. The Bare Escentuals packaging for this product states that this eyeliner "visually enhances the whites of your eyes, so eyes look whiter, brighter and more brilliant instantly." I'm not sure how or why it works, but it sure does! I instantly noticed that my eyes seemed whiter. The eyeliners are self-sharpening, preservative free, and infused with a blend of 100% pure bareMinerals, conditioning botanical extracts and antioxidants.

You can pick up the fun little trio pack online at Bare Escentuals. Right now it's on sale for only $14.00. Or, if you want to purchase single, full-size versions, go here to check out available colors.


Disclaimer:
This is not a sponsored post - just me chatting about a favorite product that I purchased for my own personal use.

Movie Trailer Tuesday - Somewhere

Oh, this movie is so calling out to me! I'm dying to see it, but, alas, it's not yet playing in my area. Stephen Dorff stars as actor Johnny Marco whose decadent Hollywood lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of his 11 year old daughter (played by Elle Fanning - doesn't she look like a sweetheart?). Looks like it's going to be a really great film. I can't wait to check it out.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, happy, and peaceful holiday

Image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Things You Should Know If We're Gonna Be BFF - Little Miss Momma Link-Up

I've been finding it difficult to blog lately, I guess because it's so hectic and crazy as we try to get ready for Christmas. But, I saw this fun link-up going on over at Little Miss Momma's blog and thought I would join in. If you would like to participate in the party, visit Little Miss Momma.

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Things You Should Know If We're Gonna Be BFF

1.   I can't stand clutter and have OCD tendencies about organization. Everything I carry in my purse has it's own spot and you will rarely ever find anything strewn about my car floors or seats. If you are a clutter-bug, I won't judge. I'll just be stressed out for you.

2.   I'm one of those people who actually likes to watch the opening and closing credits at the movie theater. And, I really can't stand it when people talk during movies or get up to go to the bathroom. Oh, and I don't like popcorn.

3.   Although I try to hide it, I'm a VERY impatient person.

4.   I can't read a map to save my life, but I'm usually pretty good with directions by using landmarks.

5.   I watch way too much tv.

6.   I love old people! Even the cranky, cantankerous ones. My kids make fun of me because I'm always pointing out cute little old couples and "awwwing" over them.

7.   Feet disgust me so if you have long, dirty, or ugly toenails please keep your shoes on at all times.

8.   I sorta have a crush on Russell Crowe. So, if we ever meet him and the opportunity arises, I have first dibs!

9.   I detest card games so don't ever invite me over for poker or Texas Hold-em.

10. Honesty and niceness are two of my favorite qualities in a friend.

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Don't forget to visit Little Miss Momma and play along.

My Bah-Humbug For The Day

I love Christmas! I love the decorations, the yummy treats, the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, the Christmas music, etc. But, there is one thing that gets under my skin...the cheesy jewelry store commercials on tv. I don't know why but it just bugs me that they portray these doe-eyed women who practically burst into tears because their guy has given them a gift of jewelry. It's like these women's lives are now complete because they've been handed a pretty sparkly necklace. Or earrings. The big strong man has saved the day and now the lady must be eternally grateful, staring at him with her big, teary eyes and practically foaming at the mouth.

Ok, I know that sounds really lame but that's how I feel. Maybe I'm just bitter because I've never been lavished with gifts of gold, diamonds, or other precious stones. I just wish for once, they would use a different formula for their commercial - something other than "guy surprises woman with jewelry gift and woman fawns all over him for it."

And, that is my Bah-Humbug for the day!

Movie Trailer Tuesday - Joyeux Noel

I have probably mentioned this movie before, but as it's Christmas-time, I had to mention it again. Joyeux Noel is based on a true story about WWI soldiers from opposing trenches who decide on their own to hold a temporary cease-fire for Christmas Eve. The soldiers meet and interact with one another but know that after Christmas Eve, the battle must resume. It's such a moving story; one of my very favorite films of all times.

Rated PG-13 for some war violence and a brief scene of sexuality/nudity

Available on Netflix and Amazon

2010ChristmasCard

Glitter Glamour Joy Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards

View the entire collection of cards.

