Parenting Penrose: Getting Ready for Preschool!

Linking up today with Andrea & Erika...

Preschool...How are we already talking about this?  I can't believe that Ryleigh is going to be starting her first year of preschool a month from now.  She will be in the two year old class, which meets two mornings a week.  I think she will really love school, and I'm so glad she already knows a few kiddos that will be in her class so she will be more comfortable from the start.

As far as back to school shopping, I've got some items saved in my Amazon shopping cart to complete her Supply List.  The fun items that I've purchased were of course her backpack (her first ever backpack!!) and a matching lunchbox.  I probably over-thought this way too much but I figured a matching set would make it easier on the teacher to know which were hers.

These were scored on sale during Amazon Prime Day:

Wouldn't a monogram look cute on the front pocket?!

Skip Hop Zoo Backpack // Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie

My tall little stringbean is in need of some new clothes as well.  Since her 2 year doctor's appointment back in mid-February, she has grown over 2 inches in height.  We noticed this when we had our kitchen granite done a couple weeks ago and realized she was all of a sudden taller than the countertops!  2T shirts are all showing too much belly so I've got to stock up on 3T tees and long sleeved shirts.  The first weekend of August is tax-free weekend in SC so I'm planning to do some outlet shopping, and also pick up some fleece sleep & plays for baby Aubrey!  I've gone through most of Ryleigh's old clothes and I'm finding that newborn, 0-3m, and 9m clothes are where we need to add since Ryleigh was born during the opposite time of year.  

What's Up Wednesday: Practically Penrose | January

Hello! Today I'm linking up with Mel, Sheaffer, and Shay for What's Up Wednesday, the first of 2016!

1. What we're eating...
Honestly, this week has been a hot mess.  Jake and I have both gotten head colds, so by the time we are home it's all we can do to feed Ryleigh and the dogs some dinner and relax until her bedtime, then we quickly close up the house and head to bed ourselves by about 8:30!  That's super early for me, but I'm trying to get all of the extra rest I can.  Monday, Jake made spaghetti & meat sauce for dinner while Ryleigh & I made a quick stop at the preschool program she will be in this fall.  We ended up having tons of leftovers so that's what we ate Tuesday for dinner.  Tonight, we are having dinner out to Mexican, and tomorrow night we are going to Chima for Charlotte Restaurant Week! I'm so excited for that because I've heard so many people rave about Chima and I have never been.

2. What I'm reminiscing about...
Well this one is pretty easy.

Last Friday morning, I had off of work for the snow storm, but I woke up around 7:40am and checked my emails on my phone. I saw one from a gentleman in my networking group saying that he had 4 PSL tickets to the Carolina Panthers' playoff game versus the Arizona Cardinals, and as a "special" he would sell them to a group member for true face value.  It was a heck of a deal so I quickly emailed him, hoping that nobody else had done the same yet.  Around 8:30 I got the response that we were the lucky winners and we got to see one heck of a game Sunday night!!  Our "Cardiac Cats" were no where to be found, they played a stellar game from start to FINISH, and although my feet were freezing while standing on ice (they hadn't totally cleaned the seating areas) in 25 degree weather, we were standing, dancing, and screaming the whole time!

3.  What I'm loving...
Our calendar filling up! We have received invitations for so many fun events to celebrate with friends lately--birthdays, babies, and bridal showers!

4.  What we've been up to...

Snow, snow, ice, snow.  After 5 days it's finally mostly melting away.

5.  What I'm dreading...
Can't really think of anything? #lifeisgood :)

6.  What I'm working on...

We are in the throws of Silent Auction planning for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte 7th annual Girls Night Out event!  This amazing night of glamour and giving will have you dancing, crying, and loving time with 400 other ladies!!  This year we will have LIVE music from dualing pianos in addition to the boutique fashion show, silent auction, amazing food & drinks, and Model Mom stories who share their hearts and the trials of what they went through while their child was, or still is, receiving treatment.  

If you or someone you know would be willing to donate to our silent auction, please leave a comment on this post!!  I love the connections that this blogging community can make!  We have been receiving all sorts of artwork, books, vacation rentals, etc. from all over the country that women attending this event in Charlotte, NC, can bid on to raise money for our Ronald McDonald House! 100% of all money raised at this event goes to the house for taking care of the families staying with us who have children receiving critical medical treatment at one of our local medical facilities.  All donations are tax deductible and I would be happy to provide more event information and our 501c3 form! 

7.  What I'm excited about...

So many things, but I think Superbowl 50 takes the cake! #letsgopanthers #keeppounding

8.  What I'm watching/reading...

We have a few shows that we have been watching lately.  Jake never really watched Friends (gasp!) and I have gotten him hooked on watching it. We are starting with Season 1 and going to watch them all. I'm loving watching all of the old episodes!

Jake loves Hawaii Five-0 and he's gotten me hooked on it as well.

Shameless...gosh the Gallaghers are such a trainwreck but it's a great show.

As for reading.....Remember when I told you I was excited for these books?! They arrived this week!  I love the way that the recipes are cataloged by season!

My Pages of Penrose January book review will be up on Friday, so you will have to come back to see all of what I've been reading! I will give you this little preview that I am so wrapped up in right now...

9. What I'm listening to...

A whole random combo lately.  Chris Stapleton, Adele....

10.  What I'm wearing...
Blardigans on repeat.  I found the deal of the century a couple weeks ago when a friend told me Barefoot Dreams had Winter Clearance going on and the Bamboo Chic wraps were on sale for $27.60!!!!! Yes, you read that correctly.  I quickly bought two for myself and one for a gift.  The Winter sale colors are no longer available (Opal and Amethyst Heather).

