Fur Obsession...

I love seeing faux fur vests, jackets, sweaters, etc. all over the place. I love it! I recently bought a faux fur vest and I cannot WAIT to wear it! I'm planning on pairing it with a black dress for the TSO concert, Christmas party, NYE party, or something. ha! I'm sure I will wear it more than one occasion, but wanted to save it for something special for the first time! ;) Are you all loving fur stuff? I'm really wanting a faux fur jacket. I was on the Dillards' website last night and came across this one:

Dept Soft Faux Fur Coat from Dillards

$199.00

If you know me in real life, you know I love leopard...I might have blogged about this jacket awhile back, but I keep eyeing, so I guess that means I need to buy it...Andddddd it's a wonderful price..

Tulle Exclusive Fur Jacket in Leopard

Piperlime Online

On sale for $69.50

Call me crazy, but when I ran across this vest, I fell in love. I can honestly see myself wearing this thing every.single.day....not kidding ;)

Sanctuary Sherpa Maxi Vest

Piperlime Online

$118.50

I also found this adorableeeeeeee faux fur jacket from Shop Bop. I love the color! I love how thick and cozy it looks. This jacket would be amazing for the cold winter months ahead.

Halston Heritage

Faux Fur Jacket

$625.00

I also know this has nothing to do with faux fur, but I did a blog post the other day about Christmas party outfits. Well, I was on the Zara website yesterday and came across this beauty, but too bad all they had left was an XS....If anyone knows where I can find this dress in a bigger size, please let me know...:)

V Back Dress

$89.00

From Zara

Christmas Parties

We always have a ton of Christmas parties every year...We actually have one Thursday night, but I told S I was just going to stay home and get things done. I still have a couple more days of school, so I must get my projects done...sigh...We also have TWO Christmas parties on Saturday night...The first one is at the Butcher Shop for dinner, then we have another party for the Chamber of Commerce afterwards. It's going to be a busy day! Saturday morning, Christin is running in the St. Jude Marathon. S and I are going to spend the morning watching her run, then grabbing some grub afterwards with her and her sweet family. I'm so excited for her! I can't wait to get a bunch of pictures of her running ;) She might kill me...ha! I can't imagine the excitement going through her mind right now...26 miles...wow! Since we have so much going on, I have been online searching for party dresses..Here are a few I found:

I think I am going to choose the last one! My brother's girlfriend found this one for me! How cute is it?? :) I'll let you know!!

Christmas is Around the Corner..

I have not done a Wish list in awhile...I guess because Christmas is around the corner, I'm in the mood to buy gifts for loved ones, etc. I love buying gifts for my family! I love seeing their expression when they open their gifts :) It means the world to me to know that everyone is happy on Christmas...With that being said, I wanted to share with you a few of my "wants." Feel free to purchase them and put my name on the box ;) Juuuuuuust kidding

I want this Marc by Marc Jacobs Ukita handbag.

I love,love,love this color! It is a wonderful everyday

bag, but even better, it has a strap! I loveeee cross body bags :)

This has been on the list for awhile. I just could not

decide if I wanted gold or silver. I have decided on gold.

I wear gold jewelry much more now, plus...all of my watches

are gold :) Makes sense, right?

These Frye boots have ALSO been on the list

for awhile. I have a million pairs of boots, but if you

know me in real life, you know I love boots. That is

ALL I wear in the Fall/Winter. I love this slate color!

I currently do not own a grey pair of boots, so these

will be perfect to add to my wardrobe! :)

I love these gold Revas...That's all ;)

this would be a great stocking stover! ;)

Movie Reviews...

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. S and I got in several movies during the week long break. Saturday night, we were NOT wanting to do a single thing. We wanted to stay in, relax, enjoy a bottle of vino, and maybe order some Chinese take-out...;) Andddddddddd, that is EXACTLY what we did. We used to go to the movies ALL THE TIME, so most of the movies out on Demand right now we have seen. Here's what we watched Saturday night:

1. Water for Elephants

I love Reese Witherspoon. She is the

cutest thing ever. I loved this movie!

I never read the book, but I still enjoyed

the movie. I HIGHLY suggest this movie!

