Those Enchiladassss

Forgive me blog friends, for I have committed not one but TWO blogging sins. 

1) I promised this post yesterday and then bam ... life. 

2) For your post photo, I am including a screenshot (above) of a video from my Snapchat feed. Super fancy, eh?

Well, here's the scoop. I made this Sunday night dish and we demolished more than half of it, and only after posting the video were people saying "recipe please!!! recipe please!!!" and by then it was impossible to snag a decent photo of the dish or the scrappy looking leftovers.

But the enchiladas were amazing, and it would frankly be just mean to keep the recipe from y'all. So here goes!

O M G Enchiladas

makes 6

6 flour tortillas

3 cups pulled rotisserie chicken (our grocery store has the chickens $4.99 on Sundays)

1 can Canellini white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 large white onion, sliced thin

1/2 cup sour cream

Small can of green chiles

Green enchilada sauce

White shredded cheese (I used a mozzarella/provolone combo)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Begin by sauteeing the onion (use most, reserving some aside for the topping) in some olive oil over medium heat. Once softened, add in the drained white beans, can of green chiles, rotisserie chicken, and sour cream. Stir around until everything is warm, mixed, and creamy. Add in some of the white shredded cheese and stir some more. Remove from heat. 

Coat an 11x13 glass pan with cooking spray and divide the creamy chicken and bean mixture into 6 tortillas. Roll them up and lay in the pan, topping with extra sliced onions and then pouring the large can of green enchilada sauce over top. 

Bake for 10 minutes, then add lots of shredded white cheese on top, and bake for 10 minutes more. If desired, broil for a few minutes at the end to get the cheese golden brown and super bubbly. 

We served with Mexican rice and it was delicious! Like, really really realllllly delicious. 

Tuesday Mash-Up

Coming at you this Tuesday with a little this and that!

Friday night Ian and I went to Cinebarre which is the local movie theatre that serves you DINNER! Yessir! We started off having a drink together at the bar inside, then we took our drinks to our seats and a server came by to take our dinner order. I ordered a burger with a fried green tomato on it and fries, and I was expecting it to just be okay, but MAN. It was delicious! I ate nearly every single bite, only leaving a few fries! We saw Logan Lucky which was not nearly as awesome as that burger. But Channing Tatum for two hours ... helloooooo there.

Saturday morning started with breakfast sausage, cinnamon rolls, and then a walk down to a neighbor's house to cheer on some bikers coming through our 'hood for a fundraising ride. 

Shopping notes ... I've been back on Zulily kick recently, and found this square boxwood wreath. Love it!

You can click the image to see what the Zu has on sale today. My favorite secret spot for smocked kids clothing and knit sister sets, too!

There is still time to shop the Lilly sale! One of my favorite dresses (that I wore in Jamaica) is on sale HERE for $59 from $118. Yup, of course I paid full price ... face palm. Oh well, it was worth it to have it for our trip!

It is perfect for the chillier weather around the corner when you'd want sleeves. I'm in the XS and I'm 5'2".

That's it for today ... will be here tomorrow with the enchilada recipe from Sunday night's dinner! It was amazing!

Your Ticket! Wahooooo!

Today at 8am, two of my favorite things collide:

1// Lilly Pulitzer clothes and accessories

2// Deeply discounted sale prices!

I just love the bright, colorful prints and my girls and I wear Lilly year-round. So this big sale (HERE!) that starts today at 8am is just way exciting for me.  

In the past I have scored some really great items in these sales. 

My top 3 favorites I'm on the hunt for today are:

1) Georgia May palazzo pants (I wear an XS)

2) Easy loose cotton sundresses I can top with a denim jacket for the transition to fall

3) Matching baby/kids shifts, naturally!

So, click your ticket below and grab your spot in the virtual line.

For something fun, comment below with what spot you're at in line when you sign on!

Five On Friday! YAY!

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
All I have to say is it feels GOOD to be here, y'all. I have had a lazy blogging summer, half out of necessity (broken laptop) and half out of just being busy as hay-ell.

But blogging is my jam, such a wonderful connector of women, and it's my happy place! So thanks for staying patient while I had a little downtime this summer.

Char - 16 months

T W O
How sweet was the eclipse on Monday!?

Ian was home from work so we got to experience it together while the kiddos slept. At first I felt guilty with Camille missing it, but she can't even really be trusted yet with safety scissors let alone staring at a major eclipse.

She'll catch one in 2024, that I do know!

T H R E E

I am going to get a tissue box cover from my friend Elizabeth (she's the same one who did my den pillows ... her Etsy shop is HERE). She has so many fonts available ... which should I choose?

I'm thinking tan linen like below with all white embroidery for our powder room.

F O U R
Music update -- it's been a few years since I was on a M.I.A. kick but I'm baaaaaack.

I seriously dig her. I'm listening to this album now as I write this! 

