Friday Favorites 11/11

I can't believe last week I was Universal Islands of Adventure in Florida.  Since then I've seen Train perform for a intimate crowd, been to the Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios, flew home for Emily's 5th birthday along with all the normal day to day stuff.

I traveled to Orlando last week for the National Association of Realtors Expo and Conference where I got to network with realtors all over the world, learn about issues affecting homeownership, and have a little fun as well.  We got to go to Universal Islands of Adventure, Magic Kingdom and on our last night Universal Studios was closed for NAR.  Universal Studios was our favorite of all three; it didn't hurt that we had the park to ourselves.

We felt so guilty for going to Disney without our girls.  Let's hope our 5 and 2 year old don't end up on the blog, lol.

We flew home and went straight to celebrating our little girl who is 5 going on 15.  She is strong willed and high energy (which can be exhausting) but she is the kindest, most empathetic person I know.  She is EXTREMELY helpful around the house and aims to please.  She's an exceptional big sister and always puts everyone before herself, which I think is very strange for such a young girl.  On one hand I can't wait to see the young lady and woman she will become and on the other I want to FREEZE time!!! I keep asking her if she will stay small and she laughs and says no.  I don't pretend to think I have perfect children but I am so beyond proud of this little girl.  She made me a mother and forever we will have a special bond.  Wishing this angel the best year and I can only pray I will be here to celebrate decades of birthdays with her.

All the grandparents came over to celebrate Emily with pizza, cake and ice cream.

Emily is scoping out the American Girl Doll catalog because for her birthday we told her that grandma, Voa Voa and I are taking her to the American Girl Doll Mecca for her to pick out a doll and have a girls trip.

She also got new bedding for her birthday and although the pictures came out blurry I had to share them because she was ecstatic.

  

Thank you to Beddy's for sending Emily all new bedding and even a Beddy's Buddy which she instantly fell in love with.  Stay tuned for a room makeover with the best bedding you will ever find!

Also during my week I had the absolute pleasure of touring Expo Party Rentals here in Fresno.  I was extremely impressed with their show room, services, supplies and especially their team.  I can't wait to share more with you, so stay tuned.

This post is sponsored by Beddy's and Expo Party Rentals.  As always, all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Kicking Off the Holidays

I received products in exchange for this review.  As always, all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

I walked into Walmart yesterday to see a scary reminder that Christmas is only 45 days away.  Am I the only one that gets excited yet super anxious about that?!?!  I'm so not mentally prepared for the holidays.  I feel like I'm on over drive and just not ready to unwind and enjoy the season.  It's not so much the decorating and gift shopping that makes me anxious it's just I feel too busy to slow down and take in the special time of year.  Christmas is one of my favorites times of year and I love taking the time to do fun things with friends and family and see the joy in the little moments.

Whether I like it or not the holiday season is upon us and we kicked it off with a visit to HGTV's Santa HQ at Fashion Fair Mall.  Santa HQ has captured the magic of the season and creates a full experience for your little ones.  Forget waiting in a boring line for perhaps over an hour to see Santa when this year you can check out Santa HQ for a full interactive experience while you wait to see the big guy.  There are four stops after you check in including The Naughty or Nice O'Meter, Santa's Workshop, Santa's Observatory and finally seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus at Santa's Sleigh.

At the Naughty or Nice O'Meter your child gets to input their name and see the results for the year. My two little stinkers were on Santa's Nice List; I guess he's quite forgiving.  In Santa's Workshop the kids get to man the control center and check on the hard working elves.  You also get to make an Elfie Selfie where you can star in your own video.  The outcome is pretty hilarious.  The next stop you will find Elf-Ray vision in a 3D environment and also a festive backdrop perfect for taking family photos. Saving the best for last, you get to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and rattle off the wish list.  Emily wants American Girl Doll Accessories and Barbies and Madi wants Barbies (where do you think she got that idea???).  Within minutes you get digital and print photos so that your memories can last a lifetime.

You won't want to miss out on this fun interactive experience so you can make your reservation HERE.  Santa HQ in Fashion Fair is open 7 days a week until December 24th, to see exact hours check HERE.

How To Style T-Shirt & Jeans: Fall Edition

It doesn't take a lot of creativity or a lot of money to create a stylish look.  I'm wearing the most simple items: white tee and skinny jeans, and showing you how to style them for the fall.  In this first look I've added a blanket scarf and over-the-knee boots.  These are two of my favorite fall accessories and these in particular are in colors I love right now: chestnut and warm tones.

