Jumpin-Beans

 As Mariah likes to say....  "It's TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Normally I am almost finished with Christmas shopping in November, but with a teenage boy and tweenage girl, their "must haves" are constantly changing!  I have decided to put off some ideas, but others are full steam ahead!   I wanted to share with you a great gift idea that would be perfect for those   "brrrr baskets" I am seeing is a trend this year!     FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are  my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. We were sent the Bootleg Bath Shower Steamers for review in Lavender Mint and I actually LOVE that I smell the mint more than the lavender.  Don't get me wrong, because I love lavender, but I take my shower in the morning to get me ready for work, so in my mind if the lavende

If you have been here a bit, you might remember, Marr and I took a little weekend road trip and went to Pine Mountain.  We stayed at the CUTEST CABIN EVER... Check out my road trippin post  if you need a refresher.  Here is the link for CABIN AT THE POND PINE MOUNTAIN if you want to rent it and enjoy!   Anyways...we went back to check out DAKOTA'S COUNTER since it is open now... and I tell you, it is only like 10 minutes off the interstate, so pull off for a quick bite and check it out!   So yeah... now that it is open, we made a trip to Atlanta to take care of some things and decided we would venture out to see the place... Had I known it was only 10 minutes off of the interstate, we would have for sure gone before now.  Look how cute it is: As you enter, there are a couple booths and a couple tables inside. You step up to the counter and place your order - grab you a bottled soda and then pick a seat.  A short bit later, your food is delivered to you and you enjoy. Small town, s

 To know me is to love me, right?  If you know me, you know I am a sentimental person. I love keepsakes and I am all about something specialized for the recipient.  You might also know I ABSOLUTELY love Christmas ornaments.   Fun fact - I absolutely despise putting up a Christmas tree.  Well, I hate the lights part of it all... but that is why I have a pre-lit tree these days!  But- I get so frustrated in putting on my ornaments.  First of all, I take a trip down memory lane looking and thinking about each and every single one...  Then, it is the making sure they are placed on correctly, spaced out and not all bunched up and all that good stuff.  Now, I just let the kids put them on and it is a conglomerate of ornaments here and there... and that is ALRIGHT with me... it is all about the memories, right?  At one point, we had several trees in our house.  One that was full of all sorts of ornaments, one that was more of the "gold plated travel ornaments" and then one that was

Last year my girl jumped on the Taylor Swift fan train and has not stopped since.  She begs me to take her to a concert - sorry, my sweet girl, but mama just cannot afford those tickets!  She wanted to dress as T. Swift for Halloween, but who knows if that is still on the table, I mean, Halloween isn't until the end of October, so who really knows?  She is totally in her Swiftie Era and I am here for it!   Imagine my excitement when I had the chance to get the "Taylor Swift is Life" book for review... ESPECIALLY being that she has to read at least 20 minutes each night for homework...and we all know that you will enjoy reading more, if it is something that interests you!   FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are  my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. TAYLOR SWIFT IS LIFE: A Superfan’

Y'all, I can not even NOT share this with you...   When Matt and I started planning our Summer Vacation, we knew we had to be budget conscious.  (If you know, you KNOW!)  Well, of course I wanted to take the kids to Disney - Savannah has never been - but it was just OUT OF OUR PRICE RANGE.  Then, we looked at Universal - HELLO HARRY POTTER - but again, out of our range.  A friend told me that we should look at going to NASA - so long (yet super funny) story short- we started looking into that...  We stumbled upon a site called GO CITY and once we put in ORLANDO -  I knew this was THE BEST choice for us!!!  Now let me tell you this...  You start with figuring out what you want to do on your trip.  Then you decide how many days you want the passes for.  There are several options, so make sure you plan the best for your time there.   Of course, we went to Kennedy Space Center.   I think both kids really enjoyed it, but honestly I think Broxton was really in his zone and enjoyed it th

Y'all- Let me tell you about how smart and creative my girl is!!! I was telling her how we should have a pamper day.. and she came through for me!  So, recently I came home to her having a pamper day with Matt.  He will pretty much let her do anything, yes.. she has even put make up on him (including nail polish and wings on his eyes and he just rolls with it.)  Anyways... She has done make up on me as well... and this particular day she was being extra creative.  Makeup on me.. not too bad, I never wear any, so the natural look was perfect for me...  But - get ready for the creativity..  This girl here.. She went and got a piece of paper and "made" a face mask for Matt... Including the "cucumber eye masks" and the little gold pads that go under your eyes...  I LOVE how her mind works!!! As you can see, the 2 masks are on her..  AND THEN SHE EVEN HAS JOLLY RANCHERS for a treat for her customers!   Gotta love this girl! Anyways, I just thought I would share how s

