56 NON-CANDY Easter Basket Ideas

BABIES

• Teether
• Pacifier
• Board Book
• Wooden Egg
• Stuffed Animal
• Blanket
• Egg Shaker
• Onesie

TODDLERS

• Sensory Balls
• Umbrella
• Board Book
• Bubbles
• Music Shaker
• Bath Toy
• Finger Paints
• Plush Toy

CHILDREN AGE 3-5

• Playdough
• Magnifying Glass
• Hair Bow
• Spring Book
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Playsilks
• Watercolors
• Crayons

CHILDREN AGE 5-7

• Slime
• Toy Figures
• Doll
• Craft Kit
• Microscope
• Soccer Ball
• Block Crayons
• Coloring Book

CHILDREN AGE 7-10

• Mad Libs
• Silly Putty
• Art Set
• Book
• Sunglasses
• Chapstick
• Legos
• Butterfly Growing Kit

PRE-TEEN

• Poster
• Lip Gloss
• Hat
• Key Chain
• Coloring Book
• Stress Balls
• Fun Pens
• Washi Tape

TEENAGER

• Candle
• Blanket
• Brain Game
• Book
• Starbucks Gift Card
• Cool Room Light
• Bluetooth Speaker
• Movie Tickets

NO-BAKE Valentine Snacks For February!

As much as I love baking, I’m always in a rush just as much as the next guy! Here’s some of my favorite & easy Valentine themed snacks!

Get yourself a couple of these super CUTE bowls for easy healthy Valentine snacking! Ingredients? Blueberries and Strawberries! How simple is that! {^Shoutout to thesunnysideupblog.com for that idea!}

Ah yes my all time favorite, and one of the cutest snacks ever! Here’s your quick recipe: Heat up either white or dark chocolate in a saucepan over the stove. Once liquidized drizzle the chocolate over some salty pretzels. Then add different Valentine sprinkles!

Get a good ‘ol fashioned platter going with a cupcake tray! And it’s red themed! Perfect for a party or for snacking on a February Weekend! List of RED Ingredients from Left to Right: Apples, Cherries, Almonds, Radish, Raspberries, Red Bell Pepper, Cranberry Raisins, Watermelon, Pomegranates, Tomatoes, Grapes, & Strawberries.

The best for last! Valentine Trail Mix! Add all these lovely ingredients together to form the best Valentine Themed food yet! Ingredients: Red and Pink M’n’Ms, Pink Frosting Drizzled Pretzels, Popcorn, Chex, and don’t forget Sprinkles!

“Open When” Letter Topics for Valentine’s Day

Me and my boyfriend have been through it all. The text messages, phone calls, facetimes; but I’ve got to say, our favorite form of communication has been the letters! When I was going through Navy bootcamp, I received anywhere from 1-3 letters from him a week! And I adored every single one. However, by far my most favorite couple of letters where the “Open When” ones! They kept me on my toes and excited to open them when the time was right!

Here’s a nice long list of topics for you to write to your loved one for Valentines Day. This is by far one of my favorite DIY Gifts:

Romantic: Open When…

• …it’s our anniversary
• …you want to hold my hand
• …you need a reminder of how much I love you
• …you need me
• …you’ve forgotten what I smell like
• …you’re thinking about me
• …you want to talk to me and can’t
• …you’re feeling romantic
• …you need a reminder of why I love you

Encouraging: Open When…

• …you need a pep talk
• …you miss your friends
• …you’re tired of deployment  <<<IF APPLICABLE
• …you’re thinking about the future
• …you’re having a rough day
• …you need courage
• …you need to pray
• …you feel really far away
• …you feel alone
• …you feel worried
• …you’re discouraged
• …you need to hear a few compliments

Celebration: Open When…

• …it’s your birthday
• …you’re having a great day
• …you are celebrating an accomplishment
• …you’ve been deployed for a week  <<<IF APPLICABLE
• …it’s our anniversary
• …it’s the first day of winter
• …it’s Valentine’s Day

Five Things You Need to Add to Your 2018 New Year’s Resolution

Everyone secretly thinks in their head “New Year, New Me.” Well that’s fantastic, I’m so happy for you. But what are you actually changing? Here’s FIVE great things to add to your list. They’ll truly make you, a new you:

A Workout Routine

• Whether you like it or not, it’s a proven, scientific fact, that if your body isn’t healthy… you die. Sorry to break it to you! Well, lets try working out.
• I know an amazing girl who’ll train you into a war fighting BEAST! Okay that’s a bit exaggerative. However, she’s got some damn good workout plans and knows what she’s doing. Check her out >> Katelyn Long.
• Whether or not you like the idea of someone training you, maybe start with the gym? Try a new gym membership at your local fitness facility.

