Giving Back for the Holidays

To twist the quote above slightly...

Everyone in this world deserves love.

 The reality is there are so many people in need in our community, in our country, and even more so throughout the world. Many people have hope instilled in them despite being in terrible situations. 

I do charity work here and there throughout the year but the holidays is really when I want to put my all into it. It's my favorite time of year and I want others to feel the same joy, to instill more hope and know that someone cares.

These are some of my favorite charities that I've gotten involved with over the years - most are probably local to Central Florida but you can possibly find a chapter in your city or a Charity organization with a similar mission/need.
(titles are clickable)

Feeding Children Everywhere

Victim Service Center

Adopt a Military/Veteran Family

Children's Home Society

Harbor House

Coalition for the Homeless

Second Harvest Food Bank

I'm heading off on a company trip today so I was going to turn comments off because I won't be able to reply but I really want to hear about the charities close to your heart.

Let's make the world a brighter place!
 

Flawless Starts with Skin

 

The e.l.f. brand is not a new name to me but I've never in fact owned or tested any of their cosmetics so I was pretty ecstatic when Influenster sent me a Voxbox of beauty and skincare goodies to test.

 


Hydrating Bubble Mask
Goes on as a gel, and then transforms into a refreshing fizzy bubble foam that removes excess dirt and cleanses pores without drying them out.

Mineral Infused Primer
Helps prep you skin so makeup goes on silky smooth for a long lasting finish.

Lip Exfoliator
Treats and helps smooth lips for a soft and supple pout.

Matte Lip Color
Glides on effortlessly and gives long lasting, richly pigmented matte color.

Baked Highlighter & Bronzer
Creates a gorgeous sculpted glow.

I've read several e.l.f reviews and I'm happy to report I was extremely impressed with all of these products.

The Highlighter & Bronzer compact creates a gorgeous look which will be perfect for the holidays and the lip exfoliator is another favorite especially around this time of year when the cold can take a toll on your lips (mine at least). I've been using it everyday.

Another favorite was the Hydrating Bubble Mask, because hello my skin needs all the hydration it can get and I haven't tried anything like this before.

You push down on the top to dispense a small amount which helps to keep bacteria out. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes and it works magic on deep cleaning your pores. This is a product I definitely need since I wear makeup on a daily basis.

For such great quality products, the price point is shockingly low. For instance the bronzer is $3 an the lip exfoliator is also $3. That's very affordable and are perfect stocking stuffers.

e.l.f. offers some great gift sets such as The Desk to Dinner eyeshadow set for only $5.

The e.l.f. Cosmetics and Skin Care Voxbox is definitely one of my favorites to date with so many good quality products and ones that I'll continue to use.


These products were sent to me complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes but my review stated in this post are my true and honest opinion.

Unbeatable Happy Hour Specials

 Since I moved to Florida in 2002, Miller's Ale House has been one of my favorite happy hour spots and casual restaurants to grab a bite. Thursday nights used to be Ladies Night back in my college days so me and the girls would often get together from some cheap drinks and dinner.

It's incredible there are now 78 locations across the US and I'm not surprised because it's a popular place to eat, drink, and watch sports without breaking the bank.



K and I went to our local Ale House on Wednesday last week to kickoff Thanksgiving weekend with some dinner and drinks and as usual it never disappoints. 

 
If your have an Ale House in your area, it's often that all-American meeting spot for sports fans like my husband. There are TV's in every corner to watch multiple games at once while nibbling on some good food and all-day drink specials.

 
 Miller's Ale House World Famous Zingers^®


Zingers^® Flatbread

Build Your Own Burger


The Miller's locations in Florida offer all-day and late-night happy hour specials with hard-to-beat prices so it's a great place to unwind and watch some sports.



