Five on Friday {Valentine's Day Edition} + #TeamTeddy

In honor of Valentine's Day, my normal Five on Friday with Christina & the ladies will be filled with ooey, gooey, mushy love stuff.

That's right. Go ahead and throw up.

But before we start the regular Five on Friday [I'm cheating a little bit - Six on Friday?], we're all rooting for Team Teddy! We're spreading the word about Menkes Syndrome, also known as "kinky hair syndrome." {a rare genetic disease that affects approximately 1 in 450,000 male babies} You can find Teddy's story here.
 

With this being our last Valentine's Day as a "dating" couple, I'm letting my sappy feelings fly.

Here are the top five reasons why I love my fiance, Cody. :)

one.

He does "the little things."

Like kiss my forehead. Treat me to a nice foot rub or back massage.

Hug me unexpectedly. Or buy me a surprise diet Dr. Pepper for my school day with a sweet note attached. << Major brownie points there. :)

All the those little things that seem so simple, sometimes mean the most.

two.

He makes me laugh.

Sounds so cliche. But it's true.

I couldn't ever imagine being with somebody who doesn't make me laugh, and this guy does it on the regular. He is so silly and goofy, and I know I can be the same in return. I love it. 

Even the pterodactyl noise. ;)

three.

He encourages me.

When I lose faith in myself, he's there to lift me up.

I can always count on him for an encouraging word or hug to inspire me to persevere through anything. 

four.

He's hardworking and persistent.

I've seen Cody grow into an incredible man, who wants to make something of himself to provide for us and our future family. There have been a lot of ups and downs in the last five years career wise, but he has always followed his heart and it has finally led him to where he is today.

five.

He strengthens our relationship with God.

One of my FAVORITE things to watch and listen to Cody do is pray.

I admire his comfortableness and sincerity when he talks to God, and I always wish I could be just like him. I have always loved Cody's beliefs on love and marriage. And more importantly, his desire to raise a family with the same core values.

  

 Hopefully everybody survived the mushy, gushy talk and can link-up with the Five on Friday ladies!

Have a very Happy Valentine's Day. :)

Liebster Award [x2]

Hey y'all... I don't know about you, but we're a little snowed & iced in over here.

It's been a crazy few days, having no school - once again - and I'm pretty much ready for some sunshine and warm weather. Aren't we all...

But I saw today, that sweet Jessica over at Shine nominated me for a Liebster Award!

{ Thank you so much :) } 

 I'm always flattered when Peach State of Mind gets nominated because it lets me know that somebody out there likes what they're reading. I know a lot of other sweet bloggers have nominated Peach State of Mind for Liebster Awards recently, and I just haven't gotten to them or have posts already scheduled. Please don't hate me... But I do appreciate everyone's kindness and I really do feel so flattered when I'm nominated. So thank you!

You can find our first nomination post here. :)

Since I am snowed/iced in, I have extra time on my hands today, I thought it would be fun to take another shot at the Liebster Award today, and hopefully spread the word about some new blogs that you may not have heard of just yet!

Here's how it works incase you didn't know...

The Liebster Award is a way for bloggers to celebrate other bloggers. It's passed down from one blogger to another, as long as the blogger has less than 200 followers. If you choose to accept the nomination, here are a few rules to follow:

1.  Answer the questions from the person who nominated you.

2. List 10 facts about yourself.

3. Create 10 new questions.

4. Nominate 5-10 bloggers with less than 200 followers.

 Simple right?

So here we go...

Questions from Jessica:

1. What is your favorite season and why?

Summer!

It's warm. It's sunny. 

Sun dresses, shorts & flip flops are the ultimate comfort clothes.

Trees are green. Flowers have bloomed.

Crickets chirping at night.

Southern summer nights - there's nothing like them.

Oh, and I don't have to work.

Perks of being a teacher. ;)

 

2. What would are your top 3 favorite songs right now?

1. When She Says Baby - Jason Aldean

2. Automatic - Miranda Lambert

3. Drink a Beer - Luke Bryan

 

3. Vacay in Hawaii or Alaska why?

Hawaii - This winter has pretty much verified my short-term love for snow.

Beaches for me.

4. If you could stay a certain age forever, what would it be and why?

24.

I have the job I worked so hard for. I finally have settled into my roll as a teacher.

I'm engaged to my best friend. I'm getting married this year.

Who knows what else is in store for us this year! 

5. If you could choose anyone to be your mentor, who would it be and why?

Miranda Lambert!

I need her coaching me in confidence and ability to kick some ass & not give a crap attitude.

Plus, her motivation to get that new hot bod!

6. What story always comes up about you as a child?

Clogging a toilet and letting it overflow because I was too scared to tell my mom.

Water leaked through the downstairs lights.

You're welcome for that incredibly embarrassing story. 

7.  When you have 30 minutes of free time what do you do?

Catch up on Sons of Anarchy or Walking Dead with my fiance. :)

It's our newest obsession.

8. Do you know how you got your name if so tell us... 

Well, I think my first name was pretty random.

My middle name is my Nannie's middle name also.

[Elizabeth]

If we have a girl one day, we'll carry on the tradition. 

 9. What are you most proud of?

 Becoming a teacher.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher in high school.

