MY BOYS ARE BACK!

Hey y'all! I'm super excited because today is OPENING DAY for the NEW YORK YANKEES!  I'm a HUGE Yankee fan!  I wish I was able to be at Yankee Stadium cheering them on but since I can't be there ... I'm going to share some pictures to kick start the new baseball season :)

MEET THE TEAM ...

{all images via}

Any Yankee fans out there?  What teams do you route for? 

Happy Thursday! xo

The Mojito~

Happy Thursday friends!

Who's ready for a drink?
This week, I'm sharing one of my favorite drinks ... the mojito!

{photos via}

Ingredients:  {for 4 servings}

ice

6 oz. light rum

12 mint sprigs

6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons of sugar

club soda

4 slices of lime

Directions:

Place ice in beverage shaker then add in the rum, 8 broken up mint sprigs, lime juice, and sugar.  Shake well and serve over ice in a high ball glass.  Top off each glass with a splash of club soda.  Garnish each with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.  Enjoy!

{Recipe courtesy of Food Network}

Do y'all like mojitos?  What drinks do you like?  Give me some drinks to try ;)

Cheers! xo

Wish I Was Here~

Hello lovelies! I'm linking up with Olivia at For Me for Wish I Was Here Wednesday.

Click the button to join in :)

Who wouldn't want to snuggle up in this comfy bed overlooking the gorgeous blue water?
Where do you wish you were today? xo

What I Ate Wednesday & Get Fit!

Happy Wednesday friends!  Time to link up with Jenn at Peas and Crayons for What I Ate Wednesday! {One of my favorite link-ups ... I think you should join too :)}

Here are a few meals from the past week...

and you can't forget dessert ...

When I first joined WIAW, my posts were a lot healthier.  Over the past few weeks, I feel like I've been slipping and with summer right around the corner, I'm not really happy with how I've been eating, how I feel, and how I look.  I decided that it's time for me to really focus on not only losing weight but maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
Beginning today is OPERATION: GET SKINNY!

In order to reach my goal, that means ...

{all images via}
I'm determined and plan on blogging on my journey to a healthier me.  I know you all will be great supporters and motivators :)  If anyone has any tips, they would be greatly appreciated!  
Hope everyone has a great day! xo

Dierks Bentley!

As many of you know, I went to the DIERKS BENTLEY concert on Sunday and I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to MEET HIM!!

I have just one word to describe the whole night ... AMAZINGGGGG!!

my mom's friend, Chrissy, my mom, and me :)

me and my momma ♥

Let me first start by saying ... this is not my best picture!  I was seriously in another world when I met him that I was not paying attention to the camera!  He was the sweetest, nicest, most awesome person I've ever met!  I screamed "I love you" as I approached him then hugged him!  We spoke briefly for like a minute! He was nice enough to sign my picture and hat, despite it being enforced one autograph only.  He said, "fans like you make it all worth it, thank you sweetie".  I was seriously so enthusiastic.  He was probably saying to himself, "this chick is nuts."  As it was time for the next person, I didn't know how to say good-bye so I went to hug him again and kissed his cheek and he kissed mine! HAHA ... true story!  It was really nice to meet him and see that he really is such a genuinely sweet person!

group photo :)

Dierks puts on an awesome show! I had so much fun! 

Hope you enjoyed my pictures fellow country music fans! xo

Top 2 Tuesday : Celebrity Hairstyles~

Hey y'all! Happy Tuesday! It's time to link up with Taylor at The Undomestic Momma for Top 2 Tuesday.  Click the button to join :) 

Top 2 Celebrity Hairstyles

{long hair with loose curls}
I absolutely adore all of these lovely ladies below and their hair! I'm a huge fan of loose curls and always have fun curling my hair. 

Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood

Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet

{side braid with hair down}

Both of these beautiful ladies have gorgeous hair.  Lauren Conrad is known for her braids and her loose curls -- both favorites of mine :)

Lauren Conrad and Jennifer Aniston

How do you feel about these hairstyles?  What celebrity hairstyles are your favorite?

Hope everyone is having a great day! xo

Banana Split Bread~

Happy Tuesday lovelies!

Do you like banana bread?  Do you like banana splits?

