My Winter Skincare Routine

Scarf from Zulily last month, Striped turtleneck from H&M (similar here)

When the temps drop, getting baby-bottom-smooth skin is almost impossible. Now, Arkansas is generally not too cold during the winter - mid 40s are the norm- but right now, we're in the middle of this crazy cold snap that hit the deep south this weekend.

With the frigid temps, I've had to tweak my skincare regime just a bit. Here's what my typical routine is during c-cc-ccc-cold weather!

1. I always start by cleansing with Mary Kay's Timewise cleanser for normal-to-dry skin.

2. Next, I like to follow up with Mary Kay's Microdermabrasion treatment every three days to keep those pesky dry skin flecks from cropping up.

3. Finally, I follow up with Clinique's Moisture Surge Intense Hydrator. This gel-based moisturizer is the bomb. (I realize nobody has said "the bomb" in a sweet forever, but I'm lame like that.)

4. Now, I love my Luminizing Black Mask by Boscia, but for winter, I also like to throw a good moisturizing mask in the mix. For that, I use Lancome's Hydra-Intense Masque.

It seems like a lot of product, but I assure you that if I can do it with a two month old, you can all do it too!

Let's talk tomorrow again, m'kay? Same time, same place?? I'll bring the words, y'all bring the coffee ; )

Confessional Friday: {Link Up}

 ‘Ello, bunnies. It’s Friday and we are confessing!

1.     I confess that I have a new clutch in my life and she's absolutely perfect, (and GOOOOLD.) Where did I find her? Oh, you know, Riffraff. She was part of the December 2013 "Love, Riffraff" Club box. Sign up each month to receive a surprise box from Riffraff, sort of like Birchbox, for only $50. Each month includes a clothing item and coordinating accessory with a style guide to show you how to wear it. It's like having a personal stylist, but for way less moo-lah. 

2.     I confess that I’m not a new mom who’s itching to get back into the gym. Has my body changed shape? Yes, a bit. Is this something that keeps me up at night? No way. I do not love the treadmill. I loathe weights. I don’t care for sweating. No need to go all crazy and try for six-pack abs or anything. My cardio consists of higher intensity stroller walks with Cee and my weight training is lifting her up and down eleventy million times per day. Has my body changed shape? Yes, a bit. Is this something that keeps me up at night? No way. I’ll take my hippier hips any day of the week over busting my hump to attain a physique that probably – let’s be honest – ain’t gonna happen for this post-Caesarean body anyway ; )

3.     I confess that one of my goals this year is to meet new friends! I want so badly to connect with you gals outside of blogging and such, so the Mom Talk chat sessions and Northwest AR mommy meet-ups are my attempt to do this. I highly encourage all of you girls who have kiddos or are expecting (or think you might want to be a momma some day), to join the chat group I’m organizing. Also, if you live in NWA, hit me up for details about the playgroup/meet-up. It’s going to be super casual and will definitely take place on a day and time in which all moms, both SAHMs and working moms, can participate.

4.     I confess that I shot some outfit photos yesterday (see Confession #1) and It. Felt. Great. Sometimes, it’s good for the soul to put on a cute outfit, slap on some make-up and run a curling iron through the ol’ locks. Mommas need to feel sexy, too. (Can I get an ‘amen’?)

5.     I confess that I just about fell over when I read somewhere that Brad Pitt is now FIFTY. As in 5-0. Let’s read this together slowly: we now live in a world where Bradley Pitt, Mr. Smith himself, qualifies for an AARP card. Good lord.

6.     I confess that I was at the Dillard’s annual New Year’s Day sale on Wednesday and some lady literally TOOK a set of sheets from my hand. And I said nothing. Not a word. I think I may have even smiled at her. This year, perhaps I should learn to stand up for myself.

7.     I confess that I have the Scentsy Cider Mill brick burning right now and it makes me want a Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice soooooo badly. And now, I’m deciding if I need to put on real pants instead of these sweats to go get one.

Your Turn!

In Retrospect

Caroline at 2 weeks old. Photo by Bethany McGhehey.

Approximately one time per year, I get a little reflective and, well, cheeseball-ish. (Though, with Caroline's arrival, I've become one of those women who bawls happy tears at the drop of a hat. But normally, I save the sentimental nonsense for New Year's.)

And folks, it's that time of the year.

I was going to do a month-by-month recap of what we did this year, but honestly, it would have all been pregnancy-related, ha! And since most of y'all were here for that ride from the get-go, I won't make you suffer through it again.

In all seriousness though, this year was unbelievably, amazingly wonderful.

I mean, WE HAD A BABY.

And gaw, y'all. She is simply magnificent.

