It's Red Hot!!!

I had to post this recipe in time for all of your holiday parties you may be hosting! It's a really good apple cider that my principal made last week! I couldn't get enough! Red Hot Apple Cider 2 quarts apple juice 2 cups red hots- the tiny little candies, not the cinnamon disks Using a coffee pot, put the red hots where you would normally add your coffee and make sure to use a filter. Pour the apple juice in like you would add your water. Brew! You will absolutely love that you made this yummy treat! Now, I halved the recipe and did make it in my coffee pot, because well I don't have one anymore since I got my Keurig. I just used the stove top to heat the juice to a boil and added the red hots and stirred like crazy until they melted. Let me know if you try this out!

Random Acts of Christmas Kindness

I have been tweeting about my Random Acts of Christmas Kindness and my attempt to do 25 things this month. I've been asked about my method and what all I'm doing so here is my schedule and how I went about things.

I started off creating a list of people that I deal with each day. Everyone from the crossing guard at work to the Salvation Army bell ringer made the final cut! Then I created a numerical list 1-25 and made my notes of kindness that I would do each day.

1. Take Ms. Joy (the crossing guard) breakfast.
2. Buy coffee for the person behind me in line at Starbucks
3. Pump gas for someone while they sit in their car
4. Buy the Salvation Army bell ringer a cup of hot cocoa
5. Deliver homemade cookies to the neighbors
6. Send cookies/treats to T's coworkers
7. Order pizza for the neighbors- I know they have lots going on Wednesdays so I thought it would be helpful to already have dinner ready for her. She was very thankful!
8. Send my brother who lives in Tennessee a box of his favorite cupcakes from a local bakery
9. Drop off a few poinsettias for the lady at the post office
10. Take donuts to a friend
11. Tape a dollar to the front of the coke machine at work- I have done this before and it always makes someone's day
12. Leave candy canes and holiday cards on the cars in the parking lot at the grocery store
13. Adopt a family/child for Christmas. We do this every year and I love it!
14. Drop off hot cocoa for the kids who wait at the bus stop in the morning
15. Leave holiday books in the play area at the mall
16. Make Christmas treats for my volunteer moms at school
17. Make a donation to the animal shelter.
18. Leave a gift for the mailman in the mailbox
19. Take my husband's car to work today have it washed on the way home! (yes, I have to work on this day and he doesn't)
20. Take Christmas treats to the nursing home
21. Meet our pool man outside with a cup of coffee and breakfast- he always comes early and I'm never home to do anything for him.
22. Clean out our closets and make a donation to Helping Hands
23. Hand out Starbucks gift cards to people in line. Just a fun twist on buying someone coffee!
24. Deliver Christmas treats to people working late on Christmas Eve. (drugstore, gas station, etc.)
25. Deliver treats to the hospital employees who have to work on Christmas day.

I'd love to hear any other ideas you may have! Hope you have fun speading Christmas kindness and cheer!

Happy Holidays!

I found this 20 questions survey on something a while back and thought it would be fun to post it on the blog. Feel free to copy it to your blog and let me know so I can see how your answers compare to mine!

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? Since I’m not really an egg person unless it’s in a cake plus I only eat the white actually if it’s cooked. I’m just gonna go with hot chocolate. I love to drink hot chocolate with whipped cream on top and some sprinkles. However, I’d prefer caramel apple cider any day or my favorite Espresso Truffle (hot cocoa with a shot of espresso)!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wrapped of course, unless they are too big to wrap, then they need to be hidden. I love a good surprise!

3. Colored lights or white? Just a personal preference but I prefer the white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No - but I might this year.

5. When do you decorate for Christmas? As soon as I can! Usually the day after Thanksgiving but I love Christmas so much and since we are on the go so much, I often don’t get to enjoy my decorations so I would love to decorate November 1 if my husband would let me. He doesn’t like to rush the holidays!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding dessert? I love when my mom makes a pumpkin roll. However, I guess that is considered a dessert but it has pumpkin in it! I also love my Aunt Jan’s macaroni and cheese. It’s very different than what you are probably used to.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Probably spending Christmas at my grandparent’s house. We would always go over there on Christmas Eve and open gifts right at 6:00. My Nanny is German and that was a tradition that they had when she was growing up so we stuck with it. Christmas morning we would open gifts from Santa as soon as I woke everyone up bright and early then we would head back to my grandparent’s house for lunch!

