Don't Miss Out! Catch Hotel Transylvania - Transformania on Prime Video!

 This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Amazon Studios & Sony Pictures Animation.

 

Change can be kind of scary, as we all know, but Hotel Transylvania - Transformania shows us that change can be amazing and incredibly entertaining as well.

My family had the pleasure of viewing this new movie a few days early, and let me go ahead and tell you, that you are in for a good time when the movie hits Prime tomorrow! This movie has all the fun you would expect from a Hotel Transylvania film, but with a twist.

The group of monsters isn't as "frightening" this time around, once they all transformed due to the "monsterification ray", but they all have to team up and battle time to turn things around.

Honestly when Drac & his pack were all transformed into humans, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I loved the twists and turns and actually felt a little sentimental as Drac & Johnny were discussing finding the sweetness inside us all as they ate s'mores over the campfire.

My five year old daughter was hooked and loved every second of the movie and I did too! We viewed our movie with some "transformative" popcorn - a mixture of caramel and cheddar and we snacked on s'mores afterwards, leading us to have a conversation about the sweet, gooey inside we all have.

If you're ready for a whirlwind of an adventure with some touching moments thrown in, where Mavis kind of saves the day, be sure to tune into Prime Video and check out Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania on January 14th! Take a minute and watch the trailer to see what you're in for...

The Best of the Best: Disney Plus Movies & Shows Available to Stream NOW!

With the launch of Disney+ bright and early this morning, it's only fitting that I make a best of the best list of things available to watch on the app! I mean, I was so excited to start watching I had trouble sleeping last night - but sadly, we kept getting streaming errors this morning. It's finally working now, but I had to keep my disney brain occupied and decided to make this epic list of Disney movies you need to watch on Disney+!

So go ahead and make some snacks... and get ready to binge watch some amazing-ness! This list is just a SMALL sample of all that will be available and I'm not even going to lie... I want to watch each and every movie/show!

So my fellow Disney fannatics, check it out... and let me know which movie (or show) you are planning to watch first! Oh... and if you sign up now... you'll get your first week free!

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Pinocchio
3.  Fantasia
4.  Dumbo
5. Miracle on 34th Street
6. Cinderella
7. Alice in Wonderland
8.  Peter Pan
9. Lady and the Tramp - The Original
10. Sleeping Beauty
11. 101 Dalmatians
12. Mary Poppins
13. The Sound of Music
14. The Jungle Book (1967)
15. The Aristocats
16. Robin Hood
17. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
18. The Muppet Movie
19. The Fox and the Hound
20. Spider-Man (1981)
21. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
22. Three Men and a Baby
23. The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
24. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
25. Oliver & Company
26. Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers
27. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
28. Turner & Hooch
29. The Little Mermaid
30. The Rescuers Down Under
31. Three Men and a Little Lady
32. Beauty and the Beast
33. Newsies
34. Sister Act
35. Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
36. Goof Troop
37. Aladdin
38. The Muppet Christmas Carol
39.  The Sandlot
40. Hocus Pocus
41. The Nightmare Before Christmas
42. Thumbelina
43. The Return of Jafar
44. The Lion King
45. Iron Man
46. Fantastic Four
47. The Santa Clause
48. Spider-Man
49. Heavyweights
50. A Goofy Movie
51. Pocahontas
52. Toy Story
53. James and the Giant Peach
54. Aladdin and the King of Thieves
55. Mighty Ducks
56. 101 Dalmatians
57. The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue
58. Hercules
59. Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
60. Recess
61. Flubber
62. Mulan
63. The Parent Trap (1998) - The remake
64. A Bug's Life
65. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century
66. Doug's 1st Movie
67. 10 Things I Hate About You
68. Smart House
69. Annie
70. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
71. Toy Story 2
72. The Tigger Movie
73. An Extremely Goofy Movie
74. Even Stevens
75. 102 Dalmatians
76. The Emperor's New Groove
77. Lizzie McGuire
78. The Princess Diaries
79. Monsters, Inc
80. Kim Possible
81. Lilo & Stitch
82. Tarzan & Jane
83. That's So Raven
84. Piglet's Big Movie
85.  Finding Nemo
86. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
87. Freaky Friday
88. The Cheetah Girls
89. Brother Bear
90. The Incredibles
91. Pooh's Heffalump Movie
92.  Chicken Little
93. Kronk's New Groove
94. The Wild
95. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
96. Cars
97. Meet the Robinsons
98.  Ratatouille
99.  Iron Man
100. WALL•E
101. Tinker Bell
102. The Princess and the Frog
103.  Alice in Wonderland (2010) - live action
104. Tangled
105. Winnie the Pooh
106. Wreck-It Ralph
107. Monsters University 
108.  Frozen
109.  Big Hero 6
110.  Inside Out
111. The Good Dinosaur
112. Zootopia
113. Moana
114. Puppy Dog Pals
115. Vampirina
116. Encore! - Disney+ exclusive
117. The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Disney+ exclusive
118. Noelle - Disney+ exclusive
119. Lady and the Tramp - Disney+ exclusive
120.  The Mandalorian - Disney+ exclusive

