Stranded...Netflix Edition

Okay y'all, we're half way to Friday ANNNNDDDDD...

Tomorrow is GRADUATION!!!!

ANNNNDDDD....

BENNY comes home TODAY!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

I may possibly be walking around on air today knowing both of my birdies will be in the nest for a few days. ♥♥♥

But enough about me, let's get going.

Time for another link up with Erika and Shay.

This time the topic is 

And just how LUCKY are we that we are stranded on an island that happens to have the internet?!?!?!

So if I was stranded, which three NETFLIX series would I want to be able to have access to.

Hmmmm....

Well we just recently subscribed to Netflix, but my daughter has been mooching and using her friends codes forever and binge watched several series that I've gotten sucked into. 

Last night Kent and I were actually trying to find a new one to start for ourselves so we tried 

Buzzer says...NOOOO

It was way to risque for these two and the language was awful. We probably got about 10 minutes in and agreed it was not the one for us. We'll try again another night.

So back to my three picks.

ONE

FRIENDS

I. love. FRIENDS.

and now I've passed on my love of it to Katie. We can't watch it and not laugh because...

#howyoudoin' #wewereonabreak #smellycat

How incredibly fun would it be to have an actual group of "friends" like these six?

If you happen to have that, then you are blessed.

TWO

GILMORE GIRLS

I saw the majority of this series with Katie, but I know I missed some so I'd be happy to re-watch it while I'm stranded. We are so excited about the reunion episodes and I hope we'll be able to watch them together.

THREE

ONE TREE HILL

I'd guess I saw 90% of these when Katie was binge watching it. If I knew she'd watched an episode without me, I'd try to catch up when she was at work or school. I'll be honest, this group of people have more challenges than you can imagine and watching it usually made me nervous and kept me on edge, but I couldn't stop. We were both so sad when we finished this series. 

I'll go ahead a note a couple of other series we've also watched, well Katie has watched and I get sucked in.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

If you're a Connie Britton fan, and I am you'll like Friday Night Lights.

Football, young love and lots of angst.

FULLER HOUSE

We couldn't wait when we heard about the reunion of the Full House family and it was cute. A little cheesy and times, but still cute and we'll be ready for season 2 when it comes out.

PLEASE, if you've watched some good NETFLIX series leave a comment. Kent and I are going to have to find some new things to watch especially once Katie starts school in the fall. We were big Castle fans and now that it's been cancelled and Nashville (which I LOVED) has been cancelled our watch list is a little on the thin side.

What would be your guilty pleasure, binge watch, stranded shows?

Happy Wednesday friends!

Lisa

XOXO

Here's a peek at what other topics we'll be covering in upcoming STRANDED posts.

And if you missed my previous STRANDED posts you can read about my Medicine Cabinet items here and my Book choices here. 

Summer means SALADS

When it's warm outside it seems like the last thing you want is something heavy to eat. And who wants to heat up the kitchen??? Not me.

Here is a really easy but delicious salad that can be easily altered. The only limitation is your imagination.

This is a remake of a salad I often ordered at a restaurant we frequented when we lived in Minnesota. I don't know if it's what you would consider a regional item, but I don't really see it on menus in California so I just have to make my own.

Luckily, it's really easy and a super quick fix for a last minute dinner.

I've mentioned before I like to keep a lot of different things on hand so when I'm ready to make a recipe or don't feel like thinking about dinner until the last minute I can still easily pull something together without having to make a trip to the store.

I buy a bag of these Buffalo Chicken Bites at Costco and keep them in my freezer.

They are what you might consider a "guilty pleasure". I figure if they're on a salad it makes it okay, right? They are a little spicy so if you don't like spice or have small kids you might consider replacing them with Popcorn Chicken instead.

I typically have Romaine lettuce in my refrigerator so I'm can easily make a salad.

I like a small chop/shred on my lettuce so I slice them like this and then put it in my salad spinner.

