The Amazing Quest

Our team dressed up for the costume contest

Mj's job hired a company to come in and organize what is called The Amazing Quest.  I'd never done anything like it and I was really excited.  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather.  It was a warm but not too warm 78 degrees.  We met up at a bar where everything kicked off with a team costume contest.  Then we were instructed to open our first clue and were on our way.  

This race was not easy!  The puzzles and challenges were well....challenging

Trudging through the city

There were brainteasers, puzzles, and challenges throughout the entire quest and it took as all over the city.  It was really well planned out.  Each team had to stick together and complete one task before getting the next clue that would send us racing off to the next location for our next challenge.  I lost count of how many clues that we got along the way.   It was way more rigorous then any of us expected.  Everyone contributed something to the team; even the pregnant one who couldn't run much.  Okay well, maybe all of us except the drunkard.  Mj killed it all over the place with his quick thinking brain.  My shining moment was balancing six dice on a tongue depressor in my mouth in less then a minute on my first try.  I also had to be blindfolded for about 45 minutes walking through the city and then on the trolley.  Very bizarre experience and a little scary.  I held onto Mj's arm really tight and trusted that he wouldn't let me fall off of a cliff...or a curb.

Mj made 5 baskets in Bub's bar so that we could get our next clue

We had to stop for a break right??  No.  This has nothing to do with why we didn't win.

I couldn't see a thing but I could hear everyone asking what the heck we were doing

More brain teasers to complete

Almost there!!!!!

We knew we weren't in last place as we approached the home stretch.  We also knew there was no way we were going to win but at that point I didn't care.  It was more about finishing what we started and that's exactly what we did.    It took us 3 1/2 hours to get back!  There were about thirteen teams and we finished somewhere in the middle.  We were supposed to be back at our starting point by 5:15 pm but I think there were only a few teams that made it.  The challenges were hard!  With all the stuff we had to do I have no idea how they did it so we all just assumed they cheated!!  My legs were killing me by the end.  We were all exhausted but we had such a blast.  Just the experience alone was worth the effort....and the fact that they fed us!  Cheesy Quesadilla's....yes please!!  We were served Mexican food appetizers buffet style for us at the end and we got our drink on so even though we didn't win the costume contest or the race itself that was reward enough for me. 

Friday Randoms

The last time I can remember using a stamp was in 2010 when I mailed out my wedding Thank You cards.  I just used up my last one last week because I had an actual bill that I needed to write out an actual check for and put in the actual mailbox.  Good thing it was a forever stamp because it literally took me forever to use up that one book of stamps.  We just don't use them anymore.  Remember when you used to use your debit card and write out your checks and track each transaction in the cute little check register?  Those days are done.  Now we track everything online and all my bills are paid through online bill pay.  I might write two maybe three checks a year if that for random situations that come up.  Which is good because I think they are at 45 cents a piece now.  I can still vaguely remember when they were 0.29.  Do you still use stamps or checks for that matter?

Ours is the top left

We are getting our counter tops replaced next week!  I'm so excited about the finished product but oh how I dread the process.  I can't stand seeing my house turned upside down and having people marching all through it making a mess.  We bought our sink last week.  The one we have now is an over mount and we needed an under mount.  It cost us $375 bucks!  Just another thing that you don't realize the expense of until you need one.  Home Depot does give a 10% military discount though...that's something at least.  It's 9" deep and a stainless steel grade that's not supposed to spot or stain.  We love farm house sinks but those can cost anywhere from $600 to $900 bucks.  Not happening.  We are still trying to figure out what we want to do for back splash. 

Pain at the pump

I got gas this morning.  Ouch!  The average price in our city is $4.39 so apparently paying $4.29 I actually got myself a deal but it sure didn't feel like it.  It cost me $47 bucks!  Thank goodness my Honda has pretty good gas mileage so I can go about 10 days between fill ups with my normal routine.  In my Jeep Liberty it would have cost me about $80 something and I would be right back there before too long filling up again.  When is this gas price madness going to end?  I can still remember 99 cent days.  I realize that is a thing of the past but can we at least stay in the $3 range?



Jordan Wieber in Podium Training for American Cup
This USA Gymnastics You Tube link shows different gymnasts one after another.