All-Day Happy Hour: From 11am to 7pm Monday - Thursday
$2.50 Drink of the Day, $2.95 pints of Miller Lite, $4 craft pints, $5 specialty cocktails and more

Power Hour: From 4pm to 6pm Monday - Thursday
$5 Miller's Ale House World Famous Zingers and $6 Miller Lite Pitchers

Late-Night Happy Hour: From 10pm to close Monday - Thursday
$2 Miller Lite Pints, $6 Miller Lite Pitchers, $5 craft beer, $7 sangria pitchers and more
A variety of $5 appetizers, including Zingers and Ale House Loaded Fries

Never a dull moment or a lack of a great deal at Miller's Ale House!

Check out their website to see if there is a location near you.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I wish I could say mine was a long weekend but in fact I had to work on Friday so we went to my in-laws on Thursday for Thanksgiving and then made the 2 hour drive back home that evening.

Friday was a very slow day at work so not very stressful. In the evening K and I went out for some dinner and then had a relaxing night at home. I avoided the crowds and did some Black Friday shopping online to finish up some holiday shopping.

On Saturday, K went to Tampa for the UCF game so I had a full day of 'me time' which was glorious. I went to get an hour long facial at a cute salon near home and then went to our local small business holiday market and bought some cute gifts from local vendors.

My favorite vendor was Katie Wu's LuLaRoe shop. I bought the softest pair of leggings which are also perfect as gifts since the sizing is very flexible.

I spent Sunday putting up Christmas decorations around the house and getting started on our tree. It's beginning to look like Christmas around here ~ my favorite time of year!

Joining the lovely Biana.

Thankful & Grateful

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with family yesterday but unfortunately I'm back to work today. Luckily it's Friday so I'm sure the day will go quickly and the weekend will make her appearance soon. That being said it's time for some favorites and things to be thankful for.

Life Planner
I just bought my 2017 planner from Target and found they had such a cute selection of planners and stationary this year.  I'm one of those that won't remember to do anything without my good old fashioned planner and it doesn't need to be $50+ dollars. A planner is a planner.

Holiday Cards
I used Minted to order our Business Holiday cards and I loved the selection of designs they have for all types of customizable and photo holidays cards. I'm hoping I can get some photos of my family of 3 in time to send out cards this year.

Tasty Sips

I tasted one of the most delicious sangria's while visiting St. Augustine last weekend and immediately went on the hunt to find a similar recipe. This Tropical Pineapple Coconut Sangria recipe seems to have all the right ingredients to recreate the taste.

Ingredients

4 cups white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Riesling
2 cups pineapple juice
½ cup coconut rum
1 pineapple, cut into 1" chunks
1 orange, sliced
2 limes (one juiced and one sliced)
2 cups Pineapple Coconut seltzer

Work Style

My new job is a little bit more traditional from previous employers who had a semi-casual dress code. The one requirement is that our shirts have a collar and these Express Portofino Blouses are my favorite and I love that they keep coming out in different colors and patterns.They just went on sale so I snagged 3 new colors for work. 

 Gratitude

Yesterday I shared a Throwback Thursday post about when Lola came into our lives so go check it out if you missed it.

 Happy weekend my friends!

TBT For Thanksgiving

As I count my blessings this Thanksgiving Day, know that you are among them - my family, my friends, my husband and my Lola are my world and I'm definitely thankful for all the genuine friendships I've made through blogging!

I wanted to share one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories in sort of a Throwback Thursday style...

It began when Lola came into my life the week before Thanksgiving.

She was dropped off at my office in the pouring rain and my heart just melted. I hadn't owned a pet since living at home with my parents so there were a lot of uncertainties in my mind.  Probably explains why it took me more than 10 years to take the plunge.

 The right opportunity was dangled in front of me and I couldn't say no to this gorgeous bundle of wrinkles.

Since then Lola has grown into her full bully frame but has a heart of gold for children and other dogs of any size, She shows K and I never ending love and loyalty.... sometimes to the point where she can be a Stage 5 clinger but, Boy has she redeemed herself from the puppy and potty training days.

I don't have kids so my adoration goes to Lola and I'm so grateful and thankful for her companionship over the past few years.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family and fur-babies!