Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Ebb & Flow: November

The highs and lows of the month.



Perfume:
Sonoma Scent Studio- Forest Walk

Wax:
Butterfly Lane- Ivory Woods

Candle:
Nest- Holiday

Soap:
Bathhouse Soapery- Tea Tree & Peppermint

Lotion:
The Bathing Garden- Ever Night

Scrub:
Candy Panda- Starry Night

Lip Balm:
Dreaming Tree Soap- True Love's Kiss in Misty Mountain

Mascara:
Marc Jacobs

Sheet Mask:
My Beauty Diary- Squalene Restorative Mask

Reading:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume I- The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson

Watching:
Fireplace Birch Wood Edition on Netflix

Listening:
Carpenter's Christmas, Mannheim Steamroller, Nat King Cole

Dreading:
The holiday season flying by at the speed of light. The girls are so anxious for Christmas to be here and we have so many fun things to do that I always feel like it is here then gone by the time I have fully immersed myself in it. Going to try and enjoy all the little moments this year.

Awaiting:
My birthday and all the fun that December brings. I think 36 will be the best yet.

Hit:
Fox's Glacier Mints

Miss:
Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. I just didn't find much to ring my chimes for gifts. Did you guys find any bargains?

Low:
A couple things come to mind but I am not going to dwell on them. No lows this month. 

High:
Spending time with my mom for her birthday, my sister for her birthday, NaLonda and her husband, and getting to hangout with my stepdad one morning. Family time. Oh! And watching Fantastic Beasts with Adam and the girls. It was soooo gooooood. And Thanksgiving dinner. Pumpkin pie for breakfast is always a good thing.

How was your November? Did fall end on a high note? Any hits or misses? Highs or lows? 

14 comments:

  1. I found good Black Friday deals online in my crafty stuff but it was greediness for myself. I didn't really look for deals elsewhere, and didn't do any Christmas shopping that day.

    My November was pretty good! It took a little downward turn right towards the end but that's hopefully straightening itself out already.

    Christmas seems to always fly by, no matter how much I try to stop and enjoy it. I've tried getting things done early in the season so I can just slow down and enjoy. I've tried to spread out things like shopping and whatnot to last the whole season. I've tried to delay and do it all towards the end. It always feels the same to me, too much prep and then it's gone right by anyway. *sigh* Maybe I need to start watching cheesy Christmas movie on Lifetime. lol

    ~Deb

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    1. Hey now. You were being kind to yourself. Not being greedy. It is your birthday month after all. And you are using them to make Christmas cards which are gifts for others. So there.

      I am glad it was good! Now I want December to be good for you too young lady.

      You are dead right. Christmas will fly by. I guess I had better just enjoy it as much as I can.

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  2. Hi Julie! Glad to hear that all is well with you! We still have not had a chance to see Fantastic Beasts, I'm dying to see it!! It's still so hard for me to leave baby even for a few hours still - I'm working on it lol! A December birthday seems like it would be magical. Happy early birthday if I miss it!

    Momhood has been a series of highs and lows, but mostly highs. All lows have been related to our breastfeeding struggles, but we are working hard and I'm so proud of us. A work in progress for sure. November has been a wonderful month for family and friends - we hosted Thanksgiving again and a friend had a wedding that we were able to bring Ever to and it was all so much fun. Life is beginning to feel normal again, a new and much better normal.

    Scented life is still taking a back burner, don't want to assault baby's lungs with perfume and candles quite yet but my sniffer is back to normal so I've been stocking up! Made CFTKR and Bathing Garden orders for the first time in over 2 years! Had more "treat yoself" moments with BF/CM sales at Anthropologie (had quite the haul from here), Bauble Bar, Beauty Habit and some beautiful wood flower centerpieces from EcoFlower.

    Winter is coming. I cannot wait for Ever's first Christmas. Cheers to a fantastic December that awaits!

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    1. Jacqui! The beautiful mommy with the handsome lil man. I think you will love Fantastic Beasts. They just did such a magical job. Newt reminds me so much of Matt Smith as the Doctor. A real awkward cutie pie. It is hard to leave them when they are freshly hatched chicks. I cried the first time we went grocery shopping without Savanna even though she was home with my mom. We left in the middle of the shopping and went home. My birthday is the 6th so next Tuesday! Thank you! <3

      Breastfeeding is one of those things that just does NOT come naturally. I swear I thought my nipples were going to fall off. The agony. The cracks. The thrush. Mastitis. The hurdles are huge but the pay off is even bigger. Savanna only did it for 5 months until I went back to work but Scarlette exclusively breastfed (and it was MUCH easier the second time). In fact she refused ALL bottles the little stubborn girl. She self weaned at 11 months then went to cow's milk. I hope it smooths out for you. Lansinoh nipple cream and booby pads, water and a boppy were my best friends. Was he tongue tied? Sometimes that makes it real hard. Ok enough TMI. But seriously if you ever need help or have questions please ask. Goodness knows I have been there. And I am happy you have found equilibrium. As much of a blessing as babies are, they change everything. Everything.

      Vendor orders?!?!?!?! WhooooHOOOOO!!! What did you order?! I am dying over here! And Anthropologie is the best place ever to treat yourself. Good for you. As much as I love that store I have never bought myself anything there. Just gifts for others. And Beauty Habit? You are golden! I still need to jump on some of those Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadow singles. Maybe in the New Year.

