little piece of chic

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Decorate my classroom with Walmart!

Feeling ready for my 8th year in first grade thanks to Walmart’s new Teacher Registry. I love how easy it is to add to my wishlist, share with family and friends and set my new items up in my classroom just in time for the first day. I got a new bookshelf on Walmart to decorate in my classroom along with a new planner, desk calendar, decorative plant and more linked below! I also love their classroom sets of crayons, markers, etc.

Shop my Back to School finds with Walmart below! Create your own teacher registry here!

Classroom Chic with Walmart!

Keeping it chic for this teacher is what back to school is all about! I am LOVING Walmart’s new back to school fashion finds to transition from summer to fall while looking the part! Not to mention their incredible amazing prices and styles that can’t be beat! I have styled 2 back to school looks that I will be wearing on repeat in the classroom this fall! Scroll down to read about how I styled each look with Walmart and shop each piece below via LTK!

Back to School Style 1: I am loving this preppy back to school look all head to toe from Walmart! Blazers are on trend this season and I am loving this cream blazer layered on top of a graphic tee! I paired these pieces with the comfiest paper bag denim & chain mules. I love shoes that are both chic and comfy for work and these mules are just that! They come in 3 colors and are a perfect fall transitional piece. Shop this look below!

Back to School Style 2: For the next look, I wanted to dress things up a bit and this satin floral dress is such a good back to school find! I love it paired with these square toed black booties for fall! Western trends are in this season and these boots add the perfect western flair to any look. I am an expecting mama and this floral smocked dress works great with a bump or not! I love how flowy and breezy it is! I finished this outfit off with the cutest pleated bucket bag! It comes in 7 colors and looks designer! Scroll down to shop both looks!

Happy shopping! This post is sponsored by Walmart.

XOXO, LPOC

Back to School with Walmart!

Back to school season is here and this teacher and mama to be is ready thanks to the best finds at Walmart! I have rounded up all of my favorite supplies that teachers and students will love! As a teacher and soon to be mama, I am all about affordable, fun and useful supplies that I will use all year long.

I cannot wait to use the new Crayola Colors of the World crayons and markers with my students in 1st grade! I also LOVE this new color combo of flair pens that are a long time fav among teachers and students! Scroll down to shop my top 8 picks for back to school with Walmart!

Happy back to school shopping!

XOXO, LPOC

 

NSALE LPOC Picks!

LPOC 25 Days of Christmas Movies

To kick off the Christmas season and get in the spirit, Patrick and I are going to watch 25 Christmas movies leading up to Christmas. We will add our rating next to the one we watch each night and give you our honest review! Some are classics that don’t need a review but we are going to anyway! We are rotating days on who gets to pick so it’s fair, otherwise I would just watch The Holiday 25 times haha! Merry Christmas and happy binging!

Our Top 25:

  1. Happiest Season-Hulu
  2. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas-Netflix
  3. Christmas Chronicles-Netflix
  4. Christmas Chronicles 2-Netflix
  5. Santa Clause-Disney+
  6. Santa Clause 2-Disney+
  7. Noelle-Disney+
  8. Home Alone-Disney+
  9. Home Alone 2-Disney +
  10. A Christmas Prince-Netflix
  11. The Princess Switch-Netflix
  12. The Princess Switched Again-Netflix
  13. Jingle Jangle-Netflix
  14. The Holiday-Amazon Prime for rent or Hulu Live
  15. Christmas Vacation-Amazon Prime for rent AMC+ free trial
  16. Four Christmases-Amazon Prime for rent or AMC+ free trial
  17. Elf-Amazon Prime for rent
  18. Just Friends-Netflix
  19. Last Christmas-HBO Max(free trial)
  20. Jingle All The Way-Amazon Prime for rent
  21. A Christmas Story-Amazon Prime for rent
  22. Love Actually-Amazon Prime for rent
  23. Deck The Halls-Amazon Prime for rent
  24. The Family Stone-Amazon Prime for rent or HBO
  25. Polar Express-Amazon Prime for rent, AMC+ free trial, or Philo

*If you have Youtube TV, we found a lot of these by searching and recording.

Already Watched:

  1. Dash and Lily Series-Netflix 8/10
  2. Holidate-Netflix 6/10
  3. Christmas Contract-Amazon Prime 7/10
  4. Five Star Christmas-Hallmark Channel 6/10

We will add our reviews daily and keep this updated for y’all! Hope this is helpful!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our couch to yours!

XOXO, Julia and Patrick

The one with the Trader Joe’s Thanksgiving

With the holidays approaching and Thanksgiving coming in a few weeks, I’ve teamed up with Southlake Town Square to share where to shop and what to grab for an intimate Thanksgiving dinner! Because gatherings are smaller this year, I wanted to put a twist on the ‘typical’ thanksgiving dinner and create a crowd pleaser menu that is easy and delicious! I headed to Southlake Town Square for all my holiday needs. I grabbed our tablescape decor at Pottery Barn in Southlake and all the yummy food at Trader Joe’s of course! Read below for decor tips and get inspo from our “Everything But the Leftovers” menu!

