Click Chicks Photo Challenge // Nature

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to find any nature in time for this blog post since there isn't anything all that beautiful and nature like outside my front door.  Then we were driving down the street on the way home from football on Saturday and I saw these beautiful trees all lined up and blooming just waiting for me to snap a picture.  I don't remember seeing them before but then again I don't remember exactly when I last drove down that street.  Wendy's and Save-A-Lot kind of spoil the tone of these pretty trees so I cropped them out. I love the bright blue cloudless sky in the background.  It was a perfect 80 something degree day.

  I have no idea what kind of trees these are but the flowers on it look really pretty up close.  In the immediate area where I live I can see beautiful mountains looming in the distance.  There are trees here and there but not a whole lot of greenery so it was nice surprise to discover these.

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Four Day Weekend

I heart four day weekends.  I slept in and went to a 10:30 am Yoga class on Friday.  Then I came home, relaxed and started dinner.  I rarely make dinner so this was a big deal and for some reason I actually enjoyed doing it.  It was very strange, but I liked it.  That night we watched a movie (Stolen).

Saturday morning I got up early with Mj and went to his flag football game.  I started out in a sweatshirt drinking coffee and ended up sweating.  The sun was blazing and by the time we left it was in the 80's.  I got some really great action shots of the game using the zoom lens.  He's the organizer for these flag football games and I was unofficially hired with no pay to take shots for his group Facebook page. 

After football we went to an open house in our neighborhood.  We're definitely not in the market but it's still fun to look and pretend like we are on House Hunters.  Then it was time for lunch  and we had to eat outside because the weather was so perfect.  We went to Downtown Cafe because it's in our neighborhood and they have a great outdoor seating area.  That sourdough cheesy bread was so delicious that I'm still thinking about it.  I'm such a carb junkie.  It's an appetizer but I ordered it as my entree.  It was only $4.95 so once again I was a cheap date.  Mj got a juicy burger with fries.  I couldn't believe I was wearing flip flops and shorts in February.  Okay, I can believe it and that's why I love living here so much.  But don't be too jealous because it's supposed to start raining any minute.

My husband's job clearly doesn't care enough about their employees so he didn't get Friday or Monday off.  How sad is that?  Monday I got up and hit the gym by 9am for some cardio.  Since I was in no rush I spent about 30 minutes afterwards stretching and working on my flexibility.  I ran a few errands, did laundry and spent the rest of the afternoon watching TV and blogging.

Not having to go to work is the life, I'm telling you.  I had time to exercise, relax and get stuff done without feeling like a chicken with it's head cut off.  Long weekends are the best.

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That Time I Got Ditched on Valentine's Day

I could have skipped this post altogether.  I mean, this isn't exactly the Valentine's Day post I expected to write but this is how it went down so I'm sharing it anyways.

My husband hates Valentine's Day.  I knew he hated this so called fake Hallmark holiday but for the last four years he's played along.  Special deliveries at work, a specially baked dessert, a dinner out.  It's always been very low key but we have acknowledged the holiday for my sake, but this year I got ditched.  He finally had enough and boycotted the whole thing altogether.  We didn't have plans together, but I certainly didn't expect him to leave me at home alone and go out to dinner with anyone else.  I find out that he's going to dinner with the guys for burgers after work.  Half the guys that went are married.  Sounds like the ultimate F you Valentine's Day if you ask me.

Am I hurt?  I have to be honest and say yes, but not mortally wounded since I was never really all that crazy about Valentine's anyways.  I've never placed much importance on what I got or what we did, but I did enjoy it.  I don't see anything wrong with an extra day to celebrate love.  He doesn't like the idea that there is a certain arbitrary date on which men specifically, receive a lot of extra pressure to do something that will show love.  My husband's tolerance for this day has clearly run it's course.  He wasn't having it this year, and while it's a little bit of a bummer, I'm okay with it.  And here's why.  I love my husband and I know he loves me.  I don't need Valentine's day to know this.  I don't want him feeling roped into doing something he really doesn't want to on my account.  If it's not genuine, there's no point and we didn't get married so we could force each other to do things we really don't want to do.  Sometimes we do things we don't want to in marriage for our partner, but Valentine's Day is just not important enough to me that it should qualify as one of those things he does anyway.  I see no need to force it upon my husband if he doesn't want to partake.  Marriage is about give and take, and it looks like it's my turn to be the one to give on this one.

It was like a parade of sweets, flowers, love notes and special dinners on Instagram, but I didn't have a thing to show off except these little conversation hearts I bought myself at Big Lots.  The upside is that I didn't get the chance to OD on sweets or gorge myself at a restaurant.  I spent the evening alone watching a movie on Netflix and eating Cheese Quesadilla's with carb stopper tortillas.  It was a little bit of a let down to be shut out of the V day festivities, but I realize that my marriage is more then what I did or didn't get on Valentine's day.

A tiny part of me wanted to pout and throw a little hissy fit over it, but I put on my big girl panties and sucked it up.  We didn't make plans, so in his mind Valentine's Day was a non thing, however it still meant something to me so I thought we'd just spend a cozy night at home.  I didn't realize we weren't acknowledging it all, since we'd always done so in the past.  Whelp.  I certainly know now.  I told him I felt sad and hurt that he went out, but that's it.  No point in getting super offended over something like this, when I have such a wonderful husband.  He's kind, generous, and he puts up with all of my crazy ways.  We do fun things together all the time, and show our love for each other on other days in other ways.  I felt pretty spoiled on my Birthday and Christmas.  Not getting this one day is no big deal in the grand scheme of things.  After you've been together for a while there comes a point where it just doesn't matter that much anyways.  He loves me for who I am, and I have to return the favor even if it means Valentine's Day is a thing of the past. 

