Rainbow Bagels and Days at Sea

My dearest Friday I am so very happy to see you again! Y'all I'm so glad the weekend has arrived! Our plans include a whole lot of nothing and often times, those are the best weekends. I see a lot of netflix and snacking in our future.

I cannot wait to travel back to NYC and eat one of these deliciously colorful bagels. The Bagel Store, located in Brooklyn, has became well known within the past month for their colorful bagels with equally colorful cream cheese.

image source

There are a wide array of colors, but this pink and purple bagel, called the Passion bagel, screams out for me! You can order online, but there is a wait list. I signed up for it two weeks ago and still haven't heard anything, but as soon as I do I will for sure have some shipped to the lowcountry until I can make it back to the city! If you want more info, visit their Facebook page here.

I saw this idea yesterday and thought it was a brilliant and unique way to present Easter Baskets this year. I don't know about you, but I have at least six baskets stored away from the past years and I can't bring myself to chunk them...but Cadence surely doesn't need yet another basket, however, what kid doesn't want/need an umbrella? I love Easter! I've been pinning a lot of great ideas for Easter. Some include delicious recipes, others are inexpensive decorating ideas. Go check it out...

When we were looking at cruises, the one stipulation I had was no days at sea and the one must do Tarl had was Nassau so we could go to Atlantis' water park. Well, we lucked out and not only found a cruise that met those two requirements, but we also got them at a really good discount and even an onboard credit for us to have a little spending money without it coming out of our pockets! Fruity umbrella drink anyone?!

Long story short, my stomach can handle a cruise as long as I can walk around on dry land after about 7 hours of sailing. I've been on three cruises in my lifetime, this being the 4th, and I've learned the hard way, I cannot do days at sea. My stomach just can't handle it! This one has no days at sea and docks each day. The first day being Nassau and the second Cococay, Royal Caribbeans private island. 

Yesterday we booked our shore excursion for Nassau, Atlantis Aquaventure, and y'all, I cannot wait to be back there. I've never been to a water park that was as fun as that one. Their rapid river was by far the highlight of our entire cruise when we went almost 5 years ago now, and this time, there's a group of us going. I have a feeling I'll be laughing so hard at everyone my sides are going to be sore!

Happy Friday, I leave you with this...

Sun, sand and a drink in my hand!

Well hey there and happy Wednesday. I can't believe that we're already half way through the work week and I couldn't be happier about that. I'm linking up here for What's up Wednesday to answer some fun questions.

1 // This week we're eating lots of goodies including spaghetti and meatballs, cubed steak with garlic mashed potatoes, fried chicken salad with delicious spring mixed greens and Gorton's fish sticks (because sometimes you have to keep it simple!).

This past weekend I made something that settled my sweet tooth using saltine crackers. Yes, you read that right, I used crackers to make candy. Original post here, and I'm still snacking on it!

2 // Honestly, I've been reminiscing about warm days on a clear beach. Y'all, it has been a hot minute since I've seen gorgeous clear water and had my toes in some golden Bahamas sand and I can't take it anymore, so a group of us got together and planned a quick cruise this summer! Tarl and I are ecstatic and cannot wait. What started out as a simple text, grew into a cruise, and voila...we all met at my sister-in-law/brothers place and booked in a matter of minutes.

This is the crew going minus the babes! Hurry up summer!

The family trip is over spring break, but the adults trip is this summer. Cruises, for the most part, are pretty inexpensive considering all you get, but we also took advantage of a 30% savings and some free onboard credit which made it even more inexpensive. See you soon Bahamas, see ya soon!

3 // I'm loving that our friends and family are as spontaneous as we are and said yes to booking after only a quick text and a 5 minute conversation. A weekend away with Tarl would be great, but a weekend away with Tarl and family on a cruise...sign me up!

These have been our travel buddies for life, and this time my sis-in-law and brother are going too!

4 // We've been up to more home remodeling. Slowly but surely we're doing one room at a time and the kitchen was a room we were dreading the most because who in the heck wants to put on 3 coats of paint onto kitchen cabinets, and then lacquer them after? Not us...but we did and I'm glad because it looks great if I do say so myself. The transition from oak stain to white not only brightened up the space but made it seem so much bigger!

