 Any strawberry fans out there?!!! Anyone missing Christmas cookies?!?! My strawberry crinkle cookies are the perfect remedy. Get your cookie fix and it’s somewhat valentine’s theme too! I know I can’t think of valentine’s without thinking strawberry.  These cookies are legit the easiest things to make EVER! Pretty much all the important ingredients are in the cake mix, so everything else is most likely already in your kitchen! Score!  Ingredients • 15oz Box Strawberry Cake Mix • 2 Eggs • 1/2 Cup Melted Butter • 1 Cup Powered Sugar  Pour cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Crack two eggs. Pour in melted butter.  Mix well & refrigerate for one hour.  Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll the balls of dough around in the powdered sugar. Place on non-stick baking sheet or lay out a piece of parchment paper and place on top of that. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned at 350 degrees.  Serve & enjoy!!!
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 This is rare my friends! I usually never hit up Bath & Body Works in January since it’s the semi-annual sale. Being a Bath & Body Works junkie, I usually have had all of the discounted scents in my possession at one point, so I very rarely feel the need to grab another one. However, I’m sick of smelling Christmas!!!! This year my Paris candle I scooped up on Candle Day just plain ole sucks! It’s the last candle I have and usually would hold me over until February when I do a Valentine’s/Spring haul, but ahhhhh..... I’m done! I just can’t take my house smelling like bad coffee anymore so off to Bath & Body Works I went!  Lucky for me all 3 wick candles were $10 off, plus I had a $10 off mailer coupon to cash in on my goodies! Your girl loves a deal and I scored one today! Since I know the spring scents will be hitting the shelves any day now, I decided to do a mini haul so I have fabulous smelling candles to hold me over!!!  Lavender MarshmallowI was literally tagged 1728920 times this past week on Instagram about the “macaron” candle! Makes me so freaking happy that y’all think of me when you see macarons AND Bath & Body Works! They are my obsessions, so yay for thinking of me!!!! I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for y’all. According to Bath & Body Works Lavender Marshmallow smells like Fluffy Marshmallow, Touch of Lavender, Fresh Vanilla Bean with Essential Oils! Honestly this candle scent has been on the candle rotation for a hot minute, but Bath & Body Works decided to get cleaver and replaced the metallic wrap with a very trendy macaron one. I’m usually not a fan of florals. Most florals remind me of old lady perfume! My grandma had the biggest perfume collection when I was a kid, probably where I got my fragrance obsession from, but they all smelled like floral = old lady #SorryNotSorry . The exception in my book just happens to be lavender, BUT only when I’m trying to have a zen moment. The good news is, the marshmallow scent is definitely potent and makes this candle rather pleasing to burn. Who would have ever guessed florals mixed with sweet would smell so fab?  Unicorn SprinklesAnother candle I was tagged in! This candle was more tagged by family members because of my daughters obsession with unicorns, but still, another happy moment knowing people actually think of me! I’ve been having a rough time lately, so to know people think about you, it means the world!!! Bath & Body Works claims Unicorn Sprinkles smells like Fluffy Cotton Candy, Rainbow Candy Drops, Sugared Lemon with Essential Oils and I totally agree!!! I’m not sure what rainbow candy drops smell like, but I do know the scent of cotton candy and this candle is exactly that! If fruity candy is your jam, this candle is for you!!! So yummy smelling I wish I could eat the thing!  Be MineWill you be my valentine?!? Hehehehe... with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, obviously I had to snag a valentine’s novelty candle!!! Literally the only Valentine’s themed candle I could find in our local store unless you count all the rose and floral scents! I will definitely be saving this candle to burn the days leading up to Valentine’s, but from just sniffing the thing ahhhhhh....... so yum!!! But also very familiar!! So this legit newbie must be so new that you can’t even find it on the interwebs!! The previous Be Mine was chocolate and this is definitely not! According to the label the main scent is cotton candy!!! Again!! A candle smelling like cotton candy?!?! My conspiracy theory is Be Mine & Unicorn Sprinkles are the same candle just different wraps and the scent words worded differently on each label! Either way, I’m a huge fan since Bath & Body Works cotton candy smells like gummy bears and gummies are my obsession!  Mer-Cat!Last but not least, let me introduce you to my newest antibacterial keychain, mer-cat!!! Another item I cannot find on the good ole web, so it’s either ridiculously new or so old no one even remembers the thing!!! Either way I’m obsessed with my glowing mer-cat and so happy I spotted them at the cash register. Your marketing placement really worked Bath & Body Works. Bravo!!!
