Five on Friday!

Yay for Friday! It's been a busy week and I'm happy to wake up in my own bed this morning after several days of work travel (Charleston & Greenville -- can't complain)! 

ONE // On a serious note, I've been tracking Hurricane Irma (& now Jose) constantly. To all my Florida readers, friends and family, I'm praying for you! And stay safe! I've been in frequent communication with my mom and sister as they prepare their homes and family for the powerful storm. If the Hurricane stays on track as the weathermen forecast, it should hit them late tonight through early tomorrow and then hit us late Sunday night through early Monday. So many prayers!

TWO // Sniffle Stopper Shot. A few days before our Florida trip I started coming down with some cold symptoms that I knew I needed to get rid of fast. On my way home from work one night I stopped at the Juice Bar for a powerful Sniffle Stopper Shot which is NO joke. This shot is a kick to the face and requires a pineapple chaser but it. is. magical. The next morning I woke up feeling 80% better. 

After posting my sniffle stopper shot to my insta-stories a really sweet reader surprised me with a Starbucks gift card for one of their secret menu items -- The Coldbuster (AKA The Medicine Ball). Seriously, how dang nice is that? I had no clue this drink existed and had to share this menu item with all of you as we embark on the unfortunate cold & flu season!

THREE // Caroline's first dentist appointment! I'm not gonna lie, I was soooo worried about how this appointment was going to go down. For weeks I had been preparing Caroline for it. I just knew she was going to bolt out of the chair the second the dentist came near her with a shiny metal tool. But nope. She surprised us all and breezed through the exam and giggled over all the "teeth tickles". I was so proud! And so was she.

FOUR // While working in Charleston this week I walked over to East Bay Deli for lunch and ordered the Veggie Crisp per Natalie's recommendation. It was so delicious that I'm determined to recreate it at home -- Lettuce, tomatoes, avocado spread, cucumbers, onions, pepper relish, sprouts and provolone on toasted wheat bread.

5 // Dog Heaven. When we broke the news to the kids that Charlie had gone to Heaven, Caroline did not take it very well. She was so heartbroken and couldn't understand why he had to go to Heaven. Once she calmed down we gave her the book Dog Heaven and told her it was a gift Charlie had sent. This book y'all. It was recommended to us by so many friends and is definitely a tearjerker but so beautiful. Highly recommend if you're ever in this situation.

Five on Friday!

Hello from the Charleston -- one of my favorite cities in the world! I'm drinking mimosas on the beach with my best gal pals today soooooo I wrote a 5 on Friday post before I left for my trip!

one. They day before my girlfriends arrived I tacked on a work trip to meet the attorneys in my firm's Charleston office. As part of my trip I got to spend the night at my favorite place ever -- Fulton Lane Inn (fullllllll review on this charming bed & breakfast we stayed in for our babymoon a million years ago!)!  and eat a delicious dinner at 82 Queen.

two. In other exciting news -- back at home our shower glass is finally getting installed. It's only been 234723945 years of showering sans glass with tons of floor towels but it's finally happening TODAY!

Caroline's adorable new ice cream sheets for her big girl bed!

three. Big Girl Bed Update/HELP:  It's only been a few weeks since we transitioned Caroline to a big girl bed and we are having the toughest time keeping her in bed and going straight to sleep. I don't want to scare her about NOT being allowed to get out of bed because she has already surprised us once by getting up, escorting herself to the potty, leaving evidence of a healthy #2, washing her hands and escorting herself back to her bed -- which is awesome. So the potty is the exception to our threats to stay in bed.  However, most of the time, after we've put her to bed she will get in and out (sometimes staying up hours past bedtime) to fish through her dresser drawers, play in her closet, turn her lamp on and off, etc. We've already removed almost everything from her room short of the clothes in her dresser drawers and bribed her with treats for staying in bed and going to sleep. We had hoped with nothing to play with she would just get bored and go to sleep -- nope, I found her one morning this week wearing ELEVEN pairs of underwear and a pair of tights that she helped herself to from her dresser.

Help! How do we get Caroline to go straight to sleep when we put her to bed? Give me ALL the tricks and tips.

four. I promised the EASIEST and most delicious burger recipe earlier this week! Here it is -- combine 1 packet of onion soup mix (dry) with 1.5 pounds of ground beef. That's it and oh my gosh, they are goooood. We've made these a few times recently.





five. Ok, I need some major help! I recently squeezed out the last of my face mask cream and am ready to try a new one. Here are my mask requirements: 1. suuuuuuuper moisturizing 2. for suuuuuuuuper sensitive skin. Basically, I need some Gatoraid for my face. Please share some recommendations!!! 