F I V E

Yesterday I was sooooo overwhelmed, Camille's personality is SO big and powerful and she's really exercising her sassy muscle these days. I was trying to clean the master bath and she was just getting into so much mischief, just really pushing the envelope all day long, and at one point Ian called me to check in and I yelled at her using my Scary Mommy Voice with him on the line... and then just felt horrible. But the not listening over and over and over again and going against every single one of my orders just had me on edge all day. So when Ian arrived home and went straight to the fridge and then Camille came running back to the bedroom yelling "MAMA DADDY BOUGHT YOU SOME CAKE!" I knew that he got me and he knew exaaaactly what I needed when the kids went to bed. 

Ian ... you're cool. Thumbs up emoji. Heart eyes emoji. Fist bump emoji.

Blueberry lemon cheesecake from Reid's for the win. 

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That's it for today! Hope you have a lovely weekend -- thanks for linking up with us below!

Our Master Bathroom Reno: The Finish Line?

So ... could we be approaching the finish line of this master bathroom reno?!

Maybe so. Phew. We started July 3 with demo, so it's been a process!

Painting was done yesterday (we chose Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray) and minus some final touches -- mirrors installed, door hardware changed out -- I just have a LOT of cleaning to do!

I've sort of challenged myself to clean it top to bottom, including our bedroom which took on a significant amount of dust from the project, TODAY. And ya know, keep two kids alive and thriving simultaneously. Wowza. 

Here's what's on my task list! Think I can handle it today?

PS, good gracious door handles are expensive! I need 2 locking ones, 3 non-locking ones, and 2 dummy handles. I found some on Amazon but they are nearly $20/ea!

Unexpected Break, Unexpected Mountain Trip

Ahhhh, back and it's great to be here!

I'm typing this on a brand new laptop ... well, a 2 year-old refurbished laptop. Not my old one, though. My husband has this guy here in Charlotte that builds/rebuilds computers for a fraction of what you'd typically pay for one. They are faster, more efficient, and we really just trust him. He took everything off of my old computer and put it on this new one, and the cost was the same as having Dell fix my previous laptop. That ol' thing had always had little problems here and there anyway.

(Local folks, LMK if you want this guy's info and I'll be happy to share.)

So, catching up, we had that massive water leak in our home that needed to be professionally dried out over the course of 3 days. The leak honestly didn't look horrible from the area we could see, but the damage inside the walls was pretty darn bad. The machines they use to measure the wetness in the walls were going crazy with readings off the charts in some areas. Soaked. 

The machines were kind of noisy, in the way, and they put off heat. So we decided to throw overnight bags in the car and skedaddle to the mountains, where my mother-in-law was waiting with open arms and a big hug for all of the craziness hitting our home simultaneously!

Camille got to ride in her Mimi's car and decided five minutes later that convertibles are just not for her. Too windy, too cold!

While the girls napped that afternoon, Ian and I were able to dash around the corner to our fave little winery where we each had a glass of white wine and then shared a glass of rose. They had live music going on as well. 

The next day we all went to the park and had a picnic lunch and later took the girls on a ranger ride around the house and down to see some horses. 

The best part of the entire trip was just having a minute to sit down solo with Ian and enjoy a dinner out, that winery trip, and a quick visit to AMB brewery. No babysitter needed. After all the stress of the past week, it was just what the doctor ordered. 

 

On an unrelated note, I was so excited to read this awesome review of LipSense from a blogger I partnered with! Please go visit Megan HERE at Diamonds On Her Soul. How beautiful is she?! Driven career-woman, too. She's got it all!

Oh, hi!

Good Friday morning! Yet another week of almost zero blogging and no traditional Five on Friday link up. I am so sorry and I miss checking in here!

What I thought was a battery issue with my computer is actually a MOTHERBOARD issue, so that's awesome. My 1.5 year old laptop will be completely replaced today and luckily they think there should be no problem getting all of my important information off of my old laptop.

It has just thrown me for a loop because it makes blogging really hard, it makes tracking my LipSense sales a little more difficult, and frankly it is just expensive. 

Insult to injury, we also found out yesterday that we have extensive water damage in our home that needs professional remediation. Loud, rumbling machines in our home for the next three days, and then only after that can we begin the process of cutting out drywall, replacing it, repainting it. The one great thing is that we seemingly have no damage to our beautiful hardwood floors!

So, between all of that and the bathroom remodel that will not quit, and super expensive ceiling damages to a rental property we have in Charleston, and an unrelated ceiling leak in our kitchen that was apparently dripping toilet water on our countertop… anyone got a mimosa for me?!

I am staying positive and trying to appreciate the small things, because they are THERE!

While blogging has taken a backseat, please look out for updates on my Instagram page! I will also be posting Instastories. 

XO,

April 

Monnnnday

Good Monday morning! 

I am glad to be back to blogging again after being on family last week! As I mentioned Friday, right as I lugged my computer, mouse, mouse pad, and charge cord down to the lake, it would not start up… completely dead battery. I Primed one to the lakehouse and it was the wrong size. Close but no cigar. 

We returned home Saturday from the lake and I had the correct battery size shipped to me, only to realize that I accidentally left my laptop charger cord down at the lake. Whooo lawdy. 

So, I am coming to you today from my handy-dandy Blogger app on my phone, because I did want to check in and share a few details about what's happening in our lives!

