Category: Friends, Meetups, & Linkups

Minions Movie Fun! #peepsholiday

PEEPS® and PEEPS & COMPANY® provided me with information, samples, & a discount code in exchange for this post.

Who doesn’t love a Minion?  I do…they are so cute and remind me of a Twinkie.  All they want is to be wanted.  Our family loved the Despicable Me movies and we were so excited to FINALLY get the chance to watch the Minions movie!

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We had Alek, Connor’s BFF over the other day and I popped some popcorn and broke out all things Minions for the boys to enjoy the movie 🙂

The Minions movie was just released on December 8th and it would be a great gift or stocking stuffer if you have kiddos in your family.  Special thank you to PEEPS® – we got to watch the movie in style.

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Are these not the cutest EVER???

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PEEPS® thank you for making this little boy’s day!  He has everything he needs to enjoy a POPPIN & PEEPIN PARTY!
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Want a chance to win everything shown here?  Just comment and I’ll choose a winner on Monday, December 21st!

INCLUDING:

  • PEEPS® Large Banana Crème Flavored Minion: PEEPS® introduces a new banana crème flavored marshmallow in honor of the beloved Minions characters. Three varieties of the individually packed large Minions include the likeness of Kevin, Stuart and Bob – stars of the Minions movie available on DVD this holiday season.
  • PEEPS® Marshmallow Minions: To honor the PEEPS® Minions taste testers, for the first time ever PEEPS® has created a Minion-shaped marshmallow reflecting their fun PEEPSONALITY®. Fans can also enjoy limited edition comics on the back of the packaging made exclusively for PEEPS® by Universal Studios filmmakers.
  • MIKE AND IKE® Minions Mix: In honor of the success of the Despicable Me movie franchise and holiday DVD release, MIKE AND IKE® has debuted a limited time only offering of MIKE AND IKE® MINION MIX.  This fun variety comes with three different designs on pack – making them a collectable item for every Minion lover. Made with real fruit juice, fans will enjoy the sweet and tasty goodness of Blue Raspberry and Banana flavors.
  • PEEPS® Pillow: Add a dash of incredibly comfy color to your movie night with this PEEPS® Chick pillow, featuring vivid blocks designed with your favorite Marshmallow Chick as the star of the show.
  • PEEPS® Blanket: You’ll love cuddling up with your family with this super-soft Peeps® Bunny Fleece Throw Blanket.
  • PEEPS® Tumbler: Bring a PEEPS® clear, single wall, spring tumbler that suits your PEEPSONALITY® and can hold a drink to wash down all that popcorn.

Follow PEEPS & COMPANY® on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for more fun!

You can also use this discount coad for 20% off your next purchase, no minimum required, from now through Thursday, December 31.

Discount code: SWEETINGS15

MERRY MINION CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

 

Bring on the Bubbly! #SparklingHolidays

This post is sponsored by Acorn & Dasani, all opinions are my own.

Hip Hip Hooray!!!  Y’all we are SEVEN days until Christmas!  Let the festivities begin sistas!  I have been to a couple ugly Christmas sweater parties this year, and I have to say those are my favorite.  What’s better than getting together with friends and dressing up acting a fool?  Ha ha!

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I love to have parties and entertain.  Baking and making fun beverages is at the top of my list.  This year I made a few fabulous drinks with DASANI Sparkling Water & I’m sooooo excited to share this deliciousness with you!

The first drink is a white wine spritzer.

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Who doesn’t love a little bubbly wine?  Just choose a bottle of your favorite white wine and add in DASANI sparkling water.  It comes in several different flavors available at Walmart.  I chose the lime and berry flavors for my drinks.

I filled party glasses with 1/2 white wine & topped off with DASANI sparkling water in Berry and Lime flavors.

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Top it with a yummy candy cane and you are all set!

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Aren’t they so cute and festive!  The candy canes turn the drinks red and green 🙂BBP_2631 BBP_2635

Okay…now for you serious folks I have a little something else for you.

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I added a little kick to some of the drinks with some cranberry and lemon vodka.  I added the cranberry in with the DASANI Berry sparkling water & the lemon with the DASANI Lime sparkling water.  These turned out delicious!

Top with a candy cane and you have TWO yummy drinks for the holiday season.

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Gulp.

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These were so easy to make and DASANI sparkling water is the perfect mixer because it has ZERO calories, no added colors, is caffeine-free and naturally flavored.