And yes, I did get him something.  Just some football attire he needed.  It was not romantic in any way, but I did put a sweet handwritten note with it.  I can't really say I got nothing in return though, because I got him.

Click Chicks Photo Challenge // Hearts

Remember these little candy conversation hearts?  They didn't even taste that great but was always THE Valentine's Candy to give and to get and it was so much fun reading all the little goofy sayings on each one.  I saw a package of 8 of these little boxes at Big Lots for $2.00 and just had to get them.  I will say that these hearts taste much better now then I remember.  They bring back hazy memories of cutting out construction paper hearts and Elmer's Glue in elementary school.  Which reminds me of how we used to smear it on our hands and peel it off.  It was really creepy because once it dried up it looked like you were peeling off your skin.  I never had a Valentine in elementary or middle school.  Ever.  I was a late bloomer but it was back in the days when you handed out candy and cards to your entire class so it didn't matter.  Then in high school it was all about balloons, chocolate and exchanging little gifts with your group of friends.  I was jealous of my friends who always seemed to have boyfriends just in time for Valentine's Day.  Even then I didn't have a Valentine because I guess was still blooming.  I'm so glad those days are over.  My Valentine pretty much hates Valentine's Day but he's all mine and I love him anyways.

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What I'm Not Watching and Why

Reality TV has gotten so out of control. Every single channel from Animal Planet to National Geographic has gotten in on the craze. Some I refuse to watch and others I'm hopelessly addicted to. 

Not Watching:

The Bachelor

It's way too long, way too much drama and nobody ever stays together.  I can't bear to watch the girls crying about how they love him and they don't get to spend enough time with him.  This guy that they just barely met and are somehow falling in love with.  I love it that Trista and Ryan actually met this way and stayed together but they are the exception and not the rule.  I lost hope that it would ever happen again so I stopped watching after the Melissa Rycroft season of The Bachelorette.

Starter Wives Confidential

Ridiculous.  I can't believe they made a show about a bunch of ex wives of famous people.  I don't know much about the show but all it took was one preview for me to say NO WAY!

Gypsy Sister's

I watched My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding but the buck stops here.  It was really interesting finding out about their culture and lifestyle but those sister's are crazy and I just don't feel like getting into their shenanigans.

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo 

I never watched this and never will.  This family is just too much for me.  I'm appalled and very turned off by a lot of the clips I've seen so even though I was curious at first left it alone.

American Idol

The last season I watched was when Ruben Stoddard won but up to that point I watched it religiously.  Sometimes I think about watching but I guess I just lost interest.

The Biggest Loser

Mj and I watched one season of this together.  It was so time consuming!  Two hour long episodes is just too much and I got annoyed that they only focus on exercise when diet accounts for a good 90% of weight loss.  I wish they would show more on what they are eating and the challenges of trying to maintain a healthy diet.  I thought about watching again since Jillian Michaels is back but didn't.

Real Housewives of Anything

I watched Orange County, New York and a few seasons of Atlanta then I quit.  I got sick of watching these people living their excessive lifestyles.  It was too much fighting, arguing and drama among people that aren't even friends.  If they hated each other so much they wouldn't hang out but they do because they are thrown together for the show and the drama that they will hopefully create.  I can't stand watching spoiled grown women act so immature and petty.

There might be a bunch that I won't watch but I have plenty of guilty pleasures that I can't get enough of.

Watching:

[Photo Source]

Dance Mom's

This is one of my favorites!  I love watching these talented girls perform.  They are so cute.  Chloe is my favorite and she was getting a lot more solos but is now suspended.  Maddie has fallen from grace but seems to be on her way back up after finally getting another solo and winning.  Abby is straight evil.  It's not just being a tough teacher she is down right rude and mean.   The mom's react to it of course and then it's just this terrible yelling match and power struggle.  It's getting harder and harder to watch.  Just when I think it can't get crazier it does.  The moms are upset and screaming, the kids are crying.  I don't know how these girls focus on their dancing with all the drama going on.  There has got to be another dance studio in Pennsylvania that they can go to.   There is so much jaw dropping drama on this show that Mj has even started watching it with me.

Toddlers and Tiara's

I know, I know.  It's so terrible that these little girls are wearing more make-up then I do, fake nails, fake lashes, fake teeth, fake hair, tanning and then being trotted out onto a stage to be judged on their facial beauty.  I removed it from my DVR one season only to manually record a bunch of them and add it back the next season.  I'm fascinated by mom's who spend thousands of dollars on these pageants and the little girls who control them.  There are even a few pageant Dad's that seem to love it.

Cheer Perfection

I used to be a cheerleader.  I can't not watch this show.  I like watching the girls perform at practice and competitions.  This show comes with it's own set of mama drama.  Anne in particular drives me crazy because for some reason I haven't figured out yet she thinks she's way better then everyone else.  How superior can you be if you think that when you go #2 on a coach bus it falls into the street. 

 

Teen Mom 2

Uggg.  I did a whole rant about this one.  You can find it here.  19 year old Leah who is already a mother to twins had a miscarriage which is indeed sad but she was beyond foolish for wanting another baby in the first place.  Chelsea is still having unprotected sex with the father of her child who is an absolute mean jerk.  I mean really.  Haven't these girls learned their lesson?  The new season starts up again next week and according to the previews the drama is a MOTHER and I'll be right there watching it.  As annoyed as I get with these girls I can't help it.

