Goodbye November, December is HERE!

Does anyone else feel like they just blinked and it was December?! November was full of amazingness and super fun times with our families.

Bella got her 20 point charm to start off November right!

We took a Sunday Funday roadtrip on November 12th to explore everything Fall in Arkansas. We had a ball! 

Our first stop was City Rock Bluff, a family favorite! 

We stopped for breakfast in Calico Rock after that and had some amazing homemade toast with jelly (it was the best bread we have ever eaten), biscuits and gravy, eggs, and bacon. The chef came out and brought us complimentary homemade sugar cookies (melt in your mouth). I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant to tell you guys, but if you ever go through Calico Rock, it's a MUST stop. It shouldn't be too hard to find...

Then we proceeded to our third stop, Pedestal Rocks and then to Alum Cove Natural Bridge. I didn't get pictures at these stops, but major fun was had and we took in all of the beauty of Fall.

Our final stop before we headed home was the Arkansas Grand Canyon. We definitely saved the best for last. The beauty that we found there was simply to gorgeous to put into words. 

The Arkansas Grand Canyon had a gift shop and we did a little shopping...

Bella spent her egg money on a gorgeous unicorn! Brad is just plain gorgeous in his tiny hat.

Speaking of Bella, she jumped up in her reading levels and got a brag tag to show off her hard work. We are so proud of her! She is maintaining all A's in every subject and is learning so much this year. Another bragging moment is that her handwriting has improved BIG TIME!

To our surprise, November held a special new addition to our funny farm! Our neighbor rescued a cow named Maggi. Waking up to a cow "moo" is the perfect way to start the day.

Then came my Christmas Photo Days and Thanksgiving! I cooked up 9 recipes for Thanksgiving and I'll share them in another blog post soon. We stayed super busy with family, food, and visiting and had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. 

 

 

Look at all of that yummy food?!

Burnett Thanksgiving 2017

Christmas Photo Days ran without a hitch and our family ended up getting photos done too. We haven't had photos done since Bella was 2 years old (she's almost 9), so you can imagine my excitement when my girlfriend volunteered to shoot some photos of us doing what we do best...being goofy and loving on our animals. 

Here's a few of Bella and her Lee Lee

Here's Bella and her best friend, Sydney

...and now for the Rega Family Christmas 2017 photos...

We also visited Mammoth Spring Park to take in a beautiful sunset and see some ducks and geese. I sometimes forget about the beauty that is a short way from us. 

Bella Brag: She moved up more reading levels! The sky is the limit for this book worm. I could not be more proud of her. 

I ended November in St. Louis when I made a surprise trip to see my family. My Aunt Debbie was down on her knee, so I was able to visit while helping her out. I so enjoyed seeing all of my family and visiting with everyone. We laughed until we cried, we cried, and we smiled until it heart. Sometimes you just need to get away, even if it is by yourself and spur of the moment. My first night in St. Louis, I spent loving on my newest cousin, Brody. He is such a joy!

My second day in St. Louis, I picked up my other cousin Nicholas from school and hung out with my cousin Tara. Nicholas has grown so much and I so enjoyed every minute spent with him. That kid has a heart of gold. Tara is one of my favorite people. She is always a barrel of laughs, she says what I'm thinking (most of the time), and there is never a dull moment. She keeps me laughing until my body aches. 

My third day in St. Louis, Tara and Jerry had me over for dinner. Tara and I were able to grab Starbucks and go grocery shop at Schnucks (the most amazing grocery store ever) and make tons of new memories. Jerry cooked steaks, salad, rolls, and macaroni and cheese. It was delish! I was so spoiled. Then we sat and visited and I played on Nicholas's Virtual Reality gear. It was quite the experience. 

I cannot wait for our trip in 2 weeks to see them all again. This time Brad and Bella will be with me and we are going to have some Christmas fun! The weeks cannot fly by fast enough.

The Rega's are welcoming December with open arms. Our next few weeks are jam packed with as much fun as we can squeeze in while we enjoy our Christmas together and with our family and friends and ring in the new year. 

Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup Recipe

It's soup weather, y'all, and I'm not sure about you guys, but I live in a house with some picky eaters (Brad more so than Bella). They both hate onions and Brad doesn't like carrots, but guess what? They LOVE this soup and it has both. I'm pulling out all of the sneaky chef stops with this one and it's a surefire crowd pleaser that will have your family cheering for more!

