Flashback Friday

Happy Friday! I hope you have all had a great week. I am so glad it is the weekend. One day closer to my honey getting home:) I am looking forward to a girls night tonight!!!!! My friend Jenn is having a Stella and Dot party:) Tomorrow is a big day in our house for football. Georgia plays Alabama in the SEC championship! I know we can beat them on two conditions: 1. We come out playing like we have the last 6 games 2. We don't let them get too ahead of us at the beginning. If Bama scores 2 or 3 times at the beginning, I think it will be hard to come back. But not matter what, we have had an AWESOME season! GOOOOO DAWGS! Sunday we have church and lunch with our friends. Our elf is also making his debut this weekend as well as our advent calendar:)

Next week I have some new healthy foods to share with you. Our commissary is really trying o bring in some specialty items and I am really excited about them. Now on to Flashback Friday...

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This pictures is precious to me. This is just a couple weeks after we brought my sweet Elias home. He was a little early and stayed in the NICU for two weeks. I was so happy to finally have him home:)

Have a wonderful weekend! Hope you get some Christmas shopping done:))

What are your weekend plans? 

Christmas Things+Kid's Movie Picks

For those that know me, know that Christmas season starts after Halloween for me;) I have been  thoroughly enjoying my music, hot drinks, shopping, planning, Christmas events, movies, etc. I am so excited!!!! Today I just wanted an excuse to talk Christmas:).....

We are going to a Grant'sChristmas Tree Farm with our friends this year and cutting down our own tree. I have been dying for that day to get here, as I am soooooo ready to start decorating my house! My honey and I are putting together a tree for the boys this year, and I am so excited to have a little one in their room. The task now will be keeping Eli's sticky hands from taking off the ornaments...

This year is going to be the start of some new traditions for us. Some years we travel home and some years we stay here. This year we are going home to Georgia, but will celebrate our family Christmas before hand. Whether it be my Grandma's cooking traditions, activities, bible stories, etc...we will be doing some wonderful things this holiday season. One of the things we are starting is Elf on the Shelf. To welcome this elf, we are having a "North Pole" breakfast. I have had a fun time shopping for all things "Christmas breakfast." The boys will be so excited to do this.

So today, I thought I would share a couple of our Christmas movie picks for Kids:

These are just a couple of the ones we have! I will share more as the Christmas season continues:) We have a pretty good selection of Christmas movies, and I can't promise I won't be getting more today:/ Hallmark has a coupon out right now thru the end of December for $10 off. For those that buy their ornaments, I would watch the mail;) Wyatt has already picked out the one he wants:) 

Okay, I could sit here all day and blog about Christmas but I have to get ready for Thanksgiving;) Happy Wednesday!

Randoms and Thankfulness

Well, we had a great 4 day weekend. Veteran's Day is always special as I have many men/women in my life to celebrate. I am starting to miss blogging again, so I think the break I took was definitely worth it;) I was reminded of how much time I spend trying to "keep up" with the world and the standards of people around me. God has been showing me so much of himself and what he intended for my life. I am striving to pray daily, "God, what should I be doing for you today?" I am learning so much about my Lord and I am cherishing it.

For many years, the time change has been a dreaded day;) This year, God has really given me the desire to take advantage of waking up at 5 or 5:30 AM. I am aiming to use that quiet time to spend the early morning with my honey and get my bible study in:)

The holiday season brings up the "I am thankful fors"....on Facebook, instagram, etc. I get where people can get annoyed, and yes some people miss the real meaning of the thankfulness...I however like to look at the bright side and the fact that they are acknowledging whats important to them. For me, a lot of what I am thankful for are the people in my life. I have been so blessed. Today, however, I am thankful for my dearest friends here in Louisiana. Even before we moved here, I knew God had something special for us. I knew we would grow even more....I thank God everyday for bringing us here!! We are more settled now than we have ever been. For me, these girls are always there, they are always honest, loving, examples of Christ. Their children are such wonderful influences for my boys. I have not gone a day without hearing from at least one of them. That is so huge for me. I have been blessed with the friends in my life and I cherish all of them:) Here is the last picture we got together (which will change come Friday;)) We always get to eating, talking, "whatevering", that we forget to take pictures;)