The Face

I will watch any and all modeling reality TV shows because I love modeling.  This is a new one on Oxygen and Nigel Barker who got booted off of the judging panel of America's Next Top Model is the host.  Successful models Karolina Kurkova, Coco Rocha and Naomi Campbell each lead teams in challenges against each other but only one girl will be the face of an Ulta campaign.   I predict lots of drama, cat fights and tears as one by one their modeling dream shatters.  Too bad Oxygen doesn't have an HD channel.

House Hunters

Always!  Mj is way over it but I never get sick of this one.  The only drama on this show is when couples don't agree on if they should live in the city or the suburbs.

We got into Walking Dead, Son's of Anarchy and Breaking Bad on Netflix.  I didn't even want to start watching those.  We also watch Modern Family and The Office together.   Those are my "scripted" shows.  I love how there is now that distinction of scripted vs non scripted since reality TV has taken over.  There are so many good shows I'm not watching and that's fine with me because I don't want to spend time watching them.  The Carrie Diaries looks really cute and Smash looks like my kind of show. Mj's watching The Followers and The Americans but I can't  want get involved.  As much as I love my couch I don't want to spend my life on it watching TV. 

Click Chicks Photo Challenge // Selfies

Okay so I got this fancy new camera and I still don't know how to use it.  Ivy at Little Women Little Home and I have been following each other for years now.  I saw that she was co hosting a blogger photo challenge and I thought it would be fun to join in and force myself to get that camera out and shoot.  I've always loved taking pictures anyways.  Only one problem.  The first challenge is a self portrait and I literally hated every photo that came out.  I am super hard on myself and I know it.  I did them on my own with the timer.  The lighting was off, I forgot to put on lip gloss and I was in a hurry.  I almost gave up before I even started but here I am.  Cheese!! 

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My Camera:

Canon Rebel T3i

Girl Scout Cookie Time

I'm about to have another oh my goodness I'm getting old moment which sucks because it means I'm getting old but here goes.  When I was a Girl Scout cookies were only $2.00 per box and the ONLY way to sell was door to door to door and begging your mom take the form to pass it around at work.  Tagalongs were called Hoedown's and the Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich were called something else.  My memory has faded but I think they used to be Savannahs.  Dulce de Leches, Lemonades, Thanks A Lot and bunch of others didn't exist, each cookie only had one name and Girl Scouts Inc didn't have a website.  That was a long time ago! Now they are $4.00, I don't even know if Girl Scouts have to pound the pavement anymore what with social media and e mail and half the cookies have an identity crisis.

Shortbread/Trefoils, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs, Carmel DeLites/Samoas

One thing that hasn't changed is that people still love them including me and my favorite one of all time is the Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties.  I'm a sucker for anything with chocolate and peanut butter.  If you're like me you might be wondering what's up with the double naming of cookies.  Apparently, there are two bakers for Girl Scout cookies now.  Little Brownie and ABC.  The name varies depending on which baker produced the cookie and the name you see on the box depends on where it came from.  I don't understand why they wouldn't just make them decide on a name and stick to it.  Can't they hold a meeting about that or pass a law?  Anyways.  Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs and Shortbread/Trefoils are the only three cookies that must be made every single year and the others can be changed.  Good for us since we really like those.  We got all three.

For a while I didn't even know when they were being sold and kept missing out but now I have a co worker who sells for her niece and she lets me know.  Most of these went into the freezer so we don't over do it.  Turns out that we already had a box of Trefoils in the there from last year!  So yeah, we have plenty.  BUT if I just so happen to see a Girl Scout outside of the grocery store I might just so happen to buy another box of the Hoedown/Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties.  I really can't have enough of those.
    

Simple Valentine's Day Ideas

It's that time of year again.  Love it or hate it Valentine's day is around the corner so I thought I'd put together some simple low cost gift ideas for him.  My husband pretty much hates Valentine's Day but he acknowledges it for my sake.  We have fun with it, or maybe I should say I do, but we definitely keep it simple and inexpensive. 

I love this coupon idea.  It's simple, sweet and doesn't cost a lot of money.  You can make a personalized Valentine Coupon for anything you want at Treat.  Also, check out tinyprints for all kinds of really cute Valentine's cards or for any other occasion. Both are part of Shutterfly, the company I used to make my wedding album.

I found this cute little picnic set at World Market.  It might be too chilly to do this outside but who says a picnic has to be outdoors?  Your living room is perfect.  Just add champagne or wine and some candles and you're all set.  You could add to one that's already put together or make one up yourself.  It's something fun to enjoy together.

This one is perfect for the home brewer or just a guy that really likes beer.  Get him a 4 pack of personalized beer glasses at Red Envelope.

Or, you could just ignore the entire day altogether and save these gift ideas for a real holiday like your Anniversary or a Birthday.  Who needs a commercialized holiday to show love for your significant other when you already do that anyways?  I agree.  You don't, but I still think it's fun to do a little something anyways.

 

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Beyonce Bowl

I'm not a football fan.  Never have been.  I want to be because all of America is so obsessed with it and I tried but I just can't really get into it.  Five years ago I had no clue what a down was or what the hell they were throwing the ball and tumbling all over each other for.   I made it a point to figure it out so I could at least follow along.  It was that year the Patriots won like every game except the super bowl and because Tom Brady kept throwing the ball from down to down it finally clicked for me what was supposed to be happening.  For me Super Bowl Sunday is less about the game and more about watching the commercials, what gathering I'm going to and what food will be there.  Mj and I got invited to my girl friend's house where she had a nice spread of junky party food for me to stuff my face with.  There was that awesome zero calorie margarita mix that I mixed with Tequila.  Yes, zero calorie!  But I ate so many chips that even that couldn't save me.  I'll be paying for it at the gym tonight.  I sat there and watched the whole first half of the game but after that I got distracted.

