16 Months!

16 Months kinda snuck up on me! Miss busy keeps me on my toes and I lost track of the date. Luckily my mom snapped this cute photo of her last week when we were in the mountains for family vacation. She has such a sly, sneaky grin. I love how proud of herself she is for climbing up on the corn hole boards. Here are a few updates on our sweet one:

Caroline -

Thanks for remaining our JOY. You are healthy, and growing, and smiling, and giggling, and learning. I love it all. Every day with you is such a gift!

My New Love: Chalk Paint!

Have y'all tried chalk paint? OMG, its fabulous. No sanding, no priming. Just painting, and then playing. We like that in our house.... the getting right to the playing part. 

A sweet friend gave me a little, old table and chairs for miss caroline. It was the perfect thing to jumpstart my thoughts for a little person playroom. That is still the works, but the table and chairs are finished, and caroline is already loving them!

Here is what they looked like before:

I painted a coat of gray on the chairs to start. I wanted them to have gray under tones instead of the brown of the original oak chair. 

This is how they turned out:

There were exposed screw holes on the sides, and I found these fun colorful buttons at Michaels and hot-glued them over the holes. Love the punch of color!

Caroline enjoys climbing up and down because they are the perfect size for her to maneuver independently. 

I used CeCe Caldwell's Chalk paint and Satin finish over top. It worked great, and is mineral based, VOC free, no oder, so easy to clean up, washes out easy with water... basically the perfect paint. Did I mention you don't have to sand off old finishes or paint. AMAZING!

I used two sample size containers of Carolina yellow and two of Seattle mist gray for a total of $36. Which is a little more pricy than regular paint or acrylic, but it is so worth it because it was that easy! And our table was free, so 36 dollars sounds awesome :)

Have you found and fallen in love with chalk paint? Give it a try! 

Our Littlest Cow & 3 years of selling Chicken

We love Cow Appreciation Day around here... and in my personal {biased} opinion we have the cutest ever cow!

 She loves nuggets and fries! Good thing since we have access to quite a few of them :) 

 She had a tail... and never noticed it even once! 

 I'm a mean mom. Caroline seriously does LOVE "Moo Moo" just as long as she isn't being held by her. 

 See, we're good sitting beside Moo!

 Caroline as LOVES her Da Da... and she already knows going to Chick-fil-A means she gets to see Da Da. 

And 3 years ago today we opened our little Chick-fil-A. It seems like yesterday, and so so long ago at the same time... It has been a fun journey for sure, and I wouldn't trade it for anything because it is our story. Crazy most of the time, and unexpected, and tough too, but joyful and blessed. There is such peace knowing we are right where God has us for now.

We look so young! {And I still remember this moment - feeling overwhelmingly proud of my hubby and his hard work, and the kind of man he is!}

Happy 3 Years Chick-fil-A of Waynesboro! 

15 Month Old

This Chick-A-Dee is 15 months! Woo Hoo! Love her to pieces!

Caroline, thanks for being such a joy. Thanks for the smiles, the giggles, and for keeping mommy and daddy on our toes. We love you our little busy bee :)

Peach and Mango Salsa -- RECIPE!

Pretty sure that if you made me say a very favorite food it would be chips and salsa. {yes, I know thats two foods technically. I'm sneaky like that!} And because I love salsa so very much, I am a big fan of this summery Peach and Mango salsa. It is sweet and refreshing and can be adjusted easily to your taste. Give it a try for your 4th of July get together!

4 Fresh Peaches, peeled and diced

1 Fresh Mango, peeled and diced

Half of a Red Onion, finely diced

2 Plum Tomatoes, peeled and diced

1 Small Red Pepper, diced

Fresh Cilantro

Juice from 1/2 of a Lemon

Juice from 1/2 of a Lime

Dash of Cayenne Pepper or finely diced jalapeño {if you like a kick!}

Dump everything together and let it sit for a couple hours in the fridge before serving! YUM-O!

Caroline 13 & 14 Month Update!

So by the way, we have a 14 1/2 month old. Somehow month 13 and 14 just flew by in a blur. Maybe it has something to do with how delightfully busy Miss Caroline has become. She is the definition of fun. And learning things so quickly. Never a dull moment!

Anyway, I have been taking pictures of her, and I added some updates. I have been jotting down things that just describe her loves and learnings.

Caroline, you remain our JOY! Thank you sweet girl for your sweet spirit and cute personality! Mama and Da Da adore you to the moon and back :)

Pineapple Chicken Verde

Hello there!

I've been busy chasing a toddler and enjoying summer... and making quick suppers. Here is a yummy one we had earlier this week:

Pineapple Chicken Verde

It was based on this recipe from The Gracious Pantry, and I just made a few adjustments. It was SO easy, and yummy, and very healthy.

Jay and I have been doing a month of clean(er) eating and gluten free. And when I say "we" I mean I have been doing it, and Jay has been supportive and trying really hard. Bless his heart. But seriously the boy's life is utter chaos most of the time, and he eats fairly well for it to be so. Still working on that...

Anyway, I have actually loved eating gluten free. Well, kinda loved it... basically it has been wayyyy easier than I expected, and I really do feel better. I decided that I consume too much junk in the form of granola bars and crackers, and claim to be "eating healthy" just because I didn't eat a cookie or a bag of chips. All that flour tt still turns right to sugar in my body, and the more I would eat, the more I would crave bread! Its been a detox month I guess. Anyway, I have been taking the time to choose fruits and veggies as snacks... and lots corn tortilla chips. This girl can't live without her chips and salsa! A tiny step in moving towards an unprocessed lifestyle....

SO, this recipe fit the bill, and was just a dump everything in the crock pot lifesaver! My adorable toddler likes to hit-the-wall around 5:30 when its time to fix dinner, and demands an abundance of books be read to her in the 30 minutes it takes to make dinner. Enter the crock pot! WOO HOO!

Now for this recipe...

3 Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Verde (Green) Salsa (mine was from Trader Joes)
1 Cup Crushed Pineapple (in real fruit juice!)
1 Red Bell Pepper (Sliced up thin)
Diced Jalapeno
Quinoa

Now for the hard part... dump everything into the crock pot, except the quinoa, and cook on low for 4 hours! Perfect thing to get started during nap time!

 Shred the chicken with two forks after about 4 hours and make your quinoa based on package directions.

Serve chicken mix over quinoa. We also had a yummy summer salad.

It was great re-heated for lunch the next day too. Hope y'all love a quick, healthy meal as much as we do!

AND, if anyone has an gluten free, easy recipes they love... please share!

Our Little Beach Bum

Caroline and I had the chance to go to the beach with my mom for 5 days last week. It was Caroline's first beach experience, and such a fun girls trip! Girlfriend loved the sand and the water, but picking up shells was definitely her favorite. One of the best mom perks is getting to watch her see and do things for the first time. It's the best!

 Blueberry eating machine!

 I adore my girls!

We spent a rainy day at the aquarium. Caroline was fearless and stuck her hand right into the touch tank to feel a horseshoe crab and a starfish!

Captain Caroline loved "driving" Gram's car while riding the ferry back from the aquarium. 

3rd Generation Beach Bum!

 So glad summer is here!