Five on Friday...

Linking up...

1. After watching all the baking shows...Norah wanted to bake! So she made a homemade cake and bread this week...both are amazing! Next is homemade pretzels...

2. I turned the big 4-0! I'm excited about this new decade. I actually cried when I turned 30 as I hated leaving my 20s but for some reason I am excited about my 40s and glad to see my 30s go!

My cute class had a little party for me with presents...it was the sweetest thing! Plus I got to have two lunches out...one with co-workers and one with Jeff. Then I spent the birthday night with the fam getting to watch whatever I wanted ("The Crown") and just hang out! I think we will still try to squeeze in some birthday fun this weekend too...because I do like to celebrate forever. ;)

And a really cool tidbit...if you add all our ages up in the Hoppe house...we are 100! 50+40+10=100 years!

3. Norah lost her 11th tooth! I cannot believe it! She is turning into a "Tween" right before my eyes! She is super amazing and I love her so much!!!

4. The Australian Open has been going on and Roger Federer is now in the finals. He is seriously the G.O.A.T.! Look at his backhand! He is tennis perfection and I really would love to see him play in person.

5. If you are looking for a cute gift for Valentine's Day and love the nude lipstick look...this is the combo for you. Click HERE to order the Twig lipstick and Bare Shimmer Gloss set (Perfect Match Lip Set).

Also the 4 step skincare regimes are being sold at a discount until the end of the month. You can find the Nourishing Regimen, Countermatch Regimen, and Rejuvenating Regimen.

Now off to enjoy our weekend!

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

Five on Friday...

Thursday Things...

I took Norah and a couple of friends to see "The Greatest Showman" and it was a fun movie/musical! Seriously Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron are both easy on the eyes...and they sing and dance...LOVE! And seriously when I think of Zac Efron...I think of this SCENE from "17 Again" which is 1 minute of amazingness ;) 

The songs are catchy and I can see why everyone is buying the soundtrack. Next movie...I think we will be seeing "Paddington 2" this weekend...I loved the first one. I also would love to see some other non-kid movies that are playing now but with the movie theater so far away...I never can find time to do those...one day!

It has stayed cold here for a long stretch...which is odd. It was in the 20s last night and we even had a 2 hr delay today at school. With the cold weather in full swing, Norah and I have watched two new shows on Netflix during this last month of coldness...

Both are fun to watch and the accents make it! Zumbo's only had one season so Norah is hoping they add more to Netflix. We just finished the first season of "The Great British Baking Show" so now Norah wants to make a fancy cake which might be on our agenda this weekend. Plus I love all things British so it is pretty brilliant as the ole' British would say.

This was cute Norah and Finn watching TV last night...they are precious!

Also I watched "Stranger Things" a couple months ago...Season 1 and 2 and loved it! Obviously I was late to the game but seriously...the 80s, Winona Ryder plays a mom, and Dustin!? I heart Dustin! There is so much to love in this show. Well one of my fabulous co-workers got me a Dustin pen...isn't it the cutest!?

I have really cut back my consumption of the alcoholic beverages these days (I know sad right?!) Lately I have only been drinking maybe once or twice a week or even none. Gasp. I have been sipping on this combo some nights and I really like it for something a little special.

And I still adore my red wine but have gotten back on the martini kick too when I partake and need some new martini glasses. I want something different...any suggestions? Here are two that I have seen...

These are from Anthropolgie and are called the Claudia Coupe Glass. I really like that they are not the classic shape and the gold detail is just right.

But should I go more plain like the Verve Martini Glass from Crate & Barrel?

Well tonight Jeff got a wild hair and got oysters to steam for a Thursday night! This is definitely one of the perks to living at the beach...fresh seafood anytime! They were delicious!

Tomorrow Norah has a half day at school...I have no idea why and it seems we will never have a full week again at the rate we are going but at least it will be Friday!

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

Thursday Things...

Cleaning it up...

