Her Wish List

I keep a pretty extensive wish list at various different stores. Most are items I love that either I can't afford or they're more of 'want' item rather than a 'need' item, which is exactly why it's called a wish list right?? For this holiday whether you're shopping for a wife, girlfriend, mom, niece, or best friend keep in mind items you know she would love but may never buy herself. Below I've rounded up some of my favorite items at various price points. Happy shopping!

CLARISONIC Mia Skin Cleansing System-$99

One of the best 'want' items I've ever bought. It's definitely not a need but it will make your face smooth and soft and it really does take off all your make up.

Tory Burch 'Minnie' Travel Ballet Flat-$225

If I had to pick the one shoe I wear the most it's my Tory Burch flats. I wear them to work constantly and I've even packed them on a few trips that required a lot of walking.

Kendra Scott 'Mariam' Rings- $85

Rings are something most women probably won't buy themselves. These rose gold beauties are at the top of my wish list.

J. Crew Factory PJ Flannel Set- $44

Kevin bought me cute pajamas last Christmas and I keep telling him I want more. As a kid this may not have been the best gift but now I can't get enough!

 Sole Society Printed Foldover Clutch-$44

The leopard print will easily spice up any outfit and this version is a great dupe for some of the more expensive designer ones that I've seen. This will be her new favorite bag. 

 

Holiday Bucket List

This post is a little different than my usual. Partly because I didn't take pictures of my outfit this past weekend (oops) and also because around the holidays I'm always googling for festive, and relatively cheap, things to do. Below is my "holiday bucket list". I say this lightly because honestly some of the things I will do while others I think are great ideas, just not sure if I'll get around to them (you know how busy this time of year is). So use this list as your starting point for your own holiday bucket list. Thanks for reading!


1. Scope out the best Christmas lights and displays.


2. Host a holiday party.
Some theme parties: ugly Christmas sweater party, gift wrapping party,secret Santa party, a wine and cheese party, cookie baking party (see #4 for some great recipe ideas).

How cute would this sweater be for a party?? Forever 21 has so many good 

'ugly' Christmas sweaters right now.

3. Check out your cities' winter festivals.
Cleveland has quite a few events this season I want to check out! Below are links to a couple. 
Winterfest in Cleveland
Glow at the Cleveland Botanical Garden
Crocker Park's Tree Lightening
 


4. Find a holiday recipe on Pinterest and actually make it.
White Cranberry Martini Recipe
Slow Cooker Mash Potatoes
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies 
Buffalo Ranch Slow Cook Chicken (I made this the other night, so good and easy!)

Candy Cane Kiss Cookie Recipe

Holiday Spirit

Halloween is officially over which means it's time for the most wonderful time of year! I love the holiday season so much that from now until Christmas I'm going to focus the blog posts on holiday related themes, such as holiday recipes, decor,  outfits, and of course gift ideas. So for me the best way to get in to the holiday spirit is by decorating the house. Below are some of my favorite holiday home decor items, all are under $50 dollars so you'll have money left over to start your holiday shopping. Thanks for reading!

Tree here

Sign here

Candle here

Pillow case here

All Gray

If you're stuck in style rut, matching is a great concept especially with neutrals. I love black on black and white on white but gray on gray is a refreshing different look. Gray is huge this season so you'll be sure to get a lot of wear out of these pieces even as separates. This outfit will work in the colder months too, just add a gray jacket and you're good to go.

Also I'm loving the sleeveless sweater trend. I've worn this sweater so many times already. This one is from Forever 21 and is unfortunately sold out but I've linked similar ones below. I want a couple more but not sure how many is TOO many..

Thanks for reading!

Jeans here; Similar sweater here and here

Shoes here; Necklace here

Similar purse here

Cozy Sweaters under $50

I'm not sure if you can ever have enough sweaters. They're perfect with leggings and jeans or throw on a skirt and some heels and you have a date night outfit. Right now is prime sweater season in Cleveland. Soon enough we'll have to wear big coats over our cute sweaters so I plan to wear my favorites as long as I can!

I've rounded up some extra cozy sweater options all under $50 dollars so stock up! Thanks for reading.

Ponchos: The ultimate comfy sweater. This one here.

Pullovers: Just throw this on with a statement necklace and you're good to go! This one here.

 

 

Sleeveless: This style will only work for milder weather but layer it with another turtleneck or a jacket and you can wear it all winter. This one here. 

 

Cold Shoulder: A great option for a night out with some leather leggings. This one here.

Classic Turtleneck: Mt personal favorite. You can't go wrong with a cream turtleneck sweater. There one here.

Easy Sausage and Sweet Potato "Chili"

When the weather gets colder out comes the Crock Pot. This recipe is a version of chili but since I'm not the biggest chili fan I tweaked it. You can easily change up many of these ingredients based on what you have or even make it vegetarian. I also added spices in as I went along, tasting it to see what it needed. Since you cook the meat beforehand this recipe really only needs 4-5 hours in the Crock Pot so it's perfect for lazy Sundays. Enjoy!


Ingredients
1 package of mild Italian sausage
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (could drain if you'd like)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can chili peppers
1 package of frozen sweet potato (could use fresh too)
3 cups chicken broth
Olive oil cooking spray
Cumin
Minced garlic (2-3 tablespoons)
Chili powder
Cajun seasoning
Salt and pepper
*May need cornstarch to thicken if it's too soupy for your taste

Garnishes
Cheese
Avocado
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

 Directions
1. First cook the sausage in a pan until browned (10 minutes or so)

2. Spray the Crock Pot with cooking spray.

3. Add in all your canned and frozen ingredients

4. Pour in 3 cups of chicken broth

5. Add in the meat

6.  Top with all seasonings and garlic (I used 1-2 tablespoons to start and then added more throughout the cooking process). Mix everything together.

7. Cook for 4-6 hours on high. You may need to add cornstarch in it's too much liquid.

8. Top with your favorite toppings. The avocado was a perfect combo!

Puffer Vest

I'm not going to lie, I felt a little "puffy" in this puffer vest at first. But it was freezing (and I mean cold, not the nice fall chill, down right cold and rainy) this past Saturday and we had an outdoor event to go to so warmth wins. And this vest is warm. It's from Old Navy last season but puffer vests are everywhere this season. They make a great addition when you don't feel like wearing a big coat just yet.

Next up are these boots. Sometimes called "duck boots" L.L. Bean makes the most common version of these but I'm really liking Sperry's version. I bought these during Nordstrom's Anniversary sale and many sizes are already sold out so make sure you get yours soon! Thanks for reading.

Similar vests here and here

Boots here and here

Jeans here

Scarf here and similar sweater here