Out with the Old

I've been pretty quiet over here due to the craziest, most stressful holiday season of my life (to be fair, I'm 25). The events and errands have really wound down, thankfully, and I'm ready to look forward to the new year. I've been spending any free time that I've had thinking about the type of person I want to be in the future and the habits that I want to grow. For me, the theme of the new year seems to be "balance". My husband was the one that brought it to my attention, but I am definitely a person that lives in extremes. I can spend a month eating super clean, attending 3 yoga classes per week, and nailing it at work. The next month, I'm waking up late on a daily basis and calling chocolate a "meal".

That being said, I want to find more balance in all areas of my life. Honestly, I just want to feel good about myself and all that I'm doing (not that I feel that badly now).

What I'm leaving behind in 2014:

• Tardiness
• Unpreparedness
• Laziness
• Judgement
• Comparison 
• Addiction to my phone
• Fear of flying (aka, I will conquer a headstand this year)

What I'm cultivating in 2015:

• Integrity
• Gratitude
• Curiosity
• Kindness
• Focus
• Balance
• Punctuality
• Love (lots of it)

Here's to another great year, one where I learn and grow and find more happiness than ever.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me as I find my groove!

xx
Christa





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Last Minute Christa-mas Gift Ideas

My lovely (procrastinator) husband is still on the hunt for a surprise gift idea for me. Since I have scouted and purchased all of my gifts thus far, he seems to think (at the prodding of his best friend) that he must locate and purchase a gift for me that I know nothing about. As the kind-hearted, and prepared wife that I claim to be, I have gathered this collection of items that could possibly serve as "surprise" gifts at a wide range of price points.

If all else fails, I'd love a few new diamonds! ;)

Novelty Holiday Gift Guide-My Furry Best Friend

Just in case you were wondering (and I know you were), I buy Christmas gifts for our dogs, they have stockings hung next to ours, and they even wear Christmas pjs long enough for me to secure an Instagram-worthy pic. My husband and I both grew up with dogs, and I can tell you that our parents did not take it to the level of crazy that we have regarding the puppies, but we both grew up with paw shaped stockings alongside the rest of the family, and our furry siblings always had a few gifts to open as well.

I sat down and struggled with putting together gift guides for this year and in the end I decided to let it go-I hate to force posts on the blog. That being said, I had zero problem assembling a gift guide for the furry friends in my life. Just to up the ante a bit, in addition to shopping for our dogs, I shop for the dogs of family and friends as well, I really feel like they are members of the family and they should be shown some extra love during the holiday season!

Found My Animal Ombré Leash
$31 - nastygal.com

Very Merry Dog Johns
hannaandersson.com

Bow & Drape X Toast Meets World
bowanddrape.com

Garland Pet Collar  | BaubleBar
baublebar.com

Pet Life Fashion Plush Cotton Pet Dog Hoodie Sweater 
wag.com

Bocce's Bakery Sunday Roast Biscuit Tin
wag.com

Bocce's Bakery Peppermint Bark Biscuit Tin
wag.com

Harry Barker Retro Santa Plush Toy
wag.com

Harry Barker Retro Reindeer Plush Toy
wag.com

Wednesday Words

BLKFRIDAY Haul

I started this black Friday with a $250 budget (spoiler alert, I spent $249). I was on the lookout for 3 specific items and I was able to get one of them for a great deal!

• Clare V Flat Leopard Clutch
• Daniel Wellington Watch
• Illesteva Sunglasses

Below is a collection of the 4 items that I purchased, all on sale! I'm feeling good and now I just have to sit tight until they arrive (the horror)! If you've read this blog at all in the past few weeks, you've seen all of the below items on my wishlist minus the flats, so I'm proud of myself for sticking it out and purchasing items that I REALLY wanted (I tend to lose sight of the prize, so this is huge for me).

Keep reading below to see what I paid for everything and for a few other sales that are going on!

