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Blogmas Day 12: Girlfriend Gift Guide

I hate to break it to you. Christmas is less than two weeks away. For people like me, this is no sweat because my holiday shopping is mostly done. However, I know there few quite a few procrastinators that are out there — many of which procrastinate for the very reason that they don’t know what to get the person on their list.

Enter in my gift guide.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing my gift guides for everyone on your list — siblings, significant others, pets, friends, and parents. First up, is for the special lady on your list. For argument’s sake, this is meant for all of the guys out there who are scratching their heads on what to get their gals for the holiday. So, here’s a no-fail list of what to get here. If you get her one of these, you are golden.

Jewelry:

You can never go wrong with jewelry. Some of my favorite pieces of jewelry are ones that were given to me by my boyfriend. A few great ideas include: Mantraband Bracelets (they have so many cute sayings about love), a Moonglow Necklace (because how cute would it be to have a pendant with a moon with your anniversary, and of course, the classic heart.

Fuzzy Socks:

Honestly, having some fuzzy socks are the best thing ever. Living in New England, these are coveted. Therefore, these are great gifts if you live somewhere that is always cold.

Instax Camera:

The Instax camera is such a great idea. I love having one because I can have a physical memory. They are fun to bring everywhere, and they make a great way for your girl to have a physical photo of you to carry around.

Framed Picture of the Two of You:

This is such a simple yet a thoughtful idea. All you need to do is print a photo and frame it. And, it’s such a meaningful gift.

Lotions/Perfume:

Pretty much anything from Bath and Body Works is always a good idea.

Candles/Essential Oils:

Candles are such a great way to set the mood. Bath and Body Works has some great ones, as well as the classic, Yankee Candle.

However, if your girlfriend has a puppy like me, chances are it will be hard for her to burn candles. This is why I’ve been loving and recommending essential oils. What’s awesome about them is that they can help calm you down when you need to get ready for bed or feel anxious, or energize you if you’re feeling low on energy. And, if you’re planning to get essential oils, why not also get a diffuser? They are relatively inexpensive, and they are well used.

Snacks/Treats:

You can’t go wrong with some snacks or some treats. Whether it’s chocolate covered pretzels, her favorite coffee, or even a mug cake making kit, you’re golden with whatever you choose. Just don’t expect her to share.

Giftcards:

The best way to show that you’ve been paying attention? Get her a gift card to her favorite coffee shop! Or places to get food. Or get yarn. Whatever your girl is into, chances are that she will love a giftcard and the thought behind it.

Blogmas Day 11: What I Love Wednesday December 11

There are only two weeks until Christmas. I am going to let that sink in for a moment. Anyways, take a break from holiday shopping and check out this week’s faves:

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:

Lately I have binge watching The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I’m just finishing season one now, and I’m about to start season two. I’ve been wanting to watch something light, and this show is exactly that. It always puts me in a good mood by watching this too, which I like.

New SV Decker Pieces:

I just purchased a few pieces from SV Decker on Saturday and I am obsessed. I bought a rose quartz necklace and a matching bracelet. I’ve been wearing them pretty much since I purchased them, and I can already tell that they are going to be staples in my jewelry wardrobe. I love the gemstones, because I am one of those people who believe that gemstones have healing properties. Whether or not it’s true, I still believe in the fact they possess some healing powers.

Nicki Minaj’s Queen:

I have been listening to Nicki Minaj’s last album on repeat lately. All of the songs have been great to jam to when I’m driving around.

Holiday Cookies:

It is the most wonderful time of the year for cookies. I recently baked the classic reindeer cookies, and I purchased the holiday Oreos. I’m in heaven with both of these choices. Calories don’t count during the holidays, right?

Everything But the Bagel Seasoning:

I discovered this seasoning while watching YouTube and I absolutely love it. I tried it on avocado toast, but I am looking for some other stuff to put it on.

What are some things that you are loving this week? Let me know in the comments below.

