Check out this post full of fun things to do in the mountains of Tennessee!  From Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg to the Great Smoky Mountains, adventure abounds in these country roads! 

Spring break came late for us this year and we struggled to decide the best location for our next adventure.  Wanting something different than our usual beach trip, we finally settled on the Great Smoky Mountains.   Our little family loves hiking, and we knew the combination of trails, mountain air and plenty of attractions would be the perfect vacation for us.

We set off on a short but sweet 5 day trip, packing as much into our time as we could.  What resulted were lots of laughs and fun memories, and a strong desire to return to these mountains ASAP.

So if you’re planning a trip to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area, check out my quick list of things you don’t want to miss!  Each of these attractions are ones we’d do again in a heartbeat and highly recommend adding to your itinerary should you find yourself planning a trip to these beautiful mountains of Tennessee.

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Easter is around the corner and in an effort to gain some control over the chaos that currently reigns my life, I’ve decided to plan ahead.

My oldest girl is now a preteen.  I don’t know when it happened, but here we are.  Gone are the days of stuffing her Easter basket, with toys and candy (ok, maybe some candy).  She’s growing up fast and her tastes are changing even faster.

So to get the jump on Easter,  I started an Amazon list of ideas to pull from.  I’m sharing it here with you to help you hop to it and finish the bunny business early this year!  Check out my Easter Basket ideas for Tween Girls and hopefully you’ll find some inspo for your sweet girl!

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Dive into a good time with these pool themed decorations from the Dollar Tree! Check out our pool party decorations and pool themed food ideas sure to make a splash!

If you’re living in the good old US of A these days, chances are your budget has taken a hit with prices rising steadily in practically every industry.

So when my oldest niece started asking to plan her pool themed birthday party, I immediately started thinking of ways to cut the costs without compromising the cuteness.

And you guys, this year Dollar Tree came in clutch for the win!

I styled virtually her ENTIRE party this year with decorations and DIY projects made from Dollar Tree materials.  In fact, I’d venture to guess that the decorations for this party ran me less than $20.

Her pool themed birthday party turned out super cute!  So cute in fact, all the decorations made an encore preformance at a friends party just a few weeks later.  It’s safe to say, we’ll be storing these party supplies for future pool parties also!

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Beat the heat and the crowds with these insider tips for visiting Carowinds!

Carowinds is one of our favorite summer vacation spots, but the crowds and scorching heat that plague peak season can be a little daunting.  

No need to worry though!  After years of visiting the park, we’ve perfected our park visit strategy and discovered the best ways to beat the crowds and survive the blazing sun. 

So grab your sunscreen and settle in.  We’re sharing the ultimate list of tips for visiting Carowinds and having plenty of fun in the sun!

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So we’ve already established I’m dog crazy right?

My two pups are literally just fur covered kids in my eyes.

So when the baby turned one, I knew throwing a dog birthday party for her absolutely had to happen.

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Forty’s a pretty big deal, right?

I remember many moons ago when I thought forty was soooo old.  Now I realize, its actually kind of an awesome era.  You’ve survived your younger years, and best of all are probably finally aware of who you are and what you want out of life.

That deserves some celebration.

So when my favorite fisherman on the planet had a 40th birthday on the horizon, I knew it was go big, or go home. What resulted was a REEL big  celebration of my greatest catch!

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Looking to throw the best DIY Little Mermaid Birthday party under the sea?  Check out this cute and easy birthday bash that’s sure to be a hit for any Mermaid lover!

My birthday girl has been obsessed with Ariel for a couple of years now.  Back before we visited Disney we were discussing our favorite Disney princess and she was very offended that we didn’t all choose Ariel. She vehemently declared the Little Mermaid to be the best of all the Disney princesses and vowed to never change her mind.

And so far she’s stuck by it.

She’s watched the movie 50 million times, asked for nothing but Little Mermaid toys for her birthday, all the Little Mermaid clothes, and even requested the theme of her party be The Little Mermaid.

So of course I was determined to throw her the DIY Little Mermaid Birthday party of her dreams!

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Calling all Party Animals!  This post is full of fun ideas that will have you partying til’ the cows come home! 

This year for her birthday, my daughter had a very specfic request.

She wanted a farm party animals birthday party.

Now there are hundreds of ideas for party animals and a hundred different ideas for a farm animal party, but not many of the two combined.

I struggled to find ideas for her theme specifically, so I ended up merging ideas from both topics.  The end result was some sweet and simple down home fun on the farm!

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If you’re planning your next vacation and considering Orlando, FL, you might be wondering, is Disney  World worth it?  This post takes an honest look at the pros and cons you may want to consider before booking a Disney vacation.

If you’re on social media these days, it seems Disney is catching a lot of heat as of late.  Rising prices, changing policies, and ever increasing crowds have lots of people debating whether the trip to “the happiest place on Earth” is even worth it.

My husband and I both visited in our childhood but don’t have a lot of memories of our trips. Still, seeing friends go and watching my girls see all things Disney, I myself got bitten by the Disney bug and started obsessively planning a trip to Disney World.

Originally we’d planned to visit in the Fall of 2020, but Covid happened and we decided to visit the Keys instead.  So I’ve had two years to plan this trip.  Needless to say after 100s of YouTube videos, I’d managed to hype it up really big in my mind.

My husband has always been the rock that keeps me grounded.  He’s the realist to my dreamer. He reminded me of the reality of this trip obnoxiously often . He reminded me constantly that even magic has a cost.

So now, months after our January trip I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on our trip and I’m not going to lie.  I’ve got mixed reviews.   It wasn’t everything I dreamed it would be but there were also parts I couldn’t  have possibly even dreamed.

It gets complicated.

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Sanderson sisters reunited at last!  It’s time to celebrate with a spooky sweet Hocus Pocus Party!

After 29 long years it is time at last to light the black flame candle again. 

Hocus Pocus 2 premiered on Disney+ just a few days ago!  

I’ve always sort of thought of myself as the 4th Sanderson sister, so when the sequel to one of my favorite ever movies was announced, I knew it was my time to shine!

I called up a few friends and told them their attendance at our Hocus Pocus Premiere Party was requested.  I promised lots of cute snacks and decorations, and  a big cozy sectional to get comfy on and watch the movie.

And on September 29th we gathered, as the Sanderson sisters coven once more emerged on our television screen.  

True to its namesake, the whole night was just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!

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