Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!! I'm so thankful it's finally the weekend.   We are on week two of this crud going around and I literally cannot.stop.coughing.  Ugh!   Hoping to finally get over it this weekend with some relaxing!

Before we head into the weekend, let's talk some favorites:

 

I love plaid and I definitely feel like I should have been a cowgirl or lived in Texas so I'm totally obsessed with this dress & these booties.  This outfit is a steal and perfect for fall!

I've been working on putting out our fall decor & putting together our fall dining table and I'm in LOVE.  A full post to come on that soon but here's a sneak peek of some the goodies I'm using.  I'm obsessed with the appetizer plates from the Target dollar bin!

I most definitely meet every other basic girl qualification but I have to confess...I do not like the PSL. I'm going to try one again this year just to make sure but I'm pretty sure I still don't!  Granted I'm not much of a coffee drinker.  Give me all the hot chocolate & hot tea though!  I do love pumpkin bread, pie, muffins & anything pumpkin scented - just not in my drinks!

So....YouTube!  I've decided to give it a try.   Here's a sneak peek of something I filmed last week & will be sharing soon!  Are you on YouTube?  Any tips or tricks I could use?  I have so much to learn but I'm super excited to connect with you all via video so I can show you more about how I decorate, make our recipes, etc.

Last but not least, Happy Birthday to my baby brother!! Okay, so he's not a baby (seriously, insert me in the fetal position today over the fact that he's 23) but he will always be my baby brother!  I am so thankful God blessed with me an instant best friend who I'm so close to.  We literally talk every day if not multiple times, hang out all the time and we may pick on each other but let somebody else try and they'll run into a lion.  We protect each other fiercely and always have each other's back.  I'm so proud of the man he's becoming and love that we live close & can share all our life experiences together!  I try to make him more organized, loved to do his homework with him and give him sisterly advice.  He challenges me to be a better person & Christian, always has my best interest at heart and always makes me know how much he cares.  It has been a really rough summer and he has been there for me 1000% and is just the best :)  So excited to celebrate him this weekend!

Hope you all have the best weekend!  We have some fun stuff planned but are definitely going to be chilling a lot because we have got to stop coughing!!! See you back here on Monday :)

Other Posts This Week:

Counting Down to Fall

DIY Fall Pumpkin Arrangement

Ritz Chicken Casserole

 

Ritz Chicken Casserole

You know those meals that just scream comfort food?  This is one of those.  If you need something to make when you're just looking for some warm comfort food, something to take to a sick friend or new mom or just an easy dinner to whip up sure to please your whole family this is for you!

Ingredients

3 cups cooked shredded chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken

1 stick butter

1 cup sour cream

2 sleeves Ritz crackers

Directions

Boil chicken breast/cook in the crockpot and shred after cooling.  (Side note: I prep a bunch of chicken this way and then freeze it in Ziploc bags so I can just pull out and defrost for casseroles like this.  It saves a lot of time on weeknight dinners!)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x9 pan.

Mix the cream of chicken and sour cream in a bowl until blended and then mix in shredded chicken.

Pour into pan and top with crushed crushed crackers.

Melt stick of butter and drizzle over the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until crumbs are golden.

So easy & so delicious!  This recipe would easily serve 4.  I recommend serving it with a green side such as broccoli or green beans.  It can easily be doubled for larger groups or to have leftovers!

Enjoy & please pin the image below if you're a Pinterest addict like me :)

DIY Fall Pumpkin Arrangement

Fall décor is starting to make an appearance in The Peacock Roost & we love it!!  One of the easiest ways to add a little festive holiday décor to your home is with a simple floral arrangement.  I wanted to give you all a couple of ways to do this so today I'm sharing how to make this super simple DIY arrangement.

To begin, you will need this foam pumpkin & gourd mix, a clear vase and some floral inserts.  I purchased all of the above at Hobby Lobby.  (All of their fall stuff is already 40% off so it's a great time to go snag these items and throw a cute arrangement together!!)

These are the floral fillers I used.  I'm obsessed with that wooden pumpkin!

This box of pumpkins, leaves and gourds is a perfect filler!  It adds more color to your arrangement and who doesn't love another excuse to have pumpkins around?!

I opened the box and poured all but a few pumpkins into the vase.  I like to leave a few out to place after the flowers are in there because you can place them around the flowers to better hold things in the place you are wanting.  After putting the base in, I start with the tallest pieces of my arrangement first and start placing those from the back to the front.  Once everything is in the vase, I move things around until I have the look I'm going for.

The ribbon tied around this vase is actually the one that came around the pumpkin fillers that I repurposed to add to the arrangement! 

You can easily put this arrangement together in less than 5 minutes and it is a great addition to any of your living areas to add a touch of fall!  What do you think?  Do you like adding arrangements like this to your house for the fall season?

Counting Down to Fall

Fall & Winter are my favorite seasons so I'm super excited that Fall is just around the corner!  We make some of our favorite memories in the Fall & Winter so we're looking forward to all the fun we have planned over the next several months.

