Happy Friday!!!
I know I always say that whenever I blog on Fridays, but I think there’s reason to celebrate every…single…time!
I have a bunch of random things to share with y’all today! First off, I believe this pic sums up my life perfectly these days…
These two cuties are my constant sidekicks and I LOVE them both SO much! My sweet baby is pretty much with me 24/7 and my poor doggie feels replaced. Whenever I sit down anywhere, Jimmer (the dog) is immediately right beside me. I love it.
Oh, and my life is SO crazy these days that I didn’t even realize I’d forgotten to put any makeup on until I snapped this picture, lol. My eyebrows and eyelashes are very blond, so when I take my makeup off, my face disappears, lol. Thankfully the lighting in this picture doesn’t show you the complete scariness of it all.
On most days, I take 1.5 minutes to put on just enough makeup to look alive. On “special” days (i.e. days when I actually see people other than my kiddos), my makeup routine might take me 5 minutes. I’m fairly low maintenance.
Oh, and speaking of low maintenance, a friend of mine recently gave me something that I LOVE….
It’s Batiste Dry Shampoo and it’s a game changer! When I wash, blow dry and “do” my hair, it takes me about 30 minutes. However, when I don’t have to wash and blow dry my hair, I can do my hair in 2 minutes flat. Soooo, this dry shampoo gives me an extra day or two of not having to majorly “do” my hair! Wahoo!
Now, I don’t think this dry shampoo makes my hair feel like it’s just been washed and freshly done, but it does make it smell good and takes out the oil so it “looks” freshly washed and done. It’s a great product for busy moms or busy people anywhere!
Oh, and I just have to say that I’ve been a busy body my entire life! I’ve always felt like a crazy lady with a giant never-ending to-do list. I kind of like it that way though. I’m happier when I’m productive!
However, my life is more insane than it’s EVER been these days! I think the six kids (including 2 teenagers and a baby), sweet husband, cooking, cleaning, exercise, healthy eating and blogging might have something to do with it.
Ya think???!??
I love my life so much and feel grateful and blessed every single day, but lately I’ve felt a little bit Cray Cray (i.e. crazy!) Oh, and the other day my teenagers told me that “Cray Cray” is not a cool word anymore. FYI.
I seriously feel like I’m just constantly “putting out fires,” but am never getting ahead!!!
Gah!
I LOVE having a baby (so much!), but my life has essentially been turned on it’s head! Order and structure are a thing of the past, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in at least 8 months and my poor little house that I LOVE to keep clean….is not very clean.
So, with that being said, I’m going to put a “PAUSE” on my “3 Months, No Crap” plan. Yes, I’m lame. I’m still going to focus on eating well and staying away from junk food, but I just want to simplify my life a bit.
I’ve decided that until this sweet baby is sleeping more consistently and not nursing anymore, I won’t be making any MEGA healthy goals for myself. I will just focus on existing and surviving. Ha ha.
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In keeping with my “simplicity” theme, I thought I would share some other things that “simplify” my life!
This outfit…
K, I know this outfit is basic black and white and a little bit boring, but I love crisp button-up shirts and pencil skirts because they’re classic and appropriate for many different occasions!
I’ve worn outfits such as this to church, work meetings with Kev, funerals, weddings, concerts, etc.
In the summer, I usually wear a short sleeve or 3/4 length sleeved white shirt and strappy sandals. I also love button-up shirts because they go so well with jewelry! They look good with long necklaces and/or short ones and bracelets look so pretty with them.
Oh, and this particular skirt is SUPER old, faded and needs to be tossed. I bought it at Gap over 10 years ago, but I’ve loved it. I have a newer black pencil skirt, but it doesn’t FIT me right now…..sigh.
I’ve owned that black sweater vest (Ann Taylor) forever too! Case in point, here’s a pic of me wearing that same black vest in 2006, when Kev graduated from Boston College (MBA.)
I can’t say I’m “proud” that I hang onto my clothes for so long, hee hee, but I’m grateful when I find good quality, timeless pieces of clothing that last forever!
Back in the day, I used to love shopping ALL of the time, but now…..ain’t nobody got time for that!
Classic pieces of clothing simplify my life.
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I also thought I would share a simple recipe that makes my life easier.
It’s for my favorite Healthy and Easy Chicken Salad! I’ve been making this chicken salad forever, but over the years I’ve changed it a bit to make it healthier and yummier!
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonaise
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
- 4 cups chicken; cooked and shredded
- 1 1/2 cups grapes; quartered
- 1/4 cup green onions; chopped
- 3/4 cup celery; chopped
- 3/4 cup nuts of choice (I used slivered almonds)
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, seasoned salt, garlic powder and dill weed together.