[Pic Source:  via google images Getty Images/Christopher Polk]

I loved Jennifer Hudson's performance of America the Beautiful and Alicia Keys and her piano definitely did the National Anthem justice.  Beyonce's performance was AMAZING.  I wish I could move like her but all I got is the two step.  She dances and tosses that big hair around like no other.  The way she struts, that fierce look in her eye, that big voice and the way she rocks a leather leotard is mesmerizing.  She is so pretty and so talented that when I'm watching her I kinda wish I could be her for just a second to see what that feels like.  She puts her whole heart into a performance.  I've seem her perform live once and she's incredible.  I thought it was cool that she had Kelly and Michelle perform with her because I'm guessing she really didn't have to share the spotlight with them.  I loved hearing those old Destiny's Child songs and then she did Halo which is one of my all time fav love songs.  All those women stole the show. 

Then the power went out.  After this a lot of the girls at the party checked out.  My friend is totally obsessed with Beyonce.  The only reason she wanted a super bowl party in the first place was so she could watch the half time show with her friends so girls outnumbered the guys.  She made up all these Beyonce themed challenges so we could compete against each other for Mardi Gras beads.  The guys were like, WTF is going on, but I thought it was fun.  We were having a good old time chatting and carrying on for most of the 2nd half.  I understand that the 49ers did a good job of coming back and that it turned out to be a pretty exciting game.  Not that I saw a lot of it.  I was rooting for the Ravens to win because I wanted Ray Lewis to go out with a ring.  It doesn't bother me that he cries a lot before and after the game.  I think it's sexy that a big strong football player isn't afraid to show his emotions like that.  I'm glad they won but what I'll remember most about this superbowl is the awesomeness that is Beyonce and how bizarre it was that the power went out.

Confession Time

I confess that I'm not sure I get this whole Vine thing.  It's like YouTube but not?   It's like Instagram but not? And I keep hearing things about porn.  What's the point?  I mean, how many more social media outlets do we need?  I think there are already too many as it is.

I confess that I was really excited to reach 200 followers this week.  That's pretty much my benchmark for blogger success and I can blog happily ever after now that I finally reached it.  I officially no longer qualify for the damn Liebster award! 200 is a really nice number to run a giveaway for but since I just did two I'll wait until 250 which may or may not happen....but either way I'll be doing another 'cause they are so much fun.  Thank you to all my wonderful readers.  You are appreciated!

I confess that I got all excited about seeing my face on the cover of a magazine.  So what if it's fake!  It looks sort of real and sometimes we have to take what we can get.  C'mon, you know you want to!  Click here to live out your very own cover girl fantasy.  If you do one I'd love to see it.  Shoot.  I just might do it again!

Link up with Leslie @A Blonde Ambition

I confess that I'm terrified to do a legit outfit post.  How do those fashion bloggers and lifestyle/fashion bloggers do it?  Who is taking their picture?  How do they make it look so good even when they use their i phone?  I feel like an idiot when Mj takes my pic and it looks terrible when I try to do it myself.  And this from someone who has been paid to have her picture taken before.  I've got to find that confidence!  I'm slowly working my way up to it.  We'll see how long that takes.

4 lbs of creamy goodness

I confess that I bought a 4 lb tub of Peanut Butter for our family of 2 adults.  I LOVE Peanut Butter and I get anxious when we don't have any in the house.  We love PBJ's and love it on crackers.  So good! Mj is very heavy handed with it on his PBJ's.  It's expensive so I went generic and large because I know this store brand is good.  It was more economical to spend $9.99 on Von's brand then $5 on a small Skippy that we'd run out of next week.

I don't know about you but January felt very looong.  I kept checking my calendar in disbelief that it wasn't February yet.  Well, now it finally is and we have the Super Bowl, Valentines Day and President's Day to look forward to.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Teen Mom 2 Dish

As if the girls of Teen Mom 2 hadn't already caused my jaw to drop enough there was a crazy discovery on this week's episode.  We already know that Jenelle's undying love obsession for Ke$ha means that she'd rather do long term jail time then miss her concert.  She'd also prefer to go to jail then quit smoking pot but since she got hauled into jail by her probation officer after failing a urine test she seems to be on the straight and narrow.  She's gone through about 2 roommates in as many months.  Three if you count her mom.

Source: mtv.com via CeCe on Pinterest

  Chelsea crying black mascara streaked tears
Poor Chelsea's little dog got attacked and killed by the neighbor's dog so she had to up and move.  She already has a replacement dog. She just took her last GED test and has been keeping her distance from her horrible ex but for the most part is chronically incapable of getting over him even though he treats her like crap.   I can't be the only one that's wondering what is going on with her shaggy poof of bleached blonde hair.  It looks like ramen noodles.  She also wears a TON of make up and should probably give the tanning a rest.  She's turning Orange.

Let's see...Kailyn cheated on a really great guy to try rekindling things with her baby's daddy.  That didn't work out.  She got lonely and somehow managed to get her ex to take her back then turned around and dumped him because she needed space.  Huh?  She's not allowed to move and take the baby to Florida so she moved into a new house instead.

