What's Up Wednesday?!

Is anyone else having a hard time believing that February is almost over??? My goodness! 

But I am so glad that my year has involved you guys. YES, YOU!!

I love this community. Y'all are just spectacular :)

Let's get started!

What's Up Wednesday?!

What We're Eating This Week

Well, we've been eating some new meals! I always get excited about trying new things :)

A classic that's been on our menu is my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. If y'all know anything about me, it's my love for Jesus, my boys, and spaghetti. YUM.

I use spaghetti sauce for lots of things, and you will never go back to jarred stuff after making this!

We've also been eating Southwest Salad. So simple. So yummy. 

And this mama loves her sweets! Any of y'all have a sweet tooth?? These cookies will be right up your alley. Super simple, and I always have the ingredients on hand.

They're soft, cake like, dreamy little bits of heaven #allthehearteyes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies

What I'm Reminiscing About

Reminiscing about our sweet baby! We cannot believe how big he's gotten. It's crazy! 

{then and now}

Also reminiscing about the warmer months. I cannot wait to have more things to do than just being stuck inside. Plus, we have some pretty underrated summers where we live is what I've heard! ;) 

What I'm Loving

I am loving being a little travel agent! One of my favorite things is to plan for our upcoming vacations. Any one else do this?? I have a knack for finding the cheapest places to stay that will still amaze you! Think luxury at the lowest price evaaaaa!

So we've got a couple of vacays comin' up! Hooray for downtime and being able to spend it together :)

And yes, these are all real pictures. Not filtered. Beautiful!

What We've Been Up To

A passion project. Anyone else had one of these?? 

I've decided to follow a passion project. So I started my YouTube Channel!

If you haven't checked it out, please do so. It would mean the world to me! 

Subscribe to not miss any videos, or look on my Makeup Mondays and I'll be linking my new videos for the week!


Dusty Rose Makeup Tutorial

Texturized Beachy Waves Hair Tutorial

Red Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial

These are my three latest videos. If you love makeup and hair and all that girly stuff, or just want to learn more about technique in an easy and fun way, then I promise you'll love them!

What I'm Dreading

Hmm, that is just something that I'm not going to apply to my life. I am not dreading anything. I am consciously making a decision to think positively and not let others garbage be thrown on me. Ever heard of that law? Let me explain. 

Garbage Truck Law

What I'm Working On

Well, I'm working diligently on my new YouTube Channel. 



And on tons of new content for y'all on the blog! I can't wait for you to see everything that's coming! 

Let me know if there's something specific you'd like to see! 

It can be about anything. Grief, healing, new recipes, workouts, makeup, how to be 1st time dog parents,  how I'm successfully losing weight, anything!

Leave any suggestions down in the comments :)

What I'm Excited About

I'm excited for my new makeup to be arriving in the mail.



I'm excited to be going on a beach vacay! {Ooh Ooh!!!}




I'm excited to be losing weight {which is well on it's way from running and working out!}

What I'm Watching/Reading

Anyone else watching The Bachelor???

I'm not sure who I'm rooting for. I honestly don't feel like I can get a good read on Ben...

But I'll tell you what I do like... Pinterest Told Me To's Bachelor Recap. I literally laugh my booty off for days after reading her posts! You are missing out if you haven't checked them out!

What I'm Listening To

Hmmmm, let's get a little list going! I've been listening to a ton of upbeat music and loving it!



1. My House - Flo Rida
2. Drunk On Your Love - Brett Eldridge
3. On My Mind - Don Diablo
4. Cake By The Ocean - DNCE
5. Magic - Mystery Skulls
6. It All Started With A Beer - Frankie Ballard
7. Build Your Kingdom Here - Rend Collective

What I'm Wearing

I'm wearing my new jeans from Nordstroms. They are Vigoss, only about $35 and SO CUTE. 



Also, I really am trying to NOT wear my wedges yet... But I'm so wanting to! My Franco Sarto Wedges are my fave!

What I'm Doing This Weekend

Hmmm, not sure yet! Puppy play, puppy training, and running our miles for the week. I love these times!  With my boys :)

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

Possibly moving?!! I say this every single time. And honestly, I think it's going to happen! We have just taken a few detours ;) But that's alright. I know God's preparing to put us where he wants us.

What Else Is New

I always find this question the hardest because I feel like I've answered so much above! But I do know that we have made some progress on our wedding planning. Which makes me ecstatic! But if y'all are getting married anytime soon, or know anyone who is, I'd love to pass on this advice. 



It's easy in this day and age to get caught up in all the wedding planning. Make sure you are not planning a wedding, but preparing for a healthy, long lasting, loving marriage. Invest in your marriage. Not your wedding. 

Bonus: Favorite Easter Tradition

Hmmm, favorite Easter tradition?? Well, I used to love Easter Egg Hunts and all that. But now that I'm older, and we don't quite have kiddos yet {except for Coley}, I am so excited to celebrate Jesus!


{my little sister and I and my lamby on her first Easter. She had a horrible fever in this pic. But don't worry. Mama nurse to the rescue}

This year, we'll be heading to church in the gorgeous Spring weather to say thank you for His sacrifice for us. And I think we'll be making him a cake. For, you know, celebration :)



I hope y'all have a wonderful week, month, and so on. I can't wait to see you back here tomorrow for some fun! I encourage you ladies to take some time for yourselves this week/month. Just at least one time! You are worth it!

