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 I've been having some issues with my current phone and it's super outdated so I'm really looking forward to a new one.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)

Easter 2015

Every year for the past 3 years, we've gone to Stephen's parents house in Okeechobee for Easter. Stephen's dad is a pastor so we always enjoy going back and seeing everyone and helping out. Stephen and I always attend the sunrise service then go home for the 2nd service but this year we stayed for the whole thing (I don't know how pastors do the same service twice in one day, let alone the ones who do it 3-4 times on Sunday). We had a great time relaxing and spending time with family.

We got in town Friday night in time for the Good Friday service. Saturday we slept in, had brunch and mowed the yard... lol Stephen's parents have 2 acres and they've always had riding lawn mowers but they recently got a new industrial lawnmower and we had to test it out. Stephen and I pretty much ended up mowing the yard - it was fun and relaxing (although I'm sure the beautiful weather was a HUGE factor). That evening, John, Lauren and Tim arrived and we grilled out, played a hysterical game of Balderdash and then watched the Wisconsin/Kentucky game.

It's so peaceful and nice when there's beautiful spring weather

Sunday, we were up well before the crack of dawn for the sunrise service at church. After all the services, we headed back home for some egg decorating, Easter lunch and egg toss. 

 

After getting home, Stephen and I exchanged Easter baskets. We try to keep it minimal and only give candy. I only snagged a few pictures of Stephen's basket.

Since we've been going to Okeechobee Easter's the past few years, I figured I'd give a trip down memory lane ;) 

Easter 2013 (sorry the picture is so blurry)

In 2013, we all took an airboat ride on Lake Okeechobee

Easter 2014

I hope everyone had a great Easter!!

Linking up with Biana.

Happy Good Friday!

One
Happy Easter weekend! I cannot believe April and Easter are here! We are heading down to Okeechobee to spend Easter weekend with Stephen's family. I am so thankful that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying on a cross for my sins. Praise the Lord that He didn't stay dead and instead, rose from the grave 3 days later so that we can spend eternity with Him in heaven. If you'd like to read the whole Easter story, John 18-20 is a great place to start :) Enjoy spending time with your loved ones this weekend.

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Two
Last weekend my mom sent me a fun Easter package filled with candy, a new skirt and a new shirt (it is this print but this cut). It's super comfy and flowy which is super nice when you don't want to have to suck everything in ;) I also love the colors and pattern - it really makes me feel like spring is here. When I first got the shirt, I paired it with skinny jeans and my favorite flats but I dressed it up for work with black pants.

Three

I'm not a big coffee drinker - except when I have a good creamer. I brought home some creamer that was leftover from Camilla's wedding weekend a few weeks ago and decided I needed to try to drink coffee in order to use the creamer. I finally made some to take with me to work one morning - that in itself warranted a picture...

Four

This week, Jessa Duggar's wedding aired on TLC and I had to watch. I just love this show but really haven't been watching too much this season. The wedding was beautiful! I'll definitely be watching more of this season since it looks like they'll be covering the Seawald's honeymoon and Jill's baby journey!

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Five
Not sure if anyone noticed, but Wednesday was April Fool's day. I'm not a big pranker - the one thing I did year after year was tape together the water sprayer on the kitchen sink so when my mom would turn the sink on, she'd get sprayed. It worked every year. Something I've seen for a while on Pinterest is to cut a bunch of Nicolas Cage faces out and put them around the house. I decided April Fool's day would be the perfect day to do this - so now there are 15 Nicolas Cage heads throughout our apartment. I just think it's so funny and Stephen got a pretty big kick out of it too.

Just a few places throughout the apartment that I hid Nicolas Cage

J Crew Mini Skirt

A few weeks ago my sister went home for spring break and her and my mom did lots of shopping - they also included me in the shopping and sent a few things down last week. I'm so thankful for a sweet family that still tries to include me even though I'm married and sometimes not with them while they're together. I had been eyeing this J Crew skirt for a while but never pulled the plug. While shopping, my mom found it and snagged it for me. I love the color, love the fact that it's more casual and love that it's super comfy - great find mom ;)

I decided to wear it to the baby shower I attended over the weekend and it worked out perfectly! I paired the skirt with a navy and white stripped shirt I got from J Crew Factory a while ago (this one is similar). 

(Please excuse the extreme brightness of the photos - my phone camera is super old and hopefully I'll be upgrading soon and will learn how to take better pictures:))

Shirt (Similar) / Skirt / Necklace (Similar) / Purse / Sandals

Linking up with Annie.