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Our Snow Days By The Numbers

4 days working from home
6 home-cooked dinners in a row (my personal best)
2 Walmart trips, $200 spent on groceries
30 oreos eaten
2 TV series watched from start to finish (The Blacklist, The Big Bang Theory Season 7)
35 TV episodes watched
1 movie watched (Love Actually)
10 pots of coffee made
4 blog posts written
5 school days off for the kids and 5 days of rejoicing we didn’t have kids
25 photos taken of puppy playing in the snow
15 hours of video games played
259 oz. of alcohol consumed (6 beers, 6 straw-ber-itas, 3 bottles of wine, 1 growler)
1 bad fall on the ice
4 magazines and 9 book chapters read
7 presents wrapped
Innumerable posts read on Facebook and Twitter about the storm
3 additional hours spent planning for my party next week
60 group text messages sent re: snowpocalypse

5 DAYS OF INSANE CABIN FEVER

xo xo

You can read more about #Snowpocalypse2013 here: Observations on Working From Home, Snowpocalypse Meal Plan

Homemade Hot Chocolate {Snow Day Recipe}

Ever since Thursday I’ve been craving hot chocolate. Unfortunately it was one of the things that escaped my mind as I was hurriedly pushing through Walmart Wednesday night fighting for bread and water. Since I am not a homemade-type person, it didn’t even occur to me I could make it on my own. To me hot chocolate means a paper pouch in a blue box or a decadent dessert drink at a restaurant. (I know, I know, I’m a child of consumerism.)

Well today, the stars aligned. I found cocoa powder in the pantry and looked up a recipe for homemade hot chocolate. Do you guys know how easy it is to make?! I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but not a three ingredient recipe. I also just bought candy canes today and boy, do I love anything peppermint chocolate. So, still stuck at home and dreaming of a creamy hot beverage? Go all out homemade with this easy recipe!

H O M E M A D E   H O T   C H O C O L A T E

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Ingredients:
1 c milk
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs white sugar
2 tbs cream or milk
Optional: marshmallows, whipped cream and/or candy canes

Directions:
Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot.
Meanwhile, mix cocoa, sugar and cream until it’s a paste like consistency in your mug.
Pour hot milk into the mug and stir until combined and smooth.
Garnish with your favorite toppings!

Enjoy! xo

You might also enjoy: Pumpkin Cheesecake, {Almost} Better Than Sex Cake

life lately

IMG_7965{relaxing // with my girls at happy hour, 21c}

IMG_7958{babysitting // adorable miss scarlett}

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{wanting // a french bulldog, sooo baaad!}

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{giving thanks // for time with family}

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{drinking // pony coronis with friends}

IMG_1902{marveling // at snowpocalypse 2013}

xo xo

Observations on Working From Home {Snow Day Edition}

The impending snowpocalypse arrived. Boy, were the weathermen right for once. Last time I measured, we had 8″ of snow in the backyard and it was still coming down. Husband and I have been working from home (wahh, waahhh) since we are unsure if we could make it down the hill from our house, let alone if there’s even still life out there. Oh wait, of course there is, I’ve seen every single person posting a picture of their backyard on Facebook or Instagram.

I’ve worked from home before, due to bad weather, sickness or just because, but never for two days in a row, and never without the option of leaving the house if I wanted to. As our second day at home and hopefully last (I HAVE to get out tomorrow so I can plan for my Christmas party for next week!!) I’ve learned a few things about WFH.

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1. If you have a lot of pressing work to do, you can easily focus with less distractions than at work.
If you don’t have a lot of pressing work to do, nearly everything in the house is a distraction.

2. For the most part, you will eat healthier (depending on the food in your house.) But you will also eat more, because the kitchen is five steps away.

3. Sitting on your couch, in your PJs, drinking coffee from your favorite mug is so much better than sitting at a desk, in uncomfortable pants & blazer, drinking breakroom coffee from a paper cup.

4. Day 2 is not nearly as exciting as Day 1.

5. The dog is and always will be a distraction. Especially one that wants to be in your lap at all times.

6. Morning talk shows are where it’s at. Quite literally meaning, that’s where I wish I was. Sit around drinking wine, interviewing celebs and gossiping all morning. NBC, how about Hoda and Mille D???

7. You can get so much more done – the laundry, the dishes, walking the dog – oh and actual work, too.

8. You will miss your co-workers in a weird way. Your husband just doesn’t quite understand like they do.

9. You don’t have to shower, or fix your hair, or do your makeup, or get out of your pj’s for that matter. You do have to brush your teeth, because that’s just bad hygiene.