FRiYAY Fun & Sofia the First Princess Dough

This post is sponsored by Disney Junior, regardless my princess and I would still LOVE watching Sofia & playing with Princess Dough so all opinions expressed below are completely my own.

Parenthood is funny, it's carefree and joyful when I'm in the moment playing with my kiddo; yet this joyful, sweet time in my life is also SO complex and confusing, especially when it comes to making BIG decisions for the future. The daily stresses and big decisions can sometimes get in the way of what really matters (I'm sure I'm not the only one). So I'm doing my best to try and embrace the carefree side of parenting lately and highly suggest it. With this carefree attitude comes sitting back, relaxing, playing, and enjoying each and every FRiYAY with my little princess, doing what we do best - having FUN!

Whether we are going for walks, swimming at the beach, crafting up some funky creations, tuning in on our favorite Puppy Dog Pals, or catching up on Sofia the First on Disney Junior, we both love to enjoy the day together everyday, but our goal on FRiYAY is to make it a fun day - always.

On that note, we've been loving some Sofia the First on Friday mornings, we just switch on Disney Channel and start watching all of her silly, good-hearted antics. From solving silly mysteries, to helping her friends find out the truth, to helping others make good decisions - Sofia is always teaching practical life lessons in a fun and appealing way. I think that's why we both like this little princess so much.

Now, I realize we can't watch Sofia all day, every day, but I will say I'm having a lot of fun playing into D's new found love for Princesses! It's so sweet, she loves to dress up now and we have a ton of fun pretending we are princesses lately! So as you can imagine, I'm just over here in girly-girl mama bliss, I feel so blessed to call this little princess my daughter.

While she loves playing dress up, she sadly is still a little too small for bejeweled crowns from the store. So I decided to get creative and make Delainey precious, princess-y pretties she could actually nom-nom-nom on and we both adore the end result!

I guess I should take a moment to say, this princess dough recipe isn't actually made to be eaten in large amounts, but if a kiddo happens to sneak a bite or two or even a handful or two - you don't have to worry. I love that you can let a princess be a princess and enjoy playing, without stressing about what's in this dough. The best part is - whipping up a batch of Princess Dough is easy to do!

Want to make a batch or two of Sofia the First Princess Dough?

You will need:



1 cup water 
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar 
Food coloring
2 Quart Saucepan 


You'll start making this concoction super simply - add all the ingredients, other than the food coloring, in the sauce pan and stir, stir, stir.

Once, the mixture starts to really thicken, mix in food coloring! We used violet and yellow, because those are Sofia the First colors to us. I think next time we'll make pink and blue, just for giggles!

Continue to stir the mixture until it resembles dough. This is where I went wrong the first time - FYI, don't remove from heat too early or you'll have a mess on your hands - quite literally.

Lastly, play, play, play! Your Princess Dough will be warm to the touch but with a little kneading it should cool down and be ready to play within a few minutes!

That's it! Now you are all set to start creating princess crowns or race cars whatever is your thing! That's why dough is so much fun, you can mold it into anything and you really have the chance to be yourself while playing.

So tell me, what ways to do you encourage your kids to get creative and be true to themselves? I'd love to hear your creative ideas in the comments below and don't forget to tune in & catch the premier of new episodes of Sofia the First, Mickey & The Roadster Racers and more on the Disney Channel on FRiYAY mornings or catch up on your favorite shows for the little one's anytime on Disney Junior!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Disney Junior.