8. When and how, did you learn the truth about Santa? What? Santa isn't real? He's still bringing me presents.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Since I have grown up and gotten my own house, I like to have themed trees. The first year we lived in our house I put up 2 trees, it was a beating and I said never again. I do have one main tree in the family room that is decorated in gold and brown and animal prints. I also have smaller trees all throughout my house that are decorated with sentimental ornaments.

11. Snow. Love it or hate it? LOVE IT - but I don't want to have to drive in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Really slowly holding on to the wall. :-)

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Gosh, there have been so many favorites throughout the years. I can’t really narrow it down to one.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Spending time with family and remembering why we are celebrating. I'd also say that I'd rather find ways to help others or give to the needy more than I enjoy receiving gifts. I think this time of year helps you to remember how very blessed we are.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Chocolate delight. What’s better than chocolate, cream cheese, pecans and cool whip?

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Heading to church on Christmas Eve for the candle light service. That is my favorite service of the year!
17. What tops your tree? A bunch of glittery sticks and stuff.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Definitely giving. I love finding just the right gift for someone and truly surprising them!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have SO many I don't know if I can name just one but I guess I would chose Silent Night. I remember singing this when I was a kid at our church Christmas program.

20. Candy canes. Yuck or yum? Yummy! I love peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks and peppermint ice cream! Plus, Bob’s peppermint candy is the BEST!

Helping Out Society

Over the Thanksgiving break, we went out and did a little shopping. We ran across this adorable little coffee shop and stopped in for a treat. Next door to the shop was the cutest little bakery, Society Bakery to be exact. Apparently, the bakery is well known and was even voted Top 10 Cupcakes by The Ellen Degeneres show. Well, we had the gluten free brownie and a chocolate chip cookie. Both were absolutely incredible. I didn't really want the gluten free brownie but the sales lady who happened to be the owner's mother, convinced us that it was really the best thing under the counter. I believe she was absolutely right! The cookie was amazing but that brownie...Oh My!!! It was to die for! So if you are ever in the area, stop by Society Bakery and help yourself to a treat. One thing that I also love about this bakery is that they donate back to the community. I will definitely be stopping in to help out society and my sweet tooth!

Staple Item

I think everyone has that one staple wardrobe item that they could wear with anything and everything. I have found my fall/winter staple this season and I have just fallen in love with these.

I was in desperate need of a new pair of boots for the fall and after many hours of searching and trying on and trying to figure out what pair looked just right and felt great, I decided on these. I have two pair of Frye boots in my closet that I have had for roughly 10 years and they still look wonderful so I knew the brand was great but I wasn't 100% sold on the style. I tweeted about them and received some great comments on how well they would look with jeans and dresses/skirts so I knew I could dress them up or go more casual with them. I've had them for a couple of months now and have worn them every chance I have had. In fact, I love them so much, I went and got a black pair too!

It's What You Have To Do Sometimes

I have always enjoyed the Real Housewives shows. I like them all..Orange County, New York, Beverly Hills, New Jersey so basically if it says housewives in the title, I probably have it on my DVR. Well, I watched RHofNY and Bethany kind of stuck with me so I watched Bethany Ever After too. I decided to go out in search of her Skinny Girl margarita and found it and liked it. Then I heard that there were two more in the Skinny Girl line that I needed to try. Before the Amica Gala, we all met the night before to decorate and set up the ballroom and we each brought snacks and wine to share. I brought the white cranberry cosmo and sangria. They are equally as yummy as the margarita and maybe even a tad better. I think I've found some new favorite beverages!

Mud Pie!

My friends on Twitter have always talked about Mud Pie and I have seen these cute baby things in stores and have even bought some for gifts. However, I have always been thinking about what my first Mud Pie purchase would be for myself and I actually got something recently that is absolutely perfect. Here it is...Santa Paws by Mud Pie

Maggie has her very own Santa Claus collar courtesy of Mud Pie. I'm happy and so is she!

Deck the Halls

As much as I love Thanksgiving, I also love when it's over because that means I can decorate for Christmas! I actually cheated a bit this year and got my tree up earlier in the week. It's just nice to get it done while I'm off during the week and not have to stress about getting it finished the day before I go back to work. Growing up, we always decorated the day after Thanksgiving but since I've been on my own, I always have slowly started putting up my decor inside during the week of Thanksgiving. I think I can enjoy Thanksgiving and my Christmas decorations all at the same time! Here is a sneak preview of my decorations. I'll be back later on with more detailed pictures!

