Perfect Poolside Cocktail Hour: Partnership with Home Centric/Bealls Outlet

You guys KNOW that Bealls Outlet is one of my fave places to find reasonable home decor. So when they reached out to collab on a spring project I jumped at the chance! They are actually sister brands with Home Centric if you hear me call it that in this post!

I decided to put together a perfect poolside cocktail hour, complete with my fave snack - a charcuterie board, and a yummy low-carb mojito cocktail. I found almost all of these boho and gold goodies at Home Centric which just goes to show you, you don’t have to spend a fortune to pull together a super cute and unique look!

The garden section is pretty stocked right now at the store! I love this funky head planter. Doesn’t the fern go pretty perfectly in there as his crazy hair?

I wanted to serve a tropical type of drink but not a margarita, so I opted for a mojito. The problem with so many delicious mixed cocktails is how much sugar they contain! I decided to go for a low carb option and it was refreshing and delish! Here’s the mix for one serving!

Low Carb Mojito
+Muddled Mint
+1 .5 oz rum
+2 oz club soda
+2 oz Diet 7 Up
+1/2 oz lime juice

The charcuterie board I found at Home Centric is actually a piece of decorative wall art! I thought it had a boho vibe and would look cute as a snack board. Throwing together a charcuterie board is easier than you think. This is my go-to shopping list for a super easy charcuterie.

Easy Charcuterie
+Three blocks of cheese
+One type of salami or sopressata
+Two types of crackers or toast
+Fig preserves or seeded mustard
+Little bowl of olives or nuts
+Fresh fruit

Holiday Decor: Partnership with Bealls Outlet

It’s not a secret that I LOVE me some Bealls Outlet. I may be biased but the Sebastian store is by far the best one I’ve ever been in. It’s huge, organized and restocked frequently. It’s actually the 3rd location for this store since it came to town, and I’ve shopped at all of them since I was a kid! I would estimate that 85% of my home accessories and more are from this store. I love that everything is super cute but reasonably priced!

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when Bealls Outlet reached out and wanted to collaborate on a holiday decor project! Most everything you’re going to see was purchased at Bealls Outlet… it’s honestly the first place I go to look for holiday decor so this partnership was perfection.

Onto the decor! I like to switch up my mantel every year. Something about it being a focal point wants me to use some creativity with the decorations. I found these beautiful gold metal Christmas trees at Bealls Outlet and knew they’d be perfect for the mantel. Nothing like a little real greenery to bring the Christmas spirit. I added my vintage brass candlesticks and this is what it looks like!

When it comes to Christmas decorations, some people love angels, or snowmen (I like those too) or Santa Clause, but I find myself being drawn to Christmas trees. I’ve collected them over the years and decided to add couple to the collection from Bealls Outlet this year. I put them different places every year, they’ve been on my kitchen island, the dining table, mantel and this year I decided to put them on the coffee table. I love that they look like a collection and not a “set,” know what I mean?

Next up, the kitchen. I picked up two garlands so with the 2nd one I split it up and used it a few places in the house, one of which being above the kitchen window. I found these wreaths on stands at Bealls Outlet and thought they’d be perfect for this window sill. They don’t block much light and are just wintery and perfect.

Our guest bathroom needed a little holiday flare so I used my fave Bealls Outlet holiday accessories on the vanity! I’m obsessed with that holiday potpourri and little gingerbread house too, isn’t it cute? The girls think the garland makes them feel like you’re in the forrest and said, “It’s so cool!”

Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money either! I love the variety of pieces available at Bealls Outlet and the fact that it’s all so reasonable and cute! Where do you shop for holiday decor?

Guest Bathroom Refresh: Palm Leaf Wallpaper Bathroom

I’m so excited about this project! Like legit in love. I go in this palm leaf wallpaper bathroom, turn on the lights and smile from ear to ear. Awhile back I partnered with Walls Republic on my office project and I instantly knew I wanted to wallpaper this bathroom one day. I never really did anything in this room, it was painted the same light grey as the rest of the house but somehow the walls always looked dirty! It doesn’t help that they put their hands on the walls when getting on and off the potty, oy!

Like any project, when you start with one thing, it always leads to more and more and more! I really wanted to accent with gold but my faucet and hardware were brushed nickel. I decided it had to go! I changed out the faucet to a matte black, found a cute circular mirror and these sconces, these SCONCES! How cool are they?! And they were less than $50.00 each, what.a.find!

Walls Republic was so awesome to work with! They sent me several samples you may have seen me post about a few weeks ago. I admit, when I taped this one up on the wall my eyes literally looked like the heart eye emoji. I knew it was THE ONE! My wallpaper guy, Jim Finley, said the paper was GREAT quality and really easy to install. He actually said it was the coolest project he’s done in awhile! What do you guys think about how it turned out?

Here’s a little “Before/After” of the space! I’m so obsessed! Scroll down below for all the sources!

