Hello Friday.....hello cuteness

Welcome to Friday! You did it....another week in the books.  Hope you have fun plans for the weekend and by fun I mean a nap at some point.  But before we take a snooze here's a little cuteness I ran into online.

Anthropologie is currently running an additional 25% off selected sale items.

I have this dress and I love it.  The fabric is nice.  It is very comfortable.  It has pockets.

Cleary Dress

I bought my regular size M and it fits great.  There are two other color options.  A solid gray and a black print.  I may or may not be getting another one.

And this little top

Veria Peplum Tunic

There is also a red option.  I like them both and it is perfectly acceptable to purchase a top you love in all the color options.

And this little cardigan

Ashbury Knit Cardigan

This little cardigan looks like something I would own.....ok it looks like something I do own and that is why I like it.

There is more cuteness in the tote bag area,,,,like this one

Nicola Tote

or this one

Stella Market Tote

or this one

Mansi Tote

And Anthro never disappoints in the home department.  A few cute things for our homes....

I love their aprons like this one

Liberty Apron

These little potholders

Sonrisa Potholders

If you don't need either of these for yourself they sure would make a cute wedding/shower gift with one of your favorite recipes.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I will see you back here on Monday.......and prepare yourself.....it will be July!!! I know.  I think summer is determined to be the fastest season of the year and so far....it is right on track.

Fun and delicious!

I have a couple of eating establishments to share with you today.  I always enjoy trying out a new place.  I hope you enjoy hearing about it.

First up, The Beignet Cafe.  Now this has been in our area for awhile now.  There has been one location on Winchester for a long time.  One Sunday after church we drove to that one and ordered a box of beignets to go.  The amount of powdered sugar was staggering.  We choked as we inhaled it and we blew it everywhere as we laughed ourselves silly about choking on it.  It was quite the adventure.....but it was also delicious!!!! They have opened a new location on Hughes Road.  We decided to go in and grab a seat and test drive the menu in full.

We had a BLT

and a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich

 and....a half-dozen beignets.. Do you see what I mean by lots of powdered sugar?  They are super delicious but you do have to get your breathing and biting timed correctly.....otherwise you end up wearing a lot of the powdered sugar

It is super reasonably priced.  They also serve several lunch options.  Click here for a look at their menu. The hours for the new Madison location are

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 6:30am - 2pm

Friday and Saturday 6:30am - 8pm

Sunday 6:30 - 2pm

Definitely worth checking out!!!!

​

Secondly, we had a chance to splurge for dinner to celebrate another birthday in our house.  This birthday girl chose The Melting Pot in Bridgestreet.  Before we had kids my husband and I had gone to one in Atlanta.  The kids have been to this one for dessert.  None of us had gone to this one for the full four course meal.

For the cheese course we went with the following two

QUATTRO FORMAGGIOLOCAL FAVORITE MENU ITEM

Butterkäse | Fontina | Fresh Mozzarella | Parmesan | White wine | roasted garlic | basil | sun-dried tomato pestos

and the 

SPINACH ARTICHOKE

Butterkäse | Fontina | Parmesan | Spinach | Artichoke Hearts | Garlic

We had all of these things to dip

Veggies, breads and apples.

We each chose different salads.  I had the Caesar

And a apparently that was the only one I got a picture of. Everyone else either had the 

CAPRESELOCAL FAVORITE MENU ITEM

Mixed Greens | Fresh Mozzarella | Tomatoes | Basil | Balsamic Glaze

or the

CALIFORNIA

Mixed Greens | Candied Pecans | Gorgonzola | Housemade Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

And then it was time for entrees

I chose

SMOKY ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE, TERIYAKI-MARINATED SIRLOIN, and Herb-Crusted Chicken Breast 

Other choices at our table were

Certified Angus Beef® sirloin | Memphis-Style dry Rub Pork | Filet Mignon | Herb-Crusted Chicken Breast | Teriyaki-Marinated Sirloin

ATLANTIC SALMON FILET and FILET MIGNON FLORENTINE

I somehow missed the picture of the all shrimp choice.  Which if you like shrimp may have been one of the smarter choices.  The shrimp cooked quickly and she was done cooking way before the rest of us who were cooking chicken and steak.

For dessert we went with the

BANANAS FOSTERLOCAL FAVORITE MENU ITE

White Chocolate | Bananas | Dulce de Leche | Cinnamon

and the 

FLAMING TURTLESIGNATURE MENU ITEM

Milk Chocolate | Caramel | Candied Pecans

For dipping we had all kinds of fruit, pound cake, marshmallows and I can't remember what else.  To say the dessert portion was good is an understatement.

