Thursday, March 26, 2015

Coconut-Macaroon Nests + Easter Basket Ideas

Thanks to my girl Martha for this easy 3 ingredient Easter treat.  
 Each year around Easter I like to make some sort of treat the kids will be excited about.  True confession I suck at baking, sweets are not my strength at all.  I never know how a dessert recipe will turn out.  These turned out really well, better than I had hoped
These could not be easier to make and it is fun for your kids because they can stuff the eggs afterwards.  Everyone is happy.  Be sure to spray your muffin tins well because these will stick and can be hard to get out otherwise.
Enjoy!

|| C O C O N U T - M A C A R O O N   N E S T S ||
via Real Simple

- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 package 14oz sweetened flaked coconut
- cooking spray
- jelly beans and or mini malt balls


preheat oven to 300 degrees
coat mini muffin pan with cooking spray

In a bowl stir together egg whites and salt with a fork.  Mix in coconut.  Drop into each muffin tin.  Lightly press mixture up sides and bottom of cup.  Bake until golden brown edges about 28-30 minutes.

Let cool in tins on a wire rack then run a metal spatula around sides to loosen.  Lift out cups and let cool.  Stuff with jelly beans, M&Ms, cadbury eggs or malt balls.

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I wanted to include a few fun Easter Basket Ideas.  I try not to put too much crap in ours and buy a few things they will really love and use mixed in with some candy.  I do pjs because my kids love pjs and they are a great filler.  I also like to include art stuff.  Sterling is really into art these days.

easter basket

Chick Boy Pjs- I always love to give my kids pjs and they love them too.  These chick ones are adorable
Chick Girl Pjs- use code YAY for 40% off
Plus Plus Blocks- we have these and love them.  Both kids love to play with them.
Draw with Scribbles- Sterling uses this all the time.  He loves a doodle pad.
Jellycat Bunny-  Jellycat stuffed animals are the best, so soft and the bunny is adorable

Play and Draw Create- I love a creative gift and this reusable kit looks awesome.

Jellycat Hippo- someone gave Frances this as a gift and it is our favorite.  So soft and cute.
Smallest Rubiks- who doesn't love a rubiks?? Fun for all.




Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Pastel Loving Obsessions + Serena and Lily Private Sale

I don't know about ya'll but I am all about some neutrals and pastels for Spring.  There are so many great options right now so I rounded up a few of my favorites.  Many are on sale for today only!

I love this maxi in the ice blue color.  Such a flattering on color on everyone.  It also comes in a really pretty yellow color too.
The back is gorgeous.

How fabulous are these nude gladiators?  They are only $55 and you can take additional 30% off with code SPRINGCHIC.
Just reduced, now under $100!   I love the floral print on white.  Would look great paired with the sandals above.

I have been all about the fringe lately.  Loving this top- I would probably wear a white camisole under mine though:)  You can also take 30% off it with code SPRINGCHIC.
I think it would look great with all white jeans or jean shorts as well.


 I actually bought this dress for a few events I have coming up.  You can take 25% off it now use code FRIENDS.  The color is so beautiful in person and the fit is great.  Would be perfect for a Summer wedding, I am planning on wearing mine for Easter Sunday too:)


I own this in the sleeveless version and love it!!  The long sleeve version is great for now and later.

You can get the sleeveless version HERE for 25% off with code FRIENDS
It also comes in the blush version below which I own and love!


This tank is such a gorgeous blush color and the back is my favorite part.  Also comes in black.
If you are in the market for white jeans these are the best.  I searched for years before I found a pair that I felt was flattering.  These sit higher up and are not see thru.  They are worth the money, I am going on my third year with mine and they are still in mint condition.  Just recently back in stock for Spring!

This reminds me of my gold stella and dot spike bracelet that I wear all the time.  This one is half price and I love the white for summer.  Would look great layered too.


These are my favorite Kendra Scott Earrings and they are 25% off!
I love the white for Summer but they come in like 10 different colors.
Wilt tees are always a great fit.  This is such a good color for Spring/Summer.

The perfect Summer Sandal.  Dolce Vita is really coming out with some great sandals this season.



Loving this new style of Ray-Bans.  I have been wanting a round shaped pair.

Obsessed with this cover-up and the price, only $28.  
 I also wanted to mention my white blouse I wore last weekend is now 30% off  with code SPRINGCHIC.
The sale ends today.  I am wearing a size small.

I love this for an everyday purse.  This would be great for any new moms because you can fit so much inside.  It also comes in black, camel, and snakeskin. 
Use code YAY to get 40% off the Gap Site today- some exclusions apply.


This beauty is currently 50% off with code BRHALF.  The white would look so good with white jeans for an all white look. Also comes in Navy and a beautiful Nude color as well.


