Garlic Butter Mushroom Shrimp Pasta

June 4, 2025 • Cooking

This Quick and Easy Dinner is full of flavor and ready in 15 mins.

15 oz medium shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

7 mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup chopped white onion

3 cloves shopped garlic

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

8 oz spaghetti or pasta of your choice

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions

While the pasta cooks,

Take a medium pan and add the olive oil, butter and onion cook cook for about 3 minutes, until the butter is melted and the onions are soft

Add the shrimp into the pan and cook on medium heat until almost pink.

Remove only the shrimp from the pan, leave the buttery sauce in the pan. Set shrimp aside.

Add mushrooms to the buttery sauce and cook until tender. You may need to add more butter at this point, I always do.

Add the shrimp back into the pan

Add salt & pepper

Add stock

Pour the shrimp and mushroom mixture over the pasta and enjoy!

This is an amazingly easy dish and so quick.

Make it your own, add more butter, add more onions, just enjoy a good home cooked meal.

Cheers!

Dana

continue

Why You Need a Summer Bucket List & Free Printable

May 12, 2025 • Lifestyle

Summer is one of the sweetest times of the year. It has long days, warm temperatures and a kind of playing feeling about it!

To welcome in this glorious season, lets make a summer bucket list.

Yes, I am a list maker nerd!

I've included a free Summer Bucket List printable to get you started.

Studies show that if you write things on a list, you have a higher chance of putting in more effort to completion.

The summer list helps you achieve all the fun you want to have.

I promise you making a summer bucket list will give you no regrets when you arrive in September.

Get all the fun out of Summer with a free printable

WHY YOU NEED A SUMMER BUCKET LIST

-To Make Memories

-You only get 13 Weekends from Memorial Day & Labor Day

-Improve your Mental Health

-Strengthens Relationships

-Summer Refreshes your Spirit

-Group Effort, every family member participates and gets a say in what goes on the list

-Put it on a poster board and display it in your house for all to see, this not only gets you excited but, it may encourage others to make a Summer Bucket List too!

To have more fun!

Tubing on The New River is a Summer Must

2025 SUMMER BUCKET LIST

Go Tubing-My #1 Goal every summer.Water calms the soul and I really need to be in it as much as possible this summer

Have a Picnic-pack the fancy dishes

Road Trip-close your eyes and pick a place on the map and venture off to somewhere new. Roll the windows down and feel the wind as you drive and yes, sing out loud to the radio!

Visit a Local Farmers Market and cook a meal with the fresh ingredients

Take a hike! With so many beautiful places to see you should never be inside.

Host a BBQ. Have friends over and eat outside

Take in an outdoor movie or have one in your yard. So many fun options here. Be whimsical.

Watch the Sunset as often as possible

Go Camping, if you can only make it to your front yard, it will still be memorable.

Go to outdoor concerts

Visit a rooftop bar and enjoy the views

Take some time to rest, hang your hammock in a tree and chill

Forget your phone, whatever is going on will be fine until you get back.

I hope you feel inspired to make a summer bucket list and to live your life intentionally, and not on auto pilot.

Now, Over to you,

Let me know what's going on your summer bucket list??

What have you been dreaming of doing with your kids, friends or just by yourself in the summer?

Summer Bucket List Printable.pdf

Cheers,

Dana

continue

Shopping the Grocery Store Outer Edge and Beyond

January 16, 2025 • weight loss

Years ago someone told me the best way to eat healthy is to only shop the outer edge of the grocery store. You know, the veggies, meats, milk, cheese & dairy. Well yes, I agree to a point. Eating healthy is a discipline, so I think I'm disciplined enough to go into the center of the store and pick out some rice or dry beans.

The fruit and vegetable section is the best place to shop from

Most stores have the Fruit & Veggies first as you come in the door. You can't have too many of the things from here. I am going for a 2 per meal.

If you do venture to the middle of the grocery store it is ok to get cookies, maybe look for ones that are sugar free and take them in moderation. Look at me dispensing advice, like I know what I am doing. I do not! The cookies with the M & M's in them are my fav. I normally have 3 a night with a big glass of milk. That has to stop!

This quote right here says so much!

When it comes to the deli it can be a little tricky.

Most of the meat in the deli has preservatives to prolong the shelf life.

But, you can go for the turkey breast, a lean ham or roast beef.

Once again here you are going to pass some beautiful cookies and cakes, are you picking up or passing by?

Next up, we keep pushing our buggy with the wobbly wheel to

The Meat Department.

Beef or Chicken what meat will you pick?

Here is where you can kinda do your thing!

What do you have on your menu plan?I am a chicken girl, I love red meat but, rarely make it. I think it is because chicken is so versatile. Try to avoid any meats that come in a box. These are refined and can be a lower quality than fresh meat. Don't forget about seafood too. Fresh salmon or a cod makes a great dinner.

Now on to my favorite part of the store

Insert Angels signing here

"The Cheese Department"

Nothing more beautiful than a cheese display at your grocery store

As you can see this is my favorite place in the store.

And some grocery stores have made the cheese section a gorgeous space, and displayed all the cheeses like a giant charcuterie board.

These are the stores I go in and drop half my take home pay on some cheese. Once again discipline! I'm trying!

