It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I'm an avid Living in Yellow reader, so when I saw that Erin was co-hosting a blogger ornament swap with Dreaming of Dimples, I couldn't wait to add my name to the list.  I looooooove Christmas.  My bins of decorations take up the majority of storage space in my basement.  I only listen to Christmas music from Thanksgiving on out.  It's the "most wonderful time of the year" and I eat it up.  Combine my love of Christmas with my love of blogging and BAM! you've got a recipe for  some holiday cheer and a fab link up to boot.

What a great excuse to send a thoughtful gift, meet some lovely new ladies, and discover some new etsy shops along the way!  Wooo hooo!  Well without further ado, here is how it all turned out.  

This the ornament that I sent to the lovely Tausha of Life After I Do:

Ornament by Olive Owl

Tausha is expecting a baby girl in January, loves bright colors and animal prints, and her blog chronicles her life as a wifey and soon to be mommy.  Definitely check her out.  Oh and she owns Oopsie Daisy Decor - a fab etsy shop that sells adorable burlap banners.  Love!  

Then there is me, who has boys and loves all things country and rustic, so the lovely Jen, who shares my taste of country decor (and my name) and writes Boogies N Boo-Boos sent me this sweet wooden ornament:

Ornament by Divine Rustic Creations

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my brain around Jen having a 17 year old, as she appears to be 21 herself.  And despite the fact that she is drop dead gorgeous and wears size 25 jeans after 4 kids makes me want to hate her, she has been a pleasure to get to know.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has had to fish poop out of a bathtub and rewash my children or has referred to my family as The Griswalds.  Check her out, you'll be happy you did.

Enough about poop and skinny people.  Let's talk about how cute my new ornament looks on my mini rustic tree in my dining room.

Pretty cute huh?  Enjoy the gratuitous wine shot.

Speaking of wine, all this writing is making me thirsty.  I should probably uncork one of those babies right now... Bottom line I think the ornament swap was a smashing success.  What about you?  Have you every participated in an online/blogger swap?  Would you?   You think about that and let me know... I'm going to go pour myself a glass. Cheers! xoxo Jenny

So, About That Blog Post...

It's sort of nonexistent today.

I am action-packed with excuses and all of them are true.

I went to bed after midnight.  Cooper was up at 4 am.  I hosted a play date this morning.  I haven't showered since Tuesday night.  Colten is still awake.  I'm in the middle of a family room remodel, so I've been trapped in my basement playroom for two days.

Here is what's been happening at the Sanzos:

Step 1: We removed everything from walls and rearranged the furniture (ignore the blurry baby and clutter).  This is all we are able to accomplish ourselves.  We are not DIYers by any stretch of the imagination.  We can't even paint.  We hire people.  The.  End.

Step 2:  Window seat with toy storage is built.

Step 3:  Bottom of hutch is built.

Step 4:  Top of hutch is built and fireplace mantel is removed.

I'm loving how things are turning out.  My husband is traumatized by the fact that the fireplace can't be lowered as far as we would like, which means we'll need a smaller tv.  Buying a smaller tv goes against everything the man believes in.  Did I mention he is getting a vasectomy tomorrow?  Because he is.  And he definitely just looked at me and said: "I can't believe it; I'm being downsized in two areas."

So this is why there is no outfit post, no fashion tips, no shopping stories to share.  Just a family room, a boatload of excuses, and a husband who's manhood is being downgraded in more ways than one.  Here's to hoping I can eek out more than 3.5 hours of sleep tonight.

See you on the flipside, 

xoxo

Jenny

Cyber Santa

Last Christmas
Mego Prego with Rocking Rudolph on My Baby Bump

Let's face it.  I LOOOOOVE Christmas.  I'm also a SAHM of two.  The older of which has apraxia and an intense therapy schedule.  I volunteer.  I work from home  write/edit/consult/blog/empire build while children nap/watch tv.  I cook.  I clean.  I feed.  I chauffeur.  I referee.  Etcetera. Ad Nauseum.  I don't have the luxury of going Christmas Shopping.  With no family nearby, shopping would require a sitter, which only adds to the already astronomical bill.  (I have to buy 22 presents this year!)  I certainly can't bring the beasties with me.  What am I going to do?  Let my 3.5 year old watch me buy him toys only to wrap them and say they're from Santa?  Not. Going. To.  Fly.

Thankfully Al Gore created the internet so that we can all shop from the comfort of our own homes.  This year might be the first time I do ALL of my shopping online.

I finished shopping for my boys on Monday.  With Cyber Monday sales, and ebates offering double cash back, I saved a ton and didn't pay for shipping!  Thank you Amazon!

