Five on Friday - January 9, 2015

Boy -- this was a tough week to make it through!!  The first week back to work after the holidays is almost always a challenge.  How about for you -- tough or easy?  The good news is the weekend is in sight!!  YAY!!!

I received so many exceptionally cool gifts this Christmas!  I finally got the blanket scarf I've been seeing everywhere.  Also, I'm super excited about getting a pedicure with my friends thanks to Sherri's gift certificate to our favorite salon.  Today I'm going to highlight a few of my other gifts on my Five for Friday.

1.  Brix 4-Piece Tasting Party Gift Set with Cutting Board and Knife
Would you check this baby out!!  There are 4 bricks of chocolate and the packaging lets you know what kind of wine it goes best with.  So excited to have a little wine, cheese and CHOCOLATE party!!  Very cool gift.

2.  Acure Organics Day Cream Gotu Kola Stem Cell + 1% CGF

This stuff -- AMAZING!!  As described on Birchbox, "chlorella growth factor which protects collagen and elastic fibers for stronger, more elastic skin.  Guto kola stem cells stimulate cell turnover, help fight free radical damage, and firm skin tone, restoring and evening complexion."  Besides all that stuff, the soft scent of orange is the most amazing thing in the morning when I'm getting ready.  I might even rush through washing my face a little just to get to the putting on the lotion part.  Love it!!

                                 

3.  Deodorant Removing Sponge

We've all been there -- completely ready to step out the door, we look at ourselves in the mirror and what do we see?  We see those ugly deodorant marks all over our super cute outfit.  Well, now I have the fix for that!  To use, briskly rub residue from your clothing with Hollywood Deodorant Removing Sponge.  No need to use water.  Safe on most fabrics.

                                           

4.  The Bachelor
I'm such a sucker for The Bachelor show (and Eric might also be a little hooked on it).  So what do you think -- do you think they pay the bachelor extra to literally pick out the craziest contestant to stay around a few weeks?!?  Who in their right mind would keep the drunk, teetering girl over some of those others?  Do you think the chick that wouldn't leave will set him straight?  Tune in next week for all the answers.

                                           

5.  Anybody still keeping their New Year's resolutions?

                                   

We are looking forward to having lunch with some friends on Saturday.  We also have to take down our Christmas decorations -- don't judge, yes we still have our decorations up.  I just love them so much I drag my feet in taking them down.  Stay warm friends!  Thanks for stopping in and hope you come back soon.

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

The Grits Blog

Simply Sweet Home

High Five for Friday

5 on Friday 

The Jenny Evolution

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Thoughts on Thursday - Haley's Turning 21

In one week, my best friend Linda's daughter, Haley, will turn 21.  Twenty-One!  Every time that fact passes through my mind I have to shake my head in disbelieve.  Where has the time gone?!?  She has grown into such a beautiful young lady -- we are so very proud of her!

Thinking back on my 21st birthday, there are so, so, so many things I wish I would have known.  I guess "known" might be the wrong word.  Some things I probably "knew" just didn't really believe them when people told me.  I mean, come on.  You're 21 -- you know it all at that age, don't you!

Well, Haley -- here goes.  I'm going to be that older adult trying to give you life advice right when you already thought you knew it all.  I'm going to lay out 21 tips for your 21st birthday that I truly wish I would have taken more seriously at your age.  I'll break out 10 today and 11 next Thursday.  So, Haley -- here's my thoughts for you as you turn 21.

1.  Find a Friend
Your mom and I have been friends since the 6th grade.  We've cried together, laughed together, and everything in between.  She has patiently listened to me go on and on and on about things I'm sure she thought was really not that big of deal.  But that's what really great friends do -- they are there for each other.  To have a friend, you need to be a friend.  So be patient and put in the effort.  The reward will be worth it!

2.  Love Your Mom
No, seriously - LOVE YOUR MOM!  She has done more for you than anyone ever will and is your biggest supporter.  Don't ever forget or take advantage of that.  She loves you and she will always, always, always support you.  Her feelings are not ones you should take advantage of or mistreat (not that you do - I'm just sayin').

