How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old schoo How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old school Amazon Echo. We have the dots around the house, but our kitchen one is still the OG! I don't love it being on the counter so I came up with a way to hide it!

How do you hide your electronics? 

#homehacks #homeandgardens #homedecorideas #kitchenideas
Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so ea Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so easy and cute to create!

First, use edible grass or icing and a grass piping tip to add grass to your "basket." Then attach peeps to a toothpick and insert into the cake. Add eggs and other Easter candies. Finally, add a handle to complete the basket look!

What are you doing for Easter this year?

#eastercakes #easterbrunch #easterideas #springrecipes #easyrecipesformoms #springcakes #springparty #recipereels #easypartyideas
Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atl Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atlanta for Benjamin's birthday! 

We started at @childrensmuseumatlanta and then headed over to @skyviewatl! Then we had dinner at @johnnyrockets and spent the night. Then, we woke up early and headed over to the @georgiaaquarium for the day.

It was SO much fun. I highly recommend doing a staycation in your own city. I've lived here 30 years and always find something fun to do. 

Happy birthday to my big 2-year-old! 💙 

#atlantastaycation #staycation #toddlertrip #toddlertravel #toddlertravels #georgiaaquarium #childrensmuseumatlanta #skyviewatlanta #johnnyrockets
This is the easiest idea for a fun summer party! 🦀 I took these crabby chicken croissants to our margaritaville themed party last week. I also made them for a mermaid-themed party a few years ago!

To make these:
-slice mini croissants down the middle but leave the back connected.
-fill with chicken salad.
-attach a toothpick to the back of edible eyeballs with cookie icing and allow it to dry.
-insert the toothpicks into the croissants to create eyes!

Save this for later when you need a dish or appetizer to bring to summer parties! 

#easyrecipesformoms #easysummerrecipes #easyrecipesforkids #easyfamilyrecipes #summerpartyideas #summerbarbecue #chickensaladsandwich #recipereel #easyrecipesathome
My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom i My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom is the greatest gift I've ever been given. I am so incredibly grateful for my tiny bestie. 

Thank you @keikilaniphotography for these precious photos of our boy!
Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be the most southern dish I've ever made. However, it is a perfect side to take to a barbecue or to make for a summer party. 

It's also the perfect dish to make if your kitchen is under construction like mine was for this video. It's a cold dish so nothing to heat up. 

First, mix together two cans of drained whole-kernel corn, two cups of mexican blend cheese, one cup of light mayo, diced red pepper, pepper and a bit of cilantro in a bowl. Then, add crushed Chili Cheese Fritos and mix well. Serve and enjoy! 

#recipereel #sidedishrecipes #sidedishes #cornsalad #cornrecipes #barbecuerecipes #recipereels #easyrecipeideas #easyrecipesformoms
You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeli You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeling extra sappy. I love sharing a birthday week with my boy, and I'm extra grateful for another year with my tiny bestie. 💕

Thanks for all the birthday love! Can't wait to celebrate my sweet boy the rest of the week! 

Cover photo is from the incredibly talented @keikilaniphotography 

#toddlermoments #dailymotherhood #toddlerboymom #toddlermomma #twoyearolds
It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨ It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨

This is my favorite way to make a regular drink feel fancy! Sprinkle a little edible glitter in a silicone mold and fill with water and freeze. When it melts, your drink will be cute and sparkly.

My drink today is two ounces of bourbon, one ounce of peach syrup, lemon juice and club soda! Stir and watch it sparkle. 

#glittercocktail #peachcocktail #birthdaydrink #birthdaycocktails #edibleglitter #easydrinks #easydrink #easydrinking #signaturedrinks #recipereel
Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Maste Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Masters! ⛳️

First, either make or purchase cupcakes with green frosting. My kitchen was under construction for this video, so I purchased mine. But you can easily make your own and even use the grass piping tip to make grass. 

Then I found these golf-tee toothpicks. Place one in each cupcake. 

Then use cookie icing to secure a white chocolate truffle to each of the tees. 

Allow the icing to harden, serve and enjoy!

#mastersparty #masterssunday #masterstournament #springdesserts #golfcupcakes #golfparty #golfpartyideas #springparty #recipereels #cupcakereel #cupcakereels
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Finess · March 10, 2015

I Got Into a Fight With a Sea Urchin

Jamaica was amazing! Seriously. Unbelievably amazing. I’ve been back a week today and I’m still mourning the loss of the beautiful water, vivacious people, and endless relaxation.

Every vacation has it’s set backs though. Not everything in life can be 100% perfect, although my time in Jamaica came very close. So, of course, I had to have a minor imperfect moment on the trip.

