Goodbyes.

Goodbyes are not forever.  Goodbyes are not the end.  They simply mean i’ll miss you until we meet again. 

It has been a tough week in the Rose house.  Over the weekend we had to let our sweet Skyy girl go to wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge and our hearts are broken.

About a week and a half ago we started noticing she was throwing up around the house.  We were actually puppy-sitting for a friend of Trevors at the time, and I was worried their dog had gotten sick on our watch.  It wasn’t until I walked in to find Skyy being sick on the carpet that I realized it was our girl.  I figured she just had a stomach ache and it would pass on its own.  By Saturday she was not acting herself.  Very lethargic, wasn’t interested in her food and still throwing up.  I decided to go ahead and find a vet (one of the many things I hadn’t gotten around to doing after the move!)  We were lucky to come across Dr. Laurel at City Vet Frisco {if you are in the area.. She comes HIGHLY recommended}.  Brody, Skyy and I hopped in the car and headed to see her immediately.

Dr. Laurel ran some blood tests and an x-ray.  The blood tests she ran came back showing that her liver levels were off the charts and she recommended we leave Skyy with them for the night on IV fluids to try to flush the toxins out of her system.

Sunday morning I woke to a phone call from Dr. Laurel letting me know that Skyy had taken a turn for the worse and suggesting we transfer her to an Emergency Pet Hospital immediately where they could preform an ultrasound to further investigate what was causing such a fast decline.

We spent the day at CVSC in Lewisville.  They preformed an ultrasound and more blood work.  Within a couple of hours she was diagnosed with hepatic failure.  And she was quickly declining.  They have no way of knowing if she got into something that made her sick, or if this was simply a genetic shortcoming.  Either way, the extent of what they were able to do for her was “keep her comfortable for her remaining days..”  Those words may have been the most devastating i’ve ever heard.  We made the difficult decision to spend one last night as a family before letting her move on to a better place.

It was not an easy night by any means, but I am so grateful for that time we had.  Monday morning came all too soon.  We woke up to find our girl had lost all control of her body.  Unable to stand or lift her head.  We had an appointment scheduled to meet with the vet at 6pm, but when she started to seize we knew we had to let her go much sooner than that.  She needed be let free from this pain.

Unless you have had to make a decision like this, I don’t think I can fully explain the pain and emotion that was felt in that room.  We stayed with her until the end and walking out of that building without our girl was beyond devastating.  Trev and I have both found ourselves calling for her, or expecting her to greet us at the door when we get home.  I believe whole heartedly this sweet girl was a part of our family and it just won’t be the same without her wagging tail and puppy kisses.

We love you “bop”, and we’ll miss you always.

Jaded Threads- Let It Be.

Dear Target,

You are my best friend.  Here, go ahead.  Take all my money.

Love,

Laken

Okay, but seriously though.  I LOVE Target.  Like, it doesn’t matter where I am.. I am going to find the closet Target, and i’m probably going to spend a good majority of my time there.  This is a Target throw together and the entire outfit goes for less than $90!

Details:

• Let It Be Tank– $14.99
• Denim Vest– $29.99 $20.98 (snagged off a clearance rack!)
• Black Leggings– $8.00
• Lace Bralette– $12.99
• Bib Necklace– $16.99 $11.88 (also clearance)
• Gold Link Bracelet– $10.00 (old, from H&M but linked to similar)
• Gold Earrings– $16.00 $8.00 (mine are old from Charming Charlie, but linked to a silmilar {and an on SALE} pair from Macys)

  The tank runs a little baggy, so I went ahead and layered it over a pretty little black lace bralette.  Can we just stop and take a moment to admire the lace detailing on this vest?

Talk soon!

xo- Laken Jade.

Jaded Threads.

Guys.  I’ve been feeling super funny about doing this.  Like “hey.. I wore some cute stuff yesterday, you should check it out.. or not.. or whatever..”😬 Not my strong point.

..maybe some day i’ll quit with all this self doubt😉

I have fallen into a “mommy-slump”.  B is dressed to the nines and I am finding myself wearing the same thing day after day, and most of the time it is sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt.  SO. NOT. ME.

So.. just like this blog has helped me to stay accountable and on track with my Whole30, i’m hoping it will do the same thing for my daily appearance!

Here’s problem number two.. We are poor newly weds with a baby.  Money isn’t exactly growing on the tree in the back yard.  Lets go on this adventure together to find seriously cute clothes at a seriously cheap price?!  Deal?  You have to promise not to laugh at my shameless selfies!

