Supporting the Phoenix Children's Hospital with Toyota

Learn more about how my partners, the Valley Toyota Dealers here in Phoenix, are giving back to our community through their generous donation to Phoenix Children's Hospital!

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the emergency department and level 1 pediatric trauma center at Phoenix Children's Hospital. My friends from Toyota here in Arizona contacted me to let me know about the event and they invited me to take part in a teddy bear drive for patients in the new trauma center at Phoenix Children's Hospital. 

Community service and giving back to my community-at-large has been something I am passionate about since my days at Arizona State University. When I pledged and joined Omega Phi Alpha, the community service sorority at ASU, I found a passion in helping others here in Phoenix by participating in a number of local food drives, community service events, and learning the ways of giving back from my other amazing sorority sisters who had already found their love of giving back. Since my days as a college student, admittedly, I have not dedicated as much time giving back as I would like to do. But every once in a while, a project finds its way to me and the timing works out perfectly and I am reminded of the days when I was spending hours every week working on community service projects while I was in college. 

A few weeks ago, Toyota reached out to me to give me all of the information about the grand opening of the emergency department and level 1 pediatric trauma center at Phoenix Children's Hospital, as well as the teddy bear drive for the kids at PCH. Once I got all of the details, I was so excited to take part in this event, and I drove all around town trying to get my hands on as many teddy bears as I could fit into the back of the 2017 Toyota Avalon Touring!

Our Mini Linky Party | Week 142

Happy Fall!!

Good morning and happy Saturday!

I am oh so excited that summer is now officially over, and I can fully embrace my love of autumn and all of the seasons that come with it without having complete strangers stare at me for rocking my skeleton leggings in September and decorating for Halloween before the kids were back in school...so, I like to let my Halloween freak flag fly. That's okay, right?!

We are embracing the new season with open arms this weekend, and I am baking up a batch of the  apple cider donuts that Erin from Table for Seven shared last week (don't worry, I featured her recipe  below so you don't have to go looking for it! I gotcha, fam!) Not to mention, I am heading out to Michael's to pick up some more fall decorations and maybe some more Halloween decorations since they are starting to go on sale now. After this weekend is over, though, it's back to work for me and I'll be spending most of my time finishing getting us moved into our new place across town! A good chunk of our things are moved over to the new condo already, so for now, we're living with mostly the bare essentials (like the Internet, tv, and all of my baking accessories!) 

I cannot wait until we are all moved in and I can begin to show you our new place! I am so happy that we found a spot we love that is within our budget--Adam and I needed a new change of scenery anyway, so we are just over-the-moon right now and ready to start this new chapter of our lives!

5 Jalapeño Game Day Appetizers

Bring the heat this game day season with these five, savory jalapeño appetizer recipes! 

Game day season is here, so that means it's also jalapeño season! 

No game day is complete without a little bit of heat. Whether you enjoy traditional game day favorites like jalapeño poppers or even some cheesy, spicy dip packed with chopped jalapeño, your game day get-together is ready until you have something packed with peppers on the table! Get inspired for tailgating and homegating this upcoming fall with these five, savory and delicious appetizer recipes packed with heat (including these classic, bacon wrapped jalapeño peppers from Savory Tooth blog shown above!) 

Spa Day Gift Basket

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TimeWithAveeno #CollectiveBias

Summer has come to an end, kids back in school, and nearly everyone is still facing the chaos of change in the air right now. 

Things have been shifting around here for sure! Adam's work schedule is ramping up with excessive overtime requirements, and we have been having difficulty trying to find a new place (and the thought of trying to move right now gives me just a slight twitch in the eye). I have been facing a few circumstances with work that have forced me to make some changes I am not super comfortable with, and it has caused a little bit of anxiety. Needless to say, we have been dealing with a bit of stress of getting used to our new routines and the changes required to make things happen for us!

5 Must-Haves for Any Game Day

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HostUltimateTailgate #CollectiveBias

Football season is finally here and we are so excited!

Every year, Adam and I have a tradition to make every single game day special. Whether we're breaking out the barbecue and enjoying some chicken wings on the grill, or savoring some extra spicy queso and tortilla chips with salsa, we always end up treating ourselves to some delicious snacks to get pumped for the game! 

Today, I am sharing five must haves for any game day get-together. So whether you like to go all out and tailgate outside of the stadium, or if you enjoy having an intimate hangout with friends at home, we have got you covered on the basics when it comes to what to serve at your football occasion!

Our Mini Linky Party | Week 141

Good morning!

Happy Saturday! Fall is here and the temperatures are finally starting to dip (and by dip, I mean the temperatures are starting to drop below three digits!) It may seem silly that we are excited about 90 degrees (F) weather, but for us Phoenicians, we have been waiting all summer for this moment!

Next week, I am spending a majority of my time packing up our apartment. Adam and I recently had an emotional week with lots of change happening all at once (you can read more about that here), and we are beginning to prepare for a move into a new condo. I will be sharing some fun projects on the blog this month even in the middle of all of the moving chaos, so be sure to keep your eyes out for new ideas and tutorials coming to the blog soon!

Mixed Berry Sheep Milk Yogurt Smoothie

Stay healthy and feel good while on-the-go with this protein-packed, sheep milk yogurt and mixed berry smoothie recipe inspired by my sponsored partnership with Bellwether Farms! 

This week has felt like an absolute poopstorm! I mean, let's take a second and summarize what's gone on in the last 7 days or so and how crazy my life has felt (so much so, I only find myself having time to whip up smoothies instead of legitimately well-thought out, prepared and fully-cooked meals). 

First, I started off my week by hearing great news about my weight loss journey (always amazing to get reassurance) and had a great doctor's appointment with all good news. The next day, chaos erupts.

BBQ Bacon Baked Potato

Thank you Potatoes USA for sponsoring this post. Make a delicious and convenient meal today with potatoes!

Even though fall is almost here, we are still craving the flavors of summer in our house!

Last week, I took a good look at my pantry to see what I had that I could whip up as a last-minute side dish to go with our Sunday supper. I rounded up some of the spices we had, and I grabbed a handful of russet potatoes and decided to cook a delicious baked potato with some of my favorite summer barbecue ingredients I already had at home!

Today, I am sharing this easy, bbq bacon wrapped baked potato recipe--it is a convenient, easy-to-make side dish that looks more impressive than it ought to! It only takes a few minutes to prepare, and it takes just under an hour to cook completely (giving you more than enough time to prepare your main course on the grill or stovetop while the potatoes cook in the oven).