Weekend Recap: Waffle Fail and Not Quite Date Night

Once again, I’m a little late in posting my weekend shenanigans.  Better late than never, right??  I need to get better at transferring the pictures from the phone to the blog.  I always plan out the post in my head, but never have time to follow through the way I want to.

So this past weeekend was supposed to be a productive weekend.  We didn’t have anything planned, but I did have a few very important things on my To Do List.  (Taxes being one of them!!)

But as always happens, if there are things I don’t want to do, I will find a way to put them off.  On Saturday morning, I thought waffles were a great way to procrastinate….  These are Protein Oat Waffles.

Don’t get excited and ask me for a recipe.  Even though they look pretty, it was a HUGE waffle fail!!  I found a recipe for pancakes made with oats.  You were supposed to put the oats in a food processor to make them into a fine flour.  I skipped that part thinking it wouldn’t matter.  Oh, it mattered!!  That step was in there for a reason.

I, of course, still ate mine after I smothered peanut butter all over it.  But the hubs and the kids weren’t too crazy about the consistency.  Oh well.  Back to the waffle drawing board.

For lunch, I made a hard boiled egg wrap in a Flat Out.

Have you tried these Flat Outs?  I love them!!

Eventually I ended up taking care of my chores.  And to celebrate, Hubby and I went out for a date night.  Well, a ‘Not Quite Date Night’.  We ventured down the street to a neat little place called Double Dogs.

We had to take one kid with us.  The other kid was spending the night at my Mom’s house.  She prefers to keep them one at a time.

And a date night with a little person is not quite a date night.

And it meant we had to share our fried pickles with her.

And then we had to deal with her fits.  She is definitely a two-year old!

But my California Buffalo Burger was delicious.  Here’s the description:  A low-fat Buffalo burger patty topped with fresh spinach, tomatoes, red onion, Dijon mustard, our signature lime sour cream and Provolone cheese.

And I shared my fries with the little one.

On Sunday I was able to get the taxes prepared, filed and put away!!  Yay.  That’s always a chore I hate doing.  Even if we do get a little money back, I still wait til the last minute to do it because I hate the process so much!!

That was what was Marvelous in my Monday ….  even though now it’s actually Thursday.  Oops.

Question of the Day:  What chores do you hate doing that you put off??

Weekend Update: It’s Been A While

Wow – has it really been 3 weeks since I posted???  Sorry, guys.  Life has gotten so crazy lately.  Plus, the germs have been running rampant in my house.  Hubby is just now getting over a virus he’s had over 2 weeks!!  I managed to get the crud, too, just before the big race.  (I’ll get to that later).

I’ve been taking pictures and constructing blog posts in my head, they just never made it to the computer screen.  In fact, when I logged in just now, I realized that I had 3 working drafts for 3 different posts that I never finished.  Oops.  Part of the problem, though, is that when the pictures don’t upload quickly or WordPress is being difficult, I just walk away.

So I’ll try to catch you up quickly, through pictures:

One thing I’ve been doing every weekend is making protein waffles!!  The kids love waffles, but I hate buying the frozen kind with sketch ingredients.

So I’ve been having fun with some recipe testing!  Once I perfect the recipe, I’ll post it.

The first batch was vanilla, and the second batch used chocolate protein powder!  Yum!

I did enjoy a Girls Night Out one weekend!  Half price sushi and $10 off bottle of wine at the Stir Fry Cafe on Saturdays!  Gotta love that!!

My weekends have mostly consisted of a lot of studying …..

… And eating!!  Since everyone in the house was sick, I made a pot of Chicken Noodle Soup, which lasted for days.

I love salmon.  It might be my favorite food.  I also attempted to make mashed cauliflower, but it didn’t turn out so “mashed”.  It looks like rice on the plate.  But with a little garlic, salt and pepper, it tasted pretty good.

Homemade Chicken/Black Bean/Spinach Enchiladas.  Even the kids devour these.  A pan like this lasts for days.

Being sick meant we spent a lot of time on the couch….

…. watching movies together….  We watched ‘Wreck It Ralph’ (twice!), ‘Hotel Transylvania’, and some other random Redbox find that wasn’t that good.

