His and Hers Holiday Essentials!

Hey Guys! 

Today I have something a little different to share with you! A post written by both Marc and I! This is our list of Holiday essentials broken into his and hers guides.  We will start with Marc's list.   

His

Holiday Survival Guide!

                                    

1. A DSLR camera to capture family photos.

2. A good pair of gloves.  Which come in handy for hanging up the christmas lights.  The outdoors are my area, Stacy does the inside decorations. (How convenient for her!)

3. A stick lighter for the Christmas eve luminaries.  A tradition on our block.

4. Spiked eggnog

5.  Christmas movies to watch with the family.  Elf is one of our favorites!

Her

Holiday Survival Guide

1. A fab LBD is a must have.  It is a classic look and you can wear it for multiple occasions and create different looks with accessories.

2. Sparkly jewels to accessorize that LBD!  I love J Crew Factory for well priced statement necklaces.  I just discovered a new favorite though..Accessory Jane! I highly recommend you check them out.  They have a beautiful variety of jewels from earrings to super glam necklaces!

3. A perfect red lip.  Tarte matte lipsurgence in Fiery is my go-to.

4. Christmas crackers have been a tradition on my side of the family for as long as I can remember! I always get the losing end.  It is a fact! That applies to wishbones too.  The ones we buy have a colored paper crowns inside and we typically snap a pic of everyone in their crowns afterwards, oh except for me..when I was a teenager I was too much of a diva/too cool to wear the crown in a pic.  I've decided to carry on that tradition partially because I think everyone expects me too lol.  My sister and I are the "princesses" of the family and we don't partake in the Thanksgiving football game, beach volleyball, kickball etc.  I'm more than happy to watch though. It is always entertaining!

5. Lindt dark chocolate truffles, despite the fact I hold them solely responsible for my massive weight gain with my first pregnancy.  I still love them!

6. Bormioli rocco wine glasses are my favorite for entertaining.  Too bad the serial wine glass wrecker (aka Marc) accidently broke my entire set. lol I'm due for a new set.  Does anyone else's husband break wine glasses all the time or just mine?

7. Cozy candles are a must have for the season.

8. Christmasy flavored coffee for late night present wrapping seshes.

9. Pure barre workout.  Reference number 5.  I also make amazing christmas cookies so the workout is necessary to fight those holiday lbs!

As you may have noticed my must have list is at least twice as long as Marc's!

This is very typical of us.  I am the girl that knows what she wants and always has a list of products and items going, and am super easy to shop for.  That is as long as it is something off of my list lol.  I'm not too big on surprises.  I mean just ask Marc... I have never shared our engagement story before, but.............I may or may not have returned my engagement ring in order to pick out my own! Yes I broke the poor man's heart on Christmas, but all was forgiven and I'll save that story for another time.  ;)

Marc is more of a simple guy.  He isn't a big shopper. At the same time he likes what he likes he just does not require as much "stuff" to be happy I guess is what I'm getting at.

As far as Christmas shopping goes he is tough to buy for.  I mean I could always get him clothes.  Not too impressive though. I think most men are difficult to buy for.(My Dad included!)  My sister and I always struggle with ideas for him especially!  I feel like almost every year our gift of choice just doesn't warrant much of a response on their end lol.  It's not to say anyone is ungrateful, its just how exciting can a gift card really be to receive? We've been plagued with this problem until.........................

This year I discovered Man Crates!

Man crates is a company that offers unforgettable gifts for men. 

Here is their manifesto.

We say 'no' to ugly neckties, cologne samplers and executive trinkets. We don't save wrapping paper, we don't do ribbons.

We ship bragworthy gifts for guys. Gifts that you can't wait to arrive because you know the recipient will love opening them.

Gifts that people gather round at the office, people following the sounds of wood being torn from wood by the included, laser-engraved crowbar.

We are Man Crates, and we deliver awesome gifts for men.

Man Crates is an essential to cross of those difficult to buy for men in your life.

They cover a wide range of manly interests from grilling, personalized whiskey glasses, gaming, even bacon.  Yes there is a crate solely focused around bacon! lol

These crates featured below I think are especially fun!

The Grill Master

This would be perfect for my dad.  He loves to grill and this 5 star set has everything you would need.  My favorite part is the brass knuckle meat tenderizer!

The Retro Gamer

This crate is just plain fun.  I won't lie I am a big fan of the old nintendo. Games these days are just too complicated!  Marc and I would have a lot of fun playing this together. Comes complete with retro candy!

The Zombie survival crate

Marc is forever watching zombie movies and I know this would make him laugh!

The Bacon Crate 

I don't know any guy that would be disappointed to find this crate under the tree.  It's bacon, enough said. 

I think any of these crates would make a really awesome gift for a guy.  They are creative and fun and will leave a lasting impact for sure.

What items are in your Holiday survival guide this year?

  

  

Keep Not Settling!

Tour of Blogland!

Hey guys!

 I took part in my friend Lindsay's blog tour on Pink and Fabulous a few weeks ago and I finally got around to posting my own! You have to check out her blog for outfit inspiration. Her style is perfection and I would honestly be excited to shop out of her closet!  She always looks chic and put together and she is a mom of two which makes it that much more impressive!

What am I working on? 

Well...currently I am working on better time management and organization. If you have any tips feel free to send them my way! 

