WEEKENDING

I'm going to back up to last week a little, first. Matthew was out of town again for work, so my sister came over and we went to The Grilled Cheeserie for dinner. It was AMAZING. I have been searching for that tomato soup recipe every since, seriously so good and nothing compared to a can of tomato soup! We also got their fresh squeezed lemonade and it just made the meal!

Thursday afternoon Reagan had a grooming appointment so after I dropped her off I decided to use a Starbucks gift card for an afternoon treat. I got an upside down iced caramel macchiato and a cake pop. Believe it or not, this was my first cake pop, ever! I got the cookie dough flavor and it was good.

Friday afternoon Matthew got home and we went to dinner at The Standard. Matthew's parents had a gift card to there that they were not going to be able to use before it expired, so they gave it to us and we went. It was a BEAUTIFUL place and the food was absolutely delicious. The restaurant is an old, charming home in downtown Nashville that they made into a restaurant. You can read all about the history of the home, here. It was a very nice dining experience!

Matthew went to the office on Saturday morning and I went grocery shopping and then back home to put together chili in the crock-pot for dinner. I did some laundry and cleaned up around the house a bit and took Reagan on a long walk. The weather was really warm and overcast and they were calling for a lot of rain for Saturday, so I wanted to get a long walk in before it hit. After Matthew left the office we went to his parents house for dinner. My in-law's are hosting dinner the 4th Saturday of every month at their house and we are excited about it! This month my MIL did soups + chili. She made beef stew and Tex-Mex cheesy chicken chowder, homemade pimento cheese sandwiches and cornbread. She also made a delicious chocolate pie! Matthew's uncle brought his beautiful golden doodle over and we were obsessed! He was so calm and well behaved and beautiful!! Matthew loved on him allllll night and kept trying to get Charlie to sit in his lap on the couch like Reagan does, ha!

Reagan wasn't so sure of Charlie at first, she's never been around a dog that bug, but she slowly warmed up to him. Can you spot Reagan?

Sunday we met Matthew's parents and brother for lunch at a local favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch and then headed home for a nap. A little later I went outside and did my nails while Reagan got some energy out. I always know when Reagan is ready to go back inside because she'll come get in my lap until we head back inside.

Sunday night I put an Aldi pizza in for dinner. I tried the Mexican style pizza and LOVED it. Have any of you ever tried a pizza from Aldi? Literally the best frozen pizza I have ever had. We have tried the classic, pepperoni and cheese pizza too and loved it as well. Definitely a big pizza that is reasonably priced!

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WEEKENDING

5 ON FRIDAY | 5 THINGS ABOUT ME

I was tagged on Instagram by Ashley to share 5 things about me so I thought I would share here, too!

This one is sadly very true. I have always dreamed of going one day, but the past year or two I have really wanted to go. I have a Pinterest board here of all things Disney and I've been watching a ton of Disney vloggers recently. The Disney World fever is pretty high right now. 

I was never 100% sure of what I wanted to do when I "grew up". I was always so jealous of those people who knew, without a doubt, what they wanted to do. Matthew came out of the womb knowing that he wanted to be an accountant and I love that, but I never felt that way about any career choice. Growing up I mostly wanted to be a teacher and at one point I thought nursing would be something that I was interested in, as I love helping and take care of people. That dream was very short lived as I quickly realized that the sight of blood made me pass out. 

This one is 100% accurate.

It doesn't matter how late I stay up, I am usually wide awake at 6:00am. If I do not have to get up and be somewhere, I usually lay there until around 7:00, but if I lay in the bed any later than 7:00 or 8:00 it makes me feel sluggish and bad all day and I usually end up with a horrible headache. So most of the time I am up and out of bed by 7:30am, at the latest. I feel like this will be good once babies are in the picture. 

Last one, I've mentioned it on here before, but Matthew and I played on the same coach pitch little league team.

Picture from 2010

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5 ON FRIDAY | 5 THINGS ABOUT ME

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND POTATO SOUP | DINNER RECIPE

I made this last week on one of our snow days and ended up eating it for a few meals. 

So delicious, warm, and filling...aka the perfect meal for a cold night!

Ingredients:

- 5 cups of potatoes, diced

- 1lb of Italian Sausage

- 1 cup of celery 

- 1/2 cup of onion

- 32oz of chicken broth

- 2 cups of milk or heavy cream

- 1 cup of shredded cheese

- Bacon bits for garnishing

Directions:

- Brown Italian sausage and then drain

- In a soup pot, over medium to high hear, combine the potatoes, chicken broth, onions, and celery and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage and onions to the soup pot. Add the milk and cheddar cheese, stirring until all ingredients are combined and warmed.

- Garnish with shredded cheese and bacon bits.

My MIL introduced me to these containers and I am obsessed! Matthew isn't a fan of this soup, so I put the leftovers in individual containers to freezer for future meals. 

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ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND POTATO SOUP | DINNER RECIPE

MY WORD FOR 2018

I have never picked a word for the year before, but I decided to do that this year. I started thinking about this at the end of 2017 and honestly it didn't take me very long at all. 

So without further ado, my word for 2018 is.......

Why I picked this word: I feel like 2017 was a blur of a year, it wasn't a bad year by any means, but I feel like the second half of 2017 was a blur. A lot of good things happened and a lot of fun memories were made, that we are so thankful for, but there were times where I got really overwhelmed. I usually tend to have an optimistic personality, I can always find the positive in a difficult situation, but there were times where I let things get in the way. I am very grateful and love my new role at work, but it was a HUGE change and challenge at first. Most days it left me feeling defeated and by time I got home I was WORN out. I was putting all of my time and energy into work that I let all other areas of my life go. I am so incredibly thankful for Matthew, and how he didn't hesitate at all to pick up my slack during that time. Thankfully things started getting better towards the end of the year and I finally feel like I can do it, which I am so thankful for, because I truly love my job and the people I get to work alongside everyday! I know that it was just a season and that there will be more seasons like that, and I hope that in the future I can handle those seasons a little better if I am intentional with all aspects of my life. Also, my husband is an absolute rock star, just saying!

What I want to be intentional about: E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. EVERYTHING. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. But seriously, everything. My faith. My marriage. My relationship with my family and friends. Our finances. Giving. My health. My career. My time. I want to be intentional about it all.. Am I using my time to scroll on social media or am I investing into my marriage? Am I helping do my part with our finances or am I leaving it all up to Matthew? Am I going into the office ready to work or am I running late and forgetting something? Am I taking the time to prepare meals for the week for us or are we just grabbing fast food during the day for a quick lunch?

How I plan on being intentional: 

- Praying about my decisions, even the smaller ones, because sometimes those smaller decisions play a part in the bigger decisions.

- Planning ahead...finances, meal prep, time management, family events, dinners with friends, birthdays and anniversaries, etc.

- Making the time for the important things that matter most to us.

- Saying no to things that don't matter to us.

So there you have it, my word for the year. Here's to being intentional in 2018!

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MY WORD FOR 2018