Three Of My Favorite Blog Posts

Hello Peachies. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm link up obsessed. They're such a fun way to get to know other bloggers and show some love while you get a little love and traffic on your posts, too. If you've been around here for any amount of time then you know i'm all about cheering every beautiful lady on because I believe there's enough room for each of us to grow, flourish, and succeed. And I want that for every single one of us so when I came across Roxy from Royalty in Reality's link up 3 Things I wrote myself a reminder to participate this Thursday.

So here I am. Today I'm going to share my Three Favorite Blog Posts I've Written but before I do I want to warn you that some of these posts are older so the content isn't up to par with now but I leave them that way because they are real, they are raw, and they serve as a reminder of how far i've come. Even so, the topics are some that are my favorites. They're something i'm still proud to show off because this is real and i'm not trying to paint some perfect picture of my perfect life. We go through seasons of growth and change and these are proof of that.

Three Favorite Blog Posts

How To Clean Your Make Up Brushes
This post is one of my favorite ones i've done because cleaning your make up brushes is so important. It's something I never used to do but now I clean my brushes religiously. My skin stays super healthy and glowy and makes my make up go on smooth.

National Tell A Fairy Tale Day
Who can resist a fairy tale? This is my every day, real life fairy tale. Somedays I feel like Cinderella before the ball. Other days I feel like Cinderella at the ball but everyday i'm blessed to be living my fairy tale life.

My Favorite Quotes
I've been obsessed with quotes since I can remember because I feel like I can sum my life up in quotes. These are my favorite #girlboss motivation quotes.

If you loved this post and want to link up here's how.

Share your post featuring a list of three things. The titles must include the number 3 - for example, "3 Reasons I Love Maxi Dresses," "3 Pink Lipstick Shades for Summer," "3 Fabulous Restaurants in Rome," or "3 Ways to Prepare for a New Baby." The sky is the limit in terms of the content of your post. Be creative and have fun with it. It's suggested that you publish your posts on Thursdays, but they can be published any day of the week and you are more than welcome to share old posts.
Link back to Royalty in Reality and mention the link up in your post so that others can join in! Feel free to use the button provided.

And since I love to cheer all you beautiful ladies on, share with me your favorite blog post you've ever written and i'll return the love.

On Wednesdays We Confess

Hi Sweet Peachies! Happy Wednesday. We're getting closer to the weekend which means, it's time to bring out the wine. Who am I kidding?
It's always time to being out the wine. It's also time for on Wednesdays We Confess with my sweet blogger friend Mistle from Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas.

On Wednesday We Confess

I Confess I love sleep. As in, am totally obsessed with sleep. I also confess that I have a Pinterest board dedicated to sleep. Check it out here.

I Confess I love the Bloggers Gonna Blog group on Facebook. Show Your Blog Love is my favorite bloggers group but I'm quickly finding a love with Bloggers Gonna Blog.

I Confess I lost my social media mojo over the last week. I just needed a breather. I'm good now.

I Confess I'm trying to focus on needs vs wants. This post put things into perspective as I was sitting on my couch debating on running to Ross to see if they still had that uber cheap and pretty Naked eyeshadow palette. I resisted.

I Confess I'm still upset that I broke my favorite {brand new} blush last week but i'm trying to be good and use the other one I have before I replace it.

I Confess I love layering lipsticks and glosses to create new colors. My favorite lip product ever is this Too Faced Melted in Chihuahua.

I Confess I had to look up how to spell Chihuahua & this time I copied and pasted it. {wink}

I Confess I am obsessed with my new Yes Way Rose tee shirt.

Not only is this shirt blush & rose gold {swoon}, it says Yes Way Rose & it's super soft. Go score yourself one of these at Francesca's or Francesca's.com today. You won't be disappointed. #tuesdayvibes #roseallday #yeswayrose #onehautesummer

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Aug 23, 2016 at 10:07am PDT

I Confess I need about 300 naps or cups of coffee. Either way, i'll be happy.

I Confess my house isn't spotless and I don't care. All that letting go of perfection is working!

I Confess I also don't have any fresh produce in my house but I don't want to go shopping for veggies, either.

I Confess this pin made me laugh because i'm always doing this when my hubby & I are shopping together.

I Confess I cannot get enough of this song by Lindsey Stirling Hold My Heart

I Confess Kara from Fit Chick Next Door wrote an amazing blog post that really hit home. Her advice on stopping emotional spending and don't beat yourself up are on point. I love that she says "You wouldn’t go up to a friend and tell them their thighs are too big or they aren’t good enough or their hair is a mess would you? So why do you think it is okay to talk to yourself that way?"
Read her post here.

I Confess that now that all my Sunshines have their partners for the Sunshine Snail Mail Event i'm super excited about it!
One of my Sunshines even received her package already.