I got into a fight with a sea urchin, and the sea urchin won. He beat the snot out of me (literally, but we’ll get to that in a minute). Over a week later and I am still limping around.

So here’s the story.

Stephen and I decided to go kayaking. Jamaicans have a “no-worries, mon” attitude so the only advice we had was “wear a life jacket and don’t turn sideways in the waves.” So we adopted that mentality, put on a life jacket, and paddled out to sea.

We paddled around until the tide started picking up and the waves got bigger and bigger so we decided to head back to the beach. Let me preface this by saying, we listened and never turned our boat sideways. It didn’t matter though because the wave was so big it literally took us out of the boat and into the ocean.

The water near our beach was mostly coral, so the first thing I did after falling out of the boat was step on my little sea urchin friend. I tell you what. I have broken my tailbone three times, my pinkie toe and my wrist. I have had my appendix removed, a cyst on my ovary, and watched From Justin to Kelly. None of this compares to the pain I felt after stepping on the sea urchin.

So at this point, I panic. I can’t stand up. The waves are huge, we can’t get in the boat and each one is taking us further and further away from our beach and closer to another one. We have no idea who lives at this beach, all we know is there is a big solid wall between the beach at our resort and the beach we are about to get thrown up on to so we probably shouldn’t go there. And I lose my mind. There really is no better definition for the level of panic I go into. I start screaming, hyperventilating, crying hysterically. I really think we are about to die because the waves from the tide are just pelting us over and over. My foot is at a level of pain where I would rather just cut it off at this point. It’s ugly.

Finally, our lifeguards pay attention and come rescue us in a kayak…? Which is what we fell out of in the first place. To this day, I still don’t understand that logic. But by this point the people from the mystery beach have come out and are waving the lifeguards from our resort over. So I get carried out of the water (and I thank god for every minute I went to the gym and every calorie I skipped so this is not as embarrassing as it could be) and taken to the scary mystery beach. Stephen can walk so he gets out fine.

Waiting for us is a butler in a bow tie, a maid, a scary looking dude in boots, another scary dude in boots who never comes over but just watches the ocean, and our lifeguards from the resort.

I keep repeating “I cut my foot, I cut my foot” over and over again like a broken record, because at this point that’s what I thought I had done. So they lift my foot to take a look and all make the same terrible face.

The collective face causes me to start crying hysterically again. They bring me a big bucket of ammonia (which I desperately want to jokingly ask if they peed in, but stop myself because they just saved my life) and I have to sit there awkwardly soaking my feet until a car from our resort gets permission from wherever we are to come pick me up to take me to the doctor.

When we finally walk through the house connected to the mystery beach, we realize it is a mini Playboy mansion. Seriously. Old white guy in an infinity pool, lovely ladies with him, butlers in bowties and tuxedos.. We have discovered the Jamaican Playboy Mansion. I’m not sure if that’s really what it is, but if it’s not I will be extremely surprised and need some solid proof that it isn’t.

So after this incredibly long story, here is my advice to all of my fellow travelers: if you’re going to Jamaica (or anywhere with water for that matter) buy some dang water shoes before you go kayaking! Your feet will thank you.

What’s the scariest thing that has ever happened to you while traveling?

In: Finess

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Comments

  1. laurenonlocation says

    March 10, 2015 at 9:03 am

    I'm so sorry, that all sounds so incredibly painful!! My mom stepped on a sea urchin once and described it in a similar manner. Worst. Pain. Ever. Props to you for looking at this with some humor! Hope you're feeling better!

  2. laurenonlocation says

    March 10, 2015 at 9:03 am

    I’m so sorry, that all sounds so incredibly painful!! My mom stepped on a sea urchin once and described it in a similar manner. Worst. Pain. Ever. Props to you for looking at this with some humor! Hope you’re feeling better!

  3. UnlockingKiki says

    March 10, 2015 at 1:08 pm

    Oh my gosh! Just that picture had me feeling pain!

  4. Hel On Heels says

    March 10, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    It was just a minor blip on a perfect weekend. I refused to let it get me down!

  5. Hel On Heels says

    March 10, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    It's painful for sure. Next time I know to take better care of my feet!

  6. Kay R. says

    March 10, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    OMG that sounds (and looks) so painful!!! Yikes. Hope you're ok!

  7. Alanna and Co says

    March 11, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    My boyfriend was just suggesting we go on a trip to Jamaica! So i'll definitely buy some water shoes. But that's crazy you got to see the Jamaican playboy mansion.

  8. Tinisha says

    March 22, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    Wow! Even though you cried, you're still a stronger person than I am. I would have had a panic attack! Your cat is SO adorable! I have two myself. I think you know that. You've been by my blog before!

