Friday favorites

Happy Good Friday!  Are you all ready for Easter?  As promised, I'm sharing my Friday favorites with you!

Number 1:  Coloring Easter eggs

I love doing this with the kids each year.  Heck, I would probably still do it even if I didn't have kids! And this year, we had no spills!

Number 2:  Bald eagles

I love bald eagles!  Where I live, you may catch a glimpse of one every once in a while, but it's definitely a rare occurrence.  Well this year I have been treated to several sightings!  2 eagles have been hanging out in a tree across from our daycare.  Then yesterday, I saw them in MY neighborhood!  We live right next to a river, so I'm sure there is all sorts of good eatin' for them!  I'm hoping they will stick around for a while.  Wish I could have gotten better pics, but they were really high in the tree and it was very cloudy out.

Number 3: Lost My Name book

Have you heard about these books?  Each book is personalized according to your child's name.  The letters of their name lay out the adventure the book takes you on.  I was skeptical at first (since I learned about it through an ad on Facebook), but I am very happy I took the chance.  The books are ADORABLE (cute story, beautiful graphics) and I love how it is a personalized story for my child. They are well worth the price and mine shipped really quickly...I think I received them 4 days after I placed the order.

If anyone is interested, I have a 15% off code you can use... just message me and I'll send you the link!

Picture from :https://www.lostmy.name/en-US/home

Picture from https://www.lostmy.name/en-US/home

Number 4:  This tree!  

Number 5:  Date date with Nick

My son has been asking to have a "special" day with me and today is the day!  He has requested we go see Zootopia, have lunch at Red Lobster, and get ice cream.  So that's the plan!  I love being able to spend some 1 on 1 time with my boy!

That's it for today folks!  Hope you all have a great weekend and a lovely Easter!

Linking up with Andrea for Friday Favorites!
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Easter Traditions

I love hearing about everyone's holiday traditions, so today I thought I'd share our family Easter traditions with you.

Easter Sunday starts out very early.  I typically get the kids up no later than 7am to go find the Easter baskets that the bunny left for them (I LOVE putting their baskets together!  I love picking the perfect basket and lots of fun items to go inside).  After a quick perusal of the baskets, we get dressed and head out the door by 7:30 to make it to my aunt's house in time for the 9am egg hunt and breakfast.  

Our family Easter egg hunt has been a tradition for as long as I can remember.  When I was little, my Grandmother hosted the egg hunt followed by a big Easter dinner. Then eventually my aunt took over and switched to a breakfast.  Now let me tell you, this egg hunt isn't just for kids.  It's for adults too! The eggs are filled with candy, money and stamps.  There are also a couple special "big" eggs with an extra special prize inside. This has always been one of my favorite parts of Easter!  

After all the eggs have been found, we head inside for breakfast.  We have pretty much the same menu every year...  Scrambled eggs with bacon, scrambled eggs with sausage, pancakes (my uncle makes the best pancakes!), ham, bagels and toast, mini donuts, muffins and fruit. Oh, and my dad's homemade maple syrup!  There are typically around 18-20 of us and always a TON of food. I am usually stuffed for the rest of the day!  

We hang out with the family until mid afternoon and then head home.  The kids play with their Easter basket treasures and all the other goodies they received throughout the day.  Dinner is usually nothing special...  just something quick and easy.

Despite the fact that it's about an hour and a half drive to where my family lives, I try to make the trip every Easter.  I love our traditions and I want my kids to experience them too.  It's also one of the few times the entire extended family is together.  And really, it's not like I would be sleeping in on Easter anyway (or any other random Sunday)... I have kids!  :)  

What are your Easter traditions?  Tell me all about them in the comments!  I can't wait to hear all about them!

Weekending

My weekend in one word... COLD.

It started off fine... a little karate, a little soccer, a little cleaning.

Then we made the mistake of going to the Easter Eggstravaganza. 

Like this...but more people and less space!