Leah takes the cake for the most foolish one of all right now.  Will she ever learn?  She married the father of her twins only to be divorced within 6 months.  She was the one who cheated so she begged Corey to take her back and try again.  He refused.  After going on and on about how she rushed everything from getting pregnant, to moving in together to getting married and how she would never ever do that again she moved in with and is engaged to a man she's been dating for about 2 months.  The kicker however, is that she's already pregnant!!!  Oh, and after going on about how much she wanted to provide for her girls and have a career she dropped out of Nursing school.  Thank goodness she moved out of that awful trailer.  She actually wears more mascara then Chelsea.  It's really weird how they all picked up and moved at about the same time.

I liked the original Teen Mom group so much better.  Not that they didn't drive me nuts too.  Farrah annoyed me the most and Amber made me want to scream 90% of the time but I really liked Macy and Catelynn.  There is something about every single one of this new batch of girls and the horrible decisions they make that is very hard to watch.  Season one was good but I'm really sort of over season 2.  Mj stopped watching it a while ago and part of me wants to stop too but for some reason I can't.  A lot of people have claimed that this show glamorizes teen pregnancy but I personally do not see how.  With the exception of Amber the nightmare from Teen Mom 1 and Jenelle I'd say all of them have been really good mom's but their lives are total train wrecks!  They show how incredibly hard it is to balance school, work, relationships and life in general after having a child so young.  I'm not ready for a child at my age let alone theirs and there is nothing glamorous or fun about the crap these girls are dealing with.  Anyone else out there with a love hate relationship with this crazy show or is it just me? 

More Sick People

My weekend in a nutshell brought to you by Instagram

Mj took such good care of me on Wednesday that I guess he figured it was only fair that I return the favor so he woke up sick on Saturday.  Well, it's actually not his fault or his choice for that matter.  I'm the one who got him sick and I do feel bad about it.   There was more sick people food to be made and more medicine to be taken.  First thing Saturday morning I went to the grocery store for OJ, cough drops and other very important things like Peanut Butter and Fat Free Pringles and after that I didn't leave the house again all weekend.  It was grey and dreary, I had a sick husband at home and was still recovering myself so that was fine with me.  It worked out perfectly that we didn't have a single thing planned.

This might be one of the first weekends I can remember in a very long time that Mj didn't do anything.  It's no thing for me to spend a weekend at home but he is such a busy body that even if he has no plans he has to run errands or SOMETHING just to get out but not this weekend.  His Saturday morning flag football was rained out which was a good thing because he was too sick to play.  Plus, it meant he  gave that broken pinky a rest.  He broke it weeks ago but refuses to stop playing.  As for me, I did a lot of laying around on the couch twittering, reading blogs, watching TV and generally being lazy.  It was the perfect weekend for it because I don't think the sun came out once so I was perfectly content to stay inside.  I did get laundry done and that was probably the only productive activity of the weekend.

Mj had to call in sick today but hopefully he'll be back to 100% soon too.  It's Monday.  Back to work.  Back to the gym.  Back to the grind.  The sun is shining and I haven't felt this rested on a Monday in a while.  All that laying around paid off.  What with MLK day and calling in sick twice I only worked two days last week and now I've got a lovely long five day work week ahead of me.  It only took me four days to kick that cold's butt and I only had about 2 really awful days.  I can't help but think about all the people in the world who are chronically ill and still hoping for the day that they get better and it makes me so appreciative of my good health.  I'll have to remember this thankful feeling when I'm wrenching myself out of bed on Friday morning for work and spending 3 hours cleaning house on Saturday.  As much as I whine about it I do realize I should consider myself lucky that I'm physically able to do them both.

Korean Honey Citron Tea

The idea of laying around all day half comatose and sleeping instead of going to work sounds really good but when you feel terrible it's no fun at all and oddly enough you'd rather be at work.  Well, that was me Wednesday.  It's been exactly a year since I had so much as a cold and I've never had a flu shot but I can't remember when I ever had the flu.  I never get sick.  Famous last words.

Sick people food // Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese and OJ

Monday night I felt it coming on.  Uh, oh I think I might be getting sick.
Tuesday I tried to fight it with Emergen-C.  I still attempted my 1 hour cardio routine as normal but couldn't finish and spent the last half walking.  Something about the dry air going in and out of my nose was too painful.
Wednesday I called in sick to work after a mostly sleepless night and didn't get out of bed until 11am.  I dragged my achy body downstairs where Mj had lunch waiting.  He is so sweet.  He stayed home so he could take care of me.  Either that or he just really didn't want to go to work but either way I was glad to have him there. Sick or not I had to make my hair appointment that night.  I looked in the mirror and saw a hot mess staring back at me.  How sad that my husband had to look at this all day.  Honey Citron tea and a hot shower made me feel half way human.  I had a good hour or two before I would revert to total uselessness but it was enough for me to make it there and back.
Thursday I went back to work.  On the way there with my eye balls all heavy in my head I wondered why I ever thought it was a good idea.  My brain was foggy and everything I did that day felt like slow motion.
Today I stayed home.  I feel better then I did on Wednesday but it's one of those gray rainy days that makes you want to never get out of bed and so I didn't.  I'm sick and I have a plethora of sick hours so I might as well use them.  I expect to be back to 100% by Monday at the latest if not sooner.   It's just a cold so I guess I can't complain too much.

So getting back to that Honey Citron Tea.  Mj drank it all the time when he was stationed in Korea and he re discovered it here at a local Korean market called H Mart.  I'm not a tea drinker at all.  I normally have to add loads of sweetener to make it taste half way decent but I don't need to add a thing to this.  It has the same consistency of jelly and I only use one spoonful for an average sized mug.  It tastes so good and when you get to the bottom there is a little citrus surprise to nibble on.  It's really good when you are sick because it's full of Vitamin C.  They have other flavors but I only like this one.  Best tea ever.  You should try it.  Don't wait until you are sick.

