Rewind......

Ms.Olsen's Prada backpack is quite a blast from the past. Ironically, just yesterday, I was going through some of my purses that I have "archived" (ha!) and I ran across my trusty Prada and thought to myself that it's just a matter of time before some celeb brings them back. I don't mind the look of them really, and with 2 kiddos it sure would be handy, but I'm not quite sure that I'm ready to bust mine out again.

What I AM sure of however, is that I will never be ready for those shoes she has on. I HATE MULES! ALL OF 'EM! I don't care if the name Manolo, Choo, Or Louboutin is stamped on the inside of them, I loathe this style of shoe!

So, while I adore MK and A, in the words of the fashion police, "make it stop!".

Joan Rivers is going to have a field day....

How on EARTH, Ms. Drew, do you go from this, to this......

To THIS???!!!

Sweet Lord in the heavens, this is a monstrosity of a dress. My 2 year old son could have sewn a better sack.

See you on the back pages of US weekly.

Yum Yum gimme some.

Making this as I type (yes, I am that talented), and my kitchen smells off the charts.

Smitten Kitchen never fails.

I have made soooo many of her recipes, and have never been disappointed.

She is my go-to when I make our weekly meal plan. We have several staple dishes that we rotate throughout the weeks, but when it comes to something new, it's usually from Smitten's website.

I LOVE learning of new recipes from the blog world..Natalie, and Shannan have posted some really great ones.

Let me know if there's something you love that I must try!

I don't want to miss a thing.

For as long as I can remember, I have been beyond smitten with Mr. Steven Tyler.

Sure, Aerosmith gets it wrong here and there, but people, they have been jamming since the 70's (and yes, I said jamming).

I almost levitated when I heard them perform "Dream On" live for the first time. To this day, they still hold the title for the best show I've seen (3 times)...it doesn't hurt that I was 6th row center.

You can imagine the panic/excitement/tears that I had when I found out that for one of the shows, I had backstage passes. It was un-flipping-real to meet that man in person. He is super sweet, animated, sincere, and yes, TINY. And that FACE!!

I will forever cherish the Polaroid I have with him, as well as the kiss he planted on me. No lie. Trust me, it wasn't one of THOSE back stage encounters, but out of nowhere, in the middle of our conversation, he just planted one on me, like you would when you kiss a relative hello, and then continued talking about skin care--yes, we were talking facial products. My girlfriend just stared at me, waiting for me to flip out, but I did all that I could to keep my composure, as I didn't want to seem like a groupie.

I saw him a few other times several months after meeting him...I was working at Barney's in Chicago and every time he came in, he remembered me, and would give me a gigantic hug.

He's pretty much the coolest.

Last year, the hubs and I pinky swore that we were d-o-n-e, done watching American Idol. I didn't watch it for years, and then for the last 3 years, I get suckered into it.

Well, I am reneging on the pinky swearing.

Even if I have to fast forward through all the nonsense, I think having Mr.Tyler on the show will be fantastic. And that FACE!!

J-lo on the other hand??? Geesh.

At least there's a chance for some good fashion watching....I guess any thing's an improvement from Paula, and that Kara chick.

Will you be watching this year?

These are a few of my favorite things: part two.

Most things that I fall in love with either come from word of mouth, a sample, or seeing it on someone else's blog.

These are a few more of my obsessions:

Yes, I have worked for NARS for over 10 years, but honestly-I still think it's the best. It is a true artist's line, yet anyone can use it. The pigments are amazing, the textures are super high-quality, and it won't break the bank. I L-O-V-E the "vibe" of the line as well--edgy, playful, and fashion forward.

The Multiple Sticks are amazing. So many lines try to replicate them without success. You truly can use them on your eyes, cheeks and lips-hence, the name.

There have been countless times where I do not have time to do my make-up, yet want to look presentable, so I just throw on some concealer, and a multiple, and I look alive.

Okay, I have been a makeup artist since 1995, and I NE-VER get excited about mascara. I think for the most part, they all suck. I do have challenging eyelashes. They don't go straight down, but I had to curl them EVERY day. Most mascara's weighed them down. I used to LIVE for Vincent Longo's mascara, but it was waterproof and totally dried my lashes out. My world was ROCKED the day I received a sample of Laura Mercier's new Full Blown Mascara. Personally, I think the name is horrendous, but after using it, I could care less. Not only did it hold my curl (from the trusty Shu Uemura curler), it did appear to thicken, and make my lashes look longer!! The next day I decided to give it a go WITHOUT curling them, and IT CURLED MY LASHES!!! I have NOT curled them since! Amazing! Plus, it's super black, which I love.

Another Laura product that I love: her tinted moisturizer. My love affair also began with a sample, and I haven't looked back. I think it gives great coverage for a tinted moisturizer, and leaves my skin glowy. The best part? SPF 20, and it does NOT contain oxybenzone, which is the devil.
This woman. There aren't enough words to express my LOVE for this woman. I have worked out pretty much my entire life, and at the age of 33, this woman changed my body. I have been doing her method for about 2 years now. I began after I had my son...continued during my 2nd pregnancy, (modified of course) and 4 weeks after I had my daughter, I started up again. She is the reason I am back in my skinny jeans. Tracy Anderson, I LOVE you. I hope you know that one day, I will be working for you.

How ADORABLE is this pic of her and her son Sam??

My name is Gina, and I am a tea junkie. Actually, I am a tea snob. I could talk tea all day long. My latest find is Tazo's new Rest tea. It contains lemon balm, valerian root, licorice root, and rose petals...it claims to relax you, and MAN, does it deliver. I drink a cup every night before bed, and it sends me into a woozy state. I am SUPER picky when it comes to teas containing rose petals, as some of them taste fake and perfume like, but Tazo does not.

My all TIME favorite Rose Tea, is Miller Harris The' Petals. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this tea. It isn't the cheapest around, but hey, if it makes you happy, it can't be that bad.

Sheyrl Crow is NOT one of my favorite things by the way.

Change is good.

It's the new year folks. 2011. Crazy. Seems like yesterday everyone was freaking out about Y2K.

Last year, we partied it up..well, sort of. My bff's from Chicago came in, and we went to a huge party. I don't remember all that much, not because I drank myself into a coma, but 2 nights before the ball dropped, I found out Frankie was cooking in my oven. Huge shock, but the best shock ever.

This year we did things a bit different. Sweats. No makeup. Hair in a bun. Slippers on the feet.

Fabulous wine.

For dinner, we made our friend Alton's superb Shepherd's Pie. He isn't really our friend, but with his face all up close and personal in the camera on his cooking show, it seems as if we know him.

To be honest, I don't think I have ever had Shepherd's pie in my life....but this was the bee's knees. We added more worcestershire (thank you, spell check), and some dijon mustard. We also about tripled the Rosemary. All in all, it was a bit time consuming, but worth it.

While talking with the hubs last night, we were discussing what we were looking forward to in 2011. As much as I want to keep them the way they are forever, I look forward to my kiddos growing. Growing physically. Growing mentally. Growing into the people the Lord intended for them to be. My prayer is that He shows us how to assist them in doing so.

I also look forward to vacationing in St.Barts, and the entire Philip Lim Spring collection, but that's another story.

Merry CHRISTmas

From my posse to yours.

May your days be merry and bright.