Happy Birthday Tyler!

Hey y'all! We recently celebrated Tyler's 31st birthday with a weekend trip to Lexington and dinner with friends. On Friday, I met Tyler, his mom, and Kip in Lexington since Tyler had worked there that week. We went to a couple of our favorite restaurants in town, Carino's and Malone's, and of course, Rhonda and I did some shopping. We stopped by Peppermint Palm to check out some of the newest Lilly arrivals, and they had so many pretty things! We enjoyed our time in Lexington visiting with Rhonda and Kip! 

My favorites from the newest Lilly collection

On Tyler's actual birthday, we went out to dinner with my parents and some of our friends. He knew we were meeting my parents, but he had no clue I had invited other people to the dinner. We had a great time catching up with everyone! I think he was surprised when he saw everyone that came out to celebrate with him. I didn't get pictures of him opening his gifts at dinner, but he got several great gifts! My parents got him a robe from the Greenbrier that he has been eyeing for awhile now, and I got him a round of golf at Harbour Town golf course. I can't lie y'all, I'll probably enjoy this gift just as much as he will LOL I love riding in the cart while Ty golfs! He also got gift cards and other gifts from my family and our friends. To top it all off, when we got home, he watched his college school, NKU, win a huge basketball game, which will allow them to play in the NCAA tournament (I think.. LOL it does sound like I know what I'm talking about though, doesn't it?!) I think it is safe to say he had a great birthday! 

Since we spring forward this weekend, I got the itch to decorate for Easter. One day I will have a huge dining room table decorated with blue and white dishes and beautiful blooms in shades of pink and yellow. Until then, I will spruce up my breakfast table. I try to keep that table simple because if I put too many decorations on it, we won't eat at the table. I like to find ways to re-use things I already have, so I headed to Home Goods for a few finishing touches. I walked around the store several times thinking it was a wasted trip until these champagne colored glitter easter eggs caught my eye. I already have chargers in the same color as well as matching napkin rings, so I knew they would be perfect! I picked up some cream colored napkins that have a silver glitter stitching, and the look really started to come together. I also found marble coasters which look great on the table. The tabletop is real marble, so we have to be careful with it. I usually put chargers and coasters out when we eat to protect it. I really like how the finished product looks! 

I have to admit we get some beautiful views up here on the mountain. I am so excited for longer, sunnier days!

I asked Tyler if he noticed our new decorations, and he said, "Oh you mean those glitter balls?" Glitter EASTER EGGS, Tyler........... EGGS not BALLS! LOL 

I took this picture while I was photographing my table. Scruffy girl wanted to help her mom set up for Easter. She is so precious! 

Until next time.. Take care y'all! 

A Weekend in Lexington

Hey y'all! Can you believe it is already August 1st? Where has the summer gone? I spent May - June studying for the NAPLEX, and Tyler has spent June - July studying for the bar exam. Last weekend we took a trip to visit his mom and Kip in Kentucky, and it was the first time we had gotten to just hang out and relax together the entire summer (well, that's what it feels like to us anyway lol). We had a wonderful trip! When we arrived, we headed straight to dinner at a local favorite, Malone's. They have the most amazing salad there. It is called the Lexingtonian, and it is to die for! I had salad, a filet, and mac and cheese. You just can't go wrong with that dinner choice y'all!

After dinner, the boys headed back to the house while Rhonda and I did a little shopping. We went into Ulta to look around, and then we went to Bath and Body Works. I'm not sure if it is still going on now or not, but while we were there, the 3-wick candles were buy one get one (and y'all KNOW I got one.. okay two LOL). They also had their wallflowers on sale for 5 for $18, so naturally I got five of those as well. I am a sucker for a good sale. Not to mention, they had out all of their fall scents! I'm sharing what I picked up below. Also, if you signed up for coupons via email, you should have a $10 off of $30. Run don't walk to the nearest Bath and Body ladies!

These are my all time favorite fall scents. The Pumpkin Pecan Waffles is my absolute favorite! 

I like to have the same wallflower scent as the candle I'm burning, so I got the same two scents as above. Also, I picked up this adorable white pumpkin wallflower plug in. I think the next time I buy new fall decor I'm going to go with muted colors of grey, cream, and light green/blue instead of the typical browns, reds, oranges, and greens.

These images were borrowed from the Bath and Body Work's website.

