This & That | Meal Prep, Dining Room Decor, New Accessories, & More

Good morning Monday! Welcome back to my blog!  I hope y’all had a wonderful weekend!  Ours was nice and slow with lots of rain.

On Sunday, Jordan and I surprised James with breakfast in bed- just pancakes and strawberries, but it felt special all spread out on a tray and delivered to the bedroom. Jordan loves to help me in the kitchen. She put on her little apron and uses her kids safety knives to cut the tops off the strawberries.  I think it makes her feel so good to be helpful and it’s something we can do together while she learns.

Today’s post is one of my favorite kind, where I just chat with you and catch you up on what’s been happening around here.  A little bit of home decor, some fashion, food and more!

HOUSE PAINTING UPDATE

I’ll have a full post on the whole process soon, but I wanted to share a few sneak peeks for you now! You can also see more videos saved to my Instagram Story Highlights “Paint”.  I’m so happy with how the paint turned out and it made a huge difference both outside the home, but also from inside looking out (into the backyard and sideyard).  It flows so much better with the inside colors.

We used Sherwin Williams Wordly Grey for the siding, Dorian Grey for the trim, and Gauntlet Grey for the garage, shutters, columns, and tin roof.

I wanted to change the overall look of the house from tan and brown two more gray tones. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to change the existing stone but now I’m leaning towards lime washing it so that it flows better with the new cool colors.  I should be getting a quote for that today!

What do you think I should do with the stone? Paint, limewash, leave it alone??  I’d love to hear in the comments!

You can also see our backyard here and our landscaping and patio update here.

DINING ROOM PROGRESS & CHOOSING LAMPS

Inside the house, I’ve been working on updating our dining room and it’s almost complete!  So far, we have a new rug, dining table, and chandelier and the sideboard arrived recently.  Here’s what it looks like so far!  The drapes are on the way!

Dining Room

Fiddle Leaf Fig • Chandelier • Dining Table • Similar Dining ChairsPottery Barn Rug

The lamps I originally ordered got cancelled, so I turned to Amazon to see what I could find there and of course, I found several I liked.  I ordered 5 lamps so I could see them in the room and then decide.  I shared on Stories too and with your votes, narrowed it down to two!  Below are all five options.

AMAZON LAMPS

ONE  • TWOTHREEFOURFIVE

Brass LampClear & Brass LampSideboard

I actually like all of the lamps for different reasons, but not all of them work in this room. The Brass Lamp is really pretty, but it gets lost in this large room.

I love the modern look of the Clear & Brass Lamp but maybe it needs to be taller?

Brass Lamp

Clear & Brass Lamp

Faux Snakeskin Lamps

I loved the shape and style of these lamps and they seemed to fit the space perfectly, but the only problem is that they have a green tint to them and I’m not sure I’m loving that. They kind of look yellow in the photo, but in person they read greenish.

Glass & Brass Lamp from Amazon

Crystal & Brass Lamp

I’m crazy for this lamp too!  It’s very well made and is nice and substantial with pull switches and holds two bulbs.  But it might be too traditional looking.  I didn’t want the space to look too formal.

White Lamp from Amazon

White Lamps

I’m always drawn to this style and color of lamp, but I think it’s not right here.  I’m leaning toward options 4 or 5.  What do you think?

AMAZON LAMPS

ONE  • TWOTHREEFOURFIVE

In unfortunate news, the delivery of the sideboard was a disaster.  The box containing the sideboard was so filthy and when they brought it inside, it got the light rug all dirty.  This rug was fresh and new, so it’s such a bummer.

Pottery Barn Rug

I used Folex on it right away to try to lift the dirt out before it set in.  I think it worked pretty well, but I could still give it another go.  You just spray the Folex directly onto your stain (on carpet or upholstery) and then agitate with your fingers to lift the stain.  I used a soft microfiber cloth and if the stain is really bad, you can try hitting it with a steamer.

I’ve done that with my upholstered breakfast room chairs and they look 10x better!

 Folex Carpet/Upholstery CleanerPottery Barn Rug

And this was the kind of delivery where they drop and leave, so I had to un-package the box and it was huge and really difficult to unbox.  The sideboard was packed really well with wooden pieces, lots of cardboard and styrofoam and just a mess.