Apparently, it was so good that we went back to the 1990's and just ate it and didn't take a picture.....who are we?

This whole experience took us about 3 hours.  If they somehow could add a nap course......this would be the perfect experience for sure. Oh and I don't want to scare anyone away with the price but I will say, for us this is a special, special occasion place only.....like a milestone birthday.....that you planned for 6 months in advance kind of special occasion.

If you are looking for something fun or new to try.....go ahead and give one of these a whirl.  And please let me know what  you think about them.

See you back here on Friday!

SIGNATURE MENU ITEMFLAMING TURTLE

SIGNATURE MENU ITE

Things I Love- Part II

Today I want to show you more in depth three more birthday gifts I received and how I am putting them to good use.  If you missed Part I of the birthday gift review, you can click here.

Today, I have three new things to show you

First up, These cozy socks.

They came from one of my favorite stores Sweet Pineapple.  Honestly, what could be more perfect for me?  I am not a fan of walking around barefoot.......you know because of feet and all.  So I am always in a sock or a slipper or something.  These are perfect because they have little grippers on the bottom #safetyfirst, they have some shea butter in them #pampering and they are just super cute #comfortcanbecute.  I love sliding into these when I get home and have my sofa time.  They slide easily under my throw which is my other constant companion.  If you like cozy socks or need to buy for someone who likes to snuggle up on the couch, these could be for you.

Next up, these sweet little terra cotta vases

These have found a couple of resting places already.  I started with them on the kitchen counter and enjoyed them there but now they are on our dining room buffet.  I just a added a few flower sprigs I had around the house and love how they look.  I was gifted this taller one, and two of these shorter ones.  Very designer, right......to display in threes.  I am going to enjoy changing out the flowers and using these in different places.

Last for today, this dinner bell

I am usually in the kitchen alone preparing dinner.  Now, when everything is ready I simply take my bell and give it a good ring.  I have a little built in utensil rack over my stove top.  This hangs on it beautifully and is right there when I am ready to call everyone to the table.  It is just a fun little thing to have around.  Do you need one of these or someone else you know who is cooking for their people?  I would highly recommend.

All three of these gifts are winners.  Go ahead and borrow an idea or two if you need it.  I have more to show you in the next few weeks. 

And don't forget we are officially into the last week of June.  So if you haven't already, now is the time to recognize someone special who is making an impact on your community.  Click here if you need more details.

Wednesday I will be sharing our experience at a local restaurant.  Talk to you then.  Have a great Monday!!!

Friday - Fashion and Prep for the 4th

We did it, girls, we have made it to the end of the week.....so you know what that means.....we deserve a prize.  Maybe you'd like to reward yourself with a little something from below! I popped by Target and found a few things you might like to pick up for the 4th of July festivities.....plus the giveaway winner will be announced at the end of this post.


Try to ignore the skirt in the photo below.....we are interested in the top.  It is a cute little red/white striped top that would look great with denim or white.

Red/White Top

The picture above is from the website....here is the one I snapped in the store

If you want more of a casual tee, there is this one

and this little top is a cute little plaid that ties at the waist

If your celebration is casual but you'd rather wear a little dress

Universal Thread Dress

Or maybe you have a fancier 4th gathering where this little romper would be appropriate

Romper

Or this little kimono

Short Kimono

Or this one is a tad bit longer

Longer Kimono

But if you have a fancy Independence Day celebration this little red dress is cute

Red Dress

Now I have to show you a couple of things that I could not resist

Firework PJs

and

Patriotic Popsicles

So here was my thinking on these.....maybe people will want to put them on and watch fireworks on TV and we won't have to go out and fight the crowds.  I don't think it will actually work but I felt it was worth a try.

This last one is not patriotic colors,  but it is too good of a deal not to mention. We are big fans of Hue leggings.  There maybe a half a dozen or so at our house.  We normally pay $20-$30 for them.  But Costco currently has a 2-pack of the high waist legging for $18.99.  Yep, that's 2 pairs for less than we normally pay for one.

We each got a 2-pack which means now there may be more than a dozen pair of black hue leggings at our house. (don't judge)

If you need food or decoration ideas for the holiday, make sure to check out my 4th of July Pinterest Board.

And now .......... the winner of the 4th of July Giveaway is

Robyn B.

Congratulations, Robyn!!! I will contact you and get your prize right over to you!!!!

