Nadine

I am glad to see Friday guys, I really am. We had another weather event yesterday, it is spring in the south after all. Trying to balance working with paying attention to the weather and not freaking out constantly is exhausting. There were several areas that had heavy damage, and at least five people died yesterday. Seeing the pictures come in is heartbreaking.

We had a lull around 4pm where there was a tornado on the ground about 2 hours away from here and Chris texted me and asked if it was safe for him to come home from work. I told him if he is going to leave, he needed to leave now. Well, by the time he left and got up to our area….a tornado popped up out of no where. He was on the interstate about 10 minutes away from our house with no where to go. He called me because he heard the sirens and saw the sky turning and sure enough, there was James Spann on TV saying the tornado was basically right on top of him. It was so scary for a few minutes guys, I am not going to lie. I grabbed Zoe and my lap top and headed to the basement while talking to Chris and telling him what I was hearing on TV. Luckily, he managed to get home in one piece. A tractor trailer was blown into the median near him and he saw lots of debris. It was surreal.

I am done with this weather already and we are only just starting to get into the “tornado season.” One thing I can say about Alabama is that the residents really know how to rally around those in need. The tornado was still on the ground and there are posts asking where we can drop off donations, who needs help, offering up chain saws and physical labor. Our own weather man had damage to his house, and he paused during the reporting to check on his wife and make sure she was ok…and went right back to saving lives. Big props and hugs to all the first responders who are driving into the chaos to check for life and help those who are trapped and hurt.

And that is about all I can handle of weather talk today. I had several of you message me again yesterday to check in, and I appreciate it.

On to happier things, like Starbucks trips! On our way home from grabbing groceries the other morning, I stopped at Starbucks because I saw they had the brown sugar oatmilk shaken expresso back in stock, so I finally got to try it! Zoe got a birthday cake pop and was the happiest girl on the ride home.

Favorite Purchase: I had never ordered from Dior’s website before, but I do like a few of their skincare and makeup items, as well as their perfumes. I have had some really dry skin and cracking around my nails/cuticles lately, and heard that the Creme Abricot nail cream was really thick and worked well. They had free shipping with any order and two free samples. When my package arrived, it was wrapped in this beautiful white box AND the free samples were in this Dior pouch. How amazing is that? They also sent me a coupon for a free lipstick on my next order and sent emails every step of the shipping and delivery process. Their customer service was suburb. And this cream? AMAZING! Very thick, make sure you only put it on when you have some down time! I like to do mine at night before bed.

Favorite Aldi Finds: This week I scored some keto treats for Chris, a spring welcome mat for my front porch, this cute Little Mermaid egg cup for Zoe’s Easter basket, an awesome preschool workbook for our lessons

I also had another Thrive Market order come in. I am so happy that I decided to become a member. There are some staples that I have been ordering from them each time and they are the best! Everything comes packaged so nicely and I have been impressed with everything we have ordered.

Favorite Recipe: I don’t want to really call this a recipe, but my new favorite way to have avocado toast is with a layer of the whipped chive cream cheese underneath my avocados and then topped with everything but the bagel seasoning and some pink Himalayan salt. YUMMMMM.

Favorite Workout: I really enjoy the Mr and Mrs Muscle workouts when I am not doing a Heather Robertson one. These are usually around 20 minutes and are perfect to pair with the treadmill or a walk outside after. She always leaves me sweating.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites.

Coming at you today with this low carb version of chicken enchiladas! All the flavor, no flour wraps. This comes together pretty quickly, and you can always add some fun toppings like avocado, sour cream, etc. I always make homemade guac and top with that and cojita cheese. Because everything is better with cojita. It is science.

What You Need

Chicken Breasts (I had about a pound, I sliced them thin for even cooking)

1 TBSP Olive Oil

2 TSP Chili Powder

3/4 TSP Sea Salt

1/4 TSP Garlic Powder

1 TBSP Butter

1 TSP Minced Garlic

1/4 Cup chopped onion

1/2 TSP Cumin

1/2 TSP Oregano

1/2 TSP Paprika

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1/3 Cup Water

1 TSP Apple Cider Vinegar

Shredded Cheddar or Mexican Mix Cheese

Cilantro

1/2 Bag Frozen Cauliflower Rice

What You Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Heat olive oil in pan over medium high heat, season chicken breasts with salt, garlic powder and chili powder and sear in the pan for 2-3 minutes on each side.

In a small pot or skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until the onion begins to soften.

Stir in the remaining seasonings to the pan (chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika and salt)

Add the tomato sauce, water and apple cider vinegar, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Move the chicken the to the side of the large pan you seared it in, pour sauce over top. Next to the chicken, add cauliflower rice. Place pan in oven for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the chicken with as much cheddar/Mexican mix cheese as you like, and sprinkle entire skillet including the rice with either cilantro spice or fresh chopped cilantro. Place back in oven for an additional 3 minutes until the cheese melts.

Enjoy!!!!

