Friday, November 17, 2017

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Happy Friday everyone! 

I am so excited to share my favorites from the week. It was a busy but a great one!

One // Epcot with my bestie!
I had such a great time with my bff at Epcot this past Saturday! We had such a fun day and did so much. We did however, have plenty of time to also just chat and catch up (because you know, we hadn't spoken in like 48 hours). Haha! You can find my shirt here. You can find the shirt Lauren is wearing here.


Two // Keeping Molly
My grandparents went out of town this week and my family kept their sweet Cockapoo Molly. I loved having a dog in the house again. She is just the sweetest. It is crazy to think it has been almost a year since our sweet Prissy died :(  I miss hearing those little puppy paws walking around!


Three // Starbucks Buy One Get One Free Holiday Drinks
BRO! Did y'all know that this has started!? From 2pm-5pm every day you get a holiday drink free with every purchase of one. My favorite is the toasted white chocolate mocha.. YUM! As anyone tried the gingerbread latte? That is next on my list of coffee drinks to try.


Four // Rose Gold Minnie Ears
Picture Source: My Styled Life
If you follow several Disney lovers on Instagram, you probably know that these ears are hard to come by. I just kind of thought it was an exaggeration but getting my hands on these was no joke. I happened to be in a store at Epcot when a worker was putting them out on the wall and people were grabbing them in handfuls. Why anyone would want multiple pairs of the same ears beats me, but I felt the peer pressure and just grabbed a pair. Plus, the annual pass holder discount makes them a reasonable price. I love them and can't wait to wear them! 


Well there you have it! Enjoy your weekend!
Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Michaels Boho Christmas Decor

Happy Wednesday y'all! I am so happy to share this post because it has to do with CHRISTMAS!!! I know Thanksgiving hasn't even come yet but I just couldn't wait. The other day I was doing some shopping and came across the Boho Christmas collection at Michaels for 50% OFF and I died! I am usually such a red and green classic Christmas person but it never matches my room décor. My room colors are bright girly colors so it seemed more fitting to use brighter Christmas decorations this year and save the classic Christmas things for my apartment in a few years. I just can't help it.. I love all the Christmas things!



Enjoy the rest of your hump day! I will talk to you very soon!

xoxo



Monday, November 13, 2017

My Longterm Goals

Happy Monday everyone. I know that (believe it or not) we are getting close to a new year and that means New Years Resolutions. I will be making those at the start of 2018, but today's post is more a note to my future self so that I never become complacent with what I have done so far. 

I think it is important to set goals and dreams for yourselves. I am writing them down in this post so that I never forget to work hard for them. 


One // Go on a Mission Trip I'm Passionate About

I have only been on one mission trip with my church and I really liked it. It was a great introduction into what a mission trip entails but it has been years since then. I have been given a big love for orphans and special needs children specifically and am hoping to one day find a mission trip that serves those kids specifically. Whether God wants me somewhere close or half way across the world, I want to spend time serving and learning to be like Christ. I also need to overcome my fear of airplanes! ;)


Two // Get a Masters Degree & Doctorate Degree

I am studying Elementary Education and so I obviously value the importance of a good education. I plan on getting my Masters online during my first years of teaching but why stop there? While I have the momentum, (and debt) I should just get a Doctorate degree too right? :)


Three // Run a Half Marathon

This was actually one of my New Years Resolutions from this past January but I quickly realized that this isn't the season of life for that right now. As much as I love running, I really only have time with working a part time job, being a full time student, volunteering, and having a social life, to workout for 30-45 minutes a day. Training for a 10k was such a process for me last year, and it felt so great crossing that finish line. I would love to at some point in my life cross the finish line of a half marathon. Mainly, I just want to tell people that I am a "half-marathoner".


Four // Be "Teacher of the Year"

This is again just for bragging rights, but if it keeps me working hard as a teacher, why not? :)



Five // Adopt a Child with Down Syndrome

This is faaarrrr in the future but I have such a LOVE for that extra chromosome! 



Six // Write a Children's Book

Y'all know my love for reading and children's books specifically. How awesome would it be if I could write my own! I just need someone to illustrate it because your girl here does NOT do art of any kind.


Seven // Travel to France

This is the one place I have wanted to visit for years. I have taken French, bought books about France, and have dreamed of Paris.  I will need to save lot's of monies but it is going to happen.



Well there you have some of my long term goals. Hey future Juliana, I know you haven't accomplished all of these yet so get on with it girl, you can make these happen!

xoxo
Friday, November 10, 2017

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Happy Friday everyone! I am so happy to be close to the weekend. I am heading to Epcot with my bestie tomorrow and I am SO excited. We are going to taste all the foods from different countries around world showcase and ride Test Track! I can't hardly wait!

I do have some recent favorites to share with y'all from this week.

One // Wonder
I am so pumped to see this movie and have heard several teachers talk about how great the book was as a read aloud in their classroom. I am all about entertainment showing kindness, and that being what this book is about I had to pick it up. I just started it today and am already half way through. Now granted, it is considered a children's book so it is an easy read for most adults, but I wanted to read it before seeing the movie next week! Have you or your kids read it? 



This speech went viral a while ago but like always I am late and just discovered it. You have to watch all the way through. Let's just say I will never not make my bed now. :)


Y'all may or may not know that my favorite place to buy mickey ears are from The Ears Shop. Their ears are much smaller than others, even the ones at the parks and are great quality. They have so many cute patterns but I am warning you, they sell out quick at each shop opening.


Four // Aaptiv
This is again, something I have only started recently but my 7 day free trial is almost up and I have REALLY loved it. This is an audio fitness app with a ton of different styles of workouts that you listen too. It has KILLED me y'all. Like I haven't hardly been able to walk this week. I suggest looking it up and checking out the app. You can also do a 7 day free trial so why not! I apologize for your pain in advance. Have any of you used it before?


