High Five for Friday #121 – My Life Lately…

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // May 5, 2017 // 3 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Unlike last week’s gloriously mundane week, this week was full of the usual hustle and bustle. But it was full of fun memories and moments! Want to see what the average day is like around here?

1. My favorite time to go out to eat is breakfast. Both kids are happy and pleasant. I love the free coffee refills. It just feels like a great way to start of the day. Everyone was up johnny on the spot on Saturday so I convinced everyone to head out to our favorite breakfast spot. William was just a hoot! His face was almost 100% of the time stuffed full of food. He couldn’t stop people watching. It was just so sweet!

2. Elizabeth and I seemed to have a lot of giggles this week. I swear, from 3 – 3.5, there was some sort of gremlin that inhabited Elizabeth’s body. She was crabby! Cranky! Shouty! Post 3.5 birthday? She’s delightful! Sweet! Funny! And even if she kicks off, she’s quick to realize where things went wrong and how to fix it next time. So I’m soaking all of this up before the next curve ball arrives!

3. William is a constant explorer right now. He has his hot spots in the house. Any time he is plopped on the floor he does the following:

Check to see if bathroom door is open. If it is, zoom to it and go inside before mommy notices
Head to bookshelf. Pull down at least 3 books.
Jiggle the floor lamp. See if anyone notices. If so, then smile and move on.
Crawl to Elizabeth. Make her shout “MOM!”.
Head to kitchen. Check for any dropped food.
Try to open oven drawer. Squish mommy’s toe, if possible.
Take the baby proof lock off the undersink cabinet. Don’t care about the cabinet’s contents. I just want that lock.
Open snack cabinet. Pull out everything and sort. Check for open bags or pouches, and consume.

He’s exhausting.

4. Thursday night we got to pop out for a little food truck/playground event. It was such fun! We got to hang with friends, eat food while standing, and have popsicles! Neither kid wanted to pause the popsicle eating for a picture.

5. It’s been super busy around here! I posted my “to do list before Friday afternoon” list on IG yesterday and it was a shocker! To be honest, I thrive and am more productive when I have a pressing deadline. But even I was daunted by the length and complexity of my to-do list. Yesterday I spent the morning working on a church project and then the afternoon on cleaning the upstairs rooms. Those 2 projects were lengthy! The rest got knocked out fairly quick. But then there are today’s projects!

What’s the urgency? Well, my husband and I are leaving, alone(!!!), on a week long vacation to the NC mountains. My parents are arriving this evening to stay here with the kids while we explore and have fun! So there is lots to do before they arrive as well as plan for next week while we’re gone. Mercy! But slowly things are getting checked off! Follow along on InstaStories for vacation sneak peaks!

A running to do list of the things that have to get done before tomorrow afternoon ? I should have been more productive this week…. #whywasilazy

A post shared by Katie (@ktcupoftea) on May 4, 2017 at 5:08am PDT

Featured Blogger of the Week!

Our featured Blogger this week is Fonda from Savvy Southern Chic! Fonda features some of the best chic outfits around! I’m loving her navy ankle pant outfit as well as this combo of a floral shirt and blush pants!! LOVE the blush pants! Swing over and say hello to Fonda!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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Menu Monday | Looking Forward to This!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // May 1, 2017 // 4 Comments

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Ours was zoomy but relaxing… does that even make sense?

Yesterday was a day full of checking off to-do list items. Even my husband made a to-do list! We felt super productive.

This week’s menu is full of items I’m really looking forward to! Sometimes I put on old faithful type foods that I know we’ll like but I’m not excited to make. Ever have those meals?

But this week it’s full of recipes that we don’t eat often or are new, but they are so delicious!

My parents are also coming in to town on Friday, so the weekend has some more planning involved. I’m really excited to try those sheet pan pancakes! I pinned them a while ago, and they look so easy. In a perfect world, these would be fantastic and I’d make them regularly and freeze them. That way the kids have a continuous supply of pancakes but without the effort.

