High Five for Friday

Welcome to High Five for Friday!!

Normally, I would be celebrating Friday, but today I am sad to see the week come to an end.  It means Spring Break is over, and I 'm just not ready for school to resume.  Even though I'm not the student.  Any parent out there with school aged kids knows what I mean.  A lot of parents can't wait to send their kids back to school..I'm just the opposite.  I love spending time with my son.

 Of course, we are like any normal family and we drive each other crazy, and get on each others nerves sometimes..or a lot of the time, but I would much rather spend my days with him than without.  We have fun together..plain and simple!

  So, Friday for me...means back to school for him. 

 It was a nice break...it is always nice when you forget what day it is.  I spent a few days at work writing the wrong date, and all day yesterday thinking it was Wednesday, until my Father reminded me it was, in fact, Thursday...I should have known this since I took the day off.

Here are my five-ish things that I am most thankful for from the week.  What are you thankful for this week?


We had a blast watching The Hunger Games at the drive in.  Which, by the way, was ahhmazing, and I can't wait to see it again.  The second feature was The Woman in Black, which scared the daylights out of me.  So much so...that Trey had to tell me a few times that I was hurting his hand from squeezing it too hard...oops..sorry Trey!

For my local readers that asked about the drive in...the one we went to is in Lebanon, Tn. You can find their website here.

You would think since it was a "vacation" week that I would have embraced my domestic role, but it turned into just the opposite.  One night I wanted something light, and simple for dinner.  So, I immediately referred to my pin board, Delicious Goodness, and found Baked Fried Chicken...I realize the title is an oxy moron, but that's what the blogger calls..she named it..so I'm stickin' to it. This is her picture ..my chicken was not as breaded as hers.

I turned my chicken into delicious wraps..I smothered light ranch on a tortilla, put some hot sauce on my chicken, and sprinkled it with cheese.  Trey smothered his tortilla with honey mustard sprinkled with cheese.  They were delicious!  You can pin the recipe here.  I used buttermilk instead of regular milk, and omitted the season-all, using garlic instead.

Looks good, right!?  Delish and effortless..."vacation" style dinner.

This is disgusting, and I realize I am showing a dead animal on my blog..I apologize in advance..However, we are celebrating, and wagging our tails over here!  Our yard and our dogs have been terrorized by a mole for months.  My yard used to be beautiful, lush, and green, but now it has literally been turned upside down by mole tunnels, and my three dogs digging to China to catch the mole. 

Finally, they achieved their goal, and caught the little booger.  I've never seen a mole...it is quite a character, and cartoon-ish looking..From what I could tell Brodie caught it.  I only say that because he was prancing around showing it off for about 20 minutes before he allowed us to take it from him.  Way to go Brodie!!

I finally got my hands on these adorable flip flops at a charming little corner boutique in downtown Clarksville called Fleur de Lis. At Fleur de Lis they have a little bit of everything...clothing, jewelry, accessories and gifts.

 I fell in love with these last summer when my husbands Aunt wore a pair. She told me where she got them, and I knew I would soon need a pair!  I stopped by the shop a few weeks ago, and they only had brown....The store clerk was a doll!  She took my name and number and promised to call me when they got black back in stock. 

I had forgotten all about it until she called this week, so I went to pick them up yesterday.  They only come in whole sizes.  I wear an 8.5, and the 8 was closer to my size than the 9.  So cute, and comfy to boot.  They have these in black, brown, and white. They will even ship to you out-of-towners.  You can "like" their fb page here.  They are constantly posting their inventory on fb, and it is so easy to order, and have it shipped directly to you. 

I paid just $20.00 for these flops.

 I'm actually wearing them now!!

While on my flip flop mission in Fleur de Lis a few weeks ago I found these earrings...they were still there when I went in this week, so I saw it as a sign that they were meant to me mine.  I bought them for just $8.50. 

In the pictures they appear to be turquoise, but I think they are more greenish...I wanted them because they are green, but loving them just as much in all their turquoise glory.

I love how they hang on my ear...I just adore these earrings!!  They can either dress up or down.  After getting them home I still can't decide if they are green or turquoise..it must depend on the light.