I'd love to say I'm the girl who bakes everyone treats from scratch and gives them as gifts on plates that I hand-painted and then gift-wrapped in home-made wrapping paper and gift tags. I am not that girl.  Not.  Even.  Close.  Thanks to etsy, I can give handmade gifts that I don't actually have to make with my hands.  (I have craft anxiety, but that's another story for another day).

From Talk Crafty to Me - Get all the details here.

How do you do your holiday shopping?  Are you a Black Friday Warrior?  A Cyber Santa like myself?  A Christmas Eve Mall Dasher?  A Crafter/Baker/Pinterester?  Please share you holiday shopping secrets!

xoxo

Jenny

Central Park

As promised, here are the details on the outfit I wore in the city on Friday.  What a perfect fall day in Central Park!

Let's go from top to bottom, shall we?

I am wearing my favorite beanie from Forever 21, Mossimo for Target sunglasses, Kenneth Cole hoop earrings, Ann Taylor cashmere scarf, faux leather jacket by Buffalo, H&M sweater, Old Navy bag, a.n.a jeans and you guessed it, my Fabianelli riding boots from Marshalls.

And now for some action shots...

You love me ;)

That's all for now kids.  Time to get some online Christmas shopping done.

What about you?  Snagging any Cyber Monday deals?  Do share!

xoxo

Jenny

Made in America Mondays ~ Volume 4

We all know how much I love my scarves, which is why I had to share these great multi-use wraps from Borelli. They are great for travel, exercises or time in the sun.  It's like a scarf on steroids!  Wear it to the airport and then its your blanket on the plane! It's a bathing suit cover up, a scarf, and a head wrap!

This high-performance, multi-use sarong keeps you warm, dry and cool all day long. Can be worn as a dress, skirt, wrap, scarf, blanket or yoga mat carrier. 

• Made with drireleaseˇ
• permanent performance
• dries 4x faster than cotton
• up to 7°F skin temperature reduction
• Freshguard™ controls odor
• Preshrunk, machine washable & dryer safe
•  Lightweight and easy to pack
• BORELLI screen print logo
• MADE IN USA!

Check out all the awesome ways you can wear it in the How To Video below. 

With holiday season in full swing this is a great gift idea but also a must have piece for yourself.  Plus at $36 its a great value.

Save 10% off your order with the code Jen10.  Order here.

Happy Shopping!  It's Cyber Monday!  I'll be back tomorrow with all the deals I snagged online today! Wooo hooo!

xoxo

Jenny

Thanksgiving Weekend in Pictures

Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving Day Duds
Wishbone Necklace (Artwark)
Turkey Socks (SJ's)

Cooper's First Thanksgiving!

There is a 93 year age difference between these two :)

My Boys

Updating their facebooks...

Mom's Table

Pie Time!

With Jeree

With my cousins  Lauren and Kristen

NYC:

Vendors in Central Park

With the Hubs

Colten and his big cousin Sarah

Three Generations of Sanzo Boys

The view from FAO

First ever dirty water dog - he loved it (despite the look on his face)

Looking for turtles at the Central Park Zoo

The Prettiest Peacock

Hope you spent your holiday with the people you love best.  What better gift to be thankful for than time spent with each other?

xoxo

Jenny

PS- Any of you crazies go out on Black Friday?  Any good deals?  Or better yet...good stories?  Please share.  :)

PSS- Details on my city day outfit on the blog tomorrow.

Big Day

Yesterday was a big day for me.  It marked the release of Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey and my debut as a published essayist.  I am so honored to be a part of this project and to be included with such a fantastic group of writers.  

It is a pretty proud moment to see your name on the cover of a book for the first time.

Did you find me?  Did you find me?

I'm doing a signing at Fairport Library on Dec 1st and will have copies available for sale.  Here's more on that:

Festive Book Fair 11 Local Authors  Saturday, December 1, 2012 2:00pm -- 4:00pm

Meet the authors, see the books Unique gifts for family and friends For the youngest children: Ellen Stoll Walsh: Balancing Act, and a score of other engaging picture books. She is the author whose mice are seen near the gazebo outside the library. For intermediates and middle schoolers: Sean Kolczynski: The Night Before Middle School, a story he wrote to fulfill an elementary school assignment. Reassuring for the elementary set.  For young adults: Charles Benoit: Fall from Grace. Decisions "as harshly real as hell or high school," according to Robert Lipsyte. Benoit is the husband of Rose Benoit at Minerva DeLand School. Sherry Gammon: Souls in Peril. High school Senior Max Sanchez has it all. He's the star pitcher; he's dating the head cheerleader; he has a great group of friends. And then an accident thrusts him into the skin of another boy, his opposite, a lonely and much-bullied misfit... Adult Fiction: Duane H Cook:   By Guess and By God, a Novel. Historical fiction loosely based on the author's grandfather's experiences rabbit-ranching in Idaho. Kathy Johncox: The Last Generation of Women who Cook. Short stories around the theme of food. Johncox's fiction has been published in Lake Affect Magazine,Buffalo Spree Magazine, and online in "Inkburns" and "Potpourri." Adult Nonfiction: Dennis Bielewicz: Heroes in the Attic: the Untold Story of two Civil War Soldiers. Nonfiction, about two upstate youths who abandoned their college classes to fight in the Civil War. Bielewicz was librarian at Fairport High School for 30 years. Margaret Cleary-Osborne: Rush Hour Recipes of America. Authentic home cooking, these recipes feature minimal measuring/peeling, one bowl /pan, and usually only one step. Jennifer Sanzo: Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey. The author of the blog "Flower City Fashionista" teamed up with Heather Graham, Sylvia Day and others to continue the conversation in so many book clubs about E. L. James' Fifty Shades series. Bill Self: Customer 3D: a New Dimension for Customers. The author provides a system to help business people improve customer service. At the same time, he makes consumers aware of the service they should demand. Elaine Webster: Dawn Dancing. Poems of intense pain and great joy, many based on the author's travels to Racquette Lake and more distant destinations in the US and abroad.    Cash sales-Checks may be accepted by some authors.

 

It's all a little surreal.  Above all I feel so proud and so blessed, and I'll be happy to autograph your copy.  ;) 

Happy Thanksgiving!

And think of gifting Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey this holiday season.  It's the gift that keeps on giving ;)

xoxo

Jenny

PS- You can read my editor's introduction here and more about why our publisher decided to publish it here.

I really love my...

Fabianelli riding boots.

Here are just a few of the ways I've worn them this fall:

What do you find yourself wearing over and over again this fall?

Love ya like a fat kid loves cake!

xoxo

Jenny

Made in America Mondays ~ Volume 3

Get ready because I am a bout to BLOW. YOUR. MIND.

Today's made in America product is about to solve all your problems.  Okay so maybe not all of them, but it will at least solve the problem of your cold, damp feet slipping around in your boots.  Today I bring you to Bootights.

SOCKS + TIGHTS = BOOTIGHTS®

So, basically if socks and tights got together all Christian Grey style, Bootights would be their love child (and a shameless plug for my book that comes out TOMORROW).

I digress. Here is some more info about the product from its creators:

Why choose Bootights®?

The answer is simple - you are a boot loving woman who knows style and loves comfort. Bootights® is the first tight designed specifically for boots. Bootights® are a premium tight with a performance sock attached so your legs look amazing and your feet feel great all day long. No need to suffer ever again in your boots.

1. the tight
   1. premium quality with all over support for a smooth, controlled silhouette.
   2. dig-free waistband doesn't roll or bind.
   3. cotton gusset so you can go commando if you like.
   4. silky soft, semi-opaque classic tight with core colors every wardrobe needs and sophisticated and fun patterns to compliment every outfit.
2. the sock
   1. moisture-wicking so feet are drier and warmer
   2. compression arch support so feet feel supported and energized all day long.
   3. top mesh so feet breath inside boots
   4. sculpted cushioning so heel and toe are protected and comfy in boots
   5. contoured fit of sock so boots fit amazing. no more slipping feet or bunching socks! 

This is one of those products that makes me smack myself in the head and say "Why didn't I think of that." It's brilliant!  Bootights come in a variety of styles and colors and Oprah wears them.  So...I mean they have to be good.

I know I'm going to snag a few pairs, the toughest part will be deciding which styles to try!  Would you like to try Bootights?  Save 10% on your first order with the code VOTE 10.  Shop now.

If you are a retailer who would like to carry Bootights in your boutique, please contact me for wholesale information (jennifersanzo@yahoo.com).

Shop American and love your feet as much as you love your boots!

xoxo

Jenny

Letters to Santa

Dear Santa,

Colten decided he would take it easy on you this year.  Along with the help of his mommy he has created an amazon wish list for your convenience.  He thought you might be shopping online this year to avoid the crowds.  I tried to explain that elves make your toys, but he insisted you shop at the mall.  Kids these days!

Here is the link to his "wants" - let me warn you that they are quite extensive - just keep in mind that he is pretty cute and his mommy is part of amazon's affiliate program.  I tried to get him to scale it back, but he insisted you have "lots of money...lots."

Well, without further ado, Colten's Christmas List 2012

Here's to hoping he's on the nice list,

xoxo

Colten's mommy

PS- While people are putting in their requests.  I would love a love a live in nanny, personal chef, house keeper, and personal trainer.  If that's too much I'll settle for Botox and laser hair removal.  I've been extra good this year.  Thanks so much.  Love ya.  Mean it.  xoxo  Jenny

PSS- Or you can just get me these Coach sunglasses:

Thanks!  Merry Christmas!