Weekend Recap: Party Edition!

So this weekend was fabulous and I really don't understand why 3 day weekends aren't just the norm. I mean, 2 days?? That's barely enough time to get the house clean and go grocery shopping, forget relaxing! Who do we need to talk to so that this can be a thing?

You guys. I made a button for my blog. I feel super smart and savvy now. I realize this is pretty basic stuff but I'm still all proud.

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.gracemakesnew.blogspot.com" title="Grace Makes New"><img src="http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l573/loveyoualatte/grace%20makes%20new_1.png" alt="Grace Makes New" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Here it is if you want to grab it! Let me know if you do, and now that I know how to add buttons I can add your button to my blog and it will be one big happy button swap love fest! That sounds kind of awkward. Moving on.

I got my gallery wall hung on Wednesday night so it was ready for the party! I lurve it:

Friday we slept in really, really late. Like way later than we have slept in a long time. Clearly it was much needed. We woke up slow, as Jack Johnson would say, and it was glorious! Then we went out to lunch and went to the store to get everything we still needed for the party. It may be nerdy and/or cheesy of me, but I just really enjoy little things like shopping with Adam and running errands. He makes everything more fun, even buying groceries! I know, I know, cheesy cheese.

After that we came home and I did some cleaning and prepping food for the party. I made the crust and filling for a fruit pizza and the Crack Pretzels. Adam made the most AMAZING BBQ chicken and ribs for dinner.

After dinner we watched the X-Files and I did my Jamberry manicure, more on that later!

On Saturday morning I finished up my cleaning and the food. Everyone arrived for the party about 3:30 and we had a great time!

IDK why my upper arm looks so out of proportion to the rest of my arm in this picture, it's kind of freakish. Clearly I have no idea how to pose for pictures in the most flattering way. Photogenic I am not. But it's the only one I have of me and Adam and other than my freakish arm it's a good picture! 

Saturday evening Adam and I watched movies and relaxed, the perfect ending to the day!

Sunday was a pretty lazy day, Adam went out to the field and I started watching The Good Wife, which I am now hooked on. We went to lunch and got treats:

And binge-watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine while I worked on our budget and meal planned. I've got another semi-short week this week because I only work half the day this Friday, so hopefully this week will go fast! How was your weekend? 

Friday Favorites

Three day weekend in the house!

(OMG you guys I just found this and I am in love. Dancing gif's for dayyyyzz. This is GOLD.)

I am so beyond thrilled to have this day off, it is much needed and not just because I have eleventy things to do to get ready for having people over to our house tomorrow. Not because the house is all that bad or anything, just because I'm a freak and feel that everything must be perfectly perfect and clean in order to have a party (clearly we don't have parties very often). 

I'm also hoping to get a little reading and coffee time in today in the midst of the cleaning and baking and such. 

Ok, enough blah blah, here's the good stuff: 

Favorite Song: 

Ooo this is a tough one this week because I had a few favorite jams but I'm going to go with Incubus- 11am: 

I know it's old but if you've never heard this album, seriously, go listen to it. All of it. You're welcome. 

Favorite Video: 

 This is MY LIFE in a short video: 

The Perks of Being Quiet: 

Favorite Recipe:

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

This is the recipe I referenced in this post. It's SO good. I actually didn't even do it as a crockpot recipe because even though it was on my meal plan for Saturday night, I totally spaced on it being a crockpot recipe until about an hour before dinner time. Oops. So I just sliced the chicken into chunks and cooked it in a skillet with the onions and jalapeno, then dumped everything in a pot and let it simmer for about an hour. Still delicious! Oh and we left out the bell peppers because bell peppers are foul. 

Favorite Purchase: 

Ok, so I actually bought this last week before I started back on my meal plan, so I haven't had it since then but I will be eating some this weekend. All I have to say is nom nom nom. Get you some. 

Favorite Funnies: 

Me when I'm working out:

The most accurate description of allergies ever: 

Looks about right:

When I'm not on a meal plan: 

Have a wonderful weekend, dolls! 

Confessions

You guyyyssss...I am totally off my blogging game this week and I'm sorry! I was slammed with work last night so I was like guess I'm not going to get a post up tomorrow but then I was like whatev, I can totally just type one now and hit publish, right? SO here's some confeshuns, better late than never?

*BTDubs thank you all for your sweet words on yesterday's post! Y'all are the literal best!*

* I pretty much spent an entire DAY last week watching Buzzfeed videos. Like ALL day. #superproductive

* I've been really good with nutrition the last two weeks but since this weekend is our party I'm totally going to cheat and I'm not even sorry. I've been saving a little pack of Cadbury Creme Eggs that I bought on clearance this past weekend, plus I will be indulging in all the party goodies. #partay

* I just saw a pin on Pinterest (obvious girl is obvious) about "How to kick your addiction to sugar" and no lie, my first thought was, "But I don't want to, I LIKE my addiction to sugar..."

