Happy Friday!

I know we're all happy when the weekend rolls around, but now that it's spring I'm even happier for the weekend. I'm just looking forward to spending the weekend outside in the beautiful weather.

1.) Finally treated myself to a pedicure on Monday.... it had been way too long. I went with a pretty purple color and purple sparklies on the big toe.

2.) Roxy had a bath before my parents arrived on Tuesday. I told her she had to be all pretty and fluffy for her grandparents coming to see her.

*not a happy camper*

3.) Cheered on my boys in pinstripes for opening day... it's officially spring when baseball starts :-D

Can't believe it's his last season *tear* - the last of the core four

4.) Spent Wednesday at the beach with my parents and then we went out for steak burgers and ~~diet buster~~ shakes that evening. Steak n' Shake is a must visit when friends/family come to visit from up north.

*Look how happy they are to be on vacay*

5.) The Sephora VIB event started on Thursday: 15% off your purchase through April 11th. Happy Shopping!

Linking up today with April for 5 on Friday and Lauren for High Five on Friday. Hop on over and join us!

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Happiness Is....

I was experiencing a little writers block today, and when I stumbled upon Erin and Sarah's 32 things that make me happy link up today I felt a ray of sunshine fall down on my lil' blog.

We all have our every day struggles and things weighing heavy on our hearts, and I love to remember all the positive things in our lives. And there are numerous things that make me happy, so 32 is only going to be the tip of the ice burg of what makes me happy :)

1. My life in the sunshine state... words can't express how happy I am that we packed up and moved from dreary cold CT to beautiful sunny FL. Every day I wake up and see the sunshine and the palm trees when everyone up north is complaining about yet another snowstorm and it's spring. Yep... happiness.

2. My adorable fatty ~ Roxy

3. Fresh pedicures

4. Margaritas... especially when enjoyed on a patio by the water or even better... IN the water

5. Sephora

6. Bubble Baths

7. Stretchy pants... as soon as I get home from anywhere the first thing I do is get into a socially unacceptable comfy outfit.

8. Pool parties and BBQ's

9. Homemade baked goodies

10. Nights by the fire pit

11. Coffee with the best advice ever

12. And of course cake... mmmmm cake

13. Target *my happy place*

14. Impractical Jokers marathons

*If you don't have time to watch the whole video fast-forward to the 2:55 mark*

15. Luke Bryan

16. Outdoor Concerts

17. My boys in pinstripes

18. Traveling.... there is seriously nothing better to spend your hard earned $$ on ;-)

Flying over the mountains of the Fijian islands on our honeymoon *priceless*

Hiking through the rain forest to beautiful waterfalls in Fiji *priceless*

Ziplining in Honduras

Parasailing in Key West

*You can find more of my adventures under my travel tab at the top of the page*

Next up is eating our way through Chicago and exploring Barcelona and Lisbon... flingin' flangin' excited!

19. To piggyback off traveling... cruising. Hands down my favorite way to travel! Can't wait to board the Norwegian Epic next month in Barcelona!!!

20. Guacamole... I could eat it with a spoon

21. Beach days

22. Meeting celebs... so surreal to see them in the flesh!

Dwight Howard

JJ Redick

Teresa from RHONJ

Terry Crews

23. New shoes

24. Amazing friends

25. Wine and champagne

*Champs is always a good idea*

26. Peonies

27. Watching my brother graduate from basic training to become a U.S. Marine

28. Flying Jet Blue in lieu of pretty much every other airline

29. Anything sparkly

30. Harry Potter *obsessed*

31. Bath & Body Works 3 wick candles

32. Marrying my best friend

*My love and my rock*

Come join us and share your 32 happies :)

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Sunday Brunch

One of my favorite ways to cap off a great weekend is brunch with friends. There are some fabulous brunch places around here, and I love it even more by enjoying it out on a patio by the water.

Sunday Brunch by greenfashionistablog

I also enjoy making hot breakfast for us at home on the weekends. I tell H all the time that he's spoiled since he usually has his pick of pancakes, french toast, or scrambled eggs and turkey sausage on the weekends.

Because I enjoy cooking a hot breakfast on the weekends, and all our friends enjoy brunching I thought it would be neat to host brunch at our house one weekend outside.

To me brunch is a colorful meal... between the different juices for mimosas and fruit platters I believe the decor should be full of pretty colors as well.

Necessities:

~ Beautiful bouquet of flowers as the centerpiece

~ Bellini candles

~ Make your own coffee bar with k-cups and colorful coffee cups and saucers

~ Make your own mimosa bar with fresh fruit and a variety of juices to mix with the champs

~ Bagel station complete with a bagel slicer (one of my favorite items off our Crate & Barrel registry from our wedding) and a cream cheese schmearer *also from C&B*.

~ Waffles with VT maple syrup

~ Bacon... always bacon

~ Melon balls *melon baller also from C&B*

~ Omelettes topped off with avocado slices

~ Angel food cake with fresh strawberries for dessert

Have you ever hosted brunch for your family/friends? What were your must haves?

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Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Pasta

One of my favorite wedding gifts has got to be my crock pot, so I'm always excited to discover great new crock pot recipes. Nothing is better than throwing a bunch of ingredients in it in the morning, and coming home to a full dinner being ready.

I was looking for a hearty new crock pot meal, so I tried out this recipe, and tweaked it a little bit to our tastes.

Ingredients

Spaghetti pasta noodles
8 oz. of shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 cup of cooked diced chicken
1 can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 4 oz. can of diced chiles
1 4 oz. can of mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/2 cup of water
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
Pepper to taste

Directions

Boil pasta for 10 minutes on high

Spray the inside of your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add all ingredients including cooked pasta to the crock pot, and cook on low for 3 hours.

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