Vacay Update

Our sweet friends are up here too! YAY! We got to hang with them today! 

Snow is totally worth a side trip for these florida peeps! 

How's this for fashion?

Lovers stroll!

We are having a ball! EXCEPT for the fact that we had to make a visit to the local walk in clinic today. My oldest son has Pneumonia. NOT good, so prayers needed. But a shot in the buttocks and 3 scripts and he should be feeling better by tomorrow, fingers crossed. Poor guy, he was sad because he thought he would ruin our time. Mom and dad stayed with him today while we took the healthy cubs out to lunch, go-karting, and to the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride with our sweet friends pictured above. So excited because tomorrow is my birthday, and what could be better than your husband planning a day at the spa and shopping for you?? I'll tell you what, he's coming with me for two treatments at the spa, and my best friend is joining me for the mani/pedi portion! If K is feeling better tomorrow night we will have a birthday dinner at one of my favorites, the Chop House. If not- it's steaks on the grill at the cabin and I am just fine with that too! As long as I am with my family that is all that really matters to me! How are you ringing in the New Year? XXOO

Mountain Getaway

Sorry, no photos today! Relaxing on a mountain top in Gatlinburg, TN. My iPad won't let me upload pictures to blogger. :( Unless there is something I don't know. If you have a trick please share!! We are napping, movie watching, and enjoying family time! With that said-I think it's time for a s'more. :)

Our Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve! Top: INC, Pants: Banana Republic, Necklace: Stella & Dot,
Shoes: My friend Court's massive closet :) 

Feeding the reindeer!

Santa has arrived!

Our Tree

Everything dinosaur!

All she wanted! <3

Talking dinosaurs with Poppy

Seriously, his favorite thing EVER.

Loves her new backpack

Our dinner table

What a perfect day! I love everything about Christmas, what it means, time with family, and even the smells! We had a wonderful day with our family and I could not feel more loved. In other news, I was really honored to be featured on the Love List for Rachel's blog, For the Birds. That was a gift to me, and such an amazing compliment! Today is clean up and packing as we leave early in the morning for our winter vacation in the mountains! Love and best wishes to you all! Merry Christmas!

A Merry Little Christmas Eve

Q

Downtown Celebration, Florida 

How we do snow in Florida, soap bubbles! 

My homemade gifts this year! BBQ Rubs! Recipe below! 

Merry Christmas Eve! These pictures are from our trip to Celebration last weekend. We took the kids to see it snow...or sudz! :) They loved every minute of it. I made homemade gifts this Christmas, and since I am already passing them out to my friends, I will share the recipe with you! Everyone has loved them so far! I bought the little bottles at Hobby Lobby.

Jamaican Spice Rub:

3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tsp ginger
1 Tsp allspice
1 Tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 Tsp grated nutmeg
3/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, then place in an airtight container. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Wording for the card:
Brush 3/4 to 1 lb. of shrimp or poultry with oil, then coat with 1 Tbsp of the seasoning. For maximum flavor, let the rubbed chicken or shrimp rest several hours before cooking.

Montreal Steak Rub:

2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp granulated or minced garlic
2 Tbsp granulated or minced onion
2 Tbsp coarse salt
1 1/2 Tbsp coarse-ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp dill weed
1 Tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, then place the rub in an airtight container. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Wording for the card:
Brush 3/4 to 1 lb. of steak or 1/3 lb. hamburger patties with oil. Coat the steak with 1 Tbsp of rub, the patties with 1 Tsp each, or mix 1 Tbsp of the seasoning into 3/4 to 1 lb. of ground beef before forming the burgers. For maximum flavor, let the meat rest several hours before cooking!

Morning Dew

Top: Target, Scarf: Loft, Belt: J. Crew

Taking pictures in the backyard this morning sounded like a good idea. That is until my shoes were soaking wet with dew and covered in grass and dirt. The kids loved it though...they move at 90 mph from the time their little eyes open. Three more days until Christmas! Are you ready? I can't wait. All of the shopping is pretty much done, and I had to clean out my fridge for the grocery run yesterday! Today I am lunching with a super sweet friend of mine from church and then heading to see Breaking Dawn for the 2nd time! Can't WAIT! Have a super Thursday! XXOO

Whatcha Waiting For?

Top and pants: Banana Republic, Belt J. Crew

Clutch: Olivia & Joy, Ring, bracelet, and earrings: David Yurman

Shoes: Poetic License 

When we arrived at the mall yesterday I realized yet again why procrastination is evil. But in my defense, being a working mother I haven't had much time to go out and shop. I started asking myself while being bumped into and pushed around in a busy store why we do this to ourselves. I love the idea of gifts, but at what point is enough enough? I put so much pressure on myself to make sure each child has equal amounts, etc. Did I buy enough? Will anyone be disappointed? It is exhausting. So when I got home last night and started going through my purchases over the last few weeks, I realized that it was more than enough. What am I teaching my children about Christmas if all I can think about is the gifts??? So in this case I do believe less is more, and not just to make things easier on me....but to remind myself that the little gifts are nothing in comparison to the HUGE gift that God gave to us. So be gone stress...I am done! Next challenge: the grocery store! YIKES! :)

Birthdays and Busyness!