Blogmas Day 10: Shopping My Way Around CT — SV Decker

Finding a place that has quality and affordable jewelry is the hardest thing ever. I am the type of person who when I buy jewelry, I like to invest in pieces that will last. I’ve purchased a few of the cheaper costume pieces of jewelry, and they all either tarnished within a few uses, or broke.

Which was annoying.

I heard about SV Decker through my boyfriend who bought me a bracelet from them our first Christmas together. We visited it a few times, however, I didn’t start buying pieces for myself until this year.

I love SV Decker’s jewelry because it’s trendy and it’s handmade. Many of the pieces on her website promote good vibes — something that makes me feel awesome. After all, everyone needs a good luck charm. There are necklaces that focus on gratitude, some with the hamsa hands (which ward away from evil), saints, and gemstones.

But, what is awesome is that the owner is truly dedicated and passionate about the pieces that she creates. If there’s something that you want, you can just go to her and she can try to make it happen. For example, I wanted to get a rose quartz necklace that I saw on her website. When I went into the store, I didn’t see any of it. I asked her, and she was able to make me one right on the spot. And, she let me pick out a gemstone to go with it, which I thought was cool. Furthermore, she’s also responsive on her Instagram — which is something that is great, because it shows dedication to the brand.

And, of course, SV Decker has so many basic pieces, such as chain necklaces, hoop earrings, bangles and CZ rings. Those are classic pieces that everyone could use in their wardrobe.

However, don’t be fooled by the word trendy. Just because the jewelry is on trend doesn’t mean that the quality is lessened here. The chains on her necklaces are pretty thick, which means that they won’t break. I can also tell the quality when I’m wearing her gemstone bracelets as well. I wear a lot of gemstone beaded jewelry pieces. Some of the bracelets are light. However, these bracelets are heavier. That shows the quality of the stone, which is so awesome.

Now, let’s talk about the reason why I started buying pieces from here. SV Decker sells some of the best quality gemstones that I’ve ever seen — I have a few of her bracelets and a rose quartz necklace. I love gemstones, and the rose quartz necklace is a gift to myself to help enhance healing and self love. In store, she has quite a few beaded gemstone bracelets to choose from, which is awesome.

SV Decker is located in at 22 Broad Street in Downtown Milford. If you’re not in the Connecticut area, be sure to check out her website.

*Note: This post was not sponsored in any way, nor was I compensated for this post.

Blogmas Day 9: Holiday Date Ideas

Christmastime is one of the easiest times of year for dates because there is so much going on, which makes it easier to come up with awesome date ideas. However, if you’re looking for some ideas, have no fear. Here are some great ideas that wouldn’t even break the bank:

Walk around a downtown area that is lit up with Christmas lights and get some hot cocoa after to warm up.
Go to a tree lighting.
Have a Christmas movie watching Netflix session.
Bake Christmas cookies together.
Take a mall photo with Santa.
Go Christmas shopping together.
Walk around the mall to see it decorated.
Go see a Christmas play such as the Nutcracker.
Go to Santacon.
Decorate.
Put up the Christmas tree together.
Decorate a gingerbread house.

Blogmas Day 8: The Best Gift I’ve Ever Given

One of the best things about the holidays is the memories that come with them. When you’re grieving someone, chances are the memories of the past few holidays is what makes them so painful.

Today, I am sharing a story about the best gift that I have ever given during the Christmas season. That gift was a watch to my mom that I gave her during her last Christmas. I had purchased it from Kohl’s with a ton of coupons, and it ended up being a really good deal.

Now, it was really important to me to get my mom something wonderful for Christmas last year. I had no idea that it would be the last Christmas that we would spend together, of course. However, I am so happy that I was able to get my mom this. As a single mom, she had Christmases where she didn’t really have a lot to open if anything at all. When I was younger, I didn’t realize it. When I first started to work, I began to try to make it up to her.

When I gave her this gift, I can tell that she truly loved it and the thought that was behind it. It was a watch that was two-toned, which is something that she loved because it went with everything that she wore. She had a few trials-toned watches, but never something that is just plain gold and silver.