Black Friday

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I know our Thanksgiving was wonderful. I got to spend time with my niece who is expecting her little boy in April. I can't wait to hold that sweet baby and spoil him. I also ate and ate and ate but luckily for me, I will be working it off really soon. I'm about to head out for some Black Friday shopping. I have no idea what I'm looking for but I just love the rush of getting up early and heading out to find that awesome deal. I do not camp out in front of stores like I've seen other people do though. A lady and her mother and little boy have been camping out in front of Be$t Buy since Monday here in Dallas. That is just crazy to me! I don't think there is any deal worth that but maybe there is! Well good luck to all of you who are fighting the crowds, I hope you end up with some great finds!

Christmas Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

We set out after Thanksgiving lunch for my step dad to take a few pictures for our Christmas cards. We toured my parents neighborhood and I think we ended up with some great shots given the short amount of time we had and the fact that we all were freezing! Here are a few shots from today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. I love the no pressure to have the right gift or send the perfect card. I love that we just can enjoy each other's company and eat some awesome food. I have hosted Thanksgiving once. I decided it was way too much for me. I will now stick with making some yummy sides and going to my parents and in laws for lunch and dinner. Thanks to blogs and Pinterest, I've found some great recipes that I have tried out over the year and I'm actually taking some for lunch/dinner today. However, I'm also sticking to some family favorites and traditional dishes that we have always had. I'm including a recipe for one of my favorite family traditional dishes that we usually have at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This is my Aunt Jan's famous, well almost, baked mac and cheese. It's very different from your traditional creamy mac and cheese but it's equally as good.

Aunt Jan's Macaroni and Cheese
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 egg, beaten
1 large can evaporated milk
12 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil macaroni until al dente but do not drain (this is important). Meanwhile, grate cheese. Combine milk and beaten egg and add cooked macaroni. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add cheese and mix well. The mixture should be incredibly soupy, if it is not, add water from pasta. Bake for 30 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Enjoy!

Well, Well, Well

After a few of my twitter friends and a few emails and even some real life friends begged and pleaded for some new posts, I have finally made room on my crazy busy schedule to blog a bit. So, here you have it, words from the wise!!! Ha!!!

What I have been up to in the past month...apparently taking tons of iPhone pictures. I had 637 pictures to download before I could blog. I will not post them all or maybe I won't post any of them. Many of them are school stuff that I'm sure no one cares to see but it's things that I wanted to remember. Also, there are several Pinterest projects and ideas that I took screen shots of because that app dislikes me...alot! If I take a screen shot, I can easily go back to it without having to fight that app to work. Anyone else have this problem?

Other than that, I've just been working. Working at school, working at home and working on all kinds of junk. I've been told I have a hobby in every room of the house! Which unfortunately is a little bit true.

I plan to do a little more blogging. I haven't blogged much because I don't bring my laptop home from work very much anymore because it's on it's last leg. It makes a horrible noise and I've been told to back it up because it may go out at any time. Awesome!

So, I'm hoping to blog as much as I can from my iPad and we shall see how well that works! Thanks for sticking around through my many weeks of no words!

Christmas Time Is Here...

Okay well not quite yet but almost! Christmas decor is out at many stores. I think Hobby Lobby had their items out in July! I went to Hallmark recently to pick up a few things and saw these...

They are a wireless Peanuts band. Each character will be released at different times and each plays a different instrument and 2 different songs which means you get a total of 8 songs. How it works is, you press a button on one character and it will begin playing and then the others chime in. It is so cute! I should have taken a video of the whole band. I have my first character and am anxiously awaiting the rest. I have my calendar marked for the premiere dates so I can go pick mine up! I love Christmas time!

Happy 32nd

Well it's official. I am now 32. My birthday weekend started off nicely. At school on Friday I got several nice gifts from my students including 2 beautiful flower arrangements. Friday night we went to T's parents house and had dinner and cake. I also opened up gifts, including the one that was in this bag.

I ended up with a Keurig from the in laws which I am so thankful for. I have already used the heck out of that thing!
Okay, I got several tweets about what was in the bag. I opened the bag and inside was a box then a another bag and this was the beauty inside all of that!

I am very happy about having a new handbag and can't wait to pair it with some great fall outfits I've been pinning!
So, Saturday morning, my actual birthday, I got up and got ready to take this little girl to the vet for her weekly shot.

