{Favorite Things} Christmas Wish List

I had already starting thinking of a few of my favorite things to share with y'all after Thanksgiving, but when Elise announced her Favorite Things Link-Up, I had to jump on board!

Side note: I'm weird.  I have a thing about not doing anything Christmas related until after my birthday on December 2.  That way Thanksgiving is still Thanksgiving, my birthday is still my birthday, and then the rest of the month is all Christmas!  It's what my mom always did, and it's carried over :)

Sooooo, we'll call this the birthday/Christmas wish list for anyone who's still looking for ideas {wink, wink O!}

1. New perfume!  I had mentioned that I wanted MJ's Daisy a few Fridays ago, but then I took a whiff of Burberry Brit Sheer this past weekend & LOVED it.  I'd be happy with either!

2. A new throw blanket for the living room, like this one from West Elm.  A blue, or neutral--like the rest of our house!

3. I'm always in the market for a fun scarf!  I do like this one from my favorite store, Loft!

4. A fun new game for Game Night.  This one was recommended by a coworker {has anyone ever played?!}

5. New flats.  With the amount of time I've been on my feet at work lately, I could use a little more cute & comfy in my life.

6. Any good book--I know once the holiday excitement settles down and I have time to breathe again, I'd appreciate a good book, and I've heard from many of you awesome bloggers that Gone Girl is a must! {any other suggestions, girls??}

7. Any festive philosophy body wash would be greatly appreciated!  Really, philosophy anything is great.  Here are my daily fav's just in case ;)

I'm SO excited to see what's on your wish list!  Hoping they inspire me to add a few more things on to mine as well!

Weekend Recap

And that fast, it's Monday again.  We had such a great weekend--I was so sorry to see it end!  We were both home Saturday and Sunday, no work, no major plans.  Just free to do whatever we wanted!

We started off Saturday morning by making a trip up to Jungle Jim's--Cincinnati's outrageous International Market.  This place is crazy!  If you live within driving distance of Cincinnati, you HAVE to check this place out.

1500+ types of hot sauce and 1200+ types of beer, O was in heaven!

And then we stumbled upon the wine & World of cheese, and I was in heaven.

Best wine find of the day:

#1, there's a 50 Shades wine?  #2, how did it end up next to Duck Commander wine?  

Seems off, in so many ways...

Sunday was laid back as well!  Church, a little house cleanin', and cooking a big pot of chili!  Recipe to come later in the week!

Linking up and sharing our fun weekend with Sami's Shenanigans!

{philosophy} Five on Friday

Another Five on Friday in the books, y'all {my tenth one!}  I truly mean it when I say these Friday posts are my fav!  Before we get down to business, I have to ask

WHO ELSE WATCHED SCANDAL LAST NIGHT?!?  

Holy mother!  The best episode all season.  I had to pick my jaw up off the ground on several occasions.  Whewwww!

Ok!  Now that I have that out of my system!  I've mentioned my LOVE of philosophy products a couple of times {here, here and here to be exact}  They have so many fantastic products, but here's a quick list of my favorite five!

{one} purity made simple.  I received a free sample of this stuff from Sephora a few years ago & I was instantly hooked.  Using this eliminates the need for eye make-up remover.  It literally dissolves all of my eye makeup while I wash my face.

{two} the microdelivery exfoliating wash.  I'm always in the market for something that'll make my blackheads disappear & my pores smaller {TMI?}  After one use, I could tell such a difference!

{three} take a deep breath oil-free moisturizer.  This stuff is so light & doesn't make my skin feel greasy at all!

{four} hope in a tube.  a good eye cream can do wonders!  I'm trying to take a preemptive strike against fine lines...we'll see if it helps ;)

{five} kiss me tonight.  I put this on every night before bed--especially this time of the year.  My lips have been feeling so dry with all this cold weather--this definitely helps!

What are your favorite skin care routines?!  I'm always open to suggestions!

I hope y'all have the best weekend--the weather here is supposed to be nice, and I fully plan on taking advantage of a slow weekend!

This post was not sponsored by philosophy and these thoughts & opinions are my own.  But if philosophy did want to send me some goodies, I'd be ok with that too ;)

Thanksgiving {Corn Pudding}

We had a little snafu with our Thanksgiving plans this year...  We usually split the holiday's with family since we live so far away.  Thanksgiving with my family this year, Christmas with O's.  Every year we switch it up--only seems fair & it has worked out really well over the last three years.  Buttttttttttt, this year not so much.  Our work schedules have been so hectic, and it's not looking like that'll change anytime soon.  So, at the risk of my mother disowning me, we're not going to Virginia for Thanksgiving this year {sorry, Mom!}  And better yet, we're not going anywhere.  We're staying here...just the two of us.  And we're SO fine with it!  I'm looking forward to a full day home, together, not doing a thing.

