Music Monday, Let's Get in the Holiday Spirit! #MusicMonday

It's December 1! Let the Yuletide Season begin! I just love this time of year. I love the lights, and decorations and food, and I especially love the music! It's Music Monday, so, let's hear some holiday music.

But, first, a fun fact. Did you know that Jingle Bells was originally written for Thanksgiving?! It's true! It was written in 1857 to be performed by children at a church in Boston for Thanksgiving. Everyone liked it so much that the kids performed it again at Christmas, and it just kind of stuck, just like it's stuck in my head right now. ♪Jingle bells jingle bells♪

4 Budget Commitments for Finding Financial Peace This Holiday Season. #FinancialPeace


I used to be what some might call a shopaholic. I loved shopping for something, anything, new. It felt good to have that new pair of shoes, or that perfect pair of jeans. I was driven to find a great deal. If I had a bad day at work, I'd go for a little "retail therapy". If there was a "great sale" somewhere, I'd go buy something just to know that I "saved money." I never bought full price, and always made my way to clearance racks first, but still I spent more than I even had.

As a young married couple, we didn't have much money, so I used "creative financing". "Creative financing" meant I knew what bills I could pay late, and exactly how much time the utility companies would give me to pay before shutting off the power, water, etc... Sure, it meant I had to pay late fees, but it was all worth it to be able to go shopping "now". After all, I needed that new pair of jeans, and I had to have shoes in that color to match my new top.

Top 5 Thanksgiving Movies.

You've eaten your Thanksgiving dinner, and cleaned up all the plates, now what?! You could watch football like many will do or, you could do arts and crafts with the kids. But, if you're not a football fan, and you're fresh out of glue and glitter, maybe a good family movie is the way to go. There are certain movies that just cry out to be watched with the family on Thanksgiving.

Here's my list of Top 5 Thanksgiving movies:

1. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving- It has Thanksgiving in the title, so kind of an obvious one, I know, but this classic 1973 cartoon is a must watch for all ages. Don't forget your buttered toast and popcorn!

Rough Seas on Our Fishing Trip. #WordlessWednesday

If the owner of a fishing charter says, "are you sure you want to go out, it's not going to be a pleasure cruise out there, today!"; you may want to find something to do on land, and save the fishing trip for another day!


Beautiful sky over Gulf of Mexico
We arrived at the Tarpon Springs dock for our planned fishing trip, it was to be a team builder with my peers at work. They didn't have our reservation and said they had no plans of taking the boat out. That should have been the sign we needed to plan the outing for another day, but we were all determined to go. So, they got the boat ready and off we went. Really, how bad could it be?!
 

Michael Phillip Cash Kindle Fire Giveaway, Enter to Win!


I just love a good giveaway, and the chance to win a free Kindle Fire, that's a super good giveaway! Just think of all the great books you could read if you had a Kindle Fire to carry them all around on. You'd have all the great books out there right at your finger tips. Read more below on how you can enter to win.

Enter to Win a Kindle Fire or $100 Paypal Cash from Author Carole P. Roman. #Giveaway




Author Carole P. Roman has offered this great giveaway for a Kindle Fire. Wouldn't it be so awesome to win a Kindle Fire! You have the chance to do just that, just by getting your entry in below. I know one thing for certain, if you don't enter, you can't win! So, make sure to enter to win the Kindle Fire from Carole P. Roman.

Disney Releases Strange Magic Trailer

Disney's Strange Magic trailer is finally here. From the mind of George Lucas comes this magical mystical and musical new movie.

Strange Magic is in theaters January 23. What do you think? Will you go see it?


Music Monday, Cups, Dirty Heads, and Habits #MusicMonday

It's Monday, and that means music! Are you ready to get moving and grooving? Let's dance!

The new Pitch Perfect 2 trailer had me thinking about the Cups song from the first movie.


Here's a couple of new songs that I've been listening to.

Celebrate the Holidays With Mexican Hot Chocolate Chex Party Mix. #ChexPartyMix #paid

If you ever want to spice up your hot chocolate, try adding some cinnamon to make it a Mexican hot chocolate. It is super yummy!

If you want a great snack for the holidays, try making Mexican Hot Chocolate Chex Party Mix. It's also quite yummy and what's a celebration without a great party mix?!

My daughter and I recently mixed up a batch of this easy to make sweet cinnamon snack mix when she came home from college. General Mills sent me this special recipe and all the ingredients I needed to make this holiday treat.

Recipe and coupon savings are below.


They're Back, Pitches! Pitch Perfect 2 Reveals Trailer.






Pitch Perfect 2 has just released the trailer for the sequel to 2012's hit movie, Pitch Perfect.

The girls are back for an international competition. It looks like it will be more good fun with laughs from Rebel Wilson, and heart warming friendship moments, and of course, lots of great sing-offs.

What do you think?  Are you excited about this sequel?


Wordless Wednesday, Nature, Fashion, and 'tude.

It's Wednesday, and that means Wordless! Well, as wordless as I can be anyway. :)

Here's a look back at my week in pictures.

I enjoyed some time in my backyard, along with this little critter. It's an orb weaver known as a Florida Crab Spider because it looks like it has a shell . They spin the most beautiful webs...which I always seem to walk into!
 
 
I baked up some holiday goodies. 

