Trader Joe’s Holiday Gift Guide

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Since we saw both of our families for Thanksgiving, we wanted to give them their Christmas presents early so we didn’t have to pay for shipping. As annoying as it was in early November to rush and do all of the shopping, it was nice to be done with the shopping and the wrapping! Both of our families love Trader Joe’s but since they are rare in the South where both of our families live, I thought a Trader Joe’s haul would be great stocking stuffers that they can open early! For anyone who needs a small gift for that cousin they only see once a year or your dad that loves to cook, Trader Joe’s is a great place to stop by and stock up on stocking stuffers or last minute gifts!

Gluten Free Snacks
My mom is gluten free and struggles to find food that doesn’t have gluten and is actually tasty. I went a little crazy and bought all of the gluten free things for her and she was so excited to have snacks and food.

Chocolate Bars
They have giant chocolate bars that make for amazing stocking stuffers and are budget friendly!

Maple Syrup Set
If you are staying with family and need a small hostess gift, this would be perfect! My boys in my family love maple syrup so this becomes a fun tradition of trying different flavors of maple syrup at breakfast.

Beauty Gift Sets
From face masks, lotions to soap, Trader Joe’s has amazing beauty gift sets to give to anyone obsessed with TJ’s!

Seasonal Candles
Another great hostess gift find that you can easily toss in your cart while you are stocking up on groceries. Pick up a few of these to have on hand for last minute gifts.

Seasonal Blend Set
For anyone that loves to cook, this is a great gift because it’s not something that you usually buy yourself. My dad loves to get these types of gifts for every holiday and he’s the type of person who is difficult to shop for!

Seasonal Hand Soap
Stock up on a few of these to put in people’s stockings. The packaging is really cute too!

Seasonal Snacks
For anyone who loves Trader Joe’s and snacks, stock up on their seasonal snacks to give as gifts or keep for yourself.

How Keeping My Home Clean Helps My Mental Health

Published on by blonde rosie2 Comments

I like to consider myself a clean person. I have my weekly routine of tidying up, laundry and changing my bedding that helps me stay on top of everything. However recently, life has been so busy that I just haven’t had time to clean. I thought going to bed without putting my dishes in the dishwasher to get an extra five minutes of sleep would be worth it but at the end of the week, I now needed more than 5 minutes to clean the house. So starting in January, I am doing a deep clean of my house and going back to my routine to keep my home clean… Does anyone else like to do a deep clean in January?

Bathroom
I keep a small plastic bin of cleaning supplies in our hall closet next to the bathroom so I can make cleaning easy and convenient. Be sure to have a roll of paper towels, a cleaner with bleach, a multi-surface cleaner, and toilet cleaner so you have no excuses not to clean the bathroom! At night while I do a face mask or use mouthwash, I will clean the sink and countertops and I can get everything clean by the time I need to wash the mask off.

Vacuum
I used to never vacuum because it was such a pain until I bought myself this cordless vacuum. Now when I see a mess, I immediately clean it up and do a quick walk through the house while I have the vacuum out. Once a week, I will vacuum the floors and pick up pet hair on the couch and it only takes me minutes to keep the house dirt free.

Bedding and Laundry
On Saturday mornings, I bring all of the laundry to the basement and sort it by color in baskets that I keep by the washer. Since I have enough clothes that I don’t need to do laundry every week, I can pick out the clothes that I need to wash and leave the rest in the hamper for the next week. On Sunday mornings, I strip the bed and bring the sheets to the basement to get washed. Under our bed, I have a storage container of sheet sets so I can immediately make the bed with fresh sheets. After too many times of bringing sheets down to wash and then forgetting to do it until late Sunday night, now I just swap out the sheets right away. Once a month I will wash the other blankets and duvet cover.

Containing Clutter
Having a two story house is great until I need to clean and put everything away. I keep a fold up storage cube at the bottom landing of our stairs and at the top of the stairs to collect items that need to be brought up and brought down. Everytime I go up or down the stairs I can pick up something and put it back where it belongs. It takes time but then it doesn’t make cleaning so overwhelming.