But THIS weekend in particular, I was getting ready for my Half Marathon….

I woke up on Monday with horrible sinus congestion, but I was determined not to let it stop me from running the race.  So I asked all my FB friends what their best remedy for nasal congestion was.  Half said Mucinex D and the other half said a neti pot.  So, I decided to do both!!

That Mucinex D really works!!  It didn’t completely dry me up, but enough where I didn’t feel like my head was in the clouds.

So Saturday, we headed downtown to pick up my race paket from the Expo…..  I was starting to get a little nervous.

I chose Trader Joe’s spinach tortellini as my carb-loading pre-race meal.  Yum.

I’ll save all the details of the race for my next post.  (Which I promise not to take quite as long to post)

Here’s the starting line….  The temperature was 54 degrees.  It was the perfect day!

I was hoping and praying my new shoes would carry me to the finish line!  Yes, I said BRAND NEW shoes!  I know that’s totally crazy, but that’s just how I roll.

And after the race …..  boy, was I glad it was over.

The first 10 miles were awesome, and the last 3 were pure hell.  But I made it, congestion and all.  And only 3 minutes behind last year’s PR!

Final chip time:  2:19:18.  I’ll take it.

Stay tuned for the details.  It was a GREAT race.  I’m already wondering when my next one will be!

So that’s what’s marvelous in my Monday.

Weekend Update: No Green Beer for Me!

The weather was simply gorgeous this weekend with highs in the 70’s both Saturday and Sunday.  I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a long run.  We took the kids to my favorite park.  Hubby let them play on the playground while I ran.

I had to keep reminding myself that I am running a Half Marathon in 3 weeks!!!  So far, this run was my longest to date: 6.5 miles.  I guess I’m not too worried because I also did the same thing last year.  I focused on more anaerobic training rather than long runs and I got a PR!  So I figure now, if I can run 6.5, I can 13.1.  Right?

But I’ve got a small dilemma in the shoe department.  These Asics are fairly new (since Christmas).  I like them ok, but after about 4 miles, my feet start to hurt.  And they rubbed a huge blister on my toe.  So that’s not going to work for the marathon.  But I’m afraid if I buy a new pair now, I’m not going to have time to break them in before the race.  Or I could wear an old pair with a hole in the toe.  EEK – what would you do???

I was so excited to try out my brand new heart rate monitor!!  I ordered the Polar FT4 after seeing more than a couple of bloggers using this one.  I had a Timex brand, but the chest strap would never consistently pick up my heart rate.  So this was my first run using the Polar.  I’m converted.  This one is WAY better.  There was still a period of time (about a mile or so) where it didn’t detect my heart beat.  I readjusted the strap, wiped off the sweat, and a few minutes later it started working again.  I love how it displays the time and the calories burned at the end.  And it also keeps a training log so I can go back and look at my workouts.  Now that’s pretty cool!

When the run was over, hubby and the kids met me in the parking lot with Subway in hand.  We found a nice spot in the grass to lay our blanket and devour eat our sandwiches.  I was starving!!!

This month’s featured $5 footlong sub is the buffalo chicken!  One of my favorites.  Hubby and I always split a foot long.  The kids are hit or miss whether they will eat Subway or not.  Luke likes the bacon, egg & cheese on flatbread.

Not my favorite pic here but the only one we got of me and the kids.  Ignore the red face and dried sweat….  and little bit has jelly all over her face.

My 7-year old spent the night with a buddy, so hubby and I enjoyed a semi-quiet house on Saturday night.  He grilled us some salmon while I opened a bottle of wine.  Aaahhhh……  relaxing!

Sunday was a busy day.  So busy, in fact, I never took a single picture!  I am happy to report that I finished my Anatomy & Physiology class.  I got a 95!!  Yippeeee!

So that was my Marvelous weekend.  No green beer.  No St. Patty’s Day celebrations.  Nothing too wild.  Just food, fitness and fun.  (and a little studying)!  🙂

I’m hoping for more days just like that.  I need the warm air and the sun for my mental health!!  Winter is so depressing.