I love Fall clothes, food, décor, holidays & more!  That makes Pinterest my extra favorite right now so I can find new inspiration for the season!

I'm so ready for blanket scarves, booties, tunics and sweaters.  I love the layering that fall & winter brings and how cozy the clothes are!

Check out my favorite fall fashion pins here:

I love warm food.  Soups, stews, pies, casseroles.  LOVE!  Fall is when I really get into cooking all the time.  We love making dinner at home and treats for watching our favorite teams play.

Check out my Fall food board for favorite recipes:

My tailgating board has great ideas for watching games:

Are you excited for Fall?  What are you most looking forward to?


Are you on Pinterest?  Let's follow each other!  I love seeing what other people find on there! 
 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday lovelies!!  SO glad it's the weekend AND it's a long weekend which makes it even better!  We have fun plans this holiday weekend that we're looking forward to!  What fun things do you all have planned for the holiday weekend?


Before we get the weekend started, it's time to share some favorites with you!

It's officially September which means Fall is coming! I'm obsessed with Fall & Winter so I'm pumped my two favorite seasons are almost here. 

(FYI: if you like to plan ahead like me, Hobby Lobby already has Fall & Christmas stuff 40% off!)

This is so me to a T. My basic self definitely makes a strong appearance this time of year!

My new favorite lunch with my new favorite dressing! If you love ranch but want a healthier option, this new Greek yogurt ranch is seriously delish!

My new favorite exercise routine! I love my morning swims. They are so good for my physical health but they do wonders for me mentally too! I feel so ready to take on the day after!

It's less than one month til this sweet gal's wedding! Can't wait to celebrate one of my bestest on her special day!

Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday weekend! We're going to try to recover from the sickness that has taken over our house this week & tackle a few house projects with some date nights thrown in!

P.S. If you stocked up on a lot of fall items at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale like me, go check the new sales. A couple items I purchased are WAY cheaper now so I ordered replacements and will send the ones I paid more for back. Like some things were almost $20 cheaper so it's worth taking a look to make sure you save money if you can on items already purchased or maybe you can snag another one of your wish list items you didn't splurge on for a lot cheaper now : ) I'll post links to some items I found a lot cheaper to my Facebook page today so be sure to check those out!

Fall Saddle Crossbody

One of my favorite trends for this Fall is the saddle cross body bag!  I love a good cross body bag for weekends, travel, etc. and these are structured too which I love!

1/2/3

4/5/6
I bought this one at the Nordstrom sale & am in love!

Are you going for this bag trend this year?

What's Up Wednesday

Today, I'm linking up for What's Up Wednesday with some of my favorite blogging ladies!

We're answering the following questions if you would like to join:

With a bonus question this month of - What is your favorite summer to fall transitional piece in your closet?

WHAT WE'RE EATING THIS WEEK...


For dinner: Panera, soup, meatball subs & pizza are on the menu so far! 


For breakfast & lunch:

I'm loving turkey sausage, egg & cheese sandwiches!

I'm obsessed with my new lunchbox that I can bring yummy lunches to work in!  This is my go-to meal this week.

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

Fall last year!  We have so many fun things planned for the rest of the year and fall/winter is our favorite season so we're super excited!

WHAT I'M LOVING...

My sweet husband!  I can always count on him and that means everything.

All my Nordstrom sale goodies :)  I can't wait to wear them all this Fall!

Family time!  Thankful for a brother who is always there and for our close relationship!

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Date nights when we can fit them in!

Celebrating this sweet girl & her upcoming wedding!

WHAT I'M DREADING...

Nothing really!  I'm just counting my blessings these days :)

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

Getting into an exercise/healthy eating groove again!  I have gotten out of the habit the past few months but am working on getting back into the routine!  I've taken up swimming in the mornings which works wonders physically & mentally.  I have also started meal prepping at the beginning of the week so I have breakfast/lunch/snacks figured out and just have to cook dinner each night.  This keeps me from making bad choices!

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

Fall & all our plans!

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

Reading:

The Dirty Life (I'm obsessed with books about farming, rural life and making your own everything right now!)

Watching:

Bachelor in Paradise

Parenthood (I'm totally late to this bandwagon & can't.stop.watching.)

RHONJ/RHOC

Anyone else super excited for the return of Fall tv?!

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...


Either the news, Reba or Parenthood while I work.  I love background noise :)

WHAT I'M WEARING...

Easy summer dresses!  It's been so hot & humid here lately!

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Hopefully a little landscaping, a few house/business projects and relaxing with my husband!

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH...

September is officially a fall month!  I'm so ready for my two favorite seasons (fall & winter).  We are looking forward to a September full of fun plans, lots of football and a busy business month.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

That about covers it!
 

FAVORITE SUMMER TO FALL TRANSITIONAL PIECE IN YOUR CLOSET...

I love a good striped tee & infinity scarf for the transition weather!