she Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Chic Coastal Living

It's Wednesday! That means it's time to hear what goodies have another blogger's heart, and what things are making her cringe.

Today, Desiree' is here over from Chic Coastal Living. She's a stylish wife, an awesome mom, and has a serious knack for always coming up with the best coastal eye candy! Every time I'm over at her blog I'm smiling and trying to picture myself living on the beach in the latest home she posted (:

Desiree' is so kind, refreshing, and can we just talk about how darn cute she is?! {There's no way she has been married for 18 years and have three boys...she's stunning!}

Take it away, friend....

Hi everyone!  This is Desiree' from Chic Coastal Living and I'm excited to be here today to share with you a glimpse of the things I'm loving now and some not so loving!  Thank you Michaela for including me in this fun series!  Finding the things I love was the easy part!  Ha ha!

She Loves Me:

1. These are the loves of my life!  My husband of 18 years and three boys. 

2. I love to run and have been running off and on since elementary school. These days...I run 10-20 miles a week! It's melts the fat and keeps me energized! I'm so blessed to have two best friends that I run with.  Soon we will begin our training for a full marathon. God willing!

In the photo below, I couldn't resist running up and down this gorgeous dune in the Outer Banks last summer! What a workout!

3. I got the best phone call the other day from my Dad who is working in Kenya, Africa. He said, he looks forward to reading my posts everyday and that one day when he has a beach house he wants me to decorate it for him!  That just made my day!  I love you Dad!

{This photo is of my Dad riding a camel on Mombasa Beach in Africa!}

4.  Nail Polish!  My mother always has nicely manicured hands and feet, so I guessed it's somehting that has been pased on. I manage to buy new colors almost every week!  Even stylish teenage girls ask me what color I'm wearing.....which is a good sign I guess!

image via cashmere and cupcakes

5.  Yummmmm! I love Bahama Breeze's, Yucatan chicken and tortilla soup! I don't think I would ever tire of eating it! It's so delicious and having a fresh lime wedge with it is sooooo summer!

In case you're craving it, too!

Here's the recipe!

Chicken and Tortilla Soup

Serves: 6 - 8

Broth Ingredients

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp
*Calabasa Squash, diced ½" - 1 cup
Red Onion, diced ½" - ½ cup
Chopped Garlic - 1 tsp
Sliced Jalapeno, no seeds - 2 tsp
Chicken Broth, canned - 8 cups
Corn Kernels, canned, drained - 1 ½ cups
Tomatoes, ½ " diced - 1 cup
Jicama, ½" diced - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Lime Juice, fresh squeezed - ¼ cup
Oregano, chopped - 1 tsp
Chicken Breast, fully cooked & sliced - 1 pound

Broth Procedure

Heat the oil in a large pot until hot. Add the calabasa, onions, jalapenos and garlic, then sauté until they loose their raw appearance. Add the chicken broth, corn, jicama, and tomatoes, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the calabasa is tender. Season to taste with salt, then add the lime juice, oregano and fully cooked sliced chicken breast. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes then cut the heat.


* Pumpkin can be substituted for Calabasa if necessary

Garnish Ingredients

Cilantro Chopped - 8 tbsp.
*Avocado, diced ½" - 8 tbsp.
* Cut the Avocado just before serving to prevent discoloration.


Blue Corn Tortillas 6" - 4 each
White Corn Tortillas 6" - 4 each
Canola or Peanut Oil - 1 cup
Salt - As Needed

Garnish Procedure

Cut the tortilla strips in half on a clean cutting board then cut into 1/8th inch strips and set aside. Place the oil in a small pan and heat to medium heat. Add small amounts of the strips and fry until crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Lightly season the crisp tortillas with salt. Repeat the process until all the tortillas are fried.
Serve the soup hot, and garnish with diced avocado, chopped cilantro and crisp tortilla strips.

You're welcome!

6. This design is probably one of my favorites! Love all of it!

Click here to see more! 

She Loves Me Not:

1. Car crash! Terrible.....I was in an accident two days before our planned road trip up the east coast. Although I was a bit shaken up the whole day after the accident, I am grateful to the Lord that no one was hurt.  My car was in the shop for over a week and our rental car was way too small for the five of us to drive all the way to the Hamptons and Cape Cod.  I guess it was just not meant to be and I'm okay with that. 

Instead of going to Cape Cod, we drove to Walt Disney World and spent five days there!  I took this photo of Cinderella's castle!  I have all boys, so understandably, I was the only one in the crew that was appreciating this!

2. Duck = Yuck....I don't like duck! I just can't imagine eating something that runs around at the park. My husband ordered a flaming duck on our honeymoon and all I could do was try not to gag!

4. Letting kids play video games all day! I believe in setting a short time limit and definitely no video games on school days.

Well, I'm glad that I got that off my chest! Thank you Michaela for having me over!

xoxo, Desiree'


Thank you for sharing! I'm also a girl who's fallen shamelessly over nail polish (: And duck...soooo not my cup of tea!!
Go say hello to Desiree' over at Chic Coastal Living. You'll want to stay for hours (:


What are you loving this Wednesday?
Love,