I Confess it's been on my heart to give back lately so i'm thinking of organizing something around the holidays where my friends and I can go around to people in need and pass out gifts.

I Confess i'm turning into a tv junkie. Big Bang Theory, The Bachelor in Paradise, Don't Be Tardy, I Love Kellie Pickler, and Too Close To Home are all on my must watch list. Ooops. Sorry. Not Sorry.

I Confess my Pinterest following is up over 1,000 Followers and that's without even trying. I didn't realize it until a friend mentioned it to me a few weeks ago.

I Confess I have a secret brag board on Pinterest. Anything blog related that i've done that has made me feel good I pin it.
It's actually a great reminder and uplifter of all the things I'm capable of and have accomplished on those days when I'm feeling less than.

So Loves, there you have it. My confessions. And yes, I totally sang that in the style of Usher. "These are my confessions."

What do you want to confess this week?

Eye Shadow Palettes

Hi Peachies! Today's post is the kind I don't do nearly enough of but as I get more comfortable playing around with make up I find myself wanting to do more. We're all girls here. We all love make up. So i'm going to share my favorite eye shadow palettes.

I love palettes because it's so much easier to have all of my eyeshadows in one place instead of 20 different small pots full. I love how easy palettes are to travel with and how many different options you have in them.

I always love a classic neutral, peachy, or rosy make up look but lately i've been loving playing around with different shades of purples, too.

My Current Faves

CoverGirl Tru Naked Roses
These are a mix of matte and shimmery, which is great. The lightest cream color is my favorite eye shadow base color. I almost always grab this palette because I'm in love with the golden tones, too. The second and fourth colors are gorgeous as eyeliners. The lighter of the two even makes a really pretty highlighter. And these shadows are all so velvety smooth.

ELF Rose Tones
These are really gorgeous colors, too. I especially love the shimmery pinks and lavenders.

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes
The first four colors are my absolute favorites but the picture doesn't even do the last plum color justice. It's got such a gorgeous gold fleck in it that it's perfect for dressing up the corners of your eyes for a sexy, smoky, flirty look.

Physician's Formula Nudes
These are the softest colors. They are perfect for completing the au naturale look or a soft, romantic look. I've been using this one the longest for good reason. It really doesn't fail. The lightest color is my favorite to put on top of another pale color and give it some shimmer without being too over powering.

If you asked me to pick my favorite out of these palettes I really couldn't.
I think they each have their own fabulous benefits that I love.
I enjoy pulling them all out and playing around to find pretty, romantic, sexy, and sassy make up looks.

What is your all time favorite eye shadow palette?
Have you tried any of these?

If We Were On A Coffee {Date Vol. 2}

Good Morning Peachies! I hope the weekend treated you well. It was a very refreshing and relaxing one for us. So much so that I don't even have pictures to share.

Friday night I went to bed around 8:30 and called it a night. I just couldn't adult anymore. Saturday morning I slept in until 9:15 then my hubby and I spent a few hours in our office. It was actually really nice because I was able to order everything I needed for my sister in law's baby gift, talk to a couple friends about the Sunshine Snail Mail event I've put together, answer a good many e-mails, catch up on my Instagram Pod, and I sent e-mails to two companies about affiliate programs.

I'm kinda nervous about those but i've decided that it'll be okay if they turn me down because not everyone succeeds the first time. Right? That's something I've always struggled with, even in my adult life. I feel like I always have to get it right the first time. So i'm telling myself it's okay if they say no. That's how we learn, how we grow.

Saturday afternoon my hubby went with me to run some errands. We spent at least an hour with his parents, which is always nice. We always laugh so much when we're with them. They're so adorable. Then if was off to run our errands. We went to Big Lots and Marshall's then took a break to eat at the Waffle House. Then we resumed with a trip to Academy Sports and Publix then to Taco Bell to pick our child up some dinner. We ended the night in our office again. This time I got nothing accomplished other than downloading the movie Sisters to my digital library and perusing a website called Twinkle Deals.

Sunday was a lazy day. We chilled at home all day. My hubby got some naps in while I worked on blog posts for the week. It was nice to get ahead.

Now that you have a full run down of our weekend, I hope you're snuggled in with your favorite mug of coffee.
If not, i'll wait while you go grab one.

If you & I were on a coffee date right now...
I'd tell you...

+ Weekends like the ones we just had are what refreshes my soul and inspires me.
I love going to events and being with friends but it's weekends where my family and I can snuggle in and stay cozy together that really do my heart good.

+ I am truly excited for the up-coming showers and parties we have coming up though.
We have two baby showers, one wedding shower, one birthday party and our own wedding anniversary between now and the end of September.
Bring on the parties!

