Tis' the Season

I LOVE the Christmas season! I believe my mom inherited this from her mom and then I inherited from my mom and grandma. The Christmas season reminds me how thankful and blessed I am. I love the festivity, time with family, and the decorations. To sum it up, it puts me in a great mood!

This year I did a little decorating before Thanksgiving and then after Thanksgiving Justus and I put the tree up. My parents drove me back down to Norwalk after Black Friday Shopping. We met Justus at Lowe's so we could buy our very first REAL tree for our first Christmas in our house. My parents always have a real tree, so this was special to finally have a real tree. Justus and I had a fun time decorating the tree. Justus was such a helper, but wow does he despise glitter! Checkout the pics below of our decor and tree decorating.

Bowl from my Great Grandma with some pinecones, greenery, and Luminara (fake) candle

Mini ornaments I got 70% off last year at Target! 

Love the little lights with this :)

Random decor...

Ski poles from Boxwoods- love that store! 

My very special stockings from Grandma Sharol are hung. 

Cozy

Outside needed a little sparkle too! 

"Don't worry guys, I got the poinsettia!"
Dad and Justus taking care of the tree while I handle the $1 poinsettia. Mom had to document this I guess. 

Brr...got the garland up Saturday morning.

"If you give Justus a beer, he will help you decorate." He was a great sport, until the glitter appeared. 

Our first tree in our new home- makes me so happy! 

Selfie time! 

I love coming home to this. Notice the lit up Christmas pic- fun gift from my aunt last year. 

"Fally" Home

I love fall! In college I  made up the word "fally" for when something looks or feels like fall. The leaves changing, cooler temps, and fall foods just make me happy and are cozy. I have enjoyed making our house look "fally", so here are a few pics. Nothing special, just some little touches to make it feel like fall inside and out.

I got the mum at Lowes for $3! What a deal.

Metal basket with pumpkins and leaves. Leaf garland with led lights strung through. 

After a lot of searching, finally settled on an entry table

Hallway getting a little decor- still need some art for the walls. 

Front door decor: Pitcher from my mom, grass and pumpkin was a deal at Hobby Lobby! 

This is not fall, but got this succulent for $5 at Ted Lare. It was suppose to be $35! 

Pumpkin glass jar from Target filled with my fall favorite- candy corn and honey roasted peanuts.

Wood box from Target for $3 and some cheap lil pumpkins 

Apple Season

I love apples, especially in the fall. Lately I have been making a dip to go with my apples and it is my "new favorite thing" that I have to share.

Ingredients:
- Greek yogurt
- Peanut butter
- Apple or other "vehicle" to eat the dip

I love to use Jif Whips Carmel Peanut Butter and Dannon Light & Fit Greek Vanilla yogurt. Put a little yogurt in a bowl, scoop in a spoonful of peanut butter, and stir. I don't have any special measurements, just throw it together. I make this for one serving, so no need to worry about storing it. Sometimes I add a little granola to the dip for an extra crunch. Enjoy with some apples and you have a fall, healthy treat!

Dip: Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and granola 

Movies at the Library

Justus and I plan to use Sling TV as our TV provider. It is online, $20 a month, has all the channels we watch, and no contract. Our street does not have internet yet, so are waiting to signup for this service. When we do get it, I will let you know how it works incase anyone is wanting to switch to internet based TV and pay less. We have been watching local channels, but miss watching Netflix and other shows on cable. I have been going to the library when I need internet and noticed they have an awesome DVD and blue-ray section. I love Redbox, but definitely need to take advantage of the free movies at the library! I discovered they also have a great selection of TV series. Justus and I enjoy binge watching TV series on Netflix, so decided to rent Homeland in the absence of Netflix. It is a great show and I love the fact it was borrowed from the library.

For the record, I do read and love renting books for my iPad from the library. I will post later about the online library and magazine reader our library has to offer later. So, the point of this post is checkout your local library for all the perks. Rent books on your iPad/Kindle, checkout magazines online, rent movies, TV shows, and of course books! A blessing from not having internet has been discovering how great our Norwalk Library is!

Favorite Workout Apps

Hot5 

Hot5 is an app I discovered last year and is now a favorite. Hot5 features 5 minute workouts with 5 exercises for 1 minute. The person in the video does the exercises with you and there is a timer so you know when to switch. I use Hot5 to do 5 minutes of abs after cardio, but I also use it for 5-20 minute strength workouts. The great thing about Hot5 is you can do one 5 minute workout or combine several for a longer workout. Many of the workouts are equipment-free, but some do require/recommend dumbbells, kettlebell, medicine ball, etc.  The categories are:

• High intensity cardio blast (no equipment needed)
• Total bodyweight (strength moves with no equipment needed)
• Abs & Core (most are equipment free, but a few require equipment)
• Butt & Legs
• Cardio & Agility
• Muscle & Strength (most require dumbbells, kettlebell, or weighted bar)
• Yoga & Flexibility (no equipment needed)
• Partner workouts (just need a partner...Justus has yet to do this with me)

Overall, Hot5 provides a lot of options and changes things up in your workout. I have learned a lot of new exercises I use in my normal workouts. Hot5 is free, but I believe now has in-app purchases. I downloaded it last year when it was all free :)

Here is the ab workout I did this morning (Complete Abs) on YouTube! Click here for an overview of the app. 