Then, when I finally got it out of the box, it was cracked inside, scratched on the outside front door and cracked on the side!  Such a bummer!  I called the company to ask for a return and they are supposed to replace it.  I still love the look of it, the acrylic and gold pulls, scale (it’s huge!) and how much storage there is inside.

Dining Room Sideboard

And, then I had to do a little musical chairs with the console table that was previously in the dining room.  That got moved to behind the couch.

Console TableBlue & White Vase

The console table that was behind the couch got moved to the entry way, but still needs to be styled.

Norton Console Table – sold out

Console Table

old Pottery Barn Console Table (I added marble contact paper to the top)

And the console table that was in the entry way was moved to the breakfast room.  I really like how this looks here.  It’s more substantial and now I can store some of our dishes and cloth napkins here.

So that leaves the little mirrored table without a home, but I’m going to try it in Jordan’s room or her playroom before deciding whether to donate it.

KITCHEN 

I’ve been doing more styling in the kitchen too!

Kitchen Accessories on Marble Tray

Marble Lazy SusanTile Salt & PepperBistro Tile CollectionButter CrockFaux Succulents

White knife set with wooden block

Knife Block Set

I’m loving the new knives from Amazon.  Not only do they look great on the counter, the knives feel really good in your hand and cut through things like butter!

Bistro Tile Initial Mug

Tile Mug

I saw that the tile mug that Ali-Shaun got me has been restocked in all letters except two!  It’s been sold out forever, so I’m excited it’s back! You can shop the entire Bistro Tile Collection HERE.

When my kids aren’t with me (and sometimes when they are) my dinner looks like this:

It’s a simple combo of Brie cheese, Honey Goat Gouda cheese, crackers (these are good old fashioned Ritz) and a handful (or so) of Dot’s pretzels.  OMG- those Dot’s pretzels are amazing and so addicting! You can find them in most grocery stores or Target and kids love them too.

MEAL PREP

But, I also did some healthy meal prep this weekend and Sunday is a great day for that!

Meal Prep

Meal Prep Containers

SALAD – I divided premixed bags of kale and butter lettuce salad, added chickpeas, carrots, celery and nuts.  I’ll add dressing when I eat them.

PROTEIN – I seasoned the chicken thighs and lean burgers and cooked them in a skillet on the stove.  I air fried the fish in the air fryer (I just had one piece left over from a previous cooking session)

POTATOES – I cooked one sweet potoato and several red potatoes in the microwave, then divided them among the containers.

VEGGIES – I portioned out about one cup of raw veggies per carton.  I use frozen green beans, the broccoli is fresh.

When it’s time to eat the meals, I will reheat everything in the microwave for one minute, then I transfer the veggies and potatoes to a skillet and cook with olive oil, garlic and seasoning, sometimes adding pumpkin seeds.  Since I’m eating at home, this is an easy step and makes things taste fresher.

Meal Prep

Meal Prep Containers

Meal Prep

If you prepare your meals in advance like this, you will literally be amazed at how much more free time you have! I mean, think about all of the mental energy we spend figuring out what to eat, and then how often we think about it during the day. When you have your meals already prepared, it frees up so much mental space in your brain! 

Meal Prep

I highly recommend eating your meals on a nice plate, never out of the carton!  You’ll enjoy the meal more this way!

NEW ACCESSORIES

Bead Bracelets

Aren’t these bracelets fun for Summer?!  They definitely brighten my mood! They are a set of 7 stretchy bracelets that slip right over your hand and are super lightweight and comfortable.  You can wear the entire set or break them up.  All 7 are just $14 PRIME!

Bead Bracelets

Stretch Bracelets

These bracelets are darling too with the colorful pattern and embellishment.

Bag more colors HERE & HEREBag Strap

This vegan messenger bag is great because YOU get to customize it!  First, you choose the bag color you want.  Then, you get to put your personality on it with the bag strap.  Several of my blogger friends designed these straps and I love how they turned out!  They make such a fun gift too!

Social Threads Bag Strap

Bag Strap

Bag more colors HERE & HEREBag Strap

BILLIE RAZOR

Billie Razor Shave CreamBody Lotion

I got a new Billie Razor and I’m still such a fan of it.  This time, I splurged on the shave cream and body lotion after receiving samples.  I usually just use whatever soap or body wash I have in the shower to shave my legs, but this shave cream is so.much.better! It stays on your skin without rinsing off before you can get to your razor – even in the shower! And then your razor glides smoothly over every spot giving you the closest shave and softest skin!