Next up, countertops, but that's months away. Tarl and I have to work ourselves up to home improvements.

5 // What I was dreading was this morning...my annual ladies checkup, that wonderful papsmeare and all. On a side note, who the hell came up with the term papsmeare...gross! Anyways, I was dreading it, and it's over, praise the Lord! 

6 // I've been working on getting my butt in shape and as of Monday, I have walked one mile each day. It's not much, but it's a mile more than what I was doing. Tarl and Cadence walk with me so it makes it easier having someone to talk to.

7 // I'm excited about Spring Break! I'm ready to have an entire week off of work, away from home, in Disney with my family. There's nothing like the magic of Disney with your family. It's just super special and memories that truly last a lifetime! With it drawing more near each day, it's been a daily topic of conversation.

Riding Dumbo! Can it be April already?

8 // I haven't been reading much lately but I thought to myself the other day how I want to get a good summer reading list for myself. However, I've been watching Criminal Minds non-stop on netflix and am now on season 9. If you haven't seen that show, get on it!

9 // I've been listening to a mixture of tunes lately. Every so often I'll get on an oldies kick. Not necessarily 60s music, but stuff that was back in the early 90s or early 00s and listen it to it non-stop. Nineties country has been my jam here recently.

10 // With the warmer temps, Lilly prints and neon colors have been gracing my pale skin! Spray tan anyone?!

11 // This weekend we are up to a whole lot of nothing. The thing about travel is it's costly. Ultimately you have to decide whats important, splurging on the weekends or splurging on travel. We pick the latter and always try and have low key weekends and save up for vacations. Lots of hanging out with friends and family and stacking cash in the mean time.

12 // Next month I'm looking forward to warmer days and celebrating eight years of marriage to this guy. We have decided not to buy each other anything, especially with the recent cruise spending and upcoming Disney trip. Maybe a homemade cake and netflix...sounds perfect to me!

13 // It's been the same around the lowcountry, other than the painting of cabinets (see #4) and random trips to Dairy Queen to get a dipped cone...it hasn't been too exciting and that's not always a bad thing!

14 // The bonus question for this month was Easter traditions and y'all I happen to think that my family has the best Easters! We celebrate first and foremost the resurrection of Jesus...tis the reason for the season! After a large meal and a well said prayer by my dad, we play games, and one thing about my family is the games are always serious! Competitive is an understatement! We also always try and take some family pics, but that's hit or miss as noted on this Easter recap ;)

Testing Our Marriage | New Kitchen | Must Make Recipe

We could not have asked the good Lord for a prettier weekend then what He gave us here in the lowcountry. It was absolutely gorgeous and was a tease of what's to come with spring just around the corner. We were so excited to break out dresses and shorts instead of jeans and boots!

Lilly Pulitzers Target collaboration questioned me at first, but the more and more I saw all the pretty goodies she offered I became smitten with most of the collection. Once the newness died down and people started re-selling the items that they decided not to wear, that's when I purchased! I got Cadence's romper for $12 and this maxi for $30. It's a steal of a price when you think about how much these were going for when the line first came out last year. People were asking hundreds...um, no thanks!

This is the nosie posie print and it's very bright and colorful and has hidden kitty cats throughout the print, so naturally, it was Cadence's favorite. I swear that kid's going to be a crazy cat lady when she's in her 60s! Her poor future husband! (Side note - this girl takes after her daddy with height...I cannot believe how tall she is!)

When Tarl and I purchased our home that's when brown was in. Brown cabinets, brown floors, light brown walls...brown was the thing. As time has passed, white has become the new brown and I'm loving it. White is so clean and fresh and brightens up the entire home, plus when you brighten a space, it makes the space seem so much bigger.

We've slowly but surely made our home what we wanted it to become one room at a time, and our next project is kitchen cabinets, so guess what we did this weekend?