DASANI sparkling water comes in Lime, Berry, Lemon, & Black Cherry flavors.

CHECK OUT THE PINTEREST BOARD BELOW FOR SOME HOLIDAY DRINK INSPIRATION!

You must be 21 to consume alcoholic beverages. When doing so, please drink responsibly. No drinking and driving, and no drinking and texting!

Thanksgiving 2015

I know…I know…

I’m behind on catching up again.  Here we are almost to Christmas, but I didn’t want to forget to recap our Thanksgiving either.  I’ve been busy with work and photo shoots.  I’ll do a post soon with some of my favorite shots this fall.

We spent Thanksgiving with Terence’s family this year at his brother Paul’s house & ate ourselves silly!  I put some fun Christmas lights on our balcony and decorated our tree!  Early Thanksgiving morning we went to the park and took some family photos with our new friends that just moved here from New York, they have a son the same age as Connor and they just LOVE each other.  It’s Star Wars all day every day in their minds 🙂

These aren’t our Christmas card photos, a few outtakes.  Since we moved I’ve been trying to update everyone with our new address.  If you would like a card from us please email me at beckylbranch@gmail.com and I’ll send it to you!

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Terence and I got new cell phones right before black Friday.  Yay!  Ours were a few years old and I’m excited to have an updated phone with a better camera.

Connor and I ventured out for a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping.  We went to World Market.  The store we visited is moving so everything on the floor was on sale.  I got a $150 beautiful bar stool for $25 bucks!  I talked to the store manager and he let me have it for a steal 🙂

Did y’all find anything fabulous for Black Friday?

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I also went to a cookie decorating class my friend Bree was hosting.  It was so much fun!  I’ve always been intimidated by using fondant….but we had a great time just talking and decorating cookies.  I definitely want to try this again soon!

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I hope you all are enjoying this season.  It’s definitely my favorite and I get sooooo excited this time of year!  I can’t wait to go home and visit my friends and family in Arkansas.  I’m counting down the days!  My DVR is full of Hallmark Christmas movies….I know they are so cheesy, but I still can’t help but indulge in the cheesy romance of each story.  Ha ha!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Friday Favorites: A Link Up -School Lunch/Snack Ideas

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Yay!  It’s Friday…It’s Friday!!!  HOLLA!  I hope you join in on our weekly link-up.

This week I’ve just wanted to be like this…

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But unfortunately it’s been anything BUT.  Our lease is up on our apartment.  We still haven’t found a house.  They are all so expensive…like what do these people DO for a living???  They must all be trust fund babies or they live in mansions empty of furniture and only a futon. I don’t want a 5000 square foot house!  I want half the house for half the cash darn it! AND…I didn’t win Powerball yesterday. I was counting on that $191 million dollar cash payout this week.

Seriously.

I volunteered to help teach Connor’s art class today wish me luck with that.  All I know is that it involves paint.  Gulp.  (Note to self don’t wear anything of value)

SOOOOOOOOO….moving on.  This week’s link up topic is school treats and/or lunch ideas.  I need help with this so bad it’s not even funny.  Connor’s lunch revolves around peanut butter and jelly and turkey and cheese sandwiches.  That’s it.  That’s all I got.

I did this fun Halloween treat a few years ago and you can find the info and free printable HERE.

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I love doing crafty things and I’m going to try to find something to do this year for Connor’s class too.  It’s the whole lunch situation I struggle with.  After a couple of weeks of school Connor came home and said “Mom…did you know there is another way to eat lunch…it’s called TRAYS”.  I laughed so hard at that!

I asked if he wanted to try a tray and he said no because the food wasn’t what he liked.  I don’t mind packing his lunch, I actually like it.  The question is what to put in it?

This snack looks awesome, I may try this sometime it looks easy.  Recipe found HERE.

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If you have awesome lunch ideas…help a sista out.

Link up below:



Coming soon:
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Friday Favorites Link Up: Fall TV Shows

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If you’ve ready this blog for any extended period of time you know my love of The Goldberg’s and the crazy Mom Beverly and all her antics.  It’s the funniest sitcom on TV as far as I’m concerned.  It’s set in the 80’s (my favorite era) and everything about it makes me happy!  The hair, the scrunchies, leg warmers, and crazy sweaters oh my!

