Friday (er Saturday) Favorites

My wish may have come true.

A weekend that lasts forever.  Not because of snow, though...

We were already looking forward to having Monday "off," or in my case it's a "work from home" day... and as I left the grocery store Friday evening, I got the text that our school district will be out until next Thursday due to sickness!  Soon after, Cam's school district, who had already cancelled school two days last week, made the SAME decision.  Wash your hands, people!

It has been UNREAL how many sick people we have here in East Tennessee, in particular, the drop in attendance I have seen in our preschool.  Half of the kids on my schedule were ABSENT almost everyday this week and last week.

I am so excited to wake up to a week I don't have to dread:)

Lol, truth is the truth.

(how Cam goes to the grocery store)

We really haven't even began celebrating Valentines day yet, so thats another post for another day:). Let me just walk down memory lane.  It's been a while!

I am pretty sure it has rained, been dreary, and cold every day since I published the last post.

One recent Saturday, it slowly warmed up to 70 degrees and the sun came for a visit!

It was the perfect day for coffee + choc milk + a visit to the park.  The boys ran their hearts out.

Tepp tagged along & every single person wanted to pet her - she loved every minute.

Who am I kidding, we all loved that sunshiny day!

Ate lots of Mexican.  We've got to branch out...

Since then, we have had the best visits with family coming over to celebrate January and February birthdays.  Cade, Joe Daddy, Lala, & Papa have all recently celebrated birthdays and we are so thankful for another year with our people!  We are due a trip to NC, soon!  I'm hoping this weekend break gives me the umpth to do it!

a typical outing facials.

I really have to do better about taking pictures when everyone is here🤦🏻‍♀️

I take pictures of coffee, but not people.  It's sad.

I actually got my hair done for the first time since September.  Notorious for stretching it out as long as I can.  I finally found someone who listens about color AND wanting to let it grow again!  I walked out with BROWN (not black/red/blonde) hair, and a trim, not a five inch massacre🙌🏻 

and lastly...the new phase we are in, consisting of attitude, whining, and major fighting between brothers.  What to watch, what to eat, where to go, what to do.  If one says up, the other screams down.  

Not that this hasn't been going on in the past, it's just escalated to a new level.  

Any advice?

We've been watching too much GG.  They look like mini Chuck Bass's.

Cam, the 5 year old/with 13 year old girl emotions, is about to send me up the wall.

He. cries. over. e v e r y t h i n g.  Even finding a way to whine over happy stuff.

Ex). We went to the playground and had a Chick-fil-a date on Valentines day & he cried the entire time about how far it was from the playground to chick-fil-a.😑

HELLLLLLPPPPP!

LOVING:

1.  ALDI Candles

they are $7.99, HUGE, and sooooo pretty!

2.  Little Hoot Designs

Got these for the boys for Valentines day!  Dying to take them to a game...

GO VOLS 🍊

3. Scary Movies + The Office or Gossip Girl with him

(We are watching Gossip Girl for the second time😂)

I can remember those times he would leave for work & this is one thing I missed so much!  

Lazy time together.  Thankful for the little things.

4.  Picking out Natives for summer

Who would have thought I'd have made the boys Saturday morning by letting them show me the colors they want for warmer weather?🤗. We swear by these shoes in the summer!  

So durable, easy to put on, & comfy!

5.  THIS BOOK

As if I could love her any more, she goes out and writes a book like this.

Stop everything and read now.  It will probably be something I read every year.  

It spoke to and encouraged me in so many ways!

Happy Saturday!

"XOXO"

Friday Favorites || Cade is 30

Cade is THIIIIRRRTTTYY!  

Despite his best efforts to make everything low key, how can you not celebrate the big 3-0?  

I at least went to Gigi's & got cupcakes for myself on my big day last year ...

(& had a job interview😝).  

Last week, I started the prep.  Ordered balloons, a platter from Sonny's Barbecue, & got all the ingredients for the cake.  I called in our neighbor buddies & recruited them for a mini surprise party.  Had it been the weekend, how nice it would have been to have with the whole family, but it all turned out just fine & I think a great time was had by all.

Tuesday evening he caught on to something.  I had went upstairs & while I was gone, Mr. Nosey had  been texting my group message back about a little favor they needed to do.  The group message in which I had been texting about the surprise party.  Now, to have him tell it...he didn't see anything.  But he became "suspicious" after I showed concern over him answering the group message.  

What secret are you keeping?  Are you leaving me?  Are you pregnant?  Oh, the drama!  

Of all the things to ask!  Bahhaaha.  

For the rest of the week, he walked in practicing his surprise face.  He finally convinced himself we were in fact having him a surprise party.  Thursday, birthday day, our neighbor Drew, text him to ask to help him move furniture that evening.  Something that has happened before.  He said he didn't think anything about it until a couple of hours later, & by the time I called him, he said "I'm on to your little plan."

What plan??  We are going to eat Mexican!  Hurry, I'm hungry!  (I'm always hangry after work🤷🏻‍♀️)

I know he didn't believe me, because then he said, "Okay, then just meet me there."🙄

CAN'T YOU JUST GO ALONG WITH ME & AT LEAST ACT SURPRISED!?

I finally convinced him without cracking (I'm so terrible at lying) to go move furniture first & then we would ride *together* to Mexican.

One family of neighbors missed the surprise part-he ended up being way earlier than anticipated-

but despite the flaws, I think it made his day memorable & special as I hoped it would.

I definitely died Thursday night, though.  I was pooped.  And here I sit on Friday night, brewing a pot of coffee to MAKE myself stay up past 10 pm (Cade has already thrown in the towel-he is working tomorrow 😂.)  No Gossip Girl/Office marathon/watch the first ten seconds of When A Stranger Calls tonight...Saturday night, it is then!

It's really not about us...but we are the only cooperative ones with pictures👯‍♀️

---

About the cake...

It turned out to be quite the task when you factor in the fact that I worked on it secretly for three days.  I will say I'm happy with how it turned out, though!

SOUTHERN LIVING CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

Cake Ingredients

• 8 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2⅔ cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1¾ cups buttermilk
• unsweetened cocoa
• Chocolate Truffle Filling
• Ganache
• 2 (14 ounce) containers of Pepperidge Farm Pirouline hazelnut rolled wafer cookies

Microwave chocolate in medium glass bowl for 1 minute or until melted. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar together at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and then chocolate and vanilla and mix until blended. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until blended after each addition. Pour batter in 3 greased 9-inch cakepans dusted with cocoa. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooking racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Truffle Filling

• 4 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
• 6 TBS. butter
• 6 TBS. whipping cream
• 2½ cups powdered sugar

Microwave chocolate and butter for 1 minute or until melted. Stir in whipping cream. Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until blended and smooth. On cake stand, place first cake and then spread truffle filling between each layer as you stack.

Ganache

• 10 (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped
• ½ cup whipping cream

Microwave chocolate for 1 minute or until melted. Add whipping cream and stir until smooth. Spread ganache on sides and top of cake. Break cookies into long pieces and and line the sides of the cake with them. Decorate with thick ribbon and tie or hold in place with a long pin.

*What made it even cuter was the chocolate chip cookies that came with our bbq platter...they added SO much to the cake by lining them up around the cake!

Friends, I just don't have that much chatter left in me tonight.

 The Super Bowl.  Would you believe I used to be a Patriots fan?  Only because I thought Tom Brady was hot.  Now, I feel too much of a bandwagoner to care...We are going to do a mini Super Bowl thing.  Are you?  I read that $81.17 is the average spent on food and decorations for a party on Super Bowl Sunday.  Yikes!

Happy weekending!