February Favorites

Hello Honey Darling Dears!

Tea

Let me start by saying that I love love love tea.  I have a specific tea that I am obsessed with, Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, this tea hits the spot every time.  I like this tea because you can enjoy it as is, you don't have to add anything to it.  You just brew it and whomp there it is.  My issue is that I can't find a local store that sells this so I have to order it and lets be serious, I forgot to order last week when I was running low.  I was at Wegmans and noticed they have a similar tea and it was on sale.  I clearly had to try it 

Tea is amazing

I did a blind taste test of the two teas.

Tea Test

While I could tell a difference in the overall taste (Harney and Sons is more rich and rounded) I am cool with the Wegmans brand tea.  Thank you store brand items!



Rosebud Lip Salve

new Rosebud Salve and completely finished Rosebud Salve

 This is one of my all time favorite lip balm/gloss.  I wear this to bed every night.  I also put it on in the morning after getting ready for the day and it lasts for hours.  I have tried the variations of this, Strawberry and Rose Mint, but the original remains my favorite.  I love it so much that I actually use the whole container.



Bike Fitting

Can't wait to start falling down outside!

 I bought a used tri bike a few months ago and it has been sitting in my garage.  Good times.  I finally brought it to the Bike Lane at Reston Town Center for a fitting.  Bill was my fitter and I have to tell you, he is spectacular.  During the fitting, Bill checked over my bike sort of like a car inspection.  He then had me sit on it and adjusted the seat, got me new pedals, a new seat, adjusted handle bars and areo bars.  He said my bike is in great shape (it's a 2009) and that I fit well on the bike! He then kept the bike for a few days to work on a hydration system and getting a bento box properly fitted on the back behind the seat. 

hydration system

Purple Potatoes!

Don't be scared of these gems!






These potatoes taste great!  They are sweeter than white potatoes but not as sweet as a yam.  I made a hash with purple potatoes, green pepper and onion. I served the hash on the side of two eggs baked in marinara.

cooking it all up

               

The final product

Do you have any foods that you have recently discovered?




Hugs and Loves,

M

Snow Days

Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of snow.  This is probably not the popular opinion of many adults in my area. 

Thursday was a magnificent day for me!  We got over a foot of snow and I got to stay home from work (to shovel all day, LOL). 

The snow started Wednesday night (I was out having a lovely dinner with April, Frank and Joe at Mellow Mushroom)

Wednesday night

Thursday night

The dogs of course were loving it.  I did have to go make trails for them in the backyard because they got really tired trying to make their own trails. 


Then of course came the shoveling....6 hours of it

Long Driveway

All the shoveling and what not was worth it.  This was a great snow, all the neighborhood kids were out sledding and wild shrieks could be heard throughout the day.  We haven't had a really good one in a few years so I was happy to have it. 

January Favorite Things

This month is always interesting with all the New Years Resolutions going on.  One of mine is to be better about eating breakfast each morning.  I usually wait until I am at work and have been awake for about 2+ hours before eating breakfast.  I find that I can't eat right away in the AM, but I always start my day with a great big glass of water.

Here are some of my breakfasts:

Oatmeal

For this I make regular oatmeal, right at the end of cooking crack one egg in and mix well.  This adds protein (something I'm trying to add to each meal).  I then add Cinnamon, chopped dates, pecans and coconut shavings.  This meal keeps me FULL.  I usually have this on the weekends after a morning workout. 









      
     



Blendees!

I don't own a juicer nor do I really care for one.  I blend stuff together and "eat" it.  This has kale, apple, carrot, celery, mandarin oranges, a bit of OJ and water.  I just blend until the stuff is chopped up really well. It satisfies that sweet tooth plus gives me a bunch of nutrients at once.  I know some people can't deal with that texture and that is fine, you do what is best for you!


Documentary:
Hungry for Change








This documentary is about how over time we have switched from a nutrient dense diet to consuming these high calorie foods that have low nutrition values.  We are essentially "starving" for nutrients because of our food choices and we are malnourished.  I don't follow any specific eating program, but I do try to eat less processed foods, less restaurant foods and make things more at home. It is not always easy to make better food choices but I am feeling better overall and don't crave sugar or salt anymore. 