+ I'm so excited about everything I bought my sister in law and brother for our soon to be niece or nephew.

+ Speaking of, I can't wait to find out if i'll have a niece or nephew!

+ I am truly devastated by the floods in Louisiana. I feel like they're not getting enough coverage but I am super proud of Trump for showing up
with a truckload of supplies for the citizens and helping. Where is our president during all this?

+ I've never considered myself a beauty blogger but I have so many new products i've bought that I'm loving so i'll be sharing some beauty posts soon.

+ I really miss doing yoga but i've found this book & these shoes. Now i'm inspired again.

+ I finally got a face brush cleaning system like the Clairsonic but it's a different brand and about one tenth of the price. I'm in Heaven.

+ I'm sad for the younger generations. It seems like manners, morals, and ettiquite are a dying thing. I don't blame the younger generations as much as I do their parents though.

+ I've reached a place in my life where I don't have time for anyone who is filled with negativity, doesn't support my dreams, wants to do nothing but gossip, or steals.

+ I would also tell you that my husband is un-doubtedly my best friend but i've reached a point in my life where I find myself craving true girlfriend connections. Sometimes that's hard to do because life gets in the way and we all get busy.
That's why I'm joining a book club and a Mom's Day Out group that are being put together by two of my real life friends.

+ I want to make it my goal to have lunch with one of my girlfriends at least once a month.

+ I feel like i'm building up my blogging tribe and starting to flourish in this area. I wish that all my blog friends lived closer.

+ Putting together my Sunshine Snail Mail event this time has been excruciating. Not that I haven't enjoyed it but I feel like it has drained me this time. I'm not sure if it's the Facebook algorithims or what's going on but no matter how many times I post instructions someone doesn't follow them. I'm giving everyone the benefit of a doubt though. I keep doing it though because all my friends seem to enjoy it and blessing others is what matters most.

+ I'm starting to give in and use InstaStories some. You can find me on Instagram here

+ I love Sundays at home more than anything. I love getting ready for the week ahead and feeling ready for Monday morning.

+ Speaking of, I'm totally loving all the pins on Pinterest about how to have a productive Sunday. It totally inspires me to sit down with my notebook and my day planner and get prepared.

+ I'm so ready for fall. I'm looking forward to bringing my boots and sweaters out and I already have plans of making all the chili and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.

+ I read a fellow blogger's post about her experience going conditioner free and all the benefits it's had for her hair. It has inspired me to do the same. I'm only on day two and I'm using a leave in spray conditioner, which is something she didn't do. So far i'm loving it. My hair is lighter, fluffier and it's holding a style so much better.

If we were on a Coffee Date what would you share with me?

Oh Hey, Friday!

Hello Peachies! Can I tell you just how happy I am that it is finally Friday? We're finally getting the hang of this school schedule again but i'm struggling to keep up with every day life lately. I have a ton of blog ideas but no time to write them, it seems. So i'm taking a temporary break so I can take all the pictures, write, and edit.

I hope you don't miss me too much. If you do, you can always find me on Instagram and Snaphat:georgiapeachy82.

Love y'all! Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

On Wednesdays We Confess

Hello Pretty Peachies! We're almost through the week and I feel like a rockstar. I'm finally getting the hang of our back to school schedule and feeling pretty good. It also helps that I have The Bachelor in Paradise on tv and Wednesday Confessions with my super sweet blogger friend Mistle from Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas

On Wednesday We Confess

I Confess i'm starting to love early mornings again. During the week anyway.

I Confess I can't stop watching The Bachelor in Paradise. Is Ashley the female Chad?
In other news, the twins are my fave girls on the show.

I Confess today is the first day all week i've worn make up. I've had it on all of an hour and it's already bothering me.
Allergies suck.

I Confess Insta stories are growing on me but I'm not giving in. You can still find me on Snapchat:georgiapeachy82

I Confess I read that you have to be approved to link to Liketoknow.it. Is this true?
If so then my blog is no where near ready for that and i'm a little bummed. #GOALS

I Confess I'm loving these days when I only have to leave the house to take my son to school and pick him up.

I Confess I'm also loving creating new make up looks but I have no idea how to photograph them.

I Confess I'm already crushing hard on all the fall things. I'm normally a summer girl but I'm so ready for fall this year.

I Confess I can't get ahead in my blogging game. Seriously struggling.

I Confess I'm excited to watch American Housewife. It looks hilarious.

I Confess I love the Mom Card Movement with Nifty Betty on Instagram.

