Five on Friday | Disney Weekend!

One
Last night, my family came into town for a big Disney weekend! My sister decided she wanted spend her 21st birthday with all of us at Disney so we jumped on it and booked a long weekend. Today, we're going to Epcot, tomorrow we're doing Magic Kingdom and Sunday Hollywood Studios. I'm so happy to see my family again (first time since thanksgiving)!! You can keep up with our weekend on Instagram.

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Two
On top of a weekend at Disney, Lilly Pulitzer for Target is being released on Sunday!! I'm so excited to run over there after Hollywood Studios with my sister to do some b-day shopping!

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Three
If you missed it this week, I was nominated for the Liebster Award and had fun answering 11 questions that Ashley created. Check out the post here to see my answers, the other girls I nominated and their 11 questions.

Four
If you love the Avengers or Family Feud, then you'll love this video from Jimmy Kimmel with the cast of the Avengers competing on Family Feud.

Five
I found this scripture art on Pinterest the other day and wanted to share :)

Leibster Award

I was recently nominated by Ashley for the Leibster Award! Thanks for the nom, Ashley - be sure to go check out her blog and say hi :)

I haven't ever done a "get-to-know-me" question and answer post so I was really excited when Ashley nominated me. I plan to do a round of "facts about me" on my birthday in July so stay tuned :)

1/ Where is your favorite place to vacation?

My favorite vacation spot is Hilton Head Island in SC. My family has been going there just about every year since I was a baby - I have so many sweet memories from the Island. Usually we go with our family friends from TN and always have a blast. This year, Stephen gets to experience it for the first time!

2/ Do you have one book you recommend us to read?

The Bible

3/ What is your nemesis? 

Puke... I seriously can't. I don't know what I'm going to do when Stephen gets sick or when I have kids... I'll get over it sometime. I feel like George (in this video) anytime someone around me is going to get sick.

4/ What is your favorite part of the day?

When I come home and get to see Stephen :)

5/ Tell us your biggest to-do on your bucket list.

Buy a house... can't wait for this one to happen but who knows when.

6/ What is your favorite beauty product?

I'm trying to get better with makeup but right now, it's my foundation and mascara. I don't use any specific type of mascara - just whatever wand looks neat and my foundation is Neutrogena. Those are two makeup items I rarely leave the house without.

7/ Have you been keeping up with the Master's this weekend? If so, who are you cheering on?

I have not.. it's not as much fun watching it without my dad so I really only ever watch golf with him. I am cheering for Rory Mcllroy - he is my boy in golf!

8/ If you could hold/be around/pet one animal/reptile without it harming you, what would it be?

I just die when it comes to Mini-dachshunds... they are so stinking adorable. I.can't.even. when I'm around those little guys.

9/ What is your favorite hobby or thing to do in your free time? I don't have anything specific but I love spending time doing whatever with Stephen - traveling, playing tennis, riding bikes, watching TV, walking around daydreaming, anything really!
10/ Why did you start blogging? I LOVE to follow other people's blogs and wanted to join in on the fun :) also, our families don't live near us so it's a way to keep them updated and document everything. Looking back on it, I wish I started blogging sooner so I could capture our engagement and wedding but oh well.
11/ Do you have any pets? Introduce them to us! Stephen and I don't have any pets but my family still has our dog that we got for Christmas in 1999. She's a miniature beagle and is the cutest thing in the world but she's a SUPER stinker... she enjoys spending her days terrorizing my mom ;) Here are my nominees: Chalk Southern to Me Davis Duo Home Sweet Ruby Katie Elizabeth Lisa Loves John The New Mrs.
Here are your questions: 1. What's your favorite family tradition? 2. What's your favorite holiday? 3. If you could live anywhere in America, where would it be? 4. What is one thing you could not live without? 5. What is your favorite store? 6. What is your favorite way to relax/unwind? 7. What would your dream vacation be? 8. Do you like chocolate or vanilla better? 9. What did you want to be when you were a kid? 10. What's your favorite room in your house/apartment and why? 11. What was your most recent purchase?

Weekending

This weekend was just what the Dr. ordered. I feel like the past few weekends have been super busy (I was gone pretty much every weekend since the last weekend of February) so we were really looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend at home.

Friday, with the help of a friend, I threw a baby shower for one of my co-workers, Jessica. We had a great time and we loved getting to shower Jessica and baby Camden!

