Real Life Confessions

Today I wanted to share a few real life thoughts.  We all like to look at pretty clothes and good food but sometimes you just gotta keep it real.  

- We have officially hit the Terrible 2's with Frances I am talking about full on tantrums in public  and often.  If you tell Frances no she does not like it.  She flings herself on the floor and screams.  Then when I try to pick her up she stiffens up her body so it is hard for me to lift her, it's beyond embarrassing.  This was taken after I told her it was too cold to wear her bathing suit- I am clearly such a mean mom.

- I have been going to Barre class regularly for about 6 weeks.  Before I started barre I was certain I was fairly fit.  I run and walk and I am fairly active.  I was so wrong.  I got to class and could not physically lift myself off the ground to do a sit-up.  My ab muscles were shot.  I saw 60 year old ladies pumping out sit-ups and I could not do one.  I am slowly making progress but damn its hard.

-Then the downside to exercising more often, is I am hungry all the time.  I am not losing weight because I am eating more.   

- Sterling's new favorite word is poop.  Drives me nuts

- Speaking of poop every time we go into a nice store he has to poop.  It never fails,  my mom and I joke about it now.  As soon as we walk in he has to go and can't hold it and of course it always smells horrible and takes him forever. 

- Both of my kids have suddenly turned into the pickiest eaters.  All they want to eat is pimento cheese, applesauce and oranges.  It frustrates me to no end they won't try what I cook.

- Instead of showing her belly Frances is now obsessed with showing her "hiney." This should bode well for her collage days.  

- Every single morning Frances checks to see if I have underwear on.  As soon as I lift her out of her crib she lifts up my robe and says "mommy have gina, mommy wears panties. " I have no idea why but she likes to make sure mommy is covered up- haha

-  Our oven has been broken for about a month.  We have a new one but didn't realize what long process it was to have gas run to our house since we didn't have an existing gas line before.   We have been using our toaster oven to cook the majority of our meals and I have to say you really can cook almost anything in a toaster oven!  I miss my oven though and can't wait to get the new installed hopefully next week.  Maybe Sonja Morgan was onto something with her toaster oven line:)

- My kids think seltzer water is coke.  I think maybe because it is carbonated like coke they think it is the same.  I love it they ask for a coke and I give them a seltzer and they are happy.

- It never fails as soon as I get on the phone both of the kids start having a total melt down.  They can be outside or back in their bedrooms but I swear they sense when I am on the phone and come in just to bother me. I was having a conference call the other day and Frances screamed the entire time.  I actually had to go outside to talk and watched her scream through the window. 

- 90% of the time my car looks like a homeless person lives inside.  There is always crushed food, papers, and toys everywhere.  That is until my parents come to town.  I always vacuum it before my parents come  because at the ripe old age of 35 I still don't want them judging me because my car is dirty.  When they are not in town it is a hot mess.

- My past two shellac manicures I have peeled the nail polish off every single nail.  I have no patience to wait to have it removed and strangely I like the satisfaction of peeling it off- so weird I know.  

- Last night I rode in an Uber that smelled like rotten eggs, at first I thought it was the sewer but alas I think the driver had horrible gas.  It was so bad.

- I yell at my kids more than I wish I did

- I am addicted to my phone.  I can't go to bed or wake up without immediately grabbing it and checking emails and scrolling instagram.  It is a horrible habit.

- The other day we had cashier whose gender was questionable and Sterling loudly goes " is that a girl or a boy I can't tell."  I wasn't totally sure so I just tried to pretend like I didn't hear it.  I love when kids say embarrassing things.  

- Frances beats up Sterling every single day.  I had no idea a 2 year old could make a 6 year old cry so much but it happens several times a day.  It is like a role reversal.  I try to tell Sterling to toughen up and Frances to be nicer:)

- I love to throw away toys when the kids are not looking.  I am always finding random pieces that go to who knows what and I immediately chunk them.

- I came home to this scene the other night after Matt watched the kids while I was at Supper Club.  He was "too tired" to clean up.  He promised he would clean it the next day but I am too OCD and had to clean it all immediately. 

- I turn 36 in a few weeks and I am not gonna lie starting to be in the upper 30's is starting to freak me out.  All I notice now are my wrinkles and fine lines.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Thoughts For Thursday

Happy almost weekend! My parents get in town today and I could not be more excited.  They have not been down here since before Christmas!  My mom and I are off to walk around downtown today. 

