Apple Cinnammon Muffins #GladeHolidayMood

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GladeHolidayMood #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is here. Everywhere I go, I see ornaments and glitter and garlands! Unlike the rest of the country though, we don't actually have an actual fall or winter season here in Florida. This leads me to overdo Thanksgiving and Christmas in my home with decorations and food. I also like my home to smell like the holidays have arrived. I buy candles for every room and keep a room spray handy. I make sure they are scented candles too, especially the Apple Cinnamon Cheer™ candles from the Glade® Winter Collection! Anything to make my house feel like all the holiday specials I watch on TV. 

Lighting my Apple Cinnamon Cheer™ candles for the first time this season brought a huge smile to my face. I am ready. Ready to decorate, ready to cook and ready to bake. Saturday morning Amberly and I were up early and got inspired by my new candles. We love to bake muffins together and that day we were going to make Apple Cinammon muffins. 

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 medium apple, chopped

Glaze:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease (or use muffin cups) a 12-cup muffin pan, set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in bowl. Add milk, butter, vanilla and egg and stir until moistened.

Add the apples. I used two small Gala apples in my recipe because my family loves apples. Don't chop them too small, you want to make sure you can see and taste your apple pieces!

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-23 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes; remove from pan. Be prepared for the most amazing smell that will overtake your kitchen!!!

In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and butter for glaze. Once the muffins have cooled a bit (about 15 minutes) take a muffin and dip the top in the glaze and twist. Make sure to cover all the top of the muffin.  Repeat until all muffins have been glazed.

These muffins are amazing! The glaze just puts them over the top. We had some for breakfast on Saturday and then as a snack throughout the day. These muffins will definitely be making various appearances during this holiday season!

I bought my Glade® candles at Publix. I love the Apple Cinnamon Cheer™ scent but they also carry a Sparkling Spruce™ scent, a Frosted Cookie Party™ scent and the exclusive Gingerbread Jingle™! With the coupons available in the 12/7/14 newspapers and on Glade.com, you can count on me being back in Publix buying every single scent to get my home ready and smelling delicious for all of our holiday celebrations!

Do you have a favorite holiday scent? What's that one scent that once you smell it, it brings back all sorts of cherished holiday memories?

TGIF Blog & Instagram Hop!

Welcome To The TGIF Hop!

Lets celebrate making it through another week by

 linking your blog and/ or your instagram below. 
You may link up any post.
 Remember, visiting other blogs and/ or Instagram links is what makes a successful blog hop.
This hop runs from every week. Starting Friday morning to Wednesday morning.
Be kind and grab a TGIF BLOG HOP button below.




Grab a button and spread the love of TGIF because who doesn't love Fridays?!

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RULES

1. PLEASE Follow your host and cohost blog's via GFC or BLOGLOVIN

2. Please Follow the hosts and co-hosts on Instagram if you link-up your account below.

3. Please leave a comment stating that you are following and where so we can follow you back and get to know you! Sometimes it can be hard to know which is a new follower and we don't want you to think we're rude.

4. Tweet the hop below to help us grow. It's greatly appreciated. 

5. Be social.  Meet new friends. 

*You do not need an Instagram account to link up.

Every first Friday of the month we will be hosting a lovely GIVEAWAY!

:: Three Sisters and us ::Mice In The Kitchen :: Second Chances Girl ::CompleteBliss Blog :: My Silly Little Gang ::

                                                                                                                                                               

    

Meet This Weeks TGIF CoHost

Crazily Normal

I am a 20-something wife to Mitch, mama to Palmer and fur-baby Leaf. 

Crazily Normal is my space to share all our adventures and daily musings as we navigate our way through this crazy thing called life!  

Want to be our next cohost and be featured? Click here!!

                         The TGIF HOP is looking for bloggers like YOU to cohost with us!

                                                                                                                                                       

This Weeks TGIF Feature

From the blog of: Three Kids and a Fish  

Be sure to check her blog out here.

easy-fall-inspired-recipe-for-5-minute

 Help us spread the word about this HOP by clicking "tweet" below!!

Our Life Lately: SUPER Stressed Out!!

Hello there and I just want to take a second to say a big "thank you" for reading my little ol' blog! This is my space, all mine that I love and spend hours upon hours stressing over. I never know if I am sharing too much or not enough, if anyone is ever actually reading. Then I get a comment and I feel so grateful that someone took time out of their day to read what I write on here. So Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! so much!! So very grateful for each and every one of you!