Add chicken, grapes, onions, celery and nuts. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
You can enjoy this chicken salad by itself, on/in your favorite bread (pita pocket, flatbread, croissant, etc.) or my personal favorite, on top of a bed of lettuce.
I hope you all love this salad! It’s easy to make, healthy, filling and yummy! I love to make a big batch for dinner and then enjoy the leftovers for lunch several days afterward.
Well, that about sums it up!! I hope you are all enjoying your Friday night and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
- Serves: 12 servings
- Serving size: 1/12 recipe
- Calories: 155
- Fat: 7
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Sugar: 3.5
- Sodium: 196
- Fiber: 2.5
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 9
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonaise
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dill weed
- 4 cups chicken; cooked and shredded
- 1½ cups grapes; quartered
- ¼ cup green onions; chopped
- ¾ cup celery; chopped
- ¾ cup nuts of choice (I used slivered almonds)
- In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, seasoned salt, garlic powder and dill weed together.
- Add chicken, grapes, onions, celery and nuts. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
- You can enjoy this chicken salad by iteslf, on/in your favorite bread (pita pocket, flatbread, croissant, etc.) or my personal favorite, on top of a bed of lettuce.
I can’t even imagine how busy you are!! I feel chaotic with everything and I only have one kid, lol! I know what you mean though..I’m a clean freak and a toddler and 2 cats (sounds minimal) and writing constant recipes have my house wayyy messier than I like, but I’ve just had to accept it can’t be perfect and that’s ok. I’m trying to learn to chill more! You look fantastic by the way!!!
I’m sure your life is insane too Brandi! I’m always amazed by all you do.
It seems like if I have some open free time, I quickly fill it up! There are just not enough hours in the day. I’m trying to learn to just let things go and “chill” more too.
Your baby is sooo cute! I know I probably mention that in every comment, but c’mon! That face! I love classic pieces too. I have black pants, white shirts and black boots that are great for mixing and matching.
Oh, thanks so much! I want to chew on his cheeks every single day! I own a lot of black and white too and love to mix and match.
I don’t like shopping, so I hang onto clothes waayyy long. The only time they get donated is when they no longer fit. Which I hope doesn’t happen often these days haha. Love the black and white look, maybe it’s because I live in black clothes for work, but I love the simplicity of it!
I used to LOVE shopping, now it just seems to stress me out. 🙁 I always, always love black and white though!
I’m kind of a “get rid of” type person so I don’t have clothes from too far back. This winter I’ve been on a major purge because I do have things I never wear.
The chicken salad looks awesome – will have to try it for my boys!
I’m a big “chuck everything” kind of person too, but if I love a clothing item, I seem to hang onto it forever! I am dying to go through my entire house and organize, clean and CHUCK everything! Ha.
I love wearing black pieces. You can’t go wrong with black! Just like you said, it’s always appropriate for business, social gatherings, any occasion. If I’m not quite sure what to wear, I just choose something black, and then I feel confident about my appearance. It’s always elegant and classy.
I am going to make your chicken salad right now! This recipe will be perfect for a solo late supper (rare peace for Mom while my kids are at a movie!), and then it’ll be a nice lunch tomorrow after church. Thanks for sharing, Mel!
I love black so much too…it always looks good, looks a little dressier and is slimming….win, win, win! I hope you enjoyed the chicken salad! I miss your blog Deborah!
I find a style that’s simple and looks good and I buy eight variations of that theme. Seriously. I just can’t think in the morning when I’m getting ready. I have to just grab and go.
And I wear things forever, until they are falling apart. That’s why everything has to be classic. I have one or two things that were kind of hip for a while, but they were out of fashion so fast I felt cheated!
Can’t wait to try the chicken salad….
I know, I hang onto my clothes forever too! I like to add things to the wardrobe to keep it fresh though. Thankfully, I’m a pretty picky shopper so I usually LOVE everything I ever buy.
The chicken salad looks/sound fabulous. Can’t wait to try it out.
Life does seem to get crazy sometimes. I love Sunday’s because they give me a chance to regroup and re-evaluate to try to keep the crazy to a dull roar and to simplify as much as possible.
Oh, I LOVE Sundays so much too! I like to take it easy and get in a small nap too. I definitely need to work on the whole “simplifying” things though.
You are so beautiful even if you’re so incredibly busy… You don’t look frazzled AT ALL!!!!! I seriously give you ALL the credit in the world!!! And I LOVE YOU 😀 <3
Oh, you are so sweet! Life is so dang crazy right now, but I’m just trying to keep my head above water hoping that it will eventually calm down. It will eventually calm down….right????
I Love chicken salad. This looks amazing.
Thanks so much! Chicken salad is one of my favs!
Thanks so much! Chicken salad is Fantastic