Category: Family

Mental Health Break

Testing…testing…one…two…three…

Okay so I can officially say I’ve had sort of a “mental health break” from blogging and I’m hoping to hop back on the blog train.  I’ve been in a funk & haven’t felt like writing.  Reading on the other hand…I can go through at LEAST 5 books a month on my beloved Kindle.

It’s awful.  I wish books would tell you outright whether or not this is part of a 2-5 book series.  I get so caught up reading and reach the end only to discover there are a bazillion more books that I have to wait MONTHS for and by that point I’ve completely forgotten anything about the prior books.

Here’s looking at YOU Sylvia Day *wink* *wink*

I got an email today from Connor’s teacher saying we have to make Valentine’s day boxes for his class at home.  The girl in me wants sparkles and glitter galore…but I know I’ll probably just get some Star Wars stickers and let Connor go to town.  You know how long I’ve been waiting to do arts and crafts for SCHOOL!  I’m more excited than he is probably.  Art is my thing y’all.  If I have to live vicariously through my child so be it.

Still house hunting and trying to keep our heads up before our next lease date is up.  I love our apartments and we’ve met so many great friends here.  It will be sad to leave when we finally do find a house.  I may even cry.  I met a wonderful new friend, Kelly, who moved here with her husband from Little Rock.  I feel like God just brought us together and they are the sweetest ever.  Kelly is me in like 20 years and I just love her spirit!  I went over to their house last night to watch The Bachelor.  I just have to say….Olivia…off with your head!  Or kankles…or toes.  Blah…just leave already – you shallow Cameron Diaz with no personality wanna be.

Screen-Shot-2016-01-13-at-7.51.12-AM-510x342

Get out.

BBP_4396

We started a Biggest Loser competition at work.  We weighed in today and I only lost ONE POUND this past week.  Ugh.  I’ll have to remind myself not to eat or drink anything before weigh in next time.  I’m so not a gym person….sigh.

tumblr_mesdzgtJek1qeqseto2_250

These are definitely not helping either.  Genius Dove Chocolate…genius.  Who can resist red velvet and chocolate together???

 

fsgf

This has got to be my favorite Starbucks card of all time.  It’s a camera….awwwww.

I saw them at Christmas and grabbed like 5 of them because I went hysterical.

phifd

I looooove doing photography.  It’s my outlet and I loooooove LOVE.  I had the pleasure of photographing the sweetest proposal Friday night.  Are they not the cutest couple???

BBP_4691 BBP_4699 BBP_4705 BBP_4711 BBP_4727 BBP_4733 BBP_4742 BBP_4764 BBP_4771 BBP_4805 BBP_4810 BBP_4818 BBP_4830

Love is in the air…next time let’s talk about Valentine’s Day shall we? <3

xo-Becky

 

$.99 School Val

Christmas 2015

We road tripped it to Arkansas this Christmas and I was super excited because we actually got to spend CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAY in Arkansas this year.  We haven’t been able to make that happen in years.

Connor is so good in the car.  He just sits back and watches his movies and barely makes a peep.  Except to go to the bathroom or eat.  I love my baby!

243bd21a-1b65-4da7-a1b4-e68cc5407337

Connor and I drove in a few days before Terence flew to Arkansas.  We spent most of our time at my sister’s new house (SO PRETTY by the way) and Vinny & Jarrett.  The night we got in Bonnie took us to the new outlet mall in Benton and it had a Lindt candy store.  We were in heaven….sooooo good!  We also found another candy store that carried our beloved Kinder Eggs.  I have no idea how they had them, but I don’t care!  We each bought a case to take home 🙂
501ed182-ce81-4f5b-915a-c81abed0d130

The boys always love seeing each other…most of the time.  They’ll be BFF one minute and fighting over random stuff the next.  Bonnie and I agree that they are payback for how bad we were at that age.  They made ornaments for Nana and decorated cookies.
02a2118c-e9b0-44ff-b31b-56ca345e95fe

8442f43e-07f1-4e4d-965e-03d983b14ecf aa31ad74-8ece-4ad2-b772-a8355e3e91da BBP_3437

Bonnie and I met up with our friends at Ya Ya’s for our annual Christmas dinner.  It’s always good to see my best friends and I look forward to our dinner every single year…that and a filo brownie 🙂

77e228f8-69fa-4da2-a39f-e7f67b1a4d8c

After a fun stay at Bon’s we headed to the farm to see Nannie!  Here is Nannie’s pretty tree.