2. Larry Crowne

I was not sure how I would feel about

this movie. The previews made it look horrible,

but we decided to rent it anyway. I thought it

was super,super cute. It was definitely a renter, but

it was a clean, sweet story. Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks

did a great job in the movie. I suggest renting this if

you and your signifcant other are staying in one night :)

3. Super 8

This movie was weird, weird, and weird.

Did I say this movie was weird?? I did NOT

enjoy this movie. I was lost most of the time, was

not sure what was going on with the train, and did not

understand the realtionship between the characters. I

do not suggest this movie at all..

Chicken Corn Chowder...

 I should have done this post A LONG time ago, but never got around to it. I can't take complete credit of this wonderful soup, because I got the majority of it from Pioneer Woman. I don't know about you, but I love anything that is a chowder. I love to make soups. I can make a big batch, eat on it, and freeze whatever we will not eat at the time. It is great and easy! I was on the hunt for a Corn Chowder recipe about a year ago when I ran across Pioneer Woman. I'm sure the majority of you have heard of her, but if not, definitely check her website out. A lot of her meals are cooked with whipping cream, butter, or pasta, but I don't care when it comes to this recipe. Like I said, I LOVE anything that is a chowder. I have substituted a few things, added a couple things, and adjusted a few ingredients to fit my family and myself. Here is the original recipe, Corn Chowder with Chilies. The men in my family love meat, so I knew I needed to add some sort of meat to this soup to become a hit. I thought chicken would be a wonderful addition to this chowder! Pioneer Woman does not use chicken in her recipe, so when she adds the corn to the pot, I add the chicken as well. Before I start cooking the soup, I boil the chicken first. I usually will use an entire bag of chicken breasts. I boil the chicken with water, onion salt, cayenne pepper, and Lowery's Seasoned salt. After the chicken is finished, I will shred it. I have diced the chicken and cut it into cubes, but my family and I tend to like the chicken shredded. It tastes better with the onions and corn. The other difference: sweet corn....I don't tend to use fresh corn, because this soup already takes a lot of time, so I try to keep the amount of work down. I started using frozen sweet corn awhile back and it was DIVINE. The chowder calls for several different types of peppers, so the sweet corn just makes it sweet and spicy at once! What more could you ask for?! Also, my family and I like spicy soups. It calls for 1 or 2 Adobe peppers, but I will usually use 4. It adds a little "spunk" to it...;) I really hope you will try this soup out! Your family will love it! I have made it a MILLION times, and it is a hit with my family everytime. With winter around the corner, I think you've made a smart decision....;)

Saturday Afternoon Lunch Recipes..

I was in the mood to cook lunch today, so I whipped up a few recipes of my own. I had several veggies in the fridge that I needed to use up, so I wanted to cook with those. I usually only buy fresh veggies, so I always have to make sure to use them in a timely fashion. I went a little "overboard." I fixed a lot of food, but we love left overs around here. :) I fixed Parmesan tomatoes, kale salad, roasted butternut squash with fingerling potatoes and carrots topped with parmesan cheese, and came up with my own recipe: Chicken with cut up asparagus and mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce. It actually turned out well!

I used the same butternut squash and fingerling potatoes recipe I have always used, but I had carrots I needed to use up, so I added those as well. I covered with a little kosher salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and shredded parmesan cheese. I have never covered the veggies with cheese, so I was not sure how it would turn out, but it was good! It changed the taste up a little.

I found the parmesan tomatoes recipe on Pinterest, so I thought it would be another good side item. I also had several tomatoes I needed to use up, so it was perfect. I sliced the tomatoes kind of thick, added some salt and pepper, dry oregano, and topped with parmesan cheese. They were so easy! I put them on a baking sheet, stuck them in the oven, and they were finished in 15 mins! They were great.

I ALSO had kale that I needed to use up, so I made the Tuscan Kale salad recipe that my friend Christin gave me. I have a new obsession, kale. It was delicious.

I had fresh asparagus and mushrooms in the fridge that needed to be used up, also. I wanted something with chicken in it, so I cut up several chicken breasts, cut up the mushrooms and asparagus, and added it to a 9x9 baking dish. I was also craving a cream sauce, so I used a can of Hunts tomato sauce, whipping cream, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and oregano to make my sauce. I added a bit of corn meal, so the cream sauce would not be too runny. It was AMAZING! I was quite impressed with how it turned out, because I was not using a recipe. I will definitely be adding this to a list of "regular recipes."