Anyway, on to the menu!

Monday:
Veggie Enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce (so good!)

Tuesday:
Gnocchi, White Bean + Sundried Tomato Skillet (new!)

Wednesday:
Almond Butter Tofu Stir fry (new!)

Thursday:
Date Night!

Friday:
Taco Salads

Saturday:
Breakfast – sheet pan pancakes
Dinner – Frozen Pizzas

Sunday:
Breakfast – Easy Huevos Rancheros
Leave for Vacation!

What are you looking forward to eating this week? Any new recipes? I want to know!

Need more info for how I menu plan? Check this out!
Or read up on my favorite meal planning and grocery shopping hacks!

Need more ideas for dinner?
Follow my Pinterest board – it’s where I save all of my dinner ideas!

Follow Katie | Cup of Tea Blog's board Good Eats | Dinner on Pinterest.

High Five for Friday #120 – A Gloriously Mundane Week

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 28, 2017 // 5 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

This week was one of those weeks that just was busy! But… I’m having a hard time even thinking about what we did that was all that significant.

Ever have one of those weeks? I know we did something interesting! I know there were funny moments. But I can’t recall any of them!

Sometimes life feels a little mundane. It feels like the same ol’ day, day in, day out. Nothing bad happening, but no adventures either. No grand tales!

But those mundane weeks often give you a chance to enjoy simple things.

I’m sitting at my kitchen table right now, pre-dawn, writing this post. I can hear what sounds like a choir of birds outside! Birds flying at me isn’t fun, but hearing them all wake up in the morning and sing their little hearts out brings such a joy!

We went to the library this week for our usual story time and book hunt. On a whim, we wandered over to the adult book section. I rarely do that… I usually find a book that looks interesting via Amazon and then reserve it online at the library. So I don’t often get to hunt for myself. But I did! And I found the latest book from my favorite book series. I’ve enjoyed a lot of cups of tea, curled up on the sofa, savoring that book.

I randomly decided to purge my kitchen of doodads. My children were happily playing together so I hopped on a stool and opened every cabinet. It took me 30 minutes, but I was so pleased when it was done! Even more pleased when I dropped it off at the donation center.

We had rain all weekend and into Tuesday. Around lunchtime on Tuesday, the rain let up! So we got out the stroller and went for a neighborhood walk. Elizabeth insisted on wearing her rain boots. I grumbled, but agreed. Thanks to her spontaneity, we found a cul-de-sac full of great splashing puddles! She rain with such joy, jumping in every single puddle. She was soaked from the waist down! And her smile was HUGE!

So yes… the most average of weeks. I caught myself several times thinking “what a boring week!”. But, looking back, it was the most GLORIOUS of mundane weeks. I got a chance to stop, savor, and enjoy.

Featured Blogger of the Week!

Our featured Blogger this week is Tara from Michael and Tara! She is a wife, a mommy, and now has the most adorable little puppy, Scout! Home life is the best life, and Tara loves sharing it all!! Swing over and say Happy Friday to Tara!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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Menu Monday | New Recipes To Try

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 24, 2017 // 7 Comments

It’s the last Monday of the month! That means I’m teaming up with my friends Come Home for Comfort and Polka-Dotty Place to share our favorite recipes from this past month that you HAVE to try!

This whole month I didn’t try one new recipe! Crazy! But I was trying hard to use up what I had in our pantry. I didn’t really do any menu planning this past month. It was nice… but also a little too “fly by the seat of my pants”.

But I was pinning quite a few recipes, and there are some that I want to make this next month!

Roasted Beetroot, Toasted Walnut + Goat Cheese Salad | This looks so beautiful and satisfying! I want to make this for one of our potlucks next month. I would feel like a pretty fancy cook. Pin it!

Parmesan Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes | I didn’t make this, but my mother-in-law did over Easter! It was so yummy! Little potatoes that turn out so crispy and delicious! It was very easy to make, so this could easily be a delicious side dish on a weeknight. Pin it!

