December Goals from my 101 in 1001 List

It's officially my favorite month, and even though I feel permanently cold I am so happy! We have our tree up and Christmas decorations are decking the halls. This month I decided to really commit to my 101 in 1001 list by making my smaller monthly "goals" stem from that list. I want to be actively checking things off as I go so I think this will be a good way to keep participating each month.

Here are the ones I will be focusing on this month

1. Finding a new job. I am actively searching for a new position in a new field so wish me luck!

2. Fitness - I will be tracking my water intake all month, and raising my Fitbit step goals and trying to meet them daily.

3. Organizing all of my photos and baby pictures into albums. I have purchased the albums and now I just need to get them all organized!

4. Journal all month. Journaling has been something that I have wanted to do for such a long time and I never have made it a priority. So as of December 1st I am going to try and journal as much as I can, hopefully every day.

5. Go on a fancy date. We have several things this month that I think will be fancy enough for me to cross off. We will be celebrating our six years of dating anniversary. Yes, we are still celebrating that even though we are married. We also have Joe's company holiday party that is really fancy and I can't wait to see my husband in a tux again!

Of course, I hope to cross off more things this month, these are just the goals I am choosing to focus on.

What are some of your goals for this month?

Simmered in Tradition With Ragu

Thank you to Ragu for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to remake a family recipe!

Keeping traditions with my family as we get older is so important to me. My family tries to make a great effort to have dinner with each other at least a few times a month. Now that I have a brand new baby niece it is even more important to keep family traditions. We are a huge fan of pasta dishes, so my sister and I decided to get together and cook dinner for everyone.

I love the story behind Ragu and what a strong woman Aussanta was. On their website you can find their story along with awesome recipes and the many different flavors that Ragu offers. We honestly use Ragu every time I make pasta dishes because there are so many different flavors you can get, and it's a bang for your buck.

Reasons to believe in Aussanta, her sauce and her story: 
+Her Italian Heritage
+Ragu’s Commitment to Aussanta’s High Standards
+The Process – Stemming from a family recipe, Slowly simmered to add layers of flavor
+No.No.No (no artificial flavors, no artificial flavors and no high fructose corn syrup)
+Farm Grown ingredients
+Affordability

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Stuffed Shells featuring Ragu Marinara Sauce

Ingredients
Jumbo pasta shells (We used the whole box in case any broke)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh garlic

12oz skim-milk ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
4 cups fresh spinach chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil - chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups Ragu traditional or marinara sauce

Directions

+Cook the pasta as directed on the box

+Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

+Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown. +Add the spinach to pan, cook for about four minutes

+In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rest of the ingredients except the pasta sauce.

+ Pour 1/2 cup of the Ragu sauce into the bottom of a baking dish.

+ Stuff each shell with a spoonful of the mixture and place in the dish.

+Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. 

+Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from this
one_______________________________________________________________________________

Needless to say, this dish was a huge hit!

Visit the campaign landing page to discover the Ragu heritage story.

What are some of your family traditions that you will keep for years to come?

Fall To-Do List

Thank you sweet Jesus, it may actually start to cool off here in California. I am a huge fan of fall so August and September are always spent anxiously awaiting that cooler weather so I can bust out the boots and scarfs. Every season I try and make my to-do list on everything I want to do that is only seasonal, so here is my list!

In less than two weeks we celebrate one whole year of marriage and I cannot believe it! Having things to look forward to and just making this list made me so excited for the next few months. Oh, and then of course the greatest time of year is just around the corner. Now that my niece is here, I cannot wait to do fun things with her this fall. Joe and I are already planning a fall photo shoot at the pumpkin patch with her very soon. We're just a little bit obsessed with her.

What things are on your Fall bucket or to-do list?

Five Things

o n e | I made an appointment with a dermatologist per instruction from my doctor. I made this appointment about three months ago and the soonest they could get me in was last week. I went in thinking that I would get checked and walk out with nothing to worry about. I ended up having three moles removed to get biopsied and now I'm playing the waiting game of getting the results. I can't believe that that I would wait so long to get checked. I'm pretty fair skinned and have quite a few moles on my back so I didn't suspect anything. Definitely get checked even if you don't think you are at risk!

t w o | Buying books for college can be REALLY pricey. I always check Amazon first to see if they have it cheaper and most of the time I rent my books through them and its usually more than 60% off of the price than my school bookstore. This isn't sponsored or anything I just know how expensive buying books can be and Amazon has saved me a ton of money. I found my book for this semester and it was one hundred dollars cheaper!

t h r e e | I have been using the new Essie Gel top coat and I am pretty surprised in the results. I picked it up at Target to try out since I needed a new one anyway and I really like it! It gives great shine and thickness *almost* like gel nails.

f o u r | I feel like I've been a bad dog mom because I've been posting so many pictures and spending time with my new niece but this past week he has really stepped up his cuteness game (not that he wasn't the cutest already). He already does his standard tricks like sitting, standing, shaking, and rolling over, but now if you tell him to lay down he comes up to me and lays flat. I'd like to think he's giving me a hug. Now I sound like a really crazy dog mom. Sorry!

f i v e | What kind of aunt would I be if I didn't share another picture of the sweetest girl ever? So here you go!

