What’s Up Wednesday {2.26.2020}

Happy Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Easter season! Today I’m sharing a little of this and a little of that in this month’s What’s Up Wednesday!

What We’re Eating

Jackson and Jerod were off to “Dad’s Night” at preschool last night…

So Colton, Mya, and I (okay, really just Colt and I) stuck to an all-time favorite: Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders! I love how tender and juicy these tenders turn out every time, and the pecans give such a great crunch coating. Super easy and always a hit in the Kemper house!

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2″ thickness and cut into 1″ wide strips

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

1/2 cup diced pecans

1/2 cup panko

1/4 Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Place wire rack on cookie sheet and spray liberally with cooking spray.

In one shallow bowl, mix mayo and dijon mustard. In another shallow bowl, mix pecans, panko, and Parmesan cheese.

Coat each chicken strip with mayo mixture and then place in dry mix until evenly coated. Place on wire rack.

Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes, until outside begins to brown and chicken is cooked through. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces!

What I’m Reminiscing About

On Monday, I posted about Mya’s newborn photos and the birth announcement we sent to our family and friends.

Okay, just one more picture…

Alright, I lied. 🙂

Time is such a thief, guys. She’s already ten weeks old today, smiling up a storm and jabbering away. Stay this little just a little while longer, Mya girl! I’m just not ready for you to lose your newborn just yet.

What I’m Loving

What We’ve Been Up To

Dreaming of warm weather things…

But ultimately losing our minds inside almost every day. 🙂

Some soccer Saturday’s…

And a whole lot of snuggles with this little lady.

What I’m Working On

Last year, I started to slowly make improvements to our finished basement in our sweet Fixer Upper. It’s a large open space we use as mainly a man cave/playroom, along with two storage rooms, a full bathroom, and a guest room.

When we purchased our home and moved in furniture, our guest room looked like this…

A lot of beige on beige on beige.

So I decided to paint the space a moody dark blue using Valspar Crucible 4006-2B, with the help of these two little babes, last January.

I liked the contrast of the blonde wood with the darker blue, and I continued to like it…until last month. I was cleaning the sheets and putting the guest bed back together and I realized something. I didn’t like this room at all. The doors are the basic hallow doors, teamed with brass hinges and door knobs. Very outdated. The moody blue isn’t working for me anymore. I want it light and bright like the rest of my house. Nothing was making me satisfied with this space.

So what am I working on right now? A full DIY of this space!

I’m taking inspiration from my BASEMENT REMODEL Pinterest board and I’m adding molding and painting our doors, I’m painting the walls a beautiful bright neutral, and I’m decorating the space to really match my tastes.

And all this before my family comes into town on March 8th. Totally achievable, right? RIGHT?! 🙂

What I’m Excited About

This crew getting back together!!

My brother’s family is flying into KC next weekend and I am bursting with excitement over it! We haven’t all gotten together since last Christmas, so we are beyond overdue.

It’ll be four days of way too much coffee and wine. Laughing until we cry. And allll the fun with cousins. They get along so well and pick up right where they left off each time we get together!

Eeeee!! I can’t wait!

What I’m Reading

I’m on my way to finishing up my last book of February and it’s a good one! When the first sentence is, ‘Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?’, you’re instantly sucked in to the story! I only have a few more chapters left and it’s kept me at my edge of my seat this whole time. I’ll share what I’m reading on my February Book Review post on Friday, but check out what I read last month in my January Review. Some good, some not so great, and all the devotionals I’ve started the year reading.

What I’m Listening To

Jerod and Jackson watching their third episode of “Dinosaur Train” coming from our bedroom. 🙂

After Dad’s Night at preschool tonight, the boys are having a sleepover in our room. Don’t worry, boys. I’ll sleep by myself. In a quiet room. And stay up way too late finishing my book. You keep watching cartoons and I’ll be juuuust fine.

What I’m Wearing

The doorbell rang at 8:15 tonight and I basically ran to open it because I’d been waiting all day for this cute Amazon find!

When I saw this, I thought it’d be such a cute transition piece. Pair it with boots now and then open-toed booties in a month. Dress it up or keep it casual. I ordered it one size larger to give it a really oversized look, and I love the fit. Honestly could have gone two sizes up and loved it, too.

What I’m Doing This Weekend

A whole lot of painting!

But with another sixty degree forecast, it might also be time to start fixing up the yard and getting things ready for the spring growing season! Whoo hoo!!

If you’re new here, I did a “What I’m Gardening This Week” series, and took you through all the steps of planning, planting, and growing my garden last year. Right now, it’s the time to start planting your seeds under your grow lights and begin plotting out what and where you’d like to grow your goodies.

What Else is New

I think that’s it! Happy Wednesday, everyone! 🖤

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