Haddock Meets Santa!

Santa Claus was in town last Sunday specially to visit all the dogs and of course Haddock just had to be first in line! Ok ok really I could not wait for him to meet the big guy! We dressed him in his favorite Christmas pajamas and off to the mall we went. Haddock loved Santa and ensured that he was on the nice list this year!

After finding out he was for sure nice this year he gave Santa a few kisses and told him he'd see him Christmas Eve by the fireplace and off we went!

   

Thanksgiving 2016

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving spending our time with family all day. We started out the morning at home with cinnamon rolls, mimosas and the Macy's Day parade, of course. Then we headed to Kyle's parent's house for an early lunch with his family. After lunch, looking through all the ads in the paper and playing with our nephews outside we headed onto to our next spot.
 

I quickly whipped up my last dish, roasted vegetables, and then we headed to my older sister's house to do it all over with my family. After too much delicious food and one too many desserts Kyle and I made a pit stop by Target on the way home that evening.

Target, that was my only store to shop this Black Friday. I went three days in a row and once twice in one day. I can't help it y'all but it was so worth it! Wait, I did order a blanket for Haddock from Kohl's and did in store pickup. It was fan-tastic! I shopped cuddled on the couch at midnight on BF and went the  next day at noon and waited in line three minutes and was done.

My final Thanksgiving menu that I contributed was: 2 pumpkin better than sex cakes, 1 pecan pie, 12 mini pumpkin pies, 1 pecan pie cheesecake and roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash cranberry pecan salad. If you missed my pecan pie cheesecake recipe, you can find it here. Trust me, you want to make this for Christmas.  

Oh and of course Haddock celebrated Thanksgiving with us too! How was everyone's thanksgiving?

Best Cyber Monday Sales

Below I’ve rounded up some of the best Cyber Monday sales that I think are too good to pass up!

American Eagle – 40% off sitewide  + 50% off all sweaters, shoes and cozy accessories.

Anthropologie – 20% off full priced items with code STACKED.

ASOS – 30% off online and in-store with code THANKFUL30.

Banana Republic – 50% off everything online.

BaubleBar – 25% off 1 item with code SAVE25, 35% off 2 items or more with code SAVE35.

Express – 50% off everything online +free shipping.

Francesca’s – 30% off site wide + 40% off boots.

French Connection – 40% off everything in-store & online + free shipping.

Gap – 50% off in-store and online with code CYBMON.

Goodnight Macaroon - 40% off

H&M – 20% off your order of $30+ with code 5144, 25% off your order of $50+ with code 0275, 30% off your order of $100+ with code 8284.

J. Crew – 40% off everything in-store and online + free shipping with code MONDAY.

J. Crew Factory - 60% off everything in-store and online + free shipping with code HAPPYSALE 

Kate Spade – 30% off sitewide + in-store with code WIRED.

Kendra Scott – 20% off sitewide with code SALE20.

Loft – 50% off everything in-store + online + free shipping with code CYBERMONDAY.

Macy’s – extra 20% off + free shipping on orders $25 and up with code CYBER.

Madewell - 25% off with code CYBERMONDAY

ModCloth – 30% off sitewide with code CYBER16.

Nordstrom – extra 20% off select sale items + 40% off designer sale event. 

Nordstrom Rack – up to 75% off clearance + free shipping.

Old Navy – 50% off sitewide.

Shopbop – 15% off orders of $200+, 20% off orders of $500+, 25% off orders of $800+.

Steve Madden – 35% off + 30% off clearance.

Topshop – up to 50% off in-store and online.

Tory Burch – 30% off any $250+ purchase w/ code THANKS.

Don’t forget that today’s the last day to shop all of these amazing deals!  Most of them end at midnight! Are y'all taking advantage of the sales today?

     

Thankful For...

As Thanksgiving is upon us I've been reflecting on what I am truly thankful for this year {As I bake my heart out in the kitchen today!} I'll do my very best not to seem cheesy but lets be real some of those cliche things are true. Here are some of the things I'm counting my blessings for this holiday season.

1. Kyle and Haddock

2. Our Home

3. Our families

4. Each and every one of my friends

5. We are healthy

6. My job that helps provide for my family

----Ok I think I got all the cliche thoughts out----

7. My desire to be fit and workout (most of the time)

8. Life Church

9. My love for cooking and for my mom that instilled that love into me.
10. Country music
11. Heated seat warmers in my car since it finally started cooling down enough in Oklahoma.
12. Nordstrom and Target's free shipping!
13. Oh and Amazon prime...hello Christmas shopping!
14. Zella Live In Leggings...try them, you'll never wear another pair of leggings ever. The BEST!
15. Pumpkins, seriously how cute are those little babies?! I'm so sad to have to get rid of them from the porch. And aside from being so 'basic' but everything pumpkin flavored. I will definitely be pushing all pumpkin recipes as far as I can this season.  