So, we (meaning "me") seriously procrastinated with our Christmas cards this year. I just couldn't seem to get it together. Usually, I try to somewhat coordinate and/or plan the outfits, background, etc. But, because it's getting down to the wire, I just grabbed the kiddos (and the dog) this afternoon and plopped them down on the piano bench and snapped a few pictures. This is the photo card I ended up choosing from Shutterfly. It's a simple design that puts all the focus on the photo. I really love it!

You don't even want to know how hard it is to get our dog to sit still and look at the camera. I'm actually shocked that the kids are all smiling and the dog is cooperating. Anyway, my order is placed and I can't wait to receive our cards. Shutterfly is my new favorite place - they have so, so many card designs and lots of other neat items as well. I also put together a cute photo book for my daughter (Sssshhhh - it's a Christmas present). I know she's going to love it.

Disclaimer:
In exchange for blogging about Shutterfly's holiday cards in a previous post, I received a promo code which I used to order my own Christmas photo cards. All opinions are my own.

Aloha Friday - Luxury Gift Wish-List

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday, hosted by Kailani over at An Island Life. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So, on Fridays we can take it easy on blog posting, too.

I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer - nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life where you can link up with your own question and also visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

Fill in the blank: 

If money were no object, the one luxury gift on my wish-list would be _________________________

I would wish for a brand new 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe. I currently drive an '04 Tahoe and love it, but, a nice new updated one would be wonderful.

CSN Stores Product Review - Replogle Atlantis Educational Globe

I know many of you are familiar with CSNStores.com. It's the online shopping site that gives you access to 200+ stores all in one place. Their prices, selection, and service can't be beat.

Recently, CSNStores.com once again gave me an opportunity to shop their site and review one of their products. With Christmas-time near, I was delighted to be able to find just the perfect gift for my husband. He is very hard to buy for and never really asks for anything. But, not that long ago, he mentioned he would like to have a world globe. He thought it would be nice to display in our home as well as serving an educational purpose for our entire family. I browsed the huge selection of globes available on CSNStores.com and picked out several that I liked. Reading the online customer reviews helped me to settle on this particular globe, the Replogle Atlantis Educational Globe.

After reading so many reviews, it seemed to me that Replogle was a highly respected name brand as far as globes are concerned. This model boasts many fine features, including:

•Desk or tabletop globe
•Gyro-matic mounting allows easy viewing of any location
•Numbered full-meridian
•True to life color to depict mountains, deserts, forests and grasslands
•Displays political boundaries
•Oceans show undersea physical features
•Raised-relief detailing
•Gyro-matic mounting enables the globe to rotate in any direction
•Globe diameter: 12"
•Dimensions: 17'' H x 15'' W x 12'' D


And, at $66.99 plus free shipping, it's a great value. So, the globe arrived and is now wrapped up in paper and a bow under the Christmas tree. I know my husband will be thrilled when he opens it and I'm sure we will all find many occasions to refer to the globe.

I've always been pleased with my purchases and service from CSNStores.com. If you have never checked out their site, I encourage you to take a look.

Disclaimer:
CSNStores.com provided me with a gift code which I used toward the purchase of the Replogle Atlantis Educational Globe. All opinions expressed are my own.

Our Night Out

Yesterday, pretty much at the last minute, we decided to take the kids and go to the UK basketball game. We are huge UK fans, but rarely have the opportunity to go see a live game. So, we piled in the car, went out for dinner, and then went to the game. Actually, we rarely do anything like this. Time and money always seem to get in the way. When you are a family of six, it's so expensive to go to any kind of sporting or entertainment event. Dinner alone for the six of us is usually at least $80, so it's just not something we do very often.

We had a fun evening and all enjoyed the basketball game. However, by the time the night was over, there were a few things I realized about myself...

1. I must be getting old - Although I'm often awake at home past midnight, being out and about on the town after midnight is a different story. I was so tired and couldn't wait to get home into my warm bed. This morning, I felt terrible. I accidentally turned the alarm off and went back to sleep and was about 20 minutes late waking up my husband and daughter.

2. I'm harshly judgemental - The group of young guys behind us were dropping F-bombs left and right while discussing such things as trying to find some girls to take home to "get some a$$" and  who was going to pay for the next round of beers. One of the fellows just "got out of the pen" and another had a court date the next day. The young guys in front of us almost got into a fight with someone wearing an opposing team's shirt. I have no tolerance for ignorant people who act like fools in public. I also have no tolerance for heavy drinking.

