Thoughts For Thursday

Lets dish.

I made a quick trip home to Charlotte this week and stopped in West Elm.  I just love that store.  I wanted to actually look at the chandeliers in person before I bought one and I am so glad I did.  I went with a completely different one than the two I was considering.  The one waterfall one I like most was actually plastic not glass and I didn't like that.  I wanted basically everything in the store, I so wish Charleston would get a West Elm Store.  Such great home and entertaining stuff.

 If you need lighting West Elm is having 20% off all lighting right now.  I went with this Chandelier for my dining room and I hope to install it this weekend!  I would have never considered this one because online it looked so small but it was actually a perfect size in person and the price is incredible. Plus I loved the modern feel of it.  I went with large globe bulbs, not the frosted ones.

|| Mobile Pendnant

 I also snagged this Throw.  It is so gorgeous in person.  All throws are also 20% off.

|| Knitted Sequin Throw

I stopped in JCrew as well this week, I always love to browse their new arrivals in person.  Loved both of these blouses.  I ended up buying the Tassel Trim Blouse in the black color- it runs on the large side, I am wearing a size 2.  Use code STYLETREAT to get 25% off your purchase.

Shadow Diamond Blouse | Tassel Trim Blouse

I also loved it in the Royal Blue Color.  Such a gorgeous blouse and it comes to $75 with the discount.

 I have been using my Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask for almost 2 months now and I have to say it is my favorite mask.  I can really tell a difference in my skin.  I use it about 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes.  It gets really tight while you are wearing it which I love, makes me feel like it is tightening and smoothing my skin.  I highly recommend it and it lasts for awhile I have hardly put a dent in mine, a little goes a long way.

|| Tata Harper Mask

I just downloaded The New Shopaholic book to read.  I always love the books in this series such a light easy read.

 

I also just picked up my girl Ina's new cookbook, Make It Ahead.  I own all  her cookbooks and they never disappoint, always my favorite go-to cookbooks.  Anyone else notice how good her skin always looks? 

How great does this spin on Avocado Toast look?  It is called Autumn Toast and it is Avocado, Pears, Blue Cheese, and nuts. Yes Please!

Two new wine recs one red, one white both delicious.

My friend Sarah at Social Dress Shop is having a major sale right now to make way for new merchandise. You can take 40% off the entire site with code SALE40.   If you don't own a Pink Stitch Maxi Dress, it is a great time to buy one, it will be like $50 with the discount. I love mine.

My favorites:

If you still want a pair of Rag and Bone Newbury Booties, this style was just marked down on Shopbop.  I love the gray color.

|| Newbury Booties

and this quote, its just so true.

Barbacoa Beef || Tacos + Nachos

If you follow me on instagram (snoopnattynat) you saw me post this beef on Friday and Saturday night.  We ate it both nights,  it was insanely good and easy!!  I can't take credit for this recipe, I lucked out and found it on Pinterest but it is a real winner.  Trust me we will be making this beef often.  The hardest thing you have to do is chop an onion and then you just throw it all in the crockpot and it does the work for you!  I bought a whole chuck roast and trimmed it myself but you can buy the meat already cubed if you prefer.  I like to leave some fat on it for extra flavor.  If you don't have a Crock Pot, I highly recommend this one.  We got it as a wedding gift 7 years ago and still use it often, I swear it is the best Crock Pot.

The first night we made tacos with the beef.  I made them true authentic Mexican style on corn shells, with diced onion and cilantro. Simple but full of flavor.  We also added a drizzle of salsa verde and shredded Monterrey jack.  They were just perfect.

Saturday night we decided to use the leftover beef and make nachos.  The nachos were out of this world good.  We baked the chips with shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese for about 10 mins to crisp them up.  Then we layered on the beef, onions, and jalapenos and cooked another 5-10 mins.  Sprinkle with cilantro, salsa and sour cream and enjoy!

|| B A R B A C O A  B E E F ||

Recipe via Gimmie Some Oven

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs chuck roast (fat trimmed), cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chiptoles in adobo sauce, chopped (or more to taste)
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves ( I left this out because I didn't have any cloves)
• 1/2 cup beef broth or water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker. Toss gently to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender and falls apart easily when shredded with a fork.
Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces inside of the slow cooker. Toss the beef with the juices, then cover and let the barbacoa beef soak up the juices for an extra 10 minutes. Remove cover and use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to serve the barbacoa beef.
If not using immediately, refrigerate the barbacoa beef with its juices in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Styling Colored Denim Three Ways

I am a huge fan of colored denim.  Come fall I love a fun colored jean, it is an easy way to spice up an otherwise boring outfit.  

The common theme in these pictures is the jeans.  DL1961 was sweet enough to send me a pair to try and I am hooked.  I have to admit I am a creature of habit when it comes to jeans I love JBrand or Rag and Bone and know they fit my body right.   But these DL1961 jeans rocked my world in a good way.  Ladies,  these jeans fit amazing.   They suck you in all the right places and are flattering plus comfortable. I am wearing the Florence Style which fits my body type best.  They are mid rise and a skinny leg.  I love the Fall colors.  I choose Pinot and Safari- a deep burgundy and an army green that are really gorgeous for Fall!  They run TTS.

Use code DLFRIENDS to get 25% off your order thru this weekend!  A great time to try out the DL1961 Jeans if you never have!  They also make a kids line that is adorable.

I decided to put together three different looks for colored denim because sometimes it is harder to style colored denim than your regular old blue jeans.  I have to give Matt props for the back drop of these pictures.  He found this amazing Graffiti Alley on James Island and thought it would be a cool backdrop for pictures and I think he was right!