Jenn being Jenn;), Hannah, Kristen, and Shaina

Missing Kayla

I have many more people I am thankful for, so heres to a few more "thankful for" posts;)

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I hope you all have a great Tuesday! I made some homemade recipes this weekend and I am looking forward to sharing them.....stay tuned! I am also getting together my "Christmas Wish List." I have so many wonderful holiday things coming up!! I cannot wait!:)

Flashback Friday

Happy Friday! I hope you have all had a great week! It has been really busy here and I am ready for the weekend. I will be honest with you, my blogging is going to subside for a bit. I started to realize how much time was being put into it, and days just aren't long enough. My time with the Lord in my bible study is what I want my extra time to go to. I usually only have that time in the early morning as the afternoons and evenings are BUSY. I do love to blog, so don't worry you will still see me:) There just may be weeks where I don't get to blog much....especially now that the holidays are here:) eek! Speaking of holidays, yes, I am the annoying "listens to Christmas music after Halloween" person;) I LOVE the holidays and am so excited they are here. I have my Christmas list up and running and shopping has begun!!! I even received some Black Friday early bird ads this week. This year is going to be a good Black Friday day! This year Weston and I will be able to shop ALONE as my in-laws will be here and offered to keep the boys. This is HUGE because Weston and I are the ones who stand in the Target line at 3am;) And there are stores we hit all morning. I am so excited this year, because I have gotten a head start on gift ideas!!! My mom and I ate at a new restaurant here in DeRidder this week. OH MY was it amazing!!! I can't believe it took us this long to go. Two Sisters Deli and Pecan House is right down the road from us. They are a deli so they serve things like soups, salads, baked potatoes, and sandwiches. Everything is made fresh daily and so are their desserts! I had the pulled pork BBQ sandwich and a bowl of homemade chicken-n-dumplins. Hands down the BEST dumplins I've had other than my Grammies! I forgot to take a picture, but we are headed there this weekend so I will try and snap some shots! If you noticed they are a "pecan house". They make about 20 different kinds of homemade pecans, from bourbon praline to cajun. My mom got three different types for my step-dad and he LOVED them! It is run by a bunch of older women, which as you know, those are the ones who can cook. So, now we have our main go-to place here in D-town;) One more reason I love living in a small southern town!This is is my flashback for this Friday! This was Wyatt at Halloween last year. Poor Eli was stroller stricken behind him;)  

We have a beautiful park here in our town. Every year they set up a huge trick or treating trail. They sell food, treats, etc. and provide people to hand out candy to the kids. Its perfect because we just walk through the park for about an hour, the kids get their fill, and we head home:) I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween next week!

See you on Monday for some weekend recap! We are having football Saturday with some new friends this weekend. I am looking forward to getting to know a couple new military wives! These guys are my hubby's closest friends at work and their wives are so sweet. Sunday we have our pumpkin patch day (finally;)) with my precious friend Jenn and her family! Cannot wait!:)
Happy Weekend!

Flashback Friday

My mom is here and we are in party planning mode:) So today's post will be short! That is the joy of Flashback Friday...quick and easy. We have a lot planned this weekend including our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch! This is one of my favorite times of year so I thought I would share our picture from last year!:)

Have an awesome weekend! Come back next week for a full birthday party and pumpkin patch report:)
Thank you all who follow my blog and take the time to read. I love to hear feedback so feel free to leave message:)

Flashback Friday

Are you as excited as I am that it is FINALLY FRIDAY?! phew.  We have another great weekend planned and I am ready to get it started. The most important part of our weekend is my baby's birthday! Wyatt is turning 4 on Sunday:( I can't believe he is 4 and has become a little boy. I can relive the day he was born like it was yesterday. He is beyond a blessing to us and we are going to make his birthday very special. He asked for a red bicycle and we finally found one yesterday! I cannot wait to see the 

look on his face:)

I am headed to the commissary today and I will be hitting up these Pumpkin waffles everyone is raving about;) I am also going to be doing some baking this weekend and trying a new pumpkin bread. I need to start getting some recipe ideas for Thanksgiving as we have lots of family coming!!:) Up until a few days ago it was just gonna be my little family. Then we received the call from my in-laws and my sister and her husband!!!!!!! (making up for the lack of exclamation;)) I am so excited my sister is coming! My husband has the whole week of Thanksgiving off so it will be a wonderful week of family time! My sister come friday night before and then my in-laws come Wednesday:) 

Now onto my photo choice for this week's edition of Flashback Friday....