Let’s feast! I’m a sucker for a classic Thanksgiving menu: turkey, rolls, stuffing, pumpkin pie, all the fixins. Trader Joe’s in Southlake has all you need and more for your upcoming holiday meals. I wanted to change things up and do a spin on the typical thanksgiving menu. I decided to create a menu that was more casual, quick and leftover focused. In my family, we always eat leftovers on Black Friday and would make turkey sandwiches with our Nanny’s homemade rolls and cranberry sauce. So for our dinner, I decided to do just that! We are serving up turkey, cranberry & brie sliders served with a side of homemade herb butter sweet potato fries, broccoli kale salad, a fall sparkler to drink & topped off with homemade-ish pumpkin bars!

Drink: Fall Sparkler(recipe found here) I doubled it and added 20 oz of vodka but you could really do any liquor of choice!

Appetizer: My mom came in clutch with the most delicious veggie tray and herb dip from the OG Barefoot Contessa(recipe for dip found here)

Entree: Turkey Cranberry Brie Sliders, so easy and such a crowd pleaser! I grabbed the Hawaiian mini sweet rolls from TJ’s for this dish. I wanted it to taste like the leftover turkey sandwich you make after Thanksgiving and it delivered. All we did was add sliced roasted turkey, TJ’s fresh cranberry sauce(in fridge section by fruit) and sliced brie cheese, that’s it! We then brushed the rolls with butter and Everything But the Leftover seasoning from TJ’s to add even more flavorful fun! We baked them for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees just until the brie starts to melt. Definitely recommend buying this brie if you make these sliders because it is perfect for slicing!

 Side: Herb Butter Baked Sweet Potato Fries(recipe found here!) These were a HIT! So much fall flavor packed into some yummy veggies. I love a good sweet potato fry and these were pretty easy and tasted like a restaurant’s! Definitely need to try these if you love sweet potato fries!

Side: Broccoli Kale Salad Kit- the easiest side dish that is both healthy and delish! I have always loved this salad kit and I thought it was the perfect compliment to sliders and fries! I used 2 bags for the 7 of us! This kit can be found at your local TJ’s!

Dessert: Pumpkin Bars-These bars are made from the pumpkin bread box shown below and elevated with a few changes and a delicious topping of homemade whipped cream and pumpkin spice seasoning! Recipe found here!

May your Thanksgiving be full of joy, too much food and your very favorite people! Here’s to making this Thanksgiving just as special with a little help from Trader Joe’s and Southlake Town Square!

XOXO, LPOC

NSALE finds!

Yay for sales and fall finds! I tried to keep my finds all affordable and under $50 with a few splurge items included. The sale goes live to the public tomorrow! Happy shopping!

Star Spangled Chic!

Oh say can you chic! Happy early 4th of July! I am getting festive and ready for the 4th with Southlake Town Square and Trader Joe’s! From easy, crowd pleaser recipes to a 4th of July outfit that will carry you through the whole summer, I am here to get you ready to make this the best 4th yet with a little help from my friends at Trader Joe’s Southlake and Madewell Southlake! Scroll for recipes & style inspo with links to shop my look! Here’s to the red, white & blue and Trader Joe’s too haha!

Spiked Watermelon Sparkler

  • ½ cup (6-8 cubes) TJ’s Watermelon, plus a few more cubes for garnish

  • TJ’s Fresh Mint

  • 4 ounces TJ’s Versatile Spirit Vodka(we used Gin)

  • 1 can TJ’s Sparkling Watermelon Juice (seasonal)

  • 1 TJ’s Fresh Lime, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

Muddle watermelon and a few mint leaves in a 2-cup measuring glass. Divide mixture among 2 old fashioned glasses. Fill the glasses with ice. Divide vodka among glasses, top up with sparkling watermelon juice, and stir just until combined. Garnish with a watermelon cube, more fresh mint, and a squeeze of lime. Cheers!

*Serves 2(I doubled it), recipe found here!

American Flag Cheese Board

What you need(all from Trader Joe’s):

strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, Unexpected Cheddar Cheese, Heavenly marzano tomatoes, coconut cashews, truffle marcona almonds, 3 seed beet crackers, original savory thin mini crackers, uncured applewood smoked salami, blueberry vanilla chevre goat cheese, blue cheese & a tray!

Arrange into a flag pattern and top with cheddar cheese stars(I used a mini cookie cutter)

Strawberry Biscuit Shortcake

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 jar TJ’s Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves

  • 1 package of fresh strawberries(washed and cut)

  • 1 package TJ’s Buttermilk Biscuits, baked and cooled

  • TJ’s Whipped Cream or homemade(whipping cream, vanilla and powdered sugar)

  • TJ’s Super Premium French Vanilla Ice Cream(or any vanilla!)

DIRECTIONS:

In a small sauce pan, over low heat, heat the jam until syrupy. Fold in sliced strawberries and remove from heat.

Split biscuits in half, spread whipped cream on the bottom half and fill with strawberry mixture.

