Wednesday, February 28, 2018

What's Up Wednesday.

Hey hey friends!  It's What's Up Wednesday with Mel, Sheaffer and Shay!  

Every month we answer a few questions about what's been going on this month...

...so here goes!




WHAT WE'RE EATING...

We know by now that I hate to cook.  But this year I'm doing my best to be better.  A better wife.  A better mom.  A better business owner.  A better friend.  Just BETTER.

I'm cooking more, hating it (slightly) less and enjoying these new recipes.

So yay for me.  :)

Here's what we've been eating lately.

Craig and I both were in the mood for some comfort food the other night, so I made this yummy crispy, buttery chicken with mashed potatoes and this delicious sauce that is amazing on chicken and mashed potatoes.


I didn't get a picture of the sauce but it's RIDICULOUSLY easy to make if you want to try it.  In a saucepan, combine a can of cream of chicken soup, 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons sour cream.  When the butter starts to melt, just whisk it all together and let it heat through.  

Clearly, this is not in any nutritionist's diet plan.

This is actually the second time I made this chicken.  Craig loved it so much the first time that he requested it again but this time he wanted mashed potatoes instead of the veggies I served it with originally.


And I also whipped this up the other night.  This was soooo good.  For the most part, it was just oven baked chicken with a half a piece of bacon on top and a sprinkling of cheese.  We dipped it in BBQ sauce for a little something extra.


I'll post the recipes soon!  I found them on Pinterest (find me here) and did a few minor tweaks.  But if you can't wait, they are on my Yummm board.  ;)

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

My babies.  I'm always reminiscing about my babies.  These were all pictures on my "On This Day" yesterday on Facebook.  (And if you haven't joined my Facebook group yet, you can find it here.)

Mason was so proud of his big boy hair. (2014)


And this was my life in 2013.  We spent our days just hanging out and playing.  Best days of my life.  :)


And then in 2012.


Can you even?! Be still my heart.

And then there was Matthew (2010) and his puffy cheeks after a pizza dinner.


I love these babies so much.

WHAT I'M LOVING...

Have y'all see any of these Momsplaining videos with Kristen Bell?  If not then YOU MUST!  Watch the first episode below.  If you've ever been pregnant (or are thinking of getting pregnant), you will love it.

Find the Facebook page here to view all the episodes.  I watched all of them and could not stop laughing.  I LOVE Kristen Bell.  (Do y'all watch The Good Place?  So funny.)


WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Well, I guess the biggest change around here is that Craig started a new job!  He still does private QB coaching and works the Elite 11 camps all over the country on weekends but he's now with a business and real estate brokerage firm.  I call it his "big boy" job.  ;)  Since he retired from the NFL almost 10 years ago, he's been happy to keep himself busy working football camps (big, professional camps) and working with his quarterbacks.  And playing golf.  haha

He's really taken to this new opportunity though and I have no doubt he'll kick butt at this too.

In other news...

We had a great Valentine's Day at the boys' school parties.




And I loved my tulips that all my boys' surprised me with.


We've been enjoying the weather as best we can when we get a reprieve from all the rain!


It totally ruined my weekend plans.  And Matthew has been fighting a nasty cold but seems to be on the mend.

WHAT I'M DREADING...

Not much right now.  :)

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

The shop is in full Teacher Appreciation mode right now!  March and April are always my busiest months, right up there with Christmas.  And not to toot my own horn (honk honk), but if you're looking for some cute gifts for those teachers, you should definitely take a peek over here.  ;)

These teacher name signs are definitely the most popular gift in my shop for teachers.  


But these cute little signs can be done with any name.  The ones below were done for a playroom.  They are small (about 3.5x12") so they are great on a gallery wall or above a door frame or perfect to sit on a bookshelf.



And I've been working on a few "Create Your Own" tumblers for a repeat customer who sends these cute cups to her team members when they make "yellow status".  (I'm honestly not sure what that is but I love these yellow brick road tumblers.)


And then a few more random orders.  That's one thing I love about my business.  I get to make new stuff all the time so it never gets boring.  :)


This was another "Create Your Own" listing.


Glittering in progress...


And I made this sweet 12x24" sign for my friend who is having her very first baby!  I'm so excited for her!







And these two come with matching straws (not shown).


Find all of these HERE!  Turnaround time is 1-2 weeks (closer to 2) but there is a Rush Fee available if you need it.  Order early, friends!  Leave yourself enough time.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

This weekend we're planning to redo last weekend and attempt a trip to Texarkana to visit my parents again.  I love going home and the boys love visiting Nana and Papa.  

But for something really fun (sorry Mom and Dad), I am excited about an upcoming kid-free mini vacay with my hubby!

Craig was invited to help coach his friend's football camp in Phoenix in April.  Once or twice during the camp season, Craig will take time to work a camp for friends of his.  The last one I went to was in Scottsdale at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort and it was glorious.



This year, we are staying at the Waldorf Astoria Arizona Biltmore hotel and all of the wives and significant others have been invited to tag along if we want and have a long weekend.  We decided we'll probably get there a few days early to just enjoy some time away before he actually has to start working the camp.

We don't do a lot of traveling or vacations at this stage in our lives.  Craig's schedule from February to June is booked tight so there just aren't a lot of opportunities.  We always take a beach vacay every August though and this year we're planning our first Disney World trip around Thanksgiving!  (So pumped.)  So when little getaways like this come up, we snag them!

