January Currently + Foodie Friday

Hi Peachies! It's finally here, Fri-YAY! We made it. It's almost the end of January, too and I can't let it slip by without doing a currently post. I'm also wanting to bring back my Foodie Friday post. Today it just so happens that I can bring the two together! YAY!! So read on for the yummy Foodie Friday recipe.

Here's what i'm up to currently.

Enjoying...Our clean house.

Wishing For...a gold bar cart and fringe booties.

Loving...the Sunshine Snail Mail Gift Swap I put together with my friends.
It's so fun to see everyone getting happy mail and making new friends.


I'm also loving this picture of our sweet Bella.

Looking Forward To...My birthday. It's only 15 days away.

Smelling...Modern Mint candle. It smells so amazing.

Wearing...Yoga pants, tee shirt from Southern Bells & Bows Boutique, leopard Toms,
bullet stud earrings, wedding set, and my three owls necklace.

Feeling...happy, relaxed, refreshed.

Bookmarking...What happens when you color for a week instead of watching tv,
Dax Shepard & Kristen Bell's new video, Pallet Headboard by Kara from the Knight's Place.
Pallet Headboard Pt. 3

Reading...Amy Poehler's Yes Please & this month's issue of Cosmo.

Watching...Jep & Jessica Growing the Dynasty, Fixer Upper, & Lip Sync Battle.

Listening (to)...Jess Lively's Podcast & my January Jams playlist.

Eating...Last night's left overs from Cracker Barrel.

Cooking...Sausage and winter squash. It's my favorite recipe lately.
{Recipe at the bottom of this post.}

Drinking...Water. All the water.
And loving my new Faith, Hope, & Love water bottle.

Texting...My hubby. It's one of those days for both of us.

Pinning...My blog ladies' posts. There are some really great ones, ya'll!

Instagramming...Happy Birthday post to my son, gift swaps, and all things Target!

Snapchatting...The local boutique I just found, jewelry, Sunshine gift swap, how my Friday started.

Tweeting...Blog posts.

Loving these blog posts...If We Were On A Coffee Date
& Why You Don't Need A No Spend Month

Celebrating...Birthday season! We have 8 in January/February!

Starting...To pick up my blog posting again.

Finishing...the laundry. Always.

Loving This Make-Up...CoverGirl Oh Sugar in cupcake and sprinkles.

Shopping Here...Southern Belles & Bows Boutique.

Loving these purchases...Faith, Hope, Love water bottle. NYX Butter glosses. Coconut Lime Gum.

Using these essential oils...I'm obsessed with Grapefruit oil right now.
I'm diffusing it with eucalyptus currently.

This Is My Jam...Miranda Lambert-Sweet by and By.


And Now for Foodie Friday.

Sausage & Winter Squash
I made this week before last and it was a hit. Tonight it's on the menu again!

I will say this-I sauteed mine and it was amazing that way, too!





What are you up to currently?



















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13 Things I've Learned As A Mom

Hey Peachies! I'm finally back! I'd like to say that the beginning of the year brings time for us to slow down and refresh but that simply isn't true. In fact, it's the opposite because it's birthday season for us and our family. We have eight birthdays in January and February. We are lucky enough though, to have all these people to celebrate and enjoy another trip around the sun with.
At 5:55 a.m. tomorrow my husband and I will officially be the parents of a teenager. Our boy turns 13! I can't even believe it myself but i'll save you all the cliche sayings. In honor of his thirteenth birthday I'm going to tell you thirteen things i've learned since becoming a Mom.

1. Motherhood often feels like a train wreck in the middle of a tornado.
The train wreck being you and the tornado being your little one.

2. If you breast feed or bottle feed, they're still going to eat that three day old french fry out of the floor board.

3. Mud attracts kids. It's like flies at a picnic. It just happens.
If there's a hole filled with water the kid will sit in it, even if it is chin deep.

4. Sometimes the kid has to go in the tub, clothes and all.
This happens after the baby devours his Grandpa's Thanksgiving dinner.

