Christmas Clearancing

So, have you had a chance to... you know...

Well, have you?  'Cuz I have! I love this time of year at Bath & Body Works. The post-Christmas and June "Hello, Yellow!" sales are awesome because the savings is bananas and shelves are stocked with the Signature Collection Classic fragrances.  I believe the sales associate gals at my local store keep all of the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin for themselves, but there's always plenty of Exotic Coconut and Brown Sugar & Fig on display!

This time around, I had our move to New York and a new home in mind as I stocked up on my favorites.  I'm happy to say I've added a tremendous amount of Twilight Woods self-foaming hand soap, Brown Sugar & Fig shower gel, and loofah sponges to my BBW stockpile.  I want to make sure I have my favorites on hand the very first night I spend in my NY home! It's comforting to have 6 bottles of your favorite hand soap on hand when you're living in a brand new place, you know...  Anyway, the best part of my BBW shopping spree is that I purchased all of my goods with a gift card courtesy of my husband's grandma! 3 bottles of Classics shower gel, 1 bottle of I Need a Margarita shower gel, 1 large candle, 3 loofah sponges, and 6 bottles of hand soap for less than $50 - I saved nearly 60% off the original price! I'm one happy (soapy) girl.



Crate & Barrel "Joy" Coffee Mugs
$2.95

  There's another sale this time of year... and it's my absolute #1 favorite sale ever. The Crate & Barrel Winter Clearance totally rocks my socks, and I scoop up all of the cutest Christmas decor and entertaining items at 50-75% off the day after Christmas.  GOOD TIMES! It kind of feels weird, buying a bunch of new Christmas pretties the day after Christmas, but I love it when it's time to put the tree up each year! Especially next year - once again, I shopped my new NY home in mind.  Snowmen pot holders, snowflake-shaped soap and handtowels for the guest bathroom, Glittery red and green mixing bowls, and a red glass "kissing ball" to hang from the ceiling - I think I'm all ready for Christmas 2011!

I know I missed out on a ton of other great sales, but I had my priorities set long before this week - this girl knew long ago that she wanted a surplus of Twilight Woods foaming hand soap in her bathroom and Cute Coffee Cups to sip from next Christmas!  

Did you find any great deals this week? What are your favorite items to stock up on?

*  *  * 

 Aprofessorswife.com officially launches Saturday!  Head over now to follow via Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook, and email! 

 

Post-Christmas CHAOS

Before I get into whining and complaining about how long it took for my husband and I to get settled back in and organized after the long Christmas weekend in WV, I must continue promoting the new blog:



http://www.aprofessorswife.com/


Don't forget to visit my new blog, aprofessorswife.com, and follow via Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook, and/or email subscription - Saturday is the big day!

Thanks to all that have already started following - I need you to hold my hand through this big change! On Friday, I'll be giving you a little preview of what to expect from A Professor's Wife during the month of January.  It's going to be a very special month, and you're going to get to know me and my little life story very well. I want to open with a bang - you will not regret subscribing! You should stock up on coffee and blog reading treats, like, yesterday.

And now, it's time for me to moan and groan a little.  I haven't stopped moving, thinking, anything, since last week! Of course, we were all busy during the holidays. Just hear me out:
The hubs and I got lots of fun gadgets for Christmas.  We also got some of our yearly favorites, like new clothes, Fiestaware, gift cards, etc.  We barely escaped the WV Christmas snow storm from a not-so-Christmasy place on Sunday, and returned to Athens late in the evening.  After opening our presents to each other and the cat, it was time to play with all of our new things.  Except, I had work the next day! CRAP!  I set up my husband's Keurig coffee brewer and rearranged the kitchen a bit.  Before I knew it, it was time to go to bed. 

