Things Loved in January

1. My new KitchenAid Mixer!

I asked for one of these for Christmas and was so excited to receive it as a gift from G’s parents and my sibs-in-law, Lesley and Ben! For the longest time, this was one of those things I thought I’d never need or want – and I’m not about to clutter up my countertop with something that isn’t going to get used on the regular! My position on getting a KitchenAid Mixer has slowly changed, however, now that Kate and I spend so much time in the kitchen cooking and baking. The model I received for Christmas is the KitchenAid Mixer 550 Pro, and I used it for the first time a few weeks ago to make our favorite homemade granola bars, and I swear it cut my prep time in half. I love this powerhouse of a kitchen contraption!

2. This video makeup tutorial:

I stumbled across this video from the makeup blog, Maskcara.com, on how to highlight and contour (HAC) your face with makeup to look a little less Plain Jane and a little more JLo, and since then I’ve been having so much fun playing with my face! I’ve pretty worn the same drugstore makeup since high school and have been meaning to upgrade my look/learn-what-the-hell-I’m-supposed-to-be -doing for quite some time now. This video was definitely an eye-opener (and cheekbone-popper – ha!) on how to update my look. In fact, Cara’s entire blog at MaskCara.com is chock full of great makeup tips, pictures, instructions, and detailed videos. If you’re looking to bust out of your makeup rut, click on over and check her out!

3. “Feel Again” by One Republic

I’m seriously loving this song right now.

4. My kitchen’s photo-shoot with The Tile Shop!

I was so super crazy-excited to welcome The Tile Shop to my home a couple of weeks ago to style (swoon) and photograph my newly updated kitchen for a new marketing campaign they’re doing! It’s even more updated now than when you last saw it, but I can’t share those details yet. Stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes peek at the photo-shoot and my kitchen’s updated final reveal!

5. Celebrating Kate’s 3rd Birthday!

Of course my biggest love of the month was celebrating our darling daughter turning three years old! We enjoyed a small celebration at home with Kate’s favorite dinner (chicken taco chili) and a Cars cake (her request) on her actual birthday, and then did it up big with her Cars-themed birthday party the following weekend. It was truly a treasure to be surrounded by our friends, family members, and a theater full of kids joining us to celebrate Kate’s big day!

What were some of your Things Loved in January?

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