Well here's the perfect combination ... Banana Split Bread!

recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
2 (8 oz.) cans crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts (if desired)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana and pineapple.  Fold in the chocolate chips, cherries, and walnuts.  Pour into two greased 9-in.  x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

I got the idea for this recipe from the lovely Sam at Fitness, Food & Faith.  She posted an awesome banana bread recipe a few days ago, which reminded me of this recipe.  If you'd like to check out her banana bread recipe, click here :)

Enjoy! xo

Guest Post : Megan

Hey y'all! It's Megan from Mackey Madness. I'm so honored that Michelle asked me to guest post for her! : ) Her blog is one of my favorites and she is always so positive and supportive! 

Can y'all believe that it is already the end of March?? Spring is here! Sometimes I feel like time flies so fast and we get SO caught up in work/school/bills/etc that we forget to enjoy each day and each moment. As I was typing this post and writing about all the things that I love about spring (dresses, flip flops, sunshine, baseball), I suddenly wished that I could see life through a child's eyes again...their easy joy, their contentment, their total trust in the fact that life and people are good. Wouldn't it be nice to be so young and innocent again? So carefree and full of shrieks and giggles?

I think that spring is made for those with childlike joy. Here are a few ways that we can relish this Spring, all through the eyes of a child:

1) Spend time out in the sunshine

2) Enjoy a long nap

3) Share a good belly laugh with friends

4) Show a little skin at the beach (note: butt cracks are only cute on babies)

5) Be open to meeting new friends

6) Splash around in the bathtub

7) Snap lots of pictures

8) Spend time with precious pets

9) Love on family and friends

10) Indulge in a good snack

11) Laugh at the silly things

12) Explore a creative side

Is it just me or do babies make life sweeter? (Whoa, baby fever, I know - no babies in our household yet)

Thanks so much for having me, Michelle!! You are such a doll! I hope y'all all have a great spring with lots of love and lots of laughs! : ) Take time to enjoy the little things! Thanks for reading! 

all pictures via

The Shine Project~

Hello lovelies! I would like to introduce you all to my new friend, Ashley and her blog, The Shine Project.  Her blog is amazing.  It is positive, optimistic, and encouraging.  Ashley is truly a ray of sunshine and I'm excited to share The Shine Project with you.

Ashley believes that everyone has endless potential to shine and here is why she started her blog ...

“I started The Shine Project with the intentions of motivating people to go for their dreams, while helping others along the way. I had chosen the word SHINE as my theme for 2011, and it has taken off.”

What is The Shine Project?

The Shine Project is going out of your comfort zone to bring light to those who need hope.  The Shine Project emulates love, sacrifice, and CHANGE.

“Each week, I challenge my readers to do something. Something challenging. Something that will make them go out of their comfort zone and act. I feel like every single one of us has a dream or goal or something that we want to accomplish but for whatever reason we just don’t do it! I have been inspired to make this site to help others (and myself for that matter) to do hard things and to start doing them now!”

Previous challenges have included:  writing thank you letters to former teachers, meet your neighbors, cheer on your enemies, and creating something new to form a sense of accomplishment.  

“Sometimes, all we really need in life is someone who believes in us. Someone who believes that we CAN and WILL do things that we never thought we could do. Sometimes, all somebody really needs to do something fantastic is just a little encouragement and a push in toward their goal.”

Ashley is by far one of the most optimistic and motivating people I have ever met. 

Listen to how dedicated she is to The Shine Project:

"Let's see how much good we can accomplish by performing extra act of love.

Let's see how many people we can make smile, 

and how many lives we can improve because of it.  

I want to hear about what you've done to shine, and how it's changed you.

Not only does it involve helping others, but feeling good about ourselves so that we can SHINE too!

From creating, to dressing in a way that brings out your personality,  The Shine Project allows us to do little things in our own lives to make up feel GOOD!"

 Ashley has created "SHINE" necklaces to remind her of her goal and currently sells them to help others to "SHINE" as well.    They are not only beautiful but affordable! They are available for $11 and $1 from each necklace purchase goes towards The Shine Project Scholarship Fund.  The Shine Project Scholarship will be awarded to an inner-city student for their college education.

Isn't she amazing?  

Ashley's, The Shine Project was recently featured in a local Arizona newspaper! How awesome is that?!  You can check out the article here. 

{all quotes and photos via Ashley}

Now go ahead, go visit The Shine Project and see for yourself!  Trust me, you will be glad you did! :)

LOVE and INSPIRATION ... XOXO