Friday, March 29, 2019

Friday Favorites- Places I Would like to Visit

Hi Lovelies!

I hope everyone has had a great day!! Ours was fine, just filled with phone calls, house keeping chores, and playing the the littlest Little.

Today, I thought I would share some of the places that I can only dream of visiting. 

The first is, Greece. It looks so beautiful and is in my top four places that I would like to visit.




The second place I would like to visit would have to be Italy. 



This is another beautiful place. It's breathtaking and I would love to visit one day.
The third place I would like to visit would be Paris, even it's just too see the Eiffel Tower.



The last place that I would like to visit is, England. 


Writing this post actually reminded me of one of my favorite movies, European Vacation. LOL!! Great movie by the way!




What are some of the places you would like to visit?

Thursday, March 28, 2019

What I Learned From Dirty Dancing

Dirty Dancing is one of my favorite movies. I have seen this movie so many times that it has come determinantal to my well being. As an example, I firmly believe that it takes exactly three weeks to fall in love and learn mambo. In real life, this is impossible because no matter what in the end you will end up with spaghetti arms.




Here as some of the observations I have made after watching Dirty Dancing for the 12478576899375th time:

1. Never get involved with the entertainment staff



If you hang out with the entertainment staff, you will inevitably find yourself mixed up with a bad crowd. You will disobey your parents, help a stranger get an illegal abortion, learn the mambo, and hang with people of a different socioeconomic status. You will also have the time of your life.

2. Watermelons are awful conversations starters



Or are they? Because Baby got to meet and dance with Johnny Castle. And like they say, the rest is history.

3. The Catskills in 1963 were a progressive wonderland


4. Rick and Sam retired to the Catskills




Rick and Sam retired and opened up their own mountain side resort where they lived happily ever after, gambling, and judging the youth of America.

5. Trying on wigs is only for the rich


6. Guys who attend the Cornell School of Hotel Management are the worst.




7. Jake Hauseman is the ideal father




Baby thought she would never find a guy as great as her dad. He has high expectations for his daughters even though they do disagree from time to time.

8. And the most important lesson of all.




Because if you’re anything like Baby Houseman, good things in the form of Johnny Castle will happen to you. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

So, yes Dirty Dancing is fantastic and I will never get tired of it. I will bask in the glory that is Dirty Dancing and enjoy every minute of the movie.






Saturday, March 23, 2019

Currently {3/23/2019}

 Time and place: 10:33am  and I am in the dining room, typing up this post.

Eating: Peanut butter sandwich

Drinking: A big glass of water (always)



Watching: Cleaning videos, planner videos, and bullet journal videos.

Reading: Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult







Loving: the warmer weather that we have been having this week.

Working: Right now I am doing some decorating for my daughter's birthday party with the family.  I am also working on my meal planner (hopefully that will be done in the next few months).

Listening: Avengers Infinity War

Buying: groceries and other necessitates

Planning: I have most of my posts planned for April already. I just have to write and schedule them. I am working on setting up some deadlines for my meal planner. I am also working with my husband on designing a new website. I am also working on some planner inserts. This should keep me busy for a while!

Wondering: can I pull it off? How will I pull it off?

Feeling: tired, but happy, always.

What are you currently up to?

Friday, March 22, 2019

Friday Favorites {3/22/2019}

Hi Lovelies,

Oh man oh man!! Am I glad it's Friday (well what's left of it). My biggest little celebrates her 9th birthday this weekend. She is growing up so quickly, time needs to slow down! This week has been all about celebrating her and taking her on a few adventures. She has had such a fun week! We will be celebrating her birthday tomorrow with a movie and pizza at home with some poop emoji cupcakes (requested by her).

Anyway, here is this week's edition of Friday favorites: 


Favorite throw back: Homemade Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli.  This was one of my favorite meals to eat as a kid. I'm so excited to have finally found a recipe for this!!


Favorite must have:  Chocolate cloud cupcakes. When I saw these I knew that I had to make them. I love chocolate and anything chocolate filled.




Favorite dip:  Peanut butter S'mores cheesecake dip. OMG!!! When I stumbled upon this recipe I laughed out loud at how insanely delicious this looked!!


