Five On Friday: New Must Haves and Other Ramblings

One. Beautiful new shoes....major deal!! I ordered these shoes last week from Nordstrom, hoping to be able to wear them this coming weekend. Sizing said order size up, and I was a little skeptical. Usually I go somewhere between a 7.5 and an 8, so I ordered a 9...which totally didn't seem right. Sure enough, they arrived and were too big. However, I jumped on Amazon to see if I could get them Primed in my correct size and was pleasantly surprised to find them HALF OFF. These mules are beautiful, seem so well made and are the perfect way to jump on the trend for this season! I love that there is a tiny heel for us short girls!! Prices slightly vary with each size in this color from what I see at the moment! Snag them now y'all!

Two. Say hello to my new rug. It's quite fitting around here, am I right?






Three. We are headed to our first football game of the season tomorrow! Our plan is to have burgers on pretzel rolls from the new Lidl store (the pretzel rolls are SO good) and hotdogs, and keep it simple with chips and veggies and ranch dip. I love a good tailgate!!

Four. My very favorite sunglasses are on sale today and I continue to get people asking me who makes them! They are my favorite pair I've ever owned. I do need an alternate pair for when I can't locate these in the bottom of my purse or diaper bag, or car, etc. I was thinking about these, also on sale today! (You can shop everything on Shopbop 20-25% off today only!) Some other faves: kind of want a pair of levis(!!) for weekending but I've also been eyeing this pair of J. Brand. I also love this Tory bag for it's size and structure!

Five. We went to an outdoor wedding last weekend and I knew my hair had to be up because humidity and heat. Somehow, I managed to make it look halfway decent and I still can't believe it. The secret is lots of pinning and lots of holding a mirror and twisting your hair with the other hand ;) I started out by separating the top half of my hair from the bottom (around the ears) and pinned the bottom half into a loose bun. Then, for the remaining top half I teased it a little for volume, then I twisted and pinned until everything was in place. DIY hair y'all!






































PS- Some of you all loved my hair on instagram stories, but some of you loved my shower curtain...it is pretty fab!

Happy Weekend!!

Linking up to Five on Friday!

Fall Favorites on Sale + Weekend Plans + Pinterest

Happy Friday Y'all! We are currently on our way home from Raleigh and headed into a rainy few days to start Labor Day Weekend. If you follow me, you know we live on the coast of North Carolina and Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hermine is headed our way. I don't anticipate it being too bad but we will hope for the best and keep power! {Power out with two kids = no fun}. I browsed Nordstrom earlier and saw they were having a summer sale but I was pleasantly surprised that I found tons of items for fall included. Some may look familiar because they were a part of the Anniversary sale, and some are now marked down even further {not sure how I feel about that just yet!}. BTW, Stephen bought wifi for our car so I can do fun things like this while we are on the road. Best little purchase ever.

Everything is linked above but I just wanted to mention a few things: this dress is absolutely adorable on and will be perfect for a variety of occasions. Church, brunch, dinner dates, showers, work...I love a dress that can pull it's weight. I picked it up late during the Anniversary sale. I also got this gorgeous leather bag. I am going to order this dress for an October wedding, it is so pretty and classicly chic. I can't resist these pjs...I really look forward to my pj pants at the end of the day :) Adore these heels. And don't miss everyone's favorite workout pant with a cute mesh cutout on the back to make you feel a little more stylish {while you are running errands of course}.

Random, but I've been having lots of luck with inspiring things on pinterest lately...like below. Follow me here. Wishing y'all a fun and safe weekend!

