weekend wrap-up

1 // New jammies from Old Navy - the leggings have little pink hearts on them <3

2 // My sweet girl - she was so excited when Daddy got home from his work trip this Saturday, her butt almost fell off from wiggling so fast!

3 // I started up a new {old lady} hobby this weekend...can you guess what it's going to be??

4 // Cute idea for all you pet parents out there! Found this while trolling Instagram this weekend, and want to make one for my "little" doberman.

friday finds

1 // The Scandal Collection by The Limited 

This collection drops September 23rd.

I need to get my hands on that ivory coat, it reminds me of an Elie Tahari one I wanted last winter...hopefully it doesn't sell out too quickly! 

 

 2 // Bip and Bop Gold Bar Name Necklace 

I've had my eye on the horizontal gold bar necklaces for awhile, but wasn't sure what I would get stamped into it.Then, I noticed on Instagram that one of my favorite Etsy stores can make little paw prints...
So yes, I am going to be a crazy dog mom and get one with Deedee on it ;)

3 // Ficus Microcarpa Ginsing from Ikea
Need this little potted plant for our bedroom!
In white of course ;)

 

healthy chicken curry ~ crock pot recipe

In an effort to do more cooking at home (and eat healthier meals) I worked on an easy crock pot recipe this past week: Chicken Curry. 

I'm not super skilled in the kitchen, but I found this really easy to prepare and really tasty once it was finished! Aaron liked it too - so I think I'll chalk it up as a win :)

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pack chicken breast tenders (cut into chunks/cubes)
1 cup loose-pack frozen cut green beans **I used fresh green beans
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion **I love onions so I used a whole cup
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth
3-4 teaspoons curry powder
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
Cooked brown rice (optional)
I also added red peppers and broccoli to mine and increased some of the veggie amounts since I love lots of vegetables in my meals.

Directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine chicken and chopped vegetables. 

2. Stir in broth, curry powder, and brown sugar. **I used a small whisk to get everything really mixed in

3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. 
**I made mine over the day last Tuesday, so I cooked on low for 6 hours.

4. Stir in coconut milk. **Again, used a whisk

5. Spoon rice (already cooked separately) into bowls, and ladle curry over the top.

Nutrition facts per serving: about 250 calories (without rice)

I plated this dish 2 different ways - on a plate over rice as an entree, and in a bowl as more of a soup dish.
This has some great flavors and was super easy - so I will definitely be making it again.
Maybe next time I will make a few tweaks...if I'm feeling creative!

 

life lately

Hiya! While I've been keeping up with all of my favorite blogs, I've definitely fallen out of posting over the past couple of weeks. You ladies know, sometimes life just gets hectic and there is no time! But I'm back, with a little recap of what's been going on...

The last weeks of summer were spent with friends and outside enjoying the last few really warm and sunny days before fall sets in...

1. Rummy-bears from the Jimmy Buffet (end of summer) party

2. The cutest flip flop sandal cookies

3. Fabulous friends 

4. Deeds resting at the park after an intense game of fetch :)

1. Sunflowers at Franklin Park

2. Out for a walk around Franklin Park - taking advantage of photo shoot opportunities

3. Baseball playoffs in the country (A's team is in the championship this coming Sunday!)

4. Day at the dog park with my favorite furball

1.Prep for a new crock pot recipe, Chicken Curry (will be posting on it soon!)

2. Busted out my first fall outfit this Saturday for Aub's soccer game - it was chilly!

3. Fishtail braids for work

4.Deeds supporting her favorite team, who has an AWESOME win this past Sunday! 

thursday ramblings

It's been a hard week, jumping back into work and school {and life} after a lovely week off.

I already feel ready for another vacation ;)

I've had a lot on my mind recently and this seems as good a place as any to vent some of it, seeing as I have met so many awesome and supportive ladies here in Blogland!

Do you ever feel like you just want to do better? I feel like this is a constant problem with me.

Work out more, make more money, get better grades, be more organized, get more projects done at home, home-cook healthier meals...

I know many of you have written about it before, how blogs can suck us into this world where everything looks so perfect and you start comparing you life to those on the internet. My house needs to look like Pinterest, my wardrobe and makeup/hair needs to look like the fashion and beauty gurus, I need that purse / top / necklace she blogged about, etc etc...

I get antsy sometimes because there are so many things in life I am working towards and want to accomplish, and it's frustrating they take so long. But, then I try to remind myself that I shouldn't be wishing my life away or wanting to speed up time. It can be hard to live in the "now" these days.

I enjoy my job, but it's not where I want to stay forever...in fact, I've gotten most of what I can out of it and I'm feeling ready for a new challenge. Maybe it's time to look for something new? Although that is scary because, of course, that means going outside of this zone I have become so comfortable in. I have pretty high career aspirations, but they can't start to really be achieved until I finish grad school - which will be another 2 years (graduating in August of 2016). That seems so far away to me and it honestly kind of stresses me out every time I start to think about it. 

I've thought the best thing to do might be to set a few small goals, maybe every month or so, and work on accomplishing little things...step-by-step.

{day by day...haha anyone else watch that show in the 90s??}

Ugghh, this post is so long and wordy haha! Sorry for the ramble!! But have any of you ladies dealt with any of this?? I'm open to any words of wisdom or advice you may have :)