Author: Big Mama

This is going to be quick because I spent all afternoon starting to put the kitchen back together. I have never been more in need of an organizational expert. The possibilities of where to put everything are endless and I’m a little overwhelmed. I also found myself wanting a lot of baskets and doing real live measurements to cut the shelf liners correctly. In short, this kitchen project has made me the best version of myself for at least 24 hours.

Here are a few things I found this week:

1. embroidered treelike sweater coat

This is on sale for $139.90 and I think it’s so pretty. I love these colors and would totally wear this with white jeans and tall boots.

2. knitted cowl neck sweater

I kept seeing ads for this site pop up on my Instagram so I finally decided to check it out because their stuff looked so cute and I’m in love with this sweater that’s on sale for $59.

3. turquoise and suede necklace

This is brand new at Nordstrom but it’s a great year round accessory. I realized the other day that basically my entire jewelry collection is some form of turquoise and I’m okay with that. The heart wants what it wants.

4. steve madden embroidered clutch

How cute and fun is this clutch? Love.

5. shirttail tunic sweater

Loft has a ton of stuff that’s 50% off with no code needed and I especially like this sweater with a shirttail hem. It comes in several different color options.

6. free people she’s all that knit turtleneck

Speaking of sweaters, this Free People sweater is on sale for $84.90 and it is so soft and warm. Plus, it comes in several color options.

7. sorel 1964 premium boots

My biggest crush right now is on Sorel boots. I’m in love! I’m in love! And I don’t care who knows it!

The biggest issue is deciding which pair are my favorites because right now the answer would be ALL OF THEM.

8. topshop faux fur hood puffer jacket

I saw this jacket at Nordstrom and it is so cute, but Caroline doesn’t want a puffer jacket and I already have one. I love the fur lined hood but it can also be snapped off.

9. sanctuary mock neck sweater

This is my favorite sweater of the season. And it comes in several colors but I like it in this soft gray/silver color. It’s so pretty and soft.

10. fair isle sweater leggings

I’ve been eyeing these ever since they first came out. They are so fun and colorful. Gap is offering an extra 25% off with code EXTRA at checkout.

That’s it for today.

Have a good Friday.

I am so sorry that this is happening so late, but I feel the best way to describe my current state of mind to you at this moment is to tell you that I was looking for a jar of marinara sauce under the bunk beds in the playroom. This is the chaos I am living in.

You will notice some of these are the same as last year’s suggestions which just means they are perennial favorites. If I knew how to do any kind of fancy graphic I would stamp them with P’s seal of approval, although I added a few of these without him knowing because we didn’t have time to go over the list and so I’m just winging it.

Here you go:

1. under armour armourvent fishing shirt

This is P’s favorite fishing shirt and he’s tried them all. This is the newest version of this shirt and he’s a big fan.

2. L.A. police gear operator L2 lumens flashlight

While he still loves Surefire flashlights, he discovered this more affordable flashlight option this year. He says he can’t totally vouch for its long-term durability and “wouldn’t take it into a war” (Well, who would?) but it works really well outside of war zone situations apparently.

3. surefire titan led keychain flashlight

This is one of his favorites because it’s just a good, small flashlight that you can carry around for everyday use. He even carries it in his suit pocket when he is required to be dressed up.

Maybe I should get one to help me find my car keys that always find their way to the bottom of my purse.

4. mad bomber rabbit fur hat

I mean.

What do you even do with that?

But you can buy your significant other this hat. RV and cigar not included. And it’s on sale.

4. outdoor edge swing blade outdoor edge knife

I bet P owns 456 knives, many of which he’s had since childhood. He likes this knife but also recommends this Columbia river knife and tool m16 which is what he carries everyday.

Because, you know, everyone needs an everyday knife to go with their everyday flashlight.

4. worx 5 amp electric jawsaw

A friend told me about this and I nearly ordered one for P, but then I consulted Caroline and she gave it a big “NO” because she says he wouldn’t use it. I’m taking her word for it, but this sure seems like a more exciting gift option than flannel pajama bottoms. Just looking at it makes me want to go cut some stuff up.

5. north face backpack

A backpack is always a good option for an outdoorsman because they require a lot of gear. You know, flashlights and snacks and whatnot.

6. princeton tec fuel headlamp

You don’t even want to know how many headlamps we have at our house. I will tell you it’s more than the number of heads who live here.

7. warthog knife sharpener

Okay, I have to say this is the best knife sharpener ever. We’ve had ours for years and we use it to sharpen all our knives.

8. smartwool socks

We love our Smartwool socks around here. They aren’t cheap but they keep your feet warm and dry. Perfect for everyday use or hiking or hunting or shopping.

9. north face soft shell jacket

I bought P this jacket during the Nordstrom sale this year because he was in desperate need of a good jacket and this one is about all the jacket you need to get you through the harsh South Texas winters. He is super picky and loves this jacket.

