NUMBER 205

andrew and i had an amazing, low-key weekend. it was just what i needed! friday was gross, icy and wet. we took that as an opportunity to crash, eat what was around the house for dinner, and watch movies. saturday was spent running a few errands, picking up a new coffee table at nadeau, and grabbing some groceries for dinner/breakfast. one thing to know about andrew and me, if you don’t already know it: we love food, and if something stuck in our heads or we get a craving, you can be it’s going to be on the menu SOON.

the star of the weekend was the apple, walnut, and brie pancakes that my husband made sunday morning. i can’t take an ounce of credit (except for whipping up some easy peasy box pancakes). lucky you, he agreed to share his secret recipe:

apple, walnut, & brie pancakes

2 whole granny smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
2/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup syrup (mrs. butterworths is my favorite)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup walnuts
few dashes of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of heavy cream (optional)
brie cheese

combine all of your ingredients (except for the cream and brie) in a saucepan on medium/high heat. keep cooking until the apples are soft and the syrup has begun to thicken back up. right before serving, add your heavy cream. serve on top of your pancakes, and don’t forget the brie – it TOTALLY makes this dish!

and if you have leftovers, cheese and granny smith apples make great crostinis! (cheddar and brie pictured)

NUMBER 204

2013 [so far] has been the year of an attempt at a healthier lifestyle and dinner menu. i've always been a bigger fan of carbs, starches, and sweets than veggies - it's no lie. so when i was perusing the pin' yesterday, i started thinking about new veggie options, amping up my culinary confidence, and no longer being a veggie virgin to some of these lovely...plants. enter: brussel sprouts. never have i ever tried brussel sprouts, and to be honest, they've never been placed on a plate in front of me. we just didn't have them in my house growing up. last night, i gave it a shot and was pleasantly surpised:

crispy brussel sprouts with bacon & garlic original

ingredients:
15-20 small brussel sprouts
3 bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
thinly sliced ¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rock salt, sea salt or "kosher" salt
salt and pepper

1. peel off any bad leaves from the brussel sprouts
2. bring a pot of water to the boil. add rock salt.
3. blanch brussel sprouts for 4 minutes then drain and refresh in cold running water.
   
   
4. cut sprouts in half lengthwise.
   
   
5. in the meantime, heat olive oil on high. add bacon and cook 1 minute.
6. add brussel sprouts and garlic and fry until they start to brown around the edges and the bacon crisps
7. drain brussel sprouts to remove excess oil. serve hot.
    
    

NUMBER 203

1  |  thanks for all the love shown over the May Book giveaway - and a special thanks to my blog girlfriends for helping spread the word! what? you haven’t entered? it’s not too late! contest ends TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT! hurry hurry!

2  |  for the first time in too long, i joined a new bible study. i've been seeking a change in my life, and i already feel God making a difference. super excited to get into this study and meet some new friends!

3  |  i've got a few DIY’s on the horizon: one in particular, this bar cart made from a baby changing table. genius, right?! haha this really shows where our family’s priorities are right now.

4  |  i purchased this dear stella fabric last year before christmas with the intention of making some roman shades for our kitchen. i'm feeling extra motivated this weekend to cross some items off my to-do list and this is at the top!

5  |   starting saturday, andrew and i are getting our buns back in the gym. i felt so awesome last year when i was working out more - i had way more energy and felt more confident. hopefully the new years resolution crew has died down a tiny bit! we shall see!

happy weekend!

NUMBER 202

1  |  the weather has been just plain crappy this week, and i'm desperately needing a manicure. i'm thinking that something bright like essie’s snap happy with lighten my mood!

2  |  i hit up the MASSIVE new forever 21 in concord over the weekend and got some awesome new trendy pieces including this sparkly number. i'm sporting it today with a classic grey crewneck sweater and skinnies!

3  |  i've been eyeballing the kate spade grove court maise for some time now, and although the cobalt may be a bit bold for me, the style is definitely right up my alley.