The kids were super excited to get their picture taken with the Easter bunny and participate in an egg hunt.  Except when we got there, a man with a megaphone was blocking the door and announced no one else would be allowed in the building because they were over capacity.  He then directed us to the field to wait for the egg hunt.   The wind was fierce, we were freezing, and there was still 30 minutes until the “hunt” was scheduled to start.  As we watched the organizers of the event throw plastic eggs on the ground in a space that was about 200x too small for the amount of kids that were there, we knew we had to take drastic action.  So what did we do?  We bribed our kids with the promise of a new Lego if they left.  And they agreed!

We made a quick trip to Walmart for Legos, ran to Home Depot and then went to Chili’s for dinner.   Alec decided he should wear his sunglasses to eat the chips and salsa.  Because you NEED sunglasses if the salsa is spicy!

Sunday I had a lovely breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my friend S while Ms. Daisy was being groomed.   Does anyone else have problems NOT buying something at the CB gift shop??  In my defense, the Easter stuff was 25% - 40% off so I grabbed a couple more things on the cheap to add to the boys’ Easter baskets.  Daisy still wasn’t done so I wandered around Joanne Fabric and grabbed a latte at Starbucks.  The peace and quiet was heavenly!!

The rest of the day was pretty laid back...well, other than the kids screaming and yelling and racing around the house.  We ordered out for dinner (hooray), did homework and baths, packed lunches, put the kiddos to bed, and then I watched The Passion on Fox which was awesome!

This week I hope to do a little egg coloring with the kids (maybe Thursday night?) and go out for a couple early evening walks since the weather looks fairly decent.  And by fairly decent, I mean 50’s.  Not 80’s like you ladies in Florida and Texas have.  By the way, thanks for posting all those pics on Facebook and IG of you lounging in your pools after dinner (YES, I AM JEALOUS!)!

Be sure to stop by the blog again this week because... wait for it... I am going to be posting!!   I’ll be talking Easter traditions on Wednesday, and of course, wrapping up the week with Friday Favorites!

Friday Faves- Quick and to the point!

Welcome to my Friday Favorites...quick and to the point edition!

Number 1   St. Patty's day!

Loved my little Leprechauns and Chocolate Guinness cupcakes!

Number 2   The Irish Blessing

I love this any day, but especially this time of year.

Number 3   Little kids playing soccer

Specifically, my Alec.  Too darn cute!!

Number 4   Younique Rose water

I am LOVING this stuff.  So glad I tried it!

Number 5   Date night

The hubs and I enjoyed dinner and drinks at our favorite Irish restaurant/bar.  And...we didn't get home until 11:30pm!  That must be a date night record for us!

There you have it!  

So what are you up to this weekend?  

We've got the usual activities... karate and soccer...and then we might head out to see the Easter Bunny and go on an egg hunt.  Or if the weather is bad, we might take the kiddos to see Zootopia.

Whatever you decide to do, have a great weekend!  

Linking up with Andrea for Friday Favorites

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Are you wearing green today?

Back in the day, I would start the St. Patty’s festivities around 10am (the bars opened at 6am) and continue well into the night!  But now that I am married, a mom, and OLD, I get my kicks from making Guinness cupcakes!   

And because I love y’all so much, I wanted to share the recipe with you!

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

1 cup Guinness

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 ½  teaspoon baking soda

dash of salt

Frosting:

--Insert your favorite cream cheese frosting here--

Um yeah.  I bought a can of cream cheese frosting.  I was short on time but really wanted to make these.  I love the cream cheese Bailey’s frosting but I didn’t have any Bailey’s on hand.  Maybe next year...  I did throw some green food coloring in though!

Directions:--Preheat oven to 350 degrees

--In a medium saucepan, pour in beer and butter.  Heat on low and let the butter melt in the beer.

--Once your butter is melted, slowly whisk in the sugar until completely dissolved.  Then whisk in your cocoa powder.

