My Friday Five

The Friday of a long weekend is glorious, is it not? I can't wait for the weekend to begin! Five things on my mind today, here we go.

O N E
My Linbrooke Designs bracelet has been worn daily since I got it in the mail. Love it, and it goes with so much. Sweet Brooke has offered to give my readers 15% off of your purchase using code SMIDGE15. This offer will expire September 17th, so shop now while you can get good prices!

(Want to see my other fave item in her shop? It's this bracelet! I'm a sucker for a tassel.)

T W O
Avert your eyes if you are dieting ... but these exist, and they are delicious. I honestly have to get these out of my house and not replace them, because I'm inhaling them like it's my job. I found them at Target.

T H R E E
I picked up a new blush last weekend and I love it! At $3 (here), this Elf blush is a steal. I purchased Pink Passion and it is perfect for the rosy cheeks I like. I was going to make Bobbi Brown's Pale Pink the next blush I purchased, but for the $24 savings, I'll stick to the Elf version.

F O U R
I'm strongly considering a name change for this blog. Everything's coming together in my head and I can't wait to put it into action. Now I just have to take (find??) the time to get the gears turning. Stay tuned!

F I V E
Y'all know I love Treat cards (here's the one I made for Ian for his first Fathers Day) and through 9/2 -- Tuesday -- they are running a BOGO special.  Buy one, get one free, sign me up! I will definitely be placing an order for cards. The code to use is SUMMERBOGO.

TGIF, y'all! Happy long weekend and enjoy your Labor Day!

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs With Drizzled Blue Cheese

We are making an effort to reduce our grocery store spending, and I'm going to tackle this with two methods: meal planning (to reduce the number of times we find ourselves at the store), and building a menu around meats that are on special at my grocery store.

Last week, ground turkey was $3.99 for a one-pound package, so I picked it up and remembered about a Pinterest recipe that I'd saved that called for ground chicken. I knew the ground turkey would be an easy substitute. 

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs 

(adapted from this recipe)

1 pound ground turkey

3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 large egg 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

2 green onions, thinly sliced 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

3/4 cup buffalo sauce 

1/4 cup blue cheese dressing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat and set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, Panko, egg, garlic and onion powder and green onions; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Combine ingredients with a fork. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs. 

Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, or until all sides are browned. Place meatballs into a slow cooker. Add buffalo sauce and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours. Serve immediately, drizzled with blue cheese dressing.

I substituted chives for green onions since I'm growing some in a pot on the patio. Other than the turkey, the buffalo sauce is the only ingredient I didn't already have on hand, and a bottle of it was less than $1.50 (Harris Teeter brand) and I only used half of the bottle. A very cost-effective meal!

We served the meatballs alongside wedge salads with ranch dressing, cracked black pepper, and blue cheese (the lettuce was leftover from lettuce-wrap burgers) and stewed white beans with fresh rosemary.

For the beans, I just use a can of cannelini or Great Northern beans, rinse them off well, put them in a saucepan with some water, salt, pepper, and sprigs of fresh rosemary from the yard, and let them simmer for at least 30 minutes. They get really creamy and delicious. One of our favorites, and not bad for a side that is under a dollar.

These meatballs were perfect as an entree, however I could also see them as a great gameday appetizer, served on a platter and skewered with a toothpick. The perfect pick-up-and-pop-in snack!

Brunch Is The Best

This past weekend, Camille and I met my friend Kristen for brunch at George's Brasserie, one of my most favorite restaurants.

I want you to wrap your mind around the fact that they had a beignet breakfast sandwich on special ... oh word. Sausage and egg on a powdered, sugary-sweet beignet. It was incredible. Granted, I only got through about half of it before I had to box up the rest due to a fussy babe. That's okay; the rest of it was consumed as soon as I got home and Camille was suddenly happy again (doesn't it always happen that way?).

I always love girl time, and throw in a fantastic brunch and I'm happy as I can be.

The bracelet I'm wearing is from Linbrooke Designs ... more details on this pretty little thing later this week!

Saturday Sip + Shop XXVII

Sip:


via

Peach Margarita, YES.

And speaking of peach..........

***

Shop:



I bought it, I bought it, I bought it!
On MAJOR sale for $27.20 (here)
Can't wait to get it soon and see how it works for me!

Friday Five

Thank the good heavens it is FRIDAY, I am so ready for a weekend with not a whole lot on the books. Tonight's agenda? Baby snuggles, and later, husband snuggles with pizza, cabernet and Dateline.

