Is it Fall Yet?

Alright y'all, I don't know about you, but I'm getting ready for some fall weather!
I've seen all the stores putting up their Fall merchandise and I have been hearing much football talk!

:0)

My bestie came to visit me a couple weeks ago, and we had an awesome time as usual! Nathan was out of town so we had a girls week! I love that she and I still have the best time even when I'm not able to do too much!

We literally binged watched all of Game of Thrones. ALL. OF. IT.

We did try to get out at least once each day to move around, although it was really difficult for me at times. What better way to get out and about than by shopping? 

I had never been inside the new Anthropologie store, so we checked it out. The decor was so pretty!

How adorable is this Alice in Wonderland illustration?

Holly's Gourmet Cafe is one of my (new for me) favorite spots to eat! I enjoy the atmosphere and I enjoy the food even more. I had the chicken, pesto, & avocado panini sandwich with a black eyed bean salad as a side.

 On one of the days, we ventured downtown to the McClung Museum on the UT campus!

The exhibits we saw included: Dinosaur Discoveries; Ancient Egyptian; Archaeology & the Native Peoples of TN; The Decorative Experience; Geology & Fossil History of Tennessee; Human Origins; Civil War in Knoxville; and Tennessee Fresh-Water Mussels.

We spent about two hours there and were completely fascinated the entire time! Did I mention it was FREE?!?

Check out their website to learn more: McClung Museum

 We decided to make the most out of chilling out and binge watching Game of Thrones, so we wore crowns ;p

 Riley pretty much thought we were insane...

Luckily, one evening, we were able to go out to Painting with a Twist!

Mine didn't turn out so well....lol!

All in all, we had an awesome time!

:)

I've been attempting to get more into a routine. It's been a tad bit wearisome, but overall, I think I'm making progress.

With Walmart's new grocery pickup, I've been buying much more produce and making healthier meals!

My favorite thrown together salad contains:
Romaine lettuce
Iceberg lettuce
Green Olives
Sweet red onion
Tomato
& Avocado

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs (1 egg & 2 egg whites)

Asparagus

Tomato

and Avocado

Another option for breakfast:

Homemade Egg Muffins -

Perfect for making and freezing for an easy go-to breakfast!

Ingredients:

Eggs (I used 5)

Sweet Onion

Bell peppers (medley: red, orange, and yellow)

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

I only had 5 eggs left, so I whisked them together in a mixing bowl & added the onion, cheese, and peppers. Add salt and pepper (as much as desired).

 Pour mixture into a muffin tin (sprayed with EVOO cooking spray).

I cooked these at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes - it varies, so just keep checking on them till they rise. Make sure they are cooked completely by using the toothpick test!

Each muffin is less than 50 calories! They tasted absolutely scrumptious paired with 1/2 avocado and tomato!

Besides making simple, healthy meals, I have recently immersed myself into jewelry "making." I've been making new jewelry out of old jewelry that I never wear anymore. 

For example, I turned this necklace....

...into this bracelet:

It was the most simple project, yet it was a lot of fun and so rewarding having a completed final product!

I have a lot more jewelry ideas and projects that I want to work on! 

I HAVE to be outside, so I'll sit on our porch often. I've been entertained by watching the hummingbirds in our back yard:

:)

Question Time:

* What show(s) are you currently binge watching?

* Are you ready for Fall?

* What is your favorite go-to breakfast?

Happy Thursday!

Hey y'all! Happy Thursday!

Who else watches Game of Thrones? I cannot lie, this past week, I have been re-watching all of the old episodes of Game of Thrones to catch back up before watching the new season!
I'm glad I have re-watched it, because there is so much that I forgot about, and/or missed previously!

I'm thrilled that my order of essential oils was delivered today! I know I've mentioned the purification and lemon oils before, and I order them more frequently because I use them for so many things!
The grapefruit essential oil is going to be perfect to add flavor in my water and help curb my appetite!
The lemongrass essential oil is going to be used in a DIY bug spray project coming up soon!   :)

The last time I was in Charleston, I found this cute "W" monogrammed pineapple door sign. The sign only came in black, but I figured I could paint it with some chalk paint that I had left over. Our front door is a dark blue, so the sign needed to be painted a lighter color to stand out.

I absolutely love the way it turned out! The door sign perfect for Spring and Summer months!

In my Nashville post ( A Weekend in Nashville ), I mentioned a unique and beautiful piece of art I acquired from the artist Terry Anderson (Anderson Art & Accessories)! 

