Friday, November 30

NYC Coffeehouse Tour 2013

 

Be Featured!!

Coffee, Espresso & Fancy Drinks!

This Seattle native is on a mission to find the best Coffee in NYC!
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about coffee plus things you may not have known.
Rediscover an unadulterated love of coffee purified by the critique of a true Seattle coffee snob.
Interviews, Giveaways, Coffee of the Month club & More!!

Kicking off in January 2013!!!

Stay tuned for more details!

Want your Coffeehouse visited? Contact me for details!

Have a coffeehouse that you love in NYC? Let me know in the comments below!

Thursday, November 29

Laughter is the Best Cosmetic

 

Bonding Over Beauty with Benefit


Benefit Cosmetics has opened shop in the SOHO area of New York City - and how did I not hear of this swanky boutique for all things beauty until now!!??  Zion and I recently had a Mother-Daughter date for Benefit's Bonding Over Beauty event, where we enjoyed pampering, sweet treats and spending special quality time together.

 
We started our day with a bit of hot coffee & hot chocolate - one of my most favorite things to do with my little lady.  Then we were off to the boutique - which is stunningly put together with pink accents, floral paper and fun vintage mannequins wearing bright and bold colors.
After oohing and ahhing over the gorgeous makeup and decor, it was time for a little pampering for the princess.
     
She loved getting a touch of satiny pink blush to her cheeks and frosty purple eyeshadow lightly dusted on her eyelids.  After she was all done - she was beaming - and glowing with joy!  I knew she'd love this event, as I catch her getting into my makeup at least once a week.
After Zion was done posing for pictures, we took some time to talk about what makes us really beautiful - its not about makeup or the clothes we wear, its about the condition of our hearts.  A joyful, thankful heart - one that is kind, compassionate and loving - is a beautiful thing.
   
We spent the rest of the time checking out all of the cosmetics displays, and mingling with other ladies at the event.  I think one of the best things about Benefit is that their products really aim to enhance and play off your natural beauty - nothing seemed heavy or over the top.  I love their free-spirited attitude and their signature quote, "Laughter is the best cosmetic, so grin and wear it."
At the end of the event I went home spoiled with some goodies that I am totally in love with and this little cutie pie...
Here are my absolute favorite products from Benefit:
Benefit Cosmetics


Have you used Benefit Cosmetics?  If so, do you have a favorite product?  How would you talk to your daughter about beauty?  Would you like to win Benefit products here on BaxtronLife?  Leave me a comment to let me know!

I was invited to attend this event by MamaDramaNY, and I received complimentary items as a thank-you for attending.  All opinions and recommendations are unsolicited and my own!

Wednesday, November 28

Energizer & Crayola Team-up to #PowerCreativity

Crayola Glow Book
Just before the holiday Zion and I had the opportunity to attend a special Power Creativity event in New York City.  For a couple of hours we had a good time checking out really cool new Energizer battery powered art products.  We played with some of Crayola's newest offerings - a wide array of different Energizer powered toys perfect for children of all ages.  We also learned about Energizer MAX Batteries - which hold their shelf life for 10 years!!  A great fact to know considering I've had to toss many dead batteries that did nothing but sit in their box for several months!
 
 
If you are still looking for a few gift ideas for the kids, check out all of the recommendation on Crayola's gift guide!  They have great ideas sorted by age and type!
 
And while you are stocking up on creative toys for the kids, check out Energizer Flameless Wax Candles.  I love the authentic look, smell and flicker effect of these flameless candles.  I can't wait to use these for my holiday table and decor.  They have different settings as well so I can turn them on and they'll switch off automatically in 4 hours.  For Energizer deals and savings, visit them on Facebook.

Have you ever used flameless wax candles?  What did you think of them?  Have you finished your Christmas shopping?

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Energizer. I attended an event and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Tuesday, November 27

Thanksgiving in Ohio

We just returned home yesterday after our weekend in Ohio for the holiday!  It was such a great time visiting with my husband's side of the family.  I couldn't wait to share these fun pictures from our visit.  Hope you and your family had a beautiful holiday as well!  

   
Thanks to our dear friends who flew out to Peru for the holiday, we were able to rent their car from them, and make the 9 hour treck on Wednesday last week.  Zion did amazing the entire car ride, snoozing a couple of times.
 
Zion enjoyed the company of her cousins.
Thanksgiving at the Baxtron's is always a memorable experience - my favorite foods this year were Dad's collard greens and hubs' cheesy green bean casserole.  Mom also spoiled us with candied sweet potatoes! Yummy!
All the brothers were reunited for the Christmas holiday which meant a lot of laughter, loud discussion and trash talking - all in love of course!
   
After filling her tummy to the full, little miss Zion enjoyed apple pie ala mode while the adults played a bit of Pokeno.
 
Zion's favorite thing to do over the weekend was grab the house phone and tell us she was having an important conversation or "just busyin'" as she liked to put it.  We also did some searching for new Ohio State gear.

 
I got some new Ohio State socks (which will be great for crossfit ;) and we dressed Zion in her cheer gear for The Game.

 
Jerry took me out to a couple of new places this trip - the first being Adriatico's pizza.  We had the deep dish pizza with beef and pepperoni...a big hit!

   
Game day was a blast - every one in the house was decked out in Scarlet and Gray as we cheered on The Ohio State Buckeyes to another victory completing their perfect season.
 
We finished our trip by having a late evening date at Jeni's - seriously the best ice cream I've ever had in my life, and that is saying a lot!  Then we stopped by the place where Jerry proposed to me 5 years ago on Thanksgiving.  

How was your holiday?  Did you travel?  What was your favorite part of your holiday?