1. Forever 21-Flats (reg $23) and Coat (Reg $53) for $61 on sale
1. VIP20 for 20% off regular priced items
2. BaubleBar- Sapphire Seer Necklace (Reg $48) on sale for $41
1. Sign up with your email for 15% off or up to 35% off 4+ items with code FRIDAY35
3. Clare V Flat Supreme Clutch ($198 Reg) on sale for $148 at Piperlime
1. Code IHEARTNYC for 25% off sitewide or 30% off 1 item with email signup

I've also got an eye on the following:

• 30% off reg priced items and 40% off sale items at Jcrew with code HOLIDAY
• 20% off sitewide at Nars with code TAKE20
• 50% off sitewide at Gap with code BLKFRIDAY
• Up to 25% off sitewide at Shopbop with code GOBIG14
• 20% off sitewide at Jeweliq with code THANKS20 or 30% off $100+ purchases with code THANKS30

TLC Tuesdays [The List-Turkey Edition]

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This week's TLC Edition focuses on that lovely holiday where it's totally acceptable to eat your body weight in carbohydrates! I've pulled a few helpful links, tips, and tricks to help you better enjoy your day! 

• Dining Etiquette 101 (here)
• 100 Emergency Recipe Substitutions (BHG)
• A 3 Ingredient Fool-Proof Dessert Recipe (Novelty)
• Safe Thanksgiving Foods to Share with Dogs (here)
• A Handmade, All-Natural Hostess Gift (Novelty)
• 15 Comfortable (and Cute) Thanksgiving Outfit Ideas (WhoWhatWear)
• Travel Check List (Corals & Cognacs)
• How to Get Ready for a Party [or dinner] in 5 Minutes (A Cup of Jo)
• The Best Holiday Serveware (Cupcakes & Cashmere)
• Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes for the next day (here)

Gratitude

So, the week has arrived. We're looking forward to time spent with family and friends, we're looking forward to a shortened work week, we're dreaming about all the delicious food we will be enjoying, and we're thinking about gratitude.

I try not to get to preachy here, but I will preach about a grateful existence. As far as I'm concerned, there's very few things more important than cultivating gratitude in one's life-this is a quality that I hope to instill in my future children more than anything (minus compassion and respect).

Now, I've stepped down from my soap box, and now I'm here for what I really came to say.

We're all thinking about gratitude this week, and very likely we will all be expressing it on Thursday, but I challenge everyone that I know and love to practice gratitude on a daily basis. I'll admit that this is much easier said than done. Sometimes I have great days where even the sunlight in the morning makes me grateful to be alive, other days, I'm crying in Lord and Taylor for shoes that I want but can't afford. Life is a constant ebb and flow and I try to remember that in all areas of life, including this. Below are 3 ways that I try to express gratitude all days of the year.

I challenge you to follow one or all of the below practices for this week and see how you feel at the end. You may wish to continue, or you may wish to stop-just give it a go.

Gratitude Journaling

• I've gotten into the pretty regular habit of keeping a gratitude journal 5 days a week. I've got myself trained that while I'm waiting for my computer to load, I jot down 5-ish things that I'm grateful for.
• As mentioned above, some days are good, some are bad. I try to remain consistent even if I'm busy or grumpy
• Sample Entry (This is 100% honest)-4/14/14- "My health/My Grandparents/Mac and Cheese/Seltzer/Starbucks/Pearls"

Taking Stock

• Most nights, I will get into bed with Jon and the pups, we will settle in and I'll fall asleep immediately, if not. . . 
• Where most people will start to tune into their breathing or count sheep (is this still a thing?),  I'll run through a list of what I'm grateful for. 
• Where my journaling is a bit more playful and stream of consciousness, this tends to be a pretty set, serious list
• I once saw a quote that said something along the lines of, "What if you woke up with only what you were grateful for yesterday", and that really struck a chord with me.
• Most times I'll start with things like, "I'm grateful for my health (and Jon's/puppies), our marriage, our jobs, the roof over our heads, etc"

