Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice!

Happy Fall Bloggies and Bloggettes!! For all you perfectionists, I know the official first day of autumn isn't until Saturday, but I figured 5 days was close enough.  In Florida there is no "fall", it sort of skips from 90s, humid, hot summer days to 60s-70s, chilly, damp winter days(and we don't see those cooler temps til November at the earliest!).  So I just turn to everything pumpkin in the beginning of September, at least my girls will have the concept of 4 seasons since they don't get to experience the true changes like the gorgeous sight of autumn leaves!  Last year my mom sent a package of leaves for the girls, haha all you northerners hate the clutter of leaves everywhere and we'd love to get a few!  If you are still in denial that summer has ended, may I suggest a trip over to your local coffeeshop/starbucks/dunkins and get something like the salted caramel latte or pumpkin spice latte paired with an apple scone/donut/muffin.  After that go to your favorite clothing store and pick out a new scarf/jeans/jacket/boots that make you want cooler weather to show them off!  If you are still not convinced, think hot soups/chili, football games, halloween, thanksgiving, all things apple-pie, cider, etc......Okay so maybe I just have a slight fall obsession.  Whatever the case, I hope you had a fabulous summer, take the last 5 days to print off some summer memories to put in frames, go to the beach,  soak in those last hazy sunsets, have an ice cream or frozen yogurt-get pumpkin, itll make the transition that much smoother!  Anyways, we are starting fall in the best way possible here, Callie has started soccer(GO TIGERS), we've started our Sunday football/wings day tradition, we are looking forward to halloween/thanksgiving/the girls birthdays in November, and our house has an aroma/ambiance of pumpkin spice and everything nice.  My inner baker is going "hay"wire ;) with the unending recipes, but here is one that is perfect for ANYONE.  Individual baked oatmeal that is simple, clean, healthy, and you can add customize your toppings to your preference, cinnamon/raisens/apples/chocolate chips/fruit/nuts.  The best part is you bake them, and can eat them right away or freeze them so you can get those extra few minutes of beauty sleep without worrying about breakfast.  Thaw them and eat them cold or hot using your toaster oven(microwave is a last option!).  Anyways I'm going to indulge in a Keurig Apple Cider while reading and maybe a bit of pinterest(one can never have too many recipe ideas/decorating tips!)  Enjoy your day and here is the delish recipe!....http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/ 

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A Hot New Summer Read!!

Okay all you bloggies, I have a great book to recommend for your summer reading list!  I know summers almost over but this book is good enough to finish in one night!  It is called Submerged by Dani Pettrey.  The two pages of the prologue make you want to sit and read through the ending! (Unfortunately life got in the way so it took me a few days :)...The story starts with Bailey Craig reluctantly heading back to her hometown of Yancey, Alaska for her aunt's funeral. Long lost love, murder, faith and forgiveness make her trip lifechanging! The author does a great job of keeping the main characters relevent while involving second characters that help the story play out! I loved the use of Russian history, it is what made me rate this book 5 stars instead of 4! As other reviewers stated, this isn't your average Christian fiction, so don't judge this book by its category! I would definetly recommend this book to my friends so get out there and get yourself a copy!

sidenote: Bethany House Publishers was kind enough to send me a copy of this book to read, however the review is completely my own thoughts/ideas!

It was Summertime in Norther Michigan......

Hey all you bloggies and blogettes!  I know, me trying to post more often has been an epic failure...I will do better I promise! ;)   Anyways quick update on this little crazy journey also known as my life.  Both of my beautiful chicklets are healthy and growing and I am so blessed that I can stay home with them to watch them grow up...snifff.  Brett (le husband) is super busy at his job, I'm talking 10-12 hour days 5-6 days a week!!  But he applied for a transfer to a plant in one of the northern states (I'll leave that a secret for now) and we are praying/hoping/crossing our fingers like crazy that this will work out the way its meant to be!!  It would be absolutely perfect timing with Callie(4 1/2) about to start PK, and its the summer months; no moving in the horrid snow!!  We are expecting to hear within the next week if he gets this new position, although huge companies like the one he works for tends to take their sweet ole time.  Always funny how it seems the "higher-ups" in companies seem to play "Life" with their employees, they don't really care about the piece they are playing with, its all about winning!   Haha....Anyways so on top of the fact that we could be having to move within the next month, le chicklets, myself, and two of my aunts are going cross country!! Yes that is right we are piling into my car and driving from FL to the yoop of Michigan for the 4th of July for a little vacation.  4 blondes+1 brunette(me) attempting to drive through the night...26-28hours...1300ish miles..I think this will be the most epic road trip ever, may even qualify to be made into a book/movie. Tehe.. So thats the latest and greatest here in sunny FL, I will keep you posted on how this plays out!!  Enjoy the beginning of your summer!...Think BBQ's, fireworks, kayaking/boating/canoeing...aka take a 3 month hiatus from your TVs/Laptops/Devices and GET OUTSIDE!  I promise you will not be disappointed!

Much Love!

Sixty Acres and a Bride

Bonjour blog readers!  I recently read the book Sixty Acres and a Bride and I wanted to let you know what I thought and recommend a great book for you to read!  This book was a smooth read all the way through. The story shows the relationship of Weston and Rosa who both have loved and lost. They both have trust/faith issues that they must struggle with and overcome in order to see God's bigger plan. It is a story that is set in 1878 but could've been set a hundred years before or present day as the problems that they face like financial, spiritual, etc, are ones that people have had to deal with for centuries past, currently, and will in the future. It was not a "fluffy" read and had a great depth to it. A wonderful first novel by Regina Jennings!  It's a Christian novel but don't let that scare you away!  I definetly would recommend this book to anyone!

*Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for giving me the pleasure of reviewing a wonderful book! This review was my own personal thoughts/ideas.

New Year. New Loves

Happy Valentine's Day!! I cannot believe how long it has been since my last blog, almost a year. My excuse...sheer laziness, I would think about catching up but I never followed through..hopefully this year I can be more motivated! Speaking of love and all that mushiness that goes with today, well two of my greatest loves(my daughters of course) celebrated their birthdays in November, so they are now 4 and 2! With children comes this insane love that only other parents can truely understand. I mean this kind of love is so crazy it goes from one end of the spectrum, giving hugs and kisses, to the other end, bleaching out the shower after they decide to use it as their personal toilet. So today I get to spend the day vegging out and watching little chicklet flicks(think Aristocats and Lady and the Tramp) and fight with these girls over the last piece of chocolate, since they seem to love it more than I do! All I can say is this is going to be one for the books, I love my girls more than words and am truly blessed to be able to have a fun, "love"ly day with them! I hope all of ya'lls Valentine's Day is filled with delightful people, food, chocolate, wine, flowers and whatever else makes you happy and you love to do! C'est Si Bon! ♥