Serves 4 people

What You'll Need:
Immersion blender or regular blender
Half of a chopped onion
1/4 cup of stick butter
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of half and half
2 cups of chicken stock
2 large bunches of broccoli
2 carrots
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional) I don't use because I don't have
8oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sourdough bread boule per person

• Using a peeler, peel carrots and then chop into small pieces
• Dice onion
• Chop broccoli into small pieces
• Saute onion in 1 tbsp melted butter until transparent (salt, pepper, and garlic powder as you wish)
• Make a roux using the remainder of the butter (3 tbsp), let it melt in the pot with the onions, then add the 1/4 cup of flour and mix. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. 
• Add in the half and half and stir constantly
• Add in chicken stock and simmer for 20 mins stirring occasionally
• Preheat oven to 400 while soup is simmering
• Add vegetables and cook for 25 minutes over low heat stirring occasionally
• When the timer has 15 mins left, put bread boule in oven and bake for 14-16 minutes
• Remove pot from heat and using an immersion blender (or blender), blend until the soup is your choice of the perfect consistancy
• Stir in 8oz of cheese and 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Cut the top off of the bread boule and dig out the inside, leaving the perfect soup bowl 
• Do not through away the extra bread! Use it for dipping into your soup!
• Laddle soup into bread boule and serve--ENJOY!

UPDATE on Wal-Mart's Free Grocery Pickup

Okay y'all, I was going to just update my original post, but if you have read it already, I don't want you to have to read back through to find updates. If you haven't read my original FREE Wal-Mart Grocery Pickup post, please do so before going any further, so we are all on the same page.

Okay, now that I have your attention and have you all filled in on the greatest invention since sliced bread, I'm ready to proceed. I couldn't hardly wait to head to Mountain Home yesterday to pick up my groceries. I had my main chick in the passenger seat and after a quick fuel fill up, we hit the road to what we only hoped would be a flawless experience. Wal-Mart, you did not disappoint.

Now, I first have to say that I do not normally touch my cell phone while driving. I have blue tooth in my vehicle, allowing me to answer calls and change songs without having to grab my phone and look away from the road. But, I did hear a ding and with a quick glance, I noticed that Wal-Mart sent me an email letting me know that my groceries were ready for pick up about 30 minutes before I was due to pick them up. AWESOME!

When I was about 15 minutes away, I attempted to check in through the app with my phone to let them know that I was on my way (I know, I know...dangerous and I was careful to do it in a slow spot where I had full control with no traffic around). So, for future trips, I'm going to check in while in my driveway. Using the GPS tracking on your phone, they are able to estimate your arrival which is so cool. So make sure and check in before you leave your house.

When we got to Wal-Mart, I knew that I was supposed to go to the right side of the store (from the email that Wal-Mart sent me when I placed my order, letting me know where to go). Even if you didn't know where to go, Mountain Home Wal-Mart has you covered. The store has a BIG lit up sign saying Pickup on the right side, but if you don't see it, just follow the pickup signs posted throughout the parking lot. Seriously, they make it so simple for you to go to the right spot.

I successfully pulled in to parking spot 10 and noticed that my phone check in had not went through, which pulled up a number to call. The number was also conveniently posted on the parking spot space. A lady answered immediately and I let her know that I had tried to check in, but it didn't go through and I was there. She requested that I pull to a closer spot, which wasn't a problem at all and then for me to wait and they would be out shortly. So I pulled into spot 4, got out, and opened my back hatch to make it easiest for loading (at this point I was still unsure if I was loading). I suddenly noticed an employee approaching with a dolly loaded with blue crates. He came up to my window and introduced himself as Austin and proceeded to walk through the 2 substitutions that they made for me. The first substitution was a BIGGER package of sugar snap peas, because they did not have the smaller bag...and then he said the words that I never expected to hear,"Ma'am, any time we have to substitute for something more expensive, we only charge you the price you paid when ordering." Uh what?! He literally made my whole life. So, I got a 1lb bag of snap peas for an 8oz bag price! SCORE! My next substitution was seriously no big deal. They simply didn't have a plain cheese mini pizza and asked if it would be okay to substitute with pepperoni. My pint size mini was TOTALLY okay with the substitution. I then signed for my order and he loaded it. Did you hear that? He loaded it. Then he told me he had one other bag for me and put a small tote of Wal-Mart swag in there as well. So cool!

It took me longer to type this blog than what it took me from pull in to pull out. Bella and I estimated 5 minutes. Bella thinks it was more like 4 minutes and insists that ever minute counts, but guys...5 minutes?! I'd say this new little venture is worth the drive.

We arrived home and unloaded our bags. At this point, I was driving Bella insane squealing. All of our cold stuff was still SUPER cold, just like it would have been when if we had shopped at Ash Flat and all of the items were bagged perfectly. You can tell that our shopper got us the best items as well. Our produce was amazing and our milk is good until November 24th!

