Encouragement...and a few other things

Gosh, I have totally been MIA this week. Sorry ya’ll...I’ve had a crazy busy, fun week! My bff Casey surprised me on my birthday with a trip to the Biltmore house. We’ve seriously been planning this trip for the past 6 years. We always say we’re gonna go for our birthday’s and then never do. So this year, she made it happen! I’ve never been and have always wanted to go. We lined up babysitters for our kiddos and hit the road for a fun day of food and lots of walking. It was the best.time.ever. We walked off all of our chocolate crème brulee {holla} and the weather was absolutely perfect. I love spending time with her and we always have fun no matter what we’re doing. Thank you, Casey for a marvelous day! Love you!

The gorgeous Biltmore house. I'd like to move here.

Casey having way too much fun and we just started our tour :)

Sooo pretty!

My best friend! Perfect day with perfect company!

Our lunch at was pretty good. This hot pimento cheese was kinda strange though. More like pimento cheese soup is what we decided on.

Sampler of ribs, bbq and chicken with the fixin's. Yumm! BTW...we split this. 

We totally forgot to capture the best part of our meal. Chocolate creme brulee with strawberry jam at the bottom. We remembered after we scarfed it down...hence this nice pic. 

I hit up the annual Switcheroo’s consignment sale yesterday and scored some awesome stuff for my Tanner man. I love those sales. If you have kids and haven’t been…GOOOO!!!! You’ll thank me later. It’s open to the public today through Sunday. Me and my mom go to both of their sales every year. It’s a new tradition for us and I just love it!

So I’ve been telling ya’ll I need to share a new recipe that I found on Pinterest. I’ve been slacking here lately, but I’m gonna share it today! It’s sweet and sour chicken and it’s simply ahhhhmazing! Please cook it asap. BUT do not attempt to cook this if you have a clingy toddler attached to your hip/leg. Thankfully this night Trevor was home and kept Tanner occupied because there’s just too many steps {easy steps that is} but there’s no way to concentrate when you have lil hands dangling all near you and hot grease splatterin.

Fryin up the chicken. If you're a very healthy eater, skip past all of these pics. I'm sorry. This meal was the bomb diggity.

Flip your chicken till it's just brown on both sides.

Add your sauce and stick in the oven.

I made these delish noodles to go along with ours.

Easy peasy to make and tastes so good!

Finished meal. I also made zucchini with soy and teriyaki.

You can find this recipe here.  Or below.

Chicken Breading:
3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

Sauce:
3/4 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup

                                                            1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until smooth. Then pour evenly over chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.

I know this is super long. My apologies. But lastly I want to share something so super sweet and kind that I received today. This is one of mine and Casey’s self portraits we took Wednesday at lunch.

I posted it on Instagram/Facebook. Mainly because Casey looks amazing {as always}…I seriously thought twice about posting it because I look like poo. But I received a comment from a sweet high school friend today on Facebook…she commented on this pic and said, “Magan, I remember you were always pretty in high school, but you’ve gotten only prettier over time J.” Seriously. Me. What?? There are so many days when I feel skank nasty. And there are so many days when I don’t feel like fixing my hair or putting on an ounce of makeup. I let myself go on certain days of the week and feel so gross {and feel so sorry that my hubby has to look at me like that}. BUT I receive one comment like that and it just makes my day. I’m telling you all of this for a reason. When you speak sweet words or comment on FB or send them through a text/email, you never know how much you’re going to brighten someone’s day. Or even better, make their crappy day 100x better. So I encourage you to just tell someone how amazing they look today or that they’re such a wonderful friend. You get the drift. Encouragement is an awesome thing. I plan to do my part today…try it out. I bet you’ll be glad you did.

I’m off to catch up from everything I missed this week while I was out having wayyyy too much fun! Enjoy your weekend! We have nothing planned and I’m looking forward to being lazy and hangin with my boys! Until next time…

Magan

Recap...

Hey ya'll! Hope you had an amazing weekend because I sure did =) But first, lets start with Monday. Remember the Wal-Mart trip I blogged about a while back?! Well, I tempted it again today. I went prepared as usual but this time I switched it up with a ring pop hoping that would stay on his finger and not break in a million pieces. That ring stayed on his finger, on his pants, in his hair and all over that buggy and didn't break until the very end. Score!! We did manage to take one of our shoes off, then the sock was next. Then we lost the sock somewhere in the store. So he was chillin with his sockless/shoeless leg propped on the buggy with sucker everywhere. We looked like those people that you see on the email 'People of Wal-Mart', but whatever. I made it out alive and stress free! Yayyyy...it really can be done!!! I feel like supermom today.

