Catching up...

It's been several weeks since I updated my blog. Here are some pictures to see what I've been up too!

Wreath Girl Night Christmas Party

Thanksgiving in Ashville North Carolina

Sunday Brunch at Glazy Dazy Painting Pottery

Our befores-I will show you the finished product soon!

The boys enjoying the Fall weather

Girls Nights at Sip's N" Stroke

Tara & John's Wedding in St. Augustine

That is all for now folks....

50 Free Holiday Cards

I bet you are just excited as I am about my post!! Shutterfly is one of my favorite websites to order prints and also photo albums from. I am actually in the process of making a photo albums from our trip to Connecticut this summer. I love scrap booking, but unfortunately I do not have enough time to keep up with all the photos I take, so this is the easiest way to put together my photo albums. Also, one of my favorite things to do is to order our Christmas cards each year. Shuterfly has a great selection and its easy too!

Well it just so happens that all you bloggers out there are in luck this holiday season. This year Shutterfly is offering all bloggers a chance to receive 50 free holiday cards if you submit your blog here. Now go do it! It's really easy, PROMISE!

...and since I'm telling you all about this lovely website, I mine as well show you a few of my favorite things...

Love this one if you have little ones

Great photo collage

i love the plaid and the brown in this card

Here are a couple of my favorites from Shutterfly:

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books

I have made serveral photo books in the past and I just love all of them.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags

These are so cute! Great for all the little gifts you give out each year!

http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art

Several months ago, I ordered a canvas wall art from our wedding for our

living room and it turned out great!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Cupcakes Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, softened

For frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract2
1/4 tablespoon of cinnamon

Pumpkin Cupcakes Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda) with a fork.
4. In another bowl, beat together the liquid ingredients (pumpkin puree, whole milk, eggs, and butter) using a whisker.
5. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well with a fork. Batter will be thick and a little spongy.
6. Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each cup almost to top.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
9. Five minutes before the cupcakes are done cooling, prepare the frosting: beat the cream cheese until softened, using an electric mixer on medium. Slowly add the sugar and vanilla extract, then the cinnamon, and beat for a couple more minutes, until creamy.

Then decorate, if you wish. I decorated them with candy corn and orange & black sprinkles!! Hope you enjoy, they are delicious!!

goodbye bradenton...hello atlanta

I have only been away from atl for three days, but I already miss Georgia. It is always nice to be able to come back to where you grew up and enjoy all the things things you love about home. But, even though I have enjoyed celebrating the life of my mommo, spending quality time with my mom & grandma, having a beer and catching up with my brother and of course having a chili cheese dog with my dad at the pool hall, my mind is still thinking about "my home". The more time I spend away from Bradenton, I realize how much I love living in Georgia. I am proud of the adventure that RMB and I took three years ago, not knowing where we would end up. We went out on a limb to a place we had only passed through on plane layovers. We had faith of no matter what happened we were going to enjoy, learn and grow from all of our experiences together. I am lucky to say after three years of living in the city, I have to grown to love almost everything about it.. except traffic. Haha I have enjoyed the time we have grown as a couple being able to do things own our own and we have done it without any ones help. That alone is an accomplishment for both of us! About a year ago, we thought we would move back to Tampa to be closer to friends and family, but we decided not take the offer from company. I now look back and think it was the best decision. From then on, I made a decision, to embrace Atlanta and enjoy everything the city had to offer. Since then I have been happier than I have been since we moved to Georgia. We living in an amazing town home, which we love! We have two wonderful furry children, Bogey and Brusier who bring so much happiness to our life. Not only that, but we have amazing friends, that I am thankful everyday for the relationships we have all built. If, it wasn't for my "sack" girls, I think I would have left Townemanor along time ago, but there is nothing better to pull in the driveway with someone to greet you with a big glass of wine and hug to see how your day went.
So, as I say good bye to my family and friends to head back , I cherish the memories I have had here, but look forwards to many more memories back at "my home"in the atl.

home sweet bradenton

happy fall ya'll

Things I am loving right now...

halloween candy

crisp fall air

yummy chili that warms your heart

warm boots

bath & body work sweet cinnamon pumpkin candle

leaves changing color and falling

starbucks pumpkin spice latte

gator football games

snugglie scarf es aka snarfs

fall and halloween decor

sweaters & jeans

shepard's pie recipe

One of my favorite recipes Mommo use to make my brother and I was Shepard's Pie. When we would spend the night with my grandparents and it was always Mommo's speciality. Sometimes she would use chicken or ground beef or sometimes she would clean out the fridge and make a mixed pie. That was always very interesting. I can remember sitting at the dinner table and Poppy saying "make sure you eat allot it puts hair on your chest". Even though we really didn't know what that meant Lance I would always laugh hysterically.

Tonight, I made her special recipe and it was just like Mommo use to make it.

I wanted to share her recipe and I hope you enjoy it!!

Mommo's Shepard's Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 clove garlic

1 bag of mixed vegetables-carrot, peas, corn

2 cups of mashed potatoes

1/2 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper for taste

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Follow directions for boxed mashed potatoes for 2 cup serving

2. Saute onions until tender over medium heat (10 mins) If you are adding veggies, ass them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

3. Add ground beef and saute until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worchestire sauce. Add half cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.

4. Place beef and onions in baking dish. distribute mashed potatoes on top. rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely.You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.

5. Cook in 400 degrees oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

ENJOY!!!

in loving memory of my mommo

This past Saturday morning, October 3rd my grandmother Mommo passed away at the age of 94. She was a true southern bell with charm and spirit. She was always dressed head to toe in her Sunday best, always smiling, laughing and every time you saw her she had a funny joke or quote to make your day. She would always tell her stories of how she grew up on a farm in Statesboro, Georgia with seven siblings. Several years ago, she even wrote a book about her life and all of her famous stories & life adventures. I will always treasure her book and be reminded of the amazing life she had. I am comforted by knowing she is in heaven with her family, my sweet poppy and her beloved shit-zu Spike. She was an amazing woman and someone I will always look up too. She always said "Attitude is Gratitude"- if you have a positive attitude and grateful for all of the things in your life you will always be happy. I love you Mommo and I will truly miss you each and everyday.

happy 30th birthday bret!

SURPRISE!!!
fish cake
the birthday boylove these girls

my spanish love

taylor & bretThis week was my brother-in-law, Bret's 30th birthday. His birthday was actually on Thursday, we had him over for a surf n' turf dinner, cake, and gifts. He thought this was it for celebrating his birthday, but what he didn't know was we had two more surprises for him. On Friday, his mom and dad flew in from Ft. Lauder dale, to surprise him once again. We set it up with his girlfriend, Taylor to meet at Coldstone for some ice cream. We had mom and dad go into Coldstone and just act like they are standing in line behind him, when Bret was ordering his ice cream, he notice out of the corner of his eye, what looked liked his parents. Much to his surprise it was!! He was so surprised to see them!!! But there was still one last surprise...We got all of our closets friends together surprise him for a dinner party at Pappasitio's. Did he really think we were only going to have to have two surprise...nope third surprise was a charm. We had a great time at dinner celebrating Bret's birthday with lots of Mexican food and margarita's. Here are some of the pictures from the night.

and i'm back....again!

It has almost been a year since my last post. I was doing such a great job updating my blog at least once a week.Then the holidays came and it all went down from there. It seems every year, I take a little hyades from blogging. So, I'm back and my goal is to at least write once a week, how hard could that be.Many of my friends have blogs and recently my husband even started his own. I love reading everyone else's blog, so I thought it is defiantly time for me to come back and start blogging again. Wish me luck and I guess we will see how I do.