It's Friday, Y'all!

Happy Friday!! I seriously can't believe January is basically over. Although I have to admit, I'm pretty happy about it. I think Jan is my least favorite month. Bring on February with Valentine's Day and my son's birthday.

Anywho, I've decided that unless I have something more important to discuss, my Friday posts will pretty much always been a random brain dump! :)

~ONE~

I've discovered some more yummy candy (since my primary place of shopping doesn't carry the red jellybeans). These little guys almost look like pink chiclets but taste so good!! I highly recommend them if you love the pink/red flavors like I do!

~TWO~

I've said this before, but I just love the special bond between my kids. Despite being different genders and 4 years apart, (which was NOT our plan) they are the best of friends! I hope and pray they always stay this close!

~THREE~

I had such a fun day date one day this week with my two favorite men. We ran to the mall, ate lunch at Panera, and just enjoyed ourselves. The only thing missing was Cate.  We typically avoid doing things without her b/c we feel so bad, but we have to remind ourselves that we constantly did things when it was just the three of us (for 4 years before William was born). So I think we have to keep doing them even though she's in school. William was such a good little boy (even while trying on jeans at Old Navy), despite missing his nap.

~FOUR~

Speaking of Old Navy, I snagged these beauties on clearance by accident when I ran to the back of the store for the bathroom. I love ballet flats and actually have quite a few pairs, but I rarely find them to be comfortable. These were really comfy! I love the pale pink color.

~FIVE~

Did you check out my post  from Wednesday with all of my current favs?! I'm hoping to splurge on something REAL soon!!

 Leopard Pumps / Zella Leggings / Chubby stick / Tulle skirt / Handbag / Sunglasses

~SIX~

I need some help with an appetizer to fix for the Super Bowl gathering we're attending. I have my standard "go to" dips that I always fix, but I'd like to try something different. I have my eyes on jalepeno poppers but would love to hear any of your ideas too!
 
Jalepeno Poppers (image and recipe found here).

That's all for now!! I hope you have a great weekend! It should be a great one for us b/c the hubs is off! Wahoo!

And don't forget to check out the awesome hostesses of the link up; Darci, Liz, Natasha, and Christina.

And also my Friday Favorites (favorite "happenings" throughout the week) with Erika, Narci, and Andrea.  

And new this week, I'm linking up with Astleigh, from Hill Collection.

Wish List Wednesday

Happy Hump Day! Today I've decided to combine all of my major "wishes" into a collage. I figured it might help the hubs when it's time to purchase any upcoming gifts; Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Birthday, etc. Lol - yeah right. We don't really do big gifts for any of those events (other than birthday), but a girl can still wish and hope try! :)

1. Leopard Pumps - I have seriously been on the hunt for a good year (or more) for pair of leopard pumps. They have become such a neutral in the fashion world and I KNOW I would wear them a lot. The only downside is the cost. As soon as I spotted this pair, I knew I was in trouble. They cost more than I will typically pay for any pair of shoe! :( But aren't they gorgeous!?!

2. Zella leggings - I LOVE workout gear and despite my laziness lately, I do enjoy running and working out.  I have been on the hunt for a new pair of pants (since the weather has turned cold). How adorable are these and I've read some really great reviews too!

3. Chubby stick - Who doesn't love a good chubby stick? I already own a few and love how they feel on my lips. I'd like a new stick for the spring/summer.

4. Tulle skirt - I've had my eyes on a tulle skirt for at least 6 months and I would love to have one to wear for Easter. This one is actually priced reasonably!

5/6 - New handbag - Now I realize I definitely don't need any new bags, but when I saw the new spring line of bags at Target I almost died. I love how bright and colorful they are!! 

7. Sunglasses - This is probably the biggest splurge, well let's just say it ties with the pumps. I am not one to spend big money on sunglasses, EVER! I usually buy a few very inexpensive pairs at the beginning of the summer and I don't have to worry about anything happening to them. But when I spotted these (in the pink color of course), I almost died!! I have NEVER, EVER seen a pair that I love as much as these. Why do they have to be so darn expensive!? Maybe they can be an (early) birthday present.

Do you have any items on your "wish list"??

Scenes from our weekend

Happy Monday! We had a really good weekend, and we're all finally feeling better. Hooray for healthy kids and parents!

Cate had an early dismissal on Friday due to an expected snow storm (that we never got), so it was nice to spend the afternoon/evening being lazy with the kids.

And I was quite thankful for my iced coffee and a little mid-afternoon pick-me-up!

My hubs was working all weekend, so I tried to let the kids do some fun things inside to occupy their time. They love to paint so I pulled out everything and let them have some fun!

These activities never last as long as you hope (lol), so I also ended up also pulling out the bouncy house for them.

