Friday Favorites: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Recipe and Photos from Plated.

Earlier this year I shared our experience with Plated. (a meal subscription service). Ever so often we would get a vegetarian meal and they were usually as delicious as the others. This was one of my favorite, but the hubs wasn't a huge fan. Since he didn't enjoy this dish I've only stolen a portion of the recipe...the roasted sweet potatoes! The recipe is below and super simple to make.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1 lb sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chipotle powder

Preheat oven to 425°F. Wash and cut sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch dice. In a bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, Kosher salt, pepper to taste, garlic powder, dried oregano, and as much chipotle powder as desired. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet, transfer to oven, and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Until next post...xoxo Becca
p.s. Yes this Friday favorite is being posted on a Saturday :P

Weekend Recap: Memory Lane College Edition

There's nothing quite as good as doing things you used to do when life was simple. You know...before adulting kicked in!

In college and for the 3 years following graduation one of my best friends and I worked together, but we also had a lot of fun together. He's in Houston now and we text all the time, but we don't always get to see each other. With some vacation time to burn he decided to come visit and of course that meant happy hour and a trip to that once favorited bar! This time we opened the bar instead of closing it haha It was awesome to see him!

2007

2016

In college my roommate and I could talk for hours on end. We have a lot of great memories over the years. Now we're both busy; she has two little boys and a job that requires a lengthy commute. We don't see each other much, but when we do its like no time has passed. Saturday we scheduled to have lunch, 4 hours later we finally left the restaurant. Hopefully we can get together more often!

2005

2015

Sunday the hubs smoked a brisket (which has nothing to do with college) and we spent the day relaxing. Nice way to end a busy, fun filled weekend.

What college moments do you wish you could relive?

Friday Favorites: Loving Tan

TGIF! As an adult I feel like I look forward to the weekends much more than I did as a child in school.

The hot weather reminds me we are well into summer, thank you Texas heat! If you have fair skin like me then you know shorts, skirts, and dresses don't always show those white white legs in the best light! I have tried spray tans and while they are ok, they tend to be splotchy and that's just not cool. I kept seeing positive reviews for a tanning mousse called Loving Tan (an Australian brand) and decided to give it a whirl. Guess what...it's amazing! Several people I know have asked me to write a review on it.

Like I said, I am naturally very pale (NC20 if you're familiar with MAC colors). I went bold and ordered the 2-Hour Express in Dark and love it. I almost wish they had an even darker color in their express mousse ;) The application is super easy, streak free, and with the express mousse you can wash it off after 2 hours (although I find it looks better if you let it develop for 3-4 hours). On me, the color typically lasts 3-5 days and wears off pretty evenly.

I love that the product comes with some inspiration!

I tried to get a before and after photo for reference, but the lighting in our apartment is terrible. The picture below is 1 day after application before our Costa Rica vacation in April. As you can see, it's very natural looking. If you know me personally then you know this is loads darker than my normal color.

Until next post...xoxo Becca

It's a Teen Scene

Four years ago we got to hear his first cries as he came into this world! 4?! Where did the time go? Saturday we attended our "nephews" birthday party. Superhero themed of course lol He is definitely 4 going on 17. As a gift, the hubs and I got him a ride-on truck. Every boy needs a truck. The hub's inner child came out! :P

He did this pose all by himself. His mother and I died laughing!

A HUGE thank you to his parents for letting us be part of his life and spoil the heck out of him!

Until next post...xoxo Becca

#NSale Picks

Bonus post this weekend :P Everyone is talking about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (or #NSale) so I wanted to jump in on the fun and show you my top picks. FYI it's hard to think about fall clothing when it's 100+ degrees outside. 

