The case of the sick slacker

Phew.

Made it through this week! Sadly, it's Sunday {already?!} and I have to get back to the grind tomorrow. 

This week was a bit of an odd one. On Monday, Charles stayed home sick, which is rare, and on Wednesday, I stayed home sick {even more rare..I can't even remember the last time I stayed home sick...I hate the feeling of having to make up work..I even did in school}. I slept practically all day. Thursday and Friday were spent still half sick and in a busy fog of events. I still don't feel fully recovered, but I'm working on it. 

I hope all of you have had a beautiful spring tease of a week like we have had here. I have to admit, I got spoiled by the gorgeous weather. I'm ready for thunderstorms, cookouts, floating the river, ahh. 

Friday marked 5 months since Charles and I got married. Holy gracious, where did the time go? We have started tossing out ideas on how to spend our first anniversary {I know, still quite a ways off, but it's never too early for a planner to plan..}

Remember last week, when I told you that last Sunday I spent lazily watching movies and cuddling with Charles instead of catching up on laundry and dishes and cleaning that I didn't get to do since we were out of town last weekend? Well I had planned to catch up on all of that during the week a little bit at a time...then the sickness happened...for both of us. Which meant a lack of energy...and no cleaning. Needless to say our house was a bit of an absolute utter disaster. Suffice it to say I don't need to explain what my Saturday consisted of. 

Today, Charles and I had a few of our friends over and we learned how to make homemade eggrolls {my oh my were they delicious} and Charles made his famous avocado crab salad, which is insanely good. We also hadn't seen these friends in quite awhile, so it was great to play catch up and have a fun time trying new things. Completely delightful Sunday. 

Another hearty photo segment to make up for being so absent lately..{In no particular order..}

New fave candle "Flannel" by B&B Works! I don't know if a candle can really smell "cozy," but if cozy had a smell, it would be this candle. 

Before and after of my favorite handy man with a green thumbs hard work on Saturday. Removed the obnoxious bushes! We also bought some new pots and are going to add some new landscaping here in a few weeks :) 

Charles and I thought it would be fun to rewatch our old favorite show, Entourage, from the start! We've had a blast cuddling and watching the old episodes. 

My Saturday in a nutshell {after I was done cleaning, of course...} Tried a new beer, cut up and marinaded some veggies for the grill, and busted out the chacos! {sound the trumpets}

On top of being sick, I got to be "super wife" and make Charles food for his work potluck. He told me about it the night before, per usual. Pizza balls it is! 

We were so exhausted by the time Friday came around that we didn't even want to think about cooking, and we found our way to Marketplace! Flaming queso, get in my stomach. 

My handsome hard worker! 

I told him it was a bad idea, but not a soul was to be found at Lowe's, and of course the one thing we wanted was on the top shelf. 

My Saturday morning view before I started cleaning...oh happy day. 

Eggroll fun! Such a blast. 

Now I'm sitting here, a cup of afternoon coffee in hand {mental note, go to Sweet Bay and pick up a few packets of chocolate chai mix...}, and a loaf of banana bread baking in the oven. I may or may not have added in chocolate chips as a treat for Charles, but shh..don't tell him. In a few hours we will be headed to a local Catholic church to pick up our to go orders of food. It's their Spaghetti Supper fundraiser for their elementary school, and we love to go through their "drive thru" and pick up our orders! We get spaghetti, a salad, bread, and ice cream all for ten dollars, and we support a great school! Win win. 

I know I talk a lot about "mushy" things, and about how much I enjoy spending time with my husband. Some might call it the honeymoon phase, but I don't see it that way. 

I've had a lot of friends come and go the past few years, but my husband is someone who has always been there for me the past few years. Yes, I do have a handful of quality friends that have always and will always be there for me, and vice versa, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Everyone has the story of a friend who stopped hanging out with them because they had a career change, got into a relationship, stopped wanting to go out or go to parties {or host parties...}, or went through a hard time. 

I've gone through plenty of hard times, even when I've been quiet about it. I've had friends who couldn't deal because of it. But there a some people who have always been there for me, and I won't forget them because of it. To have quality friends, you have to be quality friends. I'm extremely blessed with some great people in my life, and wouldn't trade them for the world. That being said, I also won't forget those who weren't there when I needed them the most. 

I hope this week you all take the time to reach out to your friends, new or old, and let them know that you value them. 

"If you're absent during my struggle, don't expect to be present during my success" 

5 for Friday!

