Bon Appétit + InstaCloset Sale

Meals we'll be enjoying this week:
Click each meal title to view the recipe.

Grilled Tilapia Bowls with Chipotle Avocado Crema (Gluten Free meal!)

One Pot Pasta (I will add grilled chicken breast for a little extra)

Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

We'll also have our usual Sunday/Monday night pizza and taco Tuesday. What are some of your go-to meals during the week? I always go to my favorite food Pinterest board for meal inspiration before each grocery trip. Check it out for inspiration for your own meals! |E A T - Favorite meal ideas|

---

P.s. I'm having an Instagram closet sale HERE! Make me an offer on your favorite items!

Did I mention...

Did I mention how long I thought last week was? Well, it kicked my butt. By Wednesday I was ready to just give up, but I kept pushing (not that I REALLY had a choice...I'm coveting my last two vacation days of the year). 

Turns out, this week makes last week look like a walk in the park. 

So, what do I do when the going gets tough? I finally blog.
Hello stress relief!

Speaking of stress relief, the last thing we wanted to do tonight was cook, so we went out with a friend for quick drinks and apps at one of our favorite local places, Corner Pub. A.k.a. Cheese Bean heaven.

Of course, I put on a cute outfit (even if I only wore it for a few
hours)...that always makes me feel better. 

these {thrifted} paper boy shorts are SO soft
and guess what? they are from Anthropologie. I got them for a whopping $5!!

Then we made a quick pit-stop at Home Depot on the way home for some DIY supplies. Remember when I mentioned succulents and a terrarium? My DIY dreams are coming true this week! Can't wait to show you how it turns out!

-------

What do you do to de-stress during the week?

Thanksgiving Week + Weekend Recap

Holy Wednesday! I can't believe it's already the middle of the week. I thought for sure this week would creep by after the holiday weekend. But sure enough, here we are in the middle of the week. Thank goodness!! I love it when the weekends are slow and the weeks go by quickly.  Who am I kidding--we all love that, right?!

Working for the weekend!
via

I have a ton to catch you up on.  Let's start with Thanksgiving week, shall we? ------- On Wednesday might we headed to our favorite bar down the street to catch up with friends, including some from out of town. 

Before heading out.

It was an unusually warm Turkey day this year, so I had to opt for an outfit that wouldn't completely make me melt while I spent time in the kitchen. I definitely had fun putting this outfit together!

Thanksgiving Day #OOTD

It's a simple Old Navy dress {with a fun skirt} paired with a Banana Republic button up and skinny leather belt. I don't know what brand the black boot is...I might have to look into that for y'all ;)
Thursday was a special day for me. I made my very first Thanksgiving turkey all by myself! And it turned out really well! Wahoo!

I used Trisha Yearwood's family recipe {found here}.
It's super easy and it creates a very juicy turkey (no crispy outside though).

I also made my first, but not last, sweet potato casserole. Check out the recipe {here}. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, but I plan to make this again soon!

It has maple syrup and half&half in the sweet potato
mixture and is topped with brown sugar and pecans. Noms!

I also made this bomb.com cheese ball. It had bacon it in and was a big hit!

Pumpkin and Pecan pie.

My sweetie!

Naturally we ended the day with some college basketball!

-------

We did not spend Friday shopping black Friday sales. No way, no how. We've been out for a few in our years together, but we're not big on the crowds. We are just not cut out for that drama. We heart Cyber Monday though!

Our craving for turkey and ham leftovers lasted about 24 hours. We made our way across town to meet up with my Dad for a short visit, and while we were out we stopped at Noodles & Co. to fill our bellies with non-thanksgiving food.

I tried the truffle mac. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the penne rosa.

While we were close we had to stop at Trader Joe's
 to pick up our favorite snacks and beer.

Trader Joe's has all of their holiday snacks out now--I suggest you stop by and try a few. These peppermint pretzel slims are perfectly light and not too peppermint-y.

We spent Saturday afternoon at one of Nashville's beautiful parks with our wedding photographer shooting our engagement pictures. It was a lot of fun {even with my brace and crutches}. I couldn't ask for a better time or photographer!

What did you do Thanksgiving weekend? Did you travel at all? It was our very first of not having to travel at all!

------- P.s. I'm linking up with Sami for the weekend update blog hop!

Friday's Fancies {yummy treats)

Happy Happy Friday! The weekend is almost here!! Do you have any fun plans this weekend? Going anywhere? We're going shopping for Thanksgiving food, shopping for Christmas decorations, and I might be adding a few things to my Etsy shop!
Today I'm linking up with Alison over at {Long Distance Loving} for Friday's Fancies. It's been WAY too long since I last linked up, so I'm definitely excited about putting this week's outfit together! This week's theme is Autumn Faves.

I picked a treat that I indulge in between fall and winter--peppermint hot chocolate! I love adding a little pizzazz to my hot chocolate with everything from {peppermint to white chocolate bailey's}! I found this pretty picture of a peppermint hot chocolate to use as my outfit inspiration.

via

And here's the outfit I came up with!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

I paired a nice pair of dark skinnies with a cream sweater {like the whipped topping}, chocolate brown riding boots {like the hot chocolate}, and a pop of color with a red infinity scarf {hello peppermint!}. I also had to throw some fun gold accents in {my favorite metal to wear in the colder months--they pair well with browns!}. ------- What's your favorite treat? Can use it as outfit inspiration? Check out the rest of the treat inspired outfits {here}!

