Focus for 2016

The last few years, I have chosen one little word word to focus on for the year. This year I chose the word FOCUS.   

I know it's over half way through January, but today will be my January 1st. You don't have to wait for January to roll around to start a new goal or resolution, you can choose any time that works for you!

This year, I have given it a lot of thought, I want to ... 
Focus on my marriage
Focus on my family
Focus on my happiness
Focus on my health
Focus on my purpose - Gods will for me is for me to help others to Choose Happy
Focus on what matters most

2016 will be a year transformation & growth for me. My biggest goal for 2016 is to be the best ME that I can be!

I've decided to take a little blogging hiatus...you have probably already been able to tell. Don't worry, I'll be be back & I will still have Monday Currently posts. But to be honest, I've been in a blogging rut or funk you could call it for quite awhile.  It's time for some self reflection!

I will still be around on Facebook and Instagram, but I'm not going to feel terrible about not getting a blog post done for awhile here. Thank you so much for all your support, I am so thankful for all of you.

I hope whatever your goals are for 2016 that they are going to make YOU the best YOU that you can be!

If there is one thing I wish for you in 2016 - Choose Happy! You won't regret it for a second!

The Best of Choose Happy in 2015

I am still having a hard time believing it is 2016 already! Time flies. I am finally feeling a little rejuvenated and ready to get back to the blog. I was sick with a cold for 2 1/2 weeks and am just starting to feel back to normal.  

Today, I am excited to look back at the past 365 days and share the most liked posts from Choose Happy in 2015! 


Whole Wheat Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins are a breakfast staple at our house. I make extra's & freeze them for an easy before school breakfast! Just pop them in the microwave and you have hot delicious muffins! Yum!

We had a blast going to Magic Kingdom (Day 1 & Day 2) last March for Spring Break with our kids. They are still talking about going to see Mickey & Minnie! We also LOVED Madeira Beach & Sanibel Island, Anna Maria Island & Fort Myers Beach!

Tips & Tricks are also very helpful when planning a trip to Magic Kingdom, so I shared 10 things that we learned while we were there!

My son celebrated his 7th Golden Birthday this past June. I can't believe how fast he is growing up! I talked to him about theme's that were related to gold. He picked a pirate theme!

We went on a road trip adventure to Colorado this past summer to visit my little brother, my cousin & old friends. We traveled for 10 days and explored a lot of ground! Colorado Springs, The Royal Gorge, Denver and the Rocky Mountain National Park were just a few of the amazing places we visited! We can't wait to go back someday!

Every summer we go on one Last Hurrah trip of summer to Lake Superior. It is my favorite place on earth. Gorgeous beaches, clear water and family fun without going all the way to the ocean!

Apple Cinnamon Rolls are a family favorite. My husband is definitely the breakfast chef at our house! If you haven't tried this recipe yet, I suggest trying it! These cinnamon rolls are so delicious!

I am so thankful for your support of Choose Happy and being a part of my world! 

I appreciate your feedback & would love to hear what you would like to see on the blog for 2016!

Christmas Traditions

.Christmas Traditions.

I have been wanting to start this traditions post for a few weeks. I had not started it as I kept seeing all of these gorgeous posts from other bloggers about their decorations and traditions that seemed WAYYY better than mine. So I kept procrastinating...thinking sooner or later I would come up with some AMAZING way to show how our traditions were just as COOL as theirs. The last few days, I started thinking about it a little bit more.... I listened to a webinar with  Emily Ley & Lara Casey  about having a Joyful 2016. They spoke again about how "Comparison is the Thief of Joy". This really resonated with me this week. I need to remind myself to stop waiting to create a new post until it is perfect or meets the expectations in my head of what a beautiful post should look like. I really hope to meet these two incredible women at a Make Things Happen conference someday, but for now I will be reminded by their powerful words of "letting go of perfection". 

On to our Christmas Traditions!  People always ask what our Christmas traditions are and I think to myself, "What traditions do we have?" But when I put pencil to paper, I realize that we have a lot of traditions that we do every single year.  Today, I am sharing some of our highlights that have happened so far this December! I love the Christmas season & I hope you enjoy creating Christmas traditions with your family.

Cutting down our Christmas Tree as a family - Every year we go to Pleasant Valley Tree farm to cut down our tree as a family! {More photos}

Decorating the Tree - Our kids love hanging ornaments on the tree! I usually hang all of the fragile ornaments on the top of the tree and let them decorate the bottom as they see fit! Seeing their faces light up as we open up boxes of special ornaments is priceless. 

Visiting Santa Claus - This year we visited Santa Claus at my husband's work. They have a Children's Christmas party every year with a pizza party, kids activities and treats! They enjoyed writing letters to Santa & visiting with him. 