Then we went to my mom's and had lunch out with her and ran a few errands. I was actually suffering from a horrible headache so we headed back home so I could nap. I ended up napping for almost 3 hours! I did finally wake up in time to go and grab some dinner at a local Italian spot. I had the manicotti and it was so good! Afterwards we made a trip to Home Depot so I could get some hooks for a project at school. We made it back home to catch the last few innings of the baseball game! I got the best gift ever...the Rangers are headed to the World Series for the second year in a row!!!! I'm totally thinking they are gonna win it all this year! It's a great time to be a sports fan in Dallas, well except for the Cowboys!

5 Senses- Teacher's Post

So, this post is for my teacher friends. Recently, our Kindergartners participated in a culminating activity for 5 senses. This day is filled with various stations that the children can participate in. We block off the library and the hallway and recruit parent volunteers to run the stations. This day is the brain child of our team leader.
I can't remember all of the stations but a few were:
tongue tasting- students tasted salty, sweet, bitter and sour items
salt/sugar tasting
playdough- we used koolaid scented playdough
extract smells- we used different extracts and the students had to identify them
texture collage- various items pasted on a sheet of construction paper
sidewalk paint- made from cornstarch
colorblindness testing- done on the computer
walk the line- use binoculars to walk a tape line
koolaid painting- koolaid and elmers glue
glurch- elmers glue and liquid starch
sound shakers- film canisters filled with different items and students have to match the sounds
listening bingo
make a kazoo using toilet paper tubes
tasting white foods
smelling vegetables
smelling fruits
hide and seek with items on a tray
sight shoe boxes
tin can telephones
mystery bags

If you want details on these activities, feel free to email me.

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Happy Birthday to my big brother!

We have had our ups and downs. We have seen each other through good times and rough ones too. We have had times where we were the best of friends and others when we couldn't be in the same room together. However, we have gotten through it all together and I want you to know that you are one of my best friends and I hope today is a fantastic day for you!
Just a note, my brother despises the camera! These are the most recent pictures I have of us together- and they are almost 7 years old! Yikes! We have both changed a lot since these pictures!

Top Ten Tuesday

Today's Top Ten is all over the place. I can't think straight...it could be the 20 kindergartners that have taken over my life the past four weeks! I have thought about lots of things so here it is...the top ten things on my mind!

1.School- I live there so it should be on my mind.
2. Dinner- I am trying to come up with new things to cook, especially in the crock pot. I love coming home to dinner already made.
3. Shopping- my birthday is coming up next month so I'm creating my list.
4. Working out- I used to work out with a neighbor but that went downhill so now I'm trying to find something to keep me motivated.
5. Housework- I need a housekeeper...the end.
6. Laundry- does this ever end? I love the 20 seconds a day when ALL of the laundry is done!
7. Christmas- I went to Hobby Lobby in July and they had their Christmas stuff out. I may have bought a little something :)
8. The State Fair- I love the fair. We get an entire school day off just to attend along with a free ticket! Hello corny dogs and fried snickers- see why I need to workout!
9. Sewing- I have several friends who have asked me to work on some projects for them and I just need to sit down and do it.
10. Friends and Fun- I need a day to hang out with my friends and do some of the things on this list. I miss my friends!

Shake, Shake, Shake it up!

I usually eat a fairly good breakfast each morning but sometimes I run late and don't have time to make my egg white omelet! So, a few weeks ago I discovered something pretty yummy, Almond Milk! So, I added a few items and made myself a quick breakfast!

Almond Milk Shake
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup almond milk- I use vanilla flavored
1 cup frozen strawberries

Blend and enjoy! It's full of protein so it will keep you fuller longer and it's low fat!

Happy Birthday!

I would like to take a minute and wish my BFF Lisa a very Happy Birthday!

Lisa and I became friends when I had her son in my class a few years ago. She is the most generous, kind and considerate person I know. She would do anything for you and make sure you had what you needed even if she had to do without. Lisa is the type of friend that would drop whatever she was doing to come and help you. She is an excellent cook. I can't count how many times I would get a text to come over and share her latest creation. Freshly baked bread, yummy cakes and delicious brisket are all part of my days at Lisa's.

Lisa- I hope you have the best birthday ever! You are truly the most wonderful person ever and I appreciate your friendship! Hope you have an awesome day! Love ya!

Top Ten Tuesday- School!