Gymnastics will be on tomorrow morning!  I'm so excited.  It's the most prestigious international competition held in the US every year and the first big competition of the year that will pave the way to the Summer Olympic Games in London. The AT&T American Cup is being held in Madison Square Garden NYC and will be broadcast live on NBC at 1pm EST.   My DVR is set.

I hate our gas prices but I love our weather.  It's supposed to be sunny and in the 70's and 80's this weekend.  Tomorrow Mj and I are participating in a mini Amazing Race competition sponsored by his job.  He recruited me to be on a team with his co workers and we'll be running around downtown on some sort of scavenger hunt searching for clues.  I've never done anything like it and I think it's gonna be fun.

Have a good weekend everyone!!!

The Cost of Food

Sometimes there's nothing like a good salad

Friday just before I got off work I got a text from my husband insisting that I feed him.  He's quick to tell me he's not eating carbs.  Normally I'd tell him to go jump in a lake (he likes fish) but since I am making an effort to cook now I agreed.  Hmmm...what to do.  I've been craving salads lately and it's technically not really cooking.  Sounds good to me.  As I walked around Fresh & Easy picking out my ingredients I started thinking that this seemed like quite a bit of work just for a salad....and it felt like I was spending a lot of money for it too.  They had some small pre packaged ones for about $3.50 each.  That would have taken me 1 minute to grab and would be just as quick to open up and eat.  They say that you save money by grocery shopping and cooking food yourself instead of eating out but when we can spend $300 in one shopping trip somehow it just doesn't feel that way.  So, I decided to do the math.  I divided each product as needed to estimate 1 serving per item.

The Cost of Salad  

• Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing ($2.79):  .47
• Lettuce ($1.79):  .44
• Tortilla Strips ($1.99):  .33
• Fully cooked Bacon (12):  ($3.49)  .58
• Pre-Cooked Chicken Breast ($4.99):  $1.25
• Cucumber (2) ($1.96):  .49
• Dozen Eggs ($1.89):  .15
• Onion ($0.89):  .22
• Shredded Cheese ($3.69):  .61
• Total Spent:  ($23.48)  $4.21 Per Salad

It  actually is cheaper to spend the time and money making the darn salad.  My homemade salad had a lot more in it then the $3.50 option at Fresh & Easy and if I'd bought one at McD's or Wendy's it would have been at least $2 more expensive.  A Cobb salad at an average restaurant can be anywhere from $10-15 bucks each.  I might spend less money on that particular day for two salads but I get more bang for my buck buying the groceries instead.  Those ingredients last beyond that one day.

These turned out pretty tasty.  We have left over stuffing for wraps.

Then Saturday while we were at the grocery store I was shopping for my Stuffed Green Peppers recipe and I saw that I could literally buy them frozen pre made and stuffed at 4 for $6.99 on sale for $4.99.  Why make them myself when I can just buy them I thought?

The Cost of Stuffed Green Peppers with Rice

• Ground Beef  1 lb ($3.34):  $3.34
• Green Peppers (6@.49 ea):  $2.94
• Brown Rice 16 oz ($2.19):  .55
• Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz:  .69
• Onion (.89@1/2):  .44                     
• Garlic (3 for $1.00):  .33
• Total:  $8.29 =$1.38 per Stuffed Green Pepper

My recipe makes 6 so that's $1.38 each as compared to the grocery store price of $1.23 each (on sale) which in this example is actually a tad more expensive at home BUT depending on how much you pay for ground beef that could make a big difference.  Meat is much cheaper on base but I've paid much more for low fat ground beef.  Also, I got more then 6 servings out of that meat.  Sometimes I moan and groan about spending $11.49 on 6 chicken breasts but when you do the math on it that's only $1.91 per breast and think of how much you pay when you buy a chicken breast entree with veggies at a restaurant?

Time, Money or Health?
Bottom line is that in most cases eating out and buying frozen and  pre packaged meals will be more expensive.  So the next step is deciding how much your time is worth.  Do you want to pay restaurant and fast food labor for cooking the food or do it yourself?  For some it's worth it to spend a little more money and save time but for others the extra savings is well worth time spent in the kitchen.  And it's win win especially if you really enjoy cooking.  There are some really great value meal deals going on at places like Applebee's and Chili's but overall I think that dining out meal prices and the tip you have to shell out can be a waste of money.  The super cheap fast food option can only take you so far health wise unless you spend more money to choose healthier options.  The sodium content of all restaurants and pre made food in the frozen foods section is generally way higher so even if you find good deals it's just not something you should do all the time.

