She's a b****

I could make excuses as to why I haven't blogged, but truth is - I've had absolutely nothing to talk about and writers block is a bitch! 

I could talk to you about a bunch of random stuff, but not sure how appealing that would be, then again it is something to talk about, so...why not?

I'm counting down the days to New York. I've dreamed about the city for 13 years now and the fact that we're less than 60 days away blows my mind. I've been pinning away tons of things on Pinterest to make sure that I can grasp all of what the city has to offer and to make the most of our time there. 

I've also been dream planning our next Disney vacation. Essentially planning out every little thing without actually booking the vacation itself. Like I've said before (and I'm sure I'll say again) I thoroughly enjoy planning. Planning is part the fun and I can't wait until I get to push that "book" button. We're still undecided if we want to go next Spring (April/May) or go again the Fall like we did this past year. We do know that we're going to add on two more nights this time and also an extra park day. Last year we stayed six nights and had a six day park pass. We just left really early that morning to head to Disney. This year we're going to stay 8 nights (leaving on a Friday mid-day), with a seven day park pass (Saturday - Friday) and come home on a Saturday.

We adored our resort last time. It was gorgeous and the setting and surrounding was beautiful (just like you were in the Caribbean somewhere) but we always like to try new things, so we're going to try a different resort this time which has a New Orleans theme to it. They're called Royal Rooms and inside your room you can push a button and it shows a fireworks display over your headboard. How cool is that?! 

As always, if you have any questions about Disney, feel free to email me. I'm not paid or sponsored by Disney in anyway, but I sure do love to talk about it - so feel free to ask away :)

Tarl and I have a sitter for Saturday night and it's the first date night we've had this year so I cannot wait to see what's in store for us. I love spending time with him, just the two of us. It's always important to do so!

I'm beyond ready for Valentine's Day - and not because it's Valentine's. I'm so ready to see 50 Shades of Grey, and although I've read the books already, I'm re-reading them again, just cause!

This past weekend I watched The Amazing Spiderman and The Amazing Spiderman 2 for the very first time. I'm now in love with Andrew Garfield. He is just precious!

A week ago I bought this Entertainment Center off of a resale page. I cannot wait to show you what I am doing to it. If you've read my blog the past month then you probably have a good idea, but if not, wait and see...

That's all for today folks. I'm off to read some more 50 Shades!

Waiting on Spring...

It has felt like Spring the last two days here in the lowcountry, which is just a tease but it sure did get my mind racing with spring attire.

I am obsessed with anything monogrammed, aren't we all?!

These Tory Burch Monogrammed Flat Thong Sandals are gorgeous in this Camellia Pink color, but she also offers them in Black or Red. In my opinion though, this color is on point and would go with just about anything, however, at $125 for a pair of Sandals, I may just go buy three little gold letters and glue them on my Target sandals that cost me $7.99.

Speaking of Spring, I looked at my maxi dresses this morning, put my hands on them and said, "soon enough ladies, soon enough."

I am in dire need of a manicure. My nails are ridiculous. I've never been into dark colors. When black was trending I never once wore it. Just not my style, but a lighter color gray is right up my alley, I'm loving these manicured looks!

Of course, a nice crisp beige or white is always in style.

Only Sixty more days to go before we venture off to #1 on my bucket list, New York City. I know it still seems like a long time away, but considering when I first started this countdown on Christmas Day at 90+ days...60 doesn't sound so bad. 

I'm ready to start writing out my packing lists. It's going to be hard since we're flying and I'm going to prepare outfits instead of just packing what I want. I can't have too much packed since we have a weight limit on checked luggage.

It's so hard to think about what I'm going to wear because March weather in NYC is so finicky. One minute it can be a beautiful 70 degree day and the next in the mid 30s.





Bucket List Journey posted the 25 Things to Do in Savannah and can you believe I have only done 5 of them! Seriously have lived here all my life and only five!

I've ate at #7 but never tried the bucket list item they speak of.

Number 5 we talked about just the other day and that's next on my list as I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Mrs. Wilkes.

