High Five For Friday!

Well, its time to link up again with Lauren for H54F posts! This week was a pretty crazy one (as always), but a good one! Alrighty...let's get to it!

1. We got to go to dinner with my sweet friend, Brooke and her fiancé Ben last weekend and it was WONDERFUL to be able to spend time with them! We went to a local italian restaurant and then enjoyed some froyo and catch up time at the house later!

2. See that....in my rearview mirror...yeah, it's the SUN! It hasn't shown all week! It's literally been raining everyday for the past month or so. I'm OVER IT!

3. Tonight I went to zumba again and LOVED IT! It's seriously the best cardio workout and Brooke and some of her friends came and joined, which made it even more enjoyable (and my roommate)!

4. Ingredients to a kick butt recipe I made last night! Seriously, SO DELICIOUS! Refer to my previous post to see what it is!

5. I started this new devotional this week that my pastor's wife recommended to me and am loving it!

So how about you?! How was your week?! Link up!! Happy Friday :)

Caramelized Honey Dijon Chicken!

The title sounds delicious, right?! RIGHT! I found the recipe online (I thought it was Pinterest and then I couldn't find it again, so I'm not really sure) but anyways, I decided to give it a try. I'm usually one that loves to follow the rules/instructions but tonight...I figured I'd get a little crazy and try a few things different than what the recipe called for.

Here's what the recipe called for: (makes 4 chicken breasts)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. dijon mustard

1-2 tbsp spicy mustard

salt & pepper

I used (only because I was trying it out and didn't want to ruin 4 pieces of chicken):

1 chicken cutlet (yeah, bummer...I accidentally bought cutlets instead of breasts)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. honey dijon mustard

2 tbsp regular mustard mixed with cayenne pepper (as I didn't have any spicy mustard)

S&P

Heat the skillet on medium high and add Olive Oil. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel so its very, very dry. Season w/ S&P generously, add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides (I did about 5 min on each side as mine was pretty thin).

In a bowl, combine the honey and both mustards. (I mixed the cayenne pepper reg mustard separately) and then added it to the honey and other mustard). Whisk well.

Remove chicken and while its still hot, brush on the mustard.

I'm tellin' ya it was slap yo mama good!!! And I realize it doesn't look very presentation worthy (more like squash baby food) but it is DELICIOUS!! Can't wait to have it again!

Living Simpler

To all my blogging friends out there, I'm sorry I haven't posted in the past week. I've honestly been trying to give myself a little bit of a break. I feel as though sometimes I'm so consumed with my phone, trying to keep up with friends via Facebook, shopping online, and watching tv that I don't make time for things I actually love and want to do...or the people that I love. I sometimes find myself so consumed with what's going on in the blogging or Facebook world, that I miss what's right in front of me. I've started reading a book lately that has talked about living a simpler life and getting rid of some of the hinderances (yes, even Facebook). I've also recently heard a sermon about making time for those that you love and giving them your best instead of your leftovers. After some thought about what I can do to make more time for those I love and the things that are most important to me...I've come up with a few things I can do or (live without) that may help! 

1. Last week I canceled my cable. Kind of a shocker but...it saves me some money and I really don't watch it much...and when I do, it keeps me from doing other productive, meaningful things or having an actual conversation with someone. 

2. I didn't get rid of my Facebook account but I did take it off my phone, so I won't be so tempted to check it every 20 seconds. 

3. Shop less. Be content with what I have instead of being consumed with what I want or don't have. When it comes down to it, I'd rather someone describe me as someone with a beautiful heart and giving spirit then someone who's always dressed cute or in fashion!

4. Read more. More of my bible, more books in general...just read!

5. Be content. With everything. With the season I'm in, the clothes I have, the apartment I live in, the job I have, and who I am in Christ. Stop comparing myself to everyone else, their clothes, fashion, family, husbands, church...just be content with who I AM in CHRIST! 

Well, that's all. I will definitely be blogging again, although I can't promise that it'll be every day. I want to be spending my time with loved ones, being productive, or reading...not always trying to figure out what I'm going to blog about next! 

Until next time!

High Five 4 Friday!

Well, here we are again...its finally FRIDAY!! I don't know about you, but I'm glad its here! I'm EXHAUSTED but looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend! I've linked up once again with Lauren from My Grey Desk for this post. Go check out her website and show her some love!

This week was especially busy for me!