Family Day at the local Winery - Every year we head to our local winery for a visit with visit Santa, sleigh rides, decorating cookies and mom's favorite nachos!  Santa had not arrived yet when we stopped at the winery, but we still enjoyed our favorite nachos & cookie decorating. We were not able to ride the sleigh this year, as the ground was a muddy mess. We are ready for snow!

Christmas Crafting - My kids LOVE to craft! It must be a family trait! ha  This was just one of the crafts that they made. We used old toilet paper rolls dipped in red & green paint! 

Mailing Christmas Cards - I love mailing & receiving Christmas cards from our friends and family. I love seeing how they have changed over the past year, especially for the people we do not see very often! 

Making Homemade Gifts for friends & family - For the last few years, I have been making homemade gifts for my friends and family. I love creating something new with my hands. I also love the look on their face when they realize I made it myself! This year's craft was ornaments made out of a birch tree & a little paint! I love how they turned out!

Decorating outside of our home -  The outside of our home gets a little dressy too for the holidays. I used the remnants from our Christmas Tree to decorate this old hanging basket from this past summer. I save the decorations each year for my wreaths & baskets to create something new for the next year. 

Baking & Decorating Cookies - My kids had a blast making & decorating cookies this year.  We made Poppyseed Twinks (my husbands favorite), pretzels with kisses and M&M's, shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and also gingerbread men dipped in chocolate. The kids were eating them faster than I could put them in the container! I had to hide them in the freezer to save them for the holidays!!

...and last but not least, watching our FAVORITE Christmas movies!

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Elf, Rudloph and Frosty the Snowman are just a few of our favorites! 

What are your favorite Christmas Traditions in your home? 

Remember that Comparison is the Thief of Joy...your traditions are just as wonderful as those you see on social media! 

Happy Friday Randomness

Happy Friday Friends! Today's post is a little a this, a little a that...pretty much a whole lot of randomness! But, hey...I am pretty random, so it fits! 

My Monday Currently posts usually entail what I was up to over the weekend or things of that nature, but today I decided I would talk about random things I think about that are not necessarily big enough for an entire blog post. Lately, my brain is not properly putting together sentences...so bear with me, it's been a long week!

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//Motivation// hello, hello?? Are you there?? Oh...I need motivation for so many things right at this moment. Working out- check, House cleaning-check, Organizing my house-check, Getting my blogging routine back-check, I could go on...but I won't.  I am going to work on a few of these things little by little & get myself back on track. It is so easy to fall off the wagon & not get back on!

//Falling for fall// Isn't this tree in my front yard incredible? I want it to stay like this... It's just gorgeous. I love fall weather and am fearing the cold weather we have coming. --hits fist on lap like a toddler--I'm not ready!! 

//Feeling flaky//These past few weeks have been hard. This week even more than the last, as I have been battling some sort of cold, sinus business. I use my essential oils & they do help a lot...but I still have felt like crud.  It's really hard to want to choose happy when I haven't felt good, my hubby was out of town all week & is coming home today- YAY! But, yesterday... wasn't such a hot day and I kind of felt like a flake after a scheduled post went up saying... I feel most happy when... It was true though, I do feel happy when...I said all those things, but yesterday ..I was not a happy girl. Felt icky, hormonal,  had a defiant youngest child, horrible no good day at work....equaled a not so happy momma. I am not proud of a lot of the words that came out of my mouth ...but today is a new day, and I vow to make it a better one and to CHOOSE HAPPY. So there you have it folks, a novel of my horrible, no good very bad day and how sometimes, I don't choose happy either. But I always remind myself that tomorrow is a new day!    
UPDATE: I am having a MUCH BETTER Day, thank you so much to those of you that are sending messages & thinking about me. I appreciate it. I was just venting and I rarely do on my blog. Thanks for all your love!! XOXO

//Motherhood is hard// see feeling flaky ^^. ha  I truly believe that being a mom is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding jobs in the world. There are days my patience is tested that I want to run away & scream and there are moments that I wish I could hold onto forever and never let my kids grow up!  

One of our not so good moments last night, where a time out was the 

best I could muster up without going bananas.

//Pinterest wishing// So many ideas, not enough funds. Lately, I have been pinning some of my favorite fall outfit ideas & wishing I had a larger bank account. So if anyone would like to share funds so I can update my fall wardrobe, let me know! haha  Wishlist.... Scarves, boots, jeans, plaid, dresses...

//Christmas decor, what?// Ok ok, I know I said I wasn't ready for cold weather, but I am loving all of the adorable ideas I have seen lately for DIY Christmas decor. I can't wait to use my hanging flower basket to make this gorgeous Christmas basket! 

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A few more things... 

•  I just downloaded Khan Academy to our iPad last night for my son to learn multiplication & division. It is INCREDIBLE & even better, it's FREE! I definitely recommend the app...it has so much great info on it! 
• Wishing I didn't live so far from Illinois, I would LOVE to go to Love of a Family & Home's grand opening of her new larger shop! Way to go Tonya, everything looks amazing!
• I am itching to redecorate with a collage of photos above my television in my living room after recently rearranging our furniture! Any ideas? 

