Celebrate the Holidays American Girl Style {GIVEAWAY}

Happy Monday everyone! We hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! With all this rain the "sunny" South has been having we were both given the luxury of having a relaxing weekend at home. That is a rare treat that we were sure to soak up because those type of weekends are few and far between. We know that Monday's are typically a bummer for everyone, but we are hoping to kick this week off with a bang! 

Last month we gave you guys a little teaser at some of the fun things coming up this holiday season from American Girl. We absolutely loved getting a tour of the new American Girl pop up store in Las Vegas, and getting an inside look at what will be popular this year for our little ones.

The pop up store was in total American Girl fashion - beyond adorable, with its mini hair salon and ear piercing studio, it's bathing station, and all the amazing dolls and play set ups that you can imagine.

The manager and staff were just as excited as the little girls running around, and that was refreshing to see. The moment you walked in the door you can feel just how happy and positive it made each person feel, and we hope that the store becomes a permanent fixture in Las Vegas. Not to mention that they let us in on a few secrets and maybe even a few fun surprises (or two. or five!) we get to share with you guys!!!

{Maryellen doll featured in the holiday ice skating dress.}

The store was bursting with holiday fun everywhere you looked.

{Bitty Babies featuring their own adorable holiday outfits. 

{The Joyful Jewels Holiday Dress. }

One of our favorite things about American Girl is the positive messages of inspiration they try to reinforce throughout their stores and amongst their products to young girls. We fell in love with this huge message on the wall of the Las Vegas shop and were excited to see so many young girls want to hold their dolls and take their pictures in front of it.

The staff gave us a little peek at what they predicted would be the two most popular dolls this holiday season - Grace and Maryellen.

Grace is the 2015 Girl of the Year.

Here are some of just a few of our favorite accessories that we saw available to accompany Grace.

This super cute City Outfit . It is also available as an outfit for your child so they can match!

What Grace doll is complete without the Baking Set so she can make her tasty pastries? That mini mixer is simply adorable!!!

We love how American Girl creates a movie and a book for each character. They are the perfect way to share the story about the doll with your little ones and truly bring them to life!

We thought this little baking kit was super cute! It come with a cookbook for your own little baker and variety of mini baking accessories so that Grace can help out. 

Maryellen is an adorable 1950's inspired doll.

Here are some of the super cute accessories available to go with Maryellen.

Of course her little book is a must! 

This jukebox is 1950's perfection and so cute in person! 

And perfectly pairs with this adorable poodle skirt set! How cute are those saddle shoes?!?

All the dolls are simply exquisite, and each one special and unique in their story and their role in sending positive messages to little girls. And if that isn't fun enough - you can also custom create a doll or Bitty Baby through their Truly Me line to look just like your own little girl. The girls love having their own little "mini" sharing adventures with them and getting to name them on their own. The store is a little girls dream come true!

It's no secret that our girls are over the moon about all things American Girl (remember this post?) - nothing excites our daughters more than seeing that catalog arrive and getting to circle all the fun things to share with their dolls and their friends. From the books to the movies to the clothes to that over the top disco ball and dance floor - they LOVE it! And because American Girl is such an awesome brand we get to share some of that excitement with you this holiday season!!!

American Girl was so excited to kick off the holiday season and celebrate their new store that they decided to give one of our lucky readers an American Girl Doll. And not just any American Girl Doll but they let us choose Grace - the doll of the year for 2015! She won't be available after December and this special doll with her tasty creations has been a huge hit amongst girls of all ages.

Enter the giveaway below and the lucky winner will be announced on Black Friday (November 27th)! The fun doesn't stop there. Be sure to follow us on our social media channels because they gave us a few more fun surprises to give away this holiday season that we will be giving away the week of Thanksgiving.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Who will receive American Girl Doll of the Year Grace if you win? 

To learn more about American Girl:
website | facebook | twitter | intagram

Good luck everyone!

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*Contest only open to U.S. residents only (shipping within the contiguous 48 states). Prize must be claimed within 72hrs.

**This post contains affiliated links. This giveaway is sponsored by American Girl, but all thoughts and general awesome opinions are our own.**

Friday Favorites/Random Ramblings

Happy Friday everyone! I am so glad that this week is finally winding down! It's been a busy few weeks and this is the first weekend we have that we aren't completely over scheduled in a bad bad way. I am so excited to some rainy day snuggling with the family - minus that whole sit in the mud and rain for soccer thing. :) 

Stick with me through my thoughts today, as they are scattered, but wanted to link up with some of my favorite bloggers for Friday Favorites. I have a ton of things that I have been loving lately...

