Five on Friday

Shew, it's been a hot minute since I've blogged. Things have been great but so busy and by the end of the day, I'm pooped. We have started to work on the nursery and I've had a constant flow of orders for Premium Pineapple which has been fantastic.

One
So speaking of starting to work on the nursery, if you saw on instastories a week or so ago, we recently pulled everything out of the room I used as an office and the room Stephen uses as an office. Combine that with all the baby things we have from friends and family, our house has never looked like this bad of a disaster - even when moving! But we are so excited to start painting both rooms this weekend and I'm not going to lie, I'm enjoying the extra space in my embroidery area ;)

The plan is to paint both rooms this weekend, install closet organizers in both rooms the following weekend then start moving everything back into Stephen's room which will now be our combined office. After all of that is done, we can start working on the nursery.

Two
Last weekend, Stephen and I decided that we would brave the Ikea crowds and do a big haul for things we would need within the next few years. We got the typical dresser for Savannah's room which we will also use for a changing table, a new bookcase for our office (in hopes of getting rid of the mix matched ones lol), a high chair, and other random things.

I really want to do this Ikea hack on the shelf so we'll see how it turns out. If anyone has any experience with spray painting metal gold, please send me any and all tips!

While we were there, Stephen had the best idea to swing by Disney Springs and get our favorite ice cream sundae from Gharidelli's. Thankfully, we were able to have our ice cream, walk around and make it home before the bad weather hit that night.

Three
I'm super excited because my sister is coming into town for one night this week. Even though she's not staying long, I'm glad I'll get to see her on her actual birthday before she heads off on a cruise with her friends!

Four
A little while back during the Old Navy sale, I ordered some maternity dresses and I was really happy with them! I thought I'd return one but ended up loving both of them so I kept them which is good since I am quickly running out of work dresses that fit my bump at work. I'm thinking of wearing the white dress to my shower in TN - it doesn't fit as well with a smaller bump but it'll be perfect for 3rd trimester.

I also got this navy dress - I love the stretchy cotton material and that it's nice and flowy.

Five
Lastly, I had to share that we got our glider a few weeks ago!! We love it and can't wait to put it in the nursery. I'm slightly bummed because now it's $25 off and you can get a $40 gift card with the purchase - so if you're looking for one, now's the time to buy.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! We'll be painting up a storm (don't worry, I have an intense mask and we'll open the windows lol) and can't wait to have the rooms looking a lot better :)

Easter 2018

Time kept getting away from me this week and I am just now recapping our Easter weekend (better late than never, right?)

We had a really nice Easter this year. We kept up with the tradition of doing Easter at Stephen's parents' because his dad is a pastor. We headed south on Saturday, stopped at the outlet mall (thank goodness I'm pregnant and can't buy the clothes at J Crew because I would've spent a fortune - everything was so cute!) and then met Stephen's parents and younger brother for lunch before heading back to their house. The rest of the night was low key and we went to bed early because we had to go to the sunrise service the next morning.

Sunday, we were up quite early and headed to the first service of the day (since his dad is a pastor, we had to go to sunrise, breakfast, Bible study and then 2nd service because that's when the rest of the family joined us). My BIL & SIL, along with my SIL's family for the first time, met us at 2nd service and then we headed home for appetizers while lunch cooked.

It was so much fun hanging out with my niece and nephew - Siena is at such a fun age now and really understood Easter eggs this year which made things more fun. Luke did so well and was so adorable! The brothers had to do their annual raw egg toss and each of them lost at one point - definitely gave us some entertainment for the afternoon ;)

Luke with his cousin - doesn't he look so excited? lol!

Stephen lost the first round of the egg toss

Siena was enjoying watching them - she kept clapping and cheering for them which was so cute

We all enjoyed a nice lunch then we headed back outside so Siena could do a mini egg hunt. It was so funny because the boys were helping her and would say "there's an egg! go get it!" and she would say "you get it!" After the festivities, Stephen and I loaded up and headed home... completely exhausted. It was so much fun and I can't wait for Miss Savannah to join us next year!

Five on Friday

One
So thankful that even though we are sinners, God still sent His Son down to die on the cross to save us from our sins. Even though Jesus died on Good Friday, He didn't stay in the grave!

Two
I took a risk (actually not a huge risk since the store is down the street lol) and ordered a maternity swim suit for our upcoming beach trip and summer and I have to say, I love it! It's my first one piece since I was a kid - it's very slimming and classy. I am going to have to get over my self-consciousness about my thighs but it happens lol I was able to get it $10 off with the online discounts which made it even better!

Three
I was gifted a set of Essie gel kit in exchange for a review and finally tried it out last Thursday. First, I am not a nail model... these pictures are awkward lol Second, this stuff was amazing! I have a competitor brand and the Essie polishes are hands down so much better. I was shocked at the fact that the color went on smooth and flawlessly, it looked like I had a professional manicure and it lasted for over a week (minus 1 nail). I hope it's easy to remove because I have all of it on soon and need to redo them for Easter tonight - I need a bright pink. Highly recommend!

Four
If y'all missed it Wednesday, I shared some delicious and quick weeknight recipes

Five
I have found a new show and am completely hooked! It's called Dynasty and it's on the CW. There are so many twists and turns - something catchy at the end of basically every episode and I'm always on the edge of my seat dying to see what happens next! I also love the fact that it's focused around the energy business which is the industry I work in.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter - celebrating Jesus' resurrection and spending time with family :) We are heading to my in-laws tomorrow but not before stopping at the Restoration Hardware outlet store ;)

New Recipe Wins

Since I wasn't actually sick, just felt horrible at night, during the first trimester I tried to keep up with quick meals for Stephen. I would pick at my food or just eat a tiny bit to get by (won't mention the night I ate a bagel for dinner... or french dip and chips ;)) but now that the nausea is pretty much behind me #praisetheLord, I've been trying to make regular meals again.

