Happy Valentines Day!!

Sweet yummy confections that I made for my sweet husband, my best friend♥ Wishing you, yes YOU a lovely Valentines Day!

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever! ~Psalm 106:1

A House to Call Our Own....

I know I mentioned in my last post (regarding New Years changes) that I would like to blog more, and I still intend to do this. We have just been a little preoccupied lately ~;o) What an exciting day it has been for our family! As many of you know, we've been trying to purchase a home. After a long and slow process of house hunting, inspections, paperwork, appraisals, and I really could go on, I am very excited to share that today we purchased our very first home! What a roller coaster of emotions it has been for us! However, we are very thankful and happy new home owners!! Here it is, our little "Diamond in the rough♥"

"With wisdom a house is built. With understanding it is established. With knowledge its rooms are filled with every kind of riches, both precious and pleasant." ~Proverbs 24:3-4

Happy New Year!!

I'm a little late posting on this, but in the words of a wise friend, "better late than never!" I wanted to take a moment to ponder on some changes I would like to make. I don't want to call them resolutions or goals because I think that these two words have a different meaning from the word "Change." In my mind resolutions and goals can only go so far until they've been met. Change will require consistency. And this is what I'm aiming for regarding several matters. These changes are intended to be for the good. So without further ado, here they are:

1. My Appearance: This one is a very difficult one for me to admit, but I would like to focus on putting a little effort into my appearance. Flattering outfits, a little bit of make up for a soft glow, and the perfect handbag to top it all off. So not me, but willing to give it a try, we'll see ~;o)

2. Saving Money: In order for me to go back to being a fulltime "stay at home mom" this will be a must. I have decided that for now, it is best that I do not have any credit cards because I simply cannot control my spending habits with them. For those of you facing the same exact problem, freezing the card in a block of ice doesn't work, had my card all thawed out under 5 minutes. Here's a tip that I found to be most effective, use a pair of scissors instead. So from now on, it will be strictly cash.

3. Blog More, Facebook Less: I need to take a step back from facebook for a while...as we all know, it can become quite a distraction. I am not deleting my account, just feel I will be able to focus better on the tasks at hand in doing this. As for blogging, I will be shifting gears more towards this instead as it allows me to reflect on many important subjects that matter to me. It is here that I will expand on my ideas about family, nesting, photography, traveling, thrifting, and much more. I am very excited about this!

4. Cooking: This is a sore subject for me, although it shouldn't be. I will have to get back to you on this one.

5. Fellowship: This is another difficult change for me to admit and talk about. What is so hard about finding Fellowship? Genuine Fellowship has been challenging for me to find. Some of it is my own fault. There is much involved in this change that will be needed. Perhaps I will expand more upon this subject another time when I am ready. Nevertheless, it needed to be mentioned.

I feel that writing this out will be a better reminder for me of what I need to focus on. This is very tough for me friends! How tough you ask? Ok "Peanuts Gang" fans, you know how Lucy had a name for every phobia out there when she was lecturing Charlie Brown? She never mentioned one for "writing." Anyone know what phobia this is called? Not a big fan of it. Ask me why another time. Change can be scary. But change is also necessary to achieve good. As you all know I prefer to express myself more through pictures instead of words. Sorry I didn't have one to post this time, less distraction perhaps ~;o) Lets turn things over to you now dear friend. What changes do you plan to make this year? I'd love for you to share them.... I'm all ears ~:o) Until next time darlings.... ♥♥

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

.....I snapped this picture on Christmas Eve!! I love decorating my home for Christmas!! I enjoy putting up the Christmas tree and hanging up the wreath on the door! I enjoy wrapping presents and baking sweet treats in the kitchen, everything about Christmas is beautiful. But what brings me the most comfort and joy about this magical holiday is God's greatest gift to us all! Let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas dear friends!!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ~Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)



Wishing you all much Peace and Joy this Christmas!!
♥, The Nunez Family

Milk Glass, and Thrift Store Finds....

