Category Archives: Favorite Finds

10.26.12

Inspiration for everyone again....

Posted by Christina // 2 Replies

Try to act like that doesn’t make you swoon.
That gorgeous floating jelly watercolor is for purchase here.

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Is anyone else already excited for Christmas? Well, this will make you laugh AND get you in the mood.

You thought your fall was pretty, check out Kochia Hill.

This nook sprucing has me dreaming of building nook additions everywhere.

Has anyone been using Ibotta? After reading this, I want in on it.

Anyone have a good lead on a bright, fun, inexpensive one of these?

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10.15.12

Our favorite things...Octoberfest edition

Posted by Christina // 8 Replies

It is that time again…..already

Here are our favorite things for the month of October. 1. I am digging the scarves lately. Bright and fun, printed and sweet…it doesn’t matter. These are my perfect fall accessories, this one is on my crush list.

2. I slapped “Every Month is Oktoberfest” on my toes on a recent pedicure trip. It is the first time I have ever put a dark and moody color on my toes. I generally stick to girly pinks or hot summer brights, so this was a refreshing change. I love it so much I ordered a bottle when I got home, I love how it reflects different colors in the light.

3. I will admit…I broke down and bout the iPhone 5 the day it came out. Only because my friend Sally asked me to go with her, and only because I had an upgrade on my kickin it old school phone. Gotta say, I can not put my phone down. I love it almost as much as bacon. Suuuweeee.

4. With the weather changing I am preparing for the dry hands and tootsies. Aveda’s Hand Relief is the best lotion I have ever found, it is rich and creamy but not greasy at all. Plus, it smells like fruit loops ohhh yum. Go get you some.

5. Oh the smells of fall, they make me so happy. We have candles…multiple candles in every single room. We change them with the seasons and I have been waiting to bust out the pumpkin candles for about three weeks now. The time has come for bonfires and pumpkin spice everything. I am one happy lady. 1. You are bound to see a lot of spray painting projects on the blog soon, and we have been working with a few different brands. Valspar has becoming my favorite spray paint without question. It sprays with ease and covers evenly, very good quality. Makes it a little less of a chore to spray paint all the stuff Christina brings to me.

2. I am getting really excited for all the Halloween candy to be hitting shelves, Twix is by far my favorite candy bar of the season.

3. We just switched the dogs over to Buffalo Blue brand dog food after a series of bad food run ins. It is difficult to find something that is healthy for both pit bulls and peek-a-poos. This all-natural brand has successfully kept both dogs full and happy. The little one even eats all of her food in one sitting, which is new. Two paws up.

4. Who watched the Red Bull Stratos jump? I was glued to the tv watching the little capsule rise and rise and wondering how this guy was going to survive temperatures of 96 degrees below zero. It was awesome, didn’t realize it took five years to plan jumping 24 miles either. That guy has guts.

5. Jason Motte has been my hero for a couple years now. I got his jersey for Christmas last year (thanks to the little miss) and he has really been rocking it in the post season. He even picked up a bat the other night. Go Cards!

10.06.12

Remember book reports....

Posted by Christina // 4 Replies

Reading Hunger Games ruined all other books for me. If you haven’t read the trilogy, just do it.
I avoided it for a long time because it was what I deemed “the cool thing to do” and I like to go against the grain.

I caved when The Petersiks said they not only read it, but loved it.

Peer pressure will get you every time.

Those books blew my mind. Nothing compared…I’ve read five books since then and none of them captivated me like Katniss battling roses and junk.

Until now.
I found one. This book made me want to read it, all of it…in one day.

It is basically a Dateline special told from the crazy person’s point of view. A girl goes missing, bet you would have never guessed.

I love how it is written. It’s quirky, like they are talking to you with no big words that came out of a thesaurus to confuse you. Be prepared for shocking dirty laundry to be thrown at you which leads to moments of oh-no-they-didn’t insanity.

If you aren’t hooked right off the bat…just keep reading. If you have ever felt crazy….read this book and you will feel much better about your life. If you are in a rocky relationship, do not…I repeat do not read this book for ideas because you will end up with a terrible mug shot all over tv, and your mom will be so disappointed.

Has anyone else read this book? What did you think?
What’s the best book you have read lately?
I need my next good read.

09.18.12

Our favorite things....road trip edition

Posted by Christina // 2 Replies

In case you are new here, or missed this post you should know we do a monthly round-up of our favorite things.

In case you’re one of my favorite people that read the blog like it’s their job, sorry for being MIA the last few days. We were out road tripping.
Don’t worry….there are many, many posts to come about the trip!

So it only seemed fitting that September’s favorite things are the doodads that we couldn’t live without on our trip.

Check it.

1. We bought a Bloggie right before the trip, it wasn’t too expensive and we wanted something more than an iPhone to take footage with. Bonus, it’s waterproof. Of course we were sold. It worked out awesome, and I can’t wait to show you all of our “road karaoke” footage. Plus there are no memory cards to worry about, easy peesy lemon squeezy.

2. On our travels we traveled up to Vermont, home of cheese. Not just any cheese, delicious cheese. My favorite was the Horseradish cheese from Cabot, oh yummy in my tummy.