Favorite bite: Italian meatballs.  No words needed!!! 





Favorite funny: 25 Husbands that must be stopped. I laughed until I cried reading through this.



Favorite sip: Slow cooked spiced white hot chocolate.


Have  a great weekend!!

Thursday, March 14, 2019

My GYST Day Routine

So what is GYST? It’s basically a Get Your "Stuff" Together Guide to help you get your life back on track. My GYST Day is usually on a Sunday. There are four components to the GYST routine and those are:
  1. Chores
  2. Beauty
  3. Goals
  4. Relax


My GYST DAY Routine

Completing Your Chores

Step one in this routine is to complete your chores. You want to be doing things like organising your items and decluttering them. Cleaning around the house like, cleaning out the fridge, sweeping and mopping, cleaning the windows and different rooms in the house and catching up on laundry.
Just doing small things and general chores that we would generally put off. These may seem like small wins but they are what will make you feel motivated and like your achieved a lot.

Your Beauty Routine

Step two is to complete your beauty routine. Once you have completed all your chores it’s time to make yourself look and feel your best!
Taking the time to care for yourself and complete your beauty routine can really make you so much more productive. Start with things like washing your hair, styling it or even booking a hair appointment.
You also want to take care of your skin and maybe do a face mask, paint your nails or practice a new makeup look!

Goal Setting

Step three it to start or continue goal setting. It’s important to set goals and have monthly and even weekly check-ins on your short and long-term goals.
Do research into your future aspirations, plan your monthly budget or make a dream board!

Relax

The final step is to simply relax after you know your "stuff" is together.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

8 Things To Do To Make Yourself Feel Better

Now that I think about it maybe I should explain the title first. When I say better I mean just making small changes that will make every aspect of your physical, emotional, and personal life better. But maybe not everyone needs that. I know for me I am always looking for ways to be better. These are things I am doing to make myself better. So I am sharing the 8 things to do to make yourself better because maybe you need them too!



8 Things To Do To Make Yourself Feel Better

Express Feelings: I am pretty good at expressing feelings to certain people. I have no problems telling ny husband if something bothers me. When it comes to other people I am terrible. I tend to just ignore people, or ignore the situation until I feel better and it’s really unhealthy. One thing I am trying to do better is expressing feelings. If someone says something that bothers me just calmly and in a not accusatory way telling them why.
Take Downtime/Me Time: Recently I have been very stressed lately. I think it's because I am going to bed late and then with my youngest still not sleeping through the night. I am trying to do things like relaxing during C's quiet time (where usually I would scramble to get more things done). I find that taking an hour of her queit time to relax honestly makes me more productive earlier in the day and later in the day.
Go For Walks: I find that even more than going into a gym or class going on walks mentally makes me better. I love going for walks with my kids and husband because we are all getting fresh air and vitamins, we are all enjoying the sunshine, and we are getting exercise. Usually we also stop at the park and let the kids play. It’s amazing how good I feel after. Try going for a 30 minute walk and see how great you feel after!
Change Up Your Routine: I am such a routined person that when I am in too much of a routine and I feel like when can get stagnant in our routines. So try switching up your routine! Go workout at a different time or maybe read first thing in the morning before you start your day!
Wake Up Earlier: On the same note try waking up 20-30 minutes earlier and see how you feel. When I wake up earlier I find that I feel better during the day and then I go to sleep easier at night.
Reward Yourself: Treat yourself once a week to something fun. Maybe splurge on a workout class at a boutique studio, or get a fancy latte, or get your nails done! Just something you can look forward to!
Text Friends/Family: I know as moms especially life can get so busy that you forget to check in with people. So somedays I try to text one or two of my friends, or my family members just to say hi and let them know I am thinking about them. It’s incredible how loved it can make someone feel.
Write Snail Mail: On a similar note, write a piece of mail, a note, a postcard, something to a friend or family member just to say hi and that you were thinking of them. They will feel so good!  Then you will too!
I would love know something you do to make yourself better! I can always use ideas.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday (3/11/2019}

Hi Lovelies!