      --Remove your pan from the heat and allow the chocolate mixture to cool for at least 5 minutes (you want it warm but not hot).  While your mixture is cooling, sift together the flour and baking soda in a small bowl.  Set aside 

--Using a mixer (stand or hand) on low, combine the sour cream, vanilla and eggs.    Slowly blend the chocolate with the sour cream and eggs. --Increase your mixer to medium speed and add in flour, a cup at a time.  Mix well 

--Pour mix into your cupcake tins.  Bake 15-18 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).

--Cool and frost!  Maybe a toss a couple mini chocolate chips on top?

--EAT AND ENJOY!!!!!!

Friday Favorites-I'm Back!

Hooray!  I'm back this week for Friday Favorites!  Did you miss me??

What a spectacular week it has been!  Wednesday it was 81 degrees here!  81.  In March.  In New York.  This is TOTALLY unheard of.  No, really it is.  It was the warmest March 9th on record!  The sky was blue, the sun was shining and it was literally perfect weather.  This was definitely a favorite of the week!

Since the weather was so warm, the kiddos got some much needed outside time when I got home from work.  They played on their swing set and drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.  Outdoor time in March with no jackets on??  Most certainly a favorite!!

The hubs had to work late on Wednesday and wouldn't be home until the kids were in bed so I made sure to snap a couple pics of them.  This picture is one of my favorites because it is so THEM.  I'm pretty sure Nick is hugging Alec, not strangling him, but I can't be 100%!

This pic is a favorite because this kid is just so darn cute!  #meltsmyheart

This is my favorite because it is totally my dilemma!  

And finally...this Happy Easter sign is my new favorite Easter decoration  #thankshobbylobby

That's it for this week folks!   The weekend brings karate, soccer, and then some alone time for mom and dad (although it may be spent painting the kids' rooms)!  Woo hoo!!

What's happening around your house this weekend?

Linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals

Easter decor

I don't go crazy with my Easter decor, but I do like to have a few festive touches around the house.   And yes, I skipped St. Patty's day...they're just too close together this year!

My favorite item is this egg garland I picked up at Hobby Lobby last year.  The colors match really well with the rest of our living room decor.  I also tucked these cute salt dough bunnies in the garland.

More bunnies on the shelf above the TV...

New from Hobby Lobby this year...

Love this sign...

My cute kitchen bunny from Walmart 

Outside decor is very minimal...just an Easter wreath on the door that I've had for years.  I always think about doing an egg tree, but it hasn't happened yet!

How do you decorate for Easter?

It's been a while...

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post!  It wasn't intentional, it's just that life has gotten in the way of blogging.  Changes at work caused me to stay late for 2 weeks straight, I've been sick, and I've really had zero motivation to do anything other than lay on the couch, watch TV and go to bed! But now it's March, the temps are slowly rising and the daylight is staying a little longer.  I actually don't mind winter; I rather it enjoy it actually, but since we have had virtually NO snow this year we might as well move on to spring!

Anyway, I'm hoping this change of seasons will get me a little more inspired and motivated in all aspects of my life.  So hopefully (cross those fingers) you will see a little more of me here in the coming months.  :)

So... other than working late, what's been going on around here you ask?

Let's see...
**We had a fun Valentine's Day at Medieval Times and shopping at Ikea.
**Nick has continued with karate and is enjoying it and doing well.
**Alec started kiddie soccer
**Nick's social life continues to be better than mine.  He seems to have a birthday party to attend every weekend. Last weekend was a bowling birthday party and this weekend was a Minecraft themed house party.
**We have had a few warm days and took advantage of them by going to the playground and going bike riding
**We finalized our summer vacation plans
**We have been reading lots of books for the kindergarten reading program/contest
**Daddy visited Nick's class for Dr. Seuss day and read Fox in Socks
**We've been crafting!
**We decorated for Easter

Stop back later this week for a peek at our Easter decor!  Happy Monday y'all!