It’s the last day of 2022! We don’t have any plans for NYE because I’ll probably be in bed at 10:00 pm. I’m not really into going out late at night anymore. We tend to leave the house on the weekends between 1:00 -3:00 pm and return home about 5:00- 8:00 pm. We’ve been going out a little later in the afternoon so we can see the city all lit up for Christmas. I have to say, Boston really goes all out for Christmas. I was impressed! We also went to New York for three days at the beginning of December and it was every bit as amazing as I had hoped. We stayed at the Hilton on Times Square (we had a view of the Times Square Ball from our hotel room). Then we went to Times Square, the Rockafeller Center tree, Top of the Rock, Bryant Park Christmas Market, and we saw the Rockettes. Seeing the Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and it was absolutely amazing. We were lucky enough to get a spot at the bar at Oscar Wilde. It’s a restaurant that I’m has over the top Christmas decorations. I also discovered that my new favorite snack is honey roasted cashews from a street vendor. We had so much fun and we’re already planning our trip for next year! Anyhow, before I ramble on and on about NYC, here’s a list of 10 other things I’m enjoying this month:
- Tahari Puffer Coat: When we decided to move to the northeast, I knew I’d need a new winter coat. I knew I’d be walking Deuce in the cold and wanted something that was warm. I found this coat in October but waited until it was on a Black Friday sale to purchase it. It’s still on sale and I can’t recommend this enough. This coat has 2 zippers- the inner zipper is starts at the waist and the outer zipper starts at the knees. This coat goes to my mid calf and it has buttons at the bottom to make sure it stays closed. The faux fur trim on the hid is detachable. I wore this coat all over NYC and wear it every day to walk Deuce. I love it because it looks good and it keeps me warm. I bought it in black (I’m convinced that you’re not a real New Englander unless you have a black puffy coat) but it also comes in navy and beige. Go order this for yourself right now!
- Allen & Roth Electric Fireplace: When we first moved, we used a dresser as a buffet table for our TV. It looked pretty good but we thought an electric fireplace would look a lot better. After looking at a few stores, we found this at Lowes. This makes our apartment seem so much more cozy. The fireplace has different settings and can be used with or without heat. This comes in two colors- we purchased it in the Canyon Lake Pine(brown).
- Frigidaire Ice Maker: Our icemaker in our freezer quit and we didn’t feel like calling maintenance to fix it. In actuality, it wasn’t a great ice maker anyway. James found this one at Walmart and we love it. I hate having stuff on the counter but this is worth it. The only drawback is that this particular icemaker doesn’t keep the ice cold for very long after it’s made. So we have to transfer it to the freezer. But we have more and better ice than we used to so I’m ok with it.
- Dr. Jart Premium BB Tinted Sunscreen: I had a certain sunscreen that I loved but couldn’t find anywhere here that sells it. Two weeks ago, I ran out and grabbed my phone to order some. With Christmas, it wouldn’t arrive for another week. So off I went to Sephora to see what they had there. The Sephora artist showed me a few and said this is the one that she used. Honestly, her skin was so perfect, I’d probably have bought anything that she recommended. This is a littler heavier than my previous sunscreen but I still love it. If I wear this in the summer, I may not have to wear foundation. Unlike some tinted sunscreens, this comes in a variety of shades so you can easily find one that works for you.
- Sephora Powder Brush: A good makeup brush can last for years if you take care of it. I have an eyeliner brush that I’ve had for at least 10 years. Good thing it’s held up because I’m pretty sure they discontinued it. Anyhow, I bought a powder brush earlier this year and I hated it. Within a month, the little bristles started falling out each time I used it. Then I would have stupid powder brush hairs all over my face and I’d itch. I bought this the same day I bought the Dr. Jart Sunscreen and so far, none of the bristles have fallen out. That means no more itchy face and cussing while I do my makeup.
- Seint Lip & Cheek Color: I purchased some Seint makeup last summer but didn’t love the color. After I got the right colors, I really like it! I especially like the lip & cheek colors. Cream blush doesn’t always work on my oily skin but this does. I have the colors Madrid (a peach/pink color), Pink Grapefruit (pink/rose), and Black Cherry (red/wine). If you’ve ever used Clinique Black Honey Lipstick, the Black Cherry is a perfect match. If you know someone who sells Seint, ask them to get these. If you want to order online, I’ve included my friend Jenni’s link.
- Chi 44 Iron Guard Spray: I got a travel size of this spray for our trip and ended up going back to get the full size spray. I love this because it works whether I’m curling or straightening my hair. This spray protects my hair from heat, helps my style hold longer, and it doesn’t build up like some other thermal sprays. The trick to using a thermal spray is to spray it in your hair, comb or brush through to distribute the product, then use your curling iron or straightener. If you just apply the product then heat style, you’re going to get those weird sticky spots and crunchy curls.
- High Tide Texturizing Spray: I hadn’t used this for a while and forgot how much I liked it! This helps to give your hair body and its smells like coconuts. What’s not to like? I like to spray this on my roots while my curls are cooling or when I need to just need to refresh my style.
- Bissell Pet Hair Eraser: Our dog is shedding like crazy so I have to vacuum a lot. Especially the chair and couch where he likes to lay. I had a cheaper hand held vacuum but during the move to Boston, we lost the cord. Woops. I just bought this a few weeks ago and I use it nearly every day. This works sooooo well at getting the pet hair off of the furniture and out of the vehicle. It’s really lightweight too! If you have a pet or kids, you need this in your life.
- Day Designer 2023 Planner: Yes, I still use a paper planner. I like to write things down. I’m a nerd like that. If I don’t write it down, I’ll forget about it. I like this planner because it has a schedule column and a to-do list column for each day. It also has a place for your weekly Top 3 goals and a space for notes. This is a great and inexpensive planner.
- Nixplay Smart Digital Photo Frame: Yes, this is the 11th thing on this list so just consider this a bonus. My parents sent this to us for Christmas and we absolutely love it! I’m AWFUL at printing pictures and displaying them in our house so this is an easy way to do it. It’s really easy to add pics and you can even invite other people to add pics to your playlist. We added my sister in law and stepdaughter so hopefully we get pics of our granddaughter and our newest little niece. This takes up so much less space and since the pictures are constantly changing, we get to see something new all the time. I’m already thinking of purchasing this as gifts for some people next year.
I can’t believe it’s almost 2023! 2022 was such a year of change. We moved halfway across the country, started new jobs, and gained a son-in-law and another niece. We also lost my grandmother. That was a tough one as I was close to her and she was my last living grandparent. I’m hoping 2023 brings us more visitors (we love showing people around Boston!), more travel, meeting more people, and who knows what else! It will be a year of building as we are both fairly new in our jobs so we have a lot of growing to do. My 2022 resolutions were to finish Modern Family and eat more chips. Done and done. The only resolution I could come up with for 2023 is to finish the Real Housewives of Dallas. I don’t like to do normal resolutions. I want 2023 to consist of exploring more or New England and learning more at my new job. I should probably set some fitness and health goals too but I’m constantly setting mini goals for that. This year, my youngest stepdaughter will graduate high school. That blows my mind as she had just turned 3 when I met her. Now our granddaughter is 3! Time really flies when you’re having fun, huh?
Happy New Year!
**All opinions are my own and I am not compensated for this post**
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