What's Up Wednesday :: December 2018

Happy Wednesday! It's time for our What's Up Wednesday Link Up!

Link up with  me, Sheaffer & Shay the LAST Wednesday of each month so we can read about What's Up with YOU!

Here we go!

What We’re Eating this week..... 
Monday: Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday

Wednesday: Tomato Soup & Caesar Salad

Thursday: Pizza Night (since this is like a Friday and we don't have school Friday!)

Friday: Dinner at our friends 40th Surprise Party

Treats I am making this week:
Over the weekend we made Christmas Sprinkle Sugar Cookies {HERE}


My friend has her annual Cookie Exchange tomorrow night. This year I am making my Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars:

Last year I made my Peanut Butter Ritzies:

The year before I made my Candy Cane Kisses:

What I'm Reminiscing about.....
Santa visits. This year, we went to visit our regular Santa where we have gone since Kate was born in 2007 and when we went last weekend, it was a different Santa...apparently our Santa might be sick? They were very vague, but my sister and I were so sad our regular Santa wasn't there.
So, I've been reminiscing & looking back at all our Santa photos....if you've read my blog for awhile, you know that crying kids with Santa (and the Easter Bunny) are my favorite. My kids gave me some epic crying photos when they were toddlers.

2008

Claire's 1st Christmas {3 months}, Kate {23 months}

2010

Kate {3.5 years old} & Claire {2 years old}

 One of the best ever. 2013....Luke & his cousin Jack. So good.

Now my kids happily smile & sit with Santa. 

 What I'm loving.....

12 Deals of Christmas!

I have 12 amazing Christmas deals that are all a part of a bulk order and I LOVE that you guys are taking advantage of these deals and that you get to save $$$.

These deals are good for customers or non customers.

 

Here are the 12 Deals:

This is the biggest set of deals I've ever had!

Ends this Friday, 12/21

Deal #1 - Redefine Regimen for $160

Deal #2 - Reverse Lightening Regimen for $150

Deal #3 - Reverse Brightening Regimen for $150

Deal #4 - Unblemish Regimen for $140

Deal #5 - Soothe Regimen for $135

Deal #6 - Buy any Regimen and get Lash Boost for HALF OFF!

Deal #7 - Get our AMP Roller & Intensive Renewing Serum for $175

Deal #8 - Buy Radiant Defense and get FREE make up removing wipes.

Deal #9 - Bright Eye Complex & Radiant Defense Gift Set with FREE mirror

Deal #10 - Lash Boost and Radiant Defense Gift Set and you get a Free Brush ($38 value)

Deal #11 - MicroDerm Paste & Active Hydration Body Replenish Gift Set and get a FREE Sunless Tanner ($25 value)

Deal #12 - Customer favorites at consultant pricing! Redefine Eye Cream for $48, Lash Boost for $115 or Active Hydration Serum for $85 

If you have been wanting to try Rodan + Fields, this is the perfect time to order!

If you have been wanting to try Rodan + Fields and get a big discount, be sure and check out the full post HERE. 

Email me to get one of these deals or email me with questions.

 I am here to help :)

melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

What We've been up to.....
December has been a fun month!
Kate & I ran a Christmas 5k
 We've had our court Christmas Party & White Elephant Exchange
Adventure Awaits Baby Shower for my sister

Ice Skating in San Francisco
3rd annual Christmas Sock Exchange with friends
Seeing Santa
Baking Cookies & Watching Christmas movies

What I'm Dreading.....
 Our semester ends tomorrow so I am dreading finishing up all the grading I have to get done.
Grade 140 quizzes, 140 projects and 140 Homework Packets.

What I'm Working On.....
See above. Grading, grading, grading.
Send coffee (and wine!!!)

What I'm Excited About.....
 The fact that we have 2.5 weeks off starting tomorrow afternoon!!!!!!!
This has been me the past couple days...

Specifically, Hallmark Christmas movies! Love them!

This pretty much sums up last weekend:

What I'm Watching.......

 All the Hallmark Christmas movies!
Please tell me you have the Hallmark Christmas movie app...it's amazing!!!

I am making really good progress :)

What I'm Reading.....
 Usually I read 4-5 books a month, but I've read ZERO.ZILCH.NADA because of my Hallmark Christmas movie addiction.
Why read when you can watch cheesy Christmas movies? ;)
Once December 26th hits I will stop watching Christmas movies & I have plans to read some of the books that have been collecting dust on my nightstand for the past month.
We are heading to Tahoe at the end of the month, so I know I will have lots of reading time once we are there.

What I'm Listening to.....
 Christmas music playing in our house & my car 24-7
These are 3 of my favorite Christmas albums:
Jessica Simpson (HERE)

Mariah Carey (HERE)


Michael Buble (HERE)

This year I added another album to the mix and it's becoming a favorite:
Kelly Clarkson Wrapped in Red

I also love the Today's Christmas Music Station on Pandora.

