High Five for Friday

As per usual on Fridays, I'm linking up again with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday. 

Here's a look back at 5 of my favorite things from the week. And, GO!

1.  As y'all know, last week was one helluva longggg and tedious one for me. The struggle was real. My plan last Friday night was to go to the tanning bed and then head home to just drink wine on the couch while watching TV. Thank goodness for friends like Madi (you met her here)! She texted me just as I was finishing up at the tanning bed to come over to her house and drink. Well, that took a lot of arm twisting. Thankful for a relaxing, wine-filled. and girl talk-laden Friday night to unwind! 

 

Sweet, sweet Southern wine from Duplin Winery!

2. All day Sunday, and I do mean alllllll damnnnnnn day, was filled with yard work. As I've noted before, my house was empty for about three years prior to my purchasing it, and even in the year I've been here, I was focused on the inside and just keeping the front yard mowed. So, Sunday was devoted to more in the back yard. It's crazy what 6 hours and a lot of blood (literally), sweat, and elbow grease can do. 

Ooooo....the pollen. Yes, look at all that yellow.

Front Yard Azaleas

Dogwood and Azealeas

Look at all of those leaves and limbs.

My most proud comparison picture. The top was about a month ago, after I had already gotten rid of some leaves. The bottom is Sunday evening. Notice the middle and right and the difference in raking leaves and cutting back bushes.

3. Super Super Super proud of myself for finally getting on the make ahead meal prep bandwagon this week. You can read more about this goodness here.

Grilled Chicken, Brown Rice, Roasted Asparagus, and Steamed Broccoli. Pretty, healthy, and tasty!

4. On the same cooking thread, I officially cooked Monday night for make ahead meal prep, Tuesday night for myself, and Wednesday night for the manfriend. Wednesday night's dinner menu was comprised of chicken stir-fry with brown rice, and not only did he eat it right up, even went back for seconds. That's what I call a girlfriend WIN! Bonus tip: I actually used leftover grilled chicken from Monday night's meal prep. I made too much then, so I refrigerated, cut into smaller pieces before throwing in with the veggies, and warmed.

Chicken Stir-Fry

5. Crafting is still well underway for my friend Ashley's bachelotette party/night out next Saturday night. I'm not ready to reveal anything yet, but it's going to be a boot-stompin' good time!


Hope y'all have had a great week! I'll be going to church and having family time Sunday to reflect on how blessed I am and to celebrate the season of Easter and what it really means. Have a good one!

xoxo!

High Five for Friday

Welcome back to Friday, y'all! You saw how well my Friday went last week with a broke down car (yes, that's purposeful incorrect grammar), so this week can't be any worse. Thank The Lord it's FRIDAY! Now...go back and read that as if it said "IT'S HUMP-DUHAYYYYYY" except with Friday. You get it, right?! Yes? Good! Today, I'm linking up again with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday! She has a wonderful lifestyle blog that's down to Earth and very easy to read.

This week has been just as horrid as the last two, except worse. Since I work in higher education, and it's registration time, things are CRAY CRAY. Add to that preparing for Spring graduation ceremonies, and it's even better. And by better I mean crazier. 

Here's a look back at 5 of my favorite things from the week. And, GO!

1. Last night, Manfriend and I went to the Carolina Hurricanes game at the RBC Center. Oops, I mean PNC Arena. The place has changed names so many times since it's been built, I can't even keep up. I won 2 free tickets from a Facebook contest for Stevens Sausage Company, a local pork producer here in Eastern NC. We had so much fun! Too bad the Hurricanes didn't win their last home game of the season, but it was a great night out.

2. This weekend I have absolutely zero plans. Yes, you read that right. I have ZERO plans set in stone, and I love that. I can do what I want, where I want, when I want, and not worry about being late or under-dressed for the occasion. Of course, this doesn't mean I have nothing to do, it just means I have no plans.

3. It's finally feeling like spring here in Raleigh. While that can sometimes take forever, we're especially grateful for it after the long and harsh winter we had. It's going to be in the 80s until Monday and I can't wait. This means I can wear J Crew chino shorts this weekend with Jacks and be happy, happy, happy!

4. My yard is finally looking like someone actually lives in the house. My home sat empty for more than 3 years before I bought it and moved in, and I've cleaned up and done things in the front yard and inside, but didn't pay much attention to the side yard or backyard until now. It's life changing, and muscle-sculpting, I'll tell ya! (I'll also be writing more about home improvements and yard stuff later!)

5. Possibly the best thing all week? This fatty found fat-girl heaven in the form of Spring Funfetti cake mix and icing at the Food Lion. Heaven, y'all. Pure, saturated fat, artery-clogging heaven. (Yes, I bought it, and I'll be baking it right up Sunday morning!)

Anything exciting happen for you this week? If so, do tell! Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxo!

High Five for Friday

Welcome to Friday, y'all! Phew, it's been a long week here, in Raleigh! So glad we finally made it to our favorite day of the week. Today, I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five Friday! She has a wonderful lifestyle blog that's down to Earth and very easy to read.

1. Monday I had a doctor's appointment that confirmed what I'd been thinking- I'm having my fourth knee surgery, but only the first on my right knee, in April. I know it will suck for a few days, and make my gym time only the stationary bike and weight training for a while, but hopefully it will set me on the right track to feel better during my workouts and moving around, in general. It's going to be good to focus on weightlifting, because I need to learn more about how to do this and incorporate it more into my routine.

