Black Friday recon!

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Hope it was as lovely as mine. The little guy got lots of attention, as usual, and we all ate way too much food.

Calvin w/ Grandma (w/ matching outfits!)

Today, I thought I'd chill with the baby at home, maybe get some gym time in since I'd stuffed my face the night before for Thanksgiving. But then the sis came over and convinced to come out, and check out the new H&M in Scottsdale.

No pics, but the crowds in there were insane.  They only had 1 fitting room area, and the lines at the register were absurd.  On a lighter note, they did have some good deals.  I also got some denim leggings, and short sleeve tunic in cream, with gold flecks; but I'm returning some knit dresses that were on promotion (I got sidetracked, and bought them on impulse!) I hate it when I do that.  I bought everything in a Medium, because I didn't feel like waiting half an hour to get into a fitting room.  I need to head back there when I can think clearly about what I have in my closet, and have time to try things on.

I was hoping they'd have a nicer selection of jeans, but at $50 for a pair, I might as well score them at Gap or Urban Outfitters, for a wider range of rinses and fits.  I also found their second floor to be a complete waste of space - it had a section of children's clothing and an extremely small section for maternity wear.  Cute stuff, but it didn't warrant an entire floor.

Then, went onto Paradise Valley mall and got my brother's Christmas present (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for PS3), and my sister's (new Nike kicks), since they BOTH wanted their presents early this year.  I hope this isn't a new tradition, because it kind of ruins the spirit of gift-giving, and really kills Christmas day!

However, I did manage to splurge on myself a bit when we walked into the Aveda store.  I knew I was a goner when the sales person asked me to have a seat, and she unveiled the whole Enbrightenment skincare line upon my face..........  The Enbrightenment line focuses on fading sun damage and signs of aging, and I can give an "AMEN" to all of that!

My Aveda haul

 (Enbrightenment cleanser, toner, mask take-home sample, and Balancing Infusion)

Can't wait to try this! It's got rosemary, and geranium essential oils, and smells absolutely divine!

Ahhhhh. Was it me? Was it the lighting? All my makeup was off, but my skin looked like it was glowing?!  Too bad my total would have come to somewhere around the $300 range if I'd purchased everything she'd used. I compromised, and purchased the cleanser, the toner, and a small vial of essential oils to moisturize my skin.  I still need to score the mask, the moisturizing lotion, and maybe the cream for more intensive moisturizing at night. (My sales lady was a doll, she gave me a little container of the mask to try out at home! Yay!)

My hand-picked Angel

I also picked a "Christmas Angel" thru the Salvation Army's gift-giving program. You might have seen something similar at malls near you. There are Christmas trees with paper "angels" on them, with a child's name, what they want for Christmas, and their clothing sizes.  I picked a 1 1/2 year old girl by the name of Devany.  I can't wait to pick out some things for her.  Times are tough, and we certainly aren't rollin' in it - but we can definitely help make sure Christmas can still happen for one family's little girl, and I feel really good about making that happen.  I'm just sorry I can't do more of these, and help out more kids.
So please - if you guys see something like this in your local mall, be sure to grab just 1! It isn't some random drop box for money, or canned goods - it's someone's child, someone's baby. And maybe this year, Mom & Dad don't have the funds to make it happen for them. So while you're out, maybe hold off on buying that $20 lipstick, and give a little to someone in need.  Drop off dates are just a little more than a week away, so do it soon, if you can.
Count your blessings, and pay it forward.

Me and my real-life angel, and most incredible blessing ever. Love u. Muah!

