Happy Friday friends! We made it to the end of another week and I thought what better way to kick off the weekend than with the first of my holiday gift guides! I know the majority of us are in full on shopping mode and if you are like me then if never hurts to see options and ideas! So, since it’s cold in most places, and most of us either have or are getting ready to decorate for the holidays, (and the Starbucks coffees are officially out in full force) I figured let’s start with the gift guide for….all things cozy!! Continue reading “GIFT GUIDE: ALL THINGS COZY”→
Happy Wednesday friends! I’m going to be doing a new segment the last Wednesday of every month called What’s Up Wednesday!” It’s where I link up with Mix & Match Mama, The Larson Lingo, and Sheaffer Told Me To, and we answer these questions……
It’s just a fun way to share some random things, and I always love seeing other people’s What’s Up Wednesday posts to see what they are up to, too! Okay, let’s get to it!
WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK
So this is where I would love to have beautiful pictures of the meals I’m making this week, but friends, let me let you in on a little secret…..I rarely cook. Eric and I are take out aficionados which isn’t always great but it works. Now that’s not to say I never cook. I definitely do and usually I try to make at least 1 or 2 meals a week, but having just come off of Thanksgiving and being busy with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Leyton, and everything in between…cooking has taken a back seat. I’ll get back to it next week. Sometimes I make a meal every day of the week. It truly just depends. So this week, it’s take out city. I will say, once Leyton is older though I plan on cooking regularly. I grew up with home cooked meals every night and I want to do the same for him.
WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT
I posted this picture on Instagram yesterday because I was going through our pictures from Hilton Head and reminiscing about warm beach days since it’s been cold here. Snowing even! But as much as I love Hilton Head I’m happy for cooler weather now. I love when it’s cold and snowy this time of year. When the house is decorated for Christmas and it’s cold outside, it’s truly perfection.
WHAT I’M LOVING
If you follow me on Instagram you know I have been raving about this devotional. You guys, it’s soooo rare for me to find a devotional I look forward to reading every morning, but I seriously l-o-v-e this one! Lysa TerKeurst hits the nail on the head most days and it’s just so relatable. Pretty much every morning I read it I’m underlining and highlighting and saying YES repeatedly!
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO
All last week was really spent spending time with family. My sweet parents came in last Monday and stayed until Black Friday. So we spent the week hanging out, enjoying the holiday and they enjoyed getting to spoil and snuggle their only grandson. And per usual my mom cooked our portion of Thanksgiving dinner (Eric’s parents hosted but we brought some dishes) and my dad fixed things around the house. They are the best! We also decorated for Christmas last week too, so that’s another thing we’ve been up to.
WHAT I’M DREADING
I actually can’t think of anything I’m dreading. I love this time of year and all things holidays!
WHAT I’M WORKING ON
I feel like I’m always working on 50 things at once, but currently, among blog posts (working on some gift guides among other things), and all things Christmas, I’m scouring Pinterest and working on……
Leyton’s first birthday party (insert cry face here)! How is he almost a year old?! Anyways, I know that with the holidays, it will be here before I know it so I need to get a jump start now to get planning and get things together.
WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT
Well aside from the holidays and Leyton’s first birthday, I am super excited to begin Christmas traditions! Eric and I have been coming up with a bunch we want to do. Ideally, I want to do a 25 days of Christmas type thing where we do something each day. Not necessarily big things, but it can be anything from watching a Christmas movie one night to visiting Santa or The Festival of Lights at the Zoo. I love Christmas traditions and can’t wait to make some with Leyton!
WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING
Okay, well it goes without saying that I am watching all.the.Hallmark right now! I don’t care how predictable and cliché they are, I can’t get enough of the Hallmark Christmas movies. There’s so many cute new ones this year, but I also look forward to my favorites (mainly any of the ones with Candace Cameron or Lacey Chabert). A Christmas Detour is still one of my favorites.
And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum…..who is watching this?
I’m only one episode in but you guys it’s soooo good! I’m hooked for sure. Parts of it are based on a true story, which makes it even more intriguing! Definitely check it out on Bravo on Sunday’s if you haven’t yet.
As far as what I’m reading…..like with my tasks I always feel that I am reading 50 different things at once too, but yesterday I picked up these two…..