3.  Listen To The People That Love You
They may not be saying what you want to hear, but they are sharing their feelings with you because THEY LOVE YOU!  Respect their opinions.  Sometimes people love us more than we love ourselves.  Their opinions deserve to be heard without judgement.  Sometimes they might even be right.

4.  Laugh
Don't hold back laughter!  As a matter of fact, keep some funny stories in the back of your mind to pull out and just have a little chuckle.  You know plenty of really funny stories about your mom and I to keep you laughing for the rest of your life.  Pull them out - have a laugh.  It can really improve a bad mood.

5.  Pick Being Happy
Speaking of bad moods -- remember, you CHOOSE your mood.  Only you can decide what your mood is going to be.  Pick being happy.  Don't waste your precious time on this earth being grumpy.  Grumpy doesn't look good on anybody.

6.  Listen to Your Gut
Your mom has modeled good behavior for you all your life.  You know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad.  If you sit very quietly and really think about something, your gut will tell you if you should or shouldn't do whatever you're thinking about.  Trust your gut -- if you listen, you'll pick the right answer every time.

7.  Enjoy Good Sunsets
You never really know which sunset may be your last.  If you see a good one, pause for a moment, soak it in and smile.  Some things are just too beautiful to let pass by without enjoying it for a minute.

8.  Be Spontaneous
Some of my best moments come from being spontaneous.  You can sleep tomorrow.  If an opportunity presents itself, go for it.  Get caught up in the moment and be spontaneous.  Amazing things happen on a whim.

9.  Play in the Rain
Let's face it -- you're never too old to play in the rain.

10.  Have One Good Meal in Your Recipe Box
Know how to cook one spectacular meal.  You never know when you might want to cook dinner for someone so have one good meal you can whip up with ease.  If you want to practice, I'll gladly be
your guinea pig.

Digest this installment of my first 10 things for you and I'll be back next Thursday to wrap up my 21 things with the last 11.

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

A Handful of Everything
Hodges Podges
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
All Life's Little Adventures

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop

Welcome to the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop!

A blog hop is a set time frame for current or aspiring bloggers to find new blogs and quality content. It is a great way to make new friends and find inspiration! It is also a fabulous way to promote your own blog and posts.

Dear Friends,

What a day to celebrate! This is the 99th week of the Let's Be Friends blog hop! Thanks for joining us on this special day. Chelsee and Tiffany are extremely delighted to see the way this hop has grown and love to see your faces each week!

Join us every Tuesday at 7am (MST). This blog hop focuses on content. LINK UP YOUR FAVORITE POST from last week in this fun content-sharing blog hop! I love the idea of blog hopping, but I love the idea of reading posts and quality content on new blogs I've never been to even more. Instead of simply linking up your blog button, you are now able to link up your favorite post you recently wrote. Have a delicious recipe to share, DIY tutorial, or heartfelt post? Share it with us! All hosts and co-hosts put up some unique and fun content from the past week. Make sure to check them out. P.S.- you may still link up your blog button and blog name, but it is encouraged to link up your favorite post instead. You will get more page views and interest if you do so! Some of the most successful blog hops I have participate in focus on content rather than just exchanging follows. You never know who will become a loyal follower or pin that delicious new recipe you posted!

The BEST part of this blog hop? Each week there will be a WINNER! That's right, each week we will choose one lucky blog to feature from the previous week's hop. This hop receives thousands of page views every week, so your blog will have the chance to be center stage for free. You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win. Only those who link up a specific post are eligible to be featured! *You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win.

The last exciting change is that the co-host spots will now be available to all sponsors of The Dwelling Tree or Southern Beauty Guide. If you are interested in co-hosting the blog hop, email Tiffany or Chelsee about sponsorship opportunities and how to co-host the weekly hop!