Weekend Recap: A Night Away

This week I am linking up with Katie at HealthyDivaLife and her Marvelous in My Monday post.

We had a marvelous weekend and I can’t wait to share it with you!!

Let’s back up and talk about Friday, shall we?  If ever there were a day of temptation, this was it.  A carrier rep brought in 4 boxes of pastries this morning.  And my friend, Kara, brought in homemade cupcakes from the bakery she co-owns, Panache Bake Shoppe.  The pastries I could easily pass up, but this cupcake, it was calling my name.  I had to.  It was worth every single extra calorie!  Do you see that oozing lemon center?  Oh, but the frosting was by far my favorite part!!  YUM!!!

Lemon Drop Cupcake from Panache

I think that extra boost of sugar was what I needed to clean my desk off.  Seriously folks, this is clean.  I should have taken a ‘before’ shot.  You wouldn’t believe the chaos.  Granted, it was organized chaos.  I knew where everything was.  But it needed a good cleaning!!

I was already planning on running after work, but once I ate that cupcake, I knew I had some calories to burn.  I ran an easy 4.2 miles at Lakeshore, and I should have pushed another 2 but I was ready to get home.

Saturday started out beautiful, so I took the little one for a walk/run in the stroller.  My neighborhood is super hilly so this was a major workout.  At the bottom of every hill, I would sprint to the top behind the stroller and then recover at the top.

As you can see, Mickey and George are enjoying the ride as well.  After the 3 mile jaunt, I did some squats and lunges, along with some arm work.

Once the workout was done, the house was cleaned up, and everyone was packed, we headed out the door for Pigeon Forge.

First stop, Tanger Outlets.  Apparently everyone else in East Tennessee had the same idea.  That place was CRAZY!!!

I’ve never seen so many people in the COACH store before.  You’d have thought they were giving these things away.  That is literally the line to check out.  I’m not kidding.  I mean, I love COACH, but I’m not standing in a line like that UNLESS they are giving them away.

I did manage to get a few really cute items at the Banana Republic – 2 dresses, 2 tops and a Spring-y sweater, all for only $68!

It didn’t take long to get annoyed with the crowds, so I took the boy to the arcade!

I had to play Skee Ball ….  my favorite game ever!

From there, we went to check into our hotel.  This is the view from the balcony.  So peaceful.  The weather was incredible this weekend!!

The kids loved the hotel room.  It was actually a suite with two rooms separated by the bathroom.  It worked out perfectly.

For dinner, we decided on pizza.  The Big Daddy’s had a wood-fired brick oven style pizza, which sounded really good.  And the pictures of the pizza on their website looked really good too.

But oh how pictures can be deceiving.  Or maybe I set my expectations too high.  But we were seriously disappointed.  The pizzas were small, not a good value for the price.  For what we paid, I wish we had gone to Mellow Mushroom instead.

On Sunday morning, we got up and headed to Gatlinburg for the day.

We walked up and down the main drag, enjoying the sights and sounds.  This is a great people-watching place!

The boys, of course, loved the car museum.

For lunch, we found a little local place to get some sandwiches.  I had to try their Bloody Mary, which was really yummy.

The whole reason for the trip, though, was because my Groupon was about to expire.  Months ago, I had purchased a Groupon for tickets to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!  Thankfully, I didn’t pay full price for the tickets because Luke thought the place was CREEPY!!!  And yes, part of it is creepy, but he’s a 7-year old BOY.  I would have thought he’d love the weird stuff.  I know I did when I was a kid.

This might have been my favorite thing in the Ripley’s ….  Eminem made of M&Ms.  How cool is that?!?

Or ….  Jimi Hendrix made of Rubix Cubes….

And of course, we all had rub the Buddha belly ….  can you read what this guy is made out of ….  a million dollars!!!

 

It was a really short trip, so we’re already planning another weekend soon.  We started making a list of all the things we’ll do next time.  Oh, and I won’t forget to bring my Nikon with me (I can’t believe I left it at home).

Question of the Day:  Have you ever been to Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg??  What’s your favorite thing to do while you’re there??

