Merry Christmas! Family Photos 2020

 I hope you are all having a very Merry Christmas, no matter how different it may be this year.  I thought I would share a few of our family photos from this year, Finn's first Christmas.  

 

 

Fab Friday Faves 10.2.20

 Well hello! It's been a minute I know.  Who knew a 2-7 month old would only want to nap for 20-30 minutes at a time, leaving me with no time to do anything other than tidy up the house or have a quick shower?  Well it looks like hitting 7 months was the cure, as this week he has decided to nap twice a day for 1-1.5 hours, leaving me a bit of time to sit down, or do something that I actually want to do.  Although I probably have a million favorite things to report since the last time I did a blog, I'm going to keep it to just the last couple weeks. I plan on blogging some recipes and about our awesome trip to Marco Island sometime in the near future as well.  In the meantime, enjoy my last couple weeks! 

 

Nicole's birthday is right around the corner, and my next couple weeks are pretty busy, so we planned a day to get together with the boys to give her gifts and take her for lunch.  We started at Alafia State Park, where we had a little walk and enjoyed nature.  Then we went to one of my favorite places, Datz in Riverview for lunch.  I got the Porkfection sandwich and we both got the Cinnabunny drinks with little cinnamon buns on top.   A great day with some of my favorites.

 

 

Josh, Finn and I did the Rays 5K last weekend.  It was virtual this year and it was Finn's second 5k on his 7 month birthday.  

 

 I entered a contest a couple weeks ago from Drift Local, one of my favorite local apparel companies, as well as the Conscious Coconut, a local Coconut oil brand, and I'll be darned if I didn't win all these great prizes!

 

 

I have the yard mostly decorated for Halloween.  With a new addition of a creepy clown hanging from a tree.  I always have fun with it.  There are a few other things I didn't take pictures of too.  The first picture is hard to tell but there is a rat on the mailbox and a bat hanging from the tree.

 

 

Nicole has been telling me to try this creamer for ages but I couldn't find it (and neither could she), so when Target had it last week I grabbed us a couple.  And it is so good!  Give it a try! Something great for fall that isn't Pumpkin Spice. 

 

And, just for fun some pictures of Finn because he is so darned cute.  He also got his first tooth (finally) this week! We also turned his Gator into the Batgator while we were decorating outside. 

Today I'm linking up with:

Simply Sweet Home  / A Little Bit of Everything

*recipe* Alabama Fire Crackers

I don't know where I saw this recipe, but I knew it was one that I would love. They are salty, spicy and a little bit greasy (just like me!) I have made this so many times now that I have tweaked it a bit by changing up the traditional Saltines with a mix of Saltines, Ritz (they really absorb the flavor well) and even Cheez-its. I've stuck mostly to the original recipe as far as the spices; they just work! Make sure you marinate over night and flip the bag as often as you can to make sure all the crackers are coated. Simple, maybe not the healthiest but man, these things are addicting!

 Ingredients

-2 cups olive oil (I use 1 cup light tasting EVO and 1 cup veg or   canola oil)
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp pepper
-2 (1oz) packs Ranch dressing mix
-3 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (sounds like a lot but its not)
-1 (16 oz) pack of saltine crackers (you can use your favorite   crackers, Ritz work great, Cheez-its if you want extra flavor)

Directions

-Add all the ingredients except the crackers to a gallon Ziplock bag, kneed or shake bag to combine all the ingredients. 

 -Place all the crackers in the bag (regardless of the crackers you use, the bag should be almost full but close easily) and turn bag over until all crackers are coated with mixture. 

-Let bag sit overnight, turning over as often as you can. 

-Preheat oven to 250F and lay crackers on a baking sheet (I use a wire rack to put them on, on the baking sheet, they get crispier and bake faster). Bake until golden brown or oil is absorbed, about 20 minutes. If you want you can take them out and stir them up so they bake more evenly.  I also do mine in a couple batches.  

-Place into a new Ziplock to keep them fresh and enjoy.  They won't last long! 

Fab Friday Faves 6.5.20

Hey everyone, it has been a long while since I did a Friday blog... so I thought I would do a quick one, just for fun and to take my mind off all the craziness in the world right now.  Things are going great with being a mom, Finn is such a good baby (so far) and we have so much fun.  Here are a few of my favorites from the last week.  Everyone stay safe!

Finn had his first real day at the beach on Saturday when Chad and Chrissy came over for Rowen's birthday.  We got there early and had a nice big spot in the sand and we set up our sportbrella and fan and he loved it!  He even had an hour nap on the beach blanket and dipped his toes in the water. He was such trooper even on the hot day.

On Sunday, we drove over to Burger Culture, one of our favorite burger places.  I don't think I need to say much about this, it's amazing. 

Not only did we go to the beach on the weekend, we also discovered the pool is warm enough for all of us to enjoy.  So we tried out the frog floatie that Raymond had been using the day before and he loved it!  Then on Tuesday, we broke out the Otteroo to try and he loved kicking, floating a trying to swim.  I knew he would be a little water baby! 

 Josh and I also tried Grill Fresh, a new restaurant near our house. They do customized bowls with different meat and vegetables and carb.  I got Cuban pork, Kale salad, Asian noodles, green beans, tomatoes and cucumbers and Kale Chimmichuri sauce. It was delicious and they actually grow a lot of their own herbs and vegetables right outside of the restaurant.

Summer has arrived in Florida, and my tropical plants and flowers are in full bloom this week. So beautiful! 

Nicole told me about Safe + Fair, a company that recently started making Key Lime drizzled popcorn.  So I went online and ordered most of their products.  They were sold out of the Key Lime Popcorn, so they sent the granola and will send the popcorn when it is restocked.  I've tried the Birthday Cake and Dark Chocolate popcorn and they are awesome, can't wait to try the rest.

Today I'm linking up with:

/ Simply Sweet Home / 

*Recipe* No Bake Lactation Energy Bites

I was never one of those people that HAD TO breastfeed. I thought I would give it a try, and if it happened easily, I would continue, if not, I wasn't concerned. When I ended up having a C-section and needing a transfusion, the nurses advised me that it may take a while for me to be able to get much of a supply.  Luckily, Finn took right to breastfeeding and I had some great nurses and lactation consultants at the hospital.  I have struggled to keep my supply up though, so I have tried various things to boost it, while supplementing with formula. I've used Milky Mama tea, lactation smoothies, a stout or porter beer a couple times and week and these, one of my favorites.  They are super easy, no bake and are dairy free, which is important to me as I am currently on a dairy free diet due to Finn's sensitivity to lactose in my milk. Along with all that, they are delicious.  I even catch Josh sneaking them from the fridge quite often! Make sure you store these in the fridge so they don't melt and they should keep for a couple weeks. 

No Bake Lactation Energy Bites

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tbsp Brewer's Yeast
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup peanut butter (or nut butter of your choosing)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut (optional)

Directions

• In a large bowl combine the oats, Brewer's Yeast and flaxseed.

• Mix in the honey, peanut butter, vanilla and coconut oil.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and coconut.

• Press and roll into balls.

• Enjoy!

 Thanks to "Mom Makes Dinner" for the recipe!