Five on Friday!

I have a random assortment of things for you today -- recipes, school pics, and more!

one. A few weeks ago the kiddos had school picture day. Normally I don't buy the photos but this year I caved and purchased a few digital prints. Side note, can we talk about how absurd the digital and print photos cost? My goodness. Anyway, these were too cute not to buy...

Yep, totally worth $35 for this one.

I cannot get over how much they've changed since last year's school pictures. Pass the tissues!

two. Over the weekend Caroline helped me make some Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup. This recipe was SO easy and the whole family loved it. Highly recommend!

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

1 bag (30 oz) frozen hash-brown potatoes
2 cans (14 oz ea) chicken broth
1 can (10.75 oz) cream of chicken soup
1/2 C chopped onion
1/3 tsp ground black pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
Garnish: minced green onion, Cheddar, shredded, and bacon

Instructions

In a crock pot, combine potatoes, broth, soup, onion, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese, cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until combined. Garnish with green onion, and/or Cheddar and bacon if desired.

three. We finished our New Year's Marriage Resolution strong with an incredible night out last weekend. This was definitely one of my favorite date nights of the year. For December we decided to check out a cozy bar in our old neighborhood -- The Workman's Friend. Our goal was to not be rushed through dinner and instead snuggle up next to the fire with beers in hand for a long night. 

Throughout the evening we ordered almost every appetizer off the menu, from brisket sliders topped with quail eggs to the goat cheese beet tower, the food was absolutely incredible. Back in April we stopped here for a drink after our Comida date night and made a note after seeing the food to come back to Workman's Friend for dinner...and I'm so glad we did!

four. I recently put together a really fun family movie night Christmas gift. I started by personalizing a large bowl (using a Sharpie Paint Marker) as well as small bowls for each family member. Then I added in a box of candy per person, a box of popcorn and a movie. The trickiest part was picking a movie for a a family with five kids ranging from ages 3-8 (yes crazy -- two sets of twins!) that everyone would enjoy. The family loved the basket and appreciated that everyone got the same blue bowl so there were no disagreements over which kid got which bowl. Ha!

five. You may have noticed that Caroline is really into accessories right now -- necklaces, scarves, etc. So for Christmas I've been looking for a necklace to hide in her stocking so I asked my neighbor, who is the owner and designer of White Sapling, to design something special for Caroline. I was SO excited to receive this adorable necklace for Caroline that I had to shout her praises from the rooftops! If you are looking for unique, beautifully custom made jewelry, make sure to check out Melissa's shop! 

Happy weekend, friends!

Four on Friday!

Oh hey! I'm laid up in bed watching Netflix with the hubs today while I recover from my revision surgery. However, I quickly jotted down four things before I left for the hospital...

one // My friend Mel hosted Supper Club for November! She invited us to wear pajamas for an evening of mimosas and breakfast (for dinner)! It was perfect! I can't believe we're about to wrap up another amazing year of Supper Club!

two // A few months ago I picked up The City Coat from J.Crew Factory and seriously have never received more compliments on a piece of clothing. The color is so fabulous and the price is insanely low right now. If you need a new coat this winter I highly recommend grabbing this one in bright ocean!

three // I know reading about potty training is probably one of the lamest things I could post about but technically this is about our reward system for Caroline, which I happen to think is awesome. So for potty training Matt and I had to think outside of the box for an easy, inexpensive reward that didn't involve candy/food/treats, stamps or stickers (those things have lost their magic). So we came up with a glow-in-the-dark-stars reward system. I love this set of stars because there are a variety of sizes so we can match the star size with the reward. For example, on days Caroline's uses the potty all day at school she gets a small star. And once we venture into using the potty for um, #2 she will get a BIG star. She is building an impressive constellation (Matt is creating the little dipper this week) and she feels so proud going to sleep with a reminder on her ceiling for being awesome. As a bonus, the star system incentivizes her to go to bed with a little less fuss because she's excited to add her star and see it light up when we leave her room.

four // Tell me what you're watching on Netflix, HBO, Showtime, etc. right now!!! I have some lounging to do this weekend...

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Wanna join April, Natasha and I on the Friday fun? You can link-up on any of our four blogs every Friday! All you have to do is...

1.) Write your post about five things you're lovin' this week (or any five things you want to share!).

2.) Share the logo on your blog and link back. 

3.) Link-up at the bottom of the post so some new readers can check out your five things and say hello!