What I'm loving lately . . . [February 2012]

I haven't done a post of favorite products for awhile now, but I've been meaning to. Here are a few items I can't seem to live without lately.

Like so many others, a goal for 2012 has been to become more healthy. This includes eating breakfast every.single.day. A harder feat for me than you may think seeing as I've never been one to eat much before lunch. I have two standby *meals* that I've been enjoying: Fage or Chobani 0% Greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch. The little bit of sweetness of the Kashi combined with the creaminess of the yogurt is just perfect for me in the mornings. The abundance of protein in the yogurt keeps me full till lunch. Really. Now, if only I could stop the mid-afternoon chocolate cravings.

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Another breakfast favorite, especially on those colder mornings, is steel cut oats. I try to whip up a batch -- with raisins, cinnamon, and a bit of honey -- on the weekend so that we have enough to eat during the week. Just add a teeny bit more milk, pop it in the microwave, and voila, hearty and delicious!

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Since I'm doing so well in the breakfast department, I've taken it upon myself to indulge a bit more in the wine department. I am a big fan of red velvet cake and red wine, so I had high hopes for Cupcake Vineyard's Red Velvet wine. E and I enjoyed a bottle last month, and I have to say it's my new fave. In fact, I've tried 3 of their varietals in all, and their Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon were also delicious. Affordable and delectable -- my kind of vino.

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I'm always stumped when it comes to buying gifts for E because, well, we just buy what we need, when we need it and I can rarely keep a secret, so even if I buy something in advance, I usually end up giving it to him as soon as I can. This Valentine's Day was no different in the surprise department, but I did manage to get E things he would have never bought for himself.

I use my iPhone's Instagram app daily and love the effects on my photos. I wanted to print some of them, but wasn't sure what format to choose. Instead of regular run-of-the-mill prints, I made two Snapfish *magic mugs* with a handful of my Instagram photos. The photos are revealed when the mugs are filled with a hot liquid. I love how they turned out! They are a sweet addition to our nightly tea ritual.

Another V-day gift [and my absolute favorite item on this list!] I gave this year was a watercolor print by Elisabeth of Poppy and Pinecone. I think I originally saw one of her state/province prints on Pinterest and asked if she could make a *city print* of Brooklyn, the city that brought E and I together. Elizabeth did not let me down and the resulting print is just perfect! I can't wait to find a frame for it. I also bought a smaller print of Maine for a friend's [belated] birthday gift. She loved it too! Definitely check out Elisabeth's Etsy shop.

[this photo doesn't do the colors justice.]

Even though this winter has been wonderfully mild, we've still been battling dry skin and chapped lips, especially Indio, who hates to have lotion smeared on his face. One thing he does love though is smearing lip balm all over his face. Lucky for me, McBride Beauty makes a stick perfect for lips and face, helping us avoid the *shiny-all-over* look. The Multi-Purpose Repair Stick is bigger than a regular Chapstick so it covers more surface area in one swoop and smells way more heavenly! Indio loves to apply his McBride stick on the train in the morning, much to the entertainment of our fellow riders.

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I'm perpetually on the search for the best undereye concealer to hide my dark circles. I've tried a bunch and most recently picked up a little pot of Laura Mercier's Secret Concealer in #4. So far, I'm loving it because it goes on smoothly and doesn't cake in my already-forming lines. A little goes a long way with this product!

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What have you been loving lately?