If you don't have a salad spinner yet, you should really get one. This makes cleaning and storing lettuce soooo EASY. I used to wash the leaves individually and wrap them in paper towels and then put in Ziploc bags so they were ready when I was. In the last year or so I've changed my method to cutting up my lettuce, putting in the salad spinner and filling it with water, then dump out the water and SPIN, SPIN, SPIN. Dump all the water out, dry the inside and line with a paper towel to absorb any leftover moisture. Store the lettuce in the spinner until you're ready to assemble your salad and it's nice and crisp. I try to wash the lettuce an hour or more before I know we're going to eat so it can get good and chilled and crisp.

 Now comes the part where you can personalize this salad to fit what your family likes or what you happen to have in the kitchen.

I rinsed and drained a can of black beans, halved some cherry tomatoes and thawed and drained some frozen corn.

If I happen to have a cucumber I'll add that too.

I also had an avocado in the fridge so I cubed it and added it in.

Did you know you can store a ripe avocado in the refrigerator for at least a week and it will be okay? I frequently buy a couple when I'm at the store that are really hard and let them sit out for a few days until they are ripe and then just pop them in the fridge. The last amazingly well and are ready to be used when you need them.

These Bolthouse Farms dressings are my new favorites. They come in quite a few varieties and are a great option for a lighter dressing. The Salsa Ranch and Blue Cheese are both great choices for this particular salad.

(Just FYI...the Caesar in this brand is great too.)

All that's left to do at this point is assemble your salad. You can do it on individual plates or make in a large salad bowl and serve from that.

I added cheddar cheese on this salad, but sometimes I'll use blue cheese. It depends on my mood and what I have on hand.

What's your favorite salad? Do you have an easy go to when you need a quick dinner? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Happy Tuesday!!!

Lisa

XOXO

Weekend Wrap Up

It's finally here...

GRADUATION WEEK!!!

This is the week Katie has been working towards for years! We've known it was coming and now it has arrived. I can barely wrap my head around the fact that our baby girl is going to graduate high school and in just a little over 2 short months start a whole new life where we won't be involved every day. I can't begin to tell you the spectrum of emotions I feel.

HAPPY. SAD. EXCITED. SCARED. JOY. FEAR. ANXIOUS. PROUD....

OLD (Okay, technically not an emotion, but a feeling)
#HAHA...You have to laugh to keep from crying. ;)

You'll just have to bear with me this week and probably this summer while I digest all of this.

So for now I'll say Happy Monday and here's a peek at what we've been up to.

Our weekend was packed with activity and  and next weekend and the weekend after that will all follow suit. 

The graduation ball is officially rolling. 

There's no putting the brakes on now.

We did manage to squeeze in playing cards with Katie and a friend on Saturday night. 

We taught Josh to play Spades and he did a great job of catching on quickly. 

#welost

#ilookposessed

Sunday was Senior Sunday at church for the youth group and they were honored and talked about in class, worship and then there was lunch for them afterward.

Ten kids graduating this year...that's a LOT!!!

Good luck guys wherever the future may lead you!

These are Katie's "adopted" siblings. Hank and Hannah have the same last name as us and so the three of them have proclaimed themselves siblings.

#lovethat

These guys right here are so sweet.

Meet Molly (standing) and Ocean. They just love Katie and are two cutie's for sure. ♥

Once we finished up with the festivities at church we went home for a bit and then headed off to Baccalaureate.

These are Katie's best friends here in California and they are so sweet. When these three filed in to Baccalaureate they were holding hands and Mama got all teary eyed.

#nottheonlytimetoday

And no event would be official if it wasn't captured on Snapchat!

This is a big week for our family. 

Graduation is Thursday and that means Benny comes home Wednesday for a visit so we are excited for lots of reasons.

Wish me luck as I try to hold it all together this week. I've been really brave so far, but I think some cracks are starting to appear in the exterior and the mushy center may come out.

