BIG Moment!

On Monday,

my daughter finally

 learned how to walk.

I was filled with joy and excitement

seeing my little cutie pie walking.

I'm so proud of her and for her

BIG moment!

(She loves to see what's in the cupboards)

Now, she goes everywhere

around the house exploring

and making sure to touch

everything within her reach.

She looks so cute walking,

she keeps her little hands up for balance.

Adorable!

♥ ♥ ♥

Who Do You Want To Be?

So, who do you want to be?

Whenever I think about this question,

I remember this Judy Garland quote that

I love:

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself,

instead of a second-rate version

of somebody else".

It's so true.

You should always be You!

and not the copy of somebody else.

All your uniqueness and quirkiness

are what makes the really You.

Trust me, I'm not perfect and

that's okay. But, I'm trying to be

the absolutely best that I can be everyday.
By being a good mother, wife,
daughter, sister and friend.
By trying to learn from my mistakes,
learning from them and moving on.

Who do I want to be?
I want to be just me.
I want to be kind, a helper,
generous, pass on joy and love.
Take advantage on every opportunity given to me,
look back on my life and say that I've lived with purpose,
that I was exactly the person that God created me to be!
To be CAROLINE.


♥ ♥ ♥

Playing Dress Up: Fall Comfort

I love the Fall season because

I finally get to wear comfy and warm clothes

and also keep my feet warm and toasty.

The simple combination of a long sweater

and a pair of legging is perfect for Fall.

Add some riding boots and messenger bag

and you've a great look.

And how adorable is the little glasses necklace!

This is my perfect idea of Fall comfort look.

Fall Comfort by sweetcarolinee1 featuring vintage black boots

Old Navy crochet cardigan, $25
Warehouse legging, $25
Vintage black boots, $88
Zara suede messenger bag, $7.99
Metal jewelry, $49

Sauteed Collard Greens

I love eating collard greens. 

To me, the best way to make it

is to just simply saute,

it's really quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of collard greens, about 1 pound
- 2 gloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 strips of smoked bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and pepper

Directions:
Cut the stalks from the collard greens and wash really well to remove the dirt.
Dry the leaves well, stack up the leaves and roll up lengthwise in bundle, cut into 1/4 inch ribbons.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and bacon and saute for about 2 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
Add the collard greens and toss really well. Saute for another 2 or 3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve and enjoy.

Home Decor: Fall Inspired

My favorite season is upon us!

I love the fall season and

everything that comes with it.

The ever changing colors of leaves,

the cooler and crisp air,

the comfy and warm clothes,

pumpkin pies and apple cider.

That makes me so happy and giddy!

Going to the pumpkin patch

and picking up my own pumpkin.

Enjoying hayrides and walking

through corn mazes.

It's the season to give Thanks!

One of my favorite holidays:

Thanksgiving.

I love going to different stores

and seeing all the fall decorations.

I wish I could buy everything.

Here's some inspiration for

some fall decor.

Enjoy!



A Few Favorites & About Me

I thought it would be interesting to

share some of things that I love,

to get you to know me a little bit.

These are a few things that

I love!

Eating pizza! I love a variety of pizzas

but my favorite is pepperoni.

It creates a little party in my tummy.

Yumm!

My favorite flower is tulip

and I love it in every single color.

It reminds of sunny spring mornings

and fresh air.

If you ever take a peek at my closet,

you"ll find a box full of scarves.

I have a whole collection,

many in different colors and fabrics.

The other day I went shopping and

bought three of them.

It just makes me happy.

Whenever I have some free time,

I love to pick up a new book

and enjoy every single page.

But I've been lacking some

reading time lately.

When I watched "The Wizard of Oz" for

the very first time, I was mesmerized by

Judy Garland.

I love her voice and I think I've watched

every single one of her films.

My all time favorite musical is

"Singin' In The Rain".

Just watch it,

and you'll know why.

I could wear skinny jeans,

cardigans and flats

every day.

I like to feel comfortable.

A good cup of tea

and some cupcakes are

my idea of perfect afternoon snack.

"There's no place like home".

It's so true!

That's what I learned from watching

"The Wizard of Oz".

My dream vacation is

to see Venice, Italy.

I hope my dream comes true.

I hope!!!

Three things that I love to do:

cooking, baking and

watching movies.

Pure joy.

So, what are a few of your favorite things?

I would love to hear from you!

♥ ♥ ♥

Couples Dinner

This past Saturday,

our church had a couples dinner party.

It was great!

It's not always that

the hubby and I have time just to ourselves, 

we appreciated very much the couple of hours

we had with each other and the other

couples as well.

We had a fantastic time,

filled with funny conversations, 

fabulous and delicious four course food service,

plus the decoration was beautiful.