My friend came up with the great idea to decorate diapers for some laughter during late night changes. Everyone seemed to enjoy decorating the diapers and they came up with come great things! 

We had the cake made at Publix and they did an amazing job customizing it for us! 

Some pre-lunch goodies

A few weekends ago, I had the best chocolate covered pretzels at my friend's bridal shower so I wanted to make some for the baby shower. I totally forgot to get a picture of them at the actual shower so here they are drying...

More gifts arrived.. this was before anyone got there lol Also, ignore my finger in the picture... super fail

After the shower, we all went back to work on a sugar high and then later that afternoon it was time to get my new phone! Usually it takes about 20 minutes to drive from work to the shopping area... Friday it took 45 minutes so I missed my appt to pick it up. I was told I'd either have to make an appt on Saturday (the store is an hour away from my apt.) or wait 3 hours in line. I figured since I just drove 45 min to get there I might as well wait. I walked over to Ulta and found a new lipstick that I'm super excited about then wandered back to Best Buy and awkwardly waited in the comfy TV room recliners. Thankfully the wait was only about 1 hour and not 3 so I was able to get my phone and head home! I'm loving is so far and can't wait to test the camera out more!

Saturday, we  Stephen slept in then we headed out to a nearby pool to spend the day at. We just LOVED relaxing with the beautiful weather and spending time at the pool. We can't wait to keep going throughout the summer :) Afterwards, we headed to Downtown Disney for a late lunch - our usual of Earl of Sandwich and Ghirardelli's. We just loved finally relaxing and taking our time.

I'm a couple of chapters in and so far, it's very interesting!

Sunday was pretty lazy - church, Publix, laundry, nap and cutting Stephen's hair. My mom, however, threw a fun Master's party and I had to share some of her fun photos! So wish we could be there!

They had a chipping contest in the backyard

  

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Linking up with Biana.

Five on Friday

I am just so excited for this weekend! I think it is because of a mix of the events happening today, our relaxing day planned tomorrow and the fact that we're finally at home this weekend and aren't traveling anywhere.

One
This afternoon I'm picking up my new phone! I know getting new phones aren't super exciting to some people but I still get so excited every 2 years when it's time for an upgrade. I'm getting the new Galaxy S6 which is supposed to be a HUGE upgrade from the S3 which is what I have. I've been having some issues with my current phone and it's super outdated so I'm really looking forward to a new one. Sure it'll be the latest and greatest for a short period of time but whatever. Also, the camera is supposed to be amazeballs so (hopefully) I'll have better photos on here soon :) I've ordered a Kate Spade case which I think will look super cute with a white phone.

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Two

The other exciting thing happening today is a friend and I are hosting a baby shower for one of our friends at work! All the women in our group are invited and we're going to play a game, have some cake and enjoy a break from work ;) Can't wait to celebrate the mom-to-be today!

This is from Jessica's personal shower a few weeks ago

Three

Tomorrow Stephen and I are going to a pool to hang out and relax at for the first time this spring. I'm not sure why exactly but I'm REALLY looking forward to doing this. I cannot wait to be back in a swim suit relaxing poolside with the hubby!

Four

So (if you remember at all) it took me forever to finish my marriage book, Team Us. Wow this is super embarrassing because I just realized I talked about getting the book in January... what!? How in the world did it take me so long to read the book? Here's my thing, take it as an excuse or whatever, I would either forget to read or decide to watch TV at night instead of doing productive things like reading. It was a little hard for me to get into mainly due to the fact that Ashleigh and Ted are a lot different than Stephen and I so it was a little hard to relate. They are a liberal arts couple (100% nothing wrong with that) and they seem to have more emotion in some things whereas, Stephen and I are an engineering couple so everything is very literal and black and white for us (I do bring some emotion into things sometimes which makes things worse - curse you hormones). 

Some of the main topics Ashleigh talks about are expectations of getting married, becoming a team, forgiving each other, dealing with conflict, having fun together, dealing with times of distance (literally and emotionally), dealing with loss, being parents and the types of friends you have. Some of the things she talked about, we thankfully haven't had to experience yet so I will definitely keep this book as a reminder when those times come (because they will come). One of the last chapters, Ashley talks about your friendships and that you need to make sure the girlfriends you're very close with and go to for relationship advice try to build up your marriage. She also points out that those friends need to point out the things you're doing that could be hurting your marriage (believe it or not, your spouse isn't always at fault). 