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If you haven't entered our five prize giveaway click here to do so.  The last day is Sunday January 27th.

Giveaway: 5 Prizes // 1 Winner

I'm really excited to be teaming up with Whitney of Keeping Up with the Cypert's and four other bloggers.  She's doing a giveaway to mark the unveiling of her brand new blog design.  Go check it out.  Her and her husband designed it together and it's really cute.  I'm thrilled that she asked me to join in for what will be my first group giveaway.  When I did mine last month I realized how much fun it it is!  I'm not a big fan of overly complicated giveaways by fifty million bloggers that don't explain the rules.  Do I really have to follow all 50 blogs? There are only 5 of us, we kept it simple and the rules are clearly stated. The only mandatory entry is to follow the host blogs via GFC and any extra to get more entries is up to you.  Yes, we know there is that chance you might drop us all like a hot potatoes after the winner is announced but if you think you might be interested in our blogs at least this gives us a chance to woo you and hopefully you'll decide to stick around.  If you haven't entered yet please do!  These are great prizes and you don't wanna miss out.  Use rafflecopter below to complete your entry.

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$20 Starbucks Gift Card from me

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2 Pairs of Lauren Conrad Earrings from 
Whitney @Keeping Up with the Cyperts

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$25 i Tunes Gift Card from
Meighan @Heavens to Meighan


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Free Add Space from
Katie @My Darling Days

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 $25 Gift Card from 
Faith @ Life, Love & Marriage


Prize:

$20 Starbucks Gift Card 

$25 i Tunes Gift Card
$25 Target Gift Card
2 pairs of Lauren Conrad earrings
Blog Add Space
   
Entry Period:

Last day to enter is Sunday, January 27th 

How to Enter-Mandatory:

Follow all host blogs via GFC
Additional entries to increase your chance of winning are optional

a Rafflecopter giveaway



 

The Weekend

I love Saturday mornings that I don't have to clean.  After waking up and NOT cleaning I spent a leisurely morning bumming around the house.  At around 3pm we went to a wine tasting at The Wine Bank downtown.  Another Groupon date of many over the last month.  Some people complain about not getting out enough with their spouse.  We don't have that problem!  I went Groupon crazy for a while buying them right and left but then not using them right away so that a bunch of them were expiring in December and January.  I had to actually put them on my calendar to keep track of what expired and when to be sure that we made time to use them all.  At the tasting we got five pours plus an extra of our favorite.  We brought some smoked mozzarella cheese and crackers to go along with it and ate the whole block! Yeah, we both really love cheese.  We bought a bottle of white Argentinean wine to take home. After that we went out to dinner at a seafood restaurant.  I don't eat seafood plus I was so full that I just got a side salad.  Mj didn't like the seafood entree that he ordered so he sent it back and ended up with a Chicken and Rice bowl so neither of us actually ate any seafood at the seafood restaurant. 

Sunday my mom, sister and nephew came down.   We watched football most of the day.  Mj left to watch the 1st game at a friend's house then later that night we all watched a movie together.  It's so much fun when they spend the night. Mj didn't get Monday off so I felt bad for him when he had to get up.  Instead of going to work I went to Reformer Pilates.  I finally got to take the barre class that's only offered when I'm at work.  The weather was 75-80 all weekend long and it felt really good to be wearing flip flops in January.  I got accused of bragging about it on Facebook.  Sorry, can't help it!  We went out to lunch and sat outside.  I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the sun.  It was so relaxing.  

I don't know where the time went.  Next thing I knew it was 7 o'clock and time for my family to hit the road for home.  Boo!!  At least it's a short work week.

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I'm part of an awesome group giveaway with great prizes that you do not want to miss.  Trust me.  check it out here at Keeping Up with the Cyperts.

Confessional Friday

I confess that I was really excited when I went to our free company EAP health screening and found that my body age is 19!  This is calculated by using height, weight, body fat, blood pressure and a bunch of other things.  I don't want to actually be 19 anymore but my body can stay that age for as long as it wants to.  My diet may not always be perfect but I must be doing SOMETHING right.

A shot I got in Amsterdam @this adorable Pancake House

I confess that our Rebel Canon camera makes me feel like a professional photographer even though I am absolutely not. There is something so satisfying about the sound and feel of that powerful shutter clicking in fast succession. I start adjusting the zoom lens and trying for different angles and the next thing you know I feel like I'm doing a photo shoot. I still haven't read the manual so I suppose I have no idea what I'm doing but it sure is fun. 

I confess that I'm a fruity gum chain chewer.  Those fruity flavors like Trident Layers Wild Strawberry and Extra Dessert Delights Lemon square sure are bursting with flavor when you first pop them in your mouth but in less then 45 minutes they have fallen flat and tasteless.  I spit it right out and pop in another.  I buy them in multi-packs whenever possible because I go through them so quickly.

Link up with Leslie @A Blonde Ambition

I confess that we watched four seasons of Son's of Anarchy in about 3 weeks on Netflix.  It takes a lot of dedication to do this.  We typically watched no less then 2 per night and our last episode was often viewed in bed on the i pad.

I confess that I'm so excited that House Hunters is back with new episodes.  I've been loving having a new episode in my queue every day.  Mj got sick of this show a long time ago but I still love it.

I confess that I love shopping but I literally shopped 'till I dropped.  I actually got tired of hunting for items I'd decided that I had to have in stores and online and trying to decide what to buy.  I'm done for now anyways and my bank account thanks me.  I've gotta start saving up for our next vacation and car maintenance stuff that is on the horizon.