Weekend haze

I had a busy weekend. Hit up Scottsdale Fashion Square on Saturday w/ the baby and sis.  Checked out Barney's (drool), the new Banana Republic, a Michael Stars store, bought some workout clothes at Lucy, and salivated over a pair of hybrid boot/sneakers at Puma.  If I lived in a big slick city where I'd have to walk blocks and blocks, these would be my shit-kickers of choice! (swooooon)

The Berlin $140

We went on to have dinner at PF Chang's, and had to wait the prerequisite 35 minutes to get seated, which is the norm for most joints on a Saturday night, I'd say.  But poor baby threw up on his outfit in the car earlier, and I had him in a onesie, some socks, and blanket. (Felt like a bad mommy) :(   But honestly, his diaper bag is over-flowing as it is, and I just happened to not pack a pair of pants for him. DAMMIT! You try to prepare for every foreseeable crisis, and you just feel like a complete IDIOT for not packing ONE THING! UGH!  Do I need to start packing a back pack? I mean, I've completely forgone bringing a purse, and I just put my wallet in the diaper bag, because it's stupid to lug 2 pieces of luggage around with me.  

Good thing the service was quick, we were out in an hour.  I got my Ma-Po tofu fix, and the sis got her Mongolian Beef fix. 

Having a meal is such a production when you have a small child in tow. For real. 

Sunday - took the sis grocery shopping. We hit up the commisary on base, then Sprouts for our health food fix. Got home, dressed the lil guy, and with my mom, drove to rendezvous at my aunt's house, then we were off to IKEA in Tempe.

Now IKEA to me, is always kind of a sensory overload thing, because the possibilities are endless and the low price point just makes it worse. The only saving grace for me, is that I don't have a house or apartment to shop for at the moment. Phew! You're lucky, Mr. Debit Card, cuz if I did, you'd be shivering with fear.  

My mom and aunt scored some dishes, curtains, and houseware stuff. Such good retail therapy for under a $100 a piece.

Oh, and of course, I made us stop at the cafeteria, which is kinda mediocre, you have to admit, but it's part of the experience of going to IKEA. So I ate badly, by ordering the Swedish meatballs....(sheepish grin)

Although my plate came with mashed potatoes. I should have gotten fries, simply because I can't remember the last time I had a french fry.  (sigh)

My lil bro said he might camp out in front of Best Buy this Black Friday, and if he does, I might ask him to score me a new digital camera. I've been bummin' my mom's, and I am not thrilled w/ the pic quality. And I really need to add some eye candy for your folks on this here blog.  Will keep u guys posted on that one.

Not in the market for a DSLR right now, maybe once I start working again. But for right now, if you guys have any recs for a good point and shoot digital camera, fire away and let me know!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend, and hope you guys enjoy some good food and family on Turkey day!

My Christmas Wish List

This is mainly for the hubby and my family, although my husband manages to do whatever he wants and buys me what he thinks an average wife would like (so he typically buys a little piece of jewelry/chocolates (which I always devour)/maybe some perfume/........you get the gist of it.)

Well I got on his case, and told him that I have a list this time, and as much as I love how he shops on his own, I would really like for him to pay attention to my tastes for once:

yoga classes @ Blissful Yoga Studio

10 classes for $125

or 20 classes for $225

 some new perfume (Prada Amber , in this bottle)

Or......Hermes 24 Fauborg: for when I wanna feel classy

Adidas Clima LS Motion 2    $75

From HERE

Some new kicks for my workouts.  Yup yup!

The Peanuts Holiday Collection

For me and Cal.   These cartoons were always my favorite things to see on telly, when the holidays came around. *sigh*  It's time to start building Cal's DVD collection.

Along w/ ....

Sesame Street Old School episodes Volume I and Volume II.

The OG stuff will never let u down!

