5 on Friday!

Hey Y'all! It's Friiiiiiidayyyy! I skipped out on last weeks 5 on Friday because we were traveling across the good state of Georgia and Florida. This week I have some fun things to share. If you would like to link up on 5 on Friday and share some of your favorite things or thoughts go over to Darci's blog the good life blog to get the link up.

{one}

We (myself, hubby, SNL & BNL) planned a road trip to north Georgia for some white water rafting adventures. I will post more details of our trip in a later post with more details. For now, here is our mapped out excursion.

{two}

In case you have been living under a rock the past week, the royal baby was born! He is so precious. I guess they are going to have to work on him being punctual. :)

{three}

While we were in Savannah, our first stop of our trip, I found this cute sign. I plan on hanging it above my front door. It defines the phrase "the south." The South ~ The place where...1) tea is sweet and accents are sweeter. 2) Summer starts in April. 3) Macaroni & cheese is a vegetable. 4) Front porches are wide and words are long. 5) Pecan pie is a staple. 6) Y'all is the only proper noun. 7) Chicken is fried and biscuits come with gravy. 8) Everything is Darlin'. 9) Someone's heart is always being blessed. Gotta love the south!

{four}

I'm a sucker for candles. Another great find was a candle made by Swan Creek Candle which uses soy wax. The flavor I chose was warm cinnamon buns in the vintage pottery. Good grief it smells AMAZING!! 

{five}

Before we left town hubby made us Lobster casino. Well...that's what I am calling it. I am not a lobster eater because the times that I have had it for dinner it has been over cooked which leads it to being tough. It would be like chewing rubber. Not that I know how that tastes but I could imagine. Anyways,  it was cooked perfectly and I ate every bit!

More on our trip soon! I'll probably share by each destination to keep the posts shorter. :)

Weekend Recap

This weekend flew by! Actually, I feel that way every weekend, who am I kidding? We are going on an "Everson Sibling Expedition" soon in North Georgia and I needed to pick up some much needed supplies. My hubby feels I went a little overboard and politely reminded me that we are not camping. No, we are not but who wants to lug around full sized necessities? Plus, we will be doing a lot of outdoor activities. Any who, my first stop was to Bed, Bath & Beyond. I have 2 within a 7 mile radius of my home so I went to the slightly larger one. This place has the biggest travel section I have ever seen!

Everything in blue is travel sized items plus there was more in the center! Some items I already owned but here are the items I still needed to stocked up on. Items include:

1. TRESemme Dry Shampoo

2. Satin Care shaving cream

3. Downy's wrinkle release for your clothing

4. travel toothpaste

5. OFF! bug spray

6. Hydrocortisone creme for when I get a mosquito bite (you laugh but I will get bitten by one and scratch forever)

7. Sunstick Sunscreen for baby/delicate skin - SPF 60

8. Cottonelle wipes (incase I'm in the woods and have to go)

9. Scunci no slip grip stretchy head band thingies 

Then I went to Merle Norman and picked up a bag that I could store my wet bathing suit, rash guard, and board shorts. After looking at all the travel bags, I chose the Ditty Bag in the color Sun Valley. It is great because it is lined with a thicker plastic which will hold any water in the bag. 

Sunday, I watched my favorite little girl. I have no clue where she gets her energy in the morning. Literally she comes out of her room from just waking up and shoves a baby in my face ready to play. She enjoys TONS of role playing. I think I was a doctor, a sister, a mother, a bystander in a parade, and someone who participates in a parade all within 3 1/2 hour time span. We also went outside so she could play on her swing set and shoot some hoops. 

Alivea has mad jumping skills!

Then the rain came so there was a lot of relaxation. Honey looks like he's enjoying himself. :)

I hope you had a good weekend!

Ulta haul

Hey Y'all!

I wanted to follow up on my Ulta haul. I was on a mission for one thing and ended up with 6 additional things. Ugh! It's good stuff, I promise!

The Goodies

1. Japonesque Make up brush cleanser. I needed some cleaner for my make up brushes and I searched everywhere before finally having to ask someone. You spray the solution on your brushes and swirl your brushes in a circular motion on a paper towel or rag. TA-DA! All clean! Make sure your brushes are dry before you reuse them.

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. Ok, I have a confession. In the past, I would use my concealer as a primer for my eyeshadow. It's okay, I know others out there do it too. I got this because after reading my favorite make up blog by make up by tiffany d, I decided to switch things up. It is supposed to hold your eyeshadow on through out the day! It does! Before I would get home from work, my eyeshadow was almost non-existent but now it lasts until the end of the day. :)

3. Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. This has great neutral colors but also has those deeper colors if you are looking for a smokey eye. The colors go on smooth which make it really nice. See below.