I've done a few of #9 but there are so many gorgeous mossy oak squares in Savannah and I want to see all of them.

I want to do #10 with Cadence. She would just adore it!


So far I've done #2, #20, #21, #23 and #25.

It's Friday. Happy Weekend!

xo

I'm on Chopped!

Friday evening after I got home and changed out of work clothes into something a little more casual, we decided to enjoy an evening in town. It was too chilly to venture off to Savannah and after a long work week neither one of us was really in the mood to do something big, so we ate locally and went and spent some time with my brother and his girlfriend. I've said it before and I'll say it again but we adore her. She fits into our family so well and is a true blessing in my brother's life. 

Anyways, we sat around the fire at their home while Cadence played inside with her cousin, my brother's son, along with their pets. Between my brother, his son, and Yvonne, they have 3 cats and 3 dogs. Luckily they have a nice size home and a big back yard, but Cadence loves pets so she always has a great time playing with the cats, as their her favorite :)

I took this shameless selfie

I feel like when my hair is on point I have to document it as it is a very rare occasion. 

Saturday we decided to have an oyster roast. So while Tarl got everything ready, my dad, Cadence and I sat around the fire outside and just enjoyed the sunny day. Unfortunately the sun was hiding behind the clouds in this picture, but it was a beautiful day on Saturday. 

When we went to pick up the oysters we had lunch at a little local place. 

I had the shrimp pasta with a garlic wine sauce and Cadence enjoyed a nutella and banana panini. Tarl had the shrimp and grits, but he chomped on them before I could snag a pic.

  

That evening we made ourselves full on oysters and danced to some old country music. Seeing Tarl and Cadence dance just melted my heart.

Sunday came way too soon, but we got up, did some grocery shopping and had a chopped competition at our house. All three of us, Cadence included, love the show and she always says she wants to be a judge. So we said we would do a dessert round, she chose 4 ingredients we had at our home (marshmallows, cheez-its, strawberries and a lemon) and put 30 minutes on the clock while Tarl and I cooked our hearts out. 

If I wouldn't have been in such a rush I would have taken pictures because not only was it hilarious it truly was so much fun. Tarl and I enjoyed coming up with something new. I made a lemon meringue cookie along with a small fruit salad and a marshmallow cream with a hint of cheeze it and topped on toast along with strawberries and raspberries. Similar to a fruit panini. 

Tarl made french toast crusted with pecans and cheez its along with a fruit salad. 

He got chopped!

What a great weekend it was and here we are on a Monday. May this week be filled with love and blessings and may Friday come soon!

xo

Converse, Crack & More

I love me some Converse Sneakers. Not the high top sneakers, but the ones that come just under your ankle. I bought my first pair last year in mint and during the Spring with some boyfriend jeans and a t-shirt, it's all I'll wear. I love the casual chic look they offer and now I want more in my collection. You can blame it on this pic that I shared with y'all earlier this week.

I love love love this outfit and those white sneakers are perfect!

Since I enjoy my mint converse so much I'm beyond ready to add these colors to my collection:

Black

Just like the ones in the picture - White

Pink

Seriously Converse, get in my closet!

To finish off the look, that scarf is a must. It makes the ensemble, however I'm not a blanket scarf person. There a little too bulky for my personal taste, but the plaid look is on point. This plaid inifinity scarf at Sears is a close second.

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Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Here are some lovely little gems I wouldn't mind getting surprised with...

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I've been obsessing over bar necklaces lately and one with a little 't' on it would be great! It is Valentine's Day after all so I need to represent my main squeeze. 

And this one with a C for my other love.

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I also wouldn't mind seeing 50 Shades and a nice dinner, just sayin :)

I've recently downloaded Trivia Crack. A free app in the app store that you link to your FB account and play against your friends by answering different Trivia questions. You can also search a friend by their username or choose a random player. I've been playing this game non-stop. It's a lot of fun and you'd be surprised how much from your old high school days you can remember.

Look me up by my username: Carolinafan05

I'm so happy that today is Friday! Who isn't?

