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Hey there, Friday!!! Popping in to say Happy Easter!!! I cannot believe Easter is this Sunday. Easter was the first holiday last year that we celebrated alone, towards the beginning of quarantine when we all thought it was going to be over soon and were just enjoying the extra time spent with the people of our households. So naïve, right? We managed to make it special last year though. It was my first time cooking a ham, and we had an egg hunt for Zoe that Saturday when the weather was gorgeous here. (It rained Easter Sunday.)

I am not sure what all is in the cards for us this year, but the bunny has been extra kind to Zoe, I have some eggs to stuff for another hunt, and we are definitely going to dye eggs and bake cookies. The other day Zoe told me that Easter is actually her favorite holiday. She loves all of the pastels and thinks the bunny is extra cute. I am hoping to read her a book or two over the next few days to speak of the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Last night we had professional dance pictures done at Zoe’s dance studio. She was so cute walking in, telling me that she was nervous because she hadn’t been there in so long. She was super excited to have her picture taken though…and to put on her beautiful costume. I decided to take a few pictures myself of her outside the studio in her tap costume, and at home with her ballet costume. They are doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider for their ballet number, so they are dressing up as Little Miss Muffet.

And here is a little behind the scenes in the studio…

Oh, and we went inside Target for the first time in a year! We had been doing Shipt and drive-up pick-up this past year. Thank goodness for modern services during these crazy times, am I right? Zoe was in heaven. This is definitely the Target face you make! Also, they have added cup holders to all the carts in the last year, and I am here for it!

Zoe picked herself out this dress, which is 20% off this week! All their dresses are. She immediately put it on when we got home, and after her dance pictures…needed pictures in it as well. Such a little ham.

Favorite Purchase: I picked up some dresses for myself in the Target sale as well, though mine are being shipped. I tend to like some of the Knox Rose items, and loved this beautiful pink dress!

I am hoping that this dress fits the same way that the short sleeve version did last year, as it was my absolute favorite of the season. I ordered it in black, because honestly, most of my black dresses are very worn and I am actually in need of a few replacements for old favorites. A lot of my dresses are many years old and need replacing for various reasons.

Also, Ulta has their Boxum lip shines on sale, half off today. I stepped out of my comfort zone of light pink, and went with a bright fuchsia that I cant wait to try!

I have spent some time picking out decor for around our house, and I have learned that I have a hard time committing to any one thing. It is why it takes me forever to decorate. I LOVED the idea of having a large shelf in our living room along the back wall. This way, I can change out art and items as the seasons or my tastes change. I found the perfect shelf from Pottery Barn that comes in a number of sizes and finishes to suit your room. I went with the largest, which is 6 feet!!!

The look above is sort of the look I am going for, but not so cluttered. Maybe less frames and a 3d item or two.

Favorite Recipe: I made this coconut curry chickpea recipe for lunches this week. It has lasted all week, tastes delicious heated up and I am definitely adding it to my normal rotation. It was nice to take a break from the same salad I have eaten for the last year. I left the chunky tomatoes out and replaced it with an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, I HATE tomato chunks in most any food.

Favorite Funnies:

Linking up for Friday Favorites and here.

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.