Cyber Monday DEALZ!

HURRY AND RUN TO GROOP DEALZ AND GET IN ON THE CYBER MONDAY SA-SEA BOUTIQUE DEAL!!!!!!!
I HAVE PURCHASED A TON OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM GROUP DEALZ THIS SEASON AND I WAS BEYOND EXCITED TO BE FEATURED!

CHECK IT OUT AND HELP SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES THIS CYBER MONDAY!

XOXO

How Will I ever decide?

It is no secret that I LOVE having our pictures taken with one of my favorite friends, Maria with Snidershots! She has this rare ability to capture my family in a way that really describes us! I can look back at the pictures she has taken of my family over the past 5 years and truly remember my kids at that stage. I feel So lucky to have her not only as a friend, but as my all time favorite photographer!

I haven't sent out Christmas cards since Collin was born (don't judge), and this year I am getting an early start to make sure that I actually do it!

I have NO idea how on earth I will pick the right picture............because I love ALLLLL of them!


This picture just makes me smile! Chad works sooo hard for our family and I feel like this shows us all giving him some love. :)

love this! how does she come up with this stuff?! I have no clue!

My little man (pics taken the day before he turned 5) knows how to rock a camera! He wanted to wear his green crocks and I was totally okay with it. They aren't my fave choice, but I want to remember what he liked at this stage.


This is so fun!

This guy has been by my side since I was in middle school and I always love seeing pictures of just us! It is kind of rare since we are always behind the lens taking pics of our kids!



My baby girl! I always think she looks like me and people rarely agree......but I will have to carry this picture around with me now to show that we DO look alike! (kind of....maybe a little bit)

My babies!!!!!! This picture makes me smile so big! I am getting a huge one of these and I know that it will make me smile daily when I look at it!

We are VERY blessed!!!!!!!!

Hope you have an amazing day!
xoxo

Countdown to Christmas Tutorial

I have been really into tutorials this past week, after taking a long break from them. It has been fun to come up with new projects to try!

This is a super easy project that I know my kids will love, and will also make a cute little gift to friends.

Countdown to Christmas Board
-Boards (I bought these at Michaels on Sale for $1!!!!!)
-Craft paint
-Chalk Board Paint
-Painters tape


I wrote the wording freehand, but you could use a stencil if you needed.


TaDa!!!!! I am going to hang this between my kid's bedroom so that they can take turns updating the countdown!


This also reminds me that I am not totally crazy for wanting to decorate my home now for Christmas....I mean 43 days isn't that long!!!!!

xoxo

Chicken And Brie Pockets

I am not into cooking.....or trying new foods....so in order for me to make a post about a meal it has to be really easy, have little ingredients, and taste great!
So trust me that this is all of the above!

I found this recipe a few months ago while sitting at the pediatricians office in a magazine and copied it down. I have made it about once a week since then. :)

Chicken and Brie Pockets
-crescent rolls (each pkg will make 4 pockets, so use as many as you need)
-chicken breasts (as many as needed)
-Seasoning of choice
-Brie





I pounded the chicken and cut them in half. These are sams club size chicken breasts.

Cook for about 4 mins on each side and season chicken as you would like. They shouldn't be cooked all the way thru....but pretty close.


Spread out the crescent rolls (with two triangles making a rectangle) and place the chicken and sliced brie in the middle and wrap it up. You could really use any cheese or add bacon, turkey, ham, whatever you would like.

I do my best to get all the gaps closed up, but it really isn't that big of a deal if some cheese melts out. (see....easy!)

Bake according to the crescent roll package. (375 for 12 min...or until chicken is done)

My kids love it......and so do we!!!!! win-win!!!!

Enjoy!!!!
xoxo

Sweatshirt Blanket Tutorial

I absolutely LOVE that my kids are involved in sports, and really enjoy them! Chad and I both were really involved in sports when we were little and both played on travel teams in middle and high school. (I played Soccer and Chad played Baseball) I think it kept us out of a lot of trouble....and I can only hope that my kids remain as excited about sports as they are right now!

I am Collin's coach for the 4th season and the games start in December. I know we live in Florida but it does get really chilly during January and February games! Just trust me!

Kacey has been doing really well this year with soccer and just made the DA (developmental academy) team a few weeks ago! This is really exciting stuff, and includes 2 nights of practice and Friday night games. WOW....THAT'S A LOT OF SOCCER!

I decided to make them each a blanket with their names that we could keep in the soccer bags to snuggle in while they watched each others games. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!

Materials...
-Martha Stuart Paint. (you can use any brand, I just love her colors)
-1 yard of sweatshirt material per blanket (prewash)
-freezer paper
-tiny scissors or a knife
-sponge brush






I cut out my stencil using a knife onto the freezer paper and ironed it onto my fabric. I had to push really hard to make sure that there were not any gaps.


Used the sponge brush to dab paint onto the stencil


I peeled it off immediately because I used a lot of paint and didn't want it to soak thru the paper.



I am loving how they turned out! I can wash them easily....and they are sure to keep my little soccer players warm this season!

xoxo

My Baby Boy Is Five

It absolutely blows my mind that my baby boy is 5! I know that means he is no longer a baby....but I have warned him that no matter how old he is...I will always call him my baby.

I love looking at old pictures...and especially on my kid's birthdays. I know it is so cliche but it is crazy how fast they grow up! It makes me so sad!