How to Create a Website Quickly and Easily using GoDaddy GoCentral!

A promotional item was provided to me for today’s discussion. The host for this event is Still Blonde after all these Years.

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed I have a little bit of a shopping problem for Delainey. I am absolutely obsessed with cute clothes for the teeny tiny little girl, especially handmade clothes. I guess my hubby caught on to my obsession and instead of giving me cash to purchase more clothes for Valentine's Day, he bought me a sewing machine to start making her clothes... and that, my friends, is true love, at least in this crafty girl's mind.

With that said, I'm hoping to not only make clothes for Delainey, I aspire to open a little handmade boutique once all is said and done. I'm super excited about the possibilities and since I'm so keen on all things online boutique related, I obviously wanted to look into how easy it would be to start operating my own little business online. That's where GoDaddy GoCentral Website Builder comes into the picture...

This handy little GoDaddy tool is the easiest way to get a little boutique up and running, in my opinion. I'm still working on the details of my actual business, like uhhh, what am I going to sew and what will the real name of the business be officially...? But luckily, I know how I'm going to build the best boutique website possible and instead of keeping my little secret on how I was able to accomplish all to myself, I just had to share it with you!

Are you wanting to open your own online boutique? Maybe you are wanting to start selling those clay figurines you began crafting in 2016... or those pillows you sewed together for a friend, those could become a business too - The possibilities are as endless as your creativity. We'll go ahead and do a little step by step showing you how you can build a business page using GoCentral website builder to make the whole process easier, because I know sometimes things get a little confusing! But go ahead and snag your free trial NOW before the offer expires on April 11th!

Click here to find out which website builder will work best for you. I went with the Business page because I plan on using it for my possible business. If you're wanting to go more with a family update page, the personal page would be a breeze for you... but really, all of the GoDaddy templates are easy to use!

With that said, let's start walking you through the fun of opening our little online boutique... I guess time will tell what I'll be carrying in-stores, but our website will certainly look sweet!

You'll go here and be sure to score your free trial!

Next, choose a website design from all of the beautiful options.

Once you choose your design, take some time to play with it. Customizing colors, fonts, photos, directions of wording, etc. I ended up adding in all kinds of detail photos, editing my contact information, rewording the header, etc. The steps for doing this are super easy, you really just click on the item and the website builder will walk you through it, even mentioning when you should resize a photo for better quality! I mean... could it get any easier than that?

While I'm no internet guru, I do feel like I've created an amazing little boutique website... and the best part is? I did it in under an hour and I can't wait to share items in my store, when that day comes. I was able to add tabs, insert a little listing for my store, personalize almost the entire site, optimize my SEO, and so much more and it was so easy!

I will say, I do know a little HTML and was expecting to have to bring out the techy brain to be able to create something this beautiful, but I didn't have to get techy at all - I made this entire website by just clicking around and following instructions... and THAT is amazing.

For now my little boutique is a work in progress, a dream, but soon enough it will become my little boutique and all I have to do is hit publish to make that a reality!

It's that easy. So tell me, what kind of website will you use GoDaddy GoCentral Website Builder to create? I think my blog may be getting a make over soon as well and you better believe I'll be turning to GoDaddy to rebuild our page when I'm ready! Are you ready to take the next step? Click here and you'll recieve a 1 month free trial of GoDaddy’s GoCentral Website Builder to try for yourself! I promise, you'll love it.


*The Free Trial is an opportunity for you to use a GoDaddy product free of charge for one (1) month, beginning on the date that you accept the Free Trial offer. The Free Trial will expire one (1) month from the date you accept the Free Trial offer, regardless of whether or not you use the product during the Free Trial period. Free trial not available in all markets and this offer expires on April 10th, 2017.*

Learn About the App: IFTTT & How It Can Simplify Your Life!

As a mama, I've learned that if I want to get anything accomplished I need to find some shortcuts. Instead of trying to speed home every afternoon or cutting a diaper change short, I've decided to try and make things I do anyways a little simpler with "IFTTT" or "If this, then that" - the app.