4  | charlotte’s restaurant week kicks off this weekend, and it’s something andrew and i look forward to year round! we’ve got a couple of friends coming to visit, and we’re looking forward to showing them one of our favorite parts of living in charlotte [the food!]. this year, our plans are to visit the capital grille [our RW tradition] and bistro la bon in plaza midwood [for the first time].

5  |  i’ve never been a lipstick girl [it’s usually just chapstick or maybe lip gloss if i'm feeling real fancy], but i've been trying it out lately. this bobbi brown nude is perfect for me – simply for the idea of getting used to wearing something a little heavier on my lips. the shade is almost the exact color of my lips [but prettier] and gives me that great nude look without being washed-out.

**if you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter the fabulous May Books giveaway happening NOW! giveaway ends TOMORROW at midnight!

NUMBER 201: May Book Review & Giveaway!

so… if you follow me on instagram, which you should (lauraleighwyatt), you know that i scooped up a super cute new planner recently. i first discovered May Designs a while back while perusing my favorite stationery store in charlotte, and i was blown away by their vast collection of adorable patterns, colors, and monograms.

after hearing several great reviews, i decided to start off 2013 with one of my own. after about 3 hours of deliberation, i settled on my design and placed my order. to my surprise, it arrived quicker than i expected – just an added bonus!

you can choose from several different inserts (meal planning, fitness, or a blank notebook), and as you can see, i went with a monthly agenda with the week-at-a-glance insert. the book itself is thin – no need to carry around a bulky planner, and this works perfect for me. personally, i don’t use my planner as a catch-all, and i don’t have a crazy jam-packed schedule to need 3 pages per day with a timed agenda for each.

i've had it for over a week, and i'm still in love! my favorite part (aside from the fun design) is the size, my past agendas have been too small or too large. this one, coming in at 8.5” x 5.5”, is perfect. my handwriting doesn’t have to be microscopic to fit in the boxes, and it doesn’t weigh my purse down (like the other 17 things i have in my bag).

want to hear the BEST news? you can get one too! today, i'm hosting a giveaway for a free May Book of your choosing! the rules are simple:

1. all entrants must follow “our life in the queen city” – this can be through google, bloglovin, feedburner, etc.
2. check out all the options and leave a comment with your favorite color/design combo for 2013

for addition entries, feel free to tweet about this giveaway, like OLQC on facebook, and like May Designs on facebook.

this giveaway will end friday night at midnight! thanks SO much, and GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NUMBER 200

i didn’t plan this one very well. tomorrow i have a special post in store for you, but my 200th post happens to be today. i just couldn't wait to share with y'all the amazing chicken pot pie i made last night. this is my go-to recipe and it never disappoints!

chicken pot pie (recipe via)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup frozen green peas 1/2 cup sliced celery 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1 3/4 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup milk 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts the soft, rollout kind

1. preheat your oven to 425 degrees
2. in a med sized pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. in the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. simmer over medium-low heat until thick. remove from heat and set aside.



4. place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. pour hot onion/flour mixture over. cover with pretty top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. if you choose to not cover with a “basket weave” crust, you’ll need to make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.



note: i like to construct my “basket weave” on a sheet of wax or parchment paper, then carefully transfer it to the pie before baking.

5. bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. cool for 10 minutes before serving.

some people like their filling to be a bit more "soupy", if so, just add a 1/3 cup more milk to your onion/flower mix.
orrr just make more of it - we all know that's the best part!

NUMBER 199

in the new year, i've been paying more attention to the positive and keeping my outlook light (i'm a natural worrier). but, in all honesty, looking back on this week, it wasn't too shabby.

1 | yesterday i received my very first maybook planner. i'm so happy with the pattern i chose, and i've been busy filling that baby in. more details to come about this pretty gal next week!

2 | i had a nice little impromptu lunch date with my brother yesterday. we've been wanting to find some cheap mexican and lucked out at three amigos in plaza midwood. christina has raved about their guac, and it did NOT disappoint!