A Diet?… Or at least a Meal Plan

• May I possibly recommend my personal FAVORITE: BeachBodyOnDemand.
• Challenge yourself to starting a simple Four week plan of meal prepping. You can do it! It’s barely a month.
• Changing your body starts in the Kitchen, not the gym.

Spoil Yourself

• Whether it’s treating yourself to a new magazine membership, a spa day every couple weeks, or even just a couple of nights on Netflix, your body needs time to relax.
• My favorite thing to do is make a cup of coffee and sit under the cool sheets watching whatever my current favorite show is on Netflix.
• Give yourself time to cool off from the week. Treat yourself to relaxation every once in awhile. This should be at the TOP of your New Year’s Resolution!

A BRAND NEW… Pair of Shoes?

• A new pair of shoes will LITERALLY have you walking into 2018 with confidence.
• I can’t remember the last time I bought a good pair of shoes and didn’t think “Wow, I seriously can’t wait to wear these.” Not only will they boost your confidence, but it’s been proven, that when you look good, you’ll feel good.
• Go for something as simple as a cute pair of sandals you’ll be excited to wear in the summer, or a super nice pair of running shoes (like I just got!), that you’ll be stoked to wear on the track! Or maybe it’s those leather boots you’ve always wanted… go get em. Spoil yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Lastly, Try Something New

• Get outside of your comfort zone. The thing I did? I started a blog! And I dang right already love doing it.
• I highly suggest doing something BIG and making it GREAT. You can’t go wrong with trying.

My Holiday Trip Home

It’s December 23rd, cold in Florida, however not so chilly in the Southwest. I had an eight hour travel day heading home for the holidays. TOTALLY worth it though if you ask me. I surprised my two youngest sisters for they were thinking I wasn’t going to be home for Christmas.

I’d have to say, being in the military you miss a lot of things back home, but I had never thought I’d miss my mom’s cooking so much before… and she’s no Chef Ramsey either. But it’s not my boyfriend or the cooking that I had missed the most (Jack is gonna read this and be like alright where’s this headed…) IT WAS MY DOGGIE! I missed my ‘lil boy so dang much. I can guarantee, you ask anyone in the military, no matter what branch, their dog will be what they miss the most.

So here’s a little shout out to all my brothers and sisters who miss their pets. I’m with you there.

Moving on; so after I arrived Saturday, the very next day was Christmas Eve. Our family does the typical Christmas Eve church service thing and soon after, I had decided I wanted to bake something! Like come on, it had been six months since I had baked, I was very excited for this event. But like all good things… well, they never turn out perfect. Turns out because of my long flight the day before I just CRASHED on the couch! For hours! Nobody woke me up! Rude… I slept through the baking of the Christmas cookies… it was detrimental to my holiday spirit if you ask me. It’s a holiday tradition!

Christmas day was a blast. Typical spoiled kids thinking Santa spends his whole year making gifts for them. Poor Santa. That man works harder than all of us Americans combined! (Eh that’s not saying much.)

I’ve got to say, finding things to do in Arizona during the holidays was extremely difficult. It’s beautiful out there but like, what is a family of six supposed to do with beauty? “Ah yes, let us all collectively stand outside and look at a cactus until Ashley’s leave is over.” My mom was extremely creative throughout my trip. We did a thing called Zoo Lights down in Phoenix. I highly recommend it if you’re ever in the area and are bored of looking at a cactus.

I had taken a total of 12 leave days, which is a lot for someone so new to the military. My friends all took a general 5 days of leave. Suckers. I had a blast being home! I ate the worst food and slept a whole ton. I was very spoiled. (Yes, sleeping is a virtue and blessing around here). I couldn’t be more satisfied with the trip and loved every minute of it. Even when my dog peed on me.