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Five on Friday: Currently Loving

So many fun things I am loving lately! First off, I'm definitely drinking the Target Pillowfort koolaid. I just happened to need to get a few things from Target yesterday, and luckily the selection was great. Baby girl got that ah-dorable unicorn wall head. I only wish they made all of the bedding in a crib size, because I am seriously obsessed with those whimsical woodland sheets. I stood in the aisle contemplating how I could use the fabric of the sheet into something for baby girl's room!

woodland whimsy sheet set // flower throw pillow // canopy // 

unicorn throw // pom pom throw pillow // unicorn head

Can't forget the precious little gentlemen! I also found some things that would work great along with Weeks' room design. You can't beat a set of sheets for 29.99, and they felt so soft! I already had a wall shelf with hooks but the oar is hard to pass up. And I love the varsity monogrammed pillow!

varsity monogram pillow // rugby stripe comforter // anchor sheets // 

oar with hooks // wood milk crate

Because I like to scheme bargain buys for myself, I found these to be completely acceptable and adorable for an adult's room! The white ball lamp is so pretty...and those sheets! They are so cute! The storage bin would be perfect in a closet and while the pineapple lamp is on the smaller side, it could make a quaint space extra chic. I love the white wicker basket and that just might be making an appearance in our new bathroom closet!

floral festival sheets // pineapple lamp // glass table lamp // rattan white basket // fabric bin

I read somewhere that this was a great drugstore mascara that had lasting power with no crumbly/smudging throughout the day. Mascara flaking is probably my number one complaint, so I was intrigued! Usually I alternate between a department store mascara and drugstore brand to get the most bang for my buck, so I just picked this one up. So far, so good! I actually think this is a great mascara and with some careful coats I can build it to get my lashes the length I want.

mascara

Another sweet find from Target, these little Easter birds! My Mom got us the Christmas version and they were so sweet. When I was in Target yesterday I spotted these with the Easter candy and baskets. Looks like they are sold only in stores and are a little steal for your Easter decor. Not pictured, but I also got this pretty Easter egg filler for a bowl in our living room. LOVE the colors.

birds

Since I have now successfully shopped you out, here was my favorite lunch of the week. My Mom used to make these when we were kids and it was always fun to get this as a surprise in our lunch box. Just toast your eggo mini waffles like you normally would, but turn it into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Makes a great sandwich twist for kids! So good!

Linking up to Five on Friday and Meet at the Barre:

Five on Friday Recent Favorites...

Friday Night Lights

Our latest Netflix binge is Friday Night Lights and I'm not sure where I was when the show first came out! I know...really, really, late to the game. But what a classic! We are on season 4 and I can already tell I will miss it when it's over. Speaking of Friday Night Lights, I remember seeing this art some time ago and now it totally makes sense! Friday Night Lights lovers, I know you will pick up on it. Love this...might have to copy.

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White Chicken Chili Recipe

Since everyone is in the middle of a cold snap {or blizzard}, this looks like the perfect meal for the weekend. I have a great White Chicken Chili recipe already, but I am always up for trying something new. Doesn't it look delicious?!

Young House Love Hardware
So, this is amazing. Now we all can make our campaign hardware dreams come true! I keep on going back to a campaign style dresser for Weeks' new room, so maybe this is our ticket!

Buffalo Check Duvet at Ikea
I had no idea that Ikea had this cute Buffalo Check duvet! Also comes in grey and per usual is a steal. I think the full/queen is 29.99! This fabric is almost a dead on match to my chairs in my kitchen and a throw pillow in the hall. Basically, I love buffalo check.

Here it is in a sweet little girl's room that I saw this morning:

image: Jones Design Company

Orchids

I would like to plant an orchid this weekend! So, I've had an orchid or two as gifts but never gone out and picked one myself. I also have never taken the time to learn how to care for them! I'm going to check out Lowes and if I don't find any suitable for my space, then I might attempt a really good DIY. We shall see! Any tips for me?

image: The Garden Glove

Linking up with the ladies of Five on Friday: Natasha, April and Christina!

Friday Love

Happy Fall Y'all! 

We are finally getting to temperatures that -somewhat- resemble fall here. I really love the in between seasons with the mild temps- spring and fall are my faves! And since we are half way through October it is so nice to be able to wear jeans and long sleeve shirts with out sweating your way to a heat stroke! #southprobs

My Next Cookie...