11.  What I'm doing this weekend...
Some shoe shopping for Ryleigh, my company party (we do a New Year thing instead of Christmas because of scheduling issues), and a 1st birthday party! Also hopefully a haircut. I've been toying with the idea of some caramel highlights. We shall see.

12.  What I'm looking forward to in February...

My little Valentine is turning TWO!  Where has time gone?!  #puddleofemotions



That's about it! See you on Friday for my Book Review!

Show & Tell Tuesday: About Practically Penrose

Hello! Today I'm linking up with Andrea for Show & Tell Tuesdays! The first of 2016...

So, about me...

I'm Stacey. 

 I am a wife to Jake and a momma to Ryleigh.  

We have two dogs, Reece [our chocolate lab] and Kona [our white siberian husky].  

We just moved into our new home back in October, 

and we are slowly getting everything in their right places.

Most of the time, our life looks like this:

 

By day, I'm a commercial office furniture designer.  By dreams, I'm one of those artistic types that can never keep my mind from concocting new ideas. I love to draw in my spare time [when do I have that anymore?!] particularly charcoal portraits. I wish I was more handy with power tools and saws because I think I would build project after project for our house.  

And who knows, maybe I will write a book someday.

I'm not big on New Years Resolutions, but I do have some goals for the year that I hope to accomplish.  

*I want to take Ryleigh to the Aquarium for the first time, and take her to the zoo again.

*I want to get even more involved with the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.  My work schedule hinders some availability but I'm thinking of volunteering for the cookie crew on the weekends.  I know dates fill up fast but maybe I can get a couple Saturdays this year!

*Last year I decided I wanted to start reading more.  In 2015, I read 25 books.  I want to read at least 30 books this year as part of my Goodreads 2016 challenge!

*I want to host a successful church fundraiser and already have a really fun idea in the works!

I can't wait to see what 2016 brings!

Show & Tell Tuesday: Service

Linking up today for Show & Tell Tuesday with Momfessionals!

I love reading the Show & Tell Tuesdays posts from some of the blogs I follow, and today's topic is something I am really passionate about so I thought I would join in!

If you have ever followed my Philanthropy & Penrose tab then you know about my passion for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.  My love for this charity was planted while in college when I joined the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, and has since continued to blossom into a passion of mine.  I have been a committee member for two annual fundraising events at the house, Storybook Ball and Girls' Night Out.  

RMH Charlotte Storybook Ball 2015

RMH Charlotte Girls' Night Out 2015

This coming year, I am so excited to be co-chairing Girls' Night Out 2016!!  This event is like no other.  It will make you smile, laugh, cry, dance, and leave with such a full heart.  If you are a woman in the Charlotte area, I highly recommend attending this Spring event!


Other philanthropic causes that we support each year are some through our church.

We always pick at least two names off of our church Angel Tree.  We have a lot of teachers in low-income areas who submit the information and I love that the little angels we help are from our local community.  

We also love stuffing at least two Operation Christmas Child boxes each year!  This year we are gifting to a 5-9 year old girl and 2-4 year old boy.  

P.A.T.H. is a local food bank ministry that helps families in our county.  We donate to them periodically throughout the year, as well as through our Annual Fall Festival where entry is canned goods instead of money.  The past two years, we have raised close to 1000 cans and $600 from the event.  Pretty good for our little country church AND getting rained out both years!



Two other things that have been on my heart are Christmas giving traditions.  The first, is that I have always wanted to skip the 'normal' Christmas day stuff and volunteer at a big soup kitchen.  I think once we have older kids, this is something I want to do at least once and who knows--maybe it will become our yearly tradition then.

The other is--now that Ryleigh is old enough to start learning and experiencing Christmas (last year she was still too young to understand), I feel like it's important to have the foundation of the Reason for the Season.  Yes, we are definitely having all the Santa fun and next year we will probably get a visit from a pesky little Elf on a shelf, but I want to tie it all back to Jesus.  I've heard ideas from friends that since the Wise Men brought 3 gifts, they give their children 3 gifts from Santa.  I really like that idea. Also, I'm thinking of doing three special charitable gifts each year--something like Heifer Project.  Each year sponsor three different animals or gifts.  As our kids get older they can help choose what we do, which will make it special for them and also open their eyes to life outside of our little world.

Last year -- Christmas 2014

I can't wait to read everyone else's ideas in the link-up :)

Plates of Penrose: Momfessionals Recipe Club

Today I'm linking up with Momfessionals for the Recipe Club exchange.

I'm sharing my Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese, and I can't wait to see some great recipes from all of the other ladies!

My original post on this recipe a few weeks ago can be found here.


Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:
--Chicken (I used tenderloins but you could also use breasts)
--Hot sauce
--Dry Ranch seasoning
--Chili Powder
--Onion Powder
--Macaroni noodles
--Velveeta Cheese package

Directions:
*If you are able, marinate your chicken in some chili powder & dry ranch seasoning overnight. No worries if you don't have time for that though!

On your stovetop, put cut-up chicken in a pan and season with chili powder, onion powder, and dry ranch seasoning.  A light dusting of all three is enough, just to cover the tops :)  Mix together with some hot sauce and continue cooking.  Boil your water in a separate pan and then add in macaroni noodles.  Once macaroni is cooked, drain water then put back on the stovetop over medium heat with half of a Velveeta cheese package, some more hot sauce (to taste) and a little bit more dry ranch.  Combine your chicken in and mix all together, once cheese is melted into a nice sauce, lower heat.  Enjoy!  Serve with some carrot or celery sticks, or throw a steamer bag of veggies in your microwave for a nice, balanced meal!

Of course, if you like onion and celery you could also sauté them with the chicken then throw them into the mac & cheese, or get fancy and top it off with some bleu cheese crumbles.

Follow me on Pinterest if you want more of my recipes and some great ones that I've tried from others!