7d2ff949-8fda-4f64-86a6-eaaa5e99c56a

Everyone opening their stockings the next morning 🙂25a121ce-fb4c-44db-9eb4-5033800ac993

My Daddy <3

8938dce6-b399-4863-af66-620d8fd678b5

Mommy & Daddy cb579d08-9e67-4705-920b-defd35eb4dff

The spread…need I say more.  We don’t go hungry at Nannie’s house.  Like Ever.dc57fac3-9db9-4968-92e7-28731bb74209

dddd0ff6-c236-4dfe-b27a-d586b680a80a

Connor got a lot of new presents.  This was a big year for Star Wars and he brought home a ton of new toys to play with.  Thank you Santa!fcb4a407-41cb-4225-986a-1bbdcd361d82

Fun on the farm

BBP_3647 BBP_3674 BBP_3686 BBP_3687 BBP_3689

I took some pictures of my sister and her family.

BBP_3727

Isn’t that the most beautiful sunset?

BBP_3793

I’m sure I’m leaving out a ton of stuff.  We had a great time celebrating Jesus birthday and a wonderful trip home.  We actually came home a day early after we left Nannie’s because our car was packed so full we could barely move!  So, we decided to head home and get settled before all the craziness of life started again.

And last, but not least our annual New Years Eve pic!

We love you all and are so thankful and blessed to have another year to share.

xo- The Branches

6055ec00-5537-4305-8734-3b1770d5742d

Fa La La La Favorites!

Connor and I went to Christkindl this year and it was so much fun!  We met our local radio gal Kellie Rasberry and she was super nice!  This was our 4th year to attend Christkindl in Arlington, TX and if you are making holiday plans I highly recommend going.  It’s free to get in and it’s so much fun.  They really amped it up this year with rides for the kids, gingerbread house building, and real snow 🙂

Here’s our holiday “catch up” if you will…I’ll update more on Christmas soon!
99951d91-c1c0-4c07-8005-dfd9ff3f5c95-Edit BBP_2507 BBP_2511 BBP_2523 BBP_2547

German macaroni and cheese aka Spaetzle

BBP_2552

s’mores crepes #yum

BBP_2557 BBP_2558 BBP_2560

We went to Bridget’s 6th birthday party!  Connor’s first time roller skating….we love this girl <3

BBP_2607

One of my absolute favorite things this year was our new tree skirt from PersonalCreations.  It has our last name on it and it’s great quality.  This is the sort of thing I can pass down to Connor’s family in the future.  They are having a huge end of year sale right now and use code SRCH10OFF to get 10% Off and Free Personalization!

skirt

I got a new camera strap from Foto Strap and absolutely LOVE it!  It has my new logo on it too!  I’m planning on posting some of my favorite shots from the holiday season soon.

BBP_2497

A few weeks ago I got to meet these two awesome folks.  Jillian Harris and Todd Talbot from HGTV’s Love it or List it, Too.  I’ve always been a big fan of the show.  They were in DFW doing a promo event for Capital One Home Loans and it was so much fun to chat with them for a bit.  The nicest hosts you guys…super sweet!  I asked Todd if he could help me find a home…sigh…I can only hope.

re: necklace is from Village Artisan (one of my favorites too!)BBP_2755-Edit

Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

The Best Way to #SpreadCheer is to Bake it for all to EAT!

This is my favorite time of year and I love to give the gift of yummy goodness to friends and family.  A favorite recipe that my Mom used to make is peanut butter blossoms.  It’s a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey Kiss in the middle.  They are so easy and sooooo good!

This year making my peanut butter blossoms was even easier because I had help from a good friend named Betty… Betty Crocker that is!  Found at your local Walmart store 🙂

BBP_2714

All you need is a package of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix and some Hershey Kisses.  Sprinkles too…if you desire!