10. GoPro camera

P doesn’t have one of these. I actually bought him one for Father’s Day and he told me he’d never use it (kind of like a jawsaw, I guess) so I took it back. But Gulley’s husband has one and uses it all the time to record hunting trips, sporting events, fishing trips, etc. I always think it’s really cool. Maybe I’ll get myself one along with that saw and make videos of all the stuff I’m going to cut up.

11. UV buff

Every now and then I’ll post a pic of P from a fishing trip and someone will invariably ask if he’s wearing a scarf. The answer to that question is always no.

This is what he wears. He wears them hunting, fishing, and pretty much any time he is outdoors because he has a lot of sun damage on his neck and this protects it, but doesn’t make you feel hot because it’s super lightweight, breathable material. They also make them in merino wool for cold weather.

12. klean kanteen insulated beverage bottle

I nearly called this a water bottle, but P corrected me and it’s a BEVERAGE bottle. And I have to say that it is the best beverage bottle ever. It truly keeps hot things hot and cold things cold for a long time. I used to send Caroline to school with one last year and by the end of the day it still had ice cubes that hadn’t melted.

Although my yeti rambler tumbler gives it a run for its money. I love my yeti and it keeps my coffee so hot that I have to take the lid off for it to cool down before I can drink it. It’s my best friend at early morning soccer games.

13. digiscoping adaptor with monocular for smart phone

One of my friends sent this gift idea to me because she saw that her husband had ordered it for himself and thought it might be a good gift idea for P. And it totally would be if he hadn’t already bought one for himself.

14. man crates

A reader emailed and told me about this site and it’s pretty cool. They have all kinds of wooden crates filled with various man things depending on your guy’s interests. Hunting, fishing, cooking, etc. It’s a great concept and fun gift idea.

15. taotronics bluetooth headphones

This falls in the saw and GoPro category of things P would never use. But a lot of guys would think these are great for when they’re working out or doing yard work or trying not to listen to you talk about how great it would be to redo your entire kitchen because they know it will lead to you looking for marinara sauce under the bunk bed in the playroom.

Hope this helps! Happy shopping.

Well we are officially twelve days away from Christmas. I know this because, as I sat down with my coffee yesterday morning to enjoy the lights on our Christmas tree, the whole top half of our lights shorted out. And after saying a few bad words, I did what I always do in these situations and asked P to come figure out the problem. He said it was a fuse and that I needed to find the plugs on each strand of lights. I’m sure this would be easy if I followed all the “How to decorate the Christmas tree with lights” tutorials that I’ve pinned on Pinterest, but instead I use a method I call “Keep wrapping the tree in lights in a haphazard manner until you can see it from outer space and they look kind of even”. (Trademark pending)

And so this ensures that I won’t be able to find those plugs at the end of each strand until I take the whole thing down. P suggested I could just undecorate it and fix it, but that’s when I did the calculations in my head and realized there are only twelve days until Christmas and there is no way I’m taking the decorations off this tree and putting them back on.

Basically it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as long as you just focus on the bottom half of our tree.

Update: We have now found an extension cord and have troubleshooted (troubleshot?) the problem. We have now regained 3/4 of our lights,thanks to the addition of a white extension cord that runs up the back of our tree. Keep your eye out for my Pinterest tutorial on “How to have a white trash Christmas” coming soon.

But it really stands to reason that this would be the state of our Christmas tree when you consider that our kitchen has been torn up since the week of Thanksgiving and we are living in total disorganized chaos that involves me saying things like, “Let me go get my wine glass out of the bathroom” and “The wooden spoon is in the skillet by my nightstand in the bedroom” and “the scissors have gone to heaven to live with Jesus”.

However, Caroline and I managed to get the family room decorated for Christmas. P went hunting this past weekend so Caroline and I had big plans to decorate for Christmas, eat a lot of junk food, and watch Christmas movies. It was cold and rainy which made this plan even better. I picked her up from school and we ran by Starbucks and then Whole Earth because she needed a warm jacket and has outgrown every single thing in her closet, including the jacket we bought last year that I thought for sure would last at least one more year. After that, we had to make a trip to the store I dread more than any other both at Christmas and always, Michael’s Crafts, because Caroline needed supplies for a Science project. I always leave there thinking I should’ve skipped the middle man and just drank a quart of bleach instead.

But then we got home, built a fire in the fireplace, changed into pjs, ordered pizza and decorated for Christmas while watching The Holiday. It was delightful and more than made up for Michael’s.

On Saturday we had big plans to do nothing and the guys also came to install our countertops and backsplash which meant we had to stay around the house. We did make a quick trip to Shipley’s to get donuts though because priorities. We’d also bought yarn the night before and decided to get our craft on and attempt to make these finger knit garlands I first saw on Nesting Place. Something comes over me every year at Christmas in spite of my dread of Michael’s and I like to make a craft of some sort. I have no explanation for this. It really goes against everything I normally believe in, which is essentially why make something you can buy on Etsy?

But Caroline and I agreed we found it to be a delightfully mindless way to spend a cold, rainy afternoon watching bad Hallmark Christmas movies where a girl unknowing falls in love with a prince and the queen disapproves but comes to love the common girl and the fact her family may have a white extension cord running up the back of their Christmas tree.