I cannot wait to see how she changes and develops throughout the coming year. I know that the best is still yet to come and this makes me exponentially happy.

I hope your 2014 is full of treasures. Not the kind that money will buy, but the little gems that can only be felt by the heart and experienced by the soul.

Thank you all for sticking around here for another year of memories. Let's do it again, shall we?

.............................................

*All photos are property of A Blonde Ambition Blog and Bethany Blair Photography. Please do not re-post or "pin" without express written consent. Thanks for being kind, y'all!

Gravy and Gabbing

It's Friday, y'all. Let's give a collective golf clap, (or a big 'ol hoop and holler, if you're like me.) Another day, another post filled with random goodness - delicious and ready to be served. So let's do it!

Gravy

On Christmas day, I posted a photo of my Memaw's chocolate gravy, which I made for us. I got a couple of emails asking if the recipe was a family secret and I'm happy to report that I have cleared it with the source herself and I can post it : )

Here goes:

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar (white, granulated)
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder (I like Hershey's, but hey - it's your world.)
3 Tbsp. self-rising flour
2 cups milk (skim actually works best.)
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp. real, salted butter
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

Mix the sugar, cocoa powder and flour together in a bowl until there are no lumps. In a sauce pan, combine the milk and egg yolk. Add the flour mixture and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. It should take on the consistency of pudding. Once it thickens, reduce to low heat and continue to stir constantly until it's silky smooth. Add butter and stir again.

Serve piping hot on top of fresh biscuits for a crowd-pleasing breakfast!

Gabbing

I was BLOWN AWAY by the amount of responses from those of you interested in the mom Gmail chat forum and also the local mom playgroup. I'm currently organizing the emails and will continue to do so over the weekend! I'll email everyone next week with details of both the chat forum and the playgroup/meet-up for Northwest Arkansas moms.

Right click and save the image above, and post on your own blogs to spread the word! The more moms we get, the better the chats will be!

Thanks again for your interest in all this mom stuff! I'm so excited to talk to you girls and meet those of you who are local. Yay for new friends!!

....................

Okay gals, I'm out. Stephen and I are packing up the baby and our 150 pounds of baby stuff and heading to my parents in Heber Springs, AR to celebrate Christmas with them. I'll talk to you bunnies on Monday!

Thursday Randomness

I hope everyone enjoyed a fantastic Christmas day and that y'all gorged yourself on as many redonkulously bad, (but good-tasting), foods as I did.

1. We had the best Christmas day of our lives, Stephen and me. We celebrated quietly, just the three of us, with our sweet Caroline Rose. I cannot wait until she's big enough next year to understand more of what's going on. Still though, it was amazing. I highly recommend Christmas with a baby ; )

2. Confessional Friday....oh yes, it's baaaaaack. Beginning on January 3rd, our little weekly link-up resumes. I'm still not certain if I want to do topics, but I do think to get us back into the swing of things, we'll begin with a little questionnaire-type theme. Something like, "One thing people might not know about me is __________." I'll get the questions posted no later than Monday on here and we can begin that way.

3. Would any of the new moms out there be interested in doing a weekly or bi-weekly Gmail chat forum? Where we throw out a couple of pre-set topics, like breastfeeding advice or tricks for getting baby on a schedule, and just talk it out? I'd like to cover many of these on the blog, but I realize that not every one is interested in my baby's bathroom habits or favorite Baby Einstein toys : )

If you think you'd be interested in this, shoot me an email at askblondeambition@gmail.com! If there's enough interest, I may just start this thing up! 

4. With that said, are there any NWA moms reading this thing that might be interested in starting a little once-weekly playgroup or meet-up? I'd love to meet some gals in-person and make some new friends with rookie mommas like myself. If you live in NWA and are the momma of an infant or young child, hit me up!

5. I'm also thrilled that 2014 will bring outfit posts back! Now that the baby bump is officially extinct, which, I'll admit, is a little sad, I can now return to one of my favorite past-times: style posts! In fact, I'm having Stephen snap a few pics this very afternoon for a post tomorrow! (He just doesn't know it yet.) I'm so excited to get back to style blogging, and I'm sure that some of you will be refreshed by the fact that not every post will be baby-related next year ; )

.......................................

That is it, that is all. So what have we learned today? Let's recap:

1. If you're a mom to a bambino and would like to start a G-chat with other moms and me, email me at askblondeambition@gmail.com

2. If you're a mom that lives in Northwest Arkansas and have an infant or young child, shoot me an email. I'd love to meet up in person and get the babies together for some social time, (both for their sake and ours!)

3. Let's all breathe a collective sigh of relief that 2014 will have a little less baby talk and a little more style.

4. Mark your calendars for January 3rd for the grand return of Confessional Friday.