December Erin Condren Planner Layouts

December Erin Condren Planner Layouts

This month was the first month I've actually had to begin decorating my Erin Condren Horizontal planner. And I went kinda ham - and really enjoyed decorating my planner every week!

December Week 1 

December Week 2

December Week 3

December Week 4

Most of the things I used to decorate my planner were from the Dollar section at target! I did however find one Christmas Set from Rorys Sweet Addictions on Etsy that was really cute and I did use a lot of it.
I hauled a massive amount of washi/deco tape from the dollar store and couldn't stay away from the puffy stickers even though I tried REALLY hard. Either way - I'm really happy with how most of these turned out.

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Grandma's Recipe: M&M Cookies

Grandma's Recipe: M&M Cookies

This is the recipe for just basic M&M cookies that you can whip up super quick. The recipe I was given literally just says 'M&M cookies' the baking time and the ingredients - no instructions. So I'll give you some!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups M&M's

Preheat the oven to 350 F and combine the shortening, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat again.

In a measuring cup measure out your flour, baking soda, and salt. Add slowly to the mixture until it's all added and mix until 'dough-like' (do not over-mix it!). Measure out your M&M's and dump them into your dough. Using a baking spatula fold the m&m's into your dough. On a greased cookie sheet place your dough in whatever size cookies you wanna make (I usually make about teaspoon sized cookies). 

Pop 'em in the oven for about 10 minutes, you want them to be a yummy golden color.

Viola! You've got delicious M&M cookies!

(PS This is the original recipe I got sent...)

Happy Holidaze!

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Where I've Been...

Where I've Been...

Hey everyone! Thought I'd take a second to give you a little bit of a life update seeing as my blog posts have become slightly more erratic this month.

So in reality I've actually been at work and juggling my regular home life and whatnot, the holidays makes balancing everything super hard. Some has to give, right? It ended up being this little space for the past few weeks. This didn't happen on accident though, either. Let me explain...

I'm not just working one full time job anymore, I've got two. And its sucking away all my time from my hobbies and my blog. Thankfully the second job is something that I can do from home - but it still means that I go home, eat, and then start working again AFTER I've already worked a full 9-5 day. If you saw last week's planner layout that I posted on Instagram you would understand - and this week is only worse!

I honestly want to apologize for the lackluster posts that I've been writing and the lack of content. Hopefully just past the holidays I will get a better grasp on my time and I'll be back on the saddle!

Thanks for stickin' in there with me guys. I truly appreciate it.

Work Holiday Party Do's & Don'ts!

Work Holiday Party Do's & Don'ts!

DO go to your office party! (it's a delight to see your coworkers in a more relaxed setting)

DON'T party until the early morning.

DO have a cocktail, or two. (limit yourself) And have a big glass of water between drinks.

DON'T get so drunk that you are water cooler talk the next day.

DO mingle with your coworkers - and introduce yourself to others in different departments! A handshake can do wonders.

DON'T spend the whole night on your phone, put it away!

DO dress appropriately and check the dress code before arriving.

DON'T show up to the party in your club clothes (ladies AND gentlemen).

DO keep conversations light and happy and show interest in others.

DON'T spend all night talking about business, gossiping, or on inappropriate topics. (ex: politics and religion)

DO be sure and see if spouses/significant others are invited.

DON'T bring a guest if it's not allowed.

DO appoint a DD or call a cab if you plan on drinking.
DON'T drink and drive.

Happy Holidaze!

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Organizing for the Holidays

Organizing for the Holidays

Getting yourself organized for the Holidays can be, well, excruciating. And I always feel like I'm waiting until the last minute to wrap gifts (literally on Christmas Eve some years). But this year, everyone will be bought and paid before this week is even over! I even have all the gifts I've already bought wrapped! I did a few things to make this Christmas go over a LOT smoother!

» Make a list - and check it twice!

I probably write like 5 Christmas lists at LEAST before my list gets finalized. Usually only a few names get rotated in and out during this process, but come shopping day I have a finalized list and can make a finalized budget. (that I will probably blow anyway, but hey! I tried.)

» Make a Budget for each person!

Once you've got a finalized list - make a budget for each individual person! I usually cap friends at $20, close friends at $30-$40. I average ~$50 per family member although I have a tendency to splurge on my Gram (hello, $100 Estee Lauder purchase). My fiance has a ridiculous budget, I don't know why. I usually put around $100 into his budget because I will win the present buying competition. My dog gets a budget too, a little $10 that I spend on squeaky toys to only be used at Grandma's' house.