\\ ONE 

Rag and Bone Tee | Missoni Scarf  | DL1961 Florence Jeans c\o | Chinese Laundry Flats Sunglasses | Gigi New York Clutch in Navy

\\ TWO

Tory Burch Horse Blouse | DL1961 Jeans in Safari c\o | Rag and Bone Booties | Sunglasses |

Rebecca Minkoff Quilted Mini Affair Bag

\\ THREE

Rag and Bone Tee | DL1961 Jeans in Safari c/o | Chinese Laundry Flats | BR Wool Jacket

English Norman Necklace | Sunglasses (on sale )

Shop all my looks below:

Scenes From Our Weekend

Did everyone have a great weekend?  We certainly did!  It was pretty busy but with fun plans!

We started the weekend off early on Thursday with happy hour at the Yacht Club.  Caught a gorgeous sunset.  Sterling has been all about wearing his witch hat everywhere!!

I hit up Old  Navy on Friday and found the most adorable stuff for Frances Moon and all on sale!

Stripe Sweater | Bow Leggings | Leopard Sweater | Fox Shoes

Friday night I whipped up some awesome Barbacoa Beef Tacos in the Crock Pot- recipe coming this week!  I love using my Crock Pot in the Fall.

Saturday morning we had Sterling's last soccer game.  I am sad the season is over, I loved his team and his coach was so awesome.  He got his first trophy and was so proud.

Wearing: Equipment Blouse | Jeans |  Sunglasses 

Saturday afternoon we headed to Sterling's friend Andrew's birthday.  

Frances Moon had quite the time with the corn hole table.

We turned our leftover beef into the most delicious nachos ever for dinner that night.

My jacket I ordered from Banana Republic about two months ago came and I love it!!  Such a great jacket for the price- stay tuned for a fun outfit post tomorrow, little sneak peek below.

|| BR Wool Jacket

 

 We found a cool area with graffiti to take some pictures.  Such a true art!

Sunday we cooked a feast for breakfast.  I will be eating clean today after all I indulged in this weekend!

I felt like such an adult because I bought I some major appliances this week- a new washer and dryer and fridge and they both were delivered Friday.  Words can't explain how excited I am about this fridge and all the space it has.  The snack drawer sold me for the kids.  and please note it is already covered in fingerprints after just being delivered, the kids were all over it.  Next up I am having some built ins done around the fridge hopefully before Thanksgiving!

Happy Monday.

Toddler Food Ideas

One of the requests I received back when I was uninspired was to do a post on what I feed Frances and Sterling.  Feeding kids can easy and it can also be a nightmare.  I think the key is keep switching things up and introduce new things.  Now that Sterling is older he eats what we eat for dinner.   He is not given a choice.   I do not cook him a separate dinner unless Matt and I will be eating really late.  I try to make him eat what we eat.  Now don't get me wrong many nights he goes to bed hungry but he has to at least try everything and if he eats well he is allowed a piece of dessert- sort of a bribe to get him to eat more but it works.  By making him take at least one bite of what we are having it has helped teach him that some things that look gross and he said he wouldn't eat he actually likes.  For example this week I made butternut squash soup and roasted cabbage,  he immediately looked at his plate and said I am not eating that- gross!  Then when I made him try it and he actually liked both and almost cleaned his plate. I call that winning in the Mom Department:)

Frances Moon is obviously a different story.  She is full on into finger foods now.  I still use pouches for on the go but other wise it is food she can feed herself.   Breakfast is usually a Kashi Waffle or Oatmeal and Fruit.  Lunches are often on the go and are a squeezable pouch but dinners are always at home.  I tried to take pictures of Frances Moon's dinners  to give you some ideas of what she eats.  There are so many options and I would welcome ideas too, but these are just a few baby/toddler meal ideas.

String Cheese | Strawberries | Peas (canned)

 Avocado | Beets | String Cheese | Shredded Chicken

Sweet Potatoes | Blueberries | Morning Star Chicken Nuggets

Morning star Veggie Patty | Cauliflower | Strawberries and Blueberries

Carrots | Mandarin Oranges | Snappea Peas

Roasted Cabbage | Cracker Barrel Cheese | Bananas

For those curious the plates above are the Dr. Browns Plates and the last plate is by 5x7 Designs.  I like the Dr. Brown plates because they are small and divided.  I also like the 5x7 plates because they are open and the designs are so cute- Sterling has one too! They make adorable gifts as well.

One tip to make things easier is to prep on Sunday or Monday.  I often roast a few sweet potatoes, butternut squash etc to have in containers for the week.  Then it is easy to pull out and feed Frances, no extra cooking or work required. 

A few ideas of food to buy and keep in your fridge or freezer, I usually keep these items stocked at our house.

- Morning Star Veggie Patties

- Morning Star Chicken Nuggets

- Kashi Waffles

-  String Cheese or mini Babel both are softer cheeses

- Yogurt

- Snappea Peas

- Cheerios

- Ritz Crackers

- Fig Newtons

- Libby's diced veggies (these come in plastic containers like mandarin oranges and are great for kids.  They have carrots, peas, and green bean options)

- Mandarin Oranges

- Nutrigrain Bars

- Avocado

- Fresh Fruit- I always buy bananas, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  They are softer fruits and easy for Frances to eat.

- Giggle Bites Food - This line by my friend Melissa is awesome.  This is all I fed Frances in the beginning and we still use it often.  She also offers Toddler Sneak-Ums which are genius to mix in with whatever else you are cooking!

and because many times Frances Moon is over the food I serve her.  Feeding any age child is never easy.  This Ecard suns it up as does her face.

Tory Burch Private Sale Starts Now!

Today Tory Burch just started her private sale.  The deals are pretty awesome.  I rounded up my favorites.  Happy Shopping!  If you didn't get early access you can shop the whole sale HERE!

My top two picks are this Bag and sweater, I am thinking about both for me!