Year: 2017

Celebrating the Holidays at Outback Steakhouse

This post is sponsored by Outback.  All opinions are my own.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and I’m excited to start 2018!  I’ll do a Christmas re-cap soon 🙂

Today let’s talk about FOOD!!!  During the holidays food is a subject I like to indulge in myself.  If you ask my husband where his favorite place to eat is he will say Outback Steakhouse every time.  We’ve been married over 16 years now and the one thing that hasn’t change is his love for Outback, specifically the steaks and ranch dressing.

I was super excited to learn that a shiny brand new Outback Steakhouse was opening in Euless, TX so close to us!  We visited for the first time with our Grana and Pop and it was sooooooo good y’all!

The lobby is modern and stylish (I love the hanging light fixtures).  It also offers mates who are waiting a refreshing beverage.

The new Outback Steakhouse® is located at 2601 State Highway 121.

It is part of the huge new development going in near Glade Parks, so you have great shopping and dining all in one place!

We sure did enjoy our time with Grana and Pop!

We got a gift card to an escape room.  I’ve always wanted to do one of those and I’m excited to see if we can ESCAPE!

The Outback has a ton of new menu items right now, as well as some seasonal favorites.  That BIG Chocolate Cake…oh my!

Great cozy atmosphere

I tried the Gingerbread Martini and it was SOOOO good!  I’ll definitely be coming back for that one.

Okay, so I love the Outback Onion Blossom….and now they have the Onion Petals.  They are just as good if you have that craving, but don’t want the entire onion.  We love to dip ours in ranch.  The Outback’s ranch dressing is AMAZING y’all!

Nothing fills you up better than a steak and baked potato.

I took pictures of all of our meals and the veggies on my Mother-in-Law’s plate were delicious.

I ordered a side of the skillet mac n’ cheese.  Anything with cheese and spiral noodles….mmmmkay!!!!

My delicious chicken.  Outback seriously has the BEST chicken ever!

This was really cool.  If you have a big party of people and need extra seating these tables can join together to accommodate a ton of people.  You can basically create your own table size because the entire thing is on rails.  That is GENIUS!  

There is plenty of seating without feeling too crowded.  I loved the low lighting and the rustic atmosphere.  I’m so happy this is now in our home town and we can’t wait to go back for more Outback!  I’ve loved seeing out Outback has evolved over the years, as well as keeping our favorites in mind.

Guests at the new Outback will be able to enjoy signature grilled steaks, chicken and seafood entrees, and the Bloomin’ Onion in a restaurant boasting the chain’s new “Modern Australia” design, with decor that mirrors the indigenous flora and fauna, adventure, geography and leisure of modern-day Australia. 

The bar area.  Great for happy hour or watching a big game.

Being an Army brat and then marrying into the Air Force I was so happy to see this on our table.  The Outback Steakhouse is partnering with Operation Homefront to help our military and veterans.  You can add $1 to your check after your meal or a $5 donation goes to help a military family by providing a meal this holiday season!


For more information on Outback visit them on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram!

– Earn up to 50% off every fourth visit by joining DineRewards™.

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas & have a Happy New Year!

The Outback Steakhouse would be a great place to ring in 2018!  Another Gingerbread Martini might be in order 😉

Christmas Home Tour

Well, we are officially 4 days until Christmas 2017.  Today has been a doozy…not to mention a child I know *CONNOR BRANCH* spilled chocolate milk in the back seat of my car this morning, so that’s just great.

This holiday season has been so busy I can barely keep my head on straight.  It seems like December always moves at warp speed.  Have y’all heard the song with DMX singing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”?  If you haven’t listened to it yet….YOU MUST!

A long time ago there used to be a link up of everyone’s homes decorated at Christmas time and I loved it!  So, now that we’ve been in this home for a little over a year I thought I would share our Christmas decorations.  Over the past year we’ve worked really hard remodeling and decorating our new home….we still have a ton to do…but Rome wasn’t built in a day, or so they say!

First off…check out our awesome Christmas jammies from Lazy One.  I looooove them and we have so many fun jammies from this company!  They aren’t just for Christmas folks!

Christmas mantle

Living room

I’m not going to show my office, but it was recently painted a pretty gray!  It’s full of photography gear though 🙂

The Dining room

Kitchen

The hutch has all of Connor’s pictures with Santa since he was 10 months old….