There are a couple of great giveaways going on right now at Southern Beauty Guide and The Dwelling Tree. Go check them out! :)

Let's Be Friend's Blog Hop Guidelines

1. Link up your favorite post from your week.

2. Follow your hosts and co-hosts.

3. Grab the button and post it on your blog so we can share the love.

4. Visit 3 other blogs, comment, and follow them along!

5. Tweet about this blog hop, using #letsbefriends

6. Pin the button on pinterest so we can spread the news!

***Once a week, one blog will be chosen to be the featured blogger from the previous blog hop.

Meet your hosts:

The Dwelling Tree: Blog, Bloglovin'

Southern Beauty Guide: Blog, Bloglovin'

Meet this week's co-hosts:

Penny @ Penny's Passion

Kelly @ Our Cone Zone

Christine @ Life With A Side of Coffee

Mary @ Little Bit of Class Little Bit of Sass

***This weeks featured post from last week's hop:

Thank you all once again for continually linking up at our blog hop. It is such a fun time and I am so impressed each week with all the amazing posts. Please continue to link up an actual post instead of your blog. We want to keep reading your content and it makes it more fun to pick a winner!

Is there anything we can do differently or better? Please share in the comments!

... onto the winner!

Little House Living

Easy Cheese Ball Recipe

Hello everyone! This is Chelsee! I hope you all had an amazing New Years celebration! So last week I was scrambling around looking for a recipe for a house warming party. I needed something quick and easy recipe to make. This is one reason why I just adore this blog hop. It gives us all access to many, many blog posts that contain tasty recipes. This recipe from Merissa at Little House Living is just simply delicious. I felt it was one that we all could use in a pinch. It requires ingredients that most will already have in their kitchens. I felt I just had to pass this one along to you all:)

Oh and make you you Go check Merissa out and follow her blog!

Thank all of you for your amazing posts each week. I love reading all that you share!

Keep posting awesome content! You make it so fun for us to read all your posts! If you can, please link up a specific post. It makes it easier for us to come and visit!

*Remember YOU can be next weeks winner! :)

An InLinkz Link-up

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Weekending -- The First of the Year

Each year I look forward to the time I take off work between Christmas and New Year's.  This year was no different -- I had a million things on my to do list and didn't even come close to getting them done!  I did get to spend some quality time with friends and that's something far more valuable to me than cleaning the pantry.  So this recap is spanning two weekends and the week in between.

Big shout out to my nephew, Landon.  He spent the night with us the Saturday after Christmas and we packed as much fun into 24 hours as was humanly possible.  After our families left from celebrating our Christmas we went roller skating, drove through the Way of Lights at Our Lady of the Shrine in Belleville, Illinois, went to see Mockingjay (my second viewing), bowled, got ice cream and played lots of Yahtzee.  Can't wait for him to visit us again!

New Year's Eve was a blast!  I traveled to Kansas City to spend it with my friends on the west side of the state.  Eric had to work New Year's Eve and New Year's Day so, unfortunately, he wasn't able to join me.  It was a pirate theme this year!  I made the 2015 banner and set up a backdrop for our party pics.  Thar be lots o' fun had (that's pirate talk for we had lots of fun). 

I stayed over a few days at my friend Linda's.  She and I went to see Wild.  And honestly, we weren't "wild" about the movie.  It just never really took off for me.  Have you seen it?  What did you think?

                                                 

Came home to celebrate Christmas with my great friends Carol, Sherri and Tracy.  You'll be seeing many of the presents I received on my upcoming Five on Fridays.  It was great to catch up over wine and a fire in the fireplace with these wonderful girls.

Sunday was a cold, dreary day.  It spit snow on and off all day.  But it was a great day to spend in the house reading a great book.  So that's exactly what I did -- all day long.  I finished Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  Love, love, love this book.  I literally could not put it down.  

                                                    

Now, here I am mentally preparing for work tomorrow and a whole new year ahead.  I've made a few resolutions that I'll share in upcoming posts, but I like the idea of having a word a month this year instead of a list of resolutions.  The word for January is minimize.  My focus for this month is going to be getting rid of the things I'm not using, no longer want, doesn't fit, etc, etc, etc,  Get ready Goodwill -- you are going to be seeing lots of me this month!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City
Oak and Oats

Five on Friday - January 2, 2015

                                        

Happy New Year!  Here we are in 2015.  I love the fresh start a new year offers -- it's so motivating!  I'm glad you're here to walk the journey of 2015 with me and hopefully we can be inspirations to each other.