{Wedding Wednesday} Shoes!

Happy Wednesday ladies! Did y'all stay up late to watch election results? It's been a whirlwind the last few days with all of the election coverage!

  Don't worry, I'm not here to write about politics today--I'm sharing another Wedding Wednesday post with you! This week it's all about shoes {specifically for the bride--me}! 

Because of the length of my dress, the material of my dress, and the color of my dress it's been somewhat challenging to find the perfect pair of shoes. Not to mention that it's an outdoor wedding, so no high heels for this girl! I am one of those girls who loves when a photographer captures a great photo with the bride and her shoes (whether it be by herself, with her bridesmaids, or with the groom), so the shoes are important to me!   Check out these sweet shots...

via

via

via

via

 See what I mean?  Not only are the shoes important in the photos, they also add to the overall feel for the bride! I feel like a princess in my wedding dress, and I expect to feel the same way about my shoes.   I think I've narrowed my ideas down to these four options: Sparkly sandals with little or no heel. Flats with good detail (nothing too plain). A not-too-tall wedge in a navy or a grey with a little detail. Cowboy boots (I already own).   Here are a few examples of what I've had my eye on:

via

 

I LOVE the detail on this shoe--I'm trying to find a similar style in a wedge.
via

Aren't these gorgeous? I would like them better in silver or a cream, instead of gold.
via

I absolutely LOVE these, but I think the height is too much.
via

Relaxed Steve Madden sandals...
via

My FAVORITE pair...aren't they gorgeous!? Kate Spade, of course!
via

------- Thoughts? I know it's tough picking a pair without knowing what the dress looks like, but I think any of the above would well. Wish me luck with finding the perfect pair!
P.s. I'm hosting a link up today with Mary at {A Happy Wife in New Orleans} for Wedding Wednesday posts! Swing by and check out all the wedding posts and make a few new friends!

Election Day Coverage

You might have been put off my the title of this post.... A BLOGGER covering the election right on her blog? Well, don't worry, I'm posting a different kind of election day coverage...the type you wear out to the polls to vote! 

via

 Since I'm stuck in my cast and unable to wear jeans or boots, much less a matching pair of boots, I thought I'd put together an outfit that would resemble the outfit I might have worn today had I been able to dress up like a normal person.

Tee // Sweater // Scarf // Jeans // Boots // Purse

 ------- 
What are you wearing today?  Are you having an election watch party? We are having a girls dinner and Pinterest party for the first part of the night. I'll be home right after in order to watch the election coverage. I can't wait!  Hopefully y'all are just as excited!

Radar Riders

We have another weekend under our belts! As you know, our weekend started with some crazy storms--we were "radar riders"! It was so intense watching the local news with updates from around town, and those bright red spots on the map. I'll admit, I think I became seriously nervous about the storms once I saw the news (thank goodness the power went out shortly after!).  It was not a nice way to start the weekend.....but then again, I'm glad we got it out of the way early in the weekend! This weekend post is definitely a random one....lots of pictures and a little info to fill in the blanks.
-------------

I've been thinking about buying these shoes...thoughts?
The wedge and bow are both brown, as are the spots on the shoes.

Sewing lessons? Why, yes! Thank you!

I feel in love with this sweater at Gap!

Yes, this is what two grown women talk about on Saturday evenings.

On Sunday, the boy made some delicious peanut butter banana french toast!

Have you had these? These are pretty yummy...
My favorites are the vanilla cupcake flavor. Get.Them.Now.

We took our (what seems like) weekly stroll around World Market.
I adore these dishes. I love a good catch all,
so I always have my eye out for cuties like these!

I LOVE this bar/wine cabinet.

I love having a few cute seasonal pieces around the house!
This candy jar is perfect for our Starburst Jellybeans :)

How lucky am I? I love having a boy that likes to wash cars!

The best way to end the weekend? With a drink, of course!
White Russians are the go to drink in our house :)

-------------
Although we didn't do anything out of the norm this past weekend, I would chalk it up as a really good one nonetheless. I actually felt well rested and ready to start my week when I got up on Monday morning [that never happens].

What did you do this past weekend? I did try out something new this weekend---pre-fixed meals! I made three meals ahead of time and froze two of them to use this later in the week (meatloaf and chicken & broccoli casserole). We used one of the meals on Monday night (a whole chicken to cook in the crockpot, which we've done it in the past, and it is so easy!). Let me tell you--I'm a believer already. Yesterday we made a few sides and were able to sit down and eat within 20 minutes of getting home from work. Eating so quickly after work never happens for us---we can never make up our minds about what to have for dinner in less than 30 minutes, so this is a big change! Tonight we'll be able to pop a casserole into the oven and spend a few minutes catching up with each other while it cooks.
No serious dinner prep after work=Happy Ashley!

Hope you're having a great week so far!