While initially setting up my applets took a little bit of time, now I don't have to take 3 actions to share my twitter photos on Instagram, because the app does that for me.

IFTTT lets you do more with the services you love and applets within the app help you bring together services you love. From pairing your Insta with your Twitter to pairing your phones GPS with your lighting system, IFTTT has so many applets that can help you. So, with that said, here's some ways you should be using IFTTT in your life.

1. Automatically wish your friends a Happy Birthday on Facebook - Ever felt like a total jerk because you ignored the notification for a buddy's birthday and never took a minute to write on their wall? Use IFTTT and you'll never have that happen again. Just sign up to send well wishes and the applet will do it for you!

2. Share Instagram photos to Twitter as a photo (not a link) - THIS is literally the reason why I originally started using IFTTT. It may seem lazy but it's nice, as a "momtog", to share photos on Instagram and have them share directly to my most beloved social media platform, twitter. If you love both Insta and Twitter as much as I do, then this is a useful applet for you.

3. Be your own weather person, know when it's going to pour - Don't fret about whether it'll rain or not tomorrow... IFTTT will let you know. Just sign up for a notification and you'll always know if it's going to rain!

4. No worries when dealing with photo storage - Using google drive, back up your Android photos and never worry about having to transfer photos to an external or deleting extras. As a mama with a passion for photographing her baby, this was a huge reason I fell in love with IFTTT.

5. Hit the lights without lifting a finger - If you have the Hue system, which I talk about here, then you have to check out the IFTTT applets that sync up with the lights! You can change your lights to blue lights when it's raining, have your lights automatically turn off when you leave home, press a button to make hue lights color loop and more. I'm obsessed with playing with my lights and IFTTT has made them even cooler!

6. Keep track of everything with Trello - Whether you've heard of Trello before or not, now is the time to start using this app and paired with IFTTT, you'll never forget anything again! I love using this app to keep track of upcoming assignments, appointments, and fun stuff too. The coolest part is I can label an email with a specific label and IFTTT will create a card in Trello for that event. Making time for everything just got a little easier.

15 Animated Movies You Must Watch on an Epson Home Cinema Projector

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free

Sometimes you just need a little extra when it comes to items in your life. I can recall a time, in the not so distant past, when the quality of picture from even the nicest TV couldn't compare to the quality of images displayed on our current HDTV models. Now we have so many options, like smart TVs, handheld devices, and even nifty, 1080p projectors.

While I'm not necessarily a techie, I do know a good projector when I see one and I've been eyeing the ultra-bright Epson Home Cinema Projector. It literally brings the movie theater to your living room, which means you can watch the game on your wall on Sunday night and be able to see every play in vivid detail. You can use the projector as a satellite box, a gaming console, or even pair it with a streaming device and watch your favorite TV show.

Not only can you watch whatever you want on this little gadget, this projector is super lightweight and portable, meaning you can easily share the fun with your friends and family - if you choose! Want to learn more about the projector and all of its features? Click here and be prepared to add this beauty to your holiday wish list!

Speaking of your holiday wish list, I think it's important you add a few amazing animated movies to your list - for your viewing pleasure! These 15 animated movies listed below you must see on a projector, they are just too awesome not to experience in their full glory!

15 animated movies you MUST watch on a home projector:


1. The Little Mermaid

2. Finding Nemo

3. Inside Out

4. Coraline

5. Up

6. Beauty & The Beast

7. The Little Prince

8. The Emperor's New Groove

9. The Princess & The Frog

10. Monsters Inc.

11. The Lion King

12. Fantasia

13. Zootopia

14. Nightmare Before Christmas

15. Toy Story

One Case, Endless Possibilities: The New OtterBox uniVerse Case

You can now expand your phone's capabilities simply by changing the case! With modules built into the new OtterBox uniVERSE Case System, you'll likely never need to invest in another little computer gadget again!

One case with endless possibilities! You can use this case to turn the little slot on the bottom into a variety of different items - batteries, card readers, speakers, camera lenses and more without ever having to remove the case for any reason.

If you're the photographer type, you can use the OtterBox uniVerse case to attach your phone to a variety of different photo-friendly accessories! From a large flash drive to tripod, you'll be able to have the perfect photo and photo storage options plug right into your phone.