Gratitude Album

• This concept became a big deal for me after I began focusing on rounding out my wardrobe. I kept finding myself wanting more, more, more. Please note-I am very often still like that, but I'm a human and I'm a work in progress
• I started an iPhone album titled, "Gratitude", and every time I came home with a new shirt/pair of shoes/lip gloss/necklace/etc. I snapped a picture and put it into this album.
• Now when I find myself pining for a certain object, I flip through the album and recall all the recent purchases I've made and try to recapture how excited I was to bring everything home. Sometimes (oftentimes), I'll still add a piece to my collection and album, but this practice definitely helps to slow me down. [and it helps me ensure that what I'm buying is cohesive with what I've recently brought home]

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True Life: I'm a Bunny

So I mentioned in a couple other posts that my husband and I were "cleansing" last week.  I will admit that sentence sounds horribly pretentious, but the truth is that we both needed a reset on the way that we've been eating. I won't lie to you, I was also hoping to drop 3 pounds (is butter a carb?). 

We agreed to eat only fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, coffee, and dark chocolate. We cut out all excess white sugar, dairy, meat/fish, and simple carbs. I can imagine what you must be thinking by reading this, and honestly, it wasn't so bad. I will say that I have been dreaming about dairy and eggs since I stopped eating both (last seen on 11/9). For a while now, I've been eating salads for most lunches and dinner, but it did require me to give up my regular cappuccinos (I used almond milk instead of 2%) and my beloved Chobani Flips for breakfast. 

Somehow, we survived with only a couple minor slip-ups in the form of shredded cheese on a salad and a ton of butter on a sweet potato (both instances on me). Jon's school schedule required me to prep our Monday and Tuesday night dinner to allow him to bring it to work with him the morning of, and I won't say that I loved prepping dinner 2 hours after a 10 hour workday, but otherwise it was great! 

We both felt satisfied and fairly happy and felt that we were digesting our food more easily than usual. We also came across really great recipes that we plan on adding to the regular rotation with a few tweaks thrown in. If nothing else, this cleanse began a love affair with lentils for both of us. If anyone is interested in the recipes we used, leave a comment below and I'll get a follow-up together! 

As far as the weight loss portion of this cleanse is concerned, I was a bit disappointed that I wiped all the "bad" food from my diet and only lost 1.2 pounds, but Jon swears that my waist is thinner and that I'm looking great (I pay him to say these things). 

We're still incorporating normal foods back into our diet and currently we are eating protein and grains again. We are paying special attention to the grains portion here because I am convinced that Jon has a gluten intolerance. After that, we will be adding in dairy and Jon seems pretty set on avoiding eggs all together-he almost always finds himself sick after eating them. Honestly, that's fine by me because I'd like them all to myself anyway (fried eggs fah dayz).  

I'll sum up my thoughts about this cleanse by saying that I am so proud of the two of us for spending a week eating really well and stepping outside of our comfort zones. I can't speak for Jon, but I would be open to doing this week long "reset" a few times a year, just to help reinforce healthy eating habits. (I can't fucking wait to dig into a glass of chardonnay and some gouda)

Lazy Guacamole

We learned quite a lot this past week during our cleanse. I think we both went into it a bit scared to see what eating nothing but fruits, veg, nuts, coffee, and dark chocolate would be like. We've decided that it's not as bad as it sounds-we have since begun incorporating grains back in-I chose to first incorporate blueberry oatmeal while Jon went with a buttered DD bagel (just to give you an idea here).

We definitely came out of last week with several vegan recipes that we plan to tweak and keep on rotation for regular dinners. One of those things was what I have dubbed, "Lazy Guacamole". I have an unhealthy obsession with avocados and would happily eat them daily, and this recipe is so easy, that I probably could. 

I call it lazy because it doesn't require chopping onions (which I really don't care for in their raw state), and I chose to use halved grape tomatoes-thus, we have lazy guacamole!

Ingredients

• 1 pitted avocado
• 10-15 grape tomatoes cut in half
• 4 TBSP of sweet corn
• 4 TBSP of black beans
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Anything else you wish to add in! 