So I tried my hand at "healthy cookies" this week. My first and last experience! They looked sooo good and perfect in the recipe post I followed...then there were mine. I won't link the recipe and I certainly will spare you a photo of my sad cookies. However, they tasted overall really good. I just can't see myself spending the time to make them again. So, these are next on my list for when I feel the urge to make cookies again! Any recipe with the words "Neiman Marcus" in it is ok in my book:)

North Carolina State Fair

The fair is here! I know I went a ton as a kid but my most fond memories of the fair are actually from my adult years! Almost every year since I have known Stephen, we take a trip to the fair mainly for the food. This all is because his sweet, adorable late Grandma used to make the biscuits for the Apex Lions Club {community volunteer, not a carnival person!} She and her friend Monty would make thousands of biscuits a day and we would go see her hard at work...and since then, my favorite stop has always been to get one of their ham biscuits. They aren't the same since she is no longer with us, but still...gotta go get one. Make sure you go by the Lions Club for me if you go! Stephen's favorite stop is the Wisconsin Fried Cheese, so go get some of that too! Oh, and if you have a minute...check out this sweet video on Stephen's Grandma...

State Fair 2013- Weeks' First!

One Room Challenge...

If you missed it, we are participating again in a fabulous One Room Challenge! Last week we marked a few things off our list, but we are still a long way from done. Catch up here and indulge in reading about so many other rooms that are being made over! 

Design Love...

I am obsessed with this dining room. I may or may not be scheming my next project after the ORC is finished up. Stay tuned because that is going to be a lengthy post!

Linking up to Five on Friday and Friday Favorites at Meet At The Barre! I'll be traveling this weekend so follow along on instagram to see what I'm up to! 

Friday Faves...Roku/Netflix and Fall Prep!

Woo hoo for Friday! It was a long week for me, busy but we also packed in a lot of fun with two evening boat rides {just beautiful here now} and I started working outside getting my fall plants ready. I also put together a fall tablescape I will show you next week! I shared this on instagram this morning {katiehchalk - new user name :) !! }

For Friday I thought I would cover some of my favorite series we have watched over the last six months or so! We have been proud owners of a Roku since last December- such a big changer for our night time tv.  If you are not familiar, Roku is a streaming device that makes networks like Showtime, Netflix, Hulu, Cable and much more at your fingertips with a click of a button. {And, there are other streaming devices, I've just always heard the best about Roku}. Is it good for us? Haha. I really do not know! We have always watched a little bit of tv here and there. Now it's kind of our wind down time- we watch an episode {or if time permitting, two} of a show each night. Truthfully, it's relaxing and I really look forward to it! I've never been a big TV person but it's somewhat fun to have a series you are into and can look forward to each night. Hooked!

Here are some of our favorites {which I was probably watching instead of blogging- whoops.}

Revenge

I have always had friends talk about this show in years past and I never got around to watching it. Here is how Netflix gets you: you get to watch the show from the very beginning and BAM you are hooked. We really enjoyed the first several seasons and I'm sad it's over!

Blue Bloods

Such a good All-American show with the daily lives of police officers, attorneys and more in NYC. Each episode features a family dinner on Sunday nights together. I really love that because so many morals and traditions get pushed aside these days! 

Bloodline

A new show that is a little off the grid, but good. We got hooked after a few episodes. About a family  called the Rayburns in Florida that has all sorts of things going on: family drama, secrets, history, and eventually crime. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next season!

Homeland

I watched a few episodes two years ago and was so happy to watch it again. Basically, Intelligence officers and the world they live in- complete with drama, love, danger, war, terror..pretty much it all. I really liked this show, we just finished up all current seasons. 

Narcos

Currently watching. Haven't totally gotten hooked yet and that is probably because half of it is in Spanish with subtitles and here I am typing away at my computer! So far it is chronicling Pablo Escobar and the whole drug situation, Columbia, early 1980's etc. Such a crazy world that is out there.

