Firmoo

I received this product complimentary from Firmoo to review, but no other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. 

I was so excited to receive an email from Firmoo asking if I would like to try their glasses! I immediately went to their website to check it out and saw so many cute frames, and such amazing prices! Only problem was, I don't wear prescription lenses.

Thankfully they have an option to get non-prescription. I had actually wanted to try fashion frames for a while, so this was perfect!

The ordering process was super easy, all I had to do was choose my frames, my lenses, and you can even choose to have them tinted if you want. If you're unsure about how the frames would look on you, they have a feature that allows you to take a picture of yourself and then "try them on" to see if they are flattering to your face. 

When they arrived, I immediately opened the package and was so impressed at the quality, especially for such great prices! They feel like they are made of really sturdy, high quality material that wouldn't break easily or wear out. The hinges swing smoothly, the frames are a gorgeous tortoise shell, and the lenses are very clear, not cloudy or dull. 

I was also impressed with how comfortable they were. They don't pinch behind my ears or on the bridge of my nose, which was my biggest concern in glasses that would be on my face constantly throughout the day, as opposed to sunglasses which I typically only wear when I'm driving. 

I usually don't choose frames this big for my sunglasses, but since I was trying something new in ordering fashion frames, I thought I would go for it! They're definitely bigger on my face than I'm used to, but I LOVE them! 

Do I look smarter???

Or just more hipster? 

They come with the hard case (love it, soo pretty!) and a soft case, as well as a cleaning cloth and a screwdriver to tighten the hinges if needed. 

They also have a program for new customers where you get your first pair FREE! Pretty awesome! Check out the details of the First Pair Free program here. 

All in all I have been very impressed, and it's been fun to wear my new glasses and see my friend's reactions! Plus Adam thinks I look cute in them, so that's a win. :) 

I would definitely recommend you check them out, especially if you actually need glasses, unlike me just playing dress up. I'm still debating wearing them to work- I would get questions about them all day (What, you wear glasses? Since when? Have you been wearing contacts all this time? Oh you don't really need them? They're not prescription? Then why are you wearing them? Why are they so big on your face?) or I'd just get teased all day, and do I really feel like dealing with that? Some people just don't get us fashionistas. The struggle, she's real. 

Disclaimer: This button contains an affiliate link, and I receive commission on sales from this link. 

Hodges Podges

 

Confessions: Christmas Edition

>> I just ordered Adam's Christmas presents on Amazon last night (Don't worry, we have Prime- free 2 day shipping has saved us more than once). However in my defense we really hadn't decided for sure to do gifts for each other until a few days ago. Ok, maybe that's not much of a defense. We can be pretty indecisive.

It's just that we were going to try be all adult and put the money towards buying a grill because ours is literally falling apart and then I was like, "But that's SO boring and presents on Christmas morning tho!!!" Hi, I'm five. 

>> Eating of Christmas treats and junk food is out of control you guys. And the worst part is I don't see it improving for another couple of weeks. I mean, it's like I see food and I'm all "Food! Let's eat it!" I have zero willpower right now, and I don't really care. Isn't this what leggings and baggy sweaters and tunics are for?

>> In related news I've already had the Peppermint Chocolate Chip shake from Chick-Fil-A twice, and Dairy Queen has a similar one and I really feel like I need to have one to compare the two. For research and science. 

(Non Christmas related- does anyone else spend way too much time looking for memes to go with your posts?? I swear I could write a post in one third the time if I wasn't looking for memes or gifs)

>> I volunteered to help with the raffle and trivia game at the Holiday Luncheon at work and then found out the raffle prizes were AmEx gift cards and I was ineligible to win since I had seen the trivia questions. I mean, I really was happy to help, but AmEx gift cards!!

>> I am extremely paranoid about leaving our Christmas tree lights on at night or when we leave the house, even if it's only for half an hour. And even though we have an artificial tree which makes the risk of it catching on fire pretty low. But I saw this video on Facebook where a (real) tree went up in flames and spread to the entire room in under a minute, and that just made this nervous nellie even more neurotic. It's almost as bad as that moment I realize I don't remember if I unplugged my straight iron or not. 

>> Some of my favorite Christmas albums are Christian contemporary ones from the late 80's and all of the 90's. Don't get me wrong, I love the newer albums too. And some of these old ones are pretty cheesy. but there's just something about the ones you grew up listening to. Warm fuzzies galore. 

Do you have any Christmas confessions? 

Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake

Several of you requested the recipe for the cheesecake I made for the party, so here it is! 

Cheesecake can be kind of challenging if you've never made it before or you don't have much baking experience, but just follow the recipe and you should be fine! If you have any questions about it, let me know! I didn't write this recipe, but I've made it several times so I can help with questions! Enjoy!

 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I use chocolate graham crackers or teddy grahams)

1/4 cup butter, melted 

2 tablespoons sugar 

4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 

1/3 cup whipping cream 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 large eggs 

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks 

1/2 cup coarsely crushed hard peppermint candies (about 18 candies) 

3/4 cup whipping cream 

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels 

Garnishes: 65 soft peppermint sticks (5 small bags), broken, and peppermint bark 

Preparation

Combine first 3 ingredients; stir well. Press mixture firmly on bottom of a lightly greased 9" springform pan. Bake at 325° for 14 minutes; let cool.