Five things on my mind this Friday!

O N E
Concealer. For a long while I've been using Hard Candy Glamoflauge ($6) but it's pretty thick with heavy coverage. Last weekend I was able to try my girlfriend's Maybelline Dream Lumi highlighting concealer, and I was sold. Lighter but great coverage. I just purchased it and have used it for the past few days. Only thing I'm unsure of is how long it will last. It's one of those twist-up pens and I've always found them to run out quicker than other dispensers. Will report back!

The Dream Lumi highlighting concealer is $8, and if you buy it here on drugstore.com, don't forget to go thru Ebates to get 4% back from your total order. You can get free shipping with a $35 order, so I usually go ahead and stock the cart with other essentials ... paper towels, shampoo, baby wipes, shave cream.

Need an Ebates invitation? Click here. I've earned back over $640 to date from online purchases I have made and bonuses.

T W O
I made strawberry muffins on Tuesday for a friend, decided they didn't turn out right, and so we got her flowers instead. Then I ate six of them on Tuesday afternoon. I ate three on Wednesday. Yesterday I held myself to two. The last one will be consumed today. (Perfect lead-in to #3 below)

T H R E E
It's been hot as sin this week, but for the past two nights I've gotten outside for a quick run or walk, and I'm tracking my progress on Map My Run. I'm going to try to post my progress from time to time. I love that Map My Run emails me a weekly summary of my workouts and progress.

F O U R
Like many of you from your comments yesterday, I too am OBSESSED with Jersey Belle. Frankly, from the previews I didn't think it would be a show I loved, but one episode and I was hooked. The women seem a lot more real and down-to-earth from what we see with the Housewives. Bravo to Bravo for this show about real friends ... not cast members who are made to hang out with each other.

It comes on Monday nights, so Tuesdays are my new favorite day because I know this is on my DVR.

F I V E
On Sunday I purchased this Loft dress, and I'm in love. It was $49.50, then marked down to $29.88 with an additional 40% off now, no code needed. For reference, I'd size down ... I got a XS Petite and I'm either an XS or a Petite Small in Loft, almost never an XS Petite. I'm pretty short at 5'2 so the length and proportions on the Petite was best, and the XS still had plenty of room since it is a looser-fit dress just with an elastic waistband.

PS, Loft is on Ebates with 3% cash back.

They also have some other pretty colors available -- peach, teal and black.

Love it belted, too!

Happy Friday to you, and do you judge me for the strawberry muffin inhalation? I wouldn't blame you. :)

I Am /// I Am Not

I Am...

... a sale shopper, and pretty much only a sale shopper.

... trying to be better about returning texts and emails on time.

... all about this girl when I pick her up at the end of the day.

... moreso a fan of lunch dates than dinner dates these days.

... slowly learning how to use a sewing machine (again).

I Am Not...

... a fan of roller coasters.

... done with the Housewives. I wish I could quit them, but I can't. 

... scared to speak my mind (most of the time).

... disorganized. But I am a procrastinator.

... tall.

Weekend Fun: Celebrating a Bride and The Cutest Baby Bathingsuit

My girlfriend Kerry is tying the knot in a few weeks, and I absolutely can't wait for this wedding. It is going to be one awesome weekend chock full of exciting events, and I just love Ker and her beau together.

Because of having brand new babies, two of us bridesmaids were unable to make it to NYC for her fabulous bachelorette weekend, so we asked her if we could do a local make-up bach weekend with her when our babies were a little older. And this past weekend, that's just what we did!

The girls came in town Saturday. We started off the day at Ballantyne Spa, my favorite place to spend a few luxurious hours in Charlotte. We were greeted with spa robes, flip flops, and glasses of champagne. We decided to start the day at the pool with some lunch.

We had deli wraps for lunch and then sat in the pool and chatted until it was time for our massages. All three of us fell asleep during our massages! Afterwards we went into the steamroom and sauna, and then left in order to get ready for our big night out.

That evening, we stayed at a hotel ... the first night I've been away with just daddy on duty! Now, truth be told, the hotel is literally around the corner from my house. :) But this way, I could devote my time to my girlfriends and still be home lickety-split if I needed to. It was the perfect situation.

I reserved a black car through Uber and we headed uptown for dinner reservations at Basil. Once we arrived at the restaurant, we ran into a sorority sister! Too much fun.