Wallpaper | Faucet | Mirror | Sconces | Gold Frames | Knobs | Bath Accessories

My Thoughts about A Future with Hope by Carl Armato

As promised… I want to tell you guys all about the book I just finished reading - “A Future with Hope” by Carl Armato. I went through a plethora of emotions reading it. I started it when Amelia was sick and I was sitting with her on the couch for most of the day, so I started out reading it aloud to her. The first chapter started with a conversation the author had with a diabetic teen. From what I hear, the teen years are trying for kids dealing with Type 1. They don’t want to think about it. They want to give up and they just want to fit in. As I was reading Carl’s words to the teen out loud to Amelia, my voice began to shake and the tears started to flow:

“You’ve got to support your supporters. I’m no hero. The heroes in my life are my parents and the people who supported me. Those are your heroes too. They’re the ones who watch and make sure you’re ok, so they’re the ones to listen to. You need to support your supporters: love them, appreciate them and, above all, listen to them. And do it like your life depends on it.” 

Amelia asked why I was crying. I told her that reading someone else’s experience, when it’s similar to your own, sometimes makes you emotional. Hearing those words struck a chord. As a parent to a Type 1, you just do what you have to do for your child. There’s really no thinking about what it means. It’s like being thrown into the deep end of the pool not knowing how to swim. You figure it out. You don’t do it and expect recognition or appreciation. You just swim because your child’s life depends on it. Honestly, I’m more emotional about it all now than I was a year ago. I haven’t had time to really reflect because I’ve been too busy learning, too busy worrying if what I’m doing is right. The author talks a lot about support. Support is 100% necessary for a successful life with diabetes and it comes from ALL directions – from parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, the school nurse, the bus driver, coaches and the doctors. While I’m thinking of it I want to thank YOU for being a part of our solid web of support.

The book continues on. Carl talks of his life experiences, of his amazing family who supported him, of scary low blood sugar episodes, of the changes in technology and advancements in diabetes management and of the way he’s been treated because of his diabetes. One particular story that stands out was that once his middle school basketball coach found out he was a diabetic he went from a starting star player to a bench warmer. Even though the coach thought he was showing concern for his player, Carl resented the fact that he was missing out because of his disease. He begged his Mom to let him keep his diabetes hidden and she let him make that choice. This experience set the tone for a good portion of his life. He didn’t want his diabetes to hinder his career or change peoples’ opinions of him. He strived to be the best at every single thing he did, just to prove to himself that he could be the best at anything even though he had diabetes. Through all his success he kept it hidden for a long time, until just a few years ago.  

It was eye opening to read the chapter that talked more about how NOT to be toward those with diabetes, from a diabetic’s angle. He encourages others to not always ask about diabetes, to not focus on the disease but instead focus on the person. Never call out a person for what they are eating, after all, you wouldn’t dare say, “Should you really be eating that?” to someone who may happen to be overweight, so why would you say it to anyone at all? True supporters will never see you as a burden.  

At one point reading the book I had a little breakdown. Carl was talking about how people have said some crazy insensitive things to him over the years, sometimes because of their own ignorance. An eye doctor actually told him he should choose a career that didn’t require eyesight because he’d probably end up blind. Who says that, let alone a doctor?!  Just hearing the things that have been said to him over the years was overwhelming. I know Amelia will encounter ignorance and judgment in her life and I just want to take it away from her. I sat there and thought, “Why her? Why did she get this disease? Give it to me instead!” I don’t know why she was chosen, but I have to trust there’s a reason.

I can’t help but imagine all the good that has happened since Carl opened up about his diabetes. He has given inspiring speeches about his experiences and how without diabetes he doesn’t know if he would have been as driven and successful. He has given words of encouragement to others living with the disease that who knows, may have saved a life. He has spread awareness about Type 1 Diabetes and inspired those affected by it. Only GOOD things have come from being transparent about his challenges and triumphs and I’m thankful to have read his story. Click HERE to pick up a copy for yourself.

A Future With Hope by Carl Armato

Last week was a rough one. 😥 Amelia was sick and home from school every day last week. We’re lucky actually.  This is the first time she’s been sick in the year since she was diagnosed.  I now understand the correlation between illness, medication (prednisone) and insanely high blood sugar readings. 😡 Holy moly, insulin upon insulin upon insulin and she was still averaging blood sugars ranging from 250-400+. Those high numbers affect her mood drastically.  She feels exhausted and super irritable.  It’s terrible!  The good news is she’s back in school this week and although her readings are still a little high, the average is coming down.  

I decided this morning I deserved a little coffee and couch time. ☕️ I picked up this book, “A Future with Hope” by Carl Armato. He is the CEO of Novant Health in North Carolina recently shared his story about living with diabetes since he was 18 months old. I’m excited to read it and learn about his life and to hear about life experiences directly from a very successful and driven Type 1 Diabetic. This would be awesome for anyone to read — Type 1’s, Type 1 parents or relatives, friends of Type 1’s or ANYONE who likes to learn and who strives to be empathetic. HERE is a link to the book, go check it out!  I’ll be sure to share my thoughts when I finish it up. 🤓 Here’s to all the #type1parents out there, you’re doing an AMAZING job!!! 🙌🏻  

P.S. Happy National Diabetes Awareness Month! #sponsored