Friday Favorites 2/13/15

Monday I came home from work, not sure if I would make it to Friday.

This week has been so exhausting!  

I fought sinus headaches and congestion ALL WEEK LONG.

I thought I kicked it, but it came back!  In a headache/nasal/losingmyvoice form!

No fun!  BUT today is Friday and I am sooooo excited for the WEEKEND!  

This week I am linking up with Erika, Andrea and Narci again for my FRIDAY FAVS!

Here we go...

The Meal planning continues!!

We made LOTS of tasty dinners this week!  I wrote about my fabulous ravioli bake HERE!  It takes less than 30 minutes and it is FABULOUS!

This is the finished product!  So easy and great tasting!

Here is a picture of my leftovers from our roast night.  Carrots, green bean casserole, potatoes, and the best roast every.  You can find the roast recipe HERE.  It was another great crock pot recipe.

Here is a picture of chicken fajitas before I stirred it.  This was fabulous served on a whole wheat tortilla. 

On Saturday I went to a bike race with Josh and his dad about an hour away.  

This is the first race Josh finished in the top three when I was there.

He has before, but when I wasn't at the race.  I always tease him and tell him I am bad luck because he never wins when I am there! 

The funny thing is I BARELY saw him start the race because I was asleep in the truck.  I heard the take off sound and sat up and saw him speed by!  The laps were about 20 minutes apart so I would "power nap" in-between the laps.  Everyone knows how much I love a nap.  

I can nap almost anywhere :)

 He was so fast I had a hard time taking a picture of him!  He is either cut out of the picture or way far away!

 2nd place!  The first place guy was sooo nice and helped Josh finish.  I am pretty competitive, and really wanted Josh to win, but the guy who won deserved it!  He was very strong and could have left Josh, but he stayed with him.  What a guy and team player :)

 On Sunday Josh and I ran stairs and laps at our middle school football field.  I forgot how out of shape I am.  I mean I almost passed out.  I ran up and down the stairs five times.  That is one of the hardest things to do!  Then we ran a 800m, 400m, 100m and stretched.  Definitely not as far as I wanted to go, but it is a great start and my body would not go on!  My legs were sooo sore!  I was so proud of myself because this months bucket list was to run more.  You can read about that HERE.

One of my favorite things to do is embroider!  This week I started embroidering items for a friend's baby girl!  I love an initial and monogram!  

This is for baby Madi and she is going to LOOOVEEE it!  It is the progress of a "M".  

Here are two of my FAVORITE pictures from the week!  Josh is working (sorry a little blurry) while watching the bachelor.  I love spending time with him, even if it means him doing work.  So happy to have him in the same city as I am :)

 I love a hard working man!  Especially this one!

I did a few errands after work this week and saw this BEAUTIFUL mountain with snow on it!  I was so taken back because we didn't have snow this week in the lower elevations and it was such a beautiful sight!

Finally, I posted Last Week about the neti pot and how much it helped my sinuses.  It definitely helped, but my cold turned into a very painful sinus and ear infection.  I felt like my teeth were going to fall out of my mouth from all the pressure.  It is amazing how quickly an infection can come on.  I was fine all weekend, thinking I was on the mend, but Monday night and Tuesday I began to feel pressure like no other in my sinuses/nose/mouth/ears and started to lose my voice. 

I headed to the doctor and tried not to breathe while I was in the waiting room.  There was a LONNNGG wait and I almost passed out several times, but they finally called my name!

 Luckily I was given medicine and rested a few days! 

I learned something new while waiting in the doctor's office.  So when I take my temperature at home it is usually 96 or 97 degrees.  I thought the thermometer was always wrong.  BUT come to find out some people's temperature average can be lower than 98.  So if my average is around 96 or 97, then my elevated would be 99 to 100.  I asked the nurse what my temp was and she said 99.3, which is elevated for someone with my frame.   I had a small fever because I was fighting an infection.  That was very interesting to me because I thought that average for everyone was 98!  I learned something new about myself.  :)

This was in the doctor's office.  I almost fell asleep/passed out in the waiting room, so I was happy to prop my feet up while I was waiting for the doctor in my own little room.  I am so thankful for good, patient doctors who take the time to hear out your symptoms and then send you on your way to the pharmacy!