Lots of taping and painting and coating and sealing, it's making me tired just re-living it in my mind, but guess what, I am absolutely smitten with how it's turned out. We still have a few touch ups here and there to do, but my goodness it's made our kitchen space seem so much bigger!

see all the brown!

I spy a kitty, and more brown!

a newly brightened kitchen...yes!

I've said it before, but it's amazing what paint can do to change the entire look of a room. Next up, we want to change the countertops...I'm thinking formica with a marbled white and black texture to it. I will say one thing about any sort of home re-modeling, it's a true test of your marriage! Tarl and I bickered throughout the entire process, as soon as it was over, we were back to our peachy selves. What can I say...we both HATE painting!

I saw this video on Friday and knew I had to make this cracker candy. It was so easy, and incredibly delicious!

Perfect Easter Treats

Easter is easily one of my favorite holidays. Most importantly, it's the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but of course, I am smitten with the warm spring sun, gorgeous pastels, pulling out our best seersucker or Lilly, and of course all the delicious treats that the wonderful holiday has to offer.

Pinterest is a great go-to, as it is with most any idea that comes to mind, more specifically, recipes! These are some great (and colorful) ideas that I may just have to use come March.

Bunny Tail Truffles

Bunny Pretzels

so cute and with just a few ingredients!

Chocolate Covered Peeps

because who doesn't love those little marshmallow chicks!

Layered Peeps Rice Krispy Treats

Annually, it's a must for us to bake crescent tombs. Not only are they incredibly delicious, but the meaning behind them is what Easter is truly about! You can read all about how to make them, and the story to tell here, as well as an Easter recap back from 2014.

My bunny butt cupcakes were also a hit that year!

What's Up Wednesday | First One of 2016

What we're eating this week.

When I grocery shop, I grocery shop for two weeks. If you don't know, grocery shopping is the one chore I hate doing. I'd rather sweep, dust, do dishes, fold laundry, and even clean toilets than grocery shop. With that being said, I try to limit grocery shopping and only doing it twice per month makes it that much easier, so here is our meal plan for the next two weeks!

Tonight - Baked Ziti with Garlic Bread

Thursday - BLTs

Friday - Fried Porkchops, Macaroni and Cheese with Crescent Rolls

Saturday - Salisbury Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Green Breans

Sunday - Grilled Chicken with Rice Pilaf and Broccoli au Gratin

Monday - Sloppy Joe Cups with Salad

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Salad

Wednesday - Cubed Steak with Scalloped Potatoes

Thursday - Pizza Night

What I'm reminiscing about.

Warm, sunny days with these two.

What I'm loving.

All of my recent Lilly purchases. Lilly has two huge sales per year. One in January and the other in August. So a lot of people will buy products on sale, realize it doesn't work for them and then re-sale them for less than what they paid just to try and get some return on them, that's when I buy. Here are some of the items I recently added to my collection and I'm loving it! Seriously, spring can get here anytime now! A lot of these are no longer for sale on the Lilly site, however if I found any for sale on another site, I linked the site to buy below.

Callahan Short in Multi Palm Reader

I also got the Palm Reader Callahan's for Cadence too #twinsies

Walsh Short in Hot Wings

Callahan Short in Did You Catch That

Clam Jam Romper

Deanna Romper in Multi Palm Reader

Wiley Ruffle Tube Top in Lipstick Pink

(I couldn't find this color for sale- but Poshmark is a great place to look!)

Walsh Short in Dahlia Purple Party Girl

I am loving all of my recent purchases and I got all of these at a steal! Honestly, I've only paid full price for Lilly Pulitzer items, twice! That's it! If you're interested there are tons of Lilly resale pages on FaceBook, and I always check 6pm and Poshmark.

What we've been up to.

Trying to rid ourselves of this cold we've been fighting. Lots of disinfecting the house and lots of getting ready for Valentine's Day. I don't go all out with the decorations for Valentine's, but I do make sure I put out a little pink and red :)

What I'm dreading.

Cold weather - I'm seriously done with winter.

What I'm working on.