Getting my mom card movement card in the mail every month is perfection. It's the sweetest thing that @niftybetty takes time out of her day to remind us mamas that we are loved and what we do matters. She inspires me to be a better me. To take time out to take care of me & to be still. What she wrote on my card lets me know she is paying attention to each & every one of us involved in this movement. If you need a sweet reminder in your mailbox every month, I encourage you to sign up for her movement. #themomcardmovement #thehappynow #lesliesinspiredlife #syblbloggers #bloggervibes

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Aug 17, 2016 at 4:38am PDT

I Confess yesterday I cleaned my car out. The amount of dog hair was ridiculous.
I'm pretty proud of myself for that one. However, now my hubby knows I'm capable of using a shop vac. Hahaha.

I Confess I'm happy that it's almost the weekend and we have nothing planned! YAY!

What do you want to confess this week?

Tuesday Morning Coffee Talk

Happy Tuesday Peachies! So this blog post is titled Tuesday Morning Coffee Talk but humor me for a minute because morning will be long gone by the time I get this posted. I'm on the struggle bus big time today but it's okay because i'm practicing grace upon grace while i'm cozy on the couch, watching one of my guilty pleasures,Bachelor in Paradise.

A couple weeks ago I did this Monday Morning Coffee Talk post. Today i'm inspired to share more.

I'm wanting to set up a LIKEtoKNOW.it account and start sharing outfit inspired posts.

Last week my son wanted to cook a Japanese rice balls dish.
I suggested we make this Orange Chicken to go with it.
He did all the cooking, minus the frying the chicken. I can tell you that it was a hit plus I am super proud of my son for cooking such an amazing meal.

I'm still crushing on this outfit.

I'm thinking these sugar cookie bars need to be made like now.

Trying to start a creative business.

Loving this stain Revlon Color Stay in Fuschia.

Wanting to learn how to do this twisted crown.

Just bought this and this at CVS.

Waiting on this to be delivered because who can say no to blush and rose?

Crushing on these things: Yes Way Rose Wine Glass, Gizelle Sun Glasses and Aria Beaded Drop Earrings

Thinking I need this Fuschia Maxi Dress.


What's going on with you currently?
What are you loving? Crushing on? Wanting?

Oh Hey, Friday! {Retail Therapy}

Happy Fri-YAY Peachies! I'm super excited about this Friday because it means we've survived one whole week of school and we did it with minimal mishaps. I mean, there may have been frozen pancakes served for breakfast one morning and we may have gotten caught up in a senior parade and my child might have asked me how long it would take to print out pictures 5 minutes before we walked out the door this morning but we made it. I'd like to say thank you to the Keurig makers and to the coffee makers. Also, I'd like to thank the makers of energy tea and Coke products, too because without them this week wouldn't have been possible.

Yes, that's all that has gotten me through this week. Caffeine. And a shopping trip yesterday because something else fun is happening this weekend. We're going to a wedding. Weddings are my love language y'all and i'm seriously excited to be officially welcoming my cousin's soon to be wife, Alex in to the family. (Yes my husband's name is Alex, too!) Tomorrow is the big day for this sweet girl and I'm so excited for her and my cousin. Y'all can be on the look out on Instagram for pictures tomorrow evening. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful event.

Since it's Fri-YAY it's time for Oh Hey Friday with Karli from September Farm. I'm going to confess here, y'all. I've been a shopping queen lately. Okay, so mostly it's been for the weddings we've been going to but shopping is therapy, right?!? So i'm going to share with you 5 things i've bought lately. Don't worry honey, it's therapy, it's covered by insurance. Oh, no?!? It's not?!? Well, it makes me happy so there's that.

Five Things {Retail Therapy}


1. ELF Cosmetics Make Up Brushes
I had to snag these brushes up when I found them for .50-$1.00 a piece last week.
They've quickly become some of my favorite brushes for applying eye shadow/liner and blending.
They're brushes that belong in every girl's brush container.

2. Cover Girl Tru Naked Roses Palette
This picture does this palette no justice. It has the most gorgeous shimmery gold and rosey tones.
I love using the golds as eye liner or as a highlighter. It really is everything.

* I went into Francesca's yesterday looking for accessories to wear with the outfit I bought for the wedding tomorrow
and ended up with this gorgeous bracelet and all the other accessories to follow.*

3. Gold Bracelet from Francesca's

4. Gold & Blush Earrings

5. Champagne Tassel Necklace

And because i'm not done, you get one more bonus item.

6. Gold and Tan Clutch

So that's what i've been buying lately. I'm obsessed with the outfit i'm wearing tomorrow so stay tuned to see the whole thing put together.

Happy Fri-YAY Peachies!

P.S.-I may have bought this shirt from Francesca's on line, too.

Yes Way Rose

Now, go pour yourself a glass of Rose and enjoy the weekend.