This look literally took me 15 minutes. 15 MINUTES! And i’m telling you right now, I feel 150-times better than I did in my yoga pants and old tank top yesterday.  I know, I know.. clothes are such a material thing.  But I firmly believe that in the right outfit you can take on the world.  Your attitude completely changes and yeah.. Not so material after all😏

This maxi-dress has been my go-to lately for countless occasions, including a wedding and a beach day!  Pretty dang versatile and I may or may not have to wear a bra with it, which is probably my favorite part! 🙈

You can find it online at Target here, which is where a good majority of my clothing comes from these days.  Under $30 and pretty stinkin’ cute if I do say so myself.
  

Earrings and bracelet are old, but from Lucky Brand.  They always seem to have similar items {not to mention, all of their jewelry is 30% off online right now.. hurry!}

Until next time!

xo- Laken Jade.

Garbage Tin Muffins.

Okay, so these aren’t really muffins at all. And {shockingly enough} I am STILL on the Whole 30. No slip ups yet🎉🎉 although I was VERY close to throwing in the towel on Sunday.. We went to a wake park in Waco with a friend of Trevor’s and had a momentary lapse of judgement thinking that Buffalo Wild Wings was worth calling it a “Whole 6”. I’m proud to say we stuck to our guns however, and ended up at Texas Roadhouse. I ordered a 6 oz filet with a plain baked potato and a house salad with oil and vinegar. No wine. No rolls. No nothing!👏🏼👏🏼

Now that I got that out of my system..   I made these garbage tin muffins to throw in the fridge to warm up (microwave or oven works fine) in the morning for breakfast. They are yum-o and so easy! Seriously, mix up some eggs and whatever you have laying in your fridge and bake. Perfect for those mornings that you have to be out of the door early (like Trev) or that you are just too lazy to make breakfast (like me🙈).

Garbage Tin Muffins

You will need:

• 9 large eggs
• Fillings (think bacon, sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms, kale, etc.)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Muffin tin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350°, spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
• Cook your meat (bacon, sausage, etc.)
• Chop fillings into bite sized chunks (I used bacon, onion and mushrooms) 

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and add your fillings. 

•  Pour into muffin tins (about 3/4 of the way full).  

• Bake for 20-25 minutes
• Let muffins cool for about 5 minutes and use a knife to loosen from the sides

 Great to eat right away or throw in the fridge or freezer and pop in the microwave or oven for a couple of minutes to warm and thaw in the morning!

xo- Laken Jade.

Day Eight.

I SURVIVED THE FIRST WEEK!

Struggles as of late have included searching for the perfect cake recipe for the little mans birthday coming up.  Today I am eating cucumbers thinking of chocolate cake..😒 At least I thought this through enough to be done with my 30 days before the party!

I’m probably kidding myself to think that anyone has noticed my slight hiatus from the blogging world over the weekend. Party planning, meal prepping and finally finishing unpacking (two months later..🙈) has got me running in 100 different directions at once. Needless to say, my crockpot has been my best friend! Both recipes today are courtesy of Kelly over at Primally Inspired, her Top 10 Whole30 Dinners- Quick and Easy has been a godsend in this little experiment of ours.  Starting to really believe that healthy food doesn’t have to equal gross-looking food!

Slow Cooker Chipolte Pork with Pineapple Cole Slaw

*If you are trying to keep it Whole30 approved, this mayo is a great option to make your pineapple cole slaw!

Crockpot Balsamic Roast Beef

xo- Laken Jade.

Tissue Garland.

My baby is almost one. You guys. I’ve had my B man for almost one whole year.  I’m literally sitting here staring at his newborn pictures trying to figure out where the last 11 months have gone? Killing me.. But in that same breath, he is SO much fun at this stage. He started clicking his tounge to mimick his dad this week and it might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.😂

So.. With one month to plan, I’m diving into this first birthday party head on! We will be traveling back to Utah for his party, so any crafts I do will have to be easy to pack up and take on the plane with us!  

Tissue Garland

• Tissue paper
• String
• Large needle
• Scissors
• Tape to stick to the wall

  You will want to start by cutting strips of your tissue paper. (Don’t judge me on the elementary scissors.. I may or may not still have them from the second grade🙈).  Ours were made with 2 1/2 inch strips. You can always make your strips a little wider to make your garland thicker. I used one pack of tissue paper per garland, use more or less based on how long you would like them to be. Begin folding your first strip of tissue paper over itself, creating an accordion affect. Like shown:   Push your needle and thread through the tissue and pull through.  Keep adding to this until you are out of tissue paper. Spread out the ruffles and fluff!  

One of the best parts of a craft like this is it doesn’t have to be perfect.. They actually turn out better if they aren’t! So grab some scissors and a fun colored tissue paper and give it a try!

xo- Laken Jade.

Day Two.

I’m happy to report that today was easier than yesterday!  (Most likely because Brody and I didn’t wander the grocery store for an hour waiting on prescriptions and drooling over all the yummies I CAN’T eat like we did yesterday😬).