I love thrift stores....I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt everytime upon entering one, (I know, such a ridiculous comparison I just used huh.) It's the best way I can describe my feeling of thrift store shopping though ~;o) So anyways, I have taken a recent liking to collecting Milk Glass! I like Milk Glass because it is so fresh looking, something you can keep out year round. In my opinion, it just goes with everything. Many collectors like to display a collection of one color on shelves, oh yeah...Milk Glass can come in different creamy colors folks ~;o) The good thing about collecting Milk Glass is that the pieces can be relatively cheap to buy. But they do range in price. Btw friends, I am by far an amateur in collecting Milk Glass, I do not even know if the pieces I have are the real deal. But I do know that I like the ones that I have anyways ~:o) I saw one person make good use of their single Milk Glass goblet by filling it with fresh blueberries set on the table amongst a lovely breakfast spread. I want to do the same thing. I think I would prefer to use my pieces instead of display them, although I am not opposed to doing this either. Do you have a cherished collection of something? Is it something you like to only display or do you use it? Perhaps you do both? Feel free to share, I'm all ears ~;o) Here are a couple of pictures of my tiny collection.

(Hen on Nest, covered dish...aka keeper of extra sewing thread~;o)

Ruffled Hob-Nob Vase

Okay...I know...how does "The Shy Little Kitten" relate to Milk Glass Rebecca? Um, well....it doesn't. But it was too cute not to share with you ~;o) This was a recent thrift store purchase for my daughter, she has recently taken an interest in these happy looking vintage characters from the "Little Golden Books" series, (and to cats in general.) Can't say that I blame her, just look at that adorable kitten face! What child wouldn't want to open this book to find out more about this mischievous little character?! ~;o) It is so funny to watch my daughter look at the vintage "Little Golden Books" characters. She gets so focused on them and then starts babbling to herself, or anyone else in the room about the pictures! I wonder what she's thinking when she sees them?! Perhaps you remember reading Little Golden Books with your parents as a child, do you own any today? If so, which ones? And which were your favorite when you were growing up? Yes you know it, I'm all ears ~;o)

Thanksgiving Highlights.....

I thought I'd share a couple of Thanksgiving highlights with you! This lovely arrangement was our Thanksgiving centerpiece for our table! I decided to keep it simple since we are limited on space.

I created this centerpiece for just under $15!! Publix had a wonderful selection of Autumn bouquets to choose from for $9.99. I choose plums, oranges, and yellows to work with. I purchased the vase from a thrift store for 80 cents. (Got one around the house? Use it and save even more $$) Finally, I attached a vintage Thanksgiving postcard that I bought from ebay a couple of years back for about $3.00. The results - simply stunning!! Most of the finished arrangements at the grocery store were priced between $20 and $30, the savings are big!! ~;o) This fun arrangement can be done for any holiday. Have fun, be creative!!

Another favorite of the evening was this delectable delight!! This berry tart was super easy to make friends!! Wanna make one for Christmas dinner or upcoming party? Feel free to click on the link under the photo for the recipe!! Got any thrifty holiday decor ideas? Recipes?? Feel free to share them!! I'd love to hear them!! Until next time friends ~;o)

Click here for recipe!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

For me, it has always been a little tougher to blog during the holiday season. Maybe I need to slow down some....and relax and bask in all the hidden beauty around me. Hot Chocolate, fresh flowers in the season's most richest of Autumn hues, nature walks, the smell of freshly baked pumpkin cookies as you enter into the room....all of these "Diamond in the roughs." During the holiday season we tend worry about everything getting finished on time, or things looking perfect. Then we miss out on the simple blessings. I am not one to open up personally on a blog, I never have been. Maybe it's because people will start to notice my feelings. Not sure if I'd like this. I have much to be thankful for this holiday season my friends. We will be holding Thanksgiving at our place for the first time ever!! I am sooooooo excited, and yes I want everything to look perfect. But if it doesn't, I suppose it's okay ~;o) Where are you having Thanksgiving at this year? Will you be making something special? Will you be cooking a huge feast, or ordering your meal? Maybe you'll make a non-tradional meal? Whatever it is, save me a piece, kidding ~;o) So yes, tell me all about it! I'd love to hear ~:o) I would like to wish all my family and friends a very safe and blessed Thanksgiving Day! I am sending these wishes to you a little bit early....as I and you both know tomorrow will be a busy day for all of us. May you savor every beautiful moment of it, and let us not forget to thank the Lord our God for the many blessings he has provided each and everyone of us with this year!

‎"The joy of enjoying and the fullness of living, are found in the heart that is filled with Thanksgiving." ~Helen Steiner Rice

Mosaic Collage in post is courtesy of Flickr.com

We Have a New Fan Page!

Have you seen our new facebook fan page yet?

