Thursday Looks

ONE - I ordered this dress and I cannot wait for it to arrive. It looks long enough for this 5'7" 41 year old too! 

TWO - ordered these jeans too. Interested to see if my legs are too big for these. It's very possible but worth a try! I'll report back. 

THREE - a simple tee with some zazzed sleeves. 

FOUR - ordered this dress too. I want to have a few dresses for upcoming events this spring. No spring break plans for us though. 

FIVE - have my eye on this cute dress too! 

SIX - spotted these shoes and I have zero clue if they're comfortable or wear well but they are so pretty!

Healthy-ish Mexican Bowl

This is a little meal that I whipped up last night with things I already had so thought I'd share!

From the bottom layer up:

1. Roasted cauliflower (I like to quickly cut the head of cauliflower on Sunday afternoons and roast so I have it for the week)

2. Taco seasoned cooked hamburger meat

3. Shredded cheddar

Cook above in microwave for 90 seconds

4. Sour cream

5. Mateo's mild salsa 

6. Avocado

Filling and delicious and best of all, EASY!

Here's a cross section picture so you can see the layers! Not too fancy. 

Night in Raleigh

On Friday after school we jumped in the car and headed to Raleigh to stay with my best friend from college! We had a grande time staying up chit chatting with she and her husband Brett. The kids had a field day playing together. 

Saturday morning we went over to NC State where I went to college and we drove around to check out campus. Molly Anne and Grady loved seeing it. I loved showing it to them. 

We stopped in the bookstore to buy some gear. Molly Anne got a pendant for her desk and a basketball. Grady got a football and a tshirt. 

We met up with Kelly and her family and walked through campus together. That's my old freshman dorm in the background. Lived there on the 9th floor. 


Free expression tunnel where Molly Anne pointed out every bad word and Grady had zero clue of any of it. 

We lived together for 3 years back in the day, we were each others maid/matron of honor in our weddings, been through ups and downs in each other's lives. She is always there. A good, solid friend!



That's Mann Hall where I suffered through civil engineering classes with a bunch of dudes and a few other ladies! It's under construction now and civil engineering is on the Centennial Campus. 


Jimmy V


We all scooted over to Baja Burrito for lunch. It's been there for 28 years now. It's exactly the same as when I was in school 2000-2005!


Then over to the NC State Men's basketball game versus Boston College. Kids had a blast!


We even got to go on the floor and take pictures. 


With Miss Wuf!






Grady got to meet the Grady who he is named after. Our Grady was always going to be a William the whole time I was pregnant up until the last few weeks when we really were thinking maybe not. Kelly was helping me think of strong names and she mentioned Grady who is her brother in law. I was like YES I love that name! And we had met Grady a bunch of times at that point and Kevin and I really liked him. So, now we have a Grady. It was cool having them meet!


He was a happy dude getting to see the game. He is VERY into watching football and basketball on TV. 


So much fun!

We drove back to Charlotte after the game. I ended up at urgent care with Molly Anne when we got back. She really felt crummy last week with head congestion, was sort of on the mend but after Saturday really felt worst. Ends up she had one and almost two ear infections. Antibiotics check check. Glad I took her so she could get a bunch of doses in before today. 

It's Sunday night as I'm writing this and I just took this picture. A big NC State weekend for this boy. Sleeping with his football and sticker still on his face. 

Both kids want to go to NC State now so mission accomplished hahaha! We shall see!!

Five on Friday

Whew it's FRIDAY! What a wacky week with school closed on Monday. Definitely winged it that day. Cranked it out the rest of the week. All good. 

1. I was a terrible cook this week. Between a work dinner for me and after school activities, I didn't do well. We ate at home each night but it wasn't by any means put together. I always say we are going to do a freezer week and clean that out but we never do. Maybe next week!

2. Finally got some new contacts ordered this week. I ordered from 1800contacts on Wednesday and they were delivered Thursday. Such fast shipping! I actually had to chase the UPS guy down because they evidently require a signature for delivery. I got the email from UPS that they were unable to deliver while I was driving into our hood. I went and found him down the street and got my contacts ha!!

3. Went to lunch at Kid Cashew in the dilworth area of Charlotte with a friend yesterday. She's in the same industry as I am, also with a civil engineering degree and it's always great to catch up with her. Lunch with friends and work peeps is my jam. Much preferred over dinner!

4. Here's your reminder to email your kid's teachers and ask if there is anything you can do to help or anything they need for the classroom. It's always so appreciated and those teachers are saints!!

5. Grady is back in swim at Charlotte Aquatics. Big time freshen up for summer swim team and for being at away camp this summer and for the beach/canal. He would be totally fine saving himself and swimming at this point but a refresh of this is never a bad idea! 

Talk soon friends. 

Boys and Girls Clothes

Thought I'd change it up this week and talk boys and girls clothes!!

These are the shorts that I buy 5 pairs of every year for Grady. He wears them year round IYKYK! But they are comfortable, don't stain easily, hold up well and and easy to wash/dry. Gotta get them now while they have his size. Also, I love the tees from here too. So easy to throw on and look as put together for a five year old boy as you can. 

Go ahead and put me on repeat. My kids live in these shoes all summer. Grady has about 10 pairs of navy - one in every size since he was tiny. Ha! Molly Anne chooses a different color every year. Never have great luck with the sparkly ones FYI. 