Happy FRIDAY, y’all!

I’ve seen this been done on an increasing amount of blogs lately, so I thought I might try it. It’s called 5 for Friday. Basically, you just talk about 5 things that are on your mind as Friday rolls around. How fun!? I feel as if I could be a regular 5 for Friday blogger, so let’s start with my first 5 for Friday post!

{One}

Coffee is something that is sometimes always on my mind, but especially today. For starters, I’ve been SO sick all week, and haven’t been sleeping at all, which means coffee has been a Life. Saver. No joke, I wouldn’t have made it through my first week back at work post wedding and honeymoon  at all, especially being sick, without coffee. My pal coffee has also helped me out this week by soothing my throat with its warm coffee goodness. Coffee will continue to help me this weekend as I sit under a blanket Saturday morning {HOORAY for cooler temps} and write a billion thank you notes! Here’s a few new fall coffee flavors you all might want to give a try…

 

{Two}

Starting Saturday, it’s officially Sweater Weather! Insert happy dance here. I have so many new and old sweaters that I can’t wait to dig out and fill my closet with. I’m fairly certain Sunday will be dedicated to laundry / switching my closets! {I have a closet for winter clothes and a closet for summer clothes. I switch the closets according to seasons to the closet in the bedroom} It makes my little heart happy when I switch my closets; it feels like I get a whole new wardrobe, which in a sense, I do. Here are some sweaters I am lusting over this fall / winter!

Oversized sweaters. I need no explanation why I am loving this for fall!

Tribal print sweaters! There are so many ways you can dress up and down a tribal print, fun sweater!

 

 

Studded sweaters are probably my favorite sweaters this fall. Rock and Republic for Kohl's has an amazing studded sweater I grabbed last season, and I'm looking forward to transition it into this fall!

 

{Three}

Kirkland’s holds a new, special place in my heart. I was looking for the perfect new monogrammed doormat {I know, I know, Bed Bath and Beyond has them, but they aren’t very cute in my opinion…a little too simple} and lo and behold, I found the most wonderful of all doormats. I give you the Kirkland’s monogrammed doormat! That’s not even the best part. The best part is its price tag. You might want to take a seat. This puppy is only $11.99 at Kirkland’s. I just can’t. TOO amazing! Not only odes Kirkland’s have these amazing and inexpensive rugs, but they have THE best {and most budget friendly} home décor and the yummiest smelling candles ever. Plus, they are always running some kind of sale or special. Blows my mind, I’ll be there most likely right after work.

The detailing on this doormat really sets it apart from others that I have seen. Thank you Kirkland's for such amazing and affordable products!

 

{Four}

A friend recommended that I start reading Erin Hilderbrand books if I wanted a good juicy beach read {I was about to head to the beach for my honeymoon, so of COURSE I wanted a nice juicy beach read!} I bought a few of her books, one of them being Barefoot, and fell in love!  I can’t wait to read ALL of her books. They are available on the Kindle also, for all of you tech savvy gals!

 

{Five}

It’s the weekend, and I’m Happy Happy Happy!  I started the weekend off right with a frozen Cinnamocha from Sacred Grounds, a local coffee shop. It is literally heaven in a cute little clear to go cup, and is making this Friday afternoon fly by!

 

My plans for this evening will start out with a going away party for my brother in law {he is joining the air force and will be shipping out for basic training later this month} at my sister’s house. I am SO looking forward to a night with family, food, and hopefully a huge glass of wine.

Tomorrow is a day of thank you cards and football! Charles’ brother and his girlfriend are coming over to watch our beloved Razorbacks play Florida, and I am going to try out a new mojito recipe {I’m on quite the mojito kick since Mexico…have a good recipe? Comment below}

I’m sure at some point this weekend we will watch Iron Man 3 {Charles is dying to see it, and I like to keep him happy} which means puppy snugs and cuddles with my husband. You can’t really beat that.

 

What’s on your mind this beautiful Friday? Big plans? I’d love to hear. Be a blessing today, and have a fabulous weekend!

Michele Alley

Chilly weather calls for a Chili Recipe!

Happy Fall, Y’all! I’m {finally} feeling better today, thanks for asking ;)

It’s October! When did that happen? I feel like I blinked and the year passed by! Please tell me I’m not alone in that fact that when it turns October every year, I do a little happy dance because the holidays are getting so close, and I LOVE the holidays.