Wanted to add the Serena and Lily Private Sale just started.  You can access it HERE.

Our favorite crib sheet is 50% off plus lots of other fabulous goodies.  Scroll thru to see them all!








Tuesday, March 24, 2015

35.


Today I turn the big 35.  Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I am officially mid thirties and 5 years from 40 -wowza.  I remember at one time thinking that was so old.  40 used to be over the hill.  Now I don't feel that way at all.  Most days I still feel like a teenager at heart.  35 is the new 25 right??

My thirties have been my favorite years yet.  I have grown so much as a person and become truly happy with who I am.  The quote "the less you care the happier you will be" is so true.  Not everyone will like you and that is ok, as long as you are confident and secure in yourself, that is what is important. 

 I have learned that it is not important to have a ton of friends but more important to have handful of real friends you can truly count on.  My girlfriends brighten my life and empower me so much.  I don't know what I would do without them.  

My thirties have taught me marriage is hard and anyone who tells you it is easy is wrong.  It takes work, but like anything else in life you get out of it what you put in.   The things you work the hardest for are the most valuable and treasured things in your life.  My love for Matt grows each year.  

 My thirties have taught me kids are both the hardest and most rewarding thing you will do with your life.  They have also taught me true unconditional love.  My kids are my life simple as that but it is also important to remember to carve out and make time just for you.  Nurturing your soul and spending time alone is a good thing. 

My thirties have taught me to be nice and smile you never what battles someone else is fighting.  It is always better to be kind.  Equally important is not to judge for the same reasons.  We all are doing the best we can in our own paths of our lives.  We should encourage and support each other.  

My thirties have taught me the grass is always greener.  Someone will always have more than you do and that is life and that will never change.  You have to be thankful for what you have because you have more than most people. 

My thirties have taught me the power of prayer and trusting God.  I have grown in my faith these last few years especially since having children and that makes all things in life easier. 

My thirties have made me appreciate my parents in a whole new way.  I respect them as parents and now I consider them among my best friends, in fact more often than not I choose to hang out with them instead of my friends.  I am thankful for our close knit family because family is everything.  I hope Sterling and Frances Moon grow up and love me and want to spend as much time with me as I do my parents.  They are a huge inspiration to me.

Most importantly my thirties have taught me to laugh and enjoy life.   Also that attitude can make or break you.  'The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything." 


In Honor of my 35th birthday I thought it would be fun to share 35 things you probably don't know about me. 

1) I am addicted to the TV show Buying Alaska.  I don't know what it is but I love seeing people look at properties with no running water and outhouses.  Matt and I look forward to watching it every week.

2) I never leave home without a glass of water.  I take one with me everywhere.

3) I hate brushing my teeth, I despise the taste of toothpaste

4) I have never walked the Cooper River Bridge nor do I even care to.  I think I would get to the middle and have an anxiety attack about being stuck up that high.

5) When I eat pizza I like to eat all the cheese and toppings off and leave the bread.  It drives Matt crazy.

6) I love box mac and cheese.  I know it is so processed and gross but I love it.

7) I like drinking my cocktails out of tiny vintage glasses.  When I travel I always search for small vintage glasses.  I hate a drink in a really large glass.

8) I am weird about meat.  I hate pork tenderloin and steak but love bacon and ground beef.  I also love chicken liver.

9) In high school I kept a calendar and wrote down my outfits everyday so I never repeated the same exact outfit.  I have had a strong love for fashion my whole life.

10) I can not sleep late.  I am up and out of bed even if my kids are still sleeping.

11) I have been coloring my hair since I was 12.  I am obsessed with having my hair super blonde.  I have also had pretty much every hair color from almost black, to red highlights and I feel most comfortable and myself with blonde hair.

12)  I am scared of sharks and will not go in the ocean past my knees

13) I love magazines and always have to buy the newest issues.  I get so excited when I am grocery shopping and see a fresh new magazine.  Sadly they usually just sit around forever because I rarely have time to read them these days.

14) I hate to fly. My two upcoming trips have me stressing out already about flying.   Like break out in sweats, heart palpitations scared to fly.  Alcohol helps:)

15) I make my bed every single day.

16) I put hot sauce on everything.  I always think food needs more flavor.

17) I am sad to admit but I am bored with the Housewives now.  I used to love that show and now it is just too much drama and arguing.  I am over it.  Does that mean I am growing up and maturing??

18)  My three drinks of choice would be white wine, vodka on the rocks with fresh lemon, or good tequila.  I hate mixers and prefer to drink my drinks straight.

19) I was originally accepted to NC State and had said yes.  I had a room mate lined up my very best friend from high school and deposit paid.  I was then accepted to UNC - Chapel Hill second round later around May.  I immediately ditched my plans at NC State.  I choose Chapel Hill and to room with a girl I didn't know that well instead of my best friend but something in my heart told me to go to UNC.  I took a chance and I am glad I did.