5. They're going to pee on you and poop in the tub.
(If you've avoided this you deserve a medal!)

6. They'll go through a phase of pretending to be something.
Sometimes it's a puppy and sometimes that puppy embarrasses you at the mall because you let puppy walk on their own (puppy is about 2)
and he'll yell, "you're hurting the puppy, let go." And everyone will look and you'll want to crawl under the bench and die.

7. Don't let your two year old keep his new tricycle in the house because it's December and it's too cold to go outside and play.
He'll ride it down the stairs into the basement and cry, not because of the knot on his head but because he can't get his tricycle back
upstairs.

8. On the plus side of number 7. Helium balloons make wonderful lifesavers if inflated and kept at the bottom of the steps the kid rides
their tricycle down. (Yes, this happened. The balloon saved his noggin from hitting the concrete floor when he rode that tricycle down.)

9. Go to lunch at your child's school with them.
You'll learn all kinds of things about his elementary school friends like who's dating who.
(True story, ya'll! Not kidding!)

10. Your one and a half year old will say "Hot Damn" and your friends will laugh and encourage it.
(No?!? Just me on this one?)

11. Your kid will tell you, "you sing pretty mama but you can't be on American Idol because you're my mom."

12. At your Grandpa's funeral, if they are recording memories of him, your 7 year old will have no fear as he stands up in front of that camera
and says "My grandpa used to call me a peckerhead." Again, you'll want to die. In fact, you might for a minute.

13. If your cild is in gifted classes in middle school he basically has the same college education as you.
You can forget helping them with common core math at this point because
6 cows + 34 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches=4,368 purple polka dotted jellyfish


When your kid is 13, you'll look at him and think, he's sos much like me and I don't like it. Then you'll look at your mom and think, i'm so much like her. And if she's half the woman mine is then you know you'll be okay. After all, my mom let all three of us survive the teenage years. That's my only hope for the next 5 years of his life. But really, he is an amazing kid and I wouldn't change anything in the world about him or our relationship. Here's to many more years of birthdays and memories!

What's something you've learned as a mom?




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Happy Birthday, Mom!

When I think of what a strong woman who has the biggest heart looks like, I see my Mom. She's the kind of woman I aspire to be. Strong and independent, caring and giving and fiercely loyal and loving. She has the biggest heart of gold. If you need anything she's got you covered. Without my Mom I don't know what i'd do. She's shown me how to be the best Mom & Wife though her own examples. She made our wedding more than I ever dreamed it would be and she's been my shoulder to lean on and cry on in hard times. My mom is more than a mom, she's my best friend. Thank you mom for all that you are and do for us. We're beyond lucky to have you as our mom & mimi. If everyone had a Mom like you this world would be a happier place. Happy Birthday Mom. We hope the day is as blessed as you are! We love you!!!



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Monday Coffee Talk

Hi Peachies! Welcome to another Monday. I know. I know. All the grumbles but it means that we're one day closer to another weekend. Speaking of weekends, How was yours? I hope it was just as fantastic as mine. We mostly had a pretty lazy weekend at home and it was glorious. I'm bringing back something I haven't done in a while, Monday Coffee Talk. Let's re-cap the weekend and talk about goals for the week.

Fri-YAY ended up being a long day at home filled with cleaning and being cozy. Since my hubby had to work late Friday night my son and I went out for sushi. It was a fun, quick meal but we both enjoyed it. It's nice to get out with just my son sometimes. He's usually glued to video games and friends these days.

Fri-YAY's instagram post.

Happy Fri-Yay loves! Enjoy your weekend. I hope it's filled with wonderful things & lots of sparkle. #weekending2016 #Fri-YAY!

A photo posted by PeachyKeen31 (@georgiapeachy31) on Jan 15, 2016 at 1:37pm PST

Saturday when I woke up my eyes were red, swollen and hurting again. This is happening far too often lately and I don't know what's triggering it but I was determined to not let it keep me from having a fun day. My hubby took me to Sprouts, it's a whole foods store like Trader Joes. Honestly, it may be my most favorite of them all. He bought me some beautiful daisies and coffee and yeah, we got other things too but those are the most important.

