Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts

Holiday Cheese Ball


I made this recipe for a friend's holiday party a few weekends ago and it got so many compliments. The good news is it's incredibly easy to make and only takes a few minutes to put together. I'll definitely be making this recipe for future gatherings and parties.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sliced almonds (or more as needed)
Serve with crackers



What To Do:
 Soften cream cheese and mix together with mayonnaise. Add all remaining ingredients except the almonds in a large bowl and use a hand mixer on low speed to blend well. One mixed together well shape the cheese mixture into a ball. Layer of piece of plastic wrap on a plate and cover with sliced almonds. Roll the ball around until it become fully covered with almonds. Cover the ball with plastic wrap and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours before serving.


Enjoy!

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Let The Holidays Begin


Another warm and sunny weekend in Florida. We thought a cold front would be coming through but no such luck. The weekend was pretty relaxing and I only ventured out on Saturday to Kate's annual holiday party which was a blast. She really did it up with great food and drinks plus a photo booth and white elephant gift exchange which is always entertaining. So here's Saturday in photos...


The host and hostess.



I scored a pack of Cards Against Humanity from the white elephant gift exchange.



Festive Roxy


Lots of fun was had and I'm ready to take on more holiday parties ahead.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.


Finally Friday



The broken record in me is here to say how happy I am we've finally made it to Friday and the weekend, of course. I finished up most of my gift shopping on Cyber Monday earlier this week so I'm so happy to check that off the list!

Then it was on to decorating the house with outside lights, stockings, random decorations, and of course the Christmas tree being the biggest time-consumer. All was completed this week and luckily my tree is fake and pre-lit so that makes the process a bit easier.


My online shopping haul from Express (all items 50% off last week) arrived and everything fits perfectly which is a huge relief since I guessed my sizes. A friend of mine was raving about how comfortable the mid-rise jeans and leggings are and she wasn't kidding. I purchased two pairs (here and here) and won't be going back to regular fit. I also bought a couple of their silky zipfront tops which come in a variety of pretty colors, a portofino blouse for work, and the softest tunic sweater for any occasion. 


Did you happen to catch my guest post over at MakeupHER's blog about some Wedding Day Tips for soon-to-be brides? I also included a picture recap of my wedding to relive my big day and give inspiration for future brides out there.


Ok here I am talking about shopping again but I love that Ulta has OPI nail polishes on sale right now for 3 for $19 (plus you can apply this coupon to get $3.50 off a $10 purchase).



I made my way over to the Ulta store on Wednesday night and they were sold out of a lot of the colors but these are the three that caught my eye: Suzy and the 7 Dusseldorfs, Peace, Love & OPI, and In The Cable Car Pool Lane.


I'll leave you with a weird fact about my Lola. She has a fear of iPhone cameras ever since we got her as a puppy. Well not fear but she shuns them and will look away as soon as you pull out your phone to take a photo. BUT as soon as I bring out my big girl camera, she will sit still and pose as if she's a Victoria's Secret model. She's has some work to do in the fashion model department and maybe some braces to boot (kidding) but I love that she'll let me take photos with one of my cameras!


Linking up with my fellow Floridian blogger, Amanda from Meet At The Barre.

Happy weekend everyone!


Swim Lover's Holiday Gift Guide


Luckily Florida doesn't stay cold for very long so beach/pool weather is usually in our favor. As you can probably tell from the name of my blog, I'm a big fan of swimsuits and beachwear in general. The holidays is the perfect time to stock up on some new suits for the year ahead and I usually pick up a thing or two for the husband and my girl friends as gifts.



SwimOutlet.com contacted me to review their online store and merchandise and of course I agreed. I purchased the Volcom Wild Marks Bikini top and matching Brazilian cut bikini bottom for myself and the Rusty Men's Boardshorts for K with the gift card they provided. I have to say the material of the bikini is so incredibly soft you can tell it's great quality. Actually same goes for the shorts. I also love that they kind of (not on purpose) match each other.