Connor helped me make the cookies.  He likes to stir the bowl and crack the eggs.  He’s also a pretty good chocolate peeler too 🙂

BBP_2719

And a fabulous chocolate topper!  I just love having my little elf in the kitchen and making memories.  That’s what life is all about right?

BBP_2728

We got some cute cookie tins and then shared with our friends.  If there was ever a time to #SpreadCheer it’s now y’all!

BBP_2744

Our favorite part is sharing with friends.  This is Connor’s best friend Alek in Kindergarten- they are both CRAZY about Star Wars.  Don’t mind their chocolate covered faces 🙂

BBP_2746

Add the perfect touch to your baked goods this season with FREE #SpreadCheer downloadable printables.  You can print gift tags & cookie coloring sheets.

spreadcheer

Download you coupon HERE & enter to WIN $20 Paypal cash to make your own #SpreadCheer goodies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanksgiving 2015

I know…I know…

I’m behind on catching up again.  Here we are almost to Christmas, but I didn’t want to forget to recap our Thanksgiving either.  I’ve been busy with work and photo shoots.  I’ll do a post soon with some of my favorite shots this fall.

We spent Thanksgiving with Terence’s family this year at his brother Paul’s house & ate ourselves silly!  I put some fun Christmas lights on our balcony and decorated our tree!  Early Thanksgiving morning we went to the park and took some family photos with our new friends that just moved here from New York, they have a son the same age as Connor and they just LOVE each other.  It’s Star Wars all day every day in their minds 🙂

These aren’t our Christmas card photos, a few outtakes.  Since we moved I’ve been trying to update everyone with our new address.  If you would like a card from us please email me at beckylbranch@gmail.com and I’ll send it to you!

BBP_2419 BBP_2420 BBP_2438-2 BBP_2446

Terence and I got new cell phones right before black Friday.  Yay!  Ours were a few years old and I’m excited to have an updated phone with a better camera.

Connor and I ventured out for a tiny bit of Black Friday shopping.  We went to World Market.  The store we visited is moving so everything on the floor was on sale.  I got a $150 beautiful bar stool for $25 bucks!  I talked to the store manager and he let me have it for a steal 🙂

Did y’all find anything fabulous for Black Friday?

12248188_10156211459715125_5665432887476794526_o 12314641_10156211647390125_6318885371730966226_o

I also went to a cookie decorating class my friend Bree was hosting.  It was so much fun!  I’ve always been intimidated by using fondant….but we had a great time just talking and decorating cookies.  I definitely want to try this again soon!

12244265_10156197014960125_2935816505229266592_o 12304081_10156199008935125_3239370051883391778_o

I hope you all are enjoying this season.  It’s definitely my favorite and I get sooooo excited this time of year!  I can’t wait to go home and visit my friends and family in Arkansas.  I’m counting down the days!  My DVR is full of Hallmark Christmas movies….I know they are so cheesy, but I still can’t help but indulge in the cheesy romance of each story.  Ha ha!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

ICE! 2015 at The Gaylord Texan #VisitICE2015

BBP_2120

We have enjoyed ICE! every year for the past few years here in our home town of Grapevine, TX.  I can’t even put it into words how wonderful it is…but I shall try.

Nothing puts me in a more festive mood than visiting ICE! at the Gaylord Texan.  There is something about all the lights and decorations that you just can’t help but walk around with a wide smile on your face 🙂

This year we were invited to the Gaylord for the first annual Blogger Fam event.  It was so fun and we got a behind the scenes look at how ICE! is created each year.  There is a different theme every year…this year’s theme was “Christmas Around the World”.

You can see our previous visits to ICE! HERE & HERE  & check out the themes over the years.

I’ll let most of the pictures do the talking.  It’s amazing how all this is created in such a short amount of time.

Here are some facts about ICE!:

Experience the magic of Christmas Around the World as you journey through colorful holiday displays. It takes 40 remarkable ice artisans from Harbin, China to create this winter wonderland.  Bring a hat and gloves because it’s a chilly 9 degrees! There are more than TWO MILLION pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures during the Lone Star Christmas celebration in Grapevine, TX.  It also takes two million lights, two million pounds of real Texas snow, 15,000 ornaments, and a 54-foot Christmas tree!

