I'm Two Weeks Late!!!!!!!!

For my birthday update that is! That's right! I turned the big 3-0 exactly two weeks ago!

I had a lovely birthday. Turning 30 was not nearly as scary as I anticipated. I remember thinking something earth shattering would happen when I entered the teens and also when I left the teens behind. But 13 and 20 proved to be much the same as 12 and 19. Same goes for turning 30. Not sure I'll be able to say the same for 40 but I've got ten whole years to go so I'm not even going to think about that yet!

My fantastic hubby got me something off my birthday wishlist.

That's right I'm the proud owner of a NOOK Color! It is everything I thought it would be and more. I have a stack of books out of the library that I am forcing myself to get through before I allow myself to read on my beloved NOOK. Is that weird? I just want to start off fresh and make the transition to all e-books. I suppose it's a little OCD but that's okay. I have been downloading books onto it like crazy (free ones for now....I'm actually both surprised and delighted at the free book selection).

In other news, I have some fresh/exciting ideas for my blog. I'm going to make a whole new post about that later on today so keep an eye out for it!

Monday AM: Current Obsessions

1. Bath & Body Works Secret Wonderland
I don't care what anyone says. This scent is lovely any time of year. I'm total rubbish at describing scents but it smells very romantic to me. I love it and am so glad I bought a huge stash during the winter. I've been wearing this almost exclusively for the past month! (which is rare for me, I usually switch my scents up).

2. Tigi's S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer Defrizzer & Tamer
This is a truly magical product. I have always envied other women who have hair that looks like silk. That is just not in the cards for me as my hair is naturally coarse and thick (read: frizz central). I apply a quarter size dollop to my damp hair before blow drying (focusing mainly on the ends). After blow drying, I run a teensy amount just to smooth away any residual frizz and/or flyways. My hair looks stunning afterwards. The only minor downfall is that I have to wash my hair more often, every two days vs. every three days. Not a big deal and something I'm willing to put up with for the stellar results.

3. MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup
My husband recently turned in my empties to MAC. (If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read about the Back to MAC program here). Believe it or not, this was my first time participating. I got Creme D'Nude and Creme Cup.I love them both but Creme Cup is especially gorgeous. My first thought was "I need another one of these ASAP so that I can carry one in my purse AND have one in my vanity!" Now that's how you know you love a product!

4. Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
The only other makeup/facial spray I've tried is MAC's Fix+ and I am NOT a fan. I don't feel that it sets makeup at all. I actually just checked the MAC website to see if it actually claims to set makeup and indeed it says that it "finishes makeup." At any rate the UD All Nighter lives up to its name. It truly sets your makeup and it isn't moving until you purposefully take your makeup off. It is a bit pricey $29 but totally worth it. Truly amazing product.

5. Keebler Granola Fudge Bars in Peanut Butter
YUM! These granola bars are so delicious--you must try them! They make a great quick breakfast on the go or a mid afternoon snack. They have peanut butter chips...my one true love! I was actually grocery shopping at Walmart yesterday and noticed that they make chocolate chip ones as well. I snatched up a box but haven't tried them yet. I hope they are as yummy as the peanut butter ones!

CALYPSO St. Barth for Target OOTD

This outfit of the day is brought to you entirely by Target. Actually, to be even more specific...this OOTD is brought to you entirely by CALYPSO St. Barth for Target.

The dress can be seen here.

The shoes can be seen here.

I should mention that I did not pay those prices. I do think the shoes are worth thirty dollars but I got them on clearance for $20 (yay!). They are very comfortable and the quality is great.

I do NOT think the dress is worth forty dollars (I just would not pay that much for a Target sundress, CALYPSO St. Barth or not). I scored it on clearance as well and I think I paid around $25 for it. I really like the dress and am glad I got it at a discount.

Most, if not all, of the CALYPSO St. Barth for Target stuff is currently on clearance so make sure you check it out at your local store. I've picked up quite a few pieces from the collection for bargain prices!

Get Lucky?

Some people are just plain old lucky. They always win on scratch off lottery tickets ($20 on a $1 ticket really does happen, just ask my Dad!). They are caller number 98 on the radio and score front row seats to see Taylor Swift (grumble). They win the office baby pool (why yes Joe Schmoes baby was in fact born on Saturday at 7:17 AM weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces!).

If you haven't already figured it out, I'm NOT one of those people. I never win anything. Ever.

The good news is that I did not pass my unlucky genes on to my two babies. At a mere five and two years old, they have already proven to be quite serendipitous.

No, they don't buy lottery tickets, call in to radio stations or work in an office. At their ages, raffles is where it is at. So when our local library had one, my husband bought eight tickets and put Teagan's name on four and Nolan's on the other four.

Well low and behold, we got a phone call on Friday that Teagan's name was drawn! As soon as the library opened on Saturday morning, we headed over to pick up the prize. And what a prize it was! Two reusable grocery bags chalk full of books, toys, games, tickets to a baseball game, craft supplies....too much stuff to name really.

Look how excited they are!

Last time we entered a raffle at Nolan's school, he won. Maybe it is time to start letting the kids choose my Powerball numbers!

Current Obsessions: Monday Morning Edition

1. Diet Snapple in Noni Berry (thanks to the hubby I'm now addicted to this stuff!)

2. Alba ACNEdote Deep Pore Wash (I have not used any of the other products in the line but I'm loving the face wash.)

3. Victoria's Secret Extra Low Rise Hipsters

4. Benefits Creaseless Cream Shadows (specifically in RSVP and Skinny Jeans)

5. Skinny Cow Heavenly Crisp in Peanut Butter

What are YOU currently obsessed with?

Socially Acceptable Wish Lists

In my mind, there are two times every year you are allowed to make an unreasonably long list of things you want--no matter how insanely out of reach they may be. (Getting married and having a baby are two other socially acceptable wish list events but hopefully they don't happen every year!)

The first is Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever winter gift giving holiday you celebrate.

The second is your birthday.

I'm fairly certain that I've previously mentioned that I'm turning 30 in July. I know this because I'm quite preoccupied (read: FREAKED OUT) over the fact that my 20s are just about DONE-ZO.

What better way to assuage my (rapidly aging) soul than to make a birthday wish list? (that will be neither long or insane--pinky swear!)

1. The Nook Color

2. Me and Ro Fearlessness Necklace 16 inch

3. This necklace with the letter N and the letter T charms to go with it (for my two kiddos of course!).

I think that is about it. And I didn't even mention this baby!

Do you make a birthday wishlist every year? Or should this be left to the under 18 crowd?

Dream Handbag!

When you come right down to it, I'm a handbag girl. Don't get me wrong, I love makeup and clothes and shoes. But there is just something about purses that I'm addicted to. Even as a little girl, I had a total pocketbook obsession.

Despite all this, I've never been into high end bags. I know that I cannot afford them so why even tempt myself, right? Right.

That used to be my philosophy and it's a good one. But then I started reading The Purse Forum. One bag has stood out to me for quite some time. Then it hit me one day: this is IT! My DREAM handbag. The one I know I'll probably never own but will continue to drool over until the day I die!

Isn't she a beauty? That's the Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM in Damier Ebene. At a cool $820, it's simply not something I can justify purchasing right now. One day though....one day that baby will be MINE! (a girl can dream, right?)

Do you have a dream handbag? Or are you more of a shoe person? Tell me YOUR dream fashion item!