Five on Friday

Anyone miss five on Fridays? I sure do. Also I get in 1000 times better of a mood when its Friday. It's like 'I can make it!'

1. A few weekends ago we threw one of my best friend's a baby shower in Greenville. So much fun! I cannot wait for her little boy to be here - so I have a newborn to cuddle with! Olivia left with the boys for a little while to eat bbq (aka mac and cheese), play in a pitcher of water, and run around on the restaurant outdoor patio. It was nice to hang out with everyone hands free!

2. Olivia's newest favorite past time is Instagram. She will hand me my phone and say "baby doggie, pweas?" She likes to point out all of the babies and the doggies. And say "aweeeee" every time she sees one. And then say "more baby?" when we pass by food or books on a shelf or anything else boring. ;) It's the only time she will sit still or in my lap, so I'll take it.

3.  All we do around here is play in water. Olivia wears about 3 outfits a day. It's been so hot - that we do spend a bit of time at playgrounds, on walks, and in her cozy coupe - but once a day (or more) we play with the hose, sprinklers, pool, or water table. Olivia's helping her daddy water a tree. 

4. Along with water, popsicles are a must. And ice water. It's hot.

She stole my popsicle here - so she could double fist.

Ice water always tastes better out of mama's cup.

5. I found this selfie on Dan's phone. Olivia really has her selfie face down. She took three selfies on Gigi (Dan's mom's) phone and Instagrammed them all. She's a social media pro. 

Happy weekend!!

Recent Recipes

I always forget to share the good recipes I have found. And then I forget to make them again. This blog is really to benefit me and my horrible memory. 

I was reading Brittany's (she just had a baby, yesterday, I think .. but somehow he's already 3 months old?) blog post about paint colors, and found this post. I completely forgot about all of this. 

Don't worry. When Olivia helps cook, we don't serve it to guests. 

First of all - this chicken recipe. I don't have a picture, but its the best chicken ever and we make it weekly. 

5-6 chicken thighs.

Let me stop here. I HATE chicken thighs. HATE them. They are so gross and slimey and have these red and white things on them that I can't handle. BUT - boneless skinless organic chicken thighs are almost white like breasts and a million times better. I like smart chicken. I think you can use breasts, no problem, but try the thighs. Just once. 

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff, hint, she isn't an Aunt)

Foil line a pie plate, dip the thighs in the mixture, and bake at 450 for 40 minutes. Top with rosemary - maybe 1-2 teaspoons. Don't forget this. I always forget this. Makes a huge difference.

Make this chicken, it will change your life.

Second, cinnamon toast.

I have been making cinnamon toast wrong my entire life. At first, I was a little offended when the Pioneer Woman was talking about me and my cinnamon toast making process. But then I tried hers and - oh my gosh. My mom steered me wrong my entire childhood. Or kept me from being obese and eating loaves of cinnamon toast. One or the other.

Pictures cannot do this justice. Not in her blog, not my own.

Here is the recipe. And the reason I'm wrong.

Third, this Noodle Bake. 

I don't even know what a noodle bake is, but for some reason it sounds delicious. The original recipe is here, but I made quite a few adjustments to make it healthier and to use all of packages (I don't like it when you have to use 3/4 of a bag of pasta).

12 ounce bag of egg noodles

1.5 pounds ground beef

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 10 oz can rotel (used original but you could use spicy)

2 6 ounce containers plain chobani

8 ounces cottage cheese

8 ounces shredded cheddar (I used an 8 oz block and shredded)

1. Cook the pasta. Once cooked, drain and add the yogurt and the cottage cheese.

2. Brown the beef. Once brown, drain, and add the tomato sauce and rotel. 

3. In a 13x9 dish, layer 1/2 pasta, 1/2 beef mix, 1/2 cheese. Rest of the pasta, rest of the beef, rest of the cheese.

4. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

This fed 8 large portions, so there's definitely leftovers around here.

Fourth, pasta salad that I didn't take a picture of.

1 12oz package tri colored penne

4 ounces italian salad dressing

2.25 ounce can of sliced black olives (so precise, but that was my can size)

3/4 package of pepperoni, sliced into quarteres

1 16 ounce can artichoke quarters - roughly chopped

4 ounce can of diced pimentos

Combine all ingredients. Well. Cook the pasta first, you goon. Then enjoy. 