3. I loathe the smell of popcorn!

4. I am a people watcher. Seriously. Watching all the people at the game was almost as entertaining as the game itself.

5. I'm a homebody. Yes, it's fun to go out and do something that you don't normally do. But, when it comes down to it, I just love being tucked away safe and sound with my family at home every night. Put me in front of the fireplace watching Jeopardy with my family and I'm a happy-camper!

So, even though we were exposed to some colorful conversations and stayed up way past our bedtimes, we did have a great night out. And, UK beat Notre Dame!

Sweet Face

Is this a sweet face or what? It's our dog, Emma. She is big, lazy, and sometimes clumsy. She spends 90% of her time sprawled out on the floor sleeping. If my husband and the kids are wrestling and horse-playing, she has to be right in the middle of things. She doesn't like the heat or to get her feet wet. When she needs to go outside, she rings a bell that we have hanging on our back door (if it's raining, she will not leave the porch but turn around to come right back in). She thinks we exist just to pet her and scratch her head. She has a ferocious bark but she's not ferocious at all. Just about the only thing she does to misbehave is to sneak a nap on my bed when we are not at home (she knows she's not allowed on our beds or furniture). She is one spoiled rotten dog!

Random Report

Today's post is going to be totally random. Don't say I didn't warn you...

• The only spot in my house that I can (somewhat) secretly stow-away Christmas presents is in my walk-in master closet. As I've been shopping these last few weeks, I've haphazardly tucked things away here and there (all within my closet though). Today, I decided I better get everything out while the kids are at school and take stock of what I have bought. Everything is in fairly good order except for one gift that I CANNOT find anywhere! It's a toy for my youngest son (worth about $20). I have turned the closet inside out and it is not there. I've hidden it so well, I don't even remember where it is. Then I started thinking..."did I really even buy that or was I thinking about buying it?" So, I got out my handy-dandy envelope where I keep all my Christmas receipts. I CANNOT find a receipt for this present either. I would've bet money that I bought it. I wrote it on my list (and it does NOT get written on my list unless I have it in my possession). Am I going crazy? Will I find it in time for Christmas? It was a really cool toy that I was looking forward to giving. What a bummer!
• I'm having potato soup for dinner. I think I could eat potato soup every day.
• I should be ashamed to admit this, but, I cannot remember how to make those paper cut-out snowflakes like we used to make as kids. I have tried and tried and they just turn out looking like weird cut-up pieces of paper, LOL!
• I'm feeling lots of anxiety and nervousness lately and I don't really know why.
• I swore I would never become one of those e-reading folks who read books via Kindle or some other similar device. But, I have to now eat my words and say that I'm becoming quite fond of the iBooks app on my iPad. Very cool! I love that I can read in bed without having to turn on the light and disturb my husband.
• It was 16 degrees when I got up this morning (wind chill made it feel like 9 degrees). And, we have a light dusting of snow on the grassy areas - perfect Christmas season weather to me!
• My dog rings a small bell on our back door when she needs to go outside. When she "takes care of #2 business", she gets a treat. We (and I really mean ME) have gotten in a bad habit of giving her a treat just about every time she comes in, whether she goes to the bathroom or not. She is smart. She now rings the bell ALL THE TIME so she can run outside for 15 seconds and then come back in to get a treat.
• We bought a very nice artificial pre-lit tree about four years ago. The saleslady assured us that the "pre-lit" lights would last 5 years or more. Well, this is year four, and there's a whoppin' bunch of lights that do not work! And, we cannot figure out how to get them working. We've tried replacing the bulbs and fuses with no luck.  I finally just bought some new strings of light to fill in our tree where all the dark spots are. What a pain!
• Speaking of lights, I'm just not a fan of the LED lights. The white ones look cold and artificial and blue to me. And, this is probably weird, but they kinda hurt my eyes to look at them. Is it just me?

Until next time, cheers!

