Hey Hey Friday!

Hey Friday, where you been hidin'???

At least you made your way here!
I've got some awesome stuff from this week to share with you, so let's get to it!

 

{1}-Carpet

similar to this pattern, and more
beige-y grey color

MG and I made an impromptu trip to a carpet store to check out runners for our main entry stairwell. Our stairs are a little more narrow than other more modern steps, and they are slightly steep. For safety reasons, we thought it would be a good idea to get a carpet runner, especially when Cooper fell down the stairs the first day we were in the house (he now gets carried down like a little prince--I don't think he minds). After a bit of perusing, and the nicest salesguy ever, we made a purchase of a really pretty rug with a Moroccan pattern on it. And hopefully it'll be being installed before Thanksgiving! $500 later....ugh. A stupid carpet runner. Oof! But at least it'll look really nice!

{2}-Family Visit

On Wednesday night my sister-in-law, L, and oldest niece came down from PA to visit. My SIL had a work meeting a couple miles from our house and our niece didn't have school on Thursday--and neither of them had been down yet to see the house. I made dinner on Wednesday night when they arrived and last night we went out to dinner. MG took off the afternoon yesterday and took our niece around the area, just the two of them. They loved the house and it was so fun spending time with just the two of them. And they also brought down some super cute Christmas decor for us as well, which I'm looking forward to putting up around the house soon!

{via}

{3}-Marry Me
No, I'm not proposing to you (hehe), but I'm talking about the tv show on NBC. I saw a re-run of the first episode with my SIL and MIL a couple weeks ago and started watching the show. It's pretty cute and funny and I really like the main girl in the show. Some of it is cheesy but other parts make me laugh. And I also enjoy that she's from the same city that I live in currently in VA. If you haven't checked out the show yet, you definitely should!

{4} Loft
No, I didn't get sucked into another sale (altho I did see the email the other day and just sent it straight on to my trash bin), but I did wear almost an entire outfit from Loft to work yesterday (everything minus my shoes) and got a ton of compliments throughout the day. So, I thought I'd share with you since it was apparently a big hit! Man, I love Loft.....



{5} Wine Tour

Tomorrow MG and I, and a few other couples hired a small bus (a Vanterra to be exact) to drive us out to Middleburg, VA to go to 2 wineries. The weather is going to be a tad on the nippy side, but I'm sure we'll all warm up with the wine tastings! We haven't been to a winery yet this season and I've been wanting to go. Throw in some fun people, and it should be a really fun time! I'll definitely be taking some Advil before bed that night ;)

I'm off to finish off the work week, get a massage, and get on with my weekend (that hopefully will NOT involve house projects!) :)
Happy Friday!!

Thursday Funnies

Sometimes you need a little pick-me-up to get through a work week. Luckily this week is going relatively smoothly for me (I should knock on wood so I don't jinx myself on that one), but funnies never hurt!

{via} Some people this is SO true for (and I bet you can think of at least 1-2 people that it would apply to!)

{via} This should just be #LoftProblems for me

{via} Mmmm hmmm!

{via} Ohhhh yeah!

{via} Not so much funny as it is freaking adorable!!!

{via} In my dreams!

{via} My heart is melting with the cuteness and the tiny-ness!

Hope those offered some laughed and maybe some "awwws" and helps get you through til Friday! One More Day!!

Book Review: The Girl You Left Behind

This past weekend I zipped through the last half of The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.

{via} $7.99 on Amazon Kindle

The Goodreads summary:

In 1916, French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

I have to tell you, I really liked this book. The first part of the book is only about Sophie, and then the rest of the book moves between present day characters, as well as back into the past as the story unfolds. 

This is the second book that I've read by Jojo Moyes and I really love her writing. She is SO good at getting you invested in characters, and the subtle way she makes you feel about each character is very smart. 