Let's move on to life around here. It's been CA-RRRRAZY!!! Made up words are the only way I can express life lately. I've been stressed out with payroll issues at work, upcoming holidays, blogging and things breaking around the house. Oh and we need to move by the beginning of February and with stuff breaking (needed to buy a new TV and then the fridge broke over the weekend) who knows if we will be able to afford to move. Life can get pretty chaotic huh?

Yesterday was the Thanksgiving feast at Adrian's school. Serving lunch to 71 second graders isn't easy but its worth every second to know that I was able to be there and share the afternoon with Adrian and his classmates!

The girls made me a ribbon headband to wear so I gladly obliged and rocked it with my typical side braid!!

I've been stressing over Thanksgiving dinner this year so much. I don't understand why since I have been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family since I was about 18 but this year has really snuck up on me. Add on to that the fridge breaking after I purchased the groceries for the dinner and I really expect to see some gray hairs popping out of my scalp soon! 

Since I have all three kids this weekend, we are also going to put up our tree and have our Northpole Breakfast where Buddy the Elf finally shows up. I wait all year long for Buddy to make his appearance. My kids believe and believe hard in the elf and Santa and the good behavior is very much welcomed!!

Oh and let's not forget Christmas card pictures and a visit to Santa! Add that to tons of blog posts for next week and I might need to be institutionalized!! Wish me luck!!

Creating Community Connections with Sam's Club #SimplyHealthy

Disclosure: This shop was compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SimplyHealthy #CollectiveBias

How do you create community connections? I like to volunteer my time and donate in-kind products to orphanages and women's shelters. Children are my weakness. It kills me when I go somewhere and see a child struggling. I'm also a big believer in empowering women and not just women, girls in general, of all ages. I have been extremely fortunate in my life to always have a wonderful support system of family and friends but not everyone is that fortunate. There are lots of women out there struggling to get by day by day. Women who have lost their jobs, been abused, are homeless that feel like the world has given up on them. There are so many women and children living in shelters that need our help and I have made it my mission in life to help as many as I can!

A couple of days ago, I was getting my monthly "big box" shopping list ready. This is a list of all the items that we purchase in bulk for the month or so. As I was going through my Sam's Club coupon booklet, I saw an add for their new app, Sam's Club Healthy Living Made Simple. I downloaded it and the first thing I saw was the November/December issue of Healthy Living Made Simple magazine. In this issue, I saw an article titled: Volunteering: A Gift To Yourself.  After I read it, I knew that it was a sign for me to find a way to help out even more. I added a few more items to my list and the next day, I headed out to shop. 

I arrived at Sam's Club with plenty of time on my hands to walk the entire store. I grabbed all our household items that were on the list and then headed over to the beauty/wellness aisles. I wanted to purchase items that women would need to look and feel their best. I know that personally I love to smell good, have soft hands and a nice lip balm. This little bit of pampering helps me feel better about myself everyday. I wanted to share this with the women at the shelter where I donate clothing and items throughout the year. I purchased yummy smelling soap bars, whitening toothpaste for a great smile, deodorant/antiperspirant, healing hand cream and lip balms.

When I got home, I packaged it all together in a box and attached a quote to the front of the box. I made sure it was something that would empower the women through this difficult moment of rebuilding their lives. 

I delivered my box to the shelter a couple days later. There was so much joy and so many tears to something so simple. Something as simple as hand cream and lip balm gave them so much happiness. While I was there, I made sure to grab a "Wish list" from the main office. So many items on this list that I can help out with on a monthly basis. I may not be able to get everything but I have decided that I am setting aside a little money every month so I can donate items from the list. I also signed us up as Kids Volunteers, where JC and I come in once a week to read stories and help the kids with their homework.

During this time of the year, it's easy to get caught up in all the holiday hoopla and, but remember Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all we have and help those who don't have so much. Too busy to help right now? Well there are plenty of days throughout the year where you can sign up to help those less fortunate! 

Sam's Club is a great one-stop shop for purchasing food and personal care items in large quantities at a great price, making donations easier and more convenient. 

.

How do you volunteer your time an d create community connections?

Come link up at the TGIF Blog & Instagram Hop!

Welcome To The TGIF Hop!

Lets celebrate making it through another week by

 linking your blog and/ or your instagram below. 
You may link up any post.
 Remember, visiting other blogs and/ or Instagram links is what makes a successful blog hop.
This hop runs from every week. Starting Friday morning to Wednesday morning.
Be kind and grab a TGIF BLOG HOP button below.