I went to college with that goal in mind, worked my butt off to graduate with honors.

Worked so hard at applying for jobs at a time when there really weren't any.

Somehow got a job in the toughest school system to get into, without having any connections and as a no-experience teacher. Managed to survive my first year of teaching fifth graders, and finally found my place in second grade, where I finally feel comfortable and I know what the heck I'm doing. :)

10. Describe your perfect date with your boyfriend or husband. 

Cody and I love taking drives to places we haven't ever been or places we don't get to visit often. The drive gives us time to solely be with each other, enjoy the beautiful scenery and explore new towns. We normally stop to have lunch, or stop to look through shops. It's perfect for us. :)

Ten Facts about me:

1. I'm getting married June 7th.
2. I have a weenie dog named Maci & a hound dog named Hank.
3. My favorite fast food restaurant is Chick-fil-a.
4. Target is my biggest weakness.
5. I hate going to the gym.
6. I was a pink power ranger for Halloween one year when I was little.
7. I like glitter. A lot.
8. I like sprinkles. On everything.
9. I really like cupcakes. They're my favorite.
10. My favorite city in Georgia is Athens. Go Dawgs.

Here are my questions:

1. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? [Hey, it's the teacher in me.]
2. What is your favorite smell?
3. What is the farthest you've been from home?
4. Do you have a special talent? If so, what is it?
5. Who is your best friend? How did y'all meet?
6. Do you have any pets?
7. What is your favorite sport to watch?
8. What is your favorite fashion accessory right now?
9. Why did you start blogging?
10. If you could give one piece of blogging advice, what would it be?

And here are my nominations:

Chesson @ A Southern Twenty-Five  
Ashley @ Baseball-Diamonds & Hairspray
Libby @ Health, Love & Fire
Miranda @ Life in the Lowcountry
Ashley @ A Thousand Words

Can't wait to see what y'all have to share! :)

Love, Inspired { A Guest Post }

I mentioned last Friday that I was lucky enough to be asked by Kristan over at Lavender & Light to do a guest post for her absolutely precious idea of a mini-series.

The series focuses on different viewpoints of love, marriage and relationships.

Perfect for Valentine's Day right?

 

Well, today is my lucky day to guest post over on Kristan's blog, and I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity!

If you want to check out Peach State of Mind guest posting on Lavender & Light, click here. 

Or else. :)

Cookies On My Mind { Valentine's Day }

Yesterday I had "Sunshine On My Mind", dreaming of a honeymoon destination rather than the looming snow and ice that has graced it's presence upon north Georgia once again. 

School is cancelled AGAIN today, and I'm pretty sure I'll be teaching my little second graders until July at this rate.  Good thing I like them a lot. So instead of dreaming about boogers, ice cream money & shoelaces like I normally do throughout my busy weeks as a teacher, my sweet tooth has me dreaming of cookies decorated with sprinkles and frosting.

I know Christmas is suppose to be the cookie holiday of the year, but Valentine's Day takes the cake [or cookies in this case] for me. 

I think it roots back to mine and Cody's first Valentine's Day together when I made him Valentine's cookies for the first time... Best cookies ever. 

And I lost the recipe and haven't been able to make them since. 

So with every recipe I try, I hope it's a close match, but can't seem to match it up perfectly.

So the hunt continues, and I'll just have to keep trying more cookies. Darn. 

It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

You are welcome.

So here are some recipes I've had my eye on this Valentine's Day.

And I bet if I head out to the store sometime today before the weather gets too icky, I could probably do everyone a favor and bake up a batch or three of cookies to enjoy during this looming ice storm. :)

Hershey's Kiss Cookies

Ok. How adorable are these? Pretty freakin' adorable if you ask me. 

They aren't too difficult to make, but sound so yummy.

Underneath the glittery sprinkles, you melt down the Hershey Kisses to add a chocolate layer to the sugar cookie. And I bet if nobody's looking, you could probably even sneak a few Kisses while baking up these little masterpieces. ;)

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ugh. These cookies.

If you prefer soft & chewy, these are the way to go.

The recipe is so simple to follow, and it even includes a recipe for the buttercream frosting.

Yeah, I said it people. Buttercream frosting.

X's & O's Cookies 

Well technically, there is no recipe for these cookies. 

They're actually from a bridal shower. But how adorable would these be for Valentine's Day!? You can find your favorite sugar cookie recipe, and use an X & O cookie cutter to give them shape. Plus, I loooooooove the ombre effect of the royal icing. LOVE.

Red Velvet Cut Out Cookies

  

Red velvet anything automatically gets my attention, I don't know about y'all. 

This recipe is a little more complex, but if you're up for a challenge, this is the way to go.

They look delicious.

Super Soft Conversation Heart Cookies

What's Valentine's Day without a couple chalky, tasteless conversation hearts? :)

That's just my opinion, but if conversation hearts came in the form of cookies like the ones above, then I think I would like them a lot more! These cookies are more on the cakey side, but still look perfect and fun to make.

Now that my taste buds are watering profusely over these cookies, I better get my butt to the store to gather up the ingredients for at least one of these recipes. :)

Wish us luck through this ice storm!