Happy Spring! I didn’t even realize that yesterday was the 21st, missed opportunity on the Spring party! We are definitely feeling the season already, our grass has turned green and all the Bradford Pears are blooming and killing my sinuses. I welcome the few weeks of nice weather that we will have before it gets to hot and unbearable. I am sure Zoe and I will appreciate the outside time.

This weekend we ventured out to grab some donuts from Heavenly Donuts. Their lavender lemon ones are my absolute favorite, and they only have them for a limited time each spring. Zoe enjoyed an M&M and strawberry one.

Zoe also found this Fancy Nancy tea party set that she wanted. She has played with it ALL weekend, so totally worth it. It also fits her Disney “toddler” dolls and the American Girl size dolls. Now to just find somewhere to keep it. Toy storage is the bane of my existence.

I even put on real clothes Saturday for the occasion. I haven’t worn jeans in forever. They are definitely not my favorite and I am glad that dress season is just about here. I much prefer dresses to pants. I got these Kut From the Kloth jeans several years ago from Nordstrom Rack for like $8!!! They are the exact style of the boyfriend/mom ankle cut jeans that seem to be trending right now….minus the rips and tears. I do not like buying jeans that are “distressed.” It isn’t my “look” that I go for. I am not cool enough to pull it off.

Sunday morning, Zoe was up early and we cleaned up her playroom and bedroom. I organized a few things differently to see if it helps keep it nicer longer. We came downstairs and made breakfast, and then cleaned the floors and picked up around the house. I had an order from Publix that we needed to pick up, so we decided to go to Freddie’s for Diet Pepsis for Chris and I….and some vanilla custard for Zoe. Ice cream and donuts in the same weekend….lucky kid! The look of pure bliss on her face was priceless. She said it was the best ice cream in the whole world.

For dinner last night, I made the chicken enchilada with cauliflower rice recipe again. I promise I will post it this week! It is pretty easy to come together and looks fancy in the skillet cooking. If you are looking for a healthy, low carb chicken recipe….it is definitely a keeper.

Other than that, we mostly hung around the house this weekend playing games, taking walks and reading books. I finished Before I Saw You and started The Bromace Book Club, which had just come in from the library. I got The Lost Apothecary from BOTM and I really want to get to it…but the library book was one I was on the wait list for forever for…so I must read it first!

I also got a fun package from BzzAgent in the mail. Lancome has been super kind to me lately. They chose me for a foundation and mascara campaign a few weeks ago, and this time I got a full size bottle of La Vie Est Belle Soleil Cristal. It smells so amazing and is in a GORGEOUS iridescent  holographic bottle. It has a light floral scent with a hint of mandarin and bourbon vanilla. It is soft and feminine and the scent lasts alllllll day which I really appreciate. It is definitely up there with my favorite scents and is perfect for spring/summer. Look how pretty the bottle is!

Linking up with Tanya for Hello Monday.

Happy Friday everyone! Thanks to those of you who reached out this week to check on us after all the storms rolled through here. Our weather radio went off several times that day with warnings, but luckily for us…they stayed on the western side of our county. We didn’t have any damage here besides a few tree limbs and a whole lot of rain. Unfortunately, areas south and west of us didn’t fair as well. There are many homes damaged and businesses destroyed. There is some crazy footage of a few storms I have seen going around. Lots of pictures of helmets being wiped out at stores, I am glad most people take these threats seriously and prepare!

I had a few people slide in my DMs who are new to our area, and they were asking me what we do to prepare and what should be taken to their safe space. I always say to have a helmet for each person, and infants in their car seats. You want to have something that makes noise, like an air horn or whistle for rescue workers to find you. And some water and snacks if you are trapped. I also read that it is smart to write on your young children’s bellies or clothing their name, address and a phone number in the event you are separated from them. It is just the beginning of tornado season down here….so best to be prepared!

Other than that, it has been much the same around here. Lots of work work work. Zoe has returned to her daily princess costumes and parties.

We have been playing Zingo every night. Sometimes Zoe wins/loses gracefully…other times…most of the time…she does not. I am trying to remember this is a life lesson and to be patient. It really is a fun game, Chris and I enjoy playing it as well. One of us **CHRIS** is definitely more competitive than the other.

Favorite Purchase: We never really got the change to decorate around the house after we moved in. We moved in back at the end of November of 2019, had Thanksgiving, Zoe’s birthday and Christmas, went to Gatlinburg and were barely getting settled when everything shut down. After being home for a year, it definitely still feels more like a bachelor pad with bare walls and minimum décor. It is time to start adding our homey touches!

I have had my eye on this splattered vase at Anthropology, which I shared last week. While I was ordering it, I also stumbled upon this gorgeous piece. I feel like it will look so good in our dining room! I want the bowl and platter too, but figured I would start with this. They are having a 20% off sale right now, so it is the perfect time to stock up!

Also, this tie dye sweatshirt is on clearance right now! LOVE! And if you are making your way in stores, you can grab my favorite sweatshirt of all time from $3 to $7 right now! I live in these things from November to April.

Favorite Aldi Find: I love the Emporium cheese selection at Aldi. They always come out with holiday/seasonal ones and I was able to score all three Easter ones this week! I already broke into the honey lemon one, and it is so refreshing and delicious!

