Christmas Recap

  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. I have loved this Christmas break, it has been one of the best. Relaxing, hanging out with family, baking, delicious food, and lots of laughs it was just what I needed.

   I started my vacation on Monday of Christmas week since schools are out. This being our first Christmas in our own house we decided that we wanted to exchange gifts there, so we needed to do them early. So Monday night we sat down after dinner, put on the fireplace on Netflix which had its own music to go with it and opened presents. I gave Hubby top of the line web cam from logitech. A quad camera drone, The 5th Wave book for him to read before we see the movie. A soft plush robe and Mad Max Fury Road. Plus some fun stocking stuffers that we waited and opened on Christmas. He gave me something that I had been wanting for ever, a Cannon EOS Rebel T5. With all the necessary attachments 2 lenses, 3 batteries, a memory card, and camera bag. I am in love with it and have taken so many pictures already. The pictures on here are about to improve so much and that makes me very excited.

Merry Christmas

   From my family to yours I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a day filled with family, fun, great food and lots of love.

   Take a minute and remember why we even have a reason to celebrate. I talked about the story of Christmas last year. Jesus was born so that he could die for you and me and all of us. He is the Hope and Joy that we have and He LOVES us all. I'm so thankful, amazed and glad that he is my Savior. The gifts don't matter becasue the greatest gift of all has already been given, don't forget about him.

Have a blessed day and I will be back to regular schedule next week.

Healthy Options at McDonald's

I am a brand ambassador for McDonald’s of Central Arkansas and am being compensated for this post, all thoughts and opinions though are my own.

   When you think McDonald's your first thought is probably not healthy, mine is typically fries and McDoubles. McDonald's has made huge strides in their offerings over the last few years and their menu is not lacking nutritious options. These are some of the great options you can pick breakfast or lunch. 
   
   If you have been following me long it is pretty obvious that chicken is one of my favorite foods, I could eat it for every meal. McDonald's has some of the greatest fast food chicken around. Their Artisan Grilled Chicken is my absolute favorite to have on a sandwich. The Chef Crafted Sandwiches give you the option to pick your protein, the grilled chicken on an artisan bun with the any of the toppings and you have a great healthier option.

Married Monday: Fun Christmas Ideas for Couples

  4 days until Christmas! I can't believe that it is time and the year is almost over, it seems like last Christmas was just the other day. We have all our gifts wrapped and sitting under our shiny tree just waiting to be opened. We are excited to be headed home in just a couple days to spend time with our families. I love Christmas time.

   With the bustle these last few days before Christmas it is easy to forget to spend a little extra time with your spouse and have a one on one moment. These are a couple ideas that are fun for the days leading up to Christmas, Christmas Eve and even Christmas day.

Reddit Secret Santa Recap

Hubby has been a Redditer for many years now and has participated in a few gift exchanges within the community. This year I decided  I would join in the fun as well. If you have no idea what Reddit is then I encourage you to take a visit to their site. I don't go on very often, but it has a lot of fun things to look at from any topic you can imagine.

  I didn't have huge expectations but was excited to give someone a cool gift, and hope to receive one too. There are instances where a Santa may not send anything or send something really sucky..I was hoping to not be on the receiving end of this. Thankfully I had a great Santa and got something from my Amazon wishlist. It was a random item I added on to it but it is awesome!

M&M Pudding Cookies- Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

   This is my second year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap and I loved it. The proceeds from this swap go to Cookies for Kids Cancer. I enjoy being a part of this and raising money and awareness for a great cause.

Guest Post on ARWB, Sharing the Magic

I love Christmas and all that it includes. I especially love getting to give to others.

   Today I have a guest post on Arkansas Women Bloggers about sharing the magic of Christmas. My absolute favorite this year has been participating with the angle tree. We are so blessed that we are able to give to a child who is in need.

Take a look and see some other great ideas for sharing the magic. (click on the image below)

  Have any other ideas to spread the magic around? I would love to hear them.

Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

   I made these to take for Thanksgiving so that I would have a desert that would be on our Trim Healthy Mama Plan and not make me have a sugar crash after lunch. They were a big hit, I didn't mention that there wasn't any sugar or regular flour in it, and no one seemed to miss it. It was also really easy to make.

Married Monday: Winter Date Ideas

   I love going on dates with my hubby and the cold weather doesn't slow that down. There are many great ideas that you can do in the colder months, especially with the holidays. This is a season where it easy to get so busy and wrapped up in activities and to do list that date nights can slip right out of your mind. They are still important and good for your marriage though so heres a list of my favorite ideas.

DIY Garland Tutorial

   I showed my Christmas decorations earlier this week and it included this lovely garland. I am so happy with it and it was amazing how easy it was. I also made one to go around the post by the front door. Here is how I made them.