What would be the cheapest way I could think of to eat out every day without developing cardiovascular disease?  I'm a huge fan of $5 foot longs at Subway and I seriously think I could eat it every day although Mj absolutely could not.  If we ate one every day for lunch and dinner and spent $3.00 for their breakfast which is typically and egg sandwich type deal and coffee it would cost us about $56.00 for a week which is $224 for a month.  Then, I'd have to double that because it would be for both of us.  That's $448 per month provided we spent no money on any other food whatsoever which is more then we normally spend on groceries in a month.  That's about as cheap is it could get but it leaves no room for extras and you are pretty limited in your food choices.  It's also a lot of carbs, not that I don't do major carb damage anyways!  So, yeah as much as I wish it actually were cheaper to buy food out instead of spending the time making it that is not the case so the joy of grocery shopping and cooking is here to stay.

Liebster Blog Award

Brenda at The Funky Junky was sweet enough to award me the Liebster Blog award for up and coming bloggers.  Pretty cool!   I've been at this a while.   I don't have blog sponsors, I don't get free stuff in the mail to review and I have not topped 200 followers but that's not why I blog so who cares right?  I'm just glad that I'm getting to share my writing and document my life.  I like to think of myself as up and coming (not down and out) so I really do appreciate being recognized for my efforts in my little corner of the internet.  Brenda is an up and coming blogger herself.  She's a good writer and has this amazing talent for putting together an awesome outfit with $10 bucks so go check out her blog.

Besides making you feel pretty darn special, another cool thing about this award is that there are no strings attached.  You won't have to post three different sets of Q & A's about yourself and tag 10 other people to do the same.  You need only think about five blogs that you enjoy reading and share the love.  So now it's my turn to pass it on.  The Liebster Blog Award goes to:

Emily at The Sweetest Thing

She just started blogging this year but already is off to a good start.  If she isn't already she will be getting super busy very soon because her wedding is July 7th!  She took that leap of faith.  She moved for love and it worked out great.

Lauren at Sweet Nothings

She is newly engaged and been blogging here for not yet a year but has already established a nice little blog spot.  She is a great photographer and always posts really beautiful pictures.  I may need to upgrade and get a camera like her some day!

Natalie at Miss Brightside

Ive been a follower of Natalie for quite a while now.  This blogger is a proud new mama navigating the whole stay at home mom thing.  She also loves to shop but like me (and most everybody else) has to work hard to resist the urge to shop till we drop.

Yasi at Hello Gorgeous

She is so fashionable!  I really envy her fashion sense and ability to put different pieces together and look like she stepped out of a magazine.

Ruthy Ann at Discovery Street 
I've  been following her blog for a long time.  Maybe as long as I've been blogging?  Her and her husband Andy are simply put, good people.  I've watched her go from a globe trotting newlywed on an around the world honeymoon to a settled down nine to fiver to a homeowner and now the ultimate....she's about to become a mama!  She is barely on the edge of up and coming with a ton of followers so I think I may have awarded this to her just in the nick of time.

And by the way, does anyone know what Liebster means?  Well, I didn't either so I googled it and it is the German word for darling, beloved, boyfriend or sweetheart.  Just in case you were wondering!

you have been awarded the coveted Liebster award, here’s what’s next:

* choose five up and coming blogs with less than 200 followers to award

*show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them. If you not already a follower of their blog, that might be a great way to show appreciation for the award. ;)

*Post the award on your blog. Be sure to link back to the 5 blogs you awarded so that others can visit them.

Gym Rat

The other day my husband called me a gym rat.

Me? I asked in shock.  You think I'm a gym rat?  

With your P90X you work out way more then me.  I only committed myself to minimum of two days a week and yeah, I do more some weeks but not enough for me to be a gym rat.  

First I couldn't get you in the gym and now I can't get you out.  You go every chance you get and you get upset if you plan to go and don't get to.