* I just got my April Birchbox and while I like it there is ANOTHER set of shampoo and conditioner samples and between that and Influenster and some others my shampoo and conditioner collection is getting out of hand! At this rate I won't have to buy more until I'm 40. I think there's a place on Birchbox to tweak your preferences and I should probably get on that before we have to build a separate shower just for my samples. #maybeaslightexaggeration

* We had to cancel our Charleston trip. #sadface BUT I am choosing to look at the bright side, I still get to spend that weekend with my honey and we're going to do some things around here and maybe explore some new restaurants we haven't tried before!

Like maybe this place. OH MY WORD. 

* I was sent a Jamberry kit to try and I am both excited and a little terrified because I know my track record with nails and I'm afraid they're going to end up looking something like this:

* I'm pretty sure it should be considered a form of torture to make someone who is on a diet carry 5 boxes of hot, delicious, aromatic pizza. 

The End. 

Ac-centuate the Positive

I've been feeling kind of overwhelmed with just life stuff lately and it's trying to get me down. But I hate being a negative nellie, so I've decided to write out a list of all of the positive things going on, the things I'm proud of or excited about.

* I totally nailed my nutrition and workouts last week and lost 7 pounds on the scale from last Sunday to Monday morning. I know a good bit of that was water weight but it still feels great to be back on track! And getting rid of that much water weight I can see and tell a difference in how my clothes are fitting again!

* Because I've gotten rid of the bloat I'm seeing some of the definition in my muscle that I've been working so hard to get the last couple of months.

* I knew meal planning totally worked for me, but I am amazed at how much better it goes when I have it typed out in a spreadsheet, printed, and hung on my refrigerator, as opposed to just saved on the computer. Turns out I NEED it in front of my face every morning when I'm packing my lunch and snack for the day. And for some reason doing it with cute fonts and colors seems to help too. I'm easily amused.

* Our BBQ party is this Saturday and I'm so excited! I have some fun recipes I'm looking forward to making for that and it will be so good to hang out with friends.

* I have the day off this Friday so I get a three day weekend, WOOP! Plus that will give me extra time to get the house ready for the party.

* I don't have it hung on the wall yet, but my gallery wall is all in frames and ready to go and I LOVE it! It's taken me some time to get together because I was trying to use as much "found" stuff as I could to avoid spending too much, but it's really come together nicely.

* I've been getting more responsibility at the job lately, and I'm receiving some great positive feedback on my work!

* I made a new 21 DF friendly recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup over the weekend and it was delicious! It's perfect for dinner and as leftovers for lunch the next day.

* Since I made that and I actually really enjoyed cooking it, it's inspired me to take on more new recipes to put some variety in the dinner rotation.

* Adam and I spent half the day Sunday just relaxing and sleeping and eating pancakes for brunch, and it's the best day I've had in a while.

See? I feel better already! What are some good things going on in your life?

Friday Favorites

Three cheers for Friday! 

This week has been kind of crappy so I'm not sorry to see it go! I am looking forward to FINALLY finishing my gallery wall this weekend (like I don't have a choice because we have a party at our house next Saturday) and working on a few other decor things. I've done really well with my exercise and nutrition so I'm really going to try to stay on track this weekend, it's definitely the most challenging time for me to do it! 

Favorite Video:

Teens React to 90's Music: Do They Know It?

If you are a 90's kid you have to watch this. It's simultaneously hilarious and depressing. "They're really old, like 20 or 25!" ::headdesk::

Favorite Song: 

Josh Turner- Why Don't We Just Dance

So apparently I am way behind and this came out in 2009 but I just heard it for the first time on the radio a few weeks ago and I have been loving it this week especially! I LOVE Josh Turner's voice and it's such a cute song! Plus who hasn't felt like this at some point: "Let's just shut out the world cause it sucks and be in our own little happy place."

Favorite Recipe:

Frozen Yogurt Bark

Doesn't this look AMAZING? I need to make it, stat! I love that it uses healthy ingredients, and it sounds like it would be so refreshing for summer! It would fairly easily fit into my eating plan too! 

Favorite Links:

I loved this post by Becca of Becoming Adorrable- Your Husband Can Be Your Best Friend, Too- So over all these people saying I can't call Adam my best friend! 

I had so much fun reading this post about childhood books from Kay over at The Kay Times! All the feels! If you need me this weekend I'll just be over on Amazon re-buying the BSC and Sweet Valley High books. 

Favorite Funnies: 

This is why I don't cook: 

It's serious business: 

These autocorrect fails never get old. Birdseed! 

Is there such a thing? 

Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!