FRIDAY FAVORITES

Here we are!! The Friday before SPRING BREAK!!!!! So this Friday Favorites is AMAZE!!!

As always I am linking up with Momfessionals, TabandErika and Grace&Love 

ONE.

On Sunday my mom did her annual St Patty's day dinner on Sunday and it was DELISH!!!
She has done this for years and I am so grateful she was willing to make it this year!!
Next year she says it is my turn to host :)

TWO.

BLESS!! I got my nails done this week for vaca and I am beyond OBSESSED with this color!!
OPI My Chihuahua Bites. I did my toes first and then realized they had it in no chip as well for my
nails :) 

THREE.

On Monday I shared my post on how I balance home and work life. You can see it HERE!
I am sharing this as a favorite because...wait for it... I am all planned until then end of the year!!! 3 out the 4 weeks in April we have 4 day weeks so I have to be on my A GAME!!! Things get shifted but this is a HUGE relief :) 

FOUR.

Did we make my enchiladas again? YUPP. Were they delish? YUPP
You can find the recipe HERE!

FIVE.

This is us LAST year on SB! Pat had found this secret hideaway bar and we only went fro drinks but cannot wait to go back for food as well!!!



BRING ON SPRING BREAK!!!!!!
(since we are on SB next week I will be posting sparingly! Thank you all who have been following me on this blog journey!)

xo

March Madness

YALL!!! ONE DAY LEFT!!!! Today is an easy day in all of my classes so the countdown is REALLY on!!

Today's post is short and sweet!

It's about my love for March Madness. I look forward to this time of year beginning in January. I get to excited that all sports channels have basketball on, we stay up late watching games, teams who weren't supposed to go far, GO FAR and teams who were supposed to be winners end up biting the dust early on! 

As we head into spring break Pat and I both cannot wait to be sipping a cold one on the lanai while watching some bball!

Few things...

1. Our fighting Redbirds made it to the NIT this year and were SO CLOSE to a NCAA bid. Their run in the NIT was cut short after this week's game :(

2. The HOOSIERS also did not get a bid for the NCAA this year. Another huge bummer. Both my brothers went to IU so we are big fans as well!

3. I have UCLA taking it all!!! I had my students in study hall help me with my picks this year so I am so so so so so nervous going into this weekend. They have done well so far and I am praying for good results!!

4. In honor of my Grandfather who passed away far too soon in life, we have a memorial family pool we all join each year to celebrate him! The Dick Barber Memorial pool has been in full swing since 2006!!! I LOVE CBS Sportsline and all the fun we have submitting our brackets and taunting one another!

That's all for me today. I will be back tomorrow with Friday Favorites!! 

BBALL IS BACK TONIGHT!! and all weekend :)

xo

Packing with only a Carry On

If you couldn't tell by the title of the post, all I have is "Spring Break on the brain" (Que the Rhianna melody)

Today I am talking about packing. Packing with JUST a carry on for your vacation. Sounds easy right?

Packing is NOT my thing. I always over pack. I tend to bring WAY more than I actually wear and  I never learn my lesson!

Currently happening at our house!! LOL PAT!!!

So I am here today to give you some tips that I have learned over the years to help you maximize your space and style while only bringing a carry on :) 

1. Always know the weather where you are headed. I thought about adding a pair of jeans to my pile

for Florida, and thought to myself, hmm... 80 degrees every day WHEN am I going to wear

these?

2. Keep a go-to liquids bag that you can take with you whenever you need. Don't dig into this bag

unless you are traveling. Keep your liquids filled and replenish when needed. 

3. Shoes? Are you hiking? Planning to work out? Wear your heaviest/ most bulky shoes on the plane. That way they don't over crowd your suitcase, yet you have them for the trip :)

4. Layout your outfits visually so you can see what you can interchange or re-wear. Camis? You need one. Don't pack 10. 

5. Undergarments can get tricky. Pack according to outift. If you have white pants one night make sure you have what you need for the color :) White/blush top? You will probably need a nude bra. Otherwise if you can't see it through your clothes, you only need your colored one.

6. Plan on working out? Pack light weight clothing. It is easy to roll up and easy to pack. Also a good cushion for items you do not want to move around. 

7. If you are wearing sandals all week, do you NEED 7 pairs of socks? 1 or 2 will do. Again plan more if you are working out daily. 

8. Roll up items that you don't care get wrinkly. Rolling saves more space in your luggage.

9. Don't want to travel with an iron? Invest in Downy Wrinkle Release!!! I SWEAR by this stuff and have gotten those in my life addicted to it as well. It is a LIFE SAVER when traveling! They sell it in travel size umm AMAZING! 

10. You do NOT need 4 pairs of flip flops. You just do NOT! Have one for the walks to the pool or beach. Then another nice pair if you want to wear them out to dinner or something fun. 

I tend to pack my neutral strappy sandals (black, gold, or silver) so which ever pair I decided to take along, I know ahead of time so I can wear them if I like with my outfits. 

I always bring ONE very nice and sassy pair. So this trip I am bringing my favorite wedges :)

11. Get yourself a quality carry on bag. I used to LUG (and when I say I, I mean Pat) my Vera Bradley duffel through airports. I quickly learned even though it held a TON, it was not the best bag to have when walking through an airport like O'hare ;) For my birthday this year I asked for a on-wheels carry on. I found the BEST one and I love it. I found mine at Costco and have not been disappointed. ANDDD it expands, just in case I pack too much! Mine was last season but HERE is another great one from Costco! 

12. Curling irons and Blow Dryers. UGHH this topic is a struggle. Because my hair air drys quick, I tend to never pack a blow dryer. If at a hotel, I almost never bring one. An Air B&B probably yes. BUT invest a small, travel size :)

I hope you find some tips to help you on your next trip :) Finishing this is sure making me want to be jetting off tomorrow! TWO more days left people! Happy Wednesday!

xo

Table Talk Tuesday- Planning your week!