If you're using the photographic capabilities on your phone for other purposes, on a job site for example, the thermal camera may be the perfect accessory to help you track down things like insulation issues or something similar!

Do you run your own business? The OtterBox uniVerse is the perfect case to conduct business and process transactions! With the option to attach several different card readers you'll be able to sell anything while on the go and with an attachable Bluetooth mobile speaker you can rock out in between your customer's purchases!

Not only can the OtterBox uniVerse case be used as a tool for your business, it has an ultra-slim and sleek design perfect for anyone! It's easy to install and with a screen bumper, the raised beveled edge helps protect your touchscreen from any damage! While the case is only made for iPhones, I'm hopeful that one day I'll be able to join in on the fun of having an OtterBox uniVerse for my Samsung! Can you picture yourself using this fancy new case? Be sure to check it out at Best Buy today!

Score an Epic Deal on The BEST Gift for Dads: The Samsung Gear VR!

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Looking for the perfect gift for the father figure in your life for Father's Day? Look no further, Best Buy has you covered with the latest and greatest technology! You can gift the man in your life the ultimate experience with the Samsung Gear VR, bringing you 360 degree virtual adventures that are out of this world!

From getting lost in Yosemite to diving with the sharks, Discovery VR content brings the entire world to your eyes - literally! Escaping to another place and time is as easy as snapping your Galaxy smartphone into your Samsung Gear VR! I'm super excited about this fact because I already own the S6 Edge+ but if you aren't a Galaxy user yet, I've got awesome news for you...

You can score a FREE Samsung Gear VR (including $50 worth of virtual reality content) when you buy or lease & activate any of the awesome new Samsung Galaxy phones! If you want the new, waterproof S7 or S7 edge that you've seen champagne being poured all over then it's time to upgrade! If you're into my style of phone, the S6 edge or edge+ are just as amazing as the 7, they just can't be submerged in your aquarium on purpose!

It doesn't matter which phone you decide to get for you or the deserving dude in your life, but now is the time to upgrade with a deal like this offered at Best Buy! Act quickly though, the offer is only good through June 18th, online or in stores!

Don't miss your chance to explore the world with your favorite father figure; get excited because mobile virtual reality has arrived and it's affordable!

Take the chance to be at the center of your favorite game, stargaze and wonder around while looking up at the Northern Lights, spend time inside of a Hollywood movie, socialize with your best friends, and so much more! It's time for you to let your new Samsung Gear VR drop you both right into the action! Click here to learn more about the deal on the VR before it's too late.

So tell me, where will you go first with your new gadget? I'm so excited to hear all about what you would love to experience first in the comments below!

My World Burger Tour Experience at Hard Rock Cafe!

Thanks to Hard Rock Cafe for sponsoring today's discussion, regardless all opinions expressed below are completely my own.

Remember when I mentioned that I was super excited about Hard Rock Cafe's World Burger Tour? Well, I finally had the chance to try out one of the many burgers at lunch earlier this week and I must admit, it was amazing!

We took a short little drive to Tampa and walked around Hard Rock Casino for a little - with all kinds of memorabilia, it was like visiting a museum! We were able to see a ton of costumes, golden records, and we even spotted some mermaids on our adventure!

After exploring the casino some, we were getting famished and decided to "travel the world", or should I say, we were able to go on a little culinary adventure?! With so many options, it took us a minute or two to decide which burger would be the most delicious for each of us... but then, when I saw the Atomic Burger from Las Vegas I knew that was the one for me and when hubby saw the Greek Burger he immediately decided that was the burger he wanted!

We also decided to order some refreshments, because why not?! While I'm expecting and can't indulge in any adult beverages, I was able to order the Black Cherry Melonade which was superb and so sweet, it definitely hit the spot. Hubby was a go-getter and decided to get the "All Jacked Up" after our server suggested it, they both said it's super delicious and pineapple-y so it also won a stamp of approval!

When our food came out, we were overwhelmed by the size of the burgers, they are HUGE. My burger was brimming with deliciousness... The Atomic burger is truly atomic with beer-battered jalapenos on the tippy-top of it and smothered in pepper jack cheese & caramelized onions, as well as mushrooms and chipotle mayonnaise - it's the perfect mixture of everything delicious and absolutely mouth-watering if you're a spicy food lover like myself. While the burger was nearly as big as my head, every bite was absolutely amazing and I'd order it again in a heartbeat!

