Five on Friday

Hey guys! Happy Friday! I got such a good response last week from my Five on Friday post that I thought I'd try it out again.

 

This week has flown by for us. We don't have any big weekend plans, but I'm looking forward to slowing down after a busy week.

 

*Affiliate links are used in this post.*

 

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If you know me, you know my love for unicorns runs deep. The girls and I are going to attempt the craft below this weekend. I picked up 3 mini white pumpkins yesterday, so fingers crossed they turn out somewhat like what's pictured. I'll probably alter it a bit and might attempt a horn out of paper rather than the modeling clay she mentions. I'll be sure to share a picture. I'm sure it'll end up being one big Pinterest fail! If you want to check it out yourself, here's the link.

 

 

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Hadley had the happiest 4th birthday on Wednesday. I can't believe my baby is 4-years-old. She opened presents before school that morning so she'd have all day to play with them. (Seriously, what's worse than opening presents after dinner and going to bed soon after?!?!) She got some fun surprises and was just filled with joy opening each present. There's not much better.

 

We sent snacks to school that day, complete with dinosaur plates, party hats, and blowers. She also wore some cute dinosaur tights and a dinosaur necklace. My girl loves dinosaurs. Hadley doesn't like cookies and cakes, so she chose potato chips and strawberries for her birthday snack! :)
 

 
 

Rob met us at Chuck E. Cheese after work, and we had pizza and played games. Chuck E. Cheese gives me the hives. Is that place every parents' worst nightmare or what? BUT, all that matters is that my girls were in heaven, and Hadley felt very loved on her birthday.

 

 

 

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I saw this cookbook in a recent Southern Living and really want to pick it up sometime. Such a good concept. And I think it'd make the perfect gift for any of your friends who like to cook.

 

What Can I Bring?
 

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Speaking of cooking, I made the BEST Shepherd's Pie last week. Rob declared it one of his favorite meals I've made. And the kicker: I doubled the recipe and made two. One to eat; one to freeze. Makes life so much easier.

Speedy Shepherd's Pie
{Cooking Light magazine}

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots, finely chopped
1 cup onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
1 cup unsalted beef stock, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1 (24-ounce) package prepared mashed potatoes
2 Tablespoons freeze-dried onion
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place beef in a large skillet over high heat; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add carrot, onion, and garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 30 seconds. Combine 1/4 cup stock and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture, remaining 3/4 cup stock, Worcestershire, pepper, and salt to pan. Stir in peas. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Place beef mixture in a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Top evenly with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle freeze-dried onions and paprika over potatoes. Bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes. (I added the onions and paprika on top after 3 minutes because I'd read reviews that the onions burn after 5 minutes.)

 

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I shared this top on Instagram yesterday and got a lot of positive feedback. It's the coziest shirt ever, and the little tie detail is so cute. Plus it's on sale for 40% off and comes in four other colors! I'm tempted to grab one more!

Tie Front Cozy Fleece Pullover

If you want to follow along on Instagram, you can find me here! :)

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I hope everyone has a great weekend.



Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Today I'm trying out a new feature called Five on Friday. It's something a lot of bloggers do, and it helps my brain focus since I'm normally all over the place! I can only write about 5 things...so this is good for me! I linked up with the other ladies at the bottom of my page so make sure to check their blogs out too!

*Affiliate links are used in this post.*

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Even though it doesn't feel like fall here (does it anywhere?!?!), it's fall in my heart. Ha. I've been burning the heck out of this candle from none other than Tar-jay. I've been buying these for the past three years, and the smell is just perfection. I look forward to seeing them in our store each fall and was so happy to snag a few last week! Any other fall scents I need to check out?

 

Autumn Harvest Candle

 

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Lily finally lost her second tooth up top, and I can't get over how old she looks! That tooth was hanging on by a thread, and she would not let me touch it. Seriously, it was dangling to the point that she could hardly eat! I thought that maybe if she'd let me floss her teeth I could kind of wiggle it out that way without her knowing exactly what I was doing. And, voila. Worked like a charm. The tooth popped out after only a few seconds of flossing. She was so happy for a tooth fairy visit later that night!