Making my mom happy was definitely something that made it the best money that I ever spent. She did love this watch and even wore it quite a few times until she passed away. I even had it put on her during her wake. I did end up taking it off of her afterwards though.

Although I don’t really wear watches, this is something of my mom’s that I just can’t part with. It reminds me of that memory, and it reminds me of her, since she loved wearing watches. It also reminds me of our last Christmas together — a memory that I now treasure.

This watch reminds me of that feeling of wanting to do something for my mom. For me, part of the fun of the holidays is giving. My mom was always giving to others — whether it’s myself, her parents, and our dog at the time. One of the things that I have learned from my mother is to give to those you love. It doesn’t have to be material possessions, though. It can mean giving some of your time to spend with them. Or, giving some of your skillset to help someone out.

To me, that is what the holiday season is about.

What is the best gift that you have ever given? Let me know in the comments below.

Blogmas Day #7: My Christmas 2019 Bucket List

Happy Saturday folks! This is the first time in a while that I am blogging on a Saturday, and I think that it is awesome. I will admit that I was running out of ideas, that is until I stumbled upon this list from The Mini Millionaire, which has 100 plus Blogmas ideas!

This prompt truly spoke to me in trying to create a fun blogmas season that is varied in posts. And, it also sparked my interest, because this holiday season is going to be a hard year for me since it is the first without my mom. So, giving me something to look forward to, and to create a list of things that I want to do just makes it a bit more fun.

So, here’s my list:

Go see the Festival of Lights in New Haven: I’ve been wanting to do this for years. It’s really fun, because you drive around and see really cool holiday lights. There is something about Christmas lights that gets me into the holiday spirit. Therefore, I want to try to head to this this year, so I can try to be a bit more festive.
Finish my holiday reads:

Every year, I try to read a few different holiday books, and this year is no different. I did this last year, and I read What Light by Jay Asher. I love reading them, and it definitely helps in terms of getting me into the Christmas mood. I am currently reading We Met In December. Next up, I am working on 10 Blind Dates, which is more of a New Year’s Book, but I definitely want to read it this month.

Walk around a Downtown Area with Christmas Lights:

Last year, my boyfriend and I walked around the downtown area of his town, which is lit up with trees and holiday lights. I want to do this again because it was such a great and inexpensive date idea, and this puts me in the holiday spirit. Plus, I can also get my steps in as well, which is always a good thing.

Go to the Mall During Christmas Time: Okay, so maybe I am a bit of insane for this one. But, there is something about the mall during the holiday season that puts me in the Christmas mood. It’s an experience, and I recommend you going — even if you’ve already completed your holiday shopping.
Bake Cookies:

One thing that I want to do is bake cookies, because Christmas cookies are the absolute best. This year, I want to try to make stuff that my mom used to, because it will feel like my mom is here with me during this holiday season.

Watch Christmas Movies: I am terrible at watching movies, so I want to try to watch a few old favorites to get into the holiday spirit. Plus, every year, you have to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special, am I right?

What is on your holiday bucket list? Let me know in the comments below!

Fashion Friday: My First Poshmark Purchase (Blogmas Day 6)

I was always skeptical over Poshmark. I wasn’t sure if it was legit, or if the items on it were real.

However, I wanted a Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette — something that is very hard to get if you know anything about Louis Vuitton. I was hunting for it for a while now — to the point where I was hounding it the website hourly. I liked it because it can hold the essentials, because on the weekends, I honestly don’t like carrying a purse.

Then, I decided to check out the used market on eBay and another recommended app, Poshmark.

I ended up finding one on Poshmark on the Damier Ebien Azur canvas. I asked the person who was selling it a lot of questions — and then, I decided to press go.

This was on Saturday. I got it that following Monday. It looked brand new, came in the box, and even had the tag.

Not bad.

Since then, I did make one other purchase on Poshmark. It was something that I ended up returning because it came broken and in the wrong size. Even then, the app made it so simple to do the return, even though the item took a longer time to get back to its original destination.

