Wilderness at The Smokies

We are back from our spring break trip to Tennessee! Lots of fun was had by all, we played in the pool a lot which was great cause everything was inside, it was pretty cold for spring time up in TN! Here is a recap of our big adventure or has my Peppa Pig loving daughter would say, our holiday trip (Peppa is English) :-) Riding with little kids is always a challenge but the girls did pretty good. I get terrible motion sickness so I drove most of the way. I am not a fan of curvy mountain roads and there were a lot of them for sure! We stopped at the GA/TN border for some lunch, Papa's Pizza To Go!

I ordered a little cheese and olive pizza, yummy!

I am a big olive fan, I could eat them every day, OLIVE YOU XOXO

About 4 hours later we arrived. If you have ever visited The Great Wolf Lodge in NC, it's pretty much the same thing, just bigger. It has indoor and outdoor water slides, pool areas, water buckets, arcade, restaurant all inside. It's very kid friendly and about 15 min from Pigeon Forge, I saw Dolly Parton billboards everywhere!

We checked in and got our swimsuits on. Getting in a bathing suit 6 months after giving birth is not my ideal but it was worth it to see my girls happy :-) Hubby relaxing in the pool with Nicole, I think she is tired of all the pics!

This is my favorite picture, look at that face!! This was Taylor's first time going down on her tummy!

She did it!!!

Taylor LOVES the water, she is my little mermaid!

Relaxing in the water=perfect time for a nap!

Splashing around with Daddy

We all four at breakfast at the restaurant and it was not a disaster!! It was on all you can eat buffet, we had waffles, biscuits and gravy, fruit and sausage, YUM!

Matching swimsuits and covers from Omma Easter Bunny

I think Taylor looks like Elsa in Frozen in the pic when she is creating her ice castle!

Look at that face, totally worth that curvy mountain road

Sweet water sisters

Molly the Moose came by for a visit

Our view of the TN Mountains, beautiful!

We had great time, it was very nice to get some time off to spend with my family. See ya soon Smokies!

Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken & Simple Joy's

Around here in North GA it's spring break for a lot of the school's. I have been enjoying lighter commutes and Starbuck's in the morning thanks to a gift card my brother gave me...SCORE! We are taking the girls on a little trip which I am excited for, a nice & well deserved few days off of work this week. I wanted to share a yummy & cheap supper I fixed Sunday night. It's a recipe I found off one of my favorite blogs and it's a keeper for sure!!

I pulled out my trusty crock pot and threw everything in and it came out delish!! You will need:

-3 frozen chicken breasts
-2 cans of new potatoes
-1 can of green beans
-1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dips, I used half the packet
*I poured everything into the crock pot, the juice from the veggie cans gave it a lot of flavor. It cooked for about 4 hours then I pulled out the chicken and cooked it a little more on the stove top. I cut it up and put everything in a bowl served with some store bought frozen biscuits, it was really good!

This admission may make me the biggest Cheese head's around, but I LOVED The Passion New Orleans that aired on Fox Palm Sunday. From the music to the message I thought it was so good!! So much that I ordered the soundtrack from Walmart.com and have been listening to it every morning going into work. If you didn't catch it, the show uses popular songs as a way to tell The Crucifixion story. It's got singers I already love like Trisha Yearwood and Seal who cover hits made by Celine Dion and Tina Turner...YES!! They had a full choir in the background too!! Yolanda Adams starts by singing When Love Takes Over, its awesome!! She is so good. My favorite is track #13, We Don't Need Another Hero, remember that song by Tina Turner from Mad Max? Seal and Juan Carlos do a great cover. It's a great message about love which is always a win!

If you have not tried the new Caramelized Honey Frappacino, you should! Its SO good!!

China Garden and Chicken Salad Chick all in one work week? Hello lunch break!! 2 of my favs, nothing beats Chinese take out and you all know my now CSC is one of the best lunches out there!!

I'm not much of a drinker but I picked up this little cutie just for the color and it was pretty good! Like a blue pina coloda, a fun way to celebrate the weekend!

What can make a yummy Edwards Frozen Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie better? The Pioneer Woman's cute pie pan! I swoon over her collection every time I pass it at Wal Mart, so far I have this pie pan and butter dish.

We took Nicole's 6 month pictures this weekend, Nicole did great, Taylor not so good :-( She pouted the entire time and threw a huge fit, how embarrassing. Luckily our photographers have a 2 years old so they were sympathetic. Not sure how they will come out but I will let you know. They did look really cute though, I got these matching dresses at Lolly Wolly Doodle, they are expensive but so adorable!!

The girls also had spring pictures at school, I am hoping Taylor was in a better mood for those!! How cute are these little vest's and dresses, I scored them from Kmart.com, $13 bucks each! Taylor wore her cowgirl boots too..."These boots are made for walking..."

Loosing the baby weight is no easy task. I envy those women who only gain a small bump and fit into their jeans 2 weeks after giving birth, but its just not me. With both my girls I gained almost 80 LB's, I swelled and ate a lot of ice cream :-) I try to keep a realistic approach about it knowing I didn't gain it all in one month and I can't loose it all in one month. With the longer days I have been strolling Nicole around the neighborhood, it's a great way to relax and enjoy the weather. And it helps to wear my cute Rapunzel shirt I found on Ebay. Sing with me now "7 AM the usual morning line up.."