Top: matty m. (thrifted) Jeans: Loft,  Jewelry: mixed,  Adorable 3 year old: Michael and Cathy Hayes

Celebrating this little guy and preparing for the holidays has kept me swamped over the past few days! This picture is from last night at his b-day dinner at T-Rex in Orlando. If you can go, GO! It was SO much fun...the kids LOVED it and so did we! Tonight I am covered in flour, sugar, and royal icing. Some sweet friends came over to make cookies and then we grilled a YUMMY steak dinner. I ate my entire filet, and seriously almost licked the plate it was so good! Tomorrow is the finale of little Kade's 3rd b-day! A party with his friends at Dinosaur World! I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

Talk it UP!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG DoublePlay™ for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So let's talk cell phones! Currently I am eyeballing the LG DoublePlay™! It has dual customizable touch screens and allows you to surf the web while texting or social networking! The 5 megapixel camera is GREAT, and has an LED flash and a HD video recorder-great for capturing quality shots during the holidays! With the LG DoublePlay™ you also have access to Android Market for apps.

Available exclusively through T-Mobile, this phone is the ultimate in multitasking and social networking for busy working moms on the go like me! I spend a LOT of time on my phone during the week. I work mobile so that I can be with my kids, so a user friendly phone is a MUST for me! This phone would work wonders for my productivity. I encourage you to check it out for yourselves, I know there are many other options to choose from, but the features of this phone are perfect for people on the go! How many hours do you spend on the phone texting or social networking? How do you think a phone like this would change the way you text or interact on social networks? I would love to hear from you!

Black and White With a Shade of Gray

Top: Old, Skirt: Loft, Shoes: Adrianne Vittadini

Earrings: Stella & Dot

So much to do this time of year, it would be nice to simplify things! Anyone have any ideas that actually work? We always say: "We're not going crazy this Christmas", but it happens. It is so fun to buy for people, but to stop and remember the true reason for this season is so important. Just adding to the excitement, we have a birthday this week! My little Kade turns 3 years old on Thursday. We will celebrate by having a birthday dinner at T-Rex restaurant in Orlando. We are also having a little party for him on Saturday at Dinosaur World. In between planning for this, I have to find a way to finish my Christmas shopping as the kids are out of school after Friday. The good news is I am almost done, just a few more things on my list to buy. The next item on the agenda is cookie day and Christmas dinner menu planning. I am getting tired just thinking about it! What about you? Are you in planning mode too?

Stolen!

Cardigan: J. Crew, Top: INC, Boots: Steve Madden, Jeans: Old Navy

Bracelets: Alex and Ani, Banana Republic, Ring: David Yurman

I totally hijacked this look from Pinterest! I am so thankful for inspiration from other bloggers, and the BEST part is when you actually have something in your closet that is similar to re-create the look. Busy weekend here my friends. Christmas parade tonight, soccer tournaments tomorrow, and Lights of Lakeland tomorrow night. Tis the season to be shufflin'! What are you doing this weekend?

Three Cheers for Thrifting!

Dress: Antonio Melani, $5.00 at Goodwill

Compliments can be a girls best friend on some days. It's like the Lord knows when we need a little pick me up! I got multiple compliments on my dress today, and it only cost me a whopping $5.00 at my local Goodwill! I never used to thrift. If it had been owned or worn before I wouldn't even consider it. What was I thinking??? I am now in love with the GREAT finds at my local thrift stores! Some of the items I have found have still had the tags on them-SCORE! The good thing about Lakeland thrift stores is that other than Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger-no one knows the designer brands. This means HUGE discounts on stellar brands! This makes me happy.....and my shopping budget very happy! Do you like to thrift?

He is Good!

This song spoke to me this morning! You are good when there is nothing good in me, you are love on display for all to see! These words I want to remember during this holiday season! He is GOOD!

Cool Enough for Tights!

Dress: Marshalls, Belt: J. Crew, Blazer: Loft, Watch: Michele, Booties: Seychelles

This morning it was cool enough for tights. Apparently I wasn't cool enough to iron. I didn't realize just how wrinkled I was until I downloaded the pictures! HA welcome to motherhood!

Cyber Monday Restraint

Dress and cardigan: Target: Belt: J. Crew, Shoes, Seychelles, Watch: Michele

Bag: Michael Kors

The email inbox is full today of tempting Cyber Monday sales: free shipping, 50% off, etc. I did what I am sure many are guilty of- which is fill up my shopping cart just to see the total and what a great deal I would be getting, but I couldn't complete purchase. Each year that has gone by has gotten harder and harder for us. We are very blessed, don't get me wrong, but in years past...there have been bonuses that have taken care of Christmas, whatever silly spending we did during the year, and more. Now we have no bonus, a 16 y/o that needs car insurance, toddlers who are growing out of everything, and a grocery bill that won't quit! Even though this all can seem so overwhelming- I think that the best part is that I have finally realized that it is all just stuff. I like stuff....but I CAN live without stuff! So since I didn't participate in Cyber Monday, let me live vicariously through you today....what did you buy? :)

Thankful

Love the cheeses!! 

My Dad

I ate ALL of it! Yes!

The final masterpiece, I was really proud. (Usually I get it wrong on the first try) 

So much to be thankful for. On Wednesday we met Carl, an elderly disabled Veteran who doesn't get out much at all. We delivered a meal to him via the service provided by Viste. You should have seen his face light up when he saw my four children file out of the Suburban. He loved visiting with us and made it a point to invite us back several times. I wondered when the last time was that he had a visitor. Other than his only son, he has no family in the area. I am so thankful that we could make him smile. On Thursday, I started the day on a long run with one of my special friends, smelling turkeys smoking throughout the neighborhoods we ran through. I am so thankful for my health, my friends, and the food that was on our table. The table setting was smaller this year, we were missing my Pap and my Grana-but I am so thankful for memories of them, and the faces I still saw across the table. I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving....I myself, am feeling very blessed!