I think Monday and Tuesday were the hardest days at work ever!  It was so hard for me to get motivated - I so could not get it together.  Thankfully, my supervisor gave me the thumbs up for taking Thursday off (in addition to Friday, a regularly scheduled work holiday), so I was motivated to focus and work hard today. All of the major projects that have been hanging over my head at work the entire month of December are now finished, the monstrous amount of laundry my husband and I managed to dirty over one weekend is now washed and ironed, and all of our new Christmas gifts are now organized/set up/ready to go. Whew... it feels so good to just relax and blog! I have a ton of blogs I can't wait to catch up on - Google Reader is going to be my best friend for the next few hours; I've missed my blogging buds!  Did anyone else have a hard time getting going this week? 

Tomorrow, I'm blogging about my post-Christmas shopping (gee, somehow I had no problem finding time for that this week!)  I should totally be ashamed for spending $$$ after having such a wonderful Christmas, but what the heck - I can't say "no" to the Crate & Barrel Christmas Clearance, or the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale! 

Tonight, I'm going to start visiting all of my followers and leaving them a little message, begging them to follow me at my new blog.  If I leave you a "please please please visit my new blog" comment and you've already joined up, just ignore me. :)

I really do appreciate those who've already jumped on the Professor's Wife train - you all make blogging so worthwhile, and I am very grateful for your readership!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like...

I finally made it to Bath & Body Works this weekend to check out the Holiday Shop!

(I know, I know... it's the week of Halloween, WTH am I doing shopping for Christmas goodies already?  Go ahead and shoot me.)

It was beautiful, sparkly, and delicious.  I want it all. 

Holiday Traditions body care - new formulas, new packaging, same great scents!

{My favorite is Vanilla Bean Noel.}

These are included in the Signature Collection buy 3 get 2 free this season, don't let 'em tell you otherwise!

Slatkin & Co Candles

Call me crazy, but I tend to choose these over Yankee Candles - they don't last as long, but there's minimal black smoke, they're a little less expensive, and the classy glass jars are perfect for pretty gift giving.

{My favorite scents are Winter and Twisted Peppermint.}

Don't knock this display over! Yikes!

So cute!  The wallflower mix-n-match gets me every time!  I honestly believe that the home fragrance oils and oil burners are the best way to achieve a quick, long-lasting and stronger home fragrance - but wallflowers are powerful if plugged into several rooms.  Forget powerful fragrance, though - these are just too cute for words! (And great for dorms, too :) 

And finally, my personal favorite... HAND SOAP.  When in doubt, just give me B&BW Hand soap! I love all formulas, but my husband (who pretends like he doesn't care what he washes his hands with) prefers the self-foaming soap. Seriously.  One time, I made the mistake of placing a new bottle of the Deep-cleaning soap at the bathroom sink after emptying the self-foaming kind, and my husband hated it.  I had to switch.  He would never, ever admit to this kind of behavior. 

{My favorite hand soap scent from the holiday collection: twisted peppermint.}

Some other notable favorites include the 5 for $5 anti-bac pocket-bac gels (I love Cocoa-Mint!), the 3 for $15 holiday figural hand soaps, and the 2 for $5 moisturizing anti-bac hand lotion.

Breaking out the B&BW Holiday products is one of my very favorite things about the holiday season - the smells are fabulous, and the packaging is so bright and fun!  All products are super giftable and can easily be wrapped in the clear cellophane bags for giving; be sure to grab a few of the complimentary cellophane gift bags as you piece together hand-picked gift sets for your gal friends and fam!

That's enough B&BW plugging for now! I do not get compensated for this, and totally should. Who knows somebody who knows somebody who could help this girl out?!?

Have a terrific week - and you've gotta shop the B&BW Holiday Shop early, before everything is picked over on Black Friday!  

My First Miscellany Monday

I decided that participating in something I can barely spell was the best way to sum up my scrambling, it's-a-new-work-week kind of thoughts! 