(My tip: Grease the springform pan really well, even if it's non-stick, and if you're still concerned about it sticking you can even line it with parchment paper, it will peel right off of the cheesecake after you remove the pan)

Beat cream cheese (room temp is best!) at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, beating just until blended. Add 1/3 cup whipping cream and next 3 ingredients, beating just until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Stir in chocolate chunks and crushed candies.

(My tip: Be careful not to overbeat, cheesecakes don't like being overbeaten! Just until it's mixed and not too high speed on the mixer)

Pour batter into baked crust. Bake at 325° for 52 to 55 minutes or until edges are set and center is almost set. Turn off oven. 

Immediately run a knife around edge of pan, releasing sides. With oven door slightly open, let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. Remove from oven; cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours. Remove sides and bottom of pan; place cheesecake on a serving plate.

Pour 3/4 cup whipping cream into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until hot. Add 1 1/2 cups semisweet morsels; stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Pour ganache over chilled cheesecake, allowing ganache to spill over edges of cheesecake; smooth ganache with an offset spatula. Let stand 10 minutes before garnishing. Store in refrigerator.

Note:

 

For easy cleanup, place wax paper strips under edges of cheesecake on serving plate. When you pour the ganache, it will drip onto the wax paper. Gently remove wax paper strips after the 10-minute standing time.

Christmas with Southern Living 2008

Weekend Recap

As usual this weekend went waaay too fast, but I got everything done that I wanted to, so at least I feel accomplished! 

Friday night I decided it would be a grand idea to go by the mall on the way home from work to take advantage of the Charming Charlie BOGO sale plus a $10 off coupon I had. Yes, I am a crazy person. The traffic on the way there was horrific, but the mall itself actually wasn't too bad. 

I got a necklace, earrings, and 3 bracelets for $4! 

We grabbed pizza for dinner and spent a lovely night at home watching Christmas movies and HIMYM. I finally put my Amazon wish list together for Adam so he can easily "shop" for me. We love Prime! 

Saturday Adam went out to the RC club and I stayed home did things around the house and got ready for the party that night. I made some pretty awesome spinach and artichoke dip and painted my nails. 

The party was fun and we met an adorable doggy! 

We had to take pictures while we were all dressed up: 

Sunday I cleaned the house and did the laundry- thrilling! But I actually really enjoy getting the house all reset for the week! I also did some reading for the Blogger Book Club and snuggled with the pups. 

We went to dinner with a friend and then we came home and I got my Christmas cards addressed! So glad to finally get that done! 

This week should be pretty chill at work, we have a holiday luncheon on Tuesday and then we're going to see the Nutcracker on Friday night! So excited! 

How was your weekend? 

 

Revisiting Wii Fit + Secret Outlast Clear Gel

I received this product as a complimentary sample from BzzAgent, but all opinions are my own.

So I was sent another deodorant to try (Are these companies trying to tell me something?)

The first thing I noticed about it was that it was a clear gel, so no white streaks or flakes on my clothes! The next thing I noticed was that it dried SUPER fast. One complaint I have had about other clear gels is the fact that they still feel wet after you get dressed and take FOREVER to dry, which just feels gross. This one was dry in under a minute! 

I decided to break out the old Wii Fit today, just for something different. Of course the first thing it tells me is that it's been 1220 days since I last played it. To the Wii that makes me a major slacker. Then it measures my weight and balance (16 pounds down from last time I was on it, yay! But apparently my balance sucks). Then it calculated my Wii Fit age and said I'm 37. Thanks a lot Wii, but I'm 31. 

So then I did a variety of strength training exercises and a quick run. I was actually surprised at what a good workout it was, the lunges were killer! 

After working up a good sweat I was pleasantly surprised at how well the deodorant was still working. My hair might look a mess and I might be sweaty, but at least I still smelled fresh! And still no white marks on my clothes! I call that a win! 

Now if I could just get the Wii to stop verbally abusing me...

Friday Favorites

I am so looking forward to this weekend! As fun as the party was last weekend I am looking forward to a little more relaxing and low key couple of days! We will probably just chill at home tonight and tomorrow night we have a Christmas party at a friend's house! I also want to get my Christmas cards mailed out and get the house back in order. We had errands to run and places to be every night this week so as clean as we got it for the party, this week's craziness led to it looking like a tornado went through. I'm ready to get it all straight and organized again!

Favorite song: 

I love this version of Joy to the World! It's so much fun to sing along to!

Favorite recipe: 
Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake! NOM NOM NOM. So many calories, so much goodness. Will be sharing this recipe on Tuesday!

Favorite workout: 
PiYo Sweat

This move is just as fun as it looks. 

When they say sweat they ain't kidding. It's basically a bunch of down-dogs, planks and push ups. 

Favorite video: 
Daniel Radcliffe rapping "Alphabet Aerobics." Epic-ness.

Favorite funnies: 

Don't lie, you know you've done it.

Not quite like it is in the movies...

This is so accurate right now. Hence why I need a break from FB

But I'm sure these fish have a great personality! 

Have a fabulous weekend lovelies! 

Momfessionals

Christmas Bucket List

So I should have made and posted this December 1st, but whatevs. I've actually already done some of these, but still have some yet to do! 

Are any of these on your list?