I know a lot of my posts have been about food lately, but I can't help myself...I love to cook ;)



Decorating for Christmas Part 2...

Yesterday, S and I got up early and had breakfast at the Arcade downtown. We love that place! I was so glad he was off Friday. We enjoyed spending the day together! After breakfast, we headed to Pottery Barn to look for a tree topper, tree skirt, and new decorations for the kitchen table. I am a BIG shopper, but I have NEVER shopped on Black Friday. I wanted to go to a few places yesterday, but no where like Target, Walmart, the malls, etc. I understand the high for some people, but I have never been one to stand in line at 3:00 in the morning to buy a television, bike, game system, etc. I also do not have children yet, so maybe that will change someday, but not right now...I enjoyed sleeping in till 8:00 this morning. Anyway, we found NOTHING at Pottery Barn, bummer. I messaged one of my friends and she said TJ Maxx was not that busy, so we headed there and found the cutest tree skirt! It was perfect for our Christmas tree! We snatched that up for around 30.00! After we left TJ Max, we headed to Pier 1. I LOVE Pier 1! I especially love it around the holidays! There is always so much to look at. I have never been in a Pier 1 that did not have friendly staff either. All of the employees were so kind and helpful. I found the cutest tree topper, napkins, napkin rings, and place mats for the kitchen table. They were having a sale on all the kitchen decorations, so I had to snatch them up! Here are some photos of the new decorations:

I already had this center piece from Pottery Barn, but

I scored these awesome napkins, napkin rings, and

place mats at Pier 1. I love the napkins! So pretty and elegant.

This topper is also from Pier 1. Matches the

tree perfect!

This was the awesome tree skirt we found

at TJ Maxx. S actually picked it out! I think

he did a pretty good job!

The tree is finally complete! :)

I think Cheeba approved ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

My family and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so very blessed to have such a wonderful family, great friends, amazing boyfriend, outstanding health, cozy home, and a solid education. God continues to bless my life each and everyday! It was a small group of us yesterday, but we had lunch at my Grandmother's. She is SUCH a great cook! I miss having her food more often. We spent the afternoon watching movies, visiting, playing games, etc. Thanksgiving night has always been our tradition to go to the movies. We have been doing it for the past sevvvvveral years. Sam, me, my brother, and his girlfriend went and saw In Time. Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried were in it. It was pretty decent!

Thanksgiving Outfit:

H&M cape

JCrew Brown tee

HUE Brown jeggings

Steve Madden boots

Michael Kors tortoise watch

I wore my new Rachel Roy earrings that I bought last week. They're somewhat heavy, but they're so cute! I managed to keep them in all day! That's a big adjustment for me, because I've always been a studded earring girl. 

I got bored yesterday, so started messing with my web cam.. It might have been the amount of food I ate, or the amount of desserts, etc...Who knows...I was on a turkey high ;) 

This handsome man would be my wonderful boyfriend! I enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with him. I am so thankful to have him in my life!



This is a joke, but S made homemade cookies yesterday for Thanksgiving. This was one cookie he made for my brother. It was HUGE! My brother had been duck hunting all morning before lunch, so that's why he's in camo. :)

We also enjoyed several glasses of vino! :)


I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

 

Christmas Tree and Recipes...

Last night, Sam and I put up the Christmas tree! I was so excited to finally get it put up! I've been meaning to do it for the last week or so, but have not had a chance! It's a big tree, so I always need his help putting it together :) He usually puts it together and does the fluffing, but I usually decorate it :) I am using the same theme from last year, Silver and Gold! All of the ornanments on the tree are silver, gold, and antique. I love our Christmas tree! :)

This is the tree! I still have to get a topper and

a tree skirt because for some reason, I have misplaced

ours from last year...oh well! :) Sorry this photo is so bad.

this is a close up of our pretty ornaments! :)

another close up pic of our tree! :)

I decorate the kitchen in Gingerbread stuff

every year! I got the idea from my Mom.

She decorates her kitchen every year with

gingerbread decorations and a gingerbread

tree! :)

a super cute painting sitting on a stand :)

Christmas towels. These are not gingerbread!

