Spring Is In the Air

Okay so I don't guess technically 37 degrees should count as "spring" in the air... but the sun is out and it's above freezing, so I think it's close enough ;) The past two days have been so beautiful! It's amazing how much a sunny day can improve your mood! We did end up getting quite a bit of snow the other day/night. It was just light flurries when I got to work... 5 hours later, this is what I walked out to...

 Yep, the road I was parked on was completely covered!

 And it took a while to clear my car! It was still snowing so hard that by the time I finished, the windshield had to be scraped again, ha!

 I was a little nervous about driving home. The worst part was actually getting out of that parking spot because of the mounds of snow surrounding all sides of my car! Thankfully, they keep the main roads pretty clear, so the drive wasn't bad. 

It ended up snowing all night. I think we got around 9 inches maybe?! It took Z quite a while to scrape our car the next morning! Here is a picture I took the next day of the park {Lincoln Park} right by my school. So pretty!!!

So that was the most snow I've seen so far. And in March no less. It was really pretty... I do wish we had gotten a snow day, but oh well! ;) {Funny that we got 9 inches of snow and no days out of school!} But I think I'm ready for Spring now. One of my little girls at school told me she heard the birds singing about spring, so it must be close!! I hope she's right!

Have a great weekend!

A Little Pinspiration

So one of my new favorite blogs is called "Pinterest Told Me To"... The blogger takes outfits that she pins and recreates them with items in her closet. So cute! It made me think that I should really start mixing and matching things in my closet instead of always wanting to buy new stuff. So I've started pinning outfits that I genuinely intend to recreate {and quite a few that I wish I could recreate, ha!}. I am terrible about taking pics when I wear these said outfits, so I've never blogged about it. Plus, it's so awkward to take photos of yourself. But regardless, I was at Old Navy yesterday replacing my favorite jeans that ripped this weekend :/ and I snapped a quick picture of my outfit... since it was inspired by pinterest and all ;)
First the original pin... I have loved this outfit since I first saw it back in the fall. I love the stripes, boots, mustard yellow... love it all!

Pinterest

And here is my recreation... it's a little different because I have a skirt instead of a dress... but I think it still works!

I found this skirt at Forever 21 for $7 back when I needed something to weat to the Nutcracker Ballet. It is super comfy and pretty versatile! {I paried it with a peplum top and heals for the ballet ;)} I wore this to work and got a lot of compliments all day on my outfit! So I'll count it as a pinspiration success ;)

Weekend Review

We had a really good weekend... and I cannot believe it's already over! I feel like we play catch up all weekend... laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping... But I'm so glad we have weekends to catch up ;) Friday we picked up good ol' Chic-Fil-A. So yummy every.single.time! Also always reminds me of home... one of the few places we loved there that we have here. And then would you believe we were in bed before 10pm on Friday?! Crazy. But it felt great to get some good sleep. Saturday Lolly and I took the train to Michigan Avenue and shopped a little. We didn't really find buy much ;) We found plenty of things we wanted, but we practiced a little self control, ha! Sunday, we went to church at Park Community {the one by our old apartment} and then ate brunch at the cutest, yummiest little place in Lincoln Park- Jam 'n Honey. It was delicious, plus I love the name! Z was a bit skeptical and thought it might be a little "girly", but he quickly changed his tune once the food arrived. It did not disappoint! Here's a few pics I snapped at brunch while we were waiting for a table...

So that was pretty much our weekend! Supposedly we're going to get a lot of snow tomorrow. It's March, and I'm a little ready for Spring, but whatever. We're actually under a winter storm warning for the first time since we moved here... and a few schools are even closed tomorrow {unfortunately not my cute little school :/} I feel like they usually over-prepare everyone... so we'll see how much we actually get! Have a great week!

Weekend Love List!

First... Happy birthday {a day late} to Z's dad!! We miss you and wish we were there to celebrate with you!!!!

