Beach Vacation

Family vacation numero uno this year took us to beautiful Destin, Florida. The sand was as soft as sugar and the water was wonderful! I thought I'd share some photos from our trip with all of you!

There was a lot of sand-castle-building, sports, and fun happening on the beach. Luckily, most of our family drove there so they provided a majority of the sand toys! Pool time was also a must when the ocean water was just too warm. There were so many fabulous places to eat, the fresh seafood was amazing! The Grouper is definitely the way to go!

There were so many fabulous places to eat, the fresh seafood was amazing!The Grouper is definitely the way to go! Bayou Bills and Boshamps were by far my fav's. If you're ever in Destin, I highly recommend them! I mean just look at this awesome table we had overlooking the bay!

I would like to give a quick shout out to a couple of wonderful jewelry makers that helped pull a few outfits together... Below I am sporting a wonderful piece made by the wonderful artists at Mountain Living Studio. Unfortunately, they do not have an online store, but if you are lucky enough to live in the state of Colorado, they are located in Manitou Springs! This beautiful necklace is comprised of all blue tones, is lightweight, and is so artsy-fartsy that it made my plain dress look like a knock-out!

Second, I would like to give a shout out to eIndigo. This wonderful Esty shop is ran by the beautiful Lauren, who was nice enough to give us a little "poolside show" of all of her wonderful offerings! I picked up this little number from her while we were on vacation and I couldn't be happier! Her shop also has earrings, anklets, necklaces, and much more! You can get one similar to this on her Etsy page!

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Leave a comment: Have you ever been to Destin? What are your favorite "hot-spots"? Are there any "not-spots"? Share with me!

Packing for Kids

I cannot believe it has been a whole month since my last post! Sorry, peeps. Life and picture-difficulties have gotten in the way... but now I'm BACK! 

With another travel post?! Well, it's that time of year peeps, so get used to it! There's a lot more where this came from! 

Today I would like to talk about packing, specifically for the kiddos. Is there a worst feeling in the world than when you're on vacation and your kids suitcase looks like a natural disaster happened inside the bag? (Well for me and my OCD self, this sucks pretty bad.) 

I've started packing for Alayna using the "bag system". I can pack her bag, unpack at our destination and repack our bags to leave in only about 10 minutes each time. 

I start of by counting how many outfits, pajamas, swimsuits, etc. she will need. I then place each individual outfit into a Ziploc bag. I make sure to include the outfit, underwear and socks. Lately, I've even started to label the bags with the contents of each bag and suggestions on shoes to wear the in the contained outfit. (This came really in handy over a trip we had with family that has other girls the same age. So that if their clothes got separated during the trip, I could reference the bag and know what clothes were missing! Pretty smart, huh?)

Each day on vacation, my daughter can just pick out one bag and go! No more fussing over outfits, it just a matter of picking a bag. Cuts out time getting ready and allows us more time to have fun!

What great ideas to you have for packing for kiddos? Have you seen anything cool and would like to share? Let me know! Leave a comment! 

Derby Weekend

HAPPY DERBY!

With my boyfriend Jay being from Louisville, KY, the Kentucky Derby is a big deal in our house. We just happen to be lucky enough to go also! Last year was my first derby experience so I think I qualify as a "seasoned veteran" this year. 

We attended Churchill Downs last Friday for the Kentucky Oaks. (I know, I know, this post is waaaay late.) That way we could free up Saturday for all of the fabulous Derby parties! It was a BLAST!

The hats were all so fabulous!
 I got my super-cool hat from Hat-A-Tude's online shop and had it shipped directly to Kentucky. I was so convenient not having to carry it on the plane!

This was our whole group we went with!

We also took a trip to the Louisville Slugger factory while we were there. While we were there, they were making the pink bats that the baseball players use on Mother's Day. They also have the world's largest baseball bat! 

At the Slugger Museum, there was also a Loony Tunes exhibit that had all of these neat cells from baseball cartoons. It brought back so many memories!

We had such a fun time! Can't wait to visit again!

Quick Tablecloth Holders

Here's a cute little idea for the avid party-planner! As my sister-in-law was getting ready for her Derby Party over the weekend, we realized that the wind gusts outside were going to be an issue. Especially when it came to the super cute polka-dot table cloths she was using.

We came up with a quick and easy solution!

Don't you seem to always have these little binder-clips randomly laying around your house, or tucked away in some desk drawer?? We scavenged up a few alternating colors and made these adorable little tablecloth holders! 

There were 4 tables so we used 16 clips in total. The entire project only took me 2 minutes. It was festive, cute, easy and cheap! 

Short post today! I just wanted to share this crafty little idea I had over the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to use the links on the right side of the page to follow me, and don't forget to comment! I'd love to hear about the crafty little things you come up with!

My mom calls them "Actibities"

This week, we are headed to Kentucky for the Derby! #derbyweek! Jay was born and raised in Kentucky so we are combining a family vaca.

Coming from a family of "travelers", we have a tradition in this house, Traveling Activities, or as my mother calls them "Actibities".  It's like going to church without candy, you can't travel with out your backpack full of actibities!

Being a mom, this provides a wonderful opportunity to pack all of the necessities needed to take care of my family while we embark on our journey. I have compiled a list of all of the "must-haves" that I always include in my bag. Along with some PHOTOS!!!  (...I know, right?! They're from my phone so don't get too excited...)