Ok...ok, that's enough randomness for one Friday! Thanks for chatting with me! What are you up to, I would love to chat with you in the comments below! 

Jewelry Giveaway from Love and Farkles

Kari from Love & Farkles is a beautiful blogger friend of mine from Pender Island, British Columbia. She has an adorable blog & jewelry shop! She shared some beautiful pieces with me & offered a few to share as well! I know you will love them, just as much as I do!

The first piece is adorable resin rose earrings. My daughter & I have decided to share them. They are so cute on my daughter too!

The next piece of jewelry that I received was a gorgeous cabachon bracelet with green & blue colors that reflect in the light!

Thank you so much Kari for these gorgeous pieces, I know they will be worn for years to come!! Now on to the fun news, I am giving away 2 pairs of earrings to a lucky winner!!!! You can comment below for a chance to win!

Prize: 

2 beautiful pairs of Metal Filigree earrings made by Love & Farkles! 

Stop by Love & Farkles shop to check out all of her amazing jewelry!

WINNER IS: Vianca Vieyra

To enter this giveaway, Comment below on your favorite piece of jewelry in your jewelry collection & why it's your favorite? 


Winner will be chosen Friday, September 25th at 9am. Winner will be emailed. 

Ten-Year Anniversary

Joe & I were married on a gorgeous September afternoon. The weather was absolutely perfect!   Pinterest did not yet exist, yet we still had a beautiful wedding! We had over 425 guests, with most of them being family. 

In honor of our ten year anniversary today, I thought I would share some of our beautiful wedding photos & some photos of us over the last few years! 

We have taken a lot of adventures together over these past 10 years, these are just a small snippet of our amazing times together! I can't wait to see where our next 10 years take us!

Joe & I just discussed last night how we can't believe it has been 10 years since our "BIG" day. Time flies soo fast, especially now that we have children.  In the last 10 years, I have learned that I can't always be right, I have learned that I love my husband more & more every day & I am so lucky to be married to such an amazing, kind, patient man.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life! I can't imagine spending life with anyone else! XOXO

Date Weekend

.date weekend.

It's Tuesday...and I am wishing I was still on date weekend with my hubby! We had such a wonderful weekend together! 

Early last week, my mom emailed me to see if they could take the kids for the weekend, I quickly responded with a loud: YES! I couldn't remember the last time we had a date weekend! The planning commenced...

We started our Friday evening with dinner & drinks at a new restaurant in Stillwater called Lolo American Kitchen. It was absolutely delicious! I can't wait to go back & try more items on their menu! We started with yummy drinks -my favorite Mojito in a long time. I had the Korean BBQ Tacos with homemade parmesan tator tots- Can I say YUM! My husband had the Surf & Turf burger topped with lobster! Dinner was eventful with a power outage as our pesto crostini appetizer arrived. It didn't bother us, as we still had plenty of light coming in from outside. The servers & open kitchen didn't seem bothered by it either, they just kept going with their business! 

We took a walk along the adorable shops in downtown Stillwater and shared a small bowl of gelato. As it was getting busier and busier, we decided to leave the hustle and bustle for a quieter, less busy atmosphere. 

We stopped at Rush River brewery to check out their new tap room. It was quaint & small, perfect for the crowd that had Saturday evening. My husband enjoys Rush River beer occasionally & I was excited to try their new cider they just came out with! It was delicious, I am looking forward to seeing it in stores soon!

I love this selfie we took when we got home that evening. I realized we hadn't asked anyone to take our photo all night, so selfie it is!!

It was still early when we got home, so we decided to go for an evening hike/walk around our town. We had a great time & I wish we had more time to have these simple moments together.

Most of Saturday consisted of us working together to get projects done that we don't normally have time to take care of during the week or with kids home.  We started my gallery wall above my new table, I organized the junk drawer, harvested my first crop of green beans, helped my hubby with the shed, mowed the lawn & did laundry! It was a very productive day!

Once we finished our chores, we went for a long bike ride. My husband told me we were going for a "quick" bike ride and only up one hill. Well, he lied...there were 4 large hills and it was a long, very hot bike ride. I forgave him after I felt like I got a killer workout! (well, that was 30 minutes after I could catch my breath & drink a gallon of water! haha)

We ended our evening with wine tasting at Villa Bellezza winery & dinner with friends. 

Sunday morning, we slept in, had a light breakfast & went for a long walk together before venturing to pick up the children. We missed the kids, but needed this weekend together soooo much!   It's amazing how life get's busy & we just forget to pencil in time for each other. After this weekend, we will definitely be penciling time in!

What did you do on your last date night?