The second look is inspired by the 90's.  I've wrapped a flannel long sleeve tee around my waist and paired it with my favorite taupe suede booties.  I didn't change the foundation of the look or the jewelry just a few accessory pieces and I have a totally different look.  The first look is better suited for a cooler day and the second is great for our typical fall days here in Fresno.  Invest in fun accessories and keep staples in your wardrobe.  This way your clothes aren't going out of style every season and you're stretching your dollar.  It's much easier to change the accessories than the whole look.

What's your favorite fall accessory?

Friday Favorites 11/4

Okay this week is right up there for one of the craziest weeks ever.  The week was filled with Trunk Or Treat at School, a baby shower, a birthday party, carving pumpkins, Halloween, trick-or-treating, Emily's 1st Jog-A-Thon, traveling across the country, a Realtor Conference, Universal Studios and all the little stuff in between.

Emily decided MONTHS ago she wanted to be Ariel for Halloween so I then decided her crabby little sister would be the perfect Sebastian the Crab.  Both girls were so excited about their costumes.  On Friday night I took the girls to Emily's school for a Trunk or Treat.

On Saturday my mom and I had a baby shower for my cousin Dede.  The shower was so beautiful and it was so fun showering her and baby Sloane and seeing family.  I can't wait to meet that baby girl and years down the road the girls to play together.

On Sunday we had our dear friend's 4th Birthday at Pump It Up.  Both girls are total dare devils and loved every minute of playing and jumping.

Sunday afternoon we played in the sprinkling rain and a gorgeous full rainbow appeared right past our house.  God is good!

Later that night we carved pumpkins.  Emily and Madi were so thrilled to help carve Ariel and Tinkerbell.

On Monday we went to our best friend's for Halloween.  We ate a quick bite and then did a bit of Trick-Or-Treating.  Madi totally got it this year and loved asking for candy.

On Tuesday morning Emily had her first Jog-A-Thon at school.  She was a rockstar and ran 13 HUGE laps.  The laps were bigger than a traditional track which was shocking to me.  After the run the kids got Otter Pops and then had a sing off and dance off.  We had such a fun morning.

On Wednesday Kevin and I were up at 3:55 to get ready to leave for Orlando, Florida for my National Association of Realtor's Conference.  I am the 2017 FAR MLS Chair and thus the reason I'm traveling to the national conference.  We're getting to have a little fun while working and got some time in at Universal Studios.

Have a great weekend!

Getting Your House Winter Ready

Time is flying by and even though we've been having an Indian Summer the cold weather and winter season will be here before we know it.  Getting the house ready for the winter season is on our to-do list and we've been checking items off.  Preparing the house for a changing season helps protect your home and extend the life of many items.  Here is my list of top 5 ways to get ready for the chilly days and nights:

1. Have your heater serviced.

2. Flush your water heater.

3. Change your AC filters.

4. Pull your outdoor furniture cushions in.

5. Clean your rain gutters.

Fresnans, to help you with items 1-3 you absolutely need to call Lee's Air & Plumbing.  If you're like us we barely have time to tackle the daily checklist so hiring professionals to help us with getting the house ready for winter if almost necessary.  Not only do we not have much free time but this way we know it's getting handled by professionals.

Ernesto from Lee's handled our service and I was thoroughly impressed with his level of service.  He way very patient and explained not only the entire process but the how and why of the AC/ Heater and Water Heater.  He gave extremely useful tips on extending the life of the units and how to save on our PG&E bills.  These were all things that I didn't know and would assume most homeowners are unaware about.  Tips like using a cheaper air filter because the fancy ones are too restrictive on your unit.  It's like the AC is breathing through one nostril instead of two and so it has to work that much harder.  He also explained how to flush the water heater and why that is important.

Not only was Ernesto patient and knowledgeable he was also very diligent and courteous.  He came in and out of the house several times but he always stopped to put on booty covers.  Inside the house he was very cautious and laid drop cloths when necessary.  I knew that Ernesto was treating my house like his own.  At the end of the service Ernesto explained all of his findings and his recommendations for repairs and upgrades.  I received a personalized report about our units and the findings complete with photos.

May I recommend the Club Advantage Membership Program to you.  It is an annual membership that includes two services typically used in the spring and fall aimed to prepare your home for the coming seasons.  Each service covers replacing air filters, cleaning coils, cleaning out leaves and debris, checking Freon levels and a full inspection of the unit.  If Club Advantage Members have any issues throughout the year they have priority when scheduling appointments.  If parts are needed they are discounted and covered by a 1 year warranty.  In addition to the two services these members receive a free plumbing inspection once a year.  The cost of membership is $168 for one unit, $298 for two units and $398 for three units.

To get your membership check it out HERE.

This post is sponsored by Lee's . As always all opinions expressed are honest and my own.