I'm ready to start the weekend. Not sure what we have planned but I'll be sure to share on Instagram so make sure you look me up @BlueJeanMiranda!

xo

Have you been Skimm'd?

Each morning after my alarm goes off and after I hit the snooze button a few times, I take a big stretch and then open my emails. This gives me a few minutes to wake up and see whats new on my favorite daily emails. Some of you may know about these websites, others may not, so I wanted to share.

The Skimm

Basically it's the important news in the world, broken down into short, edited paragraphs. If you're anything like me you don't watch the news or read the news. I'll be the first one to admit when everything was going on with Isis, I had no clue what it even meant, stood for, etc. Skimm'd breaks it down for you and lets you know what's going on. Now if someone brings up recent political content, breaking celebrity news or something else of relevance I'm aware and can hold my own in conversation. 

Jane, Groopdealz, and Sassy Steals provide me with a daily email with a lot of cute boutique items at discounted prices. 

Kraft is another favorite as it gives me new recipes ideas, and let's face it, that's always needed. I'm constantly talking about how I need new recipes or dinner ideas and a daily email from Kraft provides just that. 

All of these are free services and it's as simple as providing your email address. The Skimm and Kraft email me once a day, Monday - Friday and the boutique's email me seven days a week. Since signing up for these, months ago, I've not had any spam or junk mail from them. Just the daily email they promised. 

I'm always looking for a good website find or a good boutique that sends emails. Do you know any? If so, do tell!

When things go bump in the night!

Let me preface by stating that we just watched "No Good Deed" earlier this week. I've been wanting to see it for a while and holy creep me out. I told Tarl that I shouldn't have watched the movie but Tarl also reminded me that we carry around these parts and we don't open the door without a gun in hand (true story!- A man came to our home one night, as he did with other neighbors, looking for a dog and we answered the door with a pistol in hand. I'm pretty sure if his dog gets lost again he'll skip over our house.) Anyways every morning around 6ish Rosie barks to be let out. I'm usually the one who lets her out. Well this morning I let her out and went and laid back down in bed. About five minutes later Rosie came running back in the house. I knew with 100% certainty that I didn't leave the door open. Keep in mind I still have thoughts of "No Good Deed" running through my mind and am now certain that some crazed maniac is hiding in our house. I shake Tarl and tell him that Rosie is in. He looked at me, half dazed and still asleep and said "no shit, she's an inside dog". After smacking his arm I told him that I had just let her out. All of this happened in mere seconds and all I could think of was Cadence so I got out of bed to run and grab her and that's when that little stinker came running inside our room. She scared us to death! We both jumped straight up in bed. Needless to say we did not need our alarm clocks that morning. Apparently she woke up when she heard me open the door to let Rosie out. When I went to lay back down she heard Rosie whining to get let back in and let her back in. She knew it was too early to wake up so decided to head in the kitchen and see if she could sneak a valentine marshmallow until our alarms went off - like I said sneaky little girl!

Lesson one: Never watch creepy movies, ever again!

Lesson two: Hide all evidence of Valentine's peeps!

Lesson three: Keep an ear out for little feet at the wee hours of the morning!

Last night I made homemade chicken and rice using my grandmother-in-law's recipe. It was delicious. It was the first time that I had ever seasoned something myself, without using pre-packaged products and I'll tell you, it is so much better. I served this with a side salad and biscuits.

Tonight we're having fried shrimp. Trick to our fried shrimp is we use a thick batter instead of just wetting the shrimp and tossing them in flour. The thick batter on our shrimp produces this airy, light, fluffy casing around it when you fry it and they are out of this world! I'm serving them with grits and broccoli au gratin flavored rice-a-roni. Yum!

Tomorrow night I'm doing garlic baked pork chops, served with a vinaigrette side salad and scalloped potatoes. I have this weeks meal planning covered #score

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I am obsessing over this DIY project! Ever since I first saw this on Pinterest I knew I wanted to replicate this for Cadence and since then have been on the hunt for this entertainment center.

