O. P. I. and Holiday Madness

I am devoted to O.P.I. alone. No other nail polish brand do I purchase. My friend Leah is the one who really turned me on to O.P.I. I did have one polish by them before her influence, but now I have a small collection :)

I am cursed with the terribly awful bad habit of biting my nails. I get to a point where I can let them grow and then I do really well for several months and they are beautiful, but then I bite them all off and continue to bite them for the next six months til I finally let them grow again. One big way not to bite them is to keep them polished...constantly. Because whenever I put all that effort into painting my nails I really don't want to mess them up immediately. So I have found this polish to be my absolute favorite- it goes on so nice and smooth without globbing up or looking streaky, it dries fairly quickly with no little bubbles, it doesn't chip or flake very easily, and the names of the polishes are so fun! The ones I own are:

1. Mauving to Manitoba

2. A-rose at dawn...broke by noon

3. Pink of Hearts

4. Aphrodite's Pink Nightie

5. Chicago Champagne Toast

6. Belize it or Not

My current all time favorite is #5...but that is always subject to change. 

On another note altogether- the holiday's are in full swing at the Rabenstein household!! Yesterday was the first day of December and it snowed all day! What a way to ring in this Christmas month. (Yes it is a whole month of Christmas for us). Since I am fortunate enough to work from home, I get to enjoy the beauty of the snow outside, without having to go out into it's icy coldness! Our house is now decorated for Christmas, complete with the beginning of presents under the tree. In the evenings sometimes we do nothing but cuddle by the tree because we just love the way the lights look at night. 

Now I am a HUGE fan of traditions. Very old ones, and always looking to make new ones! The ones that I look forward to this whole month long are...

1. White Christmas with Mom, Dad, and Zach (I make a yummy treat and Mom makes spiced rum!)

2. Going to Marion to eat at Rosie's (delicious Italian) and to drive the Walkway of Lights 

3. All day Christmas shopping event at Castleton Square Mall

4. Christmas Eve dinner at grandma's (always the same meal with her famous strawberry sorbet)

5. Christmas Eve presents with Mom and Dad

6. Opening one present from Zach on Christmas Eve

7. The big Christmas breakfast we make together

8. Christmas day lunch with the family at our house (also always the same delicious meal)

9. Making TONS of holiday goodies

10. Taking almost nightly drives to look at people's Christmas lights

11. Watching Christmas movies

12. Reading "The Mouse Before Christmas" and "Cowboy Christmas" every Christmas Eve

So far this holiday season I have baked chocolate mint-topped cookies, watched the ORIGINAL Rudolph with Kori, taken several drives with my husband, started the Christmas shopping, and two days ago Kori and I had Zach drive us around and at any house that had great Christmas lights we stopped and got a picture with them! Now for more Christmas classics tonight....ahhhhh I love this time of year.


JORDAN