My goodness.  I had refused to work out for so long.  How did this happen?

I thought about it for a minute and had to admit there is some truth to his statement.  Lately I have been more committed to exercise then ever.   This week for example.  I went on Sunday to compensate for a Pizza fest the day before.  I went Monday morning on my off day.  Then I went Tuesday after work.  Then I went Wednesday morning before work.  I did 60 minutes on the Elliptical for four days in a row burning between 590-650 calories per session.  Tuesday and Wednesday in particular, I was really in that zone that everyone talks about.  I was pumping my arms and legs like nobodies business and it felt amazing to push myself.  I probably looked like some kind of lunatic mouthing the words to my favorite songs, bobbing my head up and down and grinning for apparently no reason.  I was sweating but I was literally breaking out in goose bumps on my arms and legs because I was so into my work out and the music.  I felt like I could go on forever and the time flew by.  It was awesome.

I've learned to push my after work fatigue aside and head to the gym without even thinking twice about it.  I even worked out when I was sick.  Exercising has just become something I do.  Something that I make time for.  I was always athletic growing up participating in gymnastics, track and cheer-leading.  After high school my parents put me on their gym membership and then I worked out at my College gym too.  It was so much easier then.  Yeah, maybe I had school and part time jobs but I also didn't spend 45 hours a week at a full time job and have a house to keep up.  And I'm not as young and energetic as I used to be.  I managed to stay committed to working out for the most part with some off and on until I fell off the wagon big time for years and didn't see how I would ever find my way back. 

I really love it that I'm doing something good for my body and that I'm actually enjoying it.  I really love it that I CAN.  It's one thing to just be lazy and not exercise and entirely another to be physically unable to.  I am lucky that I have a gym membership (that I don't even pay for) that gives me access to a really nice gym that's close to home.  I am lucky that I can exercise and I finally realized that needed to take advantage of that and not take it for granted.  I still haven't gotten to my new exercise videos but I will.  I do hit the gym consistently and I just bought my 2nd package of classes at a dance and fitness studio.  I've gotten a lot of my lost flexibility back and I'm even starting to see some of those hard to get oblique muscles coming in on the sides of my stomach.

So when I think about it I don't really mind being called a gym rat.  It's actually taken a lot of time and energy to earn that label so I'll proudly accept it.   It's way better then being known as a couch surfer...although I am guilty of that too!

Fab 4 Day Weekend

Sisters

My little sister is such a hot shot that she got flown down here on Friday night to shoot her friend's sister's wedding on Saturday.  It was an early ceremony and reception so she was done by four.  My big sis and I met up at Mom's house so we could all hang out and spend time together.

Hangin' out at the bar

Me and my sparkling wine.  Can't seem to get enough lately.

Grandparents and Grandkiddo. 

We went to Claim Jumper for dinner.  That place is always busy and since there were six of us it took a little over an hour to get a table.  We passed the time in the bar.  What is it with this sparkling wine craving?  That was my drink of choice while we waited to get seated.  I was trying to be "good" so I just got the salad bar for dinner and put together my own delicious salad.  We didn't get out of there until around 9pm.  We stopped at my Aunts house and then headed home to watch a movie and eat ice cream and Pie.  Well, I don't eat pie so I had a few cookies instead.  I spent the night and took my little sis back to the airport Sunday morning.  I love family time.  It was a short but sweet visit.

It's been great having a four day weekend.  We get both President's Birthday's at my job.  Friday I got to get my cleaning done in the morning and did some errands in the afternoon.  That night Mj and I ate Subway and watched the movie Straw Dogs.  Sunday  we did some home improvement related errands.  We bought a new kitchen sink at Home Depot.  Then, we went out for Pizza and to the movies to see Safe House.  This morning I woke up bright and early and went to the gym and then came back and did my homework.  It's been a fab 4 day weekend but it's not quite over yet.  I've been watching TV and now I feel an afternoon nap coming on.  I'll have time to sleep AND have dinner on the table by the time Mj gets home and finishes his work out.  Now that's fabulous. 

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I am pleased to announce that the winner of my first giveaway is Mrs. Williams!  Her prize is a 5 x 7 canvas hand painted by Lauren and a $15 shop credit to her Etsy Shop.  Thanks so much to all who entered.