menu monday.

How was everyone's weekend? Did you watch the Oscars? 

We did and I was SO excited that Natalie Portman won Best Actress ... I absolutely adore her! 

Here's what's on our menu board this week: 

Monday: Roasted chicken & vegetables {from my budget cookbook}

Tuesday: Bean Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday: Quesadillas {using leftovers from Monday}

Thursday: Chicken and Spinach Mac & Cheese {I add chicken to it ... SO YUMMY!}

Friday: Spanish Tortilla

Saturday: Family Birthday Party :) 

Sunday: Pulled Chicken Samis & Homefries

We're still on a serious food budget {got to get to Fashion Week!} in our house ... And I'm surprised with how well it's going! I spent $50 the other day on 2 weeks worth of groceries {I splurged on a few things which is why I spent $20 more than last time!}

But y'all I must say planning ahead and using some budget cooking techniques SERIOUSLY helps! 

Happy Monday Y'all! 

*** Oh my! I almost forgot ... I may have a GIVEAWAY up my sleeve ... Stay tuned! ;) ***

and the winner is ... {an oscar party}

So y'all I'm not actually having an Oscar party, but if I was here's some things that I would have ...

{cupcakes}

{cheese spread}

{deviled eggs}

{popcorn}

{champagne punch}

Isn't this bingo game a great way to keep people entertained if the show seems to be dragging {ahem, for the men in our lives}!?

While I won't be hosting an Oscar party tonight, B and I will be watching! I am so excited to see Anne Hathaway and James Franco host ... The promos that I've seen with them are too cute and I think they'll be perfect for tonight's award show!

And let's be honest, as excited as I am for the actual awards ... I'm PUMPED to see the fabulous dresses on the red carpet! :)

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Remember these GORG numbers from last year? Oh man, I can't wait! :)

So what's everyone else doing for the Oscars? Big party plans? Low-key couch evening?

march daydreams.

With March LITERALLY just around the corner, I've been doing some SERIOUS Spring daydreaming ... 

I know we're still 22 days away {yes, I'm counting} and even though NC has been known to have snow in March ... 

When I flip my calendar page to March 1 ... Spring is here {in my mind}! 

Weird? I just hate Winter ... there I said it ... I.HATE.WINTER! 

Here's what I've been daydreaming about: 

{grill}{patio}{skirt}{sweater}{vegetables}{flowers}

~ Grilling! Dear Weber, I have missed you so ... Y'all, I cannot describe how much I love grilled food ... Of ANY description! And I cannot wait until I can send hubs out back to throw some yumminess on our dear old grill! :)

~ Outdoor eating! Doesn't it go right along with grilling? Now I know that some people have an aversion to dining outside because of the pesky bugs that can come with it ... But it is one of my all time favorite things to do! I could sit around an outdoor table with friends for HOURS! 

~ Short skirts ... with NO TIGHTS underneath! I will admit that I am one of the firsts to start wearing shorts, skirts, and dresses come Spring-ish weather ... I think it's my way of boycotting Winter in its final days! And don't y'all just love this little mustard number from GAP?!

~ Lightweight cardis! Now because as I said I like to wear shorts, skirts, dresses when the weather isn't ALWAYS warm enough, my closet MUST be fully stocked with things to layer up top! And this ruffly cardi from GAP would be the perfect addition! :) 

~ VEGETABLE GARDEN! I love planting vegetable gardens and ever since I started planting my own {instead of just helping my Dad plant his} I've become more and more daring each year and added more things to my garden! That being said, this will be the first year I actually get to plant one IN THE GROUND! {weird right? read here for more info!} I've already started preliminary plans for some Spring 'crops' {first time for that too!} and I can't wait to get my hands in the dirt! 

~ Who doesn't love Spring flowers? Tulips ... Daffodils ... I love them all! 

So that's what I've been daydreaming up ... What are your Spring daydreams? A must have outfit? A veggie garden? A flower garden? A nice "Spring Break" trip? {geees, I wish I still had SB!}

Happy Saturday Y'all! Hope everyone has a great one! xo! 

Friday Fancying

Have y'all had a good week?! I feel like it's another week has absolutely FLOWN by, but it's been another great one! :) 

B & I don't have much on the books for this weekend ... Which is ALWAYS a good thing! We do have a low-key backyard BBQ birthday party tomorrow night that I'm really excited about ... Nothing like good friends, good food, and MAYBE a few good adult bevs! :) 

So this Friday's Fancies is a little bit different than I've done before ... I created an outfit for what I'd LIKE to be doing ... Even though I'm not! Is that against the rules?! :) 

As I told y'all on Wednesday ... ECU Baseball season has officially started and I'm SO EXCITED to start WALKING over to the games! 