On Wednesdays We Confess

Hi Peachies! Happy Wednesday! I'm all aboard the struggle bus this week because it's been our first week back to school and it's been raining all. week. long. To say i'm tired would be an understatement. I need a coffee as big as my purse every day. Oh, and those bags under my eyes, they're designer. Kidding. They're brought to you by zombie mom.

Enough of my ramblings. It's time for Wednesday Confessions with my super sweet blogger friend Mistle from Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas

On Wednesdays We Confess

+ I Confess my current guilty pleasure is the Bachelor in Paradise.

+ I Confess i've been loving spending extra time snuggling with my honey in the evenings. Even if I am asleep within 30 minutes.

+ I Confess i'm excited about the wedding we're attending this coming weekend. I'm so happy for my little cousin.
Weddings are my love language.

+ I Confess my hubby told me about the plans he has for our first wedding anniversary and even though I put my foot in my mouth
and still feel horrible about it I am truly over the moon excited.

+ I Confess I don't like the Instagram stories.

+ I Confess snapchat is my jam. I watch snapchat like it's my favorite tv show. Really, I watch it more than I watch tv.

+ I Confess I need to go shopping for a new dress for the wedding this weekend but I have zero energy to get off this couch.
Maybe tomorrow.

+ I Confess i'm in denial about being the mom of an 8th grader. Not even sure how that happened!

+ I Confess I haven't watched any of the Olympics.

+ I Confess i'm loving bold lip colors right now.
My favorite is NYC Get it All in Fab Fuschia

+ I Confess I need more coffee.

What fun confessions do you have to share?

Life Lessons Learned

Hey Y'all. I took a few days off from blogging to enjoy time with my family. This was our last weekend of summer break so we soaked up every minute of it.

Friday night my honey and I went to one of his co-worker's wedding and got to enjoy some time with friends.

I have found the one my soul loves. #lesliessparkofhappiness #sotosinlove #loveisyou

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Aug 5, 2016 at 7:03pm PDT

The rest of the weekend was spent with family and getting things ready for this week. It was relaxing and low key, just what we needed.

And today I am the Mom of an 8th Grader!

Our boy went off to his first day of 8th grade today! He's growing up on us! #Dgoesto8thgrade #lesliessparkofhappiness

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Aug 8, 2016 at37am PDT

I'm still trying to figure out how that happened and where time went but it got me thinking, since I have middle schooler now who is on the edge of becoming a mini adult, about some of the life lessons i've learned.

These lessons aren't taught in school but I think they're every bit as important. If not even more so.

Life Lessons I've Learned

+ Friends are going to come and go.
Oh the sermons I could preach on this one. I really could but I choose not to because some of those friendships got me where I am today.
It is because of some of them that I have my son and my husband.
Because of all of them, good and bad, I have myself.
I've learned from all of them and gotten a little bit stronger with every single time I had to fight for myself and through those times
I found myself.

+ Don't take out loans and use credit cards unless absolutely necessary.
This advice comes from my Daddy. He's not into credit cards and had always advised my brothers and I against them.
They're great for emergencies, not for Target shopping sprees.

+ Learn from other's mistakes.
"A wise man learned from others mistakes, a fool from his own."
We're all human, we're all going to be the fool sometimes but we should be the wise man.
Take the lessons others have given you and use them to your advantage.
I feel like so much of what I believe in and what I do comes from seeing the mistakes others have made and listening
to the advice that's given to me.

+ Remember Compliments
It's inevitable that we're going to hear the insults. Someone is always going to judge us and critique us, it's human nature but those
are not the things we need to remember. Remember the compliments. The other day my Grandma said to me "He's so handsome" talking about
my son. And i'm partial, I know he is but it kinda made me tear up a little because to her, he's perfect. She doesn't look at him and see
a young man with shaggy hair, teeth that need braces or eyes that need a check up. She sees him as her perfect the way he is grandson.
If we could all see ourselves through those eyes and be more forgiving of ourselves maybe we could be more loving of others, too.

+ Don't worry.
The things we often worry about are the things that never happen.
The real troubles in our lives happen out of no where. They're never the things we see coming.
They're the things that strike us on an ordinary Wednesday while we're doing laundry in our sweats.
Or while we're walking through Target on a Friday shopping.

+ Don't allow yourself to be taken advantage of.
There's a fine line between helping someone out and doing everything for them.
Maybe i'm a bit cold heated this way but it's important to protect myself from people who only drain me.

+ Don't be afraid to act silly.
I can thank my husband for this one. I was definitely too shy to act silly until we started living together.
It is because of his impromptu dances in the kitchen and crazy loud singing together that I am able to cut loose and be silly now.
Mutual silliness is the best silliness.


If you could share any piece of advice, what would you share?

How To Put Together A Gift Basket

Hi Peachies! Today's post goes along with yesterday's post on How To Host A Snail Mail Gift Exchange.