Good afternoon everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It rained here all weekend. I just hope Spring is around the corner! I need to see some sunshine and spring flowers!!! We have a busy week ahead with marital arts twice this week and I'm still planning my daughter's birthday which is this weekend and I am still trying to find some activities for a Pokemon party. So stressful!! But the invitations look awesome!!

Anyway, enough of my whining, let's get started with this post, shall we?




The weather.  It's supposed to rain most of the week with some thunderstorms thrown in on Tuesday.

Right now I am... sitting at the dining room table typing this post. 

On my reading pile. I'm reading Weep No More My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark and Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult.. I will be posting my Spring reading list this week.

On my tv.  Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch, Boy Meets World, Sons of Anarchy, A Million Little Things and How I Met Your Mother (again)

On the menu this week: This week's menu is very simple!

Monday- Tacos and chips
Tuesday- Spaghetti and garlic bread
Wednesday- Baked potatoes, salad and popcorn chicken for the girls
Thursday- Chicken and rice with veggies
Friday- Pizza and breadsticks
Saturday- Broccoli and cheese soup with homemade bread
Sunday- Black eyed peas, fried potatoes, and corn bread

On my to do list:

Laundry
Kitchen
Write and schedule blogs for the next two weeks (by end of the this week)
Update planners and bullet journal
Tidy bedrooms
Clean bathrooms
Vacuum all rooms
Pack Angelina's snack for martial arts class tonight



Looking around the house: My house is a mess and really needs to be cleaned. I just don't have the motivation to clean it. 

Bible verse, devotional, or quote:




Friday, March 8, 2019

Five on Friday

Hi Lovelies! 

It's Friday!! I found this linkup (it's an old one) and decided it would be fun with in. So, have fun and enjoy my  five on Friday.



{One}

Hot Chocolate and Apple Cider. It has been so cold here that I have been drinking one of these every night for the last week. 

{Two}

Baking the best chocolate chip cookies with the Littles yesterday. We had so much fun, flour flew every where, and there were a million giggles.

{Three}

The Mister and The Littles gave me my birthday present a few days early. And let me just say that he knows me so well.



I can't wait to start reading this!!

{Four}

We have had a ton of family togetherness this week and I am grateful for that. We have been having so much fun building forts in the living room, baking cookies, and watching movies together.

{Five}

I finally found a system for organizing my planners. It has taken me some time to figure this out, and I think I finally found something that is working for me.

Have a wonderful Friday Lovelies!!



Tuesday, March 5, 2019

In the Kitchen- Pretzel Bites

Hi Lovelies! 

I wanted to share a simple recipe with you for easy Pretzels Bites which I found here: http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com . When I was searching for some simply and easy recipes for snacks, I found these beauties. These are tasty even without the salt and they got two thumbs up from the Mister.

 (pic taken by me)

Now, when I made these I did not follow the recipe. I did not make the vanilla glaze and I did not make the cheese sauce (I used the Campbell's cheese soup only because my store was actually out of the block mild cheddar cheese.

PRETZEL BITES

Texas size Rhodes Frozen roll dough
*as many as you like – each roll makes four bites

coarse salt, Parmesan, garlic, cinnamon & sugar

Vanilla glaze (optional)

Take a thawed roll.  Cut it in four equal sections.  Place dough bites on greased sheets. I placed five across and five down on large baking sheets.  Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and let dough rise until double in size. (about 35-45 minutes) Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil.  When dough has risen, plop about 10 pieces into the boiling water, tossing gently for about 45 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, and place bites on paper towels to drain slightly.  Move bites to greased baking sheets, and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done and golden brown.

Brush bites with melted butter, sprinkle with Kosher or Sea Salt, garlic and toss in Parmesan cheese.  You can also make Cinnamon and Sugar bites. Make a mixture of Cinnamon and sugar:  About 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and mix together well. After you butter the pretzel bites, toss in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

You can serve the Parmesan Pretzel bites with a cheddar dip, and the Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel bites with Vanilla glaze.  So yummy . . . so simple!

VANILLA GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract.
Combine sugar, milk, butter and vanilla and mix well.

CHEDDAR DIP

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2  to 2 cups of grated Cheddar Cheese.