...a recent workout. notice how my time/mile ratio is horrible. I was on pace with 2 13-minute miles until my knees were too in trouble to run...

2. Wednesday night was graduation dinner for the Spring 2014 class of the NC State College of Textiles. Seeing all of these young adults and realizing this will be 4th graduation I've planned made me feel old. (It's already been 5 years since I should have graduated in Spring 2009.)

3. Speaking of feeling old, my "little" cousin went to her boyfriend's high school prom last night. She looked SO grown up and SO beautiful that I can't imagine she is the same person I held in my arms just hours after she was born on October 14, 1995. CRAZY stuff, I tell 'ya!

4. Yesterday evening, I got to meet my friend, Averi's, new baby girl. Averi and I were in Pi Beta Phi together in school and little GM is just the CUTEST and tiniest little thing you ever did see. Averi and her husband, Grant, have such a charming 1950s home and I was grateful to be welcomed in to meet the new littlest family member. While little GM got some really cute Easter shoes, I baked mom and dad a cake!

5. Last night, walking around Michael's for over an hour, I confirmed something else I've really known for a while- I have SERIOUS craft store ADD shopping. Y'all, this should be a true disorder listed with the American Psychiatric Association. I'm currently working to plan and craft for a bachelorette night out for a friend and having 16532 different projects running through your head at once with 864 different ways to accomplish each one releases the ADD shopper and perfectionist crafter in me. It's sure to be a damned good party on April 26.

...some inspiration found on Pinterest for Bachelorette crafting!...

So, what have y'all been up to this week? Anything big or exciting? Also, if you have come here via The Sweet Mash, welcome! And thanks to Madison!

xoxo!

Little Friday Link-Up, Y'all!

SO...today is Thursday, which makes it little Friday, and time for the linkup with Ashley from The Grits Blog! And not only is today the first day of spring, but it's also the first day all week we haven't had to bundle up in fifty layers in Raleigh to go outside. AND, perhaps even better than the first day of spring, it's the first day of March Madness! Bring on the basketball, beer, and upsets. Starting with NC State (12) playing St. Louis (5). As always, GO PACK! 

Last night, I ventured back into the world of "O, shit. Amy's cooking dinner. AND trying a new recipe for the first time so let's hope she doesn't burn down the house." Well, all is well (except my house still smells like onions and peppers this morning. Whatever.

I made these super duper smelling and tasting baked chicken fajitas from Eatin' on the Cheap. They are AMAZING! I'll admit, I didn't have all of the spices on the recipe, so I just used what I had on hand, so I can't even imagine how much better they would have been with everything.

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts (cut into strips)
• 1 (15oz) can tomatoes (I used the no salt added to cut down on sodium)
• 1 (4oz) can diced green chilies 
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/4 t. salt (I personally did not use just to cut down on sodium)
• flour tortillas
• 2 t. chili powder (did not have)
• 2 t. cumin (did not have)

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together in 12x9 glass baking dish chicken, tomatoes (I drained most of the juice from them before pouring in the dish), chilies, peppers, and onions.

Like I said, I used the no salt added tomatoes to reduce sodium. Don't mind my snacks and wine bag in the background, I like wine.

 After onions, peppers, tomatoes, chilies, and chicken are in dish, mix together in small bowl the oil and spices. Drizzle on top and mix again to coat all ingredients.

Place in the oven uncovered to bake for 35-45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

Serve with warm tortillas and enjoy!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe and can put it to use for yourself. One of the amazing parts for me is that I was eating this particular meal by myself, and have 3 servings of leftovers for lunches at work and one for dinner. With my thrifty grocery shopping, it only costs about $2.50-$3 for each meal. More on money-saving grocery tips tomorrow! Please come back and let me know if you try the recipe and what you think!

xoxo, y'all!

Little Friday Link-Up, Y'all!

SO...today is Thursday, which makes it little Friday! I'm doing my first ever linkup on my second blog post ever! YAY! (You'll soon notice about me that I always insert a 'YAY!' when I have NO idea what I'm talking about or what I'm doing. K? K. Thanks.)

Thanks to Big Holly, I found this linkup that she sometimes does from Ashley at The Grits Blog. Just like Holly, I'm going to treat the Little Friday Link-up as a recap of my week.

Monday started off perfectly amazing, walked out of the house in a sweater and work pants. Because...why not? Sunday's NC weather was amazing and I walked around in shorts and a t-shirt running errands and working in the yard. So, the week's weather would be normal, right?! WRONG. It's North Carolina not Florida, nothing is normal about our weather. By the time I left work just before 2pm, the temperatures had gone from 52 and humid to 32 and FREEZING COLD rain. 

Fast forward to Thursday, and this whole damned week has been a passenger on the HOT MESS EXPRESS (if only it were even warm around here) and I'm so tired and thankful it's Friday tomorrow that I could do a happy dance in my (bless Jesus) private office with a door and not even care if someone walked in to see me. O, Happy Day! Tomorrow's Friday!

And...just for the record. Amy's quest to be more thankful, present and in the moment, pray more, and depend on Jesus for strength instead of sweets is going well. My mom even ate a piece of homemade cake that I made in front of me last night and I didn't stab anyone to have a piece myself. More on that later...

xoxo, y'all!