Well friends, I hope you had a WONFERFUL week!!  Can you believe it's almost the middle of February?!  

I love sharing my favorites!

What are your favorites from this week?  Happy February!

Friday Favorites 2/6/15

Hey ya'll it's Friday!  I have loved sharing my favorites with you! 

I am linking up with Erika,  Andrea and Narci again!

Here are my favorites from this week!

1.)  Since switching to Kindergarten I maybe have wore a dress TWICE this year and I am pretty sure that was in the summer when it was HOT.  I usually wear skirts or dresses with leggings but with teaching little ones it is so hard because you are sitting in itty bitty chairs, on the floor, picking up things, etc.  I have been in search of a pant that does not fall off and isn't short.  Also something I can wear my Danskos with.  I saw an American Eagle add with the AE Kick Boot pant and thought maybe they would work!  AND holy cow they do!  They are the perfect fit and length!  My chicken legs love LOVE them.  The biggest problem I have it with pants stretching out and they fall off, but these fit the bill.  Since then, I have got two colors for Christmas and bought two other colors.  So I have four pants that fit PERFECTLY!

One recommendation I have is to try them on, even if you are getting two different colors because I wore a different size in the Grey than I did in the Khaki.  I totally try on EVERYTHING.  I like how if I buy them online and don't like them, I can just take them back to the store no problem.

This is the khaki!  They sale this color and style in store!

Here is me about the head out the door a few mornings ago!  Love these pants!

I would suggest going a size down you normally do, because they stretch out.  

Wash them in COLD and hang to dry.

2.) Over the weekend I experienced sinus pressure like no other.  My right nostril (sorry tmi) was stopped up and I felt like my brain was going to bust.  I got hit in the nose a few years ago on the right side and ever sense I struggle with keeping it clear.  

Back in the fall I went to the doctor because of coughing and what I thought was a sinus infection.  The doc would not give me medicine because it was virus and recommended the neti pot.  I told her I was not going to try that and ended up suffering EIGHT weeks!!!  

I swore I was NEVER going to try the neti pot, but this time I was desperate.  I went to CVS and spent $14.  After one time I could breathe again, and it eased some of the mucus out.  I watched many videos on youtube before I bought it and was pleased by the reviews.  You do have to do it a few days in a row in order for it to work successfully.  It's not a a miracle worker, but it it better than being on medication.  I noticed the mucus after a few days of use dry up.  

This is the one I bought.  The pot it kind of cheap, but the solution comes with it is pretty great!

3.) On Wednesday, we Celebrated the 100th day!  We missed two days of school already this year, because of snow, so it was Wednesday!  I always take a picture of my kids on the first day of school, the 50th and the 100th.  It's so cool to see their hair and teeth change.  I like seeing my hair change too!  I always love how long/short my hair is!

I bought this little frame from Michael's.  It was under $10.  I already had the paint and I used letters I bought at the dollar tree!  My students love it and I love watching them grow!

4.) On Sunday I posted about meal planning here!  This week has been such a breeze when it comes to cooking dinner!  I have been so excited to all the meals we have planned together, because I know exactly what I am going to make!  Here are a few creations from the week!

This was a lunch I made twice this week.  It is chicken salad topped with lettuce and tomato.  

The Chicken Salad calls for:

salsa

sour cream

shredded chicken

lime juice

It's so simple and satisfying.  

I serve it on a wrap or sandwich flat like the one above. You can also stuff it in an avocado.

I eye balled all these ingredients.  I like a certain consistency, so I made it the way I like it :)

This was our FAVORITE meal this week.  The recipe is from Mix and Match Mama.  It is BBQ chicken sliders.  What I LOVE about this is you put it in the crock pot and leave it all day.  Something MAGICAL happens in that crockpot because the chicken has the BEST flavor EVER!!

Check out her blog for the recipe.  It is FABULOUS!

