Friday Fixations

Requested by a few friends, here is a list of my most recent obsessions.  Some are products; some are practices.  Some even have a link. Check 'em out!

Colored Denim.  I cannot get enough of this fashion trend!  My collection includes yellow, mint, pink, and emerald green.  I plan to wear this trend to death this upcoming Spring as much as I did this Fall and Winter.  My obsession also spills over onto Soph's wardrobe. She currently has teal, royal blue, and lavender jeans.  You can shop this trend virtually anywhere, but might I suggest hitting up Teal Boutique.  They have a wide variety of colors available for only $52!  If you don't live in the Charleston area, find them on Facebook and ask to be friends.  The girls there are super nice and will send you anything you want!

Washing my Suburban.  There are a variety of reasons for this obsession.  My vehicle is black.  The salt on the road is a mess.  I am anal retentive.  My children are slobs.  Anyway, there is this car wash place here in Dayton called Mike's.  It is, IMO, ridiculously expensive ($15 a wash).  However, they also have a "$25/ month for unlimited washes" deal that I love!  I don't have to feel guilty if I want my car washed and it rains 5 and a half minutes after I am through the darn thing.  If Asher decides to demonstrate his writing skills in the salt filth that has accumulated on the side of the truck, off we go to Mike's.  It's great!  If you live in Indiana or Ohio, you should definitely visit.  I get my money's worth (and more) every month.  The workers even draw funny faces on the windows of the vehicle to make the baby girls smile when we go through.  So nice.

Rodan + Fields skincare.  I started using their products a few months back.  I ordered the anti-age line from my friend Alyssa.  I signed up to be a "Preferred Customer" which allows me to save %10 each time I order and auto-ships me products of my choosing every two months.  I have tried a variety of the products, and I love this stuff!  Just ordered my Macro Exfoliator the other day and can't wait to get it and use it.

Our puppy.  Born in October and given to our family by Santa, Jude Dayton Hall has brought a lot of fun into our home!  He is playful, yet gentle with the kids.  He is obedient and seems to be catching onto the whole "house training thing" pretty well.  He has reminded us what a "dog" family we are and we are so happy to have him as part of our family!  What's more?  The breeder is so nice and very helpful.  She contacts me periodically to see how Jude is doing.  Love that!  And, one of her labs just had pups.  If you are near the Indianapolis area and are looking for a Labrador retriever (yellow, chocolate, and black) you should use this breeder.  You can find them on Facebook too.

Stella & Dot's 2013 Spring Collection.  As many of you know, I am an Independent Stylist for Stella & Dot.  They have recently released their Spring Collection, and it is so lovely!  I am ob-sessed! The pieces are affordable and totally on trend, two qualities I love in my accessories.  The customer service is second to none. And the stylists are A-mazing! ;) My experience with this company (and the jewelry) just keeps getting better.  I also have a Facebook page.  You should find it and "like" it; I currently have a giveaway going on.

Using Turmeric.  This spice was shoved on introduced to me by my BFF, Kathy, when I went to visit her last month.   She told me I had to start using it.  So, when I returned home, I did some research, and she was right.  It does have a variety of medicinal properties.  It can supposedly help/prevent a myriad of things from skin issues to atherosclerosis to liver problems to dementia.  It doesn't really change the flavor of the food, so I figure it can't hurt. I add this stuff to basically everything these days.  Just had it in our scrambled eggs yesterday morning and spaghetti sauce last night.  It is available at the grocery store and costs around $4.  Not a bad investment for such a potentially high payoff.

Nut butters.  My apologies to all of my "nut allergy" friends, but I. LOVE. PEANUT BUTTER!  Recently, I have begun to buy almond and cashew butter instead of peanut butter.  It is so delicious!  I spread it on pancakes, put it in my protein shakes, eat it with chocolate, dunk my pretzels in it.  I mean, you just can't go wrong with this stuff.  The kids love it too! It is a little pricier than peanut butter, but worth every penny.

Marc Jacobs perfume.  This has been my daily fragrance for about seven years.  I think this perfume smells so nice!  It is not heavy, yet strong enough that people comment on it.  It is not the only fragrance I wear, but definitely the one I wear the most frequently.  Love it!

Entering the HGTV Dream Home giveaway.  Laugh if you like, but I am convinced that I am going to win the HGTV Dream Home this year!  I have entered the sweepstakes almost everyday since it began in late December.  (I have made Zach enter daily as well.  And, for the record, he thinks I am nuts, but has willingly complied with my zany request. What a great hubby!)  The sweepstakes ends today, and I cannot wait to receive the news that we have won!  If you have no idea what I am talking about, you have to check out this house.  It is in Kiawah Island, SC, a place Zach and I would love to own a home, and this one would be perfect!  Plus, we'll win $500,000 and a brand new GMC Acadia Denali to keep in the garage there for all of our friends to drive when they visit.  I know, so nice of us.  Stay tuned for news of the big reveal when we find out we win!

Well, that about covers it.  Stay tuned for future Friday fixations; I will try to make this a monthly post.  If you try any of these products or practices, let me know what you think.  Additionally, if you want to share some of your favs, please do so; I am always interested in the fixations of my friends!