I love my mom.  This weekend's visit with my mom has inspired me to write several "I-Love-My-Mom"-inspired posts, but today I will keep it short and sweet: I never have to worry about who I am when I'm around her - in her eyes, I'm a terrific person, a wonderful daughter, and that makes me smile. She knows me like no other, and I really appreciate the bond we have. She's never overbearing, never selfish, always caring, and always full of unconditional love.  She holds little expectations for me - just that I'm always happy and living a wonderful life. She has always trusted me, has a great confidence in me, and makes me feel like an independent woman. I love her!

My blogging buds are awesome! Seriously.  Thank you so much for leaving so many kind compliments on Friday's "Redhead" new 'do post - I didn't expect to receive that much super sweet feedback!  You all are so awesome! 

A new favorite hand cream. No surprise that it's Bath and Body Works: Shea Cashmere Hand Cream in Twilight Woods.  Amazing.  Not greasy, ultra healing, and ultra soothing.  (side note: I cannot believe my hands are already starting to dry and crack!) 

My husband is a super hero. Seriously.  His students submitted their first essay last Tuesday.  He had a goal to return the graded essays to his students in a week.  Our weekend visit to WV slowed the process down a bit, but when we returned to Ohio yesterday, he graded 40 papers.  40 papers with a typed, detailed summary of good points, areas that need worked on, and a final grade attached.  How many students get that kind of feedback?  Today, he's back into job marketing fun.  And FINALLY, schools from the deep south have started posting openings!  We've been waiting! :)

I finished 'Safe Haven'. This wasn't quite the Nicholas Sparks we all know and love - the romantic, sweet and sad novel took a back seat.  Safe Haven had it's romantic parts, but they were few and far between - he went for suspense with this one, and I absolutely loved it.  It reminded me of "The Guardian".  It was a nice change-up; not sure all readers will agree, but I was glad to see Sparks switch it up a little.

Today is Commercial-free Workday on Soft Rock 93.3 Columbus. Maybe I'm a total turd-head, but I love soft rock and pop, and this is my absolute favorite themed-radio station.  If you're a Journey/Bee Gees/Don Henley/Fleetwood Mac fan, tune in to: 93.3 WLZT for commercial free music from 9-5! (They play non-stop Christmas music starting in December! YEEEE!!!!)

I'm plotting and planning for my first Vlog. Any ideas?

I turn 27 in one month! It's already that time of year again... what should I ask for? 

Random thoughts buzzing through your head?  Blog them and link up at Carissa Graham's "Miscellany Monday"!

Have a super day and a great week, all!

Bath & Body Works Addicts Anonymous (meeting #4)

The lucky duck who won the sack of summery Bath & Body Works products is Kendra!
Thanks to all of my awesome readers and fellow B&B Works fanatics for participating!

Some fun Bath & Body Works related notes:
-Twilight Woods for Men comes out September 27th! I can't wait to pick this up for my husband.
-October 12th is the release date for everyone's favorite Holiday Traditions Scents! My personal favorite of the collection, Vanilla Bean Noel, along with the old faithfuls Winter Candy Apple and Twisted Peppermint are making their annual return, and Snow Kissed Berry is making its debut! 

{Which is your favorite?}

I thought the release date sounded a little earlier than usual, but the B&BW sales associate simply said "you know we're always a season ahead!"  Ain't that the truth!  And it's perfectly fine with me - I love walking around, smelling like a container full of fresh baked vanilla cupcakes and warm sugar cookies!

-Harry Slatkin of Slatkin & Co. will be showcasing new fall and holiday home fragrance products on Saturday, September 25th, 8am-9amET, and Tuesday, September 28th, 6-7am ET on QVC.  Tune in to see new stuff before it hits the B&BW shelves!  Just a note - most of the time, you can get way better deals in the B&BW stores than on QVC - but I like to tune in and see sneak peaks!