Weekend Recap: Chocolate Wine and Cake Ballz

Once again, better late than never.  🙂  I seem to have a hard time getting a blog out on a Sunday or a Monday.  Not sure exactly why that is all about, but I’m not going to let it stop me from posting a weekend recap.

First of all, do you remember me telling you about this chocolate wine I found for Valentines Day??  I never imagined I would see it again until next February.  Well, imagine my shock and surprise when I found it at a local liquor store on Friday… AND there was a $10 mail in rebate if you bought 3 bottles.  Duh.  Guess how many I bought???  lol

That was my idea of a fun Friday night!!  🙂   And this was the kids’ idea ….  naked and playing video games.  They are so funny.  Of course, she is not actually playing that Nintendo DS, she is just pushing buttons.

Saturday was a beautiful day!  So I had to take my daughter out for a walk in the neighborhood.  I actually started out on the treadmill with an episode of Biggest Loser, but then realized that I would be much better served to take it outside.  Our neighborhood is really hilly, so it’s a great workout pushing a stroller up all the hills.

You do realize that you can’t take a walk without Mickey, Minnie AND George, right??

After the walk and the shower, we were headed down to my in-laws house for an afternoon gathering.  It’s an hour-long drive in the car.  The little one wouldn’t nap.  So that made for a really evening… and night.  Why is it that if they don’t get their nap in, they then don’t sleep well at night.  You would think they’d be so tired that they’d sleep great!  Not with this one.

Dinner was Taco Soup with a variety of toppings.  It was fun watching how everyone made their soup.  Some put chips on the bottom, some on the top, and of course, mine are on the side.  Everyone’s was different.

You know me ….  I have to take a pic of the beautiful sunset ….

If it’s a birthday in hubby’s family, then carrot cake is standard issue.  It was delicious!!

And finally, no birthday is complete without cake balls!!  Red Velvet Cake Ballz.  (My specialty)  And a favorite with the fam.

Most of Sunday was spent doing homework.  I still had a massive chapter on muscles to finish reading, homework to do, discussion questions to answer, and a test to take!  But I am happy to report I got a 93 on my test!  Yipee.

It was another beautiful day so I made sure I took the time to get outside for another walk with the babe in the stroller.  My workout actually started on the treadmill with an episode of ‘The Biggest Loser’ but then decided I would be better served to take my workout outside.

Question of the Day:  Have you ever made cake balls before?  And what is your favorite treat on your special day??

Weekend Recap: Snow and Putt-Putt

As I told you on Friday, I was planning for a fabulous, productive 4-day weekend.  My To Do List included lots of housework, studying, running and playing with the kids.

On Saturday, they were calling for snow flurries. I was surprised when it really started coming down!! The kids were thrilled!!

It wasn’t enough for snowballs or snowmen.  But they were some big fat flakes!!  And just as quickly as it started, it was gone.

On Sunday, hubby woke up with a stomach bug.  ;(

So he spent much of the day laying around, while I spent the day doing homework and studying.

It was still so cold outside.

Therefore, I kept the workout inside on both Saturday and Sunday.  45 minute interval with some incline, some speedwork, and some weights.

Thankfully, it warmed up on Monday because we were ready to get out of the house.

We’d promised my son at the beginning of the week that if he had an all-blue week we’d take him to play putt-putt.

It was actually his first time to putt-putt. He had so much fun.

She enjoyed just running around from hole to hole, watching everything that was going on.

Hubby and I had a little bet going to see who would win. I had an early lead but I lost it. I think I got too cocky.

Now I owe him a back rub!  😉

For dinner on Monday, I made us salads.  Can you guess which one is mine?!?  (Hint: I think I’m addicted to sriracha).

And, while I was at it, I went ahead and made my lunch for the next day too.  (Love it when I’m on the ball like that)!

That’s the weekend.  And then it was back to the grind on Tuesday.   But I’m happy to report that I got a lot done!  Including 100’s on my homework and my test.  YAY!

Weekend Recap: Unofficial Food Tour of Asheville

It’s been a crazy week and I realize I still haven’t told you about last weekend’s trip.  I started this post on Sunday night and never did finish it.  Better late than never, right?

Well, it just worked out that what started out as a business trip in Greensboro, NC, then ended with a kid-free night in Asheville, NC.