My Husband and I at my sister's wedding last October!

Happy 1st Anniversary to Gates and Brittany:)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Go Dawgs!!!!! SIC'EM!

What are your weekend plans? Have you found any new "fall" treats?

Do you have family coming to you for Thanksgiving?

WIAW

Happy Wednesday!! I hope your week has been great so far:) So I am going to go random for just a minute. Yesterday I was made aware of how many times I use an an exclamation mark to finish a statement. I have noticed it before, but never really realized the full magnitude of the usage;) I find that I use them a lot in text messages for some reason. So, my goal today is to try and not use so many:) So, here goes....

On another side note, I was doing my thing yesterday, with my 1.5 year old tailing behind. I asked him if he had a dirty diaper and he said yes;) So, I proceeded to go get him to change it. As I turned around I noticed him running into the bathroom. When I got in there he was pointing at the toilet. I asked him if he wanted to go potty on the toilet and he said, "YES!" I was shocked. I am not quite sure that he is ready to start the potty training process yet, but I'd say when we do he will catch on pretty quickly!:) He was very proud of himself when I clapped and praised him;) I have heard from some "mentor" moms of mine that having older siblings really helps with the potty training process. The fact that Eli has Wyatt to look up to, follow around, pester, and shadow, I am hoping will pay off:)

Now on to What I Ate Wednesday!!! Head over to link up with Jenn of Peas and Crayons.

Breakfast

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Source

Lunch

Turkey Sandwich on Rudi's

w/Chips

Dinner

Chickfila!!!!:)

(this deserves exclamation:))

Well, there ya have it. Any days that start or end with a Chickfila stop are GREAT days:) We also had TWO new bloggers link up with us yesterday for Turn The Page Tuesday! Get your book choices made and come join us next week:)  Come back tomorrow for the muffin recipe and some more blog fun!

Do you use a lot of exclamation marks when you type? What are your potty training secrets?

Do you love Chickfila as much as I do?:)

Flashback Friday

It is finally Friday and I am so glad!! We are not doing much this weekend and I am looking forward to it! I have got to get my mums planted so my porch officially feels "fall." This week has been one of those weeks where all I want is chocolate!!! Of course I try not to buy it at the commissary (military grocery store) and then I have days like these and am annoyed with myself for not getting some;) Plus, I watched Revenge, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, and Sons of Anarchy and phew!!!!!! Goodnedd gracious did these seasons start off rough!! Thankfully I have "The Office!" I am so sad this is the last season:( :( For those of you thinking what I would be thinking..."wow, she watches a lot of tv".....I record them and watch them in bed;) It usually takes me a few days to watch them all because I get in bed and don't usually last long;)

By the way, if you are looking for a quick and easy idea for lunch, try the Kashi frozen meals! I bought the Sesame chicken today and it was so yummy! It was filled with lots of good stuff. Better than fast food or something not so good at home.

I have promised a couple of recipes, which I am adding next week, and will also be blogging some new ones! I am trying some "fall" recipes so I will share the ones that turn out good!:)

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With today being Friday, that means its time to Flashback!!!:) YAY!

This time last year we moved from Missouri to Louisiana and our best friends Brian and Amanda moved to Colorado. It was a very sad day to leave our closest friends, and move so far away when we had lived practically next door to each other for 3 years. This picture was taken a few weeks before we moved. This is Wyatt and Jackson enjoying their lunch together;) Wyatt was 2, Jackson was 1, Eli was a newborn, and Amanda was just pregnant with Ella:)

This is also my favorite picture this week because they are coming to visit NEXT WEEKEND!!!!!! I am so so so excited!!! They surprised us with coming out and I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to 4 full days of "the old days":) Less than a week and counting.... Have a great weekend!

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 What are your weekend plans? Do you crave chocolate?

What are your must see"shows?"