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Luckily I found one on a resale page and am hoping that all works out. The only thing I plan to change is to possibly put some decorative wallpaper (in pink of course) to give it a little bit of depth and color where you see the mirror hanging on the above.

Cadence has numerous dress up dresses, all Disney princesses, naturally, so we are in desperate need of somewhere to store them because her closet is about | | this big and we need all the space we can get. If things work out I'll be sure to post the DIY process and let you know how easy, or lack there of, it is. 

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So I'm going to let you all in on a little secret.
Well maybe it's not really a secret but I can't contain my excitement so I wanted to share. If all goes well with taxes (because let's face it tax season is either really good or really bad) we're planning on a weekend trip to Disney in June. We would stay at the Yacht Club Resort, which would be our first time ever staying at a Deluxe resort on Disney property. The only way we're financially swinging it, is due to their Spring Promotion Offer where you get 30% off Deluxe rooms, essentially making them the same price as a moderate resort (where we stayed last time) and the fact that if we go, we're only going for two nights. We've always wanted to stay at a deluxe resort and the Yacht Club is absolutely stunning. It has a boardwalk feel to it, is literally just a short walk to Epcot and you can walk to Epcot through their 'Yacht Club Guest Only Entrance' as well as the fact that their pool bottom is not made of cement, but has sand at the bottom to give it that beach feel. Pretty amazing, right?

If all goes as planned we're going back to Disney for a week in June 2016 but being the Disney fanatics we are, we wanted to at least have a weekend trip this year and I sure hope we can do it.

With restaurants booking up 180 days in advance (if we go in June for the weekend like we want, we're already at that 180 day mark) I went ahead and made restaurant reservations this morning. You do not have to have a trip booked to make a restaurant reservation nor does it cost you a dime to make a restaurant reservation as long as you cancel up to a day prior.

With Ohana's being one of our all time favorites I went ahead and booked us a dinner reservation just in case we go the weekend we hope to go. If something happens and we can't make it, I'll just cancel the reservation. It's as easy as that. I'm glad I did too because there were only two time slots left - I made sure to get the one during Magic Kingdom's fireworks show.
This way we have dinner and a gorgeous view of Main Street's fireworks.

Here's the agenda if we book it:

Leave early Friday morning and check in at our resort.
Drop our bags and walk to Epcot.
Dinner at Ohana's.

Saturday - Magic Kingdom Day
Dinner at The Crystal Palace

I sure hope all works out because we're all feening for some Disney magic!

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Speaking of trips, our New York City planning is underway. Obviously this isn't a Disney trip where I need to plan FastPass reservations or obsess about dinner times, but planning doesn't hurt and will ensure we see a lot of what we want while we're there.

Our plane arrives noon and after we check into our hotel we're going to head straight to Times Square and grab a quick bite at a food truck or one of New Yorks infamous Hot Dog Carts. Then catch a bus to Ground Zero and Wall Street to see the Charging Bull sculpture. We'll also snap a few quick pics of Lady Liberty from Battery Park.

We're also going to see 64 Perry Street (Carrie Bradshaws apartment) and make a pit stop at the famous Magnolia Bakery for a sweet treat.

After that we're going to go back to our hotel to freshen up for dinner and in between our dinner reservations we're going to check out St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station and the NYC Public Library. We have reservations at Carmines the night we arrive. Yum!

The next morning we're going to set our alarms early and trek to Rockefeller Center to check out The Today Show. We'll also try to squeeze in Bryant Park, Macy's, Washington Square Park, FlatIron Building, FAO Schwarz, Tiffany's and Dylans Candy bar. Mind you when I say "check out" that's what I mean. A lot of these places we don't even want to go inside. We just want to see them face to face and snap some pics. After all these years of seeing these famous buildings on TV, I'm finally ready to see them in real life! So when people say you won't have time to do all that I think they don't understand we just want a few pics and they also underestimate my power walk, don't get me wrong though, these boots of mine will be walking into Tiffany's, Macy's, Dylan's Candy Bar and of course FAO Schwarz to get our little peanut something :)

We plan to have dinner that night at Bobby Flays restaurant, Bar Americain, and then after dinner go to the top of the Empire State Building. I can't wait to see NYC all lit up at night from a top that huge building!

