We Be Trippin

Last weekend Connor and I decided to make one last trip to Arkansas before school starts.  I’m glad I got the chance to spend some time with family and friends.  So, we road tripped it to AR in the 100-billion degree heat.  Many trips to Starbucks later we made it to my sister’s house.

I got to see Bonnie & Vinny’s new home they are building and help pick out light fixtures.  We ate a bunch of good food.  Spent some relaxing time at the farm with Nannie.  Got some hugs from my Mommy & Daddy.  I even got to visit with some of my best friends from New Jersey who happened to be in town!  It all worked out great and now we are back to the real world again.

These two are certainly a tornado together.  Alone…they are perfectly fine, but when you combine the two it’s utter chaos.  I got a horrible sinus infection while visiting and I had to sit for almost 2 hours at an urgent care place to get a steroid shot and some meds with these boys….CRAZINESS!  On the bright side I got to see my cousin who happened to work at Walmart pharmacy & filled my prescription!  What do ya know…it was so good to see her too 🙂

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Riding with Nannie on the farm

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I got to snap some photos of this beautiful baby girl…be still my heart.  If I had a girl I would go NUTS I tell ya!  Too many fru fru and frilly things to my heart’s delight.

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And to cap off the weekend we celebrated Great Granddaddy’s 89th birthday!  He’s so precious to us and we hope to spend many more years together.  We love you Granddaddy!

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Ham & Cheese Quiche #HillshireNaturals #WeaveMade #ad @HillshireFarm

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, and  Hillshire Farm®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #HillshireNaturals http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH

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Easy dinners are a friend of mine.  I don’t have all day to slave away in the kitchen these days, and thankfully I’ve found a lot of recipes that help me out in a jiffy!  One of my favorite go-to recipes is a simple ham and cheese quiche.  I’ll share the recipe with you below.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

1 pre-made pie shell
6 eggs
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 cup diced ham (I used Hillshire Farm Naturals® Black Forest Ham)
¼ cup diced onion
1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
salt/pepper

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Beat eggs with heavy cream until well blended, add salt and pepper.

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Pour ham, onions and shredded cheese into egg mixture.

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Pour over top of pie shell. (I use a pie shell found in the frozen section at the grocery store)

Bake 35-45 mins until set.

DONE!

I try and feed my family the best foods and most natural things that come from the store.  FINALLY there is a natural  lunch meat that tastes great and doesn’t bust my wallet.  For the recipe I made above I used Hillshire Farm Naturals® Black Forest Ham I picked up from Safeway.  It tastes great and it’s better for me and that’s a plus for us!

Right now you can save $0.75 on any ONE (1) Hillshire Farm Naturals® Black Forest Ham or Honey Roasted Ham with the digital coupon available through the Just4U online portal. Expires 8/9/15. (While Supplies Last)

Hillshire Farm® is offering a “Love It or We’ll Eat It” Guarantee for those who try the product. They will donate a lunch to someone in need if you “Love it” or provide a rebate

  • Their Naturals lunch meats are 100% Natural, 100% Delicious and now 100% Guaranteed.
  • No artificial ingredients (minimally processed), preservatives, or colors
  • No added nitrates/nitrites. *Except for those naturally occurring in the celery juice powder
  • 97% FAT FREE
  • Gluten Free

 

(you have to register for Just4U to get access to the coupon)

WHAT SIMPLE EASY RECIPES ARE YOU COOKING THIS FALL?

French Toast Casserole featuring Nature’s Harvest® Whole Grain Bread + Win $25 Visa Gift Card!

This post is sponsored by Nature’s Harvest® all opinion are my own.
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Ingredients

    • 1 loaf Nature’s Harvest® bread- 8 grams of whole grain!
    • 8 eggs
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 2 TB vanilla

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

Cut loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9×13 pan.

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In a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread.