1. I was able to stop and get myself some STARBUCKS this morning. Its rare that I pick up Starbucks, A-because its out of my way, B-I'm not usually up early enough to have time to stop by, and C-I just cringe at the price for a cup of coffee. Call me cheap, its ok!

2. Jared and I got to spend some time with this cutie and her brother this week and even took them out for Menchies Froyo...go figure! :)

3. I accomplished yet another yummy meal...pulled pork! I'll share the recipe with you sometime next week so be on the lookout!

4. Last night our church held a Zumba party! I've done zumba before at a local gym and attended my sister's classes too (unfortunately I don't have her moves and just prove my utter whiteness everytime I dance), but hey...it was fun!!

5. Tuesday night my friend Adria (who has her own photography company) and I went to Paint Your Art Out; a local art class that teaches you how to paint...sorta! Be sure to stop by her blog and show her some love too!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Megan's Chicken Creation!

Kinda. I actually saw the recipe on Pinterest (go figure), but substituted some things so that's why I call it "Megan's Chicken Creation!" The picture I saw on Pinterest didn't match the recipe below (which is what I used). I didn't realize until later that the picture I thought mine was going to look like was actually a picture of a different meal. It was SERIOUSLY delicious!! Jared and I are both picky eaters but it was by far one of the best meals we've eaten at home (and that I've cooked)! The recipe on Pinterest calls for: 

4 boneless chicken breasts

8 oz. softened cream cheese

2 cans of Cream of Chicken

1 packet of italian seasoning

Put it all the in crockpot, cook on low for 4 hours, and serve over pasta!

I did:

4 boneless chicken breasts

6 oz. cream cheese (not softened-b/c I didn't know what that meant...I'm telling you, I'm a beginner!!!)

1 can of Cream of Chicken

1 can of Cream of Mushroom

1 packet of italian seasoning

Put it in the crockpot on low for 5 hours, cooked the pasta separately but then dumped it in the crockpot so it would soak up all the flavor! 

Don't worry...I didn't eat all of that in 1 sitting...that actually fed me for dinner, plus lunch twice this week! 

I will probably use 2 cans of Cream of Chicken next time only because I'm not a huge mushroom fan, but either way, it was DELICIOUS!!!! 

Paint Your Art Out!

No really, do it! That's what my friend Adria and I did tonight in fact. And boy did we! It took over 3 hours to complete this painting, multiple colors, multiple brushes, multiple instructions, redo's, and so on BUT...we now have this cute painting of owls. (insert "aww" here)!

The Visual Arts Center here in our town has a "Paint Your Art Out Night" usually about 2-3 times a week for a few hours. You bring your own snacks/drinks, and friends of course and go to town. They have a local artist up on a pedestal drawing/painting and you just follow his instructions (or branch out on your own if you want, as far as colors) and viola!

I've done this once before and it was so much fun, I knew I wanted to do it again so when Adria invited me, I jumped at the chance. This one was wayyy more detailed than the last one I did and left no room for much chit chat. However, Adria and I didn't let that sentence even enter our minds. We chatted the whole time, laughed, joked, probably even annoyed some people but it was so much fun! The last step we had to go back and use a fine tooth brush for outlining and I did NOT have a steady hand (partly because of the caffeine I had today) but MAINLY because Adria just kept me laughing! It was fun had by all and we ended up with two cute paintings! It will be done again I'm sure!

Step 1: 

Step 2:

Insert many steps between Step 2 and this picture...lol and a TON of patience :)

Let me just say the other day I was praying for patience (in general), and I think God can even use paintings to show us patience and help us practice patience and man did I practice patience tonight! Usually I'm very detail oriented, I'm a rule follower, and I love instructions...I don't like stepping out of the box (hence why my owls don't have any detail compared to Adria's) the detailing was something we were to come up with on our own (and I'm just not creative like that and wanted step by step instructions for all of it), plus I was gabbing too much to have time to add in details. But, patience was tried, patience was practiced, and I think patience was gained through this process. Seriously though, I LOVE Paint Your Art Out nights!

I'm hooked!

I've been wanting to change my makeup for quite some time now for a few reasons. I don't have the best skin or complexion, and a lot of makeup I've tried tends to come off pretty easy...plus its been so hot this year, I just can't stand the feeling of having all that heavy makeup on. So, after a few months of contemplating, researching, asking around, and shopping around...I decided to go all out and get Bare Minerals. I bought the starter kit Friday night at Ulta and loved it so much (and actually need a few extra items), that I bought a few more products Saturday while Jared and I were in Destin.