My Mom also came home from a week long business trip on Saturday so we went to spend time with her and my dad after Sprouts.
My Mom bought me a pair of bullet earrings from a shop she visited while she was on her trip and I love them!

Sunday was spent at home, all day. I finally gave into my husband and started taking Benadryl for my eyes so I napped for a little while then got up and colored and cleaned house a bit while my husband napped. Then we got up and made dinner together and enjoyed some time together before this week began.

I know my weekend seems really boring to y'all but it was just what my little family needed. We all need to take time to slow down and relax and be cozy sometimes. I really wish we had more weekends like this.

Sunday's Instagram post.

Happy Sunday Friends. I hope your day is full of lots of wonderful things. Lots of snuggling & taking it easy. Lots of laughing with loved ones & being cozy. Coffee & flowers and all the things that make you happy. A Sunday well spent brings a week of content. #enjoytheday #sundaywellspent #weekofcontent #flowersaf #caffinatedaf #thatsdarling #lesliessparkofhappiness #lesliesbeautyfullthings #bloom

A photo posted by PeachyKeen31 (@georgiapeachy31) on Jan 17, 2016 at 5:56am PST

Now, on to the goals for the week.

Fun stuff, right? It's time to adult again y'all and I don't want to.

First goal is to meal plan and grocery shop. I usually do this on Saturdays but this week I really wasn't into it. Guess what that means though? Yep! We have to do it today. Boo.

Second goal is to get the tag for my car this week. Again, boo!

Third goal is to get my Mama's birthday present. This is a goal that I can get excited about because I love shopping for my Mama.

Fourth goal is to get my Sunshine Snail Mail partner's gift in the mail.

Fifth goal is to dust the house and clean the bathrooms.

And last, it to put these new blog sidebar buttons I just bought, to good use.


What was the highlight of your weekend? What are your goals for the week ahead?

Happy Monday Loves!

Here's to Monday. Let's make it an extraordinary day. Don't forget to sparkle a little extra today. Cheers to another week! Who run this? Girls!! #girlboss

A photo posted by PeachyKeen31 (@georgiapeachy31) on Jan 18, 2016 at 6:07am PST

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Simplicity Challenge + Jewelry/Cake Stand DIY

Hey Peachies! Dear Heavens, where is January going? I've had all these wonderful post ideas and well, honestly it's been cold & sunny and I haven't felt like taking the time to sit down and write them out. I've been out shopping and soaking up the cold but sunny weather. When I am home, i've been organizing and cleaning. I'm in the mood to throw stuff away. This worries my husband but I'm not throwing his stuff away. I'm stacking it neatly in his chair so that it has to be dealt with before he can sit down + it means I get more snuggle time in with him on the couch. ;) Mama didn't raise no fool, y'all.

This time of year inspires me to start fresh and that starts a cleaning frenzy. I've been following along with
Emily Ley & Michelle Fynan on Instagram for the #simplicitychallenge2016. There's a daily challenge to simplify your life. I was happy to find that i've been doing most of them, or at least have done most of them on my own in the last month. The one that really stuck with me was Day 5.

My nightstand was my catch all place in the bedroom. Catch all, including dust bunnies. It was screaming for a make over so when I saw this challenge I was all over it! I got inspired. I was at Marshall's looking for our Hawaiian water when I came across the bracelet stand. My bracelets were scattered all over the shelf in our bathroom. I was struggling to keep them neat and organized. There was only one bracelet stand and it was way prettier (and a great price) than any other I had seen so I grabbed it up. I love that it has two bracelet holders, ring slots, and another little compartment for whatever. My rings go in my big jewelry box when i'm not wearing them so that space has become filled with my Gingersnap charms.