Hope you all are enjoying your Thanksgiving planning & daydreaming about all of the delicious food that is on the horizon! Happy Thanksgiving Eve! 

 

Early Black Friday Sales!

Black Friday is here early y'all! I've rounded up a few of the best early Black Friday deals that have already started below. A great chance to get ahead on your Christmas shopping while also saving a ton!

Ann Taylor: 50% Off Sale Styles

Anthropologie: 25% off with the code LAYERS
Amazon: Tons of Great Prices!

American Eagle: 40% off most holiday gifts and free shipping
Abercrombie & Fitch: 40% Off Entire Purchase
ASOS: Up to 50% off Cold Weather Items
Banana Republic: 50% Off 1 Item // Code: BRFIFTY // 40% Off Rest of Items // Code: BRFORTY
BaubleBar: 30% Off Holiday Sets // Code: HOLIDAY30
Express: 50% Off Everything + Free Shipping
French Connection: 30% Off // Code: F40BLF
Gap: 40% Off Everything // Code: GIFTTIME
J.Crew: 40% Off Entire Purchase {first time ever!!} // Code: HOLIDAY

J.Crew Factory: 50% Off Everything!
Kate Spade: up to 75% off surprise sale here!
Madewell: 25% Off Entire Purchase // Code: THATSALE
Nordstrom: Early Savings! No Code Needed!

Pottery Barn: Free Shipping // Code: FREESHIP
Tory Burch: 30% Off // Code: ‘THANKS’
Shopbop: 15% Off If You Spend >$200, 20% Off for $500, & $25 Off for $800 // Code: GOBIG16

 

Five on Friday: Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes, Desserts & Drinks

This morning I am finalizing my lists for what all I making next week for Thanksgiving. I have three different lunches to plan for and almost have my grocery list complete. I thought I would share my top five favorite dishes, desserts or drinks that I have either made before and have been very popular and some I plan on making next week.

1/ Pecan Pie Cheesecake. I will go ahead and say this is easily either the best thing I have ever baked for VERY close to it. I made this last year for my family's Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit. I am making it again this year for Kyle's side of the family's Thanksgiving lunch. Oh my goodness, my mouth is already watering. You can find the recipe here.

2/  Pumpkin Pecan Baked Brie. I also made this last year for Thanksgiving as an appetizer and it was delicious! Not only was it very tasty it was easy and beautiful. I love bringing pretty dishes to get togethers...please someone tell me I'm not alone on that. Side note- you can find brie at Aldi for cheap and it is fantastic! You can find the recipe here.

3/ Pumpkin Spice Dip. I got this recipe from Christina a few years ago and it is now a favorite go to of mine for parties. Easy, yummy and again looks so cute served up in a cute pumpkin. You can find the recipe here.

 Image Credit: The Cookie Rookie

4/ Apple Cider Punch. I have also made this for our Thanksgiving dinner before and the punch bowl was drained! 

1/2 gallon Apple Cider

1 qt. White Grape Juice

1 Bottle Sparkling Apple Cider

8 oz. Orange Juice

2 Large Apples, Thinly Sliced

Champagne (optional but recommended!)

 Image Credit: The Idea Room

5/ Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Pecan Roasted Salad. This is a new dish that I am making this year for my side of the family's Thanksgiving dinner. Since I am focused on getting fit and cutting calories I wanted to try to make something on the healthier side. Even though I know I'm still going to indulge this might help...a tiny bit...maybe. Nevermind that I'm also making five desserts. It looks great so fingers crossed its a winner! Recipe found here. 

There you have it, five of my favorite dishes for the holidays. What is on your menu this year or some of your tried and true favorites? Please share, I'm always scouting new recipes! Have a great weekend y'all!

   

The Cook and Baker's Wish List

 Le Creuset Dutch Oven // Gravy Boat // KitchenAid Mixer Bowl Covers  

 Round Marble Wood Cheese Board // Pioneer Woman Turquoise Serving Bowl

Pioneer Woman Butter and Salt & Pepper Set // Gold Flatware // Wooden Gold Small Whisk

Farm Animal Dish Towel // Wifi Smart Crock Pot

Today I'm sharing some Christmas gift ideas for the cook and baker in your life. All of these items are on my personal wish list and I do LOVE to cook and bake! I'm drooling over the Pioneer Woman pieces and trying to resist buying them for myself before Christmas since I do have them on my list. Gasp, a wifi controlled crock pot y'all! This is a bit of a stretch as I probably would get by with just upgrading to a programmable one but how cool would it be to control dinner from my office?! Also since I use my crock pot a total of about five times a year this is definitely a wish list item. I'll be honest, the dutch oven is about to come home with me before Christmas because the little cook inside of me just can hold out any longer! 

