Category: Family

Cccccchhaanges.

Here we are in 2015 with a big bang.  I’ve been slacking on the bloggity blog…but mostly because I’ve had a lot going on.

First off…I put my 2 weeks notice in at my current job (which I love) and have been with almost 8 years now.  It’s such a bittersweet feeling.  I’ve been with this company since before Connor was born, and after he was born, & now he’s going to start KINDERGARTEN in the fall!  Someone hold me.  I was offered a great position from some wonderful people who will allow be to work part-time and also work from home a bit.  I’m so excited!  I’ve never done anything but work 8-5 and now I feel like a weight has been lifted.

Terence and I have talked in the past about me working part-time so I could be present more.  We both didn’t expect an opportunity would come this soon.  So, all of that said I’m excited for this new adventure & the free time it will give me to do things that would normally stress me out.

IE: meal planning, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, & just the every day normal STUFF that piles up in life.  We are hoping to move a bit closer to T’s job so he won’t be on the road so much.  The goal is to have more family time & less stress.

I praise God he brought this opportunity my way & I know HE has perfect timing for everything!

Super excited to spend more time with this guy:

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BRING IT!

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Family & Fun @BrancottEstate #IC #FlightSongResolutions

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Brancott Estate Flight Song. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating #MC .”
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Over the holidays it’s always fun to get together and catch up with family and friends.  Actually, I can’t believe we are already half way through the month of JANUARY!  Seriously?

A few weeks ago we had a wonderful visit with Terence’s extended family.  We all wined and dined and enjoyed catching up on our daily lives.  We brought desserts and wine to enjoy with everyone & ring in the New Year.

We took a couple of bottles of Brancott Estate Wine and it was SOOOOOO good.  Y’all know I love my wine!  Ha ha!  The  Estate was the first to plant and create the world’s first Marlborough Sauvignon.  Blanc wine—a style that has since changed the course of our country’s wine industry.D7K_8093

The thing I absolutely LOVE about this wine it is 20% lower in calories, but with all the quality and taste, Brancott Estate Flight Song, it tastes great and you can enjoy it with a little less guilt as you start your New Year’s resolutions.  Lord knows I’m always trying to cut calories…it makes it soooo much easier when you find something you enjoy that tastes good too.D7K_8094
Brancott Estate Flight Song wine has 20% fewer calories then similar selections of
Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.  I have to tell you one of my favorite selections of wine is a Pinot Grigio…and this one did not disappoint.  My wine wasn’t missing a single note of flavor.

With Flight Song, you can still indulge in a glass of wine or two without all the guilt.  After we ate all those desserts, I guess I can feel a little less guilty right?

Whether you are enjoying time with family or a night out with the girls, Brancott Estate Flight Song wine is going to be a hit.  Pair it with your favorite pasta or dessert…because remember it’s okay to indulge sometimes 🙂

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We had a great time & I’m looking forward to all 2015  has to bring!

Stay in touch with Brancott Estate on Facebook & Twitter.

MetLife TRICARE Dental #MetLifeTDP

I participated in an Ambassador program on behalf of Influence Central for the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

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(Terence on the day he enrolled in the Air Force)

December is the National Guard’s birthday. If you are a member of the National Guard I want to say THANK YOU!!!  I’ve talked about our military experience before and also the benefits of the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program.  It provides low-cost monthly premiums and offers a cost share for a variety of dental procedures. Let’s face it…dental care isn’t cheap.  My co-worker chipped her tooth last week on a sucker and now she’s got to go to the Dentist…I know she isn’t excited about that!

One way you can take the pressure off of going to the Dentist is by enrolling in the MetLife TRICARE Dental Program.  They are dedicated to educating members about dental health and important dental care practices. The TRICARE Dental Program is ideal for military families because it is a convenient and cost-effective way for families to have continuous dental coverage despite changes in life events, geographical locations, or military status.

I miss the benefits of Tricare now that I don’t have them anymore.  I stay in touch with a lot of our military friends now, thanks to Facebook and social media.  Seriously, if you have the option to enroll in MetLife TRICARE Dental then DO IT!

You never know what you have until you don’t have it anymore & this is a great program to take advantage of NOW.  The end of the year is a great time to review your dental benefits & get ready for the coming year.

The TRICARE Dental Program is part of the TRICARE Health Plan for military families. However, you must enroll separately in the TRICARE Dental Program to obtain dental coverage for your family.

For more information check out MetLife TDP Facebook page, Twitter, and Fact Sheet.

Sign up for the TRICARE Dental Plan Newsletter, Dental HealthMatters, shares information about TRICARE Dental benefits, updates and announcements, tips to keep teeth healthy, and more helpful information for enrollees.

Christmas Recap 2014 & Changes in the Year to Come!

We had a great Christmas.  Connor and I left to visit Arkansas the week before Christmas.  We had a great time visiting Bonnie, Vinny, and Jarrett.  We stayed with them the first night we got into town.  Let’s not mention how I drove into the wrong driveway and woke up their next door neighbor at 1 a.m.!  So embarrassing!

I visited with lots of old friends and co-workers.  It’s always nice to catch up with people and see how much has changed.  We headed to the farm on Saturday and celebrated Christmas, ate, slept, ate, slept some more….

Sunday we went to church and then packed up the ginormous amount of toy pieces strew all over Nannie’s house & headed back to Conway.  There is NO PLACE on Earth like the farm and I’m so thankful we have a place like that to retreat to.  Mom and I had a day out together of lunching and shopping.  I always love having special days like that with my Mom.  We headed home begrudgingly on Tuesday.  After a long drive we were back in Texas.

