Confessional Thursday

It's Thursday again which means time for Confessional Thursday. Wanna join in? Grab the button below, write your confessions, slap the button in your post and come back here to link up. Easy.

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I confess that as of yesterday I have 18 MONTH OLD toddlers. How crazy is that? It feels just like yesterday that I went into super fast labor and my sweet girls were born 6 weeks early. My how time flies. And we are definitely in the toddler stage right now. My girls are running all over the place. Literally running which means they are plowing through toys and sometimes falling because they don't go around them. They don't want to sit still because who wants to when you can run. They are eating machines and sign and talk more and more each day. Their personalities are truly shining now and it is crazy to watch them grow up. The days are long but the years are short....that's what we are told almost daily and it is so true. Slow down babies.

I confess that I gave in and tried the new Strawberry Shortcake Oreos and I didn't like them. The cookie part tasted funky and the strawberry filing was just ok. I will still to my favorite Golden Oreos. At least I can bring them into work for others to try and finish.

I confess that I have a dentist appointment today and I am not looking forward to it. Sure, I love my hygienist and how my teeth feel after the cleaning, but I always fear cavities since having the girls (I didn't have a cavity for over 10 years and then I had the girls and had 2 or 3 of them. I can't remember). And if I have a cavity they need to fix it today because it is the end of a fiscal year which means my dentist deductible starts again tomorrow and I don't want to pay the deductible again when I already did a year ago. At least I have my long overdue chiropractor's appointment this afternoon to make up for it. Crack me doc. My hip is so out of place it has been killing me for over a month.

I confess that I gave in and bought a few items I have been wanting from Loft since they started their 50% off and free shipping deal. Let's just hope they fit. I bought a pair of raspberry chinos, a pair of jean shorts and a black top. I don't know my size there, so I guessed and went off reviews. (code: July4th)

I confess that I hate the fever rule. Aves had a fever yesterday of 100.7 and daycare had to send her home. She was fussy, but nothing else is wrong...so far (fingers crossed nothing else happens). Rory had to take both girls home since I had an appointment after work and he monitored Avery. Her temp was at 101.3 after he got the girls home. Let's hope it is due to getting her eye teeth and second set of molars all at once.

I confess that my girls are obsessed with their blankies and it makes for some rough car rides. If one of my girls loses her blanket (aka drops it over the car seat), she will cry until we can manage to give it back to her. And when you drive them by yourself (like yesterday morning), the crying could last a long time. Toddler screams are awful.

I confess that I skipped out on a birthday celebration at work yesterday and I am so proud of myself. No ice cream sundaes for me. I had way too much dessert last week.
And that's it for my confessions this week.
Don't forget to link up below.

What's Hap-Pinning

It's Wednesday and that means it is time for another installment of What's Hap-Pinning with Jenn and Jessi.

Let's start with this piece of heaven. When I first opened up Pinterest the first pin that showed up was Coffee Brownies. How could I not click the link? It has two of my favorite things and I can't wait to try these. Hopefully they live up to the hype. And I know a certain mother-in-law who would love these just as much as I would.

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I was searching for quick recipes for the busy weeknights and this one caught my attention. Dragon Noodles and you can add in extra veggies if you want and it takes only 15 minutes. Sold. I can't wait to make these this weekend or next week.

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When we were in Mexico, we had this onion side dish that was to die for and this closely resembles it. Roasted Balsamic Onions. I love onions and this would be perfect with some brussel sprouts as well.

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Last night I made Honey Garlic Shrimp for dinner. I marinated the shrimp for about 12 hours, made a separate batch of the marinade for our brown rice and it was really good. I love these flavors, how easy it came together and how healthy it is (or at least seems healthy).

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I love a good cake or cupcake and especially ones that involve strawberries. I would love to make this cake, but not until I get a better oven. Then this is something I MUST make. Until then...any takers want to make this for me? No?

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We all know my love of avocado...especially avocado toast. I wanted to find some new ideas for avocado toast and I am going to try most of these. They look so good and a healthier lunch option.

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Now that I am hungry, I am going to go eat my arm off or have some yogurt and granola. Either works for breakfast.

