Category: From The Heart

Baskin Robbins Blessings + National Ice Cream Month

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Did you know last month was National Ice Cream month???

Yes Ma’am…it sure was!  I know I’m a little tardy for the party….but, I don’t need a special month to tell me to have ice cream, but because we are celebrating and all….

Baskin-Robbins celebrated National Ice Cream Month with the launch of their new Polar Pizza.  A couple weeks ago Connor and I got to go to Baskin-Robbins and create our very own Polar Pizza.  Oh my goodness it was AMAZING!

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Choices….choices….

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Look at those chocolate dipped waffle cones covered in sprinkles!DSC_3063

We got to pick our very own toppings for our Polar Pizza.  There are also Polar Pizzas ready and available in the grab-and-go freezer.DSC_3065

We chose Reeses Cups, M&M’s, sprinkles, and the flavor of the month OREO® Birthday Cake!  It was soooooooo good!

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My all time favorite Baskin-Robbins treat are the Clown Cones.  My Dad used to take my sister and I to get Clown Cones as a special treat 🙂

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Now that is a happy ice cream loving boy right there!

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I’m so honored to support a company that sends donations to support the United Service Organizations or (USO) and the introduction of a new ice cream flavor.

The donation program and new ice cream flavor are in honor of the military nonprofit’s 75th anniversary and steadfast commitment to supporting our nation’s military throughout their service. Being a former military family ourselves, this means a lot to us!

I went to Baskin Robbins the other day and I bought several people in the store their ice cream.  I told my friends I felt so HAPPY and excited to do a random act of kindness!  We were given gift cards in exchange to talk about this promotion, but really you guys, I am so blessed to work with companies like Baskin-Robbins who give back to others.  That’s exactly what I wanted to do….and the looks on all those people who were given something as simple as an ice cream cone was priceless.

We’ve already been back for more Polar Pizza.  It’s so incredibly good, and I am a sweets connoisseur, so I know good desserts!  Ha ha!  This is a winner in my book.  Choose from either a brownie base, or a chocolate chip cookie base.  Pick your ice cream and toppings and there you have it….the perfect dessert!

The Craziness that is the DFW Housing Market

Well…here we go again.

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I shared with friends and family on Facebook last week that we had finally found a home.  Well, after much thought, an inspection, and looking the house over a couple more times it just didn’t feel like our “home“.  We decided it wasn’t for us and backed out of the offer.  When we sold our house last May in two days I think we thought it would be a piece of cake to jump into another house.

Easier said than done.  The DFW housing market is a legit war zone right now.  You have to fight for what you want, then make a crazy offer, then once it’s accepted take the steps that most buyers would take BEFORE putting in an offer.  To say we’ve felt pressured or a little on edge would be an understatement.  As much as I truly want a house I don’t want to settle….and that is exactly what I feel like we have to were doing.

I know we are looking in a specific area.  One where homes start at $500K and go into the millions.  Our budget is a fraction of that.  It sucks that you have to be a millionaire to get into a good school district.  The whole purpose of our move was to have more family time together and cut Terence’s hour commute in half.  We have our reasons for sticking to our area and our gut.  We’ve built a life here and Connor has made friends…we’d like to stay more than anything.

How many families are that wealthy to afford neighborhoods full of million dollar homes?  I often find myself wondering that?  Did they inherit money, did they win Powerball, do they have a magic genie I don’t know about?  I mean we make a good living by anyone’s standards.  Are we looking in the wrong area?  Are we being too picky?  I know not everyone lives in this area…but it wasn’t always like this.  Should we move to the sticks and commute for hours and just suffer through it for a cheaper home….maybe?  When a home comes up in our budget it’s gone the same day or a few days after…piranhas.

Also, homes we’ve been bidding on appraised for thousands if not a hundred thousand LESS two or three years ago!!!  How is the market that cray cray right now???  When did the housing bubble blow up this big?  Will it pop again and we’ll be screwed?  Is it just in DFW?

UGH.