SPRING BREAK COUNTDOWN= 3 days left!!!!

Here we are Tuesday once again! Today I am going to share a few of my favorites from the past month of Table Talk Tuesday. Don't get me wrong I love everything I share but here are a few you could do in a pinch tonight for dinner :)

Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday

Pat's Pasta 

(his specialty is so simple and delicious!)

I will share this in a few weeks :)

Tuesday

We are on our own due to Pat's late pratcie

Wednesday

Beef Enchiladas :)

We cannot get enough!

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday 

We will eat out due to celebrating SPRING BREAKS ARRIVAL!!!

1. Do you need a kid friendly meal? Or I mean you could be 25 and love it like me :)

HERE you can find my Beef Enchiladas!

2. Meatless? 

This red sauce is CRAZY simple and perfect for Lent! You can find my recipe HERE!

3. Are you buffalo obsessed like we are?

This is my version of Buffalo Joes and you can find them HERE!

No matter what you choose to put on the table this week, make it good. Make your table full of spring and love. Share a meal or three with your loved ones :)

xo

Workin It- On a Monday!

Today I am linking up with Mix&MatchMama and A Little Bit Of Everything for their monthly Workin It Wednesday! I know it is Monday. Don't worry my alarm clock made sure I knew it was a new work week! The blogosphere has been off this month so we are sharing on a Monday!

SO I am going to share a little bit of how I balance work and home life. 

Disclaimer.... No kids yet (obviously) so you would think my life balance should be easy right?

WRONG-O!

As a full time teacher, loving daughter, sister, friend and girlfriend my days are PACKED and BUSY!!

Here are a few tips I can share for all you teachers out there :)

1. I prep EVERYTHING the night before. Outfit? Planned. Lunches? Packed. Breakfast and coffee? All set out to grab and go. Few weeks back I did a post on how I ROCK prepping lunches during the week and you can check that post out HERE!

I am all about the sleep and I will not waste any precious time in the morning planning an outfit or deciding on what to wear. Both of those combined could take me HOURS. Let's be honest!

2. I have stopped bringing my school laptop home. I use my planning periods wisely and have weeks at a time planned. 

3. I still lesson plan. It helps me visually see what we are doing throughout the week.( I have 3 different preps a day so I need to stay organized!!) I also utilize the small whiteboard in my classroom and put the schedule up for the students so I am not asked 1000 million questions a day about what we are doing. 

4. I keep to do lists EVERYWHERE. At home? Yes. School? yes. I love the feeling of checking off an item on the list!! YESS!!

5. Grocery shop on Sundays. We have been good at this but lately are schedules have been so busy that we have been running out during the week! This week is so messed up because we leave Sunday for Florida and we do not want to have go to waste! So leftovers and eating out it is!

6. Laundry on the weekends. OK yes this my downfall (Pat is probably laughing HARD reading this) I just can never get in the groove to do laundry. Pat is SO SO good at keeping a rhythm with laundry but me no way. I am either on a roll and can do multiple loads or I just ignore it all!

And add packing for a vacation into the mix.... It will never get folded or put away until I am back home! I really do try to keep up but  this is a battle! I read a great tip that said to do a small load of laundry each morning. So yes I am going to start this so my loads on the weekend are just my jeans, sheets and anything I NEED washed for the week!

BLESS!

7. We save the BIG cleaning for the weekends. As busy teachers and coaches are nights at home are OUR time together. We watch our shows, cook, read and decompress. Little picking up here and there and wiping down counters get done daily! 

8. Work together. Pat is a huge help around our home. He keeps me balanced and holds me accountable. After busy days for either of us, we always HELP each other. One will cook, one will clean up and we both help throughout everything. You have to have balance and keep each other balanced. If a load of laundry doesn't get folded, fold it the next night. If take out is less stressful, pick up chipotle or order Chinese food. Do what is easy and balanced for YOUR life!.

Meet me back here tomorrow for Table Talk Tuesday :)

xo

Friday Favorites

YAY!!! Friday Favorites! This week has been LONGGGGG and I beyond happy it is Friday! This teacher is counting the days until Spring Break! T-minus 1 week!!!!

As always I'm linking up with my fav bloggers for Friday favorites!
Momfessionals, TabandErika and GraceandLove 

ONE.

We have been OBSESSING over this candle lately! I had it on my list to purchase from White Barn but happened to receive it for a gift! How awesome right? It is calming and the scent is not overwhelming! You can find it HERE!

TWO. 

OH MY GOODNESS!! This is for sure a fav. We have been dragging HARD this week due to the time change!




THREE. 

YALL! This Evy's Tree purchase (Jessica in Oatmeal) has been beyond a FAV!! I wore it Monday and received so many compliments on it! It wraps in front but you can wear it multiple ways! It is currently sold out but head to Evy's Tree to check out their collection :)

FOUR.

Umm yes. We made this dish this week and we

 LOVED the Tortellini Bake with Sausage & Broccoli once again! 

 FIVE.

If I could star this 1000 million times I would. This is ME and this is a favorite :)

SIX.

Yesterday I blogged about my love for Ree Drummonds new spring line! I purchased these and I adore them! Check out my post HERE!

SEVEN.

This song came on during my drive home today and I cannot let it go. It was my favorite back in college and all my friends made fun of me! I am obsessed and will now be listening to it all weekend :)

That is all for this wonderful Friday! We are on Spring Break a week from today and we cannot wait to be in the warmth and laying on the beach! Here is to a fabulous weekend and time spent with family and friends enjoying St. Patty's Day!

 Sláinte