To go with it my mom made bacon ranch pasta salad.  They made a great pair.

 Another great meal was our rice bowls.  The morning of we put chicken in the crock pot and let it cook all day.  We made rice ahead of time, so all we had to do was heat it up.  It was a basketball night so we heated up the rice, shredded the chicken, added lettuce, cheese, salsa and queso!  It was a great little treat!  I put the ingredients in a Old El Paso stand and stuff tortilla.  It made a great bowl! 

The final favorite of the week was the Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells!  We usually have leftovers but we only had one little shell left!  Let me tell you!!!  These babies were fabulous!  You can find the recipe HERE.  I used Alfredo sauce from Aldi and it was great.  It was a different brand I had never used before, but I will definitely buy it again!

I love a little family friendly game of JENGA!

Jenga has been in my family since I was in Elementary school.  Every couple years we would go to Indiana and ALWAYS play this game with my cousins.  It brings back such sweet, sweet memories of sitting at grandmas rollie chairs playing Jenga!! 

On Tuesday Josh and I were watching T.V. and I saw my parents and Emma playing Jenga and I had to get a picture!

Well there you have it folks!  A very LOOONNNG Friday favorite, but so fun!

What is you favorite family game?!

What did you eat this week that is blog worthy?!

I would love to hear your feedback!

Have a great weekend!!

xoxo,

It's FRIDAY! 1/30/15

Oh Friday, how I have waited for you. 

Whew.  What a busy week! 

This week I am linking up with Erika, Narci, and Andrea!  

I am sooo excited about this week's Friday Favorites!  I know you will be too!

1.) For those of you who do not know, I have the BEST job in the whole wide world. 

 It gets crazy sometimes, but I love being a KINDERGARTEN teacher.  The world of teaching is something I LOVE.  It is just so wonderful, filled with many challenges, but something I love. 

One of my favorite things about teaching is Literature.  I love reading, especially teaching it.  There is just something magical about a book.  

Since I changed grades, the curriculum changed.  I love what we teach in Kindergarten.  I have enjoyed all the units so far.  One thing we do is compare and contrast Fairy Tales.  I did not have the original versions of many fairy tales so I ended up borrowing them from other teachers.  

One of my favorite stores is AC MOORE and when I was shopping for Christmas crafts, I came across these fabulous books.  They were on sale for under $4 each.  Usually a book under $5 is not worth it because it is either cheaply made or the content is for the birds.  

I read through all of these and they are simply wonderful, timeless pieces I plan to read over and over again.  If I had children I would totally buy a copy for them AND for my classroom.  I 100% recommend these books!  Your students, children or grandchildren will love them!

 There are views from the inside.  The pages are simply amazing!  Also, the cover is a hard squishy material that is so soft, yet durable.

If I were you I would hop in your car right now and go grab these great books!

2.) The past few weeks I have not been sleeping very well.  I am a sleeper, and usually sleep 8-10 hours.  I have ALWAYS been a sleeper, a good sleeper.  

When I do not get my sleep, I am not a happy camper.  

My mom uses DoTerra essential oils and I have been putting them into my diffuser for a few days and I have slept for 8 hours non-stop.  Once I lay down, it only takes about 5-10 minutes for me to fall asleep.  I put a mixture of serenity and lavender in my diffusor.  If I REALLY need to sleep, I put it on the bottom of my feet and have an excellent night's sleep!  I totally recommend it!

Here is my diffuser.  You open the lid, lift a little compartment and fill water to the line.  Then you put your essential oil of choice!  I have put orange and lemon before to make my room smell good, but lavender is just the best!  I love mine because it has a button for a light that is different colors!  At night I keep the light off, but when I wake up I love having a little light.  You can also set the timer.  It had 1,2, and 3 hour and has a constant option.  I always put the timer on for three hours and it turns off when I am sleeping.

You can find the exact diffuser HERE for half price.  You can also get one at Earthfare. 

You should try it!  It is totally worth it!