BBP_3991Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

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Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

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Mix in butter with this mixture until crumbly and sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

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This is a great breakfast and so easy to make.  Make it on Saturday night and pop it in the oven Sunday morning for a yummy meal!  Each variety of Nature’s Harvest® bread is baked with at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving, no artificial flavors or colors, no high fructose corn syrup.  I’m all about feeding my family healthy and hearty meals, so  Nature’s Harvest® bread fits right into our routine.

Nature’s Harvest® bread is now available to consumers nationwide and come in delicious varieties including:

  • 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread
  • Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread
  • Butter Top Made With Whole Grain White Bread
  • Butter Top Made with Whole Grain Wheat Bread

Nature’s Harvest® Bread is excited to launch the “Whole Grain Challenge” to encourage families to incorporate 48 grams of whole grains into their diets every day. From July 13 to August 10, participants can take the whole grain pledge on the Nature’s Harvest® Facebook page and they will automatically be entered into a weekly sweepstakes.

Are you up for the whole grain challenge?

ENTER TO WIN A $25 VISA GIFT CARD & COUPON FOR $5.00 OFF NATURES HARVEST®

TELL ME HOW YOU INCORPORATE MORE WHOLE GRAINS IN YOUR DAILY DIET?

Friday Favorites

Oh my gosh how time is flying this summer!  We are still house hunting and I’m secretly hoping we can find something by at least Christmas.  I want a place to put my Christmas tree!  Connor and I were at Walmart last night and all the school supplies were out in full force.  I can’t believe my baby is going to be in KINDERGARTEN!  I know….stop whining about it Becky!

A couple weeks ago one of my favorite boutiques, Evy’s Tree, was having a MAJOR sale and I got up early to see what all the fuss was about.  I’m glad I did because they sold out quick.  They have the softest, most comfy, adorable hoodies and sweaters ever!

I scored this Diana Wrap for 1/3 of the price and I love it!  I can’t wait until fall….pit stains and the heat are for the birds.

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I also recieved this beautiful rose gold heart necklace from my FabFitFun box.  I’ll be sharing more about all those goodies later 😉

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When Connor and I were out at Walmart last night he found a phone for $2.50. He’s been on it ever since calling his friends and taking “selfies” with me….I have no idea where he gets that from??? Ha ha!

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I also got an email today about Amazon’s BIG HUGE SALE coming up on July 15th.  It’s supposed to be better than Black Friday.  We shall see about that Amazon….we shall see.  If you don’t have a Prime Membership you can get a free trial right now for 30 days and get FREE shipping on ANYTHING!

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I ordered this bag from Barrington Gifts a few weeks ago and I find myself throwing everything in there, including my big honking camera and it all fits! It’s very light and I like how you can customize your own bag to fit your style.  I picked navy with orange polka dots, because like I said I am a fall gal.

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My parents came to visit from Arkansas over the 4th of July and we had a short, but sweet visit. My poor Mom had her arm still in a cast. She broke her right wrist and it hasn’t been fun 🙁 We have a new Dave & Buster’s that opened right next door to our apartments so we visited there and the Cheesecake Factory. I am already looking forward to our next trip home.

Here are some 4th of July pics:

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Happy July!

Okay…so we have like 6 months until Christmas just so you know!!!

Ha ha!

I’ve been reading a ton of books on my Kindle lately.  I love a good romance.  Have any of you read something you would recommend?

We also tried out a new church this past Sunday and really liked it.  Just look at my boys before church this past week.  I know they are pretty handsome right?

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Connor has been playing Legos non-stop.  He just recently took an interest in them and he’s been building like crazy.  I love to see how excited he gets and his imagination runs wild.
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I made this recipe last night from a site called Budget Bytes.  It was really good!  I like how the author prices out the recipe and then prices it out per serving.  Clever!!!

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What are y’all up to this 4th of July?  My Mom and Dad are coming to visit us tomorrow and I’m soooooooooo excited!!!

Summer Entertaining with Charmin #TweetFromTheSeat #IC #ad

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Charmin. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation. All content and thoughts are my own”

Summer is in session and people it is HOT out there!  I’m a fall/winter gal myself, but the one thing I do love about summer is vacations.  My Mom is a teacher, so she has the summers off and I get excited for my parents to come visit us.  They live out of state, so it’s extra special when we get to see each other.