I guess I need to find me some gingerbread towels.

I won this at a bunko party last year. This

is the first year I have used it. I'm not really sure

where to put it, but we'll see. It's kind of cute! :)

Last night, I also cooked a yummy dinner! I made up my own recipe with chicken breasts, roasted butternut squash and fingerling potatoes, and roasted parmesan asparagus. It was all pretty good! The boyfriend  enjoyed it :) I will link the roasted butternut squash recipe, but my dear friend, Christin, shared the butternut squash recipe with me and it was divine! We actually had it at her house one night for a dinner party, so I knew I had to keep the recipe on hand and make it at my house! :) As for the parmesan aspargus and the chicken, I simply made it up. I love to cook, so I just used ingredients that I knew would taste good. For the chicken, I coated the chicken breasts in egg and bread crumbs then put them in a 9x9 baking dish. I poured 1 can of Hunts tomato sauce over the chicken before sticking in the oven. I let the chicken cook for awhile, then took it out and topped the chicken breasts with a diced tomato and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I stuck it back in the oven for 10 mins or so. They turned out pretty good! I'm pretty sure I will add this recipe to my list of favorites. It was pretty simple and Sam loved it! :) As for the asparagus, I used a little bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, then stuck in the oven. Before it was finished, I took it out and added a bit of shredded parmesan cheese to the top. I put it back in the oven for about 5 mins or so. They both turned out pretty well! :) It was a great meal.

Here is the Butternut Squash recipe.

This picture looks gross, but I promise it

didn't look like this. ha!

Zuppa Toscana and Kale recipe..

How any of you ever had the Zuppa Toscan soup from Olive Garden? If you have not, you need to go as soon as possible and get you some! It is to DIE for...I love it! I adore making soups at home. I will make a big batch and then just freeze what has not been eaten. I have been searching for a Zuppa Toscana recipe online that was similar to Olive Garden's. The other night, I made this recipe and it turned out GREAT!

You can find the recipe, here..

I also made a Tuscan Kale salad that my dear friend, Christin, from Classy, Southern Wife shared with me! You can find the recipe here . It turned out wonderful! Kale is my new favorite thing right now :)



I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! :) Gobble Gobble!

Grocery Shopping and Schelduling Dinners..

It can be hard to come home from work and cook dinner. Sam and I have been together for almost two years and I still can't believe how much we have eaten out in the past...I NEVER cooked during the first 9 months of our realtionship. We ate out all.the.time....It can get SO expensive and is not that great for your waist line either...I have been cooking more over the last several months and it has gotten to be such a routine and so easy to do! We usually will do our grocery shopping on Sunday because I can plan for meals better that way...We've gotten a lot better about making a list before heading to the store, buying things I will need for my meals, and not OVER BUYING. It is SO easy to over buy at the grocery store...We also will not go to the grocery store when we are hungry! That is a big no-no...The majority of my grocery list is veggies and meats, so I usually plan meals around those items. There are a few times that I will run out of something, so i will just plan another meal or wait until I go to the grocery store again on Sunday. I do not like to make several trips to the grocery store during the week.. It's simple...if I don't have what I need, I make something else, because I'm sure there is something else in the pantry or fridge that is going to go bad soon....I cook pretty healthy, so the majority of my recipes do not call for a lot of condiments...( butter, vegetable oil, etc.) I know grocery shopping can be difficult at times...I'm still learning how to plan for meals...It takes time and practice :) I suggest starting out small, and working your way up. If you're like me, you usually buy the same 25 items every week, but then throw in an occasional "rando" in there every so often....
I wanted to include a list of my top items that I buy at the grocery store every week and hopefully it will help you with your next shopping trip and when your planning meals!

1. Ground Turkey...I use ground turkey for everything. You can freeze it and take it out in the morning to thaw out before going to work.. It's good in spaghetti, pasta, turkey burgers, meatloaf, etc.. It's very cheap, too.

2. Fresh Veggies...I don't use canned vegetables very often. I usually buy mine fresh, so if you're like me, plan your meals with lots of veggies in them. You do not want your veggies to go bad, so use them! Buying fresh vegetables can be more difficult, but they taste so much better.

