Friday Faves...The graduate edition

Did this seem like the longest week ever?? Oh man, I'm glad it's Friday!  Are you super psyched to read all my favorites of the week?  Well, even if you're not SUPER psyched,  I hope you'll still read along!

Of course my first favorite of the week is that my big boy graduated from pre-school! And he even won an award for creative play, which involved coming up with creative games to play, sharing, taking turns, and including everyone.

Another favorite is how seriously adorable these two looked at graduation...

How about this awesome wreath I got off Etsy?  It is definitely a favorite!  P.S. If only the sun wasn't in Nick's eyes, causing him to squint, this would have been a stellar picture!

 This is the gift we gave Nick's preschool teacher.   It's a painted terra cotta pot that says, "Thank you for helping me grow."  Probably one of my favorite teacher gifts that we've given!

Since we're talking flowers, how pretty is this flower that Nick brought me back from his Grandparent's house!  My favorite present of the week!

I hope you all have a great weekend and a great Father's day!  We'll be visiting my dad on Saturday for pizza and wings and hopefully a dip in the pool!  Then Sunday the kids and I are taking daddy to brunch.  What are your Father's day plans?

Linking up with Andrea for Friday Favorites

Time for Five!

Oh Friday!  I'm so glad you're here!  As usual, I'm linking up with Andrea to share my 5 favorites of the week!

Number 1 :  Gardening with Nick
Nick decided he wanted to grow his own vegetables this year.  Originally the hubby and I planned on doing a large raised bed garden, but time got away from us (and the motivation if I'm being honest).  So instead, Nick and I are starting out small and we put together this little container garden to grow on our deck.

Number 2: Favorite Color swap
I love me a good blogger swap!  I just participated in the Favorite Color swap and was matched up with book blogger Beverly. I sent her a package of pink items and she sent me a package of purple items.   Beverly even hand made me an infinity scarf and glass mug!  How awesome is that!?

Number 3:  This little guy
Is there anything more precious than your child sleeping?  I think not!  This pic just makes my heart overflow with love!

Number 4: Pottery Barn backpack & lunchbox
OK, normally I avoid Pottery Barn like the plague (just can't justify paying those prices), but Nick has been begging me for a Star Wars backpack and lunch box for when he starts kindergarten.   After all my googling, the best ones I found were at PB.  The prices really weren't too bad (about the same as what I would be paying at LL BEAN where I would normally buy this type of item), I was able to get it personalized, AND I got free shipping.   If you're looking for a cute backpack, PB actually has tons of cute ones and a lot of them are on sale!  Plus free shipping!

Number 5: THIS
Because I mean, SERIOUSLY!

Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?   I'm happy to say (ummm I mean I'm soooo sad) that tonight was our last Tball game! Woo hoo!  We're free till soccer season starts (did I mention I'm coaching?!)!  The hubs and I have a date night planned for Saturday (I'm thinking dinner and the Drive-In) and Sunday is Nick's Pre-K graduation and BBQ.  We also might hit the carnival that's in town if we have time.

Whatever you're doing, I hope you have a great time!  See y'all next week!

Favorite Color Swap- Show Off time!!

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Have you noticed I'm a little obsessed with blogger swaps??  I can't help it!  It's just so much fun! You get to know another blogger AND get a box of cool things in the mail.  And for this swap, you got a box of cool things in your favorite color!

Thank you to Chaotic Goddess Swaps for setting up this awesome swap.  I was paired with Beverly who blogs at Booklady's Booknotes.   Beverly is a wife, mother, librarian, and fellow lover of Chai Latte!!  Her favorite color is pink so if you would like to see the box of pink that I sent her, be sure to head over to her blog.  But for now, look at the amazing purple things she sent me...

Check out this haul.... purple love!

Yes, I am drinking some of this Chai latte as I write this!

Pretty paper, bookmark & pens!

These 2 items are my absolute FAVORITE.  Beverly remembered that I love handmade items and she MADE me this infinity scarf and painted mug! Thank you so much Beverly!!  

Beverly is a busy lady and I think it is just amazing that she took time out of her day to make these for me!!!  Thank you for the wonderful box of purple Beverly, and for brightening my day!

Tasty Tuesday...Taco stuffed peppers

Happy Tasty Tuesday!  Today I wanted to share with y'all one of my new favorite recipes...Taco inspired stuffed peppers!  Coming up with meals we all can enjoy has been a bit challenging lately.  My husband is currently on a no-carb, no-sugar diet (or at least very low carb & sugar) and the kids and I love our bread and pasta!  I had a craving for stuffed peppers so I went to work creating a recipe we all could eat.   Here's what I came up with.