On our last day we're heading to Central Park to walk around and take in all it's beauty. We also want to make sure and see the famous Bow Bridge and Belvedere Castle inside the park.

Some other must-eats that we have planned is Cake Boss Cafe in Times Square and of course a Sprinkles cupcake via their cupcake ATM. We also want to go to an authentic NYC coffee shop and get a pretty swirly design on a coffee. It may be nasty but I want to say I've tried one. We're still undecided on our final dinner. We don't know if we want to do celebrity steakhouse, STK or Chris Santos' restaurant, Stanton Social...all in all though I think it's not bad planning on our part.

All planning aside, any tips or suggestions are much appreciated!

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Just to clarify something while we're on the subject of vacations. Tarl and I are by no means wealthy. We live paycheck to paycheck like most of struggling America. We have a mortgage, car payments, credit card bills, medical bills, light bills, grocery budgets and more, just like most of the world, but we always take a little bit of cash out of each paycheck and stow it away. If can be something as little as $5 or some times, if the paycheck is good enough or we get another bill paid off, it can be as much as $75. On average we put around $20 each up. It adds up very quickly. So the fact that we get to go and do those things is easy because we put a little bit of cash away weeks at a time. Before you know it you have enough to get away. Vacations, in our opinion, are very important to us. Even if it's nothing more than a weekend trip, it's always nice to getaway and spend that quality time with your family. This is how we get to go to Disney and other places. We put aside the want for another pair of shoes, and put that cash into an account.

As far as the New York trip is concerned, that was a total surprise for me. I had no clue that he was planning or trip or even booked it until Christmas Day when I opened the gift. He said he had been saving for it for a while and after he paid off a credit card in November, he then knew he could officially book it because that was one less payment we have to pay each month.

Never feel guilty for vacations. As long as you can pay your bills and support your family financially, never apologize for time away. It's important to do so.

Well that's enough talking for one day. I'm glad hump day is almost over because I sure am ready for the weekend!

Let's Do This (January Goals)

To be honest I'm not crazy about reading these blog posts when others blog about it, but I started thinking you know most likely they blog about their goals for their own personal selves and then it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Something to look back on. Let's get to it...

1 - Read a book

It's going to be my goal to read one book each month. I know it doesn't seem like that hard a goal but between work, Cadence being in school, your usual household chores and making sure I spend quality time with my family, it can often be a challenge. Luckily I've already completed this goal for January, but if I can squeeze another one in then #woohoo!

2 - Bring lunch to work

I aced this last week. I brought in my lunch 3 out of the 5 days and that's a huge improvement from the eating out 5 out of 5 days that I normally do. Today I bought my lunch, granted it only cost $7, that adds up, and quick! 7 x 5 = 35, 35 x 4 (weeks in a month) = 140

$140 just for some junk food each month is ridiculous and I hope to change that. $140 per month is a nice Disney vacation and if I think about it that way I'm pretty sure I can stick to it :)

3 - Visit Family

#1 kinda goes hand in hand, between work/school/etc. we don't get to see Tarl's parents that often during the month nor my parents, and they live next door! I (we) need to make this more of a priority, even if it's dinner once a week or something as simple as a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning.

4 - Me Time

I always feel guilty when I have time to myself. Tarl enjoys hunting and does so when he can. I don't mind him hunting and he enjoys it. However if I go and do something I always feel guilty about it. Tarl doesn't mind and in fact encourages time for myself, but I personally always feel guilty if I'm not home spending time with the two loves of my life. I always think, you know I could be spending quality time with my family but instead I'm shopping or out with my sister. Honestly, we should never feel guilty about "me time". It's great to get a way and have time to yourself. It relaxes you and keeps you sane. I'm not saying go out and party all weekend every weekend but a few hours one day a month isn't going to hurt and I need to try my best to have a little bit more me time each month.