4. L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara. I used to use Cover Girls lash blast but I felt like my lashes did not look voluminous. I think I saw this product on a commercial and I wanted to try it. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE this product! The brush is really nice and the bristles are separated so your lashes glide through nicely. In the end it gives your lashes that voluminous look.

5. Essie's Sunday Funday nail polish. It looks really bright but once you put it on, it is not that bright. Comes out a little bit more orange.

6. Essie's Penny Talk nail polish. This is a nice golden nail polish. It's not over powering at all. I think it would go nicely with any nail polish as an accent.

7. OPI Espresso Your Style nail polish. I wanted something to go with Penny talk so I chose a dark brown color. Espresso Your Style will be my new fall color. :)

I hope you liked some of these products I shared with you.

Hugs, 

5 on Friday!

 

Did you see that?? That was the week going by! I cannot believe it is Friday already! With that, I would like to share my 5 on Friday where I share my favorite things or fun things that happened this week. You can link up buy getting the code from this lovely lady's blog "the good life blog" and share your 5 on Friday goodies.

Lets get started because there are fun goodies to share!

{one}

Hubby and I shopped until I dropped earlier this week. One of the things on my list was a new camera. I have been researching and talking about DSLR cameras for weeks. I am sure hubby is glad that talk is over! I knew I wanted a Canon so I was on a mission. I really like their products and I find them easier to use compared to the Nikon I have now. The two camera's I was comparing and considering were the Canon SL1 and Canon T3i. Hubby was at Best Buy for some time before me because I HAD to stop in Ulta. ;) Anyways, we ended up comparing Canon SL1, T3i, & T5i. I really liked the SL1. It is light does everything the Ti series does but it just has smaller components. After trying out all the different lenses on the SL1, I liked the 55-135mm lens the best. This lens allows you to capture images up close and far away without having to change lenses. The T5i came with the 55-135mm lens but the SL1 did not. If I wanted the SL1, I would have to pay $550 on the lens which I did not want to do. So...I ended up with the Canon T5i. This baby has only been on the market for 2 months! My heart was pounding on this investment but that is exactly what it is, an investment. Now I'm in learning mode. :)

{two}

Also while I was in Best Buy, I purchased the Lifeproof case and the exercise arm band holder thingy. I love these things! I feel so behind in this purchase but that is usually how I am. I do not jump on the band wagon right way with things. It fits nicely and I do not have to worry about it going anywhere. It clips into place which makes it sturdy.

{three}

I have started up my work out routine again and a friend told me about my fitness pal. You can either log in through your computer or download the app. I use the app mostly and I am able to input my meals, workouts & and the calories burned. I recommended it if you are trying to track what you eat.

{four}

A couple weeks ago I purchased a heart rate monitor & calorie tracker. I bought it off of Amazon because it was cheaper and shipping was hardly anything. You input information about your age, height, and weight into the watch. Then you wear the strap with the heart rate tracker around your rib cage area. (I just tuck it under my sports bra) At first I thought that it would be a nuisance but it does not bother me at all. Then you start your watch and it will search for your heart rate and your time begins. After your workout, stop your watch and you can go through your data to see up to last 6 workouts. The brand I have is the Polar FT4 in the pink.

{five}

Who loves Ulta? I do! I found some great goodies! So...I'll share one and then do a follow up on my Ulta haul. I bought a new nail polish! If you know anything about me, then you would know that my nail polish collection is just as bad as my purse collection. It's sad, I know! My new nail polish of choice is called..........drum roll............essie's Sunday Funday! LOVE.LOVE.LOVE!

Until next time....

Low Country Boil

It's recipe time!

The other night mom made us Low Country Boil. Yummy! It's a big thing in the South and people who have never heard of it usually say, "what the heck is a low country boil?" Well, here is the scoop! You can cook this two different ways: 1.) either on the stove in a big pot or 2.) in a big pot outside on a burner fueled by propane gas. Mom cooked our meal on the stove.

Ingredients:
Old Bay Seasoning
corn on the cob (half ears of corn)
Kielbasa sausage (cut 3-4 inches long)
new potatoes 
large shrimp (unpeeled)

You will need to fill your pot 3/4 full of water and add your seafood seasoning. The most common seasoning used is Old Bay Seasoning. Depending on how spicy you want your seafood, the more you will need to add. Be generous, you'll be surprised how much you have added and once everything is drained it taste like you didn't season it at all.

Once the water has begun to boil, add your potatoes and sausage and cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat. Then add your corn and cook for about 10 minutes. Lastly, add your shrimp but only cook for about 3 minutes. Drain and serve with cocktail sauce.

Cocktail sauce:
Mix ketchup and horseradish until desired heat. ;)

You end up with this.....TA-DA!!

Bon Appetit!

5 on Friday!

Hey Y'all! Here are my 5 on Friday favorite/memorable things this week!

