The Love N' Nature Collection from Circo

Hey Guys!!

Sorry it has been awhile I have been a little busy!! I wanted to introduce this awesome collection from Circo..... The Love N' Nature Collection

FYI....I am not sponsoring them and they are not sponsoring me I am in NO way shape or form getting paid for this Blog Post!!

I am addicted to Target and go there more often than I should!!

I saw this collection and just fell in LOVE with it!! So let me take you back a little bit.....

When I was pregnant with my daughter Alyssa I started decorating for her nursery and getting everything organized but then the weather just kept getting hotter and hotter and we did not have central air

We ended up buying a window air conditionor from our neighbor but it was too small for every single window in the house except Alyssa's nursery window!!

So we decided to throw our mattress in her bedroom and stay in her room so we could keep cool at night which really was great because after she was born we were both right there for when she woke up at night!

But then there was some drama and Alyssa and I left and so the point for me is... I never really got to finish Alyssa's nursery!! I really never got to "make" a little room for my baby!

So now that she is 2 years old   Im getting into the whole decorating thing and trying to find something cute to decorate her room in!! Right now we share a room but we are planning on moving around Octoberish So I was window shopping at Target and saw this cute Owl painting and I thought to myself OMG! How Cute Is That!! It would be so adorable in Alyssa's bedroom then as I looked around more and more I found out it was part of this whole Love N' Nature Collection!

So little by little I have been buying parts of the collection so when we move out and I have my own room Oooops I mean Alyssa has her own room!! lol She will have a whole bedroom set!

So I guess this is me slowly but surely decorating or making a room for Alyssa!! So far Alyssa has.......Decorative Pillow, Toy Box, Clock, Fabric Tote, and the Toddler Bed Set

I still would like to get the..... Lamp, Night Light, Wall Decor, Painting and Window Curtains

Here are a couple pictures of everything Alyssa has so far!!

FYI   I bought the Shelving from Target as well but it is not a part of the collection...

Owl Decorative Pillow

Owl Fabric Tote

You can see part of her Toy Box in the bottom left of this picture!

This is my B-E-A-utiful babygirl Alyssa so excited and happy to be in her new Toddler Bed with her Owl Bed Set!!

So......What do you think?!?!?

My Pinterest Projects

So......

My Obsession has grown larger as I continue to find awesome DIY Crafts and Creations on Pinterest!!

My latest finds are Things For The Home....... I LOVE bright, fun and loud colors!

Here are a couple of ideas that I am tossing around in my head.....

Source: etsy.com via Andrea on Pinterest

I LOVE these colors I think they would be perfect for my Bedroom OR even the Living Room!!
What Do You Think?

Source: blog.addicted2decorating.com via Andrea on Pinterest

OMG!! I adore these!! These would make ANY Dining Room just feel so much Brighter & Better!!
How about you? Would you hang something like this up in your Dining Room?

Source: modpodgerocksblog.com via Andrea on Pinterest

I LOVE these as well!! Very simple yet brings a lot to a room/area!! You can spice up a boring room just by adding a little bit of COLOR!!

I am going to try and make it my mission to try all of these awesome crafts/creations!!

I think its time for us to spice up our living area!! How bout you?!?

Pinterest Inspired Birthday Party!!!

Hey Yall!!

I am OBSESSED with Pinterest!!

I always find the coolest DIY Crafts...Awesome Party Decoration Ideas.....or even just hair styles and make-up ideas!

Its like a Gi-normous Wish List for me....all the things I want to do for myself,  my daughter and my home!!

So....here are a couple samples of party decorations I made for my daughter Alyssas 2nd Birthday!!

1.) Here is a wreath that I made out of TuTu material.....It does NOT look exactly like the one I saw but this is my version!!

I bought a styrofoam circle wreath from Michaels and the fabric from Walmart

I cute all the fabric into little strips and then just tied all the TuTu material around the wreath color by color

I bought the A from Michaels as well spray painted it Pink and then sprayed Glitter Hairspray on it then tied it around the wreath (at the length desired) with TuTu material as well!

Obviously the A is for "Alyssa"  :)

This was placed on the front door so people could admire it upon arrival!!

Here is a Serving Platter that I made....

I went to the Thrift Store and bought small dinner plates and martini/margarita glasses

I used a Hot Glue Gun to glue them together then allowed them to sit and dry once stuck together I just used spray paint and painted them!!

I have 1 big one (as seen in the picture) painted Turqiouse and another painted Pink then I made 2 smaller ones using smaller glasses and painted the same colors.

Here is a picture of the Cake Table as shown you can see the cake (I just bought from a local store) On both sides of the cake are the platters (shown above)

So I had a big one then a small one on both sides alternating the colors

I bought some cookies (2 dozen) and had 6 cookies placed on each plate on a doily.

Here is an upsclose picture of the "bunch" that was hanging above the cake table!!