Well there you have my favorites from this week. Enjoy your weekend! I will talk to you soon.

xoxo
Monday, November 6, 2017

Three 3-ingredient Green Bean Recipes

Happy Monday everyone! I had to work today and it was HOT! The nice weather lasted for all of one week here in Florida and now we are back to wearing dresses and sandals around here.

Todays post could very possibly be my very favorite of pretty much all time.


I know it might sem crazy to deem a blog post dedicated to green beans as my favorite of all time, but that is how much I love green beans. No joke, it is a problem. I could eat these three green bean recipes every day for all three meals. I thought it was only fair to share! Each recipe is pretty easy to just eye ball and ditch measurements but if I include measurements, they are usually fit to serve four people.

Recipe #1:
Ingredients:
1 Stick of Butter
About 1 bag of green beans
Italian dressing mix (or Italian seasoning of your choosing)

Directions:
Pour your green beans into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan and pour the melted butter over top.
Then sprinkle with the seasoning.
Bake covered with aluminum foil at 350 degrees for one hour.

This first recipe also happens to be my very favorite! I could eat the entire pan full! The only downside is that it can't be made instantaneously. It is super easy to make (takes about 2 minutes) but has to bake for an hour so plan in advance.


Recipe #2
Ingredients:
One bag of green beans
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil

Directions:
Stir all three ingredients in a pan over high heat until done.

I wish I had more accurate measurements to provide but you can honestly eye ball it. Both soy sauce and sesame oil are rather strong so be careful not to add too much. I love this recipe!!


Recipe #3
Ingredients:
Green Beans
Uncooked Bacon
Brown Sugar

Directions:
Take about two or three green beans and wrap one piece of uncooked bacon around it. Sprinkle with brown sugar over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

It's a shame that stuffing your face with bacon actually causes health concerns because I would totally eat this for every meal. SO good. The brown sugar and bacon combo is already amazing, but add in some green beans and Jules is S.O.L.D.


Well there you have it. Three simple, three-ingredient green bean recipes. Let me know how it goes for y'all! Talk to you soon!

xoxo
Friday, November 3, 2017

Spontaneous Miscellaneous

Happy Friday everyone! I am so relieved it's the weekend y'all. These past few weeks feel like they have been kind of crazy so I am so excited to sleep in tomorrow and get another extra hour on Sunday (YAAAS). 

Here are some of my favorite things from this past week:

One // Disney Map Wall
Okay this one is sort of crazy but every time my sister and I would go to Magic Kingdom we would always leave and pass this gas station. Well this gas station had the coolest wall with a map and Cinderella's Castle on it and I always wanted a picture in front of it. Well this past Sunday the weather was BEAUTIFUL so on our way to Hollywood Studios, my sister and I decided to swing in near Magic Kingdom and find this wall. For those of you also looking for the hidden Disney Map Wall, the address is: 1000 Car Care Dr, Orlando


Two // Francesca's Sunglasses
I am so in love with these new sunglasses that I bought right before we headed to Hollywood Studios on Sunday. They are super big which is pretty much the only requirement I have when purchasing any accessory ;)


Three // Same Kind Of Different As Me
Oh my word y'all. My sweet Momma and I went to see this movie based off a true story and we BAWLED our eyes out. We read the book a year or two ago and still cried. This is such a great movie and sweet story. Y'all should really go see it!


Four // Sister's First Giveaway
I am hosting a giveaway for a new favorite book of mine! Find all the details on my blog post here.


Five // Dinner and Golf Cart Rides
I was so happy to cruise around with my grandparents (and their adorable pup) the other night while the rest of my family was out of town! This was pretty much the last night of cool weather here in Florida so we decided to enjoy it!


Well those are my favorites from the week. What are your recent favorites? I will talk to you again on Monday!

xoxo
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

'Sisters First' Book Review & GIVEAWAY

Happy Wednesday everyone! I have had a tiring but great day today and I hope you can say the same. I was SO honored when Grand Central Publishing reached out to me and offered to send me a copy of Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Peirce Bush's new book 'Sisters First' which is described as "Stories from our wild and wonderful life". Y'all already know how much I loved reading Laura Bush's book this past December so I was thrilled to read her daughters as well. 

After reporting back my thoughts to the sweet folks at Grand Central Publishing, they decided to offer TWO of you a free copy as well... I mean how stinkin' sweet are they? 
My Thoughts:
I will start by saying that my opinion is partially biased because I am already a big Bush family fan. I didn't know squat about them before reading Laura Bush's memoire but after reading that, and doing research on them, I am pretty sold. Therefore, I went into this with a hopeful attitude that I would learn even more insight into their life!

I will say that this collection of short stories were written SO personally. There was honestly no holding back but both girls wrote with such grace and elegance also. Their style of writing and language usage was so easy to read and made it a breeze to go through. 

The Bush twins cover simple stories of their childhoods up to the heartbreaking reality of 9/11 and the war that followed. I so appreciated their transparency.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book, is that I am not a fan of books that don't go in chronologically order. They jump from one time in their life to another and they don't go in order. This wasn't a huge deal to me because I kind of got the full timeline from reading Laura Bush's book, however, if you haven't read that one, you might find it difficult to follow this book.

Rate: 8.5/10

Giveaway:
I am so excited that Grand Central Publishing wants to send two of you a copy of this book also. You do have to live in the US or Canada. The giveaway will start on November 2nd at midnight and end November 12th at midnight. ENTER BELOW!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Well there you have it y'all! I hope you enjoyed this post and have time to enter the giveaway! I will talk to you on Friday!