This post is sponsored by Bing.

Last year around the holidays, my friend Tony and I made a pact to turn 2013 into "The Year of DIY." He threw a bean-themed party with goody bags and a table full of awesome bean dishes and even made the cutest bunting for the dining room wall. I showed up with a round vanilla candle that I surrounded with cinnamon sticks and tied with a white ribbon, and then we didn't make any more crafts for the rest of the year.

This holiday season, I'm determined to make at least one or two gifts for people. I've always have a plethora of jars that has continued to grow over the years (I'm not sure if I'm actually a horder or just very environmentally concious), and I've always been a fan of a good body scrub--so I thought that I'd honor my oath to DIY and give a homemade body scrub recipe or two a try. (And, apparently, do a bit of rhyming.)

Image via Whole Living

I was really excited when Bing asked me to use their new Smart Search to navigate my next online searching experience, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Have you used it? I was so pleased with how it was not only easy, but helpful.

We passed by the Windows store in the mall the other day and stopped in to do a quick Bing search on one of their new tablets. I simply typed in "DIY body scrub" and was met with a really aesthetically pleasing page of results. A row of photos in the middle of the page were helpful and expanded with a quick hover of my mouse. Bing Smart Search truly does provide a smart summary of results. You get a rich, visual summary of the most relevant information from across the web, and I'm totally going to make that Spicy Sugar Scrub (pictured above) from Whole Living. It looks like it'll be perfect for the holidays.

Have you made any great body scrubs or other homemade bath/beauty products lately?

And what are you waiting for? Give Bing Smart Search a go!

As always, I deeply appreciate your support as I continue to work with sponsors.

The Happy Gnome has recently become our favorite spot to have lunch. When Rob's brother Dan came to visit us a few weeks ago, Rob put together a list of places that had awesome beer selections. We stopped by The Happy Gnome for lunch and loved it so much that we were back again the next day for dinner. They have a huge selection of beers and quite a few hard ciders, as well, but it's the burgers that keep us coming back. Any burger that comes topped with pulled pork is fine by me. The adorable neighborhood and the fact that their mixed greens salad is so good that sometimes I actually want it instead of fries helps, too.

I always get a Bloody Mary and the Angus Cheeseburger without a bun or cheese, and Rob gets a beer and the Game Burger, which is bison and elk and comes with lingonberry mayo. Everything is good.

   

My Bloody Mary garnishes didn't make the photo opp--see a complete picture here.

The Happy Gnome

498 Selby Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55102

Food 5/5

Service 4/5
Atmosphere 5/5
Prices & Specials 3/5
Paleo-Friendly 5/5

Sometimes I feel like a really good planner, with my little editorial calendar and notebook filled to the brim with ideas and paragraphs from essays I want to write, and then sometimes I look at the calendar and realize it's November 8th and I haven't shared my Instagram recap for October, which I know some of you don't care for but I really like. So today I'm wrapping Life Lately According to Instagram into a Friday Favorites post--two series that I don't pay regular enough attention to, but love too much to do away with. I hope you enjoy.

1-4. My mom came to visit and then my cousin and her mom came to visit at the same time.

5. Rob's brother Dan came the following weekend and we toured breweries in the cities.

6. I showed you favorites from all three locations of our engagement shoot: One | Two | Three

7. Discovered one of our new favorite restaurants, which I'll show you more of next week.

8. Spent more time than usual in St. Paul. This cathedral is my favorite.

9. Went to a petting zoo at an apple orchard and met the sweetest donkey.

10. Addressed and sent out our Save-the-Dates! Six months til the wedding!

11. Spent an afternoon with Winona Grey Photography.

12. Been loving our little living room setup lately.

Life Lately According to Instagram is a once-monthly feature in which I showcase my favorite Instagram shots. You can follow along with me in real-time if you'd like--I'm @megan_flynn.

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And now for some links!

Culture and Inspiration
Sleeping Stranger Subway Picture On Q Train Defines Empathy And Is A Lesson In Being Good.
This piece on writing for a living was motivating to me: Slaves of the Internet, Unite!
Loved this sweet baby with passion eyes so much.
Artist Puts Disney Princess Filter On 10 Real Life Female Role Models. This whole thing is good, but I wanted to quote a section here because it really spoke to me: "Fiction is the lens through which young children first perceive role models, so we have a responsibility to provide them with a diverse and eclectic selection of female archetypes. Now, I'm not even saying that girls shouldn't have princesses in their lives...but there should be more options to choose from. So that was my intent, to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to paint an entire gender of heroes with one superficial brush."

Food and Some Reading
I can't get over how awesome these Epic Bars seem. I need to get some and try them out!
An interesting read: Broccoli's Extreme Makeover.
This looks like a really interesting read--I'm putting it on my list!
A new blog to check out: The Happy Type

Other Stuff
I want this pumpkin chai candle!
Sponsored: I'm working with Bing's Smart Search this month. Do you use it?
I thought this was so interesting: Swedish cinemas take aim at gender bias with Bechdel test rating.
Anyone have any ideas for Tara?
Edward Cullen is the worst boyfriend ever--but I think we already knew that. Here are 19 reasons why.
I can't wait to meet up with Eliza and do some collaborating with her photography business a bit when I'm home for Thanksgiving.

Quote of the Week
Those who make compassion an essential part of their lives find the joy of life. Kindness deepens the spirit and produces rewards that cannot be completely explained in words. It is an experience more powerful than words. To become acquainted with kindness one must be prepared to learn new things and feel new feelings. Kindness is more than a philosophy of the mind. It is a philosophy of the spirit. --Robert J. Furey

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What's everyone up to this weekend? 

We have nothing planned and I think it's going to be great.

Happy Friday!