The body lotion feels so luxurious and is supposed to be applied right after showering.  It absorbs quickly into your skin and leaves your skin feeling like you just left the spa! It’s made with shea butter and soothing aloe vera and has a light fresh squeezed-grapefruit scent.

JULY LOVES

And guess what?! I pick the July LOVES winner and announce on on Friday!  The winner will win everything below.  Just subscribe to my blog for a chance to win!  If you are already subscribed, you’re automatically entered to win!

Sunset SweaterTory Burch ToteLittle Words Project Stretch Bracelet Jean ShortsPajama SetSweater TankStud SandalFace Mask

SKIN CHECK

Last but not least, I want to leave you with some serious, but necessary talk.  I went to my dermatologist last week for a skin check because I had a suspicious spot on my nose and so.many.moles all over my body.  The nose turned out to be nothing, but she did find a mole with irregular borders that had to be shaved off and biopsied.

They numbed my back first so I didn’t feel the shaving part and it literally took 5 minutes.  That spot was tender when the numbness wore off, but on a pain scale of 1-10, it’s a 1.

The mole was on my back and tiny so I never could see that it was oddly shaped.  Plus, even the doctor had to use a magnifying glass to look and really get a good look at the shape of the mole.  I should hear the results back soon and hopefully it’s all good.  BUT, it’s always better to detect things early!

I got the nudge to get my skin checked by my friend Sarah, so I wanted to pay it forward.  If you needed to hear this, here’s your sign!

Now go kick Monday’s booty!

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

16 Comments

  1. Such a fun post! Can you link the stems you have in the striped blue and white vase on the sold out Norton Console table? I have been looking for similar forever!
    Thanks!

  2. Thanks for sharing so much great stuff in one post! I love the new gray exterior colors you chose but I totally get why you are now second guessing the stone. Your stone is very warm and has lots of beige in it (orange beige, yellow beige, and green beige) but no gray at all. The gray exterior colors are fresh and new but don’t relate at all to the beige stone. I do think a white wash is a good idea but I recommend a “gray wash” instead. Check out Benjamin Moore Classic Gray. It is a very light green gray that almost reads white. It would be a good choice as a wash since it has a green undertone (like some of your stone does), plus it’s softer than a white wash would be. I am a Certified Color Consultant for Paint and Home Finishes with Color Harmony at Home and would be happy to help you with any of your future paint projects. I live in the New Orleans area but offer eColor Consulting services online via e-mail. I love your blog and have been following for years! ❤️

  3. Everything looks so nice. I would get lamps with a color in them and some pattern to really set off the room and all the gray and plain. Maybe a nice blue pattern in the lamps.

  4. I would definitely whitewash or limewash the stone on the house. I liked it before with your dark doors. Now the stone and doors stick out like a sore thumb.

  5. Another great post with such variety. Love the house color and can’t wait to see what you do with the stone.
    I was wondering if you’ve ever used glass food prep containers and if so, how did it work for you?
    We try to stay away from plastic as much as possible but at times it’s a challenge.
    Thanks much!

  6. Your home is just gorgeous ! Love the new gray on the outside especially ! Do you mind telling me which color gray you used on your dining room wainscoting ? thanks so much – really enjoy your blog !

  7. This is a great blog post, packed with tons of goodness! I love posts like these! My thoughts on the exterior of your house…..I LOVE the colors you chose to update it! I totally think you should limewash the stone. If you want to see a perfect example, look at Brad and Holly’s (Our Faux Farmhouse) exterior limewash. Theirs is brick and not stone, but it made such a dramatic transformation, and looks fantastic! I think it would make your house look even more gorgeous!

  8. I love the exterior paint color makeover! I definitely vote for lime washing the brick, it will be stunning with the paint choices and go much better with your interior scheme.

  9. I love the plants you have behind your couch!! Can you tell us what kinds they are?

    As always, I love these posts when you chat with us. Thanks for being you!!

  10. Good luck with your biopsy. I had melanoma on my back and am here, strong as ever, 12 years later. I’m so glad you listened to your friend and went to the doctor! Your house looks great, as a side note!

        1. Hi Andrea! Great question! I do often make different meals for my kids, but Jordan likes a lot of the things I eat. She loves things like broccoli and fish, but also sometimes just wants chicken nuggets (and I don’t eat those). If my son wants something different, I get him to help me make it.

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