» Shop early!

Shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday + the beginning of December gets you some great deals and some time to think! The last few days before Christmas are ridiculous - so I'm avoiding the malls/stores at all costs by getting done as early as possible.

» Wrap & Ship ASAP

USPS has this wonderful thing called 'if it fits, it ships' flat rate boxes that are affordable and you can shove as much crap in there as it can hold. Wrap your gifts ASAP (or throw them in bags with tissue paper, I don't judge) and get them shipped out. The sooner the better because the post is going to be slammed with all the holiday boxes.

Happy Holidaze!

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Stocking Stuffers 2015

STUFF THOSE STOCKINGS

(with awesome stuff)

Finding little things to stuff a stocking with that won't break your bank is disgustingly hard, So here are some simple ideas to toss in someone's stocking!

1. A Cute Makeup Bag - because Target, F21, H&M, and almost everywhere sells makeup bags. Cute pencil cases count too!

2. Small Notebook - who doesn't need one of these? Something small and cute that they can pop in their bag is definitely something that you can pop in their stocking.

3. Candles - I found a holiday kit that has THREE small candles that are perfect for the person who loves to burn the midnight oil. (and loves to make their house smell good)

4. Adult Coloring Book - why not? The designs inside are super pretty and apparently coloring is a good stress reliever. Make them go get their own colored pencils though.

5. Portable phone charger - Trust me on this one, they will LOVE you if you pop this in their stocking. No more having to carry that charger around or just letting their phone die, these small portable chargers are a life-saver! (and cheap!)

6. Nail polishes - Because what girl doesn't want more nail polish? + Holiday sets are in and are usually pretty affordable.

7. Fuzzy socks - because fuzzy socks. They are literally a little fuzzy blankie specifically made for your feet. What could be better?

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Black Friday 2015

Black Friday Shopping 2015

Black Friday shopping is the only Friday where I actually enjoy getting up at 5:30 in the morning. No, I don't enjoy the 5:30am wake up call and dealing with massive crowds - but I will not let a few bad eggs ruin my entire day!

For the most part, people are generally polite when I go shopping on Black Friday. My Gram and I have had the same schedule for Black Friday since I started going when I was like 15. She's had the same schedule for like 20 years probably! My family is not one to start shopping on Thanksgiving. We spend our time together and we enjoy it.

Our Black Friday Schedule:
5:30 AM - Wake up call!
6 AM - Don't get glam, just get dressed because we're walking out the door at this time.
6:15 AM - Kohls, which is a department store that we particularly enjoy. I love the sweaters they usually carry and I've gotten some of my absolute favorite dresses from here. It was surprsiingly empty this morning which made for a pleasurable shopping experience. 
8:30 AM - End store one, head to store two. (JCPenny) Which was fairly busy at this point, but everyone was still in good spirits and we were feelin' good. We got some coffee and continued on our adventure! 
12 PM - Hangry and ready to eat! Food court here we come!
As soon as we got everything in the car and we hit the food court we all went our separate ways and got the food we wanted. We all reconvened at a claimed table and ate until all the hangries went away!
We always make sure to hit Bath and Body Works, Sears, Victoria's Secret, and a couple other smaller stores inside.
12:30PM - Mall time!
We always make sure to hit Bath and Body Works, Victoria's Secret, Dillards, and a few other smaller stores inside. Chris and I got a Christmas 2015 ornament for our tree customized with ours and Busters name on it!
3 PM - Ornament pickup and then we're out! B&BW was an absolute cluster-f***. It took us over an hour to checkout because they were so slammed. VS took 45mins, the only thing that was fairly quick was the Estee Lauder makeup counter at Dillards.

Afterwards we may hit a couple more stores but by this time we're usually tuckered out and ready to go home and take a nap. (which I did)

This is a typical Black Friday excursion - I did however do quite a bit of xmas shopping before black friday this year because I did not want to try and get everyone done on one day this year. I did spent quite a bit of money - but managed to stay pretty close to my budget. Can't wait for the credit card bill this month... /cries

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Current App Obsessions

Current App Obsessions

I never ever ever ever in a billion years thought I was going to be one of those people who played mobile app games. For the longest time, I wasn't. It hasn't been until recently (aka in the past month) where I've kinda sorta fallen in love with a few app games. Only 2 though!