Funny - we NEVER really eat pasta around here, but pasta was 50% of my recipes today. 

Lastly, we made The World's Best Ever Key Lime Pie and it was the world's best ever again. 

Recent Instagrams

Wanted to share a few pictures of my sweet baby girl from Instagram (@kelley_lovelikecrazy).

She'll be ready for paddle board handstands in no time!

Matching Olivia bracelets because, obviously.

Her new classroom, the door is in and out of the playground. So guess what we have to do for about half an hour every day after I pick her up? Shhh don't tell work. 

Dada. Mo mo wah wah?

I can't remember if I shared these next two. Probably. Mom brain.

More monkey business.

Who, What, When, Where, Why Wednesday

Kelly over at Happily Ever Mock is having me on her Who, What, When, Where, Why Wednesday today! 

Go on over to her blog to check it out. It includes a story that I don't think (?) I've ever shared about how my back is broken.

4th of July

Fourth of July is always the epitome of summer for me. 

We started by taking Olivia and baby for some donuts.

Then we headed straight to the pool. Our pool does live music, food trucks, photo booths and games all day on the 4th. At one point we were in the big pool and Olivia was asking to get out. I thought she wanted to jump in, so I put her up on the side. She ran directly toward the center of the concrete (where are the chairs are turned toward) and started dancing like crazy, breaking it down, getting so low she fell a few times. This girl had a blast. And definitely worked off the extra sugar from the donuts.

She found a 6 month old that she was dyyyying to have. She wanted to hold her and I had to keep saying "no you can't touch other babies." "that baby isn't ours." "you can't have her." She was in TEARS. This girl is dying for a real live baby, and she's ready to steal one at the pool. Hide yo kids. 

After a not-long enough nap, we spent the rest of the day outside where Olivia enjoyed her first sparklers and was scared to death of those popper things that Dan loves. We ate our body weight in watermelon, grilled out, and, made smores. 

I love when the 4th falls on a weekend - and this year it was just perfect!

Olivia and the Babies

Have you read this book?

It's one of Olivia's favorites. And it has quickly become her life.

I can think about cereal right now, Ian. I've decided I'm going to be a mommy and I've got a lot to do.

Source / Order Book

You guys remember the doll that Dan's grandfather gave Olivia? She's obsessed. She calls it 'baby' (its one of the 15 words she knows). Baby must do everything with us.

I've never seen her so sad as when we ask her to say goodbye to baby before she leaves for school. Its not her mad temper tantrum cry. Her bottom lip sticks out and she's just so sad to leave her best friend behind.

When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she says is "baby?"

She says hi to baby. Literally. She says, "Hi to baby" as she waves.

Baby came with us to get donuts on the 4th.

Baby watches Elmo with us.

I told Olivia we needed to go to target. She rush around the house. Found a Vera Bradley lunch box, shoved a lovie, her sippy cup and some stickers inside. Threw it over her shoulder. Put baby in the stroller and headed outside.

Baby gets thirsty.

Baby goes to whole foods.

Baby gets so many hugs and kisses.

Olivia shares her breakfast with baby.

Baby's mouth has to be cleaned too. Baby needs to wash her hands when Olivia does. I now have two children.

I'm putting Olivia in the car at Target and then folding up the doll stroller to throw in the trunk. 

Everyone thinks baby is real. I had a lady ask me how far apart they were. I think she was more concerned with why I was letting a toddler push a 6 month old in a doll stroller.

It really is sweet that she cares for this baby so much. She's going to be the best mommy one day.

Charleston

A few weekends ago we went to Charleston for one of my best friends bachelorette parties. So. Much. Fun. I absolutely love Charleston. Nine of the girls had never been there before, and I think they fell in love.

The weekend started with glittered champagne bottles. Obvi.

We ate a lot. This crab and shrimp salad from Pearlz was the best thing I've ever had. Maybe a slight exaggeration. But, a Pearlz is opening up near us. Hopefully it has the same menu!

We boated to a tiki hut where we spent most of Saturday doing hydrofly, pattleboarding, laying out. 

And some gymnastics.

I stole these two pictures from our group text (hence the blurry) but cannot for the life of me remember who's phone they were from to give credit. I guess technical credit goes to the strangers who agreed to take our picture.

I can't wait for her wedding in just 2 months!!