Spooktacular Halloween Party Food

Y'all, I'm going to be honest...I don't like crafts, or spending time in the kitchen.  I'd rather sit back with a glass of wine and visit with my friends while they did crafts then actually do them myself!  =)  

My mom on the other hand is a ROCKSTAR and has always been creative and artistic.  Every Halloween she has an amazing party for the kids and just goes all out!  

She truly is the QUEEN of HALLOWEEN! 

She has had some amazing, time consuming, treats for us like the strawberries she turned into chocolate covered mice, snake pizza, or jello-o worms but I asked her about 5 EASY ones that I would actually be up for making for my kids or bringing to an upcoming Halloween party.  I think everyone from the crafty to the not so crafty mom will like these 5 ideas so I hope you enjoy!  

1.  Cheeseballs: You can make your own, or just to to the grocery store and pick yourself up one that's already made!  Then you'll mold it into the shape you want!  As you can see, we've done a variety of faces, as well as one that was topped with lunch meat to look like creepy skin!  Super easy and you can use your imagination to form it!  We used plastic eyeballs, olives, plastic bugs, chips, nuts, and candy to help with facial features.  

2.  Eyeball Chicken Salad Sandwiches: This is another easy one that allows you to make your own chicken or tuna salad or just buy it already made for the store.  (I think you know which route I would take on this!  Thank you Costco!)  For these you simple cut circles out from your bread and then put a dollop of chicken salad in the middle of each one.  Next lay a sliced olive on top and add veins with ketchup or you can put red food coloring in mayonnaise.  

Don't blink or they'll be gone!  (Did you SEE what I did there?)

3.  Pulled Pork Monsters: For these you'll just need pulled pork or shredded barbecue, slider buns, green olives, and toothpicks!  Fill the buns with your meat and use the toothpicks to add 2 olives at the top for eyeballs with some barbecue sauce in the middle for dipping!  These are always a favorite to eat but still add something festive to the table!  

4.  Fingers:  My mom has made these in many different ways so I thought I'd give you a few options...

These are peanut butter and jelly rolls that are made by cutting off the crust and flattening your bread down a little bit, applying pb&j and then rolling them up!  She then puts jelly all over them as blood and puts jelly on the back of an almond slice and attaches it as the fingernails.  =)  

These are so simple and you'll just need large pretzel sticks, green candy melts (or you can use food coloring to dye white chocolate), almond pieces, and spider rings.  Dip the sticks and apply the almond nail while it's still wet and then let dry and add the spider ring.  

For this last option you need Nutter Butter cookies, green candy melts, and red gumdrops.  Dip the cookie in the chocolate and add a gumdrop as the nails...you're done!  =)  

5.  Dracula Mouths:  These are so cute and the kids love how they taste!  You'll need chocolate chip cookies, red icing, marshmallows, almond slivers.  Cut the cookies in half, flip it over, and cover the bottom side with icing.  Stick the marshmallows into the icing of 1 half, place the almond as fangs in between some of them.  Add more icing as "glue" if needed.  After you've lined the inside of that side of the cookie, stick the icing side of the other half of the cookie down on top of it like a sandwich and let it set.  Enjoy!!! 

  

 These parties are so memorable and my kids look forward to them every year!  I hope you're able to use some of these ideas and make great memories with your family or friends too!  Comment below with your favorite one and PLEASE come back and comment if you use them!   I would LOVE to see pictures of how it turned out!  Let me know if you have any questions about anything!  

Now for a trip down memory lane...here's a couple pictures of us at my moms parties!   I had dark hair once for about 2 months, and my sweet babies were itty bitty, haha!!  Have a fun and safe Halloween my friends!  

XOXO

Adorable Fall Decorations

It's FALL YALL, and this is my favorite time of year!!  Football, cooler weather, boots, soups, and all things pumpkin...what's not to like?!?!  

This year I was even more excited to get our decorations out and do some shopping because this time last year we didn't have a home!  Our house was torn apart by Hurricane Harvey and so much was taken away from us. We missed being in our own home, decorating and doing the little traditions we always do! This year I am forever grateful for our “new” home and the every day amenities that are so easy to take for granted! There really is NO place like home and I am going to decorate it up this year!

I'm no Joanna Gaines but here are my 5 favorite finds for fall decorations and I found everything at Kirklands which is my favorite decor store of all time!   Hobby Lobby and HomeGoods are a close second and I'm sure they have very similar options!  

1. White Pumpkin Metal Sign: This sign is so cute and looks perfect against our dark door!  I was originally going to put this orange one on the door but it's wood and was too heavy and shook around too much when the door would open and close so I put it on our back porch instead! 