From growing up in the Caribbean I've always been a fan of good quality swimsuits and beach clothing that will withstand the salt and sun. Luckily SwimOutlet.com carries most of my favorite brands including Vix, Betsey Johnson, Volcom, Roxy and Kate Spade just to name a few. I picked some faves for Him and Her that would be perfect for gifts or just to gift yourself.

Gypsy Road Kimono / Wrap Bikini Top , Bikini Bottom / Pineapple Kaftan Cover Up
Free Spirit Dress / Jaime Bikini Top, Bikini Bottom / Pineapple Paradise Tank

Desert Fringe Crochet Shorts

Pineapple Paradise Beach Bag


One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

Garmin VIRB X Action Camera

They offer a whole lot more than just fashion swimwear like for competitive swimmers, techies, kids, and water sports such as surfing and water polo. The fashionista in me naturally drifted to the beach clothing and bikini sections of their online shop.

If you're looking for gift ideas, SwimOutlet.com's Holiday Gift Guide is a good place to start as they offer some great ideas for different types of swimwear and equipment. I also like that they offer free shipping on purchases over $49, which always helps to cut the cost of shopping online.


Happy Thanksgiving!


Today I'm thankful for my readers and all the amazing blogger friends I've met over the past 3 years. I'm thankful for my family, friends, loving husband and bulldog, Lola. We are spending the day with family and enjoying a nice thanksgiving feast.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday weekend!

Also a quick reminder that our Nordstrom giveaway ends tomorrow so make sure you've entered to win this huge gift card just in time for the holidays. Good luck!

Bring on the Holidays + $325 Nordstrom Giveaway

Who's excited for the short work week? I definitely am for one and very thankful we have Friday off since I used to have to go right back to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This past weekend was the official start of the holidays around here.

On Friday night K and I went out for dinner and some wine at Cooper's Hawk Winery to celebrate his new job. K's been interviewing for 6 months to get into this new field and he finally landed his dream job so celebrations were in order.



On Saturday we went shopping for some Christmas decorations to get prepared for the holidays although I'm waiting until after Thanksgiving to start decorating the house.


On Saturday night we went to the first holiday party of the year hosted by some friends. They like to host the party early since everyone is usually busy traveling and doing things with family as you get closer to Christmas. It was a blast catching up with the girls and of course my girl Kate.




Sunday was all about relaxing and getting stuff done around the house - laundry, food prepping, blogging and quality time with Lola.


I made this crockpot Mongolian Beef recipe that Meg recommended last week for Sunday night dinner and it came out fantastic.


Don't forget to enter our $325 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway hosted by Pamela from Sequins and Sea Breezes. The giveaway ends on Friday, November 27th and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th. 



 

Happy New Year!


Hope everyone has a great NYE night and I'm looking forward to making many more bloggy friendships in the new year!


Christmas Weekend

What a fun-filled yet relaxing (at times) Christmas break away from work and spent with those that mean the most - family and friends. I feel refreshed to start this new week and I'm already looking forward to celebrating NYE this week.

I apologize in advance for overloading you with Lola photos.

On Christmas Eve, we drove 2 hours west to spend Christmas night with my in-laws and extended family. We did a white elephant gift exchange and K & I ended up with Busch Gardens park tickets to use in 2015. Pretty sweet!!

We also decided to open gifts the night before Christmas this year. Lola got a new bed and I got lots of gift cards, camera accessories, some Alex & Ani bangles, a pearl necklace from my Mother In Law and some other goodies.  

On Christmas day, we had a huge lunch with family and then went over to spend the night with some friends so Lola could meet and play with their Basset Hound, Snuff for the night. We drank lots of wine and played some cards.

On Friday, we headed back home and got our house ready for a Christmas party with friends. We played Cards Against Humanity which was hilarious and had some Eggnog and finger foods.

Saturday was a relaxing days at home. We went for dinner and drinks at Chili's and relaxed the rest of the night at home.

On Sunday, we did some shopping and then went for lunch with friends to watch football with Lola at a dog-friendly restaurant. Later in the evening we drove an hour to meet one of my best friends from Trinidad to have dinner with her family and 3 kids.
 
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas weekend!

Joining the lovely Biana for her weekending linkup.