With that being said, I highly recommend you checking out Poshmark if you’re trying to get high fashion on a low budget. Or, if you just want to get a few good deals. Either or, it’s worth checking out.

Blogmas Day 5: 13 Authors That Have Become An Auto Buy For Me

As you can tell, I love reading. I love reading on Kindle, I love reading physical books, and I love listening to them via audiobook.

Naturally, I’ve become obsessed with a few authors over the years that have become my favorites. So, here are some authors that I automatically buy without thinking about it whenever they come out with a new novel:

Christina Lauren:

Christina Lauren has become an auto buy for me this past year. I discovered this from my bookstagram account, and I definitely don’t regret it. They definitely are the queens of new adult romance, and I love each and every one of them that I’ve read so far. As you can tell, I am a huge fan of romance novels.

I’ve read Love and Other Words, The Unhoneymooners, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half Night Stand, and Twice in a Blue Moon. I have a few of them that I have yet to read, but I definitely want to read the rest of their books in the new year.

Colleen Hoover:

Do you like crazy Lifetime movies? Well, Colleen Hoover is that. I’ve only read a few of her novels, but whenever I do read them, I am hooked. All of her novels have a twist in the end that you never see coming. She actually has a new book coming out next week that I have on preorder called Regretting You that I am so excited to read.

Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is the queen of young adult literature. I have been reading her novels for several years now, and I’ve read each and every one of her bibliography. I actually even met her a few years ago when For Once and For All came out.

Even though I am no longer in high school, these novels are a sense of nostaglia for me. They always remind me of high school summers. They are so easy to read and well-written, which is why I will always buy a Sarah Dessen novel.

Emily Giffin:

Emily Giffin is the reigning queen of chic-lit. Her novels talk about relationships, and their complications. During my senior year of high school, I’ve read Something Borrowed for the first time and I couldn’t even put it down. Since then, I’ve read each and every one of her books — often the week that they come out. Yup, they are that good.

Taylor Jenkins Reid:

Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a huge variety of subjects in her bibliography — some romance, and some history. The first book I read was Daisy Jones and the Six, and I knew right then and there that I had to read everything that she ever wrote. There are a few that I still have yet to read, but I know that I will be reading them in the next year.

Liv Constantine

The sister duo has only written two books — The Last Mrs. Parrish and The Last Time I Saw You. Both novels are suspenseful thrillers full of twists — up until the very end.

Also, I was lucky enough to meet these two at my local Barnes and Noble, which was very awesome. These two have definitely become my favorites over the past year, and I am so excited to read more.

Angie Thomas

Like Liv Constantine, Angie Thomas wrote two books as well — On The Come Up and the Hate U Give, and I love both of them. They were authentic and real — and that’s what I love about them.

Becky Albertalli

I discovered Becky Albertalli last year when the movie Love, Simon came out. Since then, I read all of her books. I love the stories, because they are not only swoon worthy young adult romances — still my favorite reads at 25 — but they are authentic to how high school is today. It talks about the journey teens go on if they are trying to figure out their sexuality — and celebrates it. And, I think that’s awesome.

Morgan Matson

I discovered Morgan Matson while I worked at the library. Since then, I’ve read all of her novels as well. And, whenever she comes out with new novels, I instantly buy them. Like many of the young adult books I love, many of her novels are romances. But, they often have a deeper twist. For instance, in Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, it talks about Amy overcoming her fear of driving while she is riding cross country with one of her mother’s friends son. I like it, because it talks about the hard stuff that teens deal with. They are also just well written, which I love.

JoJo Moyes

I loved JoJo Moyes since Me Before You. I’ve read the sequel, and knew that I wanted to read the rest of her bibliography. I’ve red a few of them, and they have become some of my favorite books. My goal for the new year is to finish the Me Before You trilogy because I need to know what happens to Lou Clarke.

John Green

John Green was one of the most popular authors when I was a freshman in college. Everyone was talking about The Fault In Our Stars. Over the next year, I read all of his books, and then I got Turtles All of the Way Down when it came out.

