Fab Friday Faves 3.31.17

Happy Friday everyone!  I missed last week's Five because, I literally did not have one favorite thing happen all week.  this week was close as well but I managed to find a few.  I'm going to keep my intro short and sweet, it's been a long week and I don't really have much to say.  So there.  Have a great weekend!

1. Yesterday I took a drive out to Purse State Park on the Potomac River.  Dave and Lindsey took the kids there last weekend and found a bunch of fossilized shark teeth, so I had to go.  I found a bunch in a very short time, and I was the only person on the whole beach the entire time I was there, which was fabulous since it is never quiet where we live.  

2. Josh and I took a day trip to Georgetown in DC on Saturday.  We have tried to go there before, but it was just too busy.  It was pretty much the same this time but we braved it anyway.  We had a delicious brunch at Old Glory BBQ, saw the Exorcist stairs (where the priest falls down and dies at the end), the Watergate Hotel and some other gorgeous parts of the area.

3. Going way back to St. Patricks Day, we went out with some friends and had a great night, also celebrating my birthday at one of my favorite places, Red Oak Bistro.

4.  After almost completely dying while I  was in Saskatchewan last summer, my orchid decided to make a comeback and currently has about 8 blooms on it!  I've always been pretty good at growing Orchids but I even impressed myself with this one.

5. I found this giant Lindt ball at Christmas Tree Shop the other day.  Sadly it is not one giant one, but I'd still take it filled with regular sized ones!

Today I'm linking up with:

Erika @ A Little Bit of Everything

Paula @ Sincerely, Paula

Jerri @ Simply Sweet Home

Lauren @Style Elixir

Katie @ Cup Of Tea

April @ Smidge of This

Amy @ The Farmer's Wife

Fab Friday Faves 3.17.17

It's Friday again! And of course, St. Patrick's Day.  Tonight we are going out with a couple people for a little post birthday/St. Patrick's Day celebration to my favorite place in La Plata.  We drove back to Maryland on Sunday and Monday of this week.  We did the drive in two days and it wasn't terrible, Smudge behaved and I stayed awake most of the trip. We got an ice storm Monday night, so that put a damper on the week and I spent most of the week unpacking and cleaning with a couple trips out to see Nicole and Lindsey and the kids.  Everyone have a safe St. Patrick's Day and a great weekend!

1. On our drive from Florida to Maryland, we stopped in Darien, Georgia, a really cute town south of Savannah.  We went to Skipper's Fish Camp which was a really cool place, with a beautiful view and doe of the best BBQ I have ever had.  The town also has one of the few pre- civil War buildings in the area that is still standing.  It was really cool but super creepy in the dark.

2. When we got back to Maryland I had a few more birthday presents waiting for me, which is always fun!  My sweet pink Converse from Nicole, a collection of BBQ spices, David's tea and cat tea diffuser from Lindsey, a beautiful colored bookmark from Jodie and handmade birthday cards from Lily, Ava and Colton.  Too cute!

3.  On Saturday, there was a Chili cook off at Two Lions Winery and Brewery just a couple miles from our house in Palm Harbor.  They had over 20 chilis, some of which were really awesome.  We would know, we tried most of them!  We voted, and none of the ones we loved the most won, but it was still a really good time.  They even had Chili and Jalepeno Cornbread Gelato!

4.  We bought this auto feeder for Smudge off of Amazon for when we went on my little overnight birthday trip and I don't know why we didn't get one a long time ago.  It is on a timer, has five trays and can be programmed to go off as often as you want.  It worked fantastic and was perfect for Smudge who needs her pill morning and night.  I put a pill on top of her food and when it would rotate trays twice a day she would go and check out what the sound was and get her pill and her meal.  I highly recommend it, and you can get it here.

5. I started watching Big Little lies on HBO about a month ago and I am hooked.  I wasn't aware it was a book until a few days ago, but it is next on my reading list.  Not only is the story super addictive it has some of the biggest actresses and actors in Hollywood.  There are a lot of different side stories going on, including, domestic abuse, divorce and bullying, but the main story is about a murder that is being investigated in the affluent California community at a school fundraiser. Watch it, it's awesome.

Today I'm linking up with:

Paula @ Sincerely, Paula

Jerri @ Simply Sweet Home

Amy @ Love Made My Home

Erika @ A Little Bit of Everything

April @ Smidge of This

Amy @ The Farmer's Wife

Tif @ Bright On A Budget

Lauren @ Style Elixir

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*Recipe* Light and Easy Shepard's Pie

With St. Patrick's Day tomorrow I needed a good classic recipe for the holiday.  Last year I made a Homemade Shamrock Shake, so this year I thought I would do an actual meal.  What better than a good old Shepard's Pie filled with delicious meat, mashed potatoes and veggies?  Not to mention with this cold weather we have been having, it is the ultimate comfort food.  Of course, in Tanya style it is lightened up with a twist.  Have a safe and Happy St. Patrick's Day and enjoy the Shepard's Pie!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs potatoes (I used Russett)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp salt more to taste
• 1 tsp pepper more to taste
• 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
• 1tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cup frozen peas (use any frozen vegetables that you want)
• 1 cup frozen carrots
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2tsp tomato paste
• 1tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
• sprinkle of paprika

Directions

• Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until soft
• Drain and mash with sour cream and chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• In a large pan, sauté ground beef and turkey over medium high heat until browned, breaking up as it cooks. salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside in a bowl when done. 