I confess that I've had a sandwich for dinner every day this week.  Monday, PBJ.  Tuesday, Roast Beef sub from Capriotti's with a Groupon.  Wednesday, the other half of the Roast Beef sub.  Thursday, PBJ.  And today??  I got my way and Mj agreed to either Subway or Capriotti's for dinner tonight.  If we go with Subway it'll be low fat and if it's Cap's then it will be a major sandwich splurge; The Italian.  What can I say?  I love bread and I love sandwiches!!

I'm really looking forward to a sunny 70 something degree three day weekend.  Happy Friday!!

Luxury Cinema Date Night

The cost of movie tickets has gone up so much over the years.  By the time you pay $12 per person to get in and spend over $20 on popcorn, drinks and candy it's turned into a very expensive night out.  When we go we usually buy snacks and drinks at Target before we go and smuggle it in.  So if you think that's bad imagine paying $19.50 for movie tickets.  On Saturday night we did just that.   There's a luxury movie theater called Cinepolis where you pay a lot more then the average movie ticket price but you also get a lot more.  We've been meaning to try it out for about 2 years and just finally got around to it.

You have to make advance reservations on line for an assigned seat.  The movie selection is also a little limited just because they only have 8 theater's.  When you walk in it looks more like a trendy restaurant than a movie theater.  There is a bar on the left and a room full of tables so you can enjoy a drink or snack before your movie.  We met a couple there for a quick drink before ours.  Instead of your average movie seat you get a giant leather recliner and they are set up in pairs.   There are about 7 pairs per row.  We walked to our seat, kicked off our shoes and pushed the button that reclines our seat.   Then the waiter came around and took our order.  Most of the food is fairly low maintenance which makes sense because you are essentially eating in the dark.  They have things like wraps, onion rings, paninis and Sushi.  There was Chocolate Molten Lava cake for dessert among other things.  They also have gourmet popcorn and typical movie candy.  The food prices were surprisingly reasonable.  We ordered mini corn dogs as an appetizer.  I splurged and got the Caesar salad.  Yes,  this is a splurge because I normally won't touch full fat dressing.  Mj got the Burger and fries.  There is a little table that slides over for you to eat your food.  We saw Django and it was really good.  Classic Quentin Tarantino touches but in a totally different setting then you would ever expect.  We both really liked it.

So was it worth $19.50?  Call me crazy and I know it's totally excessive but I actually say yes.  It's a novelty and you're paying for that along with the extra amenities.  The price is steep but it was absolutely the best movie watching experience ever!  Django is a long movie and my butt never got tired once.  It was so cozy being able to cuddle up comfortably with Mj.  You feel like you're at home but you're not.  Why not stay home then for free right?  Well, it was a fun and different date night for us to go out and do together.  It's not something we'll do every time or even every other time we go to the movies.  That would be ridiculous.  We're not rich.  It would just be an every so often kind of thing but we definitely plan on going back.

New Year // New Blog Design

I've never had my blog "done" and didn't even realize that I wanted a makeover until I won one in a giveaway and the person who was supposed to give it away decided not to give it away.  I had to reach out to her after I won and then all but that 1st e mail went totally ignored.  How rude is that?  I absolutely do not blame the blogger who hosted the giveaway.  She in good faith hosted the giveaway on her blog and the designer in very poor taste reneged on her obligation.  This person is a blogger and lucky for her I'm not interested in calling anybody out so I'll just leave it at that.

I'm not a blogger pro so I never saw a blogger makeover as something I should consider for myself but after I had it dangled in front of my face then snatched away I realized that I actually did want a new look for my blog.  I spent hours making my own social media icons.  Hours!  I realized there was nothing I could do about my header and left it at that.  Then fellow photographer turned blogger turned blog designer Lauren of Choosing Joy stepped in.  She was sweet enough to offer her services and I took her up on it.  I sent all the information she asked for and quicker then I ever expected I had an image of a layout customized just for me.  I'm a control freak so I have to admit it was a little scary to relinquish control when I wasn't sure how it all worked.  But Lauren, how is this stuff all going to get on my blog? Lauren, what if I want to change something?  I hope I didn't drive her nuts. 

I'm very happy with the new look.  She did a great job.  It's clean, basic and slightly girly.  It totally fits me. I'm not sure why I felt that I needed to have XXXX amount of followers or be some kind of blog mogul in order for my blog to be worthy of a make over.  I'm on here darn near every single day.  I love blogging.  I love my blog.  I've been doing this for a while now and I don't plan on quitting any time soon if ever.  I might as well have a unique fun design of my own.  New Year...new blog design.

A Merry New Year Party

When I found out that Mj's company holiday party was January 5th instead of the usual December this year my first thought was, cool now I can get a dress on an after Christmas clearance sale.  It was a good idea in theory but in reality I still didn't feel like buying another dress I'd only wear once so I went with what I had.  I often worry about looking too hootchie so I err on the side of conservative and end up seeing women in far more risque dresses then the one I left at home. This time I said screw it and went with potentially hootchie and I'm glad I did because as expected there were STILL women there that went shorter, tighter and lower cut then me.  If you can believe that from looking at my dress.  Mj waited until that day to finally try on his suit and after a 20 lb weight loss last year he was swimming in it so he had to throw an outfit together.  There were clothes strewn all over the bed.  You know the kind of scene we have to go through on a regular basis.

Feels like a Prom pic!

