Free Facials Make Any Day Better

This was a LONG work week and I must have been showing it when two of my regular customers came to get sodas this afternoon. They work for Lush and suggested I come in and try a fresh mask. Well the gave me a full-on facial with a neck and hand massage. I was SO happy!!!! I loved it so much I actually bought some of the products: Oatifix fresh mask and a Peace beauty bar. They also gave me great samples of the other products they used. This was the perfect way to start the weekend!!
Thanks Lush!!!!

Christmas with the #MoTab 2013

It was great but it wasn't Alfie Boe or Sissel.

My History with Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I am SO excited to attend the annual MoTab Christmas concert!!!!! As my gorgeous and talented eldest sister is a member of the Choir, I have great blessed to attend several of these concerts in the past 13 years (wow!! Has it really been that long?!!!). I remember going to Angela Lansbury in 2001 when I was a senior in high school and she sang Tale as Old as Time and I nearly cried. I then went to Audra McDonald and was blown away by her powerful voice. I as able to go to the Sunday broadcast of Sissel and that concert was a total game changer for these Christmas Concerts and I think the Choir has been trying to recapture that magic ever since. Next, I saw the King Singers and Nathan Gunn, which, in my opinion, were great but not quite like Sissel (can you tell I was obsessed?!!), and then last year there was Alfie Boe. Oh my word, that was the BEST MoTab concert I have ever been to, right up there with Sissel in 2006 and Katherine Jenkins in the summer of 2012. Sure, Alfie Boe still had the lame dancers but it was way toned back from the extreme self-indulgence of the choreography of previous years.
Now tonight, I get to see Deborah Voight and John Rhys-Davies!!! To be honest, I'm more excited to see Sahla and Gimbli than hear a famous opera singer. Les and I were watching Raiders of the Lost Arch a few weeks ago and it just then clicked for her that John Rhys-Davies played both characters. So funny!!
Anywho, I love Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!!
Thanks Andrea for getting us tickets!!

Naughty but Nice

I LOVE Kath Kidston but have a really hard time spending money on handbags. I have been on their email list and follow them on Facebook so when I heard the glorious news that they were offering FREE shipping to the US for orders $75 and over, I nearly cried with joy. It's a Christmas Miracle!! Well maybe not that much of a miracle but still wonderful nonetheless. All of the bags that I really, really wanted were out of stock (it is only 2 weeks to Christmas) but I saw this one pictured and fell in love. So I bought it as a present to myself since I really don't have that many people to buy presents for or a husband to buy presents for me. That last bit sounded selfish- oops- but I have to justify needless spending.
For those not familiar with Kath Kidston, they are a London based design company that sell printed handbags, housewares, clothing, and all pretty things all in pretty floral and graphic prints. We saw SO many knock-offs while we were in China 2 years ago and I wish I had purchased more than one Kath Kidston there. It has been the best travel/weekender bag ever!!!
Happy Christmas to me :)

Confession no. 4

I prefer cats over most people

Agh......

... 2 Weeks 'til Christmas!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

"Let me sew, let me sew, let me sew"

Confession no. 3

I un-friend people on Facebook who consistently use poor grammar.

I Want This Sweater...

Teaching Relief Society Today

I'm teaching relief society today and I'm a little nervous. I love this calling so so much but every once and a while I get a lesson that I just can't seem to get discussion questions for and that makes me way nervous.
The lesson today is about the Prophet Joseph Smith and President Lorenzo Snow's stories and personal testimony of the Prophet. I love Church History so I always enjoy hearing people's personal experiences with other Church History figures but I'm struggling coming up with thought/discussion questions other than "isn't that a nice story? How does that make you feel?".
What I do like about this lesson is Lorenzo Snow's repeated proclamation that he knew Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God not because he knew him personally but because the Holy Ghost had confirmed that truth to him.

This is my last lesson from the Lorenzo Snow manual. I'm excited to find out which president of the Church we will be studying next year and I hope I can continue teaching relief society for a long time. It seriously is my all-time favorite calling!!

Reign, Frary Forever

If you aren't watching Reign (yes, on the CW), you are totally missing out on great, original entertainment. I am obsessed with the show!!! Gorgeous costumes, great acting, and not your typical CW cheesy eye-roll inducing drama but truly good storytelling.

For those that are skeptical, please give it a chance. Megan Follows (from Anne of Green Gables!!) plays the "villain" where she is delightfully deceiving and cunning and you totally love to hate her. She alone is worth watching an episode.

Tonight's episode "Left Behind" was extra good!! I am totally shipping Francis and Mary, aka Frary!!

Frary Forever!!

PS: Yes, this show does turn me in to a squealing girl. No, I am not embarrassed to admit it.

Watch Reign!!!

Festival of Trees 2013, part 5

Festival of Trees 2013, part 4

Festival of Trees 2013, part 3

Festival of Trees 2013, part 2

Festival of Trees 2013, part 1

My mom has out-done herself this year on her tree for the Festival of Trees. This is her 25th year doing a tree and every year is great but this year is fabulous!!!!

51 Posts in 31 Days

Get ready for some serious blog overload...

Sent from my iPad

My Heart

I was able to shoot family pictures for my sister and her in-laws yesterday. I know everyone says they have the most gorgeous nieces and nephews but mine really are. Ashley is so pretty you can shoot her pictures with a construction site in the background and it's still gorgeous!!

Retail during the holidays :(

I have gotten the stomach flu every late November for the past three years but I am happy to report that I did not get sick this November, hooray!!!!
It was probably the anxiety and stress of the holiday shopping season that weakened my immune system to get sick in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Christmas is still stressful but this year it's not a do-or-die, work 60 hours a week, end up with swine flu and strep throat on Christmas Eve situation, like in 2009.
Retail is awful so I'm hoping we all can be nice and considerate of the sales assistants, shop girls, and cashiers that are only trying to do their job this holiday season.

Happy December 1st!!

This is the wet nose that woke me up this morning (at 11 AM).