What I'm Wearing.....
We have had really mild weather this month. It's been in the 60s here in Northern California.
It's chilly in the morning, then it warms up and is really nice.
These are the booties I have been wearing....
These black ones

I also wear this jacket a lot...the olive green color is perfect!
This is my go-to jacket.

The color is perfect & neutral and goes with everything!
I got it HERE, but it's sold out so you can also get it HERE & save 40%

What I’m doing this weekend.....
We have a really fun weekend ahead.
Surprise 40th birthday party on Friday night
Larson Family Christmas all day Saturday
Surprising the girls and spending the day in San Francisco on Sunday

What I'm Looking Forward to next month.....
 Going to Lake Tahoe and skiing!
I LOVE Tahoe and I really love snow...so excited!
We got ski passes again this year & now I am just praying for snow.
The past 2 winters were so fun with all the snow we got, fingers crossed this winter is just as good!

What else is new.....

This appetizer recipe I posted last week.
New to the blog, but a holiday staple for us.
It's a dried cranberry, diced apple, pecan & warm brown sugar mixture poured over a wedge of Brie Cheese.
I'm making it for Christmas....so easy to make and good!
Recipe HERE

Question of the month is:
What are your last minute Christmas gift ideas?
Two Words:
GIFT CARDS!!!!!

I LOVE gift cards.
I love giving them and I love getting them.
Or anything from Amazon...here is our kids Christmas....everything from Amazon!!!!
Hello, free 2 day shipping. #thebest

What did we do before Amazon Prime?!?

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If you are new to my blog, thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to follow along! 

You can find me on Bloglovin, Facebook & Instagram

Can't wait to read about What's up with all of YOU!

What's Up Wednesday :: November 2018

It's the last Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for our What's Up Wednesday Link Up!

Link up with  me, Sheaffer & Shay the LAST Wednesday of each month so we can read about What's Up with YOU!

Here we go!

What We’re Eating this week..... 
Monday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread

Tuesday:  Chicken Taco Soup 
Wednesday:  Leftovers

Thursday: Instant Pot Butter Chicken

Friday: Friday Night Pizza Night


Other things I am making this week:
It's rainy all week, so I made a batch of Split Pea Soup to have for lunch.

We have our cul-de-sac Christmas Party this weekend and I am in charge of desserts.
I am going to make Peppermint Ice Cream Cake 

 I am also making a batch of my Salted Caramel Brownies:

What I'm Reminiscing about.....
Because it was Thanksgiving last week I have been reminiscing about last Thanksgiving when we went to NYC see the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade!

It was a Bucket List trip and one I will remember forever! I blogged about each day we were there.
You can read about our trip:
Day 1 HERE 
Day 2 HERE
Day 3 HERE {Thanksgiving Parade Day}

Day 4 HERE

What I'm loving.....
So, I did a thing this year...I got a 2nd tree so that we could have one in our family room/kitchen area. This is where we spend most of our time and I wanted to be able to see our tree while we have dinner & watch Christmas movies.

 Kate and I decided to make this tree a “pretty adult tree” and it only has silver & gold ornaments on it. I love it. The kids decorated our other tree in the living room by the fireplace and it has all our other ornaments with memories & color. The kids did a great job on it, I let them have full control over it and they did the whole thing. I love that tree also & I really love that wherever you are in our downstairs, you can see a Christmas tree.

We got the house is 100% decorated this past weekend...stay tuned for more photos!

What We've been up to.....
 November was a very strange month.
The Northern California Paradise fire that started on November 8th caused terrible air quality here in the Bay Area until Thanksgiving Day. For 2 weeks, we stayed inside. Students couldn't go outside at school, PE and sports practices were cancelled and they even cancelled a day of school because the air quality was so bad.
We watched a lot of movies, played board games & read books.
The air cleared up on Thanksgiving and we headed to the horse races at Golden Gate Fields with Kevin's family. They have been going on Thanksgiving Day for over 50 years.

Then we went to my parents for Thanksgiving Dinner....my favorite meal of the year.
 
Cousins!

On Friday night I went to the Fleetwood Mac concert with my Dad and some of my aunts, uncles and cousins.

 So many childhood memories listening to them on family roadtrips!

We had a blast!

They've still got it!

Saturday we went to the Colorado vs. Cal football game.

If you would have told me 5 weeks ago (when Colorado was undefeated at 5-0) that we would lose the next 7 games, Coach Mac would be fired & we wouldn’t be going to a bowl game...I wouldn’t have believed you.


The Buffs keep breaking my heart, but we will keep cheering them on and staying hopeful for next season.

What I'm Dreading.....
Nothing right time, I just love this time of year!

What I'm Working On.....
Addressing envelopes to mail out our Christmas cards.
I LOVE Christmas cards, but I don't love the prep work of them. LOL!
I still hand address them, I've been meaning to make a spreadsheet/labels on our computer for years now, but just haven't done that yet...maybe I will do that this weekend!
My goal is to get them mailed out by early next week.

What I'm Excited About.....
CYBER WEEK Rodan + Fields Deals!
These are good for anyone! If you are a customer or not!