I LOVE it!! It took a few tries to get the right application techniques, colors, etc down but now, I'm hooked! I seriously LOVE it and don't feel like I have tons of makeup on and even looked in the mirror today after work and what do ya know, it stayed on ALL DAY! Yippy-Skippy! Here's what I use!

Here's the break down of the colors:
Lipgloss: cupcake
Eyeshadows: Moonshine (in a tube), flaunt (mineral)
Blush: "The One"
Mascara: Black (go figure)
Eyeliner: (I forgot to put it in the picture), granite

If you don't use Bare Minerals, you should seriously consider it! I've only been using it for 2 full days and can already tell a difference in the way my skin feels and looks!

A day trip to P-cola Part 1!

For some reason I had the random idea on THURSDAY that it might be fun to take  a day trip to Pensacola on Saturday. I'm usually not a last minute girl or one that says "we just won't have a plan." In fact, I don't think I've EVER uttered those words, but this weekend, that's exactly what we did.

Jared and I decided to head over to a nearby town, Pensacola (which is about 2 hours away) with no real agenda. The only thing I REALLY wanted to do was go see the lighthouse. Well, we set out around 9 a.m. and made it to Pensacola around 3. In between 10 and 3 we stopped at Panera, then the outlet malls in Sandestin (and quickly left as it was ridiculously crazy...I forgot it was tax free weekend here), then some cute antique malls, Tijuana Flats (a GREAT mexican restaurant that we don't have in Panama City), a few bathroom breaks, refueling break, and THEN we made it) after getting a little turned around.

We didn't have a garmin with us or any real set of directions so once we knew we were in Pensacola we just googled how to get everywhere...man was that fun (NOT)! Anyways, we finally made it to the lighthouse and it wasn't really what I expected at first.

But, I quickly got my "let's walk all the way up to the top" experience. It was round and round we went...up 175 NARROW steps, trying to dodge other people while trying not to fall off the steps or die of heat exhaustion.

But once we made it to the top it was well worth it, and I think I actually learned something new about Jared...he's scared of heights...uh oh...did you say heights?! Just look at his face in this picture.

I actually couldn't stop laughing as he was impatiently waiting for me to take my pictures so we could go back down. It was a short trip but well worth it! After the lighthouse we went across the street to the Naval Aviation Museum. I'm not usually big on museums but this one was pretty cool (in both terms of the word)

(in both terms of the word)...did I mention it was stinkin' hotttt yesterday?! We also took our time coming back, stopped back in Destin at the Hard Rock (cause I had never been to one)...it was awesome, the waiters/waitresses got up on tables and started dancing to YMCA (which pretty much summed up the fun we had yesterday), and THEN as if we hadn't eaten enough, we found some room for TCBY. Man, I feel like such a fatty typing about all the eating we did, but I had never been to 1 of them, the other is delicious yet Panama City doesn't have one and TCBY is Jared and I's favorite...we even passed up two other cooler looking froyo places because we just LOVE TCBY! Hope you had a great weekend as well!

High Five for Friday!

Well, its that time again! Time to link up with Lauren from My Grey Desk for H54F!

So...lets get to it!

1. This was my view on the way to work the other day! Its been a long time since I've seen a rainbow and this just started my day off right!

2. I got to see this sweet lady this week and am going to hang out with her today!!

3. I accomplished the "Emily Maynard hairdo!" More on that next week! I know, exciting right?! Man, I think I need to get a life! :)

4. I'm SUPER excited about this one!! Jared and I are going to a nearby town tomorrow (Pensacola, FL) to visit this lighthouse, take pictures, and just hang out and I'm OH so excited! The last time we went to visit a lighthouse, it was raining all day and made for a pretty yucky day! Hoping for a beautiful, rain free day tomorrow!

5. I got to eat lunch with my mom this week which lately has been a rare occasion! LOVE her! :)

So what about you?! What's your H54F?!

Happy Friday!

Its a Giveaway Day!!

Well, kinda! My friend Stephanie over at Qualls Quirks is having a giveaway. Be sure to not only check out her site for the giveaway but check out her friend's Etsy shop! She has tons of cute things...all of which I'd LOVE to have! So go on, go check her out!