The best Shrimp tacos in all the land.

( and sweet potato fries are my weakness )

My in-laws got my youngest brother a marshmallow gun shooter.

It's only taken a month to post all the odds and end pictures from Christmas time :/
However each picture tells a story and I wanted to remember it all.
Best December.
Best people.
Happiest New Year celebration.

I am over the moon excited for the sponsor post of mine today!
Alexa is a dear friend to me and I love her sweet little family.
She blogs over at "He and I" and she is incredibly talented.
I am always loving photography tips so here you go!

5 Secrets for Photographing your Toddler

Let Them Play : Toddlers are wiggly and active, so one of the best ways to get natural, candid shots is to just let them play! Let them run and jump and dig and swing and twirl. You’re not only getting a great photo, but also capturing their personality. Bring your camera on your next adventure and let them run wild!

 Thanks Alexa!

Side note...

 I'm slightly convinced that her little girl and Ryan are soulmates.

Here's to crossing our fingers our set up works one day!

Happy Friday! XO

Packing and decluttering.
and packing. and packing. and packing.

It actually feels really good.
And I haven't minded the whole process... YET.
( Knock on wood )

I'm one of those people that loves to organize and LOVES the feeling you get after taking a load of trash to the dumpster knowing you just got rid of all that extra STUFF laying around your house.
( I'm a little weird )


( "where's Ryan!?!?" ^^ )

I have come to realize that I am NOT sentimental about many objects.
( I'm pretty fast to throw things away to avoid having extra "STUFF" laying around )
However, when it comes to clothes,
I have to admit, I am a bit of a hoarder.

I finally took my mom's advice- to take Opera's advice HA
and get rid of everything I never wear and every clothing item I think to myself, "one day I may wear it".
Because chances are, I won't wear it.

My mom is the queen of getting rid of things that don't need to be kept to take up "space".

10 trash bags to Goodwill later and some money made from selling stuff to Plato's closet and I feel so fresh and replenished!
I told Aaron I was going to make money and buy decor for our new house HA.
I don't think he actually thought I really would.
#proudwifemoment


In the middle of all packing chaos,
we all came down with the flu.
Awesome.
I am one that is an AVID vitamin taker and health nut and I do not remember the last time I got sick like this!
2 weeks of sickness is just NO FUN.


Lots of soup ( Thanks to my mother - in - law ) and cuddles and we somehow made it out alive ;)



Today was the first day Ry and I actually got out and went somewhere ^^
We have been little "sickies'" cooped up!
And it felt so good to be outside again.


House. House. House. House.
Gosh we are so excited.
We have our final walk through in a week and then we close the week after that.
I will be talking more on the process later.. but it has been a dream process. we have loved every minute of building our first home.

I put our family room furniture on Craiglist 2 days ago thinking to myself, "hopefully it will sell in the next few weeks before we move"
( All furniture we have had since being first married but a little different style than our new house will be - hence the reason for selling )

Little did I know what would happen that day...

5 minutes after I put my couch on, I got a call from someone.... SOLD.
Coffee table and end tables - SOLD 30 minutes after listing it.
The sweet man that came to pick up the coffee tables asked if I was selling any decor...
He ended up buying everything - decor wise - in our family room - Clock, florals, lamps, etc.
then asked if he could buy our kitchen table.
Why not?!
( we were going to sell the table eventually, in the next few weeks, just maybe not right there and then but oh well! )

HAHA so moral of the story...
we have NOTHING on the bottom floor of our town home!

No couch, no table, everything is off the walls,
and we still have 2 weeks in this place.

It's a blessing it all sold so fast.. but now what? HA


Aaron made quite the bed of blankets on the floor the other night to watch a movie,
and we will somehow make meals work on the floor for the next 2 weeks HA.
( It's slightly pathetic! )

We did get a new couch and it will be arriving at our new home the weekend we move in.
As for the kitchen table, I guess we need to find one ASAP.

It's crazy over here, and so busy but we are trying to soak in the whole process.

We are just pretty excited us little sickies' made it out of the house today - OHH the little things!

P.S. have you seen THIS music video? Ry and I are loving this new song - Ryan has asked to dance to it every morning for the past week.

Casual Claire | Lot 48 | Make Me Up Mia | From Here to Eternity | Mr. and Mrs. Powell | Just Bee |
Haven Way | Burlap and Babies | A+ Life | Words About Waverly | What You Make It

Enter using the rafflecopter below and make sure you go say hey to all the other awesome bloggers sponsoring this giveaway! Must be 18+ and a US Resident to win.

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The process of Healthy eating starts IN THE GROCERY STORE.

Monday is grocery shopping day.

I am not the biggest fan of grocery shopping - because of 2 reasons.

#1.  It always takes way longer than it should - I swear I walk around there for at least an hour!
 (( and let me tell you a 2 year old can make for 1 unforgettable hour HA ))

and #2.  I am always forgetting an ingredient...