When Caitlyn @ Home Sweet Ruby suggested a Thanksgiving Recipe Linkup, I was all over it!  Love recipes, LOVE Thanksgiving, Love her sweet blog.  LOVE.  And it will hopefully give me a little inspiration on other things to make for our Thanksgiving for Two ;)

Everyone in my family has their one awesome thing they make for Thanksgiving every year.  My aunt brings Homemade Stuffing, my cousin has the Sweet Potato Casserole, I make the gravy and my mom makes Corn Pudding.  I know it sounds weird, but it is SO good & it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it.  Think less pudding, more amazing cornbread.  It will definitely be at our mini feast!

Mom's Corn Pudding

ingredients:

1 can whole kernel corn {short can}

1 can cream style corn {regular size can}

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup sour cream

2 beaten eggs

1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

3/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a mixing bowl, combine both cans of corn with melted butter.  Fold in sour cream and eggs.  Add in Jiffy mix and blend well.  Pour into oval casserole dish, and bake at 375 until middle is set, about 50-60 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and put back in oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve hot.

I'm so excited to see what everyone else is sharing!  Has anyone else ever had Corn Pudding--I know my Southern friends have!

Christmas Card Inspiration

'Tis the season for Christmas Card pictures.  Last year, it was a sweet little picture of our pups.  This year, I'd like a picture of all four of us...only one problem.  I can't get O on board with a "family picture."  He's of the mindset that we don't need to do a picture card until we have "real" children.
Our compromise? Something like this:

via

via

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via

What do y'all think--any suggestions?  I'm looking for a way to keep us in the picture {waist down} with more focus on the dogs.  That's about all the compromise I can come up with for a hubby who's not a picture man...

Five on Friday

Ohhhh girls!  I seriously have been counting down the days until the weekend!  The last few weeks have been non-stop, and I'm really looking forward to a little R&R around here this weekend.  PS: thanks for all of your fashion feedback last Friday ;)  I ended up purchasing both items, and you better believe I'm stalking the tracking number to see when my goodies will arrive!

{one}  This morning, I am specifically thankful for 1) these sweet girls who always lift my spirits, 2) catching up on allll of my blog reading from the week, and 3) COFFEE.

{two} My coworker had this perfume on and I couldn't get over how good she smelled!!  I had to ask her what it was.  And now, this too, is on my wish list...

{three} Did anyone else hear about this "new" Gingerbread Latte?  Or am I the last to find out?!  What is this "new"!?  I'm of the belief that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  I plan to pick one up ASAP to see what these changes are all about....

{four} Confession: I'm a nail biter.  I know--gross!  I recently started using Essie Grow Stronger, and I can already see a difference after just one week!

{five}  This quote.

I hope everyone has a wonderful RELAXING weekend!!!

Shrimp & Grits

I told y'all on Friday that I had planned on just relaxing {and maybe shopping} this past weekend.  And I did just that--AND some cookin'...

Just typing out the title of this post makes my mouth water.  I LOVE Shrimp & Grits. I've had them prepared many different ways, and never had a batch I didn't like.  I think most Southerners have their favorite recipe--here's how I make mine:

Shrimp & Cheese Grits

1 pound of shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 medium onion, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into "rounds" {you can sub in bacon instead!}

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon creole seasoning {optional}

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add in sausage and shrimp.  Cook for about two to three minutes per side, or until sausage is golden brown and shrimp is cooked through, remove from pan. {add in more olive oil if needed}.  Add in onions, and cook for about five minutes until translucent.  Stir in garlic, and cook for an additional minute.  Sprinkle in flour, and mix until well combined; cook for one to two minutes.  Add in milk, and stir constantly until thickened.  Add sausage and shrimp back into sauce, season with salt & pepper

*Really, you can cook your shrimp and sausage {or bacon!} any way your little heart desires.  For me, this recipe is all about the good, cheesy grits!!  Cooking good grits is considered an art form to many.  Things can go wrong with a quickness.  In my book, my uncle has the best way of preparing grits--its fool proof!

Uncle E's Cheese Grits
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups quick grits
3 tablespoons of butter
2 cups whole milk
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce, optional

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring water & milk to a simmer.  Whisking constantly, slowly add the grits.  Cook, stirring all the time, scraping the bottom of the pan often.  Cook until thickened, about 7 minutes or until soft.  Add cheese & butter to the grits and stir just until melted.  Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper.  If you're not eating right away, pour grits into an oblong baking dish,  and cover tight with plastic wrap {so they will steam & keep the grits soft}

This recipe makes a ton!  If I make this for dinner for the two of us, I cut it in half & there's still leftovers!