There was one part of the book, when it first switches to present day because it is SUCH a contrast to the story you just leave. But, I'm so glad that I kept going. The way the two stories unfold, and the similarities, despite the vast time and circumstantial differences is kind of magical. 

I will definitely be reading more from this author, and I highly recommend you checking out this book.

Thank You, Veterans!

This Veterans Day, like all the others, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of the veterans....those who have served previously, and those currently serving. I don't even know how to put into words what your service means to us.

I appreciate your honor, sacrifice and service, and thank you for protecting our country and our freedoms.

{via}

And, while I'm thanking people, I want to also thank the FAMILIES of veterans, for supporting their service member. I know it's not easy to be separated from your loved one, and the military life can be difficult on so many levels, but YOUR sacrifices are appreciated too. Without you, our vets couldn't do what they do, so thank you!

Freedom certainly isn't free. I honor your service and sacrifice.

Special thanks to my grandfather and uncle who are no longer with us. And lots of thanks to my dad who is also a veteran. I feel privileged to call you my family :)

{via}

Weekend Highlights!

This weekend was another one filled with friends and house projects!

This weekend's highlights included:

-Friday double date with our friends

-Delicious food, funny conversations and so much wine!

-Late night hang out at our place

-Painting trim/doors in our entryway since the previous owner decided to paint them all off-white (see before and after)

We had 6 door/entry trims to paint, along with the door pictured above. Somehow that took over 6 hours...but everything is crisp white now, and matches the floorboard trim!

(it's amazing how one person's stupid decision can be so time-consuming to fix and make look right again!)

-Finding out Saturday night that my bloggie bestie, Shay, had her son!!!

Welcome baby Nicholas to the world!

Isn't he adorable???? Love him already!!

(Mom is doing well, too, and is over the moon in love with him!)

-Saturday date night dinner with MG, then snuggling on the couch watching a movie (and me falling asleep haha)

-Sunday errands

-Putting together the nightstand for guest room, and finding the perfect decoration for the wall above the bed

-Sunday afternoon run with MG 

-Finishing my book The Girl You Left Behind (review coming soon)

-Chipotle dinner (yum!)

Like I said, it was pretty jam-packed but at least it was another fun one with friends and productive on the home front! And super exciting with a new baby's arrival!!! :)

I hope you week is off to a good start!!

Linking up with these ladies today:

(and Monday Morning Gossip, but something is up with their linky button)

Friday Fun-ness

Yep, I made up a word and I don't care! It's Friday and I can do what I want! :)

This week was a super nice one because it was a short AT work week for me (still worked every day but the first two days were teacher workdays which meant I got a lot of work done at home...and working in sweats on my couch with Sex and the City or The Today Show on in the background is my kind of productivity!)

 

Anyway, this week I had a lot of favorite/awesome things going on so I thought I'd share!

{1}- Guest Room Reveal

We still need some decorations on the wall, but that's the easy/fun part!

I'm SO over the moon excited about how awesome our guest room turned out. Originally I had a totally different concept and color scheme but it just wasn't working for me, so I went in a totally different direction, and it worked out amazingly! I also have the BEST tip for painting straight/perfect non-bleeding paint edges now!
We have a white nightstand for the room too, but it hasn't been put together yet.

This whole room is brought to you by Home Depot paint, Target, and Overstock for the headboard!

{2}-Hour plus text convos with my work bestie

This year we had several new staff start at our school, as any school year, but recently I've really clicked with one in particular. The past 5 nights, she and I have had text convos at home for hours on end. My favorite was a conversation that ended in all hashtags. It sounds stupid (and it was) but literally had me crying with laughter. MG might think I'm crazy now (who are we kidding, he knows it!)

