Happy Hoooooooo-lidays!

What is it about the holidays that makes us say 'yes' to more and more each year? I'm trying to juggle everything Christmas related for Mr. Cush and I while preparing for a work trip to Nebraska and another possible trip to Seattle next week. There's a real possibility that I'm only in Austin two more days between now and when we finally head home for the holidays, and those days could be monstrously tied up with work if that's the case. So the last few days have been like studying for final exams - cramming a lot into very little time!!!

In addition to the gifts and the wrapping and the holidays cards and whatnot, I'm also participating in an "Owl Exchange" with sorority sisters across the country. Last year, a Chi Omega sister arranged an ornament swap via a Facebook group and I found out about it around January. (I guess now's a good time to point out that one of our symbols is the owl.) Needless to say, I quickly joined the group upon invite and have eagerly awaited my "owl pal" for most of the year. I received her name and address a few weeks ago and I'm quite excited to put this little guy in the mail to her today ...

I stumbled upon this ornament at Pier 1 and knew it was the one I wanted to send. It's colorful and happy looking - two of the best qualities an ornament can possess!

Sure, this whole anonymous swap has been one more thing added to my plate this week, but it's really helped me get into the holiday spirit.

From me and my owl ornament pictured above, happy hoooooooooo-lidays everyone!!!

Two New Discoveries to Share

I really enjoy sharing 'new' discoveries with you through this blog. In fact, it's one of the very reasons I began blogging back in July. Two 'new' finds have recently crept into my life and I'm equally enjoying the benefits of both.

1) Leggings - oh. my. gosh. WHY DID I STOP WEARING THESE IN FOURTH GRADE? Secondly, why I am so late to the leggings party??? No joke, I spent the better part of yesterday in a group text with Mommabear and my two sisters declaring my love for leggings. I want a pair in every color under the sun so that I never have to wear actual pants ever again. Don't even get me started on the elastic waistband - it's genius. 

2) Evening Primrose Oil - sure, you assume I recently watched "Catching Fire" (which I did) and searched "Primrose Everdeen" and stumbled across this essential oil. Unfortunately, you know what happens when you assume ...

Maybe it's going to be the trendy vitamin/oil of 2014, but I've seen EPO pop up on several blogs over the last few weeks and I decided to do a little investigating. After reading over and over that it does wonders for skin, I had to try it out for myself. I finally made a small investment in a bottle for $7.19 at Target and have since been taking 2-3 EPO supplements daily for a little over a week. I've noticed a big difference in my skin, especially my face. My face is truly the clearest I can remember it ever being, and the skin is very soft to my touch. It's crazy. I haven't changed anything in my skincare routine recently, so it has to be the EPO. 

Think I'm the only person experiencing these pleasant effects of EPO? (Didn't we just talk about ASSUME-ing things?) Wrong. Check out some other user reviews here.

"Tease" the Season

Three things Texas is known for: cowboy boots, football and big, teased, voluminous hair. Although Mr. Cush and I moved to Tejas more than five years ago, it only took us about four days to learn that the first sentence above isn't a stereotype - it's the honest-to-goodness truth. Neither of us have succumbed to purchasing cowboy boots (those suckers are expensive!), and the football scene is basically part of our lives due to my profession. And since Mr. Cush isn't quite into teasing his hair, I'll have to vouch for that myself.

It's not necessarily that moving to Texas led me to adding volume at my crown - it's probably more due to fact that I've been trying to grow my hair longer and the extra length weighs it down. To combat that, I've found a mini arsenal of everyday products and items to give the top section of my hair extra body that even true Texans would be proud of:

1) Oscar Blandi Hair Lift Mousse - apply to damp roots before blow drying. Works especially well if you're limber enough to blow dry while bent over at the waist.

2) Big Sexy Hair Powder Play - the name says it all. Once hair is dried and styled, lift sections of the hair near the crown and lightly sprinkle this at your roots. Once applied, "rub" it in the create extra volume. ***Warning - I remember Mommabear using this once and not liking it. It does make your hair feel slightly "sticky," but I don't mind it too much since I use several products a day and never have truly "clean" styled hair like she does. Also, it comes out as a white powder, but turns translucent once "rubbed" in.

3) Teasing brushes - a great tool for making sure your volume lasts all day. Not sure how to tease? Watch this video for a quick lesson.

4) Bed Head Masterpiece Massive Shine Hairspray - once you've styled all that volume, you want something to keep it in place all day, right? This hairspray offers plenty of hold while adding shine, too. Not to mention, the pineapple scent alone is enough to make this a must-have product.

I Just Compared My Life to Kelly Preston's in Jerry Maguire

I'm going to assume here that like me, you've seen "Jerry Maguire" approximately 1,372 times. No? Just four or five? Well, you still remember Kelly Preston's character Avery, right?

I basically-kinda-sorta-mostly do her job in real life, except not for the NFL. Remember how busy she was during the NFL Draft? That kind of busyness has taken over my life for the next two or three weeks and PBT will have to move to the back burner during this time. I'm still going to do my best to get up 3-4 posts a week, but please forgive me if that goal isn't met.

Also - can we talk about Kelly/Avery's hair above? I'm basically-kinda-sorta-mostly loving the color. And it IS the best year ever for redheads, per Buzzfeed ...