I made a new recipe, Buffalo Chicken Chowder, that I found via Instagram/blog for Just Jessie B. It was so good! Seriously good. You need to make it today! I can tell that this will be made a lot this winter in the Hoppe house. I did tweak it a little...I used leftover cooked chicken that I had on hand already, Chicken Stock instead of Bone Broth, and a can of Coconut Milk instead of Coconut Cream.

So I've always bought organic milk and eggs since I had Norah. I get organic/grass fed meats, wild seafood, organic fruits/veggies when I can as I do think that whatever that animal ate or was given...you will be eating it too. So Norah is now entering the tween land and needs a real face wash and face lotion and I wanted to start her on something "clean." A lot of things that are added to cosmetics/beauty care items which is absorbed through the skin...are not good...seriously read about it! I had been using some of Beautycounter's products like the Charcoal Bar, Charcoal Mask, and a Nourishing Cream Exfoliator and liked the ingredient list and how it worked.

So of course I thought about looking there for Norah's needs. I also LOVE make up and have been trying to take better care of my skin these last few years since I'm hitting the 4-0 this month. I wanted to start switching over to safer products for myself. So as I run out of things I will replace them with a better, cleaner, and safer product. So after I started buying Beautycounter products...I decided to sign up to sell it. So as I try new things...I will let you know what works for me and Norah. You can shop through me on your own by clicking HERE or I can order for you too. Would love to hear other people's favorite products from them.

Obviously I will probably still use other products too and I did change my hair shampoo, conditioner, and a spray I use after washing a while back to cleaner/safer ingredients and I love it. I got it from my local salon, Stox & Co.  It works really well for my hair. The brand is davines and here are pics of the ones I use...

So 2018 is all about getting "clean" whether it is something going in our bodies or on it and enjoying all the little things in life!

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

Cleaning it up...

Books 1 and 2 for 2018

Being iced/snowed in did allow me to get started on my 2018 reading. I had two books from the library that I needed to read and both were good ones.

#1 "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
This was the first book I had read by the author and had heard great things about it. It took a little while to get going in the book as it was setting up places and characters but once it got to a point...I didn't want to put the book down! Each character has a distinct voice and they cover many topics/situations and that had me thinking long after I finished the book. A great read and I would highly recommend!

#2 "Artemis" by Andy Weir
I loved the author's book "The Martian" so I knew as soon as this came out that I would read it. It was really good but it has a lot of technical jargon in it that I can see some people not liking. But the characters are fun and it is interesting to think about if this will be true one day...people living on the moon. So if you liked his first book...read this one too.

Now I'm going to be reading some books I got for Christmas which I am excited about!

Connecting with Modern Mrs. Darcy

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

Books 1 and 2 for 2018

Snow 2018

January 2 came and I headed to Mt. Pleasant to take out dog, Darcy, to Southeast Veterinary Dermatology & Ear Clinic to have a procedure done that will hopefully clear up his ear infection he has had since September! Poor thing! This pic was from the day he had it done and he was pitiful! Now he is feeling better!

So while in Mt. Pleasant they were talking about the weather we were to get on the next day...Wednesday, Jan. 3 which was also supposed to be the first day back at school. Wednesday came and school was closed...and a lot of other places were too or closed early. The ice/freezing rain started about lunch and then snow came in the afternoon. Since we live at the beach...we aren't as prepared for snow or temperatures in the teens! It was cold! Luckily I had some ski clothes Norah had worn a couple of years ago that still worked and she loved it!

Who knew that boogie boards and surf boards would make great sleds! Ha! The weekend came and it was still freezing and the roads had iced up in a lot of areas. Jeff took Norah with another Dad and kids to their farm property to 4-wheel and hang out overnight. It was awesome! Perfect Daddy/daughter time!

By Monday there was still ice and snow in any spot that had shade as it never got above freezing but at least had turned sunny. So school was canceled again. Tuesday they had a delay at school and today marked the first day back! Since we have moved to Pawleys Island...we have had an ice storm, 100 yr flood, 2 hurricanes, and now snow! It was actually relaxing in some ways to be housebound for a few extra days during break but it is nice to get back to a routine. Hopefully we will be back to a normal winter for awhile.

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

Snow 2018