• First of all, I am getting really excited about the big eclipse happening soon! I picked up some NASA-approved glasses yesterday and still want to do a little bit more research on it so that I fully appreciate this amazing natural phenomenon. 
• Secondly, I have maintained my goal of being more active by going to the gym! I got zero exercise last week outside of chasing the girls, but I am ready to get back at it this week. We are going to the gym today and what has kept me motivated is finding some videos on my phone that I like to watch while I am on the treadmill. Music isn't enough for me ... I need to fully zone out!
• I am planning a post when my computer is back up and running about breakfast ideas. I need a serious extreme makeover on my breakfast routine. I've always woken up so hungry and ready for a "carby" breakfast like a bowl of cereal or overnight oats, but for some reason these days I have just not been craving that at all. But I am also not and eggs/sausage type person. Recently I have just had a cup of coffee or two for breakfast which I know is not a healthy choice! It is not enough calories and it won't keep me sustained or give me energy.
• Charlotte (16mo today) is getting closer and closer to walking! She is such a comfort zone baby and really only loves walking when she is holding both of my fingers. But recently I have been working every single day with her to build her confidence in walking while just holding one of my fingers, or standing up by herself while leaning back against my shin/knee. Camille walked much earlier so sometimes it is a little hard to not put pressure on myself of trying to get her to walk sooner than later. But she is on her own path and she is doing great!

OK, here's hoping I will be powered back up soon, hope your week is off to a great start!

Lake FOF!

Hello from the lake! My blog has been quiet this week but all is wonderful and we've been enjoying a little family time at Lake Wateree. 

No traditional link-up this week (I lugged my laptop, charge cord and mouse down here only to find out my laptop battery is dead as a door nail) but here are five photos from our wonderful time down here. 

Happy Friday!

Five On Friday: Bathroom Renovation Update!

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
This week is all about our master bathroom renovation updates! We first started demo on July 3rd, and I felt like everything was going SO fast, and the momentum kept up, and then all of the sudden ... sllooooooowww. Some were factors in my control (I procrastinated on some decisions) and some were not ... just typical construction stuff. But I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel -- and we may just may be done in a little more than a week or so?!

T W O
Earlier this week I went to In Style to approve the placement of the cuts on the countertop remnant we found. I'm so in love with it. It's a great medium gray quartzite/marble with lots of gorgeous movement. Looks like installation will be this coming Monday!

T H R E E

We are looking for a medium gray wall color ... anyone have good suggestions? Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams was WAY too light for the walls when I put up a few swatches. It washed out the tile, so we are looking for something that will highlight the pretty tile veining a little more.

Our designer said that Benjamin Moore had the prettiest grays. Any recs?

F O U R
The big statement light for over our tub is ordered and on the way! I'm so excited ... waiting for it has definitely delayed some progress (tub can't be installed until it is), but ultimately I think the wait will be okay because of the WOW factor it will give. Local Charlotte friends ... we ordered it through Blankenships.

F I V E

We have a fun big square showerhead and need an extended arm to go along with it. We have two options ... one that goes straight out, and one that is adjustable and would allow the showerhead to sit a little higher. Which one, which one?!

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Remember, this is the last weekend to shop the Nordstrom sale. My faves below:

(the shirt shown in black is the one I ordered in yellow... it runs large! i ordered a super small size for me ... XXS Petite ... and it fits great! I normally wear an XS)

That's it for today! Hope you have a lovely weekend -- thanks for linking up with us below!

Rice Krispie Goodness

I have always, alwaaaaaays loved Rice Krispie treats and only this past year did I ever start adding in extra marshmallows to the combined mixture before putting it in the pan. And that makes ALL the difference, y'all.

Here's the recipe I use:

RICE KRISPIE TREATS

5 Tbsp butter

8 cups mini-marshmallows, plus 2 cups

6 cups Rice Krispies

Melt butter on the stovetop over low/medium heat. Add in 8 cups marshmallows and stir constantly until combined. Add in Rice Krispies, stir to combine mixture. 

NOW THE FUN PART. Stir in those extra two cups of marshmallows. They will stay gooey and will only melt halfway. 

Spray an 8x8 glass pan with nonstick spray. I don't even press mine in, I just pour it in allowing them to stay nice and fluffy and uneven. 

And that's it!

If you want a little extra zing, top the pan of treats with a sprinkle of sea salt. YUM!

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Quick update on the Zella Live-In leggings from the Nordstrom sale ... I got mine yesterday and they are awesome! I am actually not going to use them as workout leggings -- I'll (finally) retire my Target maternity leggings and use these instead with tunics and long sweaters this fall and winter.

Zella leggings HERE

$35.90 now through Sunday

Back to $54.00 on Monday

I'm wearing the XS ... I'm 5'2"

Yep, you heard that right, I've been wearing my black maternity leggings all this time, just folding down the extra belly coverage. But they're good leggings!

Perks of these Zella leggings: 1) nice and thick, but not warm/fuzzy thick ... more of an exercise material thick. 2) maaaajor "suck-you-in" power. my fanny felt lifted and my tummy felt contained. 3) inexpensive now as part of the sale. 

Ciao, ladies!