We dropped the kids off with the in-laws on Thursday.  They were excited about 2 nights with Gramma and Grampa, and we were excited for 2 uninterrupted nights of sleep!

The drive to Greensboro is about 4-1/2 hours.  It poured the entire way there.  This picture doesn’t do it justice, it was nasty.

By the time we made it to Greensboro around 8pm, we were starving.  And after that nerve-wracking drive, I was ready for a beer!

There was a restuarant across from our hotel called Tripps.  I’d never heard of Tripps before, but it clearly said ‘Tavern’ on the sign, and I was sold!  However, once inside, I asked what beers they had on tap.  There were only 4 beers on tap.  Two of which were Bud and Bud Light.  How can you call yourself a Tavern if you only have 4 beers on tap?!?!?  Thankfully there was Fat Tire.  It hit the spot!  And so did this burger!!

The next morning, I didn’t have to be at the meeting til 10am.  So I had plenty of time to hit the little fitness center in the hotel before grabbing breakfast.  I got in a quick 20 minutes on the elliptical, which felt really good.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been on an elliptical so I know I was working all kinds of different muscles.  That was confirmed when my quads and glutes were sore for the two days following.

The hotel had a really nice breakfast spread.  Hubby chose a bacon/egg sandwhich, while I got the open-faced egg-white and mushroom.  And we shared some fruit.

As soon as the meeting was over in Greensboro, it was time to hit the road towards Asheville.  That meeting started at 3pm.  We knew exactly where we wanted to eat lunch.  It’s my favorite place in Asheville.  Sunny Point Cafe.  Everything I’ve ever eaten there has been incredible.  The very first sandwich I ever had was chicken with brie and a raspberry mustard.  It sounds weird but it was amazing.  Unfortunately, that sandwich is no longer on the menu.

But there plenty of other amazingly good options.

I started with a Weyerbacher Merry Monk beer, which was very tasty.  It reminded me of everything I drank in Helen, GA.  Definitely a Belgian-style beer.  My favorite!  🙂

.

Hubby had the fish tacos.  (of course)  He got them last time and loved them.

I had …. are you ready for this ….  a Fried Green Tomato BLT on a crossaint.  Oh. My. Goodness.  It was pure deliciousness.  And those fries were perfectly crispy.

The last and final meeting went splendidly.  You might even say it was the best enrollment meeting I’ve ever done.  Definitely the most fun.  We all sat around on physio-balls during the meeting.  I can honestly say I’ve never conducted a meeting on a physio ball before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

When the meeting was over, we checked into our hotel and got ready for a night out on the town!

We are really bad at getting photos of ourselves taken.  I totally forget to hand my camera to a perfect stranger and ask them to take our photo.  And I completely suck at these self-portraits.

I just wanted to walk around downtown for a bit before going anywhere.  I love the downtown area.

First stop was LAB.  Lexington Avenue Brewery.  We went here last year and really enjoyed the food and the beer.

But we didn’t order any food this year, even though this grilled cheese sounds pretty amazing ….

Next stop ….  the Thirsty Monk.  I don’t even remember what I had here.  LOL

Thankfully, our hotel was within walking distance.  🙂

The next morning called for a big breakfast.  Tupelo Honey Cafe was a block away.

They start you out with a big fat homemade biscuit.  I could have eaten just the biscuit and called it breakfast.

But then they brought me the sweet potato pancake!!  Yeah, I had to take about 2/3 of that home in a box.  It was HUGE!!  But delicious.  Totally worth each and every carb I consumed.

There were so many yummy things on the menu that I wanted to try.  Thankfully, they opened one in Knoxville so I can try it again soon!!

After breakfast, we walked around downtown, snapping photos and window shopping.  Here are just a few of my favorite shots:

There was a guy on a park bench feeding the birds.  They would all fly in, get some food then all fly back out together.  It was really cool to watch.

All the walking and photographing made me thirsty.  We had time to hit only one more restaurant before heading out of town.  So we enjoyed a late lunch at the Asheville Brewing Company.

We declared this to be the best beer we drank all weekend.  We’ll be going back there next year for sure!!