Zoe and I grabbed Starbucks after we picked up our Aldi order yesterday. The line is ALWAYS wrapped the entire way around the building….but I know it has been a long week for Zoe while she tries to be patient with me as I work and try to get stuff done around the house…and I felt she was definitely in need of a little Thursday fun. She is obsessed with the birthday cake pops there. She was telling me how old she was in that picture. I wanted to try the new brown sugar oat milk shaken expresso drink…but they were out of brown sugar. Of course they were. The drive thru guy suggested subbing pistachio for the brown sugar, and it was QUITE tasty!

Favorite Recipe: I made these keto lemon bars last weekend, and they are GOOD!!!! Even if you aren’t doing a low carb diet, these are still amazing and need to be made!

Favorite Workout: This is an oldie but goodie that I know I have shared before. But if you want a quick arms and abs workout, this is my favorite.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites.

Well, spring has sprung here in Alabama this last week. The dogwoods are blooming, my grass has turned back to green seemingly overnight, and my allergies are in full force making me question if it is allergies or the ‘rona every single morning when I wake up with a pounding headache. Fun times.

A few weeks ago, basically after Valentine’s Day, I started decorating for Easter and added some more stuff around the house this past week. I have a few more things I want to add eventually, but this is probably it for this year. Besides Christmas, Easter is my favorite holiday to decorate for. I love all the white, pastels and bunnies.

This weekend we pretty much hung around the house, only leaving to grab a Best Buy pick up and some burgers and diet cokes from BBQ Stop on Saturday night.

I had to work for a few hours each morning. I swear anytime I think I start to catch up, we have a new load of jobs in and my list keeps growing. I am thankful for the work and hope the economy continues in such a way, but then I also worry that it is just a bubble ready to pop. This last year has rocked all of our lives in such a way, hasn’t it?

I made a new dish yesterday for lunch, low carb chicken enchilada. Basically it is chicken breast with enchilada fixings on top, and some cauliflower rice. I might share the recipe later this week. It came together pretty easily and was full of flavor. It also looks pretty.

We managed to get outside some, with the weather near 80 the last two days. My allergies got the best of me yesterday afternoon, and we had to come inside. I felt like my eyes were going to explode. Still, lots of fun to be had!

I had someone reach out to me on Instagram a few weeks ago, offering a small discount in exchange for a post on the product. It was for Little Creators playdough kits! I have purchased a few kits from various Etsy sellers before, and it was time for a new one. The dough in these kits isn’t meant to last forever, as it is naturally made and tends to try out after several months. The toys inside are always so fun, because you can use them with slime and regular play dough too. I let Zoe get on the site and chose her favorite kits. She picked a large ballerina kit and a small rainbow/unicorn one. They arrive last week, and my goodness they are wonderful!!! These kits are better than the kits I have purchased before. The dough is larger and softer and smells incredible. Her large box is also much bigger than the others I have received, definitely giving us room to store the dough in the box. The other boxes we have, I can never get everything to fit back inside after opening.

Zoe has played with these kits for hours already, they are so much fun! Little Creators has offered my followers a discount code: LITTLES if you want to order some of your own. They posted some Easter boxes last week that look soooooo cute!!! They shipped really fast.

Sharing these kits on my blog wasn’t part of the deal. I just really loved the hits and highly recommend them for anyone that is looking. I only share good stuff with you guys, I hope you know that! I am not getting anything on the kits that are sold with my code.

Some seriously beautiful scenes Zoe has made with these over the last week!

I could talk about how it has been a year now since I left my office March 13th in the middle of the work day to go to the grocery store and get prepared for the 2-4 weeks we were told we would probably be home in quarantine. I remember thinking wow, up to a month??? So naïve were we, right??

This past year, I have been more than thankful that we have been able to keep our family in a safe little bubble and work from home. We had the means to have groceries and supplies delivered to our door, to be able to set up home offices comfortably, and live mostly unscathed this last year. At least physically. My mental state leaves a little to be desired if I am being honest. This virus isn’t really going anywhere anytime soon, but I spent a year doing my part and I am honestly over it. I have watched so many live like nothing changed, and if I am honest…I am a little jealous of those who still took trips, went to Target whenever they felt like it and weren’t scared. While I am not an extreme risk, I do have asthma, and pneumonia has put me in the hospital more than once in the past. The fact that this was known as a raspatory illness scared me, I won’t lie. I have watched family members, friends, coworkers, etc get sick. Luckily they have all come through on the other side. I actually have a family member that was just diagnosed this past week. Hoping he has a good recovery.

But right now, I am over it. Obviously, I am going to continue to be careful and take precautions. But we are slowly taking steps to take some parts of our lives back. I think it is time. I was never really a hugger before. Just with family and close friends…but if you know me even a little…don’t be surprised to get a huge hug every time I see you forever and ever….once I am not afraid of you giving me the plague. It’s amazing that such a small gesture is something I miss the most.

Anyways, back to work for me! We have some bad weather coming in on Wednesday down here. I am hoping things change between now and then, but if not…stay weather aware! I hope you all have a great week!

Linking up with Tanya.