ONE

Halloween!! This year Halloween was so fun with the little ones. They were beyond excited to celebrate this year. Even Little Cute picked up on it pretty quick. It was just a joy to see everything through their eyes.

We spent the morning of Halloween at the soccer fields, but then came back and did a tailgate for the UGA game in our neighborhood and then trick or treated once it became dark. Minnie Mouse and Blue Ninja were trick-or-treating pros. 

One of our fun neighbors spent the whole week turning their garage into a haunted house. He put a ton of work into it and it showed. It was so much fun for the kids. Cute went through twice! 

It makes me so excited for next Halloween!

TWO
It has been so rainy here this week, but I am not complaining one bit. That meant that I was able to wear my new Hunter rain boots that Carrie Beth got for me last week. I already had the black pair so she grabbed me these fun Hunter Green colored ones. I love them! 

{Side note: I could not photograph these on my actual feet as the belly is now too large to see anything but toes. Eek!}

If you didn't get a chance to partake in the awesome deal she found here are some other great deals we found for you on them: 

Original Tall in a few colors/sizes @ 30% off - HERE
Two Tone Tall Slim (normally $195, now $135) - HERE
Cute Striped Tall (now $115) - HERE

THREE
I have been loving using my crock pot lately and getting a lot of ideas from the tasty dishes everyone has been sharing for the Crock Pot Confessions link up. I made one of my favorite meals in ours this week and it was the perfect comfort food for cold rainy days. This pot roast recipe is my favorite!



POT ROAST
Ingredients
1 large roast
1 bag of baby carrots
15-20 red potatoes (quartered)
1 can of beef broth
1 packet of onion soup

Instructions
1: Place all ingredients in crock pot
2: Let cook on low for 10 hours
3: Serve and enjoy!

FOUR

In addition to our book club selection, I was able to sneak another two books in last month and loved them! 

I was so excited when I saw After You by Jojo Moyes pop up on my suggested list. I had just finished reading our October book club selection in Las Vegas and I needed a new book to get me through the plane ride in case CB and I didn't sit next to one another again. I remember telling all my girl friends how much I loved Me Before You earlier in the year and this was the sequel to that. I loved it just as much and highly recommend Moyes' books. They are each unique and always capture my attention from the get go. 

Low Country Boil by Susan M. Boyer was a random pick that I chose for two reasons: (1) it was a southern based book, and you know we love all things southern, and (2) it was only a $.99 download. I am so glad I chose it. It was fun, witty and the first in a series so I get to follow up and read more. Definitely recommend if you want a light fun southern style read. 

FIVE
Spending time with my oldest will always be a favorite. Sleeping lately has been rough. If I am being honest Cute has never really slept through the night...at almost five!! I can't be mad at him though...mommy doesn't have the best sleeping habits either, so he comes by it honestly.

Lately he has been popping up early during my morning "work" time so we've been starting our days around 5:30a.m. watching a show or two snuggling on the couch while everyone else sleeps. Knowing that our dynamic is about to change again in the house, I actually have been enjoying this super early one on one time with him.

SIX
For L.C.'s birthday we gave her a little mini jogging stroller for her baby dolls, and I've loved watching her the last week be a little mommy. She's pretty tom boyish so seeing little glimpses of her girly side are so fun.

 I have been cracking up watching her push it around. About ninety percent of the time she pushes around random things (or even her brother).

She also makes sure to pack her "essentials". 

So far we've brought it with us to the park, soccer practice, and to multiple parties and it has held up well. It was also super easy to put together which is a huge plus in this house. I ordered the blue one knowing pink might be just a little too girly for her (brother's favorite color is blue so she says hers is too), and she's loved it. 

SEVEN

Part this week and all of last week I battled an awful cold. I downed probably gallons of chicken noodle soup trying to seek some comfort and rubbed myself with the kids Vicks like it was my job, but nothing cracked it. 

During a quick errand run on Tuesday with the kids, we stopped at Atlanta Bread and instead of ordering yet another chicken noodle soup from somewhere. I ordered my favorite meal of theirs - the baked potato soup. 

Mmmm! It never does me wrong.  Hand to Jesus I felt almost instantly better. It's like miracle soup! 

That's all my favorites this week. What are some of your favorites? 