It's my first day back to school and my class is after work today so wish me luck! I'm going to need all the caffeine to get through today. Happy Monday!

Semi Annual Sales

Semi annual sales are a girls best friend, it's almost like black Friday minus the insane times of night, the kitchen appliances and televisions; oh and the scary fighting people. I went to the mall this week and found that the deals were so much better than even black Friday, and I got a good night of sleep! I had Christmas gift cards and I waited until I knew the sales were out and I would get the most out of them.

 

 

First stop was Victoria's Secret - DUH when I think semi annual sale my mind goes directly to VS. I had already spent some of my gift card on the online sale and still haven't received those things yet, but lets just say I went a bit overboard on the underwear sale. In the actual store I purchased 3 lounge wear V-necks (normally 20 each, on sale for 9.99), a push up demi campus bra (normally 40, on sale for 20), and a pair of the beloved yoga pant leggings (normally 40 on sale for 20). I was excited to say the least, and I still have to look forward to my online purchase to come!

Next was Bath and Body Works - I know I know, I am a very stereotypical girl going to Victoria's Secret and then the one stop shop for all things smell good. I can't help it. Pretty much everything was around 50% up to 75% off!
I purchased:
Cranberry Pear Bellini - Wallflowers (2) on sale for $5.00
Japanese Cherry Blossom - Cream Body Wash normally $12.50 on sale for $4.00
Japanese Cherry Blossom - Golden Sugar Scrub normally $16.50 on sale for $4.18
True Blue Spa - Face Scrub on sale for $4.00
Aloha Orchid - Hand Soap on sale for $3.00
the lip gloss was something I needed to purchase to spend at least $30.00 to use my $10.00 off coupon. Not a fan of it at all after trying it on. Way too sticky, almost like a kids lip gloss.

I had a Sephora gift card and used that to purchase the Urban Decay b6 vitamin infused complexion prep spray ($33.00). I was really drawn to this product and wanted to splurge on it since I did have a gift card. I cannot wait to do a review on this product and I really hope it does what it says! You can find it here

I bought a dress shirt at cotton on which was also on sale!

I'd say I had a pretty successful shopping trip! Did anyone else get any good deals after the holidays?

 

My Winter Essentials!

Hi everyone and happy weekend!! Whether it be snowing, raining, or just plain cold, these are some essentials that I always keep around in the winter months.

 Cozy socks for obvious reasons, no one likes frozen toes.

Body butter because my skin has been so dry lately and my new favorite is "Warm & Cozy" from Victorias Secret.

Tissues, once again pretty self explanatory.

Chapstick is a must for me, I keep one in every single place I will be throughout the day. Car, desk, bathroom, bedside, purse, etc.

Scarves are not only convenient but also an accessory. I love wearing them not only to look cute but to keep warm.

Cough drops or cold medicine in general is a good thing to keep stocked up on for emergency mornings when you need something to get through the work or school day.

Vitamin C is a must.

Hot chocolate or tea - both are amazing and there are so many varieties to choose from.

Gloves because I have the worlds deadliest, coldest hands ever! I recently bought a pair that are touch screen compatible which makes wearing them easier!

And of course Christmas movies or Netflix cuddled with your dog or special person makes those cold days a lot better!!!

XO, Vivian

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31 things to do before December 31st!

 

 

 

Hey everyone!!

 

 

 

So today I was browsing on pinterest, as usual and I came across a picture from Kate Spade on 31 things to do before December 31st. I thought this was a great idea and I had to make my list right after reading it! The fall and winter months for me are a time with family and to do new exciting things. I hope you enjoy my list!

 

 

1. Take longer walks with Joe and our puppy.

2. Bake a pie from scratch.

3. Do black Friday shopping.

4. Buy gifts for children who need them.

5. Send out Christmas cards.

6. Hand make Christmas decorations.

7. Watch ABC Family Christmas movies.

8. Buy someone coffee at Starbucks.

9. Go to our local museum and zoo for their Christmas festivals.

10. Try a bold lip.

11. Drink hot cocoa - a lot.

12. Make my Aunt Kim's fudge.

13. Go ice skating.

14. Decorate our house for Christmas.

15. Drive around and look at Christmas lights.

16. Kiss my love under the mistle toe.

17. Make my new years resolutions.

18. keep working toward my goals and future.

19. Celebrate mine and Joe's four year anniversary.

20. Put effort into picking out thoughtful gifts.

21. Bake cookies.

22. Build a gingerbread house.

23. Listen to a ton of Christmas music.

24. Take a ton of pictures.

25. Buy my dog a cute winter sweater.

26. Donate clothes and blankets to a shelter.

27. Be kinder to people, even when they may not be kind in return.

28. Make homemade soups.

29. Try egg nog for the first time.

30. Spend the holidays with my favorite people.

31. Make a ton of new memories.

 

Let me know some of your things you would like to do before the end of 2013!

 

~Vivian~