Ever since my amazing Mother-in-Law got me these earrings at a boutique in Paris last summer.. I am simply in love with green earrings.  It is my most favorite color, and I did not have any jewelry this color until she gave them to me...

These are unmistakably green...and gorgeous!

I love chocolate, and I love ice cream! 

I was browsing through the cracker aisle at the grocery and found these yummy new treats.  Only 100 calories...what what!!

I added them to my 100 calorie ice cream cup and had a low-cal sundae for dessert.  If you enjoy such treats, I highly recommend adding them to your grocery list. 

Guilt free deliciousness!

My little Westies got groomed this week, and visited me at my office after getting their hair did.  I must say they are two handsome boys!  The girls at Alicia's K-9 Kuts and Kennels always do a fabulous job with them!

My Dad was talking to Winston in this picture...see that smile.  He is so cute!  He makes me smile!

You can get a custom made collar like Winston's by visiting Puppy Dog Plaids website.

Brodie asleep with his stuffed raccoon..

Winston sleeping

Thanks for stopping by to read HF4F.  You know it has been a good week when I have more than five H5's!!  I hope each and every one of you have a fabulous weekend.  In case you missed last weeks Friday post you can catch up by clicking here.   I will admit it was quite an exciting post!

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!! You know I just love to hear what you have to say!

Enjoy!

Carrie

March Birchbox

Here we are again..it's that time of the month...the time that we all look forward to...drum roll please...dunnn dun dunnn...

March Birchbox reveal time!!

  Sadly, I did not get the Teen Vogue box that I secretly hoped for, but I did get some fantastic products.

.By the way.. I can't help but get sidetracked when the sparkle of diamonds - on my left hand - catch my eye...I get so tickled when I look at them!!  If you don't know why it is because you missed Friday's blog...tisk tisk..you can catch up by clicking here.

I love trying anything new to improve the look of my curly hair.  This product is Miss Jessie's Quick Curls.  It smells delightful, and feels like a lotion for your hair.  This cream enhances your hair’s natural bounce and shape without any heaviness.  It can be used for naturally kinky, curly, or wavy hair.  The moisturizing formula does away with frizz and dryness. Since it’s packed full of moisturizing botanicals, it doubles as a rescue treatment for fried and over-processed hair.

The directions say to use a tablespoon amount, which I thought seemed like a lot compared to other creams I use for my curls. But, I tried it, and got great results. 

My hair was soft, and my curls were full.  It did not weigh down my hair, but my scalp did feel dirty at the end of the day.  Usually I can go a day..sometimes two without washing my hair because it doesn't get oily, but the next day after using this product I had to wash it.  I thought maybe I used too much, so I tried about half of what I used the first time.  My curls did not hold as well as when I used the directed amount, and my scalp still felt dirty by the end of the day.  I will continue to use this product, but I am almost certain that I will not purchase a full sized tube.  Not because I don't love it, but because it costs $32.00 for a full sized tube, and I feel like using a tablespoon amount or more each time will make it disappear long before I feel I got my money's worth.  Make sense?

This trio of shadows by, Stilla, is for achieving a perfect smoky eye. The three shades work together to make your eyes look their most alluring.  I like makeup that lays it out for me with in depth directions because I certainly need help when it comes to applying some of it correctly. 

Kitten is a gorgeous taupe laced with pinkish shimmer, Diamond Lil is a shimmery grey, and Ebony is a deep charcoal black. They are long-lasting shadows made of finely pressed pigments that go on smoothly. The formula is designed to be applied dry or wet.

This cream is a multi-tasker of makeup remover, cleanser, and head-to-toe moisturizer. It’s the only product you need to keep your skin pure and unbelievably soft. It smells wonderful...tropical like, and good enough to eat with a spoon.  It reminds me a lot of my Burt's Bees cuticle balm, except I like this stuff much better.. It is made of organic oils and other natural ingredients, and made without a single drop of water, making it ultra-rich and concentrated.  Basically, anywhere on your body that needs moisturizing..this is your go to cream!

Peter Thomas Roth - anti-aging cleanser is a mild exfoliating acid that helps clarify skin, detox pores, and reduce fine lines.  I have not used this product, but I did open the bottle to see what it smells like.  It has a very clean citrus scent.  This will be a facial cleanser that my house guests will get to enjoy using because it is already in the guest basket.