My cousin and I made PomPoms out of tissue paper and then I had these paper lanterns from her party last year that I used.

I tied ribbin to each lantern and pompom then bunched them up at different lenths once placed on the wall I hung streamer from behind the bunch and let it fall down and hang off table (as seen in picture above)

So......what do you think? How does it look?

I really enjoyed making and putting all these decorations together! It made for a very special day!!!

Check out my next Blog Entry to see how I put together the "Goodie Buckets"

Alyssas Birthday!!

Hey Guys!!

So I am not sure if you guys know this or not but my daughter Alyssa is 2 TODAY!!

I am super excited!! I have lasted 2 years!! I know within these 2 years I have failed Alyssa many many many times but I also know that within these 2 years I have gave Alyssa NOTHING but love and support!!

I am honestly her only parent!! If she didnt have me......well I dont even really want to talk about that!! Point is she does have me and I wouldn't want it ANY OTHER WAY!!!

I love this baby more than anything and everything in this world! I would do anything and everything for this girl!!

I am 24 years old! I had to grow up fast! I was pregnant at 21 years of age living on my own.....I ended up moving back in with my mother and Im still here!! If it wasnt for my surrounding friends & family I would be nothing!!!

I am a great mom and I owe it all to you guys!!

On days where I wanted to just runaway you all talked me into staying!!

On days where I hid in my bedroom and cried for hours you all told me "This is completely normal" which made me feel good!

I have been through soo many ups and downs and a lot of bumps along this road but HEY I have made it this far theres NO turning back from here!! Nothing but GOOD things coming OUR way Alyssa!!!

Point is...I love being a mom!!

I just cant believe how wimpy and emotional I get everytime I look at Alyssa!!

KIDS......Stop growing up soo fast my eyes cant take it!!!

Alyssa,

You are amazing!! How did I get so lucky to have a baby as awesome as YOU!! I LOVE YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!

Hampton Inn & Suites- Lebanon, TN

Hey Guys!

I recently stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites- Lebanon, TN and just wanted to write a post ALL about my stay!! It was pretty awesome!!

So you guys may or may not know but I work at a Hilton Hotel! I am the Night Auditor at the Embassy Suites so what that means exactly is I work the Front Desk at Night 3rd shift 11pm-7am

I also handle a lot of reports I close out our day and then start the new one! I also answer phones, make reservations, and check people In/Out of the hotel! Its a little more than just "standing at the desk!"

Anyways...because I work for Hilton I get an amazing employee discount on any Hilton brand hotel pretty much worldwide!! While I was visiting family in TN I stayed at this hotel and I had a really good time so I just wanted to write a post about it!!

First I want to talk about the Check-In Process!
I was not able to check-in until late at night like after Midnight but the front desk agent was so kind and very friendly!! She was able to check me in with no issues what so ever and she even allowed me to pay cash for my room!! So much easier than using a credit/debit card!!

Second The Hotel!
Let me just tell you on the Hilton Chain the Hampton Inns and the Hampton Inn & Suites are pretty basic hotels! They have basic rooms, basic breakfast, its just a very simple and small hotel! But this hotel must have just remodeled it was so fresh, new, stylish, just modern looking!!

My hotel the Embassy Suites we just remodeled and let me just tell you this Hampton Inn & Suites looks better than our Embassy!! That never happens!!

This is the Dining Area where guests can eat breakfast!

Honestly some of you are probably looking at this saying Andrea its a Dining Area big deal!

But its so pretty!! The chairs are super soft and comfortable! It just has this very modern and "good feeling" vibe to it!

Honestly the entire time I was here I had that feeling its like the minute I walked in the hotel I just felt good!

Third The Room!

For me to gain access to my room ALL I had to do was wave my Key Card in front of this magnetic thing on the door!! I didnt even have to take it out of the envelope!!

HELLO!! That has convenience written all over it!!!

My hotel just remodeled the Rooms & Lobby in Januray 2012 and WE dont even have this!!

I LOVE this!! While I have 3 bags on one arm and my sleeping toddler in the other I simply waved my card in fornt of the door and click UNLOCKED!!

Honestly the BEST feature for a hotel to have in my opinion!!

Fourth The Breakfast!

I LOVE my food!! Especially breakfast because it seems like thats the ONLY meal my growing toddler will eat!

This breakfast was honestly nothing special! They had 3 entree choices like Egg, Meat, Potato. One day they had Biscuits & Gravy!! MY FAV! Then they had fresh fruit, cereal, bagels, bread, muffins, oatmeal! Just like a standard Buffet style breakfast!! Its FREE!! Cant complain!

But Im telling you this breakfast was sooo yummy!! The first day I had biscuits & gravy, sausage,  breakfast potatos and wheat toast! I pigged out!! I just didnt expect the food to taste THAT good!!

The second day I had a cheese omelet, potatoes, smoked sausage and wheat toast!! I am not lying when I say I could've ate the entire pan of smoked sausage lol It was soo delicious!!