Happy weekend everyone!!

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Kitchen Confessions: Apricot Pork Tenderloin

So excited to kick off our Crock Pot Confessions link party today!!

I think cooler weather is finally here to stay and that means I have a good excuse to pull out my trusty crock-pot on a pretty regular basis.  Cool weather and crock-pot meals just go together, right?  I love any meal that is simple and quick to make and this Apricot Pork Tenderloin recipe fits the bill.  I always make it with pork tenderloin, but I think it would be really delicious with chicken, too.  It has sort of an Asian taste to it and I love it because we can stretch this meal for at least a few days.

The first day we just eat it with rice and a vegetable or salad.  On day two I either make pork sliders or tacos.  For the sliders I usually top with provolone cheese and warm everything in the oven to melt the cheese.  For tacos this past time this sweet meat with lettuce and a little feta was so delicious.  I'm not one to pat myself on the back when it comes to things in the kitchen, but y'all, those tacos seriously tasted like something from a restaurant.

Note - I am not a food photographer!  These were snapped quickly with my iPhone before serving dinner to my family. :-)

Crock-Pot Apricot Pork Tenderloin 
Ingredients:
-pork tenderloin
-jar of apricot preserves
-packet of french onion soup mix
- 3/4 cups water

Directions:
1. In a bowl combine apricot preserves, soup mix and water.  Stir until well mixed.
2.  Place pork tenderloin in crock-pot and cover with mixture.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4.  To serve, shred using two forks and spoon some of the sauce on top.
5.  Enjoy!

Now link your favorite crock pot recipes below for the link up or in our comments sections. We will be highlighting our favorites all month long! 

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Little Cute Turns Two

First of all today is actually Carrie Beth's birthday! So everyone be sure to wish her the best birthday ever!!!

The birthday girls!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activities, and in between we snuck not one but two birthday celebrations for miss Little Cute. We usually try to do a family party and a friend party for the kids. We've learned the grandparents like to see the actual present opening etc. so we keep it pretty relaxed. The friend party we tend to concentrate on a place where they can run wild and expend as much energy as possible under the supervision of a perfectly trained party host, wrapping up just in time for nap time. Priorities people - priorities.

This year LC was all about her birthday from determining theme down to location. Mickey Mouse is a huge hit currently with her so Mickey and Minnie themed out both of the parties.

 The family one we chose to do on her actual birthday at our home.

The friend party was originally planned for her gymnastics gym, but after attending three parties in a month at good old Chuck E. Cheese and chanting "Chuck E. Cheese" at the top of her lungs everyday for weeks, we made the switch. 

In all honesty I am getting pretty tired in this pregnancy, and we kept the friend pretty low key as well, and just invited our dinner club friends. Those of you not invited can thank me later - those of you who were - sorry you are our best friends and have in your contracts to endure all life milestone activities including, but not limited to, obnoxious/loud/over stimulating party facilities.

Little Cute had an absolute blast at both and could have not have rocked two any grander! 

In case you are planning your own Mickey/Minnie party soon here are some links to the details: 

Cute's Mickey Shirt

Little Cute's Minnie Shirt

Balloons

Polka Dot Table Cloths

Punch for Mickey Confetti

Mickey Mouse cookie cutters

Party Favors Bags, Coloring books & Crayons

Party Favor Stickers

Mickey sprinkles

Some fun little facts about LC at two: 

- She is super sweet and seems to love pleasing people and has great manners, but also has a seriously sassy side (and will often tell you that).

-She loves having jobs (dishes, laundry, vacuuming)

- Cute is her very best friend and wants to do everything he does 

(this does not make him happy sometimes). 

- She wants to be big so bad. She even has started potty training herself. Sometimes this is not as fun as one might think. 

- She would rather have her hair bow free and wild and wear jeans everyday (if forced to actually wear clothes). But loves all things sparkly. Especially anything in mommy's jewelry drawer. 

- Her favorite toys to play with are race cars and baby dolls. 

- Is a fighter when she truly wants something, and has unfortunately perfected the art of biting her brother. (Anyone have any tips on this?? I'm running out of options.)

- Hates running on demand and will lay flat when her gymnastics coach makes them do laps.

- Loves real life babies and can't stand to not touch them if they are within her grasp. Let's just say 3.0 better be prepared for an onslaught of paci receiving,  blanket tucking in, and "gentle" head pats. 

