DIY Coffee Mugs

I been wanting to make these personalized mugs for days!! Well it's been more like forever. I finally made my way to buy a few ceramic mugs and grab some Oil based Permanent Markers. I had been reading a few different blogs on what works and apparently regular sharpies aren't too great so I went ahead and bought the Oil Based Sharpies. You can find them at hobby lobby. 

I made 4 different ones just because I was so excited and I did a front and back to each one. 

Here's the first one that I absolutely love!!

Here's the back side

Here's the second one..

How hilarious is that!! Okay here's the back side

And the third..

And of course the back..

And finally the fourth.. I love this one too!!

And the back

I love Disney so of course I had to make a Princess one. 

Here's what you do:

1. Clean your mugs and rub it with rubbing alcohol first so that the oils and stuff don't mess with the marker.

2. You can use stencils or whatever to make your writing prettier. I free handed it all, but I did have some mistakes all I did to clean it off and start over was hairspray and a kitchen towel and it comes off and then I removed the smears with a wet napkin.

3. Once your done let it sit for a bit so the ink can completely dry.

4. Turn on your over to 425 degrees and let the mugs sit in there for 35 minutes. (I put the mugs in there while it was preheating so they wouldn't crack or explode lol)

5. Let them sit in your over after you turn it off so they can cool off. That may take a few hours.

6. Wash them once again and sip, sip, sip!

I think I'll be making some of these as mini Christmas gifts as well. 

First time at the State Fair

Last year I didn't really want to take my son out to the State Fair not only because of the weather, but I felt like he was still too little even if he was 7 months. There wouldn't be much to do anyway.

So finally we went on a this perfect Tuesday. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It had rained and hailed on Monday so we lucked out! 

As soon as we walked in LJ was amazed with the dinosaur he spotted!! Freaked out? Never!! We had just gone to the Dinosaur Museum last week so he was still overly excited. And of course he just "roared" the entire time! Lol 

I love his faces!! Yay! First time at the State Fair as a family!! 

Well, he sure didn't know which way to look since there was so much going on. But talk about a photobomb!! Some clothes are just not for certain people, but that'll be some other time! 

Of course, daddy got him a prize!! 

It went from this little mini..

To this giantic dog!! Lol it was in his way the rest of the time we were there but he didnt want to let go of it.

His favorite part was the petting zoo!! Heck i even had a blast! My husband recorded bits and pieces and I was pretty embarrassed with how I sounded. I can only imagine that people thought I had never seen animals in my life. Well this close and sweet.. Nope, never!!

That sweet smile is what we love to see!!

I really think we should start looking into getting a farm.. How fun would that be? K well maybe it'll be hard and stinky!! But maybe just a few animals!! I wouldn't mind that one bit!! 

Oh hello Fall..

The day has finally come.. Fall is here!! Boots, scarfs, cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice coffee, balloon fiesta, crunchy leaves, rain, siting next to the fireplace!! So many things to look forward to and so much more to do.

I came across this to do list on Pinterest and thought how cool is that! I can't wait to start checking things off with my family and making the most of the season. 

Play Kitchen Ideas

I been wanting to get my son a play kitchen for the longest time now. The only reason I haven't is because I feel like there is no space, but now I'm like he is getting so big and I'm not doing things for the lack of space. It does not seem fair. So I been on Pinterest looking at tons of ideas and so far these are the ones that stick out to me.

Out of old furniture pieces you can totally create your own kitchen with your personal taste! I love this idea!! 

It does look pretty simple, but I know it'll be hard work! Now to get my husband in on this too will be the fun part lol 

I really want something that pretty mych neutral. We do plan on expanding our family at some point when the time is right and being able to save money by already having things (incase we have a girl) would be perfect! Toys like this I dont see why you would want to be so gender specific anyway. 

So.. Here's to looking for the perfect entertainment piece that wont be too big or too small!! Craigslist here I come!

Playroom in the works..

Okay so my son needs a playroom seriously!! I love being organized and I think him having his own little space besides his bedroom would be fun!

Pinterest is always my go-to its the creative side that doesn't come to my head directly lol I'm sure I'm not the only one who needs help from time to time right?

Again, I love organization so having this would be perfect!

This is perfect, I love the rug and the chalkboard in the back!! 

Yes a window and a ledge!! Perfect as a reading nook!! Okay lets see what I can come up with to start it off for now. 

Taco Salad

This is one of my husbands favorite dishes and it's super super easy! I honestly had never had this before and one day he was telling me how much he was craving it. He is the pickiest eater in the world so for him to crave something is music to my ears. My sweet mother in law shared this master piece with me.

