Florida Beach

Right after I checked into the hotel in Florida the first thing I wanted to do was go to the beach. I did a little research before I left so I knew that dogs were allowed on the beach which was super nice. Knox loved the beach and loves the people. He wants to play with everyone. Our hotel was only one block from the beach so the walk was super short. There was also beach gear rental shops, a froyo place, a Dairy Queen, and a restaurant all within walking distance from my hotel and the beach. 

We actually ended up going to the beach twice. Once when we first got there. We hung out for about an hour and played in the water. We relaxed and Knox enjoyed watching the birds and the people. I then went to the historic district of Fernandina Beach by myself then when I got back, Knox and I went to the beach again. It was about 6pm and there were a lot less people. Also there were about 5 people kitesurfing, the wind was perfect. 

The water was also a lot warmer then the NC water. I know I wasn’t very south in FL but I still enjoyed the warm water. And Knox loved it. We had a very nice time and after we got back to the hotel, Knox passed out on the bed because he was so tired! 
love, Carlee

Welcome to Florida

If you follow me on instagram then you will know that on Tuesday I took a spontaneous trip down to Florida. It wasn't super spontaneous, I was thinking about it over the weekend that I wanted to make the trip. You see, Clark was going out town for the week for more military training and I thought why not. I had never been to Florida and one of my all time goals is to visit all 50 states. And since I am only a 5 hour drive from Florida I thought I might as well do it now. I didn't want to look back and think "man I should have gone to Florida when I had the chance." So instead I packed a bag and my dog and I hopped in the car. 

The trip down wasn't so bad. I was excited so that helped to make the trip go faster. Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip down. I traveled through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. I stayed in Fernandina Beach FL. It is basically as north in Florida as you can get without being in Georgia. 

This last photo is one of my favorites. It was right when we checked into our hotel. The photo is really grainy because you know, hotel lighting and all. I will be sharing more photos tomorrow from the beach and I'll also be writing a post about Fernandina Beach the town too. It was such a cute little town and the beach was super nice. Anyways hope everyone's Thursday is going well. Can you believe its already Thursday, this week is going by so fast!

love, Carlee

Hidden creek

Isn't it just the best when you find hidden little gem right in your neighborhood? We discovered this place when we were trying to find a faster walking route to Dairy Queen... now you know where my priorities are at. Anyways this hidden creek is actually a man made drain system for storm run off. And it just seems like a little hidden oasis between a bunch of buildings and the road. 

Can we talk about Memorial Day weekend for a minute. We had the best time! On Friday, we went over to our friends house and had dinner with them. On Saturday, we headed to another friends house for a fun filled BBQ. We ate pulled pork sandwiches, played Just Dance, had fun on the lake, tried to catch turtles with the kids (unsuccessful.) I also ate my weight in brownies. Then on Sunday, we headed to the lake to have a cook out with more people. Unfortunately, the lake was closed but we ate hamburgers and hotdogs and played beach volleyball. My team won, so basically it was a great day. 

Then on Monday, we just enjoyed our peace and quiet. In the morning, I convinced Clark to go on a 6 mile walk with me. The 10K I am doing is 2 weeks away and I wanted to mentally prepare for how long the distance is. We also laid by the pool and enjoyed a nice homemade dinner. Clark left for Virginia today. He is there doing some military training/classes and Knox and I are just chilling at home. Happy Tuesday. 
love, Carlee

Shirt: Gap

Shorts: Target

Shoes: DSW

Jacket that I'm holding: Marshalls

Strawberry Raspberry Popsicles 2/30

Here is the second post from my 30 popsicles series. These are my favorite so far. Better then the peach popsicles for sure. I enjoyed the chucks of fruit in this recipe instead of the completely blended popsicles. These as well are fresh fruit and fresh juice which is one of the reasons I am going this popsicle challenge. Finding a healthy dessert alternative.

You'll need
Popsicle Molds
Raspberries
Strawberries
Orange
Lemon Juice
Sugar

Directions

Cut up strawberries and raspberries into small pieces. Squeeze orange juice out of oranges. Add lemon juice and a little bit of sugar. Mix together with a spoon and then pour into popsicle molds and let freeze over night. Then enjoy.
love, Carlee

Cobblestone sidewalks

Over the weekend, Clark and I headed downtown to the Riverside dog park to let Knox play with the other dogs. We actually hadn't gone to the dog park in a few weeks because Knox got a cut and had to wear a cone for a while so he was really excited to go over the weekend. We stopped to take some photos on the tree line streets of downtown and it is so pretty right now. There are also the best cobblestone streets downtown but of course there are car driving them and I am got trying to dodge moving traffic so sidewalk it is.

Yesterday we signed a lease for another year at our apartments! We really do like the place we live and it is nice that we are all settled here. It actually wont be a year until early July but I still can't believe that I have almost been living in NC for a year. Time goes by so quickly! I am excited to invited our friends over for a BBQ and pool party in June/July and just enjoy the summer months with each other and our friends.

We are actually headed to the lake with some friends this Sunday for some Memorial Day fun. We are gonna have a cook out and do some boating and play in the water. It should be a good time and I hope the weather will be nice. And another thing thank goodness it is Wednesday, it has already felt like a super long week. 
love, Carlee

Sweater: American Eagle

Tank & Sandals: Old Navy

Shorts: H&M

Pineapple red pepper pizza

I made homemade pizza this week. It was so yummy. I used this recipe for the crust, it actually it a recipe for two 10" pizzas for I just divide the ingredients in half because I only need one pizza. I also let  the dough raise for 2-3 hours instead of 1-1/2 hours. Other than that it is a great recipe. 