 

 

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Hadley turns 4 next week, and it's almost too much for my heart to take! We're not planning a big party, but I'll send her favorite snacks to school that day (along with fun party plates and hats), and she wants to go to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and games. So that's our plan. And we'll open presents after dinner. Just look at this sweet baby four years ago. Where does the time go?

 

 

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I found a new nail color (new to me, at least) that I'm loving. It's a deep mauve, and it's just perfect for fall. I've been wearing it on my nails and toes!

essie - In Stitches
 

 {five}

 

I love this article about the benefits of practicing gratitude. For one week, the author found five things for which she was grateful and wrote them down. And the act of doing so completely changed her perspective and, ultimately, her life. She asserts that, as humans, we are capable of training our brains to focus on the good. I do believe that.

 

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I hope everyone has the best weekend! We have nothing big planned, although I do want to get some pumpkins for our front steps. Fingers crossed the weather cools off a bit so we can spend some time outside! See y'all back here on Monday!

 

 

 



A Little Bit of This...

I'm back with another installment of A Little Bit of This...where you'll see just how all over the place I am! :)

But first things first, how was everyone's weekend? I worked on Saturday, and it was a full day...physically and emotionally. Yesterday it was so good to go to church with my family and to spend the rest of the day just being together...you know, doing the things we so often take for granted.
 

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I've shared the good news on Instagram and Facebook but wanted to let everyone here know as well that I was accepted to the rewardStyle program! This was a goal of mine from the get-go, for a lot of reasons. RewardStyle is an affiliate program that makes your links shoppable. That means if you click on one of my links and then make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission. I'm all about transparency, so if you have any questions or input, I'm all ears! I plan on posting more about the program soon to help my readers better understand what it's all about.

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Has anyone read Option B by Sheryl Sandberg? It's on my to-read list next, and I'm looking forward to it. I read a wonderful essay by her, and I imagine the book is full of even more wisdom. 

You can read the essay here.

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

*Side note: when doing a Google search to find an image of the book cover to share above, I googled Plan B instead of Option B. Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets things mixed up so easily!*

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I am trying really, really hard to eat better. I'm the queen of snacking, and I pretty much love any kind of carb. I've always been able to eat most anything I wanted without any repercussions (annoying, I know), but I feel like it's finally catching up to me at 36. Wah. Anyway, I'm also just trying to be more aware of what I'm putting in my body, and I'm trying to focus more on protein. I picked up these snacks at the grocery store recently. Any high-protein snacks y'all would add to my list? And, Noosa yogurt is my new favorite. Holy smokes that stuff is good! I buy a new flavor each time we're at the store!

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I know most of y'all have heard of LipSense by now. It's a long-lasting lipstick that comes in tons of pretty shades, and I'm hooked. I don't sell it, but I have a good friend who does! If anyone wants to try it, Kim is your go-to! You can connect with her here. 

I'm wearing Aussie Rose in the picture below. I also love Sassy Z (a deeper pink than Aussie Rose), and I just purchased Apple Cider.

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We had Sloppy Joes and Broccoli Salad for dinner last night...a perfect summer meal with plenty of leftovers. I've shared both recipes before, and you can find them below!

Sloppy Joes & Broccoli Salad

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How cute is this necklace? It's only $16.99, and I'd wear it with denim shorts, a white tee, and my trusty Birks. Easy summer outfit.

Layered Necklace with Strung Sequins

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I'm one of those lucky peeps who has keratosis pilaris (tiny bumps on the backs of my upper arms and upper legs). There's no sure-fire way to lose them for good, but exfoliating in the shower helps smooth my skin and makes me a lot less self-conscious. I stumbled upon this scrub at Target, and it's my new favorite. It smells heavenly, and it leaves my skin so soft.

 Alba Body in the Buff Scrub

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Lastly, a Monday funny. I hope everyone has a great day. I'm trying my darndest to be a better blogger so keep checking in. Hope to have some good stuff up in the days and weeks ahead!
 

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