Green Goddess Sandwich with Chickpea Avocado Mash + Goat Cheese | The title is a mouthful, but this looks delicious! I’m all about sandwiches, and this looks like something you could tackle during a meal prep session. Wouldn’t you love to eat this for lunch every day?? Pin It!

Sheet Pan Blueberry Pancakes | I love pancakes! But they are kind of tedious for a week day morning…. enter these sheet pan pancakes! It looks wonderfully easy! And you could probably freeze the leftovers! Pin it!

Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake | I shouldn’t make this…. I mean, I’d be tempted to eat it all in one sitting! But the pictures are calling to me! I love breakfast baked goods!! Pin It!

So there you go! Those are some recent pins that I’m craving and want to make this coming month. The problem is there are too many recipes on Pinterest that tempt me!

What are some amazing recipes you’ve tried lately? Have you peeked in your trusty recipe box recently?

Follow Whitney’s board New Recipes We Tried And Loved! on Pinterest.

High Five for Friday #119 – Attack of the Local Sparrows

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // April 21, 2017 // 5 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Becky, Tif, and Della! Come, read up on what we’ve been up to this week and get to know some amazing bloggers down below!

Another week done!

1. How was your Easter?? We had a glorious one! On Good Friday we went over to Elizabeth’s church school and walked through their Stations of the Cross. They had 8 different stations with props and signs describing different parts of the Easter story. Elizabeth loved it! And then Saturday morning we hit the road early to get up to Virginia Beach to join my in-laws at church. We had such a wonderful time up there. It was a blessed Easter!

My favorite moment?? Each time someone wandered downstairs on Easter morning, Elizabeth ran over to them, shouting “Do you want to hear the good news? Jesus is alive!”. I didn’t tell her to say that… she just oozed with glorious joy! It was just so sweet!

2. I received my order from Everlane this week! I was just too excited that I forgot to document anything (story of my life). First impression is that the clothing is really high quality! I loved the tee shirts. The scoop neck tee fit me really well. I sized up on all the tee shirts to have a looser fit and that seemed just right. The collared dress shirts were lovely too. The relaxed fit one was too big on me in the shoulders. But the slim fit one was great! I am returning it though to go up one size. It was just a touch too fitted… but overall really pleased! Capsule Wardrobe has begun.

3. I got into 2 different projects this week. I have agreed to take over my church’s email newsletter and website. To be honest, both need a huge overhaul. But, seems like a good fit for me, right? In my previous job I used to send email newsletters and mass communication weekly. It’s all come full circle.

4. Our weather here has been a touch warm, but it’s been lovely to get out on walks. Both kids have a blast in the stroller, looking around at all the sights. It will be our usual routine in the summer time.

5. Speaking of outside… the most HORRIFYING thing happened to me yesterday!!

Story time.

I have just one fear…. and that’s a fear of birds. Generally speaking it’s larger birds, like geese, peacocks… that kind of thing. But if there is a flying thing flying AT me I hate it.

Enter Katie. Stepping outside to take in the fresh air, looking forward to walking to the mailbox to see if her new clothes have arrived.

As I got closer to the mail box, two sparrows come flying OUT of our mail box! We have a small space under our main mail box for newspapers, and they came out of there. The sparrows THEN started to circle above me, swooping down AT me to chase me away from the mail box!!! I wanted to turn around and run back to the house, terrified. But I REALLY wanted my Everlane order! I had to cower over by the car until they settled down over at another mail box. But I swear those two birds stared at me the whole time, from their new spot, making sure I didn’t disturb something.

There isn’t a nest yet in the mail box, but they’re clearly planning on one. So I really need to go out and clear it out and stuff something in there so every trip to the mail box isn’t traumatizing!

Featured Blogger of the Week!

Our featured Blogger this week is Kenzie from Connected in the Kitchen! She is a great baker (obviously!) and loves sharing her creations on her blog. I really want to make her lemon poppyseed muffins! Swing over and say hello to Kenzie!!

How was your week?? Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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