3. You may remember that I just bought an iPad. This trip was actually what initiated the bullet biting of dropping my hard earned cash. Between GPS, finishing my book, checking on the blog, keeping up on facebook drama, and having the answer to all our questions right at my fingertips….it was a solid investment. Probably late to the party, but two thumbs way up for Apple.

4. Remember these….my mom used to gorge them when she was dieting while I was growing up. I haven’t had them since I was probably seven with turtle-shell glasses and a retainer. I saw them on our “let’s get prepared for this long drive” shopping trip and had a weird craving. They were a H-I-T.

5. This might sound gross….really gross, but when I travel I don’t feel like I have time to shower and do the whole straighten-for-an-hour-hair thing. Also, you just never know what kind of water pressure you are going to get in these hotels. So I feel that it is vital to hide the dirt under your fingernails, because let’s face it….it’s nasty. Essie’s Topless & Barefoot is by far my favorite nail polish right now. It’s nude and pretty, but completely hides any grunge you may encounter. Apparently you can have your cake and ~~eat it~~ hide the evidence too.

6. This bag saved my life. Ok, that may or may not be a little dramatic but for serious….the Grand Traveler was a great travel companion. The luggage slip on back meant I never had to carry it, the pockets kept daily essentials accessible, and the bag is flippin huge! Plus…..it’s cute.

1. Pandora is nothing new, but man is it a life saver. There is nothing more frustrating than static on the radio, except when there is nothing but static on the radio. We used Pandora almost every day, I have to recommend the “Road Trippin” station. We never even had to hit skip, hence the aforementioned karaoke.

2. My Foscam web camera was a sanity saver this trip. I could get on and look at the tank to make sure everything was honky-dory. It even helped when we had storms to see if our power was out. The funny thing is, one of the friends we stayed with on the trip (hi Sandy) also had one. We both felt like secret creeps, but agreed that this little camera is an absolute necessity when you have animals to keep an eye on.

3. My favorite place was Maine, since our visit we have been looking at summer homes to rent in Camden so we can get back asap. I will live there at some point, and if it is not on your “must-see” list then add it. So worth the drive and we will tell you why next week.

4. I will admit that I bought this deodorant for the name, but it helped me stay smelling “good enough to snuggle” according to Christina. I am pretty certain this will be my new deodorant of choice, especially if it keeps the lady happy.

5. Our friends Katie & Brennan introduced us to “Ritas” on this vacation. You can’t find these guys in the mid-west, so consider yourself lucky Easterners. If you don’t know about Ritas then you need to find one as quickly as possible and order the Swedish Fish Gelati. You can thank me later.

6. Oh man, I can’t say enough good things about the Phillips Electric Razor. If you still use a disposable, you gotta invest in one of these. It’s a little expensive initially, but in the long run it is worth it saving you time and money. I mean, you can’t shave and drive with a typical razor….unless you want to risk your aorta.

08.28.12

Introducing my lovely new assistant....

Posted by Christina // 6 Replies

While I was visiting my sister last weekend I decided that I “needed” a new toy.

I rationalized this purchase with the fact that TODAY is Homemade Ocean’s one month anniversary.

We will be celebrating tomorrow….be there or be ~~square~~ sad that you missed it.

I have named my new toy Sven the hot Sweed and recently discussed his nakedness with him.

Me: Look Sven…I know you are all hot and everything, but you really need to show some modesty. Cover it up for the kids…because they could get you sticky with their Cheeto fingers. Mama don’t need all that mess.
Sven: Ohhkay….vut cahn I vee sooper sexie?
Me: Who are you trying to impress….I mean c’mon Sven live in my pj’s.
Sven: I joost veel like veing hawt you veel me.
Me: Can I be your stylist?
Sven: Vut ov course.
Me: Settled.

Okay, so Sven the Sweed may have grown up in France or Russia or some far-away-accent place. But there was only one thing to do.

Window shop.

These are all of the cases Sven and I are considering. What…you didn’t realize Sven was a hot Swedish lady?

– We have to stick to our roots here and throw in a nautical case. I just adore this sweet tribute to the vintage Sailor style.

– This is strange, but the snap top case reminds me of my gramma’s cigarette case. Nostalgia gets me every time. Plus, Kelly green and Navy blue are basically my favorite.

– I’m feeling the whole watercolor trend, and I have never gotten over my love of dandelions. So the blue and green case is like a prettier version of my childhood.

– Another nautical theme, but this one you can customize with your monogram or name. A high contender for our Stylish Sven shopping trip. We also found backgrounds that looked like corals, chevron, ikat, and stripes….basically if you can dream it then you can find it here.

– A sweet and feminine fabric with an unexpected design. You had me at feminine, I also love that it’s an old fashioned typewriter image on brand spanking new technology. Oh the irony.

– Hello funky lady. I wish I was bold enough to pull of this bright yellow, big bow number. A girl can dream.

– Lace and leather, is there anything hotter? Didn’t think so. I would feel like a dainty dollop of awesome carrying that case around. Is that an oxymoron? Well I don’t care, that is how I would feel.