Best Fiends

Best Fiends is a game I probably started playing about a month ago - and I'm currently on level 106. It feels a lot like candy crush - following the "get three in a row" and complete some goals theme. It's only a little different because you aren't actually moving the board pieces, your "linking" three in a row. So diagonal moves are possible and there are special pieces on the board that do special things. You also get creatures called "fiends" who each have their own special ability and can help or hurt you in your pursuits to complete each challenge. I honestly really enjoy it as a time waster while I'm waiting or if I'm sitting on break. Kills my battery though!

Neko Atsume

I WANNA COLLECT ALL THE CATS - pretty much Neko Atsume. Its a super simple concept - leave stuff out in your yard that cats may like - and then kitties from all over come and play on the cool stuff in the yard! The shop has 31 pages of stuff you can put in your yard - AND you can get a yard expansion. Its great for the crazy cat lady in all of us.
P.S. Totally just got the yard upgrade, and Tubbs (the chunky cat) gave me his momento. I feel accomplished and even more addicted to this game.

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Blogging Advice: Breaking the Scheduling Stigma

Blogging Advice: Breaking the Scheduling Stigma

On this month's Blogging Advice I'm gonna talk about something that gets a lot of flak - Scheduling. And I'm not talking about when you schedule one or two posts - it's when you've got month's planned ahead of time.

I find that people feel scheduling that far ahead to be "cold" or to be "inorganic". Which, to be fair if your writing style comes off that way, it definitely can. A reader can always tell when the author isn't really into what they are writing about. But scheduling so far in advance doesn't make you detached from the subject in which you are writing about. If anything, your view may change and grow while that post sits and waits to be posted and you can always go back and change what you've written. (Whether it's been published or not, your opinions are allowed to change.)

If a topic comes up that you've like to post or speak about first, you can always reschedule! Moving a schedule around the moving your posts around is not as hard as it seems  - heck maybe you can even post off-schedule. *gasp* Bonus post! These extra bonus posts can also help your schedule if you're currently going through a bit of a dry-spell.

This is def a piece of helpful advice when you are working with brands and you schedule more than a month in the future: Let the brand know. Most brands like at least a tentative date in which their product will be featured. This keeps your relationship with them open and honest - which (when all's said and posted) leaves both of you with a successful post and a good working relationship.

Scheduling is not a bad thing, (tbh this post was written a month ago, with some edits throughout the month) and it definitely allows for less stress and panicking about getting posts up on time. Which I know I've done the mad dash right around posting time where I've got no ideas, no pictures, and a seemingly insurmountable task. Scheduling ahead of time gets me around that. (and scheduling my tweets for the week on Monday helps too!)

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Halloween Party 2015

Halloween Party 2015

Last year was my first year living out on my own - so I hosted my first official 'party', which of course had to be a Halloween party. This year I decided to keep with tradition and host another Halloween party. This one went a lot smoother than last year and it was super fun!

I decided to have a costume/Halloween party on my traditional Taco Tuesdays. Now for those of you who don't know, it's tradition in my house to host a taco tuesday in my apartment every other Tuesday with a few of my sorority sisters. So the party date was easy to decide on, and so was the food - TACOS!

So like I said - it was a halloween party and therefore costumes were a definite must!

Party pictures in 3...2...1... GO! 

OZ Naturals 2.5% Retinol Serum Review*

OZ Naturals 2.5% Retinol Serum Review

Being 25, I'm one of those women who think that prevention is the best intervention. So when I was in the market for a serum this opportunity presented itself at a very opportune time! Today I'm going to be doing a short and sweet review on the OZ Naturals 2.5% Retinol Serum.

The serum itself is an orangey color and comes with a pump that makes it super easy to dispense the product. Its a little watery, but its perfect to wear under a moisturizer. You must wear an SPF with it! So I tend to wear it with a BB cream with SPF or I wear it at night under my moisturizer.

I used this product for about 2 weeks - I didn't have to worry about any fine lines to fill in, but I did notice a difference in how my skin was looking! It looks and feels more rejuvenated and the baggies that I had forming under my eyes are practically gone. I also have like super sensitive skin (Benefit Porefessional literally burned my skin), but I haven't had any kind of reaction to this serum. Overall I really liked this serum and would give it a solid report card. Its actually available for purchase on Amazon for $25. They've got other products for sale on OZNaturals.com which I definitely will be having a browse through!

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* This post is sponsored by OZ Naturals. Powered by BrandBacker.