The piece has a "Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe" feel to it, which is one of the many reasons I was drawn to it. 

Check out Terry Anderson's website here: Anderson Art & Accessories

I also mentioned the gorgeous necklace I purchased from WHS Designs by Whitney Stewart! 

I am obsessed with crystals/gemstones, so when I saw Whitney's jewelry, I was mesmerized! After admiring all of the jewelry, I reluctantly picked out just one necklace to bring back home with me (I wanted them all)!! 

Check out WHS Designs Facebook page: WHS Designs

QUESTION TIME:

* Do you watch Game of Thrones?

* Which flavor do you prefer to add to drinking water?

* Do you have a favorite piece of artwork or favorite artist?

Spring Preparation

Spring will be here before we know it, and to be honest, I'm ready for it to get here already! I enjoy winter, but I enjoy it much more if there is SNOW. Since we haven't really had a lot of snow, I would rather Spring get here so we can enjoy the warmth, and flowers!!! Tennessee is always beautiful, but especially gorgeous in the Springtime. Everywhere you look there are the most vibrant colors.

With Spring, comes Spring cleaning! To help get your entire house (and/or office) smelling clean and fresh, the Purification essential oil is mandatory! Diffusing the Purification oil helps get rid of odors by neutralizing and purifying the air. You can add some Lemon essential oil with the Purification oil in the diffuser to really add a pop of fresh, energizing, clean air! If you don't care for lemon, try a different citrus essential oil like tangerine!
Purification essential oil also really comes in handy while doing laundry since it helps get rid of odors. Apply a few drops of oil to a wet washcloth and throw it in the washer with your clothes! It is that easy!

I finished up a quick little organization project:

I have had these containers for a while now, I spray painted them the sea-foam green last year, but decided to go ahead and put chalk labels on them!

Have you guys seen the Pantone Colors of 2016? 

If not, look here: Pantone Color of the Year

I LOVE the rose quartz and serenity!! They both are such pretty colors!

At the end of last year, I found these pieces below on sale at Michaels. The jewels on the statement piece have that rose quartz color to it! 

I put together the necklace, and now I have the cutest Spring statement necklace!

Speaking of rose quartz, I found a rose quartz-ish color of nail polish color by OPI:

I couldn't help myself, I bought it, as well as two other colors...

Suzi Shops & Island Hops; Princesses Rule; Significant Other Color

While out and about, I stopped at Starbucks. I already had my delicious Real Good Coffee k-cup at home before leaving the house so instead of ordering a coffee, I ordered the iced green tea passion tango! How have I not had this until now? A grande is only 80 calories! This tea was delicious and refreshing! It wasn't too sweet or too unsweet either, it was the perfect mix!

I just received my first freebie from BzzAgent! To welcome me to the team, BzzAgent sent me a free Welcome magnet! What is even better is what comes next! BzzAgent will notify you of "campaigns" that you can sign up for (for free) to test out a certain product! They will send you the product and you just have to try it out and share your review! 

It's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me!   :)

Last, but not least, I want to congratulate Becca for winning the Real Good Coffee Co. k-cup giveaway!!! 

Question Time!

* Are you ready for Spring?

* Have you started your Spring cleaning yet?

*Do you like the Pantone colors of 2016? If not, which color(s) would you have chosen?

Weekend Recap!

This past weekend was awesome!

Saturday, I received my Young Living Essential Oils starter kit! I'm extremely excited to announce that I am officially an independent distributor!
I cannot wait to begin this journey and share my experience with you!

Saturday night, my friend Jamie and I went out downtown! She got free tickets to a performance at the Bijou Theater and kindly invited me to go with!

We decided to go to the Sunspot restaurant for dinner. I had never been and she wanted to show me just how incredible the food is there. I ordered the roasted chickpea salad with grilled chicken, and Jamie ordered the catfish! Jamie was right, the food was insanely amazing! My salad was massive, but I ate every last bite! I gotta admit it, it is hands down, my new favorite salad!

After dinner at Sunspot, we headed on over to the Bijou Theater to see GO! Contemporary Dance Works performance of "In the Shadows of Pine Mountain - The Scottish-Irish Exodus from Ulster to the Hills of Appalachia." 