Friday Favorites!

Well, ladies... another week closer to summer ;) We had a half gloomy, half gorgeous week! 

And let me tell you, that little taste of spring and summer weather got me so excited! 

I'm just trying to reason with myself and not break out my wedges just yet!

Friday Favorites

ONE

Have you guys seen my most recent post on how to make your own wreath? Okay, I just totally think it turned out adorable! It definitely took me more than 20 minutes {which is what some of the tutorials I was watching said it would take}, but it was so worth it! I've already gotten so many complements on it!

If you make one, let me know! I'd love to see it!

TWO

So, does anyone know anything about hair extensions?? I've been seriously looking into getting a set {not from a stylist}, but I can't tell if my hair is long enough for it yet. Does anyone have any serious suggestions on hair extensions?

Here's what I would love for my hair to look like:

And this is what my hair looks like now. Oh how I hate those awkward hair stages of growing it out! Ugh. 

THREE

So, as for some good food this week {because if you know me at all, you know I love to cook for my family}, let me share some of my favorites!

My Cran-Apple Raspberry Pecan Salad. Um, can you say YUMMY?!!?!?! I couldn't get enough of this salad. I actually just decided that I'm having one tonight :)

Owen's Chicken Fajitas. These aren't on the menu for this week, but they sure are for next week! My mouth is literally watering just sitting here talking about it!

Make these recipes, and I promise you will not regret it! And neither will your family!

FOUR

Okay... kinda random. But has anyone else ever had these oranges?!! These are the best oranges I've ever had! I've pretty much eaten the whole bag myself. #Oops

I got mine at Trader Joes, but I've also heard they are at Walmart!

Speaking of Trader Joes, we also like their beef and broccoli and their orange chicken!

FIVE

Home decorating. That is my total fave! 

Marshalls and Hobby Lobby definitely have the best deals always. But my best recommendation for everyone?

Fresh flowers. It has made our home so much more lively. And I love it! 

I'm praying for y'all to have the most wonderful week! 

Cran-Apple Raspberry Pecan Salad

This is so good! I have never made my own dressing before (gasp!), but I found this recipe on the back of the balsamic vinaigrette bottle! So yum! I just adjusted it for one salad, because I personally don't like salads the next day. But I have the one posted below that could probably feed about 4 people!

I ate this salad for my whole dinner, and it totally filled me up for the whole night! I cannot wait to make this again (tomorrow night ;) 

Cran-Apple Raspberry Pecan Salad

Shopping List

1. 8 cups of salad greens

2. 2 honey crisp apples, chopped

3. 1 cup of craisins

4. 1/2 cup of pecans

5. Sprinkling of cheese (I used mozzarella, but I think feta would go GREAT with this salad. I just don't like feta!)

6. 3/4 cup of olive oil

7. 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

8. 1 Tbs. of Dijon mustard

9. 2 Tbs. of honey

10. 1 Tbs. of lemon juice

11. Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Wash your salad greens and place them in your bowl.

2. Add in your apples, craisins, pecans, and cheese, and toss.

3. Add in ingredients 6-11, and stir well. 

4. Pour your dressing evenly over your salad, and toss again to make sure all pieces of salad greens are coated. 

5. Enjoy!

Seriously, such an easy recipe, but it was... SO GOOD. I don't even know what else to say about it. Try it for yourself!

Salads Galore!

I looooooove a good salad.

Like seriously. I have 1-2 salads every day! 

But you know what's weird? I never order them while we're out to eat. 

In fact, I never order anything that we can 'make at home'. But I just love the way that restaurants make salads. So many toppings, a ton of variety, and not just lettuce with dressing. 

So, I'm here to show you how I make restaurant quality salads at home. Who doesn't love that?! 

It's making my mouth water just thinking about them :)

Here's a couple of my favorite salads that we make on a weekly basis, along with the ingredients I like to keep on hand to make these salads convenient and quick!

Salads Galore!

Asian Sesame Chicken Salad

Mixed Greens

Grilled Chicken (grilled on stove in a bit of EVOO and sliced)

Mandarin Oranges (canned, and drained) 

Cherry Tomatoes

Chopped Red Onion

Wonton Strips/Chow Mein Noodles

Sesame Seeds 

Parmesan Shredded Cheese

Ken's Steakhouse Asian Sesame Dressing

Southwest Chipotle Chicken Salad

Mixed Greens

Grilled Chicken (can you tell I like grilled chicken?)

Corn (canned and drained)

Chopped Green Onion

Tortilla Strips (I like mine from target)

Sunflower Seeds

Mexican Shredded Cheese

Hidden Valley Southwest Chipotle Dressing

Taco Salad

Mixed Greens Butter Lettuce

Ground Beef (with taco seasoning)

Chopped Red Onion

Cherry Tomatoes

Corn (canned and drained)

Mexican Shredded Cheese

Crumbled Tortilla Chips

Hidden Valley Southwest Chipotle Dressing (I don't like salsa on my salad for taco salads)

If you are bringing these salads on the go, just add all the ingredients into your tupperware before you're ready to eat, close the lid and give it a really good shake. 

If you're saving these yummy recipes to eat at home, just make sure to mix them up really good! It just makes it better for some reason :)

If any of y'all have a favorite salad, this salad lover would like to know in the comments below!