10. That extra hour and a half you get to sleep in is totally worth it.

11. When the clock hits 5pm, it’s a lot easier to just walk over to the fridge and grab a beer.

xo xo

Snowpocalypse Meal Plan

If you live in NWA, you know there’s an impending snowpocalypse on it’s way. We’re supposed to get 5-7 inches of snow and several inches of ice within the next 48 hours.

It just started sleeting at our house, making it the perfect time to start the crockpot of chili for tonight. What’s better than chili on a snow day?!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, boy do I wish I was back in school when snow days come around. It’s not quite the same when we’re working and have laptops and portable phones to keep us busy during a snow day.

{You can read more of my thoughts and memories about snow days here: Grownup Snow Days and What I’ve Learned in College, Snow Days Edition}

Let’s talk food. When it comes to snow days, you want to have enough food and drink in case you get snowed in. It needs to be delicious comfort food, and it does not necessarily need to be healthy. Below is our meal plan for the next few days.

W E D N E S D A Y

Italian Meatball Sliders (kings rolls + frozen meatballs + provolone + marinara = amazing)
Leftover Green Bean Casserole (officially the end of our leftovers, don’t judge me)

T H U R S D A Y

Chili! You can get Mille’s Chili recipe here.
Salad (simple – lettuce, baby tomatoes and balsamic)

F R I D A Y

Tacos
(we love the tyson pre-cooked and cut chicken and steak for tacos,
add sliced peppers to the pan and it’s just like a restaurant)

S A T U R D A Y

Pepperoni Rolls (recipe below, one of our favorite meals ever, so delicious!)
Salad or veggies, for good measure

Fingers crossed we can leave our house Saturday, otherwise it will be peanut butter sandwiches.
Others fingers crossed the power doesn’t go out, otherwise it will also be peanut butter sandwiches.

Stay safe and warm out there, and full! xo xo

* * * * *

Pepperoni Rolls {recipe}

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Ingredients:
2 cans biscuits (we prefer the small biscuits, but any would do)
pepperonis
block of colby jack cheese
italian seasoning
grated parmesan
marinara
Optional: jalapenos

a080d3aeb217e3a1f5a7ae1e87081020-1{photo cred: The Gunny Sack}

Directions:
Set oven to 350 degrees.
Flatten the biscuits on a baking pan.
Inside each biscuit wrap 2 pepperonis, piece of cheese and jalapenos if you wish.
Fold up.
Sprinkle italian seasoning and parmesan cheese on top.
Bake as directed on the can of biscuits.
Serve with marinara dipping sauce.

A Griswold Charlie Brown Christmas Rap

Thanksgiving is over and I’ve officially moved on to Christmas. I don’t know what it is about this year, but I’m really getting in to the Christmas spirit. I turn the tree lights on the second I get home, and I’ve been listening to Christmas music more than usual, dancing and singing in the kitchen last night as I was preparing dinner. So I’m going to do a series of holidays posts over the next few weeks – holiday decor, gift guide, fashion, party tips, etc.

But first, I want to make sure all of YOU are in the Christmas spirit. Below are some of my top favorite moments from Christmas movies and TV episodes over the years. If you’re not in the spirit after this, you might just be the Grinch!

LOVE ACTUALLY

 

GLEE

ELF

COMMUNITY

THE O.C.

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

GILMORE GIRLS

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

xo xo

Weekend Picturebook: Cabin in the Woods

One of the things I’m most thankful for this year is our Community Group. After we got married, husband and I started looking for a couples bible study to join. We searched on our own and couldn’t find one we thought would be just right. Of course, God already had a plan for the perfect group for us to join. We got a text message from a co-worker from my previous job asking to prayerfully consider joining their group. God clearly led them to ask us and clearly led us to say yes, because it has been the best decision we’ve made all year.

These are some of the most loving, generous, inspirational people we know and we are so so grateful to call them our friends. It has become so much more than just a group we go to on Thursday nights, but people we share life with.

I wrote this post yesterday, and this morning at church they happened to be talking about community. They shared a great passage about what it means to be in community (Acts 2:42-47) describing biblical community as studying God’s word together, praying together and breaking bread together “with glad and sincere hearts.”

Last weekend we rented a cabin on the Buffalo River together and had an amazing weekend of true community. See below some highlights from the weekend.