2. Happy Fall Y'all Plaque: Love the rustic wood and adorable pumpkin on this sign!  Of course being from the south I also love what it says because y'all know we love to say "y'all" round here!

3. Pumpkin and Berry Centerpieces: I love how festive these beautiful colors are and they add so much pizazz to our island and dining room table without being overpowering so we don't have to move them when we sit down to eat!

4.Pillows: Who knew a couple pillows could add so much festivity?  I love the pop of color they give our living room and plan on buying more for our couch!  So cute and so many options to choose from!

5. Pumpkin Accents: When I saw these adorable little pumpkins I knew they'd look perfect in this bowl under our TV.  I also added some fall colored berries that you can find at Hobby Lobby to finish it off!  This link isn't the exact pumpkins I have because they don't have them online but those are another cute option or you can check your local Kirklands if there's one near you!  And this plaid pumpkin banner was just to die for!  I LOVE it so much and think besides a fire, it's just what our fireplace needed!

SHOP THE ENTIRE HARVEST COLLECTION AT KIRKLANDS HERE

Want to save money??  Download the Kirklands Spin To Win App for a discount code!  I use this every time I shop there and it saves me so much money!  Remember you only get 1 spin per day!

Let me know if you have any questions and I'd love to hear if you end up buying any of these finds and how you use them so come back and let me know!!  I'd love to see your pictures!!  

XOXO

 

Did you know??

Did you know I used to sell candles, bags, and then jewelry with 3 different well known companies over the years? I was always searching for something that would bring me passion and a purpose outside of being a mom but would still give me the freedom to stay at home with my babies, make my own schedule, and create an income for our family. So I tried these different things and always wished  it would be super successful and that I could win these amazing trips some of the other consultants were earning but it seemed impossible for a few reasons:  

1. I wanted a job that gave me MORE time with my family and in order to rock those businesses I had to have a lot of parties and do shows on the weekends which I was not willing to do  

2. I'm not a sales person so starting at 0 sales at the beginning of every month and trying to encourage people to buy something that is a WANT instead of a NEED was hard! 

3. I grew tired of each product. They weren't things you HAD to have and although they were fun at first, they lost their luster like most new "toys" do.

So there I was, a stay at home still searching for something MORE! Then I was invited to join an accountability group and I didn't realize my whole life was about to change. I didn't workout consistently at the time, I ate cookies for lunch, was tired ALL THE TIME,and could only do 2 pushups but I thought maybe this group would help me feel better?! A week went by and I was consistent with my workouts, 2 weeks, and then a whole month and I was sticking to it!  😳      People started noticing a change in my energy and happiness, my clothes started fitting me better and I was feeling more confident and motivated! No quick fix just fitness, nutrition, and support did the trick and because people were asking me and interested in joining me, sooooo I signed up as a coach!  

Super fun night celebrating in Punta Cana on one of the FREE trips I earned! 

I don't have to carry inventory, I don't have to host parties or do shows, I just live my best life and help others do the same! I literally get paid for something I'd be doing anyway and THAT blows my mind! I've now earned those FREE trips I used to dream about and have gone on a trip EVERY YEAR since becoming a coach! God answered my prayers by giving me a passion and purpose that I wake up SO EXCITED to do everyday! Now don't get me wrong, I am NOT knocking all the other sales companies that I worked for, or that my friends work for!   I LOVE those products, buy them often, and I'm truly SO PROUD of any of my friends or other women that build a business doing what they love...this is just my journey and what was right for me so please don't take it personal!  😊

So if you are like I was 3.5 years ago and you're looking for something MORE, you want to get in shape, you want to feel your best, you want to live life positively and be surrounded by uplifting people, then join me this week for a chance to ask me anything you want about the business and learn if it's for you or not! If you've EVER considered doing what I do or wondered what I do exactly then this is for you! Click this link and I'll add you to the group with all the details!  👍

https://form.jotform.com/52726794638167

 All smiles after our workout with Shaun T in New Orleans!!!! 

 Team dinner in Nashville!  Can't you just picture yourself sitting on this couch with us?!  =)  

Click that form and fill it out to learn more!  What are you waiting for???  

https://form.jotform.com/52726794638167

12 Days of Christmas

This is my absolute favorite time of year!!  The lights, smells, Christmas trees, baking, cooler weather, finding that perfect gift for your loved ones, and of course celebrating the greatest gift ever in our savior!!   We feel so blessed in Texas this year because the weather is cooperating and it actually feels like Christmas!!  Although as I type this it's 78 degrees outside BUT the majority of the month has been super cold!  haha!  It's back to warm for about 3 days and then we get another cold front so it will be cold on Christmas!!  The last 2 Christmas' have been so hot I have a picture of my kids in shorts eating Popsicles!  This winter has truly felt like winter!  We even woke up to SNOW one morning which was so magical!!  And strange!!  And amazing!!  I still can't believe it happened but feel so thankful for that blessing of white!!

