The holiday season is definitely the thing I’m loving most this week. From festive cookie exchanges to beautiful decorations and twinkling lights, it really does feel like such a magical time of year. I can’t wait to hop in the car next weekend and head to my parents’ place in Jacksonville for the week!
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself… Let’s jump into our usual Friday fun and chat about what we’re loving this week. As always, feel free to share something that is making you smile in the comments section of this post… It just might count as an entry into today’s Happy Holidays Giveaway Week giveaway!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- A New Gym Job (…but I’m still keeping my other gym job, too!)
About a week ago, one of my favorite Pure Barre teachers passed my name along to the manager of a small corporate gym at a local business park. Then, earlier this week, I went in for an interview and am happy to report I’ll be picking up some more classes and working a few days a week at another small local gym! Both gyms where I’ll be working (the one I’ve been working at since November 1 and this new one) are very small and quite different from what I was used to when I taught at the YMCA in Ocala. I am enjoying the change and really like the intimate atmosphere!
These cookies are just the best. I made them for my cookie exchange party earlier this week and baked another batch yesterday before our last Girls On The Run practice of the season. The girls absolutely gobbled them up and raved about them which naturally made my heart happy. My grandma’s oversized, fluffy sugar cookies were my all-time favorite when I was a little girl and I always knew I could expect to see her big glass cookie jar overflowing with them whenever we’d go to Gettysburg to visit. (And yes, that’s Mimi’s handwriting on the recipe card above. Love!)
- Pandora Rockin’ Holidays Station
If you’re looking for an upbeat holiday Pandora station, check out the Rockin’ Holidays station! It’s full of energizing Christmas songs and I’ve been playing it non-stop since the day after Thanksgiving!
- Beautycounter Glow Sugar Scrub
Ryan and I had such a nice time with our friends Amii and Walt over dinner last weekend. As we ate Amii’s amazing baked ziti and sipped on fabulous wine, Amii told me a little bit about some of the beauty and skincare products she’s been loving lately since she’s heard me complain about my skin a time or two. She let me take home a few of her favorite samples to try from Beautycounter (she’s a consultant – and not pushy at all), and I quickly fell in love with the Glow Sugar Scrub and Peppermint Lip Conditioner. The sugar scrub is unreal (it smells like refreshing lemongrass) and only uses real sugar and pure essential oils to exfoliate skin for a healthy glow. The mineral-rich evening primrose, sweet almond, apricot kernel, and sunflower oils leaves my skin feeling soft and so, so hydrated which is much-needed since my skin cannot soak up enough moisturizer in the colder months. I’ve been using it when I shave in the shower and adore it!!
Our realtor is absolutely the best! Earlier this week, I arrived home to find the sweetest package of holiday chocolates sitting on our doorstep from Diane which made me smile. She’s so incredibly thoughtful and clearly has the best taste in chocolate because every single piece of Davidson Chocolate included in the giant solid-chocolate star box I’ve tried so far has been fabulous!
- Happy Holidays Giveaway Week Winners
Congratulations to Bre (grand prize) and Molly and Arianne (runner up), the winners of the Lorna Jane giveaway! And congratulations to Karen G. ($250 gift card) and Rachel W. (Skyscapes), the winners of the Reebok giveaway! All winners were emailed first thing this morning.
- Birchbox Giveaway
I first started subscribing to Birchbox, a monthly subscription beauty box, last year. Each box includes five beauty samples from high-end brands and my ongoing subscription has led to some of my all-time favorite beauty product discoveries, including theBalm Stainiac lip stain, Klorane dry shampoo, Dr. Brandt skincare and more.
It’s so much fun to receive a pretty little box filled with fun beauty samples each month and I think it would make a great gift for the beauty-lover in your life! Thankfully, Birchbox was kind enough to agree to host an awesome giveaway on the blog today in honor of Happy Holidays Giveaway Week!
One grand prize winner will receive a 6-month Birchbox subscription and a Cynthia Rowley Beauty Palette! And a runner-up winner will receive a 3-month Birchbox subscription!
To enter this giveaway, please answer one (or both!) of the following questions:
- What is one beauty product you’d love to see in your first Birchbox? Maybe you’re dying to try a new kind of eyeliner. Or perhaps you could use a better cleanser or lip gloss? Let me know!
- What is one thing you’re loving this week?
I will randomly select a winner next Friday. Good luck!!
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I really, really want a MAC lipstick called SIN! So, getting that would definitely make my day!!
This week I am loving holiday parties! I have a Yankee Gift exchange party for work tonight and can’t wait hang out with my co-workers outside of work.
