Living

Every year since 2014 we’ve hopped in the car and driven up to Ellijay, in the north Georgia mountains for a day at B.J. Reece apple orchard. This yearly excursion is for them, but also for me. This trek reminds me of the special things my mother did with me as a child. I’m sure she thought they were just fun things to do, but they are some of the fondest memories I have of my childhood.

I sure hope my babies look back on these days when they are grown and keep the tradition going.

I usually take them during fall break, but we went to the beach instead. Since the kids were out on “the only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace” day, at the last minute I called up Lashawn, MJ, Kita, and Aaronica and we made it happen.

The weather was not fall like at all, but it never is when we go. I was hoping for a breeze or something, we were blessed every few minutes or so with passing clouds that shielded us from the sun.

It still didn’t feel like fall.

I was pretty sure Adrian would be over picking apples, so I asked him if he wanted to share a bag with his sister. I was quite happy when he said he wanted his own, that translates into he enjoys these things still. He even helped make (and eat) the apple pie that we whipped up with the apples we picked.

They are growing so fast. I’ve always said, if for nothing else this blog has allowed me to subconsciously document their lives. Here are our trips to the apple orchard from:

2014

2015

2016

2017 ( we didn’t apple pick last year, but we did make it to the mountains to see the eclipse in totality)

2018

Thank you Edwards® Desserts for sponsoring this post. Head to the frozen desserts aisle of your grocery store to pick up your favorite Edwards pie and make entertaining a breeze!

Y’all know I love a good time, and if you didn’t know, now you know. I’m all for good times, with good friends and the holiday season is the perfect time to pull out the wine glasses, good music and my hostess gear.

Let’s be clear, the strength of my hostessing wants to open the door for you, welcome you in, introduce you to everybody and grab a glass of wine and converse/party with everyone else. I have no desire to hostess and not join in the festivities.

What’s the point in that?

To ensure I get to enjoy myself and catch up with my guests I make things easy for myself when it comes to food prep, and presentation. Lean in, I have a secret.

*whispers* Grab Edwards Desserts, take them out of the packaging, put them on a pretty pie plate and act like you made them yourself. I grabbed mine from Target.

Edwards Desserts has lots of flavor options. During the holidays you can never go wrong with chocolate, the Edwards Hershey’s Chocolate Crème Pie will always be a win. It’s layers of chocolate and vanilla crème topped off with chocolate pieces, drizzle and whipped crème rosettes on a fresh-from-the-oven chocolate cookie crumb crust. They taste homemade, and if you won’t tell, neither will I.

You literally thaw and serve, and with their whole pie and single-serve portions, whether it’s a party of 30 or a party of 1 you can enjoy with minimal hassle.

We’re not only entertaining this season, we’re also being invited to parties and I’m never above bringing an easy hostess gift in the form of an Edwards dessert. Same rules apply: remove from box, put in pretty container, hand to hostess when they open the door, go get the party started.

Edwards is setting off the holiday season, by heading to the hometowns of their biggest fans and throwing a celebration of epic proportions. If you want to attend the party, enter the contest for a chance to be a guest at your hometown’s celebration and receive a limited-edition, dessert inspired prize pack!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

This post was sponsored by Wendy’s as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own

No matter how much planning I manage to do during the week, our weekends just end up being busy. I’ll admit some are busier than others but there are things I just need to put off until the weekend because the likelihood of me getting them done during the week is virtually impossible.

Between family, home, my online store, this blog, other things and my FT job, I am a proud card toting member of team too much. Over the years I’ve learned to embrace my limitations and work with them. I admit, it takes a bit of science to learn how to manage juggling the things you have to do, while finding time to enjoy your life. The good news is there is a sweet spot, and successfully managing your time can help you enjoy a little downtime here and there.

Here’s a few tips I have for having a productive weekend:

Start early

I know. Everybody is living for the weekend, to sleep in. Here’s the thing, your body is likely to wake on it’s own because of your internal alarm clock.

Just get up and get movin. Just think, the earlier you start, the earlier you get done.

Make a List

The ones I specifically use for the weekends are my meal plan, a to-do list, and a to-buy list. You can make your list during the week or Saturday morning, but don’t leave home without at least a to-do list if you tend to get off track, like me.

Look at your list and plan it out by activities and places. Batch items that are close in proximity so you aren’t all the way across town before you remember you had something to do, or buy on the side of town you just left. Again, I speak from experience.

Grab a Snack

I’m not a huge breakfast eater so I’ll rush out of the door and before I know it, I feel like I’m about to pass out. It’s these times that I’m not looking for a full meal but something quick and affordable to hold me over until I can get home.

Wendy’s is one of my go to spots in these situations, I’ll grab a quick chicken wrap from the drive-thru, or take a few minutes of down-time and head in to sit and eat with the kids. I don’t like red meat, and Wendy’s variety of chicken offerings on the 4 for $4 menu hits the spot. I’ll grab a spicy chicken wrap, paired with fries and an order of nuggets, and I’m ready to hit the streets again. The wraps are my jam for those drive-thru days, I can hold with one hand and keep it moving.

Set a timer

I am easily side-tracked. A trip to Target for 3 items may take me an hour. Setting a timer gives me purpose, It’s like I’m competing against myself. I won’t lie and say it always works, but if you have a lot of things to do, setting a timer is a great way to get in and out of a store.

Plan Your downtime

We all need rest. Nothing good ever came from running yourself in the ground. Plan something epic for when you get back home, like laying in the bed and binge watching Netflix. Make it a reward of sorts, I’m good for saying “let me hurry up and get home so I can get in my bed.” My end goal, and reward is simply to make it home so I can relax and it keeps me focused.

My mother didn’t play about Sundays being a day of rest. We went to church, came home and she cooked. My goal is to get back to lazy Sundays, but right now I’m lucky to get a few of those a year. To keep balance, I’m really trying to make that one day of rest a priority and I can get there but it will take a little planning and a lot of discipline to make that happen.

I hope these tips help you at least start thinking about how to plan your weekends so you can get a little rest and rejuvenation for the week ahead!