Before I knew it, it was time to get ready for my monthly supper club. And trust me, this girls' night out was JUST what this momma needed! I decided to wear my new Lilly top. I know I probably should have saved it for warmer weather, but I just couldn't resist. And it didn't help that my friend (Lindsay - who I would see at supper club) had been begging for me to wear it! :)

I have to note that as soon as I put it on and was changing my son's diaper, he said "you have mickey mouse on your shirt, momma". Lol, what?? Silly boy!

Our supper club theme for the month was "appetizers" and the hostess originally requested healthy recipes, so I prepared Natalie's Endive boats. They actually turned out really good. Too bad they were competing with taco dip, chicken buffalo dip, etc, ha!

At the last minute my friend came by for a little pre-game action before heading out.

We had such a fun night!! I'm telling you, a night out with friends is good for the soul. I laughed so hard and ate so well!!

One more quick pic with another wonderful friend.

I'm so thankful for the friendships I have. 

We ended our weekend going to church with my cuties and then doing our usual Sunday evening chores.

It's Friday, Y'all

Horray for another Friday!! I'm hoping all of our illnesses are behind us and we can have some fun this weekend. My hubs has to work but I have a few fun things planned for the kiddos.  But today is going to be another random Friday post/link up. So here goes!

~ONE~

I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I love Taylor Swift's new album. I found myself downloading quite a few songs to my running playlist. I can't help it, they're just so catchy! My daughter and I have been known to have quite a few T.Swift dance parties lately! ha!

~TWO~

While browsing Target last week (which is really rare b/c I typically try to avoid the store completely, thus avoid unnecessary items), I stumbled upon these red jellybeans. I'm not a huge fan of regular jellybeans but I've always loved the Starburst brand. And the fact that these were all red - even better! I may have polished off the entire bag in 2 days! OOPS! Thankfully Walmart (my typical shopping place) didn't carry them so they couldn't be replaced!

~THREE~

I recently purchased this sandwich maker and immediately fell in love! I love breakfast food and typically fix my breakfast/lunch around 10am. I never want lunch food (as I'm not a huge sandwich eater) so I usually fix eggs of some sort. This is an amazing contraption. You literally just load all of your ingredients (bread, raw egg, meat, and cheese) and close the lid. In 4 minutes you have the most delicious breakfast sandwich! YUM!! I will be purchasing a few more of these for gifts in the near future.

~FOUR~

I am currently in the process of registering my son for preschool and it makes me really sad. We sent my daughter when she was younger than him, but for some reason I'm having a hard time just letting him go. I know it will be good for him and I know he will love it. But, geez, it makes me sad!

~FIVE~

A friend posted a pic/recipe of a lunch she was having one day last week and I knew I had to fix it. I quickly whipped up the required ingredients, added a splash of vinegar, and bam! Lunch is served and is quite tasty/colorful! (Black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, lime juice, salt, pepper and splash of vinegar)

I hope y'all have a great weekend!! Anything fun planned?

Don't forget to check out the hostesses of my link ups! :)

Darci, Liz, Natasha, and Kristina.

And also my Friday Favorites (favorite "happenings" throughout the week) with Erika, Narci, and Andrea.  

And Astleigh, from Hill Collection.

Baked Nachos Recipe

My hubs and I love nachos. But my hubs REALLY loves them and will typically order them at most restaurants. I've often tried to recreate them (not thinking it could be that hard) with much disappointment. But I finally researched a ton of recipes and created my own. And they turned out surprisingly good!!! The hubs even said we should open a business just selling nachos (of different varieties). ha! Now I'm not saying they were that good, but it will be fun to mix and match some different meats/beans/toppings in the future now that I've learned a few basics.

A few key basics (I've learned that may seem obvious to you but they weren't to me in the past):

• Use real beef (I typically cook with 100% veggie meat crumblers for things that call for ground beef)

• The type is cheese is crucial (canNOT be fat free or reduced fat)

• Flavor the meat/beans in the skillet (vs. just loading the nachos with plain cooked meat or beans from the can)

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef (cooked and drained)
1 package taco seasoning
1/4 - /1/2 cup hot water
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 - 1 can italian diced tomatoes
1 & 1/2 cup shred cheddar
1 & 1/2 cup shred monterey jack cheese
1 bag of favorite tostito chips

Optional:
Diced tomatoes
Jalepenos
pico de gallo
Sour cream
Guac


Directions:

Once you've browned and drained the meat, return it to the skillet and add in the taco seasoning, water, black beans, and tomatoes. Let them simmer for 10-15 minutes. (I only used half a can of tomatoes but feel confident an entire can would be okay too.)

I lined my cookie sheet with foil and sprayed with cooking spray first. If you had two smaller sized oven safe dishes, it might be better to fix them that way. Then you could eat directly from the hot plate and keep the nachos warmer.

Start laying your nachos:

Chips
Half of meat/bean mixture
All of shred cheddar
Chips
Remainder of meat/bean mixture
All of shred mont jack cheese

Bake 375 for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts.
Garnish with desired toppings!