Baby stuff

Hey ladies, I'm sorry if my blog has been severely lacking in the beauty/skincare department, or makeup for that matter.  I've been focused more on clothing hauls and baby things.  I feel more cheerful about clothing shopping now that I've dropped a pant size and can see the results of my hard work (sweat, and tears  - no blood, haha).  Although I'm not to the point where I wanna take full body shots with a camera just yet. hee hee

Any-hoo. For you Mama's out there, here are my 2 fave baby products at the moment:

Boudreaux's Butt Paste: sounds weird, and kinda looks weird too, out of the container. The stuff looks like paste, to put on wood or something......but when you apply it to skin, it kinda melts into a nice oil consistency, and frankly, I prefer it to Desitin.  Weleda also makes a great diaper cream, but if you're a bitch on a budget, like I am - sometimes Weleda's prices can make you cringe a bit - anything within their baby line usually runs over $10 a piece. Don't even get me started on the facial skincare line! Oi vay! lol

Oh, and I found these at Babys R Us the other day!!  Cal is at that stage now (at 7 months) where he wants to gnaw on everything, but he has no teeth yet.  These rice snacks are SO PERFECT! They're basically rice crackers, in a long oblong shape, so it's easy for baby to hold. They don't have much sugar at all, and best of all? They turn into mush the second it touches saliva, well, pretty much. It's so genius.

Here is their website.  When Cal just needs a teeny distraction, these are perfect to keep him occupied for a few minutes, and they aren't as messy as other teething biscuits.

Hope everyone has a great week! muahs :D

I wanna live in shades of grey/black/indigo

I love these colors, and occasionally shades of aubergine/purple, and brown.

I've discovered 2 lines that I would just love to buy the entire line........... I call it "sexy-severe-serious".

I know it's not what u would call "joyful" or "flirty" or "fun", but hey, what a juxtaposition and blank slate for some fierce makeup and hair (imagine, a shock of hot pink or deep red lips.........or a really smoky eye done in the deepest of indigoes..........or understated shades of everything else, then with a shade of bright blush and lots of false lashes/or mascara?)

This is L'Agence, available at the Ron Herman website

wrap dress, in grey silk, $425

cropped harem paints, $300

long hoodie dress, $265

And these are from Oak NYC, which carries its own collection, but also carries other lines:

Neurottica black origami dress, $158

Complex Geometries black wool tabard, $328 (same thing, worn 3 ways)

Just some of my inspirations/obsessions for future shopping excursions! :) Hope u enjoyed!

Am i ready?

Aww, man. I know. I've been so m.i.a. lately. But unless you guys are interested in daily workouts, and my daily routine w/ this guy, life is pretty tame right now. LOL Isn't he cute - I swear he isn't in a time-out or anything. hahahaha

I've finally got my sister to start going to the gym regularly, and that's because she's found that she LOVES spin class, and she has this mondo girl crush on the spin instructor! lol Mainly because she's super duper fit (of course) and really nice, so my sis isn't intimidated. It's also really gratifiying at the end of class, when the instructor yells out that we've burned like 500-600 calories, or that we've covered 12 miles. It's painful at times, and brutal, but it's a great way to spend an hour.

We've also become loyal followers of a Pilates instructor on Wed. nights and she kicks our asses, and makes you laugh at the same time.

So yoga has taken a bit of a back seat, but I've vowed that I will go back to my yoga classes this week.

I've been debating about the idea about going back to work, and whether it's too soon. If any of you follow me on Twitter, than you know I've been throwin' this idea around (if any of u mommy's wanna give me your two cents on it, I'd love to hear your comments.)

I just feel like I'm stuck between a rock and hard place with this one! I LOVE being with the baby, and whenever I'm away from him for more than a few hours, I get really anxious and I miss him like crazy. But there are so many days when I'm at home, and my time is measured in time lapses between naps, feedings, diaper changes, and gym sessions that end the day. Next day, repeat.

I really do feel like the world is passing me by. So what I've been working on this past week is making the most kick-ass resume I can. I haven't updated it since I quit my job in April anyway. I feel pretty good about it, and I think I will post it up on Monster, Careerbuilder, and see if there are headhunters still out there looking for management candidates.

Oh, I've also decided, that if I'm gonna get back into the retail game, I am finally UPGRADING to a luxury brand. I know......."hello?" Why didn't I do that a long time ago?

I still wanna explore some training/education of IT/networking -> but in the following year, I may need to get a job where I know I can hit the ground running, and making a decent a wage, and not entry-level wage, know what I mean? ;)