Nerium AD



I got a 5 day sample from my lovely friend Laura of Nerium AD.  I have since ordered the product and am really enjoying it.  The night cream takes a bit of getting used to.  You wash your face and then dampen it before putting this product on.  Take your time to rub it in!  It then dries and feels like a powder.  If your face does not have enough water on it, the product will feel sticky and tacky.   It will feel a bit tight on your face, but its all good!  I noticed results right away which is why I ordered it!  The day cream is wonderful as well and dries to a nice soft finish and looks well under makeup.  Two weeks after I started using it I went to my dermatologist for my annual body check visit and she said my skin was looking magnificent!  I will post before/after pictures next month!

http://themoqueen.neriumproducts.com

If you are interested in trying it, please leave a comment below and I will contact you to get your mailing address to send you a 5 day sample. 


T25



This is the year I have to get into legit good fitness.  I have already signed up for my first triathlon and I have been a bit lets say lazy lately about training.  I got T25 to do in combo with my tri training.  I am only two weeks into the videos but so far so good, it is easy to talk myself into a 25 minute workout (28 if you do the stretches at the end, which you totally should do) If you have joint issues, this video set is not for you . This is a high impact workout.  Will post before/after pictures further into the process.

Cold Weather Skin Care

Hello!

Welcome to a New Year!

 

This month had some polar vortex going on so I thought I would share some dry skin tips with you.

1. Drink plenty of water, in the winter you don't feel as thirsty, but you should still be drinking a good quantity of water each day
2. After you shower and dry off, put lotion all over your body (I do mean ALL OVER, arms, legs, tummy, chest, elbows, knees, feet)
3. After washing your hands, put lotion on
4. If your skin is feeling dry, drink a bunch of water and put lotion on

Sensing a theme here? 

In the winter you may need to adjust your skin care routine for your whole body.  Use more gentle products and less harsh chemicals on your skin.

Cetaphil:  Cost $8-10 for the cleanser at your local drug store



One of my all time favorites, this is line is super gentle, leaves your skin soft and it really cleans.  I just use the cleanser from this line, but in the past I have used the moisturizer too.


Sally Hensen Vitamin E Nail and Cuticle Oil: cost $8-10 at your local drug store



I have been using this for years all year round and I love it.  In the winter I use it as often as needed.  You just put some on each nail and then gently rub it in for a minute.  It really helps with that dry cracked look that can happen around your nails.  I give this an A+


Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream: Cost $20  at Elizabeth Arden or online





This is the most amazing product!  You can use it all over.  I use it as a lip gloss, a thick thick hand lotion (great for nighttime) and sometimes I put it on my face if it is looking dry (to sleep in, not a day lotion).  Rumor has it that it is great on your face if you are going to be skiing/snowboarding or outside in the elements all day. I give this an A+


Eucerin Calming Creme: Cost $7.50 at your local drug store



I currently have 3 bottles of this!  I have two on my desk and one super large one at home.  This is by far my favorite body lotion.  I use this year round and I always put it on after washing my hands.  I seriously hate having dry hands so this is a great product for me to have on hand. I give this an A+

Neutrogena Naturals: Cost $8-15

I am currently using both the day and night cream from this line.  They were on sale last month at CVS and I was running low on both day and night cream so I went for it.  They both smell candy sweet...sort of like Sweattarts or Pixy Stix.  I'm not sure what is "natural" about that smell....  I love the night cream but the day cream is a little off for me. 

Day Cream: The day cream doesn't really absorb well for me and I have to really rub it in or I am left with streaking lines of lotion on my face.  Not pretty. I give this a C

Night Cream: I like this a lot.  It is thick, it goes on nicely and I feel good with it on my face at night.  I wake up with nicely moisturized skin.  I give it a B+


Coconut Oil:  If you have never used this run (seriously RUN) to the store right now and get some.  The texture is NOT what you will expect from an oil.  The texture is much more like a solid that melts when warm. 




I got this one for $5 at Home Goods.


Uses for Coconut Oil:

1. Cooking, use it to replace oils in your food
2. Deep conditioning hair mask.  Put on starting at the ends and work your way up, wrap hair in towel or plastic wrap for 30 minutes.  Rinse and wash hair (do not use conditioner).
3. Lotion - use this in place of body lotion!  You will have to rub it on really well and maybe towel off excess if it doesn't absorb
4. Deep soak in your tub - put two spoonful's under hot running water and then soak for 20-30 minutes.  Your skin will feel amazingly soft afterwards.
5. Makeup remover - put some on a round makeup remover and rub over your eye makeup gently.  After about a minute, open your eyes and check out the results.  This is not harsh and it leaves your skin nice and soft.

There are plenty more uses, you can just google them!

Hugs and Loves,

M

December Favorite Things

It is that time of year when amazing holiday decorations come out!  Here are few photos of houses I have seen around the NOVA area:







New Winter Boots!