After we picked up our new fall scents, we headed back to the house and spent the evening watching TV together and talking. The next morning Rhonda and Kip cooked us a big breakfast. We had bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuits. After we got cleaned up, we went on The Tour of Homes. We got to see new model homes and some homes that are currently being lived in all throughout Lexington. Some of these houses were over a million dollars and were huge mansions. I loved getting to see all of the detail put into these homes, the high design, and the decor. Just a heads up, wallpaper in the powder room looks like it is going to be the new hot trend LOL 

After the tour, we went back to the house and grilled out. We had hot dogs, pasta salad, and baked beans. We loved our visit with Ty's family! It was long overdue! I'm so glad the timing worked out that we both had some days off so we could make the trip. 

On the way home I had to get a strawberry lemonade from Wendy's.. it is my current obsession. If you haven't had one yet, you MUST try it! I don't want to know how much sugar is in it though LOL

It stormed off and on during the trip, but I was able to capture this beautiful rainbow! 

Now that we are both working again, it is time to get back into our normal routine. Today I went to the grocery store for the first time in forever. We needed to stock up on a lot of things, which I always hate to do because it ends up being so expensive. Instead of aimlessly going up and down the aisles at the store, I decided to sit down and make a list. I referred to a cookbook my grandmother got me called Quick and Easy Dump Dinners. All of the dishes in this book can be made using one pot or casserole dish! I love the idea of cooking a home cooked meal for dinner even when I don't have a lot of time. I thought I would share with y'all some of the meals I picked out to cook over the next couple of weeks. By writing out my ingredients, I saved time and money. I shop at Kroger, so I went to the website and found coupons for any items I had on my list. These automatically load onto your Kroger card and are applied at the register when you check out. Plus, I can build up Kroger points to get money off of my gas. Today I got 20 cents off/gallon! Everything I got today will feed Tyler and me for several weeks. We eat out some during the week, but I usually try to cook for dinner as often as possible. We also eat leftovers, but I know some people don't like to do that. A lot of the ingredients in these recipes you can already find in your pantry.  

Italian Stir Fried Chicken and Veggies

1/4 cup Italian dressing

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 bag frozen Italian style veggies

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

hot cooked rice

Best Baked Ravioli 

1 bag frozen ravioli (I use cheese and spinach combo)

1 jar marinara sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cups baby spinach

parmesan cheese

Chili Mac

1 pound lean ground beef

3 cups hot water

1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)

1 envelop of chili seasoning

1 box of elbow macaroni

Velveeta cheese slices 

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Chicken breasts

1 pound baby red potatoes

1/2 pound baby carrots 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of your favorite seasonings (I like garlic powder)

Oh So Easy Chicken Dinner

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

1-2 cans of green beans

2-3 potatoes, cubed

1 packet of Italian dressing mix

1 stick of butter, melted with 1 teaspoon of Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Some of these ingredients I already had on hand, but I did have to pick up a few things at the store to make these meals. I also picked up light vanilla almond milk (for our protein shakes) and some stuff to make salads for lunch (lettuce, pepperoni, shredded Italian blend cheese with croutons and a little ranch dressing makes for a delicious lunch!) By making the list according to recipes, I ended up buying things to make meals for the upcoming weeks instead of random items that I might end up not using. I thought I would share the ingredients for the recipes I plan on trying. If y'all try any of these and change up any of the recipes, let me know! I love finding new things to try!! While typing this blog, I have dinner in the crockpot. One last quick and easy meal I love is BBQ chicken. I put two chicken breasts in the crockpot, a small can of pineapple (chunks), and half of a jar of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. In just a couple of hours you'll have a delicious dinner ready! Until next time.. Take care y'all! 

Happy Fall Y'all!

It seems like the time that passes between each of my posts is getting longer and longer. I say this in every post I do, but I am just SO busy! This rotation I am currently on has me working from 11:30-7:30, which is an odd time for me considering I'm used to the 8:00-4:00 or 7:00-3:30 schedule. It is dark when I get home from work in the evenings, so I am ready for bed when I walk through the door at 8:00 (making me even more of a granny than usual LOL).

I am enjoying the fall season though. It is my favorite! I love when it starts cooling down a little because staying inside and being lazy is one of my favorite pastimes (LOL but seriously.....) 

