29 March 2019

Five on Friday {March 29}

Hey y'all,

It's FRIDAY! We made it to the weekend. I originally had a packed weekend with an event on Sunday night, however, the event was canceled so that means a weekend of Barre3, church, teaching my Pre-K Sunday school kids, reading, and book club with friends. Here are five things I am loving this week:

one. Emily Ley Simplified Planners.

On Wednesday, Emily Ley unveiled the new covers of the simplified planner for the year. I am so torn this year between navy blooms and garden party. I have until Wednesday to make my decision and purchase my new academic weekly planner. I think I am torn because navy blooms remind me of the navy floral pattern of my first simplified planner and garden party reminds me of the watercolor floral pattern I have now. I even posted a poll for friends to vote on Instagram and out of 35 votes, Garden Party was the winner but I am still not sold.

two. O-Venture Key Ring.

So I first heard about the O-venture key ring from Andrea of Momfessionals. She raved about them last year and I thought it was a neat idea but not a necessity. Well, when the O-venture rings were on GMA's steals and deals a few weeks ago, I snapped one up for 50% off.

It's been so convenient to have my keys on my arm when I am carrying all the things-purse, lunch box, groceries, etc. I also have been loving it for the times I have been pet-sitting and I'm taking the dog for a long walk.




If you are a Lilly fan, I know Lifeguard press will be releasing a similar Lilly keychain this spring.

three. Library Trips.

This year I have really made the library a priority and have enjoyed running by to grab my holds or wandering down the aisles. This week I snagged the first four books in a series since I accidentally read book six this past weekend! Whoops!

four. Trader Joe's flowers.

I don't know about you but fresh flowers could be a love language for me (and if you have read The Language of Flowers, this month's book club book, you know each flower has a meaning). Trader Joe's is one of my go-to's but don't knock the regular grocery store arrangements either. My local Harris Teeter often has flowers on "Manager's Special" which makes them 50% off and they just need a bit more pruning but last just as long. I picked this arrangement up at Trader Joe's this week and I am loving the ranunculus (radiant charm) colors!

five. The Fresh Market.

If you are a single gal, or you don't love meal prep, I would check out the Fresh Market. I recently fell back in love with the store after not going for years. I love the "Little Big Meal" deal which is everything you need for a meal for 4 for $20! I grabbed the chicken parmesan a few weeks ago and the fajitas last week. While I am skipping the stir-fry this week, once Wednesday rolls around I will be in store to grab the burger deal (buns, meat, cheese, fries, and fruit).
I have also been loving the all-in-one Market Meal Kits. This week I made the chicken parmesan penne with summer squash! I actually made three lunches out of the kit rather than the recommended two so it was only $5 a meal with everything prepped. I just had to saute the meat, veggies, then add the pasta and sauce. Quick and delicious!

Link up with April, Christina, and Natasha.  
Also linking up with Tif, Becky, and Katie.
And Erika, Narci, and Andrea

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28 March 2019

Throwback Thursday {Weekend Recap}

Hey y'all,

I have to mark this past weekend which was full to the brim so let's throwback to what occurred.

Friday

Following work on Friday I headed straight to my friend Kathryn's house to meet up before our church's women's conference. We ate dinner and then hit the road to downtown Durham. The conference doors opened at 6pm so we went to the registration table then found a seat in the lounge of the Durham Convention center where I gave Kathryn lessons on Insta Stories.


The doors opened and we headed to the market to pick up our shirts and look at the various vendors. We both fell for the booth of Fashion and Compassion. This is a boutique in Charlotte that focuses on transforming women's lives in seven countries. Kathryn is in love with the Seaside Peace Basket and I love this Esther necklace since Esther is one of my favorite books of the bible. It reads "For such a time as this" from Esther 4:14.
After the market, we grabbed seats in the main hall and waited for the conference to begin.
After worship, Elizabeth Woodsen spoke on holiness and WOW do I have some notes. The talk was followed with a panel from women in our church and then after a break, we came back to a session with Jen Wilkin. Y'all, if you are a believer and have not read Women of the Word, seriously, go pick it up. Jen's focus is on Bible literacy for all people and not an inspirational speaker. We began walking through Genesis 1 and I had some amazing revelations throughout the weekend and I am still processing everything.

 11pm it was time to finally hit the hay before another long day.

Saturday

Saturday morning started bright and early with the conference beginning at 8am. It was a full morning of worship, more walking through Genesis 1, and a talk on tough seasons (singleness, infertility, health) with Elizabeth Woodsen and Bonnie who is a 60-year-old single woman on staff at the church.
The conference broke for lunch around 11:30am and Kathryn brought us Chick Fil A as she left the morning sessions for a work meeting. After lunch, we continued chatting at the Parlour downtown, a local ice cream place.
At 1pm we were back in the conference for more worship and finishing up Genesis 1. The conference finished up around 3pm and we headed over to the church for the weekly rally. The rally is a gathering of volunteers for community, snacks, and praying for the church and the services before they begin.

Church at 4pm was a wonderful service including a conversation with Jen Wilkin that you can hear here. Then I served with my preschoolers in the Summit Kids area where we talked about the people wandering in the desert looking for the promised land.