I had a boot crisis during the first snow of the season.  I pulled out my trusty Columbia snow boots (about 10 years old...) only to discover that they are falling apart.  I have never had shoes fall apart like this, but in fairness I also don't usually keep shoes for this long.  Needless to say I ordered a new pair right way!

Broken boot

Glorious New Boot

L'oreal BB Cream:

As you know I am a fan of CC creams, I sort of skipped over BB creams because the first one I tried was a mess (Maybelline).  I like Maybelline for their super fun lipstick colors but haven't had much luck with their other makeup.  Once again L'oreal did me right!  This BB cream is all I could ask for.  It has more coverage than their CC cream (which I am a huge fan of their CC cream).  This BB cream is great for those days when my face is a bit on the red side and needs a medium coverage.  Do not use too much!  You don't need a lot of product at all and make sure to blend like crazy!  I don't even bother to wear powder with this because it dries to a nice powder finish. 


Produce Share:

I got an email from the Reston Co-op about buying into a winter share of produce.  I called my Mom and we agreed to split the food.  It comes every other Friday for a total of 6 deliveries.  The food is organic and delicious.

My half of the produce share (Thanks Mom!)

Holiday Parties!

I love going to Holiday Parties and catching up with old friends and new friends!

Holiday Party #1

Holiday Nails

Christmas with the Family!

As usual we celebrated on our own day, not on Christmas.  This year we celebrated on Christmas Eve afternoon.  It's not about what day you celebrate but who you celebrate with!




Ebates!

I shop online a lot.  Ebates is great because it allows be shop at my favorite stores while earning cash back.  It is super simple to use, you register and then use their search box to find the store you want to shop with, you click the link to that store and it opens a new page to that stores page while also opening an Ebates ticket for you.  When you are done shopping and your purchase is confirmed, you can log into Ebates to see how much you earned for that purchase.  It is pretty amazing!  I have "made" over $100 so far!

If you are so inclined here is my Ebates referral link:

Maureen's Ebates referral link

November Favorite Things

November Favorite Things:

Running:
This month was all about gearing up for Spring running season.  What does this mean for me?  I had to get serious about starting to train.  3 days of week of running are a must for me right now with cross training 2 other days. At the end of the month I can run 4 (very slow) miles without having to walk!  I train outside year round and much prefer to run in the cold.  Just make sure you have proper gear to keep you warm and you are good to go.  Also PSA, please don't run with headphones outside, you become very unaware of your surroundings.  Stay safe bbs!

Dogs!
I have 3 amazing dogs and they make my day everyday.  They are so much fun and are ready to play any time.

Elly, Gordon, Sammy (L-R)

Thanksgiving:


I had a wonderful time with my family.  My mom does a big brunch in the AM for us.  My sister and her family usually have to leave early afternoon before dinner, so brunch is our "Thanksgiving Dinner".  Later my parents and I do a small Thanksgiving.  Between meals this year we went a walk to the local elementary school.  Here are my Dad, nephew and myself:

The coldest walk of the year (so far!)

October Glossybox Review

 Glossybox is a monthly subscription service (you can subscribe for just one month or 3 months, 6 months or 1 year).  You get five products to sample, some of which are full size.

I pulled up to my house and this was attached to my mailbox!  I grabbed it and ran into the house so excited to open it.

 

 Here is a photo of the items in Glossybox
 

 Here they are in the flesh! 


The lip gloss is very nice, it is a sheer color with good staying power and it is a full size gloss.  I am not sure that I would buy this due to the price of $16.50, but it is nice to have. 

The perfume is very subtle, a nice change for the fall where strong florals are a bit too strong.  I don't think I would buy a full size of this because after about 2 hours I can't even tell that I have on any perfume. 

Fresh face cream is so nice!  This face lotion is so nice and luxurious.  It is a really soft smell and dries to a matte finish (which I really appreciate).  I went and bought the full size of this already

Sesha face mask- paper masks are making a comeback so I was happy to have this to try out.  You wash your face and then put this on for 15-30 minutes.  After you take it off, do not wash the residue, rub it into your skin and let dry.  The pros - this is all ready to use, just unfold and peel of plastic layer.  Cons - can't use for spot treatment.

Tarte mascara, this is a full size mascara which retails for $23 - this pays for the Glossybox all by itself! This made my lashes look REALLY long, but not very full.  I will try with more layers and update later.

So of the items received, 2 of them were full size!  I just get the boxes now and then as I have so many products that I can't justify getting this on a monthly basis. 

If you are interested in Glossybox, please shoot me an email and I can give you a link to sign up.