I would really love to start posting a bit more regularly again, but its been tough to balance it all with the holidays, kids, etc.  That's been one of my goals.  I will never be an everyday poster, but I'm aiming for at least 3 posts a week.

  I am also working on opening up an Etsy shop with a friend, so a lot of what little spare time I do have has been focused on that project! Our shop will feature handmade party and wedding decor.  I am extremely excited about it!

That being said I am working on planning a fabulous 2nd birthday party for Emily.  Girl parties are way too fun to plan! The boys birthdays will follow shortly after.  I love doing everything I can to make my kid's birthdays as fun as special as possible! The decor is one of my favorite aspects of the process.

I am also working on becoming better at taking photos.  I just got a new camera to help me out in that area and I am still in the process of figuring it out.

 How does my work differ from others in its genre? Why do I write/ create what I do

I don't imagine it really does differ all that much.  I  just love to share inspirations, little tidbits about our family, recipes, etc.  I try to work my style and personal aesthetic into the majority of my posts.  I have a passion for design and such an appreciation for decor and art.  I just love sharing advice, tips, and anything fabulous I come across.  Which is exactly why I love reading other girl's blogs.  To get inspiration and learn new things.   The support I get from the other ladies I've met through blogging means so much to me.  I consider many of the girls that I've met true friends and really appreciate their input and advice.  I truly feel that the blogging community is such a positive one and that the majority of the girls really want to see each other succeed.

 How does my writing/creating process work

I get inspiration from tons of different sources.  Pinterest being a big contender.  I tend to randomly jot down ideas in a notebook.  It is not a pretty sight.  I try to be neat about it, but I'm always all over the place.  It is just the way my creative process works I guess.  I typically do not spend more than one day on a post.  I have so many ideas for projects and other topics.  I just need to get better at scheduling in time for posting.(As mentioned above!)


Ok now on to the tour!  

These are two of my favorite ladies! They are both effortlessly gorgeous and super sweet.  I love checking out their blogs for style and beauty inspiration.  No matter how busy I am I always manage to check out these two blogs daily!

Hey there, I'm Biana!

I blog over at B~Loved Boston where you can find me sharing my thoughts on pretty much everything from fashion and beauty favorites to recipes!! I'm a Florida girl that has made her way to Boston and enjoying life as a New Englander and newlywed. I hope you'll stop by and say Hi!!

I am a born and raised Florida girl who is married to my high school sweet heart! I work as a medical sonographer and I am a mom to a crazy Australian Shepard mix and the most handsome kitty! Most importantly, I am just your average girl on an average budget with an obsession for fashion. I believe style is what you make of it not how much you spend!

Hope you guys enjoyed the tour! Happy Weekend!

  

What I've been up to lately and About me!

Hey dolls! 

 I been nominated for the lovely blog award by my friend Lindsay at Pink and Fabulous! I figured I would share a little bit of what I have been up to lately as well.  

I found these beauties all on sale!(Cyber Monday) 

The earrings are a Christmas gift.  I kind of knew I would want to keep them for myself, so I ordered an extra pair from Accessory Jane in clear! The blush pink is gorgeous though.  Btw Accessory Jane is definitely my new go to for jewels! Beautiful quality and so affordable! 

I snagged the bracelet on super sale from J Crew Factory.  (Only 14.50 and free shipping!)  It is a birthday gift for my beautiful mom! We are celebrating her birthday on Saturday.  Today I will be scouring pinterest for some inspiration for her cake! 

The mug is from Kate Spade of course.  

Emily and I glammed up the extra fridge in the playroom.  Did you guys know that gold duct tape existed? I was impressed.  I might use some to wrap some Christmas gifts this year.  Which so far I have done none of... Most of my shopping is done. Thank you Amazon! That's it though.

I ordered these adorbs prints off of JennyBevlin.com  during the 2 for 1 print sale! 

I think I might attempt a gallery wall soon with the Shake it Off print.  I've been slowly gathering art.  I caved and bought Taylor's new album recently also.  I just love it! 

The flamingo print is for Miss Emily's room.  

The are pretty much the easiest Christmas cookies ever.  You can use any type of cake mix to make them.  My favorite flavor to bake is red velvet, they are fabulous! Here is the recipe. 

Our menu board that has sadly not displayed a menu in months.  I have not been good about planning lately.  Ive got to get on that!

Now on to my seven facts About me! 

1.  I have a huge appreciation for all things beautiful, especially handmade items and art.  

2. Home decor purchases make me the happiest ever.

3. I LOVE sparkly jewelry/ sequins and am a true girly girl at heart.

4. I am working on learning to sew. My sweet grandmom just bought me a sewing machine as a Christmas gift. I have a huge list of projects already too.    

5.  I paint my house all the time! I am always working on little home decor projects as well.  If you don't come by much you can guarantee there will be something new going on in at least one of the rooms in our home! 

6. I am a momma of 3(2 boys and a girl) and I have a 7 year old boy that is autistic.  He has taught me a lot and influenced so much in my life.  

7. I live to plan parties and love to craft and make decorations.  I am actually working towards opening my own Etsy with a friend!(Which I am super excited about!) It will feature handmade party and wedding decor.  

I tag any of my blog friends that are reading! 

Have a fabulous Wednesday!