Do you have any cooks or bakers in your life that you are shopping for this Christmas? Or maybe you are one yourself and if so what's on your wish list, do share!

   

Five Friday Favorites

TGIF! For my Friday favorites today I'm gonna keep it short and sweet and share five of my favorite pictures from lately. I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend and if you are lucky enough to be off today a great long weekend! I'm headed to Norman for the OU game and we have family pictures on Sunday so a pretty packed weekend.

Kyle and I with our nephew Cyrus at his birthday party. My sister-in-law sent this with his birthday thank you card and I just love it!

 Last weekend I went with my parents to an annual fall festival. We had so much fun roastin' marshmallows and hotdogs, riding the hayride and seeing good friends!

Kyle taking our tractor loving nephew Brecken for a ride on his tractor.

 Helpin' mom and lovin' it!

I came across this the other day and since I've been hitting it hard at the gym lately I thought it was a great reminder not to skip the squats! 

    Enjoy your weekend everybody, XOXO!

The Plaid Family: Holiday Pajamas

Men's PJ Pants // Women's Romper // Kids Two Piece // Kids Pajama Dress // Baby Onesie  

Dog Pajama Set

Holiday pajamas are a necessity this time of year for me, and I’ve rounded up my faves in the buffalo plaid category! They’re super affordable and crazy cute! They also make great gifts, especially since many of them are under $50! I just ordered the fur baby Haddock the pajamas and I am dying to have the cute romper. So you can expect a Christmas plaid family picture this season! 

The BEST Chicken Pot Pie - The Pioneer Woman

I've had a craving for a good homemade chicken pot pie for a couple weeks now but since I'm watching my calories I hadn't given in...until last night. I decided I was just going to save almost all my calories for dinner and go for it and I am SO glad I did! I made the Pioneer Woman's chicken pot pie and oh my goodness it was delicious! 

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe used from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

•   One 2-3 pound chicken fyer, cut up (I used one whole shredded rotisserie chicken)

•   3 celery stalks

•   3 medium carrots, peeled

•   1 large yellow onion
•   4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

•   1/4 cup all-purpose flour (next time I will use 1/3 cup to make it a little thicker)

•   2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
•   1 chicken bouillon cube 

•   1/4 cup white wine, optional. (I used a house chardonnay and DON'T skip this, it made the recipe!)

•   1/2 cup frozen peas

•   1 cup heavy cream

•   2 sprigs fresh thyme
•   1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed

•   Black pepper

•   2 pie crusts (She made her own thyme pastry that you fill find in the recipe link, I used frozen 

     pre-made roll out crusts)

Instructions

1. If you are cooking your own chicken: start by putting the chicken in a pot and covering it with water. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, and then remove the chicken from the pot. Set the chicken aside to cool briefly. Shred the chicken with 2 forks, reserving the bones. For the stock, return the bones to the pot and boil for 20 minutes. Remove the bones from the pot and discard. (Since I used a rotisserie chicken to save time I just shredded my chicken first thing and then set it aside.)

2. If your crusts is frozen whether it be her thyme recipe crust or pre-made remove it from the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter to thaw slightly, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

3. Begin by finely dicing the onion, celery and carrots. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables start to turn translucent, a couple of minutes.

4. Add 2 cups of the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken, and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.

5. Pour in the 2 cups of chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine if using. (Again, I highly recommend using the wine. It made the entire recipe and really made it delicious!) The flour will combine with the chicken to create a delicious gravy. Next, add the peas.

6. Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with thyme, salt and pepper and remove from heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

7. I like my pot pies to have double crust- bottom and covered. So I rolled out one crust and stretched it across a large deep pie pan. Then pour the chicken mixture over the crust. Then roll out your second crust and lay it over the top covering the mixture. Press the sides down gently to seal and cut a few small slits into your crust.

8. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. (I also used a pie crust saver ring to ensure my edges didn't burn)

I can't recommend this recipe enough. The husband raved and raved about dinner, it was a complete success! Even with saving on time and using a rotisserie chicken and pre-made crusts we could not tell, at all. A lot of times I will skip on the wine if a recipe calls for it just simply because we don't drink dry white wine so I don't typically have it on hand but I'm so glad I stopped and picked some up for this recipe. It wasn't overpowering but definitely set it apart from other pot pies. Enjoy!