As you can see, we tend to go for the heavy stuff I guess? At that time of day I need something that will capture my interest and we are always looking for new shows. Not mentioned are my personal shows that Stephen has no interest in {I don't make him watch Ladies of London for our nightly television fix!} Netflix has been my favorite channel and I cancelled Hulu after a few months of not really utilizing it. Tell me your faves please! And please tell me you are a Roku convert like me...total game changer.

Linking up with April for Five on Friday / Amanda for Friday Favorites. Happy Weekend!

Giveaway Winner + Five Friday Links

Happy Friday y'all! I'm so happy to say that Stephen is home, currently sleeping and doing great with his recovery so far. Hoping it is going to be smooth sailing from here on! Thank you again for all of your messages and thoughts and prayers. It is certainly SO nice to hear messages from family, friends and even strangers that you are being thought of. This all happened so quick and we really appreciate that effort from y'all. Makes such a difference.

Giveaway winner- congrats to Mikal who won the two mini facials by following missdixie30 on instagram. Please email me Mikal with your contact info! Thank you to everyone who entered!!

I have been so happy to hear from many of you that have been familiar with Rodan + Fields and are considering the products. I wanted to mention that this is a wonderful tool that allows you to get a really quick skincare evaluation based on your needs. It's like sitting down with a derm and discussing what you want to do with your skin! So cool. It took me about 30 seconds. I cannot wait to help you all!!! Yay!! As always, you can email me with any questions and I am more than happy to answer. This is still a major leap for me and I appreciate the feedback, comments, questions and support so much! PS- I am using Reverse with the Micro Roller {also available with out} and the Multi-Function Eye Cream. If you are not ready to start an entire regimen, give the Eye Cream a try! I'm one week in and I can tell a difference! {note: so popular this item is selling out}

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Onto some Friday ramblings....

I'm all about no-cook recipes for summer meals, I definitely want to try some of these out.

Browse ten things from Target's dorm room collection you can use in your own home. I especially like this pouf. 

How good does this tomato grilled cheese look? Mmm.

I loved browsing these Southern front doors. {Ours really needs an update!}

How cute are these tassel booties? The color is gorgeous too.

Linking up to Five on Friday!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Five for Friday: Memorial Day!

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 

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Happy Memorial Day Weeekend y'all! I hope you all have a fabulous time relaxing, enjoying some time outdoors, cooking some wonderful food...and of course, don't forget what the weekend is all about. How beautiful is this photo above? Our flag is truly, such a sight to behold. 

TURKEY BURGERS WITH ZUCCHINI

We made these Turkey Burgers with Zucchini several weeks ago and they are a total keeper! Added bonus, you get a veggie added in your burger, making it even leaner than your average turkey burger. I like to top our turkey burgers with a spicy greek yogurt dressing, recipe below.

GREEK YOGURT DRESSING:

-1/4 cup reduced fat plain greek yogurt

-Cumin 

-Sea Salt {or kosher is fine}

-Pepper

Season yogurt with cumin, salt and pepper to taste. I add a lot of cumin, I love the flavoring!

INDIVIDUAL KEY LIME PIES

These look like the perfect treat to top off a weekend cook out. They sound so refreshing, not heavy. Find the recipe here Individual Key Lime Pies.

CHIC ENTRY

In honor of the holiday weekend, how chic is this Red White and Blue Entry? I love the ginger jar in the mix, of course. But I am obsessed with the mirror, lamps...the chandelier peeking down....well, I guess everything!

DEAL ALERT

Moore Flat Thong

This is TOO good of a deal not to share! I've been searching for my go-to sandal and these are them. They are on sale, plus an additional 20% off. If you are a loyallist member, you always get free shipping, no minimum {so awesome}. If you are a member of ebates, {here is an invite!}, you can get 10% cash back. That makes these sandals an investment of around $100...pretty good for a brand new pair of Tory's to last you all summer long! 

Linking up today with April for Five on Friday! 