• Add oil, onion, garlic and mushroom to pan and sauté on medium until ender.  About 5 minutes.

• Add flour, frozen vegetables, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme and mix.  Cook about 10 minutes. 

• Spread the meat mixture in the casserole dish.  Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with paprika.

• Bake 30 minutes and then broil for 3-4 minutes until the potatoes are golden.
• Let cool 5 minutes before serving and enjoy! 

Fab Friday Faves 3.10.15

Happy Friday My Dears! This will be my last Friday in Florida for a while as we are headed back to Maryland this weekend.... yes I am very sad but we had a great time and got a lot done.   Saturday we went to an awesome vintage market in Safety Harbor and then to a craft beer fest in Dunedin which was fun.  Sunday was my birthday and a pretty quiet day which was fine.  We went for a walk at one of my favorite places, went to a Crawfish boil and went for dinner at Captin Jacks in Tarpon Springs where I ate a lot of seafood.  We went on a little overnight roadtrip down the coast on Monday and Tuesday.  You can read about that here. The rest of the week has been mostly yard work, raking and laying down new mulch, pressure washing the house and pool deck and washing windows.  Fun stuff but it has to be done!  

Everyone have an awesome weekend, and see you next week back in Maryland! 

1. We went to the Safety Harbor Vintage Market Saturday and finally found the perfect kitchen table. It fits perfectly and looks so cute, from Lemon Tree Vintage Market.  You can't see it all but we also got a really cool new light for above the table.

2. Some of my birthday presents.  I showed off my Hillberg and Berk set last week and these are some of the rest.  My new Dunedin hoodie and flamingo for by the pool, also from my parents, an essential oil nebulizer diffuser, Paleo cookbook, bee house and some snacks from Josh, my butterfly house from Stephanie and Steve, and really cute tunic and some brooches from grandma Jean (the shirt is in the wash so no picture yet!) and of course cash and some gift cards from the other awesome people in my life.  Thanks to everyone! 

3. I went out to Honeymoon Island and took some pictures the other day, and have been taking some pictures in our yard.  Got some good ones of the eagles, osprey and cute birds in the yard.

 4.  Got both my new cactus and my baby palm from mom planted and cute looking!

5. Got this bracelet with the Alice in Wonderland quote from the coolest girl at the Clearwater Market.  Her company is called Recover T and all of her jewelry is made from recycled T-shirts.  Not only that but part of the proceeds from her sales go to The Turning Point Foundation which helps people suffering from addiction get help and get back on their feet.  Not only that but she also repairs used clothing and donates them to organizations that help recovering addicts get out and find jobs.  Her stuff is super cool, so check it out!


Today I'm linking up with:

Paula @ Sincerely Paula

Jerri @ Simply Sweet Home

Christina @ Carolina Charm

Amy @ Love Made My Home

Tif @ Bright On A Budget

Lauren @ Style Elixir

Amy @ The Farmer's Wife

A Florida Birthday Roadtrip

Sunday was my birthday, and we decided to take a little overnight on Monday down the Florida Coast a few miles.  

Our first little stop was Sand Key, a park just south of Clearwater Beach.  We found some shells and enjoyed the sugar sand beach and gorgeous water.

We grabbed lunch at The Salty Rim on St. Pete Beach, not only was the view amazing but they have 2 for 1 Margaritas and some of the best fish tacos I've ever had.

Fort De Soto was next on our drive. The entire park area consists of four islands and was used for various reasons during the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.  They have an actual fort (obviously) and actual one of a kind weapons from the wars.  It is all set on a beautiful beach in the middle of the Gulf.

We drove over the Skyway Bridge which is the most massive bridge I've ever seen.

We drove through Bradenton and stopped for dinner and the sunset on Lido Key just outside of Sarasota.  How about that sunset?

We had dinner at the Daiquiri Deck on St. Armands.  I had an awesome Mahi Club Sandwich and they had a blended drink that tastes just like Peaches and Cream.  Yum!  Josh Grabbed some ice cream at Big Olaf Creamery, love the name!  We had an early night, as we usually do in a little hotel in Sarasota.

Tuesday morning we were up and out early, as we had made plans to meet up with Josh's step mom's family in Punta Gorda for lunch.  We made a quick stop at Myakka River State Park.  They have a ton of gators there, actually right after we were there Tampa ABC had a story on about hundreds of them that live in the sinkhole in the park.  We didn't have time for the sinkhole but we still saw quite a few.

We also did the canopy walk that Myakka is famous for.  It's a suspension bridge up in the tree canopy and then a viewing point 80 feet up above the trees with an amazing view.

We went to Punta Gorda and had a visit with Edwina, Pat and Barb and then went for lunch with them to the Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda.  I never took any pictures of us but Peace River Wildlife Rescue did have these adorable owls out promoting the rescue.  How cute are they?  The white one is an Albino Eastern Screech Owl.

 After this is was time to head home.  We did stop to pick up our cute new kitchen table at Lemon Tree Vintage in Westchase (see my Friday blog this week) and for one of the best burgers we have ever had, at Craft Street Kitchen in Oldsmar.  We had a nice little Drive and got to see some really cool things!  Hopefully next time we have a couple more days because there is so much to see!