I would love to get eyeliner in the box, to try out a different brand.
Currently loving my Burt’s Bees chap stick with the dry New England weather.
I’m loving being done with my first semester of veterinary school as of yesterday, and I LOVE that I’m flying home to be with my family for Christmas today!
I would love to see a great new eyeliner or an eye cream. Ain’t getting any younger 😉
I would love to see a nice lip stain!
I am loving barre 3 workouts!
I’d love some face oil or nice body butter for the winter weather!
I would love a new eye shadow palate or face wash to try!
I would love a super moisturizing face cream. My skin gets so dry in the winter!
I’d love to try Birchbox! I think it would be cool if they sent a setting spray of some sort in the box.
I would love to see skin care products in my birchbox! This week, I’m loving my rei fleece zip up pants–it’s gotten chilly this week and these pants have been keeping me warm!
I would love a good lip stain or dry shampoo
I would love to try a new eyeliner that stays put all day!
I love my Pandora christmas station!! So much joy!
I would love to try a new mascara!
Something I’m loving this Friday is the Junior Golf Association I am involved with. I love working with the kids and teaching them the game of golf.
Im always up for trying out a new lipgloss or lipstick!
A new face cream would be great!
Loving my new Ninja Nutri. Just sipping on my first smoothie, mango, banana and spinach. Was suppose to have fresh pineapple, but did not have on hand. I love the surprise of a BirchBox!
I love Birchbox! I love new colors of nail polish and eyeliners.
I love trying new beauty products and Birchbox sounds like a great way to do it.
Would love a new cleanser !
I would love to see skin care products especially ones with vitamin C! Skin care products are always my favorite samples because they are usually expensive to purchase if you haven’t tried before and I have found a lot of great products this way. I am loving the light dust of snow on the ground. It’s pretty to look at but isn’t keeping me locked in my house or shoveling my driveway : )
Really really really want a new face cream/moisturizer. I live where its super cold and I’m now in my early thirties. I am looking for something that will hydrate my skin and keep the wrinkles away!
This week I loved decorating for Christmas with my mom! I can’t think of a better way to spend my day off
I’m dying to find an awesome brown liquid eyeliner!
But I am loving all the Christmas cheer in Canada’s Capital! 🙂 We have snow, the city is all lit up, and my husband and I get to go home to see our families next week!!
Merry Christmas!!
I would love to try a new skincare/face cream!
I need a new bronzer! I just can’t find the right one!
I’m Loving all the holiday festivities this week! I baked cookies and made peppermint bark while listening to Christmas music all week, and went to the beautiful Trail of Lights here in Austin. Love this time of year!
Would love to try a new face moisturizer during the winter months!
I would love to see a new lip color!
I would love some new skincare products – my wedding is coming up and I want my complexion to clear up!
I’m loving my mini Christmas tree in my apartment! It’s our only Christmas decoration, but it makes me smile whenever I see it 🙂
Awesome giveaway! Im always looking for new lip gloss, but i also like to try new skin care products!
I’m loving all the new face oils and would love to try one in the Birchbox.
Loving that I GO HOME AND SEE MY DOG TOMORRRRROW!!!
This week, I’m loving amazon! I’ve got to get that Christmas shopping done!
I need a new cleanser to try. My skin has done well with the current cleanser until recently.
An eyebrow pencil/brush. My sister did my eyebrows the other weekend (hers are fab!) when she was visiting and it made such a difference.
I would love some type of lipstick or balm that has a subtle tint to it! Something I am loving this week is a first snow fall of the year! 🙂
I would like some new moisturizer. I have been loving my new Pentatonix Christmas album!
I would love to try a different mascara! I have a waterproof kind I love, but I haven’t been able to find a great one that isn’t waterproof.
I’d love to try some new skincare products from Birchbox
Chapstick/Lip Moisturizers. After a while, my lips seem to become immune to things, and I walk around with dry lips! 🙁
love birchbox it makes such a great gift too! I got to try it last year when a thoughtful friend gave it to me as a gift when I moved. I loved trying any and all of the skincare products!
I would love to try the Davines Replumping Shampoo to try to give my fine hair some umpf.
I would love eye make up! And right now I’m loving colder weather! Makes it really feel like Christmas! 🙂
i would love to explore new skincare options with birchbox – i’ve been trying a lot of new samples and attempting to figure out some great new products that work best with my skin!
I definitely want to try that lip stain you’ve raved about!
I would love to try some new mascaras, I feel like I’m always looking for a better one.