If you live in the beautiful but weather – temperamental state of Arkansas like I do, you know that it’s still been a little warm for the picture perfect “fall” day {although I must say, September 21^st aka my wedding day was the ideal fall day- a crisp, cool morning with the high being right at 79..how perfect is that? Ok..so maybe I’m biased, I’ll always think 9/21/13 was the best day of my life.}

Even with the warmer than ideal temperatures, it’s still felt just like fall, and the fall weather is set to arrive on Saturday! The high is 66, people, and next week will be all sunny skies and 70’s {which means I get to bust out my new cheetah print sweater from my favorite store of all time, Suite One!}

Big weekend plans? Charles and I can’t wait to spend Saturday lounging around and enjoying the cool weather, watching Razorback football, and going to Paul’s meat marker to either pick out our favorite steaks {they are filled with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon…what’s not to love?} or trying out the new Paul’s meat marker Razorback burgers that everyone keeps raving about. Decisions, decisions…I also have to start writing all of our thank you cards for the wedding…it is a never. ending. process.

When I came home from work on Monday, I came home to a new toy from my husband!  A new iPad with a pink smart cover! Talk about the perfect way to cure a nasty case of the Monday blues. I was notorious for stealing his iPad {hey, when I do housework or get ready, I like to walk around with the iPad watching my shows on Netflix or Hulu Plus to help pass the time and make it more enjoyable…} so he thought it was time for me to have my own. Shout out to awesome husband’s everywhere, because my husband is TOO much! The newest show addiction of mine is Scandal. If you like the show Revenge then you will love it! I feel so drawn to this show because I feel as if it could actually happen. Plus, my TV Soulmates {hey, Angela and Katie!} both have expressed a liking for the show, so I knew I had to check it out. SO glad I did.

New iPad, can't get enough!

 

I know you all have been hearing about the ever so popular and controversial government shutdown {anyone who has a facebook has heard ALL about it, it seems, and everyone ON facebook is an expert on the topic…insert eye roll here.} I have to admit the timing is not ideal, but it doesn’t affect me too much, except that it shut down THE DAY I tried to get my social security card changed over to my new name. I got denied. So, according to the SS office, I am still Michele Marsh. I think I can deal. As long as Wal-Mart is open and the football teams are still playing, I’m a-ok!

When I was growing up, every Halloween my mom would make her first batch of chili for the season. We would never cook it until Halloween, and it was such a treat when we finally got to have a nice bowl of chili with fritos on top {can’t beat that, y’all!} Since it is now October, I thought I would go ahead and share my mom’s chili recipe with you, just in case y’all would like a delicious fall treat a little earlier!

Now, this recipe is double what you would normally make for just family, because I like to freeze my leftover chili and keep it on hand to heat up for a lazy, cold evening, or for a day when we are having hot dogs and I just want some chili on top! If you don’t like to freeze it or you’re just cooking for a handful of people, cut this recipe in half.

v  2 lbs. ground beef {or ground turkey}

v  1 small yellow onion, chopped

v  1 small green pepper {I usually use half a bell pepper and a jalapeno pepper for a little kick!}, chopped

v  1 small red pepper, chopped {optional}

v  1 can pinto beans, with juice

v  1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

v  1 can {6 oz.} tomato paste

v  2 envelopes chili seasoning {I typically use 1 mild packet and 1 hot packet, but I like it more on the spicy side. Feel free to adapt to your own personal taste!}

v  1 can full of water {I typically use the 6oz can}

Brown the meat of your choosing in a large pan. Drain excess grease. Add in onions and green peppers, cook until tender, stirring frequently. Add all remaining ingredients, making sure to mix them well. Bring to a boil, cover. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. {Typically, after I brown the meat, I throw it in a crockpot instead along with all of the other ingredients and let is simmer on warm or low for about 3-4 hours. I just get better results that way, and as an added bonus, it makes your house smell DIVINE!}

 

I hope your Wednesday is as incredible as you make it! Feeling bored? Check out one of my favorite blogs to peruse! www.dreaminginblush.com !

Until next time,

Michele Alley<3

Back to Business, Sunday Evening Lull

Hello, y'all! I hope your weekend has been fabulous thus far! I know mine has. It is Sunday evening, I'm sitting on my couch under a cozy blanket (I don't know about y'all, but I have a tendency to keep my house on the cooler side...), snuggling up with the two cutest doberman (Cholla, the Min-Pin and the mommy's girl, and Milli, the Doberman pincher, and the daddy's girl), and sipping on a "larger than the restaurants will allow" glass of wine. In my world, you can't really beat that. Oh, and of course, my fiance is sitting next to me watching Mountain Men, we can't leave him out!