Our real estate agent has been a Godsend really and shown us so many properties.  We are incredibly grateful that she is sticking with us through this crazy time.  My ultimate goal is to have a home by Christmas.  Everyone that knows me knows how much I love Christmas and to decorate and all that jazz.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful or sound like I’m not thankful for what we have…because I am in so grateful.  I know not everyone owns a home.  We are all happy and healthy and have a roof over our heads.  There is absolutely nothing to be sad about.  I guess I’m just frustrated and writing is my way to vent.  I am by no means a good writer or even a great writer…but it feels good to get it out.

Anyone else experiencing this crazy market and navigating through the rough waters right now?  If so what are your thoughts?

Home is where the HEART is.  That I do know.

God has a reason for everything and a plan…that I know too.

Thanks for listening. xo Becky

 

Foot In Mouth Syndrome

When I went home a few weeks ago to Arkansas I was out shopping with my Mom and our friend. I went to the pajama section and was promptly greeted by a sales lady who began to tell me how they just got a new shipment of maternity wear in and how great “this” and “that” would look on me.  She even held up a few tops and said how cute they would look.  I then realized the pajama section was right next to the maternity section…

UGH!

Yeah I wanted to run for the hills!  I am not freaking pregnant.  *SLAP!* I wear blousy shirts to cover my “food baby” and yes I know I have a few to lose, but dang.  That sucks and now I want to go throw up.

I know I constantly am putting my foot in my mouth.  For goodness sakes my mind is a land of run-on sentences and exclamation points!!!  Anyway, such is life.

Dear God give me the right things to say and the right time to say them.  Amen.

We’ve been super busy.  Connor started summer school/camp or whatever you want to call it.  We have put in countless offers on more homes…it’s stressful and yeah I just don’t want to talk about it.  I’ve been working and doing a lot of fun blogger programs over the summer- which I mostly post about over on my INSTAGRAM.  Let’s be friends!

I had a fun photoshoot with my BFF Sarah over at Wake Me Up Goods the other day!  Who doesn’t love glitter?  And you are NEVER too old for a tutu 🙂  Shown here is my all time favorite “Choose Your Brew” t-shirt.

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It finally quit raining here in Texas.  There is something about rain that makes me want to burn a thousand candles and read books.  Am I right?

Have y’all tried Diamond Candles?  My sister and I are sort of addicted to them.  Her husband even proposed to her with a Diamond Candle 🙂  I have never gotten a diamond though….maybe one day!  It’s fun and they candles smell lovely.

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The apartment by my lil artist Connor:

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Pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

AND- Happy Father’s Day to the best Daddy a daughter could have and a man who would never stick his foot in his mouth.  He calls me just to tell me how pretty, smart, and amazing I am all the time for no reason at all and that means more to me than anything in the world.  I love you Daddy, you are truly the BEST man ever.  Thank you for not dropping me and Bon on a street corner and leaving us there, even though there were several times you should have.  We weren’t always the best, but you loved us through it all.

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Anyway….y’all I hope to be more “with it” on my little corner of the Internets & I love you bunches!

Terence and I are trying to figure out where to go this summer on an affordable vacay?  Any suggestions?

xo Becky

Being a Mom through the Storms #SickJustGotReal #AMomCanDream

The video and gift card have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

The years just keep on passing by so quickly!  I just shared how Connor boy turned 6 years old.  It seems like yesterday he was an itty bitty baby and now he’s in school.  I’ve heard once they get in school time passes even quicker.

I remember those sleepless nights & Doctor visits so well 🙂

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As a first time Mom there are so many things that run through your brain.  “Am I doing this right?” “What do I do with this little human I just brought home from the hospital?”  

And the WORST feeling is when your baby gets sick.

I remember one night so vividly.  Connor was an infant and he had a super high fever and it wasn’t breaking.  I was so nervous and it was late at night.  Terence and I were pacing the house trying to figure out what to do.  We had given him medicine and a bath and tried to lower the fever…nothing was happening.  I called 911 because I was so scared and didn’t know what to do.

The lady on the phone began to yell at me and tell me “What kind of Mother lets her son get a fever that high?”  “You need to go to the ER” and she continued to tell me horrible things and judging me for something that I just wanted help with.  I felt helpless and angry after that phone call.  I just started to cry and pray that everything would be okay.

