My Trader Joe's Shopping List!

I received some questions about my recent Trader Joe's haul on InstaStories, so I thought I would pop in with my shopping list. I know I'm missing stuff on this list (Thomas destroyed my receipt) but these are a few items I never leave the store without. Tried and true favorites...

TRADER JOE'S GROCERY LIST

1. Wine (duh)! 
• La Ferme Julien Rouge Rose, $5.99
• Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, $7.99
• Picton Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, $6.99
• Trader Joes Petite Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, $6.99 
2. Cheese: goat cheese crumbles, feta crumbles, Manchego, boursin, Chevre with Honey
3. Produce: tomatoes, avocados, apples, onions, spinach, arugula, broccolini, etc.
4. Frozen: cauliflower rice, grilled cauliflower, blueberries, edamame, BBQ Chicken Teriyaki, turkey meatballs, mac & cheese
5. Meat: sliced prosciutto, filet mignon steak
6. Frozen Desserts: mini ice cream cones, cookie dough cheesecake bites,
7. Flowers 
8. Salad Dressings: Champagne Pear Vinaigrette, Cilantro Salad Dressing
9. Olive Oil Spray & Avocado Oil
10. TJ White Cheddar Corn Puffs (pirates booty knock off -- my kids favorite popcorn ever) 
11. TJ Mini Peanut Butter Crackers
12. Cinnamon Schoolbook cookies (favorite bribery treats)
13. Random spices, Pink Himalayan Sea Salt & Peppercorn Grinders)
14. Bonus impulse buy: Succulent garden (Seasonal -- and only $8!) 

Now share your favorite Trader Joe's items!



Five on Friday!

Happy Cinco de Mayo Friday!

one. In honor of Cinco de Mayo I had to share my favorite guacamole recipe!

two. What's that? You say you want another festive recipe? Okay, you got it! Here is my favorite Cinco de Mayo beverage -- Cherry Beergaritas, to go alongside your guac!

three. Is this not the happiest welcome mat? I impulsively picked it up at Target last week and was convinced Matt was going to make me take it back as soon as he arrived home so I ripped off the tags right away! But to my surprise...he loved it!  

four. It's Teacher Appreciation Week at the kiddos' school. Each day is a different theme/gift and yesterday was "treat day." I figured all of our teachers were maxed out on B&BW lotions and candy (although I thought last year's candy gift was cute and clever) and sweets (see previous "Smart Cookie" gift). Anyway, we have some pretty incredible teachers so this year I thought I'd make each of them each dinner! I don't know if this is a weird gift or an awesome gift but if someone gifted me a night off of cooking I'd be pretty pumped. Anyway, I tripled my favorite Baked Spaghetti recipe which yielded 6 meals plus some leftovers for us one night.

five. I realize this was a heavy food post, but I have to share one more recipe I made earlier this week because it is so dang good and it's perfect for Cinco de Mayo tonight -- Sesame Beef Tacos with quick pickled veggies and spicy crema! 

Want to try HelloFresh? Use promo code MG8GKD for $40 off your first box! That means you can try out HelloFresh for $29 and then cancel after your box arrives or keep on going.

Also, I received another promo code to give my friends a FREE box of HelloFresh meals! I'd be happy to send the first THREE people to leave their email address in the comments a free week of HelloFresh to try!

 

Carolina Charm Re-Branding Reveal!

Something look different?! Here's a hint...

Carolina Charm got a facelift!  

Over the past few months my bestie Laura has been designing my new look and I couldn't be happier with it. I love how simple and clean the header is, the new navigation bar, the fonts, the colors -- the everything! Isn't she talented? This is the third blog design she's created for me over the years and I think it's my favorite yet!

With so many exciting changes in my life, it felt like a good time to re-energize my blogging with a re-brand!

One more big announcement to come soon..stay tuned!

Five on Friday!

This is definitely a happy Friday for me! It's my birthday weekend and tonight Matt is taking me out for dinner (location is a surprise) to celebrate! On Sunday I turn the big 3-0 and I honestly cannot believe it! But then I catch my wrinkles in the mirror and totally can.

Happy 4 year friendship anniversary and 31st birthday, Laura!!

To kick off the birthday celebrations my birthday twin bestie and I are getting pedicures this afternoon. Funny short story - Laura and I met through blogging 208 weeks ago. We were loyal blog readers of each others for awhile before we ever met in person. Then one special birthday 4 years ago we ran into each other while celebrating our birthday dinners at our favorite restaurant - Cowfish. And we were wearing the exact same dress. It was then that we knew we were destined to be besties. Fast forward 4 years later, Laura and Andrew are some of our very best friends now!

Okay, I know, I know I promised a five!

My sister was in town earlier this week for a night! Prior to her arrival she shipped my birthday present down early so she wouldn't have to check a bag. Anyway, I am so obsessed with the new products she added to my skincare collection that I must share!