For Mom:
1. My Laptop (I have to continue blogging, right?)
2. Real Simple Magazine and People Mag Crossword book
3. Thank You Cards that need to be filled out
4. Light Jacket

For Kids:
1. iPad (loaded with some movie faves like Frozen and Pitch Perfect)
2. iPod touch (loaded with games and music)
3. Nintendo DS
4. Coloring Book
5. Crayons
6. Some sort of craft (This time, we opted for a color-me travel bag that she will then be able to use on our trip! You can find it here.)
7. Doll (or other comfort item)
8. Light Jacket

For the Family:
1. A Blanket (for those much needed plane-naps)
2. Camera
3. Headphones
4. Warm Socks 
5. Moist Wipes (for on-the-spot cleanup)
6. Brush
7. All Charging Cables
8. Chapstick
9. Gum
10. Small (security safe) snacks
11. Hand Sanitizer
12. Ibuprofen
13. Flushable wipes
14. Antacid
15. Tide Stick

Now, you're probably wondering,

"How in the you-know-what does she fit all of that into one backpack?"

Well, I happen to have the answer to that too! Here is the backpack I use:

I bought it from Costco, you can see a similar item here. 

(I bought mine last season) 

But I would say that any 4-pocket backpack that has a laptop sleeve would work. You could even use one that doesn't have a laptop sleeve if you have a portable one, just be sure that laptop is easy to get out during security! 

I just like to make sure that my backpack has the front pocket that has little pockets inside. This helps to keep all of my small things organized, including all of the small items in the "family" list along with my credit cards and ID, pens, glasses, etc. 

Extra tips: This may be self explanatory (but you'd be surprised with what people try to do when traveling with kids) but I always make sure to travel in something comfortable. Jeans, loose top, loose jewelry (so that its easy to take off at security) and most importantly, ballet flats!

I wear the ballet flats for 2 reasons, #1 they are easy to take off at security. With this method of packing, all I have to do at the security checkpoint is take my laptop out of my bag (bin 1) throw my shoes, jackets, Alayna's doll and jewelry into another bin (bin 2) and lay my backpack on the belt. When I'm done, I just throw on my shoes and be on my way! Luckily, with new TSA regulations, Alayna doesn't have to take her shoes off, she can just walk through.

The second reason I love to wear my ballet flats with traveling with kids is because my feet ALWAYS swell when I fly. Don't get me wrong, when I'm not traveling with my daughter, I almost always will wear heels. However, I will always make sure that my heels can just kick off also. This is where my warm socks come into play. I usually will put my warm socks on during the flight, if not just to keep my tootsies warm, but to have something on my feet to walk to the bathroom in, seeing as how my feet are no longer fitting into my shoes. 

Last extra tip: Order a rum and coke. The flight attendant will usually have little salt-lime packet and POOF! you have yourself a grade-A cocktail!

Posting from Kentucky this week!

And just because its funny....

because who doesn't love n*sync humor?

Birthday Extravaganza!

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I would like to announce that Thursday was my daughter's 9th birthday!!!!

Yaaaaayyy!!!!

Happy Birthday Alayna!

                         How Exciting!

So today, I thought I would share some crafty things I made for her party! Wanna guess what the problem with that is??

Hi, my name is Shanna, and I have a serious

 problem remembering to take pictures of ANYTHING.

While my daughter's birthday was a great time, I have not a single photo to remember it by. Well, I do have a mouth (well, fingers and a keyboard) so at least I can blab all about it!

We had her actual birthday party on Saturday and it was FAB! All of her little friends from her school came over plus an abundance of family. We had a bounce house, piñata and plenty of bbq'd food. The cake was gorgeous and I'm pretty sure she got everything she wanted.

I am so proud of the little girl she has become! I can already tell how "grown-up" she is, just since she turned 9.

So let's get to the serious issue here. I really need to get into some sort of photography class, like A-SAP. I promise... as time goes on, I am going to get on my picture game. 

Well, till next time!

A Rose from the Ashes

For myself, today has been a very thought provoking day. It has all been based around the question:

"What happy feeling can I pull out of moments of sadness or anxiety?"

I consider myself to be a pretty emotional person (I mean, I am a woman), and today was extraordinary. I was put in a position today where I was with a large group of people I don't know, and was there to make friends. 

(aaaaahhhhh!!!!)

Now, I tend to be pretty quiet in that sort of scenario, and today was no different. It gave me a very anxious feeling, but when the night was over and I left, that all changed. 

I felt proud.

I took myself out of my comfort zone, into a totally new world (wait a sec... this sounds familiar) and I did GREAT! I can remember at least 6 different peoples names and I had a really good time. When I got there, I was sure that I was going to leave upset with myself for not talking enough or not "just putting myself out there". I am happy to say that for the second day in a row, I DID IT

So what lesson did I learn from all of this? It goes back to the question of the day... What happy feeling can I pull out of moments of anxiety? It wasn't until I was driving home that I realized just how much fun I had! I may have had a moment of sadness thinking that I wasn't making friends with these other ladies, but I did well! And that, my friends, is my happy feeling for today. I accomplished something that I didn't think could be accomplished in the first encounter.

"Good for you Shanna!" "Oh! Thanks, Shanna! I'm pretty happy for myself!"

In honor of this, for the next few days, I will devote myself to the friendship that I have to offer. There is so much love in my heart for everyone (friends, family, blog readers...) that I just want to spread it around!

What type of things do you feel sad or anxious about but then realize the great feeling it left you with? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! You never know who you will inspire today!

No more fun stuff for today, just some insights. Thank you for stopping by my blog! Don't forget to follow me!