Who was she to judge me?  I was a scared first time Mom and all she did was scold me!

Obviously everything worked out, but the situation could have been so much easier if the lady would have just shown a little bit of patience with me.

As Moms we love our kids beyond all reason and there is nothing we won’t do for them.  Check out this site for tips and support, because when the sick gets real that’s exactly what you’ll need—->>> support and advice!

So they can grow up healthy, happy, and enjoy a full childhood 🙂

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Check out this super cute and funny video below.  If you’re a Mom I know you can relate!

Check out the video HERE  & follow along on the Facebook page.

Share your story…what’s your worst sick story???  

Leave a comment below & enter to win a $25 gift card from Pfizer Consumer Healthcare & Sick Just Got Real ™.

Life Happens

What’s up yuns?

I’ve been crazy busy with….well….just life.

Things get crazy when your kids start school.  I had visions of all this time off while Connor was at school, but in reality Connor brings home something new every day and has homework every night.  I’m not sure how I feel about a kindergartener having homework?  I get reading books and all that, but homework and the pressure on kids at such a young age is a little jarring.

We have soccer practice and then soccer games on Saturdays.  I’ve also had a ton of photo-shoots lately.  Not to mention my day job!  Sometimes I feel like I over extend myself, but I’m the type of person that has to be doing something or I go crazy.

My Mom visited for a few days and right after that my sister came to visit too.  I love it when friends and family come stay.  It’s already getting hot….sigh….

Me & Bon- NOT getting in trouble Mom!

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I cannot stand hot weather.  I would much weather have a cool breeze and no pit stains on my shirts.  Calgon take me to NYC or Seattle…UP NORTH!

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When Bon was here we got to meet up with our good friend Adrian, who is also a bomb-diggity author.  (We missed our red-headed twins!!!)  If you haven’t read Adrian’s books check them out here!  She’s so awesome and we just adore her 🙂

We had a good Easter and Jarrett was here to Easter egg hunt at Grana & Pops house.  Of course we had to dress the boys alike.  It’s a twin thing!

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Connor lost TWO teeth last week while he was at school!  So the tooth fairy has been a frequent visitor.  I love this age so much.

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Still house hunting.  We’ve put in what seems like a ton of offers and have looked at so many homes at this point I don’t know UP from DOWN.  I know God has the perfect little gem out there for us….we just haven’t found it yet.  It has been quite the process and God bless our sweet realtor Courtney who has been with us every step of the way.

Prayers appreciated that we will find something soon because Becky is tired of hauling my groceries up 3 flights of stairs.  UGH.

xo Becky

Whew…There it is!

This post is going to be all sorts of random….but that is what happens when you don’t blog every day anymore and then your mind is full of so many things it might explode.

ATTN:  I don’t know if I pissed off Google or what.  My blog doesn’t show up when you search for it…I have no idea how to fix this or what’s up.  You have to type in the EXACT URL to get to it….blah.  If anyone knows why this is happening PUH-LEEZE comment or help a sista out.

Back to the daily:

Is this not the cutest chocolate like. EVER?  It’s a makeup compact and lipstick.  YUM.

I’m always talking about food, and chocolate, and coffee….one track mind.  Or three track….whatever.

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I found these Poky Little Puppy cups at World Market the other day.  Nostalgia won me over.  I remember reading these Golden Books as a child and I just had to get them for Connor.  For $1 I think they were totally worth it.BBP_6984

Connor had his birthday party at Summit Rock Climbing.  His 6th birthday shirt was none other than….STAR WARS! (I plan on making a quilt out of all his birthday shirts one day) I’ll blog about his whole party on my next blog entry.  BUT- Right after his party I got sooooo sick last Sunday night and was literally in bed for 2 days.  It sucked.BBP_7060

This past weekend we drove to Arkansas for a couple of nights to celebrate my WONDERFUL Daddy who turned 60 today!  He’s the best Dad I could have ever prayed or wished for.  Thank you Daddy for being everything that you are and then some.  You are so special to SO many!BBP_7324

I attended the DFW Auto Show last week as well.  It was super fun and it’s nice to see the cars before they come out and we even got to drive a few 🙂

Can’t wait to try this new Mazda CX-9 that will be rolling out in the next couple months.