I ♥ my Hubby!

Little roses centerpiece.

The food presentation was beautiful and everything tasted delicious.

( I just forgot to take pictures of the entree.)

This was a non-alcoholic strawberry mixed drink.

Very, very delicious!

I think I drank four of them. =]

It was a night of pure joy and fun.

♥ ♥ ♥

Chocolate Bonbons (Brigadeiro)

Brigadeiro is a Brazilian chocolate bonbon created in 1940s,

it's very common to find them at many parties.

This was served at Sophia's birthday party,

I thought it would be nice

to share the recipe.

So, here it is:

Ingredients:
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted margarine
- 7 tablespoons of Nesquik chocolate powder
- chocolate sprinkles to decorate

Directions:
Over medium heat, place a medium pot and add the condensed milk, margarine and chocolate powder.
Cook over medium heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon.
Cook until the bonbon batter starts to lift from the bottom of the pot.
Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
Grease your hands with butter, start making and rolling the batter into little balls.
Roll them in the chocolate sprinkles.
Enjoy.

One Fine Day

It was one fine day!

It was my sister's birthday

and we had a "girls only" kind of day.

We did a little gift shopping,

grabbed some lunch,

relax a little,

walked around in the Mall and took some pictures.

The pictures were taken at a ramp behind

the Mall that leads to the Trolley Museum.

All the pictures were taken by my sister, Carine.

Take a look:

My cutie pie!

My sister & I

Sophia loves her Auntie.

I love squeezing her.

♥

Trying to walk with Mommy.

♥ ♥ ♥




Life is Good!

Life is good!

 Yes, it is!

Life is too short,
so enjoy every moment
and live to its fullest but with purpose.

I always say this and I mean it,

take your time and

enjoy the little things in life.

Laugh until you cry.
Say yes to chocolate 'cause it's really good.
Remember to create and pass on joy.
Always pay it forward with a smile.
Be kind.

Learn forgiveness.
Be grateful,
be graceful,
be thankful
all of the days of your life.

Trust God above all else.
Count your blessings.
YOU are blessed!
You've the privileged
to be alive.

Celebrate your life,
celebrate your family,
celebrate your friends,
celebrate
 absolutely,
positively
E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!

So Followed Saturday

(just click)

This Saturday I'm being featured on

 "So Followed Saturday Blog Hop".

I'm so happy!

So, stop by and join the fun!

It's a great opportunity to meet new blogs

and make new friends.

A special BIG thanks
 to the fabulous 3 hosts:
Cori's Big Mouth, Confessions of a Vi3tBabe,
and One More Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.

♥ ♥ ♥

Playing Dress Up: Color & Stripes

Stripes, stripes, stripes!

 I love a striped shirt,

to me it has a classic feel and the best part is

that it can be worn all seasons because it's never out of style.

I also love skinny jeans,

and lately it seems that the trend is the colorful vibrant skinny. 

Just add a pair of flats, some jewelry and a shoulder bag,

and you're good to go!

A good combination: color + stripes = style

Color & Stripes by sweetcarolinee1

My Labor Day

 Labor Day around where we live was

 cold, cloudy and very rainy.

It didn't stop us from enjoying the holiday and the outdoors.

We had a BBQ with family and friends at the Promised Land State Park.

In between breaks from rain showers,

we were able to take a few strolls around the park.

Here are few photos:

(I look so tiny in this picture)

The pavillon where we stayed.

 

♥ ♥ ♥

Hubby feeding the ducks.

 

They were so friendly.

Storm was coming,

 it was time to pack our things.

A Ladybug Birthday Party!

Here's a look at Sophia's 1st birthday party.

It was a ladybug themed party,

the photos were taken by my sister, Carine.

Take a look:

The painted mural and the balloon arch were done by two friends of mine.

The balloons can be found at Balloons Fast.

.
I ordered the cake at our local supermarket,
 it was a vanilla cake with pineapple filling and butter cream icing.

It fitted perfectly with the rest of the decorations.

The personalized lollipops were from Oriental Trading,

as well the red paper treat bags.

Ladybug decorated cupcakes.

The paper cupcake stand I found at Jo-Ann's for $10, it's from the Martha Stewart Crafts.

♥ Sweets & Sweets ♥

Little party favors, I made it myself just using baby food jars, red spray paint, some ladybug stickers and ribbons. They were filled with gumballs.

The centerpieces and table settings

were alternated with red and white.

The plates, cups, napkins and plastic cutlery set were bought at the Dollar Tree.

It was really inexpensive.

This banner I ordered from Birthday In a Box,

as well the little personalized stickers for the treat bags.

I had a great luck in finding this adorable ladybug dress for Sophia.

Afterall, it was a great party and she had tons of fun!

♥