Thanks to you all for reading and entering.  Have a great weekend. Don't forget we have just one more week to complete this month's Great Things in '18 Challenge where we are honoring a community leader.

Upcoming Holiday - The 4th of July

The 4th of July is just around the corner.

What do you do for the holiday?

Years ago we made this wooden flag so we always pull it out each year

One year we drove to Nashville and shopped about 12 Salvation Army Thrift Stores. It was a  big half price weekend.  That was great fun!

Mostly I just want to spend the day on the couch under throw....big surprise right?

Regardless, there is bound to be some food and snacks.  I found all of this at Target

A little serving caddy

Patriotic plates

Red Cutlery

Red/White Straws

A 4th of July Word search

and

A 4th of July Bingo game

We love to play games when we are all together.

I have one fixed up for one of you

To enter simply leave a comment answering the question - What is your favorite thing about the 4th of July Holiday? 

I will use a random number generator to select a winner and announce who it is on Friday.

So make sure you leave a comment before 9:00pm C.S.T on Thursday, June 21st.  

Giveaway open to U.S. Residents only.

Talk to you on Friday!

Things I love! Part I

I told you I was gifted so well for my birthday.  If you missed, the birthday review click here. So over the next few weeks I am going to show you more in detail some of the things I received ....because you know what, you may want to put some of these on your birthday or holiday wish list. I am a firm believer in using, wearing, eating, displaying whatever is given to me.  I don't have a single thing that I "save for nice occasions". I am just not that person.  I think every day should be nice, so I plunge right into making good use of anything that is given to me.

Today I am going to show you some of the beautiful jewelry items I received.

First up,

This Ronaldo Bracelet......

Ronaldo makes all kinds of bracelets in various price points.  We shop for Ronaldo at Sweet Pineapple on Airport Road.  You can shop there online too.  These bracelets come in sizes so I think if you could actually pop in there and get fitted, it would be a good idea.  One Saturday while we were in there buying other things we all got measured and I put everyone's sizes in the notes on my phone.  If you are not local, however, here is the official website.

The bracelets are really designed for stacking so I think there will be more in my future.....Yay!!!!
This one is called "Hold Me".

I also received, this beautiful Pandora bracelet.  I have had one for years that is the chain bracelet and I love it.  But now I am the proud owner and wearer of the Pandora Bangle

It is super sleek and beautiful.  I am going to love adding more charms to it.  Mine was gifted with this sweet friends forever charm so I am off to a super good start.  You can find Pandora at many retailers so just do a search in your area.

The last jewelry item I received was these lovely emerald earrings.

You know what I always notice about stars and famous, beautiful people? They wear simple beautiful jewelry.  I think these earrings are just perfect.    My particular pair came from Belk but they are not online so I can't link to them but here are some I found that are similar.  I tried to take a picture actually wearing them but the ear is funny thing.....go ahead and try taking a selfie of your ear and let me know if  you get a good one.  I could not, so hopefully we will run into each other in person and you will get to see how pretty they are.

I love all of these and have them in my regular rotation now.  Maybe you see something here that you might like too.

I'll be announcing  a little 4th of July giveaway on Wednesday so make sure to meet me back here.

Fun Friday Finds

I hope you got all your Father's Day shopping done so now.....back to focusing on YOU!  Here are few things I found this week that I thought were worth sharing

Are you getting on the wide leg pant bandwagon?  Maybe give this one a try

J. Crew Wide Leg Pant

If you don't want pattern there are other options here and here.

I have a shirt similar to this next one that I found at a little boutique.  It is quite the nice little go to shirt on the weekend.  This has a good price and comes in sizes 00 to 14

Alternative Tee

Halogen is one of my favorite brands.  This little top comes in 2-18 in both regular and petite sizes

Halogen Ruffle Sleeve Top

Use code NEWNOW to get an additional 40% off these next finds at LOFT

Split Neck Shell

Love this lavender color

Knit Kimono

This little top has such a fun back

Crossover Back Top

Nordstrom Rack is having "clear the rack" so lots of clearance items are an additional 25% off.

This tunic is under $12.  There are several colors but some of them are limited in sizes.  Click around on this one and find one you like

Caslon Tunic

This crossbody bag is seriously reduced and comes in three color options

Marc Jacobs Crossbody

and this little sweatshirt dress is only $16.20 and there are three color options

French Terry Dress

And lastly before I go, this little angel is turning 21 today

And in my heart she is still this little lovemuffin

So very proud of the sweet, compassionate, determined and loving young lady she has become.

Happy Birthday, Kelsey!!!!

Love you so very much!!!

Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.