Realtor ALY

Since I have switched to eating Gluten Free eating out has been quite a task. It is usually stressful and I am often filled with regret after eating out. However, that is just not the case here! My husband and I don't often eat out. We choose to cook at home and take our meals on the go but sometimes we enjoy a nice date night out, family gathering, or already made food on the go (especially to football games!) What is Dora's Pizza? Believe it or not... Dora's Pizza is not solely a pizza restaurant! They serve salads, subs, pizza (that is worth the travel if you are not from around here...) and of course some amazing pasta dishes!!! Dora's is a small family owned and run restaurant located in Haines City, FL right next to the Haines City Police Station and only a few minutes from I4. If you are a local or have been to the restaurant more than one time, the owners will surely recognize you and give you that friendly small town welcome! I highly recommend taking

Cape Romano Dome Homes A must see before you leave Florida! Cape Romano is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in Florida and that is a very hard title to earn because I absolutely love several parts of Florida! Not only is Cape Romano great for fishing but it is also great for shell collecting, and of course sight seeing! Cape Romano is home to the abandoned Dome Homes designed by Bob Lee in 1981. These homes were actually lived in by his family! Hurricane Andrew came through Florida and caused window damage in the homes which allowed for water issues in the homes but other than that, they remained fairly unharmed. The homes were purchased by a new owner in 2001 with intentions of placing a seawall up to keep the water out and the land in place. However, due to new restrictions the sea wall was never allowed to be put up and the homes were supposed to be taken down. When the owner refused to take the homes down fines were imposed. And they still stand today as a maj

A little more personal life that tells you who I really am. Anyone who knows me knows I am a born and raised several generation Florida Native! With that being said it is not much of a surprise that I love Florida, the beaches, the warm sunny weather (most days), the sun showers, and the water that surrounds and will probably soon overtake Florida. I have a very difficult time imagining myself living anywhere other than Florida.  I went to University of Central Florida (GO KNIGHTS!!!) for Hospitality Management and during those two years of getting my Bachelors degree I spent a ridiculous amount of time traveling all over Florida. I traveled with friends, family, and I oftentimes took trips on my own for the weekend to explore new parts of Florida I hadn't seen yet. It is amazing how many different things there are to see in one state. I became interested in Real Estate and knew I would love it because I have traveled most of Florida. My GPS skills might not be abo

Crafty Quack Farms- Cutting Boards Ever look for that perfect gift but never know what to get someone? I am the queen of finding homemade/ local business gifts that are unique and affordable for the craft. This Saturday I bring to you Crafty Quack Farms. They are located out of Dade City, Florida . The cutting boards are handmade and are absolutely gorgeous! They are always adding new designs but you will never see two that are the same. If you are looking for a new homeowner gift, a Christmas gift, or just a fun surprise, this is a great choice and they are gorgeous too! For more information:  Crafty Quack Farms Shop

Ever go into an old 50's home and fall in love? Well, believe it or not... I did!  My husband and I were in the engaged stage of our relationship, and we were set to be married in a few short months. ONE stipulation I had to moving into his home was that I wanted a working bathtub. I played it off on resale value and on a million other things but what it came down to, was that I was a princess inside and really didn't want to live without a bath tub! I mean, taking a hot bubble bath when you don't feel well is the greatest feeling ever! Anyways, he said we could redo the tub but if we do that, we needed to change the tile in the bathroom. I took that very vague statement and went to town on the bathroom with a sledge hammer!  Only a few days later, the bathroom was down to the studs on every side of the bathroom. I ripped out the cabinets, the drywall, the pink tile all over the bathroom (which I really loved but he hated) and I completely demolished the bathroo

Well, It is Tuesday and I am excited to say that I am starting Tasty Tuesday!!!  What on earth is Tasty Tuesday? Well I am so glad you asked! Tasty Tuesday is when I find delicious snacks, dinners, treats, and deserts that are just too fantastic not to share!  So, that being said... You ready for some Hillbilly Tater Tots? This meal was extremely  easy and definitely a crowd pleaser! 1 bag of Alexia Tater Tots 3 Chicken Breasts 1.5 Cups of Sonny's BBQ Sauce 1 Can of Fiesta Corn 2 Cups of Shredded Cheese Bake chicken in the Oven until cooked all the way through (we cooked ours in the crock pot) Bake Tater Tots to the specs on the bag Warm Corn When everything is cooked layer the tater tots, chicken, corn, and cheese on a pan and bake in the oven until cheese is melted.  VOILA!!! Dinner is served!