{3}-Cooper

Coop is the doggy love of my life--you all know this. He had another seizure this week--it wasn't as intense as the last one, thankfully, and he came out of it ok, but it's still scary. Really hoping these decrease over time. But, on a happy note, the day after his seizure, while I was attempting to work out at home to Brooke Burke's DVD, this is what happened:

I had my own personal trainer (or something) thanks to Coop...too bad he was not really encouraging my workout to continue haha

{4}- Double Date
Tonight MG and I are going on a little double date with some friends of ours who live super close to us. It's been a bit since we got together so we're meeting up tonight for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Sweet Water Tavern, and probably have some drinks at one of our houses afterwards for a bit. I adore this couple so I'm really looking forward to our double date!

Don't worry, I got her approval
to post her pic on here ;)

{5}-BABY!!!
My blog bestie, Shay, is IN LABOR!!!! She went to the hospital on Wednesday and yesterday the doctors induced her. Baby C should be arriving today or tomorrow and I'm SOOOO flipping excited for her! I can not wait to facetime with her once baby boy arrives, and to "meet" him! YAY for babies!!!

That's about it for me this week--pretty exciting note to end on! Definitely looking forward to a weekend of friends and some relaxation (mixed with a little more house project action in our entry hallway to finish that all up), and a new baby!!!
 I hope your weekend is filled with fun and friends!
I'll leave you with a funny I saw from Pinterest (which seems slightly appropriate since I just talked about going out to dinner)...

{via}

hehe, happy weekend, friends!

Recipe: Teriyaki Meatballs

This week I was back at it with trying a new recipe in the kitchen and it's another really tasty one. And husband approved!

I found this recipe (where else?) on Pinterest from Budget Bytes.

I know, it may not look the most appetizing, but it's delicious!

What You Need:

For the meatballs:

-1 pound ground turkey or pork(I used turkey)

-1 large egg

-1 tsp minced garlic

-1/2 C plain breadcrumbs

-2 inches fresh ginger (I used about 1/2 tsp of already grated ginger in a spice jar)

-1/2 tsp soy sauce

-2 whole green onions (I forgot to add these and they were still fine. Optional)

-10-15 cranks fresh ground black pepper

For the teriyaki glaze:

-1/2 C soy sauce

-1/2 C brown sugar

-1/2 C water

-1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

-1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (mine didn't say 'toasted' and was still fine)

-2 inches fresh ginger (again, I just did a couple shakes out of the spice jar)

-2 Tbsp corn starch

-1 Tbsp sesame seeds

-Rice (make whatever kind you want. I made brown rice for health factor)

It looks like a LOT of stuff, but it is REALLY easy (one of the more simple recipes I've made).

What You Do:

1)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add all of the ingredients listed above for the meatballs into a large bowl. Mix the ingredients really well until combined.

2) Get a baking sheet and line it with foil. Shape the meat mixture into small meatballs, using about a tablespoon. Original recipe says it should yield 30 meatballs, mine yielded 24.

3) Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown (mine only took 35 minutes)

4) While the meatballs are cooking (about 8-10 minutes before they are done), start making the glaze. 

In a medium pot, combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger. Heat it over a low flame until the brown sugar melts (only a couple minutes)

Dilute the cornstarch just enough with water so it's easily poured. Add this to the pot and stir, turning the heat up to medium-high.

5) Once the sauce thickens, add in the sesame seeds and stir.

Keep this on low until the meatballs are reading.

*Cook the rice you're using at whatever time you think so it's ready when the meatballs are out of the oven.

6) Once the meatballs are done, they should look something like this:

Add them into the sauce pan, coating them in the glaze. 

7) Get your rice ready in a bowl, and add about 6 meatballs to each bowl (or more if you want). Put another spoonful or two of the sauce over the rice for additional flavor.

Next time I make this, I'm going to make edamame and add it to the rice bowl for some veggies, and some color. Super yum!

I hope you enjoy!!

P.S. I want to end this post with a BIRTHDAY shout out to my BEST FRIEND!!! Happy 30th birthday, Genna!! I love you buttloads and I wish you nothing but happiness as your start your 30s!! I hope your present makes it there today :)