– My little piece of sunshine. How could you not be happy when you are holding bright orange polkas and fun teal ruffles. Sven likey.

Sven needs your help…..Which is your favorite?

08.15.12

These are a few of our favorite things....

Posted by Christina // 7 Replies

Every month, smack dab in the middle…T & I will do a round-up of our favorite things.

Say hello to August.

1. On a trip to Lowes recently, Christina and I saw an end cap for the Nest Thermostat. We came home that night and started a “Nest” egg, and I am sorry I just subjected you to that lame pun. I am a little bit of a techie, so I love all the features that add a little interest to an ordinarily boring and overlooked part of your house. It is touch-screen, you can set it from your smart phone, and it actually learns your temperature schedules and self adjusts. Beyond that it just looks cool, so I want one.

2. My wonderful girlfriend wanted to start landscaping our backyard. This meant, “buy cute pots and then plant pretty flowers” which really meant, “let me pick out cute stuff, then you make it happen and take care of it”. She did really good though and picked out the Tropical Water Canna, which is a really colorful leafy plant. I have made it my personal mission to grow these bad boys at least eight feet tall. Next year I want them to cover the whole back wall of our fencing, then I’ll just say, “I thought we were landscaping”. She will love it because they occasionally bloom these bright orange flowers. Everyone is happy.

3. These are at the top of my favorite things list. The new AI Vega lights just released early this month, and are an upgrade from the AI Sols that we currently have. While I would love to replace our lights with these as soon as possible, they are pretty pricey. Maybe I can talk the lady into a new, bigger tank. Hey, a guy can dream. These lights have a new digital controller as opposed to the old analog controller and a new light spectrum. They are sure to make the colors in your tank pop and aid in pumping up your corals.

4. I am sure most of you realize that the Olympics were going on the last couple weeks. I had the games on at all times, even if it was just the “clean and jerk” on at two in the morning. Now that they are over I really don’t know what I am going to do with myself for the next four years. I guess I’ll just sit down and watch Honey Boo Boo with Christina, but I won’t like it. Or maybe I will really make myself useful and start training for the 2016 Olympics in Speed Walking.

5. I actually got a Coral Magazine subscription for Christmas from Christina. It arrives every other month and I gotta admit that I am pretty much waiting by the door when I know it is coming. It is chock full of great photos, new information, and plenty of advertisements to make sure I buy all the latest and greatest gadgets. It is one of the few pieces of literature that I read front to back. Maybe Santa will remember how much I like this magazine.

1. My boytoy actually got me this Fossil watch earlier this year. I have never been able to wear watches because I inevitably take a shower with them on, or they pinch my arm hairs and I smash them. This watch is different, most importantly it is water-resistant. I made sure of that in Kansas City earlier this year by throwing my hand into a tank to hold a starfish. It’s also comfortable, and even though it is the big “boyfriend style” watch it’s not too bulky. I’m in love and it is standing the test of time. Too much?

2. Say hello to the best pen ever. We bought the new Paper Mate Inkjoy pens on a whim at our local office supply store and we now fight over them almost every day. It’s one of those, “Hey I had my pen sitting right here and I know you took it now give it back or I will put Icy Hot on your toilet seat” kind of things. They write so smoothly and you never have to press too hard so you avoid all the hand cramps. Wish they would have made these when I was in school writing 20 pages papers for all of my friends. Hey a girls gotta make a living!

3. In case you missed my post earlier this week, I am so excited for Shark Week on Discovery Channel. Not only is it Shark Week, it is their 25th anniversary. This is going to be huge. One day, when I am not so afraid of my ears popping, I am going to get scuba certified and go swim with sharks. It’s on my leap list.

4. I’m a sucker for cute packaging. So naturally when I saw this cute tube at Walgreens I had to beg Tim to add it to our little plastic basket. Then I worried it would “fall through the holes” of said plastic basket so I grabbed it back and carried it through the whole store. I bought Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Honeysuckle. It is really the perfect amount of color and shimmer. I am not a lipstick type of gal, so this keeps my lips looking kissable. Rawr.

5. I may be a little late to this party, but now that I have arrived I see what all the fuss is about. Birch Box is a monthly delivery of life and beauty samples. They can be samples of high-end products that I could never afford, or of up-and-coming brands that I would have never known about. I am not sure if it’s trying all the good stuff, making friends when you give them the stuff you don’t want, or getting something in the mail that isn’t a bill…but I adore this product. Best of all, it’s only $10 a month…until you fall in love with the cheek stain they sent.

6. Hi, my name is Christina and I am a hair-product-aholic. I first learned about the “dry shampoo” spray from Katie Bower, who at the time had long locks like yours truly. When you have a mane that takes a good hour to wash, dry, and make look presentable you have to find detours. Enter Salon Grafix Dry Spray Shampoo. You just spray it in at your greasy roots and then smooth it in a little. Voila, clean (looking) hair. Okay don’t get crazy though, it only looks good the first four days.

So there they are….our August favorite finds.

Any new things you’re digging on lately?