Our etsy paper shop Southern Bliss has a new fan page!!

Become a fan today and follow us on facebook for sneak peeks, give aways, and more!! See ya there!!

www.facebook.com/southernbliss

BJ Reece...a U-Pick Farm!

During our stay in the Ellijays we visited our very first u-pick farm!! Fyi, Ellijay is the land of apple orchards people!! There are many to choose from! We chose to visit BJ Reece Apple Orchards!! Most of the u-pick apple orchards in the area are Saturday/Sunday only, BJ Reece's u-pick is open daily though. They also have a store filled with, ready to buy apples, fried apple pies, apple cider and slushies, honey, maple syrup, and so much more!! They even have a bee observation and a petting farm!!

The Apple Orchards.....

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings. ~Psalm 17:8





Bumble bee was just fascinated with these bright red tasty treats ~;o)





To God who gives our daily bread a thankful song we raise, and pray that he who sends us food may fill our hearts with praise. ~Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)



Thank you BJ Reece for such a wonderful experience!! Your apples are amazing!!

Confession.....

we've been on vacation.....

we have been away for the week enjoying and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Ellijays, and Chattanooga!! During our time away we did A LOT of this.....

on a lot of these.....



and even across one of these!!!!



We picked tons of these.....

and ate at lots of these!!

There were lots.....

and lots.....

and lots of these around!!

We even rode through the Tennessee mountains on that.....

and this breath taking river was beside us for pretty much all 3 hours of the ride!!

Yup, we even went to one of these!! And we picked the prettiest and sweetest little pumpkin in the patch!! ~;o)

There are way too many beautiful pictures to post, but I will write a couple of more blogs about the trip and add a few more pictures again soon!! Until next time friends ~:o)

More Birthday Celebrations!!

This week is my sweet Husband, father, and father-inlaw's birthday!! Yup, the boys!! So we decided to celebrate on Sunday!! We went to El Puerto for dinner, they have the best selection of meats ever!! The atmosphere is very bright and festive too!! You can find this great restaurant in Historic Ybor City. After dinner we headed back to our place for some homemade birthday cake!! Yup, I made another one. No complaints either ~;o) We had a fantastic day celebrating with family!! Happy Birthday to my sweetheart Emmanuel!! And happy birthday to my wonderful father and father-in-law!!

LOVE how this came out!!

You can find this cute little clown HERE.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week so far!! Cheerio for now ~;o)

a simple cotton tote.....

.....so I tried my hand at making something new today, this was my first handmade tote. I had a lot of fun sewing this, I was going for a shabby/cottage style.....what do you think?

Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people. ~Colossians 3:23 (ISV)

Curly Ribbon Cake Picks

Spruce up a plain cake with Curly Ribbon Cake Picks!! These are so easy to make and can be done in any color combination to match your party theme ~;o) All you need are twisties, curly ribbon and a pair of scissors....thats right just 3 items!! My kind of project, fast and simple ~;o)

Just cut your ribbon to desired length, curl each color on each side, place the twisty in the center of the curled ribbon and twist tightly into a straight line, all the way down....and tada!!! You have your sweet little cake embellishments!! Then just push them into the desired spot on your cake.

In this small 6" inch round smashcake that I made for Isabella, I created 4 Curly Ribbon Twisties for the cake, I added edible confetti sprinkles, and topped it off with a cute Mickey and Minnie Mouse character. My daughter absolutely LOVES Mickey Mouse!!

A close up of the details...



Btw, I found the Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters at Party City for 99 cents each! They have all kinds of different characters at dirt cheap prices. Happy Baking!!

A Birthday Celebration!

Today is my baby girl's 1st Birthday!! We celebrated with family and friends this past weekend, and then took her to the zoo for the first time today!! We couldn't have asked for better weather!! I took over 481 pictures, way too many to post.....so here are bits in pieces of the festive atmosphere, and some of the lovely faces that attended ~;o)

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. ~Psalm 139:14

Happy Birthday Isabella! Mommy loves you!!

Downtown Tampa just got a little more kid-friendly! We recently visited Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and we were both really wowed by the new surroundings....

Baby's day out ~;o)

Love the angle of the city and the fountains in this picture....

There's the fountains for the children to cool off in, as well as the lighter mist fountains in the back of the park, the new playground, the riverwalk, and of course the new Glazer Children's Museum! I could go on of course ~;o) Have you visited Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park yet? Well worth it!