Hubby's burger was topped with deliciousness too, so of course I had to "taste test:" it as well! It was the burger equivalent to a Greek salad and it was absolutely terrific! The feta cheese gave it a flavor unlike any other burger and hubby said he loved each and every bite of his burger as well...

With such big burgers, you wouldn't think we could have even stomached any of our fries, but we did... and they were also delicious! My batch of french fries was served with chipotle ketchup to match my spicy burger and hubby got a side of tzatziki sauce to match his Greek burger - the perfect condiments for fresh fries and superbly delicious with each bite of our burgers!

It's safe to say we had a blast at the Hard Rock Cafe on our most recent visit and the food was amazing! We're actually planning to visit again soon so we can try the other burgers on the World Burger Tour menu, before the festivities end! All the fun ends June 30th though, so don't miss your chance to travel the world, one burger at a time!

So tell me, which burger do you think you'll try first? I highly recommend the Atomic Burger but I bet they're all delicious!

An Easter Tradition: DIY See's Candies Snack Bar + a Giveaway!

Today's discussion is brought to you by See's Candies,
regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Easter is almost here and that means I've been ogling all the adorable bunny items in every store I visit... and it also means that the "Easter Bunny" will be visiting my house soon. For now, though, I decided to play the Easter Bunny in our home and set up a scrumptious little candy snack bar with See's Candies during our most recent weekend brunch.

With so many delicious candies, it's easy to see why I chose to include all See's delectable delights in my snack bar. From Sugar Coated Sour Bunnies to Dark Chocolate Raspberry filled Springtime Truffles, I've decided to incorporate See's into my Easter tradition every year from now on! I'm so excited to celebrate Easter the very same way next year, with a special new member of our family. Getting to see the joy Easter brings from a child's point of view will make this tradition that much more amazing... but I'll be honest and share that this year I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to snack on delicious candy and other brunch-time favorites!

To celebrate Easter in style our little candy snack bar had to include all of the best American-made See's Easter candies with some flair added to the table.

As I mentioned, there were Springtime Truffles and Sour Bunnies, as well as Rocky Road Eggs, Chocolate Butter Eggs with Walnuts, Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Bunnies of all sizes, Jelly Beans, and even a giant Easter Treasure egg!

Everyone was able to find something to treat their sweet tooth after brunch and it was marvelous. I decided to spruce up the table some with some colorful Easter eggs and a pretty little Easter basket, paired with a couple of cake plates to really show off the delicious candy snack bar options. The last important addition to the table was a colorful springtime plate and napkins set, now my table was ready for guests to enjoy and you can prepare your dessert table this easily too!

Whether you are looking for the perfect over-sized Chocolate Bunny to add into your little one's Easter basket or you want to surprise your sweetheart with a giant Easter Treasure Egg, See's has everything you'll need! Want to treat yourself (or someone you love) to something delicious without having to spend a dime?

Enter to win a $15 See's Candies Gift Card giveaway with the giveaway tools form below:

Entry-Form

A Celebration for The Choice by Nicholas Sparks: A Book Club Favorite! {NOW in Theaters: February 5th}

This post was sponsored by Lionsgate as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

I know I can't be the only girl in the world that gets lost in a book; getting swept away with the characters and their story line, letting my imagination and vivid storytelling take me away to another place. So it comes as no surprise that I've been lost lately in The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks. The man has a gift for writing and I always appreciate reading the dreamy, romantic novels he produces, but this book is one of my favorites.

Spending time with my feet in the sand and hearing the ocean breeze rolling in, while reading a love story with unexpected, yet brilliant twists has been how I passed my time recently... and maybe a few afternoons cuddled up on the couch too. I've enjoyed having the chance to read the book and now I'm making the choice to go see The Choice in theaters, TOMORROW (February 5th).

To celebrate the occasion, I had a few of my besties over to do a little gossiping about our favorite parts of the book. I guess you could say we're officially a "book club" since we spent most of the day snacking on some delicious foods, and dare I say, we even took the time to treat ourselves to mani-pedis while chit-chatting about The Choice! There's really nothing better than pampering yourself while sharing your thoughts!