3.)  I totally saved the best for last.  Josh moved into the same city as me a few months ago and we have been soaking up every opportunity to spend time together!  We go to the gym during the week, every once and a while eat out together, watch T.V. together on a work night, etc.  People don't realize how lucky they are to see someone everyday.  There would be times I would not see Josh for 3 or more weeks.  It about killed me, but we made it through.  

One day this week we went out for breakfast at McDonald's (don't judge I'm a sucker for their biscuits and gravy,  and it's the only close place that's open at 6:40 in the morning) before work!  Josh was headed out of town to work and I was headed to work.  We only saw each other for about 20 minutes, but it was what got me through the day! 

What are your Friday Favorites?  Do you have a new favorite book or have you grabbed a must have from the store this week?  I'd love to hear them!

Happy weekend!  

xoxo

-C-

Friday Favorites! 1/23/15

WOO HOO!  It's Friday!

Here are my five FRIDAY favorites from this week!

1.)  Ray-ban sunglasses

I am usually not a big spender on things that I am rough on like, sunglasses or purses.  But these are like the Mercedes of Sunglasses.  They are perfect. I have had this exact same pair for over two years and they are still great!  I wear contacts and my eyes are very sensitive to light.  When I wear these, my eyes just feel so much better, no joke.  

I don't wear them to school or at the beach because I am afraid I will lose them. 

 I wear my cheap American Eagle sunglasses when I go somewhere I don't want to risk losing them.

Another reason why I love them is because although they look really dark, they really aren't when you are looking through them.  I sometimes wear them in a store on accident because I forget I have them on :)

You can buy them at most eye doctors, sunglass stores and online.  Josh bought mine off of amazon for under $100, which is a steal.  I would suggest getting a neutral color, but fun colors are fabulous too!  You won't be disappointed, you'll love them!

Josh loves a ray-ban too!

2.) NIKE Pro Classic Dri-Fit Sports Bra

Everyone knows I love a Nike anything.  Let's just say this is my favorite sports bra, well ever.  I have it in SOOOO many colors and I have gotten it at all different places.  My first one I purchased five years ago at Ross.  It was a random purchase because I wasn't looking for one but I saw it in yellow on a rack all by itself! It was less than $15!!  Score!  I then found one at REI on clearance in blue for $18. I bought one like THIS in black from Nordstorm, not on sale, but totally worth it.  Basically it is EVERYWHERE, and in all different colors, which I love.  You can sometimes find it at the NIKE outlet on sale if you are lucky.  I love this fit and brand because they last FOREVER.  I still wear my very first one.  

3.) The Wet Brush

                                       

I've never loved a brush as much as this one!  My mom got one of these for Emma last year and I fell in love.  THEN one of my awesome kiddos got me a travel one for Christmas!  It glides through your hair without pulling and tugging on my hair.  It feels so great and wonderful for kids.  My hair isn't super thick... but gets tangles from time to time and this brush makes my hair feel great! 

 Try it and you'll love it!

They come in different sizes too :)

4.) Zebra pen grip flight

Just like a love a good NIKE, I love a good pen too.  I bought this pen a year ago because I needed to spend a dollar more to receive a discount.  I just thought it would be a pen that I would use or lose, but it became my FAVORITE pen!  It works so well and it's purple!  They have it in all colors, but what girl doesn't love a purple pen.  It's perfect!

5.) The movie Safe Haven

I'm a chick flick kind of girl.  I don't like movies that make you think, or scared.  I like movies that make you feel happy.  I read the book like three years ago, but never saw the movie.  Last Saturday, 

Josh told me to scroll through netflix to see what I wanted to watch.  I totally wanted a girlie movie so looked though all titles.  I came across this movie and quickly clicked play and started watching.  I was well, hooked.  I knew Josh would groan when I told him it was a girly movie.  It was 10 minutes in and he came to watch.  Well, then he was hooked!  I didn't know it was a action packed, mystery love story!

It was fabulous.  If you haven't seen it, curl up with some popcorn, blanket and watch!

This week I am linking up for FRIDAY FAVORITES with Erika Andrea, Narci and September FARM

What is your favorite thing this week??

That is all for now!  Have a great weekend!

xoxo

-C-