Experience Amazing Colors on the LG OLED TV at Best Buy. Put It On My Holiday Wish List! #HintingSeason

When Best Buy asked me to tell you about the LG OLED TV, I obviously said "yes", but only after going to Best Buy to see this new technology for myself.  I won't recommend anything unless I truly believe in it. After seeing it in person, I'm so excited to tell you about it because it is seriously impressive!




It's Music Monday, Here's What I Got!

It's Music Monday and I'm the Spotlight Dancer for Monday's Music Moves Me! This week's theme is a brevity challenge to find a song under 3 minutes and post only 1 sentence. If you want to join in on the fun, join the linky below.

It was hard to find a rockin' good song to get you going on a Monday morning, but here's "What I Got".


Festive Mini Cookie Cups Are Easy Holiday Treats #BettyCrockerBakeCenter

Baking season is here. It's time for cookie exchanges, family gatherings, and giving the gift of sweets. Because I like to bake so much, I was more than happy to share the deals that you can find on Betty Crocker baking at your nearest Publix. To participate, I was sent products to bake with, but all opinions expressed are my own.

I love baking from scratch, but sometimes I need to bake up something quick and Betty Crocker is great for that. If you're looking for a new fun recipe to bake this holiday season, Betty Crocker has made it really easy for you with the Betty Crocker Bake Center. It has 4 exclusive recipes, the Betty Crocker products you need to make them, and coupons to help you save money. I found it at my local Publix in the Dairy section.

I made the recipe for Festive Mini Cookie Cups

Wordless Wednesday, Free As a Bird Now

One of the bad things about living in Florida is the heat. Through the Summer, I often feel like a prisoner trapped inside because it is just too hot to be outside. Now, that the weather has cooled down a little, I've been enjoying some time outside in my backyard. This was my view as a predator bird was circling overhead. So peaceful.

 
 
♪Cause I'm as free as a bird now♪ (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
 
 

Music Monday, Shut Up and Dance!

Happy Music Monday! I need you to tell me what you think of this new song. I like it but my daughter doesn't care for it. So, tell me what do you think about this song?

It's Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. I like it because it reminds me of an 80's dance song and it's catchy.


What do you think? Can you dance to it? or Is it a big "No"?


Posts on this site may contain affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.

Easy Way To Reduce Thanksgiving Stress So Your Holiday Doesn't Go Down the Drain.

Thanksgiving is coming fast. For some, this time of year is very exciting, but for others it can be very stressful. Thanksgiving is especially stressful when you're the one responsible for Thanksgiving dinner, and you want to make it perfect.

I remember one year when my mother was cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family. Any other day of the year, it was rare to find mom anywhere near the stove, but on Thanksgiving, she sliced, diced, boiled, and baked us up a nice meal. It was always simple things, often from a box or jar, but it was always good. It is because she always kept things simple that I struggle with why she did what she did that year. I can only explain it as a result of Thanksgiving stress.

Disney Big Hero 6 Movie is the New Superhero Movie for Everyone to Love!

Disney's Big Hero 6 opens in theaters today. You may be thinking "meh, so what". You may have seen some trailers and thought "eh, I'll wait to rent it", or maybe you think "eh, I'll see it if I have time". Well, MAKE TIME! GO SEE THIS MOVIE! Big Hero 6 is seriously an awesome movie for everyone!

I'll admit that just from seeing the trailers, I wasn't so sure about it. I thought the big puffy marshmallow looking robot guy looked cute, but I just didn't get it. I didn't see this being a Disney movie that many could relate to, but...then I saw it! Wow! It is a really good movie! It is funny. It is sweet and caring with big heart. It has memorable characters and a relatable story line. It truly has everything.

Wordless Wednesday, Fireplace Weather

Fall has finally arrived in Florida which means less rain and some slightly cooler temps. This weekend, it was cool enough to light our fire place. I just love the sound and smell of a fireplace, and it's so peaceful to watch the fire dance around. We don't get to use it very often, but I have been known, on occasion, to crank up the AC just to be able to pretend that the weather is cool enough.

New Minions Movie Trailer From Universal Studios

Yay! Another movie with Minions!! This one not only stars the Minions, it's about the Minions and their quest to find an evil master.

Take a look at the trailer. It looks B-A-N-A-N-A-S!



And, I bet the soundtrack will be AWESOME!

For more info head to minionsmovie.com

Now, Where Do I Put These Dead Germs?!

The other day I was having a conversation with friends about restrooms, and antibacterial dispensers when one friend declared, "I don't do that anti-bacterial stuff."

I was prepared for a deep discussion about how anti-bacterial things are destroying our natural immune response, etc..., when I got this.

Music Monday, Songs from Movies I can Always Watch

There are some movies that can just be watched anytime. You know the ones that even though you own it on blu-ray, you can't help but stop flipping channels when you come across it, even though there's commercials. For me, some of these movies include Grease, The Big Chill. They're not necessarily the best movies ever, but there's just something comforting about them that I can't get enough of.

And, they have great music! Music that is perfect for Music Monday!

Let's dance!

Put Your Friend On Santa's Official Naughty List

Ever felt one of your friends really deserves to be on Santa's naughty list? Well now you can have them added to the official naughty list and send them a copy of it to prove it.

I can definitely think of  few people to send this to! Hahaha!

This looks like really fun gift.





Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.