Hey yall...  I know it has been a bit since I posted, but that is because "life has been lifing" You know, the good and the bad... but I wanted to share something with you all.  ** NO, this is not a sponsored post, but I thought it was worth sharing.**  Recently, we decided to take the kids on a vacation to Orlando, Florida.   Of course, we really wanted to do it big and hit the theme parks, but again - LIFE- so we made the best out of it and I think that we did a really good job.   We ended up doing a good amount of research before we decided on a hotel and I am so happy with the one we went with.  That being said, I wanted to share with you...  We went with Holiday Inn Resorts Orlando Suites .   We wanted a room with plenty of room.  Yeah, it was only 4 of us... but with a 15 year old and an 8 year old... Whew, the moods and EVERYONE needs their own space.  Lucky for us, the room we picked was perfect.  It had a nice room off from the "sitting area" that was perfe

Have you ever been to Alpharetta, Georgia? To be honest, we used to go there all the time... Then when my brother got married, we got to really check out Avalon - Alpharetta ... and let me just tell you, it is a whole different world there!  (MAJOR COMPLIMENT, so don't read more into it!)  The kids love going to Alpharetta, so you best believe we stay in that area when we get the chance. This past weekend, I learned that Alpharetta Restaurant Week was going on  (March 3-9, 2024)  FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are  my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. Alpharetta Restaurant Week March 3-9, 2024 Alpharetta boasts an unbeatable lineup of top-notch culinary hot spots and Alpharetta Restaurant Week is the perfect time for patrons to try a new restaurant or revisit a favorite. With over 45 par

Are you a Swiftie?  Know one?  Related to one?  If so- then this is it for you!  Savannah loves her some Taylor Swift - nothing like listening to that sweet little girl belting out tunes in her room!  So, when I heard that there was going to be a ERAS TOUR release - I knew I wanted her to see it.  She begged and begged to go to the concert, but it wasn't in the budget- I planned to go to the theater to show her- but if you saw our theater, you would understand when I did not actually rush to do so.  So, when I found out that we would have the opportunity to watch at home?  HECK YEAH!!!  Matt even joined in to watch, since he knew how much it would mean to her!  Let me say - that girl has some TALENT - and I would actually LOVE to go to a show, I don't know that many of her songs - but boy - ENTERTAINER all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!! FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for

 I love to read!  I took a break from reading - because every time I tried to read, one of the kids would want me to read to them... and I was NOT about to turn that down.  Well, now they are both old enough to read on their own and that has opened the door for me to enjoy reading again.  I have had a chance to read several different books lately, but one of the latest I have finished was:  The Brightest Light of Sunshine by Lisina Coney.  I really enjoyed this book.  It was a quick read and a happy read!  I actually asked a coworker if she wanted to read it (Normally takes her a while to get into a book, but she read it rather quickly and it is being passed around the office now!)  If you are looking for a book to curl up and enjoy, I would say to check this one out!!!   FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are  my

We have not seen this yet, but we keep seeing the previews for it and have already planned to have a movie night to watch it soon!  Just thought I would share the press release with you in case you want to have a movie night of your own soon!!!! OWN OR RENT ON DIGITAL TUESDAY, JANUARY 23   WHILE STILL IN THEATERS FROM ILLUMINATON AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMEN FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are  my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. Universal City, California, January 22, 2024 –  As it continues its theatrical run, the heartwarming new comedy from Illumination, creators of blockbuster hits  Despicable Me  and  Sing , will be available exclusively on digital platforms to buy or rent tomorrow, January 23, 2024, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.  MIGRATION   invites fans to t

*** This would be a great set to think outside the box for a Valentines gift!  From Bath Bombs to Eye Masks, they literally have you covered!!!! *** Having a boy and a girl - people tell you they are going to be so different... and boy no truer words were spoken!!!  In some ways, it is like night and day.. but then other times, it is like mirror images.  Having a little girl, it has been fun trying to do more " girly things" from time to time- she loves to try and get her brothers attention whenever she can, so she was more into Marvel Characters than Barbie. and she dressed as Darth Vader the year all the girls were little princesses.  I love it though, she is totally her OWN person and lets her personality out- she does not concern herself with others opinions (for the most part.)  I loved it when she asked me if I wanted to have a pamper day with her, so you can imagine the fun!  Sometimes our pamper days are putting on makeup (sometimes it is real makeup,. sometimes we ju

I ran across an old email and while most of the people I know are freezing right now, summer isn't too far off.  This was a list for things to do in Alpharetta during the summer.  While some of the activities might not be available anymore, you can still find fun things to do!!!!!  We love going to Alpharetta when we visit family, so you can believe we will be making our own list of THINGS TO DO based upon what I am sharing with you!!!! This is at a hotel in Alpharetta.   The ABCs of Family Fun in Alpharetta A is for Art Walk – Visit 20 sculptures across Alpharetta! Follow the map and read the stories/inspiration behind each sculpture in the Alpharetta Arts Brochure. B is for Build-A-Bear – Create a plush best friend that will mark the memory of a fun summer exploring Alpharetta! C is for Catching a movie – Enjoy a chill afternoon seeing the latest flick at Studio Movie Grill, AMC North Point Mall or Regal Cinemas Avalon!  D is for Downtown  Alpharetta  – There is always something