5 for Friday

Happy Friday!!!! It's been a long week filled with bitter cold temps and ICE - something we aren't used to in Eastern NC. Rumor has it there is the potential for SNOW next Tuesday as well. Fingers crossed we get enough that little man can play in it, he was so disappointed that all we got this week was ice.

Here are a few items the kept me smiling through the craziness and cold this week ....

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you probably have already seen this picture. I am in LOVE with these skull and cross bone loafers from Red Circle Footwear I ordered them from Groopdealz. If you haven't checked out this site put it on your list of things to do. They have the cutest items but since it's discounted prices, items go fast. I recommend signing up for their email list. Every morning my inbox has an email with the deals for that day - what a way to start the day!!!

To keep up with the shoe theme, I received these Tori Burch sandals for my birthday. Jonathan may talk a big game when he knows I'm headed to do some shopping but don't let him fool you - this purchase was all his. He sure does know what I like and isn't so concerned when he's buying it! Unfortunately, it'll be a few weeks until I can sport them - come on spring!

Jonathan received a Spiralizer for Christmas and it is my new favorite kitchen tool. We have used it for a bunch of different recipes but my new obsession is "veggie noodles". I've used this handy little gadget to cut back on pasta and rice by making zucchini noodles - one medium zucchini has about 35 calories and makes a bowl full of noodles! Up next ... carrot, pear, and beet - the possibilities are endless!

One of the downfalls, or perks depending on how you look at it, to being stuck inside on Tuesday was I had plenty of time to surf the web and do some online shopping! Here is another one of my Groopdealz finds. I'm obsessed with this scarf/wrap and cannot wait for it to arrive. If I have to deal with the cold weather, I might as well look good doing it. It comes from Funky Monkey, they have some awesome items on their website that would be great for gifts.

Tonight a group of us girls are headed to Painted Peacock for a night out! Wine , snacks, and paint your own pottery ... my Friday nights have changed quite a bit over the last few years but I wouldn't have it any other way. It'll be a fun, relaxing end to this crazy week that I get to share with some awesome ladies! Enjoy your weekend!

5 for Friday

1. Table Runner
I was looking to do something different with my table for Thanksgiving and came across this burlap table runner on Pintrest from The Pinning Mama. It was the easiest and quickest project I have done. I bough the runner from Michael's (with a coupon) for $6 and used my mom's Cricut to cut the W, I already had the sharpie at home. After tracing the letter, it took less than 10 minutes to color it in.

2. Last Night's Dinner - Crockpot White Chicken Chili
This recipe came from a friend of a friend and it was perfect for a cold, rainy day!

2lbs chicken breast, diced (I used chicken thighs)

2 cans great white northern beans

1 can navy beans

1 can cannelloni beans

1 can corn

1 can chicken broth

1 jar salsa

16 oz pepperjack cheese, cubed

Directions: Combine all ingredients except for the cheese in crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Add cheese to crockpot and let melt. Serve with tortilla chips.

3. Mickey the Elf has returned to keep an eye on Aiden and report back to Santa. Just like last year, he returned with a box to fill with toys to donate. It was hard to get Aiden to pick toys, everything is his "most favorite toy ever", it's going to take us a few days to fill this box! I found this super cute note online that I printed for Mickey to leave with the box. 

4, Cousin Love
Jonathan's sister and her family are here for the weekend. Mason and Aiden are 5 months apart so it's almost like having twin 5 year olds running around. They are followed closely by Liam, whose is almost 3. We are so blessed to watch these kiddos play, make memories, and share this time with family but the noise level is sometimes unbearable and I haven't seen my carpet since Wednesday night.

5. Happy Thanksgiving
I hope you all had a fabulous holiday and stuffed yourself silly with turkey and all the fixins! I am thankful for this amazing life I have and all of you in it!

5 for Friday

#1. Weekend Get-Away
Jonathan and I are headed to St Pete Beach this weekend for a wedding! I'm excited for the time away, to see some of my family, and to celebrate with my cousin and his bride-to-be. If you follow me on FB or Instagram, be prepared for pictures! I BIG huge THANK YOU to Grandma Kay and Mr Darrel for spending the weekend with Lil Man so we could take this trip!

#2 Half Way There
Earlier this week, I celebrated my 2 and a half year Cancerversary ... I'm halfway to the 5 year mark!!! This is big enough to deserve it's own post ... more to come!

#3. Thanksgiving Feast
Lil man had his Thanksgiving Feast at school. Special thanks to Katherine for sending us these adorable pictures since we couldn't make it.

#4. NCAAHPERD =  Beer and Fried Pickles
Since I was in Raleigh for a conference Wednesday and Thursday, I was able to enjoy my 2 favorite items at Raleigh Times. An added bonus, they had Pork Belly Sliders on the menu too!!!