      I hope you and Remy and Ever have the best Christmas ever. You guys are such a beautiful family. <3

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    2. Fantastic Beasts sounds wonderful! Can you believe I've never seen Dr. Who? I guess I'm not much of a hardcore fandom kind of girl, only when it comes to Harry Potter. And Twilight back in the day. Rémy is a huuuuuuge Star Wars fan. Like, one of our guest bedrooms is entirely Star Wars themed, with a dresser and closet filled with Star Wars toys! Ever better like Star Wars because his big kid bedroom is already ready for him lol. The new Star Wars movie comes out in December! So yes, my goal is that by the end of 2016, we will see Fantastic Beasts and Rogue One in the theatre! It's funny how such small tasks before becoming parents become huge goals when you have a baby!

      It's sooooo hard to leave my boy! Even trips to the store without him are hard. This weekend is my sister-in-law's bachelorette party and while I would love to stay out and party all night, my reality is that I'll probably be out for 2-3 hours tops. It's especially hard because I have to be sure to pump, so I don't mess up my already iffy at best supply. And speaking of, BF-ing is the absolute hardest thing I've ever done! I'll spare the wax blogging world the details and just message you later lol.

      My Bathing Garden order was pretty sizeable (for me, at least) though looking back I seem to have gotten more Halloween scents than Christmas. So excited for that to come in! CFTKR was small, two bags of Christmas type scents that both ended up smelling super similar, Ginger Ale, Ginger Macaroons and Cimbellines. Ginger Macaroons was just as I had hoped, the ginger snap part of LSC Ginger Snaps. Also placed a small VCS order for the first time since early 2015 and did a few small destashes too to try some new vendors, mainly Candy Panda. And yeah, haven't melted a lick of it lol. But it's there to sniff and enjoy that way for now!

      I don't know why but I always use the post-Thanksgiving sales to treat myself rather than look for gifts for everyone else. Usually we either are super early buying gifts or we wait until the last minute. This year we were pretty much finished even before Thanksgiving, save for the NES Classic that I finally snagged for Rémy yesterday! My days of stalking wax vendors was all practice for this grand event of trying to purchase this damn console lol. Anyways - Anthropologie is my favorite store on this planet. I snagged a couple cozy sweaters, some earrings, a few candles, a beautiful Rifle Paper Co. 2017 planner, and these hideously overpriced plates that I've been lusting after. 30% off was like music to my ears. Picked up the holiday Diptyque set and the Pomander candle at Beauty Habit, excited for those as well. I feel a bit guilty indulging now that we have a kid but his gifts were already purchased and wrapped even before Thanksgiving. And let's face it, he's two months old. He had no clue what is going on lol.

      Happy December!!! Hope you and the fan have a wonderful holiday season Julie <3

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  3. What is Fox's Glacier mints? :)

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    1. Hi Lacey Loo! They are these clear little blocks of British peppermints that I found in the grocery store in the UK section. I bought them because I try to have fresh breath for the students I work with all day and I fell in love. They are sweet but nice and minty. Love them!!

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  4. Sounds like you are having a wonderful holiday season with your family! I did manage to find some good deals on polish and clothes, mostly for me but I got some great cargo pants for my hubby and boots for my mom. I tried to order some $10 jeans for my brother but they kept having an error message when I tried to check out with them, grrr. The rest of the shopping went great though; I can't wait for all the goodies to arrive!

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    1. Oh nice! You scored some amazing deals!! You are a first rate shopper and bargain hunter. I love it. I know everyone will love their gifts. <3 Cannot wait to see your polishes!

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  5. Hey Yasmine! I accidentally deleted the repeat comment but then I saw you did too so now I cannot see either. Oops! I am sorry!! If you do read this.... yes! Family, friends and food are my trifecta of love and fun. I hope your holiday was full of those things too. Hey. What is this thrift book you speak of? They sell cheap books??? What did you buy? I am looking forward to the BBW SAS this year too. I hope to get some candles. They have so many new great scents this year. What do you like from Goosecreek? And shoes? Nice!!! I did some purchases from Wish and AliExpress this year for the girls. Thankfully I ordered early because they take a while to arrive. Thank you for stopping by Yasmine!! <3

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  6. I surprised myself by not being into Black Friday & Cyber Monday at all this year. I couldn't be bothered to e-shop much. I feel the same way as you, that Christmas comes and goes so quickly... hopefully I won't regret missing all those deals when the gift-buying crunch time rolls around. Happy Birthday Month!!
    -Angela Kay

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    1. Yes! It does zoom by. I just got done reading your blog and you mentioned Blogmas. ONe of my friends does Blogmas and I love reading it. I want to do it too but not sure how to incorporate it. Maybe I can do something one or twice a week that is Christmas related. We won't miss the deals, we will find other cool things to make or buy! ;-) Thank you! The actual day is the 6th, so not too much longer. <3

      I hope you have a great week! Please send me your address when you get the chance. :-)

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  7. I am fairly new to your blog but I love this post! I like seeing favorites. November was good to me - time with family and mini vacations to Palm Springs and Laguna Beach. The only Black Friday Sale I was really excited about was for shopbop.com. Splurged on a new handbag and a swimsuit.

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    1. Thank you! I appreciate that! Glad to hear your November was good! Palm Springs and Laguna Beach sound fabulous! I enjoy heading to the beach during this time of year too. Too cold to get in the water but beautiful none the less. I will have to check out Shop Bop. A handbag and a swimsuit are always nice to get. I definitely need to buy a new swimsuit but will wait until closer to summer. See if I can lose some weight. Congrats on your VCS order! It looks wonderful!!

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