Celebrate cultural traditions from around the world featuring holiday scenes and children from Mexico, Germany, and more!

Enjoy two-story tall ice slides, an enchanting Parade of Toys and larger-than-life ornaments.

Travel through the North Pole and sit inside Santa’s sleigh!

Experience the Frostbite Factory – an interactive ice carving station.

BBP_2198 BBP_2201

Conclude your experience with the majesty of a full nativity in stunning, crystal clear ice.

BBP_2205

Hanging out on Santa’s sleigh

BBP_2195 BBP_2190 BBP_2174 BBP_2177

The ice slide 🙂BBP_2140 BBP_2135 BBP_2134

BBP_2121 BBP_2127 BBP_2129 BBP_2173 BBP_2178 BBP_2185 BBP_2187

Snow tubing

BBP_2218

BBP_2107 BBP_2113 BBP_2122 BBP_2126 BBP_2182

I got to spend a lot of time with these two lovely gals!

BBP_2212

All three of our boys are in Kindergarten this year…they had a blast.  The Three Stooges.BBP_2100 BBP_2090

The inside of the Gaylord Texan is so beautiful!

BBP_2078

BBP_2103

Thank you Gaylord Texan for a WONDERFUL stay and we will for sure be back next year for more fun!

BBP_2074

Don’t forget you have a couple of days left to get this deal for 50% off ICE! tickets:

unnamed (1)

And the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders event is coming up too! Learn cheers and chants, dance moves, and take fun photos while the whole family enjoys a lavish brunch filled with delicious buttermilk pancakes, brioche French toast, breakfast tacos, pastries, and so much more.

cowboys lunch
Date:  Sunday, December 13
Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
Location: Yellow Rose Ballroom
Price:

  • $39.99* Adults
  • $19.99 Children (ages 4-12)
  • Children 3 & under: Free

*Pricing includes tax, gratuity and self-parking. Adult beverages for those ages 21 and up available for purchase. One adult cannot accompany more than six children.

Limited seating is available. Reserve your spot today!
Purchase tickets online or call 1-817-778-1000

Making the Most of Christmas with #Hallmark

This post is sponsored by Hallmark but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. #ad

Christmas time is here * Happiness and cheer * Fun for all that children call * Their favorite time of the year*

I love everything that comes with the Christmas season.  Gathering with family and friends, a visit with Santa, shopping for gifts, and Christmas cards in the mail.  One of my favorite places to shop during the holidays is Hallmark.  They have the cutest gifts and the best stocking stuffers.  From candles, soaps, fluffy socks, stuffed animals, and candy galore….they have it all!

Have you checked out all the Star Wars stuff Hallmark has lately?  Let me just say we have a certain 5-year-old who is counting down the days until the Star Wars movie premier.  It’s everything Star Wars for this kiddo this Christmas.

BBP_1954

Cute little Christmas Yoda, Darth Vader, and Storm Trooper.  The Star Wars wrapping paper is also available at Hallmark stores.

BBP_1953

If you searching for a gift for a co-worker or friend the Crafters & Co. gifts at Hallmark are perfect!  Everything from chocolates, artisan-made hand soaps, tea, and candles.  Just a little something extra to show someone you care.

Being a photographer I’m always looking for fun photo backdrops. One of my favorite things to do (and easiest) is to take wrapping paper and hang it behind my subject in a picture.   Nothing fancy…it just makes for a really cute photo!

I got this candy cane wrapping paper at Hallmark, I love their wrapping paper by the way because it’s not the thin, flimsy paper.  It holds up well to folding and taping 🙂

My photo backdrop:

BBP_1943

My handsome subject:

(The reindeer hat and mittens are also a Hallmark find!  Soooo cute and only $9.99 for the set)

BBP_1948

I hope you all have fun shopping, decorating, and gathering this Christmas!

Check out our video below for a sneak peek of all the fun holiday goodies at Hallmark this year.