Last Minute Father's Day Gifts

Last Minute Father's Day Gifts

I try to not buy gifts last minute - but that never seems to happen. WHOOPS.

1. Golf Balls & Golf Tees

If your Dad is an avid golfer they always seem to need these! (no srsly my Dad always asks for these on Fathers day)

2. Amazon Fire Stick

This amazing little stick just plugs into the HDMI port on the TV, connects to Wifi, and Viola! Amazon on your TV. We ended up buying more because it was so useful and now we've got one too.

3. Fitbit

For the health-conscious Dad. (aka not mine)

4. Outdoor Grill

Last year (I think) my family all got together and bought my Dad a really nice grill + some accessories. He loves it and uses it as often as he can now!

5. Wristwatch

If you Dad wears a watch there are TONS of nice looking and affordable watches out there.

But don't forget the importance of just a card! My grandfather is a man who wants not and needs not - so I always end up just buying a card and popping a gift card for a restaurant he frequents inside. I know they get used because he always tells me that they come in handy.

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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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Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend

I totally forgot that yesterday was Tuesday - I kept thinking that is was Monday all day. That aside, this past weekend was Labor Day here in the States and that means a three day weekend! Woohoo! So here's my weekend in a set of photos.

My long weekend started out with a terribad rainstorm.

But it pretty quickly picked up as soon as Chris & I made it to our destination. Also, $10 beach umbrellas.

The rain never seemed to want to leave - and this bird was enjoying the temp drop.

To be fair though, sunsets after a rainstorm always seem to make for the best pictures.

What did you do over Labor Day Weekend?

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1 Year Blogiversary && HelloWench.com

ITS MY 1 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY

This past year has been an absolute roller coaster and you guys were there with me EVERY step of the way. Lets just do a quick recap:

• Moved out of my parents house and into my first apartment with my fiance and best friend
• Learned how to sustain myself and maybe even cook a little
• Moved my fiance ACROSS THE COUNTRY to live with me
• Juggled my last year at university as an engineering major with a full time job, fiance, and family
• Adopted/Rescued Buster
• Lost 30lbs (and then gained it back, whoops!)
• My cousin finally got married!
• First Christmas/Holiday season with the fiance
• Managed finances properly while the fiance was out of work
• Kept team morale up!
• Had pneumonia (wtf, who gets pneumonia in the middle of Spring?)
• Pushed through the final semester and GRADUATED with a 3.0 GPA.
• Took my first vacation in years
• Hit my 1 Year viewing goal of 10k total pageviews!

I can't believe the friends I've made along the way and you guys are seriously the best. Thanks for being there for me.

Also: if you hadn't noticed I finally bought my domain as my one year present to myself! Hello Wench finally has a home! 

HelloWench.com

Here's to another year! *clink*

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Holiday Decorating & Cookie Baking

Holiday Decorating & Cookie Baking

Lets be honest, the Holidays are expensive enough with all the gifts your buying and whatnot. I want my house to look festive and expensive without actually being expensive!

Since I just moved into my apartment this past year, I had NO holiday decorations. So of course the first thing I did once December rolled around was figure out what I was going to do for Christmas decorations! The first thing that needed to be picked up was a Christmas tree. I've never had a real tree before, and honestly my apartment is wayyy too small for a 6ft Christmas tree. So I opted for the fake 4ft tall kind that you can buy from Target on sale for $75. Next: Baubles. I opted for the classic red and gold theme for the tree, although I really wanted to do an all white theme. $1 store, here we come. I bought all of our tree baubles AND the star for the tree at our local Dollar store. And honestly, I think it turned out pretty nice.

 

I have to admit though, some of the ornaments were not from the dollar store. My Grandma loves the Christmas store, and when she went there she bought a ton of absolutely adorable ornaments. And she even got one to commemorate our first Christmas actually living together.

Comfy Winter Look & Holiday Music!

Comfy Winter Look & Holiday Music!

Today I thought I'd give you a look into my version of a comfy "winter" outfit. 

This outfit is actually something I made at the start of Fall, but it was so hot here I completely forgot all about it because it didn't feel like Fall to me. But finally the weather has given up and has decided to get a bit colder. So I pulled this outfit back from the depths of polyvore and decided to share it with you guys.

I love myself a cute, fuzzy, warm, white sweater (I own two). And I love to pair them with either A) Dark wash skinny jeans or B) Distressed boyfriend jeans with a cute cuff. I decided on the boyfriend jeans for this look with some pretty neutral accessories. I've been loving beige/nudes for the Fall/Winter so I kept with that. A simple nude colored scarf and some nude ballet flats. I love the idea of a cute standout purse with such a neutral outfit to give it a little flair, and then adding some cute heart earrings, a gold bangle, and a cute little ring. I kept the makeup seriously basic with a nude lip and mascara for a simple but polished look.

I feel like this outfit would be perfect for visiting a friend and lounging on their couch while you drink delicious hot chocolate and listen to some holiday music.

Speaking of music This Holiday...

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day Everyone!

Over here in the states Labor Day is a national holiday where no mail runs and the only person who seems to have to work is my fiance! It's also the last holiday of summer and traditionally marks the end of summer. I usually spend this holiday with my Aunt and Uncle, Grandparents, and parents on the beach sunbathing and overall having a great time. This year though, my Aunt and Uncle couldn't make it and Chris has to work today! I also made plans to go work on my Engineering Design project with my group today. So Labor Day will be exactly that, Labor!

--Update--