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We just went through a big move from our house of six years to an apartment.  It’s been interesting I must say and one thing moving forces you to do is purge and re-evaluate what you really DO need in life.  We don’t have as much storage in the apartment right now so I only keep the essentials on hand.  One essential I keep stocked is Charmin toilet paper.  You never ever want to run out of toilet paper.  It’s like being stuck on a deserted island. Especially when entertaining guests…it’s so embarrassing knowing your guests felt uncomfortable because they ran out of toilet paper!  Been there….done that….not fun.

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I like to stock extra Charmin toilet paper in a cute container on the back of the toilet seat.  It’s handy and your guests can easily find it there.  I also like to put out pretty hand soaps.  They smell great and make your bathroom feel personalized and welcoming.

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Charmin’s clog-free guarantee ensures that your plumbing will run smoothly so you can enjoy your summer without worrying about how many people are using your bathroom.  Charmin and Roto-Rooter, America’s largest provider of plumbing & drain services, have teamed up again this year to remind consumers of the clog-free and septic-safe guarantee that only comes with Charmin. Roto-Rooter plumbers recommend Charmin more than any other brand.

When we have guests over they share the same bathroom that our 5-year-old does.  Can I just say a 5-year-old boy goes through a TON of toilet paper!!!  Thank goodness Charmin is easy on our toilet pipes 🙂

Check out the video below with some of my favorite summer entertaining tips.  Also, check out Charmin deals and coupons on Facebook & Twitter.

How’s Life Treating You? A Little Update on What’s Going On…

I haven’t done a whole-hearted life update in awhile. Well, as you all know we sold our house.  The same home we brought Connor into and nurtured him for the first 5 years of his life.  It was a great home.

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We put it on the market on a Friday and accepted an offer on Sunday. It all happened so fast it seemed like a whirlwind. After our house sold we put numerous offers in on homes and even got an offer accepted on a house we really liked. After inspection and some hard thinking we decided it wasn’t the one for us. It was more than we really wanted to spend and it wasn’t in our desired school district for Connor.  The market is crazy right now and it’s definitely shifted to a sellers market.

So, here we are a month later and we’ve settled into our 3rd floor apartment.  Yes…THIRD FLOOR!  I’m hoping by the time summer is over I’ll have a nice firm bod from climbing all these stairs.  (We’ve lived on the 3rd floor before, but we were about 10 years younger then!)  My body hurt after this last move!  Thank goodness for our movers they were like little sherpas and so thankful for them.  The apartments are very nice, it’s just such a change from being in a single home.  We have a pool and a gym and everyone has been great so far!  I like having no maintenance and feeling free of being tied down.  In that aspect it’s nice, but I am hoping we find a house in our desired area by Christmas or sooner.  Trying to teach Connor not to yell, jump around, & be mindful of our neighbors is another story…..someone send wine!

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I got some fabulous new glasses from Firmoo a few weeks ago.  I’ve been wearing glasses more lately because my allergies and my eyes aren’t friends.  Don’t I look super smart and all?  Subscribe to Firmoo’s mailing list and get 15% off your first pair of glasses!

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I ordered some new business cards for my photography.  I think they turned out fab.  I designed them myself.  I am looking for a few graduating seniors in the DFW area to take pictures of to add to my portfolio.  If you have a senior graduating or know one email me at beckylbranch@gmail.com 🙂

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Speaking of photos, I snapped these of my boys a few weeks ago and love them!  We had a great father’s day & are so thankful for our Ter-Bear.

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The cutest class I ever did see!  I just love this board of “When I Grow Up I Want to Be…”BBP_2569

Connor said he wanted to be a soldier and that melted my heart.  His Dad was a soldier and I think it’s so sweet he wants to be like his Daddy.BBP_2561

So…here’s to things finally calming down.  As life takes turns knowing God is always there beside us 🙂

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