Christmas 2015
We road tripped it to Arkansas this Christmas and I was super excited because we actually got to spend CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAY in Arkansas this year. We haven’t been able to make that happen in years.
Connor is so good in the car. He just sits back and watches his movies and barely makes a peep. Except to go to the bathroom or eat. I love my baby!
Connor and I drove in a few days before Terence flew to Arkansas. We spent most of our time at my sister’s new house (SO PRETTY by the way) and Vinny & Jarrett. The night we got in Bonnie took us to the new outlet mall in Benton and it had a Lindt candy store. We were in heaven….sooooo good! We also found another candy store that carried our beloved Kinder Eggs. I have no idea how they had them, but I don’t care! We each bought a case to take home 🙂
The boys always love seeing each other…most of the time. They’ll be BFF one minute and fighting over random stuff the next. Bonnie and I agree that they are payback for how bad we were at that age. They made ornaments for Nana and decorated cookies.
Bonnie and I met up with our friends at Ya Ya’s for our annual Christmas dinner. It’s always good to see my best friends and I look forward to our dinner every single year…that and a filo brownie 🙂
After a fun stay at Bon’s we headed to the farm to see Nannie! Here is Nannie’s pretty tree.
Everyone opening their stockings the next morning 🙂
My Daddy <3
Mommy & Daddy 
The spread…need I say more. We don’t go hungry at Nannie’s house. Like Ever.
Connor got a lot of new presents. This was a big year for Star Wars and he brought home a ton of new toys to play with. Thank you Santa!
Fun on the farm
I took some pictures of my sister and her family.
Isn’t that the most beautiful sunset?
I’m sure I’m leaving out a ton of stuff. We had a great time celebrating Jesus birthday and a wonderful trip home. We actually came home a day early after we left Nannie’s because our car was packed so full we could barely move! So, we decided to head home and get settled before all the craziness of life started again.
And last, but not least our annual New Years Eve pic!
We love you all and are so thankful and blessed to have another year to share.
xo- The Branches
Fa La La La Favorites!
Connor and I went to Christkindl this year and it was so much fun! We met our local radio gal Kellie Rasberry and she was super nice! This was our 4th year to attend Christkindl in Arlington, TX and if you are making holiday plans I highly recommend going. It’s free to get in and it’s so much fun. They really amped it up this year with rides for the kids, gingerbread house building, and real snow 🙂
Here’s our holiday “catch up” if you will…I’ll update more on Christmas soon!
German macaroni and cheese aka Spaetzle
s’mores crepes #yum
We went to Bridget’s 6th birthday party! Connor’s first time roller skating….we love this girl <3
One of my absolute favorite things this year was our new tree skirt from PersonalCreations. It has our last name on it and it’s great quality. This is the sort of thing I can pass down to Connor’s family in the future. They are having a huge end of year sale right now and use code SRCH10OFF to get 10% Off and Free Personalization!
I got a new camera strap from Foto Strap and absolutely LOVE it! It has my new logo on it too! I’m planning on posting some of my favorite shots from the holiday season soon.
A few weeks ago I got to meet these two awesome folks. Jillian Harris and Todd Talbot from HGTV’s Love it or List it, Too. I’ve always been a big fan of the show. They were in DFW doing a promo event for Capital One Home Loans and it was so much fun to chat with them for a bit. The nicest hosts you guys…super sweet! I asked Todd if he could help me find a home…sigh…I can only hope.
re: necklace is from Village Artisan (one of my favorites too!)
Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
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!
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.
Are these not the cutest EVER???
PEEPS® thank you for making this little boy’s day! He has everything he needs to enjoy a POPPIN & PEEPIN PARTY!
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!
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.
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.
Top it with a yummy candy cane and you are all set!
Aren’t they so cute and festive! The candy canes turn the drinks red and green 🙂
Okay…now for you serious folks I have a little something else for you.
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.
Gulp.
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!
Start Your Morning with NEW McCafé packaged coffee! #McCafeAtHome #IC
I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for McCafé packaged coffee. I received product samples as well as a monetary promotional incentive to thank me for my participation.
Exciting news people!!! Coffee lovers you can now enjoy McCafé coffee (just like you get from McDonald’s) at HOME!
McCafé packaged coffee is made from 100% Arabica coffee. It’s delish…I tried the espresso roast and it was so yummy. I prefer a dark roast, but they also have a great breakfast blend. Terence likes the Breakfast Blend…different strokes for different folks. That’s what flavor choices are all about right?
During the holidays everything is go, go, go!!! I know I need a boost during the day…maybe a few times a day. You all know my favorite way to amp up my day is with a cup of coffee 🙂 Growing up my Mom took us to McDonald’s as a treat, it’s always been a special place for us & so many families. I was excited when they started making coffee in the restaurants, and now I am even MORE excited I can find it in the stores.
Connor knows his Mama starts off each day with a cup of coffee. He loves the smell of coffee…wake up your kiddos people. Ha ha! On our way to school listening to Christmas music 🙂 “Fa…la…la…la…la..la…”
McCafé packaged coffee can be enjoyed by using K-Cup McCafé coffee, ground coffee, or whole bean varieties. McCafé packaged coffee comes in seven varieties at your local grocery store, such as Premium Roast, French Roast, Breakfast Blend and Colombian, and different flavors, such as French Vanilla and Hazelnut.
It’s the perfect way to start the day or unwind in front of the fire and watch a movie. I’m so excited I can now find my favorite McDonald’s coffee in the store. Yippeeeee!!!!
What flavor of coffee do you like? Are you excited to get McCafé packaged coffee in the grocery store too?
We have a long trip home this weekend for the holidays & you better believe there will be coffee all the way home.
Follow along for the latest and greatest on McDonald’s website & Twitter.
The Best Way to #SpreadCheer is to Bake it for all to EAT!
This is my favorite time of year and I love to give the gift of yummy goodness to friends and family. A favorite recipe that my Mom used to make is peanut butter blossoms. It’s a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey Kiss in the middle. They are so easy and sooooo good!
This year making my peanut butter blossoms was even easier because I had help from a good friend named Betty… Betty Crocker that is! Found at your local Walmart store 🙂
All you need is a package of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix and some Hershey Kisses. Sprinkles too…if you desire!
Connor helped me make the cookies. He likes to stir the bowl and crack the eggs. He’s also a pretty good chocolate peeler too 🙂
And a fabulous chocolate topper! I just love having my little elf in the kitchen and making memories. That’s what life is all about right?
We got some cute cookie tins and then shared with our friends. If there was ever a time to #SpreadCheer it’s now y’all!
Our favorite part is sharing with friends. This is Connor’s best friend Alek in Kindergarten- they are both CRAZY about Star Wars. Don’t mind their chocolate covered faces 🙂
Add the perfect touch to your baked goods this season with FREE #SpreadCheer downloadable printables. You can print gift tags & cookie coloring sheets.
Download you coupon HERE & enter to WIN $20 Paypal cash to make your own #SpreadCheer goodies!