- Is a climber, and can get on top of anything and everything. I now know how pictures of children on top of the fridge probably occur. I am also thankful that our chandeliers all seem to be mounted quite properly. 

- Loves to eat! Anything and everything.

- Loves to talk on the phone and will call daddy any chance she can.

I could go on and on but will stop there. We love our "Little Cute" and look forward to seeing how she blossoms over this next year. 

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Fall Fashion Trends for Girls

My girls are really into clothes right now and I'm sure this is just the beginning.  In the past I would buy all of their clothes with very little input from them, but now that they have more of an option about what they want to wear I try to find things that are both age appropriate and on trend.  They think going shopping with me is fun and picking out styles they want to wear insures that they will actually wear the clothes I buy them.  I put it off for a long time, but they think Justice is just the coolest.  There are a lot of things I still won't agree to, but some of their stuff is cute and practical and they have some cute fall fashion trends for great prices.

Check out our guest post over on Avenue's blog to read all about five of the top fall fashion trends available at Justice.  Click HERE to read!

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Book Club: November

Happy Book Club Day! 

We were so excited to share this selection with you guys. The Status of All Things was one of the hottest novels of summer and we kept hearing nothing but rave reviews about. We were so intrigued and couldn't wait to take a read at it ourselves. We can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Carrie Beth's Review: 

Woo Hoo!  I finally read a book club book!  This was such a fun book to read.  Social media plays such a big role in today's society and this story revolved around that fact.  It was a great reminder that so much of what you see online is just the "highlight reel" and not always real life.  I love social media and being able to share and connect with people all over, but I do think it is important to remember that it isn't always a picture of a person's entire life.  

This book had a few twists and far-fetched things that took me a little bit of time to wrap my head around, but once I understood where the story as going I was totally into it and couldn't wait to see what turns the character's lives would take. 

It was a fun and easy read and I would defiantly recommend it!  

Jen's Review:

I have to be honest and had no clue what this book was about when I initially picked it up. I brought it with me on our Las Vegas adventure and ended up reading the entire thing on the plane ride out there. I loved it! 

The Status of All Things was such a fun novel, and even with its humor and quirky story line (which I thought made for a unique twist on this topic), I loved the ultimate message I was left with. It is amazing how social media driven our society has become in just a few short years. Life can now be shared with people around the world in just seconds and everyone from close family members to strangers can have complete access to that. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it drives us to be completely oblivious to the actual real life that is around us. 

I loved reading about Kate and her close friends over the course of the story and how each of their lives evolved. It was such a fun tie to the story. I won't give any spoilers away but the ending was absolutely perfect and I as so excited to learn that Kate found the happiness she was looking for even though it didn't necessarily come in the easiest of manners to her. 

I would definitely recommend The Status of All Things. It is a fun and easy read with a positive message and I look forward to reading more works from Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. 

Now to Discuss: What did you think of The Status of All Things? Once you figured out your special power, what would have been the first thing you would have asked for or changed? What did you think of Kate's plans to save her wedding? Or to win over her fiancé? Would you have tried to help your friends or family more or let their own fate take course? Do you think we are too involved as a society in social media and over sharing? Final thoughts on the novel? 

November's Selection: See Me by Nicholas Sparks

From the Back Cover: 

See me just as I see you . . .

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he's determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria's lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria's past begin to surface.

As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria's life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they've begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

BOOK CLUB 2015

| February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October |

Happy Reading!

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Crock Pot Confessions {Link Party}

It's here!! The most wonderful time of year!! No not the official start to holiday season (all though we are excited about that too), but now that temperatures have dropped its officially crock pot season!!!

Well every season around our homes is crockpot season, but in cooler temps we feel slightly less ashamed of our gross over use of this amazing appliance.

We have professed our love for the crockpot many a time over the inception of this blog, but now we are going to bring you guys on board to share in our crazy. This Thursday we are going to kick off a month long crockpot link up party. We will share a few of our favorite recipes and then ask that you guys link up your favorites. If you don't have a blog no worries, you can still join in the fun - share your favorite recipe or a link to one in our comments. At the beginning of December we will highlight our favorites!

Our hopes at the end of this is that we all will have one HUGE place to go to try some yummy crock pot recipes to get us through the winter months (or you know, the rest of the year if you are like a few crock pot obsessed bloggers that we know ;) ).

Now grab the graphic and fire up those crock pots! We can't wait to see what slow cooker deliciousness is about to come!

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