Get The Look: Valentino Rockstud T-Strap Pumps

So…I have a slight obsession. An obsession with a particular popular shoe: Valentino Rockstud pumps, to be exact 🙂 Aren’t they just beautiful???

Valentino Rockstud T-Strap Pump, $995.00

Ladies, I have been drooling over these shoes, in all the colors, patterns, and most heel heights available for quite some time now. These beauties can be worn with so much and even during the day~ the styling possibilites are endless. I love that they are so chic, have some classic elements, are ladylike, and edgy all at the same time. The only drawback is the hefty price tag! They are incredibly gorgeous shoes and are comfy and stylish, but I have been on the lookout for a comparable dupe. I think I may have found the best dupe out there yet~ and I am super picky about dupes- in fact, I usually don’t go for dupes of things I adore this much! [Read more…]

November Baby Favorites

It’s hard to believe, but another month is coming to a close! I hope all of you have had an enjoyable month and a great Thanksgiving holiday. It’s time for November baby favorites and Jacob is now 10 months old… I honestly don’t even know where the heck time has gone! I’m really cherishing every single moment with him. Below I have a quick view of the first five things we’ve liked using for the past few weeks:

Babiators– Aside from being absolutely adorable, these little kid friendly sunnies come with a warranty that can’t be beat! I love the large age range as far as sizing and fit goes and they are polarized. Super cute!
Medela Quick Steam Bags– These have been great to use to sanitize those bazillion bottle parts that come with Dr. Brown’s bottles (haha!) at the end of the days that I don’t quite have a full load of dishes to run through a dishwasher cycle. I just pop these in the microwave with a little water to create steam and all of the parts are quickly sanitized for the next feeding. These were great for my pump parts when I was breastfeeding as well.
The Night Before Thanksgiving– This book has been a constant read aloud and a baby favorite from his November themed book basket. The cute pictures keep him interested and he tries to turn the pages when we read.
YouVersion Bible App for Kids– It doesn’t get any cuter than this app for teaching babies and kiddos about The Bible. It has cute characters, easy to understand explanations, and bright and engaging graphics to keep little ones interested. This app has been awesome at bedtime as part of our routine.
Eddie Bauer Classic 3 in 1 Wood High Chair– I have all great things to say about this highchair and I love how it looks sleek, is functional, and matches décor without being an eyesore like some highchairs and baby products on the market.

Baby Mum Mum rice rusks– Jacob is loving these rice rusks and it’s so cute to see him bite into them using those few little teeth of his! I like the individually wrapped 2 pack servings that are so easy to throw in the diaper bag and go.

[Read more…]

Prayer Nourishes Our Relationship With God

We are totally dependant on God for life itself and prayer is how we show God that we need Him for absolutely everything. As believers, our first instinct in dealing with all things in our lives should be to pray. Sometimes we are not quite sure exactly how to pray. Prayer is simply us talking to God in each of our own way about things that concern us ~ big and small. There is no need to try to impress anyone with fancy prayers and long and drawn out words- talk as you were talking to a friend because you are talking to a Father and a friend: God! I find that to be so awesome!

Every believer has the ability to pray and to pray effectively. God loves, recognizes, and appreciates each of us with our own unique voice and characteristics that we possess. Just as a parent loves and adores his or her child, God feels the same for all of us. Prayer is powerful! When we pray, things change and we should expect change to happen! Prayer is meant for us to nourish and further develop our personal relationship with the Lord. It’s a time for each of us to get to know God better and what his agenda is. We must have faith and we must have confidence in God that He hears us when we pray and that He can do all things. The Bible reminds us that:

Jesus looked at them carefully and said, “It’s impossible for human beings. But all things are possible for God.” (Matthew 19:26 CEB)

[Read more…]

DIY Holiday Drink Station

The holiday season brings to mind family, friends, sweet treats, lots of good comfort food, warm drinks, and all things cozy. This year, I decided to make a festive DIY holiday drink station in one area of my kitchen and I love the way it turned out! It is so easy for anyone to build a drink station and it just makes an everyday thing like having a warm drink just a bit more fun! It’s also great to have around when guests are over. Below is how mine turned out using mostly items I already had at home:

These are the things needed other than your drink machine/coffee maker:

a decorative tray
a tiered stand
air-tight containers for candy canes and marshmallows
cake stand
an assortment of drink options including hot chocolate varieties, coffee, cappuccino, teas, apple cider, and iced coffee packets
appetizer plates
mugs and disposable to-go cups
sweet treats
jar (s) for sugar and creamer
fun straws
a cute themed sign or photo – I made this Winter Bucket List Plaque I had work, although it’s not quite Winter yet 🙂

While most of the items were things I already had at home, the other small things were found either at The Dollar Tree, Michael’s, or the Target Dollar spot for a steal! I think the white mini cake stand is too cute and the white makes it easy to use year round. The adorable Winter Checklist is something I was so happy to find at an after Christmas sale last year for next to nothing at Kirkland’s. This is the perfect spot for it! I just added a black wooden easel under it for some height and to make it interchangeable. To have fun with it all, I went with a mixture of drinks to choose from. I keep the overflow items in the pantry and re-fill when things get low and need refreshing. Holiday themed sweet treats in a small bowl are great here for quick grab and go snacking. I will switch these out using little iced gingerbread men cookies and frosted Christmas tree brownies throughout the upcoming weeks 🙂 The gold monogram mugs are some favorites from Christmas time last year. Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate is so delicious, makes awesome Christmas gifts, and I love the tins the chocolate shavings come in! The charming little jar labeled “sugar” is part of a trio, gifted to me by my mom a few years ago~I thought it was perfect for this area.

Here’s a closer look:

How cute are these little Polar Bear mugs and candy jars from The Dollar Tree!? They really have some great Christmas things this year! I will switch out the monogrammed letter B mugs with these polar bear mugs from time to time. These air-tight containers from The Dollar Tree were just the perfect size for my mini candy canes and fun marshmallows! These marshmallows are not only adorable and cupcake shaped, but they are RED VELVET CUPCAKE FLAVORED! Yummy!!!

Very simple to do , right? I have really enjoyed getting everything set up a little earlier than I usually do as far as decorating for Christmas goes! This little DIY holiday drink station is new for me this year, so fun to have around, and really makes the perfect addition to everything else. This will be Jacob’s 1st Christmas and we are looking forward to it for sure! I am thinking I will try to keep the drink station set up all year round and just change out themed items and drink types and flavors with each season that comes.

I would love to know: what items do you add to your DIY holiday drink station?

Thanks for reading!

Easy and Delicious One Pot Pasta

It’s a busy time of year, so making EASY and delicious meals a must in my house! I am sure everyone has lots of holiday get-togethers, as well as shopping and decorating to get done with Thanksgiving and Christmas nearby. So when life gets really busy, I find it helpful to have a handful of recipes that are effortless and yummy to be able to pull from to cook at home! One pot pasta recipes are great to have especially for this purpose. There are so many varieties out there and this particular go-to meal for me is definitely a crowd pleaser, looks beautiful, and takes very little time to prepare.

Prepping ahead of time by chopping the onion, tomatoes, and garlic really makes this even quicker to throw together when I’m ready to cook. Literally everything just gets thrown in one pot and you’re done…with the exception of a little stirring! There’s no need to cook the noodles beforehand and the spinach can be swapped out by using basil if you prefer. I like to brown the Andouille smoked sausage before adding in the pot, but that is completely an optional step 🙂 If you are not a fan of spicy foods, you could definitely use regular smoked sausage for this one and I’m sure it would be delicious as well. Linguine noodles or spaghetti noodles can be used, but I would stay away from using thinner noodles such as angel hair due to the small amount of time angel hair takes to cook. We do like thinner noodles in my house so I did opt for thin spaghetti, which works out great. The recipe is below and it’s easy to add or take away ingredients so that it fits your tastes! [Read more…]

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