Friday Five

one.

I am absolutely obsessed with plaid scarfs this season! I'm no fashionista, by any means of the word, but a plaid scarf, in my opinion, is the perfect scarf to go with tall boots and jeans or leggings. It can simply make the outfit!

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 Here are two of my favorites for sale...

Sole Society - $34.95

Deloom - $12.00

two.

It seems that Holidays are the only time that our family gets together under one roof. As of recent some of us, myself included, have decided to make it a point to start spending some quality time together, as a whole, at my mom and dads home. This starts Sunday with a family dinner. I cannot wait to have all of us together. We only get one chance at this life, and I want to make sure that I spend as much time with my family as I possibly can. I think we take for granted daily all the blessings the Lord has provided us, time with family is definitely one of them. 

three.

I have had massive baby fever as of recent. Trust me when I tell you though, my husband nor I plan on putting this into fruition. We are very content with Cadence. The fever stems from a lot of my FB friends having two little girls. They are beyond precious and giggly, not to mention, I would love to see Cadence be a big sister...then I remember the sleepless nights, countless diapers, dropping $30+ every three days on formula. Children are the best blessings that can over come to a family, but my family of three, four if you include Hector the Cat, is complete. :)

four.

I am in love with these sayings, Selena's hair, that entire outfit, and the stunning black gown, perfect for all upcoming Holiday functions and casual enough to wear on a chilly date night.



five.

I plan on putting up most, if not all, of my Christmas decorations up this weekend. 

Give Thanks and Deck the Halls Y'all!



CMA Recap

Last night I watched the CMA Awards along with the rest of you country music loving fans.

I've been a country music lover ever since birth as this was all we listened to growing up, and I can honestly say, this is the best genre of music out there in my personal opinion.

There were a lot of great moments from last night, but I just wanted to share with you a few of my personal favorites:

I loved that Florida Georgia line was one of the opening acts. I've been to one of their concerts and they truly know how to get a crowd up and moving. They have so much energy about them and put on one hell of a show!

We all know Luke Bryan, along with his infamous dancing moves and that gorgeous smile of his, however, I did not know that Luke lost his brother, Chris, to a car accident, and then his sister, Kelly,  a few years later, who died at home to which there are no answers found as to the result of her death.

The title of the song, Drink a Beer, doesn't really sound like a title in honor of someone, but it is a must listen! The lyrics are amazing and will bring tears to your eyes. For some of us country loving folk, sitting around and drinking a beer can bring some of the best talks between two people. 



  If you are a true country music fan, then you know that George Jones was one of the greatest country music singers of all time. Last night Alan Jackson and George Straight sang in honor of the Late George Jones. George Jones wife, Nancy, was in the audience with tears in her eyes. The final shot once the song was finished, was a picture of Nancy and George on the screen. I don't believe there was a dry eye in the house.   This was by far my most favorite performance of the entire night. I was laying in bed while watching the show, with tears streaming down my face. This is on my top 10 list of all time favorite songs!  

  It wouldn't be a CMA recap if I didn't post a picture of my fave, Jake Owen! He was a presenter last night and was looking mighty fine while doing so.  

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Lastly, if you haven't heard by now, or didn't watch the show, George Straight took home the "big title" of Entertainer of the Year, and TBH I am so very glad that he did so. They couldn't have picked a better winner out of the list of nominees. He is a true, original, country artist.

xo

P.S. I have an unspoken prayer request at this time. The Good Lord knows my needs, so I'm giving it over to him, but prayers are always much welcome!





CampusBookRentals.com and Operation Smile

I was beyond excited when CampusBookRentals.com contacted me about doing a post. The reason I am so happy to post on behalf of CampusBookRentals.com is because a portion of every text book rented from their website is donated to Operation Smile.

 

Operation Smile is a charity that is extremely close to my heart. My nephew, Tristan, was born with a cleft lip and palate. He is now 16 and has nothing more than a small scar. Our family knows how important a smile is, and Tristan has a beautiful one! Our family is Blessed to have health insurance, however there are some out there who are not as fortunate, and that is where Operation Smile and CampusBookRentals.com comes in.

 

Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft lip. Often times, children born with cleft lips are unable to eat, speak or even socialize normally due to their cleft lip. Operation Smile has a great team of medical professionals and caring hearts that provide safe and effective reconstructive surgery for children with facial deformities, such as a cleft lip and cleft palate.

 

I have heard of Operation Smile, I have also heard of CampusBookRentals.com, I did not know though, that a portion of each book that you rent from CampusBookRentals.com is donated to Operation Smile.

 

CampusBookRentals.com is the perfect solution for rising or current college students. Text books can be a huge financial burden to college students around the world, but with CampusBookRentals.com you can rent that expensive college text book, saving you up to 80% of what it would have cost you to purchase it. Not to mention there is free shipping both ways, flexible renting periods, plus you can highlight in the text book!

 

I have thought about attending the 2014 Spring semester at my local college to attain my associates degree, and if I do, CampusBookRentals.com is at the top of my list for my books, no question.

 

CampusBookRentals.com also has a new program called RentBack.

