Bring on the Holidays + $325 Nordstrom Giveaway

Who's excited for the short work week? I definitely am for one and very thankful we have Friday off since I used to have to go right back to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This past weekend was the official start of the holidays around here.

On Friday night K and I went out for dinner and some wine at Cooper's Hawk Winery to celebrate his new job. K's been interviewing for 6 months to get into this new field and he finally landed his dream job so celebrations were in order.



On Saturday we went shopping for some Christmas decorations to get prepared for the holidays although I'm waiting until after Thanksgiving to start decorating the house.


On Saturday night we went to the first holiday party of the year hosted by some friends. They like to host the party early since everyone is usually busy traveling and doing things with family as you get closer to Christmas. It was a blast catching up with the girls and of course my girl Kate.




Sunday was all about relaxing and getting stuff done around the house - laundry, food prepping, blogging and quality time with Lola.


I made this crockpot Mongolian Beef recipe that Meg recommended last week for Sunday night dinner and it came out fantastic.


Don't forget to enter our $325 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway hosted by Pamela from Sequins and Sea Breezes. The giveaway ends on Friday, November 27th and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th. 



 
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Friday Favorites + $325 Nordstrom Giveaway


Can you believe Thanksgiving is already next week? My favorite time of year is about to kick off which means many busy weekends ahead until the end of the year. We have our first Holiday party to attend on Saturday night but otherwise it should be a fairly low key weekend.

 ONE:
This week we had our annual potluck at work and there was over 20 dishes plus the dessert table was out of control. It was hard deciding what to chose! I made a delish broccoli salad (recipe coming soon) to add to the spread. I posted some potluck dish ideas yesterday if you didn't catch it.


TWO:
I was putting my wish list together for the Holidays and my birthday in December and stumbled upon this 2016 Blog Planner from Amazon. I know they have free printable ones but it would be ideal to have everything recorded in one book and you can always go back and see what you've done in previous weeks.


THREE:
On Wednesday I went out for a happy hour girl date at our favorite sushi spot downtown to celebrate JQs birthday. It was fun catching up and getting our sushi fix.


FOUR:
We received these Wellness Petite Treats from Chewy.com and they are probably my favorite treats to date. Turkey, pomegranate and ginger are a unique blend plus they're healthy and grain free which is important when choosing treats for Lola.


FIVE:
For the next week, I'm teaming up with Pamela from Sequins & Sea Breezes and 20 other fab bloggers to give away a $325 Nordstrom Gift Card right in time for the holidays! The more ways you enter, the more chances to win! The giveaway end on Friday, November 27th at midnight and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th. Good luck!
$325 Nordstrom Gift Card Giveaway

Joining my fellow Floridian blogger Amanda from Meet at the Barre for some Friday Faves.
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Thanksgiving Potluck Dish Ideas


I don't usually like to post two food recipes in a week but with Thanksgiving next week, I definitely wanted to share these ideas sooner than later. I mentioned on Friday that I'm always looking for new recipes to contribute to the annual potluck at work as well as our Thanksgiving family dinner and sometimes even potlucks with friends around the Holidays. I shared this Broccoli & Cauliflower Casserole recipe which is one of my favorite sides but I found a few other potluck ideas to share.

Tomato Basil Spinach Risotto






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Havarti & Ham Stuffed Chicken


 This recipe is very similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu but instead I made use of ingredients I had at home which happened to be black forest ham (lunch meat) and sliced Havarti cheese.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of black forest ham
2 slices of havarti cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper to taste
cooking spray
 

What To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and beat into 3/4" thickness.
3. Lay chicken flat (smooth side down) on one sheet of plastic wrap.
4. Add two slices of ham and one slice of cheese.
5. Roll chicken using the plastic wrap to keep together.
6. Unwrap the chicken and use toothpicks to keep chicken rolled. Sprinkle the seasonings and black pepper over chicken.
7. Bake on greased baking sheet for 35-40 minutes or until fully cooked.