#thatsmybaby

Happy Monday!

Lisa

XOXO

Friday Favorties - This and That

Let's hear it for four day weeks!!!

Who else would vote for every weekend to be a three day weekend?

#raiseyourhand

#minesup

Ready, set, go...

Time to link up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for you guessed it

ONE

We started off our weekend by going to watch this girl right here team up with her senior classmates last Friday night for a fun game of 

Powder Puff football.

She had a great time playing and the seniors WON!!!

#sorryjuniors

And you know I had to Snapchat about it with my Snapchat buddies.

TWO

Sushi!

Katie loves sushi and Kent and I like it too, but it's just really hard for him to get full when we eat it. Does anyone else's husband have that issue? Sunday after church we tried a little sushi place near our house for lunch so he wasn't totally starved and that worked out well.

We don't really do the hard core raw stuff. (insert wigged out face here) We're kinda wimpy that way and stick to more California Roll type things, but those are yummy!

The one in the middle was by far my favorite. The crab in it is so sweet and delicious.

THREE

I received a sample of this in with something I ordered recently and tried it. I had a feeling I'd like it because I like things that smell like coconut.

I was right...this smells like the beach and just makes you have happy beach thoughts.

FOUR

I am really seeing a difference in my skin since I started using Rodan + Fields.

I talked in my All things beauty post about which products I've been using and how.

Up until the last year I've never been one to spend a lot of money on skin care, but now I'm a believer!!!

I think when you're in your 30's and even early 40's you think you probably don't need to worry about your skin, but that's really when you should start seriously thinking about it and making adjustments to your skin care routine (if not even earlier). I wish I had been more proactive and then I wouldn't be trying to undo what Father Time has done quite so much.

I find myself talking to other women now and noticing their skin and wanting to tell them about R+F and how it could help them, but not offend them.

These pictures are of me (gulp) and there's no filter or touch ups.

#beingbravehere

Notice the lines under my eyes are soooo much better, the reduction in brown spots and sun damage and the overall texture of my skin looks so much better. 

If you are interested in taking better care of your skin, undoing sun damage, managing acne, reducing fine lines and wrinkles then I'd love to help you.

Feel free to check out my website and take the Solution Tool to see what products would be best for you. You can pick and choose parts to suit your needs or budget and if you need help figuring out where to start, I'm here to help. You can have the results emailed to yourself so that you can remember what is recommended.

www.lrichardson3.myrandf.com

FIVE

Iced Coffee

with half sugar free vanilla, half sugar free caramel and skim milk. :)

Yesterday I ran over to the outlets (Yes, we are lucky and have outlets about 3 miles from our house).

I had a return to make and then just wanted to take a lap around to see what was new. It's been really hot here this week so I decided to treat myself to an iced coffee and enjoy my browsing.

Did you know if you connect your Starbucks gift card to a Starbucks app and use it whenever you pay you earn "stars" that then in turn get you rewards?  Mine is a "GOLD" card (not as big a deal as you think...LOL) but it does get you free refills on iced coffee and brewed coffee in the same visit.

#ohyeah

So anyway that's my FIVE for this week.

Thanks for taking time to stop by and see what I've been up to.

Let me know what your favorites are in the comments and maybe they'll become a  Friday favorite for me too. 

Have a wonderful weekend and check out these other link ups to see what else is going on in the blogoshpere.

Lisa 

XOXO

 High Five for FRIDAY / Five on Friday / Friday Favorites / oh hey FRIDAY

Have I got a deal for you!!!

Thursday Treat!

I've talked several times about a boutique in Dallas, TX where I've ordered several necklaces from.

Accessory Concierge

(this is not a sponsored post, I just love the jewelry)

They are having a site wide sale with the code:

SUMMERSALE

Enter this code at checkout and receive 35% off your entire purchase!!!

This is a great deal!!!

Here are just a few pictures of me wearing the necklaces I've purchased from them to give you some ideas.