Totally unrelated, but my lady friends will appreciate this:

I had a guy leave a comment on my blog yesterday afternoon. He wrote, "This looks like one of those girly type of blogs."  I replied to his comment via email and congratulated him on his groundbreaking rhetorical analysis! "I am a girl, after all", I typed.  I thought his comment was almost ... well... cute.  Cute that he stopped by a blog entitled "A Day in the Life of a Grad Student's Wife" and really cute that he actually still left a comment.  Was he being negative? nah. Was he just making a simple observation? yes - out of disappointment, I'm thinking. Will he ever come back?  He's not following, so my guess is a no.  I'm assuming he googled something that brought up my little home in the blogosphere, and I'm hoping that he eventually finds what he was looking for.  You all should stop by and say hello to him!

Have a great Monday! 

Bath & Body Works "Summer Isn't Over YET" Goodie Bag Giveaway!

It's time for a Bath & Body Works Addicts Anonymous meeting! 

I'm going to share some of my favorite B&B Works summer products
with one of my lucky readers!

{because Fall doesn't officially

begin until September 23rd}

What's in the bag:

Wallflowers Pluggable Home Fragrance Starter in Berry

Wallflower Single Bulb in Forever Sunshine

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Lipbalm

Slatkin & Co. Room Spray in Summer Melon

Liplicious lip gloss in Saltwater Taffy

Pocketbac Anti-bacterial hand gel in Fresh Lemon

Handibac Moisturizing hand lotion in Nectarine Mint

Travel size body lotion in Summer Vanillas Lemon, Summer Vanillas Berry, and Cool Aqua

*all hand-picked by me, for my lovely readers!

How to win:

Follow me!  My blog is always a good time. (1 entry)

Tell me what your favorite B&B Works product is (1 entry)

Blog about Bath and Body Works! (doesn't even have to be about my giveaway - just profess your love for B&BW! (2 entries)

I will notify the winner on Monday, September 13th!

Can't wait to hear from all of my fellow B&BW addicts! :)

GOOD LUCK!

Bath and Body Works Addicts Anonymous (Meeting #3)

It's Friday afternoon. I leave work, my husband and I go to Applebees for a late lunch, and then he says "I'm not ready to go home yet - let's run around."  I say, "if we're running around, then I'm running to Bath and Body Works - I've got a 20% off total purchase coupon (Coupin!) and a free travel-size product with any purchase offer, burning a hole right through my cheap kelly green vinyl wallet."


Next, Dark Kiss happens.

YUM.  The newest BBW Signature Collection fragrance is super sweet, intense, a little musky, and super sexy. A mixture of Twilight Woods, Midnight Pomegranate, and Black Amethyst, it's the perfect recipe for cool fall days and date nights!  The scent lingers, too - I can smell it on the couch throw pillows, blankets i've been curling up with in the evenings, and my bedding - and that's just from the trial size body lotion I used during the past two weeks! 


I'm still using the remnants of Forever Sunshine which I completely still think is the best scent ever (along with Twilight Woods, of course), so I purchased the full size Dark Kiss shower gel, body lotion, and body spray for my "travel beauty booty" bag.  It's a nice start to my travel beauty case, which is going to be an expensive task - as some of my readers may remember, I'm building a collection of all of my favorite health & beauty aid/makeup must-haves in full sizes for travel purposes only, because I have major problems forgetting items when I go somewhere, and I can't keep up with re-stocking too-small travel-sized products.  Now that I have Dark Kiss waiting in the travel bag, I can't flipping wait to go somewhere! Let's go!


If you're looking for a new fall scent, this may be the one to try just because I said so.  It definitely has nosehair-burning potential, so if you're not used to strong, spicy and sweet, I suggest starting gradual - like with a travel-size body spray, to see if you like it. The new scent is also sold in the form of small candles and Wallflower bulbs, so if it doesn't wear well on your skin (after all, everybody carries scents differently), then give it a try in the home! Or just buy some for the sake of spending $$$ (since we all have extra dough laying around, HA) and mail it to Stephanie Snyder in Athens, Ohio.


P.S. Bath & Body Works/Limited Brands does not compensate me in any way for writing these rockin' reviews - although, they totally should.  So i can use the money to go buy more of their stuff. I've contacted them regarding this issue, but no word yet!  They probably just think I'm a wishful thinking loser high on Japanese Cherry Blossom Anti-bac gel.