RentBack is a new initiative by CampusBookRentals.com that allows students to rent the textbooks that they own to other students. They can rent their books out using RentBack and make 2 - 4 times more money through most buy back options!

 

It's as simple as 1, 2, 3...

 

(1)Visit their website HERE

(2)Print off the free shipping label and ship your books to them

(3)They rent your books out and each time your book gets rented, you get paid!

 

If you would like more information about CampusBookRentals.com, here is a video that explains how it works.

 

   If you would like more information about RentBack here is an informative video that explains it a little better.

 

  For all the details or to get started with your textbooks, visit CampusBookRentals.com!   xo  

   

So What!

So what if I'm using gift cards I got for my birthday to buy Christmas presents for others...saving my own $ is a birthday gift in itself.

So what if I plan on decorating my house for Christmas this weekend. It's my house, my decorations, my rules. For all of you that think I'm skipping over Thanksgiving, you're wrong, I just love Christmas decorations!

So what if I forced hassled all of my friends to download the Wrapp app yesterday...Etsy was having a $5 gift card giveaway and I needed all of those that I could get!

So what if the only way I'm ever going to get an Erin Condren Life Planner is if I win one, or get one for Christmas. My cheap ass isn't about to pay the $75+ for a planner.

So what if I have worn my bangs pulled back for like the 3rd week in a row. My bangs are at that awful stage where I have no clue what to do with them, I promise when their at a more lovelier stage, you won't see much of my forehead anymore, although my forehead isn't near as large as my sisters (love you Ange!) ;)

So what if I have had the Urban Decay Naked Palette for almost one year now and it doesn't matter which color I use, my eyeshadow always looks the same! Hundreds of YouTube Makeup Tutorials does not matter...ugh!

So what if I have unfollowed a few blogs as of recent, when all you talk about are your

Louis Vuitton bags, Manolos, Jimmy Choos, and $1000s worth of other name brands, there really is no point in me reading your blog, cause all of my cash is spent on Target/Starbucks/Cadence.

P.S. My first sponsored post is coming soon.

I couldn't be happier with who contacted me to partner up with them to do a blog post...stay tuned!



Fun Thanksgiving Post!

First things first...Target last night finally had their red cups!

Hello baby!

I scored these booties and this is a terrible picture of them...not to mention the horrendous carpet in my office at work, but I love them! Link and Target pic provided below.

Mossimo Vonnie Shootie Ankle Boot

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Now onto my Thanksgiving post!

I am a sucker for Food Network, especially around the Holidays. I watch all of the Holiday specials that focus around Thanksgiving and Christmas, with my notepad and pen in hand ready to jot down recipes and ideas (especially the Barefoot Contessa). I also collect Food Network magazine and have purchased them each month for the past 3 years! I wanted to share one of my favorite pages in this months Thanksgiving magazine because it genuinely surprised me! "How America does Thanksgiving" was the title of the article and it's where FNM polled thousands of readers answers focusing around their Thanksgiving meal.

What is the most famous pie? Pumpkin, Apple or Pecan?

My first guess was Pumpkin, Pecan than Apple...53% of readers prefer Pumpkin, 25% went with Apple, and the remaining 22% indulged in Pecan Pie. 

I'm in the 25th percentile! Love Apple Pie on Thanksgiving/Christmas/any day of the week!

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Does America prefer their turkey roasted, fried or grilled?

91% Roasted, 6% Fried, 3% Grilled, I'm in the 6th percentile.

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When you eat dinner on Thanksgiving, is it at the table served family style, or does everyone pile around a buffet? My family is the latter, huge buffet spread out (good luck getting the crescent rolls before they're all gone!) which is 42% of America. 58% do it family style around the table.

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Did you know that most cooks get up between 6/7am to start cooking, however only 6% of America get up around 4am to start...my mom is in that 6%!

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There are an average of 7 side dishes served with the Turkey. We are not in the average because in my family each of us brings 2 - 3 dishes while my mom is in charge of the bird...we probably have around 10 - 13 side dishes annually.

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51% are for whole berry cranberry sauce, while the other 49% prefers the jellied right out the can. I cannot eat whole cranberry sauce. I love the jellied kind that slides right out of the can. In fact, the hubs and I ate an entire can this past weekend!

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The average family eats at 4pm, but out of all the people they polled, only 9 of them ate their meal at 10am. I don't understand that...the parade isn't even over yet and it's still breakfast time. But to each his own I suppose.

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And just because the pics are too darn cute not to share, here are some old pictures of

 Cadence's first Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe this was almost 5 years ago!

I don't know about you but I am so ready to wake up on Thanksgiving morning, cup of coffee in hand, preheat the oven to start my side dishes for moms, watching the parade in New York. (One day I will get to go see it live). Then get prepared for Black Friday and CHRISTMAS!

Happy Thanksgiving month!

Weekend Recap :: Edible Addition

Although November has just arrived, our weekend was themed around Christmas, and with the cooler weather that blowed in, it seemed just right! Macy's has set up their "Christmas Mail" so Cadence wrote a letter and sent it off. If you have a kid(s) this is something you should do. She absolutely loved the candy cane bordered envelopes and the kid size mailbox option just her size...plus it's free for those on a budget.