So if we had a home game tonight {instead of it being in VA} this is what I'd be wearing to the game {well, and if it were a BIT warmer!}

{sweater}{shirt}{shorts}{earrings}{boots}{bag}

Linking up with {av} for another Friday's Fancies! Come join the fun! 

TGIF Y'all! xo! 

Did I Do That? {Thursday linkup}

Can y'all believe that it's Thursday already?! I'm not AT ALL complaining but geeeees, this week has absolutely FLOWN! 

So one reason I'm so excited for Thursday is that means it's time again for "Did I Do That?" ... Who's excited?! {too much? :)}

Because this week has gone by so fast, I feel like I haven't had much time to have "Did I Do That?" moments ... That or I've just forgotten about them and moved on QUICKLY! :) 

But I do have a couple and a few "Oh Yea, I did THAT!" moments too! 

~ Went running and somehow twisted my knee ... Have a race in 2.5 weeks ... So did I REALLY do that? EEEEESH. Here's to hoping it gets better SOOOOOON! 

~ Watched Idol last night and cried almost the whole way through ... Hubs thought I was having a breakdown. Did I REALLY get that emotional? Guess so, it was just so sad watching all the people get cut. 

~ Realized I'm WAY overdue to have my oil changed ... Like WAAAAAY overdue ... Did I really not notice that?! {hubs wasn't happy, but it's on the TOP on my to-do list tomorrow!!}

~ I did make PHENOMENAL homemade baked beans on Sunday ... They were so good and I was really proud ... And to think NO RECIPE! So OH YEA, I DID THAT! :) {I totally forgot to take a pic because I was SOOOO hungry!}

~ Watched Easy A with my GF's for the SECOND time and I'm SO glad I did ... Such a great movie! And the "girls mental health day" was pretty nice too! :) 

So once again y'all even when I don't think I had that many "oh duh!" moments ... Turns out I still had more standouts than I thought! :) 

So what about you? Any "Did I Do That?" or "Oh yea, I did THAT!" moments?! 

Link up with me and Jen! Come on, it'll be fun! 

And Happy Thursday Y'all! xo! 

I'm loving ... {link-up party}

First of all, let me just say that I have been confused ALL week about what day it was ... I blame the holiday on Monday! 

{not that I'm complaining ... it meant my friends got to stay an extra day!}

 What I'm Loving Wednesday really snuck up on me this week ... But there are SO many things that I am loving and feeling so lucky for today! 

So onto it ... I'm L-O-V-I-N-G ... 

~ That I'm going to Panera Bread with my mother-in-law today ... I LOVE their greek salad! And I love my sweet MIL! :) 

~ That ECU Baseball season is here! We live within walking distance to the stadium and can actually hear the announcer from our backyard! So fun! 

~ That we have had SO MUCH sunshine recently ... It makes getting motivated for running SO MUCH easier! :)

~ As always, I'm loving my sweet HUBS ... He's been working so hard lately and is SO proud of how far along the building he's working on is coming! 

{isn't it the cutest when grown men are excited & SO PROUD of what they do?}

~ And I'm ESPECIALLY LOVING ALL OF YOU FABULOUS NEW FOLLOWERS! I can't believe that I've almost reached 100 followers ... All of your sweet comments absolutely melt my heart everyday! 

Happy Humpday Y'all ... Did it sneak up on you too? 

*** Don't forget to link up with me & Jen to "Did I do That Thursday" tomorrow! It'll be FUN FUN! :) ***

runway ready.

Oh y'all this title has SO many meanings ... 

I'm READY for Charleston Fashion Week. I'm READY to {again} see B.b. on cute little kiddies strutting their stuff down the runway. And {I think} I'm READY to use Rent the Runway for the first time. 

I've seen all of you fabulous ladies all over blogland talking about this wonderful service ... And it has so much sparked my interest. But when I first started looking at all the FAB dresses that RTR has, I didn't have an event that I {desperately} needed a dress for ... UNTIL ... 

I got a call from Barbara that she was asked to be a featured designer in Charleston Fashion Week. Obviously I HAVE to go ... And obviously I HAVE to have a new dress to wear. That's when it hit me ... RENT THE RUNWAY WAS TOTALLY THERE FOR ME! 

So I started browsing ... I fell in love with several gorgeous things ... Then I got REALLY nervous. 

Why you ask? 

