Happy Memorial Day

Freedom is not free.

Shrimp Scampi and Broccoli = YUM

Recently, one of my fave ladies, Jen, shared an awesome Shrimp Scampi recipe with me. It was so delish, I knew I needed to share in the love. 

Shrimp Scampi with Broccoli (serves 4)

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake (optional)
1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup of broccoli flourets

1. In a skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat.
2. Add red pepper flakes if using (we didn't add this)
3. Add shrimp, and cook for 1 minute on both sides. 
4. Add broccoli, garlic, oregano, and basil
5. Stir in coconut milk and lemon juice.  Cook until slightly thickened and broccoli is tender.


Best part? Only 102 calories per serving. 

YES.  It's amazing.  Enjoy.  You can thank, Jen.

xoxo,

Party Like its 1929!

You know those days when you absolutely love your job?  Yeah - I have a lot of those.  I'm really blessed with a job that I love.

It would take me forever to explain my job, but basically, I do marketing for a history museum here in Atlanta.  Recently, we celebrated our 1920s Swan House with a Gatsby themed party. 

We had Gatsby posters, banners, towers, themed drinks, lawn games, tours of our historic home, and lots of fun jazz-age music.  Oh, and we encouraged people dress up in their best dapper and flapper wear.  People really embraced the era!

The Swan House was the perfect setting for a Gatsby themed party!

 

 Loved the large scale posters and character towers.  I totally didn't mind staring at Leo.

 

 A selfie (don't judge) to show off my feather.  I wish it were appropriate to wear a feather in my hair daily.

Hubs came dressed up too!

And so did lots of my friends!  We had a blast playing lawn games and sipping on Bootlegger's Tea. Such a fun night!  I wish I could wear this everyday.  HA!

The movie comes out this weekend and we can't wait to see it!  I mean, two hours of Leo in 1920s outfits??? Sign me up!  HA! Talk soon, friends!


xoxo,

Finally a Fence!

Hubs and I have have been saying we were going to build a fence since the first day bought our home... that was almost five years ago.  For our five year wedding anniversary, we went with the traditional gift, WOOD!  Yes, we decided to give each other a fence for our anniversary.

Last weekend, we finally did it - We built our fence! We have a very small yard, but it still took us four full days to build. But it was worth it.  

You should have seen us loading up all of these planks on the carts at Home Depot.
 

 And yes, Hubs is in his happy place at Home Depot.

The real sight to behold was me unloading all of these planks, walking them around the house (up a hill) to the backyard.  

oh yeah - and all of these 50 lb bags of Quickrete... 8 of them total. 

As I was complaining moving all of this around back, Hubs was digging, measuring, and setting posts.  I got off easy - I hate math.

Once Hubs got all of the posts and the foundation boards in place, I started hammering in the dog ear fence planks.  

 

Let it be known that Brandi Nell does not shy away from manual labor (well, not on this particular day)!

And neither did Hubs, who did the majority (and the hardest) of the work. Y'all, he even built a gate from scratch.  

Four days of hard work, and we now have a fence!

 

 

I am so in love with it. Yes, I realize how lame that is... When did I get old enough to be in love with a fence??

I'm just happy to be able to let the dogs roam free outside now.  No more leashing them up and taking them down into the yard! We still have to stain it. I'm NOT looking forward to that, but it will look so good once it's done.  

Our backyard is getting a major overhaul this year, and the fence was just the start of it.  Our outdoor renovation inludes:

1. Build a fence
2. Build a deck under the current deck (we have a deck from the second story)
3. Build a landing with seating and a firepit
4. Build a retaining wall
5. Add plants and flowers!!

This are some pretty expensive and labor intensive projects, so we will be spreading them out through the summer and early fall.  I will keep you guys updated on the process as things get accomplished!

Hope you guys are enjoying the beautiful weather!  Talk soon!

xoxo,