We treated ourselves to some Gigi's cupcakes and Starbucks to start our day off sweet.

I will say I was pretty upset because all of my FB buddies were posting pictures of their red cups, and of course, the Starbucks we visited were still serving their coffee in the standard ones.

Maybe next trip...

We made some wishes in the fountain before leaving!

We did some major grocery shopping and purchased a lot of new ingredients to try and add on some new meals to our family menu. We also bought some ingredients we purchase on a regular basis, for instance, my breakfast burritos! They are the hubs absolute favorite thing I make,

and their super easy:

1 Package Ground Sausage (Jimmy Dean Original)

5 Eggs (scrambled)

1 Package Shredded Cheddar (Mild)

Sauté the sausage until it's browned. We buy the Jimmy Dean brand and we never have to drain it because there is very little grease to drain, however, if you find there is a lot, drain. Once the sausage is browned, pour in the scrambled eggs until they cook thoroughly and it looks something like this.

Then add your cheese. We use 3/4 of the bag, but it's all about personal preference. If you like a lot of cheese like us, or if you want just a little to make it creamy, your choice!

Stir the ingredients until the cheese is combined evenly and melted. Remove from the heat and add a flat iron pan (like the one pictured below). If you do not have a griddle, you can use a tabletop grill or something similar. Roll a small portion of the sausage mixture into a burrito shell and wrap. Put on the grill until they are golden browned on both sides. Enjoy!

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I saw this recipe on Pinterest a while back and knew I had to try. Normally Pinterest recipes are a huge failure, but this one was an epic success!

2 Packages of Crescent Rolls (Pillsbury)

1 Package of Ground Sausage (Jimmy Dean Original)

1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese (Philadelphia)

Take one package of the crescents out of the package. Using your fingers press all the sides together so they do not separate. In a pan brown the sausage and drain if necessary. Add the cream cheese. Mix until the cream cheese is melted and combined thoroughly with the sausage. Pour this mixture evenly onto the pressed out crescent rolls leaving some room along the edges. Take the other package of the crescent rolls, pressing all sides together again, and place on top of the sausage mixture. Press the sides together and bake at 375 until golden brown. (About 15 minutes)

It should look something like this.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

I will say I was very unsure of cream cheese and sausage together, but it is phenomenal and perfect for all the upcoming Holiday gatherings we will be attending!

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I made this easy, delicious salad for lunch yesterday. I topped it off with some grilled chicken, but what makes it for me is the dressing, Kraft's Raspberry Poppyseed! I can't even describe how delicious it is!

Since we ate healthy for lunch Sunday, we splurged and went all out for dinner with homemade pizza! We purchased Mama Mary's crust, Classico Pizza Sauce, and added all ingredients on top of the sauce instead of the cheese. Italian Sausage, Banana Peppers, Pepperoni, Mushrooms, then topped off with some Mozzarella! Baked at 425 for 15 minutes! Not one slice was left over!

Hiding the ingredients underneath the cheese (especially the vegetables) is a sneaky way to get your kids to eat their veggies. :)

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I started my Christmas shopping this weekend and am just a few gifts away from being finished with Cadence's Christmas list! I went to our local Dollar Tree and purchased $28 of decorations. That's essentially 28 Christmas decorations. The hubs wouldn't let me put them up yet though...he says it's still too early...he plans to go hunting tonight and I plan on sneaking all of them up.

I love this time of year!

 P.S. I have a super fun Thanksgiving post planned for this week...stay tuned!



Friday Five {November}

(1)

I am not going to bore you with all the details of our Halloween fun last night, however I'll highlight the best parts via pics!

The hubs snapped this pic of Cadence and I strolling through a neighborhood.

Annually we do Halloween with my sister and her family, however we didn't plan well this year so it never happened. We live one county away with quite a few miles in between us, but somehow managed to still see each other out and about, so we went and hung out at her house just to keep

up with tradition...

Dinner at Mexican

We finished the night snuggled up in bed watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Hector the cat even snuggled too!

(2)

Cadence loves Holidays just as much as I do, she's on to the next...see the turkey she drew first thing this morning? That's excellent for a 4 year old if I do say so myself!

(3)

We do not skip over Thanksgiving in our family. We stick strong to traditions and as Christians are thankful every single day for what the Lord has given us in this life, and continues to give us daily, however there is nothing wrong with decorating for Christmas in November...

I may or may not have printed off some free Christmas printables via Pinterest yesterday, along with a banner!

(4)

I finally hopped on the Breaking Bad bandwagon. I try my best to wait until a series is officially over. This way there is no waiting week to week for a new episode or from season to season. (Example: Sons of Anarchy...I'm not a patient person!) Now that Breaking Bad is officially over, I started to watch and am hooked. I finished Season 1, and have 4 seasons to go, with no waiting in between episodes! Score!

(5)

It's Friday. Halloween/October is over. I love October, but I can't say I'm sad to see it go, because...

  ...I am beyond ready to start listening to Christmas Carols, particularly ones sung by Michael Buble!