Movie Trailer Tuesday - City Island

Meet the Rizzos - a crazy, loud, dysfunctional family living on City Island in the Bronx. They all have secrets and they are all trying really hard to keep these secrets from one another. I loved everything about this movie! It made me laugh (so so many laugh-out-loud moments) and it made me cry, too. The entire cast was terrific. The teenage son, played by Ezra Miller, was hilarious. I always love Andy Garcia and Julianna Margulies nailed it as the tough-talking, angry wife. Really, I can't say enough good things about this movie; one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Check it out and let me know what you think...

Rated PG-13 for Sexual content, smoking and language

Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop WINNER

Thanks to everyone who hopped over and entered my giveaway. Also, I want to give a big thank you to the wonderful ladies that hosted the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop (Simply Stacie, My Wee View, Little Yayas, Stockpiling Moms) - I appreciate the time and work that you put into the hop. What a great turnout!

And, now to announce the random winner of the $15 iTunes Gift Card....

Megan said...

Twitter follower

mekyser

December 1, 2010 8:45 AM

I will contact the winner shortly. If winning commenter does not reply within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Thanks again to everyone that entered!

Zappos Shares What To Give and What NOT To Give For Christmas With Their Top 5 Worst Holiday Gifts

Zappos.com reveals top five gifts to steer clear of when gift giving this holiday season, and also provides some helpful suggestions on what makes a fabulous gift!

# 5:
Beef & Cheese Basket – Let’s face it, any sodium-infused sausage or cheese product that is shipped across the country without being refrigerated can’t be healthy! If you still have a hankering for a roast beef sandwich, Zappos.com suggests the Chef’s Choice Premium Food Slicer, or to satisfy your desire for gourmet cheese, you can serve it up on a Swissmar Acacia Board & Cheese Knife Set.


# 4:
Nose Hair Clippers – Under the mistletoe is not the time or place to discuss hair removal! If you want your guy to look fresh-faced, a nice gift idea would be the Anthony for Men Logistics Gift Grooming Set.


#3:
Shovel – Yes, in many parts of our great country, it snows during the holiday season. But after a night of eggnog & endless eating, no one wants to be reminded to get off the couch and shovel the driveway! Still, we say, let it snow by bundling up in a warm coat, or thrashing down a mountain on a snowboard.


#2:
Self-Help Book – The holiday season can be very stressful. At Zappos, we don’t believe now would be the perfect time to let someone you love know that “they need some fixing!” Even if you feel this person does need some help, wait until the New Year, when everyone tries to make a fresh-start! Still, if you are concerned about someone’s health & well-being, it’s great to get them motivated and moving! Might we suggest a yoga pant and yoga mat for her, and an Iron Man Lap Counter or Running Shoes for him?


#1:
Fruit Cake – Enough said. No one eats it, no one likes it, and even if they do, they don’t want it as a gift! If your gift recipient does love baked goods of the homemade kind, Zappos housewares offers great novelty-themed baking pans and vibrant and colorful baking dishes!


Disclaimer:Information used in this post was provided by Zappos.com and Kel & Partners. No compensation of any kind was received for this post.

Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop - December 1st - 5th (iTunes Gift Card Giveaway)

I'm so excited to be participating in the Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop. It's being hosted by Simply Stacie, My Wee View, Little Yayas, and Stockpiling Moms. In case you aren't familiar with this, it's basically a huge giveaway carnival where participating bloggers are hosting gift card giveaways on their blogs. All the giveaways are then linked up on the handy-dandy linky, making it easy for you to "hop" from giveaway to giveaway. There are 300+ blogs participating (many with multiple giveaways), so there are lots of opportunities to win. Sounds fun, right? And, with the holidays right around the corner, who couldn't use a gift card!

After you check out the details and enter my gift card giveaway, be sure and scroll down to the linky. There, you can "hop" on over to any other giveaways that you like. You can find the giveaway linky at all participating blogs as well as at the blogs of each Hop hostess. Happy Holidays and good luck!

My Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a $15 iTunes Gift Card. Please carefully read and follow all instructions. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway runs from 12:01 am EST December 1 through 11:59 pm EST December 5. One random winner will be chosen from all eligible comments. Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entry:  Follow my blog via GFC and leave a comment letting me know you do


Extra Entries: (leave a separate comment for each thing you do)

1. Subscribe to my blog via email (see sidebar)

2. Follow @alas3lads on twitter

3. Tweet about this giveaway 1x daily (must leave link to your tweet)