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How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old schoo How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old school Amazon Echo. We have the dots around the house, but our kitchen one is still the OG! I don't love it being on the counter so I came up with a way to hide it!

How do you hide your electronics? 

#homehacks #homeandgardens #homedecorideas #kitchenideas
Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so ea Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so easy and cute to create!

First, use edible grass or icing and a grass piping tip to add grass to your "basket." Then attach peeps to a toothpick and insert into the cake. Add eggs and other Easter candies. Finally, add a handle to complete the basket look!

What are you doing for Easter this year?

#eastercakes #easterbrunch #easterideas #springrecipes #easyrecipesformoms #springcakes #springparty #recipereels #easypartyideas
Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atl Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atlanta for Benjamin's birthday! 

We started at @childrensmuseumatlanta and then headed over to @skyviewatl! Then we had dinner at @johnnyrockets and spent the night. Then, we woke up early and headed over to the @georgiaaquarium for the day.

It was SO much fun. I highly recommend doing a staycation in your own city. I've lived here 30 years and always find something fun to do. 

Happy birthday to my big 2-year-old! 💙 

#atlantastaycation #staycation #toddlertrip #toddlertravel #toddlertravels #georgiaaquarium #childrensmuseumatlanta #skyviewatlanta #johnnyrockets
This is the easiest idea for a fun summer party! 🦀 I took these crabby chicken croissants to our margaritaville themed party last week. I also made them for a mermaid-themed party a few years ago!

To make these:
-slice mini croissants down the middle but leave the back connected.
-fill with chicken salad.
-attach a toothpick to the back of edible eyeballs with cookie icing and allow it to dry.
-insert the toothpicks into the croissants to create eyes!

Save this for later when you need a dish or appetizer to bring to summer parties! 

#easyrecipesformoms #easysummerrecipes #easyrecipesforkids #easyfamilyrecipes #summerpartyideas #summerbarbecue #chickensaladsandwich #recipereel #easyrecipesathome
My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom i My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom is the greatest gift I've ever been given. I am so incredibly grateful for my tiny bestie. 

Thank you @keikilaniphotography for these precious photos of our boy!
Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be the most southern dish I've ever made. However, it is a perfect side to take to a barbecue or to make for a summer party. 

It's also the perfect dish to make if your kitchen is under construction like mine was for this video. It's a cold dish so nothing to heat up. 

First, mix together two cans of drained whole-kernel corn, two cups of mexican blend cheese, one cup of light mayo, diced red pepper, pepper and a bit of cilantro in a bowl. Then, add crushed Chili Cheese Fritos and mix well. Serve and enjoy! 

#recipereel #sidedishrecipes #sidedishes #cornsalad #cornrecipes #barbecuerecipes #recipereels #easyrecipeideas #easyrecipesformoms
You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeli You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeling extra sappy. I love sharing a birthday week with my boy, and I'm extra grateful for another year with my tiny bestie. 💕

Thanks for all the birthday love! Can't wait to celebrate my sweet boy the rest of the week! 

Cover photo is from the incredibly talented @keikilaniphotography 

#toddlermoments #dailymotherhood #toddlerboymom #toddlermomma #twoyearolds
It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨ It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨

This is my favorite way to make a regular drink feel fancy! Sprinkle a little edible glitter in a silicone mold and fill with water and freeze. When it melts, your drink will be cute and sparkly.

My drink today is two ounces of bourbon, one ounce of peach syrup, lemon juice and club soda! Stir and watch it sparkle. 

#glittercocktail #peachcocktail #birthdaydrink #birthdaycocktails #edibleglitter #easydrinks #easydrink #easydrinking #signaturedrinks #recipereel
Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Maste Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Masters! ⛳️

First, either make or purchase cupcakes with green frosting. My kitchen was under construction for this video, so I purchased mine. But you can easily make your own and even use the grass piping tip to make grass. 

Then I found these golf-tee toothpicks. Place one in each cupcake. 

Then use cookie icing to secure a white chocolate truffle to each of the tees. 

Allow the icing to harden, serve and enjoy!

#mastersparty #masterssunday #masterstournament #springdesserts #golfcupcakes #golfparty #golfpartyideas #springparty #recipereels #cupcakereel #cupcakereels
Obsessed!! From the day we got the cabinets painte Obsessed!! From the day we got the cabinets painted to the finished project with backsplash and under cabinet lighting. I love our kitchen so much! 

We are going to replace the outlet and switch covers to blend a little more, but for now, we are so excited to have this completed kitchen! 

#kitchenreno #kitchenbeforeandafter #kitchenremodels #kitchenrenos #kitchenrenovations #farrowandballpaint #kitchencabinetsmakeover #kitchenbacksplash #kitchenidea #kitcheninspo #coastalgrandmother

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