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My sister got an entire CASE of Kinder eggs.  If you know us at all you know we are some crazy Kinder egg loving gals.  Maybe it’s because they are such a delicacy to us, or the fact that we can’t get them all the time….but we sort of binge when we find them and they are SO good!

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My Mom came back with us to Texas this week and my sister is visiting this weekend 🙂

Just enjoying time with my family and trying NOT to think about house hunting or the depressing sinkhole that the housing market is right now. In the mean time I’ll keep working towards a firm bottom by living on the 3rd floor and climbing 20 flights of stairs a day *wink* *wink*

For all the latest updates follow along on INSTAGRAM!!!  Woohoo!!!

xo Becky

A Valentine Tale of Long Ago…

It’s Valentine’s day weekend y’all and for the love of all things Godiva, Starbucks, and Kendra Scott please get your sweetheart something special!

I remember my first Valentine’s day with T.  We were 19 years old and had only been dating a couple of months.  That boy was seriously obsessed with me…I mean who wouldn’t be right?  I remember the first time he asked me out I was like “Well, if you want you can come to my house and watch a movie with me and my Mom”.  I felt bad for him, he knew no one because he was a Texan in the middle of Arkansas…he was a foreigner for goodness sake.

Then when he did come over I made him watch “Romy & Michelle‘s Highschool Reunion”.  I mean….he even pretended to feign interest.  So, after that night we were pretty much attached.  We talked for hours about so much random stuff.

Fast forward a couple of months later to our first Valentine’s day and I bought him a pillow with kisses all over it then I spelled out “I LOVE YOU” with glow in the dark stars on his dorm room wall.  So, every time he turned off the lights he would see my profession of undying love right there in front of his face.

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This picture was on film people…it’s amazing I still have a replica of college days including the pillow case with kisses. 16 years ago….seriously?

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You know how much I loooooove my chocolate.  Terence had gone home a couple of months earlier for Christmas and he brought me back a HUGE box of Godiva chocolates.  Not Hershey’s, no ladies…. G-O-D-I-V-A.  There wasn’t a store in the entire state of Arkansas that sold Godiva & it was gold…..GOLD I tell you!  He had me at chocolate and ya know he may have said I love you back.  🙂

I remember our first Valentine’s day as a married couple.  We had been married about 6 months and Terence was in the Air Force.  We lived in our cute little base house straight out of 1972.  All of the sudden T had to run to the “mall” to get something.  Ahem….okay Captain Obvious.  He came home with a pair of diamond earrings.  I just about died.  At a time when we didn’t have two nickels to rub together and he bought me earrings….

Now days it’s like…well I was thinking of getting you something, but I put money in our IRA instead.  How romantic, you shouldn’t have.

Please never stop thinking it’s okay to let “It’s the thought that counts” be okay!!!  NO NO NO!

I need to try too…it’s not all on men.  I’m guilty (insert shame face).

Ladies, you need to work it honey.

Okay, so there’s my little Valentine’s tale of T+B = <3

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I LOVE YOU TER-BER!!!

 

I don’t know what we are doing this year, but it usually involves take-out and a Redbox movie.  Babysitters are so expensive…anyone wanna babysit??? *cough*

I can’t wait for girls night Friday and the cat claws that come out….literally.

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Oh and this is pure greatness….the love chair in Branson, Missouri.

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As long as we are walking down memory lane here….I can’t believe we have this beautiful boy.  Sometimes I pinch myself.  How did we get so lucky?

(Connor’s first Valentine’s day 2011)

Watch out girls he’s coming for you!

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ANSWER —-> Are we going to have anymore babies???  I get that a lot…and the answer is no, sometimes maybe…usually I don’t know.  If it’s God’s plan.  I have a good 50 pounds of FOOD baby to lose before that’s even a consideration.  I’m about to be 35 and I think I am good.  Yup.

I love photographing and smelling babies.  So, if you ever want to hand yours over for a while let me know 😉

Anyway…I guess that’s all for today.  What are y’all going to do for Valentine’s day?