I can honestly give this experience no less than a 100% and 5 star rating. I cannot believe how awesome it truly was. I hope that all of you will try it out soon and let me know how your experience goes. Happy shopping!

Our Swag Bag

FREE Wal-Mart Grocery Pickup

Okay, I have a spare moment to sit down and get you guys all hyped up about my newest love: FREE Wal-Mart Grocery Pickup. WHA?! You cannot be serious, right? For me, the over planner, I have my menu done a week in advance and save it on my phone in the Notes app. Now, don't get me wrong, grocery shopping is easy using the app, because you can just delete the items as you put them into your cart. But one thing I hate about using the Notes app for my grocery shopping is budgeting. I budget our weekly or biweekly (depending on where I grocery shop) grocery list and while I'm able to estimate the cost of our weekly haul, I'm not able to budget our cost to the penny...and it drives me insane. Remember me saying that I'm an over planner? Well, I'm also a control freak. I like to know where my money is going. Then enters...*cue angels singing* FREE Wal-Mart Grocery Pickup.

Now, I'm going to be the first one to say that Wal-Mart is not my ideal grocery shopping store. I'm an avid Aldi fan and don't mind traveling the 45 mile trip to West Plains just to save money (and get better produce and cheaper milk). Aldi has amazing products in their stores. Most are organic or gluten-free and I feel better serving my family items from their select lines. While they don't have a lot of "name brand" things, they have Aldi brand items that are just as good, if not better than the "name brand". If you are looking to save TONS of money, but not sacrifice quality items, Aldi is definitely your go-to. The downside to Aldi is that you have to bag your own items, bring your own bags (unless you want to purchase their bags which are very cheap), and you have to have your cart quarter on hand before going in. I love the Aldi in West Plains. Every single employee is very helpful, kind, and goes above and beyond. I sent one on a wild goose chase for hash brown potatoes one day, because she saw me searching and I must have looked helpless. She was super eager to help me out and was even told me to keep shopping and she would bring them to me. Aldi has been our go-to grocery shop for the last few years. I only shopped at Wal-Mart if I absolutely needed something and by needed something I mean if I couldn't wait 2 days for Amazon Prime to send it my way. Yes, I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague. But I just couldn't avoid their newest project and here is why...

One of my girlfriend's just had a baby. She lives close to Mountain Home and was filling me in on how convenient the Mountain Home Wal-Mart recently made her life. She went on to tell me that Mountain Home is now offering FREE Grocery Pickup at their Wal-Mart. She bragged that you literally order your groceries, pay, and assign a pickup date and time...then you just pick them up. I couldn't believe it. How convenient for her and any other new mother?! She doesn't have to get her baby out in the soon to be winter weather, she doesn't have to worry about sicknesses and people trying to touch her baby, she also doesn't even have to worry about loading her car up whilst trying to coax a fussy baby. I think all of you mothers can relate to how convenient this new option is. I remember when I had Bella and I still had my 2 door Alero. It was hard to get Bella in and out in her car seat, leaving me frustrated before we even went into the store. Then came all of the people wanting to look and touch her (how about no) and let's not forget lugging every single bag out and into the trunk while trying to keep a fussy girl happy. I mean, I can't even blame the babies, I despise Wal-Mart too.

So, while this new adventure for Wal-Mart is quite the award winner, it does have some drawbacks. The only location that does pickup is Mountain Home. Ash Flat, Batesville, West Plains, and Jonesboro all have not jumped on the bandwagon yet. So, you will have a trip to Mountain Home to plan for. If anything, though, shop in 2 week intervals and you can totally justify the time saving of the free pickup, even with drive time. Another drawback, that I wouldn't even call a drawback, is that you do have a $30.00 minimum...but who can go into Wal-Mart and spend $30 on groceries?! If you can, I need to speak to you and be enlightened.