 I'm not a huge fan of detox tea..I've tried some before and it makes me show my ugly taste face with every swallow.  I haven't tried this yet, but I might as well not waste it. (insert ugly taste face here)  It is lemon-grass flavored...This tea will rid your body of pent-up toxins, boosting your energy while lowering your stress levels..(this in itself will be worth the try..ugly face or not.)  It flushes out the impurities in your system, while lemongrass aides your digestive system.

 Each packet of this product contains a “mitt” that has been soaked with The Stripper (polish remover) to go. It says "to go" because it is designed with the idea that you will carry them in your purse..or "to go".  The lavender formula has a soothing scent, plus aloe to moisturize nails and cuticles.  The directions say that one mitt will clean all 10 nails.  While it smells lovely, I have to strongly disagree with this product.  I had week old polish on, which we all know was dull and chipped on the edges after a week..and this mitt did not remove it from one nail, let alone 10.

The design is nifty, and I will use the remaining polish mitts to add my own polish remover and save a few cotton rounds.

Well, there you have it.  I got some pretty cool stuff..some I enjoyed more than others, but as always it is a nice surprise to get new products monthly and be able to play with them to discover whether or not I like them.  I hope you all enjoyed playing with your new March products. 

Here's to another fun box in April!

Carrie

Thank you for the comments!!

High Five for Friday

Did this week fly by for you too?  I think since my week was perfectly fantastical that I must have missed the middle of it because here we are and it's already Friday!!

I lost my wedding rings..actually, both my wedding ring and my engagement ring...

 On February 25.  I remember the date because I had my parents over for dinner that evening.  I had my rings the day before, so I knew it must have been the 25th...the day I lost them.  I went to put them on after dressing for dinner, and they weren't there.  Wait???  I know I put them there!!  Where did they go?  Oh well, I thought..I don't have time to look right now..my guests are arriving.  I kept it in the back of my mind throughout most of the evening. As soon as everyone left, and we cleaned up I looked...and looked...and looked...no rings.  Every day I was consumed with finding my rings.  I couldn't believe they weren't where I put them.  Long story short...I called the grocery, I looked at work, we looked in my car..I scaled the backyard and went through the dogs...you know.... I had my Mother-in-Law come over for a "search party"...we had a plumber come check all the drains..No rings!!

My things were now organized, but still ...no rings!  I spent most of the days in tears.  I couldn't believe that I had lost something so special to me.  I was angry at myself.  So, after weeks.. I finally decided it was time to call the Insurance Company.  We had them written into our Home Owners policy.  Finally deciding to give up, and relieved that the end was near I phoned the agency.  Well, apparently the paperwork was never completed on it..I don't really know what else the lady said because it was like I had tunnel vision, and then I lost my hearing.  I remember saying.."are you serious!!" and she said "well, I don't know what to say, this has happened a few times before, and if I could call so and so I would, but I can't."  I was at a loss for words...I wanted to scream, but no noise...no words came out of my mouth.  Finally all I said was "ok" questionably...and we ended the call.  How could this happen??  How did I not know all these years that my rings were not insured?  Why didn't I call to verify that you did your job correctly?  I wanted to crawl in a hole and sleep for days.  I called my husband in tears and basically told him I was going to mentally check out for the day.  I went home and cried in my pillow, and had wine for dinner. After a week of beating myself up my husband and I made a plan.  Another wedding band first, and save for a new solitaire that we would buy in the next few years.  I was lonely, and sad..I was overwhelmed with a feeling of emptiness and guilt.

We went to the lake this past Sunday so my two guys could fish. 

This is a picture of the "beach" in my parents back yard.

We didn't get home until after 8:00 p.m., so we stopped and got the little guy something to eat.  Of course he needed ketchup..he eats ketchup on everything..I had forgotten to get some at the store...so, I have a Ziploc where I keep spare packets..

I was digging all through the bag because there weren't many ketchup's left...I began hollering for my husband...I was screaming actually...very loudly saying OH MY GOSH..over and over...I found my engagement ring....then we took the rest of the stuff slowly out of the bag, and found my wedding band.  We literally jumped up and down hugging...my husband was saying "heeheeeheee" my son was saying "yaaaayyy!!"  I was crying, and laughing and smiling as we hugged!!  It was as if a hundred tons had been lifted from me!!