Breakfast was pretty similar to yesterday, a egg scramble with mushrooms and a shared banana with B man.

Lunch was pretty simple.. A couple slices of deli roast beef dipped in our Tomatillo Avocado Salsa from last night and a couple slices of bell pepper.

Dinner has always been one of my favorite meals.. Great time to sit down and enjoy family, even if it is in front of the TV🙈.  Tonight we made tinfoil salmon with Ghee (clarified butter) fresh lemon, salt pepper and a few parsley flakes.

Pretty simple set up.. place individual salmon fillet onto a large cut of tinfoil, top with ghee, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Wrap tinfoil around salmon into a pouch, place on baking tray and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes until salmon is light and flaky.

We served with a side of broccoli tossed in olive oil and sea salt and a baked potato with ghee salt and pepper. 

Day three.. We’re coming for ya!

xo- Laken Jade.

Day One.

1 day down, 29 to go!

Like I mentioned in the last post, Trevor and I started our first Whole 30 challenge today. I am probably going to use and abuse this blog for the next month with details of every damn thing I put in my mouth, it’ll keep me accountable and motivated. And I know you will all be on the edge of your seats waiting for the next “chicken and broccoli” filled day. 😉

Oh my god, the cravings. I swear it’s all in my head, because I was craving things that I hardly ever eat, and never crave. I survived it though.. And even downed a full gallon of water to top it all off!

This morning started with an scramble of eggs, (sugar-free) bacon, and mushrooms.. Salt and pepper to taste and call it a meal!

Lunch consisted of a chicken and avocado salad with lime and cilantro I found on Pinterest! You can find the step by step recipe over at Kayln’s Kitchen.

Dinner was SO good. And I mean SO good. We had Carne Asada drizzled with a tomatillo avocado salsa.  This might have just become my favorite meal, diet or no diet!  Find the full recipe at Primally Inspired.  Don’t forget the Tomatillo Avocado Salsa.  We paired it with a side of asparagus pan seared in olive oil and sea salt. Mmmmm.😋

To get through the day in between meals I relied on cashews, cucumbers soaked in vinegar, and a good fruit salad (banana, nectarine and orange).

Here’s to day two!

xo- Laken Jade.

The Last Supper.

Okay.. Maybe that was a bit dramatic.

But tomorrow Trev and I are starting our first Whole 30 challenge!

Am I crazy? I think I might be crazy.

In the meantime.. I am making my mother-in-laws DELICIOUS chicken cordon bleu (hope its okay that i’m sharing.. It’s too good to keep to myself) and finishing off all of the wine in the house.. Who says Mondays have to suck?

Until I married into the Rose family, I was a Costco frozen cordon bleu kind of girl and I had no idea what I was missing.  This recipe is easy to prepare and a thousand times better than any frozen chicken you are ever going to touch (duh).

Chicken Cordon Bleu

• 4 whole chicken breasts
• 8 thin slices cooked deli ham
• 4 slices swiss cheese (cut in half)
• melted margarine (about 1/2 cup)
• cornflake crumbs (about 1 cup)
• salt and pepper to taste
• toothpicks

 You will want to start by halving your chicken breasts.  Pound with a meat mallet to 1/8-inch thickness.  Place ham and cheese on middle of chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Roll up and secure together with a couple of toothpicks.

Dip each roll in melted margarine then roll in cornflakes, turning to thoroughly coat each roll.

Place rolls in baking dish and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes, or until chicken is golden brown.  Makes 8 servings.  

Serve with rice pilaf and cucumbers soaked in vinegar for an authentic Rose meal!

Be sure to pull the toothpicks out prior to eating.

And enjoy!

xo- Laken Jade.

Sweet and Sour.

I’ve found myself blogger obsessed lately.  Blogger instagrams, blogger pinterests, and of course.. bloggers blogs.

Ginger from The Parrish Place is the cutest thing you will ever see.  Her weekly “Lemonade” posts are to die for.  What a fun way to look back and reflect on the ups and the downs of the week and to get ready to start a new one!

Who says you have to be a blogger to do this.. Grab a piece of paper and write out some quick little bullet points on what you did and didn’t love about the previous week.. They are both equally important and fun to look back at.

 Without further ado..

Sweets.

Saturday errands with husband • finger paint fights • fresh strawberries • Seattle visitors • water park lazy river • sprouts farmers market • planning 2 1/2 weeks in Utah next month • fresh peach ice cream • afternoon naps • B using the dog door • Target runs • midnight snacks • family walks • Texas starting to feel like home

Sours.

too much laundry • dog chewing up yet another formula dispenser • waffles sticking to the iron • nail in my tire • traffic jams • allergic reaction/rash, must get into dermatologist asap • cracked iPhone screen protector • missing Utah things

Here’s to a new week!

xo- Laken Jade.