I wanted to share some winners that are quick, easy meals to make on a weeknight.

Cold Sesame Noodle Bowls
I'm not going to lie, this one was a complete shocker at how delicious it was and I was surprised that Stephen loved it too! It was so quick to make and was very light and refreshing. We did saute the zucchini noodles for a few minutes but then let them cool before eating.

Minute Rice with Teriyaki Chicken
The chicken was a little bit of a fail for this meal because I wasn't feeling well and didn't want the house to smell... I didn't cook it according to the instructions. It wasn't bad but it would be really good if you made it according to the recipe.

I was sent the Minute Rice quinoa and brown rice to review and it was delicious! Definitely the perfect side for this meal, especially with my night nausea. The flavors were great, without being overbearing and it was super easy to make. One bowl made 2 servings which was perfect for Stephen and I.

Sweet Chili Salmon
This one isn't totally new to us but is definitely our go-to for when we want salmon. It's super delicious and has the perfect amount of flavor too; not to mention it's a breeze to cook in the oven!

We usually pair it with quinoa or brown rice and roasted broccoli.

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Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potatoes

Last night, we tried out Christina's crock pot hack with our buffalo chicken sweet potatoes. It never really looked appetizing to me, but everyone says they're amazing so I took a chance. I did use a shortcut and just used buffalo sauce without adding anything else to the chicken. It turned out so delicious and I was shocked that Stephen loved it! Definitely a re-do, especially since it was basically the easiest recipe ever.

I hope these few recipes helped out with week night meal planning! I always look for quick recipes during the week and love mixing things up. Linking up with Jessi

Weekending

We had a wonderful weekend that was super productive which is great since we will be at my in-laws for Easter next weekend and then working on the house and nursery the month of April. During work on Friday, a few of my co-workers and I threw a "diapers and desserts" party for one of our co-workers due in April. It turned out really well and Chelsea left with lots of diapers :)

My friend made these adorable elephant cookies and they were delicious!

And our other co-worker is basically a gourmet baker and made these amazing lemon trifles

Later that evening, Stephen and I decided to watch What to Expect When You're Expecting and it was so precious. We saw it when it first came out but man, it definitely hit home now that we're pregnant. 

Saturday, we had a leisurely morning before meeting our friends for brunch. We loved getting to catch up with everyone over a delicious meal and I totally failed getting a picture... Once we got home, Stephen got to work on the taxes and I worked on finishing up a big bridal robe order. I didn't have anything planned for dinner so we decided to finally try one of the nearby Mexican restaurants. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as we were hoping and I'm thinking it was more traditional food whereas we wanted Tex Mex. After dinner, Stephen watched Dr. Strange (it was very strange) while I fell asleep and slept through most of the movie. 

Sunday, we went to church and since it was Palm Sunday, they had some mini horses there (the 2 horses were cheaper than a donkey ;)). We had to grab a picture with them before heading in since the service had already started so no one was outside. The rest of the day was spent on chores, laundry, more PPE orders and starting to purge my office for the nursery. 

It was a wonderful, restful weekend and I hope everyone else had a great weekend as well!

Five on Friday

Happy Friday friends! We are so ready for a weekend at home, even if it's filled with taxes (poor Stephen) and lots of orders for PPE. We do have a fun brunch planned tomorrow with friends and can't wait to catch up about their Italy trip!

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One
Our friends were so sweet and gifted us with a Date Box when we shared with them that we were pregnant and Stephen got a new job at the end of last year. We thought it was such a sweet and thoughtful gift (one we might have to steal ;)) and we finally got to use it after work one day this week! With being nauseous and wanting to go to sleep early, I wanted to make sure we really got to enjoy our time together and I'm so glad we waited to do it.

Our box had an escape room-esque game with ingredients to make homemade kettle popcorn, apple cider and caramel covered apples. Since we had recently eaten dinner, we decided on the game first which was so much fun for both of us and thankfully, we succeeded in escaping ;) Then we moved on to the popcorn - it was kind of a fail and then an even bigger fail for Stephen due to remembering a bad experience he had with homemade popcorn as a kid, but we did enjoy the cider with an episode of The Office - successful date night!

Two
Um, how excited is everyone for the new season of Southern Charm!? I was super late to the game because I didn't start the show until the end of season 4 but oh man, did I binge watch that show. Can't wait for it to come back in a few weeks!

Three
A few weeks ago, I was gifted an Olly  smoothie packet and after getting approval from my Dr, I tested it out. I usually like to make a smoothie to take with me on the drive into work and this made it so much easier - just add a liquid! I chose to add almond milk and thought it tasted really good - it did have a little powdery taste to it but it was still delicious and convenient.

Four
Because the blog world is so helpful and informative, I wanted to reach out and see what y'alls baby registry must haves are! I feel like we're pretty much done with the registry (other than a crib mattress) but I want to make sure I'm not missing any of your must haves :)

Five
This past weekend Stephen and I babysat our niece and nephew for the evening while my BIL & SIL went to a wedding. We had so much fun and the kids did so well! Siena is getting so big and is so much fun right now! We are in constant amazement at the fact she's getting so big so quickly.

Trying to show off his onsie - Luke's not impressed

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!