I don't want to spoil the movie (and/or book) for you, but this story is about a fun, feisty medical student named Gabby who moves in next door to a total ladies man, Travis. From there, they get swept away in an unexpected, whirlwind of a romance neither even thought possible. The thing is, Travis doesn't believe in long-term commitment and, well as hard as it is to admit, Gabby is already in it for the long haul... or she thought she was, until she met Travis.

The Choice is one of those novels that takes your heart on a journey and I think it's definitely a must-read for any book club involving hopeless romantics! After you complete the book, you'll definitely want to compare it to the movie so I suggest you check out which theater you can catch it in nearby you... or if you're more of the movie-going type of crowd, add The Choice to your must-see list & check out the preview for the movie today:

So will you make the choice to go see The Choice this weekend or are you going to wait until you've read the book first/ I know I'll be sitting front and center to see this book come to the big screen, there really is nothing better than a love story by Nicholas Sparks... but any girl with a heart knows that!

Celebrate The Minions Movie with Minion-ade Banana Lemonade Recipe + a Free Printable

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsAtTarget #CollectiveBias

If you're a kid at heart, like me, or a mom to a wonderful little fun-loving minion, then you are probably just as excited about the release of Minions on disc as I am! After Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2, I fell in love with the cute little yellow helpers (or trouble makers, in some cases) and I couldn't wait to watch the goofy little guys and see what they were up to on their own adventures. I won't spoil any of the movie details, but I will say I love Kevin and Minions gets 5 stars and two thumbs up from me!

Since I love to celebrate everything, you probably aren't surprised to find out that I had a couple of "minions" join me to watch the Minions movie from the comfort of my own home! I actually made a fun little date night out of the whole thing and it turned out fabulously with mason jars decorated like minons filled with a delicious banana minionade (lemonade) recipe and beautiful flowers setting next to the entertainment center... it's the little things in life, am I right?

Do you want to make some minion friends as well? These easy to decorate cups are made with this free printable and a small piece of tape! I measured my minion goggles and eyes to fit around a mason jar but you can easily shorten the goggle straps for each cup in your house! These are such an awesome way to treat your friends and family to something delicious while watching Minions!

So go ahead and pull out your scissors and a pitcher for the minionade, we're about to get messy and it's going to be fun! Are you ready to get ba-na-nas about lemonade like a minion would? Then let's get started on a recipe any minion would love!

You will need:

3-4 Lemons
1 cup sugar
3-4 cups hot water
1/2 tsp banana extract

You'll want to begin by printing off this adorable free printable so you can make your own minions! Cut each set of goggles out and attach with tape to mason jars. While working on this project begin heating 4 cups of water in a tea kettle or large pot.

While your water is on the stove top, you'll want to begin juicing the lemons. Simply squeeze 3-4 lemons, chopped in half, into the pitcher with a strainer over the top.

Once the lemons have been completely juiced, remove the strainer from the top of the pitcher and add in sugar, little bits at a time and stirring each time you add more in!

By this time, your water is likely warm so begin slowly pouring the water and stirring it in about 1/2 cup to a cup at a time. Stir mixture until completely combined.

Add 1/2 tsp of banana extract and stir for just a little longer!

Add handfuls of ice and lemon slices in the mixture and garnish cups with a lemon, if you'd like!

Serve in the minion themed mason jars, with some dried banana chips, and ENJOY!

The best part about our kid-at-heart themed night is the fact that we were able to score everything we needed on one of my regular weekly trips to Target. From the Market Pantry banana chips to my Target Exclusive Minions Metal Pak Deluxe set (that also scored me a free $5 gift card + bonus footage that is only available on the Target copy), they had it all!

Since I've shared this adorable free printable to give your minions the goggles they deserve and a delicious recipe for banana minionade, I feel I should also tell you that you don't want to miss your chance to get your hands on even more adorable minion fun! From the perfect minion-esque attire to little books and toys fit for any minion-loving kid, Target offers a little bit of everything Minions and you're bound to fall in love with it all! So head on over and collect everything you'll need for your Minions movie night!