Reading my Bible. I have vowed to myself  and more importantly, the Lord, that I would read my Bible from cover to cover, not skipping chapters or pages. I'm proud to say I am now on Exodus. I realize it's only the 2nd chapter, but it's far more than I've ever gotten before. I will say, if you're anything like me, the Bible can be hard to understand so I went to my local Bible store and purchased an NLT (New Living Translation) Bible. Basically, it translates the Bible into modern English to be better understood. It by no means changes the Good Lords words, just makes it easier to comprehend.

What I'm excited about.

Disney! So we can make memories like the one below. The ones that touch your heart forever!

What I'm watching/reading.

Reading the Bible (as stated above). Watching: Criminal Minds. While I was sick, Criminal Minds was on repeat so I watched a ton of it and got hooked. Well there just so happens to be 10 seasons on Netflix, so guess what Tarl and I have been watching for the past 3 nights?!

What I'm listening to.

Each morning on the way to work I listen to Christian radio. If you've never heard of Focus on the Family I highly suggest it! Each morning they interview someone and they discuss their experiences which lead them to Christ. Some are in regards to parenting, being a husband, being a wife, drug addiction, prostitution, you name it, someone out there has been through it, the highs, the lows, and through it all they found Christ. Their stories are amazing and I look forward to listening to it each morning. Tarl does too. In the evenings we'll talk about who was on in the morning. Two weeks ago Al Robertson (Duck Dynasty) and his wife were on. 

What I'm wearing.

Nothing fun at the moment. Boots and scarves were fun in the beginning, but now I'm over it!

What I'm doing this weekend.

I've been dreaming of a farm house table for quite some time, but all of the ones I've been wanting are incredibly expensive. Well wouldn't you know Tarl has found Pinterest and out of the blue one day says, "I can build you those tables you've been looking at on Pinterest." My ears shot up like a Chihuahua with a treat and wouldn't you know, he started building it. #luckywoman

He hopes to have it finished this weekend and then I'll start painting and staining it to my liking. I love a good DIY project.

What I'm looking forward to next month.

Valentine's and then Easter decorations. I love adorning our home with pastels and all things related to chicks, bunnies and of course, crosses to represent our Lord and Saviors resurrection.

Happy Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Recap and Olly is back!

 Thanksgiving 2015 was one for the books!

Lots of time spent with family, even family from Florida that we too often don't get a chance to see and spend time with.

my sweet girl!

my first cousin, Ronnie, from Florida

Lots of sweets were baked in my kitchen Thursday morning! Lots...

Aunt Nancy

Dad

Aunt Nancy & Cousin Tony

Olly also arrived on Thanksgiving morning. Cadence was smiling from ear to ear!

He left her a note stating that she could give him welcome hugs and then show him his balloon in the parade when it came on TV.

She was happy to oblige :)

Friday morning we found him hiding under a glitter Christmas tree.

Saturday he told us all about the boat parade in Savannah.

love my family!

(and I am wearing a different shirt - I spilled food all over my top so I ran into Victoria's Secret and snagged a loose t-shirt #typicalme)

As usual, the boat parade was amazing. Great lights, people shouting Merry Christmas. It's always a lot of fun! 

We also checked out a gingerbread display.

When we got home and tucked Cadence in bed, she immediately felt warm to me. I knew she had a fever. We checked her temp and sure enough, an even 100 degrees. She wasn't even acting ill and didn't complain the first time during the boat parade. It just goes to show how quickly these things can come on. 

All day yesterday she ran a fever and it has carried on through this morning now with a sore throat, cough and runny nose. My poor girl is just not feeling well at all. Daddy stayed home with her today and I already gave my boss the notice for me tomorrow. Lots of snuggles and soup for her. 

Olly brought her a little treat yesterday morning to make her feel better. A special ornament straight from the North Pole. There's actually a hallmark movie about it and we just love it.

you can see her little watery eyes :(

...and this morning...

It's always tough coming back to work after a long weekend. It's even harder when you have a little one at home sick that you want to be with. Being optimistic though, I'm so very happy that we can now focus on all things Christmas. 

xo