Melt the butter in a med. size saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir until blended, and
butter has turned lightly golden brown.  Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar Cheese until smooth and all of the cheese has melted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shake a few red pepper flakes into sauce for added zing!


Monday, March 4, 2019

Happy Homemaker Monday {3/4/2019}

Hi Lovelies!

Good morning everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We have been dealing with cold temps all weekend. I just hope Spring is around the corner! I need to see some sunshine and spring flowers!!! We have a busy week ahead with marital arts twice this week and I'm also planning my daughter's birthday which is in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, enough of my whining, let's get started with this post, shall we?




The weather.  It's very cold! The last time I looked it was 17 degrees. The temps will be slowly warming up this week and into the weekend. 

Right now I am... sitting at the dining room table typing this post. 

On my reading pile. I'm reading Weep No More My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark. I plan to post my Spring reading list later this week., 

On my tv.  Beverly Hills 90210, Baywatch, Boy Meets World, Sons of Anarchy, A Million Little Things and the Masked Singer

On the menu this week:

Monday- Sandwiches and chips
Tuesday- Walking tacos
Wednesday- Baked potatoes, salad and popcorn chicken for the girls
Thursday- Spaghetti and garlic bread
Friday- Pizza and breadsticks
Saturday- Broccoli and cheese soup with homemade bread
Sunday- Black eyed peas, fried potatoes, and corn bread

On my to do list:

Laundry
Kitchen
Write and schedule blogs for the next two weeks (by end of the this week)
Update planners and bullet journal
Tidy bedrooms
Clean bathrooms
Vacuum all rooms
Pack Angelina's snack for martial arts class tonight



Looking around the house: The living room and kitchen need to be cleaned, the beds need to be made, and the laundry that I washed over the weekend needs to be folded and put away.

Bible verse, devotional, or quote:




Saturday, March 2, 2019

March 2019 Goals

Happy March! Hard to believe we are almost through winter. I decided to sit down this morning and organize my March (in my planner)  and to jot down some goals that I want to accomplish. Now, I can't recap my goals for February, because I didn't make any because we were sick for most of the month.

So here's what I'm planning for March in the terms of goals:




1. Implement a cleaning routine

In order to accomplish this I will be following The Flylady. I have seen this on facebook and it seems to be working for most. I just hope I can stick with it this time. I have tried a few times and have just given up. This time I will stick with it and my house will be clean and decluttered by the end of the month. 

2. Plan A's birthday party.

We have the place reserved for the day, I have activities planned and I know what type of cake I am going to make. She is having a Pokemon theme thus year. 

3. Have a fun spring break.

We need to plan a fun trip and I will be celebrating A's birthday during this week as well. Her party will be the week before. 

4. Read at least one book (maybe 2).

I have quite a few books that I have that just haven't taken the time to read. Hopefully I can at least get through one book (maybe 2) this month.

5. Work on editorial calendar for Spring content.

6. Schedule blog posts for this month. 

7. Post more consistently on intragram and increase my followers.

8. Set up a twitter account for my blog.

9. Schedule posts for my blog's facebook and keep it updated.

10. Figure out how to use Intagram stories. 

Well, those are my goals for March. What goals do you have planned for March?

Friday, March 1, 2019

Friday Favorites {3/1/2019}

Happy TGIF (or what's left of it) Lovelies!!

Can you believe the workweek is already over? It sure has flown by for me, and I am happily welcoming Friday after such a busy week. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m planning on spending some serious quality time in the sun with my family this weekend.

So without further ado, let’s get into my latest faves…

Favorite TV show on Netflix: Friends. I love this show and I have watched all 10 seasons at least a dozen times (usually late at night when my youngest needs to cuddle).


Favorite sweet treat: S'mores Brownie Bites! These are the perfect little treat to enjoy around the campfire.



Favorite song: This song is one of my favorites!! Bop by Dan Seals. I know this will show my age but I love country music from the eighties and nineties. It's so much fun to listen to and the songs bring back some of my favorite memories.



Here's one more that I love- Bubba Shot the Jukebox by Mark Chesnut


Favorite Quote: 



Have a great weekend and leave your thoughts in the comments below!