These are a few of my favorite things... (+) a GIVEAWAY!

A friend of mine told me about this recently. I don't usually love tanning lotions because of the smell, but this one is not bad at all- and it works great! I use this one for medium to tan skin, but they also have one for fair to medium skin that you can get here.

The Dove Real Beauty Campaigns have made we want to purchase more of their products (some people say I'm a marketer's dream... which I think is valid). This is what's in our shower now- it smells great, and I like the way my hair feels after I dry it.

Oh, Jillian. After my ski debacle in February, I couldn't workout for almost 3 months. And while I'm not a crazy worker-outer... it keeps me sane. I actually felt jealous when I drove by people running. Yes, running. I'm not so much a runner. But not breaking a sweat for 3 months will make you think crazy thoughts.

So I got to start my Jillians (as I call them) again a few weeks ago. I've never been so excited to do a jumping jack in my life! This DVD series is GREAT- there are three workouts, leveled easy to hard, that are about 26 minutes each. They combine cardio, strength and abs, and make you sweat. Perfect for a quick workout sandwiched between work and everything else that needs to be accomplished before the day's over. ;)

I ordered mine on Amazon for $10, but it's even cheaper now! You can find it here.

LOVE.

Daily devotional that gets me going in the morning. You can get it here. They recently came out with one for kids too! I saw it at our church last week- I will definitely be getting this when we have kiddos! You can check it out here: Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids

I'm new to the gel polish thing- this is my second round. And despite the fact that I'm impatient at the nail place (45 minutes of sitting- I'm not a great sitter), I do really like the look when it's done! This color is called- Don't Burst my Bubble- it's a whitish-pink... perfect for summer!

I got my Stella & Dot Jewels in the mail this week! You guys were SO sweet to order some goodies for yourselves during my trunk show and giveaway, so I was able to get some FREE goodies for myself! THANK YOU!! Check out what I got:

Love their packaging!

Thanks, Dre, for helping me pick this out! ;)

These are navy- they go with the blue and gold necklace :)

GIVEAWAY:

To show my thanks, I'm giving away a 50% off credit that I earned through your orders! You can use it on ANY item! Just remember, there will be tax and shipping ($5.95) on whatever you choose to buy with your credit.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would buy with your 50% off credit. You can get ideas here.

2. Follow our blog on Facebook, and leave a comment telling me you did or already do!

Make sure you leave two separate comments- each counts as an entry.

I will announce the winner next Friday morning!

Winner will be drawn using random.org

Hope you all have a relaxing Memorial Day Weekend!

Agave & Feta Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, drained/rinsed

1 can great northern beans, drained/rinsed

1 can white corn, drained

1 can yellow corn, drained

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 4oz. package crumbled feta

Dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup EVOO

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/8 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine first six ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the bean mixture and serve with Fritos scoops.

4-year-old baseball

Since we got to see Noah play a couple weeks ago, we wanted to make sure we got to one of Maddox's games too! He was SO excited to show off his skills for us! ;) And let me just say that you don't have to know a kid playing on the team to enjoy watching a t-ball game... 4-year-olds trying to play baseball is hysterical! Sweet Maddox was the only one that would stay in his position when the ball was hit... all the other kids would run to the ball no matter where it was hit! And once the attention spans ran out, there was no telling what those little guys would do on the field. I forgot my camera but was able to catch some shots on my phone- thank goodness!

Poor guy couldn't see and ran right passed the base!

High-fiving Nonna

First in line at the end of the game ;)

And that's the coach showing the kids which hand is "right". Love.

Running the bases at the end of the game!

Such a good listener. ;)

Hugs for Uncle Matt!

Noah wanted to take a picture too- not too bad!

Love this picture of the two of them!

And the Instagram version- of course :)

A family broken, a family healed

When Stacey caught her husband in the middle of an affair, she knew there was only one option- divorce. But two days before the papers were signed, everything changed for the her and her family.

Such a powerful story of God's redemption- you might want to have your tissues ready. ;)


Mother's Day Family Baptism from North Point Online on Vimeo.

Blueberry Banana Bread & Pink Lemonade Cookies

Blueberry Banana Bread
Bananas are always in stock at our house. Matt eats them like them like they're on the verge of being scarce, so I usually buy at least 10 at a time. On the rare occasion that all are not eaten before they go bad, I love to make this banana bread. Sometimes with the blueberries, sometimes without.

This time, I had everything in my mixer when I realized we were out of sugar. I hate it when that happens! Thankfully, a quick Google search taught me that that you can actually substitute confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) for regular sugar- who knew?!

So here's my confectioner's sugar blueberry banana bread:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar (or 1 cup sugar)
• 2 eggs beaten
• 3 mashed, ripe bananas (Tip: If you don't have time to make banana bread, but have bananas that are close to being tossed, peel them and freeze them until you have the time to make it- I've done this plenty of times and the bread turns out just fine- just thaw them first!)
• 3T milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan. Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs and bananas and mix. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then add to above. Add milk, vanilla and blueberries. Bake for 35 minutes if using 4-loaf pan, or 1 hour if using large loaf pan.

Pink Lemonade Cookies

A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for Lemon Cookies. This recipe is the exact same, but made with the Pink Lemonade cake mix instead. The pink color makes them fun for baby showers or parties, or, how I used them, for a little Mother's Day treat! The step-by-step pictures for you visual learners are posted here. ;)

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Pink Lemonade Premium Cookie Mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

Powerdered Sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil. Scoop dough into 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes. Wait 1-2 minutes and transfer to wax paper in you like your cookies to be gooey, or to a wire rack in you like for them to be a little crispy. (I'm a soft and gooey girl, myself). Makes 3 dozen.