After cleaning off the nightstand and filling it with all the decorations I had I realized that my bottles of lotion, pillow spray, and massage oils were just kind of sitting there. Not pretty at all. I remembered these pretty cake stands I had looked at at Hobby Lobby just last week. I admired them but didn't need one at the moment so I let them be. (I won't lie, at this point I considered using my $100 Martha Stewart cake stand I just received as a wedding gift here but that thought turned my stomach. Besides, a girl can never have too many cake stands, right?) Off to Hobby Lobby I went to find the cake stand I dreamed of. I got there and was disappointed. The cake stands weren't as pretty as I remembered so I put in my crafty brain and grabbed the prettiest piece of that cake stand collection (because I did love it-the pink, in case your wondering). I knew I wanted two layers so I scanned the store for another plate that would look pretty and some candle stick holders, too.

Here's what I came up with.

The pink cake plate, two crystal candle stick holders, and a burlap charger.

Yes friends! I made my own. When it doubt, craft it out!

Here's how I did it.

I grabbed the items I had just bought and go to work.

First I glued the candle stick to the bottom of the burlap charger plate and applied some pressure for a few seconds then I set it to the side.

Next I hot glued the candle stick holder to the pink cake plate.

Then I glued the two of them together. This part required a little hand-eye coordination to line up the two candle sticks so the top didn't look off center.

Lastly, I added a burlap bow made from some leftover burlap I had. When that was done it still needed a little something so I pulled out the gold scalloped border that I had bought at Target (in the dollar spot) just because it was pretty! Score!

This is how it all came together. I'm in love with my nightstand now. It's my current favorite place in the house and I've actually been sleeping a lot better. That probably has nothing to do with getting rid of the dust bunnies. It's all because I face my nightstand when I sleep & it's just so pretty! That's totally it!

I hope this inspires you to clean up your night stand or get crafty or both!



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Hello New Year.

Hello Peachies. Welcome to a New Year. I love January. It's pretty much life's gift of a fresh start. Everything seems refreshed and energized. It's blank space to fill up in what ever inspiring ways you'd like. I love all things shiny, new and inspiring this time of year but like a lot of people, I don't like to make resolutions.

Resolutions get kicked to the wayside in about two months because they're overwhelming or just loose their appeal after a while. I like to make monthly goals though. I did this on the blog for about 1/2 the year last year then got bored with them (that's why I don't make resolutions!) but i'm bringing them back this year. I feel like monthly goals help me stay on track and tackle tasks little by little instead of everything coming at me like a wrecking ball. It gives me an empowered sense of "I can do this" instead of feeling like I have too much to do so you can find me in my blanket fort, watching Friends, and drinking wine. What? Adulting is hard that's why I have to break down my goals monthly. Sometimes even daily.

January's Goals

1. Simplify.
This seems pretty broad but truth is that I want to simplify my life in any way I possibly can.
I can probably start in my bathroom cleaning out old make up and other junk I don't need and use.

2. Spend Sundays cooking for the week ahead and ironing my husband's work clothes for the week.

3. Read a book a month.
So far i've read one and am currently reading Amy Poehler's "Yes Please" and loving it.

4. Spend more time being social.
Again, not gonna lie. This time of year makes me want to stay snuggled up on my couch in sweats with my favorite blanket and never leave.
If I want to shop I can do it on line, which makes the appeal of staying snuggled up at home even greater.
Currently i'm waiting on books, coffee, and make up to be delivered! On line shopping is the greatest thing since Betty White!

5. Less social media time in the evenings.
My hubby and son deserve my undivided attention.
The exception to this is when the two of them are playing XBox or whatever guys do.

6. Lose 3 lbs.
Let's start easy here y'all.
I lost 15 all together last year and want to lose at least that this year but it's January.
I'm being easy and forgiving to myself.

7. Deep clean one room in the house. (Probably the kitchen).
Spring cleaning has hit me early y'all!

8. Work out 5 days a week.
I feel so much better when I'm doing this.
I feel healthier and my body aches less!

9. Less garbage in.
By this I mean less Kardashians and crap in my life. If it doesn't benefit me in any way then I have no need for it in my life.
This also means less junk food in my body! I love eating better. It helps me feel more energetic and clean.

