Weekly meal plan

I haven't posted my meal plan for a couple weeks because...well...I haven't had a meal plan. We were out of town for a bit and spent the last week eating down our stock of food. re: lots of random meals

Monday: Rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes, peas

Tuesday: Dinner at church
Wednesday: Pulled pork sandwiches (I'll share this recipe later this week, so easy)

Thursday: Taco pie (new recipe, I'll let you know how it goes)
Friday: Chicken a la king
Saturday: Pork loin, mashed potatoes, veggie
Sunday: Leftovers (Sean has to work)

Hope you have a great week! I made a trip to the thrift store yesterday and picked up a good dress to refashion -- can't wait to share it with you!

-Nicole

The Possessionista

This blog, the possessionista, finds takes fashion trends from TV shows and finds them in stores. Brilliant! A couple of items I'm coveting today:

This dress that Quinn wore on last week's episode of Glee.

These black cuff boots similar to what Ashley wore on her hometown date with the Bachelor this week.

I plan on visiting this site frequently! Off to search for Michelle from the Bachelor's monogram necklace now!

So cute!

How cute is this play kitchen!? A super talented lady over at Dwellings by Devore makes some of the most wonderful things! This table is so awesome! It started as just a regular wood table that she painted, added the glass sections to, and accented with nailhead trim.

So inspired by all of her work!

Couch to 5k

Confession: I'm just not good at running. I want to be...really bad, but I need structure. I found this running program for beginners called Couch to 5k and I love it. I'm in the middle of week 4 and feel it's challenging, but manageable.

I'm totally ok with being a slow runner -- I'm not trying to win any races, just take better care of my body. My hope is that by slowly introducing running into my workouts I will feel more confident in my running abilities and, thus, more excited about it in general. Not sure I'll ever be a 'hey...I feel like running 10 miles' kind of girl, but I can certainly put a better {running} foot forward. I'll let you know how it goes as the program progresses!

Pottery Barn necklace

You're probably thinking -- 'I didn't know Pottery Barn made jewelry!'

Well...they don't. But they do have great adornments on their gift wrapped boxes! This adorable key was on a gift at a bridal shower I recently attended. I made her rehearsal bouquet and this little lovely made it into my box of bows and ribbons. I found a perfectly matching chain on clearance for 0.97 at JoAnns and now have a cute, new necklace!

My mom is going to have a hay day with this one! She is always amazed/proud/embarrassed about how cheap I am. It's not too difficult to go from the proud to the embarrassed category.

Happy Valentines Day!

I made my sweetie some heart-shaped waffles for breakfast this morning. {These aren't them, but you get the idea}

image source

Baked some yummy cupcakes to share at the office.

I sewed this heart chain that lists reasons I love Sean. Some examples:
I love you...
when you snuggle with our puppy.
when you laugh so hard you cry.
when you warm my side of the bed.

We aren't really into the commercialism of this holiday, but do like the idea of taking additional time to show your love for others. I hope you have a day full of love today!

Sewing caddy - thread catcher.

My sewing area has been a little too messy recently {the addition of a serger adds to the mess twofold}, so I finally made a sewing caddy for my desk. I used this tutorial {click here}, which I would rate as an intermediate project. It's seems more complicated than it should be, but the end product is well constructed.

The pattern uses standard sewing notions, so I had everything on hand, which was nice. The pin cushion is filled with polyfil and weighted down with a bag of rice. There are pockets for the pin container, seam ripper {aka my bff}, scissors, etc. The thread catcher is easily removable to take to the trash.

It's a functional addition to my sewing desk and adds a welcomed pop of color!

I'm linking this project to:
Between Naps on the Porch , Making the World Cuter, The DIY Show Off, Skip to My Lou, Keeping it Simple, A Soft Place to Land, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Beyond the Picket Fence, Tatertots and Jello

Live Originally

One of my sorority sisters {and fellow past president} started a new blog that is uber cute! It's called Live Originally you can visit her site by clicking here. Today is the last day to enter her giveaway for one of these fun zippered pouches! Katie is a really great blogger {re: she updates frequently, has great style, and a way cute website} -- she'll be great addition to the crafting/cooking/decor blogland.

Bridal shower inspiration

My BFF is getting married in June and I will be co-hosting a shower for her in Branson this spring. I plan to go all out for this shower {i love a good party}, so I made this inspiration board to keep me on track.

It all reminds me of Melinda -- spunky, eclectic, feminine, a touch a modern. I'm looking forward to thrifting a lot of the decor and adding tons of DIY touches to the shower.

New blog design

I needed to freshen things up a bit on the blog. I like it...for now.

Lots of snow

We got a TON of snow yesterday -- over 18" to be exact. That shattered the previous record of 11" set over a decade ago. Needless to say, northwest Arkansas has essentially shut down. Wyatt really loves to run around in the snow, but I'm concerned about how cold he gets (the actual temp this am was -15, crazy!) so we play outside in moderation. Luckily, warmer weather (60s) is on the horizon.

You can see how deep the snow is in the video.

Other updates:

1. Job is going so well -- I love what I do and am learning a lot.

2. Sean is now working with Razorback football.

3. I've had quite a few dress orders come through online recently, so I've been busy sewing those.

4. I love Big Bang Theory -- it's been a lifesaver during the past few snow days. Such a funny show with smart humor.

5. I'm doing a training program called couch to 5k -- in week three right now and doing well.

Snow day sewing

It is so COLD outside! I bought Wyatt a thicker hoodie jacket so he would brave the cold. {Side note: why do pet clothing manufacturers find it necessary to put a bone on every dog item? I promise I'm not going to mistake it for my own t-shirt. I removed the silicone bone emblem from his jacket when we got home.}

I was home for the past couple of days from work due to the snow and ice. Sean was off of school, too, which was fun! We did a lot of lounging, watched lots of Big Bang Theory and I caught up on a little sewing. Here's a couple cute dress and bloomer sets for my coworker's daughter. I better get moving behind the machine because I got three dress orders this week! {my theory is that people are stuck inside browsing the internet and spending money}

lol... Wyatt found himself a nice warm spot last night on my heating pad. I got up to grab something and he promptly took my spot. Fair enough...I didn't call seat backs.