We are making some slow progress in our den.  I just ordered these awesome pillows for my wing back chairs.  Check out Talia's etsy shop, she makes some really cool custom boho pillows.

I love the idea of this pink one in a little girl's bedroom.

We celebrated Sterling's birthday on Monday at Camp Perri.  Perri offers many after school activities and does birthday parties too.  Perri is awesome with kids and she came up with the funnest games and crafts for the kids to do at the party.  Sterling is shark obsessed these days so we went with a shark theme.  Perri took care of everything all I had to do was show up with a cake, super easy:)  Sterling is still talking about how much fun he had!

 How adorable are the decorations?  Sterling was so excited.

Ashley's daughters are his favorites.  We joke one day it will be hard when he has to choose between the two.

The entire crew.

My loves.

His favorite part the shark cake.  I used Luckhaus and Brubaker in West Ashley for the cake.

Still can't believe this sweet boy is 6!

Can we discuss the fact that I am so excited Chrissy Teigan is coming out with a cookbook.  I of course already pre-ordered mine.  I have such a girl crush on her.  I love a girl that loves to eat and who doesn't love John Legend.

A recent outfit this week.

Butterfly Blouse | Sweater is sold out similar | Jeans | Flats | Holst and Lee Necklace

I am not sure why but this new Mara Hoffman Dress is on sale.  Some sizes are 50% and some are 20%.  I have it in a different color option and love it. It runs on the large side I have an XS. It is perfect year round, I wear mine now with a cardigan and then solo when it warms up.

If you need nude pumps these Loeffler Randall ones are 60% off, its says the total savings is $227!  The pumps come to under $100.  I love the embossed detail.   I swear Amazon has the best deals.  I didn't think to look for clothes on Amazon until recently and now I always check there before I purchase something because it is frequently cheaper.

Several of you asked for my green juice recipe after I shared this picture on instagram.

This makes two glasses.  I have recently gotten Matt on the green juice train so we both enjoy it.

GREEN JUICE

2 granny smith apples, 1 bunch kale, 1 lemon peeled, 1 inch piece ginger peeled, 3 celery stalks, large handful spinach, 1 jalapeño seeded, and 1 baby cucumber.

I am completely addicted the new app Face Swap Live.  Do yourself a favor and download it.  It is hilarious.  The kids and I have so much fun with it- although sometimes the pictures are creepy!

This is me and Sterling with our faces swapped.

Matt and I.  Seriously your stomach will hurt from laughing so much after you play around on this app.

Local Friends stop by Finicky Filly tonight if you are out and about for a fun event! I will be probably get there a little after 5 to hang out!

Stay tuned because this weekend I will be reviewing our new mattress and giving one away!  All I can say is this mattress has been truly amazing.The kids love it too!

Enjoy your day! It's all about balance!

Garden Veggie Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Black Beans + Green Goddess Dressing

I have recently become a huge fan of lettuce wraps.  It is a great way to eat a healthy meal minus the carbs.  They are also great for entertaining because you can make a huge platter and everyone can serve themselves.  That being said if you don't love lettuce wraps you can easily sub out the lettuce and use flour or corn shells to make tacos.  If you want to add meat I would recommend using ground turkey, chicken or beef.  They really are awesome without the meat though.

This recipe came about as a way to clean out our fridge.  Every week on taco night I make a big batch of black beans in the slow cooker so I always have extra on hand.   You can most definitely use canned black beans or canned refried beans for this recipe but slow cooking the dried ones tastes so much better and it is really easy too. If you make a big batch every week or two you will always have some on hand for quick dinners.  

I love the combination of the creamy green goddess dressing with all the crisp veggies, and spicy beans.  It is such a great flavor combination. I eventually want to try and make my own green goddess dressing but I used store bought this time.   

Enjoy!

|| G A R D E N   V E G G I E  W R A P S ||

- 1 cup spicy black beans (recipe below)

- 1 squash sliced thinly

- 1 zucchini sliced thinly

-3 ears of corn cooked and shucked

- handful cherry tomatoes diced

- 1 jalapeno sliced

- 2 green onions sliced

- crumbled Queso Fresco cheese

- 1/2 avocado sliced

- Bibb lettuce (you could also use Romaine)

- Green Goddess Dressing (I used Annie's brand)

Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet and add in the squash and zucchini.  Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat about 5-10 minutes until they are slightly cooked.  Remove from heat.