On Thursday, I blogged mainly about how excited I was for the weekend, and the plans I made for myself. Now that the weekend is drawing to an end, let me just tell you the turn of events. I honestly don't know why I set myself up to believe that a weekend will go a certain way or according to plan, because it NEVER goes how I mean for it to (no complaints, I like the little unexpected twists and turns)!

Friday night actually turned out just like I planned in my head. I came home from work, relaxed for a little while, got ready, and went to 21 West End. My work colleagues and I had great conversations and a great overall night. If you don't mingle with your co-workers outside of work, I HIGHLY recommend making the effort. It gives you a chance to get to know people in a casual environment, and you might end up viewing someone in a completely different light. I had the pomegranate martini (DIVINE, I tell ya) as well as the Chicken Oscar. I should have made an effort to get pictures to show you all, however time completely got the best of me. I wore a long sleeved black Piko top to dinner, with a pair of high waisted, loose black shorts with a gold chain design to dinner, and I paired it with a pair of rust colored wedges (again, I wish I took a picture for show and tell)!

Saturday morning I woke up and went to our local Farmers Market with Katie, and I'll tell you what, I was impressed!  I ended up purchasing some great items, including cucumbers, onions, garlic, pepper jelly, habanero mustard, and blackberry jam! I also picked up some sunflowers and a bouquet of fresh flowers while I was there. The sunflowers have been placed in my kitchen to brighten things up, and Charles is a sucker for sunflowers! My first farmers market experience was a great one and I know I will be back again, and SOON, if I can keep my butt in town for a weekend! When I got home from the market, I cooked breakfast for Charles and I, and then we went and completely cleaned out our cars inside and out. I can't speak for you, but I feel a LOT better when I start my week when I have a clean car. I think cleaning my car out on Sundays should become a new routine for us. We then spent the rest of the afternoon lying around lazily at the house, until it was time to get cleaned up for the wedding. After the wedding, we rented the movie "Movie 43" (NOT recommended, it was too odd for words) and got some Tassanee's (our favorite Thai place in town) and had a lazy night in.

Farmers Market Haul! ADORE!

Breakfast I made with the delicious blackberry jam from the Farmers Market

Today, I woke up, drank a cup of coffee and tore up Pinterest! I'm so addicted to that site, it helps me pick out my clothes, plan my weekly menu, etc. After that, I spent a little bit of the morning cleaning up (laundry and dishes) and completely cleaned out and re-arranged everything in our fridge! It is so much easier and more pleasant to open up the fridge and know where to find things, and to have everything clean, and all of the old items discarded. I had mentioned how I wanted to re-arrange the furniture, but Charles surprised me on Thursday night and re-arranged the living room, which I adore! After cleaning up, I got ready for a Bridal Fair at Inscriptions, where I was given a free Vera Bradley bag, SO cute! I have a slight Vera Bradley obsession, but I'm convinced this is ok, because all women have a small Vera obsession...right? ;) Charles and I then went to might parents to relax by the pool and grill out. The musician for our wedding came over and we chose the music for our wedding ceremony. It absolutely BLOWS my mind that it is only 54 days away! I can't even stand it!

Vera Bradley bag I scored at the Inscriptions Bridal Event!

I've mentioned several times in this post some local treasures I visit frequently. Shopping local is something I highly encourage to you all, get out there and make the extra effort to find where your local farmers, boutiques, restaurants, etc. are and support them! They take great care of you and you usually get more bang for your buck. If you live around here, I'll share with you some of my FAVORITE local places. For all of you fashionistas and shopping addicts out there like me, go to Suite One! I shop there and follow them religiously, I rarely find myself anywhere else when I'm in search of the perfect outfit. A favorite local place to dine of ours is Ralph's Pink Flamingo barbecue! They cater events, and they have the BEST barbecue (and potato salad...=D) around. Check them out if you live around here! If you're looking for one of a kind, unique gifts for any occasion, or invitations, etc. then check out Inscriptions! They are also a supplier of Vera Bradley bags, which helps my Vera obsession!

I think this is going to be all for me tonight, folks! I start my new work schedule tomorrow (6am-3pm..oh the life of a Freight Broker) and I really need to get myself on a new sleeping schedule! I PROMISE I will be back again, sooner rather than later!

Until next time, xoxoxo

Michele