Because sometimes that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

The high temperature here yesterday was 49 degrees. And in San Antonio that’s about as close as we get to an arctic event. Had it been raining, I have no doubt that they would have brought out the sand trucks because there is nothing Texans fear more than roads that are both cold and wet. As for me, I was just glad to have the chance to wear an actual sweater and a coat at the same time while I finished up some Christmas shopping.

Speaking of Christmas shopping, I have two great deals I want to tell you about before we commence with the fashion portion of this post.

I believe that I have documented my love/hate relationship with Smart Barre. I hate it while I’m doing it, but I love how I feel during the last five minutes of class when I realize I’m almost done. I started going to spin class this fall and enjoy it, but I still go to Smart Barre a couple of times a week because I think it makes a huge difference in how I feel and I think it’s so important to stay flexible as you get older. I can’t do anything about the fact that I can’t read a menu anymore, but I can do something to keep my arms toned.

Twelve months of Smart Barre unlimited classes are on sale for $1,000 (which is $500 in savings) and six months of unlimited classes are on sale for $500 ($280 in savings). Either option gives you unlimited access to all the classes they offer.

The other thing I want to tell you about is The Big Boo Box from Hummingbird Farms Bath and Body.

Sophie and I have talked about our love of Hummingbird Farms products so much that they have created a gift box packed with 6 of our favorite products just for you. It includes the new Heavy Cream Trio of 3 oz. tubes of Lavender, Lavender Citrus, and Unscented, a 3 oz travel tube of the Lavender Lotion No. 145, and our Lavender Mint Shampoo and Conditioner in 8 oz. tubes. The Big Boo Box will normally sell for $75 which is $35 savings on $110 value.

But until December 31st, they are running an even better deal on The Big Boo Box and you can get the entire thing for just $49 plus free shipping when you use the code BIGBOO26 at checkout. And I will tell you that the lavender citrus lotion alone is worth it. I can’t say enough about how much I love their products and I mean it when I tell you their heavy creams are what save my skin this time of year when it’s so dry and cold. Plus, there are enough products in that box that you can gift the entire thing or pull out a few things for yourself and gift the rest.

Now, here are some cute things I found this week that might make good Christmas gifts for yourself or someone else.

1. nighttime florals dress

I loved this when I first saw it earlier this fall at Anthropologie. It would make a cute outfit for any holiday parties and could be paired with leggings if it’s too short on you.

It’s on sale for $119.95 but Anthropologie is offering an extra 30% off all sale items with no code needed at checkout.

2. bp shaker knit sweater dress

I love a sweater dress. When I was in high school I had an emerald green long sweater skirt with a matching sweater and I wore it with desert booties and pretty much thought that ensemble was the greatest thing ever. This looks super soft and would be cute with tall boots, booties or even with leggings.

3. ranche striped vest

The stripes on this complete me.

4. chelsea rib knit turtleneck sweater

I tried this on at Nordstrom a few weeks ago and nearly bought it at full price. It’s soft and the detailing in the back is so pretty, plus it’s just a flattering cut.

It’s on sale for $47.40 and also comes in black, burgundy, and gray. I will tell you that I’d probably go up a size because I think it runs just a little small.

5. crane cardigan

I saw this at Anthropologie last weekend when Gulley and I were shopping and I told her then that I was a little bit in love with it. It’s just unique and so pretty and those sleeves. I never imagined myself owning a piece of clothing with a crane on it, but this sweater might change all of that.

6. granite t-shirt dress

I tried this on this fall and loved it. It’s super soft and perfect to wear with a pair of Converse. Or I think it would look great paired with this leith cocoon cardigan and a pair of boots when it’s cold outside.

7. loft lace shift dress

Just in case you need a pretty dress for the holidays, I really like this one. The color is gorgeous and it’s $98 but now 50% off with no code needed at checkout. Loft actually has several great dresses if you need something like that.

8. winter garden statement necklace

And maybe you aren’t a dress kind of girl but need a little fancy accessory to dress up a simple sweater and a pair of jeans. This is 50% off and so pretty.

9. slouchy cashmere beanie

I have become a fan of the beanie. I wore one the other night when I sat out at Caroline’s soccer practice and when I got home, P made fun of me because it was 68 degrees outside but whatever. Let me have my beanie. This one is $33.75 and comes in multiple colors.

10. caslon rib knit scarf

And of course you need a scarf to go with your beanie. Especially when it’s 68 degrees outside. This scarf is $39, has a ton of great reviews and comes in a ton of colors.

11. winston sweater

I actually own this and love it. It is incredibly soft and is warm but lightweight at the same time and looks so cute with jeans and boots. I ordered it in the medium because I like stuff like this a little on the big side.

12. nike rally tight pant

That’s right. Tight pants. I love these and not just because I sing the “Tight Pants” song every time I put them on. Remember when I told you that sweatpants aka “joggers” are back? I ordered this pair and they are my favorites. They do fit a little tighter than normal sweats, but they are still so comfortable. I’d order a size up because I think they run small. They are on sale for $45.

That’s it for today.

Have a good Friday.