Lately

Here's what's been going on as of late…

1 - February is off to a great start!  We had family in town last weekend for my niece's 8th birthday! 8!!  Seriously, where does the time go!?

Wasn't she just this little baby?

Throw back - 2006!

2 - This past weekend we randomly stumbled upon this beauty at Home Goods & brought her home! The TV stand, not the cute cat statue ;)

A "grown up" TV stand had been on my wish list for the house since we moved in, but it wasn't a big priority.  We happened to randomly stop by Home Goods Saturday & couldn't leave without this piece!  It was a steal!  Getting the new TV stand meant we "needed" a new sound system.  So we swung by Best Buy & got a sound bar as well.  Happy Valentine's Day to us!!  :)

3 - I just love this song, don't you?  The video is really sweet, too!

4 - I printed this printable from Rachel at Kincaid Parade to frame in our bathroom!  It's a great reminder for us right now.  The weeks can seem very long at moments when Brandon's away & hours are long at the gym.  Don't get me wrong, it's so rewarding!!  But 5+ years of B traveling every week have gotten very old, for him more than me even, and it takes a lot of work owning your own business. But it is all a Great Work and we cannot come down right now.

5 - In case you hadn't heard, it's Snowpocalypse 2014 here in the south!!  It started yesterday & is supposed to continue through tomorrow!

It's pretty, that's for sure!  Be of course the whole world here shuts down.  We cancelled our 7pm classes last night, early classes this morning, & all our PM classes tonight.  Doesn't look favorable for tomorrow either!

6 - I guess the snow couldn't have come at a better time, though.  I seemed to have come down with some sort of head cold!  Yuck.  And honestly, I'm not home that often, so I'm soaking up this snowed in time & making the best of it!  Although, I wish B was here to be snowed in with me!

My cold wasn't that bad Monday, but yesterday I was really feeling blehh.  Typically I'm of the mindset to sweat it out, but I decided to nap it out yesterday & stayed home from the night classes. I slept so well last night & am feeling much better today!  Still super stuffy, but well enough to do an at home WOD!

I started with Man Makers!  Woo buddy, they're good!!  Jump out to plank, pushup, row on each side, jump up, squat clean thruster = 1!  I did 5x10 with my 10lb dumbbells & I was sweatin'!!

Then I did this WOD I found on Pinterest (by the way, CrossFit Pineville now has a Pinterest Page!) so I don't end up Fat Michelle while stuck at home!!  Did it in 17:23, care to try & beat me?  :)

This is what I looked like after, haha!  Just keeping it real for y'all... crazy hair, sweat, I love it!

7 - I need to be better asap, I'm in a local team CrossFit competition this weekend called Squad Gauntlet!  It's a 4 person team & I'm doing it with some friends from the box!  Should be really fun :)

8 - B & I have a fun little date night afterwards to celebrate Valentine's!  We're not super into the holiday, but love a reason for a date!

9 - I will not be eating lots of chocolate this Valentine's since we're doing a 6 week Paleo Challenge at the gym.  It started this past Monday & it's been great so far!  It's nice to exercise a little self discipline!  I'm sure I won't miss the chocolate that bad!  Mind over matter, my friends.

10 - I have nothing else for you, but I couldn't end on 9 :)

Menu Monday Vol. II

Linking up with my friend Rachel at In No Simple Language again today for Paleo Menu Monday Vol. II!

It's been 2 weeks since my last link up, so here's what Paleo dishes I've been making lately...

Marinated Sirloin Steak, Butternut Squash, & Roasted Asparagus

This was our Valentine's night meal!  I bought the steak from The Meat House and marinated it using a mixture of steak marinades I made from combining marinades 2 & 3 from this list off of Mark's Daily Apple.

I buy the pre-cut (easier!) butternut squash from the produce section, mix it with diced onion (about half of a large onion), then toss it in some EVOO, put it in a glass baking dish, add 3 cut up cloves of fresh garlic, and a few pads of butter.  Bake at 425 for about 45-50 mins & voila!  So yummy!