Try to fill 3/4 of your cart up with items from

these outer perimeter areas. Eat all that you want from these outer edge sections. I mean unless your store is laid out different than mine, but you get the picture.

Never go to the grocery store without a plan. Put together a menu that includes all the meals, plus snacks!

What's that saying,"Failing to plan, is planning to fail"

Love,

Dana

continue

Take a look at the new furniture collection from The Pioneer Woman. It gives vintage looks without the price.

November 29, 2024 • Lifestyle

We all know about The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond for her best selling cookbooks, and her cooking show and, I am sure if you have been in a Wal Mart lately, you have seen her line of utensils, dishes and other kitchen items.

I own a few spatulas from her line, but that is about it.

But, recently she released a new line of furniture

and it really caught my eye.

My home is a mixture of collected items and new items, and I love the feel, because it gives me peace. I have my Grandma's writing desk, I also have a dresser of hers, and on the back it shows every payment my Grandpa made on the piece. These pieces of furniture mean the world to mean.

The Pioneer Woman Furniture collection give me this same feeling.

"It really is a blend of my own love of vintage-chic pieces and my husband's love of durable, rustic-ranch items," she recently told Southern Living. "I love for the furniture pieces in our home to look like they aren't necessarily brand new, so when I designed this collection, I made sure to incorporate great texture so they had an heirloom, passed down-down feel to them."

Here are just a few of my favorites.

You can see the full collection here.

This spindle bed looks straight from your Grandma's house

Pioneer Woman Harper Queen Spindle Bed

Pioneer Woman Harper Leather Recliner Whiskey & Faux Cowhide

Pioneer Woman Tufted Sofa Teal

Pioneer Woman Callie Round Dining Table

Thanks for stopping by!

Dana

continue

Easy French Meringues

July 17, 2024 • Cooking

For years, I have adored these cute French Meringues, but never thought I could make them.

They look so delicate!

I used this recipe from Preppy Kitchen and, they turned out perfect!

I colored mine pink

Tips for the perfect meringue

Eggs must be at room temperature-cold eggs tend to reduce merinque volume

Never let any yoke get into the whites

Don't over beat the eggs

And maybe the most important tip is to add the sugar slowly, very slowly!

Love,
Dana

continue

Coffee & Conversation

July 12, 2024 • Coffee & Conversation

Happy Mid Summer!!
I am a tad behind but, here is the Readers Digest version of things!
Man it has been HOT here in the South, but really everywhere!
But even though it is hot, I am the weird one who still drinks hot coffee, no matter what the temp outside!
Are you team cold coffee or hot?
Around here it has been a busy summer so far, we are trying to pack as much as possible into the time we have before we all head in different directions in mid August.
Ella, Gary & I started playing weekly tennis.
At first we sucked, but now we suck less & less and really enjoy it!
In May, Ella and I took a fantastic girls trip to NYC and it was amazing.
This was the first time we had ever spend any time there and we loved every minute of it.
Here just a few of the hundreds of pictures I snapped.

NYC view from The Hudson River Line

OMG! I ran into Wallace Shawn while walking to dinner!

We met a Rockette after touring Radio City Music Hall

NYC Dana was loving it!

In June, we took our yearly family cruise trip to the Bahamas.

Taking a cruise is one of our favorite ways to travel.

We cruised out of Tampa and it was so much fun.

Allure of the Seas was an amazing ship!

Central Park on Allure of the Seas

Loving our Perfect Day at CoCo Cay!

Here are some items I have been loving around our house!

Coffee Pod Holder

Kitchen Cafe Curtains

Heads up, cafe curtains are coming back in style and I am loving them! I recently removed my blinds from my kitchen and put up cafe curtains. They are shear and allow light thru, but give privacy.

In my neck of the woods, the only thing that is outside of our windows are Deer.

Acai Refresher Cups

We have enjoyed some lazy days at home inside trying to stay cool, but also loving the long days when we are floating down the

New River or kayaking on Lake Norman.

I have eaten my share of watermelon this summer and it is always a refreshing treat!

Do you salt your watermelon? I think it is a Southern thing!

We have also been cleaning our garage(ugh) and our attic. Whew! It is a dirty chore, but so needed. Having clean organized spaces is my love language. It is amazing the crap we keep!

I have used Bagster in the past because it is so easy, I throw all my junk in it, schedule pick up and done!

Sorry so short and sweet! See you next week!

Love,

Dana

continue

Simple Pasta Salad

July 10, 2024 • Cooking

I love pasta salad!

The thing about making pasta salad is you can do your own thing.

This is my version with all my favorites!

12 oz Tri Color Rotini Pasta

16 oz Italian Dressing

1/2 Red Onion Diced

1 Small Can Black Olives

1/2 Block of Sharp Cheese cubed

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup of Pepperoni

Love,

Dana

continue

A 1950s Boone, NC Motel is Transformed into Rhode's Motor Lodge

July 8, 2024 • #rhodesmotorlodge, #travel, #wheretostayinboone, Travel

I know when you hear motor lodge and it brings up visions of old, dark, scary motels on the side on the road! Not in this case,we visited the newly remodeled and stunningly gorgeous Rhode's Motor Lodge in Boone and WOW!

Let me show you around!

We loved the fire pit after a long day of tubing