This definitely made a ton of nachos, but I knew it would be our meal and I also had no idea how much it would make. We only ate about half of the pan, but the hubs is hoping they will heat up well for a late night snack! 

I would typically garnish mine with sour cream AND guac but we're having tacos one night this week (so I wanted to save my homemade guac for those). 

My picky little eaters were also both eating off of my plate tonite! So I'd say this was a win all around for my family!

Scenes from our weekend

Happy Monday, friends! And it actually is happy for us b/c we're still technically enjoying our weekend. Cate is out of school today! And it's a good thing b/c she's gotten sick again, poor thing. I swear we've all been sick (passing it back and forth) for what seems like months!! I will be so happy when Spring is here and we can (hopefully) say goodbye to the winter germs!

That being said, we had a pretty low key weekend. Cate woke up not feeling the best on Friday but went to school b/c she had a sleepover planned with my mother-in-law that night. I came down with a stomach issue on Friday so we spent that night being pretty lazy. The hubs and I took up the couch while William entertained himself with toys and TV.

On Saturday we planned to drive to Blackburg to work on my Grandpa's printer. But we made a detour at the mall to look at mattresses again. William immediately spotted the train and then Cate (she was shopping at the mall with my in-laws) so we ended up all (the 4 of us) riding the train.

We picked Cate up on Saturday night and returned home to another lazy night.

On Sunday we had to skip church b/c Cate was still running a low fever and suffering from a sore throat. So after long naps for all of us, the kids spent most of the day playing/entertaining themselves while my hubs and I watched football.

I did manage to get some snuggles from this guy!

And at times, we all ended up on the couch watching the game.

And speaking of football, I fixed the most delicious nachos for us to eat while we were watching. My hubs LOVES nachos and it's taken me (almost) 10 years to learn how to fix them but I'm so glad I finally nailed them! I will be sure to share the recipe tomorrow!

It's Friday, Y'all!

Happy Friday!! Today's post is a very random brain dump!

~ONE~

I'm not a huge fan of January, so I usually immediately start thinking about Valentine's Day (and my son's birthday which is the day after Vday). And I love making all of the holidays special for the kids. These plates are just adorable! PBK never disappoints!

~TWO~

My Christmas wishes came true and I received these coasters and immediately LOVED them even more in person!

Along with the coasters, I received the Kate Spade Gold Dot Tumblers. I sure do love these too! I've been using the tumbler and coaster on a daily basis. Love!

~THREE~

My sweet baby boy has been very clingy lately. He constantly says he wants to sit on my lap and I have been enjoying every second of it. At times, I do hesitate b/c it's hard for me to sit with my forever long "to-do" list in my mind, but then I realize it won't be long before he will NEVER want to sit on my lap. He's always been my cuddler and I do hope he stays that way!

~FOUR~

I'm not a huge ice cream person, but over the weekend I was shopping (with my daughter) for ingredients to make ice cream sundaes. B/c I knew I wouldn't be eating any of them, I decided to indulge in my own kind. Oh my word, y'all, it was sooo good. And after putting the pic on instagram, I was told to try the Salted Caramel flavor too! I'm not a huge caramel person but just from so many recommendations, I may have to give it a try! Have you tried this brand before? It was my first time and it did NOT disappoint!

~FIVE~

It's no secret, I'm a huge Bachelor/Bachelorette fan. And I have to admit, I was pretty shocked to learn of the break up between Andi and Josh. I know that most couples don't end up making it, but I just thought they really clicked. 

So there ya have it, my random Friday brain dump! Hope you have a great weekend! It'll be a 3 day weekend for my entire family - hubs is off and Cate has Monday off from school. Wahoo!

And don't forget to check out the awesome hostesses of the link up; Darci, Liz, Natasha, and Christina.

And also my Friday Favorites (favorite "happenings" throughout the week) with Erika, Narci, and Andrea.  

And new this week, I'm linking up with Astleigh, from Hill Collection.

Dreaming of Warmer Weather (Lilly Style)

It's still freezing here!! So I'm still dreaming of warmer weather and decided to write a post about my new Lilly Pulitzer pieces b/c they take me to warmer places!

As soon as they arrived I was eager to try on everything. I loved it all and just wish I had purchased more. 

The Elsa Top (pictured above) is such a wonderful piece. I regret waiting this long to purchase one. It'll look great with white jeans or even white shorts. I may even break it out before "white" is appropriate and wear it to work.

The two dresses are very similar to each other (other than the sleeve length). They are both t-shirt dresses and super comfy/versatile. I can dress them up with heels and jewels or dress them down with flip flops! I can't WAIT to wear them.

And then I was giddy to read the article about Lilly's new collaboration with Target. Two of my loves merging together!

And while I was off in "la la warm land", I found a picture that took me to my happy place.

Have a great day and stay warm!!