Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a great weekend. I couldn’t have asked for a better one. A high of 77-degrees? Um, yes, please! We tackled so many projects around the house, did some gardening, fit in our miles, and cooked a lot of delicious food. Now that it’s March, I can officially start going full-force into gardening. I know that seems early, but we have nothing but the ’60s in the forecast, and spring always comes early in South Carolina. I’m one of those overly annoying happy people right now, with lighter evenings and flowers blooming. I’m sure I’ll be over it once the humidity kicks in.
I spent most of my mornings outside with my coffee since it was so nice out. The dogs always like when I’m outside while they play. They need an audience in order to run around and play. Anyone else’s dogs like that?
I finished up blogging, headed to pick up some plants, and then came home to clean. I always like cleaning Monday afternoon and Friday afternoon. It was so nice out that I officially broke out the smoothies. I picked up some ingredients so I could make any smoothie all week long. I bought frozen avocados, spinach, pineapple, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and mango. I usually pick a few fruits, add in protein powder, water, and almond milk. They are so good and the perfect refreshing pick-me-up! A day doesn’t go by in the summer where I don’t have a smoothie. I headed out for an evening walk with my neighbor. We’ve been getting in atleast 3-5 miles a day. My goal is to walk 3-5 miles six days a week, and last week, I hit that goal. I felt so much better.
It was my neighbor’s birthday, so while they were out to dinner, I whipped up a coconut cake (their favorite) to surprise them when they got back. I may have to share this recipe on the blog soon because it was so good and the perfect Easter recipe! Kyle made us a steak dinner on Monday night, and it was so good! He said he’s going to venture out and try to cook something else, but right now, he’s mastering the steak! I definitely don’t mind a night where I don’t have to cook. 😊
We ended the evening watching Servant (I love that show on AppleTV) and headed to bed! On Tuesday, Kyle and I went on an evening walk after work. We did three-miles and then headed back to make dinner! We were so hungry 😂 I made delicious low-carb baked pesto chicken parm! It was amazing. You have to try this recipe!! I blogged it on Friday. It’s the perfect dish for meal prepping, too! It was delicious for lunch the next day. I fit in an early morning walk with my neighbor on Wednesday morning and then came home to have a smoothie! You can find this recipe on my TikTok. I met up with Caitlin, Kelsey, and Emily for dinner at Burton’s Bar and Grill on Wednesday evening for dinner. It was so nice catching up with them! ♥️ I ordered the superfood steak salad with goat cheese, and it’s amazing. I get that every time, along with the general Tso’s cauliflower. 😋 It was a five-mile morning for my neighbor and me on Thursday. She’s a fast walker, so it helps me step up my game; otherwise, my go-to pace is 17 to 18-minute miles. I made smoothies for us so we could sit out on the porch to cool down. It was high-sixties by noon. If you live in a cold place and hate it, I highly recommend South Carolina 😆 . I headed out to run some errands on Thursday afternoon. I decided to treat myself to a tall double almond milk chai cappuccino. This is my go-to drink right now! It so good and on the lighter side. I picked up the paint for our porch makeover and a few new patio decor items. I can’t wait until it’s done! I walked to our neighborhood gym for a workout on Friday morning. I used to love doing these circuits, and I need to get back to it. I’m also on a gallon of water a day kick. It’s tough for me since I’m not too fond of water. This water bottle I bought from Amazon does make it a lot easier to follow through. I’ve been taking it everywhere with me. I even get creative by pouring the water into my smoothies. I feel like that counts! We had some friends over Friday night for dinner and games. I picked up some cookies from Crumble and wings from Killington’s. Spring ♥️ Here’s a little sneak peek at the porch. That was just the first coat! Later that afternoon, I did my walk with my neighbor! We have been on a roll. Also, I wanted to mention. I have been getting a lot of questions about the products I’ve been using on my skin. Besides drinking a ton of water to help my skin, I’m still using my PROVEN Skincare. I absolutely love it, especially because I’m outside walking all the time and the daily moisturizer has SPF. I took the skin genome quiz on their website to get products customized to my skin’s needs. I wrote a blog post all about it! I’m just about to get my next shipment! On Saturday afternoon, I dove into making recipes for my TikTok. Yes, I’m officially on TikTok and completely addicted. I made ham and cheese pie baskets, blueberry muffin crumble cake with a cinnamon roll crust, my cranberry cookies, and more! I plan to post daily. I started my Sunday with a four-mile walk followed by a smoothie! 😋 I planned to work on the porch and garden all day. My goal is to make my house look like a plant museum 😆 . I still think we need a pool, but that is Kyle, and I’s daily debate. You’ll have to let me know if you have a pool and love it or hate it! My parents love theirs but tell me every time I mention a pool they wish they didn’t have. We made a ground turkey and pesto parmesan cavatelli for dinner last night! yum❤️I added a bunch of roasted cauliflower to mine. Now, I’m having my delicious smoothie and coffee while blogging from the front porch! 😊 Grumple’s is sitting out here with me, too!
