A Few of My Favorite Things

Nothing really going on today to blog about, so I thought I would post about a couple of my "can't live without items." The theme for this posting is products other people have suggested to me.

Cetaphil is the lotion I use everyday. I prefer the cream that comes in this tub. Its the best moisturizer ever created. It has no scent, no alcohol, and no oil. Its made with water, so it helps your skin retain the max amount of moisture. My mother and granny have been using it for decades. Because of Cetaphil, my skin rarely breaks out, doesn't dry out, and the tone is even.

Spirutein is a protein shake that I have for breakfast everyday. Its all natural, has every single vitamin and mineral you would ever need, and its delicious. I prefer the chocolate flavor with skim milk. I have tried others like vanilla and strawberry, but they are too chalky for my taste. I know some people rave about the cookies and cream, but I have yet to try it. Its not like a fitness buff protein shake, its more of a meal replacement with vitamins. It does not have a large amount of protein, and with milk its only about 170 calorie. I often have two shakes a day, one for breakfast and one for dinner. Its a great way to save some calories and time. I love the taste and texture. It reminds me of a chocolate milkshake. I use an immersion hand blender to get it mixed. A spoon doesn't really work very well, no matter what the jar says.

More Pics of Christmas Tree

More pictures of my tree and a couple of my momma's that I decorated during Thanksgiving.


I made the bow with ribbon from Four Seasons.

Momma threw out all her old ornaments. I had to start from scratch. I went with Green and red.

A close up of my favorite ornament.

The good camera works so much better than the blackberry phone.

Hello Kitty Beach Cruiser and Walkydog

This is just a post of pictures that I took on my Blackberry. Not great quality, but it always seems I never have the "good" camera at hand. These pictures depict my favorite activity here in Socal, bike riding to the beach. I bought a Hello Kitty Beach Cruiser my first weekend in Marina del Rey. I love it!!!!! I also bought a special clamp that fastens under my seat, and clamps to Adrianne's harness. This allows her to run alongside the bike, without getting caught in the wheels while also leaving my hands to steer. Its the best thing ever, called the Walkydog. I love the area we live in.

Adrianne looking at some Seagulls. She would really like to chase them.

Area between the Marina and Pacific Ocean

The other side from the Marina. You can almost make out an oil tanker in the distance.

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...Whoa is it leaning?

Last Sunday was a busy day in our household. We were expecting guests the next weekend, and we wanted to have the Christmas tree up and decorated. Unfortunately, I was out of town the following week, so it had to be done Sunday morning. (There is no way I would trust decorating to Patrick) We found a garden center just up the road that offers free delivery, and we headed out around 8AM. I just love going to nurseries. Everything smells so fresh, and I love the sounds of the water fountains. They had tons of really lush fresh cut trees from Oregon. Anyone that knows me, knows I'm known for quick decisions. I had the tree picked out in 3 minutes. It was a grand fir, about 7 feet tall. I discussed delivery with the garden guy, and he told me the truck was booked until Tuesday. Bummer. Of course, I wasn't going to give up that easily. I found another employee, and told him I wanted it delivered it this morning. He said no problem, and that he would just follow us home and deliver it immediately. Yay!!! It pays to be persistent. We got the tree in the apartment. Sorry about the needles neighbors! (I did vacuum the hallway after we got the tree in) We set the tree down in front of the window. I was not able to decorate just yet, because the carpet guy was due at noon. We really needed a good carpet cleaning. Thanks Adrianne:( The carpet guy was really great. He works by himself, and he is from England. He also only uses organic products. It took him about 4 hours to finish. Partly because he was watching football with Patrick. I didn't get to decorate that night, bc we were not supposed to walk on the carpet until dry. Needless to say, I did not feel up to it at 10PM. I decided to wake up at 5AM, and decorate my tree. I did finish, but it does look a little crooked. See for yourself.

We did get the tree straightened later that week. My camera phone doesn't really do it much justice, but its gorgeous in person. I really like the natural trees with the various gold, brown, and bronze ornaments. I used clear lights, bc they just look more modern, and the ribbon is from Four Seasons. Thanks Michael! Another bonus of the real tree, is the smell. My apartment smells like fresh pine and Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just a Small Town Girl

I have wanted to start a blog for some time now, and since this is my slow time of year and I finally passed my CPA exam, I now have extra time to write. Yay! If you are not aware, the title "Just a Small Town Girl" is a line from a Journey song, Don't Stop Believing. Journey is definitely a favorite of mine as well as Patrick's. Everytime we encounter a jukebox with Journey we have to play at least two, and force those around us to witness our Steve Perry impressions. I will admit Patrick's is a little more, how should I say this, "energetic". I don't really have a set theme planned for my blog. I don't have any children to post cute pics of, and I know everyone will just get sick of stories about my dog, Adrianne. I think she's the best thing ever, but maybe not enough content to center a blog around. Don't worry there will be plenty of cute pics of my little Boo Boo posted. I'm basically going to post anything I feel like sharing, whether it be a new beauty product, a new place I visited, or even a recipe or two. Who knows maybe even Patrick will make guest appearances. (I promise I will try to keep the Notre Dame/Eagles stories to a minimum.)