If you like young adult literature, you love John Green. And there is a reason for that. His characters are quirky, but they are real. His novels are classics, and I will forever be a ran. Okay? Okay.

Sophie Kinsella:

Sophie Kinsella is one of the best romance writers that I’ve ever read. Her novels are the best to read when you’re in a bad mood, because they are fun, and they always have a happy ending. Kind of like a Hallmark Movie, but much better. She’s written the Shopaholic series, as well as several romance reads and a young adult novel. She’s also written novels under the name Madeline Wickham, which I’ve only read one of her novels under that name. However, I love her novels and they will continue to be favorites of mine.

Liane Moriarty

I found Big Little Lies at TJ Maxx, and once I started to read the book, I couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t long before I’ve read all of her books.

There is always some sort of twist with Liane Moriarty books. Her characters have several layers to them, and as you go on, you learn more and more about them. Once you think the story is going one way, it goes another. It definitely makes you not want to stop reading until you’ve reached the last page.

Which authors are your favorites? Let me know in the comments below!

Better Late Than Never, Right? Guess Who Is Joining Blogmas?!

So I never thought that Blogmas was a thing until I started watching vloggers regularly. They do a thing called Vlogmas. And, I thought why isn’t there anything for bloggers? This would be perfect for my blog!

Today, I decided to see if that was a thing. And, it was! And, other than Monday, I’ve blogged daily.

So, this is my official announcement: I am officially doing Blogmas!

What is Blogmas, you may ask?

Blogmas is basically a challenge that you blog every day. Or, have blog posts scheduled every day if you’re like me and write a ton of posts over the weekend to save time.

And, what can you expect?

Well, if you’ve read this blog you know that I write a little bit of everything. So, stay tuned for posts about books, mental health, places to eat in my state, and so much more! I even plan to use the weekends to include posts about Christmas to help you get into the holiday spirit.

So, stay tuned for my Blogmas posts! If you haven’t already, be sure to give my Facebook Page a like and follow my Instagram to stay tuned to all of my Blogmas posts and thereafter!

What I Love Wednesday: December 4th

Happy Hump Day! In just three short weeks, it will be Christmas. It’s a scary thought to think about when you think about it. However, I am in the phase now where I am just working on getting my handmade gifts made, and then I wrap. Maybe that will be a project for next weekend, but we’ll see.

Anyways, here’s what I am loving this week:

Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Handcream:

I recently finished my stress relief Bath and Body Works hand cream, and I began to use this one. I like this one because it reminds me of cupcakes — something that definitely makes me happy. Now that the temperatures are getting colder, I am sure that I am going to be going through it pretty quickly. Bath and Body Works has an amazing selection of lotion, and I like this cream because it’s smaller than my mini lotion I had originally.

Gilmore Girls:

I’ve been watching UP TV’s Gilmore The Merrier, and I was able to rewatch this show once again. Gilmore Girls has a huge sentimental value for me as it was one of the shows that my mom and I watched together all of the time. Since she died, I have not been able to watch it. Sure, it was emotional to watch the show, as it was the first time since she died that I was able to watch it, but I loved watching it during the week-long marathon. Now, I am pretty sure that I will watch some of my favorite episodes once again.

The Great Christmas Light Fight:

For me, this is one of my favorite things to watch during the holiday season. It always manages to put me in the holiday spirit, and I love seeing all of the houses lit up with their holiday lights.

Rae Dunn Christmas Mug:

I am a huge fan of Rae Dunn. I have a ton of mugs, and I am always looking for the holiday collection. When I was buying Lucy’s coat, I saw this red mug on the way to the cash register. Well, actually my boyfriend picked it out. Anyways, I love it because it puts me into the Christmas spirit and it holds nearly everything that I need to comfortably. I am so happy to add this to my collection.

Current Reads:

This has been on quite few weeks, and for good reason! I’ve been reading a lot of great books. This past week, I read What If It’s Us and Christmas Shopaholic. Both books were great, and I’m now reading We Met In December.