This week's top ten is all about School! I started back last Friday, yes teachers went back on a Friday...I only follow the rules, I don't make them, well not that one. So here are my top ten favorite things about school!

1. New supplies! I love the smell of crayons!
2. My class list- I love seeing the names of my new friends!
3. School lunch. While I may steer clear of the mystery meat, I love the squash casserole and mac and cheese!
4. Being on a schedule- I crave schedules and timelines!
5. New clothes- there is just something about school clothes that makes me smile!
6. Fun spirit nights- hello Chick-fil-A spirit night!
7. Friday after school meetings- Happy Hour with the girls!
8. Reading, Writing, Math- I love seeing my friends learn and knowing I taught them, makes it that much more special!
9. Lesson planning- believe it or not, I love to write lesson plans and create new ideas on how to teach something pretty boring!
10. Fall! When school starts, I know fall is just around the corner!

Make Me Over

So a few weeks ago, I got an email from Becky Branch letting me know that I won a makeover! I went yesterday morning and got treated like a queen! I had my hair colored and cut and my makeup done. I wanted something a little shorter and more sophisticated. I also decided that I wanted to go back to my natural color. So, here is the finished product minus the lipstick (I forgot to take a picture when I got home and had a snack)...

I'm not sold on the cut/style just yet. I think it'll take me a few days and once or twice of doing it on my own before I like it completely. Either way, I appreciated the opportunity and the little relaxing afternoon before school gets underway!

Top Ten Tuesday- Places To Go

I'm back with another Top Ten Tuesday. Today's top 10 is about places I like to go. Some of these places are my local stops and others are favorite vacation spots!

1. Target- no explanation needed;)
2. Chick-fil-A It's next to Target and they know me by name
3. Hobby Lobby- if they don't have it, Target probably does
4. Alaska. We did a cruise last summer and are planning our next trip!
5. Hilton Head, SC- my family is there and I love the beach any time of year
6. Work- I know, I know! I do love my job most of the time. I could handle less paperwork some days but I love seeing my friends learning new things!
7. Sporting events. Nothing beats the atmosphere of a sports event. I'm lucky to have a good friend with great seats to several teams so I get to go pretty often.
8. Chiloso- it's a great little Mexican restaurant here in DFW. I love it! They have the best tacos and tortilla soup!
9. Farmer's Markets- I love to get my fruits and vegetables from the market. It's always so fresh and taste wonderful!
10. Bakery- any bakery really. I love a good cookie or cake that I don't have to make, even though I love to bake!

Top 10 Tuesday

When I was in high school, my best friend moved away and back then we used to write letters to one another and I always looked forward to reading her top 10 list just as much as she probably looked forward to mine. So, I'm bringing back the top 10 list this week. Hopefully it'll make me blog a bit more...even if it's just on Tuesdays!

So, feel free to join in on the fun and list your Top Ten Favorite Time Wasters! I would totally make a linky thing but I haven't figured out how.

1.Blog stalking- I enjoy reading about other people and their lives...you could say
I'm a bit nosey!
2.TV Watching- I love most reality shows (Big Brother, Survivor, Jersey Shore, etc),
especially if it includes the word "wives" in the title. Housewives of wherever,
Basketball Wives, Desperate
Housewives...you get the picture
3. A good afternoon nap
4. 2 words..Celebrity Gossip
5. Baking and cooking
6. House Hunting- No, we aren't moving, I just like looking for new decorating ideas
and future house plans.
7. Reading- I love to a good book especially those by Nicholas Sparks!
8. Pinterest- my newest addiction
9. Twitter
10. Hanging out with my family and my babies!

Meal Planning Monday

After a pretty busy week and weekend, I am now working on putting together some meals that I can freeze the leftovers for use during the first couple of weeks when school starts back when things are 12 kinds of crazy! So, here is what we will be having this week.

Monday: Pasta Primavera with grilled chicken
Tuesday: Baked potatoes with chipotle barbeque
Wednesday: Turkey Chili- crockpot love
Thursday: Barbeque meatballs, mashed potatoes and a vegetable
Friday: homemade pizza
Saturday: Rangers game night!!! Nothing beats a hot dog at the ball park!

What are some meals that your family loves?