So, let's get started with the first Five on Friday in 2015:

1.  Heartbeat

This song has been playing in my head since I heard Jullian Rae sing it this week.  WARNING:  After listening you might just have to buy her new CD - Heartbeat.  You can pick up a copy from Amazon HERE.  

2.  Kinetic Sand

Have you ever felt this stuff?  One of the prizes I had on hand for finding the pickle in our tree was a package of Kinetic Sand.  AMAZING!!  This stuff captured everyone's attention and, no joke, at some point during the day everyone had touched it.  I got out some kitchen tools (cookie cutters, apple corer, and small rolling pin) and it kept the kids busy for hours.  One of the best parts was it was incredibly easy to clean up.  Definite winner!  This would make an excellent birthday party gift.  You can purchase it HERE from Amazon.  I picked mine up at Michael's and used my 40% off coupon.

                                                 

3. Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
These were at our New Year's Eve celebration and was a crowd favorite (notice the empty bag).  Oh. My. Goodness!  They came from Costco and were out-of-this-world great.  You definitely couldn't eat just one.  The sprinkle of sea salt and sugar was the perfect balance of goodness.  Yummy!

4.  Downton Abbey
You know where I'm going to be on Sunday at 8:00 pm central time -- planted on my couch with my eyes glued on the TV watching Downton Abbey!  The long awaited start of season 5 is finally here and I can not wait to see what's in store with all my favorite characters.  Will Lady Mary find a husband?  Will Lady Edith reclaim her baby?  Just how old will the children be this season?!?  Will you be watching?

                                                    

5.  2015 Fun
What are the first three words you see?  Expect those in 2015!

                                      

Do you have big plans for the weekend?  We are meeting some friends for lunch on Saturday and I have girls night out Saturday night.  I'm sure Sunday will fly by and then on to Monday where we will be back to work and things will be settling into "normal" again.  It's hard to say goodbye to the holidays -- I'm already looking forward to next year.

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Lauren at The Lauren Elizabeth

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

The Grits Blog

Simply Sweet Home
Oak and Oats
5 on Friday 
The Jenny Evolution

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop

Welcome to the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop!

A blog hop is a set time frame for current or aspiring bloggers to find new blogs and quality content. It is a great way to make new friends and find inspiration! It is also a fabulous way to promote your own blog and posts.

Dear Friends,

What a day to celebrate! This is the 97th week of the Let's Be Friends blog hop! Thanks for joining us on this special day. Chelsee and Tiffany are extremely delighted to see the way this hop has grown and love to see your faces each week!

Join us every Tuesday at 7am (MST). This blog hop focuses on content. LINK UP YOUR FAVORITE POST from last week in this fun content-sharing blog hop! I love the idea of blog hopping, but I love the idea of reading posts and quality content on new blogs I've never been to even more. Instead of simply linking up your blog button, you are now able to link up your favorite post you recently wrote. Have a delicious recipe to share, DIY tutorial, or heartfelt post? Share it with us! All hosts and co-hosts put up some unique and fun content from the past week. Make sure to check them out. P.S.- you may still link up your blog button and blog name, but it is encouraged to link up your favorite post instead. You will get more page views and interest if you do so! Some of the most successful blog hops I have participate in focus on content rather than just exchanging follows. You never know who will become a loyal follower or pin that delicious new recipe you posted!

The BEST part of this blog hop? Each week there will be a WINNER! That's right, each week we will choose one lucky blog to feature from the previous week's hop. This hop receives thousands of page views every week, so your blog will have the chance to be center stage for free. You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win. Only those who link up a specific post are eligible to be featured! *You must follow all the hosts and co-hosts in order to win.

The last exciting change is that the co-host spots will now be available to all sponsors of The Dwelling Tree or Southern Beauty Guide. If you are interested in co-hosting the blog hop, email Tiffany or Chelsee about sponsorship opportunities and how to co-host the weekly hop!

