A Summer Wreath

Today I wanted to link up to Kristen's Creations Show and Sell Party. She creates the most beautiful floral arrangements. I love her frames (hint, hint for the husband) and tassels too. I get so much inspiration for my Christmas decor by following her blog. Now, I know it's a show and sell party and I don't sell anything. But, I wanted to show something that I make and give away as gifts. I make wreaths for all seasons. Here's the one I have up now. From May to September, I like to decorate with red, white, and blue, very patriotic. Which reminds me, I have some flags to put out.
I had to snap the pictures really quickly because I was afraid my little one would lock me out!

So, check out her blog and etsy store. You're in for a real treat!

Our Anniversary Weekend

This past weekend, we celebrated our anniversary. My sister was sweet enough to watch the kids for us so we packed our bags and headed for Vegas. Our first stop was at the state line where we did some outlet shopping and ate lunch at the Mad Greek. It was delicious!
We got to Vegas pretty early so we hit Caesar's Palace and then the Bellagio. This is the atrium I heard so much about. The flowers were stunning!

Of course, we had to see the chocolate fountain too! Where's a strawberry when you need one?

We're not big gamblers; I don't think we gambled more than $20 between the two of us all weekend. However, we did hit the nickle poker machines and managed to sit there playing for about an hour on $5! Then we headed to our hotel but Scott wanted to stop at the Venetian first. I was hoping we'd ride on the gondolas. However, Scott got into the line for the lobby. What a surprise! I've always wanted to stay at the Venetian.

Just look at the lobby!

Here's our room. I couldn't help myself, I had to take pictures. We had three televisions in the suite, one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom, and one in the sunken living room.

We did get our chance to ride on the gondolas. We spent our honeymoon in Italy so it brought back a ton of good memories. While in Venice, we rode on a gondola but our pictures were very blurry and the driver wouldn't sing. Our driver at the Venetian more than made up for it. Not only did he sing, but danced for us as well. He had an amazing voice.

Here we are by the ride.

This is another picture in the hotel. The butterfly was actually made of flowers. I had such a good time I didn't want to leave.

But we missed the kids! Thank you honey for such a wonderful time. I love you more now than when we got married.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

I can't believe how many people came up to me after Allie's party and asked for the broccoli salad recipe. It's a copycat version for the one at Souplantation, although I've never actually eaten it there. Of all places, I sampled it at Costco and was hooked. Scott and the kids loved it too so I searched for a recipe and here's the one I use:
1 bunch of uncooked broccoli florets
1/2 c crumbled, cooked bacon
1/2 c cashews (I used peanuts once and it still tasted pretty good.)
1/3 c raisins
1/4 c chopped red onions (I finely dice these.)

Dressing:
1 c mayo
1/3 c sugar
2 T apple cider vinegar

Beat the dressing ingredients gently until smooth and toss in the broccoli, bacon, cashews, raisins, and onions. Serve immediately.

It makes a great side for a BBQ, potluck, or any at-home dinner. Enjoy!

I'm linking up to Kelly's Show Us Your Life: Side Dishes.

Mother's Day Weekend

What a fun weekend we had. First off, Saturday was Allie's birthday party. I can't believe she's five! Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. She is such a sweetheart and I'm so thankful to be her mama. Here she is getting ready for lunch. She loved the fried chicken and baked beans but I think the rolls with butter were her favorite.

Instead of making a cake, we had cupcakes, strawberry shortcakes (of course), and lemon bar bites. I also had chocolate covered marshmallows and pretzels for the kids.
Present time! What a lucky girl. She got so many wonderful gifts.......this was one of her favorites!
Here's the dollhouse we got her. It has so much detail. I think we should have bought it months in advance to have it ready for her party.
She even got matching pajamas for her and her American girl, Chrissa. It's weird how much they look alike.
I was so busy putting Allie's party together and finding presents for my moms, I really forgot about my own mother's day. Lucky for me, Scott and the kids didn't.

Maddie made me the sweetest card; she is so creative! Brenndan made breakfast in bed for us. It was delicious! I hope to watch him on Top Chef someday.

And this was my present. I absolutely love it!!!! Thank you so much guys for making my day so special. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.