5 - Meal Plan for Home

Huge time saver when you already know what you're cooking for dinner at night. It's even easier when you have all the ingredients at your house. I plan on making a grocery list accordingly to ensure we have all ingredients needed to make a delicious meal.

What are some of your goals?

First Getaway of 2015

Tarl, Cadence and I had a lovely weekend visiting with his Grandparents in middle Georgia in a little town called Ivey. (About 45 minutes East of Macon) We had such a great time relaxing around their beautiful home, playing board games, catching up, gossiping and staying up until midnight (both nights) talking about upcoming trips for everyone and dreams trips we hope to take someday. It was so nice getting away without going non-stop. I read three wonderful books this weekend and they were equally as great and must reads. But before I get to the book reviews let me catch you up on what we did. 

We arrived Friday night around 8 o'clock to open arms and a homey feel. 

Cadence was a champ and didn't go to bed Friday night until 9. Her usual bed time is anywhere between 8 - 8:30 so she was proud of herself, as were we. Around 9 my in-laws arrived. We listened to Tarls grandparents tell stories of the old days while we talked about our Christmases and how Tarl surprised me with a NYC trip. We gabbed a little bit more before hitting the hay.

On Saturday morning we were served a delicious homemade breakfast before the boys started work on the shed, which they promised to help Tarls grandfather with. It took them about 5 hours to complete the work and while they did that us girls stayed warm inside playing games and reading books. Cadence played with Domino's for hours. Lining them up and knocking them over. 

It was very cold in Georgia so we bundled up to walk outside and see how the boys were coming along at one point. We also looked at the chickens and played in the leaves which covered the ground. Cadence loved playing in the leaves - it was like southern snow to her. 

Needless to say we didn't stay outside long. Even with coats and boots and scarfs and gloves it was too chilly for my liking. When your toes go numb it's time to head back in and curl up with a good book.

Their home is absolutely breathtaking. Their master bedroom has huge windows overlooking the hills in their backyard and their back porch is three stories and goes on for days. When we visit in the Spring and Summer I can sit on their porch for hours just basking in the sun.

After the boys finished with the shed us lazy gals got dressed up and ready for the day. Tarl, Cadence and I went into downtown Milledgeville where they have the cutest antique shops and other little stores that are always neat to walk into.

After we explored downtown Milledgeville, we got a text from my in-laws saying they were attending an auction about 30 minutes away and asked us if we wanted to meet them there. Tarl nor I have ever been to an auction so we jumped at the invite. Cadence couldn't hang on the drive - she crashed :)

My mother-in-law texted us directions along with a picture of the building saying that it was in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere, USA. She wasn't lying! You have to go down a narrow dirt road with barns to your right and fields to your left. 

When we arrived we saw the coolest barn with a lot of antique signs gracing the entrance. When we walked in there were tons of people sitting on benches and a lot of treasures up front to bid on if you desired. The auctioneer started and I even bid on a couple things, but unfortunately I lost to bidder #30 who wasn't giving up the cutest little wishing well that would have looked perfect in our backyard. I stopped bidding at $17.50...oh well :)

We stayed for about an hour before we left to go back home for the evening. Cadence went to bed immediately when we got back to Tarl's grandparents. While we waited for everyone to get back from the auction Tarl and I sat in front of the fireplace while I read a book and Tarl dreamed of owning a house as nice as theirs one day. It was pure bliss. 

When everyone got back they told us of all the treasures they found and purchased and again, we stayed up late chit chatting.

Sunday we had the most delicious lunch before going back home. I'm still thinking about Mema's homemade chicken and rice!

This was us on the drive home - sad to leave but so ready to see our pets and sleep in our own bed.

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This weekend I read three books. One I was mid-read and finished and the other two I read cover to cover. I love going and seeing when we travel but it was nice to just relax and be able to read in such a peaceful place as a getaway. The Program and the second book in the series, The Treatment, are fantastic! Written by Suzanne Young, the books are about a nationwide suicide epidemic that this program is trying to stop. But are they really trying to help or is there some sketchy stuff going on? Mix that with two kids who are soulmates and it makes for a great read!