Kitchen
We take the trash out on Sunday nights and go through the fridge to toss old leftovers or expired food before we bring it to the curb. We are pretty good at keeping the kitchen clean and I like to wipe down counters and load up the dishwasher while I cook dinner. I’m a big multitasker so I like to clean up while I watch tv or wait for dinner to cook.

After work I rarely have any energy so I like to do my cleaning on the weekends. I found that when I keep up with a routine, cleaning is easy and it’s easy to keep up with. One day I will have enough money for a maid, but for now I spend my Saturday mornings cleaning! I love coming home to a clean home and cleaning has always been relaxing to me. There’s just something calming about organizing a drawer or finding a better system for my linen closet.

My J. Crew Factory Holiday Favorites

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I haven’t done much shopping for holiday outfits because my closet is already filled with so many festive pieces. Most importantly is that they are all classic and work year after year and most of them are from J. Crew Factory. There is just something about their plaid that gets me into the holiday spirit! Since there are so many good sales going on right now because of the holidays, I thought it would be a good time to share my J. Crew Factory holiday faves.

Statement Holiday Top // I have one from last season that I wore constantly throughout December. I am excited to see it back this season in a new tartan print! This top is classic and can easily be worn for work everyday or for a festive occasion.

Fair Isle Sweater // Every year J. Crew Factory has a perfectly preppy version of the classic fair isle sweater.

The Vail Parka // I love this coat so much that I bought it three times! I currently have it in a grey, red, and black.

Pearl Headband // It looks like headbands are back in style and my two day dirty hair appreciates it! The headbands are an easy accessory to wear and are a perfect gift for a friend.

Scallop Camis // I have a few of these camis and wear them the entire year. Super cute for the summer months and can be worn with a cardigan during the colder months. I love wearing these with a sparkly necklace as the adult version of the going out outfit.

Velvet Bow Hair Ties // This was the number one item on my Christmas wish list last year and I wear these constantly to work. On my busier days at work, I like to put my hair up in a pony tail and these are great when I need a little something to make me look a little more professional and less frazzled.

Tissue Turtlenecks // If you are one of those people that can’t wear turtlenecks because of how they make your neck feel, then I highly encourage you to scoop up a few of these. When I wear skirts to work I often wear it with a tissue turtleneck for a chic look and they look great with jeans when I want to go for a classic look.

Sweaters // You can never have too many and you can never go wrong with a classic sweater for that preppy holiday look. I’m actually embarrassed by how many sweaters I own and I really do wear all of them!

All I Want for Christmas is a Dyson Vacuum

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For months, I have wanted a new vacuum that actually worked so I read all the reviews and did my research. The final conclusion was that the Dyson cordless stick vacuum was the best on the market. As much as I didn’t want to spend the money, I knew it was just one of those adult purchases that I needed to make so I kept an eye out for the best price. During the Thanksgiving holiday, I noticed that Target was running an amazing deal on the Dyson cordless vacuum. On Black Friday, we hopped in the car and drove to a Target near my parents house and purchased the last vacuum on the shelf! As soon as we got home from North Carolina, I opened the box to start charging it!

With our cat and just usual foot traffic, we had a lot of dust bunnies and just the normal dirt that accumulates in a house. It took me 30 minutes to vacuum the entire house and I had to empty the canister 3 times because the amount of dirt it picked up! Because it weighs only 5 pounds, it is easy to do a quick vacuum whenever I see a mess or do a quick clean during the week. There is a bit of a price difference between the Motorhead Model and the Animal Model so we went with the standard Motorhead Model. So far we have had no issues with picking up Ed’s cat fur and I can use the handheld attachment to vacuum the couch with ease! I’m a little embarrassed to admit how excited I am to vacuum because that is how much I love it! At work, I am telling all of my coworkers to treat themselves for Christmas and buy a new vacuum because it makes cleaning a breeze! Dyson offers several options so you can find the best option that fits your home needs. So far, I have been really impressed with our vacuum and can’t imagine using anything else. I have found that with previous vacuums you have to go over back and forth to get up all of the dirt, but the Dyson picks up everything the first time. It makes cleaning easy and I don’t have to worry about a cord going from room to room. I hope Santa treats you to a new Dyson vacuum for Christmas!

