September Favorites

1- Becca Highlight in "Champagne Pop" 
I know I blogged about this highlighter recently, but I just had to include it in my monthly favorites because I've been using it almost every day since I got it!  It's the most gorgeous peachy champagne color and it's so pigmented.  If I'm not in the mood to be all fancy with a face highlight - I'll just dab some on as an eyeshadow and be good to go!  Love this stuff!

2- Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliant
Now, let me preface this one by saying I did NOT buy this full size skin care product.  Nor am I telling you that you should run out and spent $80 on an exfoliant.  BUT I did receive a decent sample size of this in my August Ipsy bag, and it is such an amazing and luxurious product!  It's gentle but it cleanses and exfoliates your skin, leaving it feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. And the subtle minty scent is just so perfect for fall and winter.  If you're in Sephora any time soon, ask for a sample of this stuff - it's pretty great. 

3- Kat Von D Shade Light Contour Palette 
I've had this palette for months, and I still use it all the time.  I use it to set my concealer, for a bronzer, and also as a daily eyeshadow.  It's creamy and smooth, blendable, and the colors are so natural looking.  A great value for the amount of product and range of colors that you get!  

4- Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss 
I got this lip gloss on sale at Sephora and it's the first one I had tried in this Sephora Collection line.  I snagged it for $7, and I absolutely love it! My color (#42) has sold out, but I definitely want to pick up other shades!  It's a perfect gloss consistency - not too sticky, but very moisturizing and long lasting!  I reach for it almost every day!

5- Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads
These are an oldie but a goodie.  I've used these eye makeup remover pads since college.  I started using Bioderma back in the spring, and now that I've run out of that, I'm back to theses little pads and they are a dream.  Love them!

6- Anastasia Brow Wiz 
Another staple in my beauty drawer.  This eyebrow pencil is simply the best one I've ever used.  Natural, long-wearing, and so easy to apply.  I think I'm on my 3rd one!  

7- Mac Blush in "Sunbasque"
This blush was a splurge and I spent months deciding whether or not I should get it.  But I'm so glad I did.  It was perfect for summer - a dark peachy color with shimmer - and will still transition very well into fall.  It's almost like a bronzer and blush in one, which is great for those crazy (or lazy) days when you don't want to mess with makeup. 

8- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream 
I was introduced to this line last year, and I've honestly loved every product I've tried.  This cream might be my favorite of them all though - it's so thick, moisturizing, and luxurious feeling.  But it doesn't leave you feeling sticky or goopy.  I love it for the fall and winter especially when my skin gets dry and thirsty.  

9- Living Proof "Perfect Hair Day" Treatment

I picked up the travel size of this when I went to Florida this summer, and I have loved using it as a weekly treatment on my hair since then.  It claims to provide volume, smoothness, conditioning, strength and polish in one easy step.  And I agree! A little goes a long way too, I'm sure I'll be using the travel size for months to come.  Just use on damp hair before blow drying.  

Hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favorites over the past month!

Did you have any beauty standouts or products you would recommend?

Baby #2 - Weeks 32-34

Here are weeks 32-34!  There were definitely some highs and lows through these 3 weeks.
I started getting some contractions, which were quite uncomfortable, some stomach pain, and I actually got a little anxiety about baby preparation!

But then I had a fabulous baby sprinkle, my parents drove up, and helped me tremendously with baby prep and checking most everything off of my to-do list!  I now feel like I'm just about ready for baby girl's arrival in just a few short weeks!

How far along?  weeks 32

Baby Size: Baby is the size of a honeydew melon.

Total weight gain/loss: Around 32 lbs.

Maternity clothes? This comfy Splendid dress has been on a weekly rotation :)

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well - got a small wedge pillow that has helped tremendously! 

Best moment this week: Had an ultrasound to see baby girl!  She is 3lb 13oz and everything looks great!  
Miss Anything? John and I went out for sushi - I wanted everything but ended up with cooked salmon :/
Movement: Kicking quite often, mostly active at night.

Food cravings: Pizza.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing is making me sick!  I've had more of an appetite lately ;)

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions started this week!  I did not experience them with Andrew, so this was very new.  They are quite uncomfortable, but manageable.   

Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Off 
Mood? Nerves are setting in a little bit!
Looking forward to: I'm going "school" hunting for Andrew this week!  Hopefully going to find a 2 day a week program for him close to home!  

{yes - this is my 33 week pregnancy picture.  I figured I'd just throw in my outtake of the little "photo shoot" we had.  This is real life people.  A toddler running through the picture, throwing a stuffed animal directly into my face right as the camera clicked.  Cheese!)

How far along?  weeks 33

Baby Size: Baby is the size of a coconut.

Total weight gain/loss: Around 33 lbs.

Maternity clothes? It's still a little warm here, so dresses and maternity shorts.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Better!  I'm only sleeping on my sides now, and I'm typically sleeping through the night.  A little bit of heartburn, but that's gotten better too. 

Best moment this week: We found Andrew a school!  If all goes as planned, he will start in January.  I'm excited to have a couple days a week to spend time with the baby!
Miss Anything? I miss being comfortable!  And seeing my toes!
Movement: Lots of movement, and nightly hiccups.

Food cravings: Sweets, I've been really loving anything apple/cinnamon!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Definitely cannot hide this bump

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions almost daily.

Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Off ;)
Mood? Happy, nervous, and getting into nesting mode!
Looking forward to: My baby sprinkle this weekend!  And my parents coming next week! 

How far along?  weeks 34

Baby Size: Baby is the size of a cantelope.

Total weight gain/loss: Around 35 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep - shorts, dresses and some jeans here and there.  Can't wait til it gets a little cooler and I can wear leggings 24/7.

Stretch marks? Nope, knock on wood.  I didn't get them with Andrew until after he was born.

Sleep: Quite good.  Not waking up except for a little bit of heartburn. 

Best moment this week: My baby sprinkle and my parents driving up all the gifts from it!  

It was like Christmas morning!      

Miss Anything? Not waddling when I walk.
Movement: This baby is so active!  Movement all the time, especially at night and when I'm "trying" to sleep!  

Food cravings: This week, I've been eating sweets so much!  My parents have a major sweet tooth too, so we've been indulging in apple cobbler, ice cream, crepes, and more!  Whoops!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, but I still don't like riding in the car unless I'm driving.  

Have you started to show yet: Yep.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and a LOT of stomach tenderness :(

Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? Off, I don't think they'll be going back on until after the baby is born!
Mood? Excited!  Full nesting mode, and feeling much more prepared.
Looking forward to: The week spent with my parents in town!  We are going to the Zoo, the Aquarium, and then John and I will be heading up to NYC for a quick babymoon!  

Weekend Roundup

For the first official weekend of FALL, what better way to welcome it with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch? On Saturday, the three of us headed off to Lee Turkey Farm, grabbed a wagon, and started picking out fruits, veggies, and our very own pumpkin!  Andrew had so much fun, and was running around saying "Ooooh, pumpkin!" about every 5 seconds :)

 It actually got down to the 60's and 70's this weekend, so it really felt like fall! 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday night, we celebrated John's birthday, and tried out an amazing pizza place!  Check out the size of this pie!  It was so delicious and we will definitely be going back soon! 

 

 

 

Per John's request, after dinner, we headed to downtown Princeton for our favorite ice cream at Bent Spoon.  Andrew has only had ice cream a couple of times, and he loooooved getting to have such a fun treat!  And of course, this pregnant girl was pretty pleased too :)

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, we went to Church, a surprise birthday lunch for one of my girlfriends, and I went double stroller shopping! 

 

"Happy Birthday Amanda!!"

 

 

I ended up getting the Baby Jogger City Select Double.  I had been eyeing this one for months, but couldn't wrap my head around the price of it, especially with all the "extras" you had to buy.  And the fact that I already have...um, 4 single strollers!

 

Thankfully I found a barely used one on a Princeton Parent Exchange for half the price.  It came with all the bells and whistles, and Andrew was a fan for sure :)  I already set up the car seat adaptor, so we are all ready for baby girl! 

 

 

 

And today we had to make a run into the Apple Store, passing Dunkin on the way in...I had to indulge with the free iced coffee (happy national coffee day!), and of course a pumpkin glazed doughnut (happy fall!) 

 

 

 

 

Hope y'all are having a great Monday!  

 

 



Friday Five

1. Virtual Baby Shower

I recently had the most amazing and thoughtful baby shower hosted by family and friends back in Florida.  Well - I should say, they were back in Florida, while I was here in Princeton!  It was a virtual shower, and I literally FaceTimed in, as all my friends ate, drank, and opened gifts for our baby girl!  More pics to come, but here is a snippet :)

2. Visit from Parents 

My mom and dad just drove up this week, bringing the gifts from the shower, spending time with Andrew, and doing lots of "baby prep"!  They have been wonderful, and such a huge help!

3. NYC Babymoon

While they were here, John and I jetted off into the Big Apple for the weekend to celebrate the last month before baby comes!  We had so much fun and basically ate our way around the city :)  Lots of that, and sitting on park benches because every other block I had to stop and rest!  Walking around 8 months pregnant in New York City is no joke! 

4. First Haircut

Because Andrew's hair was getting a little unruly, and because 99% of people think he's a girl when out in public, we decided to utilize my Dad's hair-cutting skills and do a little trim this week.  It turned out to be a pretty big trim (his first one!), but I think it looks so much better :)

Even though I miss his curls already!

5. Meal Prep - Frozen Breakfast Burritos

With the help of my parents (see how much they did this week!?), we started completely stocking my freezer with meals and snacks for when baby #2 arrives next month.  Lasagnas, soups, casseroles, scones, and more!  Today I whipped up some breakfast burritos, and they were so quick and easy! 

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

8 eggs 

1 box frozen chopped spinach

1 tbsp minced garlic

salt and pepper

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

10 fajita flour tortillas

Directions: 

Cook ground turkey in large skillet over medium heat. Add taco seasoning and 1/3 cup of water. Mix, remove, and set aside.  Scramble together eggs, frozen spinach, salt and pepper, and garlic in same skillet. Cook through.  Add cheese and ground turkey to egg mixture and mix together until incorporated.  Remove from heat.  

Fill tortillas with egg mixture, evenly distributing among 10 tortillas (I didn't measure but maybe 1/2 cup for each one).  Wrap tortillas up tightly, with no openings for filling to fall out.  Wrap each tortilla in plastic wrap before placing in freezer bag. 

When ready to eat, microwave 1 minute and enjoy! 

Hope y'all are having a wonderful week!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

(linking up with April today!)