3 | the weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend, and i'm really looking forward to spending some time outside. the back yard is one of our favorite things about the new house, and we're planning on having some friends over to grill out - should be a great time!

4 | yesterday, i recieved my first shipment from influenster. i think this is the first time i've ever gotten excited about dish soap.

5 | i'm SO pumped. i'm getting my hair cut this afternoon - just a trim though. i've worked too hard to get my hair long, so there will be no drastic changes today. there's just something about a fresh haircut that makes a gal feel better about life. (disclaimer, this is not my hair. this gal is pinned here)

today, i'm linking up with lauren @ from my grey desk with her weekly "high five for friday"!

happy weekend!!

NUMBER 198

a while back, i deleted one of my old email addresses. little did i know that it was hooked up to my blogger account and with it, would go all of my images from previous blog posts. *insert sad face* i started my little blog 4 years ago to keep our wedding guests informed of events and my diy crafts leading up to our wedding day, and i've continued to blog (mostly on and off) since then. just thought i'd revisit our wedding day because i'm feeling a bit nostalgic:

our wedding was classic and perfect for us. i remember trying my best not to let the whole planning process stress me out. my top priorities (after the dress) was good food, pretty flowers, and live music – all 3 were present and accounted for. the whole day went by in a blink – it was perfect, and i'd do it all over again in a heart beat (with a little more hairspray).

NUMBER 197

i love a good bargain buy - the feeling that i'm getting something awesome for a low price, is seriously one of my favorite things. so again, i'm putting together some of my favorite beauty bargain buys as of late.

1 | suave keratin infusion dry shampoo ($4). i've tried each end of the spectrum on dry shampoo: first, testing the waters with the cheapo tre semme which left my hair powdery and clumpy. ain’t nobody got time for that. then my awesome hairdresser let me test the kenra dry shampoo, which just didn't have enough power for my thick mane and left me smelling too sweet. after seeing a review for the suave dry shampoo online, i had to hunt it down and give it a go, and i'm so glad i did. the smell is amazing - like that just left the salon, can't quit sniffing your hair, smell. AND it works - even for a gal like me who constantly has her hands in her hair - it's a flaw, i know. fyi: could only find this product at food lion.

2 | the nyc eyeliner pencil ($1) is probably the best known beauty buy out there. you can find these at your local drugstore, and for a dollar each, you can’t go wrong. i'm a gel eyeliner girl all the way, but pencil is perfect for those “gotta wear makeup, but not look made up” days. also, i always use pencil on my lower lashes – just smudged a bit.

3 | maybelline color sensational lipcolor ($5.50). recently, i’ve been testing the waters with red lipstick. i've NEVER been a lipstick girl, but i want to be! i love the look of a casual red lip, and this let me see if i liked it before i committed to a pricey brand. for longer wear, put on 1 coat, blot, pat lightly with loose powder, then apply a 2nd coat. or you could just wipe it off (like i've been known to do), realize that your lips are stained, and be stuck with red lips anyway. sidenote: minorly obsessed with tswift and her adorable self lately.

image via

4 | sally hansen hard as nails strengthener ($3). i change my nail polish pretty often, and i began to realize that my nails were actually drying out and splitting more than usual. i've been applying this goodness as my basecoat for some time now and have noticed less splitting and less chipping on my homemade manis! yay!

5 | i use the up & up makeup cleansing towelettes ($6?) every night before i wash my face. even though i use my clarisonic every night too, completely removing my makeup first really really helps keep my skin clear. no need to splurge on a fancy brand - these gals will get the job done!

see my other bargain beauty buy post here.

what’s your favorite beauty buy on a budget?

NUMBER 196

so i'm trying something a little new for the new year - hoping for a little feedback. as you can see below, i've designed a january calendar for your downloading pleasure! hope y'all enjoy! i tend to make these for myself anyway, so i just figured i'd share the love!

desktop | android | ipad | iphone 3/4 | iphone 5

if you don't see your device in the list below, or find that the sizes i've supplied aren't compatible, let me know about it, and i'll try my best to help you out! hope everyone has a great weekend!