Five on Friday: For The Moms

robe / stemless wine glasses / fit bit wrap bracelet / nude sandal / bronzed and luminous palette duo

Just throwing a few gift ideas out there {ok, I would love any of these!} for the Moms in your life.  I thought I would keep it short and sweet with just five little gifts. I've said it before and I'll say it again, one can never have too many robes. I need a summer weight option because it gets way to hot here in the summer for my fleece lined robe after a hot shower. I think the sandals look SO comfy- perfect for a Mom on the go, and the light nude is my favorite sandal color. Since I am a Fit Bit loyalist- I would love to step it up with the wrap. And those pretty little wine glasses would make happy hour a little more "happy". And since Moms don't treat themselves enough- a fun new makeup palette would surely bring a smile. 

Hope you all have a great weekend!! Don't forget I will be updating on instagram my One Room Challenge latest all weekend long- tag along @missdixie30

Five Favorite Breakfasts!

Happy Friday everyone! Today I thought I would share what has been happening in our kitchen lately for breakfast. I have basically banned my easy routine of grabbing a breakfast bar and I'm leaning towards things that are freshly prepared. Go figure...as if I need to add something else into my morning routine! But, I have to say, I really enjoy a healthy breakfast. I think its the easiest meal of the day to eat healthy. Here is what I have been making lately, all on rotation according to what is in the fridge. 

ONE:

Scrambled Egg Tortilla 

Beat two egg whites {or use liquid egg whites} with a fork, pour in a non-stick pan that is already warm over med-low heat. Once they begin to set, I sprinkle with mexican shredded cheese. Scramble with a spatula until they are fluffy. Cut one high fiber/low carb tortilla in half and add to skillet. Move the eggs into the tortilla shell. Lightly toast on both sides. Enjoy!

TWO:

Omelet Style Egg White Tortilla 

This is essentially the same thing as the Scrambled Egg Tortilla, except I let the eggs set and then fold over in half, and over again like an omelet. Place inside one half of a high fiber/low carb tortilla, add american cheese slice and toast on both sides in skillet until cheese is melted. So, so good. Enjoy!

THREE:

Avocado Toast

Such a delicious, healthy breakfast that I have mentioned before. Mash ripe avocado and spread on piece of toast {I love sourdough!} Sprinkle with pepper {salt is optional} and enjoy! 

FOUR:

Sunrise Smoothie

Another breakfast I have enjoyed and mentioned last week. I can't get enough of it y'all. It is so refreshing. The full post is here, but this is the rundown:

SUNRISE SMOOTHIE

1/2 ripe banana

1 heaping tbsp honey vanilla greek yogurt

1/2 cup frozen pineapple pieces

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup water

6 small ice cubes (or 3-4 regular size cubes)

Place in blender or smoothie maker...blend. You can add ice, water or oj according to taste. Enjoy!

FIVE:

French Toast from Leftovers

I have been making this French Toast for Weeks and finally tried more than a bite this past weekend. Oh my gosh- seriously, amazing. Don't be scared that the bread comes from hot dog and hamburger buns- I will probably buy them from now on just to make French Toast! That good.

FRENCH TOAST {slightly adapted}

-3 Eggs

-Leftover Hamburger or Hotdog Buns {I've used both, I used slider buns in the pictures below}
-1/4 cup milk
-1 tsp cinnamon sugar

Beat together eggs, milk and cinnamon sugar with a fork until well blended. Dip each side of bun in mixture. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Place buns in skillet and cook each side a few minutes. Serve warm with powdered sugar and syrup!

The best part about this recipe is that it freezes wonderfully!! 

I usually make as much as my mixture will allow/as many buns that we have leftover. I place them on a cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper and pop in the freezer for about 30 minutes until they are no longer "sticky". Then I wrap two or three at a time in the paper and put in a freezer bag. 

To reheat, we put in the toaster on a low setting a few times and then microwave a few seconds to make sure they are hot! Perfect for a little toddler meal! 

What are your favorite breakfasts?

Linking up with the ladies of Five on Friday!

Enjoy your weekend!!