Weekend Recap+Favorite "Fall" Thing

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I am so bummed my husband is back to work today:( However, this weekend is a 3 day weekend for us and I am so looking forward to it! My cousin is coming into town and I am so excited! Owen hasn't been out to see us since we've been in Lousiana. This weekend was a relaxing one with my Dad and his fiancé, Teresa. She is always a huge help when she is here. She did dinner, bath time, cleaning the kitchen, etc. For those moms out there, you know how nice it is to have the extra hands to do that!:)

Saturday we did some work outside, cleaning off the porch, and grilling for dinner. We picked up some steaks from a local meat market/butcher and they were so good!!! Of course we watched our bulldogs play!:) They dominated. GOOO DAWGS!!:) Yesterday we went to church, out to lunch, and then ran some errands. I think Weston is already sick of shopping...and the holidays aren't here yet:/ Here are a couple shots from the boys on Saturday:

I can't stand the cuteness!!!:) It was a beautiful day at our house and we enjoyed it by being outside all day.....

What did you do this weekend?

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OH MY... "Favorite Things" goes "FALL"!!!!! If you haven't made your first "Fall" stop at Bath and Body, I urge you to go pronto;) I actually ended up getting the same scents I did last year!!! The new ones are delicious too, so I will have to try those next. I just couldn't pass up my fall favs from last year! So, for today, here is a so yummy favorite thing!!

Have a Marvelous Monday and don't forget to start getting your posts ready for "Turn The Page Tuesday!"

Flashback Friday

THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY!!! I have been so excited for the weekend to get here:) We get 4 fun-filled days as a family! Yesterday was a long, busy day so I am ready for some down ti....oh wait, this weekend is crazy busy too:) But, that's how I like it! And guess what is finally here?!?!?!? FOOTBALL!!!!! I am so so so excited! This means game days, yummy food, lots of time with friends, etc...I am trying out some new "cajun" recipes when we have people over. Hey, I do live in the heart of cajun food, so I should embrace it, right?;)

Do you know how to make true cajun food?

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I actually have a busy morning, so I am jumping back in with "Flashback Friday"....Thanks again Rachael!:)

Here is one of my little Georgia Fans! This is Eli at age 9 months!:)

I hope you all have some fun and exciting Labor Day plans! Wikipedia actually defined Labor Day pretty spot on......"Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events."

We will be celebrating with some friends tomorrow while watch Georgia play Buffalo! Sunday we have church and then we are having a "slumber party" with our good friends, The Shirley's!! On Monday we are all headed to Hodges Garden, and since its only an hour from our house, they are staying here to cut the length of the trip...or maybe it is just to have a spend the night;)

What are your weekend plans?

I hope your weekend is safe and fun-filled, too! I have some fun posts planned for next week, so I will "see you" Monday:) Thank you to all who have been reading! I truly appreciate it!

GOOOOO DAWGS!!!SIC'EM!!!! (feels so good to say that;))

RL

Growin' Boys+ New Recipe!

Thank God its Thursday! We have been not so patiently waiting this hurricane/tropical storm Isaac out. I am so thankful to say we got missed for the most part, and I am so thankful. Lousiana, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi have really been hit hard. I will definitely keep all of those affected in my prayers.

I thought I would also give you an adorable (yes, I am biased;)) update on my sweet boys! They are both getting so big and I am so proud of them! I am reminded every day at how much God has blessed our family. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to spend every day with my three boys;)

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I thought since I was posting on my boys, I would include one of my homemade baby food recipes! This really isn't a "recipe" per say, because you can do any combination of ingredients you want. I just included a fruit blend and a veggie/grain blend. I understand not all moms can make homemade food, and that is perfectly fine, too:) 

I hope you all have an awesome Thursday! We are headed out in the rain to hit Starbucks... I mean the grocery store;) Don't forget to get your "Turn The Page Tuesday" blogs ready!!!!

I will "see" you tomorrow! :)

RL

Baby Food Blend

by Rachel Layfield

Prep Time: 10 mintes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients (2 trays)

• Fruit Blend:
• Blueberry
• Strawberry
• Banana
• Veggie/Grain Blend:
• Peas
• Carrots
• Brown Rice
• Flax Seed
• Pear

Instructions

Pick the veggies, fruits, and grains that your toddler likes. Cut, wash, and steam your veggies for about 10-12 minutes. Place contents in food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into freezer safe baby food tray. Freeze and use as needed.