This is a quilt I got at Steinmart for our bedroom.  It was $29.99 and I just LOVE it!  It’s supposed to get cold tomorrow (FINALLY) so we can use the extra quilt.

Oh Christmas tree!

Our cousin Adrianne sent this ADORABLE pillow from England and I just LOVE it so much!  I love all things British really….and the Kinder chocolate isn’t too bad either.

Cute little festive soaps from World Market.

This is the extra bedroom.  We also had the walls in here re-textured and painted.  There isn’t much decor except for the “OH DEER” pillow cases, also from World Market.

Connor’s room hasn’t changed much since I posted his before and after pictures.  He does have his little Christmas tree full of Star Wars ornaments.  We are so excited to see the new Star Wars movie on Christmas break!!!!  Who has seen it yet?

And finally y’all go enter my INSTAGRAM FAVORITE THINGS GIVEAWAY!!!

My favorite candle “The Smell of Christmas” from Aromatique.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I’m giving away a lot of really fun things this Christmas…including….

 

Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This…

This post has been sponsored by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

Oh yes…this week has been a doozy.  Connor was sent home from school with fever a couple of weeks ago & a sore throat.  Last night he woke up at 2 am and threw up all in his bed.  UGH!!!  I can basically do anything but throw up.  I mean let’s get real Moms…even if it’s your own kid it’s hard to take.

Nobody wants that business up in their house and I try to zap it before it reaches all of us. It’s also a good idea to stock up on medicines for your kiddos because the flu and strep throat are among us folks!  The minute I see the symptoms I start to fight them right away.

Also, if you have a health savings account remember to spend that money before the year ends!  You can stock up and fill your medicine cabinet for the winter.  I’m the worst about letting things expire and I definitely don’t want that when it comes to treating sickness in our household.

My medicine cabinet has these go-to meds in there at all times:

  • Children’s Dimetapp® Cold & Cough
  • Children’s Robitussin ® DM Day/Night Pack
  • Children’s Advil® Suspension

This Children’s Robitussin® DM Day/Night Pack is formulated just for kids.  The non-drowsy daytime formula helps break up chest congestion, while the long-acting nighttime formula relieves coughs and runny noses to help kids get the rest they need.

Have you been stricken with sickness yet this season?  If so, go check out the Sick Just Got Real website & Facebook page for more information and tips to keep your home germ free.

Celebrate the Holidays with Little Bites + Enter to WIN!!!

This post is sponsored by Little Bites.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hey Y’all!  How’s the holiday season going for everyone?  It’s been crazy busy around our house.  I was going to do a Christmas tour of our home, does anyone do those anymore?  Still, I love seeing everyone’s Christmas decor!

I can’t believe we have already reached the end of 2017!  We just celebrated Thanksgiving right?  Maybe it’s me, or the 80 degree weather we’ve been having in Texas, but I’m all messed up for the holidays!  I can’t decide to bust out my sweaters or keep my t-shirts out.

Okay, so now that we’ve gotten through Thanksgiving & the Christmas festivities have begun….let’s talk CHRISTMAS FOOD!

I am so glad it’s officially eggnog latte season, and you know what goes great with an eggnog latte???  A warm Limited Edition Entenmann’s® Little Bites® Butter Cookie Muffin! I did say I warm them up, because they are really good that way, but I also pack them in Connor’s lunch or for an after school snack.

These little muffins are so easy to pack and grab on the go!

Little Bites are pretty much a staple in our house.  Every time we go to the grocery store we pick up a few boxes.  Connor’s school also collects Little Bites wrappers for cash donations to his school.  They will also donate to a non-profit or charitable organization of your choice.

Little Bites have less than 200 calories per pouch, Little Bites® Butter Cookie Muffins never contain high fructose corn syrup or trans-fat.  That’s a win/win snack in my opinion!  They aren’t just for your kiddos either, they are great for holiday gatherings and Moms who enjoy an eggnog latte...just saying.

For more information about Entenmann’s® Little Bites® Butter Cookie Muffins, please visit www.littlebites.com.

Follow Entenmann’s® Little Bites® all throughout the year for the latest news and NEW FLAVORS on Facebook, Instagram, & YouTube.