3. Hunts Tomato Sauce/ Diced Tomatoes....Even if I am not planning a meal with these items in it, I buy a couple cans while I'm at the grocery store...There are nights where I do not know what to cook, so I'll whip something up and throw some diced tomatoes or tomato sauce on it...These cans will ALWAYS come in handy! They're cheap as well..

4. Milk/Whipping Cream....I know whipping cream is not that great for you, but I use it a lot for my soups. I always make a point to have milk and whipping cream in my fridge because the majority of my recipes will call for one or the other.

5. Pasta...Everyone should ALWAYS buy a box of noodles when they grocery shop. If you're tired when you come home from work, toss in a box of noodles, throw some other things in there, and voila! You have a meal...Having a box of noodles is a necessity for me....I LOVE PASTA.

6. Sour Cream....This might be a random for many of you, but we eat a lot of sour cream. I buy the light sour cream, so don't worry!  I will usually buy 1 big container or two small ones to keep in the fridge for when I need it.

7.Cream of Chicken/Mushroom....This goes without saying...A LOT of recipes out there call for these items...Just buy several cans while you're at the store and you'll have them for your next meal :) They're very cheap!

8. Eggs..this is on many grocery shoppers list. We eat a lof of eggs at our house! I cook with them a lot. We usually ALWAYS buy a container of eggs when we are the grocery store, because if we're not out of them at the moment, we'll be out of them a few days later!

9. Yogurt...I buy yogurt every time I go to the grocery store. I eat a container of Chobani yogurt for breakfast or with my lunch EVERY SINGLE day...No questions asked :) I'm usually ALWAYS out of it by the time Sunday gets here, too..

10. Last but not least, shredded cheese! ALL KINDS! Parmesan, Mozzarella, American, etc. I cook with a lot of cheese. Sam loves cheese, too..The majority of my meals call for one of these everytime I cook, so I always buy another bag when I'm at the grocery store. Right now, I have two huge bags of parmesean cheese and two huge bags of sharp cheddar cheese...Seems like a lot, but we eat it! It never goes to waste!

I hope this helps you on your next journey to the grocery store! I know it was long and probably quite boring, but if you're like me, grocery shopping and planning meals can be a difficult task!

Movie Reviews...

I have not done a post on movie reviews in quite sometime. This past weekend, Sam and I watched several movies. It was a very lazy weekend and we were completely content with it :) Here are the several movies we watched and the reviews on them:

I really enjoy scary movies, so if you do not

like them, you won't like this movie! It was pretty decent.

It has been years since I have seen the other Scream movies, but

I thought it was pretty scary over-all..Maybe a little cheesy, too? :)

Definitely a good renter!

I know there are a lot of Harry Potter fans

out there, but I feel that way about Pirates

of the Carribean. I have seen all of them

and LOVE every single one of them. I

highly suggest everyone to rent this

movie offyour tv. It will not disappoint! The only

thing I missed about this movie was Keira

Knightley not in it, but Penelope

Cruz was, so it was still good :)

This was a very interesting movie.

Cameron Diaz played a very different part.

She's usually funny in most of her movies, but

I thought she was pretty foul in some parts. If you

do not like that kind of stuff, you will not like this movie.

If you're looking to laugh, well...you've picked the

right movie! :)

I love the Thanksgiving holiday..

I always watch this movie around Thanksgiving.

It is definitely a CLASSIC! I'm sure the majority

of you have seen it, but if you have not...RENT IT.

It will be a great movie to watch with your family

over the Thanksgiving holidays!

This is such an old movie, but it is another

film that I like to watch around the holidays.

If you have never seen this film, rent it.

It's only .99 right now on your On Demand

Comcast...It's a touching story and will more

than likely make you tear up ;)

Birthday Dinner.

Last week, I attended a birthday dinner for Megan..Meg also blogs on Pretty in Pink Megan.. Me, Meg, and Lauren went to Mollie Fontaine's for dinner and drinks. We had SUCH  a good time. It was very laid back and quiet. Later on, it got kind of rowdy and we enjoyed the people watching. It was quite interesting and hilarious. Here are a few photos from the night:

Me, Meg, and Lauren

Before dinner, Meg and I hung out at her house and

I got a chance to love on Apple.

Me and Meg at Mollie Fontaine's

Meg and Lauren

The outside of Mollie Fontaine's.