Friday Favorites: Week of 12/4

Hi my friends! I hope you had a good week.

It was a cold one up here in Brooklyn, but not too chilly. We haven’t had our first snowfall yet, so I’m thankful since I like to hold onto the fall weather as long as we can before breaking out the big coats and layers for months ahead. Either way, the Christmas sweaters (these are from Tipsy Elves) have made a comeback in 2020, and I’m here for it.

Skyler is currently fighting his nap, so I’m trying to finish this post to be able to get back to our day together if he doesn’t end up taking one. This is such a strange time for us … some days he NEEDS one and other days he refuses but is then cranky if he doesn’t take one, so we’re trying to figure out what works best for all of us. Who the heck knows anymore in 2020, right?

That said, let’s move on to this week’s edition of Friday Favorites. Here’s a look back at the what’s going on in our neck of the woods along with some things that I’ve been loving. As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section, too. Feel free to share and thank you so much for checking in today!

FRIDAY FAVORITES: WEEK OF 12/4

• picking out our Christmas tree

It’s officially December, which means that all bets are off in our household when it comes to celebrating the holidays in full force. I go hard, and I like to put a tree up ASAP, play Christmas music, and theme our baking and activities around the holiday as much as I can. Skyler is starting to really get into it, too!

Scott and I had an artificial tree for years and years, but we switched over to picking out a real tree when we moved to New York. We figured that we wouldn’t have enough storage space to keep one all year, so we embraced the real Christmas tree life and have walked to pick one out to bring home with us for the last five years. It’s become a tradition that I really look forward to!

While we usually support the local tree vendor just a street away from us, we did some research and realized that they were charging almost triple the price of what we could get from other places. I know we are in New York City, but geez. That said, we walked several extra avenues and streets to get to our neighborhood Lowe’s, and were very happy with what we found for $50.

Skyler helped us pick it out and Scott got the fun job of carrying it all the way home and then up the four flights of stairs to get it in our apartment. She’s still not decorated (we are putting lights and ornaments on tonight!), but she’s a beauty.

Are you team real tree or team artificial?

• feather bowties

Anyone who knows us already knows that Scott tends to find very unique items to add to his wardrobe. He’s a fan of bright colors, prints, and things that wouldn’t normally pop up in someone’s closet. Some things I love, while other things take some time for me to get used to.

That said, I his latest purchase really intrigues me.

I’ve never seen anything like it … feather bowties.

If you do a google search, you’ll see that they vary in price quite a bit — anywhere from forty to hundreds of dollars. Well, I’m also happy to report that he found three of them at a STEAL for about $10 each, via AliExpress. I had never heard of the website before, and he says it’s like a cheaper version of Amazon. Who knew.

You can also find great deals on them on Amazon! They may not be for everyone, but I thought they were pretty cool and wanted to share.

• simplifying meals when we’re home and distracted

I don’t know about you, but the days where we are at home working on projects or staying busy focused on specific tasks are the days where I forget to really cook or eat full meals. I used to be notorious for this pre-baby, as I would sit at the computer for hours at a time without a break. (Laughing out loud at this concept now, what is that even like without toddler interruptions, lol.) Anyways, I’ve been leaning more towards big snack plates versus formal lunches lately, and they’ve been really easy to put together.

Keep in mind, however, that I usually make another snack plate like this a few hours later as it doesn’t hold me the same as a regular meal does. And, ideally, I would include a protein like hardboiled eggs, nuts, hummus, or something to beef it up. But you get what I’m saying!

Whenever I’m in a funk of what to make with limited things on hand, I turn to multiple snack plates throughout the day, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

• 12 days of Giftmas (Beautycounter giveaways!)

Okay, if you aren’t following the Life In Leggings – Beautycounter page, you are missing out on some killer offers and giveaways from me to you. We are currently two days into a festive event I’m running called the 12 days of Giftmas!

Each day, I share a new offer (like free shipping, 15% off your order, a $5 Starbucks gift card, a $10 Amazon gift card, etc.) to anyone purchasing along with full-size product giveaway opportunities by simply engaging on the page — no purchase necessary. It’s been fun to come up with holiday-themed questions to post and reading the comments is even better. The deeper we get into the 12 days, the better the prizes, so make sure to give the page a follow if you’d like to join!

Also, the IGTV Live Chat I mentioned last week that was scheduled for 12/1 got moved to this coming Tuesday (12/8) at 8pm EST! I’m teaming up with my friends Gina and Ashley to have a casual chat about Beautycounter and the business side, so make sure to log on via Instagram if you’re interested in hearing more about this!

And finally, if this is your first time purchasing Beautycounter, you can use the promo code CHANGEBEAUTY10 to receive 10% off your order this month.⁣⁣ Please reach out to me if you have any questions about gifting to others or need help with something for yourself. (You deserve it!)

• favorite LIL posts

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This beef stew is loaded with vegetables, spices, and healthy ingredients. It’s chunky and you can even make it vegetarian by substituting beefless tips and vegetable broth. Grab your instant pot and get ready to enjoy in an hour!

» Stability & Strength Workout (With Gliders and Dumbbells)

This workout uses gliders and one set of light to medium dumbbells, but get creative with what you have on hand! You can use paper plates instead of gliders, two small hand towels, or even just socks. Just be careful of slipping if you’re on a hard surface, and have a mat nearby if that’s the case. 

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Okay, it’s time for me to wrap things up and get back to organizing around here. And, in case you were wondering, Skyler did not take his nap … so the rest of the day should be interesting!

I hope you all have a great weekend ahead, and do at least one thing that makes you smile. Thanks again for checking in today!

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*Disclaimer: Friday Favorites posts may contain affiliate links. Also, I am a Beautycounter consultant and love what I do with the company. By using the links provided in this post to order products, you are supporting my business. I always appreciate you!