Alyssa ate very very good! She had toast and biscuits & gravy the first day and a muffin with oatmeal the second day! She loved it as well!!

They even had a BIG bowl of fresh fruit for guests to take with them!

I forgot to mention....

They had Grab Bags
(which is very popular with Hamptns!)

If breakfast is not set up yet and you have to leave you can grab a bag from the desk and it has some fruit and stuff in it so your still able to eat something for breakfast!! Awesome!!


I also got to enjoy the outdoor pool while I was there which was really good as well the water was so warm!!

It just felt so good to be able to relax in such a nice environment!!

Some of you might be thinking that I am a little bit over exaggerating about this hotel but honestly Ive stayed in a lot of Hilton Hotels and this one was my favorite!!

Kudos to you Hampton Inn & Suites- Lebanon!!!

My Birthday!!

So.....

 I mentioned in a previous post that my birthday is July 4th!!!

Yepp! Yepp! Its true!  I turned the BIG 24!!!

I honestly dont feel any different!! Im just turning older not actually becoming older  hehehehe!

So I was in TN for my birthday and it was AWESOME!!!

My Sister-In-Law Michaell and my Niece Taylor suprised me with a birthday cake!! It was yummy!!!

This cake was so good it was yellow cake ( which is my favorite ) Im kinda a plain Jane!! The icing was not too sweet but sweet enough Perfect!!!

**Nothing better than a piece of cake and a glass of milk!!

I also got these AMAZING new sunglasses!! I am kind of a sunglassaholic!!! If there is such a thing! The middle is a real pretty turqoiuse blue and then it fades out to an orangeish and they have glitter stripes across them super stylin!!!

I also got this adorable turqoiuse blue dress but I honestly dont have any pictures!! But it is like a tube top it has no straps or anything and its ruffly at the top its lacey as well and it stops at my mid thigh then slants down to my lower leg!!

Sooo gorgeous!!

Dont worry you will get to see it because Im wearing it for Alyssas birthday party this saturday!!

This birthday was so special!! I loved every minute of it!! Thank you EVERYBODY!!

What is your best birthday memory??!??

Tennessee!

Hey Guys!!

So like 3 days after I came back from KY I left to go to TN!! I love traveling especially when its to see my  friends and family!!

Alyssas fathers sister Michaell and her daughter Taylor live in TN....Ever since the day we met Michaell has considered me her Sister-In-Law even though me and her brother are not together anymore she still thinks of me as part of the family! How awesome is that!!

So we drove 6 hours to TN ugh what a drive....longest drive ever with a toddler!!

Honestly it really wasnt even that bad...Alyssa slept the first 3 hours then we found out that the half way point was actually my SISTERS house so we ate dinner there and then got back on the road!!

Then about an hour away from our destination Alyssa fell asleep! So really she was barely awake the whole trip lol I dont have pics of the car ride SORRY!

So my birthday is July 4th we were in TN July 3-5 a short trip but definitely worth every minute of it!!

Here is a picture of Alyssa wearing her "I Love The 4th" Shirt and jumping on the bed at the hotel!!
***Which by the way this hotel was so awesome I have decided to have 1 solid post about it to give it its full amount of credit!!! Stay Tuned!!
While we were in TN we literally went swimming everyday!! I loved it Alyssa & I both got little sun burns that turned to little tans!!!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Of Course I put sunblock on!! I think the weather was 111 degrees with heat index we were smoking hot!!

Awww In this picture Alyssa was plugging her little nose and sticking her face under water!! She was mimicking her cousin Mikey!! lol Super cute!!

This picture is of Alyssa eating her first ( I think! ) Italian Ice!! While we were in TN there was a festival and then at 9pm they set off fireworks and it was FREE!!! So we got to hang out there and then watch fireworks after the festival!!

This trip was amazing!! I cant thank Michaell & Taylor enough for how awesome they were to us!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Kentucky!!!

Hey All!!

So I have been traveling a lot lately and my first trip was to Kentucky I actually go there every month to visit my sister Ashley!!

So as you all probably know she is fostering some children and I could not be happier!! It is soo much fun going to see them!!

Here are a couple pictures from our visit!!

 This is a picture of the KY-IN bridge from the park

This is a beautiful picture of Alyssa playing in the water!











Here is a picture of my BIG girl swimming with her water noodles!!












Here is a picture of the both of us enjoying the pool!!

We had so much fun in Kentucky visiting and playing with family!! Theres definitely nothing better than Summer Days!!

What do you and your family enjoy doing for the Summer?

Delay!

Hey All!

I apologize for the delay in posts lately I have been having a super busy summer so far!! From road trips out of town....to parties...to water park trips and even birthdays!! Its been a pretty crazy month but please please please stay tuned because I will be updating regularly to catch everybody up!! Thanks!!


Andrea