Today i'm going to share How To Put Together A Gift Basket. I love giving baskets full of goodies. My sweet neighbor kinda turned me on to this idea when she started giving me baskets full of goodies for my birthday. It's something i've totally adopted in my gift giving because now, not only do my neighbor and I exchange these wonderful gift baskets, I also give them to everyone.

I gave my mom one for her birthday full of her favorite things mixed with a few of my favorite things I thought she'd like. We also gave one to my Aunt & Uncle who so graciously let us use their house for our engagement pics last year and hosted our reception, too. It was Italian themed with pasta and different sauces, wine glasses, and wine and a gift certificate to the restaurant where he proposed to her.

*I'm working on a secret one now for someone very special and close to me but I can't share details yet. Stay tuned to find out more on that.*

Any gifts are awesome, don't get me wrong but my favorite ones to give and receive are baskets filled to the brim with goodies because it says that the person who gave the gift really thought about you. It's not like they ran into Target, picked up the first cute thing they saw and called it a gift. Which, I mean, there isn't much in Target I don't want but this is a really thought out, heartfelt gift.

The hard part of these baskets is often figuring out what to put in them. If you come up with a theme, it's easier but still, it takes time to put it all together. I'm the kind of person who either has a theme or wants everything to kind of flow. I usually pick out a color I want to center around if I don't have a theme. For my Grandma's Christmas Gift Basket it ended up being Lavender (because that color looks really pretty on her) with Cream accents. Sadly I don't have pictures of that one but it was really pretty.

So for starters I pick out a theme or color and I build off that.

This one was for my sweet sweet neighbor for her birthday. I started with the pink cheers koozie and built off that.

She's like me. She loves bright, happy, and cheerful. We both love make up and nail polish, too.
So finding things for her is never hard.

It can be a bit more challenging when you do a gift swap and don't know anything about your partner.
That's why I put together this survey for my Sunshine Snail Mail friends since the idea of a gift swap like this is getting to know someone else.

You can always ask anyone you give gifts to these questions, too.

Sunshine Mail Survey
Just copy this & paste it in the group with your answers filled in.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Name:
My Monogram is:
Birthday:
Relationship Status:
Anniversary:
Kids:
Pets:
Occupation:
These are my favorite colors:
Some of my favorite things are:
Hobbies:
Colors/Themes in your house:
I love to shop here:
Gift cards from here are awesome:
I blog at:
Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest:
P.S.-


For the last Sunshine Snail Mail Gift Swap I hosted, of course I knew my partner but it had been a while since we had connected.
We were friends in middle school then lost touch then got back in contact through Facebook so it was a lot of fun to shop for her.

Here's what I got her.

+notecards
+paper straws
+planner
+to do list
+magnetic board that you write your plans for the week on
+follow your arrow bracelet that I made
+candle
+grapefruit burts bees
+grapefruit body spritz
+grapefruit lotion
+mug

She's a mom of two, a wife, she works and she juggles life just like the rest of us so I knew all the stationary and the planner would come in handy and from her survey answers I found out she loved grapefruit everything. And the best part is that most of it came from the Dollar Spot at Target.


Since gift buying can be hard I thought I'd share with you some ideas for themes:

-Movie Night (popcorn, movie theater sized candy boxes, a movie, cute popcorn boxes, popcorn seasoning)
-Italian Themed (cute shaped pasta, gourmet pasta sauce, loaf of french bread, dipping bowls, oils,wine glasses, wine)
-Warm & Cozy (fuzzy socks, blanket, mugs, hot chocolate, coffee, a book)
-Monogrammed (I feel like the possibilities are endless here. Tee shirts, mugs, iphone accessories, notebooks)
-Spa Day (towel wrap, lotions, body wash, nail polish, massage oil, candles)
-Summer Fun (Magazines, towel, floats, plastic cups with straws, sun glasses, fun string lights, flamingopineapplewatermelon everything)


I always feel like mugs, monograms, candy, stationary, office supplies, candles, and make up make good gift basket fillers.
Those are always my "go to" items when i'm doing one of these and the best part is, most of these things can be found in the Target Dollar Spot or places like Marshall's/TJMaxx and Five Below.

The possibilities are endless so happy gifting friends!

How To Host A Snail Mail Gift Exchange

Hi Peachies! Today's post is one i'm super excited about because who doesn't love gifts? A snail mail gift exchange is the best because it's an unexpected gift that comes in the mail. I love getting mail that isn't bills and junk mail and i'm pretty sure everyone else does, too.

Last year I participated in three different gift exchanges and had been playing around with the idea of putting together one amongst my group of friends. What kept me from doing it was the idea that someone wouldn't deliver on their end and someone else would be left without a gift but I took the leap of faith and put The Sunshine Snail Mail Gift Exchange together in February. We had some issues with the postal service but in the end everyone got a gift and the exchange went off without a hitch.