Sunday, before the bride left town, Camille and I went with her to the mall where I made some returns and picked up a new knit dress at Loft. Later that afternoon, Ian, Camille and I went to the pool with friends. The baby looked too, too cute in her Janie and Jack bathingsuit (I'd seriously love one in my size) and even moreso darling when she fell asleep sitting right on my lap.

I loved every bit about this weekend and hope you had an enjoyable one too!

Two Fab Finds From Uncommon Goods

When it comes to gifts for girlfriends or family members, I am often looking for fun finds in the $20-$40 range, so I'm really excited to share with you two awesome gifts from UncommonGoods. Have you ever shopped with them before? I have to say ... after perusing their website and reading more about their company, I was quite impressed.

First up are these floral wine glasses. They are $39 and there are six glasses. The perfect size for wine or juice and the patterns on all six vary. I absolutely love the vintage look of these glasses. Does it make me strange that I like to match the style of the glass to my mood? At least I own it.

These two below are my favorites.

I mean seriously ... love, love, love these glasses.

They look great in our dining room!

Okay, next up is a $20 gift and I'm loving it. The state dish towels are way fun. Decorated with each state's most famous landmarks and mascots, they are so fun to have out on display. Sort of a Where's Waldo of your state's claims to fame, if you will.

There's our city Charlotte with a crown to represent the fact that it is the Queen City.

And of course my husband loves the shout-out to his alma mater. Go Pirates!

I'm already a little more protective of this dishtowel than a regular person should be.

Navigating the site is easy as pie. The two categories that are my go-to pages are their personalized gifts section as well as the gifts for women section. And from there, you can filter out the results by ratings, price, et cetera. Simple and straightforward.

Now, a little more about UncommonGoods, taken directly from their site:

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, UncommonGoods is an privately-owned retailer that endeavors to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people. We run all our operations out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal, including our warehouse where the lowest-paid seasonal worker starts at 50% above the minimum wage. We make it our mission to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; in fact, half of what we sell is made by hand. Most of the products we carry are created right here in the USA, and about one-third of our entire collection incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials. At the core of our company is a great respect for the integrity of the creative individual and the belief that it is our responsibility to use our business to impact the world in a positive way.

How's that for a solidly-based company?! Love their philosophy, and love supporting a company like this.

So if you are looking for some new gifts for your friends or yourself, I highly recommend these two fab finds!

Still Loving This Tee.

My grandmother Gigi was a "one in every color" type of gal. If she found something that worked well for her, may as well stick with a good thing and purchase it in a multitude of colors. Seems as if I've inherited that gene.

I have already waxed poetic about the Loft Sunwashed Tees, but here I go again.

Working from home now, these have become a weekly staple for me. They are relaxed yet still fitted enough to look feminine ... not sloppy. They have held up really well in the washer and dryer (my last dry cleaning bill nearly took my feet out from under me, so this is a good thing). And lastly, they are available in lots of colors. :)

So far I have the bright seafoam green...

...the bright bubblegum...

...and the light heather gray.

I've worn them with shorts, skorts, and maxi skirts. And as soon as this Charlotte humidity subsides, they will look awesome with jeans.

This is the one that I want to go purchase this weekend -- deep emerald. Perfect for now and also for fall.

I'm also loving morning mist. What a beautiful light blue, especially for all of you Tarheel gals.

And I figure while I'm at it, I'll need to pick up one in white and one in black as well.

Hold the bus, THEY HAVE NAVY.

I think I need to consider a part-time job at Loft!

Do you have any items that you are like this about? Are you a "one in every color" gal like Gigi and me?

Simple, Quick Dinner: Chopped Greek Salad

My husband and I love starting out the week with a really healthy meal. Monday dinners are typically the healthiest meals we eat all week long. I guess it's thinking that if we start out the week as healthy as we can be, then we won't feel as guilty if we splurge a little here and there during the coming days.

Recently, I made a chopped Greek salad that was quite healthy -- and simple, to boot.

On a large platter, I added the following:

+ Black pitted olives

+ Chopped red onion

+ Rinsed canned white beans (I used cannelini)

+ Chopped cucumber

+ Reduced fat feta cheese

+ Lettuce

+ Grilled chicken

The vinaigrette was really easy to make -- equal portions of red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of kosher salt and some oregano. I mixed it right in a small mason jar and shook together to combine.

The chicken marinated a few hours in some Greek salad dressing, and then Ian cooked it on the grill.

Right before we ate, I just chopped up the chicken, drizzled the red wine vinaigrette over all ingredients on the platter, and then combined everything with salad tongs. Simple!