A Pep Talk

This kid is hilarious! And he has a great message to share too...

Happy Monday! Go out and be awesome today!

This just pinned

I haven't posted any of my pins on the blog lately, so I thought I'd share some eye candy that's been inspiring me lately...

Lemon Chicken Gyros (year-ohs). YUM! These will be on next week's menu for sure!

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This recipe is from Jif, but Nutella would also work. YUM!

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How awesome is this table turned ottoman? A labor of love goes into this, but the end result is beautiful!

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A little coffee bar tucked away in the kitchen cabinets? Genius!

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We have a sewing table identical to this and it is in desperate need of a makeover. Maybe something like this?

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Yuuuuuuuussss! Finally a fun little updo for short hair!

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I wear a lot of scarves, but mostly with solid tees. I love the pattern mixing!

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You can find me on Pinterest here, or click on the "P" in the sidebar ---->

Have a great weekend!!

I have a dream...

I hope you can take a moment today to reflect on a time when our country was divided and segregated. Some might argue our country is still very divided when it comes to politics. But, today is about setting all of that aside and remembering a man who stood for justice, peace and equality.

Thank you, Martin Luther King Jr., for making a stand and a difference.

My friend, Mique over at 30 Days, has created this beautiful printable to celebrate and remember Dr. King. I love the quote she chose. Print it here.

printable from 30 Handmade Days

Insta...Saturday

Happy Weekend Friends!

I'm a day late on my InstaFriday post, due to some technical issues with my computer. But here it is!

Last weekend, my hubby and I got to have a weekend away to San Diego! We were a teeny, tiny bit excited (and flabbergasted) that it was really happening (this was the first time, since we've had kids, that we've gone away for an entire weekend)!

We had a fun little rental car

 And an awesome view from our hotel room

My college roomie got married and while we got to celebrate their commitment to each other, the hubs and I also got to reconnect and enjoy some quality time together!

Rehearsal dinner with the bride-to-be

In-n-Out was one of our first stops...obvs!

Wedding on the Harbor

Roomies!

The Happy Couple

Congratulations Andy & Stefanie!

Goodbye San Diego...

Stay classy!

I Believe in You

Over the Christmas break, our 7 year old, compassionate, friendly, energetic and loving son accepted Jesus into his heart!!

It was a sweet moment that I got to share with him and we couldn't be more excited and happy in his decision.

We talked. We prayed. And he wrote this sweet letter:

My son's name is blanked out for privacy reasons...I'm a weirdo like that.

God, I believe in you. Your son, "The Boy"

My hubby and I feel honored to be his parents and our hearts are full. It is our hope and prayer that he follows Jesus all the days of his life!

Insta-Friday: Christmas Recap

I didn't blog much for the month of December, so I thought I'd give you a little peek of our Christmas season, my favorite time of year.

** WARNING **  There are a lot of photos. This is one month's worth of InstaFridays all rolled into one, it's one long puppy. Here it goes...

Our church had a DIY gift fair, where we got to make all sorts of cool and cute projects to give away as gifts. Here's what we came home with.

I hosted our annual cookie exchange. This year I made Chocolate Crinkles. YUM!

Cookie Exchange loot...

I made these little party favors...cute, easy and yummy!

Sweet Pea had her first dance performance and it was adorable!

The hubs and I snuck out for a date night

Lots of baking going on...Pam's Cheesecake (holy moly! SO good!), Pinwheel cookies, cinnamon rolls, Christmas Crunch and lots of other delicious confections.

Christmas program at her preschool

Gingerbread House-Makin' with some yummy homemade gingerbread pieces (made by someone from my parents' church)

A visit from Uncle Spencer and Aunt Kate!

Seriously awesome white elephant party with some of the funniest people we know. 

Gifts included: pigs feet (ewwww!), fancy jingle bell underwear, for men (double ewwww!) and...

oversized hand drink holders. So many belly laughs that night!

We had an Elf this year. Meet Tinsel...

He did things a little differently...he would leave us notes with a mission for the day. One day he asked us to make Christmas cards for people in the armed service.

The whole family got involved and we send a big envelope of cards to Holiday Cards for Heros.

Some days he would just hang around

On one of the days, we were instructed to plant "peppermint seeds" in a bowl of brown sugar. 

The kids had to practice patience as they waited for their seeds to sprout. 

It took 2 days until the kids could harvest the candy. On the 2nd day, we read about the significance of candy canes.

Reading Santa's Favorite Story to some other little friends...

Tinsel also brought the kids "Snowman Poop" (doughnut holes) and explained that in the North Pole cleaning up the Snowman Poop is one of his chores. He then went on to ask what the kids could do to help out around the house.

On Christmas Eve, Tinsel instructed us to bake a birthday cake for Jesus. We baked a yummy banana cake, but sadly, I don't have any pictures of it.

Kitchen helpers

Brownies and milk for Santa. Carrot for the reindeer.

I actually don't have any photos of us opening presents, but this is the aftermath...

The Boy got a lot of Legos. It kept him busy for a day or two.

I hope you had a wonderful CHRISTmas with many fun memories to cherish!