1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

1. Today is my husband's birthday, woo hoo! Happy Birthday to the most thoughtful, sweetest man I know. He is not just my husband, but also my best friend. We share everything with each other, honesty is what really builds a relationship, well that and unconditional love of course! Plus, he is so darn hardworking and cares about his family with all his heart. There isn't anything he wouldn't give to help someone out. Love, I hope you have the best birthday ever. XOXO

2. For my guy's birthday I wanted to make him a special dinner so I asked him what he would like and he said either baked ziti or lasagna. I had never made either of those before, but I knew I could turn to my mom for her baked ziti recipe. Well, since he had the night off, I made her awesome baked ziti recipe for him last night, and he said it was the best he ever had! Believe me, he isn't just saying that because he has to! Recipe coming soon...

3. Yummy birthday cake! Okay, so it's from a box and not actually from scratch, but I made it and he loved it...that's all that matters! My step-daughters helped me put it together, since they are baking pros and made my delicious birthday cake in March I knew it was a wise decision to utilize them as my baking assistants! We were so happy with how his cake turned out, we used lemon cake mix from Betty Crocker and Pillsbury key lime frosting, it was so good! 

4. So what does being brave have to do with birthday celebrations and recipes, you ask?! Well, I didn't write a post about it, not that I can recall, but Brave has been my word for this year. I was a little nervous about making the cake and the baked ziti for my husband, but I put my brave face on and got right into it! Also, if you'll notice...I am no longer dot blogspot... I am dot com!! I finally figured out how to put my GoDaddy domain into my blogspot account! I am pushing forward and finally getting my little blog out there...let's do this! 

5.  A good drink recipe is a must when you're celebrating, right? I have this awesome mason jar drink dispenser and I've been searching for a tasty sangria recipe to make in it, well this one from East Coast Creative looks pretty good... I can't wait to try it this weekend! If you are celebrating Memorial Day with a BBQ it would make a great addition to your menu!

So, there you have it...my five things for the week, now be sure to stop by my co-host Little Miss Mama's blog to see what's going on in her world and link up with us, we would love to read all about the five things that are on your mind right now!

Mother's Day: Race for the Cure

Has Mother's Day come and gone already? I feel like it was just yesterday that I signed up and registered to walk in the Mother's Day Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Philadelphia, and now it's already over. 

I have to say, this year I was more excited for the walk because I was wearing my Atutudes tutu, okay so I was excited and a little nervous! I'm 6 ft tall and already stand out in the crowd, so I didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to myself and have people laughing at this giant woman in a tutu, yep I worry about things like this! My sister was wearing a little tutu she bought on Amazon, so that helped calm my nerves a bit. 

 When you get close to Center City near the walk you have to park a few blocks away because of the streets that are blocked off for the event. It's an amazing experience right from the moment you get out of your car; there is a sea of pink surrounding you and walking with you down the streets of Philly towards the Art Museum...it's an incredible event I recommend all to experience at least once.

 When we got out of the car and started walking towards the event we received compliments from others who were walking in the 5K telling us how fabulous we looked! That right there is one of the reasons I love this event, we're all in this together supporting the survivors, the loved ones who loss someone, and those still fighting. All my nerves went out the window as soon as I heard that compliment, I felt like I was in this event with the crowd and no longer standing out as a giant woman wearing a tutu! 

Oh and the good vibes didn't stop there! I was standing by the information center waiting for my sister to get back from the registration tent and my mom to get back from finding the food tent and was asked to take a photo for a group of women. I handed the phone back to one of the ladies after taking their picture and she said, "Thank you, you are so adorable!", well if that didn't make my day...who knew I could look adorable! 

Plus, both CBS local meteorologist Kathy Orr and CBS local medical reporter Stephanie Stahl loved my tutu as well and couldn't get over how cute it was....

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is more than a 5k walk and run, it's a community standing together to find a cure, to fight for each other, and stand tall against cancer. 

So thankful to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom and sister while raising awareness.

How amazing are these two ladies, so much inspiration in this photo! I hope to keep up the tradition of participating in this walk with my sister when we're their age! 

Every year I will walk and raise money in honor of my good friend Cindy, we love you and miss you dearly. Thank you to everyone who helped me raise $123.00, next year I hope to reach my goal of $250 or even more! PS, there is still time to donate!

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Mother's Day! 

Five Things: Dedicated to #RedBalloonsforRyan & #BringBackOurGirls

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

1.  As a parent, I just can't imagine what Ryan's family is going through. How terrible that day must have been for them. One minute he is playing and laughing and the next minute he is up in Heaven. It gives me chills and breaks my heart. But, I know this little boy's memory will live on forever, the efforts of the blogger and social media community has been pretty amazing to watch this week. In just two days the Go Fund Me page Keli Francis put together, has raised $40,000 plus and their goal was only $25,000! 

2. I re-posted this collage on Instagram of a few shops that are donating proceeds to Ryan's parents Jacqui and Dan. The shops are Loved by Hannah and Eli, Lisa Leonard Designs, Kate and Linny, Geo Fox Apparel, Little Wanderers , Antlers and Bows, Heart Yourself Jewelry, and Keilyn Rose Couture . Plus I just learned that there is also an auction of Six $1,000 gift baskets going on today on Instagram at CupcakeMag. Follow along with hashtag #RedBalloonsforRyan

3. One person can make a difference on Social Media and we can spread the word so fast that even celebrities will share. I clicked on #RedBalloonsforRyan and saw that actress Sophia Bush had shared this photo and the link to the Go Fund Me for Ryan's family. If we can do this for Ryan's family, imagine what we can do for the world. 

4. Speaking of the world, why did it take so long for the news of the terrifying kidnapping of 300 girls in Nigeria to reach The United States? Thanks to one woman's (Ramaa Mosley) efforts, everyone is now talking about #BringBackOurGirls. 

5. Shout it out and get these girls home, shout it out and stand up for women every where. Did you know that these Nigerian girls were kidnapped because they were learning? The terrorists kidnapped them right from their school and they believe that Western education is a sin. They want women to be their slaves instead of getting an education. It's sad and horrifying to know that in 2014 things like this are still going on. 

Social Media can be used for good things, so use that hashtag wisely and help share the stories of others who don't have a voice. 

Thanks for stopping by, we would love for you to link up with us and share the five things that are on your mind this week.