Yoga Studio 

Yoga Studio is the best yoga app I have found and trust me, I have tried many! I had never done yoga, but wanted to learn. I was too big of a chicken to go to an actual studio, so I searched for an app and I luckily came across Yoga Studio ($3.99). It taught me how to do yoga, is not boring, and really did improve my flexibility. The teacher in the app does a great job because it seems natural and flows well. You can search through the "studio" based on focus, duration, and level.

Collections:

• Sun salutations
• Deep Relaxation Meditations
• Quick Yoga Fix (under 10 minutes each)
• Yoga for Back Pain
• Yoga for Runners (My favorite collection of classes)
• Beginner Essentials
• Intermediate Essentials
• Advanced Essentials

Focus:

• Balance
• Flexibility
• Strength
• Relaxation
• Combination

Levels:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Duration:

• 5-60 minutes
• I like to combine several shorter videos for a longer session

There are a lot of classes within each collections, so you can change it up often and not get bored. There is even the option to create your own custom class or copy a class, but make adjustments to it. There is a "poses" section where you can work on improving specific poses. I have never been to an actual yoga studio and am sure I should to get the feedback I need on form. Until then, I will keep using my Yoga Studio app!  Click here to checkout Yoga Studio and get a sneak peek before you download the app. 

Cleaning Wood Floors: Hoover Linx and Bona

My new hobby: Cleaning. Moving into a house from an apartment has been great and has many perks. One challenge though has been keeping the wood floors looking good. The 70's style tile in our apartment was far from pretty, but it did hide the dirt! I have tried several different products and tools on our wood floors, so thought I would share my favorites in case anyone has been curious on how a product works. 

A lot of hardwoods to keep clean and dust-free!

Vacuum 

Old cleaning method: Broom and dust pan
New cleaning method: Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum

Sweeping and using a dust pan/small vacuum was working, but I wanted a more efficient way to clean the house on a daily basis (ok...almost daily). We have several rugs on our hardwoods that I also wanted to vacuum. I did a lot of searching for a vacuum that safely works on hardwood floors. I came across the Hoover Linx Cordless Stick Vacuum. This vacuum is different than most because it has WindTunnel technology that can be used to clean hardwoods (no brush), but with the push of a button the brush can be turned on to better clean carpet. It has a rechargeable battery, bagless, and the filter can be rinsed when needed and reused. It is lightweight, turns easily, and fits under furniture. The wheels are also safe for wood floors. I love that when I am done I can see all the sweeps in the dirt cup before throwing them away. If I am going to take the time to clean I want to see the results! :) I love that the vacuum safely and easily switches from hardwoods to carpet so I can vacuum our rugs and bedrooms at the same time. I still use my Simplicity vacuum on the carpet, but like the Linx for a quick clean.

Go from hardwood to rug easily with the Hoover Linx

My favorite cleaning tool- Hoover Linx :)

Roll the switch from I for hardwoods (no brush) to II for carpets and rugs (brush)

Dusting/Mopping

On a daily basis I dust because our dark floors show it easily...much more than our tan tile at our apartment I learned! I switch it up between a Swiffer and my Bona Hardwood Wet Mop. The Bona mop came with a cleaning pad and hardwood cleaning spray. However, I bought a microfiber dust pad that easily velcros on so I can dust daily. It is washable, so it saves money in the long run. This works great for dust and dirt! *I don't use the spray when dusting, just when mopping. I use the cleaning pad and cleaning spray about every 2 weeks or as needed for a deeper clean.  The cleaning spray cartridge can be refilled, so it is not wasteful and saves money. Bona also makes tile spray, which I can use on our bathroom and mudroom floors. So far I love my Bona Hardwood mop since it works for dusting, mopping, and cleaning the tile.

Bona Wet Mop with the dusting pad on

Bona cleaning pad for mopping, stone cleaner, and hardwood refill

The end to a boring article on cleaning!

I purchased my Bona Mop at Lowe's and my Hoover Linx at Amazon, but they can be purchased at places like Target, Walmart, HomeDepot,  Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. 

Jif Whips

For starters, I am not paid to talk about my love of Jif Whips peanut butter... I wish I was though! I discovered Jif Whips from a coworker and friend. It was love at first taste and have been obsessed ever since. It is the best thing since sliced bread... and goes great on bread! I love using Jif Whips for your typical Pb&J and toast, but it also goes great on...

• Waffles
• English muffins and toast
• Ritz crackers
• Rice cakes
• Celery
• Smoothies/shakes

It comes in many flavors, but my favorites are regular, butterscotch, and dark chocolate. I love mix and matching the flavors with the items listed above. I do not recommend trying celery with the dark chocolate flavor though. ;) So why is Jif Whips better than regular PB? Here is why:

• Spreads easily and does not crumble your bread
• Comes in several flavors
• Lower calorie since it is airy
• Scoops easily into smoothies/shakes
• Tastes great

My Jif Whips Flavors

Ebates

This morning I got an email from Ebates that I received cash back for my latest Target purchase online. I figured this is worthy of my first "Favorite Things" post.  I use to receive a check in the mail, but I recently switched to have the cash back deposited directly to my bank account. "Earning" money for shopping at Target & Amazon?! Sign me up! I was skeptical at first, but have been using Ebates for over 5 years and have received a lot in cash back.

Check it out here: Ebates
If you end up loving it, you can now add a button to Chrome that reminds you when to use Ebates.

My latest Ebates stats