This fall was the first time I got to decorate my and Ty's home for a holiday/season. Let's just say I am already prepping for Christmas decor now! I love it! Here are a few pictures of my decorations.

This is a dessert display that I received at my bridal shower from my sweet friend Jill. It matches all of my dishes. I found a few examples on Pinterest on how to use these for holiday decor. I think I will try to do this again at Christmas time with ornaments and pinecones. You can see some of the pins like this on my Holiday Ideas Board.

This is a set of dishes I've had for several years now. I used them at my old apartment, but I thought they would be perfect to display on a fall table. Ty and I have new dishes we use everyday, so it was nice to put these to good use! I got these at Pier 1 back in 2012, but I believe they still have this line available in stores. 

The fall season has also brought on lots of fun times with friends! Tyler and I have been going to some UK football games or watching them at restaurants with friends. It is great because the husbands watch the game while the girls get to chat. It is so nice to have girl time! My sis-in-law Brooke came up for a weekend to visit her dad, and I absolutely loved having her here! We had lots of laughs that weekend!

Last weekend we went to Keeneland, and it was a blast! The weather was a little dreary, but that didn't stop us from having some fun! I always enjoy going to Keeneland because it really is a one of a kind experience. My favorite part of going to Keeneland is seeing everyone's stylish outfits. Both the ladies and the gents bring their A game! I love it! It was cool and rainy last weekend, so we all bundled up. After the races, we went to Malone's for dinner, and then we headed to our friends' house to watch the UK football game. It was a long day, but it was awesome getting to spend time with friends! 

My favorite thing about Keeneland last weekend was when I got to pet one of the horses. I asked the man standing beside the horse if he cared if I petted it. He said he didn't, so then I asked if the horse would care LOL He laughed and said no. IT WAS SO SOFT! All I could think of the whole time I was petting it was how much my sister would be loving this. The girls and I were headed to the gift shop when we saw a few of the horses standing around outside. People were going up to them and getting pictures with them. I just wanted to love on it for a minute. It was so sweet and gentle, but I was kind of intimated standing beside it. These horses are so big and muscular. It was such an awesome experience! 

Another exciting thing that recently happened was Tyler being selected as a Rising Star in Lexington. We attended a banquet that recognized him and other young leaders in the city. I was so proud! He has achieved so much in such a short amount of time. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us! He is such a caring, honest, and hardworking man. I don't know anyone more deserving!

Most of you know that my cousin Taylor is having us a sweet baby boy this January. To say I am excited would be an extreme understatement. I was so thrilled that I got to be home for her baby shower a few weekends ago. Her theme was forest animals, and all of the decorations were adorable. The food was phenomenal, and I got to savor a piece of NuEra cake. It was so great to see friends and family and get to celebrate such an exciting time in Taylor's life. The four hour drive was totally worth it! We also went to the high school football game to watch my cousin Ross play. It was homecoming, and he is a senior this year. It was bittersweet. As usual, I had a wonderful time at home. If a place could have your heart, southern West Virginia would have mine. 

This was the guestbook for the shower. I had never seen this before, and I thought it was such a cute idea! Everyone left their fingerprint like a leaf on a tree. So cute!

She is so beautiful! 

I was so happy to share this day with both my grandmother and my maw maw. Those ladies mean the world to me, and I love them both so much!

My sister was able to come home for the ballgame, but she had to go back to school before Taylor's shower. We only got to spend a few hours together, and it was not nearly enough time with her. We may or may not have cried a little at this ballgame saying goodbye.

After Taylor's shower, mom and I took Tyler to dinner at Keith's. One evening while Ty and I were trying to figure out what to eat for dinner, I suggested we have hamburgers. He informed me we can't because we don't have any buns. I looked in the pantry and saw we had bread, so I told him I could make an Arlie burger. He looked at me so confused LOL The Arlie burger was served at Arlie Gamble's in Man (owned by Keith's family). Keith's serves different versions of the Arlie burger at his place now, so we had to take Tyler so he could try it. It is simply a hamburger served on toasted bread instead of a hamburger bun. Let's just say after Ty tried it, he is a fan LOL

As you can see, I am keeping busy here in Lexington. My time is spent working, being with friends and family, and a little bit of traveling. Speaking of traveling, I will be heading to Las Vegas for a Consultant Pharmacist Convention soon, so be on the lookout for a post on that! Take care y'all!