Bath & Body Works Addicts Anonymous (Meeting #2)

It's time for our 2nd BBWA meeting!

Today, I'm reflecting on the Bath & Body Works products that I've either been using religiously summer after summer, or just recently fell in love with this season!

B&B Works Summer Top 10

10. Caribbean Escape home fragrance oil

9. Forever Sunshine wallflower fragrance bulbs

8. True Blue Spa Hold it Right There tan extending lotion

7. C.O. Bigelow Pomegranite Lemon Body Scrub

6. loofah sponges - so bright, huge, and soft!

5. True Blue Spa Need a Margarita? citrus body wash

4. Vanillas* Lemon gentle foaming handsoap

3. Forever Sunshine body lotion

2. C.O. Bigelow Lemon lip balm

1. True Blue Spa 29 & Holding sunscreen

I truthfully would die without 1, 2, 6, and 9 - I've used them daily this summer and will be very angry should the powers that be @ B&BWorks hq would for some reason discontinue any of them!

#1 is my biggest beauty secret - the way to tan pale, freckled skin but prevent sunburn during those hot, sunny afternoons when the UV index is 1532. 

The best way to treat an addiction is to talk about it, ya know... so what are your favorite products to use in the summer?  Not everyone is addicted to the same substance, so if you're frequently using another brand of product, feel free to share! I want to know everyone's beauty secrets!

Have a happy, beautiful day!
P.S. I'm linking up at Welcome Wednesday!

Bath & Body Works Addicts Anonymous

I have enough Bath & Body Works products stockpiled to last me through the next 4 or 5 decades - maybe even the apocolypse, since I fully intend to survive as long as I have plenty of "I need a Margarita" body wash on hand. 

I. am. an. addict.

The scents are wonderful, and the products are good quality, but that's only a little bit of the reason why I love the stuff so much.  The packaging, the in-store displays, the super attractive and user-friendly online store, the "sales" that often trick buyers into big time overspending, and the cute, sweet, helpful little sales associates all suck me in.  Every single item in the store looks good - good as in I want to eat it, drink it, or sleep with it under my pillow good.  I've tried to cut back on my B&B Works shopping sprees, but when I'm motivated to do so, that freaking "Hello Yellow" semi-annual sale starts - then lasts - for a whole month.  I can't possibly stay away from those great deals!

So, I've fully admitted - I am a "BBWA" - Bath & Body Works Addict.  Are you?

Today, I'm reviewing B&BW's latest Summer signature collection release, Forever Sunshine.

Earlier this week, I walked into the store, where FOrever Sunshine was the feature display.  The scent hit me like a ton of bricks - in a good way.  It smelled familiar. The sales associate squirted a golfball size glob of the Forever Sunshine body lotion into the palm of the my hand, and described the product as "A summer version of Twilight Woods".  Ahhh... that's IT, I thought, Twilight Woods being my favorite B&BW scent.  I grabbed a couple of Forever Sunshine products, along with the 6 for $24 mix & match Wallflower plug ins and fragrance bulbs, used a coupon to get some free stuff, and headed out. I continued to ponder what else was familiar about the new scent all evening, and after processing the fragrance notes for a few more hours, I came to a conclusion.  "Forever Sunshine" is Twilight Woods meets Britney Spears' "Fantasy"! Deeelicious. 

Whenever I decide to put together a giveaway, you can bet that a Forever Sunshine product will be included.  It is now my #1 favorite B&BW scent - sweet, spicy, floral, and fruity - I LOVE it!

Please, feel free to share your B&BW addiction - I need to know that I am not alone! 

    

One of my favorite blog hops, hosted by Take It From Me - Click on the button above to find great new blogs to follow!

 

Thanks for stopping by - have a smelly good, sunshiny Wednesday!

We're headed over the HUMP!