Shopping with PinkBlush

We all know my love of shopping, even if it is just window shopping. I am always looking for new things to wear to work or on the weekends, but I rarely buy things at full price (I wait for the sales or use coupons). Except when I find something I really like or must have.

I have seen a lot of people post about PinkBlush clothing. So I checked out their site and I wanted several dresses and tops. I picked out about 5 dresses that I needed right now, but I narrowed it down to two. One that I could wear to work or play and another that I might be able to wear to work. Ultimately the one for the weekend won out and I even found ways to wear it to work.

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I liked the florals, the coral top, long length and the pockets. I received the dress and it looks just like the picture. The coral top is a nice double fabric (can't see through) and the bottom half is a soft stretchy fabric which is perfect for chasing toddlers around. I knew I could wear this while playing with my girls and not worry about it getting dirty or being uncomfortable with flashing anyone any parts that shouldn't be shown.

I have worn this dress twice since I received it because it is so comfy. I paired the dress with my Kendra Scott necklace and sandals. And to make it more work appropriate, I added a jacket and flats to complete the look.

A close up of the floral pattern

PinkBlush sells both maternity and non-maternity dresses, so it is perfect for the everyday woman. I am currently eyeing the other dress I had in mind which would be perfect for a summer wedding, a bridal shower or an evening out with my girlfriends.

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PinkBlush has generously offered to give one of my readers a $50 gift card to their store to buy anything you want. In order to win, the winner must have not won a PinkBlush gift card within the last three months. To enter, simply enter the rafflecopter below. The winner will be notified via email and here on the blog. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Thank you PinkBlush for sending me this beautiful floral dress! I received this dress in exchange for this post. All opinions are own. I only work with companies that I love or my family loves. No additional compensation was received.

Weekending

Mondays are always hard, but even harder after you have been away for a week. But I am back and chugging coffee like it is my lifeline.

We got back from Graeagle on Friday afternoon and still had the weekend ahead of us. That was some great planning there. I will recap our trip sometime this week, but in the meantime, I will recap our weekend.

Friday after we got back from vacation, we did a bunch of laundry, gave the girls a bath, unpacked and settled back into life after vacation. We got takeout that evening (salads after eating a bunch of food all week), caught up on some shows and went to bed early.

Saturday morning we headed out to breakfast since we had nothing in the house. I didn't eat much other than a scone and latte since I had lunch plans with friends. I met up with my friend April who came into town from LA, her sister and my friend Brandy for lunch. We got to catch up and it felt amazing.

Desi (April's sister), me, Brandy and April (lifelong friends)

After lunch, I did some grocery shopping and came home to hang out with the girls while Rory did some yard work. At 5, my friend Heather picked me up and we headed to the Reno Rodeo while Rory took the girls to In N Out for dinner. We watched the rodeo, had lots of drinks, caught up and danced in the Jack Daniels tent. It was a lot of fun, but I realized how old I feel now. So many people in the JD tent are in their early 20s. But it was still so much fun.

View from our seats

I took an uber home and made it home by 11 pm. That was late enough for me! I can't wait to do it again though. Girls night!

Sunday we got up and headed to breakfast and I was surprised I wasn't hungover. After breakfast we took a long walk since we wanted to get it in early with temperatures in the high 90s this week. After naps, we took the girls to the Discovery Museum. We have never taken the girls there, but it was recommended once they could walk. It was a lot of fun, but I would recommend waiting until your children are 2 years old that way they can do more stuff. The girls had a blast in the Little Discoveries area and even the other areas. They just couldn't reach everything, so it would be a bit easier when they get older. We plan to get a membership there once they are 2.

 Sutton

 Avery

 They fell in loves with slides last week during vacation and now want to go on them whenever they see one.

Cloud maze

After the museum, we took the girls home for naps before their grandparents came over for a visit. My parents played with the girls while we all caught up on vacation and what the girls have been up to. After they left, we fed the girls, bathed them and played for a bit. Then we put the girls down and I made dinner. We capped off the night with the season finale of Silicon Valley and went to bed early.

It was a good weekend, but way to short. And now we are back at work and back at it. 

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.

Friday Favorites

It's Friday which means we head home from our cabin today. At least we have the weekend to recover from our vacation.