Top with a scoop of ice cream.

*Serves 6-8 Recipe from traderjoes.com

Shop my 4th of July look below! Jumpsuits are the best way to stay comfy & chic, especially on hot summer days! I love this polka dot number from Madewell Southlake paired with chunky gold hoops and my favorite: a bright red lip! I kept it casual with sandals but it would be so cute dressed up with wedges for a whole new look!

Thanks for reading, I hope you are feeling inspired to try something new this 4th! Tag me if you try any of these recipes, can’t wait to see how you keep it chic this 4th of July! Happy Independence Day y’all! Thanks to Southlake Town Square for sponsoring this post! Head there for all your 4th of July and summer needs!

XOXO, LPOC

last minute mother’s day gift guide!

For some reason, I am really good at waiting to the last minute for gifts! So maybe if you are like me, you need a gift idea that will ship in time for Mother’s Day! I got you covered girl, don’t you worry! I put together a gift guide of ideas to gift your mom this Mother’s Day! All the affordable(a few splurge items) fun gift ideas that your mom will LOVE! Shout out to all the amazing mamas out there, you deserve the world!

 

Chico de Mayo!

Even if you are celebrating at home, let’s make this Cinco de Mayo the best yet with lots of family time, refreshing drinks and yummy Tex-mex! We are celebrating in true Cinco De Mayo fashion with some homemade Palomas, guacamole and beef enchiladas. All thanks to my favorite store, Trader Joe’s in Southlake, TX I have everything I need for a true fiesta! I am a frequent shopper(weekly) at TJ’s in Southlake Town Square and they always have exactly what I didn’t even know I needed haha! I have been shopping there consistently for about 2 years now and I am never going back to any other grocery store. You guys know my love for Trader Joe’s as I share my weekly TJ’s hauls on instagram and I think they might just do tex-mex the BEST! Scroll down for our beef enchiladas recipe you have to try!

I wanted to share one of our family’s favorite (easy) TJ’s meals that would make the perfect Cinco de Mayo dinner(or any other night too). It only takes around 30 minutes which is a win in my book! We love getting enchiladas when going out to Mexican restaurants and these are just as good y’all, no joke! I think what makes it is Trader Joe’s red enchilada sauce, that stuff is something else! We are pairing our enchiladas with homemade guac, Trader Joe’s Elote Corn Dippers(if you have not tried these, GO GET THEM) and one of our favorite summertime cocktails, Palomas which is essentially a grapefruit margarita on the rocks(recipe below)!

Trader Joe’s Beef Enchiladas Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of ground beef(you could sub in ground or shredded chicken or ground turkey)
  • 1 can of black beans(drained)
  • 1/2 a bag of TJ’s roasted corn(in frozen section)
  • 1 jar of TJ’s Enchilada Sauce
  • handful of TJ’s heavenly grape tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 of a large white or yellow onion diced
  • 1 bag of pepper jack shredded cheese
  • 6-8 tortillas depending on how many you want(we use flour or corn!)
  • cilantro and lime for toppings w/ optional sour cream
  • serves best with chips & guac and Palomas!

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Add chopped white onion in olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Cook for about 5 minutes then add in ground beef. Sauté for another 10 minutes until browned. Next, add in 1/2 a bag of TJ’s frozen roasted corn and chopped tomatoes to cook for another 5 minutes.
  3. Add in one can of black beans, juice from 1/2 a lime and taco seasoning and combine all ingredients together.
  4. Pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Begin to stuff your tortillas with the filling – I used soft flour tortillas but corn would be great too! Sprinkle with some shredded pepper jack cheese, roll up the tortilla and place folded side down on the baking dish. Continue to do so for the rest of your tortillas (I used 7) then generously pour your sauce over top so that the tortillas are covered. Top with more pepper jack cheese and some chopped cilantro and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve with fresh jalapeño, sour cream and guacamole!

Pairs well with: Palomas(recipe from AltosTequila.com)

Ingredients:

  • grapefruit juice(2 parts) I love using Trader Joe’s Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit juice, saves time and gives you plenty for lots of drinks
  • lemon juice(1 part)
  • tequila(2 parts)
  • agave nectar(1/2 part) Also a Trader Joe’s Fav: Blue Agave Sweetener
  • salt for rim

Directions:

We used 3 ounces of tequila and grapefruit juice, 1.5 ounces of lemon juice, and 1/2-1 ounce of agave depending on how sweet you like it. Use a lime wedge to rim the glass with margarita salt. Pour all the ingredients except the grapefruit juice into the glass. Mix the agave syrup into the tequila first, then add lemon juice, ice and then finally add the grapefruit juice. Garnish with a lime, lemon or grapefruit wedge. You are ready to serve up your fiesta!

I hope this gave you some CHICo de Mayo inspo so you can fiesta wherever you are! Hope you love these recipes as much as we do, tag me if you try them! Here’s to good food, good company, and the best grocery store out there, you are the real MVP @Trader Joe’s in Southlake! Thanks for reading!

XOXO, Little Piece of Chic(Julia)

 

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