Katie likes them too!!!

I even bought Katie her own ;)

So you can see I reach for these necklaces all the time. I was hesitant to buy some pieces that are larger and more bold than I have worn in the past, but I really love adding them to my outfits and they really transform them from just everyday to a little more exciting.

Next I want to venture into the realm of more bracelets, so stay tuned for that. ;)

Friday's almost here, so hang on!!!

Have a great day friends!!

Lisa

 XOXO

Graduation Dress Dilemma

Dresses, dresses and more dresses.

Between looking for dresses for Katie's many senior activities and myself, I've seen a lot of dresses recently.

I bought this really pretty lace dress at the J Crew Factory Store planning to wear it to graduation.

Floral Lace Shift Dress

If you're a blonde like I am then  there's a good chance you probably look good in this color blue. Kent always likes it on me. ♥

I'm planning to wear these shoes from Nordstrom and of course I'll add a necklace of some sort.

BP Sandals

 I've also found a couple of dresses at Target that I really like.

Solid Tiered Babydoll dress / necklace / lace up wedge

This little black babydoll dress is really cute and soooo comfy. It feels more like a nightgown than a dress and on a hot summer day it's absolute heaven. It has the cutest fringe on the bottom and that's what really attracted me to it. I actually had shown it to Katie as a possibility for her and she wasn't interested so we didn't get it. Fast forward to last month when I was sitting in the airport and I saw a woman walk by in it and recognized the dress. I decided right then when I got home I was getting it for myself.  Now here's the ironic part...before I even had an opportunity to wear it, Katie wore it. Guess she decided she liked it after all.

#listentomom

I find myself reaching for the cute wooden tassel necklace I have on with it A LOT. It's from Accessory Concierge, (no affiliation) a little boutique in Dallas that carries a lot of cute and unique jewelry styles. I've ordered several necklaces from them and wear them all the time. Adding a necklace like this can really make an outfit.

Now I'm having second thoughts about maybe just wearing this to graduation. Things are rather casual out here in California and pretty much anything goes so I think this would work just as well.

Favorite denim jacket

I think this looked equally as cute when I threw on my favorite denim jacket. I really do love this particular jacket. It's the perfect weight and so comfortable, not at all binding and bulky feeling.

I'm still loving these shoes from Macy's and find myself reaching for them frequently.

American Rag Lace-up Wedge

They are perfect paired with dresses, jeans and cropped pants and the heel is just the right height. The lace up works really well for someone like myself with narrow feet. 

#yippee

Crochet Shift Dress

Don't judge this dress by this picture, it's so much cuter in person. It totally looks like a dress you'd find by Free People but at a fraction of the price. I bought this one and it hits me right above the knee so it's a much better length than on the girl in the picture. I bought this one to wear for Baccalaureate which happens to coincide on the same day as Senior Sunday at our church.

#twofer

This precious off the shoulder dress has nothing to do with my choices and decisions, it just caught my eye while I was looking through all the dresses on the Target website so I thought I'd show it to you. Maybe you've been looking for something similar or want to try this trend.

Off Shoulder Dress

Off the shoulder and cold shoulder styles are really big this season. I often hear various trainers and people in the fashion industry talking about how a woman's shoulders are one of her best assets. They allow a woman to show a little skin with out being inappropriate and yet a little flirty.

This off the shoulder dress is super cute and could easily be a dress worn to lunch with sandals or add a cute wedge for a date night. I love it. I'm always amazed at the selection of dresses I find on the Target site that aren't available in stores. It's really a shame they don't carry more in store because the online choices are amazing.

So help me out...

Do I wear the blue lace dress I originally bought for graduation or the black dress?

If we still lived in the southeast I'd definitely go with the blue, but I'm actually a little afraid I might be overdressed if I wear it here.

#dilemma #help

Happy Wednesday!

Hope you're enjoying this short week. 

Lisa

XOXO