Instructions

• Pit avocado and cube-be very careful if you are holding the avocado and slicing into it. The best way to practice is to use soft, almost over ripened avocados and cube them with a butter knife.
• Heat corn and black beans until warm on stove or in microwave
• While heating, slice grape tomatoes in half and add to bowl with avocado
• Once warm, add corn and beans, chili powder, and salt
• Mix all ingredients together (TIP-I used a hand dough blender to do so, here)
• Squeeze lime juice over the top and toss quickly
• Enjoy! 

Wednesday Words

Lately-What's in a Weekend

This past week I received an email from PureWow that started by letting me know that an average weekend lasts about 55 hours. Once you subtract time for sleeping and running errands, you end up with about 8 hours to actually enjoy yourself. This sent me into a tail spin-there are many weekends that I leave feeling that I didn't do a thing I wanted or intended to do. On top of that email, I also read this article that details what super successful people do with their weekends. Hint: some plan for "off" time, some meditate and reflect, and some wakeup at 6am to maximize their time (WTF).

After all of this went down, I made a pact with myself that I would really seize this weekend and make sure that it was fun and well rounded and that I went to bed on Sunday night feeling accomplished.

-----

Friday night, I met my friend Brittany for dinner at PF Market and had the most amazing red snapper, fried calamari, and butternut squash soup-in addition to spending some time with a person that I really adore! (Thanks, Sonya for the recommendation!!)

On Saturday, I woke up to work my usual shift at Powerflow Yoga, which was happily followed by a killer hot yoga class taught by my friend Chris. When I got home, I made guacamole (expect to see the recipe later this week).



Then I cleaned the house, enjoyed some long overdue organizing, did 2 loads of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, and some more annoying but essential household things. OH! I also re-arranged a few drawers in our bedroom and I now find myself with a drawer dedicated to my sunglass collection (I know how bad that sounds).



Finally, we ended  our Saturday night with pancakes topped with bourbon flambe'd bananas and strawberries. I used Catskill Provisions pancake mix and subbed egg and milk with a mashed banana and almond milk-which means that these are healthy pancakes (right?!). BTW, pancakes went down at about 7pm. Somehow I fit a ton of crap into about 6 hours on Saturday and then had the rest of the night to prep this week on the blog and snuggle my pups. I have to say, weekends kind of rock when you decide to really enjoy them.



Sunday was spent with family and friends. Then we went home, ate dinner on the couch while watching cooking shows and then ended our night with these mug cakes.

Life's Biggest Question: Save or Splurge?

There are several big questions in life, most of which revolve around committing to another human being, deciding your career path, or signing the one million pieces of paper work that commit you to paying a mortgage for 30 years.

Well, friends, I am talking about a life question far more important than any of the aforementioned. The question of whether to splurge or not. Trust me when I tell you that I love a good splurge more than anything in life (minus cheese), but sometimes life does not allow for a splurge. 

What's a girl to do? Very easy, head over to Clothes Minded by Jo to see my picks for those times when you're primed for a good splurge and for those times when you're not!

Also, while you're there, be sure to take a look around and show some love to my girl! Thanks again, Jo! I'm so honored to be featured on CMBJ! xxoo

Wednesday Words

My husband and I are smack in the middle of a week-long cleanse where we are eating only fruits and vegetables. The above quote is exactly how I feel about chocolate, so I included dark chocolate in this challenge to protect my sanity. The only issue that I'm having is that I've been dreaming about cheese for dayZ. 

In the Office

This is just how I feel today. My nails are a bit longer than usual-meaning they are 1mm longer than my fingers. More to come later in the form of a "lately" post, but as of this moment, I am Peter Griffin with a kick ass manicure! 

Wednesday Words

TLC Tuesdays [Skin Care Menu]

I briefly mentioned in this post that I've been having some difficulty with my skin breaking out. Luckily, I'm starting to look more and more like myself, after a couple months of trying everything under the sun. I've really stepped up my game and have been using my Clarisonic brush religiously as well as using this Tea Tree Water from Lush. I've also just started incorporating an antioxidant serum into my routine and becoming better about taking my biotin pills. I've also begun scrubbing on Monday/Wednesday/Friday in an effort to please Svitlana (I've been using this recipe, but I replaced the lavender oil with tea tree oil).