Grab a button and spread the love of TGIF because who doesn't love Fridays?!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.threesistersandus.com/p/tgif-hop.html" title="The TGIF HOP "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg449gOJbCqMdRM4dq33yGgm-vUGDLAIMrT-8Rim0L-LQreB4AnSmS9l0CqIeO86A8jKdCAa7j4PH6RQr7KXXuXsF6rfafCZnnH5t8yC2nQoBoZPAxTapMh2Rxk-sKIMtBlDMpP2YLK614/s1600/TGIF+Design+3.png" alt="The TGIF HOP " style="border:none;" /></a></div>

RULES

1. PLEASE Follow your host and cohost blog's via GFC or BLOGLOVIN

2. Please Follow the hosts and co-hosts on Instagram if you link-up your account below.

3. Please leave a comment stating that you are following and where so we can follow you back and get to know you! Sometimes it can be hard to know which is a new follower and we don't want you to think we're rude.

4. Tweet the hop below to help us grow. It's greatly appreciated. 

5. Be social.  Meet new friends. 

*You do not need an Instagram account to link up.

Every first Friday of the month we will be hosting a lovely GIVEAWAY!

:: Three Sisters and us ::Mice In The Kitchen :: Second Chances Girl ::CompleteBliss Blog :: My Silly Little Gang ::

                                                                                                                                                               

    

Meet This Weeks TGIF CoHost

Fitnessmomwinecountry

Lynda is a healthy lifestyle blogger.  

She is a mother of three and lives with her family in the Northern California wine country.  

She loves to write about fitness, family, healthy living with kids and shares recipes she creates.   

She loves champagne and good cheese.  Running is her favorite quite time activity. 

She enjoys writing and photography. A crafty mom or baker ... she is not.  

"Being able to laugh at ourselves is a must".

Want to be our next cohost and be featured? Click here!!

                         The TGIF HOP is looking for bloggers like YOU to cohost with us!

                                                                                                                                                       

This Weeks TGIF Feature

From the blog of: Three Kids and a Fish  

Be sure to check her blog out here.

Thanksgiving Poem

 Help us spread the word about this HOP by clicking "tweet" below!!

Power The Holidays With Duracell #PowerTheHolidays

Christmas is right around the corner, 34 days to be exact. In a picture-perfect world, I would be at-home baking desserts for Thanksgiving Dinner with all my Christmas gifts purchased and put away, not a worry in the world. But this is real life and every time I look at a calendar, I freak out. I'm no where near ready for the massive Thanksgiving dinner I need to cook much less have Christmas gifts purchased. My kids are ready though. They have gone through all the toy books that have come in the mail and marked up what they want. I do think they went a bit overboard but I guess only time will tell what Santa actually brings them! One thing I do know for sure is that we will need batteries, lots and lots of batteries! We are always running out and there has been a Christmas or two (or three) in the past where presents have been opened and there aren't any batteries to put in them.

No joy in these faces when they can't play with their new toys. I'm over it so this year I am ready. I already have some batteries on hand. I know I will need more but for now I am covered. You know what else? If I buy a toy for anyone this year, I am going to tape the required number of batteries onto the toy box. That way no other parent has to be tortured by their child on Christmas morning for forgetting the batteries! 

Power the Holidays this year with Duracell batteries! 

Duracell CopperTop All-Purpose alkaline batteries are not only dependable, they’re also long-lasting. You can take comfort in a 10-year guarantee in storage with Duralock Power Preserve Technology. They’re great for many of the devices you use on a daily basis in your home. And from storm season to medical needs to the holidays, Duracell is the #1 trusted battery brand of first responders, pharmacists and parents, so you know it’s a battery you can trust. CopperTop batteries are available in AA, AAA, C, D and 9V. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks and Duracell. All opinions and sarcastic remarks are mine alone!!

Let's be honest with each other: How many times have you forgotten to buy batteries for Christmas morning?

Holiday Party Recipes: Easy Spanish Omelette #SeasonedGreetings

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SeasonedGreetings #CollectiveBias

Looking for that perfect brunch dish? A delicious party food that's different yet breakfast-themed? Well I have the dish for you, a Spanish Omelette. I make this omelette various times a year and it always makes an appearance during Christmas brunch. It's a super yummy omelette that seems fancy but its very simple to make!