 

 

Oh and because we couldn't leave our fur baby Haddock, he had Rachael Ray's chicken paw pie for dinner with us! He also enjoyed it. :)

 

Historical Eelection...I Voted...Then I Cried

 

Welp, like many of you I headed to the voting polls this morning. I anticipated a long line but since I went at an off time I only waited five minutes! After casting my vote I walked out of the building holding back tears. Not only being able to be a part of such a historical event but mostly because I felt very uneasy. I'm scared for our nation y'all. It literally makes me sick knowing one of these candidates will be the President of the United States after today is over. However, as the tears flowed down my checks I remembered that no matter who is in office, we are still under God! God's will can still be done. 

 

"Everything we do, everything we do matters. They will know that we are disciples of Jesus by how we love one another. They will not know that we are disciples of Jesus by how we vote. Vote today. Love every day."  Craig Groeschel

 

 

 

Five {Four} Friday Favorites

Hello Friday!! Since I finished my last work trip last weekend for a few months I am beyond excited about an open weekend! I'm going on the hunt for the perfect outfits for Kyle and I for family pictures this weekend as well as attending a fall festival with my family. Hoping to also squeeze in an afternoon at the apple orchard Sunday. 

I wanted to do a quick Friday favorites of five four of my top go to beauty products right now.

1-  Olly Beauty Vitamin Gummies

Since I started down the road of getting my hair healthy after I cut it last I've been taking these Olly Vitamins and LOVE them! I get them at Target and take two a day. They contain biotin and vitamin C which I love. I'm now finishing month two of them and really can tell a difference in my hair, nails and even skin. If you watch Target's Cartwheel app they offer 25% off the vitamins sometimes. 

2- Lanolin, AKA the BEST chapstick EVER

Lanolin has literally been a game changer for me. Ladies, I know a lot of you are probably like woman this is for your breast not your lips. I know I know, backup. A couple years ago I had a bad reaction to a preventative medicine I got before traveling to Haiti. Since the medicine stayed in my body up to eight months this was not good. I had very severe chapped lips. Cracking, bleeding and swelling. After a few doctor visits, steroid shots, etc my doctor tried one more thing before a compound medicine was prescribed, Lanolin. Now, Lanolin is for cracked nipples while breastfeeding but I'm here to tell you, once you try it on your lips you will never use another chapstick again. After trying this within TWO days my lips were completely better after eight months of failed trials. Amazing! Since you only need a tiny bit each application the small tube usually last me about nine months. Best thing is it is also shinny so looks like gloss as well! Running joke with my family and friends, we all call it my booby cream and I have been known to even share it with strangers. Not a sponsored post but hey, Lanolin I wouldn't be opposed! I just love it SO much!   

3- Bead Head Treatment Mask

Back to my first favorite, this product goes along with it. I stared also using this Bed Head treatment mask once a week a few months ago and love it. I use it every Sunday while in the shower and have been able to tell the difference. My hair looks healthier and the ends aren't broken as they normally would be two months after my haircut.

 4- EOS Hand Lotion
I'm way late to the game on this one but I finally tried EOS' hand lotion and I'm a fan! I was a big fan of their lip balm but after my weird lip reaction that I mentioned the balm started making my lips worse. However, the lotion is awesome for me! Oh and their shave cream is also great! I scored the lotion from a pharmaceutical rep on my last work trip and will definitely be purchasing another bottle.

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend and I hope if you are in the south as well that you are having cooler temperatures like we are in Oklahoma, finally!

Tis the Season to be Cozy

Alternatively titled, 'tis the season to still be wearing shorts. Today marks the beginning of a cool down here in Oklahoma. Praise the Lord! We were stuck in the eighties most of October with just a few cool days leaving me longing for crisp chilly days and early nights. So right now, my mind is wandering to cozy stocking caps on hot chocolate runs, warm slippers for building fires in the fireplace and snuggly sweaters for movie nights on the couch. Who's with me?

Grey Cable Knit Cap // BP Knit Scarf // Ralph Lauren Henley // Gap Cable Knit Sherpa Cardigan // Nordstrom Faux Fur Pom Pom Throw // Target Faux Fur Slippers // BP Pink & Cream Cable Knit Cap // Target Deer Faux Fur Pom Socks

I'm dying to own this cable knit sherpa cardigan how cute and cozy would this be?! The deer fur socks are officially on my Christmas list this year. I mean they practically have my name written all over them screaming for me. What cozy items are you eyeing or snagging this season?