I'll be dreaming of this place for the next 6 weeks.  :)


WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

I talked about my favorite new show HERE on Tuesday TV Talk.  But I'm still loving this:


You need to watch this!!!

I'm also heavily invested in This Is Us.  #asweallare

And I am SUPER pumped about The Bachelor finale and After the Final Rose next Monday.  I hate to admit this (again) but I have never missed an episode of The Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise etc.  Gahhhh that's sad.  And somewhat shameful.  #Iknow #dontjudgeme

It's not that it's my favorite show ever.  It's just a habit I can't break.  And it's like a comfort piece...like a child and his blankie.  I can't help it.  

A few years ago, I started reading spoilers on the show on Reality Steve.  It just gave me a different perspective going into the show and already knowing (most of the time) who the winner was. For the record, Reality Steve is not ALWAYS right.  A few times he's messed up the final two but for the most part, he's spot on.  Regardless, it makes it fun to watch the dynamic between the finalists from start to finish.  

This season has a crazy ending though and I can't wait to see it play it out next Monday.  I am not giving anything away but if you have been watching, you'll want to make sure and tune in Monday night.  Because by Tuesday morning, it will be all over the place.  Eeek.

(And I can't wait to read Sheaffer's recap of all of that mess.  It's going to be epic I'm sure.  If you don't read her recaps every week, you are missing out!!)


As for what I've read lately, be sure to check here for my latest book review.  But since then, my favorite new books are the new Sophie Kinsella book, Surprise Me and Jane Fallon's Faking Friends.

Surprise Me is about a couple who have a great marriage.  Then they go in for a routine physical and the doctor tells them they are both so healthy and can expect another 68 years together.  This somehow throws both of them into a tailspin and they FREAK OUT.  The thought of spending day in and day out with each other, no matter how happy they were together, for the next 68 years caused some panic.  So they decided to spice up their marriage and start surprising each other.

These surprises end up backfiring in the worst ways and things get pretty messy.  But in the end it is a story that will touch your heart, make you laugh, make you mad and then make you happy you read it.


And Faking Friends.  Y'all.  I LOVED this book!!  Add it to your cart!  Faking Friends is about Amy and her life-long bestie, Mel.  They have always been as thick as thieves even though Amy has always taken a bit of a backseat to her glamorous and perfect best friend.  Amy ends up following her dream of acting to New York and living out a long-distance relationship with her fiance who is still in their London apartment.  When Amy decides to show up in London as a surprise, she discovers another woman has been living in their apartment....Mel.

Instead of screaming and yelling, Amy decides to keep her discovery to herself and quietly sets out to destroy her fiance and best friend while quietly rebuilding her own life.

This is not your basic chick lit.  There were even a few twists in it that made you go "Well, I didn't expect that!".  Loved this one.  You should read it.  :)


And find me on Goodreads here.  I always keep it up to date these days!


WHAT I'M WEARING...

This doesn't exactly qualify as what I've been wearing but I will show you what I'm excited to get in.

I'm over winter.  We're already starting to warm up here in Texas and now that I know I get a resort vacay soon, I started looking at fun summer stuff.

I was on the Soma website the other day because I needed new bras.  I have a few Soma bras and they seem to be the ones I grab over all the others.  So I picked out two new ones (here and here) and then jumped over to their swim section just to see what they had.

I couldn't say no to these cute cover-ups!!  (And Lord knows, I'm going to need a cover-up.  Unless I can drop some of this winter weight before I leave.)

This one made me all happy.



Love it!

I also bought this one because I love the colors and the peek-a-boo shoulders.



And how cute is this?!  So many choices!!!


I can't wait for a vacation!!!

So that's it for this month's What's Up Wednesday!

I'm bumping this month's Confessions post to next week so be sure to look for it then!

Have a great day, friends!





























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14 comments

  1. That vacation spot looks incredible...something sunny to look forward to! This has been the grayest winter ever in Tx. Congrats to Craig on the big boy job! Have a good Wednesday!

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  2. Thank you so much for linking up!! I cannot wait to get my new cup!!!

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  3. Your getaway looks amazing!!

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  4. Love that last cover up! The white is so pretty!!! Hope you guys have a great week!

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  5. I'm definitely going to check out those Kristen Bell 'Momsplaining' videos. We are big Kristen Bell fans ever since her Veronica Mars days! I too am slightly embarrassed to admit that I'm hooked on the Bachelor/Bachelorette and their spin-offs. The drama is addicting! I want to read what Reality Steve says about how this season ends because after watching The Women Tell All episode, obviously something strange occurs?? But, then I kinda want to be surprised! Does that even make sense?! Your adults-only vacation coming up in April looks wonderful!

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  6. Oh my goodness - that video was HILARIOUS!!! I couldn't stop laughing!

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  7. You have the best book reccomendations!! I can’t wait to read these two!

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  8. That getaway LOOKS awesome!
    Love all the creat your own tumblers!!

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  9. The getaway will be fabulous! Love Soma too!

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  10. I’ve needed a new book recommendation and you came through! Faking Friends is downloading on my Kindle as I type! Enjoy your vacation. I hope you find lots of time to read while you’re there! :)

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  11. So excited to read “Surprise Me”...I love Sophie Kinsella! And I ordered a water bottle from your shop and am super excited about that too:)

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  12. What a fun getaway!! That looks amazing!

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  13. Ok so first of all, that Kristen Bell video is hilarious. Next, we obviously need to do dinner because I’m behind on your life! Did you watch Bachelor Winter Games?!?

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