Now, things are back..as they should be! In the future I will be much more careful with my rings, and we will all live happily ever after...with beautiful rings!! 

Oh, and I will forever follow up to make sure my paperwork was properly completed...

I finally jumped on the band wagon and read The Hunger Games.  I started it in the car line on Tuesday, and finished it before dinner on Wednesday.  I really enjoyed it!  Have you read it?

The movie came out at midnight. 

We are going to see it tomorrow night at the drive-in theater near us.  I am so excited!!!  Do you have a drive-in near you?  It is seriously the best place for a family night.  I discovered ours by doing a google search.  We actually have two near us.  We equally enjoy them both the same...one is open year round, while the other is seasonal.  We usually pick based on that and by what movie we want to watch.  Both always have a double feature, and they cost much less than the theater.  They also have a grill...so we have dinner there as well.  One stop date night!  You can look for one in your area by clicking here.

I picked up this nail polish at Publix this week...funny how I forget ketchup, but come home with nail polish...oops..don't tell Trey!!  This OPI color is Do you Think I'm Tex-y?  Sometimes I  imagine what it would be like to be in the board room (as I envision it) as they are making up the names of their polishes.  I think it would be quite entertaining. I haven't worn this polish yet because I still have on the Essie from last week.  I am thinking about putting it on tomorrow for my family date night.

I got my March BirchBox.  I love everything in it!!  I am waiting to blog about it because I still have something I want to use before I write about it.  My box is different from what most of you told me you got in your boxes.  I have been using my products this week.  Stay tuned for that blog this weekend.

My sons spring break starts today..woohoo!!  I love vacations off from school...no stressing about assignments being turned in on time...or late..no homework.....no car lines,...nothing but F.U.N!!

I leave you with my favorite fur balls...

Winston was watching a bee..

Here...he is watching Trey..

Here, I assume he is wondering why I keep taking pictures of him...

My husbands Great Dane...Scuba...I think he looks like a baby cow..especially here..

Have a good weekend my friends!!

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.  I just love hearing what you have to say about HF4F!!

Carrie

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

A Cook Family Tradition

This is one of my favorite recipes in my growing collection. My Mother passed it down to me several years ago, and I have enjoyed making it since. In fact, I often buy extra bananas just so we won't eat them, but so that I can bake bread instead. I make it quite often; especially for family get-togethers, to give as gifts, to say thank you, to send with my husband to share with his co-workers, or just to have in the kitchen for my own family to enjoy. I especially make them each Christmas. Either a mini loaf, or a regular loaf..they present themselves as quite a nice little package all dressed up with a bow. It is easy enough to make that my son baked a loaf for the 4H bread baking contest in his 5th grade class...bringing home the blue ribbon. I contemplated sharing it with all of you. After all, it is one of my signature recipes...it's something my family, and my friends look forward to me sharing. I promised when I started my blog that I would share things that are just too good to keep all to myself. We all need something to do with our ripe bananas anyway, right?

Ingredients

2/3 cup shortening

2-2/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

3/4 cup water

3-1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

4 or more ripe bananas

Directions

Cream shortening and sugar

Blend in eggs, bananas, and water

In another mixing bowl stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves together

Gradually mix into banana mixture

If you want to add nuts, this would be the time to fold them into the mixture. I never add nuts.

Pour into well greased loaf pans, filling each pan a little less than 3/4 full

This recipe will make 3-4 regular loaves, or 6-8 mini loaves

Set on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester is inserted and comes out clean.

The bread should be brown in color, and split in the middle as it rises. The more you bake the more you will be able to gauge how it should look when it is ready to be pulled from the oven. You will also learn that adding a heaping scoop of your cinnamon or cloves isn't a bad thing. The recipe is perfect the way it is, but don't ever be afraid to add a little more flavor to any recipe. Make it yours!

I think the bread is most flavorful the 2nd day. You can warm in the microwave, toaster, or eat at room temperature. I enjoy it at room temperature...with or without butter.

Enjoy!

Carrie

Thank you for taking the time to leave a question or comment.

\