 Two special loves in my life share early April birthday's. My Grandmother Kee would have been 95 years old this year, she made it to 90 here with us. I love all my Grandparents and was blessed to have them as long as I did. All 4 lived close to me growing up and I spent a lot of time with them all. My Grandmother Kee was kind, smart, independent, a woman of faith, a Mother of 2 boys, she was a great cook, she was detailed in everything she did. She was there at every birthday, awards ceremony, sick day, graduation, holiday. She was even at my wedding in pink. I wish so much she would have got to meet my girls. She did get to meet her first 2 great grand kids and LOVED them. She left us a few weeks after her 90th birthday and looking back I know why. A few months after she passed away I also had a miscarriage. I know she got there first to welcome our Angel Baby & was there to hold the next. I will always love my Grandmother Sara Kee XOXO

After I graduated college and got my own little one bedroom apartment, my next step was to get a dog!! When I got Gizmo he was so tiny I could fit him in my purse! He was my longest relationship for years. He moved to several apartment's with me. He was there when I got married and had Taylor. He was a loyal dog with big ears and eyes. He hated when I left him. This coming May will be a year since he went to doggie heaven. I think about him a lot and especially my last moment with him. He would have been 12 years old this year. He loved me a lot & is a dog no one will ever forget!!

Pops of spring around our house

The weather in Georgia has been great these last few days, clear blue skies, cool & comfortable. Still a lot of pollen but all the flowers are starting to bloom. I purchased some hanging baskets from Walmart to pot in my clay black pots I keep on both sides of the garage door. The needed some TLC and Taylor helped me out!

Nothing major or expensive, I just purchased some black spray paint and gave the pots a fresh coat.

Then I just took the plastic hangers off the bucket and placed them as far down as I could into the pot. I also got this cute little seasonal flag from Lakeside Collection, they have a great website if you are looking for home decor that is cheap!

She is just as lovely as the flowers XOXO

Nicole also helped me with some flower planting, I got half way around the tree before Nicole had a break down, but eventually got them planted. Home projects can take a while with little ones!

Our azalea bushes from Home Depot we got last spring are starting to bloom, so pretty!

And the cherry on the Sundae, I picked up some ferns at Walmart this weekend, I hope they can make it all summer, ferns on the front porch are so Southern to me!!

April Fool's Dinner

So did anyone get fooled this year for April Fool's Day?! I tried my best to trick my family, but they are a pretty smart group, here is what I did!!

A nice dinner set out for my loves. I picked up some polka dot party ware at Walmart and re-sued this green table runner. I even added some candlesticks for that extra special treat!

Happy April Fools!

Looks like cupcakes right? Take one bite and discover its meatloaf and mashed potatoes...April Fools!! This was super easy and cheap, I picked up some Stouffer's frozen meatloaf & a family size package of instant mashed potatoes. I added some red food color and...April Fools!!

My next trick, I pulled out my load pan to create a meatloaf but take one bite and discover its Cocoa Krispy Treats..April Fools!

A silly dinner needs some silly hats, right?! I picked these up at Oriental Shipping and used my free shipping code...SCORE!!

My Little Piggy, oink oink!

My Baby Cow, moo!!!

It was a fun dinner to do, I can't wait to trick them again next year!!

Simple Joy's & what I wore

Another work week is coming to an end..yeah!! This week has been a lot, between a funeral, Nicole and Hubby's Dr appointments and hundreds of emails, I am worn out! But it's been a good week to, it's the little things throughout the day that count, here are some of mine!

Friday morning traffic is usually a little lighter around my house, so by wearing my hair straight today and less traffic I had just enough time to stop my Starbucks for some morning caffeine. What a great surprise when I pulled up and the person in front of me paid for my drink! Was this an April Fools joke? Nope, just being kind and of course I paid it forward. It's little acts of kindness that really count XOXO.

While sitting in terrible traffic every single day of the year, seeing this bumper sticker really made me laugh!! Annoy a liberal, work hard & be happy :-) Here is to all the hard workers out there!

While getting ready for work this song popped up on my shuffle, YES!!!

Love these 2, can you tell which gene's Nicole got?!

BBQ is one of my favorite meals, there are so many great BBQ places in the south. The girls at work got some Spiced Right for lunch, it was delish! Pulled port sammie, baked beans and corn casserole. And of course sweet tea, I was in heaven...and I wanted a nap soon after.

I picked these up a Walmart last week, I love Snapple and I love my Keurig, so these 2 came together and its really good! I recommend it, just pop the K-Cup in and enjoy, make sure you have ice to cool it down!

Any day is a good day for DONUTS...YUM!!

I can only wish I had the energy of my 3 year old!!

I scored these cute Disney Princess pj's from Target online, they are so comfy!! I was holding my princess while wearing all the Princesses :-)

I paired this comfy teal short sleeve dress with a denim jacket, my leopard flats and yellow necklace/earring! Love to layer in the spring!

With the rain storm that came in early morning I checked Pinterest for outfits with pink rain boots. I paired it with this navy blue Charming Charlie dress and my Lilly vest. "Make every hour, happy hour."