When It Rains

Yesterday was just one of those days. It started out okay but got progressively worse as the day went on. I had what I thought was going to be a quick orthodontist appointment and usually they are about 10 minutes, this one was half an hour at least. I left there and made my way to the car dealership to get the oil changed in my car. That took an hour and half seriously. It was past lunch time and I was so hungry. The dealership has fresh cookies and a soda and tea bar but I am trying to be better at what I'm eating so I ate the strawberries I had packed but they didn't fill me up. I had plans to meet a friend for lunch but had to change plans since it was way past lunch time when I left the dealership. Then I finally make it home and decide to catch up on some chores. I started laundry and then filled the dryer only to find that the breaker had flipped. I went out to see what was going on and discovered the breaker is broken. So, this morning I sit with a washer full of wet clothes, a dryer full of wet clothes and myself on a search for an electrician. Today has to be better...right?

TipToe Through the Tulips

My Mom and step dad came over Monday to help me plant some flowers in my front bed since I haven't been able to get anything to grow there. They purchased several flats from their favorite nursery and brought them over. We pulled up all of the existing plants or really what was left of them and then Larry and I headed over to my local nursery to purchase some compost and some more plants. We started about 9:00 on this project and were finished about 1:45. However, we worked in extremely hot conditions (it was 104 degrees) so we took a few water breaks! The pictures aren't the best but you can see that we put out lots of plants. I love that you can see both Maggie (on the right) and Ham (on the left) looking through the window in this picture!

I now have beautiful lillies!


After all of our hard work, I just hope these plants survive!

You Are My Sunshine

I got to visit my Nanny while I was at home. She recently fell and broke her shoulder and arm but is doing so much better. She was so excited to see me and even more excited for me to take her out on a little drive. She quit driving recently so a chance to get out of the house was super nice for her.

My Nanny always called me her sunshine and I can say now, she is mine! I love her so much and I hate that I am so far away and can't visit her more often. She always makes me feel special when I talk to her and I know she is proud of who I have become. I Love You Nanny!

Wash, Dry, Repeat

So I got back in town and got the news that we had to get a new washer and dryer. We technically only needed the dryer but knew the washer wasn't doing too well either so we went ahead and got the set. The delivery crew called this morning and told me they would arrive between 1-3 so I finished up some chores and decided to nap since I had a headache. I am pretty sure my eyes had not even shut and the delivery guys were banging on my door 30 minutes early. We haven't ever had a delivery/repair service show up on time or early, we are usually the last ones. So they brought in an installed these beauties.


I really wanted front loaders but I had my parents install cabinets in my laundry room last summer and front loaders wouldn't fit. Also, all the research that I have done says that while they do use less water, they have had many complaints about mold and mildew so I decided I really didn't want those problems! The new machines have been running non stop this afternoon. I think I've done 4 loads which is a lot for 2 people. Plus, I didn't bring any laundry back from my trip cause I did it all before I left my grandmas. Good planning on my part I think! Now comes the chore I am not fond of...putting all the laundry away! Ick!

Have You Seen These?

Not sure if I'm behind in times or what but on my SC vacation I recently discovered these fun shoes called snapshoes. They are by Lindsay Phillips and are basically shoes that can have the snaps changed to change the whole look of the shoe or you can purchase the Switch Flops which you can change out the strap of the flip flop to develop a whole new look. I purchased the wedges in a white gold color and so far, I'm very happy! I can't wait to find some more snaps to match different things. Plus, I'm ordering the black wedges too but shhh...don't let my husband know!

I'll Be Seeing You

My trip to my second home was nice and I have to admit I shed a few tears as I left the driveway and headed out. I love the time I get to spend with my Aunt Jan, Uncle Hal, Chandler and Halee. I just wish the time didn't go so quickly when I am there. Chandler and I spent lots of time together Wednesday since everyone else was heading out of town- more to come on that! We went downtown to a wine tasting, did a little shopping and hit up our favorite spot, The Chocolate Tree. We also stayed up super late and put together a puzzle that seemed to have a million pieces. Those are the memories that I'll always treasure. I have the best cousins in the world and those two girls are more than just my favorite cousins, they are my best friends!

Frogmore Stew

I tweeted this picture Saturday night and got many comments about it so I thought I should share the recipe here.

Frogmore Stew is a dish that is very popular in South Carolina. Frogmore is actually a little town where this dish is known to originate from. Frogmore Stew is an easy dish that will feed many people and is so, so, so good! Let me know if you try it!