If you don't have a pizza stone (which I don't) heat up a regular cookie sheet with the oven when it is heating up. Allow oven and pan to heat at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. 

For the toppings I used:

2 Tbsps of marinara sauce
1/4 cup motzerella cheese
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
1/8 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup pineapple chunks

I haven't made homemade pizza in a while but every time I make it I remember how yummy it really is. And it is pretty easy too. Next time I am gonna try some seasoned chicken with some great vegetables. 
If you have any questions let me know. Click over to the recipe above because it is a great recipe with good instructions.
love, Carlee

Saturday Night Pizza Date

On Saturday, Clark and I headed to Mellow Mushroom to get some pizza. I am a fan of pizza and I love the Mellow Mushroom so we knew it was the perfect place to get some yummy comfort food on a laid back Saturday. A couple of weeks ago Clark and I were taking a walk around our neighborhood and he said, "I want to eat outside on the porches at restaurants as much as possible this summer." I was like Hell Yeah what an awesome goal and even awesomer that Clark suggested it and not me. So we got to accomplish that goal this night and it was the first of many summer nights getting to sit on restaurant porches and enjoy a meal.

We enjoyed a large mighty meaty pizza. We didn't eat the whole thing and got to have some yummy leftovers for lunch on Sunday. Cold leftover pizza for the win. We also split a root beer float which I enjoyed very much. Nothing like some hard vanilla ice cream with soda to refresh you on an almost summer night. Also you can see in the above photo that I took my hair out of the braid, well it was a little too messy and starting falling out so I was like screw it and took it out. Just in case you guys needed an explanation. 

Yesterday was our cleaning day. We usually clean on Sunday, fold laundry, dishing, vaccuum but yesterday was some massive cleaning. I scrubbed the bathroom clean, Clark vaccuumed, I did the kitchen and organized. Then we both went out and cleaned the car, vaccuuming, windows etc. Having a dog that is in the middle of his shedding time also doesn't help with keep the house clean but after our cleaning session the house left so much better. Ahhh pizza and a clean house, perfect weekend. Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

Shirt & Sunglasses: American Eagle

Pants: H&M

Sandals: Old Navy

Color is Always Better

New colored envelopes are now in the shop. I am always trying to think of ways to grow and expand my greeting card shop and while I do have some new products in mind I am nervous about the risk. But I thought adding colored envelopes was the perfect step I needed to take right now and I love how it makes my shop look fresh and new. I definitely would rather have a colored envelope then a plain white one when shopping for a greeting card and I think most people feel that way. So it is about time that I offered colored envelopes. 

Father's Day is right around the corner and I know that you are gonna need to get Dad a card so check out my Father's Day section and also save 20% with code: COLORISBETTER  just apply at checkout. 
love, Carlee

Long Valley Farm Lake

Over the past weekend we visited Carver's Creek State Park again. We first visited Carvers Creek State Park in January, then it was a lot less green and humid. I named this post Long Valley Farm Lake because that is the lake the trails go around, I actually have no idea why the state park is named Carvers Creek but whatever. We were planning on going to the Fort Bragg fair this weekend but the traffic was awful, parking a mess, tons of people and it didn't even look worth the entry fee. So we just opted for a nice dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in town, Luigi's.

Then on Sunday we headed out to the state park and enjoyed a relaxing walk and some beautiful scenery. I loved the wildflowers that were blooming. Do you see those irises that are blooming how goregous. There were a lot of people out and about walking dogs and fishing with there kids. We also came across a snake! Right in the middle of the trail. We were just walking along and Knox went up to smell something (I thought it was a stick at first) and it was a snake. Clark got it off the trail with a stick and it slithered back into the woods. But it was creepy!

Lately the days have been good. We are thinking about getting Knox groomed because whenever we go on walks he gets really hot and tired. It is really warm here and humid. I do want to wait until the beginning of June though. I just have a feeling if we do it now we will have to do it again in July and probably August. I mean it is only gonna get hotter and more humid. Also, our Florida Georgia Line and Nelly tickets came. We are headed down to Charleston SC to see the concert in June and I am really excited about that weekend. Have any fun summer plans?

love, Carlee

Shoes: Nordstrom Rack

Shorts & Sunglasses: American Eagle

Shirt: gift 

Healthy cookies: oatmeal banana chocolate chip

So these cookies are basically this recipe just in a different form of a snack food. There are a few tweaks but these turned out super good and yummy. Let me start by saying that I am not going to eat something that doesn't taste good or satisfy my craving. For example, the black bean brownie recipes that are all over the internet. I was craving brownies but I looked up some reviews that said these brownies are basically less than adequate for a substitue. I would rather just make regular brownies and eat a small portion. Anyways, what I am trying to say is these are actually good. I love the chocolate chips and walnut add ins.

You'll need

2 Bananas
3 1/2 cups oatmeal
2 Tblsp honey
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 walnut

1. Mix all together. 2. Preheat oven to 380 degrees. 3. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 15-17 cookies. 
Enjoy. 
love, Carlee