See that bare foot with no sock? Lovely, huh? 

Mom and child exiting Wal-Mart and he's still in the buggy. Hallelujah!!

We went to dinner Saturday night for my bffeih Elizabeth's birthday. We had such a fun time! I got to meet some sweet new people and spend time and catch up with those that I already knew. It was also my sister-in-laws birthday so we got to hang out with her too! Before Mimi came to get Tanner, we had a fun morning of just playing! We moved the love seat and brought the trampoline in. He had a blast and got lots of energy out...much needed for this wild child.

He was ready to play...naked style.

Dancing to a crazy Nick Jr. song - it says 'hold stilllll' in part of the song and this is the outcome.

Jumpin high =)

Sweet friends that I met through Liz...they are fab!

The birthday girl...she's pretty awesome. 

Why do men like to ruin pictures? I'll never understand. Not cool.

With Drew, Liz's sweet boyfrand :) It's not a birthday celebration without masks and other cute stuff, per Elizabeth. 

Blonde Kim Kardashian blowing out her candle :)

Brother/sister time!

My sweet, sweet sista! Happy birthday Cates!

All of the chics!

We watched the Superbowl last night. Well not really. I watched Beyonce and Destiny's Child...woop, woop. Loved it! And I ate some junk food and wings. Other than that, I don't really care so much about the actual Superbowl. But I do care about the food. A lot. 

Hope ya'll had a great weekend! It's another Monday and I'm thankful to be here with my precious family and friends. Enjoy the rest of your day and all that you've been blessed with. I'll be posting a recipe or two sometime soon, hopefully. I've been stalking Pinterest for some yummy dinners this week. Until next time...

Magan

A little bit of everything...

So I love fashion. True statement. I love being trendy and I love shopping. I was always afraid that I’d get in a ‘mom’ rut once I became a mom. Let’s just be honest here. I stay at home with Tanner the majority of the week; therefore I don’t look so hot. I’ll be glad to admit that. But when I do go out of the house, I feel that I put more effort into my outfits now that I am a mom. Crazy weird, I know. I’m assuming it’s because I don’t have to dress up for work everyday like I used to and when I actually go somewhere it gives me an excuse to dress cute.

I wasn't lying about being a hot mess. Here's my mom outfit. Workout type pants (I need to put these to good use and actually workout), a long sleeve tee and rainbow flops on this particular day bc I was cleaning the house. Beautiful, huh?! 

I’m not saying I want to wear heels and dressy clothes. I’m talking casual here. As you can see below, I mean casual for real. {Please excuse the quality of photos. I don't have a professional photographer at my house, besides an almost 2 year old. But hopefully you'll get the drift}

I wore this out for errands the other Saturday. Easy peasy. Blurry quick photo...my child was demanding I go dance with him.

The whole shabang...skinnes from New York & Co. (their jeans fit me so well), boots -Target, plaid shirt - Old Navy,  pull over - Old Navy and monogrammed by myself. Throw on a cute simple necklace (I paired it with my new Tanner necklace I got for Christmas), I added pearls and a cute ring. And there ya go.

The best part about this outfit is that it was not expensive! I'm on a mom budget...enough said. I scored with this pull over the day after Thanksgiving at Old Navy. It's so easy to add a touch of cuteness to clothing with just a simple monogram. 

In other news, today marks the day that two more very special people in my life were born. {I told ya’ll there were a lot of January birthdays of those that I love the most}. My step-dad, Mike, is one of those people. He is a God send to our family. He has so many amazing qualities: crafty/painter/builder man that helps me with a ton of my many projects {you’ll here more about him once we finish a few of those projects}, he gives great advice and is one special Poppi to Tanner {who spoils him way too much}. We love him and I’m so glad he’s my second dad. I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

Christmas time :)

Ice cream with Poppi =)

My favorite. He loves his Poppi!

The girl that I reference as my bffeih {best friends forever even in Heaven}, yea we made that up when we were like 8, her name is Elizabeth and she is simply wonderful. She is one of those friends who have been by my side since I pulled her hair and stole her toy when we were two years old in the church nursery. She’s never left my side since. All friends have issues and arguments, but no matter what she’s still by my side through it all. I love her dearly and am truly blessed to call her my very best friend. Happy 29^th to YOU my amazing friend Lizerbeth!

Yep, that's us in the back whispering about someone.  I'm on the right in the strawberry dress and she's in the pink number on the left. Wayyy back in 4k =)

Glorious high school days...9th grade with my bffeih.

Maid of honor at my wedding 

Just a few weeks ago celebrating my mom's birthday. We sure have come a long way  lol!

Happy birthday to both of ya'll! I hope your day is amazing and wonderful...you both deserve it!