I've been wondering what the correct order would be for applying the products that I use and I found these helpful skin care "menus" on Byrdie Beauty and thought I'd share them for those of you that may be experiencing issues with the switch of the seasons.

Happy moisturizing, lovers!

November Cravings

New month, new budget. For me, this month is all about affordable clothing pieces and investment accessories. I've always been more of a jewelry/beauty gal than a clothes horse, but the tide may be changing! I've been really into rounding out my closet and there's no indication that this mindset will be leaving any time soon!

Fresh & Fancy [A Farm to Table Dinner]

Guys, I got into the blogger game as a way to let my creative side grow and flow, but really as a way to find myself attending gorgeous events and being sent Chanel bags c/o. Sadly, my Chanel must be held up at the post office.

The good news is that I was graciously invited to attend a gorgeous farm to table dinner by one of my oldest (and most dahling) friends, Katie, manager of the Garden State Plaza Lululemon store. Her awesome team planned and hosted a locally sourced dinner at Fresh and Fancy Farms in New Milford. Stepping onto the property, I immediately felt that I was attending one of those events that you see on a some blog on the internet (we're about to get meta over here), and this dinner was just that and so much more.

Upon arrival, guests were greeted with a warm apple cider bar, where champagne coupes were waiting with cranberries inside. In addition to the cider, a cheese and cracker table was offered as well. As soon as everyone had arrived and began mingling, passed hors devours were brought out; I personally enjoyed goat cheese with caramelized onions on crostini as well as pumpkin stuffed mushrooms (several other options were available as well but my memory is failing me).  Just before sitting down to dinner, an infused water bar was set out with frozen fruit and fresh herbs. As of right now, I've signed up to receive the recipes for everything we had, but I haven't gotten them yet. As soon as I do, you can expect a follow up post!

Fresh and Fancy Farms is a makeover of what has previously been Klinger's Farm for 97 years. This family owned farm is "dedicated to educating the surrounding community about local growing, planting, and maintaining a beautiful property while providing a convenient and fun on farm experience. Customers can expect to experience a creative and fun atmosphere along with professional expertise on local gardening and farming."(source) Fresh and Fancy also offers cooking classes and farm dinners. Farm dinners consist of 35 or so guests (strangers) coming together to enjoy all the farm has to offer, with dinner served under the stars. I'll definitely be heading back there in the spring/summer to get another taste of what they have to offer. Also offered is the option to host a private dinner on site as we did here. I'm trying to decide if my 26th birthday party should be here (cue husband rolling his eyes).

Thank you so much to Katie, her team, and Fresh and Fancy Farms for having me, I had a great time! xx

Looking for a refreshing drink? Add fresh dill and frozen strawberries to your water!

Our napkins were tied with twine that had acorns glued to the end. Swoon. I imagine that I'll be recreating these for future Thanksgiving meals!

Perfectly crusty, house made bread was hiding inside that flower pot. Maple butter was served in vintage creamers to compliment. 

Pumpkin soup with what I assume is truffle oil, so damn good! 

Fresh and Fancy was kind enough to whip up a vegetarian option for me and 3 others in attendance. We enjoyed a hearty pasta primavera with grilled vegetables and shredded cheese while our omnivore friends enjoyed pork tenderloin.

Dessert was fresh made apple cider donuts with homemade whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. These were so delicious that we asked for extra and received a bowl of these bad boys (just visible to the right in this picture). I had to tuck a few pieces into my purse to share with the husband.

Every guest went home with a pumpkin, some guests went home with 3 (guilty). 

I was lucky enough to sit between these two gorgeous men, Chris is on the left and Michael is to the right. xx

Please note my "farm chic" blouse (here)

(l-r) Katie. me, Jess, and Chris