I’ve heard good things about The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%! (don’t mind the language) and I kept putting it off and putting it off. Then I was at Target yesterday and saw it and decided to give in and see what all the hype is about. So stay tuned. And then this magazine caught my eye at the checkout. Friends, I am perpetually trying to get into a routine of better habits. Not that any of mine are particularly terrible, but with a little one now I feel like my day needs to be more structured if I want to get anything done and so I need better habits that allow me to be productive. Does that make sense? So hopefully this magazine has some good tips!
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
On repeat! These 4 albums give me all the feels this time of year. It’s like as soon as you hear the first song on each album it just instantly transports you to Christmas time. I just started listening to the Home Alone soundtrack and you guys, the very first song on there is the one from the opening to the movie and as soon as you hear it, you just picture that blue house on the screen moving further and further away until it switches over to the magnificent McCallister mansion. Ahhh seriously, all.the.FEELS!!
I think we are going to attempt to see Santa with Leyton. Fingers crossed that it goes well as he is definitely in the stranger danger phase. And fingers crossed that we pick a decent time to go where there aren’t 5,000 people also there for the same thing.
WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH
This little guy turning a year old. Here he is at 2 months. I mean can you even handle it?! Ahhhh!
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
Nothing that I can really think of. I think that’s mostly it. We aren’t too exciting over here. Just hanging out and enjoying showing Leyton all his holiday firsts! Here’s something that’s new for Sebastian…..
As an early Christmas gift Sebastian got a new leash from Pack Leashes. We love this company because for every purchase made they donate a pound of dog food to a shelter in need. Their products are durable and quality made and come with a lifetime warranty. They have a great selection of leashes, collars, toys, etc. Best yet, they gave me a code to share with you guys! Anytime you make a purchase and use the code: SEBASTIAN you get 20% off AND they will donate 4 pounds of dog food to shelters in need versus the regular 2 pounds they typically donate! Just head here to check them out!
BONUS QUESTION: FAVORITE THING TO DO WITH YOUR ELF ON THE SHELF
Well, since Leyton is still a baby we haven’t incorporated the Elf into our lives yet (which I’m going to enjoy for the time being since I see people often struggling to come up with ideas as time goes on) but my sister does it for my niece and I get ideas from her. Here’s their most recent “visit”……
And while we are discussing the Elf, why don’t we take a look back at the year Sebastian had a romance with the girl Elf and the boy Elf tried to interfere….
Haha, I still laugh when I see these and get such a kick out of how good Sebastian was to cooperate with these pictures each day. The old man in him these days would likely not stand for it.
Okay friends, whew! That was a long post. Thanks for sticking it out to the end. I’ll have another What’s Up Wednesday at the end of next month. Be sure to check back Friday where I’m kicking off the first of a series of gift guides with a gift guide for the women in your life. Happy middle of the week!
Happy Monday friends! Is anyone else still coming off the exhilarating last few days that was Thanksgiving, then Black Friday sales, then extended Black Friday sales?? And just when we are winding down, here comes Cyber Monday! Because there are so many great Cyber Monday sales happening today I decided to make my Monday must haves a Cyber Monday edition! There is a little bit of everything here and price points vary. I wanted to bring a large variety of options since many of you, like me, are using these sales to knock out some major Christmas shopping. Okay, so lets hop to it!
From our family to yours, I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for my friends and family including all of you that support this fun little side hobby of mine. Thanks for giving this blog love, time and time again. May your day be filled with delicious food, time with those you love, and making memories for years to come. And for all of those that have to work today and are unable to celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way (I have been there many times and feel your pain), please know that you and the service you provide are so very appreciated. We are so thankful for all you do!
Have a wonderful day friends! I will see you back here Monday with some Must Haves – Cyber Monday edition :).
Happy Thanksgiving Eve friends!! I can’t believe how quickly the holidays are coming. I know it will feel like a week until Christmas is here. I love this time of year though and today we are officially decorating our house for Christmas! Eric gets the bug before I do because I love my fall decorations and don’t want to see them go away too soon, but I have to be honest, all this week I couldn’t wait to get the Christmas ones up!! Eric has today off and my parents are here to help watch Leyton, so we are decorating! We are also baking/cooking all the things in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and that has led me to this post. Continue reading “PUMPKIN SUGAR SCRUB”→
Happy Monday friends! Can we believe it’s Thanksgiving week? It’s truly like summer ended and BAM holidays! But I’m not mad about it. Anyways, I decided to kick off this week with a new weekly post called (obviously) Monday Must Haves. It’s really just a place for me to share whatever recent things I am loving that I think others would enjoy too or that I feel you just must have!