After the exchange was over a lot of my friends were asking me if we would do it again before the end of the year or would it be an annual thing? It took me a few months to make the decision but I'm happy to say that it's back!

I'm so overwhelmed with the feedback and love that my sweet friends love sharing. It's amazing knowing that they're blessing each other and making new friends, too.

Since we're doing this gift exchange again I thought I'd share with you how to put together a gift exchange, in case you want to host your own. It was actually pretty easy to do.

+The first thing I did was leave a message like this on Facebook:

Hi Ladies! Who loves happy mail? WE DO!
It's finally Sunshine Snail Mail Time.

What is Sunshine Snail Mail?
I'll give you all one week to respond to this event.

If i've heard from you at that point, i'll pair you up with another friend and give you a month to get your package shipped. Your package can include gifts that are either home made or store bought, adding up to around $20.

Once you've committed then i'll ask you to fill out a survey about yourself and post it to the group so your partner can get to know your likes and shop accordingly.

I've participated in two different types of gift swaps, one where we knew who our partner was ahead of time and another where it was kept a surprise until we received our packages. I really liked the one where we kept it a secret until we received our packages because I found myself wondering who my partner was, it built more anticipation and surprise!

So that's how we're doing it. Everyone can submit their addresses to me in a private message and i'll send them to your swap partner. I think it's more fun to keep the swap partners a secret until you receive your package from them.

*I kept track of everyone by writing down their names in my clipboard/notebook.

+My next step was to create a Facebook Event
I sent out invites to everyone who said they were participating & posted this survey for them to fill out so their partners could know a little bit about them:

Sunshine Mail Survey
Just copy this & paste it in the group with your answers filled in.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Name:
My Monogram is:
Birthday:
Relationship Status:
Anniversary:
Kids:
Pets:
Occupation:
These are my favorite colors:
Some of my favorite things are:
Hobbies:
Colors/Themes in your house:
I love to shop here:
Gift cards from here are awesome:
I blog at:
Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest:
P.S.-

+Every couple days I'd check in with the group and see if they had any questions (of course they were always free to message me) but i'd leave a little note like this:

Good Morning Ladies.
I'm so excited about how many of you have RSVP'd to this event already. There are 26 on my list who have said yes. That's amazing. I really didn't expect this many people to join me in this Sunshine Snail Mail Gift Swap. It's going to be so much fun. Thank You all for joining me!
I know I said that if you RSVP then can't send a gift you'll break my heart. Really though, if something happens and you can't send a gift (because life happens sometimes) then please let me know. I'll keep it to myself and it won't change a thing among the friendship. I'd rather you be honest with me so I can make sure that your partner still gets a gift more than someone else sending a gift and not receiving anything.
Also, if you haven't done a survey yet, please do that and if I don't have your address yet then please send them to me in a private message.
Thank You!
Happy Wednesday Lovelies!

+I gave everyone a week to confirm that they were in. Then I started pairing everyone up. I took everyone's names and wrote them on paper, I tore the paper into squares, folded it and put it in a bowl. Then the fun happens! I pulled two names out of the bowl and paired one with the other (but not them together). Make sense? Probably not.

I'll try to explain this part better so follow along if you can. This may be where snapchat would be helpful.
Let's Say Person 1's name is Nicole & Person 2's name is Brittany. Brittany becomes Nicole's partner but Nicole won't be Brittany's partner.
{Oh No! Nicole needs a partner!!!}
To find Brittany's partner I picked Samantha's name out of the bowl. Samantha is now Brittany's partner.
{Nicole still needs a partner!!}
For my brain's sake we're going to say that they are the only 3 participating because, well, I haven't had enough coffee for this yet!
Now Nicole will give a gift to Samantha.
So Samantha gives to Brittany, Brittany gives to Nicole, and Nicole gives to Samantha. Everyone wins.

*DISCLAIMER*
If this doesn't make sense, don't worry. I'm on my way to make another cup of coffee now.

But basically, instead of pairing everyone up the gift giving goes full circle. Because, if there's an odd # of participants, like above, then somebody (Poor Samantha!!) gets left out.

There really is a method to my madness.

I gave everyone an estimate of $20 for gifts and a month from the start date to get their gifts out.
Some of my friends went all genius on me and decided that they would save a few dolla dolla bills and a trip to the post office and asked if they could leave their Sunshine Snail Mail Gift Swap Partner's gift on their door step. It sounded like a great idea to me but you should check with the partner first.

Everything went off without a hitch, at least on our part. The USPS had their own issues with delivering packages but in the end everyone got some really amazing gifts.