I hope you all have a fabulous week, and hopefully, you get some warmth where you are!
Questions for you!
- Pool…yay or nay?
- How was your weekend?
- What did you have for dinner last night?
Jennifer says
Pools are a big yay for me. I’ve never had one, but always wished I could! We’d have so much more fun in the summer!
It was good! I’m interning on Saturdays now through October so that’s a struggle sometimes 🥴 but Sunday was great!
We went out for a late lunch yesterday so we didn’t end up eating dinner since we were still full!
Taralynn says
I agree! 😊
AW well time flies so you’ll be done before you know it!! ♥️ You got this!
Late lunches are the best!
SHAWNA TACY says
A pool would be a yay in my book as long as I don’t have to be the one to clean it! I had a hot tub before and HATED cleaning it. I haven’t owned a pool so I have no idea what the upkeep would be but would love to have one- I live in FL after all!
My weekend was pretty laid back. Dinner last night was a bacon wrapped, cream cheese stuffed ranch seasoned chicken breasts. The breasts were so big, and we weren’t all that hungry so we didn’t even make a side for it.
Taralynn says
Yes! I’d definitely have to get a service to come do that! lol I couldn’t rely on myself to do it.
Ohhh what a delicious dinner!
Emily says
Pool…yay if you have time to take care of it. 😉
How was your weekend? Great! Went to a couple national parks and explored.
What did you have for dinner last night? Chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, & spinach.
Love your recaps as usual! 🙂
Taralynn says
True! 😊
That sounds like the perfect way to spend the weekend! ALSO, YUM! That sounds delicious!!
Chelsea says
Ohhh those green smoothies look so delicious!! Adding those ingredients to my grocery list this week now. 🙂
I would love to have a pool!! I know they take maintenance but in my opinion it’s so worth it!
We had Chipotle for dinner last night! Always hits the spot!
And your front porch looks adorable already!! Can’t wait to see the finished product!!
Taralynn says
Thanks, Chelsea! 😊 Love that smoothie season is finally here!
I havn’t had chipotle in months! I need to change that 😂
I can’t wait until it’s all finished!!
Lauren says
1. A pool sounds like a blast but also like a lot of work 🙈
2. Meh weekend 🤷🏼♀️ It’s still cold in Chicago sadly
3. Dinner was chicken tortilla soup!
Did you move to South Carolina or are you still in North Carolina? Either one sounds like a dream compared to Chicago right now!
Taralynn says
Hi, Lauren! 😊
Same thoughts on that 😂
I hope Chicago warms up soon!!
Ohh that is one of my favorite soups 😋
I live basically on the border of SC/NC so still in the Charlotte NC area! 😊
Jacky says
Hi, great post! So jealous of your early spring.
I have a pool and I go back and forth with loving having it and wishing I didn’t have it lol! I actually love cleaning it, but when things break or you have to replace things, it gets expensive. I think overall with how much we use it in the summer, it is worth it. There are just moments where I’m like ugh I wish I didn’t have to deal with this. So I say get your pool!
Taralynn says
Hi, Jacky!
That is what I hear from everyone! I think I’d use it every day and our warm season goes into october!
I am so team get that pool 😂 I would just have to hire someone to come maintain it.
Milena says
Hi Taralynn!
I can’t believe it’s already March!
You really encouraged me to buy this water bottle from Amazon because I often forget to drink water, it’s a really good idea 🙂
About the pool, I would love to have one but I guess it comes with a lot of work as well.
My weekend was very nice 🙂 My boyfriend and I went to our friend’s place on Saturday to have dinner together and on Sunday we tried new restaurant in Barcelona and the food was delicious! We also went to a museum for an exhibition about Mars and it was super interesting!