What if it doesn't fit me? What if I fall even MORE in love with the dress and I don't want to return it? Can I find something equally as fabulous for less that I can actually keep? What if it doesn't show up before I leave for Charleston? What if the shoes I think will look fab, don't go? 

You see my dilemma. 

So I need YOU ... yes, all of you pretty ladies who have used RTR before to HELP ME! Did you love it? Did you hate it? Would you use it again? 

And for those of you who are newbies to this service like me ... What would you do? Get one of these fabulous numbers? Or would you be nervous too? 

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Y'all are the GREATEST friends a gal could ask for! XO!

Menu Monday {and a secret revealed}

For those of you who looked at Friday's post, it was pretty easy to figure out what the BIG SURPRISE was! 

My sister just turned 25 and I had a surprise 80's themed birthday party for her on Friday! 

Now, I must admit I am the WORST surpriser because I am the WORST liar! But I successfully pulled it off and she was SO excited! I wish I had gotten more pics but here are a few ... 

{all the girls}

{me & the bday girl}

{does anyone else remember fruit rollups & airheads?! ha!}

Now onto the menu ... I had the HARDEST time getting it together for this week after me and the GF's ate SO much food this weekend! But here's what we got! :) 

Monday: Eggs Benedict with Roasted Potatoes

Tuesday: Chicken Potpie

Wednesday: Hamburgers with Homefries

Thursday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Friday: Nachos

Saturday: Dinner with Friends

Sunday: Farmhouse Hash {yes, I just made this but it's SO GOOD!}

I can't wait to catch up on everyone's blogs ... I feel so out of touch after playing hostess, party planner, and relaxing with friends this weekend! 

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend ... And is off to a great start to the week! 

Happy Monday Y'all! xo! 

Friday Fancying - Oscar Edition

What girl hasn't wondered what it would be like to step out of a limo onto the red carpet and see nothing but the flashing lights of cameras? 

I know I sure have! 

That's why this week's Friday's Fancies with {av} at long distance loving was TOO much fun! 

Here's what I'd be wearing if I was stepping onto the red carpet for the Oscars ... 

I am LOVING backless dresses ... And the color of this flowy number is so beautiful! Simple earrings and a BEAUTIFUL diamond cocktail ring are the perfect accessories! And those SHOES? OH MY! Add a simple, but elegant clutch ... You've got yourself a red carpet ready ensemble! 

Lots planned for me this evening ... And then tomorrow I can finally spill my secret! I'll give you a few hints though ... 

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Promise to tell you more after tonight! 

Happy Friday Y'all! xo! 

Did I Do That? {Thursday linkup}

It's that time of the week again y'all ... Thursdays for me & Jen now have a whole new meaning ... 

Lots of Urkle "Did I Do That?" and maybe some "Oh yea, I did THAT!"

This week I had several "Did I Do That?" moments (as USUAL!) :) 

~ Dropped my iPhone on the curb and cracked the screen ... and by crack, I mean SHATTERED! Decided I could 'deal' instead of getting it fixed ... Got glass stuck in my finger! 

~ Made waffles {that were on my menu} with NO SYRUP in the house! {how can you eat waffles with no syrup?}

~ Training for a race in March and haven't run ONCE this week ... What am I thinking?! 

~ I do {hopefully} have a HUGE "oh yea, I did THAT!" moment this week ... And I SO wish that I could tell you ALL about it ... But it's a BIG HUGE ENORMOUS secret! I promise after Friday I will tell you {and SHOW} you all about it! :) 

So what about y'all?! 

Any "Did I Do That?" or "Yea, I did THAT!" moments this week?! Come on! You know you want to share! :) 

Link up with Jen & me! 

And HAPPY THURSDAY Y'ALL! 

I'm loving ... {link-up party}

There are SO many things that I'm loving this Wednesday ... 

~ I'm LOVING my sweet sweet hubs ... Who got me a pretty heart-shaped topiary for Vday. And of course loving his disclaimer: "Because flowers die." {hopeless romantic, I tell ya}

~ I'm SO loving that my BESTEST friends are coming to visit this weekend! 

~ I'm loving my new haircut & my new salon! Such a good feeling to find someone you trust! 

~ B & I loved these red beans & rice on Vday ... If you like them, this is an EASY and GOOD recipe to try! 

~ And to keep this post from getting TOO long ... Lastly, 

I'm L-O-V-I-N-G this WARM weather! Supposed to be in the 70's on Friday! Would it be weird to lay out in February?! {Vitamin D does a body good, right?!} :)  

{via}

What are YOU loving this Wednesday?! Link up with Jamie at This Kind of Love! :) 

Happy Humpday Y'all!