getting organized for the Holidays!

It's official, Thanksgiving is over and Christmas (my favorite time of the year!) is just around the corner!  I plan to get organized for the Holidays this week.  Making a list of gifts to buy, putting up the tree, decorating the house and starting the many crafts I have lined up for myself to make (hoping they happen as my Thanksgiving crafts never did!).

Here are 3 things I will be thinking about this week that I thought I would share: 

1. Organizing gift wrap 

Planning on assessing what I have and deciding what I need. 

2. Decorating the tree

How to decorate the tree?  Going the Martha Stewart route or the homemade ornaments, etc.  Bright lights or white? 

3. Who is on your list to shop for? 

I plan to figure out who I'm shopping for, what's my budget and where to buy.  I love helpful printable list you can purchase here. You can use code IHEARTCYBERMON to get a 35% discount.

Just a few ideas to get you started this week- or maybe you're already done?

Who has their shopping done & tree up?  

weekend recap! {via iphone}

we had so much fun visiting our friends who recently moved to wine country- Hess Collection below

right near Hess Collection

it was so beautiful- rolling hills of colored leaves everywhere we looked

 on our way out we stopped at Fremont Diner for a plate full of...

chicken & waffles (thank goodness the week before was filled with green smoothies)

hope you had a great weekend! 

makeup brushes {organizing & investing}

If you've been reading for a while, you probably remember this post a while back on organizing makeup brushes. If you look closely at the faded out handles, most of the brushes are from MAC over 7 years ago...

& they've never been washed.  Kidding!  I wash them often with a gentle shampoo and let them air dry on a towel flat and they've never needed to be replaced until now.  They are finally starting to fray and not apply as well. My point is, if you need a set of brushes I highly suggest MAC {runner up for me would be Stila, specifically this one and this one} and right now they have a fabulous set for $49.50: 

My favorites are in this set: blush brush, blending brush, eyeliner/brow brush, shadow brush

love the lucite handles too-all these brushes on their own would be well over $49!

Lastly, although I'm really into using jars, vases & anything else different to store brushes, I'm really loving this:

under $12!

How do you store your makeup brushes?  And what's your favorite brand? 

*this is not a sponsored post

blueberry bliss smoothie

This smoothie is a lot like the last with the exception of the berries...

1 cup of organic kale with stems removed {I like to cut it up with kitchen shears before I put it in the blender}
1/2 cup of organic almond milk
1 cup of frozen organic blueberries
1 organic banana
1 tablespoon of chia seeds {I purchased this brand because there was an IRC on the package for $1.00 off}
*handful of fresh blackberries {you don't need them, I had some on hand}

If you add 1/2 cup of cold water or ice, this will make it easier to drink. I don't mind it without, but it goes down much better with more liquid in the mix.

Mix all ingredients together in the blender & drink up while it's cold. Always best when it's cold!

stewed collard greens & white beans {made into soup}

Ending the day with more greens.  This recipe was adapted from here, but I've made my own version & turned it more into a soup {I didn't have the time/ingredients listed but I liked the idea}.

1 can of cannellini beans {I would have used 2 cans next time-we felt it lacked beans}
1/4 cup of virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion chopped
2 green onions chopped
4 cloves of garlic
red pepper flakes
1 bunch of collard greens cut into 3 inch strips {next time I would have used less and cut much smaller strips}
8 cups of water
salt

Heat oil in large pan, saute onion, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Add collard greens in batches, stir until wilted.  Add beans and water, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered,  until beans and greens are tender.  Garnish with fresh pepper. Next time I would actually let the soup simmer, we were starving and only let it simmer for about 15 minutes...

I LOVED this soup, my fiance was not a fan.  I bet it tastes a lot different with the parmesan rind it calls for in the recipe :)  but this is meant for a low cal-gluten free-vegan meal.

Enjoy!

vegan + gluten free afternoon snack

Pretty sure I could eat this deliciousness all day...

During a cleanse or when I'm trying to stay away from the bad snacks, I love this very easy go-to treat.  It will hold you over until you grab a salad at lunch, or you could eat it as a dessert in the evening. 

2 organic brown rice cakes by Lundberg   {this is my favorite brand}

1 organic banana

organic raw almond butter

cinnamon 

Cover rice cakes in almond butter, add sliced banana and sprinkle with cinnamon. 

get your groove back green smoothie.

I get so jazzed over everyone's positive feed back on health posts.  Seriously.  Huge smiles from reading your comments.  Let's start off with a basic green smoothie for the people who are interested.  It really doesn't look that appetizing here, but it's an easy green smoothie to make that tastes pretty good.  

1 cup of organic kale with stems removed {I like to cut it up with kitchen shears before I put it in the blender}

1/2 cup of organic almond milk

1 cup of frozen organic strawberries

1 organic banana 

1 tablespoon of chia seeds {I purchased this brand because there was an IRC on the package for $1.00 off}

*handful of fresh raspberries {you don't need them, I had some on hand}

If you add 1/2 cup of cold water or ice, this will make it easier to drink.  I don't mind it without, but it goes down much better with more liquid in the mix.

Mix all ingredients together in the blender & drink up while it's cold.  Always best when it's cold!

I'll get another one up soon.  Feel free to leave comments on how you thought it tasted, or your variations. 

Enjoy!

slowing down + greens

I've been busy lately, eating unhealthy and not finding time to exercise.  It's time to find a way to slow down and take care of what's important.  My health. 

Anyone else feeling that way?   

This week I'm going to try very hard to start my days off with a smoothie and get a good amount of greens in throughout the day.  I forced myself to find 30 minutes to go to the grocery store today & stock up on the green stuff.  Looking inside my fridge right now makes me happy.

Over the weekend I also allowed myself to just hang out in bed and watch tv for a little while...even though my monstrous to-do list was waiting for me to get up.  It was pure bliss.

Bottom line- I'm going to try and make more time for health this week.  Starting with smoothies in the mornings.

I will try to post recipes for those who are interested.  Let me know if you are!

make some time for yourself this week :)

Office Organizing Idea: Pegboard

I know I've seen this before, but I thought I'd post it again here for inspiration. A pegboard is the perfect tool  for organizing desk items {from small to large} and keeping frequently used items within arms reach. You can also spray paint it to match your office/desk area.  Looks like a fab way to store ribbon for this Holiday season too!

it's friday folks!

I couldn't resist showing you all this photo from our dear friends who made the buttery chicken sando last night. My sweet friend {pictured} & husband are expecting and I can't wait to meet their little one.  By the way, how cute are the pups just hoping for a crumb to fall?  This made my day yesterday!

We're taking off this weekend to get some much needed wedding details done...

Hope you all have a nice weekend!  Doing anything fun? 

p.s. if you have any pics inspired by projects/recipes on deliciously organized, I'd love to see them!