Overall, I thought it was a good book, a little slow at first but the last few chapters were a quick read for me. I will definitely keep this book on my bookshelf as a reference in the future. 

Five

I feel like since it took me so long to read the other book, I don't need to have a huge list of books I want to read but whatever - I have a big list (for me) of books I want to start reading soon. 

1. Killing Kennedy - I'm going to start Killing Kennedy this weekend because my sister read the book a while ago and gave it to me to read but I kept forgetting about it. She really enjoyed it and I've heard good things about it.

2. Going Off Script - I just love Giuliana Rancic and her new biography seems to be super good. During her press tours, I've been getting a few glimpses into what she talks about and it seems super interesting!

3. For the Right Reasons - The same reason I want to read this book is pretty much the same for Giuliana's book. I really like Sean Lowe and I'd really like to get a deeper look into his life. It also helps that I love his sister Shay.

4. The Girl on the Train - All of the books I've been wanting to read are biographies or marriage books so this fiction book seems like a fun break. Everyone's been reading it left and right and said that it's great. 

5. The Meaning of Marriage - I've seen a few different people saying they HIGHLY recommend this book. I'm really looking forward to reading this and getting some great things out of it.

I'd love to hear of any other book recommendations you have!

April Pin-spired

So this was the first time I've had the post done and came up with specific outfits for an April Pinspired and Shay/Sheaffer decided they were going to change things up this month. Well since my post was already done, I didn't want to waste it so here's my April Pinspired...

Last month when we were visiting my brother and sister-in-law, Target was having a BOGO 50% off canvas shoes so my SIL and I decided to get a pair. Ever since high school, I've always kind of wanted a pair of Keds but always ended up getting Sperry's because they matched with everything better. Finding these Target ones was perfect because of the price and I could decide if I would really get some good use out of this type of shoes. I scoured Pinterest and found some great outfits and then whipped up some great casual outfits which are perfect for spring. I can't wait to wear them during our Disney trip in a few weeks :)

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Shirt / Jeans / Shoes / Clutch (Similar) / Sunglasses / Necklace (old) / Watch (Similar) / Bracelet

Shirt / Pants / Shoes / Clutch (Similar) / Sunglasses / Earrings / Watch

Shirt (Similar) / Shorts / Shoes / Bag / Sunglasses / Watch (Similar) / Bracelet

Balsamic Steak Roll Ups

A while ago, I pinned this recipe with hopes of making it soon... a year or 2 later I finally got around to making it. It's a little more involved than most recipes but it is super delicious and packed full of flavor!

Ingredients (makes about 8-10 rolls [we got flank steak pre-cut so how ever many pieces were in there is how many rolls we made])

- 1.5-2 lbs of flank steak (or steak of choice, cut thin)

- Salt and pepper

- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

- 1 tbsp olive oil

Veggie Filling

- 1-3 large carrots (we got a bag of fresh carrots so I peeled them then chopped them into long pieces)

- Asparagus

- Onion

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

Balsamic Glaze Sauce

- 2 tsp butter

- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1/4 cup beef broth

Directions

1. If you did not buy thin sliced meat, follow step 1 in the original recipe. Once you have thin sliced steak, season the steak pieces generously on both sides with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Let the pieces sit in the marinade for at least 30 min to a couple of hours (I put my pieces in a bowl and put them in a fridge while preparing everything else).

2. Next, wash and chop the carrots, asparagus and onion into long strips. 

3. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat. Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and beef broth to the pan and mix well. Allow the sauce to come to a boil then reduce to almost half its volume. It should get thicker - almost resembling a syrup. Once done, place in a bowl and put to the side.

4. In the same pan, add the olive oil and garlic. Cook the garlic for a minute or two then turn the heat on high and add the veggies. Cook for a few minutes until you think they're done (some people might like them more cooked than others). Season the veggies with the Italian seasoning and salt then place them into a bowl. 

5. Assemble the steak rolls by laying the meat flat, adding some veggies to the middle and securing the ends with a toothpick. Repeat until all rolls are complete.

6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high and lightly coat the pan with a little bit of oil. Add the meat rolls to the pan, turning on every side until cooked. It didn't take too long for them to cook since they were sliced so thin. 

7. Serve with the balsamic glaze poured on top. (This paired very nicely with Parmesan couscous)