Today I am linking up with Karli and April.

One. My sweet girls hate their sunglasses. Ok, hate might be a bad word, but they dislike them. Sometimes I can get Sutton to wear her sunnies the entire walk, but Avery pulls them off all the time. We are constantly putting them back on like a game. But she also fusses when the sun gets in her eyes. I try to tell them, they should be like mommy and wear their sunnies, but toddlers, they don't listen. Ha. A few people have said good things about Babiators. So have you tried them? Have another pair to recommend? We have some cheap ones from Babies R Us that are maybe too heavy for the girls or too tight on their noses?

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Two. A few weeks back a fellow blogger and Instagrammer was doing a series of three giveaways for her three favorite things and she mentioned Leather Earrings and I fell in love. They are lightweight and beautiful and I want them all. I am just trying to decide on a color. Plus you an pick out of three different sizes per piece. So cool. Aren't these beautiful?

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Three. I have some picky toddlers. They love to eat meat and carbs. Love them. They like some veggies, but hate fruit. I don't know if it is the texture, it being cold or what, but they don't like fruit that much. My cousin showed us some fruit and veggie melts that her daughter loves and gave our girls a few to try. They loved them. Basically they are freeze dried fruits and veggies. My girls have been going through these things so fast now. And they have been trying more veggies as of late. Total win!

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Four. I am on the search for green (army green) chino pants or crop pants. I fell in love with some at Gap Factory, but they didn't have my size in stores or online. So ladies, where can I find some similar to these in a green?

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Five. My sister recommended The Choice as a movie and it is also a book by Nicholas Sparks. Have any of you read the book? Should I read it first before watching the movie? I am almost done with Me Before You and I know I want to read the sequel, but I am always looking for my next book. And my local library has it on the app Overdrive, so I am hoping to read it there (free). Any suggestions on my next book is very much welcomed.

*This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products that we love or are wanting to try.

Confessional Thursday

It's Thursday and even though I am on vacation, I couldn't pass up a Confessional Thursday link up. So please join Lynn and I. Grab the button below and link up at the bottom.

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I confess that vacation is heavenly and I never want to go back to work. Ha. If only I could make that happen, but alas we need the money, mommy needs her sanity (adult conversations) and my girls love the socialization.

I confess that I have eaten dessert every night this week and I will do it again tonight. Our cabins have a main lodge that provides breakfast and dinner as part of your stay. The food is heavenly and they have fresh baked pies and desserts everyday. And I have eaten all the pies I can get my hands on....coconut cream pie, mud pie, peach pie, blackberry and the list goes on. I will need to run 7 days straight after this trip.

I confess that I wanted to wear my new bikini so badly this week, but with cabin life and lots of families, I didn't want to show off the goods. My bikini has a slight cheeky to it and is more suited for the beach rather than the cabin. I need to hit the beach soon so I can wear this beauty.

I confess that I needed this weekend away to recharge and reconnect with my family. I get too stressed out at work (even though my work is lower stress) over getting passed up for promotions, people who suck getting rewarded and people taking advantage of things and people. It is nice to get away from it all and see all the good in life.

I confess that not wearing much make up or doing my hair everyday feels really nice. Love cabin life.

I confess that having limited wifi during this trip has been a blessing. We are forced (in a good way) to connect with each other and not with our phones and tv. We can watch a bit of tv in the lodge and we have used the iPad at night to watch a movie while we fell asleep, but little use of technology is heavenly.

I confess that I wrote most of my blog posts for this week way ahead of time. So nice to not have to think about it while I am gone and just link up when needed.

I confess that I felt bad when I called my dentist office to change my appointment last week. I had an appointment scheduled during vacation time (you schedule it 6 months in advance and I didn't know the dates of this vacation yet), so I had to change it. Plus I wanted to change back to my old hygienist. Last time, I got sick the day before my appointment and had to cancel it, so they put me with the newer hygienist and she was ok, but not my girl. So when I called to change this one, I asked for my girl Sarah and said I felt bad, but I like Sarah so much more. Gotta speak up.

And that's all my confessions for the week.