Second, so thankful it's the weekend!!! I woke up Wednesday and thought it was Friday... so you can imagine how long the rest of the week seemed, ha! 

And now, here are a few things in loving right now...

-It's March!!! Spring is around the corner... and so is spring break! We still have a few inches of snow on the ground, so it doesn't look or feel very springy yet. But I have high hopes ;)

-I'm truly loving my new job! I loved teaching in Alabama so much, and I still miss everyone at ACA SO much... but I really do love the little school I'm at here, and I love going to work there everyday!

-I love hot tea with honey in the mornings. I still love coffee, but lately I've been drinking hot tea, so yum!

-I really love shopping at Trader Joes. Ever been to one? I thought it would be way overpriced, but they actually have amazing deals! Plus I can find certain things there that I can't find at Target or other stores!

-I love manicures ;) I have indulged the last two weeks in getting one, and I think it's a $10 well spent! This week I chose a bright red Essie polish, and it makes me happy just looking at my nails, ha!

-I love this chambray tunic I just ordered from Gap! I hope it looks as cute on as it does in this picture! Plus with the online discount at Gap, it ended up being a good deal!

{I just realized this isn't the actual shirt I ordered... but it's cute too, ha!}

-I really want and really love this polka dot top from J Crew! Too cute!! But I don't love that price... especially considering that is supposed to be the sale price. I'll have to wait for clearance ;)

Have a great weekend, friends!

Recipes and Randomness

Wow, the last few weeks have been so busy. I've been subbing a lot in the afternoons, which means I stay until 5:30, which means I get home around 6:30, which means I don't have time for blogging :/ Hopefully this week will be less crazy and I can post a few things I haven't had time to post yet! But for now, here's a few recipes that we've tried lately that have been delicious!!

-This first one is a dish we had last night... it was SO yummy. And I actually can't take any credit for it. I worked until 5:30, so I sent the recipe to Z. He and Joe cooked it, and it was amazing!! I got this recipe from Six Sister's Stuff for Alice Springs Chicken {like from Outback}.  Not too many ingredients or steps... just yummy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

seasoning salt

6 slices bacon, cut in half 

1/4 cup mustard

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons mayo

1/2 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 cups shredded Colby/Jack cheese

Directions: 

Sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp.

In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo and dried onion flakes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Place chicken in the skillet and saute for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned.  Move chicken to an 11x7 inch or 9x9 inch pan.

Apply the honey mustard to each breast, then layer with mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and chicken is done. 

-Here's another recipe we tried the other night. I wanted to make some yummy snacks to have while we watched the Academy Awards. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was so yummy too! Here is a similar version from Love Decliciousness . I subbed the blue cheese crumbles for about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese. And we dipped ours in Ranch dressing! Yum!!

Ingredients

* 2-3 medium size chicken breasts

* Buffalo sauce (we used Frank's)

* Blue cheese crumbles

* Shredded cheddar cheese (we used colby jack but I think cheddar would be best)

* 1 container refrigerated crescent rolls (we used Pillsbury)

Directions

Boil chicken until tender. Shred. Mix in about 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce and the blue cheese crumbles. Separate crescent rolls. Spoon a small amount of chicken mixture on each crescent. Top with shredded cheese. Roll up and bake according to package directions.

-Okay, one last recipe! Something sweet ;) I found this on Pinterest too... and it was really good. We snacked on it during the Super Bowl, and then Z snacked on the left overs until we ran out of vanilla wafer cookies!! This recipe is from Eat Yourself Skinny. I served ours with vanilla wafers, but animal cookies would be good too! We also dipped apples in it... yum!

Here are your ingredients:

1 (18.9 oz) box Funfetti cake mix

2 cups fat-free plain yogurt

1 cup lite Cool Whip

Fat-free animal crackers

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, plain yogurt and Cool Whip until completely combined and you see no more lumps.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill for about 4 hours.  Garnish with additional sprinkles if desired and serve with animal crackers, enjoy!  