So let’s get to it! I’m kicking this post off with 3 of the best words….comfy, oversized, sweater! I mean seriously, is there anything better this time of year? Continue reading “MONDAY MUST HAVES”→
I know it’s about to be the most wonderful time of the year because…. holidays, but friends first it’s the other most wonderful time of the year because Nordstrom is having another great sale (up to 40% off) now through the 18th and you guys I did the leg work for you and it’s goooood! It’s the perfect time to do Christmas shopping for friends and family (or yourself) because there’s so many options, and seriously great deals. I mean the jacket options alone are amazing! So sit back with your coffee, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, or wine and let your fingers do the work as you scroll along!
As always you can shop the items by clicking links provided or by clicking the pictures. And in case I left something out and you want to see all the wonderful inventory you can view the entire Nordstom sale here. So let’s get to it! Continue reading “THE NORDSTROM FALL SALE!”→
Is there anything more comfy/cozy on a cold day than a Sherpa pullover? I’m gonna go ahead and say no, especially on a Saturday when you are lounging around the house. Well, friends this one from Abercrombie & Fitch is the softest, Saturday, Sherpa, (say that 3 times fast) that you will be wearing on repeat this winter because it can be styled so many ways! And bonus, it comes in 5 different colors and is currently on sale for less than $50! Continue reading “SHERPA BUFFALO CHECK PULLOVER”→
If you are on the hunt for a quick and easy snack that doubles as a clean eating treat, look no further than these yummy blender muffins! They are seriously so easy and my husband and I love them! I often double the recipe because one batch does not last long in this household.
I had been meaning to share this recipe with you for some time, but hadn’t made them in a while because, I’ll be honest, you need ripe bananas and I don’t always readily have them on hand (read on for tips on how to ripen bananas in a hurry), but we recently went out of town and I had a ton of bananas that were going to go bad before we left so I froze them and voila! Now I have ripe bananas for the muffins! Plus, I’m doing a 10 day clean eating shred so I was in desperate need of clean snacks to curb my sweet tooth.
Okay, so without further ado here’s the recipe! One last note: I actually have a few different recipes for these types of muffins with just little ingredient changes, but of all the variations I’ve tried, I have found these to be the easiest and tastiest!
2 cups oats (I use quick oats but you could use old fashioned)
2 large very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 container of plain Greek yogurt (one little individual container 5-8 oz.)
3 tablespoons of honey
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Up to 1/2 cup of mix-ins (dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, nuts, etc.) If I use chocolate chips I use 72% cacao to be a little healthier.
Directions
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tin or line with paper liners and lightly grease the liners.
Place all the above ingredients (except for the mix-ins) in a blender or food processor. Blend on high until batter in smooth and oats are broken down. Will need to scrape the sides once or twice.
Once blended, stir in the mix-ins by hand.
Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Careful not to fill more than 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkly additional mix-ins on top as desired.
Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once cooked place pan on wire rack and let muffins cool for 10 minutes before removing.
NOTES: If you don’t have very ripe bananas on hand and don’t feel like waiting, I recently learned three tricks to speed up the process!
Place bananas in a brown paper bag and loosely close. Will be ripe in 24-48 hours.
With the peel on, place bananas in a 300 degree oven and check on them frequently as time will vary. Note: Bananas cannot be overly green for this method. When peels become shiny and black, they are ready.
With the peel on, place banana in microwave for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds let cool and check for desired softness. Repeat with 30 second intervals until desire ripeness is achieved.
Hi friends! This post is a few days late, but….mom life and its taken me nearly 10 months just to semi start arriving places on time so the fact that I’m getting Leyton’s 10 month update posted before he’s 11 months old is a win! And speaking of, can we just talk for a minute about how it’s even possible that I have a baby that is just 2 months away from being a year old??? How was it almost a year ago that we were headed to the hospital to have a child?? I can’t believe it, and yet I can at the same time. There have been days it has gone by sloooow and looooong and days it’s moved at a normal speed, and then other days (especially more recently) that have flown by. I swear 6 months hit and the hands on the clock just started spinning rapidly! With all that being said though every moment with this little guy has been such an incredible blessing and it’s impossible not to just smile when around him. Continue reading “10 MONTH UPDATE”→