I always love getting recommendations and hearing people's favorite products so this year I thought it would be fun to put together a list of some of my favorites that you can use as gift ideas or as gifts for yourself with your Christmas money!  ENJOY and let me know some of your favorites or if you use any of these products too!  Links are included for purchasing options!

1. IT Cosmetics: Confidence Line

I have seen the infomercials and wanted to try this line for a while!   I decided to go to Ulta so I could try it all out before purchasing but once I knew I liked it I loved the deals from QVC because you usually get more for your money!  The mascara, brushes, and Bye Bye Pores Illumination Powder  are some of my favorites but I became obsessed with the skincare line!  I was noticing wrinkles in places I wasn’t used to and knew my face needed more hydration and this combination has been the perfect fix! Super creamy products and the cleanser is safe to remove all makeup, even eye makeup, and acts as a toner also!  The moisturizer has a scent to it but it's not chemically or too much, it smells good!  

2. Lacoste Perfume

If you don’t like sweet smells then it might not be your favorite and you could try some of their other options but I absolutely LOVE the smell of it!! Kyle loves it on me too which is a double win! They run in and out of stock on their website but you can sometimes find it on Amazon too!  What can't you find on Amazon??  I also really love Lacoste skinny jeans and they have some adorable shoes!

3. LOFT Pave Square Stud Earrings

These are perfect earrings for everyday or you can dress them up!  I always get compliments on them and right now they’re 50% off if you use the code WRAPITUP!!  So head over to the website and grab you a pair or they would make a perfect gift for any friend or family member! 

4. Feetures Socks

Whether you are running, working out, or just on your feet all day these are the best! The padding in the back keeps them from sliding into your shoe And the wicking keeps them nice and dry! When the sweat stays away, the stink stays away!  Have you ever worn them?! Get $10 off when you subscribe to their newsletter or Dicks currently as a sale going and i you buy 3, you get 1 free! 

5. Reed Diffuser  

They have many different scents but vanilla and paperwhite are my favorite!  They smell amazing and look pretty in your home too.

6. Fabletics

If you’ve been following me you know I’m obsessed with these workout clothes! They are my favorite fit out of all of the brands I have tried and I love the prices on the outfits! 3 pieces for 1 price!  The prints are always so stylish and amazing quality!  Definitely a must have!!  

7. Monograms

Who isn’t a sucker for something with your initials on it?  Whether it’s purses, jewelry, clothing, shoes, or cups… shopilovelovejewelry.com or marleylilly.com are my favorite place to get it!  Right now I’m all about their soft monogram slippers and this pearl monogram necklace!  Go check them out! 

8. Cherished Gifts Devotion Book 

I’ve read a lot of devotion books but this one has been my favorite! It is so relatable to the life of a mom and has such a great message everyday with scripture to back it up!  Perfect gift for Christmas and be sure to grab one for yourself too! 

9. Popsockets

I have this one on the back of my phone and I absolutely love it! It makes it so much easier to hold your phone when you’re taking pictures or even if you are just answering emails or texting!  I have gotten so used to mine it’s awkward to hold Kyle’s phone since he doesn’t have one!  I got mine from Amazon but you can find them almost anywhere now! They also make car attachments so you can slide it in as a holder. I absolutely love mine and think they would make a perfect stocking stuffer! 

10. Diff Eyewear

I absolutely love these sunglasses!  I have the Becky but there are all different kinds of styles! The best part is whenever you buy a pair of sunglasses, they buy a pair of reading glasses for someone in need! Love that mission and the style these bring!

11. Lets talk lips!!  

These are my favorites at the moment! 1. Marc Jacobs- I have the color Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and I love it! It’s perfect for fall and gives a matte finish but stays on for a long time without feeling dry or super stuck like a stain!  2. Lipsence is my go to when I want the color on for a long time! My favorite colors are Razzberry (pictured), Roseberry, and Caramel Apple. I love the gold sparkle gloss and matte gloss! 3. Bite cosmetics makes this agave lip mask in a pink and red color. I love the red because it’s not too bold and smells amazing and is all natural! Perfect for everyday!  

12. Barrington Gifts

I absolutely love their monogrammed purses (don’t worry, they do come in larger sizes then seen in this picture! ;)), makeup bags, wine bags, keychains and more! Super cute, amazing quality, and and perfect gift for yourself or any girl on your list! 

So there you have it!  12 of my favorite things this year!  I hope you enjoyed learning about someone products and I'd love to hear some of your favorites so comment below if you love one of these too or if you have a suggestion I should try!  I hope you and your family have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!