10. Sending more snail mail.
Just because.

11.Schedule my massage.
My hubby and girl's gave me a gift card at my bachelorette shower in August.
I think it's time to put it to use.

12. Blog twice a week.
I put this insane amount of pressure on myself to blog every. single. day. at the end of last year and I just couldn't do it.
I have to remember why I started this blog and know that's it's okay not to post every day.
My motto for the blog this year is "quality over quantity"

13. Skin Care.
I have all the products. I use them when I think about it but I've got to start using them every day.
My skin really looks and feels so much better when I do.

14. Refresh the jewelry making and selling.
I had this goal of making enough to take around to antique shops and small local boutiques to try to sell by the beginning of this year.
I got busy doing other things though, like GETTING MARRIED and celebrating the holidays!

15. Spend more time in the evenings coloring and reading.
Kinda goes with number 5. Cut out the social media & do something that requires brains. Not that coloring does but it's creative!

16. Inspire.
This is another broad one but I want to spend my life inspiring others.
I want someone to say "you made a difference to me." That's my goal always and forever.

17. Clean out old make up and toiletries.
I realized the need this weekend when I glanced under there.
It's a hot mess, y'all. Good bye old beauty products.
You're no longer welcome here.

18. Find a morning routines that works for me.
I have so much I want to do and never seem to be able to squeeze it all in.
I want to do my yoga routine and my daily devotional before the sun even comes up.
That never happens though. I've gotta figure out how to make it happen.


What are your goals for the new year?





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New Year, Same Me + My Word of the Year

When I saw Allison from Live Well Life Blog declaring New Year, Same me I couldn't help myself. I all but stood up and clapped for her because it spoke volumes to me. We're all guilty of saying "New Year, New Me" when this time of year rolls around. Every. Single. Year. And I, for one, am guilty of always doing the same thing, until I saw her post.

Here's my comment on her blog post.
I love that you are declaring New Year, Same Me because isn't it the truth? It's a new year but i'm still the same person I was. It's not like the clock strikes midnight and I'm a new person. I'm always genuinely me, it's just that i'm always trying to be a better version of myself. I'm declaring the same for this new year. I'm still me, just a work in progress, as always.

So true, right? I know we all want to better ourselves this time of year and we can and should. It's refreshing and renewing to start over. We all need that but the thing is, that i'm not magically going to become someone else nor do I want to be. I like who I am. I've fought and worked hard to become her. Of course there's always room for improvements and that's what I want to work on. I still want to be me, just a better version of me so I'm declaring, New Year, Same Me.

When it came to finding a word to focus on for 2016, several came to mind. Balance, Grace, Faith, Positivity, and Patience were ones that crossed my mind. They're all great words, they're all words I need to focus on all the time. I struggle with finding just one to focus on but my word of the year finally came to me.

My word of the year for 2016 is Perfection.

Not in the sense that I'm striving for perfection or even believe perfection exists. I know it doesn't but what does exist is my idea of perfection. My house has to be a certain way, I have to look a certain way, my car needs to be cleaned a certain way. All of this is my idea of perfection. It drives me insane to not have things "perfect". So much so that I often say no to lunch dates and fun things with loved ones because i've set up this false "perfection" that I live by. I can't go to lunch with a friend because I need to stay home and clean my house. It's not like my husband expects everything to be perfect. He only expects love when he walks in the door, a hug and a kiss. That's it. So how silly is it that I let my idea of perfection take up my time with loved ones? It's pretty ridiculous, if I do say so myself. (And I do) because one day those loved ones might not be here but the messy house always will. So here's why perfection is my word for 2016. Because it's a word I want to take out of my mind and my life.

Perfection isn't there. It simply isn't. And i'm the only one in my life who is living by this false sense of perfection. It controls me sometimes so good bye to perfection this year. And Hello to new opportunities and fun in its place. Adventures await. Even more happiness awaits. It's going to be a wonderful new year.

New Year, Same Me minus perfection.

What are you saying goodbye to this year?








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