Totally switching gears...I found out last night that a precious soul passed away yesterday. She was very dear friends with my bff Casey’s family. I had only met her a few times and the times I did, she was a sweetheart. She was so young, only 24, but God called her home after a car accident yesterday afternoon. It got me thinking. A lot. Since I’ve had Tanner those thoughts about me passing have crossed my mind quite a bit. Casey says it’s because we’re moms and that’s what we do, we ponder, we worry and we want the best for our children. But the thing about it is, is that we shouldn’t be so concerned as to when our last breath on this earth will be but we should be concerned about where we'll spend eternity. I’m thankful, as I’ve said before, I’m a sinner saved by grace. I will spend eternity with my Heavenly Father. I want this blog to be about many things, especially expressing my feelings. I can’t get that sweet girl that I didn’t even really know out of my head today. But I pray that her family and friends can find peace and comfort in the Lord. I hope that all of you my dear readers and friends will enjoy every second you have here with your loved ones. Soak up every second you have on this earth. Love on those that mean the most to you. Work hard and accomplish all that you've ever dreamed of. And be prepared, as you never know when your last breath will be. 

Sorry for the sad part at the end, but that’s what blogs are all about right?! Expressing yourself. I hope ya’ll didn’t cringe at my hot mess of an outfit that I call my daily attire =) Moms rock by the way {lol}. I made another delicious pinterest recipe last night. Can’t wait to share it soon! Enjoy the rest of your day…it’s almost the weekend. Woop, woop!  Until next time...

Magan

Reflection...

One more year till 30 hits…wow! 29 years ago today my wonderful mom gave birth to me {thanks momma}! As I reflect on the past 29 years, there are many happy, emotional, sad, thankful and blessed moments that I’ve experienced in my life. I just want to take a moment to remember some of those sweet moments…

-         Giving my life to Jesus…I am a sinner saved by grace.

-         Walking down the isle in my hometown church 7 years ago and saying ‘I do’ to the man of my dreams.

-         Giving birth to my precious baby boy almost 2 years ago. This memory tops the charts. Being a mom is the most amazing gift I’ve ever received.

-         Saying goodbye to my daddy after a long battle with cancer. One of the hardest times of my life, but it made an almost 16 year old way stronger than she could have ever imagined. If you still have your dad, hug him tight.

-         Buying our first house as a married couple and purchasing our second beautiful home this past September.

-         Graduating from college…most proud, stressful, encouraging and hardest time of my life.

-         Working at a company with the best co-workers ever for 8 great years. I made the best friends there and am thankful for the many things I learned while I had an official day job.

-         Thankful that my job now is taking care of Tanner. Never in a million years did I think I’d be so blessed to stay at home with him. Trusting God and praying…it works people!

-         Having my mom as my best friend…she’s one in a million.

-         Family – I have some of the most amazing family members. I’m blessed in this department.

-         Summers going to the lake with my Mama and Papa when I was younger. My bffeih, Elizabeth, would come with us and we would spend all summer together. Kinda wish I was young again and could do it all over again.

-         Taking home our sweet fur baby 6 years ago. I never knew the love a dog could bring to your life until we rescued Maggie. She was quickly taken from us 8 months ago and I still miss and think about her every day. Losing her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through. I truly believe I’ll see her again one day though and that will be such a sweet day.

-         The birth of my baby brother 15 years ago. He makes me smile.

-         Friends – it’s not about quantity, but quality. I have some pretty amazing people that I call friends in my life. So thankful.

-         Getting to enjoy my favorite hobby ~ embroidering!

-         Receiving a call a little over a year ago that my Papa had passed away unexpectedly. One of the saddest days of my life. He told me all of the time that he was ready to go whenever the good Lord called him home. What an inspiration and blessing he was in my life.

-         Holidays spent with my family and friends. I have the best childhood memories with my mom, dad and brother at Christmas time and Easter. Memories that I’ll treasure forever.

-         Many countless fights I’ve had with my older brother growing up. After many years, I’ve finally realized he’s one amazing man and daddy to his girls. I am proud to call him my brother.

-         Moving to Georgia when I was in the 3^rd grade. I was scared to death to make new friends and move to a different state. Thankful that I still call a lot of those GA peeps my friends/family.

-         Moving back home to SC my 10^th grade year of high school. That was scarier than moving to GA. I reconnected with a lot of old friends and made new ones. High school is so awkward, but it was a fun ride. Definitely wouldn’t want to go back lol =)

-         Opening Cotton Blossom Boutique with my best friend, Casey. I have so many amazing memories with her and this one tops the list!

-         Yearly vacations with my family…one tradition that I never want to miss.