Have a lovely week <3
Taralynn says
Right?!!
I am the worst at drinking water but carrying that thing around has helped me!!
That’s what I hear, too! I’d have to hire someone to maintain it. 🤔
Your weekend sounds so perfect.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Now I feel like some green juice! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Taralynn says
Yes! Always a good time for green juice!
Kayla says
Hi! I see you seem to eat some dairy now like from the goat cheese and gluten as well! May I ask what changed for you and why you ultimately decided to add these foods back into your diet?
Annie says
Pools are a lot to take care of!
Kate says
I do not recommend getting a pool for several reasons, the primary being that it will affect the value of your house (and not in a good way). Many people have a pool as one of their “deal breakers” in house shopping. They could find a really great house, but the presence of a pool means it is a no-go. I would not personally put a pool on any property I owned. You have a lovely neighborhood pool and you pay HOA fees for that. I would put it to good use and not worry about putting one in your back yard. Also, if you plan on having children, a home pool is a major safety issue and source of constant worry for parents. Save yourself the anxiety.
Taralynn says
Those are all good things to consider!
Valerie says
I look forward to seeing all of the beautiful flowers in your backyard once they bloom. Do you have a favorite you planted? I need to re-plant this year as I’ve had an opossum digging in the soil and ruining plants this past winter. By the way, your pics of your dogs are my favorite, their so cute!
Taralynn says
I am sooooo excited for them to bloom! ♥️ They are starting to come up and I check up on them daily 😆
I think my camelias, roses, dahlias, peonies, gladiolis, and hydrangeas are my favorite!
Freshi says
1. Pool…yay or nay?
Yay but where I live its rather rare 😀
2. How was your weekend?
So nice but short. I try to work less or not at all during the weekends and instead do some reflection and read more. But on Sunday afternoon I’m not sure where the time went…
3. What did you have for dinner last night?
Oh yesterday my fiancé cooked: Macaroni with vegan cream sauce 🙂
I also definitely need to drink more water. Since I’m working from home, I’m neglecting it :/
Taralynn says
Hi 😊
Crazy how fast weekends fly by!
Ohhh that macaroni sounds amazing!
Kayla says
I grew up with a salt water pool and LOVED it! My parents just sold my childhood home with it a few months ago. The salt water systems are easy to care for. It probably gets warm enough in the summer that you would not have to pay the extra money to heat the pool. The one great thing was that it made it so our house was the “gathering” spot because of the pool. Our friends and family all came to us and we always had something fun to do together. Plus it was also relaxing! For some reason it was always so much nicer to read, talk on the phone, do school work, etc out on the pool deck than just in a normal backyard. That being said, it would take away some space from your dogs and I know you love having the big fenced-in yard for them!
Taralynn says
That was my thoughts! I love the idea of always having something to do or being able to just sit by the pool and read. I find it kind of distracting or a huge even to have to go to the community pool. The thoughts of hundreds of people bathing in a pool all day does not excite me. The good thing is I just was a small rectangular pool without all the concrete, and there is plent of room for the boys to sprint around 😊
Ashley says
Loved this recap, Taralynn! I am now starving after looking at all of your yummy food, haha. I definitely need to try out the chicken parm recipe soon! I also wish I had a Crumble nearby, I keep seeing these gorgeous cookies everywhere on the blogosphere, and I want to try them!
Make Life Marvelous
Taralynn says
Thank you, Ashley!
Brandi says
I love reading your blog. It gives me so much motivation!! Your smoothies look amazing you should make a blog post with all your favorite recipes. Yay on the pool! It’s a lot of work but worth it
Taralynn says
Aw thank you, Brandi!
Erin says
I’ve never heard of a pool lowering a house’s value but that must depend on where you live. I live in Florida and most people don’t want to buy a house unless there is a pool. It cost me a ton of money before I hired a pool service. We spend most of our time outside in the pool, friends always come with bathing suits, and it was definitely a life saver during quarantine. I would never buy a house without a pool.
Taralynn says
I think it definitely makes a difference if you’re in Florida! I’d definitely never get a house without one there 😮 But I think it cuts the buyers in half because people don’t want to deal with pools because theyre extra money/maintenance and a liability, especially if you have little kids.