Here are a few examples of the baskets and gifts we received last time and some i've put together in the past.

August National Days

Hi Peachies! Happy August! We're two days in to this month and I already feel like i'm on a roller coaster. My sweet son starts 8th grade on Monday, which makes me so sad. I've had a wonderful summer with him and I love having him home with me. But it's also one month closer to my one year anniversary with my hubby and then the holidays come! YAY! I'm more than excited about that.

Speaking of celebrations...i'm bringing back the Monthly National Days. I stopped doing them because they were silly but sometimes we need some silliness in our lives and who doesn't love a reason to celebrate.

So cheers to Augusts' National Days

Today is National Coloring Book Day and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, which is a day I can totally celebrate. I'm also looking forward to celebrating S'mores Day/Lazy Day, Filet Mignon Day, Relaxation Day, Thrift Shop Day, Chocolate Pecan Pie Day, Waffle Day, Dog Day, & Just Because Day.

What days will you celebrate this month?


If you could make up your own National Day what would it be?
I would love to have National Get Pampered Day.
A day where you could go to your favorite spa and get massages, mani/pedis and drink wine and eat cupcakes. Then go to your favorite hairdresser and get your hair done. Then go shopping for a fabulous new outfit and go on a super romantic date with your honey.

Weekending + August Goals

Hello Peachies! Happy Monday. Isn't it ironic that it's the first day of the week and the first day of a new month? All the fresh new possibilities! I'm not in love with Mondays, like most everyone, else but I do love fresh starts and I feel like the weekend left me full of freshness and contentment heading into the week ahead.

It's been a while since i've done a weekend re-cap post but I feel like this one is worth mentioning. P.S.-there was lots of snuggling and quiality time with my hubby.
Friday I know I took my son and Willow pup to my Mom and Dad's to play and it poured down raining on us so bad that we stopped at the church at the entrance to our neighborhood on the way out because we couldn't see to go anywhere. That's really all I remember about Friday though.

Saturday mornings are my favorites. I sleep in, wake up and my hubby makes my coffee for me then He, I & our Willow pup spend hours snuggling on the couch. This is my favorite Saturday morning routine and this is how we started off our morning.

Good Morning Loveys. Happy Saturday. I hope your day is filled with coffee & snuggles. #saturdaylove #saturdaymorning #weekendvibes #lesliessparkofhappiness

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Jul 30, 2016 at 6:04am PDT

We had planned a fun day a few weekends back. A day of going to all our favorite places so I was super excited to get out and go shopping.

Sunday Funday with my love. #weekendvibes #sotokindalove #thehappynow #sundaykindoflove

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Jul 31, 2016 at 10:52am PDT

My hubby & I took our kids, both human and fur, to spend the day at their Mimi and Pa's while we went to Del Taco, Sprouts, and my favorite boutique called Love Street. We made a stop by Adventure Outdoors for my honey. When we got done we went to my Mom & Dad's to get our children and eat breakfast for dinner with my family then my mom and I got crafty with my Mom's new Cricut.

Spent last night crafting with my mama. #lesliessparkofhappiness #craftymama #weekendvibes

A photo posted by {Leslie Soto} (@georgiapeachy31) on Jul 31, 2016 at 10:35am PDT

Sunday we had planned a lazy day at home but decided we needed to go to Big Lots to buy a new iron.
I was excited because I scored about $40 worth of make up for $14!

Then we ordered Chinese for lunch. While my hubby napped I cleaned our bedroom and re-arranged our dresser because I was so excited to display the picture frame and signs he bought me at Love Street. They're for the new home but I couldn't wait! After that we spent the evening snuggling on the couch, watching ridiculous Sharknado movies. We ended our evening with a beautiful rainbow over our house.

It was a calm, relaxing, fun weekend but it's just what my heart needed.
Now it's time to think about August and set goals for this month. Usually I go over last month's goals and tell you how good/bad I did on them but I've decided this month I'm not going to do that. I set goals for myself every month and if I don't accomplish them it's okay.

August Goals

Personal

+ Get into a new schedule.

+ Spend 20 minutes a day reading.

+ Spend time with at least one girlfriend.

+ Eat less junk. More fruits and veggies.

+ Spend at least an hour a day outside.

+ Make an eye doctor appointment for my son.

+ Focus on needs vs. wants.

+ Get the ball rolling on floor plans.

+ Donate clothes.

+ Get active 3 days a week.

+ Sell jewelry.

+ Put my Sunshine Snail Mail group together.

+Finish baby shower/wedding gifts for the weddings and showers we have this month.

Social Media

+ Write posts ahead of time and schedule with Buffer.

+ Create a group where we can share each other's posts.

+ Change my blog signature.

Let's cheer each other on this month.
Share some of your goals.