I ordered a veggie quesadilla while the hubs enjoyed a Nacho Libre burger.  I tried a bite of his burger and it was delicious!

So that concludes our unofficial food and beer tour of Asheville.  Love that town.  I could walk around downtown all day long!

And now, after eating at Tupelo Honey Cafe and Asheville Brewing Company, I can honestly say I have more than one favorite restaurant in Asheville!!

As much as I enjoyed our short-time away, I was looking forward to seeing these little rugrats.

So we took them to park on Sunday for some quality time.  🙂

My 7-year old had fun feeding the ducks and birds.

While my 2-year old enjoyed playing on the playground.

It was an awesome weekend.

Question of the Day:  Have you been to Asheville, NC?  If so, where is your favorite place to eat?  What should we try next time??

Weekend Recap: More Snow and Super Bowl

So after my hair appt on Saturday morning, I came outside to a surprise on my car.

I was so looking forward to the weekend.  I thought I’d heard the forecasters say that it was going to warm up.  (They lied)!

I’d planned a nice long run outside.  Instead, it snowed on both Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday the temperature never rose above 33 degrees.  And I have a rule:  I don’t run if the temp is less than 40.  Call me a wimp, that’s fine.  I can’t stand for my nose to run while I’m running.  And I hate breathing the cold air, it burns my lungs and throat.  (Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking – I’m not a true runner if I can’t brave the conditions.  That’s fine – snicker if you will.  I can take it).  So that meant I was stuck inside on the dreadmill.  At least I can watch TV while I’m on the treadmill.  Time to catch up on ‘The Biggest Loser’!  🙂

On Sunday morning, it came down HARD and FAST, and it accumulated quickly.  There was at least an inch on the ground.   The boys had fun playing in it while it was here.

They weren’t out there 10 minutes before they were back in asking for hot chocolate.

So I made everyone a coffee cake for breakfast.

A snowy day outside means laziness inside!!

We originally had plans to go to a friend’s house for the Super Bowl, but I hadn’t finished my homework or taken a test yet, so I had to bow out.

Instead, we made the kids some fun treats:  Pigs in a Blanket and Mini Apple Pies.  Who doesn’t love anything wrapped in a crescent roll.

Hubby made some beer cheese dip while I was studying!  YUM!!!

Shrimp!!

And finally, Southern Living’s Pineapple Shrimp Rice.

The food was good.  (But my test was not, which is a whole other story in itself).

I was not excited about the football game at all.  Wait, who was playing again??  I can’t remember.  I wasn’t excited about the half time show either.  I can’t believe I let my 7-year old stay up to watch the half-naked Beyonce and backup dancers shake their booties on the big screen.

What did you do to celebrate the big game??

Weekend Recap: Ice Storm and Warm Weather

We woke up to an ice storm on Friday morning.  The freezing rain produced icy conditions which prevented us from leaving the house.  Schools were closed and with my hill of a driveway, there was no way I could get to work  (Yay!!)

Doesn’t the 4Runner look mean with icicles hanging off it?

So we stayed in our pajamas most of the day!!  The kids had fun playing with play doh ….  (why does that stuff have to make such a MESS!?!)

While I made a crockpot of White Chicken Chili for dinner.

My recipe is adapted from a local restaurant.  But I apparently can’t ever leave an original recipe alone.  All my recipes look like this …  marked up.

And the end result ….  YUM!!!

I also took the day off as an opportunity to get in a really good treadmill workout while watching The Biggest Loser.

 

Hubby made me eggs for breakfast ….

Breakfast

The temperature rose quickly and melted all the ice so we were no longer stuck inside.  Which was great since we had plans to go out for my Aunt’s birthday.

We went to Aubrey’s, which is a great local restaurant.  In fact, the same people own Aubrey’s that own Sunspot, which is another one of my favorites.  So when I saw Salmon BLT on the menu, I sure hoped it was exactly like the one at Sunspot.  If you’ll remember, Hubby and I ate there on New Years Eve before our concert.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same.  While the salmon was tasty, I was disappointed in the bread.  If I pay $12 for a sandwich at a restaurant, I expect it to not be on the same bread I can buy at the grocery store.