The party was at the Westin Hotel downtown on Saturday so we booked a room for the night.   At the party we were greeted with champagne.  We were off to a nice start but once inside the ballroom we couldn't find a table.  Mj gave up because he was starving and grabbed some food to start eating while we milled around like lost sheep looking for a place to sit.  I don't know if they underestimated the amount of people that were going to show up or if people didn't RSVP or what but there were no more tables inside the main room.  We were relegated to what we called the reject room and had to wait a while before we could even find a table there.  We were away from all the action and ambiance of the main room but we made the best of it and had a good time anyways.  There was a live violinist and a DJ.  Like last year's it was heavy appetizers served buffet style around the room.  There was flat bread pizzas, pastas and salads.  Mj complained about there not being good enough variety but they had me at Pizza and it was all good to me.  They had a photo booth set up and handed us the print so I had to scan it old school style to get it on the blog.

I bought this shirt in Nice, France at Cache Cache // Yes, it feels really cool to say that!

Afterwards we went to a club with some of his co workers.  As much as I wanted to strut around in my hot (read cold) little black dress and pumps like the other girls I couldn't bear to freeze my butt off so I had to change.  My husband is so cute.  I stared and smiled at him from across the room like some kind of creepy stalker and happily thought to myself; yep that's my man.  We've been together for going on five years and I love it that I still feel like we're dating.  We don't do the whole downtown thing too often which is fine but when we do it's so much fun.  I had a blast dancing with my husband all night long.  I made it until 1:30am which is pretty impressive for an old lady who likes to be in pajamas by 10pm if not sooner.   My knees were telling my gyrating hips that they'd had enough and the balls of my feet were yelling at me too so it was time to call it quits and walk back to the hotel.  This is about that time when we start walking like broken rag dolls with sticks up our butts because we can no longer hide the abuse we have put our feet through all night.

The next morning we met another couple for breakfast at The Broken Yolk Cafe.  We hear good things about this place but I don't think any of us was overly impressed with the food.  We ran a few errands on the way home.  As soon as I walked in the door I really wanted to take a nap but instead I changed right away and went to the gym.  Call me crazy but I stayed for two hours trying to burn off all that Pizza.  Later that night we took down the tree.  The last party of the season is officially done and even though having to go back to work really sucks I'd say we're off to a very Merry New Year.

Resolutions Revisited

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year [Pic Source]

Last year I was not very ambitious when it came to making New Year's resolutions.  I had an amazing 2010 where I had the wedding I always wanted, bought a house, went to Hawaii for my honeymoon and got a promotion at work.  I was still basking in the joy of 2010 and settling into everything by the time the end of 2011 rolled around!  I was rebounding from a very expensive and financially stressful 2010 but by then I was feeling good about finances as an individual and as a couple.  I had stuck with the gym marking a year of consistency after going through a pretty long I refuse to work out phase.  I was in such a good place that I wasn't wanting for much more then I already had so I only focused on three.  Having so few can either better my odds of success since there weren't that many to begin with or make me look like a total fail if I don't complete every single one.

2012 Resolutions:
1. Write a book!  SUCCESS
Well sort of.   I had never told anyone that I wanted to write a book so I put it out into the universe for the first time last year with the goal of writing 15 pages per month for the entire year.  How did I do?  There were 3 months out of the year where I failed miserably and wrote nothing because of school and then because my brain was still in la la land after we got back from Europe.  Other then that I almost met my goal.  I went from 27 pages and 6,800 words to 188 pages and 45,104 words over the course of the year.  When you do the math that's about 13 pages per month.  I consider it a success because I've come so far with it.  If I keep up the pace I will finish it by the end of 2013.  I'll probably still have a lot of fine tuning and editing to do but the bulk of it will be done.

2. Learn Spanish with Rosetta Stone. TOTAL FAIL
I planned to pick it up again after I finished my classes but that never happened.  I found that when I had extra time I wanted to devote it to writing and there just didn't seem like there was too much extra time after that.  I got far enough before to earn a certificate and I actually liked it so I know I can do it again once I really set my mind to it.  I'm filing this away as something I definitely plan to do but just haven't decided on when!

3. Get cooking.  SUCCESS
My goal was to keep it on my radar as something I need to do and get in there and do it.  I made no commitment about how often.  I'm going to count this as a success because that's exactly what I did.  I made an effort and I got in the kitchen and cooked.  Not with any regularity and there were some major gaps in between at times but for me that is better then not doing anything at all.  I think I've also come to  a realization about cooking.  It's not me and it may never be me.  My husband enjoys it and he's a hell of a lot better at it then me so why not just let that be his thing?  Whey beat myself up over it and feel like a terrible wife just because it's not something that I'm going to do that often?  We each bring something different to the table.  I clean and do laundry, he cooks and maybe that's okay.  I'm still going to make the effort to get in there because I think it's a nice thing to do for him but I need to stop feeling so guilty about not doing it a lot.

Two out of three is 66%.  Bleh!  So what about this year?  I'm not making any resolutions!  I just want to finish my book and that will be good enough for me.  And it's not like there aren't other things I want to do but even being the list maker that I am I'm not feeling the need to list them out this year.

Our NYE was very low key as usual.  We went to a gathering at friends house for dinner and then came back home a few hours before midnight.  We watched a countdown show, shared a big smootch and promptly fell asleep on the couch until about 2am.  I'm spending New Year's day relaxing at home and doing laundry.   I'm currently watching a Catfish marathon on MTV.  I DO NOT want to go back to work!  These 12 days off and getting to spend so much time with Mj have been great.  Pity it has to end.

Link up here!