20)  Matt and I have been together 14 years this year.  We dated 6 years before he proposed.

21)  I don't like cats- at all. 

22)  I used to want to be a tornado chaser.

23) If I could have any job in the world I would choose to be a fashion stylist- ala Rachel Zoe.

24)  I am a total book worm.  I love to read and collect books especially cookbooks and coffee table books.  I take the kids to the library once a week in hopes they will love books too.

25) I love salads.  Like truly I get excited about salads.  They are my favorite thing to make.

26) Buying good groceries and having good food in the house is one of my favorite indulgences.  

27) My male crushes these days consist of Anderson Cooper, Adam Levine, Zac Efron- and so random I have kind of been crushing on Nick Jonas lately (I blame the music)

28)  I have one eye with blond eyelashes and one eye with black eyelashes

29)  Right after college I went to Real Estate School.  I even worked for a year as an assistant to a realtor and then decided that was not the field for me.  I then worked as an architectural rep for 6 years til I had Sterling.  The economy took a bad turn right before I had Sterling, especially the construction field and I was laid off the week before I had him.

30)  I have never had a spray tan. 

31)  I have traveled out of the country once, when I was 21 I went to Germany and Austria.  In all likelihood I will probably never travel out of the country again because the 8 hour flight about did me in.  However I am glad I got to experience a different culture and part of the world.  I thank my parents for doing that for me and making me board the plane even though I was hysterically crying:)

32)  I think about my grandmother (who Frances was named after) and grandfather everyday.  They were such a huge part in my life and I miss them dearly.  I swear often times there are signs they are nearby and watching over us.

33)  I don't like medicine.  I never take medicine unless I am really sick.  I don't even take Tylenol for headaches.  I hate taking any sort of pills.

34) I wash my face every night, this is one step I never skip

35 ) Birthday wishes.  Truth.

Cheers to 35 Friends.




Monday, March 23, 2015

Scenes From Our Weekend + Biscuit Recipe

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and the first day of Spring.  We didn't have much Spring like weather and it looks like rain for most of the week- boo.  I had a pretty busy weekend but all fun stuff.

Friday I stopped by local boutique Copper Penny to meet Trina Turk.  She was so lovely in person and so sweet!  

  I am officially a Bucket Tote convert.  Ya'll I love this purse so much and it fits way more in it than you would think.  The jeans I am wearing used to be my favorite before I had Sterling, I decided to bust them out again and forgot how much I love them- perfect fit and they sit higher up on your waist.  My jeans did not come with that hole in them I actually fell once and they ripped but I keep wearing them.


After meeting Trina we decided to have lunch downtown since we were kid free.  The Caprese Salad from Sermets was so good!  I recommend adding the prosciutto, it took it to a whole different level of good!
I picked up my kid's Dubose portraits that I had framed.  I am just thrilled with them.


Frances Moon's Mexican tunic arrived and I love it.  Check out Allegra and Luca!  Her tunics are embroidered and only $25!!

Friday night I headed out to dinner with some girlfriends. We tried out Canon Green.  Sadly I snapped no pictures of my dinner.  
I went bright for the first day of Spring.  The dress runs TTS, I am wearing a small.

Saturday I worked all day at the Progeny Shoppe Pop-Up Shop.  If you missed it don't worry they will be back in August for a Back to School Pop-Up!
Had to snap a few pictures of Frances Moon in the cute clothes:


Saturday night we had my sister and her family over.  Love these 3 amigos.
 It is always chaotic with the three of them but they have so much fun!

 Did some early morning grocery shopping with these two cuties.
No one sleeps late round here.  Sterling is wearing his Little Luxe chalkboard necklace he picked out at the Progeny Trunk show- he loves it.  It comes with chalk and you can decorate it how you like.

Sunday my Brother-in -law cooked us the most delish breakfast.  He makes the best homemade biscuits.  A few of you asked for the biscuit recipe so here you go.

7 Up Biscuits

4 cups Bisquick
1 cup sour cream
1 cup 7-up
1/2 cup melted butter
Melt butter and put and place in a baking pan (he uses a rectangle pyrex)
Cut sour cream into the Bisquick
Then add one cup 7-up
mix in and dump on a well floured surface
then pat out with hand or roll out about 1 inch thick
You can then either use a biscuit cutter or just roll the doll and place in pyrex dish.
Bake at 425 until golden brown 20 to 25 minutes enjoy


Sunday started my Birthday week.  I like to celebrate for a week.  Enjoyed some good wine and beautiful flowers.


Happy Monday.