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Terence and I watched The Blindspot on Monday night and I really liked it!  I love a good mystery and this is going to be one of them…I can tell by the first episode.  We also watched Limitless this week, The Blacklist is a favorite, and Scandal.  On Fridays we like to watch Shark Tank too 🙂

What are your favorite TV shows this fall?  Link up below:


Related articles

What’s in a Home?

I can’t believe it’s already a few months until Christmas.  It seems like every year goes by faster and faster.  Connor is really enjoying Kindergarten and it’s fun to watch him learn and thrive every day.

It’s taken me some getting used to our new schedule.  For so long I worked full time and now that I’m not it’s hard to adjust.  I know what you’re thinking….“REALLY Becky…you are complaining about having MORE time???”  It’s just a new routine and I’m used to having something to do constantly and it’s in my nature I guess.  I LOVE MY JOB.  Thank you Jesus.  Terence and I were both sick with what Connor had a couple weeks ago and everyone was so great about it.  We’ve never really been a sickly family, but since Connor started school it’s like WHAM….bring it!  We had a scare with Terence’s x-ray that came back needing further inspection.  The next day Terence had a CT scan to rule out cancer in his lymph nodes.  After a worrisome 48 hours we were relieved to find out it wasn’t cancer and it was a calcified something-or-other…..but nothing to be concerned with right now.

I am enjoying being able to pick Connor up from school and drop him off.  Help with homework and hopefully go on field trips this fall. I’ve got to step up my game on cooking.  I am not gifted in the kitchen.  UGH.  It’s like torture for me to cook a decent meal.  Meal planning is so hard because I don’t eat a lot of meat, but the boys both like different things.  It’s just three people so why should it be so hard to cook something???  It is though and it stresses me out.  Is that normal?

Connor lost a second tooth at school today.  He looks so cute with his little snaggle toothed mouth 🙂

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We are still house hunting.  It’s been one of the most grueling processes.  I am beginning to wonder if we should have sold our house to begin with….sigh.  I’m ready for some space and a yard again.  I just want some place we can roam, put up a Christmas tree, and get to know our neighbors.  It’s hard in an apartment with kid who wants to bounce and run everywhere.  (And leave tiny itty bitty Legos laying on the floor)  I know God has the perfect place out there for us….I’m hoping we find it soon!  Prayers would be greatly appreciated as we continue this process and we have to put a notice in on our lease soon.

A few weeks ago my best friend Ellen came to visit and the Sheraton hotel in Fort Worth hosted us for the weekend.  It was SO much fun!  We had a great visit and some fun retail therapy!

Sprinkles cupcakes 🙂

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The rooms were so nice.  The Sheraton in Fort Worth recently remodeled and everything was exceptional.  Down to the Starbucks in the lobby 🙂BBP_6852 BBP_6856 BBP_6858 BBP_6860 BBP_6863 BBP_6865

I mean if we can’t find a house right now I can at least stay in an awesome hotel right?

And it was pretty awesome.

Friday Favorites Linkup: Where are you From?

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One of the great things about blogging is meeting people outside of your community.  People from all over the world.  I really enjoy hearing about all of your home towns and where you are from!  One of the fabulous people who I’ve met through blogging is KIM!  She’s also my hostess with the mostess for this link-up.  Join in won’t ya?

So, here’s ME:

I’m currently living in DFW Texas.  I consider myself “from” Arkansas.  We moved to AR when I was in the 3rd grade and I lived there until my husband finished college.  I love Texas, but I miss Arkansas so many days too.  I miss my family and friends every single day.  It’s fun to venture out some place new, but there is nothing like family.

My Arkansas family:

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Friday Flashback:

Terence and I at the Fort Worth Water Gardens.  This is also the place he proposed to me later on.  We were probably around 18-19 years old and this was my first trip to visit his hometown 🙂  Little did I know we would end up here years down the road and settling down.

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So, where are you from and what’s something you love about your hometown?

Link up below:

Another random thing…have any of you tried Rocksbox yet?  I tried it because why not…the first box is FREE!  I loved what I got in it.  You basically go online and fill out a profile on what kind of jewelry you like and they send you 3 pieces that fit your style.  I loved my first box.  I got a necklace, earrings, and beautiful cuff bracelet.  You can return them at any time too!

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Get your first box FREE using code: BECKYBFF113

Next week’s topic:

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