On another note... it is snowing like crazy outside right now! Unfortunately, our car is in the shop, so we had to take a bus/train to work. This was kind of good because the roads are a little slushy, but no so good because it meant alot of walking and waiting in the snow. And it took me an hour and a half to get home :/ Here's hoping we get our car back asap!

Check back later this week... I promise to post more than once!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Sorry I have been a terrible blogger lately :/ life is BUSY here! I'm finally feeling more adjusted and comfortable at my job... and I love it so much! We really have the cutest, sweetest group of kiddos ever!! {Well I am a little partial to my sweet classes from Alabama, but these kiddos are pretty cute too ;)} I even got a few valentines goodies at school today! Love them ;) But anyways... happy valentine's day to you all! Right now, my sweet Z and Joe are cooking dinner for me and Lolly.. so sweet! It's been a long day... and an even longer week. So a dinner cooked by the guys sounds perfect ;) Let me just tell you about my frustrating week... I have gotten two tickets in the past two days for such random, frustrating stuff. I'm a little annoyed with Chicago today, ha! I got a parking ticket for having tinted windows yesterday... what?! And then today I got pulled over for talking on the phone while driving... who knew that was illegal?! Oh well. At least the ticket today proves that the ticket yesterday is not valid. If the officer could clearly see me talking on the phone, obviously our windows are not too tinted!! So needless to say, I'm ready for the long weekend ahead... {no driving or street parking for this girl}! But on a lighter note, I was reminded this morning while I was having a little quiet time about the true love that we should celebrate today and everyday. I was reading about the time leading up to Jesus's crucifixion, and I couldn't help but think about the amazing love He must have for us, so much so that He was willing to die for us. What a perfect picture and example of sacrificial love. I am so thankful that He love us that much!! I am also so thankful for my sweet hubby that the Lord put in my life... He is definitely my better half and I love him very much ;) So glad to have such a sweet valentine! And I'm also so thankful for our very loving families!! We miss you all so much. Wish we could give you all big hugs today! Okay, well I'll leave you with a few valentine pics...

First, a cute little chalkboard reminder!

 Second, a picture of me and my valentine!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whirlwind

Oh my... the last two weeks {ish} have been CRAZY!! Here's a quick run down of why I haven't been blogging and what we've been up to ;)

-So we moved... seemed to take forever to get everything out and cleaned up. You never know how much stuff you have until you have to pack it up and move it!! And we have WAY too much stuff, ha! We moved all of the big stuff the last Saturday in January... and seriously took every day until February to get the rest. Exhausting. But so glad it is over!

-Also, I started a new job! In the middle of packing and moving, I was offered a job at the little school I have been subbing at the past few months. It was such a God-thing. I am now the assistant for a 3-4 year old class. Bunch of cuties!! Plus it was perfect timing {besides how crazy I was with moving and all ;)}. I am really enjoying it, and slowly learning the ropes! So thankful!

-We finally got that snow I've been wishing for! We ended up getting about 6 inches over the past few days! So pretty... but a little messy to drive in :/ Thankfully they clear the roads super fast, so it hasn't been too bad.

-In the midst of the subzero temps and piles of snow, our car decided a heater wasn't necessary! Seriously?! Our air conditioner went out in the middle of a summer in Alabama, so it just figures our heater wouldn't work in the middle of winter in Chicago. Thankfully, Z thinks it might be an easy fix?! This car has become quite a lemon :/

-We had to get a new car tag {Ours expired the last day of January, and we got a ticket the very.next.day. ugh!} which meant we had to get an Illinois state tag. It was seriously an act of congress. By the time I finally left with car tags, I had made three visits to the Illinois DMV, paid almost $200, and brought in every document you can imagine... including a marriage certificate. Oh my. So glad Z went with me the final time to keep me calm, ha! That place brings out the worst in people, myself included!! ;)

Okay so I'll leave you with a picture to show how much snow we got {after the first day of snow} and of me and Z last weekend :) Have a great week friends!