I had collin just 3 weeks after my 27th birthday....and was SOOO excited to meet him! The birth of Collin was going to complete our family and I was so happy!

This pic was on my 27th birthday.....it makes me laugh because I don't think I even looked Pregnant from this angle.

I carried him ALL OUT FRONT!

On my way to the hospital.

I was induced...so 17 hours later I was able to meet my favorite little guy!

Proud parents!!!!!!!


I still check on him when he is sleeping.....and he still has this cute little baby face!

My little man on his first bday!

Turning 2 Rocks!

My stylish little 3 year old!

Playing golf with dad on his 4th birthday

This year he wanted to go bowling...and to a USF Soccer game....so we did! Can't believe he is 5!!!!!

I probably couldn't be more proud of my little five year old!
He has a heart of gold and cares so much about his friends, his family, his dogs, and has the ability to really know how to brighten your day! He is a total morning person....and wakes up in the best mood daily! He has a laugh that can make even the saddest person smile, and truly enjoys being around the people he loves. Collin is an all around athlete and can play any sport he tries. He has a love for soccer and it blows my mind how skilled he is at it!

I can't wait to see what is in store for my favorite 5 year old!! Whatever it is....I know it is going to be great!!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo

Easy Lace Knee Socks Tutorial

One of my favorite blogs Dear Lizzy did a tutorial yesterday on Knee High Socks. I have wanted these for a year now....and have just been waiting for the weather to get cool again. (I live in Florida.....if I wait for it to get COLD....I will be waiting till maybe January)



Supplies that I used on my first pair....
Knee High Socks
Lace
Wooden Buttons

I ruffled the lace prior to sewing them onto the socks......then sewed it around the edge. The buttons were sewed on by hand which is never fun.....but turned out great!!!!!!


I also have the supplies to make a few other varieties....and I can't wait to try them out. I also made a few pairs for my daughter and I know she will be excited!


I am SUPER happy with the final product!!!!!!!

Hope you have an amazing weekend! We will be celebrating my little man's 5th birthday ALL weekend, which should be a great time!

xoxo

Holding On...

This coming weekend my little guy is turning 5!
Five seems SOOOO big to me! So until then....I will be hanging out with my little 4 year old.....and enjoying every single second!

xoxo

Riding Boots= Love

I am in love with my birthday boots! I seem to crave boots every year when my birthday comes around and this year was no different!

I had a hard time finding riding boots that weren't too dressy and did not have buckles.....but I couldn't be happier that I waited until I found what I REALLY wanted! (boots from Dillards)

I am planning our Christmas card photos with Snidershots around these babies....and I can't wait!

Now if only it wouldn't warm up to 80 degrees daily, I could actually wear them!

xoxo

Halloween Birthday Bash

It is really no secret at all that I LOVE Halloween! I remember being SUPER stoked that my due date for Collin was close enough to Halloween that I could throw him Halloween Birthday Parties if he wanted.....and lucky for me he loves the holiday as much as I do!

This weekend we celebrated Collin's upcoming 5th Birthday....and it went off perfectly! Even looking at these pictures makes me so happy!




The family......Grammy the witch......Kacey is Ariel......Collin is Batman.....Grampy is Robin......I am Captain Hook....and Chad is Mr. Smee. I had sooo much fun making each of the costumes and then seeing everyone really pull off the look. Makes this mama proud!

Possibly my favorite picture ever. They are too cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

ha! Kacey helped me pick out all of the fabric and the design of how she wanted her costume. She absolutely LOVES stuff like this!
The party began at 6, and we had 22 kids and just as many parents! I was a little nervous because we have never had that many people over.....BUT IT WAS PERFECT!!!!!!!!

We set up craft table for crafts while we waited for everyone to show up! The boys colored edible vampire teeth while the girl's made fall flower pens! TOTAL SUCCESS!

The boys showing off their vampire teeth! ha!

My little batman!

The girl's with their flower pens.

Collin picked ALL of the games himself! I gave him a list of about 20 activities and he picked what he wanted to do and was SOOO excited about planning his party himself.

Freeze dance is his all time favorite game! Playing to halloween music takes the game to the highest level of fun....and a lot of fun to watch!

There was a relay race with an eyeball on a spoon. haha....from the looks of this picture it is obvious that Collin was cheating! (sorry....the judges were all drinking white wine sangria! bad judgement)

My favorite part of the night was when my mom sat on a rocking chair in our spooky "grave yard" and read "There was an old lady who swallowed a bat" to the kids in a spooky witch voice. All of the kids sat and listened soo well and really enjoyed it!

After she finished reading the story she handed out little bags of "Rat eyeballs, Spider legs, and ghost poop" to go along with the book. (idea via pinterest)

I made owl and spider cupcakes and the kids loved them! Collin picked out Orange flavored cake with chocolate frosting, and it was really a good combo!

My fave serving piece of all!!!!!!!

I still can't believe my little man is turning 5! Where on earth did the last 5 years go..and how can I get my little baby back!

We had these milk jugs all around our fence and they were a great accent! The whole family got into painting them.....and it looked great with the lights!


Our spooky grave yard was a success!
I can honestly say that it was the best party I have ever done!!!!! I think all of the parents and kids had a blast......and Collin hasn't stopped talking about it today!

I am going to bed one proud mama tonight.....and looking forward to Halloween tomorrow! Hope everyone had a wonderfully festive weekend!!!!!!!!!!

xoxo