For the asparagus, I just drizzle some EVOO over the asparagus on a tinfoil covered cookie sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and roast at 400 for about 25-30 minutes to desired crunchiness.  We like it crunchy around here!

Of course Valentine's Day isn't complete without some chocolate!!  So I tried this Primal Fudge recipe I found on Pinterest.

We were big fans & I'll definitely be making this fudge again!  Because of the coconut oil, there is a hint of a coconut taste.  So if you don't like coconut, you might not like these.  But we loved them!

from site

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from The Cavegirl Dish

I made this with Andrea for Bachelor Monday Night & it was a big hit!!  It was Andrea's first time to have spaghetti squash and she is now a fan!  Pretty easy, too!  I only sprinkled the top with a bit of parm to keep it as Paleo (no dairy!) as possible.  

If you've never cooked a spaghetti squash, you can read up on how to here.

from site

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

These are another Pinterest find!  I made them last night with some Cajun Chicken we picked up from The Meat House (can you tell we like that place!? ;))  and B and I both really liked them!

Disclaimer - they do have a little bit (tbsp and a half) of brown sugar, which is not Paleo, but I did include it.  It could have easily been left off & I think they would still be delish!!

from site

Dairy Free Almond Flour Pancakes

Another Pinterest success!!  We are big fans of breakfast for dinner around here!  The girls and I made these for Bachelor Monday Night & I made them again for dinner last night.  We made them sans blueberries & served them with some eggs & turkey bacon the first time!  Last night, I added the blueberries, same sides.  YUM!

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Alright, that's all I've got for ya today!  What's going on your menu!?

**You can read Paleo Menu Monday Vol. I here**

M.I.A

Missing. In. Action.

That is what I have been lately!  Sadly, most of the action hasn't really been too exciting, ha!  Just the regular old stuff.  Work, working out, playing with fur babies, cooking, cleaning....it's a glamourous life really ;)

Last week we celebrated Valentine's Day!  I am spoiled with somewhat of a romantic husband, and he definitely speaks my love languages!  I posted "The Story of Us" last year on Valentine's Day, so feel free to read up on us if you like :)

B & I cherish good quality time together, some in part due to the fact that Brandon travels 3 nights/4 days a week.  So for Valentine's Day this year, a nice dinner in, some wine, our sweats and Grey's Anatomy sounded like a perfect evening!

And perfect it was!

B spoiled me with flowers at school, in addition to the gifts he'd already given me!  (We're so bad at waiting to gift each other!!)  See...I told you, spoiled!

I got him a coupon book!  Yep, you read that right.  Haha, a coupon book!  A real one, too!  From the cutest website called Datevitation.com.  You should definitely check them out for a unique gift!

B now has 10 super fun dates that he can cash in whenever he likes (some require more planning than others) like breakfast in bed or visiting a nearby winery!  I'm so excited for him to use them up :)

We were super surprised to see some snow this past Saturday!  They were calling for us to get some, but we were skeptical.  We were sitting on the couch doing our taxes, looked up and the ground was almost completely covered from the down pour of snow that started!

B dog loved it!!  He was sprinting around the back yard!  Crazy dog.

We braved the roads that night and headed out for dinner to celebrate our friend Greg's birthday!  The roads weren't too bad and, per usual, good times were had by all :)

I was so thankful to have this past Monday off!I had a super productive day, if only every week could be 4 days!

I took a crack at the above workout I found on Pinterest on my day off!  Kicked my butt :) in the best way possible of course!  I dare you to try it!  And if you do, tell me your time!  I finished in 16:35.  I'll have to try and beat that again soon!

I'm so glad this was a short work week!!  Even so, it felt so. long.  Bless it!  Is it bad that I already feel like I'm in survival mode!?  Just trying to survive til spring break...til summer.  Yikes, it's probably too early for that :/

At least it's the weekend!!  Cheers to that!  