Bring water to a boil with corn and cook about 15 minutes until corn is cooked but still slightly firm.  Remove corn from water and cut off kernels.

Reheat spicy black beans and I like to mash them as they cook.

Wash the lettuce leaves and arrange on platter with other ingredients.  Layer black beans, corn and zucchini\squash mixture.  Then top with cherry tomatoes, green onions, avocado, and crumbled cheese.  Drizzle with green goddess dressing and hot sauce.

|| S L O W  C O O K E R  S P I C Y  B L A C K  B E A N S ||

- 1 bag dried black beans

- 3-4 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapenos

- 1 vegetable boullion cube

- 1 tablespoon hot sauce

- 1 tablespoon cumin

- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

- 2 tablespoons chili powder

- 1 teaspoon garlic salt

- 3 tablespoons butter

- salt and pepper to taste

Place the black beans in a pot on the stove filled with water.  Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and then let them sit covered 1-2 hours.  This helps the black beans cook quicker.  You can place them straight in your slow cooker but keep in mind they will need all day to cook prob at least 8-10 hours.  Black beans cook really slow and by boiling them first it helps speed up the process a little bit.

After an hour or so dump the beans and the water into your slow cooker.   Add the next 6 ingredients.  I always cook mine on high for 4 hours first and then I switch to low until they are ready.  When the 4 hours on high are done add in butter and then switch the setting  to low.  I usually cook another 3-4 hours or until we are ready to eat.  Taste the beans and season to make sure they have enough salt and pepper.

Obsessions

Fringe Cover-Up

This cover-up is only $33!  it comes in 6 different colors and you better believe I ordered one for our upcoming vacation!

Endless Rose Embroidered Dress

I love the detail and tassels, plus it is only $77.

Rebecca Minkoff Saddle Bag

This is on my Spring wishlist.  The color and style are perfection.

Jeffery Campbell Armour Suede Flats

I love Jeffery Campbell shoes and they are always a great price point.  I would love the tan color of these.

Equipment Aubrey Dress in Grid Stripe

This is my favorite style Equipment dress because it is so versatile.  I own this in the leopard version and wear it all the time.  I actually just ordered this one for an upcoming party we have.  I love the rich blues for Spring.

Topshop Off Shoulder Dress

I bought this same dress last year in the black version and loved it.  The fit is great and I loved the embroidery detail.  It sold out last year so I have a feeling sizes may go quickly.

The black version from last year.

McGuire Jeans

Meet my new favorite jeans.  Totally obsessed.  The fit is TTS.  I like them because they sit higher up and don't stretch out too much.  They are a slim,  sleek,  and flattering fit.

Splendid Jessa Sandals

I really like the style of these with the thicker heel and cut out detail.   

Gilded Retro Sunglasses

I just bought these sunglasses over the weekend and love them.  They remind me of some more expensive brands I have seen but they are only $15!

Mara Hoffman Dress

Mara does it again with this fabulous dress.  Love the pattern and colors! 

Rebecca Minkoff Tassel Purse

They just released a new version of the tassel purse I have.  I love this smaller circle size, such a fun purse.

Astr Cold Shoulder Blouse

This is a trend I am really still loving.  This is a great way to try out the open shoulder trend without breaking the bank, its under $70. It also comes in white.

Madewell Fringe Cardigan

I tried this on in the store and loved it.  It was too similar to a Joie Cardigan I already own or I would have bought it.

 This would be a great transitional piece for now and later.  It also comes in black.

Kendra Scott Rayne Necklace

This is such a great versatile necklace for layering or alone.  I love this new color they came out with for the Spring.  It would look so good paired with white.

Tory Burch Peasant Top

I have been loving so many of Tory's new arrivals.  The print on this blouse is so gorgeous and I love that it can be worn on your shoulders or off.

Dolce Vita Mules

I have been wanting to try a pair of mules.  These would go with so many different outfits.

Old Navy Camisole

Looks so much like Tibi but it is Old Navy!  This would be cute now layered under a cardigan and alone come Summer.

Tkees Flip Flops

These are hands down the best flip flops so comfortable and just out in 2 new colors.  I love the rose gold and gray.