Then I headed home, made my dinner, and got ready for bed. While I intended to go straight to sleep, I stayed up and finished a book instead.

Sunday

I luckily slept in after such a busy Saturday and finally got up and ready around 8:45am and got to meal planning for the week. Then I headed to the Fresh Market and Harris Teeter for groceries.

The rest of Sunday was filled with making a frittata, broccoli salad, and a nap.

At 2:45pm I headed to Chapel Hill for my Barre3 class. It was great to be back in the studio as I had been gone for over a week! After Brooke kicked my butt, I drove home and worked on making fajitas and chores around the house.

How was your weekend?
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27 March 2019

What's Up Wednesday: March

Hey y'all,

I am in disbelief that it is almost April and Easter will be here in no time! I am loving that the Spring weather is starting to appear here in NC although, it was 32 this morning and 62 this afternoon. Time to share What's Up for March:
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1. What I'm Eating this Week:

I recently discovered the Dinner Deal from Fresh Market. Y'all need to check it out! Sunday I grabbed the meal (fajitas) which I ate on Monday and Tuesday for low carb days. I also grabbed one of their market meals (parmesan basil chicken penne with squash) for regular carb days.


 I also made Momfessional's broccoli salad for low carb day with a lettuce wrapped hamburger on the side.

2. What I'm Reminiscing About:

California.
This time last year I was in California visiting a lot of my mom's side of the family for my cousin's wedding. It's also hard to not be over there right now as my cousin Michelle welcomed her third boy a few weeks ago and Maddy is due with a little girl next week!
With my Aunt Julie

3. What I'm Loving:

This adorable Bee Kind sweatshirt from Old Navy. I grabbed it when it was under $20 and today it's on sale for $15! It's perfect for a casual Friday in the office or for running errands.
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FASTer Way to Fat Loss. I know this program is getting a lot of buzz in the blogging community, but I signed up for the March 4th round with my coach and I am loving the program. It's a six-week program with a prep week that focuses on whole food nutrition, intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and progress over perfection. I am on week 3 and already seeing improved sleep and my pants aren't so tight! I will share some of my meals next week and I'm happy to answer any questions!
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4. What I've Been Up To:

Summit Women's Conference. This past weekend I attended my church's women's conference this past weekend and will share more tomorrow. It was an amazing event of over 1600 women gathering for worship, bible study, and community.

Apart from that, I have been pet/house sitting for my friends while they visited Europe, taken many a trip to the library, and spent time with my parents.

5. What I'm Dreading:

Nothing at the moment luckily!

6. What I'm Working On:

Restarting this blog

7. What I'm Excited About:

March Madness. I am currently #2 in the work bracket surprisingly so I am excited to see how my bracket stands throughout the weekend.

8. What I'm Watching/Reading:

I'm reading The Language of Flowers by V. Diffenbaugh for my book club this Sunday.  I have also been posting my books on my Instagram account here.
For watching, I am catching up on New Amsterdam, Project Runway All-Stars, and will start Queer Eye season 3 this weekend.

9. What I'm Listening To:

I have been listening to audiobooks in the car and just started The Book of Life. It's the third in the All Souls Trilogy. During work, I listen to podcasts and my favorites are all in this post.

10. What I'm Wearing:

The weather has been so wonky here it's been a mix of items but I have loved this tank at Old Navy for Barre3 classes. It's on sale today for under $10!
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11. What I'm Doing this Weekend:

I was originally headed to the Come to the Table Tour in Kernersville, NC however, the event was canceled as Angie Smith's father's health took a turn. Instead, this weekend will be filled with cuddling some dogs I'm watching, barre3 classes, and book club.

12. What I'm looking Forward to next month:

Easter
Lots of lunches with friends I am pinning down
Visiting my friend/sorority sister/former roommate Bekah in Winston-Salem
Hitting 200 Barre3 classes at the Chapel Hill studio
ordering my new simplified planner

13. What Else is New?

The last time I posted I was 28 and I enjoyed my birthday at the end of January with friends and my parents.

Bonus Question: Favorite Easter Side Dish?

We are simple with Easter meals so I mostly remember deviled eggs made out of the eggs we dyed and mashed potatoes.

Link up with Shay and Sheaffer.
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Re-Introductions

Hey y'all,

I turned my blog off for a while as I was wrestling with if I wanted to continue this little creative space. While I love the connections blogging has brought me, seriously, two IRL friends came from the internet (hey Christie and Ashley), I know blogging has evolved so much since I started back in college. I have had many iterations of a blog and finding my niche has been hard. So, here we go, I am focusing on all the things I love: the Lord, cooking, barre, community, clothes, organizing, books, and my cat.

So here we go, I would love to know more about you and things you would love to see! I'm working on recapping my reads for the year, my favorite faith resources (request), my FASTer Way to Fat Loss journey, and adventures of a 29-year-old single girl in the Triangle (wandering grocery stores, libraries, and other places).


Also, if you need to know I am an INFJ, a 6 wing 7, and my number one strength is input.

What's something fun about you?

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