 I’ve partnered with vitafusion and L’il Critters as part of an Influencer Activation and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. New Year, New You?!? Then mid January rolls around and you’re like ughhh, maybe next year will be the year I kick my health & fitness goals?!?! There’s nothing wrong with setting goals, in fact I’m a huge fan of setting big, fat, terrifying goals! But I also think it’s important to focus on realistic goals. Realistic goals that fit into our everyday lives will give us something to work towards and give that extra sprinkle of motivation when we need it. We can have that chiseled body be the ultimate goal, but we need to map out a realistic path that we won’t quit to get there! Today I’m going to share my top realistic wellness goals that ANYONE kick!!! Even that busy mom with the most hectic of schedules. That way you aren’t wasting that valuable time between feeding hungry kids and keeping the toddler alive trying things that may not work! You will see gradual results that will eventually lead you to that ultimate goal! Slow and steady wins the race my friends!  1. VitaminsI know, sounds like a no brainer! However, you would be shocked how many people try and cut corners and buy one type of vitamin and then share that one vitamin with every member of the family! Men & woman’s body’s have different needs so it’s crucial to scoop up the right vitamin so our body’s are getting the right amount of nutrients! While on one of my weekly Walmart shopping sprees last year, I discovered Vitafusion Men and Women’s Gummy Vitamins. Safe to say Hubby & I have been hooked ever since. I have a huge sweet tooth with gummy anything being my guilty pleaser, so Vitafusion Gummy Vitamins have literally been a game changer! I never skip a day since I swear my brain thinks I’m ingesting actual gummy bears. As the #1 Gummy Vitamin Brand, vitafusion gummy vitamins give adults a delicious way to be nutritious. It’s crazy that I actually look forward to vitamin time since vitafusion is the only gummy vitamin brand with “clinically proven absorption”* and has Award Winning Taste!** Have a picky eater in the house?!?! Don’t fret! I swear my daughter is the queen of the picky eaters and she even participates in vitamin time with mom & dad! L’il Critters gummy vitamins give kids the great taste they want in a fun, gummy bear shape they love. You can also have peace of mind knowing that L’il Critters is the ONLY gummy vitamin brand with “doctor tested proven nutrient absorption”*! Label reader?!?! You won’t regret choosing L’il Critters gummy vitamins since you will be giving your kiddos the nutrients they need without anything extra – no artificial sweeteners or flavors, high-fructose corn syrup, synthetic dyes, or gluten or dairy! WooHoo!!! *For Vitamins C & D3 in products that contain those nutrients ** The ChefsBest Excellence Award is awarded to brands that surpass a quality standard established by independent professional chefs.  2. Quality SleepLol, sorry, don’t mean to sound like your mom, but there’s a lot of goodness that happens when you go to bed at a decent time! I know that this isn’t always possible in every season of life, like when you have a new baby, but aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Poor sleep is heavily linked to a higher BMI and weight gain. Everyone has differing sleep requirements but research has seen changes in weight when people get less than 7 hours sleep a night. In fact, the shorter your sleep, the more likely you are to see a gain in weight. So getting quality sleep really will lay the foundation for feeling & looking like Wonder Woman. No cape required.  3. BreakfastIt's already tough enough to wake the family to catch that school bus, much less carve out an extra hour to prepare, eat and digest a meal. However, When you start your day with a healthy breakfast you provide your body with energy & most important for those chiseled body seekers, breakfast kick-starts your metabolism! Even if you’re not super hungry, something light like a piece of fruit & a cup of tea will actually help keep you full later on in the day. Plus, If you don’t eat first thing, there’s a good chance you’ll simply overeat later. So do yourself a favor and don’t let a busy morning or a snoozed-alarm stop you from eating something healthy and delicious. I promise breakfast will help keep energy levels up, appetites under control, and bodies feeling strong & lean.  4. WaterMost people know they need to drink more water. Heck, we’ve been lectured to drink more water since were kids! However, most people don't really grasp how important daily water intake can truly be. You can rest assured that if they ever do find the “Fountain of Youth”, it will be a water fountain since every serious weight loss & health plan tells you to drink more water. The reason? More water helps with the process of losing weight. Water helps the body efficiently process the food you eat. It helps to give you a “full” feeling, helping you to consume less. It can also contribute to a feeling of having “more energy,” so you can get the most from your exercise program. I carry my handy dandy water bottle with me daily & make it a goal to smash it before the day has ended! 5. WorkoutNo gym? No problem! If we’re being honest here, I’m a gym hater! Nothing gives me more anxiety than thinking about carving out a portion of my day to hit up a place I have no desire to go. I’m also not a huge working out in general. What I have come up with however is a clever way to get those steps in without ever stepping foot into a gym. Need to pee? Use the bathroom the furthest away from you! Cleaning the house? Sweep instead of vacuum so you can get a good arm workout in! I also love to strap on leg weights while I’m playing Cinderella, so my legs get nice and strong. I also keep a set of weights in my living room so when I’m catching up on YouTube, I press auto play and build those muscles while getting the latest tea!  Resolutions At Walmart SweepstakesWho doesn’t love a sweepstakes!! You can enter the Resolutions at Walmart Sweepstakes for a chance to win a gym membership for a whole year! WooHoo!!!! A gym membership would really come in handy when it comes to kicking those Realistic New Years Wellness Goals!!! Entries are valid from December 28th 2019 – February 24th, 2020. Limit one prize per household, and only one valid entry per person. Visit WalmartResolutions.com for full terms and conditions.