  FREE eye cream when you buy a regimen!
That is a $60 value for FREE!
Our eye cream is one of our most popular products, helps with crows feet & puffiness.

 This brave consultant only used the eye cream on one eye for 3 weeks.

It's less puffy & she doesn't have bags under that eye! 

  We have regimens for all skin types.
 What is your biggest skin concern? I'm here to help!
Take THIS quick 5 question survey to find out what is best for your skin! 

R+F results are incredible. Unblemish is one of my top sellers!

  My personal favorite is Reverse...it got rid of my pregnancy melasma & sun damage brown spots.

The other Cyber Week deal is Lash Boost for $30 off retail pricing!
$120 & free shipping!
Lash boost is amazing...the results speak for themselves.

One tube will last 4-5 months.


The 3rd Cyber Week Deal is when you buy our newest product Radiant Defense Perfecting Liquid.

 
When you order this, you get a brush for free! $35 value!

It goes on so easily & it so lightweight. I never wear foundation, but I am loving the Radiant Defense. You would use this in place of foundation. I am seriously obsessed...it covers up the scar on my nose from my skin cancer surgery. I don't even need to wear concealer on my scar anymore.
  This is me with Radiant Defense on in shade 3 (Sand):

 One bottle of Radiant Defense will last 5-6 months.
Comes with a 60 day empty bottle 100% money back guarantee.
Radiant Defense is good for all skin types, has SPF 30 and won't clog pores...it's good for your skin!

 If you are interested in Radiant Defense, you can find your shade on my color matcher HERE.

 
Message me to place an order. These deals end on Friday November 30th
melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

What I'm Watching........

Hallmark Christmas movies! 
Did you know they have an app?

 You can track what you have watched and it tells you all the new movies for the season and what times they will be on TV.

I have Hallmark Channel & Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel, so that is 37 new Hallmark Christmas movies I need to watch by Christmas :)

 I can check them all off on my app & it tells me when the next showing is.
What a time to be alive! LOL!
 
Download it!!!!!

What I'm Reading.....
I only read 2 books in November. 

 China Rich Girlfriend

This is the 2nd in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy & I liked it also!
4 out of 5 stars.

The Perfect Mother

This was just okay...I wanted to like it more.
3.5 out of 5 stars

What I'm Listening to.....
Christmas music playing in our house 24-7
These are my top 3 favorite Christmas albums:

Jessica Simpson (HERE)

Mariah Carey (HERE)

Michael Buble (HERE)

 What I'm Wearing.....

We have had really mild weather this month. It's been in the 60s here in Northern California.
It's chilly in the morning, then it warms up and is really nice.
THESE are the booties I have been wearing....

They come in 4 colors and they are SO comfy!

I am leaning towards getting this color as well.

My favorite is THIS denim jacket. I wear it at least once a week.


It comes in 3 shades of denim, I have the one above and the one below on the right.

Save

It doesn't get too cold here in California, so these jackets are perfect for us here in all seasons.

What I’m doing this weekend.....

 Gingerbread Making Party
Neighborhood Christmas Party


What I'm Looking Forward to next month.....

Justin Timberlake concert!!!!
 Christmas!!!!!!
2 weeks off of school & going skiing in Tahoe

What else is new.....

Claire got her ears pierced!
Our family “rule” is you have to wait until you are 10 to get your ears pierced. Claire’s 10th birthday was 2 months ago, but it was right in middle of soccer season which meant she had to wait until soccer was over to get her ears pierced.
 It finally happened earlier this month and she couldn’t be more excited!
 
If you need a place to get piercings, I recommend going to a tattoo/piercing shop. They did Kate’s 2 years ago & now Claire’s.

Question of the month is:
What are your Elf on the Shelf ideas?
We don't do that many "creative" Elf on the Shelf poses, we mostly just move the Elf to different spots around our house.
This is your friendly reminder & PSA that you can delay having your Elf appear for a week or so because they are in the N.E.T.P (New Elf Training Program) and they are off training other Elves.
I posted about this last year, so wanted to remind you about it because one less week of the Elf is the best! Kevin and I started delaying the Elf by writing these letters a few years ago. Last year, I wrote this letter at the end of November and our Elf didn’t appear until December 6th or 7th...it was the BEST. Working on this years letter now, so wanted to remind all of you about this. Even if you’ve already gotten your Elf out this year, just leave a letter one morning letting your kids know your Elf will be gone for 4-5 days (or a week!!!) training another Elf. It will give you a nice little break. Thanksgiving was so early this year. Don’t want to deal with moving the Elf everyday for a month.

Here is the original letter I wrote 3 years ago:

Feel free to copy! 
 If actually need a creative idea for the Elf, I do have a fun one called  "Magic Elf Seeds"

If you need a good laugh, read my Cautionary Tale HERE  about planing Magic Elf Seeds and you can also get the free printable for Magic Elf Seeds!
I did this 2 years ago & think I will attempt it again this year.

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If you are new to my blog, thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to follow along! 

You can find me on Bloglovin, Facebook & Instagram

Can't wait to read about What's up with all of YOU!