When I make this omelette as a brunch dish, I like to shake things up. While I was at Publix shopping for my ingredients, I decided to peruse the condiment section for something fun to add to my dish. I wanted to add a smoky sauce that would enhance the flavors just a bit and decided on Tabasco. Coming from a Cuban family, we normally don't use Tabasco in any of our dishes but I had heard about how a little Tabasco can really add to a dish, so I decided to give it a try.

EASY SPANISH OMELETTE

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 large eggs

1 red potato, peeled and cubed

2 links spanish chorizo

1/2 cup diced ham

1 small diced onion

1/2 tbsp original Tabasco sauce

1/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese (I use a Triple Cheddar mix)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for pan

Directions:

Peel and cut potato into small cubes. Place in small pot of cold salted water. Put over high heat and boil about 10 minutes. You want soft but not mushy potatoes. Drain water and set aside.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, drizzle olive oil in pan. Remove casing from chorizo, cut in half and then slice. If you are wondering what spanish chorizo looks like, here you go:

Add onions, chorizo and ham to pan and saute about 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a bowl, add eggs, tabasco, milk and whisk together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add potatoes and mix together. 

Pour mixture into pan. Make sure heat remains on medium, if not you will burn the bottom of the omelette. Cook about 6 minutes. You can check if your omelette is ready to flip when the sides are coming off the pan and the bottom is cooked. 

Now comes the part that scares people about making a spanish omelette on the stove: flipping. It's not hard. Take a plate that is a little larger than the pan (I use a serving platter) and coat with olive oil. Then place the plate over the pan, put your palm over the center of the plate and using your other hand, grab the handle and flip. Then you slowly push the omelette back into the pan, wet side down to cook. Add cheese. Cook about another 6-8 minutes and then slide back onto clean plate. 

Sprinkle with basil or cilantro (your choice) and set aside for a few minutes. I don't like to serve it right away, I let it cool off a bit. I think it helps the flavors fuse together a little better.

NOTE: If you would like to bake this omelette, add your ingredients to a round greased pan and bake for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees. This method makes the eggs super fluffy but takes a lot longer than cooking over the stove. Both are delicious!

I pair my omelette with a nice mimosa. Oh and the Tabasco really gave it a delicious kick to my regular omelette. I can't wait to try it in other recipes!!

Have you ever tried a Spanish omelette? If you haven't I really recommend that you do, it will rock your world!

JBL Portable Speakers: Perfect Gift For The Crossfitter In Your Life! #GiftingAudio

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiftingAudio #CollectiveBias

Do you have a Crossfitter in your life? I'm pretty certain you do since it's the top fitness program in the country right now. Well, as many of you know, my hubby, JC, is all about Crossfit. To him it isn't just an exercise, it's a lifestyle. He works out at his box (that's what each individual gym is called) 5 to 6 times a week, he competes in competition various times a year and his closest friends are all Crossfitters too. Naturally, all his birthday, anniversary and holiday gifts are Crossfit-themed. This year for Christmas, I wanted to get him something he could use for his workouts and in our daily lives. I wanted to get him a portable speaker, something wireless that he can take with him to the gym or park for a workout and we could take to the beach or use at home as a family. 

Like I mentioned before, Crossfit is a lifestyle. Since JC is involved in the competition part of Crossfit, our planning revolves around competitions. He will compete or attend the competition to cheer on his fellow teammates. It's a big part of all our lives. 

Music is a big part of any exercise regimen. The right song will get anyone pumped up and ready to go. I don't know anyone that can work out without music. I knew that a portable speaker would be an amazing gift that JC would love and use daily. I got him the JBL Charge 2 speaker since it's lightweight, wireless, connects with Bluetooth and has an amazing battery life. Look at that smile when I gave it to him!

Of course, he had to test it out right away, so off to the park we went. It was workout time! We put on his favorite workout playlist and Adrian joined in the fun. Time for some push-ups!

Next up: Handstand walks. This takes incredible skill and core strength. JC has been working on these for years and he always has me take pictures.

The ever faithful and torturous squats. A staple in Crossfit workouts!

JC loves his JBL Charge 2 speaker and I love that it was under $150 and with FREE shipping on JBL.com. Make sure you check out the JBL Holiday Gift Guide with ideas for the best audio gifts for all the music enthusiasts in your life!

Want your chance to win a JBL Audio portable speaker for the Crossfitter in your life? Then enter below for an opportunity to win 1 of 30 speakers from JBL Audio! 

JBL.com #GiftingAudio Sweepstakes