{one}

Most of us celebrated the 4th of July yesterday. Unless you live somewhere other than the southeast your events were probably dry. I mean, holy rain! So, I jammed out to the Macy's 4th of July event on my couch in my pjs. (Yeah me!) I really think Cher rocked it last night!

{two}

Today is my papa & his twin sister's birthday. Though he passed from cancer while I was in middle school and she passed away while I was in grad school, not a day goes by that I do not think of them. Love you and RIP.

{three}

Since Kindle has come into my life, I have been a reading fool. The book I read a few days ago has to be one of my favorites of the summer. If you are a mother or a woman who loves children this book will suck you in. It is about this rich heiress who finds a baby on her door step and how her life changes. She does everything she can to keep it a secret from her family while she is trying to find the baby's birth mother. That's all I am going to share because I'll probably spill the beans. I hate when people spoil a good book or movie. ;)

{four}

This week the hubby, myself and the SNL worked on finalizing our plans for our road trip. We are going to north Georgia/South Carolina boarder to go white water rating. This will be my first time and supposedly I am going down a level 4 rapid! Just so you know 5 is the highest you can go. Lord help me! Wish me luck! I will make sure I share all our traveling details in a later post. :)

{five}

Hubby and I have started our next project. Though we would love to paint the outside of our home, we are pushing that project back. The Florida heat and showers have put a halt to that plan so we started on the inside. First stop, scrapping all the popcorn off the ceiling. A popcorn ceiling makes our skin crawl and we have already finished the back of the house so now we are doing the front. I am so excited for what we have plan afterwards! I am dying to knock down some walls but hubby keeps me in check by giving me the look. ("the look": as in...girl, I understand what you are saying but you need to put the breaks on because you are getting waaay ahead of yourself) Before and after pictures on the current project will be coming soon!

Until next time y'all...

Simple Shrimp Tacos

Hey Y'all!

I have been on a shrimp taco kick lately so while hubby was working I decided to cook up some for dinner. I bought 1lb. of large shrimp from Publix but only used about 10 shrimp for dinner since it was just me.

Ingredients:
Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
lettuce
Chef Paul Seafood Magic
Adobo
Parsley
Sour Cream
Salsa
Mexican cheese
Small Soft tortillas

Chop your lettuce into thin strips. Heat your oven to 325 degrees and place your tortillas in tin foil. Heat your tortillas to desired warmth.

In a small bowl add your shrimp then lightly season with Adobo, Seafood Magic, & Parsley.

Turn your stove burner on medium heat. In your pan, add extra virgin olive oil and heat until it is warm. Lay your shrimp in the pan and cook each side for a few minutes or until they turn pink then flip. Once cooked, place them aside in a clean bowl.

Carefully remove tortillas out of the oven. On your tortillas, add sour cream, salsa, lettuce, shrimp & cheese.

 Bon Appetite! 

Weekend Recap

Hey Y'all!

This weekend the family and I went to New Smyrna Beach for some fun and relaxation. At first we thought Saturday was going to be a wash with the rain clouds rolling in. It rained for about 30 minutes and ended up being a gloriously beautiful day. So the ladies moseyed on down to the beach to catch some rays. It was hot! I believe I was sweating off my sunscreen as I was putting it on. After some time, we decided to cool off in the water.

The whole time we were sunning on the beach there were about 6 people out in the water paddle boarding. I have always wanted to try and thought about taking a lesson but just have not partaken in the adventure. Then one of the paddle boarders came up and asked my mom if she would like to try. She politely declined but told him that I have always wanted to try paddle boarding. He asked if I wanted to try and I gladly accepted. I have to say it is a little difficult at first with the waves but once you get the hang of it, it is so much fun. My new little paddle boarding friend from California even tried teaching me how to surf on the board. Though I was not successful surfing on my feet, I rocked it when surfing on my knees.

Needless to say, he allowed my brothers and I to use his board for the rest of the evening. I do not have pictures of our fun but here is one before we started our adventure. (they look like little ants out there)

That night we went to Off The Hook Raw Bar for dinner. We have been there a few times and neither of us has had a bad meal. We always kick off the meal with steamed oysters, yummy! I had the shrimp tacos and they were delicious! Other family favorites include: grouper ruben, grouper sandwich, shrimp basket, shrimp po'boy, crab legs, boiled shrimp and creole shrimp and sausage patter. For extra items I would recommend the broccoli, green beans, and the hush puppies are to die for. We are still sampling other meals so updates will follow. ;)

The next morning we had breakfast from one of our favorite french bakeries. Mon Delice French Bakery is one of the best. Everything is had made to perfection. I love the chocolate croissants and cinnamon bun but the other delights are just as good. 

After we said our goodbyes to my aunt and uncle we had to head back home. It was a great weekend and I am definitely looking into getting a paddle board!

Until next time...