Powered by Recipage

Monday Madness+Zoo Zoom Recap

Happy Monday!! I can't believe the weekend is already over:( But, it is one day closer to this weekend and I cannot wait! We have had our football countdown on our laptop for 2 months now;) Yes, we get a little excited! Its gonna be a fun-FILLED weekend and I can't what to share the fun and yummy recipes with you.

Today is my day to clean, make grocery and errand lists, fall decor planning, food planning for football, and get dinner ready for my brother in law to come visit! Ok, technically he's not "officially" my BIL YET;) Harrison has been in California all summer doing an internship. He decided to stop and stay a few days on his way back to Georgia. His timing was perfect because Weston left this morning for Ft. Bragg. He comes back on Thursday and Harrison leaves on Thursday. For those of you who know me, know I don't like being alone so I am thankful for the company!!

My Sisty and Harrison:)

We had a great weekend in Baton Rouge!! Our race was a lot of fun! If you live in the BR area, I highly recommend this race next year. It was organized and set up very well. We ran all through the zoo and as we came around to the finish line, they had coolers set up with different flavors of powerade and snacks. My sweetie was kind enough to run with me, encouraged me the whole time, and did a great job running at "my pace." Weston is 6'4 so needless to say his strides are a tad bigger than mine;) We ran the 5k in 30 minutes and I beat my time by 6 minutes! I was happy I finished it without stopping or feeling out of breath;) Most of all, I enjoyed that time with Weston. I love having his full attention and being able to talk!

We have some more 5K races coming up this fall! I am also thinking of running my first half marathon in February:/ I've never been much of a runner, but my friends are running this one and have made it sound "fun":) As fun as running that long can be;) So...wish me luck? We will be running the 

New Orleans Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon!! If nothing else its a trip to New Orleans, right?;)

I hope you all have an awesome and blessed Monday! I have some new recipes this week, and don't forget "Turn The Page Tuesday" launches tomorrow, so get your books ready!!!!!!!

RL

Zoo Zoom 5K+A Little Me

Phew. I am tired this week. Its been a busy one! Today is the task of cutting the grass since we won't be home this weekend. We are headed to Baton Rouge for the Zoo Zoom 5K! If you live in the Baton Rouge are, there is still time to sign up! It is a run right through the zoo and past all the animals:) My husband and I are running it and I am so excited! I am no "fancy smancy" runner, but I do what I can;)  I do have to say I have really enjoyed running in the park in the evenings with my family. As you know, my husband is in the Army so he runs every morning as it is. I have been so thankful he enjoys the time, too, because he is running like 10 miles a day on the nights we run:/ Yikes.

Are you running a race thats coming up?

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Today I thought I would share a little more about myself! My "About Me" on the homepage just doesn't quite cut it;)

I was born in Fairfax, Virginia and then moved to Georgia when I was 2. My parents divorced shortly there after. My mom, my 2 sisters, and I lived there where she married my step-dad and had my 2 little sisters. I have a big family, YES 5 GIRLS, and I love love love it! 

My husband and I met in 9th grade:) We started dating in 10th grade and dated all through high school. Other than a quick break up Freshman year of college (let's be honest, its an interesting time in ones life;)) we dated through college and got married our senior year! I am madly in love with him and my love grows more every day....

I married a military man and I love every second of it..well, until he is late for dinner;) Weston is a Captain in the Military Police Corps. After 6 months of marriage, in the beginnings of my nursing school, what did we get? Orders to transfer to Texas! I was nervous, yet excited, and as when we got in the car to leave our first home and family, we never looked back. As long as I am with him, we can go anywhere!  We lived in Texas for three years where we had our beautiful sons, Wyatt and Elias!

These are my two current favorite pictures of them:)

Texas was a wonderful time in our life. We had many adventures, and made lifelong friends. 

We are currently stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and we love it! We have been so blessed...We have trusted in our Lord to guide us and let his plan be above ours. And as always, his plan is far more than we could've dreamed! I am crazy happily married and a very traditional, southern lady:)  I stay at home with our boys, now 3 and 1, and life couldn't be better. I have amazing friends, we have an awesome church, and we are closer to family! I can't wait to see where God takes us next!

I hope you all have a blessed Thursday!!!:)

RL