a #tbt, favorites. halloween.

everyone does #tbt these days, including myself, so today i am going to start this post with a throw back to 2 weeks ago. my toes in the sand on the beach.

this post is going to be about a few of my favorite things lately, starting with this root beer i had at lunch.

this new planner i got today. let me just tell you, i am obsessed with buying new planners & the one i got in jan. has seen better days. this planner inlcudes, july-dec of this year & all of next year. 

this purse made by my sweet haitian friends.

my sweet dexter cat and his western look.

what i am wanting off the sephora sale site.

love love lip color!

september is literally days away you guys & i have already been pinning my heart out with ideas for halloween. every year we throw a really cool halloween party & i simply cannot wait. there are going to be prizes for best food items & prizes for best costume & so much more. if you follow me on pinterest you can see a lot of my ideas here 

i am throwing this party with my dear friend ashlan this year & it is going to better than ever. 

 my top 5 food ideas.

site

i did these little guys at one of the parties and they were a hit & so easy. 

site

site

these are so easy & oh so yummy!

my top 5 drink ideas

use a glove and fill with ice- tie off and freeze.

this is good for making your house smell like fall! i remember this smell from when i was a kid.

swamp juice

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& now for some decorations.

all of these ideas are diy & won't take a lot of time at all. i am thinking of having a small band play too! 

the countdown has begun to the estes annual halloween party!

cheers,

mrs. estes

31 days.

until... FALL.

wait. what?

crazy right? i feel like this summer has flown by, it was just yesterday cory & i were walking up peachtree st in the frozen tundra with cars parked everywhere on the street. i am such a summer girl, but fall has been growing on me. the fashion, the cool breeze, pumpkin spice latte, sitting by the fire, roasting marshmallows, snuggles, & of course the leaves changing color.

i have been looking all over the internet for fall fashion pieces i would like & so far these are some of my favorites (you can follow my pinterest board here)

fall shoes.

here

here

with warmer weather brings warmer food. soups- crock pot meals- sweet potato casserole

check all of these recipes here

yum

eek! my birthday is coming up quickly & i will  be making a trip to alabama. yes alabama. why? the amazing store where all the lost luggage goes there & you can buy things! i am so excited. who wants to go?

cheers,

mrs. estes

tell me something good.

with all the bad that is going on in the world & the news constantly covering the negative, i wanted to post about stories we might not hear about that are good. people that are doing something good for the world. we all need to be reminded of hope & that there are people out there making a difference. i will also link up so you have the opportunity to donate to any of these organizations/people i have written about.

1. Haitian Christian Mission

* this one is a little close to my heart. this is where i stayed on my first mission trip to haiti. it is amazing to see & hear how much this mission has grown in the last 40 years. i have made life long friends every-time i go there & those friends i feel are like family now. there are many ways you can help this mission, by donating to sponsor a child for education , sponsoring one of the athletes through a program they call play it forward, or   donating to help with the medical facility. if you click on the hcm link above you can read all about what they do in each area because i could take up a whole blog post writing about everything that they do. you can also follow them on facebook and see all the updates & everything new they have going on.


2. Wholehearted Orphanage 

* one of the sweetest couples you will ever meet with some of the biggest hearts & sweetest children. i love love going and spending time with these kids on  my trips to haiti. so much love surrounds this home & this family radiates life & faith. please take a minute to visit their site & read about what God is doing through Lucia and Marcelin. these children are such a gift & i cannot wait to see them in december.

*this picture was taken from their facebook page

here are some more of the kids.

3. Christina Smith

* this lady is a treasure. i met her on my first trip to haiti last december & actually got to have conversations with her this last trip in may. i feel like she is a kindred spirit & her heart for haiti is inspiring. she has been in haiti for the past year and recently came home to visit family, but is going back for another year! so exciting & so amazing to see her passion come to fruition. i asked her to write a little bit about what she will be doing & give a link so if you would like to donate you can!

" I will be volunteering with Real Hope For Haiti. RHFH has a large medical clinic and a rescue center for malnourished children. I will be homeschooling 4 children and working in the center and clinic to provide nursing care and staff support. RHFH has a well established nutrition program that not only focuses in helping people survive, but educating them so that they stay healthy. Parents take classes while their child is getting treatment and they go home together healthier and better educated with the goal in mind that they don't come back malnourished again. Parents can continue to take classes and in return get food assistance. I want to learn everything I can about this program with the possibility of implementing it in a part of Haiti that does not have these resources! I leave September 14th and will return June 2015. Donations can made on their website: www.realhopeforhaiti.org just make sure to put Christina Smith in a note or memo"

please keep her in your prayers!

-- these are all people that i know so i can stand by what i say about them. if you are thinking of giving to any of these people the money will be put to amazing use. sending a child to school, helping a village get water, helping people who need medical attention,  feeding the hungry, or even paying for a craft day for these kids. anything you can do will matter. 

Matthew 25:35-40New International Version (NIV)

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

vacation part 3.

this is going to be my favorite post & last post about vacation. 3 parts you guys. sorry!

as you know i did my research before visiting daytona, 1. because i have never been 2. i like to make good use of my time.

hidden treasure rum bar & grill.  - you are a piece of work , with your huge portions, friendly staff, all you can eat crab legs on wednesday night, & last but not least amazing prices. if you are ever in daytona please please drive to this place, if you are staying in ponce inlet it is so close, if you just want to drive somewhere amazing to eat get up from your desk tell your boss you are not feeling well and make the drive. 4 hours, 7 hours or even 10, get my point?

                                                                         the view.

the food.

i had 6 orders of crab legs, pretty impressed with  myself.

jill had the order of nachos. this thing was huge!

cory is funny.

caught this selfie in action. 

needless to say we will be going back to this place. incredible.

here are some shots of storms rolling in & a night of put-put.

hes cute.

jill & zac

alligators.

serious face.

we also took a few walks.

caught this bird in flight.

& this man fishing. 

& of course a few pictures of zeke.

& us girls.

ronda, megan. me, & jill.

cutest couple award.

on our very last day we saw one of the turtle nest care takers checking out a nest in front of our condo. we rushed down to see what all the commotion was, well the nest had hatched 3 days prior & we couldn't see any tracks because of the rain. the lady was digging and digging so she could get all the eggs out and count how many hatched & see how many did not. they are trying to make the numbers of survival for baby turtles higher so what they will do is put the eggs that did not hatch just a little below the sand so they have a chance of making it which is still highly unlikely. we made our way back to the condo & started packing the jeeps, i was still staring at the ocean and the group around the nest- all of the sudden one of the boy scout troops had something in his hand and everyone was walking to the ocean. i started yelling for megan (she is a little obsessed with sea turtles) and ronda & i took off. one of the sea turtles was still under the sand! it was like God saved one just for all of us to see. it was so tiny & so cute & we were all so happy to see it take off past the waves.

vacation was great. 

cheers,

mrs. estes