( which is why I should probably learn to actually TAKE my grocery list that I made to the grocery store instead of leaving it home on the counter :/ )

That all being said,
there is a healthy way to do grocery shopping and a way that will keep the calories to a minimum so you aren't too angry with yourself at the end of the week :)

 I have a few tips and tricks to make that happen.

#1. PLAN YOUR MEALS

I usually try to make a menu for the upcoming week Sunday night so I can make my grocery list.

This will help eliminate the "frozen pizza dinners" and / or "fast food" option that so many people resort to on a nightly basis.

For us, one day of the week is usually "left overs" or Eggs ( We keep it classy! HA ) and Friday night is date night and / or pizza night.

So basically I have 3 main MEALS to plan for.


#2. YOU WILL EAT WHAT YOU BUY
and you are what you eat..

Let's be real here, if I am buying 5 bags of chips... chances are I will eat 5 bags of chips!
If I'm buying excessive cake mixes, I am bound to be making cake for the next week straight.
I will snack on what is laying around in my pantry.
If you don't want to be snacking on it....        SIMPLE-         don't buy it.

I have a really really REALLY hard time wasting food.
Maybe it was just because we kept to a food budget for a little while through law school and I couldn't stand to have something go bad in the fridge!

So if I buy a fridge full of fruit and veggies, I will snack on all things fruit and veggies.

My favorite is buying the HUGE package of spinach from Costco or Sams.
HA I find ways to stick spinach into EVERYTHING just so it doesn't go bad on us.
( that is a lot of spinach for the week for just 2 of us )
Brown Rice, Eggs, Smoothies, Soup, Cooked Veggies I just throw it in with everything...
My husband thinks I go a little overboard with the spinach -
BUT GOSH IT IS SOOO GOOD FOR YOU!

My point being, if you are buying fresh foods, rather than chips and crackers,
you will snack on the fresh foods.
Don't buy something if you don't want yourself eating it.


#3. OUT OF THE BOX
I think people's biggest downfall when it comes to grocery shopping is buying everything in a box or a bag.
If it's in a box or a bag - it is (generally) PROCESSED food.
There is no way around the fact.
Limit your "box buying" ( AKA cookies, crackers, chips, cereal, granola bars (( as healthy as they may "seem" )) frozen meals, ETC. )

Focus on the produce and COLOR FOODS.
Which brings me to my next point....

90% of your shopping cart should look like a colorful rainbow.

These are some foods that are always found in my shopping cart...

**Berries - one of the best things you can eat.
 I have to have some type of berry every single day.
It will keep you regular and they are GREAT stomach flattening foods.

** Bananas - Although I'm not a fan of them plain,
I try and stick them in my smoothies to get the nutrients - SO GOOD for you.


** Spinach and Lettuce - I say them both because I ALWAYS buy both.
I have found that spinach doesn't have much of a taste - So, like I said earlier, I end up sticking it in everything.
Aaron jokes that I can always find a place for spinach in a meal.

** Avocados - MY FAV!!
I LOVE avocados. Aaron is the guac master and we love anything that has to do with that green stuff!
Although avocados are a fat - they are a healthy fat!
I try and stay away from dressings on sandwiches and salads and use avocados as a replacement.

** Apples - An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
I'm a believer!
No but really, I love apples, one of my favorite snacks!


** Veggies - I usually buy baby carrots and celery each week.
I know I am a health nut, but I have to be honest and say that besides lettuce and spinach, I have a hard time with veggies!
( Especially veggies raw - I like them better cooked! )
That being said, I still try and make buying veggies a priority because if I have them in my fridge, I will eat them.

REMEMBER this : THE DARKER THE COLOR THE MORE NUTRIENT THE FOOD
( Don't be thinking a little head of white iceberg lettuce is doing the trick of your veggie fill for the day )

#5. EVALUATE YOURSELF
Check your shopping cart at check out.

Do "I" see the colors of the rainbow?
( And no that does not mean buy a fruit loop box and call it good ;)

How many "BOXES" of processed foods did I buy?

Is there a food in there that I will be mad at myself for eating after I eat it?
( Don't buy the Twinkie, it's not worth it! )

Did I stoop to the level of buying the frozen casserole lasagna dish??
( Don't do it! - SO bad for you!!!! )

Is my cart 90% colorful and fresh!?

P.S. Do not read this and think I deprive my husband and child of fun treats!
Of course I buy a box of fruit-loops, a bag of goldfish, tortilla chips and the occasional Dreyer's Ice Cream.
The point being 90% of my grocery cart is colorful and fresh.
Make that your goal because THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.


Happy HEALTHY grocery shopping and remember your lists..
My husband is convinced I will be 80 years old and finally remember to grab my list ;) XO