Erin Condren Planner Overview

Erin Condren Planner Overview

Recently I've decided to take my organization that I mentioned in this month's Blogging Advice to a whole different level. You all know that I use a $3 planner from the Target to keep myself organized, but I've decided to up the ante a little bit. 
Introducing my new Erin Condren Planner:

The cover I decided on was the Prism Metallic Gold cover. It took me awhile to decide but I did finally choose this cover because it is the one that stood out the most to me when I was originally looking. They have a ton of different LifePlanners to choose from, and a lot of them are customizable so you can put your own name on your own cover!

#FOTD: Everyday Fall Fierceness

#FOTD: Everyday Fall Fierceness

using ALL drugstore products

Okay so obviously I'm in love with this look and it makes me feel fierce as hell. I have been dying to get my hands on NYX Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen for FOREVER. Every time I went to Ulta they never had it in stock. So this last time when I went, they had two, I bought two. No guilt.

Products used:

elf BB cream in Buff

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Concealer in Medium Beige

Covergirl Tru Blend powder in Translucent Light 2

Ulta Illuminating powder in Yellow Diamond

Milani Powder Blush in Coral Cove

NYC Bronzing Powder in 720A Sunny

elf Smudge Pot in Cruisin Chic

Physicians Formula Eye Booster pen in Ultra Black

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

elf Eyebrow Kit in Medium

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen

Tools Used:

elf Blush Brush

elf Flat powder brush

Real Techniques Sponge

I completed this entire look in 20 mins, while sitting at my desk. The difference that 20 mins can make on your day though, is worth it.

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Recipe: Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Recipe: Cinnamon Monkey Bread

I absolutely love monkey bread and it is so super quick and easy to bake that I just had to share with you this recipe! It is literally like 5 quick and easy steps.

What you'll need: 1 fluted tube pan (12 cup), plastic storage food bag, and something to grease the pan with.

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cans Pillsbury Grands Original biscuits (theses are the ones I prefer to use, but choose the ones you like!)
1 stick melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease the pan with a shortening or cooking spray (I use Pam) and in a large plastic bag mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
2. Start to melt your butter if you haven't already and then open biscuit tubes and cut each biscuit in quarters, toss in bag to thoroughly coat each biscuit in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange pieces in the pan.
3. Mix the brown sugar and melted butter (this is why you should melt the butter while doing the above step) and pour over the biscuit pieces.
4. Bake for about 28-32 mins or until they are golden brown and no longer doughy in the center (use a toothpick or fork). Let it cool in the pan for a few mins and then turn it upside down onto your serving dish! Cut or pull-apart to serve while its still warm.

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Top 3 LUSH Bath Bombs

Top 3 LUSH Bath Bombs

1. Sex Bomb

It def wasn't the name of the bath bomb that drew me to it, but the scent of it! It's a gorgeous pink and purple bath bomb that smells deliciously like sage and jasmine and leaves my skin feeling like butter. It also turned the bath water a pretty hot pink color and was glorious to relax in for an hour.

2. Sakura Bomb

This was my first bath bomb ever. And I'm going to be honest- I'm a sucker for anything scented like a Sakura flower because I love how they smell. This didn't disappoint - it smells amazing and the fragrance is clean but still flowery. It left the water with just a slight blue tint and left my skin feeling more amazing than ever. My fiance even said something about how lovely it smelled and how soft my skin was when we cuddled up in bed that night.

3. BlackBerry Bath Bomb

This one is one of my more recent purchases when I was trying to get away from all the floral scents. I originally bought this for my Mom to try and ended up using it for myself (oops!). I popped it into my bath tub and it immediately turned my bath water a gorgeous purple color and it smelled fruity but not overpoweringly so. I think this bath bomb was a good foray into the more fruity scented bath bombs, but I still prefer my floral ones.

What are your favorite bath bombs? I need to try them allll.

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Current Netflix Obsessions October 2015

Current Netflix Obsessions

Quick Update from the last post: I've finished both Scooby Doo AND Ghost Whisperer (like that's a surprise!). But I've also managed to watch through 2 seasons of RuPauls Drag Race and am now completely caught up on the TV show Steven Universe. Yes, I have no life.

Blogging Advice: Organization

Blogging Advice: Organization

I was sitting on my office the other day (ya know, at work) and thinking about ALL that I have learned in the little over a year+ I've been blogging. One thing that I definitely didn't have a grasp on until recently is ORGANIZATION.

I have been able to organize and plan an entire month of blog posts just my keeping myself organized on on a schedule! My planner is my lifesaver. I write everything I could possibly need in it, from blog posts to chat topics (and questions) for both the #USBloggerChat and the #bdibNA. I also include other things like appointments I have to keep and deadlines for projects at work!