There are a couple of great giveaways going on right now at Southern Beauty Guide and The Dwelling Tree. Go check them out! :)

Let's Be Friend's Blog Hop Guidelines

1. Link up your favorite post from your week.

2. Follow your hosts and co-hosts.

3. Grab the button and post it on your blog so we can share the love.

4. Visit 3 other blogs, comment, and follow them along!

5. Tweet about this blog hop, using #letsbefriends

6. Pin the button on pinterest so we can spread the news!

***Once a week, one blog will be chosen to be the featured blogger from the previous blog hop.

Meet your hosts:

The Dwelling Tree: Blog, Bloglovin'

Southern Beauty Guide: Blog, Bloglovin'

Meet this week's co-hosts:

Penny @ Penny's Passion

Kelly @ Our Cone Zone

Jess @ Living on Sweet Tea

Ashley @ That Southern Mama

Mary @ Little Bit of Class Little Bit of Sass

Ashley @ Keeping up with Ashley and Cody

***This weeks featured post from last week's hop:

Thank you all once again for continually linking up at our blog hop. It is such a fun time and I am so impressed each week with all the amazing posts. Please continue to link up an actual post instead of your blog. We want to keep reading your content and it makes it more fun to pick a winner!

Is there anything we can do differently or better? Please share in the comments!

... onto the winner!

Winks and Eyerolls

Have a cup of cheer (printable)

Hello everyone! This is Tiffany!

I just loved this awesome idea for a simple and inexpensive gift. I am always looking for ideas for house warming gifts or hostess gifts, and this is so cute. There are lots of fun variations to do as well.

Winks and Eyerolls is an awesome blog with great posts. I really wanna try the Homemade Peanut Brittle. It looks SO good! Sierra and Faith both share the blog and are sisters. How awesome is that? Go check them out and follow them!

Thank all of you for your amazing posts each week. I love reading all that you share!

Keep posting awesome content! You make it so fun for us to read all your posts! If you can, please link up a specific post. It makes it easier for us to come and visit!

*Remember YOU can be next weeks winner! :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Five on Friday - December 26, 2014

Happy day-after-Christmas everyone!  We are actually having one more celebration on Saturday at our house so I have one more day of holiday fun in front of me.  I literally can.not.wait to see everyone!  Of course, I still have tons to do to get ready so let me spill my five today and get back to the preparations.

1.  Leslie Sansone Videos

With January 1 and those New Year's resolutions looming, many of us will be thinking about dropping a few pounds in the new year.  In comes Leslie Sansone videos.  I'm not a huge exerciser and I'm definitely not in shape.  These videos are built on moves I can actually do and afterwards leave me feeling like I had a good workout.  

2.  Shower Tablets
Have you guys ever tried these?  My friend, Linda, put some in my birthday box and I finally had a chance to use one.  OH MY GOODNESS -- they are fabulous!  You just drop them in the shower (preferably in the stream of water) and breath in the goodness.  I don't know where these have been all my life, but I won't be without them again.  You can pick some up here.

                                 

3.  KidSmart
Looking for a last minute tax deduction?  Consider KidSmart.  Their mission is to ensure that children and their classrooms in the Greater Metropolitan Saint Louis Area have the basic tools for learning by transferring, at no cost, the community's surplus supplies and merchandise into the hands of teachers for school children in need.  I have personally volunteered for this organization and seeing the faces of children getting the school supplies they need for their classroom is truly heartwarming.  Check them out on their website here.

4.  Lia Sophia
Have you ever been invited to a Lia Sophia jewelry party?  Well, guess what -- they are going out of business.  Right now they are selling off their inventory so there's some good deals to be had.  I have a few of their pieces that are about a year-and-a-half old and so far are really holding up well.  You can check out all the deals on their website here.

                                         
5.  Quote

I'm going to leave you with this thought.  The new year is coming and it's a great time to clean up the list of people in your life.

                               

Hope you are able to relax for a few days after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  I have some fun stuff planned for the next few weeks so I hope you have a chance to drop by.

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Lauren at The Lauren Elizabeth

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

The Grits Blog

Simply Sweet Home
Oak and Oats