We had an amazing Christmas and I feel so SO very blessed that I have a loving family and more than I ever needed or wished for in this lifetime.

On Christmas day we spent time with Terence’s family and had some yummy food and togetherness.  We’ve had great weather this year, but I hear it may snow this week!  (Always a good excuse for building a fire and making soup right?)

This next year we are hoping to make the big move to Plano/Frisco to be closer to Terence’s job.  We have to sell our house, it’s bittersweet because it’s the home we bought when I was pregnant with Connor.  Having family time and being closer together is something we’ve been striving to do for a long time.  I’d like to get settled before Connor starts Kindergarten next fall.  I ask for your prayers as we figure out what to do and transition during this time.  I know everything will work out and God is ALWAYS in control!

Well, I know this is going to photo overload, but here is a glimpse of our Christmas 2014:

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After Christmas Depression…

Okay I’m going into my after Christmas depression today.  Enjoying one of the last eggnog lattes I’ll have until next season.  (Don’t you DARE think of taking it away #Starbucks !)
I don’t know what it is…but it’s the build up of Christmas more so than the actual day itself.  After I get home from Arkansas I instantly miss my family again, but when I’m away I miss my Texas family too.  It’s hard.
I know this next year there will be lots of changes for the good.  Connor will be starting Kindergarten & hopefully we’ll get a few fun trips in along the way.
I’m hoping on building my photography business a little bit more and I’ve been eyeing THIS beauty for the last few months.  Hoping if I work hard enough I can make it happen.  Does anyone have the Nikon D750 yet and what do you think of it?  I know it’s a fairly new camera body.
I had a great Christmas yesterday and a great pre-Christmas in Arkansas.  I’ll recap on that later…meanwhile you can follow me on Instagram for all the latest and greatest!
(Being on Instagram I feel like a lot of the blogs I used to follow and love ONLY use Instagram now….what happened to the art of writing???  My goal is to keep this blog going.)  Just a thought!
I’ll recap our entire Christmas in a few days…here’s one of my favorite pics of me and my twin sister Bonnie 🙂  Miss you like crazy boo!

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Holiday Traditions & Hospitality

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Charmin. I received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I can’t believe we only have 10 days until Christmas!  This year sure has flown by.  In the midst of all the hustle and bustle comes shopping, eating, and lots of family.  We always have a house full of relatives and everyone is going in different directions.  Kids running around while the men watch football and the gals are in the kitchen slaving away.

The LAST thing you want happening to ruin your holiday is this…

A CLOGGED TOILET.

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Thanks to Charmin we don’t have that problem.  Charmin has Roto-Rooter’s stamp of approval to be clog-free and septic-safe, but it is also used by plumbers more than any other brand.

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We’ve used Charmin in our home for years, it’s super soft and we prefer it to other toilet paper.  I always try to make sure our guest bathroom is stocked full of toilet paper because the worst thing for guests is running out of toilet paper!  Can you say AWKWARD???

Make sure your bathroom is inviting.  It’s okay to add a little Christmas to the bathroom too.  It’s one of those rooms that gets neglected during the holiday season, yet it’s one room that’s used the most.

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For more than 70 years, Charmin has been trusted in millions of Americans’ homes!  If that doesn’t tell you people love Charmin, then I don’t know what will.  You have to try it for yourself.  I compare it to sleeping on 100 thread count sheets or 1000 thread count sheets….which one is softer?  Obviously the one with the most thread count and that’s the bed people want to USE!  Same goes for toilet paper.

With Charmin Ultra Soft and Ultra Strong you can use up to 4X less toilet tissue.  You use less because you don’t need a whole lot to do the job.  It lasts longer and saves me money.

So…after we are done with our Charmin we like to use the cardboard roll on one of our favorite holiday traditions.  Every year we build a gingerbread house.  It’s not always the most beautiful sight, but the point is we are having FUN!

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We take a left over cardboard roll from the toilet paper and roll it in icing.  The cardboard color matches the gingerbread house perfectly so you can’t even tell!  Then we roll on some sprinkles and we have our chimney 🙂D7K_7982 D7K_7983 D7K_7985

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas season and make sure your stocked up and ready to go with Charmin!  Buy less & save MORE!

Follow along on Facebook & Twitter  #TweetFromTheSeat

Fa La La La La!!!

Connor and I met up with Uncle Garry & Aunt Loyce last night to visit the annual Christkindl Market in Arlington.  It’s always so much fun and all the German food and goodies are so good!

Here are some pictures of our visit to Christkindl.  If you live in the DFW area I would highly recommend a visit & it’s free to get in 🙂

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We are almost done with our Christmas shopping.  Connor and I are headed home to Arkansas and I’m so excited to see my family.

Still shopping for your little ones here is a cute idea:

If you have a little girl in your family check out Charmazing custom charm bracelet sets.  This is Connor’s friend who lives next door and we gave it to her to play with and look how much fun she’s having!  So cute!  I would have loved this when I was young.

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Featured on this year’s Toys“R”Us Hot Holiday Toy List and available exclusively at Toys“R”Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com as well as NYC’s FAO Schwarz, Charmazing – offers young designers the chance to create a host of unique charm bracelets to wear and share! Charmazing provides tweens with more than 100 different charms in 11 different themed collections categorized in two worlds, Karma (positive energy) and Nature (powerful energy). And via an inventive new app, girls can scan their Charmazing charms into a virtual Charmazing world, where they can connect with other fashionistas and trade charms with friends!