What you need:

Lettuce (you can get a lettuce head and chop it up, I cheated I bought the Roma lettuce bags where it was already cut in pieces)

Ground beef, turkey, or chicken (your preference)

Tortilla chips 

Olives

Tomatoes

Fiesta Cheese

& the secret is French Dressing

First you cook your ground meat and add taco mix with 1/4 cup of water. I didn't have any taco mix so I made my own. 

Here's what I used:

Garlic Powder, Orgeano, ground cumin, chil powder, black pepper, onion powder and salt. The ground cumin and chili powder is what makes the taco mix taste yummy!!

So once your meat is done let it sit so it can cool down. 

And then it gets easier. 

1. Add your washed salad to a bowl (I get icky if I don't wash it, that's just me though)

2. Add the French Dressing little by little till it's pretty much covered but not drenched.

3. Throw in your ground meet of preference, olives (you can slice them, my hubby just likes them whole), and tortilla chips. You can also add diced tomatoes I did but just on my plate (the hubby dislikes tomatoes).

4. Serve and top it off with some shredded fiesta cheese. 

Nom nom!! 

Our Love Story

Planning our wedding in another state was difficult, but it turned out to be even more perfect than I had imagined my wedding day to be. The most important thing to my husband and I was our parents, siblings and close family and of course our close friends whom over the years have become more like family. We started planning the wedding about a year and a half in advance. We announced our date 11 months in advance to let people know. Since its in the summer people plan family trips and vacations. Our turn out was beyond perfect! We had originally planned to keep our guest list at 200 and had a little over 240 guests. Our list kept growing as the date approached, but thank goodness we had 2 weeks before the wedding to make changes to seating, dinner and drinks! 

Groom and Groomsmen before the ceremony.

That man in the back got us to church on time! I was running a little late getting ready so I was rushed a bit towards the end when the nerves started kicking in a bit. I seriously had the the best of bridesmaids, they helped me so much throughout the day. From making sure my hair and face looked okay and even helping with my dress and my veil (that didn't work out very well, but it was so beautiful). 

I had my two god daughters as my flowergirls (one wasn't there yet), but how cute is she!! 

My son was a sleepy little lion. He had been teething for weeks. He didn't want to hold his sign during the procession, but at least he didn't run off in another direction. 

He still looked so handsome along with my younger brother. 

I am blessed beyond words to have been able to have my two parents with me on my special day that I wanted both of them to walk me down the aisle. As my mom has had a few struggles in her life she has remained stronger than ever always full of positivity and her faith remains strong. Family is everything and I cherish that everyday. 

Our ceremony was beautiful. Father Fili had gotten to know us over emails for well over a year and we had a few visits with him when we would travel to visit different vendors for our wedding. We always made sure to stop by and say hello. He cracked a few jokes about us during the ceremony I think he pretty much kept everyone awake at least I hope. He also messed up a few times. For a minute I thought he was more nervous than me. 

Our first kiss as husband and wife. 

I have officially married the man of my dreams, my Prince Charming, my soul mate and most importantly my best friend. 

Having our family and friends on this special day to witness our love for one another is such a special feeling.

We had a car for our groomsmen and bridesmaids to get to the receptionist. We wanted something a bit different than a limo. 

My bridesmaids were the best and they all looked so beautiful!! I absolutely loved loved our bouquets!! 

Our wedding party was so much fun and everyone got along as if they had known eachother before!! It was awesome!

Our cake was beautiful and it tasted even better!! It was pretty much gone by the end of the night except our top tier of course. 

Caught in the moment of looking at one another. I am one lucky wife!! 

Since I was a little girl I always saw how much my parents loved eachother. How they would joke around and how they saw eachother as not only a married couple, but as best friends. They taught me so much without even trying. They showed me what love is and how a man should treat his lady and value her. There love not only for eachother but for me has been a blessing and I hope to have just as much love and happiness than they have had in their marriage if not more. 

Instead of wedding favors we decided to have a candy buffet because we both have a sweet tooth!! What a greater thank you than a bag to stuff candy in!! I thought it was pretty "sweet!"

LJ had a fun night. He didn't eat much, but he wasn't fussy. He was a little shocked I think by seeing so many people in one room. 

He loved playing with mama's dress! 

And mama loved his sweet little kisses. 

Everyone was on the dance floor having a great time! And I was even getting down in my dress!! Such a memorable night, I am so glad we had a wonderful photographer to capture so many great shots that are now a priceless memory. 

Being married to the love of my life makes me so excited for the future and every moment we have left to be by eachothers side. 

I love you to the moon and back and a little more honey!! Yay!! We're married!!