I was in a hurry the other morning and lamented the fact that I really wanted a smoothie for breakfast. I also hadn’t gotten much sleep and I really needed some coffee, and then this happened…

I kept passing this stuff whenever I was at Target, because I remember the old Shea Moisture brand, (remember the ones in the white bottles with the red and green lettering?) and they were chock full of icky ingredients. Then one day someone asked me had I tried their reformulated shampoo and I got curious. I’d already tried their Deep Treatment Masque, and I really like it. So I thought I’d check the shampoo out for you guys. Here’s my review:

I’ve had several people ask me where I get some of the knitwear that I’ve posed in on the site, and to be honest, I can’t usually find exactly what I want, so I end up making it a lot of the time. I knit and crochet and I find them both to be extremely therapeutic and calming. I learned to knit from my grandmother and to (properly) crochet from my aunt. I mostly make accessories, because I don’t really have the attention span for a sweater, (sorry Nana). So here’s the first in a series of patterns I’ll be posting this season. Enjoy!

Big Chunky Knitted Cowl Pattern by Savvy Brown

Skill Level: Easy

Wool: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky
(or any super chunky wool you want to try)

Don’t let the holidays make you crazy, broke or gain 30 pounds. That’s just putting more pressure on those New Year’s Resolutions you never keep. Here’s 12 ways to stay sane this holiday season with out breaking the bank, (or your cousin’s arm).

1. Shop online – There’s absolutely no reason to stand online for hours on end and fight the holiday crowds anymore. Not when just about everything we own can be ordered online. So save yourself the headache and cybershop this season. You easily find coupons for kinds of items at sites like Retail Me Not, Coupon Cabin, Current Codes, DealCatcher
2. Regift – Got a gift from someone already that doesn’t suit you but would be perfect for a co-worker? Regift! The only time this is not a good idea, when the original giver is present when you make the exchange.
3. Gift Cards – Have and uncle that needs everything but wants nothing? Yep. Time for a gift car. Some of the most generic to choose from are at Amazon. Check out Savvy Amazon Gift Cardsfor simple, last-minute gift giving.

When the temperature drops, I tend tend to drink less water, (because I’m cold!) and my skin suffers. So I’ve gone back to my weekly facial routine, and it’s really helped a lot. My favorite part of the pampering ritual is the mask. It always leaves my face feeling so refreshed, even Sexy noticed a difference! Below are three of my favorites:

My girl Scarlett is back with some new products in the Wonder Curl line and I couldn’t wait to try them! I’ve reviewed and done giveaways on her Wonder Curl Get Set Hair Jelly here on the blog, and so I was excited when she told me that she was coming out with another product call Butter Than Love. It comes in two formulations: pudding and whipped. Here, I’ll review both:

I’m always looking for recipes that can make enough to last more than one day, something vegan for Sexy, or can be eaten over more than one meal. This is all three! I adapted this from a recipe I found on allrecipes. This corn bread isn’t dessert sweet, but it’s definitely not bland either. Now, some purists might say that corn bread should never be sweet.

I disagree.

But, for those of you who subscribe to that point of view, feel free to decrease the sugar in this recipe.

This is a great weeknight dish to make and is simpler than you think! It’s basically a rice and bean dish served in bell peppers. The whole thing takes little over an hour to make, and only 35 minutes if you’re using pre-cooked rice!

In my continuing quest to organize stuff in our home, I had pushed cable organization to the top of the list. Both my husband and I have a couple of laptops, not mention various video game systems each with its own set of cables. I was tired of not being able to find the correct cable when I needed it, or resorting to a dusty game of twister when something blew behind the TV and spending an hour trying to find the right cord, before I could troubleshoot the problem. These ideas helped us, and maybe they’ll help you too!

image from unpluggd

I’m back with another review of Amazing Botanicals Products. Last week I reviewed the Pumpkin Pomade and this week, I decided to double-up the review by trying both the Aloe Mint Spritz and the Hibiscus Cream Gel.