Happy weekend friends!!!

Lately

Worst blogger ever.  This girl.  Right here!  

I feel like I preach the same sad song whenever I get a chance to get on here and write a post...I'm so busy, I have no time, my poor blog is so neglected!  Wah, wahh, wahhh right!?  Haha

I'm still reading all y'all's blogs, though, trying to keep up & commenting as much as I can!  So now I'll attempt to play catch up.  Here's what's been going on here lately...

Loving - Bachelor Monday Nights!  My friends Andrea and Lisa have been coming over pretty consistently every Monday night to make a yummy Paleo meal, have some girl talk and watch a little trashy, awkward TV!  Good times :)

Watching - Bachelor!  I loved Sean last season which I think is probably the only reason I'm watching this season.  Well that, and an excuse to have a girls night!  Ha, but oh how I cringe as I watch him on some of these dates!!  They're so awkward.  I literally have to look away sometimes!

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Looking forward to - My birthday!  I'll be 26 in about 3 weeks and even though I keep getting older, I still love my birthday and celebrating another year!  Talk to me in about 3 more years when I'm pushing 30, maybe my tune will change.  But so far, life keeps getting better!  I can't complain!!

Making me happy - This guy!

Seriously, being married to your best friend is the best thing in the world!  Cheesy sounding, but true! We have fun no matter what we're doing.  And he spoils me rotten!

Thursday, Brandon sent me this picture and said "Happy early Valentine's Day!  Sorry I'm such a tease!"  So I had to wait all day long to see what was in that bag!!

I opened the bag that night to find this pretty...

And, a new phone cover!  Mine had been on the outs!

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See, spoiled!  I thought we were just doing a fun at home date night, ha.  Good thing I have something up my sleeve ;)

Celebrating - This sweet girl's 7th birthday!!

It's hard to believe the sweet little girl that made me an aunt is now 7!  Roen is so precious & I just love being her aunt!  We wrote on her card this year she was our favorite niece....she can continue to hold that title til niece number 2 gets here in May or June!

Loathing - All the paperwork I'm drowning in lately!  I'm trying to be super organized & schedule when I'm doing what paperwork.  It seems to be working!  This too shall pass, right!?

Browsing - Pinterest!  My love for pinterest has never wavered, but like blogging, I typically don't have a lot of time to aimlessly browse around!  But lately, I have been pinning lots of yummy Paleo recipes & butt kicking workouts!  I try to skip over all the deliciously-looking-terribly-bad-for-you-make-you-want-to-stuff-your-face-with-all-the-food pins.  I've been mildly successful :)

Oh, and you can follow me here.

Missing - My blog!!  My goal is at least a post a week, if only to journal what's going on in our lives! But I'm itching to get back to a more regular blogging life.  Maybe one day when life slows down, right?!

I'm off to cook, maybe watch the Grammy's & snuggle on the couch with my boys!  Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Photo Wall

One of the tasks on my Summer To Do List was to complete a photo wall on the giant empty wall in our bedroom...

Excuse B's suitcase in the corner - life of a traveling salesman

See, big, ugly, boring wall.

This wall definitely needed some help and since we moved in I'd had this idea of creating a photo wall somewhere in the house.  We really don't have any large open walls left in our house, so I figured this would be a great spot for a photo wall!

Anyways....thoughts were swirling, twirling in my head creating the photo wall and as of this past Sunday, it all came together!  So here's the finished product...

Ta Da!!!

I just love the way it turned out!!  I couldn't be happier!  Brandon's really good at hanging stuff - so that definitely helped ;)

The details...

The 3 prints of Michigan, North Carolina, and "It is well with my soul" are by the wonderful and talented Jessi of Naptimediaries from her Etsy site. She had a flash sale earlier this summer so I snatched them up in a heartbeat!  The 3 frames are from Garden Ridge.

The gorgeous mirror is from Sleepy Poet, a great antique booth shop here in Charlotte, and the Canvas is from CanvasPeople.com which I bought with a website deal.

