Five on Friday

Happy Friday!

Why do the short holiday weeks always feel like the longest? I am so glad it’s Friday!

In addition to the usual basketball, softball, dance, and Little Mermaid rehearsals, Matt had Mohs surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma…from his scalp. The recovery has been more painful than expected, but we’re grateful he caught it and is cancer-free. Between skin cancer, his broken toe, and injured knee…he’s had a week! Also, a reminder to SCHEDULE YOUR ANNUAL SKIN CHECK! It’s so important!

We have a fun and full weekend ahead. I’m going to try write a Weekend Rewind if I can squeeze it in!

Alright, let’s get down to it…

In Case You Missed It

A few things I shared this week…

• Our Snowshoe West Virginia Ski Resort Trip
• Cold Brew Espresso Martini
• Walmart Spring Break Finds
• Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning
• Homemade Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad

This Week’s Top 5 Reader Favorites

1. Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré: I recently stumbled upon this face cream while looking for a moisturizer I could apply in the mornings before I go to the gym. My skin needs hydration as soon as I wake up and it pains me to sweat off expensive skincare products so I did some research and found this one! It’s a 6-in-1 French skincare cream and the 26K+ glowing reviews sold me. I’ve been using it for about 2 months now and I honestly cannot believe how amazing it really is — especially for the price!!! I have found myself reaching for it more than any of my other products because it works so well. It’s super creamy but lightweight, smells clean, super hydrating and since it’s also a primer, you can apply your makeup right on top (and also use it at the end of the day as a makeup remover milk).
2. High-Rise Wide Leg Linen Pull-On Pants: Y’all are LOVING these pants! And I am too! Available in 7 colors and perfect for spring!
3. Nantucket Bath Towels: I just got these towels and they are a dream — super soft, plush, and absorbent. Available in 3 colors. Use code CAROLINACHARM40 for 40% off at checkout!
4. Luisa Ankle Strap Thong Sandals: Seriously SO cute and available in 3 colors!
5. PopCorners Variety Pack: If you’re Pop Chips-obsessed, I found a 20 count sampler pack for under $20!! The variety pack comes with 6 delicious flavors: White Cheddar, Kettle Corn, Sea Salt, Spicy Queso, Sweet Chili, and Sour Cream & Onion. I eat these every single day for a low-calorie, gluten-free snack and love them so much.

1. Homemade Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad

This week I whipped up a batch of Homemade Chick-fil-A chicken salad and have been eating it for lunch every day! This menu item was discontinued from Chick-fil-A restaurants awhile ago, but it is so nice the recipe was made public!

Ingredients

• 4 Chick-fil-A grilled chicken breasts, cooled and cut into 1” cubes
• 2.5 oz celery (approximately 1.5 full stalks, washed, trimmed & cut into 1” pieces)
• 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 hard boiled eggs (cooled & peeled)

Using a food processor, mix chicken, celery, mayonnaise, and relish on low/medium for 5 seconds. Begin adding eggs 1 at a time and continue processing for up to 10 additional seconds or until salad is chopped to desired consistency. (Total food processing time needed is 10-15 seconds).

2. Makeup Brush Cleaner

Admittedly, I am really bad about cleaning my makeup brushes. It’s a chore I loathe doing and will put off for months to avoid it.

I have tried many types of makeup brush cleaner over the years and finally purchased Cinema Secrets Professional Makeup Brush Cleaner (thanks to the recommendation of my beauty expert friend)!

If you hate washing your brushes, this cleaner is for you. You can tackle this chore in under 5 minutes with this stuff. No water or rinsing is required and my brushes are dry in 5 minutes (gone are the days of laying my brushes out all night to dry)! The cleaner also conditions the brushes and smells good!

Highly recommend!

3. The One Tapas & Bar

I wanted to share a new restaurant Matt and I recently went to on a double date with our friends, Bobby & McKinsey — The One Tapas & Bar, a new place in Matthews, and oh my goodness it was great. It’s a very intimate restaurant (only 10 tables) and has the most delicious tapas and craft cocktails. Highly recommend for a girls night or date night.

We ordered a ton of food and while it was all good, the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Wagyu Beef Sliders, and Crispy Mushrooms really stood out as our favorites!

4. Pool Deck Chaise Loungers

WE FILLED OUR POOL THIS WEEK!

I honestly thought we’d never finish this project and then all of a sudden things moved quickly again and our pool is done! We cannot wait to actually get in it, start planning pool parties, and buy a bunch of fun floats! Speaking of floats, one of my favorite Christmas gifts was this floating mahjong game table!!! It’s been sitting in my bedroom since Christmas.

Anyway, I polled y’all on Instagram yesterday for pool chaise lounger recommendations and tips, and as always, y’all really came through big time. I received a lot of messages asking me to share the results so here’s the top tips and stores to shop:

This #1 tip by far was NO CUSHIONS. Gosh, I love that dreamy look so much, but keeping them dry, clean, and storing when we aren’t using is just not realistic for us. Many of you suggested sling back chairs which is what we are going to buy.

Another tip I thought was really insightful was to get a lounger with wheels so it’s easy to move.

As for stores to shop, the top recommendation was Costco, followed by Wayfair, Frontgate (& Frontgate Outlet), Home Depot, Crate & Barrel and Polywood. And specific products that were recommended more than once were:

• Frontgate Chaise Lounger
• Polywood Lounger
• Crate & Barrel Lounger
• Wayfair Lounger
• Costco Pool Lounger

5. Bird Feeder

We always have so many cardinals and bluebirds around our home. They make me so happy. And being the old lady that I am, I decided to mount a pretty bird feeder right outside my kitchen window to host these little beauties. It’s really nice that the tray is removable too so I can bring it inside to fill with wild bird seed! And we’ve already had several visitors!!!! It’s been so fun to watch!

Note: After our squirrel snafu earlier this year, I’ve already decided if I see ONE squirrel in that feeder it is GONE!