#5. The End is Near ....

5 for Friday

It's finally Friday, the end of another LONG week and I'm drowning in grading. My desk is covered in Lit Reviews, Unit Plans, and edTPA's that are begging for feedback. While my students anxiously wait for grades, here's what got me through the week.....

1. New Christmas Stockings - We have been in desperate need of new stocking for some time now so when I came across these  on Viv&Lou I wasted no time ordering them. We each got a different style, monogrammed, of course! They were reasonably priced, shipped for free, and because I signed up for their newsletter, I got another 15% off - I love a deal!

2. Speaking of Christmas, did you know it's only 40 days away?!?!? This is my favorite time of year and I cannot wait to decorate. Thanks to online shopping and Amazon, I am almost finished purchasing gifts. I love to shop but just can't find the time or energy and the thought of having to take Aiden makes both of us crazy! One of my favorite things is Amazon's Wish List. Just about everyone in my family has one, even Aiden. It makes it super easy to find out what family/friends want or need. The best part is you can add items from other websites to your list. It's one stop shopping!

3. Family Pic Preview - A few weeks ago we had family pictures taken by our sweet friend Erin and I received a text with this preview earlier this week. I am super excited to see the rest!

4. Book Socks - the weather has been a bit crazy here, it was 75 degrees earlier this week but today it was finally cold enough to wear the monogrammed book socks I posted about on my first High 5 Friday post. Please excuse the mess in my room, it was a crazy morning.

5. Free Weekend & Date Night - for the first time in a few weeks we have NOTHING to do this weekend. As much as I love being on the go and doing new things it's nice to just relax and be lazy. Maybe I can get some of that grading done :-) Dinner and a movie with Jonathan tonight while Aiden spends the night with Grandma and Pop-Pop is just what we needed to end this week!

I hope you all had a great week and a fabulous weekend!

5 for Friday

High Five Friday is an idea that I have seen on several others blogs that I'm going to steal and start doing. It's a way to celebrate weekly achievements or successes that we sometimes miss out on because of our busy schedules. Plus it gives me something to blog about other than cancer!

I had plenty of highlights this week but I'm going to change this post up a little and do my first High 5 Friday on my current obsessions because these items are so fabulous they brightened up my week and hopefully you will love them too!

#1 Monogrammed Boot Socks

A monogram and a deal .... 2 of my favorite things. We all know I LOVE a monogram and will put it on just about anything. So while browsing Groopdealz this week, I came across these adorable boot socks. I cannot wait until it's cool enough to wear them! It's still in the low-mid 80's here in Eastern NC.

#2 Jersey Belle

If you know me, then you know I'm all about reality TV .... Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, Party Down South .... the more ridiculous the better. Married to Jonas kept me entertained during chemo and I'm not even a JoBro fan. My newest must watch is Jersey Belle. From Bravo.com, "The new docu-series follows outspoken New Jersey native and entertainment publicist Jaime Primak Sullivan as she navigates life in the upscale Southern suburb of Mountain Brook, Alabama. Surrounded by a fabulous group of girlfriends who want nothing more than to sculpt her into a Southern darling, Jaime tries to fit in to a world that is not ready for an unapologetic woman who likes to speak her mind..." If you haven't see it, you need to check it out! Part of the reason I like it so much is because I can relate. I'm a Jersey Girl at heart but do love my life in the South!

#3 Christmas Gift List App

There are several of these available on iTunes, I recommend checking them out to see what works best for you, but I downloaded The Christmas List to help keep me organized. Since I start my Christmas shopping early, I need to keep a list of what I bought and who I bought it for or I'd end up with multiple gifts for one person while skipping someone else. Having this app on my phone allows me to have my list available anytime I am shopping. I'm also able to make notes when little man starts rattling off everything he wants for Christmas. It helps you track what you spend and can be password protected if you have snooping eyes!

#4 New Bag

I've been looking for a functional cross body bag for a while, when I came across this one at Target, I fell in love! It's big enough to hold everything I need but not so big it's a pain to carry. The strap is long so the bag doesn't fall at an awkward spot since I'm so tall. Plus, Jonathan was supper excited it wasn't Coach and only cost $26.99! I went out of my comfort zone and bought the red one instead of the black or brown. 

#5 ECU vs UNC and the Pirate Crew

Tomorrow the Pirates play Carolina here in Greenville - we are coming off a win at VA Tech, the game is SOLD OUT, and (most of) the Pirate Crew will be here. The only way this weekend could be more perfect was if the entire Pirate Crew could make it. We haven't all been together since 2012 when everyone came to celebrate the end of my chemo treatments at the UTEP game. It's always a great time with this group and I'm so blessed to have them in my life! I hope ya'll had a great week and have a fabulous weekend!