But the sweet potato fries were really good.  (That’s something they don’t have at the Sunspot)!

The kids had fun, and we discovered how much my daughter LOVES honey mustard.  She was dipping fries in honey mustard and sucking it off.  LOL  She may as well have just drank it from the ramekin.

To celebrate my Aunt’s birthday, I made Magic Cookie Bars.

Nothing special about them, really.  I just went through a cookbook til I found a recipe with ingredients I had on hand.

Butter, graham crackers, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.  That’s all.  Nothing healthy about it.

My kids were so good to play together all weekend.  Makes for a happy Mommy!!  🙂

I’ll leave you with a picture of my lunch on Sunday.

Egg Wrap.  Kinda like an egg salad but without the mayo!  YUM!!

Sunday was a super lazy day.  But that’s how I like them!!

What a wonderful, unexpected 3-day weekend.  I could seriously get used to those!  Back to the grind on Monday.  😦

Weekend Recap: Healthy Living Expo

I realize I’m a bit late in posting this, so I apologize for the delay.  I actually started it on Sunday night, but this week has quickly gotten away from me.

My weekend started off with my son getting Star Student at school last week!!!  Yay.  Very proud of my little man.  So I let him pick out a Redbox movie to rent.  He chose ‘Madagascar 3’.

Then I made him some strawberry cake cookies.  (one of his faves).  These are so super easy.  Only 3 ingredients.  1 box strawberry cake mix, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup oil.  Roll into balls and bake for about 9-11 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Done.

On Saturday morning, we headed downtown to check out the Healthy Living Expo.

There were so many different vendors and booths, I’m pretty sure we didn’t even make it around to half of them.  One booth we liked was Glen’s Gourmet Goodies.  We taste-tested each one of the sauces.

I had a hard time deciding which flavor I liked best so we ended up buying 3 different kinds.

Hubby climbed up the rock wall.

… while the kids watched.  I couldn’t talk my 7-year old into climbing up.

One of the vendors was offering flu shots for only $5.  And since we never got ours this year, I figured it couldn’t hurt. lol

ouch!

Then Saturday night, the boys went to see the Monster Truck Jam while Lucy and I had a girls night in!

While they were gone, I cuddled up on the couch with the laptop to watch the first episode of The Bachelor.  I always say I’m never watching that show again, and then somehow it sucks me in.  I know it’s totally fake and most of the drama is staged, but it’s still fun to watch.

And as soon as it was over, I had to check out Reality Steve’s blog to see who wins.  I also do this every time.  I just like to watch knowing who he picks in the end.  Plus, I’m not all that big on surprises.  He’s been right every time I’ve watched.  I don’t know how he knows, but there would have to be a mole on the inside.  I think it’s ridiculous that ABC is suing him.  He’s not preventing people from watching the show.  If anything, he’s creating even more buzz for the show by giving out the spoilers.

Anyways, back to the weekend.

Sunday was a dreary day.  They were predicting the rain to come in early afternoon, where it’s going to stay for the next 3 days.

So I decided that was a perfect opportunity to clean house.  And I’m not just talking about vacuuming.  I mean I CLEANED OUT!  The kind of cleaning where you pull everything out of a drawer/cabinet/closet, go through it and only put back in the stuff you need.

(Usually if I’m on a cleaning rampage, it means there is something else I don’t want to do.)  <—– like homework, lol

Yuk. Just look at that nasty drawer with the spilled spices.

That’s just one drawer.  I did a total of 3 drawers in the kitchen, plus the cabinets.  Then I organized all my bathroom drawers.  (I didn’t photograph those – they were pretty nasty).  I didn’t realize how much makeup I had.  I ended up throwing a TON of it out.  And finally my closet.  There are clothes that have been in there since college!  (GASP!  Yes, college.  And I don’t know why I hang on to it other than for sentimental reasons.  It’s not like they fit.  I’m two sizes smaller now than I was in college!)

I love organizing the house.  It’s amazing how much crap we’ve accumulated in 15 years of marriage.  It feels good to purge.

 Question of the Day:  what is something you hang on to for sentimental reasons?  What is it that you don’t want to throw away??