Friday, March 20, 2015

Essential Oils 101


I am sure by now you have heard something about Essential Oils.  I want to start by saying this is not a sponsored post, I was not paid to write this nor am I sales rep for the company.  I just wanted to share my experience with the oils because I have gotten a lot of questions about them.

One of my good friends kept giving me samples of her oils when my kids were continually sick and Matt had back problems a few months ago.  After using the creams she made for us (the germ buster and pain cream- she also gave me a facial toner that I loved as well) I became hooked and decided I wanted my own oils.  I do not recommend using these instead of seeing a doctor.  This is not used to replace a doctor if you or your child needs medical attention.  I like to think of them as all natural preventative health.  I am into anything that is chemical free and can help us.  These oils are 100% all natural.

I chose the company Young Living for several resasons.  First they guarantee their Seed to Seal process, as in they have control over the seeds/oils from beginning to end, versus other companies that buy oils from farm and distributors without knowing if any synthetics or fillers have been added.   All their oils are also 1st round distilled and never diluted.  Some companies dilute their oils so they don't have the same potency or effectiveness.

I got the starter kit and diffuser. This includes 11 oils and the diffuser.  This runs $150 for the set. To compare if you purchase everything separately it is around $300.  The diffuser alone is $70 and one of the oils Frankincense is $70 separately too.   You are better off to get the set if you are interested.  Plus I like having access to all the main oils.  I have to say the diffuser has become my favorite thing.  I use it daily.  The set is worth it just for the diffuser, I promise you will become addicted to it!!  I swear it has helped with all of our allergies especially right now since the pollen is out of control.
The diffuser is below, it is small and totally not an eye sore.


To get started with the oils is the hardest part.  I was overwhelmed where to begin and what to use at first but once you get going and comfortable with them, its easy.  

A few of my favorite uses of the oils:
- I put a drop of the lemon in my water daily, especially my hot lemon water at night (side note only use the citrus in a glass cup)
- I diffuse the lavendaer in our bedroom at night to help me sleep.  Lavender is proven to help with sleep issues and it really relaxes me plus I love the smell.
Allergy Trio- I diffuse a drop of peppermint, lemon, and lavender with distilled water for allergies- I swear by this combo I diffuse it almost everyday and it has made a huge difference in all of our allergies!  Sterling used to have a constant cough that is gone now.
- I rub peppermint (diluted) on my temples for headaches.  It also helps to inhale it if you are nauseous
- Cold Buster:1 tbsp honey,  1 drop Thieves , 1 drop lemon in a glass of water. Repeat every 4 hours for 24-48 hours. I had a sore throat two weeks ago this kicked it in a day
- The stomach bug and other crap was going around the kids school so I diffuse thieves and purification to help ward off illness.
-GermBuster: 1/2 cup coconut oil, 10 drops Purification,  10 drops Thieves, 10 drops lavender
    (Add RC for cold or congestion).  This helps keep your kids staying healthy.
- Sleepy Time:   3/4 cup coconut oil, 8 drops lavender,  8 drops Peace and Calming , 8 drops Valor
Rub on bottom of feet and cover with socks- this is great for helping kids sleep at night!
-Pain cream: 1/4 cup coconut oil, 10 drops PanAway, 10 drops Valor,  10 drops peppermint
I have used this for neck and back pain.

side note- before mixing the creams with coconut oil I whip it with a beater a for a minute or two.  It makes it fluffy and easy to mix.

These are just a few of my favorite everyday uses there are so many other uses for the oils.  I would love to hear if you use any essential oils and your favorite uses.  I have to say on a whole our family has had less allergy issues and been healthier since we started using the oils.  I am hooked.

Whew, that's alot to take in right!  I am a huge fan of my essential oils so I just wanted to share!! 
 If you are interested, want additional info or want to order the kit that I have and love, you can email neej29@hotmail.com (Nicola).  Nicola is my friend that got me started and is wealth of information and also a registered nurse.   She can get you the discounted price on the kit and diffuser.
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Just a reminder to all locals I am helping to host a fabulous pop-up shop tomorrow with Progeny Shoppe from Raleigh, NC.  Please stop by and shop !

PROGENY POP UP is this Saturday, March 21st from 10am – 4pm at Camp Perri in Mt. Pleasant, SC.  Hosted by Allie Mood  (@allieroyall – mom to the adorable Poppy and Henry) and Natalie Mason (@snoopnattynat / designer bags and dirty diapers blog  – mom to sweet Frances Moon and Sterling).  A curated collection of clothing and accessories from coveted brands including Mini Rodini, Bang Bang Copenhagen, Wolf & Rita, Lindsey Berns, Sunuva, Boy+Girl, Dagmar Daley, Boho Beads, Gunner + Lux, Colette Bream, Ferm Living, and more!