 Ahhhhhh yesterday marked one month until Valentine’s Day! I wanted to have this post up yesterday to celebrate the one month mark, but I became an old lady yesterday! Apparently one can stand up too fast and it can make you throw out your back. Basically January 14th was spent with a bottle of ibuprofen and my couch waiting for my back to feel normal again. #OldLadyProblems Since my back is feeling wayyy better today, I can finally get around to sharing some Valentine’s Day deliciousness!!! My Strawberry Dunkaroo Dip is a total game changer when it comes to dips. So yum bad I guarantee no one has ever had it, so you will wow everyone who tries it! Enjoy!  Ingredients • 8oz Cool Whip • 3oz Strawberry Pudding Mix • 7 1/2oz Box Strawberry Cake Mix (Half Box) • 1/2 Cup Milk • Sprinkles • Strawberries & Cookies for Dunking  Pour cake mix, pudding & Cool Whip into a large mixing bowl.  Add 1/2 cup of milk.  Mix well. The pudding mix will turn your dip pink!  Place in a serving bowl and add sprinkles.  Serve with cookies & strawberries and enjoy!
 Did you even go to Las Vegas if you didn’t take a ride on a Gondola at the Venetian?!?! It’s one of the things my daughter wanted to do so bad!!! It was literally number 2 on her bucket list with Circus Circus Adventuredome being her number one. However, when we arrived at the fabulous Venetian, we were told outdoor Gondola rides had a 3 1/2 hour wait! Unfortunately you can’t phone in reservations, so it’s literally a first come first serve bases. We were then informed that the indoor gondola rides had a 45 minute wait. Same cost. Same concept. These gondola’s just cruise indoors around the mall inside the Venetian. We took the indoor reservation and kept our fingers crossed it was as awesome as an experience as the videos we watched on YouTube of the outdoor Gondolas.  Venetian Indoor Gondola RidesNo trip to Venice — or The Venetian — would be complete without a graceful and romantic glide down the Grand Canal in an authentic Venetian gondola. Float beneath bridges, beside cafes, under balconies, and through the vibrant Venetian streetscape as your singing gondolier sweeps you down the Grand Canal for a ride like no other. Among the many things to do in Las Vegas, stepping back in time and into one of our Old World gondolas is among the most fun and romantic. Surrender to the romance of a live serenade and take in the sights from a one-of-a-kind vantage point as you float along the Grand Canal and under bridges, absorbing the enchanting atmosphere of Las Vegas’ most unique and elegant resort. Or choose the outdoor ride and enjoy an open-air experience right on the Strip.  CostShared Gondola (Seats Four): $29.00 per person Private Gondola (For Two): $116.00  PhotosPhoto packages start at $22! You best believe we scooped up our souvenir photo since we didn’t have a third person with us to snap those epic Insta photos.  HoursSunday - Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Friday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. OpinionWhile I have never had the opportunity to cruise the outdoor canals at the Venetian, I can tell you Haylie and I had one heck of a time! Just watch the video above! My child legit could not stop smiling and giggling. You definitely get your money’s worth. That was actually the thing I was curious about when it came to the indoor ride since they are both the same price. Outdoors you have the glamorous Las Vegas scenery. Indoors? It wasn’t that bad! The mall ceiling is actually beautiful!! Such a glam mall! Our gondolier did an amazing job keeping us entertained as well! He sang his tunes and was so informative when it came to info he shared with us about the history of gondola’s and Vegas itself! I would highly recommend taking an indoor reservation if you can’t score and outdoor one! We had one heck of a time! My daughter literally watched her video over and over she was so happy with her experience! Hopefully next Vegas trip we can take an outdoor cruise and I can compare the two for y’all!!!  Let’s Chat!Have you been on the Gondola’s at the Venetian? |
welcomeCourtneyLynne is former model turned mommy & wifey! When not blogging all things foodie, fashion, travel, mom life & straight up fabulousness to the masses, she can be found chasing her toddler around in 6in stilettos & laughing at her own jokes her glass of wine told her to tell. Categories
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