I bought the wrought iron piece many moons ago and it hung above our door in our old apartment.  We just couldn't find the right spot for it in the house until I started putting the photo wall together.  I think we found the perfect spot!

My last purchase was the burlap monogramed S.  I'd pinned it a while back to my Pinterest "For The Home" board & remembered it when I had one last empty spot in the photo wall.  I followed the pin right back to the Etsy site and thought it would be the perfect addition to complete the wall.

Well I think it's complete...I guess I could still go out both directions a bit more if I found the right pieces to add.

Here are just a few more views...

And Ben was such a good helper in hanging the photo wall...by, ya know...laying in the middle of all of it!

Eventually, we'd planned build a desk to go underneath the photo wall, but now seeing the finished product, I'm thinking something like a low bench or table would be better suited for this spot. Something like any of these..

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Not sure when we'll actually get a bench or table, but I'm loving the wall regardless!  Looks like I have another excuse to head back to the Sleepy Poet! :) 

July 4th & VA Beach

Tuesday evening, B's travels landed us in Virginia Beach at our friend Justin's house, just in time for July 4th!!  Ok, I lie, it's not really Virginia Beach.  His place is actually right near the Bay {Chesapeake that is} and our friends Kelsey and Aaron live just a block from the Bay!  It's quite a good set up :)

**Warning, yet another picture heavy post!  And if you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen several of these already!  But you know I have to document it all on the blog :)**

Tuesday night, the 3 of us set out for Chick's for dinner!

It's any Oyster Bar so I wore my "get shucked" shirt, only appropriate :)  

Coincidentally, non of us actually like Oyster's, but it's still an awesome restaurant/bar right on the water!

after dinner :)

Andrea wasn't in town yet.  Such a shame, that pic had good potential!

We watched Act of Valor that night to prepare for the 4th!  Such a cool, intense movie about Navy Seals.  Real life, active Navy Seals were even in the movie!

We woke up Wednesday and got our workout on, and then enjoyed this delish breakfast inspired by my friend Danica & this pin.

We made ours French Toast Style and felt super patriotic eating it!!

We beached it for the day - it was H. O. T. hot!!  I think that was the theme of the week!

These skanks stole my phone while we were getting ready for dinner.

Word to the wise - you steal my phone and take pics, I will post them!! :)

Red White & Blue baby!!
RIP Andrea's poof.  I cut it off!  Oops :)

We got Mexican for dinner.  Very American right!?  Ha and then went and watched some fireworks on the beach!

at dinner

I'm such a good photographer!

Thursday, the boys worked.  So us girls, Andrea, Kelsey & I, beached it for the day.  A little reading, relaxing, lots of sweating, and some cool H2Ohyeah on the beach!

That night, Justin took us to one of his client's restaurants, Coastal Grille, where the owner promptly stuffed us silly!!  Dinner was SO good!  I had Shrimp & Grits, yum!

After dinner, we let all that good food settle, and then we were in for a treat.  A treat known as the 80's Cover Band, The Deloreans.

They were absolutely fantastic!  They sounded just like each band they covered, absolutely dressed the part and provided the most entertainment - seriously so, so fun!!  I'm going to find a way to bring them to Charlotte!

Then we can all have an 80's party!!  Deal!?

Anyways....Friday, we brunched it at Citrus with to die for mimosas...

...and then it was back to the beach for the day and back to Chick's for the night :)

Sun-kissed beach babes :)

We planned to stay until Sunday, but the heat of the beach, the lack of breeze, and our Ben Cat were calling us home!!  :)  We packed it in after a few short hours on the beach and headed back to Charlotte.

We had such a fun 4th celebrating America & creating all sorts of wild new memories!!  Hope you did, too!


P.S. - I'm am so dead serious about bring The Deloreans to Charlotte!  If anyone has a venue/bar that would be interested in bringing them down, please let me know!  They stay rather booked, but we'll get 'em here!  I'm determined!