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Dyson Vacuum // Pajamas

The Holiday Gift Guide: My Favorite Things

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I rounded up the items that I love and especially love to give my family and friends. I own most of these items or have given them as presents in the past so I know they are perfect for gifts for others or even yourself!

Daily Desk Calendar // I ask for one of these every year because it brings me so much joy! I especially love to have daily quotes, activities and fun trivia ones.

Google Home Mini and the Google Home Hub // This is the perfect present for your tech-savvy friend or the person who has everything. I purchased a few Google Home Mini’s when they were on sale and I have my eyes on the Google Hub for those who already have a Mini.

Earrings // A little something special for anyone on your list! These come in a variety of styles and a nice price point so they can be a nice gift for a coworker or a stocking stuffer.

Kate Spade Frame // The perfect gift for your friends who are accomplishing goals and successfully adulting. It’s such a lovely frame and you can put a nice photo in for a personalized gift.

Slippers // These are amazing. I cannot recommend them enough and I love to give them to all of my friends for Christmas.

Velvet Bow Hair Ties // Kate Middleton wore this hair bow last year and they sold out within hours! I’m so happy they are back this year because they look so cute and come in multiple colors. I talked all about them in this blog post here.

Monogram Mug // These coffee mugs were so popular that they sold out by December! Luckily they were restocked from A-Z so you can get anyone on your list a personalized gift that everyone will love.

Camp Socks // These are amazing and great stocking stuffers!

Perfume // I love getting a new perfume at Christmas time and I really like Love by Victoria Secret for every day. For a higher-end perfume, I really love La Vie Est Belle by Lancome for special occasions.

Bath and Body Works Candles // You can never have too many candles and you should definitely take advantage of the Christmas sales to stock up to give as gifts.

Black Friday Sales

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SHOP THE OUTFIT

Jeans // Coat // Boots

Now that Thanksgiving dinner has been eaten and I am snacking on pumpkin pie, we can start shopping the Black Friday Sales! There are so many amazing sales and deals right now so you can get started on your Christmas shopping or get a few things for yourself. I’m making it easy to shop and see where the sales are!

Abercrombie // 50% off everything & free shipping

Anthropologie // 30% off everything

Bath & Body Works // Buy 3 Get 3 Free, $4 Gingham Body Care, $30 Tote with $30 Order

DSW // 30% off with code BIGTHANKS

EXPRESS // 50% off & free shipping
Downtown Cami // Fair Isle Sweater Dress // Denim // Ribbed Turtleneck Sweater

GAP // 50% off
Soft Shawl Collar Cardigan // Tunic Sweater // Work Out Tank

H&M // 30% off and free shipping
Work Blouse with Tie Collar // White Blazer // Off The Shoulder Sweater

J. Crew // 50% off and 60% off Sale
Tartan Ruffle Sleeve Top // Sweater with Jeweled Buttons // Pom Pom Sweater

J. Crew Factory // 60% off everything
City Coat // Parka Coat // Cap Toe Heels // velvet bow hair tie // tissue turtleneck // Fair Isle Sweater // Twill Jacket // slippers //

LOFT // 50% off
Sweater // Floral Button Dress // Faux Leather Skirt // Ruffle Tie Blouse

MACY’S //
Throw Blanket // Christmas Duvet // Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette //

MADEWELL // 30% off

NORDSTROM //

OLD NAVY // 50% off everything

SOMA // 30% off & free shipping

T3 // 25% off sitewide

TARGET // So many deals! $10 sweaters, $15 pajamas
Dyson V7 Vacuum // Google Home Mini // Fitbit