Happy Monday!

Happy Monday! (Don't forget to be a shark 😉)

I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend!

It is a rainy morning here, so far, but I don't mind because flowers are beginning to bloom all around! We had a couple amazing days of sunshine that I took advantage of, and got a few pictures of some of the birds in the backyard!

Cedar Waxwing

Bluebird

Although it isn't technically Spring yet, it has been extremely refreshing to see nature coming back after a long and cold Winter. 

I see a lot of Cardinals, Bluejays, Carolina Chickadees, Sparrows, Carolina Wrens, and more!

We have a sneaky little Carolina Wren that is trying to make a home in our screened in patio! I finally caught him in action this morning! 😂

🌷

On a different topic, I made a delicious dinner last night (husband approved).

As many of you know, I'm not a huge fan of cooking. My Farberware air fryer completely makes cooking a breeze!

For dinner, I coated chicken legs with organic coconut flour & Weber garlic jalapeno seasoning; cooked the chicken on 360 degrees for 15 minutes, flipped them over and cooked another 20 minutes.

The chicken turned out perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Without using oil, these fried chicken legs are MUCH healthier!

Yummy! 😋

QUESTIONS:

* Is it Spring weather or Winter weather where you live?

* What are the most common birds you see around where you live?

* Do you like fried chicken?

Fall, Food, and Football!

Happy November!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner?! It is just about 2 weeks away! Who else is excited for the almost "forgotten" holiday? Hehe ;p

I'm certainly ready for family, fun, and good food!

I've been enjoying the somewhat cooler temperatures we've been having. The chipmunks have been out and about, and I finally got a picture of one! Chipmunks are too dang cute!

Pretty soon there won't be any leaves left on the trees! At least I was able to admire some of the color this season, although we really didn't have the best Fall colors this year. Now we have a lot of wildfires burning, so it has been smoky/hazy outside. 

This past weekend was exciting for me! I finally felt well enough to go out to lunch with the hubby &  good friends at K Town Tavern, and then out to the Vols football game!

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!!! Even after giving my fries away!

The Vols dominated Tennessee Tech 55 - 0!!

It was a great game! Games are a million times better when you are there, rather than watching it on tv!

It felt amazing to get out and do something fun! Haha, although I'm still recovering, it was well worth it! I'm thankful for my "good" days when I feel decent enough to be active and social! :)

Questions:

* What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving?

* What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish/recipe?

* Which Football team do you root for?

First Snow Recap!

Wednesday was the first snow day of 2016 in Knoxville! It feels like it has been forever since we have had snow here, so it was a pleasant surprise! Watching the snow fall with a hot cup of coffee (usually with a cat on my lap) is one of my favorite relaxing things to do. It snowed quite a bit, but unfortunately did not take long to melt away on Thursday.

First snowfall on Wednesday:

After playing around in the snow for a little bit this week, I came inside to work on another chalk paint project. My jewelry armoire!

Before:

I used the Americana Decor brand again. I chose the color "Yesteryear," which is a beautiful light grey with some blue tint in it. 

I wanted to show you how you want the first coat to look - very streaky. A little paint goes a long way!

After:

The jewelry armoire turned out perfect, but blends in a little too much with my blue walls. I'll have to place it in front of my accent wall (dark grey) so it pops out better!

Thursday, the hubby and I both had the day off, so we grabbed some Starbucks and ventured up toward Tellico Plains and Cherohala Skyway.  We're always ready for an adventure!

Our first Starbucks of 2016!! 

Bald River Falls is one of my favorite places to go in that area, so we stopped to take some pictures.

Isn't it gorgeous?!

The sun came out for a second!

Cherohala Skyway is such a fun scenic drive, no matter what season it is!

Today we woke up to a little bit of snow on the ground - maybe half an inch or so. Looks like the "blizzard" missed Knoxville this time. 

Even though it wasn't a ton of snow, I went outside to play around and to build a tiny snowman. 

I had on about 4 layers to keep myself warm! I would be lost without my Columbia jacket!! It's the best!

Our patio heater puts out some good heat! It was nice having it on so I could sit and not freeze to death!

I grabbed my Canon 60d to take some pictures of the birds in our backyard. I love sitting out there (even in the cold) watching the birds. The bluejays are my favorite!

Finally, I decided to hang out with Riley for a while inside, WITH my heated blanket on & coffee in hand! Tonight will probably be dedicated to marathoning shows on our Amazon Prime TV. Nathan and I have become addicted to watching the show "Orphan Black." We have binge watched the first two seasons already! Orphan Black seriously is amazing, and the acting is phenomenal! I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

Riley sure enjoys the little heater! He just lays in front of it, soaking in all the warmth! We're pretty spoiled!    :)

I hope ya'll are staying warm and safe in this weather!

Is it snowing where you are? 

Do you have cabin fever?

Do you like to go outside in the snow?