Sparrow, written by Sara Mack, was the last book I read this weekend and one of my most favorites I think I've read. It leaves you on the edge of your seat and that's a book I can truly get into. It's about two teenagers, Addison and Kyle, who meet during their annual stay at the lake during summer one year. They fall madly in love and plan to stay in touch, but when Addison disappears Kyle doesn't know where she went, how to find her or where to even look. Will they ever see each other again?

All great reads!

As usual the weekend came and went way too quickly.

Have a blessed week friends.

The First Five of 2015

It's Friday and that makes me one happy girl. We're taking our first little getaway of 2015 this weekend by venturing up to Macon, GA to visit with our grandparents.

Be sure to keep up with me on Instagram @BlueJeanMiranda or by searching the hashtag #GramFam2015

Let's jump right into my very first Five on Friday for 2015...

Valentine's decor is officially up in our house. I never go all out for Valentine's Day but it's nice to have a lot of girly colors floating around for a month or so. Tarl doesn't mind all the pink and Cadence and I sure love it.

Our entry table is always one of my favorite spaces to decorate. It's the first thing that guests notice when they walk in your home so I always try to have a nice little print out there to welcome them as they walk in. 

The printout I found online, free. I never pay for printouts because there are so many freebies online and on Pinterest. If you're like me and don't have a color printer just go to your local UPS store and print it out there on their cardstock for around $0.75 or have it printed at your local photo printer 

(i.e. Walgreens). I have a print out for every significant holiday in the year. 

The Live/Love/Laugh mini vase I found at the dollar store last year 

along with the foam hearts on a stick. 

One of my favorite scriptures, it was also read at our wedding.

The pink marshmallows and mints were leftover from Christmas and are still tasty so I left those inside the apothecary jars since they're pink and red as it goes with the Valentine's Day theme. I took the candy canes out of the mini jar and stuffed heart shaped peeps inside. As you can see some sneaky little six year old has snagged a couple. 

Our side table in the living room is a place we set our food, drinks, snacks, homework. You name it, it goes on this table during the day so I never load it down with too much, but a heart shaped vase and more foam hearts on a stick (all found @ Dollar Tree) and the little wooden Love sign (Target) fits just perfectly in the corner.

So if you don't already know I'm a Food Network junkie. In my past life I'm pretty sure I was some type of chef or food critic but we'll never know. My favorite show is Chopped. I love how you have to turn ingredients, that aren't very popular, into a beautiful dish and serve it to prominent chefs known throughout the world for them to judge it. Pressure much?

My three favorite judges are Scott Conant, Chris Santos and Geoffrey Zakarian. I just adore them. They are brutally honest, tell it like it is and don't mind hurting your feelings if the dish is less than perfection. All three judges own or have owned restaurants in New York City and Tarl and I plan on visiting one, if not two, of their restaurants while we are there (more to come on that later). 

Anyways, I tweeted Chris Santos last night and he retweeted me. I Instagrammed Scott Conant and he liked my Instagram picture that I posted. I'm still waiting on a tweet or retweet from Chef Zarakarian and my Chopped life will be made!

Now I get that a retweet and liking one photo isn't a big deal to some, but the fact that my most favorite chefs in the world took the time to push a button on their phone to recognize a fan - pretty damn cool if you ask me.

 Come on Chef Zakarian get to pushing that retweet button. Imagine if he responds?!

I pride myself on being a pretty crafty person. Especially when it comes to Cadence and all her little projects that she has to do for school. With this being her first year in school and Valentine's Day quickly approaching I want to do something really clever for the kids in her classroom and I thought this was the cutest idea.

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This outfit screams my style in the Spring. When the days are a mixture of warm and cool air so you still need something light on your arms - this is that for me! I love everything about this outfit, including the simple white sneakers, boyfriend jeans and a plain white long sleeve tee adorned with the plaid scarf. Absolute simple perfection.

Happy Friday Friends - I hope that each of you have a great and blessed weekend.

Hopefully Monday won't come too soon...