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IMG_2466{Friday night Newlywed Game – where husband correctly guessed the two things that would be in my “wild night”. We also won the game.}

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IMG_3657{Saturday morning mimosas and scrabble. It’s a rough life.}

IMG_0692{It was FREEZING, but we went hiking anyway}

IMG_3425{and relaxed with a brew…}

IMG_8730{and did some caving…}

IMG_8122{and celebrated a birthday…}

IMG_2502{then relaxed by the fire.}

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{What a great group of people – and a random little girl who jumped in our picture!}
xo xo

You might also enjoy: Weekend Picturebook: Halloween, Birthdays & Football, Weekend Picturebook: Little Rock

5 Tips I Learned From My First Black Friday Experience

Thursday night I did something I never thought I’d do. I went shopping at Walmart for Black Friday (Thursday).

I’ve never been a Black Friday shopper. I hate getting up early, I hate the crowds and I never think there’s really anything worth it. However, in my second year working the holiday at Walmart, I decided I needed to see what it was all about. I drug husband with me after our third huge meal of the day, promising it would be fun and we wouldn’t be in there too long. Well, I was right about one thing. We were in there for a pretty long time, mostly due to the checkout line. But, honestly I actually had fun. I can’t say the same for husband, but to me it was exhilarating. I totally understand now the thrill people  get from Black Friday shopping. (The people watching was also prime time.)

I might go again next year, but with my tips below I’ll definitely be more prepared.

IMG_8309{Yes, I even bought Diet Coke on sale. But it was the Taylor Swift DC and it was only $1!!}

1. Go in with a plan. If your shopping includes Walmart, this means using maps for the store. Who knew DVDs would be in the Garden Center and iPads would be in the meat section???

2. Only bring people who are equally as excited as you are to be there. Case in point, photo below. Also bring people who are equally as aggressive as you are. Otherwise, they will get stuck in a sea of carts while you’re 50 feet ahead of them fighting for sheets. (I only wish I had a photo of that.)

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3. If you’re not doing a big overhaul of shopping, forego the cart. You’ll get around a lot easier and faster. Also, forego the jacket, it may be 30 degrees outside, but it’s 100 degrees inside.

4. Make friends with the people standing in line next to you. You will be in line for a long time, so you might as well have some people to gripe about the lines with, strategize if you should get in another line and talk about the awesome deals.

5. Most importantly, do not bring kids under the age of 10. (Over the age of 10 is a different story, they might be part of your strategy, but I digress.) I understand sometimes that may be the only option, but is it really worth it to lose your kids in a sea of people or get knocked around by carts? The $98 TVs, the $200 iPads, the $3 DVDs – it sounds worth it, but it’s definitely not.

xo xo

“What a lovely surprise to discover how unlonely being alone can be.”

A funny thing has happened since I’ve been married. I’ve forgotten how to be alone.

In college I cherished my alone time. Living with 2, 3 or 4 other people was often too much for me to handle. I wanted to go to my room, shut my door and be alone.

Until recently, I’ve always been someone who recharges by being alone (the true definition of an introvert they say.)

I’m so used to being with my husband that when I’m not, I don’t know what to do with myself. Being with him has become my new recharge. I still need my “alone” time, but now my alone time means me and husband time.

On a recent work trip, I spent a full day and night alone. I wasn’t traveling with anyone so I didn’t have anyone to talk to in the airport or eat dinner with. I didn’t have anyone to “get away from” and go into my room and shut my door. It was so lonely. I couldn’t enjoy the peace with myself. I couldn’t enjoy myself.

This weekend, husband was busy all day Saturday and Sunday so again, I was alone. But I did something I haven’t done in a long time, I took myself on a “me” date and spent some good quality time with myself.

I did exactly what I wanted to do – I went to Barnes and Noble. I chose 3 books I was interested in and sat down and read the first chapters of each. (How I decide which book to buy) I was in no rush. I had no one to answer to. I just sat and read. After that, I did my favorite me activity – shopping. Then, before I was ready to head home I did something else just for me – went to TCBY.

What a rewarding, comfortable, enjoyable afternoon that was. God opened my eyes to the importance of me time and gave me an opportunity to see how valuable it can be.

Tuesday nights are officially me nights now. Husband has karate for several hours so I can spend it as I please. It would be so easy to take this time to clean, do grocery shopping, be busy (which I’m so good at), etc. but instead I’m going to relax and do what I want to do.

I’m sure in a few years when I have kids, I’ll be dying for alone time. Time to just sit on the couch with a glass of wine and a good book. So tonight, I will do just that and enjoy.

xo xo

life lately.

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{enjoying // breakfast (and mimosas) for dinner & a great girls night in}

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{celebrating // Elsa’s first birthday}

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{more celebrating // Jon and Ashley’s beautiful wedding}

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{meeting // a country music legend, Garth Brooks !!!}

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{eating // chicken + waffles for dinner}

xo xo