Frogmore Stew
6 quarts water
3/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
2 pounds new red potatoes
2 pounds hot smoked sausage links, cut into 2 inch pieces
12 ears corn - husked, cleaned and quartered
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, unpeeled

Directions
Bring water and Old Bay Seasoning to boil in a large stockpot.
Add potatoes and cook for 15 minutes. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes more. Add corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes. Drain immediately and serve.

Hanging with the Cousins

I got to South Carolina Thursday afternoon just as my cousins were coming back from the beach. I was really sad I missed out on that day with them so we decided to go back on Friday.

We took off mid morning Friday with all the beach essentials, peanut butter sandwiches, chips, chocolate chip cookies and kool aid! All of those items remind me of the summers I spent with my family in South Carolina. My aunt would always pack exactly those things whenever we went to the beach so I knew we couldn't break tradition.

We got to the beach about noon and stayed until almost 5:00. We had fun splashing in the waves and laying out in the warm sunshine. All three of us ended up with nice tan lines and memories to last a lifetime!

Chomp, Chomp!

As you know Amanda and I went to college together and were sorority sisters. Well, I have created many things for her little boy Nicholas since before he was born and lucky for me, Amanda has loved them all. Well, I knew Nicholas was turning one and I would be attending his birthday party so I had to come up with something new for his gift. His family is planning a beach vacation soon so I wanted to do something beach related and for some reason, a gator seemed to be perfect especially since they are planning to visit Florida. So, I sat down and created this little number

I plan to make a few more little shorts and tee's outfits and I'm sure Nicholas will be on the receiving end of several of those!

Miss Stephanie

I can't believe I don't have any pictures of Miss Stephanie but just think cute and that's her! I wanted to post a little something about her anyway.

In 2005 I came to work for the school district I currently work in and I was asked to host a high school student volunteer to which I happily agreed. Miss Stephanie joined my class that fall and we discovered we had so many things in common and became close friends. She helped my students with work and even taught lessons. I couldn't have completed a lot of projects without her help. At the end of the school year, Miss Stephanie wrote me a very heartfelt note and let me know that although her earlier plans had not included a teaching career, she had now changed her mind and knew that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of children and become a teacher! My heart melted!

Fast forward to 2011. Miss Stephanie has now graduated from college and is having to search for a teaching job in the most difficult time due to recent budget cuts and restrictions. I am hopeful she will get a job and I would love nothing more than to have her teaching right next to me at my school. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she searches for that perfect place and begins a rewarding career!

Off to the Beach!

I'm off to the beaches of South Carolina this morning. I am going to visit my mom's side of the family for a few days specifically my favorite Aunt, Uncle and cousins. I can't wait to see everyone and spend a few days on the beach soaking up some sun, having the sand between my toes and hearing the waves crashing on the shore.

What are you pinning?

So, I now have a new addiction...pinterest. Have any of you joined this site? I love it because I can now organize all of my awesome web finds and immediately go to one without having to search through all of my bookmarks. If you are curious, let me know and I'll be happy to send you an invite. But beware, it's quite addictive! Happy Pinning!

A New Place

I decided to take a trip home to Tennessee for a while. There were several reasons why but one is my grandmother fell and broke her arm and I wanted to be close enough that I could go help her out if she needed it.

Another perk of being home is I get to see old friends from college and high school! I had brunch with my good friends Alisa and Andrea Sunday morning.

Afterwards, I headed to Amanda's house to celebrate little Nicholas' first birthday!

I met up with several old friends and met some new ones too! This a picture of the ADPi sisters that were at the party.

It was a fun weekend and I am looking forward to the rest of my trip being equally as exciting!

Don't Forget about the SALE!

Don't forget about my blog sale. See the awesome finds below and let me know if you are interested in any of them! Happy Tuesday!

Blog Sale begins NOW

Okay, here are some items I'm selling from my closet. If you are interested in any of them, please email me at cheaward at sbcglobal dot net All prices include domestic shipping.

Vintage Dooney and Bourke handbag. Like New, barely used! All leather. $70 with shipping.





Ann Taylor Loft dress never worn. Ruffled neckline, fushia color. Size 4. With shipping $45



Cute grey side tie top. Never worn. Size Medium. $30 shipping included.



This skirt is from Ann Taylor Loft. Obviously never worn. Size Small. $35 includes shipping.



The following pants are very silky and again, never worn. I bought them at White House Black Market for $40 on sale and will part with them for $25 which includes shipping. They are size 4 and are from the Legacy line.



This pair of jeans were never worn. They are Grace in LA size 5. With shipping $35