Win a $25 Visa Gift Card & (3) coupons for $5.00 off the purchase of any Entenmann’s® Little Bites®

Making Memories at The Gaylord Texan ICE!

Christmas festivities are in full swing and every year for the past five years we’ve made it a family tradition to visit ICE! at the Gaylord Texan.  It’s one of our favorite things to as a family.  Every year they have a new theme and this year it was “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.  It’s so neat to see all the ice sculpted into these beautiful figures and colors.  It’s been a rather warm fall here in Texas…so walking into a 9 degree atmosphere is quite shocking!

The atrium at the Gaylord is gorgeous in itself, even if you don’t do anything else there.  Just walking around will put you in the Christmas spirit!

There is so much to see…I’ll give you a little sneak peek of what we saw this year!

The Ice Bar

Connor looooooves the ice slide!  

There is snow tubing too.  Where else can you do these things in Texas?

I live for these family moments and as everyone knows time is fleeting.  Your kids grow up before you know it and in the blink of an eye everything changes.  Experiences like this don’t always happen…it takes planning, money, and time.  I’m thankful for companies Vanguard who help families invest in their future.  Investing doesn’t have to be a sacrifice now so you can live later, you can have it both ways – the security of planning ahead and the gratification of living a fuller life today. Make those special moments count, because you can’t get them back.

With Vanguard clients experience things that truly matter – whether that’s date night, spending time with your kids, or enjoying your passions.  Clients think long-term, tune out the noise, and keep investment costs low, but that’s not all. They laugh and make time for date nights with their partners. They spend time with their kids, and they believe they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.

Thanks to market research firm Kelton Global, we know for a fact (with statistical significance) that Vanguard clients experience these things more often than clients of other investment firms.

Did you know Vanguard clients spend 6 more hours per week, on average, with their kids compared with clients of other investment firms?

WHAT FUN HOLIDAY ADVENTURES ARE YOU PLANNING WITH YOUR FAMILY???

Learn more about Vanguard here & check out this fun video of our day at ICE!

 

The Where Investors Belong survey was conducted by market research firm Kelton Global in 2016. It polled 1,000 Vanguard clients and compared them with 1,000 clients of other investment firms. All differences between Vanguard clients and clients of other investment firms are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The parental stat refers to clients with children of any age who provided the number of hours per week they typically spend with their children or who, compared to other people they may know, believe to be more involved in their child’s life. . The experiences of these Vanguard clients may not be representative of the experience of other Vanguard clients and aren’t a guarantee of future investment performance or success.

Christmas Home Makeover with At Home Stores

 
This post is sponsored my At Home.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tis’ the season and if you know me I’ve had my tree up for WEEKS now!  I basically turn into Buddy the Elf during the holidays…I just can’t help myself!  It’s my favorite time of year and I love to decorate!

We moved into our house at the end of last year, so we didn’t have much time to do decorations.  This year I wanted to add some festive fun to the house…I mean why should you watch a Hallmark Christmas movie without the ambiance of Christmas and twinkling lights around you?  YOU SHOULDN’T!!!

My go-to place for all things Christmas decor is At Home.  If you’ve ever been to an At Home store then sister you know what I’m talking about right?  I could basically spend hours in there going up and down the isles.  At Home has thousands of holiday items available at everyday low prices, items that are perfect for a refresh of your indoor mantel, guest room, kitchen and more. And don’t forget the outdoor spaces: entryways, porches and yard. At Home is the one-stop-shop to decorate your whole house – from an entire room makeover to smaller refreshes for every season, on any budget.

Here’s what I did this year to get our home in the Christmas spirit and I’m super excited to share with you!

Gingerbread house– This one lights up and changes colors….even better!  There is a great collections gingerbread houses at At Home stores (not just this one) but so much more.

Mantle Decor– From light up Christmas trees, candles, or nutcrackers….At Home has it all.  No matter if your theme is “Winter Wonderland”, “Classic Red & White”, or “Woodland Christmas”.

That one special ornament- I saw this cute little camper and had to get it!

Entryway – Our entryway was so boring…so to at some holiday pizzazz I added nutcrackers, this huge Noel sign, candy canes, and my favorite…this BEAUTIFUL wreath.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Check out this video of our Christmas decorating extravaganza with At Home!