The performance was incredible and the dancers were phenomenal! I'm really glad I had the opportunity to check it out. I will definitely go to another performance! The artistic directer is Lisa Hall McKee; You can check out their website at: GO! Contemporary Dance

During the 20 minute intermission, Jamie and I headed upstairs to check out a handmade jewelry display/shop!! As you know, whenever I hear "jewelry," I have to go check it out! Of course, we left with a few items!  ;) The local jewelry artist is Heather Eggleston and her company is Blackbyrd Jewelry. Not only was the handmade jewelry gorgeous, but it was very affordable! I didn't cringe when I saw the prices!
Check out Heather's etsy site here: Blackbyrd Jewelry

I ended up leaving with two bracelets and a pair of earrings!
The green beaded bracelet also has lava rock beads, which can be soaked in essential oils! Now I have to figure out which oil I want to use on my bracelet!!

How cute are those earrings?!

After the show, Coolato Gelato was our last stop for a late night decadent treat! I can never say "No" to gelato! I had the raspberry truffle and Jamie had the tiramisu! Yum! It was a perfect end to such a fun night!

Sunday was dedicated entirely to baking, a little dog-sitting, running errands, and preparing for the Super Bowl.
Of course, food and beer are a must for football games, especially the Super Bowl!
I set up a ton of snacks to last us the whole game. Veggies, ranch dip, cashews, pistachios, pickles, olives, etc. I also made us some buffalo fried chicken legs to dip in the ranch! It was perfection! I didn't get the chance to make the fried pickles, but I still plan on making them sometime this week!!

Air fried buffalo chicken:

Yummy!!

The Denver Broncos did a great job defeating the Carolina Panthers!! However, I thought the commercials and even the half time show was underwhelming. Overall, it was a great weekend!  :)

Question Time!

* What did you do this weekend?

* Are you glad the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl?

* Which commercial was your favorite?

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the Young Living Essential Oils! I can't wait to tell you more about them and why they are so wonderful!   :)

February!

Hey y'all! Happy February!

Yesterday was Groundhog day! Apparently, Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, which may mean we will have an early Spring!
We haven't had much of a winter anyway (in Knoxville, at least), so we will see if we will indeed have an early Spring or not!


Nathan and I had some time together, so we took advantage of the day and ran some errands. Adulting is awesome, isn't it?

First we stopped at McKay's. McKay's is a used bookstore that also sells used dvd's, games, electronics, and much more. We had a ton of books, movies, and games to drop off and trade in for credit. I love getting credit to the store just for bringing in old books, etc.! With our credit, we ended up buying some blu-ray movies that we haven't seen yet!
I love that McKay's had an adorable tree made out of books! They should keep it up all year round!

I convinced Nathan to stop at The Southern Market! The Southern Market is amazing! It is full of cute and unique interior items/decor. Every single time I go, there is something new I fall in love with. The store is massive, and they have items by local artists/vendors.
Whenever stopping by, it is mandatory to grab up some goodies made by Sugar Mama's Bakery!

Sugar Mama's Bakery 

New Eve Jewelry

I cannot believe I parted with the coffee tumbler that says "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!" I think that will be a must have the next time I stop in the store! :) OR, if you go first, grab it up for me! Hehe!

Ashley Brooke Designs

Ahhh...the honey cookies by Sugar Mama's Bakery are SOOOOO scrumptious!

Sometimes you gotta treat yo' self!
    

;p

Lately, I've been slightly obsessed with New Eve Jewelry! The artist is Megan Craig, a local jewelry designer.  Some of her gorgeous pieces are sold at Southern Market, and I found a necklace that I could not part with. Actually, I wanted to buy them all, but unfortunately I could only purchase one.
You can find more beautiful handcrafted jewelry on her etsy shop or on the main website!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/newevejewelry
http://www.newevejewelry.com/

Below is a beautiful turquoise wired ring which pairs well with any outfit! This ring is by jewelry designer, Danielle Kimberly Robinson - DKR Jewelry. You can find more info on her etsy shop as well!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DKRJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
or on www.southernmarketshops.com

Isn't it gorgeous?!

I can't think of anything better than Starbucks coffee and shopping on a rainy day! :)

Recently, I finished reading Mindy Kaling's newest book - "Why Not Me."
Her first book, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" was hilarious. "Why Not Me" was quite funny, but overall enjoyed her first book much more!

Questions for y'all:

Do you think Punxsutawney Phil is right? Will we have an early Spring?

Do you have any favorite local artists?

What books are you currently reading?