Here are some definite pluses to using the Free Grocery Pickup with Wal-Mart:
1. You can literally shop online on the walmart.com website or from your phone by downloading the Wal-Mart Grocery app. (All you need is a Wal-Mart account, which is super easy to set up if you don't have one)
2. You get to schedule the date and time when you want to pick up the items. I will say this though, make sure you pre-plan. Days fill up quickly and typically you can not do same day. Also, be prepared to pay after selecting a day. Wal-Mart does not save your day and time without payment.
3. While shopping, you can see what your total (with tax) is adding up too. This is one of my favorite things about the freedom of online grocery shopping. You actually know where each cent is going. When you search for an item, it also makes you aware of ALL brands of the item, so if you would like to substitute a cheaper brand, do it to it.
4. You can also get toiletries and other household items/appliances. SCORE! I always need something like dishwashing liquid, toilet paper, or laundry detergent...so pre-plan when you are getting low and get it in the cart.
5. Even after placing your order, you have until 1:45am the day you are picking up to add anything that you forget. This is so amazing! Did you forget you have company coming and need paper plates or plastic cups to host a cookout with easy cleanup? No worries, you're covered!
6. You get an email when you have placed your grocery order. It shows you what to do when you are on your way to the store, where to park when you arrive, and the Wal-Mart employees bring out your groceries BAGGED AND READY TO ROLL! (I'm not sure if they load your items. I can't remember, but will update after my first experience this evening.)

Free Wal-Mart Grocery Pickup is perfect for working moms and dads who don't have time to spend hours grocery shopping, new mothers who don't want to subject their kiddos to sicknesses, parents who have sick kiddos who don't want to contaminate others, elderly who cannot walk through the store or drive (Mountain Home offers local delivery as well), and for people who get stressed out in Wal-Mart. I urge you all to give it a try and let me know what you like or dislike about it. Also, if you have tried it and love it or hate it, comment below! I want to hear it all.

Welcoming November and Bidding Farewell to October

There's just something so amazing about the leaves changing and falling, a cool chill in the air, pumpkins on doorsteps, and curling up on the couch with a cozy blanket and cup of your favorite warm drink. IT'S FALL!

The past few weeks Fall weather has been teetering back and forth, but I'm glad to say that the weather forecast isn't showing any high over 60 for the next 2 weeks. SQUEE!

Flashing back to October for a minute, makes me realize just how extremely blessed our family is. Pageant judging makes me so unbelievably happy and I got to judge a pageant with one of my favorite people, which started October off with a BANG!

Then came Homecoming Week, one of our favorite times of the school year, because Bella Mae looks forward to the dress up days. I can't even lie, I look forward to them too! Here's just some of the awesomeness that Homecoming Week held:

After our family trip to the Pumpkin Patch, we had almost everything we needed to build the most perfectly decorated fall porch...

But I knew something was missing. I found the perfect scarecrow girl at Hobby Lobby with the help of my hubby and baby girl and a Fall door hanger that completed my vision. What do you think?

After being sick for what seemed like 2 months, 3 doctors visits, tons of medications and steroids, and 2 shots...I was finally better and able to go see my favorite newborn baby girl, Syvalee Regan. Her mommy and I worked together throughout her entire pregnancy and formed a lifelong friendship, so you can imagine how excited I was to finally meet that gorgeous angel baby!

October also held big academic achievements for Bella Mae. She is in 3rd grade this year and got her 15 point charm for Accelerated Reader and also got straight As on her first report card of the year.

We rounded out the last few weeks of October with an outdoor wedding, then dinner and dancing. That same weekend Brad and I made pumpkin rice krispie's treats for Bella's Sunday school class and they were a BIG hit!

The last week of October was Red Ribbon Week at Bella's school, so cue another dress up week. She had so much fun at her pep rally performing with her Mighty Mite cheerleaders and everyone had a ball at her Fall Party at school.

October also held Bella's last Mighty Mite football game of her 3rd grade year. Her 3rd grade team was undefeated! They played their little hearts out.

Miranda, Gil, and Syvalee came down to see us and go to lunch and Bella and Brad finally got to meet baby girl! Isn't this photo precious?

Bella Mae had a church hayride that she had SOOOO much fun at. They played games, ate yummy goodies, and she even tagged along on the adult (scary) hayride. What can I say? She is a girl after my own heart!

...and just like that it was Halloween! Bella dressed up in all black and cat ears for school and we went trick-or-treating with one of her best friends and his family. Even Brad and I joined in on the action. We had so much fun! 

So, goodbye October. Thank you for all of the amazing memories. Hello, November! We welcome you with open arms, because that means even more family time during school breaks. We started off our November with Sunday Funday over in Cotter doing family photos of the Reynolds' family. I'm having so much fun editing them. 

Bella has also started off November with a new talent! She taught herself to braid. We are so proud. 

Our October and first week of November have been super eventful! I'm excited to see what the rest of November holds for us. I'm so pumped for the holidays and being able to have more family time. I'm already planning our Thanksgiving menu and our Thanksgiving outfits (Bella and I are going to wear matching dresses this year). I love looking at our calendar and seeing it jam-packed full of fun. What are your plans for the holidays? I want to know! Comment below and leave some love for my first post. Thanks for reading, y'all!