Enjoy!

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Disney Blogger Fun

Good morning pretties! Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.

Can I begin by saying how devastating the news on Friday was about the turn of events in Paris and the amount of people that suffered. I just can't believe these things keep happening. They definitely need lots of prayers right now. I had a drink in Epcot's France pavilion for them this weekend and said a prayer.


This weekend was the perfect mix of catching up on some sleep and having fun out and about with friends. K and I had a low key Friday night after a busy week. We went to Ale House for some dinner and a quick drink before spending the rest of the night relaxing at home.


Saturday was a fun filled day at Epcot for the International Food & Wine Festival.  I met up with Pamela and Kerri to explore some food and wine booths and we had a surprise visit from Kristen who also happened to be at Disney with her hubs. It was so fun running into her and meeting in real life. 






Sunday was all about relaxing and getting things organized for this week. 

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup. 

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Lucky Friday 13th


Despite my spooky picture, I actually love Friday 13th because I was born on the 13th and have had many birthdays fall on a Friday which means reverse bad luck for me! Well at least that's always been my twist on things.

Other than closing a pretty big deal at work and ordering our Holiday photo cards (Thanks Kerry for the recommendation), this week was pretty uneventful so I'm going to get right into some randoms.

ONE:
K was traveling for work at the beginning of the week so I had my hands full with Lola who requires all your attention. Forget about using a computer or phone in her presence.



K bought me a cute gift from IHeartDogs.com which seems to suggest otherwise. Of course I love my Lola but I am a blogger and need contact with technology in the evenings since early mornings aren't my thing. The drinking wine part is true though.



TWO:
With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm always scrambling to find new dishes for the potluck at work, our family Thanksgiving dinner and sometimes even "Friendsgiving" get-togethers. One of my favorite side dishes around the holidays is broccoli casserole although I've never attempted to make it myself.  This Broccoli & Cauliflower Casserole recipe looks a great side dish for the holidays.


THREE:
I had to buy this song on iTunes and have listened to is a gazillion times cause I just love her voice.



FOUR:
I finally found the secret to amazing smelling laundry ~ Snuggles Scent Boosters.


I've always used good quality detergent (usually Tide or Gain) along with laundry softener and I also clean my washing machine often yet my laundry would still come out smelling just okay...clean of course but just not fresh smelling after all the expensive products I'm using. Not anymore though. My laundry smells amazing after using these scent pacs, especially for sheets and bath towels.

FIVE:
I haven't shopped online in a long time (other than for the Holiday photo cards if that even counts) but I can picture this being me around the holidays. I haven't even started shopping for Christmas gifts.



Happy weekend everyone!


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My Role Model


November has always been extra special because it's the month we've always celebrated my grandmother's birthday. I don't talk about my her often enough even though I think about her almost everyday and still follow her words of guidance. She was my role model and there's no doubt I am who I am today mainly because of her. She just understood me and we had this incredible bond I've never had with anyone else.

Even though she left us 5 years ago, I can't let November come and go without honoring and remembering my forever best friend and role model.



Some random memories and things Granny Helen taught me:

~ that ice cream is much better topped with chocolate chips, sprinkles, coconut flakes (basically any of her random baking ingredients).

~ how to give a good back massage or scratch while we watch movies during one of my many sleepovers.

~ how to be empathetic, loyal and loving and the importance of helping those in need.

~ how to host a "high tea" party. She hosted tea parties for her group of lady friends up until her last days. I would often help assist with odds and ends.

~ my love of accessories and dressing up every outfit with different earrings or necklaces is definitely because of her.

~ to have a sense of humor and be silly sometimes. You can see her trying to get the last drop of eggnog in the photo below just to make us laugh. 


My favorite memories of my Granny could go on forever but I'm not a mushy person so those things stay in my heart. The holidays will never be the same without her though. She made it special.

xoxo
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