I prep our lunches for work on Sundays after the grocery shopping trip. Chris normally does lunch meat of some kind on lettuce wraps, or a salad with grilled chicken. He wanted something different to change it up, so enter Buffalo Chicken Salad! I adapted this from a few different recipes, and then made my own tweaks to it as well. Combining everything that he likes. This is super quick to throw together. Mainly because no one has time to cook chicken, I buy precooked rotisserie chickens and just shred them up!
Mix everything up in a container that you plan to store in refrigerator, less dishes less problems am I right? That’s it! This lasts all week. Chris likes it with the Flat Out Protein Up wraps.
I kicked off Friday with a Dunkin and Target run during lunch. When you have a million bottles to wash, it is never a good idea to run out of dishwasher detergent. Zoe just loves riding in the cart big girl style!!!
After work on Friday, I headed to Publix to stock up on essentials for the weekend…
I also scanned TJ Maxx and came across a dupe of a very expensive pair of slides I have had my eye on all summer. Instead of $100, I grabbed these for $19.99! Slides are seriously having a moment this year and that makes me so happy because they look good on my feet, better than my beloved flip flops. This is another “cheaper” option if you aren’t lucky enough to score the TJ Maxx ones.
Saturday was an exciting day, Zoe had her first date with S!! We met up with Laura and her boys at Chuy’s for an early lunch to celebrate the birthday boy. It was obviously love at first site. These two were so sweet together. After lunch, we picked up some new work pants for Chris and perused Bargain Hunt but were underwhelmed with the selection.
Chris worked his magic to get Nintendo and Super Nintendo to work on our new TV.
Sunday morning I was out early cutting the grass. Woof. Then it was meal planning, grocery shopping and we started watching Ballers thanks to Biana.
Zoe not talking to me because she was over Sunday errands.
I grabbed some BBQ at Moe’s for us and made some flatbread. Mmmm
Zoe might not have figured out how to crawl, but she did learn how to scoot backwards this weekend! It’s just a matter of time before we are having to get baby gates!
Linking up with Biana. I hope you all have a great week!
You guys!!!! The first five days after vacation are the worst, right? I am trying desperately to catch up on everything from work, to house chores to blogging. I think I finally answered all my emails from this past week and am slowly working on my Bloglovin’ list so bare with me! It is my favorite time of the year!!! The NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE!!! I have some of my favorites that are sitting in my wish cart below. Let me know what you are getting or if you posted your favorites. I would love to see!
Not sure what we have going on this weekend. I know our jungle needs to be tamed, again. And by jungle I mean the yard. I swear the rain this year has us looking like we live in the damn Amazon or something! I would like to get together with Laura at some point too because her little S turned TWO and Zoe needs to give him his birthday presents! And those two need a date for real.
Favorite Moments: A year ago from July 12, Chris and I found out that Zoe was a girl!!! It was pretty cool thinking back to that day. I remember making sure we had an early morning appointment because I didn’t want to sit around the office all day anxious to know. I had a strong feeling that I was carrying a girl….but it was great to have confirmation that my first intuition as a mother was right. Staring at her beautiful face a year later is so amazing.
My mom and I got to hang out for a little while this week. She brought Chris and I some Pepperoni Cheese from Delallo’s in my hometown. I don’t understand why they don’t sell this stuff all over the country???
We also made a trip to Nordstrom Rack where I accidentally spent lots of money. I am so happy we went though. There was so much awesome stuff there and I really needed some pieces that look good on my body right now. I got a pair of jeans,(the best kind when you dont want to look like a busted can of biscuits) a gorgeous navy shift dress with a ruffle 3/4 sleeve, a classic black tank with the perfect flow-y fit and tie back and two other tops. Apparently I like dark colors and neutrals. This should come as no surprise. I am most proud of the fact that I put back a black and white striped dress that fit super cute. Probably because I have three striped dresses already. Oops.
I treated my mom to a lunch at Macaroni Grill, and we both enjoyed salads and the bread. The Bibb and Blue is always a favorite of mine and I questioned why it had been like two years since I had last been there.
Not having my life together enough to remember my lunch on Monday meant a solo trip to Whole Foods for some sushi. I cant tell you the last time I ate a meal alone in total silence with no interuptions. It was delicious!
Favorite Purchase: Other than the Nordstrom finds, I really am in love with the Mom Knows Best Kate Spade necklace I ordered during their 40% off sale on the 4th. The mama and baby elephants are so sweet and can double for a Game Day necklace come football season. It is even cheaper right now at Macy’s if you want to scoop one up!!!
Favorite Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks: Are you guys tired of seeing Nordstrom picks?? The truth is, I love it! The sale can be so overwhelming because there are SO MANY items!!! I like seeing what everyone else is adding to their carts. It gives me good ideas. Besides Black Friday/Cyber Monday, this is my favorite sale of the year!
I love the Halogen brand. I just bought that gorgeous dress and I have a few other pieces over the years and they always hold up nice. I love the cut of this sleeveless top!
I can’t wear dangling earrings anymore and am all about a stud. How gorgeous are these???
This tie knot sweatshirt looks so cute and cozy!!! The white laced sleeve sweatshirt in my first picture is this same brand and they feel SO NICE. I really would love to add this to my collection as well.