 BCBGeneration Peep Toe Bootie  |  Kendra Scott Earrings  |  Rebecca Minkoff Crossbody

 

 Bobeau Shawl Collar Cardigan  |  BLANKNYC Faux Leather Jacket  |  Caslon Open Front Blazer

 

Pleione Mixed Media Top  |  Lush Crepe Blouse  |  Caslon Zip Back Tunic Sweater

Hope you enjoyed my picks. There were a lot of expensive items that I had my eye on, but I have a hard time spending a lot of money on myself. Did you buy anything from the #NSale?

Until next post...xoxo Becca

Friday Favorites: SNS Powder

Did anyone else feel like yesterday was Friday? What a let down! Oh well, it's almost the weekend. What does everyone have planned?

Going to jump into today's Friday Favorites. Since beginning to use this product I have received so many compliments...it's SNS Powder! Similar to the idea of Shellac, but better. Yes...better! SNS Powder lasts longer, is thicker, and more durable. It's "healthier" than Shellac and acrylic nails. The look is achieved by dipping your nails into a fine powder 2-3 times. A clear gel is applied between each dip. After dipping, the technician will file down the powder to make it more even, then add a topcoat for shine! Clearly my choice of color this summer is pink!

Each time I have had this done the color has lasted 4 weeks. Other than my nail growing out it still looked as perfect as it did when I left the salon. After the first removal there was zero damage to my nail. After 4 months of continuous wear my nails did become thinner. Overall I love this product. I tell everyone about it, especially when they compliment my nails ;) Not a lot of nail salons are using this product so you will need to ask. Shout out to my nail salon, Euphoria Nails in The Woodlands. I take everyone here and they fall in love.

Here's a good video to show you the process.

Until next post...xoxo Becca

Considering a Bedroom Makeover

Happy Monday! The last few weekends have been so busy it was nice to have a slow relaxing one.

I have been considering a master bedroom makeover for awhile now. The bedding we have was purchased when we got married in 2010 and while I love it, I have been leaning toward changing it up. I love the look of lighter colors and since the bedroom in our apartment is small I think white bedding would help soften up the room and maybe make it seem larger. My worry is how clean white bedding would stay. I don't want to completely start over so the plan is to keep the blue hues. Here are some inspiration pictures.

Source

Source

Source

Source

What do you think of white bedding? Until next post...xoxo Becca

Friday Favorites: Lash Discovery

Hello again! Instead of worrying about a post on Monday I enjoyed time with my family for the 4th of July. Hope you didn't miss me too much ;) The long weekend was great. An impromptu girls day with a friend which included pedicures, lunch, and a movie. We saw Tarzan and it was really good. Weirdly enough I hadn't seen a single preview for the movie. Sunday the hubs and I attended my coworker's wedding in Houston. She was a beautiful bride and the wedding was fun. Now I am missing her company at work while she and her hubby are traveling. Then of course Monday was the 4th; errands, cooking, baking, and fireworks! All in all a fantastic weekend.

Now it is Friday and you want to know what I am loving :) This is a recent discovery (as in this week!). Meet Maybelline Lash Discovery. It's mini wand is GREAT for lower lashes!

I wanted to give you a mascara wand comparison in the picture below. L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black (another favorite) on the left and Lash Discovery on the right. You can see how drastically smaller Lash Discovery is.

Of course Lexi was watching people playing on the basketball courts outside our apartment while I was snapping some pictures...

What is your favorite mascara? Do you layer mascaras to get the effect you want? Until next post...xoxo Becca

Friday Favorites: Dainty Necklaces

TGIF! I hope you had a good week. Mine started off rocky. The hubs surprised me with flowers at the office to cheer me up :) He's so good to me!

Today I want to talk about dainty necklaces. Of course a statement necklace is awesome, but I often prefer to accent my outfit with a little necklace. Apparently I like heart necklaces which I hadn't noticed until I added the pictures below.

James Avery Heart Knot

Tiffany & Co Open Heart

Etsy

I own all three of these necklaces and all were gifts. My family knows me so well! I'm not sure if the necklace from Etsy is where mine was purchased, but it looks identical. 

Until next post...xoxo Becca