This is a quick sneak peek of what my planner looks like weekly!

Blogging Advice

Blogging Advice

Tomorrow starts an installment of a new monthly series here on Hello Wench. 

(Basically a series on all the crap I wish I knew when I started blogging)

+ some tips for seasoned bloggers

It aims to be helpful to other bloggers/people looking to put themselves on a schedule and to keep themselves a little more organized. I've only been at this for a year, but I feel like I've learned so much and I want to share that wealth of knowledge with you! 

Directory:

Organization

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

aka #PinkOctober

Now normally I wouldn't put topics like this on my blog, and I specifically steered away from this topic last October. But in this year I feel like I've grown and I feel like it's something that should be written about.

Breast cancer has always been one of those things that has touched me in a way that I can't explain. It's probably the only cause I've actually put time, effort, and some hard earned cash to support. When I was in high school the dance team I was on would ALWAYS do the Susan G. Komen walk for a cure 5k. We would help the ladies warm up and would help by cheering and dancing as they walked the finish line. Many, many women who walked were survivors. But many of them were families and friends of the women (and MEN) who did not win their battle. No matter their purpose, it was always smiles and good times because we were there supporting a great cause.

In April 2013 my Aunt (my Mom's sister) was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. This sent my Mom into a whirlwind. She almost immediately flew out to Oklahoma where she lives and while she was undergoing treatment my Momma was there doing what she could for her. Good news is - She's cancer free! My Aunt can count herself as 1 survivor of the estimated 231,840** expected cases of invasive breast cancer this year.

Every year since I graduated high school I've done something for cancer, whether it be dye my hair pink to spread awareness, donate money, or volunteer my time I've always managed to do something.

MAC Whirl Lip Pencil and Lipstick

MAC Whirl Lip Pencil and Lipstick

MAC Whirl has been around the block a couple times, well, more than a couple times. But for me this is my first MAC purchase because I've just heard so many good things about it and I just had to try it for myself.

First things first, the color is gorgeous. It's the perfect pinkish-brown color for me, and I can definitely see it being a staple this season. Whirl is one of those shades that looks different on everyone and I definitely overdid it the first time I used the lip pencil. THe next time though I used a lighter hand and filled it with its matching lipstick. I ended up topping this off with a gloss I had on hand (some neutral NYX one) and I absolutely loved how it came out. I'm going to have to try an ombre effect with this lipstick because it is BOMB. Which is expected.

Are you a longtime lover of Whirl?

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#ManiMonday with Impress Manicure*

#ManiMonday with Impress Manicure*

It's well known that I'm a terrible nail biter - it's only recently that I've allowed my fingernails to grow out. I've used different press-on nails before and they were completely subpar in comparison to these ones. ImPRESS Manicure was nice enough to send me a couple samples and I couldn't be happier!

This is how my nails started out! You can't really notice it but the only reason my nails even made it to this length is because I wore acrylics for over 2 months. As most of us know, acrylics are not very nice to natural nails so my nails are pretty brittle and thin. Which makes regular nail glue a no-go for me and the adhesive they use even better than I expected! 

Sorority Transition: Active to Alumna

Sorority Transition: Active to Alumna

Who knew a decision I made 3 years ago would affect my life in the profound way it has. In these photos are some my best friends, and they just so happen to also be my sisters.

We may not be of blood, but we are a family no matter what. My gram always told me you get out of life what you put into it, but I think this sisterhood has given be back ten-fold what I've given it.

This post is long, picture filled, and probably very sappy. But this is what it feels like to be in a sisterhood of smart, amazing, driven, and powerful women.

What's In My Makeup Bag

Whats In My Makeup Bag

Today I had originally planned a super quick and easy get ready with me for work, but I recently was changing my makeup bag and I realized how much crap I carry with me almost everyday. So I decided to do this instead.

Lets start at the base. For my face I've got an elf BB cream in beige, an elf powder in light, and a Milani blush in Coral Cove. I've talked about these essentials multiple times around here on the blog so why wouldn't they be in my everyday makeup bag?! The brushes I use to apply these things to my face are the elf flat powder brush and the elf blush brush. Both are faves of mine and I almost always have these brushes in my makeup bag.

The BB cream is perfect for the weather here in South FL as it is almost always disgustingly hot and I know you don't have to powder a BB cream, but I usually powder the T zone of my face so I don't look quite so greasy.

Next on my list is products just for the eyes! I didn't quite realize how much eye stuff I carried around but then again it wasn't until I went to take pictures when I realized I needed to empty this bag.