Linking up with Steph and Jana for another month of books! So I am going to pose a question. Do you read the reviews of all the books if a person shares what they rated it? I have considered dropping my rating system on these posts because I catch myself skipping over books that people didn’t give a high rating for and the thing is, it might not have been a book for them but could have totally been a book you would have enjoyed. You know? Let me know what you think.
I am weird about YA books, I can either take or leave most of them. I have to say, this may have been one of the best YA books I have read in a long time. You get a little teenage angst, friends that are changing and drifting, new love, inner struggles, confidence issues, everything you remember from high school. I really related to the characters in this book and I loved the story line. It wasn’t always perfect, which made me love the book even more.
I may have picked this book simply because Alabama was in the title. This was a love story set in small town Alabama. It kept me intrigued the whole time because you don’t find out exactly what happened to Emma in her past until near the end of the story and what happened could shake things up between her and the guy she has fallen for. I liked the small town drama and the book was cute. Of course, a book that takes place in Alabama wouldn’t feel complete without the Alabama vs Auburn touch. I felt like maybe the ending was a little rushed and wrapped up in a bow too quickly.
Bottom Line: This was a quick and cute love story if you are looking for something light and fluffy, but still intriguing.
Rating:3/5
**I received a copy of Love, Alabama from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
It took me a little bit to get in to this book, but once I did I was hooked. This book does a good job talking about mental health and anxiety in an informal and lighthearted way. I feel like it brings attention to something that a lot of people deal with, but it isn’t a sad or dark book for such a heavy and serious topic. If that makes sense? You get to grow along with the main character and learn some about how crippling anxiety can be. It is heartwarming and there were a few LOL moments, which I always appreciate.
Bottom Line:If you are looking for something a little different, but good…read it!
I was a little irritated with the immaturity in the male character of this book, but I think that was the point since he is a few years younger than our leading female. I liked the football and reporting aspect of this story. It was a cute love story, and I even laughed out a loud a little. I also got a little frustrated with the characters and their reactions to certain events. Mainly with Olivia. But I suppose that is what kept me engaged in the story to see where it was all going.
Bottom Line: If you like the football or media scene, and want to read a good love story….I thought this was a cute read.
Rating:3/5
**I received a copy of Meet Me Halfway from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**
You guys. I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself. Reading sad dog books. Art of Racing In the Rain is still embedded in my mind and heart, and now this book. I coincidentally started this book on the anniversary of Gracie’s passing and didn’t even realize it. Maybe she was trying to tell me hi. This book gave me all the emotions and I had a complete breakdown, missing Gracie so much in the middle of this book. This book gives me hope that maybe one day Gracie will come back to me in the body of another dog.
Bottom Line:If you are a dog person, this is a great read. Just be ready with a box of tissues.
Oh, hey there!!! I decided to take an unannounced week off from blogging while we were at the beach. I wanted to be completely unplugged!!! Which is probably for the best, because our WIFI down there suucccckkkkssss!!!! Anyways, I was all rested and tanned and relaxed this past week and now I am getting a huge slap of reality this morning. Adulting, right???
The Eats
We usually only go out to eat once when we are at the beach, and even then sometimes it doesn’t go as planned. We waited about 2 hours and 45 minutes at Lulu’s one evening only to leave and get Zaxby’s on the way home because it was way past someone’s bedtime. We always start our trip off with either Smashburger or Steak n Shake on the drive down though. And we ordered some back and blue cheese quesadillas and Twisted Tators from Sassy Bass on the bottom floor of our building. Yum.
The Travel
This was not only Zoe’s first time to the beach, but her first vacation ever. I am so glad that we got to spend it with my SIL and BIL. Zoe had the most amazing time playing with her cousin all week of whom she adores so much!!! And this kid can adapt!!! I was prepared for some serious meltdowns and a hard time sleeping. Nope. Zoe went to bed and took her naps like a champ. She even traveled in the car extremely well. I was so very impressed! And that was no easy feat, our normal 4 and 1/2 hour trip down there ended up being 7 hours due to traffic and horrible thunderstorms. There was one point where we were driving 20 MPH on I-65 because you could literally not see a damn thing. I am so proud of her!
The Beach
I bought a tent for the beach, and Zoe and I headed down there a few different times. Pulling a wagon through the sand is no freaking joke, but we did it and it was worth it. She makes the cutest little beach babe!
The Pool
Zoe wasn’t sure what to think about the pool at first. Cool water, wearing clothes…and why are all these people in it with her??? But she decided that she liked it and started kicking and splashing around!
The Wagon
If you ask Zoe what her favorite part of the trip was, she would probably tell you riding in the wagon. My SIL was so kind to let us borrow it. Seeing Zoe’s face light up every time she got in it was priceless.
The Forth
We hung around the beach and condo on the forth, took the kiddos for a little photo shoot around the property and enjoyed the fireworks. It was such a fun day!
First Ice Cream
Another important first for Zoe, ice cream!!!! I let her have a few tastes of my TCBY treat and she loved it!
Other Scenes
Selfie time/worn slap out/excited for the outlet mall/hanging with daddy
killing time at Lulu’s
favorite reading views
Beach Babe
We had such a great time and I hate that it went by too quickly! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Linking up with Biana.