These are the best girls bathing suits. They don't fade and they hold up well over the years. 

Isn't this dress adorable?!

Best place for girl's headbands!

Wal-Mart + versus In Home

I was so curious as to what the deal was with Wal-Mart Plus before I signed up right before Christmas, I figure others may wonder too. So here's what I've learned. 

Wal-Mart + is $98/year but you can get it for $49 at different times of the year. Wal-Mart plus is when you can get free delivery at a set hour that you choose during the day. I think you have to order about 4-5 hours ahead depending on how busy they are. You get your delivery within that one hour time frame you chose by someone in a random car kinda like Uber but these folks get paid by Wal-Mart to do the delivery. And...you have to tip. I usually do $5 or if it's a big order $10. I don't do 20% of the order because that is just crazy and no one I've talked to does that either. These folks will put your order in front of your garage, on a side porch or on your front door step.  

Wal-Mart + In Home is an additional $40/year. But the key here is that you do not tip. Also, a Wal-Mart employee does the drop off in a Wal-Mart van and they'll put it on your doorstep or bring it in to your kitchen for you. Here are the cons - you have to pick a 9am-1pm or 2pm-6pm order delivery window. I'm never home for those four hours straight ever. I did the 30 day trial and I couldn't use it one time over those weeks.

So back to regular ole Wal-Mart + for me. I also occasionally still pick up at the store if it's early in the morning and not on a weekend.  

Two New Products from Derm

Saw my dermatologist recently (Melissa Boothe, PA - for those that live in Charlotte). Everyone on the mom's group on FB spoke so highly of her. I've seen her a couple of times and really like her. She complimented my skin this time and told me she could tell I had really taken care of it. 

I must admit...it's hard for me being at the beach all summer but I have been very good about using face sunscreen every day. I also try not to part my hair when I'm in the sun. Yes, I'm bad about wearing a hat. As my kids have gotten older and one of them can do their own sunscreen, I've been wearing more sunscreen. I know that's ridiculous but it's true. 

Anyway, back to this visit, she noticed my skin was dry and suggested this body wash. So far I really like it. It's kind of boring. I definitely prefer my Method body washes for smell but I also don't want dry skin! Maybe this for winter only?! 

The face lotion that she suggested is pretty wonderful. They make a tinted version as well but I'm just sticking with this for now. I put it on every evening and let my face soak it in. My makeup has sunscreen in it which is what I put on every morning. 

Yes I'm crazy about dermatologist visits. It took me awhile to find one that actually looked me up and down (my first gal that I loved retired).  No shame in my game - check me everywhere. Too much family history not to! So, here's your reminder - go get your annual skin exam!

Last Minute Weekend At The Beach

I really felt terrible last Thursday and Friday but as you all know, Moms don't have time to be sick. I got my act together to pick up the kids from their half day on Friday. I worked Thursday living on Ibuprofen that day too. 

We ended up staying home Friday then Saturday morning going to the beach. We were going to go on Friday but I didn't have it in me. The kids had off today so we wanted to make a long weekend. We ended up with a good weekend anyway. 

We were able to see the boat lift which was just put in. As you can tell, it's still not finished. We have to get power out to the lift, it needs to be evened out, a panel needs to be swapped from wood to metal etc. They shifted our dock and the pilings over to make room for the lift. It's going to be great to have it all finished for this Summer. 

Still enjoying the new landscaping and fence. The sod is zoysia grass so it'll look better in the spring. It's hearty for the salty environment. It's a long story why the gate at the dock jets out but that's how it is. But I love having the fence, so much safer for kids. Between that and our new back porch, we are in business! Beach places are a never ending funnel of money! So much more wear and tear. 


I love this sign my parents gave me a couple of years ago. I have it sitting on our chest of drawers there. 


Yesterday it was chilly but Mills had himself a day. We walked then took him to the east end to play on the beach. 












Then we headed to lunch, the Myrtle beach outlets, bass pro shop and more shops. Just getting some errands done. Did you all know there's a Lululemon outlet in Myrtle Beach? It's basically a big sale aisle at a regular store. Same pricing. 

Had dinner at Maria's. Working some this morning then driving back. Busy week ahead for work. Talk soon. 

Valentine's Day Recap

Wanted to do a quick Valentines Day recap. I volunteered at my friend Ashley's widow outreach project. She has a flower business and her creations are stunning. In 2021 she started putting together arrangements for widows in the community. It has built to now over 1,000 in the Charlotte area receiving flowers, gifts from local businesses and a card showing that they are loved. It is quite the production of a lot of good people, a lot of donations and a whole lot of love. 

It was so much fun making arrangements with friends! I got to see other friends there as well. It is such a special and wonderful event. 




Vinny, the Panthers DJ, played tunes for us.  Then Hilary and I got to go deliver a bunch of arrangements. It is such a special event and I'm thankful I got to participate. We need more good in all of our worlds! 


Valentine's Day was also the 100th day of school. I guess it wasn't cool for the boys of Kindergarten to dress up because he didn't want to. Bummer! Molly Anne wore her robe over her hearts! She had girls on the run that day too. 


I'm kind of going backwards! Here are all of the treats that morning from Kevin and I! Julie brought them cake pops too. 




It was a fun day. We ended it with breakfast for dinner and did heart shaped waffles and pancakes with eggs, sausage and scrapple. Yum!