Taco Inspired Stuffed Peppers

4 Large bell peppers (I used yellow and orange but use whatever you like or have on hand)
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning
1 can (12.5 oz) diced tomatoes - I used fire roasted
1 small jar of salsa
Package of taco cheese or sharp cheddar

Cut the tops off your peppers and scoop out the insides.
 Place your peppers in a microwave safe dish, cover and cook for about 3 minutes.
While your peppers are in the microwave, brown your ground beef.  Drain any excess fat.  Return to heat.
Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and a 1/4 to 1/2 jar of the salsa.   Mix together and let simmer for about 5 minutes
Fill your peppers with the meat mixture, to the top of the pepper or just below.
Sprinkle cheese on top of the meat (I was generous with my sprinkle)
Put a scoop of salsa on top of the cheese
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes

As you can see, these don't contain rice (since hubby can't have rice).  I just made a package of Spanish rice and had it on the side.
This recipe is quick, easy, and very versatile.  Add corn, black beans, whatever you like!
FYI, the recipe as written makes a very saucey inside.  So if you prefer a drier stuffed pepper, I would reduce the amount of salsa used and maybe drain your diced tomatoes.
I hope you enjoy!

Friday favorite time!

Woo hoo! It's Friday favorite time! This has been a whirlwind of a week!   It started off at Disney and ended back at work!  I am so ready for the weekend!  So, without further ado, here are my favorites of the week...

Number 1: This super awesome Father's day gift!
****Honey, if for some strange reason you are actually reading my blog, please skip to #2****
My husband loves him some Breaking Bad.  He also loves cutting boards.  So when I saw this on Etsy, I knew I had to get it!  It shipped super quick (all the way from Ukraine!) and I couldnt be happier with the quality.   I know he is going to love this.

Number 2:  Irises in bloom
My Irises have bloomed!  These are one of my absolute favorite flowers and I get so happy every year when I see them.

Number 3:  Fun bracelets
I got these super cute bracelets at Disney and I have been wearing them every day since we've been home.  I love the messages on them!

Number 4:  The inspired readers book club
I have always wanted to join a bookclub, but never thought I had the time or could make the commitment.  Well, when I read on Shelly's blog that she and her friends were starting a Facebook book club, I almost jumped for joy!   Our first book is Make It Happen by Lara Casey.  I can't wait to start reading and discussing!

Number 5:  This photo
Here is my poor Alec at Disney in full on stomach bug mode.  He was such a little trooper.  And, he sure can rock a Mickey shirt even when he is sick!

So what's on tap for the weekend ladies?  We've got Tball and some outside projects to do.  Oh, and I have about 20 loads of laundry to fold and put away (ugh).  I'm also hoping to sneak away for a little bit to see my friend's adorable baby boy!

Linking up with the amazing Andrea at Momfessionals

Light up the Night GIVEAWAY!!

Could you use $500 in paypal cash this summer??  Well, I have teamed up with some of my fellow blogger friends to give away just that!  In fact,  we are giving away 2 $500 prizes!  How awesome is that?!  Just enter below!  Good luck friends!

Here are the details:
This giveaway is open WW the (2) winner must be 18 years or older to win. The giveaway will end on July 4th and the winner will be chosen by random.org no later than July 10th. The winner will be notified via email and will need to respond to that email within 24 hours to claim their prize. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our not so magical Disney vacation

Did you ever have one of those vacations?   You know, the kind that is sooo relaxing and rejuvenating that you come back feeling completely refreshed? Well, our vacation to Disney was pretty much the complete opposite!

Imagine 90 degree heat, high humidity, and 2 miserable kids with the stomach bug.  Imagine being thrown up on in public.  Twice.  Imagine eating a delicious Mickey waffle when all of a sudden, your entire left side is covered in your 2 year old's half-digested breakfast.   And then having everyone in the restaurant watch as you scurry yourself and said 2 year old out the door with God knows what dripping down your leg.   Oh, and lest I forget when the desk manager and 2 security guards knocked on our door because someone had reported crying and banging coming from our room and "thought" there were kids left in the room unattended.  Um, no.  My son had a 103 fever, was throwing up and CRYING because he was sick.  Not because my kids were left alone in the room!!!!  Let me just tell you, I was mortified!   Then I was just mad!
So yeah, that was the first half of our vacation.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't go online and see how much it would cost to fly home early.  Because I DID.  But then a miraculous thing happened... we woke up Saturday morning and everyone was healthy and in a good mood!  We got to enjoy Star Wars weekend (including an amazing Star Wars character breakfast at the Sci-First Dine In Theater complete with Darth Vader shaped waffles and Yoda shaped kiwi), the Star Wars parade, Downtown Disney, and several trips to the pool.   We saw the parade at Magic Kingdom and the fireworks at Epcot.  We got soaked on the Kali River Rapids and Splash Mountain.  We had some amazing Ghirardelli ice cream and did lots of shopping.  We looked out in awe from our room balcony as giraffes and zebras roamed freely around the "savanna."  So even though the first half of our trip was pretty miserable,  the second half was pretty magical.  :)

Will we be headed back to Disney any time soon?   Maybe in a few years when the kids are older.  And defintely not in the summer (this Northern girl can't take the Florida heat)!  We already decided that the next time we go we will rent a condo or house off Disney property and get a car (one room with the 4 of us for a week was not ideal-neither was having no easy transportation to go to the pharmacy and get medicine for the kids).

So there you have it.  Probably not the vacation update you were expecting.   But I'm just keeping it real, folks!  The good, the bad, and the ugly!

And now, of course I am going to make you look at some of my vacation photos (just a few...I promise)!

Lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Building a double bladed light sabre

The stomach bug won't keep him down!

Hot and tired of taking pictures

Ready for the pool

View from our room...giraffes!

OMG this face!