Have you heard that Florida is in the Direct Path of another Tropical Storm? I know what you are thinking... we are all thinking it! PLEASE NO MORE HURRICANES! There is actually some positive to this Tropical Storm!  We have already survived Irma and while Florida is still recovering and several of us are still trying to get back to living a normal life... We know what to expect from a Category 3 so most of us scoff at the idea of a possible Category 1!  Florida is notorious for their "Hurricane Parties" so make sure you are ready to partake in the festivities! Rainy BBQ and late night board games! Don't forget to bring the wine and the flash lights! None of us enjoy being without power and probably don't expect to really lose power this time, however, Fall is finally upon us which means cooler weather and less sweaty couches! Make sure you have your fans ready, just in case! Hurricane Irma already took out the really heavy trees, now we only hav

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY!!! Matt (my husband) called me the other day with news that he had seen a china cabinet that was a total steal and he went ahead and purchased it! In my mind I felt excited and also concerned. I was excited to say we might have some extra storage space for our relatively small kitchen. On the other hand, I was concerned because I had no idea what this cabinet looked like! When Matt brought it into the house my face must have dropped because I had no idea what to expect! I found out that he had only seen photos of it and hadn't seen it in person until they went to pick it up and he thought it was resale ready because there was no way we could make it work in our house.  I stared at the cabinet for a few days and was determined not to get rid of it because the storage space was much needed and maybe it wouldn't be so terrible after all... As you can see the cabinet is a cream color and the inside was a yellowish aged and slightly dusty color. I w

After much sulking around, cleaning up, and exhaustion from being pinned in our homes/ shelters/ friends homes, everyone is looking for some way to get out and feel a bit more normal after Hurricane Irma did her best to try and wash Florida away. Thankfully, even a hurricane of her force does not keep us Floridians down for long. The good news is, if you haven't already found something fun and exciting to do this weekend, or you are a procrastinator at finding fun things to do (much like myself), I actually have you covered! LAKELAND, FLORIDA The Color Vibe 5K in Lakeland is great if you are full of energy and love to walk or run! Not to mention, kids under 12 are FREE! a portion of the proceeds is also donated to Sun N Fun Air Museum!  Sign Up Here The Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market is secretly one of my favorite places to visit on Saturday mornings. If I get there early enough one lady that bakes actually has a plethora of Gluten Free goodies and

If you are ready to get back to celebrating the upcoming fall season and are looking for ways to decorate your porch there are several things that can create great curb appeal and of course ring in the spirit of fall! Add pumpkins, gourds, and mums to bring in the seasons most famous bounty. Create a symmetrical display on your porch for a welcoming grand entrance! Good House Keeping Create your own doormat with a monogram or fall stencils Hang a rustic or fall decorated wreath Plant your floral pieces in pumpkins Use faux pumpkins to display your house numbers Create a sitting area but remember to use orange and yellow shades with patio flowers and furniture HGTV What are your fall decoration staples? I have found that the little shiny pumpkins at Walmart and the Dollar Store thrown together in a vase with some twinkle lights make for a great decoration piece! Not to mention, it helps light up the house when the power is out from our hurricanes! 

Living in Florida my entire life, I know that hurricanes are not often taken as seriously as they should be. Florida gets two types of hurricanes. The ones that we have " hurricane parties " for and the type of hurricane that makes even natives living in Central Florida want to evacuate . Irma was the second of the two. If you have seen any of the damage in Central Florida it is quite amazing to see how the community comes together to help each other out. In each small town we hear the different stories of people who go out of their way to help perfectly good strangers!  In Haines City, it looks like there were several tornadoes because of the way things have been twisted, mangled, and relocated! The eye was right above Haines City and it is quite obvious. The great news is, we have power companies out working on the lines as soon as they can get to them and it is amazing the amount of people that have already had their power restored!   If you are in the Flo