-         Growing up in church, Sunday lunch at my Mama’s, church camp, revival, Wednesday night services, VBS. Thankful that I grew up learning about the Lord and what it means to be a servant for Him.

Those are just a few of the memories I have over my 29 years of living. While some may be sad and others are happy, they all have meaning in my life and have helped to mold me into the woman I am today. I am in the happiest place ever. I love my family, my friends, my drama free life, my job, my home, and most importantly my God. If you want to see just how blessed you are, write it down and reflect. It’s good for the soul. As 30 approaches in another short year, I say bring it on! I’m ready! Cheers to 29 and counting!

Me & Elizabeth...bring on the boa and glasses! 29th birthday celebration at its finest!

My birthday has been wonderful so far! I received a sweet kiss and 'happy birthday' from my hubby as he was leaving super early for work this morning. Tanner gave me a hug and a nice slap in the face because he was so excited that it was my birthday. My momma called me shortly after I woke up to give me her wishes. I then received a call from Casey and her two sweet angels, who sang happy birthday May May Magan to me. I got to see my in-laws who gave me a sweet gift and wished me happy birthday. And then my amazing little brother called (he's on his way home from a youth retreat) and the whole youth group sang to me. What could be better?! I feel so loved, not by gifts but by calls, texts, Facebook messages and just plain love that others display to me. Thank ya'll so much!!!

I'll update on the amazing weekend I had tomorrow! I'm off to enjoy my birthday by being absolutely lazy until the wild man wakes up from his nap! Hope ya'll have a great Monday! Until next time...

Magan

Time...

Happy Monday! So we had our first experience with the dentist this morning. I was a tad bit nervous to go and wasn’t sure what to expect. My sweet boy exceeded my expectations! He did amazing…well almost. He didn’t really love when she cleaned his teeth and wasn’t super excited when the dentist used her little mirror to look in his mouth. But really, who is happy about that?! All in all, it was a really good visit. He has nice pearly whites and we’re doing all of the things we should be doing. We have our last set of molars to come in and then we’re home free with teething. YAYYYY!! That will be a glorious day for this momma!

Our weekend was absolutely wonderful! We celebrated my best friend’s birthday Friday night. I just LOVE spending time with her and her hubby. She is the sister I never had and any time I’m with her it’s just simply amazing. Love.her.to.pieces. Seriously.

My two sweet nieces were in town and Tanner got to spend all day Saturday with them. They only get to see each other once every few months so when they’re together, they take full advantage of their quality time. I love their itty bitty faces so darn much. It’s so hard having family that lives out of town, but it really makes the time you get to spend with them even more special.

Trevor, Tanner and I went to church yesterday. Since we’ve moved to a different town we’ve been visiting churches, well actually we have only visited one so far and love it. This Sunday’s sermon was about how to make change happen. Wow. That’s just what I needed to here. I had a few goals set for 2013 and I am more than determined to achieve every one of those goals now! Change can be a good thing...with the Lord on my side and with His direction, I'll be good to go.

I love pretty warm weather. Well I don’t love it in January because I want it to snow, but I did love it yesterday. Tanner had a blast playing outside and we had a nice lil walk around the subdivision and chatted with our sweet neighbors. Family time with my two boys warms my heart. It takes me back to my childhood when my mom and dad would play outside with me and my brother. I want Tanner to have all of those same memories and experiences with Trevor and I.

As I was getting my curly haired cutie ready for bed, putting on his lotion and pj’s I just stopped and realized…I’m a mom. I remember being little not so long ago. I’m a year away from turning 30 and gosh, all of these mixed emotions flooded through me for a brief second. It seems like just the other day my mom was taking me to have my Glamour Shots made. Or just the other day my dad was making me go outside to practice my jumps for cheerleading when I was in middle school. Or just the other day I was in high school being a wild and crazy teenager. Time flies, no joke. My life is just how I always pictured it to be like when I got “old” one day. Now I realize I’m not old at all…I just really don’t get which section I need to shop in when I go to Belks lol. Anywho. That second while getting him ready for bed made me realize how precious time really is. How every second I just want to love on my lil baby…once I blink he’ll be starting school. I want to embrace and cherish each moment I have with my family and baby boy.

And with that said, I tucked my sweet boy into bed, said his prayers and headed downstairs to enjoy the rest of my already perfect day. Nothing’s better than really buttery popcorn, peanut m&m’s and Parenthood on DVR. And now it’s back to Monday =)

Hope ya'll had a great weekend! Before we know it the weekend will be here again. So before it gets here, be sure to enjoy the time you have each second of every day with those that you love most. This momma's gotta go fix lunch. Until next time...

Magan