So this is my current line up of favorite face products. And it just so happens that I love all 5 equally. Some of these I've mentioned before and two of them are my new birthday prezzies. However, they all deserve a shout out for being amazing. If your skin starts to freak out a little bit during the cooler temps you should consider trying some (or ALL) of these...

one // Mario Badescu Facial Spray. Not new to the blog but definitely worthy of mentioning again. This refreshing facial spray contains aloe, herbs and rose water and makes for a perfect setting spray! And it's only $7!

two // Mindful Minerals Get Dirty Mud Mask. My sister has been using this for awhile and surprised me with a bottle for one of my birthday gifts. I am loving it. It's tingly after it sets in and feels SOOO good when you wash it off. You all know I have major skin woes and this stuff clears away all my dead skin and leaves my skin feeling refreshed.

three. Clinique Moisture Surge. Hands down, the best moisturizer I've ever used and I've tried a LOT.  

four. Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap. Another gift from my seester (she's been using for over a year) and I am obsessed with how refreshing this daily cleansing soap is. Also, it smells heavenly. Mario Badescu just doesn't disappoint!

five. Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask. I use this on top of my moisturizer at night. It adds an additional silky layer of moisturizer to my face and in the morning I can totally tell a difference. This is definitely a product to have on hand for winter!

Happy weekend, friends!

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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!

Five on Friday!

It's amazing how much longer the "short weeks" feel! Matt and I arrived home from our dreamy vacation (big recap post coming soon!!!) late on Monday night and have had lots of catching up to do - unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, WORK and more! So let's get right down to it today with some of my favorite items from vacation...

one. I packed two books for vacation and am happy to report that I finished them both! The first book I blew through was The Good Girl. Wow. It was so dang good. The last page of the book left me so completely shocked that I had to recap the entire story to Matt to debrief.  

two. The second book I read was The Girl on the Train which despite being highly recommended by so many people I just didn't love it like I'd hoped. I still want to see the movie but was a little disappointed with the hype all summer over this book.

three. Before we left for our trip I discovered (in a mommy group - ha!) a magical "hydration" powder - Drip Drop. This stuff was a lifesaver for Matt and I after loooooong days in the sun by the poolside bar! We just can't hang like we used to but Drip Drop came to the rescue each day. We drank the lemon flavored powdered and it was delicious - tastes like Gatoraid! Highly recommend!!

four. A definite vacation necessity - the selfie stick! We've been using our selfie stick for years and it was perfect for vacation...until day two when I had one too many pina coladas and took my stick for a swim with me. Fun times.

five. Once my selfie stick became useless to me I carried my big camera around which wasn't all that bad since the photo quality was obviously way better. And I love that my wi-fi SD card allows me to view and easily transfer my photos from my camera to my iPhone in just a few seconds so I could keep my Instagram game strong. Ha! If you don't have a wi-fi SD card for your camera you need to add it to your Christmas list.

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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!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!

one. Last weekend Matt assembled our new patio furniture. The instructions estimated a 3 hour assembly time but with the help of two minis it took about 9 hours.

 

two. There is nothing worse than stepping out of the shower to a towel that smells like it sat a little too long in the washer machine! Every now and then I deep clean all my towels at once. Here's how I do it: Wash your towels in hot water with one cup of vinegar (only). Wash towels in hot water again with 1/2 cup of baking soda. Throw them in the dryer and enjoy your fresh towels!

three. It's been a hot minute since I blogged about my love for Parsley Plus, but I just received a new bulk shipment and had to give my favorite earth-friendly household cleaning product of all time a shout out. If you love the smell of fresh herbs this product is for you (and your counter tops!).

four. We are working SO hard on getting Tom Tom to graduate from taking a few steps to walking! He definitely knows how to take a few steps at a time unassisted but always ends up choosing to crawl instead. And if he isn't crawling he is climbing. He knows how to get on and off Caroline's bed, can get on and off the couch by scooting a chair over as a step stool and is frequently found just standing on top of his chair laughing at us having a heart attack. Anyway, we are beyond ready for him to begin walking so we can set him down in public places, ditch the snap & go stroller and give him a little more independence. Plus he moves up to the next class in two weeks and will be on the big playground every day and really dislikes crawling in mulch so we're working hard to get him to let go of the tip of our finger and take off. Also, the most steps he'll take at a time is to...you guessed it...his sissy. She is so dang cute with her cheerleading "Come on, Tom Tom! You can do it! Come here! Come to me! Come on!"

five.  Favorite HelloFresh meal this week goes to...Steak Fajitas with Kiwi Salsa & Crispy Beans!!! Hands down the best fajitas ever. And kiwi isn't something I would ever think to add to my tex-mex but I'm so glad I did. Check out this recipe to make it yourself.

I received 3 more promo codes to give my friends a FREE box of HelloFresh meals! I'd be happy to send the first THREE people to leave their email address in the comments a free week of HelloFresh to try!  

Not one of the first 4 to comment but still want to try HelloFresh? Use promo code MG8GKD for $40 off your first box! That means you can try out HelloFresh for $29 and then cancel after your box arrives or keep on going. 

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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!