What's Hap-Pinning

I am in the midst of enjoying vacation. All the coffee I can drink, amazing breakfast and dinner prepared every night and lots of outdoors time. It is heavenly here.

Today I am linking up with Jenn and Jessi for What's Hap-Pinning.

I am ALWAYS searching for summer recipes and I have been pinning away in hopes of making some of these when we get back from vacation...because I am eating dessert every night without a care. At least I won't care until I get back.

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This pineapple salsa looks so good. We are always eating Mexican food and what better way to change up a side dish or appetizer with pineapple salsa. I can't wait to try this and add a margarita with it.

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These grilled shrimp tacos would go perfectly with the pineapple salsa above. I love how light and yummy this dish sounds. 

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I love cucumber salads. I used to make them all the time, but haven't as much lately. But we are growing our own cucumbers again and this salad is perfect for it. Plus we have some dill growing too. Super simple and it uses greek yogurt instead of mayo or sour cream. Yum.

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Not sure this is super healthy, but it has my favorite things. A caprese garlic bread. It would be perfect for a dinner party or pair this with some prosciutto, salami and pepperoni for an Italian style lunch or dinner.

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This is the fruit salsa that our favorite brunch spot gives us every time we go. The girls love it. It is so fresh and yummy. Now I can make it at home.

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I love Mexican corn, but it is no secret that it isn't that healthy for you. That is why this version is so much better for you. It doesn't use mayo. Instead it uses greek yogurt. Sign me up!

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I love a good piece of grilled chicken, but grilled chicken needs a good marinade on it or bbq sauce. This marinade looks pretty easy and most of these items I have on hand. I can't wait to try it.

Weekending

Another Monday is here and I am super excited to be heading to Graeagle this afternoon. I am looking forward to the sun, clean mountain air and lots of family time. But we did have an amazing weekend.

Friday after work, I took my dad to lunch for an early Father's Day celebration. We had the best burgers and steak sandwich. Then we grabbed coffee and I headed back to pick up the girls. We had an allergy appointment for Miss Sutton. Since she got hives a few weeks back, we wanted to make sure she wasn't allergic to anything. And I knew the awful allergy test was on the agenda, but Sutton did not. Poor baby girl hated the test, but I loved the cuddles she gave me while waiting for the test to be over with.

The good news is, Sutton isn't allergic to any of the things they tested for (wheat, eggs, milk, cats, dogs, peanuts, etc). The red spot is her allergy (histamine) hive reaction to compare to.

All the while, Avery was hanging out with her grandma and she was a bit crazy. Eye teething problems.

That evening I fed them dinner, we played a bit and took a long walk to calm them down. Don't miss the afternoon nap. It causes crazy babies.

 We only eat our food with our sunnies on.

And with our pacis

Saturday morning we went to breakfast, met up with a friend, took our afternoon naps and then ran a few errands to prepare for Graeagle. We went to dinner at Thai food and the girls ate chicken sautee and roti. They didn't have an allergic reaction to the peanuts so we call that a huge win! When we got home, we put the girls to bed and caught up on some tv.

Sunday we got up bright and early for Father's Day breakfast with my in-laws at our favorite restaurant. After we got ready, we gave Rory his gifts.

 American Flag hitch cover

Locking hitch pin

 Nevada succulent planter

 The card

After breakfast the girls took their naps. My in-laws came over to hang out with the girls so Rory and I could go to Banana Repulic to buy some clothes, grab some coffee and go to Sierra Water Gardens to plant Rory's Nevada planter box that we got him for Father's Day.

 Rory's Father's Day breakfast

 My father-in-law

Sutton and her grandma

Rory and his completed Nevada succulent planter box

 Sierra Water Gardens

Rory and his girls

After our errands, we came home to hang out with the girls and relax. They took their afternoon naps, but were still a bit cranky after due to teething their eye teeth. So we ordered some local Italian takeout (a new place), ate dinner, gave the girls a bath and had an early night for them. We spent the evening packing some stuff for vacation, writing this post and then my sister came over to drop off some movies for my iPad and some yummy fresh fish from our family friend. It was a good night. 

We capped off the evening with ice cream, wine and some Million Dollar Listing (New York).

How was your Father's Day weekend? 

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.